9PLAYLIST MULTI | TAYE DIGGS
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
AROUND THE FIRE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON | WALTON GOGGINS
This time of year is an exciting one as we begin to close one and look ahead to the next one. While we maintain our normal schedules, we also infuse it with the Holiday season - it’s great to share with friends and family, exchange gifts, increase celebratory moments, and so much more! We all know that they are key dates coming up that are focused on the exchange of gifts as well as obtaining them at various points. We took a moment to chat with Walton Goggins (Preadators, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) to find out about why he partnered with Walmart for the holiday season, what he loves about this time of year, and upcoming projects that he is involved in!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Obviously, we're going to talk about your amazing partnership with Walmart and what's going on with that. But we have a few questions to ask you because our readers are so excited that we're able to chat with you.
WALTON GOGGINS: Okay, okay, alright, fantastic!
AM: We've been a fan of yours since - you have too many things to name - Justified, Righteous Gemstones, George and Tammy, and the list can go on in film as well as in TV. We find you to be such an amazing actor who plays immersive and diverse characters. When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
WG: What a great question! I don't think that there was like a bolt of lightning that happened. I think it happened over the course of a very long period of time. I was raised mostly by women and a lot of interesting characters were around in my childhood and all of them just happened to be really interesting great storytellers.
AM: Right.
WG: So I'm listening to a lot of stories and then once I was given the microphone to start telling my own stories, you know, I had a natural kind of built-in audience that just kept saying, “no, no, keep keep talking Walt.” So, you kind of have that encouragement, you know, right out of the gate. It's hard to kind of do anything else. I genuinely just wanted to see the world. That was the main thing. Then it just - one life kind of dovetailed into the other and the opportunity that to see the world, and to be able to be a storyteller was just something that fit. You know, how do any of us really go about things? What are the decisions that any of us make that lead us on the road that we're going to be on for the rest of our lives? You know, is it fate or is it an accident?
AM: Mmm.
WG: What is it? That I don't know. But I'm so grateful for my life And grateful for the opportunities that I've had to tell the stories that I have!
AM: Absolutely!
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
WG: Including Walmart Black Friday Deals!
AM: Exactly! Without a doubt!
Why did you want to be connected in to this amazing project and tell us more about it.
WG: Well, first and foremost, Walmart is a part of American culture. It’s not the whole culture, but it's certainly part of American culture. It is a corporation that has been in all of our lives for such a very long time! And where I come from on Fairburn Road, a lot of my friends as we got older, we started to work there and I had the good fortune - I'll tell you a little bit about my history with this company.
AM: Please.
WG: I was a poor kid from the South and I made really good grades and I had the opportunity to go to school. But we didn't have a lot of money and we had to get the pay the rent. I got a small Scholastic Scholarship, you know. But in addition to that, there was a gap of funding that we just couldn't make that square around that square if you will and my mom, you know through our friends or whatever, heard that Walmart, had a grant.
AM: Oh wow.
WG: It was a sizeable amount of money and when I went you know in 1988 or 1989. I’m dating myself, don’t tell anybody!
AM: Ha! That's okay!
WG: My mom encouraged me to write this essay, you know, to the Walmart. That's how it works and that’s what I did - and I won!
AM: Wow.
WG: The money that I, I desperately needed, you know, my first year in college and in addition to that incredible opportunity, this company gave me - they also printed an 8x10 picture of me. I don't know what it was. I think it was a headshot. It was my first headshot, I think that's what it was. They put it up in their store, you know, for the better part of 6 months. People would call me because you know we didn’t have cell phones then, but they would leave these stupid messages on my answering machine, “saw your picture in Walmart, Walton. Are you part of the Walton family?"
So anyway, that was that's kind of my history with this company. This opportunity kind of came along and they sent this script and I thought, “wow, what a what an interesting way. Two sell things, right?” You know, it's a hybrid between entertainment and doing what we're gonna do anyway, which is to find things for our loved ones at the holidays. Black Friday deals have been around for a long time. They played an important role in my family's ability to buy things for Christmas and it does for a lot of people in this country and all over the world and I thought, what a cool thing to be a part of. I'm so happy that I did it. There's all these wonderful actors that I work with like Ian Somerhalder. There are others like Lisa Rinna, Taye Diggs who I've known for a while, Anthony Ramos and it’s great folks and it's 10 stories. These stories are vignettes if you will. There’s a supernatural genre, action genre, mine is a Western genre!
AM: Shocker!
WG: But you know what? I've done action!
AM: Of course!
WG: I have done a lot of genres in my time, but this is one that they saw me in and invited me to kind of come along this journey. We had such a great time filming it. You know, it was just so much fun and they’re such a great company to work for and work with. So, when I think people will watch them and they'll see the things that they want to buy and some things featured in a way that makes them laugh. It brings a smile to their face and so it’s a great way to go about it!
AM: Well, do you know when your episode will drop, do they all drop at one time? Like what's kind of the flow?
WG: Well you know, there are ten. I’m not exactly sure when they all drop. I know mine will drop towards the end of November which is, which is kind of very, very exciting because it's getting close to Dec. I think more will be revealed as it goes on. The first one drops on Nov. 11th-17th. I think that’s the first block and they'll kind of rolled out from there.
AM: Wow it’ll be great to see them!
What do you love about the holiday season?
WG: Oh God. You know, I just did this article, I won't say for the publication, but it’s about the holiday season. It's really kind of a Thanksgiving more than a Christmas article. I just love the opportunity to commune with family and friends. You know, we all have our rituals right? We all have the things that things that we do but the thing that I do that I've been given the opportunity to do is I don't really watch a lot of sports. I’m not that guy even though I played a bunch of sports growing up.
I make a fire and I and I sit around that fire with my family and with my friends and I have a glass of wine and I listen to music. And I just commune. What better thing is there than that and to tell people that mean something to you how much you love them?
AM: That's really nice and very sweet!
You're always working on so many projects. I can't wait till White Lotus comes out and I know that you have a bunch of other stuff as well. Is there anything that you would like to share with us, that you're working on that we can keep an eye out for?
WG: Well, you know, I think you said it, you know, I got a bunch of things that are coming out. I have a few movies that are coming out. My wife has a movie that she wrote and directed called The Uninvited, which is dropping pretty soon.
Then there is The White Lotus and we just finished the new season of the Righteous Gemstones!
AM: So excited for that!
WG: So good. It's so good.
AM: Everytime I watch that show, I grew up in the Midwest with an Evangelical and Pentecostal background and there's just so many things that happen on that show and my boyfriend will ask, “Is that real?” and I'm like, “yes!”
WG: Oh yeah! That’s real and that one is real too!
We're going back to Fallout here pretty soon. And then, kind of beyond that, reading and waiting and seeing what the future brings live everybody else! But right now, Walmart!
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E9. | IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE FINALE
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
How is it the finale of The Golden Bachelorette? We see some of The Golden Bachelor contestants in the audience and Grant, who will start his journey as The Bachelor is in the audience! Jesse Palmer is definitely bringing the energy as he’s with the live audience.
We know that Joan Vassos was sad when Pascal left. She shares how even though she has been vulnerable, her walls have come back up because she is so hurt by what happened - how could he not love her? What will this mean for the remaining men Guy and Chock? Nancy is still on the boat and she comes over to give love to Joan. She also gives her the words she needs to hear to continue on and lets her know that regardless of what happens, the remaining men are there for her and have shown her that - especially Chock when he came back after his mother died! She is the hype woman that we all need when things go left!
She finally gets to see her family and they have a moment and give their blessing to what she has been doing in this process. Chock gets to meet them first! The family thinks he’s a great fit and they also get to chat and hang out on their own. Chock tells her that he loves her and is a bit sad she doesn’t say it back although he understands as there is still another man there.
While Guy gets ready for his date, Joan comes to the realization that after hearing Chock say that he is in love with her, she has fallen for him. She makes her way to Guy as she knows that she can’t go on a date with him as her heart is elsewhere. She sits down to chat with him. She lets him know that instead of putting him through meeting her family and going through the motion, she wanted to tell him now. You can see how Guy is really sad and crying hearing this news.
Back in the studio, Guy is on the couch.Guy and Jesse chat about what it was like to watch it back. Then Joan chats with Guy and you can see how much that she cares for him. She hopes that can double date with one another.
With only Chock left, we see Joan get ready to meet him. He’s still nervous that she hasn’t said that she loves him; however, they are on the beach and he professes his love to her and tells her that he wants her in his life! She talks about their Disneyland date let her know that she wanted him in her life. She knew that when he left because of the death of his mother, that she really liked him and she felt safe. She was excited that he came back adn she saw him differently and she finally says that she loves him. He asks her to marry him, she says yes, and she gives him the final rose! They call Joan’s mom and tell her the good news. We see them float away and it looks like a great match.
Back on the couch, they share more about their love story and what they did after the show. Chock talks about spending time with her, but not being able to tell anyone about it. Jesse gives them a trip to Disneyland that they can enjoy with their families as that was something that they had mentioned when they were on their first date. Jesse also reminds us that The Bachelor will start on Jan 23rd and we have a preview of the upcoming season!
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
JOAN’S FIANCE
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
AWARDS SEASON | GRAMMYS NOMINATIONS
Today, the GRAMMYs announced the nominations for the 67th award show that will take place on Feb 2nd on CBS at 8pm ET. Music’s biggest night will not disappoint! As we do throughout Awards Season, we share our predictions in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics. On the night of the event, we will share who we predicted correctly as well as those we didn’t that won.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
“Now and Then” The Beatles
“Texas Hold ‘Em” Beyoncé
“Espresso” Sabrina Carpenter
“360” Charli XCX
“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish
“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar
“Good Luck, Babe!” Chappell Roan
“Fortnight” Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“New Blue Sun” André 3000
“Cowboy Carter” Beyoncé
“Short n’ Sweet” Sabrina Carpenter
“Brat” Charli XCX
“Djesse Vol. 4” Jacob Collier
“Hit Me Hard and Soft” Billie Eilish
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan
“The Tortured Poets Department” Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Die With a Smile” Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)
“Fortnight” Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone)
“Good Luck, Babe!” Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan)
“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
“Please Please Please” Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)
BEST NEW ARTIST
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (NON-CLASSICAL)
Alissia
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Ian Fitchuk
Mustard
Daniel Nigro
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jessi Alexander
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
“Bodyguard” Beyoncé
“Espresso” Sabrina Carpenter
“Apple” Charli xcx
“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish
“Good Luck, Babe!” Chappell Roan
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Us” Gracie Abrams Featuring Taylor Swift
“Levii’s Jeans” Beyoncé Featuring Post Malone
“Guess” Charli XCX & Billie Eilish
“The Boy Is Mine” Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica
“Die With a Smile” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars’
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
“Short n’ Sweet” Sabrina Carpenter
“Hit Me Hard and Soft” Billie Eilish
“Eternal Sunshine” Ariana Grande
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan
“The Tortured Poets Department” Taylor Swift
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING
“She’s Gone, Dance On” Disclosure
“Loved” Four Tet
“Leavemealone” Fred Again & Baby Keem
“Neverender” Justice & Tame Impala
“Witchy” Kaytranada Featuring Childish Gambino
BEST DANCE POP RECORDING
“Make You Mine” Madison Beer
“Von Dutch” Charli XCX
“L’Amour de Ma Vie [Over Now Extended Edit]” Billie Eilish
“Yes, And?” Ariana Grande
“Got Me Started” Troye Sivan
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
“Brat” Charli XCX
“Three” Four Tet
“Hyperdrama” Justice
“Timeless” Kaytranada
“Telos” Zedd
BEST REMIXED RECORDING
“Alter Ego – Kaytranada Remix” Kaytranada, remixer (Doechii Featuring JT)
“A Bar Song (Tipsy) [Remix]” David Guetta, remixer (Shaboozey & David Guetta)
“Espresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix)” FNZ & Mark Ronson, remixers (Sabrina Carpenter)
“Jah Sees Them – Amapiano Remix” Alexx Antaeus, Footsteps & MrMyish, remixers (Julian Marley & Antaeus)
“Von Dutch” A.G. Cook, remixer (Charli xcx & A.G. Cook Featuring Addison Rae)
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
À Fleur De Peau Cyrille Aimée
Visions Norah Jones
Good Together Lake Street Dive
Impossible Dream Aaron Lazar
Christmas Wish Gregory Porter
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
“Now and Then” The Beatles
“Beautiful People (Stay High)” The Black Keys
“The American Dream Is Killing Me” Green Day
“Gift Horse” Idles
“Dark Matter” Pearl Jam
“Broken Man” St. Vincent
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
“Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne
“Crown of Horns” Judas Priest
“Suffocate” Knocked Loose Featuring Poppy
“Screaming Suicide” Metallica
“Cellar Door” Spiritbox
BEST ROCK ALBUM
“Happiness Bastards” The Black Crowes
“Romance” Fontaines D.C.
