Paul Mescal was true to thine own self at Oscars 2026.
In fact, the Hamnet star couldn’t contain his emotions when his costar Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at the March 15 ceremony, hosted by…
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Day: March 16, 2026
The College Basketball Crown is back as the second-year event takes center stage in Las Vegas in early-April. This year’s edition will feature eight teams facing off in a postseason tournament, competing for NIL dollars. There are six automatic bids — two each reserved for the top teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool in the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 — as well as two at-large participants. Here is the full schedule and key information for the College Basketball Crown. Who is in the 2026 College Basketball Crown tournament? The College Basketball Crown tournament is made up of an 8-team field. Below are this year’s participants: Where is the 2026 College Basketball Crown? The 2026 College Basketball Crown will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the quarterfinals, and T-Mobile Arena for the semifinals and final. Where can I watch the College Basketball Crown? The 2026 College Basketball Crown will air on FOX and FS1, with the quarterfinals broadcast on FS1 and the semifinals and final on FOX. College Basketball Crown Schedule and Bracket Crown Quarterfinals Wednesday, April 18 p.m. ET: Oklahoma vs. Colorado (FS1)4:30 p.m. ET: Baylor vs. Minnesota (FS1) Thursday, April 28 p.m. ET: Stanford vs. West Virginia (FS1)4:30 p.m. ET: Rutgers vs. Creighton (FS1) Crown Semifinals Saturday, April 41:30 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD (FOX)4 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD (FOX) Crown Finals Sunday, April 55:30 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD (FOX)Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
The College Basketball Crown is back. After debuting with a 16-team format in Las Vegas last spring, the sport’s newest postseason event will return to the desert in early April as an eight-team showcase. The field for this year’s College Basketball Crown was revealed Monday evening, live on FS1. This year’s participants are Oklahoma, Colorado, Baylor, Minnesota, Stanford, West Virginia, Rutgers and Creighton. First-round games will be played on April 1-2. Semifinal matchups will be held on April 4. And the championship game is slated for April 5. Here are my takeaways from the bracket reveal: 1. Oklahoma had a case to be in the NCAA Tournament Given that the Sooners lost nine consecutive games from Jan. 7 through Feb. 4, it’s almost inconceivable to believe they had a legitimate claim for an at-large berth in the Big Dance. And yet, that’s how strong certain parts of Oklahoma’s résumé really were. Head coach Porter Moser and his team now enter the postseason with five wins over teams included in this year’s NCAA Tournament: Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M. They also notched a victory against Auburn, another team that landed squarely on the bubble, and suffered narrow defeats to Nebraska (105-99), Alabama (83-81), Missouri (88-87 in OT) and Arkansas (82-79) — all of whom are now participating in March Madness. Oklahoma’s analytical profile is also quite strong. The Sooners are ranked No. 40 on KenPom, No. 39 on Torvik and No. 33 by EvanMiya. They finished among the top 50 in both the NET Rankings and the Wins Above Bubble metric. Moser’s offense ranks 18th nationally in efficiency, according to KenPom, and the team’s overall strength of schedule is 25th. The Sooners were probably the best team left out of the NCAA Tournament. 2. Several NBA-caliber talents worth watching The teams included in the College Basketball Crown are home to a handful of high-level prospects who are expected to figure prominently in this year’s NBA Draft: Cameron Carr, SG/SF, Baylor — The 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore, who spent his previous two seasons at Tennessee, enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Bears by averaging 19.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. He shot better than 50% from the field on more than a dozen field goal attempts per game and connected on 39.4% of his attempts from beyond the arc. He scored at least 20 points on 15 occasions this season. Tounde Yessoufou, SG/SF, Baylor — Yessoufou is a five-star freshman from the county of Benin in West Africa. He ranks second on the Bears in scoring at 17.8 points per game and third in rebounding at 5.8 per game. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he has good size and stoutness for the next level, but he’ll need to make strides as a perimeter shooter. Yessoufou only shot 30.2% from beyond the arc on more than five attempts per game. Ebuka Okorie, PG, Stanford — Okorie was a four-star prospect and the No. 100 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class but quickly outperformed that ranking with the Cardinal during an incredible freshman campaign. His scoring average of 22.8 points per game ranked seventh nationally during the regular season, headlined by seven 30-point efforts and one 40-point outing against Georgia Tech. Okorie was a shoo-in to earn first-team All-ACC honors after scoring at least 10 points in 28 of 30 appearances. 