Latest news with #HotFellas
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Body positivity losing its lustre on social media
Opinion In a scene from this week's episode of And Just Like That…, HBO's Sex and the City sequel series, Anthony (Mario Cantone) is lamenting the fact that no one is coming to the grand opening of the brick-and-mortar location of his bakery, Hot Fellas. 'Where is everybody? Are people scared of carbs again? Is body negativity back?' he asks. As he might say: it certainly frickin' seems like it, Anthony! Last week, TikTok made the move to ban the hashtag #SkinnyTok from its platform after European regulators sounded the alarm over the kinds of content being posted there, most of it promoting extreme thinness and the equally extreme measures it takes to get there. That Anthony should note the 'again' and 'back' of it all speaks to just how cyclical — and how positively Y2K — this stuff is. After all, he was there in the late '90s/early 2000s on Sex and the City when Carrie famously wore a belt over her bare, toned, tanned midriff. After a brief moment in the 2010s when the body positivity movement made it feel like maybe, just maybe, we'd turned a corner, it feels, culturally, like we're sliding back to the era of low-rise jeans, impossibly thin physiques and diet culture that doesn't even attempt to pretend it's about health. Look at any comments on social media and you'll see body shaming is alive and well; actively trying to become the smallest version of yourself is encouraged and lauded. My point being, TikTok banning the hashtag is great and all, but these cultural ideas didn't need TikTok to take root before. As Kate Lindsay writes in the Internet-focused newsletter Embedded: 'Until we fix society's sinister, pervasive and constantly fluctuating standards for what bodies are acceptable bodies, everything is SkinnyTok.' She's right. From the 'what I eat in a day' videos to the relentless fitness obsession with both packing away obscene amounts of protein and getting 10,000 steps (although, according to the cursed algorithm that has found me, that target has moved to 20K) to even the blatant use of the word 'skinny,' it's all SkinnyTok even if it's not explicitly labelled as such. The goal is the same: get smaller. Besides, young, internet-native users are crafty. They know how to get around censors — pro-tip: seggs = sex, unalived = killing/suicide — to keep making the kind of content that is clearly popular among social media users. As to why these retrograde, 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' social mores are trending again is more difficult to parse. It could have to do with the mainstreaming of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, which have made previously unattainable body types much more attainable, so long as you can afford it. It could have to do with the fact that we live in deeply uncertain times, and restriction reliably offers an illusion of control. It could also have to do with the fact that we're just more aware of how we're perceived, owing to social media. But it could also be pop culture's tendency to treat body types — you know, something we famously have control over — like cuts of jeans: in one season, out the next. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. The body-positivity movement, like all social movements, wasn't perfect. It didn't leave a lot of room for ideas around body neutrality, for example, or even weight fluctuation, leading to a lot of body policing and complicated feelings when artists/creators/influencers who built their businesses on body positivity started losing weight. But it did see people pushing back against social pressures around thinness. It gave us the language to be able to recognize that well-meaning sentiments such as 'strong is the new skinny,' were just valourizing a different (but still thin) feminine ideal. It allowed us to see a diversity of bodies in advertising and online. Crucially, it called out fatphobia, discrimination and inequitable access to health care. Thin is in again. But maybe it was folly to think it was ever out. Jen ZorattiColumnist Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen. Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time Out
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A free Hot Fellas Bakery pop-up from And Just Like That is coming to NYC this week
If you, too, have been hate-watching And Just Like That (the Sex and the City spinoff starring Sarah Jessica Park, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon, but, annoyingly, not Kim Cattrall), these past few years, then you know of the existence of Hot Fellas Bakery, the fictional bakery opened in the Max series by Charlotte York's BFF Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone). Along with the usual baguettes and buns, though, Anthony's bakery also serves major cake—namely, hunky delivery men in inseams short enough to make Paul Mescal blush. And in celebration of the series' third season (which premiered on Max on Thursday, May 29), Hot Fellas Bakery is coming to life in NYC. Open for two days only — Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. — at Librae Bakery in the East Village (35 Cooper Square), the immersive activation "transforms a fan-favorite gag into a carb-filled, cheekily branded experience," per organizers. Wait, when did Hot Fellas start delivering cake? 😏 #LetsChatAJLT — And Just Like That... (@AndJustLikeThat) February 23, 2022 Designed to mirror the Hot Fellas Bakery from the HBO series, the pop-up will include free house-baked breads and pastries and fresh coffee decked out in character-themed packaging. Outside of the complimentary snacks and sips (all available while supplies last), attendees can take home limited-edition Hot Fellas merchandise, exclusively designed by the pop-culture brand THNK1994. And the experience wouldn't be complete without the bakery's titular hunks, who will be on site for fun photo opportunities. "One of the joys of working on 'And Just Like That…' is finding ways to bring the show's fan favorite moments into the real world," said Dana Flax, VP of Originals Marketing at HBO & Max. "Seeing fan-favorite Anthony's vision of hot bread, and even hotter men, come to life through the Hot Fellas bakery pop-up has been so much fun. It felt like a treat in more ways than one, and a natural way to give fans a taste of a story they love." Can't make it in person to Hot Fellas this weekend? Max has also partnered with Grubhub and Seamless to deliver a supplemental stream-and-snack experience: New Yorkers can order a limited-edition Hot Fellas Bakery Bundle, which includes the same mouthwatering .
