August 15, 2011

Nigella's Cheesecake & Carrot Cake + Yesterday's Wellington Snow + Strike Back 2 Theme Song + Interview:Writer/Producer SB2 Mentions RA + Very First MCM(including RA) on Twitter



Snow yesterday in Wellington, NZ..
Snow on Cuba Mall in central Wellington (HD) from Ro Tierney on Vimeo.

What's really lovely and amusing is seeing people so absolutely amazed to see snow.  We'll have  humungous amounts of the white stuff in a few mos :)  Here there are 3 things you can definitely count on - death, taxes and deep annual snowfall...


NZ Dominion Post asks for votes on 10 photos taken during their recent snow storm. I chose #6...what about you?
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5458821/Vote-for-your-favourite-snow-photo
                                              Vandals manage to spoil snow’s magic…
        http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5464381/Snow-crime-Cable-car-tagged


Here she is..the 'domestic goddess'(that's the title of her bestselling cookbook)  During an interview RA said he'd enjoy kissing her after she'd eaten chocolate cake.  A food critic said "men watch her cooking programs because they want to be with her, and women watch because they want to be her."  First recipe is a cheesecake.  Although that type of dessert is hugely popular in the USA, it's not my first choice.  That would be carrot cake...moist and filled with tons of ground nuts and shredded carrots(makes it seem almost healthy, doesn't it;) - topped with a fluffy-cream-cheese frosting...*double yum*
                            

                           
                                                           
                                                                    ****
Dezz at the Hollywood Spy website(see link in post below) declared RA as the winner of his 'Your Fav Hobbit Character' poll.  He added interesting comments about the actor's fan base...

Quote from Dezmond:  "Richard Armitage's ladies have shown once again that no poll around the world escapes them, and they brought him victory in our YOUR FAVOURITE THE HOBBIT STAR poll with 75% of votes. Cate Blanchett took second place with 6%, leaving behind her Luke Evans (5%), Lee Pace (2%), Aidan Turner (2%), Benedict Cumberbatch (2%), Stephen Fry (2%), Evangeline Lilly (1%) and Martin Freeman who, ironically as the lead character in the film, took last place with only 3 out of almost 350 votes
Richard Armitage is the actor you've seen in BBC's ROBIN HOOD, also known as the owner of probably the strongest fan base I've ever seen for a relatively unknown actor. This year you've seen him shortly in CAPTAIN AMERICA and he also appears in British TV shows MI5 and STRIKE BACK. This dashing fella will play Thorin Oakenshield in both THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and in THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN."


                            Put the above photo puzzle together - what's your best time?:
                            http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=152a7d9630f9


                   


Interesting interview with the American writer/producer who worked on SB2 - he mentions RA.. 
EXCERPTS:
--With the ever-changing world of American television getting more complicated and competitive, one prolific American writer/producer has up and moved across the pond and is now producing television in the United Kingdom where things are done quite a bit differently than in the States. Frank Spotnitz, best known for his work during the majority of the television run of "The X-Files" …
First, he helped shape Cinemax's new series "Strike Back," premiering tonight, and currently he is busy at work writing the spy thriller series "Morton" .. While Spotnitz is definitely not turning his back on American television, he welcomed our Jim Halterman into his London home earlier this year..

--‘Strike Back' just kind of fell into my lap. I wasn't looking and then there it was. It started out as a series for Sky but now it's season 2 and it's been picked up by Cinemax so it's a British/American series. Part of why they asked me to come onboard is they needed to reimagine the show because they needed it to work without Richard Armitage, who had been the lead in season one but left the show to do 'The Hobbit' in New Zealand

--JH: Are there things you're finding in your writing of 'Morton' that maybe you couldn't do if you were writing it in America?

FS: I anticipate that this will be like 'Strike Back' as an American/British series so the exact same hour you're watching here will also be the same in America. In another way I will say it is different because what the BBC is looking for is so different than what most broadcasters in America start out with. But at the end of the day I think it's going to be not quite like anything the BBC has done before either so it will be a hybrid.

--JH: How has the web changed your job as a writer/producer? Do you think about that in your process?

FS: I think economically it's challenging because the web has taken away a huge amount of the viewing audience for television but I think it's an incredibly exciting and an amazing opportunity. I thought about the Internet in the creation of ['Morton'] and how to use the Internet not as a marketing tool but as another layer of the series so I think it's really exciting and obviously allows you to be very, very close to your audience. I have a website [www.BigLight.com] where I'm in constant contact with fans so you'll see when this series in the air that there's a huge online component to the show; it's built into the design of the show.

