Happy Birthday, Helen McCrory! TOP DOZEN Reasons to Love Her

“Actually, I’m looking forward to being 50, because to me that’s when a woman is at the pinnacle of her femininity and her womanhood.” —Helen McCrory in an interview with The Independent

Thanks to recent interviews with Helen in The Telegraph and The Times, we have found out about her 50th birthday celebrations!

“He (Damian) took me to the Wallace Collection. He got the gentleman in charge to give us a tour, which was my idea of heaven. Then we went to a hotel that will remain nameless, then home.

When I came down to dinner, my whole family were there and a load of friends. Damian is very good at throwing surprise parties. And because I always dress up, I just happened to have on a 1920s backless blue velvet evening gown with a pair of old Fila trainers.”

So, Damian, we do not know if you are throwing another surprise party for 51, but here we are throwing a birthday party for your better half on the blog. Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Helen McCrory! TOP DOZEN Reasons to Love Her”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis Receiving The Britannia Award

Always the Ham

A significant moment for Damian in 2018 was receiving an award for his artistry. I do not shy away in saying he is the most talented actor of our generation and it seems BAFTA LA agreed. Damian received the well-deserved and long overdue BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Award for Excellence in Television on October 26, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

The Britannia Awards are BAFTA Los Angeles’ highest accolades, recognizing both outstanding British talent and exceptional international artistry through an actor’s body of work. It’s no secret around here that Damian is talented and exceptional – for more than a decade and a half he has enticed and intrigued audiences with highly complex, compromised, flawed characters he has brought to life on television, from steadfast Dick Winters, constipated Soames Forsyte, and quirky Charlie Crews to damaged Nicholas Brody, radical Henry VIII and currently, the ruthless Bobby Axelrod.

But where did it all begin?

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis Receiving The Britannia Award”

Luxury Bunkers, Cryo Chambers, Kappa Beta Phi: Things I Never Knew Existed Before Billions *UPDATED*

Damian Lewis talks about the current perception of billionaires and their wealth in an interview with Prestige Online:

“I think there’s a greater suspicion about billionaires and about wealth and accumulation of wealth. People are asking for the first time, “Excuse me, how did you become a billionaire exactly, because I just lost my house?” So I think it’s an interesting transitional point.

Having said that, I think there will always remain a certain rock ’n’ roll element to the guy with the money and the fast car.”

Continue reading “Luxury Bunkers, Cryo Chambers, Kappa Beta Phi: Things I Never Knew Existed Before Billions *UPDATED*”

Gingersnap’s Proust Questionnaire

It is thought the Proust Questionnaire originated with French novelist Marcel Proust, although, he did not actually create the list of questions but he did famously answer two versions – first at the age of 13 and then again at the age of 20 – which led to its notoriety. The questionnaire started as a parlor game and the original author is unknown.

Since then variations of the list have been used, probably most famously by Inside the Actors Studio’s host James Lipton. Lipton poses 10 questions to each of his guests at the end of an interview to reveal deep inner truths about one’s self. How deep the answers get depends entirely on the person answering them. Lipton gives credit for the list to French talk show host Bernard Pivot yet Lipton’s list differs slightly from Pivot’s, and neither Lipton’s list nor Pivot’s has a single question in common with either of Proust’s!

A similar questionnaire is regularly answered by various celebrities on the back page of Vanity Fair magazine, including our very own favorite ginger. In the March, 2017 issue Damian answered a Proust Questionnaire so we thought it would be fun to answer the same questions he did so you readers could get to know us a little better!

As an added bonus, I have peppered in a few extra questions from Lipton’s original list as a nod to his retirement. I had hoped to see Damian on Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton one day, but this shall serve as the next best thing.

Here are my answers to the Proust Questionnaire. Let’s get started!

Continue reading “Gingersnap’s Proust Questionnaire”

Remembering Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith

“You live in despair for eight years; you can turn to religion, too. And, the King James Bible was not available.” – Nicholas Brody

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

I was born and raised in a secular family in Turkey, a country that is predominantly Muslim. That is, even though I am not religious myself, I am very familiar with the Islamic traditions, rituals and norms. I am obviously coming out of the culture and have been shaped by it in ways that I am probably not aware of 🙂 Thus, I thought it would be neat to talk about Nicholas Brody, my most favorite fictional character ever on small screen, as a Muslim character in celebration of Eid al-Adha!

Now, I am not an expert, not even close, about Muslim characters on TV shows; however, even if there had been a popular Muslim character on TV before Brody came along, I just don’t think there is any way she or he could beat him on any popularity scale. Continue reading “Remembering Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith”