September 10, 2010
Sophia Myles Spooks9 Interview + RA Hits Stratosphere of Fame: Included in Question on Mastermind TV Show :)
Thanks to bccmee we get to see the golden moment of fame...under the Prince of Leather's gorgeous pix..
Richard Armitage Narration of Cornwell's Lords of the North - Review Excerpt + Sept 12 Radio Reminder
REMINDER: Words and Music, Radio 3 Sept 12 (see link below)
http://uk-tv-guide.com/programme-details....and+Music/Arts/
..Quote: Poetry, prose and music recording and evoking the movement of a city day, with readings by Emilia Fox and Richard Armitage. The sequence takes as its departure point the silent 'city symphony' documentaries of the 1920s, from Walter Ruttmann's Berlin: Symphony of a Great City to Dziga Vertov's The Man with a Movie Camera, which were among the first documentaries to take the city as both character and subject. The beauty, the energy, and the strange terror of city life, are evoked here by poets and authors across time, from Swift, Dickens and Wordsworth to TS Eliot, Virginia Woolf and William Carlos Williams. Music includes Gershwin, Varese, Byrd, Steve Reich and Charles Ives.
Tweet by RAnetdotcom: >Richard Armitage will be on Radio 3 Sun 12 Sept 10.45pm,
UK & overseas can listen here: http://tiny.cc/ve4mr
Find full review and more details at...
The Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell, read by Richard Armitage
September 10, 2010 by Hilary
Excerpt: >One of the reasons why this reading succeeds so brilliantly is that it is a first person narrative. This actor takes on completely the character of the narrator hero; he manages to sound as though he’s wearing the clothes, carrying the swords, sporting the trophy arm rings of this Anglo-Saxon warrior. By his commitment to the hero and his voice, Richard Armitage has connected with the story-telling tradition of the age of Beowulf and earlier, and has shown himself to be a true ‘Skald’ – a bearer of tales of heroes.<
September 9, 2010
September 8, 2010
Richard Armitage as Lucas North in Spooks 9 - Less Than Two Weeks Away
Many sweet tweets today re Spooks 9:
ianwylie
Just watched Spooks series 9 ep 1. Sir Harry and The Grid on podtastic form in refreshed drama. Brilliant, top class TV. 32 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Kazters
ohh press release is up for ep 2 of s9 of spooks! SPOILERS http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk39/mon.shtml#mon_spooks about 2 hours ago via web
absolutely_soph
New post at Absolutely Sophia Myles, Spooks Premiere Date Confirmed & Episode 2 - http://tinyurl.com/2cumahh
SPOILER ALERT: do not read if you prefer to stay completely in the dark.
BBC's synopsis of eps 1 & 2, Spooks 9
Spooks Ep 1/8 - Monday 20 September - 9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE
www.bbc.co.uk/spooks
The team at Section D is in mourning following the tragic death of Ros Myers, who was killed in an explosion while trying to save the British Home Secretary, as the award-winning spy drama returns for its ninth series. Section Chief Harry Pearce is hit particularly hard by the loss and he's dismayed to learn that a trusted friend has blood on their hands. Harry wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it.
One month later, Lucas North boards a ship in Tangier to track rising Somalian Al Qaeda star, Abib. Alongside Lucas is Special Boat Service (SBS) agent Dimitri Levendes, who is masquerading as the ship's captain. An unexpected interruption from what appears to be Somali pirates puts Lucas in mortal danger. His unlikely saviour is an Eastern European prostitute, who he later discovers is undercover mercenary Beth Bailey, also sent to track Abib.
The pirates are a much bigger threat than first anticipated – they are in fact an Al Qaeda cell who have smuggled explosives onboard and are headed for the UK.
