Oscars photos: See reunions, props and more candid moments from the red carpet

• March 3, 2025

By JOHN LOCHER and ELISE RYAN, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stars are having fun on their way into the Oscars.

Best supporting actress nominee Ariana Grande, dressed in a baby pink gown with a tulle skirt, and Elle Fanning, in lacy white, held hands and laughed as they arrived.

Grande’s “Wicked” castmate Bowen Yang and his “Las Culturistas” podcast co-host Matt Rogers were all smiles, posing with lucky fans who secured seats in bleachers through lotteries. Dressed in florals, Jeff Goldblum — the Wizard of Oz himself — and his wife Emilie Livingston stopped to pose with U.S. Army members there to celebrate their 250th anniversary.

It wasn’t just human stars making their way through the sea of celebrities and photographers on the carpet: Filmmakers Nick Park, Richard Beek and Merlin Crossingham carried the Claymation stars of “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” nominated for best animated feature. Animation director Nicolas Keppens wore a figurine of the character Bart from his nominated short “Beautiful Men” in a pink baby carrier on his chest.

Diane Warren, nominated for her 16th Oscar for her song “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight” wore a jacket adorned with glittery music notes. She lifted up her collar to reveal a phrase printed on the inside: “Make it (expletive) Happen.”

AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ relievers Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott took time reaching elite status

• March 3, 2025

GLENDALE, Ariz. – For Kirby Yates, it was a pitch. For Tanner Scott, it was a person.

When the Dodgers signed the two as free agents this winter, they added a pair of elite relievers to their bullpen. But both were late arrivals to that status.

For the first four years of his big-league career, Yates had posted a 4.78 ERA for four teams (the Yankees, Rays, Angels and Padres) with an unsightly 1.30 WHIP. He turned 30 in spring 2017 and things started to change.

“I think the obvious answer would be the split, learning that,” Yates said, agreeing that his career could be divided into two chapters – before he added a split-fingered fastball and after.

“It just gave me something that complemented my fastball. Gave me a swing-and-miss pitch.”

Yates had picked up the pitch during his 2016 season with the Yankees. He brought it with him to spring training with the Angels in 2017 but didn’t pitch well, made just one regular-season appearance with the Angels and was waived.

The Padres claimed Yates and his turnaround began.

“I took that (splitter) into Anaheim that spring camp, I was throwing it and I felt confident about it. I felt it was going to work,” Yates said. “I didn’t have the best spring but when I went to Triple-A that year early, I started figuring it out a little bit – how to throw it and how to get consistent movement.

“When I ended up in San Diego, I got with (pitching coach) Darren Balsley. He really kind of taught me how to do it – where my hand should be at release and all of that. He just helped make it consistent and got it better and better. I think the more I threw it, the more comfortable I got, the more I could command it, the more I understood I could get a consistent break if I do these few things. It kind of took off from there.”

Yates has thrown his splitter more than 40 percent of the time since then. He missed the 2021 season following Tommy John surgery. But in six seasons armed with the splitter, he has been one of the most difficult relievers in baseball to face. His ERA since 2018 is 2.21 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 13 strikeouts per nine innings.

He made some other changes as he entered his 30s that were also factors.

On the 2016 Yankees team with veterans like CC Sabathia and Brian McCann, he had started to see what it took to be a successful major-leaguer over the long haul.

“Watching the way they prepared, the way they went about their business, it made me realize that I probably needed to make some changes,” said Yates, a native of Hawaii. “I moved away from Kauai and bought a house in Arizona so I could work out a lot more, be more dedicated and disciplined.”

He worked out with Alex Cobb who became a split-finger tutor. He became a father. And he became a more committed professional – studying hitters, building his own scouting reports and doing everything he could so that he could “go to sleep at night” knowing that he had given it his all.

“To abandon what you’ve been doing for six, seven years in pro ball and start a new pitch, you’ve got to believe that the other way doesn’t work anymore,” he recalled. “I was ‘Look, if I stay with the fastball-slider, I’m going to be average at best.’ That wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted more.”

Scott was also a fastball-slider pitcher as he fashioned a 4.61 ERA and robust 1.56 WHIP while walking 5.8 per nine innings over his first six big-league seasons with the Orioles and Marlins.

What changed in 2023? “Everything,” Scott said.

But not his pitch mix. Scott credits Marlins’ pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda with his makeover.

“They helped me become what I am now,” Scott said. “It made things a lot easier in a hard sport.”

Their advice to Scott was as basic as pitching advice can get – throw strikes.

“I guess throughout my years with Baltimore and then when I first got over to Miami everyone was telling me to do certain things instead of what I would say is ‘Keep it simple, stupid,’” Scott said. “It was always, ‘Hey, do this. Hey, try this. Hey, why not this? Hey, let’s try that.’

