Beard Me

I am so digging Richard Armitage in a beard. But then I love beards on men. SO has a beard, and I’ve never gotten tired of it. It took me a few years to convince him to grow one, but after he did, his reaction was, “Wow, you really like my beard!! What happened to that other woman? … Yeah, maybe I’ll keep the beard. LOL!” Of course not all women like facial hair on men, and some are actually turned off by it, but c’mon, doesn’t RA in a beard challenge that notion for some of you? It’s hard to believe that some who have hated beards aren’t now saying, “Yowza!” and some, “Ocheemama!”

I know I want to touch it, and this is coming from someone who has yet to have a dream or fantasy about RA. This might change things. LOL! No, it probably won’t. I’m just that much of a control freak and head over heels in love with SO to the point I can’t even bring myself to fantasize about another man, but Richard’s beard is a strong temptation. I’m sure everything in its vicinity is feeling the same. :D

Honestly, I’m hoping he wears his own hair for the Hobbit. Somehow I doubt that’s going to happen, but he may be more into method acting than I think he is. The only downside for him is he really would not be able to hide behind his beard in public. But then can this guy hide? Oh, maybe he’s been able to do so up ’til now, but it’s going to get harder and harder, and if I know anything about the American public, he really won’t be able to do it if he spends much time here. We’re just absurd that way. Plus, women here have an absolute love affair with the English accent from a man, and when it’s someone like RA, oh man, Colin Firth is going to be a pup compared to this guy. Even Gerard Butler, who I have to admit is mighty fine and has a wonderful Scottish accent, will not be able to hold RA a candle if the women of the American public ever catch onto him.

Earlier I said to someone that he is a sexy beast in this press conference, and I’m sticking by those words. None of that negates the sensitive artist. I just see it as another facet of the same wonderfully complex person. If he were just the artist with the sensitive mouth, frankly, I would become bored. Just as if he were nothing but a sexy beast in a beard. Too much of any of it is BORING. Thankfully, RA is both and so much more. And of course my current infatuation is not just about the beard because I have no inclination to touch Aidan Turner’s! :D

Candid shot courtesy of Richard Armitage’s Beard blog. [Note: alas, the original tumblr is gone. Thankfully, I had the good sense to archive it the day after this post. Enjoy!]

February 15, 2011
Categories: Interviews, Movies, PHWOAR!, SO . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 70 Comments

CW Breaking Out All Over

Sheez I’m gone for one day and an epidemic occurs from this Hobbit Press Conference. But who can blame anyone for being afflicted with Celebrity Worship when the object of our adoration easily makes us break out in a sweat. Even some of the Tolkien fans, who seem to be above that sort of thing, were affected:

Richard Armitage (Thorin) spoke surprisingly little, but when he did he had a notably deep voice, exactly right for Thorin, and real gravitas. He walked into the conference with a kind of testosterone charged lope. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble holding the audience’s attention.

Complete article here.

Uh huh, his “testosterone charged lope,” among other things ;-), is going to hold some attention, and he’s just getting started. LOL! Yeah, I was right — won’t know what hit ’em, and some of these people are just getting a little taste of what’s coming.

All of that aside, I love that he’s just a guy here:

The “guy” almost jumps out of the video and grabs me. Loving this. Yet it seems this “guy” has been hiding. Before when Richard has been interviewed, we’ve mostly seen the sensitive artist, whose tacit message to women was, “I’m a little boy in a man’s body and my inner child hears you and understands.” :D But now he’s revealed a man for all of us to rhapsodize over! ………………………………………………………………. Excuse me I had to put myself back in my chair. All I know is I was fairly smitten by what I saw, and I’ve become rather jaded about these things. I thought. I take heart in the fact that no woman in her right mind could withstand that!

Seriously, it was evident the little boy was almost completely submerged by the man when even the talk about his first time on stage as an elf could not conjure it. The man was firmly in place. However, I wonder if the boy isn’t sensing the new tidal wave of affection that’s coming and shrinks from it. What else am I to make of this picture? LOL!

I feel a letter coming on. Oh, hell yes, this demands a fake fan letter.

Dear Richard:

You’re in my prayers, my friend. You think this Army thing is overwhelming? Get ready. That’s going to seem like a walk in the park. You keep coupling that stare with eyelids at half mast and deep voice with your “testosterone charged lope,” you will not have a moment’s peace.

I’ve long thought that if you catch on in America, you are going to go off the charts, but with ‘The Hobbit’ appealing to a worldwide audience, Ohmygosh! just thinking about this is… I can’t process it.

