“…we will all burn together.”
I can’t think of a more apt description of our collective angst today. :D
note: have added a little better quality video; click the “share” button and then download (which means in most cases it will open in another window) to play a larger format. If you do full screen, it will be a little fuzzy.
I love screencapping! I love making video even more. Now you can go and make your own screencaps! Come back and see me if you’re not sure how.
I love technology!
edit: I’ve added a little better video. To get the most out of it, hit the “share” button and then select “downlowd.” That will, in most cases, pop up the video in another screen. If you merely hit the full screen button, the video will be a bit grainy.
The Hobbit event today will give another wave of adoring fans the chance to see Richard Armitage in the flesh for the first time, and I eagerly await their reactions. I always eagerly await a fan’s reaction to seeing Richard for the first time, because no matter the thought of him, the reality is different. Certainly, this is the case with most celebrities, and usually, it means they are not quite as dazzling in real life. They are just people after all.
This is not the case with Richard Armitage. Oh sure, he’s a person with foibles like the rest of us, but also does have that curious blend of grace and brawn we all love as well as a gracious demeanor and gorgeous eyes. And before I was actually confronted with him at no more than a foot away, I was wondering how much of that could be attributed to camera angles, editing of film clips, etc. I’m a skeptic by nature borne out of my many experiences meeting the famous as a child and young adult. Those experiences were never fan driven but rather as a result of my father’s occupation. I have no idea how many celebrities, whether sports heroes or dignitaries or Hollywood types, that I’ve met. It wasn’t unusual for my parents to have the famous at our dinner table, and so I had plenty of time to observe these people in a more natural setting, which taught me very quickly not to be dazzled. People are people, and I still believe that.
But all of the wonderful assets of Richard Armitage are not only present, they may be present exponentially and especially his kindness. I don’t think someone can fake the kindness he exudes. It is palpable, but not an obsequious sort of kindness that seeks to send the tacit message, “Look at how kind I’m being to you.” It’s more a confident, comfortable in his skin kindness that says, “I like people. I like you, and this is a pleasant interlude.” In fact, his serene demeanor is stunning. He is an unflappable individual. Certainly he has his moments of temper out of control, but for the most part, I get the impression he’s a happy individual. Either that or he was on drugs when I saw him. :D
If I had to pick a character whom he most resembles in look and actions, it would be Monet.
And the most shocking thing about seeing him in person? His nose is not prominent. It just looks like a man’s nose and not the distracting proboscis the photos often convey. His nose is beautiful, and he is beautiful, and I rarely use a word like that to describe an individual much less a man.
Of course I don’t mean that the way it sounds, but sometimes I do. I’m actually thinking of going to New York. In my defense, I have a frequent flyer that I’m going to lose if I don’t use it, and I have two places I can stay. No, make that three, and I have an old friend who owes me an expensive dinner (maybe three or four cheap dinners instead?), and last but not least my two very compelling reasons are there. So yeah, I think that sounds good. Maybe. Still not sure about that.
As if that’s not enough, I recently bought another copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was the hard copy of the Extended Edition. That makes four different formats I will own. Not kidding when I say that I have never bought four copies of a movie. Wait. That’s a lie. I’ve bought six copies of a movie. Want to guess which one? Yeah, I didn’t think you would have trouble with that. But I must say that three of those were gifts. Wait. No, I’ve actually bought more than six. I bought, dare I say it? I’m not sure that I can. This is tough to write as it really does make me a nut! But I’ll confess to having bought almost 20 copies of North and South.
I feel like an utter idiot if I really step back and think about that. Again, in my defense, I found a really good sale. Then I decided to send several copies to a list of folk I do not know along with letters that were hopefully humorous but sans the fruitcake. We’ll see how that turns out. ;-)
I told the addressees that Richard is something else and not to be put off by the pitiful looking photo on the DVD jacket, and I slipped in a secret weapon to ensure they knew I wasn’t exaggerating.
And if they don’t agree that it’s a secret weapon, then Richard’s not for them anyway. :D
note: if you want more scenes like those, then go buy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition on iTunes. You may have to wait a freaking day to download it, but hey, it’s worth it. I even took down my firewall for this one.
