FanstRA 4 - Dixit RA

I would like to share my 3 favourite quotes from Richard Armitage since the World Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on 28 November 2012. I don't necessarily remember where or when he said this, but for some reason, I did remember what he said.

“I’m standing at a bus stop next to a massive flag of Thorin, and I’m standing there thinking, ‘Everyone’s looking at this flag and yeah, you don’t realize that the man on that flag is standing in the bus stop with you,’ ” he said with a grin.

Why I love this quote: Richard’s such a modest man. He’s not in this acting game for the fame, but simply because it’s the only thing that could ever really make him happy and satisfied. He’s still hoping that people will not recognize him as Thorin and that he can go on leading his anonymous life in the real world. I honestly hope he will succeed!! (I am secretly very protective of him and I’d love to just keep him to myself, although he absolutely deserves all of the acknowledgements that he’s been getting lately) Although with 3 films, people have time to get to know his face, so I sincerely doubt he’ll be able to remain anonymous for more than another year or so…

Your face on a flag, your face on a stamp? Nothing says "You've made it big" like your face on a plane!

“The fact that we’re on a New Zealand stamp, so someone’s licking the back of Thorin’s head and sticking on the back of an envelope. I think that’s amazing.”

Why I love this quote: When you’ve made it onto a stamp, you’ve really made it big!
When I read this quote, the first thought that went through my mind was: “Everyone will be thinking of licking the back of Richard’s head, not Thorin’s head…” ;-) Richard has said before that he believes that the fans really love the characters, not him as a person. But the more we know about this man behind the characters, this lovely, sweet, shy, caring man (with a propensity for a bad temper, but that’s what makes him human) we love him more and more. We support him because of the lovely work he has done and because of the wonderful characters he has portrayed so brilliantly, but it’s really the actor, the master of the craft whom we support, not his characters.

Walking in Dwarf boots. The heirs of Durin show us how it's done! (And not a diaper in sight!)

 

 “And also, when you have those big boots on, you sort of walk like you're wearing a diaper. So we had to de-diaperize ourselves.”

Why I love this quote: I just think it’s really funny. Richard seems to make links between the most random things, and the weird thing is that those comparisons actually work. Everyone understands exactly what he trying to say, how it feels to walk around in those big boots. The man has a great way with words and he proves himself to be a true storyteller in the way he describes the world around him. For a language addict like myself, there’s nothing sexier than an intelligent man who appreciates the art of storytelling.

 

What's your favourite RA quote?

 

Want to know more about FanstRAvaganza 4?
Check out the official FanstRAvaganza website where you'll find a list of all paticipating blogs: http://fanstravaganza.com/2013-event/participants/
If you have a Twitter account, follow @FanstRAvaganza where tweets about new posts will appear. Like the Facebook page to stay in touch:
https://www.facebook.com/FanstRAvaganza

FanstRA4 - The Stolen Crown

Now that production for The Hobbit is almost completely at the end, over the next two years or so, Richard Armitage will have some time between movie premiers and appearances to figure out what he wants to do next. He has mentioned that these films and especially this character is one of the best things he will ever do in his career and, while I don’t disagree with that, I personally hope that he will also go back to his project of bringing the life of King Richard III of England to the big screen.

With the recent discovery of Richard III’s remains under a car park in Leicester and the involvement of screen writer Philippa Langley, this seems to be very much a case of “now or never”.  Ms. Langley has even been reported as saying that she can simply not look past Richard Armitage for the portrayal of ‘her’ Richard III, meaning the character of Richard III that she has created in a screenplay. For the moment, Richard is keeping his mouth securely shut when it comes to this screenplay. Yes, he has acknowledged that he has read it and that he’s very much interested in Richard III and in telling the ‘true’ story of the King. He has even said that he would love to play Richard III, but at the same time, he’s always very quick to add: “but I’m probably a bit too tall and a bit too old to play him.”

Facial reconstruction of Richard III, based on the remains found in Leicester

Ever since Richard announced his interest in this project and he revealed his personal dedication and affiliation to the medieval king, the fans have been rallying support, hoping that he would one day be able to make this dream a reality. Have you signed the petition yet?

