Richard Armitage:"A blonde walks into a building.." and Gives Her Batman Opinion;) + Also Screenrant's Recent RA/Batman Views + The White Queen Trailer, Ep 1 on Aug 10 + UK Daily Star Headline(How reliable are their rumors?;) + August Calendars

Stunning Thorin fanart and the artist's website:

http://www.zanedevon.com/?page_id=468

Snobbiest city poll information found in this article:

http://tra.velne.ws/view/which-are-the-snobbiest-cities-in-the-u-s-a

UK Daily Star says RA is *rumored* to be the next Batman.  Now we need to learn the reliability score of this particular newspapers rumor record:

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/330385/Richard-Armitage-rumoured-to-replace-Christian-Bale-as-Batman

Honestly, I don't know if movie theaters could handle Armitage and Cavill side by side -- the screens just might vaporize before our eyes..

As I was watching the following vid couldn't help replaying in my mind what RA calls his only joke - "A blonde walks into a building...you'd think she would've seen it" Well, after hearing what this blonde had to say about Richard as Batman, it's obvious she does not live up to the stereotype:

Screenrant website's recent opinion:

(1 of 5)

Richard Armitage

No surprise here: Richard Armitage (Spooks, The Hobbit) was already one of our top choices for the character when we made our first list months ago, and as such, we were less than surprised when his name was mentioned among those currently being discussed by the studio. With the kind of looks and build that rarely come with age (except in the case of Hugh Jackman) Armitage has the poise that comes with experience, without the extra padding that usually accompanies it.

At 42 years of age and just over 6'2", Armitage fits the bill on paper, but brings along his classical training, experience on both the screen and stage, and his time with the Royal Shakespeare company to boot. That's the kind of experience that would make even Christian Bale blush.

With size, age, experience and looks that check every comic book fan's checklist, well... let's just say we're happy to hear his name mentioned among those in the running.

Circles within circles trivia: After recently starting the audiobook 'Anna of The Five Towns' by Arnold Bennett, I was amused to find Elizabeth Gaskell included in the following book review.  Found myself disagreeing with the last paragraph below where the reviewer seems to say Bennett was wrong to rewrite 'Anna' as a play with a happy ending, after concluding the book with tragedy "leavened by hints of future hope."  Here!Here! to author Bennett!  There are enough sad endings in the world around us, why insist it must be so for fiction?  That's the reason I've never watched totally dark movies - just reading world news provides plenty of negative vibes - no need to receive them when we turn to entertainment for a brief respite.  The Anna of the Five Towns review:

"Anna has been labelled a romance, a tragedy and a book of social significance. It certainly contains elements of all these things, often in a tantalisingly oblique way. After a hundred years there is still argument as to Anna's feelings for the two young men in her life -Willie Price and Henry Mynors, so completely different in background and character. it is the story of a girl brought up in the extraordinary atmosphere created by a dead mother and a miserly father of an extreme sort, and her reactions to the young men, of whom one was forceful and successful and the other a classic example of one of life's failures without a thought of fighting against ill-fortune. The story is played out against a background of pervading Wesleyan doctrines and customs, grasping materialism and blatant hypocrisy, but throughout there runs a steady though sometimes imperceptible trickle of the milk of human kindness. It has an important place in English literature because its author was putting into practice the precepts absorbed from French naturalism and from the Russian preoccupation with total and unremitting tragedy and despair. The result was the rebirth of an English realism inaugurated by Defoe and Richardson. transposed to a low key by Jane Austen, revived by Charlotte Bronte, refined by Mrs Gaskell and Charles Reade, over-elaborated by Charles Dickens and brought to perfection by George Eliot. The Five Towns stories also contain masterly prose descriptions of industrial landscape and the survival of human dignity despite severe social deprivation.

