An Armitage Angel reports that everyone should keep their eyes peeled for the first major Captain America promotion. It will be one of the golden(extremely expensive) ads aired during this year's Super Bowl game.(will get date asap)
UPDATE: This year's SuperBowl will be played on Feb 6..along with that info also found the announcement of half-time performers, which will be The Black Eyed Peas. Thought to myself "there has to be an RA fan video using their music" - and indeed there is -- Meet Me Halfway by JulietD001
Past post of the Day: Spooks 8 - Sarah's King Lear quote:
News also arrived on The Hobbit, in the form of an online report in The Southland Times of NZ. A photo of Sir Peter Jackson's plane accompanies the article...
Evdiently merchandizing for THE HOBBIT has already begun...see the hobbit stein..besides it's hefty price, it looks way too cumbersome for a wee li'l hobbit to lift..
This is so very embarrassing - don't understand how it could possibly have happened - Well, you see, I've somehow mixed The Hobbit trolls with the goblins *blush*:) hehe...suddenly remembered that Thorin & Gandalf acquired 'something' at the trolls hideout -- NOT the goblins...mercy me, or as Gollum would say "preciousss me" ;)
Richard and Daniela are interviewed about North and South (vid by HeathDances)
If characters could write the ending....
RA T-shirt Poll #2: Would you wear a t-shirt/top similar to the following when you go to the theatre to see RA in Captain America and/or The Hobbit?
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You Can Leave Your Hat On Baby by tuttiatavalo & Don't miss the bus by verycleverlass..
[Is it the first squeeing, swooning women report?] Excerpts:
--Other fans are more risque still - it seems that all red blooded women want to talk about is the man playing handsome and charismatic mill owner John Thornton in North and South, the BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's tale of riots and romance in a mid-Victorian cotton town.
But the man in question says he is blissfully unaware of the excitement he is generating
"Oh God," he says. "Are they really saying all that? I have made a point of not reading any reviews. My experience making North and South was so good I don't want it tainted.
"I don't know what to say. I will read it all eventually, but I think I'd better wait until the fuss dies down."
Richard, 33, has certainly struck a chord as Thornton.
--And while there are elements of Richard's character in Thornton, he says: "He isn't me."
But he adds: "I can see his appeal for women. He is courageous. He has suffered great tragedy in his life and kept his family together…
"But during the course of the story his layers get peeled back and he reveals somebody else inside who is actually quite sensitive and lonely. He needs a lot and he finds it through Margaret.
"That dichotomy between the powerful..entrepreneur and this kind of vulnerable boy is really exciting to look at."
Like many in his profession Richard has had to wait many years for his big break, and isn't about to get carried away by his newfound fame. North and South represents the actor's biggest role to date - and a part he desperately wanted to get. "I just couldn't get this part out of my head and I kept reading the book. I tortured myself with thinking I hadn't got the part.
"I was one of the first people they saw - and one of the last. They went off in all sorts of directions looking for the character but then it came back around and they decided to go with me, which was great."
--There is also his family background. "My father is from Leeds, and my mother is from the south.
"My father's family were weavers and spinners. It is where I came from and it was exciting to think I could be a part of it.
"I've also worked in the North a lot, more than anywhere else. My mill was in Keighley where I really found the character."
He was exhaustive in his research of Thornton's character..
He was also keen to portray Thornton as authentically as possible. "We found an accent which was not a modern city accent, or a country accent. It was old-fashioned, but still an industrial accent."
His own accent couldn't be further removed from Thornton's. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Richard's can best be described as nondescript Southern.
His speech is peppered with jokes and little asides. He seems to enjoy being interviewed but it is a relatively new experience. While he has rarely been short of work he says: "Most of my roles have tended to be contrasting. I'm sort of there in the background."
He is unlikely to remain in the background now.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/love-in-a-cold-climate-535653.html
Excerpts: Back in Keighley, Denby-Ashe prepares for her next scene with Thornton, played by the little-known Richard Armitage. The chemistry between the two will be key to the drama's success, but the young actors appear unfazed by the challenge. "As soon as I saw Richard, I knew he was Thornton," Denby-Ashe says. "Just in the way he holds himself, he has a real presence."
Armitage feels equally confident of the pair's compatibility, "Something great happened when I read with Daniela. Something clicked. There are only four scenes in the whole drama when Margaret and John are actually alone together, and that heightens the tension between them. It's a wonderfully antagonistic relationship, and a real meeting of minds as well."
