That was the main focus of my conversation with Bryan Batt, the gentleman who portrays the not-so-ambiguously gay Salvatore Romano on Mad Men.

Bryan Batt as Salvatore in Mad Men

Okay, underwear models weren’t really the main focus. But it was mentioned about five or six times.

Last week, while at Macy’s Passport, I was about to sip some tomato soup out of a cup when I have someone tap me on the shoulder and hear the words, “Dino, are you ready? Bryan is available for an interview right now.”

There was a sense of urgency (as always) at an event like Passport. I thoroughly enjoy attending this event every year to see what sort of spectacle they have in store for us (click here to read more about the show). This year, Mr. Batt was serving as the host of the show and Mehcad Brooks from True Blood was about to strut his stuff down the runway as a guest model.

As I entered the mainstage, still craving my espresso cup of tomato soup, I was introduced to Mr. Batt (keep in mind, this was before Mad Men won at the Emmys). He was full of excitement and talking a mile a minute. He was even exhausting me. I swear, I think I was starting to sweat because he had so much energy. I felt like I was going to explode.

So I asked him my first question, “What are you looking forward – ” immediately he said, “Underwear models, are you kidding me?” His infectious chuckle had the personality of a non-annoying gameshow host – endearing and genuine.

As the longest-running HIV/AIDS event of its kind, Macy’s Passport has collected over $28 million for services, prevention, and research and Batt knows it’s more than just about underwear models.

“I’ve been working for (causes) that deal with AIDS and HIV for years,” says Batt. “I do what I have to do. I think anything that could reach out or gets the message out. This disease has been around for too long. However we can get the message out is great.”

Passport is part concert, part dance performance and part fashion show – and Batt was all about the fashion part.

“I’m wearing a Hugo Boss suit,” he laughs during mid–sentence. “I had to fit that into the interview.”

Considering he is from such an iconic show that has been a template of pop culture style (I’m talking about Mad Men in case you haven’t been paying attention), it was interesting to see his take on how the show influenced the world of fashion.

“I think that the ladylike look was coming back before Mad Men,” says Batt. “The show just clenched it. Narrow ties were even coming back before the show. The pendulum was there. Mad Men just helped it swing.”

I wrapped the interview because I was hungry and I knew my espresso cup of tomato soup was waiting outside in the reception area decorated like a farmer’s market complete with a folksy band.

Actually, I would’ve talked more but Mr. Batt was busy.

Bryan Batt, underwear models and tomato soup: what a night.

My head is quite shiny

I hate seeing myself on camera and I am sure a lot of other people do too. But I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only get my name out there, but to wear my YSL boots on national local TV. Actually, it could be considered national if you count the Internet.

They wanted to know how I got into the industry and how it was like being involved in fashion. My primary goal was to show that the world of fashion isn’t as fancy and glamorous as everyone makes it out to be and that it’s lots of hard work. I also wanted to share my perspective on the world of fashion and pop culture. It was also a chance for me to let people know that this wondrous fashion blog exists and to showcase my YSL boots.

There are three parts of this interview that I have been obsessing over – and not in a good way. I cringe every time I think of these moments:

1.) Apparently, I refer to my yellow outfit as a “Hogwart’s” look. I do not even remember saying any of that. I must’ve been spazzing out so much that it clouded my memory.

2.) There was one point when I start talking about caring and not caring about fashion. I start getting all philosophical and then start sounding a bit contrived. I was stumbling over my words like a damn fool.

3.) I failed to mention that I write for the Nob Hill Gazette and AsianWeek. I mentioned Hyphen Magazine, but it seemed like that came out of no where. I was so caught off guard.

I was and still am totally self-conscious of the whole ordeal – but for the most part it turned out well. I hope people will recognize me on the street and say, “10 POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!” I can already feel the fame knocking out my door.

I didn’t get to exactly say all I wanted to say. Actually, if I wanted to say EVERYTHING, my Harry Potter ass would’ve hijacked the entire show.

If you don’t live in the Bay Area or if you aren’t going to be up at 5:30 a.m. PST on Sunday to watch the show, you can click here to check it out.

