Categories Band of Brothers memory lane Print Media

Damian’s Diary – Oct 20, 2018

Help! I’m Meeting Hanks

by Weekend Reporters | Daily Mail | October 19, 2018

Some of today’s biggest stars have written for us in the past – including Damian Lewis, who wrote this hilarious diary about his big break in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s WWII TV series Band of Brothers. Weekend Magazine shared extracts from Damian Lewis’s diary as a rising star:

Late August 1999 – Call from my agent, Stephanie Randall. Hollywood’s coming to town. Hurrah. Another chance to record myself on a tape for some big blockbuster which will gather dust on a shelf in LA. ‘This is different,’ Stephanie stresses, ‘It’s Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. They’re seeing everybody, and they want you to play an American. It’s gonna be huge.’

Day of audition – I head off on my motorbike. It rains on me, I arrive, soaked and walk down some steps into a colourless Soho basement.

Continue reading Damian’s Diary – Oct 20, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Superlatives: Best, Worst, Most from S3E4 – April 16, 2018

Venture Philanthropy, Yale Bathrooms, and Bad Parenting

by Miles Surrey | The Ringer | April 16, 2018

Source: Showtime

Every week, The Ringer will celebrate the passing of yet another Billions episode by honoring the installment’s best, worst, most, and least. These are your Billions Superlatives.

At the start of this week’s episode, “Hell of a Ride,” it appeared the walls were closing in on Chuck Rhoades—not only was Ira planning to testify against Chuck in the ever-mounting Ice Juice conspiracy, but Connerty had Chuck Sr. at the Southern District’s conference room, offering him immunity to testify against his son. But just before Chuck Sr. opens his mouth, bam, a “Three Days Ago” card flashes across the screen. Oh, Billions, you’re such a tease. The show’s employed flashbacks before, and we’d have to wait until the end of the hour to learn the fate of both Chucks. Chuck Sr. is definitely the MVP of this episode, but definitely not for the reasons you think. We’ll get to that and more with the “Hell of a Ride” superlatives. Let’s get after it.

Worst Inconspicuous Meeting Place

This is actually a tie between the dimly lit parking lot where Chuck meets Oliver Dake and the Manhattan cemetery where Wags, Axe, and Axe’s two security bros convene to look at Wags’ newly acquired burial plot.

Look at these places—nothing good has ever happened in a sketchy parking lot and a goddamn cemetery.

Continue reading Billions Superlatives: Best, Worst, Most from S3E4 – April 16, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media

Why Aren’t You Watching Billions? – March 28, 2018

Eight Reasons You Should Be Watching Billions

by Brian DeBrosse | Over, Over Two Shot | March 28, 2018

Source: Showtime

Billions, the Showtime series starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis, just came back for a third season on Sunday. If you’ve never heard of the show, it centers around Chuck Rhoades, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his quest to take down Bobby Axelrod, a possibly corrupt hedge fund manager.  The show helped the premium cable service snag its best debut ever back in 2016 when it premiered, and while the ratings have been solid, it’s safe to say the show has never driven the conversation in the way shows like Big Little Lies or Westworld have in the past.

And look, I get it, okay? It’s on Showtime, not HBO. Showtime’s track record lately has been… shaky at best, and they’re not known for sticking the landing. But they have given us some incredible starts to series. The first five seasons of Dexter, the first three of Homeland and Weeds… I won’t lie to you; sooner or later, this show may jump the Showtime shark and the main characters might end up prematurely dead or living in seclusion as lumberjacks. But as for right now, Billions is easily one of the best shows on television.

Here are the eight reasons you should be watching Billions:

Continue reading Why Aren’t You Watching Billions? – March 28, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Review

Tight Writing, Intriguing Payoffs as Billions Begins New Season on Showtime – March 25, 2018

“Irresistible Characters, Addictive Story Lines and Great Writing”

by Stephen Spignesi | New Haven Register | March 25, 2018

SPOILERS – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Major changes are afoot when Showtime’s financial intrigue series “Billions” returns for its third season March 25 at 10 p.m. with the episode “The Tie Goes to the Runner.”

At the end of Season 2, hedge-fund billionaire Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis) was seen Ubering his way home after posting bail following his arrest on a slew of charges by his nemesis U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. (New Haven’s own Paul Giamatti). Axe had deliberately sabotaged the Ice Juice company’s signature juice product and made people sick so Ice Juice’s initial public offering would tank and Rhoades would lose a fortune, which he did.

Continue reading Tight Writing, Intriguing Payoffs as Billions Begins New Season on Showtime – March 25, 2018

Categories Billions Interviews Print Media

Damian Lewis on Why Billions is Like a Superhero Show – March 19, 2018

The Cowboy and the Sheriff

by Debra Birnbaum | Variety | March 19, 2018

Source: Showtime

When “Billions” returns for its third season, Damian Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod is in a very unfamiliar place: Under indictment, separated from his wife, and banished from the hedge fund company that bears his name. “It’s a fun trajectory for the character,” he says.

Ahead of the premiere, Lewis talked to Variety about what’s in store for the embattled hedge fund manager, whether Wendy (Maggie Siff) can be trusted, and how closely the season mirrors current headlines.

How does this season compare for you?

I think “Billions” has found its sweet spot. Season 1 was a look at this world and these people behaviorally. Now the cat-and-mouse game has really taken off and the stakes have become higher. It’s helpful to the drama of it. I like the fact that Axe was outmaneuvered at the end of last year by Chuck. And so he finds himself in a unusual position that he’s not used to being in — back to the wall and working out a way of getting back into the game.

Continue reading Damian Lewis on Why Billions is Like a Superhero Show – March 19, 2018