THE GOLDEN WEDDING | GERRY + THERESA GET MARRIED

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

The Golden Bachelor left us with an engagement between Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner! Tonight, we’re watching the wedding live from the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. Various contestants from his season are either commentators on the red carpet from Kathy to even seeing stunning Ellen (rocking Gerry’s earrings). Leslie even showed up to congratulate the happy couple! We know that Susan will be officiating the wedding so it’s interesting to see how those in his season are there as well as having Charity Lawson from S20 of The Bachelorette as a correspondent on The Golden Carpet. We also saw how Theresa and Gerry spent their Christmas holiday as it was the first time that their families came together for this event! Tonight, we will see the wedding as well as the reception of the first The Golden Bachelor wedding that has ever taken place.

We also get to see behind the scenes of Gerry getting ready (as he places his hearing aids in). It’s always fun to see the OGs coming together as well as those that we have seen more recently. Of course, Joey Graziadei makes an appearance and it’s nice to see Charity wishing him well for his journey on The Bachelor. We even get to see what the wedding will look like in terms of the tablescapes. We have previously interviewed Mindy Weiss about her approach to event planning and seeing what she did with this wedding, is amazing. Jesse also keeps giving us updates on how his wife is doing as she is pregnant.

It’s really nice to see how many of the women are so connected with one another naturally - not to say that that has not been true in other seasons, but the authenticity amongst these women in this group is amazing. The Bachelorette party included a boudoir shoot with some of her friends as well as Chippendales that came to end the night - so fun to watch them all have a good time. Dotun, Charity’s husband even came by and was quickly stolen away by Kathy!

Finally, after looking back at events during the season and recent events leading to the wedding, the actual ceremony begins. Attendees included 50 people from Bachelor Nation, friends, family, etc and it looks like a nice gathering. All the details clearly have come together seamlessly. Susan looks amazing as the officiant. Their children share their loving thoughts on both Gerry and Theresa. They exchange their vows and share anecdotes of their experiences with one another and they exchange rings. Susan pronounces them married and we move onto the reception. During the reception we see more of Bachelor Nation as well as learn that Charity and Dotun will be getting married in the fall of 2025 - mark your calendars.

Each night during this season, we have tweeted about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

AWARDS SEASON | COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD AWARDS NOMINESS

Earlier today, The 26th Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) announced today TV category nominees for the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards. The Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, is a union of professional costume designers, assistant costume designers, and illustrators working in film, television, commercials and other media. Winners will be announced on Feb 21, 2024. Our predictions are in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics.

Excellence in Contemporary Film

American Fiction – Rudy Mance
May December – April Napier
Nyad – Kelli Jones
Renfield – Lisa Lovaas 
Saltburn – Sophie Canale 

Excellence in Period Film

Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
Maestro – Mark Bridges
Napoleon – Janty Yates & Dave Crossman
Oppenheimer – Ellen Mirojnick
Poor Things – Holly Waddington

Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film

Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
Haunted Mansion – Jeffrey Kurland
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Trish Summerville
The Little Mermaid – Colleen Atwood & Christine Cantella
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire – Stephanie Porter

Excellence in Contemporary Television

The Bear: Fishes – Courtney Wheeler
Beef: The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech in Pain – Helen Huang
The Last of Us: Endure and Survive – Cynthia Ann Summers
The Morning Show: The Kármán Line – Sophie de Rakoff & Debra McGuire
Poker Face: The Orpheus Syndrome – Trayce Gigi Field

Excellence in Period Television

The Crown: Ritz – Amy Roberts
Daisy Jones & the Six: Track 8: Looks Like We Made It – Denise Wingate
George & Tammy: Two Story House – Mitchell Travers
The Gilded Age: You Don’t Even Like Opera – Kasia Walicka Maimone & Patrick Wiley
The Great: Choose Your Weapon – Sharon Long

Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television

Ahsoka: Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord – Shawna Trpcic
Loki: 1893 – Christine Wada
The Mandalorian: Chapter 22: Guns for Hire – Shawna Trpcic
What We Do in the Shadows: Pride Parade – Laura Montgomery
The Witcher: The Art of the Illusion – Lucinda Wright

Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television

A Black Lady Sketch Show: Peek-A-Boob, Your Titty’s Out – Michelle Page Collins
Dancing with the Stars: Monster Night – Steven Norman Lee & Daniela Gschwendtner
The Masked Singer: ’80s Night – Tim Chappel
The Masked Singer: One Hit Wonders Night – Marina Toybina & Steven Norman Lee
Saturday Night Live: Aubrey Plaza Host – Tom Broecker, Christina Natividad & Ashley Dudek 

Excellence in Short Form Design 

American Horror Story: Delicate | Official Teaser (Commercial) – Paula Bradley 
Blink-182 – Dance with Me (Music Video) – Julie Vogel 
Great Acting or Great Taste – Pepsi (Commercial) – Heather Allison 
Jack’s New Angle (Doritos Superbowl) (Commercial) – Trayce Gigi Field 
Madonna X Vanity Fair – The Enlightenment (Short Film) – B. Åkerlund 

Excellence in Costume Illustration

1923: War and the Turquoise Tide – Maggie S. Chan
Haunted Mansion – Barbra Araujo
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Song Songbirds & Snakes – Oksana Nedavniaya
Loki: 1893 – Felipe Sanchez
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire – Jason Pastrana

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

Read the DEC ISSUE #96 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

THE HEAT | DANIEL AUUSTIN

This month, one of our favorite shows came back for its second season, HBO's Rap Sh!t which follows the journey of Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) as they navigate the music industry. Their relationship and journey is loosely based on City Girls. We learn about the music scene in South Florida, the Haitian community and what they do in order to survive along their ride to the top! One of the main characters, Maurice is played by Daniel Augustin who we have enjoyed in ABC's Grey's Anatomy and Hulu's How I Met Your Father! We wanted to find out more about this entertainer, how he approaches his craft, and what we can expect from this season of Rap Sh!t.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so good to sit down with you as I have been a fan of your work and I love your character Maurice in Rap Sh!t and of course, the show is amazing! So I’m excited to talk with you!

DANIEL AUGUSTIN: Thank you so much! Thank you so much for saying that! It’s very exciting to hear and I’m excited to talk to you guys too!

AM: It’s clear that you’re definitely an entertainer. You’re an actor, director, producer, and a musician. When did you realize that you wanted to be in this industry?

DA: I think that I realized that I wanted to be in this industry before I knew how to be. That was around the time when I was watching Hannah Montana.

AM: Oh!

DA: The TV show, yeah! I didn’t know how to be an actor at that time because all I could do was the community acting in South Florida. South Florida didn’t have anywhere near the industry. I think in South Florida there were some Nickelodeon shows, but nothing along the lines of what I was seeing on Hannah Montana. I remember Hannah Montana’s (Miley Cyrus) brother on the show whose name was Jackson (Jason Earles) - I remember hearing he was 28/29/30 and he was playing her high school brother. I remember thinking how many opportunities must come from being able to portray characters at different ages. I just remember watching that show and that it sparked my imagination as to what’s possible and to no longer seeing what I see on TV as solely impossible.

AM: Right.

DA: I mean, she was even doing a bunch of stuff like being dressed up and nobody knowing that it’s her and all she’s doing is just wearing a different wig! That show did a lot for me and I think that at the time that that came out, I was probably 14/15 and that’s when I felt that I wanted to do it. Before that, watching people like Martin Lawrence (Martin, Boomerang, Bad Boys franchise), Jamie Foxx (Ray, White House Down, The Amazing Spider Man 2), Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie franchise, Respect, Air), and Will Smith (Men in Black franchise, Suicide Squad, King Richard) in their sitcoms that they had at the time – those guys raised me essentially and I think that that’s where I found my sense of charisma and playfulness with people. But I don’t think that it was until I saw the Hannah Montana show that I started to think that anything could kind of be possible. This guy is 29 years old and he’s playing someone in high school! That’s when I started to think about how I could go about doing this.

AM: That’s really cool and it’s interesting to see where inspiration can come from.

Earlier this month, you released Movie. Why did you want to take on this project?

DA: Movie means a lot to me because I have not been releasing music in years. I started releasing music when I was maybe 10 years old. So I think I stopped around 2018 as I had made a very hard pivot towards film and TV so I have not been recording, I have not been writing, and I hadn’t really been finding my way to sonics in the way that I would as a recording artist. I was very excited about doing this because when the SAG strike happened, I wasn’t nervous about anything, but I thought about how much control of my career that I don’t necessarily have per se. I don’t want to feel like I don’t have control of my life. So I started to pivot and focus on writing again and I started to focus first on screenwriting. I wrote a pilot, I wrote about my old high school football coach and I’m writing a feature film with my wife, Sh’Kia Augustin that we’re collaborating on. But there was still something that I didn’t feel like I was activated in a very theatrical way and in a way that moves through my body. So, I started to team up with the guys – a majority of those that I did when I was young. So I started in a Christian rap group called Mav-7 and I started reaching out to those guys that were in that group. Alvin Lewis is the main one who is servicing as all forms of A&R, helping me find music/songs and people to work with. Steven Guy, Channel Aria Sound, that’s just 3 names off the top and these guys were helping me craft my sound again. They were helping me craft stories and they were helping me see myself in an entertaining way that amused me and in a way that I felt would be entertaining to others and that I would want to be behind it.

I think that the strike had a lot to do with it and it offered me a lot of time to actually find another form or way to express myself.

AM: You also released Kinfolk: The Series which is 6 episodes and is also your passion project. It was also recognized and selected in Tribeca’s 2022 Creator Market, what led to that coming about?

DA: Kinfolk is another form of taking control of my career. I didn’t film it and you know work on it just to take control of my career. I started as a production assistant and I learned so many skills as a production assistant. I think I started in 2012 working at this small production company called As Seen On TV. They do these smaller commercials for products that you’ll see in Walgreens and Walmart. The commercials will go on late at night, but this gentleman, Laszlo Rain, he would do such an amazing job at making sets to make it look like it was a much bigger professional production. I was always enamored at that and I was always enamored at the magic behind what it took to make it look good. As an actor, I see the part that I play, but there are so many parts that go into the process.

Around 2010, Kanye West had come out with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album that he did and I also remember High School Musical. High School Musical really changed the way that I saw creativity as a whole. From that point on, I wasn’t the guy that was just making the songs, I wasn’t the guy that was the actor, I wanted to turn my songs into a script. So it went from, I want to make music and to feel the rhythms – it turned from that to wanting to be able to turn this into more of a narrative. My wife and I, who was my girlfriend at the time, she helped me get my first camera. It was a Canon 5D Mark III. We bought that camera and we started shooting. I still didn’t know that I wanted to do all of this stuff yet because I wasn’t good at it. I wasn’t good at directing, I wasn’t good at editing, I wasn’t good at coloring, I was bad at it – I was bad at all of that stuff actually.

But we just kept doing stuff, kept shooting stuff and people kept asking me for stuff. They’d say that they had a wedding on Fri and if I could help them, and I would. That would allow me to have a new lesson on a Fri that I hadn’t expected to get. So upon doing Kinfolk, I think that that was a culmination of a lot of different years of being creative and just just being in front of the camera. That’s not to say that being in front of the camera is not creative. But you see how much more creativity goes into pre-producing a project and then the post-production of a project. I think that by doing pre-production, post-production, and feeling the sense of gratitude for completing the project, I started to really feel like I was more than the person who waits to be picked and on set. A lot of the people that I worked with on set, those actors would tell me how much they appreciated the opportunity because a lot of those people were those that were super talented, but they weren’t booking stuff. Booking is not that simple. It’s hard and it feels like a lottery sometimes. It feels like you’re just not going to win! Upon working with other people and other actors, who just really want to be able to go out and do this, I started to appreciate it more because I think that I started to get more value out of my days because I was able to service more people than myself as opposed to just waiting for an audition. I know I started to appreciate that process more and more and I think that that’s where it all started.

AM: That’s really interesting and because of that, you and your wife, have your production company Augustin Productions. What are the kinds or types of projects that you’re looking to do under that company?

DA: Right now, all of the projects, when I think about it they’ve all been in alignment with very family oriented stories or family away from family kind of stories. I think that that’s what I have been coming to terms with – how much is family really part of all of our lives. Kinfolk in particular is so family centric, but aside from that, I worked on a short film that I believe made it to the Toronto Black Film Festival called TIFI {LITTLE GIRL} in creole Tifi means girl. It’s about this young girl and her family. This young girl wants to play soccer. So I think that if I can tie it into one word – cultural. Augustin Productions works on projects that have very cultural and specific minded objectives and narratives. I don’t know if that makes sense on how I just phrased that – but it makes sense to me – very cultural.

AM: No, I definitely get where you’re going with that and how the work ties itself into that category.

DA: I like that it’s family and culture based. In Kinfolk, we don’t have any Haitian characters in there, but there’s a lot of things that I think that Haitian families can relate to even though that story has more African American in it than anything else. So I think that the culture always stands firm more than anything I’m directing, shooting, editing, but also there’s family tied into it very heavily which I think helps people relate so much more when they’re watching.

AM: As an actor, what are you looking for when you’re thinking about accepting a role and what’s your creative process when you are becoming that character that you will portray?

DA: What I’m looking for – when I’m looking at a role, it’s how can I actually add value to the role? I’m looking to see where I can actually add that kind of value because I can see who the person is on paper. But when I start to speak for the person, the paper can only serve as a blueprint now. So I tend to look for everything that’s not on the paper. The paper serves solely as a blueprint, but that blueprint tells me things that sometimes, you can’t fit on the page. So I start to make choices for the actor that I believe and the writers may change some things and they’re more than welcome to – I just start to make choices for the actor based on what the blueprint tells me. If the blueprint says this character is going to say this in this scene, I’m going to take that to mean that they said that, but there is a reason why they said that, and that’s not necessarily off the page. So I’m looking to see if what they have given the actor can lead to images in my head. If it doesn’t lead to images in my head, then there might be somebody else who is best served for that role. Because I need to be well informed in how I can bring something to that role almost like a BYOB. I’ve got to bring my own bottle and food to the party. So I’m looking for something that will let me know what ingredients that this character may need so that I can sizzle off the page.

As far as how I prepare, a lot of times I think that I lead in with some kind of music. Like after I read the role, I almost always can have a soundtrack in mind. Preferably, it’s something without words, I always try to have a soundtrack in mind and I just let it play as I start to prepare. So there’s 2 types of preparation. There’s the audition and then there’s on set. If it is an audition, I’m still going to have music playing while I’m preparing, just because it almost feels like that music speaks to the character and what I’m about to do as well.

So for my role on Rap Sh!t – for that role, before I even did the audition, I had the music going in the background just playing and it was probably a very specific song based on where that person is in their life. The character Maurice, where he was in life at the beginning of the show in Season 1 is not where he is going to be in Season 2. In Season 2 by the finale, he will have gone through stuff that I don’t think that people would have assumed would be what he is going through.

So for the first season, all the songs that I was listening to were so so flirty, playful, seductive, and sensual. But in Season 2, I get into a lot more. So on my way to work, if we’re shooting in Culver City in LA or if we’re in Miami and I’m on the plane, I already have a playlist prepared to have him start to speak to me and to speak for me and these people have already gone through all of these things. One of the songs in particular, I hope it doesn’t give away any information -

AM: ooo

DA: I’ll give you 2 songs. 1 song that I would always listen to on the way to work was Michael Franks’, When Sly Calls, that’s a jazz sound. The other is The O’Jays’ Back Stabbers.

AM: Ok now!

DA: Haha so I listen to those songs on the way to work. These people have lived through that stuff already so by the time that I get into work, I feel like I have downloaded some energy before I come into work. Because what’s going to go on the screen, can’t be what’s on the page. Because on the page is literally my blueprint and for me to come in and color things onto the page so that we can fill the page with more than that black ink, I need something else that has been downloaded into my system that I can now give and bring to this party. I need to be able to bring my own bottle, to bring my own food, and I think that I get that a lot from music! I do other things too. I study in a very particular way as I’m sure that every actor does, but I kind of always have music in the background playing when I’m studying. So even when I put the script down for a second, I’m catching this person’s energy and it’s staying with me when I’m on set. It’s not just me, it’s kind of like, you know the work is us, but it’s bigger then us too.

AM: I love how you’re using music in that way!

I love this show, I’m such a huge fan of it from the words, the characters, the visuals and more! Of course, as we all watched the series finale of HBO's Insecure, to know a few months later that we could get excited about her newest project, Rap Sh!t the anticipation was real! What drew you to this series initially?

DA: Well initially, it was the fact that it was based on Miami – that was 1. He’s Haitian – that’s 2! He wasn’t Haitian at first as it just said, that he was either Haitian or Hispanic when I first saw the breakdown. Haitians are a huge part of the culture in Miami so that drew me in heavily. Lastly, and there’s more than this, but my character starts off working at a hotel in Miami. When my parents first came to South Florida from Haiti, they both came from Haiti, they were immigrants, and they both worked at hotels in Miami. My dad was a concierge and when I saw that role with him being a concierge, it was like a spiritual connection for me in a sense where it was just something small and cute that I can appreciate about this character because a majority of times, usually not everything connects.

Sometimes, you’re trying to see where you can connect this or that. I had a character on How I Met Your Father who moved to Australia. I had never been to Australia, so that was something for me that for me to be able to connect with it, I was watching documentaries of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and stuff like that! When I saw those things and that he was Haitian, living in Miami, and a concierge, automatically it started to sit very well with me.

AM: Wow!

DA: There’s so many other things in it that are icing on the cake for me! But him being Haitian and from Miami was great! I’m from Fort Lauderdale, but we’re neighbors and that was something for me that was very very special to see. I don’t see that on every audition. There are definitely more Haitian roles and I’ve seen that uptick in the past over the past or 3 years for Haitian roles and Haitian representation. But, seeing Issa Rae’s name, I’ve always been a fan of hers especially just based on how she uplifted her community, she’s done so much creatively speaking, and how she has done so much for independent creators. I’ve always been a huge fan of hers so seeing that she was behind this and HBO – I’m a huge huge huge fan of this as well. So seeing all of these things was like, alright it’s such an alignment that for me to be able to have this role it’s just one of my most proudest achievements of my life to date.

AM: How would you describe Maurice?

