My apologies in advance to Richard Armitage, but I can’t stop chuckling at RA playing a dwarf. No offense to anyone who is a dwarf, but I keep seeing RA as Tim Conway’s Dorf only with a deeper voice and a beard of course.
Again, my apologies, and I’m sure RA will do a wonderful job as he’s done with everything else. I look forward to seeing his Thorin. Man, all of a sudden a year feels like a long time.
So Richard did an interview for Woman’s Weekly (actually it sounds like another interview and maybe they just picked it up? even the picture was a recycle), and now we know where the underpants came from, but knowing Mulubinba, I know it was not her. She has too much class for that! And I thought that even before I read her piece.
But take note, fellow fans, this interview is why I will never send a letter to Richard Armitage. I’m too proud, and not afraid to admit it. LOL! The real issue is that there is too much room for things being misconstrued. Okay, I did throw in with Nat’s letter, but that was different; it was about Nat. Plus, Nat’s a class act who is obviously funny and respectful, and if Richard Armitage doesn’t appreciate that, then he’s not who I’ve been led to believe. By the way, I’ve been wondering about that letter lately. Nat?
All of this begs a fake fan letter.
Dear Richard,
I love your honesty. It’s startling sometimes how honest you are, and I felt for you when some fans got their knickers in a twist about your comments awhile back and you felt compelled to address them. A word of advice from someone who understands what it feels like to live in a glass house: if someone gets their knickers messed up over this interview, I hope you ignore those people and don’t feel the need (out of being so nice) to respond. You can never appease your critics and that includes fans. Hey, I may be one of those fans who criticizes at times, and to be honest, I have and probably will again. That doesn’t mean I don’t love ya. I’m just really honest too.
But I have to chuckle at the response to this interview so far. Earlier I compared your words about fans like pebbles going into a pond. That picture is too serene. No, it’s like someone startling the hens in a coop. Thankfully, this hen is decidedly unstartled. Yeah, I think I said that earlier too. Sorry, my honesty gets the best of me sometimes, so I just blurt out what I’m thinking.
All of that aside, I’m curious about something. Is it possible to determine if a package is inappropriate before you open it? Maybe someone who has no emotional attachment to you can open the blasted stuff before you see it?
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans (but not so crazy to send you underwear)
Oh, there is so much more to mine from that interview, but I’ve got to stop. Maybe more later. For now I’m on my way out the door to somewhere else again. For those of you who know, I’ve got eight days until the season ends. I’m glad for my little SO, but I’m also tired and need a break!
edit: Late breaking news (for me anyway): it was Nat who sent the pants!! Say it ain’t so, Nat!! Oh wait, I should have finished the piece first. She’s full of it. ;-)
second edit: I really am trying to get out the door and apparently moving so fast, I forgot the link to the Woman’s Weekly article, and to say THANK YOU to RichardArmitageNet.Com for posting it.
Unless you’re under a rock in the RA universe, you know by now that our guy Richard Armitage is going to be playing Thorin Oakenshield in “The Hobbit.” What I found interesting is the filming schedule. Begins in February. What else do we know begins filming in February? Oh, I understand if you’re a novice at this Richard Armitage watching. So let me instruct you as an act of public service. ;-) You may not be aware that the BBC show Spooks will start filming in February, and RA plays one of the main characters, Lucas North. No, he’s nothing like Guy of Gisborne in this one. At least that’s what I have been thinking, but on second thought, he might be a bad guy (pardon the pun).
I’m trying to process the speculation about Lucas, and now? Is it too early to say he’s toast? I mean RA is good at running from location to location, but no one’s that good. London to New Zealand is still quite a trek (assuming the squabbling over labor is settled and it will be in NZ). Or maybe Spooks is going on location again? No, they’ve got their Greek God replacement, so I think they’ll stay home.
