January 10, 2011

Richard Armitage in Cold Feet + Hobbit Casting News + Newport RI Mansions + Link to Ep 1 Downton Abbey + Beautiful Disaster by aimz1012 + Capt America Director Says He Had The Best Cast Possible

RA as Lee the extremely helpful gym coach in Coldfeet...
Strike Back Ep3 Clip by TheRAFrenzy..
Following definitely one of my fav scenes - John Porter makes a promise to deliver justice
Breaking Inside by HeathDances...
Great video interview with Sean Bean about his role in Game of Thrones:

Director Joe Johnston says he had a dream cast...[well, one for certain;]

>“I had thirty weeks of prep on CAPTAIN AMERICA. I have a small team of qualified, supportive, creative producers who are actually helping me achieve my vision of the film. I had a dream cast headed by Chris Evans. I had the best designers, artists, sculptors, craftspeople…a creative team that could design, build and photograph anything and have it look amazing and beautiful…

“CAPTAIN AMERICA was probably the most universally positive experience I’ve had in this mad business.<
http://www.marvelmovienews.co.uk/2011/01/captain-america-joe-johnston-talks-about-his-filming-experience/
More casting news found at following link including the fact Andy Serkis is returning as the fascinating creature Gollum.  Confess I knew nothing about Tolkien's Middle Earth prior to RA's casting as Thorin.  Subsequently happened upon LOTR and watched for the first time - out of curiosity more than anything else.  Gollum struck me as the most unique and imaginative creature out of what seemed like legions.  Doubtful many in the audience will find his large blue eyes and rivetting voice to be the most memorable among the cast this time... 
p.s. Answer to recent poll: Thorin wears a gold chain around his neck.
Truth can be stranger than fiction dept:
WASHINGTON – The Hubble Space Telescope got its first peek at a mysterious giant green blob in outer space and found that it's strangely alive.
The bizarre glowing blob is giving birth to new stars, some only a couple million years old, in remote areas of the universe where stars don't normally form.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110110/ap_on_sc/us_sci_space_blob
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Hmmm, what's up with Keanu Reeves and the shallow, nonsensical people in the entertainment media?  Why are they ridiculing him for growing out his hair & beard?  Did it ever dawn on them he might be preparing for an upcoming role of some sort?  IMO, the new look is downright hot on Keanu. The reporter's comment on the photo below also insinuates the actor is a closet heavy imbiber because there's wine in his glass while a water bottle sits along side.  The reporter's pea-sized brain no doubt cannot imagine why anyone would ask for a glass of wine and also a decanter of water.  All actors watch their calories, obviously Keanu is doing so as well.  Following pic is from one of their silly websites.
Look how warmly he's reacting to a young fan who's asking The Matrix star for an autograph.
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Promise of a Man by The Phylly3...
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The first ep of Downton Abbey(link below) triggered a pleasant flood of memories from a vacation at least 15yrs ago to Newport, RI.  There, in late C19,  before anti-trust laws were enacted the Vanderbilts, Astors, etc built what they referred to as their summer cottages.  These extremely wealthy merchant families lived during the Winter months usually in NYC, but once the sultry heat of summer set in they adjourned to their Newport beach houses *cough* :) where their summer social season commenced.

Fondest memory of the trip always leaves me laughing uncontrollably.  You see, we arrived in Newport quite late in the day - about 4:30pm and only one place was still conducting tours.  It was the Astor's Beechwood - I wasted no time getting in line so as not to miss it.  Hubby, our 2 children and their grandmother were not at all interested in seeing the house, so they told me to enjoy and assured me the wait would not be a problem.  I scurried along to the handsome entrance.

We were taken up a marble staircase and given details of the gorgeous, huge oil paintings along the stairs and in hallways.  After our tourguide finished describing the most stunning appointments of the house, we followed her down to the first floor ballroom.  It is huge with glistening hardwood floors, magnificent chandeliers and windows flanking the garden side of the room from floor to the very high ceiling.  I could see the blue ocean beyond the panoramic back lawn area.

