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The first day of April, traditionally celebrated with hoaxes and practical jokes, will be honoured by Titan Poker with a $5,000 Guaranteed Tournament for its players. The April Fool's Tournament is free for players to enter and will award $5,000 to its winners.

Titan Poker's loyal VIP players are eligible to win a seat to this exclusive event. All VIP players who participate in at least twelve scheduled Hold'em Tournaments between the 23rd and the 31st of March will be awarded free entry into this exciting tournament.

This is the first time an April Fools Tournament will be staged by Titan Poker. However, the poker room regularly celebrates important dates and public holidays by rewarding its players with special tournaments, promotions and giveaways. On the 29th of February 2008, Titan Poker players won $5,000 in prizes at a freeroll staged to celebrate the Leap Year. For ten days in February, romantic Titan Poker players paid just $1+$0.10 to enter tournaments which awarded luxurious Fauchon Valentine's baskets worth 350 Euros.

Titan Poker also awards fantastic prizes and stages thrilling tournaments all year around. It regularly awards skilled players with seats at the world's most well-known poker tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and various European Poker Tour events. Eighteen Titan Poker players are currently competing at the Irish Open 2008 and a delegation of representatives will also be sent to the EPT Monte Carlo and the World Poker Showdown in the Dominican Republic later this year. In May, Titan Poker will host the European Championship of Online Poker II (ECOOP) where skilled poker players will compete for a share of $3,600,000 dollars.

World Series of Poker Europe Day 2 begins today

Overnight chip leader is James “Worzel” Mitchell, who managed to take a massive pot from John Racener in the dying minutes of the sixth ninety minute blind level to boost his stack to just under 180,000. However, Antonio Esfandiari and November Niner John Dolan also built up huge stacks to compete with Mitchell and the chip leaders from Day 1a; Nicolas Levi and Adam Fletcher.

This year, 346 players attained a £10,350 entry fee through stakes, satellites or just being rich and good at poker (the latter often leads to the former). This included a record-breaking Day 1b that saw 210 players put up the dough; 119 survived to rejoin Day 2 which begins at noon today.
One player we were following keenly was Viktor Blom, who showed up at the last minute (literally, there were 48 seconds left to register when he did) and proceed to lose half of his stack before the man almost certainly known to be Isildur1 built it back up and even took the chip lead at one point. He wound up with around 90,000 but since we return with 300/600/75 blinds and an average stack of 52,700 he won’t be complaining.


Defending champion Barry Shulman also did well throughout the day, building up a stack of (as he told us in the last hand) “about 86 thou’”. Another one to watch on Day 2 is none other than Phil Ivey, who finished the day with almost six figures despite a shaky start. Fellow Full Tilt Pro Eli Elezra also snuck into the six-figure stack bracket.

James Mitchell is leading by example – there are plenty of British contenders in the field including Roland DeWolfe, Chris Moorman, Liv Boeree, JP Kelly, Praz Bansi, Neil Channing. They will join
fellow UK pros Joe Beevers, Ross and Barny Boatman, and Sam Trickett for Day 2 today.

And, of course, we have the prize pool – a hefty £3,460,000 with a first prize of £830,401. Each of the 36 players who cash will receive £21,106 with the final tablers making at least £69,574 and seven players earning six figures. Join us later today for all the news and events at Day 2 of the WSOPE Main Event and remember that we’re the only UK poker magazine providing live coverage.

Celebrity Poker Player: Paul Wesley

For the past few years, the world has seen a diverse selection of celebrities who have graced the different poker tables all over the globe. We've already seen singers, comedians, character actors as well as the other types of people who have reached the celebrity status play poker at an elevated level of competition. 

The events such as Bravo's television show "Celebrity Poker Showdown" allows the television audience to see the extra talent these celebrity poker players have in playing poker.

One of the most popular Hollywood celebrity star that come to the minds of the television audience when it comes to television action is Paul Wesley. He has already appeared in numerous action roles as well as some other roles that perfectly fit his personality as a tough individual.

Paul Thomas Wasilewski or simply Paul Wesley grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey. His parents, Agnieszka and Thomas Wasilewski, moved to the U.S. from Poland just before his birth. Paul has one older sister named Monika and two younger sisters, Julia and Leah. 

 

Paul Wesley attended Christian Brothers Academy and Marlboro High School for a short time before being cast in Guiding Light in his junior year. His role on the show forced him to transfer to Lakewood Prep School, which accommodated his busy acting schedule. 