“I would try it and then I’d be, ‘What the heck am I doing?’ then toss it. Then when I got to Miami, they were, ‘What are you comfortable doing?’ and I would say, ‘This.’ And they would say, ‘Let’s run with it.’”

That simple change turned Scott into one of the best relievers in the game – still throwing just a fastball and a slider, but now throwing them for strikes. Over the past two seasons, he has a 2.02 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 3.6 strikeouts per nine innings. That earned him a four-year, $72 million contract from the Dodgers this past winter.

It’s the pitcher he always thought he could be, Scott said.

“I mean, yeah,” he said. “Everyone that plays the game wants to be the best at what they do. Yeah, I always believed.”

FREEMAN FIRST

Freddie Freeman played first base in Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, his first defensive action of the spring as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.

“We’ve done every box (in workouts). It’s just now getting out there and having all the plays happen in a game situation,” Freeman said.

At the plate, Freeman has looked ready to go. He hit home runs in back-to-back games this weekend.

“My swing has felt good. Even when I got here and even when I was hitting before I got here, I felt good,” Freeman said. “I was replaying my fix that I did going into the World Series and made sure I thought about it and was able to carry it over. I’ve been hitting really good in the cages and been good in games so far.”

ALSO

The Dodgers made their first cuts of the spring on Sunday, sending pitchers Nick Frasso, Carlos Duran, Julian Fernandez and Justin Jarvis and outfielders Ryan Ward, Justin Dean, Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula to minor-league camp.

​ Orange County Register 

Three Orange County wrestlers win championships at CIF State meet

• March 2, 2025

Esperanza’s Sammy Sanchez and Olivia Davis and Marina’s Aubree Gutierrez won CIF State wrestling championships Saturday in Bakersfield.

Sanchez and Gutierrez are freshmen. Davis is a junior.

Sanchez, a dominating wrestler all season, won the boys title at 106 pounds by technical fall 20-0.

Gutierrez triumphed in the girls 110-pound division with a pin at 5:55. Davis won her title at 145 pounds via an 8-3 decision.

Fountain Valley senior Khale McDonnell advanced to the 215-pound final in which he lost to Poway senior Angelo Posada by a 7-0 decision.

Orange County placers at the CIF State meet:

BOYS

106 pounds

First place: Sammy Sanchez, Esperanza

115 pounds

Fourth place: Max Murillo, Esperanza

132 pounds

Fifth place: Christopher Arreola, Esperanza

138 pounds

Fifth place: Vinnie Gutierrez, Fountain Valley

150 pounds

Fifth place: Nike Valenzuela, Fountain Valley

165 pounds

Seventh place: Cross Rodriguez, Calvary Chapel

190 pounds

Sixth place: Primo Catalano, Fountain Valley

215 pounds

Second place: Khale McDonnell, Fountain Valley

GIRLS

110 pounds

First place: Aubree Gutierrez, Marina

120 pounds

Third place: Kylee Golz, Trabuco Hills

125 pounds

Sixth place: Lilyana Balderas, Anaheim

145 pounds

First place: Olivia Davis, Esperanza

155 pounds

Fourth place: Eva Garcia, Marina

170 pounds

Third place: Angela Salazar, Santa Ana

​ Orange County Register 

Austin Reaves sitting out tonight’s home game vs. Clippers with calf injury

• March 2, 2025

LOS ANGELES — After sitting out for most of the home Lakers’ win over the Clippers on Friday, starting guard Austin Reaves won’t play in tonight’s rematch with the Clippers because of a calf injury.

The Lakers ruled out Reaves, along with two-way guard Jordan Goodwin (sprained right ankle), because of a strained right calf.

Reaves left Friday’s game late in the first quarter, heading to the locker room after being subbed out as part of his normal rotation pattern after scoring six points and blocking a shot in nine minutes.

The team said during the second quarter that Reaves would not return because of right calf soreness.

“Don’t have anything other than he was experiencing some tightness in the calf, some soreness,” Coach JJ Redick said after the game on Friday, which was the second night of a back-to-back set. “Was held out as a precaution.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported on Saturday that Reaves’ status will be day-to-day after an MRI on the right calf didn’t reveal a serious injury.

Reaves entered Sunday playing in 53 of the Lakers’ 58 games.

He sat out of five games in early December because of a bruised left pelvis.

Reaves is averaging 19.1 points, six assists and 4.2 rebounds this season – one of 15 players to meet the 19 point-six assist-four rebound statistical threshold, along with Lakers teammates Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Doncic (left calf injury management) and James (left foot injury management) were listed as questionable for the rematch against the Clippers as of Sunday afternoon.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

USAID cuts are already hitting countries around the world. Here are 20 projects that have closed

• March 2, 2025

By Sam Mednick, Wilson McMakin and Monika Pronczuk | Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Countries around the world already are feeling the impact of the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate more than 90% of foreign aid contracts and cut some $60 billion in funding. Hours after the announcement earlier this week, programs were shuttered, leaving millions of people without access to life-saving care.

