Where’s the Bunny?

September 10, 2010

It’s been almost two years since I first read the blog piece about good fans going bad and the referenced Wikipedia page about CWS (Celebrity Worship Syndrome). My cursory reading of the wiki page left me thinking there were huge gaps in the scale; I certainly knew I didn’t quite fit the descriptions. I was so disturbed by my own behavior, I didn’t want to pursue any further information about CWS. Nevertheless, when I was getting ready to start this blog, I reviewed the page, and it seems that others have taken exception to the scale. I’ve been hesitant to highlight this because it might be the ultimate rationalization for fleeing treatment of Richard Armitage addiction, but when did that ever stop me? Plus, my public service gene demands that I bring it to your attention. ;-) That way you will be prepared if someone slaps you with this.

Earlier this year someone updated that wiki page to add a section called “Critical reflection on celebrity worship and mental health.” God Bless ‘Em. (Or maybe I was so addled I missed it the first time around?) It seems the methods of research for this “syndrome” may not have been scientifically applied and the researchers biased. If I were not so busy, I might read more, but maybe someone who is inclined will take it up. All I know is that I got a little antsy when I read that one of the CWS researchers is from the University of Leicester. Uh oh. Could that be one of RA’s relatives who is exasperated with all of us? Or is he someone on the town council who’s sick of hearing that maps of H___________ need to be printed after every tour bus of Radio 4 listeners comes through, or perhaps he read about the building permit needed for the 12 foot fence around the Armitage’s backyard. I don’t know. I don’t know. But then I wondered if this professor heard about the chocolate pants. That would make me wonder about someone’s sanity, and I fleetingly wondered if I might become so far gone I would send RA some chocolate pants. Oh, hell no! Well, not if I were in my right mind. Then I realized I could devise my own scale and make it sound scientific. I did have a thing for Fred Demara. Not quite sure he was my soul mate (but maybe), so I’m certain I can figure out something that sounds scientific.

In the great tradition of the Web playing doctor, I’ve devised a scale and below it is a poll for you to assure yourself honestly assess your situation:

Entertainment-social

This comprises attitudes of fans who gain great pleasure from laughing about chocolate pants sent to a celebrity when they’re not nauseous at the thought. Sometimes they even get sick laughing as they imagine the expression on the celebrity’s face when he receives the chocolate pants. But these fans have no desire to ever send the celebrity (or anyone else) some chocolate pants as actually doing that is sickening to them and they don’t know where in hell anyone would buy them anyway. Well, maybe they wouldn’t send their own chocolate pants if they ever did know where to buy them, but maybe send them as someone else’s just to see what happens, er, rather to embrace the humor of the perceived reaction of the celebrity upon receipt of the chocolate pants as long as they are sent through the post and not by using them as a missile during an interview of the celebrity, which would require being somewhere nearby and possibly being caught out as a nut.

Intense-personal

Intense-personal aspect of celebrity worship reflects intensive and compulsive feelings about sending chocolate pants to the celebrity, akin to the obsessional tendencies of fans often referred to in literature; for example “I share with my favorite celebrity a need to touch chocolate pants — a feeling that cannot be described in words” and “When something bad happens, I know my favorite celebrity would be refreshed by seeing some chocolate pants from me.”

Borderline-pathological

This dimension is typified by uncontrollable behaviors and fantasies regarding how the chocolate pants will be presented to their celebrities, such as “I have frequent thoughts about wearing chocolate pants while standing in front of my favorite celebrity, even when I don’t want to” and “my favorite celebrity would immediately come to my rescue if something were to happen to my chocolate pants.”

Disclaimer for idiots who think this is serious: NO, nothing I’ve said about anyone in Leicester or the Armitage family is real. Well, except that one of the CWS researchers really is a professor from the University of Leicester — according to Wikipedia.

I ran across this in my uh research for this post: Inkblot Test. If you have some time, take the test. Trust me you’ll like it. And many thanks to the creators of it for the title of this piece. [Note: the title of this piece was taken from this “test”]

edit:

I HATE it when I make a horrible typo or when I realize I made a horrible typo. Will I ever get over that? LOL!

