Rescue Mission Aborted

Richard Armitage is alive and well. Not sure he can speak, but he can move. :D

note: I’m posting this for all of you who are still not on Twitter.

The video below was taken at Ian McKellen’s one man show which has been raising funds for Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged Isaac Theatre Royal.

Once again, RA is almost hidden. Watch how he moves to the back. Some of that is conditioning from being tall. I have a daughter who is 5’8″ and a dancer. She was always up stage unless featured as I would bet he was. But he has long since left dancing and the stage. Hmmm.

For a long time I have believed his humility was part real and part effected, but I’m beginning to believe that he really is a bit shy. Considerate of fans but shy when not performing. Edit: shy is not the best word; reticent is more apropos.

My son is a performer, and at the risk of sounding biased (when has that ever stopped me), he is very good. He’s been known to draw crowds from 50 miles around. Might not sound like much, but it’s big deal in our parts. SO and I have continually encouraged him to also hone his public speaking skills, and he has resisted.

He finally said to me, “Mom, you don’t get it.”

I asked, “What don’t I get?”

“It’s easy to play characters. It’s another matter to play myself.”

Thanks again to RichardArmitageNet.com for the heads up and all the great work you do!

June 23, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 28 Comments

You Sold Me, Bill

It’s Friday, I’m out of job and I don’t have sh*t to do.* SO and I are going to the movies, which we haven’t done much the last few years since there hasn’t been much to see. But hey, we have a fondness for Bill Murray (have I told you about my Bill Murray love?), and ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ looks good. Plus, I’ll see anything with Frances McDormand. I love her too.

No, I’m not defecting in my Richard Armitage love. No worries. I’m a one man fangirl. Dull I know, but there it is.

Yes, Richard, you have to put up with me some more. I can’t go away yet. I have some special plans for the Hobbit shindig.

Very Truly Yours,
One of your crazy fans who continues to navigate the insane world of fandom

P.S. Man, I’m on the verge of writing you a for real letter where I tell you how much I feel for you about what you must put up with from fans.

Ahhh, my work here is done — Richard Armitage in the same post with Frances McDormand. :D

*A Georgette Heyer audio book to the one who can name the movie that inspired the first sentence of this post. Hint: it has nothing to do with Bill Murray.

edit: I’m providing additional hints on Twitter. Just Tweet me an RA pic for more.

second edit: AustenSpaceCast won the audio book, and what fun it was to receive photos of RA. Thank you all who sent them to me. And I see I have some work to do to get you tweeting since most of the pics were emailed. :D

May 25, 2012
Categories: Fandom, SO, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 1 Comment

Tech is My Boyfriend

Someone mentioned boyfriends.

Tech is one of my passions. Yes, my eye strays from Richard Armitage at times — especially when he pays no attention to me! No pictures or soundbites to drool over! Nothing to fangirl over (absolutely fangirl is a verb. Don’t argue with me; it’s a verb!) But I get a steady stream of cool stuff from tech, which makes me giddy reading about the latest gizmo (can I say gizmo if I’m a techie? I guess I just did). It also makes me feel in ways I never thought I could even in ways Richard has never made me feel. And I love experimenting. Heck, I love breaking things just to see how I can fix them. I have a savior complex which demands I continually fix things. And since I can’t fix Rich, I settle for inanimate objects. No, Rich doesn’t need fixing. At least that I know of, which doesn’t mean I’m ever going to leave him, but if I did leave him, it wouldn’t be for some wild eyed, angst ridden villain who looks good in leather. ;-)

Meanwhile my real boyfriend has been checking out more of Peter Jackson’s works. He recently finished “Heavenly Creatures” which led to quite a discussion of fantasy. He’s also been reading up on the brouhaha over 48fps and launched into a comparison/contrast of Jackson’s and Cameron’s styles including some talk of how it would be fantastic if Jackson could use technology to artistically get inside a character’s head and Cameron doesn’t even know how to get inside a character’s head. This is the quick and dirty since I can’t remember everything SO said, and it’s times like these that make me want to throttle him for not blogging. Countless times I’ve said, “I’ll handle the technical stuff. Just write the pieces!” The man is stubborn.