DA: I would describe Maurice as indescribable, but I will still explain that. I feel like he’s all of us in a way as he’s very human individual, he’s just also a very, by any means necessary kind of guy at the same time. In spite of his by any means necessary approach, he’s able to be playful and fun. He’s flirty and supportive. I think that he’s one of the most diverse characters I’ve seen on screen because I think that there’s so much to unpack as it pertains to his character, his culture, how he communicated with women, because I think that when people talk nowadays and they talk about dating, they tend to talk about how difficult dating is. But I don’t think that it is difficult, just because it’s hard, it’s difficult because we’re not all good communicators, we don’t always know what we want, and sometimes when we do feel that we know what we want, it’s not very clear. I feel like he’s misunderstood, but he’s one of the most supportive individuals that I have seen on screen, almost to a fault.

AM: For those that may need a refresher where did we leave Maurice last season and depending on how much you can tell us, where do we pick up with him again heading into this season as it just started earlier this month?

DA: Last season, he was bathed in mystery. The season ends off with him essentially letting Shawna know that they need to cool off and they need to lay low because they got caught and they’re in trouble, but he’s playing it off like it’s ok. Because I think that he has been in these kinds of scenarios before.

Me personally, I have experienced a lot of what Maurice has experienced because when I was younger, I had a lot of friends that were in what you say in creole, the jwett – it’s a play, it’s a game and so I was on the outside looking in for some of it, but when I didn’t have a 9-5, I had friends that were doing what Maurice was doing and they would try to pull me in and sometimes, they’d get me to come in because I was trying to figure out how to pay bills or how to pay for studio sessions and so on and so forth. So, I’ve been in the situation where Maurice has been in where you’re in trouble, but you have to have confidence that you’re not in trouble so that you can actually get out of trouble.

So he’s been in a headstrong space where he’s seemingly way too cool about it and I think that it is creating an unease for Shawna because of how cool he is about it, she doesn’t necessarily know how to be easy because she doesn’t know and hasn’t had the kinds of experiences that he has had. He ends up letting her know that they’re in trouble, that she is ok, that nothing is wrong, and nothing is going to happen. Ultimately, when she goes back to work, something has happened, the cops come, and they want to speak to her. She doesn’t know how to handle it and she doesn’t know how to be cool and she runs. The season ends with her trying to run off from the police! We end up leaving it off in this space that is a bit open ended and we don’t know what is going on with Maurice and Shawna and she doesn’t know what happened nor does she know what is happening between the two of them.

Essentially I think that Shawna is going to continue to be left in that space of not knowing what is happening more that anybody. For Season 2 as we continue, I think that we’re going to play more of a game of that space and not knowing with Maurice. It’s a mystery and sometimes it’s going to be poured onto Shawna and I think that they are going to go back and forth and so I don’t want to say too much!

AM: Oh wow! We’ve been watching a few seasons and of course, we’re hooked and can’t wait to see how the season continues to evolve and unfold! When it ended last season, I wanted to know what was going on and thankfully we’ll get more answers over the next few weeks and I know our readers will feel the same way!

DA: Yes! It’s going to be a seesaw of emotions in Season 2!

AM: When you’re not on set, how do you take time for yourself to relax or to indulge in self-care?

DA: Man, man – how do I? When I’m not on set, lately what it’s been is that I have been doing therapy lately. That’s been very useful for me to figure out what self-care even looks like? So that’s been one of the things because sometimes, even when I’m not on set, I’m still working on stuff! I’m still writing scripts and I have been doing that a lot. I’ve been working with script consultant, out in London, by the name of Dominic Morgan, very helpful. I’ve been working with a script consultant here in LA called Pilar Alessandra and her program is called On The Page. It’s hard for me to call that self-care, but I have been trying to figure out too – what self-care even is.

Some of the other things that I have been doing self-care - wise is I have been watching more documentaries lately and reality TV as opposed to narratives. It’s just so I can cool off a bit on all of the story stuff that I am constantly involved in. Just so that I can have a bit more fun with it. I’ve been recording again. That’s been a lot of fun and I flew out to South Florida and recorded a lot of music with Alvin Louis and Steven Guy.

And there’s been yoga -

AM: Nice!

DA: There’s been creating even though that’s not necessarily a super chill thing to do. It does feel like self-care to me because it makes me feel like I am taking care of myself creatively and professionally as well. Last one that I will add to that is reading! I’ve been doing a ton of reading!

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for that you will be releasing soon that you’re able to share?

DA: Oh wow, so, there definitely is. There’s some stuff that has happened that I have not been allowed to talk about!

AM: As always is the case!

DA: Yeah, so I’m trying to see if I can sneak something off about it. Let’s just say, there’s going to be something going on in the near future where it will be super hero related. I’m not saying that I will be a superhero.

AM: Okay.

DA: But it is something superhero related in the pretty near future. I just don’t have control over dates. I did just release a music video for Movie and that one was just one part of what I will be sharing with fans. There’s going to be some BTS coming out about that and also a ton of other videos that I shot. 2 more videos here in LA that were directed by Jacob Rink and I shot 2 videos in South Florida. So there is going to be a lot of music and I’m trying to see if the feature film that me and my wife are writing, I wish that I could talk about it, but I’m scared to say what the topic is of the film as I think that it is so synonymous with all of us here. For that one, I’m trying to see if we will be able to self-produce it and to shoot it on our own. I don’t know if we are going to be able to self-produce it just yet, but that’s a goal as well. So right now, I’m going to say that those are the main things that are on the forefront of my mind – music, self-produced content and a superhero thing that I am holding out for that I am hoping will come out soon. I look forward to be able to talk about that and I would also like to be able to say a Rap Sh!t Season 3!

AM: We are all hoping that there will be a Rap Sh!t Season 3! It’s been fun over the years to see you on Grey’s Anatomy as well as How I Met Your Father! In terms of you and this show, I’m always a fan of the concepts that are talked about, looking at how people navigate getting into the music business, learning more about the vibe of South Florida and anything that is missed from the show, catching up with Jessie Woo and Zach Campbell on Chat Sh!t fills in the rest of the gaps I enjoy hearing immediately after I have watched!

DA: Yeah!!!!!

AM: So I definitely hope there are more seasons to come and you continue to do what you’re doing!

DA: Thank you, I appreciate you for saying that!

IG @danielaugustin

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 158 - 162 Ben Cope | PG 165 + 166 Alicia Vera/HBO Max | PG 169 + 170 Erin Simkin/Max |

Read the NOV ISSUE #95 of Athleisure Mag and see THE HEAT | Daniel Augustin in Mag.

POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN REALITIES OF LIFE MEKAI CURTIS, JOEY BADA$$, LONDON BROWN

Season 3 of STARZ's POWER BOOK III: Raising Kanan is back on Dec 1st at midnight on the STARZ app (all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms) as well as on STARZ at 9pm ET every Friday night! We caught up with MeKai Curtis (Arrested Development, Girl Meets World, Milo Murphy's Law), Joey BadA$$ (Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Mr. Robot, Grown-ish), and London Brown (The Hustle, Ballers, American Soul) who are all back for the latest season. We wanted to find out about what we can expect for this season (season 4 is not only renewed but is already in production) as well as what we should be excited for!

MeKai plays Kanan Stark in the 90's in the origin story of the character played by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in POWER, the flagship series. We know he's the devoted son of Raquel "Raq" Thomas (Patina Miller) and as he searches for answers that he will ultimately evolve. We wanted to know how he approaches Kanan, what drew him to this series and what he is excited for.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so exciting to be able to connect with you. How do you approach playing Kanan?

MEKAI CURTIS: You know, I approach it like any other character that I would approach and like how anybody would approach life. I take it line by line, scene by scene, day by day, reaction by reaction – I kind of just try to make it as organic as I can. That’s all acting it. It’s reacting.

AM: Where did we leave Kanan last season and where are we picking up with him again?

MC: I think that you’ll kind of find Kanan in the same spot that you left him at the end of season 2. He’s just trying to get a lot of answers to a lot of questions that he has and some of the answers that he’s getting aren’t necessarily adding up. So he dives deeper into finding those answers and then he builds his truth and his new world around that information! So you know, you’re just again finding an inquisitive young man trying to figure out what he is doing in life and who he is.

AM: What made you want to play this character as well as to join this amazing cast?

MC: Ah man, I mean, wanting to play this character, it stemmed from partially being a fan of the original franchise and then just wanting to push myself as an artist and to take on something new, to stretch my chops and to do something that I knew that I could. But even signing on, I had no idea in certain ways on what I was stepping into. I’m beyond grateful for it. I’m beyond ready for it. But even the magnitude of where we are and what we’re creating, it wasn’t so heavily on me at the time. It was just again about doing good work and getting to be part of the POWER franchise!

AM: What should fans be excited about as we come into the season as I can’t believe that it launches this Fri on Dec 1st!

MC: Ah wow! It is crazy! Oh wow, it is coming up on Fri!

AM: I know, right?

MC: Yo, time is moving – I mean time is just timing! It’s just happening. Everything is happening so fast! I mean, you just threw me for a loop with that one!