Of course, in order to be able to support a project, you need to learn more about it and about its subject. I have taken a specific interest in Richard III, and especially in his wife and queen, Anne Neville. I even turned to her when it came to naming this blog, and I try to learn more about Richard and Anne by reading both fiction and non-fiction about them.

I recently read The Stolen Crown, a historicalfiction novel by Susan Higginbotham. The novel tells the story of Richard III from a completely different angle. It takes the point of view of Henry (Harry) Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham and his Duchess, Katherine Woodville. That last name should definitely ring a bell to anyone who has investigated this period. Katherine was the youngest sister of Elizabeth Woodville, queen consort to Edward IV, Richard’s older brother, and mother of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, the ‘princes in the Tower’ and of queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry Tudor, or Henry VII who took the crown of England by defeating Richard III in the battle of Bosworth.

 

As was often the case in those days, Kate and Harry were matched by their families and married at a very young age. Kate was only 7 years old when she became a married woman and the novel describes very well how she and Harry don’t particularly like each other at first, but they grow to care for one another over the years. So much so that when the time comes for them to consummate their marriage when Kate is sixteen, she is very eager to please her husband and he, in return, would love only her from that day on, which is quite remarkable for a time when husbands of noble birth were almost expected to have mistresses and illegitimate children.

Susan Higginbotham shows us the very strong and slightly obsessive friendship between Harry and Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester who will later become King Richard III. Harry’s relationship with King Edward IV is rather difficult and he is not given the honours at court that even much lesser nobles are receiving because of his family’s previous Lancastrian affiliations. Harry focuses on his friendship and love for Richard and ultimately allows him to manipulate him into doing his bidding when it comes to taking the crown of England instead of pledging allegiance to Edward V. Looking back on the story, it seems as if Richard has been manipulating Harry all along, comforting him in difficult times, getting him into king Edward IV’s favour, taking him out drinking and becoming his ‘blood brother’ in a drunken show of appreciation and undying love. And Harry falls for it. He loves Richard unconditionally and would die for him if necessary. He never questions any of the stories Richard feeds him about a previous promise of marriage between Edward IV and Eleanor Butler which would make his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville (Harry’s sister-in-law) invalid and their children bastards, making Edward V’s claims to the throne illegitimate. When Jacquetta, Katherine and Elizabeth’s mother, is accused of witchcraft, when Richard’s brother George is executed for treason and when Kate’s family is persecuted, Harry remains loyal to the monster that is Richard.

The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais, 1878,
part of the Royal Holloway picture collection

So did Richard really go as far as to kill his nephews, the princes in the Tower? From this story, you would not be surprised if he did because it’s exactly the kind of thing this manipulative, egotistical, power hungry Richard would do.

This is a fictional story. Yes, it is based on certain historical facts, but so many of the details are uncertain or completely unknown that many fiction writers have been able to interpret them in many different ways. All of these stories definitely provide food for thought. I would gladly believe that Richard III was a good man after all, but the many different theories provide for great stories and probably the necessary perspective and background to make the characters more than one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of themselves. In that respect, this was a great story and I enjoyed it very much!

 

Want to know more about FanstRAvaganza 4?
Check out the official FanstRAvaganza website where you'll find a list of all paticipating blogs: http://fanstravaganza.com/2013-event/participants/
If you have a Twitter account, follow @FanstRAvaganza where tweets about new posts will appear. Like the Facebook page to stay in touch:
https://www.facebook.com/FanstRAvaganza

FanstRA4: She's in the Army now!!

This was not supposed to be my first post for FanstRAvaganza, but faith decided differently when I stumbled upon this lovely picture of Richard and Evangeline Lilly (who plays Tauriel the Elf in The Hobbit 2 and 3) shared by a fan on Evangeline's Twitter account  @EvangelineLilly . I had never seen this picture before, have you?

According to Evangeline, it was taken at a local premier that they went to in Wellington during the filming of The Hobbit. Thank you to www.richardarmitagenet.com @RAnetdotcom for finding it!

