Diggin’ Dorktastic

So yesterday a bunch of us got excited about the supposed video of RA as a kid of 20 mimicking a music video. I don’t know for sure that it’s him, and I doubt that anyone reading my blog or Nat’s or servetus’ knows either. But it was fun to speculate.

I thought it was cute, and if it is RA, there is nothing embarrassing about it in my opinion, and it’s my opinion (for the most part) that will dictate what does or does not get posted on this blog. Hopefully, no one was offended by that video. If they were, then they probably won’t want to read this blog in the future. By saying that, I’m not implying at all that I would put something up that would compromise Richard Armitage. I respect him even though I’m wrestling with objectification (more on that later; not quite ready to talk about it yet. I still want to wallow in it a bit).

But today, I’m trying out a new word that I love. It’s already becoming entrenched in my vocabulary. At least in my head and on this blog. Not sure if I’m ready to utter the word, but I do LOVE dorktastic! and it’s now part of the RA Lexicon. Thank you, Nat for introducing me to that word in Busting a Groove!

Dorktastic gets at another facet of RA that I love. His dork factor. I love it when some guy is very sexy and masculine but has a bit of dork going on. It’s a type of vulnerability, and we women need vulnerability in the men we’re attracted to. No, I don’t want to psychoanalyze that just yet. It might reveal more about my control freak than I’m comfortable with. LOL!

I find it interesting that Guy of Gisborne, who is fatally sexy, has a bit of dork peek through now and again. I love that about Guy — showing that vulnerability. Showing the kid, the little boy inside the bad ass. Is it just me who finds this attractive?

Okay, hit me with the psychoanalysis. I’m ready. LOL!

Wait! I forgot my gratuitous pics.

Dork moment coming up:

He has no clue; just can’t hold back his dork:

There he goes:

Classically perplexed like a true dork, or huh?

My heart went out to Guy in that scene. I had to mentally slap myself to remember the heinous things he’d done. Such is the power of the dork when it’s in a sexy package.

For a less cursory treatment of dork as it applies to RA, check out Servetus’s post Dorktastic Past.

Screencaps courtesy of RobinHood2006.com (update: which no longer exists) and RichardArmitageNet.Com

April 27, 2010
Categories: Dorktastic, Fanvids, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 7 Fear of Punctuating

See Diary Part 6 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few years ago minus four or five months:

Man, trying to find something else that Richard Armitage has been in is tough. I looked at his IMDb page, and there were several things listed. I looked on Netflix, and they had North and South and that’s about it. I did see where he was in “Star Wars: Phantom Menace,” so I pulled it off the shelf and rewatched the stupid thing but with no luck. Not a fan of this movie. Only bought it because someone else in the house wanted it, and I actually watched the whole thing just to get a glimpse of a “Naboo Fighter Pilot.” I didn’t think about him wearing one of those blasted masks. Oh well.

A few days later:

I see a show called Robin Hood on YouTube, but I’m not into Robin Hood. What’s amazing is that I think there are actually more fan videos on that show than on North and South. No, I can’t go there right now. I’ve already freaked myself out watching the P&P and N&S videos.

I also found Vicar of Dibley on YouTube, but I really haven’t wanted to watch it. The title doesn’t sound appealing at all, and apparently, he’s in just a minor role. I’ve already been burned on Star Wars. Have to recover from that, and then maybe I’ll watch Vicar of Dibley. I do recognize this Dawn French from a comedy duo she’s in, but I’ve never been a huge fan of theirs. They’re funny but not that funny. Kind of crude. But then I wonder why I don’t like them very much since I like crude humor just fine. I can’t help it that I have a bit of an earthy attitude about all things including humor, but there’s just something about them that’s a bit of a turn off. Maybe it’s that they’re women and seem to try too hard. Man, I’m biased. Give those girls a break.

A day or so later:

I can’t stand it. I have to watch this Vicar of Dibley. If for no other reason than the thumbnails I saw of Richard Armitage are adorable. He doesn’t even look like the same person who was in North and South, and well, I guess he’s not. LOL! But he just looks so different, and I guess he actually smiles in this one. I mean really smiles. Not that coy little smile he had in North and South.

