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 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
…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 Natylyra on Tumblr.
My muse and I are arguing so this will be short and sweet. And pretty. Enjoy.
Richard Armitage realizes he really likes the feel of going commando in leather trousers. Courtesy of Gaporter on Tumblr.
Santa probably won’t bring me any presents now. Sigh.
I love this promo with Martin Freeman asking Richard Armitage short questions. RA is relaxed, jokey and appealing. It’s longer than 60 seconds, but that’s okay.
A few observations:
I’m still looking for creative writing ideas for Christmas week. What story would you love for me to write? This is your chance!
Oh! Here’s 60 Seconds with Martin Freeman. Love how RA corrects, with a shift of the eyes, about “milky ‘foot’ substance” flying into a woman’s mouth. Whatever were you thinking, RA? MF: “My publicist is having a coronary.” Plus at the end MF: “I wonder how long my career will last. What a shame it’s over just as it’s beginning.”
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 The Armitage
I’m still pondering my review of The Hobbit and Richard Armitage’s performance, but first had to check that asylum invitations in Europe were still good. They are. Whew. So, I shall tread foolishly on. Erm, here, have a picture.
Richard Armitage gets his black on. Courtesy of Helsingin Sanomat
Yes, there’s nothing surreal about this post, but RA obliged a Finnish interviewer by singing a few bars of Lonely Mountain, a miracle in itself. It’s the only time we’ve actually heard him singing literally a capella. You get a better sense on the timber of his voice. Here is the full interview including James Nesbitt an Aidan Turner.
See what I do for you people?
“That’s first thing in the morning, with a hangover.”
…And this intrepid reporter barely stirs. No, I’m not sending up the poem, although that’s not a bad idea. Anyway I’m supposed to be resting, remember? So accompanied by my furry shadow Patty, I’ve breakfasted; napped; lunched; napped; checked Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr (welcome back!), news (The Hobbit was shut out of the Golden Globes and SAG nominations) and viewed loads of RA videos, pics, and squeed over Francois, tux some more. Napped.
So now I’m officially awake and heading out soon to the midnight show of The Hobbit accompanied by my friend, a retired film critic/film historian. I’ll ask her to critique a certain British actor for me. This should be interesting.
I felt a little trepidation earlier that not being a Tolkien fan might negatively affect my enjoyment of the movie. But Traxy (TheSqueee) put my mind to rest with a certain observation. Now I’m gung-ho and ready to go, finally, after two years.
Hopefully I’ll have a review ready tomorrow.
***
Did you enjoy The Hobbit tour? Want to congratulate RA in his biggest film role debut? Show your appreciation by gift bombing his Justgiving page! Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
Finally, 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.
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 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 MashaNeronova on Twitter
Ohhhh my. What I can I say? Simply stunning, eh?
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, 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
1:15PM: Children present Wills with his 3D glasses. They are ready to rock and roll!
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.
I must have talked it up on Sunday. A particular Real Life problem reared it’s ugly head. Now I have to lick my wounds, rage, and do whatever I need to so I can think, regroup, and plot the next course of action. After all, there’s the upcoming holidays to enjoy. And I still need to finish the blitz coverage. And the report card. And stockpile some posts. Yup, still tubthumping.
Meanwhile RA news has been surprisingly sparse with two things: firstly, a few interviews rehashing what RA has said since NZ. Some pictures from the Q&A at the London Apple store have trickled in. This one of my favorite casual outfits for him. Stylish yet comfortable, don’t you think?
Richard Armitage learns his role ended on the cutting room floor. Courtesy of http://sketchlavie.tumblr.com
Then there was the London press conference. Information is just now coming in. Richard Armitage Central has posted a video containing the RA part. He broke out another suit, tie with an earlier seen tie and a new shirt. Will have to sleep on this combination, render an opinion in the morning, and decide whether it’s worthy of a name. What do you think?
Richard Armitage thinks about his secret Twitter account at the Hobbit London press conference. Courtesy of richardarmitagecentral.co.uk
7:00PM
Home
Voices murmur. The living room remains devoid of holiday decorations. I remain in the den, feverishly tapping away on my laptop, dreaming of Francois the tuxedo. Patty the Pom pecks away before the fireplace on her Dogtop, writing her memoirs.
