• AllRovi
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Battle of the Bulge
• Box Office Mojo
• Bret Harrison
• Burt Reynolds
• Charles Durning
• Chris Moneymaker
• Courtney Friel
• Deal (2008 film)
• Drama film
• English language
• Gary Grubbs
• Gil Cates Jr
• Greg Raymer
• Isabelle Mercier
• Jennifer Tilly
• Jonathan Cates
• Mark Weinstock
• Metacritic
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Michael Arata
• Michael Sexton
• Mike Sexton
• New Orleans
• Normandy Landings
• Peter Rafelson
• Phil Laak
• Poker
• Razzie Award
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Shannon Elizabeth
• Steven Kent Austin
• Tom Harting
• United States
• Vince Van Patten
• Vincent Van Patten
• World Poker Tour
• World War II
• 
  

• 
  New Orleans
  New Orleans ( /nuː ˈɔrliənz/ or /ˈnuː ɔrˈliːnz/, locally /nuː ˈɔrlənz/ or /ˈnɔrlənz/; French: La Nouvelle-Orléans [la nuvɛlɔʁleɑ̃] ( listen)) is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The population of the city proper was 343,829 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. The New Orleans metropolitan area (New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area) had a population of 1,167,764 in 2010 and was the 46th largest in the United States. The New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area, a larger trading area, had a 2010 population of 1,214,932.
  The city is named after Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, and is well known for its distinct French Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage. New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The city is often referred to as the "most unique" in America.
  
  wn.com/New_Orleans
• 
  Normandy Landings
  The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, June 6, 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time (GMT+2). In planning, D-Day was the term used for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval.
  The landings were conducted in two phases: an airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 AM. There were also decoy operations under the codenames Operation Glimmer and Operation Taxable to distract the German forces from the real landing areas.
  Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces was General Dwight Eisenhower while overall command of ground forces (21st Army Group) was given to General Bernard Montgomery. The operation, planned by a team under Lieutenant-General Frederick Morgan, was the largest amphibious invasion in world history and was executed by land, sea, and air elements under direct British command with over 160,000 troops landing on June 6, 1944. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved. The invasion required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support. The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
  
  wn.com/Normandy_Landings
• 
  United States
  The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
  At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
  
  wn.com/United_States

• 
  Antonio Esfandiari
  Antonio Esfandiari (born Amir Esfandiari, December 8, 1978 in Tehran, Iran) is a professional poker player, known for his elaborate chip tricks.
  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.
  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.
  
  wn.com/Antonio_Esfandiari
• Bret Harrison
  Bret Michael Harrison (born April 6, 1982) is an American actor and singer known predominantly for his work on comedies such as The Loop, Grounded for Life, Reaper and Breaking In.
  Harrison was born in Tualatin, Oregon. His first acting role came at the Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre in his home state where he had the role of George in Our Town.
  One of his first TV appearances was in the third season of MTV's Undressed and the MTV film Everybody's Doing It. Bret's first major role was dorky next-door neighbor Brad O'Keefe on Grounded for Life.
  Harrison appeared in five That '70s Show episodes as Charlie Richardson, a character that was intended to be a replacement for departing cast member Topher Grace but the character was soon killed off when Harrison decided to work on another series. He also appeared in The O.C. as Danny, Seth's rival. He had a dramatic guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sam Cavanaugh, a young victim of sexual abuse. In film, he appeared alongside Jack Black and Colin Hanks in Orange County. In addition, Harrison also starred in the movie Deal, which was released in the US on April 26, 2008.
  
  wn.com/Bret_Harrison
• 
  Burt Reynolds
  Burton Milo "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. (born February 11, 1936) is an American actor, director and voice artist. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its 2005 remake respectively, Billy Clyde Puckett in Semi-Tough, J.J. McClure in The Cannonball Run, the voice of Charlie B. Barkin in All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Jack Horner in Boogie Nights.
  Reynolds' parents were Burton Milo Reynolds, Sr. (1906–2002), who had Cherokee and Irish ancestry, and his wife, Fern H. (née Miller). Reynolds was born in Lansing, Michigan. He states in his autobiography that his family was living in Lansing, Michigan, when his father was drafted into the United States Army. Reynolds, his mother and his sister joined his father at Fort Leonard Wood, where they lived for two years. When Reynolds's father was sent to Europe, the family returned to Lansing. In 1946, Reynolds moved to Riviera Beach, Florida, with his parents. His father, Burt Sr., later became Chief of Police of Riviera Beach. Riviera Beach is the next town north of West Palm Beach.
  
  wn.com/Burt_Reynolds
• 
  Charles Durning
  Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923) is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting (1973) and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon (1975), along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. He won a Tony award for his portrayal of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1990.
  Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, the second youngest of five children, James G. (1915–2000), Clifford John (1916–1994), Frances (born 1919) and Gerald J. Durning (born 1926). His mother, Louise M. (1894–1982), was a laundress at West Point, and his father was James Durning.
  Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Drafted at age 21, he was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Heart medals.
  
