newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Seton Hall is Final Four-caliber team we’ve waited 21 years for

Every year around this time , there is hope .
Hope one of our local teams go on a run .
Hope by March there is a team that can get hot and play deep into the month .
Hope there is a program everyone can get behind .
This year , we have more than hope .
We have realistic dreams .
There is a team that doesn ’ t have to get lucky to win a tournament game or get the right draw to reach the Sweet 16 .
Seton Hall looks like a legitimate Final Four contender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have such high expectations since St. John ’ s 21 years ago .
That team , led by Ron Artest , Erick Barkley and Lavor Postell , came within three points of the Final Four , ousted by Ohio State in the Elite Eight .
It was a three-seed .
No local team has been seeded that high since .
Only the 1999-2000 Seton Hall team has reached the second weekend , and that group was a 10-seed that lost in the regional semifinals .
It ’ s been a long drought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are experienced and deep , well-coached and versatile .
They can play big or go small .
They have one of the premier players in the country in senior Myles Powell and emerging complementary scorers in Quincy McKnight , Jared Rhoden and Sandro Mamukelashvili .
Center Romaro Gill is one of the premier shot-blockers in the country — he ’ s rejected 3.6 shots per game , third-most in the country — a key to the Pirates being ranked ninth in defensive efficiency .
They have nine wins away from home and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most in the country .
Their 13 Quadrant 1 and 2 wins are the second-most in the nation , behind only Kansas ’ s 15 .
They have four wins over teams ranked in the top 24 of the NET , the ratings tools the selection committee relies on .
“ I really think they ’ re one of the best teams in the country , ” Villanova coach Jay Wright said on Saturday after losing to the Pirates , likening them to some of his best teams .
On Saturday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day before Selection Sunday , Seton Hall was projected as a three-seed in the South Region , and then went out and knocked off No .
10 Villanova on the road .
A two- or three-seed in the East , which would set them up to play at the Garden the second weekend of the tournament , is within grasp .
Everything has fallen into place for Seton Hall this year .
Powell , a National Player of the Year candidate , flirted with the NBA and returned .
Several key players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teams in college basketball , nobody Seton Hall should fear .
The road to the Final Four could be a local one : Albany followed by the Garden .
This is more than hope .
Good fortune isn ’ t needed .
Seton Hall has all the pieces — and the needed résumé — to give the area some real March memories .
It ’ s been 21 years since that could be said about any team around here .
With every loss , St. John ’ s fans seem to grow more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I get emails , text-messages and tweets about it .
My message : Breathe .
This was never going to be a quick fix , not after Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds left early for the professional ranks .
This team , now 2-9 in the Big East and 13-11 overall , was picked ninth in the Big East by the league ’ s coaches because of a shortage of talent .
Many of the players on this roster don ’ t fit Anderson ’ s pressing , up-tempo style .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ East and he ’ s learning the league .
I frequently hear a common refrain from St. John ’ s fans , that they ’ re tired of the losing .
It ’ s been 20 years since the Johnnies last won an NCAA Tournament game .
That ’ s not Anderson ’ s fault .
He just got here .
Give him time , let him recruit .
It ’ s not a coincidence he ’ s never had a losing season before in 17 previous seasons as a head coach , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will wind up with one this year , either .
Hate him or love him .
Bobby Knight deserved Saturday at Assembly Hall .
At 79 years of age , the former coach is dealing with health issues .
But it was a day he will cherish , his long-awaited return to Indiana , where he coached for 29 seasons .
Twenty years after his firing , he was back for the first time and received a warm ovation , surrounded by so many of his former players .
After he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Knight declined to return , skipping championship team reunions and even his induction into the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 .
But he moved back to the area in July and had gone to an Indiana baseball game last spring , a sign of the changing tide .
Knight won a school-record 662 games , 11 Big Ten championships , reached five Final Fours and led the Hoosiers to three national titles .
He could be boorish , and his methods were at times over the top .
Still , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No .
8 Florida State at No .
7 Duke , Monday , 7 p.m.
It ’ s a rarity when the ACC features a must-watch game — the league has fallen that far this year — but this certainly qualifies .
The loser will fall two games behind No .
5 Louisville atop the ACC , while the winner remains right on the Cardinals ’ tail for the league crown .
Florida State is red-hot , having won 13 of its past 14 games — eight by double figures .
Duke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be riding high coming off its thrilling , come-from-behind overtime victory at bitter rival North Carolina .
It feels like a lifetime ago Doughty was a St. John ’ s commit .
It was actually five years ago .
His career has been a whirlwind since .
From decommitting after then-coach Steve Lavin was let go , ruled a partial qualifier his first season at VCU , transferring after a solid freshman year , and now being the leading scorer for one of the premier teams in the country after serving as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s run to the Final Four last year .
The 6-foot-4 senior from Philadelphia has been one of the keys to the Tigers ’ surprising run atop the SEC after losing three starters , averaging career-highs in points ( 15.5 ) , rebounds ( 3.9 ) and assists ( 2.6 ) .
Whenever Maryland slips , you hear the calls for his job .
Well , now that the Terrapins are surging , it ’ s only fair for Turgeon to be credited .
He has Maryland on its way to a fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Big Ten — the best conference in the country this year — after an impressive win at No .
20 Illinois on Friday night .
Ninth-ranked Maryland has three league road wins — that ’ s a lot in its conference — and has the kind of inside-out duo in Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr. that can make March magic .
Nobody will ever confuse Turgeon with a brilliant tactician , but he has Maryland headed to its best regular season since reaching the Sweet 16 four years ago .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Star freshman Cole Anthony missed 11 games due to a knee injury .
Understood .
But the Tar Heels should not be 10-13 .
They should not have blown a 13-point lead with 4:40 remaining in regulation Saturday against Duke and they certainly shouldn ’ t have home losses to Wofford , Georgia Tech , Boston College and Clemson .
You can blame coach Roy Williams .
You can blame the players .
Both are fair .
The stain of this season , the worst in Chapel Hill in 18 years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under Matt Doherty , is on everyone .
Indiana and Archie Miller have lost four straight games and are on the bubble in his third season .
Arizona and Sean Miller lost at home to mediocre UCLA on Saturday and despite a strong NET ranking of 11 , are far from safe because of a pedestrian résumé that includes just two Quadrant 1 wins .
This was supposed to be a big year for both brothers after they missed the tournament last year .
Instead , February is here , and neither team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March .

Every year around this time, there is hope.
Hope one of our local teams goes on a run. Hope by March there is a team that can get hot and play deep into the month. Hope there is a program everyone can get behind.
This year, we have more than hope. We have realistic dreams. There is a team that doesn’t have to get lucky to win a tournament game or get the right draw to reach the Sweet 16.
Seton Hall looks like a legitimate Final Four contender — the first team from this area to have such high expectations since St. John’s 21 years ago. That team, led by Ron Artest, Erick Barkley and Lavor Postell, came within three points of the Final Four, ousted by Ohio State in the Elite Eight. It was a three-seed.
The highest seed for a local since was St. John’s getting a No. 2 in 2000, but it fell in the second round to Gonzaga, the 10th seed. Only the 1999-2000 Seton Hall team has reached the second weekend, and that group was a 10-seed that lost in the regional semifinals. It’s been a long drought.
These 12th-ranked Pirates are different. They are experienced and deep, well-coached and versatile. They can play big or go small. They have one of the premier players in the country in senior Myles Powell and emerging complementary scorers in Quincy McKnight, Jared Rhoden and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Center Romaro Gill is one of the premier shot-blockers in the country — he’s rejected 3.6 shots per game, third-most in the country — a key to the Pirates being ranked ninth in defensive efficiency. They have nine wins away from home and six Quadrant 1 road victories, the most in the country. Their 13 Quadrant 1 and 2 wins are the second-most in the nation, behind only Kansas’s 15. They have four wins over teams ranked in the top 24 of the NET, the ratings tools the selection committee relies on.
“I really think they’re one of the best teams in the country,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said on Saturday after losing to the Pirates, likening them to some of his best teams.
On Saturday’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal five weeks and a day before Selection Sunday, Seton Hall was projected as a three-seed in the South Region, and then went out and knocked off No. 10 Villanova on the road. A two- or three-seed in the East, which would set them up to play at the Garden the second weekend of the tournament, is within grasp.
Everything has fallen into place for Seton Hall this year. Powell, a National Player of the Year candidate, flirted with the NBA and returned. Several key players have improved. There are no great teams in college basketball, nobody Seton Hall should fear. The road to the Final Four could be a local one: Albany followed by the Garden.
This is more than hope. Good fortune isn’t needed. Seton Hall has all the pieces — and the needed résumé — to give the area some real March memories. It’s been 21 years since that could be said about any team around here.
Take it queasy
With every loss, St. John’s fans seem to grow more skeptical of first-year coach Mike Anderson.
I get emails, text-messages and tweets about it. My message: Breathe. This was never going to be a quick fix, not after Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds left early for the professional ranks.
This team, now 2-9 in the Big East and 13-11 overall, was picked ninth in the Big East by the league’s coaches because of a shortage of talent. Many of the players on this roster don’t fit Anderson’s pressing, up-tempo style. It’s his first year in the Big East and he’s learning the league.
I frequently hear a common refrain from St. John’s fans, that they’re tired of the losing. It’s been 20 years since the Johnnies last won an NCAA Tournament game. That’s not Anderson’s fault. He just got here.
Give him time, let him recruit. It’s not a coincidence he’s never had a losing season before in 17 previous seasons as a head coach, and I still don’t think he will wind up with one this year, either.
A Knight to remember
Hate him or love him. Bobby Knight deserved Saturday at Assembly Hall.
At 79 years of age, the former coach is dealing with health issues. But it was a day he will cherish, his long-awaited return to Indiana, where he coached for 29 seasons. Twenty years after his firing, he was back for the first time and received a warm ovation, surrounded by so many of his former players.
After he was sent packing from Indiana in 2000, Knight declined to return, skipping championship team reunions and even his induction into the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. But he moved back to the area in July and had gone to an Indiana baseball game last spring, a sign of the changing tide.
Knight won a school-record 662 games, 11 Big Ten championships, reached five Final Fours and led the Hoosiers to three national titles. He could be boorish, and his methods were at times over the top. Still, for nearly three decades he was Indiana basketball.
Game of the Week
No. 8 Florida State at No. 7 Duke, Monday, 7 p.m.
It’s a rarity when the ACC features a must-watch game — the league has fallen that far this year — but this certainly qualifies. The loser will fall two games behind No. 5 Louisville atop the ACC, while the winner remains right on the Cardinals’ tail for the league crown. Florida State is red-hot, having won 13 of its past 14 games — eight by double figures. Duke has won five in a row and will be riding high coming off its thrilling, come-from-behind overtime victory at bitter rival North Carolina.
Seedings
1: Baylor, Kansas, Gonzaga, San Diego State
2: Louisville, Duke, Seton Hall, Dayton
3: Maryland, Florida State, Oregon, West Virginia
4: Auburn, Penn State, Villanova, Colorado
Stock Watch
Up: Samir Doughty
It feels like a lifetime ago Doughty was a St. John’s commit. It was actually five years ago. His career has been a whirlwind since. From decommitting after then-coach Steve Lavin was let go, ruled a partial qualifier his first season at VCU, transferring after a solid freshman year, and now being the leading scorer for one of the premier teams in the country after serving as a quality role player in Auburn’s run to the Final Four last year. The 6-foot-4 senior from Philadelphia has been one of the keys to the Tigers’ surprising run atop the SEC after losing three starters, averaging career-highs in points (15.5), rebounds (3.9) and assists (2.6).
Up: Mark Turgeon
Whenever Maryland slips, you hear the calls for his job. Well, now that the Terrapins are surging, it’s only fair for Turgeon to be credited. He has Maryland on its way to a fifth NCAA Tournament in seven years, atop the Big Ten — the best conference in the country this year — after an impressive win at No. 20 Illinois on Friday night. Ninth-ranked Maryland has three league road wins — that’s a lot in its conference — and has the kind of inside-out duo in Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr. that can make March magic. Nobody will ever confuse Turgeon with a brilliant tactician, but he has Maryland headed to its best regular season since reaching the Sweet 16 four years ago.
Down: North Carolina
The talent isn’t typical North Carolina. Star freshman Cole Anthony missed 11 games due to a knee injury. Understood. But the Tar Heels should not be 10-13. They should not have blown a 13-point lead with 4:40 remaining in regulation Saturday against Duke and they certainly shouldn’t have home losses to Wofford, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Clemson. You can blame coach Roy Williams. You can blame the players. Both are fair. The stain of this season, the worst in Chapel Hill in 18 years, since North Carolina won just eight games under Matt Doherty, is on everyone.
Down: Millers
Indiana and Archie Miller have lost four straight games and are on the bubble in his third season. Arizona and Sean Miller lost at home to mediocre UCLA on Saturday and despite a strong NET ranking of 11, are far from safe because of a pedestrian résumé that includes just two Quadrant 1 wins. This was supposed to be a big year for both brothers after they missed the tournament last year. Instead, February is here, and neither team seems like it will be a factor in March.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--How socialist is Bernie Sanders?