I mean it’s about just being able to watch the season! It’s about continuing the journey and continuing the ride with us. It’s about continuing to unfold and discover this world and these characters and what made the person – the original people that the fans of the original franchise are really able to get to understand. It’s about knowing the person that they saw from the original and new people that we have garnered and have started to bring onto the ship. They’re getting to enjoy just a really good story. It’s a coming of age story, a story of love, a story of forgiveness, a story of ups and downs and bonding. It’s about just trying to pave your way and making it do what it do every day that you’re allowed to!

IG @themekaicurtis

We've been a fan of rapper and actor, Joey BadA$$ and the energy that he brings into playing playing notorious drug lord, Kadeem “Unique” Mathis, a character that continues to unveil his complexities from season to season. In addition to finding out how he brings this character to life, we also wanted to know what he loves about playing him as well as what drew him to the POWER universe.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How do you approach playing Unique?

JOEY BADA$$: Well you know, once I get suited and booted, it’s definitely like I get 5 points for that! You know what I mean? Just being in the attire! Also, it’s just more of the mental preparation than anything. You know, I’m thinking about what must be going on in the character’s mind, what are the current challenges that he’s facing and how can I bring that to life on the screen? How can I show that with my actions or my mannerisms or even my facial expressions.

AM: Where did we leave Unique last season and where are we picking up with him again this season?

JB: So you know, last season we saw the villain become the hero and I thought that that was very interesting. You know, I think that with this new season, historically, he was the guy that you hated that you loved or the guy that you loved that you hated. But now, I feel like people are going to see him in a new light this season because he’s in much more of a vulnerable space navigating this chemistry between him and Raq. So, you know his brother being back home and Ronnie’s (Grantham Coleman) not happy with what Unique has done. So there’s this work-life balance that Unique is facing and you know, I think that people are really going to see more of the human aspect of Unique more than anything this season so I’m excited about that!

AM: What made you want to play this character and be part of this phenomenal cast?

JB: Well I’ve been a fan of the original POWER series you know for a long time. When I saw that they were doing a spin-off, I just thought, look I just need a role. It don’t really matter which one it is, but once the role of Unique came and I auditioned for this character and it landed on my desk, I’m like, this is it – this is me. You know, by every means, this is me. I felt like I was born to play this character, you know what I’m saying? It’s been exciting to say the least and I’m super grateful to be part of this universe and to be part of the family.

AM: It’s always fun to see when you’re on screen! Are there any other upcoming projects that we should keep our eye out for that you can tell us about?

JB: Well, as we know, Raising Kanan Season 3 is coming. I’m working on a new album right now to put out at the top of next year. So I’m looking forward to that! Yeah and you know, more film stuff. I’m actually starting up a production company right now so I’m actually looking to get my hand involved in the executive level in this film industry so I am genuinely excited about that! I’ll be producing some of my own projects. I’m just looking forward to elevation and growth!

IG @joeybadass

Before the series premiere of this show, we caught up with London Brown who plays Marvin Thomas, who is Raq's older brother and Kanan's uncle. In that interview, he introduced us to POWER BOOK III, and it's great to now touchbase with him ahead of the 3rd season, to know more about his thoughts on the intracacies of Marvin, how he continues to approach him when playing him, why he enjoys bringing him to life and of course, what we need to know to be prepared for the upcoming season.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How do you approach playing Marvin?

LONDON BROWN: With a lot of concentration and focus in the sense that I just try to make sure that I try to create a lot of layers for Marvin so that he really becomes 3 dimensional and that he’s just not just some caricature, but more so a real person with real feelings. That way, the audience can go on a journey with me.

AM: Where did we leave Marvin last season, and where are we picking up with him again?

LB: We leave Marvin last season injured and in the middle of trying to repair relationships and we pick it up with him right there in the sense of he’s learned some lessons and now he is trying to apply those lessons to really become a better person. Not only for himself, but for those that he loves.

AM: We had the pleasure to catch up before the first season aired and so to talk with you again has been great. What do you enjoy about playing him across these seasons?

LB: The thing that I enjoy is experimenting with the arc of Marvin. That’s what I like! I don’t like for any character to stay in one thing and you can’t put Marvin in any kind of particular space because he’s doing different things. People can even experience that from the first season. This is true even from season to season. Even within a scene, you'll see Marvin go from one extreme to the next. So that’s been fun, just to get into the layers of playing Marvin.

AM: What should we expect from this season as we’re excited that this show is back!

LB: I think that people should expect plot twists and more specifically with Marvin. Just when people thought that they understood Marvin, they’re going to see a completely different side of Marvin that people can appreciate and whatever ideas that they thought that they had of Marvin in Season 1 like, “oh man, he did – oh wait – he is – he’s like this and like that!” But Marvin is still Marvin. So Marvin don’t start no issues, but if you cross him, he’ll finish them. So the undertone of Marvin is still there, but there are a lot of new notes to Marvin that we explored.

IG @reallondonbrown

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | STARZ/POWER BOOK III: Raising Kanan

Read the NOV ISSUE #95 of Athleisure Mag and see POWER BOOK III: Raising Kanan - Realities of Life | MeKai Curtis, Joey BadA$$, London Brown in mag.

THE BACHELOR S28. E0. | THE LADIES OF JOEY'S SEASON

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC The Bachelor/Gizelle Hernandez

On Jan 22nd, we will get to see the premiere episode of S28 of The Bachelor where Joey Graziadei who was the runner up in S20 of The Bachelorette with Charity Lawson, will be able to start his own journey on The Bachelor! We can’t wait to see who he picks and what happens along the way. We’re sharing the contestants that will be in this season and we’re really looking forward to how sisters Lauren and Allison navigate competing for the same man, living in the house, and how they engage with the other women!

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO WE THINK IS GOING TO HOMETOWNS

JENN

KELSEY T.

LAUREN

TALYAH

PHOTO CREDIT | The Bachelor Contestants/Richard Middlesworth

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

Allison - Philadelphia, PA, 26

Allison - St. Louis, MO, 26

Chandler - NY, NY, 24

Chrissa - Abbotsford, BC CA, 26

Daisy - Becker, MN, 25

Edwina - Atlanta, GA, 25

Erika - North Bergen, NJ, 25

Evalin - San Antonio, TX, 29

Jenn - Miami, FL, 25

Jessica "Jess" - San Diego, CA, 24

Katelyn - Santa Fe, NM, 25

Kayla - Hamilton, OH, 27

Kelsey A. - New Orleans, LA, 25

Kelsey T. - Los Angeles, CA, 31

Kyra - Miami, FL, 26

Laine - Philadelphia, PA, 27

Lauren - Philadelphia, PA, 28

Lea - Waipahu, HI, 23

Lexi - Atlanta, GA, 30

Madina - Charlotte, NC, 31

Maria - Kleinburg, Ontario, 29

Marlena - West Palm Beach, FL, 26

Nat - Sudbury, Canada, 26

Rachel - Honolulu, HI, 26

Sam - Nashville, TN, 31

Samantha - Miami, FL, 25

Sandra - Nashville, TN, 26

Starr - Delray Beach, FL, 25

Sydney - Newport, RI, 28

Talyah - Huntington Beach, CA, 23

Taylor - Chicago, IL, 23

Zoe - Atlanta, GA, 24

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

HOLIDAYS, HEALTH, + HAPPINESS WITH LA LA ANTHONY

We always enjoy when we have the opportunity to catch up with STARZ’s BMF and Showtime’s The Chi star, La La Anthony! We love when we see her in a number of projects whether it’s in TV, film, as an entrepreneur and more! With the holiday season that’s known for a number of events as well as taking that time to think about how you are stepping into the New Year, we wanted to catch up with her to see about how she navigates this business season personally and professionally!

She partnered with Delsym because when a cough starts making its way around La La’s house, there are two things La La’s family needs to feel better together so they don’t miss out on any holiday festivities: Delsym, the #1 doctor recommended, 12-hour cough suppressant, and her favorite Puerto Rican Chicken Soup recipe, her go-to comfort meal when her family is feeling under the weather this cold and flu season.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s the holiday season. We can’t even believe that it’s the end of the year!

LA LA ANTHONY: Right? How did that happen?

AM: It’s like we blinked in April and here we are in Dec!

We’re enjoying tons of activities, but it’s also the time of year that we can get a bit under the weather. How do you navigate that during this time of year?

LLA: Well, that’s exactly why you know that I wanted to do this partnership with Delsym. It’s been a staple in my house so especially having a son for a very long time. So, you know when that cough is starting and we’re not feeling well, that is my go-to. So why not let the world know?

Delsym, you know is the #1 doctor recommended 12-hour cough suppressant. That along with this chicken soup that my mom taught me how to make when I was growing up, that’s the one thing that I learned in the kitchen, because I’m not that good in the kitchen. That combo right there, you’re good to go. So I definitely wanted to be part of Delsym’s, Bring Comfort Home Campaign. In this kit, you’ll also get all the ingredients to make my favorite chicken soup. It’s DelsymMealKit.com. You’re seeing it behind me right now and it’s just something that Kiyan, my son, and I have been rocking with for a very long time.

AM: When you’re under the weather, you have the things that you do. I have my favorite set of cashmere, my streamed shows, that oversized mug that I’m drinking out of. I love a good chicken soup recipe so what is it?