Whatever the case with Lucas North, I hope he goes down in a blaze of glory. Does it have to be a peaceful death? No offense to RA’s wishes. Somehow that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun, and a peaceful death is harder to write, and well, do I need to explain why I don’t hold out hope for a well done peaceful death? Of course if it’s a violent death, then I suppose it will have to be a bomb. Maybe I can hold out for a death like Guy’s where he still gets to say a few words at the end. All I know at this point is that I’m on for the ride with Lucas, and I will enjoy it no matter what. But my most ardent wish is that he will come to his senses at the end and have a mad, passionate love affair with Beth. She can even be Alpha.
In the meantime, I’m salivating at the thought of SO, who is an LOTR fan, paying to watch Richard Armitage in a movie.
But are you feeling funny like me? ‘Cause you actually want to dance with the announcement that Richard Armitage is going to have a sizable role in a big budget movie? Wait. What?!! RA is going to have more than a bit part in a major, major motion picture!!!
You’re among friends. Go for it!
If James Brown can’t loosen you up, maybe Richard can:
Avatar courtesy of I have no clue!! (see below) I normally am so anal about tagging everything, and I don’t know where I got this, but I really want to give credit. Please let me know who this belongs to so I can!
Update: The avatar is by Bluecabochon on C19.
It’s happened. Richard Armitage is in The Hobbit! Or did I just dream this piece (emphasis mine):
Peter Jackson and New Line Announce ‘Hobbit’ Casting
October 21Warner Bros. just released the following press release, confirming Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and revealing a slew of other actors:
Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton have joined the ensemble cast of the The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.; Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Peter Jackson.
Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing. Set for release in December, 2012 and December, 2013, we can confirm that Martin Freeman (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz) will play Bilbo Baggins, the hero of the story. Richard Armitage (UK TV’s MI-5 and soon to appear in Captain America: The First Avenger) is set to play Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon.
“Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us,” says Peter Jackson. “There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave – exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit.”
He adds “Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakensheild. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands.”
Rounding out the Company of Dwarves are Aidan Turner (TV’s Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (TVs EastEnders) who play Kili and Fili, respectively. Jackson comments “Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him, I’m thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili. Besides his talent as an actor, Rob is also a champion sword fighter; I’m looking forward to seeing the damage he can do to a horde of marauding Goblins!” He continues, “Adian is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I’m sure he will bring enormous heart and humor to the role of Kili.”
The remaining dwarves will be played by Graham McTavish (Secretariat and TV’s 24) as Dwalin; John Callen (TV’s Power Rangers Jungle Fury) as Oin; Stephen Hunter (TV’s All Saints) as Bombur; Mark Hadlow (King Kong) as Dori; and Peter Hambleton (TV’s The Strip) as Gloin.
Read the rest here.
If I’m dreaming, then I must really be dreaming big ’cause it’s over here too. LOL!
Note to self: need a new tag ‘movies.’
I finally posted my diary entry on ‘Between the Sheets’ (BTS) and granted, it was mostly a rant. I have many more thoughts about a lot of things including more on BTS. Heck, I have so many thoughts about so many things I probably couldn’t help but start a blog. I just wish I had the guts to publish more, and thankfully, all of my thoughts are not of Richard Armitage. Fascinating as he is, that would be dull indeed. But I must admit that I went through a period in my viewing of RA’s acting where I wondered more about him as a person and what motivated him. I am a human being who is intensely curious about many things not the least of which are people, so I couldn’t help but go there, and I still go there from time to time. Some of my diary entries tend to explore that a little more than others, and those entries are probably too candid for publication. I will attempt to edit them so they’re respectful but not so respectful they’re boring.
However I edit them, I do not want to lose my honest voice, but I would be lying if I said it’s not a temptation to do just that out of fear my thoughts might generate ill will. This is probably based on the experience that people do not like you if you disagree with them or say something even a little bit critical. I, on the other hand, almost love it when people disagree with me or criticize. It can make things very interesting, and it’s certainly when I learn the most. Perhaps this is a pitfall of being reared in a very antagonistic household where I could never make a statement without being compelled to defend it. The usual reaction to a declaration was, “I understand you think that, but why?” It was always why and a tendency to try to poke holes in what I was saying, so now I’m cursed to continue asking questions, but hopefully I don’t descend into ad hominem. Whatever the case, when someone questions my stance or flat out disagrees, I feel more at home. LOL!
