I asked for your secrets about Guy or Little Guy, and thank you to those who have already sent some cards. I can’t wait to start posting on Sunday. I may dedicate a page to this.
Whatever you send in, I hope you have fun with it, and let yourself get creative and maybe go crazy. If it just blows everyone away, I’ll throw in the Sheriff of Nottingham too. :D
Until then, a few more Post Secret examples to get you in the mood.
For those who aren’t Guy lovers, you won’t understand this post, but for those who are, I know some of you have a secret you’ve been keeping. A few Christmases ago, I felt like you:
Apparently Guy has been telling all of his secrets. They do say confession is good for the soul, and sometimes it can get you what you want. :D
Beginning today, feel free to email me your secret about Guy or Little Guy ala a PostSecret postcard. I’ll take them until Saturday at midnight (GMT+5), and then beginning on Sunday, I’ll put them up for votes. The one with the most votes by Monday at midnight (GMT+5) wins a brand spanking new Little Guy (see this post where I altered the deadline and the selection process some). In the meantime, please do not post them in comments, and keep it safe for work. Other than that, go for it!
Oh, and with respect to your anonymity, the winner cannot remain completely anonymous to me but certainly can to the general public. Also, if you want to enter anonymously and keep it that way unless you win, then make a temporary email account. With Gmail you can make almost as many accounts as you want, and the same may be true of Yahoo, just to name a couple.
Screencap and postcard are mine.
edit: for those who can’t see my email address in this post, it is RAFrenzyATgmailDOTcom
I don’t have any. Will this do?
Is it possible to be good looking and have some depth and perhaps above average intelligence? Of course it’s a stupid question since we all know the answer. But somehow people who are good looking can be very self-conscious about being considered beyond their looks. Wonder why that is? Could it be that society treats good looks and depth as mutually exclusive? And makes nice looking people feel that way by not taking them seriously? By making them work a little harder to be heard with respect to anything truly thoughtful? While most or all of you answered yes to the question of depth, the truth is that it’s not uncommon for people who are very appealing physically to struggle with being marginalized about their other attributes, and often the result of what they pick up from others around them.
Then there’s the jealousy that comes with looks. Many know that looks can open doors. But anyone nice looking who has any sensitivity is aware there is an envy that is potentially waiting to bite them. If they really are smart and thoughtful, they will walk the chalk line and never broach the subject of physical appeal. They will effect an oblivious demeanor about others’ reactions unless it’s to downplay them. Because if they ever give any indication they’re aware of it, they will be despised by most.
So what brought this post on? There is a hesitancy among some Richard Armitage fans to formally acknowledge that he is a hunk, and I believe it’s because they are fearful of society’s narrow view about looks. Never mind all of the drooling in forums and blogs about RA’s stunning appeal; to actually generate a moniker of Hunkie of the Year is offensive. Give me a break. LOL!! Let’s not embrace the general view that beauty and depth can’t reside in the same person, which only facilitates the belief. How about we embrace both? Now go vote in the Hunkie of the Year Poll. :D
As for RA’S possible reaction:
Dear Richard,
Perhaps you can just ignore us? Or better yet just enjoy this and realize it takes nothing away from you? As a phenomenal performer, you have a way of making us see way beyond your exterior.
If it’s any consolation, you seem to handle all of the attention with grace, but I hope when the looks fade, that you do not look back in regret about being uncomfortable.
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans who can’t wait for the rest of the world to catch onto your abilities, and I’m not talking about your looks.P.S. You were not my cup of tea at first, but I got past it. LOL!
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com
Phew! When the family finally lets me have some coffee, they just leave the house.
Karima just popped up with one of her amazing pics. I’ve already posted this scene today, but you have to see her work. Go ahead and click it to enlarge:
It seems to have a 3-D quality as well as looking like a painting.
Screencaps courtesy of the amazing Karima.
The roller coaster resumes on Sunday night, and I think I’m ready to be jerked around again. :D
Harry’s grave look has me duly sucked in, and no, I’m not being facetious. I saw this promo and felt myself getting excited to watch Spooks, and then I read the interviews with the writers, and I really got excited. I like Lara Pulver despite having been dragged through the debacle known as Robin Hood Series 3 Episode 5, but phew! didn’t she and Richard Armitage look great?
