newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Former child stars reveal sex abuse, emotional trauma of Hollywood

For Todd Bridges , it all started with “ Sanford and Son.
” Recalling the acerbic comedy about a junk dealer and his offspring , the San Francisco native told The Post : “ I wanted to be like Redd Foxx .
I wanted to be on television.
” He got what he desired at age 13 , starring as big brother Willis Jackson on the class-conscious sitcom “ Diff ’ rent Strokes.
” which ran from 1978 to 1986 .
But like most former child actors profiled in the new documentary “ Showbiz Kids , ” premiering Tuesday on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he bargained for — and not in a good way .
Following commercial work that included the first Parkay margarine commercial , Bridges landed the “ Strokes ” gig .
But he also had to deal with the consequences of money-stealing team members , a sexually aggressive publicist and systemic racism : “ I had a gun pulled on my head when I was 12 — an officer told me that my bike was stolen.
” After learning to drive , he added , “ I was pulled over every day , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And when I complained , it got worse .
I got accused of stealing my own car.
” The odds of Bridges succeeding were daunting — according to the doc , each year some 20,000 children audition for Hollywood acting jobs and 95 percent fail to land a single one — but the likelihood of thriving after growing up on the small-screen was even dicier .
“ If you are going to be in showbiz as a child , make sure you have a secondary business as an adult , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through tough times — including a crack addiction and an arrest for felony assault — before cleaning up and re-launching his career with recurring roles on shows such as “ Everybody Hates Chris , ” which was created by Chris Rock .
“ Acting is a fictional life , and you have to discover real life .
I can deal with both .
But I prefer real life , ” Bridges said .
That might be easy to say once you are an adult , but , as a kid in the limelight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be tough — especially if you were not there completely by choice .
More than one performer in the documentary talks about the pressures of living up to their parents ’ ambitions of stardom .
Wil Wheaton , who became famous for his role in the hit 1986 film “ Stand By Me , ” reveals in the doc that he was pushed to center stage by his mother who had her own dreams of fame .
“ It was never my idea , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to work.
” Evan Rachel Wood , who starred in the sexually provocative “ 13 ” when she “ was 14 , on the verge of becoming a woman , ” talks in the doc about growing up in a small-town acting family .
Failing to follow through on her career was barely an option .
“ It would be disappointing to people if I didn ’ t want to do this because I was talented , ” said Wood , 32 .
“ If I didn ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been ‘ what a waste.
’ I didn ’ t feel that I could stop because I was good .
So I just did it.
” The discomfort of it all can be palpable .
“ Acting scared the hell out of me , outright , ” said Henry Thomas , who ’ s lovingly remembered for his “ E.T.
” portrayal of Elliot .
“ I pissed my pants the first time I was in the spotlight.
” Alex Winter , now 55 , who directed “ Showbiz Kids , ” can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subjects discuss on camera .
Best known for his portrayal of Bill S. Preston , Esq.
, opposite Keanu Reeves in “ Bill and Ted ’ s Excellent Adventure , ” he started out on stage , co-starring at a young age in “ The King and I , ” “ Peter Pan ” and other shows on and off Broadway .
“ It was a fantasy come to life , ” Winter , who does not appear in his documentary ( “ I would have overtaken the film ” ) , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Broadway giants would be backstage every night .
It was an amazing memory.
” But , he revealed , it was also a nightmarish time .
During a show ’ s run , Winter , then around 12 , suffered sexual abuse at the hands of an adult .
That was back in the late 1970s and , as was the norm , he kept quiet .
“ I didn ’ t feel safe talking about it for 25 years , ” Winter said , adding that the incidents left him with post-traumatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experience ] compartmentalized and it either blows apart — drugs , alcohol , suicide — or you get help , process what happened and put the pieces back together.
” Explaining that he spent years working on the latter , Winter added that appearing in 1990 ’ s “ Bill & Ted ” was actually therapeutic .
“ My character was so childlike that I was able to tap into an innocent time , ” he said .
“ People think of Bill and Ted as stoners , but actually they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trauma for showbiz children is not limited to physical intrusions .
Sometimes the damage can be psychological and pretty much invisible to guardians .
“ Suddenly I felt like a commodity that needed to be monitored and groomed and I had to present myself in a certain way , ” Wood recalls in the documentary .
“ My voice just kept getting quieter and quieter.
” She added : “ Nobody asked me how I was doing .
My emotional state was equated with how I was doing in my career.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] was raised , ” Wood now goes far to keep her young son with her ex , former child actor Jamie Bell , out of the public eye and off the Internet : “ If he doesn ’ t want his image out there , I don ’ t want to put it out there for him , ” Wood said of her child .
Some showbiz kids ’ parents don ’ t always have their offspring ’ s best interests at heart .
Imagine having your family make career decisions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future — and even ruin it .
That almost happened to Wheaton , who “ got put into a s—ty horror film because [ producers ] threw a bunch of money at [ my family ] and dangled a trip to Rome.
” He recalled being heartbroken when Roger Ebert trashed his performance in the 1984 rom-com flop “ Buddy System.
” As he explains in the documentary : “ People forget that they are not just talking about an actor ; they are talking about a child.
” Mara Wilson , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robin Williams in “ Mrs .
Doubtfire ” in the mid- ’ 90s , got bullied in a particularly cruel fashion .
“ People Photoshopped me into child porn .
.
.
and called me ugly online ; they were mocking me for going through puberty , ” said Wilson , now 32 , who recalls that she had a special gift as a child actor : the ability to cry on command .
“ I felt too vulnerable .
That is why I disappeared [ from acting ] .
I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am happy with that.
” Having exited center stage around 12 , she went to boarding school , studied theater and graduated from NYU , where she focused on playwriting .
These days , Wilson is opting for a lower-impact Hollywood career : She authored the memoir “ Where am I Now ?
True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame , ” and focuses on doing voice-over work .
As for Winter , although he will be appearing in next month ’ s “ Bill & Ted Face the Music , ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made him a star , he now devotes most of his time to staying behind the camera , creating documentaries on subjects that range from the Silk Road online black market to Frank Zappa .
In making “ Showbiz Kids , ” Winter said , he uncovered a universality of experience that he had not expected .
“ It was cathartic , ” he explained of directing the doc , which , he added , was made viable by the confessional # MeToo movement .
“ I didn ’ t expect to find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Serra Cary ] ” — a child star from the 1920s who supported her family and saw her career end after her father angered a studio exec — “ would be the same as mine.
” It also confirmed something for the father of three : “ I am not putting my kids in the industry .
”

For Todd Bridges, it all started with “Sanford and Son.” Recalling the acerbic comedy about a junk dealer and his offspring, the San Francisco native told The Post: “I wanted to be like Redd Foxx. I wanted to be on television.”
He got what he desired at age 13, starring as big brother Willis Jackson on the class-conscious sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes.” which ran from 1978 to 1986. But like most former child actors profiled in the new documentary “Showbiz Kids,” premiering Tuesday on HBO, he also got more than he bargained for — and not in a good way.
Following commercial work that included the first Parkay margarine commercial, Bridges landed the “Strokes” gig. But he also had to deal with the consequences of money-stealing team members, a sexually aggressive publicist and systemic racism: “I had a gun pulled on my head when I was 12 — an officer told me that my bike was stolen.”
After learning to drive, he added, “I was pulled over every day, for four years, by the same officers. And when I complained, it got worse. I got accused of stealing my own car.”
The odds of Bridges succeeding were daunting — according to the doc, each year some 20,000 children audition for Hollywood acting jobs and 95 percent fail to land a single one — but the likelihood of thriving after growing up on the small-screen was even dicier.
“If you are going to be in showbiz as a child, make sure you have a secondary business as an adult,” said Bridges. Now 55, he went through tough times — including a crack addiction and an arrest for felony assault — before cleaning up and re-launching his career with recurring roles on shows such as “Everybody Hates Chris,” which was created by Chris Rock.
“Acting is a fictional life, and you have to discover real life. I can deal with both. But I prefer real life,” Bridges said.
That might be easy to say once you are an adult, but, as a kid in the limelight, the rigors of the business can be tough — especially if you were not there completely by choice.
More than one performer in the documentary talks about the pressures of living up to their parents’ ambitions of stardom.
Wil Wheaton, who became famous for his role in the hit 1986 film “Stand By Me,” reveals in the doc that he was pushed to center stage by his mother who had her own dreams of fame. “It was never my idea,” he said. “I don’t know a 7-year-old who says they want to go to work.”
Evan Rachel Wood, who starred in the sexually provocative “13” when she “was 14, on the verge of becoming a woman,” talks in the doc about growing up in a small-town acting family. Failing to follow through on her career was barely an option. “It would be disappointing to people if I didn’t want to do this because I was talented,” said Wood, 32. “If I didn’t want to do this, the vibe would have been ‘what a waste.’ I didn’t feel that I could stop because I was good. So I just did it.”
The discomfort of it all can be palpable. “Acting scared the hell out of me, outright,” said Henry Thomas, who’s lovingly remembered for his “E.T.” portrayal of Elliot. “I pissed my pants the first time I was in the spotlight.”
Alex Winter, now 55, who directed “Showbiz Kids,” can relate to the ups and downs his subjects discuss on camera.
Best known for his portrayal of Bill S. Preston, Esq., opposite Keanu Reeves in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” he started out on stage, co-starring at a young age in “The King and I,” “Peter Pan” and other shows on and off Broadway.
“It was a fantasy come to life,” Winter, who does not appear in his documentary (“I would have overtaken the film”), told The Post. “All of the Broadway giants would be backstage every night. It was an amazing memory.”
But, he revealed, it was also a nightmarish time. During a show’s run, Winter, then around 12, suffered sexual abuse at the hands of an adult. That was back in the late 1970s and, as was the norm, he kept quiet. “I didn’t feel safe talking about it for 25 years,” Winter said, adding that the incidents left him with post-traumatic stress disorder. “You keep [the experience] compartmentalized and it either blows apart — drugs, alcohol, suicide — or you get help, process what happened and put the pieces back together.”
Explaining that he spent years working on the latter, Winter added that appearing in 1990’s “Bill & Ted” was actually therapeutic. “My character was so childlike that I was able to tap into an innocent time,”
he said.
“People think of Bill and Ted as stoners, but actually they are [like] incredibly innocent 9-year-old kids.”
Trauma for showbiz children is not limited to physical intrusions. Sometimes the damage can be psychological and pretty much invisible to guardians. “Suddenly I felt like a commodity that needed to be monitored and groomed and I had to present myself in a certain way,” Wood recalls in the documentary. “My voice just kept getting quieter and quieter.”
She added: “Nobody asked me how I was doing. My emotional state was equated with how I was doing in my career.” Due to “the way [she] was raised,” Wood now goes far to keep her young son with her ex, former child actor Jamie Bell, out of the public eye and off the Internet: “If he doesn’t want his image out there, I don’t want to put it out there for him,” Wood said of her child.
Some showbiz kids’ parents don’t always have their offspring’s best interests at heart. Imagine having your family make career decisions that could change the course of your entire future — and even ruin it.
That almost happened to Wheaton, who “got put into a s—ty horror film because [producers] threw a bunch of money at [my family] and dangled a trip to Rome.”
He recalled being heartbroken when Roger Ebert trashed his performance in the 1984 rom-com flop “Buddy System.” As he explains in the documentary: “People forget that they are not just talking about an actor; they are talking about a child.”
Mara Wilson, who starred in “Matilda” and alongside Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire” in the mid-’90s, got bullied in a particularly cruel fashion. “People Photoshopped me into child porn . . . and called me ugly online; they were mocking me for going through puberty,” said Wilson, now 32, who recalls that she had a special gift as a child actor: the ability to cry on command. “I felt too vulnerable. That is why I disappeared [from acting]. I’ll never be an A-list actor and I am happy with that.”
Having exited center stage around 12, she went to boarding school, studied theater and graduated from NYU, where she focused on playwriting.
These days, Wilson is opting for a lower-impact Hollywood career: She authored the memoir “Where am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame,” and focuses on doing voice-over work.
As for Winter, although he will be appearing in next month’s “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” a time-traveling sequel to the 30-year-old movie that made him a star, he now devotes most of his time to staying behind the camera, creating documentaries on subjects that range from the Silk Road online black market to Frank Zappa.
In making “Showbiz Kids,” Winter said, he uncovered a universality of experience that he had not expected. “It was cathartic,” he explained of directing the doc, which, he added, was made viable by the confessional #MeToo movement. “I didn’t expect to find out that the experiences of Diana [Serra Cary]” — a child star from the 1920s who supported her family and saw her career end after her father angered a studio exec — “would be the same as mine.”
It also confirmed something for the father of three: “I am not putting my kids in the industry.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau is golf’s new obsession

