Equal Time for the Men: Which former male co-star (s) would you like to see appear with RA? *you may choose more than one*

Sir Guy as proud stallion . . .

The last person he wanted to return to. The Treacherous Troll.

Hold your head high, Sir Guy!

Baldy gives him the usual dressing-down. But it's never going to be quite the same between those two again.

Takes a licking but keeps on ticking. That's our Sir Guy.

Sir Guy returned at his glamourous, gorgeous best to Nottingham with soldiers, a “weapon” (oh, that sad old lion!) and a plan to flush out and destroy Robin and the gang once and for all . . . alas, like so many other plans, it came to naught. And he was forced to return to the loathsome, crowing Vasey. Still, Sir Guy retained a sort of defiance seen in the way he held his head, flicked back his lustrous mane of hair, and thrust out that beautiful jaw. Down he might be, but not yet defeated.

Guy Candy Time! Whip. That. Hair.

Preparing to whip. that. hair.

Whip it good now, Guy!

He's beautiful when he's thwarted.

I love how Richard incorporated his hair extensions so seamlessly into the character of Guy in the third series. He hid behind that curtain of dirty, tangled hair as the drunken madman in despair, only to transform into the triumphant and beautiful Glamour Guy, who could toss his magnificent mane like the proudest of stallions. Which he is, of course.

Let’s hear it for the dames (and iron ladies) . . .

I do not want to leave out fine actresses of a certain age whom I would love to see in a film with Richard. No, not necessarily in a romantic way; but I am sure plenty of other women of a certain age wouldn’t mind the tables being turned for once.  😉   After all, leading men are all too often decades older than their co-stars . . .  what I am truly interested in is the intelligence, wisdom and class these ladies bring to a project.

Helen Mirren, a glorious dame who has played both Queen Elizabeths.

Dame Judi Dench, who has played everything from the sitcoms to M.

These ladies are all great talents who are aging gracefully (i.e.,  without loads of plastic surgery) and I love reading/seeing their interviews.  Like RA, they are all true class acts.

Most recently "The Iron Lady" and Queen of Accents, Meryl Streep.

Which former female co-star would you most like to see reunited with Richard onscreen?

Possible leading ladies for RA? Take a look.

Emily Blunt. (afterellen)

Natalie Portman and a dog who looks amazingly like our late, great pooch. 😀 (EW)

Kate Winslet(starpulse)

Gwyneth Paltrow (mainstylelist)

Naomi Watts (fanpix.net)

Cate Blanchett in her role of Galadriel. (photo by fanpop)

I’ve been trying to put together a poll this morning but polldaddy/wordpress just isn’t cooperating. So if you want to put your two cents’ worth in on this one, you will need to leave a comment. I have photos of some potential leading ladies for Richard, ranging in age from twenty-somethings to forty-somethings of American/British/Australian nationality. All have proven their acting abilities onscreen with several Academy Award winners . And a couple of them (Portman and Blanchett) Richard has worked/will work with, albeit not in a major capacity. I don’t know if he will have any screen time with Cate in The Hobbit; his work on The Phantom Menace was very slight. Richard has also mentioned Cate as a potential screen partner whose work he admires.

Romola Garai, (gentsanddames@blogspot)

It’s Rockin’ Wednesday, guys & gals!

Time to get re-energized via some videos with a good beat you can dance to (anybody remember American Bandstand?) Luscious screencaps and photos of you-know-who in his Lucas, Guy and Porter modes with sexiness and some laughs along the way. Enjoy!

My imaginary Leap Year letter to RA

Dear Richard,

.

I suppose it’s already well into your extra day this year. I keep forgetting exactly how far you are ahead of me in time zones ( although having several readers from Down Under, I should be more knowledgeable). My insomnia troubles mean that some of my Aussie friends and I are on the blog at the same time.

Will your Leap Wednesday be just another long work day? Or will Sir Peter have some sort of surprise, something special planned to mark the sort of occasion that only happens every four years?  It sounds as if you are having such a wonderful adventure with this once-in-a-lifetime experience. You are committing a bit chunk of your time and plenty of energy to this project; may it benefit you in a myriad of ways.

Speaking of insomnia, I hope you are no longer plagued by it. Your schedule requires lots of stamina which means proper rest and proper refueling to keep your mind, body and soul strong and well.  I hope you have plenty of good food, a comfortable bed long enough for that frame and dreams that are sweet and invigorating;  I wish you many opportunities for laughter and comraderie, time to reflect, time to simply–be.

