Category Archives: screen cap

screen cap

Interlude XLVI: Objectify Guy

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We’re now ramping up production on Phantom of the Opera.  Fifty-two talents each with four costume changes.  The sets need erecting.  Mary Ellen and Ellen are stressed to the max, the seamstress hasn’t arrived, and I’m flailing around taking notes and plugging up holes popping up left and right.  And it isn’t even rehearsal week yet.   Good grief.

It’s so crazy a gal could use some objectifying, so why not my favorite go-to – Guy of Gisborne. Hey, had it not been for this bad load of pretty, I wouldn’t have discovered Richard Armitage.

Enjoy.

Guy demonstrates to Marian how semi-nudity is integral to the story, Courtesty of richardarmitagenet.com

Guy demonstrates to Marian how semi-nudity is integral to the story, Courtesy of richardarmitagenet.com

Repost: The Genesis of Perving

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[There was a recent to-do on Facebook that publication of half nude pictures of Richard Armitage from The Crucible were allegedly “objectifying” and “disrespectful.”  It wasn’t the first time the complaints arose and won’t be the last, although critics seem to assume their protests have never before been heard.  Four years ago, I wrote this piece about objectification after some fans complained, among a list of other things that supposedly didn’t honor him.  It elicited such a nice discussion and so many hits that it would be nice to start a new dialogue.]

*****

A anthropology student alerted me to the following tweet posted on allthingsrarmitage:

“Callipygian is a word coined by the ancient Greeks (‘kallipygos’) that means ‘having beautiful buttocks.” This picture was associated with that reference:

ultimate force arse shot

A nice example of beautiful buttocks.   Courtesy RichardArmitageNet.com

This screen capture is of course Richard Armitage in Ultimate Force.  Ancient Greeks would say he is quite callipygian.  Now this type of talk in the modern age raises protests of objectification.  My question is: why does that have to be so?

Ancient antiquity has always depicted nude image and statues of the human form.

nudes

(l) Greek male nude (r) Replica of nude male wrestlers. Both quite nude. Courtesy of Greek Museum Authority

The human form has always been considered a source of nature beauty, sculpted and painted for ages.  It’s certainly safe to say that because artists could not take actual human being and freeze them in time, they froze them through other media.  The following picture of Michelangelo’s “David,” sculpted circa 1501, is considered a masterpiece:

michelangelo david

Michelangelo’s “David.” Courtesy of Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence

Millions of tourists flock to see this statue.  Nobody would say (other than the must repressed prurient type) that it’s improper to admire and even study this work of art.  People would certainly say “David” is callipygian even though it’s an idealized medieval depiction of a human male.  Nobody could convincingly argue that Michelangelo objectified the human form unless they believe that all nudity is inappropriate.  Since that’s not my premise, I won’t answer that argument since it takes us down the road of morality and personal taste which I’m not discussing here.

So why do fans become uncomfortable when viewing this picture?  It caused quite a stir when first published:

RA as Lucas festooned in tatoos

Richard Armitage as Lucas festooned in tattoos. Would you say this form isn’t view-worthy? Courtesy RichardArmitageNet.com

I observe similar lines and muscles depicted in the idealized statues.  If fact, the real human form is more beautiful because it shows the real flawed form, not simply an idealization.  Does viewing his form suddenly become objectification because he’s a living man?  Is it improper to also say he’s callipygian here?  I argue no.

Sexual objectification arises when a person is viewed as an sexual object or only as one. I have yet to find any fan forum where RA’s artistry and personality isn’t also discussed in detail.  He is not seen solely as an object of lust.  However, it’s self-delusional to say that he shouldn’t be viewed as the sexy man he is.  Human beings are sexual creatures; this is how we have the drive to reproduce our species (or not, as the case may be).  We are hard-wired to perv each other. We sexually objectify each other to a degree on an instinctual level.  We view the human form as desirable and have since probably cave man times.   This form has been frankly depicted since antiquity.  The fact that the modern media makes it possible to photograph the human form in real time doesn’t change anything.

