newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bad Hair’ on Hulu, a Scary-Funny Satire in Which a Woman’s Weave Goes Wild

Hulu original movie Bad Hair is filmmaker Justin Simien ‘ s terrifyingly funny late- ’ 80s-set satire about one woman ’ s wicked weave , and if the scary stuff doesn ’ t make you bust a move , the social commentary will .
After making a name for himself with Dear White People — the movie and its spinoff TV series — Simien ventures into horror , further rendering the post-Get Out world richer with Black cinematic voices .
BAD HAIR : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT ?
The Gist : When Anna Bludso ( Elle Lorraine ) was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a radio DJ ; she also tried to de-kink her hair with chemical straightener , and has the scar to prove it .
Now , it ’ s 1989 , and she ’ s spent four years as a low-level assistant at a BET-ish music-video network dubbed Culture .
But a corporate Caucasian ( James Van Der Beek ) decides the cable channel needs revamping , so he hires a vamp as the new head , former model Zora ( Vanessa Williams ) .
Is the goal to rope in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Yes !
She sees some producer-host potential in Anna , but wrinkles her nose at her appearance , and sends her to a high-end hairdresser for sew-in extensions .
Oh , and Culture gets rebranded as Cult .
NEAT .
Anna takes money she should use to get her scumlord landbag off her back and visits Virgie ( Laverne Cox ) for a weave , triggering past hair-related traumas .
“ Don ’ t get it wet , ” Virgie warns , but she says nothing about feeding it after midnight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrapes her scalp .
You do what you got ta do when your aspirations are at stake .
The next day , she ’ s hitting the Bayer bottle hard but turning heads at the office .
She slices her finger shuffling papers , and the hair , I dunno , how do you say it , comes to life and kind of vampirizes the blood from the cut , but even if it ’ s a bit unsettling , that ’ s nothing to get too alarmed about , is it ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ haunted by an old slave story about a “ moss-haired girl ” ; she nurses a bit of heartbreak after high-top-faded show host Julius ( Jay Pharoah ) stops banging her and shifts to Zora ; competitiveness rears its head among other Cult personalities ( Lena Waithe , Yaani King Mondschein ) as Anna vies for power ; and a Janet Jacksonian superstar named Sandra ( Kelly Rowland ) factors in thanks to her irrepressible hit video on Cult .
Then there ’ s a corpse to deal with , because that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t there other women around here who got blood- and soulsucking weaves from the same sinister hairdresser ?
Is that something to worry about ?
PROBABLY .
What Movies Will It Remind You Of ?
: This is a fem-centric Get Out with bits of oogy Cronenbergian body horror and the visual grain and kitsch of something Z-grade from the era like… C.H.U.D.
?
Yeah , sure , C.H.U.D.
!
Performance Worth Watching : Although Williams is the designated scene thief , Lorraine gives Bad Hair an earnestness preventing it from flying off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressions that keep it firmly on target for the genre .
Memorable Dialogue : “ You ’ re not tender-headed , are you ?
” — Virgie sits Anna down for a scary sew-in Sex and Skin : A nookie sequence in which the involved male probably shouldn ’ t get too worked up about the lady being on top with her hair hanging over his face .
Our Take : There will be ZERO hair puns in this review .
No “ the narrative twists like a tight braid ” or “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ with a little script conditioner it might have fewer split ends.
” None of that .
I tweezed all that shit out of this review until it was a sleek , kempt eyebrow .
With the hacky crap out of the way , we ’ re free to discuss Simien ’ s ambition .
On a surface level , Bad Hair is a sly spoof of late- ’ 80s pop R & B music and style , a workplace comedy skewering racial and sexual politics and an amusing pastiche of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a finely tuned melange of laughs and scares , each seamlessly transitioning to the other .
This is a terrifically entertaining movie featuring a strong central performance from Lorraine and shot with the vision of a true filmmaker .
Thematically , it lacks the crystalline focus and provocative subtext of Jordan Peele ’ s Get Out or Us — few films do , to be fair — as Simien ’ s slave-folklore backstory is haphazardly worked into the plot , and supporting characters feel sketchy and ill-defined .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sells her soul for success in a world run by white people and staffed with Black folk .
She compromises her identity , represented by her hair , which attacks , kills and quite literally sucks the color from its victims .
The film doesn ’ t always hang together in terms of narrative execution , but the method is wild and memorable , and the message is loud and clear .
Our Call : STREAM IT .
Bad Hair isn ’ t as laser-sharp as it could be .
But it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say — three things that make for rousing horror .
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 .

Hulu original movie Bad Hair is filmmaker Justin Simien‘s terrifyingly funny late-’80s-set satire about one woman’s wicked weave, and if the scary stuff doesn’t make you bust a move, the social commentary will. After making a name for himself with Dear White People — the movie and its spinoff TV series — Simien ventures into horror, further rendering the post-Get Out world richer with Black cinematic voices.
BAD HAIR: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: When Anna Bludso (Elle Lorraine) was a kid, she recorded herself pretending to be a radio DJ; she also tried to de-kink her hair with chemical straightener, and has the scar to prove it. Now, it’s 1989, and she’s spent four years as a low-level assistant at a BET-ish music-video network dubbed Culture. But a corporate Caucasian (James Van Der Beek) decides the cable channel needs revamping, so he hires a vamp as the new head, former model Zora (Vanessa Williams). Is the goal to rope in a wider audience, or a whiter one? Yes! She sees some producer-host potential in Anna, but wrinkles her nose at her appearance, and sends her to a high-end hairdresser for sew-in extensions. Oh, and Culture gets rebranded as Cult. NEAT.
Anna takes money she should use to get her scumlord landbag off her back and visits Virgie (Laverne Cox) for a weave, triggering past hair-related traumas. “Don’t get it wet,” Virgie warns, but she says nothing about feeding it after midnight. Anna grits her teeth as the needle scrapes her scalp. You do what you gotta do when your aspirations are at stake. The next day, she’s hitting the Bayer bottle hard but turning heads at the office. She slices her finger shuffling papers, and the hair, I dunno, how do you say it, comes to life and kind of vampirizes the blood from the cut, but even if it’s a bit unsettling, that’s nothing to get too alarmed about, is it? NAH.
Meanwhile, Anna’s haunted by an old slave story about a “moss-haired girl”; she nurses a bit of heartbreak after high-top-faded show host Julius (Jay Pharoah) stops banging her and shifts to Zora; competitiveness rears its head among other Cult personalities (Lena Waithe, Yaani King Mondschein) as Anna vies for power; and a Janet Jacksonian superstar named Sandra (Kelly Rowland) factors in thanks to her irrepressible hit video on Cult. Then there’s a corpse to deal with, because that was inevitable, and wait, aren’t there other women around here who got blood- and soulsucking weaves from the same sinister hairdresser? Is that something to worry about? PROBABLY.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This is a fem-centric Get Out with bits of oogy Cronenbergian body horror and the visual grain and kitsch of something Z-grade from the era like… C.H.U.D.? Yeah, sure, C.H.U.D.!
Performance Worth Watching: Although Williams is the designated scene thief, Lorraine gives Bad Hair an earnestness preventing it from flying off the rails, and the horrified facial expressions that keep it firmly on target for the genre.
Memorable Dialogue: “You’re not tender-headed, are you?” — Virgie sits Anna down for a scary sew-in
Sex and Skin: A nookie sequence in which the involved male probably shouldn’t get too worked up about the lady being on top with her hair hanging over his face.
Our Take: There will be ZERO hair puns in this review. No “the narrative twists like a tight braid” or “it’s full of dread” or “with a little script conditioner it might have fewer split ends.” None of that. I tweezed all that shit out of this review until it was a sleek, kempt eyebrow.
With the hacky crap out of the way, we’re free to discuss Simien’s ambition. On a surface level, Bad Hair is a sly spoof of late-’80s pop R&B music and style, a workplace comedy skewering racial and sexual politics and an amusing pastiche of the era’s prevalent horror-movie schlock. It’s a finely tuned melange of laughs and scares, each seamlessly transitioning to the other. This is a terrifically entertaining movie featuring a strong central performance from Lorraine and shot with the vision of a true filmmaker.
Thematically, it lacks the crystalline focus and provocative subtext of Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Us — few films do, to be fair — as Simien’s slave-folklore backstory is haphazardly worked into the plot, and supporting characters feel sketchy and ill-defined. But the central metaphor is tenacious, as Anna sells her soul for success in a world run by white people and staffed with Black folk. She compromises her identity, represented by her hair, which attacks, kills and quite literally sucks the color from its victims. The film doesn’t always hang together in terms of narrative execution, but the method is wild and memorable, and the message is loud and clear.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Bad Hair isn’t as laser-sharp as it could be. But it’s crazy and fun and has something to say — three things that make for rousing horror.
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.
Stream Bad Hair on Hulu


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--‘RHONY’ cast spotted back at work in Greenport post-COVID scare

The “ Real Housewives of New York City ” are back to work after they were forced to take a break from filming after someone on set tested positive for COVID .
We ’ re told filming was severely cut back after the scary result two weeks ago — but spies tell Page Six that Ramona Singer , Leah McSweeney , Sonja Morgan and new cast member Eboni K. Williams were all filming together Thursday at American Beech in Greenport , NY .
We ’ re told the group was cordial and kidding around .
A different spy told us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vineyards , where Singer and McSweeney were loudly fighting over — appropriately enough — McSweeney ’ s recent tweets in which she criticized Singer for being careless about COVID .
( McSweeney had tweeted in June — fairly obviously about Singer , “ I am so disgusted by some of my castmates and their families who spent the entire f - - king quarantine in Florida , living it up , showing everyone how they ’ re living it up.
” ) We ’ re told the group were supposed to be filming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it got pushed back and has only just got underway .
We ’ re told the delay has created problems because producers had been hoping to make it appear as if the Hamptons scenes happened during the summer , which is trickier now that they ’ re shooting well into October .