A little while later:

Oh Dear Lord! I was right! He is so freaking adorable! Why have I never known who this guy is?! He is awesome, and I hate the word awesome, but I’m in awe! I didn’t think he could be any more appealing. I figured it was his character in North and South, but I had to watch something else! And here I am using all of these exclamation points, and I hate exclamation points! When I see them, I think of an air headed female with a high pitched, tinny voice who can’t think beyond the moment, and she’s just irritating. Will she shut up. No wonder I was taught to use an exclamation mark no more than once a year; less if possible. So why am I continually using exclamation points when I write about Richard Armitage! No, no, no. I’ve never been that air headed female who squeals and acts giddy. Can I start now? No, no. But he is so cute, and I think I actually got high when he said, “Well, there you go.” What the hell?

An hour later:

It happened again! I’m watching, and then Richard Armitage’s character, Harry, makes a move on Geraldine. Man, that guy looks good in glasses!! And I love the name Harry! I’ve never really liked that name, but I’m diggin’ it now! And I guess I got over my fear of exclamation points. They are the only punctuation that fits! And I don’t care if I sound like a high pitched, tinny sounding air head who can’t think beyond the moment. I CAN’T think beyond this moment! It’s too good to think beyond this moment!

And Dawn French. I love her. Good on Geraldine for getting her man! I love that, and how slick a move was that for Richard Armitage to be the love interest? Wonder if Dawn French had a say in that. Bet she did. Oh, I love so many others in the cast. I’ll have to watch some more of this show whether Richard Armitage is in it or not.

A few hours later:

It’s on Netflix! But Richard Armitage isn’t listed in the cast!!! And apparently, I’m so over my fear of using exclamation points that I can easily use three at once! Even if this weren’t on Netflix, I’ve already ordered it from Amazon. Be here day after tomorrow!

So that makes $50 I’ve now spent on Richard Armitage. But even if I hadn’t bought Vicar to replace my N&S watching, I’ve at least cut down on that. Now I only watch N&S about once a week and only the scenes I love.

The next day:

ROFLOL!!!!! ROFLOL!!! I’m sick. I am sick. There was a little clip on YT from something called Comic Relief Special recommended from watching Vicar of Dibley. Geraldine and Harry are married, and they participate in celebrity wife swap with Sting and his wife. That is the funniest thing I think I’ve ever seen. Dawn French is my hero. I love her. My favorite part is when she says she’s not a teenager and then breaks down screaming before she opens the door. ROFLOL!!!! Hmmm. I’ve watched that clip maybe five times now, and I know the timing of it exactly, and I STILL belly laugh at that part. This Dawn French is a genius. Must rewatch some of her comedy duo stuff.

That weekend:

Well, the family watched Vicar of Dibley with me, and they could not stop laughing, and they LOVE Dawn French. SO thought the show was hilarious, and he and I have belly laughed repeatedly at the Comic Relief clip. It was so good to watch something with the family that had Richard Armitage in it and they liked it! Made me feel less like a kid with a flashlight under the covers. SO did ask who the tall guy was, and I said he was from another show called North and South. To which he said, “You mean the DVD you got from Amazon?” I didn’t think he noticed that. He’s more alert about those things than I realized. He always surprises me because he never seems to notice details and yet he always does. Why do I always think he’s oblivious. He’s never been oblivious. I wonder if he’s noticed my new love of the exclamation point.

See Diary Part 8 here.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

April 23, 2010
Categories: SO, Vicar of Dibley . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

It’s Even Changing the Way I Speak

I knew I was changing, but it was obvious when I said the “word” phwoar. I didn’t even know it was a word until a couple of years ago. The first time I said it, someone in the family made a point to turn his head towards me and stare at me as if to say, “Do I know you?” To which I mentally replied, “Yeah, you know me, but maybe I don’t know myself anymore.”

What all of you don’t know is that I don’t use much onomatopoeia when I speak much less when I write (does anyone except comic book writers?), and certainly don’t use it to describe something that is extremely appealing. But maybe I ought to because it felt good to say phwoar, which is properly said PHWOAR!

