Housekeeping Again

Most of the tags I’ve done by the seat of my pants just like the posts. I started off with one idea about tagging and then switched to something else in the middle. Bear with me as I come up with something more straightforward. Until now I’ve been too lazy to really think much about this. Probably need to read an article on the best methodology for indexing.

At least the categories are pretty clear.

Hope everyone is having a great day. It is gorgeous where I am, and I hope to take advantage of it instead of sitting in front of this computer. Maybe the tags can wait? :D

July 7, 2010
Categories: Housekeeping . . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 1 Comment

Is That Thing On? Spoilers

If you have never watched Spooks and know absolutely nothing about it, there are spoilers ahead.

The Spooks Fan Blog has a guest blogger today. Will from the Spooks Forum is giving his take on how Spooks should end. What? It’s going to end? The next season isn’t the series finale is it?! No! Okay, I realize Will didn’t say that, but someone is going to get that impression, so you need to get ready for that on the Spooks Fan Blog. Most people only half read anyway. Shame since we’re all so eloquent, and seriously, I do think Will is eloquent about his view of realism. No fantasy for him. Apparently he embraces realism with a vengeance, and in his reality, the hero dies. Yeah, Will’s real name is Goodtime Charlie ;-) No wonder he likes Spooks since in Spooksland the hero dies. Oh, you didn’t know that? That’s why I put ‘Spoilers’ in the title of this post.

For all of you in the U.S. who are reading this and don’t know anything about this show but disregarded my spoiler message anyway and are assigning a negative connotation to the word ‘Spooks,’ just know that it’s slang for spy, and also, the show is called MI-5 in the states for the very reason Spooks would probably be misconstrued as something else. (I may have topped my record for a lengthy sentence). That’s hopefully as close as I ever come to social commentary or politics on this blog.

Where was I? To my knowledge the show has been aired on both BBCA and PBS, but I think BBCA has now dropped it. That’s okay since most of us don’t get BBCA but almost all of us in the U.S. get PBS. Oh, and you DO NOT have to start at the beginning of the series to enjoy it, but I highly recommend it. Matthew MacFadyen is the star of the first couple of seasons, and he is wonderful. Now I’m assuming if you’re new to this show and you’re reading my blog, it’s because you’re looking for something about Matthew MacFadyen or Richard Armitage. Both are great in this show, but I especially love Richard. Hey, what else did you expect me to say since this whole blog is dedicated to the guy? Well, it’s dedicated to him and to my need to wax on and on about a lot of crap that really doesn’t matter. Oh, some of it matters but a lot of it doesn’t.

I’m done, so go check out Will’s piece, and here are a few pictures to send you on your way. Will would be proud — except the hero overcomes in this scene.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageCentral.co.uk

July 6, 2010
Categories: Spoilers, Spooks . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 5 Comments

I’m Tired; Need to Take a Nap

That last post wore me out. You think it was work to read?! Try writing that crap especially when you worry about whether you’ve spelled Naboo correctly? I did spell that correctly didn’t I? Useless crap that I obsess over.

I would have added this to the other post, but I think I’ve updated that thing about six times since I originally published it, which was, uh, let me go look…one hour ago. Wow, and I only updated six times. I’m improving.

So this post won’t be a total waste, a lovely picture for your afternoon or morning or whatever:

As Lorraine Kelly said, “A beautiful boy.”

Screencap courtesy of TheArmitageArmy.co.uk

July 6, 2010
Categories: Miscellaneous works, Movies, Uncategorized . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

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!

July 6, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Tangent — What Color is the Sky?

So Rupert Murdoch finally has the paywalls up completely on the Times. I’ve been reading about this coming event for quite a while now. It’s my understanding that Murdoch based part of his decision on another paper he owns that requires paid subscriptions for online reading — The Wall Street Journal. The only problem with his thinking is that the Wall Street Journal targets a much smaller audience, provides information more difficult to obtain and the readers have more means to pay. It can’t be said enough that the Times stuff is easily available elsewhere unless the Times has one helluva editorial team, which is doubtful. So I’m not sure what Murdoch is thinking to compare the two papers.

Perhaps he’s not thinking, since it’s also my understanding that he personally does not use the internet. ROFLOL!!! Wait. I think he’s almost 80. Okay, that explains it. Wait, my 70 something year old mother has an iPhone and accesses the internet with it, and yes, to get her news. As if that’s not enough, so do my almost 80 year old mother-in-law and father-in-law, so no, age doesn’t explain it. He must be on another planet ’cause the color of the sky in his world is not the same as the rest of us, and apparently he’s as unrealistic as Prince, who I already thought was crazy. Oh wait, I meant the artist formerly known as Prince. No, I’m wrong, he’s back to Prince. Whatever, I’m not talking about the royals:

…”The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it.

“The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good.

“They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.”

The rest of the interview.