I just got back from Macy’s Passport and I was quite pleased with the event this year – mainly because I ate 5 Soy Joy bars and dunked my head into the bushels of chocolates provided by See’s during the opening reception.

Earlier in the day I had a phone interview Anna Maria Perez de Tagle of the new Fame movie and then at Passport, I interviewed Bryan Batt, who plays Salvatore on Mad Men.

I think that’s enough name dropping to keep me satisfied until tomorrow.

When I did my interview with Margaret Cho for Hyphen Magazine (yes, this is a shameless name drop) I asked her about the state of Asian Americans in entertainment and she answered…

There’s a great crop of (Asian American) talent. There are a couple of more Asian faces here and there – that is great. The “Slumdog Millionaire” win at the Oscars is super exciting and is great for the community. There also needs to be more Asian Americans behind the scenes – not just with movies, but with television, music and other forms of entertainment.

I also did another interview with John Cho a while back (shameless name drop #2) and he practically said the same thing.

That said, I am going to keep a running tally of the Asian Americans I see under the pop culture umbrella – particularly in movies, television, fashion and arts. I won’t necessarily pinpoint every single Asian American involved in a movie or TV show, but I will do my best. (I also welcome leads…)

So here is my list starting from August 1, 2009:

1.) Charlyne Yi in Paper Heart: According to Wikipedia, “her mother is of Filipino-Spanish descent and her father is of Korean, Irish, German, French and Native American.”

2.) Thakoon Panichgul in The September Issue: Thai fashion designer who does brilliant prints…CFDA wunderkid…a Michelle Obama favorite…and cute as a button.

3.) The Asian dude in all those AT&T commercials.

4.) Ang Lee, the Tawainese director of the upcoming film, Taking Woodstock. (I got to see a pre-screening of it and interviewed the brilliant director at the beginning of the month – yes, I am bragging.)

5.) The G.I. Joe movie may not have been the BEST, but it did have some Asians up in there: Gerald Okamura (credited as “Hard Master” – whatever that means), Brandon Soo Hoo (plays young Storm Shadow) and Byung-hun Lee (plays the older Storm Shadow).

6.) Season 4 America’s Best Dance Crew has a whole mess of Asians up in there: Hiroka “Hero” Mcrae and Mami Kanemitsu in the crew, We Are Heroes; select breakers (I think four of them) from the b-boy crew, Massive Monkeys; and ALL SEVEN of those kids from Fr3sh (why did the Asians have to get eliminated first?). We’ll collectively count this as 13.

7.) Just saw a How I Met Your Mother re-run titled “Three Days of Snow” and the recurring character of the cab driver Ranjit (played by Marshall Manesh reps the Asian American community!

Asian pop culture tally as of Aug. 17: 21

Not bad.

And I realize that this may border on the line of cultural vanity, but I am just going to follow Margaret Cho’s lead when she said, “I am into being self-righteous (laughs) I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.”

Known for lauded films like Old Boy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Park has a knack for deconstructing the human existence in – how should I put this – really messed up situations. He pushes the envelope beyond the extreme to prove an ethical point.

In Thirst, it isn’t any different. We meet a priest named Sang-hyeon (Son Kang-ho) who has turned into a vampire. The primary ethical dilemma is crystal clear: Priest. Vampire. You do the math.

Even so, Park didn’t want this to be a movie solely about a vampire. If you sink your teeth (pun intended) into this plot even more, it goes beyond the Vampire 101 entertainment we are used to.

“It’s always been a film about a Catholic priest and how he turns into a vampire,” says Park. “If you take vampirism separate from that fact, think about the ideas and values that he holds and what it would mean for him to become a vampire. If you are not seeing those two ideas together, then you are not seeing the film for what it is.”

With the help of a very helpful translator (my Korean doesn’t go beyond annyeong haseyo), I had the opportunity to chat more with Park Chan Wook about Thirst, his thought on Asian-to-American remakes and, of course, his teenage daughter’s obsession with Twilight.

Some of your films get really graphic. There are always provocative scenes and lots of violence. With Thirst we see a lot of this and, of course, tons of blood. How do you balance that with the thematic depth of your films?

