Mulubinba did a wonderful post, “The End of an Era” to honor the Armitage Army site as it closes today.
I want to add my appreciation for all of the work done there by Eli, and I send all my best wishes to her.
I’m Officially Sick
Until now I’ve just been teasing. But that Sean Pruen video has me messed up in the head. LOL! Yes, I’m laughing, but it’s a kind of hysterical laugh that would creep you out if you heard it. LOL!
I don’t even want to analyze the video. Yes, I’ve analyzed others in minute detail, but I dare not tell you what I’m really thinking about some of the things I’ve looked at. Better to make it a joke. I’m having a hard time making something funny out of this:
And if that one doesn’t do it for you, then how ’bout one of these?
If you’re unmoved, then you are dead.
If Sean ever reads this entry, I hope he knows this is what happens when “viral” is a label. ;-)
Screencaps courtesy of my stash by way of Sean Pruen’s lovely video to be found here.
How Did I Miss This?
A few days ago I stumbled on a web page that I cannot believe I’ve never seen! It’s on one of Elvira’s sites, and as much as I’ve combed over read her sites, somehow I never saw this, and I would have remembered it! It’s really good, and actually, I’m glad I didn’t see it before I started this blog or I might not have started this blog, and you wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading my musings, rantings and just general bs*. Wait. Let me rephrase that. “I” would not have had the pleasure of musing, ranting and just generally putting out a bunch of bs. Sadly, most of us look down on bs, but sometimes it feels good. Just sayin’. ;-)
Okay, so here’s what I’m talking about, and just to make it crystal, HCMO=Handsome Cotton Mill Owner:
Red Queen, a treasured member of C19, wrote these whimsical diary entries, which follow her struggles as a North and South addict. Originally posted on C19, republished here with permission.
Diary of an Addict by Red Queen
13 January 2005 12:32
0700: Alarm goes off. First thought of the day definitely not about a handsome cotton mill owner nor what it might be like to kiss said HCMO awake. No indeed: chez Red Queen there is a highly disciplined regime of breakfast eating, teeth cleaning and general getting ready for work.
0830-0930: Journey to work on train. Unfavourable comparisons made between train journeys taken by highly fortunate young women named Margaret and train journeys taken by self. When alighting from train, have a quick peek around platform in case there are any HCMOs lurking. There aren’t. Complete journey to work on foot wondering if investing in frisbee style hat might improve chances of meeting HCMO. Decide not.
0930-1300: oh God – work is here. Spend morning exuding calm efficiency and effortless concentration. Thoughts of HCMO do not break concentration nor do visits to a messageboard cause strange squeaks of delight and/or laughter which have to be concealed from increasingly bemused colleagues.
1300-1400: lunch with friend. Actually manage not to think about HCMO for a while. Although when friend asks why she’s been having difficulty reaching me by telephone in the evening, feign ignorance. Cannot face dear friend’s look of incredulity when she hears scale of problem.
Read the rest here and then click the image again to enlarge.
I don’t know Red Queen, but all I can say is great minds think alike.
Uh, maybe her mind is a little better than mine. LOL!
By the way, Red Queen also wrote a a conversation between Darcy and Thornton, which I love too and had seen a long time ago on someone’ s Facebook page but didn’t realize she wrote it. Clever, clever Red Queen! Yeah, her mind is definitely better than mine. :D
*For those not familiar with the term, bs=nonsense. Yeah, that’s what it means or something like that.
edit: the site FoolishPassion.com no longer exists, so the links have been updated to direct to a cached copy of the pages at Archive.Org. If those links rot as well, I also have screencaps for future use. Also, please note that the page may take a moment to load.
The Big Kahuna
For a while now I’ve wanted to get inside the head of someone in particular. No, it’s not Richard Armitage. Heck, I’m trying to stay out of his head. But it’s someone whose influence on his fans (especially in America) is untold in my opinion, and the effect on me personally has been, well, this blog wouldn’t exist without it. For over three years her creations have given me countless hours of pleasure, and there’s an energy that comes with them that’s had me often wondering about their creator. Her name is Heather. Some of you know her as Heathra or Heathdances from YouTube. I think of her as The Big Kahuna, and I’m honored to be the first to interview her.
