Gregory William "Greg" Hands, MP (born 14 November 1965) is a Conservative Party politician. He is currently the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelsea and Fulham having been elected during the 2010 general election for the newly-created constituency formed with the splitting of the former constituencies of Kensington and Chelsea as well as Hammersmith and Fulham.

Previously, Hands had represented the constituency from 2005–2010, during which time it was the Hammersmith and Fulham constituency.

Early life and career[link]

Greg Hands was born in New York City, the United States, and was educated widely before leaving Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham in 1984, where he held the post of chairman of the Dr. Challoner's Debating Society. He then went on to attend Robinson College, Cambridge where he was awarded a first in modern history in 1989. He also joined the party as a student, served as the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and was on the executive committee of the Cambridge University Students' Union. During his gap year he worked in a swimming pool in Berlin, and first became interested in the Eastern Bloc, and visited Prague, and other Eastern European cities in future holidays.^[1] He worked on trading floors in the City of London and New York City until 1997. He has dual American/British nationality and voted for the defeated McCain/Palin ticket in the 2008 Presidential election.^[2]

Political career[link]

Hands was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1998. He became the leader of the Conservative group in 1999 and remained in that capacity until 2003. He stood down as councillor for the Town Ward in Fulham at the local elections in 2006. Hands was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 General Election when he gained Hammersmith and Fulham from the Labour Party with a majority of 5,029 votes. The sitting Labour MP Iain Coleman retired due to ill health, and was replaced as Labour’s candidate by Melanie Smallman. During March 2010 the UK media reported that Lord Ashcroft donated over £42,000 to fund Hands' 2005 Hammersmith & Fulham campaign.^[3]

Hands made his maiden speech on 26 May 2005, in which he referred to the fact that the BBC was the largest employer in his constituency, and that Hammersmith Broadway was the busiest road interchange in Europe.^[4]

In 2007, Hands was selected to be the Conservative candidate for the new Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary constituency. His previous seat of Hammersmith and Fulham was abolished for the 2010 General Election, with Hammersmith having its own seat (being fought by Shaun Bailey for the Conservatives), and Fulham joining Chelsea in a new seat. In January 2009, Hands was appointed to the Conservative front bench team as a Shadow Treasury Minister. He is also the Parliamentary Chairman of Conservative Friends of Poland.^[5]

Hands was re-elected in the 2010 general election for the new seat of Chelsea and Fulham.

He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne; having shadowed the Treasury in Opposition.^[6]

On 14 October 2011, Hands was appointed as an Assistant Government whip in the House of Commons as a consequence of the mini-reshuffle following the resignation of Dr Liam Fox as Secretary of State for Defence.^[7]

Personal life[link]

He speaks German, French, Czech and Slovak. He married half-German, half-Russian Irina Hundt in July 2005 in his constituency. His daughter, Helena, was born in 2006, and his son, Martin, was born in 2007. The family live in Fulham. He supports Plymouth Argyle FC, but has also been a season ticket holder at Fulham F.C.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Greg Hands MP Official site
• Official Twitter page
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Greg Hands MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Greg Hands MP
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Official channel at YouTube
• 'Gazette' local newspaper column written by Greg Hands and other West London MPs

Gregory "Greg" Merson is an American professional poker player living in Laurel, Maryland. He won a World Series of Poker bracelet at the 2012 World Series of Poker in the $10,000 Six Handed No-Limit Hold'em World Championship.^[1] He is an online shorthanded cash game poker professional.^[2][3] He is a member of the final table for the 2012 WSOP Main Event and the current leader in the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year points standings.

