More Knots? — SPOILERS

SPOILERS for The Hobbit.

Below are my thoughts last night. Who knows? I might feel differently today.

John Porter is back with his tangled life. Or is he?

I don’t think I’ve ever felt something was a teaser so much as this:

Perhaps I’m changing my tune with respect to spoilers. I find myself wanting to know the ending to Strike Back II. When I watched the promos for the first series of Strike Back, I had a sense of hope and confidence that Porter was going to kick ass and get out of something that might even stump MacGyver, and it was so easy to think that since the series wouldn’t exist without him. So no need for a spoiler. But now? I look at this:

and I’m fully aware that this show is not where Richard Armitage’s future lies. But more than that, I’ve witnessed how his face conveys the truth of a character, and that looks like the face of a dead man. I could be wrong, and I hope that I am, but my gut is screaming that my plea was for naught.

All of that may sound pessimistic, and I guess it is, but perhaps this is just how it’s going to be for now with RA’s portrayals. If you know the story of Thorin Oakenshield, you know why I say that. And I would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to realize that he keeps playing characters who go nowhere — kind of like music that doesn’t resolve. More on this later as my pseudo psychoanalyst is almost throttling me to take over, but I’m too tired tonight to run with it. Yeah, I’m sparing you.

Video courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com, and my screencap. There are some caps on the site, but I had to make my own. :D If you’ve never made screencaps, you don’t know the pleasure of really mining those microexpressions of RA’s. If you ever want to know how to make caps, let me know. It’s pretty easy. Anyone with a computer can do it, and there is no cost other than time. LOL!

Oh, oh, bccmee also put the SB2 promo up on YouTube, and if you haven’t had a chance to see her month long slide show, Graphic a Day in May, go look. She’s done some really cool stuff with photos many of us have seen countless time, and I love that her sense of fun is so apparent. I need to go over there and comment soon.

In the meantime, back to rippling. :D

May 10, 2011
Categories: Rumors, Spoilers, Spooks, Strike Back, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 29 Comments

Netflix Responded

I’ve been campaigning Netflix to give Richard Armitage a profile picture, and I must celebrate their response appropriately.

So Netflix responded today
And hopefully we’re now on our way
To seeing Richard grace
His profile page with HIS face
And not the gray blob of dismay.

Thank you, Netflix, for acknowledging my request. Actually, I was having so much fun that I hoped you would wait a little longer. LOL! I do understand about potential problems with photo rights. The photo below is the one on his IMDb profile page, so perhaps it might work, or do I need to lobby his agents for a picture?

Psst! This is the reason I’m anonymous. I would never do this under my real name. Are you kidding me?! No, it’s better this way. Plus, I’m blaming it on Nat. :D

Off to write an email to United Agents. Muhahahaha.

May 6, 2011
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 25 Comments

I Thought I Was Done

I’m not even going to promise this is my last piece on the Royal Wedding and no mention of Richard Armitage, but this is actually a geek post and not so much about the wedding. In keeping with all things tech that fascinate me, I had to bring this for your edification. The picture may not seem all that fascinating on first glance, but just click on it and see what comes, and be sure to let yourself play with it. :D

May 1, 2011
Categories: Geek, Tangents . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

Okay, I’m Done

No, there is no Richard Armitage in this piece either.

I was in the middle of writing my next post about the Royal Wedding when I realized I had a new follower on Twitter: @wisebirdswords (aka Marcy Jay). So I went over to check her profile and realized she has a blog. The first piece I read is below, and after I read it, it was clear I had no need to write anything myself. This says it all:

The inescapable truths of the Royal Wedding:

Many of us are in a happy state of post-wedding euphoria here in the UK. Even the ‘republicans’ and ‘not interested’ became swept up in the tide of good will and sheer joy surrounding the happy couple.

Today the newspapers are full of interesting and amusing commentary about every aspect of the biggest event in the UK for decades and in my home town of Amersham in Buckinghamshire we are no different. Amersham is a lovely small town nestling at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, a stone’s throw from where the Vicar of Dibley was filmed and proud home of the 16th Century coaching inn where Four Weddings and a Funeral was filmed. ‘Grass roots England’ which today provided a good snapshot of the happiest of post mortems. Of course, everyone agreed that Kate was as serene, beautiful and Royal and William as adoring, dashing and ‘surprisingly nervous and normal’ as we could have possibly wished.

Here are the other matters of great importance that have occupied us:

Read the rest here.

Marcy (can I call you that?),

Love the blog; hope to read more. Just got done with the piece about men’s listening abilities. Fascinating, and perhaps the men who read this blog will read it. No need to ask the women; I know they’ll read it. LOL!

Take care and thanks for following me. I’ll definitely be responding in kind.