Anna is almost a do-it-yourself book, which each reader can interpret according to personal feeling. Perhaps the main certainty about it is that it stands firmly on a tragic ending leavened by the enigmatic hint of some sort of future hope. Confirmation of this came unwittingly from Bennett himself when he rewrote the story as a play ("Cupid and Commonsense") and ruined it by introducing a happy ending."

Starz 'The White Queen' website is ready for ep 1 this Sat. Write your own War of Roses family story...

http://www.starz.com/originals/TheWhiteQueen/AscendToTheThrone/Pages/AscendToTheThrone.aspx

US companies need to get this memorable sound for their tv ads:

http://unitedvoices.tv/richard-armitage

*****

http://www.nbc.com/crossing-lines/video/desperation-and-desperados/n39834/

http://www.muruch.com/2013/07/the-great-gatsby-audiobook-narrated-by-jake-gyllenhaal.html

Richard Armitage:Historical Hotties(see below link) Almost Desolation of Smaug This Time--Definitely in Dec;) + See RAflecting Pool + Lucas North(Spooks/MI5) Belongs to The City

ahhhh,,,relaxing soak...

Dream scenario: You receive an invitation to the Open House mentioned in recent poll, which of the following little black dresses would you be most likely to wear?

A...............................................B.....................................C

See the Narrator of this program(thanks Fabo): http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cmnhf2/fraud-squad--08082013

The following headline is hilarious.  It seems a decision was made that it would be necessary to sell the upcoming Starz series 'The White Queen' as a costume drama "without the costumes":) for the American audience.  Since when are UK tv shows circumspect when it comes to nudity??? Apparently so when it comes to portrayals of their historic figures.  Ah well, if that's what it takes to keep historic sagas *hot* for US tv audiences, so be it.  It is understandable why a nation doesn't want to display their former heads of state au naturelle - imagine the reaction if a US tv network developed a series based on life of George Washington, with the first President nude? haha Better not go there!  Now Thomas Jefferson - oh yeah -  Bring It On! That man was a TDH 18th century genius who could not finish writing The Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia until his new bride traveled from their home in Virginia to pay her husband a surprise visit. Here's the article showing the visual differences between what was shown in UK and what will be aired in US. (Bit of trivia for RA fans - the young king in this new series is actually the son of the actress who played Hannah Thornton in N&S. See photos in following article to get to know him far better:) The White Queen starts Aug 10 on Starz channel in USA.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362662/The-White-Queen-Uncut-US-version-BBC-features-alternate-nude-scenes.html

Well, we almost saw an early desolation of Smaug, but no doubt we'll find the real thing that much more satisfying in Dec;D  Did bbcA shoot itself in the foot with that matchup? None of the others are of any interest to me and probably many others, so they've managed to cut off many daily hits to their website.  No reason to go there for another year..Here are the final poll results of Thorin vs Smaug:

Benedict Cumberbatch 50.45%   

Richard Armitage 49.55%  

Here's Peter Jackson's Facebook page.  Any man who has the b..errr..confidence to start his last day of shooting a major movie by hugging his cat, and subsequently  ending that day in the same way, deserves strong kudos all around. See director Jackson's hour by hour description of the very last day of shooting The Hobbit trilogy...
https://www.facebook.com/PeterJacksonNZ

                           

Richard Armitage:Director Peter Jackson Final Day Photo(& remarks) of 3 Richards + Batman Anyone? Total Film Suggestion for Batman(see below) + Movie 'Bride Flight' Recommendation(plot involves NZ & The Netherlands post WW2) + Visit from Game of Thrones Writer, Geo Martin + Another Excerpt From Interview with His Black Sky Co-Star

Thorin's final extreme closeup and director Jackson's accompanying comment:

Peter Jackson Just shot this close up of Richard. Look for it in Dec 2014! 2 more shots to go. Main Unit shooting Thorin, Splinter Unit shooting Fili and Kili. 9.21pm. Getting very near the end ...  [Ricrar: PJ added to a comment "Richard is fantastic"]

Quote of Peter Jackson's comment accompanying the above photo on the last day of shooting for The Hobbit movies 2 and 3:

Big Richard, Medium Richard and Little Richard.

2.00pm. Just breaking for lunch, with the first shot on F Stage complete. A daunting number to go. I don't want to think about it, but it's probably 7 or 8 set-ups. Splinter Unit have made the move to K Stage and will start shooting after lunch.

I asked the various Thorins to pose just before they headed off to lunch. One of these is Richard Armitage, and two of them are not. It's your guess ... The one in the middle is a little psycho.

I am looking forward to making movies with everyone the same height in the future.
The pressure now goes on. We're going to have to move like the clappers!
                                                       *****
Here's the PJ comment where his very last words are "Richard is fantastic..It's amazing he can still stand up."

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151750784006558&set=a.10 150238899061558.364437.141884481557 

The last shot. 

Big monitors, main unit. Small screens bottom right, splinter.

We're neck and neck ... Shooting our final shots at the same time.

10.32 pm. 4 or 5 takes so far.

No, wait ... Done! While I was typing this, we shot more takes and finished! Richard was fantastic.Splinter almost done. Minutes away.

Smiles and happiness... And sadness. Yikes, very sad. 

A day that ran from about 5:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night. I'm surprised Richard is able to stand up.

Richard Armitage - Batman

Why: A fan favourite choice, we can see why. He's got the looks, the gruffness and he was in another huge fan-folk franchise as a bad-ass warrior, so he's fighting fit.

Why Not: This is actually a really good shout. Our only worry is that Warner Bros. may not want to cross their fantasy streams, keeping Armitage in his Thorin gear in case of future Hall H schedule clashes.

(above from the Total Film website)  

Lovely movie set in New Zealand after WWII. Brides(by proxy) from The Netherlands arrive and life as we know it ensues.  For those of us who've learned a great deal about NZ in the past 2yrs, the film takes us on a tour of the early landscape and we watch as the country begins to modernize.  All the while a very human story of love, heartache, happiness and friendships unfolds..

I check Game of Thrones writer, Geo Martin's journal now and then - today I enjoyed reading his post about 4 movie theaters he frequented while growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey.  He lamented the demise of 3 of them and then posted the following video showing the restoration of the 4th, The Stanley.  George said the fact the theater has been transformed into a church caused him to suddenly *get some religion*;D

http://www.pandora.com/station/play/1529381608375874977

Temps on East Coast have been hotter than hades this past week.  Time for some visual images and music to match the current environment:

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/articles/tts/tts1905/scrooby/scrooby2.htm

Richard Armitage:Sarah Wayne Callies Interview Excerpt(Andrew Lincoln asks "How the he** do you guys do it over here?" Lol + Never Heard of INSP tv Before Today,Now Know It Stands for Inspirational + North and South Broadcast July 14:US digital cable INSP

Fans *gone all gooey* over curls springing up with longer hair:

Following is an excerpt from a recent interview with RA's co-star in Black Sky:

Are there any moments in the show that have really shocked you?

Sarah Wayne Callies: Oh yeah, we were filming a love scene for episode three between myself and Andrew[Lincoln-RA's co-star in SB] and the producers came up to him and said “Sorry Andy, there is no thrusting allowed” and you could see Andrews face sort of get this confused look working out how a husband and wife make love and he turns to me and says “How the hell do you guys do it over here!”

Sarah, what do you have lined up next?

SWC: I have a film coming out later in the year in the States called ‘Black Sky’ – I don’t think it’s released over here in the UK until 2014 but it’s going to be great! It’s a tornado thriller which is shot through the eyes of professional storm chasers and I get to work alongside Richard Armitage who is excellent and an absolute pleasure to work with. In terms of television work, you won’t see me this fall however I may be involved in a project due to start filming next year although  I can’t say too much about that yet.