World Series of Poker[link]

His first World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the money finish was at the 2009 World Series of Poker main event where he finished 639th in a field of 6,494 for a $21,365 payday.^[4] He earned his first bracelet at the 2012 474-player $10,000 six-handed Texas hold'em World Championship.^[1] The win set a record for the shortest day of poker in the history of the WSOP, when it was extended to a fourth day and he won on the second hand of the day, according to ESPN.^[2] Other sources report that he won on the first hand of Day 4.^[1][5] On Day 3 of the event he started in 12 place out of 27 contestants.^[1]

At the 2012 WSOP, Merson finished in the money in three shorthanded (four- and six-handed) No Limit Hold 'em events prior to the main event.^[6] In addition to his bracelet, he finished 5th in the 750-person $2,500 four-handed event for a prize of $70,280^[7] and 21st in the 924-person $3,000 six-handed event for a prize of $16,850.^[8]

During Day 5 of the 2012 main event, at 4:45 PM PDT, the blinds were raised to 10,000/20,000/3,000.^[9] At a little before 6:35, Merson was busted down to 50,000 chips,^[10] meaning he nearly had to settle for a $52,718 payday and about a 150th place finish.^[11] On Day 7 of the main event, he began in 12th of 27, but was the chip leader when the field was narrowed to 12.^[12] He finished the day third in chips out of nine.^[13][14] As a result, he is the current leader in the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year race.^[14]

*does not include the 2012 Main Event

Other events[link]

Prior to his 2012 bracelet win, his biggest payout in any tournament came when he owned a 5% stake in someone who succeeded at a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, earning himself $75,000.^[2] Merson also has played online at both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker under the name gregy20723. His best result was a 2nd place finish in the 1564-person $200 + $15 July 25, 2010 PokerStars Sunday Second Chance event where he earned $40,664.^[15]

Personal[link]

Merson started playing poker with neighborhood friends in 2003.^[16] He attended University of Maryland for two and a half semesters before dropping out to play poker.^[3] At first he was not successful,^[16] so he attended a community college.^[3] He eventually tried again and became a successful short-handed cash game speciallist.^[3] He resided in Laurel, Maryland until Black Friday, when he established residence in Toronto.^[3] He also briefly lived in Atlantic City, New Jersey.^[16] His mother's name is Donna and he has a brother.^[16]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Gregory Merson at Hendonmob.com
• Gregory Merson at Bluff Magazine
• Gregory Merson at Card Player
• Greg Merson at WSOP.com

Gregory Porter is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actor. His debut album, Water, released in 2010 via Motéma Music, was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.^[1] He was also a member of the original Broadway cast of It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. His sophomore album, Be Good, which contains many of Porter's compositions, was released on February 14th, 2012, and garnered critical acclaim for both his distinctive singing and his compositions, such as "Be Good (Lion's Song), "Real Good Hands", and "On My Way To Harlem".

Biography[link]

Porter was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. He attended San Diego State University on a football scholarship until a shoulder injury sidelined him permanently. Performing in local jazz clubs, Porter met saxophonist, pianist, and composer Kamau Kenyatta, whose mentoring played an integral role in Porter's career trajectory and professional development. Kenyatta introduced Gregory to flautist Hubert Laws who, upon hearing Porter singing along to Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", chose to include a bonus track featuring Porter's vocals on his Hubert Laws' Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole (1998). Eloise Laws, Hubert's sister, happened to be visiting the studio, and helped get Porter cast in one of the leading roles in a new musical, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which premiered at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts before moving to Off-Broadway and ultimately Broadway, in spite of previously having appeared in only one other theatrical work, Avenue X.

He currently lives in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. He is a resident performer at Smoke Jazz and a frequent guest performer at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has recorded with Nicola Conte. He has also appeared on Later... with Jools Holland on BBC2 (notably on Jools' 2011 New Year show, Hootenanny) and appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta. At Christmas 2011, Gregory appeared on the TV show Carole King and Friends at Christmas on BBC Four; the show played in many other locations around the world.