September 10, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 22 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 21 Now I’ve Done It

See Diary Part 20 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — And Still Fall, 2008:

I’m not sure I can read any more of the Armitage Army forum. There are some lovely people there, but I’m scaring myself, and then I discover this! Just the title alone has made me really stop and think about what I’m doing. But haven’t I been doing that all along the way? Haven’t I gut checked myself so much that I’ve worn myself out with it? It seems I’m so tightly bound with circumspection that I’m a small package which bores me silly. And now it seems I can’t even have a little fetish that doesn’t make me stereotypical and potentially a nut case. CWS? What the hell? I guess the first stage isn’t so bad, and that’s certainly where I fit, but just knowing there is a scale creeps me out.

A few days later:

I feel so dumb most of the time when I’m reading all of these web pages about Richard Armitage, and now I’ve made a few posts on the Army site which have sort of wearied me. All I know at this moment is that I’m tired of typing the words Richard Armitage. It feels funny to type his name. It hits me sometimes when I get to his last name that I’m almost incessantly discussing someone I do not know and never will. But somehow it feels like I know him. NOOOOO! That sounds like something further up the CW Scale. I will bust a gut before moving up that scale or even looking like I have. I don’t even want to type anything less formal than Richard Armitage. Maybe I should make that Mr. Armitage. No, that just sounds uh, I don’t know what it sounds like. A bit of the lady doth protest too much? Yeah, that would almost be like banging a gong and saying, “I’ve got a problem and need to keep my distance!”

Anything less than his full name just seems too personal. But isn’t pondering whether it’s personal kind of creepy as well? Why do I care if I’m too personal? Hell, I don’t know. I just know I’m a bit creeped out at myself, but I can’t seem to stop watching his stuff. I really do think he’s a great actor the likes of which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen. But I feel like a fool being on a fan site. It really bothers me. Mostly because it jacks with the image I have of myself. Hang what anyone else may think. The identity I embrace does not include being a fan. It’s just not me. So why the hell am I doing this, and why am I writing journal entries about it?

But the other fans are interesting, and I’m finding new sources for watching Richard Armitage’s performances. Maybe I’ll stay.

A few more days later:

I mentioned that I was curious about ‘Between the Sheets,’ and someone at the Army forum sent me a zip file of it. So I’ll get to watch it without having to order it. What am I saying?! No, if I watch it for free now, I’ll have to buy it, and I’m not sure I want to buy this. And I still hate the name of that show. No imagination. If I can submerge my conscience long enough, I’ll start watching sometime soon. What am I thinking? Besides, I’m doing a stutter step at what I’ve read on the Army site. It seems the watchword for ‘Between the Sheets’ is peaches. Whatever the hell that means. I didn’t delve any further. I don’t want to feel any dumber than I already do.

See Diary Part 22 here.

September 1, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 28 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 20 My Kingdom for a Plastic Horse

See Diary Part 19 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — Still Fall, 2008:

I joined the Armitage Army forum today. The lure of it was too much to resist any longer. My desperation to talk to others about Richard Armitage and Stanislavski and identities and art simply overcame any hesitance I had about looking like a fangurl with exploding ovaries. I want to wallow in a discussion about what I’m discovering, and IMDb is not enough. What I’ve read on the Army site has given me tons to check out, but it’s a little daunting knowing where to start.

A couple of weeks later:

I didn’t get very far. I became distracted by a discussion that may have cured me of my fascination with Richard Armitage. Me, the cheapskate, has totally had my purse strings loosened by this guy, so once again I had to buy something that had several posters atwitter. It’s amazing to me what I’ve bought in the last several months. Thankfully, this item wasn’t very expensive, but I did have it sent express mail, which costs a young fortune, and now I’m the owner of one of these.

