Desolation of Smaug – Empire Magazine December Issue

While some of us wait on our copies to find their way to us from kindly fairy godmothers 😉 DJ offers up the DoS article with pics (and a quote from darling waterlogged Richard) in this post! Thanks, DJ!

And here’s a little extra Halloween treat. You’re welcome.

http://aegileif.deviantart.com/art/Thorin-410300632

Happy Halloween from TAE! Some tricks, mostly TREATS. ;)

Greetings from your Halloween-loving blogger, Fedoralady! She decided to put on her skinny face (Celebrity Cruise 2000) and borrow a costume from her favorite actor’s past to celebrate the holiday. 😀

Guy’s here to heat up things for us, too!

And our favorite warrior dwarf is going all peace and love Woodstock-style, man! Outta sight!

Little Johnny Mulligan . . . still self trying to convince us he’s not *really* a bad guy.

  Guy—just HAS to appear more than once. Come on over and take a bite, big boy!

Lucas and Ros are going undercover this Halloween as master magician and able assistant!!

Lothario lifeguard Lee offers us the ultimate in trick-or-treat goodness . . . at least, in HIS eyes. 😉

Guy, however, thinks what HE has to offer is the penultimate in Halloween deliciousness.

Really, Guy, I BELIEVE you!

And for a really sweet Halloween treat, look no further than to Harry and Gerri!

And if you over-indulge and get a tummy ache, Dr. Track will stop by to ease your pain . . .

From our bewitching Scarlett to you all, Happy Halloween!

Be it Richard or Thorin–goodness gracious, it’s ALL good.

I came in after another night of rehearsal for our mystery theatre, simultaneously tired and wound up. I’d been away from the computer and internet since the early hours on Monday, so there were lots of goodies to peruse when I finally got around to it. FB had a lot, much of it from Pinterest and Tumblr, it seems. All the edits are my own.

I didn’t get the Extended Edition digital download–slow connection and limited space weighed in against it–but I must confess I do enjoy the images thus far captured and shared hither and yon.  And I have to have a little fun with it, too. 😉

Seriously, I love the behind-the-scenes glimpses of our ever-attentive and focused actor at work and those rare moments when RA’s glorious grin shines through the Thorin guise and makes my heart do a curious flip-flop. I delight in the masculine beauty personified by Richard Armitage.

Oh, dear. The nape curls. The downcast lashes. The beard.  The desire to tease those soft little curls with tips of my fingers and lay my cheek against his beard . . . *whimpering just a little*

Oh, sweet mother . . . the THIGHS.  Not to mention the biceps. And shoulders. And just general . . . yumminess.

Oh, what a handsome dwarf prince he is . . .

Oh, and this image below~~~our Richard presumably studying his lines between takes . . . *sigh* Wanted to give it the feel of an old photograph.

Tonight I am watching the film on HBO and reveling in the beauty he also brings to the complex and conflicted character of this mighty dwarf warrior. And there’s more of it to come in December . . .

Yowsa.

How do I like this picture? Let me count the ways . . .

Courtesy of Richard Armitage Argentina; (EDIT) original screencap, not cropped, can be found here: http://microlina.tumblr.com/post/65214650488/to-all-the-expert-out-there-is-it-an-ipad-its  (thanks for heads up on this, Micra 1!)

I love the open shirt and the peek at the manly chest hair . . . the well-worn jeans snug over that luscious muscular thigh . . . the amazing architecture of that hand as he pecks away at his tablet (?), the hair, slightly disheveled and I am thinking, a little damp from a recent shower . . . the three-quarter view of his face allowing us to see his intent gaze and one of those arresting elfin ears, the handsome aquiline nose . . . the beard . . . oh, so many things. *sigh* *thud* *drool*

OK, back to trying to get some paying work done . . .

“Armitage is Excellent” -Strike Back:Origins Review

Love this review of RA in SB. 😀 The critic really seems to get what he was trying to accomplish with the role.

Armitage Agonistes

Our worries that Strike Back: Origins would not be well received in the U.S. because of its more serious tone, turns out to be unfounded. The reviews have been from good to excellent. So far, anti-Americanism has not been much of an issue – but we should be mindful that this first episode and the second, isn’t as anti-American as the last two episodes which take place in Afghanistan. But by then, viewers will be hooked.

Armitage Agonistes investigative reporter KatharineD ferreted out this review by  Hot Extract , a website dedicated to commenting on films, TV and games in the military  genre with a focus on authenticity. The review doesn’t fall squarely into the goal of  Servetus’s  Me and Richard ( 2 posts) and my own  recent reports of reviews  – which is to see how Origins has been received here in the U.S. compared to the American…

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A soldier, a dwarf king & a henchman walked into a room . . .