Sincerely,
Frenz (and I would tell you my real name, but then I would have to kill you. :D)

P.S. Love your Twitter name; it fits!

April 30, 2011
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

I Can’t Stop!

Still no Richard Armitage.

And now for the other show stealer:

Grace Van Cutsem only three years old and probably wondering what all the fuss was really about.

A wider shot:

April 30, 2011
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

Pippa the Great?

Did Pippa Middleton steal the show? I think she did. Yesterday, the would be queen’s sister got most of the attention at the Royal Wedding, and I think it was somewhat deserved. She was as spectacular as her sister and all her own. You would have to be dead not to have noticed her. Well, if you’ve got it flaunt it, and she did, but I don’t think she was trying to upstage her sister.

She was placed in a position that potentially could draw notice if you’re in a stunning gown with a great figure, great skin and have excellent carriage, and women who look at you want to be you, and I’m afraid to say what I think the men were thinking, and of course she appeared to be good with children:

But all of that wasn’t what sold me on Pippa. It was the smile:

I knew immediately she had a sense of humor. Perhaps she is a total ass (no pun intended) in person, but my gut says a resounding no! Whatever the case, that infectious smile makes me say, “I would love to meet her!”

And now a picture for the men who read this blog, which I figure is deserved after all of the fangirling of Richard Armitage that you’ve witnessed:

Of course I’m drawn to her hair in this picture. Lovely.

April 30, 2011
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 24 Comments

I Couldn’t Look Away

I was one of those who was not going to watch the Royal Wedding, but I’ve been in on so many public events of William’s life, how could I miss this one.

Kate’s last moments before entering the church. I remember the feelings I had when I entered a wedding ceremony almost 28 years ago. The dress and veil were very, very similar to this one, and I got a little misty-eyed looking at this picture:

Photos from Euronews and Jezebel (click on photos for links and more photos).

April 29, 2011
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

the H*** wiv-et

I’ve been feeling kind of funny about posting comments from my “source.” Not that I don’t think they’re completely righteous. I do. But maybe all the emails from some others got to me. Despite the appearance of this blog, I really don’t think I’m all that and a bag of chips. Far from it. Trying to garner attention for myself is not my thing, so when I feel someone might think that about me, I usually run backwards.

Thankfully, I’ve been getting over that crap, and this blog has been wonderful in that respect. I feel like I’m actually stepping back into my childhood, and it’s been fantastic, and I hate words like fantastic, but I’m not even going to count how many times I’ve used it on this blog. Have I gone on long enough with my preface to what’s coming? :D Okay, I won’t leave you hanging much longer. All I’ll say is that these wonderful words from our own Fitzg are a great encouragement:

“Dear Mr. Armitage,
We’ve escaped the hermitage.

We’re beyond the mad and the shame –
And it’s you we all have to blame.

Our doctors deem us to be cases
Beyond their skills to address,
And throw up their hands at this mess.
And hie themselves off to the races,
To gamble their lives away in despair
At their failure to repair
The poor demented souls in thrall
To the blue of eyes and all –
The long limbs and voice so velvet…
Ah what’s the use, a lost cause are we;
Who wants a cure – the H*** wiv-et!

When all is done, some just squee …..(I swore I’d never say that word, so the h*** wiv it)
The rest just melt in pools of rapture
At the thought of this image to capture
And say, let it be, let it be….”

A letter from a demented fan, who has no future as a poet…:(

Don’t agree with the last comment, but I love this letter! Just what you would expect from a sassy librarian. Oh, and if anyone else wants to contribute a fake fan letter, knock yourself out! I’ll be happy to publish anything that celebrates the fun and yes, the thoughtfulness that we’re part of in the RA universe.

Comments about RA on ‘The Hobbit’ set coming up soon but not today. :D

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com.

Photo courtesy of my stash.

edit: there is only one place where I have no problem taking center stage — doing business. If it’s business, I shift into another mode, and maybe that’s why I like business so much.

Note: in answer to the questions about the second photo, that is my daughter on the beach in San Diego; taken a couple of weeks ago.

April 21, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 26 Comments

Imagine There’s No Movie Theater

It’s easy if you try. And with the advent of torrents and some other tools for consumers to get their hands on video clips quickly, it’s certainly a possibility. So the media industry is feeling the pinch and trying to get out ahead of the demand. But I’m wondering if moving up the ability to access VOD (Video on Demand) in home is the answer, and some well known names in the business are certainly taking exception to it.

Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Michael Bay and More Write Letter Opposing Premium VOD Service

Peter Jackson and James Cameron write letter opposing Premium VOD Service

This Thursday, DirecTv will launch its new Premium VOD service, which allows viewers to watch new movies from Warner Bros., Sony, Universal, and 20th Century Fox in their homes just 60 days after a title’s initial theatrical release for a fee of $30. Today, 23 of Hollywood’s top directors have published a letter in opposition against this VOD platform.

