Keepin’ It Real

I heard something the other day that means i will never feel self-conscious about my fan odyssey again, or maybe not as often. It seems Beyonce has a religion of her own. It’s called Beysim. What the heck?! I knew there was a reason I don’t keep up with popular culture too closely.

Of course Beyonce is a great singer, but I’m never gonna be a member of her church after watching this video. :D

When I was watching that for the first time a few years ago, I started looking around to see if someone could see what I was watching. But I could have saved myself the stress if I had known she would have her own religion.

Still felt like I lost a few brain cells.

Richard,

So you’re on Twitter now, and your style has improved. It’s true. You went from this:

richard armitage bafta 2007

to this:

BAFTA Los Angeles TV Tea 2013

But man, please don’t become too hip. If you get too slick, I may find myself in the midst of some real groupies. AS it is, I did hear about some shrines laying around, and there is some sort of mark worn by really RAbid fans and recognized by same. Of course that’s just scuttlebutt, so I’m not really sure it’s true.

Whatever is going on, I like to keep my obsessions real. KWIM?

Signed,
A Crazy Fan who is NOT in denial. Nope. ;-)

P.S. I like the new you, but I also love the guy who went to the 2007 BAFTAs. :)

And now for the story I’ve been saving since I came back from NYC a month ago. I was in the airport waiting for my plane, and a woman saw one of Guylty’s badges on my coat. She actually stared at it intently, and then she started talking to me and eventually mentioned how much she enjoys BBC programs. I chimed in with my enthusiasm, and then she said, “I especially love one that I’ve never seen on any networks here in the states.” My ears pricked up, and I almost felt what she was going to say next. “It stars an actor I have come to adore. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Richard Armitage?” Then she looked at my badge again. I felt like we were two spies having an encounter.

More on Beyism here if you don’t believe it’s real.

Candid shots courtesy of Richard Armitage Central and my stash

November 12, 2014
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Damn That Richard Armitage

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

October 29, 2013
Categories: Movies, North and South, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 17 Comments

The Many Modes of Richard Armitage Fans

I lied — again. I’m getting to the phantom Diary entry after this post.

I understand Servetus has now coined Armitage Objectification Mode (AOM). Why didn’t we think of this before?! It should have been coined years ago, but I’m glad we have it now. :D I mean c’mon, we’ve all objectified Richard Armitage in one form or another. And even though I’ve said I haven’t fantasized about him, I never said I didn’t want to. LOL! I just said I chose not to do it. I’d be a big fat liar if I said I never had the yen. But as to AOM, I’m sure we’re all going to have a field day defining its various levels.

Of course I have to cover Armitage Protection Mode (APM). Posts about it are found here and here if you’re not familiar. It’s to be avoided unless you want to be a killjoy, and there are certainly various levels of APM which deserve their own modes. Armitage Correction Mode, or what I think of as APM Light. This is when someone continually feels the need to correct other fans about Armitage lore, e.g., making sure everyone knows that Guy’s horse is Richie and not Ritchie when no one else (or few; wish I could say no one else) gives a rat’s ass how the name is spelled. Did the show’s creators ever specify? Or APM Exreme which I fondly think of as Armitage Sanctimonious Syndrome (ASS). That’s when someone not only wants to protect Richard Armitage but is utterly self-righteous about it. Utterly here means the person may end up calling the authorities in an attempt to ensure dear Richard’s safety and most important that they (the person and not the authorities) can never be wrong! LOL! Yes, I laughed. I used to pity these people but have come to find them a great source of humor.

Oh, yeah, they’re funny, Rich. As if you need protecting. LOL!

rh205_021

There is also Armitage Denial Mode (ADM), and its various levels go something like the following. Armitage Denial Mode Extreme — when you’re so far in the closet you won’t even breathe Richard Armitage’s name to another human being and certainly never comment on him in cyber world, yet you may be the first to look at anything posted about our guy. ;-) Armitage Denial Mode (no frills; it just is) — you think Richard Armitage is great and sometimes you deign to express it to another human being with an occasional comment in cyber world. But then you step back and wonder what has come over you?!! Armitage Denial Mode Light — you are very chatty about Richard Armitage and frequently give and take on his abilities and are recognized as a commenter but swear up and down you’re just a casual fan. Of course the remedy to all of these is called Freedom from Armitage Denial Mode — that’s when you finally say to hell with it and get yourself a blog!

note: all of this is predicated on the idea that almost everyone reading this blog is an addict. D

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

May 5, 2013
Categories: Fandom, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: Comments Off on The Many Modes of Richard Armitage Fans

The Lovely Hobbit Premieres, What Do They Mean?

