Damian Lewis LOVES Singing Show Tunes! *UPDATED*

“And Damian [Lewis] likes to sing show tunes, surprisingly.” — Maggie Siff about lighthearted moments on Billions set

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Well, Maggie, you have known Damian for a short while so it is okay you are surprised. Are we surprised at all? No way! And I would say Claire Danes would not be surprised, either 😀

This is what Claire tells Digital Spy about Damian:

“I don’t think most people know what a song-and-dance man he is. I suspect Damian’s dream gig would be a Broadway musical, and he would be amazing. He actually took tap-dancing lessons throughout the filming of Homeland’s second season.”

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Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Times Talks

source: Times Talks Program
source: Times Talks Program

Time flies! Damian Lewis was the guest of celebrated Times Talks at Directors Guild Theater two years ago. And I would love to take this opportunity to travel back to that day to re-live the wonderful conversation Damian had with Cara Buckley, a New York Times culture reporter and celebrate the first anniversary of a beautiful friendship with Paige and Joyce with whom I clicked as soon as I met them in the line!   Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Times Talks”

Much Ado About Nothing

Ah, the romantic comedy: A genre when presented as an evening’s viewing option has sent many an otherwise lovey-dovey couple to opposite ends of the couch. I have to say the romantic comedy has never been my first stop when Netflix surfing. Actually, it’s rarely my choice at all, unless When Harry Met Sally is on (the last great romantic comedy, IMO) or the least appreciated but my personal favorite of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks vehicles: Joe vs. the Volcano. [The guy falls for different versions of the SAME woman; how much more romantic (and comedic) can you get?]

William Shakespeare knew a thing or two about romantic comedies. In fact, he invented the genre! The formula of boy meets girl, they run up against some obstacles, surmount said obstacles with the help of a jocular coterie of friends, and live happily ever after: That’s Shakespeare! And perhaps the most seminal of his romantic comedies is Much Ado About Nothing. The plot and characters gave rise to many adaptations and permutations. There was the beautifully hilarious big-screen adaptation in 1993 with real-life couple-at-the-time Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. More recently, in 2012, there was another lovely big-screen adaptation, this time by Joss Whedon, set in modern times but true to Shakespearean language. And between those two, in 2005, our very own Damian Lewis starred as Benedick in a BBC adaptation of the story, set in modern times with modern language, for their series Shakespeare ReTold.

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Best of Billions Season 3

We are ecstatic that Billions has been renewed for Season 4! To keep with that Billions state of mind, how about a fun visit to the best of Billions season three? Feel free to play along in the comments section. And for those just joining us, you can catch up on the rest by reading the Best of Billions 1 and Best of Billions 2.

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Happy Father’s Day to Damian Lewis!

No doubt many people get married and start families because it’s the thing to do, a natural progression in life. Not everyone takes the time or effort to really think about what it means to bring new life into the world or go forth on the venture with conscious intentionality. How many times have we heard (or ourselves thought) David Byrne’s immortal refrain:

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. And you may ask yourself: Well…How did I get here?

Following Damian as we do on this blog, we’ve seen at every turn that he seems to have entered his current life with full intentionality. You sense, in his various relationships prior to Helen, what we know of them, that he was always quietly in search of someone to settle down with, someone to have children with. Not all men think this way, I’m guessing, particularly attractive men who have no shortage of female attention. A lot of guys fantasize about the attention that Damian has always gotten, right? So, if you’re lucky enough to be Damian Lewis, why settle down? Why let a woman and the resultant children cramp one’s playboy style? But, no, Damian, even though he IS Damian, wanted the wife and the house and the family. And how beautiful the stories we hear and the images we get of him in arguably the most important role of any man’s life, the role of father. Here are some of our recollections of Damian being a Dad.

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For Father’s Day: Damianista’s Heavy Baggage…

Damianista’s note: While every post I write carries a piece of me in it, this is the most personal post I have ever shared and probably will ever share on this blog. I just had to get this out of my chest. Thank you, Damian, for the inspiration.

Father’s Day is just a day away… a day that I have not been able to celebrate for a long time… 38 years to be precise.

Damian once said:

“My mother’s death is the single most important thing that’s happened to me in my life.”

I cannot agree with him more. My father’s death is probably the single most important thing that’s happened to me in my life: A death that occurred under the most unexpected circumstances, on a family vacation. Continue reading “For Father’s Day: Damianista’s Heavy Baggage…”