What were you doing in 1995? Cynthia’s Story

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

Those of you from Michigan may know Cynthia from her program Stateside on Michigan Radio, part of the NPR digital network. Cynthia has had work experience in radio and TV for more than 35 years.  She has been a popular radio host, a TV news anchor, producer and a medical and consumer reporter. She has won a number of awards for her writing and reporting — including an Emmy! And, in addition to all this, Cynthia is a Damian Lewis fan. Big thanks go to her for being one of the first to respond to our call for fan stories and sharing this very special story.

Without further ado: What were YOU doing in 1995? This is Cynthia’s story.

copyright: Cynthia Canty

Continue reading “What were you doing in 1995? Cynthia’s Story”

Joining the Band: Paige’s Story

Hello all! Damianista welcomes you to a NEW fan story!

One of the most rewarding things about doing this fan blog is meeting fellow fans with whom you hit it off immediately. And, Paige is certainly one of them. We first met online but then in person at Damian’s Times Talks in New York last summer and have been in regular touch since then. Damian made Times Talks a special treat for the audience with his delightful stories and brilliant sense of humor. There was a lot of laughter in the room and I believe Paige and I provide concrete evidence in the picture below 🙂

Paige is not only a great Damian Lewis fan, she is also a brilliant blogger. You should definitely check out her blog Maximum Tuneage and read about how she almost did anything for Damian Lewis and why I am her walking .gif 😀

Without further ado, here is Paige sharing her fan story: Continue reading “Joining the Band: Paige’s Story”

How Major Winters Steals a Teenager’s Heart: Vicky’s Story

Hello all! Damianista here. Today we are thrilled to start publishing the fan stories we have received from our readers. The response to our call has been amazing and all stories we have received are personal, special and extremely heartfelt. So, please stay with us and enjoy a long-running fan stories party on the blog! And if you are still interested in sending us your story but have not been able to do it yet, please do, we would love to have you on board!

Our first guest is Vicky, who is one of the first, if not the first, fans that followed our Facebook page the day Fan Fun with Damian Lewis came to life. I remember exchanging a few words about Damian and the story she told stayed with me. And when Lady Trader and I came up with this idea of Fan Stories, I personally messaged Vicky to kindly ask if she would share her fan story with us. And she is, proudly wearing her LIFE tshirt, ready to go: Continue reading “How Major Winters Steals a Teenager’s Heart: Vicky’s Story”

Band of Brothers at 15: Damian Lewis at Boot Camp

‘It’s very authentic, dripping in sincerity, there’s nothing sensational about it. It had a docu-drama feel to it which people responded to. — Damian Lewis on Band of Brothers

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We earlier blogged about how a 29-year old British actor Damian Lewis got cast to play all-American WWII hero Dick Winters as well as the deft and the charisma with which Damian Lewis came to immortalize Dick Winters on small screen. However, we still have a black box between the casting and the shoot: How did Damian Lewis TRANSFORM into Dick Winters?

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Well… Once he gets the part, the two Hollywood giants Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks leave the room and Tony To, the executive producer, asks: “Hey Damian, how’d you like to go to boot camp in March?”

Ha! The boot camp… It is, in fact, what FILLS the black box I’ve been talking about… The Transformation, quoting Damian himself, from “a rice pudding” to a “celery stalk” 🙂

Continue reading “Band of Brothers at 15: Damian Lewis at Boot Camp”

Band of Brothers at 15: Episode 9 Why We Fight

By the end of the World War II, it is estimated that 6 million Jews and another 5 million people (consisting of Gypsies, Poles, Homosexuals, Soviet PoWs and the mentally and physically disabled) were murdered by the Nazis.

During World War two many Nazi Camps were liberated. A fair number of the camps were liberated during April 1945, as World War II approached its end. The sheer number of camps is staggering and horrifying. Continue reading “Band of Brothers at 15: Episode 9 Why We Fight”