LLA: So, I grew up in a Hispanic household. Both of my parents are from Puerto Rico, so it has Spanish, Latin, Puerto Rican flavor in there. So, it’s however my mom taught me, what seasoning to use, how to mix it up – it has that kind of flavor to it, which is why I love it so much and it’s easy. Because if you follow the steps, I feel that anyone can do it, because if I can do it, anyone can do it, because I don’t know how to cook at all, so it’s literally like, if I follow it and she tells me what it is start to finish, the result is going to be good! It definitely has Latin flavors like Sazon to it. So you know it’s going to be good!  

AM: Definitely checking it out as the other night I enjoyed having Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup), which I thought was amazing and I had never had it before. So this, sounds like another winner to me even if I’m not sick because I do love Chicken Soup!

LLA: Oh no, that’s the same with me! It’s just my go-to for holiday seasons in general. I don’t know, there’s something about eating something that you had growing up that makes you feel nostalgic, like holiday, and home. So, it kind of for me, brings all of that out for me.

AM: There are a number of traditions that we enjoy as well as those that we make as we go along. What are some of your favorites during this holiday season?

LLA: So for me, I grew up and always had tons of people in my house. It was my whole family, that’s how it has always been. So I have continued that tradition so now in my home, Thanksgiving just passed, I had 30-35 family members – it might have been more now that I think about it. 35 family members in my house, which my house ain’t even big enough to fit 35 people! So we were all just cramped in there and we’ve always been like that. Just playing games, music, laughing, and fun. We just had a great time and the same thing with Christmas, it’s just continuing that family gathering and having everyone together and taking a break from their crazy lives, work, and everything that they have going on. So, it’s always been like that. It’s nice to be in a place where I can continue that same holiday tradition.

AM: Well, this season means that we do tons of different activities whether it’s with our colleagues at work, friends, and family. What’s the best way that we can keep it cute and fresh when we’re doing all of these different things?

LLA: Stay healthy! That’s how you keep it cute and fresh! The holidays are when people get sick, so stay healthy so that you can be outside and that you can enjoy these social events and gatherings. It’s fun being outside and doing the Christmas parties, the NYE parties, it’s fun. You get to be social, you get to meet people, and you don’t want to miss out on that stuff because you’re not feeling well. Stay on top of your health, stay on top of you’re A-game. Another reason why this partnership was important to me is because I want to be my best, and I want Kiyan to be his best so that he can be great at everything that he is doing.  

AM: What are you thinking of in terms of gifting friends and family this year? What are things that we should also be thinking about for our holiday lists?  

LLA: So candles to me are always great! Like, candles are easy, but they are so symbolic and they have so much meaning. You can get candles that are engraved, you can get candles that say a quote or a scripture on it, whatever your preference is. But, I think that that’s like a not too expensive gift that it’s intimate and it feels thoughtful. That’s always my go-to. Like, who doesn’t want a beautiful candle?

It’s not something that you’ll ever have enough of. You’re not going to be like, “oh, I’m at my candle limit!” There’s no such thing.

AM: Especially those that are in those big jars!

LLA: Oh yeah, I love! Those are really pretty.

AM: Well, you’re an amazing mom, a great actress, and you’re always putting your name and intention behind great things! It’s always great when I have the ability to be able to interview you and to see all the things that you continue to do. I know that with you, it’s always going to be excellence.

LLA: I really appreciate you saying that, thank you so much!

You can sign up to win a Delsym Comfort Meal Kit, featuring La La Anthony's Puerto Rican Chicken Soup recipe ingredients beginning today through Friday, January 5th by visiting DelsymMealKit.com. Winners will be selected and notified in early January. Terms and conditions apply. But we also want to give you the scoop on her recipe as well which you can read below!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | SAMUEL ARNOLD

Read the NOV ISSUE #95 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Samuel Arnold in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | MAGGIE Q

Read the NOV ISSUE #95 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S Maggie Q in mag.

AWARDS SEASON | CRITIC CHOICE AWARDS AWARDS NOMINEES

Earlier today, The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced the TV category nominees for the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards. This event will be hosted by Chelsea Handler who will be at the live broadcast on The CW on Sunday, January 14, 2024 (7:00 – 10:00 pm ET – delayed PT, check local listings).

On 12.13.23, this post has been updated to include the nominations that were announced on this date for the film category nominees.

Our predictions are in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics.

TELEVISION NOMINATIONS FOR THE 29TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST DRAMA SERIES

The Crown (Netflix)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

The Last of Us (HBO | Max)

Loki (Disney+)

The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

Succession (HBO | Max)

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO | Max)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO | Max)

Tom Hiddleston – Loki (Disney+)

Timothy Olyphant – Justified: City Primeval (FX)

Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us (HBO | Max)

Ramón Rodríguez – Will Trent (ABC)

Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO | Max)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Aunjanue Ellis – Justified: City Primeval (FX)

Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO | Max)

Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO | Max)

Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Khalid Abdalla – The Crown (Netflix)

Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Ron Cephas Jones – Truth Be Told (Apple TV+)

Matthew MacFadyen – Succession (HBO | Max)

Ke Huy Quan – Loki (Disney+)

Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown (Netflix)

Sophia Di Martino – Loki (Disney+)

Celia Rose Gooding – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

Karen Pittman – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Christina Ricci – Yellowjackets (Showtime)

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Barry (HBO | Max)

The Bear (FX)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Poker Face (Peacock)

Reservation Dogs (FX)

Shrinking (Apple TV+)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Bill Hader – Barry (HBO | Max)

Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Drew Tarver – The Other Two (HBO | Max)

Jeremy Allen White – The Bear (FX)

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – Reservation Dogs (FX)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX)

Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)

Devery Jacobs – Reservation Dogs (FX)

Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Phil Dunster – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Harrison Ford – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

James Marsden – Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear (FX)

Henry Winkler – Barry (HBO | Max)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Paulina Alexis – Reservation Dogs (FX)

Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Jessica Williams – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Beef (Netflix)

Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

Fargo (FX)

Fellow Travelers (Showtime)

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Love & Death (HBO | Max)

A Murder at the End of the World (FX)

A Small Light (National Geographic)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Showtime)

Finestkind (Paramount+)

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)

No One Will Save You (Hulu)

Quiz Lady (Hulu)

Reality (HBO | Max)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)

Tom Holland – The Crowded Room (Apple TV+)

David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+)

Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)

Kiefer Sutherland – The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Showtime)

Steven Yeun – Beef (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Kaitlyn Dever – No One Will Save You (Hulu)

Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Bel Powley – A Small Light (National Geographic)

Sydney Sweeney – Reality (HBO | Max)

Juno Temple – Fargo (FX)

Ali Wong – Beef (Netflix)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Jonathan Bailey – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)

Taylor Kitsch – Painkiller (Netflix)

Jesse Plemons – Love & Death (HBO | Max)

Lewis Pullman – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Liev Schreiber – A Small Light (National Geographic)

Justin Theroux – White House Plumbers (HBO | Max)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Maria Bello – Beef (Netflix)

Billie Boullet – A Small Light (National Geographic)

Willa Fitzgerald – The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

Aja Naomi King – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Mary McDonnell – The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

Camila Morrone – Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES

Bargain (Paramount+)

The Glory (Netflix)

The Good Mothers (Hulu)

The Interpreter of Silence (Hulu)

Lupin (Netflix)

Mask Girl (Netflix)

Moving (Hulu)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

Bluey (Disney+)

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)

Harley Quinn (HBO | Max)

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)

Young Love (HBO | Max)

BEST TALK SHOW

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO | Max)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL

Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool (Netflix)

Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits (Prime Video)

John Early: Now More Than Ever (HBO | Max)

John Mulaney: Baby J (Netflix)

Trevor Noah: Where Was I (Netflix)

Wanda Sykes – I’m an Entertainer (Netflix)

FILM NOMINATIONS FOR THE 29TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

“American Fiction” (MGM)

“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

“The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.)

“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

“Maestro” (Netflix)

“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

“Past Lives” (A24)

“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

“Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)

BEST ACTOR

Bradley Cooper — “Maestro”

Leonardo DiCaprio — “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Colman Domingo — “Rustin”

Paul Giamatti — “The Holdovers”

Cillian Murphy — “Oppenheimer”

Jeffrey Wright — “American Fiction”

BEST ACTRESS

Lily Gladstone — “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Sandra Hüller — “Anatomy of a Fall”

Greta Lee — “Past Lives”

Carey Mulligan — “Maestro”

Margot Robbie — “Barbie”

Emma Stone — “Poor Things”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown — “American Fiction”

Robert DeNiro — “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Robert Downey Jr. — “Oppenheimer”

Ryan Gosling — “Barbie”

Charles Melton — “May December”

Mark Ruffalo — “Poor Things”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt — “Oppenheimer”

Danielle Brooks — “The Color Purple”

America Ferrera — “Barbie”

Jodie Foster — “Nyad”

Julianne Moore — “May December”

Da’Vine Joy Randolph — “The Holdovers”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Abby Ryder Forston — “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”

Ariana Greenblatt — “Barbie”

Calah Lane — “Wonka”

Milo Machado Graner — “Anatomy of a Fall”

Dominic Sessa — “The Holdovers”

Madeleine Yuna Voyles — “The Creator”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

“Air”

“Barbie”

“The Color Purple”

“The Holdovers”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Oppenheimer”

BEST DIRECTOR

Bradley Cooper — “Maestro”