After escaping the ship and returning to London, Lucas and the rest of Section D concentrate on stopping the floating bomb. Beth, who is keen for a job on the Grid, turns up unexpectedly with information about the boat. Harry remembers Beth from the past and is unsure whether she can be trusted but, with time running out, the team has no other option. Harry is forced into taking drastic action to prevent a terrorist attack that could hit Britain at its very heart – the Houses of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Lucas is shocked when he is visited by an unwelcome ghost from his past.
Harry Pearce is played by Peter Firth, Lucas North by Richard Armitage, Abib by Peter Bankole, Dimitri Levendes by Max Brown and Beth Bailey by Sophia Myles.
Spooks Ep 2/8 - Monday 27 September - 9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE
Beth Bailey is thrown in at the deep end on her first operation with Section D, as the tense spy drama continues. She goes undercover as an oil trader at a secret meeting of Britain's top oil dealers. After receiving intelligence that Robert Westhouse, an influential oil baron, is the subject of an assassination attempt, Beth is tasked with protecting him.
Before they've even arrived at the meeting, the oil traders are attacked in a machine gun massacre. Only Beth and a man named Jacob Chapman survive. Assuming the attack is related to the planned assassination, Section D set to work on uncovering the culprit. However, Ruth Evershed digs deeper into the case and is shocked to discover a link between one of her colleagues and the masked gunmen.
Elsewhere, Harry Pearce and Lucas North become suspicious of Westhouse and launch a secret surveillance operation on his mansion. They soon discover that Westhouse has arranged to take possession of a deadly ex-Soviet nerve agent and is planning an attack, with potentially catastrophic consequences. It's a race against time as Harry must ensure Westhouse's plans are halted before they cause irreversible damage.
Meanwhile, Lucas is reunited with an old flame, Maya, who he hasn't seen for 15 years. With emotions highly charged after so much time, how will Maya respond to Lucas re-entering her life?
Beth Bailey is played by Sophia Myles, Robert Westhouse by James Faulkner, Jacob Chapman by Nigel Lindsay, Ruth Evershed by Nicola Walker, Harry Pearce by Peter Firth, Lucas North by Richard Armitage and Maya by Laila Rouass.
*****
Why not enjoy the next few days w/an RA revisitation. Beginning w/the vocal music to our ears found at the following blog. It begins with a deliciously generous excerpt from Richard's narration of Lords of the North and continues through many Robin Hood clips as well plus a snippet from Heyer's 'Sylvester.'
http://flyhigh-by-learnonline.blogspot.com/2010/02/ra-friday-whos-got-crush-on-his-voice.html
The blogger, Maria Grazia, provides what she terms "visual help for your listening to THE LORDS OF THE NORTH: Richard's Uthred by Vivayn"...
ianwylie
Just watched Spooks series 9 ep 1. Sir Harry and The Grid on podtastic form in refreshed drama. Brilliant, top class TV. 32 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Kazters
ohh press release is up for ep 2 of s9 of spooks! SPOILERS http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk39/mon.shtml#mon_spooks about 2 hours ago via web
absolutely_soph
New post at Absolutely Sophia Myles, Spooks Premiere Date Confirmed & Episode 2 - http://tinyurl.com/2cumahh
SPOILER ALERT: do not read if you prefer to stay completely in the dark.
BBC's synopsis of eps 1 & 2, Spooks 9
Spooks Ep 1/8 - Monday 20 September - 9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE
www.bbc.co.uk/spooks
The team at Section D is in mourning following the tragic death of Ros Myers, who was killed in an explosion while trying to save the British Home Secretary, as the award-winning spy drama returns for its ninth series. Section Chief Harry Pearce is hit particularly hard by the loss and he's dismayed to learn that a trusted friend has blood on their hands. Harry wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it.
One month later, Lucas North boards a ship in Tangier to track rising Somalian Al Qaeda star, Abib. Alongside Lucas is Special Boat Service (SBS) agent Dimitri Levendes, who is masquerading as the ship's captain. An unexpected interruption from what appears to be Somali pirates puts Lucas in mortal danger. His unlikely saviour is an Eastern European prostitute, who he later discovers is undercover mercenary Beth Bailey, also sent to track Abib.
