Sexy, Heroic Soldiers & Spies–Oh, My!

The enigmatic Lucas North–dedicated, determined, trying to make his way in an ordinary world after eight years of torture and deprivation in a Russian prison. Haunted by the past.  NOT John Bateman (that was the lie).  A hero–and sexy as hell. Watching Lucas run in those tight jeans–*guh* Pure poetry in motion.

Sgt. John Porter: tough-as-nails but with a tender side. A man who needs to find the truth, restore his tarnished reputation and fight his way back to a normal life. The very sort of bloke you’d want to come to your rescue. Heroic, clever and when necessary, ruthless. Trust him.

Mr. Armitage Works His Mojo on Me

Mojo: (noun) magical power; charm

Apparently of W. African origin, akin to Gullah moco (witchcraft), Fula moco’o (medicine man). Fula is a West African language. Early documented use in English: 1926.

I have often thought I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out Richard Armitage has some sort of magical powers.  The way he can completely captivate one’s attention. The way his eyes can absolutely mesmerize and his smile turn one’s legs positively wobbly.

The way he can make a heart beat faster, a mouth go dry, a strange fluttery sensation flow through one’s body–the healing properties, too, of the sound and sight of him.

For it’s definitely “white magic,” benign, benevolent, beneficent.  When we ache and doubt and grieve and worry, there’s the wonderful manner in which he can somehow make it all better.

Richard Armitage–you and your chaRActers have got the mojo. Long may you all work it, my darling.

Sunday SmorgRgAsbord: Secret Agent Men

Wanted to bring you more photo edits of our spies for MI6, MI5 and Hydra, but WP is not being kind to me today. And I REALLY need a nap (asleep after 2, awake by 4:30 a.m.) so enjoy what’s here, including the Johnny Rivers’ classic, “Secret Agent Man.”   All the shows are done now, we are pleased with results of DVD sales and also response of those watching themselves larger than life last night on the wall of the theatre, the sound pretty awesome coming through the theatre’s system. 

It’ll take me a couple of days to get up to speed, so bear with me. I have some chores to do related to Pecan Ridge Productions, amongst other things. Hope all are well.

Lucas & I spy a busy week ahead for Fedoralady

Oh, I wish I had your speed, grace and stamina, dearest Lucas. It would come in handy next week.

It’s been a very busy Sunday for me. I gave Benny a haircut and got my own hair colored–it’s a bit darker now, and that pesky grey/white seems to have been covered well (took two boxes of color). I built a Facebook page for Pecan Ridge Productions (you are cordially invited to go and “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/PecanRidgeProductions) and there’s a Twitter Account now, too. Now I’ve got to find someone who can build a website for us.  Any takers?

I managed to sneak in some time playing with the pups, enjoying the lovely spring weather and doing a bit of reading. I finished “proofing” the Relay video for sound and Benny and I discussed plans for the Arts Council intro and other aspects of covering that production this week.

Between recording the performances Monday and Tuesday nights, editing the footage and rendering the finished vid, assisting with the specialty videos we’ve made to be shown during the production, and selling the POTR DVDs to audience and cast members Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it’s gonna be a busy week.  Keep me and Benny in your prayers that we will hold up OK. This is really important to our business, and that business is really important to our income and to adding some things we need to build this production company.  You know, it takes money to make money, right?

So, some more Luscious Lucas to share with you along with the acknowledgement that you may not see as much of me in the next week.  But I will be thinking of all of you!  May we all be blessed with a happy, healthy and productive week.

More of the same. Super Sexy Saturday, that is! Fanart & Vids

It’s a glorious day in the neighborhood–Lower Alabama, that is. The gray skies and rain and damp have gone, replaced by cerulean blue and blessedly lower humidity. Enjoyed a little jaunt out with the dogs, who are enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. Jack in particular is in a jolly mood today.

A nap will be in order a little later–stayed up too late reading the Bronte book and trying to pry my cats from my side and legs. I am too restless a sleeper for furry attachments.;) In the meantime, enjoy a second installment of SSS–Super Sexy Saturday.  Sssssssmokin’!

One word. Erotic.

Mmmmmmmm. Porter as diamond smuggler John Dean.  Love everything here–the look of intense concentration, the elfin ear, the beautiful hand, the wristwatch.  The way the lighting accentuates those beautiful lips. Heap sexy man.

Half-mad, dirty, disheveled, wild-eyed, wounded animal . . . speaks volumes to my inner caveman. Sexxxxxxy.

Sexy nineteenth century mill owner style. Cravats have never looked better on (or off) anyone else.

Ricky Deeming. Enigmatic. Defiant. Rebellious. And dead sexy. The black leather doesn’t hurt, either.