3. Plenty of teams with marquee wins on their résumés In addition to the aforementioned, high-profile victories amassed by Oklahoma, there are several other teams in this year’s field that showed — on any given night — they can hang with some of the better teams in the sport: — Minnesota, which finished 15-17 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten, scored wins over then-No. 19 Iowa, then-No. 10 Michigan State and UCLA to finish comfortably in the middle of the conference pack. — Stanford, which finished 20-12 overall and 9-9 in the ACC, knocked off then-No. 16 Louisville, then-No. 14 North Carolina, SMU and NC State to finish .500 or better in league play for a second consecutive season. — Creighton, which finished 15-17 overall and 9-11 in the Big East, defeated Villanova and trounced then-No. 2 UConn in one of the most stunning results of the conference season. 4. A chance for young talent to develop Rutgers finished 14-19 overall and only won six conference games this season, but there is one stat that shouldn’t be ignored when thinking about what Steve Pikell’s team might develop into by next season: Out of 18 teams in the Big Ten, there was only one — Penn State — with less Division I experience on the roster than the Scarlet Knights, according to KenPom. Rutgers ranked 17th in the conference and 205th overall with an average of just 1.36 years of experience per player. Why does that matter? In an era when roster retention is harder than it’s ever been before thanks to both NIL inducements and the transfer portal, the Scarlet Knights are in position to be one of the most cohesive teams in the Big Ten next season if Pikiell can hang onto key pieces. None of Rutgers’ seven leading scorers from the 2025-26 campaign were seniors, meaning all of them could return. And four of those players were sophomores or younger. A nucleus built around junior guard Tariq Francis (16.9 points), sophomore forward Dylan Grant (9.8 points), junior guard Darren Buchanan Jr. (8.4 points) and junior guard Jamichael Davis (7.2 points) should give fans plenty to be excited about in the coming months. The experience those young players will gain in a tournament format at the College Basketball Crown can be highly valuable. 4½. What’s next? Three teams who participated in the inaugural event last spring catapulted themselves from Las Vegas into this year’s NCAA Tournament. Nebraska, which won the College Basketball Crown, went on to enjoy the best regular season in school history and earned a No. 4 seed in the Big Dance. The Cornhuskers are now chasing the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win. UCF, which fell to Nebraska in the championship game, was among the more pleasant surprises in college basketball this season by starting 17-4 and racking up 21 wins overall. The Knights exceeded 20 victories for the first time since the 2018-19 season. They’re now a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. And Villanova, which reached the semifinals, identified Maryland head coach Kevin Willard as the right successor to Kyle Neptune, who was fired after the 2024-25 campaign, and amassed 24 wins while finishing third in the Big East. The Wildcats, now an 8-seed, are back in the Big Dance for the first time in four years.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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Riley Green was left bleeding and forced to seek medical attention after a concertgoer threw a phone at him during a recent concert in Australia.
A video posted to social media over the weekend captures the moment the incident occurred while Green was performing at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne. In the clip, a cell phone can be seen flying toward the stage from the crowd and striking the singer on the side of his head.
Seemingly stunned by what had just happened, the “Change My Mind” singer stopped the show. As the crowd began booing the perpetrator, Green asked for the house lights to be turned on and had security remove the individual from the venue.
“This one right here? Get his fat a** out of here. Go on,” Green shouted.
Blood was dripping down the side of his face as he thanked everyone for coming out to the show and joked with the crowd about what had just happened.
“I’d like to take a moment while I’ve got everybody’s attention to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight.,” the Alabama native said. “Hang on, am I bleeding? Y’all see how tough I am? Thank God he didn’t have an iPhone 12, that would have really hurt.”
After the show, Green sought out medical attention and wound up getting a few stitches in his ear.
“5 stitches later… sewed up,” he shared on Instagram stories alongside a photo of his injury.
Later, he seemed to laugh off the incident by sharing a meme featuring phone belt holders.
“Passin these out at the door tonight….” Green wrote over the image.
Unfortunately, incidents involving fans throwing objects at artists have become increasingly common. In 2024, an unruly fan threw a hat at Megan Moroney while she was performing. Before that, Kelsea Ballerini was struck in the eye by a beaded bracelet during a show. She paused the performance as her crew checked on her before addressing the situation and continuing the concert.
Moments like these serve as a reminder that throwing objects on stage can be dangerous for performers and crew.
Riley Green kept the show going and will continue his run of headlining dates across Australia before returning to the U.S. for his highly anticipated Cowboy As It Gets Tour, featuring special guest Justin Moore and a rotating lineup of opening acts. The tour is set to kick off in April.
