Poker is a family of card games involving betting and individualistic play whereby the winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of their cards, some of which remain hidden until the end of the game. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or "community" cards and the number of cards that remain hidden. The betting procedures vary among different poker games in such ways as betting limits and splitting the pot between a high hand and a low hand.

In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one of the players making some form of forced bet (the ''ante''). In standard poker, each player is betting that the hand he has will be the highest ranked. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table and each player in turn must either match the maximum previous bet or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further interest in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise," or increase the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either matched the last bet or folded. If all but one player fold on any round, then the remaining player collects the pot and may choose to show or conceal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, the hands are revealed and the player with the winning hand takes the pot. With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who, at least in theory, rationally believes the bet has positive expected value. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology and game theory.

Poker has gained in popularity since the beginning of the twentieth century, and has gone from being primarily a recreational activity confined to small groups of mostly male enthusiasts, to a widely popular spectator activity with international audiences and multi-million dollar tournament prizes.

History

English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, and four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, ''An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling'' (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread north along the Mississippi River and to the West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier pioneer ethos.

Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used and the flush was introduced. The draw was added prior to 1850 (when it was first mentioned in print in a handbook of games). During the American Civil War, many additions were made including stud poker (specifically five-card stud), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925).

Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson. Later in the 1970s, the first serious poker strategy books appeared, notably ''Super/System'' by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and ''Caro's Book of Poker Tells'' by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by ''The Theory of Poker'' by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0). By the 1980s, poker was being depicted in popular culture as a commonplace recreational activity. For example, it was featured in at least 10 episodes of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' as a weekly event of the senior staff of the fictional ship's crew. In the 1990s, poker and casino gambling spread across the United States, most notably to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Poker's popularity experienced an unprecedented spike at the beginning of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and hole-card cameras, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Not only could viewers now follow the action and drama of the game on television, they could also play the game in the comfort of their own home.

Following the surge in popularity, new poker tours soon emerged, notably the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour, both televised and the latter sponsored by online poker company PokerStars. Subsequent tours have since been created by PokerStars, such as Latin American Poker Tour and Asia Pacific Poker Tour, as well as other national tours.

In 2009 the International Federation of Poker was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland, becoming the official governing body for poker and promoting the game as a Mind Sport. In 2011 is announced plans for two new events. The Nations Cup, a duplicate poker team event, to be staged on the London Eye on the banks of the River Thames, and “The Table”, the invitation only IFP World Championship, featuring roughly 130 of the world’s best poker players, in an event to find the 2011 official "World Champion".

Gameplay

In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a ''dealer button'' (or ''buck''). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting. The cards are dealt clockwise around the poker table, one at a time.

One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ''ante'' or a ''blind bet'' (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player on the chair to their right cuts, and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to their left. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.

At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to ''call'' (match) the bet and all opponents instead ''fold'', the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand comprises five cards; in variants where a player has more than five cards, the best five cards play.

Variants

Poker has many variations, all following a similar pattern of play and generally using the same hand ranking hierarchy. There are four main families of variants, largely grouped by the protocol of card-dealing and betting:

;Straight: A complete hand is dealt to each player, and players bet in one round, with raising and re-raising allowed. This is the oldest poker family; the root of the game as now played was a game known as Primero, which evolved into the game three-card brag, a very popular gentleman's game around the time of the American Revolutionary War and still enjoyed in the U.K. today. ''Straight'' hands of five cards are sometimes used as a final showdown, but poker is almost always played in a more complex form to allow for additional strategy. ;Stud poker: Cards are dealt in a prearranged combination of face-down and face-up rounds, or ''streets'', with a round of betting following each. This is the next-oldest family; as poker progressed from three to five-card hands, they were often dealt one card at a time, either face-down or face-up, with a betting round between each. The most popular stud variant today, seven-card stud, deals two extra cards to each player (three face-down, four face-up) from which they must make the best possible 5-card hand. ;Draw poker: A complete hand is dealt to each player, face-down, and after betting, players are allowed to attempt to change their hand (with the object of improving it) by discarding unwanted cards and being dealt new ones. Five-card draw is the most famous variation in this family. ;Community card poker (also known as flop poker): A variation of Stud, players are dealt an incomplete hand of face-down cards, and then a number of face-up community cards are dealt to the center of the table, each of which can be used by one or more of the players to make a 5-card hand. Texas hold 'em and Omaha are two most well-known variants of the community card family.

Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to as ''poker''. Video poker is a single-player video game that functions much like a slot machine; most video poker machines play draw poker, where the player bets, a hand is dealt, and the player can discard and replace cards. Payout is dependent on the hand resulting after the draw and the player's initial bet.

Strip poker is a traditional poker variation where players remove clothing when they lose bets. Since it depends only on the basic mechanic of betting in rounds, strip poker can be played with any form of poker; however, it is usually based on simple variants with few betting rounds, like five card draw.

Another game with the ''poker'' name, but with a vastly different mode of play, is called ''Acey-Deucey'' or ''Red Dog'' poker. This game is more similar to Blackjack in its layout and betting; each player bets against the house, and then is dealt two cards. For the player to win, the third card dealt (after an opportunity to raise the bet) must have a value in between the first two. Payout is based on the odds that this is possible, based on the difference in values of the first two cards. Other poker-like games played at casinos against the house include three card poker and pai gow poker.

See also

Glossary of poker terms

Outline of poker

List of poker hands

Notes

External links

Category:Anglo-American playing card games Category:Comparing card games Category:Gambling games Category:Multiplayer games

af:Poker als:Poker ar:بوكر bg:Покер bo:ཏག་སེ། bs:Poker ca:Pòquer cs:Poker cy:Pocer da:Poker de:Poker et:Pokker el:Πόκερ es:Póquer eo:Pokero eu:Poker fa:پوکر fr:Poker fy:Poker ga:Poker gl:Póker ko:포커 hy:Պոկեր hi:पोकर hr:Poker id:Poker is:Póker it:Poker he:פוקר rw:Pokeri lv:Pokers lb:Poker lt:Pokeris hu:Póker mk:Покер arz:پوكر nl:Poker ja:ポーカー no:Poker nn:Poker oc:Poker pl:Poker pt:Pôquer ro:Poker ru:Покер sco:Poker scn:Poker simple:Poker sk:Poker sl:Poker sr:Покер fi:Pokeri sv:Poker ta:போக்கர் (சீட்டு ஆட்டம்) th:โป๊กเกอร์ tr:Poker uk:Покер vi:Xì tố yi:פאקער zh:撲克

Name	Antonio Esfandiari
Nickname	The Magician
Hometown	Tehran, Iran
Birth date	December 08, 1978
Wsop bracelet count	1
Wsop final tables	4
Wsop money finishes	14
Wsop main event best finish rank	24th
Wsop main event best finish year	2009
Wpt titles	2
Wpt final tables	5
Wpt money finishes	9
Ept titles	''None''
Ept final tables	1
Ept money finishes	1
Updated	2010-09-16 }}

Antonio Esfandiari (born Amir Esfandiari, December 8, 1978 in Tehran, Iran) is a professional poker player, known for his elaborate chip tricks.

Early life

When he was 9 years old his family moved to San Jose, California. He graduated from Del Mar High School in 1997.

At the age of 19, he changed his name to Antonio, which was adopted from living in a Mexican American community in San Jose, and became a professional magician. While he was performing magic, he was invited to a game of Texas Hold 'em and started to play poker. He has a younger brother, Pasha, who also plays poker.

Live poker

In 2004, he won close to $1.4 million and his first World Poker Tour title at the L.A. Poker Classic. He won his first World Series of Poker bracelet a few months later in pot-limit Texas Hold 'em.

Esfandiari appeared in the second and third seasons of the ''Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament''. After finishing last the previous year, Antonio was able to redeem himself with a second place finish the third season. He was also in each season of GSN series ''High Stakes Poker'' and each season of NBC's ''Poker After Dark''.

On April 17, 2008, Esfandiari made the final table at the 2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo finishing in eighth place, winning €168,000 ($266,004). On July 14, 2009, Esfandiari made his deepest finish to date in the World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 24th on day 8 of the tournament, earning $352,832. In 2010 he won his second World Poker Tour title by winning the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World for over $870,000.

As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,500,000.

World Series of Poker Bracelet

!Year	!Tournament	!Prize (US$)
	$2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em	$184,860

+ World Poker Tour Titles
!Year	!Tournament	!Prize (US$)
	$10,000 L.A. Poker Classic	$1,399,135
	$10,000 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic	$870,124

Online poker

Esfandiari is currently affiliated with Victory Poker and is a Victory Poker Pro. Other Victory Poker Pros include Paul Wasicka and Jonathan Little.