How about Lucas as a dark angel in his black singlet?  Beautiful and so sexy.  *sigh*

Sir Guy isn’t the only one who can smoulder oh, so beautifully. The proud warrior–the majestic and deliciously sexy Thorin Oakenshield. Thinking of you, Bechep.

Saturday Spy Games featuring Luscious Lucas

Richard as alluring Russian oligarch.  How can a man make references to “dog faeces” sound sexy??

Lucas deals with the duplicitous Sarah Caulfield . . . and looks absolutely delicious doing it. She was right, Lucas–you ARE clever–and beautiful.

Lucas undercover in Moscow being entertained by the curvaceous asset at the Bedouin Bar. It’s a shame he couldn’t have enjoyed some more time with her after completing his mission . . . nice chemistry there.

Lucas waiting for Oleg at the assigned spot. Beautiful publicity still. I love the hand here, partially covered by his sleeve, and the intensity of his gaze. Hate to think of the humiliation he is shortly going to endure at the hands of his longtime tormentor . . . and for such an unworthy creature as La Caulfield. Grrrrrrr.

Richard as Pete the banker in his pinstripes and power tie with his ”fiancé.”  What an attractive couple they made.

Lucas in mentor mode. Loved his scenes with young Dean. *sniff* Here’s another example of him looking sublime in green.

Lucas North–the spy we love. ‘Cause nobody does it better . . .

Maybe you do need a break from ‘slightly dour’ my dearest RA.

I am sure you’ve probably all seen this by now, but here is another online interview promoting the Hobbit DVD release, this one courtesy of Christa Ktorides at DIY.

(What an apt place for our Thinking Woman’s Greek God-like DIY Geek to appear, don’t you think?)

http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/film/richard-armitage-interview-im-always-the-slightly-dour-one-who-doesnt-get-a/

Now, some have interpreted Richard’s comments about being the slightly dour one who doesn’t get a punch line to mean he doesn’t understand the punch line–as in Richard Armitage doesn’t get the joke. That he is being the typically diffident, self-effacing gent we all know and love, the one who “can’t do impressions” and is ”not a bad singer.”  (To which I say, “Poppycock!”)

My interpretation is that RA doesn’t usually play characters who get to crack jokes. He’s often the brooding, angsty, conflicted hero or anti-hero types, and, let’s face it,  they typically don’t get a lot of funny lines. They aren’t the proverbial life of the party.

And yet there were moments of levity, times in Robin Hood, for example, when I thought he was absolutely hysterical in his own way. Look at some of his facial expressions and body language when reacting to the Treacherous Troll’s antics. RA’s no “slip on the banana peel” slapstick kind of actor. He’s not fated to do stand-up comedy, I am certain.  But he’s definitely got a sense of humor and of mischief. “Love in an Elevator” and “Master and Servant,” indeed!

One of my favorite RH S3 moments: Guy realizing Vasey is still alive–followed by a little ”hi there!” wave and singularly insincere smile.

How about some of the moments he shared with Ewan Bremner in Strike Back? Definitely funny.

In VoD he’s more or less the charming, cheeky straight man to Dawn, but it’s certainly proof he can handle lighter stuff just fine, too.  He can *cough* charm the pants right off you.

We’ve got two more installments of TH trilogy, which promise to be much darker than the first film. More conflict, More angst and brooding. And you do it all so beautifully, so compellingly.

And yet–maybe, dear Richard, you do need a break of sorts.

Something, as you have mentioned,  without all the action and violence, with less of a dark edge (as good as you are at all the angst, brooding and “simmering dignity”).  Something well-written and witty–that goes without saying–that combines comedy and drama, and a talented co-star with whom you have great chemistry.  Just for a change of pace and a break from all the sturm und drang.  Surely that would be good for your own mental well-being, yes?

And it might help your fan base out, too. Our poor besotted hearts can only take so much . . . *sniff* Show of hands of those who want to re-write the ending of The Hobbit? I know, I know–but a girl can dream.

The publicity machine, shyness & ‘safe’ skiing: check out Richard’s ‘Profile’

An intriguing profile by Adam Jacque of Richard from Sunday’s The Independent UK. Many thanks to RANet for the heads-up. The more I know of him, the more I know I will never “know” him and the more he fascinates me.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this . . . and I do think it’s pretty safe to assume Richard would like to be asked some different questions. And in spite of his shyness, I’d say he’s a very interesting guy.

I never like to go out of character when filming starts I fear that if I do, I might not be able to pick it up again. This was particularly the case with the character Thorin Oakenshield [in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit]. He’s moody and broody, so people kept their distance from me during the production. I wish I was good at jumping out of character in between takes, as I’d be more popular socially.

