Tag Archives: matt weiner

Frisky Q&A: Bryan Batt, AKA Salvatore Romano On “Mad Men”

Jessica WakemanSeptember 15, 2010 //
Bryan Batt photo

It would be easy to hate Bryan Batt.

He breathes the same air as Jon Hamm, playing the closeted gay art director Salvatore Romano on “Mad Men.” He counts Christina Hendricks and Jane Krakowski from “30 Rock” among his besties. And you wouldn’t know it from “Mad Men,” but this Louisiana native has the dreamiest thick Southern accent.

But how could you hate someone who is just so darn nice? Bryan profusely apologized for playing phone tag with me because he was busy taking care of his elderly mom (aww!) and then generously chatted from the back room of the home furnishings store, Hazelnut, he owns in uptown New Orleans with his partner of 20+ years, Tom Cianichi. Can you say “down-to-earth”?

After the jump, find out if Bryan thinks Sal will ever return to “Mad Men,” what it was like playing Lumiere the candlestick on Broadway’s “Beauty & The Beast,” and how he felt seeing Jon Hamm’s handsome mug for the first time. (Answer: amazing.) Keep reading »

Is The Secret To “Mad Men”‘s Success The (Mostly) Female Writing Team?

Jessica WakemanAugust 7, 2009 //

After “Gilmore Girls” and “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” went off the air, us smart ladies looking for strong female characters flipped through the boob tube channels, alone, confused, and bleating for someone, anyone to come to our rescue. (Sorry, but Liz Lemon on 30 Rock never fails to piss us off for always coming around to see her boss’ point-of-view by the end of the episode.)

Female leads we could identify with—um, no you, Kate Gosselin, are not what anyone would expect to find on a show about the boozy, womanizing, frat boy culture of a 1960′s Madison Ave ad agency. But the nail polished fingerprints of the seven women who comprise “Mad Men”‘s nine-person-strong writing team are all over every episode. [Wall Street Journal] Keep reading »

Meet Arlo Weiner, An 8-Year-Old Who Dresses Better Than You Do

Jessica WakemanMarch 24, 2009 //

You’d probably dress better if your dad was “Mad Men” creator, Matt Weiner, and you had all his “Mad Men” mad money to spend at the Top Hat Shop, the Plaid Pants Store and wherever else this dapper little lad gets his duds. But alas, your dad is not Matt Weiner and you are broke. But because envying the wardrobes of a fourth-grader somehow seems less pathetic than envying the wardrobe of, say, a Pussycat Doll, I’d like to introduce you to 8-year-old Arlo Weiner, pre-pubescent style icon. Click after the jump to look at more pictures of his stylish awesomeness, swoon, pinch his virtual cheek, and then plot how you can appropriate his style. (In Arlo’s elementary school parlance, that’s called “sharing.”) Keep reading »

“Mad Men” Creator Matthew Weiner Signs A Deal!

Catherine StrawnJanuary 19, 2009 //

Phew! We were sweating a little about the future of our favorite TV show’s fate, but all is good in the land of pencil skirts and sweater sets. The show’s creator and executive producer, Matthew Weiner, finally came to an agreement with Lionsgate TV, so the third season will air this summer (with a fourth season agreed upon, too!). Of course, this means I have get to work watching the second season. P.S. The dress Betty is taking off in the above photo is my favorite ensemble of hers thus far. [Variety via NY Mag] Keep reading »