Richard,
See what you can even manage to leverage out of a cheap skate?
Signed,
Oh never mind, you already know I’m crazy
My power to resist temptation is under severe attack with Sir Peter’s bombshell about Desolation of Smaug. My ability to stay away from spoilers is certainly being destroyed, and I’ve been so good this year! But I have two very compelling reasons to make a foray into New York City, which has had me longing to go there anyway, and if I were to get lucky and be able to attend the live event on November 4th, well, that would just be icing. Who could turn that down? :D
Now we just need some details of how and where to attend this shindig.
Dear Sir Peter,
I look forward to hearing more information about this event — like how someone actually attends!
Also, I’ve been meaning to write to you about the Desolation of Smaug premiere. Let me be plain. We need details, Man. First up, is this event on November 4th the premiere? Or is the premiere going to be near Thanksgiving (in the U.S.), or maybe the same day as the wide release? Man, you are killing us with the suspense. Seriously! I thought you were going to spring something on us several days ago (like maybe during Comic-Con in NY), and even that would have been late in the game!
Okay, I’m not nearly as upset as I sound. :D I know you hate it when the fans will not be patient and let themselves be surprised. I get that frustration, but man, we’ve been patient. Don’t you think you’re carrying the suspense a bit too far?! Okay, okay, I’m really not that upset, really, but could you throw us all a few more crumbs about this “live event” so we have some clue how to plan?
Signed,
One of Richard’s crazy fansP.S. Thank you for putting Richard Armitage in New York! Yes! Yes! Yes!
For further details on the November 4th fan event, be watching these spots: The Hobbit Movie’s official website, Twitter, Facebook.
edit: I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. LOL! Okay, so my timing was off, but I had a feeling TheOneRing was somehow going to be involved in something big that was coming. They’re giving away tickets here. Thanks to Servetus for the heads up.
Why do I think they are not the only ones giving these tickets away? Stay tuned.
note to TheQueen, do you have your suitcase ready? :D
I was not going to post this, but I can’t help myself. Since Peter Jackson announced the Hobbit cast would not be at San Diego Comic-Con, I’ve been thinking one or some of them would show up at the event in New York. I think it’s now a given that there will be some cast members there, but I’ve been telling TheQueen since July that I thought our guy or maybe even Peter Jackson would show up for this shindig. As it draws closer, my gut is screaming at me that something unexpected will happen. Maybe my gut needs to go back to sleep, but right now, I’ve got to do something to relieve its internal rumblings — hence this post.
For those who live in the tri-state area, you can get the skinny on New York Comic-Con over at TheOneRingnet. Unfortunately, the tickets are all sold out, but at least you’ll know which building it’s in so you can camp outside wait discreetly at a coffee shop nearby in hopes of seeing Richard or Sir Peter strolling down the street. Hey, it’s New York; it could happen. :D
Or you could just join the Ringer party. I think there are still tickets available. Even if the cast doesn’t show, this is a fun bunch.
And if Orlando Bloom doesn’t show up at some point, I’ll eat my hat. Yeah, so I don’t own a hat; you get the idea.
note: almost every time I’ve had this kind of feeling, it’s been correct. Now that I’ve published this, it will not happen. LOL! Maybe I should have just kept this to myself, but I needed some relief.
If nothing else so I can stop thinking about the dream I had the other night which featured this. Thanks, Jigga.
Looking backward. Isn’t that what today is about? I guess it’s infected me because the subject I’m about to broach was not something I was going to revisit. However, recent reports I’ve read and new thoughts I’ve had compel this post. :D
I’ve run through a range of musings about The Hobbit premiere in New York. One of my first thoughts was New York is too cool to get excited about a movie premiere. This is a matter of pride for New Yorkers. They love to let you know they make barely a flicker of an eye when the famous pass by them. After countless trips to New York and living there one summer, I can attest to the sheer numbers of celebrities strolling around the streets and making the ho hum attitude understandable. But another thought was remembering the fanfare I’ve seen there. “Ticker tape” parades so huge the surreal feeling takes days if not weeks to go away. When these people throw a party, they know how to throw a party!