The pirates are a much bigger threat than first anticipated – they are in fact an Al Qaeda cell who have smuggled explosives onboard and are headed for the UK.
After escaping the ship and returning to London, Lucas and the rest of Section D concentrate on stopping the floating bomb. Beth, who is keen for a job on the Grid, turns up unexpectedly with information about the boat. Harry remembers Beth from the past and is unsure whether she can be trusted but, with time running out, the team has no other option. Harry is forced into taking drastic action to prevent a terrorist attack that could hit Britain at its very heart – the Houses of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Lucas is shocked when he is visited by an unwelcome ghost from his past.
Harry Pearce is played by Peter Firth, Lucas North by Richard Armitage, Abib by Peter Bankole, Dimitri Levendes by Max Brown and Beth Bailey by Sophia Myles.
Spooks Ep 2/8 - Monday 27 September - 9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE
Beth Bailey is thrown in at the deep end on her first operation with Section D, as the tense spy drama continues. She goes undercover as an oil trader at a secret meeting of Britain's top oil dealers. After receiving intelligence that Robert Westhouse, an influential oil baron, is the subject of an assassination attempt, Beth is tasked with protecting him.
Before they've even arrived at the meeting, the oil traders are attacked in a machine gun massacre. Only Beth and a man named Jacob Chapman survive. Assuming the attack is related to the planned assassination, Section D set to work on uncovering the culprit. However, Ruth Evershed digs deeper into the case and is shocked to discover a link between one of her colleagues and the masked gunmen.
Elsewhere, Harry Pearce and Lucas North become suspicious of Westhouse and launch a secret surveillance operation on his mansion. They soon discover that Westhouse has arranged to take possession of a deadly ex-Soviet nerve agent and is planning an attack, with potentially catastrophic consequences. It's a race against time as Harry must ensure Westhouse's plans are halted before they cause irreversible damage.
Meanwhile, Lucas is reunited with an old flame, Maya, who he hasn't seen for 15 years. With emotions highly charged after so much time, how will Maya respond to Lucas re-entering her life?
Beth Bailey is played by Sophia Myles, Robert Westhouse by James Faulkner, Jacob Chapman by Nigel Lindsay, Ruth Evershed by Nicola Walker, Harry Pearce by Peter Firth, Lucas North by Richard Armitage and Maya by Laila Rouass.
*****
Why not enjoy the next few days w/an RA revisitation. Beginning w/the vocal music to our ears found at the following blog. It begins with a deliciously generous excerpt from Richard's narration of Lords of the North and continues through many Robin Hood clips as well plus a snippet from Heyer's 'Sylvester.'
http://flyhigh-by-learnonline.blogspot.com/2010/02/ra-friday-whos-got-crush-on-his-voice.html
The blogger, Maria Grazia, provides what she terms "visual help for your listening to THE LORDS OF THE NORTH: Richard's Uthred by Vivayn"...
****
From ancient history to a most enjoyable period drama vid that includes the future Mr & Mrs Thornton...
September 6, 2010
Follower Alert + John Porter/Lucas North:Joint Mission + Spooks9 Co-star's Fans Post Promos on Twitter
ALERT: The character closest to RA's heart at the moment is being neglected on Twitter. PorterMI6 has only about 50 followers while Lucas North has over 600. Surely we'd follow strong, determined, heart of gold, backbone of steel John Porter to infinity & beyond, so why not do so on twitter?;) He's a very circumspect (almost shy) but nevertheless very charming John. Perhaps if he saw an outpouring of 'follower' love from fans he'd adopt RA's alluring Porter panache of 'here I am - take me or leave me - what you see is what you get' demeanor.
****
Sophia Myles fans tweet says RUMORED start day for S9 is Sept 20..