“Saviors” Green Day
“TANGK” Idles
“Dark Matter” Pearl Jam
“Hackney Diamonds” The Rolling Stones
“No Name” Jack White
BEST ROCK SONG
“Beautiful People (Stay High)” Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, Beck Hansen & Daniel Nakamura, songwriters (The Black Keys)
“Broken Man” Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)
“Dark Matter” Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Pearl Jam)
“Dilemma” Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool, songwriters (Green Day)
“Gift Horse” Jon Beavis, Mark Bowen, Adam Devonshire, Lee Kiernan & Joe Talbot, songwriters (Idles)
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
“Neon Pill” Cage the Elephant
“Song of the Lake” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“Starburster” Fontaines D.C.
“Bye Bye” Kim Gordon
“Flea” St. Vincent
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
“Wild God” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“Charm” Clairo
“The Collective” Kim Gordon
“What Now” Brittany Howard
“All Born Screaming” St. Vincent
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
“Guidance” Jhené Aiko
“Residuals” Chris Brown
“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” Coco Jones
“Made For Me (Live On BET)” Muni Long
“Saturn” SZA
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
“Wet” Marsha Ambrosius
“Can I Have This Groove” Kenyon Dixon
“No Lie” Lalah Hathaway Featuring Michael McDonald
“Make Me Forget” Muni Long
“That’s You” Lucky Daye
BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM
“So Glad to Know You” Avery*Sunshine
“En Route” Durand Bernarr
“Bando Stone and the New World” Childish Gambino
“Crash” Kehlani
“Why Lawd?” NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge)
BEST R&B SONG
“After Hours” Diovanna Frazier, Alex Goldblatt, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Daniel Upchurch, songwriters (Kehlani)
“Burning” Ronald Banful & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Tems)
“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” Sara Diamond, Sydney Floyd, Marisela Jackson, Courtney Jones, Carl McCormick & Kelvin Wooten, songwriters (Coco Jones)
“Ruined Me” Jeff Gitelman, Priscilla Renea & Kevin Theodore, songwriters (Muni Long)
“Saturn” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)
BEST R&B ALBUM
“11:11 (Deluxe)” Chris Brown
“Vantablack” Lalah Hathaway
“Revenge” Muni Long
“Algorithm” Lucky Daye
“Coming Home” Usher
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
“Enough (Miami)” Cardi B
“When the Sun Shines Again” Common & Pete Rock Featuring Posdnuos
“Nissan Altima” Doechii
“Houdini” Eminem
“Like That” Future & Metro Boomin Featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Yeah Glo!” GloRilla
“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar
BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE
“Kehlani” Jordan Adetunji Featuring Kehlani
“Spaghettii” Beyoncé Featuring Linda Martell & Shaboozey
“We Still Don’t Trust You” Future & Metro Boomin Featuring The Weeknd
“Big Mama” Latto
“3:AM” Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu
BEST RAP ALBUM
“Might Delete Later” J. Cole
“The Auditorium, Vol. 1” Common & Pete Rock
“Alligator Bites Never Heal” Doechii
“The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)” Eminem
“We Don’t Trust You” Future & Metro Boomin
BEST RAP SONG
“Asteroids” Marlanna Evans, songwriter (Rapsody Featuring Hit-Boy)
“Carnival” Jordan Carter, Raul Cubina, Grant Dickinson, Samuel Lindley, Nasir Pemberton, Dimitri Roger, Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West & Mark Carl Stolinski Williams, songwriters (¥$ (Kanye West & Ty Dolla $Ign)
Featuring Rich The Kid & Playboi Carti)
“Like That” Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Kobe “BbyKobe” Hood, Leland Wayne & Nayvadius Wilburn, songwriters (Future & Metro Boomin Featuring Kendrick Lamar)
“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
“Yeah Glo!” Ronnie Jackson, Jaucquez Lowe, Timothy McKibbins, Kevin Andre Price, Julius Rivera III & Gloria Woods, songwriters (GloRilla)
BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM
“Civil Writes: The South Got Something To Say” Queen Sheba
“Concrete & Whiskey Act II Part 1: A Bourbon 30 Series” Omari Hardwick
“Good M.U.S.I.C. Universe Sonic Sinema: Episode 1 In the Beginning Was the Word” Malik Yusef
“The Heart, the Mind, the Soul” Tank and the Bangas
“The Seven Number Ones” Mad Skillz
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
16 Carriages Beyoncé
I Am Not Okay Jelly Roll
The Architect Kacey Musgraves
A Bar Song (Tipsy) Shaboozey
It Takes A Woman Chris Stapleton
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Cowboys Cry Too Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan
II Most Wanted Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
Break Mine Brothers Osborne
Bigger Houses Dan + Shay
I Had Some Help Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen
BEST COUNTRY SONG
The Architect Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
A Bar Song (Tipsy) Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
I Am Not Okay Casey Brown, Jason DeFord, Ashley Gorley & Taylor Phillips, songwriters (Jelly Roll)
I Had Some Help Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Morgan Wallen & Chandler Paul Walters, songwriters (Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen)
Texas Hold ‘Em Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Cowboy Carter Beyoncé
F-1 Trillion Post Malone
Deeper Well Kacey Musgraves
Higher Chris Stapleton
Whirlwind Lainey Wilson
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
Blame It On Eve Shemekia Copeland
Nothing In Rambling The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
Lighthouse Sierra Ferrell
The Ballad Of Sally Anne Rhiannon Giddens
BEST AMERICANA PERFORMANCE
Ya Ya Beyoncé
Subtitles Madison Cunningham
Don’t Do Me Good Madi Diaz Featuring Kacey Musgraves
American Dreaming Sierra Ferrell
Runaway Train Sarah Jarosz
Empty Trainload of Sky Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
Ahead of the Game Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)
All In Good Time Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)
All My Friends Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)
American Dreaming Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell)
Blame It on Eve John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
The Other Side T Bone Burnett
$10 Cowboy Charley Crockett
Trail Of Flowers Sierra Ferrell
Polaroid Lovers Sarah Jarosz
No One Gets Out Alive Maggie Rose
Tigers Blood Waxahatchee
BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
I Built A World Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Songs of Love and Life The Del McCoury Band
No Fear Sister Sadie
Live Vol. 1 Billy Strings
Earl Jam Tony Trischka
Dan Tyminski: Live From the Ryman Dan Tyminski
BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Hill Country Love Cedric Burnside
Struck Down The Fabulous Thunderbirds
One Guitar Woman Sue Foley
Sam’s Place Little Feat
Swingin’ Live at the Church In Tulsa The Taj Mahal Sextet
BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 Joe Bonamassa
Blame It On Eve Shemekia Copeland
Friendlytown Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Mileage Ruthie Foster
The Fury Antonio Vergara
BEST FOLK ALBUM
American Patchwork Quartet American Patchwork Quartet
Weird Faith Madi Diaz
Bright Future Adrianne Lenker
All My Friends Aoife O’Donovan
Woodland Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
25 Back To My Roots Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul
Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles Featuring J’Wan Boudreaux
Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival New Breed Brass Band Featuring Trombone Shorty
Kuini Kalani Pe’a
Stories From The Battlefield The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG
Church Doors Yolanda Adams; Donald Lawrence & Sir William James Baptist, songwriters
Yesterday Melvin Crispell III
Hold On (Live) Ricky Dillard
Holy Hands DOE; Jesse Paul Barrera, Jeffrey Castro Bernat, Dominique Jones, Timothy Ferguson, Kelby Shavon Johnson, Jr., Jonathan McReynolds, Rickey Slikk Muzik Offord & Juan Winans, songwriters
One Hallelujah Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell & Israel Houghton Featuring Jonathan McReynolds & Jekalyn Carr; G. Morris Coleman, Israel Houghton, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG
Holy Forever (Live) Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson Featuring CeCe Winans
Praise Elevation Worship Featuring Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore; Pat Barrett, Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake & Chandler Moore, songwriters
Firm Foundation (He Won’t) Honor & Glory Featuring Disciple
In The Name Of Jesus JWLKRS Worship & Maverick City Music Featuring Chandler Moore; Austin Armstrong, Ran Jackson, Chandler Moore, Sajan Nauriyal, Ella Schnacky, Noah Schnacky & Ilya Toshinskiy, songwriters
In The Room Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore Featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard; G. Morris Coleman, Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters
That’s My King CeCe Winans; Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, Lloyd Nicks & Jess Russ, songwriters
BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
Covered Vol. 1 Melvin Crispell III
Choirmaster II (Live) Ricky Dillard
Father’s Day Kirk Franklin
Still Karen Karen Clark Sheard
More Than This CeCe Winans
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Heart Of A Human DOE
When Wind Meets Fire Elevation Worship
Child Of God Forrest Frank
Coat Of Many Colors Brandon Lake
The Maverick Way Complete Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore
BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM
The Gospel Sessions, Vol 2 Authentic Unlimited
The Gospel According To Mark Mark D. Conklin
Rhapsody The Harlem Gospel Travelers
Church Cory Henry
Loving You The Nelons
BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
Funk Generation Anitta
El Viaje Luis Fonsi
GARCÍA Kany García
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Shakira
ORQUÍDEAS Kali Uchis
BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM
nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana Bad Bunny
Rayo J Balvin
FERXXOCALIPSIS Feid
LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN Residente
att. Young Miko
BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
Compita del Destino El David Aguilar
Pa’ Tu Cuerpa Cimafunk
Autopoiética Mon Laferte
GRASA NATHY PELUSO
¿Quién trae las cornetas? Rawayana
BEST MUSICA MEXICANA ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
Diamantes Chiquis
Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 Carín León
ÉXODO Peso Pluma
De Lejitos Jessi Uribe
BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
MUEVENSE Marc Anthony
Bailar Sheila E.