A few years ago I took a self-defense class for women. If you have never taken something like that, I highly recommend it. I was prompted by a friend to do it and went only because of the prodding. I figured the instructors would just remind me of things I already knew but probably needed to hear again. Wrong. It was taught by a husband and wife who had been military and were now police. Both had black belts in some martial art, and when they told us that, I thought, “Oh yeah, great. Like you two are living in the real word where people like me can’t do squat.” But again, I was wrong. They taught me a technique of imagining myself in a bad situation and then mentally using the practical things they had taught. Part of this was to practice yelling STOP! They said studies had shown that women had a hard time raising their voices to strangers even someone who scares or surprises them. It’s part of our genteel gene I guess. Aren’t we special? Thankfully they stayed on us about yelling STOP! Half of one class was spent just doing that. Man, that was some easy money for them. Well, I haven’t been attacked, but I have been threatened, and when the time came I was able to yell STOP! and the very suspicious person fled.

That day I yelled STOP! and really needed to was a kind of epiphany that forever altered my world. It gave me power I really wasn’t sure I possessed until the moment of crisis. Saying PHWOAR! had the same effect on me. It was the passionate me, my inner PHWOAR, which I had buried for so long, rushing to the surface. My SO, who was the only one around at the time and the object of my PHWOAR!, said, “What was that? I like it.”

I hope you can do a little PHWOAR! today. At least get in touch with your inner PHWOAR! See how good I am to all of you; continuing to be of public service. ;)

Of course that’s far from the only word I’ve learned and now love. I’ve started a list, RA Lexicon, and you can add your own. Enjoy!

Oh, oh, oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot to put up the image that made me PHWOAR! (at least in my head) the first time. Actually I was watching the scene it’s in, and thought PHWOAR! when he turned around.

Screencap courtesy of RobinHood2006.com

April 20, 2010
Categories: Inner PHWOAR!, PHWOAR!, Robin Hood, SO . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 12 Comments

And I Was Going to Take Mondays Off!!


But I can’t stand it; there’s too much to talk about, and this is the place for me to get it all out of my system. At least that was my original intent. Now? Oh, heck no!

Oh, God love him! Is he something else or what? Is he a bit of a writer and/or director in the making? Or maybe a lot of actors do this, and I’ve just never been aware of it? I don’t know, and really, I don’t care. This below is one reason I’ve got a thing for RA! I feast on this stuff. LOL!

Strike Back: Richard Armitage on John Porter

He’s an action hero, I suppose – But I’ve tried to make him as un-action hero like as possible because that’s an easy role to play and we’ve all seen the hero running out of a burning building carrying a child. I’ve tried to inject this character with something else that’s unique to his experience.

He’s SAS when the story starts and he has a wife and daughter. He’s been through the ranks and I’d describe him as a kind of killing machine who’s discovered quite a serious flaw whereby compassion kicks in and he allows his heart to rule his head. I think he has a conflict between operating within the theatre of war and then returning home to his family.

Preparing for the role…
I try to create a biography for every character I play. In the book, but not in the script, Porter has a problem with alcohol, so I’ve used that much earlier in his life. I wanted Porter’s father to be military, and this period of delinquency comes from Porter being absent when his father died. So his route into the military was to do with atonement for his father’s death and honouring his memory.

Read the rest here

More talk about this here. Definitely Ridiculous Squeeitude!!!

And I bow to tyme4t for totally calling it with her analysis of the trailers.

Screencap courtesy of Sky1

April 19, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Tangent — So the Brits Want to Compete

Well, come on in the water is fine!

JohnPorter_jumping_in_water_StrikeBack

In the “Strike Back” Premiere clip, Andrew Lincoln and Andy Harries, the producer, talked about Strike Back competing with America’s offerings. That’s great! I LOVE competition. It usually (not always but usually) gets the cream to rise to the top. Love it; can’t say enough good about it.

Given that, I can think of a really good way for the Brits to compete with us Yanks, and I’ll be glad to help them. If they could figure out how to get the shows to us more quickly, then I can assure I would do my part by watching many times in order to help their ad revenue or however it is they make their money. I’ll even tell lots of people about the shows! Could we just have access to Sky Player? As it is, I buy the stuff as soon as I can, and sometimes (I hate to admit it) I cheat and look at it before I can buy it. But I always buy these things I’ve looked at through other means than traditional broadcasts or dvds. It would be great to do it another way. Aren’t we in a global economy? What’s the hang up?!

I will probably rant more about this later.

I hope someone is listening.