Eater
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Tracking the NYC Restaurants in ‘And Just Like That...' Season 3, Episode 2
And just like that, HBO Max's Sex and the City sequel series returns for its third season. And Just Like That... brings back our long-time New Yorkers Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), as well as relative newcomers Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker), to our televisions and laptops. What is summer without our gals talking candidly about sex, making bad puns, and dining and drinking around the city? Like previous seasons, Eater will be tracking where the gang is eating across New York City, from brunch sessions to romantic dinners to cocktail dates. This guide will be updated weekly when each episode airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m., leading up to the finale. And we're saying it now: there will be spoilers ahead. Episode 2, 'Outlook Good' Welcome to New Rat City, Carrie Bradshaw. Her idyllic Gramercy Park townhouse garden is overrun by the truest of New Yorkers — rats! Miranda discovers the joys of bad reality dating shows, and Seema's dealing with a parade of bad dates. Anthony is fulfilling his dream of opening a physical Hot Fellas bakery, or as he too obviously calls it, a 'dick-and-mortar.' It looks cute, with a counter, baked goods on display, tiled walls, lots of blues, and bread-shaped scones and door handles. (The production team didn't use an existing bakery for the filming — rather, they took over an empty storefront on the corner of East 88th Street and Madison Avenue.) Jac's on Bond 26 Bond Street, near Lafayette Street, Noho The episode begins with Carrie meeting with her former neighbor Lisette, who bought her longtime Upper East Side apartment at the cocktail bar. Lisette preemptively orders them both gimlets. 'I made a bold choice,' she explains. Lisette gifts Carrie a necklace with her old key and street address while they chat about dating in the city. Rosa Mexicano 61 Columbus Avenue at West 62nd Street, Lincoln Square The Upper West Side location of the Mexican mini-chain is a major set piece for this episode. In the first scene, Carrie, Miranda, and Seema are seated in the main dining room with chips and salsa for the group. A server comes over to make them tableside guacamole; she chimes in during Miranda's discussion of dating reality show Bi Island, and Miranda falls in love. Later on, Carrie and Miranda are back at the restaurant — Carrie is Miranda's 'guacamole beard' while Miranda flirts with the same staffer. 'I predict a very bright future for you,' Carrie says, 'Your combined good cholesterol will be through the roof.' They're seated next to the stunning blue-tiled waterfall wall. They order the guacamole again made by the same server, but alas, it turns out she's not interested in dating Miranda. Carrie also sends a voice text to Aidan while standing in the restaurant's beautiful bathroom. (Rosa Mexicana is planning on shuttering this Lincoln Square location to reopen nearby inside the Empire Hotel on West 63rd Street at some point this year. Le B 283 West 12th Street at West Fourth Street, Greenwich Village Seema goes on a series of bad dates at the luxe restaurant, where she and the lackluster men sit at the best seats at the bar — the corner. She disses one date who she assumes will ask to split the check by summing up the experience: 'Drinks: 30 dollars; telling you to go shove it: priceless.' Amazing. Tatiana 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, at West 65th Street and Ninth Avenue, Lincoln Square Seema goes on what she assumes is a date set up by her coworker at the upscale Afro-Caribbean restaurant. But it turns out to be a matchmaker meeting with Sydney, played by the delightful Cheri Oteri. (Maybe matchmaking in New York City is in the air: director Celine Song's new movie Materialists , which comes out on Friday, June 13, centers on a matchmaker in Manhattan.) Sydney showcases how good she is at reading people by ordering for Seema: 'salmon tartare, wasabi vinaigrette on the side, extra avocado, and hold the scallions.' Seema agrees it's the right choice. For herself, she gets the crispy artichoke and a martini (none of these are served at Tatiana actually). Bottino 246 Tenth Avenue, near West 24th Street, Chelsea For Seema's attempt to act like an appealing woman for the sake of a man, she goes on a date in the pretty garden patio of the Italian restaurant. They're eating pasta and drinking red wine; later, the guy orders two tiramisus, but Seema has had enough. 