Yesterday was quite a day of fangirling of Richard Armitage, and it’s taken its toll on me this morning. All that rippling yesterday made me drunk, and I got up feeling a bit woozy. I was thinking I needed a little hair of the dog, and lo and behold I got it:
This is a teaser picture from Recognise Magazine, who, if you don’t know it already, did a photo shoot of RA which will be in their August issue. In the meantime, you can see it on their Facebook page and like their page and read their magazine and buy some copies of their magazine and maybe subscribe to it. Damn! It’s amazing what some teasing will make me do.
In the meantime, I’m glad the picture is a bit indistinct, ’cause that beard looks like a mind-blowing experience, and I’d like to be sober today.
edit:
Recognise Magazine has promised to provide another behind the scenes picture of the photoshoot if they get 3,000 FB likes. Well, they just did, so stay tuned for more.
The new Captain America trailer is out, and no, there is nothing really new in it except Steve Rogers is in a taxi, and there’s a better picture of Heinz Kruger on the ground. Wooot! Did I just say woot? Someone please slap me. Oh never mind, I’m posting the picture ’cause it’s too good not to post, and I figure since we’re fangirling today, I need to really indulge myself in it, so I can be more sensible the rest of the time. Pardon my insanity. How many posts does this make today? No, don’t tell me, and yes, I know you’re not even reading this but looking at this wonderful picture:
Here’s another one (bccmee made into an avatar earlier) but I guess I haven’t seen one this clear:
If you don’t already know what’s in his hand, and you’re dying to know, here it is:
And if you’re so anal, you don’t want to miss any milliseconds, you can watch the trailer and make your own screencaps :D
Screencaps are mine and as always you can click on the picture for a larger version, which you can save.
edit: I think bccmee and I were screencapping our little hearts out, and it is a lot of fun. :D
[edit: yes, yes, dear god, people, I know he’s a sir and not a mister. Do you need a job?]
The recent peek at Thorin’s look has many of us believing Peter Jackson “is onto us.” Yep, he knows. :D And I’ve always thought he was smart — well, at least in the last 12 years, and now I know he is. He has not created Thorin’s costume in a way that obliterates Richard Armitage, which frankly, compels a thank you note:
Dear Mr. Jackson,
You are one clever guy. Even though the picture is blurry, we can tell that Richard is still going to be Richard enough to smolder sufficiently for our fangirl hearts to be content. Of course if he had been under prosthetics and gray hair, I would have been fine with it. Yes, I’m serious. I trust your judgment completely — at least when it comes to making big budget movies of Tolkien’s works. You’re the bomb when it comes to that, and your latest revelation even outdid what I was anticipating, which was already greatness. No, I do not make a habit of this much fawning, but well, I’m tickled at what I saw and had to thank someone, and obviously, you’re the one.
I think there is also a crowd with me who wishes to thank you as well.
Sincerely,
One of Richard’s fans who is starting to have a great fondness for a certain Kiwi. :D
P.S. Why do I think you’re a Robin Hood BBC watcher? ;-)
If Peter Jackson keeps this up, my letters to him may become quite a series. First letter here.
edit:
Oh, my reminiscing heart can’t help but post this:
Me thinks Thorin was channeling a little Guy. And talk about rippling?! Yeah, I think we’re all rippling really well today. That was like a boulder. :D
If you’ve read this blog for more than a few pieces, you know how rabid I am about fan videos, which I’m defining as videos set to music and starring the object of a fan’s attention — someone or something. They got me started on Richard Armitage, and my love for them has become so intense that I’m wondering when these things will gain much more notoriety than they currently enjoy. For now they are not really acknowledged much by the mainstream media, and a good part of the reason is the history of their illicit nature. In my search on the web, I found one piece from a mainstream media source discussing the significance of fan videos, and that was from 2007. Maybe there are a few more, but the key word would be few. However, at some point soon I think fan videos will have more formal recognition. So far for most people who don’t peruse videos sites and are over the age of 25, there has been no awareness these things exist, but that’s changing as more and more people (even your grandmother) are starting to surf YouTube.