My only problem is that I can’t let this thing see the light of day. I mean I don’t even know where to put it. I’m not quite ready to take a page out of the book of the ladies who went on about theirs. Several of them said they used their kids for cover. The little SOs would not let me do that. They would call bull on me so fast, it would make my head spin. I don’t have that luxury, so I’m stuck with this thing crammed, er, lovingly placed at the back of my lingerie drawer. I CANNOT BELIEVE I’m writing this. What’s really sad is that I’m bummed I didn’t get what I really wanted — one of these.

So much for art.

Present day:

I hid that doll so well I couldn’t find it to take a picture for this post. I moved it from the lingerie drawer so it wouldn’t be discovered there and given a significance that it doesn’t hold. Now I’m wondering where it will emerge, and what my explanation, if any, will be. LOL!

See Diary Part 21 here.

August 25, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

And So It Goes

Mulubinba did a wonderful post, “The End of an Era” to honor the Armitage Army site as it closes today.

I want to add my appreciation for all of the work done there by Eli, and I send all my best wishes to her.

July 24, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

The Question

Hopefully, RA has turned the proverbial corner with his fame, and journalists will not fall back on the one question that’s bound to get a bit of a visceral reaction from him. Oh, you don’t know what it is? Where have you been for the last five plus years of interviews? It seems some journalists just can’t help asking about his Army. Granted, it’s quite a feat that he raised an Army almost overnight, and the first few years it might have been interesting. Now it’s boring beyond belief. It’s just boring to those of us who follow him so closely? I doubt that.

The guy has so many more interesting things to talk about than some “middle-aged, quite well-educated, Radio 4 listeners,” who some like to send him their pants. Phew, I got bored typing that description. Now I don’t know for sure about all the pants coming his way. Also, I’m not very familiar with Radio 4, refuse to call myself middle-aged, and I haven’t sent my pants to anyone outside my house, so I know this doesn’t apply to me. But still, who wants to hear about it? No offense to any of you middle-aged, quite well-educated, Radio 4 listeners. ;-)

I wonder how long I can wax on about this before you get bored? Oh, you’re bored already? Well, it seems the PR machine for Spooks is revving up so I’m compelled to talk about it. I really do hope journalists have enough going on in their heads that they don’t ask. But thank God the circus question has died.

I’m sure the journalists think we’re all nuts. I don’t care. If I cared, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. Wait. I’m anonymous, so I guess some part of me cares. I think, not sure, but I think that’s a healthy sign. LOL!

I did toy around with the idea of sending Richard some “orders” from the Army (Rogue Branch) where it would have been explained to him that he was not allowed to talk about it. But this post is my confession that I’m chickening out. It just isn’t my style to send something to a celebrity. Maybe it’s my pride. Oh, yeah, it’s my pride.

A fake fan letter will have to rid me of my angst:

Dear Richard,

It’s abundantly clear you have been schooled in manners. I do not remember one instance of you being impolite. You are politeness itself. But I must ask if there’s a possibility you could be rude to journalists who insist on delving into a subject that I believe makes you groan? I find myself hoping to hear that rudeness. Oh, couch it in whatever you like. Last time out was actually pretty funny. I laughed whether anyone else did. But then I don’t place myself squarely in that group you described. Could that have been a slip into a little rudeness? I don’t think so, but it was close. Oh, it was skating really closely.

Frankly, a good shit here or there might help. Perhaps you already say that, and it’s edited to insert your politely crafted manna to the fans. Maybe that wouldn’t work, since too many journalists have the persona of shrikes — impaling their subjects with questions designed to get a reaction that will inspire them to write something clever. Plus, it seems I’m remembering one interview where the shit got through (or maybe I dreamed that). That guy must not have liked you, or he was jealous. Whatever the case, I thought your reply was really honest and a breath of fresh air. No one is that polite all the time. At some point you were bound to get tired of the question. I know the fans are. Well, this fan.

Man, I sound angsty about your replies. But really I’m not angsty about your replies at all. Your replies are not the problem. I don’t care what you say if it makes the reporters stop asking the question.