>absolutely_soph @Injury_Claims_ Somewhen in the week after Sep 18. According to rumour on Monday, Sep 20
3:04 PM Sep 6th via TweetDeck in reply to Injury_Claims_<
Actress Sophia Myles fans on Twitter have provided a link to her website where the following promotion for Spooks9 has been posted...http://twitter.com/absolutely_soph
New Competitor in Dancing w/t Stars Draws Interesting Dance Partner
For only the 2nd time in all the yrs it's been on TV, Dancing w/t Stars has invited a guest that peaked my interest. And to add frosting to the cake she had, in my estimation, luck of the draw in that her partner will be Mark Ballas. He's TDH - cuts a sleek, graceful, handsome figure on the dancefloor; however, his voice is nowhere near as sotte voce as you know who;) His partner will be Bristol Palin, 19yr old daughter of Sarah Palin (former Governor of Alaska & one of the last US vice-presidential candidates). Two of Mark's former partners won the competition. Following is an example of his style. Will be interesting to see how well Bristol performs...
Just learned the above couple won the competition that season. they called themselves the SHARK couple...SHawn & mARK:) Here's their cha-cha-cha. His specialty is hot latin dances. Difficult to believe she's only 17yrs old while watching this one...
First costume is in for Bristol. She said they will be more modest than the norm for the show because that's who she is. Judging from the style of the first, it's definitely more circumspect than usual. His TDH appearance is not the only somewhat familiar looking aspect... http://www.squidoo.com/markballasjr#module11669841
Just learned the above couple won the competition that season. they called themselves the SHARK couple...SHawn & mARK:) Here's their cha-cha-cha. His specialty is hot latin dances. Difficult to believe she's only 17yrs old while watching this one...
September 5, 2010
Richard Armitage:US Fans Organize Postcard Campaign to Bring North&South to PBS + New Spooks9 Set Pic + Week Ahead Alert
DETAILS as copied from fan website:
join in by: (1) Email your name & address to Fans.of.North.and.South@gmail.com. Within 24 hours the pre-addressed postcard will be mailed to you.
(2) When you receive the card simply add your comments, put on a 44 cent stamp & off to the mailbox you go! Please sign it with your name, city & state, not your screen name (Your email with your name and address will be deleted once I send you your postcard – your privacy will be honored!)
Please help spread the word to blogs and websites that you frequent, hoping that they will want to help. The more postcards that go out, the more attention we will receive, and more likely to succeed. One postcard per email will be available.
The email address is: Fans.of.North.and.South@gmail.com<
http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/vv20/fabphoebe/NnS/NSPostcard.jpg
The beautiful postcard designed by Heathra:
New photo from Spooks9 set--posted on a UK entertainment website. Obviously RA on occasion takes a better candid pic than professional...interesting phenomenon...This one is definitely droolworthy..
Following Vulpes Libris website link is posted on Twitter - See RA mentioned for Friday..
>Friday: Hilary has been meditating on the very great pleasure which a fine voice in an audiobook reader can bestow, as she contemplates Richard Armitage reading Bernard Cornwell’s The Lords of the North<
'Time' Vid(Inception soundtrack) by 7Bellaxoxo..
September 3, 2010
Time to Plan Santa List(by utubeacct2008) + New US Shows Coming This Autumn to the UK + Spy Game Vid by manipenni05
Few photos just because it's a lovely, breezy Sat morn here - the sultry heat has finally lifted and there's a bit of crispness in the air...burnished autumn leaves, pumpkins carved into jack o'lanterns & crunching fallen leaves underfoot cannot be far off...
>From today’s on-line Guardian:
3 Sept 2010 - The latest US TV imports
Conspiracies, zombies, assassins, cops – there's plenty to get your teeth into in the latest shows coming across from America
Is US TV out to get you this year? We've got not one, but two conspiracy thrillers on the horizon, plus a zombie invasion, conmen, assassins – and a lot of undercover cops. Here's a quick look at some of the best of the new US dramas coming to UK screens this autumn.