  wn.com/Charles_Durning
• 
  Chris Moneymaker
  Christopher Bryan Moneymaker (born November 21, 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site. This has been referred to in the press as the "Moneymaker Effect."
  Moneymaker's ancestors made silver and gold coins and chose the name "Moneymaker" as a modification of their German last name: "Nurmacher."
  Moneymaker attended Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later earned a master's degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee.
  Moneymaker married his wife, Christina Wren, in Las Vegas in April, 2005. He has a daughter, Ashley, born three months before he won the WSOP main event. They currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee.
  After receiving his master's degree, Moneymaker worked as a comptroller. He was also a part-time employee at a local restaurant. After his WSOP win Moneymaker became a spokesman for PokerStars. He has also started his own company, Moneymaker Gaming.
  
  wn.com/Chris_Moneymaker
• 
  Courtney Friel
  Courtney Friel (born April 22, 1980) is an American reporter for KTTV-TV in Los Angeles, California. She covers entertainment for the Fox11 station in Los Angeles as well as for Fox News Channel and other local stations.
  Prior to her move to Los Angeles, she was the entertainment reporter at Fox News Channel, contributing to a number of different entertainment related programs for the network's website, FoxNews.com. Friel was a frequent guest contributor on the Fox News late-night satire show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.
  Friel is married to Carter Evans who is a national business correspondent for CNN Newsource. On January 1, 2011 Friel gave birth to Cash Hudson Evans. On April 6, 2012 she gave birth to a daughter, Cameron Kaiulani Evans.
  Friel attended Methacton High School in Norristown, Pennsylvania. She regularly did the televised morning announcements, and was very active in the school's media production class. One day, after submitting a short video, Friel was chosen to appear in Channel One News' student produced week in Los Angeles. Friel went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Diego State University.
  
  wn.com/Courtney_Friel
• Gary Grubbs
  Gary Grubbs (born November 14, 1949) is an American actor.
  Grubbs has several film and television credits to his name, including his portrayal of attorney Al Oser in Oliver Stone's JFK.
  He appeared as George Russell on The Wonderful World of Disney's 1988 miniseries "Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder" starring Tim Dunigan.
  In the 1990s, Grubbs landed two notable (albeit short-lived) recurring television roles. On Growing Pains, he played George Brower, Luke Brower's (Leonardo DiCaprio) long-lost father, and on Will & Grace, he played Harlin Polk, Will Truman's (Eric McCormack) number-one client (during the first and second seasons only).
  In the 2001 film Double Take, Grubbs played the role of CIA agent Timothy Jarret McReady. More recently, he appeared in the recurring role of Gordon Bullit on the final season of The O.C..
  Grubbs also made a cameo on a few episodes of the WB series Angel as Fred's father, Roger Burkle. He currently has a recurring role on Treme as Richard Desautel, father of chef Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens).
  
  wn.com/Gary_Grubbs
• Gil Cates Jr
  Gil Cates Jr., born October 1, 1969 in New York City, is an American actor and film maker. His 2006 documentary film Life After Tomorrow, which he co-produced and directed with Julie Stevens, won awards for both Best Documentary and Best Director at the Phoenix Film Festival. Cates is a partner in the film production company Ten/Four Pictures.
  He is the director of the 2002 film A Midsummer Night's Rave, the 2006 documentary film Life After Tomorrow, the 2008 film Deal starring Burt Reynolds, the 2009 gambling documentary "Pass the Sugar", and the 2011 film Lucky.
  Cates television credits include the 1991 Matlock Season 6 two-part episode The Suspect, the 1992 Major Dad Season 3 episode Three Angry Marines, the 1992 Silk Stalkings Season 1 episode Internal Affair, and the 1993 Doogie Howser, M.D. gay-themed Season 4 episode Spell it M-A-N.
  Cates film credits include parts in the 1992 John Landis film Innocent Blood, the 1997 award-nominated film Lovelife, and the 1999 NetForce .
  Cates is the son of the television producer and film director Gilbert Cates, and is a cousin to the film actress Phoebe Cates.
  
  wn.com/Gil_Cates_Jr
• 
  Greg Raymer
  Gregory Raymer (born June 25, 1964, in Minot, North Dakota) nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.
  Raymer's family moved numerous times during his childhood, from his birthplace to Lansing, MI, where he lived until age 10. He then moved to Clearwater, Florida, attending Dunedin Middle School, and then to St. Louis, Missouri.
  After Raymer graduated from Parkway South High School in St. Louis, he enrolled at the University of Missouri–Rolla, where he majored in chemistry and became a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Masters Degree in Biochemistry in 1989, and then again from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1992. He then practiced law as a patent attorney for more than a decade, spending the last six years of his legal career at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
  Raymer is nicknamed "Fossilman" because of his hobby of collecting fossils. He uses a small fossil as a card protector while he plays poker.
  