I’m always amused when women protest the loudest that men should not be objectified because it implies a hypocrisy in protesting against female objectification.  I have problems with female objectification only to the extent that it’s used for exploitation.  When that’s not the case, I have no issue if Halle Berry’s fans consider her the epitome of beauty.  Conversely I have no problem with male objectification and feel no shame and admiring male beauty. Is RA being exploited?  He is a grown man who made informed choices to appear in roles requiring undress.  I don’t believe it’s for us to question his judgment as to whether that undress was integral to the story or gratuitous.  I’m comfortable respecting his decisions as to whether he considers himself exploited or not. I can safely assume he would not take a role he deemed exploitative. Even if he did, it was still his decision.  So, I feel free to say that RA’s is callipygian in particular and gorgeous in general without any need to justify.

Here’s an absolutely callipygian screen cap:

Between the Sheets

Richard Armitage as Paul in Between the Sheets. Callipygian, no? My screen cap.

RA arse shot

Very callipygian. Yes? Richard Armitage as Lucas North. Donated artistic screen cap.

 

What, no? Does it really make a difference that this is a screen cap of a real man playing a fictional role in a fictional series?  What if RA decided to pose nude as himself?  I don’t think this picture is less worthy of being admired than if a sculptor made an approved marble statue of his bum or his body and placed it in a museum.  As a straight sexual female, I will admire his body no matter what form it took.

I’m amused every time the objectification issue arises.  When the above tatted picture surfaced, fans drooled but always rushed to add they also admired RA’s work and personality lest they be accused of objectification, although this was understood by everybody.  I find all this protestation unnecessary.  It’s time to drop that veil of political correctness and just be honest as fans.  We like to look up RA’s form because it’s beautiful and desirable.

Just say so.  Period. We understand the rest.

 

 

Interlude XLV: No Rest for the Busy

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We’ve almost finished building the scenery for The Snow Queen production this weekend.  More work tomorrow.  Sleep seems like a good idea.

Apropos of nothing, I was searching for one of my favorite pics of Guy tied up (how many times does that happen anyway) and came across this one.  Kind of looks like a scene from Season 4 –  The Sir Guy of Gisborne Show.  Televised after the family hour time slot, naturally. Really late.   Really really late.

Guy nightmareep6_0013

Guy is either having a bad nightmare or a lovely time. Courtesy richardarmitagenet.com

 

Interlude XLIV: Man at Work

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Sadly at the home under the weather today.  The upside is that I can concentrate on writing.  Since my 4th blogversary passed December 28th, I may have something to share tomorrow.

What’s not to love about this pic of Richard Armitage?  There’s the longer hair, the long side burns, the stubble, the profile, the smile -did I mention the LONGER HAIR? (Call me old school, but he looks better with some hair to soften the angular face.)  Most of all, he’s at work, showing us a bit of the magic.

Enjoy.

Richard Armitage reading Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel. Courtesy of A.J. Hartley

Richard Armitage reading Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel. Courtesy of A.J. Hartley

Surreal Saturday: Blogging Is Non-Habit Forming

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clockSo I just missed the deadline for yesterday’s post.  Ordinarily I write for the next day but this time, I’ve been leaving things until the night of that day’s post.  Oddly since retiring, I’ve not fallen into a routine.  Before, I fit my life into the limited free available after work.  Blogging didn’t pose such a big problem; a three hour post-dinner deadline always loomed.  Now with all the time in the world – you’d think I would write reams.  That’s not been the case.  After 25 years working, it’s hilarious to develop time management problems in retirement.  This goes back to an issue I touched on last year.  I spent my time always reacting to negative motivation on the job (i.e., work deadlines, micromanaging etc).   Now I have to be proactive; all the impetus must come from within.  But that’s one of the problems with/recovering from depression – finding the mysterious self-motivation.

Then I wonder about other people with illnesses who seem to have no problem in the respect.  People like Stephen Fry who acts, produces, lectures, hosts, blogs, geeks, writes, advocates and seemingly has his fingers in every UK entertainment pie despite being bi-polar.  Closer to home, The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson writes books and a hilarious bawdy off-kilter blog even with depressive and anxiety disorders.  Both of these people manage to regiment their time quite well.  Are they juggling many balls to stay ahead of their illnesses, or is The Secret keeping busy and productive with many things.

Maybe I’m suffering from too much time on my hands.

Since you made it this far, here’s a treat – a man who doesn’t have enough time on his hands.  I’d love to ask him about time management.

Enjoy.

 

Richard Armitage photo by Robert Ashcroft

Richard Armitage photo by Robert Ashcroft

 

Interlude XLII: What Me, Volunteer?

