Who the Hell is Richard Armitage?

[NOTE: I now have a permanent page (“Who is Richard Armitage?”), and it has more video clips.]

This post is for all of you who have recently been introduced to Richard Armitage, the actor, via some poll or celebrity site where he popped up as perhaps the number two or even the number one contender in a contest. But you have never seen him animated and are completely perplexed by his fans’ love. Somewhere, sometime, some of you have uttered that question. I used to ask it myself! Hopefully when you are done with this post, you will begin to understand what his fans see. I’m not going to waste time trotting out his bio. You can read that on IMDb.

I want to gush and draw you the perfect picture of him with my words. To somehow convince you that he deserves the respect his fans give him. But I know it is probably wasted because I’ve been where you are, and no words were going to do it for me. I had seen stills of Richard Armitage before I saw him act, and I was profoundly unmoved and even put off. He just can’t be appreciated from a few pictures. The chameleon quality he brings to his acting helps to make him one of the finest actors, but it sometimes puts him at odds with stills. Seeing him moving and speaking is the key to understanding. If you have never done that, then you don't get it. But you’re in for a treat if you watch him. Not only is he extremely masculine, he is sensitive as well, and the superb mingling of these makes him an utterly beautiful man to behold. As gushy as I am, this post has been very difficult to write. I want to gush a lot more, but I’ll refrain and let him speak for himself.

John Thornton:

Guy of Gisborne:

Harry Kennedy:

Claude Monet:

John Standring, one of my favorite characters:

Lucas North:

Ricky Deeming:

John Porter:

edit:

Thorin Oakenshield, his latest portrayal:

August 4, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Miscellaneous works, Movies, North and South, Robin Hood, Sparkhouse, Spooks, Strike Back, The Hobbit, Vicar of Dibley . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

Strike Back S2 Confirmed!

Yes, it’s finally been confirmed (if you don’t already know) that Strike Back will have a second run and this time with more episodes. So more John Porter! But there may be a catch.

Sky1 orders second series of Strike Back
Richard Armitage to return in 10-part run of drama about former SAS operative

Jason Deans
guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 August 2010 11.23 BST

Richard Armitage is to return to Sky1 as former SAS operative John Porter in a second series of Strike Back.

Stuart Murphy, the Sky1 controller, has ordered a second 10-part series of the drama following this year’s first run.

Armitage stars as Porter, a former special forces soldier now working for British intelligence. Strike Back was adapted from the novel by Chris Ryan.

Read the rest here.

I’m hearing that it’s going to be awhile — possibly the end of next year instead of spring. Visions of the promotion for Robin Hood S3 swirl in my head. Why the heck does it take so long between series? Is it RA’s schedule? Or is this how it works on British TV? Or what? It would seem to me that this kind of lapse would lose a significant amount of viewers, or am I just used to the U.S. where everything is so fast that we get antsy when it’s not? Yes, I realize we may be spoiled, so I’m wondering if my expectation level needs to be reset.

Oh, and if this is a long time between series, then I guess they really like RA and this show and perhaps there really are plans to take this to an international market. If so, I might actually start liking ol’ Rupe again. In the meantime:

Dear Mr. Murdoch:

I would be willing to pay to see this show if you can swing international access to Sky1. If anyone can do this, it’s you!

Thanking you in advance for a wonderful television experience. :D

Sincerely,
Someone who has decent disposable income and who would more than likely watch something else on your network, and may even subscribe to the whole damn thing.

edit:

Here’s the article that indicates an airing late in 2011.

August 2, 2010
Categories: Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Google Can Be Such a Tease

Those alerts can really mess with my head if I let them. Thankfully, I’m a skeptic so I mostly don’t fall for it. But sometimes I miss out because what I’m reading might be true. This morning (for those who don’t already know) there was an alert about Strike Back. Supposedly it’s been renewed for a second series. I will love that if it happens, but for now I’m reserving my hysteria happiness until someone can confirm for my jaded ass that it’s true.

Somehow The Mirror reporting it isn’t enough. Can’t remember what they burned me on, but it was something or I would be giddy by now. Plus, the lack of detail in that piece makes me want to stay away. Or is this just my cynical self running amok?

In the meantime, a picture of RA’s character being put upon:

Oh! Freudian slip. This is the one I meant:

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageCentral.com and RichardArmitageNet.Com

July 28, 2010
Categories: Robin Hood, Rumors, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

I’m Officially Sick

Until now I’ve just been teasing. But that Sean Pruen video has me messed up in the head. LOL! Yes, I’m laughing, but it’s a kind of hysterical laugh that would creep you out if you heard it. LOL!

I don’t even want to analyze the video. Yes, I’ve analyzed others in minute detail, but I dare not tell you what I’m really thinking about some of the things I’ve looked at. Better to make it a joke. I’m having a hard time making something funny out of this:

And if that one doesn’t do it for you, then how ’bout one of these?