Radio Güira Juan Luis Guerra 4.40
Alma, Corazón y Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional) Tony Succar, Mimy Succar
Vacilón Santiaguero Kiki Valera
BEST CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM
Brillo, Brillo! Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Creciendo Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats
My Favorite Dream John Legend
Solid Rock Revival Rock For Children
World Wide Playdate Divinity Roxx and Divi Roxx Kids
BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Armageddon Ricky Gervais
The Dreamer Dave Chappelle
The Prisoner Jim Gaffigan
Someday You’ll Die Nikki Glaser
Where Was I Trevor Noah
BEST AUDIOBOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING
All You Need Is Love: The Beatles In Their Own Words (Various Artists) Guy Oldfield, producer
…And Your Ass Will Follow George Clinton
Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones Dolly Parton
Last Sundays In Plains: A Centennial Celebration Jimmy Carter
My Name Is Barbra Barbra Streisand
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
Hell’s Kitchen Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis & Meleah Joi Moon, principal vocalists; Adam Blackstone, Alicia Keys & Tom Kitt, producers (Alicia Keys, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
Merrily We Roll Along Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez & Daniel Radcliffe, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Joel Fram, Maria Friedman & David Lai, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (New Broadway Cast)
The Notebook John Clancy, Carmel Dean, Kurt Deutsch, Derik Lee, Kevin McCollum & Ingrid Michaelson, producers; Ingrid Michaelson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
The Outsiders Joshua Boone, Brent Comer, Brody Grant & Sky Lakota-Lynch, principal vocalists; Zach Chance, Jonathan Clay, Matt Hinkley, Justin Levine & Lawrence Manchester, producers; Zach Chance, Jonathan Clay & Justin Levine, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)
Suffs Andrea Grody, Dean Sharenow & Shaina Taub, producers; Shaina Taub, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
The Wiz Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Nichelle Lewis & Avery Wilson, principal vocalists; Joseph Joubert, Allen René Louis & Lawrence Manchester, producers (Charlie Smalls, composer & lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast Recording)
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
The Color Purple (Various Artists)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Various Artists)
Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper
Saltburn (Various Artists)
Twisters: The Album (Various Artists)
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
American Fiction Laura Karpman, composer
Challengers Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, composers
The Color Purple Kris Bowers, composer
Dune: Part Two Hans Zimmer, composer
Shōgun Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross, composers
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Pinar Toprak, composer
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla Bear McCreary, composer
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 John Paesano, composer
Star Wars Outlaws Wilbert Roget, II, composer
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord Winifred Phillips, composer
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma [From “Twisters: The Album”] Jessi Alexander, Luke Combs & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Luke Combs)
Better Place [From “TROLLS Band Together”] Amy Allen, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (*NSYNC & Justin Timberlake)
Can’t Catch Me Now [From “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”] Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
It Never Went Away [From “American Symphony”] Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
Love Will Survive [From “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”] Walter Afanasieff, Charlie Midnight, Kara Talve & Hans Zimmer, songwriters (Barbra Streisand)
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Tailor Swif A$AP Rocky Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors
360 Charli XCX Aidan Zamiri, video director; Jami Arceo & Evan Thicke, video producers
Houdini Eminem Rich Lee, video director; Kathy Angstadt, Lisa Arianna & Justin Diener, video producers
Not Like Us Kendrick Lamar Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jack Begert, Sam Canter & Jamie Rabineau, video producers
Fortnight Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone Taylor Swift, video director; Jil Hardin, video producer
BEST MUSIC FILM
American Symphony Jon Batiste Matthew Heineman, video director; Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman & Joedan Okun, video producers
June (June Carter Cash) Kristen Vaurio, video director; Josh Matas, Sarah Olson, Jason Owen, Mary Robertson & Kristen Vaurio, video producers
Kings From Queens Run DMC Kirk Fraser, video director; William H. Masterson III, video producer
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple Steven Van Zandt Bill Teck, video director; Robert Cotto, David Fisher & Bill Teck, video producers
The Greatest Night In Pop (Various Artists) Bao Nguyen, video director; Bruce Eskowitz, George Hencken, Larry Klein, Julia Nottingham, Lionel Richie & Harriet Sternberg, video producers
BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Plot Armor Taylor Eigsti
Rhapsody In Blue Béla Fleck
Orchestras (Live) Bill Frisell Featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan
Mark Mark Guiliana
Speak To Me Julian Lage
BEST JAZZ PERFORMANCE
“Walk With Me, Lord (SOUND | SPIRIT)” The Baylor Project
“Phoenix Reimagined (Live)” Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts & John Scofield
“Juno” Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner
“Little Fears” Dan Pugach Big Band Featuring Nicole Zuraitis & Troy Roberts
BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
Journey In Black Christie Dashiell
Wildflowers Vol. 1 Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner
A Joyful Holiday Samara Joy
Milton + Esperanza Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding
My Ideal Catherine Russell & Sean Mason
BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Owl Song Ambrose Akinmusire Featuring Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley
Beyond This Place Kenny Barron Featuring Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake, Immanuel Wilkins & Steve Nelson
Phoenix Reimagined (Live) Lakecia Benjamin
Remembrance Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
Solo Game Sullivan Fortner
BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
Returning To Forever John Beasley & Frankfurt Radio Big Band
And So It Goes The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Walk A Mile In My Shoe Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band
Bianca Reimagined: Music For Paws And Persistence Dan Pugach Big Band
Golden City Miguel Zenón
BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
Spain Forever Again Michel Camilo & Tomatito
Cubop Lives! Zaccai Curtis
COLLAB Hamilton de Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Time And Again Eliane Elias
El Trio: Live in Italy Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, John Beasley & José Gola
Cuba And Beyond Chucho Valdés & Royal Quartet
As I Travel Donald Vega Featuring Lewis Nash, John Patitucci & Luisito Quintero
BEST ALTERNATIVE JAZZ ALBUM
Night Reign Arooj Aftab
New Blue Sun André 3000
Code Derivation Robert Glasper
Foreverland Keyon Harrold
No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin Meshell Ndegeocello
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Raat Ki Rani Arooj Aftab
A Rock Somewhere Jacob Collier Featuring Anoushka Shankar & Varijashree Venugopal
Rise Rocky Dawuni
Bemba Colorá Sheila E. Featuring Gloria Estefan & Mimy Succar
Sunlight To My Soul Angélique Kidjo Featuring Soweto Gospel Choir
Kashira Masa Takumi Featuring Ron Korb, Noshir Mody & Dale Edward Chung
BEST AFRICAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Tomorrow Yemi Alade
MMS Asake & Wizkid
Sensational Chris Brown Featuring Davido & Lojay
Higher Burna Boy
Love Me JeJe Tems
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM
Alkebulan II Matt B Featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Paisajes Ciro Hurtado
Heis Rema
Historias De Un Flamenco Antonio Rey
Born In The Wild Tems
BEST REGGAE ALBUM
Take It Easy Collie Buddz
Party With Me Vybz Kartel
Never Gets Late Here Shenseea
Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) (Various Artists)
Evolution The Wailers
BEST NEW AGE, AMBIENT OR CHANT ALBUM
Break Of Daw Ricky Kej
Triveni Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon
Visions Of Sounds De Luxe Chris Redding
Opus Ryuichi Sakamoto
Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn Anoushka Shankar
Warriors Of Light Radhika Vekaria
BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
The Avett Brothers Jonny Black & Giorgia Sage, art directors (The Avett Brothers)
Baker Hotel Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (William Clark Green)
BRAT Brent David Freaney & Imogene Strauss, art directors (Charli XCX)
F-1 Trillion Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeffrey Franklin, Blossom Liu, Kylie McMahon & Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta, art directors (Post Malone)
Hounds Of Love The Baskerville Edition Kate Bush & Albert McIntosh, art directors (Kate Bush)
Jug Band Millionaire Andrew Wong & Julie Yeh, art directors (The Muddy Basin Ramblers)
Pregnancy, Breakdown, And Disease Lee Pei-Tzu, art director (iWhoiWhoo)
BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Half Living Things Patrick Galvin, art director (Alpha Wolf)
Hounds Of Love The Boxes Of Lost At Sea Kate Bush & Albert McIntosh, art directors (Kate Bush)
In Utero Doug Cunningham & Jason Noto, art directors (Nirvana)
Mind Games Simon Hilton & Sean Ono Lennon, art directors (John Lennon)
Unsuk Chin Takahiro Kurashima & Marek Polewski, art directors (Unsuk Chin & Berliner Philharmoniker)
We Blame Chicago Rebeka Arce & Farbod Kokabi, art directors (90 Day Men)
BEST ALBUM NOTES
After Midnight Tim Brooks, album notes writer (Ford Dabney’s Syncopated Orchestras)
The Carnegie Hall Concert Lauren Du Graf, album notes writer (Alice Coltrane)
Centennial Ricky Riccardi, album notes writer (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band & Various Artists)
John Culshaw – The Art Of The Producer – The Early Years 1948-55 Dominic Fyfe, album notes writer (John Culshaw)
SONtrack Original De La Película “Al Son De Beno” Josh Kun, album notes writer (Various Artists)
BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
Centennial Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band And Various Artists)
Diamonds And Pearls: Super Deluxe Edition Charles F. Spicer, Jr. & Duane Tudahl, compilation producers; Brad Blackwood & Bernie Grundman,
mastering engineers (Prince & The New Power Generation)
Paul Robeson – Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV, and Victor Recordings Tom Laskey & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Nancy Conforti & Andreas K. Meyer, mastering engineers (Paul Robeson)
Pepito Y Paquito Pepe De Lucía & Javier Doria, compilation producers; Jesús Bola, mastering engineer (Pepe De Lucía And Paco De Lucía)
The Sound Of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording – Super Deluxe Edition) Mike Matessino & Mark Piro, compilation producers; Steve Genewick & Mike Matessino, mastering engineers (Rodgers & Hammerstein & Julie Andrews)
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
Algorithm Dernst Emile II, Michael B. Hunter, Stephan Johnson, Rachel Keen, John Kercy, Charles Moniz & Todd Robinson, engineers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer (Lucky Daye)
Cyan Blue Jack Emblem, Jack Rochon & Charlotte Day Wilson, engineers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer (Charlotte Day Wilson)
Deeper Well Craig Alvin, Shawn Everett, Mai Leisz, Todd Lombardo, John Rooney, Konrad Snyder & Daniel Tashian, engineers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer (Kacey Musgraves)
empathogen Beatriz Artola, Zach Brown, Oscar Cornejo, Chris Greatti & Mitch McCarthy, engineers; Joe La Porta, mastering engineer (WILLOW)
i/o Tchad Blake, Oli Jacobs, Katie May & Dom Shaw, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Peter Gabriel)
Short n’ Sweet Bryce Bordone, Julian Bunetta, Serban Ghenea, Jeff Gunnell, Oli Jacobs, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jack Manning, Manny Marroquin, John Ryan & Laura Sisk, engineers; Nathan Dantzler & Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineers (Sabrina Carpenter)
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
Adams: Girls Of The Golden West Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (John Adams, Daniela Mack, Ryan McKinny, Paul Appleby, Hye Jung Lee, Elliot Madore, Julia Bullock, Davóne Tines, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Andres: The Blind Banister Silas Brown, Doron Schachter & Michael Schwartz, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Andrew Cyr, Inbal Segev & Metropolis Ensemble)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Bates: Resurrexit Mark Donahue & John Newton, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
Clear Voices In The Dark Daniel Shores, engineer; Daniel Shores, mastering engineer (Matthew Guard & Skylark Vocal Ensemble)
Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel, María Dueñas, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Erica Brenner
Christoph Franke
Morten Lindberg
Dmitriy Lipay
Elaine Martone
Dirk Sobotka
BEST IMMERSIVE AUDIO ALBUM
Avalon Bob Clearmountain, immersive mix engineer; Rhett Davies & Bryan Ferry, immersive producers (Roxy Music)
Genius Loves Company Michael Romanowski, Eric Schilling & Herbert Waltl, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski,
immersive mastering engineer; John Burk, immersive producer (Ray Charles With Various Artists)
Henning Sommerro: Borders Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten
Lindberg, immersive producer (Trondheim Symphony Orchestra)
i/o (In-Side Mix) Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel & Richard Russell, immersive producers (Peter Gabriel)
Pax Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten
Lindberg, immersive producer (Ensemble 96 & Current Saxophone Quartet)
BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
At Last Shelton G. Berg, composer (Shelly Berg)
Communion Christopher Zuar, composer (Christopher Zuar Orchestra)
I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time André 3000, Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño, composers (André 3000)
Remembrance Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Béla Fleck)
Strands Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf & Christian Euman)
BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA
Baby Elephant Walk – Encore Michael League, arranger (Snarky Puppy)
Bridge Over Troubled Water Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly)
Rhapsody In Blue(Grass) Béla Fleck & Ferde Grofé, arrangers (Béla Fleck Featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin
Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton)
Rose Without The Thorns Erin Bentlage, Alexander Lloyd Blake, Scott Hoying, A.J. Sealy & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Scott Hoying Featuring säje & Tonality)
Silent Night Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje)
BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
Alma Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johanye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje Featuring Regina Carter)
Always Come Back Matt Jones, arranger (John Legend)
b i g f e e l i n g s Willow, arranger (WILLOW)
Last Surprise (From “Persona 5”) Charlie Rosen & Jake Silverman, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Jonah Nilsson & Button Masher)
The Sound Of Silence Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry Featuring Sleeping At Last)
BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
Adams: City Noir, Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does The Spider Dance Marin Alsop, conductor (ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Kodály: Háry János Suite; Summer Evening & Symphony In C Major JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava, & Lemminkäinen Susanna Mälkki, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
Stravinsky: The Firebird Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
BEST OPERA RECORDING
Adams: Girls Of The Golden West John Adams, conductor; Paul Appleby, Julia Bullock, Hye Jung Lee, Daniela Mack, Elliot Madore, Ryan McKinny & Davóne Tines; Dmitriy Lipay, producer (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Catán: Florencia En El Amazonas Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Mario Chang, Michael Chioldi, Greer Grimsley, Nancy Fabiola
Herrera, Mattia Olivieri, Ailyn Pérez & Gabriella Reyes; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Moravec: The Shining Gerard Schwarz, conductor; Tristan Hallett, Kelly Kaduce & Edward Parks; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Kansas City Symphony; Lyric Opera Of Kansas City Chorus)
Puts: The Hours Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming & Kelli O’Hara; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Saariaho: Adriana Mater Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan & Christopher Purves; Jason O’Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas)
BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Clear Voices In The Dark Matthew Guard, conductor (Carrie Cheron, Nathan Hodgson, Helen Karloski & Clare McNamara; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)
A Dream So Bright – Choral Music Of Jake Runestad Eric Holtan, conductor (Jeffrey Biegel; True Concord Orchestra; True Concord Voices)
Handel: Israel In Egypt Jeannette Sorrell, conductor (Margaret Carpenter Haigh, Daniel Moody, Molly Netter, Jacob Perry &
Edward Vogel; Apollo’s Fire; Apollo’s Singers)
Ochre Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
Sheehan: Akathist Elaine Kelly, conductor; Melissa Attebury, Stephen Sands & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Elizabeth Bates, Paul D’Arcy, Tynan Davis, Aine Hakamatsuka, Steven Hrycelak, Helen Karloski, Enrico Lagasca, Edmund Milly, Fotina Naumenko, Neil Netherly, Timothy Parsons, Stephen Sands, Miriam Sheehan & Pamela Terry; Novus NY; Artefact Ensemble, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street, Downtown Voices & Trinity Youth Chorus)
BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Adams, J.L.: Waves & Particles JACK Quartet
Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 4 And Op. 97, ‘Archduke’ Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos & Emanuel Ax
Cerrone: Beaufort Scales Beth Willer, Christopher Cerrone & Lorelei Ensemble
Home Miró Quartet
Rectangles And Circumstance Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion
BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
Akiho: Longing Andy Akiho
Bach: Goldberg Variations Víkingur Ólafsson
Eastman: The Holy Presence Of Joan D’Arc Seth Parker Woods; Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)
Entourer Mak Grgić (Ensemble Dissonance)
Perry: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra Curtis Stewart; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Orchestra)
BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL SOLO ALBUM
Beyond The Years – Unpublished Songs Of Florence Price Karen Slack, soloist; Michelle Cann, pianist
A Change Is Gonna Come Nicholas Phan, soloist; Palaver Strings, ensembles
Newman: Bespoke Songs Fotina Naumenko, soloist; Marika Bournaki, pianist (Nadège Foofat; Julietta Curenton, Colin Davin, Mark Edwards, Nadia Pessoa, Timothy Roberts, Ryan Romine, Akemi Takayama, Karlyn Viña & Garrick Zoeter)
Show Me The Way Will Liverman, soloist; Jonathan King, pianist
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo d’Oro)
BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
Akiho: BeLonging Andy Akiho & Imani Winds; Andy Akiho, Sean Dixon & Mark Dover, producers
American Counterpoints Curtis Stewart; James Blachly, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer
Foss: Symphony No. 1; Renaissance Concerto; Three American Pieces; Ode JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Bernd Gottinger, producer
Mythologies II Sangeeta Kaur, Omar Najmi, Hilá Plitmann, Robert Thies & Danaë Xanthe Vlasse; Michael Shapiro,
conductor; Jeff Atmajian, Emilio D. Miler, Hai Nguyen, Robert Thies, Danaë Xanthe Vlasse & Kitt Wakeley, Producers
Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer
BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
Casarrubios: Seven For Solo Cello Andrea Casarrubios, composer (Andrea Casarrubios)
Coleman: Revelry Valerie Coleman, composer (Decoda)
Lang: Composition As Explanation David Lang, composer (Eighth Blackbird)
Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Saariaho: Adriana Mater Kaija Saariaho, composer (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Axelle Fanyo, San Francisco Symphony Chorus & Orchestra)
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E8. | THE MEN TELL ALL
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
Last week’s The Golden Bachelorette was a tough one! 3 dates with the remaining guys after their Hometowns and Joan Vassos has to really get the answers and insight that she was looking for! Who knew that Pascale would leave as he was always our favorite! Only Guy and Chock are left and we’ll have to waut until next week to see them. As we wait for the part 2 of this finale, we head into the The Men Tell All! This lets us catch up with our favorites and to get more info on what went down during the season.
