What a way to stick my toe back in the water. Over my head more like. LOL!
Enjoy:
Dear All,
I wanted to post a message to say a huge thank you for your generosity of donations to the Christchurch fundraiser on 22nd May, I gather there was a considerable contribution from members of our little community, which is gratefully received to help a rather larger and damaged community ‘rise up’ get back on its feet. I am so grateful and proud to see such support from so far away, you really are hugely reliable when it comes to those in need. Thank you. I hope our little teaser want too much of a tease, it is so difficult to give anything away, of the movie we are making but we had to do something; I have resisted signing anything ‘Hobbity’, until the film is finished (just a little bit superstitious) but I was very proud to add my name to the book for Christchurch.
I had a belated request from a certain Wizard about some cello playing, now as a music lover, and particularly that instrument, I can see how that might be a real possibility and perhaps a joy to hear…if Yo Yo Ma were asked. However, raising money for charity by simulating the sound of a strangled cat whose claws are clinging onto a chalkboard for dear life, whilst someone in another room tries to tune a radio in, would result in a charity deficit, with demands for refunds and compensation to boot. So I may have to decline for now, until I have had time to practice a bit more.
With regards for requests for social media, blogs tweets etc. I have always worried that I will reveal something about the project I am working on that I am not allowed to, added to the fact that I am just about up to e mailing and little more, I may have to abstain for now.
So were are about to depart for our short hiatus and I will be sorry to say farewell to Wellington and NZ, one of the most exciting places I have been lucky enough to live and work, not just a magnificent landscape but a warm, friendly, generous and really cool community, which has welcomed us with open arms. Seriously this place has to go to the top of the Bucket List.
Much Love
RA
I don’t know if Richard Armitage reads all of the stuff on these blogs, and really, I’m not writing this blog for him, but if he ever does, I hope he knows how much fun he’s afforded us and no need for a tweet or blog or Facebook or any of that from him. Frankly, the fundraiser was a blast. It was especially a hoot on Twitter (pardon the pun), and I wish I could have participated more. Coincidentally, I was drafting a post about my own receipt, which I hope to receive soon, and my angel did receive hers. I’ll post all of it when I get mine.
A hearty thanks to everyone who participated in the Informal Fan Challenge, which ended this morning. At this moment I don’t know how much was raised. Servetus will fill us in when she gets a break from graduation “festivities.”
And thank you to everyone who donated to RiseUp Christchurch. Calexora made an early challenge that was a blast to contemplate. If Richard had taken her up on playing the cello, my gut was telling me he would have made it funny, so I’m not surprised that he did indeed do something funny. Dare I say that he really did remind me of Dorf? I don’t feel badly about my post now. Oh, you thought I really did feel badly about that post? You haven’t been reading this blog very long have you? :D
This was wonderful fun, and I hope much money was raised for Christchurch through whatever avenues you chose to give, and may it help Christchurch be forever strong!
New Zealand is in need after the devastating earthquake to Christchurch in February. Servetus has issued a wonderful challenge on her blog to help with the effort occurring this weekend. I will also match whatever she raises up to $200. See her blog piece (below) for details on how to participate. No donation is required from you, but if you’re inclined, she has information in that regard as well.
edit: I’ve just had someone request to match this anonymously. Anyone else want to join us, jump in. The water is great. :D
[Still grading. Second third of grading done and grades submitted. Last third of the work was due at 5 today, so there's a big stack of papers here still.] In honor of the Rise Up Christchurch – Te Kotahitanga Global Telethon to take place Sunday, May 22, Servetus will donate $1 (USD) for each comment on this post by a unique commentator / IP address up to the first 100 comments. After that 0.25 USD (twenty-five cents) per comment up to a maximum … Read More
I don’t think I’ve ever felt something was a teaser so much as this:
Perhaps I’m changing my tune with respect to spoilers. I find myself wanting to know the ending to Strike Back II. When I watched the promos for the first series of Strike Back, I had a sense of hope and confidence that Porter was going to kick ass and get out of something that might even stump MacGyver, and it was so easy to think that since the series wouldn’t exist without him. So no need for a spoiler. But now? I look at this:
and I’m fully aware that this show is not where Richard Armitage’s future lies. But more than that, I’ve witnessed how his face conveys the truth of a character, and that looks like the face of a dead man. I could be wrong, and I hope that I am, but my gut is screaming that my plea was for naught.
All of that may sound pessimistic, and I guess it is, but perhaps this is just how it’s going to be for now with RA’s portrayals. If you know the story of Thorin Oakenshield, you know why I say that. And I would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to realize that he keeps playing characters who go nowhere — kind of like music that doesn’t resolve. More on this later as my pseudo psychoanalyst is almost throttling me to take over, but I’m too tired tonight to run with it. Yeah, I’m sparing you.
Video courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com, and my screencap. There are some caps on the site, but I had to make my own. :D If you’ve never made screencaps, you don’t know the pleasure of really mining those microexpressions of RA’s. If you ever want to know how to make caps, let me know. It’s pretty easy. Anyone with a computer can do it, and there is no cost other than time. LOL!
Oh, oh, bccmee also put the SB2 promo up on YouTube, and if you haven’t had a chance to see her month long slide show, Graphic a Day in May, go look. She’s done some really cool stuff with photos many of us have seen countless time, and I love that her sense of fun is so apparent. I need to go over there and comment soon.
I’ve been feeling kind of funny about posting comments from my “source.” Not that I don’t think they’re completely righteous. I do. But maybe all the emails from some others got to me. Despite the appearance of this blog, I really don’t think I’m all that and a bag of chips. Far from it. Trying to garner attention for myself is not my thing, so when I feel someone might think that about me, I usually run backwards.
Thankfully, I’ve been getting over that crap, and this blog has been wonderful in that respect. I feel like I’m actually stepping back into my childhood, and it’s been fantastic, and I hate words like fantastic, but I’m not even going to count how many times I’ve used it on this blog. Have I gone on long enough with my preface to what’s coming? :D Okay, I won’t leave you hanging much longer. All I’ll say is that these wonderful words from our own Fitzg are a great encouragement:
“Dear Mr. Armitage,
We’ve escaped the hermitage.
We’re beyond the mad and the shame –
And it’s you we all have to blame.
Our doctors deem us to be cases
Beyond their skills to address,
And throw up their hands at this mess.
And hie themselves off to the races,
To gamble their lives away in despair
At their failure to repair
The poor demented souls in thrall
To the blue of eyes and all –
The long limbs and voice so velvet…
Ah what’s the use, a lost cause are we;
Who wants a cure – the H*** wiv-et!
When all is done, some just squee …..(I swore I’d never say that word, so the h*** wiv it)
The rest just melt in pools of rapture
At the thought of this image to capture
And say, let it be, let it be….”
A letter from a demented fan, who has no future as a poet…:(
Don’t agree with the last comment, but I love this letter! Just what you would expect from a sassy librarian. Oh, and if anyone else wants to contribute a fake fan letter, knock yourself out! I’ll be happy to publish anything that celebrates the fun and yes, the thoughtfulness that we’re part of in the RA universe.
Comments about RA on ‘The Hobbit’ set coming up soon but not today. :D
edit: there is only one place where I have no problem taking center stage — doing business. If it’s business, I shift into another mode, and maybe that’s why I like business so much.
Note: in answer to the questions about the second photo, that is my daughter on the beach in San Diego; taken a couple of weeks ago.
Richard Armitage really did represent the cast at the Powhiri on the opening of filming ‘The Hobbit’, and I really did feel like I was watching my kid make good. Maybe he was right about the maternal feelings, and strangely, that doesn’t feel icky anymore.
edit: video updated with HD
I guess this means I can take the ‘rumors’ tag off my other piece.
[note: Thank you, friend, for sharing this with me. I’m not sure exactly why me, but I hope you know I appreciate it, and I’m so glad we got to see something this quickly.]
Something is changing with respect to the popularity of Richard Armitage in America (North America to be specific), and yet ‘The Hobbit’ is still almost two years away! I’ve been encountering more and more people who know RA’s name and have seen him in more than one role. Wow. What a change from three years ago! Or even one year ago. But I don’t think it’s due to his being cast in ‘The Hobbit’. At this point ‘The Hobbit’ is only on the radar of those in the movie industry, the LOTR fans, maybe a couple of other fan clubs and us. Everyone else won’t give a rat’s ass about it until we’re a few months or perhaps a few weeks or days from the premiere.
This recent awareness of Richard Armitage mostly comes down to Netflix. They are the only entity who provides us with a steady diet of RA. When I first started watching RA three plus years ago, there was almost nothing available in this country. The only thing I found was ‘North and South’ on Netflix and some documentary about that other guy. Now there are numerous things to watch, and many of them are ‘Instant Play’, and that’s the key.
Numerous friends scattered around the country who regularly watch ‘Instant Play’ have been discovering this “new” actor and just can’t tell me enough about him. Never mind that a couple of those people are the same ones I’ve told about ‘North and South’, ‘Spooks’, ‘Robin Hood’, etc. LOL! Hey, I don’t care how they discovered him; I’m just glad they did. Even my best friend, who at one point would roll her eyes when RA’s name came up, finally watched ‘North and South’ via ‘Instant Play’. Yea, Tammi!!! Of course she loves it and him. I knew she would! And she could have loved him sooner if she had just watched the DVDs I loaned her almost three years ago.
But I guess there really is something seductive about Netflix saying, “Tammi, rate what you’ve seen to reveal suggestions just for you” while your ass is firmly planted on the couch, and you can merely push a couple of buttons as opposed to getting up and taking the discs out of the case and putting them in the DVD player. LOL! Oh, Netflix has the power! What was I thinking to encourage the viewing of some DVDs loaned from my special collection? I mean here I am Tammi’s best friend, and we love each others’ tastes, but those precious discs just sat on the shelf! In comes Netflix with its heady offering of ‘North and South’ on ‘Instant Play’, and what I could not do for almost three years, they managed in a moment.
Tammi’s conversion occurred last summer, but this phenomenon of Netflix and RA didn’t become evident until last fall. I was going to highlight this sooner but thought it would be boring to you. Yesterday changed that. I was surfing around and found this blogger. It would be interesting to know how long she’s been a fan, and obviously, Netflix is part of her RA love. Maybe sometime she will share how exactly she became a fan, since I’m not quite sure if Netflix did it or just inflamed her some more. However it happened, I never get tired of those stories! Always makes me feel more sane, and dammit, I am sane! :D
In the meantime, as much as I appreciate Netflix being the bearers of so much loveliness, I have a request of them:
To Whom It May Concern at the big host in the sky,
Thank you so much for introducing so many people to Richard Armitage! I can’t tell you how grateful I am. It’s helped my best friend join this wonderful madness with me.
But do you think we could enjoy his loveliness when we do a query on his name? If you would be so kind to give him an avatar, I’m not sure how I would show my appreciation. Maybe send out a few thousand of those trial memberships to my friends.
And if I may suggest, this might be a good picture if you’re not sure which one would be appropriate:
Of course I have no clue about the legalities of using it, but it is the one featured on his IMDb page, so I think it’s okay. But I’ll leave those details to you.
Thank you for any consideration.
Sincerely,
One of Richard’s fans and great Netflix lover :D
P.S. How can we get Strike Back on the list?
Oh, and I would give credit to BBC America and PBS for the rise of RA’s star, but BBCA is sporadic in their love of RA, and PBS hasn’t shown much at all with him? Actually, I remember nothing although I have heard rumors that some regional stations have shown ‘North and South.’ Amazing that the network known for embracing period dramas has been almost a non-player of that mini-series, and it’s been necessary to mount a campaign to bring ‘North and South’ to PBS. Yeah, can you believe that? And I’m not even going to mention A&E beyond this sentence.
Note: FanstRAvaganza will return tomorrow; still waiting on something for now.
edit: Okay, okay, yes, YouTube has been instrumental, but it’s hit or miss there and the programs are usually not complete. For that you need Netflix.
Richard Armitage’s involvement with ‘The Hobbit’ has me feeling a lot better about this blog. Yes, sometimes I get a bit self-conscious about it. Thankfully, I quickly wise up and realize how much fun I’m having. But with my entrance into the world of LOTR, I’m finding I’m a mere novice at obsession. I’m so small time compared to some of these people. Oh, I’ve got nothing on the LOTR fans as I said in a fake fan letter to Peter Jackson, and all the time I’m realizing their ardor just spills out everywhere. Take for example the three second scene of Bret McKenzie in LOTR that’s now spawned all sorts of obsession with his character not to mention obsession with him I’m sure. Reading this made me feel so much better about my repeated examination of RA’s three second spot in Cleopatra. LOL! It’s clear I have not crossed a very important line — starting a website to it. Although he looks hot in the Cleo pictures.
But I do want to make it clear that I’m happy for Bret McKenzie, and it will be interesting to see if he makes it into this latest movie. With the talk circulating about it, I feel confident he will. Whatever happens, he strikes me as an amiable and interesting fellow, and he plays a mean ukulele. :D
Of course all of this has me wondering what will be the fallout result of RA’s involvement in ‘The Hobbit’? Thoughts?
