RA Blog Reunion! (2020 Pandemic Edition)

I am so glad I still check Twitter occasionally, otherwise I never would have seen Nat's tweet about wanting to set up a reunion of Richard Armitage bloggers from way back when!
Nat was my first contact with the RA fandom.  At the RichardArmitage Fan Blog, she got me hooked pretty good!  I couldn't resist her humour and musings on what the heck was going on with this crazy obsession we shared.  She must be most famous for drawing and later making videos about Stick-Figure Richard!

I miss you guys too!  While there are still quite a few newer blogs around, (I could never keep up with them all!), there is only one of the original RA blogs still around that pulled me into the whole blog world.  Well, maybe one more too, but I am speaking of course of Servetus of Me and Richard Armitage. When I speak of Servetus in my personal world - usually to my husband - I refer to her as "my professor friend".  Not that we are actually real-life friends -- sadly, I have never met her. But she has been kind enough to donate books to the libraries that I have worked in. As well, I follow her on Facebook in my real-life persona, so I feel like I know her.

Even with the fake nose I am hotter than ever!

I am still a huge fan of Richard Armitage, but I guess after he starred in The Hobbit movie series, I figured he didn't need me to toot his horn anymore.  After all, he was practically famous now.

The proof was that when I started with my interest in this actor, if you Googled his name, you got a picture of a very unattractive, balding American politician.  Now, the internet is studded with the very attractive face of this extremely talented and drop-dead gorgeous British actor.
When I first saw Richard in the wonderful mini series North and South, I couldn't believe that he wasn't as famous as so many other good looking British actors.  Why has no one else (who hadn't seen North and South) even heard of him?  It was an outrage!  Part of my purpose in blogging, besides connecting with other like-minded bloggers, was to give him the attention he deserved.
Now, I doubt very much that my little blog (with its quite small list of subscribers) really had anything to do him gaining fame.  But it made me feel better to write about him, and post pictures of him and poke fun at myself for my crazy obsession.

Hello, fan gurlz! Welcome aboard!

So what have I been doing since I stopped blogging?  By the way, I never really intended to stop blogging, it just happened.  I got lazy. I didn't have the need anymore.  It didn't help that almost everyone had switched blogging platforms from Blogger to Word Press. I tried to work with Word Press but it is definitely not as easy.  So I found it more difficult to comment on the Word Press blogs that sprang up exponentially as RA got more famous.  Spooks (or M1-5, as it was known in North America) helped with that!


Yes, well I can't say I have been doing anything really exciting since my last blog post.  I am still a Library technician in a school library, but sadly, I had to move up from elementary to secondary to keep the same working hours. It has been a steep learning curve and I was grateful for all the skills I acquired while blogging. I miss those little people and I miss reading picture books to them. I have been reading much more Young Adult books lately to try and connect with the older crowd.

Yup! It's Guy of Gisborne!

I have been spending waaaay too much time on my phone and iPad playing stupid games.  One of the ones I am addicted to is The Sims FreePlay.  When I was playing The Sims on my computer years ago, I was able to create a Sim with the same face as RA.  But I lost all that when we got an update.  So the Freeplay version does not give you the same ability to import a picture to make a face resemble a real person.   This was the best I could do,  Who is this good looking guy?


But the best news I have to report is that one of my life goals has finally been accomplished - and it only took a world-wide pandemic and some pointed use of guilt to achieve. I need to preface this story with the fact that my poor husband, who recently retired, injured himself while preparing to paint our kitchen.  He tore his Achilles tendon and was unable to get around without crutches or me to drive him places.  We had a quiet birthday for him unfortunately, as the accident happened the day before his birthday at the end of February. When my birthday rolled around we were about a week into the quarantine and he was feeling badly that he hadn't been able to buy me a present and spoil me like he usually does.  I really didn't mind, I had been feeling bad about not having a nice party for him last month, and besides -- I had another plan.

It's about time you looked this way, buddy!

I announced that the best present he could give me was to watch North and South with me!  I had previously tricked him into watching Castlevania, and he had enjoyed that!  Also we watched The Stranger when it finally came to Netflix and I didn't have to twist his arm too much.  So we watched all four episodes and he grudgingly had to admit that it was very well done.  (I knew he would like it!) Although he maintains he was more interested in the labour dispute than the romance, I could tell he was getting worried when Henry was making the moves on Margaret!