Heather, I guess you know by now you’re responsible for introducing me to Richard Armitage, and of course all that’s ensued. What I’ve wanted to know for a long time, and perhaps have missed in everything I’ve read, is how you were introduced to him and did you become an instant fan or did that take awhile to build?
That is great! I love to hear the fact that I am partly responsible for someone else’s RA addiction! LOL Me getting introduced to RA? It’s actually probably similar to a lot of people. I have been and still am a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice and as I was looking on Amazon, it recommended North & South, probably because I liked Pride & Prejudice. ;-) I read the reviews and everyone was saying how much they loved it and if you like P&P, you will love this, so I took a chance and bought it. This was probably back around April 2006. About two days later I got it and because it was 4 hours I thought I would watch the first half that night and then the second half the next night, since I started watching it at 10pm. LOL Well, let’s just say I stayed up until 2am because after the first half I couldn’t leave it there! Then I watched the kissing scene at the end about 10 times before going to bed! ha ha ha! I was hooked! I think I watched it almost everyday for about two weeks. I pretty much became an instant fan. I was making fan videos of P&P at the time, and then I made my first fan video of N&S and it got me even more into Richard. Then kept doing more videos! LOL Someone asked if they could share my N&S “How To Save a Life” video on C19, and I thought what is that? So I told her she could, and then I joined because I was curious and noticed all these people who were just as curious about Richard as I was! I wanted to watch everything this man was in! I joined when Robin Hood Season 1 came out and Vicar of Dibley, and I was in absolute heaven after that and could not get enough. LOL!
I’ve often said there should be a warning label on that movie, but maybe your videos also need a warning label! They are highly addictive. I’ve enjoyed them as much or more than some movies or tv shows. Never knew I could get that much out of a 3-5 minute video. Maybe this could be chalked up to simple synergy that almost always occurs when visuals and music are combined. But hey, there are lots of fan videos on YouTube within the RA fandom that have good visuals and good music yet don’t capture my imagination as yours have. So I am very curious how you create these videos. Would you share how you conceive a video and bring it to completion?
You want me to reveal my secrets??! ha ha Only kidding! It really isn’t a huge secret, and I am sure many others do the same thing I do when it comes to making a video. It really all starts with a song. Every time I listen to a song on the radio or YouTube or my iPod my brain seems to go into video mode where clips start flashing in my mind if the song I am listening to gives me an idea for a video. So for me it starts with the song, and then I visualize the video in my head and what fandom I want to vid to. A lot of the time I will write down my ideas. I had to do storyboards in art school; it’s the same thing. Usually the video is something RA has done whether it be North & South, Robin Hood, or something else. He has definitely been my muse the last 4 years, but I do want to try and branch out to other fandoms. Although my mind keeps wanting to vid to something RA related for some reason! LOL
Once I get an idea in my head and start working on the video I go into what I call “video mode” where you won’t hear or see me for a few days. I get started and just can’t stop until it is done! My videos seem to take longer these days, because I think they seem to get more detailed than they used to be. I started out vidding with Windows Movie Maker, and then I used Ulead Video Studio for videos like Sexy Back (the first one). I felt limited after awhile so I started using Adobe Premiere Pro and used that for about two years. I recently got an iMac, which I have been wanting to get for FOREVER, and being a Graphic Designer I have always wanted a Mac but could never afford it while I was in college. I got my iMac back in October 2009, and then switched to Final Cut Pro for my video editing. Which is what I currently use. My last two videos were made in Final Cut Pro, and I took a huge step in my video editing since I started using it. I feel there are no limits to what I am able to do with it!
