Phil Ivey Returns to the World of Poker

In the past six months, Phil Ivey’s name has been spoken several times not because he has participated in poker tournaments. The only time we encounter his name is when we ask ourselves – Will Phil Ivey show up this time around? Ever since he decided to bow out on the 2011 Poker World Series, he only made a few of those poker-related appearances and general ones at that – not really the big games.

Observationally speaking, Phil Ivey has not participated in any major poker events since Black Friday and even when he played at the Macau cash games and APPT Macau main event this has not really made big news in the poker world.

At the start of the year 2012, PCA and the Aussie Millions – along with other few major events – that if without the 2011 Black Friday, Phil Ivey would be one of the very first persons to register and participate. Most, if not always, big buy-in events would draw out Ivey from wherever he hangs out. This gives us an idea that he only participates in games with the highest stakes at play – nothing less. PCA has the $100,000 Super High Roller and yet Phil Ivey has not made any single move to participate at all.

However, there came the $100,000 Aussie Millions Challenge, which tempted the “many consider best” poker player in the world to play. Phil Ivey is part of the 22-player field however he bubbled on the final table and watched 1.1 million AU$ go to the hands of Dan Smith.  Nonetheless, his appearance on this poker tournament alone has resulted to unspoken volumes that many would dare ask – Is he back for good?

There are three starting days on the 10,000 AU$ main event. On the third day, Ivey was tailing the 1.6 million AU$ highest prize. Robert Lam grabbed the Day 1C with his chip lead but the real buzz isn’t about who won – it was about the third placer Phil Ivey. This is to say that Ivey remained under the limelight for a few days. He was looking for his first catch in the year 2012 since December 2010. He earned his eighth WSOP bracelet in June 2010, which was his last win.

On day 2, Ivey finished this up in second and on Day 3 the field of 75 has reduced to 26 after three levels. In the sixth level, Ivey was one of the seven remaining players to grab one million chips at the end of the level. Ivey – winning this event – would grab his largest single tournament cash in his career as a poker player.

Ivey still has a run on the headlines and other established poker professionals are still in line including – Lee Nelson (2006 Champion of this event – who began the day on 10th), Dan Idema (WSOP bracelet winner – on 7th) and Grant Levy and David Steicke (working from short stacks to continue their game for Aussie Millions.

Whether or not Phil Ivey wins the tournament, it is still unclear if he is back in the poker action. A lot of people involved in the poker world wouldn’t expect him to be back in action full time until decisive actions on the poker scandal has been made.

Get Rid of Dark Circles under Your Eyes Naturally

One of the major concerns among women and some men of all ages are having dark circles under the eyes. Dark circles under the eye may give an impression that you are tired, stressed out and groggy. In addition, these dark circles also create an image that will make younger persons appear older than their age. In fact, they look even older than people with wrinkles or grey hairs alone.

Fortunately for us, there are several ways that we can deal with dark circles. We can minimize if not eliminate the effects of under-eye dark circles by following some simple steps that you can do at home. Yes, no need for you to go to the nearest spa just to get rid of dark circles and make you look younger, fresher and more invigorated.

But, what causes under-eye dark circles?

Prior to employing methods that can treat and deal with dark circles under the eye, it is important that you learn why you got them in the first place. There are several reasons why a person gets discolored skin around the eyes, which make them look tired, sleepy and stressed out. The reasons include the following –

• Presence of disease
• Inadequate sleep
• Hypersensitivity issues
• Genetics

Dark circles under the eyes are similar to varicose veins in terms of heredity and genes. You can inherit the genes associated with this condition. The discoloration is the result when the blood flows through large veins that are close enough to the surface of the skin. If you have seemingly transparent or thin skin, you will notice more of this discoloration and the closer it gets to the surface of the skin will make the discoloration even darker.

What can you do to get rid of the dark circles under your eyes naturally?

Cucumbers

One of the most common ways to decrease tired, puffy and groggy eyes is through the use of cucumbers. This form of treatment is so safe that it can be done every day. To begin the treatment, you need to slice the cucumbers into circles – not so thick and not so thin slice – and lay one slice on each eye. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and keep your eyes closed. The rest of the slices can be preserved in the refrigerator so you can continue with the treatment until you consumed all.

