Dark Side Of A Berlin Station Fangirl

A spy never comes clean. Unless it is a fangirl. 

My spy codename is Soft Face, for reasons Eye Ball can only guess...

My family worries about me, because ONE blogpost about 'your friend' RA is understandable, but MULTIPLE blogposts???? Real friends left me for same reasons, so the road is clear to go spying...
I hang out with fangirls on different 'platforms' who form 'communities' in pseudonimity.

It is great that RA does another spy show (don't mention Lucas North in Spooks/MI5) and it is nice that he filmed it in Berlin instead of London for a change.

I was hesitant of pre-early reporting any reviews. As 'test audience' I could have revealed spoilers/ intel. I watched the first two episodes (1rst. twice, 2nd. once) which were temporarily available online, before they became 'area restricted' (many fangirls are 'area limited').

I was happy to have watched the promo talks. I found out that the Berlin Station makers had private jokes about the 'Armitage Army' which they didn't want to share. Maybe it had to do with the reputation of RA's fandom. (Where to find them is where they were looking. On Twitter.) Fact, I dropped two Berlin Station Cartoons on Twitter. (My bold and naughty Geist was back again. That is a good sign). Of course this is very egotistical and insecure thinking, very much along the lines of fangirl behaviour. I could have made some 'casualties' in my enthousiasm...

To mock this further:

"The much feared reputation of RA's fandom reached a new low, 

for he had to apologize profusely to his fellow BS colleagues, 

and company line was to ignore these cartoons on Twitter in loud unisolo silence." 

"Now THAT's what I call a fangirl."

(Choice of pic, gesture and calendar moment very intentional, clue-worthy fangurl blogmanship).

Good writing is uncomfortable. Shakespeare wrote Real Fiction. I might have embarrassed some.

The Berlin Station spy looking great.

RA is having great fun promoting this show. 

P.S. 

In reality I am a follower.

Feel free to come back to this blog and read my other great posts.

Note to EPIX:

The world is big. It is not only US of A. 

Overseas fangirls would love to see Berlin Station. Immediately. And talk about it together.

At the moment however, EPIX is rarer to find on digiboxes than RA pics on the web. 

Please, sell this show overseas.

Images: Berlin Station promotion material

The Crucible Cartoons

John Proctor and Abigail's situation in nowadays nutshell.

(I vibe Proctor/RA as schoolteacher).

About time I put my Crucible gems, posted first on Facebook and Twitter, on my blog.

These cartoons are made by Mat Khal which I met on FB, ideas are mine.

Dreaming of Olivier Awards.

(Finally, the odd photoshoot explained).

Mere mortals hoping to be read. 

(His facial expressions inspired me).

Anyone fancy to watch a reenactment of their domestic quarrels in theatre?

(Indoors, Old Vic allowed liquor in plastic cups).

There is a Fourth Wall that devides people in theatre. ;)

(Real inspiration will be revealed further in this post).

The 'doodle' I've made so Mat could understand my idea: 

the egotistical hyper awareness of the fleeting 'being in the room'.

(It is as simple as that).

This doodle I tweeted to RA's twitter account as a Thank You note, 

coming from the perspective of a humble audience member. 

Foremost, it was a mentional reply to Kevin Spacey's tweet 

as the departing artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre.

About a week later I was surprised - for coincidental reasons - when a charity tweeted RA's doodle. Remarkable, since he hasn't auctioned or published a doodle in years.

Yes, very egotistical of me to think there is any connection. Like the ripples in the water...

Anyway, after five years of flaw-inspired blogging I am still in the room.

Now that's creepy.

The Crucible Sketchings

"All is left is my name!! We will burn together!! I will rip your sketch!!"

 

 

Wednesday 23 July 2014 eve I went to see The Crucible play at the Old Vic.

The audience was very diverse. Gushing women were not the majority!

It was a crowd every theatre owner would have liked to see.

 

My preparations were appalling. Following the daily aftertweets, finding that Arthur Miller interview "it will all happen again" re. the 'fingerpointing' and me skimming John Proctor bits in the play. Decided not to read the whole text. Then lured in British media the sentiment of celebrities turning to be perverts as in: 'Can we put celebrities on a pedestal anymore?', Richard mentioning in interview that age of girl has been raised and age of JP been lowered in play. Me again wondering if fangirling was wise in the first place and whether I should spent money seeing a play abroad.