Jodi stares at Jada in disbelief. “Are you serious???”
Jada nods primly.
Quiet One shrugs, munching on the popcorn.
Fangurl bustles about setting up.
Jodi shakes hear. “Really? So Thorin doesn’t get it on with Galadriel in the movie?
Jada sighs in exasperation. “I said, no!”
Jodi frowns. “So what’s the point of an elven model if she doesn’t do THE sexy dwarf?!”
Quiet One snickers.
Fangurl calls out brightly. “JUDI! C’mon, I’ve had these memories set up for days!”
I drag in from the den. There’s just been too much to do. There’s the Christmas shopping and socializing to complete, not to mention coverage of this insane Hobbit tour blitz. I sink onto the sofa, glancing curiously at Patty’s Dogtop. She snaps it shut. Well. I finally notice the wide screen memory screen. All faces look at me expectantly. Oh we’re doing this live? Fiiiine.
I clear my throat. “Hello Dear Reader. Welcome to my coverage of the Anderson Live taping I attended Tuesday during my whirlwind 12 hour trip to NYC. Unfortunately I got only about 3 hours of sleep before, so my recollection of the taping has been a little hazy. However, Inner Fangurl remembers, and she’s offered to help narrate, as long as she can co-host.”
Fangurl cheers. “I’m FREEEEEEEEEE!”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Now, we agreed…”
Fangurl smiles sweetly. “Okaaaay. Hey, ‘sup posse!”
I clear my throat again. It’s so dry. “Joining us in the peanut gallery is my personality trio: id, superego, and ego, Jodi, Jada, and Quiet One. You’ve met them in past blog posts. Oh, and my Pomeranian Patty.”
Jodi waves. “We got Sexy back!”
Jadi sighs at Jodi and nods.
Quiet One smiles, flashing a peace sign.
Patty looks up from texting on her iDog long enough to cock her head cutely and smile.
I’m starting to think better of this, but there’s no help for now. “Fangurl has cued my memories, so let’s get started. Roll it.”
Fangurl sallies forth. “Ah, here is where Judi’s moaning in her sleep. I can’t believe she-”
I sit up sharply. “Nobody needs to see that! Fast forward!”
Fangurl works the remote. “Ah, here’s where she camped at the wrong gate. I -”
I grit my teeth. “Hey, I made the flight! Cut to the chase, will ya?”
The scene of the crime: CBS studios NYC at the Anderson Live door.
“Ahem, Dear Reader. As you probably learned from our own Zan, I drew her into the insane idea of running off to NYC to see the Hobbit cast taped for Anderson Cooper Live. (She blogged about it here and here.) After wild texting, we met outside the CBS studios. Also there was another fan from Twitter, Luv. Eventually the line queued down the block. We met AwkwardCeleb, RA Central and others. See, there we are taking pictures and enjoying the fun seeing each other on the flesh. Oh, some even asked to take pictures with me. Imagine!”
Jodi laughs. “You’re infamous!”
Fangurl snorts. “Yeah, you’d think she was a real fan or something…”
I cut my eyes at her. “Anyway, as you can see, we queued for over two hours but it was a lovely cool day. Eventually the staff came out with a cameraman and asked us to scream, cheer and hold up our signs.”
Fangurl interjects. “And you didn’t want to do it!”
I blush. “I didn’t know I’d have to fangurl! On national television!”
Fangurl waves a hand. “Well, I made her get that sign out. It was so COOL! *I* thought RA would get a kick out of it.”
I mutter. “I thought only they were going to see it.”
The peanut gallery laughs.
The infamous sign in which I spell Sir Ian’s name wrong!
Fangurl waves me away again. “Anyway, let’s get through this. We went through a security gauntlet and they ushered into like an audience green room-”
Jodi smiles. “Big, beefy, burly security guards too!”
Jada adds. “Except the room wasn’t green. And made us sign a release to be on television.”
