Captured by a Sense of Wonder

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

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

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

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

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

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

More tomorrow.

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

Stopping to Admire the Variety

Another post in the ongoing perusal of FanstRAvaganza goodies which I could not get to last week.

Now this is a motley group! And all hip in some way.

The Queen explores different media for commemorating Tolkien Love, and I’m stunned at what people can do with seemingly mundane items. The only question is could you wear or eat this stuff or would guilt force you to just look at it? :D Okay, I’m smiling, but I’m serious. How do you eat one of those cakes?

Didion reveals that even she is not immune from proselytizing. ;-)

Maria, one of the very first bloggers to mention Richard Armitage at regular intervals (yea! Maria), begins to explain the need for a New Richard III and also treats us to an interview with the author of a North and South continuation. I found interesting the conclusions about what a true marriage of two minds would produce. I’ve got thoughts on that myself. Need to weigh in at some point. LOL!

Jazzbaby is funky as per usual, and I have to say she is one of my favorites. I can’t help it!! She is! And if you read her stuff, you will probably be equally smitten. If you’re not after reading this, then I’m not sure we have much to say to each other. :D But if that’s not enough, you can go further into her mind at your pleasure. All I know is we’re so on the same page about the Spooks writers.

More tomorrow.

March 23, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

Continuing to Smell the Flowers

This is a post in the ongoing attempt to savor FanstRAvaganza. I’m reading through posts this week and next and highlighting some of what I find.

Cat Winchester has been writing fan fiction for a while now, and she shares the benefit of the experience in “Top Tips for Writing Fan Fiction.” She also has an interesting picspam of Goodies and Baddies RA has played.

IngeD3 comes with a plan to assist Peter Jackson in distinguishing the dwarfs. :D This is a blogger whom I wish I knew more about.

The Obsessed Fanatic, aka Rose Gisborne, gives us her day (two versions). Wonderful! and wonderful news from her as well. :)

And then there’s ItsJSforMe who has perhaps found the uh, fallout from reading fan fiction smelling the flowers? ;-)

In case it’s not clear, I’m doing these alphabetically by blog name. More tomorrow.

March 22, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: Leave a comment

Damn! I Want to Go to New Zealand

Never mind Richard Armitage. I was just on one of my favorite sites, Lost at E Minor, and it really got me this pumped up. Gave new meaning to the name New Zealand. Yeah, I’ve got some zeal, baby. The site is running a contest to giveaway some New Zealand products, which might be nice to enter, but that didn’t generate this excitement. Plus, it’s only open to Aussies.

It was the write-up and photos of Wellington:

Cool travel/win a prize pack from the coolest little capital in the world
March 12, 2012 by Zolton

I’m originally from Wellington, New Zealand, so I know first hand what a happening little city it is, from the windswept hills that harbour (did I say harbour? Check Wellington’s out below) cool boutiques, cafes and restaurants, to the bustling downtown area…(the rest here)

Man, someone with some means needs to be bowled over by me and offer to let me grace the Kiwis with my presence. :D

Wonder if Richard Armitage will come back. I wouldn’t.

Photos from the article, which I hope Lost at E Minor will allow me to use in order to promote their contest. LOL!

March 20, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

Telling Stories

This is actually my day 6 post!

As with the other days, please remember this is part of a much larger conversation about Richard Armitage, and again, you would be pleased by checking out the rest of it here.

Yesterday, I was away from home and had several hours of uninterrupted time while I waited for the high school track team to finish their meet. This time was to be used for finally getting a video completed which was to go with this post. The thing had me in its grip all week, and my hard head was determined to conquer, so the first few hours yesterday were spent in my hotel room continuing to wrestle with it. Check out time came, and I had to move my tussle to a reliable wifi spot — the local McDonald’s. I did eat something while I was there; free food is always an enticement (such is the “perk” of a school bus driver), and as I was wiping my hands of the last bits of my Filet-o-fish sandwich, so I wouldn’t smudge my laptop’s keyboard, a rough looking couple sat down near me. They had a laptop too and were aware that my seat was next to the only electrical outlet in the dining area. The man asked if he could plug in, and then he started quizzing me about my computer. Knowing I had to get that damn video done, but being a people person and being someone who can be easily distracted, it was beyond my power to ignore these people who were continually trying to talk to me. Oh, I mentally berated myself for choosing McDonald’s as a place to work, berated myself for committing to post every day, and berated myself for not wanting to listen to these people.

