August Is Hot: Should We Know You?

"Yeah, I play Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit 1, 2 and 3. Want an autograph?"

AUGUST IS HOT

Theme: Should We Know You?

Is it really important what I say about Richard Armitage?

Well, I have this August Is Hot themed series running each year and so far, I was never silenced by my impressions of his entertaining acting, the dynamic man himself, or even by his massive beard. 

OK, I was, am, and suppose will be, but not in this way.

I'm so stuck in a barrel about The Hobbit presentation at Comic Con, 14th July 2012.

First, coming from me, it's a big compliment, it's the "Now I really get it, you're in The Hobbit!"

So why do I feel as follower and blogger to be expected to become a vessel for The Hobbit aka Peter Jackson to be endorsing The Hobbit? Willing to negotiate, call my agent...

Furthermore, the friendly but controlled introduction of Mr. A to the world, felt like a postponement of the eventual brutal unleashing to the masses and papparazzi, by the time of the premiere tour.

What do I have to contribute to the world with these hesitant sentiments?

"You're the burglar blogger. Go on and... burgle blog something!" 

 -

Thorin Oakenshield

Richard Armitage's fan base

In that case, I'll put on my 3D glasses!

BTW, I'm Violet, hilarious blogbabe, so rubbing shoulders with famous RA bloggers.

Am so boiling the ocean in a 'so-me/so-you'-way, according to my agent B. Arbie.

She's is such a doll!

Guess you sensed the humbug alert?

Maybe I should oil the PR-machine!

Image used: WB picture

Can't Say Anything New

"The Hobbit cast and crew are trying hard to make this film in 3D!"

There is no news. If there is, I can't say it. So quote others. My news is off the record.

News from Me

For the first time in my life I got the question: "How's your film career?" (!). Well, the day after The Hobbit Teaser Trailer got launched online, I found myself on a set again. It's a pilot for a tv series, werein I was an extra. The leads were former musical actors and there was a surprise set visit by an iconic actress, so that was nice. I am awaiting the viewing, although recently received an request to confirm my name for a mention in the end credits (!). Fingers crossed! :)

Got the chance to do a bit part in 'Merchant of Venice' in a special one day co-operation of amateur theatre companies (4 hrs practise, 2hrs rehearsal, 50 actors of 11 companies, devided in 6 teams, one time performance). Fantastic part of that was the coaching by theatre professionals who found our dedication to give our best, very inspiring. Personally I crossed some boundaries, so that was cool.

Since August last year I knocked my from insecurity driven need to be funny all the time at the weekly improv training evenings. Learned to focus more on the input of others and so helping the others look good on stage. This is true the other way around. My input gets picked up best by advanced improv members, so in learning I'm going full circle, constantly.

For the rest, I can't say anything new. Okay, one thing. Battleship movie, mindless thrill, great graphics (esp. chart of the planets at the beginning, me space nerd), toute clichés, free heart massage.

News from Richard

"This is how I relax after filming. I found a gnome who will show it as I'm under contract.
Can I say I groom my beard since block 2?"

News from the Gnomes

"Hanging out at the local 'Weta Shop', then off to '100 Days 'Till Garden Grooming Olympics 2012'."

Just so you know, there is nothing to tell! See?
Okay, I heard some noise at 1:25 -1:36 of someone saying:
"Thus I can't say anything new".
Take it for what it's worth.
100 Days Till London 2012 Olympic Games

The Gnomes were hanging out at www.robspropshop.com
and made a commercial too.

Good Girl, My Blog Is Two Years Old

"She deserves to do my smuggling!" he thought, while he puts packs of illegal substances in her car.
(Moving On)

If that sounds a bit sarcastic to you, that´s true. I don´t know how to handle my blogging celebration.
Two years! Two years of ´creative blogtherapy´ with RA in the frame. That really makes me ´tragic´.
Time for me to look at the stats of my blog. You can snoop too. Really, why hide them?

