The actor Darren Criss, 32, has a lot to say about grooming, diet, fitness and, most important, sleep. Mr. Criss, a San Francisco native who lives in Los Angeles, is so obsessed with sleep that he times it to REM cycles. He has also started a mens grooming site, the Motley, with the siblings Matthew and Madison Ruggieri, and has just introduced a unisex skin care line called Onekind. Here, Mr. Criss, who is in the war drama Midway and is filming Hollywood, the new Ryan Murphy Netflix show scheduled for release next year, explains his personal care routine.

Fully Groomed

I have a lot of cleansers, but honestly, this is the one category where I feel like you just need to get your face clean. You use a bar of soap, and as long as it does the job, its O.K. Then I use Port Products Sol Defense SPF moisturizer. Then, morning and night, I put on Recipe for Men Under Eye Gel.

For night, Im biased toward my own products. I do the Onekind Midnight Magic serum theres retinol in there and I use that in tandem with Onekind Dream Cream. Every two days or so, I do the Urth Botanical Resurfacing Mask. I love a lot of their products. I also have the Urth Antioxidant Face Complex. Its like taking your face to the spa.

The Perfect Shave

I have to shave every day for Hollywood, the show Im on, and its really tough on the skin. I have to pay attention to the length of my stubble and the kind of blade I use. If I have a few days growth, I like the Executive blades from Dollar Shave Club.

But if its a days stubble, Im using a safety razor. Thats because razor burn comes from multiple blades and multiple tiny cuts. Im trying to minimize that by the number of the blades and also how big the blade is.

I use a hot towel to warm up the stubble. I also try to use really hot water to warm up the blade. Lock Stock & Barrel makes a really great shave oil.

One of the most important things, though, is the Urth Post Shave Elixir. I have buckets of it. If I dont have it, Im in a panic. I recommend it to anyone. I recommend it to my wife after she shaves her legs. I guarantee you maybe five people in the world care this much about shaving.

The Eastern Medicine Thing

I know its a hippie-dippy thing, but Im a fan of oil pulling. I take a big dip out of a jar of coconut oil and swish that around my mouth. It sounds gross, and it is kind of gross. Its supposed to pull bacteria out of my mouth.

I think its an Eastern medicine kind of thing lets face it, theyve been ahead of everything on this front for millenniums. Someone recommended it to me years ago, and then when I was doing Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, I was literally making out with strangers every night. I did anything I could do to clean my mouth it was more for their benefit and less for mine.

Sleep King

Im really militant about sleeping for certain lengths of time. Ive been doing this for years and years: I make sure I sleep in increments of 90 minutes. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep and then the 90 minutes to complete a good REM cycle. So, for example, Id rather get three hours of sleep than four hours.

You know those days when you wake up and you feel really good even though you didnt really get a lot of sleep? Thats hitting the REM cycle. Or you sleep for a long time, but you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle and your whole day feels awful? I avoid that like the plague. Of course, there are a lot of variables what you ate, how much you drank but I try to have my sleep evenly timed out.

A Timed Diet

Ive been into health and food ever since I was maybe 12 or 13. I was fascinated by the idea that food is fuel in this very nonintellectual way. You need carbs to do this and protein to do that. How its translated today is that you see that the digestive system is directly related to everything else. Its not a subsidiary component.

So I time the way I eat. I dont mean Im timing while Im eating, but you know how if you have dinner plans at 8 with friends? Well, then you dont eat as much during the day so youll have an appetite and enjoy a meal out. I take the same approach with every activity throughout the day.

If Im working, the snacks and the doughnuts are all lying around, and I have to be careful of that. Otherwise Ill feel strung out and tired. I try not to eat three hours before bed, but if Im hungry, I might have a low-glycemic snack. Im not going to have a carnitas burrito.

Then one of my biggest life hacks: Im a huge chia seed person. If chia seed was a brand, Id be repping them so hard. I soak chia seeds overnight and then do chia seeds and matcha in the morning. Theyre the ancient form of good things.