I usually start by setting markers where I want my transitions or switching of my clips to be to the beat of the music. Sometimes though it is just to give me a general idea at first of where the beats are. A lot of the time I can’t hit the mouse fast enough to set the marker! LOL But sometimes it is to the lyrics. I like to switch it up because I don’t want to hit EVERY beat. That can get repetitive, and you lose the emotion in the video. I am also really particular in selecting my clips. I try to match the lyrics to the song, and I love showing clips with a lot of emotion. I think showing the emotion in the clips is really important, and the audience can feel more connected to the video when there is an emotional connection. That is part of the reason why I am very picky when it comes to which clips to use, and I try not to over-do the effects in the video. When you have so many effects, you cannot tell what is going on in the video, and you lose the emotional connection. So I think the effects should help get the story or idea across and add or enhance the video not just be thrown in because it looks cool. I hope I am making sense here! LOL
Making total sense.
So the emotion in a video is one of the most important things I try to achieve. I want the viewer to feel happy, or laugh, or be sad, or even cry when watching one of my videos. I hope I have succeeded in doing that with some viewers. :-) That’s part of the reason I love making videos with Richard in them. He is so emotional and the expression and look in his eyes tells so much. He is a great actor, and I love making videos about him because he conveys so much depth. There is just something about him. I don’t think I will ever get tired of making videos of him. ha ha I hope I am not rambling too much or boring you! LOL
NOPE, not boring me at all.
Sometimes when I have finished a video and watch it all the way through, I have cried. I feel very emotionally involved in my videos. I am pouring out my heart and soul and putting it out there for everyone to see. My videos are a part of me and who I am, and I am an emotional, caring and sensitive person who wears her heart on her sleeve. I think I show a lot of that in my videos. “Fix You” is one of my videos that is really special to me for various reasons. It was a time in my life that I was going through that was really hard for me and I was deeply depressed. It was my therapy video. It is probably my favorite video to this day.
I’m fascinated by what you’ve done. I’m so glad you’ve been willing to put yourself out there. Just like RA is willing to put himself out there to meticulously convey the passion and emotions of a character, you’ve done that with these videos, and it’s produced something wonderful that continues to resonate. And that limitless feel is becoming more and more obvious in your videos. By the way “Fix You” is my favorite video of yours, and I intentionally kept it from my top ten fanvids so I could highlight it here. Now I know why.
Would you tell us about some other videos you really enjoy? Are you inspired by any videos?
If they are really well done, I enjoy any fandom of videos. I have to admit I can’t watch Anime. It just isn’t my cup of tea, and I don’t feel the emotional connection with it. I like connecting with real people in a video. Those are the ones that affect me emotionally and I enjoy the most. They don’t have to be these super fast edited videos or the ones with a thousand effects. If it is a beautiful video that tells a beautiful story and makes me feel something for it, then I can watch it over and over again.
I think I was one of the few first vidders on YouTube, but there were a few Pride & Prejudice fan videos that inspired me and made me want to see if I could make one myself. It really all started with my inspiration of Pride & Prejudice. One vidder who inspired me to make my own was darcywil. She was one of the first P&P vidders, and she did one of the first North & South videos I saw too. Elvira also inspires me in a lot of her videos. She isn’t afraid to be different and her uniqueness is what makes her stand out to me from other vidders, and I love her “arty” videos.
Oh, I love Elvira too. I’ll be getting around to her. :D I have to laugh about darcywil because her My Confession video is the first one I ever downloaded. Love it! and love her detailed explanation of it. Wonder how many people she’s inspired. If we include you and all the people you have inspired, the number must be enormous. Do you have any advice for others who may want to make fan videos?
Hmm… It is a very addicting hobby! LOL I would say experiment around. Don’t do what everyone else is doing just because it is “cool” and make videos for yourself first and foremost. Make what you want to make and use songs you enjoy because part of the enjoyment of making a video is because YOU enjoy it. That is sooooo important!
Great advice for a lot of life!