And on another level, is obsession always a bad thing? Surely doesn’t feel like it. :)
For awhile now I’ve been working on another blog but don’t quite have it ready yet, so I’m starting a new category on this one instead — musicilove. When you get to the end of the post, you’ll know why I posted this today instead of waiting until after FanstRAvaganza, but no peeking. :D
Each post of musicilove will hopefully have something you’ve never heard but wish you had, and sometimes I’ll have a veritable playlist, as I do with this post. If it gets out of hand, I’ll find another place for it quickly. For now the only impetus for posting will be things that strike my fancy, and of course my fancy is always ready to be struck.
I’m starting with music that always makes me smile, and it’s dominated by an instrument that I’ve wanted to dismiss but just can’t. Most important for me is I might not be here if not for this instrument. When Dad was wooing Mom, he would sing and play the ukulele, and she told me that it was this that made her succumb to his charms. I grew up with Dad playing all sorts of things on the uke, and I loved it when I was really little. Then I got too cool to listen and would roll my eyes, but eventually I came back to loving it, and really it was such a pleasure to hear Dad play it. He could play anything with strings, and we loved it when he “broke out” the uke. Most of the time he was a bass player (guitar and upright). When he and Mom were dating and newly married, she would go to his jobs with him, and the bass violin would ride down the middle of the car between them as that was the only way it would fit. Thank heaven for the uke. :D
I howled when I saw this video because this is one of the songs Dad sang to Mom:
Here’s another one he sang to her, and Mom always had a sweet smile on her face when he played it. Don’t those two look happy?
But the uke is not limited to just sweet love songs. I’m totally digging Pink Floyd on the uke:
So not everyone likes Pink Floyd. How about some Led Zeppelin?
Or maybe The Stones:
Okay, enough of the amateurs. Perhaps it’s clear by now that the uke is not reserved for luauas even though a drunk Don Ho singing Tiny Bubbles may sometimes come to mind. When I think of Hawaii and the ukulele, I prefer to think of IZ:
And a few more to whet the appetite of those who primarily think the ukulele is outdated.
The inevitable tie in to Richard Armitage, a sort of six degrees and actually, two degrees of separation now. And when I figured out who the principal performer is, the choice of song was perfect. For months I’ve been dying to post this, and today is the right day.
His name is Bret McKenzie. You can read about him here, and it will be interesting to hear your thoughts about this in regard to dear Richard. Oh, and whether I ever see ‘The Hobbit’ or anything by Peter Jackson, I’m falling in love with New Zealanders. Their humor and love of life is evident in almost everything I see.
And last but not least, this kid I found by cruising around on Ukulele Hunt:
No, this isn’t a FanstRAvaganza post but another interruption, because frankly, I can’t help myself.
I’ve talked about RA’s voice and his ear and the wonderful vibrations, and I even posted a little sample of what Thorin may sound like, but aren’t any of you really curious about what’s going on in New Zealand?!! Oh, I want to know! Where is he exactly? What is he doing? Which way did he go? Huh?
Perhaps there will soon be some more photos or at least some words. I know several are hanging on the tweets of Robert Kazinsky and the blog pieces and flickr from Ian McKellen, and maybe a few other things floating around or on the periphery of RA universe. Those have all certainly been treats. I’ve absolutely loved them, but dammit! I want some hard news about RA! LOL! I haven’t gotten any since the cricket match fundraiser and the picture with Vicki Treadell, the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.
I did recently read that ‘The Hobbit’ cast participated in a powhiri or Maori welcoming ceremony the day filming commenced. I knew a little bit about the ceremony since a close friend of mine spent a month in New Zealand a couple of years ago. Actually, I just knew it was a welcoming ceremony, and that’s about it. LOL! So I went in search of info but became a little confused as there was so much terminology to learn. Thankfully, I found a very clear write-up of the parts of the powhiri:
* Kawa – customs or protocols for greeting visitors. These introductory instructions are first given to the manuhiri, or visitors, such that they may be guided “safely through the spiritual and physical realms,” and so “they understand what is expected of them”10.
* Taki (or wero) – a challenge is presented, where warriors appear to determine the intentions of the visitors. If the visitors’ intentions are peaceful, the warriors present a rautapu, or some sort of symbolic peace offering, which the visitors “nod and acknowledge that [they have]… received it”11. Once this is done, the warriors guide the visitors into the sacred marae.
* Karanga – the vocal call of a female begins which will be a kind a purifying preparation or “clear a spiritual pathway between the hosts and visitors… acknowledging the spirits of all our ancestors who have passed on into the veil of the world, without end.”12. It is a type of call to the Maori and visitors’ ancestors.