Becoming a Fitness Fiend

I got heavily into fitness in my late 20s. Now Im a certifiable fitness rat. I work out like I used to play video games. Its competitive and fun. Its also meditative. For me its really about the cardiovascular benefits and general well-being. If my body is a little more toned, thats a super-bonus.

When I first started, that entry point was hard to find. I was completely allergic to the bro-y gym culture. Get swoll, dude! The thing that changed my life was P90X. Ive never met him, but Tony Horton is the biggest dweeb in fitness.

I was too embarrassed to go to the gym, and I didnt want to work out in a public space, and here was a guy who was making the dumbest dad jokes. This guy was all right. I knew this guy from high school.

I now love the social aspect of working out. I have maybe six or seven friends on rotation, and instead of going out, we do a workout class together. It might be H.I.I.T., a Pilates reformer class or yoga. I try to change it up as much as possible. I want to confuse my muscles.

I also love Training Mate in Los Angeles. Its by these goofy Australians. Theyre super-fun and funny. When Im in New York, Refine is my jam. Fhitting Room is really great.

Making Time for Recovery

A lot of people dont know how to keep their muscles healthy. They need to do the recovery. Physical therapy is really nice, but its expensive. I believe in rolling out the muscles, and that just takes some time. Also, cryotherapy is incredible.

You can do other things, like an Epsom salt bath, and Im a big fan of the steam shower if you can get access to one. I do it at night too, as it helps me relax before going to sleep.

Read more:
How Darren Criss Overcame His Fear of Gym Bros - The New York Times

This is it, McLaren's latest Ultimate Series car, the Elva.

McLaren Automotive unveiled its new, ultrahigh-performance model on Wednesday, and it's called Elva. The lightest roadgoing machine this boutique British brand has ever built, it joins the company's hallowed Ultimate Series of cars, a super-rare collection that includes models like the Senna and the Speedtail.

From its construction to the powertrain, feature set to design, the Elva is cutting-edge in every way except one: the name. This thoroughly modern machine is an homage to a series of cars designed by Bruce McLaren himself back in the 1960s. Decades ago, McLaren-Elvas were produced as customer versions of the company's high-performance Group 7 racing machines.

Now, the automaker has acquired the rights to this name and applied it to a car that should more than live up to its forebear's pedigree. The new Elva is an extreme two-seater and the first open-cockpit model offered by McLaren.

The new is clearly inspired by the old.

As mentioned, this is the lightest roadgoing car ever built by the brand. Not unexpectedly, engineers got the weight as low as possible by going high -- switching to a high carbon-fiber diet, that is.

The Elva's bodywork, chassis, doors and seats are all made of this featherlight material. Even its brake rotors, which measure more than 15 inches (390 millimeters) in dimeter, are fabricated of a sintered carbon-ceramic material. These binders are based on the Senna's, but further improved by the addition of titanium calipers, a change that cut about 2.2 pounds from the vehicle.

Connecting the Elva's interior and exterior, its carbon-fiber bodywork wraps over the door tops, spilling into the cabin. A spar made of the same material runs between the front seats where it supports a central armrest and a variety of controls.

For customers who want to use their Elva in anger, a six-point racing harness is available. These restraints should keep the driver locked firmly in place during even the most extreme maneuvers. For appropriate protection in severe crashes, a deployable rollover-protection system is included.

Another reason the Elva is lighter than other McLarens is because of what it lacks. A true, open-air exotic, this car has no windshield or roof, nor are there any windows. Of course, for those well-heeled customers that would prefer a little protection from the elements, a fixed windshield will be offered -- something that'll be required in the US.

But this really shouldn't be necessary because engineers have created a clever system to shield passengers. McLaren's Active Air Management System, AAMS for short, carefully channels airflow through the Elva's nose from an inlet above the splitter, directing it in front of the occupants, where it's then guided over the passenger compartment to create a calm zone. This system engages at higher speeds; it need not activate at lower velocities, such as when driving around town, since both airflow and overall noise are low.