One last thing. I’ve said a time or two how much you’ve done to promote Richard Armitage’s work, and obviously, I‘m thankful. But I have to ask you: are you sure you don’t work for him? ;-)
Thank you! I am happy to promote Richard and he deserves it. It’s really lovely to know that my videos have helped do that!
LOLOL!! I WISH I worked for him! Although I wouldn’t get much done if I did work for him because I would want to stare at him all day long and try and flirt with him. LOL! Hey, can you blame me? I am thirty and flirty!
You Do Know They Think We’re Crazy?
[note: The Armitage Army site has closed since I wrote this piece, and I have written even more about the Army and have come to think it’s an interesting phenomenon.]
I’ve talked about web alerts a couple of times now, so I figured what the heck I would go ahead and just talk about the elephant in the room. The one whom I smell anyway, because frankly, I can’t see him. But his smell sometimes is overwhelming.
When someone puts ‘Richard Armitage’ somewhere on a web page, the page/site automatically gets an instant boost on its hit count. Yes, yes, I already said this, but obviously, I’m saying it again. Now you would think that everyone would love getting a boost in their hit count, but I guess there are some who don’t like it. They want to be loved for themselves dammit and not because some actor in England whom few have seen is on their page! And yes, they think we’re all nuts. Then there are the “professionals” who definitely think we’re all nuts if their questions to RA are any indication.
Some of you have suggested to me that I don’t like the Armitage Army question because it makes me feel bad about myself or about the fandom. Actually, the question really is boring to me unless RA has a funny answer and is not bugged by it. I long ago gave up feeling funny about being a fanatic. You’ll see from my coming diary entries that I abandon any sense of propriety about this business except I draw the line at sending my underwear to him. The ONLY reason I’m anonymous really is because of my family. They are not quite ready for me to make a public fool of myself. Those are their words and not mine. I do not feel a fool, but out of respect for them, I’m behind this facade.
And speaking of facades (no, I have never in my life started so many sentences with ‘and’; it is liberating!), there are ways to keep yourself from being seen when you look at these alerts. Mostly I remain unseen. Oh, I’m seen some (when I know I’m among friends), but most of the time (when it’s some obscure site or a professional’s site), I am in stealth mode. It’s not because I’m ashamed but because there is something about those counters and the collection of their key words that just pisses me off. LOL! See I told you this blog might prove I’m insane, insane like a fox. You can’t be a techie for years and just lie down and submit to being counted. It doesn’t work that way. If I were really crazy, I wouldn’t even be talking about this. Would I? ;-)
Okay, okay, I know there are the clearinghouse sites such as RichardArmitageNet or RichardArmitageOnline or RichardArmitageCentral or The Armitage Army that do a lot of trolling on the web, but people, they are providing a wonderful service so they’re justified, and when they go somewhere, they only account for one hit. The rest of us are the mob. Why aren’t we satisfied with just waiting for what those sites can provide? Oh, you do rely completely on them for your information? Well, I’m not talking to you. :D As much as I love those sites, and I’ll continue to give them love in this blog, I’m not satisfied because, well, that’s just me. I’m impatient. Very impatient. Always have been about some things. How do you think I was able to retire so young? Not by being patient. Really, I blame it on my ADHD. You think being a kid and having that is rough? Try being an adult!* But I digress, and really if I didn’t, this blog would not exist!
So where does that leave all of us who like to troll the web for junk about Richard Armitage? I hope that someone, somewhere really is monitoring the increased web activity about him. We really aren’t nuts, and it only takes one or maybe two viewings of North and South or Sparkhouse or even Robin Hood (well, his parts anyway) to vindicate all of us!
Screencap of RA in Star Wars courtesy of Ruth at BookTalk &More. By the way, that’s just a great blog. Forget RA; it’s a great blog. Oh, and are we sure that guy on the left is RA? The one in the upper right hand corner kind of looks like him too. Or maybe that guy is one of us?
