Category: TV/Film Projects

Throwback Thursday to a Beloved Billions Moment: The Fake Fight

“Pretend we’re having an argument.” —Bobby Axelrod

source: Showtime

A good hour of television absolutely starts with good writing and I pride myself in calling Willie Reale, the writer of Billions Season 1 Episode 10 Quality of Life, a genius way before I find out that he is, in fact, one! I don’t know if you are familiar with MacArthur Fellowships also known as “Genius Grants” but Mr. Reale is a recipient of this fellowship “in recognition of his ingenuity in creating theater and theater education programs for young people.” Bravo!

Quality of Life, with Donnie’s memorial service being at its heart, has a number of moving parts; however, Mr. Reale delivers the story seamlessly with a number of timely back and forths between the memorial service and all else going on and the episode’s director Karyn Kusama perfectly translates the writing into action. And, in my humble opinion, Brian Koppelman’s tweet sharing with us that the fake argument scene between Axe and Dollar Bill was Reale’s idea alone deserves standing ovation for this brilliant writer! Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to a Beloved Billions Moment: The Fake Fight”

Summer Means Damian Lewis in Brides For Me and Here is WHY

“Niki, my darling, I thought about you all last night. That’s more or less how a love letter begins. Isn’t it, Niki? ” – Norman Harris

source: screencap
source: Screencap from movie

It is THAT time of the year again  While I have been living in the US for the last 28 years, I come back to my native Turkey every summer to visit my mom and my extended family. And here I am in Izmir, my hometown, at the moment enjoying my time with family, the sun, and the blue waters of the beautiful Aegean sea.
Continue reading “Summer Means Damian Lewis in Brides For Me and Here is WHY”

Book Review: Meeting Damian Lewis

Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers.

Il ne faut pas toucher aux idoles: la dorure en reste aux mains.
― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

How I love when art gets meta: when a writer or artist has the self-awareness and genuine capacity to make fun of themselves. That’s what we mean when we say the writing is “honest”. There’s no agenda to convince or win over the reader, just a need to show, everything, even the warty not-attractive bits.

With her first novel, Meeting Damian Lewis, Christine Wilson has succeeded beautifully in that effort. Continue reading “Book Review: Meeting Damian Lewis”

In Case You Missed It: An Exclusive Fan Fun Interview with Damian Lewis

We’re twinning with our vests!

I am back from a week-long fantastic trip to the UK following Damian Lewis and his brilliant band from Stroud to Poole to Norwich to Cambridge in the second leg of his ‘Mission Creep” UK tour. I cannot wait to share with you my report from the gigs, fun backstage shenanigans, and a few surprises in the days and weeks to come.

But first…

Interviewing Damian has been a huge dream for me. In fact, I have been able to interview him a couple of times in the years past. But because they happened spontaneously, even though Damian wanted to be generous with his time, he was about to go to his next interview or his next appointment that we had to be very quick. And there were always people around. Continue reading “In Case You Missed It: An Exclusive Fan Fun Interview with Damian Lewis”

On The Horizon: Damian Lewis as Twin Vampire Brothers in The Radleys *UPDATED*

“Your instincts are wrong. Animals rely on instincts for their daily survival, but we are not beasts. We are not lions or sharks or vultures. We are civilized, and civilization only works if instincts are suppressed. So do your bit for society and ignore those dark desires inside you.” – The Abstainer’s Handbook (second edition), p. 54

Meet Will Radley, ladies and gentlemen! We’re thrilled to share with you the first images from The Radleys. The movie will have its premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF)  on August 20th. If you happen to be in the area, grab a ticket!

The Radleys is seemingly an ordinary suburban family. They live at 17 Orchard Lane in the village of Bishopthorpe, Yorkshire. Peter Radley is an overworked general practitioner. His wife Helen is an amateur artist who paints apple trees in watercolor. Their marriage has got distant over the years. Peter and Helen have two teenage children who attend the local high school. Rowan, their 17 year old son, suffers from rashes and chronic insomnia and reads Lord Byron .Clara, their 15 year old daughter, has recently become a vegan with the hopes of having animals treat her better. Continue reading “On The Horizon: Damian Lewis as Twin Vampire Brothers in The Radleys *UPDATED*”