I love how Peter Jackson is using the The Hobbit premieres in London and New York to promote worthy causes. Effective and classy. But I wonder if the dates we’re getting will be public events with red carpet. Surely the causes being promoted would benefit. Unfortunately, my infernal gut is rethinking this. If I were to get inside Peter Jackson’s head, what would it be pondering about this all? Part of me thinks he loves the fans being so rabid. He really gets into that and likes to inflame it a bit otherwise why the involvement with TheOneRingnet. But another part of me thinks the fan thing is a big hassle and with these movies, perhaps unnecessary. It’s evident there is already a fan furor. Hmmm.

No matter what happens, I’m going to New York to see my daughters. That’s a given. It would just be nice to schedule it alongside The Hobbit premiere. If that doesn’t work out, oh well.

No, I’m not normally a pessimist, and really, I’m not being one now. I’m merely heeding this reservation I sense. So I’m taking a wait see for now.

The irony of all of this is I am not a red carpet kind of gal. I already did the Comic-Con thing, and that was enough. More than enough, thank you very much. Yes, that’s my way of saying, it’s not my thing. I’m still the person who wrote this.

edit: and the silence from TORn on this NYC showing also makes me take a wait see.

September 28, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 10 Comments

Wait. Wait.

A crisis of conscience is crashing over my head. Have I really been in this Richard Armitage frenzy for over four years and blogging about it for over two?! What?!!

It’s the zombie apocalypse. This is how it looks. Just sayin’. In case you wondered. So don’t be frightened. It’s good for now, but sometimes dinner burns. And it beats the hell out of chewing off someone’s face (nope, not even going to put up a link. vomit). No wonder I’ve immersed myself in this!! Okay, I think I’m all better.

Now go buy some gold for the coming economic disaster. Not gold certificates but the real stuff. And then come back and watch ‘North and South with a bunch of us.

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

edit: for those who found some of my comments cryptic, just know that zombie apocalypse, which was already a big meme, is now being applied to the incidents involving a drug referred to as “bath salts.” Supposedly the drug turns people into cannibals. There are now at least two recorded and verified instances of this in the U.S. Sickening and definitely makes me want to immerse myself in something that feels good. I actually had a nightmare about this. Mostly thinking of my girls who live in NYC and hoping they look out for themselves and for friends (some of them RA fans) who live in Florida.

June 1, 2012
Categories: North and South, Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

A Sticky Wicket

It’s been two years and a few days since I started this blog, which has been so much fun and hopefully can continue. Before I resume, there is something I need to address to dispel any confusion about where I stand on a particular issue. I was hoping this would go away, but that’s not happening, and the reason to address it is now manifold: I was not able to clarify myself elsewhere due to the closing of comments, I have received a significant amount of email and private messages and been replying to it individually which is outpacing my ability to keep up, and I want my position on record for future readers.

The lay of the land shifted a bit in RA blogosphere when another blogger decided to publish a real person fic featuring herself and Richard Armitage. She has said the nature of it may be graphic. Not one cell in my body desires to read that, and really, I wouldn’t want to read it no matter if Richard Armitage were the other person or if it were someone else. This has little to do with him being a celebrity and everything to do with the fact he is a real person, and the blogger is a real person, and further that I’ve counted her a friend. I don’t want to read about a friend’s sexual encounters. It’s too personal and not for me to know even if it is supposed to be a metaphor. The presence of a real person makes the sexual encounter (real or imagined) obliterate the story.

I have said I do not believe in censorship, and I don’t. Plus, I have no authority nor do I want any in order to tell her what she should and should not write. However, I do believe in discretion. I also feel very protective of the blogger and hate to see this kind of emotional vulnerability to a general public that does not really care about her, and I believe these pieces will just bring confusion to most who read them in addition to being disrespectful to the other person in the fic who is not there willingly. It may be the ultimate objectification of Richard Armitage.

The real shame to me is all of the brilliant and creative things she’s written could be eclipsed for the general public.

I love the blogger in question, and I’m not going to turn my back on her, but I hate the feeling that these writings mar the fun and rewarding things we’ve done almost as if being dragged down into some mud and everything becoming coated with it.

Closing comment as of April 14, 2012:

In the interest of not bringing more attention to this particular situation, I’m placing my closing remarks on the discussion which ensued as this edit instead of as another post.

I had a lengthy post written to explain my viewpoint and to address all of the questions. It was written fairly tightly. But it was written to persuade, and I just don’t want to argue. It’s enough to say I love creativity and more often than not err on the side of being very liberal about it but have a personal boundary. Obviously, the boundary was crossed with the fiction. The misunderstanding about my support of it and the concern about the author prompted me to post this piece. Hopefully, the sequence of events is finally clear to most of you. As to Richard Armitage, this isn’t so much about him as it’s about what I deem a matter of respect toward anyone — including the author. Of course we can agree to disagree on all of this, and that’s how I’m thinking of it. This is all I have to say on it for now. Best to all of you; I’m moving on.

April 8, 2012
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 135 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 28 Battling the Free Fall

See Diary Part 27 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few weeks later, November 2008:

All of this reflection is wearing me out. I knew instinctively why I didn’t ever want to write my thoughts. But SO said I would benefit?! Oh yeah, I can see that. What was the point again? To wallow in all the things that dissatisfy me? A few weeks ago I did think it was a good thing. Now I’ll have to eventually burn this so the kids won’t see it. And I had thought this might be something for them. LOL! No way in hell.

Later:

I’m still watching Spooks. Five shows in, and this last was one of the best. Richard Armitage, you are something else. And I just thought you couldn’t top your sexiness as Guy of Gisborne. Wrong. Still so sexy while in all that lovely turmoil. Oh, that turmoil looked that good. I’m also still trying to figure out how you can look so weak and yet masculine at the same time.


Still amazed that no one I know has ever heard of him! No, I’m wrong. Pat had heard of him. She immediately responded when I put the Guy video on my Facebook wall, but then she asked me not to talk about it on FB. What is she so afraid of? Tammi just laughed when I put up the video. She’s just like SO who laughs at most things. But the truth is she thinks I’m nuts and frequently, gently tells me I’m having a little mid-life breakdown. I don’t appear to listen, but I think she’s right. I sound like an idiot, and my mind is kicked into overdrive, and that’s saying something since I’ve always had difficulty falling asleep because my mind WILL NOT SLOW DOWN! The doctors keep trying to hang me with bi-polar, but I refuse to accept it. If they were ever successful in labeling me, it would be a bit of hell to ever again be taken seriously. But something is wrong, and I can’t ignore the fact there are several in my family who are diagnosed with it.

Mom has never been diagnosed, but if she’s not bi-polar, I’m wondering what makes her so “eccentric.” Oh heck, she’s classic. Super, super highs and then terrible, terrible lows. Last summer she was too sick to be anything but a nice, steady calm, and it allowed me to con myself into believing some fantasy about how she is. Usually she is such a roller coaster ride, I don’t think I was bored once as a child. There was a buzz always permeating the house. I used to drown it out with tv. Mom used something else to make it stop.

What was I thinking to get excited about a long trip with her to a place far, faraway. Auntie Mame on the set of Spooks? I need to be afraid, and I would be, but I really do want to go to England, and I swear it has nothing to do with Richard Armitage. I want to see all of the “family” places Mom wants to show me. Yeah, I’m itching to hear about Great Grandfather Abraham and all he achieved. Somehow that will edify.

But I’m not going to stop with this Richard Armitage thing; it soothes me. I’m going to keep at it. And I think I’m over my concern about objectifying him too much ’cause I know I am objectifying him — some. When I think of really objectifying a man, I don’t think of someone like him. I think of someone like Hrithik Roshan. He is an object waiting happen. No, even him I can’t fully objectify. I saw an interview, and he was so earnest about making it as a serious actor that my heart went out to him. He is beautiful, and I’m sure no one can get around that in his presence, but how do you make it as a serious actor when you look like that?! I hope he’s successful. What am I saying? I don’t even know these people, but it’s much easier for me to say something like that than to examine what I want.