Further playing with wind, the Elva also features a fully active rear spoiler. It automatically adjusts for both height and angle as required by driving conditions. This wing can also function as an airbrake, helping the car shed speed when driven in anger, saving some wear and tear on the brakes, which are, nonetheless, undoubtedly powerful. This machine also has a fully flat underbody for enhanced aerodynamics.

Loads of work was done fine-tuning the Elva's aerodynamics.

Even though it's less than 0.05 inch thick, the front clamshell plays a major role in the Elva's overall slipperiness. Not only does it enable AAMS, it also aids in cooling. At the leading edge of each door are special ducts that direct air toward the car's duet of intercoolers, which are mounted ahead of each rear wheel. They keep inlet temperatures under control and are absolutely necessary in a machine this powerful.

If you're familiar with any of McLaren's other Ultimate Series cars, you've already got a good idea of what powers the Elva. Mounted behind the passenger compartment beats a 4.0-liter heart, an awe-inspiring, twin-turbocharged V8 that delivers an 804-horse stampede and 590 pound-feet or torque. This engine is from the same family as the powerplant used in the Senna and Senna GTR models.

Delivering those staggering figures, this V8 is fitted with a flat-plane crankshaft, low-mass reciprocating components and a dry-sump lubrication system. It exhales through a special exhaust system made from titanium and Inconel, a special nickel alloy. The finishers are of a quad-tip design and were 3D-printed.

With a seven-speed transmission capping this drivetrain off, the Elva will sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in less than 3 seconds. It will also blast from a dead stop to 124 mph in a claimed 6.7 seconds, meaning it should be even quicker than the legendary Senna. With all this speed, the car's linked-hydraulic fully active suspension and electro-hydraulic steering systems seem almost like afterthoughts.

Further eliminating unwanted mass, an audio system is not included, though customers can opt to get one at no extra cost. Given the Elva's open-air body, the available stereo comes with marine-grade speakers to withstand moisture and other adverse weather conditions.

This car's high-tech interior neatly matches its incredible engineering.

Several vehicle functions are controlled via a touchscreen infotainment system. Its 8-inch display is large enough that users can run multiple applications at once.

Naturally, customers can spec their Elva exactly the way they want it. McLaren Special Operations, the automaker's bespoke division, provides a wide range of interior materials and colors. The list of available exterior hues is nearly endless, though you may want eschew paint altogether. McLaren offers a Gloss Visual Carbon Fiber Body, which essentially leaves the carbon fiber exposed so you can see the weave pattern. This can also be tinted in various colors for an undoubtedly cool look.

As American banker J.P. Morgan is quoted as saying, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." Indeed, you won't be able to buy a new McLaren Elva with the loose change trapped between your couch cushions. The car starts at $1,690,000.

The Elva should be homologated for all major markets. Like its P1, Senna and Speedtail siblings, production is capped at just 399 units.

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McLaren Elva roadster is a worthy successor to the Senna - CNET

The Warriors Insider Podcast

LOS ANGELES --The history of Warriors basketball in the Bay Area is rife with throwaway seasons, including two in which they posted 17 wins and two more with 19 wins. Not once in those 57 years, though, have they lost more than 80 percent of their games.

That inglorious standard is within stumbling distance this season. At 2-9, the Warriors are on pace to finish 15-67. Thats not to say they will. With enough progress and development, they could push their win total deep into the 20s.

That requires a significant upgrade from the pillow-soft defense theyve exhibited thus far.

We just havent found an identity defensively, coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. We dont expect to be the best defensive team in the league, but I dont think we should be the worst.

The Warriors are, 11 games into this transitional season, the worst defensive team in the NBA. In a 30-team league, they are No. 30.

As they stroll into Staples Center to face the Lakers on Wednesday night, the Warriors rank dead last in defensive rating (117.0), in defensive efficiency (1.136), in field goals made per game by opponents (44.7) and in largest average deficit over the course of a game (19.5 points).

Theyre No. 29 in effective-field-goal defense (56.4 percent), just ahead of the last-place Kings.

The lapses and indifference cant be hidden, and they are spotlighted in team video sessions. Its a team game, particularly on defense, but the Warriors wont get much better on that end unless point guard DAngelo Russell and primary center Willie Cauley-Stein are appreciably more effective.