How socialist is Bernie Sanders?

How socialist is Bernie Sanders , anyway ?
Now that he looks to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination , everyone ’ s starting to ask .
It clearly means something that he ’ s refused to register as a Democrat ( except during prez runs ) for his entire adult life .
That ’ s roughly half a century as a capital-S Socialist — because he thinks the government should control a lot more of the economy .
He doesn ’ t talk today as he did in the 1970s and ’ 80s of nationalizing most major industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs deep : This is , after all , the guy who thinks it ’ s deeply wrong that you can buy so many different kinds of deodorant .
But Medicare-for-All , which means outlawing all private insurance , isn ’ t the only “ let Uncle Sam run it ” policy he ’ s pushing .
Notably , his “ climate change ” plan aims to make the feds the nation ’ s main supplier of electricity : Sanders would spend $ 16 trillion to , among other things , have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plants to replace the fossil-fuel plants that now generate nearly all America ’ s electricity .
Bernie says that ’ s the only way to make US power generation carbon-free by 2030 .
On the other hand , he also calls his energy plan a “ 10-year , nationwide mobilization centered on equity and humanity.
” Which rather gives away the truth that , as with the Green New Deal , the point is use the fight against climate change as an excuse for what he really thinks is needed : government control @ @ @ @ @ @

How socialist is Bernie Sanders, anyway? Now that he looks to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, everyone’s starting to ask.
It clearly means something that he’s refused to register as a Democrat (except during prez runs) for his entire adult life. That’s roughly half a century as a capital-S Socialist — because he thinks the government should control a lot more of the economy.
He doesn’t talk today as he did in the 1970s and ’80s of nationalizing most major industries. But his distrust of the market runs deep: This is, after all, the guy who thinks it’s deeply wrong that you can buy so many different kinds of deodorant.
But Medicare-for-All, which means outlawing all private insurance, isn’t the only “let Uncle Sam run it” policy he’s pushing.
Notably, his “climate change” plan aims to make the feds the nation’s main supplier of electricity: Sanders would spend $16 trillion to, among other things, have the government build its own wind and solar plants to replace the fossil-fuel plants that now generate nearly all America’s electricity.
Bernie says that’s the only way to make US power generation carbon-free by 2030. On the other hand, he also calls his energy plan a “10-year, nationwide mobilization centered on equity and humanity.” Which rather gives away the truth that, as with the Green New Deal, the point is use the fight against climate change as an excuse for what he really thinks is needed: government control of, well, everything.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Mets’ next buyer could get control immediately after Steve Cohen fiasco

Steve Cohen broke the agreement he signed to buy the ...

Want to buy the Mets without enduring a messy transition? That could happen in the wake of the latest sale fiasco.
An industry source told The Post that, with Allen & Co. set to put the Mets back on the market Monday after the $2.6 billion deal with hedge-fund magnate Steve Cohen imploded last week, there will be no preconditions on the terms of the sale.
Unlike the Cohen deal, the Wilpons and Katzes are open to surrendering power immediately. Bloomberg first reported this development.
After honing in on Cohen months ago, the Mets this time intend to open their sale process in more of a conventional auction.
The Mets and Cohen announced in December their agreement for a sale on the condition that “Fred Wilpon will remain in the role of the Control Person and CEO for five years and Jeff Wilpon will remain in his role of Chief Operating Officer for the 5 year period as well.”
That wording left room open for interpretation; a “role,” after all, can refer to a title and salary without actual power. While accounts of why and how this deal fell apart differed wildly, a significant portion of the disagreement clearly covered how much say such “roles” entitled the Wilpons to even as Cohen increased his investment in the club.
Throw in the Mets’ flushed agreement with a second hedge-fund magnate, David Einhorn, back in 2011, and that marks two occasions in which the current club owners announced their intention to sell the club, only to fail to reach the finish line. With team president Saul Katz desiring to divest his shares, the urgency to sell the team hasn’t dissipated.
The onus falls on the Wilpons and Katzes to find a buyer who can match Cohen’s considerable net worth and sizable offer. As Cohen, still a Mets minority owner, jabbed in a statement last week, “…as an 8% holder I’m looking forward to a higher bid for the team.”


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--NYCHA isn’t the only city agency that keeps bungling on lead paint

It looks like the city Department of Education is trying to beat the New York City Housing Authority in the “ failing to deal with lead paint ” game .
Which is more dysfunctional ?
Bart Schwartz , the federal monitor overseeing NYCHA , reports that the agency is still failing to inspect and get the lead out of its apartments .
NYCHA ’ s lead inspections are again behind schedule and will miss the deadline to check 134,000 units by year ’ s end .
More than 100,000 apartments haven ’ t been inspected , and 55 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be contaminated .
And NYCHA ’ s failing to test apartments after they ’ re ( supposedly ) de-leaded .
Oh , and it ’ s not just the apartments : 52,000 lead hot spots have turned up in stairwells , halls , community rooms and other common areas in NYCHA buildings .
Schwartz also says NYCHA ’ s current four-year timetable to get lead-free is too long .
Meanwhile , a Freedom of Information filing by Gothamist and WNYC reveals that the DOE has only managed to complete annual inspections for 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s inspecting just 16 percent of such schools in Manhattan each year , and only 2 percent in Brooklyn .
A City Hall flack claims it ’ s just bad DOE record-keeping : “ Incomplete database records are not proof that the work did not occur.
” How reassuring .
Of course , the school system ( like NYCHA ) is falling down on countless other fronts — such as special education and basic school safety .
Maybe it ’ s time for a strong federal monitor watching the DOE , @ @

It looks like the city Department of Education is trying to beat the New York City Housing Authority in the “failing to deal with lead paint” game. Which is more dysfunctional?
Bart Schwartz, the federal monitor overseeing NYCHA, reports that the agency is still failing to inspect and get the lead out of its apartments. NYCHA’s lead inspections are again behind schedule and will miss the deadline to check 134,000 units by year’s end.
More than 100,000 apartments haven’t been inspected, and 55 percent of those that have been turned out to be contaminated. And NYCHA’s failing to test apartments after they’re (supposedly) de-leaded.
Oh, and it’s not just the apartments: 52,000 lead hot spots have turned up in stairwells, halls, community rooms and other common areas in NYCHA buildings.
Schwartz also says NYCHA’s current four-year timetable to get lead-free is too long.
Meanwhile, a Freedom of Information filing by Gothamist and WNYC reveals that the DOE has only managed to complete annual inspections for 12 percent of schools serving young children. It’s inspecting just 16 percent of such schools in Manhattan each year, and only 2 percent in Brooklyn.
A City Hall flack claims it’s just bad DOE record-keeping: “Incomplete database records are not proof that the work did not occur.” How reassuring.
Of course, the school system (like NYCHA) is falling down on countless other fronts — such as special education and basic school safety. Maybe it’s time for a strong federal monitor watching the DOE, too.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Oscars red carpet 2020 — see the stunning celebrity fashions

Scarlett Johansson (in Oscar de la Renta) is nominated for Best Actress for her work in "Marriage Story." She is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Jojo Rabbit."