And I have long since realized Richard Armitage was not conditioned to be a fighter as I’ve been. He’s more of a “lover,” or at least gives that appearance, and many of his fans appear to be like him, which puts me at odds with quite a few of them, and yep, I knew that when I started the blog. Apparently, I wasn’t daunted, and even though I tend toward antagonistic and snarky, I hope I have some courtesy.
I need a picture after that long-winded preface to coming entries:
If you want to see this picture in all its glory, click on it, and then zoom in. I feel like a little more objectification than usual. Maybe reviewing BTS brought that on. I encourage you to zoom in on this picture just to look at his mouth. I’ve made a big deal out of his jawline, but I’m not sure I could really tell you what I think of his mouth. Not ready to be quite that candid. LOL!
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com, and I can’t thank them enough for doing all that they do.
See Diary Part 21 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.
[note: if you are easily offended, don’t read this piece]
Entry — Yet Still Fall, 2008
I finally started watching ‘Between the Sheets’ last night.
A couple of days later:
Part of me wants to finish this show and the other part wants to delete the files.
A little while later:
I really didn’t need to subject myself to that. What in God’s name was I thinking? I’m really naive or stupid. Did I think this was going to be just some analysis of sex with all the suggestive comments I’ve read about it? Man, I am dumb. No, I’m not dumb; I just really like watching Richard Armitage, and that rendered me temporarily stupid.
And the manipulation of Richard Armitage’s parts was literally in my face! One minute I’m looking at this:
and hearing his character, Paul say, “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?” The next thing…WTF?!! Uh, no, no, that’s not what I mean. I know what it is. That’s exactly what it looks like. Richard Armitage should get a f*cking award for that — literally. ROFLOL!!!
Then later he and Alona, his partner, are at it again, and if there can be an award for sexual groaning, Richard should get it. Meg Ryan’s got nothing on him. Oh, the vocal range. Ohmygosh! he’s good at this too! I think I’m traumatized. LOL! Me, who has always loved earthy humor and who has adored SO sexually and otherwise and thoroughly enjoyed making children with him and all the the other times we didn’t make any children, is feeling a little violated. I don’t know whether to laugh or scowl. But I am mad at myself for overruling my gut. My infernal curiosity got the best of me. I just had to watch one more thing with Richard Armitage, and it turned out to be what felt very much like gratuitous sex and definitely too much information. It would be about anyone!
How did I get here from John Thornton?
Later:
Maybe I’m just being a prude. But I haven’t ever been a prude. That’s just not me. Plus, I’ve seen nudity in movies many times, and it didn’t freak me out. No, I was desensitized to nudity long ago, which I’m not sure is good. But it’s hardly surprising since I saw both of my parents naked on several occasions when I was growing up, and I never thought much of it. But then, they didn’t appear to be having sex. LOL! ‘Between the Sheets’ was pretty graphic sex short of seeing genitalia, which is the only thing that keeps it from being porn.
Then there was the plain talking about sex, but that couldn’t have bothered me. ___________ [my sibling] and I grew up in a household where almost nothing was off-limits for discussion. My parents did stop short of talking about their intimate relationship, but that’s it. Talk of sex in general? Ohmygosh, I heard lots of talk about that. I get tickled when people mention their parents giving them “the talk.” The talk?! LOL! I got countless talks, and they were honest with a vengeance. In fact, there was such an honesty to my parents that it bordered on inappropriate at times. I’m sure that I, in turn, didn’t display the kind of decorum most others are accustom to; it’s hard to know when you grow up with such free talk.