Some 10,000 contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development were terminated on Wednesday, in letters sent to nongovernmental organizations across the globe.

The letters said that the programs were being defunded “for convenience and the interests of the U.S. government,” according to a person with knowledge of the content who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Many of the programs are in fragile countries that are highly reliant on U.S. aid to support health systems, nutrition programs and stave off starvation. Other major issues like fighting terrorism, human and drug trafficking, including fentanyl, and monitoring and aiding migrants will also suffer as a result of the U.S. cuts, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Here some key projects around the world that AP has confirmed have closed:

1: In Congo, aid group Action Against Hunger will stop treating tens of thousands of malnourished children from May, which the charity said will put the children in “mortal danger.”

2: In Ethiopia, food assistance stopped for more than 1 million people, according to the Tigray Disaster Risk Management Commission. The Ministry of Health was also forced to terminate the contract of 5,000 workers across the country focused on HIV and malaria prevention, vaccinations and helping vulnerable women deal with the trauma of war.

3: In Senegal, the biggest malaria project closed. It distributed bed nets and medication to tens of thousands of people, according to a USAID worker who was not authorized to speak to the media. Maternal and child health and nutrition services also closed. They provided lifesaving care to tens of thousands of pregnant women and treatment that would have prevented and treated acute malnutrition.

4: In South Sudan, the International Rescue Committee closed a project providing access to quality health care and nutrition services to more than 115,000 people.

5: A program shuttered by the Norwegian Refugee Council in Colombia left 50,000 people without lifesaving support including in the northeast, where growing violence has precipitated a once-in-a-generation humanitarian crisis. It included food, shelter, clean water and other basic items for people displaced in the region.

6: In war-torn Sudan, 90 communal kitchens closed in the capital, Khartoum, leaving more than half a million people without consistent access to food, according to the International Rescue Committee.

7: In Bangladesh, 600,000 women and children will lose access to critical maternal health care, protection from violence, reproductive health services and other lifesaving care, according the United Nations Population Fund.

8. In Mali, critical aid, such as access to water, food and health services was cut for more than 270,000 people, according to an aid group that did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.

9. More than 400,000 people in northern Burkina Faso lost access to services such as water. Services for gender-based violence and child protection for thousands are also no longer available, according to an aid group that did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.

10. In Somalia, 50 health centers servicing more than 19,000 people a month closed because health workers are not being paid, according to Alright, a U.S aid group.

11. In Ukraine, cash-based humanitarian programs that reached 1 million people last year were suspended, according to the spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general.

12. In Afghanistan, hundreds of mobile health teams and other services were suspended, affecting 9 million people, according to the U.N. spokesperson.

13. In Syria, aid programs for some 2.5 million people in the country’s northeast stopped providing services, according to the U.N. secretary-general. Also in the north, a dozen health clinics, including the main referral hospital for the area, have shut down, said Doctors Without Borders.

14. In Kenya, more than 600,000 people living in areas plagued by drought and persistent acute malnutrition will lose access to lifesaving food and nutrition support, according to Mercy Corps.

15. In Haiti, 13,000 people have lost access to nutritional support, according to Action Against Hunger. The cuts will affect in total at least 550,000 people who were receiving aid.

16. In Thailand, hospitals helping some 100,000 refugees from Myanmar have shuttered, according to aid group Border Consortium.

17. In Nigeria, 25,000 extremely malnourished children will stop receiving food assistance by April, according to the International Rescue Committee.

18. In the Philippines, a program to improve access to disaster warning systems for disabled people was stopped, according to Humanity & Inclusion.

19. In Vietnam, a program assisting disabled people through training caregivers and providing at home medical care stopped, according to Humanity & Inclusion.

20. In Yemen, 220,000 displaced people will lose access to critical maternal health care, protection from violence, rape treatment and other lifesaving care, according the United Nations Population Fund.

Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, France, Robert Badendieck in Istanbul, Turkey, Evelyn Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya, Thalia Beaty in New York and Edith Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Madison, Chalamet, Deadwyler and more: The Oscars red carpet is sure to include some stunners

• March 2, 2025

By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikey Madison, Timothée Chalamet, Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The list of celebrities with red carpet wow momentum at the Oscars is long.

Julianne Hough kicked things off Sunday in an elegant light beige ethereal look straight off the Christian Dior spring 2025 runway.

The 97th Oscars come less than two months after the devastating Los Angeles fires subdued carpet dressing for a time. As the city moves into rebuild mode, stars have been upping their fashion games heading into the biggest awards night of the season.

Some are notable for playing it glam but safe.