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Oscar winners 2020: Complete list with nominees

The buzziest stars and best red-carpet fashions will be on full display for the 92nd annual Academy Awards on Sunday , Feb. 9 , 2020 .
The ceremony will broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles , California , starting at 8 p.m. on ABC .
Like the 2020 SAG Awards in January , the 2020 Oscars will be host-free this year .
The 2019 Oscars also aired without an emcee after Kevin Hart stepped down from the gig following criticism of homophobic tweets in his past .
However , this year ’ s glittery gala will feature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ali , Olivia Colman , Regina King and Rami Malek , as well as big names from comedy including Will Ferrell , Kristen Wiig , Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mindy Kaling .
Plus , multitalents Cynthia Erivo , Elton John , Idina Menzel , Chrissy Metz and Randy Newman will perform the 2020 Oscar-nominated songs .
On a more somber note , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor the late Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant , who along with his 13-year-old daughter , Gianna , and seven others died in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26 .
Bryant , 41 , won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for “ Dear Basketball , ” which focuses on “ the inspiring story of one little boy living out his basketball dream.
” Watch this space to see whether “ Judy ” star Renée Zellweger lands her second Oscar and director front-runner Sam Mendes gets his second gold statue for “ 1917.
” The full list of winners and nominees appears below and will be updated throughout the night .
Antonio Banderas , “ Pain and Glory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Time in .
.
.
Hollywood ” Adam Driver , “ Marriage Story ” Joaquin Phoenix , “ Joker ” Jonathan Pryce , “ The Two Popes ” Tom Hanks , “ A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ” Anthony Hopkins , “ The Two Popes ” Al Pacino , “ The Irishman ” Joe Pesci , “ The Irishman ” Brad Pitt , “ Once Upon a Time in .
.
.
Hollywood ” Noah Baumbach , “ Marriage Story ” Rian Johnson , “ Knives Out ” Sam Mendes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tarantino , “ Once Upon a Time in .
.
.
Hollywood ” Bong Joon Ho , Han Jin-won , “ Parasite ” “ I Can ’ t Let You Throw Yourself Away , ” “ Toy Story 4 ” “ ( I ’ m Gon na ) Love Me Again , ” “ Rocketman ” “ I ’ m Standing With You , ” “ Breakthrough ” “ Into the Unknown , ” “ Frozen 2 ” “ Stand Up , ” “ Harriet ” “ In the Absence ” “ Learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re a Girl ) ” “ Life Overtakes Me ” “ St .
Louis Superman ” “ Walk Run Cha-Cha ” “ How to Train Your Dragon : The Hidden World ” “ I Lost My Body ” “ Klaus ” “ Missing Link ” “ Toy Story 4 ” “ Ford v. Ferrari ” “ Joker ” “ 1917 ” “ Once Upon a Time .
.
.
in Hollywood ” “ Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalker ”

“Parasite” was the big winner at the 92nd annual Academy Awards on Sunday, landing Best Picture honors for “speechless” producer Kwak Sin-ae and filmmaker Bong Joon Ho, who also took home the statue for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. It was the first time a non-English-language movie won Best Picture.
In the individual acting categories, Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for “Judy” — sweeping the awards season after also garnering a Golden Globe, a SAG award and a BAFTA for her performance — and Joaquin Phoenix landed Best Actor for “Joker.”
Like the 2020 SAG Awards in January, the 2020 Oscars were host-free this year. The 2019 Oscars also aired without an emcee after Kevin Hart stepped down from the gig following criticism of homophobic tweets in his past. Meanwhile, Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais has taken to Twitter to share his thoughts on the 2020 ceremony.
Janelle Monáe — with a little help from red-carpet showman Billy Porter — opened the ceremony with an original number that called out snubbed talent and productions like Eddie Murphy and his comeback film “Dolemite Is My Name.” And later in the show, rapper Eminem dropped a surprise performance of his song “Lose Yourself” from the 2002 movie “8 Mile.”
On a more somber note, during the in memoriam segment, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized the late Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, who along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26. Bryant, 41, won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for “Dear Basketball,” which focuses on “the inspiring story of one little boy living out his basketball dream.” Against a starry backdrop and accompanied by piano, singer Billie Eilish performed the Beatles’ “Yesterday” to recognize Bryant and others lost since the 2019 Oscars, including Kirk Douglas, who died at age 103 on Wednesday. However, the commemoration left out “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Luke Perry, who died in March 2019, and Cameron Boyce, who died last summer.
The Academy Awards ceremony aired live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on ABC.
The full list of winners and nominees appears below.
Best Picture:
WINNER: “Parasite”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Best Actress:
WINNER: Renée Zellweger, “Judy”
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Best Actor:
WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Best Director:
WINNER: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Best Original Song:
WINNER: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”
Best Original Score:
WINNER: “Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best International Feature Film:
WINNER: South Korea, “Parasite”
France, “Les Misérables”
North Macedonia, “Honeyland”
Poland, “Corpus Christi”
Spain, “Pain and Glory”
Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
WINNER: “Bombshell”
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”
Best Visual Effects:
WINNER: “1917”
“Avengers: Endgame”
“The Irishman”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best Film Editing:
WINNER: “Ford v. Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Parasite”
Best Cinematography:
WINNER: “1917”
“The Irishman”
“Joker”
“The Lighthouse”
“Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Best Sound Mixing:
WINNER: “1917”
“Ford v. Ferrari”
“Joker”
“Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
“Ad Astra”
Best Sound Editing:
WINNER: “Ford v. Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Best Supporting Actress:
WINNER: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Best Documentary Short Subject:
WINNER: “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”
“In the Absence”
“Life Overtakes Me”
“St. Louis Superman”
“Walk Run Cha-Cha”
Best Documentary Feature:
WINNER: “American Factory”
“The Cave”
“The Edge of Democracy”
“For Sama”
“Honeyland”
Best Costume Design:
WINNER: “Little Women”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Best Production Design:
WINNER: “Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“1917”
“Parasite”
Best Live Action Short Film:
WINNER: “The Neighbors’ Window”
“Brotherhood”
“Nefta Football Club”
“Saria”
“A Sister”
Best Adapted Screenplay:
WINNER: Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit”
Steve Zaillian, “The Irishman”
Anthony McCarten, “The Two Popes”
Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, “Joker”
Greta Gerwig, “Little Women”
Best Original Screenplay:
WINNER: Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won, “Parasite”
Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
Rian Johnson, “Knives Out”
Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Best Animated Short Film:
WINNER: “Hair Love”
“Daughter”
“Kitbull”
“Memorable”
“Sister”
Best Animated Feature:
WINNER: “Toy Story 4”
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“I Lost My Body”
“Klaus”
“Missing Link”
Best Supporting Actor:
WINNER: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood”
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Laura Dern brings her mom, Diane Ladd, and kids as her date to Oscars 2020

The stars pull out their most glamorous looks for film 's ...

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Laura Dern‘s family served as her dates to Oscars 2020.
The 52-year-old star, who is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in “Marriage Story,” brought her famous mother, actress Diane Ladd, and her children — son Ellery Harper, 18, and daughter Jaya Harper, 15 — to the awards show Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Dern, dressed in a black-and-pink Armani Privé gown, shares Ellery and Jaya with ex-husband Ben Harper. Dern is also the daughter of actor Bruce Dern, though Ladd and Bruce divorced in 1969.
Laura is expected to win in her category, as she’s been sweeping the prize throughout awards season.
“It feels like really good, loving energy. We’re all close friends … It’s got a very special feeling,” Dern told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet. “I’m here with my mom, Diane Ladd, and my children.”
“A family affair,” Seacrest noted.
“It really is,” Dern responded, “so it makes me very happy.”


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Billie Eilish hits Oscars 2020 red carpet in white Chanel pantsuit

Jessica Simpson was heartbroken after photo of her in 'mom jeans ' went viral

True to her signature style, Billie Eilish skipped the ballgown for the 2020 Oscars.
The “Bad Guy” singer, 18, hit the red carpet on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles wearing an oversized white tweed Chanel jacket and pants. While the outfit featured the same slouchy proportions for which Eilish is know, it was a sharp departure from the Gucci looks she’s been sporting nonstop lately, including to last month’s Grammys.
The musician was also wearing a pair of lace fingerless gloves and sporting her neon green roots.
The tweed suit will likely serve Eilish functionally as well as fashionably; the Feb. 9, 2020 red carpet was hit with a downpour, causing the plastic roof to sag under the weight of the rain.
The star is set to perform during the “In Memoriam” segment during the show; she has not revealed what song she will sing, only hinting that it is one she has “always loved.” The Academy reportedly raced to include Kirk Douglas in the segment after he died on Wednesday at the age of 103. The segment is also expected to honor Kobe Bryant.
In January, it was announced that Eilish will record the theme song for Daniel Craig’s upcoming James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” making her the youngest artist to do so.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Mahmoud Abbas makes noise at UN again rather than try to negotiate peace

On Tuesday , at the White House , President Trump formally enshrined ...