Other television appearances

Esfandiari co-starred in the TV show ''I Bet You'', on MOJO HD, with Phil Laak. He is also the face of World Poker Tour's Poker-Made Millionaire. He was also seen in the season 7 opener of ''Entourage''.

Bibliography

''World Poker Tour: In the Money'' (2006) ISBN 0060763051

Notes

Shulman, Allyn Jaffrey (Mar. 26, 2004). Antonio Esfandiari Performs Wizardry at Commerce Casino. ''Cardplayer''.

Anderson, Lessley (April. 04, 2004). All-In ''SF Weekly''.

External links

Antonio Esfandiari Biography and New

Antonio Esfandiari's blog on Coinflip.com

Rounders Poker Show interview

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Iranian descent Category:American poker players Category:Iranian poker players Category:People from San Jose, California Category:World Poker Tour winners Category:World Series of Poker bracelet winners

de:Antonio Esfandiari fa:آنتونیو اسفندیاری fr:Antonio Esfandiari it:Antonio Esfandiari nl:Antonio Esfandiari ru:Эсфандиари, Антонио fi:Antonio Esfandiari sv:Antonio Esfandiari uk:Антоніо Есфандіарі

name	Idina Menzel
background	solo_singer
birth name	Idina Kim Mentzel
birth date	May 30, 1971
Birth place	Queens, New York, U.S.
spouse	Taye Diggs (January 11, 2003–present) 1 child
genre	Broadway, pop, vocal
occupation	Singer, actress, songwriter
years active	1995–present
label	Hollywood (1998–1999)Warner Bros. (2007–2010)Walkman Records (2012–present)
spouse	Taye Diggs_(one child)
website	idinamenzel.com }}

Idina Kim Menzel (; born Mentzel on May 30, 1971) is an American actress, singer and songwriter.

She rose to prominence for her performance as Maureen Johnson in the Broadway musical ''Rent'', a role which she reprised for the 2005 film adaptation. In 2004 she won the Tony Award for originating the role of Elphaba in the hugely successful Broadway blockbuster ''Wicked''.

Early life

Menzel was born in Queens, New York. Her mother, Helene, is a therapist, and her father, Stuart Mentzel, worked as a pajama salesman. Her family is Jewish; her grandparents immigrated from Russia and Eastern Europe. Her family lived in East Brunswick, Somerset and Marlboro, New Jersey from when she was in kindergarten to third grade, but she considers herself raised in Syosset, New York, with her younger sister Cara. Idina changed her last name to Menzel to better reflect the pronunciation the Mentzel family had adopted in America. When Menzel was 15 years old, her parents divorced and she began working as a wedding and bar mitzvah singer, a job which she continued throughout her time at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Drama at NYU prior to being cast in Jonathan Larson's rock musical ''Rent''. She was friends with actor Adam Pascal before they worked together in ''Rent''.

Theater career

In 1995, Menzel auditioned for ''Rent'', which became her first professional theater job and her Broadway debut. ''Rent'' opened off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996, but it moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre due to its popularity. For her performance as Maureen Johnson in the original cast of the musical, Menzel received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical losing to Ann Duquesnay for Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. Her final performance in the musical was on July 1, 1997.

Following the success of ''Rent'', Menzel released her first solo album entitled ''Still I Can't Be Still'' on Hollywood Records, Menzel also originated the role of Dorothy in ''Summer of ’42'' at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, starred as Sheila in the New York City Center Encores! production of ''Hair'' and appeared on Broadway as Amneris in ''Aida''. Menzel earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance as Kate in the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2000 off-Broadway production of Andrew Lippa's ''The Wild Party''. Her other off-Broadway credits include the pre-Broadway run of ''Rent'' and ''The Vagina Monologues''.

In 2003, Menzel starred with actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway in ''Wicked'', a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman based upon the popular 1995 Gregory Maguire novel. Menzel received the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. On her second-to-last performance of ''Wicked'' on January 8, 2005, she fell through a trap door and cracked a lower rib. The injury prevented her from performing in the January 9 show. Menzel did, however, make a special out-of-costume appearance at that performance, performed her final song, and received a 5 minute long standing ovation. Menzel was replaced by Elphaba standby Shoshana Bean.