Greta Gerwig — “Barbie”

Yorgos Lanthimos — “Poor Things”

Christopher Nolan — “Oppenheimer”

Alexander Payne — “The Holdovers”

Martin Scorsese — “Killers of the Flower Moon”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Air” — Alex Convery

“Barbie” — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach

“The Holdovers” – David Hemingson

“Maestro” — Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer

“May December” — Samy Burch

“Past Lives” — Celine Song

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” — Kelly Fremon Craig

“All of Us Strangers” — Andrew Haigh

“American Fiction” — Cord Jefferson

“Killers of the Flower Moon” — Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth

“Poor Things” — Tony McNamara

“Oppenheimer” — Christopher Nolan

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Matthew Libatique – Maestro

Rodrigo Prieto – Barbie

Rodrigo Prieto – Killers of the Flower Moon

Robbie Ryan – Poor Things

Linus Sandgren – Saltburn

Hoyte van Hoytema – Oppenheimer

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Suzie Davies, Charlotte Dirickx – Saltburn

Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman – Oppenheimer

Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Killers of the Flower Moon

Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer – Barbie

James Price, Shona Heath, Szusza Mihalek – Poor Things

Adam Stockhausen, Kris Moran – Asteroid City

BEST EDITING

William Goldenberg – Air

Nick Houy – Barbie

Jennifer Lame – Oppenheimer

Yorgos Mavropsaridis – Poor Things

Thelma Schoonmaker – Killers of the Flower Moon

Michelle Tesoro – Maestro

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Jacqueline Durran – Barbie

Lindy Hemming – Wonka

Francine Jamison-Tanchuck – The Color Purple

Holly Waddington – Poor Things

Jacqueline West – Killers of the Flower Moon

Janty Yates, David Crossman – Napoleon

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

Barbie

The Color Purple

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Priscilla

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creator

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST COMEDY

American Fiction

Barbie

Bottoms

The Holdovers

No Hard Feelings

Poor Things

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Wish

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Anatomy of a Fall

Godzilla Minus One

Perfect Days

Society of the Snow

The Taste of Things

The Zone of Interest

BEST SONG

“Dance the Night” – Barbie

“I’m Just Ken” – Barbie

“Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie

“Road to Freedom” – Rustin

“This Wish” – Wish

“What Was I Made For” – Barbie

BEST SCORE

Jerskin Fendrix – Poor Things

Michael Giacchino – Society of the Snow

Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer

Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Robbie Robertson – Killers of the Flower Moon

Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt – Barbie

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.8 | FINALE + AFTER THE FINAL ROSE

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

We’re back after a break for Thanksgiving and we finally get to see how it all ends on The Golden Bachelor. Jesse Palmer promises that we will definitely have some twists and turns as we watch how Gerry will navigate this experience. Back in Costa Rica, he chats with his 2 daughters and his granddaughters who came out to meet the final women, Theresa and Leslie. You can see how close their bond is as well as how they want him to enjoy his experience.

First up is Theresa who bonds well with his family. She lets them know that her story is very similar to Gerry’s in terms of marrying her high school sweetheart and also seeing him get sick and pass away. She makes a great impression and later on when she is alone with him, she lets him know that she only wants to be proposed to if he is 1000% sure. He promises her that.

Back in the studio, there are various people from across the franchise that is in attendance. It’s always nice to see people and those that they are with as well as those that we will see again in future seasons.

Leslie meets the family and it seems like he is more at ease with her and has a lot more jokes that he shares with her. It seems like the family likes both women. It seems like whoever is on the second date with Gerry gets an awkward version of him that starts to mentally step away from who he is with. Leslie picks up on it and feels that she will address it when they are on the later portion of their date.

He lets her know that the process can be a lot but that he’s happy that she is there and that although he had a dip, it’s time for them to focus and have fun. She gifts him a book that has their memories from their time together from cards, photos and more! The book is also blank for more chances to fill up. He thanks her for being a blessing and she lets him know that she can’t imagine being without them. She tells him that he loves her and he doesn’t say it back. He’s emotional and she asks if he has something to tell her and he just says that the decision is a lot harder than he thought and that it is impossible. He leaves her, cries in the stairwell, and she feels that she’s not sure on where they stand. He decides to go back and talk with her to say what was on his mind. He tells her that he has fallen in love with Theresa and that that is the direction that he is going to take. Leslie says that everything that he told her the other night was a lie. She tells that they weren’t off, that he was off today and wants to know where things went wrong. He tells that things just evolved and that she shouldn’t feel awful. She tells him that she can feel whatever way she wants and she tells him that he went down a path, made her feel assured, and then he took a turn and left her there. She tells him that she fell in love with him and his family and at least she won’t have to go through the process of walking out in the gown and dress on the platform to be even more embarrassed. Jesse’s face watching it looks so disheartened. Gerry seems torn up over what happened as well.

Leslie is on the couch and you can see that she is still affected by what happened. She walks us through the days leading up what we just saw. Jesse lets her know that Gerry is there to talk with her so that she can find out more about what took place. She tells him her thoughts and that even though we didn’t hear everything that took place in their overnight, she lets him know that what he said, didn’t match what he ultimately did to her. He tells her he tried to focus on each relationship and sometimes he got caught up in the moment and said I love you. She says that she hears what he’s saying, but she can’t say that she forgives him.

We’re back in Costa Rica as both Theresa and Gerry prepare to see one another. They meet one another on the platform and we know that he intends to ask her to marry him. We also know that if he asks, Theresa will say yes. She tells him that she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. He tells her that she’s not the right person to live with, she’s the right person that he doesn’t want to live without. He asks her to marry him. He gives her the final rose, the Golden Rose.

The couple finally make their way to the stage. With their first public experience, they can finally let everyone know - apparently, she didn’t even tell her sisters! Interestingly, we learn that on Jan 4th, Gerry and Theresa are getting married live on ABC and then on Jan 22nd, we’ll get to watch Joey start his Bachelor journey!

Each night during this season, we tweeted about The Golden Bachelor and you were able to chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as we got closer to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

GERRY CHOSE

THERESA

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64 (Copy)

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.8 | FANTASY SUITES

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

Well it’s time for Fantasy Suites and we’re in Costa Rica for this week’s The Golden Bachelor. It’s another part of this franchise where we’re interested in seeing how Gerry navigates many of the elements of the show that we have come to expect. Jesse and Gerry catch up on what the week entails as well as what he feels for both of them - he also notes that he said he was in love with Leslie and he hesitated with Theresa.

He kicks off the dates starting with Leslie. They have a little hike which leads them to their repelling activity! Leslie looks super apprehensive (as are we), but they end up getting through it and end up at the base of the waterfall in their swimwear embracing the moment. They continue their date at dinner where they talk more about what they expect. They move onto the Fantasy Suites where they can talk more and can get to know one another. They wake up next to each other enjoying breakfast and Gerry says how he feels that their relationship has improved significantly. Leslie watches him leave knowing that he will be with Theresa next and she has to say secure in what they have built.

The date on paper seems great between Gerry and Theresa; however, his mind is back with Leslie. Theresa notices and brings it up. You can see Gerry struggling and he even acknowledges that he needs to be present to figure it out with Theresa. After they finish riding horses together, they’re at dinner. Gerry asks more questions, but you can see that he’s trying to give her time so that he’s not as lackluster as he was with her before. By asking her questions, he hears more about her life in securities and how she hasn’t been with anyone since her husband. It seems that he has been drawn in a bit more. They wake up together and it seems like they’re close as well. He lets her know that he loves her.

It’s definitely going to be a tough decision and someone is going to be hurt whichever way it goes. Nov 30th will be the day when we find out who he chose! We also get to see his family and what they think about the final two women.

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO’S GOING TO FANTASY SUITES

LESLIE

THERESA

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | CHUCK NORRIS

Read the OCT ISSUE #94 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Chuck Norris in mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.7 | ROSES + WOMEN'S TELL ALL

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

Last week we saw Hometowns on The Golden Bachelor and we left Gerry having to make his final decision for roses! We definitely feel for him as we can see the toll it is taking on him. It’s also the Women’s Tell All, so we can find out more about what was taking place. We’ll have to wait a bit to see who else received the rose, but it’s great to see the women on the stage and to hear from them. It’s also great that we’re able to take a walk down memory lane to see a number of the events and the interactions.

We have to say that he cast of women that were in this season were lovely and inspiring. Susan was a fave and to see Kris Jenner shout out the women as well as Susan specifically was a great moment! Joan talks with Jesse Palmer one on one. It was sad to see that she left early due to her family needing her, but sweet to see how Gerry handled it. Ellen also gets to chat with Jesse about her journey. She even talks about her best friend Roberta who passed away prior to the airing of the show which was another moment that touched everyone.

Gerry hits the stage and sees the women on the stage and he lets them know that he misses all of them and loves them all. He lets them know how he enjoyed getting to know them as well as showing how people of their age still have lives to lead and that they should be out there!

