Designing Actor and Author

His mother Gayle  knows him as a wonderful and beloved son who shared her story (and brought her cancer struggle to life) in a "momoir," the residents of his hometown New Orleans value him as a supportive store owner who continually gives back to their unfairly battered city and fans of AMC's enormously popular Mad Men love him as Salvatore Romano, the former Art Director of Sterling Cooper.

I chatted with actor, designer and author Bryan Batt this past Friday afternoon (who is enormously engaging and bordering on the point of wickedly witty I might add) about his recent book, his departure from Mad Men and his designing pursuits.

Bryan recently published a chronicle of his life growing up in New Orleans and his strong-willed straight-out-of-Steel-Magnolia mom Gayle who is battling cancer for the fourth time at the age of 70. The book She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother (Harmony Books) is quite the entertaining read, particularly for those of us that grew up and/or live in the South and/or have supportive mothers. Apparently Bryan told so many of his mother's amusing anecdotes that it prompted a friend to warn him "if you don't write these down, I will" and a book was born. Part loving tribute/part memoir and many times part hilarity, Bryan talks of his life growing up gay in the Deep South (first hint, he asked for an Easy Bake Oven at an early age, second, he was into musical comedies) and showbiz as he shares tales of acting in Hollywood. The book has a somber yet hopeful tone as he details his mother's struggles with cancer which she faces now for the fourth time. Gayle is currently on protocol drugs and hopefully, it's a battle she will continue to win.

Bryan's character in Mad Men was a closeted art director who was outed and fired (after all, it was the sixties) this past season.  His performance as the talented yet tortured Sal was heart wrenching to watch -- and brilliant -- I only hope the Emmy voters take note and writers decide to bring him back for another season. Fans can also see him in the upcoming indie film Brawler and the comedy Sam, directed by none other than Mel Brooks son. He has a one-man play coming up called Batt on a Hot Tin Roof. He also starred in Broadway's Starlight Express (his mom threw him a "coming out party" at the Russian Tea Room) along with Cats, Sunset Boulevard, La Cage and Seussical just to name a few. And he's even be immortalized on the wall via characterture at Sardi's.

His talents don't rest with writing and acting as he is also adds accomplished interior designer to his resume. Bryan has designed homes in New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans (he resides in all three cities) and his design mantra is simply "If it looks right, it is." When pressed for some design pearls of wisdom he offers "don't be afraid of color, what has it ever done to you" and his look is eclectic as he believes in designing with "a great mix, like a martini shaken and stirred." Bryan's Magazine Street shop Hazelnut (co-owned with his longtime partner of Tom Cianfichi) is a design and gift shop that offers everything from Vietri tableware to frames, candles and pottery.

Of particular interest is his line of fabrics that pay homage to his native city and drawn by artist Sonia O'Mara based on his own original sketches - Toile (Delphine, Magnolia, Claret and Cafe au' Lait) and a Lily Pulitzer inspired Pontchartrain Beach. The fabrics can be found in everything from duvet covers and shower curtains to ice buckets and lacquered trays. And yes, the fabrics can be purchased by the yard. A portion of the proceeds from the fabrics and bedding lines will go to victims of the Gulf oil spill. He is also working on a book "Mad About Design" to be published by Clarkson Potter next year.

You can read more on my interview with Bryan and his book later this week on The Huffington Post (check the book section in the next several days). He is clearly someone who you'd love to sit down with several cocktails and endlessly chat and since that is not possible, his book is the next best thing. Here's hoping we see more of his talents on Broadway and the small and silver screen as well...and on the cast of this season's Mad Men as I don't like change and prefer to see the old Sterling Cooper gang intact. Fingers crossed!

Photos courtesy of Harmony Books, www.Bryan Batt.com, Hazelnut.

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While this may not be Cinema Style, it's somewhat movie related. I wanted to share with you my friend Amanda Soll  new line of home accessories called Ribbon Made (her labor of love when she is not promoting movies at Warner Brothers). A great source for everything from wedding to children's gifts and in between, items can be purchased through her Ribbon-Made site on Etsy. Her work can be custom and I especially like her trays -- course I have been mad for anything out of grosgrain ribbon since grammar school! Congrats Amanda!

Ribbon Cocktail Tray

Damask Bin

Letters for Children's Rooms

A Tale of Four Cleos

Word out of Hollywood is actress Angelina Jolie will play Cleopatra in the biopic based on the best selling book Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life (Little, Brown). Will fourth time be the charm for Cleopatra?


