From Bastogne to London to Normandy: Linda’s Story

Hello all! Damianista here. Welcome to our Fan Story Tuesday!

Today’s fan story is coming from a very special lady. Linda has been running The Friends of Major Dick Winters Facebook Page for years and she is incredibly devoted to real-life WWII heroes. Damian knows her and appreciates her hard work honoring Major Dick Winters and all WWII veterans. At this very moment, Linda is attending the 73rd anniversary of D-Day in Normandy with Band of Brothers actors and WWII veterans. We cannot think of a better day than D-Day to publish her fan story!

Linda, we cannot thank you enough for your support and friendship, and your very special contribution to our fan stories series. Currahee!

Linda visiting Major Dick Winters statue, Sainte-Marie du Mont, Normandy, copyright:Linda

Continue reading “From Bastogne to London to Normandy: Linda’s Story”

How I Have Fallen For “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”: A Review

“Her breath… her breath was… so sweet, warm, and…” – Martin

As much as I believe in live theater as the best art form ever, I also know, alas, due to geographical, financial and time constraints, only a limited number of people have access to a particular play staged at a particular place. Thus, I imagine, recording and streaming the plays for fans all over the world would certainly make theatre a more democratic art form and help young generations fall in love with it, too. National Theatre Live, a project initiated by the Royal National Theatre in London, broadcasts, via satellite, live performances of their productions to movie theaters and art centers around the world. I hope, with technology at hand, this becomes common practice sooner than later.

source: Damianista

Now, having made my desperate statement about theater, I feel extremely lucky to have seen The Goat, a brilliantly written play turned into an acting feast in the hands of the ridiculously talented quartet of Damian Lewis, Sophie Okonedo, Jason Hughes and Archie Madekwe. JaniaJania has already written a fantastic review of the play here and, with a little help from my memory and the pictures I have been able to find online, I will now try my best to “stream” The Goat for you with a bit of commentary on the side. Hope you enjoy it. Continue reading “How I Have Fallen For “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”: A Review”

Billions Season 2 Dining Guide

My husband and I are crazy foodies. He loves to cook (we are talking about a man who bakes bread, brews beer and makes pancetta here!) and we both love to eat. Thus, NYC dining scene, from its “special occasion” restaurants to yummy hole-in-the-walls to city institutions to cozy neighborhood joints, making memorable appearances in Billions makes us smile big!

source: Showtime

Today I turn that big smile into Billions Season 2 dining guide with a huge THANK YOU to the show creators for loving and honoring the dining capital of the world: Some of these places are my personal favorites and I believe, being the forensic fan that I am, I have been able to figure out almost all of them using hints from the scene as well as Google and, hey, Google earth, too! 🙂 And big thanks go to Brian Koppelman for kindly answering a few of our restaurant related questions on Twitter.  Continue reading “Billions Season 2 Dining Guide”

Books are a Trigger for Billions

Perhaps not as sexy as the food or the music, nor as readily noticeable, is the backdrop of books used in a show. Shows that care about such things, like Billions, speak volumes with those carefully chosen volumes. It’s about setting the stage, providing props for the characters and the action. Most interestingly, the placement of books is about saying a thing or two about the character who owns them, in a language both visual and textual (if you look closely enough :)) Alternatively, barring such esoteric “meaning”, at the very least, books laying about can be fun Easter eggs that may say a thing or two about the folks who put the show together.

So, join me as we browse through the bookshelves of Billions.

Continue reading “Books are a Trigger for Billions”

Finding Damian Lewis on the Throne of England: Erica’s Story

Hello all! Damianista welcomes you to a new Fan Story Tuesday!

Today’s story comes from Erica who has never seen Homeland (believe me, we can still be friends :D) and “discovered” Damian in two “as British as it gets” roles. Big thanks go to her for sharing her lovely story with us!

source: Erica

The first time I saw Damian Lewis, he was playing a young King Henry VIII in “Wolf Hall”. Like a lot of British series, this one started off so subtle that I actually fell asleep during episode one. I was really annoyed with myself because I know that these shows start off quiet and reach a boiling point at the end- most American shows do just the opposite. I rewatched and was blown away by the intensity of Mark Rylance’s Thomas Cromwell and by the power of Damian Lewis’ Henry. Continue reading “Finding Damian Lewis on the Throne of England: Erica’s Story”