  wn.com/Greg_Raymer
• 
  Isabelle Mercier
  Isabelle Mercier (born August 5, 1975 in Victoriaville, Quebec) is a professional poker player.
  Mercier originally learned to play poker as a child, but prior to turning to a poker career, she earned an undergraduate law degree from the Université de Montréal and practiced commercial law for six months. She then moved to Paris, France and earned a master's degree while working as the poker room manager at the Aviation Club de France, before turning to poker full-time. During her time working at the Aviation Club she was nominated for Staff Person of the Year twice at the European Poker Awards.
  She first made a name for herself by finishing in second place in the €800 No Limit hold 'em tournament at the Masters Classic of Poker 2002 in Amsterdam, where she earned $53,499.
  In 2004 Mercier won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Ladies' Night tournament and the $25,000 first prize, where Mike Sexton nicknamed her "No Mercy."
  In 2005 she finished tenth in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monte Carlo, earning €23,090. Also in 2005, she had three money finishes at the WSOP.
  
  wn.com/Isabelle_Mercier
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  Jennifer Tilly
  Jennifer Tilly (born September 16, 1958) is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the elder sister of actress Meg Tilly.
  Tilly was born Jennifer Elizabeth Chan in Harbor City, Los Angeles. She is the first child of Harry Chan, a used car salesman, and Patricia (née Tilly), a Canadian schoolteacher and former stage actress. Her father was Chinese American and her mother was of Irish, Finnish, and Native-American ancestry. Following her parents' divorce when she was five, she was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island, British Columbia. Her mother divorced again when Tilly was 16, and moved to Victoria, where Tilly attended Belmont High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from Stephens College in Missouri.
  Tilly had small roles in TV shows and movies beginning in 1983. She had a recurring guest role on Hill Street Blues as Gina Srignoli, a mobster's widow who becomes romantically involved with detective Henry Goldblume. She played Frasier Crane's seductive-but-ditzy date on an episode of the fourth season of Cheers and appeared as a similar character on the eleventh season of Frasier.
  
  wn.com/Jennifer_Tilly
• Michael Arata
  Michael Arata (born February 23, 1966) is an American actor and film producer. He began his acting career at age four and has since appeared on stage, in feature films and television programs.
  Arata was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. As an actor, he has worked with Academy Award winners Oliver Stone, Gene Hackman, Kevin Costner, Jamie Foxx, Tatum O'Neil, Kim Hunter, Billy Bob Thornton, Denzel Washington, Ellen Burstyn and Sissy Spacek, and has appeared on stage with Sir Kenneth Branagh, Ben Kingsley, and Rosemary Harris, as well as Alec Baldwin and Elizabeth Ashley in Tennessee Williams's classic The Night of the Iguana.
  In addition to his film history, Mr. Arata has extensive theatre experience, including acting and producing the works of Tennessee Williams, Caryl Churchill, Tony Kushner, and William Shakespeare. In 1997, American Theatre Magazine hailed Mr. Arata's performance of Stanley Kowalski in the 50th anniversary production of Tennessee Williams' classic A Streetcar Named Desire as "unhinged and electrifying", and reviewer Dalt Wonk called the performance "a Stanley for our times".
  
  wn.com/Michael_Arata
• Michael Sexton
  Michael Sexton (born 5 March 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Blues between 1990 and 2000.
  A defender, Sexton was a member of Carlton's 1995 premiership team and an All Australian in both 1996 and 1997. He was recruited from the Sandhurst Dragons.
  Sexton is member of the AFL "Laws of the Game" or Rules Committee.
  
  wn.com/Michael_Sexton
• 
  Mike Sexton
  Michael Richard Sexton (born September 22, 1947 in Shelby, Indiana) is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
  Sexton was a gymnast and attended The Ohio State University where he earned a degree in public recreation after changing majors from business. He jokes that he majored in poker because he played very frequently in college. He also regularly played contract bridge and taught classes on it in North Carolina.
  Sexton joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in 1970. The division, however, had just returned from Vietnam, so he never saw any action. While he was in the army, he taught ballroom dancing and one of his clients convinced him to try being a salesman, which he continued to do after his two-year enlistment was up. After a while, he realized that he could make more money playing poker than being a salesman, so he took up poker in 1977.
  Although Sexton frequented tournaments, he was never able to make it to the World Series of Poker because he coached Little League baseball teams and the schedules overlapped. In 1985 he moved to Nevada to pursue poker full time. Sexton was a well known cohort of poker player Stu Ungar. Upon Ungar's death, Sexton was a pallbearer and speaker at his funeral.
  