Sincerely,
One of your minions in the Army

P.S. Have you ever laid eyes on the guy who came up with that name?

That felt good. I’m really getting addicted to these fake fan letters. If you haven’t tried one, do it! They are so satisfying without any of the embarrassment you would have if he really read it. Plus, I imagine the wait would be hell.

So what about Nat’s group letter? That’s special like Nat, and should stand alone. I really do hope he gets it, reads it, and most important sees Nat’s work. He would love it!

And because in recent days I’ve been remiss in posting pics, here’s one of my favorites:

Yes, it puts your focus squarely on his beautiful mouth.

Screencap courtesy of my stash.

June 27, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 10 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 15 Not by Strength, But by Guile

See Diary Part 14 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a couple of years ago minus a few months and a couple of days:

I shouldn’t have made it obvious I spent $89 to watch Richard Armitage. Will I ever hear the end of that? Probably not. Oh, well, I’ll just have to be more discreet. I just got sick of watching so much on my computer. There is a lot to be said for watching Richard on the big screen. Well, on my tv’s big screen. But I would love to see him on the big screen. WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO FIGURE OUT WHO HE IS AND PUT HIM IN A GREAT MOVIE ROLE?! Then again, I have mixed emotions about him going to Hollywood. They seldom have anything of the caliber of North and South, and so many good parts are given to mediocre actors — Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Zach Efron. Vomit.

I’m not sure what to watch next. I did see a couple of things listed on Netflix that were not there before. YEA!! So it’s a toss up between Miss Marple and George Gently. Haven’t heard too much about those on IMDb, but I have heard incessantly about the Armitage Army. Something about ovaries exploding. I already feel like an idiot. Do I even want to go to that site? Then again, no one is going to know. I just need to hear what others thought about those shows and maybe someone there will know.

A little while later:

Blast! I have to join the site in order to surf the forum. I’m not ready for that. I guess it will be George Gently since I outgrew Miss Marple awhile ago.

A day or so later (or however long it took Netflix to get a disc to the boonies):

He’s done it again! I love this! I entered Ricky Deeming’s world. He’s a rebel and a schmuck, but he’s got a cause. I love his scathing indictment of society. Wonderfully written scene. Oh, what this guy can do when he has some great writing. Even poor writing he can deal with, but great writing? I may pass out from watching. Why can’t we have more roles like this for Richard?!! And SO ended up watching some of it. He liked it, and he didn’t even recognize Mr. Embouchure. MUHAHAHAHA. I’m not breathing a word.

I didn’t realize that AlisaGB on YouTube had some clips of it. I thought I knew all of her videos since she was so kind to upload so many clips of Robin Hood. Just like Heather, she has been a boon to me in the pursuit of watching Richard Armitage. Thank you Alisa!

[note: if you haven’t seen this episode, there are spoilers in this video]

Alisa has something uploaded called “Between the Sheets.” I may check that out next!

See Diary Part 16 here.

June 24, 2010
Categories: George Gently, Spoilers . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

Tangent — Helen James

Like all of us who get these Google alerts and Twitter alerts and all kinds of alerts going on, I got the update on someone named Helen James interviewing RA, and of course good lemming that I am, uh, I mean good Army member that I am, I had to go look at her Twitter account. But my anal nature wasn’t satisfied with waiting patiently for this interview to surface on the Spooks 9 DVDs (at least I think that’s what I read). I wanted to know about Helen James dammit. So I went to her site and watched her and various people who work for her, and I saw quite a few still pictures of her as well. (Man, it’s a good thing I’m a quick study or I would really feel guilty about spending too much time). I got a great vibe from her, and I would analyze her ala the idiot chick on Bill O’Reilly, but I’ll try to spare you. Suffice to say she seems like a neat person, and I can boil it down to one thing. She smiles a lot! How can we not like people who smile a lot and especially when their eyes smile as well? What a powerful tool in our communications arsenal. I’ve told the little SOs ad nauseum that smiling can cover a multitude of sins. So go forth and smile!