Oh, I guess I can’t make this a complete tangent, since I want to comment on how RA has really put himself outside his comfort zone. Doesn’t he dislike going in the water? That’s really going in the water! Or is that a stuntman? On another note, how interesting that I know all of this useless crap.

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitagenet.Com

April 17, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Strike Back, Tangents . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 6 Talking of Michelangelo

See Diary Part 5 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few years ago minus about four months:

I told the ladies I was fascinated with the tea scene, and the truth is that I couldn’t quit thinking about it for weeks. For some reason I haven’t fully discovered, I kept hearing lines from a T.S. Eliot poem when I watched it. It seems John Thornton albeit an important man in Milton doesn’t see himself that way, and the tea scene was the first time I got the sense he feels like an observer standing outside a window looking into a house he doesn’t believe he can ever really enter.

Hmmm. Have to watch again to see what else makes me think of that poem. I wish I were better versed in literature. I just always hated literature in school. It seemed like undue examination of the navel, and it ruined a piece of writing to examine it in almost a clinical way. But maybe I was wrong, and now I’m a little mad at myself for not slowing down and listening more to something that probably would have brought a richness to my reading.

NorthandSouth_teascene_1

NorthandSouth_teascene_2

NorthandSouth_teascene_3

NorthandSouth_teascene_4

A little while later:

John Thornton, who seems so decisive and sure of himself, stops and really ponders for the first time in the tea scene, and you can almost see the gears of his thoughts and the awkwardness of being in limbo with Margaret and how it fairly radiates from his eyes and the turn of his head, and then his tentative gesture at a handshake as the scene concludes. Oh, he gets on his high horse a bit with her, but that’s almost a relief for him. It’s a fight he understands, and so it’s a refuge from the uncertainty of not knowing how to proceed with her, how to enter the house, so that no one throws him out. That part of the scene is not what lends it such depth although it’s very necessary to show how he’s used to fighting for what he wants, and if it had just been his impassioned speech about his life’s experiences, then I doubt I would have thought about it for weeks. No this is more. It was the seemingly little things he did to convey being in over his head that have hung with me. It’s also very clear that he is the impetus of this scene and his demeanor changes the rhythm of the piece in a way that almost seems like a maestro conducting the perfect symphony, and the beauty of it continues to resonate in my head.

I wonder what else Richard Armitage has been in.

See Diary Part 7 here.

Screencaps courtesy of lauralorien in tempest_icons on LiveJournal.

April 16, 2010
Categories: North and South . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 5 Toe in the Water

See Diary Part 4 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few years ago minus 2-3 months.

I started lurking the North and South board on IMDb the other day. I had to do something! Can’t keep watching this movie over and over. I need to hear about others’ reactions to it. Still not quite ready to weigh in myself because I feel like a fool watching it over and over. I’ve always laughed at people who said they watched a movie 17 times, and now I’ve watched North and South 20+ times. Don’t really know how many times.

I was also hoping maybe I could find out some other pieces that the cast has been in. I love Daniela Denby-Ashe. Nix everything I said about her character. Margaret seems like an old friend, and Richard Armitage is wonderful as John Thornton. I can even stand his opening scene now — cause I know how it ends!! :D I’ll have to check out his IMDb page while I’m at it. But I’m saving that one so I can really indulge myself. Going to check out some of the other cast first. Love the guy who plays Higgins. I must be nuts, but he’s sexy, and I know he’s not really supposed to be in this role. But hey, I’m human, and the man has a lot of appeal. Love his voice too.

About the only characters I don’t like in this piece are Margaret’s parents. Can’t quite figure out if they’re supposed to be annoying. If they are, then they’re doing a superb job with their characters. I’ve started skipping over some of their scenes; they are that annoying.

There are some really lovely people on the N&S board. Someone named Genie knows a lot about North and South, and there is a poster named Osoguante who could be a professional comic. Very clever. Forget N&S, I just love reading her comments. I really do LOL when I read them. LOL! See just thinking about some of the things she’s said makes me laugh.

There are some others there who are very thoughtful and fairly educated. It’s a real treat to read some of their comments, and everyone is very polite. I haven’t spent too much time on IMDb, but if the other boards are like this one, I might spend more time there. Still not ready to give my two cents though. I’m just enjoying the reading.