Heck, SO’s almost 80 year old parents get on YouTube regularly, and my mother, who by the way, is considerably younger :D, also gets on YouTube. So if you’re 60 and you don’t ever get on YouTube? What planet are you on? ;-)
Actually, I’m assuming most reading this are the choir. So why did I even say that? Maybe there is one out there among you who has not ventured onto a video site for fear it’s just stuff like this:
and you got your fill of this kind of thing on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Oh, you’ve never seen that show? LUCKY YOU. Really wrestling here with the temptation to go on a rant about why I hated that show when it was on, but one rant a week is enough. The show is still on?! God help us.
Of course this is a cute video, and it’s understandable why it’s in the top ten all-time watched videos on YouTube, but c’mon, after you’ve watched it 300 times, you would think it would get old. FYI: a few weeks ago this video passed its four year anniversary, and I can see its lasting effect with the eventual publication of How to Pay For College: The Advantages of Being a Mischievous Teether in the Digital Age by Charles Davies-Carr. ;-)
Okay, where was I? Oh, yeah, fan videos. Well, if you’re new to them, and I’m assuming you’re a Richard Armitage fan since you’re reading this blog, there is only one place to go, and my friends, it’s not YouTube. No, it’s a little place on the web hosted by one of the most intriguing fans, Elvira Sweeney. Here are some things I know about Elvira. She is artistic, prolific, a bit perfectionistic, and definitely industrious. Oh, and she likes RA. :D He was the inspiration for what I now think of as the RA Fan Video Empire, or just The Empire. So what is this place? It’s called RAfanvids, and if you have never been there, oh my are you in for a treat. Now the only proviso I will give you is that you must prep the storage on your computer so you can download to your heart’s content when you get there. You’re not sure about this downloading? No, you’ve got to change that notion. You can’t really enjoy some of these videos without watching a download. YouTube, Vimeo, et al will not give you the quality of a 1080 vid. You can only get the real impact of it by downloading and watching on your system or possibly your tv monitor.
Take this video for example:
You can watch it and love the music and the clips, but you can’t get the full effect of this unless you download and watch. It’s the eyes. You almost fall into them. Can’t get that from watching on YouTube — even in full screen mode. Oh, it’s better than the little window, but not nearly as good as watching your own copy.
Or consider this one:
Want to really feel like that leather is within arm’s reach, download! And of course the eyes are also compelling. By the way this video was done as part of Elvira’s “Vidding on the Cheap” series for all those people who think making videos with an old Mac isn’t possible. Guess again.
This is one of my favorite montage videos, and for good reason. I really feel I’m in the room with RA and he’s looking at me when I watch the download:
This was the video that convinced me I needed to watch everything I could from a download copy. Once I got this one on my computer and started watching, I realized that I had missed so much on YouTube, and if a video is not in a large format, putting the player in full screen doesn’t really cut it either. So I downloaded this one and was blown away. I also realized something about Elvira. She can read people. Anyone who puts as much emphasis on people’s eyes and expressions is focused on reading them. I would love to know what she really thinks of RA other than just liking him so damn much. LOL!
And the next two you haven’t really seen unless you’ve watched a download and especially in 1080. You watch these like that, and you will never be satisified with them on YouTube again.
If you still don’t want to download, you can just watch the videos on that site, and there are quite a few that are not on YouTube. So check it out.
One more thing. If you go over to RAfanvids, you may notice something is absent. But no worries, ’cause Elvira’s got it covered over here. :D (note: the link is an archive page and not all pages linked within it are available).
For those who may not know it, I was born and reared in the U.S., and for most of my life the Nazis have been a source of ridicule. The lion’s share of the ridicule has been serious with an occasional straying into the humorous ala “The Producers.”