The “Real Housewives of New York City” are back to work after they were forced to take a break from filming after someone on set tested positive for COVID.
We’re told filming was severely cut back after the scary result two weeks ago — but spies tell Page Six that Ramona Singer, Leah McSweeney, Sonja Morgan and new cast member Eboni K. Williams were all filming together Thursday at American Beech in Greenport, NY. We’re told the group was cordial and kidding around.
A different spy told us they were also shooting at nearby Croteaux Vineyards, where Singer and McSweeney were loudly fighting over — appropriately enough — McSweeney’s recent tweets in which she criticized Singer for being careless about COVID. (McSweeney had tweeted in June — fairly obviously about Singer, “I am so disgusted by some of my castmates and their families who spent the entire f - - king quarantine in Florida, living it up, showing everyone how they’re living it up.”)
We’re told the group were supposed to be filming out East in early October, but it got pushed back and has only just got underway. We’re told the delay has created problems because producers had been hoping to make it appear as if the Hamptons scenes happened during the summer, which is trickier now that they’re shooting well into October.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Mama mia! Pasta flies in battle to control Il Mulino chain after bankruptcy

The glamorous Il Mulino Italian restaurant empire might soon be fegato tritato — or chopped liver , as New Yorkers say .
Il Mulino founder Jerry Katzoff sued his lenders on Friday accusing them of a plot to squeeze him out of the business — the latest legal salvo between the restaurateur and his chain ’ s chief lender , Benefit Street Partners , which have been duking it out since last spring over a defaulted $ 35 million loan .
That battle , as The Post has reported , led Katzoff to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy for seven of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The bankruptcy proceeding does not affect Il Mulino ’ s Big Apple eateries — only its high-profile locations in Las Vegas , Miami and the Hamptons , a favorite of celebs like Jimmy Fallon and Bethenny Frankel .
But the increasingly tense battle for control now clouds the future of the entire restaurant chain , including the West Third Street original where former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton bonded over bruschetta .
Katzoff sued BSP in Manhattan state court for its efforts to enforce a $ 10 million personal loan guarantee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ fraudulently induced , ” according to court papers .
Katzoff is seeking $ 50 million from BSP for alleged fraud and “ tortious interference ” in his business relationship with his longtime managing partner Brian Galligan .
He claims BSP barred Galligan from his longtime role of managing Il Mulino day-to-day in a twisted effort to lower its value .
The suit also claims that the lenders : • Installed BSP executive King Jang as Il Mulino ’ s “ director of corporate finance , ” a role that saw Jang filling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and expensive wines at Il Mulino restaurants for himself and others totaling thousands of dollars that he shamelessly directed Katzoff to ‘ comp.
’ ” • Tricked Katzoff into believing that BSP would extend the $ 35 million loan due to the pandemic-driven lockdown before aggressively calling for payments .
Katzoff couldn ’ t be reached .
The lawyer for BSP , Michael Goldstein of Goodwin Proctor , didn ’ t respond to a request for comment .

The glamorous Il Mulino Italian restaurant empire might soon be fegato tritato — or chopped liver, as New Yorkers say.
Il Mulino owner Jerry Katzoff sued his lenders on Friday accusing them of a plot to squeeze him out of the business — the latest legal salvo between the restaurateur and his chain’s chief lender, Benefit Street Partners, which have been duking it out since last spring over a defaulted $35 million loan.
That battle, as The Post has reported, led Katzoff to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy for seven of 16 Il Mulino
locations in late July. The bankruptcy proceeding does not affect Il Mulino’s Big Apple eateries — only its high-profile locations in Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons, a favorite of celebs like Jimmy Fallon and Bethenny Frankel.
But the increasingly tense battle for control now clouds the direction of the entire restaurant chain, including the West Third Street original where former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton bonded over bruschetta. However, all the Il Mulinos are expected to remain open, according to a source.
Katzoff sued BSP in Manhattan state court for its efforts to enforce a $10 million personal loan guarantee he signed, saying the loan was “fraudulently induced,” according to court papers.
Katzoff is seeking $50 million from BSP for alleged fraud and “tortious interference” in his business relationship with his longtime managing partner Brian Galligan. He claims BSP barred Galligan from his longtime role of managing the Manhattan Il Mulinos day-to-day in a twisted effort to lower their value.
The suit also claims that the lenders:
Installed BSP executive King Jang as Il Mulino’s “director of corporate finance,” a role that saw Jang filling “his gluttonous appetite with free meals and expensive wines at Il Mulino restaurants for himself and others totaling thousands of dollars that he shamelessly directed Katzoff to ‘comp.’ ”
Tricked Katzoff into believing that BSP would extend the $35 million loan due to the pandemic-driven lockdown before aggressively calling for payments.
Katzoff couldn’t be reached. The lawyer for BSP, Michael Goldstein of Goodwin Proctor, didn’t respond to a request for comment.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Derek Jeter’s Marlins hire more Yankees coaches

Didi Gregorius does not expect to see himself back in ...

When Gary Denbo left the Yankees to join Derek Jeter and the Marlins as the director of player development and scouting, it was easy to expect Denbo eventually would bring people who worked with him in the Yankees’ organization to Miami.
That list increased with the recent hirings of Tommy Phelps and Phil Plantier, who would have been the pitching coach and hitting coach, respectively, at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had the minor league seasons not been canceled this year due to COVID-19.
Phelps, who spent the past 13 years coaching in the Yankees’ minor leagues and was furloughed in early September, will be an assistant pitching coordinator. Scott Aldred, another longtime Yankees minor league pitching coach, is the Marlins’ pitching coordinator. Aldred was hired by Denbo following the 2019 season.
Plantier, who Gio Urshela credited, along with big league hitting coach Marcus Thames, for his transformation from an easy out to a productive major league hitter, would have been in his third year at SWB.
“I am going to learn another side of the business,’’ Phelps said from his Tampa-area home on Friday. “It’s a promotion, more responsibility and a little different challenge. I am excited for the opportunity.’’
Phelps, who pitched for the Marlins and Brewers, lasted a little more than a year after Sam Briend was hired as the Yankees’ pitching director in late June of 2019.
“I don’t know, maybe they didn’t feel what [I] did was good enough,’’ Phelps said of the new regime, which let go Greg Pavlick, a longtime member of the Yankees’ minor league pitching program operation. His last assignment was overseeing the rehab program for pitchers.
“He was good for me, a mentor to all of us young guys,’’ Phelps said of Pavlick, who was the Mets’ pitching coach from 1994-96 and was the bullpen coach in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series.
In addition to Denbo, Aldred and Plantier, the Marlins also employ former Yankees minor league coaches Eric Duncan, James Rowson, Jody Reed, Patrick Osborn and Edwar Gonzalez. Dan Greenlee, who worked under Denbo with the Yankees, is Denbo’s assistant with the Marlins.
Duncan and Rowson were on Don Mattingly’s big league staff this past season. Duncan was the hitting coach and Rowson was the bench coach.
Phelps rejoins the organization with which he broke into the big leagues in 2003 as a pitcher. At the time, the team was known as the Florida Marlins. That year, Phelps appeared in 27 games (seven starts) and went 3-2 with a 4.00 ERA and earned a World Series championship ring for helping the Marlins topple the Yankees.
Phelps pitched two years for the Marlins and one for the Brewers. He finished a professional career pitching for the Yankees’ Triple-A club in Columbus in 2006.
Plantier, a left-handed hitting outfielder, played eight seasons in the big leagues for the Red Sox, Padres (three tours), Astros, Athletics and Cardinals. His best season was 1993, when he hit 34 homers and drove in 100 runs in 138 games. He was the Padres’ major league hitting coach from 2012-14.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Stolen Away’ On Netflix, Where A Father Gets Himself Thrown Into A Colombian

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Stolen Away’ On Netflix, Where A Father Gets Himself Thrown Into A Colombian Prison So He Can Find His Daughter

