Thorin's Orcrist & Uhtred's Serpent-Breath + Shop 'Til You Drop Sat

Thorin’s Orcrist:

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Orcrist
http://www.tuckborough.net/thorin.html
Uhtred’s Serpentbreath:
Excerpt from Bernard Cornwell’s Sword Song: “I touched the hilt of Serpent-Breath, my sword, then touched the amulet of Thor's hammer that hung around my neck. Kill them all, I prayed to Thor, kill them all but one. It must have been cold in that long night. Ice skimmed the dips in the fields where the river had flooded, but I do not remember the cold. I remember the anticipation. I touched Serpent-Breath continually and it seemed to me that she quivered. I sometimes thought that blade sang. It was a thin, half-heard song, a keening noise, the song of the blade wanting blood; the sword song. We waited and, afterwards, when it was all over, Ralla told me I had never stopped smiling.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhtred_of_Bebbanburg

hmmm...deliberating Sue's suggestion of a snuggle suit with wiggle room or the following Santa Suit...we report you decide ;) 

Past Post from Dec 10, 2010:

http://allthingsrarmitage.blogspot.com/2010/12/richard-armitage-clones-dancing-in-our.html

"if only in our dreams" - an RA clone in Santa's bag for one & all..see coupon at above link

Sit on Santa's lap: Please form an orderly queue ladies & bring your own DB & M ;)

Spooks Past Posts + Link to Sunday Express Comments(see below) + RA's Thank You + Catching Up on Birthday FanVids

NEWS:  RichardArmitageNet website(see below link) reports today the complimentary remarks included in a UK Sunday newspaper about RA's Lucas North performance... 
Quote: 28th August

David Stephenson of the Sunday Express has reviewed Strike Back series 2, with a few paragraphs discussing Richard's career. "Armitage has now moved to films in the form of The Hobbit but we look forward to him appearing in a spy drama again on TV. He is strangely more believable and effective than the real thing."
Read entire article at:   http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/pressreviews/137.html
                 

Spooks 9 Past Posts: both commenting about a recent Spooks 9 episode…

Oct, 2010: (just had a good chuckle upon rereading my reference to Maya working in a ‘topless bar’, when in fact it was deciphered sometime later that Lucas had said in a ‘tapas’ bar..*teehee*
http://allthingsrarmitage.blogspot.com/2010/10/guardian-writers-comment-about-ln.html
Sept , 2010:
http://allthingsrarmitage.blogspot.com/2010/09/richard-armitage-as-lucas-north-random.html

                              

                 
[Ricrar note:  See mis-spelling of Italy:) Proof his keyboard skills have improved but charmingly not yet at the tell-tale, error-free jaded professional level...here's hoping that never happens]

Dear Friends,


I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for all the kind gifts which have been sent to me over the last few weeks, for my birthday; so many gifts, cards and emails of good wishes from all over the world. (Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Russia, Germany, Korea, Itlay, USA, Canada, Netherlands and all over the UK)

I will be so 'well read', drunk, fat, warm and sweet smelling thanks to your generosity.

I am particularly excited to let you know that the "Just Giving" donations to our four charities has reached an amazing £11,933! In addition to donations to Oxfam and Christchurch Earthquake appeal, which I find both thoughtful and moving.

I am afraid there may be some delay in remitting thank you letters and any requests for signing photos, as I am in New Zealand for the rest of the year, but am working on a system to remedy this.

So middle age has arrived and apparently 'life now begins'. I look forward to the next chapter, there is nowhere I would rather be at this moment than exploring "Middle Earth" with my new family of Dwarves, Elves, Men, Wizard and Hobbit. What a gift to be here, in this place, at this time. I can't wait to share it with everyone. I am a very fortunate man.
Much love
RA

Message provided courtesy of RAonline website:

http://www.richardarmitageonline.com/

Past post: June 22

http://allthingsrarmitage.blogspot.com/2011/06/spooks-vid.html

              

                          

Round 2: VOTE!(link below) + Richard Armitage as Clarissa's Lovelace:Thx Musa for New Discovery ALSO Thx to Jonia for Entire Narration(link below) + New RA Article in 'Female First' + Thx to bccmee for New Strike Back Trailer + Thx Again to Musa for Jigson's Latest + Coal Mining Industry History