I’ve gone right along with all of it, but now that I interact more regularly with German fans and especially now that Richard Armitage will be playing Heinz Kruger, a Nazi, I find myself being much more sensitive to what you all may find offensive. I was trying to figure this out on my own, but I know that many of you have no problem sharing, so I’m asking you to share your thoughts about this. How do you feel about the Nazis being continually held up as the bad guys? Do you dissociate yourself from them, or do you ever take any of the negative comments personally?
Another reason I ask is because I’m originally from the Southern part of the United States — the area formerly known as the Confederacy (aka Rebels) during our Civil War in the mid 1800s. Many derogatory comments are still made about the rebels and too often all Southerners are swabbed with the same brush that would lead others to believe we’re all racists and stupid. So I was wondering if sometimes you feel that all Germans are swabbed with having been Nazis. Oh, and just so you know, SO has a very strong German heritage. Momma and Papa are both of German descent and his grandparents spoke with a German accent.
Thanks for any input, and if this has already been adequately covered elsewhere, please let me know. I’m really interested in understanding your viewpoint.
Please feel free to send me an email if you would rather not comment. See “CONTACT ME” on the left sidebar.
Many times I’ve wondered how long this blog’s life would be, and no, I’m not going anywhere. I’m still here and will be here for a while longer. How long I don’t know. As long as I get some fulfillment and fun from it I suppose. But candidly sometimes that fun is hard work. Of course life is full of obstacles, and usually the obstacles involve people or money. Come to think of it they all involve people or money. Now I’m not here to talk about money, and I doubt anyone has ever read my blog expecting me to talk about money. Although truth be told, I could talk about money for quite a while. But I’ll spare you. Today. So people it is.
People are infinitely fascinating even when they’re being a pain in the ass. At least that’s how I choose to see it, and if I didn’t choose to see it that way, I would not have done this blog past a few weeks. I also knew choosing the subject of Richard Armitage for my blog would bring with it an element that is absurd (no offense to Richard), and in case it’s not obvious to some, I’ve used that absurdity to spring myself forward. But sometimes I can’t find the humor in some of these people who are mean. I try never to cave to thoughts like this here (diary entries excepted), but I’ve slipped up a couple of times and day before yesterday was one of those times. I immediately regretted making that post, but after I had a little time to ruminate on it, I decided that it really was something that should have been broached.
On to the point of this piece. Yep, that was all a preface. I’m partial to prefaces lately. :D
If you’re going to blog, you cannot let people get to you — especially if they’re trying to get to you. If they get to you, then they have defeated you. They’ve stopped you. I was reading one well-intentioned commenter’s suggestion about Servetus’ handling of those who object to her blog. It was suggested to use password protection so that only those who really want to read the blog can do so. The commenter did not intend it to be censorship and said as much as a preface to the comment, but really, that’s what it is, and I mean absolutely no aspersion on the one who made the suggestion. It’s just that it’s hard to see it as anything else, and ironically, it would still not serve the purpose of making those who are offended happy as some would probably still read the blog. LOL!
So what’s the answer to all of this — at least in my opinion? It’s two-fold. First, go ahead fearlessly. Go for it, and don’t let someone inhibit you, and believe me, there will be those who will try. It’s a given. Second (and really this should be first), use some wisdom in lieu of locking things down. If you believe you shouldn’t post something, ask yourself why you don’t want to post it, and if someone is manipulating you into not posting, that’s almost never a good reason. Of course if it’s something that you have concluded is not appropriate, don’t post, but know that sometimes you might make a mistake. Scratch that. You will make a mistake, and if you don’t want to ever make a mistake, then don’t blog. In fact, don’t write anything, anywhere or say anything to anyone because at some point you’re going to make a mistake. [note: Mulubinba is excluded from this comment ’cause her decision is not about being manipulated, and I certainly respect it.]
In the meantime, I’m enjoying this song below, and I don’t care that it’s Katy Perry singing. If I was all caught up in who she supposedly is, I would dismiss this song. Her name alone would have the power to preclude me from ever listening to her or considering her music whenever I happen to hear it. Thankfully, I don’t think that way about music, so when I heard this, I liked it. :D
This post was actually written several months ago, but hey, it’s apropos just about anytime I’m afraid.
