December 7, 2010

Cate Blanchett Joins The Hobbit + Richard Armitage Pix + bccmee's Clever "Harry Holidays" for RA Fans

Shhhhhh,,,don't want to disturb him:)  He might be dreaming of what he wants for Christmas..one of these years..

We know RA can dance, but didn't really realize what a huge understatement that is until seeing this  http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/iYKlIZFuMtZVVCHd 

                          More casting news and The Hobbit & LOTR gift shop..

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/12/07/41089-sterling-silver-elven-leaf-brooch/

Here's another Hobbit gift idea - it's a woolen scarf from NZ - perhaps they'd customize it or the ubiquitous tshirt for us..we could wear the latter as an everyday nightie as opposed to special occasions*wink* :)


Cate Blanchett (“Lord of The Rings” trilogy, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) will reprise her role from “Lord of The Rings” trilogy as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien. Ken Stott (“Charlie Wilson’s War”, TV’s “Rebus”) will play the Dwarf Lord Balin, Sylvester McCoy (TV’s “Doctor Who”) will play the wizard Radagast the Brown and well-known Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt (“Everlasting Moments”, “Day and Night”) will play the shape-shifter Beorn. British actor Ryan Gage (“Outlaw”, TV’s “Doctors”) will play Drogo Baggins, with New Zealand actors Jed Brophy (“Lord of The Rings” trilogy, “District 9”) playing the role of the dwarf Nori, and William Kircher (“Out of the Blue”; TV’s “Legend of the Seeker”) rounding out the company of Thorin Oakensheild in role of the dwarf Bifur.
[Ricrar trivia: can't believe how many times since The Hobbit/RA announcement that I've seen Thorin's last name misspelled as above.  Simple spelling rule comes to mind "i before e except after c." :)  Class dismissed for the day;) hehe

Peter Jackson welcomed the news of Cate Blanchett’s return to Middle-earth “Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films”

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/12/07/41135-torn-exclusive-cate-blanchett-ken-stott-sylvester-mccoy-mikael-persbrandt-join-cast-of-peter-jackson%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cthe-hobbit%E2%80%9D/


Cate is reprising her role of Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien - found the first rendition of Tolkien's character and then Ms Blanchett in Lord of the Rings.  Is it just me, or does Geraldine O'Reilly have a strong resemblance to Cate?

So sweet and lovely for the holiday season -- Know for a fact that Harry was her RA first:)

                

                        Guy and Marian: 'Kiss Me, Oh Kiss Me' by aryabodhisattva..

                
Back on the Christmas shopping train - appears merchandising for The Hobbit has already begun...care for the boardgame where you can play one of the dwarves?...hmmm, which one would we play..hmmm;)
                                                                                   ****

Can you detect a definite pattern that's developed with recent RA characters? Last sentence below.."at the end of the novel, Thorin remains an almost tragic figure."  We could insert Guy..Lucas or even John Mulligan and rightfully add "almost tragic figure."  Which no doubt will again make the actor happy:)
Was the last truly happy ending for John Thornton?

>Thorin Oakenshield:    Though he makes his appearance at the start of the novel and is part of the adventure throughout, Thorin is never fully developed. For much of the book, he seems to be just one of the dwarves, even though he is their leader. In moments of danger, however, Thorin always comes to the forefront and does his part. Unfortunately, Thorin, more than any other dwarf, becomes obsessed with the treasure, especially the Arkenstone, and his greed clouds his basic goodness.

Initially, Tolkien portrays Thorin as pompous leader, very conscious of his own dignity and what is due to him as chief of the dwarves. He is also portrayed as courageous and loyal to his companions. He does not hesitate to act when the trolls and goblins attack and tries his best to rescue his companions, despite overwhelming odds. He also behaves with fairness and scrupulous attention to detail when he takes Bilbo on as the official burglar for the expedition, promising him an equal share of the profits. As the hobbit becomes increasingly heroic, Thorin begins conceding some of the leadership of the group to Bilbo, eventually accepting his leadership and his plans without resentment or undue pride.

When the treasure is within grasp, Thorin changes dramatically to the worse. Gripped by greed, he becomes autocratic and uncaring, rejecting the legitimate claims of Bard and the people of Lake- town to part of the treasure and ungratefully throwing Bilbo out after his attempt to secure peace. When he does agree to give up a part of the treasure, the effect of gold-lust on him is so strong that he forgets his own lineage, code of conduct, and pride, breaking his word.

