musings about the actor and the characters he brings to life
You should know by now from my ‘Chuck Seniorisms by the Dozen’ Part I and Part II that Charles Rhoades Senior is one of my favorite characters on Billions. He is played by the extraordinary actor Jeffrey DeMunn, who comes from a theatrical family no less! Buffalo News reported in March 2019 that DeMunn’s father Jim DeMunn and stepmother Betty Lutes DeMunn were two cardinal figures for many years in the local Buffalo theater.
It’s time to play Dinner with Damian and Friends, a fantasy dinner party game with THE ultimate guest list!
There are six chairs arranged around the dinner table – one for you, one for Damian, and four surprise VIP guests of your choosing. If you could invite any non-fictional person, living or having passed, to your fantasy dinner party, whom would you choose and why?
Would you send invitations? If so, what would the invitations look like -formal, handmade, electronic or something else? What kind of conversation would be overheard at the dinner table and do you choose your guests accordingly? Where would the dinner be held – home, public restaurant, secluded private dining area, fancy ballroom or other? What are the place settings like? Is the table round, square, or rectangle? Where does each guest sit? Would you cook, cater, or hire a private chef? What’s on the menu? Is the food served family style, buffet, or plated? Is there a theme? What is the dress code? What else do you imagine for your dinner party?
Here are Gingersnap’s top VIP picks:
Continue reading “Dinner with Damian and Friends – Host Gingersnap”
Guess what time it is? It’s time for Wags Words of Wisdom, Billions season four. Did you miss our first two dozen that covered seasons one through three? Catch up by reading them here and here.
As I pointed out last time, Mike “Wags” Wagner, played by David Costabile, is my second favorite character on the Showtime hit series Billions-Axe being the first of course. Sure, he’s an acquired taste for some but we gladly claim Wags as our rapacious scumbag. He’s still that pinky ring-wearing, Michter’s whiskey drinking, vintage Mercedes driving, petite handlebar mustache sporting, sharp-dressed man with a childhood affinity for Yosemite Sam, as proven by his ass tattoo of said gun-slinging cartoon outlaw.
Wags continues to be the Chief Operating Officer at Axe Capital-that formidable attack dog, financial consigliere, valet, and leader of the minions. He’s the right-hand man to Bobby Axelrod and just as loyal as the unsullied soldiers are to the mother of dragons.
It never ceases to amaze me how philanthropic both Damian and Helen are, especially when it comes to theatrical works or for children and youth organizations that help deliver curricula in education, life skills, and the creative arts. And 2019 was no different! From theatre arts and Red Nose Day to charity concerts, ice cream, and BGC/GFI Charity Day, we have it all broken down for you here. Let’s get started with an unexpected and surprising theatrical performance, Whodunnit.
Whodunnit [Unrehearsed]
This summer at London’s Park Theatre Damian participated in Whodunnit [Unrehearsed], a murder mystery play, without having rehearsed or seen a script, all in the name of charity. Can you imagine acting in front of a live audience without any direction prior to your appearance? Each performance night meant there would be a different guest performer stepping in as the Inspector with a rehearsed ensemble. This means the only direction Damian received came via a hidden earpiece, receiving instructions as the actors on stage attempt to solve a crime in real time, all the while avoiding furniture and staggering their way to crack the case at hand. What I loved about the concept of this play is that the mystery was not so much who the murderer was, but who the Inspector would be! Ticket goers had no idea which celebrity would be appearing as the Inspector each night until the start of the play. Imagine you’re in the audience and they announce Damian Lewis to the stage. That’s exactly what happened to the woman in orange in this video:
Continue reading “Top Damian Lewis Moments 2019: Philanthropic Ventures”
For our readers who do not know, Damian has three siblings – his older half-brother William Russell and half-sister Amanda (Russell) Yaxley from his mother Charlotte (Bowater) Lewis’s first marriage – and his younger brother Gareth Lewis. And what a talented bunch these siblings are! Amanda is a prominent and licensed counselor in Bristol, Gareth is a writer, producer and director, and William Anthony Bowater Russell was just elected as the 692nd Lord Mayor of London on October 1, 2019, taking office on November 9, 2019.
William appears destined for his new position, as his maternal grandfather, Sir Ian Bowater, GBE, was Lord Mayor of London from 1969-1970 and his great-grandfather Sir Frank Bowater was Lord Mayor from 1938–1939. Moreover, William has been working in the City for over 30 years in national and international banking and is a dedicated educational entrepreneur, the past chair and co-founder of the Knightsbridge School and its international arm KSI. He is on the board of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where his brother Damian attended and graduated from in 1993, and has served as governor at several schools in addition to his work on the City’s committees.
The Lord Mayor of London is chosen from the Aldermen and is the leader of the City of London Corporation. Elected for one-year terms, the Lord Mayor’s main role, both traditionally and in the modern world, is to represent, support and promote the businesses in the City of London to the world as a leader in trade, financial technology, innovation in areas like cybersecurity and green finance, and in culture, which William sees as vitally important to society. The Lord Mayor of London is the international spokesperson for the City, leading business delegations overseas to key international markets on behalf of the entire UK-based financial sector. He will look to strengthen economic ties with the UK, identify new business opportunities and promote the UK as a top global destination for foreign investment.
What does all of this mean for Damian? Well it means the month of November proved extremely busy for Damian’s family, as it involved three major events related to William taking office as Lord Mayor of London. First up was the Lord Mayor’s Silent Ceremony, followed the next day by the Lord Mayor’s Show and closing out the month with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
Let’s start with The Silent Ceremony.
Continue reading “Top Damian Lewis Moments 2019: Lord Mayor of London is Damian’s Brother!”