I remember this. “Yeah, my favorite was the part that said “you can’t sue us even if we edit you to look like a fool.”
Quiet One nods.
Patty chuffs in alarm.
Fangurl surges on. “FINALLY, they took us to the studio and and sat us with Luv who was ushered in early because of her cane. We sat right there on the right in FRONT!”
Jodi nods. “On the soft seats.”
The set of Anderson Live where RA would shortly rest his posterior, far right.
I sigh. “We were behind the cameras but they moved most of the time. But we weren’t close enough for me to see RA well with my near-sighted self.”
Fangurl trills. “That’s okay. I had no problem. So listen up. They had two dance contests for the audience for free t-shirts. The first one was to Gangham Style. The second was to Sexy Back! Zan and I loved that!”
I nod. “Yeah, I recall that. Good thing I didn’t volunteer-.”
Jodi pipes up. “*I* would have!”
Jada sniffs. “We don’t do that.”
Quiet One nods her head to the beat.
Patty rises and shakes her booty. Some dog.
Fangurl continues. “Then the warm up lady gave us instructions on how to be a good audience- mainly act like over heated gerbils without scratching, wiggling and talking during the segments. Then they brought out Anderson Cooper. Such a funny guy.”
I frown. Things starts to get fuzzy here.
Fangurl laughs. “See there, you did quite well. I know you were zoning out there, girlfriend. They had the camera on us for the longest time. We’re going to be on TV!!!! They did the segments about [CENSORED] and [CENSORED] and that crazy woman who [CENSORED], but the [CENSORED] was pretty cool! Don’t know what we’re going to do with it, but you clung to it all the way home. Good job!”
The peanut gallery nods and applauds.
I smile uncertainly.
Fangurl is suddenly all aflutter. ” And then.. and THEN… it s time for the Hobbit cast. And the audience went WILD! Ohhh, look at the surprise on your face as Sir Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman came out of the entry right next to us. PRICELESS! Look, Sir Ian looked at you!”
I smirk. “He probably was surprised by the surprised look on my face.”
Fangurl practically shakes with delight. “Coop interviewed just the two of them for two segments and then it was time for RIIIIIIICHARD! Zan got all hot. Oh my!”
I close my eyes, groaning.
Fangurl points at my memory. “THERE HE IS! THERE HE IS! He is talllll and soooo slender too! OMG, he is more gorgeous in person. We were so close! SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”
I facepalm.
The peanut gallery giggles and hoots.
Fangurl waves her arms about as if to take flight. “And then he sat his gorgeous arse down next to Andy Serkis – did I mention he came out too? – and then Sir Ian chattered and Martin said something and Richard listened and smiled and nodded. SQUEEEE! And then AwkwardCeleb asked him [CENSORED] and the audience laughed and [CENSORED], so he said [CENSORED] and the audience roared! And the voice. THE VOICE!!! Then Coop said we were getting [CENSORED] and the audience just about died!”
I nod. “Yeah, that woke me up. The [CENSORED] is pretty cool, I must say.”
Fangurl sags. “And then it was all over and he exited stage right.”
I think hard. “Yeah, Zan was fanning herself and Luv went off to get the elevator down. My knee bothered me, but I opted to take the stairs anyway.”
Fangurl nods significantly. “Yeeeees, we took the stairs. When we reached the sttreet, Luv ran over asking GUESS WHO she ran into in the elevator? Richard Armitage. Enclosed. IN. AN. ELEVATOR.”
Jodi yips. “Oh Lordy!”
Jada sighs. “She was tired.”
Quiet One shakes her head.
Patty shakes her head.
I whine. “I was so tiiiiiiiiiired. I wasn’t thinking!”
Fangurl presses. “And THEN we stood on the Fatal Side of the door.”
I sputter. “But Andy Serkis ran over to us, signed autographs and posed for pictures. I could practically touch him-”
Fangurl laughs. “Yeah, and he blocked our view of Richard on the Other Side who posed very briefly before being whisked away.”
Jodi gasps. “Ohhhhhh.”
Jada sighs again.
Quiet One laughs. “Did you get anything with Andy Serkis?”
