Random thoughts: The language of love

Well shame on me for ignoring this blog for so very long! *hangs head in shame*

I don't know what exactly happened, but I think I was so caught up in other projects and especially all the lovely RA material that we've been blessed with these past few months, that I just never got round to actually writing and posting my thoughts. Now that RA is back in New Zealand (or should I say Middle Earth) I seem to have been able to clear my mind of the spiderwebs of the past and my muse has come out of hibernation. I'm back!

Let me start by sharing this beautiful video with you. You may have already seen it, but it has really touched my heart. Whether you are gay or straight, you've probably been in a similar situation at some point in your life. I'm sure that, just like me, you can relate to Charlie's doubts.

How do you tell someone that you love them? How do you cross the line between friendship and love, knowing that you're putting everything on the line and could end up alone?
What do you say?

How do you find the language of love?

"In THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE 17 year old Charlie struggles to find the words to be true to himself...and his best friend.

A wry, delicate take on first love and awakening sexuality from a young man's perspective, THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE is written and performed by Kim Ho, under the mentorship of leading Australian playwright Tommy Murphy, and directed by Laura Scrivano, for The Voices Project from the Australian Theatre for Young People (atyp)"

More information about the project is available here

Richard does Gandalf!

Another lovely video interview that surfaced today... probably filmed on the same day as the Twitter Q&A for @TheHobbitMovie, judging by the fact that Richard is still suffering from the sniffles. Bless him!

Why should you watch this one?

- the cutest Gandalf impersonation
- an architect? Of course!
- That's quite a grin for a bad-tempered Thorin!
- It's not difficult to learn your lines with this simple tip from Richard!

And the word "blue" *sigh*

Enjoy!!

Bin Weevils interviews Richard Armitage - Thorin from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Published on YouTube on 28 March

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?

 

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Random Thoughts: Coming clean

You may or may not have noticed that it's been rather quiet on this blog for the last month or so. That was not planned. I found myself completely overwhelmed with the constant influx of news about RA. As if there was no more room in my brain for anything creative while I was trying to absorb all the news, video, photoshoots, interviews... and of course the film: The Hobbit.  I've seen it (only) 3 times now, in 48fps 3D and I'm trying to stop myself from going to the cinema just one more time.

Promo poster for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield

The enormous media coverage has also caused an explosion of the RA fandom. The Armitage Army is no longer some marginal group of people from around the world who follow the career of some English guy that most of their friends and family have never even heard of. Our man is suddenly public property and, although it's exactly what I was expecting, it's still scary. Don't get me wrong, I welcome the change with open arms. It's so wonderful to see that Richard is finally getting the attention and appreciation that he deserves. And the more people know about him, the closer we get to convincing the entire world of Richard's extraordinary talent.

Richard Armitage in New York, at a photoshoot for Glamour Magazine

So, I don't mind sharing the fandom with the world, but the fact that the fanbase has grown exponentially has made me re-evaluate the place I want to take up in it. I feel the need to explain myself, to elaborate further on the kind of fan that I am. I don't know if that makes any sense at all, but it feels like the right thing to do. Please keep in mind that you don't have to agree with anything that I say in this blogpost. Actually, I hope you don't. Wouldn't the world be a horribly boring place if we all had similar opinions about everything? But I need to share my own opinions about certain things. I'll start by taking a stand on some of the ideas that have been going around in the fandom lately.  

Do I want Richard to play James Bond?
No. Please, no! Not that he wouldn't be a wonderful 007, but he's so much better that that. Stepping into a billion dollar franchise like James Bond would haunt him for the rest of his career. He'd be typecast for all eternity. And the interesting, challenging roles that he so desperately wants to play, would pass him by, because people would not be able to see past a certain spy... Lucas North: yes. James Bond: No.

To me, this will always be Richard's 'James Bond' picture, simply because of his casual elegance and obvious grace.
Behind the scenes at the 2009 BAFTA awards

Do I want Richard to star in a romantic comedy?
No. Please, no! Again, I'm sure he'd be wonderful at it, but there are so many more exciting roles waiting for him. Why should he waste his time on cheap, easy, romantic fluff? One book in particular seems to be circulating in the fandom these days: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I haven't read it, so I don't mean to judge the book or the author, but if I had anything to say about Richard's career, I would advise him not to be a part of a screen adaptation of the novel. That's just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

Do I want Richard to play Matthew Clairmont?
Honestly, I have no idea who Matthew Clairmont is. I haven't read Deborah Harkness' books and I don't want to pass judgement on them. But I do know that Matthew Clairmont is a vampire. For that simple reason, RA should stay well away from him and leave the vampires to the likes of Robert Pattinson or Stephen Moyer.