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What might RA have been thinking with these two 'laying on of the hand' poses?..perhaps
1. 'This house is quite old - had better give some support to this wall until he snaps the pic'..
2. 'No, of course not - nothing Napoleonic about it'
Have to hand it to him (pun intended:) - he always manages to catch our attention, doesn't he..
A toast to all RA's interesting, intense and 'hand'some characters -- forward march to MiddleEarth;)
RACentral today posted on youtube the following bbcA interview with RA during the Robin Hood series...
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Anyone who has been an RA supporter for any appreciable amount of time knows there are one or two favorite pics from each of his camera sessions that seem to be constantly used - what about the other images taken that same day? The following setting is the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, 2006. Which of these do you prefer?
1. Is this haughty enough? :)
2. Who loves ya baby!
3. o.k. - one more masculine mannerism to keep Ricrar happy ;)
PHOTOS Less Seen POLL #2: Fallback Career
If the impossible somehow did occur and RA needed to choose another career--which one?
1. His own Do It Yourself business?
2. An upscale professional male model?
The Hair! Hair! Poll - Peek-a-boo bangs or Lucas look?(see poll)
Guy & Marian:Apocalyptica by Aimz1013
What do the footwear fetish (hehe;) supporters think of these matching khaki-colored sneakers/tennis shoes RA wore at 2009 Carrie's War premiere?..:)
Sartorial splendor indeed in this handsome topcoat at the recent Old Vic event..Prediction: sometime in the next few yrs we'll find RA's name included on a 'best dressed' entertainers list...whether or not his is the fine taste behind the wardrobe choices (above khaki sneakers as the exception that proves the rule;) someone is definitely doing it right. [p.s. would wager the supporters who focus on footwear have already zeroed in on those accompanying the fashion-forward overcoat] Classic style with an edge:)
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UPCOMING SHOWS possibly worth our time: This Wed The Tudors series will start airing on bbcA
Our cup runneth over, for there are two historically based fantasies scheduled to soon premiere - first is on STARZ in the US and Channel 4 in the UK....
And of course the much anticipated Game of Thrones will pop unto our radar in April..Sean Bean as Eddard Stark of Winterfell
Here's an excerpt from the Coventry Telegraph: - thanks to the ever vigilant Musa.
>Meanwhile, director Joe Johnston, who previously made The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Jurassic Park 3 and last year's reinvention of The Wolfman, takes the reins on Captain America: The First Avenger.
Set largely during the Second World War, it stars Chris Evans - who we previously saw as Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films - as scrawny Steve Rogers who is transformed into a musclebound mascot. He battles the evil Red Skull, a Nazi commander played by Hugo Weaving, with Coventry actor Richard Armitage as the villain's top assassin Heinz Kruger.
[Ricrar Update: hmmm, wasn't RA born outside Leicester? Are nearby communities starting to claim him as their own?;) Reminiscent of the saying "success has many fathers while failure is an orphan" :) Sort of reminds me appropriately of the legend of Robin Hood as well - Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire have had a controversial disagreement about his origins for decades, if not centuries - both counties claim the lengendary hero.
Robin Hood Series I, Ep 3...
The Hobbit Tweet: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/01/13/41671-tall-small-casting-in-christchurch/
>Tall & Small Casting in Christchurch - January 13th, 2011 by xoanon
This weekend there will be a small and tall casting session in Christchurch, New Zealand. Thanks to the local ringers who sent this info in! The ad in the local paper reads:
The Hobbit: Official Short/Tall Casting Call
Due to the requirements of certain characters to be portrayed in the films, the production is currently looking for men and women of very specific heights for full time and casual work. Please note this is NOT an Extras Casting Call.
MEN: Ages 17-55
Height: 4 FT 2 (128cm) – 5 FT 2 (158cm) AND
Height: 6 FT 11 (210cm) and over.
WOMEN: Aged 17-55
Height: 4 FT 2 (128cm) – 5 FT (153cm)
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[R: In Tolkien dwarf mode, found another map and had a chuckle at the same time..see explanation below..
The above map looks much smaller on the other website, so upon seeing it for the first time said to myself "OMG - do they actually have a community called Bumside!?" teehee ;) It's Burnside]
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October 2010 - Spooks 9 interview revisited: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!<