After graduating in 2000, Paul Wesley attended Rutgers University for one semester. With his parents support, he left after he realized he could make a career of acting. 

 

In 2005 Paul Wesley changed his last name to “Wesley” due to the fact that “Wasilewski” was too hard to pronounce. Paul Wesley enjoys playing poker, ice hockey and snowboarding as well as having an interest in writing and directing.

Paul Wesley first landed a role in the soap Guiding Light as Max Nickerson. He has also made appearances on the television shows Army Wives, 24, Smallville, The O.C., 8 Simple Rules, Wolf Lake, Cane, American Dreams, Everwood, and Law &; Order: Special Victims Unit. 

As far as movies go, he has had roles in Peaceful Warrior, Roll Bounce, and Cloud 9, Fallen, and Killer Movie. Paul Wesley is probably best known for his role as Stefan Salvatore on the hit CW show The Vampire Diaries.

Paul Wesley's TV series Fallen is a 2006 ABC Family miniseries based on the novel series The Fallen, broken into three parts. The first part was originally advertised as an “ABC Family Original Movie”, but nearly a year later, it was followed up with two other parts of equal length over the course of a weekend.

Fallen stars Paul Wesley as Aaron Corbett, a good-natured high school student who discovers he is a Nephilim, human-angel hybrid. An alternate reality game advertising the series has won an interactive Emmy.

He is engaged to his Killer Movie co-star Torrey DeVitto. Paul Wesley is currently starring in Lifetime’s Army Wives as the soldier boyfriend of Emmalin Holden.

Here's a little treat for those fans who are feeling lost on this Thursday night since their favorite vampire show is officially on summer break. Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder of 'The Vampire Diaries' were in New York City today to attend the CW "Upfront" at Madison Square Garden.

The only show reportedly cancelled by the network was 'Melrose Place'. The network added 2 new shows ('Hellcats' & 'Nikita') and moved a few of the others (like 'Supernatural') around to new nights.

MONDAY

8 p.m. "90210" (New Night)

9 p.m. "Gossip Girl"

TUESDAY

8 p.m. "One Tree Hill" (New Night)

9 p.m. "Life Unexpected" (New Night)

WEDNESDAY

8 p.m. "America's Next Top Model"

9 p.m. "HELLCATS"

THURSDAY

8 p.m. "The Vampire Diaries"

9 p.m. "NIKITA"

FRIDAY

8 p.m. "Smallville"

9 p.m. "Supernatural" (New Night)

Are you surprised that Melrose Place was cut? Are you okay with them switching around days and times of the other shows?

Celebrity Poker Player: Scarlett Johansson

Celebrities that have become part of the poker community either by sponsorships or in some cases have become the face of a poker show or at one of the many online poker sites. You do not need to be good at maths to be good at poker. You do not need to be physically attractive to be good at poker. You do not need charm to be good at poker. But for this sexy poker player Scarlett Johansson, she has it all!

Celebrity poker player Scarlett Johansson's figure has caught up with her already-mature and collected personality -- and now that she can scratch "child actress" off her resume, we can admire the sexy young woman she has become. An extra part of Scarlett Johansson's allure is her uniquely throaty voice, which entices us. 

 

About Scarlett Johansson: As might be expected of an acting prodigy, Scarlett Johansson had an unusually early interest in performing: She wanted to be an actress since age 3, and was acting professionally when she was only 8 years old. After taking classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for Young People, Scarlett Johansson made her stage debut in the early 1990s in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry, alongside Ethan Hawke.

Scarlett Johansson's first film role came in 1994's North, starring Elijah Wood, another child star survivor. The following year she played Sean Connery's daughter in the thriller Just Cause, and then in 1996 she appeared in If Lucy Fell and Manny &; Lo. For the latter film, Scarlett Johansson was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in 1997. That year she added Fall and Home Alone 3 to her burgeoning list of credits as well.

In 2002 Scarlett Johansson shot three films – The Perfect Score in Vancouver, Lost In Translation in Tokyo and Girl with a Pearl Earring in Luxembourg. The first to hit theaters was Lost In Translation. It was an instant hit ever since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Scarlett Johansson won the Upstream Prize for Best Actress. Indeed, her performance was stunning, even more so when you consider that Scarlett was mere 17-years old when she played the newlywed twentysomething.