Following his performance at London Jazz Voice, with his a cappella version of "Feeling Good" opening the 2011 London Jazz Festival, Gregory features on a 14-date tour of the UK (beginning May 2, 2012) as one of the special guests with Jools Holland and his Orchestra. Jamie Cullum is a supporter of Gregory and invited him to record a session for his BBC Radio 2 program and he was Gregory's special guest at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2012 (May 5), following a performance on May 4 on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night singing the songs of Ray Charles.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2010: Water
• 2012: Be Good'

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.grammy.com/videos/gregory-porter-at-nominees-reception

External links[link]

• Official website
• Gregory Porter at Motéma Music
• Gregory Porter Booking Agent: RedFireMusic www.redfiremusic.co.uk

This article about a jazz singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status.^[1] Wiseau also made the documentary Homeless in America and filmed the pilot episode of the sitcom The Neighbors.^[2][3]

Personal life[link]

Listen to this article (info/dl)

This audio file was created from a revision of the "Tommy Wiseau" article dated 2011-06-18, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)

More spoken articles

Despite his vaguely eastern European accent, Wiseau identifies as American.^[4] He grew up in New Orleans^[5] and lived in France "a long time ago",^[6] moving back and forth between the United States and Europe throughout his life, and at some point moved to San Francisco, where he was employed at a hospital.^[6] He also states that he prefers to be referred to as an American.^[4][7] Wiseau studies psychology as a "hobby."^[3]

Career[link]

Wiseau was interested in becoming a rock star before turning to a career in acting. He has said that he has been influenced by James Dean, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, The Guns of Navarone, and Citizen Kane.^[8][9]

Film[link]

Wiseau's best known production is the cult film The Room, released in 2003. The movie was immediately lambasted by critics.^[10] However, The Room soon became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the country. Audience members typically arrive wearing wigs resembling their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater. This attention grew into what was dubbed The Room's 2010-2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, with the movie being screened in the U.K, Germany, Denmark, Australia and India, among other locations. Wiseau appears at many of these events, posing for photographs with fans and often addressing them before the screenings as well.^[11]

In 2004 Wiseau produced and appeared in a short documentary, Homeless in America. In 2010, Wiseau acted in a short film entitled The House That Drips Blood on Alex, a parody horror film written and produced by sketch comedy group Studio8. The film had a preview showing at Comic-Con on July 24, 2010. It premiered on Comedy Central and appeared online on October 14, 2010.^[12][13]

Television[link]

In 2008 Wiseau produced and appeared in the pilot episode of a television series titled The Neighbors, which he intended to become a regular sitcom. As of October 2011, the pilot has not been picked up by any network for broadcast.^[3]

In 2009 Wiseau guest-starred in a Season 4 episode of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! entitled "Tommy", wherein Wiseau guest-directed a segment entitled "Pigman"; he later told an interviewer he was merely an actor on the episode, and would work with the duo again "any time."^[9] An interview with Tim and Eric in Wired reveals they are working with Wiseau on two series.^[14]

Internet[link]

In 2011, Wiseau starred in a YouTube web series called "Tommy Explains It All." The episodes feature Wiseau explaining his views on various topics ranging from Citizen Kane to the art of kissing.^[15]

Wiseau has also starred in segments on Machinima.com called "The Tommy Wi-show". The segments show Wiseau playing various video games, such as Mortal Kombat and offering commentary. ^[16][17]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tommy Wiseau at the Internet Movie Database
• The Neighbors website

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011)

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (March 2011)

Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero
Born	(1978-07-15) July 15, 1978 (age 33) Walnut Creek, California
Nationality	French, American
Occupation	Actor, Model

Greg Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.

Personal life[link]

Sestero was born in Walnut Creek, California and grew up in Danville, California. He is of French and American descent with dual citizenships, and speaks both French and English.^[1] During his freshman year of high school, Sestero wrote a screenplay, a sequel to the 1990 film Home Alone, with a leading role for himself opposite actor Macaulay Culkin. Sestero submitted the screenplay to Hughes Productions and received a commendatory letter from the late 1980s icon John Hughes.^[2]

During his junior year of high school Sestero began modeling, working in locations such as Milan and Paris for designers such as Giorgio Armani and Gian Franco Ferre, and many others. He then returned to America to focus on acting, enrolling in the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California. Sestero eventually signed on with Hollywood agent Iris Burton, which prompted his eventual move to Los Angeles, California.

