Thorin Oakenshield as You’ve Never Seen Him

Okay, the title is for the new fans as I’m sure many of you others (that sounds better than ‘old fans’) have already seen these pictures. For the new fans, you can see him animated at Who is Richard Armitage? If you are feeling the hunger to investigate further, there are lots of good Places to Get a Fix. If you are already into full blown addiction and need to “commiserate,” of course you can get plenty of that here, but I’m far from the only place as there are many blogs on The Addict List. And if you’re on a phone and can’t easily access my About page, then go here — might make you feel better if you’re feeling a little funny right now.

But onto really important matters. :D

If I were single and there were someone like this who is intelligent and doesn’t just look the part?

It would be a serious temptation to my good sense. Oh heck, I would be addled, and I remember when I was addled by someone.

As if that’s not enough, consider the physical Richard Armitage:

Watching the workout segment in the recent Hobbit production video from Peter Jackson created a powerful flash back of seeing SO for the first time. He was in a ragged golf shirt and jeans. Although he could afford better clothes, he was on the go so much of the time that he loved how those ragged clothes “breathed.” The golf shirt was truly awful, but I was still dazed by him. He has always been very fit looking, and he was quite the athlete. He walked around our college campus, and I seriously did swoon. Before we started dating, I would squirrel myself in a seat unseen on the football field/track and watch him work out. He didn’t know I was already in love with him. Then after we were together, I used to run stands with him and much later told him, “You had to know it was love, baby, since no one in her right mind would do that unless they were training for the Olympics.” I loved looking at him, and especially his legs. He’s always had the most beautifully muscled legs and back and shoulders, and I’ll stop. But one last thing. The most compelling part of SO is his mind. He is clever and after all of our years together, he is still interesting; still keeps me on my toes. Yes, there have been times I have wanted to wring his neck, but it was never enough to eclipse the force that he is and remains, and seriously, I marvel at that. I’ve said this before on this blog, and I couldn’t help saying it again. Today, I was looking at SO at a task, and I was addled again. Sadly, I see so many people bored with their SOs, and I feel for them.

Still have that golf shirt.

Dear Richard,

Thank you for just being you, and thanks for serving as a catalyst for such lovely memories. Hope you don’t mind that I used you that way, but hey, if you’re going to be objectified, I can’t think of a better way.

Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans gone to look for her SO. :)

P.S. I have never understood why so many fans refer to you as slim. Oh, you are fine (more than fine), but you are not a little guy such that words like ‘slim’ are apt descriptions. Far from it.

Promo still for Captain America from Life and screencaps from “The Hobbit” set are mine.

July 22, 2011
Categories: Captain America, Movies, PHWOAR!, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

More Thorin

Thorin the leader:

I think he lost the Klingon look:

I love this! No one does anger like Richard Armitage.

Not in character here:

John Rhys Davies has just said they will be chased by women around the world, and RA looks down. Poor guy. I might even grow a conscience about this blog, but I’m so invisible except to a few of you, that I salve any guilt I may have with that thought. :D

But I do thank all of you who deign to read my nonsense.

Clip from Peter Jackson’s third vlog from “The Hobbit” set. Screencaps are mine, and as usual you can click on them for a larger version.

I’m sure I and others will provide more later.

In the meantime, I’m having a blast!

July 20, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 19 Comments

Thorin and His Sword

So I was right about the day this would happen but wrong about him appearing alone. I should have known he would have Orcrist. :D

As usual, you can click to enlarge, and the still is from TORn.

July 17, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 25 Comments

The Thorin Character Study

TheOneRing.net has uploaded their latest Hobbitin5, and yep, we finally get Thorin’s study:

If you want a thumbnail of that information, then the Hobbitin5 is the way to go. But for something more in-depth yet not overwhelming, Mulubinba has a great series. Just scroll down to “Posts related to Thorin Oakenshield” on the right sidebar.

July 15, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 11 Comments

From Cats to Dwarfs — New Interview

A new interview with Richard Armitage is in Project Magazine (issue #8), but you can only get it on iPad. He talks about playing a Nazi. Makes me want to check out the biography he mentions and a whole lot more. :D Thankfully, for those us who haven’t bought an iPad yet, RichardArmitageNet.Com has just uploaded, and you can find it here.

A few of my favorite photos from the interview:

Last image courtesy of Iz4blue.

July 15, 2011
Categories: Captain America, Interviews, Movies, PHWOAR!, Spooks, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 24 Comments

Must Be Rough

I’m continually tickled by the criticism of a very few Tolkien fans, and some of them are begging to be teased. Not sure if this will be the last post I make about this, and I’m stating right up front that I’m really resisting the urge to cut loose with some major ribbing which frankly, might be too good to pass up later. I will come with this — sheesh, the worst criticism they can make of Richard Armitage is that he’s good looking with a bunch of female fans? ROFLOL! That’s all they’ve got?! LOL! Phew! that every male actor could be so lucky! :D

What I’m about to say I may regret later, but heck, if I can’t say something like this, then there’s no benefit in being anonymous.

All of the rhetoric flying around just goes with the territory of receiving recognition. There are always sour grapes. It’s unavoidable as I so painfully learned. Before I started working for myself, I was fortunate enough to receive a few awards from the corporation where I worked, and at one point I got so many awards, that I actually began dreading them. During one fourth quarter meeting, my name was called for an award, and I said, “Shit!” under my breath. I had learned I was going to catch some hell for being recognized. What really hurt is someone made a crack within my hearing that I only got the award because a couple of the “bosses” thought I was good looking. I actually teared up about that (oh to have such a trial! LOL!). When a friend of mine asked me what was wrong, I told him what was said and bemoaned it. He rolled his eyes and laughed, “Oh, it must be hell to have it that rough?” When I got over that stinging comment, he looked me in the eye and said, “Did you do something deserving of that award or not?” I nodded, and then he went on, “Are you going to let a handful of people ruin your hard work?!” I shook my head no. This was such a pivotal moment because the negative cracks had made my young self very insecure about being taken seriously. I wanted so desperately to be taken seriously. If my friend had not given me such good counsel or if he had felt the need to defend me, I’m not sure I would have dismissed the pettiness so quickly.

One more personal anecdote.

As I said in an earlier post, my son is a runner. Along the way, he’s had some very lofty goals, he’s also worked tremendously hard, and he’s been able to achieve almost all of his goals. This has not only brought him a great deal of praise but is going to pay for a big chunk of his college education — whether he becomes injured or not. Yea! Yea! Yea! Sorry, I’m still rejoicing over that. LOL! But mixed in with all of these accomplishments has been some negative murmuring. There are the naysayers who have actually had the gall to say he “stole” races from his competitors or the most laughable — that he “got lucky.” They had to say something when they lost over and over and over. Thankfully, I knew this just comes with the territory of winning and was able to counsel my son with some sanity, “Are you going to let a few petty people eclipse the goodness?” Smart boy that he is, the answer was no. And thankfully, I didn’t get sucked into defending him. His achievements stand on their own; no need for momma to legitimize them.

That’s how I think of these negative comments about Richard Armitage from a miniscule number of people. His accomplishments can stand on their own. He has no need of the fans to defend, and the handful of critics should not have a strong enough voice to drown out his or our joy. Further, the few negative comments are just a sign that he’s getting somewhere. In fact, if he weren’t getting any negative comments, I would be wondering if he were really gaining in popularity. So some negative is a a good sign. Anyone striving at something and receiving some negative means they’re having some effect. Let me say that another way. If you’re not receiving some negative comments, you’re probably not doing anything. No one is praised all the time. It just doesn’t work that way.

In the meantime, I’m confident Richard Armitage is wise enough to quickly put negative remarks in perspective. Mostly I picture him humbly basking in the dream come true and wearing a sweet looking smile something like this:

No, I’m not saying anything new, but sometimes it’s good to hear these things again.

edit: I don’t look anything like I used to look. These days I look very much like someone’s mother or their grandmother if I’m really being candid. When I was young, SO used to get on me about being so negative about how I looked. He told me all the time I was beautiful and a lot of other people did as well, but the sad truth is if you don’t feel beautiful, it doesn’t matter what anyone says to you. Thankfully, I got over that kind of self-consciousness and frankly, self-centeredness. And I’m totally okay with how I look these days. Quite a few years ago, I finally got to the point where I’m comfortable in my own skin, and that is priceless to me. Better than ever being someone considered nice looking.