“Soooo . . . I see you two showed up on my day. ” The tall, dark and toothsome knight gave a disdainful sniff of his rather magnificent aquiline nose and folded his arms across his chest as he smirked at his companions.  (He was as magnificent a Smirker as he was a first-class Sniffer and Smoulderer.)

The soldier, who was rocking a scarf like nobody’s business, shot him a cool, measured glance and folded HIS arms, their very impressive biceps rippling beneath his desert gear.  “Yeah . . . seems the Yanks are finally going to get to meet me . . .”

“Although audiences around the world are eagerly anticipating MY arrival–and some have already seen me via this digital download apparatus,” rumbled the dwarf in a majestic manner, somehow making himself look taller–even if he was a foot shorter than the other two blokes. He slipped off his kingly coat, and showed off his own impressive biceps. The three men eyed each other. Was it her imagination, or was that the distinctive odor of testosterone in the air?

The blonde woman sighed. “Now, lads, there’s room for all of you. You are all much loved, adored AND lusted after.  Happy Guyday Friday, Happy premiere of Strike Back: Origins tonight and hooray for the Extended Edition of The Hobbit! There are chocolate chip fudge brownies and a big bag of cheese curls in the kitchen and a gallon of Blue Bell in the freezer.”

“I’ve got first dibs on the brownies . . .” Guy said in his chocolate-laden baritone.

“All yours, milord. I’ll take the cheese curls,” Porter drawled, his crystalline green eyes glinting.

Thorin flicked back his luxurious mane. “Blue Bell being the king of ice creams makes it the perfect choice for me . . .”

Ladywriter wondered how long it would take before they got into a squabble over the satellite remote control.

Never a dull moment when the ChaRActers took over the house . . .

And she wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Where my head is at . . . and it’s not a bad place, really.

Where my head is at . . .

My brain is busy. It’s tired and there’s always worry lurking there—I am my mother’s daughter, after all—but things are getting accomplished, too.  I am making progress. I completed two pieces of video editing for the homecoming dance DVD and I am really pleased with how it turned out. Scarlett and I are watching the “rough draft” DVD right now to vet it for Benny and I am snapping a few screencaps along the way and typing up a few notes for things that need tweaking.  Samples . . .

And here is a photo I took and edited from the recent bar mitzvah we covered.  I love it. Mama loves it. And if Mama loves it, that makes me happy.

I also stood up and said “no” to one of my volunteer duties for the humane society.

I am the recording secretary and PR chair. I write and submit articles and photos to the local newspapers, I manage its FB page which I update daily, I create numerous graphics for ads and flyers, I assist with taking photos to submit to the pet rescue groups, I am going to completely redo the website at some point—so did I really need to be the scheduling person for the spay-neuter program, too? It’s not as if we don’t have dozens of other members—although, as with many organizations, a very small number of folks do most of the “heavy lifting.”

I said “no” and the world didn’t fall apart and I felt something lifting off my shoulders. You gotta do what you gotta do.

My husband’s birthday was last Sunday. I set a goal to raise enough money to buy him a good tablet—not an iPad, because he really isn’t a Mac kind of guy, but an Android with a good track record and the bells and whistles he needs and wants.

I went the cheap route last Christmas and the darned thing has already died. And his old iPod Touch I gave him for Christmas years ago isn’t going to last much longer.  He needed something other than his desktop. And what profits we’ve made in our video production biz has gone into camera equipment and other business-related stuff—nothing personal.

So I flogged some of my jewelry on FB.

And between my darling sis’s generous donation and my bling-lovin’ FB friends, I raised $400 and bought him a Samsung Google Nexus 10. He was showing me the voice response feature last night. “Angie K Long,” he told it, and what do you know—a familiar pair of eyes looking over her sunglasses appeared. Cool! The display is beautiful—better, some say, than the iPad—and he really likes it. And that makes ME happy. 😀

A month from today, I will be making my entrance, speaking the first lines of dialogue in“Dying from a Drink.” I have been rehearsing my role at home, practicing my “drunk face” and appropriate body language in front of the mirror. Never a heavy drinker, I haven’t been inebriated in this century. So it IS a bit of a stretch for me.

O.K., it’s just a role in a short two-act play for a small-town community theatre, one our cast of six will perform in the banquet room of a local restaurant as part of our first-ever mystery dinner theatre.

Still, I want to be good. I want all of us to be good, to remember our lines and deliver them with feeling and make that small, intimate audience laugh and puzzle over just who wants to do in the tipsy wealth widow I am playing . . . so I take my Big Black Hat to rehearsals, put in my blingy earrings, and put on my best slurry voice . . . and think about Richard Armitage and what he’d say and do!

“Go forth and give your best paranoid drunken murder victim-to-be, Ange!”