Suddenly the sound of light-hearted giggling came wafting through the veranda screen doors accompanied by the muffled sound of adult conversation.  I immediately started to sidle away from the tour group toward the doors, in order to peek and see if possibly the current mansion owners might be enjoying an early dinner out there.  First glimpse and I burst into laughter, for much to my surprise, there comfortably rocking away on the long porch were hubby and his mother - while our children did cartwheels down the plushly carpeted lawn toward the sea.  haha  One of those precious memories never to be forgotten. :)
Here are links to details and photos of the historic mansions of Newport, Rhode Island
The one I'd toured - the Astor's Beechwood:
http://architecture.about.com/od/houses/ig/American-Mansions/Astors--Beechwood-Mansion.htm
http://www.symbolphoto.com/blog/2010/07/newport-rhode-island-mansion-wedding/
http://www.morins.com/venues/story/astors-beechwood-mansion
Of all the photos, this is the one IMO that represents the loveliness of the sumptuous architecture to be found in the above historic houses.  It's a room in Beechwood decked out for the Christmas season...
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For those who missed Ep 1, Downton Abbey it's available to watch online...
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How fortuitous is this event, in order to enable helpful New Zealanders to recognize a 6'2" dwarf when they see him?;)  http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/ reports that Robin Hood, series I will soon be showing in NZ. 

January 7, 2011

Intoxicating Voiceover + N&S Pics Courtesy of RichardArmitageNet + The Hobbit + Interview Revisited (Mar 2010) Sean Bean in Earliest Sharpe Series


Lovely North and South promotional and behind-the-scenes pics graciously provided by the RichardArmitageNet website...
First time for this one..*thud*
hahaha..the hog heads definitely set the mood for this precious clash of cultures...

Warning: After listening to the following voiceover - do not, I repeat, do not make any adjustments to your current financial arrangements without first taking a deep breath and giving the transaction further clear-eyed consideration:)  As we know, the velvet voice can be quite intoxicating…oh yeah, hehe
Sincere thanks to:
http://www.richardarmitageonline.com/Richard-Armitage-Flash/santander-ad-zero2.html
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http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/features/the-hobbit/the-perfect-middle-earth.cfm

Starting to feel like a Tolkien dwarf hunting for a map..Lord of the Rings filming locations..all within a 2hr drive..Hobbiton is located in Matamata..


An RA interview pre-Strike Back and Spooks9...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/archive/celebs-on-sunday/features/2010/05/30/richard-armitage-i-was-a-beanpole-with-a-nose-i-hadn-t-grown-into-115875-22287795/
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Speaking of clash of cultures...back to 2011 with a combined Spooks/Strike Back vid by JulietD001..
              

January 5, 2011

Richard Armitage:'Just Call My Name' Lucas North by tassuett + 2 Great New Vids(from MissMarian & MissHale) + RHI Pix + #2 in Womans Own? Huh? + Updated Interrogator Lucas Poll + Acting Range: Will This Do?

Assisting with sweet weekend dreams;)


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Robin Hood 1, Ep 2...


Robin Hood 1, Ep 2 - Sheriff Got Your Tongue?

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Well, it's nice to have a smidgen of RA news even if we could hardly agree with the results of this particular poll:)  richardarmitagenet.com revealed that Richard came in second in Woman's Own  Magazine's hunky of the year runoff.  What? Second? are they pulling our collective leg?;)  It seems #1 is Lee Mead.  [psssst...whispering...never heard of Lee and after seeing his photo, do not understand how anyone could consider him better looking or sexier than the man above...but maybe that's just me.....and millions of other females in almost every corner of the globe] haha...c'est la vie!
--you win some, you lose... Oh yes, almost forgot to mention that #3 is Daniel Craig.  The announcement reads "the battle of the spies was won by Spooks god Richard Armitage [they got that right;] who beat 007."
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Acting range examples follow...

Richard Armitage delivering justice as John Porter, Strike Back:Pompeii by bccmee  
The softer side--Difficult to believe, but Valentine's Day is already in the air(following by colinfever)
                
Next, ep 11, Robin Hood 3 -- no longer the Sheriff of Nottingham's evil henchman, yet not exactly angelic either.  The Guy of Gisborne in RH 3 was somewhere between strong, steely back-boned John Porter, and the somewhat sensitive, sexy man with a disarming way with the ladies (as he applies romantic passionate kisses) in the above video.  Here's the redeemable Guy of RH3...

Last time you chose your preferred personal interrogator, there were only two choices - here's the opportunity to reconsider your decision....(see poll)


                    

DISCLAIMER: This is definitely a spoof - not the authentic PJ;) but he is an entertaining kiwi...
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/aa3fc78446/peeder-jigson-s-video-diary-pt-1

Captain America: The First Avenger [July 22]: Can Joe Johnston save face after last year's awful The Wolfman? Can this film actually be any good? This film is one of many comicbook adaptations coming to the big screen this year and I have to admit, it doesn't yet have my attention. The cast includes Chris Evans as the title character along with Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Toby Jones, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough, Stanley Tucci and Richard Armitage.