Following ''Wicked'', Menzel appeared off-Broadway in the Public Theater's production of ''See What I Wanna See'', a Michael John LaChiusa-penned musical whose run ended in December 2005, for which she received Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award nominations. She reprised her Tony Award-winning role as Elphaba in the West End production of ''Wicked'' when it opened at London's Apollo Victoria Theater on September 7, 2006. During her run, she was the highest paid female performer in the West End at $30,000 per week. Menzel finished her West End run on December 30, 2006. She was succeeded by Elphaba standby Kerry Ellis.

Menzel played the role of Florence in the 21st Anniversary concert of ''Chess'' at the Royal Albert Hall, London from May 12–13, 2008 alongside Kerry Ellis, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban.

In 2008, Menzel headlined the Powerhouse Theatre's reading of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical ''Nero'' from July 11–13, performing the role of Nero's mistress, Poppea.

According to an interview, Menzel is planning to return to the Broadway stage in a new original musical.

Film, television, recording and singing career

Menzel's film roles include appearances in ''Just a Kiss'', ''Kissing Jessica Stein'', ''The Tollbooth'', ''Water'', ''Ask the Dust'', ''Enchanted'', and ''Rent'', in which she and five other original cast members reprised their stage roles. As a singer, Menzel is known for her wide vocal range and her use of the 'belt' technique.

Menzel performed at the 1998 Lilith Fair summer concert festival and continues to write and perform original music. She has toured extensively and frequently performs in various venues throughout New York City. She produced and released her debut album, ''Still I Can't Be Still'', for Hollywood Records in 1998. One single from the album, "Minuet", made the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Tracks chart at #48 in October 1998.

Her second album, ''Here'', was released independently by Zel Records in 2004. Menzel has contributed to soundtracks, including those for the film ''The Other Sister'' and the ABC television dramedy ''Desperate Housewives''. She also appears on Ray Charles's album ''Genius and Friends'', which was released in 2005, on the track "I Will Be There." In 2007, she appeared on the ''Beowulf'' soundtrack singing the end credits song, "A Hero Comes Home". Also in 2007, Menzel's powerful singing voice led her to be asked to accompany the baritone British ''X-Factor'' runner-up Rhydian Roberts on his debut album, duetting on the song "What if".

Her third solo album, ''I Stand'', was released on January 29, 2008. It includes many new songs, including the lead single, "Brave", the title track "I Stand", and a song released on EP, "Gorgeous". The album debuted at #58 in the Billboard 200, making it the first solo album by Menzel to make the charts. There are five versions of this album: the original version, the special limited edition, the iTunes version, the Barnes & Noble edition, and the Borders edition. Menzel wrote many of the songs on her album.

On April 1, 2008, Menzel kicked off her 2008-2009 "I Stand" tour in support of her new album performing 4 sold out legs. The concert at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City was filmed for the PBS series "Soundstage". Menzel was joined by special guests, superstar Josh Groban and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.

On November 11, 2008, Menzel released "Hope," written by Paul Hampton, benefitting Stand Up to Cancer.

On November 27, 2008, Menzel performed "I Stand" on the M&M; Candies float as part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Menzel has a recurring guest star role in the television series ''Glee'', playing Shelby Corcoran, the coach of the rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. When the series first premiered, Glee fans had noted a strong physical resemblance between Menzel and Lea Michele who portrays the character Rachel Berry. According to her husband, actor Taye Diggs, Menzel expressed interest in possibly guest starring as the biological mother of Rachel. The character was introduced in the April 13, 2010 episode "Hell-O", and it was revealed in the May 18, 2010 episode, "Dream On", that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother, having answered an ad from Rachel's two gay dads looking for a 'mother' to help them have a baby. Lea Michele and Idina Menzel sing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ''Les Misérables'' and "Poker Face" originally by Lady Gaga together. Menzel returned to Glee in Season 3 episode "I Am Unicorn", her role this time as a teacher causing trouble for Rachel, Quinn, Puck, and former flame Will Schuster.

On July 19, 2010, Menzel performed "Defying Gravity" and "What I Did For Love" in front of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at ''A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House''. The concert aired on PBS October 20, 2010.