Looking at those videos of Helen James helped me understand my obsession with the LOL. I smile a lot in face to face interactions, but obviously, you can’t see the smile on my face 90% of the time as I’m writing this blog. I realize my lack of writing ability to convey that smile, so I frequently rely on the LOL to do it for me. It’s very important to me to get that smile across because I know it radically alters the reception of my words. But I was not always a smiler and learned the hard way how much it colors what is being said, and this has been a blessing for me and hopefully some others. I spend time day in and day out with a good number of people, and sadly, most of it is due to harsh realities of life doing them in. Much of the time is spent listening to their ills, and I am expected to respond to some degree to the terrible things I get to hear. Lucky me. Yeah, that was sarcastic, but I do consider it a privilege (not sure I would call it a pleasure yet) to listen to people who are in crisis and then try to help them. No, I never grin like the Chesire Cat or patronize when someone is pouring her heart out. God forbid I ever do that! I do try to smile appropriately, and it is often a balm — a wonderful balm only succeeded by laughing.

Oh, and that’s another thing about Helen James. She laughs a lot too. At herself and just life’s situations. God Bless her. I wonder if she realizes how much she owes her success to her upbeat demeanor. Yeah, I realize she knows the technical side of things, but hey, a lot of people know technical stuff and that didn’t get them very far. Yours truly is one of them. Thankfully, I learned early that being technical was never going to be enough. I had to know how to interact with people in a way that inspired hope in them as well. The combination of the technical knowledge and the ability to make people want to interact with me allowed me to make a crap load of money and then retire and then do what I’m doing now, which ultimately meant I could write all this fluff that hopefully makes you laugh or at least smile.

Ohmygosh, I feel a fake fan letter coming on but it’s to Helen! I guess I have another addiction.

Helen,

I feel like I can address you so familiarly because of your very personable nature. You have that down! For all I know you could be a real pill to deal with, but my gut instinct (aka bs detector) tells me the people around you would willingly deal with it.

I get the sense that you generally enjoy life and love what you’re doing even if things are sometimes going to hell in a hand basket. I know I had fun just watching the promo videos on your site. If I ever need some professional videos, I’m calling you, and hang the overseas airfare. It’s not that expensive.

Oh, and I’m so glad you got to interview our guy. That is sort of a royal “our” since I have the strength of a powerful host of people behind that statement. Now I’m wondering if you asked him The Question. But hey, for you, I can forgive your curiosity about all of us, The Army. For now I can’t wait to see the interview and how much RA was smiling and laughing.

What I would love is if you could somehow interview the husband who hung the moniker on all of us. That would be something to see! Might be therapeutic for Richard to lay eyes on the chap who’s caused him so much chagrin.

Sincerely,

RA Addict and newbie Helen James devotee

P.S. I hope you don’t freak out with all of those Army members now following your Twitter account; yeah, someone really ought to do a story about this phenomenon instead of just relegating it to a joke with RA.

For those of you who don’t know what she looks like, check out her Twitter account or her website.

June 22, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Spooks, Tangents . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

I Keep Waffling on This

But this thing with RA’s interviews and the incessant questioning and teasing about the Army he receives and the thought we’ll have to hear that crap again just won’t leave me alone. I really really don’t want to hear it again, and even though I’m not big on sending him a fan letter myself, I was wondering if maybe I could steal Nat’s idea of a group fan letter. Not exactly like hers. That is unique and special, and I don’t want to duplicate it at all but merely the idea of several people sending a letter together. Really I’m not even thinking of a letter but of something like a petition in the form of military orders where we tell him we don’t want to hear about the Army again! and he’s not allowed to talk about it! LOL!