As usual, click to enlarge.
Even if you’re offended by my blatant objectification of RA (as opposed to my thinly veiled objectification), you have to admit that’s a hot picture. They certainly challenged the idea of a “family show.” Oh, I would love to see those two in something sexy and smart. Wouldn’t it be great if we got a little taste of that in Spooks Series 10? I’m not holding my breath.
In the meantime, we might (oh, please with sugar on top) get a little more of Lucas North, and we’re going to get a lot of Erin Watts (aka Lara Pulver), the new section chief. The other cast additions look interesting too, and more to mine with the writers, but I’m saving it. The burning question for now: will Harry detonate a bomb? If I were mean, I’d answer that. LOL!
And speaking of writing, I stumbled onto a web page about roller coaster terminology (yes, the internet has everything!), which gave me an idea. It’s a dangerous thing for me to get ideas, but I have to have fun somehow. So during the run of this last series of Spooks, I’m soliciting examples in Spooks (any series) of one or more of the terms from this rich, ahem, nomenclature. Please make your submissions via the comments on this blog piece. The commenter with the most examples at the end of Series 10, wins a prize. More on that later when I think of exactly what will be an appropriate prize. Oh, I’ll make it something good. :D
I’ll go first with an easy one. An example of Immelmann Roll
(half-loop that inverts coaster cars for a half twist and sends them in the reverse direction. Named after a World War 1 German ace who popularized the flying maneuver)– Lucas North story arc in Series 9.
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com
edit: this was a bust, but thankfully one of the few on this blog.
Spoilers for Robin Hood Series 3
I didn’t think it was possible, but there are people who read my blog who have seen little or no ‘Robin Hood’ hence the spoiler tag. If you do not know the full story of Guy of Gisborne, please don’t read this piece. Just watch the show.
Last chance to bail. :D
Two years ago today I was waiting anxiously for the resolution of Guy. I had been waiting well over a year to find out his ultimate fate after his killing Marian, and it was so much more than wanting to know the resolution of that situation. It had transcended the absurdity that was the show and had moved from Gisborne’s love and desperation for Marian to become about finding resolution for a damaged man and specifically about finding redemption of his life. Even writing this now, it sounds a bit melodramatic, and well, it was melodramatic, but oh, the way the media treated the show made it abundantly clear Guy’s story was THE story albeit the producers could not acknowledge that overtly. It was still done in ways too obvious to miss.
Just one example was Digital Spy doing interviews with the principals in the cast, and Richard Armitage was the last one interviewed — oh yeah, saving the best for last. Some of the questions asked are a bit hackneyed. As always Richard doesn’t give hackneyed answers. He does seem tired but is still able to reveal what it is we love so much about Guy and about him as an actor:
Revelation of the inner core. Even if he had not been redeemed in the last series, he captured something that most can relate to — the need to be loved and the hunger for redemption at times as part of fulfilling that need. This is the secret of Guy’s appeal and why two years later I can still get choked about his passing.
And if Richard Armitage can pull off this kind of examination of a character most would marginalize, what is he really capable of doing? It’s potentially mind boggling to contemplate, and sorry, my friends, but romantic comedies rarely enter my thinking about potential roles for Richard. I have nothing against them and like quite a few, but I hope someone, somewhere who has the means to supply him with damn fine writing will step up, and I doubt it’s going to be a romantic comedy.
However, on a completely shallow note and completely understanding the need to see him in a romance, phew! he is fine in that clip! Blindingly handsome, and to hear from some who have seen him in person, that is nothing by comparison. If that’s nothing, I’m not sure I could handle seeing him in the flesh.
