Happy Birthday, Billions!

Billions premiered on Showtime eight years ago today.

Happy Birthday!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis has had an organic relationship with Billions. I launched the blog at the same time they started filming the series pilot and Damian found out about the blog the day they filmed the iconic ‘Fuck You Money’ scene.  Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Billions!”

In Memory of Major Dick Winters

Major Richard Winters passed away 13 years ago today. He is the real life hero that we all have come to know as the charismatic and compassionate commander of Easy Company in Band of Brothers. His obituary in Washington Post makes a note about his  leadership through a letter written by Floyd Talbert, one of his soldiers, to thank Major Winters for his loyalty and leadership in the war:

“You are loved and will never be forgotten by any soldier that ever served under you. I would follow you into hell.”

After the war, Major Winters led a quiet and peaceful life on his farm in Fredericksburg and in his home in Hershey, Pennsylvania until Band of Brothers — the book as well as the TV series — put him into the international spotlight. He was a true WWII hero who was never comfortable being called one. When asked if he was a hero, he liked to answer the way his WWII buddy Mike Ranney did to his grandson: “No, but I served in a company of heroes.” This became a major tagline in Band of Brothers.

Major Winters died like he lived. Quietly. And, upon his request, his funeral service was private and unannounced. We are honored to make a tribute to this real-life war hero on this day.  Continue reading “In Memory of Major Dick Winters”

TOP Damian Lewis Moments 2023: The Return of King Henry VIII

“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

I left the following wish on the Fan Fun 8th anniversary post last January:

“BBC confirmed that they would adapt The Mirror and The Light, the final volume in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, for TV as early as in May 2019. The Guardian reported that the BBC adaptation will see director Peter Kosminsky and screenwriter Peter Straughan resuming their partnership from 2015. Mark Rylance has announced in March 2022 that he was to reprise his role as Thomas Cromwell and that he hoped for a 2023 date to start the production. And we are hoping to hear that Damian will resume his role as Henry VIII. Hilary Mantel’s untimely death in 2022 left me heartbroken since she is my favorite author and it sucks to know that I will not be able to look forward to her new book. But I returned to The Mirror and The Light and read it in her memory. It is the perfect ending  to Mantel’s fantastic trilogy.”

And, finally, in an interview with Natalie Boare of ITV News ahead of his Brighton gig late September, Damian shared the news that he would start filming The Mirror and The Light soon! See the interview in its entirety here and repeat after me: LONG LIVE THE KING!   Continue reading “TOP Damian Lewis Moments 2023: The Return of King Henry VIII”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis’ Last Day on Homeland Set

Nicholas Brody left us forever ten years ago marking Homeland Season 3 finale as the most horrific hour in the history of television for the “Brody widows” among us – a very select group of women! –  who did not want to get used to the idea of Homeland without him! We were simply devastated the day Brody died in Season 3 and extremely ecstatic the day Brody came back for 5 minutes in Season 4. And while most of us have been able to move on to Bobby Axelrod while carrying Nicholas Brody in our hearts, a world without Brody still hurts. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis’ Last Day on Homeland Set”