In some ways 2004 started out as a low year for Scarlett Johansson. The long overdue The Perfect Score was finally released and neither the critics or audience warmed up to the teen comedy. They just couldn’t help comparing it to the extraordinary cinematic masterpieces known as Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Although nominated twice for Best Leading Actress at the Golden Globes, Scarlett Johansson ended up empty handed… And she didn’t receive an Oscar nomination. After the prestigious award ceremony in February, Scarlett made first-hand experience with awful gossip. 

 

As a supporter of runner-up for democrat presidential candidate Howard Dean, Scarlett Johansson was wearing a Howard Dean badge to the The Perfect Score premiere. When John Kerry ended up being the democrat candidate, she also supported his campaign on several occasions. Obviously, the re-election of George W. Bush as the US president must have been some sort of setback for the opinionated actress.

Aside from the movie world, Scarlett Johansson was also active in the fashion world: she signed a contract with Calvin Klein to be the face for their new fragrance ‘Eternity Moment’ and was part of the fall/winter 2004/05 campaign for Louis Vuitton. Her newly found fame also led to more roles: She plays Dennis Quaid’s daughter and Topher Grace’s love interest in In Good Company (shot in spring/early summer 2004 and released in December). 

 

After some projects were delayed and caused a free schedule for the summer, her hero Woody Allen cast her in Match Point. Scarlett Johansson packed her bags and flew to London to work on the movie in July 2004. In September Scarlett was part of the Venezia jury at the 61st Venice Film Festival and A Love Song for Bobby Long also had its world premiere there.

After promotional work for Calvin Klein, a short vacation, getting her tonsils removed and making two appearances at the Hollywood Film Festival, Scarlett Johansson started work on The Island in October 2004, the sci-fi thriller directed by Michael Bay, co-starring Ewan McGregor. And somewhere in 2004 Scarlett Johansson also managed to contribute voice work to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Talk about a busy year!

Scarlett Johansson received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in A Love Song for Bobby Long in 2005 but the award went to Hilary Swank, who was soon to co-star with Scarlett in Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia. After finishing work on The Island in early 2005, Scarlett Johansson flew to Bulgaria to work on The Black Dahlia in April. After a long delay, the film finally started production. Woody Allen was so taken by Scarlett’s work in Match Point that he quickly hired the actress for his next film, a comedy titled Scoop. It was also filmed on location in London in June and July 2005.

After wrapping up the comedy, Scarlett promoted The Island all over the world, attending premieres and gracing magazine covers worldwide. Unfortunately, the response to the Michael Bay action movie, which opened in July 2005, was a let down – both in the box office and in the eyes of the critics. After months of promoting The Island and filming Scoop, Match Point opened in late 2005. Scarlett received rave reviews for her performance as Nola Rice, an actress struggling with love and passion. The film also earned Scarlett Johansson her 4th Golden Globe nomination.

Year 2006 started with a bang for Scarlett. She signed a reported $4mil deal to become the new face of cosmetics giant L’Oreal. Within a couple of months time she also signed on to star in two more films; The Prestige and The Nanny Diaries. Scarlett began filming Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige in January. After wrapping up, she had a well-deserved break from the spotlight before dying those well known locks of hers to brunette and starting to film The Nanny Diaries in April.

Scarlett Johansson soon signed on to star in Justin Chadwick’s period piece, The Other Boleyn Girl. She traveled back to England to work on the film and befriended co-star Natalie Portman. Scarlett Johansson also became more involved with charity causes and raising awareness. When Bono and Bobby Shriver organized the RED campaign with the UK’s Gap, Scarlett was the first celebrity to sign up, wearing RED clothes on the covers of two British magazines. With the releases of Scoop, The Black Dahlia and The Prestige, the RED campaign and more media coverage than perhaps ever, late 2006 turned out to be a very busy year for Scarlett, who was crowned the sexiest woman of the year by FHM and Esquire magazines!

Scarlet Johansson's recent movie Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle. Scarlet Johannsson played the role of Natasha Romanoff, the new Tony Stark’s secretary, and her alter ego, the Black Widow. There is a lot of mythology surrounding her character and several variations so we’ll just have to await how the movie’s version will feature her and of course how Scarlett Johansson adapts her.