My All Time Top 10's

All Time Posts

(1) (3) The Hobbit, Exiting And Dynamic Casting Wasn´t there a movie in the making? No noise.
(2) (1) Lucas North, Pretending To Be Dating Search Richard Armitage+dating and one finds this post
(3) (7) Lucas North And His Fans There must be ´countries´ who get to watch Spooks (not in NL!)
(4) (nw) Letter To Thorin Many fans will send their fanletters to dwarf Thorin, so gnomes mess with me.
(5) (5) Guy Of Gisborne Syndrome One Year On Constant factor in naughty fans´ minds. Beg! Fetch!
(6) (9) Willmore The Rover, Name Another Rake Consoling ourselves with a rake of a question.
(7) (nw) Quiet Dwarves, Hobbit Fans: Take 2, Position 1 Hobbit drought? RA drought is bad enough!
(8) (nw) Getting A Whole Lot Of Guy Exposure for Little Guy win, exaggerated account of encounter!
(9) (2) SCOOP Unseen Promo Pics Of Lucas Spooks Every new pic of RA gives fans joy for days.
(10) (4) Bedroom Billboard Or Pin Up Calender? Oh, My, G*d, We, Like, That, Posterboy, Eh, Actor!

All Time Audience (pageviews by countries)
(1) (2) United States 10,979
(2) (1) Poland 6,920
(3) (3) United Kindom 5,864
(4) (4) Netherlands 3,976
(5) (6) Germany 3,575
(6) (5) Australia 2,909
(7) (7) Canada 1,432
(8) (8) France 778
(9) (9) Russia 637
(10) (?) Slovenia 478

All Time Referring URL's
http://www.armitagefanblog.blogspot.com/ 1,292
http://www.meandrichard.wordpress.com/ 758
http://www.twitter.com/ 328
http://www.thesquee.co.uk/ 264
http://www.domar.ru/ 145
http://www.spooks.fanblog.com/ 116
http://www.yimum.blogspot.com/ 116
http://www.rafrenzy.com/ 114
http://www.ralfiesm.blogspot.com/ 94
www.google.com/search 93

All Time Referring Sites
http://www.google.com/ 3,920
http://www.google.co.uk/ 2,588
http://www.armitagefanblog.blogspot.com/ 1,358
http://www.meandrichard.wordpress.com/ 1,198
http://www.thesquee.co.uk/ 851
http://www.google.de/ 534
http://www.avalon-medieval.blogspot.com/ 422
http://www.twitter.com/ 401
http://www.google.ca/ 351
http://www.google.com.au/ 335

All Time Search Keywords
thorin oakenshield 711
hobbit 438
lucas north 331
the hobbit 2012  331
thorin 328
richard armitage dating 135
richard armitage spooks 68
guy of gisborne 56
the hobbit movie 2012  50
dwarf beard 45

All Time Pageviews
Total pageviews 47,225
Best month January 2012  3,566
Second best month June 2011  3,496
Lowest month second year September 2011  1,374

Disclaimer:
Blogspot gives only top ten´s, so it´s not possible for me to notice or even analyse all visitors.
Then I would have to make this a paid for blog or website.
And who is this Thorin Oakenshield dude?

To compare stats (now regretting it: without figures) read last year´s posts
My Blog Is One Year Old And That Tells Me...

Scandalous, My Blog One Year Old

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

Not Quite An Interview With A Dwarfleader

A smiling Dwarfleader promoting Captain America after filming block 1 of The Hobbit.

The Framework Blog caught up with Mr. A on an imaginary level in cyberspace to hook up answers for those much plagued questions RA followers' minds are mucked with.

We don't hear a lot from you these days. Maybe it's for the best. Do your research on the Net, Miss.. what's it, again? Violet. Okay, it's my alter ego, and we're in cyberspace so...

How's your beard hanging? "I grew my own beard after the first block because I felt that it was restricting my face. The jaw is so connected to emotion that I wanted to have that free. It made such a huge difference." Why don't you quote me some more? MTV.com, Jan 11, 2012

Are you not too young and too handsome to be a Dwarfleader? Should the cast of The Hobbit Movie include handsome actors? To have them covered in fat suits, prosthetics and heavy beards? Is the cast diverse enough? Is Thorin not too young? Are women Hobbit fans? I'm finding these questions so funny. The extents of these talks... reminds me to focus on my acting.  TheOneRingNet, Dec 8, 2010

The Hobbit set in Nelson, December 2011 (source protected)

How is your typical day on the set? I can't reveal details yet. However, I'm proud to say, my short appearance as Thorin in The Hobbit Teaser is already perceived as 'Aragorn's stand-in', see podcast. Back in the days of LOTR, my predecessor if you like, Viggo Mortensen ran errands, and he got the role because another actor was fired after just one day on the set. Sofar so good for me. A day in the life of the LOTR, ABC News, Dec 4, 2004