But back to Richard.

Rich,

I’m starting to get a complex. I mean are you trying to tell me something?! Are my feelings for you wearing you out?! I really will understand if you don’t like my gushing. C’mon, you can tell me. Don’t hold it in until you have to throw a chair out the window. Or are you just saving the good stuff for later? :D

Hopefully, I won’t be so immersed in this that I miss it:


Go ahead; you can click on it.

Signed,
One of your crazy fans who would leave you only for a wild eyed, angst ridden villain who looks REALLY good in leather.

P.S. My real boyfriend knows you’re not a threat, but he is a little concerned about tech.

P.P.S. I suppose we’re not going to get another production vlog anytime soon. Gotta wait for the trailer in July huh?

Notice how I’m completely ignoring the Facebook IPO. May it crash and burn (after some of you have made some money of course :D)

May 19, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Geek, Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

The Hobbit Audio Book

Talk at TheOneRing about the book ties-ins to ‘The Hobbit’ has trebled my passion for Richard Armitage to read the book! But I fear it will never happen. More than likely the contracts have been signed, and Peter Jackson, or Harper Collins or Middle-Earth Enterprises, or whoever is considered “the powers that be” have selected a more well-known reader. I so want to be wrong about this, but my infernal gut is rather dismal today. So this post is a vent. Or maybe I’m looking for someone with a positive outlook.

If it would make a difference, I would raise an issue on an LOTR site or two. I suspect they would probably dismiss me as nothing but a rabid fan with little or no objectivity. And to that I would ask: have you listened to the man’s voice?!

Oh well, in lieu of pestering the Tolkien fans, maybe a fake fan letter to alleviate my angst?

Dear Sir Peter or Harper Collins or MEE, Anyone with any sense:

The thought of Richard Armitage reading The Hobbit is sheer bliss only to be exceeded by the thought of his reading North and South…………………. Oh, sorry, I blacked out for a moment. Ahem. You really need to know that every book he’s read is wonderful. I may sound like a silly fan who would be happy with his reading of the phone book, but you would be wrong. On second thought, you might be right since I would be willing to pay money to hear that. You read that right. I would pay bucks for that. There might be a few others who feel the same. :D

And you do know more women buy books than men? I’ll give some documentation if you need it. Somehow I think you already know this. But more than that, have you heard the man reading a book? Then what are you waiting for? He is perfect. Yes, I know what I’m talking about, and someone is going to eventually cash in. Why not you and why not now?

Thank you for considering,
One of Richard’s fans who knows what women like and would love to help you make some money more money.

P.S. I realize you may not be the bottom line, Sir Peter, but hope you have some influence in this matter or at the least could have Richard reading some phone book entries in the next vlog. ;-) Surely that wouldn’t violate any contracts or anyone’s privacy — especially if the names are fake. Hmmm. My mind is flooding with the possibilities. Really, I don’t care what you have him say. Just let him say something in the next video!
P.P.S I’ve never written a post script so long, but hell, this is worth it.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Richard Armitage’s audio work, I have several samples in my FanstRAvaganza pieces from last year including RA doing American, and you can find additional excerpts here and here.

Also, I still have a little stockpile of audiobooks to give away. Some are courtesy of the BBC, and I have to say again how much I appreciate that! Need to get on the giveaway since SO keeps wondering why they’ve been on his desk for over a year.

Note: the wrap-up piece I promised is coming. Since that may be the most important writing I publish on this blog, I want to get it right.

April 13, 2012
Categories: Movies, SO, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 49 Comments

Is It Possible Not to Fantasize Sexually About Richard Armitage?