Someone in the Palestinian Authority should get President Mahmoud Abbas a map — because he seems to be lost and confused. You’d think he’d respond to President Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan by traveling to Jerusalem or Washington to negotiate directly with Israel. Instead, he’s coming to the Big Apple.
On Tuesday, he will speak before the UN Security Council and seek a vote condemning the American plan. This isn’t the first time Abbas has taken a very wrong turn.
After receiving an Israeli peace offer in 2008, he continued down the well-trodden path of Palestinian rejectionism and never delivered a response.
Four years later, Abbas evidently lost his way to the Obama White House, refusing to respond to Israeli gestures and explore ways to break an impasse in negotiations. Instead, he ended up petitioning the UN General Assembly to grant the PA “non-state-observer” status.
Two years ago, the Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — in recognition of historical fact, present-day political reality and US law. Abbas again ran to Turtle Bay to denounce the administration’s decision instead of negotiating.
As in the past, Abbas is combining his pleas for international sympathy with incitement back home. To generate attention for his dramatics at Turtle Bay, he is inciting violence and calling for the habitual Palestinian “Day of Rage.”
This time, he said he would thwart Trump’s plan “no matter who the victims might be.” As usual, it is Israelis and Palestinians who will pay the price of such incendiary rhetoric.
Perhaps the reason Abbas so often tucks tail and runs to New York is that Palestinians can find a semblance of support only at antiquated international organizations. Like a mother shielding a child fearful of facing reality, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United Nations and other such institutions still try to shield the Palestinians and their agenda. And they still speak with a fairly unified, anti-Israel voice.
But the diplomatic traditions and bureaucratic mechanisms of these organizations move at glacial paces compared to the rapid transformation of the world outside. Things have changed dramatically — in the Middle East and beyond.
The more accurate barometer of international patience for Abbas’ antics is to be found in national statements and bilateral relations. Here, it is clear that many countries have stopped buying into the lie that Abbas is interested in a peaceful resolution with Israel.
Crucially, that includes many Arab and Muslim countries, which are increasingly weary of Abbas. They are choosing to downgrade the Palestinian issue to refocus on other national priorities, such as guarding against the Iranian threat, thawing relations with Israel to access our defense and tech capabilities and so on.
Hence why Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates sent their ambassadors to the White House for President Trump’s unveiling of his long-awaited plan. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, meanwhile, urged both sides to entertain the plan.
While international organizations may stand with Abbas, their individual member states and other nations around the world are seeing through continued Palestinian intransigence and rejectionism. They prefer to entertain a more realistic path that could lead to a peaceful resolution, which Trump’s vision represents.
Yet Abbas and his PA remain uninterested in this path forward, choosing instead to seek refuge in the plush halls of the United Nations. Abbas’ performances may resonate with his sycophants at Turtle Bay, but they won’t help the Palestinians living in Jenin, Tulkarm or Qalqilyah. And while his news cycle will be brief, the lasting impact of direct negotiations can be just that: lasting.
Seventy-three years ago, Jewish leaders said “Yes” and never looked back. In the same time, Palestinian Arab leaders have repeatedly said “No” and never stopped looking back.
With his scheduled trip to New York, Abbas is committing the Palestinian people to living in the past. His repeated rejections throughout his decade and a half in office have held his people back from a prosperous future. As Trump, like his predecessors, explained last week, the path toward a brighter future begins with negotiations in Jerusalem.
Someone with the best interests of the Palestinian people in mind would do well to remind Abbas of this fact — and point him in the right direction.
Danny Danon is Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Red Sox snag shortstop named after Derek Jeter in Mookie Betts trade

The Red Sox now have their own Jeter .
As part of the reworked blockbuster Mookie Betts trade on Sunday , Boston acquired from the Dodgers top prospect Jeter Downs , a shortstop named after Hall of Famer and Yankees legend Derek Jeter .
Downs , 21 , was born in Colombia 20 days after Jeter made the first of his 14 All-Star games in 1998 .
“ It ’ s kind of crazy how it all worked out , ” Jeter told the Dayton Daily News in 2018 of his connection to Derek Jeter .
“ When you think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was just beginning his career when I was born and wasn ’ t that special yet .
But my mom fell in love with everything about him and he ended up this huge thing.
” Downs ’ mother told the outlet that before Downs was born , she had just started watching the Yankees and “ admired Derek Jeter , the young boy.
” “ I liked how he played baseball with that love and how he pushed himself , ” Lucila Downs said .
“ I loved the name … and those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it came to me.
” MLB.com ranked Downs as the Dodgers ’ fifth-best prospect last season , and he is considered among the top shortstop prospects in baseball .
But Red Sox fans waiting for Downs to torment the Yankees like Jeter did their own team for 20 seasons likely will have to wait .
Originally a late first-round pick of the Reds in 2017 , Downs finished last season in Double-A , where he hit five home runs and had 11 RBIs while hitting .333/.429/.688 in 12 games .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handles includes Jeter ’ s “ 2 , ” is a strong hitter , but average defensively .
In 107 games in High-A , Downs hit 19 home runs and collected 75 RBIs , along with hitting .269/.354/.507 .
He also has played second base .
In addition to Downs , the Dodgers are also sending the Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo in exchange for Betts and pitcher David Price .
The trade initially included the Twins , to help make the money work , but the Red Sox eventually were scared off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graterol .
The Twins and Dodgers separately completed a deal involving Graterol on Sunday .

The Red Sox now have their own Jeter.
As part of the reworked blockbuster Mookie Betts trade on Sunday, Boston acquired from the Dodgers top prospect Jeter Downs, a shortstop named after Hall of Famer and Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
Downs, 21, was born in Colombia 20 days after Jeter made the first of his 14 All-Star games in 1998.
“It’s kind of crazy how it all worked out,” Jeter told the Dayton Daily News in 2018 of his connection to Derek Jeter. “When you think of it, [Derek Jeter] was just beginning his career when I was born and wasn’t that special yet. But my mom fell in love with everything about him and he ended up this huge thing.”
Downs’ mother told the outlet that before Downs was born, she had just started watching the Yankees and “admired Derek Jeter, the young boy.”
“I liked how he played baseball with that love and how he pushed himself,” Lucila Downs said. “I loved the name … and those pretty eyes. And that’s when it came to me.”
MLB.com ranked Downs as the Dodgers’ fifth-best prospect last season, and he is considered among the top shortstop prospects in baseball.
But Red Sox fans waiting for Downs to torment the Yankees like Jeter did their own team for 20 seasons likely will have to wait.
Originally a late first-round pick of the Reds in 2017, Downs finished last season in Double-A, where he hit five home runs and had 11 RBIs while hitting .333/.429/.688 in 12 games.
According to MLB.com, Downs, whose social media handles includes Jeter’s “2,” is a strong hitter, but average defensively. He also has played second base in the minors.
In 107 games in High-A, Downs hit 19 home runs and collected 75 RBIs, along with hitting .269/.354/.507. He also has played second base.
In addition to Downs, the Dodgers are also sending the Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo in exchange for Betts and pitcher David Price.
The trade, first reported last week, initially included the Twins, to help make the money work, but the Red Sox eventually were scared off by the medical records of pitcher Brusdar Graterol.
The Twins and Dodgers separately completed a deal involving Graterol and cash on Sunday.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Andrew Cuomo’s ridiculous – and creaky – ‘high-speed rail’ fantasy

Gov .
Andrew Cuomo is calling for a “ panel of experts ” ...

In what he calls a “bold agenda” for New York’s future, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dusted off one of Albany’s creakiest bipartisan infrastructure fantasies: high-speed passenger rail service.
Cuomo announced in his recent State of the State message that he will form “a panel of engineers to re-examine past high-speed rail plans, question and rethink every assumption and method and recommend a new plan for how to build faster, greener, more reliable high-speed rail in New York.”
Any seriously honest study will reveal that to be a misplaced priority. To be sure, New York’s current long-distance train service ranges from mediocre to awful. Amtrak trains linking Albany and Vermont to New York’s Penn Station are reliable, but the rolling stock is aging, the ride is bumpy and Amtrak’s café car is unattended, no longer offering so much as a cup of coffee during the 2.5-hour trip. And Penn Station is … Penn Station.
The east-west Amtrak line linking Albany to Niagara Falls, Toronto and the Midwest is much worse. Most of stations are small and not centrally located, and the trip to Buffalo from the state capital is at least a half-hour slower than the seemingly interminable Thruway drive — and often delayed, too.
The main reason is no secret: Amtrak’s own glaring shortcomings aside, the east-west passenger trains run on rails owned by CSX Corp., a freight carrier that naturally gives priority to its own scheduled traffic.
The last serious study, back in January 2014, rejected all the “very high-speed” alternatives, citing “their extremely high cost — nearly triple the next most costly alternative — the likelihood of significant community and environmental impacts and significant engineering design difficulties necessary to create a sufficiently straight track alignment to permit those speeds.”
That left four options for modifying and improving existing rail lines from New York to Niagara Falls to run at (somewhat) higher average speeds, with estimated price tags ranging (in 2014 dollars) from $1.66 billion to almost $15 billion.
Notwithstanding such prohibitive costs, governors as far back as Mario Cuomo have conjured the high-speed rail dream. In the early 1990s, the first Gov. Cuomo announced a plan to increase New York City to Buffalo train speeds to 125 miles an hour by the end of the decade, trimming the trip from eight hours to under six.
He also floated the moonbeam of super-high-speed magnetic levitation, or “maglev,” trains running from New York to Boston. That idea died with the 1994 election of George Pataki, who in the next 12 years periodically toyed unproductively with his own higher-speed rail notions.
In a news release accompanying his State of the State pitch, the current Gov. Cuomo at least acknowledged that all previous studies have “consistently estimated that projects would take decades and be unaffordable.”
So, why should we expect yet another study to come up with different answers?
High-speed rail, or even moderately higher-speed rail, would only begin to justify its massive cost in areas much more densely populated than the old Erie Canal corridor across upstate New York.
Outside the Albany politics-government bubble, how many people really want and need better train service from, say, Rochester to Manhattan? What would they be willing to pay for it? And would the benefits be worth the cost?
Previous studies have largely eschewed such basic questions. Before turning to engineers, Cuomo should commission a credible and truly independent study of the actual market demand for faster intercity transit links.
The governor should also consider whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro North Railroad might do a better job than Amtrak on the intrastate portion of Amtrak’s Empire Service linking Albany and New York City. To relieve some of Penn Station’s chronic congestion, up to a dozen daily trains to and from Albany could be switched to Grand Central Terminal — their Manhattan base until 1991, to which they were temporarily re-routed during recent track repairs.
To use one of Cuomo’s favorite buzzwords, such changes could be at least moderately “transformative” for passengers — and no doubt far less costly than the most extreme high-speed pipe dreams.
E.J. McMahon is research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy and an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Julia Butters packs turkey sandwich in her $2.5K purse at Oscars 2020