Never thought it would happen, but bbcA did indeed pair RA against Henry Cavill. Oh No!!  Can we call it a draw please?  No?  Then you know for who we must vote (bye Henry...we loved ye! ;)

VOTE HERE:

http://blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/08/05/vote-in-the-anglo-fan-favorites-tournament-round-2-men-of-2011/2/

My vote goes to Gerard in this one:
http://blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/08/05/vote-in-the-anglo-fan-favorites-tournament-round-2-men-of-2011/4/
                                                         From the bbcA website:

"We’ve entered Week 2 of our quest to name the ultimate Anglophile fan favorite of 2011. In Round 1, more than 120,000 votes were cast, and a somewhat surprising group of men advanced. Colin Firth, Richard Armitage, David Tennant, and Benedict Cumberbatch all skated into this week, but we saw heavy-hitters like Robert Pattinson, Daniel Craig, Ricky Gervais, John Barrowman and Matt Smith all eliminated.

Week after week, the pool of contestants will shrink until we have one man standing. Sixteen men remain in eight epic battles – there’s only one thing left to do. Vote! (Note: polls close Thursday at noon.)

Can't believe I've just found this gem(thx to Musa) - it's an excerpt from RA's narration of Robert Lovelace in Clarissa..

Thanks as well to Jonia for providing RA's entire Clarissa narration for download at her blog:

http://joniascut.blogspot.com/search/label/Clarissa

               

       New Article:  http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Richard+Armitage-10445.html
          QUOTE:  "it was only a matter of time before the big screen came knocking"

WooHoo!  It's 11am, Thurs here, which means it's 4pm in the UK; therefore, whichever timezone bbcA used to calculate the end of round 1 - that phase should be over.  Results for the Richard Armitage vs Matthew MacFadyen (hope it's spelled correctly) matchup are:
Richard Armitage or Matthew Macfadyen?
Richard Armitage 55.82% (9,211 votes)     -   *HAPPY DANCE* :)  now for round 2
Matthew Macfadyen 44.18% (7,291 votes)
Total Votes: 16,502
http://blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/07/29/vote-in-the-anglo-fan-favorites-tournament-the-men-of-2011/8/#photo

It's hilarious - Peeder Jigson's latest has RA(mighty fine lookalike:) saying he plans to spend his hiatus looking in the mirror...hahaha...No need to do it RA -- Leave gazing at your image to the experts, who are your legion of fans.  The video asks cast and crew members(all impostors:) what they plan to do on hiatus. 

                         

            

After uploading to youtube RA’s reading of the miners’ poem (see post below), Musa mentioned the Bevin Boys.  I’d never heard of them before, so as usual, curiosity had it’s way with me..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevin_boys (scroll to see list of famous Bevin boys)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coal_mining
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/ww2.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/tudors.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/tudors_09.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/tudors_07.shtml

                                   

Richard Armitage Clarissa Review

Glowing words for RA's rakishness as Lovelace...
http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/27637/radio-drama

Notice the remarks in the review re her family.  If not a novel but rather an 18thC news report would the Harlowe family, as a result of their treatment of Clarissa,  have experienced a visit from beyond the grave...

Don't believe in apparitions of any sort, just find the photo interesting - the famous brown lady ghost.

Anyone who knows a prolific photographer

realizes the same type of ghost-like quality often occurred when one snap was accidently superimposed over another.

Richard Armitage: Listen to Clarissa Pt II - The Flight

Be prepared for Lovelace's husky sounds of frustration & exasperation at Clarissa's staunch resistance, heavy breathing 18thC style; AND discover why one scene w/the words "get off me" is amusingly mindful of Sir Guy & the sheriff..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rd4p1

Richard Armitage Blog Photos & 2 Faces of Lovelace

Morning sunshine...

2 faces of Lovelace..perfectly understandable why the fuss years ago about SB..

Richard Armitage: More News...our cup runneth over...

Radio Times chose RA's upcoming 'Clarissa' as one of their 'today's choices' with the words "devilishly smooth smouldering"...

 

Richard Armitage: Lovelace Poll - Guy & Mulligan Photos

Following is a fascinating examination of  Lovelace's personality and control issues..
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_18c/richardson/lovelace.html

Two RA characters come to mind - which one reminds you more of Lovelace?