I remember the first time I could hear my parents as other people must have heard them. SO came to dinner, and afterward we were sitting around the table talking. Dad and SO were talking and Mom was telling me about some article she’d read. If I’ve heard her begin with, “I was reading an article the other day,” I’ve heard her begin with it a thousand times. Most of the time it’s really interesting since her reading material covers such a variety of topics. This particular evening she launched into a clinical discussion. She’s always made a steady diet of JAMA, NEJM, a few other clinical periodicals, and of course the PDR. I think I was 15 before I realized people didn’t normally possess a PDR, and this was long before they were easily available to the general public. But Mom was always driven to find out about anything that went into our mouths, so she was never without it. That evening she began to hit me with her latest discovery. It was something about f*latio facilitating infections. It took me a few moments to snap to on the word, and then I didn’t move and wasn’t sure where to look. SO and I were pure as the driven snow at this point, so I was mortified by her free way with words and her pursuit of er, knowledge.
Now that I’m reading what I’ve just written, Mom seems buffoonish. I wish I knew how to really capture her and Dad. It’s so frustrating to want to say something, and it just comes out all wrong. SO has begged me to write a book about them. He thinks they’re too fantastic not to be captured on the page. I don’t think I can do it. Just don’t have what it takes.
Thankfully, SO wasn’t listening to Mom that evening, but really, even if he had been, he would have had a great comeback. He’s nothing if not great at comebacks. Still amazes me. Why I want to underestimate him I don’t know. Plus, he’s always admired my parents’ honesty. He would have simply laughed and praised them in his mind for their frankness. Hell, it would have been a relief since his parents were the type that make you wonder how they ever had kids. I guess I was his Gaylord Focker and he was my Pam. No, no, Mom wasn’t Rozalin Focker, she’s always been Auntie Mame and I’m Patrick. Except for my dad, that story could have been mine. To this day when someone asks me what Mom’s like, I ask if they’ve seen Rosalind Russell in Mame.
I don’t know whether to be thankful for her, or…Oh hell, yes, I’m thankful, and whom would I trade her for?
The next day:
Now I’m hacked at the producers of this piece. I hate being manipulated when it’s not fun. I can’t even talk about this to anyone because I would have to explain too much or lie, and I refuse to lie, so I’m not talking. All those other times I felt dumb watching something more than once?! That was so benign. I guess I could say something to SO, and he would listen, but eventually there would be another comical name for Richard Armitage. And I can’t get on the Army board. I’m pretty sure of the reception my reaction would get. It would be dismissed as the reaction of someone who just isn’t intellectual enough to look beyond the sex scenes to the larger context albeit they would do it subtly so as not to put down the provincial rube, and they would be so right. I am provincial and a rube.
But is this just about intellect or a bourgeois mentality? No, I’m a human being who is profoundly moved by sex, and that’s healthy, and it’s not all driven by my intellect or conventional mores although that’s part of it. Isn’t it a wonderful thing to be profoundly moved by sex? I’m sure I would rue the day I wasn’t moved by it or the day I could sit and watch something as graphic as ‘Between the Sheets’ and view it only clinically or merely use it to get off on. Hehehe look at Richard Armitage’s “peaches.” Oh brother. But then, some of the cute remarks about his peaches may be from people who are flabbergasted like me and trying to make sense of it.
I just really don’t want to watch people having sex and don’t need to watch them having sex to get turned on. But I could never say that on a forum because the minute someone says something like that hardly anyone believes them, or that’s how people seem to let on in a group. Everyone must be cool, and especially concerning sex. That’s how people come across, but get them talking in a private room, and it’s usually a different story. Anyway, I’m glad I had a visceral reaction. It was healthy, and I would worry about myself if I hadn’t.
Surely the people who put this show together knew it would have this reaction from some, or maybe they’re so desensitized they don’t know. I wonder. I hate sometimes that I wonder about so friggin’ many things. I do not need to spend time thinking about this. What’s funny is that I’ll bet the makers of this show would love to know they riled someone like me. Kay Mellor and company hit the jackpot with my reaction. Of course my curiosity demanded I had to find out about her. Shit. I hate that I do things like that because what difference does it make what I know about Kay Mellor? Useless, useless knowledge, and I’m overflowing with it! And now I’m a little weirded out by the fact her daughter played Georgia, WTF? And her little granddaughter played Fiona. Then her other daughter helped produce it. Just a family affair. Wonder if Richard Armitage is a cousin.