Rubicon - BBC4
AMC's conspiracy thriller is all hidden clues in crosswords, clandestine meetings in libraries and (very) slow-moving plots – the perfect show to settle down with in the long winter months. James Badge Dale (The Pacific, 24) is the junior intelligence analyst who starts to wonder whether he's working for one of those ultra-secret societies who are out to control the whole world. Miranda Richardson, Arliss Howard and Roger Robinson are all involved, somehow.
(**hubby’s assessment: “it’s probably the most intense & complex conspiracy theory show I’ve ever watched. It’s worth your time.”)
The Event – Channel 4
"The assassination plot … is not the event." "The disappearance is not the event." "The CIA cover-up is not THE EVENT." Another giant conspiracy to keep you guessing this autumn. But where Rubicon seems to be drawing on The Conversation, Three Days Of The Condor and The Parallax View, the reference points here are more 24, FlashForward, Lost … and possibly even the X Files. What's so secret that the secret service haven't even got President Blair Underwood on their "need to know" list? Hmm.
The Pillars Of The Earth – Channel 4
Big, bloodthirsty epic about the fight to build a cathedral in 12th century England, based on the novel by Ken Follett. Ian McShane (no stranger to muddy battles after his days in Deadwood) is wrangling with a cast that includes Matthew Macfadyen, Rufus Sewell, Donald Sutherland, Sarah Parish and Hayley Atwell.
Dark Blue - Five USA
Dylan McDermott (The Practice) teams up with Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) for this undercover cop squad drama where they plot against drug dealers from one of those dimly lit HQs that look a bit like pool halls.
(**the hubs said “I like this one even better than Rubicon - extreme undercover cops..lots of action---it’s shoot ‘em up and love ‘em up.”)
Nikita - Living
Hong Kong action star Maggie Q follows in the high-kicking high heels of Anne Parillaud, Bridget Fonda and Peta Wilson to play the rogue assassin who's looking to take down Division, the mysterious agency who trained her. (Didn't they used to pop up and give Jack Bauer a hard time at CTU?)
The Walking Dead - FX (Ricrar: Brits will have an opportunity to see Strike Back's Collinson as a gun-toting, 10gal hat wearing western sheriff)
The True Blood vampires will be back soon but, until then, maybe it's time to let some other monsters into your life? Based on a cult comic and produced by Frank "The Shawshank Redemption" Darabont, The Walking Dead offers at least the possibility of seeing Andrew Lincoln being eaten by zombies, which should make it worth a look. It's also produced by AMC – the American home of Mad Men and Breaking Bad – which suggests there should be a lot to it than hordes of lurching undead stalking malls.
Hawaii Five-0 – Bravo
You know the names, you know the number and you'll be familiar with the theme tune: this re-imagining of the classic cop show brings Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight), Scott Caan (Ocean's Thirteen), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) together as an all-new elite squad dishing out island justice. Masi Oka (Hiro in Heroes) is also on board as the team's coroner.
Also back …
The mighty Mad Men return with a new office next week on BBC4; (**again from DH: “I’ve enjoyed this 60s throw back to a unique era. The plots get slightly repetitive, there’s lots of alcohol consumption & womanizing“)
..terrestrial viewers get a chance to wallow in the Southern gothic of True Blood's second series on Channel 4 – the third (with added werewolves prowling the Bon Temps woods) is on FX later in the year. Medics Nurse Jackie (BBC2) and House (Sky1) are also both set to return - but who'll be the first to get an iPhone stethoscope app storyline?
Looking ahead to early 2011
Sky's deal with HBO will kick in next year, with Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire (Ricrar comment: After a brief glance at this trailer on HBO‘s website, my impression is the HBO hallmarks of authentic detail in costumes, architecture, period language are definitely apparent; however, at least in the trailer, there’s an over abundance of thuggish gangland violence. Granted, Atlantic City during the roaring 20s was in no way a mild mannered place, but being constantly grossed out by brutality is not my idea of entertainment. That said, OH will probably thoroughly enjoy it. Afterall, ‘The Godfather’ is considered by most men to be the best movie ever made.)