We join Jesse Palmer who will make sure that we get all of our questions ready and surely, he will tease the upcoming episode as well. Seeing the men back definitely felt like seeing old friends. Jesse lets us know that they have also their kids there as we all loved seeing the videos that were made to share their love for their dads. Jesse talks about their experience, kickball, Chippendales, and so much more! We also got to hear about grill gate and it’s such a nice walk down memory lane. We also hear that Michael was battling cancer when he was on the show. He is fine now, but so interesting to hear some of the backstory that we didn’t know about these men.
The first person to join the hot seat is Jonathan who was eliminated after Joan went to his Hometown. We get to see his experience on the show and we see how emotional he was when he was sent home. He shares that the experience was incredible and she made him feel seen. We also saw the bromance between Mark and Jonathan! Who knew that they were such buddies - Mark leaving the post-it-notes for Jonathan is so sweet!
Mark joins the hot seat as we know him from Joey’s (who is in the audience and taking a break from Dancing with the Stars) season on The Bachelor and we all knew he would be a great contestant for The Golden Bachelorette! We watch how his story unfolds on the show and without a doubt, he was great to be part of this group of men!
The moment we have been waiting for - Charles L is in the hot seat! Who doesn’t love this man? Seeing his journey was such a sweet moment. He even says that he didn’t know who Jesse was at the time and not to take an offense to it! His daughter says that after being on the show, they went to a wedding in London and he had a new confidence and he hit the dance floor! He said he is ready to date again and that his body is lighter and he hopes that he will meet the lucky one. An audience member said that he should be the next The Golden Bachelor and if not, she has a mom who is single.
We see that Pascal gave the men a self-care day with a bit of meditation. They have face masks and even did a meditation that he learned in India. The men enjoyed it.Of course we learn that he didn’t know anything about meditation!
We get to see Kim’s time on the show - including the Mansion Men song. The Gay Men’s Chorus of LA sing Kim’s song the treatment that it deserves and it was a pretty cool way to see the show! You can see how moved Kim is to see his song come to life and he shakes each member of the chorus’ hand.
Pascal comes to the hot seat as we watch how his time on the show progressed until his self-proclaimed exit. We definitely thought that they would end up together, but unfortunately, that was not in the cards. Pascal lets Jesse know that seeing his exit from the show was emotional and that it was so hard for him to say goodbye to her. He did not intend to hurt her, he just knows that he couldn’t give her what she wanted. He said that being with the men, he learned a lot for them about being vulnerable. His son also acknowledges that when he saw him being vulnerable, it helped him see that that is something that he can be without feeling that it makes him less than.
Joan joins the men and looks fabulous! Jesse acknowledges that we saw her last week and we know that she has been going through it, but she looks great sitting on the couch. He talks about the first night and what her experience has been. Gary sends love to Joan’s mother as he wrote a prayer for her when she wasn’t feeling well. Charles says he misses her and that being with her was a turning point. She lets him know that he looks so handsome and that he has such a pure heart. She promises to exchange phone numbers with him. Jonathan also sends love to her and lets her know that has met someone and that he is happy. Pascal and Joan exchange words and you can see the love that is between them. She lets them know that she misses them and she wants to stay friends and in connection with them.
It’s been one of our favorite The Men Tell All episodes! We get to see some amazing bloopers and a peek into the finale episode!
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS DURING FINALE PART I | Chock, Guy
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
THE FINAL TWO!
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E7. | WELCOME TO FANTASY SUITES
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
This week’s The Golden Bachelorette bring us the first portion of the Finale! With the cold opening, we can tell that something has taken place that has shaken Joan Vassos. Until then, we see her in the airport in LA making her way to Tahiti to be with the remaining men. She has Guy, Pascal, and Chock and while she sails a cruiseliner, she’s excited that her fellow The Golden Bachelor contestant, Nancy is there with her. They catch up as they talk about her experience so far.
We know that Guy told her that he was falling in love with her and she wonders if he is ahead of her in terms of the feelings that he has. She likes Pascal, but she knows that he is guarded, but he lives big just like her husband. Then she knows that Chock is amazing; however, she wonders if he is too good to be true!
Nancy and Joan talk about the importance of Fantasy Suites and that being off camera allows her to have those deep conversations that she is looking for. Nancy listens to her and she also boosts her feelings to let her know that she is where she needs to be. She lets her know that she will stay with her this week as she navigates these next few days while she makes her decisions.
Her first takes place in Moorea with Guy. We see him getting ready for his date and we know that he is excited to meet with her and the fact that he will get to spend all this time with her. He believes he is falling in love with her and he can see a future with her as well.
She can see a future with him and she acknowledges that they are not in the same place in this relationship. So she is looking forward to getting where he is and wants to keep an open mind about him. She talks about their Hometowns and how she enjoyed meeting his family. They enjoyed lounging on a boat and diving underwater.
As they get closer, we see Chock and Jesse Palmer chatting about what the experience has been like thus far. He acknowledges that Guy and Paslcal bring a lot to the table, but he is willing to put his best foot forward and to give it everything that he has.
The evening portion of the date begins and she lets them know that they made good memories together. She lets him know that the overnight of the Fantasy Suites will be about being off-camera and talking. But it will not be about being physical and that she doesn’t want to do that with 3 people and wants to do that with her final person. He lets her know that she respects that and isn’t surprised that that was what she wants to do.
We see Guy leaving his overnight and stating that he had intimacy on an emotional level and he was able to say and got what he needed from the experience! He feels great about where things are between them.
Chock is making his way to Joan for their date. He is excited as he told her he was falling in love with her at his Hometowns in Witchita. Their date is on an HTV as they driving fast throughout the greenery around them. She trusted him and felt safe with him. They had a great dinner and they went to the Fantasy Suites. Chock lets us know he had a great time, it was everything he wanted, and that if Joan wanted to say what went down, she could, but he was just going to keep it to himself.
Jesse and Pascal sit down and chat and they talk about the conversation he had with Joan in Chicago during his Hometowns about opening up to people. He tells Jesse about a previous relationship that he has been involved with where he was in love, but that they couldn’t go forward. He wants to work on bringing his walls down and wants to open up with Joan.
Their date begins and they enjoy a buffet of foods and they are enjoying this. He is excited to have an easy day and then to be able to have serious conversations later. Pascal enjoyed the beginning of the date and they head into the next part, the bonding ceremony which is a traditional one that takes place in Tahiti. They both have to be vulnerable when you are talking about things. Although he thought the ceremony was beautiful, he was surprised about the seriousness of it as he was looking for something light. She feels that the experience has been great for both of them. He feels that he was not ready for this part of the date and he feels scared and he wasn’t ready for all of that.
While they sit down to dinner, Pascal asks the things that he has been thinking about - why she likes him, letting her know about his previous relationship, and he shares that the date scared him and he doesn’t want to hurt her. He doesn’t think that he can get to the place that she needs him to be. He tells her that he knows what love is and that he cares about her as a friend, but he is not in love and he can’t be there. He lets her know that no matter how much fun they have and the care he has for her - the spark is not there. She lets him know that she wishes he was ready and available, but she realizes that this is where they are. He knew that she was hurting and he felt awful that he did this to her. We’re sad to see Pascal go, but there is something to be said about people being honest in where they are at.
Next week, we have the Men Tell All and the week after, we have the second part of the Finale.
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS WEEK | Chock, Guy
GUYS WHO LEFT THIS WEEK | Pascal
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
THE FINAL TWO!
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
FAITH, FAMILY, FOOD CHEF AARTI SEQUEIRA
This month, We're making the transition from the Summer to the Fall. We're thinking about all the things that this season is perfect for from still being able to enjoy being outdoors with a few layers, the crispness that begins to encompass the air, a number of fun festivals, apple/pumpkin picking, and so much more! The last few months have involved being out and about with friends and family, and of course the upcoming holiday season.
This sense of community and coming together with food is something that Chef Aarti Sequeira embodies. We've had the pleasure of interviewing her in our NOV ISSUE #71 a few years ago when her My Family Recipe Journal was released. At that time we talked about how she came to food, being a chef, Food Network's Halloween Wars, and more.
This month, we caught up with her to talk about her latest cookbook that came out last year - UNWIND: A Devotional Cookbook For The Harried and Hungry, food festivals that she is participated in and why she likes being involved, hosting Halloween Wars, why she likes being part of the Food Network family and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: It was so great chatting with you a few years ago where we talked about how you got into food, your food journey and everything that led up to the Family Recipe Journal that you dropped as at that time, you were a few days out from dropping that book!
So before we talk about things that have gone on since that book and things that are coming up, we’d love to know if you remember the dish that you had that made you first fall in love with food?
CHEF AARTI SEQUEIRA: Oh wow! I mean, I don't remember doing this because I was just a baby but my mum, my most vivid memory of me with food is that she would be making dinner and she would just you know pick me up and put me on the counter next to her chopping board and she would just be slicing onions, garlic and ginger and she'd look away for a second. And you know, with my little like you know how babies don't have like knuckles, right?
AM: Right!
CHEF AS: They just have dimples. It’s just those teeny, tiny dimples in a fist and I'd grab the onions and I was just shoving them in my mouth!
AM: Oh!
CHEF AS: She couldn't, she couldn't believe it and I liked it! It’s ironic because I hate raw onions now.
AM: Right!