Publicity for ‘The Hobbit’ was relentless I was travelling and doing junkets around the world, being asked the same questions every day for three weeks. Then at the end of the working day I’d have to get down the red carpet. It’s pretty hard work. I much prefer being in front of a camera.

I love how Gary Oldman disappears into a role You see a character before you see him; you believe him as he’s so invested in that character, such as his George Smiley in Tinker Tailor… That’s what I’m striving for.

I’d like to act in a film without special effects I’ve spent the past two years in a special FX environment for The Hobbit. I also need to find something where I’m not fighting or inflicting violence on someone, as a lot of the roles I’ve had, such as Lucas North in Spooks and Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood, have involved that. I don’t know why that’s been the case!

It’s bloody annoying being shy I’ll spend a whole evening at a party asking everyone else about themselves. I’m not being self-deprecating; it’s because I’m too shy to talk about myself. So people come away from the evening actually having learnt nothing about me.

I hate selfishness in people I lean towards the Japanese idea of “you first”, such as always allowing another to walk through a door before you. Though admittedly, in their culture, this [thoughtfulness] is shame-based, to some extent.

I’m an avid skier Most of the time that I’ve been skiing, I’ve been about to go and film something, so I’m always living in fear of a broken leg and I ski very safely. I’ve taken a few tumbles, though. I once flipped and bounced on my head, landing in a mess on the floor; it’s a dangerous sport but it’s exhilarating and it allows me to unwind.

Snowboarders ruin the piste They shave off all the snow so it’s like an ice patch, and they sit in the middle of the piste, chatting with friends in a line, so you have to jump over them as you come over the crest of a hill.

I’d like to live off-grid I’m fascinated with the documentation of the environment [and its degradation] through photography, and our hunt to move away from fossil fuels and towards new technology. I’m attempting to build a home that uses water, wind or solar power. Right now it’s just a pastime, but it’s an exciting prospect.

Richard Armitage, 41, is a British actor. ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ is available on DVD from tomorrow

More SND goodness–no foolin’, guys!

No foolin’–they are all SND (So Not Dead)

It’s TPTB that are foolish, thinking they can kill off our favorite ChaRActers with a stroke of their poisoned pens (or keyboards, as it were).  Their CReAtor has breathed life into these fellows, giving them breadth and depth, hearts and souls, and they outlive whatever heinous plans and dubious plotlines shoved at them.  Long live the So Not Dead, who have been Loved into Being by their many admirers.  Long may they continue to delight and dazzle us with their adventures.

I’d include more artwork including Capt. Ian, but WP is playing an April Fool’s joke on me, it seems.

Sunday SmoRgAsbord: ChaRActers & the “real” RA

Spouse and I watched The Hobbit on Blu-ray tonight. More on that later (he did say it didn’t seem as long watching at home ).  I spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to use Muvee Reveal to edit a birthday vid and let’s just say it wasn’t cooperating. I have since moved to the more vanilla offerings of Windows Movie Maker. A 30 minute video can seem like an eternity under such circumstances . . .  I’ve recorded the new Doctor Who to watch tomorrow, just caught Orphan Black ( very good performance by Tatiana Manslany) and now watching The Nerdist.

Tomorrow night–the long-awaited return of Game of Thrones (oh, Tyrion, how I have missed you!), the debut of Mr. Selfridge on PBS and once more, it’s a return to too many things I want to watch ending up on Sunday nights.  Feast or famine at times, I have to say.

Anyhow, here are some new photo edits for you to peruse, my dears. Hope you all have a happy Easter/Easter Monday!

Lucas, More Light than Dark

I have to joke about Series 9, otherwise I tend to cry. Oh, well. Lucas was, is, and will always be a hero to me, a complex one, damaged by those years of torture and deprivation, plaintively longing for a relationship that was long since over with his ex-wife, struggling to find his place in the world and to regain the trust of his colleagues–flawed, damaged, but a HERO, nonetheless. Loyal to his country, concerned about colleagues, kind to young folks in trouble like Dean. Cerebral, resourceful, a deep thinker with the soul of a poet.

And what a handsome and stylish fellow he is. So attractive in his Belstaff jackets and snug-fitting jeans, in the Pete pinstripes with the power red tie, the dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes, deepened by the cool-toned sets and lighting on the show, giving him an otherworldly beauty.

Oh, and he’s also quite fetching when he’s not wearing a lot of clothes . . . just sayin.’

At this point, it’s still just a rumor for me.

From Caroline Frost at the Huffington Post UK, March 25, 2013:

Much-loved spy drama ‘Spooks’ could make the move to the big screen, with one of its stars revealing that there is a script in the works, being penned by the original writers of the hit series.