Celebrity Poker Player: Rihanna

Most have probably heard the tones of the track “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga over the years. And now there's maybe chance, or risk if you like, to airwaves are filled with several poker songs. The music video for Rihanna's newest popfænomenet number called “Hard”, the poker fans for quite able to recognize a special logo.

What about the middle of the music video where sexy poker player Rihanna gets a slap poker with two unidentified gentlemen. Repeatedly zooms in on the chips, where the wording PokerStars not to be mistaken. And also the cards as the game's three participants are using, is adorned by the large poker sites logo.

What the agreement has cost PokerStars is not known but it has hardly been cheap. Is “Hard” a great success, the site at least could look forward to massive exposure. For example, the music video for another of celebrity poker player Rihanna's tracks, Do not stop the music, been viewed more than 106 million times on YouTube.

About Rihanna: Robin Rihanna Fenty a.k.a Ri-Ri or Rihanna sudden and meteoric rise made American Idol hopefuls look like seasoned crooners who had spent a decade on the road before hitting the big time. A native of the island of Barbados, Rihanna lived an average life and barely even dreamed of show business before she was discovered in late 2003.

Despite her total lack of professional singing experience, Rihanna was snapped up by Def Jam, and had a hit with her single "Pon de Replay" in 2005. She quickly followed this up with the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun.

Rihanna wasted no time in putting out a second album, A Girl Like Me, the following year, and her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, took listeners by storm in 2007 with a slew of hit singles including "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop The Music."

Rihanna's instant success wasn't all luck, though. Her talent is undeniable, and her personality is determined yet appreciative. She instantly caught the attention of the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and Sean Paul, and in 2007, when she released her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, all signs indicated she would be a massive success. Her fourth studio album was released in November 2009, entitled Rated R, and it is Rihanna's highest.

The wave of popularity that stemmed from Rihanna's impressive debut carried her onto the small screen. She's been on Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Today, and has performed at the 2005 Video Music Awards, World Music Awards and MTV Awards. 

 

She's also helped kick off sports events, from a performance alongside Kanye West at the start of the NFL season to a show for the start of the 2005 U.S. Lawn Tennis Open Championships.

In 2006, Rihanna released her second album, A Girl Like Me, which boasted the hit singles "SOS," "Unfaithful," "We Ride," and "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul. In 2007, it was another successful year for the budding talent. Rihanna released her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

A number of hits also resulted from this album including "Umbrella," which featured Jay-Z. This song was the longest running No. 1 single since Wet Wet Wet's' single "Love Is All Around" back in 1994, and the longest running No. 1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."

Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad also included the hits "Shut Up And Drive" and "Don't Stop The Music." At the 2007 American Music Awards Rihanna won for Favorite Female Artist in the Soul/Rhythm &; Blues category.

Rihanna's skyrocketed career falls down when Rihanna was scheduled to perform at the 2009 Grammy Awards show, an incident of physical abuse from boyfriend Chris Brown kept the two from performing together on stage. 

 

Photos of battered Rihanna circulated the internet days after the incident, and Chris Brown released a statement to the public claiming he was finding the guidance he needed with friends and family, away from Rihanna.

After the courts agreed to a plea bargain with Chris Brown, Rihanna fans will be happy to know that part of the plea bargain requires Chris Brown to stay far away from Rihanna.

Teri Hatcher: Sexy Celebrity Poker Player

If you've been following the celebrity highway maybe you've missed the road signs along the way that told you what celebs are playing lately, which games and where. Teri Hatcher is one of the most sexy and hot female celebrity poker player who got involved like many celebrities have in the last few years through playing TV celebrity poker programs.

Celebrity poker player Teri Hatcher was once spotted playing poker and the World Poker Tour Invitational in City of Commerce. With a motley crew of over 100 stars from the screen and the world of poker, the World Poker Tour’s Celebrity Invitational will get underway tomorrow. The proceeds will go to Chrysalis, a charity that helps economically disadvantaged and homeless people find work. 

The guest list at Los Angeles’s Commerce Casino this weekend includes, among others, Marlon Wayans, Eric Dane, Hank Azaria and Ricki Lake. There is also a $200,000 prize pool that will go to the recipients’ various charitable organizations. The grand prize is a seat in the World Poker Tour’s Championship.