But it got me thinking about how incredibly stunned all the women around Richard are after meeting him. Apparently (SPOILER ALERT) Evangeline did not even really get to work with Richard as their characters never actually get to interact in the films. But miss Lilly could not help but be in awe of his talent... and looking at this picture: how could anyone not be impressed?

The Dwarf Prince and the Wood Elf: don't they make a lovely pair?

So, I hereby officially declare Evangeline Lilly an active member of the Armitage Army! Welcome!!

Oh, and how spoiled are we - there seem to be new pictures of Richard every single day *does happy dance* :-)

Want to know more about FanstRAvaganza 4?
Check out the official FanstRAvaganza website where you'll find a list of all paticipating blogs: http://fanstravaganza.com/2013-event/participants/
If you have a Twitter account, follow @FanstRAvaganza where tweets about new posts will appear. Like the Facebook page to stay in touch:
https://www.facebook.com/FanstRAvaganza

Are you ready for FanstRAvaganza 4?

FanstRAvaganza 4 is coming you way in the Richard Armitage blogosphere next week!

From 11 to 17 March, bloggers from around the world are celebrating their joint admiration for Richard Armitage in the 4th edition of the annual blogging frenzy called FanstRAvaganza.

At the last count, 26 blogs had signed up to post about Richard during that week and, just like last year, Crispin's Eclipse is one of them!

Check out my contributions to last year's FanstRAvaganza 3:

- Richard III: A biography

- Is Peter Jackson colour blind?

- He's so fine he blows my mind...hey Ricky!

What am I blogging about this year? Harry Kennedy's glasses, Guy of Gisbourne's sword or Thorin's love for the Arkenstone? I'm not quite sure yet...

Want to know more? Check out the official FanstRAvaganza website where you'll find a list of all paticipating blogs:

http://fanstravaganza.com/2013-event/participants/


If you have a Twitter account, follow @FanstRAvaganza where tweets about new posts will appear

Like the Facebook page to stay in touch with what's happening:

https://www.facebook.com/FanstRAvaganza


A special *Thank you* goes out to Traxy at The Squeee for organising this year's FanstRA event and to @angelfish69 who created the official FanstRA4 banners. Well done ladies!!

Be sure to check back here next week for fun FanstRAvaganza madness!

A birthday countdown in pictures (#12)

If you visited this blog during FanstRAvaganza 3 last March, you have probably seen the post in which I talk about a picture of Ricky Deeming. At the time, I selected that picture because it showed so many things that I love about Richard Armitage. But today, I want to show you the pictures of Ricky that took my breath away - and they continue to do that every time I look at them...

Hey Ricky!

He still manages to blow my mind...

Richard played Ricky Deeming only once, for the pilot episode of George Gently, which was first shown in April 2007. If I've calculated this correctly, he must have been filming this during a break in the production of (Season 2 of) Robin Hood. That's probably why I see so much of Guy of Gisbourne in Ricky, and that's always a good thing!

What's a birthday without a birthday present? But what do you get the man who's living his dream?
This year, consider donating to one of Richard's selected charities (Shelter, The Salvation Army, Childline and Barnardo's) - visit his Just Giving page. Thank you!

He's so fine he blows my mind...Hey Ricky!

Welcome to Day 4 of FanstRAvaganza! Check out Fabo's White Rose blog today for another post in the Fandom chain. Did you miss yesterday's posts in this chain? Go to Fedoralady and Rose Gisborne. On Day 5 of FanstRAvaganza, you need to visit jazzbaby1 for another post in the Fandom chain.

*****

Hey Ricky!

This is my first post in the Fandom chain of FanstRAvaganza 3 and the very last one on this blog for the week. I can't believe the week is almost coming to and end already!

Today, I wanted to talk about a picture of Richard Armitage as Ricky Deeming from an episode of George Gently. Here it is:




Richard Armitage as Ricky Deeming in George Gently

 I know this was only a minor role for Richard, but I love this picture. It shows so many of the reasons why I love Richard, aside from his incredible talent and the fact that he's an intelligent and thoughtful man.

THE HAIR
Richard's haircut and facial hair are a constant subject for debate. I personally love him with short hair and his The Hobbit beard, but the hair and 5 o'clock shadow in this picture are simply irresistible!