So that is it for now folks!  Thank you again to Nat and all who are participating in this reunion and thanks to all who visit here now and forever, until this blog disappears into the netherland or wherever blogs go to die...

I really couldn't resist this!

I've been meaning to post something for ages...  There is nothing like a good belly laugh to finally get me motivated!

Voice-over Switch: The Hobbit / North & South / by Buchjj

Thanks to fellow RA well-wisher Teresa Armitage, 

who posted this on The RA Friends Network Facebook page.

Here kitty!

I do love cats...even though I cannot have one of my own as I am very allergic. :(
So I have to love them in theory, rather than in practice.

The Tale of Tom Kitten / by Beatrix Potter

As I am a Beatrix Potter fan - I had to include this one.

My personal favourite cartoon kitty was Warner Brothers' Sylvester the cat
voiced by the inimitable Mel Blanc.

Warner Bros. Sylvester the Cat

Since this blog is inclined to be fairly musically oriented, here is Sylvester attempting his musical debut:

Unfortunately he didn't get a warm reception.


 There are many other fabulous cartoon cats, if you are interested in seeing some more,
here is a link to a great article: Famous cartoon cats

The AristoCats was a Disney cartoon feature film which I enjoyed very much when it hit theatres in 1970.  I probably had to wait awhile to see it though. Even though we still had a theatre in our town then, it usually took about a year before it found its way to my neck of the woods.
The music was very memorable.
I was delighted to find this clip from a television special which reunites
two of the best voices in all of moviedom!

Everybody Wants to be a Cat / The Aristocats

 I also remember being inspired to sketch some of these cats,
probably from a comic or possibly colouring book.

This movie, An American Tale : Fievel Goes West came out when my kids were little and I am sure my husband and I enjoyed it as much (or more) than they did.  I particularly liked Dom Deluise's tubby cat named Tiger who was a friend to Fievel Mousekowicz, unlike the bad guy cat who was voiced by John Cleese.  This clip has Tiger rushing to catch a train (while being hindered by countless dogs)!

Dom Deluise as Tiger in Fievel Goes West: An American Tale (pt.2)

Do you remember The Stray Cats?  I loved their retro Rockabilly sound back in the '80s.
This next video includes cute pictures of real kitties.

Stray Cat Strut / The Stray Cats
video by Dayniac4324

Love this next song, and although it is not about cats,
the video cleverly features claymation cats.

Nina Simone _ My Baby Just Cares for me
video by pluisje666

Do you think that Tomcat is a bit of a stalker? Hmmm.....


You may be wondering.... 
What has all this cat stuff got to do 
with Richard Armitage?




Well ... some of us cats know that Richard Armitage 
appeared in the 1994-95 production of the musical Cats 
in London's West End.

Lots of gReAt bloggers have already written about it, but I believe Jonia (Jonia's Cut Blog) was the first to get the scoop on all the best information.  Here is her post about it. (Click Here).
Apparently Richard played the dual roles of Admetus and Macavity.

Jonia has some great videos on her blog but more recently Crystal Chandlyre saved us all some time but compiling several videos to highlight just the parts that Richard Armitage appeared in.

Richard Armitage as Admetus in CATS - Pas De Deux

/ compiled by Crystal Chandlyre

As quoted from the Wikipedia article on Macavity:

Macavity is typically depicted as a cat with a chaotic array of red, orange, white, and sharp black stripes. He is often portrayed with very long claws and wild dark hair. The role of Macavity is usually played by the same actor as Admetus...  His costume is ginger and white, and specifically includes a simple make-up design that the actor transforms into the elaborate Macavity make-up, and then re-applies after the featured scene. Admetus/Plato is also often recognizable as one of the tallest cast members, as the fight scene between Macavity and Munkustrap requires him to be able to lift other male dancers. 

Richard Armitage in the 1994 cast of Cats, on London's West End (photos from Jonia's Cut Blog).

I was rather thrilled to hear he had played the Macavity role because I was very familiar with the poem (from  Old Possum's Book of Cats by T.S. Eliot).