Patty glances my way warily.
I frown at the demanding bunch. “You try fangurling on 3 hours of sleep and see how you do!”
Jodi snickers. “I thought you didn’t fangurl…”
I snap my mouth shut. Shit. “I meant.. I was there reporting. For all the fangurls.”
They giggle and snort.
I jump to my feet. “It’s true! I was there reporting, for the fans, enjoying the camaraderie and the joy of meeting people, and being part of something!”
They all smile.
I blink. “And I had a fantastic time meeting Zan finally and putting a face to the name.”
They all nod and quirk eyebrows. “Aaaaaand?”
I huff. “And that’s all there is to it!”
I flounce off.
Fangurl calls after me. “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
They all fall out laughing.
Sometimes, I really get on my nerves.
The TODAY show has already posted the interview with the cast from Zealandia on its website, although it appears to be shifting it around. So, I caught a few screen caps for your viewing pleasure. All images courtesy of the TODAY Show, NBC.
“The dwarves have gonads made of stone.”
***
Now look at this –
Keeping up with The Hobbit tour? Want to congratulate RA? Show your appreciation by
gift bombing his Justgiving page! Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
Richard Armitage models almost-James. Yes, this is the best part. Courtesy of Getty Images.
I’m still tired to the bone. Sadly the NYC Adventure post isn’t happening tonight. Trying to keep up with the relentless hype seems to be wearing. Cannot even begin to imagine how the cast is getting through all this. Yet, they have 8 days to go.
The NYC premiere was a clearly a low key affair with no live streaming fans could find. Most news came from our TeamThorin on the scene, tweets from Warner Brothers, and pictures from Getty Images. After four days of steady publicity, the big American premiere was – a bit anemic in comparison with NZ and Japan. It felt a bit embarrassing actually. Sheesh, Big Apple. What happened?
Anyway, I finally got to see a potential new suitor #4, whom I’ve tentatively named James. (Thanks for the help, Twitter!). I say tentative because I’ve not decided whether James is worthy of my affections. Don’t get me wrong; the glen plaid tweed is lovely and the cobalt blue tie really brings out RA’s gorgeous eyes. However, after a diet of superbly fitted suits like George and Fernando (do keep up), this particular English cut was a bit off putting. IMHO, the jacket style places the waist a bit too high to flatter RA’s longer torso and lower natural waist. It doesn’t accentuate his lean form. Not to mention the trousers hint at on-coming male camel toe. Just sayin’.
I was about to include a full portrait of sorta-James but then realized this one is all you need to see. Am I right?
EDIT: I’ve added a full length shot for more research and analysis. Of course. See what I mean? The waistcoast is nice, but the style does not flatter his build. And yes, those trousers are too tight honey. TeamThorin remarked on Twitter that they hugged his rear quite tightly, so I feel vindicated in my observation. What is male camel toe? It’s when tight fabric gets really really friendly with a man’s junk. Should a style like this frame anything like that there? I think not.
EDIT: His stylist says it’s a Michael Bastian flannel from the Winter 2012 collection. Well.
Richard Armitage breaks from shooting pheasants to pose at they NYC premiere. Courtesy of WireImage
***
I say now…
Keeping up with The Hobbit tour? Want to congratulate RA? Show your appreciation by
gift bombing his Justgiving page! Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
Richard Armitage babbles incoherently to GreenDragon. Poor baby. Courtesy of TORn.
Here I sat piecing together thoughts on the Great NY Adventure, when I suffered a terrifying visual hallucination. From what I recollect, TORn released its Monday interview of our boy. They quote RA as saying this:
“God I can’t wait! I miss that beard! It was really weird. I hated it when I had it, and then when I shaved it off, I was like, ‘Where’s my chin?!’”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. But after ascertaining I had not suffered a stroke, my outrage turned to TORn. Slander! Libel! They blaspheme! But reassured that TORn is a reputable outfit which would never misquote RA, I had to turn sadly to the source. My disappointment has been deep, my conviction shattered. So after prolonged chanting and centering of my chi, I solemnly compose this letter:
Dear Rich,
WTF is wrong wit choo???!!! Are you serious?. Did you forget the itching and scratching involved with growing a beard already? Your chin is right there on your face, luv. Right there clearly defined where we can see it, as it is intended. I know it was nice not shaving every morning, but let’s not go crazy! It hid your chin! I also realize you find talk about your looks hilarious, but it is what it is, dude. The last I looked, the Grizzly Adams look is not the thing nor the best look for you. If anybody tells you otherwise, they are deceived, Rich. Deceeeeived!