*I’m really not making fun of people who have ADHD. I do have it, and thankfully, I know it now. Wish I had known sooner. Before everyone just thought I was bi-polar. It’s truly a miracle I got through school much less had successful jobs without understanding what was wrong with me. Yeah, I know it’s the diagnosis du jour, and honestly, I thought it was a load of crap. But it explains a lot about me. I’m textbook even down to being misdiagnosed as bi-polar.
edit: I should amend this to say that not everyone thought I was bi-polar. I’ve spent most of my life trying to cover up my erratic behavior and doing such a good job of it that people other than my immediate family thought I was extremely sane. God Bless SO. He’s a strong man and never boring. He actually doesn’t care if I’m anonymous or not. He thinks this is funny as hell (well, the things I’ve let him read ;-)). It’s the “little” SOs who would have a hard time with it. That, and I would never do anything to make SO look bad. I surely hope he doesn’t look bad so far!
Surely I’m Not the Only One
I know some of you get alerts when the words ‘Richard Armitage’ are entered somewhere on the web, and perhaps you get them when ‘John Thornton’ or ‘North and South’ are entered or maybe the ubiquitous ‘girlfriend.’ Might make your heart speed up a little bit when you get one, and blast! sometimes it’s a false alarm. Whatever the case, I know some of us spend time looking at what others have written about our favorite guy. In fact, if someone needs their hit count boosted for a few days, they have only to add the name Richard Armitage somewhere on the page, and they’ll get it. LOL!
What I love is reading the comments of people who have just discovered him or who dismissed him and then finally watched something, and almost needless to say were converted. I just read one of those. :D
Before I actually saw ”NORTH AND SOUTH”, I had read a great deal about the John Thornton character and actor Richard Armitage, who had portrayed him. Granted, the man possessed unusual looks, but I never gave him much thought . . . until I saw a clip of his performance in the miniseries’ marriage proposal scene. But once I saw the miniseries in its entirety, I could see why Armitage’s performance had generated a slew of fans. His John Thornton blew me away. Literally.
Read here for the rest of the comments on RA’s performance. It’s the 13th paragraph down. At least I think it’s the 13th.
Then there are the posts where I learn something “important”:
“North and South” went through a sad process of editing when BBC America aired it in July 2005. A full hour was cut from the miniseries to make room for commercials.
Found here. The whole post is a treat.
A full hour cut?! Is that true? If so, that’s criminal! Thank heaven for YouTube.
Picture me trolling the web with my tongue hanging out.
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com.
Christmas in July
Alert: there is nothing flippant about this post. Well, almost nothing.
It's a hot day where I am. A little snow right now sounds good, and believe me when I say that's quite a statement from me who is all caught up on snow for a few years. Nevertheless, I could use a little Christmastime weather for a couple of hours as I gear up for a fundraiser I've been participating in for a number of years.
The goal is to raise funds for an organization that helps people in Uganda. The original mission was to help children abandoned by their prostitute mothers. It has grown into help for the mothers as well, but help in a way that keeps giving. They are taught how to start their own businesses so they can get off the street, and it's working. The program was started by a woman I know who went to Uganda to do a bit of mission work for her church. She never came back. Well, we do see her a few times a year, but mostly she lives in Uganda and has even adopted a Ugandan child who is precious!
All of this has made me think of others who promote charitable causes. So in honor of Richard Armitage's encouragement to direct our giving to those in need instead of to him, I come with this post. Please note this is not designed to solicit donations for the Ugandan mission but rather to respect the requests of Richard Armitage.
For those not familiar with RA's comments about giving, he has talked about it in his messages to fans. His latest message (December 2009) has made it very easy for people to donate:
Dear Friends,
Its that time of year again and I wanted to extend my goodwill and best wishes to you all. It has been a busy, rather difficult year for all of us, and coming to the end of a decade is a great time to think and gather strength for the next one.
Thank you for the continued support, which has been offered to me this year, I hope that I can continue to ‘carve a path’ which is both exciting, diverse and honorable to this crazy art form.
Thank you all, also, for the wonderful gifts which I have finally received after my travels abroad. I will eventually give thanks by letter. I do however, wish to ask, especially at this time of year, and this particular year, as I look at the small mountain of carefully chosen gifts purchased with those hard earned pennies; wracked with guilt when I think of the potential that your collective generosity could provide for those who have much less than I do; for you to pause and consider. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all your support and kind words, these are gifts enough, and I would like to recommend two other charities which I have chosen to support this year in addition to Barnardo’s and Shelter. I would like to recommend Childline and The Salvation Army, as potential recipients of a small offering.
I have also set up a page at http://www.justgiving.com if you go to the site and enter my name, you can chose from the 4 charities I have mentioned, and give a small donation, anonomously, if you like or with a message. I hope this makes it a little easier and more fun.
I hope the Christmas spirit runs high through all the families gathering together, and for those who are alone, to enjoy the simplicity of a day when the our corner of the world stops for a few hours. Yes there is only one left!!!
Drink, be Merry, be kind, be thankful.
I wish everyone joy for Christmas, and hope for a happy 2010.
With love
Richard
Richard’s Just Giving Pages:
Oh, sure it sounds easy for him to say since he’s not hurting financially, but the man does not have to say anything. I commend him for taking the time to do that and doing it in a way that’s personal. There is nothing like personal contact. It makes both the initiator and the recipient better people.
Letter courtesy of RichardArmitageOnline.com and Richard Armitage of course.
To read RA’s other messages go here.
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com
edit: I probably should have said this earlier, but oh well, I’m saying it now. Having worked for quite a few years in philanthropic endeavors with various organizations, I know how tough the middle of the year can be for them. At Christmas there is a festive mood that fosters a sense of goodwill and prompts people to share. In July not so much. So even though I know times are tough for a lot of people, I think it’s helpful to have a reminder that there are probably others who are in more need than us. Thanks for listening.
The Question
Hopefully, RA has turned the proverbial corner with his fame, and journalists will not fall back on the one question that’s bound to get a bit of a visceral reaction from him. Oh, you don’t know what it is? Where have you been for the last five plus years of interviews? It seems some journalists just can’t help asking about his Army. Granted, it’s quite a feat that he raised an Army almost overnight, and the first few years it might have been interesting. Now it’s boring beyond belief. It’s just boring to those of us who follow him so closely? I doubt that.
The guy has so many more interesting things to talk about than some “middle-aged, quite well-educated, Radio 4 listeners,” who some like to send him their pants. Phew, I got bored typing that description. Now I don’t know for sure about all the pants coming his way. Also, I’m not very familiar with Radio 4, refuse to call myself middle-aged, and I haven’t sent my pants to anyone outside my house, so I know this doesn’t apply to me. But still, who wants to hear about it? No offense to any of you middle-aged, quite well-educated, Radio 4 listeners. ;-)
I wonder how long I can wax on about this before you get bored? Oh, you’re bored already? Well, it seems the PR machine for Spooks is revving up so I’m compelled to talk about it. I really do hope journalists have enough going on in their heads that they don’t ask. But thank God the circus question has died.
I’m sure the journalists think we’re all nuts. I don’t care. If I cared, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. Wait. I’m anonymous, so I guess some part of me cares. I think, not sure, but I think that’s a healthy sign. LOL!
I did toy around with the idea of sending Richard some “orders” from the Army (Rogue Branch) where it would have been explained to him that he was not allowed to talk about it. But this post is my confession that I’m chickening out. It just isn’t my style to send something to a celebrity. Maybe it’s my pride. Oh, yeah, it’s my pride.
A fake fan letter will have to rid me of my angst:
Dear Richard,
It’s abundantly clear you have been schooled in manners. I do not remember one instance of you being impolite. You are politeness itself. But I must ask if there’s a possibility you could be rude to journalists who insist on delving into a subject that I believe makes you groan? I find myself hoping to hear that rudeness. Oh, couch it in whatever you like. Last time out was actually pretty funny. I laughed whether anyone else did. But then I don’t place myself squarely in that group you described. Could that have been a slip into a little rudeness? I don’t think so, but it was close. Oh, it was skating really closely.