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Julia Butters brought her own dinner to the 2020 Oscars.
The 10-year-old “Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood” actress thought ahead and pre-packed a turkey sandwich for the long award show at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
LA Times reporter Amy Kaufman got a peek inside of Butters’ pink crystal-covered Marzook purse on the red carpet, revealing the snacks. According to Kaufman, Butters said she brought the sandwich because she doesn’t “like some of the food here.”
Her Marzook bag retails for $2,495 and perfectly matches her bold pink look by Christian Siriano.
Butters may want to take up her complaints with Joaquin Phoenix, who persuaded the Academy to offer up a completely vegan and plant-based spread after doing the same at the Golden Globes.
The pint-sized star is not nominated for her breakout role; however, the Quentin Tarantino-directed film is up for 10 awards, including Best Picture.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Spike Lee pays tribute to Kobe Bryant on Oscars 2020 red carpet

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Spike Lee paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant with his look for the 2020 Oscars.
The “Do the Right Thing” director, 62, stepped onto the red carpet at LA’s Dolby Theatre dressed in a purple and gold Gucci suit inspired by the Lakers legend’s jersey that was adorned with the number 24 on both the lapels and the back of the jacket.
Lee, who directed the documentary “Kobe: Doin’ Work” in 2009, also wore a pair of Nike Kobe 9 Elite “Strategy” sneakers.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26; he was 41 years old. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna, an aspiring WNBA star, was also killed in the tragic accident, along with seven others.
This isn’t the first time Lee paid homage with his Oscars outfit choice; just last year, he paid tribute to Prince in a similar purple suit and a necklace inspired by the music icon.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Heavy rains hit Oscars 2020 red carpet

Heavy rains hit Oscars 2020 red carpet

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 ) What was originally forecast as light rain Sunday in Los Angeles turned into downpours in parts of the city , including Hollywood where the 92nd Oscars are taking place .
Around 2 p.m. PT , three hours before the start of the show at the Dolby Theatre , workers had already had to push pools of water off the plastic tarp covering the carpet along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue , where attendees are dropped off , and stretches several blocks .
At points along the carpet , the plastic cover started to sag because of the rain , and production crews could be seen running around with long poles to push the water off the edges in huge waves .
Further dampening the mood on what was supposed to be Hollywood ’ s most glamorous night , water poured onto the “ Glambot ” ( video house crew ) team at regular intervals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories up filled and overflowed .
Reporters and photographers on the carpet complained of it being cold , sparking concern and even panic at times when the rain was coming down hard .

What was originally forecast as light rain Sunday in Los Angeles turned into downpours in parts of the city, including Hollywood where the 92nd Oscars are taking place.
Around 2 p.m. PT, three hours before the start of the show at the Dolby Theatre, workers had already had to push pools of water off the plastic tarp covering the carpet along Hollywood Boulevard.
The massive carpet begins at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where attendees are dropped off, and stretches several blocks.
At points along the carpet, the plastic cover started to sag because of the rain, and production crews could be seen running around with long poles to push the water off the edges in huge waves.
Further dampening the mood on what was supposed to be Hollywood’s most glamorous night, water poured onto the “Glambot” (video house crew) team at regular intervals as the plastic cover above them two stories up filled and overflowed.
Reporters and photographers on the carpet complained of it being cold, sparking concern and even panic at times when the rain was coming down hard.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Democrats just look ridiculous pretending the economy is falling apart

Last week I had the privilege of speaking with Larry ...

It isn’t just a Beatles song, it’s America’s reality: It’s getting better all the time. So why are Democrats so wedded to the notion that America sucks and always has?
Sure, they have to poke holes in President Trump’s accomplishments and pretend things aren’t as rosy as they seem. But they take things far beyond that.
Nancy Pelosi sat behind Trump during his State of the Union Address looking like she was sorting through her mail. She would look up every once in a while to shake her head, as if the numbers he was touting were untrue.
“Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps.” “Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century.” “More people are working now than at any time in the history of our country — 157 million people at work.” These aren’t Trumpian boasts — they are empirically verifiable facts.
In her response for the opposition, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer questioned the economic data. “American workers are hurting,” she said. “In my own state. Our neighbors in Wisconsin. And Ohio. And Pennsylvania. All over the country. Wages have stagnated, while CEO pay has skyrocketed.”
But the numbers don’t lie. Gallup’s Mood of the Nation poll last week “recorded a 20-year high in Americans’ confidence in the US economy.”
And no, it isn’t just rich people excited about the boom. Writing in The New York Times last month, Ernie Tedeschi, a former US Treasury economist, noted: “These days, wages in the United States are doing something extraordinary: They’re growing faster at the bottom than at the top. In fact, recent growth for workers with low wages has outpaced that for high-wage workers by the widest margin in at least 20 years.”
Tedeschi credits state-level minimum-wage increases with this, though that can’t possibly be the full explanation. For starters, as he himself admits, “Wage data will by definition capture only those who stayed employed after an increase. If people were laid off because of a minimum-wage increase, their loss of wages wouldn’t factor into the average.” Plus, minimum-wage work only accounts for “around 13 percent of hours worked by Americans in the bottom third of wages.”
Last week, noted denier of facts Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ranted about American success and how it is impossible to achieve for those who aren’t born wealthy. Apparently unfamiliar with metaphors and figures of speech, AOC said, “It is a physical impossibility to lift yourself up by a bootstrap, by your shoelaces, it’s physically impossible. The whole thing is a joke.”
The former bartender who, ahem, pulled herself up by her bootstraps and became a congresswoman doesn’t exactly have standing to claim the American Dream is dead. Then again, in America, you can be a millionaire socialist like Bernie Sanders and win the support of a representative who claims success is impossible — despite her own.
What a country.
On Twitter, entrepreneur Carol Roth asked people to submit stories of bootstrapping in America with the hashtag #IBootstrapped. Stories poured in. People told Roth of growing up poor and now owning a business, being the first person in their families to go to college, working hard and achieving success.
Some of the most powerful accounts came from people who truly struggled, were homeless, never finished high school, had teen pregnancies — but made it anyway. The American Dream is alive in each one of those stories.
Telling Americans they will never win if they weren’t born rich isn’t just factually wrong, it discourages people from even trying to make it.
Economies are cyclical, and we won’t always be in this upswing. We will have our lows. Let’s save our despair for when things are actually going badly.
Right now, things are great, and Americans feel it. The same Gallup poll found that “nine in 10 Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in their personal life, a new high in Gallup’s four-decade trend.” Can Democrats please let us enjoy it?
Twitter: @Karol


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Mookie Betts is finally getting traded from Red Sox to Dodgers

Mookie Betts is finally getting traded — we think .
After hiccups in the originally proposed three-way trade between the @ @ @ @ @ Twins , a new deal sending Betts and David Price to the Dodgers has been @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Joel Sherman confirmed .
The Red Sox will get outfielder Alex Verdugo , @ @ @ @ @ Connor Wong from Los Angeles .
Boston ’ s issues with Twins pitcher Brusdar Graterol @ @ @ @ @ holding up the original deal .
Now , according to The Athletic , Graterol and @ @ @ @ @ the Dodgers for Kenta Maeda and cash .
The Dodgers separately had a trade in @ @ @ @ @ to the Angels , which is expected to become official after the Betts deal , @ @ @ @ @ will send cash to Los Angeles to cover roughly half of the $ 96 million @ @ @ @ @ contract over the next three years , according to multiple reports .

After hiccups in the originally proposed three-way trade between the Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins, a new deal sending Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers has been agreed upon, The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed.
The Red Sox will get outfielder Alex Verdugo, shortstop prospect Jeter Downs — who is named after Yankees legend Derek Jeter — and catcher Connor Wong from Los Angeles.
Boston’s issues with Twins pitcher Brusdar Graterol’s medical records held up the original deal. Now, according to The Athletic, Graterol and another prospect will go to the Dodgers for Kenta Maeda and cash.
Medical reviews Sunday were completed without any issues. The Dodgers separately had a trade in place to send Joc Pederson to the Angels, but that no longer is on the table, according to The Athletic.
The Red Sox had been trying to trade Betts ever since it became clear he would test free agency next offseason, with the 27-year-old former AL MVP and World Series champion possibly in line for a $400 million-plus payday.
Meanwhile the Dodgers, who have played in two of the last three World Series, had been looking all winter for the missing piece to put them over the top. With Betts, the Dodgers are likely co-favorites to win the World Series along with the Yankees.
Boston will send cash to Los Angeles to cover roughly half of the $96 million remaining on Price’s contract over the next three years, according to multiple reports.
The Red Sox, who beat the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series, now are expected to rebuild on the fly without their superstar right fielder.


newyorkpost--2020-02-09--Ex-de Blasio crony used Kardashian ties for fraud scheme, lawsuit claims

Small businesses are ripping down their awnings because they contend ...