Then in Dutch media was shocking news of a plane crash with nearly 200 Dutch people dead, which swept my closely knitted nation of 17 million people (just as many as inhabitants of NYC) into mourning, anger and disbelief for the impossibility to get access to the crash site and removal of the bodies. Politicians, even worldwide, started fingerpointing to whoever was responsible for the mis*sile. The question 'Who was responsible for sending a civil aircraft across a warzone in the first place?' was not asked. It affected my anticipation of going and finding my flight rather tricky, not rationally, but from the heart. Decided to defy that sentiment and rejoice in my unique chance to see Richard in this play.

Then found myself in a gloomy theatre, with burned walls and dusty cloths hanging over the balconies, mulling in severe damps of steaming herbs and aluminium foil 'ashes' with 'a silence rising around me, an impeding and invisible wash of dulled vibrations between us, like a endless moaning musical note through which we could not hear or speak anymore, it was sadness, purely mournful, deadening'. I welled up during curtain changes of my associations with that plane crash site and was in survival mode during the play, because I did jump in a plane after all.

Then there was this burden that thousands of you could not be here with me. Therefore I wanted to keep the memory alive of this acting party Old Vic throwed with a skilled cast and crew.

 

Here's to sketching.

 

**

 

I had a shamefully good seat G13, Stalls, middle aisle, second row!!

 

I should add here sketch of his piercing, disapproving stare into the audience, at my height and place!

(I stared back! Might have unsettled him. Sorry, wasn't helping ye).
That was the opening scene with all the chairs.

 

 

Proctor Listening

 

It started with Richard standing near the front row, on the left of me, within 3 metres.

His face blocked by his upright collar. I rather see his face so I can hear him better.

He wore a dark coat and thin clothed trousers.

Proctor is listening to male villagers (Parris, Giles?).

 

 

Proud Proctor

 

Richard walked towards the steps and stopped within two metres of me, towering over.

He has hammer toes (sorry Richard, I wore open sandals with my Angeline Lilly feet).

Now that we are acquainted, we better carry on...

 

 

The Wash

 

Proctor came home with a ri*fle, which was not bended for safety (that worried me).

His wife had already filled this undeep, grey basin with water - which was on the floor (not table).

Richard sighed (hope it wasn't: here we go again), sank onto his knees,

crossed his arms and pulled his dark blue/gray shirt over his head (dramatic),

then ducked like a dog to his drinking bowl. He washed his face with his hands,

his underarms in alignment with the floor.

Then came upwards and turned his chest away to his left side.

 

His bum was sticking out and later he repeated this 'bum-up' at the other side of the floor.

So I had a good view up his bum (was that necessary?)

 

This Wash happened within 3-4 metres of me. :)

 

 

The Whip

 

OMG! Richard and a whip! This happened so fast, it must be an anger outburst.

Proctor is angry at his maid Mary Warren. He took the whip from behind one of the colons seen left.

I think he was slamming his fists on the table.

 

 

Running Whipper

 

Then Proctor runs around the table and lashes the whip three times, while shouting!

Richard has enormous long legs and big feet and takes gigantic steps like

John Cleese, so I found it funny, but also impressing! (phew!)

 

 

Handcuffed Proctor

 

My Mum made this sketch, to show that costumes weren't that soberly designed.

 

 

The End Kiss

 

After the trial, Proctor gives Elizabeth one final kiss.

A very long kiss, prolonged with grief and passion, which I could see in Richard's back.

The two kissers did a full turn, by making tiny steps in the round.

Audience members all around had a good view!

Even Hawthorpe(?) stepped aside!

(Makes me think they do read comments in tweets and reviews).

 

***
 

I haven't read The Crucible yet, because I wanted to upload these sketches first. I fear reading the play will trigger more images (which I will have to draw possibly).

Oh, and, ...
 

Despite my fangirly remarks, I found the acting truely worthwile to travel abroad!


I would love to see this play back on DVD!

I Suppose Richard Knows Best

"This is why I don't tweet."

RAFrenzy asked 'RArmy' to join military forces to commence into a RA fan flash. I don't know what the sudden reason for it was, any outings of off-camera lifes? But I usually tend to butt out of such frivolities and as one of my New Years Resolutions I kind of wanted my blog back. However, she cleverly managed to create a love nest for RA droolers, website-style. I so want to make out with her, but then to out her private order request: 'Please something funny, Violet-style' and my reasons for following?? My instant response was: 'Oh shit, pressure, pressure, what now, quick, think of something, yes, right, ehm, I'll get  back to you.' (quoting B. Cumberbatch)

OK, here goes...what I like about Mr. A (one fine actor with distRActing qualities) is that he and his fandom keep surprising me. One example of how this works, it was filmed that Mr. A was doing naughty voice-overs for The Hobbit. This then landed in the Extended Extras of one must-buy DVD, which then got ripped posted online by unknown technically advanced Tolkien fans. Then creative fan Bccmee asked me 'Wouldn't it be great if we get to hear Mr. A in The Simpsons?'. I have an indecent memory, so I agreed. I am secretly pleased with collaboRAtions like these! Then... oh, fan heaven, Mr. A referred to this 'my off-camera best line' in an global wide Fan Event shortly after that! I want my life back. :)

Now today, another surprise, something is about to happen in Noo Yawk. Thorin will read Pinter/Proust, says 92Y on their tumblr/Instagram page, the organisation where Thorin Mr. A (!) as part of an ensemble will read an adapted screenplay for the stage. I hope they get their facts right.