Way back in my elementary school days I performed that poem on stage in our local Festival of the Arts. As it is a fairly long poem I was given kudos by the adjudicator for my (I believe she said) "prodigious" memory (if only it were so good today). But I was also criticized for not putting more feeling into it.  I remember being a bit shocked, because no one else had suggested that I should do that.  My mentors, who were family and friends only helped with my lines, but never did it occur to me that I should do more than get up on stage and recite it!  It made me wonder how differently I could have done it had I actually tried to perform it rather than just recite it. This was long before Andrew Lloyd Webber's  musical CATS was inspired by the poems. If I ever wanted to try the poem again, I think I would rather sing it!


Then, there is the Tumblr blog entitled: 
Richard Armitage with Cats!

When I saw these pictures for the first time, 
it was a very happy day. :)

Here are two of my faves!

This next video is very cleverly done by Ana Cris 
who hosts the blog La Loba.
She has combined clips from the documentary narrated by Richard Armitage
with clips of him in Spooks / MI-5.

Richard Armitage_Eye of the Tiger / by acrl2

Imagine if all the characters in The Hobbit movie were portrayed by... you guessed it -- Cats!

Trailer Cats version of The Hobbit trailer

More Hobbit Cats!
The longer I wait to post this, the more great stuff I find!  This is the newest one. From the fantastically creative graphic artist Tannni  - where she compares the cast of The Hobbit to various cats.

Oh course I had to show you a couple.

She has several options for Thorin.

You simply must click on this to see the whole page!

I know! That was amazing!


You think that's something?  Look at this..
Another great graphic from Tannni!
Watch Richard Armitage transmogrify into the King of the Beasts!

How are you "feline" about cats?  
What is your favourite cat from literature, 
stage or screen?

SNL spoofs The Hobbit!

Thanks to Servetus for her post here:"More Hobbit" on SNL or Mr. Armitage, when they spoof you there, everyone in the U.S. will know who you are...
She thanks her Twitter friends for the alert.  I am very grateful too! But I couldn't play the link she posted (not available in Canada).  So I found this on YouTube and I couldn't resist posting it!

I wouldn't be surprised if this video disappears soon so enjoy it while you can!

Music to the honour the King

In honour of the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien (Jan. 3, 1892 - Sept. 3, 1973)

I have collected a bit of a musical tribute to Tolkien's first fantasy adventure The Hobbit,
focusing on my favourite character, Thorin Oakenshield a.k.a the rightful King Under the Mountain
(portrayed in the movie version by Richard Armitage).

GIF from Tumblr by Courtney of somanyvows.tumblr.com

All Tolkien fans would know of this author's wide influence on the fantasy adventure genre (which began with the publication of The Hobbit in 1937, but one might be surprised to discover his many other influences in pop culture, such as in the field of music.

This first musical offering is in a genre called Folk/Viking Metal (an intriguing style mixture) by the northern British band called Windrider.

The King Under the Mountain / Windrider 

For the lyrics click here

Did you know that Led Zeppelin was one of many rock bands that have been inspired by Tolkien's works?  I'll have to admit - I didn't until now.  However I can't admit to being a huge Zeppelin fan. My husband bought the album that this next song is on and he didn't get the reference until now either. But he read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit long after first hearing this song.

Ramble On / Led Zeppelin

For a composite list of songs with Tolkien influences - check out this web page:
The Tolkien Music List

This next selection has nothing to do with J.R.R. Tolkien or The Hobbit, but its title is reminiscent of Thorin's title of "The King Under the Mountain".  I like to imagine that Tolkien may have been inspired by this music when he was writing his famous works.  And yes, I do know this music has been played ad infinitum in movies and commercials alike, but I still enjoy hearing it!

In the Hall of the Mountain King / Edvard Grieg

Edvard Grieg, a famous Norwegian composer created this music for Henrik Ibsen's musical version of the fairy tale Peer Gynt.  It was first performed in Oslo, Norway in 1876.  Of course, I don't know if Tolkien ever heard this music, but as it is about the hero being chased by Trolls through a cave, it certainly bears much similarity to some scenes in The Hobbit.


This next video is a reading from The Hobbit with illustrations from various artists such as Alan Lee, John Howe, David Wyatt, Greg & Tim Hildebrandt, Ted Nasmith, and Justin Gerard. The beautiful Gaelic Harp music is by the band "Alzibar".