  wn.com/Mike_Sexton
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  Phil Laak
  Philip "Phil" C. Laak (born September 8, 1972) is a professional poker player and a poker commentator, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour (WPT) title, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and has appeared on numerous nationally-aired television shows.
  Laak was born in Dublin, Ireland, raised on the East Coast of the United States, and now lives in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1987^{[citation needed]} with a degree in mechanical engineering and worked as an engineer, a repo man, a dishwasher on Cape Cod, a stock day trader, a gardener and a real estate investor, prior to getting into open poker games in California. He is a former roommate of fellow professional poker player and close friend Antonio Esfandiari. Prior to his move west, Laak lived for several years in New York City where he honed his skills as a world-class backgammon player before he turned his focus to poker.
  Laak learned to play poker as a child. His first major tournament victory was at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational in February 2004. He has made two other WPT final tables since: sixth place in both the season two Battle of Champions and the 2005 Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
  
  wn.com/Phil_Laak
• 
  Shannon Elizabeth
  Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973), better known as Shannon Elizabeth, is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as American Pie, Scary Movie and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons. She became widely known as a sex symbol for her role in the 1999 comedy film American Pie.
  Born Shannon Elizabeth Fadal, Elizabeth's father is of Lebanese descent and her mother is of English, Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry. She was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Waco, Texas. She grew up in a low income background. In high school, she was very much interested in tennis and at one point even considered a professional tennis career. She worked as a model before she began a career in film.
  Elizabeth appeared in several films, including the horror film Jack Frost and Dish Dogs, before being cast in 1999's American Pie. Pie was a major box office success, and achieved cult status for her nude bedroom scene in the movie. Elizabeth subsequently appeared in several Hollywood films, including Scary Movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Tomcats. Elizabeth starred in the UPN series Cuts until the show was canceled in May 2006. Cuts and its parent show, One on One, were two of the many shows not to be picked up by The CW. Elizabeth appeared in That '70s Show for a number of episodes.
  
  wn.com/Shannon_Elizabeth
• Steven Kent Austin
  Steven Kent Austin is an American actor and producer of small-budget independent films. He also directed a film version of Route 66. He was Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of TAG Entertainment Corp, which he founded in 1999 and whose stock is now worthless; and owner of American Film Ventures, LLC.
  Steven Austin travelled with his parents to the Palm Springs area where they became involved in the Hollywood entertainment industry. For much of his life, Steve was based in the Santa Monica and sometimes in Salt Lake City areas.
  On August 13, 2009 Steve Austin was the subject of a reduced prosecution agreement for cooperation with investigations and asset recovery promises. For defrauding investors of the partnership for a film to be entitled Funny Money and filing a false income tax return, he received a three year federal prison sentence followed by a three year managed parole during a 20 year agreement term. The court also ordered Austin to pay restitution in the amount of the approximately $42,000,000 total, for confirmed investment payments of the fraud and theft victims who reported their information to the federal court in a timely manner. According to the indictment, from approximately May 2004 until December 2006, AFV collected investor's money to finance part of the development, production, marketing and distribution of a full-length motion picture called "Funny Money" which actually was never produced. He also failed to declare between $475,000 and $874,500 in taxable income for the 2003 tax year.
  
  wn.com/Steven_Kent_Austin
• Vincent Van Patten
  Vincent Van Patten (born October 17, 1957) is an American actor and former tour professional tennis player.
  Van Patten was born in Bellerose, New York. He is the youngest son of actor Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat, née Poole, a former June Taylor dancer. He is of Dutch and Italian descent on his father's side. Van Patten was first urged into show business at age nine by his father’s agent. A commercial for Colgate toothpaste was followed by more than thirty other commercials before his father was cast in the TV series, Arnie, and moved his family from Long Island to Los Angeles.
  From his first marriage to Betsy Russell he has two sons: Richard and Vince. His second marriage, on April 15, 2003, was to The Young and the Restless actress Eileen Davidson. They have 1 child: Jesse (born in 2003). They met when he appeared briefly on The Young and the Restless as a man she met on a cruise. Her character Ashley pretended he was the father of her baby when, in fact, it was Victor Newman.
  Vince is related to several other well-known actors, actresses, and singers through blood and by marriage. Vince is brother of James Van Patten and Nels Van Patten, nephew of actress Joyce Van Patten, nephew of Timothy Van Patten, and cousin of actress Talia Balsam. Talia Balsam's first marriage was to actor George Clooney. Talia Balsam's second husband is actor John Slattery (where Talia and John appear together as husband and wife on Mad Men).
  
  wn.com/Vincent_Van_Patten

Deal (2008)

Actors

• Burt Reynolds
• Charles Durning
• Bret Harrison
• Gary Grubbs
• Shannon Elizabeth
• Jennifer Tilly
• Maria Mason

Director

• Gil Cates Jr.