This letter, which was put together by James Cameron and his producing partner Jon Landau in conjunction with NATO (the National Assn. of Theater Owners ), is set to coincide with Thursday’s launch of the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go with It, which will be the first Home Premiere title available to HD customers for $29.99.

Along with James Cameron and Jon Landau, other letter signers include Michael Bay, Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Roland Emmerich, Peter Jackson, Shawn Levy, Michael Mann, Todd Phillips, Brett Ratner, Adam Shankman, Gore Verbinski, Robert Zemeckis, Karyn Kusama, Antoine Fuqua, Todd Garner, Lawrence Gordon, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Gale Anne Hurd, Bill Mechanic, Jamie Patricof, and Robert Rodriguez.

Here is the letter in full:

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY ON PROTECTING THE MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE

We are the artists and business professionals who help make the movie business great. We produce and direct movies. We work on the business deals that help get movies made. At the end of the day, we are also simply big movie fans.


Lately, there’s been a lot of talk by leaders at some major studios and cable companies about early-to-the-home “premium video-on-demand.” In this proposed distribution model, new movies can be shown in homes while these same films are still in their theatrical run.

In this scenario, those who own televisions with an HDMI input would be able to order a film through their cable system or an Internet provider as a digital rental. Terms and timing have yet to be made concrete, but there has been talk of windows of 60 days after theatrical release at a price of $30.

Currently, the average theatrical release window is over four months (132 days). The theatrical release window model has worked for years for everyone in the movie business. Current theatrical windows protect the exclusivity of new films showing in state-of-the-art theaters bolstered by the latest in digital projection, digital sound, and stadium seating.

Read the rest here.

I’ve waxed on elsewhere about artificial scarcities being created where none normally exists, and how that irritates me, and keeping people from VOD is strictly creating a scarcity — or trying. Yet I’m wondering what would be sacrificed (even short term) if we inch open the floodgates some more for access to movies. Oh, you say they’re already open? Well, not quite, but it’s not long before they are, so is there a good reason to keep people from quicker in home access? I don’t know. Will there come a day when we look back at movie watching in a theater as a quaint old custom? Oh, I have lots of thoughts about this, but I’m interested in yours.

April 21, 2011
Categories: Geek, Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Lords of the North Audio Book Winner

I thought this would never get here! My very juvenile self has been dying to give these books away to people who really enjoy Richard Armitage. Actually, I’m just announcing one of the winners. The other one I haven’t heard from yet, so who knows? Maybe I’ll draw a second time for that one? ;-) No, I have a feeling I’ll hear from them. :D

But I have to confess this has been so much fun that I want to do it again sometime soon. I have two more copies of LOTN and a little stockpile of Heyer books, so I’ll definitely be doing it! And I have to thank AudioGo again for supplying the books in this giveaway. Thank you so much; the gift helps prolong the fun for next time. Until then:

And of course I had to ask Anakris to respond:

Hi Frenz!

These are wonderful news! Coming to work in a rainy day like this and find out that I won this audio book… just made my day!

You asked me to tell you something about myself, so I have to ask you back: “Me, as a person? (…) I have 45 years to talk about”. (I keep feeling butterflies in my stomach every time I hear that). Although I have all those years to talk about (I wont, that’s a promise) I only came to know about Richard Armitage, early this year, through a dear friend of mine who send me a link to a video of The Vicar of Dibley, warning me on the side effects of the expression “well, there you go”. And there I went! From that day on a hurricane of RA information took over my computer, my TV was flooded with new DVDs, films and TV Series, and my MP3 is almost reaching melting point. Venetia as read by Richard Armitage, kept me company while waiting for my children to get out of school, everyday during 2nd period and now Lords of the North will do the same during the 3rd one! Again, all this I owe it to my friend Sandra (who is also a frequent reader of this blog) so I think I should publicly thank her from the bottom of my heart and obviously, I’ll be sharing this piece of melting chocolate voice with her!

Reading to your blog, Frenz, is now part of my daily routine, and while doing it I find myself many times nodding at your comments and thanking you for being so accurate and objective. Talking about RA being handsome, and hunky, and breathtaking, and (I’ll leave it here) it’s easy but I think all of us here agree that RA is so much more than just a pretty face and you really honour that.

Keep on the good writing and, again, thank you for this opportunity!

Anakris
From Portugal

Anakris so glad to meet you, and thank you so much for the kind words. It’s been my pleasure. Truly.

Be sure to tell us how you like the book!

Original screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

April 19, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Miscellaneous works, Vicar of Dibley, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

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