David Simon's Treme and the "fantasy Sopranos" Game Of Thrones all on the cards.
(Ricrar: We’ll subscribe for at least 6mos to HBO in order to view Game of Thrones. Recently they’ve produced a few spectacular series. ‘Rome’ and the aforementioned & much anticipated GoT are two of them. Never understood the handstands over 'The Sopranos'.)
Sky1 has also bought Ride-Along – a new cop show from The Shield's creator Shawn Ryan starring Jennifer Beals, and Lone Star - think The Riches with a dash of Dallas. Over on More4, meanwhile, there's Shameless USA, with William H Macy putting a Chicago spin on Frank Gallagher's messy family guy.
Still waiting for…
Breaking Bad. Are Five ever going to show the second series of this brilliant show again? That quick run last Christmas went by way too fast. And what about the third? Surely Bryan Cranston's Emmy win this year should ensure that it gets a proper slot?
[couple choices demonstrated above]
Clever new service offered, BUT it would be wise to make sure you know exactly the full capability of the technology used other than that described below. The on-line ad reads..
>Put a classic work of art directly on your wall
Museum heists are nearly impossible to pull off, unless you're Pierce Brosnan. Or Sean Connery. Or Catherine Zeta-Jones. Pretty much any non-English British person can do it . Assuming you're not any kind of British, get classic works without navigating laser-tripped alarms, with Art Fusion Murals.
Dallas-based AFM will transpose reproductions of priceless paintings directly onto damn near any surface in your home; started in LA, the outfit perfected its process servicing commercial clients like The Venetian casino, presumably with works from Picasso's Blue Man Period. The process is simple: go online to nail down the wall, door, floor, window, ceiling, or curved alcove you'd like to cover, then select your masterpiece, after which you and a rep will go over measurement instructions; they'll show up in two weeks to install it, or you can actually slap the thing up yourself if you live outside of North Texas, or you're just confident you won't screw it up. Don't worry, you'll do fine. People in Norman are naturally good at this kind of thing. The Renaissance- & Impressionism-heavy selection numbers nearly 200 (from Van Gogh's "Starry Night in Arles Over the Rhone" to Bierstadt's 1868 “Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California”), though just about any piece by an artist dead for 70+ years is fair game; AFM can also focus on a particular section of a work, or even apply the treatment to a hi-res image you supply (Beer-stat's "Among the Sierra Nevadas"?).<
September 2, 2010
Richard Armitage: Spooks 9 BBC Interview + Upcoming TV Narration & Radio 3's Words & Music
Hooray! The long RA drought period is finally over. Following news provided by RA Net on Twitter -
1) Richard will be narrating Surgery School starting Sept. 6..three episodes.
2) He will also be doing Words and Music, Radio 3 Sept 12 (see link below)
http://uk-tv-guide.com/programme-details....and+Music/Arts/
..Quote: Poetry, prose and music recording and evoking the movement of a city day, with readings by Emilia Fox and Richard Armitage. The sequence takes as its departure point the silent 'city symphony' documentaries of the 1920s, from Walter Ruttmann's Berlin: Symphony of a Great City to Dziga Vertov's The Man with a Movie Camera, which were among the first documentaries to take the city as both character and subject. The beauty, the energy, and the strange terror of city life, are evoked here by poets and authors across time, from Swift, Dickens and Wordsworth to TS Eliot, Virginia Woolf and William Carlos Williams. Music includes Gershwin, Varese, Byrd, Steve Reich and Charles Ives.
