Month: February 2017

From “Emergency Deodorant” to “Coach K”: Why We LOVE Billions’ Sense of Humor

“There’s a lot of humor in this — a lot of playfulness, which I was not expecting.” — Damian Lewis on Billions

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

Humor derived from life and delivered at the right time and place can make a TV show! And, I believe, it is Seinfeld that perfected the delivery of small but precise details of daily life on small screen! George double-dips a chip in a bowl of dip at a wake and you laugh not just because of what he does but also because you remember the guy who double-dipped at the last party you attended. Elaine’s new boyfriend is a serious close talker and you laugh because you remember the close talkers in your life. Jerry believes you don’t need any extra incentive to kill your dry cleaner and you laugh because you remember the last argument you had with your dry cleaner about the remaining stain on your favorite pants. These are the scenes that stay with you for the longest time because they all come from real life!

Many dramas, as they try hard to stick to drama, forget about this kind of humor; which, given at the right time and place, may be one of the most delicious moments of an episode and can even send a serious message home. We applaud Billions for not shying away from giving us such moments. Continue reading “From “Emergency Deodorant” to “Coach K”: Why We LOVE Billions’ Sense of Humor”

How Major Winters Steals a Teenager’s Heart: Vicky’s Story

Hello all! Damianista here. Today we are thrilled to start publishing the fan stories we have received from our readers. The response to our call has been amazing and all stories we have received are personal, special and extremely heartfelt. So, please stay with us and enjoy a long-running fan stories party on the blog! And if you are still interested in sending us your story but have not been able to do it yet, please do, we would love to have you on board!

Our first guest is Vicky, who is one of the first, if not the first, fans that followed our Facebook page the day Fan Fun with Damian Lewis came to life. I remember exchanging a few words about Damian and the story she told stayed with me. And when Lady Trader and I came up with this idea of Fan Stories, I personally messaged Vicky to kindly ask if she would share her fan story with us. And she is, proudly wearing her LIFE tshirt, ready to go: Continue reading “How Major Winters Steals a Teenager’s Heart: Vicky’s Story”

Countdown to season two of Billions

It doesn’t seem that long ago since Axe and Chuck tore their respective houses down in their own way, but it is and the countdown to Billions season two is on! They start without Wendy, and it serves them both right!

Season two starts on Sunday, February 19 on Showtime. A warning for spoilers for season one for anyone who has yet to see it all. There are still 13 days until season two hits TV screens so here are a selection of our posts on season one:

We give our own best of Billions season one and would like to hear what yours are. Donnie was one of the highlights for me and I am sad that he is no more, but still think that the Donnie situation may come back to haunt Axe in season two.

Continue reading “Countdown to season two of Billions”

Damian Lewis on Stage: The Royal Shakespeare Company Years

“My heroes were all in the theatre. I wanted to be part of that great tradition that ran back to Garrick and Macready and Kean. That’s what I wished for, when I was asleep and dreaming.” – Damian Lewis in an interview with Telegraph

Damian Lewis in Hamlet (1994) at Open Air Theatre, Regents Park, London

For those of you that are not familiar with these names, and I confess I was not, Damian is talking about David Garrick, Edmund Kean and William MacReady, celebrated British Shakespearean actors of the 18th and 19th century that had substantial influence on the interpretation and understanding of Shakespeare. Continue reading “Damian Lewis on Stage: The Royal Shakespeare Company Years”

A Taste Here, a Taste There: Showtime Billions S2

I’ll be the first to admit that as a hardened cynical member of the grungiest contingent of Gen X, I’m not one to put much importance on advertisements. Don’t need no one shouting at me to buy their thing, I know what I need to buy, thank you very much. Therefore, unless they make me laugh, I tend to ignore ads, fast forward, skip over, keep walking. Come to think of it, laughter is the one and only emotional impulse worth weaving into whatever you’re selling to a woman of my demographic. You’re welcome marketers.

We hear that the best ads, be they video or print, are designed to imprint a brand on our consciousness by wrapping it up in a story. The lanky model gliding down curved neo-renaissance marble stairs? Why, look, how elegant and worldly you’ll be if you only buy this perfume! The sweaty sports guy kicking ass in some random sport? Why, if you drink the stuff he drinks, you just may kick ass too!

My cynicism ran deep and true. That is, until I started following this star you see up there in this blog’s header. He didn’t need to do any selling as far as I was concerned, but I did slowly realize the fact of life that many a millenial has caught on to decades before I ever did. Folks who want to succeed, particularly in competitive, highly visible fields in the limelight, do need to brand themselves and sell themselves. And shows that said people are on need to do promos to get the buzz going. Since I started writing for this blog, ads that I would’ve once ignored or derided are suddenly requiring second and third looks and lengthy discussions about what it all means. Especially when a certain someone is featured in them. Yes, I know, I know, an ad featuring Damian Lewis is just another hammer hitting another kind of reflex meant to elicit a particular response from a woman of my demographic. But it’s not just *that*, okay? (Doth the lady protest too much? Eh, probably.)

Continue reading “A Taste Here, a Taste There: Showtime Billions S2”