“ Perdida ” means “ lost ” in Spanish , which is why it makes sense as the original title of the Netflix series Stolen Away ; it ’ s about a man going to extremes to find his kidnapped daughter .
But we also understand why Netflix changed the name ; there ’ s a 2018 film called Perdida streaming on the service , too , and they figured people would get confused .
Good idea , as this show deserves to have people find it .
STOLEN AWAY : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT ?
Opening Shot : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Colombia , a man gets out of bed and chokes down a number of huge capsules with white powder in them .
The Gist : Spanish national Antonio Santos ( Daniel Grao ) nervously gets through customs at the airport , and switches security lines .
When the drug-sniffing dog goes crazy , he runs , and customs agents catch him .
Those capsules turn out to be cocaine , so he ’ s tossed in a holding cell while he awaits arraignment .
As he ’ s arrested , a slight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We first see the public defender , Angelita Moreno ( Adriana Paz ) , having sex with an older , paunchy bald dude .
He invites her to sleep over , but she gets called in to work .
One of the cases she has to work on is Antonio ’ s .
When she questions him , he seems completely cool and collected , something that raises red flags for her .
She ’ s not a public defender by choice ; she is doing the work as community service for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Noberto Quitombo ( Fernando Solórzano ) , a notorious drug kingpin .
The judge — who happens to be the guy Angelita was screwing the night before — lets him out on a very makeable bail .
Angelita asks him to figure out where the “ Spanish drug mule ” she ’ s representing came from .
As Antonio rots away in that holding cell , fending off violent men who will beat you for eating bread off the floor , the thinks back to what brought him there : Being with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and daughter Soledad ( Daniela Soneira ) .
One day , as she ’ s playing on the beach , she disappears .
Her parents and the police look for her , but can ’ t find her .
However , a boy who found her pendant on the beach is brought in , and Inma is determined to find out what he and his older brother know .
Back in the present day , Angelita , who we find out has a drinking problem and a husband and family she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bottom of why Antonio is there .
Drug mules don ’ t usually stay at luxury hotels the night before they smuggle drugs .
Why did he take such a risk ?
As we see in the holding cell when a fellow Spaniard gets some info , Antonio is looking to get thrown into Colombia ’ s most notoriously violent prison , hoping to find the man that took Soledad .
What Shows Will It Remind You Of ?
The plot of Stolen Away ( original title : Perdida ) , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets himself thrown into a maximum-security prison , reminded us of the Mexican series The Inmate .
But the reason why each show ’ s protagonist gets themselves thrown in prison is completely different .
Our Take : What surprised us the most about Stolen Away , created by Natxo López , Ruth García and David Oliva , isn ’ t the twist that Antonio got himself purposely thrown in prison , it was the rest of the main characters ’ stories .
That ’ s why the show is intriguing after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just about some guy navigating a violent prison ; it ’ s about the entire story surrounding why he did it , and where he goes from there .
It ’ s not that the twist of why Antonio got himself tossed in the clink was telegraphed , exactly , but it did seem from the start that he was trying to get himself in the max-security prison , despite Angelita ’ s best efforts .
When his fellow Spaniard points out that the customs officers saw him purposely go to the security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew what his story was , especially when we saw flashbacks of Antonio and Inma with their daughter Soledad .
What we ’ re intrigued with is how Antonio and Inma managed to track the man who took their daughter to that Colombian prison .
We ’ ll see that in flashbacks , most likely .
The more intriguing story is Angelita ’ s ; she ’ s from Mexico , came to Colombia for her marriage , and has a significant dark side .
She drinks whenever she can , and despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigator .
Will her dark side get the better of her as she tries to help Antonio ?
How about her connections to the cartel ?
It makes for a mix that has us interested , especially given a performance from Paz that effectively mixes confidence and self-doubt .
Another twist we didn ’ t quite see coming is what happened to Soledad .
She ’ s still alive , a teenager now ( played by Veronica Velasquez ) , meaning she ’ s been in captivity for the better part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abduction , but what ’ s happened to her in the interim will also be interesting to examine .
Sex and Skin : Only Angelita ’ s extremely clothed sex with the judge .
We also see her pulling up her lace panties after a session with the same judge in his chambers .
Parting Shot : A teenage Soledad looks out the window of her room and we see that she ’ s living in a well-fortified mansion , with armed guards patrolling outside .
Sleeper Star : Carolina Lapausa has more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we see in the first episode .
And , despite the fact that it seems like she and Antonio are no longer married , she ’ ll be a big influence on him to do whatever it takes to find Soledad .
Most Pilot-y Line : A security guard at the jail tells Angelita that she has “ the best booty in Bogota.
” “ Cutie , if your wife knew , she ’ d tell you to fuck off , ” she replies .
We guess that ’ s supposed to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just a clunky exchange .
Our Call : STREAM IT .
Stolen Away has the potential to be a fascinating story about some interesting main characters , or it could go completely off the rails .
Either way , the first episode gave us more than enough reason to keep watching .
Joel Keller ( @ joelkeller ) writes about food , entertainment , parenting and tech , but he doesn ’ t kid himself : he ’ s a TV junkie .
His writing has appeared in the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere .

“Perdida” means “lost” in Spanish, which is why it makes sense as the original title of the Netflix series Stolen Away; it’s about a man going to extremes to find his kidnapped daughter. But we also understand why Netflix changed the name; there’s a 2018 film called Perdida streaming on the service, too, and they figured people would get confused. Good idea, as this show deserves to have people find it.
STOLEN AWAY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: In a well-appointed hotel room in Bogota, Colombia, a man gets out of bed and chokes down a number of huge capsules with white powder in them.
The Gist: Spanish national Antonio Santos (Daniel Grao) nervously gets through customs at the airport, and switches security lines. When the drug-sniffing dog goes crazy, he runs, and customs agents catch him. Those capsules turn out to be cocaine, so he’s tossed in a holding cell while he awaits arraignment. As he’s arrested, a slight grin of satisfaction crosses his face.
We first see the public defender, Angelita Moreno (Adriana Paz), having sex with an older, paunchy bald dude. He invites her to sleep over, but she gets called in to work. One of the cases she has to work on is Antonio’s. When she questions him, he seems completely cool and collected, something that raises red flags for her. She’s not a public defender by choice; she is doing the work as community service for a drunk driving conviction. Her main client is Noberto Quitombo (Fernando Solórzano), a notorious drug kingpin. The judge — who happens to be the guy Angelita was screwing the night before — lets him out on a very makeable bail. Angelita asks him to figure out where the “Spanish drug mule” she’s representing came from.
As Antonio rots away in that holding cell, fending off violent men who will beat you for eating bread off the floor, the thinks back to what brought him there: Being with his wife Inma (Carolina Lapausa) and daughter Soledad (Daniela Soneira). One day, as she’s playing on the beach, she disappears. Her parents and the police look for her, but can’t find her. However, a boy who found her pendant on the beach is brought in, and Inma is determined to find out what he and his older brother know.
Back in the present day, Angelita, who we find out has a drinking problem and a husband and family she’s cheating on, tries to get to the bottom of why Antonio is there. Drug mules don’t usually stay at luxury hotels the night before they smuggle drugs. Why did he take such a risk? As we see in the holding cell when a fellow Spaniard gets some info, Antonio is looking to get thrown into Colombia’s most notoriously violent prison, hoping to find the man that took Soledad.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The plot of Stolen Away (original title: Perdida), at least the portion where a man purposely gets himself thrown into a maximum-security prison, reminded us of the Mexican series The Inmate. But the reason why each show’s protagonist gets themselves thrown in prison is completely different.
Our Take: What surprised us the most about Stolen Away, created by Natxo López, Ruth García and David Oliva, isn’t the twist that Antonio got himself purposely thrown in prison, it was the rest of the main characters’ stories. That’s why the show is intriguing after the first episode; it’s not just about some guy navigating a violent prison; it’s about the entire story surrounding why he did it, and where he goes from there.
It’s not that the twist of why Antonio got himself tossed in the clink was telegraphed, exactly, but it did seem from the start that he was trying to get himself in the max-security prison, despite Angelita’s best efforts. When his fellow Spaniard points out that the customs officers saw him purposely go to the security line with the drug-sniffing dog, you knew what his story was, especially when we saw flashbacks of Antonio and Inma with their daughter Soledad. What we’re intrigued with is how Antonio and Inma managed to track the man who took their daughter to that Colombian prison. We’ll see that in flashbacks, most likely.
The more intriguing story is Angelita’s; she’s from Mexico, came to Colombia for her marriage, and has a significant dark side. She drinks whenever she can, and despite having dubious ethics, is a dogged investigator. Will her dark side get the better of her as she tries to help Antonio? How about her connections to the cartel? It makes for a mix that has us interested, especially given a performance from Paz that effectively mixes confidence and self-doubt.
Another twist we didn’t quite see coming is what happened to Soledad. She’s still alive, a teenager now (played by Veronica Velasquez), meaning she’s been in captivity for the better part of a decade. She has nightmares about her abduction, but what’s happened to her in the interim will also be interesting to examine.
Sex and Skin: Only Angelita’s extremely clothed sex with the judge. We also see her pulling up her lace panties after a session with the same judge in his chambers.
Parting Shot: A teenage Soledad looks out the window of her room and we see that she’s living in a well-fortified mansion, with armed guards patrolling outside.
Sleeper Star: Carolina Lapausa has more of a role as Inma than what we see in the first episode. And, despite the fact that it seems like she and Antonio are no longer married, she’ll be a big influence on him to do whatever it takes to find Soledad.
Most Pilot-y Line: A security guard at the jail tells Angelita that she has “the best booty in Bogota.” “Cutie, if your wife knew, she’d tell you to fuck off,” she replies. We guess that’s supposed to show how tough she is, but it’s just a clunky exchange.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Stolen Away has the potential to be a fascinating story about some interesting main characters, or it could go completely off the rails. Either way, the first episode gave us more than enough reason to keep watching.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
Stream Stolen Away On Netflix


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Trump adviser Stephen Miller wants more countries to field asylum claims

Hundreds of desperate Honduran migrants trying to walk to the ...

SAN DIEGO — One of President Donald Trump’s top priorities on immigration if he wins a second term would be to use agreements with Central American governments as models to get countries around the world to field asylum claims from people seeking refuge in the United States, a top adviser said Friday.
Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said the agreements would help stop “asylum fraud, asylum shopping and asylum abuse on a global scale.”
Miller, in an interview with The Associated Press, also forecast a broader offensive against so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, saying the administration would use its “full power, resources and authority.” He vowed more efforts toward legal immigration “based on merit.”
The “Asylum Cooperative Agreements” that the administration struck in 2019 have allowed for asylum seekers from El Salvador and Honduras to be flown to Guatemala for an opportunity to seek asylum, denying them a chance to apply in the U.S.
From November to March, when the coronavirus pandemic halted flights to Guatemala, only 20 of 939 Hondurans and El Salvadorans flown there sought asylum. Nearly all went home in what became known as “deportation with a layover.”
Like many of Trump’s policies that have dramatically transformed the U.S. immigration system, the bilateral agreements are being challenged in court. Critics note asylum-seekers are sent to countries with high levels of violence and poverty and little infrastructure to handle asylum claims.
The coronavirus struck before flights began to Honduras and El Salvador, putting those launches on hold.
Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have given scant attention to immigration in their 2020 campaigns, despite a spirited exchange during Thursday’s debate that was prompted by news that court-appointed lawyers have been unable to find parents of 545 children who were separated from their families early in the Trump administration.
Trump has yet to outline second-term immigration priorities in detail, though he has openly toyed with trying to repeal a constitutional right to citizenship for anyone born in the United States.
Biden has pledged to undo many, but not all, of Trump’s policies. With the pandemic and other issues, it is unclear how much appetite Biden would have to tackle all that Trump has done.
Biden campaign spokesman Mike Gwin, reacting to Miller’s comments, highlighted how far apart the candidates are on immigration.
“We are going to win this election so that people like Stephen Miller don’t get the chance to write more xenophobic policies that dishonor our American values,” Gwin said. “Unlike Trump, Vice President Biden knows that immigrants make America stronger and helped build this country, and as president he’ll ensure that they continue to play the vital role they’ve held for our entire history: enriching our communities, bolstering our economy, and serving our nation in uniform.”
Biden will introduce legislation within his first 100 days to provide a path to citizenship for people in the country illegally, bring back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to shield young people from deportation and “restore America’s historic commitment” to refuges and asylum-seekers, Gwin said.
Biden, on his campaign website, is silent about the asylum agreements that the Trump administration struck with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador last year but says he will end “detrimental” policies, including a cornerstone Trump effort to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.
Administration officials have discussed adding countries from Africa and Asia to create a global web of accords resembling those with Central American governments. Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were under heavy U.S. pressure to acquiesce last year, with Trump threatening at times to cut off international aid.
Such agreements could potentially be proposed to countries that send large numbers of asylum-seekers to the United States, such as Cameroon or China.
Trump, who made immigration a signature issue in his 2016 campaign, has introduced a flurry of regulations in recent months that are expected to be finalized soon after incorporating public feedback. They are largely about restricting asylum.
Administration officials are also looking at ways to do away with a lottery to award H-1B visas to highly skilled workers, many in the technology industry, replacing it with another selection method. H-1B visas are capped at 85,000 a year.
Miller said the administration would continue its efforts to redefine criteria for legal immigration, which are now largely based on family ties.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Trump says he now identifies as a non-denominational Christian