Remember the way he changed the game , how he was longer and stronger than everyone else and how he left fellow competitors not only in his wake but in awe ?
Remember how Tiger ’ s peers scrambled to copy what he was doing , which was work out like a fiend and become fitter than anyone else in a sport — which in the past was dominated by guys with doughy physiques who drank booze , smoked cigarettes and rarely set alarm clocks for early-morning wake-ups ?
The copycat generation Woods spawned has produced the best young players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ re all physically fit and as committed to their personal trainers as they are to the practice range .
Now , along comes Bryson DeChambeau , a quirky 26-year-old Californian who appears to be on the precipice of changing the course of the game in a similar way to what Woods once did .
Much the way Woods ’ peers were asked about him more than they were asked about themselves by reporters , DeChambeau ’ s peers are being asked about DeChambeau — his 25 pounds of added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and his sudden Paul Bunyan length off the tee .
Before the COVID-19 crisis shut down the PGA Tour for more than three months in March , the analytical , mad-scientist DeChambeau had already been in the lab quietly working on his transformation .
This is what he told reporters Oct. 6 in Las Vegas : “ I ’ m going to come back next year and look like a different person .
You ’ re going to see some pretty big changes in my body , which is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m ] going to be hitting it a lot further.
” It was after the pandemic pause that the results of DeChambeau ’ s work showed in such a dramatic way , it was as if Godzilla had just joined the PGA Tour .
First came his tie for third at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in the PGA Tour ’ s first tournament after 91 days of inactivity .
Then came a tie for eighth at the RBC Championship at Hilton Head .
Then a tie for sixth at the Travelers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those first three events , then DeChambeau won last week ’ s Rocket Mortgage at 23-under par , ranking first in the tournament in putting with the best putting numbers of his career and leading in average driving distance at an otherworldly 350 yards .
Suddenly , now everyone wants to be like Bryson .
“ Everybody in golf is talking about Bryson , ’ ’ Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee told The Post this past week .
“ His peers are nonstop talking about Bryson .
They ’ re being asked about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obsessed with what Bryson is doing .
It ’ s turned golf on its ear , and it ’ s just great for golf.
’ ’ What Chamblee wants the world to know is this : DeChambeau ’ s transformation goes a lot deeper than the added bulk you see on TV .
“ The people who look at Bryson and think the reason he ’ s hitting the ball 9 miles is because of his body are going to miss the point , ’ ’ Chamblee said .
“ In 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour .
He was clocked at 137 miles per hour last week .
I would say about 5 miles an hour of that added speed is due to his body change .
“ He ’ s changed his golf swing .
There was a lot of thought that went into what Bryson did — a lot of work with three or four different people specifically .
Chris Como [ DeChambeau ’ s swing coach ] made it his job to go find out how to create more speed .
He went to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speed camps .
He went to one taught by Lucas Wald , who teaches Eddie Fernandes , who ’ s known as “ Fast Eddie , ’ ’ the No .
1 in the world [ Masters Division ] long drive contest .
“ Then he went to another clinic called Mach3 .
He also learned from Kelvin Miyahira , a guru in Hawaii who everyone copied from , and he learned from [ acclaimed instructor George ] Gankas .
Chris took all those things to improve speed and gave it to Bryson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swing from 2017 to 2020 , by the time he ’ s at impact in 2020 he ’ s not yet completed his backswing in 2017 .
Bryson has used himself as a guinea pig , with the beaker and Bunsen burner out and went to work.
’ ’ It , of course , is paying off .
Big time .
DeChambeau , when he started his career , thought he was setting a trend by using the same length shafts on every one of his irons .
That hasn ’ t taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , may be a different story .
“ I ’ m sure there will be people trying to do it , ” DeChambeau said recently .
“ As a result of what I ’ ve done , I think it ’ ll affect some people.
” Matt Dobyns , a 42-year-old head pro at the Fresh Meadow Club on Long Island who ’ s played in numerous PGA Tour events , sees in this re-invented DeChambeau as a trend that ’ s going to be copied the way players copied Woods .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that good young players aren ’ t going to look at his results , and ability to play these golf courses in such a way that it gives him such an advantage off the tee , and not try and duplicate that with their own games , ’ ’ Dobyns said .
“ A lot remains to be seen in terms of evaluating what he does long term , but I think all signs point to it being a very influential for good young players .
“ I would assume mini-tours are full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing a lot of muscle isolation , muscle building and speed training.
’ ’ Dobyns , who several years ago copied DeChambeau ’ s use of the same-length shafts in his irons , said he ’ s blown away by the workout path DeChambeau has taken .
“ What fascinates me the most is that he has almost done the opposite of what conventional golf fitness says you should be doing , ’ ’ Dobyns said .
“ From what I understand , he seems to be doing a lot of muscle isolation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ balance .
Those are all things that the conventional golf-fitness world says you shouldn ’ t do .
“ That part fascinates me — that he ’ s done so many things that seem to be thought of as not the thing to do .
Yet here is with 200-mile-per-hour ball speed and hitting it straight .
It ’ s wild.
’ ’ Dobyns said , around his club , DeChambeau “ dominates the conversation when it comes to professional golf , ’ ’ adding , “ It ’ s all anyone wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t heard anybody talk about Tiger yet .
Everyone ’ s talking about Bryson .
So , he must be doing something worth talking about.
’ ’ In his past seven events , the worst DeChambeau has finished is that tie for eighth at Hilton Head .
So , in that span he has six top-six finishes , including a win as he enters this week ’ s Memorial at Muirfield Village , where he won in 2017 .
“ It ’ s fun to watch , ’ ’ Dobyns said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what I love about golf .
There ’ s room for individual creativity .
There ’ s no standard for how to get better.
’ ’ Mike Diffley , the long-time head pro at Pelham Country Club , doesn ’ t subscribe to DeChambeau setting a trend , saying he doesn ’ t believe the swing is sustainable .
“ Is he an outlier here ?
’ ’ Diffley asked .
“ I think so .
I don ’ t see many people going to the extreme he has .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talent with a special ability to score and play good under pressure .
Will he be able to turn it into a legendary career ?
I don ’ t know .
Will his body last ?
Who the hell can swing that hard and not tear muscles ?
’ ’ Mark McCormick , the head pro at Suburban Golf Club in New Jersey , said though many of his members are fascinated by DeChambeau , they have a difficult time embracing him because he ’ s gone to such extremes .
“ Everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCormick said .
“ People think he looks like a gorilla .
They ’ re in shock and awe and can ’ t wrap their head around what he ’ s doing .
It looks like he ’ s one swing away from pulling a muscle , getting a neck injury or straining something.
’ ’ Tyler Hall , the director of instruction at Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey , saw up close and personal what raw power can do on the PGA Tour level when he played in the PGA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Koepka overpowered the beast last year .
Hall not only is a top golf instructor , he also has his physical trainer ’ s license and has always been a workout hound .
That only intensifies his appreciation for what DeChambeau is doing .
“ Tiger was the guy who proved that athletes can play this game , that we can get strong and maintain flexibility , ’ ’ Hall said .
“ Now , as people are seeing what Bryson is doing , you ’ ll start to see a trend in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bulk up and take in more calories .
Strength is an advantage .
“ I think you ’ re going to see another movement of fitness .
Tiger already changed it , but I think it ’ s going to change again .
You can already see it with Koepka .
He ’ s a beast .
Part me thinks Koepka was a motivating factor for Bryson doing what he did .
Like the being picked on at school , he got bigger than the other guys .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealing his diet , said he uses a “ 2-to-1 carb-to-protein ratio ’ ’ and retains that throughout each day with everything he eats and drinks .
His daily diet includes four eggs , five bacon strips , toast and three “ Orgain Protein ’ ’ shakes for breakfast .
While playing , he said he has two “ GoMacro ’ ’ bars , a peanut butter and jelly sandwich , and a protein shake every six holes .
After the round , he adds snacks and another protein shake .
For dinner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protein shakes .
To help bulk up , he ’ s used Greg Roskopf ’ s “ Muscle Activation Techniques , ’ ’ a training method to add muscle .
The next step for DeChambeau , who has six career wins , is to win a major .
To date , he ’ s yet to contend in a major , with just two top-25 finishes in 13 starts as a pro .
“ Once he gets into the majors , as long as his mind is clear , that ’ s where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his labor , ’ ’ Hall predicted .
“ I see him fully contending at Winged Foot [ in the U.S. Open in September ] and Harding Park [ at the PGA Championship next month ] .
I don ’ t see how he is not a force in those events.
’ ’ DeChambeau was in the midst of an impressive career before he made these drastic changes to his body and his swing .
That is somewhat reminiscent of Woods , who famously changed his swing despite having risen to the pinnacle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a job that pays you millions of dollars a year and you risk all of it by reorganizing the way you do everything , ’ ’ Chamblee said .
“ Most tour players who are having the kind of success that Bryson was having would never risk changing their body drastically and changing their golf swing drastically.
’ ’ A look at the numbers tells you DeChambeau has turned the risk into reward .
His scoring average in 2017 was 70.8 .
This year , it ’ s 68.7 .
In 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in driving distance .
He ’ s currently No .
1 .
DeChambeau launched 22 drives longer than 340 yards en route to winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic , and he recorded the longest average driving distance ever ( 350.6 ) by a PGA Tour winner .
Tiger Woods held the previous record of 341.5 , which he accomplished at the 2005 British Open .
Because DeChambeau was driving it so far — according to ShotLink , the tour ’ s computer system — statistically he was last in the field in proximity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shots were so long , ShotLink was counting them as approach shots .
ShotLink considers all shots within 30 yards of the green an approach shot .
Overall this season , his 323-yard average leads Cameron Champ , who ’ s second at 322.6 .
Rory McIlroy is fifth at 313.8 .
Brooks Koepka is tied for 17th with a 308.8 average .
And Dustin Johnson is 27th with a 306.3-yard average .
“ The whole golf world is obsessed with it — for a lot of different reasons , ’ ’ Chamblee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to ruin the game or be great for the game .
Look at the increase in offense in football and how it has absolutely rocketed the ratings up .
“ If you ’ re a traditionalist and you think that [ DeChambeau ] is obsoleting golf courses , I ’ m sure you ’ re disgusted with it .
But if you can just sit back and celebrate the athleticism that it ’ s taking to do this and get past the idea that the game has changed … “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steph Curry ’ s lighting it up from 3-point range ?
Is football a worse game now because everyone is throwing the ball and there ’ s hardly anyone running it anymore ?
Maybe this will lead to the governing bodies rolling back the ball .
If they do , that ’ s fine .
Bryson will still hit it further than anyone else .
It ’ s great for golf .
’ ’

