Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? For my better half and I, this is just a day like any other day. We are always kissing and cuddling and we never leave the house without saying 'I love you', so we don't need a day to remind us how happy we are together. But even though we don't buy each other fancy presents or go out to dinner, I know a certain Brit who has been rather busy on Valentine's Day over the years. ;-)
In 2001, Craig Parker turned on the charm for this pretty blonde...
Richard played Craig Parker in one episode of the BBC drama Casualty
In 2004, two ladies were fighting for the honour of being RA's Valentine...
Lucy Brown (Ann Latimer), Richard Armitage (John Thornton) and Daniela Denby-Ashe (Margaret Hale) in the BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South
And although this lady may have thought she had him hooked...
His heart showed him his one true love with one single yellow rose...
In 2005, Richard dressed up as Guy of Gisborne to present Lady Marian with a token of his regard for her:
Richard Armitage and Lucy Griffiths as Guy of Gisborne and Lady Marian in episode 6 of season 1 of the BBC's Robin Hood (2006)
In 2006, we fell in love with Harry Kennedy, but he fell in love with Geraldine...
Richard Armitage and Dawn French as Harry Kennedy and Geraldine Granger in The Vicar of Dibley
In 2009, our spy-cam spotted senior case officer Lucas North on a romantic date with yet another pretty blonde. Well, anything's better than Sarah Caulfield, right?
Richard Armitage as Lucas North in Season 8 of Spooks
In 2010, RA hoped these lovely flowers would cheer up his love, as she was not feeling well and had to stay in hospital...
Richard Armitage played Sgt. John Porter in Chris Ryan's Strike Back
In 2011, he declared his love for all the world to see...
Richard Armitage leads his fellow cast members in the Powhiri ceremony on the first day of filming for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington, New Zealand
In 2012, he sent Valentine cards to all his friends!
And in 2013, under a Black Sky or threatened by Dragon fire, whether on Valentine's Day or not, may our very own King Richard love with all his heart and find that special someone who says 'I love you' back to him.
Real Life seems to be getting in the way my blogging with actual substance, but I'm sure you will enjoy this Random Goodness just as much.
Anyone who knows what I mean when I talk about 'The Drought', knows that fans of Richard Armitage are getting desperate to see more of him. He's spent most of the last 2 years in New Zealand filming The Hobbit, and, unlike many of his co-stars, has not been in the public eye at all during that time. I say that with the greatest respect for his dedication to the job and his modest and humble personality. But The Army has had to go without their CiC for 2 years now - we are eagerly awaiting new orders :-)
On 6 June, Peter Jackson released his 7th The Hobbit production video blog. He takes us on a tour of the Stone Street studios in Wellington, where the 2 films (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again) are being shot back to back. The average viewer may not even have noticed Richard in this 14minute vlog, but I can assure you it has been food for thought for many fans across the globe already. The main conclusion? He looks even better than we could ever have imagined - The King is back!!
If you've read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, you know that Thorin Oakenshield, the rightful King Under The Mountain, is not the easiest person to deal with. He's a King: He looks, acts and speaks like royalty. And as Thorin is a fictional character of mythical proportions, he is also extremely brave, wise and fearless. Oh, and and breathtakingly beautiful! And we now have even more evidence to the fact that Richard is doing a wonderful job at portraying him.
The barrel scene: An epic moment in the novel. It looks like Richard has managed to overcome his fear of water. Knowing him, he probably used it as a tool to make his performance even more convincing (that's our boy!)
This is the moment in the vlog where I thought he looked positively regal, even next to the wonderful Sir Ian McKellen.
We get a glimpse of the treasures hidden inside The Lonely Mountain. That beautiful blue coat is fit for a king!
See the complete vlog here (from Youtube), featuring Orlando Bloom as 'The Cameraman' and a promise from PJ that another video blog will be released once filming has wrapped (in only a few weeks, can you believe it!)
Now let me take you back to the very beginning. Remember how Richard's amazing performance at the Powhiri welcoming ceremony filled our hearts with joy and pride for him? The ceremony was part of Peter Jackson's first ever video blog at the start of production. The video was released on 14 April 2011. Here's Richard's moment of glory (from Youtube):