President Trump , who has long identified as a Presbyterian , now considers himself a non-denominational Christian , a new report said .
The president shared his change in religious identity in a written interview with the Religious News Service .
“ Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child , I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian , ” Trump wrote , without giving an explanation for the transformation or saying when it occurred .
Trump has a loyal base among white evangelicals , who in 2016 helped propel him to victory .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly a quarter of the electorate , and 81 percent of them voted for Trump , according to a report by The Washington Post .
The president told RNS that his parents “ taught me the importance of faith and prayer from a young age.
” Trump , who contracted COVID-19 in early October , attributed his swift recovery to his faith .
“ I said , ‘ There were miracles coming down from heaven.
’ I meant it — Melania and I are very thankful to God for looking out for our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he told the outlet .
The president received a cocktail of anti-virus drugs while battling COVID-19 .
After taking an antibody treatment by drugmaker Regeneron , Trump said he “ felt like Superman .
”

President Trump, who has long identified as a Presbyterian, now considers himself a non-denominational Christian, a new report said.
The president shared his change in religious identity in a written interview with the Religious News Service.
“Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child, I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian,” Trump wrote, without giving an explanation for the transformation or saying when it occurred.
Trump has a loyal base among white evangelicals, who in 2016 helped propel him to victory.
That year, the religious group made up roughly a quarter of the electorate, and 81 percent of them voted for Trump, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The president told RNS that his parents “taught me the importance of faith and prayer from a young age.”
Trump, who contracted COVID-19 in early October, attributed his swift recovery to his faith.
“I said, ‘There were miracles coming down from heaven.’ I meant it — Melania and I are very thankful to God for looking out for our family and returning us to good health,” he told the outlet.
The president received a cocktail of anti-virus drugs while battling COVID-19. After taking an antibody treatment by drugmaker Regeneron, Trump said he “felt like Superman.”


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Two dead after Navy plane crashes in Alabama neighborhood

Two people on board a US Navy plane were killed when it crashed into a residential neighborhood in Alabama on @ @ @ @ @ said .
The Naval aircraft went down in Magnolia Springs sometime before 6 p.m. local @ @ @ @ @ Nobody on the ground was injured , according to the Baldwin County Sheriff ’ s @ @ @ @ @ WKRG that two died in the fiery wreck .
Footage from the scene shows the @ @ @ @ @ appears to be somebody ’ s front yard .
A home also caught fire , @ @ @ @ @ smoke can be seen billowing into the sky .
Department of Defense and Navy officials @ @ @ @ @ .

Two pilots on board a U.S. Navy plane were killed when it crashed into a residential neighborhood in Alabama on Friday night, authorities said.
The Naval aircraft — a T-6B Texan II — went down in the city of Foley at about 5 p.m. local time, the US Naval Air Forces said in a tweet.
There were no passengers in the plane, and no civilians were injured in the fiery wreck, authorities said.
Footage from the scene from WKRG shows the plane in flames on what appears to be a residential front yard. A home also caught fire, authorities said.
Thick black smoke can be seen billowing into the sky in the footage.
Department of Defense and Navy officials will be investigating the crash.
The Naval Air Training Command mourned the loss of the two pilots.
“It is with a heavy heart that we mourn two of our pilots who lost their lives during an aircraft crash in Alabama today,” the training command wrote on Twitter.
“Our deepest sympathy goes to their family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Shipmates. We have the watch.”


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Barbarians’ on Netflix, a German Quasi-Historical Action-Drama Series in Whic

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Barbarians’ on Netflix, a German Quasi-Historical Action-Drama Series in Which People Kill and Have Sex With Each Other

Barbarians is a German Netflix series about ancient Germania , where tribes of , um , Germanians weren ’ t too thrilled to be under the thumb of the Roman empire .
Like many shows before it , it has blood and sex and a tenuous grip on history — and probably a built-in audience of people who eat up this kind of stuff like NASCAR tailgaters at a pig roast .
Now let ’ s see if it ’ ll stick to your ribs .
BARBARIANS : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT ?
Opening Shot : A boy runs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The wolf is coming !
” The Gist : Teutoberg Forest , a coupla centuries ago .
Thusnelda ( Jeanne Goursaud ) is instructed by her father to stop being happy and let him sell her to the chief of another Germanic tribe .
Daddy will get five horses and an alliance ; she ’ ll get a lifetime of subservience .
Such is the state of feminism in 9 A.D.
It ’ s also a time when one of the Caesars — Braydynn Caesar , I think — sent his legions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It doesn ’ t go over well , but there ’ s a tentative peace , until some Roman a-holes show up and demand all the goats and cabbages from Thusnelda ’ s tribe as tax , and because they think all Germans are primitive [ INSERT TITLE OF SHOW HERE ] .
They try to make the tribal leader kisseth the golden Roman eagle on a stick , but what with one thing and another , a scuffle ensues , and a Roman brute clubs Thusnelda ’ s little brother Ansgar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skull into soup .
Downside : The kid sits in the thoroughfare all day , drooling .
Upside : Everyone ’ s forgotten about her shitty arranged marriage .
Thusnelda has been secretly commingling with Folkwin Wolfspeer ( David Schutter ) , who really knows how to use his wolfspeer , it seems .
They ’ re angry about Ansgar .
So angry , Thusnelda consults the local witch doctor and prays to the Women of the Wood — including , but not limited to the Sister of Rage — to send her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an idea : infiltrate the Roman camp and steal the eagle on a stick , because it ’ s a HIGHLY SYMBOLIC eagle on a stick .
She ’ ll pose as a prostitute , he ’ ll be the pimp and two pals will help them by swimming through sewage , which seemed to make sense while I was watching it ?
I dunno .
Anyway , this is a treacherous plan , because we just saw the Romans — led by Varus ( Gaetano Aronica ) , whose cape is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man-chest armor , hello — behead the snot out of a German guy pretty much just because he was a German guy .
RIP German guy .
We hardly knew ye , because ye ’ re scene was so short .
Thusnelda and Folkwin pull off the heist , walking slowly away from a Distraction Fire in the Roman camp and arriving in the village the next morn with eagle on a stick held high .
That night , the Germanians celebrate with ale and a fire , around which they dance by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Folkwin have their own private celebration with a doink and a sexy couples ’ bath .
But the postcoital sponging is interrupted when the Romans arrive to piss on the party .
What Shows Will It Remind You Of ?
Game of Thrones , Spartacus and the vast assemblage of violent historical-fiction series that pop up in a Netflix search for “ barbar ” : Rise of Empires : Ottoman , Roman Empire , Viking Destiny , Knightfall , The Last Kingdom , Troy : Fall of a City and Barbra : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Magic !
.
Our Take : A bear has been poked .
The question is , who ’ s the poker and who ’ s the bear ?
Barbarians is rooted in the true story of a Germanic alliance clobbering a whole lotta Romans , thus preventing further expansion of the empire on their dirtlands .
Whether there was a real Thusnelda or Folkwin , and if they made love to the howl of the wolves thrice daily , well , I don ’ t care .
They ’ re the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight and f— , and fight and f— they do .
The show bullseyes every cliche of series like these : Sex , violence , a kernel or three of history , gloomy lighting , haughty oppressors , righteous oppressees , etc .
It ’ s reasonably well-executed , although after one episode , we have yet to see an inevitable large-scale battle sequence , rendering it difficult to determine its artistic merits .
These things live and die by their battle sequences , see .
Game of Thrones had a couple great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to achieve that level of guts and fire , but if the first episode ’ s beheading scene is evidence , it carries a promise of some good old-fashioned brutal bowel-wrenching graphic-ass violence .
If you ’ ve already burned through all the aforementioned series , you ’ re probably game for this one .
Sex and Skin : Butts , boobs and overstylized schtups in lighting that sure seems unnatural for 9 A.D. Parting Shot : The Roman gent at the village gate removes his helmet and looks at the chief .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
SMASH TO CREDITS .
Sleeper Star : Whoever plays the witch doctor inevitably steals two scenes per episode .
Most Pilot-y Line : “ I shit on your stinking peace !
” says a Germanic dissenter who wants to go to war with Rome , and also doesn ’ t understand that shitting on something that already stinks is kinda pointless Our Call : STREAM IT .
Barbarians is nothing we haven ’ t seen before , but it ’ ll quench your bloodthirst , and it ’ s good for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better be a gruesome battle in episode two , though , or we might just tune out .
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 .