I don’t know what to think of him. I’m feeling a mixture of disappointment and pity. His sexual scenes were much more graphic than any of the others. Why were his parts so in our faces? Yeah, I know the answer. Talk about being objectified. Wonder what it was like being a fly on the wall during that filming. Wait! I was a fly on the wall. LOL!
Not sure I can watch him in anything else or certainly not before I forget what he looks like scr*wing. This may really be the thing that cures me of my fascination. At least I had the common sense to watch it on my computer. If I had been watching that on tv and my kids came into the room, I don’t know what I would have done. That right there tells me I shouldn’t have been watching this show. SO and I have always been so open with them. We talk about everything with them short of our intimate relationship, which is none of their business. But everything else is up for discussion. To sneak around and watch this show?! It sounds like something I’d rather not name.
A few days later:
I’m sure not Richard Armitage’s mother and sure as hell not old enough to be his mother, but I find myself thinking about her and continually trying to rationalize his part in this show. Good grief I am actually thinking about some actor’s mother! I read a few of his supposed comments about the show, and now I can’t help but wonder about her. Supposedly he didn’t know what he was getting into. LOL! Bullshit. I also read that his mother watched it. What?! How would I feel if I saw my son like that? (eyes crossed) Mrs. Armitage, wherever you are, I feel for you.
I need someone to slap me for caring about this.
Present day:
This was a tough entry to edit, and I have so many more thoughts about this show. But I’ve got to stop. More later.
See Diary Part 23 here.
Screencap is mine.
Stick Figure Richard (SFR as fans affectionately refer to him) is a man who maddens women. He may also be a genius who has discovered the secret of transmitting pheromones through the really small screen — YouTube. How else to explain that within hours of his first appearance fans all wanted their own SFR? Natazukii may have to create a fan club. ;-)
And I had thought that SFR fever was confined to a small number of bloggers, but now I know it’s much more widespread. Otherwise how to explain normally level-headed female friends from various and sundry blogs and forums who became flushed-cheek and bright-eyed at the possibility of finding SFR in their mailboxes? “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. But he is gorgeous,” cried the most frenzied, and at possibility of receiving hers in the mail, one asked, “Listen, do you think it would be totally unprofessional if I took him to work?”
Now it seems that SFR really gets around. First he was in Canada, then the U.S. Now he’s across the Atlantic, and I notice he was smart enough to visit Spain after the Running of the Bulls. Oh, yeah, SFR is one clever piece of parchment, and I’m sure he knows how to get in and out of tight places.
I only have one question: where is the paper doll to build him up? “Given that I’m going to be abroad for the next six months, it’s no bad thing to be single this year,” he says ruefully. “It’s a peripatetic existence I’ve seen others struggle with.” Ooh, words like peripatetic make my heart skip a beat, and he actually knows what they mean!
So all you paper dolls listen up. You’ve got a shot in six months. Wonder what kind of vellum is alluring to him. Something to think about when you quit dreaming about Lucas.
Apologies to Patricia Nicol who wrote the original Times piece.
Candid shot is mine, and I can’t think of a more fitting “frame” than the “horns” from a deer hunt.
This post was Nat inspired. Yeah, I’m sure that’s obvious, but I still wanted to say it. Thanks for the good times, Nat.
edit: and I can’t forget about Richard Armitage:
Dear Rich,
Thank you for being a good sport. Well, I assume you’re a good sport.
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans
edit: I’ve changed the link to the Times Piece so that it is accessible again, and I’m grateful to the ladies at Richard Armitage Central, who made it possible for me to have something to link. Thank you, Ladies for all the great work you do!!