Like Margot Robbie’s Barbie pink, Grande has been mostly sticking to a far paler hue, her signature and an homage to her “Wicked” good witch, Glinda. Castmate and carpet bestie Erivo has always taken fashion risks. She ditched her Elphaba black for last week’s Screen Actors Guild awards, opting for a silver Givenchy look with a high shaggy collar worthy of her bad witch role.

Chalamet has been all over the place on carpet dressing as he navigates his Bob Dylan attention from “A Complete Unknown.” At the SAGs, he married a bright brat green button-up shirt from Chrome Hearts with a shiny black leather suit and a bolo tie as he continues to channel the real-life icon he plays.

Deadwyler is a risk-taker, too. She wore a bright red strapless 3D structured tiered gown from Louis Vuitton at the SAGs.

Some planning to attend as nominees and presenters have generated fashion buzz for different reasons. Jeremy Strong wore a mint green velvet Loro Piana suit with a bucket hat in the same color to the Golden Globes. His white turtleneck topped it all off. He’s nominated for supporting actor at the Oscars.

At the SAGs, strong wore a different shade of green. It was a dusty green for a custom Haans Nicholas Mott suit with satin shawl lapels. He wore it with a bowtie.

Madison, a new fashion darling, was among several stars to go vintage at the recent dinner for Oscar nominees. The star of “Anora” wore a dark blue velvet gown by Bill Blass from 1987. She collected a BAFTA award earlier this month in a custom Prada in ivory, accessorizing with a long matching stole and a vintage Tiffany & Co. diamond necklace.

She also went Hollywood bombshell at the SAGs with a strapless silver Louis Vuitton look with a large pleated bow at the waist. She’s been working with stylist Jamie Mizrahi, who has dressed Adele and Jennifer Lawrence, among many other celebs.

​ Orange County Register 

JSerra, Anaheim, Laguna Beach, St. Margaret’s boys soccer teams in CIF Regional playoffs

• March 2, 2025

CIF Southern Section boys soccer champion JSerra opens the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs with a home game Tuesday against Del Norte of San Diego.

JSerra (17-0-1) defeated Loyola 2-0 in the CIF-SS Open Division final Friday. Del Norte (15-0-7) lost on penalty kicks to St. Augustine in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division final.

Anaheim (10-5-8) plays at Jurupa Hills (17-7-4) in a Division III first-round game Tuesday. Anaheim lost to Warren 3-0 in the CIF-SS Division 3 final. Jurupla Hills lost to Harvard-Westlake 2-0 in the CIF-SS Division 2 championship game.

Laguna Beach (15-4-5) is home against Channel Islands (12-7-4) in a Division IV first-round game Tuesday. Laguna Beach won the CIF-SS Division 4 championship. Channel Islands beat St. Margaret’s 2-1 in the CIF-SS Division 6 final.

St. Margaret’s (11-7-5) is home against St. Monica (15-3-2) in the Division V first round Tuesday. St. Monica won the CIF-SS Division 8 championship.

The CIF SoCal Regional boys soccer playoffs continue with the semifinals Thursday and the finals Saturday. There are no CIF State finals in California high school boys soccer.

​ Orange County Register 

Watch live as stars arrive at the Oscars 2025 red carpet

• March 2, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s almost time to see how the biggest nailbiter Oscar season of recent years concludes.

Stars are converging at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday for the 97th annual Academy Awards, which will undoubtedly see some first-time Oscar winners in top categories.

It’s the second year the Oscars are starting earlier in the hope that the best picture award will be announced before audiences go to bed.

The best picture race has been a real horserace this year, with “Anora” and “Conclave” scooping up top awards at other shows in recent weeks. “Emilia Pérez,” the leading nominee this year, has had its Oscar chances upended by the surfacing of racist tweets by star Karla Sofía Gascón, so it remains to be seen how often the divisive Netflix narco-musical has its name out after the envelopes are opened Sunday.

The Oscars red carpet is a major fashion showcase. Oscar nominees and winners from past, present and future pose and mingle ahead of the ceremony. The Associated Press has a livestream of stars’ arrivals available below:

Here’s how to watch and other key things to know before Sunday’s show:

What time do the Oscars start?

The Oscars start at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. PST. ABC is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.

How can I stream the Oscars?

The show is being livestreamed this year on Hulu. It’s also available on services offering live streaming of ABC such as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.

I don’t live in the U.S. How can I watch the Oscars?

The Oscars are widely broadcast beyond the United States.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a handy guide to dozens of international territories that have Oscar telecasts.

What’s likely to win and how can I watch the nominated films?

AP Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr have made their predictions for this year’s show. And for the first time, you can make your own predictions on APNews.

This year’s nominees are widely available on streaming platforms. The AP has compiled a guide of where to watch, whether you’re trying to cram a film in before the show or catching up after the awards.

​ Orange County Register