We finally find out who else gets a rose as we know that Leslie already has hers! It’s between Faith and Theresa. As Gerry contemplates his decision, Jesse asks him what he wants to do and Gerry says he knows what he needs to do, he just doesn’t want to do it. Gerry comes back in the room, apologizes for the delay and gives the last rose to Theresa! You can see that the audience is surprised as we all thought it would go to Faith! Seeing the anguish on Faith’s face watching this scene in the audience is gut wrenching. She chats with Jesse and her fellow cast mates send her love. Jesse says what we’re all thinking, “we’re shocked that she was sent home!” Seeing Gerry cry when he saw Faith was so sad and to hear her crying was so emotional. The respect between one another is really sweet to see.

We get a bit of a peek into the upcoming weeks and the emotional journey will continue. We see him continue with both women, them at Fantasy Suites, his family having their input and more. There’s still a lot more to the story as the final episode for this season culminates on Nov 30th.

Gerry Gave Roses To | Leslie and Theresa

Gerry Sent Home | Theresa

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO’S GOING TO FANTASY SUITES

LESLIE

THERESA

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.6 | HOMETOWNS

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

It’s Hometowns on The Golden Bachelor and Gerry is on his way to see the ladies and their families which will also include children and grandchildren! We start off with Theresa in Shrewsbury, NJ. Seeing the family support that she has is always nice to see. Everyone weighs in on how they like Gerry.

With a great date down, Gerry continues on to see Faith in horse country! Benton City, WA is rural, but it’s awesome to see her horses. The two of them ride horses together and they talk about the fact that neither would want to to leave where they live as they have roots and interests there. How will they figure out how they will make their relationship work? Faith’s sons ask about whether he is in love with Faith and he admits with a number of pauses that he thinks that he is. The fact that they both said I love you - how sweet is that?

The last date takes place with Leslie. He learns about how important her older brother is as he took over father duties when their dad died. Once again the vibes between Gerry and the family is positive. Her brother says that Gerry is so out of the box from what she is used to, and her likes that for her.

It’s a tough decision to see where all of this would shake out as only 2 women will be going forward with him. All 3 women have let him know that they are in love with him. Now that everyone is back at the mansion in LA, Jesse Palmer greets each of the women to see how everything is going with them and what Hometowns is like. Gerry decides that he will continue on this journey with Leslie and he gets overcome and needs a moment to himself as we’ll have to wait until next week to see whether Faith or Theresa will stay.

Gerry Gave Roses To | Leslie

Gerry Sent Home |

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS

FAITH

LESLIE

THERESA

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.5 | THE GAMES CONTINUE

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

It definitely feels like the lines are drawn with some of the ladies of the The Golden Bachelor and last week, we were bummed to see that Joan chose her family’s needs over continuing her journey. As sad as he was to see her go, he knows he must continue his journey as well.

Jesse Palmer lets them know that there will be a group date and one 1-on-1 date and although hometowns is next week, only 3 women will have the opportunity for their family’s to meet Gerry! That’s a twist and shock for everyone - us included! Faith will be on the 1-on-1 date so the remaining ladies will be on the group date. Gerry knows that next week will be important as he will be meeting families which can include children and grandchildren. Although the women are supportive, we see Leslie being bummed that the once in a lifetime date went to Faith. They enjoy a helicopter ride and they land on a yacht to enjoy the day together. Of course, they also had a hot tub moment as well. Faith and Gerry talk a bit and he learns more about who she is as a person. She receives a rose and we’ll be seeing her at Hometowns next week.

Back at the house, the women are getting excited for their group date and they see Faith arrive with our rose. They hear about Faith’s date and you can tell that everyone is a bit nervous. The group date is at the Santa Monica pier so there are a number of games to be enjoyed as they allow their inner child to come out! Who doesn’t love a bit of Whack-a-Mole session? Sandra, Susan, Ellen, Leslie, and Theresa are vying for the remaining 2 roses as they head into Hometowns. Theresa takes the moment to tell him that she doesn’t want to go about her days without him. He spends time with each of the women during the group date and it’s nice to see that he makes every effort to make everyone feel like they are getting quality time.

As much as we’re loving this show, different episodes makes us wonder why they can’t have 4 people go forward to Hometowns? Couldn’t they have a 2 hour episode so that we could see all 4? Clearly this season has been moving quickly. This episode is #5 and we only have 6 people. It’ll be interesting to see if there is a second season, what tweaks will they make that will have the same format of The Bachelor/Bachelorette?

Gerry lets them know that he feels the weight of having to choose two women. He said that he’d rather take one more day and pick 2 women at the rose ceremony. The women assemble and he reiterates the importance of the rose. The first rose goes to Leslie. The final rose goes to Theresa. Sadly, Ellen, Sandra, and Susan will not be moving on!

Gerry Gave Roses To | Faith, Leslie, and Theresa

Gerry sent home | Ellen, Sandra, and Susan

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS

FAITH

LESLIE

THERESA

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE POWER OF DANCE | BRITT STEWART

This month, we sat down with Dancing with the Stars' pro, Britt Stewart who has been on a number of seasons turning contestants to dancers that we enjoy seeing across our screens! With the next season of DWTS starting on Sept 26th, we wanted to catch up with her to find out more about her background, her passion for dance, projects she's been part of and the importance of representation in dance as well as having the tools and wellness care items that we can all enjoy regardless of our skin tones! In addition, she talks about her partnership with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a dancer?

BRITT STEWART: Oh, wow! I don't know if I realized it for myself because I was three years old when I started dancing, and my parents put me into it. But as soon as I started dancing, my parents knew that that was my passion. Then, I had an amazing opportunity professionally when I was 15 years old, when I was in the high school musical movies, and it was what really showed me what a career in dance would be like. After that, I just was stuck and that's what I ended up doing!

AM: Where did you train and what kind of dance do you do or lean towards?

BS: I trained in Denver, Colorado at Artistic Fusion Dance Academy. I also trained at my art school from sixth through 12th grade at Denver School of the Arts. Growing up I trained in everything. I was classically trained with ballet and modern and contemporary and jazz. I also did tap and hip hop and cultural dances. And now of course, I lean toward all styles of ballroom dance. I would have to say my favorite is jazz through and through, but I love Samba and Viennese Waltz.

AM: You have toured as a dancer for a number of artists including: Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Demi Lovato, and Florence and the Machine! You danced during Super Bowl XLIX and have also been in Grey's Anatomy, Bunheads, and the Gilmore Girls to name a few - how has it been to showcase your talents on so many stages and different ways?

BS: My career feels so expansive because I started so young, and I also feel very blessed that I got so many different experiences on so many different stages, from live stage to TV and film. It has really been a blessing to be able to call my passion my career and my work. I know that that is something that doesn't always happen, so I don't take it for granted.

AM: You joined Dancing with the Stars as a dancer in Season 23 - 27 and then became the first black female pro on the show in Season 29! What attracted you to being on this show and what is the difference between being a dancer versus a pro?

BS: The show actually started as just a regular commercial job. I got hired to do one little performance, and that is where the producers saw me and asked me to audition for the show. It really came out of the blue! I knew that I wanted something different and I wanted to be challenged. This was right after Katy Perry's tour. I had been with her for three years, and I really loved working with her, but I knew that I just wanted something different at that moment. And literally, Dancing with the Stars fell into my lap. It pushed me in so many ways. The biggest difference between being a dancer and a Dancing with the Stars pro is it really does hold so much responsibility. As a pro you not only get to dance, but to choreograph and to teach and really create a relationship with whoever your partner is.

AM: You've partnered with Johnny Weir, Martin Kove, and Daniel Durant - how do you prepare to work with partners who have varying levels of expertise and what's that process like?

BS: The process of working with all levels and expertise is very unique to each season. I stay true to myself as a choreographer and as a teacher, but I always enter the room with an open heart and open mind and choreograph and teach for that partner's needs.

AM: What has been your favorite memory of being on this show?

BS: Oh my goodness. Well, my favorite memory on Dancing With The Stars is hard to choose because my first season was so rewarding. I really earned a friend for life from Johnny Weir, and he was honestly the perfect first partner I could have asked for. But then, I don't know. I mean, being partnered with Daniel and then falling in love with him, I guess that's my favorite memory!

AM: What can you tell us about the upcoming season that we should keep an eye out for and what are you looking forward to?

BS: Unfortunately, I can’t share too much information about the upcoming season but stay tuned for more to come shortly!

AM: Tell me about Share The Movement, how you are partnering with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® with Dance Clinics here in NYC, LA, and Atlanta, and why this was synergistic for you.

BS: Share The Movement is a nonprofit organization and I’m lucky enough to serve as President. Share the Movement was created by an amazing group of dancers, choreographers and dance enthusiasts, and we launched in April of 2021. Our mission is to increase diversity in the professional dance industry. As an organization, we’ve really grown in the last several years through our mentorship and summer scholarship programs. We also help young BIPOC dancers continue with training and development opportunities.

Through our partnership with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®, we’re putting our mission into action - helping to develop young, diverse dancers. Together we are hosting a series of free dance clinics in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. I'm currently here at the New York City event, which just begun, and it's been amazing to create a space where everyone can feel seen and heard. It has been so special.

AM: I'm caramel complected and the fact that there is an option to have wound care options that match our skin is really exciting. Why is this important for dancers?

BS: Having a brand that embraces different skin tones is so important for everyone, especially dancers. We are always on stage or in class where we are prone to cuts, bruises, blisters— you name it. Having BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® bandages at the ready and matching my skin tone just adds that extra layer of confidence to any rehearsal or performance, shifting the focus back to my performance rather than exposing a wound.

