Month: February 2017

Joining the Band: Paige’s Story

Hello all! Damianista welcomes you to a NEW fan story!

One of the most rewarding things about doing this fan blog is meeting fellow fans with whom you hit it off immediately. And, Paige is certainly one of them. We first met online but then in person at Damian’s Times Talks in New York last summer and have been in regular touch since then. Damian made Times Talks a special treat for the audience with his delightful stories and brilliant sense of humor. There was a lot of laughter in the room and I believe Paige and I provide concrete evidence in the picture below 🙂

Paige is not only a great Damian Lewis fan, she is also a brilliant blogger. You should definitely check out her blog Maximum Tuneage and read about how she almost did anything for Damian Lewis and why I am her walking .gif 😀

Without further ado, here is Paige sharing her fan story: Continue reading “Joining the Band: Paige’s Story”

Billions on Showtime, Season 2, Episode 2: Dead Cat Bounce

That is what you get when you try to poach Axe’s most valuable employee, Todd.

Axe starts picking on Todd’s obviously scripted speech at Spartan-Ives “Global Thought Leaders” panel moderated by Lawrence Boyd. While Krakow’s choice of poet is Pindar, Axe’s seems to be Walt Whitman (who can forget the “barbaric yawp” scene from Dead Poets Society?). Is it just me or does Wags’ smile turn to concern as Axe leaves the room saying Krakow’s “party cocktail tutor” owes him a refund?

source: Showtime

Axe apologizes to Boyd for being a bad boy but Boyd cannot be happier about what just happened. It seems he picked the panel for its entertainment value. The street will talk about this for weeks and whoever was not in the room will make Spartan-Ives their prime broker to be able to attend next year. Axe is not happy about playing “the bull” to Boyd’s “red sash” every time. Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 2, Episode 2: Dead Cat Bounce”

Previously on Billions: Season 2, Episode 1

Previously on Billions…

source: Showtime

Lights, camera, action.

Bobby thinks a race course is a good meeting place to discuss how he and Orrin are going to win.

The soundtrack to season 2 seems like it will be every bit as good as season 1.

The Axe capital staff are having a spontaneous conference outside while waiting to get back to work. Apparently, they have been working from home for 3 weeks.  Mafee is not buying the “fire extinguisher system malfunction”. I knew there was a reason I like Mafee!

Axe is not letting anyone in until Wags shows up as

“You don’t let the animals in until their keeper is here too!”

Oh, welcome back, Billions. You have been missed!

Oliver Dake from Office of Professional Responsibility shows up to ruin Chuck’s morning. He is there to conduct an investigation into Chuck’s use of his office. It seems Chuck was warned he was coming as he has an office all set up for him.

The animals are allowed in and Axe has certainly ramped up the security, magnetic ID bracelets etc.

Source: Showtime

Continue reading “Previously on Billions: Season 2, Episode 1”

From the Trader’s Desk: “Risk Management”, Episode 1 Season 2 of Billions

Welcome to “From the Trader’s Desk” for the 2nd Season of Billions! The original concept of these posts was to recap of 2-3 episodes from my point of view as a trader, and to help with any confusion with “fin speak”. However, “Risk Management” was so meaty; I had to dive right in. So now, without further ado….

”Trading is gambling, legalized gambling.”

source: Showtime

Those are words I spoke to Damianista on our first meeting. I think she asked me how I got into the financial industry, and I told her I loved to gamble, and found a way to do it legally.

How fitting then is it that we open Season 2 with Axe sitting at a racetrack! Now, I’ll admit, I didn’t know it was Yonkers Raceway. I thought it was Belmont Park, a place my grandfather would take me to as a kid. Axe tells Bach “this place made me”, and I totally understand. Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk: “Risk Management”, Episode 1 Season 2 of Billions”

Damian Lewis on Stage: Five Gold Rings or When Damian Met Helen :D

Matt Wolf, a theater critic who interviews Damian Lewis at Times Talks London in May 2014, spends quite some time talking to Damian about each and every play he has done to date at length, well, except for one: When it comes to Five Gold Rings, Wolf mentions it briefly and as more of a personal highlight than a professional one for Damian!

Matt Wolf: “One production at The Almeida called Five Gold Rings was perhaps not that successful except that it has the woman whom you ended up marrying so I would assume it was a success in that way.”

Damian laughs: “Yeah.”

source: Getty Images

Sweet! And it goes without saying that today’s walk in memory lane will be as much about Five Gold Rings as about When Damian Met Helen 😀 Continue reading “Damian Lewis on Stage: Five Gold Rings or When Damian Met Helen :D”