Remember Tiger Woods?
Remember the way he changed the game, how he was longer and stronger than everyone else and how he left fellow competitors not only in his wake but in awe?
Remember how Tiger’s peers scrambled to copy what he was doing, which was work out like a fiend and become fitter than anyone else in a sport — which in the past was dominated by guys with doughy physiques who drank booze, smoked cigarettes and rarely set alarm clocks for early-morning wake-ups?
The copycat generation Woods spawned has produced the best young players in the game for the past decade-plus, and they’re all physically fit and as committed to their personal trainers as they are to the practice range.
Now, along comes Bryson DeChambeau, a quirky 26-year-old Californian who appears to be on the precipice of changing the course of the game in a similar way to what Woods once did.
All the Rage
Much the way Woods’ peers were asked about him more than they were asked about themselves by reporters, DeChambeau’s peers are being asked about DeChambeau — his 25 pounds of added muscle, increased swing and ball speed, and his sudden Paul Bunyan length off the tee.
Before the COVID-19 crisis shut down the PGA Tour for more than three months in March, the analytical, mad-scientist DeChambeau had already been in the lab quietly working on his transformation.
This is what he told reporters Oct. 6 in Las Vegas: “I’m going to come back next year and look like a different person. You’re going to see some pretty big changes in my body, which is going to be a good thing. [I’m] going to be hitting it a lot further.”
It was after the pandemic pause that the results of DeChambeau’s work showed in such a dramatic way, it was as if Godzilla had just joined the PGA Tour.
First came his tie for third at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in the PGA Tour’s first tournament after 91 days of inactivity. Then came a tie for eighth at the RBC Championship at Hilton Head. Then a tie for sixth at the Travelers Championship.
He was 46-under par in those first three events, then DeChambeau won last week’s Rocket Mortgage at 23-under par, ranking first in the tournament in putting with the best putting numbers of his career and leading in average driving distance at an otherworldly 350 yards.
Suddenly, now everyone wants to be like Bryson.
“Everybody in golf is talking about Bryson,’’ Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee told The Post this past week. “His peers are nonstop talking about Bryson. They’re being asked about Bryson. Everybody in the game is obsessed with what Bryson is doing. It’s turned golf on its ear, and it’s just great for golf.’’
What Chamblee wants the world to know is this: DeChambeau’s transformation goes a lot deeper than the added bulk you see on TV.
“The people who look at Bryson and think the reason he’s hitting the ball 9 miles is because of his body are going to miss the point,’’ Chamblee said. “In 2017, his clubhead speed was 117 miles per hour. He was clocked at 137 miles per hour last week. I would say about 5 miles an hour of that added speed is due to his body change.
“He’s changed his golf swing. There was a lot of thought that went into what Bryson did — a lot of work with three or four different people specifically. Chris Como [DeChambeau’s swing coach] made it his job to go find out how to create more speed. He went to two different — that I know of — speed camps. He went to one taught by Lucas Wald, who teaches Eddie Fernandes, who’s known as “Fast Eddie,’’ the No. 1 in the world [Masters Division] long drive contest.
“Then he went to another clinic called Mach3. He also learned from Kelvin Miyahira, a guru in Hawaii who everyone copied from, and he learned from [acclaimed instructor George] Gankas. Chris took all those things to improve speed and gave it to Bryson.
“If you look at his swing from 2017 to 2020, by the time he’s at impact in 2020 he’s not yet completed his backswing in 2017. Bryson has used himself as a guinea pig, with the beaker and Bunsen burner out and went to work.’’
It, of course, is paying off. Big time.
Trendsetter
DeChambeau, when he started his career, thought he was setting a trend by using the same length shafts on every one of his irons. That hasn’t taken. His new-found strength and length, however, may be a different story.
“I’m sure there will be people trying to do it,” DeChambeau said recently. “As a result of what I’ve done, I think it’ll affect some people.”
Matt Dobyns, a 42-year-old head pro at the Fresh Meadow Club on Long Island who’s played in numerous PGA Tour events, sees in this re-invented DeChambeau as a trend that’s going to be copied the way players copied Woods.
“Everybody in golf is talking about Bryson,.” — Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee
“I find it hard to believe that good young players aren’t going to look at his results, and ability to play these golf courses in such a way that it gives him such an advantage off the tee, and not try and duplicate that with their own games,’’ Dobyns said. “A lot remains to be seen in terms of evaluating what he does long term, but I think all signs point to it being a very influential for good young players.
“I would assume mini-tours are full of guys that are heavy lifting and doing a lot of muscle isolation, muscle building and speed training.’’
Dobyns, who several years ago copied DeChambeau’s use of the same-length shafts in his irons, said he’s blown away by the workout path DeChambeau has taken.
“What fascinates me the most is that he has almost done the opposite of what conventional golf fitness says you should be doing,’’ Dobyns said. “From what I understand, he seems to be doing a lot of muscle isolation on machines, not incorporating elements of balance. Those are all things that the conventional golf-fitness world says you shouldn’t do.
“That part fascinates me — that he’s done so many things that seem to be thought of as not the thing to do. Yet here is with 200-mile-per-hour ball speed and hitting it straight. It’s wild.’’
Dobyns said, around his club, DeChambeau “dominates the conversation when it comes to professional golf,’’ adding, “It’s all anyone wants to talk about. I haven’t heard anybody talk about Tiger yet. Everyone’s talking about Bryson. So, he must be doing something worth talking about.’’
In his past seven events, the worst DeChambeau has finished is that tie for eighth at Hilton Head. So, in that span he has six top-six finishes, including a win as he enters this week’s Memorial at Muirfield Village, where he won in 2017.
“It’s fun to watch,’’ Dobyns said. “It’s something different. That’s what I love about golf. There’s room for individual creativity. There’s no standard for how to get better.’’
Mike Diffley, the long-time head pro at Pelham Country Club, doesn’t subscribe to DeChambeau setting a trend, saying he doesn’t believe the swing is sustainable.
“Is he an outlier here?’’ Diffley asked. “I think so. I don’t see many people going to the extreme he has. He’s special player, a special talent with a special ability to score and play good under pressure. Will he be able to turn it into a legendary career? I don’t know. Will his body last? Who the hell can swing that hard and not tear muscles?’’
Mark McCormick, the head pro at Suburban Golf Club in New Jersey, said though many of his members are fascinated by DeChambeau, they have a difficult time embracing him because he’s gone to such extremes.
“Everyone is talking about him,’’ McCormick said. “People think he looks like a gorilla. They’re in shock and awe and can’t wrap their head around what he’s doing. It looks like he’s one swing away from pulling a muscle, getting a neck injury or straining something.’’
Bulk Up Like Bryson
Tyler Hall, the director of instruction at Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey, saw up close and personal what raw power can do on the PGA Tour level when he played in the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where Brooks Koepka overpowered the beast last year.
Hall not only is a top golf instructor, he also has his physical trainer’s license and has always been a workout hound. That only intensifies his appreciation for what DeChambeau is doing.
“Tiger was the guy who proved that athletes can play this game, that we can get strong and maintain flexibility,’’ Hall said. “Now, as people are seeing what Bryson is doing, you’ll start to see a trend in players not afraid to lift heavy weights and bulk up and take in more calories. Strength is an advantage.
“I think you’re going to see another movement of fitness. Tiger already changed it, but I think it’s going to change again. You can already see it with Koepka. He’s a beast. Part me thinks Koepka was a motivating factor for Bryson doing what he did. Like the being picked on at school, he got bigger than the other guys. It’s a fascinating story.’’
DeChambeau, recently revealing his diet, said he uses a “2-to-1 carb-to-protein ratio’’ and retains that throughout each day with everything he eats and drinks.
His daily diet includes four eggs, five bacon strips, toast and three “Orgain Protein’’ shakes for breakfast. While playing, he said he has two “GoMacro’’ bars, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a protein shake every six holes. After the round, he adds snacks and another protein shake. For dinner, he has steak and two more protein shakes.
To help bulk up, he’s used Greg Roskopf’s “Muscle Activation Techniques,’’ a training method to add muscle.
The next step for DeChambeau, who has six career wins, is to win a major. To date, he’s yet to contend in a major, with just two top-25 finishes in 13 starts as a pro.
“Once he gets into the majors, as long as his mind is clear, that’s where you’ll see the fruits of his labor,’’ Hall predicted. “I see him fully contending at Winged Foot [in the U.S. Open in September] and Harding Park [at the PGA Championship next month]. I don’t see how he is not a force in those events.’’
Numbers Don’t Lie
DeChambeau was in the midst of an impressive career before he made these drastic changes to his body and his swing. That is somewhat reminiscent of Woods, who famously changed his swing despite having risen to the pinnacle of the game.
“Imagine having a job that pays you millions of dollars a year and you risk all of it by reorganizing the way you do everything,’’ Chamblee said. “Most tour players who are having the kind of success that Bryson was having would never risk changing their body drastically and changing their golf swing drastically.’’
A look at the numbers tells you DeChambeau has turned the risk into reward. His scoring average in 2017 was 70.8. This year, it’s 68.7. In 2017, he ranked 45th on the PGA Tour in driving distance. He’s currently No. 1.
DeChambeau launched 22 drives longer than 340 yards en route to winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and he recorded the longest average driving distance ever (350.6) by a PGA Tour winner. Tiger Woods held the previous record of 341.5, which he accomplished at the 2005 British Open.
Because DeChambeau was driving it so far — according to ShotLink, the tour’s computer system — statistically he was last in the field in proximity to the hole. Because his tee shots were so long, ShotLink was counting them as approach shots. ShotLink considers all shots within 30 yards of the green an approach shot.
Overall this season, his 323-yard average leads Cameron Champ, who’s second at 322.6. Rory McIlroy is fifth at 313.8. Brooks Koepka is tied for 17th with a 308.8 average. And Dustin Johnson is 27th with a 306.3-yard average.
“The whole golf world is obsessed with it — for a lot of different reasons,’’ Chamblee said. “They either think it’s going to ruin the game or be great for the game. Look at the increase in offense in football and how it has absolutely rocketed the ratings up.
“If you’re a traditionalist and you think that [DeChambeau] is obsoleting golf courses, I’m sure you’re disgusted with it. But if you can just sit back and celebrate the athleticism that it’s taking to do this and get past the idea that the game has changed …
“Is basketball a worse game now because Steph Curry’s lighting it up from 3-point range? Is football a worse game now because everyone is throwing the ball and there’s hardly anyone running it anymore? Maybe this will lead to the governing bodies rolling back the ball. If they do, that’s fine. Bryson will still hit it further than anyone else. It’s great for golf.’’


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Coronavirus ravages parts of the US as New York sees record lows

“ I thought it was a hoax , '' the patient , who was ...

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More Americans are dying from coronavirus nationwide as the pandemic rages in the southern and western parts of the country, statistics show.
More than 134,600 people in the US have now died of COVID-19, a figure that’s increased over the last two weeks — with 27 states, including Florida, Texas, California and Arizona, seeing a rise in fatalities.
There were 802 deaths in the country on Friday alone, according to a report.
In New York, however, the pandemic remained under control with the lowest average deaths and hospitalizations in the state since mid-March, Gov. Cuomo said Saturday.
In the past three days, COVID-19 deaths statewide were in the single digits, with just 6 reported Friday, and hospitalizations fell to below 800 for the first time since March 18, Cuomo said Saturday.
In California, 8,000 state prisoners are set to be released in a bid to slow the virus’ spread, officials told Reuters. Only prisoners with less than a year remaining on their sentences will be eligible for release. Those with violent rap sheets or convictions for sex crimes will be excluded from the program.
In Texas, a patient in their 30s who had attended a “COVID party” made a chilling confession before dying of coronavirus, a doctor said.
“Just before the patient died, they looked at their nurse and said ‘I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not,’” Dr. Jane Appleby, Chief Medical Officer of Methodist Healthcare in San Antonio, told NBC.
And in Florida, a bit of normalcy returned with the opening of Disney World after nearly four months — even as cases in the state surge, with more than 10,000 new cases and 95 deaths reported Saturday.
Across the pond, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was all about work, not play, urging employers to get people back in the office as early as next week, according to a report.
“I think everybody’s taken the ‘stay at home if you can’ [advice]. I think now we should say ‘go back to work if you can,’” he said.


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Jalen Rose: Knicks’ top choices should be Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson

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If ESPN maven Jalen Rose ran the Knicks, his top two choices for head coach is one guy the team is not considering and one who figures as a long shot.
Mark Jackson and Jason Kidd.
“Two of the greatest minds to ever play basketball deserve another chance,’’ Rose told The Post.
Jackson, a former Warriors coach, is not among the Knicks’ 11 candidates after he lost out to David Fizdale for the job in 2018. Kidd — the Lakers assistant, former Nets and Bucks coach, and ex-Nets/Knicks point guard — had his second interview last week.
Jackson and Kidd are similar in Rose’s eyes — both star point guards, both not receiving enough credit for developing their stars. In turn, both men were dismissed from teams (Golden State, Milwaukee) that went on to greatness.
Kidd and Jackson should be lauded for their early work with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson), respectively, Rose said.
“The hardest thing for a coach to do is develop a superstar,’’ said Rose, whose 10th annual charity golf tournament in Detroit next month is still on. “Jason Kidd, all he did was help develop the Greek Freak. He wasn’t even in the Green Room [during the draft]. He came out of the stands [selected 15th in 2013].
“I’d compliment Mark Jackson for what he was able to do with the Warriors. Developing the Splash Brothers. Ten years ago, [Jackson] said they’d be the greatest shooting backcourt of all time and he was coaching them. And Draymond Green, he was a second-round pick.
Kidd was fired by Milwaukee in the middle of the 2017-18 season. Jackson by Golden State was bounced in 2014.
“They deserve another opportunity,’’ Rose said. “The hardest thing is to develop a team through the draft and win with those same players.”
Addressing the Warriors and Bucks taking off to the stratosphere after Jackson and Kidd left, Rose said, “Who’s to say they wouldn’t have taken them to the next level.’’
Jackson hasn’t interviewed for another job since losing out on the Knicks’ position, though he could be in play with the Nets — Kevin Durant is a fan.
Submit your Knicks questions here to be answered in an upcoming Post mailbag
Sources contend Jackson’s Golden State past, in which the front office/ownership found him difficult to deal with, still haunts him.
The Knicks’ need of a superstar make Kidd and Jackson the best choice, according to Rose.
“When you interview as many people as they are, it tells me they’re still trying to figure out the identity of the hire,’’ said Rose, who will be part of ESPN’s NBA restart special July 25. “You’re hiring a coach either because that team has a star player or hiring a coach to develop or recruit a star player. I think they are best for this Knicks’ situation. They’re not going to be good the first season and have to face the media after every game.”
RJ Barrett is a nice piece, but Rose doesn’t see a future No. 1 star.
”You’re going to have a situation, the coach is going to be [the] figurehead,’’ Rose said. “Does their superstar come from within? … I don’t believe it does. So how are they going to attract or draft one?’’
The top three most accomplished coaching candidates appear to be Kidd, Kenny Atkinson and strong favorite Tom Thibodeau.
“When each one of those guys were let go, I felt it was done prematurely,’’ Rose said. “Atkinson did a terrific job creating a basketball culture that led [the Nets] to the playoffs last year. We know what Thibs has accomplished as a head coach, assistant, He’s a seasoned veteran. Each of those guys are terrific candidates and it’s about what they want to get accomplished from the hire.”
As for interim Mike Miller being retained, Rose doesn’t agree with colleague Stephen A. Smith, who claimed keeping Miller is a plausible outcome.
“When you make wholesale [front office] changes, there’s a reason,’’ Rose said. “You’re pulling the plug and starting over. That includes the coach in the NBA. I do believe a change will be made.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--‘SNL’ star Colin Jost reveals his mom’s 9/11 nightmare story