I’ve had a difficult time writing about Lucas North, and I had not fully understood why. There’s been the occasional post about Spooks and some RA interviews concerning Spooks, but mostly Lucas has been ignored. I wonder how many noticed the glaring omission of Lucas on the page Who is Richard Armitage? I didn’t even realize it until a couple of weeks after I posted, and since then it’s been my intention to make him part of it. But I’ve never been able to find a clip that I really liked — that really moved me.
And even though I’ve made a few comments about Lucas, it’s been really difficult to be snarky about him, and if you’ve read this blog for more than an entry or two, you know that snark reigns here. I suppose that’s due to the very serious issues I grapple with on a daily basis. If I didn’t become snarky, it would probably eat my lunch. Well, that and SO is such a challenge. He’s persuasive, very good on his feet, and rarely can I put him in check with my words unless I say something like, “I’m pregnant,” to which he becomes speechless with a huge grin on his face. The rest of the time, I have to keep up with him, and I’ve loved learning to keep up with him. He is my Alpha male with a little Beta thrown in, but I love that he’s predominantly Alpha. That Alpha allows me, among other things, to be snarky with him. Alpha can handle it, but a male who is too much Beta is a drain. Too much Beta carries a neediness that’s just irritating and could never take a joke — not really. Plus, too much Beta just feels like a girlfriend, and I don’t want to go to bed with a girlfriend.
It’s only when Beta is juxtaposed with a lot of Alpha that it becomes fascinating and serves the wonderful purpose of also highlighting Alpha. This is what I loved about John Thornton. That big bear of a man had a sensitivity that allowed him to take note of Margaret’s movements serving tea or to make himself vulnerable to his mother after his rejection, or to develop a fondness for the Boucher boy who was learning to read. But first and foremost, John Thornton was a strong man. If he had not been, then his sensitivity would not have been nearly so dear. It was certainly this strength coupled with his appreciation of the finer feelings that wowed me. Lucas was none of that or didn’t appear to be. I’m not saying I wanted another John Thornton, but I did want to see something other than a guy who was a drain.
From the beginning Lucas was a victim, which would have been fine if he had been redeemed as a man. But as it was, he was not really treated as a man. That was reserved for Ros, and Ros had her own kind of domination over Lucas. It’s my opinion (yes, it’s just my opinion like most things on this blog) the inference that the relationship between Harry and Lucas is sexual is really about Lucas placing himself in a posture of subjection and being needy of Harry, needing Harry to affirm him like a father or as only a strong male can affirm another. All of that would have been great for laying a foundation to the redemption of Lucas.
But then we get to Series 8 where he reverts to being manipulated by his former captor and temporarily switches his focus for affirmation to Sarah, who no doubt was quite the Alpha — definitely a ball buster– and Lucas wanted it so badly. Then it was found out by MI-5, and Lucas is told to play her along, which puts him between his potential redeemers. That became so wearying and the neediness never more evident than when he’s on the floor with Sarah’s gun pointed at his head and he whispers, “Take me with you.” Phew, that has an ick factor. Bark off the tree. I HATE that scene, and it was also the one which made it clear that I liked Lucas even less than Sarah. So when he got to the scene where he said he was disgusted by her, I didn’t believe him. He was too wishy washy to be really disgusted — for long anyway. Sarah had something he wanted — some balls. Even Ros was the one who had to take Sarah down at the end.
All of this has had me dreading anymore Lucas love affairs. In fact, I read this article and found myself nodding at this comment, “His current camaraderie with Beth is much more interestingly and engagingly written than his love affairs have been, and I don’t think the “Who is John?” story needs a romantic dimension when Iain Glen and Richard Armitage seem to be doing brilliantly without it. However, a romantic dimension is what we’re going to get. Oh well.”
But I was wrong, and I’m so glad I watched anyway. He is no longer just a victim so desperate for affirmation that he subjects himself to domination by his superiors and love interests. It’s a somewhat unexplained change from the other series, but I love it. Becoming head of section D helps set the stage for a more forceful Lucas, and then as he encounters his past, it becomes clear he is becoming a man who has wants as well as needs, and his wants will not be denied. He makes it clear he will not be bullied by Vaughn, and then there’s Maya. He’s bent on getting to her, and nothing is going to stop him. Even when she’s resisting him in his home, he does not give up and then at the end the Alpha emerges to dominate Maya in the most elemental fashion. Maya definitely responded, and I couldn’t help but light up. Any female who is immune to that is either not paying attention or not attracted to men. LOL!