While the first Cleopatra of note was silent film star Theda Bara in 1917, Claudette Colbert really put the exotic Queen on the map in Cecil B. Demille's 1934 production. The film is pure Demille filled with campy, over the top sets and lavish costumes. Although widely panned by critics, the film was nominated for Best Picture.

The sets tried to depict the period of the times but also reflected the art deco trends of the decade as well.

Production sketch for Cleopatra 

Perhaps the most controversial Cleo of all was the 1963 mega-production starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Considered one of the most expensive films of its time, the film was also known for its romantic pairing of two celestial stars of all time, Taylor and Burton. The backstory of the filming was more entertaining than the actual movie itself, with a production plagued by affairs, illness (Taylor had an emergency tracheotomy for starters), bad weather, cast replacements, financial problems, moving entire sets from London to Rome and lawsuits etc. The film's 42 million dollar budget nearly sank Twentieth Century Fox (chronicled in a fascinating documentary "Cleopatra: The Film that Changed Hollywood"). 

The legendary production designer/renaissance painter, illustrator and set designer John De Cuir Sr. (coined Hollywood's Da Vinci) built the spectacular sets of Alexandria and the number of costumes hit a record 26,000. Seventy sets were built on such a vast scope (such as the Sphinx below) that it was rumored to cause a lumber shortage in Italy. for The dress above for Ms. Taylor was reported to be made of 24 carat gold cloth. Andy Warhol considered the film to be one of the most influential in design -- even trendy sixties stylist Vidal Sassoon designed a tribute hairstyle.

One of the many incredible works of art/production sketches by John De Cuir Sr. 

And for more on the Burton-Taylor saga, check out this month's Vanity Fair with Liz on the cover.


Wonder who will play Marc Antony to Angelina's Cleo? I guess Brad Pitt is too obvious a choice.

Photo Credits: Top, Design by Oliver Messel for Cleopatra's head-dress in the film of Caesar and Cleopatra

Watercolour on paper, Victoria and Albert Museum, John De Cuir Jr., Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures.

London, Cinema Style

Movies have always provided the ultimate escape and it is wonderful to be transported to another country in a two hour time frame and without having to leave your seat. This week's Cinema Style takes a look at a few diverse films across the pond and not just those that involve James Bond or Harry Potter. Here are a few of my favorite films that are a virtual travelogue:

Four Weddings and a Funeral: The 1994 comedy had the winning combination of a unique premise, a diverse cast and collectible soundtrack and a film that caught Hugh Grant at the top of his game. While the film was shot at numerous churches and private estates, check out the Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa (scene of the second wedding reception) which was also the movie location for Never Say Never Again and Eyes Wide Shut.

Notting Hill (1999): Another Hugh Grant vehicle (he was on a roll), the perpetual British playboy portrays a travel book store owner who falls in love with an A list star played by A lister Julia Roberts. The film was shot  all over Notting Hill (Grant's house was actually that of the film's screenwriter Richard Curtis on Westbourne Park Road) and viewers will no doubt recognize the Savoy and Ritz Hotels and markets on Portobello Road. And there is no travel book store --- it was actually shot in an antique store called Notting Hill on 142 Portobello Road.

Indiscreet (1958): Ingrid Bergman plays an actress (Anna) who experiences love at first sight with Cary Grant only to find he has a secret. The romantic comedy was shot in London's Belgrave Square, Leicaster Art Gallery, Cleopatra's Needle, Picadilly Circus and the Royal Opera House. Anna's apartment was furnished with Raoul Dufy and Pablo Picasso paintings (borrowed of course!) and along with her wardrobe, was quite spectacular.

Wimbledon (2004): It doesn't get any more British than this film as a has-been pro player (Paul Bettany)  ranked #119 in the world makes a comeback at Wimbledon and falls in love with a rising star (Kirsten Dunst) in the process. The tennis scenes were actually shot in between the 2003 matches and the only time filming on the hallowed grounds has ever been allowed.

Match Point (2005): One of my favorite although different Woody Allen films, rumor has it that its Allen's too. Relationships and death naturally play a role as a very married former British tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) has an affair with a young American shopgirl/actress (Scarlett Johannsen) in this dark thriller. Scenes of Upper class London abound from the Royal Opera House and Queen's tennis club to Sloane Square, Brasserie Max (located in Covent Garden Hotel) and The Audley where the young lovers first get to know each other. Meyers apartment with the incredible view was shot at the Parliament View apartments (below).

The Queen (2006):  Helen Mirren gives a dead-on Academy Award winning performance as her Majesty (along with Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Tony Blair) during the days of the monarchy after Princess Diana's death. Naturally scenes were not shot in Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street (only exterior) but production designer Alan MacDonald and set decorator Tina Jones gave the interiors authenticity.