And I admit I do hope you’ve found someone special.  Oh, overlook me if I become too personal; it’s simply that I want the people who mean a great deal to me, the people who have positively impacted my own life to  love and be loved in return by someone truly worthy of them. And I think you are very worthy.

Goodness knows, your characters rarely seem to experience those sorts of relationships; I would like real life to be much better for you. I am the fairy godmother of my fanfic; deep down inside, I wish I could be one in real life.

I just finished watching  Lawrence of Arabia. I don’t believe I have ever seen the entire movie and certainly did not see it in its fully restored wide-screen glory as it was meant to be seen. Watching it made me think of you.

The cast had to commit more than a year to shooting the film; O’Toole said that when a portion of a scene taking place on a staircase had to be reshot, he  was fully one year older at the bottom of the stairs than he was when he started walking down the steps.

Lawrence was the movie and the role that made Peter O’Toole an international star. Interestingly he was also a lot taller in real life than the character he was playing; Lawrence was nine inches shorter than O’Toole. And, while a few female characters will appear in your film, LOA had no female speaking roles at all, just some women milling around in the background of a few scenes.

The film was a box office success that won many awards and earned O’Toole an Oscar nomination. We know it is unlikely a fantasy film such as The Hobbit will receive a high number of Oscar nominations even though I’m sure it will richly deserve them.  But we have no doubt these two films will be huge successes financially and very likely critically.  PJ is no slouch and there’s a ton of talent working on this film in every aspect. And I  believe Richard Armitage will be a name known by millions.

I hope you are ready for, as John Rhys-Davies said, the women all over the world who will be chasing you. Ready for audiences everywhere thinking that guy playing Thorin was terrific.  Of course, some of us will take a certain pleasure in the fact we knew you were “one to watch” long before others did.  We are pretty proud of having these Good Taste Genes.

Anyway, I have rambled on long enough. Just know that I am proud and happy to be a part of  “our little community.”

With love from your devoted admirer from LA,

Fedoralady

The allure of the floppy fringe . . .

Looking amazingly youthful in this CA interview with a clean-shaven face and that fringe.

A cropped shot from a mag cover. Doesn't he look like a nice sort of chap?

Come-hither eyes. Floppy hair. Nice.

Those artfully arranged strands are quite charming, too, as Lee well knew.

Several of you have admitted an affection for those longer strands of hair falling over Mr. A’s forehead, Whether arranged or casually tousled, it’s yet another look that suits him. So here we go–a dose of floppy fringe RA style!  (photos courtesy of RANet and allthingararmitage)

I believe this shot was taken at the Children's BAFTAs. Love the grin. Love the fringe.

Floppy fringe at an early BAFTAs appearance on the red carpet.

Wouldn’t he make a great cat burglar?

John Williams, Grace Kelly and Rene Blancard in TCAT

Lucas North in black ops outfit makes one think what a sexy cat burglar Mr. A would make.

*Screencap RANet, other images Wikipedia)

Can’t you just see RA dressed from head to toe in black,that lithe body moving with the stealth and grace of a great dark feline, slipping in and out of the bedchambers of the wealthy to relieve them of their precious jewels? Wooing the gems (and other articles of attire) right off some unsuspecting and enamored female?

Yes, I’ve been watching Turner Classic Movies again. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love TCM with its uncut, commercial-free films from silents to great movies of more recent vintage. I am always discovering some new gem I have never seen and happily revisiting favorites. Thank you, Ted Turner.

Tonight I re-watched Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief.  Set on the French Riveria in the mid 1950s, it offers witty dialogue, a romance complete with fireworks and plenty of pretty for the eyes:  gorgeous location scenery, gorgeous attire worn by gorgeous Grace Kelly, not to mention Cary Grant looking suave–and quite gorgeous– in a tux.  There is also a lavish masquerade ball sequence  with attendees in 18th century attire including an anachronistic gold lame gown that must be seen to be believed.

Cary plays  John Roby, a former trapeze artist turned jewel thief (“To my credit, I only stole from those who could afford it”). Roby has been paroled from prison for his service to the French resistance in WW II and grows grapes and flowers to earn his crust these days. Kelly is Frances, a spoiled, bored rich girl ( Frances’ mother: “I wish I hadn’t sent her to that finishing school. I think they did finish her off”) traveling with her delightfully down-to-earth mum.

A series of jewel thefts is taking place on the Riveria and the authorities are sure Roby, “The Cat,” is back in business. Grant has to prove his innocence while trying to avoid the police . . .

