The Sexiest Organ (see poll)

Do you agree the sexiest organ is indeed the brain?  Would Richard Armitage be nearly as sexy if not for the cerebral aspect of his personality?  His latest interview(see below) with Naxos Audiobooks perfectly demonstrates the point.

First, a sincere thank you to RACentral for their Twitter tweet and full interview both audio and text.  Go to their website or one of the other prominent RA sites to get the full effect of the golden throat explaining his perceptions of the strong influences of music and the spoken word,  and other insights as to how he uses his dulcet vocal chords during dramatic performances & narrations.
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From Twitter:  >RA_Central tweet:  Naxos has sent us an excerpt of The Convenient Marriage & an interview with Richard #Armitage - listen here http://tiny.cc/22afm<

about 23 hours ago via web  -  Retweeted by you and 2 others
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[Tech Tip:  If you ever find print is too small to read, simply hold down your keyboard 'control' key and then hit the + sign..the text should immediately enlarge.  To reverse the process again hold 'control' but this time hit the minus sign:]

Richard Armitage Pix & Jun 21st - the Summer Solstice - longest day of the year

in the Northern Hemisphere, summer solstice begins on Jun 21 2010 at 7:28 AM EDT
in the UK, on June 21, 2010 at 11:28 UT

--I'm not exactly sure why the black cat above represents the solstice, but we have our own version of a sleek, black clad, graceful creature with penetrating, bright eyes to offer inspiration...

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Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

Early Celebrations - Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Richard Armitage Interviewed by Helen James Productions for DVD bonus feature Spooks 9

Following can be found on both Twitter & Facebook.  She stated the obvious:) that Richard Armitage is very handsome.  Observant woman. LOL   

>HelenJamesProd tweet:    With the 'Spooks' crew in London today - filming a shoot-out! Just interviewed Richard Armitage - very handsome! #Spooks #BBC about 13 hours ago via web Retweeted by you and 3 others<

From her website:
SPOOKS:
Helen James Productions is working for NBC Universal and Kudos Film and TV producing DVD bonus features for the ninth series of the critically acclaimed, Spooks (BBC1).

A dark secret unleashes the ultimate betrayal in this new series. Sophia Myles (Underworld, Doctor Who), Iain Glen (The Blue Room, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Simon Russell Beale (Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya), Laila Rouass (Primeval, Footballers Wives) and Max Brown (Mistresses, Tudors)join the hit spy drama. Their characters will shake things up and give cause for concern as Section D is left wondering who can really be trusted. Friendships will be tested and the depth of deceit will lead to an unprecedented game of cat and mouse for the Spooks.

Sarah Branist, BBC Executive Producer, said: "We are very proud to introduce an extraordinary number of exciting new characters to this new series. The new additions will really ruffle some feathers but, as intrigue and betrayal is at the heart of the new storylines, we don't want to give too much away at this stage."

HJP plans to go on set and film the DVD Bonus Features in June. The ninth series is due to be broadcast on BBC1 this Autumn 2010.
http://www.helenjamesproductions.co.uk/spooks

A Game of Thrones Continues to Cast...

I'd assumed the 10 episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones were already completed.  Discovered on the writer, Geo RR Martin's, 'Journal-not a blog' that the casting process continues.  In fact his post today announced actor Finn Jones will play Ser Loras Tyrell.  Apparently there are many more roles open--is there still hope an actor of our choosing might make his way into Martin's fantasy world? -- where one character clad in black leather sounded very familiar - 'grey-eyed and graceful and slender as a knife. Mounted on his huge black destrier, the knight towered above..he wore black leather boots, black moleskin gloves and a fine supple coat of gleaming black ringmail over layers of boiled leather'. Here's his website  http://grrm.livejournal.com/  Quite an imaginative world he & HBO have created...

Just discovered another Martin website where he relates his early enthrallment with knights, and how the new series has rekindled his passion as a collector.  Someone with techie skills should send a few pics of GoG, in his head to toe leather costume, to Mr. Martin - he's deeply involved in the casting process;) hint, hint.  If he's so captivated with knights, he should at least see the splendid Sir Guy...never know where it might lead.  Found his enthusiastic description of his fascination with knights at the following website

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/knights/index.html  The color scheme would've convinced me the writer is an uber-beta man, if not for his revelation that after watching 5 actresses try out for roles in Game of Thrones, he needed a cold shower:) HA! You'd never know it by looking at him...hehehe.  I've just started the book, so have not as yet read any of his steamy passages.

Martin's alternative universe is called Westeros...a white wolf is an integral part of the story--of course the following is a gorgeous fox...