In April 2010, Menzel returned to concert stage embarking on a tour with different symphony orchestras. Her performances included collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony. In October 2011, Menzel returned to London to perform a one night only concert in the United Kingdom at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch conducting. Menzel's concert stop in Toronto was filmed at The Royal Conservatory of Music on November 17 and 18, 2011 for her second PBS special. She was accompanied by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony with Marvin Hamlisch conducting and special guest Taye Diggs, Menzel's husband. "Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony" will be released as a live CD and DVD and air on PBS in March 2012.

On January 5, 2012, Menzel announced she will continue live performances in 2012. The first date she announced was July 8, 2012 at Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Illinois.

Personal life

Menzel married actor Taye Diggs on January 11, 2003. They met in 1995 during the original production of ''Rent'', in which Diggs portrayed the role of Benjamin Coffin III, the landlord. They have a son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, born in 2009. They have a Yorkshire Terrier named Sammy Davis Jr. and two cats named Ella and Coltrane, also known as their "Jazz Cats" because they were named after jazz performers Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane.

Charity

Menzel was an Honorary Chair of the Imperial Court of New York's Annual Charity Coronation Ball, Night of A Thousand Gowns on March 21, 2009. Other Honorary Chairs for the evening's charity event included Sir Elton John CBE, Patti LuPone, John Cameron Mitchell, Joan Rivers and Dame Robin Strasser.

On May 17, 2009, Menzel performed at a special benefit concert in Atlanta, Georgia to raise money for the Pace Academy Diversity Program in coordination with the Ron Clark Academy. The event resulted in the funding of two scholarships for Ron Clark Academy students to attend Pace Academy. The event was organized and hosted by Philip McAdoo, a former ''Rent'' cast member and current Diversity Program Director at Pace Academy.

In 2010, Menzel founded the A BroaderWay Foundation with husband Taye Diggs as a means of supporting young people in the arts. A BroaderWay sponsors camp programs, theater workshops, innovative educational programming and offers scholarships and opportunities to experience professional performances. In Summer 2011, Camp BroaderWay welcomed young girls from under-served metro New York communities to a 10-day performing arts camp, run by Menzel and a team of acclaimed professional Broadway artists including Taye Diggs. During this camp the girls collaborated with Broadway artists to write an original musical that was performed at a theatre in New York. The camp took place at Belvoir Terrace Summer Camp in Lenox, MA.

Theatre, film and television credits

+Theatre

! Start year

! Production

! Role

Notes and awards

1996

Maureen Johnson

* Original Broadway Cast

* Performances:

** New York Theatre Workshop (January 26, 1996 – March 31, 1996)

** Nederlander Theatre (April 29, 1996 – July 1, 1997)

Tony Award for Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical>Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2000

''''

Kate

* Performances: Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I (February 24, 2000 – April 9, 2000)

* Nominated – 2000 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

2000

''Summer of '42''

Dorothy

* Performances: The Norma Terris Theatre (August 10, 2000 – September 3, 2000)

2001

Sheila

* Performances: New York City Center – (May 3, 2001 – May 7, 2001)

2001

Amneris

* Replacement Broadway Cast

* Performances: Palace Theatre (September 13, 2001 – January 27, 2002)

2002

''''

Performer

* Performances: Westside Theatre (Downstairs) (March 5, 2002 – April 14, 2002)

2002

Fanny Brice

* Performances: New Amsterdam Theatre (September 23, 2002)

* Performed "Cornet Man"

2003

Elphaba

* Original Broadway cast

* Performances: George Gershwin Theatre (October 8, 2003 – January 8, 2005)

* Won – Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

* Won – Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical

* Won – Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Diva Performance

* Won – Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Onstage Pair (''with Kristin Chenoweth'')

* Nominated – Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical

* Nominated – Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical

* Nominated – Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance

2005

''See What I Wanna See''

Kesa / The Wife (Lily) / The Actress (Deanna)

* Performances: The Public Theater (October 30, 2005 – December 4, 2005)

* Nominated – Drama Desk Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical

* Nominated – Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance

2006

Elphaba

West End theatre>West End cast

* Performances: Apollo Victoria Theatre (September 7, 2006 – December 30, 2006)

* Won – WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical

2008

Florence Vassy

* Performances: Royal Albert Hall (May 12, 2008 – May 13, 2008)

2008

Poppea

* Performances: Powerhouse Theatre (July 11, 2008 – July 13, 2008)

