Month: October 2021

Billions Season 5 Locations Guide

As I mentioned a billion times before, Billions is a dream show for me not only because my favorite actor is in it, but also because New York, from its landmarks to its city parks and to its quirky shops, appears as a cast member in the show! As someone who feels the only home she has in the world is the city that never sleeps, I particularly love it that Billions is taking over New York, the BIG film studio that it is, and shooting all over the place, from Manhattan to Queens to Brooklyn to The Bronx to Long Island and to northern suburbs. So I have put together this Billions Season 5 Location Guide as a loving tribute to my most favorite place on earth and a heartfelt thank you to the show creators for writing a love letter to the city.

Hope you pick and choose and take your own Billions tour in New York City and beyond and give us feedback – especially if you know about a location that is missing in this post! Oh, and in case you missed Fan Fun locations guide for the previous seasons, you can check them out here, here, here, and here. And please note that many show staples like Axe Capital HQ, Chuck’s State AG office, Axe’s luxurious penthouse or Chuck Senior’s apartment were all listed in previous seasons when they first appeared. ENJOY!
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Billions Season 5 Dining Guide

One of my favorite things about my favorite TV show is how it showcases the New York dining scene from hole-in-the-walls to neighborhood gems to Michelin-starred restaurants. And it has been my pleasure to share the information about restaurants appearing on the show first in my weekly recaps and then in a full dining guide by the end of the season for Season 1,  Season 2, Season 3. and Season 4.

Fan Fun Billions dining guides are some of the most popular posts  on the blog and even some leading media outlets have noticed. Look what Forbes Magazine says about us!

“There are posts on actor Damian Lewis’s official website, that diligently track, with screenshots, all the food locations featured in every season. These posts even manage to name-check the take-out Chinese in one scene as the beloved eatery Wo-Hop.”

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“From The Trader’s Desk”: All Good Things…

I’m just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I’m far away from home
And I’ve been facing this alone for much too long
Too Much Love Will Kill You – Brian May (Queen)

Welcome to “From the Trader’s Desk”.

As the title of this post states, all good things must come to an end, and for now at least, Bobby Axelrod has left the Billions building. The title also plays homage to another one of my very favorite television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as the very last episode was titled “All Good Things…” which I still consider two of my favorite hours on television.

In preparing for this post, I read back most of my previous diatribes, and noticed how much Billions, the character of Axe, the Fan Fun community, and my writing and analysis evolved. I also loved re-reading the interaction with our readers. We had many a spirited debate on these pages, and the discussions were always civil, thoughtful, and good fun. A very sincere thank you to each and every one of you who read all of our Billions posts. And a special thank you to Brian Koppelman, David Levien and the entire cast of Billions for being so kind and generous with their time and contributions to our Billions pieces. Continue reading ““From The Trader’s Desk”: All Good Things…”

An Ode to Bobby Axelrod: Top 40

Cheers to five years of Bobby Axelrod on Billions! What an indelible character Damian has etched in our pop culture forever. I’m sure you all have heard by now that Damian has left the show after five seasons. Both the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly reported that there’s an opportunity for him to return – never say never, right – but his time as a regular on the show has come to an end. What you may not know, and the publications go on to explain, is that Damian has always had just a 5-year contract and three years ago Damian expressed the desire to spend more time with his family in England, for obvious reasons. So his departure has always been in the works. But we sure will miss him on our television screens and streaming devices each Sunday, won’t we?

As Billions season five came to an end and Axe escaped to Switzerland for cool nights next to a warm fire with fine chocolates and artisan cheeses, I thought about all the droplets of wisdom and maverick sayings I would miss hearing from this alpha-male hedge fund billionaire each Sunday. So I’ve curated some of my all-time favorite quotes, speeches and one-liners into this Casey Kasem ‘Top 40’ style post, just like the radio disc jokey I used to listen to each Saturday morning during the 80’s.

Let the countdown begin. Here is my Top 40, Axelrod style!

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Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory Bring Their Magic To Poetry: A Tribute

source: gloucestershireecho.co.uk

The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that Damian Lewis rediscovered a love poetry recording he and his late wife Helen McCrory did together at Cheltenham Literature Festival back in October 2014. Well, I was there in the room when Damian and Helen read love poems to each other from The Love Book, a brilliant collection of classic and contemporary love poems that vary from Shakespeare to E.E. Cummings to Maya Angelou coming together in a book as well as in an app. It was a moving and intimate hour with a powerhouse husband and wife team reading poems, teasing each other, and sharing their dynamic chemistry with the audience.

It turns out that when the festival inquired about a possible video recording of the reading in 2014, Helen and Damian said no. Damian tells The Sunday Times: Continue reading “Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory Bring Their Magic To Poetry: A Tribute”