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There’s no polished piece tonight.  I spent most of the day with my friend Mary shlepping from store to store purchasing materials for an upcoming high school production of The Snow Queen. The costumer had a hacked credit card, and although she’s the musical director Mary had to leap into the breach.  Where do I come in?  I’m now her volunteer assistant and she’s over the moon at the prospect of putting me to work.  But before I can actually interact with the kids, I must sift through hours of paperwork for background checking, online training, and what I exasperatingly call “Chester the Molester” instruction so that I know of, am vigilant about, and don’t run afoul concerning inappropriate interactions with minors.  Becoming a volunteer sadly isn’t the same these days. This prep school is quite posh and quite large, so they have a lot to protect by dotting all “i’s” and crossing all “t’s.”  I must be squeaky clean.  All this must be done pronto, naturally.  Mary wants me in place for the next production, Phantom of the Opera, one of my favorite musicals.

So I leave you with my latest Richard Armitage favorite that he recently tweeted.  I think it’s the cold and lovely snow that really pulls me in.  Would I lie?

Enjoy.

RA skiing

 

Interlude XLI; or Real Life Intruding

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I had a “The Man” story percolating on the back burner but Real Life ate my homework. Honest!   Long story short,  my new retiree budget requires me to make a few cuts, including selling my condo.  Right now I’m in a flurry of decluttering that must be completed in a matter of days in time for the listing going live.  All my physical and mental energies are dedicated to making this happen.  So The Man will have to wait for his next foray through the absurd mind of yours truly.

In the meantime, have some suave, clean shaven Armitage.  Do we really need a reason why (other than the NON-BEARDY goodness?)

Richard Armitage picture by Robert Ashcroft

Richard Armitage picture by Robert Ashcroft

 

Oh Guy, You’re So Fine

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I’m baaaack.  There’s real life news to report but I’ll talk about me next week.  Today is Guy Day.

Every time I think that my Richard Armitage crush as moved away from 00gling blatant objectification visual admiration, Guy Day Friday rolls around and I find myself pawing through my stash. Then Guy jump starts the admiration all over again.  Take a look at some of these lovely lovely pictures:

What’s a fan gurl to do? I suspect the visual images of Guy fascinate me because of the amazing masculine and feminine mix in Richard Armitage’s features during his mid- thirties at height of his looks, IMHO.  Just a change in lighting or angle of the head accentuated one over the other. But that’s a whole ‘nother post.  Let’s just admire for now.

C’mon Baby Light My Fire; or the Underbelly of Motivation

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I know the feeling.

I know the feeling.

With a change in medication regimen, my mood has been stabilized on the positive side of neutral for almost three weeks.  This has been the longest stretch since the London trip in June 2011.  Dr. G. tried this regimen previously, but wondered if it would work sans work stress. Voila!  I feel good.  I know there’s no cure for depression, but I hope this regimen has a long viability.

So why haven’t I been blogging? Interesting question.  I mulled over this for some time with Dr. G.  Why haven’t I been motivated to blog since I feel so good?  The answer: because I feel so good.  Good feelings are a positive motivation, but my entire life has been controlled by reflex reactions to dire external consequences.  Negative motivation is an entrenched behavior, and such a thing is very, very difficult to change. Musing that I want to do X, so it gets done is an unusual and unfamiliar concept.  Distraction and desperation motivated the previous long stretch of blogging.  Now, what’s stressful about happy feelings?  Dr. G., who has been pushing blogging big time, suggested working up to writing my novel (did I mention that?) as a motivation.  But realization of a real book won’t happen for years; it doesn’t have the punch of immediacy.  No pressure?  Oh dear.  No matter my real or imagined excuses, I’ve decided to allot time every morning after rising to blog, write – type something.  Let’s see how this goes.

So what have I been doing for almost three weeks?  Making busy work and plans. Firstly, there will be no more snap decisions – retirement was enough.  I need to move forward with careful consideration.  The condo sale is on hold because 1) I love the place and am not ready for any emotional fallout from suddenly wrenching myself away, and 2) I don’t know where to land and certainly don’t want to move someplace I don’t want to be, and 3) I can feasibly stay for another year while I sort things (repairs, painting, clean-out, etc.).  I’ll have more than enough time to research living in other parts of the city or the suburbs while becoming mentally and physically fit.