CHEF AS: But I loved it back then, and I think that, you know, just from then on that the kitchen is just always where I've wanted to be and there's always been food in my mouth haha.
AM: Which is a good thing! I feel like if people were less hangry, that things might be better!
CHEF AS: Well that is true!
AM: Well, when we last chatted you were like a couple of days out actually from the My Family Recipe Journal, but since that conversation in talking with you, you also have released UNWIND: A Devotional Cookbook For The Harried and Hungry. Can you tell us a bit about the book, why you wanted to create it, and what can we expect when we're reading this?
CHEF AS: Yeah, I really created it for people like me and maybe people who are not like me, but anyone who experiences that sort of 4:30pm/5:30pm salt in the wound?
AM: Yes!
CHEF AS: You’ve had a full day and you've been all things to all people and then you’re like, “and now I’ve got to make dinner?”
AM: Right!
CHEF AS: Are you kidding? And it feels you know, it’s the last thing usually between you and bed.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: Haha or you and crappy television, you know what I mean?
AM: Exactly!
CHEF AS: It’s the last hump that you have to get over. And I just found myself taking this thing that had once been my joy and once been my Sanctuary and starting to resent. It was like I started to phone it in and that's not right because you know, I have children now!
AM: Right!
CHEF AS: I didn't want to be giving them or serving them resentment at the dinner table.
AM: Of course!
CHEF AS: So, one of the things that I remembered is that there was this woman that owned an Indian grocery store in LA. and when I had to talked to her about cooking, she had mentioned that she had always prayed before she cooked and that was such a light bulb moment for me! She's Hindu, and I'm Christian. and I just remember going, well if she's doing it - why am I not doing it, you know?
AM: Mmm
CHEF AS: So I did start praying before I cooked and I just found that it opened up a passageway, like a spiritual passageway that took this very mundane chore. This thing that I resented and helped me see it as a moment of sacred connection and it redeemed it, right? And what I found was that in what started off like, "oh Lord, please let this dish turn out right or okay,” you know what I mean? Or let the kids like it or not have anything fall on floor – turned into…
“You know, one of the reasons I'm really upset right now, Jesus is that I'm really feeling discouraged that I didn't get that job that I wanted.”
AM: Right.
CHEF AS: Or, “I'm really scared about this thing that's happening in my family or any number of things.” And so, while I was cooking, that's when that conversation was happening. And I found that there was so much healing.
AM: Yup.
CHEF AS: That healing that was happening through that whole process was amazing. And I was like, well, if it works for me, I would like to be the sort of guide that says, “hey guys, this can work for you too.” This can be a moment, a half hour, 45 minutes in the day, where okay, maybe you didn't have your quiet time today, or maybe you did, and you need another one. This can be It. And I think the lesson that I learned from that is that, you mentioned it! You know, so often when we're walking into the kitchen at that hour, we are tired and we are hungry and we are hangry. And that's when quite often we are in that space. So, if we can get into the practice of turning our eyes towards heaven, when we are at our worst in the kitchen, then we will do that when we are at our worst in the car, in a meeting, doing laundry, talking to someone that's very triggering.
AM: Oh yes!
CHEF AS: All of this stuff, it just builds up muscle in us. So, I now have learned after that experience and after writing UNWIND that how you show up in the kitchen and how you come out of that kitchen, is great practice for how you show up and leave every situation in your life.
AM: That really resonates because a lot of times when there's projects being worked on whether it's a series of business meetings or calls I need to make I'll do a prayer before.
CHEF AS: Yes!
AM: It could be a project or anything I’m doing where I need that reset, it allows my mind to take a pause a beat and then to almost get closer to certain things that maybe have nothing to do with what's going on. But you're able to kind of like categorize it and you just come out a lot better of a person versus me just running out and being like argh!!!
CHEF AS: It is good to sort of slow down. You know, I think a lot of people say, get present. And for me, getting present with myself is just not enough because myself is the problem. So I need to get present with God. That is the one that's going to pull me out of myself and actually fix it.
AM: That's true. That's very true. And, you know, do you find that, because I find that the books that you've done, it is so personal because you are talking about, you know, getting in touch with yourself, getting in touch with God, getting into a better place. Is it is it more difficult to have these books that have a cookbook component as well as this other inspirational component too? Do you feel the process in writing it is longer? Do you feel that you get, you know what I mean - like, because you're doing two different components putting it together. It's beautiful, and seamless, but I know a lot of times if I'm writing something that comes from more of a personal place in my heart, I'm gonna grapple with that for like 80 more hours.
CHEF AS: Yeah, 100%. I mean, I think writing a cookbook is a much more difficult process than I imagined. I think before I kind of got into this world, I was like, oh, well, you know, you just write your recipes and blah blah.
AM: Right!
CHEF AS: But then once it becomes your way of life, at least for me, you know, I'm super critical.
AM: Yeah, same.
CHEF AS: Super critical of myself and so I'm questioning every instinct, every idea, every finished product. Wondering if it's good enough, wondering, if I've written it well, wondering - you know saying the worst things to myself. And so, then couple that with trying to be an ambassador for God.
AM: Right.
CHEF AS: There is always like, there is so much room for failure. I did find it to be a really, really difficult process. We also did it so quickly. We did the whole thing in about 6 or 7 months.
AM: Whoa!
CHEF AS: You know, most people take like a year or 2 years because, you know, some of the people that I'm seeing putting cookbooks out, they're like, “you know, this has been the past 2 or 3 years of my life,” and I'm like, oh my God! You know, I don't know what's worse. Like I don't know if it's worse to live with something for 3 years and live with that kind of pressure for three years.
AM: Exactly.
CHEF AS: Am I a marathon runner or am I a sprinter? I think I've always been a sprinter.
AM: Yup.
CHEF AS: So I think that God kind of knew, you know, what kind of project it needed to be for me. But yeah, I mean, I think I even posted on my social media about how difficult it was that like the process of creativity was not like - was not like a scene from Ratatouille and it has never been for me. It's never been - it's very rarely a moment of like the muse, you know, and going to bed where it’s saying, “hey, why don't you pull tamarind and ginger together and build ribs,” like it’s very rare that that happens. A lot of it is full on. It feels like you're working out, you are throwing weights around picking them back up again, throwing them down again that was the process for me and getting to write that book meant that I had to employ 2 very different parts of my brain and try to make them make sense. But it was also a great challenge, like, I really enjoyed it and I sort of felt like this idea for me felt like a download from heaven and so I was like at this moment in time, I'm the only person that is doing this. So I have to believe that I am also being totally equipped to do it. I have to thank my husband who helped me so much because he loves words and he loves the Bible and so it's really helpful to have him at my side literally for some of them like writing portions of it and then me being able to then put it in my own words. He was like such a such a rock to me.
AM: That's amazing!
Are you already thinking about that next cookbook? I mean, you've already done, you know, these last two. I mean, I know you had one before obviously, but you know, that's so quick between the recipe book. Now it's UNWIND! Is there something in the future that you're kind of sketching out?
CHEF AS: I don't know, you know, I think cookbooks are so hard because frankly there are just so many of them and it's hard to capture people's attention in between. I mean, I'd love to write another one, but I think I also would like some time to really fine tune you know, where is my cooking at this point? What is it that excites me. And what you know? I just feel a little bit all over the place because my career has really, has really taken off it feels like this year.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: I’m traveling, so much of that. I'm probably cooking for other people more than I'm cooking for my family.
AM: Wow.
CHEF AS: And yeah. And so, I want to get back to cooking for my family because I feel like that's like truly the essence of who I am or who I want to be. And so, I'm open to it, of course, and I'm open to even doing another one because I, I do think that I'm proud of it. I really, I'm really proud of it. And even, you know, and every time, just even the other day, someone sent me a photo of one of the recipes that they made and the fact that they were doing it in their small group and they were going through the devotions together. I mean, it just is like so meaningful to me more meaningful than anything else I've worked on, because yes, they're making the recipes, but they're also reading the words that I wrote and reflecting and when I read the words that I wrote, I'm so very convinced that I was not the one that was writing them because I don't recognize it!
AM: Haha right!
CHEF AS: You know, I'm a little nervous to go through that whole process again because, frankly, it was really rough. But when I look at it and I look at the fruit of it, I'm like, well, I mean, hi, I get to partner with God again and that’s kind of amazing.
AM: One thing I love when I'm looking at your IG, I love your Monday Motivations. I think they're so amazing.
CHEF AS: Oh thank you!
AM: And as we are dropping on Monday, do you have a Monday Motivation for us that we can share with our readers?
CHEF AS: Ooo. What have I been toggling in my mind? I think the message that I feel like keeps coming up is - if God is knocking on the door, he's kind of yelling through the door at you.
AM: Ha! I feel that one!
CHEF AS: Which is kind of, “are you more interested in what I can do through you or are you more interested in spending time with Me?”
AM: Ooo ...
CHEF AS: Because I have to say, I took inspiration from someone who posted it online - that concept, at least. But I have been feeling it -
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: You know what I mean?
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: The first one is about me.
AM: Yup.
CHEF AS: And the second one is about God.
AM: It's about Him. Yeah, you gave me goosebumps because I yeah, I thought about something very similar to that, a couple months ago, and I was like, well am I really trying to do that because I want to amplify Him or am I trying to do it so I can boost myself up? Like wow, yeah.
CHEF AS: Yeah, it hurts. So I did not like it.
AM: 100%
CHEF AS: When I saw it on IG and I still don't, but I think that's the point. I think that it's –
AM: It’s uncomfortable -
CHEF AS: It’s uncomfortable and I think those of us who are sort of our own turbines, who are in that sort of entrepreneurial space, it becomes a lot about me and what can I do? What can I accomplish and what's the next thing to build? How do I build on what I've already built? All that stuff and so then we try to kind of loop God into it saying, “you know use me for whatever it is that you want,” but you know intrinsically, we're like yeah we want to get some action, right?
AM: Right.
CHEF AS: You want to rustle up some action. And I think, especially for me, like I'm not really good at sitting very quietly.
AM: Same
CHEF AS: Or sitting in a posture of listening or just being or just any of those things.
AM: It's a good reminder.
CHEF AS: Yeah, that would be my Monday Motivation is just go sit and do nothing for a minute.
AM: Yeah, wow. Yeah.
CHEF AS: Haha I know!
AM: Well, you are always traveling! You were just on an amazing trip in Peru with some of our faves who have previously been in our issues - Chef Duff Goldman, Chef Fariyal Abdullahi who was our AUG ISSUE #104 cover, and Chef Marcel Vigneron. I love an immersive trip and it seemed like you guys got to combine your culinary knowledge along with those that were indigenous to the area and people, as well as to be part of some amazing cultural activities!
Right now your IG has a number of food festivals you’ve been at as well as those that are coming up! We are looking forward to the Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival that takes place mid Oct. and I know that you’re not involved in that one, but Iove being able to go to festivals like this. What do you love about participating in food festival and can you tell me more about the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival that is next month? I mean that Spice Girls Dinner seems pretty amazing.
CHEF AS: Yeah, food festivals are so fun because it's sort of like, you know, that everybody there is one of you, you know what I mean?
AM: Yup!
CHEF AS: Like, these are people that love food and love food television and love to celebrate and love to gather!
AM: Yes!
CHEF AS: The Gathering thing to me has really been feeling more and more important. I think because we have so many years of not gathering.
AM: Yeah that was tough!
CHEF AS: I heard once I was listening to a podcast and I'm not saying I've ever read Alexis de Tocqueville, but I guess when he visited America he was like, “the thing that's very interesting about Americans is that they love to gather.”
AM: Facts!
CHEF AS: They will find any reason to gather and so when we weren't gathering, it was like one of the most un-American things that we could have done.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: So I think that's one of the things that I have come to really appreciate about food festivals is we're all together. We're breaking bread, we're maybe having a couple cocktails.
AM: Yes!
CHEF AS: You sort of feel like, this is who we are. This is the essence of our humanity, the essence of our identity as a people, you know? It's a very unifying moment. I think, especially for people who are creating content, whether it's, you know, on traditional streams, or on social media streams, or YouTube or whatever it is, you know, it kind of goes out into the ether and even if you get likes, yes, you get some sort of feedback, but to see the actual faces! To sort of interact with the actual spirits of people who were like, “I saw when you did that thing.” Oh, it feels real and it feels really gratifying in that moment, selfishly. And it feels very encouraging, honestly - to say, okay, I'm on the right path, I'm going to keep going because it can feel like a very isolating experience.