Convicted ex-Mayor de Blasio crony Jona Rechnitz is keeping up with the Kardashians — to run a fraud scheme involving millions of dollars in diamonds, a new lawsuit charges.
The brazen crook — who used footage of himself partying with Kim Kardashian at a November jewelry show to try to convince a Manhattan federal judge to go easy on him at sentencing — is touting the same starry event to lure in marks, according to the suit obtained by The Post.
While the Kardashians have no role in the estimated $15 million scheme, Rechnitz and his wife, Rachel, have posted photos on social media of clients Kylie Jenner and Kim, as well as de Blasio, “to create a false sense of credibility’’ for themselves, documents say.
The Rechnitzes run the business Jadelle and Jewelry Diamonds, “whose marque [stet] client is the Kardashian family,’’ says the suit, filed Sunday in Los Angeles County, where the Rechnitzes live in an estimated $15,000-a-month rented pad.
Rechnitz tricked plaintiff investor Victor Franco Noval into loaning him millions of dollars by touting his “political and powerful celebrity connections,’’ court papers say.
Noval says in his suit that he loaned Rechnitz $2.8 million for his business in January 2019.
Noval did not know of Rechnitz’s past — which includes bribing New York City correction-union officials in a retirement-fund scheme — at the time, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Ronald Richards, told The Post.
Rechnitz, who Richards called an “economic terrorist,’’ is currently free while appealing his 10-month prison sentence, which he landed in December.
Under the deal between the two men, Rechnitz was to pay Noval an interest rate of 9 percent annually on the loan, the suit says. He allegedly gave Noval $7 million in diamonds, plus an ultra-luxury ride Bugatti, in return as collateral.
When Rechnitz missed deadline after deadline on repaying the loan, Noval sold off the Bugatti for $400,000 and called him out on the rest of the outstanding dough, the suit says.
Rechnitz allegedly told Noval that if he gave him the diamonds back, he would write the investor two checks totaling $3.8 million.
The diamonds and checks exchange went down last month — weeks after Rechnitz was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on wire-fraud charges. During his sentencing, Rechnitz urged the judge to “watch the video’’ of him with Kim Kardashian at the jewelry show, saying, “You’ll see me dressed in a suit trying to make a living.’’
Noval agreed to return the diamonds to Rechnitz in exchange for the checks, the suit says. The checks later bounced, according to the suit. The Rechnitzes had a Wells Fargo Bank worker who arranged to have them stopped, the papers say.
“Apparently misunderstanding his role as a ‘one of the single most important and prolific white collar cooperating witnesses in the recent history of the Southern District of New York’ according to the government, Jona mistakenly believes that this provides him immunity from committing fraud in California,’’ the documents say, quoting the feds in describing Rechnitz’s role in bringing down public officials.
Noval’s lawyer, Richards, and the court papers allege that there are other victims of Rechnitz’s out there and put the estimated total price tag on his alleged scheming at $15 million in the court papers.
“He lied to his sentencing judge and has bamboozled the amazing prosecutors … who went to bat for him,’’ the lawyer told The Post.
The lawsuit targets Rechnitz, his wife and two alleged accomplices, alleging fraud, civil theft and breach of contract, among other things.
Neither Rechnitz nor his lawyer responded to request for comment.
Noval is filing suit to encourage others who have allegedly been scammed by Rechnitz to come forward and report it, his lawyer said.
Noval is the son of investor Victorino Noval, who was convicted of mail fraud and tax evasion in 1997.
Additional reporting by Kate Sheehy


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Dog’s villainous birthmark is raising some eyebrows

Is this pup a household pet or a Disney villain in disguise ?
Lucky , a mixed Chihuahua from Bangkok @ @ @ @ @ the internet by storm due to his adorably evil eyebrow .
The dog ’ s @ @ @ @ @ arched brows of some of the world ’ s most famous characters like Gaston and @ @ @ @ @ .
The unusual spot is what originally made his owner , Natnicha Namakprasert , completely @ @ @ @ @ and decide to bring him home .

Is this pup a household pet or a Disney villain in disguise? Lucky, a mixed Chihuahua from Bangkok, Thailand, has taken the internet by storm due to his adorably evil eyebrow. The dog’s prominent birthmark, resembling the arched brows of some of the world’s most famous characters like Gaston and Maleficent, is hilariously cute. The unusual spot is what originally made his owner, Natnicha Namakprasert, completely fall in love with him and decide to bring him home.
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newyorkpost--2020-02-10--65 new coronavirus cases confirmed on cruise ship docked in Japan

An additional 65 coronavirus cases have been confirmed aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama , Japan , bringing the total to 135 – nearly doubling the previous total of 70 from Sunday , according to reports .
Ship Capt .
Stefano Ravera stressed that the startling uptick does not mean the quarantine is not working , according to CNN .
“ It was not unexpected , the additional cases , involving individuals exposed prior to the start of the quarantine , ” he said .
Ravera revised the total , which he had earlier reported as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advised that the number of cases is reduced from 66 to 65 , of which five were crew members , ” he said Monday in a recording heard by the network .
Health officials have said the ship ’ s quarantine for the nearly 3,700 crew and passengers aboard will stretch to Feb. 19 unless something unexpected happens , Reuters reported .
Japan ’ s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday that there is “ a limit capacity to process virus test samples , ” adding that officials were testing samples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , had close contact with infected people and those over the age of 80 who felt ill. For some , the quarantine — which has lasted more than a week — could last even longer , with the World Health Organization saying late Sunday that the period could be extended “ as appropriate ” for close contacts of newly confirmed cases .
Many passengers spent their time savoring lavish meals , posting messages and photos on social media , while others paced the decks to get some fresh air .
Small groups are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — with priority given to those whose cabins don ’ t have windows — but must wear masks and keep their distance from other people .
“ We ’ re out in the bay , docked , so it ’ s kind of nice , ” passenger Adam Waltz said in a video showing him and a companion walking on the deck Monday , sun flashing off the ocean .
“ Another 10 minutes .
We have a day off , then we ’ ll walk again , ” he said .
Others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live early Monday local time , after informal ballots were distributed to passengers .
Aun Na Tan watched the show on her cabin ’ s TV , saying it had been many years since she had watched the ceremony live .
“ Normally it was on during our work time , but now we have plenty of time , ” she told Reuters .
A 43-year-old Hong Kong resident quarantined with his wife , child and several other family members did the same .
“ We were rooting for ‘ Parasite ’ , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give his name , told Reuters , referring to the South Korean film that took Best Picture and two other awards .
“ We are doing origami ; the ship is making instructional videos .
We are doing some exercise , ” he said .
Shipboard TV broadcasts also featured a magician — also under quarantine — performing tricks with red silk scarves .
“ Princess stepping up its game with food service , ” passenger Matthew Smith wrote online under a photo of plates of food , including what appeared to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chocolate cake .
“ You might have to drag me off the ship when the quarantine ends , ” he quipped .

An additional 65 coronavirus cases have been confirmed aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, bringing the total to 135 – nearly doubling the previous total of 70 from Sunday, according to reports.
Ship Capt. Stefano Ravera stressed that the startling uptick does not mean the quarantine is not working, according to CNN.
“It was not unexpected, the additional cases, involving individuals exposed prior to the start of the quarantine,” he said.
Ravera revised the total, which he had earlier reported as 66.
“We have now been advised that the number of cases is reduced from 66 to 65, of which five were crew members,” he said Monday in a recording heard by the network.
Health officials have said the ship’s quarantine for the nearly 3,700 crew and passengers aboard will stretch to Feb. 19 unless something unexpected happens, Reuters reported.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday that there is “a limit capacity to process virus test samples,” adding that officials were testing samples belonging to those who had a fever, had close contact with infected people and those over the age of 80 who felt ill.
For some, the quarantine — which has lasted more than a week — could last even longer, with the World Health Organization saying late Sunday that the period could be extended “as appropriate” for close contacts of newly confirmed cases.
Many passengers spent their time savoring lavish meals, posting messages and photos on social media, while others paced the decks to get some fresh air.
Small groups are allowed out on deck every other day — with priority given to those whose cabins don’t have windows — but must wear masks and keep their distance from other people.
“We’re out in the bay, docked, so it’s kind of nice,” passenger Adam Waltz said in a video showing him and a companion walking on the deck Monday, sun flashing off the ocean.
“Another 10 minutes. We have a day off, then we’ll walk again,” he said.
Others watched the Oscars, which were broadcast live early Monday local time, after informal ballots were distributed to passengers.
Aun Na Tan watched the show on her cabin’s TV, saying it had been many years since she had watched the ceremony live.
“Normally it was on during our work time, but now we have plenty of time,” she told Reuters.
A 43-year-old Hong Kong resident quarantined with his wife, child and several other family members did the same.
“We were rooting for ‘Parasite’,” the man, who declined to give his name, told Reuters, referring to the South Korean film that took Best Picture and two other awards.
“We are doing origami; the ship is making instructional videos. We are doing some exercise,” he said.
Shipboard TV broadcasts also featured a magician — also under quarantine — performing tricks with red silk scarves.
“Princess stepping up its game with food service,” passenger Matthew Smith wrote online under a photo of plates of food, including what appeared to be mounds smoked salmon and hefty pieces of chocolate cake.
“You might have to drag me off the ship when the quarantine ends,” he quipped.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Bernie Sanders to seek ‘partial recanvass’ of Iowa caucus precincts

Bernie Sanders will ask the Iowa state Democratic Party for a “ partial recanvass ” of several precincts in the caucuses , a report said Monday .
The Sanders campaign came to the decision after reporters and others noted on Twitter that there appeared to be irregularities in the delegate calculations , the Hill reported .
The Iowa Democratic Party said Sunday that Pete Buttigieg won the majority of national convention delegates , capturing 14 , while Sanders won 12 .
The Sanders campaign did not specify which precincts they ’ ll seek a recount in , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos last Monday because of a faulty app organizers used to record data , Sanders ’ campaign released partial internal reporting numbers that showed the Vermont socialist leading in the contest .
Before their final tally was released Sunday , Iowa Democrats released numbers earlier last week that showed Sanders and Buttigieg in a virtual tie with data from 97 percent of the precincts .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren finished in third with eight delegates , and former Vice President Joe Biden placed fourth , capturing six , according to the numbers released Sunday @

Bernie Sanders will ask the Iowa state Democratic Party for a “partial recanvass” of several precincts in the caucuses, a report said Monday.
The Sanders campaign came to the decision after reporters and others noted on Twitter that there appeared to be irregularities in the delegate calculations, the Hill reported.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Sunday that Pete Buttigieg won the majority of national convention delegates, capturing 14, while Sanders won 12.
The Sanders campaign did not specify which precincts they’ll seek a recount in, according to the report.
As the caucuses descended into chaos last Monday because of a faulty app organizers used to record data, Sanders’ campaign released partial internal reporting numbers that showed the Vermont socialist leading in the contest.
Before their final tally was released Sunday, Iowa Democrats released numbers earlier last week that showed Sanders and Buttigieg in a virtual tie with data from 97 percent of the precincts.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren finished in third with eight delegates, and former Vice President Joe Biden placed fourth, capturing six, according to the numbers released Sunday.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Top jails official: For safety, off-duty officers shouldn’t wear uniforms, logos in public