Georgy Girl (1966): The late Lynn Redgrave was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as a somewhat homely spinster looking for love in sixties London. The film captures the city at the height of the proverbial "swinging sixties" movement. Shown below is Redgrave with Alan Bates.

Seeing Jude Law as Alfie below reminds me I need to check the expiration on my passport....happy summer travels.

Photo Credits: IMDB, BBC Films, Universal Pictures, Pathe Pictures, Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures.

Here's to You Graduates (and Mrs. Robinson)

June is graduation month and what a great time to revisit one of my all time favorite movies The Graduate (1967). With its reflective Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack, risque-at-the-time older married woman and young graduate/virgin theme coupled with two sixties keep-up-with-the-Joneses families in southern California, the film was a major statement on the times.

For those of you who have not seen this classic (hard to imagine), a young graduate named Benjamin Braddock (played by a thirty year old Dustin Hoffman) has no clue about what to do with his future and spends the summer embroiled in an affair with his parent's best friend's wife -- and then falls in love with her daughter. Incidentally, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland and Robert Redford and Warren Beatty were up for the roles as Mrs. R and Benjamin respectively while Patty Duke tested for the role of the daughter. Just imagine what a different movie that would have been. The groundbreaking film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, with Mike Nichols winning best director.

I was very fortunate years ago to interview the film's production designer the late Richard Sylbert who also gave us such classics as Chinatown, Shampoo, Rosemary's Baby and Bonfire of the Vanities (and also added head of production at Paramount to his resume). His twin brother Paul was also a production designer whose many credits included Heaven Can Wait, Prince of Tides and Kramer vs. Kramer. Sylbert lived and played hard and always wore a khaki jacket on set as he related movie production work to "being in a war."

Sylbert on the set of Bonfire of the Vanities

The sets for The Graduate revolved around the two families, the Robinsons and the Braddocks. Using the metaphor of the Montagues and Capulets, Sylbert designed two houses  that were identical but the designs are reversed and both in black and white and round versus square shapes. The Robinsons have a round staircase, round arches and a rectangular swimming pool while the Braddocks residence has square or rectangular openings. Both houses are an interplay of contrasts from the marble checkerboard floors to Mrs. R's white shag carpet lair. Even "Mr. Gladstone's" hotel room is white with black accents.

Mrs. R's Bedroom

Anne Bancroft's Mrs. R was costumed in leopard (I love the fact she wears a leopard pillbox hat to her daughter's wedding!) which represents another metaphor, that of a predator (and yes, possibly she was the precursor to "cougars").

                                                       Photo by Bob Willoughby

And the iconic image still so identifiable today....

Movie Poster

Illustrator Harold Michaelson's storyboards

Check out the 40th anniversary edition on DVD, it is still a classic.

Photo Credits: Lillian Michaelson Research Library, United Artists

Beth O and Oh My Dog

Calling all dog lovers - while I know this is not cinema related, it does cover another passion of mine, the care and welfare of animals. I recently had the opportunity to talk with the former model turned author and animal advocate Beth Ostrosky Stern who wrote the book Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train,Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend which grew out of a sheer lifelong passion for animals. Co-written with Kristina Grish, the book is a 500 page reference on everything from brushing your dog's teeth (she's even invented a doggie dental pen called Pawfect Smile. Ingenious!) to how to read a dog food label.

You may know Beth as the wife of famous (or dare I say infamous) shock jock Howard Stern (and yes, I have been a fan since his days at WNBC). The newlyweds (October marks a year) reside in Manhattan with an eight year old English bulldog named Bianca and a special needs cat named Apple who was dumped in a box outside a shelter.  And yes, apparently life is pretty normal being married to the King of All Media as she notes,  "We are a pretty boring, normal couple," she says. For more see my story on The Huffington Post.

Beth and Apple

Beth is also a volunteer and spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League  which is the nation's largest no-kill shelter and Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons. Recently the NSAL brought four displaced dogs from the Nashville floods (and my hometown) to the Regis and Kelly show while Beth and Bianca made an appearance. The dogs were adopted immediately.

Beth's book hits the New York Times best seller list this week. A portion of the book and dental pen proceeds go to animal charities. Congrats and keep up the good work!

For more on Beth and Oh My Dog and Pawfect Smile, go to her website here.


Photo Credits: Galley Books/Simon and Schuster, photo of Bianca and Apple by Christoper Appoldt.

Designs and the City: Sex and the City 2

Yes they're back.... and coming soon to a theater near you. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte return to the screen in Sex and the City 2 (Warner Brothers) this Memorial Day weekend and the film promises fashion, style, travel, love, drama and even a gay marriage with Liza Minelli as the entertainment thrown in for good measure. And great sets.