It could be from the Armitage Army (Rogue Branch), and maybe we can attach our names (real, internet, whatever name you want as long as it’s not vulgar) and have some ranks listed beside them. Maybe you could also list your country and we can make this an international order. Not sure what group I would pattern that after. But there’s only one problem for me. I don’t know what orders look or sound like. Well, now that I think of it I guess it doesn’t have to be anything really authentic looking. See that’s my anal side. Gotta nitpick stuff. I don’t want to nitpick this but rather have a good time with it. If you have any ideas, bring ’em on. Comment or send me an email. You can click on the link on the left sidebar near the bottom labeled “Contact me” if you want to email; otherwise, comment away.

Screencap courtesy of my stash. This one’s for you, Elvira. I know you love that beanie.

June 1, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 41 Comments

See What Happens When I Stay Home from Church

I would have called this a tangent, but those pieces are supposed to be only remotely related to RA. This is firmly about RA and about “his people.”

When I think of “his people,” I don’t think of us –you know, you and me, the fans. When I think of “his people,” I think of the people working for him or advocating for him for money, i.e., agents, publicists, or whatever. He needs to give some instructions to “his people.” They need to put the word out that he will not answer any more questions about the Army. Do I need to explain what Army?

I was reading Servetus’ blog about what he should say about his fans, and it came to me like a lightning bolt. I would say epiphany, but hey, I’m only using that word once in the life of this blog. It’s too important a word to use more than once. Kind of like awesome which I’ve actually used twice on this blog. Shame on me. I won’t even go into my use of exclamation points. But yes, yes, I digress. Heck, this blog is one long digression.

Where was I? Oh, I had a revelation, no, er, a thought about what he could do about these questions on the fan thang. Just don’t entertain them, and that means saying ahead of time, “Could you please ask me all sorts of things but not about the fan thing?” Or “I will not answer questions about the fan thing. Ask me almost anything else, and I’ll cooperate, but I really don’t want to talk about the fan thing.” Now I proposed the first one because that seems to suit RA’s personality more. The second one just doesn’t seem his style at all, but then I really don’t know him. I just fancy sometimes that I do. ;-)

I think one reason he hasn’t done this (and hey, maybe he has and I’m all wet) was given in the latest interviews. He’s afraid this may all go away, so why be an ass and stonewall the press about the fan thing. Maybe that’s not his thinking, but he does seem way too compliant about this issue. Let it go, Richard. Please don’t answer any more questions about it, and if you need any other reason for doing it than it’s a pain, just know that WE ARE SICK OF HEARING IT TOO!

But if you are put on the spot again, I have the perfect comeback, which only you could pull off with that little laugh and grin you do, “Well, I’ve gotten my marching orders from the Army, and they’re sick of hearing about themselves.”

I am thankful at least the questions about the circus have gone away. Thank God.

I really should have gone to church.

edit:

Did I just write another fake fan letter? I think I did. Too bad no one who can do anything about the boring questions will read this. But oh, it felt good to say it. :D

May 30, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 30 Comments

Just Enjoy Being a Ripple

To my fellow fans,

Maybe it’s just me and a few others, but I do not look to Richard Armitage for affirmation of any kind. No offense to Richard. So when I listen to an interview with him and God forbid the fans are mentioned, I don’t take anything he says personally. I’m simply along for this ride, and I’m enjoying it. But if I start trying to figure out if RA has contempt for some of his fans or all of his fans, well, it’s just too much work. I would rather put that energy into examining the characters he plays.

But I understand that we’re all part of a fandom, and as such that makes us a bit vulnerable. Well look at it this way. Now we know how RA feels being in the spotlight. He’s in the spotlight almost all the time and the Armitage Army (unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) is sometimes too. So we get laughed at sometimes, and if it can make RA laugh, so be it. I think those male interviewers are jealous as hell and the women interviewers are fascinated. But I really don’t think RA means anything mean by his cracks. I think he’s still flabbergasted and doesn’t know what exactly to say, and I refuse to take any of it personally. Rationalizing? Maybe, but I live by that rule most of the time — don’t take things personally (even if they’re sometimes meant that way) — and it keeps me sane and smiling.

I hope all of you have a great day.

Should I post a pic?

May 30, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 10 Comments

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