Do I want Richard to play Richard III?
Yes. Yes, please. Richard III is such an interesting character to play because there is so much we know about him but there's also so very much we don't know, leaving the details of his character and the truth about his abilities as a monarch open to creative interpretation. Now that his remains have been found and the eyes of the world are on Leicester, the challenge would be to make Richard III a real man, giving equal importance to his many wonderful accomplishments and the horrible dark truths about his reign while giving them the historical context required for us to completely understand their significance. Let me quickly add 2 things:

1. If Richard ever gets to play RichardIII, I can only hope that this film or series also pays tribute to the women in this story: Cecily Neville, Anne Neville, Isabelle Neville, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beauchamp, Marguerite of Anjou, ...the lust goes on and on. Their significance may have been overlooked by the history books, but these women play a vital part in the story of the wars of the roses. Ah, to play Anne or even Cecily - I wouldn't even mind sinking my teeth into such a challenge myself (wishful thinking, I know!)

A facial reconstruction of Richard III. Does it look like RA? Not necessarily. Is the resemblance enough for RA to be able to play him convincingly? Without a shadow of a doubt!

2. What if RA decides, as he has often said, that by the time this project actually happens, he will be "too tall and too old" to play the role? Fine by me, as long as he gets to make the decision for himself. He'd be brilliant as Warwick the Kingmaker or even as Richard's father, the Duke of York. Alternatively, he could produce the piece and I'm sure you'll agree that his storytelling abilities would benefit very much from having him in the director's chair. Ah, such a dilemma! (sorry for going on and on about this, I should really do a separate piece about the RIII thing) 

OK, enough confessions for today. I didn't mean to just be negative and I promise to also talk about other things that I would love for Richard to get involved in. In the meantime: is there anything you want to ask me? Anything you would like me to share? Please leave a comment and I'll do my very best to answer all of your questions.

Thirty Days to Thorin - It is done...

It is done. I have just seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 48fps 3D. My hands are actually shaking while I write this. I wanted to describe the experience, but I seem to be unable to string a few words together to form a decent sentence...

The film

I am in awe of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and I am extremely grateful for their interpretation of Tolkien's 'children's book'. They do the story so much justice and they treat it with nothing but love and respect. Their knowledge of the details of Tolkien's world is so very evident throughout the film...
I expected the return to Middle-Earth to be a wonderful experience, but nothing could have prepared me for this!

The story

Sir Peter and his team remained extremely loyal to Tolkien, whenever they could. So much so that much of the dialogue comes directly from the novel which is just what the fans want. Whenever they do stray from the original storyline, it is because some things simply do not translate well to the silver screen. Even Tolkien, the great storyteller, would have agreed with that because he would have understood that the success of a story depends as much on the vehicle you use (film, in this case) as on what you describe. Even though I've heard certain people in the media say that "Tolkien would be turning in his grave" if he could see what PJ has done to his story, I firmly believe that he would be proud to have this story interpreted the way Sir Peter has.

The 48fps

Oh my world! The 48fps makes everything so very clear. Every hair on Balin's beard, every piece of Thorin's battle robes, every wrinkle in Gandalf's face, every piece of gold in the Lonely Mountain...it's all there, right at your fingertips. This is setting a new standard for film in the future, and it really makes this specific film an extraordinary experience. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I can't go into too much detail now, but I just want to say this: if you have a chance to go and see it in 48fps 3D, do yourself a favour and do it - you will not be disappointed.

 

Richard Armitage

Fans of Richard Armitage, look around you. Once this film is released to audiences across the globe in the days to come, there will be many more in RA's "little group of friends".

He took my breath away! The regal authority, the gravitas, the depth and the sense of purpose he brings to Thorin are undescribable; I was literally moved to tears. Such wonderfully detailed acting: the eyes, the hands (although they're not his own elegantly beautiful hands) the posture, the voice... I'm sure that voice will haunt me in my dreams tonight and possibly for many nights to come. That was SO good!

I don't think I'll manage to sleep tonight, but I'd better try anyway - long day at work ahead of me...
But for now, with Thorin's voice in my head, all I can really think about is: When can I go see this film again?

A birthday countdown in pictures (#8)

Welcome to another episode in the countdown to Armitage Day, the day that we celebrate our favourite man's birthday...

Today, I wanted to share a few images from my favourite Spooks interview. Richard was interviewed by Heather Hugues of TV.com on 25 June 2010 to promote season 9 of Spooks.

