Category: TV/Film Projects

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, and his Muslim faith, in celebration of Ramadan!

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”

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 “An Exclusive Fan Fun Interview with Damian Lewis”

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

“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

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.

Despite their best efforts to live like the next family, The Radleys are perceived to be “a little odd” by their fellow villagers. The family has their curtains closed at all times. They love their meat almost raw but choke on garlic. The amount of factor 60 sunscreen Rowan uses on his skin is off the charts. Clara is extremely pale and fragile. The Radley children are called freaks and bullied at school.

Continue reading “On The Horizon: Damian Lewis as Twin Vampire Brothers in The Radleys”

Revisiting BEST of Life with Charlie Crews

Damian-Lewis-in-Life-Fill-It-Up-1-11-damian-lewis-25272631-1280-720

Hello – Holliedazzle here! Welcome, one and all, to the Best of Life with Charlie Crews! In this post, we’ll all be weighing in with our highlights (and lowlights) of the entire series. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Damianista:

At the center of Life lies the heart and mind of a man who gets his life back, along with a $50M settlement and his LAPD badge, after 12 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Charlie Crews is quirky and charming and funny, but vulnerable and even sinister at times. He’s a walking proof of the wide range Damian Lewis can deliver as an actor. No wonder New York Magazine calls him “the you-can’t take-your-eyes-off-him star” in Life. Damian takes a good network show and elevates it to another level.

source: fanpop.com
source: fanpop.com

So what do I talk about when I talk about the BEST of Life? Continue reading “Revisiting BEST of Life with Charlie Crews”

Fan Fun Movie of The Month: Dream Horse

“It’s a heart-warming movie. Bringing people together. Bringing community together.” – Damian Lewis

As it has recently won two awards, namely Owen Teale winning for Best Actor and the film winning in the Sound category, at BAFTA Cymru, Dream Horse has deserved to be the Fan Fun Movie of the month!

Dream Horse with Damian Lewis opened in NYC movie theaters on May 21, 2021 and went into history as the first movie I saw in a movie theater after the Covid-19 pandemic started! It was a time that we struggled to adjust to “normal” life. We needed hope, strength and inspiration. And Dream Horse has definitely offered us all three and more. Yes, we are off to the races but the story is not about winning or losing. It is about a bunch of villagers solving a collective action problem when all the cards are stacked against them. Dream Horse is about courage, community and second chances. Continue reading “Fan Fun Movie of The Month: Dream Horse”