But don’t take my word for it; you can watch for yourself:
In case you need that in slow motion, I have a slideshow as well. Feel free to snaffle any of it.
I also have to give Richard Armitage his due. Some of his lines in the scene with Laila Rouass are hackneyed. C’mon, prison, “a photograph of you,” “all those years trying to forget,” and “I had to see you?” Sounds like a David Allan Coe song. But RA pulls it off! Sorry I couldn’t help the David Allan Coe reference. It was probably brought on by Lucas’ western shirt.
Also, my short hiatus has me really maudlin to the point I feel a fake fan letter coming on.
Dear Richard,
See how easy we women are. We love it when a man exerts his dominance. Not in a brutish way but in a calm, assured way. That’s definitely what Lucas did at the end of Episode 3.
Just get ready for women to swoon over that scene as much (and maybe more) than the ending of North and South, and if you hate that sort of thing, well, I guess you should stop making shows that have those kinds of scenes.
What I love is that no one had to shed their clothes. Yes, I’m a prude. Of course I’ll have to see what happens next week. ;-)
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans
Screencaps and Spooks clips are mine.
The days of the masses being in the dark about what is available for television viewing are almost gone in developed countries and maybe in some developing countries also. Well, only if you have a computer or know someone who does. But in the recent past, it was very frustrating to watch shows from other countries on a timely basis. There’s no question if I had relied solely on the television networks in the U.S., I still would not have seen North and South, would have been very difficult to watch Robin Hood or Vicar of Dibley, and certainly difficult to get caught up on Spooks before RA was involved.
It will be interesting to see just how long it does take for some of these shows to reach the U.S. Yeah, I know some of them have, but if you blink, you’ll miss them, and no thanks to BBCA, which is a dog of a station and pretty much considered a joke in the U.S. Why should I pay for almost 24/7 viewing of Cash in the Attic?
I wish the networks would get on the stick or they’re just going to lose more viewers, and oh, they have! However I have a niggling feeling that some of them won’t get on the stick but will instead try to limit the market by seeking government regulation in order to thwart access to such things as BitTorent. Aren’t the cable companies already trying to thwart it? Oh, you’re not sure? Some of you cannot get easy access to BitTorrent because your cable companies make the downloading process excruciatingly slow, and you just thought it was your system. Don’t worry. If they keep that up, they’re just asking for someone to come up with a workaround. LOL!
None of this is to say I’m for ‘Net Neutrality,’ which would be the government owning the backbone of the Net. Please God don’t let that happen! No, there does not need to be one entity in control or the cries really will fall on almost deaf ears.
At least with the current system in the U.S. one network might try to get the jump on the others and offer something the others don’t. YEA! for competition. And as much as I’m ranting here, some of the networks are trying to make progress. It’s just not quickly enough to suit me.
Hope to see many more blog pieces in the future like this one from Australia:
How fast is fast-tracked?
aturner | September 23, 2010
The networks continue to “rush” our favourite US shows to air in Australia.
With the rise of the internet, it’s become harder for local TV networks to treat us like idiots and pretend that old shows are new shows. It’s also become easier for people to download their favourite US and UK shows within hours of them going to air, rather than waiting for local networks to get around to screening them.As more and more viewers turn to the BitTorrent channel, Australian networks have come up with terms such as “fast-tracked” to convince us that we’re seeing foreign shows as soon as possible. Rather than waiting months or even years for new shows, now it’s more like days or weeks. Unfortunately the networks struggle to deliver on such promises.
Read the rest here.
Don’t those people from “Big Bang Theory” look like they’re having fun? I guess you wouldn’t know if they really are if you’ve never seen it. Heh.
RAFrenzy 