Teabags

The active component found in teabags is tannin, which generally lessens the swelling and dark discoloration around the eyes. You need to prepare the teabags the night before you are going to use them and let it stay there overnight. This will chill the teabags up. Damp them up the following morning and lie down with the bags on your eyes. Keep it over your closed eyes for 10-15 minutes daily and you will notice positive results almost immediately. Alternatively, you could also use ice cubes wrapped in cloth and place them around your eye. Do not place the ice cubes without the cloth wrapping as this will cause even more discoloration.

Best Reality TV Show Revealed

In London, the show that grabbed the best Reality TV show title in the National Television Awards is none other than “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!” The show was exceptional considering the fact that it is going against very stiff competition at this fancy ceremony. The show fought for the title against “The Only Way is Essex, Come Dine with Me and The Apprentice.” Judging from this competition, it would come as a surprise if the “score cards” would show close results.

The jungle reality TV show has managed to grab the title anyway – and it is something that has clearly delighted celebrities who appeared in the show last year including Ant and Dec, the hosts for the Reality TV show.

After Ant and Dec grabbed the Best Entertainment Presenter award earlier in the night – they were exhilarated to know that they won the best Reality TV show as well. According to Ant – the win was fantastic and they weren’t expecting that they’d grab the award at all. But then, they had it in their hands anyway. It goes to show that they need to be given the attention they deserve and with the win – people would probably do.

In addition, Dec further elaborated that the schedule of the show was punishing and every single soul has to sacrifice a lot including their team and the Australian crew. He said that their success in the National Television Awards was due to the celebrities – who were the true stars of the show – as they made this year’s program such a big national hit. After his brief speech, he called unto the stage the three finalists of the show – Dougie Poytner (grand winner), Mark Wright (runner up) and Fatima Whitbread (third placer).

Mark Wright also starred in “The Only Way is Essex” and with this the Essex ladies’ man competes with himself as two of the shows he participated at were nominated. The celebrities who participated in the show thanked the people for their continued support. McFly bassist Dougie Poytner on the other hand was so overwhelmed that he simply uttered the words “thank you” because he couldn’t think of anything good to say.

This is the first time that the National Television Awards has included a category for reality TV shows in this prestigious awards night. Reality TV shows have taken the TV scene by a storm and have exploded in a way that never happened before. The drama unfolding through this reality TV shows has gripped the nation as the story revolves around the characters themselves.

Indeed, the “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here” truly deserves such award unless of course for die-hard fans of “The Apprentice.” The fact that they won the award despite the close and fierce competition just showed they are all this and that. The glorifying success escalates further as this is the first time that the NTA has included this category – meaning the show is the first one to ever grab the prestigious award.

Maria Sharapova has an Eye on Fashion

Maria Sharapova is not just one of the great women tennis players that are world renowned. She also continued to rock the boat even in the fashion world – not just on the tennis court. She penetrated the fashion world where competition is as fierce as rallies on hard courts, grass and clay but this did not stop her.

Apart from Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Martina Hingis also invaded the fashion scene. In 2003, Serena launched her Aneres line. Venus Williams followed in 2007 with her EleVen line while Martina Hingis will be launching a new line of tennis clothing soon. And, Sharapova will now take the center stage on the fashion scene.

Sharapova has a passion for fashion even when she was still a young girl. She signed an 8-year contract with Nike in 2010, which was reportedly worth $70 million. After which, she collaborated with the shoe and sportswear giant on designs after her popular Little Black Dress launched in the U.S. Open in 2006. This just proves how serious she is about fashion and it just keeps getting better.

According to her, fashion has brought an artistic expression that inspired her in more ways than one. For her, it is a way to communicate with her inner self. Her goal involves developing her personal brand not only as a tennis player but also as a fashion designer. She also designs bags and shoes for Cole Haan as part of the 8-year contract that she signed and this is a responsibility she always thinks seriously about.

The Maria Sharapova Collection, which includes tennis dresses and two-piece attires, was launched by Nike during the 2010 Australian Open. Her 2010 dress got slammed and she also lost in the first round in Melbourne. Since then, she has come a very long way in terms of her strategies in design. Now, her new dress for the 2012 is lustrous, streamlined and with the right dose of sophistication designed exclusively for the hard courts.