THE EYES
I love the intensity in his eyes. It reminds me of one of my favourite characters: Lucas North in Spooks. And it's a great reminder of the intensity and dedication with which Richard Armitage takes on every single acting job, no matter how insignificant the role.
His beautiful blue eyes continue to mesmerise me!

LEATHER
Richard looks good in leather. Anyone who has ever seen him as Guy of Gisborne will surely agree with me. But that's not all. He looks good in black, and that just happens to be one of my favourite colours.

WHITE
The white scarf lights up his face and shows off his blue eyes. To me, it symbolises his kind and considerate character, his good heart. The best example of that kindness is the way he always finds the time to send little messages to his fans, showing his appreciation for our support, no matter how hectic and busy his life can get.  

THE FACE
One of Richard's first experiences on stage was in The Hobbit. I can see why he played an elf: the mouth, the nose, the ears. I was initially very surprised that he was cast as Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarf, and I was worried that the face prosthetics that would be necessary for his transformation into a dwarf, would cover up this beautiful face. Imagine my relief when I finally got to see Thorin, but I could still see Richard underneath!

THE HANDS
Richard has beautiful hands with long fingers. This picture shows them off perfectly! The elegance and grace of a dancer...

ELEGANCE
The way Richard is photographed here, clearly shows his past experience as a dancer. It's a strong but elegant pose, his back is straight, his neck is long, but the shoulders are down. This is clearly a man who is very much aware of his own body, he knows exactly how to move his body to convey an emotion. I have some experience as a dancer myself, and it's so beautiful to see that elegance and grace in Richard. 

There you have it. Although Ricky Deeming is not that important as a character, I adore this picture as a symbol for the talent that is Richard Armitage.

What's your favourite picture?

*****

This was my last blogpost for FanstRAvaganza 3. I hope you enjoyed it. I can now focus on reading all the post of my fellow bloggers!
Be sure to check out Fabo's White Rose blog today for another post in the Fandom chain. Did you miss yesterday's posts in this chain? Go to Fedoralady and Rose Gisborne. On Day 5 of FanstRAvaganza, you need to visit jazzbaby1 for another post in the Fandom chain.

Remember, all events in all chains of FanstRAvaganza 3 are listed here, so you don't have to miss anything!

FanstRAvaganza 3: Is Peter Jackson colourblind?

This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 3, a week of blogging fun to honour our favourite Brit, Richard Armitage. Also posting in the The Hobbit chain today (Day 3) is Ana Cris at La Loba. More info about previous and upcoming posts in this chain can be found at the bottom of this page.

*****

Since Peter Jackson decided to direct The Hobbit, he has expressed his concern about the fact that there are 13 dwarves in this story. Besides Thorin and a few others, the dwarves are not really that important in the original story and most of them don't even have anything to say. Imagine how difficult it must have been for Peter Jackson to create 13 different, interesting characters with so little information from the story to help him! How can he make sure that the audience identifies with the dwarves and doesn't spend the entire film thinking "was that Fili, or Bombur, or was it Gloin after all?"

On the other hand, the lack of information does give him enough freedom to create the dwarf characters from scratch and make them work well in the films. I thought he would definitely use the one clue that Tolkien's story does offer: the fact that the dwarves all wear coloured hoods. Surely that must give him a starting point for their specific characters. But...apparently not. Looking at the pictures of the dwarves that were recently released, the colours are not there. Only Thorin's sky-blue is obvious, although not in a hood, but in his armour. Is Peter Jackson colourblind?

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, King Under The Mountain, in The Hobbit



Let's go back to Tolkien's The Hobbit and take a look at the coloured hoods that the dwarves are wearing when they arrive at Bilbo's Hobbit hole. In order of their arrival:

Dwalin: Dark green
Balin: Scarlet red
Fili: Blue
Kili: Blue
Dori: Purple
Nori: Purple
Ori: Grey
Oin: Brown
Gloin: White
Bifur: Yellow
Bofur: Yellow
Bombur: Pale green
Thorin: Sky blue with a long silver tassel

These are mainly informed guesses. Tolkien doesn't specify exactly which dwarf wears which hood after the first few have arrived, but he lets Bilbo tell us about the hoods that are hanging on the pegs, every time another group of dwarves has stepped through his door. Now what can these colours tell us about the characters of the dwarves?