'I hated the cabernet you chose, and the tiramisu is tired,' she says, admitting that this isn't who she really is. He claims to still be into the date, but then ditches her, leaving Sydney to pop up out of nowhere to finish the dessert. And just like that (sorry, sorry), we're ready for next week's episode. Episode 1, 'Outlook Good' Goodbye, Carrie's brownstone that's actually in the West Village but masquerades as the Upper East Side; hello, new Gramercy Park townhouse. Last season, Carrie sold her iconic studio to buy and move into a large building along the park for herself and her cute kitty Shoe. Carrie and Aidan are in an ambiguous not-being-together-for-now situation as he lives in Virginia. Miranda's now back in New York and single. Motel No Tell 210 Avenue A, at East 13th Street, East Village Of course, a queer bar decked out with neon and a disco ball would be blasting Chappell Roan's 'Hot to Go!' This East Village bar is standing in for a 'lady bar,' as Miranda describes to Carrie and Charlotte, thanking them for accompanying her on a night out of trying to score a date. Now, she's a non-alcoholic drinker, but laments her $37 mocktail tabs, and later orders a Phony Negroni. A couple of scenes later, we're back at the bar: it's closing time and Miranda is alone. But she meets Mary (played by Rosie O'Donnell), a Canadian visiting the city. They end up going to her hotel room together. (In real life, Motel No Tell is celebrating its television appearance by offering a cocktail special for the summer: the Lady Pond is made with vodka, orange, vermouth, cranberry, lime, and apple shrub, for $16.) Tavern on the Green West 67th Street and Central Park West, Upper West Side Okay, the iconic Central Park restaurant isn't actually seen on the show, but it's the butt of a joke. Miranda recaps her hookup to Carrie, explaining that she turned out to be a nun who really wanted to take her to Tavern on the Green, saying 'she doesn't know, it's her first trip to New York.' Carrie is aghast: 'I don't know which is worse: that you slept with a nun or a tourist.' Jean-Georges 1 Central Park West, between Columbus Circle and West 61st Street, Lincoln Square Another talked-about but never-seen restaurant. Seema's Marvel director boyfriend Ravis is back from filming in Egypt and tells her he booked lunch at the French tasting menu restaurant. But before that, his film crew has to scout locations in Red Hook, which makes him late for their 1 p.m. reservation. He pushes it back to dinner, and the group eats cooler sandwiches on the pier. But of course, they miss their dinner, and Seema breaks it off. 'I don't do vans or Cool Ranch potato chips, but I did try,' she says. Red Rooster 310 Lenox Avenue, at West 126th Street, Harlem Lisa is tasked with throwing a last-minute cocktail reception for her husband Herbert to make him look cool for his political campaign running for city comptroller. So what's cooler than the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson's comfort food flagship? The dining room is full — Lisa tells the girls that they should 'eat everything' and that 'the fritters are no joke.' The tables are laden with fried chicken and sandwiches, and the event ends with Carrie and Miranda eating some sort of pudding-like dessert out of little mugs. Sign up for our newsletter.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
And Just Like That star requested more nude scenes in season three: ‘My DMs blew up the next day'
And Just Like That star Mario Cantone has revealed he insisted on filming more nude scenes after his season two sex scene was met with overwhelming fan praise. The 65-year-old actor, who was first introduced as event planner Anthony Marentino in the original Sex and the City series, returned to the Max reboot alongside leads Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon. In episode 10 of the most recent season, Anthony is seen in bed with his new romantic interest, Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a young Italian poet and new employee of Anthony's Hot Fellas bakery. After the two get into a tiff over Anthony's preferences in bed, he gets up to go to the bathroom. As he turns around to walk away, he shows off his bare naked bum. Speaking about the positive fan response to his nudity during a recent interview on Davis' Are You a Charlotte? podcast, Cantone recalled getting bombarded on social media with private messages after the episode's release. 