Another website focused on casting for AGOT  http://winter-is-coming.net/

Fan artwork page  http://webpages.charter.net/daenerys/TheRedKeep.html

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UPDATE #1:  Welcome to the blog, Rusa. Bronn is introduced as a boy of 7or9 in the first few pages of the intitial book - pub 14yrs ago. He’s Eddar’s (played by Sean Bean) son brought by his father to watch as the parent metes out justice. His father then instructs the young boy to never ‘outsource’ that duty, but to always commit the physical act himself -- otherwise he could lose sight of the reality of death, and the importance of being careful which heads will literally roll. (Correction: See below...the young boy in the 1st Chapter is actually Bran)

[Character: Bran (Brandon) or Bronn?...awaiting verification.]  UPDATE #2: Found the answer at the Tower of the Hand website.  Bronn is a different character...The following is a page dedicated to him...

http://www.towerofthehand.com/reference/k/00709/index.html

Surely Geo Martin's fantasy world has a worthwhile niche for Sir Guy...

Reply to comment to this post from Musa - Thx for the Bronn lead. As already stated, I’ve only finished Chpt 1/Book 1. Upon checking for more details about that character, I read at the following site that Tyrion shows himself at an early age to be quite adept at fighting. Naturally wondered why you wouldn’t suggest him as the best role for RA, until I read the following phrase referring to Tyrion…”he’s a witty, funny, clever, sarcastic dwarf”. Oops! No way whatsoever 6’2" Richard can play a vertically-challenged character;)

http://agot10th.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-name-is-bronn-prepare-to-die-no-wait.html
Evidently Martin’s series has already created quite a widespread, lively world of websites
http://www.towerofthehand.com/
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UPDATE #3:  While reading one of the websites above, I was intrigued to find a vivid description of Eddard Stark's sword called 'Ice'.  It reminded me of Uhtred's beloved sword 'Serpent Breath'.  Richard had narrated those admiring passages with almost as strong a smoldering passion as his feelings for his ladylove in 'Lords of the North'.

 Subsequently, while perusing Wikipedia pages about Geo RR Martin & AGOT, felt some self-satisfaction upon reading...

>Influences:   Although Martin has acknowledged his debt to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien,[16] Jack Vance[17] and Tad Williams,[14] the series differs from these earlier works in its greater interest in and use of realistic elements. While Tolkien was inspired by mythology, A Song of Ice and Fire is more clearly influenced by medieval history, most notably the Wars of the Roses.[18] Likewise, while Tolkien tended toward romantic relationships, Martin writes frankly of sex, including incest, adultery, prostitution, and rape. As a result, illegitimate children play prominent roles throughout the series. This has led to the series being cited as a forerunner of a 'gritty' new wave of epic fantasy authors that followed, including Scott Lynch,[19] Joe Abercrombie,[20] Steven Erikson and Scott Bakker. On his website, Martin has acknowledged historical fiction authors such as Bernard Cornwell and George MacDonald Fraser to be influences on the series. Martin has cited the cover blurb by Robert Jordan for the first book to have been influential in ensuring the series' early success with fantasy readers.[21]

Martin is an avid student of medieval Europe, and has said that the Wars of the Roses, along with many other events in Europe during that time, have influenced the series. However, he insists that "there's really no one-for-one character-for-character correspondence. I like to use history to flavor my fantasy, to add texture and verisimilitude, but simply rewriting history with the names changed has no appeal for me. I prefer to reimagine it all, and take it in new and unexpected directions."<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire

Pieces from his medieval collection, including a set that looks like a clone of Locksley Manor...

Richard Armitage: Sophie's Choice Poll

A cloud hangs ponderously over RAtown.  The powers that be have declared him too darn sexy for the common good; therefore, he must by law forfeit one of the following attributes.  Which will it be?  Your choice...                                                   
                                                          1.  Those penetrating eyes?

2.  Luscious stubble?

                                                                 
                                                               3.  Athletic physique?

Could the caption for the next one be..."come to papa" -- If his arms stretched just a bit wider there might be room for all of us;)

4. Velvety voice?

RA Gallery Weekly Clearance

The pic above was taken at the SB premiere - isn't it the same black pin-stripe from the BAFTAs?? It looked great for both events.

Boadicea, Boudicca, Boudica

(Above Boudica statue is at the north end of Westminster Bridge, London. It was erected in 1902.)
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[See Wikipedia link below]
Celtic Queen Boudica (pronounced /ˈbuːdɨkə/; also spelled Boudicca), formerly known as Boadicea /boʊdɨˈsiːə/ and known in Welsh as "Buddug" [ˈbɨ̞ðɨ̞ɡ][1] (d. AD 60 or 61) was a queen of a Scottish tribe who led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.