Just grow the beard for the last bit of filming, shave Fuzzy Wuzzy immediately afterwards, pull up your big boy pants and move on. That weird feeling too shall pass again. I’ll just put this down to delirium caused by fatigue along with the reference to being 6 feet 3.5.
No love,
Judiang
PS: Don’t even think about keeping it!
PPS: Call your stylist!
PPPS: Erm, please.
PPPS: Just wear George, Lex or Fernando again and we can put this behind us. Scout’s honor. *
Ahh, I feel better now. Hopefully, the NYC adventure will be posted Friday or over the weekend.
[*Fake letter is fake, but you knew that already.]
***
STOP!
Keeping up with The Hobbit tour? Want to congratulate RA? Show your appreciation by
gift bombing his Justgiving page! Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
I’m traveling today. Hopefully with good wi-fi connections, there will be periodic updates here. If not, watch my space on Twitter under @judiang.
Just so everybody knows, my clothes fetish casts a wider net than just uber-expensive custom-made suits. I can do casual wear too. Get a gander of that shirt, vest and tie combination. I’ve never liked checkered shirts, but I love this one. Whether it’s red, white and navy, or red, white and black; it doesn’t matter. The design and smallness of the checks lend quiet sophistication. I realize expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better, but in this case, it does. The quality vest and tie finish the top half nicely. I haven’t seen the bottom half here, but as long as he didn’t wear the pants and sneakers from the ARIAS, I’m sure that was lovely too.
Richard Armitage thinks about the soft bed awaiting him on the plane. Courtesy richardarmitagenet.com
STOP THE PRESSES! I’ve seen suitor #3!!!!
He is called Fernando. RA modeled him at the Toronto premiere. He’s a gorgeous blue, delicately pinstriped suit and you can find him here and here. He is superb and perfectly highlights RA eyes. Unfortunately, he’s trapped by ginormous watermarks at Getty Images but I’m confident our journalists will remedy that situation.
***
Are you really feeling the love?
Want to congratulate him? Why not join the gift bombing of his Justgiving page? Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
Richard Armitage and “George” together. Courtesy of richardarmitagenet.com
While I rhapsodized over George (the Zegna suit) and Lex (the BDSM suit), our irrepressible Jane had different reactions. I was so flabbergasted she didn’t want to marry George, that I dashed off an email asking if she wanted to guest blog a rebuttal. She replied that she wasn’t sure if she had enough for a post but I could paraphrase her thoughts. Here is what she thought of my beloved “George”:
“Basically I think it’s boring. It’s the kind of suit I associate with politicians and businessmen if it is expensive, or bank clerks if not so expensive. It’s a requirement for certain jobs or occasions- a uniform. And not one that has anything to do with RA. It is a costume for him. The casual and semi-formal outfits we saw during the last few days are still him, just much better quality and most of the time combined with care. I like seeing him wearing clothes that fit well and are made of high quality materials, because that always shows. But I don’t want him to look like a model. It isn’t that I dislike the suit, it was obviously what was appropriate for the event (some other actors wore something similar) and I’m not opposed to high quality. But it wasn’t a revelation and an indication of a “new Richard.”
Richard Armitage debuts “Lex.” Courtesy of richardarmitagenet.com
Jane also has a few things to say about “Lex”: I’m also not too keen on the suit from Tokyo, I think the shiny material looks tacky. It is probably meant to look cool. I really liked some of the three part suits the stylist put Bradley Cooper in and have hoped for something like that. I have no clue for which occasions three piece suits are appropriate; maybe they weren’t right for a daytime premiere. With a conventional suit, I would have preferred an open collar with no tie (like at the Captain America NY premiere) or at least with a more colourful tie and shirt. I’m glad at least he didn’t wear a skinny suit with a thin tie as many much younger male celebrities with slighter builds do.