By the way, I was absolutely sure Guy was history once I saw this interview, but then I had thought for a good while Guy was going to meet his end if for no other reason than Richard Armitage had long since outgrown the show. Please note when he touches his head. A long time ago it became abundantly clear this is an obfuscating gesture and interesting to examine in light of one of Servetus’ recent posts. I guess this comment proves I can still devolve into playing the idiot chick from the O’Reilly Factor :D, and now I feel compelled to ask a pardon:
Dear Rich,
I hope you don’t mind going under the magnifying glass so much, and frankly, that is the chief reason I hope you never read my blog. It would make me feel a little self-conscious to know you see the examination of your every move. By the way, I’m contemplating the movement of your eyelashes at some point in the future, and I can’t indulge my anal tendencies quite so much if well, you’re looking at me. So glad you don’t, but I’m sure my SO is glad I’m doing this blog since my need to examine every cussed thing is not so focused on him at present. :D
Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans, who feels a bit self-conscious right now even if you don’t read my blog.
note: I debated doing this post since I still need to do my follow-up to TDHCMO, but frankly, I don’t want to be on a schedule. I’m on a schedule or at someone’s beck and call so much of the time. That’s not really a complaint despite how it sounds, but I need a place I am not so worried about meeting deadlines or others’ expectations. I guess this is it, and tomorrow, I have to continue on with Guy. Too much to talk about to hit and run with one post.
Spoilers for Robin Hood Series 2 & 3
Two days ago someone posted this video on Twitter:
Pompeii by E.S. Posthumus from their Unearthed CD.
I’ve talked about this one before as it’s been one of my favorites since I first saw it almost a year ago. From its finely done editing to its music, this is one of the best Strike Back videos and all around fan videos. There is nothing awkward in it. No moments when the music sounds incidental to the scenes. Just a tightly knit casting of John Porter’s life coming at you. But mostly what draws me is the feeling he has a much greater destiny than the machinations of an MI-6 agent. The sounds of a celestial choir no doubt contribute to this sense.
After I was done watching that one, I moved onto some others that for two to three years I’ve gone back to again and again. Most of them were set to background or theme music and most of them had a sense of the epic, which is what first drew me to fan videos and eventually led me to discovering Richard Armitage. I’ve had an affinity for this musical genre since I was a little kid and dreamed of writing movie scores for a living. One of my fondest childhood memories is spending hours and hours at the piano picking out expansive tunes and trying to perfect them. It’s still one of my favorite pastimes, and I can spend considerable time doing it.
For years after I was grown, I thought this was something entirely frivolous and hoped I would eventually snap out of it. And I did for a couple of years. But I’m coming to understand in a way I didn’t even come close to doing before that this sense of the epic is part of who I am and part of everyone else, and we are all part of it. We’re all part of something epic going on. We were formed to be eternal people with a destiny, and I find myself reveling in this more and more. Although at some points in my life I have considered the antithesis — that we’re a pale mosaic of organisms which has no purpose other than forming some random picture, but I’m not tempted by that any longer and haven’t been for many years. It’s unsatisfying and frankly, boring. Whenever I did feel myself beginning to take the yoke of that thinking, the cells in my body would go into rebellion, and when I examined what was so disturbing, I realized the random picture doesn’t square with the need to seek out my story, our stories, the story.
And how interesting that stories are so important to most of us, and quite a few reading this blog are especially attuned to them. It’s what holds us together as people and more specifically what holds many of us together in our fascination with Richard Armitage. There are plenty of very good looking actors. Plenty of tall actors. Plenty with a wonderful timbre to their voices. Plenty with pleasing personalities. What sets him apart is his determination to get at the story. Of course just like most of us, he’s done things to ensure he didn’t starve, but it seems he’s trying to get at the story as much possible. Or perhaps I’m putting my own views on all of you and should say that I’m fascinated with dear ol’ Richard chiefly because of his infatuation with the story, and certainly by what it is that motivates him so much to get at it and in a way that’s true. I’ll talk more about this later. For now this will have to continue as one of those loose ends along with the others laying around this blog.
So I’ve spent a couple of days rewatching videos that have a sense of the epic, and of all the videographers I’ve watched, none does a better job of putting a finger on the pulse of the story and bringing it to life for others than Angela (aka Spikesbint or Angelfish69).