For us to be the team that we need to be, weve got to be super pesky, super aggressive, out in passing lanes, Cauley-Stein said. Our defensive mistakes need to be being aggressive and not just not knowing where to go.

When I asked Cauley-Stein about his thought process when Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drove in for a soaring dunk off a halfcourt set Monday night, the 7-footers reply was try to just put a body in front of him and make him miss it.

Thats not what happened. Cauley-Stein stood flat-footed and watched Mitchells highlight. In fairness to Cauley-Stein, he was nudged toward the baseline by Utah big man Rudy Gobert. But there was no aggressive effort to defend what should be his domain.

Asked, also, there was no indication that Cauley-Stein felt his domain was violated by Mitchell.

Theres no comeback, he said. Its a play-on. Theres probably 200 plays that happen in a game. Its not a touchdown. Its two points. You probably go down and probably score a 3-pointer right afterward.

Its one of them things like, yeah, you want to protect the paint but were also fouling too much. Guys are getting downhill. We have to figure out a way to play without our hands and just being in the way and making dudes miss. Thats where were trying to go to now, is making it extremely difficult.

Though Cauley-Stein looks and runs the part of a rim protector, his resume protests otherwise. In 199 games over four seasons in Sacramento, he totaled 228 blocks. For perspective, Andrew Bogut, who considered the paint his domain, had 227 blocks in 137 games in his last two full seasons as a Warrior.

Understand, blocks are not the only stat, or even the primary stat, that matters. The key is presence, which is best built by consistent assertiveness, a level of resistance that discourages driving.

Cauley-Stein arrived with the reputation of being relatively soft in the paint, uninclined to consistently make others feel his presence. If this continues, so will the dunks.

Willies added quite a bit since his return from injury, Kerr said. Just the size, the rebounding, the ability to change shots at the rim is really important for us.

But this is a teamwide exercise, all five guys being on the same page. Being aggressive, taking teams out of their comfort zone. I dont really look at it as one position. Its all five guys communicating, talking, playing with aggression, playing with force and doing it as a unit.

Which brings us to D-Lo, whose apathetic defense is attracting such derisive nicknames as Angelo and Lo --as in no D.

In his first four NBA seasons, Russell was hounded by coaches and teammates --including as a rookie by Kobe Bryant when the two were Lakers --to work harder on defense. Show more fight. Be more engaged. Take pride. And there were stretches in Russells past, with the Lakers and the Nets, when he played respectable defense.

Indeed, his 110.2 rating last season in Brooklyn was superior to Dennis Schroder (110.3) and Mike Conley (110.8), to players generally considered solid defenders.

Russell now is in his fifth NBA season and first as a Warrior, and both the eye test (indifference and/or immobility) and sheer statistics (119.0 defensive rating) point to steep regression. Only two rotation players in the league, Collin Sexton (121.0) and Jordan Clarkson (119.5), both Cavaliers, finished last season with a worse rating.

After the loss to the Jazz the other night, Draymond Green, general of defense for the Warriors, was probed for his thoughts on fixing the defense.

That all starts at the point of attack, he said. One thing weve been good at over the years is guarding the pick-and-roll with two guys. If you can guard the pick-and-roll with two guys, maybe two-and-a-half guys, you give yourself a lot better chance at taking the 3 out of the game, and also dunks out of the game.

Its not one person in particulars fault. Its just something that weve got to continue to get better at as a team.

The Warriors team defense is so incredibly poor that their players are saddled with the seven worst defensive ratings in the league. Rookies Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole are at 119.4. Veteran wing Glenn Robinson III, cooked repeatedly by Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins despite everyone in the league knowing he always goes right, is at 118.9. Rookie Ky Bowman is at 118.5, two-way guard Damion Lee and veteran wing Alec Burks are both at 117.8

Why is Russell, who made his first All-Star team last season, defending at the level of rookies learning the ways of the NBA and guys trying to prove they can contribute in the league?