Alrighty then. Those devices in our hands are really just a figment of our imaginations and will soon disappear. I don’t think ol’ Rupe thinks those devices are going away, but just like Prince, he thinks he can create a scarcity where none exists. But of course the devil’s advocate rears his head and has me remembering that Rupert and Prince are friggin’ geniuses, and sometimes we think geniuses are crazy — especially when they see something the rest of us can’t. This is going to drive me crazy until I know these paywalls fail. Then again, I understand they might be necessary. If so, it’s going to be sad to see the golden era of information coming to an end.

In the meantime, I love how one of the frequent commenters at Tech Dirt put it:

Hephaestus said:

He will fail. Will it get me laid? will it make me money? is it required for work? his paper doesnt match any of those so its a fail, and few if any will pay for it.

I hope you’re right, Heph.

July 5, 2010
Categories: Geek, Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 1 Comment

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.

July 5, 2010
Categories: Fandom, North and South . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 12 Comments

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:

Childline

Barnardo’s

Shelter

The Salvation Army

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.

July 2, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

For the last few days, the major newspapers in the U.S. have been carrying stories about a Russian spy ring that the F.B.I. just busted. Be sure to check out the neighbor’s reasoning for why Mrs. Murphy cannot be a spy. LOL! I’m not sure what I think of all of this, but I couldn’t help but think of Spooks and wonder how stories like this affect the writers, and lo and behold, there was an article on it.

The creator of Spooks on the Russian espionage scandal, its nostalgic spycraft and how fact can be less credible than fiction

David Wolstencroft
Guardian.co.uk Tuesday 29 June 2010 17.54 BST

The Russian spy ring scandal is full of inspiration for David Wolstencroft, the creator of TV’s Spooks, here with Hermione Norris as Ros Myers and Richard Armitage as Lucas North.

I will say this about the KGB: they are the gift that keeps on giving. Particularly, of course, if like me you’re a writer of espionage fiction. Although at this stage of the unspooling lunacy it’s hard to distinguish fact from parody.

Naturally, the Russian foreign intelligence service is now the SVR, not the KGB. As we all know, the cold war finished years ago. And there is absolutely nothing amusing about real people going to real prison.

However, nostalgia is a heady opiate – and where spies are concerned, I for one cannot get enough. This morning, it felt like someone put on Now That’s What I Call Spycraft and cranked up the volume. Or I was watching Smiley’s People, with a laughtrack.

Read the rest here.

He sounds pretty giddy, and although Lucas doesn’t qualify as a guy from suburbia, Harry might. Should be interesting to see what happens.

The perfect cover?

Up next the gift that really does keep on giving.

July 2, 2010
Categories: Spooks . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 5 Comments

Forgetting Guy — Spoilers

Last year at this time it was days after Guy’s death, and I could still feel tears welling up in my eyes when I thought of it and would shake my head at the absurdity of grieving the death of a fictional character. Just now I felt them start again. Amazing.

Certainly I’ve read books and watched movies that had tragedy and loss and was profoundly moved by the events to the point I shed tears as I was reading or watching. Sometimes I’ve thought about the events for days or weeks later and in some cases months or years later. But my later thinking has always had more to do with intrigue about the human condition and certainly examining it in a kind of detached way. This wasn’t the case with Guy. With him it was personal and a grieving process, and it stunned me. I’ve had to grieve lots of deaths but never someone who’s not real. Honestly, this made me think I really was going nuts, and so my analytical side stepped up to ask why and try to make sense of it and preserve my dignity.

I’ve had a year to think about it, and I’m not sure I’ve completely made sense of it. But I understand much better what’s happened. I’ll be posting more diary entries about this process, and perhaps I’ll find I have CWS. But if I do, it’s not of Richard Armitage but rather this fantastic character he helped to create.

Now you know the real reason I’m anonymous. LOL!

When I was drafting my first post for this blog, I thought about hitting this subject right up front but knew it would not be as satisfying (at least for me) to go right to the issue I’ve wanted most to address. I really did want to have some fun along the way in my self-analysis. Could I have bored you with all sorts of psychoanalytical terms? Oh yeah, I could have. Believe me I know enough of them after up close and personal acquaintance with some psychiatrists. But you don’t want to hear all of that shit, and I really don’t want to type it.

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

June 29, 2010
Categories: Robin Hood, Spoilers . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Tangent — Just a Tangent

allwork

I keep finding typos on my blog, and I’m sure if I keep scouring for them, I’ll find them until I’m cross-eyed. This drives me crazy! If I weren’t anonymous, I would let someone proof my stuff, but well, it’s not worth it to me. But still it drives me crazy! And I’ve already gone crazy a couple of times in my life.;-) So I’m not going to look at it anymore unless someone lets me know I have a horrible typo that maybe paints RA as a serial killer or something; otherwise, I’m going to run with these posts and not look back.

That is all.

June 28, 2010
Categories: Housekeeping, Tangents . Tags: . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

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