Barbarians is a German Netflix series about ancient Germania, where tribes of, um, Germanians weren’t too thrilled to be under the thumb of the Roman empire. Like many shows before it, it has blood and sex and a tenuous grip on history — and probably a built-in audience of people who eat up this kind of stuff like NASCAR tailgaters at a pig roast. Now let’s see if it’ll stick to your ribs.
BARBARIANS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A boy runs through the woods, playfully shouting, “The wolf is coming!”
The Gist: Teutoberg Forest, a coupla centuries ago. Thusnelda (Jeanne Goursaud) is instructed by her father to stop being happy and let him sell her to the chief of another Germanic tribe. Daddy will get five horses and an alliance; she’ll get a lifetime of subservience. Such is the state of feminism in 9 A.D. It’s also a time when one of the Caesars — Braydynn Caesar, I think — sent his legions into middle Europe to get all imperialist. It doesn’t go over well, but there’s a tentative peace, until some Roman a-holes show up and demand all the goats and cabbages from Thusnelda’s tribe as tax, and because they think all Germans are primitive [INSERT TITLE OF SHOW HERE]. They try to make the tribal leader kisseth the golden Roman eagle on a stick, but what with one thing and another, a scuffle ensues, and a Roman brute clubs Thusnelda’s little brother Ansgar (Jeremy Miliker), turning his skull into soup. Downside: The kid sits in the thoroughfare all day, drooling. Upside: Everyone’s forgotten about her shitty arranged marriage.
Thusnelda has been secretly commingling with Folkwin Wolfspeer (David Schutter), who really knows how to use his wolfspeer, it seems. They’re angry about Ansgar. So angry, Thusnelda consults the local witch doctor and prays to the Women of the Wood — including, but not limited to the Sister of Rage — to send her Ruin and Death. They come up with an idea: infiltrate the Roman camp and steal the eagle on a stick, because it’s a HIGHLY SYMBOLIC eagle on a stick. She’ll pose as a prostitute, he’ll be the pimp and two pals will help them by swimming through sewage, which seemed to make sense while I was watching it? I dunno.
Anyway, this is a treacherous plan, because we just saw the Romans — led by Varus (Gaetano Aronica), whose cape is attached to the nipple rings on his man-chest armor, hello — behead the snot out of a German guy pretty much just because he was a German guy. RIP German guy. We hardly knew ye, because ye’re scene was so short. Thusnelda and Folkwin pull off the heist, walking slowly away from a Distraction Fire in the Roman camp and arriving in the village the next morn with eagle on a stick held high. That night, the Germanians celebrate with ale and a fire, around which they dance by grunting and thumping their chests. Thusnelda and Folkwin have their own private celebration with a doink and a sexy couples’ bath. But the postcoital sponging is interrupted when the Romans arrive to piss on the party.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Game of Thrones, Spartacus and the vast assemblage of violent historical-fiction series that pop up in a Netflix search for “barbar”: Rise of Empires: Ottoman, Roman Empire, Viking Destiny, Knightfall, The Last Kingdom, Troy: Fall of a City and Barbra: The Music, the Mem’ries, the Magic!.
Our Take: A bear has been poked. The question is, who’s the poker and who’s the bear? Barbarians is rooted in the true story of a Germanic alliance clobbering a whole lotta Romans, thus preventing further expansion of the empire on their dirtlands. Whether there was a real Thusnelda or Folkwin, and if they made love to the howl of the wolves thrice daily, well, I don’t care. They’re the heroes and we want to see them fight and f—, and fight and f— they do.
The show bullseyes every cliche of series like these: Sex, violence, a kernel or three of history, gloomy lighting, haughty oppressors, righteous oppressees, etc. It’s reasonably well-executed, although after one episode, we have yet to see an inevitable large-scale battle sequence, rendering it difficult to determine its artistic merits. These things live and die by their battle sequences, see. Game of Thrones had a couple great ones. Barbarians isn’t likely to achieve that level of guts and fire, but if the first episode’s beheading scene is evidence, it carries a promise of some good old-fashioned brutal bowel-wrenching graphic-ass violence. If you’ve already burned through all the aforementioned series, you’re probably game for this one.
Sex and Skin: Butts, boobs and overstylized schtups in lighting that sure seems unnatural for 9 A.D.
Parting Shot: The Roman gent at the village gate removes his helmet and looks at the chief. “Hello father,” he says. SMASH TO CREDITS.
Sleeper Star: Whoever plays the witch doctor inevitably steals two scenes per episode.
Most Pilot-y Line: “I shit on your stinking peace!” says a Germanic dissenter who wants to go to war with Rome, and also doesn’t understand that shitting on something that already stinks is kinda pointless
Our Call: STREAM IT. Barbarians is nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’ll quench your bloodthirst, and it’s good for a guffaw or two. There’d better be a gruesome battle in episode two, though, or we might just tune out.
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.
Stream Barbarians on Netflix


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Arnold Schwarzenegger surprises fans with news of second heart surgery

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be a terminator , but he ’ s clearly an iron man .
The indefatigable former governor of California surprised fans Friday with the announcement that he had a new aortic valve put in recently , on the heels of his pulmonary valve that was replaced two years ago .
Schwarzenegger , 73 , had the procedure done at the Cleveland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his hospital bed but also from the streets of The Cle , extolling the city ’ s “ amazing statues.
” Schwarzenegger took a little longer to recover from his March 2018 surgery , which replaced a pulmonic valve originally installed in 1997 to correct a congenital defect .
Two weeks after the procedure , he updated fans that he was feeling better , but “ not great yet.
” Feel better soon , Arnold ; there ’ s probably another installment of the “ Terminator ” franchise being greenlit somewhere .

Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
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Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be a terminator, but he’s clearly an iron man.
The indefatigable former governor of California surprised fans Friday with the announcement that he had a new aortic valve put in recently, on the heels of his pulmonary valve that was replaced two years ago.
Schwarzenegger, 73, had the procedure done at the Cleveland Clinic, and posted updates not just from his hospital bed but also from the streets of The Cle, extolling the city’s “amazing statues.”
Schwarzenegger took a little longer to recover from his March 2018 surgery, which replaced a pulmonic valve originally installed in 1997 to correct a congenital defect. Two weeks after the procedure, he updated fans that he was feeling better, but “not great yet.”
Feel better soon, Arnold; there’s probably another installment of the “Terminator” franchise being greenlit somewhere.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Stream It Or Skip It: ‘After We Collided’ On VOD, The Steamy, Toxic Sequel To Harry Styles Fan Fic-I

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘After We Collided’ On VOD, The Steamy, Toxic Sequel To Harry Styles Fan Fic-Inspired ‘After’

Last year , After , a novel that began as Harry Styles-inspired fan fiction , was adapted for the big screen .
The results were… less than stellar .
Despite these negative reviews , however , this romance about a college freshman and her hot , broody British boyfriend is back for a second installment called After We Collided , now streaming on VOD .
Will our chaotic couple stay together ?
Will new , equally hot dudes tear them apart ?
Let ’ s find out .
AFTER WE COLLIDED : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT ?
The Gist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their relationship , After We Collided generously offers up a little bit of a romance recap .
After getting sucked into a whirlwind romance ( and eventual betrayal ) her freshman year of college , Tessa ( Josephine Langford , sister of 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford ) tries to start a new chapter of her life as an intern at a publishing house .
Meanwhile , her brooding British ex Hardin ( Hero Fiennes-Tiffin , AKA .
Ralph Fiennes nephew ) spirals into a dark place , yearning for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter how many times she tries to push him away .
Adding drama to the mix this time around is her cute new coworker Trevor ( Dylan Sprouse ) , who makes Hardin feel threatened and Tessa unsure of her feelings .
While things remain rocky between Tessa and Hardin for a short while , the two begin to reconcile after a drunken hotel hookup and some nudges from his overly warm mother , for whom the two pretend to still be dating to please .
There ’ s an ice skating-hot yoga-office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an unexpected exchange of I-love-yous , and some ticking time bomb lurking underneath it all .
That ’ s right , things can ’ t stay nice and happy forever .
They have to crash and burn , because that ’ s the kind of chaos self destructive bad boys like Hardin are obligated to create !
Will her shy-but-hot coworker distract her from Hardin ?
Will family dynamics get in the way of any semblance of a healthy relationship ?
Will true love prevail ?
All this ( and more !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of After We Collided .
What Movies Will It Remind You Of ?
: I think After We Collided wants to exist in the same guilty pleasure category as steamy , toxic romances like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey , but it is so endlessly cringe-y that it doesn ’ t even deserve a spot among those titles .
Performance Worth Watching : Not much to write home about here , folks .
Not one performance worth watching .
Though I do have to give a shoutout to Selma Blair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one minute .
Maybe even less .
Memorable Dialogue : There are so many truly terrible gems in After We Collided , but an early exchange between a cranky Hardin and a friend at a party is a particular favorite : “ Well well , look what the cat dragged in , ” his friend taunts .
“ That ’ s a stupid fucking expression .
Why would a cat drag me anywhere ?
” Hardin retorts .
It ’ s like , a bad attempt at conveying his British bad boy mopeyness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utter ditz .
Art .
Sex and Skin : After We Collided is full of sexual encounters that feel like they were written by a horny sixteen-year-old girl ; frantic clothes-tearing-off and steamy drunk sex in a hotel room , ill-advised ex birthday sex , post-hot yoga shower sex , forbidden office sex that moves way more slowly and emotionally than any sexual encounter in an office should , and yes , you guessed it , simultaneous orgasms that occur RIGHT as the clock strikes midnight on New Year ’ s .
Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I cackled within the first MINUTE of After We Collided , a film that compares this stale romance to the Greeks , and Shakespeare , the Brontes , Jane Austen .
I shouted “ what IS THIS MOVIE ?
” aloud multiple times into my empty apartment .
Granted , I have made similar exclamations while watching the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise , but at least those movies brought me some kind of joy .
After We Collided bizarrely combines a Lifetime Original Movie-level script with a series of attempts at erotic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Lifetime , and it… never quite works .
If there was even an inkling of chemistry between Fiennes-Tiffin and Langford , perhaps some of the steamier or more emotional sequences might have worked , but there ’ s no heat here .
Not even a feeling of hatred or disgust – there ’ s no real feeling at all , and that ’ s why the whole thing flops so dramatically .
I ’ m not sure if any of the actors in After We Collided have any kind of chemistry with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No couple , no group , no single person and accompanying scenery .
It ’ s almost impressive .
In addition to no feeling , there ’ s no story ; After We Collided plays out like a series of vignettes in a dysfunctional relationship .
And so much of it… doesn ’ t… make… sense .
Every scene elicited a “ why ” ?
From me .
If you ’ re going to do this kind of thing , why not take things to as crazy a level as possible ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more drama !
Even the dramatic moments that do exist in the film are so hindered by the high school theater-level dialogue exchanges that we can ’ t get invested at all .
And the stakes could not be lower .
And if you ’ re wondering if there ’ s at least some originality to cling to , I ’ m sorry to say you ’ re going to be disappointed .
This movie has every trope : the brooding alcoholic , the perfect intern at the PUBLISHING HOUSE , the conveniently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal , the slow-mo shattering champagne glass , the altruistic parent who pushes a couple at odds together , the job offer that tears them apart .
It ’ s like playing C-level romance bingo , but without the juiciness you might get from other genre classics .
Here ’ s the thing about movies like After We Collided ; an electric couple can survive a doomed script .
A disinterested duo can not .
Without that crucial component , everything else is doomed to fail .
The fact that Tessa doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that no one in this world has heard of therapy , or that a young college student is somehow so perfect at this internship immediately would all have been easy to ignore if there was a couple to root for .
But they leave us with nothing .
And all it would have taken is a simple spark .
The sex scenes aren ’ t sexy , and that ’ s , like , the number one thing you need for this kind of movie to work .
The sex has to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how toxic the relationship is !
But we ’ re never given the chance to forget ( or frankly , the chance to care . )
Our Call : SKIP IT .
If there was any chemistry at all between the two leads and the script was about 50 % less cringeworthy , it might be worth the watch with one ( or five ) glasses of wine .
Unfortunately , however , After We Collided doesn ’ t earn a place in the so-bad-it ’ s-good category it aspires to .
Jade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes .
Follow her on Twitter : @ jadebudowski .
Where to Stream After We Collided