Also, I’ve been PC video gaming, namely playing RIFT.  Now don’t laugh; this has been therapeutic. I played game therapy for psych rehab in the wilds of Ohio with my friend a few weeks ago. The first half of the week, she beat me easily, every single game.  Ridiculously simple-minded and silly mistakes characterized my play.  I used to be a damn good player and this secretly chapped my ass.  However, because of focus and concentration issues, my ability to persist in either has eroded badly.  It’s been like an atrophying muscle. So I hunkered down and exercised it over the week. By the end of the trip, I finally won several games.  So when RIFT went “free to play,” I decided to check it out again.  Gaming requires extended periods of concentration. The characters embark on missions called quests, work on trade skills, duel, etc. etc. etc. It’s a massive time sink.  After an initial stretch of play, my interest quickly waned but then I discovered a game aspect called Dimensions.  A dimension is the player’s own world crafted with special items.   If it’s not sold in-game, it has to be made or recreated (morphed).  For example, there is no item called a turkey dinner platter, so it must be recreated. I must break the image down into parts and conceptualize what obtainable items can be rotated, flipped, sized, pushed, and pulled to look like a real turkey dinner platter (3 burlap bags, 6 decorative sweetberries, and a patterned urn).  The morphing requires a lot of focus and thought.  So, I’ve been crafting in my own dimension (my inner decorator is happy) while gaming, and exercising focus and concentration.  Bizarre, eh?  But it’s working.  Eventually, this interest will wane (after I finish six more tiers), but that focus muscle will be a little stronger.

great room

The Great Room. Most of the furniture is crafted.

kitchen

Everything crafted but the walls and floor.

My character and her dog in a top hat of course, Kirby.

My character and her dog in a top hat of course, Kirby.

guest house

I built EVERYTHING – including the house.

bath

Luxurious bathroom. I made that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I suppose the odd gaming has created a POSITIVE motivation in psych rehab. Who knew?

 

 

 

 

Mental Rehab: Day 1

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In case anybody was wondering “whither Judiang,” I’ve journeyed to the wilds of Ohio for an annual get-together with friends at a cabin in the woods by a lake.  My friend has just finished showing me around the new school where she teaches. It’s a very lovely 21st century school with all the bells and whistles but in a location so rural there’s no phone reception.  This causes a cognitive dissonance in my citified, always connected mind.  But it gets better: the cabin has dicey phone reception and no wi-fi.  I will spend a week not cruising the internet, not playing Borderlands 2, not obsessively viewing strange crap on YouTube, not tweeting at 2AM instead of sleeping, not NOT.  Instead I will engage in unfamiliar activities like talking with live people in the same room, walking about, pointing at unusual animals (read: horsies and piggies), eating nutritious food, and letting the sun touch me.  My iPad has a tethered keyboard, so I could like – write – with no internet distractions.  My friend thinks I can do this for a week.  Uh huh.  She also promises that she’ll take me to an internet cafe if I start seem unhinged.

I wonder how she’ll be able to tell.

Uh oh, she’s finished closing her classroom for the school year.  Wish me luck.  I’ll post when I can.

Oh, and Happy Guy Day.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne, realizing he has no competition in the series.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne, realizing he has no competition in the series.

Interlude XXXIX – It’s A Man’s World

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Just returned from seeing Sky Fall with Daniel Craig.  His body is hot and he cleans up nice but I wanted a bit of pretty.  Let’s see if this is adequate.

Hmm, I’m not complaining.

Enjoy.

Richard Armitage notices a blimp of fangurls passing over.

Richard Armitage ponders whether to pose nude for the centerfold.  Courtesy of Fault Magazine Issue 13

Richard Armitage decides that the chains are too much. Courtesy of Fault Magazine, Issue 13

Richard Armitage decides that the chains are too much. Courtesy of Fault Magazine, Issue 13

 

 

Interlude XXXVIII – Putting on the Ritz

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…Well, actually Claridge’s.

Guests are arriving here for the weekend.  They want to see… The Hobbit.   I meet up with a fellow fan next weekend.  She wants to see…The Hobbit.  Did I mention I’ve seen it twice already?  ARRRRRRGH!  While I deal with this Hobbit glut, think about this: the age of bagginshield fan fic has dawned.

I’ll leave you to figure that out, along with this picture taken at Claridge’s hotel in London.

Enjoy.

Richard awaits his tea and crumpettes. Courtesy of Tumblr.

Richard awaits his tea and crumpettes. Courtesy of Natylyra on Tumblr.

RA Break Day

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This is another mental health day.  Still have a review of The Hobbit movie itself and RA’s report card to go before I’m done with the whole thing.  I still haven’t started any writing for Christmas week, so I’ll toss it to you Dear Reader:

What would you like me to write?

Anyway, I painstakingly searched through the amazing stash at RichardArmitageNet.com for you people and came upon this one.  What really tickles my funny bone are the expressions on the fans’ faces… after I looked up.

Priceless.

Behold, the power of RA

Behold, the power of The Armitage

 

Review of RA and Thorin; or Oh Thorin, You Fine Bastard

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Thorin12I’m not a Tolkien fan, having never read any of his books.  I saw all of the LotR trilogy  enjoyed them, then promptly forgot them, except for Gollum and his precious. I wouldn’t have been particularly interested in seeing The Hobbit were it not for Richard Armitage being cast as Thorin.    So my knowledge of the story is either forgotten or nonexistent.   As for RA, I’ve made no bones about not being an avid fangurl.  But I wanted  him to do well and was thrilled for him that he’d snagged this major role.  Also, I attended with a friend who didn’t know RA from Adam. Truth be told, I would have felt mortified had she turned to me and said, “So that was your boy? He sucked.”

So yes, I hoped he didn’t fall on his face.  That was the extent of my expectations of him.

That’s also the extent of my objective fan bona fides.  Okay, now for RA and Thorin.

Knowing next to nothing about Thorin, I was prepared to embrace this dispossessed king.  I knew he might have some issues over the situation, but this Thorin is a total prick.  He is prideful, ego-driven, stubborn, obsessed, bastard – the poster child for grudge carrying.  Even the flashbacks showing Smaug toasting Erebor, Thranduil the Elvenking turning his back, and Azog beheading his grandfather didn’t adequately explain his highly antagonistic attitude towards Bilbo and need to insult him every chance he got.  Aside from marveling his noble and commanding warrior badassery, I felt little reason to care, other than he is the good guy.  By the end, I wouldn’t have been surprised had Bilbo acknowledged Thorin’s thanks by telling him where he could go.  RA gives a solid performance as a solid asshole.  But wait, this is a children’s movie.  Other fan reviewers raved and cried.  Hmm.

Clearly I was missing something.  So, I went back for a second viewing in a closer seat.  All became clear. Literally.  I was too nearsighted to see RA’s eyes during the first showing.  This time, Thorin is still a bastard, but such a good-looking one.  That always helps, it really, really, really does. (But you know I’m shallow).  More importantly, seeing his eyes makes him more human dwarven; they signal more depth and emotion underneath the gruff exterior.  This makes Thorin more palatable to me, but he is still not admirable as a character.  The big scene in which he loses his mind and marches out of the burning tree to take on Azog AND his warg,  leaving his group to die, qualifies him for a major beatdown later.  Or at least a good right hook.  There’s also the strong indication that his quest is more motivated by personal vengeance and the need to redeem himself in his own eyes as an heir of Durin than an altruistic reclamation for his people.  As he tells Balin, “*I* have no choice.”  He’s hell-bound to proceed with the mission no matter what and feels no qualms about leading a paltry band of 14 to do what an entire army of dwarves could not.  Again, having never read Tolkien, I assume honor and vengeance is the dwarven creed, so maybe his behavior is understandable.  While Thorin is not a particularly likeable character, there’s an indication that might change as the journey continues.  However, considering that he’s already half unhinged, I’m not sure how he will avoid the dragon sickness and its greed.

[EDIT: Thanks to our Mujer Tropical, I have a better understanding of Thorin.  Facing his destiny and fears is certainly admirable, so I revise that part.  However, I still have difficulty with his likeability, mainly because it take a little more time to understand such a character without some outside source (the books, Mujer Tropical).  Unlike Sir Ian with Gandalf, RA was given precious little time to convey Thorin’s complexities.]