I watched Dhoom2 again the other night. What a crazy movie. The old phrase about a kaleidoscope is apt. And as with everything else, it piqued my curiosity. I’m now intensely wondering what the Indian people are really like.

Present day:

I have come to really appreciate Hrithik Roshan but have to admit his extreme good looks did make me assume something about him that was unfair. More on this in another post.

RA screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

Hrithik Roshan screencap is mine.

January 28, 2012
Categories: SO, Spooks . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 18 Comments

Tintin Looks Interesting

I’m contemplating seeing this movie. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a movie theater, and it would be nice to get out of the house. SO was talking about taking our eleven year old to see it, and my extreme eagerness was duly noted with a look askance that said, “What is going on?” My look back, “Nothing. I just thought _________ might love this movie, and it is the holiday season. Maybe we can go on opening night?”

I refuse to believe Richard Armitage is corrupting my reputation. What is it to me that I’ve watched the cheesy Robin Hood, then more cheesy Captain America, and now… But I’m doing it so my kid will have some entertainment, and I’m sure she would love the trailers:

Promo courtesy of TheOneRing.Net

December 14, 2011
Categories: Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Snark-a-RAma

I really needed to make this post considering WordPress now has snow on their home page. There’s something about it which makes me feel like a whip is being cracked behind me. Maybe I watched too many Budweiser commercials as a kid. Or is it just me who thinks about Clydesdales when it snows? Of course I had to Google that. Who needs to spend money for entertainment when you can just run odd searches on Google? I was looking for an image to go with the Budweiser crack and found this picture of a fairly newborn kid. Yeah, go ahead and check it out, and then read the whole blog piece. Maybe they don’t care if their newborn’s picture comes up in the midst of a bunch of mammoth sized horses, some suggestively clad women, some weirdness, and the dalmatian. Can’t forget him. And I almost forgot the clocks. I was fascinated with the clocks when I was little. The thought that the horses might break free was always a question. So what does all of this have to do with Richard Armitage? Not much except that I felt it might be “enlightening” for you to be in on how I go into snark mode. You thought I just turned that on and off at a whim? Oh hell, no. I have to descend into it, and Google is immensely helpful for facilitating. Okay, I’m down there now; we can start talking about fangirling again.

Now the segue to dear ol’ RA. For that I needed to visit Tumblr. Tumblr scares you more than Twitter?! You’re taking it all too seriously. It’s not serious. No, I’m serious; it is not serious. You saw a Tumblr that was serious? That must be one of the five that are. The rest are full of shit.* Oh, you need proof it’s not serious? I’ve got plenty, and I’m not sure which of these was first. Does it matter? Of course not. Just sit back and let it roll over you. Don’t think; just feel. That’s the point of Tumblr — no thinking (almost no thinking); just feeling.

click the images for the fun:

and of course this one:

Wait. Maybe this is serious.

By the way, I disagree with this confession. It’s fine to obsess over one character. Further thought: who died and made this person the fandom czar? LOL!

*euphemism for playing around ;-)

December 9, 2011
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 5 Comments

Stuck on You

Dear Richard,

If you ever stumble on this place and take a good look around, it will become clear I had significant time gaps between some of my posts. Maybe I should say real life intruded, and in fact it did. But psssst, sometimes I just tried to leave you. Obviously, I always came back, and here I am again today.

I’ve finally waded through some things that were holding me back, and now those are receding quickly, so hang on!

Yours Truly,
Frenz (aka Masha :D)

P.S. If I ever stalked you, I wouldn’t be in an ugly green car, but I would love that red dress.

note: I started to call this post “I Can’t Quit You,” but even I’m not that cheesy.

Need a Richard picture to get myself back in the mood big time:

This post’s for you, Sheepa. Thanks for the great laugh.

edit:

If you have not watched this video, do it now! It gets better and better.

September 23, 2011
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 24 Comments

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