Last year, After, a novel that began as Harry Styles-inspired fan fiction, was adapted for the big screen. The results were… less than stellar. Despite these negative reviews, however, this romance about a college freshman and her hot, broody British boyfriend is back for a second installment called After We Collided, now streaming on Netflix after spending the last few months on VOD. Will our chaotic couple stay together? Will new, equally hot dudes tear them apart? Let’s find out.
AFTER WE COLLIDED: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: In case you missed the beginning of their relationship, After We Collided generously offers up a little bit of a romance recap. After getting sucked into a whirlwind romance (and eventual betrayal) her freshman year of college, Tessa (Josephine Langford, sister of 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford) tries to start a new chapter of her life as an intern at a publishing house. Meanwhile, her brooding British ex Hardin (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, AKA. Ralph Fiennes nephew) spirals into a dark place, yearning for a shot at forgiveness and pursuing Tessa no matter how many times she tries to push him away. Adding drama to the mix this time around is her cute new coworker Trevor (Dylan Sprouse), who makes Hardin feel threatened and Tessa unsure of her feelings.
While things remain rocky between Tessa and Hardin for a short while, the two begin to reconcile after a drunken hotel hookup and some nudges from his overly warm mother, for whom the two pretend to still be dating to please. There’s an ice skating-hot yoga-office shenanigans montage, a sappy gift exchange, an unexpected exchange of I-love-yous, and some ticking time bomb lurking underneath it all. That’s right, things can’t stay nice and happy forever. They have to crash and burn, because that’s the kind of chaos self destructive bad boys like Hardin are obligated to create! Will her shy-but-hot coworker distract her from Hardin? Will family dynamics get in the way of any semblance of a healthy relationship? Will true love prevail? All this (and more!) is kind of answered by the end of After We Collided.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: I think After We Collided wants to exist in the same guilty pleasure category as steamy, toxic romances like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey, but it is so endlessly cringe-y that it doesn’t even deserve a spot among those titles.
Performance Worth Watching: Not much to write home about here, folks. Not one performance worth watching. Though I do have to give a shoutout to Selma Blair, who is literally in this movie for one minute. Maybe even less.
Memorable Dialogue: There are so many truly terrible gems in After We Collided, but an early exchange between a cranky Hardin and a friend at a party is a particular favorite: “Well well, look what the cat dragged in,” his friend taunts. “That’s a stupid fucking expression. Why would a cat drag me anywhere?” Hardin retorts. It’s like, a bad attempt at conveying his British bad boy mopeyness while also making him seem like an utter ditz. Art.
Sex and Skin: After We Collided is full of sexual encounters that feel like they were written by a horny sixteen-year-old girl; frantic clothes-tearing-off and steamy drunk sex in a hotel room, ill-advised ex birthday sex, post-hot yoga shower sex, forbidden office sex that moves way more slowly and emotionally than any sexual encounter in an office should, and yes, you guessed it, simultaneous orgasms that occur RIGHT as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s.
Our Take: I have to admit that I cackled within the first MINUTE of After We Collided, a film that compares this stale romance to the Greeks, and Shakespeare, the Brontes, Jane Austen. I shouted “what IS THIS MOVIE?” aloud multiple times into my empty apartment. Granted, I have made similar exclamations while watching the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, but at least those movies brought me some kind of joy. After We Collided bizarrely combines a Lifetime Original Movie-level script with a series of attempts at erotic sex scenes that would never be allowed on Lifetime, and it… never quite works. If there was even an inkling of chemistry between Fiennes-Tiffin and Langford, perhaps some of the steamier or more emotional sequences might have worked, but there’s no heat here. Not even a feeling of hatred or disgust – there’s no real feeling at all, and that’s why the whole thing flops so dramatically. I’m not sure if any of the actors in After We Collided have any kind of chemistry with each other. Not any of them. No couple, no group, no single person and accompanying scenery. It’s almost impressive.
In addition to no feeling, there’s no story; After We Collided plays out like a series of vignettes in a dysfunctional relationship. And so much of it… doesn’t… make… sense. Every scene elicited a “why”? From me. If you’re going to do this kind of thing, why not take things to as crazy a level as possible? Soap it up? Throw in some more drama! Even the dramatic moments that do exist in the film are so hindered by the high school theater-level dialogue exchanges that we can’t get invested at all. And the stakes could not be lower. And if you’re wondering if there’s at least some originality to cling to, I’m sorry to say you’re going to be disappointed. This movie has every trope: the brooding alcoholic, the perfect intern at the PUBLISHING HOUSE, the conveniently emotionally-timed car crash, a fancy party proposal, the slow-mo shattering champagne glass, the altruistic parent who pushes a couple at odds together, the job offer that tears them apart. It’s like playing C-level romance bingo, but without the juiciness you might get from other genre classics.
Here’s the thing about movies like After We Collided; an electric couple can survive a doomed script. A disinterested duo cannot. Without that crucial component, everything else is doomed to fail. The fact that Tessa doesn’t have a single friend, or that no one in this world has heard of therapy, or that a young college student is somehow so perfect at this internship immediately would all have been easy to ignore if there was a couple to root for. But they leave us with nothing. And all it would have taken is a simple spark. The sex scenes aren’t sexy, and that’s, like, the number one thing you need for this kind of movie to work. The sex has to be so sexy that it makes us forget how toxic the relationship is! But we’re never given the chance to forget (or frankly, the chance to care.)
Our Call: SKIP IT. If there was any chemistry at all between the two leads and the script was about 50% less cringeworthy, it might be worth the watch with one (or five) glasses of wine. Unfortunately, however, After We Collided doesn’t earn a place in the so-bad-it’s-good category it aspires to.
Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.
Watch After We Collided on Netflix


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Denzel Mims’ long-awaited Jets debut could finally be here

Wide receiver Denzel Mims has only had six days of team practice heading into his potential NFL debut Sunday , but the 2020 second-round draft pick isn ’ t at all worried about how he ’ ll fit in with the Jets ’ offense .
After missing nearly all of training camp with a hamstring injury , Mims hurt his other hamstring just days before the Jets ’ season opener in Buffalo .
He was able to practice for the first time last week since the start of the season and head coach Adam Gase sounded confident the rookie receiver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the first time this Sunday against the Bills .
As far as Mims ’ concern for the missed time with quarterback Sam Darnold ?
He says he has none .
“ I feel like even before I got hurt , I feel like I built a good connection with Sam , ” he said on a Zoom call Friday afternoon following practice .
“ We both came back around the same time this time , I feel like we just picked up where we left off .
We continue to try and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his fellow receivers , Mims said he feels confident in his understanding of the offense .
The 23-year-old Baylor product believes he can bring energy to the team , and that he can “ make plays and do everything that I can to help the team out to get a victory.
” As difficult as it has been for Mims to watch from the sideline , he said he was able to dedicate even more time to studying the offense while he waited to make his debut .
“ I feel like I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the offense , ” Mims said .
“ I ’ ve been studying extra , working with the receivers , trying to get all the plays down , trying to get as much help as I can.
” When the Jets took Mims 59th overall in this year ’ s draft , the organization was likely hoping he ’ d be an immediate contributor .
As he struggled to stay healthy early , it became clear the Jets would have to wait longer than they would have liked to see what he could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed out that Mims hasn ’ t had the practice time the team would like him to get before making his debut , but the second-year Jets coach believes he has incredible potential and will be able to work through all the new information that ’ s been thrown his way this week .
“ He ’ s got incredible length , range .
He can go up and get the ball , [ and has ] speed .
He has all those traits that you ’ re looking for in a guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Gase said on a Zoom call Thursday .
“ It ’ s just keep teaching him technique , scheme , coverages , all those little details that he might not have seen a lot of in college.
” Mims became a starter his sophomore year at Baylor , starting 11 of 12 games and finishing with 61 receptions for 1,087 yards with eight touchdowns .
Starting in all 13 games his senior year , Mims recorded 66 receptions for 1,020 yards with 12 touchdowns .
He was named to the 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his collegiate career , ranking sixth on Baylor ’ s career receiving yards list ( 2,925 ) and fifth in career receptions ( 186 ) .
Mims ’ road to his NFL debut strongly resembles that of Odell Beckham Jr. , who missed the first four games of his Giants rookie season in 2014 due to a hamstring injury he aggravated during training camp .
Beckham made his NFL debut in Week 5 and caught the go-ahead touchdown in a win over the Falcons .
The Jets are simply hoping for a go-ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were to play a part in it , that would just be the sweetener .
“ I ’ m going to be happy , it ’ s going to be my first game , I ’ m going to be very excited , have a lot of emotions before the game , ” Mims said .
“ But I ’ m just going to have to lock myself back in so I ’ m not distracted .
”