You know, basically, like I remember when Twitter came along we were all like, oh, doesn't it sort of feel like there's one million people and each of them has a megaphone and they're all yelling? So no one's listening to each other and so sometimes things like food festivals can be so gratifying because here are the people that have been listening!
AM: 100%
CHEF AS: You can see, you can then engage like, oh this is what touches people. And this is what people find necessary. And this is what sort of they find unique about when they come to my corner of IG and it can help sort of fine tune your voice.
AM: Exactly!
Tell me about the Spice Girls Dinner at the Del Mar Food Festival!
CHEF AS: Yeah, I'm excited about Del Mar because not only because it's a very beautiful food festival, this whole thing was spearheaded by Troy Johnson and his wife, Claire Johnson and you know I've known Troy forever for like decades through Guy's Grocery Games.
AM: Ok!
CHEF AS: No, no it’s not been that long! So this is the, you know, they already have babies, but this is another baby of theirs. They're really putting their money where their mouths are and trying to encourage the same thing, the sense of community and gathering, and celebration, and celebrating chefs who are, you know, taking risks in the kitchen and so, I'm really excited to go see people, but also support people who are risking it all you know.
AM: Wow.
CHEF AS: Like Troy and Claire, I think our dinner is going to be so interesting because I love Claudia Sandoval (winner of MasterChef S6, Judge on MasterChef Latinos, Host of Taste of the Border on Discovery+). I love the way she cooks. She has a really strong connection to where she comes from and in a way that I love because she sometimes will take the humblest of dishes, like, her grandmother's beans and she won't change it all that much. She will present it just like that because she's like they're actually good enough. That's very inspiring to me because there's, you know, a lot of the food that we all grew up with, it's not restaurant food.
AM: Correct.
CHEF AS: It's home food. I'm trying to figure out a way to gussy that up so that it looks pretty in an Instagram photo sometimes can feel very difficult!
AM: Daunting, yeah.
CHEF AS: So I I think that it's, I think it's really, it's been very inspiring to me to go, no, the dal, just the way it is. The dal just the way I grew up with is enough and good enough! So, I'm really excited to see where our spice palettes cross over, compliment each other, and contrast with each other. I think it's going to be a really fun dinner and I'm really excited also for the wine pairing because Neeta Mittal, owner of LXV Wines - she's Indian and so she's got a particular palette when she's looking at wines because she's going well, what wine will play well, with these spices - will amplify them and vice versa. So, I think it's gonna be a really interesting unique dinner in that way.
I'm relatively new to this circuit you know, compared to some people that have been doing it for a while and so you're only honestly, you're only as good as the organizers of the festival. It is such a beast to organize these things. There's always something that you didn't think about.
AM: Right, for sure.
CHEF AS: So that's a huge factor to me! I want to be at a festival where we’re all you know, you do your job, I do my job, but we do our job so that we can support each other and make each other look good. That's, you know, that's one of the big things.
AM: That's amazing.
CHEF AS: I love going to festivals where there's a lot of great food on display, you know, especially a lot of adventurous food because I'm like, oh, the people that are going to show up here are going to be willing to try things that, you know, they've maybe never tried before.
I just did the Ilani Wine and Food Festival at the Ilani Resort just outside of Portland. That one was so amazing because even though you know this festival's been going on forever, I made these Jackfruit Sliders with a date barbecue sauce. That was a two for two in terms of things that people haven't tried before. People were so willing like, when you know, I remember someone came over and they were like, “your pulled pork was amazing.” I was like, “that was jackfruit!” So I love going to festivals where I can bring something that someone hasn't had before. Not just for the the purpose of maybe trying something new but, then also that people go home and they're like, I'm going to buy that and I'm gonna work that into my meal plan, or whatever it is. You know, that's just like I want to be of service, and that's really helpful but I love festivals like that where I can be of service.
AM: I think that that’s amazing. And I saw those pictures of the Jackfruit Sliders. And I was just like, whoa, I've had jackfruit but never thought about barbecue sauce and dates – but ok!
CHEF AS: Yeah, well, you know, I had the barbecue sauce ready to go. I had that idea. I was just trying to think because I didn’t think that I was gonna have the time or the energy to like slow cook a ton of pork.
AM: Right.
CHEF AS: So then it was like, what about, you know, I think actually I was talking to Damaris Phillips (2013 winner of Food Network Star, Guy’s Grocery Games Judge, author of Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy) about it and then we came up with that idea together, so that was super helpful.
AM: Love that! Ok, so Halloween Wars. I mean, first of all, I can't even believe that we're sitting in the fall.
CHEF AS: Yeah!
AM: It's rainy here in New York today and I'm like, wait, the holiday season is around the corner. I always know it's around the corner because I see the promos for Halloween Wars.
CHEF AS: Ha ha! I know! It’s all a long slippery slope from there!
AM: Yup! So what are you excited about for this season? I always look forward to the different things and I'm always amazed at how grotesque in the best way possible that some of the things end up being, I'm like, oh my God, who does that? I'm so scared! But at the same time, the baking capabilities and dedication to craft is next level when they’re on the clock!
CHEF AS: This season is so great because each of the teams is helmed by an All-Star. So each of these people have won before, they know what it feels like and they know what it takes. So, they’re kind of acting like team leaders to their teammates. There's a lot to, you know, you whenever you go into competition, you don't cook, carve, sculpt the way that you do –
AM: Exactly.
CHEF AS: At your bakery or at your place, you know? You've got to, you've got to do it in a way that is a work smarter not harder kind of mindset.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: And yet, you're still going for perfection as possible. So that's why this season is so great because and that's why that from day one like the displays were already almost like finale level.
AM: Ooo.
CHEF AS: Perfect, right?
AM: Yeah -
CHEF AS: You had these people who are veterans informing the entire process. So that's what's so great about this season.
AM: That is so exciting!
Tyler Florence’s, The Great Food Truck Race is one of my favorite shows. So, seeing you on the finale, this last season, I was like, wait, there's Aarti!
CHEF AS: Ahhh. Yeah, the food was legitimately awesome! You know, sometimes it's like you know with competition you have a lot of grace because things are not gonna - you just don't have the same amount of time that you would at home or in a restaurant. So I was so impressed, every bite that I took, I was like this tastes completely dialed in. It was amazing. It was truly amazing.
AM: Well, are there any other shows coming up that we should keep an eye out for because I always love when I see you at, like, Tournament of Champions or you're on Guys Grocery Games. And I'm like, this lady is working.
CHEF AS: I'm trying to work. I am trying to work. I just got something and I don't think they've announced it yet.
AM: Okay.
CHEF AS: That's going to be super exciting!
AM: Amazing.
CHEF AS: Thank you! And then you know, all the usual like Grocery Games and all that kind of stuff is still coming down the pipe. Yeah, it's just always such a privilege to be part of the part of the family over at Food Network. Whenever we get to see people, you know, you get the sense that that Food Network is on all day.
AM: Exactly.
CHEF AS: For some people, you know what I mean? It's just very cool that even if I'm not currently shooting something and they turn it on, more than likely one of us is on there. You know? It feels really intimate to be in people's homes that way, and I think that that's how they feel about us, you know, based on the reactions we get. So it's really such a privilege.
AM: I love that and are there just any upcoming projects In general that you would like to share to get out there or or, you know, just things that you have going on?
CHEF AS: Yeah. I mean, one of the most exciting things that's coming up in the short term is that I'm expanding my line with QVC.
AM: That’s amazing!
CHEF AS: Yeah, really amazing! It's such a huge community to be able to dive into and QVC has been so generous and so sweet with me to sort of pull me into the fold and say, hey what do you think about doing this? And here are the kinds of things that our people love and how would you put your own spin on it. And so, you know, it's a select few people that get to do that and I was really hopeful when we started the line last year that we would get to do this, and It has expanded exponentially and some of the things that we've got in the line, I use on a daily basis. They're unbelievably good quality, you know, I really wanted to make sure that it would be something I would use and it's just really exciting, so I think that's going to launch at the end of October.
AM: Congratulations on the continued success of your line with them and I’ve seen the cute kitchenware!
That's so exciting. Yay!
CHEF AS: Yeah!
AM: I just love that every time I see you on shows, you just have such a love and zest for food, and like you're talking about community and people coming together! What do you want your legacy, you know, to be in terms of the imprint that you've left on all of these different things that you're doing and whatever ends up being in the future - that may not be happening at this moment?
CHEF AS: Gosh. Well, I mean, the most important thing to me obviously is my family, right? And just for my girls to know that I did the best I could to balance these two parts of my life. But that they were always way more important than anything else, you know, for them and my husband to know that.
But outside of the home, I guess that I want people when they think of me to think of someone – who really valued coming around a table. Like, I really think that there are so many things that are coming in to distract us from connection with each other, you know, phones and social media. And I know there's been a lot of discussion and study recently on, you know, the impact of phones on kids.
AM: Yes.
CHEF AS: And teenagers. And what that does to the family and I really think that something as simple as sitting around the table and having dinner as many nights as possible is one of the most powerful things that we can do to combat that. Like so that would be probably part of my legacy. Then the other part is that, so often when I'm competing and doing things like that, I'm doing stuff that I feel completely out of my depths doing.
AM: I feel that.
CHEF AS: I'm, you know, like just recently I got booked for a bunch of things and it made me so scared. I was like crying in a fetal position.
AM: Oh no!
CHEF AS: It was bad because I was like, I cannot do this. I don't know how I'm gonna fail like. That has no matter how many times I do it, it just feels like it's something that I'm constantly fighting and I don't think I'm the only one.
AM: Nope!
CHEF AS: So I suppose part of my legacy, I hope these are very big words. It's just that, I was loud about feeling unequipped to do things, but doing them anyway!
AM: Which is huge! I tell people all the time, I’m always in my head, mulling over things and nervous before I do something. Even if it's like a million times, whatever, because everything is a little bit different and you just, I don't know, it's a thing, but I was like, if I feel that shaky about it, I have to kind of tell myself that you feel shaky because you want to do so well, and you care so much about what it represents for myself and what it is for the other people involved. So I try to turn it, although I'll still sit there and be like, I gotta run to the bathroom. This is crazy, but in the end, it does end up being lovely.
CHEF AS: Yeah, I think that there's the sense of like, if it isn't going easily, then you must be doing something wrong or you must be in the wrong place. Yeah, you must have made the wrong decision and I think that as I mean I'm 46 now. So hopefully it'll stick this year …
AM: It hasn’t yet, but it’s tough.
CHEF AS: Yeah, hopefully, but you know for the first time this year, I was like, after I had my little fetal position breakdown. I was like wait. Why don't I ever say to myself, “yes, I don't know how to do these things. I feel completely out of my depth. But the second half of that is, I'll figure it out.”
AM: Yeah.
CHEF AS: Yeah, figure it out. Just saying that has started to change things where I'm like, okay, you know, it may not go smoothly and it may not go off without a hitch.
AM: Right.
CHEF AS: But, I will figure it out. You know what I mean? It doesn’t have to go perfectly. I'll land something out of there. And that has felt very empowering actually. I think that just saying that to ourselves can be very edifying.
AM: 100% I like that. I will try to remember that the next freakout that happens.
CHEF AS: I will figure it out!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT/BACK COVER, PG 16 - 22 Rowan Daly | PG 25, 26 + 38 Food Network |
Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see FAITH, FAMILY, FOOD | Chef Aarti Sequeira in mag.
COOL AND CHILL | DEREK HOUGH
It’s always a pleasure to watch those that are truly one with their work! You see their passion and the care that they have for their craft and Derek Hough is one of those people! Whether you’re watching him dance, judge those on Dancing with the Stars, or working with other clients to get their vision to the stage in the way that they want it, he is a man who is full of life and shares that love with everyone who watches him! We had some time to chat with him to find out more about how he became a dancer and choreographer. This 4X Emmy winner for Outstanding Choreographer and 6X Mirror Ball winner for DWTS sat down to talk with us about his life and passion for dance, what we can expect from this season of DWTS and his partnership with Pepcid.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with dancing and when did you realize that you wanted to do it as a career?
DEREK HOUGH: I first fell in love with dancing when I was about 11 years old, my mom actually made me go to dance class. I have four sisters and she dragged me to dance. I walked in and I had an amazing teacher and he just made it really cool. He gave me a nickname, Heavy D, and I was like, oh, that's cool. But for me, I fell in love with dance really just with the music, just the way it made me feel, moving my body, syncing it up to the beats and the rhythms. I just fell in love with it, and I got to travel, and compete, and I had a great community. So dancing has been a really important part of my life, not just in the art form of it, but the social aspect of it as well, feeling a part of something, a community. So, yeah, dance has been part of my life for a long time.