Dear Richard,
I guess I’m not a good fan since my obsession doesn’t extend to protecting your honor. LOL! Sorry that laugh slipped out, but the thought of doing that is so absurd I couldn’t help myself. I have every confidence you can protect your own honor, and seem to be handling it just fine without my help.
Now I will admit to being hacked about the ending of the latest series of Spooks, and wanting to go on the defensive about your part in it. But man, it’s frustrating to see that kind of storyline when you deserve better, and really, I would have been hacked no matter who played Lucas. You just raised my expectations much higher than usual, so the disappointment was heightened and the need to vent about it greater. But really, that’s about a consumer being dissatisfied.
There are fans, however, who are very good at protecting your interests. I’ve encountered several of them during this fan odyssey, and they are so good at it, that I’m not sure you should have to pay anyone to do this for you. :D These people will do it for free! And they’re gooood! Yes, I already said that but am compelled to reiterate. Oh man, are they good! My occasional reddened hands and ringing ears are testament to that. So if you ever get tired of handling this yourself or paying a pr person or a bodyguard, I know where you can get some cheap labor.
Then again, maybe I’m also afflicted with Armitage Protection Mode since I’m here trying to save you some money. ;-)
Sincerely,
One of your fans who doesn’t even want to think you need protecting. I’m just here to watch.
P.S. And you really have screwed yourself on ever using a beard as a disguise.
note: yes, it is a fake fan letter. If you had any doubt, then perhaps this note is necessary. Of course I would have put it here anyway for the action fans. :D
Many of us in the RA universe have become so accustomed to using certain terms that we have developed our own language. Of course it’s understandable when it makes referencing things so much easier. That’s how all acronyms came into existence. But at some point, it has the power to disenfranchise. In the interest of making our fandom more welcoming, I’m revving up the RA Lexicon again, and there is no better way to jump start this than with the Tall Dark Handsome Cotton Mill Owner (TDHCMO) who began all of this for most of us.
Yep, that’s the first image most of us had of him. Some liked him immediately and some didn’t. Some who liked him immediately turned to dislike very quickly, but thankfully, he redeemed himself by the end of ‘North and South’. Oh, how he redeemed himself! He proved to be someone of great depth and sensitivity.
What would you do if this were standing at your front door?
That sweet smile again that says volumes. Not a full on grin but it seems he can’t help smiling in anticipation of being at the Hale’s again.
Pensively looking at Margaret on the street below, and I found myself really wondering what he was thinking. Many times in movies there have been shots of men looking pensively at a love interest, and truthfully, most of the time I didn’t care to know what was in their heads because I already did or the shots were lame. But with John Thornton, I was intrigued and it helped compel me to the ending.
Another one that had me wondering exactly what he was thinking although it seems fairly evident he’s wondering what Margaret is about — taking a read on her. And what exactly did he surmise? I really wanted to know, so I kept watching.
Considering Margaret’s precious fingers and taking an accounting even of them. This scene about took my head off, and no one was about to have sex. Proving that you don’t have to get naked to be erotic. On that note, I think I’m going to make this a two part piece. Need to watch North and South. It’s been a while.:D
In the meantime, perhaps you will do the same. If you’ve never seen it, you need to watch it! For the rest of you who have seen it and don’t really want to watch it again today, you might check out the piece referenced here as I don’t assume all of you have seen it. I hadn’t until last year. LOL!
Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com and as usual, you can see a larger image by clicking on the photo.
edit: still haven’t done my second part; will get to it sometime.
Okay, so we fans didn’t completely scare Jacob Kamara, who spent the last day in a photo shoot with Richard Armitage. He’s updated all of us and was very nice about it:
Richard Armitage fans: sorry just seen all your tweets. The whole shoot was filmed so I will post a link when it's uploaded. Also…..
RAFrenzy 