A 'Shampoo' and set

For anyone who thinks movies don't influence kids, consider this: A young boy named Jonathan Antin watched the 1975 movie "Shampoo," in which a handsome hairstylist (Warren Beatty) worked his magic on the most desirable women in Los Angeles. Antin immediately decided that that was what he wanted to be when he grew up. By age 23, he had his own salon in West Hollywood, and his client list included Madonna, Kevin Costner, k.d. lang, Steve Tyler and Tiger Woods. Thank goodness he didn't watch "Scarface."

Not too long ago, a TV executive had a vision to revisit "Shampoo" as a reality show. Ben Silverman had achieved success with "The Restaurant," an NBC series that re-airs on Bravo, featuring the drama of starting up and running a restaurant in New York. He wanted to do the same with a salon on the other coast. "I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great to follow a straight, single hairdresser going on a similar journey to the one that Warren Beatty went on in Beverly Hills?' " Silverman said.

The casting wasn't easy. "Finding a straight, single, charismatic, wild man chef [for 'The Restaurant'] was like shooting fish in a barrel," Silverman recalled. "Finding a straight, single, charismatic hairdresser was a whole lot tougher."

Eventually, he and Antin found each other. The resulting show, "Blow Out," will air on Bravo for six episodes beginning Tuesday.

Like the younger Beatty, Antin's telegenic appeal is immediately apparent. At age 36, he has chiseled good looks and a casual yet impeccable style. He's hip, tattooed, gregarious and given to wild hyperbole and the vocal stylings of a surfer dude. He refers to just about everyone he works with as a genius. "He's very passionate and serious about hair, which I think is both amusing and cool," said Silverman, who can't quite grasp how important a haircut can be. "He's incredibly earnest and funny and charming, but also aggressive. He's not scared of confrontation. And he has a huge ego, all of which also enables a good character."

Antin had been planning to open a new salon at the Argyle Hotel on Sunset, but the owner wasn't interested in a reality show filming on the premises. So Antin set his sights on Beverly Hills, where he'd grown up. He found a location on Wilshire Boulevard near Roxbury Drive, and he used architect Ron Radziner of the L.A. firm Marmol Radziner and Associates to help him create his dream salon.