LATEST GOSSIP: Mr. A got One follower back into theatre!  

"I quitted doing improv last year or so and, after some time of contemplation,

I got back into the theatre, volunteering backstage, preferably with plays for children.

Motive: 'Great, nothing too literal!'. Cheering for RA's chance to go literal."

P.S.

It's his ability to create different characters that should be talked more about.

Yes, even this blog would sell him short.

 

Check out RAfrenzy's raflash.com

or #RAflash on Twitter

Image: Clickonline, added some theatrical magic by TFB

A Message From Richard

Not Another Hobbit Spoiler

Hobbit Fan Event And Creatives

The Hobbit ´DoS´ Stands For Dwarf Of Sexiness

Three Years Of Love And Ridicule

Gandalf: "Because they get a chance to see you!"

This week, April 9, was my THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THIS BLOG. 

Thanks to REMINDERS on FB and RETWEETERS in Twitterworld you all had marked

this HUGE MOMENTUM in your diary, because of the cumulative stats I post. :)

Warning: TOO MUCH INFORMATION.

It was THE YEAR OF WORLDWIDE HOBBIT PROMOTION and if you´re lucky you could have joined THE CAST AND PETER JACKSON with LIVE ONLINE CONNECTIONS through video streaming and twitter Q&A´s. Frankly, it was the year in which Mr. A had more screentime TELLING US ALL about THORIN OAKENSHIELD than acting as him. Though he had PUT IN LONG HOURS IN MAKEUP AND PROSTHETICS, SWORD TRAINING AND RUNNING NEXT TO GREEN CAT WALKS. It was the year WE DIDN´T SEE MUCH OF THAT, because of FAST EDITING, TOP NOTCH CGI AND STUNNING 3D IN 48 FPS HIGH FRAME RATE - DON´T DISCUSS IT, WE LOVE YOU HOBBIT FANS. It was the year we got teased to GO SEE THE HOBBIT PART TWO AND THREE in the next coming years. It was the year HUNDREDS OF HOBBIT ARTICLES passed my timeline on twitter, of which one article mentioned that the HOBBIT CONTRACT ALLOWS CAST TO FILM TWO MOVIES OTHER THAN THE HOBBIT. It was the year actor LUKE EVANS said to promote one of his two other movies than The Hobbit, that he LIKED READING ABOUT THE LOTR GUYS ON INTERNET, just some weeks after I posted my fake DWARFLEADER INTERVIEW. It was the year actor IAN MCKELLEN or more likely THE HOBBIT PR MACHINE stated in a press article that he wouldn´t repeat his CHARITY THEATRE TOUR IN NZ in Europe or elsewhere, a week or so after I casually tweeted a polite request to do so. Sorry LOVELY READERS, for ME not being COMMITTED enough.

Seriously, what a year this was for RA being HOT DWARF material in The Hobbit. (That´s my PR agent whispering that I should put that in. I myself didn´t detect any hot dwarfs in The Hobbit. Just saw THORIN OAKENSHIELD, DWARFLEADER, SON OF THRAIN. And that´s a compliment, to someone who now gets worldwide credit for hot fanvids and singing Misty Mountains. :) )

Now being double seriously, I was hanging in there with this blog to see how the release of The Hobbit movie would effect my pageviews. And it did! Even if this is a humble blog, not viewed by many, still it does what it does. It got picked up by all these search keywords, which were too general to find my blog, I reckon.

Most fanblogs don´t last two years. But I should not compare my blog to others. Although the thought of quitting goes through my mind, but see the work I have put in? I better leave it up. Especially since I have a hunch that I am read by people who put an interest in what I write. So, thanks, people, and thanks fellow bloggers and other fans, because it´s the creativity bug of yours that has put me to blogging. Thanks RAFrenzy for reminding me that I have a great blog. Thanks HOBBIT CAST for googling (oh well, they googled TheOneRingNet.com while they were on set, it was said during NYC promotions).

Top 10´s

These cumulative numbers represent my first three years of pleasantly crazy blogging with a naughty sniff of Richard Armitage in the mix. This year I am not putting links in this post. TOO MUCH WORK.