Wide receiver Denzel Mims has only had six days of team practice heading into his potential NFL debut Sunday, but the 2020 second-round draft pick isn’t at all worried about how he’ll fit in with the Jets’ offense.
After missing nearly all of training camp with a hamstring injury, Mims hurt his other hamstring just days before the Jets’ season opener in Buffalo. He was able to practice for the first time last week since the start of the season and head coach Adam Gase sounded confident the rookie receiver would be able to take the field for the first time this Sunday against the Bills.
As far as Mims’ concern for the missed time with quarterback Sam Darnold? He says he has none.
“I feel like even before I got hurt, I feel like I built a good connection with Sam,” he said on a Zoom call Friday afternoon following practice. “We both came back around the same time this time, I feel like we just picked up where we left off. We continue to try and get better.”
With the help of his fellow receivers, Mims said he feels confident in his understanding of the offense. The 23-year-old Baylor product believes he can bring energy to the team, and that he can “make plays and do everything that I can to help the team out to get a victory.”
As difficult as it has been for Mims to watch from the sideline, he said he was able to dedicate even more time to studying the offense while he waited to make his debut.
“I feel like I’m in a great place with the offense,” Mims said. “I’ve been studying extra, working with the receivers, trying to get all the plays down, trying to get as much help as I can.”
When the Jets took Mims 59th overall in this year’s draft, the organization was likely hoping he’d be an immediate contributor. As he struggled to stay healthy early, it became clear the Jets would have to wait longer than they would have liked to see what he could bring to the field.
Gase has pointed out that Mims hasn’t had the practice time the team would like him to get before making his debut, but the second-year Jets coach believes he has incredible potential and will be able to work through all the new information that’s been thrown his way this week.
“He’s got incredible length, range. He can go up and get the ball, [and has] speed. He has all those traits that you’re looking for in a guy that can be a really good receiver,” Gase said on a Zoom call Thursday. “It’s just keep teaching him technique, scheme, coverages, all those little details that he might not have seen a lot of in college.”
Mims became a starter his sophomore year at Baylor, starting 11 of 12 games and finishing with 61 receptions for 1,087 yards with eight touchdowns. Starting in all 13 games his senior year, Mims recorded 66 receptions for 1,020 yards with 12 touchdowns.
He was named to the 2019 First Team All-Big 12 to cap off his collegiate career, ranking sixth on Baylor’s career receiving yards list (2,925) and fifth in career receptions (186).
Mims’ road to his NFL debut strongly resembles that of Odell Beckham Jr., who missed the first four games of his Giants rookie season in 2014 due to a hamstring injury he aggravated during training camp. Beckham made his NFL debut in Week 5 and caught the go-ahead touchdown in a win over the Falcons.
The Jets are simply hoping for a go-ahead touchdown, period. But if Mims were to play a part in it, that would just be the sweetener.
“I’m going to be happy, it’s going to be my first game, I’m going to be very excited, have a lot of emotions before the game,” Mims said. “But I’m just going to have to lock myself back in so I’m not distracted.”


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Chris Cuomo’s deadly COVID-19 hypocrisy

Chris Cuomo’s deadly COVID-19 hypocrisy

CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo is proving himself king of the “ do as I say , not as I do.
” The latest : Even as he pushes obsessively from his prime-time cable pulpit about wearing face masks , he just got caught regularly skipping the public-health precaution himself .
Management at the anchor ’ s Manhattan apartment building is trying to set him straight — with a written warning for repeatedly violating the rules , and so risking a $ 500 fine .
“ You have been observed entering and exiting the building and riding the elevator without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Aug. 6 letter , as reported by Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson .
“ Even though staff members have asked you to comply with this requirement , you have refused to do so .
This is a violation of the Executive Order , building policy , and places other residents and our staff at risk .
There are no exceptions to this rule , and you are required to comply.
” That “ executive order ” comes from Gov .
Andrew Cuomo , the anchor ’ s big brother .
“ Rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks to be Chris ’ mantra .
Back in April , he was caught ignoring the rules while living out in the Hamptons .
He actually had the virus , yet Cuomo failed to quarantine properly , even getting into a fight with bicyclist who harassed him for hanging outside of his East Hampton home in April .
Having recovered now , he may have immunity — but that makes going maskless in his city building even more shameful .
And his recent slam at President Trump for going maskless : “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like he did .
But with me , it crushed me .
It left me ashamed and super sensitive to keeping people safe , ” said Cuomo .
Are your neighbors not people , Chris ?

CNN’s Chris Cuomo is proving himself king of the “do as I say, not as I do.”
The latest: Even as he pushes obsessively from his prime-time cable pulpit about wearing face masks, he just got caught regularly skipping the public-health precaution himself.
Management at the anchor’s Manhattan apartment building is trying to set him straight — with a written warning for repeatedly violating the rules, and so risking a $500 fine.
“You have been observed entering and exiting the building and riding the elevator without the required face coverings,” reads the Aug. 6 letter, as reported by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
“Even though staff members have asked you to comply with this requirement, you have refused to do so. This is a violation of the Executive Order, building policy, and places other residents and our staff at risk. There are no exceptions to this rule, and you are required to comply.”
That “executive order” comes from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the anchor’s big brother.
“Rules for thee but not for me” looks to be Chris’ mantra. Back in April, he was caught ignoring the rules while living out in the Hamptons. He actually had the virus, yet Cuomo failed to quarantine properly, even getting into a fight with bicyclist who harassed him for hanging outside of his East Hampton home in April.
Having recovered now, he may have immunity — but that makes going maskless in his city building even more shameful.
And his recent slam at President Trump for going maskless: “I got my wife and son sick just like he did. But with me, it crushed me. It left me ashamed and super sensitive to keeping people safe,” said Cuomo. Are your neighbors not people, Chris?
What a moralizing phony.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Antonio Brown’s NFL return coming with Tom Brady’s Buccaneers

Antonio Brown and Tom Brady are together again .
The free agent receiver and the Buccaneers agreed to a one-year contract , ESPN reported Friday night .
The details still need to be worked out , and Brown will have to pass the NFL ’ s coronavirus protocols , but he can debut with the Brady-led team as early as Week 9 , a Sunday night game against the Saints on Nov. 8 .
Brown ’ s eight-game suspension this season for multiple violations of the league ’ s personal conduct policy will be up after Week 8 .
Brady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New England last season , against the Dolphins , in which the receiver caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown .
The six-time Super Bowl champion Brady pushed to bring Brown to Tampa Bay , according to ESPN .
Brown joining the Buccaneers was shot down back in March by head coach Bruce Arians .
At the time , Arians said the controversial Brown signing with the team was “ not gon na happen ” because “ it ’ s not a fit here , ” even with Brady coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed with the Buccaneers ( 4-2 ) leading the NFC South and having eyes on a Super Bowl run .
Brown will join an offense that already has receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans , as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski .
Tampa Bay was not the only team trying to court Brown .
The Seahawks were also reportedly in the mix .
Brown worked out with Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson this summer .
The early MVP candidate has gotten to know the former Steeler and Raider well and believes he deserves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antonio definitely has taken those steps [ in the right direction ] , and like I said , nobody ’ s perfect , ” Wilson told reporters Thursday .
“ From the conversations I ’ ve had with him , he ’ s really been remorseful , and he ’ s been humbled along the way .
Like I said , I pray that he can continue to grow , just like anybody.
” Brown forced his way into a trade from the Raiders to the Patriots last season and was eventually cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more criminal allegations arose .
The NFL is still looking into allegations against Brown of sexual assault , on three separate occasions , made by his former trainer in a civil suit .
The 32-year-old former Pro Bowler was also accused of sexual misconduct by an artist and pleaded guilty to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident with a moving truck company .

Antonio Brown and Tom Brady are together again.
The free agent receiver and the Buccaneers agreed to a one-year contract, ESPN reported Friday night. The details still need to be worked out, and Brown will have to pass the NFL’s coronavirus protocols, but he can debut with the Brady-led team as early as Week 9, a Sunday night game against the Saints on Nov. 8. Brown’s eight-game suspension this season for multiple violations of the league’s personal conduct policy will be up after Week 8.
Brady and Brown were teammates for one game in New England last season, against the Dolphins, in which the receiver caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. The six-time Super Bowl champion Brady pushed to bring Brown to Tampa Bay, according to ESPN.
Brown joining the Buccaneers was shot down back in March by head coach Bruce Arians. At the time, Arians said the controversial Brown signing with the team was “not gonna happen” because “it’s not a fit here,” even with Brady coming in. That sentiment appears to have changed with the Buccaneers (4-2) leading the NFC South and having eyes on a Super Bowl run.
Brown will join an offense that already has receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Tampa Bay was not the only team trying to court Brown. The Seahawks were also reportedly in the mix. Brown worked out with Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson this summer. The early MVP candidate has gotten to know the former Steeler and Raider well and believes he deserves a second chance.
“I think Antonio definitely has taken those steps [in the right direction], and like I said, nobody’s perfect,” Wilson told reporters Thursday. “From the conversations I’ve had with him, he’s really been remorseful, and he’s been humbled along the way. Like I said, I pray that he can continue to grow, just like anybody.”
Brown forced his way into a trade from the Raiders to the Patriots last season and was eventually cut after one game by New England as more criminal allegations arose. The NFL is still looking into allegations against Brown of sexual assault, on three separate occasions, made by his former trainer in a civil suit. The 32-year-old former Pro Bowler was also accused of sexual misconduct by an artist and pleaded guilty to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident with a moving truck company.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Andrew Cuomo’s outrageous COVID-19 vaccine games

ALBANY — Gov .
Andrew Cuomo wants his own team of ...