Perhaps I am misreading, but I often get the feeling there is this belief that people who do not have sexual fantasies of Richard Armitage are somehow unhealthy or dishonest since everyone must have sexual fantasies of him. I’ve stated several times that I do not have sexual fantasies of him. Sometimes that’s met with good natured scoffing and sometimes it’s met with outright disbelief. Seldom is it met with agreement — unless in email. It seems to me (which means I could be wrong) that there is little public agreement with me because people do not want to be judged as sexually repressed. I’m sorry that dynamic has occurred, i.e., that people are muted by a fear of being labeled. So I come with this post to hopefully alter the dynamics such that someone can share freely about whatever they think on this topic.

Here’s why I don’t have sexual fantasies about Richard Armitage. I choose not to have them. From early childhood I’ve had a very active and vivid imagination. My family and close friends have often remarked on it. There is also a person with whom I am sexually connected. I adore him as my love and the father of my four children, and remain faithful to him not only physically but in the most important of places — my mind. If I were to let myself have a sexual fantasy of someone other than him, it would be an unhealthy distraction for me because I think I would become attached to someone who was featured in my sexual fantasies. This is one reason I tamped down my imagination for so many years. I knew its power to enslave me. Thankfully, I’ve been coming to a place where I could tap into its wonders without it submerging most everything of value to me. For that I give God credit.

So what am I about here? Besides liking to joke around, I am fascinated with the human condition which includes Richard Armitage’s portrayals of such, my own reactions to that and the reactions of others.

Okay, I have now shared what I think and hope the balance of my blog pieces have made it clear someone does not have to agree with my thinking on this to have a conversation. None of us are exactly alike, and I appreciate that.

April 3, 2012
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 55 Comments

A Rabid Fan?

I didn’t capitalize the A in rabid, but I’m sure some of you already saw it as a capital, or it jarred you that it wasn’t. No, this isn’t a piece about the grammatical odyssey of being a Richard Armitage fan. But I am going to talk about something that hits me from time to time like a little slap in the face.

Being intensely curious about every cussed thing, it was only natural that I started reading the New Zealand newspapers, and I feel certain I will read them long after RA has departed from the Kiwis. In the meantime, I am affected strongly when I read there has been a plane crash near Auckland. My immediate response, “Oh no, I hope it wasn’t Richard, or anyone associated with the movie!” That isn’t me. Normally I would feel for the people involved, probably say an earnest prayer for their loved ones, and then move on. But the visceral response startled me, and the few times it’s happened have bugged me. I make a lot of jokes about being up the CWS, but an almost knee jerk reaction like this bothers me a little.

I guess the point of this post is personal therapy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not super worried about my behavior. If I were, I probably would never admit this. But I am curious enough about it to examine myself and publicly.

It could just be that I’ve been surrounded by so much death the last several years that I’ve become jumpy. And my encounters with it just never seem to stop. A few days ago I found out a good friend of mine has about a month to live. I went to see her yesterday, and thankfully, it was a wonderful visit. She is off of all of her treatments and is only on a little bit of morphine. Her alertness was a bit stunning, and she and I and SO had a great chat. When we stood up to leave her, he did something he never does. He said to her, “Can I give you a kiss?” and then he bent down and hugged her a bit and kissed her temple.

On the way out, I said, “I have never seen you do that before. What prompted you?”

“She’s the kind of person who can receive a kiss like that — a gesture of love from a friend. Besides, you know I’ve always been a big fan of hers.”

Yeah, I knew that. I’ve been a fan too, and I’m going to miss her terribly. I also feel for the loved ones of whomever died in that plane crash. It hurts to lose someone you care about.

