Top Damian Lewis Moments 2019: Lord Mayor of London is Damian’s Brother!

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 Russell

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.

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Top Damian Lewis Moments 2019: Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

One of Damian’s 2019 Top Moments has got to be playing Steve McQueen in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. I mean, it was only mused about on this blog since 2015 here, here, here, and oh, here. And the cherry on top? The entire cast of OUATIH were nominated for a SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.’ Find out how to watch the SAG Award ceremony live in 2020, here

In this post I will walk you down memory lane with a review of the movie I saw no less than three times. Then I will share new information, from the UK premiere and photos to videos and interviews.

Here we go! Fasten your seatbelts, the movie has begun and it begins with opening credits.

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Gingersnap’s Proust Questionnaire

It is thought the Proust Questionnaire originated with French novelist Marcel Proust, although, he did not actually create the list of questions but he did famously answer two versions – first at the age of 13 and then again at the age of 20 – which led to its notoriety. The questionnaire started as a parlor game and the original author is unknown.

Since then variations of the list have been used, probably most famously by Inside the Actors Studio’s host James Lipton. Lipton poses 10 questions to each of his guests at the end of an interview to reveal deep inner truths about one’s self. How deep the answers get depends entirely on the person answering them. Lipton gives credit for the list to French talk show host Bernard Pivot yet Lipton’s list differs slightly from Pivot’s, and neither Lipton’s list nor Pivot’s has a single question in common with either of Proust’s!

A similar questionnaire is regularly answered by various celebrities on the back page of Vanity Fair magazine, including our very own favorite ginger. In the March, 2017 issue Damian answered a Proust Questionnaire so we thought it would be fun to answer the same questions he did so you readers could get to know us a little better!

As an added bonus, I have peppered in a few extra questions from Lipton’s original list as a nod to his retirement. I had hoped to see Damian on Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton one day, but this shall serve as the next best thing.

Here are my answers to the Proust Questionnaire. Let’s get started!

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Wags by the Dozen Part III

Wags Words of Wisdom – Season 4

Wags, and bracelets

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.

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REVIEW: Damian Lewis is Steve McQueen in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood

STOP. Do not read any further unless you can handle spoilers.

The day has finally come – the day when Damian Lewis plays Steve McQueen on the big screen. It’s July 26, 2019 and I’m planning my early escape from work to see an 11:00 a.m. showing of Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood. I purchased my $8.72 matinee ticket online on July 17 around 4:00 p.m. and it has been burning the proverbial hole in my pocket ever since. 

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