My films ask a question to the audience – usually ethical in nature. In order for the audience to become aware of the dilemma contained in this question and for it to be unavoidable to the audience, I need to provide a stimulant – and this manifests in violence or sex. The strong stimulant makes (the audience) better feel the struggle and pain that is embedded in this ethical question. I haven’t managed to find a better way to express my themes.

So you captivate them with this stimulant so that you have their attention the whole time?

There is that aspect, but the stimulant is there in order for the audience to understand the nature of the question better. For instance, we have this person – we’ll call him “A” – and we tell this person, “If you don’t pinch this person sitting next to you, I’m not going to give you your next meal.” Compare that now with this (ethical) question given to “A”: If you don’t stab this person sitting next to you, I’ll kill you.” These two dilemmas are the same in nature, but you can’t even compare the intensity that “A” feels with each of them. Using these graphic devices in my films purifies the question.

Have you always had an interest in vampire mythology even though in Thirst it seems more of a secondary plot detail? And with other forms of vampire entertainment like Twilight and True Blood,did you already know about this pop cultural trend before you made the movie?

Even now, I don’t feel that trend because I haven’t seen any of these vampire films. Of course I know of Twilight because my teenage daughter loves it. She talks about it all the time so I know of that, but with this vampire film, I thought of doing it 10 years ago. If it feels like the movie is being released in a timely matter, it is totally a coincidence.

Do you think you would ever consider crossing over into mainstream American cinema?

Of course, I could. I just need to find a script that’s good so that I can crossover. Also, when tapping into this mainstream audience, I wouldn’t want to be artistically compromised.

Many Asian films like The Ring and The Eye are being remade for American audiences, what is your take on this trend? I’ve also hear buzz about Oldboy being remade – what are your thoughts on that?

It really depends on how they remake the story. I hope they make it so that the remake is a separate creature from the original. In order for filmmakers to do this, they can’t cherish the original film. Only by doing that would they be able to create something completely new.

What would you want people to get out of Thirst?

I want people to think of the main character and how he became a vampire involuntarily. Throughout the film, he has to take responsibilities for his wrongdoings. Is it justified?

Thirst is playing in San Francisco theaters starting today, July 31…and did I mention that Park Chan Wook said I was the most fashionable journalist that interviewed him that day? I just thought that was crucial information to share.

For two and a half weeks, I hopped from city to city: Paris to Barcelona to Madrid back to Barcelona to Milan to Florence.

It was quite a time and it was convenient to not have easy access to the internet and to not have any cell phone service. It was liberating. Now that I am back in the States, it’s like I have been reintroduced to this whole new world of the Internet and cell service. In fact, I am being reintroduced to the whole world of writing. It seems as though I have lost my will to write and all I want to do is travel and eat baguettes, cheese, tapas and gorge myself on Vivoli gelato all the live long day.

But that’s besides the point. I just need to get back in the swing of things and just start writing again. Before I do get into the swing of things, there are a couple of people I’d like to thank for my European adventure.

Hanes: I have discovered that Hanes V-neck tees are the most travel-friendly garment. Ever. All you need is five of them for ANY trip and you are good to go. Side note: just make sure you wash them along the way. You don’t want a raunchy rag draped around your neck.

Modeling a Hanes white V-neck tee in front of the Camper Hotel in Barcelona

Versailles employee who gave me my audio guide: It was a pleasure meeting you and your breasts which were about to pop out.

Zara and Dstilled: The providers of the lightweight scarves that I excessively wore throughout my adventure. They made me look so Euro.

My Zara scarf at Versailles

My Dstilled scarf at the Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Converse Jack Purcell and Puma Black Label: Two pairs of shoes that I alternated throughout my traipsing about Europe. They are practically busted and tore up. Can I please get two new pairs? I am directing that question to the people at Converse and Puma. Thank you in advance.

My Jack Purcells enjoy the view at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona

My Puma Black Label Mostros enjoy a day in the park in Madrid

Laduree, Fauchon and Berthillion: Macaroons, chocolate and ice cream. I still get a tummy boner when I think of these places.

Magical macaroons at Laduree…

Bertha and Janet are on the verge of a choco-gasm at Fauchon…

Me inhaling Berthillion ice cream…

The lady at the WC near the Sacre Coeur: There was a public restroom near the Sacre Coeur that had unmarked stalls on the left side and urinals in the wide open separated by turnstiles on the right. I thought it was a unisex bathroom so I tried to go into the stall. I was yelled at for doing so by the water closet ambassador standing guard. It was a memorable moment.

Edith and Flore: My coworkers who basically gave me a list of “musts” in Firenze and Paris.

The food of Firenze: If I lived in Firenze, I would be morbidly obese.

Honey from Italy: There was something so magical about this nectar from the Gods. It certainly wasn’t Sue Bee.

Pecorino cheese with the aforementioned fresh honey and orange zest at Cantinetta del Verrazzano in Florence…this is food porn at its best.

Vivoli: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for bringing this gelato into my life. And thank you even more for the Cafe Crema:

Barcelona to Milan to Firenze: The longest train ride known to man – especially when a middle-aged Spanish man with B.O. walks around the uber-small sleeper car in his bikini briefs. Vomit.

Late night infomercial porn: Basic cable in Europe ain’t shy about their porn at night.

Barcelona’s Metro system: The cleanest subway I have ever seen in my life. I could’ve eaten tapas off of its floor.

Hannah Montana in François, Espanol and Italiano: Yes, it’s just as irritating.

The Bay Area girl who I befriended on train from Barcelona to Madrid: I liked how when I talked to her she immediately said, “Oh! You speak English!”

“The Year of Yes” by Maria Dahvana Headley: The book that kept me company throughout my travels.

Janet and Bertha: My travel mates. We are bound by leather.

Nutella: The unofficial sponsor of our trip.

The girl on the train to Versailles: There was this American girl who I overheard on the way to Versailles. Although her voice was annoying, what she said stuck with me throughout my entire trip: “It’s better to be on the bottom of a pile of really good stuff than on top of a pile of shit.” Words I need to take into consideration with my writing career….

Jason Segel (left) and Paul Rudd have a bromance of the ages in “I Love You, Man.” Photo credit: Comingsoon.net

Webinar. Vaycay. Momversation. These are all slang terms that should be eliminated from the English language (click here for more terms). Bromance, along with the phrase, “bromantic comedy” was about to be added to my own personal list until I saw the bro-found film of brotherhood, I Love You, Man.

In the movie, we are introduced to Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate guy in Los Angeles who just got engaged to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones). Upon said engagement, Peter comes to a realization that he has surrounded himself with gal pals. This and his love for The Devil Wears Prada hasn’t exactly drawn many guy friends into his orbit besides a couple of Frat boy-like acquaintances who might as well be strangers and his gay brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg) – who happens to be more of a dude than Peter. Click here to read the rest of the review

My obsession would explain my constant blogging on my Examiner site as well as my new header.

Check out my posts on Examiner.com:

Go see the movie. If anything, see it for Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. That inkblot masked guy is just outta control. He’s possibly one of my heroes – which can be good and bad depending how you look at it.

Well, it’s been difficult to focus on so many things at once. New York Fashion Week was this past week and I was blogging about it (click here and here for my coverage). The Oscar red carpet was a hot topic (and gave me TONS O’ TRAFFIC) last Sunday and I was blogging about it. I’ve been teaching my blogging class and I have been looking at blogs. I’ve been Twittering like a meth head and on top of all that, I just moved and found that with each move I make, I get annoyed. That said, I am on this gluttonous blog diet and I am gonna keep on until I win an Academy Award for best blogging in a leading role.

Yes, I know that will never happen, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed.

Like a unreliable workaholic dad who never makes it to his kid’s soccer games, I promise: I will be here for you.

When the noms were announced this week I was NOT surprised that Shannon got the nod for his performance as the brashly honest certified lunatic in the suburban opus of depression and shattered dreams. It is well deserved. And I just wanted to take this moment to brag and say “I interviewed him.”

Click here to read the interview.

Thank you for appreciating my awesomeness.