Thorin at last comes back to his senses, bravely fighting

in the Battle of Five Armies and making amends with Bilbo. However, at the end of the novel, Thorin remains an almost tragic figure.
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmHobbit37.asp

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved that. Made me smile and feel like it was Christmas. Part of my Christmas tradition to watch A Wholly Happy Ending every year.

Thanks for posting and BCCMEE for creating. Very clever.

Lynn in Texas

Ricrar said...

Hi Lynn,

Still hoping BBC-A will again show a Wholly Happy for the holidays. Perhaps it would be wise to check their schedule just in case they run it early. They're definitely promoting a Dr Who Christmas Carol Special this time - he visited the US. Never watch the show, but I'm curious to see that part of it.

I remember excusing myself from guests for awhile last Christmas Eve, in order to catch a few min of Harry & Geraldine in VoD. I own the dvd, but it was great seeing them broadcast here, wasn't it? ;)

Yes, bccmee's holiday gift is charming. I fondly remember how taken w/Harry she was, before the latest character named John came along and stole her heart:)

Laura said...

Pretty darned slick of Bccmee, in the Vicar video, to replace the picture on the wall... points to anyone who remembers who's REALLY supposed to be there! (I like the replacement MUCH better, by the way)

Ricrar said...

hahaha..Laura..thx for the reminder of that scene - laughed the hardest when there was a 2nd knock on the vicar's door - she pointed to Christ's image and said "you're good..you're really good!" ..so funny:)

Laura said...

I *heart* Vicar so! The entire series, not just those episodes with RA, is just one of the best out there. I regularly watch the entire thing... And my husband and I use quotes from it all the time. One of my favorites is, "I could go off you," said to her picture of Jesus. I thought it was pretty cool that she was so secure in her faith that she could say something like that. And, in the end, He came through for her in a BIG way, didn't He?

Ricrar said...

True Laura, but aren't we the authentic lucky ones - HE really came through for us in a big way;), didn't he. Thanksgiving this year has never had quite so much meaning for our family.

In my adventures on-line, I've sometimes suggested the Creator could be female...oooh, that one usually goes over like a lead balloon;)

Actually, my true opinion is that a Creator would be one size fits all - genderless. No need for it if there will only be one of something. You can imagine the commotion those ideas have caused on more than one occasion. It has usually been when I'm feeling devilish and want to hear arguments in return. Haven't heard one strong enough so far to eliminate the possibility. Just interesting food for thought - we often accept long-standing traditions without viewing them in a historical context. The male creator theory was promoted when females had no say whatsoever in anything of importance.

Not the first time I've typed the same thoughts and have not been struck dumb or w/a lightning bolt so far. *wink* Perhaps because S/He and I are on good terms.

It was interesting to learn, when first introduced to VoD, that at the time the show started a female minister was considered a quaint idea.

Laura said...

Heehee... you and I get along just fine. I do the same thing, much to the consternation of my ultra-conservative, cradle-catholic family of in-laws! And as for VoD, I just love how she frames the whole 'woman as priest' thing... (I don't remember the quote) ... everyone else is worried about pantyhose in the rectory, but the Vicar is worried about her parishioners. How could you NOT want a woman? We're the nurturers of the species, and isn't that part of the point of a priest?

Ricrar said...

Sounds like we both enjoy stirring the dogma stew:)

As a history buff, I've noticed the attitude towards the proposal that the Creator might actually be female or genderless, falls along the historical origins of cultures.

Both the Roman and German early cultures were strictly paternalistic. Women were kept in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. Anytime they tried to assert themselves they were slapped back 'where they belonged'. *wink* Mid-Eastern women have hardly moved beyond that dark ages attitude toward half the population on earth.

Those cultures with Celtic historical roots rarely fought the idea that females could be strong rulers. There were ancient Celtic queens(e.g. Boudicea in Britain and Maeve, along the coast of Western Irl(same location as my Mayo ancestors.. surprise!surprise! :)

My mother-in-law is of 100% German ancestry---really enjoy on occasion shaking her timbers by proposing the 'goddess' as creator theory:), although, as already stated, IMO a creator would be sexless--since S/He's no need to procreate.