Richard Armitage talks about season 9 of Spooks and reveals that Lucas North is not who we think he is... He's not even who Richard thought he was!

What I love about this interview?

1. Richard looks exceptionally good: to me, he's the perfect mix of Himself and Lucas North
2. He's relaxed and seems to be having a wonderful time
3. His answers are very intelligent, well thought-through and genuine
4. He smiles, often!
5. There's a mischievous twinkle in his eyes...
6. And those eyes are bright blue (thanks to the blue shirt and the light colour of the wall)
7. He uses his hands and (I think I've said this before) I love a man who speaks with his hands! It enhances the storytelling and illustrates his thoughts, it makes it look as if he's making an effort to give the best answer he could possibly give and it gives the entire interview a nice rhythm
8. I especially love the sound of his voice in this interview

If you want to listen to the man's beautiful velvet voice yourself, here's the video:

The video was taken from Youtube, the pictures came from my number one resource for anything related to Richard Armitage, www.richardarmitagenet.com

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!

The interview...

Is this RA drought getting on your nerves as well?

Don’t get me wrong: I know RA is having the time of his life in New Zealand and I want him to enjoy every single moment of the production of The Hobbit, for more than one reason.

First of all, this is the experience of a lifetime for him. This story that he loved as a child, that was one of his first experiences as an actor (he played an elf in his school play!) is now bringing him a role (Thorin Oakenshield, no less!) in one of the biggest movie productions of the decade, with a brilliant director and groundbreaking production techniques. I want him to take it all in, to learn and grow and experience it to the fullest. 

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield
(promo pictures for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)

Second of all, these films are going to be epic. I want our dearest Richard to enjoy his final months of life in relative anonymity for as long as he possible can. His life is about to change substantially, and he’ll have enough publicity to deal with once Peter Jackson releases ‘An Unexpected Journey’ to The World.  I completely understand that he’s not putting himself in the spotlight for the moment. He’s not joking in front of the camera in PJs production videos, he’s not getting his picture taken at charity events with other members of the cast (maybe he was there to support the charity, but he’s not in the pictures), he’s not releasing interviews left, right and centre and he’s not appearing in chat shows or at red carpet events. I love his style and modesty, this is one of the main reasons why I am so completely in awe of this man.

I admit that it’s also frustrating. I’m craving something new. A picture, an interview, even a small, non-descript piece of random news about whatever, as long as it’s about him.
I have a friend in the military who has been on a few tours of duty for up to four months. For the people who stay behind, month number three is always the most difficult. He’s been away for long enough for everyone to have gotten used to the fact of getting on with their lives after the shock of someone important leaving them, but they now start looking forward to his return. They start counting the days, but there’s still so much time left that it only becomes more difficult.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Absolutely true!

That’s how I feel about RA. The release of The Hobbit is now so close that I can almost taste it, but at the same time it’s so far away that I need something to get me through this long waiting period.

Fortunately, I have enough material to keep me busy.:

- I’m listening to the ‘Lords of the North’ audio book. That voice… I sometimes need to go back to a previous section of the CD, because I’m so entranced by RA’s velvet voice, that I stop paying attention to what he’s actually saying. And I have to actively make myself listen to the story. And Richard is such a great storyteller: the way he gives all the characters in the story a specific voice and a specific personality is amazing. I bow my head to his craftsmanship.

- A Belgian TV station is playing reruns of Spooks again, one episode every weekday. They’ve just reached the end of season 7, so I now have a daily date with Lucas North as well. Did I mention I absolutely adore Lucas North?


Richard Armitage as Lucas North in Spooks

So, don’t worry about me, I’ll manage to bridge the gap between now and December.
On the other hand, I’ve never been much of a follower of the phrase “Good things come to those who wait”, so I’ve decided to try to make something happen instead.
Imagine this: to show appreciation to his ‘Little community’ of fans (not that he owes us anything, but just hypothetically speaking), I manage to persuade Richard to grant us (the fans) an exclusive interview. What would you want to ask him?

I will get a list of questions together that I will send in a letter to Richard in a few weeks time. Want me to include your question(s)? Comment on this post and tell me what your question is, or send me an e-mail: inged3@gmail.com. Please do so before 20 May.

Let me be very clear: I’m not sure RA will ever answer our questions, and I completely understand if he doesn’t, but I just have to give this a try, you never know!  Let’s see what happens! Also, if he feels the urge to invite me to London in a few months for a real interview, who am I to refuse? :-)

The result, if there ever is one, will be posted on this blog. Fingers crossed!!