Oh, oh, and they also write stories about N&S. It’s called fan fiction. Whatever it is, I’m enjoying it. These ladies are really clever and are having a good time, and it’s a pleasure to be an observer. Thank you, ladies, even though you have no clue about me.

North_and_South_teacup

A few weeks later:

I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to SAY SOMETHING. The ladies were talking about the first scenes that hooked them, and I had to jump in with mine. It felt good! And now they know I’m another rabid fan of this movie. I told them the tea scene was the first one to reel me in. The movie is going along at a steady clip, and then the rhythm changes. It slows down and focuses on all the things that are heightened when you’re falling in love. Sigh. Did I actually write the word sigh? What’s happening to me? Oh, I’ve always been a terrible romantic, but I’ve kept that so buried no one would know it. It’s hard to keep tamped down these days. Why I try to I don’t know. Always have, but maybe I shouldn’t.

Screencap courtesy of TheArmitageArmy.co.uk

See Diary Part 6 here.

April 15, 2010
Categories: North and South . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Accessing The Diary

DrTrack_bicep-1

A little more housekeeping to make it easier to read the diary without having to move back and forth between it and some other stuff.

To read it chronologically, go here or hit the “The Diary” tab above.

Screencap courtesy of well, don’t remember. If it’s yours, let me know.

April 14, 2010
Categories: Housekeeping . Tags: , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: Leave a comment

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 4 Hide in Plain Sight

See Diary Part 3 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few years ago minus a few weeks:

I cannot stop watching North and South. Thank God I’ve got my own copy now. It’s becoming part of my daily routine. Learning to pace myself and not watch it all in one sitting anymore. If I watch one episode a day and some days more than one, I can easily get in two full viewings a week. I’ve been trying this out, and so far it works great. Usually do it really early in the morning or very late at night on my computer.

The family thinks I’m writing or doing some paperwork. I would die of mortification if they knew I was continually rewatching the same movie. If they ever figure out what I’m doing, knowing them, it will become a huge joke where I would probably be compared to someone like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining.” So for now I’m keeping it under wraps. Don’t want the distraction that would come with outing myself. But I’m really bugged by having to keep this on the QT. Oh, I did say something about what a great mini-series it is, but so far no one took that bait. Dang! It would be so great to watch it with the family. Then I wouldn’t feel like an idiot sneaking around.

John_Thornton_Master_TDHCMO

John_Thornton_Overbearing_Master_North_South

One thing I know is that this movie has such a calming effect on me, and I get to squee at the ending. Squee! I have a love/hate relationship with that word. The first time I read it I thought of a bodily function. But it’s such a great word to describe my reaction at the ending. Squeee! I love writing it and would love to say it sometime. That’ll never happen.

Screencaps courtesy of TheArmitageArmy.co.uk

See Diary Part 5 here.

April 14, 2010
Categories: North and South . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 5 Comments

Woman is always looking for a shoulder to put her head on

[note on Mencken below]

Per tyme4t’s request.

Here’s the best “shoulder” pic I could come up with (great jawline pic too; check out others here). Oh, there are other shoulder pics, but I thought I would just run the best one out there first. At least the one I think is the best. Feel free to disabuse me of the notion. :D

John_Porter_Dani

Continuing rationalization:

One of the first things I noticed about RA is his ability to use his shoulders and back to convey a message. Oh, yeah, actors can shrug to convey some emotions, but he goes way beyond that. I lost count of the times Guy used his shoulders with one of the most stunning times being when he flinches as Friar Tuck tries to comfort him (S3Ep1). I can’t watch that scene without being very moved by the grief and pain and just utter self hatred radiating from Guy’s shoulders alone — since we can’t really see his face. Wonderfully done scene!

Guy_Gisborne_shoulders

Guy_Gisborne_shoulders_2

Note: The quote in the title is from H.L. Mencken’s In Defense of Women. I didn’t like it the first time I read it — a long time ago. Not sure what I would think of it now. I do agree with that particular quote though — to some degree. Most of the women I know (young or old), love it when they actually meet a man. Men are few and far between, and it can be a rush to encounter one. Most women are drawn to that and want to rely on them. Notice I didn’t say male, but that I’m actually referring to someone who is a man — worthy to lean on but not lessening a woman’s worth by being so.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com and RobinHood2006.com

April 12, 2010
Categories: Robin Hood, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

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