The post Riley Green Left Bleeding After Fan Throws Phone At Him During Concert In Australia appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
HOCHUL’S AD CAMPAIGN: Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office is using taxpayer money to fund an advertising blitz promoting her agenda, brushing up against a ban on governors appearing in promotional material.
State law prohibits elected officials from appearing in ads paid for with state funds.
Hochul doesn’t directly appear in any of the ads. Instead, they encourage people to visit a state-run website where she’s prominently featured talking about wanting to cut red tape to build affordable housing.
“They’re skirting the very intent of what that law was meant to do, and that’s using taxpayer dollars to promote the image or likeness of the governor,” Republican Assemblymember Matt Slater said. “It’s clearly something that needs to be looked into so we can figure out what consequences she should be facing if she is in fact violating the law.”
The ads have appeared over the past week on Facebook, YouTube, and at least one billboard. The governor’s office said a FOIL request would be required to see the full scope.
One example is a YouTube commercial that simply states “Let Them Build” and directs people to the state’s website. The Executive Chamber has spent between $10,000 and $15,000 on that ad — one of 21 to air on YouTube or Google over the past week. The ad has been viewed one million times.
“The state routinely engages in awareness and education campaigns on critical policy priorities and this campaign was designed in compliance with all ethics laws,” said Hochul spokesperson Jen Goodman.
Reinvent Albany’s Rachael Fauss said that if the 20-year-old law had been written today, “it probably would take into consideration” campaigns like this.
“From a technical perspective, she may not be violating the law,” she said. “But I think the spirit of the law is to not have the governor’s likeness be promoted through the use of taxpayer funds. That was the intent of it. Unfortunately, this is an area where the law hasn’t kept up with the way people consume media and ads these days.”
The ban on advertising came about after former Gov. George Pataki ran state-funded commercials during an election year in which he encouraged people to register in a new healthcare program. Ethics reforms passed as part of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s inaugural agenda included language prohibiting the practice.
Hochul isn’t the first elected official to brush up against the intent of the law in recent months. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s likeness has appeared on WiFi kiosks, a practice that’s permitted since the city is given the screentime for free. And Mamdani, unlike Hochul, isn’t up for reelection anytime soon.
“She’s got plenty of campaign funds that she could be using to pay for these things,” Slater said. “What she’s doing right now is spending taxpayer money to enhance her image when she’s on the ballot this year.” — Bill Mahoney
FROM THE CAPITOL
PRICING POLITICS: Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James is throwing her support behind a bill meant to crack down on retailers’ use of algorithmic pricing.
James was in Albany this morning to back legislation meant to halt the practice, which uses a consumer’s personal data to set individually tailored prices.
The bill, backed by Assemblymember Michaelle Solages and Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, is part of a broader push being made by elected officials to address peoples’ pocketbook concerns.
“This online pricing model hits hardest where it hurts the most — food, medicine, diapers and other essentials,” James said at a news conference. “We all have all been focused on the issue of affordability across this state.” — Nick Reisman
FROM CITY HALL
EVIDENCE HUNT: The former NYPD sergeant accusing former mayoral aide Tim Pearson of sexual harassment wants to get her hands on the evidence that prompted the Mamdani administration to stop paying for Pearson’s legal bills.
In 2024, the former sergeant, Roxanne Ludemann, sued Pearson, a confidant and top adviser to former Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of sexually harassing her at work and then professionally retaliating against her when she rejected his overtures.
Thanks to an unusual arrangement greenlit by Adams’ Law Department, Pearson received taxpayer-funded private lawyers to defend him against Ludemann’s suit. But Mamdani’s corporation counsel, Steve Banks, announced last week that he had rescinded Pearson’s arrangement, citing unspecified “new evidence” that warranted terminating it.
In a court filing late Friday, John Scola, an attorney representing Ludemann, demanded that the Law Department provide his client with access to the evidence in question, arguing it’s relevant to her ongoing case.
“Produce all documents, records, evidence, reports, memoranda, and materials of any kind that constitute, refer to, or relate to the ‘new evidence’ relied upon, reviewed, considered, or referenced by corp counsel in making its determination to decline or withdraw representation of Defendant Timothy Pearson in this matter,” Scola wrote in the filing.
Also last week, Banks terminated a similar arrangement that allowed Jeffrey Maddrey, an Adams ally and former NYPD chief of department, to receive taxpayer-funded attorneys in the Pearson matter, too. Maddrey is accused by Ludemann of helping Pearson retaliate against her.