It's also interesting to notice how the so-called 'holy books' instruct about the treatment of women. The Christian bible's Old Testament does have brutal passages advising that females need to be kept in their place by force if necessary. BUT, the original Christian church - Roman Catholic - learned early on that they needed to discourage the flock from reading those parts of the bible. Then scientific discoveries refuting biblical passages in the New Testament required them to also discourage reading it, without first consulting the 'experts' to interpret the problematic passages. That's the reason most Catholics cannot quote biblical passages as well as their Protestant neighbors.

The Koran is another story entirely - it contains some of the most horrendous anti-female directives for believers(as opposed to us, the infidels:) Their holy book instructs Muslims to do whatever is necessary to keep the childlike & almost animal-like females under the male thumb.

It's amazing to me that women in other parts of the world have not already strongly condemned the on-going mistreatment of millions of mid-eastern women. Although I strongly suspect today's unreality called political correctness is really to blame. Liberal elitists instruct the rest of us that we're ignorant if we don't 'respect' that aspect of the Mid-eastern culture. This issue clearly highlights the injustic, dangers and blatant double standard promoted by the globe's PC police.

Laura said...

Are you sure we're not sisters separated at birth?

I've had similar conversations, making many of the same points as you! And, although all of my ancestry (as far as we've traced it) stems mostly from Germany (and a little Sweden), there are times when I believe that in a former life, I was of the Celtic realm.

As for the Creator, there are times that He comes to me, and other times when I feel Her presence. I think, if we truly think about it, each of us feels him/her in our own way. Which is where I depart from so many churches and established religions that say, "you must believe this way, and this way only."

Fascinating conversation. Thank you for indulging me!

PS.. that sepia "eye contact" picture? It's now my desktop wallpaper on my PC!! So thanks for that!

Ricrar said...

Happy you're enjoying the eye contact pic, Laura:)

As for a creator coming in different forms, that was always the framework I worked from as a mother. Hubby's religious beliefs are quite traditional and deep. Mine grew to more of a philosophy that believes the word God is really derived from 'good', and using the first word during a child's early yrs helps them to internalize a conscience and moral code. It was a conscious decision to use traditional religious language without the hell & damnation aspects, during the earliest yrs of development and switching gradually to a more philosophic attitude. Eventually, of course, the young adult makes their independent personal decision whether to become religiously active or not.

Sincerely hope those engrossed with all the current vampire material do not look on it as a religious outlet in any way. Still amazed at how it has mesmerized so many readers/viewers. If I'm going to be drained, prefer it to be in pursuits other than those involving blood sucking fangs. Ycccck! HeeHee:)

Laura said...

LOVING the eye contact. I die a little each time I pass the computer now. *sigh*

Agree on the whole vampire thing. That's one thing that I just never could get into. Even when "Interview" was huge, and all my friends were squeeing over both Cruise and Pitt... I just didn't get it. Now I'm hoping this is one role that our guy turns down. Although... at the same time... he might be the only one that can turn my opinion....

Ricrar said...

Cruise and Pitt. Both were unbelievably good looking 15yrs ago, but even then they left me blah for the most part. Although, I will admit that Tom got to me in Top Gun. The nation needed that particular movie at that particular time in it's history. However, I can't think of one of his films after it that was nearly as good. hmmm,,Maybe the one about a military trial..that did come pretty close. The best compliment I can give Cruise is that he rarely states a political opinion.

That's the last thing I want to hear come out of a celebrity's mouth, because they usually get it wrong:) It's all that touchy, feely, creative thingy they have going on emotionally--it's really not the best foundation for expounding on geo-politics. Sean Penn is the poster boy for LaLaLand's diarrhea of the political lip -- he admires the dictator of Venezuela..that murdering despot Hugo Chavez.

My impression of Brad was always one of a pretty boy without any depth. Once he broke Jenifer Aniston's heart, he fell to the 'pits' in my estimation. She always seemed open, warm, loving before she was humiliated publicly - now she appears to have formed a slightly bitter, protective shell that developed as a result of her struggle to walk tall during the firestorm of publicity.

Entertainment journalists are really deep human beings aren't they? *wide grin* If an entertainer is habitually arrested or barely wears clothing, they're ready to give wall to wall coverage.

As for a vampire role for RA, it might be the only way he can find another movie with at least good dialogue. We know he could pull it off, don't we? He'd take the blood-sucking rage to a new level of excitement. We'd find ourselves mumbling "bite me" and literally mean it:) haha