April 1, 2012
Categories: SO . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

My Trip to New York

Unlike my fantasy trip to New Zealand, this one I’m taking, and certainly to try to see ‘The Hobbit’ premiere, and perhaps meet some other fans in the tri-state area. I believe the latter would be as much fun as the premiere! And cliche’ as it sounds, I love New York. No clue how many times I’ve been there. SO and I and the kids even lived there part of one summer. That’s when my children fell in love with it too, and now I have two other very compelling reasons to go there and will go whether there is a premiere or not:


One of the darlings is in her first year living there, and the other darling has been there for almost three years. Normally, I would visit them during the summer since the winters can be miserable. But my girls are going out of town for a big chunk of the summer, and besides, they’re also coming home for a visit. So December it will be!

Dear Richard,

Love you, but I’m not sure I would make a trip on your behalf. Something else fairly compelling would have to be thrown in. Somehow I think you would understand this.

Sincerely,
One of your fans who likes to act crazy but who’s startlingly sane when it comes to expenditures. :D

My final FanstRAVaganza recap coming later today.

March 29, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

Can I Take It All In?

Moving onto the FanstRAvaganza posts for what is known as the anchor or core — bloggers who posted each day of the event. Just to be clear, my intent is not to highlight every post I’ve read. That would defeat the purpose of this exercise, which is to share what struck me enough to make me write something about it, and yes, in hope that this might send you there to check it out and read the rest of their wonderful posts. :D

Mulubinba is up first. The thing to remember with her blog pieces is they are not little bits to be eaten like cotton candy which evaporates almost immediately in your mouth. These pieces are to be savored and also made a reference point. This makes it difficult to just highlight one of these, but I’m going to list the one or two I would read if there’s no time to read anything else. Given her investment in ‘The Hobbit’, I had to read her detailed piece on Thorin’s costume and props as well as her piece about visiting the ‘The Hobbit’ locations. But also check out the post about an actor’s physical preparation for roles and how this relates to avoiding injury. Okay, that was three. LOL!

Bccmee is known for being prolific with her graphics, and she doesn’t disappoint during FanstRAvaganza, but she’s also becoming known for her being interactive with the fans, and that was certainly the hallmark of her FanstRA postings. I loved the drag and drop magazines but also be sure to check out her interview with the dad of the boy who had scenes with RA in ‘Captain America’.

Christine or CDoart has a thoughtful piece about men who are into history. Maybe I should cut SO a break every now and then since he’s a man who is enormously interested in history. LOL! And I adored the piece on history and fantasy and how they may relate to Richard Armitage.

On this next blog, you get two great writers, Judiang and Fitzg, in one place. Judi comes clean about where she’s headed, and the tale begins here (don’t peek at the ending!) Judi, I’m still laughing as I write this. :D
And then there’s Fitz, who honestly needs a blog. The woman has a lot of interesting things to say, and she may yet turn me into a Richard III zealot. LOL!

Okay, that’s it for today; more tomorrow.

March 27, 2012
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Captured by a Sense of Wonder

Continuing with my foray into the FanstRAvaganza posts for this year.

Several fans have talked about Richard Armitage paper dolls. An attempt to recapture our childhoods? I know that’s what it is for me, but Agzy has taken it a step further and created some, which I doubt most kids would possess. LOL! And she’s also now running a contest for “Paper Richard.”

Ana Cris explains the significance of the Powhiri, and Richard Armitage and ‘The Hobbit” cast’s part in it, but first read her two excellent pieces on the significance of mountains in a culture’s identity and as it relates to Tolkien. These posts had a special significance for me since I live in the mountains and relish their power and effect on who I’ve become. Here is a place not far from my house, and oddly enough it’s named after one of SO’s relatives:

This is near 11,500 feet where the treeline ends.

JasRangoon thinks Richard Armitage should have kids, and she tries to answer the question of what they could look like. She also gifts us with a modern story of John and Margaret. Which John and Margaret? You must have only seen Spooks or Robin Hood. LOL! This John and Margaret. I started reading and immediately backed up to the beginning. Wow! This is her first fanfic. So far so good!!