Back to my prayers for you and especially strong ones when I think that you will not be able to hide behind a beard as some actors are wont to do.

Signed,
One of Your Crazy Fans Who is Almost Fearful for You :D

The journey of the Beard continues.

February 11, 2011
Categories: Interviews, Movies, PHWOAR! . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 101 Comments

Getting Up To Speed on The Hobbit

If you already know all about ‘The Hobbit’ production, then certainly skip this post. But if you want to get up to speed on what’s going on, learn some about the characters and story itself, and maybe have a little fun, then a quick and easy way to do it is watching Rebekah of the Hobbitin5 YouTube Channel, or Hi 5.

Broadcasts are every Friday. This is the most recent:

I have developed a soft spot for Rebekah. Whoever thought to have her do these broadcasts was using his/her head. She is bright and perfect for a novice like me. I actually look forward to watching her! And she inspired me to go over and look around on TheOneRing site. Mulubinba’s posts about Thorin Oakenshield (great stuff by the way) had also piqued my curiosity in the site, but I had still been hesitant to go look as quite frankly my prejudice kept me from it. I thought entering that world would be daunting and just too much work, and my Richard Armitage watching is a respite from my real work, so I certainly didn’t want to pursue anything that felt like work. I was wrong. I’ve enjoyed my time on the site and will continue to read it. I’m also now rereading The Hobbit and will reread the trilogy as well. This is something I never thought to do, but I guess I’m becoming enthralled with Middle Earth, and who knows? I may become a Tolkienologist yet.

Before I forget, be sure to check out Rebekah’s t-shirt from the second broadcast. :D

February 4, 2011
Categories: Movies . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Dear Mr. Jackson

My spate of fake fan letters to Richard Armitage a while back inflamed my control freak and exacerbated my need to give an opinion on matters whether I know jack about them or not. Frankly, it’s been hell to keep that urge tamped down, but today, I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

January 13, 2011

Dear Mr. Jackson,

I put myself on the receiving end of #thehobbit via my Twitter account, and I’ve learned all kinds of interesting things. Phew, man, I thought I was passionate about Richard Armitage! I have nothing on those “guys” at TheOneRing site. My zeal for RA is a school girl crush beside their passionate love affair with Tolkien and with you. I guess I can respect them for that, and I wasn’t so much surprised by their ardor as I was at how much credence they are given by the press.

That knowledge compelled me to read their “about” page where I discovered their close relationship with you, and this has me wondering how much you are affected by what is said there as well as effect what is said. I’m envious of the relationship you seem to have worked out with this bunch of fanatics. Richard has a sort of arrangement with his fanatics too, but it doesn’t appear to be as comfortable as yours. Maybe you can give him some pointers? ;-)

By the way, it had been a while since I’d seen a picture of you, so imagine my surprise when I started reading up on ‘The Hobbit,’ and found this:

Wow!

If you ever read this blog or almost any of the other blogs on Richard Armitage, you would know that we do a bit of fangirling at times. Well, we try not to do it so much we look like bimbos, but then bimbo is a relative term. However, when we do fangirl, there is usually a PHWOAR! heard from someone. So in honor of your recent fitness, I give you a decided PHWOAR! Seriously, you look pretty sexy in this picture, and I already thought your mind was sexy. Phew! Can I get an amen from anyone? By the way, I adore your hair. Truly. I love it! And maybe that is a hairstyle you’re just partial to anyway? I know I am. A certain warrior and lieutenant are coming to mind.

Have a wonderful day, and I hope your wife is aware that she may have to beat the women off with a stick.

Signed,

A crazy fan of Richard’s

P.S. Thought you might be interested in this very well done treatment of your latest activities.

Note to Action Fans: yes, this is mostly bullshit although I do respect Peter Jackson’s abilities, and I think he looks pretty hot in that picture.

Note to Nat: I’m working on my piece.

Edit: yes, I know it’s Sir Peter and not Mr. Jackson; I have since apologized. :D

January 13, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, PHWOAR! . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 45 Comments

Here Comes Cate

Saw an announcement today that Cate Blanchett will reprise her LOTR role in ‘The Hobbit,’ and I chuckled. Then I thought maybe my memory wasn’t so good concerning the book. It has been at least a couple of years since I read ‘The Hobbit.’ I think I was 15 and dare not say how many years ago that actually was. Enough to make me unsure of the character list but not enough to forget it was male dominated.

For those who may not know, this casting is probably a treat for Richard Armitage. Cate Blanchett is one of his favorite actresses.

