Dinner for two

So, I have to go to London again for work next month. I'm attending a full day of training, so I'll be arriving the night before.

I love spending time in London, even if it's for work and even if I barely get to see the city at all while I'm there.

But one thing I absolutely hate is eating alone. I'd much rather have this man at my dinner table. Delicious food, stimulating conversation, excellent red wine... and the night may turn out a lot less boring than I'm expecting it to be.

So, Richard, if you just happen to be in London next month, don't hesitate to get in touch. I won't even mind if you don't bother shaving ;-)

Pictures (cropped): Richard Armitage as John Mulligan in Moving On (2009).
Original images from www.richardarmitagenet.com

Nice to meet you...

... Gary!

For weeks now, we have been wondering whether Richard Armitage’s character in the new film ‘Black Sky’ would be another ‘John’, a name that so many of his most memorable characters have shared: John Thornton in North and South, John Standring in Sparkhouse, John Bateman in Spooks, John Porter in Strike Back, John Mulligan in Moving On…

Todd Garner, producer of the film, has been tweeting pictures of RA on set, in character, making us fans extremely happy. Thank you, Mr. Garner!

Richard Armitage as 'Gary' on the set of Black Sky
Picture shared on Twitter by the film's producer, Todd Garner

Today, Mr. Garner also solved the mystery of the character’s name, in answer to a question from fellow blogger Gratiana Lovelace on Twitter. To my extremely great pleasure, it’s not another John. RA’s character in Black Sky is named ‘Gary’. It sounds very American to me, for some reason, but that’s OK as RA will also be rocking an American accent in this film.

But does the name fit the character? Well, let’s have a look at the meaning of the name ‘Gary’:

The masculine given name Gary is derived from the word 'spear' in Germanic (gar = spear), meaning a 'spear bearer' and the name (also spelled Garry) is an "acceptable" Anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic personal name Garaidh which, like Gary, is also pronounced gæri.

In German the meaning of the name Gary is: Gentle. Modest and brave Sir Gareth was a legendary knight of King Arthur's Round Table.

People with this name have a deep inner desire to use their abilities in leadership, and to have personal independence. They would rather focus on large, important issues, and delegate the details.

Well, now you know what to expect! ;-)

I, for one, am very much looking forward to this film (we will have to wait until 2013, unfortunately). It may be ‘just another tornado movie’, but Richard Armitage’s talent will take any old disaster movie to a completely different level (in my own humble opinion, that is). And it’s another chance to see my second favourite man (after my own sweety, of course!) on the silver screen. I’m sure Mr. Armitage is also enjoying the chance to play a ‘normal’ character after going through life as Thorin Oakenshield for The Hobbit for almost 2 years!

Thank you Todd Garner – and please keep sharing those pictures!
You can follow Mr. Garner on Twitter @Todd_Garner

Random thoughts on Tuesday: John x 5

OK, this post is completely random and just a little present for myself after a long day.
Let's have a look at Richard Armitage characters named John!

Ah, John Thornton, the TDHCMO himself... By the way, if you don't know what that means, you have not watched North & South often enough!

John Standring from Sparkhouse. So shy, but so very strong in love at the same time. I love this character because it gave Richard a challenge as an actor and his performance is overwhelming! Just like Guy of Gisbourne become almost more important than "Forrest Boy" in Robin Hood, John Standring is what keeps me coming back for more in Sparkhouse...

John Mulligan doesn't look like a bad boy, does he? Nooo, he's cute, he's sweet, he's kind and generous. Not to mention incredibly S-E-X-Y! Too bad about the whole drug dealer thing... Fortunately, it's always a pleasure to watch Richard Armitage play the baddie!

And just for your info: one of the reasons why I like John Mulligan is because he looks like Lucas North from season 7 of Spooks which was filmed around the same time as Moving On (designer stubble, anyone?).

"Just so you know...I'm going to kill every single one of those bastards."

Need I say more? John Porter... I would willingly put my life into his hands. If you have not seen Chris Ryan's Strike Back, go watch it - right now!

I'm still in denial about John Bateman. In season 9 of Spooks, we find out that Lucas North is not really Lucas North. He's John Bateman and John is not exactly a nice guy... Although I thought the 'downfall of Lucas North' twist was completely unbelievable, I have to take my hat off to Richard Armitage for the way he portrayed the slow transformation from Lucas, the hero, into John, the killer. In every single picture from Spooks 9, you can clearly see the difference between Lucas and John. I can't exactly put my finger on what the differences are, but they seem to be two completely different characters. That, ladies and gentlemen, is real talent!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little chat about 'the Johns'.
Pictures were found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/

Sweet dreams!!