On the morning of 9/11 , “ Saturday Night Live ” star Colin Jost ’ s family was doing a lot of live updating — but not the satirical kind .
They were worried about Jost ’ s mother , Dr. Kerry Kelly , who had left a patient ’ s bedside on Staten Island to race to downtown Manhattan after hearing that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center ’ s north tower .
Colin was then a sophomore at Harvard University ; his younger brother was in class at a Staten Island high school , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared the worst , according to Jost in his new memoir , “ A Very Punchable Face ” ( Crown ) , out Tuesday , about his middle-class upbringing on SI , life at Harvard and his storybook-smooth hiring at “ SNL ” when he was only 23 .
With phones out of order , Jost frantically emailed his father from Cambridge : “ Dad !
What ’ s going on ?
?
Are you home ?
Assuming mom is OK ?
?
?
” Dr. Kelly was the chief medical officer for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ended up being the longest-serving chief of any department in city history — according to her son .
Some nights she ’ d tuck her boys into bed on Grymes Hill , a neighborhood populated with their cousins , aunts , uncles and grandparents , and tell them she was off to a “ huge fire in the Bronx.
” This time Kelly was off to the biggest fire of her life , one that would almost kill her — and take 343 NYC firefighters .
In a tragic irony , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father of Jost ’ s future “ SNL ” castmate and fellow Staten Islander Pete Davidson .
The fact that Kelly drove right up to the burning towers before they collapsed , got out of her car and started to treat injured firefighters at the harrowing scene is partly why Jost titled one chapter , “ Why I Love My Mom.
” Jost is the longtime head writer of “ SNL ” and co-anchor of the show ’ s “ Weekend Update ” and he ’ s also engaged to actress Scarlett Johansson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he ’ s clearly still close to his Staten Island roots and proud of his family ’ s four generations in the FDNY .
He mentions Johansson briefly in the book and has said in interviews that he prefers to keep their romance private .
Jost recalled that the first fireman his mother treated at the scene was Danny Suhr , who had been setting up a response center at the south tower when he was hit by a falling body that crushed his skull .
Nicknamed “ Captain America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die on Sept. 11 , 2001 .
Jost writes that , as the ambulance carrying Suhr pulled away , Capt .
Hank Cerasoli , who would become Kelly ’ s guardian angel that day , turned to the doctor and said , “ The building is falling.
” Kelly replied , “ What building ?
” Then she looked up and the first tower was crumbling toward her .
Cerasoli yelled , “ RUN !
!
!
” According to Jost , they couldn ’ t outrun it .
Cerasoli and his mom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Financial Center building across the street and pressed against the wall .
“ Everything around them turned black .
All they heard was noise and all they felt was debris piling up on top of them .
[ My mom ] said she was waiting to die.
” Minutes passed , some of the black smoke from the debris cleared , and Cerasoli and Dr. Kelly saw a sliver of light .
They knew they had a chance to go save others .
But just then , Kelly looked down at her feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m changing my shoes , ” she told a shocked Cerasoli .
“ I just survived death .
I ’ ve had it .
I ’ m getting out of these sandals.
” She got her sneakers out of her car , changed into shorts and a T-shirt , and strapped on a borrowed fire helmet .
Then she and Cerasoli walked back toward the second tower , back into the storm , looking for people to help .
Kelly and a firefighter named Mike Shepherd dragged firemen out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and roamed the streets looking for ambulances or , at least , medical supplies and bandages .
Just before they were about to break into a dentist ’ s office , they heard a terrible noise .
Shepherd grabbed the doctor ’ s hand and they started running .
The second tower was about to fall .
Shepherd helped her through the door of a lobby as debris from the second tower hurtled past .
As the day wore on , Dr. Kelly set up a triage center in a nearby Duane Reade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to arrive — but then they never did .
She witnessed the afternoon collapse of 7 World Trade Center and finally closed down the triage center at 9 p.m. , 12 hours after leaving Staten Island for lower Manhattan .
Jost ’ s dad updated him in an email he has kept from that day .
“ Mom ’ s OK !
” Colin ’ s dad wrote .
“ She did get caught in the secondary collapse but dug herself out and is OK — wow !
”

On the morning of 9/11, “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost’s family was doing a lot of live updating — but not the satirical kind.
They were worried about Jost’s mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly, who had left a patient’s bedside on Staten Island to race to downtown Manhattan after hearing that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower. Colin was then a sophomore at Harvard University; his younger brother was in class at a Staten Island high school, and his father was at home.
They feared the worst, according to Jost in his new memoir, “A Very Punchable Face” (Crown), out Tuesday, about his middle-class upbringing on SI, life at Harvard and his storybook-smooth hiring at “SNL” when he was only 23.
With phones out of order, Jost frantically emailed his father from Cambridge: “Dad! What’s going on?? Are you home? Assuming mom is OK???”
Dr. Kelly was the chief medical officer for the New York City Fire Department — and ended up being the longest-serving chief of any department in city history — according to her son. Some nights she’d tuck her boys into bed on Grymes Hill, a neighborhood populated with their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and tell them she was off to a “huge fire in the Bronx.”
This time Kelly was off to the biggest fire of her life, one that would almost kill her — and take 343 NYC firefighters.
In a tragic irony, one of them was Scott Davidson, the father of Jost’s future “SNL” castmate and fellow Staten Islander Pete Davidson.
The fact that Kelly drove right up to the burning towers before they collapsed, got out of her car and started to treat injured firefighters at the harrowing scene is partly why Jost titled one chapter, “Why I Love My Mom.”
Jost is the longtime head writer of “SNL” and co-anchor of the show’s “Weekend Update” and he’s also engaged to actress Scarlett Johansson. But in the self-deprecating “Punchable,” he’s clearly still close to his Staten Island roots and proud of his family’s four generations in the FDNY. He mentions Johansson briefly in the book and has said in interviews that he prefers to keep their romance private.
Jost recalled that the first fireman his mother treated at the scene was Danny Suhr, who had been setting up a response center at the south tower when he was hit by a falling body that crushed his skull. Nicknamed “Captain America,” Suhr was the first firefighter to die on Sept. 11, 2001.
Jost writes that, as the ambulance carrying Suhr pulled away, Capt. Hank Cerasoli, who would become Kelly’s guardian angel that day, turned to the doctor and said, “The building is falling.” Kelly replied, “What building?” Then she looked up and the first tower was crumbling toward her. Cerasoli yelled, “RUN!!!”
According to Jost, they couldn’t outrun it. Cerasoli and his mom ducked into an alcove of the World Financial Center building across the street and pressed against the wall. “Everything around them turned black. All they heard was noise and all they felt was debris piling up on top of them. [My mom] said she was waiting to die.”
Minutes passed, some of the black smoke from the debris cleared, and Cerasoli and Dr. Kelly saw a sliver of light. They knew they had a chance to go save others. But just then, Kelly looked down at her feet and realized she was wearing sandals.
“I’m changing my shoes,” she told a shocked Cerasoli. “I just survived death. I’ve had it. I’m getting out of these sandals.”
She got her sneakers out of her car, changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and strapped on a borrowed fire helmet. Then she and Cerasoli walked back toward the second tower, back into the storm, looking for people to help.
Kelly and a firefighter named Mike Shepherd dragged firemen out of the debris and tended to their wounds and roamed the streets looking for ambulances or, at least, medical supplies and bandages. Just before they were about to break into a dentist’s office, they heard a terrible noise. Shepherd grabbed the doctor’s hand and they started running. The second tower was about to fall.
Shepherd helped her through the door of a lobby as debris from the second tower hurtled past.
As the day wore on, Dr. Kelly set up a triage center in a nearby Duane Reade for all the injured first responders she expected to arrive — but then they never did. She witnessed the afternoon collapse of 7 World Trade Center and finally closed down the triage center at 9 p.m., 12 hours after leaving Staten Island for lower Manhattan.
Jost’s dad updated him in an email he has kept from that day.
“Mom’s OK!” Colin’s dad wrote. “She did get caught in the secondary collapse but dug herself out and is OK — wow!”


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Last Christmas’ on HBO, in Which Emilia Clarke Works Hard to Save a Cheesy Ho

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Last Christmas’ on HBO, in Which Emilia Clarke Works Hard to Save a Cheesy Holiday Mess

This week ’ s Saturday-night HBO debut is Last Christmas , a slice of holiday cheer in the midst of a July swelter .
On paper , the project explodes with talent : Game of Thrones dragon wrangler Emilia Clarke and Crazy Rich Asians standout Henry Golding star .
Paul Feig , of A Simple Favor and Bridesmaids fame , directs .
A supporting cast including international treasures Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson , the latter also producing and co-writing .
And it ’ s all tied together by the music of George Michael and/or Wham !
, from whence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hoping it adds up to more than the sum of its parts .
‘ LAST CHRISTMAS ’ : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT ?
The Gist : Hot mess , comin ’ through : Kate ( Clarke ) , born Katarina , a Londoner from the former Yugoslavia , used to be queen of the choir .
Her voice could enchant George Michael himself , from Earth to the spiritual afterlife hinterlands .
But now , she ’ s 26 and aimless , all over the place , crashing on friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not speaking with her sister , drinking too much , sleeping with whoever bought the drinks , late for auditions , all that .
She clings to the dream of a singing career , but works a retail job where she wears an elf costume with dingleballs and a little hat , manning the counter at a year-round Christmas store .
Oh , the pain of working retail , those people must suffer so , especially if they can sing and movies keep telling them that it ’ s a stultifying dead-end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Woe !
Nothing has been the same since Kate ’ s operation , whatever that was a few years ago , no spoilers here .
Her life was saved but now it seems lost , if that makes sense .
One day while she ’ s dusting the bums of ceramic cherubim , a manic pixie dream guy walks into the store .
Tom ( Golding ) is a charmer who preaches the philosophy of looking up instead of looking down , because you ’ ll miss the important shit about life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hanging on a sign above a shop .
She ’ s enamored with him , because they had THREE meet-cutes in one day , which can ’ t be a coincidence .
Yet she can ’ t pin down this mystery gent who takes her down charming London alleyways and through little hidden London gardens , then just kind of drifts off .
Tom ’ s quirky-cheery perspective starts rubbing off a little .
Kate pairs her boss , who calls herself Santa but is actually Huang Qing Shin ( Yeoh ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shop not for the ugliest Nativity figurines this side of the Eastern Bloc , but to stand in slack-jawed awe of this elegant woman .
Kate reconnects with her highly critical , piece-of-work mother Petra ( Thompson ) , a critically damaged survivor of the Yugoslav Wars .
Kate begins volunteering at a local homeless shelter .
Will she and Tom kiss each other or what ?
He has to have a secret , another shoe about to drop , doesn ’ t he ?
Meanwhile , here ’ s a George Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Movies Will It Remind You Of ?
: This is a Love , Actually-meets-The Preacher ’ s Wife sort of schlocky Christmas saga .
Performance Worth Watching : Somewhere in this mess of a screenplay , Clarke finds Kate ’ s core charms — the character is apologetic for her mistakes , but not for who she is .
Clarke and Yeoh — the high point of pretty much every film she ’ s in — also make a convincing subtextual argument that a funny workplace comedy might evolve from this premise .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ chronic depression succinctly : “ I blame it on the Poles.
” Sex and Skin : Kate wakes up in after a one-night-stand and says , “ This bed is like sleeping on a pile of kittens.
” Does that count ?
Our Take : Beware this movie ’ s inevitable Christmas twist , which bears symbolism that ’ s as subtle as a 20-story neon-pink baby Jesus in your neighbor ’ s yard ; you ’ ll see it from a mile away .
The idea that Last Christmas is “ inspired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an excuse for said title , and is little more than a superficial gimmick .
The script is a dishevelment , romantically wan and comedically desperate — hearing Thompson TALK IN EASTERN BLAWK ACCENT and watching Clarke get bird dook in her eye is just cringingly awful .
One can sense Clarke actively battling to keep Kate from being a mile-wide/inch deep character careening from one embarrassing incident to the next .
And yet .
Clarke and Golding share a pivotal scene in which she opens up her heart and becomes human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ character devices engineered to make us laugh at her pathetic state — which , mind you , thanks to her stubborn refusal to play Kate as a walking joke of a person , isn ’ t pathetic at all .
Maybe , beneath the rampant silliness , a million-zillion strings of Christmas lights , overly romanticized displays of London cobblestone , the Christmas-magic cheese-dip plot twist and frustrating dalliances with serious character-driven subject matter ( Petra and Kate ’ s parallel struggles with depression ) , the movie might have something to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do to get by and how they seek to improve themselves .
The movie ’ s many miscellaneous devices and elements and developments never cohere , and it squanders multiple opportunities for Michael ’ s music to beef up an emotional scene — except maybe one near the end , when Kate ’ s series of attempts to put some positive energy into the world come to fruition , and this junkyard of a movie almost becomes functional , and I started asking how I allowed myself to be seduced by its shameless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad movie , shotgunned with problems , and I laughed two , maybe three times , but I gave a crap about Kate , and wanted the best for her , and it ’ s all Clarke ’ s fault for being a buoyant and cheery and ultimately substantive presence , for being a lone tender marshmallow floating in a damn thin cup of cocoa .
Our Call : STREAM IT .
Last Christmas fortified my cynicism for more than an hour , then Clarke eroded it just enough to make me like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids , Michigan .
Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter : @ johnserba .