Scola’s filing demanded access to the information that prompted Banks to slash Maddrey’s arrangement as well.
Pearson and Maddrey, who resigned from city government in late 2024 after being ensnared in unrelated corruption investigations, have denied any wrongdoing.
A Law Department spokesperson did not comment when asked today about Scola’s demand.
New York City taxpayers have already paid more than $620,000 to cover Pearson’s legal tab alone. — Chris Sommerfeldt
FINANCE SHUFFLE: Mamdani is zeroing in on a pick to run the Department of Finance, a normally under-the-radar agency that has taken on new prominence amid the mayor’s push to raise property taxes.
Mamdani’s administration is in talks to hire Richard Lee for the job, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions who were granted anonymity to discuss an internal personnel matter.
Lee currently serves as director of the City Council’s Division of Finance. That means his move to Mamdani’s finance department would leave Council Speaker Julie Menin without her top budget adviser amid increasingly tense negotiations over the city’s $127 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Council is conducting budget oversight hearings throughout the month to better ascertain how city agencies are planning to operate amid a precarious fiscal situation. The city is facing a projected multi-billion dollar deficit over the next fiscal year, and Mamdani’s administration is relying on cash reserves, optimistic revenue projections and an increase in property taxes to bridge that gap and balance the spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Increasing levies on property owners would require approval from the Council, and Menin has dismissed the idea as a nonstarter. She has argued the city needs to look for other ways to cut costs beforehand. The mayor, by contrast, says drastic steps like property levy hikes can be avoided if Albany gives the city the authority to raise local taxes on millionaires and corporations — proposals Menin has declined to support.
Lee, should he ultimately join Mamdani’s administration, would be working for the finance department as it tabulates a key variable — the assessed value of property in New York City — which helps determine how much revenue the city collects from owners each year.
Read the story from Joe Anuta and Chris Sommerfeldt in POLITICO Pro.
AROUND NEW YORK
— MACHIAVELLIAN MAMDANI: The mayor forced his political will on fellow lefty lawmakers, including by squashing Tiffany Cabán’s congressional prospects and threatening Chi Ossé. (The New York Times)
— ADAMS OFFICIAL UNDER PROBE: The former commissioner of the city’s probation department under Mayor Eric Adams is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney. (Gothamist)
— MAYOR DINES WITH KNICKS: Mamdani broke his Saturday Ramadan fast with Senegalese Knicks player Mo Diawara. (GQ)
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Back in September of 2025, Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89.
And as expected, he was prominently in the “In Memoriam” segment of Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
But while most viewers had nothing but praise for the tribute — during which Barbra Streisand crooned a few bars from the title song of her and Redford’s 1973 film The Way We Were — a third Hollywood legend is crying foul.
Jane Fonda starred with Redford in four films: The Chase, Barefoot in the Park, The Electric Horseman, and Our Souls at Night.
And she’s openly miffed about the fact that the Academy invited Streisand to pay tribute to Redford, despite the fact that the two of them only made one film together.
“I wanna know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?” Fonda said at the Vanity Fair after party (via Parade magazine). “She only made one movie with him. I made four. I have more to say.”
“I was always in love with him,” Fonda continued, adding:
“The most gorgeous human being and such great values and he did a lot for movies. He really changed movies, lifted up independent movies.”
“I miss him now more than ever, even how he loved teasing me. He’d call me, ‘Babs.’ And I’d say, ‘Bob, you know, do I look like a Babs?’ But the way he said it made me laugh,” Streisand said on stage at the Oscars, adding:
“Many years later, we were chatting on the phone about the usual, politics, art, [Amedeo] Modigliani—our favorite. And as we were hanging up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will.’”
Needless to say, it was a moving tribute. But clearly, Fonda felt that it would have meant more coming from a frequent collaborator of Redford’s — such as herself.
She did pen a tribute that appeared on social media and in numerous news articles in the wake of Redford’s passing.
“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way,” she wrote at the time.
Fonda concluded her tribute by acknowledging the political contributions of her fellow activist:
“He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for,” she wrote.
We may never know why Jane Fonda was not invited to pay tribute to her dear friend. But at least fans will always be able to revisit the films they made together.
Jane Fonda Blasts Barbra Streisand Over Robert Redford Oscars Tribute was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
This apple crisp is a fall fan favorite over at Bojangles, but you can make your own version any time of the year with this copycat recipe.
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From empanadas and peanut butter hamburgers to soda shops and vegan Reubens, these Indiana restaurants serve up food beloved by customers and Guy Fieri alike.
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