Perhaps because hes focused on scoring, especially now, with StephCurry and Klay Thompson out for at least a few months. His scoring is needed to keep the Warriors in games, and its conceivable that he simply lacks thejuice to contribute at both ends. An old quote might provide a clue.

I wanted to play defense in L.A.," Russell told ESPN in August 2017, shortly after being traded to the Nets. "But I felt like I had to score every chance I got for us to be relevant."

[RELATED:How Russell is back to torching opponents in mid-range game]

Can he be blamed if he feels that way with this group of Warriors?

The outlook, then, is grim. The Warriors want no part of being the worst team in franchise history. If they cant do better on defense, they invite that possibility.

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Warriors must fix ugly defense to avoid hitting rock bottom - NBCSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO The Warriors left for Los Angeles on Tuesday shortly after posting an injury report that is the longest and surely the most roster-altering in the NBA. It runs seven deep and includes three starters, two of them All-Stars in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Asked if hed ever seen anything like it, coach Steve Kerr replied with a single word.

No, he said. Im not going to expound it either.

Six weeks removed from training camp, only four players Ky Bowman, Marquese Chriss, Jordan Poole and Glenn Robinson III have escaped the trainers room.

With five games over an eight-day span beginning Wednesday against the Lakers in LA, here is an alphabetical status update on each player:

The two-time MVP and franchisefocal point for the past seven seasons sustained a broken left hand on Oct. 30 and underwent hand surgery on Nov. 1, after which the Warriors announced he will be re-evaluated in three months. When Curry addressed the media on Monday, he was wearing a heavy protective sleeve that runs from his left hand to his forearm. He also disclosed that he will undergo a second operation in December to remove pins inserted in the original procedure.

Curry also was firm in announcing his intention to return sometime this season.

Timeline for clearance: Undetermined. Obviously not before February.

The 6-foot-4 guard in his second season, who was expected to be in the teams rotation, has missed the last eight games with a left adductor strain.

Jacob, from what I heard (Monday) talking with him directly and our training staff, is still at least a couple weeks away, Kerr said.

Timeline for clearance: Undetermined. It likely will be at least a month before he returns, so around mid-December.

The 6-foot-9 center-forward, scheduled to be at least a part-time starter, has not played since opening night, after which he was diagnosed with neuropathy, a condition related to the nervous system. Its treatable but not necessarily curable. The effects of his condition might be permanent.

Hes working out every day, getting some good work in, Kerr said.

Timeline for clearance: Undetermined. The Warriors would be delighted if he returns next month. Looney might always have some level of restriction.

The two-way guard, in his second season in that role with the Warriors, was diagnosed Tuesday with a non-displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand. He is one of four players that played in each of the team's first 10 games.

Were hoping its just a few weeks, Kerr said Tuesday.

Timeline for clearance: Undetermined. Barring complications, the second week of December is a reasonable expectation.

The 19-year-old forward, drafted in the second round, sustained a right ankle sprain on the first day of training camp. He wore a boot for several weeks, but now is rehabbing.

Smailagic told me he dunked today, which is a good sign, Kerr said. He was excited about that, so his ankle is improving.

Timeline for clearance: He could be cleared for contact over the next 10 days and conceivably be available late during the Nov. 17-22 road trip.

The versatileforward/center was playing well, particularly on offense, before spraining his left ankle last Saturday at Oklahoma City. He did not play Monday night and did not practice Tuesday. So, according to Kerr, Spellman is doubtful to play on Wednesday.

Timeline for clearance: Probably Friday against the Celtics. If not, hell go on the four-game road trip that begins Sunday at New Orleans.

[RELATED:Kerr explains Draymond's 'really bizarre' reality on Dubs]

The five-time All-Star sustained a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and underwent surgery on July 1. He is rehabilitating and occasionally engaging in light one-on-one shooting sessions.

Timeline for clearance: Hes expected to miss at least another four months. There is optimism he could return in March. Its typical for a player to sit out at least eight months or as much as a year after such surgery.

Read more:
Warriors' injury report still growing through trying season - NBCSports.com