One of the first that comes to mind:
“Ashielf Pi” by E.S. Posthumus from Cartographer
One of the first I saw of hers:
“Intro” by Caliban from Small Boy and a Grey Heaven
One that does not involve Richard Armitage:
“Central Park” by James Newton Howard from King Kong Soundtrack
One of her birthday tributes to Richard. Be sure to check out her others, and I hope she does one this year. This one made me cry the first several times I saw it:
“Generations” by Immediate from Trailerhead and “The Loss of Yours” by Adrian Johnston from Becoming Jane Soundtrack
And a masterpiece, which I can wax on and on and on about:
“End Music from Atonement” by X Ray Dog from The Vision
Here are some others who have done a superb job of capturing the story with epic music, but I’m only posting one video from each of them in the interest of not having this post go on and on.
JulietD001:
“The Wolsey Commits Suicide / Finale” by Trevor Morris on The Tudors Soundtrack
One of the first North and South videos that was my favorite, and I still love it. By PoleStar00:
“Lake Constance” by Mike Oldfield from Millennium Bell
One by PhoenixLupin, who has some wonderful Richard Armitage videos, but this happens to be about “The Fall”:
“Summoning of the Muse” by the Dead Can Dance from Within the Realm Of A Dying Sun
I’ve labeled all of the videos with their musical pieces, but unfortunately, not all of that music is easily available to the public. That is slowly changing. Some other theme composers who are used by quite a few videographers are Craig Armstrong, Dario Marianelli, Howard Shore of LOTR fame, Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, Martin Phipps and Andy Price. There are also artists who frequently can sound epic but do not technically fall into the background or theme music genre. Some of those are Within Temptation, Secret Garden, Tarja, Linkin Park, Muse, and Coldplay.
Oh, and I swear James Newton Howard and Thomas Newman are the same guy, or is it just me who thinks they sound exactly alike? :D
And my mood is expectant as I’m listening to “Unbreakable” by James Newton Howard from the Unbreakable Soundtrack.
Richard Armitage needs a profile picture. If you’re not sure whom I’m talking about, please know that it’s not the bald guy. I’m talking about this luscious creature:
I already wrote you one love letter but hope you don’t think I’m stalking you. ;-)
And if for some reason I’ve been struck blind about where this picture can be updated on your site, then give me a cyber slap, but please explain to my dense self how to do it. :D
Oh, and I doubt you can use that picture above, but I had to post it. This one from IMDb might work:
P.S. I almost hope you don’t see this ’cause I would have to leash the limerick monster.
Photos courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com and the public domain.
edit: “streaming” limericks from here, and they ping to Twitter as well.
Something is changing with respect to the popularity of Richard Armitage in America (North America to be specific), and yet ‘The Hobbit’ is still almost two years away! I’ve been encountering more and more people who know RA’s name and have seen him in more than one role. Wow. What a change from three years ago! Or even one year ago. But I don’t think it’s due to his being cast in ‘The Hobbit’. At this point ‘The Hobbit’ is only on the radar of those in the movie industry, the LOTR fans, maybe a couple of other fan clubs and us. Everyone else won’t give a rat’s ass about it until we’re a few months or perhaps a few weeks or days from the premiere.
This recent awareness of Richard Armitage mostly comes down to Netflix. They are the only entity who provides us with a steady diet of RA. When I first started watching RA three plus years ago, there was almost nothing available in this country. The only thing I found was ‘North and South’ on Netflix and some documentary about that other guy. Now there are numerous things to watch, and many of them are ‘Instant Play’, and that’s the key.
Numerous friends scattered around the country who regularly watch ‘Instant Play’ have been discovering this “new” actor and just can’t tell me enough about him. Never mind that a couple of those people are the same ones I’ve told about ‘North and South’, ‘Spooks’, ‘Robin Hood’, etc. LOL! Hey, I don’t care how they discovered him; I’m just glad they did. Even my best friend, who at one point would roll her eyes when RA’s name came up, finally watched ‘North and South’ via ‘Instant Play’. Yea, Tammi!!! Of course she loves it and him. I knew she would! And she could have loved him sooner if she had just watched the DVDs I loaned her almost three years ago.