Has Peter Jackson seen your showreel? Not during the casting process, but on set he might surprise actors by mentioning he has seen your previous work, of which he doesn't say it was your worst, to put you in place, but he doesn't exactly say it was your best, either. He is also known to have a lot of books, mostly about The Hobbit and LOTR. My stash of books at my bedsite looks meagre in comparison. There And Back Again, excerpt Sean Austin, ABC News, Oct 14, 2004

How is Peter Jackson really treating you? Holy crap, this man eats you alive! Brain Dead, 1992

Top photo Mike Warsland/WireImage, Jul 20, 2011, adjusted by TheFrameworkBlog

Another Profile The Women Adore

HOLLYWOOD - If you are a man and had the chance to visit Miramar’s Stone Street Studios when "The Hobbit" was being produced you would no doubt have been much more interested in how the picture was being shot, than in the personality of the star.

On the other hand, if you are a woman or a girl, it would be Richard Armitage you would be most interested in seeing.

I must confess that this clash of interest as displayed by the opposite sexes is not from personal observation.

That is what the guides at the studio told me - and they ought to know.

In fact, he so impressed the ladies by his gallantry of manner and courtly charm - two attributes by the way which were his great assets - that they began to pester the officials unmercifully.

Hence a ban on visitors for the rest of the production period.

None of this adulation, however, affected Richard Armitage. He carried on as usual, debonair, charming, always letter-perfect and in his usual high spirits.

However, the women who did manage to meet Richard Armitage in the early stages of the production were clearly pleased by his attention and all of them came away with the impression that he was their favorite actor.

In fact, he flattered them more than they did him.

In this picture he had keen competition - Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Aidan Turner and Benedict Cumberbatch are in the cast - and he worked exceptionally hard to give of his best.

For several days he was trussed to a pony. Nothing about him could move except for his eyes.

Peter Jackson, who directed and produced the film, was finally moved to remark, "Looks as though we've got him where he'll behave at last."

To which the cameraman remarked, "That's what you think. Richard can do more with his eyes than most people, and if you look through the camera you'll see he's pinching the scene."

Film fans have alot of knowledge about starts. Most of his American visitors knew he was born in England and that he joined the circus in his determination become an actor.

Many of the visitors to "The Hobbit" asked when he expected to sing in a picture. He merely said he had no plans for singing on the screen, although he is to portray the life story of Thorin Oakenshield, leader of a group of singing Dwarves, in his upcoming picture.

It was his singing ability, however, which got him back into a singing role, having performed in musical theatre in England.

For several years he appeared on English television in several tv series, Robin Hood, Spooks and Strike Back.

Literally "tall, dark and handsome" Armitage seems to have all it takes to make an idol on the screen. Women talk about him and when they talk to him he has the ability to make every one of them think he has eyes and ears for her alone.

Yet their menfolk don't object for they recognize in his easy-going manner, friendly attitude and ready wit that he is also a "man's man."

**this is a fake article**

A scan of the original article published in Picturegoer, February 17, 1945, can be found on http://www.carygrant.net/articles/profile.htm

The rights of above picture of Richard Armitage are with Recognize Magazine/Daniel Higgins,

in classic Hollywood look photoshopped and cropped by The Framework Blog 

So Why ´re You Here?

She: "I don´t need you." His reply: "So why ´re you here?" (Spooks ep. 9.2)

Because I'm not writing the scripts? I should have mentioned this above scene in Spooks in comparison with the scene in Moving On when I was reviewing Spooks series 9.

She: "I wanted to see if I still feel anything."  His reply: "And, do you?" Silence... (Moving On)

AND NO-ONE MENTIONS THIS SCENE COMPARISON ON THEIR BLOGS???
(Sorry, this post is full of tree branch jumping,
caused by lack of oxygen in my brain, due to breathless moments)

Writing is not always easy. Especially for paid writers who have a tv series to write within months and seek approval for it... So when these writers do character/story research based on the actor's previous works - in this case I can conclude this, because watching RA's diverse back catalogue was *gasps* - I don't mind.

This scene I selected here in Spooks feels like this scene in Moving On, but it was put in a different place in the storyline, which made all the difference. In Moving On it was at or just after the Second Act Climax, in Spooks more at the beginning, then he calls her, she comes at his house, she has an affair with him, it goes wrong...
If you have something to add on story writing, I´m studying this now.