‘The Hobbit’: Cate Blanchett joins the cast as Galadriel
by Josh Rottenberg
Cate Blanchett had better start brushing up on her Elvish. The Australian actress has signed on to the cast of director Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Hobbit, reprising the role of the ethereal elf Galadriel that she played in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The announcement of Blanchett’s casting comes as something of a surprise, since the character of Galadriel doesn’t actually appear in Tolkien’s novel. Then again, there are virtually no female characters in the book whatsoever, so Jackson is clearly looking to balance out the two-part film somewhat in terms of gender.

Read the rest here.

December 7, 2010
Categories: Movies . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 20 Comments

So Now We Wait

I’ve always thought Twitter was aptly named, but today, it was palpable. A tweet popped up about Richard Armitage that literally has us fans atwitter. It really feels like we’re in a hen house and someone startled us. Here’s the tweet so you can be startled too:

Didn’t many of us think this might be a dead possibility? Well, I guess we were wrong unless this ETTtweet is having us on. I don’t think so. They look legit.

So now we know Richard Armitage is somehow preparing for The Rover. But I want to know when it will be?! Yes, I’m impatient and spoiled to getting information quickly. I can’t lie. I am indeed spoiled, and Twitter has something to do with it. It may be one of the most addictive tools I’ve used since my first IT job, and that’s going some. I’ve been privy to some pretty cool things over the last, uh, I’d rather not say. Suffice to say this tool is phenomenal for information. I’ve learned more from Twitter in a shorter period of time than I ever have from a newspaper or the radio or tv. Even my Google Reader is not as forthcoming, and it’s pretty good.

Back to Richard. I would so love to see him live on stage, and I’ve been wanting to go back to the UK. There are other things I need to do there that have nothing to do with RA, but it would be great to make it coincide with one of his performances. Wonder how many there will be. I was looking at the other productions from ETT and most seem to be about three months for touring. This has me wondering if RA is really going to be tied up so long on The Hobbit set. Surely, Peter Jackson doesn’t need him standing around in New Zealand for the duration of filming. What actor would submit to that? Even if it is a huge break? It seems risky to be off the radar that long. But then what do I know about the acting business. Then again, perhaps RA will be touring before February, or he is not required at the beginning of The Hobbit’s filming in February?

In the meantime, I’m sure you can check out RichardArmitageNet to keep up, or you can get a Twitter account. Yes, I hope to entice some of you to join Twitter, and I promise you that it does not make your IQ go down a few points just by doing so. :D Maybe I can even get some of you to use an app like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck before I’m done. MUHAHAHAHA.

Yeah, Rich, that’s how I’m going to feel until I know something:

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

Aren’t you glad my tangents are over? For now? :D

November 26, 2010
Categories: Movies, Rumors, Stage Productions . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 34 Comments

Tangent: All About Viggo

Okay, okay, I get it! I’ve just gotten a slew of e-mails from people wanting Viggo links. So here is a link with his art, writing and music, and another with links to links to his CDs. Enjoy!

And of course I must have a picture:

I’m sure this isn’t enough, but it will get you started. LOL!

By the way, ‘Eastern Promises’ was good, but it’s not for the fainthearted.

I hope some of you listened to that interview in the last post. It’s great, and sadly, RA can probably commiserate with him about some of the fans.

October 31, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Tangents, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

The Next Day

In my last post I mentioned my gut is rarely wrong, and iz4blue wanted to know what I was talking about. Below is a post I was planning to make the day after RA’s birthday but didn’t because I really am trying to stay out of the guy’s head, and I just never got around to finishing it to my satisfaction. Then I was reading Peter Jackson’s “defense” of RA being cast, and it came to me that Peter Jackson and I may have the same “gut.” :D

My previous, unpublished post:


RA’s Diary

Entry — August 23, 2010:

40 is less than a year away, and I got a late start. That’s what everyone keeps saying, and I’m tired of hearing it, but I understand. Thankfully 40 is practically the new 20. But in this profession 30 is sometimes the new 40. I get it but it’s a distraction.

End of Entry


It seems we’re continually told that actors in their 30s just coming to our attention are late bloomers. If it is not always said expressly, the media’s attention on actors in their 20s seems to send a strong message. I was thinking about this and glanced up at my blog’s header picture, which has always reminded me of another actor whom I really like, and he was not a spring chicken when he first made it big. He was 43.

The whole issue of the late bloomer is fascinating. No one sets out to be a late bloomer but rather circumstances conspire against them. However circumstances may frustrate their desires, oftentimes they are so intent on something else, that circumstances be damned and sometimes conventions flouted if need be. It is this sometimes maniacal focus on something else which usually makes them so beautiful. For Viggo Mortensen it’s about artistic expression. He reminds me so much of RA, or I guess out of respect for Viggo’s age and success, I should say RA reminds me of Viggo.