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2001	''Kissing Jessica Stein''	Bridesmaid
2002		Linda
2004	''''	Raquel Cohen-Flaxman
2004	''Water''	Jessy Turner	Unreleased
2005		Maureen Johnson	Nominated – 2005 Northeastern Critics Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – 2005 Northeastern Critics Award for Best EnsembleNominated – 2005 Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best EnsembleNominated – 2005 Washington Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble
2006		Vera Rivkin
2007	''ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway''	as Herself
2007		Nancy Tremaine

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1998	''Hercules: The Animated Series''	Circe	1 episode
2004		Carol	1 episode
2005	''Kevin Hill''	Francine Prescott	2 episodes
2009		Lisa King	2 episodes
2009	''Great Performances''	Florence Vassey	1 episode
2010–present		Shelby Corcoran	Recurring character. 5 episodes in Glee (season 1)
2010	''[[Wonder Pets''	The Queen of Hearts
2010	''Sesame Street''	Herself	1 episode
2011	''The Glee Project''	Herself	Season 1 episode 2: "Theatricality"

Discography

Solo albums

Title	Album details	Peak chartpositions
		! width="40"	! width="40"
''Still I Can't Be Still''		* Release date: September 15, 1998	Hollywood Records>Hollywood	* Formats: ''Here''		* Release date: February 23, 2004	* Label: Zel	* Formats: CD	—	—
''[[I Stand">Compact disc	—	—
''Here''		* Release date: February 23, 2004	* Label: Zel	* Formats: CD	—	—
''[[I Stand''		* Release date: January 29, 2008	Warner Bros. Records>Warner Bros.	Music download>digital download	58	54
''Live: Barefoot at the Symphony''		* Release date: March 6, 2012	Concord Records>Concord	DVD, Music download>digital download	53	—

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Album
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
1998	"Minuet"	—	—	—	—	—
2006	"Take Me or Leave Me"	—	—	32	—	—	align="left"
	! scope="row"	—	—	5	72	—
! scope="row"	—	19	—	—	—
"Gorgeous"	—	—	3	—	—
2008	"Hope"	—	—	—	—	—
	! scope="row"	—	—	—	—	—
"I Dreamed a Dream" (with Lea Michele)	31	—	—	—	45
! scope="row"	20	—	—	—	26
	! scope="row"	75	—	—	—	—
" "[[Constant Craving">You and I (Lady Gaga song)	69	—	—	—	—
"[[Constant Craving" (with Naya Rivera)	89	—	—	—	—

Cast recordings

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Label |- | 1996 | ''Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording)'' | DreamWorks Records |- | 2000 | ''The Wild Party (Lippa) (Off-Broadway)'' | RCA Victor Broadway |- | 2003 | ''Wicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording)'' | Decca Records |- | 2005 | ''Rent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' | Warner Bros. Records |- | 2006 | ''See What I Wanna See (2005 Original Off-Broadway Cast)'' | Sh-K-Boom Records |- | 2009 | ''Chess in Concert (Live Recording of 2008 Royal Albert Hall Performance)'' | Reprise Records |- | 2009 | ''Highlights from Chess in Concert (Live Recording of 2008 Royal Albert Hall Performance)'' | Reprise Records |}

Miscellaneous

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Song ! Album ! Label |- | 1998 | "Follow If You Lead" | ''The Other Sister (Music From The Motion Picture)'' | Hollywood Records |- |rowspan=2| 2003 | "How Shall I See You Through My Tears", "The Want of a Nail" (Backing vocals) | ''Camp (Music from the Motion Picture)'' | Decca Records |- | "I Saw Three Ships" | ''Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 5'' | Rock-It Science Records |- |rowspan=2| 2005 | "Damsel In Distress" | ''Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives'' | Hollywood Records |- | "I Will Be There" (duet with Ray Charles) | ''Genius & Friends'' | Rhino Records |- | 2007 | "A Hero Comes Home" (End Credit Version) | ''Beowulf (Music from the Motion Picture)'' | Warner Bros. Records |- | 2008 | "What If" (duet with Rhydian Roberts) | ''Rhydian'' | Syco Records |- | 2010 | "Take a Bow" (duet with Elaine Paige) | ''Elaine Paige and Friends'' | Warner Bros. Records |}

References

External links

Interview with Idina Menzel at TonyAwards.com

Category:1971 births Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American television actors Category:American singers Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Russian descent Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York Category:New York University alumni Category:People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey Category:People from Oyster Bay, New York Category:People from Queens Category:Tony Award winners Category:Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni

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