The Hobbit - Misty Mountains / by ambermaykay

But Tolkien's poetry is meant to be sung, and who better than the composer of The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Howard Shore to put those poems to music!  And who better to sing them, then the dwarves themselves, and their deep voiced leader, Thorin Oakenshield.

The Hobbit - Misty Mountain Song / by bccmee

For more traditional Tolkien inspired music, please visit my previous post:
Songs from Middle Earth

What are some of your favourite Tolkien inspired songs?

The Voice - Singing!

There are so many great Hobbit cast interviews out there, but I had a definite fangurl moment while listening to this interview.  Richard Armitage SINGS!  Without a costume.  In his street clothes. And it is soooo gooood!  The rest of the interview is good too, but if you can't wait - fast forward to 2:06!

Thanks so much to RichardArmitageNet for the upload and to Fuckyeahraaarmitage for posting it on Tumblr (which is where I found it). :)

But wait!  Now Judiag has made a clip of the best part on her blog: Confessions of a Watcher.  See it here:
http://www.jagrant.com/watcher/surreal-saturday-richard-sings/

RA in Toronto (Pt.2)

There was so much excitement about Richard Armitage's whirlwind trip to Toronto that I couldn't fit it into one post. It started out in Union Station when his train arrived at 7:00 am on December 3rd.  Canadian fans had to rise very early that morning to be ready to greet him but they couldn't miss this opportunity!

  Here is another fan's experience meeting the man himself! 

photo courtesy of Damzell

Known to her friends on the Forums as Damzelle, she has been a fan of Richard Armitage for over 10 years! Here is her account of the meeting:

 Leslieg and Puff and I met in Union Station at about 6 am. Leslieg had yellow roses for us to wear. She had the sign and a T-shirt to give to Richard that the Wellington fans had been wearing at the premiere. At 7 they handed out movie passes for the advance screening, Gandalf hats and mini-posters for the movie. I asked an official looking woman if Richard was coming. She said no. But another woman said he would be there around 8. 

"He's there!" And he was standing in a big crowd of people getting him to sign things and take photos. I was actually concerned that there didn't seem to be anyone protecting him. Leslieg got her sign signed and gave him the t-shirt. He was very gracious. They moved him over to the Hobbit door that was decorated up and 

he stood there doing taped interviews for quite a while. Then people moved closer and a girl ahead of me asked for a picture. He said fine and she handed her phone to me. I took the picture and then handed my phone to her. Puff and I sandwiched him and pictures were taken. I don't think I said anything to him. I don't think I looked at him. I literally have no clear memory of this point.

People were leaving. Then he was standing relatively alone and I went up and asked if he would sign my magazine. He did and I said thank you. He said, "Well thank you for coming." I looked at him like he was crazy and walked away.

More people left. I went up and got him to sign the mini-poster. That time I managed, "Thank you. You're a brilliant actor." I think he said thank you as I walked away.

They dragged him back for more pictures. I went up with one of the give-aways that turns out to be wrapping paper with pictures of all the dwarves on it. I asked him to sign it and started unfolding it. He said, "Are you looking for me?" He started helping me and said, "I'm on the fold." He signed it and said, "You can get them all." I once again looked at him like he was crazy and thought "but I only care about you." 

I explained that he'd signed things for me before that we'd put in an auction to raise money for Equality Now and that these things would also raise money for charity. He said, "Charity, that's wonderful!"

My overwhelming sense is that he was behaving very normally and trying to put everyone at their ease while we were crazed. He was wonderfully patient signing and posing for photos for about 45 minutes. And unfailingly lovely and cheerful the whole time when he must have been soooo tired. 

Damzelle gets his autograph! (photo courtesy of Jonia)

Then Puff and Leslieg and I had tickets for the talk show Strombo where they gave us more Gandalf hats and we watched him interview RA. Then we had to hot foot it to the theatre for the advanced screening. RA gave a very brief introduction and then ran off to catch a plane. It was a long FANTASTIC day.

Thanks so much for sharing your exciting experience with us Damzelle!  

The following video by the Space Channel not only interviews Richard but also many of his fans, as well as showing the hub bub at the station.