Outside at The Hobbit premiere was like a meeting. No party atmosphere but the distinct feeling it was all business. I could almost hear the marching orders repeating themselves in the heads of some of the cast who came to the fans lined on the street, “If you greet the fans, make it short. Don’t linger. Get it done and get inside the theater. And for God’s sake watch the cars coming down the street behind you!” Yep, the normal traffic flow was not completely blocked but rather interspersed with the celebrities’ cars stopping in front of the Ziegfield Theater which made it a dicey affair for the cast to be on the street. Then there were the thugs (TheQueen has another name for them) trying to get autographs to hawk on eBay. Since I had effected the New York cool, I wasn’t too worried about them even if they could have easily pushed me down on the barricade and busted my kneecaps. No problem. I was there to see Richard Armitage blast it! and after my deal with the thugs, no sweat (picture the optimist who was put in a room full of horseshit. :D)
But I’ve been wondering if the sober feeling from many of the cast was actually the ominous thought of combating traffic and facing the New York thugs. Something has to explain the wary looks I saw from some of them. Their demeanor was certainly a far cry from the cheerfulness in Wellington, Tokyo and London. It makes me wonder if this is the norm for New York premieres. I’ve never been to a movie premiere in New York. Never been to a movie premiere, so I really don’t know. I had only seen two live streaming until this one.
But despite all of that, I must give thanks to someone for a very enjoyable part of my premiere experience:
Dear Andy Serkis,
Man, I love you! Thank you for injecting some party atmosphere into the affair known as The Hobbit Premiere NYC. Thank you for the time you spent with the fans lined on the street. You almost single handedly made me forget the feeling of a business arrangement.
And I have a suggestion for your colleagues at next year’s premiere to make them feel secure about dealing with the fans, the thugs and might help with dodging traffic. I’m passing this along now so they have a whole year to practice.
Signed,
One of Richard’s crazy fans who thought your wife was also lovely. :)P.S. I watched Distant Voices, Still Lives the the other day. Wow.
And a big thank you to @nancyjohnson1 for holding a place for TheQueen and me since yours truly had to run errands until about 45 minutes before the premiere. Phew!
Watch someone take all of this seriously. Yes, I’m talking to the action fans. This subject isn’t about a cure for cancer nor a solution to world strife, so it is not serious. LOL!
A couple of weeks ago TheQueen and I were here:
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see these guys performing, but we did enjoy the most posh “outdoor” restroom in New York while we were there:
For the uninitiated all of this is in Bryant Park, which is behind the New York Public Library in Manhattan. And it’s one of my absolute favorite places in the City. I told TheQueen she has to return in good weather.
More about the trip in a later post. For now, I hope you all have a wonderful evening!
I’ve been surveying the landscape again, and it’s hard not to wonder how Richard Armitage’s advent in America is going to play out. The Captain America promotion didn’t count. It was a blip. This Hobbit press machine is the real thing, and its invasion is formidable. Walking around New York has made that clear. Ads for this movie seem to be plastered on every available surface, so that I can go nowhere without being met by the Hobbity bunch, even on the steps leading in and out of the subway.
I thought I was ready for this, but I’m not so sure now. Last Saturday was already my saturation point, which wasn’t a problem because I just did what I always do when I’m full up to the eyeballs on information about Richard Armitage — go AWOL for a few days. But as I try to rejoin the march, something is in jeopardy — my voice on this blog. I’m feeling the need to refrain from sharing as many of my thoughts about show business. A little Armitage Protection Mode trying to kick in.
Perhaps this post is a commitment to remain honest. Yes, I’m putting myself out here for some accountability. Please note I’m not accountable to share everything I’m thinking. If I did that, your hair would curl. But this need to remain honest is my bullshit detector coming to my rescue, and thankfully, it makes me draw back and take note of what’s going on around me, and if I’m feeling too hemmed in by conventional thinking, I want to get loose. Mostly, I fear becoming homogenized — oohing and aahhing and generally just saying the same old claptrap I find so prevalent and uninteresting.