Jane feels RA is better served another way: I like an outfit with a little quirk. I like that his fashion sense is not so well developed after all and that he either doesn’t know better or doesn’t care. I don’t like vain men. Although a perfectly groomed and dressed man may be attractive, I don’t like the suggestion of vanity behind it.
Richard Armitage rushing casually for his plane connection. Courtesy of bcc.tumblr.com
On the other hand, the casual outfits are things we have seen before on him, just a lot better now. I was one of the first to notice that the first airport outfit must have been the product of the stylist, and that he dressed like that for a 24 hour flight because he knew photographers would be there. I totally approved of that outfit. We have seen jeans+suit jacket on him several times, jeans+leather jacket countless times. We have also seen a three-piece pin strip suit with no tie. Those are the clothes he would choose for himself. I can easily see him choosing the Aria outfit you didn’t like for a night out. The mixture of formal jacket and “cool” jeans and trainers feels like him (though the polo shirt is questionable). I remember a suit+trainers pic from an event. Not sure about the vest and chequered shirt, but I liked that as well. But those formal suits are just following a convention of how to dress, even the rock star chic shiny material. It is Lucas North pretending to be Pete the banker. Or RA modelling for Zegna. I didn’t feel Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman looked authentic in their suits either, especially given how casually they were dressed in the airport shots, obviously not caring about photos being taken.”
I stopped mentally stroking George and Lex long enough to consider the main thrust of Jane’s contention. Is RA being styled to look unauthentic? This is a valid argument. I have my own opinion, but first I’d like to hear what you think, Dear Reader. I’ve been joking about falling for his suits, but has this polished transformation overshadowed what some might think of as the real RA?
Richard Armitage channels elegant Sir Guy for the 21 century at the Tokyo Hobbit premiere. Courtesy of richardarmitagenet.com
Since our boy probably is resting during his 12 hour flight on the Tokyo to Toronto leg of the great The Hobbit: the Expected PR Megablitz, fandom has time to wedge in Real Life. I rushed out for some unexpected shopping and remembered everybody else is holiday shopping. Who woulda thunk it?
So back to the Tokyo premiere, but first my inner fangurl wishes to say: “RA looked simply divine, relaxed and radiate at the event. His gorgeous eyes simply popped, and made me -” OKAY LUV, that’s enough. I have a reputation to maintain. *Cough.* Let’s get to what everybody has been wondering: RA, were you sporting a LEATHER SUIT?
After finally peeling my eyes from his face as he stood on that stage, I was 50 ways of confused. That couldn’t be the FABULOUS Zegna suit (hereto known as George); it shined too much under the lights. So, was it sharkskin? When he helpfully placed his hands in the trouser pockets, I wondered if the entire suit was the most expensive of supple calfskin leather I’d ever seen. Phwoar! He’s speaking my language again.
Fans tweeted his awesome stylist. Finally she returned the word: the suit isn’t leather. It’s WAXED WOOL.
Yes, this is another exquisitely tailored suit (look at the line of his long legs and the perfect leg breaks) in black waxed wool. I’ve never heard of such a thing, but I love it. It’s funky and daring, while still dapper and elegant. So it has the style of leather without the innate stiffness. Might have to find a name for this baby, too.
Yeah baby, yeah.
***
Wait, focus here for a moment!
;
Want to congratulate him? Why not join the gift bombing of his Justgiving page? Show him and the world you care.
You know you want to.
Richard Armitage sets fans screaming at the Tokyo Hobbit premiere. Screencap Courtesy of http://doihaveablog.wordpress.com
To my delight, ItsJSForMe sacrificed sleep for us and screencapped The Hobbit premiere in Japan. The pics are blowing me away. While my snarky half tussles with the gushing fangurl in my next post, let me become totally shallow now and ask: How is it that he’s more beautiful than he was in New Zealand? He’s positively glowing. You’d think it was his wedding or something.
More later.