All Time Posts

(1) Letter To Thorin  8,887

(2) The Hobbit, Exciting And Dynamic Casting  7,448

(3) Lucas North, Pretending To Be Dating  3,051

(4) Lucas North And His Fans  2,941

(5) Guy Of Gisborne Syndrome One Year On  877

(6) Willmore The Rover, Name Another Rake  669

(7) Thorin Oakenshield And The Company Of Dwarves  623

(8) Quiet Dwarves, Hobbit Fans, Take Two  555

(9) SCOOP, Unseen Promo Pics Of Lucas North  457

(10) Getting A Whole Lot Of Guy  375

Referring URL´s

http://www.a*rmitagefanblog.blogspot.com/  1,333

http://www.m*eandrichard.wordpress.com/  791

http://www.t*witter.com/   328

http://www.t*heframeworkblogspot.com/  316

http://www.t*hesqueee.blogspot.com/  264

http://www.g*oogle.com/search  263

http://www.d*omar.ru/  145

http://www.s*pooksfanblog.com/ 116

http://www.y*imum.blogspot.com/  116

http://www.r*afrenzy.com/  114

Referring Sites

http://www.g*oogle.com/  8,422
http://www.g*oogle.co.uk/  3,855
http://www.m*eandrichard.wordlpress.com/  1,477
http://www.g*oogle.de/  1,475
http://www.a*rmitagefanblog.blogspot.com/  1,390
http://www.t*hesqueee.blogspot.com/  851

http://www.g*oogle.ca/  842

http://www.g*oogle.fr/  659

http://www.g*oogle.com.au/  645

http://www.g*oogle.es/  455

Search Keywords
thorin oakenshield  1,766
thorin  1,082

hobbit  661

lucas north  493

the hobbit 2012  329

the hobbit thorin  168

richard armitage dating  150

richard armitage thorin  136

the hobbit  112

richard armitage spooks  94

Audience
(1) United States  24,322 (huge number since The Hobbit release)
(2) United Kingdom  8,058
(3) Poland  7,129

(4) Netherlands  5,687

(5) Germany  5,636

(6) Australia  3,313

(7) Canada 2,109

(8) France 1,906

(9) Russia  1,208

(10) Spain  819

Pageviews All Time History

Best month December 2012  4,828 (release of The Hobbit: double as average 2,500 p/month)

Second best month January 2013  3,919 (release of The Hobbit continues, after that a huge decline)

Third best month January 2011  3,566

Pageviews By Browser

I*nternet E*xplorer 27,188  (35%)

C*hrome  21,792 (28%)

F*irefox  17,151 (22%)

S*afari  6,032 (7%)

O*pera  2,362 (3%)

Other (A*pple Syndication, Mobile, A*pple P*ubSub, M*obile S*afari, F*eed P*urcer) (2%)

Pageviews By Operating Systems

W*indows  63,232  (83%)

M*acintosh 7,296 (9%)

L*inux  2,549 (3%)

Other (i*P*hone, i*P*ad, i*P*od, Other L*inux, A*ndroid, W*indows NT 6.1) (5%)

**

Have I ever said that I love his acting,
although it sometimes makes me laugh when it´s supposed not to?

(*) Testing to block this post from receiving many s*pam comments.. and ruining my stats...

Screencap: RAnet, with TFB magic

Merry Christmas!

This won´t get me a job as graphic designer for FAULT Magazine..

anyway..

this is old style Photoshopping.

Merry Christmas to my readers!

** Image: screencap FAULT Magazine - behind the scenes video **

Driving For Fanstra 3

We followers love to be in a car with RA, a very comforting driver... Driving For Fanstra 3

This look was meant for me... I guess... Thank you!

I keep playing this music (hope no negative meaning hidden in this song)

Prefab Sprout - Cars And Girls

Find the many contributors of Fanstra:

Fanstravaganza 2012

Fanstravaganza 2011

On An Aesthetic Drip

Causing a lot of inspiration are all the recent splash of interviews for Captain America, The Hobbit and in general that solved my RA drought. I made these drips. Have to make the August calender yet.

Above DRIP is from Spooks ep. 9.8 wherein hero spy Lucas North shows his dark side and puts colleague Ruth on an anesthetic drip. I probably have heard it wrong! The quote is also inspired on a previous read goal: "To have as many to entertain as possible" (help me out here, this is my vague memory recalling). Meanwhile to keep other memories alive, I am on a solid drip addiction, prescribed by Mr. A. and followers.