Here is another version of the fan event at Union Station, with more fan interviews. There is a particularly good interview of Damzell plus the complete studio interview of Richard Armitage where the interviewers unfortunately mispronounce his last name.

Next up: The Interview with George Stroumbopoulos!

RA in Toronto! (Pt.1)

Well, my New Year's Eve wish came true!  I had hoped that Richard Armitage might visit Toronto and on December 3rd, 2012 - he actually did!  Unfortunately I was not able to get to my provincial capital to be a part of the festivities, but there were several lucky fans who were there. Two of them, known fondly as Puff and Leslieg have been telling their story on one of the C19 Facebook pages (a private group unfortunately).  They are also long time members of the C19 Forum and have been posting the whole story on threads there.

RA fans pose with him at Toronto Union Station

Leslieg kindly consented to an interview:


Please tell me how long you have been an RA fan. How long have you been active on C19 forum?

I first clocked RA when my beloved Sparkhouse aired on BBC Canada in the spring of 2003. I watched the scene set at the top of the stairs in Hebden Bridge, then realised it was that Wuthering Heights adaptation, and changed channels!!! I saw him in things over the intervening years, but it was Robin Hood that dragged me to the internet, as I am the Dial-up Queen, and I found C19 first, in June 2007. I've been active in the wider community ever since.

Have you met up with other RA fans before? If so, about how many times have you gotten together?

I've been to several meet-ups over the years: RAC meet-ups in Dallas '07, Detroit '09, and Ottawa '11 (hosted by me); an AA meet-up in '08 at Horsted Keynes train station with my daughter in tow, age five at the time; BAFTAs in '08, but no RA; annual meet-ups with various members of the forums in the UK, including an annual playdate for E with the daughter of another member. I've done trips up north, and had visits with people in my home stomping grounds of London and Kent. Everyone has been wonderful. I even managed to meet one dear friend who lives near Perth, Australia when we were both in the UK at the same time. She came south and I went north to meet her in London.

What was it that made you a fan in the first place?

I think it's Richard's ability to inhabit the character and his choice of characters that display character development. His messages to us all drew me in further.

I have heard that you are a frequent traveler to Great Britain.  Did you ever encounter him over there?

 I have always expected that I was more likely to bump into RA in London than in Canada. Our country is so big, that logistically, it simply made more sense that I would see him across the pond on one of my many trips. So when I found out he would be in Toronto on the George Stroumboulopoulos show, within 400 kilometres of my front door, I decided that I would make the journey.

What (if any) difficulties did you encounter with this trip to see RA?

Giggle!!! When I left the house on Sunday to drive to Toronto, approximately four hours away, I was leaving my husband with a questionnable vehicle, for starters. Then I had icy road surfaces on the drive on our dirt road to the main road, where I nearly slid right off the paved road! I had to change my driving route, and drive more slowly as I headed southwest, to avoid dangerous backroads I would normally take. Then I had pelting rain on the 401 all the way to the big city, and drizzle all the way home in the wee hours.


Please describe your first glimpse of him.

We weren't sure what direction he would be coming from, and so we had stationed ourselves near the hobbit hole display in the station.  I loved [I think she meant to write "leaned" but that mistake is very telling] over towards the KISS 92.5  (a local radio station) table and said, "There he is!" I could see his head above most people around him!

You were dressed as a Hobbit, is that right?

No, I had on a Thorin Oakenshield t-shirt my husband had bought for me, and we had to wear "Gandalf" hats with The Hobbit on the brim.

That sign was a wonderful idea. May I use the pictures?

Oh, yes. My daughter and I made it together.  It said “A Canadian NOT Rubbish Richard Armitage Sign,” as an in-joke to all the rubbish Richard Armitage signs that people took to the sets of Black Sky in Michigan over the summer. Richard looked at it and laughed and signed it for me.

And here is Richard Armitage's reaction to the sign:

(Photo courtesy of Puff)

And here he is autographing their sign!

photo from Warner Brothers Facebook page

The Marilyn Denis interview went very well. Did you get to see him after that?
Please tell us more about your day.

No one in our group was able to attend Marilyn's show, because tickets had to be ordered three weeks or more in advance, and we only learned late last week that he would be a guest. I watched the interview from the comfort of my hotel room overlooking Union Station. Then it was off to George Stroumboulopoulos at the CBC. We had been given passes for the advance screening that evening, so we knew we would see him both times.