AM: Your career has been phenomenal from being a dancer, choreographer, you even choreographed a dance routine for Olympians who were World Ice Champions for Sochi 2014 where they won Gold, you've acted and more! Did you imagine that dancing would allow your creativity to have access to these opportunities?
DH: You know, it's crazy growing up, we always want to be like rock stars, right? You're listening to music and you're playing air guitar on your bed, jumping up and down and imagining being on stage. It's kind of crazy to think that I'm able to sort of live out those childhood dreams but through dance, to go live on stage in front of tens of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of people, honestly, perform in front of millions of people on television and meet an eclectic group of people. I’ve met astronauts and Oscar winners, Emmy winners, race car drivers, just people from all walks of life because of dance. I met my wife because of dance. I owe so much to this beautiful art form and this sport as well. It's an incredible gift that keeps on giving.
AM: You've been involved with Dancing with the Stars since Season 4 when you were a guest instructor and then in Season 5, you came on as part of the professional cast. What was it about the show that drew you to want to be part of it?
DH: Well, it's funny actually, originally, the producers asked me in season four when I was a guest on there they said, “Are you interested in doing the show?”. I was like, “No, it's not for me.” I'm in London doing a musical and this show isn't really my vibe and then my sister won season four and I was like, “Wait, hold up, hold up. What's this show again? Hold up, what's going on?” So I joined season five. It's funny that people back then were like, “oh, this show, it's so ridiculous, it's not going to be around that long." It's so interesting how it's one of the longest lasting shows honestly, knock on wood, it keeps going. But yeah, I love it, I love it so much. Again, the gift that keeps on giving. It really is, each season is just unique and different every time.
AM: What are you looking forward to this season?
DH: I'm looking forward to obviously all the contestants in their journeys and just seeing how it all evolves. There's a few little things that I'm actually planning, there might be a performance in the future, so I'm preparing for that. I'm looking forward to that, and I think this season holds something special. It's been a very interesting year with lots of highs and lows and challenges, and so to do something on this season, that will be meaningful. I'm looking forward to that, that's all I am going to say without saying too much about it.
AM: Being on the show as well as other projects that you're part of has to be a lot, how do you take time to relax so that you can be ready for the next day?
DH: There's so many different projects that I'm a part of - doing my tour, doing Dancing with the Stars, and it's important. It's about balance and the best way for me to switch off my brain because my brain just keeps going nonstop. One of my favorite things to do actually is I go home and I do my little snacking and streaming, just like we all do. Get home and watch my favorite show and I bust out the snacks and I am a prolific popcorn eater. I love popcorn so much, but it doesn't love me, but I had to have it anyways. It actually works out great because to manage that sort of heartburn if I overdo it, I have Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint and it just works really fast, it lasts all night unlike those antacids, and it provides an instant cooling sensation, which is great and again, it lasts all night. So I kind of call it my Chilling with Pepcid. I'm chilling with Pepcid, but that way I can enjoy my snacks, I can enjoy my shows, my hot sauces. Honestly, before I actually go on stage as well when I go on tour, because there's nothing worse than when you eat something and you go on stage, you have to sing and perform and talk and host, and you just have that burning sensation. So it's great to have that instant cooling sensation with Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint. (Editor’s Note: Based on 9-hour acid control studies during the day and 12-hour acid control studies during the night. Acid control does not imply symptom relief.)
AM: Obviously, dancing is a total body workout, what are other things that you do to stay in shape as well?
DH: Lots of stretching, I do yoga, working out, and just strength exercises to sort of engage the muscles to turn them on. Speaking of icy cool, man, it’s ice baths pretty much twice a day and just PT work. I have to do all the things, you know what I mean? I'm almost 40 years old and I was told that my dancing career will be over by like 22 years old. So I'm like, we'll see about that. It's important that I'm mindful and I take care of my body for longevity and I do anything and everything I can to sort of maintain that. There's lots that goes into it for sure.
AM: When you're traveling due to tours or being on set, what are your must have travel essentials?
DH: My dog, my baby, Luna, she's sort of the emotional therapy dog. I must have water. My physical therapist is a must have, I have to have that because the training is so vigorous and the performance is so intense, that we need to have that. I'm a pretty simple guy, honestly. I'm pretty simple, you know, my rider, you know, how people have riders, like, in their things, I’m pretty basic. I'm pretty boring, honestly. I should be a little bit more of a diva honestly but I'm not, I'm really simple, I just like simple things. When I get back on the bus, especially on days off, I just enjoy myself with the snacks. All the snacks, popcorn, nuts, I love chips and salsa, jalapenos. I love jalapenos so much, I can just eat them in a bowl just raw by themselves, it's delicious. Some chocolate stuff, peanut M&M's, Red Vines.
AM: You have partnered with Pepcid recently. Why was this synergistic with you to work with them?
DH: I think that that's part of it really, was that ability to sort of have something on hand that works fast, it lasts all night, and when I perform where I get that heartburn before going on stage and to have that instant relief that, that cooling sensation, it's really genuinely, really helpful. It also allows me to have a bit more balance in my life to enjoy myself a little bit. I have a really strict regimen in my training and when I'm on tour and my diet and everything I do, but it's also nice to just enjoy myself, and just chill and snack, snack down a little bit and popcorn doesn't love me, but I still love popcorn.
IG @derekhough
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 64 -69 Disney/Eric McCandless | PG 70 Jesse Bauer |
Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see COOL AND CHILL | Derek Hough in mag.
Featured
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E6. | WELCOME TO HOMETOWNS
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
This week’s The Golden Bachelorette brings us to Hometowns where we get to know more about the men and to see their families! Joan Vassos has a busy week ahead with the 4 men.
We start off in Lake Tahoe, Nevada with Guy! They ride around his boat and throw wishing stones which is a nice portion of their date.
They then meet Guy’s family and catch everyone up on what they have been up to. The family really likes her and they can imagine having her with them.
We make our way to Chicago and we’re now with Pascal! We can’t wait to see what his salon looks like. He shows it to her and she gets treatments and it’s nice to see his space and how he operates! They openly talk about their feelings and where they are. It’s nice to see him when he’s a bit quieter and he lets her know that he is guarded because he has been hurt, but that he cares for her. It’s nice to see his friends and family. Joan fits in so well and we see how much he loves his family.
Joan is staying in Chicago to hang out with Jordan. They take in some of his favorite places that he likes to eat at. They meet his family and you can see how loved he is and how much they support him. Joan lets one of his daughter’s know that she is concerned that he wouldn’t pick her. She lets her dad know as she wants him to get there and to be able to talk with Joan.
Joan Finally leaves Chicago and makes her way to Witchita, Kansas to meet up with Chock! SHe is meeting his friends and family and she notes that their family has had a hard time due to the death of his mother. That would be difficult for anyone to navigate. They plant a tree at the ranch in honor of Chock’s mother. She talks with his friends and family and he speaks with them as well. It’s nice to see that wherever she went across the 4 dates, the families were very warm and receptive to her.
It’s time for the rose ceremony and there is still 40mins left of the show. We know that she feels that Pascal and Jordan have been a bit noncomittal versus Guy and Chock. She is handing out 3 roses and she doesn’t know what she will do. Jesse meets up with her to check in on how she is feeling. She lets him know that after Hometowns, she is feeling even more conflicted. She feels a strong connection with Chock and can see a future with him. Guy is another one that she feels is easy and that they have synergistic values. Now she’s talking about Chicago although she had a great day with him, she notes that he never said that he feels there is a future. She feels that Pascal is also in that same boat. She feels very strongly about him as well and she is concerned that he may need more time to get there. So sending someone home who needs more time is something that she is concerned about.
After their debrief, she arrives at the rose ceremony and thanks them for their time! She knows that she is getting closer to finding her person and to is looking forward to commit to one of them. We’re down to 3 people now and they will leave the mansion and they’re heading to Tahiti.
JOAN GAVE ROSES TO | Chock, Guy, Pascal
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES TO | Jordan
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
HERE’S WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
9PLAYLIST | CALVIN HARRIS
Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Calvin Harris in mag.
Featured
9PLAYLIST | CHANEL IMAN
Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Chanel Iman in mag.
Featured
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E5. | THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
This week’s The Golden Bachelorette we hear the guys talk about how the house is so different with the other men no longer there. They also know that the time with Joan Vassos this week is important because Hometowns are next week. Keith knows that he needs to step it up so that he can move on and continue dating her.
Joan meets with Trista and they catch up on where she is feeling. Trista shares that her biggest regret is that she didn’t open up with Ryan so he didn’t know where they stood when they were in their journey.
The date card arrives and Keith is on the 1-on-1 date. They meet and hop on a helicopter and fly over the house where the guys are in the pool. They make their way to Babcock Winery to get to know more about one another. This week the dates will not have roses.
Back at the house, we see that Mark is struggling with the fact that his wife died 6 years ago and also that he isn’t sure if he has the connection with Joan. He sits down with Pascal and Jordan to talk with him and to let him know that he got a sign from his wife in the form of a hummingbird.
Back on the date, Keith opens up about his life and experiences. He lets her know that he was holding back.But now she is excited that he is serious as well as being fun loving.
At the house, the next date card arrives. Guy, Jordan, Jonathan, Pascal, and Chock are going on a bowling group date. That means that Mark is now getting a 1-on-1 with her. This is the final 1-on1 date!
We see the group date assemble at the bowling alley and they see that Joan got a strike. The date is moving along, but Chock is taking more of her time and making his body give the impression that they were together on their own date! Even Guy lets him know that he needs to let others have a chance.
Mark is excited to go on the date and is talking with the guys in the house. Joan lets us know that Mark needs to open up as although she would love to meet his family, she doesn’t want to waste that experience with someone who still has their walls up and won’t let her in. Mark is just a quiet guy and there isn’t an easy flow with one another. They are sitting on a yacht and taking in everything around them. She feels that pressure that if he doesn’t open up, she will send him home.
Jesse creates a scavenger hunt for them which allowed him to start opening up, to loosen up, and to see their compatibility. The lighthearted nature of the game allowed the ice to break so that Mark could feel comfortable. After the game, they continue to talk about their lives as they have a lot of similarities.
We’re back at the house and the guys are all talking about what is coming up. Mark tells them that he is excited to show her his home and life. Joan shows up and pulls him aside and lets him know that she enjoyed their date and being able to hear more about who he is! She appreciates that he was vulnerable with him. She knows that they bonded in such an amazing way and she felt supported. Even with that connection and commonality between the two, she knows his heart is mending, but she feels that she didn’t see him thinking abou ther and having her in mind with his plans. She tells him that maybe he is too early in his journey and she didn’t want him to have to be at the ceremony when she knows that it will not work out for them. Mark lets her know that he appreciates being there, is leaving there a better person, and he knows that he has grown so much. She sends him home. Watching how the men reacted to hearing this news is so sad.
Next week is Hometowns!
JOAN GAVE ROSES TO | Chock, Guy,Jordan, Pascal
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES TO | Jonathan, Keith, Mark
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
HERE’S WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
9PLAYLIST MULTI | ALYSIA REINER
63MIX ROUTIN3S | GRANT HOLLOWAY
9LIST STORI3S | NASTIA LIUKIN
63MIX ROUTIN3S | JULIAN WORKS
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E4. | JOAN DIGS DEEPER
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
This week’s The Golden Bachelorette is going to be a bit of a doozy it seems as we see Joan Vassos and Chock hugging one another and you hear them crying.
We hear Chock talk about what the experience has been like and we see Pascal learning how to do his laundry!
The date card arrives and they find out that Jonathan, Pascal, Dan, Charles, Gary, Mark, Gil, Chock, and Keith will be on a group date. Guy and Jordan were not called. The group date men arrive at a theater and see Joan on the stage. Kaitlyn Bristowe joins her on the stage. We see the Chippendales dancers as well as the original Chippendales dancers! They are partnering with Stand Up to Cancer as well to dance in honor of supporting this important charity.
She thanks them for the date and being open! She enjoys spending time with each of them and you can see the guys are really present with her. Chock receives the group date rose.
When we’re back from commercial break, we realize that Chock’s mom passed. He tells the guys that he is going to leave because he has things that he needs to take care of. Joan heads to the house for her 1-on-1 with Jordan and she is met by Chock. He tells her that his mother passed.He needs to go home to take care of things and Joan knows how it is when you need to take care of your family even when you feel that you’re experiencing an amazing connection.