Viggo makes an excellent point about artistic expression. “It’s a way of living,” and it should be honest like a child. For me it’s the continual succumbing to the need for honest expression that’s so splendid to watch, and yes, everyone has the potential to be an artist. Getting at the truth is the key, and that requires a fearlessness that always gets my respect. This demand for honesty is certainly what makes RA’s performances so compelling and sometimes startling. The ring of truth is always sublime.

I love that he is also so startlingly honest when interviewed:

‘I don’t put it about. Never have. I’m a late developer in everything. I have a fast mind and fast metabolism, and I’m an intense worker, but in terms of life development I’m way behind.’

You know, I wonder if being a late starter isn’t the key to Armitage’s vast appeal. By the time we first clapped eyes on him as John Thornton, he was already a proper grown man, in sharp contrast to all those snub-nosed pretty boys who pass for movie stars these days.

Read the rest here.

Yep, Allison, I’ll take the man who has found his voice over the boys who have yet to say anything interesting, and I thought this when I was 20.

If anyone reading this is an RA fan and has not read Allison’s article, get over there quickly and do so. It’s a real treat and is definitely one of my favorite articles on him. I also just happen to love many other articles of Allison’s even if she’s not politically correct for some of you. LOL!

Until someone comes along who has the ability to bring Richard Armitage to the attention of the rest of the world, I’m content for RA to focus on what he will.

Enter Peter Jackson, who apparently recognizes the kindred spirit of an artist. So it’s not just about eye candy. Although I give Peter Jackson credit for understanding how to get a movie made. It requires energy and money. You don’t make such big budget pictures unless you understand how to generate both. In an Entertainment Weekly interview he “defends” his selection of Richard Armitage. Oh brother. I say that affectionately! Anyone who thinks that’s actually a defense needs to think again. RA is almost a virtual unknown outside the UK. Peter has to do something to get his name out and in a way that creates buzz. How better to do it than to respond to doubts from LOTR fans about him being cast. Pardon me if my jaded self isn’t buying the “controversy.” But hey, whatever it takes, Peter. Whatever it takes! I’m behind you.

And I assume RA is taking notes for his future big budget project. :D

note: I only have two problems with my gut: 1) I don’t heed it enough; 2) when it’s wrong, it’s very wrong. LOL!

edit: In case it’s not clear, the RA Diary entry is a fake. Yes, my friend, it’s about as fake as it gets. That’s why I have a tag called “Fake Diary.” But I put this edit here for the action fans who may need it spelled out. ;-)

October 31, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

They Won’t Know What Hit ‘em

The recent news that Richard Armitage is cast in ‘The Hobbit’ has some speculating about his abilities, and for some he comes up wanting. As a former skeptic of Mr. Armitage, I don’t care what they think. Once they actually watch him in action, all that negative talk will be a thing of the past. Oh, I’m sure there will be a few naysayers. Aren’t there always? But those aside, most will be pleased with his performance. The guy can pull off just about anything. I have yet to see him in drag, but somehow I feel sure he could pull that off too. LOL!

Now where was I?

Oh, yeah, RA was cast in a big budget movie!!! Someone slap me ’cause I think I’m dreaming. But really it makes sense. He’s just that good. Am I biased? Damned right, but it’s my gut that dictates it, and rarely is it wrong. Sounds arrogant I know, but it’s true. You can ask SO, but then I’m keeping SO to myself, and he doesn’t get to read this blog and interact with any of you here. I just get to talk about him. Along with talking about Richard Armitage.

For anyone new who has landed here out of curiosity about Richard’s work, you can see several different clips on my “Who’s Richard Armitage?” page or at RichardArmitageNet.Com, aka the mother lode, or if you’re in a hurry, you can watch a showreel of his work:

Showreels courtesy of Elvira Sweeney and uploaded here with express permission.

October 29, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

Oh Heck, One More Before I Go

My apologies in advance to Richard Armitage, but I can’t stop chuckling at RA playing a dwarf. No offense to anyone who is a dwarf, but I keep seeing RA as Tim Conway’s Dorf only with a deeper voice and a beard of course.

Again, my apologies, and I’m sure RA will do a wonderful job as he’s done with everything else. I look forward to seeing his Thorin. Man, all of a sudden a year feels like a long time.

October 22, 2010
Categories: Miscellaneous works, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

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