                     

Richard Armitage: Here's the Face of the Latest Lovelace's Clarissa

It's usually satisfying to place the face with the voice.  The following is the actress whose voice will match wits w/RA's interpretation of the scurrilous cad Robert Lovelace.  Perhaps,  'giving new voice to the distant past'(1747) could be fairly used to describe Zoe Waites & Richard Armitage 's upcoming renderings of Samuel Richardson's classic characters.

My niece was/is an enthusiastic Harry Potter fan beginning w/the very first book in the series.  She re-read each newly published book at least 5times during her grade school yrs.  Every new English Lit teacher would explain to her mother that it broke their hearts to  remind her daughter it wasn't appropriate to read about the charming wizard while class was in session:)

My reason for taking that stroll down memory lane (she's now 19yrs old) was due to another flashback, during the same time period, when DH & I took our fav niece to see the very first Harry Potter movie;  and I'd felt compelled to tell her she need not replace her imaginary Harry w/the actor she was about to watch on-screen.  Of course, who knew at the time that Daniel Radcliffe would become the excellent embodiment of young Mr Potter.

For anyone who enjoys matching the face w/the voice, the following is RA's Clarissa...her voice in the role on this vid does have an innocent almost fragile quality to it...

http://video.tvguide.com/Love+IN+A+Cold+Climate/Love+IN+A+Cold+Climate/3588361?autoplay=true 

Richard Armitage as Robert Lovelace

Would the following be a fairly accurate mental vision as we listen to RA's radio rendition of Clarissa's Robert Lovelace...

Upon finishing the Sean Bean version of Samuel Richardson's 'Clarissa,' my first word was Amen!:) The storyline became quite tiresome & repetitive about part 19, however, considering the fact the lengthy & shocking saga was published in 1747 - one can easily recognize why it's a classic. (see links below for SB's Lovelace)

Part 21 should prove to be the greatest challenge for the creators of the upcoming radio version - especially if the Lovelace character is rendered as callously evil as the SB interpretation. 

After hearing the velvet voice portray what has to be one of the most debauched characters in English literature, we'll start to look at the Sheriff of Nottingham's right hand man as 'Saint' Guy of Gisborne;)  The prospect of inhabiting Robert Lovelace's depraved personna must've  posed an intriguing challenge for RA, while tapping into his affinity for complicated characters.

Richard Armitage as Clarissa's Robert Lovelace

hmmmm...doesn't the description of Robert Lovelace remind you of another RA character?  Do we need only remove GoG's leather *faint* and replace it with the above 18thC attire?  Evidently yet another male steamroller caught RA’s professional attention. 

Some fascinating background on ‘Clarissa' written by Samuel Richardson in 1747.  Sean Bean had a successful rendition in the 1990s. Interesting comments follow on that TV adaptation.  http://www.compleatseanbean.com/clari-3.html

Imagine the cad as a Taller, Darker, more Handsome man than SB - and with an extremely seductive voice.

Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7vkCco4JBo
II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2IUYZRxlU&feature=related (watch for young Hermione/Ros:)
III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l17B-z-foBE&feature=related
IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdAf0lQe9dQ&feature=related
V: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fbSOWuaVgs&feature=related
VI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpbRLCIrmmA&feature=related
VII: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skmC8WuEz5Y&feature=related
VIII: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpc_ipSOkAk&NR=1
IX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Zyxa8taEs&feature=related
X: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2FodHBZTA&feature=related
                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having just finished all 26 parts of Sean Bean's 'Clarissa,' my first word is Amen!:)  It became quite tiresome about part 19, however, considering the novel was written in 1747 it is amazing the plot didn't start to drag far sooner than it did.

Part 21 should prove to be the greatest challenge for the creators of the upcoming radio version - especially if the Lovelace character is rendered as callously evil as SB's interpretation.  We'll start to look at the Sheriff of Nottingham's right hand man as 'Saint' Guy of Gisborne, after hearing the velvet voice portray what has to be one of the most debauched characters in English literature.  The prospect of inhabiting Robert Lovelace's depraved personna must've intrigued RA's affinity for complicated characters.                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~