This week’s Saturday-night HBO debut is Last Christmas, a slice of holiday cheer in the midst of a July swelter. On paper, the project explodes with talent: Game of Thrones dragon wrangler Emilia Clarke and Crazy Rich Asians standout Henry Golding star. Paul Feig, of A Simple Favor and Bridesmaids fame, directs. A supporting cast including international treasures Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson, the latter also producing and co-writing. And it’s all tied together by the music of George Michael and/or Wham!, from whence the title and concept come. Here’s hoping it adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
LAST CHRISTMAS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Hot mess, comin’ through: Kate (Clarke), born Katarina, a Londoner from the former Yugoslavia, used to be queen of the choir. Her voice could enchant George Michael himself, from Earth to the spiritual afterlife hinterlands. But now, she’s 26 and aimless, all over the place, crashing on friends’ couches, angry at her mother, not speaking with her sister, drinking too much, sleeping with whoever bought the drinks, late for auditions, all that. She clings to the dream of a singing career, but works a retail job where she wears an elf costume with dingleballs and a little hat, manning the counter at a year-round Christmas store. Oh, the pain of working retail, those people must suffer so, especially if they can sing and movies keep telling them that it’s a stultifying dead-end gig instead of a perfectly respectable job. Woe!
Nothing has been the same since Kate’s operation, whatever that was a few years ago, no spoilers here. Her life was saved but now it seems lost, if that makes sense. One day while she’s dusting the bums of ceramic cherubim, a manic pixie dream guy walks into the store. Tom (Golding) is a charmer who preaches the philosophy of looking up instead of looking down, because you’ll miss the important shit about life, like a very profound golden fish hanging on a sign above a shop. She’s enamored with him, because they had THREE meet-cutes in one day, which can’t be a coincidence. Yet she can’t pin down this mystery gent who takes her down charming London alleyways and through little hidden London gardens, then just kind of drifts off.
Tom’s quirky-cheery perspective starts rubbing off a little. Kate pairs her boss, who calls herself Santa but is actually Huang Qing Shin (Yeoh), with the handsome sauerkraut enthusiast patronizing the shop not for the ugliest Nativity figurines this side of the Eastern Bloc, but to stand in slack-jawed awe of this elegant woman. Kate reconnects with her highly critical, piece-of-work mother Petra (Thompson), a critically damaged survivor of the Yugoslav Wars. Kate begins volunteering at a local homeless shelter. Will she and Tom kiss each other or what? He has to have a secret, another shoe about to drop, doesn’t he? Meanwhile, here’s a George Michael song. Listen to it!
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This is a Love, Actually-meets-The Preacher’s Wife sort of schlocky Christmas saga.
Performance Worth Watching: Somewhere in this mess of a screenplay, Clarke finds Kate’s core charms — the character is apologetic for her mistakes, but not for who she is. Clarke and Yeoh — the high point of pretty much every film she’s in — also make a convincing subtextual argument that a funny workplace comedy might evolve from this premise.
Memorable Dialogue: Petra sums up her chronic depression succinctly: “I blame it on the Poles.”
Sex and Skin: Kate wakes up in after a one-night-stand and says, “This bed is like sleeping on a pile of kittens.” Does that count?
Our Take: Beware this movie’s inevitable Christmas twist, which bears symbolism that’s as subtle as a 20-story neon-pink baby Jesus in your neighbor’s yard; you’ll see it from a mile away. The idea that Last Christmas is “inspired by” George Michael’s songs is an excuse for said title, and is little more than a superficial gimmick. The script is a dishevelment, romantically wan and comedically desperate — hearing Thompson TALK IN EASTERN BLAWK ACCENT and watching Clarke get bird dook in her eye is just cringingly awful. One can sense Clarke actively battling to keep Kate from being a mile-wide/inch deep character careening from one embarrassing incident to the next.
And yet. Clarke and Golding share a pivotal scene in which she opens up her heart and becomes human, instead of a grab-bag of movie character devices engineered to make us laugh at her pathetic state — which, mind you, thanks to her stubborn refusal to play Kate as a walking joke of a person, isn’t pathetic at all. Maybe, beneath the rampant silliness, a million-zillion strings of Christmas lights, overly romanticized displays of London cobblestone, the Christmas-magic cheese-dip plot twist and frustrating dalliances with serious character-driven subject matter (Petra and Kate’s parallel struggles with depression), the movie might have something to say about how people work and what they do to get by and how they seek to improve themselves.
The movie’s many miscellaneous devices and elements and developments never cohere, and it squanders multiple opportunities for Michael’s music to beef up an emotional scene — except maybe one near the end, when Kate’s series of attempts to put some positive energy into the world come to fruition, and this junkyard of a movie almost becomes functional, and I started asking how I allowed myself to be seduced by its shameless, holistic sentimentalism. This is a bad movie, shotgunned with problems, and I laughed two, maybe three times, but I gave a crap about Kate, and wanted the best for her, and it’s all Clarke’s fault for being a buoyant and cheery and ultimately substantive presence, for being a lone tender marshmallow floating in a damn thin cup of cocoa.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Last Christmas fortified my cynicism for more than an hour, then Clarke eroded it just enough to make me like it. Life is strange sometimes.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.
Where to stream Last Christmas


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Ashes of Mexican COVID-19 victims blessed at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

It was a somber , solemn burden being carried at St. Patrick ’ s Cathedral Saturday , where the cremated @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 were given a blessing before their journey home .
Jorge Islas Lopez , @ @ @ @ @ , in a black suit , tie , and wearing a white face mask , @ @ @ @ @ filled with ashes from the church alter after the service led by New York Archbishop @ @ @ @ @ including those who brought flowers and pictures of the dead , filled the pews .
@ @ @ @ @ boxes of ashes blessed during the event were then loaded into a van for the @ @

It was a somber, solemn burden being carried at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Saturday, where the cremated remains of Mexicans who died of COVID-19 were given a blessing before their journey home.
Jorge Islas Lopez, the Consul General of Mexico, in a black suit, tie, and wearing a white face mask, carried a dark wooden box filled with ashes from the church alter after the service led by New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
Mourners, including those who brought flowers and pictures of the dead, filled the pews. Each of the dozens of boxes of ashes blessed during the event were then loaded into a van for the trip.
Previous 1 of 5 Next Advertisement Members of the Armed Forces with some of the more than 200 urns. AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Advertisement AFP via Getty Images Advertisement
Post Wire Services


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--DeAndre Baker witness saga sets up tricky Giants decision

DeAndre Baker did not pay off any witnesses and a ...

Is he worth the trouble?
This is a question new Giants head coach Joe Judge must be wrestling with right now regarding troubled second-year cornerback DeAndre Baker.
Sometime across the next 17 days before the Giants’ scheduled training camp report date of July 28, Judge is going to have to make one of the most significant decisions he’s been faced with in the six-plus months since he was hired to be the 19th head coach in franchise history.
That is, if he hasn’t made that decision already.
What to do with Baker, the troubled 22-year-old cornerback?
Does Judge give him another chance, risking the distractions that surely will come with him remaining with the team, not to mention the potential poor payoff if his performance on the field is as underwhelming in 2020 as it was in 2019?
Or does Judge, whose mantra this offseason has been based on building a winning culture inside a locker room that has lacked it for too long, simply move on from Baker and cut bait?
General manager Dave Gettleman traded up to get Baker at the end of the first round of last year’s draft. Part of his reputation is attached to whether or not Baker becomes a first-round-worthy player. So, it’s likely the embattled GM would rather not admit to his mistake this soon.
Conversely, Judge has no history with Baker, so if Baker is cut before camp, perhaps that’s an indication of the power the new coach may have over Gettleman with ownership.
Baker’s name surfaced in the news again this weekend — again for all the wrong reasons, which is to say non-football reasons.
Baker has followed his dubiously poor rookie season on the field with an even worse offseason off it, based on the four counts of armed robbery with a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault he was charged with stemming from an alleged May 13 house-party incident in Miramar, Fla.
For months, Patrick Patel, one of the attorneys representing Baker, has been adamant in comments to The Post’s Paul Schwartz that the case against his client is so weak it’s likely to be thrown out of court.
Yet on Friday, a report surfaced that Baker had Instagram direct-message exchanges with a man named Dominic Johnson, indicating he and Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar paid off four witnesses a total of $55,000 to keep them quiet.
If this is proven to be true, Judge may not have a decision to make at all on Baker.
Baker was told by the Giants in May to stay away from their virtual offseason program and focus on his legal issues in Florida in the aftermath of his incident.
Maybe it’s best for him to stay away from training camp, too, until (if?) he’s able to clear his name.


newyorkpost--2020-07-11--Michael Flynn could make a campaign comeback for Trump, insiders say