July 11, 2011
Categories: Fandom, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 29 Comments

Can’t Win for Losing

For those who aren’t familiar with that saying, it simply means that someone just can’t get anywhere with something or someone no matter what they may try. The more I read from some of the Tolkien fans (key word is some), the more I realize Richard Armitage would not get very far with them simply because he doesn’t look exactly like Thorin from the book. Perhaps the views of some will change after the movies come out, but really, does it matter? That’s not rhetorical. I’m asking you if it matters what a small group of people think by comparison to the legion of fans these movies will amass? And of course I’m going to give my opinion as well. :D

I say this with all due respect to the Tolkien fans. They make up a very small number of people who will watch The Hobbit movies, and when you consider the ones who are negative, the number gets much smaller. So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that these people have little influence, and certainly don’t have lots to do with the cash flowing into the pockets of everyone involved with the production. Mercenary as that sounds, it’s true. Therefore I’m not concerned about the negative comments from some of them wanting to see Richard Armitage removed as Thorin. It’s immaterial what they think with respect to the big picture (pardon the pun).

Also, Peter Jackson is just a nice guy who accords them respect as fellow Tolkien fans, and certainly most of them are just fine and even great. I’ve enjoyed reading what they have to say. It’s fascinating, and I’ve learned a lot. I’m happy to give them their due. More than happy to do it! But the ones who are territorial have got to hang onto something. They’re Tolkien experts b’god and we need to bow to that! ;-) Candidly, I don’t mind deferring to someone who really does know more than I do about something, but I happen to have studied Richard Armitage, the actor, so I’m not going to rollover on their assessment of his abilities. I guess we’ll be at an impasse on this, but I hope it’s a friendly impasse. I know it is from my quarter.

By the way, I hope as Richard Armitage fans that we’re not guilty of the same territorial attitudes about RA. I’ll admit feeling that way at times as I realize there is an elephant in the room — his imminent rise in popularity. Did I just admit that on an open blog? Yeah, I guess I did. Armitage Protection Mode is alive and well here. LOL!

Note: I should go back and read what these Tolkien fans said about alterations in the other Tolkien movies Jackson has directed just to see how they were before and after. Might be interesting reading.

I did contact one of the Tolkien sites (who shall remain nameless) to see if the admins there would talk on blog about any advice for the deluge of RA fans entering their world. I got nothin’, but then I think I committed an unpardonable sin — misspelling Tolkien’s name as Tolkein. Yeah, I know, I should be beaten for such a sacrilege. :D

I really need a picture after that. Maybe RA with a beard and long hair?

Yes, that’s a beard! It is in my book.

Okay, I’m going to get serious, and seriously, I hope some of you don’t sweat the criticism. Arrogant as it sounds, it’s going to be like I said here.

Net: if this is losing for RA, phew! I’d like to lose this way.

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

July 1, 2011
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 22 Comments

Dear Mr. Jackson — Part 2

[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:

June 23, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 43 Comments

Thorin’s Face

So Entertainment Weekly has posted three new pictures from the set of ‘The Hobbit’ but certainly the one we’re most interested in is this one:

and here it is close up if a little blurry:


Entertainment Weekly article is here.

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

June 23, 2011
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 52 Comments

Kia Kaha!

A hearty thanks to everyone who participated in the Informal Fan Challenge, which ended this morning. At this moment I don’t know how much was raised. Servetus will fill us in when she gets a break from graduation “festivities.”

And thank you to everyone who donated to RiseUp Christchurch. Calexora made an early challenge that was a blast to contemplate. If Richard had taken her up on playing the cello, my gut was telling me he would have made it funny, so I’m not surprised that he did indeed do something funny. Dare I say that he really did remind me of Dorf? I don’t feel badly about my post now. Oh, you thought I really did feel badly about that post? You haven’t been reading this blog very long have you? :D

This was wonderful fun, and I hope much money was raised for Christchurch through whatever avenues you chose to give, and may it help Christchurch be forever strong!

May 22, 2011
Categories: Fandom, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

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