“Oh, and think about these lips. Puckering up to give you a congratulatory kiss when you ace it . . .”

Hmmmmmmm . . . . oh well, I can dream.

I actually could get some kisses from this gorgeous creature . . . and my sweet hubby. 😀

How to be amazing. Words that remind me of Richard Armitage.

I found this quote by Robin Sharma on FB a while ago and saved it. As I read the words, I found myself visualizing Richard Armitage as a prime example of someone who has mastered the art of being amazing.

Here is a man who puts his heart and soul and intellect into his work, carefully crafting his roles, always striving to go from strength to strength; a team player who leads by example and give 100 percent every time.  A wonderful, charismatic performer who has also retained his humility and his good manners and displays such a generous and kind spirit. Someone you can admire and desire to emulate on so many different levels. All this and he’s gorgeous to look at, too! Wow–are we not blessed to be his ardent admirers?

(I would say more but it’s late and I am truly tired and the kitten on my lap says she wants to go beddy-bye very soon . . .)

How to Be Amazing

Risk more than is required. Learn more than is normal. Be strong.

Show courage. Breathe. Excel. Love. Lead. Speak your truth. Live your values. Laugh. Cry, Innovate.

Simplify. Adore mastery. Release mediocrity. Aim for genius. Stay humble. Be kinder than necessary. Deliver more than is needed.
Exude passion. Shatter your limits. Transcend your fears. Inspire others by your bigness. Dream big but start small. Act now. Don’t stop.

Change the world.

~Robin Sharma~

Amazing. Just—amazing.

New Thorin and Beorn Images from The Desolation of Smaug Calendar

Here are more images from a DoS calendar courtesy of DJ . . . check out Beorn and of course, majestic Thorin!! 😀

Who wants to be Thorin for Halloween?

Or Kili or Balin . . . hmmmm . . . does Thorin’s wig remind you vaguely of Billy Ray Cyrus back in the day?!

Here’s another option for The Mane and The Beard to play The King . . . Mmmmmm, maybe not.

And there’s this. Looks like Moses crossed with some burly Irish gent who borrowed his wife’s stole. Maybe not.

I agree, gang, these hardly capture the majesty that is Thorin Oakenshield as given to us by the one and only RA and his makeup and prosthetics team . . .

It’s just hard to match perfection . . .

Although the cosplayers certain do try . . .

Of course, there’s always Thorin Pugginshield . . .

And I think Leigh’s lovely Lucky would make an outstanding Smaug Cat.  😀

New Stunt Fail You Tube that Works

Love seeing the lads having a lark practicing their stunts. From the extended edition, a little treat Perry found for you!

Armitage Agonistes

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Richard Armitage – The Ultimate Collection: The Desolation of Smaug Postage Stamp is here!

Reblogging the reblog here . . . more Thorin merchandise to tempt us all . . . 😉

It’s an awfully good face, isn’t it?

I have a small, fuzzy, extremely warm kitten on my chest and—saints be praised–her older sister napping at the foot of the bed. They have been in the same room for several hours without a single skirmish, without hissing, growling, laid-back ears or bugged-out eyes. Maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Speaking of light . . .

I’ve been looking through the screencaps from the Cinemax interview. If you haven’t seen them yet, RA Central has them posted in their gallery:

http://richardarmitagecentral.co.uk/main.php?g2_itemId=346770&g2_page=3

I’ve been thinking about Richard’s face. A good face, and I don’t just mean the juxtaposition of those elegant cheekbones, firm jaw, classical aquiline nose and long-lashed eyes. It is certainly aesthetically pleasing.

But there’s more. There’s the humor and humility, the passion for his craft, the intelligence, the polite and thoughtful nature, all those qualities that animate his striking features and bring a beautiful light into those eyes with their ever-changeable color.

It’s a face that expresses so much and yet also keeps us guessing. The face of a private man who leads with his feelings in his chosen profession. A face that is somehow ageless and timeless.  A face that holds such an arresting masculine beauty that even when the subject is tired as he appears to be in the interview, it’s still quite enough to take one’s breath away.

And the smiles . . . oh, those smiles. Reflected in the eyes, accompanied by crinkles, radiating bonhomie. It really is true. Whenever I see RA’s smiling face, I have to smile myself . . . I just can’t resist.

Yes, an awfully good face. And, I believe, a good man. Can’t wait for more people to discover his powerful, magnetic, kick-ass performance as Sgt. Porter.

Richard Armitage Strike Back Interview on youtube

Here’s a link to the Cinemax interview with SB director and Richard on the original Strike Back, now called “Strike Back: Origins.” Does RA look and sound wonderful??

Me + Richard Armitage

If Cinemax is too resource-heavy for you (it is for me). Thanks to RACentral.

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