Getting nearly everyone vaccinated for the coronavirus is vital to finally getting America back to normal. So it’s beyond outrageous that Gov. Cuomo has been feeding “anti-vax” fears, just to score a few cheap anti-Trump points.
The gov announced this week that he won’t distribute any federally approved COVID-19 vaccine until his own experts review it and deem it safe.
“I think it’s going to be a very skeptical American public about taking the vaccine, and they should be,” he told “Good Morning America” — ironically, in an appearance promoting his new book on his supposedly miraculous leadership amid the pandemic.
Cuomo said he doesn’t “trust this federal administration and their health administration” on a vaccine. “You’re going to need someone other than this FDA and this CDC saying it’s safe.”
Bull: No way would all the career professionals at those agencies go along with putting lives at risk, no matter what the politicians might order.
And why, exactly, should anyone trust Cuomo’s own heath minions to get it right? Even setting aside their deadly March 25 order to force infected patients into nursing homes, they’ve just been exposed as bungling from the start of the pandemic.
New York’s Public Health and Health Planning committees, which advise the Health Department, this week slammed Team Cuomo for heavily focusing on hospitals while ignoring input from other public-health officials and medical providers.
“All participants collectively felt that the voice of the health care and public health community — outside of hospitals — was missing in the state’s response to COVID,” the panels reported. State policymakers are “too often unaware of the needs” of the local population, with local medical providers “undervalued in planning and policy making.”
The report revealed that primary care and local health departments were “the last to get” personal protective equipment and coronavirus tests. And they were “unable to utilize their local lab capacity,” even as one hospital reported that 80 percent of its coronavirus patients were home in the community.
The panels also noted countless complaints from nursing-home operators about that disastrous March 25 order, which led to thousands of deaths. Insiders all know that the driving force behind that killer mandate was the hospital lobby, which was panicking about possibly running out of beds.
Instead of owning up to his mistakes, Cuomo’s making the media rounds pushing his book, in which he paints himself as a hero before the pandemic is even over. He’s been too busy, it seems, to meet with the families of those who lost loved ones in nursing homes — some of whom put copies of his book cover in a casket at a recent protest.
If you really want to show leadership, governor, stop putting lives at risk as you look to score dirty political points.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Sometimes it looks like neither Biden nor Trump is trying to win

`` One of the most stunning moments last night was when ...

Are both presidential candidates trying to lose? Or at least pursuing campaign strategies that put them at grave risk of defeat?
In nearly four years, Donald Trump has made little effort to win over the 50 percent-plus of voters who didn’t support him in 2016. Having proved that he could win the presidency without a plurality of the popular vote, he has ignored the possibility that he could govern more effectively if he were reelected with an absolute majority.
You can see the results as Trump supporters scan the polling data for encouraging information. They quickly pass over the national polls showing him trailing by 7.7 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. They focus instead on the chart showing him running slightly better against Joe Biden in the battleground states than he was against Hillary Clinton two to three weeks out in 2016.
If these numbers prove as much off the mark as in 2016, Trump could win a second term with 270-plus electoral votes. But that conclusion requires a lot of assumptions.
Past polling hasn’t leaned consistently toward one party, and pollsters tend to compensate — often overcompensate — for apparent past mistakes.
Astonishingly, Trump has failed to emphasize his two signature 2016 issues: immigration and trade. He can claim that his new trade agreements and economic policies have produced income and wealth gains disproportionately favoring low-wage workers — something administrations of both parties have failed to achieve for a generation.
And he can argue that his immigration policies — and the cooperation he has successfully wrested from Mexico — have prevented the surge of unskilled illegal immigrants that could easily resume the minute the networks call the election for Joe Biden.
Biden has a different strategy, with risks of its own. With a solid lead in the polls, and with COVID-19 providing a rationale for laying low, he’s running out the clock. On nearly half the days in September, his staffers announced an early lid. Sometimes, he’d generate no news after 9 a.m. He took three days off this week for debate preparation.
He and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris have taken almost no questions from reporters, almost all of whom seem determined not to ask anything that might hurt his chances.
Biden has answered which flavor milkshake he ordered but has refused to say whether he, like many other Democrats, would support packing the Supreme Court. He chewed out the one reporter who asked him about his son Hunter’s business deals. Harris, similarly, keeps out of question range. ABC’s Jonathan Karl notes that she’s taken more questions from the cast of “The Avengers” than from the traveling press.
Obviously, the Biden-Harris ticket is deflecting attention from the radical policies that Biden has endorsed — and that almost everyone in the press corps favors. After 40 years of opposing government-paid abortions, he now backs them. He’s likely to use regulations to reduce fracking, which has reduced gas prices and carbon emissions. His tax increases threaten to stymie economic recovery.
There’s one problem with this strategy: If something does rock the boat, it could tip it over. A sudden brain freeze or an unanticipated negative story could capsize the campaign. Efforts to help the Biden campaign, such as Twitter’s and Facebook’s attempts to conceal the New York Post’s Hunter Biden story, could boomerang and catch voters’ attention.
The Biden campaign is aware of the risks. It quickly rejected the Trump campaign’s proposal to reschedule the canceled Oct. 15 debate to Oct. 29.
The fact is that both these septuagenarian candidates are capable of political self-harm.
They have been willing to share their vagrant and passing thoughts on matters momentous and trivial at great, and sometimes embarrassing, length. The question now is whether Trump can repress that impulse or provoke Biden to indulge it.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Ambushed victim bites off ear of one of his attackers in NYC

A man was allegedly jumped by a family of three in the Bronx on Friday — and he defended himself @ @ @ @ @ his attackers ’ ears , police sources said .
The 24-year-old victim was ganged up @ @ @ @ @ a mother , her husband and their son — when he tried to retrieve his @ @ @ @ @ outside of 2387 Creston Avenue in Fordham Heights at about 12:30 p.m. , sources said @ @ @ @ @ the man with a cane , while the husband and son whacked the man with @ @ @ @ @ sources said .
At some point , the victim bit off one of their ears @ @ @ @ @ act was done in self defense .
The 24-year-old man was taken to St. Barnabas @ @ @ @ @ .
The three suspects remained at large late Friday , cops said .

A man was allegedly jumped by a family of three in the Bronx on Friday — and he defended himself by biting off one of his attackers’ ears, police sources said.
The 24-year-old victim was ganged up on by the trio — a mother, her husband and their son — when he tried to retrieve his phone from one of them outside of 2387 Creston Avenue in Fordham Heights at about 12:30 p.m., sources said.
The mother repeatedly struck the man with a cane, while the husband and son whacked the man with a piece of wood, sources said.
At some point, the victim bit off one of their ears, telling police the desperate act was done in self defense.
The 24-year-old man was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with bruising and swelling.
The three suspects remained at large late Friday, cops said.


newyorkpost--2020-10-23--Markus Golden trade could be first of Giants’ veteran sell-off

It never seemed like a good fit the moment this ...

It’s back to reality for the Giants.
Trading pass-rusher Markus Golden to the Cardinals on Friday is a signal the fourth-quarter collapse against the Eagles ended delusions of playoff contention and solidified the Giants’ (1-6) position as sellers before the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline.
“Just because there is a trade deadline coming up doesn’t mean there is going to be a string of moves,” coach Joe Judge said before the Golden trade, “or we’re going to have to look to go ahead and flip a lot of things.”
Golden, who was strangely used as a spare part by the Giants despite a rash of injuries at outside linebacker, had a team-high 14 quarterback pressures in limited snaps. The Giants dumped about half of his $4 million salary and picked up a sixth-round draft pick in 2021. Golden returns to the Cardinals, who drafted him in 2015, to ease the blow of losing Chandler Jones to injury.
It’s a trickier than usual deadline for the Giants, who must make evaluations before returning to on-field action Nov. 2 for a Monday-night game against the Buccaneers.
Is general manager Dave Gettleman empowered to make moves impacting the future while on the hot seat? What message will a fire sale send to the young locker room? How will subtracting pieces impact the development of other players, especially if trades strip quarterback Daniel Jones of more protection and playmakers?
This is where ownership’s decision in January to hire Judge and retain Gettleman, creating disjointed timelines, is an issue.
Gettleman might want to act in self-preservation and add a player to boost the struggling roster — as he did by shipping two draft picks to the Jets for pending free agent Leonard Williams in the middle of a nine-game losing streak last season — while Judge can look to the future as a first-year coach.
“We’ve had great synergy in the building since I have been here with everybody involved,” Judge said. “We’ve been very open with a lot of discussions and talking through the personnel. I expect that to continue. We’re not racing for some kind of a draft pick. That’s not our priority right now. We’re trying to win.”
Here is a look at five other veterans who could be dealt for mid- or late-round picks if this becomes a full-fledged firesale:
TE Evan Engram: The Giants turned down offers for Engram two years in a row. The phone will ring again with a lesser return price — but still probably the highest (fourth- or fifth-rounder) of anyone on this list.
Engram, 26, is finally healthy after two injury-plagued years, but seems mismatched for this offense. His production (235 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown) is far from expectations and his drop against the Eagles soured fans. Some team will see the explosive athleticism and say, “Our coaches can unlock his talent!” Will the Giants pull the trigger?
Until March, Engram’s $6 million salary for 2021 is only guaranteed for injury, so he offers trade flexibility as a half-season rental or an extended bargain if he breaks through. Fits: Bills, Patriots, Panthers.
DT Dalvin Tomlinson: Preliminary extension talks haven’t gained much traction even though Tomlinson, 26, repeats he wants to stay put. He is a top run defender with $612,000 remaining on the final year of his contract.
“I feel like the Giants are a competitor,” Tomlinson said. “It’s just the tradition. The toughness. The D-line is built on physicality. I just feel like that’s something I always want to be a part of.” Fits: Bills, Chiefs, Lions.
OLB Kyler Fackrell: Smart move by Fackrell, 28, signing a one-year, $4.6 million deal in free agency after a down year. He has three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble, recapturing some of the disruption he created during a 10.5-sack season for the Packers in 2018. Fits: Seahawks, Raiders, Patriots.
OG Kevin Zeitler: Regarded as the team’s best offensive lineman, Zeitler, 30, is enduring a subpar season and the Giants could move him to make way for rookie Shane Lemieux. Zeitler’s $14.5 million cap charge in 2021 falls to $2.5 million in dead space if released. Fits: Bears, Bills, Steelers, Eagles.
WR Golden Tate: The Lions received a third-round pick for Tate at the 2018 deadline. Since joining the Giants, Tate, 32, has missed four games to suspension, two to injury and his signature yards-after-catch are way down this season after he ran free in 2019. He has two years and $14.5 million remaining on his deal — or $4.5 million in dead space. Fits: Patriots, Ravens, Saints.