You attended the George Stroumboulopoulos show. How did that interview go?

Stroumbo is one of the best interviewers in Canada, and I had high expectations, which were exceeded. George asked intelligent questions and allowed Richard to talk about Tolkien at length, as well as the aspects of the filming process. I don't know how much of it will make it to tape, but I told George afterwards that it was the best interview I'd ever seen of Richard. And there were no references to the circus or our overall community in a negative way.

Had you ever attended an interview show before? Would you enjoy going again (even if it wasn't RA being interviewed)?

No, I hadn't been to any taping of a television show of any sort. I doubt I would ever go again, unless it was for RA.

Did you get to the premiere as well?

Yes, we were very lucky to have passes, although we had to walk very quickly to the theatre after the Stroumbo taping, so we missed seeing Richard inside, except for his introduction of the film. Then he left, and we settled in to enjoy watching him rock the role of Thorin.

Please tell us anything else that was memorable about the evening.

I think I've covered it, pretty much. It was in the morning, when I was able to talk to Richard a few times that things were most memorable, and I am keeping those moments for my reports on the forums. It's our last chance for Richard to be our little secret, before the wider world recognizes what we've known for years, that he's a wonderful actor, consummate professional, and a very kind gentleman.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. We will all enjoy reliving this wonderful memory with you.

photo courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

Note: The interview with George Stroumbolopoulos will be aired on CBC television on Wed. Dec. 12, 2012.

Vindicated!

While catching up with The Hobbit worldwide premiere tours and the gorgeous pictures and exciting videos along with blog posts from fans about it all that  are deluging my email and Facebook accounts, one particular video finally stopped me in my tracks.

The interview in Japan with Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman and of course Richard Armitage, kindly made available by RACentral, in particular Part 4.

(Any underage readers please skip this next bit...)  Peter Jackson's words of praise for Richard Armitage actually gave me an eargasm!  I don't know how else to describe it.  Have you ever been brought to tears by a particularly strong orgasm?  Well that's kind of what it was like to hear Peter Jackson's praise for Richard Armitage!

It's a good thing that I was alone in my house when I saw it because I immediately burst into uncontrollable sobbing.  How wonderful to finally hear the things we fans have been trumpeting out into cyberspace from a world class Director about a performance which will illustrate to the world what we have known all along!  I feel vindicated!  It was a "See! I told you so," kind of moment, but so much better!  Because that feeling was tied up with so many others.

It has been rather a lonely experience being a Richard Armitage fan.  I have treasured the virtual contact with his fans from all over the world which has been a truly unique and creatively stimulating experience for me.  Still it is disheartening to endure the blank looks I encounter when I mention his name in my real life relationships.  (Except for family members who usually roll their eyes while thinking, "There she goes again, I'll just humour her and pretend to listen!")  I have been longing for the day when I can have a discussion about him in the real world and now I'm realizing that the moment is almost here for me.

But never mind me!  I am also so excited and overjoyed for Richard Armitage himself!  What must it be like for him to see all his dreams finally reaching fruition?  It's just such an overwhelming emotional tsunami!

Here are Mr. Jackson's words which I needed to transcribe because I was so pleased with them:

In many respects I look on the characters Bilbo and Thorin as the heart and soul of the story.  And if Bilbo is the heart, then Thorin is the soul. We auditioned the role, saw many, many actors and Richard really managed to capture for us the very important ... the sense of nobility because essentially he is playing a king. But also the conflict as to whether or not he has the ability to lead these dwarves on this very difficult quest - a small number to fight a dragon to reclaim a homeland.  That's a very noble thing he's trying to do and yet he doesn't really have the resources (if you like) to do this.  And so it's...  And also with the character, there's a sense of honour that Richard - (that sort of quiet honour) that Richard carries which I think is absolutely superb.  And as an actor, Richard is one of those very rare actors which ummm... he uses stillness and he uses quiet to draw your eye.  That there can be a lot of things happening on the screen and many characters on the screen and yet Thorin - in his stillness draws your attention.  It's a very, very rare skill.  He's somebody who, when he's on the screen that your eyes go to that you want to watch.