Thirteen dwarves, quite a challenge for Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit


GREEN (Dwalin and Bombur)
Green is a relaxing colour, it's easy on the eyes. It reduces stress and brings a feeling of tranquility. It represents fertility and balance. Wearing it inspires harmony in others and restores your energy. Green symbolised faithfulness, unity and hope, dependability and tactfulness. People wearing green are quick to help others, even at their own expense.

RED (Balin)
Red is the colour of love: it stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It makes someone wearing red look heavier. Because it is such an extreme colour, it won't help you in negotiations or confrontations. Red things are popular targets for thieves.

BLUE (Fili, Kili and Thorin)
Blue is the colour of the sky and the ocean and it causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful blue colours cause the body to produce calming chemicals so people wearing blue are calm and level-headed. Blue symbolises loyalty, productivity and strength.

PURPLE (Dori and Nori)
Purple is the colour of royalty. It symbolises luxury, wealth and sophistication. It is also considered feminine and romantic. On the other hand, because it is only rarely found in nature, purple is also often regarded as fake or untrue.

GREY (Ori)
Grey is a combination of black and white and it's the most neutral of all colours. People who wear grey are conservative and prefer to fade into the background. They are neutral about life and like to protect themselves from the hectic world outside. They prefer a secure, safe and balanced existence.

BROWN (Oin)
Solid and reliable brown is the colour of the earth. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather and represents durability. It is considered a masculine colour and can also be seen as sad or wistful.

WHITE (Gloin)
White represents innocence and purity, even sterility. People who like white tend to be neat and immaculate in their homes and clothing. They are cautious buyers and shrewd business-people. People wearing white are considered critical and fussy but the colour also represents youth and simplicity.

YELLOW (Bifur and Bofur)
Yellow is a sunny and reflective colour. It grabs the attention. People wearing yellow are considered to be positive and optimistic but they tend to have explosive characters. Yellow can be overpowering next to other colours. It enhances concentration and speeds the metabolism.

And what about Thorin's silver tassel?
Silver is associated with prestige and science. It represents intuition, imagination and illusion. People wearing silver are considered to be sophisticated and wealthy but also cold and balanced. Wearing silver shows that you have a need for truth, honesty and a clear understanding of your purpose in life.

There you go. I hope this was useful and at least slightly entertaining.

And, Peter Jackson, if you're reading this: You're welcome!!! :-)

*****

The The Hobbit chain was started on Monday by Mrs E.B. Darcy and La Loba. Yesterday, Mrs E.B. Darcy and The Queen treated us to more posts on this topic.

Be sure to check La Loba for another Day 3 post in this chain.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's posts from Antonia Romera and The Queen.

To make sure that you don't miss out on any of the fun, all events of FanstRAvaganza are listed here.

FanstRAvaganza 3: Richard III - a biography

This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 3, a week of Richard Armitage blogging fun. The King Richard Armitage chain was started yesterday by Maria Grazia on Fly High and will continue tomorrow on Fabo's White Rose blog.

*****

“The most mighty prince Richard by the grace of God King of England and of France and Lord of Ireland by true matrimony without discontinuance or any defiling in the law by heir male lineally descending from King Henry II”

If you’re a Richard Armitage fan, you surely know about a little project of his: telling the story of one of England’s most controversial monarchs, King Richard III. Richard was named after the king by his father and he was born on 22 August, the exact day of Richard III’s demise in the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Richard started speaking about this project as early as in 2007. In his message to fans that year, he said:

"Richard III is still very much in development, I am weighed down with history books in my determination to unvover as much fact as possible before we embark on telling this story, which will ultimately be a fiction!"

Since then, the fans have tried to follow in his footsteps to find out as much as possible about what seems to be a project that is very dear to RA's heart. To show fan enthusiasm for the project, a group of fans have started the Richard III for Richard Armitage project, including a petition, a website and a Facebook group.

Visit the website here

In my ownsearch for details about the King, I stumbled upon a biography, Richard III, written by Michael Hicks, a Professor of History at King Alfred's College, Winchester.