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/captain-america-the-first-avenger

January 3, 2011

Spooks9 Vids by utubeacct2008 & dotty25aug1981 + Richard Armitage Wins James Bond Poll at Hollywood Spy + 2008 Pix + NZ Cruise in 2011 + The Other RA + Thorin Profile + Readers Speculate on Season 2, Game of Thrones...



Thanks to RAnetdotcom RichardArmitageNet for tweeting site for a few RA pics until now unseen by fans...
Dezz announced a couple hours ago that Richard won his James Bond poll with 61% of the vote.  Following pic accompanied Dezz's remarks at his Hollywood Spy website...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 RICHARD ARMITAGE BEATS RUPERT PENRY JONES AND GERARD BUTLER IN HOLLYWOOD SPY'S "WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT JAMES BOND" POLL!

HOLLYWOOD SPY's WHO SHOULD BE THE NEW JAMES BOND poll is over and I must thank you for voting in hundreds and hundreds. The winner is charming Richard Armitage who won stunning 61% of your votes (almost 300 in total). Rupert

Penry Jones also had an amazing support with 14% leaving Gerard Butler in the third place with 10% of your votes.

Well, our winner Richard Armitage really has all that it takes to be a great James Bond - he is charismatic in a very cool and refined way, his presence is kinda magnetic, he has one of the strongest fan support among ladies I've ever seen (remember the 2,000 votes those lovely ladies had left at HOLLYWOOD SPY when he competed in one of our previous polls?) and we know girls love Bond and Bond loves girls :) If he doesn't get the role of agent 007 himself he would also fit the role of James Bond's nemesis nicely, since he already proved he can play a great villain in ROBIN HOOD TV series which made him popular. British people also know Armitage from NORTH AND SOUTH and SPOOKS. In the future we will be watching him in two big blockbusters CAPTAIN AMERICA THE FIRST AVENGER and THE HOBBIT!
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Posted by DEZMOND at 10:01 PM
http://hollywood-spy.blogspot.com/
Richard Armitage as Lucas North, Spooks 9 by dotty25aug1981...
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>December 29th, 2010
Continuing our series of character highlights from the upcoming ‘Hobbit’ films…(story spoilers)
Thorin Oakenshield
Alias: Oakensheild, King under the Mountain
Race: Dwarf, House of Durin
Date of Birth: T.A. 2746

Cast: Richard Armitage

Thorin Oakenshield’s story is one of great daring, pride, revenge, and tragedy. Thorin II hails from a direct royal lineage (the House of Durin) traceable all the way back to the original Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. His clan is also known as the Longbeards.

Thorin’s early years at the Lonely Mountain (Erebor) give The Hobbit its foundational plot and all that happens therein comes from his efforts to avenge the wrongs against his House. At the age of 24, Thorin witnessed the arrival of the dragon Smaug and the slaying of his kin (T.A. 2770). The tragic memory was burned permanently into Thorin’s heart. Twenty-nine years later he fought valiantly against the Orcs beneath the East-gate of Moria at the Battle of Azanulbizar, where he earned the surname “Oakenshield” by using a great oak-branch in a pinch as both shield and weapon.<
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/category/hobbit/hobbit-movie/
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Excerpt from lengthy discussion(see link) and speculation from fans, for their anxiously awaited green light for Season 2 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Comments below are from the person who compiled a finely detailed outline - imagined episode by episode description - of the second novel.
>32. CATELYN 3: Stannis and Renly meet; threats ensue, a peach is eaten; Stannis says Renly will be dead by the morrow if he does not yield; Renly refuses. Brienne and Catelyn bond; intro of SER ROBAR ROYCE (Robar the Red).

[R: “a peach is eaten”…is it a positive omen? Yippee;]

A CLASH OF KINGS gives us some meaty Arya chapters, some excellent Theon stuff, the great introduction of Brienne, and *it introduces Stannis, who should be very interesting.*

To put it in perspective, I have many friends who have read A GAME OF THRONES. Almost all went on to read Vol 2, A CLASH OF KINGS but only half of them finished it. By comparison, those who finished ACoK and went on to read Vol 3, A STORM OF SWORDS (arguably the crown jewel of the entire series thus far) stuck with the series, went on to read Vol 4, A Feast for Crows, and are now still pining for Vol 5, A Dance with Dragons like the rest of us.<

Interesting additional comment on the lengthy piece:

>A lot of the Stannis/Davos material is pretty exciting (especially visually).<

[R: Well then, they need to cast a Lord Stannis Baratheon who will do the material justice, don’t they Musa;] We will never, ever give up this effort UNLESS it’s impossible for Richard to accept the role..boohoo:]
http://winter-is-coming.net/2011/01/script-outline-a-clash-of-kings/

Sir Guy is TNT - Dynamite by EtherealSparkle..