RAnetdotcom: Richard Armitage will be on Radio 3 Sun 12 Sept 10.45pm,
UK & overseas can listen here: http://tiny.cc/ve4mr
about 1 hour ago via web
A link was posted on Twitter to Sophia Myles website w/pix of her, Lucas & Harry. Apparently Mr North is again tasked w/getting entangled w/a foxy lady...tough job but someone has to do it:)
RA interview follows- (Day and time for Spooks to be confirmed by BBC)
From the BBC website: >As award-winning spy drama Spooks returns to BBC One this autumn for its ninth series, Richard Armitage, who plays MI5's Lucas North, tells Programme Information what's in store.
What can viewers expect from the new series of Spooks?
This year the storylines feel very politically current but we also learn a lot more about the team. Who are these people, what lies beneath the surface, who are they true to, what secrets do they hide in order to do their jobs? Deception and betrayal are key. Of course there are also exciting and intriguing stories of the week but the overall series arc really unravels the character of Lucas North and blows his whole world apart. His loyalty and his future at MI5 are all under the microscope.
How does Ros's death affect Lucas and the rest of the team?
Ros's death has rocked everyone's world. The feeling is that if someone as skilled as Ros can go down, then no one is safe. It has made everyone really question what it means and what price can be paid doing the job. On a practical level it leaves Harry with no choice but to make Lucas head of Section D. Lucas has longed for Harry's trust and acceptance but he has received it by default and it is bittersweet.
What's it been like working with new actors/characters? Has it made you feel like one of the old school?
The series opens with the introduction of four new characters: Beth Bailey and Dimitri Levendis, played by Sophia Myles and Max Brown; a new Home Secretary played by Simon Russell Beale; and Vaughn, a character from Lucas's past, played by Iain Glen. I feel a bit like the older generation as it feels like a new "'super spook generation" has come on board. Dimitri is ex-SBS, and Beth comes from a background in private security, a "mercenary" as Lucas puts it. He presses Harry to allow him to assemble this team. Dimitri is solid, useful and youthful but Beth is a bit of a liability. Viewers will have to wait and see if she becomes a member of Section D or not.
(no comment - thoughts aplenty:)
Vaughn turns up from Lucas's past. What does he want? How does it affect Lucas?
It's been 15 years since Lucas last saw Vaughn and, when they meet, Vaughn has a suitcase which contains an assortment of material from Lucas's life prior to joining MI5. Lucas finds a photograph of a girl, Maya – his old girlfriend. It is the beginning of a journey which Vaughn will control and it takes Lucas to the very edge.
("Vaughn has a suitcase which contains an assortment of material from Lucas's life prior to joining MI5" - O.K. we know he was in school at that time. Was he an integral part of a politcally extreme student group, and are the papers (written by Lucas)the group's radical manifesto? Another quote: "it takes Lucas to the very edge" - and oh how very much he enjoys being in that location with a character.
Maya is Lucas's first love; a woman he had to leave just as their life together was beginning. Some 15 years ago, Lucas vanished from Maya's life; one day he was there and the next he was gone. Just like a spook. He wants her back and she is the key to who Lucas truly is.
("he wants her back" - uh oh - here we go again...will it be a Sarah revisited situation? We know how that went...many fans are still recovering from the fallout:) OML's ears are probably twitching right now. haha)
A lot of the scenes in Spooks are filmed in public spaces in London such as train stations, underground stations and in the streets. How do people react to you and the others running through London with a film crew in tow?
Most of the time we try to be as inconspicuous as possible which means working with long lenses so the cameras can be quite far away for the initial master shots, but can also punch in quite tight, rather like a surveillance camera. It's a Spooks trademark and a focus-puller's nightmare! But it gives us the chance to get two or three takes when no one realises that we are filming. I feel like the "real deal", trying not to draw attention to myself and trying not to catch anybody's eye. We often have to rehearse in another location and then walk out into a crowded area and just go for it. We work on hand signals from the First AD (assistant director) so they don't call "action" really loudly.