The Department of Correction ’ s chief issued a number of precautions for officers to follow in the wake of anti-cop protests and the attempted assassination of cops in the Bronx , writing any situation cops find themselves in can now “ escalate into a major , possibly life-threatening incident.
” Chief of Department Hazel Jennings wrote in a letter to commanders and other high-ranking personnel that correction officers should not wear uniforms or other department apparel if they ride public transportation to and from work .
“ Advise loved ones and friends to refrain from wearing clothing items or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logo , for their safety , ” Jennings wrote in another precaution in the letter .
“ Only uniformed staff that are firearms qualified shall be assigned to front entrance and other point of entry posts , ” she added .
“ Uniformed staff assigned to such posts shall be armed and wearing their ballistic vests at all times while on duty.
” The letter comes as an anti-cop madman allegedly shot two police officers in separate assassination attempts in the Bronx this weekend .
Suspect Robert Williams was charged Sunday night with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapon and resisting arrest for the two shootings on Saturday night and Sunday morning .
In her letter , Jennings warned that even mundane incidents have the potential to escalate into a worst-case scenario for cops .
“ It is strongly emphasized that any situation , even one which may appear minor , can rapidly escalate into a major , possibly life-threatening incident , ” she wrote .

The Department of Correction’s chief issued a number of precautions for officers to follow in the wake of anti-cop protests and the attempted assassination of cops in the Bronx, writing any situation cops find themselves in can now “escalate into a major, possibly life-threatening incident.”
Chief of Department Hazel Jennings wrote in a letter to commanders and other high-ranking personnel that correction officers should not wear uniforms or other department apparel if they ride public transportation to and from work.
“Advise loved ones and friends to refrain from wearing clothing items or carrying items brandishing the department name and logo, for their safety,” Jennings wrote in another precaution in the letter.
“Only uniformed staff that are firearms qualified shall be assigned to front entrance and other point of entry posts,” she added. “Uniformed staff assigned to such posts shall be armed and wearing their ballistic vests at all times while on duty.”
The letter comes as an anti-cop madman allegedly shot two police officers in separate assassination attempts in the Bronx this weekend.
Suspect Robert Williams was charged Sunday night with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest for the two shootings on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
In her letter, Jennings warned that even mundane incidents have the potential to escalate into a worst-case scenario for cops.
“It is strongly emphasized that any situation, even one which may appear minor, can rapidly escalate into a major, possibly life-threatening incident,” she wrote.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Backstage at the Oscars 2020

Backstage at the Oscars 2020

Regina King and Brad Pitt walk off stage after Pitt won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood."


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Political correctness at 2020 Oscars exposes Hollywood’s hypocrisy

If there were an Oscar for the most boring awards ...

And you thought Hollywood was the sacred land of John Wayne. Marilyn Monroe. Humphrey Bogart.
Nah, that’s not it at all. “We have gathered on the ancestral lands of the Tongva, Tataviam and the Chumash,” Taika Waititi said solemnly at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday. Somewhere in the audience, an old guy named Irv muttered, “Never heard of them. Are they with William Morris?” If the Oscars are indeed held on an ancient Indian burial ground, I guess that would explain a lot of horrific moments over the years.
The Academy keeps surprising us, doesn’t it? Keeps finding new stuff to be ashamed of, embarrassed about and regretful of. They won’t be revoking the 600 Oscars they gave Harvey Weinstein while every single person in town was talking about his depredations, you understand. But they’re very worried about — I’m not making this up — species-ism. You see, humankind has just been discriminating in favor of humans too much, and it needs to stop. Everybody off the planet! We should all go live on Planet Joker, maybe?
“We’re talking,” said Joaquin Phoenix as he accepted his Best Actor award for “Joker,” “about the fight against the belief, one nation, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control and use and exploit another with impunity. I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world and many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview, the belief that we’re the center of the universe.”
Should someone else be in charge, then? That seemed to be Phoenix’s batty suggestion in his just-got-home-from-first-semester-at-Bard consciousness-raising monologue. You can’t call him a humanitarian because he suggested humanity was messing up “the natural world” while scolding us for drinking milk: “We steal [a cow’s] baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable and then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal,” he said. Well, that’s because we rule this planet. There may not be one race that’s better than another, but there certainly is “one species” that’s superior. Cows would be putting our milk on their cereal if they could figure out how.
As a movie about class warfare built to warm the heart of Bernie Sanders won the top award (though “Parasite” is ultimately pretty rude to the underclass), the stars wore their political correctness on their sleeves. And, um, capes. Natalie Portman wore a cape upon which were written the names of women who weren’t nominated for an Oscar for Best Director — Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”), Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”), etc. You know you’re grading on a curve when you suggest that that rotten Mister Rogers movie deserved a Best Director nomination.
“Booksmart” star Kaitlyn Dever made, according to the Hollywood Reporter, “a sustainable fashion statement at the Oscars in a custom-made ethical gown by Louis Vuitton, featuring eco-responsible silk satin that was embroidered with Swarovski crystals and beads.” Whatever that is. Phoenix has been wearing the same tuxedo all Oscar season, because no sacrifice is beyond this man. The last role he played before the Joker was Jesus, and he is a method actor. Maybe he thinks he’s here to save us all.
One clunky joke after another proved that PC is the enemy of comedy. Josh Gad mentioned his movie “‘Frozen 2,’ or as climate change deniers call it, ‘Not Frozen 2.’” Best Supporting Actor Brad Pitt threw away his cool factor with the sub-Jimmy Kimmel line, “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week.” At least Pitt is a big name, unlike the parade of semi-obscure introducers evidently hired to add diversity (Mindy Kaling, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Zazie Beetz). Where’s the star wattage?
If the girl-power trio of Brie Larson, Sigourney Weaver and Gal Gadot and the girl-comedy duo of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph were meant to rub America’s noses in the fact that the Academy membership didn’t nominate any women for Best Director, it came off as a bunch of extremely rich, overprivileged people whining about nothing. Gadot said, waspishly, “The loser gets to answer questions from journalists about how it feels to be a woman in Hollywood.”
Huh? In a show largely built around the notion that women are discriminated against in Hollywood, now we’re being told that no one is allowed to ask about it?
“All women are superheroes!” Weaver proclaimed. All women? Really? Prove it, Oscar. Next year you can invite Sarah Palin, Ivanka Trump and Roseanne Barr to present Best Picture.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--How ‘The Irishman’ went from Oscars 2020 front-runner to biggest loser

It was the best of nights , it was the worst ...

The Oscars 2020 proved the cement shoes for Netflix’s “The Irishman.”
The downturn began on Jan. 6, when viewers tuned into the 2020 Golden Globe Awards expecting to hear a few familiar names: Marty, Pesci or perhaps Pacino. The Hollywood icons were seated at a table smack-dab down front, stage right, so it would be easy for the living legends to take the stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel quickly when they inevitably won. But those seats would only become warmer and warmer as the night went on, because instead we heard different people called up: Sam Mendes, Brad Pitt and, most improbably, “1917.”
“The Irishman,” which began as the season front-runner, had been unceremoniously offed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But that was only the wild-and-crazy Globes, right? Wrong. It was everyone. None of the major industry award-granting bodies — the Producers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild or Directors Guild — sided with Martin Scorsese’s Netflix film, instead largely showering love on “1917,” a late entry about World War I, and the South Korean film “Parasite,” which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.
That streak continued at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre, where “The Irishman” lost all 10 of its Academy Award nominations.
What went wrong? How did Scorsese’s sprawling film go from a critical darling that blanketed Times Square with domination-asserting ads and was seemingly watched by everyone … to being a giant Oscar loser?
The first bad omen was its first major accolade. The New York Film Critics Circle Awards kicks off award season yearly in January with a starry red carpet and powerful speeches. But my esteemed critic colleagues, more often than not, don’t share the taste of the academy. In the past decade, the NYFCC best film and Oscar Best Picture have overlapped just once — for “The Artist” in 2011. That’s not a great track record, and a dubious start.
Another more common issue “The Irishman” faced that has also dinged recent crash-and-burners such as “A Star Is Born” and “La La Land” was too much buzz too soon. Many pundits, including me, predicted the Frank Sheeran-Jimmy Hoffa biopic would win the moment we witnessed its premiere at the New York Film Festival. But audiences and voters get exhausted by formalities, and resent proclamations. They moved on.
Also pundits oversold voters’ historical love for this genre, and, indeed, this creative team. Many were wrong about the success of mob flicks at Oscars gone by. Since 1950, just five movies that prominently feature the Mafia, directly or tangentially, have won the Best Picture Oscar: “On the Waterfront,” “The Godfather,” “The Sting,” The Godfather Part II” and “The Departed,” which was also directed by Scorsese. “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather Part III” both lost to “Dances With Wolves.” In fact, more musicals have won Best Picture in the past 70 years than mob movies have.
Meanwhile, Scorsese has won just one Best Director Oscar in nine nominations, for “The Departed” in 2007. Pacino has also won once in nine nods, in 1993 for “Scent of a Woman.” And Pesci has taken home a sole Academy Award for “Goodfellas” in 1991, with a total of three lifetime nods. Hardly sure-thing numbers.
And then there’s the length. At 3½ hours, “The Irishman” is the longest studio movie of the decade. Show opener Chris Rock even made a crack about it, saying he loved “the first season of ‘The Irishman.'” And while the run time was a boon to epic storytelling, hearkening back to classic films, it’s taxing to modern attention spans. Speaking from experience, it’s a more effective film in a theater where your attention isn’t divided than on a couch with a laptop. But that’s how most voters and audiences saw it.
And so, by the time we arrived at Oscars night, “The Irishman” wasn’t so much a dark horse as a dead one.
With Scorsese being 77 years old, it’s easy to think these are the twilight years of his career. But let’s hold out that for the still-brilliant director, he may have another Oscar win in him.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Oscars 2020: Bloviated and self-congratulatory awards lack entertainment