Strike Back: Wake Me Up by LadyeAnn...
Cool Comments from Laura & Musa - thank you very much:)

Musa provides us with the link to a Cruise to Middle Earth scheduled for 2011:

While Laura points out something that caused me to chuckle a few days ago.  We happened upon the following and both agree it's hilarious.  :D  We'd happily trade ours for Brits'- the usa RA only wins the trophy in one area - height...ours is 6' 6"...whew! and I thought DH's 6'4" was up there where the air is thin...already stretched to the limit :) couldn't go any higher for our RA and quite honestly wouldn't want to try(although, I'm sure he's a lovely man and his wife manages the feat;)  The Armitage DNA strain must've become extremely diluted while crossing the pond...hahaha.  Actually our RA has an admirable military record and diplomatic career with the US State Dept.  Don't let lib Americans and leftist journalists tell you otherwise.  They target with ridicule those on the political right, while tolerating corruption and misconduct of all sorts from their fellow liberal politicians.  RA's on the right...(teehee..insinuating politically;) *winks* Actually that would be a lovely surprise, if it were true.  Most show biz types are rather naive when it comes to politics.  Certainly couldn't say his shirt pattern is better - it makes our eyes blink, doesn't it... 

January 1, 2011

James Bond Poll + Richard Armitage Awards News + Guy & Marian together Made The World a Better Place:) + RH I, Ep1 Pix + Reworked Classic Guy Vid by JulietD001 + Final New Year Toast on 1-1-11 + New Porter Vid by bccmee

Annual holiday gift-giving and family idiosyncrasies.
Do you have one person on your gift list who always causes you to pause and hope the gift you've chosen will not disappoint?  Me too:)  For me, the person this year was my older sister--the one who lives almost 200mi away and sent N&S to me for Christmas a couple years ago.  She had no idea at the time that I'd noticed actor Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne about 6mos earlier in Robin Hood.
This year I played for awhile with the thought of sending her RH, series 1 but had concerns she might find it a bit immature and even silly at times.  In need of another gift idea for her, bit the bullet and shipped - with fingers crossed - the RH dvd a week before Dec 25th.
Yesterday, a lovely thank you card arrived and, to my great relief, my sibling downright gushed about how much she'd enjoyed all 13 episodes.  Apparently she breezed  through it within the past 2wks, and has already started a second viewing.  Isn't it a satisfying and pleasant feeling to realize someone really enjoyed their gift from you.

Curiously, I've found myself reflecting on the first series.  Then realized it would be fun to revisit it and visualize what the impact might've been, through my sister's fresh eyes,  to the updated version of the ancient legend.  Decided to begin with a few pix from the initial series and then was pleasantly surprised to find.....
a reworked classic Guy vid by JulietD001 ...
From RH, S1, Ep 1...

There is proof positive that RH writers dropped the ball when they failed to enact at least a temporary merger between Guy and Marian - one of the hottest on-screen couples ever.  The evidence can be found in the following vids.  Can't deny these positive effects on the greater good of mankind from their relationship...(perhaps a slight exaggeration;)
 

                  


A Spikesbint classic..

Ep 1 - part 1 of 5...
News of RA awards keep rolling in.  As reported earlier today by Sue, the hunky of the year award was finally announced by The Hunkess after a month of repetitive voting by 'vote early & often' RA supporters:)  There are crucial times when the one (wo)man, one vote golden rule can be relaxed...must've meandered over there to vote at least a half-dozen times during the month...was much like the moth being drawn to the flame;)

Now to add more frosting to the cake, there's another prestigious *cough* award by the 'unpopcult' website -  The Armitage received the 'I Would  Hit That' title with the following words...

>I Would Hit That (Male): Richard Armitage, Spooks

The Armitage has clearly won a place – a special place – in the hearts of Unpopcult readers, successfully defending both the country and the I Would Hit That award he won last year. With another Strike Back slated for 2011, who would bet against a threepeat?

(Previous winner: 2009 – Richard Armitage)<

This is the last day of voting in Dezz's James Bond poll..current results: Total of 381 votes and RA has 63% of them.