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Copyright 2005 BoDog
July 28, 2005
Headline: SNOOP DOGG ROCKS THE TROOPS AND ESTELLA
WARREN COMES UP ACES AT BODOG'S CELEBRITY CHARITY EVENT
Body:
Bodog Salutes the Troops Helps Raise Awareness and Funds for Fisher
House Foundation During Weekend Event in Hawaii Oahu, Hawaii (July
25, 2005) Bodog.net sponsored a celebrity "thank you to the
troops" charity event this past weekend for the 110,000 men
and women of the U.S. military currently in Hawaii, many of whom
are awaiting or returning from deployment in the Middle East.
The two-day event (July 22-23, 2005), entitled "Bodog Salutes
the Troops: A Tribute to American Heroes," was held in Oahu,
Hawaii, and included celebrities, musicians, comedians and troops
interacting in various activities including a poker tournament
and concert and comedy show. The celebrity events brought together
the service men and women of the NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES and
ARMY based at Hickam Airforce Base, Schofield Barracks, Pearl
Harbor, and Kaneohe Marine Corp Base.
The weekend kicked off with an inter-service poker
tournament overseen by world famous poker tournament director
Matt Savage with military finalists playing alongside celebrities,
professional poker players and Bodog players at Camp Bodog at
the exclusive Kahala Mandarin Oriental resort. The No
Limit Texas Hold 'Em tournament was won by actress and first-time
tournament
player Estella Warren ("The Cooler," "Planet of
the Apes"), who blazed a trail through the 90 player tournament,
knocking out the two professional poker players along the way
and taking home the grand prize trophy and a monetary donation
made in her name to the Army's morale welfare department.
"I am in complete shock," said Estella Warren. "I
thought I would be one of the first players knocked out, and the
next thing you know I'm being handed a trophy. Needless to say,
I'm considering making a career change."
The final table also featured Shannon Elizabeth ("American
Pie"), Jorge Garcia ("Lost"), professional
poker player Josh Arieh, four servicemen and Bodog winner
Tim Johnson, who won his trip to Hawaii through an online Bodog
tournament. Sgt. 1st Class Shane Woods of the Army was the lucky
loser, taking home the second place prize.
"This is heaven," said Sgt. 1st Class Shane Woods.
"I am so stoked, this was a chance of a lifetime and I don't
think it will seem real until tomorrow."
Other tournament participants in the field included Rob Mariano
and Amber Brkich ("Survivor," "The Amazing Race
7"); Dulè Hill ("The West Wing"); Peter
Berg (Director, "Friday Night Lights," "The Rundown");
Joshua Malina ("The West Wing); Kelli Williams ("The
Practice"); Colin Quinn ("Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,"
"SNL"); Paul Rodriguez ("The Original Latin Kings
of Comedy"); Wanda Sykes ("Monster-in-Law," "Wanda
Does It"); professional poker players Josh Arieh and David
Williams; as well as 14 Bodog.net players and over 60 U.S. Troops.
Snoop Dogg headlined the concert and comedy show, held at the
world famous Waikiki Shell for 8,000 military members and their
families. The concert, which drew an overwhelming response from
the overflowing crowd, also included musical performances by BodogMusic
artist Bif Naked, as well as the comic relief of Colin Quinn,
Paul Rodriguez and Wanda Sykes, and featured an appearance by
local Hawaii celebrity, Dog the Bounty Hunter.
"It's a beautiful feeling to be appreciated and come out
and give the troops something to smile about and something to
dance to," said Snoop Dogg. "I'm down to do it again
whenever, however , forever, all the time."
Carson Daly ("Last Call with Carson Daly") opened the
event, hosted by Bodog Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre, and brought
him to the stage just before the weekend came to a close, where
Bodog presented the Fisher House Foundation with a charitable
donation.
"Just to spend an hour with the men and women that defend
this country and to be in Hawaii playing cards, that's what was
so special," said Carson Daly.
"This weekend exceeded all our expectations," said
Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog. "Bodog Salutes the
Troops was designed to raise awareness for Fisher House Foundation
and provide entertainment for the troops, and judging by smiles
on faces and the tremendous support from all involved, the events
were a great success."
"We are incredibly grateful to Bodog for their compassion
and generosity," said James Weiskoff, Vice President of Fisher
House Foundation. "We hope that this weekend will bring added
attention to the Fisher House Foundation and the military families
that we support."
About Bodog
Bodog Entertainment Group has sponsored numerous high profile
events including "Viva Las Vegas" at the Cannes Film
Festival, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation 2nd Annual Casino Night
- which included a charitable donation, the Hawaiian Tropic Super
Bowl Bikini pageant and party in Jacksonville, the Major League
Baseball preview party with Razor Magazine in Phoenix, the 2005
Indy 500eXtreme VIP Pre-Race Party in Indianapolis and the Genesis
Awards After-Party supporting the Humane Society in Los Angeles.
Bodog.net is a play-for-free educational website that provides
novice poker players with
strategies and tips on how to play poker. Located at www.bodog.net,
the site allows users to practice and fine-tune their poker skills
with people from all over the world. In addition Bodog.net will
have a direct link to Fisher House Foundation website to help
raise additional funding.
About Fisher House Foundation
The Fisher House Foundation program is a unique private-public
partnership that supports America's military in their time of
need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men
and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by
meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the
Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Because members of the military and their families are stationed
worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized
medical care, Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes,"
built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers.
These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at
the most stressful times- during the hospitalization for an unexpected
illness, disease, or injury.
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