The reason for above question was a request to join the Fanstrafaganza 3.
It made me think: why do I blog?
Also it was a rhetorical question for myself. These days the awareness to be still alive really kicked in.
I joined in a national joking experience of a viral infection which caused three months of sudden throat clamming moments, which made me see four doctors, but I didn´t see one in a heli.
(Most people around me had this infection too, but their effects lasted only 10 days).

No Golden Hour for me, every time felt like a matter of minutes... so no ambulance, either..
Besides I couldn´t speak, so how was I able to call an ambulance?

Are you ready for a breathless moment? Captain America movie had Mr. A's underwater escape.

Quite.

It was no underwater escape for me.
On another level I am in too deep.
Read that Mr. A prepared himself by taking swimming lessons - 50 strokes
 (vivid detail, keep those coming)
and after one take didn't like to do more,
because he ran out of breath and survival panic kicked in. I sooo know how he must feel.
*takes deep breath*

This scene of Spooks ep. 9.5. got me breathless in not a very nice way.

Can't even show RA's played struggle for life here, being stran*gled with a belt and tied to the trench.
I thought: "No, not the ending of Lucas!" Second time I had to laugh, because the struggle made me uncomfortable. Karma, I had it coming.... so bad...

Love that RA gave his extra 10% input here.  

So why I am here?

When I started this blog I wanted to write about acting and use illustrations of RA.

Breathless moment: doing ´smart´ (Spooks ep. 9.2)

Somebody back then suggested I could write for the Dutch version of this pink financial paper.

(OT: I recently heard "newspapers bring fairytales", used by Moriarty in BBC Sherlock ep. 2.3)

Maybe I am about to write for actors, currently joining a script writing contest, which provokes my quest to finish this historical thriller in my drawer,
thanks to being inspired by following Mr. A in a broader sense.
Not that I was inspired to start writing it, I already had,
but to be thinking about the people/energies/dynamics I would like to have in this story.
(Currently I think it´s BBC3 material).
But I should up my goal (no offence) and give it my extra 10%,
because there have been others (RA minders) with similar quests.
So believe or not I then had this dream where I sat on a black velvet Chesterfield bench at a swank club, waiting, when Mr. Depp (looking like he´s now) came to sit next to me.
He had a book in his hands which looks like the book I´m reading now on story writing.
He said: "Is the story like the story of such and such?"
Me: "No, it´s more like this happened then that."
"Is it any good, ´cause I´m gonna act in this movie."
Me: "Yeah, I wrote it."
"Oh, right, will you sign it for me then."
"Yeah sure, it will be an honor, OMG."
Don´t ever think Mr. D prepares his movies like this, it seems sooo unlogical.
Why Mr. D? Someone said to me to like to see Mr. D in Tha Hobb It.
Then I had to think of the movie (can´t recall the title) in which several people say:
"OMG, have you been talking to Jim Morrison too in your dream?"
So yeah, my creative input is weird enough, now how to put it to paper.
(Sometimes I dream whole movies, just awake remember only scenes, then impressions).

I was saying I was here again, why?

It started with stubble.... erm, Mr. Giz... on YT... *faints*

Now there is The Beard. *sighs*
I like this in combination with the rough sweater.

But it´s for a good cause, it´s for the movies of The Hobbit, a story for children of all ages. *breathes*

It currently leads to finding pics of Hobbit fans like these... taken in December 2011, in Nelson, NZ.

I think I stick around, then I do get to see and hear things RA didn't have to do,
but sooo show his extra 10%.... commitment...

Warning for breathless moments (!)

The Strike Back Viral

http://vimeo.com/13489180

That drop wet Strike Back promo...

http://www.mediafire.com/?tglnm1nyeh2

The Hobbit trailer

http://on.wb.com/thauj-720-mov

Life lesson: the flesh is weak, but the mind is strong.

Until RA says "he would disappoint" me.

Mr. A, does "you confused me back in the days" count?
I might not always blog Mr. A related,
so who's getting disappointed now?

Yep, life is struggle. That´s what makes a story.
*breathes again*

So why are you here?

Seriously.

Breath mints: RACentral, BBC/Kudos, Project Magazine, Unidentified Blogger