Frankly, a good shit here or there might help. Perhaps you already say that, and it’s edited to insert your politely crafted manna to the fans. Maybe that wouldn’t work, since too many journalists have the persona of shrikes — impaling their subjects with questions designed to get a reaction that will inspire them to write something clever. Plus, it seems I’m remembering one interview where the shit got through (or maybe I dreamed that). That guy must not have liked you, or he was jealous. Whatever the case, I thought your reply was really honest and a breath of fresh air. No one is that polite all the time. At some point you were bound to get tired of the question. I know the fans are. Well, this fan.
Man, I sound angsty about your replies. But really I’m not angsty about your replies at all. Your replies are not the problem. I don’t care what you say if it makes the reporters stop asking the question.
Sincerely,
One of your minions in the ArmyP.S. Have you ever laid eyes on the guy who came up with that name?
That felt good. I’m really getting addicted to these fake fan letters. If you haven’t tried one, do it! They are so satisfying without any of the embarrassment you would have if he really read it. Plus, I imagine the wait would be hell.
So what about Nat’s group letter? That’s special like Nat, and should stand alone. I really do hope he gets it, reads it, and most important sees Nat’s work. He would love it!
And because in recent days I’ve been remiss in posting pics, here’s one of my favorites:
Yes, it puts your focus squarely on his beautiful mouth.
Screencap courtesy of my stash.
Ahem
June 21, 2010
Well, I’ve pondered the weekend activities, which consisted of reading some non-graphic real fic about Richard Armitage, and have decided that yes, I am a bit uncomfortable with examining Richard Armitage quite so much when it’s not obviously humorous hence my post of yesterday. I guess that’s the reason I put up that post. Whether any of you were uncomfortable with the real fic, I was. I would hate it if someone examined me that closely, and sadly, some people have tried. But I will not be examined like that unless I deign to drop my proverbial pants and bend over, which I probably am not going to do in this lifetime. And I’m not sure Rich’s real pants dropping qualifies as an invitation to exam him with such scrutiny, and even if I could rationalize that it does, I don’t want to take him up on it. Sometimes people think they want to almost completely expose themselves in the quest to be understood, but really, that’s not the best way, so I won’t be going down that path in trying to understand Richard Armitage, or candidly, I’ll try not to go there.
Oh, hey, I’ve probably had all kinds of thoughts about him like I read this weekend and more besides, but I’m not so sure I want to go there so deeply with this blog. Go there? Yes, I will go there, but not smacking quite so much of reality. This is supposed to be fluff with only a little serious thrown in. I keep telling myself it’s only fluff with a little serious thrown in. Check. I think I’ve got it.
So I might touch on some serious things here, but I spend plenty of time examining serious things to the nth degree in my real life (I don’t like that term “real life” because I consider messing about on the internet as part of my real life. I haven’t quite compartmentalized it to the point I can call it an alternate reality, not seriously anyway. I’ve got to change “real life” to something else; hmmm. “offline life”? no, that sounds dead, and that life is teeming with so many wonderful and yes, sometimes terrible things that would never allow it to be called dead. I will have to think about a good term since I just don’t have one this morning. My clever machine is on the fritz right now. I’ve been reading too much German, which is quite a feat since I don’t really understand much of it. Is there any wonder why my brain is fried? And isn’t this a helluva parenthetical statement? I’ve just placed it here to see how long I could make it. Of course I’m doing it for that reason), I don’t need to do that here. Having given you this sort of diatribe, I’d like to go back to my insane self even though it’s not an alternate reality. I really am partially insane in my “real life.” Besides, the insane me is much more fun. Trust me it’s more fun.