According to the book's back cover blurb, Professor Hicks "has written extensively on medieval England and is regarded by many as the leading expert on the Yorkist dynasty".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Revealing-History-Michael-Hicks/dp/0752425897

In this biography, Michael Hicks provides a scientific look at the life and reign of RichardIII. By focusing on Richard's reputation during his lifetime, Hicks tries to provide a balanced account of the history of this controversial king, instead of looking back upon his usurpation and his reign with our 21st-century expectations of what a "good and fair king" should be.

"Richard was a hawk rather than a dove" page 107

I have serious doubts about Michael Hicks' objectivity towards Richard III and this biography is not the most compelling read, but it offers a great insight into 15th century politics and society.

Hicks uses this image of 15th century England to show Richard as "an egotist, whose own interests took priority over his brother, consort and son". Claiming that Richard, although he probably did genuinely love her, married Anne Neville as a way to realise his ambition to establish himself as the true heir of the Earl of Warwick ('The Kingmaker'), bringing him the wealth and lands of the old Beauchamp and Despenser families. Even before Queen Anne's death on 16 March 1485, Richard was supposedly getting ready to replace her with his niece Elizabeth, daughter of his brother king Edward IV.

"Crowland reports that at Christmas 1484 Richard stopped sleeping with his queen and dressed her and princess Elizabeth in similar clothes." Page 244

According to this biography, Richard's marriage to Elizabeth did not take place for the simple reasons that the Northerners objected to the discarding of queen Anne and the clergy objected to the marriage between an uncle and his niece. In my opinion, if Richard had really wanted to marry Elizabeth, he would have found a way to make it happen.

Instead, everything that I have read about Richard III has made me believe that Richard was a good king who had the best intentions towards his wife, his family and especially his country. In that respect, Michael Hicks' biography is a disappointment, as it does not validate this belief. Instead, under the pretence of objectivity, it provides questionable evidence for the way the king was portrayed by Tudor historians: as a cruel and ambitious king who would go to great lengths (even so far as to murder his nephews, the Princes in the Tower?) to win the throne and establish himself as the rightful ruler of England. An ambition that finally led to his demise.

"Just as he had engineered his accession, so his own actions determined his fall." Page 272

The chapter about Richard III's usurpation of the throne is certainly worth reading as it offers different views of the events in the structure of a trial. Hicks' presents the case for the prosecution and the case for the defence of Richard III and he presents a 'star witness': Dominic Mancini, an Italian member of the clergy who visited England during Richard's accession and wrote the story down in great detail. The fact that Mancini's account was written down as the events were taking place makes this an extremely important piece of evidence as all other surviving accounts were written many years later.

But Mancini did not understand a word of English and had to rely on the translations that his friends and other clergymen (whose loyalties we cannot check) would provide. That is indeed the greatest weakness of the star witness, so we still do not have 100% conclusive evidence of what took place in the months and days leading up to Richard, Duke of Gloucester becoming King Richard III.

You can probably tell that I could go on and on about this biography and about Richard III, but I'll leave you to make up your own mind. Anyway, whether Richard III was good or evil, devil or angel, a murderer or a protector, a usurper or a rightful king, it doesn't really matter. His life and the mysteries surrounding his reign make this extremely interesting material for an artistic interpretation. And our dearest Richard Armitage would do an excellent job portraying this extremely layered and controversial character, leaving him enough freedom and artistic liberty to fill in the blanks. He already looks like royalty, don't you agree?



Richard Armitage looking like royalty as Sir Guy of Gisbourne in season 3 of Robin Hood



*****

This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 3, a week of Richard Armitage blogging fun. The King Richard Armitage chain was started yesterday by Maria Grazia on Fly High and will continue tomorrow on Fabo's White Rose blog.

To make sure you don't have to miss any of the FanstRAvaganza fun, the full list of events is available on this site.

Description of Richard III in The Rows Roll

FanstRAvaganza - Here we go!!

