Leave it to that rascal Michael Riedel (New York Post) to spill beans on which plays are finalists to win the Pulitzer Prize, which will be announced on April 20.

The plays are, he snitches: " 'Ruined,' Lynn Nottage's riveting look at a brothel owner navigating the treacherous politics of the Congo; 'Becky Shaw,' Gina Gionfriddo 's sharp satire of love and money among the 30-something set (which recently ended its run at Second Stage); and 'In the Heights,' Lin-Manuel Miranda's dopey, infantile, hopelessly sentimental, excruciatingly peppy, pleased-as-punch-with-itself celebration of life in the barrio, where everybody sings and dances and rhymes."

"Absent from the list," Riedel continues, "is Neil LaBute's 'reasons to be pretty,' which earlier in the season was considered a Pulitzer shoo-in. Despite receiving strong reviews last week, it's struggling at the box office and will face insurmountable competition at the Tonys from 'God of Carnage.' "

The producers of "pretty" are pretty ticked off and refuse to accept the snub. They're pressing members of the Pulitzer committee to hurry up and see the show before voting.

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Photos: 'In the Heights' (Richard Rodgers Theater), 'Ruined' (Manhattan Theatre Club)

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