But I guess there really is something seductive about Netflix saying, “Tammi, rate what you’ve seen to reveal suggestions just for you” while your ass is firmly planted on the couch, and you can merely push a couple of buttons as opposed to getting up and taking the discs out of the case and putting them in the DVD player. LOL! Oh, Netflix has the power! What was I thinking to encourage the viewing of some DVDs loaned from my special collection? I mean here I am Tammi’s best friend, and we love each others’ tastes, but those precious discs just sat on the shelf! In comes Netflix with its heady offering of ‘North and South’ on ‘Instant Play’, and what I could not do for almost three years, they managed in a moment.
Tammi’s conversion occurred last summer, but this phenomenon of Netflix and RA didn’t become evident until last fall. I was going to highlight this sooner but thought it would be boring to you. Yesterday changed that. I was surfing around and found this blogger. It would be interesting to know how long she’s been a fan, and obviously, Netflix is part of her RA love. Maybe sometime she will share how exactly she became a fan, since I’m not quite sure if Netflix did it or just inflamed her some more. However it happened, I never get tired of those stories! Always makes me feel more sane, and dammit, I am sane! :D
In the meantime, as much as I appreciate Netflix being the bearers of so much loveliness, I have a request of them:
To Whom It May Concern at the big host in the sky,
Thank you so much for introducing so many people to Richard Armitage! I can’t tell you how grateful I am. It’s helped my best friend join this wonderful madness with me.
But do you think we could enjoy his loveliness when we do a query on his name? If you would be so kind to give him an avatar, I’m not sure how I would show my appreciation. Maybe send out a few thousand of those trial memberships to my friends.
And if I may suggest, this might be a good picture if you’re not sure which one would be appropriate:
Of course I have no clue about the legalities of using it, but it is the one featured on his IMDb page, so I think it’s okay. But I’ll leave those details to you.
Thank you for any consideration.
Sincerely,
One of Richard’s fans and great Netflix lover :DP.S. How can we get Strike Back on the list?
Oh, and I would give credit to BBC America and PBS for the rise of RA’s star, but BBCA is sporadic in their love of RA, and PBS hasn’t shown much at all with him? Actually, I remember nothing although I have heard rumors that some regional stations have shown ‘North and South.’ Amazing that the network known for embracing period dramas has been almost a non-player of that mini-series, and it’s been necessary to mount a campaign to bring ‘North and South’ to PBS. Yeah, can you believe that? And I’m not even going to mention A&E beyond this sentence.
Note: FanstRAvaganza will return tomorrow; still waiting on something for now.
edit: Okay, okay, yes, YouTube has been instrumental, but it’s hit or miss there and the programs are usually not complete. For that you need Netflix.
It’s been hard to get back into the RA universe this week. Certainly, it’s not Richard Armitage. No, it could never be due to him. He is utterly fascinating all the time. In fact, that’s the beauty of having him caught on tape — he can be whatever I want him to be anytime, anywhere. But sometimes real life just won’t let me fanatasize incessantly about him. Did I say fantasize? No, I would never do that. At least not while I’m asleep. I want to be awake so I can get the most out of it, but damn, SO and the kids just won’t stop being who they are to let me do it! So I was in a tizzy pondering my abilities for fantasy about RA (yes, when you’re a rabid fan, you think about heady stuff like that) — at the least trying to work up that perpetual glow fans get when they’ve been wowed by himself’s abilities.
What I really needed was a little Armitage fix. I just couldn’t do it to myself since the curse of taking something fun and making it convoluted complex was riding me hard. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do it. I opened my in-box, and there was a little treat waiting. It was almost as if the laws of attraction really do work. Less than a minute later I was back thinking of angst about life and love in an enjoyable way, and before I could think too much, I was loading up various slide shows (oh, sometimes there are some slide shows that my heart can barely handle for the thrill; I force myself to look at them anyway. :D), and well, my fingers were itching to unleash all of my bullshit on you again.
The little treat I received is packed with goodies to find. So despite its length, you make up for it by watching over and over to mine them. Picture me with glazed eyes and a wonderful glow this morning. :D
Enjoy:
RAFrenzy 