If you’re unmoved, then you are dead.

If Sean ever reads this entry, I hope he knows this is what happens when “viral” is a label. ;-)

Screencaps courtesy of my stash by way of Sean Pruen’s lovely video to be found here.

July 22, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, PHWOAR!, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

Top Ten Fanvids

Okay, I should say these are MY top ten fanvids.

For anyone who’s been following this blog, you already know I lamented the difficulty of making this post and mainly because there are so many RA videos out there. But I had such a good time trying to watch as many as I could to be fair. These things are almost like my children. I didn’t realize I had it in me to love so many. All the more to make it difficult to highlight only ten. But what a great problem to have! And I scrapped my in-depth criteria. The post would have been too long, and it may be already! Quite simply the ones selected are the videos I find myself going back to again and again.

I put them in an order, but hey, this order could change tomorrow or maybe later today. LOL!

I’ve embedded all of them below which shouldn’t be a problem, but if enough people experience problems, I may change how I’ve configured this post.

#10 — the ethereal quality of the song and the editing make me accept this AU (Alternate Universe) story as canon! Very soothing on a lot of levels. LOL!

#9 — considering it’s Thornton’s longing we mostly see in North and South, I love this take on Margaret pining.

edit: this video is no longer on YouTube, so the creator of the video, ATFrancis, has given me permission to upload here, and if you would like your own copy, you can download at FoolishPassion, one of Elvira’s sites.

#8 — this was one of my first Guy videos, and it captures his angst over Marian perfectly. At one point it disappeared from YouTube, but then it came back. Yea! I’ve never gotten tired of watching it. I love the editing, and it was my introduction to Shinedown.

#7 — too much to write about why I love this one; maybe it should move up. No, I’ve got to stop somewhere. Thank you, DB for editing MJ’s song. It was way too long. Your timing is perfect.

#6 — this is a masterpiece and probably should be #1. It’s the shortest video on the list, but the impact of it is enormous. I’ll stop there or this post will be so long it won’t load.

#5 — the quality of this video is stunning. Please, please, please if you like it, download it in the 1080 format. It’s RA like you’ve never seen him. Oh, and it’s Shinedown again. Love it!

#4 — whatever “it” is, Nat has it. I’ll sum up this video in a word: brilliant. Also, great thanks to Heather for her wonderful inspiration!

#3 — this is one slick video. DB just gets better and better and she’s already great. Oh, I would love to go back and completely rewrite the post I did on this one!

#2 — it’s scary how many times I’ve watched this and not just at the normal speed but slowed down as well. I notice something new every time, so I can’t seem to stop analyzing it. The video is a feast.

#1 This video may be a 10.

Most of these are available for download. Check their YouTube descriptions to find out how.

June 14, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, North and South, PHWOAR!, Robin Hood, Spoilers, Spooks, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 27 Comments

More Strike Back Love — SPOILERS

Yeah, I guess there are some spoilers.

DelicateBlossom has outdone herself. I love this video, and no, I don’t love every RA video. I don’t dislike any of them. I actually like a lot of them and really appreciate the effort. But I don’t love all of them. I love this one. DB said in her comments that she had fun making it, and it shows.

She nails the feeling of the show. Love the ending!

I also noticed in her comments that she has been sitting on that song for a year. It was worth it.

Oh, and it’s already up at RAfanvids, so I got my HD big format copy, and that kind of definition is spoiling me. LOL!

June 3, 2010
Categories: Fanvids, PHWOAR!, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Heather’s Done It Again

If you are new to the RA Fandom, and you don’t know Heather, well, this is a great introduction:

Oh, and if you don’t watch this in 1080, you’re missing out. You can get a copy here. It’s awesome, and I don’t like words like awesome because they’re often used thoughtlessly. But I’ve found myself in awe several times at not only RA but some of his fans. Heather is definitely one of those.

Plus, I’ve been struggling with Strike Back. Yes, as much as I like RA, I have struggled with some of the aspects of Strike Back, but this video makes me want to watch again. Thank you, Heather.

For those who are just tuning into this blog, Heather is the one who introduced me to RA. No, she didn’t know me. I stumbled on her videos on YouTube, and the rest is history. If you haven’t clicked on that link yet, do it now for a treat.

By the way, Phylly3 and Servetus each wrote a piece about RA’s eyes. Heck, I may have to write one after this video. I hope they both check it out since it’s about the best shot of his eyes I think I’ve ever seen.

May 26, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 18 Comments

Waiting on SO

Isn’t it usually the man who waits on the woman? Well, in this case I’m waiting on SO to give me his take on Strike Back. I want it because, well, he’s just so blasted interesting most of the time. After all the years we’ve been together, he still surprises me and almost always has something to say that makes me think. It has been that way since the first day I laid eyes on him.