Melanie of Melanie’s Musings believes Harry Kennedy is the near perfect man. Well, yeah! :D I found myself nodding — a lot — and then I got to the poll and thought my vote would still be in the minority. Oh, how wrong I was.

More tomorrow.

March 24, 2012
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Understanding Richard Armitage

The question of Richard Armitage has intrigued me for awhile. He played a great part in a mini-series and in several other tv series. But how many people would that describe? Several. Maybe not legions but several. He’s good looking. How many fit that description? A bunch more. He’s very masculine. Even more fall into that category. Oh wait he also seems like a nice guy. We like how he presents himself, and his co-workers like him. Yep, a few more are like that. And did I mention he’s smart? I’m going with my gut on that one. The guy is smart, and I completely trust my instincts about this — instincts that have rarely let me down when taking an accounting of someone’s grey matter. So is it that he’s “the complete package?” Maybe. But that’s still not quite it. I have actually known good looking men who were smart and talented in something aesthetic (read that: they were sensitive enough to be talented in something aesthetic) and also very masculine and nice guys. Yes, I’m telling the truth! I worked with a man for years who had played football at Michigan State, was brilliant, super good looking, helluva nice guy, could sing really well, and he had a great sense of humor. Sometime I’ll have to tell you his story — it’s a doozy — but not today.

So what makes Richard Armitage special? Let me rephrase that? What makes Richard Armitage special to me? I have mentioned before that I think he’s special? Oh I haven’t? What the hell do you think this blog is about?! Or does me saying that he’s special to me make you feel weird? I know it’s made me feel weird. It made me feel so weird that I had to find out why I thought it. Since SO is the love of my life (despite our ups and downs and all arounds — plenty of those) and having four great kids… yes, dammit, I’m biased; they’re great, and I don’t want to hear anything else :D…I did not understand what was going on in my obsession to watch Richard Armitage.

Of course some people have distractions like this, and I’m not going to say I’m above having a distraction like this. Not at all. But watching his stuff is not merely a distraction from all of the really tough things going on in my life. Yes, there are some really tough things going on in my life. No, you don’t want to hear about them, and granted, some of watching him has been a distraction from those things. I admit it! But that’s not why I’m writing this post. That’s not why I started this blog. I do have an obsession, or am otaku as my friend James describes it. But my obsession is not Richard Armitage. It’s something else, and I think Richard is obsessed with it too.

I’ve said several times I wanted to avoid getting in Richard Armitage’s head, but my friends, I can’t help it. I had to get in his head in order to understand. Since I wasn’t going to do anything invasive with respect to his privacy, because frankly, I would be very upset if someone did that to me, I decided to investigate some indirect evidence of what may be in his head. This required a look at the influences on his professional life. Of course Miss Pat and Pattison’s College were of interest. But it was too difficult to glean much without crossing boundaries. So I’ve consigned that experience to one that will have to wait for RA or some biographer to tell us a good deal more. I concentrated on LAMDA and some of the ways of thinking he was exposed to there.

As part of study at LAMDA, the students are required to have some proficiency in the history of the theater, its evolution into the modern theater and in part what we now think of as method acting, which I’ve learned can be a bit of a nebulous term. Since the term has become a little fluid, I went back to the sources that RA was expected to go back to. Namely Edward Gordon Craig, Constantin Stanislavski and Bertold Brecht. You may be thinking, “I don’t want to hear about those guys. I just want to know how Richard Armitage does what he does.” Go back and read this post from the beginning again because there is no way to really understand unless you know a little something about these people. And let me say that reading the works of these three guys and a handful of others was life changing for me. I don’t make a habit of throwing that comment around without good cause, so I hope you will respect what I’m saying here without knowing anything yet. LOL!

And I’ve written so much on this and don’t really want to edit, that I’m going to do the unforgivable and leave you hanging until tomorrow.

edit:

The thoughts continue here.

March 12, 2012
Categories: SO . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 30 Comments

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