About Teri Hatcher: Teri Hatcher’s wildly successful portrayal of Susan Mayer in the award-winning ABC Comedy Desperate Housewives earned her a 2005 Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Leading Role, Musical or Comedy, Television, a 2005 Screen Actors Guild Award as Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, a 2006 Golden Globe Award nomination, a 2005 Television Critics Award nomination and a 2005 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy. The role of the single mom searching for love in the sometimes sordid, always intriguing world of Wisteria Lane has vaulted Teri Hatcher to the pinnacle of today’s hottest comic actresses.

Teri Hatcher’s international success has continued to grow since her days starring as the unforgettable Lois Lane in the 1994-97 series Lois & Clark. Her most recent successes resulted in recent honors by the U.K. edition of Glamour magazine as one of its 2005 Women of the Year, as well as also winning Glamour’s 2007 Writer of the Year. She was also honored by the Women’s World Awards in 2006. 

She recently became a New York Times best-selling author with her first book, Burnt Toast and other Philosophies of Life, which was released in May 2006 and in paperback in May of 2007. In the critically acclaimed bestseller, she offers a personal, heartfelt and often very funny manifesto on life, love and the lessons we all need to learn — and unlearn — on the road to happiness.

Among the many highlights of her career is hosting Saturday Night Live, which had USA Today commenting, “She gives one of the best and most energetic performances by a good-sport host in a long time.” What’s more, the sketches she participated in have become part of SNL’s Best Of. Other favorite roles include that of Sally Bowles in the national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical, Cabaret, and in Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.

Of all her film credits, Teri Hatcher still considers the first film she ever made — The Big Picture, directed by Christopher Guest — to be her favorite. Other movies that followed were Soapdish, with Kevin Kline, Two Days in the Valley, Spy Kids, directed by Roberto Rodriguez, and as “Bond” girl Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, opposite Pierce Brosnan. Nor will anyone ever forget the line she made famous in Seinfeld, which was, of course, “They’re real — and they’re spectacular.”

Teri Hatcher is also well known for her involvement in worthy causes, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities such as The Starlight Starbright Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Aviva Center in Los Angeles, CARE Humanitarian Relief Organization and the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. She has also been a strong advocate of both AIDS Walk Los Angeles and AIDS Walk New York, and an active participant in the battle against breast cancer. 

The gown Teri Hatcher wore to the 2005 Golden Globe Awards was sold at auction to benefit Clothes Off Our Back, as was a Versace couture dress from an In Style Magazine cover shoot.

Among her pop culture honors, Teri Hatcher has had the distinction of being the most downloaded image on the internet the year she posed wrapped in Superman’s cape — and nothing else!

Celebrity Poker: John Mayer

There's something about a man and his guitar that makes women take notice, but that's not the only reason John Mayer comes off as a ladies' man. He also possesses the poetic skills to woo any lady. His songs frequently deal with love, loss and other mushy things that the fairer sex soaks up.

Celebrity poker player John Mayer is having a concert here in the Philippines with the sponsorships of Channel V and Metro Card Club which is a texas hold'em poker club at the MOA (Mall Of Asia) Concert Grounds.

After displaying an impressive repertoire of original songs and melodies, several music labels offered John Mayer recording deals in 2000. He eventually signed with Aware/Columbia Records and released his debut album, Room For Squares, one year later. With his blues-influenced sound and deep lyrics, the album was received like no other in recent memory. Tracks like "Your Body is a Wonderland" and "No Such Thing" became instant hits and helped Room For Squares go triple platinum in two years.

Amazingly, the album stayed in the Billboard Top 200 for 80 weeks straight, thanks partly to a resurgence in sales after John Mayer won a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for "Your Body is a Wonderland" in 2003.

Before his success in the music industry, John Mayer's parents hired a guitar teacher. However, they soon discovered that lessons had become more like informal jam sessions. Disappointed, they discontinued the lessons and John Mayer had to revert to playing guitar by ear. This turned out to be a good thing though, as his love for music only grew. By age 15, he was playing at local blues bars and fine-tuning his talent. 

 

In the meantime, John Mayer toured extensively in America and Europe, gaining acclaim as an excellent live performer. He penned new tracks while on the road and once the touring was done, he compiled the work into a second album, entitled Heavier Things. The track "Bigger Than My Body" became a radio staple and ensured John Mayer's longevity through 2004 and beyond. Most recently, he has returned to the stage, playing shows in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and even Japan.