Before I get off of this, I have to say: People, you are nosey! I put up an article about RA, in the comments section no less, and my hit count goes nuts. Yes, I know it’s due to the article. I can see what you’re doing. MUHAHAHAHA. No, I can’t see that much of what you’re doing only some keys you might hit. Yes, I’m nosey too — mostly about this RA thing — and it’s such a puzzle to me. I ask myself why a lot, and I have no good answer except that shallowly, yes, I’m shallow, very shallow at times I’m afraid, I like looking at those pictures of RA in his articles, and like the rest of the drooling masses who hang on his words, I want to hear what he thinks.
This is what confounds me, and yes, it’s one of the big reasons I’m anonymous. It’s embarrassing for someone as circumspect as I am. I’m dripping with circumspection, and for most of my life, I haven’t given a rat’s ass about what a celebrity/actor thought. Not even John Lennon. Well maybe a little and maybe I did care a little about what Kurt Cobain thought and sometimes what Daniel Day-Lewis thought and yes, a little bit of Kevin Spacey. But with John Lennon I heard so much about what he thought that I didn’t have a chance to get curious. Oh, well, I’ll never know now, and truthfully, although I love biographies and absolutely love to hear what people think and why, I guess I’ve consigned most (not all but most) actors to the stupid file so they rarely merit much attention beyond their performances. I have done this because most of the time they say stupid things to the public, and no, I don’t think RA is stupid. For cryin’ out loud, isn’t it apparent from this blog that I don’t think that? If not, then I really am a horrible writer.
Certainly, I am curious about what he is going to do next in terms of roles and even more what makes him choose those roles. See I can’t help it. He really does fascinate me and especially his chameleon quality. He’s kind of a male Meryl Streep only better looking and certainly sexier because I have never been attracted to Meryl Streep. Oh, I love her as an actress and think she is the best female actor (no question in my mind about that!), but she’s not my type.
Note:
After successively posting two pieces alternating between bravado and self-consciousness (on several levels), I need a damn good picture, but I’m not sure which one would be better than in yesterday’s post or even equal it. That is still my favorite RA picture. PHWOAR! Can any top it?
Need to get back to my Diary because I really do think it will help me figure out what the hell has happened to me, and no, I don’t consider it dropping my pants. Hey, my fascination with Richard Armitage is just a small portion of my messed up thinking. Did I just admit it’s messed up thinking to be this fascinated with a celebrity? ;-)
Where Was I?
Oh, yeah, talking about the story. Aren’t RA’s characters great?! They really do get me thinking about all sorts of things about myself and others, and for anyone thinking I’m a hypocrite, if you’re thinking about these characters and how RA talks about these characters, how can you not wonder about the person behind them? But again, perhaps it’s just Servetus and I, and of course some German fans, who come to this conclusion. I wish you could see my eyes rolling. Good thing I can touch type.
Let out that breath you’re holding and realize we won’t be too hard on RA, and always remember that this is not serious. At least I’m not serious. If I ever get too serious, I’ll stop. Yes, I’m going to keep throwing a little serious into this fluff — I have to keep in touch with reality somehow. But it will mostly be about me and SO and the little SOs and whoever else is near and dear to me that I care to wax on about. But never forget the beauty of all this is that you don’t have to read any of it. LOL! Damn lol. At one time I looked down on people who used LOL and now I can’t seem to stop using it. I blame it on my poor writing. I have to use the LOL as a crutch to make sure that you know beyond question that I’m not serious. LOL! Sorry, it’s hard to stop once I get started.
A gratuitous pic so this post won’t be a total waste of your time, and I’m making it one of the best so it’s really not a waste of your time:
and since I’m really feeling guilty about this post which is me with hat in hand hoping that someone somewhere won’t be offended (man, that need to be understood is hell), I’ll throw in a video I recently saw for the first time and really love and think you will too (unless you’re squeamish about guns; yeah, I didn’t think that would be a problem):
Screencap courtesy of my stash.
RAFrenzy 
