John Oliver on Hollywood Whitewashing
The Academy Awards are coming up Sunday and the lack of diversity among nominees has led to a boycott from celebrities like Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith and Snoop Dogg. While some in the industry have argued that roles for people of color are few and far between, John Oliver critiques that notion, with a massive list of recent films where white actors played characters of different ethnicities and races.
Predictions for This Year’s Oscar Winners
If you feel like speculating about who will take home an Oscar this weekend, Entertainment Weekly has put together a list of predictions for each category from Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) to Best Sound Editing (yes, they give out an Oscar for that, and this year it might go to “Mad Max: Fury Road”). [EW]
Eliot Spitzer’s Lucrative Exile
Eliot Spitzer, the escort-loving former governor, is back in the news again for his escort-loving (and allegedly his escort-assaulting) ways. If you’re wondering where he’s been hiding out since his fall from grace, the answer may surprise you (or not!): since Spitzer stepped down in 2008, he’s been making a killing by taking over his late father’s real-estate empire. [The Awl]
Trump Supporters Don’t Back Lincoln’s Freeing of Slaves: Poll
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, a new poll shows that 20 percent of Trump supporters disagree with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves in the southern states during the Civil War, according to the New York Times. The data explored in the article shows that many of Trump’s backers are just intolerant. [NYT]
What Are Your New York Values?
WNYC is looking for photos and videos of your “New York values.” If you don’t get that reference, here’s a quick reminder on presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s dig at the Big Apple. [WNYC]
Egyptian Military Sentences Toddler to Life in Prison
In a case of mistaken identity, the Egyptian military sentenced a 4-year-old to life in prison for murder as part of a mass trial. Ahmed Mansour Qurany was sentenced along with 115 people involved in 2014 demonstration, where a group opened fire on a group of civilians, killing three people. A military spokesman said a 16-year-old with a similar name should have been the one sentenced. [NPR]
Soon-To-Open WTC Oculus is a “Symbol of Excess” Port Authority Executive Says
The Executive Director of the Port Authority said he’s “passing” on holding a celebratory event for the opening of the World Trade Center’s transit hub, saying that he’s “been troubled with the huge cost of the Hub at a time of limited resources for infrastructure.” The long-anticipated, $4 billion hub is scheduled to open it’s centerpiece, the white-winged Oculus, sometime next week. [Capital New York]
How Exercising Prevents and Stops Cancer
There are lots of headlines about exercising and its links to lower rates of cancer — evidence of a relationship is clear, but not the cause. Scientists are now pinpointing the reason for that link. Exercising produces adrenalin, which in turn produces more cancer-killing immune cells, researchers found. Next steps: developing these chemicals as anti-tumor drugs. [Quartz]
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Emily Frost, Nikhita Venugopal, Camille Bautista, Gwynne Hogan, Eddie Small, Shaye Weaver, Noah Hurowitz and Irene Plagianos.