All is set for the May 16, 2010 John Mayer concert Live in Manila until today, It was cancelled. Since last week, rumor has it that the Manila tour will not be pushed through due to some circumstances. I called Channel V to confirm if this was true and they said they are still confirming on Mayer’s team about it. But an interesting information just came in when I check my twitter account and found out that Tim Yap is confirming the cancellation of the concert.

On John Mayer’s website, they pulled out the Manila schedule which is supposedly MAY 16. Ticket holders may opt to keep their ticket or refund–landline is 9292151. However, John Mayer concert in Manila is moved from May 16 to October 1, 2010 8:00 PM at MOA Concert Grounds.

With more tours on the way, John Mayer has shown that he is a man on a mission. This fresh face in music has grown right before our eyes and has become one of the biggest names in the biz. Let's hope it's only uphill from here on in.

Celebrity Poker: Sacha Baron Cohen

Celebrities donned their poker faces at a celebrity poker tournament to raise funds for a notable organizations and foundations one of the Hollwood's A-list celebrity star is the funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen. As a former male model who stands at 6' 3", Sacha Baron Cohen likely attracted the occasional female eye before he found fame.

We call him a comedian because he makes us laugh, but celebrity poker  player Sacha Baron Cohen is not a comedian, any more than the alter-egos that have made him famous -- Ali G, Borat and Bruno. Now, he's married to Isla Fisher, the super hot redhead and a hilariously talented actress, and together they have a daughter. 

Aside from PR stunts to promote his films, Sacha Baron Cohen is rarely seen in public and has rarely given a straight interview. 

 

Sacha Baron Cohen's work has earned him nominations from several film and television organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. He has received nominations for an Oscar, for Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Emmys, and many more, even winning one or two along the way. In addition to his own films, Cohen has voiced the role of Julien in the movie Madagascar in 2008 films and appeared alongside Will Ferrell in flicks like Talladega Nights in 20006. 

 

He has already made millions in his field and has established a bar for fearlessness in film that seems unbelievably high. The question remains, however, of whether or not he can escape the shadows cast by his alter egos and establish an acting career independent of them. 

Out of college, Sacha Baron Cohen decided to pursue a career doing what he truly loved but rarely did in an official capacity -- entertain. Specifically, do comedy. Perhaps his Orthodox upbringing, or his years as a diligent student, made him believe it wasn't the most noble of pursuits, so he set a five-year deadline for himself -- if it didn't work out in that time, he would find a job more suited to his education. His five years were almost up when Channel 4 gave him that all-important break. 

 

When Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show needed a host, Cohen auditioned -- rather, Ali G auditioned, in all his foul-mouthed arrogance. His persona landed the spot as host of the show's "Voice of Youth" segment. It didn't take long for the segment to catch fire, and shortly Ali G was given his own show, Da Ali G Show. Displaying his keen PR sense, before it debuted Cohen cranked up the buzz by releasing a video, Ali G, Innit. A best-seller, the video had fans in a frenzy for the debut. He stoked the fire by releasing two more videos, and in 2002, a full-length feature, Ali G Indahouse.

In 2007, Sacha Baron Cohen released Borat: Cultural Learnings from America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which pretended to follow the hapless Borat across the U.S. looking for the love of his life, Pamela Anderson. The film was a sensation, grossing $261 million over 14 times its cost, and earning Sacha Baron Cohen an Oscar and a host of legal problems.

Specifically, he was sued by an etiquette coach, a driving instructor, southern frat boys, some Romanian villagers, even a Manhattan businessman whose personal space Borat violated, causing the man to scamper away. All appeared in the movie after unwittingly falling for Borat's ruse, and none liked what they saw of themselves.

In late 2008, Sacha Baron Cohen publicly announced that he was killing off Borat and Ali G -- their enormous fame had subverted their effectiveness. By then, he'd finished filming the mockumentary Bruno, released in early July 2009. The film presents the same sucker scenarios that elevated Borat and uses the same underhanded scheme: feed on his prey's weaknesses and exploit them for effect. 

In one scene, Paula Abdul is lured to an interview with Bruno after having been informed that she'd been named Artist of the Year in Austria. It's hard, for us in the audience, to believe that someone like Abdul, who had done little to nothing artistically, could accept without question that she was deserving of the award. 

Yet as Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen's traps remain as simple as they are cunning, baiting his prey to drop their guard and to confuse the roles of predator and prey. The result is comedic genius from an otherwise unfunny and deadly serious artist.