If there were an Oscar for the most boring awards event ever, it would go to The Oscars.
The star-powered moments this year were few and far between, which was a shame given the strong start. Steve Martin and Chris Rock tag-teamed a sharp, funny monologue that mocked attendee Jeff Bezos — “So rich that he got divorced and he’s still the richest man in the world,” Rock cracked — the lack of diversity among nominees, and why the telecast was once again without a host: Twitter.
And Brad Pitt’s win at the outset was a great Hollywood moment, long-awaited and executed with humility and élan — save for a leaden joke about impeachment and John Bolton. Pitt humbly recalled his parents taking him to see “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and, years later, loading up his car as a young twentysomething to chase his dreams in L.A.
“‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ . . .” he said. “Ain’t that the truth.” He concluded by thanking his children, which doubled as a parting salvo to tabloid rumors about his investment in their lives: “I adore you.”
Then the broadcast nose-dived. The next star to take the stage? Beanie Feldstein, there to introduce presenter Mindy Kaling, and those two, in turn, were followed by luminaries such as Josh Gad, Kelly Marie Tran, Shia LaBeouf, and the teeth-grinding duo of James Corden and Rebel Wilson, dressed as their characters from the colossal bomb “Cats,” treating the microphone stand as a scratching post.
Academy, we beg you: Bring us Ricky Gervais!
Also: Where was the star power? There’s nothing special about seeing “SNL” stars flail about while presenting, or watching the expected but cringeworthy virtue-signaling — as when the camera was sure to linger on a chorus member in a wheelchair during a performance of nominated song “I’m Standing with You” — or the umpteenth close-up of Disney chief Bob Iger, who may control the careers of almost everyone in the room but is unrecognizable to the average American.
The mid-show emergence of an unrecognizable Eminem performing “Lose Yourself” gave the room and the telecast a much-need jolt, but it was unclear why he was there. He won an Oscar for the song, from his biopic “8 Mile,” back in 2003.
The most likely explanation? The producers realized they badly needed some excitement, no matter how out-of-date. Yet the performance aired with audio problems and so many bleeps that for those of us watching, momentum suffered.
“In this day and age, can the Oscars make us care?” This was recently asked by industry site The Wrap, and to judge by reader comments, the answer was a resounding no.
“#NoOneCares,” wrote one.
“We in flyover country are done with them,” wrote another.
To wit: Joaquin Phoenix won for Best Actor and used his speech to inveigh against “artificially inseminat[ing] a cow” and then putting her milk “in our coffee and our cereal.”
Renée Zellweger won for Best Actress and gave a rambling speech that took a thinly-veiled swipe at President Trump.
And to present Best Picture, none other than political lightning rod Jane Fonda. The only surprise of the evening, in fact, was this award going not to the expected “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood,” but to “Parasite,” a foreign-language thriller about economic inequality that ends in bloodshed.
A reflection of Hollywood’s greatest fears, no doubt — but they should add our increasingly waning interest in this annual puffery, bloviating and self-congratulation to this list.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Oscars 2020: Bong Joon Ho is a saint, Joaquin Phoenix is a disgrace

It was a night of Oscar Speeches For Dummies and Oscar Speeches By Dummies.
Sunday’s Oscars 2020 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood featured some of the 92-year-old ceremony’s most inspiring and eloquent winners’ remarks of all time — alongside moronic political cracks that flopped and a stream-of-consciousness rant about cows. You just can’t win ‘em all.
But director Bong Joon Ho did. He received multiple, well-deserved standing ovations for writing and directing his Best International Film and Best Picture winner, “Parasite,” the first non-English-language film to ever win the top prize at the Oscars.
Sure, it’s common to thank your fellow competitors, but have you ever seen one make a loser cry genuine tears of joy? That’s what Bong did to fellow nominee Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”).
“When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart, which is, ‘The most personal is the most creative,’” he said in remarks that were translated from Korean. “That quote is from our great Martin Scorsese.” A visibly moved Scorsese’s head fell into his hands in shock and disbelief.
Then, an emotional Bong thanked Quentin Tarantino for promoting his work early in his career when no one gave it the time of day.
“I love you, Quentin,” he said.
Later, during the film’s historic Best Picture speech, when the producers started to turn the lights down on the euphoric victors, the entire rapt crowd chanted to bring them back on.
Contrast that outpouring of honest gratitude and glee with an out-of-his-mind Joaquin Phoenix (“The Joker”) rambling like a street bum about the unspeakable injustices of cow’s milk.
“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth,” Phoenix said to virtually no one’s amusement while clutching his best actor trophy for “The Joker,” “we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable and then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
He added: “I have been a scoundrel, selfish, cruel at times and hard to work with, ungrateful.”
At this point, the audience quietly wished Kanye West would come onstage to snatch the award out of his hand and praise Beyoncé.
Phoenix should have learned from his fellow, incredibly humble “Joker” winner, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir — the first woman to win best score since 1997, and against such legends as John Williams and Randy Newman.
Acknowledging her feat, she said, apolitically, “To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music bubbling within — please speak up. We need to hear your voices.”
Guðnadóttir felt her words much more deeply than Renée Zellweger (“Judy”), who, as she listed famous women throughout history — “Venus, Serena and Selena!” — sounded like she was reciting the lyrics to “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
And then there’s Brad Pitt.
The “Once Upon A Time in … Hollywood” actor has been bringing down the house at award shows all season long with hilarious jokes about his dating life and Tarantino’s bizarre infatuation with women’s feet.
And what did he do the moment he wins one of the biggest awards of his life? Makes a lame impeachment crack.
“They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” he said to pretty much no audience response. “I’m thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it. In the end, the adults do the right thing.”
The stupid jab tainted what could’ve been a great moment, on a night of many spectacular moments.


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Coronavirus death toll exceeds 900 in China, more than 40K cases reported

Coronavirus has now killed more than 900 people in China since the outbreak began in the Wuhan province in December @ @ @ @ @ On Sunday , 97 people died of the virus in China — the largest number @ @ @ @ @ virus first started to spread in the country .
The vast majority of deaths caused @ @ @ @ @ place in China , with just two deaths from coronavirus reported outside of the country @ @ @ @ @ reported inside China also shot up this weekend , with more than 40,000 people infected @ @ @ @ @ authorities said .
China has agreed to let the World Health Organization form an international @ @ @ @ @ travel to the mainland to study the virus and seek solutions , a US embassy @ @ @ @ @ .
Infectious disease experts from the United States will play a major role .
“ @ @ @ @ @ experience working with the World Health Organization on a range of infectious disease outbreaks and @ @ @ @ @ avian influenza and SARS , ” the spokesman added .

Coronavirus has now killed more than 900 people in China since the outbreak began in the Wuhan province in December, Chinese authorities said.
On Sunday, 97 people died of the virus in China — the largest number of people killed since the virus first started to spread in the country.
The vast majority of deaths caused by the virus have taken place in China, with just two deaths from coronavirus reported outside of the country.
The number of cases reported inside China also shot up this weekend, with more than 40,000 people infected with the virus, Chinese authorities said.
China has agreed to let the World Health Organization form an international team of experts that will travel to the mainland to study the virus and seek solutions, a US embassy spokesman told Reuters on Saturday.
Infectious disease experts from the United States will play a major role.
“These US experts have extensive experience working with the World Health Organization on a range of infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics, including Ebola, avian influenza and SARS,” the spokesman added.
With Post Wires


newyorkpost--2020-02-10--Luke Perry, Cameron Boyce snubbed from Oscars 2020 ‘In Memoriam’

One of the Oscars ’ biggest snubs came in the “ In Memoriam ” segment , of all places .
The annual montage , which highlights notable deaths in the film community over the past year , did not include Luke Perry .
The segment at the Academy Awards — which were held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — included the recent notable deaths of Kobe Bryant , who died in a helicopter crash in January , and Kirk Douglas , who passed away last week , as Billie Eilish covered The Beatles ’ song “ Yesterday.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ known for his show “ Beverly Hills 90210 ” but also appeared in movies like “ The Fifth Element , ” was nowhere to be found .
Perry died in March 2019 at the age of 52 .
He was hospitalized after suffering from a stroke and died five days later .
The snub was especially egregious considering that Perry made a cameo in one of the year ’ s Best Picture contenders , “ Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood.
” However , “ Riverdale ” gave a sweet tribute to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and crew called “ cathartic.
” Perry wasn ’ t the only actor snubbed from this year ’ s “ In Memoriam ” .
As Skai Jackson pointed out on Twitter , the academy also left out actor Cameron Boyce , who died in his sleep at the age of 20 due to a seizure in July of last year .

One of the Oscars’ biggest snubs came in the “In Memoriam” segment, of all places.
The annual montage, which highlights notable deaths in the film community over the past year, did not include Luke Perry.
The segment at the Academy Awards — which were held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — included the recent notable deaths of Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January, and Kirk Douglas, who passed away last week, as Billie Eilish covered The Beatles’ song “Yesterday.” But Perry, who was best known for his show “Beverly Hills 90210” but also appeared in movies like “The Fifth Element,” was nowhere to be found.
Perry died in March 2019 at the age of 52. He was hospitalized after suffering from a stroke and died five days later.
The snub was especially egregious considering that Perry made a cameo in one of the year’s Best Picture contenders, “Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood.”
However, “Riverdale” gave a sweet tribute to Perry last year, which the cast and crew called “cathartic.”
Perry wasn’t the only actor snubbed from this year’s “In Memoriam”. As Skai Jackson pointed out on Twitter, the academy also left out actor Cameron Boyce, who died in his sleep at the age of 20 due to a seizure in July of last year.