*****

[UPDATE: N&S will rebroadcast on INSP Sun, July 28 at 3pm]

Visual evidence that the best kiss ever filmed/taped? did indeed appear finally on a US tv channel:

I would say North and South was a huge hit for the INSP channel. They received almost 600,000 likes and of course not all viewers bother to rate things.

The photo posted along with INSP's other movie offerings:

               There was a screening yesterday of Black Sky.  Someone who was there commented on it at IMDb.

Re: Richard Armitage

by 12 hours ago (Fri )

IMDb member since 2003

Lucky enough to catch a test screening last night. He plays the dad of two american teenagers. Fine acting. I had never heard of this film coming out and they didn't tell us who was in it, so I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed--hey that's Thorin! And that's about all I recognized.

GREAT movie though. Helluva fun ride.

                                                            *****

              Now for a more recent The Hobbit thingie.  It's a good thing Martin is so cute and cuddly--after his "luv this country" aside;D  

Richard Armitage:Hollywood Spy Tells Us About New Wm Wallace/Robt Bruce tv Series(see link) + Screenrant Website Says RA Should Be The Next Batman + Read About a Fan's Exciting Visit to The Hobbit set(via Make a Wish Foundation) Where She Met Cast Members Including RA(see link) + Fan Artwork + Popcorn Taxi Q&A

http://hollywood-spy.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-historical-show-on-william-wallace.html#.Ud7s_T9w2fk.twitter

Love,love,love this by SexiestJoker at the deviantart.com website:

http://sexiestjoker.deviantart.com/

It's amazing how many RA photos are included with a simple search for "Euron Greyjoy Casting"

https://www.google.com/search?q=casting+euron+greyjoy+game+of+thrones+actors&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=V5LdUdOdJsXF4APiu4AY&ved=0CG4QsAQ&biw=1106&bih=579

RA fan meets him and other cast members on The Hobbit set. Read her self-described adventure:

http://elvenbutterflies.tumblr.com/post/54881582834/the-moment-weve-all-been-waiting-for-my-day-with

The Screenrant website mentions RA as having the perfect professional background and build to be the next Batman. A quote:

As a regular on the BBC's Spooks (broadcast in North America as MI-5) Richard Armitage has convincingly played one of the British government's most respected (and personally troubled) intelligence agents, as adept at hand-to-hand combat as he is detection and counter-terror investigations. You see where we're going with this.

Richard Armitage

Armitage will be garnering more attention thanks to director Peter Jackson, already having appeared as king-to-be Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. That makeup and digital trickery conceals Armitage's 6'2" frame (and more than a passing resemblance to Hugh Jackman), so he has the stature to go along with the skills.

An unknown with a proven track record as a high-level covert operative makes him the perfect fit for the rebooted version of Batman we hope to see, and The Hobbit will certainly be putting him on studios' radars; we hope DC and Warner Bros. are among the first to intercept him

This fan artist must've envisioned Thorin's "love of his life" that RA said he'd imagined the King under the Mountain had sacrificed, for the quest to recapture Erebor--so moody and romantic.

https://soundcloud.com/explore

Richard Armitage + HAPPY 4th of JULY! + The White Queen Trailer + Green Screen Thorin + New Vlog from PJ + Thorin Fanart(saw it on Twitter) + New Romeo and Juliet Adaptation(written by Julian Fellowes--see trailer)

H A P P Y   F O U R T H   OF   J U L Y !!

The White Queen - houses of Lancaster & York are coming! Aug 10,Starz

Following adaptation was written by Downton Abbey writer, Julian Fellows. At end of trailer it simply says "coming soon"..

Time travel: Ross Poldark's commanding officer, General Cornwallis, is apparently still reviewing his troops.  In fact, in certain areas of the country, Paul Revere's general alarm to American colonists needs to be again sounded "The British are (still) Coming!!";D and happily they attract many tourists.
http://historyisfun.org/yorktown-chronicles/history/cornwallis.htm