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Jackson.  Richard Armitage is a very rare actor indeed.  But I counter that even though he does have an innate sense of nobility and honour, he was definitely drawing on that natural ability to the nth degree in this role.  As for using stillness and quiet, that is exactly what he does so admirably!  I have never seen an actor that can speak such volumes with the merest flicker of an eyelid!

He is so like a movie star of old, with his star quality.  I have likened him to Cary Grant, and Gary Cooper! (Thanks to Face in Hole). :) In other posts I have pointed out his similarities to Rudolph Valentino, and Paul Newman. There are many more screen stars of Hollywood's heyday that I haven't gotten around to comparing him to yet, but the fact is he has been star material since he first strode across the cotton mill floor in North and South.  Yes, our eyes gravitate to him.  When he is in a scene he holds our entire attention.  (Who would want to look anywhere else?)

This reminds me of one of my favourite fanvideos which was recently updated for RA's birthday. 

Here is GiztheGunslinger's second fanvideo to the tune of Filmstar by Suede.

And now he really is a Film Star!
Whether fans like it or not, (but hopefully he likes it) - that is how it is going to be.

Source: RichardArmitageNet.com

I Got Mail!

Yes indeed!  A package arrived for me today, the old school kind of mail - in a big blue bag labeled Royal Mail!  Score!  My copies of Empire Magazine have finally arrived! I ordered all five covers. Of course I am especially pleased to have this one.  It was also the first one to be SOLD OUT!

3D photography by Nels Israelson

(Thanks for sharing the link Meredith!)

I am getting very excited about The Hobbit movie.  Christmas will almost be an afterthought once I have experienced this long awaited triumph!  To sit in a darkened theatre seat and finally see my favourite actor in a major role on the big screen in 3D no less!  I can only hope I don't have a heart attack!!

I haven't posted any trailers for this movie yet, but now I've come across a fan-made compilation of all the trailers so far!  Thank you to Diane at C19 for posting the link to this!

I won't be getting into the city to see this when it first premieres but hopefully by the next week I will have seen it.  How will I stand the wait?!

Eye Wonder

There has been so much to see and hear since Richard Armitage appeared at Comic-Con in San Diego, California with director Peter Jackson and fellow castmates Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Elijiah Wood.

I have not had access to my computer lately in order to make any postings about what's been going on, as I have been entertaining visiting family at my home away from home at the lake.  Luckily I have been able to keep up to date with my Iphone, or I would be really out of it!  While I have been ogling the latest pictures and becoming more dismayed about the fur flying in the fandom, I have tried to make a few comments on the various blogs out there.  If I missed yours, I'm sorry, I did try a few times on several blogs and for whatever reason I wasn't able to get my comment through.  

What I noticed right away about Comic-Con was the rather "eye catching" logo.  It reminded me of something.  Can you guess what it was?  It shouldn't be hard if you are a frequent visitor to this blog!  If not, I will give you a hint...

I am a eye-lover.  And lately the eyes that most transfix me belong to the British actor that I blather on about on this blog.  (I think we know to whom I am referring.)  Just in case you don't see the resemblance, I will provide the picture proof.  It was while I was watching Richard Armitage being interviewed while sitting in front of a mural of logos that I first noticed it...

Okay, not so much this picture.  But wait... there's more...

His eyes are pretty intense as Ricky Deeming in the George Gently series

Bill Chatford has the evil eye in Malice Aforethought.

Philip Durrant has something to hide in Ordeal by Innocence

 In Moving On the charmer John Mulligan shows his true self as his mask slips off in the last scene.

 Ian Macalwain is too serious for his own good in Ultimate Force

 Not convinced yet?  I have much more examples!

Percy Courtney is a bad egg in Miss Marie Lloyd

Heinz Kruger is a Nazi spy in Captain America

Lucas North loses direction in Spooks / MI-5 series 9

Guy of Gisborne is a baddie in guyliner in Robin Hood

Let us not forget the champion brooder John Thornton in North and South

John Porter is tough as nails in Strike Back

Thorin Oakenshield is burning for revenge in The Hobbit


I was unable to discover the background history to the Comic-Con logo, such as who created it andn when and especially whose eye it represents?  If anyone out there knows, I would be interested in finding out.  In the meantime, if you agree that the eye looks like it belongs to one of these chaRActers, please vote in the following poll.