“There is a script kind of in the machine,” HuffPostUK has learned from actor Peter Firth, who played MI5 chief Harry Pearce throughout the ten series of the popular drama.

“They should make it,” he adds. “It’s not like it’s a gamble with this one. But it costs a lot, and there’s not a lot of money to go round at the moment.”

This would suit Firth, who previously told HuffPostUK that he wished for a happier ending for his character with longtime colleague and barely-expressed love – Ruth Evershed, played by Nicola Walker. Viewers of the series finale in October 2011 watched goggle-eyed, as Ruth became one of Spooks’ huge number of agents to fall for her country, or in the actors’ case, the dramatic storyline.

This article has been buzzing around on Twitter for a couple of days and been blogged about on a few occasions, too. But the more I think about it, the less I get excited about it. Hasn’t this rumor been floating around for quite a while?

Saying “there is a script kind of in the machine” doesn’t exactly equate to “yes, we ARE making a Spooks movie.” And considering the continuing economic woes, the likelihood of more money to go around for such a film seems unlikely.  Do we want to see something done on the super-cheap?

Would I love to see my favorite spy Lucas North in a film? Sure I would. But we have no idea who would be included in the cast if and when the film was made.  While Richard has expressed some enthusiasm for returning to the role, is he genuinely interested at this stage of the game or simply being polite, agreeable RA?

Since Firth is talking about wanting a “happier ending” for Harry and Ruth–who died in the final ep of the series–that can only happen if they do some sort of flashback. That, or have this become Spooks: The Zombie Files. Or possibly Spooks: The Vampire Chronicles.  All the dead spooks are really undead, you see . . .

Perhaps die-hard Spooks fans will be pleased to see any combination of cast members (dead or undead) come together for a film version.  Truthfully, being more of Richard Armitage/Lucas aficionado than a Spooks fan (although I have seen almost the entire series, sans some of the earlier eps and series 10), I am not one of them.

And a lot depends on the storyline. Naturally, IF RA was involved, I’d want a lot of Lucas.  Frankly, if I had to sit through much more UST between Ruth and Harry, I would feel like doing dire things to myself, as much as I like Nicola Walker as an actress.

Now, as I have mentioned elsewhere, Lucas, alive and well and appearing in a shower scene, scrubbing up to “Love in an Elevator,” would definitely draw me into the audience.

Anyway, while it’s a fun idea to toss around, I just can’t take Spooks: The Movie seriously for now.

What I would like to see is Black Sky get finished and distributed.  We know that one will feature our Richard! And if not in a shower, then wet.

Sweet Tuesday Blue Eyes: Artwork & Fanvid

“He’s got eyes like the bluest skies . . .”

Pale blue eyes with a distinct limbus ringing the irises, which are very changeable in color. Incandescent blue at times, stormy grey-blue at others, fringed in those plentiful lashes, framed by expressive masculine brows. Blue eyes that turn nearly black, a crystalline green and even tan at times; tender, sweet, sad, angry, sorrowful, amused, vengeful, bleak. . . . beautiful.

Monday SmoRgAsbord: Some Legendary ChaRActers We Love

The majestic warrior prince who guided his people to a new home after a devastating attack; now seeking to reclaim his homeland. We’d follow Thorin Oakenshield anywhere.  And provide him with plenty of TLC.

Savvy, smart, rescourceful sergeant who kicks arse and takes the time to be tender. We’d want John Porter to come and rescue us if we ended up in a terrible jam.  Or let us give a nice soothing massage . . .  to all those big, buff knotted muscles.

Sir Guy, the beautiful, complex henchman who smoulders like nobody’s business and puts his own life on the line to protect and save the woman he loves . . . too bad she never appreciated him properly (not even after he returned to Nottingham to fight and die by her side if necessary).  We would have done better!

Lucas, cool, enigmatic and sexy spy, haunted by the torture and deprivation of years in Russian prison but still loyal to his country (don’t believe everything certain writers dish out).  We’d love to help him move past the pain.

Another engimatic character, black leather-clad rebel 6os biker, Geordie Ricky Deeming, who knows how to make our motors race. We’d like to hop on the back of his bike for a spin . . .

The handsome, hard working Victorian mill owner who seeks to improve himself and discovers a foolish passion for a certain demure young lady. We’d have made up our minds about you much sooner, John Thornton. What a catch!

John Strandring, shy Yorkshire farmer with a heart of gold, a gentle giant. No wonder we call him Sweetie John. Beautiful inside and out, our John is faithful and steadfast. We long to make him feel loved and appreciated . . .