Jill is sad that Chock left, but she knows she must be present for Jordan who has his date. She is excited that they’re going ice skating. Jordan takes a nasty fall, but they have a fun time spending time with one another. They get to chat a bit while enjoying some treats. REO Speedwagon also performs for them in their winter wonderland! He receives a rose as well. Although she was sad about Chock, she said she laughed more with him than anyone.
For her 1-on-1 date with Guy, they are at her home and they are cooking together! It’s a great way for them to interact with one another, follow instructions, and just to get to know more about one another. We can tell that Guy is not a cook, but you can see that he is enjoying it.In addition to making pasta, they also make dessert together as well. They have a great conversation and she offers him a rose as well!
Going into the rose ceremony, she’s still thinking about Chock and wondering if he will be back and how he is doing. She sees the men and lets them know that she realizes that they have families and situations back home and that’s a lot for them to put on hold to be there with her. She spends time with each of them to get to know more about them and it’s nice to see how they continue to move forward. As each week passes, we know how difficult it will be when she has to still send guys home. Chock is back and in his time away, he was glad to handle what he needed to do and then he realized that he wants to put his walls down.
It wasn’t until the rose ceremony that we realized that we hadn’t seen Jesse Palmer all episode!
JOAN GAVE ROSES TO | Chock, Guy, Jonathan, Jordan, Keith, Pascal, and Mark
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES TO | Charles, Dan, Gary, and Gil
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
HERE’S WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E3. | LET'S PLAY BALL!
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
We see a flash forward of how Joan Vassos is trying to get into the mindset of moving forward and she knows that she is still attached to her husband which is a sweet and honest moment. We also check in on how the men sleep/snore and pass the time to kick of this week’s episode of The Golden Bachelorette as we watch Joan Vassos navigate the next few weeks!
Jesse Palmer checks in with men to see how they are doing and we find out that Pascal doesn’t cook his own food or make his own coffee. He also leaves them with the info that there are 2 1-on-1 dates as well as a competitive group date! The date card goes to Pascal and he looks forward to seeing if they are a good match.
Joan picks up Pascal in a red sports car where she lets him know that she will be driving, they hop on a private flight to go to Las Vegas. Joan lets us know that she is aware that he lives a very comfortable lifestyle and that he dresses well, but she wants to know if he has a heart and if they can connect and are compatible. They navigate the strip in a limo with champagne and head to the Paris Hotel. They arrive at a suite that is filled with stunning dresses, suits, and accessories that have been picked out for them. There is a piano that plays for them as they try out outfits. They select their outfits and look so chic for a night out in Vegas.
Back at the house, Charles and Gary hit up the farmacy to get the guys things that they need to stop the snoring and ensure that everyone gets a good night sleep!
Back in Vegas, Wayne Newton comes in and sings for this chic 1-on-1 date! The day date has shifted to the night and they have an outdoor dinner where they can see the Eiffel tower. She’s excited to know more about him and he wants to share more about who he is as a person outside of the life that he has made for himself. He talks about when we think of Paris, we think of the beautiful side, but he didn’t grow up with money and he had tough times growing up and when he came to the US he willed himself to do better and to make something of himself. He said that being vulnerable is hard for him; however, when he shares his story, you realize that you can’t make assumptions about people. Pascal receives the date rose.
Back at the house, the next date card arrives and the group date lets Chock, Gil, Charles, Dan, CK, Gregg, Gary, Guy, Kim, Jordan, Mark, and Keith know that they will have time with Joan. Jonathan is excited to have the 1-on-1 date, but he is emotional because he doesn’t feel ready to do this and is concerned that he may be going home!
We’re on the football field for their next date. Eric Dickerson and Andre Reed are on the date. They hear that they will play kickball and we see them stretching. The winners go to the after party and the losers go back to the mansion. We watch the guys play kickball and we have to say that it’s a strong game and even Charles who has never played kicks the ball and helps some of the others cross home plate! In the battle between the Red Team and the Blue Team, the Blue Team wins! June meets up with the Blue Team and she lets them know that she loved the kindness that she saw on both sides of the ball and she starts to spend time with each of the winners. She got to know a lot more about the men and we hear that Joan’s mom isn’t doing well (reminds us of last season when Joan’s daughter needed her to come home). She gives Gil the group date rose.
Back at the house, the men are gifted massages by Joan to work out their muscles.
Jonathan makes his way to Joan for their 1-on-1 date. He knows that he will be totally exposed on this date and hopes he won’t be afraid to share things with her. They’re going horseback riding and Joan isn’t a fan of them as she was bitten by one and Jonathan has never been on one.
After horseback riding, they make their way to enjoy some champagne with her as they sit and talk. He tells her about how he got divorced and that he was blindsided and that he wondered if he would ever be enough! She lets him know that he is enough and she gives him the 1-on-1 date rose.
Throughout this week she has been dealing with her emotions about the death of her husband as well as her mom not feeling well. She is someone who pushes her feelings down because she is a caregiver and now she realizes that she needs to share so that it is fair to them as well. She thanks the men for being amazing and that she loves that she is hearing important things about them. She lets them know that she wants to take care of them as she is a caregiver and she realized that that is causing her to mask and so now she is going to be vulnerable with them as well. She lets them know that being strong is tiring, she misses her family, her kids, her mom who is sick as she is 92, and then she tells them about her husband and that she will always only by 80 ior 90% available. She cries and she is concerned how they will take in what she has said. They tell her thank you and they like that she has shared this information.
Gerry makes his way to the mansion and they have a catch up season. She lets him know that it has been emotional, but she has a great group of men. She also let’s him know that she understands how it is to be in a situation when you are thinking about your husband and moving forward and she gets how Gerry felt. He asked her if she considered that there may be a possibility that her person may not be there. He lets her know that he is rooting for her. He tells her to not be perfect, but to be herself. He leaves after giving her a boost. The men lift her spirits and find way to connect with her and let her know that they are ok with her being vulnerable. She thanks them and lets them know that she has a connection with each one and it’s hard when you realize that to get to the end, only 1 will be left.
JOAN GAVE ROSES TO | Charles L, Chock, Dan, Gary, Gil, Guy, Jonathan, Jordan, Keith, Pascal, and Mark
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES TO | CK, Gregg, and Kim
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette 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.
HERE’S WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
Featured TV Show
FROM STUDIO TO SMILES | KEEGAN MICHAEL KEY
We had the pleasure of catching up with Keegan Michael-Key who is an actor who always leaves us in good spirits! His ability to make you laugh and think is something that we appreciate. We enjoyed talking with him about his work as a teacher, investing in children’s lives through learning, partnering with Lysol promote clean environments in school and at home, and of course his work on one of our favorite shows Abbott Elementary and other projects we’re excited about!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been a fan of yours for a number of years and have loved your shows and of course most recently, Abbott Elementary. But you actually have teaching experience at Penn State and at Second City. Can you tell us more about this?
KEEGAN MICHAEL-KEY: Yes, I was a graduate student at Penn State and I taught Fundamental Acting, Non-Majors and I had a really fulfilling and fun time doing that. I had a great time with the students and I also interestingly learned a lot and it helped reinforce the training that I was getting.
When I was a performer at the Second City Theater, both in Detroit and also in Chicago, I spent a good deal of time teaching improv as well as communications techniques to people. And also in Detroit at the Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit, I spent time going to classrooms and teaching children improv skills. That was also a very fulfilling experience too. So I have done a lot of teaching in my past and I really really loved it.
AM: That is such a great story! When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
KMK: I realized that I wanted to be an actor probably when gosh, I would have been around 14 or 15 and that would put me in high school. I was encouraged by a family friend and my drama teacher in school was really hands on and very supportive. She really helped to pull me into that world! Once I was in it, I was in love!
AM: Why do you feel that hands on learning is so important and can you tell us about HERE For Healthy Schools?
KMK: Yeah, to answer the first question, I think that when kids have an opportunity to do things hands on and interactive, I really feel that the information that they are being given that the teachers desires for them to receive, really gets into their minds better and they can practically handle things and move through things. It’s more effective learning and that is kind of why I wanted to work with Lysol at the HERE for Healthy Schools Program this particular year. Because, what they are doing with the initiative this year, is that they are putting together the Lysol Minilabs Science Kits and the kits are going to contain educational materials that are designed to be hands-on so that the kids can learn about germ education, healthy habits, and how to keep the classroom environment as well as the general environment clean.
AM: Whether you have children that are going back to school, maybe you’re an aunt or uncle, or you just live alone solo, what are some healthy habits that we need to know about so that we’re not transferring germs and we’re reducing all the ick?
KMK: Ha – all the ick! You know, I think that the first thing across the board that everyone can do and that we can always teach children, is of course, washing our hands. Washing our hands after an activity, washing our hands after using the bathroom so that we’re not the germ spreaders if that makes any sense? We’re so mobile as humans, and then we’re the ones spreading the germs! So cutting that off at the pass if you will and then also, when you think about countertops, and desktops, and door handles which are things that we come into contact with every single day, and many times during the day, it’s just a wipe here or a spray there that can hopefully keep the germs down. Then we're allowing ourselves to be in a cleaner environment!
AM:100%!
Obviously, you have so many awesome things that are coming up - Season 4 of Abbott Elementary is slated to premiere on ABC on Oct 9th! Every time that we see you on the screen we just know that it’s going to be good. What can you tell us about – obviously not a lot – as we prepare for the next season?
KMK: Well, without giving away next season, you can stream Season 3 now of Abbott Elementary now which I am really happy for people as you can enjoy repeat viewings if you feel so inclined! I have a small arc on the show in the season where I play the Superintendent of Schools in Philadelphia which is where Janine, Quinta Brunson’s (A Black Lady Sketch Show, History of the World: Part II, Weird: The Al Yankovick Story) character works now and she feels encouraged to affect more change in the school system. You get to watch that story play out and really the big thing that you get to watch is this struggle between her love for everyone and the students at Abbott Elementary and then this more macro environment with the Superintendent and there is this struggle of being pulled between these two things. Can I do more good here? Should I go back to Abbott and be more of a boots on the ground? She’s trying to figure out what way can she be more effective for the students?
AM: We enjoyed watching the 3rd season and getting that layer.
What attracted you to want to be on this show? So many people love this show and so many actors and other people are trying to find ways to get into this show!
KMK: Oh yeah!
AM: What was it for you that made you want to do it?
KMK: First of all, I think that Quinta is a real amazing talent and I have known her for years and I have watched her grow as an artist and the pride I feel for her is overwhelming because what she has done is such an achievement! But also, within that, is the humanity of the show. I think that just the thematic subject matter of the show is about nurturing and investing in our future which is about children. It’s also this kind of intrinsic, American underdog story – an underfunded school district, how do we pull ourselves up by the boot straps and do what we have to do for the betterment of these children. So that is really heartwarming in a way it is very inviting because they are letting the world in and it is inspiring. That is why I wanted to be part of it. It’s also very funny!
AM: Oh it’s very funny!
KMK: So funny!
AM: Well you’re also in Transformers One and Dear Santa! That’s 2 amazing additional projects that are coming out! We’re sure that you’re excited about them and can you tell us about them?
KMK: Well, Transformers One will be coming out in September 20th and it’s a really exciting project to work on. The director is a gentleman by the name of Josh Cooley (Up, Inside Out, Soul), very talented animation director. He directed Toy Story 4 that I starred in with Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope). We played partners – we played a little stuffed duck and a little stuffed rabbit that were connected to each other and we had such a great time that Josh asked me to come on and play Bumblebee in Transformers One which really is an honor because he’s a very popular character in the Transformers universe!
Dear Santa is a holiday movie that stars Jack Black (Jumanji universe, Kung Fu Panda universe, The Super Mario Bros. Movie) and he is absolutely fantastic and I hope you fo see it and everyone that you know goes to see it! It’s really fun and it has a lot of heart. It’s silly and zany and it’s going to be great!
AM: Do you have any other projects whether it’s TV, film, or philanthropic that you would like for us to know about that we should keep an eye out for because you’re always doing great things! It’s great to see you in a number of commercials as well as you are a busy man!
KMK: Ha ha yes I am praise God!
Well one thing in September that is coming up, I wrote a book with my partner at Elle Key (August, Fair Game, The Blackout), we wrote a book called The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor, and the audio version of that book is coming out then. So again, I know that it is early for the holiday season, but if people want to, they have the opportunity to download that or to send it as a gift and it was a real passion project for us and we’re really proud of the book. So there is also that! So that’s about it for right now if that’s not enough!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 156 - 159 Disney/Giles Mingasson | PG 160 - 161 Michael Simon |
Read the AUG ISSUE #104 of Athleisure Mag and see FROM STUDIO TO SMILED | Keegan Michael Key in mag.
Featured