Review: Fackham Hall – Come for Damian Lewis, Stay for the Chaos

Christmas came early this year in the form of Fackham Hall, Damian’s gloriously unhinged spoof of the British period drama. I managed to catch an early screening on December 3 — but only after Lewisto, my husband, asked ChatGPT whether it was medically safe for me to watch a comedy so soon after surgery. I know, I know! His fear was that I might laugh so hard my stitches would burst. Honestly, the conversation was almost as funny as the movie itself. And I’m happy to report that my stitches remained intact— my composure, less so.

Going into the film, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m not a huge fan of recent American comedies — give me oldies like Some Like It Hot or The Apartment any day — but I absolutely adore British humour. That perfect dryness, that glorious deadpan delivery. The kind of humor where someone says something outrageous with the emotional tone of a weather forecast. The cast of Fackham Hall gets this completely: the straighter their faces, the harder you laugh.
Continue reading “Review: Fackham Hall – Come for Damian Lewis, Stay for the Chaos”

The Big Give is Here: Let’s Give to Cure EB This Holiday Season!

Today is Giving Tuesday! It is a a global day of giving we celebrate on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and kick off the charitable season! So it’s time to be thankful for all the good stuff in our lives and focus on our holiday giving.

Most of you know Damian Lewis is a proud patron of Cure EB.

Sohana Collins is a young woman who was born with Recessive Dystropic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB) which means she lacks the protein that holds her skin together. Kids with RDEB have extremely fragile skin that they are sometimes called “butterfly children.” Lots of activities we take for granted as easy routines in our daily lives are a struggle for them. Can you imagine a day where your dressing up takes up to two hours and eating and drinking cause blisters in your mouth and throat? These kids have to deal with this kind of pain every single day. Besides, they are under extra risk to develop skin cancer later in life and their life expectancy is not very long. Sohana’s parents Sharmila and James Collins founded Cure EB (Formerly Sohana Research Fund) to raise awareness as well as funds for research to ultimately have a cure for this terrible skin condition.

Continue reading “The Big Give is Here: Let’s Give to Cure EB This Holiday Season!”

Watching Homeland Seasons 1-2-3 After Twelve Years – Part I

I am home after surgery, supposed to rest, and “take it easy,” whatever that means. My main job is to kill time. I open Netflix.

And there it is.

Homeland.

For the first time, Homeland is on Netflix US, staring at me from the top row. I watched the entire show only once. I never rewatched it. Not a single episode. And now here I am, twelve years after that horrifying Season 3 finale, lying on the couch with time to burn… and Netflix presents me Homeland like a get-well card.

So, I click play.

A little bit of context for new readers: at a recent dinner party, we played a game. Everyone had to name three things that changed their life. My top three:

  1. The Live Aid concert in 1985 (I was 13, suddenly aware that the whole world could come together and watch the same thing).
  2. The assassination of a journalist in Turkey in 1992 (I was 20, and I learned what a state can do to its own citizens who insist on finding and reporting the truth).
  3. And… Homeland.

Yes, seriously. Homeland. Continue reading “Watching Homeland Seasons 1-2-3 After Twelve Years – Part I”

Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Makin’ Plans

“Makin’ Plans is a song the Stones themselves might be proud to have under their belt.” – David Nobakht, Buzz Magazine

Damian Lewis performing ‘Makin’ Plans’ at Hoxton Hall, March 2023, source: Damianista

Welcome back, everyone, to another Damian Lewis’ “Song of the Week” feature! I’m excited to share my thoughts on yet another track from Damian’s debut album Mission Creep. And this time, it’s one where Damian plugs in the electric guitar. Let’s talk about Makin’ Plans.

But before we dive into Makin’ Plans, if you missed earlier posts in our Song of the Week series, you can catch up here. Continue reading “Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Makin’ Plans”

Damian Lewis, Football and Diego Maradona: These Are A Few of My
Favorite Things

It started with a tweet five years ago..

…and continued with another…

…inspiring me to bring a few of my favorite things together: Damian Lewis, Football, and Diego Maradona. Continue reading “Damian Lewis, Football and Diego Maradona: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things”