Happy 11th Birthday, Homeland!

Homeland premiered on Showtime on October 2, 2011, exactly eleven years ago today.

Happy Birthday!

None of us on Fan Fun had any idea about the show when it premiered. However, it is Damian Lewis’ mesmerizing portrayal of Nicholas Brody that brought “almost” all of us to the fandom at some point. And, well, the rest is history!

I know that Season 3 finale was the series finale for many Brody fans who protested Homeland and quit watching the show after Brody died. And I am not going to lie to you, I was desperate enough to jump on the “No Brody, No Homeland” bandwagon in my own way when Season 3 was over and stayed there until a certain ginger told me to keep watching it 😀 So I did, and thanks to the healing powers of time, and Damian tackling other fantastic roles in Wolf Hall and Billions, I came to accept that, as Brody told Carrie, it was over. It still makes me happy to know no one can take Homeland Season 1 and 2 away from me, but I also recognize the fact that Homeland is a show about the CIA and, in particular, about one CIA agent, Carrie Mathison, one of the best written female characters on TV. And I cannot agree more with Damian who praises Claire Danes’ portrayal of Carrie in an interview with Hunger Magazine:

“Can you imagine if the part had been played by any other Hollywood actress, anyone with an ounce of vanity about them as a performer? Claire has no vanity. She’s committed to making sure she represents the story in the best possible way. Her performance is totally and utterly committed, terrifyingly so at times.”

Continue reading “Happy 11th Birthday, Homeland!”

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 Eid al Fitr that is celebrated at the end 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”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Times Talks

source: Times Talks Program
source: Times Talks Program

Time flies! Damian Lewis was the guest of celebrated Times Talks at Directors Guild Theater six years ago. And I would love to take this opportunity to travel back to that day and re-live the wonderful conversation Damian had with Cara Buckley, a New York Times culture reporter and celebrate the sixth anniversary of a beautiful friendship with Paige and Joyce with whom I clicked as soon as I met them in the line!   Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Times Talks”

From Homeland to Shakespeare:
Damian Lewis Narrates Audiobooks *UPDATED*

We always hear fans say, and cannot agree with them more, that Damian Lewis can read the phone book and they can listen to him all day. Having said that, why would we have to hear Damian read the phonebook to us as we have much better books out there he could read for us?

source: Mr. Porter

YES! Damian narrates Audiobooks! If you have not tried it before, it is a total pleasure to have him read you a story. It feels like the equivalent of CBeebies for adults, highly recommended for bed time but also for anytime, doctor’s orders! And Damian has narrated a good variety of books that it is really easy to pick a favorite.

Shall we? Continue reading “From Homeland to Shakespeare:
Damian Lewis Narrates Audiobooks *UPDATED*”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis & Helen McCrory at the White House

wh13

Being a famous star comes with incredible perks from eating at the most exquisite restaurants to vacationing at most exotic places to getting  invited to most exclusive parties. But how many stars can say the President of the United States is a fan of their work and had them over at the White House for a state dinner? Well, our favorite actor and his better-half certainly can! Damian and Helen were the guests of Barack and Michelle Obama at the UK State Dinner back in 2012.  I am quite sure most of you read or heard bits and pieces of the story since Damian talked about it in several interviews and talk shows. But why not bring all bits and pieces together today and make our own Fan Fun version of that wonderful evening?

Hey, let’s make this feel REAL. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis & Helen McCrory at the White House”