* Karakia – a prayer or blessing is offered to the gods to “bring everyone together. Asking assistance of a superior being to give spiritual protection to all those who are participating in the powhiri”13. This is a type of demon or devil cleansing such that everyone may be “free from any destructive spiritual influences”14.
* Mihi – formal greetings and identification of who you are. It is a recitation of your ancestors, history, family line (genealogy), and your relationship to one another. These details were often only known by oral transmission and memory.15
* Waiata – a spiritual song is sung. “Traditional waiata of the ancestors were often aligned with spiritual
events, which could include supporting karakia or prayer to evoke supernatural forces”16.
* Koha – the act of gifting, in a very honorable, dignified, way. Traditionally this was done by offering assistance in the gathering of food, or taonga, treasures. Today it is usually a monetary-type gift. 17
* Hongi – the unique and very sacred Maori physical embrace wherein the two sides become one. “The hongi is the traditional greeting of nose pressing. It is the exchange of the ha, or breath of life… This greeting makes the visitor at one with the tangata whenua [hosts]”18. “The most sacred part of the Maori is this portion here – the face and head. When you make contact with a fellow human, it’s the embracing, the light touching of the noses. Because you’re now dealing with the most sacred part of the person. It’s the essence of life to mankind. Where else does the breath of life enter man?”19. This is the portion of the ceremony in which the breath of life is exchanged and intermingled between host and visitor, and makes the visitors one with the Maori, ready to share in all responsibilities and duties. This tradition is said to have come “directly from the gods”20. “In Maori folklore, woman was created by the gods moulding her shape out of the earth. The god Tane (meaning male) embraced the figure and breathed into her nostrils. She then sneezed and came to life. Her name was Hineahuone (earth formed woman)”21. Sometimes this embrace in the ceremony also includes the hariru, which is a handshake between hosts and visitors, and even a kiss or hug. One website describes it thus:
Direction will be given for manuhiri to go forward to hariru/shake hands, hug or hongi with tangata whenua. Whether you hariru, hongi, hug or do all three is entirely up to you at the time. We trust people will feel culturally comfortable whatever their choice. The action of performing hongi is associated with the hariru. The two people shake hands, each using the right hand. At the same time the left hand maybe placed on or near the other person’s shoulder. The head is bent, the eyes closed, and sometimes foreheads touch as noses are pressed. Some choose to press once and some twice – both ways are of equal significance. Invariably, tangata whenua will indicate their kawa/ways by example. It is appropriate to say “tena koe”/”hello to you” or “kia ora”/”greetings” as part of the greeting. In this greeting our ancestors meet as we meet and together we share the breath of life. This physical contact between manuhiri and tangata whenua completes lifts the waewae tapu/sacredness of first time visitors, allowing us all to be one, as tangata whenua for the duration of this Gathering. The running of the marae, for the time of our stay, is now ours to share.22
* Hakari – ritual feasting and sharing of traditional foods in a banquet to finish the binding together. “At the conclusion of that you are finally part of the family. And it’s a very happy occasion. And you can feel it. There’s a warmth in the room amongst everyone”23………
* Poroporaoki (or Mihi-whakamutunga) – final speeches and farewell. It is the returning of the esteem and authority of the Maori hosts back to them. It is a time of reflection on becoming one or a part of the Maori people.
(emphasis mine)
As I was surfing around, it was hard not to realize the importance of the powhiri and in particular the hongi to the Maori:
Essentially it’s the moment the hosts and visitors become one, and I remember my friend telling me how powerful it was to observe.
The Hongi:
Of course eventually I was burning with curiosity to know how RA fit into all of this, and it was almost as if my thoughts were heard and someone took pity on me. I received a note from someone in a position to know something about what went on, or maybe they have only inflamed me some more? :D
To be the leader of the visitors is pretty intimidating – you have to maintain eye contact and yet be diplomatic. Plus to speak Maori in a public occasion is tough. But Richard was the one who replied for the whole cast and even spoke Maori in his reply. Very impressive.
Yes, I think I’ve definitely been inflamed. LOL! My mind is working overtime to imagine him speaking Maori and being honored to represent the cast! Is there any doubt that he did his homework on the powhiri? Yes, that’s what I thought; he definitely was prepared. This is what is so lovely about him — he actually has a wonderful brain and uses it. Thank you, Richard!
I hope some photos emerge to confirm what I’m saying and to help along the wonderful picture in my head. Whatever the case, this is fun to imagine.
Edit: And it turned out to be true! :D More on that here.
RAFrenzy 