It's great if something big is going to happen, like a fight, a chase or an arrest, because you get real reactions – of course, if guns are being used, or bomb threats depicted, we have to put up massive signs telling everyone we are filming! It makes me realise how fast London is; no one really hangs around. Most people see what we are doing but rarely have time to stop. I think Spooks really puts London on film in an edgy, contemporary way. Not just the iconic glamorous locations, but the urban and industrial side to London, which normally one tries to avoid but is a designer's dream.
Lucas has lots of tattoos. What do they represent and do you like them?
I love them – it is a literal layer. Lucas has always had many layers and this year we go very deep into who he is. I love that his prison history has been etched onto his skin and they can be revealed to remind the audience that his past is cluttered with complications. Each one has a specific meaning from a specific period in his past. The most prominent is the William Blake picture, Urizen, on his chest. It depicts God as the architect and it is a reminder to Lucas he may not be able to control or construct his own destiny and that he will always be at the mercy of God.
(**this is the comment that gave me most reason to pause in the entire interview. The only other time Lucas mentioned anything with a religious connotation(that comes to mind), was in S7 when he told the teen under his protection that his father(Lucas's) was a Methodist minister. Very interesting for him to say Lucas believed he "will always be at the mercy of God." See Blake painting below.
The tattoos also help me avoid the "gratuitous torso shot" as they take about two hours to put on, so "getting my kit off" has to be carefully planned!!!<
(teehee...he has his priorities - we have ours;) The slow tease is always more effective anyway)
****
Art appreciation - in depth study(perhaps a stretch:) of the Wm Blake tattoo that RA mentioned. Blake is believed to have used Masonic symbolism in his paintings and illustrations. His painting below was the design prototype for the chest tattoo. It took some time to find due to the fact Blake was a very prolific artist.
(Lucas in ep 1 of Spooks7 was so scrawny that it was almost painful to watch. Thankfully in brief time chocolate donuts came to the rescue..)
for those who would enjoy listening to a few of Mr Mellifluous Voice's voiceovers ...
http://unitedagents.co.uk/richard-armitage#profile-2
September 1, 2010
BBC News & Photo via Musa's Tip:) + Sophia Myles Tweet This Evening About Spooks9 + Allelulia! New Promotion Pic
from BBC's website: Yum!!
A Sophia Myles tweet at 5PM US = 10PM UK - she says the new schedule will be released on Thurs. If she's correct & it's confirmed tomorrow by the BBC's announcement, Spooks9 should start the last wk of Sept or thereabouts. UPDATE: it starts week of Sept 18. *happy dance*
>absolutely_soph tweet: I'm only 99% sure but Spooks is premiering in Week 38. The BBC will release their new programme tomorrow, so we'll know for sure.
about 3 hours ago via TweetDeck<
http://twitter.com/absolutely_soph
Spoiler Alert!! Thank You for the tip Musa:)
RA interview: (tattoo pic will soon be added...after an early hike in order to avoid this afternoon's 90+deg temps)
New pic posted by RA Central on Twitter:
>absolutely_soph tweet: I'm only 99% sure but Spooks is premiering in Week 38. The BBC will release their new programme tomorrow, so we'll know for sure.
about 3 hours ago via TweetDeck<
http://twitter.com/absolutely_soph
Black Tie RA + Re-read of Game of Thrones for Graduate & Newbie Enthusiasts
Black tie RA has ladies all atwitter on...errr..Twitter:)
For those fellow newbies to GRR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, the following blog is conducting a re-read of Vol 1, Game of Thrones with simultaneous comments from someone fresh to the saga .. http://gestaltmash.com/
News of a negative sort - Hurricane Earl is currently on a path to wreak havoc on our recent vacation destination - best wishes extended to all the lovely, friendly residents on the North Carolina coast..
Here's a water story of a much lighter note: Someone is apparently channelling underwater love. Following photo accompanied a lifestyle type article yesterday at a UK newspaper website. The piece informed couples planning a wedding trip that a hotel in The Maldives is offering an underwater newlyweds suite...Would you swallow the exotic promotion?;)
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