Sharapova – who is the three-time Grand Slam winner – designed a tennis dress that will maximize her fashion sense and her tennis plays. To show off her confidence both as a player and a designer – the dress has the name “The Statement Slam.”

Her performance so far in Melbourne has lived up to the expectation dress wise. She played aggressively, firmly and powerfully as she advances to the semifinals where she will be facing Petra Kvitova.

The 24-year old tennis star considers good textile, better fit and excellent performance during the design stages. And above all, the color choice is always one of the important decisions she has to make. During the early phase of choosing the most appropriate color, she starts with a fresh color palette especially at the beginning of the year. She also starts with as light materials as possible considering the heat during playing.

Apart from this, she also considers the surface – clay, hard or grass – as well as the color of the court when designing. She usually wants to maximize the contrast as much as possible. The Australian Open features the blue hard courts and in view of this she liked the neon accents because it gives the most contrast against the blue court.

Demi Moore Rushed to Hospital

According to recent reports, Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital. The world-renowned actress was allegedly undergoing treatment for stress and substance abuse problems. Reports said that Moore bowed out of the film about porn star Linda Lovelace.

It seems that Demi Moore descended from red carpet to rehab and it was followed by a scary seizure-like issue that was reported as the “result of a down market party drug.” Reports said that Moore was shaking and seemingly looked like she was a seizure patient suffering from an attack.

The raven-haired Hollywood beauty has been revealed suffering from stress and exhaustion and is now seeking help to recover from it. She has been reported to have abused nitrous oxide. Inhalation of nitrous oxide will send users into a state of trance, but it could result to seizures or it could even be lethal at worst.

Many people close to Demi Moore have watched her spiraling downward to worst. With increasing worry, they watched her lose more weight making her look frail and skinny.

Reports said that her battle with prescription drugs was one of the reasons why her marriage to 33-year old Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher collapsed. A reliable source revealed that it was the point where Ashton wanted Moore to take care of herself and control things but she wouldn’t that’s why the marriage resulted to such a mess.

Numerous friends and family have all been worried. Demi Moore was first married to Bruce Willis – who is the father of her three daughters – but the marriage also ended up in divorce. Reports added that her friends would admit that she is a mess. The starting point of her downfall was over the last year. She changed for the worst – not sleeping as well, didn’t seem to eat and started to look thin.

The final downfall – or so it hoped to be – of the child of two alcoholics was rushed to the nearest hospital from Moore’s Beverly Hills mansion.

Rumer Willis – Moore’s 23-year old eldest daughter – rushed to her side and was seen looking apparently distressed as she smoked and was talking on a cellphone outside the hospital where her mother was admitted. Moore’s publicist refused to make any comment on the reports about substance abuse.

This is the second “known” time that Moore had a stint in rehab. The first time was when she sought medical help during her Brat Pack prime after director Joel Schumacher threatened to cut her from the influential coming of age flick “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Michael Levine, Moore’s publicist, said that he remembered Moore to have a problem on substance abuse in the ‘80s but she was still beautiful, charming and intensely ambitious. He added that addiction problems are complicated matters in which no one can really fully recover from. It will always be a process of recovering and stress exacerbates the issues.

Apparently when the old demons began resurfacing, Moore dropped out from the recent project “Lovelace” where she was supposed to play as the feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

Kahnawake Gaming Comission renews Full Tilt Poker’s secondary license

The AGCC primary license is considered to be valid, although suspended

Full Tilt Poker has probably gone through more than any of the other online poker sites combined, especially in the last four months. For the last month, at least, Full Tilt has been completely shut down, with its license being suspended by the governing authority that issued it, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. The hearing that was meant to restore the license was postponed, surprisingly, at the request of Full Tilt’s lawyers.

They have pleaded for the hearing to be adjourned until no later than September the 15th, and during this time they will straighten out their financial issues. Even though they were presented with the opportunity of paying the AGCC the owed amount (no more than £250,000, which is far less than the amount Full Tilt owes its own players) within 7 days, this term has came and went, with no result.