So I finally closed the WordPress session and turned to take a full look at these two. The man had on dirty clothes, was unshaven, and some of his front teeth were missing, but it did nothing to keep the twinkle in his eye from drawing me. The woman, who was a tall, painfully thin, dark eyed beauty with almost a regal presence, looked a bit wistful for something. This is where I cut to the chase to ensure this post doesn’t run to near 3,000 words. These people were homeless, and the man is probably a genius and the woman supposedly a former wife and mother with four children, which ended when she became a meth addict. Now, this is far from my first in-depth encounter with someone who is homeless, and it’s not going to be my last, but it is the most fascinating. I spent the rest of the day with them, and I won’t bore you with all the details as they’re considerable, but I did end up taping them with their consent, and I’ve already verified some of their information as accurate and will continue to try to verify some more. From what I know so far, these two need their story told. What a privilege it would be to tell it!

This morning when the story just wouldn’t leave me alone, I thought of ‘West of Memphis,’ which I plan to see, and I wondered at the considerable power Peter Jackson has to get a story told. And now Richard Armitage is in his camp, and if he is as quick a study as he appears, he will leave that place much different with almost none of it the result of new found fame. Richard is a storyteller. He has continually revealed in his interviews that he insinuates himself into the storytelling process. Sometimes the writers have talked about it:

One of our great casting coups is Richard Armitage (who plays Sir Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff’s right-hand man), modest man of sharp intellect…Today, he knocks on my door with a pencil and pad. Can he ask me some questions about his character? I tell him, truthfully, that I can’t believe he is here – an actor of his talent, sitting on my sofa, talking to me about playing this part. I feel so lucky. Suddenly I stop myself – do I destroy what little (gamma-male) authority I have by being so candid? I glance at him. My concerns are unfounded. He is blushing. A man of his talent. I remind myself that the only folk more insecure than writers are actors. — Dominic Minghella on the set of Robin Hood, 2006

Article here

And Richard is aware that he may sometimes be a pain with his need, but he can’t help it:

I don’t think I’ve gone anywhere near the high point. It may not even be in front of the camera. The older you get, the more critical you become. Whoever writes the stuff I’m in must think I’m a complete pain in the backside, because I will question them about every word the character utters.

And I’m excited about where that might lead:

I suppose I’m a bit too curious, but I think I probably will have a crack at directing at some point.

The rest of the article here

He must be in heaven right about now, and all because someone saw more than his ability to look adoringly at a female. What a shame it would be if he were consigned to nothing but that, nothing but our drooling and gushing over his sexual appeal. Oh, I’ve done my share, but that is not what brings me back again and again to see what he’s doing. Since the Vulpes Libris interview, I have been firm in my belief that he wants to tell a story. Richard III? He has talked about it a lot. So obviously, it’s a story he wants to tell, but is it his passion? Some of his fans think so, and eventually, we’ll find out.

Before I finish this post, I must say a hearty thanks to people and places on the web that make this blog possible. Yes, I’m saying that if they didn’t exist, I would not be able to run this place. LibraryGirl and the ladies who maintain the lovely database at Richard Armitage Central, Ali and her cohort Wendy at RichardArmitagenet.Com, Annette at RichardArmitageOnline, and all of the ladies at C19. If it weren’t for all of these people and their propensity to discuss and archive, I know I would never have started this blog nor have delved this deeply into what I believe is the most fascinating part of Richard Armitage. Thank you all for the great pleasure of doing that!

Edit: updated the Conversations page, so no more cheating. :D And I did not forget about Bertold Brecht. More on him after FanstRA.

second edit: I eventually talked about Brecht here.

March 18, 2012
Categories: Interviews, Movies, Robin Hood, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Flying

As with the other days, please remember this is part of a much larger conversation about Richard Armitage, and you would be pleased by checking out the rest of it here.

My apologies for the delay in posting, and no, today is not about Richard Armitage and Peter Jackson. It was supposed to be today, but I’m a day behind. Sometime I might tell you why.

This piece was originally titled ‘I Think Therefore I Am a Great Actor II,’ but my need for cuteness has waned, and in its place is an overwhelming desire to be understood. The need is so great that it’s also contributed to this post being tardy, and I began drafting it a couple of months ago! Actually, the post has been brewing from the day I started this blog. No, before that.

I knew fairly early on what overwhelmed me about RA’s portrayals, but the language to explain it has eluded me; otherwise, I would have explained already. My stumbling block is not in finding some words so much as it is in wishing to use words that have no inflammatory nature. If my ability to handle words were better, then I could deal with the dangerous ones while curtailing the seemingly endless qualifiers.

In case it wasn’t obvious in the last post, the drug I keep taking is the reality created by Richard Armitage’s characters. I would say truth, but people trip on the word truth. Maybe because it’s often assumed to be the sum of all truth instead of just a truth. That does seem to be the inference from a significant number of people when the word appears. And perhaps it is such an important aspect of our lives, it rightly deserves that reaction. To be clear, I do have a definite view of the source of the truth, but it has such a richness and depth, I could never sum it up. It’s not that simple.

And people aren’t simple. It doesn’t matter who. Everyone has myriad emotions for myriad reasons with myriad manifestations of them. For another person to portray this authentically, and I don’t necessarily mean realistically but rather a portrayal that gets to the heart of a person, certainly can’t be simple. It requires what Stanislavski called “the magic if” which is an actor accessing his imagination to give a character thoughts and feelings, and in turn mannerisms and personal habits in order to convey the inner man. When I first heard Richard Armitage wrote back stories for his characters, I wondered if he was a devotee’ of Stanislavski’s method, but it wasn’t until I read the Vulpes Libris interview in July 2009, that I was sure. Oh, what a wonderful piece. For all of the supposed intellectual resources of the major media outlets, an interview on a fairly unknown blog remains my favorite, because he shared in more detail, before or since, how his mind works with respect to his craft. Thank you again, Lovely Book Foxes! I think many of us would love to read those diaries. Maybe one day.

From that interview, something else began to be clear. This tapping into the imagination and using it to make a real point of connection is Richard Armitage’s obsession, and thankfully for us, his genius. When I was reading Craig, he made an illustration of a young man wanting to become an actor and how it wasn’t really about wanting to be an actor but something else:

Perhaps you quarrelled with your parents when you were eighteen, because you wished to go on the stage, and they would not let you. They perhaps asked why you wanted to go on the stage, and you could give no reasonable answer because you wanted to do that which no reasonable answer could explain; in other words, you wanted to fly. And had you said to your parents, “I want to fly,” I think that you would have probably got further than had you alarmed them with the terrible words, “I want to go on the stage.

Millions of such men have had the same desire, this desire for movement, this desire to fly, this desire to be merged in some other creature’s being, and not knowing that it was the desire to live in the imagination, some have answered their parents, “I want to be an actor; I want to go on the stage. — Edward Gordon Craig, from On the Art of the Theatre

I saw Richard Armitage in that. Oh, not the quarrel although there could have been a quarrel, but in the desire to merge with another creature’s being. And it occurred to me that for all its appearances, this is not flying:

The heart of these characters was never revealed in any way that was terribly meaningful to me. The entire time I was watching I felt like an outsider who didn’t understand the intense relationship between these two people but was aware on some level of the writers whispering into my ear, “This is the scene where you should care.” But oh, what do you think this part would have been in the hands of Richard? And I’ll bet Kate Winslet’s performance would have been world’s better as well. I could get faint if I think about all the possibilities, and especially as I’ve been learning what flying really looks like:

It’s made me want to fly too. It’s made me want to tell stories and express some things I never have or felt I could. A few months before I knew RA existed, I did start a journal, which was something to relieve tension and rant where it could do no harm to anyone — except perhaps me. It was never for me to be a writer. But as I watched his performances, I got so stirred up and eventually knew I wanted to do in written form what he is doing. Mostly, I want to create another world in which to reveal a reality. Isn’t that what Tolkien is all about? More on that later. :D

The next post is about Richard Armitage stretching himself professionally.

March 16, 2012
Categories: Interviews, Movies, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

Richard Armitage “Paper” Dolls?

This one’s for you, Angie.

November Bride and I were talking about how much fun it was to play with paper dolls. My favorite was Betsy McCall, and not being satisfied with the monthly outfits, I made my own out of whatever fabric or paper or magazine photos I could find. Endless hours were spent doing this, and even though I’m a gadget freak, I’m hard pressed to think I had more fun with a set of Walkie Talkies as I had with those scraps of paper. There are still some creations in a keepsake box in the basement, but about a week ago, I had a little regression therapy on the ASOS Fashion Finder site.

These aren’t exactly paper dolls but so much fun!

Click on the image to see more:

I’ve been a fan of ASOS since Beth of Richard Armitage checked me out fame turned me onto it. Thank you, Beth! ASOS has some great looks and some great prices especially their sales, and they have free shipping. Yea! Just note that the Fashion Finder site is actually an off-shoot of ASOS and some items are not sold by them.

edit: If you click on the outfits at the Fashion Finder site, it will generate a list of the items and where they can be purchased.

Also, Beth no longer has her blog, but I’ve updated the linked post with a link to her picture. She’s a pretty woman, and I could see RA actually checking her out. :)

February 19, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 5 Comments

Meeting Richard

Tammi, my close friend whom I’ve talked about on blog here and here (with her permission, and yes, that’s her real name although I gave her the option of a fake name, and she said run with the original. phew), has said to me several times recently, “Wouldn’t it be great if you met Richard Armitage?!” My feeling about it is, no, it probably wouldn’t. This occurred to me when Heather was sharing her experience. Don’t get me wrong. I am glad for Heather; it felt like my child making good on something. How wonderful for her to realize a dream of five years! But my dream is far different.

I would want a chat with him that would last at least a few weeks non-stop. But my real fantasy (yes, I’m admitting to a fantasy about Richard Armitage) is him sitting in my den discussing various subjects with SO and with me as spectator. Two interesting men having wonderful discussions about topics that fascinate me? Umm, I might get lightheaded if I think about it for long. RA is so intriguing, but honestly, after knowing SO for more than two decades, he’s still an enigma to me, and what I really love about him (among many other things) is his ability to bring out the interesting in others. Can you imagine RA being more interesting? It could happen if he were to sit with SO, who could get at what RA thinks and what he likes, and I would marvel at what RA would willingly reveal in the discussion, and I don’t mean any sordid details but rather something probably to do with his view of the world and what he would love to see and how he thinks art reflects that or should and thinking more outside the box than even he is accustomed to doing. I’m always amazed at how SO can evoke this from others, and they love him for it. Maybe because they usually feel hopeful after a discussion with him.


And since my den and kitchen sort of make up one giant room, I would get to cook all the foods I think RA would love and I know SO loves while I listen to them plumbing the mysteries of the universe and creating new ones. Some chicken flautas with sour cream and guacamole, rice and beans and definitely some hand made flour tortillas cooked on my cast iron griddle to complement. Grilled shrimp, asparagus on the side and some homemade yeast rolls. Smothered steak with mashed potatoes and steamed, whole green beans with a little butter and garlic, and maybe some bread pudding with brandy (recipe from the Southern Living cookbook). Yeah, I can see myself cooking away while savoring their conversation. This would be heaven. And now that Tammi is coming along nicely as an RA Addict, I might invite her to help me cook. :D

Maybe when the discussion lulls, we could take RA to our local ski “hill” and let him schuss and slalom with some of the world class athletes who frequent the slopes around here. We might even get him to take on the ski jump — at night when it really gets fun.

But an actual meeting with him wouldn’t be like Heather’s where she had something to discuss with him. Mine would consist of manifesting a gibbering idiot while trying to get out the terribly original, “Oh, I love your work.” Nope, that wouldn’t be satisfying at all, and frankly, I would feel like a ditz while it was happening and later. Yes, I’m proud, and if I’m going to even think about meeting RA, it’s going to be one heck of a fantasy.

However, if I ever get anywhere near him in the flesh, I’ll just settle for ogling him from a distance close enough to assess the condition of his skin. :D

Promotional still courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

February 11, 2012
Categories: SO . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 24 Comments

Do I Dare?

I said I was recapturing my childhood, and now November Bride has come with a post about Barbies, and the recent talk of Lord of the Rings Lego set has me in a dither. Purchasing Little Guy action figures should have been enough, and it’s true the Thorin Lego isn’t out yet, but…. look at those eyes:

I’m really thinking about ordering a set. I could skip this and wait until “The Hobbit” version is out, but my OCD tendencies demand I have LOTR as well. And how can I pass up being conned into availing myself of this fun?

Just please someone stop me if I start talking about buying the Pez set.

In the meantime, there are some sets by Lego fans. Like this one (three guesses which is Thorin):


This is a set by a kid named Michael Kringe. Michael has been busy, and the kid in me who had an erector set could very easily be sucked down into this. In fact, I do have a set of K’NEX in my possession. My son left them when he went to college, and my 11 year old and I have been playing with them. Maybe we can make a home for Thorin. I’ll keep you posted on my progress unless I decide blogging is too grown up and never return. Off to spend time with my sweet girl.

February 10, 2012
Categories: The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 18 Comments

Maybe It is Your Momma’s Opera

Would that be so bad? If your momma’s part of the Pink Floyd generation or if you are, maybe not.

If you just don’t get opera, that’s okay. It does often take tenacity to study it simply because there aren’t enough opportunities to passively listen to it except occasionally in a movie or a commercial. And most people like it when they hear it that way. As long as no one tells them it’s opera.

The piece above, “Flower Duet Redux,” is an adaptation of the “Flower Duet” from the Opera Lakmé by Leo Delibes. You might recognize it from the British Airways spots.

East Village Opera Company is one of my favorites, and I love how they added a male voice instead of only female voices as in the original. I also love the Queen cum David Gilmour vibe going on about two-thirds in.

Another adapation:

This one is “O Mio Babbino Caro” from the Opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini. Once again a male voice is blended with the female instead of keeping with the original soprano aria.

Oh, and it would be cool to attend the event hosted by International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

Yep, this one gets the Richard Armitage tag ’cause if he doesn’t love this, then I’ve completely misread him. LOL!

February 8, 2012
Categories: Musicilove . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

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