RA delivers a solid performance as Thorin, considering he was quite hampered by the prosthetic forehead.  He had to dispense with the repertoire of micro-expressions for which he’s known.  RA reported he had to overreact scenes with his eyes and jaw in order to signal emotions to the audience.  He managed successfully, giving Thorin more depth than he would have had ordinarily.  Instead of being a bastard on a quest, he’s an interesting bastard with potential on a quest.  RA uses his low- baritone effectively, lending a commanding voice to his fine visage.  His characterization is mostly Thorin, although I detected Thornton in two lines, and Guy of Gisborne in a few  eye and head movements.  His fight scenes are excellent with his dancer’s spins and graceful choreography.  He did well with the material he had.  I can find no fault with his acting.  Most of my issues concern problems with the script and overall editing.

More about that later.

 

The Hobbit Blitz Ends or, Everybody Take a Breather

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Thorin-3D-PosterFinally, the Great Worldwide The Hobbit Tour Megablitz Spectacular (except in the US, we sucked) is over.   I think.  Now those of us who haven’t seen it can swarm to the theaters to take in the cutting edge of event cinema: HFR 3D.   I’m curious about the format, even though I basically have monovision.  I’m also curious to know if and how RA has expanded his acting repertoire.

It turns out that I get to see the film twice; the December 14th midnight showing when I will simply enjoy the experience, and at the IMAX with a gift ticket courtesy of Anderson Cooper, when I’ll view with a critical eye.  That counts as two reviews I suppose.

Now, I make a show of being jaded and blase on the blog, but I’m becoming a bit excited about the whole thing.  This is my first midnight show for anything.  Covering the tour, attending the Anderson Cooper taping of the cast, and watching and reading about the experiences and feelings of fellow fans has been a real kick.  It’s also created a higher expectation than I would have had ordinarily.  Hopefully, the film will be everything the PR blitz has promised.

We shall see.

 

Richard Armitage: A Star Is Born – I Love You, Francois

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Stylist Ilaria Urbinati has outdone herself.  She’s not yet tweeted the particulars regarding RA’s tuxedo at the London Royal Premiere, but I’m in love.  Look at the perfect cut.  How the collar lies just so.  The gorgeous bow tie sits perfectly at his throat.  The crisp while pleated shirt.   Just… perfection.

Here he is, my new love – Francois.

More sharp pics of this gorgeous suit as they become available.

EDIT: Francois is “a black Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedo. His tux features all the elements a modern man needs, a single button, shawl collar with a satin finish, slim fit, and exceptional Zegna tailoring” reported from the “Because I’m FABULOUS” blog.  Another Zegna, like George.  Siiiiigh.

My new love, Francois, accompanied by that bloke Richard Armitage. He gets around. Courtesy of MashaNeronova on Twitter

My new love, Francois the tux, accompanied by that bloke Richard Armitage. He gets around. Courtesy of MashaNeronova on Twitter

Back up, baby.  Let’s see the shoes.  Erm, Rich, just relax the hands luv.

Full length view of Francois. Courtesy of

Full length view of Francois. Courtesy of MashaNeronova on Twitter

Ohhhh my.  What I can I say?  Simply stunning, eh?

 My love Francois, accompanied by that Armitage bloke. Courtesy of Tim Whitby

In case you wanted a close up of that bloke. Courtesy of Tim Whitby

 

 

Richard Armitage: A Star Is Born – Liveblogging the Royal Premiere

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Live streaming of the London Royal premiere has started.  Livestreams are here and here.  The Leicester Square webcam is here.  Time stated is my time.

11:15AM:  Streaming starts!  Looks like they transplanted the stage set from NZ.  And coming is Andy Serkis.  It looks quite cold but Andy looks psyched.  He’s traveling the green carpet sans coat with his wife and kids.  His wife wears a backless dress.  Must be freezing!  Lots and lots and lots of security.  Lots.  Older couple walking down.  Nobody knows who they are.  The commentator is…er… not commenting.

11:26AM: Martin Freeman arrives.  He’s cleaned up again! Imagine that.  No fool him.  He’s in a coat and gloves.  No need to catch pneumonia.  Closely following is Sir Ian McKellen also looking dapper.

11:29AM  Cate Blanchett arrives wearing a white backless…something…. gown.  It looks like a snug ripped sheet.  A dwarf has arrived.  He gets no name and no introduction.  Sorry Adam Brown.

11:32AM: The rotten commentator interviews Stephen Hunter about Bombur.  Stephen cleans up nice in a tux as well.  He described Bombur as mostly ginger. “Ginger’s going to be back in. I’m sure of it.”