However, over the course of this week, there has been one piece of news circulating that will make Full Tilt fans a bit more optimistic regarding their favorite site’s fate: the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the agency that issued Full Tilt’s secondary gaming license, has issued a press statement saying that they are going to renew the site’s license.

Full Tilt Poker already had a license with the KGC, and if poker fans remember, when the AGCC suspended their Alderney license, Full Tilt representatives were thinking of switching to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission as their main governing authority.

The condition needed in order for the KGC to renew a secondary license (which is actually called a SCPA, or Secondary Client Provider Authorization), there is a condition that needs to be fulfilled: the site’s “primary jurisdiction” license has to be valid – in Full Tilt Poker’s case, that would be the license issued by the AGCC. And, apparently, the Alderney license is indeed valid. The AGCC has already confirmed it, and it seems like it effectively green-lights Full Tilt’s secondary license to be renewed. However, the site’s service is still down, and they have not switched to the Kawnahake Gaming Commission’s servers in order to provide users with poker games.

So the latest poker news is that we will have to continue waiting until the middle of September for a resolution to this conflict, as Full Tilt Poker won’t run on the Kawnahake license just yet.

Biggest Celebrity Fragrance Goes to Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber is one of the multi-platinum artists with loads of hit songs and blockbuster movie from his song Never Say Never. In addition to this, he also has millions of fans from all over the world screaming his name and for a good reason. However, he is not only an artist but he also has a female beauty biz on his list. Perhaps, this was inspired by his adorable girlfriend – Selena Gomez.

Justin Bieber’s nail polish collaboration with Nicole by OPI has an impressing result, which actually vanished from store shelves like bubbles. This is despite the skepticism that guys wouldn’t know how to sell a girl’s nail polish at all. Although this may seem like the peak of his female beauty venture, the real indication that he has this female beauty power through the launch of his first ever women’s fragrance called – Someday – just recently.

The President and CEO of Macy’s – Terry Lundgren said that “Someday” has become one of the biggest celebrity fragrances and the first biggest record at that. Well, one might ask just how big this new launch? The recent reports said that the newest celebrity fragrance netted over $3 million in retail sales in Macy’s alone within the three weeks of its launch.

This is quite an overwhelming success for Justin Bieber’s Someday. More so, it is because his product the female beauty and fragrance and the success comes from the promotion and marketing efforts of a guy. This is the point that Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun has always recognized when Hollywood speaks for itself. He said that they got carried away with this success and it is only just the beginning. Being pleased is an understatement indeed.

Both Bieber and his manager were hoping that more and more women will enjoy and experience the fragrance. Despite the earlier skepticism, the success of the product line has exceeded well beyond imagining.

However, a statement from Bieber changes things a lot when he said that people ought to get real. Guys always find the way a girl smells very important not only to the senses but through creating a deeper connection. He also added that the fragrance has allowed him to bring his fans closer to his world.

Obviously, Justin Bieber’s latest hit is not a song but women’s product line – Someday which reflects just how good he is at displaying his passion. Way to go Justin!

Chris Brown is Causing Ruckus

According to neighbors of Singer Chris Brown, they are already fed up with the singer’s attitude and character. Brown is apparently accused of causing ruckus within his condominium complex located at West Hollywood which may lead to the dismay of millions of his fans. However, for some – they see this as a way of demonstrating the truth that “to each his own.”

This may look like a twist in fate for Chris Brown who has been living a life as a popular singer. Apparently however, if fans are die hard followers they would follow you and believe in everything you do or say. Even then they will not tolerate anything less than the person they put their trust and loyalty on. This is what happened when Chris Brown caused a big stir to the peaceful neighborhood.

The R&B singer – Chris Brown – obviously did not win the loyalty and trust of his new neighbors at West Hollywood. The reason being is because they were fed up with the attitude of Chris Brown as he parks illegally, blasts very loud music which really destroys peace in the neighborhood and commence dog racing in the hallways of his condominium complex.

This isn’t the most typical sight that any famous person should be found on. Apparently, it seems that Chris Brown has been living this kind of life despite the fact that he should be a role model to fans who follow him.

It also seems that he has been doing the same for many years now since he has experienced being ticketed several times by West Hollywood when he parks his expensive cars to places where it shouldn’t be – car spaces reserved for handicapped drivers.