Read more: Interview: "Strike Back" Co-Executive Producer Frank Spotnitz
TheFutonCritic.com http://www.thefutoncritic.com/interviews/2011/08/12/interview-strike-back-co-executive-producer-frank-spotnitz-507102/20110812_strikeback/#ixzz1VCyJIuSZ

Following is the theme song for Strike Back 2 with lyrics "this ain't no place for a hero" to which my initial reaction was "obviously not!"...
                            


RA sings (as Clarissa’s Lovelace)..

                           

Past post from July - Tudors bloopers and interesting comments on that series plus The Hobbit
http://allthingsrarmitage.blogspot.com/2011/07/varied-sundry-game-of-thrones.html?showComment=1313603423726



              



                


6 comments:

Sue said...

RiCrAr,

Spooky! I was just about to post a comment to you about the Polar Blast that has hit NZ, only to read your lead title on the very subject.

Apparently it's started to thaw over there now, which is in itself causing a few problems due to flooding.

Here's a couple of links for more info:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/locked-in-a-polar-blast-nz-faces-its-winter-of-discontent-20110815-1iure.html

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/thaw-sets-in-polar-blast-slowly-exits-4353890

Perhaps we should suggest some environmentally friendly ways for Richard to keep warm?

Ricrar said...

Hey there Sue, really funny how amazed kiwis were with the falling snow.

hmmm, ways for Richard to stay warm - he's usually the one providing central heating for his fanbase:) Let's see, what could he possibly do to stay warm in frosty blast of cold air. The majority of his followers would no doubt be happy to jump on the nearest flight to NZ to keep him surrounded by warm bodies..*oh Gawd!Instant meltdown w/that thought*...picks self up off floor:)

Guess it wouldn't work for him to watch N&S to feel his temp rise, like we do? nah, he'd need to watch Nigella preparing chocolate cake - then bend over(since he admires her cleavage) to first cut a slice - then take a bite..slowly chewing & savoring each morsel. There you go - problem solved if Ms Lawson's show airs on kiwi TV.

Any other ideas to get RA's internal self-combustion engine providing heat?

Sue said...

RiCrAr,

Notice that I mentioned "environmentally friendly" ways of keeping Richard warm. In other words no cheating and getting him to turn the central heating up!

Yes my first choice would be body warmth. (Or even work up a sweat!)

Maybe we should be kind and tell him to wear lots of layers of clothing. That sheepskin coat he was modelling would be ideal. Actually I have one very similar to the one Richard was seen wearing, so not exactly a new design. Mine is dark brown with sheepskin fur on the inside (has a hood too which is useful). They are very nice and cosy, just right for snowy, cold weather. (Maybe he could snuggle up in mine - with me still in it!

His skiing gear should keep him snug too, although I doubt if he should take any risks and ski full pelt down the nearest slope. Don't think Peter Jackson would be impressed to see his Thorin hobbling around in plaster with a broken leg do you? I wonder if Peter Jackson has banned Richard from participating in his favourite sport for the duration of the film?

Ricrar said...

What sheepskin coat Sue? Is this a recent report from NZ? If so, it's another Sue scoop:)

I've recently read an RA interview from RH1or2 timeframe which convinces me he doesn't have any problem with internal heat. I've no idea in what context he gave the following replies to a reporter who apparently asked about his personal life. The second quote might explain why he's avoided marriage lo these many yrs. Why narrow your options when there's such a variety of willing women at your fingertips, so to speak. IMO, that's a wise course for anyone who knows themselves well enough to realize their career comes first - UNLESS they meet that one person who can knock their career path obsession into second place.

RA quotes: "..it's unfair because you have instincts like an animal to put it about, yet the aspiration is monogamy."

"I'm a firm believer that the chase is much more exciting than the actual event. It's all about the build-up."

Sue said...

RiCrAr,

Remember he was modelling those clothes for a magazine? In one photo it showed Richard in a very pensive mood,leaning against a window, wearing a hooded sheepskin coat. Also some lovely sweaters.

Richard seems to contradict himself a little with various quotes. I remember the comment about "..it's unfair because you have instincts like an animal to put it about, yet the aspiration is monogamy." but then he also said, "I don't put it about, never have". I agree with Richard on the comment about the chase being much more exciting than the actual event. Many a time I've got to know someone I thought was the best thing since sliced bread only to discover they were a real dork!

Ricrar said...

In fairness, Sue, he did say the 'instinct' for men is to put it about. Wasn't the "I don't put it about" an early quote of his? I sort of remember during a more recent interview he was asked as usual how he's managed to stay single - he replied that he's never short a date(imply what you will:) Then in one of his StrikeBack promo interviews he was asked the same question - his response was to the effect "I'm a decade behind most men in that department but have recently blossomed(so to speak).