I was taking probably the most boring class I had in college. It was one of those filler classes when all the ones you really want keep closing, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t stay in the class but was going to give it a couple of weeks before dropping. The classroom was in one of the older buildings on campus and had huge doors with transoms and desks instead of the slicked up table and chairs bolted to the floor. The first day I stepped into the room there were about 30 or so desks facing the blackboard and hardly anyone was in them. Across from the door and facing the sides of the desks was a lone desk, and there sat SO. I remember thinking, “Why is that guy sitting there when all these desks are empty?” Immediately I thought he was too self-aware and a turkey; he just had to be different. Wasn’t I a nice piece of work? The cynic was alive and well even then.

The room finally filled up and the instructor came in. He was an old guy with a comb over and chalk dust all over the front of his pants. I had to keep from rolling my eyes. Yes, I was a real piece of work who let no one out from under the magnifying glass. He launched into the requisite speech about how he ran his class, and I wasn’t really listening like I should have been. My eyes kept straying to the turkey sitting to the side of all of us. Then the instructor said there would be devotions at the beginning of each class and the students would be called on to do them. That got my attention. As much as I liked to wax on about my opinions, I knew I didn’t have any devotional material and wasn’t inclined to get any. Then the instructor took us all off the hook and said it was completely voluntary, and that he already had someone to do the first devotion. He extended his hand to the side of the room, and I turned to see SO standing up in his ragged jeans and golf shirt. Humph I wondered as he squeezed down the aisle to get to the front. What in tarnation could this guy have to say that wouldn’t sound contrived?

He said hello and made a shy grin reminiscent of James Dean (funny thing about it is that I found out later he had never seen James Dean; heard of him but didn’t really know who he was). I was almost a goner at that moment, and then he said he was reading from Romans 14. Oh yeah, I knew it was going to be lame. The weaker brother stuff again. It was verse 4: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand,” and then he looked right at me and grinned again. I was about to feel convicted, well, yes, I did feel convicted, but I was definitely a goner when he said, “I don’t sweat too much about what others are doing, and I hope no one sweats too much about what I’m doing,” and then he sat down. I don’t think I heard a word the teacher said that day. I could not stop thinking about those moments. They were like a drumbeat in my head, and that was the case for the next three weeks when I stepped into that class. It’s a miracle I passed the course.

May 25, 2010
Categories: SO, Strike Back . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

Don’t We Always Love the Girl Next Door? — SPOILERS

Spoilers I guess.

The breathtaking beauty is fun to watch too, but we want the girl next door to get the guy. It’s about as cliche’ as it gets, but isn’t that who most of us still want to win? Or have I completely misunderstood this audience? I didn’t think so.

Really how can most of us not pull for Layla? We’re set up to pull for her. Danni doesn’t stand a chance against the quiet beauty who’s a patient seeker of truth and fiercely loyal.

Could we ever believe that Layla would not ferret out the truth and then try to see justice done? Yep, I knew it. So since most of us aren’t breathtaking beauties but we are patient seekers of truth who are fiercely loyal or that’s what we hope we are, we certainly relate to Layla. Plus, her big brown eyes look at Porter so beseechingly that I melt when I see them almost as much as when I see his eyes. Of course the keyword there is almost.

Dang! I’d forgotten how much fun it is to be manipulated.

Just in case someone who has the ability to mold this character is reading this, could you have Layla kick some ass too?

For those who want a more heady discussion of Danni and Layla, see Servetus’ blog. At the moment I seem to be stuck on this girl gets guy/guy gets girl scenario.

Screencaps courtesy of Sky1.

May 24, 2010
Categories: Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Untying the Knots — SPOILERS

Yes, spoilers.

dénouement (n) Origin: 1745–55; < F: lit., an untying, equiv. to dénouer to untie, OF desnoer (des- de- + noer to knot < L nōdāre, deriv. of nōdus knot) + -ment -ment

— the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.

Not quite sure what to think of how Strike Back has left us. It seems that there are lots of loose ends, but really there are lots of loose ends with knots. There’s John Porter’s relationship to the military, and now Hugh is gone and Porter will not divulge that Hugh was the guilty party in the “Bratton extraction.” There’s the relationship with Layla, who knows about Hugh’s guilt and who obviously has a growing admiration for Porter. There’s the relationship with Danni. There’s the relationship with his ex-wife/dead wife, or more accurately, his dispensible wife, and then there’s his daughter.

Of course not to be forgotten is the whole Indiana Jones cum Christ figure thing going on. It all has my head spinning.

Maybe I should not even stop to ponder but just continue to take the ride. I would do that except for one thing that keeps niggling at me. Are the writers of this show good enough to deal with all of this so I will come away saying, “Wow! That was quite something,” or will they screw it up? My gut says the latter. Oh, I hate it when my cynical self rears its ugly head, but it sometimes just takes over and spoils the fun.

But, but wait. The whole question of whether or not he has chest hair can now be put to rest! Ahh. That’s better. Back to my insane self.

May 22, 2010
Categories: PHWOAR!, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 15 Comments

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