Thanks to Carolin and Milou for sharing their stories of meeting Damian Lewis outside the Comedy Theatre this past week. Click here at the Yahoo! group for Milou’s report on meeting Damian on Feb 11th (she gave him a birthday present :)) and here to read Carolin’s story from Feb 17th. Click here at the gallery for Carolin’s pictures.

Gallery update: Click here at the gallery pictures of Damian from Friday, February 19th.

Graphics on livejournal: Click here and here for gorgeous Life icons by Jules and wraithness. Click here for a Band of Brothers picspam by entwinedangels and here for a Bastogne picspam by contaminatorz.

Noomi65 has a new fan-video “Damian Lewis - Contradictions” on Youtube:

Video of Damian and Keira after a show:

Gallery update: Click here at the gallery for pictures of Damian Lewis leaving the Comedy Theatre on Saturday, February 13th.

Damian will be taking part in the The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Tour Rides again in September. From the RoadCyclingUK site:

“Cycling through London with all the roads closed and seeing all the sights was too good to resist. It was fabulous - feeling like a pro for a second. Anyone taking on this challenge in 2010 will also be cycling to show their support for a great cause. I feel passionate about supporting The Prostate Cancer Charity in improving the lives of the 35,000 men, and their families, who are affected by the disease every year.”

Click here for more info on how to sign up. Click here at the gallery to view pictures from last year’s event. Thanks to Ann for the news!

Happy Birthday to Damian Lewis who turns 39 today! Thank you for brightening our lives with your amazing talent. May you have another wonderful year of continued success!

Congratulations to production of The Misanthrope for their 3 Laurence Olivier Award nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Keire Knightley), Best Revival, and Best Costume Design. The awards will be presented March 21 in a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Click here, here, and here for more information.

Gallery update: Click here at the gallery for a couple pictures of Damian Lewis leaving the Comedy Theatre on Thursday, February 4th.

New download: Click here on our Events page to download a video interview with Damian at the South Bank Awards Show. Many thanks to Kaz!

The Baker will screen in Old Saybrook, CT on Friday, February 12th as part of Connecticut Film Festival activities. Click here for ticket information. Click here for more info on the festival.

BBC Radio 4 will rebroadcast The Saturday Play thriller The Small Back Room at 2:30pm on Saturday. Click here on the Audio page to download it in mp3. More info on the project page here.

Gallery update: Click here at the gallery for a Damian Lewis interview from John Lewis Edition.

An excerpt from the interview:

I ask him if he overlapped with David Cameron at Eton. He gives me a funny look and I immediately correct myself: ‘Of course, he probably left before you got there.’

‘Actually I’m considerably younger,’ he says.

I start laughing, assuming he’s joking, then quickly realize he’s not. Cameron is 43 while Lewis is 38. Oh God! What have I said? ‘Sorry about that,’ I say, slapping my forehead. ‘I’m an idiot.’

‘Don’t worry,’ he says, ‘I just look old before my time. It’s the effect of all the drugs.’

Click here for items autographed by Damian Lewis (after a performance).

Many thanks to June for all the scans!

Gallery update: Click here at the gallery for pictures of Damian Lewis leaving Comedy Theatre and at The Ivy restaurant on Saturday.

Click below for Youtube videos of Damian at The South Bank Awards Show last Tuesday.

At the 1:20 mark:

At the 2:15 mark:

Damian leaving the Comedy Theatre last week:

A couple more positive reviews for The Escapist which was released on DVD in the US this past week:

Amy Longsdorf of The Record

Brian Cox, so good as Hannibal Lecter in “Manhunter,” goes behind bars once again for a gritty prison drama with a whooper of a twist ending. Cox plays a lifer determined to break out of a London penitentiary in time to save his estranged junkie daughter from certain death. Brutally violent, the film benefits from fine performances by Dominic Cooper, Joseph Fiennes, Steven MacKintosh and Damian Lewis.

David Roark of Pegasusnews.com

The Escapist, however, exceeds the confines of its genre by relying on its characters and their realism rather than the formula, though without fleeing from stock elements, resulting in a raw and believable film that leaves you thinking. … Beyond realistic characters, Wyatt takes the genre a step further with metaphor. Though it’s subtle and slightly ambiguous, this element adds an interesting twist. Not to mention, the way it plays out is captivating.

Gallery updates: Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory attended The South Bank Awards Show on Tuesday. Click here at the gallery for pictures of the pair looking gorgeous!

A reminder: The Escapist dvd was released in the US on Tuesday! Click here for links. Some press reviews:

Tom Russo of The Boston Globe:

What immediately grabs you about first-time filmmaker Rupert Wyatt’s British jailbreak flick is the fresh cast: Sympathetic lifer Brian Cox makes a dash for it with a group that includes Joseph Fiennes and Dominic Cooper (The History Boys). (Damian Lewis of Life is the bippy-topped kingpin of their gonzo, Mad Max-imum security pen.) What will keep you intrigued is their commitment to minimalist dialogue, which makes a terrific puzzle out of the story’s jumps back and forth between planning and execution.

Chris Ball of The Plain Dealer:

A convict serving a life sentence in a decrepit London prison becomes determined to break out when he learns his estranged daughter is terminally ill. He recruits some trustworthy inmates and hatches an elaborate scheme, but the biggest threat to his plan comes not from the corrupt guards but from the psycho prisoners who run the joint. This smashing 2008 thriller culminates in a satisfying surprise ending.

Billy O’ Keefe of the McClatchy-Tribune

Is there room for another no-nonsense prison escape film in a world that’s already seen so many? If it receives the level of care this one receives, then yes, yes there is. … All that energy instead goes toward assembling a roster of deeply engaging characters (Damian Lewis, Seu Jorge, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Liam Cunningham, Steven Mackintosh) who embody characteristics one expects from hardened convicts while still managing to avoid the usual stereotypes and pratfalls that undermine so many prison films.

Gallery updates: Click here for pictures of Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory at J Sheekey restaurant on Tuesday, Jan 19th and here for pictures of Damian and Helen leaving the Comedy Theatre on Wednesday, Jan 20th.

From the LAT blog Culture Monster:

Audiences are also paying as much as 50 pounds (about $85) to see Keira Knightley’s West End debut in an updated English version of Moliere’s The Misanthrope which includes a throw-away line about the ticket price. Critical opinion of Knightley’s performance has been mixed, but the show is one of several sold-out shows rumored to be bound for New York.

Let there be some basis to this rumor! :O

The Flemish tv channel Canvas will begin rebroadcasting Band of Brothers on February 5th at 20h40. Click here for more info. Thanks to Linda for the news!