Above DRIP is from the Project Magazine´s photoshoot and the quote is from Lucas North to his boss Harry Pearce in that epic rooftop shootout of Spooks ep. 9.8. Don´t say the syntax is wrong!
I am thinking to make a similar one with myself in it. Maybe I will put that collage in the background of this blog coming month. Because why? The Man is hitting 40 in August and guess what, so will I !

Above DRIP is also from the Project Magazine´s photoshoot and the quote is from Me, nailing the nailement of Mr. A. who understands what it is to have been constructed in 1971 and facing it all: "I have a life, career,  family, friends. I don´t need you". Ahem.. sorry, wrong counter quote from Lucas North´s former girlfriend Maya to Lucas in Spooks. Sidenote - according to a zodiac book, in referance to my birthdate in 1971, I should need the use of others more, instead of doing it all alone. When asked about 22th August of 1971, it was the same advice. Anyway, above DRIP is a moving fantastic inspiration for upcoming posts August Is Hot! Getting sentimental at my age! GRRRR!!!

Upcoming: August Is Hot blogposts

Will I be talking about The Beard, Thorin and Heinz? Mark your calendar!!

If you kind of feel left out of what I am talking about,

then hook on to http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/ to get your daily drips of RA dose.

Yep, I Did It Again: Cartoons!

Taken from screencap of Spooks series 8. Is he really getting a Dwarf-size contract?

Taken from promo picture of Strike Back, combined with secret location in Hobbit Country.

Taken from tweeted pictures photoshoot of RA for upcoming August issue of Recognise Magazine

+++++++++++++

Hope you will appreciate them, nick and link ´em, and thank me for making them!

Pass On A Book Week

Vaughn: "That book ´Now you too can master Spookology´ was not meant to be passed on!!"

Last week was -correct me if I´m wrong- some sort of "pass on a book" week in the UK to pass on your favourite book.  From what I´ve heard there were five selected books especially printed in large volumes to add to this cause. The BBC aired the tv-programme My Life In Books around the theme ´pass on a book´ in which within a half hour two people brought their own favourite books in their youth and afterwards and talked about what has given them the reading sparks. A very accessible programme, a bit awkward in the interactions, but nothing nuff about it. It actually gave me a little cheer, in thinking the British have some sort of culture after all!

The typical British (left) and the Dutch (right) skeletons ;)

When a new biography of Roald Dahl was introduced in my country recently, and I don´t know if was it mentioned in this programme, I heard an example of the true nature of the British. For instance the British didn´t understand and appreciate the late writer Roald Dahl as much as he was appreciated in The Netherlands. He had a way of communicating with people and his belief that fantasy is more important than reality was not very common. 

We Dutch have a similar book passing-on occasion for years. It´s called "Boekenweek" (book week) which starts this Wednesday (!).  To promote the book sales "het Nationale Boekenweekgeschenk" (national book week gift) is handed out with every book one buys. Every year the book week has a theme and a famous writer is asked to write a short story within that theme. This year, the theme is ´written portraits´.

Now on the pass-on book action. If I really object a book, I can´t pass it on. Found on my bookshelf a book which I stored out of my sight. I received this book with a little note years ago after an emotional event. Still have times I try to read it, to find out the giver´s intention. Books I have finished, I can pass on, unless I want to keep them, so I have to buy new one.  Books I do buy, are not always interesting to others. For quality books I go to the library. Most of the times, people request a certain book for their birthdays which I don´t have. Occasionally, I read a particular book which is also perfect for so-and-so.

~~~~~~~~~

Uncover the cover, for I will now reveal my current list. No Bookerprice winners, nor Charles Dickens´ biographies (in my possession), neither a top 10 of e-books. Just my actual overview.

Still in doubt if I want to read these...

 Do I let myself get surprised by the film

or do I read the book beforehand?

Nice woman, Nigella Lawson, but this food is very English

(think marmelade cupcakes) and I have to lose weight ;/

Moved to luring reading Men´s Health (yeah, so?) on

abdominal workout sessions, food schedules :)

 I´m so into this mindblowing book, right now.

My observation skills were first like a painter (distances, moods),

but now like an actor (psycho, density)
Remember it´s just a set of tools (DIY).

No doubt, just had to buy these.
Started reading chapters here and there..

The Tazbeks were so sweet
to pass on Lucas´ Black Book.
For marketing reasons
it hasn´t been published yet.
The author is too ruffled by recent events.

Illegal excerpt

My own wrong doing: RA The Fellowship Of The Beard

Spoiler: there will be NO mention of a non-violent death... *stares at clip*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spW2kvNzJvM

~~~~~~~~

Sources: Kudos/BBC/UKTV, Dutch Temple of Civilisation, Amazon, RANet/moi