In the beginning, Richard Armitage made scores of fans -- and he keeps on making them! To kick off the fandom chain, Didion converts friends to Armitage love • Phylly3 reports on her fandom experiences • In the Hobbit chain, Ana Cris writes on her recent film location visit •

Mrs. E.B. Darcy speculates about what our hero will do in An Unexpected Journey (spoilers!) • King Richard Armitage chain begins with Maria Grazia on a film adaptation of Richard III • Beginning the fanfic chain, fedoralady explains fanfic's mainstream appeal • Annie Lucas woos us with a Guy of Gisborne one-shot, "One Chance" • In the freeform chain, Fabo files an eyewitness report on Richard Armitage's visit to U.S. accent school • jazzbaby1 wonders "what were they thinking?" re: Lucas North's women • and ChrisB opens the Armitage Alphabet, with "A is for Action" • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

The final countdown...

...to FanstRAvaganza 3!!

For those not familiar with the concept: FanstRAvaganza is a week of fun, friendship and fandom and especially a lot of blogging about our favourite Brit, Richard Armitage.



Richard Armitage at a 2011 photoshoot for Recognise Magazine

Never heard of Richard Armitage? Don't really see what the big deal is? No problemo! You'll know all about him from his fans all over the world if you join us in this week of extravagant RA blogging fun.

I've already introduced the core team of FanstRAvaganza bloggers, and you can find them in a list on the right-hand side of this page. This year, there will also be a team of bloggers, the tagteam, who will post throughout the week and will link to previous and upcoming posts so you can easily surf your way through the RA blogosphere.

I'm extremely honoured to introduce my fellow tagteamers (in alphabetical order).
Be sure to check out their blogs!

- A is for Armitage
- An Obsessed Fanatic
- Avalon's Realm
- C.S. Winchester
- Cerridwen Speaks
- Do I Have a Blog?
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Country Life
- Feminéma
- Fly High!
- Funky Blue Dandelion
- I Want to be a Pinup!
- Just Another Armitage Fan
- La Loba
- Me, My Thoughts & Richard Armitage
- Melanie's Musings
- Mr John Thornton
- Musings & Other Enigmas
- Phylly's Faves
- Searching for MY Mr. Darcy
- Something About Love (A)
- thearmitageeffect
- y que iba yo a contar
- White Rose: Sincere and Simple Thoughts

FanstRAvaganza hits the blogosphere from 12 to 18 March 2012. Enjoy!!

Crispin's eclipse goes FanstRAvaganza!!

I know, I know... this blog was not supposed to be about Richard Armitage all of the time. That's what I said, you're right. And that's still the plan. But just not for right now. Here's why.

After only a few weeks in the blogosphere, I have been invited to participate in the biggest event in the Richard Armitage fandom: FanstRAvaganza!!

FanstRAvaganza 3 will take place between 12 and 18 March 2012 at a blog near you. A full list of participating blogs will be available soon.

FanstRAvaganza graphics were kindly supplied by bccmee

But for everyone out there whose initial reaction to all this was: "Fanstrawhat!?!?!", here's a little explanation of what will be happening. Instead of trying to explain it myself, I've decided to quote Servetus, who is so much better at explaining these things on her blog me + richard armitage.

"It's an event originally organised at Richard Armitage Fan Blog two years ago to present a special week of blogging on Richard Armitage and, in particular, his fans! It expanded drastically last year, and we liked it so much we're doing it for a third year."

This is how it works!

A team of anchor blogs will drive the event. You will find daily event updates and new posts here:

• me + richard armitage
• An RA Viewer’s Perspective from 33° 0′ South of the Equator
• Bccmee’s Richard Armitage Fan Vids & Graphics
• CDoart: Richard Armitage & History & Spooks
• Confessions of a Watcher
• RAFrenzy
• Richard Armitage Fan Blog
• The Squeee

Event updates will be posted on:

• The Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FanstRAvaganza 
• Twitter: Follow https://twitter.com/#!/FanstRAvaganza or the hashtag #fanstRA.

There's going to be a tagteam of blogs (like this one!) These bloggers' work will be featured each day on the anchor blogs and they will link to each other's posts as well. So what will we be talking about exactly? Well, you'll just have to visit one of the blogs in that week to find out. All I can say is this: It's going to be soooo much fun!!!!

Stay tuned for more!