I had the opportunity to once again interview Lydia Marks who also reprised her role as set decorator (she worked on SATC1 and gave us Miranda Priestly's fabulous power office in The Devil Wears Prada). Lydia, who is also an interior designer and principal of Marks & Frantz in NYC, (her real life work can be seen at the Standard Hotel's roof top bar)  had the opportunity to redesign Carrie and Mr. Big's apartment along with a pretty fabulous wedding party. (Jeremy Conway served as production designer of both the film and television series and came up with the initial concepts).

Cinema Style: What was the design direction for Carrie and Mr. Big's apartment?

Lydia: It was decorated as if Carrie (and her decorator) chose the pieces, but with Big very much in mind!  It was designed to be a place he would be comfortable.  It has a lot of strong lines in it, and furniture with hard edges.  In the layering of the furniture and the personal objects, books, textiles, and collections, I tried to add a little Carrie into it. For example, the carpets were patterns that I chose to reflect her nature and creativity.

Lydia: The kitchen was the one room in the house that was totally given over to Big in terms of design, it's his room. For example, the simple, elegant, mid-century rosewood table and chairs are something he would have chosen. Knowing that this room would be seen in many different shots of the apartment, we wanted a light fixture that would work with that period of furniture and complement the room.

Alan Moss dining table

Lee Jofa fabric on dining chairs

Chairs by Martin Albert

Ceramic tile in kitchen - Heath Tile

Glass and pottery in shelves: End of History

For the living/dining room we made our own cashmere covered wainscoting in a pinstriped deep shade of chocolate to create a rich, luxurious feeling space.

Robsjohn Gibbings Club Chairs from Bergdorf Goodman

Coffee Table - Potrona Frau

Montauk Sofa with Donghia fabric in Basket Case Blue

Throw pillows from Calypso Home 

Area rug from  The Rug Company

Cinema Style: How did the story line play into your decisions?

Lydia: One of the design trends now is overscale furniture. This drove us to search out more vintage pieces, lending a challenge to find the right furniture for Big and Carrie’s NYC apartment - and a set that needs to leave room for actors to move. In the beginning, when the designer and I were discussing Carrie's apartment and what style might appeal to her character, we considered French Deco from the 1930’s because the scale was appealing. We ultimately moved away from that specifically, but tried to retain the scale and the character of that period.

Lydia: The design direction in the foyer was to create a console table that supported an important script note. The director wanted Carrie to make a dramatic entrance that brought her deeper into the apartment. So rather than fulfilling the mundane role of a place to drop your keys and mail, the foyer became an important backdrop for them every time they walk in the apartment. The console table, a great Mastercraft piece, is filled with an eclectic assortment of vintage pieces from different time periods and different 1st Dibs vendors: a beautiful handblown glass bell jar filled with butterflies from the 1800s, fanciful striped lamps and a mirror that is reminiscent of hollywood glamour. 

Cinema Style: And no Carrie Bradshaw interior would be complete without the ultimate closet. Besides finding the perfect man, her dream was to have the perfect closet. Looks like she gets her wish!

For more, see my pieces on "Sets and the City" on the Architectural Digest website and on the
Huffington Post (which should be up today or tomorrow -- check the Style section).

Photo Credits: Warner Brothers, Craig Blankenhorn, Lydia Marks.

Purpose, Passion and Ping Pong

I thought I'd share with you my recent cover story for American Airlines Celebrated Living on Susan Sarandon whose upcoming film Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps was previewed at the Cannes Film Festival this past week. Sarandon plays the mother of a young trader (Shia LaBouef) and gets caught up in the real estate/economic crunch. A very timely tale indeed...

While we know the Academy Award winning actress for her many multi-faceted roles and volunteer work (she's played everything from a nun to a gun-toting waitress on the lam -- and who can forget her role as Janet in the cult see-it-at-midnight classic Rocky Horror Picture Show?) -- she is also an ardent activist and about to tackle the real-life role of empty nester.

Sarandon has also added another passion to her resume -- ping pong! She discovered the sport while working with a group of documentary producers and eventually partnered on SPIN New York which is a bar and table tennis club located in the Flatiron district. All players at all levels are welcome and I am glad to see ping pong become fashionable! For more about SPIN, check out their website.

Wall Street 2 premieres September 24th. You can also check out Sarandon in HBO's You Don't Know Jack and currently in theaters, The Greatest with Pierce Brosnan.

Photo Credits: Time Magazine, Celebrated Living, SPIN New York.