Tag: Henry VIII

What to Expect When We Are Expecting “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light” *UPDATED*

“Your Majesty is the only prince. The mirror and the light of other kings.”

Henry repeats the phrase as if cherishing it: the mirror and the light. (Excerpt from The Mirror and The Light)

It is 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead. King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, who gets pregnant soon but sadly dies days after giving Henry the male heir he has been expecting for a long time. Since one heir is not enough to secure the throne, finding a new bride for Henry is critical. And this is only one item on Thomas Cromwell’s to-do list in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light!

Cromwell, a blacksmith’s son from Putney and a newly created baron who continues his meteoric rise in the court of Henry VIII, needs to succeed at all costs to keep his power, wealth, and privileges. Imperial Ambassador Chapuys tells him: Continue reading “What to Expect When We Are Expecting “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light” *UPDATED*”

What to Expect When We Are Expecting “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light”

“Your Majesty is the only prince. The mirror and the light of other kings.”

Henry repeats the phrase as if cherishing it: the mirror and the light. (Excerpt from The Mirror and The Light)

It is 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead. King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, who gets pregnant soon but sadly dies days after giving Henry the male heir he has been expecting for a long time. Since one heir is not enough to secure the throne, finding a new bride for Henry is critical. And this is only one item on Thomas Cromwell’s to-do list in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light!

Cromwell, a blacksmith’s son from Putney and a newly created baron who continues his meteoric rise in the court of Henry VIII, needs to succeed at all costs to keep his power, wealth, and privileges. Imperial Ambassador Chapuys tells him: Continue reading “What to Expect When We Are Expecting “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light””

Marry, Shag, Banish – Damian Lewis
Characters Version

It’s game time! Growing up I loved watching 70’s/80’s game shows. Remember these catch phrases?

“Come on down!”
“Survey says…”
“No whammies, no whammies, no whammies…and STOP!”
“I’d like to buy a vowel.”

And I’m in heaven with the recent revivals of Match Game, Celebrity Family Feud, and To Tell the Truth. I even DVR old Match Game episodes from time to time to watch my favorite panelists Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly like I did when I watched reruns as a child.

If it’s a game, you can count me in! I often host Bunco round-robins, hold Whiz Spades tournaments, and throw Mexican Train Dominoes events.  I am no emcee–I have to be in on the action and playing.  Games are great fun, whether spending family time together or as an added bonus to your dinner party with friends. Even drinking games like Never Have I Ever and Marry, Shag, Kill are hysterical to play.

Which brings me to Marry, Shag, Kill (our version is Marry, Shag, Banish to an Island).

Continue reading “Marry, Shag, Banish – Damian Lewis Characters Version”

Happy Birthday Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall

“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel

source: BBC
source: BBC

Welcome to year 1535! In the most delightful deleted scene in Wolf Hall,  King Henry declares his age to the women in Thomas Cromwell’s household: “45 in June…”

Well, Henry is 533 years old today and popular as ever — to quote Damian Lewis:

“Henry, as a brand, is right up there with Coca Cola!”

I don’t think anyone can deny the recent contributions of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant work Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies — the books, the play and the TV drama to Henry’s as well as Tudors’ popularity in general! And BBC has completed filming of Mantel’s final installment in Thomas Cromwell series The Mirror and The Light with Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis resuming their roles. We’re looking forward to having the limited series on our screens later this year or early next year.

And now, in celebration of King Henry’s birthday, it is my utmost pleasure to take you back to the most memorable Henry moments in Wolf Hall TV Drama.

Long Live the King! Continue reading “Happy Birthday Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall”

Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad

Dad is a word which can evoke a minefield of emotions simply because the word is personal to each of us and our personal circumstances will affect whether the word evokes positive or negative emotions.

Being a Dad (in real life) can be all kinds of difficult and rewarding. With Father’s Day approaching we take a look at Damian Lewis as an onscreen Dad.

Damianista

“Love is the strongest power there is.” – J.K. Rowling

Probably because I lost my dad at a very young age, I am a true sucker for loving father-daughter relationships in fiction. So here goes a few of my favorite moments with Damian Lewis as an onscreen dad. Even though the characters in each relationship are quite different, there is an overarching theme: A lost soul who finds meaning in life through his love for his daughter.

Continue reading “Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad”