Tech is My Boyfriend

Someone mentioned boyfriends.

Tech is one of my passions. Yes, my eye strays from Richard Armitage at times — especially when he pays no attention to me! No pictures or soundbites to drool over! Nothing to fangirl over (absolutely fangirl is a verb. Don’t argue with me; it’s a verb!) But I get a steady stream of cool stuff from tech, which makes me giddy reading about the latest gizmo (can I say gizmo if I’m a techie? I guess I just did). It also makes me feel in ways I never thought I could even in ways Richard has never made me feel. And I love experimenting. Heck, I love breaking things just to see how I can fix them. I have a savior complex which demands I continually fix things. And since I can’t fix Rich, I settle for inanimate objects. No, Rich doesn’t need fixing. At least that I know of, which doesn’t mean I’m ever going to leave him, but if I did leave him, it wouldn’t be for some wild eyed, angst ridden villain who looks good in leather. ;-)

Meanwhile my real boyfriend has been checking out more of Peter Jackson’s works. He recently finished “Heavenly Creatures” which led to quite a discussion of fantasy. He’s also been reading up on the brouhaha over 48fps and launched into a comparison/contrast of Jackson’s and Cameron’s styles including some talk of how it would be fantastic if Jackson could use technology to artistically get inside a character’s head and Cameron doesn’t even know how to get inside a character’s head. This is the quick and dirty since I can’t remember everything SO said, and it’s times like these that make me want to throttle him for not blogging. Countless times I’ve said, “I’ll handle the technical stuff. Just write the pieces!” The man is stubborn.

But back to Richard.

Rich,

I’m starting to get a complex. I mean are you trying to tell me something?! Are my feelings for you wearing you out?! I really will understand if you don’t like my gushing. C’mon, you can tell me. Don’t hold it in until you have to throw a chair out the window. Or are you just saving the good stuff for later? :D

Hopefully, I won’t be so immersed in this that I miss it:


Go ahead; you can click on it.

Signed,
One of your crazy fans who would leave you only for a wild eyed, angst ridden villain who looks REALLY good in leather.

P.S. My real boyfriend knows you’re not a threat, but he is a little concerned about tech.

P.P.S. I suppose we’re not going to get another production vlog anytime soon. Gotta wait for the trailer in July huh?

Notice how I’m completely ignoring the Facebook IPO. May it crash and burn (after some of you have made some money of course :D)

May 19, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Geek, Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Oh Yeah, It’s Cool

But not for the reasons you may think.

Richard Armitage has managed to impress one of the toughest demographics — fan boys. Okay, it was one guy out of the demographic, but I’m running with it. I have encountered enough fan boys over the years to know how picky they can be. My first encounter taught me. He was into monsters and those monsters had to be just so. The right kind of plastic molded to perfection. He went on to become Ivan Stang. Excuse me that’s Reverend Ivan Stang, founder of the Church of the SubGenius. “Ivan” was going to have things his way. LOL!

So our resident fan boy, Eric Vespe, aka Quint from Ain’t It Cool, gave us his report and saw what so many of us see and rave about. How good it was to hear from someone else — and a hard case to boot:

It’s late in the day and the idea is that this is a suitable place to make camp, but Gandalf wants to push on and seek Elrond’s council at Rivendell.

This scene is all about Thorin and my first real chance at seeing Richard Armitage craft a layered performance with the character. Thorin’s a stubborn dwarf, very much a leader, but is smart enough to heed the council of Gandalf.

He is a man torn in this scene. His deep resentment at the elves (he believes they have betrayed his ancestors by not stepping in when they needed their help) pulls him one way, but his respect for Gandalf pulls him the other.

Sir Ian had to be here for this moment since a full performance was required from both men, so he spent the day as he does most days on this movie: standing on a platform a good 2-3 feet off the ground. Peter was getting mostly medium shots and over the shoulders (or beside the shoulder for the shots from Gandalf to Thorin if you want to be anal about it) so there shouldn’t be any need for digital augmentation here.

Armitage does a great job with Thorin’s inner struggle. The look on his face isn’t someone locked into a decision. Gandalf urges him to seek Elrond’s help, for the good of the quest. Instead of playing it like a stone-faced general, Armitage does weigh his options and mostly in reaction to Gandalf’s words, not in his own dialogue.

Read the rest of the report here

But that’s not all. He saw something that most of us don’t get to see often, Richard Armitage as himself, and I would say this is a glowing report:

https://twitter.com/#!/EricVespe/status/200719955501662209

Feelin’ the love!

Thank you, Eric. :) and if you read this, I have a question. Is fan boy two words or one?

May 11, 2012
Categories: Interviews, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 26 Comments

MrCere, We Are Experiencing a Strange Emotion

I’m finally getting ’round to catching up on my reading of TORn and have discovered Larry D. Curtis (aka MrCere) is an embed on the set of ‘The Hobbit.’ Something ugly flickered in the middle of my being. It was a foreign feeling. One I’ve only felt perhaps two or three times in my life, but one I hope never to experience again, or I may not be responsible for my actions.

From the looks of things here, it might seem I’m jealous of MrCere meeting the cast and in particular, you know who. Nope. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to watch him work! I would love to do that — much more than meet him. C’mon what would I say to him or he would say to me that I couldn’t completely predict? I could write that script. Boring.

But to watch him work?! And the rest of the cast? And Peter Jackson?!! That would be something wonderful. A fantasy! Yes, I’ve had others — mainly where I cook and he talks, but this is my ultimate fantasy of an encounter with Richard Armitage, and Larry’s tweet has inflamed my envy:

https://twitter.com/#!/MrLDC/status/192225794565734400

To hell with sports. No, I don’t mean that but mean it for the moment. :D

I would so love to be a fly on the wall. Yes, I can see it. Me up there:

No, higher:

And maybe a little less obvious:

Looking down on all that creativity!

But then I suppose I would actually need to stand on one of these:

Can a fly really hang out on one those?

Or would I need to morph?

Wondering how Larry Curtis feels about now. Fly or Goat?

Dear Larry,

We are awaiting your report(s). Yes, it is a royal we. When you have as many personas (personae?) as I do, you can become royal too.

Signed,
One of Richard’s fans who may become a boom, a boulder or a horse in the near future. ;-)

P.S. Of course you rate a fake fan letter. *looks coyly*

Screencaps of Hobbit Set vlog from my stash.

April 20, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 19 Comments

The Hobbit Audio Book II

I’ve been thinking Harper Collins is “the powers that be.”  This was my thought yesterday before posting, but I wanted to cover all the bases.  Given the fact they’ve acquired the book rights, I can’t imagine they neglected to obtain rights to the audio book.


April 14, 2011

Attn: Audio Book Procurers
Harper Collins Publishing

Re: The reading of The Hobbit for release in conjunction with ‘The Hobbit’ movies

Dear Sirs or Madams:

Since my last letter to you, I realized I may have been unfair in assuming your interests are purely pecuniary. So I come with an appeal to your humanitarian inclinations, your desire for the greater good.  The beauty of this proposal is it will not only create goodwill of the humanitarian kind, but it will make some so lighthearted and free that their purse strings will be opened wide — among other things.

Do you know what happens to women when Richard Armitage speaks? I will be happy to educate. He’s been known to make them write verse and fantasies, draw and paint pictures, create masterful videos, obviously take up blogging, but most notable has been his ability to make ovaries explode.  Hopefully, I don’t need to put a fine point on that. Suffice to say he puts women in a good mood, and in case it’s not clear by my presence here, he is an addiction and we must get our fix. Yes, I admit that’s what this letter is really about.   We need our fix and would love it if The Hobbit were available to help. Just think what this would do for the greater good to have that many smiling women.

In the meantime, I will be happy to send you samples of Richard’s work. This would be for the Madams since it would probably be lost on you Sirs.

Thank you for considering, and I am sure all of the significant others would thank you as well.

Sincerely,
One of Richard’s fans who hopes you realize I’m teasing — unless you’re seriously considering!

P.S. Pssst, if you are already locked into someone else reading, could you get Richard for something else?  We just want to hear him read.  May I suggest this book which is in the public domain.

cc:

Peter Jackson
United Agents
The Addict List

This one gets the public service tag.

April 14, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

The Hobbit Audio Book

Talk at TheOneRing about the book ties-ins to ‘The Hobbit’ has trebled my passion for Richard Armitage to read the book! But I fear it will never happen. More than likely the contracts have been signed, and Peter Jackson, or Harper Collins or Middle-Earth Enterprises, or whoever is considered “the powers that be” have selected a more well-known reader. I so want to be wrong about this, but my infernal gut is rather dismal today. So this post is a vent. Or maybe I’m looking for someone with a positive outlook.

If it would make a difference, I would raise an issue on an LOTR site or two. I suspect they would probably dismiss me as nothing but a rabid fan with little or no objectivity. And to that I would ask: have you listened to the man’s voice?!

Oh well, in lieu of pestering the Tolkien fans, maybe a fake fan letter to alleviate my angst?

Dear Sir Peter or Harper Collins or MEE, Anyone with any sense:

The thought of Richard Armitage reading The Hobbit is sheer bliss only to be exceeded by the thought of his reading North and South…………………. Oh, sorry, I blacked out for a moment. Ahem. You really need to know that every book he’s read is wonderful. I may sound like a silly fan who would be happy with his reading of the phone book, but you would be wrong. On second thought, you might be right since I would be willing to pay money to hear that. You read that right. I would pay bucks for that. There might be a few others who feel the same. :D

And you do know more women buy books than men? I’ll give some documentation if you need it. Somehow I think you already know this. But more than that, have you heard the man reading a book? Then what are you waiting for? He is perfect. Yes, I know what I’m talking about, and someone is going to eventually cash in. Why not you and why not now?

Thank you for considering,
One of Richard’s fans who knows what women like and would love to help you make some money more money.

P.S. I realize you may not be the bottom line, Sir Peter, but hope you have some influence in this matter or at the least could have Richard reading some phone book entries in the next vlog. ;-) Surely that wouldn’t violate any contracts or anyone’s privacy — especially if the names are fake. Hmmm. My mind is flooding with the possibilities. Really, I don’t care what you have him say. Just let him say something in the next video!
P.P.S I’ve never written a post script so long, but hell, this is worth it.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Richard Armitage’s audio work, I have several samples in my FanstRAvaganza pieces from last year including RA doing American, and you can find additional excerpts here and here.

Also, I still have a little stockpile of audiobooks to give away. Some are courtesy of the BBC, and I have to say again how much I appreciate that! Need to get on the giveaway since SO keeps wondering why they’ve been on his desk for over a year.

Note: the wrap-up piece I promised is coming. Since that may be the most important writing I publish on this blog, I want to get it right.

April 13, 2012
Categories: Movies, SO, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 49 Comments

My Trip to New York

Unlike my fantasy trip to New Zealand, this one I’m taking, and certainly to try to see ‘The Hobbit’ premiere, and perhaps meet some other fans in the tri-state area. I believe the latter would be as much fun as the premiere! And cliche’ as it sounds, I love New York. No clue how many times I’ve been there. SO and I and the kids even lived there part of one summer. That’s when my children fell in love with it too, and now I have two other very compelling reasons to go there and will go whether there is a premiere or not:


One of the darlings is in her first year living there, and the other darling has been there for almost three years. Normally, I would visit them during the summer since the winters can be miserable. But my girls are going out of town for a big chunk of the summer, and besides, they’re also coming home for a visit. So December it will be!

Dear Richard,

Love you, but I’m not sure I would make a trip on your behalf. Something else fairly compelling would have to be thrown in. Somehow I think you would understand this.

Sincerely,
One of your fans who likes to act crazy but who’s startlingly sane when it comes to expenditures. :D

My final FanstRAVaganza recap coming later today.

March 29, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

Richard Armitage on Twitter

In recent days, I’ve been pushing Twitter and some of you have jumped in with both feet. Alright!! I love it, and we are going to have some fun, and no, it’s not going to be all related to Richard Armitage. There is so much to see and do on Twitter, it’s stunning. It is THE forum/chatroom for the world. Unreal. Yes, I’m really this gushy about it because its power to transfer intel of various kinds is unlike anything I’ve seen. It is the giant segue in the sky, as it were. I could get philosophical and perhaps even a tad theological, but I will spare you that today.

For those who are hungrily scanning this post for the information of where Richard Armitage can be found on Twitter, you can stop. He’s not there — at least that he’s publicized it. He’s also made it plain that he doesn’t desire to be there — at least not right now:

Excerpt from his message of May 29, 2011:

With regards for requests for social media, blogs tweets etc. I have always worried that I will reveal something about the project I am working on that I am not allowed to, added to the fact that I am just about up to e mailing and little more, I may have to abstain for now.

But that is not going to stop some who really, really want to see him tweeting:

https://twitter.com/#!/PeerPressureRA/status/175237951926702080

When I saw this, my gut screamed a response:

Dear Richard,

I love Twitter, but what a headache it would be for you, and I heartily concur with your instincts about giving spoilers! The expectation level from fans once you started tweeting would be enormous. My eyes are rolling back in my head just imagining what that would be like. I don’t think you’re ready for that kind of co-dependency. Is anyone? LOL!

The PeerPressureRA id is new, but if it goes the way I think it will go, it could take on the proportions of a coup. If it does, I hope you do not cave into the pressure.

Take care, and in the meantime, could you put a fire under Sir Peter to get that vid out?! We’re all about to have a meltdown from the mere mention of it. :D

Signed,
One of your crazy fans, who would never put pressure on you (bats eye lashes)

Before you ask, yes, a little APM is at work in me today. ;D

An edit I really didn’t think I would make:

That’s Richard’s first tweet in case it’s not clear. :D

March 1, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 17 Comments

My Money’s on Bret

If you don’t know Bret McKenzie, hang around a bit. I’ve already talked about him here and here and obviously am doing it again. I have to since he’s nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song!

Some interesting insight into New Zealand and the LOTR franchise, but I initially watched it because Bret’s a piece of work, which in my part of the world, means he’s interesting and funny. Yeah, piece o’ work definitely fits. And he’s a scream too. I mean I usually scream with laughter when I see him. Sadly, I probably would not have paid attention to him if Richard Armitage had not been cast in ‘The Hobbit’. Mostly I’ve gotten to know him as half of the duo known as ‘Flight of the Conchords’. And his partner Jemaine is also a scream. I’ve got a piece written just on him. He demanded it. :D

Some of their work for your viewing pleasure, but a warning to put away any drinks and go to the bathroom first as you may wet your pants laughing, and if you do not ever like anything crude, don’t watch!


Yes, this is a piece on Bret, but I couldn’t help myself. Had to throw in more Jemaine.

For more on them, check out What the Folk.

Oh, I almost forgot the nominated song. This is for those who haven’t seen the movie (I haven’t):

Bret,

If you don’t win, I still love ya, and really, you can mine more out of this if you don’t win. But never mind that I said that. You’re gonna win, baby! :D

Signed,
I’m not telling

February 26, 2012
Categories: Interviews, Movies, Musicilove, Tangents, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 10 Comments

Are You a Fangirl?

February 25, 2012

Stand up and be counted!

We are in cyber world where you can have this kind of fun without repercussion, i.e., family and friends taking the Mickey out of you. So don’t let your inflated opinion of who you’re supposed to be keep you from having fun with this. As for me, I’m having a blast. My only qualm is that I may get so free that I say something to offend the uh, object of my affection.

Oh, you don’t know him? Well, neither do I, but I like to pretend I do. It makes for all sorts of fun. I write him fake fan letters and post pictures of him when no way I would really write him a letter from my real self or put up a picture outside this blog. I must maintain my cool image. ;-) It would be blown to hell if I actually had a picture. Listen, the DVD collection is already pushing it. And I suspect there are many of you like me but you’re too afraid to admit it — even here. But you’re wrong to be fearful. Go ahead and try it! Nothing is going to fall on you. Not sure about that? Well, I’ve been blogging for almost two years and commenting in cyber world more than twice as long, and I’m still here.

And guess what? I’m sane and married to a sane person, and I have four sane kids, who have excellent character and make excellent grades in school (I had to get that in about the kids since that is what I’m most proud of). I also have a job that requires me to be very responsible. But most important for you to know is that I do sometimes step away from my laptop and go outside and smell the fresh air and people come to my house and I go to theirs and we visit and eat dinner together, and oh, I do all sorts of things that are so ridiculously normal it would bore you to hear all of them.

So why this outlet? I asked myself that question for a long time, and sometimes I still have a moment of circumspection that could generate fear. But I no longer ask it because I think I have the answer, and I’m writing about my journey to it in my Diary, which sometimes gets a little depressing, but I promise the end of the story turns out well! Yes, there is an endpoint. I had it as a target when I first started the blog and really thought I would reach it by my first anniversary. You see how that turned out. I make no promises about my second anniversary, but I’m determined to finish and hope that you or someone will benefit. I know I am.

So my object:

Isn’t he cute?


Has a good sense of humor too.


And a good listener.


I mean he really listens.


And sometimes it hits him what’s happened.


“Yeah, man, there’s these women, fangirls they’re called…”


“…and one sent me this thing… well, it was…”


“…maybe I shouldn’t describe it. All I know is it was good for me. So yeah, I have some fantasies.”


“That’s right. I have some fantasies too even though I would never date any of you.”


“Oh yeah, man, I’m careful.”

I love that interview, and for those who have never seen the real thing, go here.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

edit: and a slideshow of this group of photos on RichardArmitageNet.

February 25, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 44 Comments

Do the Right Thing

As some of you know, there is a fan made quilt of Richard Armitage being auctioned for charity on ebay. I hope lots of money is generated for the cause. As a general rule, I adore supporting charities, and at the time of this posting, the bidding is up to £410.00, which is approx $650 USD. Not a bad sum, and I’m sure it will get higher with two days to go, and especially when I consider its very smart display:


[Click for the auction]

I thought about bidding and immediately had another thought. What would I do with this thing if I actually won it? (If that’s not a question for some who have thought about bidding, I’ll kiss my elbow). No way it would hang in my living room or any public room of the house. I would be laughed out of town. And I couldn’t put it in a private room either. My bedroom? SO would never let that happen. Our bathroom, which guests never enter? Too crass, and somehow I don’t think SO would like being so intimate with Richard Armitage. My lingerie drawer? No, that would accord it some sort of importance it would never have for me.

Sorry, Richard. This isn’t about you. You’re great. Love ya. But so far I’ve contained my love to this blog. That’s where I’d like to keep it. :D

All of this had me wondering if this might truly keep some others from bidding. That’s when I realized exactly where this quilt should go! It’s so obvious it made me laugh. Yet who would never be laughed at for having something like this in their living room? Who could point to this with pride and say, “Yes, he’s mine!” Could be a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, but we don’t know of any of those people, so how could this be sent to them? If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’ll be surprised. Yep, it’s Mum. This quilt is begging to be hung in Mrs. Armitage’s house, and my gut says she would really love it if she knew it was made for a charitable cause, and it seems to have the added perk of no pictures from ‘Between the Sheets.’ :D

Now I’m not trying to tell anyone what to do, but for some of you who want to support charity and have a husband like mine, you might want to think about getting the address of Margaret Armitage.

You may think this is snark, but I’m serious. If you feel funny about getting her address, send it to her in care of RA’s agent.

edit: the auction is over and the quilt sold for £650 or $1,031 USD.

February 19, 2012
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 22 Comments

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