AM: How are you using your platform to amplify content from Black and Brown dancers for National Dance Day?

BS: BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® and I are teaming up for a giveaway in celebration of National Dance Day on Sunday, September 16! People will have the chance to celebrate dancers and win some of my favorite dance essentials, including BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® bandages. Be sure to stay tuned for additional details and how you can enter the giveaway on BAND-AID® Brand's Instagram page @bandaidbrand.

IG @brittbenae

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | ABC/Dancing with the Stars | 9LIST STORI3S ABC/Dancing with the Stars |

Read the SEP ISSUE #93 of Athleisure Mag and see THE POWER OF DANCE | Britt Stewart in mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S.1 E.4 | LET'S PLAY BALL

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelor

Last week was a bit of drama for the ladies of the The Golden Bachelor and we’re definitely keeping an eye on Theresa and Kathy! Trista joins the women and she introduces herself to them letting them know that she was on the first season of The Bachelor and she was the first The Bachelorette. She lets them know that she will be there on the Group Date. Ellen, Sandra, Susan, Nancy, April, Theresa, Kathy, and Faith will be on the date. Leslie will be on the 1-on-1 with Gerry Turner. The group date includes pickleball! Joey who will be on The Bachelor season 28 joins them and Trista! We know that Joey loves playing tennis so we can see why he’d be part of this. The women get into pairs so they can play against one another and the winner will be in In Pickleball Magazine. We did like when April acted like she broke her ankle so she could have a little cuddle time with Gerry. of course with this tournament, Jesse Palmer lets everyone know what’s going on on the court. It’s fun to see them play and Gerry also let them know that he enjoys this sport and his partner needs to be his partner to play this after the show - so they will get a taste of what it’s like to be with him.

After the game, he sits down with the women to see how the game went. He sits with Sandra and talks about the fact that she is missing her daughter’s wedding to be there. He suggests that they FaceTime her which touches Sandra. Of course Theresa and Kathy are still talking about last week. Once again, Theresa doesn’t really understand that people have boundaries and that while she is being honest and super transparent, others aren’t taking it in the same way.

Of course Theresa talks about the exchange between her and Kathy with Gerry. He didn’t like the way Kathy reacted to her. This clearly isn’t going away anytime soon as the pot continues to be stirred between the two of them. Gerry gives the rose to Sandra which is sweet as she has been one of our faves since the beginning!

The 1-on-1 date with Leslie involves an ATV which is definitely an activity that we can see them doing. She shares how she doesn’t have the best picker and that she was divorced twice and that she really enjoys being with Gerry. She tells him that she has been single for 22 years. They end their date with a hot tub and of course, he gives her the date rose.

Back at the house, the women play Never Have I Ever with ice cream. We love hearing about April’s experiences as they continue the game.

Sandra is under the weather and another one of the ladies has a stress fracture from pickleball. Gerry is looking for clarity during the cocktail party so that will assist him in the rose ceremony. He wants to see Susan and beings her a gift - rose quartz. He lets her know that empathy and strength is what the stone is known for and that it’s those qualities that make him feel that he reminds her of his wife. Kathy sees him kissing Susan and she feels unsettled. He even visits Sandra who is laying down in her bed. Kathy feels that she needs to make that vital connection so that she can continue as they are half way through the process. Ellen tells him that she is falling in love with him and it makes Gerry realize how he really needs to make the best decisions.

When he takes some time with Nancy, she says that she sees he has relationships that have progressed and that she doesn’t think that she is one of them. He agrees and she goes home!

Gerry Gave Roses To | Ellen, Faith, Leslie, Sandra, Susan, and Theresa

Gerry sent home | April, Kathy, Nancy,

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

WHO WE THINK SHOULD GO TO HOMETOWNS

ELLEN

LESLIE

SANDRA

SUSAN

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ANNA - Summit, NJ; 61

APRIL - Port St. Lucie, FL; 65

CHRISTINA - Sierra Madre, CA; 73

EDITH - Downey, CA; 60

ELLEN - Delray Beach, FL; 71

FAITH - Benton City; WA; 61

JEANIE - Estill Springs, TN; 65

JOAN- Rockland, MD; 60

KATHY - Austin, TX; 70

LESLIE - Minneapolis, MN; 64

MARIA - Teaneck, NJ; 60

MARINA - LA, CA; 60

NANCY - Alexandria, VA 60

NATASCHA - NY, NY; 60

PAMELA - Aurora, IL; 75

PATTY - Durham, NC; 70

PEGGY - East Haven, CT; 69

RENEE - Chicago, IL; 67

SANDRA - Doraville, GA; 75

SUSAN - Aston, PA; 67

SYLVIA - LA, CA; 64

THERESA - Shrewsburry, NJ; 70

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

BRINGING THE HEAT | UBAH HASSAN

As many of you know, we're in the midst of Fashion Month with the beginning of Sept kicking off with New York Fashion Week, which makes us think of a number of our favorite models, shows, campaigns, and more.

Somali-Canadian model, Ubah Hassan, who lives here in NY has worked with a number of top fashion designers including Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta to name a few! In addition, she is a business woman who launched her own brand of hot sauce, UBAH HOT, a few years ago! She recently partnered with one of our favorite eateries in the city, Serafina with a pizza that includes her sauce that will be on the menu over the next few months.

We wanted to talk about her background in fashion, creating her hot sauce line, being long time friends with the founders of Serafina, and of course being part of the cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York with a rebooted cast that definitely gives us the taste of the city with these women who blaze trails in their industry and with one another!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Ubah, we have been fans of yours for years from your photoshoots, campaigns and extensive modeling career! When did you realize that you wanted to be a model and what do you love about it?

UBAH HASSAN: I didn’t realize I wanted to be a model, a photographer approached me and it kind of came to me naturally. After I started I realized it had everything I loved – working with different people, traveling around the world, my industry is like the United Nations in one little basket and I love that different diversity, different culture, etc.

AM: We've also love seeing you in the cast of Real Housewives of New York, not only is the cast great, but we always love how you bring your style every time you're on screen. Why did you want to be on this show and how has this season been for you?

UH: Bravo is an incredible platform and I thought it would be good for me and my branding to gain a different audience. It has also been amazing because I have bonded with the other girls and displayed myself really well. Seeing yourself on TV makes you learn a lot about yourself.

AM: What did you learn or love the most on being on this show?

UH: I learned that whatever you say has been recorded so you better remember everything you said. I loved bonding with the girls and understanding people in depth and understanding you should never judge a book by its cover.

AM: We also love that you're always sharing your love of food and glad to see you talking about UBAH HOT! We've yet to try this, but tell us about it and why you wanted to create it.

UH: I was so frustrated of always having to eat healthy food without flavor. I needed something to spice up my steamed vegetables so I would make different hot sauces to spice up the flavor.

AM: Before we get into your collaboration, what do you suggest that we should put UBAH HOT on?

UH: Anything you don’t want to eat. Putting hot sauce on your steamed veggies can taste like lasagna real quick.

AM: We love Serafina and have a number of favorites and have been going there for years! What do you love about Serafina and what do you enjoy eating when you're there?

UH: The pizza of course! I also enjoy their salads, their Foccacia Alla Nutella, Gnocchi and Lemon Pasta with Shrimp.

AM: How did your partnership between UBAH HOT and Serafina come about?

UH: Vittorio and Fabio have been longtime friends of mine. My favorite restaurant is Serafina and I eat there all the time. I am selective about the collaborations I take part in but felt that this would be a natural fit. Vittorio and Fabio are very selective about their ingredients flying to Italy to find the perfect tomatoes, olive oil, etc. As well as great to their employees that remain loyal to the Serafina brand.

AM: Tell us about this pizza that will be at Serafina locations as well as the soon to open Serafina Restaurant & Wine Bar which we can't wait to go to!

UH: This new pizza collaboration is a spicy take on a margherita pizza using habanero infused san marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, finely sliced habanero and basil julienne. The pizza will be available at all 13 of Serafina’s NYC locations. Serafina Restaurant Group is opening their first ever restaurant + wine bar concept. The restaurant is set to open in early October and will be located at 110 University Place, New York, NY. Similar to its traditional restaurants located throughout NYC and the world, the menu will offer Serafina classics such as their beloved pizza and pasta dishes. Making this wine bar location unique, the bar will offer over 100 hand selected wines by owners Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato from all the regions in Italy and around the world. The wines will be high-quality but affordable for Serafina’s diners. With an extensive wine-pairing menu, guests will be able to learn and try about the different wines that compliment Serafina’s classic menu items. Think wine-tour without the hefty price of a plane ticket to Italy.

AM: Will this pizza be available for a limited time or will it be something that will stay on the menu?

UH: The pizza will remain on the menu for a few months!

AM: What are other projects that we should keep an eye out for that you're working on that you would like to share with us?

UH: Working to create a mocktail – more to come soon!

IG @ubah

@ubahhot

@serafinanewyork

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 52 + PG 53 Serafina | 9LIST STORI3S Bravo/Real Housewives of NY |

Read the SEP ISSUE #93 of Athleisure Mag and see BRINGING THE HEAT | Ubah Hassan in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | BRITT STEWART

Read the SEP ISSUE #93 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Britt Stewart in mag.