'My DMs blew up the next day,' he said, adding that before filming for the new season began, he told showrunner and executive producer Michael Patrick King he wanted 'more nudity.' 'I like being sexualized at 65 years old. It's good,' Cantone joked. The forthcoming series of And Just Like will welcome the return of the show's leading trio, Parker as Carrie, Davis as Charlotte, and Nixon as Miranda. In addition to Cantone, it will also welcome back Sarita Choudhury as Carrie's friend and realtor, Seema, and Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley, a fellow parent and board member at the private school Charlotte's children also attend. Sara Ramirez's non-binary stand-up comic and podcast host, Che Diaz, would not be returning. Their two-season appearance on the show, which included a romantic romp with Miranda, faced backlash from fans, who found them to be the show's most insufferable character. Earlier this week, Max released the season three trailer, which teased that there's 'nothing like summer in New York City' and showed Carrie (Parker) turning her hand to fiction writing, tackling a rat infestation in her home and, of course, dealing with the twists and turns of her love life. Season three of And Just Like That premieres on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET on Max in the U.S. and on Sky TV and Now in the U.K. The rest of the 12-episode season will be released weekly thereafter, concluding with the season finale on August 14.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
And Just Like That star Mario Cantone requested more nude scenes in season 3: ‘I like being sexualized at 65'
And Just Like That star Mario Cantone has revealed he insisted on filming more nude scenes after his season two sex scene was met with overwhelming fan praise. The 65-year-old actor, who was first introduced as event planner Anthony Marentino in the original Sex and the City series, returned to the Max reboot alongside leads Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon. In episode 10 of the most recent season, Anthony is seen in bed with his new romantic interest, Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a young Italian poet and new employee of Anthony's Hot Fellas bakery. After the two get into a tiff over Anthony's preferences in bed, he gets up to go to the bathroom. As he turns around to walk away, he shows off his bare naked bum. Speaking about the positive fan response to his nudity during a recent interview on Davis' Are You a Charlotte? podcast, Cantone recalled getting bombarded on social media with private messages after the episode's release. 'My DMs blew up the next day,' he said, adding that before filming for the new season began, he told showrunner and executive producer Michael Patrick King he wanted 'more nudity.' 'I like being sexualized at 65 years old. It's good,' Cantone joked. The forthcoming series of And Just Like will welcome the return of the show's leading trio, Parker as Carrie, Davis as Charlotte, and Nixon as Miranda. In addition to Cantone, it will also welcome back Sarita Choudhury as Carrie's friend and realtor, Seema, and Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley, a fellow parent and board member at the private school Charlotte's children also attend. Last February, news broke that Sara Ramirez's non-binary stand-up comic and podcast host, Che Diaz, would not be returning. Their two-season appearance on the show, which included a romantic romp with Miranda, faced backlash from fans, who found them to be the show's most insufferable character. Earlier this week, Max released the season three trailer, which teased that there's 'nothing like summer in New York City' and showed Carrie (Parker) turning her hand to fiction writing, tackling a rat infestation in her home and, of course, dealing with the twists and turns of her love life. Season three of And Just Like That premieres on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET on Max in the U.S. and on Sky TV and Now in the U.K. The rest of the 12-episode season will be released weekly thereafter, concluding with the season finale on August 14.