His neighbors were allegedly got fed up of his way of living and are threatening to get his expensive vehicles towed if he parks illegally again.

Mark Geragos – Brown’s attorney – has made a recent comment that Chris Brown is currently in litigation with the building over the spaces. There was a deed stating that the spaces belonged to Chris Brown but were never released as handicapped spaces.

The manager of the building however said that the celebrity has been parking in other handicapped spaces as well.

The neighbors Brown had in West Hollywood said that he has only been living within the building just a few months yet he causes the ruckus day and night.

As Chris Brown struggled for his career when he pleads guilty for assault on Rihanna, he is now faced with yet another challenge to overcome.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are like Prisoners Said Damon

One of the most popular couples in Hollywood today is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. When stars who know them both are interviewed by famous reporters, it can’t be helped that they’ll be asked some questions about the couple in the middle of conversation. Matt Damon is the classic example of stars who know about the couple that well. He said that living in New York City has been very cool and that he is glad he is not some superstar like his Los Angeles-based friends like Brad and Angelina.

According to his latest statement in reports, he said that the lives of Brad and Angelina can be comparable to that of ‘prisoners.’

What does he mean by this statement? Is it to dish some dirt to Brad and Angelina?

In his recent interview, Matt Damon said that he knew some celebrities who live like prisoners of their own world. He said that the couple is constantly faced with popularity challenges. This is to our understanding that being famous has a price to pay but unlike other famous stars in Hollywood, Brad and Angelina are two of the people who are forced to live as if they have no right to privacy.

Matt Damon became famous for his work on the Jason Bourne movie series as well as playing a role in Ocean’s 11 with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. He has a life cool enough to enjoy and his way of living is definitely not that of Brangelina. He said that his life has been low-key and relatively fair despite the times he wildly spent in Hollywood with his celebrity friends.

His statement did not meant to dish dirt to the couple but to merely point out the kind of lifestyle they have been living considering their status in the society. As celebrities, different cities offer different levels of privacy. While Matt Damon lived a cool life in New York City, Brangelina had to face daily life challenges whenever they walk out of their homes. It seems that when they are seen in public it becomes an “international event.” Whether they take a walk outside or go on a dinner date with their kids, it seems that they are followed by the paparazzi.

Comparatively, even when Matt Damon is popular, he is not a man of interest to a lot of press which is the reason why he said he is lucky enough to experience the best of both worlds.

Jewel Welcome’s Son to the World

It’s the baby fever this summer as Jewel welcome’s son to the world. She named her newborn as Kase Townes. She delivered him in Texas where the baby weighed a healthy 7 pounds and 6 ounces. This has been a very memorable experience for the first-time mother since she and husband Ty Murray have been married for two years. This is exactly the same length of time that they have been waiting to conceive.

Their attempt to conceive has not been smooth sailing. The pregnancy has been rough as well according to reports. The singer was involved in a car collision with a fire truck in March. Fortunately, the incident did not result to any serious injury both for her and her baby. She got banged up in the accident and felt the soreness but other than that she and the baby are fine. The pregnancy was indeed a long road to run for the couple.

Jewel, now 37 years old, did not spend the most relaxing pregnancy but it has been monumental for her to know that she is pregnant after she started shooting the Bravo reality show entitled “Platinum Hit.”

But now, the awaited moment is here – Kase Townes is now alive and kicking in the world.

There was a recent update on the singer’s website stating that she and husband Ty Murray are pleased to finally welcome the newborn Kase Townes Murray into the world. She added that they were overwhelmed with happiness and it has been a really great experience even beyond what she expected from other people’s witness.

Ty Murray and Jewel has been married in 2008 in Bahamas and since then they were trying to create a family which happened 2 years after. In other reports, Jewel stated that they were really trying to find the right time when they would expand the family. She said that she has always been a workaholic thus she needed to slow down and approach things in a different manner. She added that when she got pregnant she always try to be in the moment and enjoy the experience saying that she really felt lucky.

Ty Murray is equally enthusiastic about finally starting his own family. He stated recently that they were so excited to expect their first baby and they knew that this is the right time.

Jewel released a children’s song album in the year 2009.

Congratulations to the new mom and dad in the world!