Boudica's husband, Prasutagus, ruler of the Iceni who had ruled as a nominally independent ally of Rome, left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman Emperor in his will. However, when he died his will was ignored. The kingdom was annexed as if conquered, Boudica was flogged and her daughters raped, and Roman financiers called in their loans.

In AD 60 or 61, while the Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, was leading a campaign on the island of Anglesey in north Wales, Boudica led the Iceni people, along with the Trinovantes and others, in revolt. They destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), formerly the capital of the Trinovantes, but now a colonia (a settlement for discharged Roman soldiers) and the site of a temple to the former emperor Claudius, which was built and maintained at local expense. They also routed a Roman legion, the IX Hispana, sent to relieve the settlement.

On hearing the news of the revolt, Suetonius hurried to Londinium (London), the twenty-year-old commercial settlement that was the rebels' next target. Concluding he did not have the numbers to defend it, Suetonius evacuated and abandoned it. It was burnt to the ground, as was Verulamium (St Albans). An estimated 70,000–80,000 people were killed in the three cities (though the figures are suspect).[2] Suetonius, meanwhile, regrouped his forces in the West Midlands, and despite being heavily outnumbered, defeated the Britons in the Battle of Watling Street. The crisis caused the emperor Nero to consider withdrawing all Roman forces from the island, but Suetonius' eventual victory over Boudica secured Roman control of the province. Boudicca then killed herself so she would not be captured, or fell ill and died, Tacitus and Dio differ.

The history of these events, as recorded by Tacitus[3] and Cassius Dio,[4] was rediscovered during the Renaissance and led to a resurgence of Boudica's legendary fame during the Victorian era, when Queen Victoria was portrayed as her "namesake". Boudica has since remained an important cultural symbol in the United Kingdom. The absence of native British literature during the early part of the first millennium means that Britain owes its knowledge of Boudica's rebellion to the writings of the Romans.

                    Boadicea Haranguing the Britons by John Opie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudica
http://www.whoosh.org/issue28/blanken2.html 
From the website directly above 

>Marriage -  [5] Tacitus relates the first abortive attempt at revolt by the Iceni in the year 49 or 50 CE. It is this period when mention is first made of King Prasutagus, king by consent and cooperation of the occupying Roman forces. It is believed that by then he was already married to a woman of royal birth named Boadicea. The exact date of her marriage, like so much else, is not known.

[6] Prasutagus' death is known to have been in either 59 or 60 CE, after having been "longa opulentia clarus" (or "long renowned for his wealth") and after a long reign. His wealth he left to his two daughters, and he left the regency to Boadicea in the girls' behalf. The Romans had other ideas about the estate - they took it all. According to Tacitus, "Kingdom and household alike were plundered like prizes of war". The first step in accomplishing this was to humiliate and viciously flog Boadicea in her own home and in front of her family. The brutal rape of her daughters soon followed.<
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Comment:  In order to include a role for RA in the Boudicca saga, I'd for the first time understand a slight adjustment of known historical facts.  For instance, her husband's age -- why not make him her age and instead of dying he could come to her rescue as she's being abused by the Romans.  hehehe...I've never ever before suggested it would be a good thing to tamper w/history.  Perhaps instead Richard could play a Roman soldier who comes to her rescue and whisks her away at least for awhile...as well as her daughters.  Much better.  Let the screen or stage play writing begin;)

Richard Armitage as John Thornton: 'Look Back' by madamtorsion

Richard Armitage Photos as John Porter

Why didn't you rub sunscreen on him prior to the following scene?...poor baby is red as a lobster....sun damage to that Dorian Gray-like skin...yikes:o

Was it the prison warden or one of his fans asking that question?  =)

Temporary Technical Difficulties with Poll Results--Forced to Post More RA Pix..teeheehee =)

UPDATE: hmmm, inscrutable blogger tampering with the system apparently has caused the poll complication, which they're currently working to correct.  I decided to try logging out of Twitter to see if it would make a difference, and indeed results for the most recent poll magically appeared...for about 60sec.  Evidently their recent link to Twitter (now considered the cutting edge way to go--I personally prefer it to Facebook...oooh, poll time;) is responsible for the attack of the software gremlins.

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Notified Blogger about the poll results interruption and received following message:

>Many users are reporting that poll gadgets are failing to render, displaying a 'Not Found' message. We're investigating the issue and will post a reply as soon as we have more information to share.


Thanks for your patience. — latest update on Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Labels: outstanding, polls

Thanks!Some users are experiencing problems with the poll widget. We're working on a fix.<
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Will post extra RA pics in the meantime....hope you don't mind forcing yourself to gaze at him rather than replying to polls (she typed w/a smile on her face) ;)  It's only a temporary situation