UPDATE: (next day)
Sorry for the frustration, but it appears that the following poll from Polldaddy is not working properly.  If you are able to vote please do, but if not, I hope you won't mind leaving your choice in a comment.  If I ever get it working properly I will try to update the poll. 
(If I can! Any advice would be appreciated.)

UPDATE to the previous update...
If you can change your browser to IE (Internet Explorer) the poll works in that one (but not Firefox or Google Chrome) - Go figure!

Rummage for Richard!

There's been another of those rare sightings of Richard Armitage thanks to Peter Jackson's video blogs via Facebook. Here is his 7th installment.  If you are not a fan of The Hobbit or are too impatient to watch 14 minutes of video for those rare seconds of Armitage spotting then you will be very grateful to Ali at Richard Armitage Net for her speedy screen caps. Click here to see them. Why not leave her a little comment in the Guest Book?

Here are some of my favourites:

Richard being HOT

 

Richard being COOL

Richard lighting up a room

There has been much discussion in the RA fandom about Richard Armitage's lack of availability since he began work in New Zealand.  The only work project he has been in since his ignoble demise in Spooks series 9 was in the sequel to Strike Back where his character was reintroduced only in order to assassinate him!  There were a couple of photo shoots and some voice work and commercials since then but most fans have been complaining of the drought. Still other fans have been losing interest or jumping ship altogether!

I appreciate the effort that the fan known as ArmitageWatch and her friends have done recently to keep us all engaged.  The Global Watch of North and South last weekend was well planned and went off without any trouble.  There are plans to continue this weekend with Robin Hood and Spooks. See the calendar here.

We can't be blamed for thinking Richard might be hiding from us a bit.  In fact, it's been noticed from the beginning.  If I hadn't circled him, finding RA in this Hobbit group photo can be almost as hard as finding Waldo.

In fact this next video, in which someone impersonating Werner Herzog does an amazing job of narrating the Where's Waldo? picture book, reminds me very much of the whole "where is Armitage?"controversy.

If you are the competitive type and want another challenge,
you should really try the game Tanni Tani created for his birthday.
You click on him every time he pops up and he gets a kiss!  Click here to play!

What do you think?  Is RA purposely playing hard to get?  Does he need his time to stay "in character" as Thorin and find it hard to be himself?  Is he just being his shy self?

RAving for Richard

Lighten the darkness

A memorial candle brightens the darkness of the season.

Even though this is not a Christmas song, it seems appropriate.

Long as I Can See the Light / CCR

This time of year can be very difficult for people who are far from their loved ones or worse, have lost someone close to them.  The long periods of darkness also lead to depression in some who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  

Lighting a candle to remember a loved one is a time-honoured custom.  Although it was traditionally done in a church, the practise does not need to be religious.  It does not even have to be a real candle.  If you wish, you can follow the highlighted link to Light a virtual candle.

Wintersong / Sarah MacLachlan

Just belting out a tune can help to lighten a mood. So if you have the blues, there's nothing better than to sing the Blues!

Christmas Blues / Amy Sky and Colin James

The angelic tones of this boys' choir named Liberia is definitely in tune with the Christmas season.

Light the Candles of the World / Liberia

The Jewish holiday of the Festival of the Lights (Hanukkah) started yesterday. Servetus from Me + Richard Blog has made a Chanukkah video starring none other than RA to help celebrate the festival.

Here are some photos of Richard Armitage featured in various roles, illuminated by candlelight .

 

 As John Thornton in North and South (episode 2)

 As Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood (series 3).

As Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit (to be released in Dec. 2012)

Bask in the glow of his loveliness and experience the Armitage Effect!

The days are now starting to lengthen again at the passing of the Winter Solstice.  Likewise the lack of news from The Hobbit is over with the release of the trailer!

****UPDATE***
(for Canadians who like Richard Armitage and/or Dawn French)

Tyme4t sent me a note that Vision TV will be showing The Vicar of Dibley Christmas specials (2006) Tonight!: Thursday Dec. 22 (Part 1), and Friday Dec. 23 (Part 2) at 8:00 ET (7:00 Central time)

Watching Harry Kennedy propose to Geraldine Granger lights me up - every time!