11:37AM:  James Nesbitt is already on the scene and doling out autographs.  The photographers emerge.  Wait, there is our man Richard Armitage in a fabulous tux and —!  And they cut away to an interview with Adam Brown.  WTF???  Saw him for only a hot second ladies.

Wait… he’s looking FABULOUS.  And there’s Sir Ian again.  Did I mention how much I love Sir Ian?  Now an interview with Graham McTavish looking dashing.  His Dwalin is a Hell’s Angel with axes.

11:45AM:  And here is Sylvester McCoy, Rhadaghast.  Nobody wants to know about him.  Okaaay, he’s cleaned up in a nice matching tux.

11:50AM:  Another shot of RA who is standing around with his PR woman, not signing autographs.  Now Sir Peter Jackson is on the scene.  He dressed up, matches and everything!  There’s the boy band, McFly

11:55AM: Cate Blanchett shivers her way through an interview.  She’s so cold she mentioned going back in a TARDIS.  Poor thing.  “Peter is exactly the same, except he’s wearing shoes.”

11:57AM:  Andy is STILL working the crowd.  He seems to thrive on this.  Sir Ian is up next for the interview.  Ian to the commentator: “Are you done?”

12:03PM: Martin Freeman gets a reception at the interview.  Left the shades but kept on the gloves.  His hair is brushed back just so.  And he’s being his usual self sans the F bombs.  Congrats Martin.

A view of The Tux, Francoise. Screencap courtesy of meandrichardarmitage.wordpress.com

A view of The Tux, Francois. Screencap courtesy of meandrichardarmitage.wordpress.com

12:06PM: RICHARD! Cheers for him.  He dreamed he got lost and couldn’t find his way to the cinema.  he looks happy and psyched.  Love the tux. Love the tie, rests at his neckline just so.  Lovely white shirt with mini pleats.  Looks like he got a hair cut (why!!!).  He wore formula 41 vests to cool them down, and were zipped into a cooling tent to keep the smell away.  Cute, Rich. Servetus just capped the hell out of this interview here.

12:11PM:  Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman, the double act, come up next.  I think they enjoy being the Bobsey Twins. Very jokey, completing each other’s thoughts.  Oh and yes, they clean up quite nicely too.

12:15PM:  A girl group in some wild fluttering costumes. Who are they?  What are they?  No clue.  Anyway, here is Andy for a chat.  Impersonation of Gollum in 3…2…1…. “Hello world!”

12:19PM:  James Nesbitt comes up flashing his dimples, chatting about Bofur.  He’s looking dashing, but as wonderfully as RA.  Naturally.

12:21PM: Sir Peter is looking uncharacteristically put together.  Haven’t seen his feet, but they might be matching dress shoes.

12:32PM: Finally group shots on the stage/set.  RA has the unfortunate knack for somehow standing in the back.  Sigh.  Cate rushes over for more autographs despite the fact she’s clearly freezing.  What a lady.

12:45PM:  HRH the Duke of Cambridge arrives.  Hey, Prince William!   Heh, didn’t even acknowledge the crowd.  Sounds like his official announcer calling off the dignitaries in a receiving line.  Didn’t realize how tall Prince William is.  Wow, this next guy in line looks nervous enough to pass out.  Sheesh, they are bringing out the bosses of very media studio and cinema and Prince William makes small talk with all of them.

1:01PM: The prince finally meets RA.  A head bow.  And my lip reading absolutely failed me.  Sorry all.  But he looked cool and collected.  And his mother behind him is lovely.

RA meets Prince William with his mother looking on. Courtesy of MorrighansMuse

RA meets Prince William with his mother looking on. Courtesy of MorrighansMuse

1:15PM:  Children present Wills with his 3D glasses.  They are ready to rock and roll!

 

Richard Armitage: A Star Is Born – Pre-blogging the London Royal Premiere

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No rest for this intrepid reporter.  Live streaming of the London Royal premiere will start in 20 minutes.  Livestreams are here and here.  The Leicester Square webcam is here.  His fantastic stylist reported on Twiter at @ilariaurbinati that RA come *dressed* for the occasion in a tux.  Naturally.

Here’s a cap from one of yesterday’s interviews.  I suppose the outfit deserves a name…

Richard Armitage anticipates the circus question. Not sure of origin. Let me know if you do.

Richard Armitage anticipates the circus question. Not sure of origin. Let me know if you do.