It’s a very enjoyable movie and yet again, I found myself casting Richard in the lead role–elegant, intelligent, crafty, alluring with an interesting back story. And he gets the girl and lives past the final credits. I think you can see the appeal I find in that.

A dirty post. Literally. With Guy.

My eyes are driving me bananas (itching, watering and burning) so I think I will take a break, grab my drops and wash the old hair. Speaking of needing a wash, I present screencaps and a video that celebrate Mr. A’s characters at their most disheveled, sweaty and diiirrrrrtttty.

Really, should a man be this attractive after rolling around in the dirt, leaves and twigs?

Disheveled, sweaty and determined to do in the Devil in Black Silk.

"Look, Hood, you may be Lord of the Dance, but I am the Duke of Divine Even When Dirtttty!"

Let’s talk tongues . . .

Guy's ToC is evident as he presents Marian with her betrothal ring.

Lucas’s ToC appears as he waits and wonders if his telephone ruse with the terrorists will work.

Presenting the Tongue of Concentration or ToC . . .  one of Mr. A’s most appealing mannerisms, seen both in real life and with his characters. We wonder, did young Richard stick out his tongue in such a way whilst learning his multiplication tables or how to tie his shoelaces?

A mischievous Richard shows a Tongue of Concentration (if not his Lucas tattoos) to his interviewer.

No doubt lothario Lee shows a lot of tongue and a little of everything else to the ladies. The problem is, can you trust a single thing he says with it?

Guy has just heard proof of his sister's duplicity and debates his next move.

More food and drink with the ChaRActers . . .

Hey, Rich. How's the sandwich? We love a man with a hearty appetite.

Awwwww. A discomfited Sweetie John and his sausages. Bless!

It’s those seductive eyes looking at you over the rim of the glass and the view of that noshable neck . . .

Thornton about to sample Miss Hale’s tea.

The added bonus of watching Lucas enjoy his coffee–the lovely fingers wrapped around the mug.

Continuing on the theme of the previous post . . .  and a shot of the Man Himself enjoying a sandwich behind the scenes. He has said his ideal woman is one who enjoys food and has a bit of a naughty side. Ah, well–there you go. I think watching Richard drink that whipped cream coffee above–imagine the cream he’d need to lick off his lips as he enjoyed it–and the sandwich would be a most pleasant way to spend a lunch hour. Even if you didn’t eat, you’d be nourished, if you know what I mean.

Gustatory Pleasures with Mr. A . . .

John Mulligan pauses whilst enjoying his juicy steak for a little "fork porn."

Wow, I go away for a while to  try to sleep and mend (Even Worse Knee took the brunt of the last fall and is starting to kick up a fuss aided and abetted by the damp weather) and discover Monday turned out to be the day with the most hits so far! Good work, my darlings.

Now, back to Mr. A.

As I was contemplating what I would like to  eat this morning, having skipped lunch and supper yesterday, visions of Richard’s characters eating popped into my head. I love watching them eat and drink. They always seem to do it with such–gusto. I like to see a man enjoy his chow.

Whether it’s Sir Guy quaffing wine or scarping down prunes (prunes. The new sexy food), Lucas sipping champagne as Banker Pete or sucking the choccie frosting off his shapely thumb, Thornton enjoying a cuppa or John Mulligan and his “fork porn” . . . watching that stubbled jaw chewing, the bob of that tempting Adams’-apple as he swallows, the pursing and smacking of those lovely lips, tongue darting out to catch a morsel . . . I only regret I never got to see Sgt. Porter eat. You know a big, strapping soldier like that would certainly enjoy his victuals. So I made sure he was fed well in my fanfic. Let’s look at Mr. A’s characters enjoying good food and drink.

A prune-eating Glamour Guy is absolutely irresistible.

These are fascinating, that’s for sure.

Mr. Thornton doesn't know what to think about such foolish female frippery.

When I saw certain “hat” fashions worn at the royal wedding–called fascinators–I admit I got the giggles. Because I found myself thinking of the funny lady below, and some of the bizarre fashions she loves to wear. Mr. Thornton looks askance, but he would not be all surprised if Fanny showed up wearing such a ridiculous bonnet, if she was told it was the latest Parisian fashion.

Fabulous fashion victim Eddy Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders).

. (photos RANet/Wiki)

Does it demonstrate I am totally out of synch with fashion for laughing uproariously when I saw the princesses?