Sestero continues to make his residence in southern California.^[3]

Career[link]

Sestero's early acting work included minor roles in the television show Nash Bridges, and the films Gattaca (1997) and Patch Adams (1998). In 1999, Sestero was cast as the lead in Retro Puppet Master which was filmed in Romania. He followed this with a recurring role on the television soap opera Days of our Lives.^[1]

[edit] The Room

Sestero's best known role to date is as Mark, the best friend to Tommy Wiseau's Johnny in the cult film The Room, released in 2003.

Sestero met Wiseau at an acting class in 1998. Wiseau told Sestero that if he was able to raise the funds to make the film, he would hire him as his co-star; Sestero arrived on set only agreeing to work behind the scenes and helped Wiseau with auditions and casting. However when the original actor who was cast as Mark was fired, Sestero stepped in. Sestero has said that he made the film assuming no one would see it and that it would go direct to video.^[2][4]

The film was immediately lambasted by critics and fared very poorly at the box office as well. Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, called it "the Citizen Kane of bad movies" and Entertainment Weekly referred to Wiseau as "the Orson Welles of crap." ^[5]

Despite the poor showing Sestero remained humorous and typically deflected much of the criticism of the movie. For example, in one interview when asked about one of the movie's many plot holes, the sudden disappearance of the character "Peter" who is seemingly replaced by the character "Steven" without any explanation, Sestero responds, "We were going to add in that character Steven, but once Peter left, he kind of took over. Peter had other clients he had to tend to as a psychologist, so he couldn’t be at the party. [Laughs.]"^[3][6]

The movie quickly began to receive attention from audience members because of its poor production values rather than in spite of them; it soon became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the country. Audience members typically arrive wearing wigs resembling their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater. This attention grew into what was dubbed The Room's 2010-2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, with the movie being screened in not just the U.S. but also in the U.K, Germany, Denmark, Australia and India, among other locations. Sestero appears at many of these events, posing for photographs with fans and often addressing them before the screenings as well.^[7]

Later work and appearances[link]

In 2004, Sestero produced and appeared in Homeless in America, a documentary short about homelessness that was written and produced by The Room's Tommy Wiseau. He had a part in the short-lived 2006 television series Fashion House, opposite actress Bo Derek, and an uncredited role in Accepted also in 2006. In 2009 Sestero appeared in an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum and in the movie Alien Presence.^[1]

In 2010, Sestero appeared in Miranda Lambert's music video "White Liar" which won the Country Music Television and the Academy of Country Music award for best video and song of the year; the video was also nominated for best video at the 2010 Country Music Association awards.

In July 2010, Sestero was featured in a 5-second film End Zone directed by Michael Rousselet, one of The Room's original fans who helped propel the movie to cult status.^[5][8] Sestero then starred with NYC comedians Jason Saenz, Nick Turner, and Travis Irvine for a sketch comedy video in which Sestero turned into the "new" Jason Saenz via jaw surgery.^[9]

The July 2010 edition of Diablo Magazine voted Sestero, along with others including Carlos Santana and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, as The Best of the East Bay Stars and Standouts.^[10]

In July 2011, Sestero teamed with award winning comedian Patton Oswalt in "You Got Mail", a 5-second film that features Oswalt as a mailman and Sestero waiting for his suspicious delivery. ^[11]

Sestero continues to model and has appeared in ads for Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Ralph Lauren, among others.^[3]

Book[link]

In May 2011, it was announced that he had signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to write a book based on his experiences making the film, Tommy Wiseau and the numerous questions he's fielded from audience members over the years. The book is to be cowritten by journalist Tom Bissell, who wrote about The Room for Harper's, with a publication date scheduled for January 2013.^[12][13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Greg Sestero at the Internet Movie Database
• Greg Sestero on Facebook