As Michael Flynn ’ s three-year legal drama nears its end , some of President Trump ’ s allies are hyping a new job for the ousted national security adviser : campaign surrogate .
“ He ’ s the perfect example of deep-state victimization , ” former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told Politico .
“ Great surrogate — lots of people would come to see him.
” Flynn , a former three-star general who headed the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration , was one of Trump ’ s most vociferous boosters ahead of the 2016 presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-Hillary Clinton chants of “ Lock her up !
” during the Republican National Convention that year — and in the years since has become a martyr-like figure for many in Trump ’ s base , after being prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller for lying to the FBI and pleading guilty .
The campaign has not spoken directly with Flynn about stumping for Trump , an official told Politico .
But three people close to the re-election effort said they would welcome his return once he is free of the threat of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major boost if Joe Biden chooses former National Security Adviser Susan Rice as his running mate , another Trump adviser said .
In that case , Flynn “ would be our No .
1 draft pick to open President Trump ’ s rallies , ” the adviser said , after recently revealed documents implicated both Biden and Rice in efforts to snoop on Flynn during the transition period before Trump took office .
Flynn would play up “ his own experience with the deep state that Biden and Rice would do everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some Republicans warned that a focus on Flynn would be a backward-looking move for an incumbent who is struggling to expand his appeal .
“ All it does is cement the fact that Donald Trump is running a base campaign , just mining for his voters , ” GOP strategist Susan del Percio told The Post .
“ He keeps looking back at what happened four years ago .
But he is the establishment now , whether he likes it or not .
”

As Michael Flynn’s three-year legal drama nears its end, some of President Trump’s allies are hyping a new job for the ousted national security adviser: campaign surrogate.
“He’s the perfect example of deep-state victimization,” former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told Politico. “Great surrogate — lots of people would come to see him.”
Flynn, a former three-star general who headed the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration, was one of Trump’s most vociferous boosters ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
He was known for leading anti-Hillary Clinton chants of “Lock her up!” during the Republican National Convention that year — and in the years since has become a martyr-like figure for many in Trump’s base, after being prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller for lying to the FBI and pleading guilty.
The campaign has not spoken directly with Flynn about stumping for Trump, an official told Politico. But three people close to the re-election effort said they would welcome his return once he is free of the threat of jail time.
The plan would get a major boost if Joe Biden chooses former National Security Adviser Susan Rice as his running mate, another Trump adviser said.
In that case, Flynn “would be our No. 1 draft pick to open President Trump’s rallies,” the adviser said, after recently revealed documents implicated both Biden and Rice in efforts to snoop on Flynn during the transition period before Trump took office.
Flynn would play up “his own experience with the deep state that Biden and Rice would do everything to protect,” the adviser said.
Some Republicans warned that a focus on Flynn would be a backward-looking move for an incumbent who is struggling to expand his appeal.
“All it does is cement the fact that Donald Trump is running a base campaign, just mining for his voters,” GOP strategist Susan del Percio told The Post. “He keeps looking back at what happened four years ago. But he is the establishment now, whether he likes it or not.”
Additional reporting by Jon Levine


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--Finding a good mentor to help steer your career is now more valuable than ever

Tobias Olsen was in a jam .
Responsible for the mentoring program at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London , Conn. , he is charged with pairing individuals seeking mentors with a cadre of officers , pilots , lawyers and the military ’ s finest .
Up until recently , he attempted to do this staring at spreadsheets , hoping to make the right match and knowing that the stakes were high .
How high ?
Brad Johnson , co-author of “ The Elements of Mentoring ” ( St. Martin ’ s Press ) , puts it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great mentors do better .
They get more promotions .
They ’ re more confident .
They get higher performance ratings .
They have better networks .
They make more money and they are more committed to their jobs .
A good mentor can change your life.
” At the time , the Coast Guard Academy ’ s record of mentorship success was only at 65 to 70 percent .
“ We were seeing too many missed opportunities and too many poor connections , ” says Olsen .
So , he sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the form of a mentoring software platform , Chronus , where prospective mentees answer about 15 questions , ranging from “ Tell me about yourself ” and “ What are you looking for in a mentor ?
” to demographic data and so on .
When the information is mashed up with the data of available mentors and fed into a computer algorithm , potential matches are generated .
Mentees can fine-tune their initial criteria , but at the end of the day , pairings work out about 97 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of like how dating sites and social networks work , you ’ re on the money .
Think Match.com for mentorships .
There are also online classes where you can learn from your business heroes without spending on anything , except for maybe a cup of coffee .
Here ’ s how it works .
Scrolling through an employee directory looking for a mentor is a stab in the dark — in fact , experts don ’ t recommend it .
Selecting a person who can give you the skinny on how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solving a specific problem is no easier .
This is why many employers bring mentoring platforms like Chronus , MentorcliQ and River into their organizations .
Megan Wolverton , senior director of marketing at MentorcliQ , says that they have customers who use their platform to set up three-month relationships between new hires and established employees .
Data used in the algorithm might look for similar geographies , universities , social affiliations and so on .
Scott Urstad , vice president of customer success at Chronus , says that “ flash mentoring ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentee with an expert to get information or advice on a project in the immediate future .
“ As opposed to traditional mentorships , the expectations of a longer relationship aren ’ t there , ” he says .
Employers pay for the platforms .
Until recently , only top managers were paired with an executive coach .
Sessions were almost always in person , often required travel and cost thousands of dollars .
At progressive companies , this has now changed .
Thanks to eHarmony.com-like pairing technologies and video communication software like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can get the training and support that they need from some of the best coaches in the field through platforms like Sounding Board .
“ It used to be that only 15 percent of leaders had access to coaches .
That has now flipped , ” says Christine Tao , CEO and co-founder of the company .
And get this : If you are panicked before a presentation or worried about a meeting , you can Slack your coach for advice or an encouraging word .
BetterUp , another coaching platform , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Alexi Robichaux , the company ’ s CEO and co-founder , is on a mission to enable all professionals to live with greater clarity , purpose and passion .
With BetterUp , applicants complete an assessment that identifies their mindset , behaviors , strengths and goals .
Then , using artificial intelligence , BetterUp pairs them with coaches .
What ’ s notable is that it ’ s not just for career help — coaching is also available for sleeping , nutrition , parenting and so on .
Master classes with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on channels like LinkedIn and Twitter , watch them on Webinars and maybe even stand on line at conferences to meet them , getting their attention might be easier than you think .
“ Start a dialogue with me [ on a social network ] and over time , tell me why me , specifically , ” says Nicola Kastner , vice president and head of global event marketing strategy at software and technology solution company SAP .
“ One woman heard me on a podcast and commented , ‘ Oh , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ” she says .
Kastner was then willing to spend a few minutes chatting .
From there , a conversation can begin ; and , if there ’ s time in Kastner ’ s schedule and value she thinks she can provide , a mentorship , too .
Kurt Daniel , CEO of Ubersmith , thinks it takes a lot of guts to approach a stranger and ask for help .
“ Someone ’ s taken a risk — you have to respect that , ” he says .
But at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have something in common .
Maybe you both attended the same school , or you ’ re a startup CEO and want to talk about recruiting , or you have reason to believe he can help you solve a problem .
If you can ’ t find a commonality , Kathy Caprino , author of “ The Most Powerful You ” ( HarperCollins Leadership ; out July 28 ) , suggests you first get on the prospective mentor ’ s radar .
“ Follow their work , and be helpful and supportive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out their posts , comment in a positive way on their blogs , share their updates , start a discussion on LinkedIn , drawing on their post .
In short , offer your unique voice , perspectives , experiences and resources to further the action and conversation that these influencers have sparked .
Understand that you are able to be of service to them and go out and do it.
” If all of this sounds like too much work and your employer doesn ’ t have a program to offer , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International Coach Federation , the main accrediting body for both training programs and coaches .
Coaches set their own rates , from $ 100 up to $ 500 an hour , with an average between $ 120 and $ 340 .

Tobias Olsen was in a jam. Responsible for the mentoring program at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., he is charged with pairing individuals seeking mentors with a cadre of officers, pilots, lawyers and the military’s finest. Up until recently, he attempted to do this staring at spreadsheets, hoping to make the right match and knowing that the stakes were high.
How high? Brad Johnson, co-author of “The Elements of Mentoring” (St. Martin’s Press), puts it this way: “People who have great mentors do better. They get more promotions. They’re more confident. They get higher performance ratings. They have better networks. They make more money and they are more committed to their jobs. A good mentor can change your life.”
At the time, the Coast Guard Academy’s record of mentorship success was only at 65 to 70 percent. “We were seeing too many missed opportunities and too many poor connections,” says Olsen. So, he sought to find a better way.
It came in the form of a mentoring software platform, Chronus, where prospective mentees answer about 15 questions, ranging from “Tell me about yourself” and “What are you looking for in a mentor?” to demographic data and so on. When the information is mashed up with the data of available mentors and fed into a computer algorithm, potential matches are generated. Mentees can fine-tune their initial criteria, but at the end of the day, pairings work out about 97 percent of the time.
If it sounds to you sort of like how dating sites and social networks work, you’re on the money. Think Match.com for mentorships. There are also online classes where you can learn from your business heroes without spending on anything, except for maybe a cup of coffee.
Here’s how it works.
Mentorship 2.0
Scrolling through an employee directory looking for a mentor is a stab in the dark — in fact, experts don’t recommend it. Selecting a person who can give you the skinny on how your company works and provide insight on solving a specific problem is no easier.
This is why many employers bring mentoring platforms like Chronus, MentorcliQ and River into their organizations.
Megan Wolverton, senior director of marketing at MentorcliQ, says that they have customers who use their platform to set up three-month relationships between new hires and established employees. Data used in the algorithm might look for similar geographies, universities, social affiliations and so on.
Scott Urstad, vice president of customer success at Chronus, says that “flash mentoring” is now hot. It pairs a mentee with an expert to get information or advice on a project in the immediate future. “As opposed to traditional mentorships, the expectations of a longer relationship aren’t there,” he says. Employers pay for the platforms.
Career coaching democratized
Until recently, only top managers were paired with an executive coach. Sessions were almost always in person, often required travel and cost thousands of dollars. At progressive companies, this has now changed. Thanks to eHarmony.com-like pairing technologies and video communication software like Zoom, high-potential employees and budding executives can get the training and support that they need from some of the best coaches in the field through platforms like Sounding Board.
“It used to be that only 15 percent of leaders had access to coaches. That has now flipped,” says Christine Tao, CEO and co-founder of the company. And get this: If you are panicked before a presentation or worried about a meeting, you can Slack your coach for advice or an encouraging word.
BetterUp, another coaching platform, is geared toward a wider range of employees. Alexi Robichaux, the company’s CEO and co-founder, is on a mission to enable all professionals to live with greater clarity, purpose and passion. With BetterUp, applicants complete an assessment that identifies their mindset, behaviors, strengths and goals. Then, using artificial intelligence, BetterUp pairs them with coaches. What’s notable is that it’s not just for career help — coaching is also available for sleeping, nutrition, parenting and so on.
Master classes with the stars.
If you trail your idols on channels like LinkedIn and Twitter, watch them on Webinars and maybe even stand on line at conferences to meet them, getting their attention might be easier than you think.
“Start a dialogue with me [on a social network] and over time, tell me why me, specifically,” says Nicola Kastner, vice president and head of global event marketing strategy at software and technology solution company SAP. “One woman heard me on a podcast and commented, ‘Oh, my God, you changed my life!’ ” she says. Kastner was then willing to spend a few minutes chatting. From there, a conversation can begin; and, if there’s time in Kastner’s schedule and value she thinks she can provide, a mentorship, too.
Kurt Daniel, CEO of Ubersmith, thinks it takes a lot of guts to approach a stranger and ask for help. “Someone’s taken a risk — you have to respect that,” he says. But at the same time, it’s good to have something in common. Maybe you both attended the same school, or you’re a startup CEO and want to talk about recruiting, or you have reason to believe he can help you solve a problem.
If you can’t find a commonality, Kathy Caprino, author of “The Most Powerful You” (HarperCollins Leadership; out July 28), suggests you first get on the prospective mentor’s radar. “Follow their work, and be helpful and supportive,” she says. “Tweet out their posts, comment in a positive way on their blogs, share their updates, start a discussion on LinkedIn, drawing on their post. In short, offer your unique voice, perspectives, experiences and resources to further the action and conversation that these influencers have sparked. Understand that you are able to be of service to them and go out and do it.”
Hire a pro
If all of this sounds like too much work and your employer doesn’t have a program to offer, you can find a professional coach through the International Coach Federation, the main accrediting body for both training programs and coaches. Coaches set their own rates, from $100 up to $500 an hour, with an average between $120 and $340.