For now, I’m hanging out with my girls, loving that, and trying mightily to forget The Hobbit exists. It’s a little hard to do sometimes:
September 15, 2012Dear Sir Peter,
It occurred to me sometime yesterday that The Hobbit premiere is only three months away. If you have a schedule like mine, which I suspect you do, three months is about a week and a half from now. Not much time to make plans. New York is already on my itinerary for December due to two very compelling reasons and neither being about The Hobbit nor Richard Armitage. But if there will be a New York premiere, it would be great to make my visit coincide. I only have one problem. I don’t know when the hell it is, or if it is. Perhaps I shouldn’t use such strong language, but I can’t help myself.
I have even done a little research concerning past premieres hoping to find a pattern. I don’t have a lot of time to do things like this. It’s scary what I have let slide to look all of this up. And to no avail. It seems there may not have been a premiere in New York for the last Lord of the Rings movie. The only real thread of hope there might be one this time is a comment from Sir Ian about premieres in London, New York, Berlin and Tokyo. But then my anal self starts wondering what he means by the word premiere. It does seem to get confused with the word release. I just don’t know what to think, and I was hoping you might be able to help.
Yes, I know it’s Warner Brothers’ responsibility to handle these things. Pardon me if I don’t buy that bullshit. No, no, I didn’t mean to say that. I shouldn’t say that. :D I know you’re busy, and the studio is the one to handle all of this tedium while you’re getting the movie ready. I was just hoping you might have some pull with them about getting a New York premiere scheduled. And if I could make it to New Zealand in November, I would, but I don’t have a spare several thousand lying around and will have to pass. So I need your help with the New York date, and I hope you’re not offended by my passion to attend. LOL! Yes, that’s a bit of a maniacal laugh, which I hope you ignore or maybe not.
Signed,
One of Richard Armitage’s crazy fans who also has a soft spot for a certain Kiwi director with wild hairP.S. I apologize again for calling you Mister.
Yep, it’s a fake fan letter, and I’m putting this note here for those who think this is real. No, it’s not real. No, that’s not completely true. I would like to know if there is a premiere in New York and when it may be, but I seriously doubt my venting here will make it appear. Nice to dream about, but I’m not that delusional — yet. LOL!
And in the interest of fairness, I have to say a little something about one of my compelling reasons. She is my second born, and the only child I have not written about on this blog. She is also the only one who took the time to ferret out the blog’s location and then informed me how happy she was I am anonymous as well as making sure I knew she was the child who had not had a post. “Yeah, I see where I stand with you, Mom. No post for me huh? LOL!” Okay, so here it is, Lou (no, that’s not her real name).
But first a picture:
The girl with the wicked sense of humor.
Okay, another picture:
That was taken as part of a documentary she worked on doing stills for them.
And one more (see, you got three pictures when the others got two or less):
Third from the right, and the girl who knows no fear except of the vacuum cleaner or dishwasher. :D I’ll give her a pass on that since she is such a great student and just a great kid. I would describe her, but she is a bit indescribable and the reason I hadn’t mentioned her yet. Enigma is the word most often associated with her, and oftentimes the comment, “Lou is just being Lou,” is heard amongst family and friends.
For those interested in my research on premiere dates, it’s below, and if I have an error or have missed something, please let me know. Thanks.
RELEASE AND PREMIERE DATES for LOTR movies and The Hobbit
Fellowship of the Ring
Wide release in U.S. — December 19, 2001
Premieres dates:
London – December 10, 2001
New York – December 13, 2001
Los Angeles – December 16, 2001
New Zealand – December 19, 2001Two Towers:
Wide release in the U.S. — December 18, 2002
Premiere dates:
New York – December 5, 2002
London – December 11, 2002
Los Angeles – December 15, 2002
New Zealand – December 18, 2002Return of the King
Wide release in the U.S. — December 17, 2003
Premiere dates:
Wellington, NZ – December 1, 2003
Los Angeles – December 3, 2003The Hobbit
Wide Release in U.S. — December 14, 2012
Premiere date:
Wellington, NZ – November 28, 2012
RAFrenzy 