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit Beverly Hills in gas-guzzling SUV

Do as I say , not as I drive ?
Despite their eco-friendly agenda , Meghan Markle and Prince Harry @ @ @ @ @ in a gas-guzzling SUV , the Daily Mail reported Saturday .
Photos obtained by the @ @ @ @ @ couple popping into a black Cadillac Escalade .
Online reviews have called the low-miles-per-gallon Escalade @ @ @ @ @ friendly as a car owner can get , the Mail noted .
The couple have @ @ @ @ @ that the planet be saved from global warming but using a private jet for international @ @ @ @ @ , in a video condemning racial injustice , the couple encouraged Britain to “ promote @ @ @ @ @ , amplify the voice of small states , and protect the environment .
”

Do as I say, not as I drive?
Despite their eco-friendly agenda, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently tooled around Beverly Hills in a gas-guzzling SUV, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.
Photos obtained by the Mail show the formerly royal couple popping into a black Cadillac Escalade.
Online reviews have called the low-miles-per-gallon Escalade about as far from environmentally friendly as a car owner can get, the Mail noted.
The couple have been previously criticized for urging that the planet be saved from global warming but using a private jet for international travel.
Just last week, in a video condemning racial injustice, the couple encouraged Britain to “promote prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of small states, and protect the environment.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--City Hall ‘walks’ back Mayor’s plan for community leaders to ‘walk with police officers’

Mayor de Blasio has said community leaders would walk “ with police officers ” through violent hot spots in the city this weekend — but a day later , City Hall was backpedaling on the odd plan .
Community leaders would indeed be going on the violence-prevention walks — including one Saturday night in Harlem — but the NYPD would not be patrolling alongside civilians , a mayoral spokesman said .
“ They are not literally joining patrols .
I don ’ t understand how to make this clearer for you , ” said the spokesman , Avery Cohen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ see a combination of things happening , ” including “ community leaders , community organizations walking with police officers , showing common cause.
” The idea did not sit well with the cops on the street .
“ We are the police , ” one officer told The Post in Harlem earlier Saturday .
“ We do patrols .
We have a lot of things to take care of here.
” Some 60 people prayed and made speeches during Saturday night ’ s “ Occupy the Corner ” event at West 143rd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People are putting their lives on the line to protect the people who they live with and who they love , ” Mayor de Blasio said

Khristina Narizhnaya, Alex Taylor, Laura Italiano

Mayor de Blasio has said community leaders would walk “with police officers” through violent hot spots in the city this weekend — but a day later, City Hall was backpedaling on the odd plan.
Community leaders would indeed be going on the violence-prevention walks — including one Saturday night in Harlem — but the NYPD would not be patrolling alongside civilians, a mayoral spokesman said.
“They are not literally joining patrols. I don’t understand how to make this clearer for you,” said the spokesman, Avery Cohen.
The mayor had said Friday residents would “see a combination of things happening,” including “community leaders, community organizations walking with police officers, showing common cause.”
The idea did not sit well with the cops on the street.
“We are the police,” one officer told The Post in Harlem earlier Saturday. “We do patrols. We have a lot of things to take care of here.”
Some 60 people prayed and made speeches during Saturday night’s “Occupy the Corner” event at West 143rd Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.
“People are putting their lives on the line to protect the people who they live with and who they love,” Mayor de Blasio said


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--NYC dad says coronavirus-shuttered Family Court failed him as mom took kids

Her estranged husband took off for Long Island with the ...

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An unmarried Queens dad whose kids were allegedly whisked off to California by their mom against his wishes says New York’s virus-shuttered Family Court has failed him.
“I want to be heard,” said Juan Miranda, 32, who says he hasn’t seen his two sons since mid-June, after their mom abruptly bolted Astoria, relocating to California in search of work.
Closures from coronavirus have wreaked havoc in courts across the city and state, including in Family Court, which deals with domestic disputes and child custody issues.
If Miranda and his former high school sweetheart had been married and divorced, the dad could have brought his case to state Supreme Court, which started taking new cases on May 25.
But the couple never got hitched, leaving Family Court — which has yet to begin hearing new cases, even as the rest of the court system slowly comes back to life — as the only place for Miranda to turn when his ex left with the kids, said his lawyer, Steven Gilden.
Miranda sued the city and state in Queens Supreme Court in a bid to have new cases like his heard.
In his July 7 court papers, he slammed Family Court’s refusal to take on fresh complaints as “rampant institutional discrimination against parents who simpl[y] just happen not to be married to each other.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Gilden. “They chose to open a court for these cases where not everybody can go.”
A court spokesman confirmed Family Court is only dealing with pending or already filed cases, and declined comment on the litigation.
Miranda, a line cook at a Manhattan restaurant, had seen his sons, Damian, 15, and Allen, 11, two days a week since 2017 and had them full time for six weeks in April and May while their mom battled COVID-19 symptoms, he said.
“I would teach them how to cook,” he said. “We would make scrambled eggs. We made burgers and meatballs and spaghetti from scratch. During the six weeks they were here their grades went up dramatically.”
Their mom allegedly ignored his pleas not to take the boys, with whom he texts daily, said Miranda. He says the two are now staying in a cramped Airbnb.
“I can’t eat, sleep. I’m just thinking about my kids,” he said.
The mom could not be reached for comment.


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--San Gabriel Mission ravaged in early morning fire

Southern California ’ s historic San Gabriel Mission , which was built 1771 , was ravaged by an early morning fire Saturday .
There were no injuries .
According to NBC News , the nearly 250-year-old Roman Catholic mission held many priceless artifacts that dated back to its founding .
Much of the interior and roof were damaged in the fire , which is under investigation by the San Gabriel Fire Department .
Capt .
Antonio Negrete of the fire department called the scene “ heartbreaking.
” Archbishop Jose Gomez tweeted photos of the destruction asking members of the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Southern California landmark .
“ Our beloved # SanGabrielMission , founded in 1771 , devastated by fire before dawn .
St. Junípero Serra , pray for this land that you helped to found.
” Junipero Serra , who founded the mission , recently came under scrutiny for his colonization and brutalization of the Native Americans who occupied the land before he settled there .
Serra ’ s statue in Los Angeles was toppled in June amid the many protests that erupted all over the country calling for the removal of many racist statues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Monterey in 2016 .

Southern California’s historic San Gabriel Mission, which was built 1771, was ravaged by an early morning fire Saturday.
There were no injuries.
According to NBC News, the nearly 250-year-old Roman Catholic mission held many priceless artifacts that dated back to its founding.
Much of the interior and roof were damaged in the fire, which is under investigation by the San Gabriel Fire Department.
Capt. Antonio Negrete of the fire department called the scene “heartbreaking.”
Archbishop Jose Gomez tweeted photos of the destruction asking members of the community for prayers as repairs begin for the Southern California landmark.
“Our beloved #SanGabrielMission, founded in 1771, devastated by fire before dawn. St. Junípero Serra, pray for this land that you helped to found.”
Junipero Serra, who founded the mission, recently came under scrutiny for his colonization and brutalization of the Native Americans who occupied the land before he settled there.
Serra’s statue in Los Angeles was toppled in June amid the many protests that erupted all over the country calling for the removal of many racist statues.
Another statue of Serra was beheaded in Monterey in 2016.


newyorkpost--2020-07-12--John Wayne exhibit will be dismantled at USC due to actor’s perceived bigotry

A film school in California is canceling its John Wayne exhibit due to what administrators are calling the late actor @ @ @ @ @ and homophobic statements .
The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California @ @ @ @ @ was removing the indoor exhibit , which featured archival photos and movie costumes , props @ @ @ @ @ was announced by the school via Twitter .
Wayne , who attended USC in the @ @ @ @ @ magazine in 1971 , “ I believe in white supremacy .
”

A film school in California is canceling its John Wayne exhibit due to what administrators are calling the late actor’s history of bigoted and homophobic statements.
The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California announced last week that it was removing the indoor exhibit, which featured archival photos and movie costumes, props and memorabilia.
The move was announced by the school via Twitter.
Wayne, who attended USC in the ’20s, told Playboy magazine in 1971, “I believe in white supremacy.”