Armitage Alley-Oop: TAE Word for the Day

Oh-la-la, mes amies!  This week we focus on some French words that have become Anglicised. The French, of course, would suggest we’ve gone and corrupted those words. It’s all in the perspective . . .  😉  And of course, we shall tie it in with Mr. A.

Yeah, my Creator once worked for a circus in Budapest. Next question??

Remember Doctor Who as played by David Tennant saying, “Allons-y?” (let’s go!)  *blogger’s note: I love David Tennant. But not as much as I love Richard Armitage*

David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, today’s word started out using “allez,” the imperative form of the French verb “aller” (to go) + hop/oop (an expressive word). Allez-hop or allez-oop is the cry of a circus performer about to leap and dates back to the early 1920s.

Alley-oop!

Give it a phonetic respelling and hey, presto! You have the word alley-oop.

Alley-oop: (interjection) Used as an exhortation or to signal the start of an activity.

Noun: A basketball move in which one player throws the ball to a player closer to the basket who catches it in mid-air and then puts it in the basket before hitting the floor. 

Alley-oop (Photo credit: Antonio Rull)

 

 To the best of my knowledge, Richard does not play basketball, although with his height and athleticism, he’s probably be pretty good at it.

Of course, Richard did spend six weeks working with a Budapest circus at 17 to earn that all-important Equity card (as if you didn’t know)–do you suppose any of the acrobats or other circus performances he assisted cried “Alley-oop?”  Of course, he also spent time with those elephants, bless his heart . . . the things a determined young man will do to get his performing arts career underway!

Oh, brother, the circus. Again. Fedoralady, fedoralady . . . what AM I going to do with you?

The answer to that, of course, is “Anything you want, Richard, my dear.”

In case you haven’t noticed . . . John Porter is sexy.

That air of concentration as he studies the gems. That beautiful hand.

 

Hmmmm. Water. Muscles. Chesticles. I know that spray had to sting, but--oh my goodness.

 

 

 

 

He's just beautiful here, with the sheen of perspiration on his skin, the small cuts you want to kiss to take the pain away; a certain defiance and determination in the set of his mouth and there's that look in his eyes. This man could be very, very dangerous.

 

 

 

*guh* That is all.

 

 

 

Bound. Shirtless and sweaty. And those muscles . . . yeah, this scene was for all his female fans.

 

Who knew scarves could be so sexy?

Well, they certainly are when you wrap them around John Porter’s swan-like neck or handsome head, allowing us to see only those piercing eyes . . .

 

He rocks the shades, too. Love the air of mystery . . . and potential menace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah. Porter with his peridot eyes . . . looking splendid in desert khaki and green.

 

 

Random Acts of Richarding for Monday

An elegant gentleman, isn't he? I can imagine him siting in a wingback chair by a fire in a library . . . a book in his hand . . . a glass of wine beside him on a table.

I love it when you get your fierce on, Mr. "World's Tallest Dwarf."

Boyish Armitage in blue. He's quite a chameleon with his appearance and his acting, isn't he?

Would this be considered hand porn AND food porn?

Some Mulligan for Monday (oh, you sexy snollygoster, you!)

Yeah . . . I'm sexy and I know it. It's in my genes. And my jeans.

I fear I find myself thinking of that old country song, "You Can Eat Crackers in My Bed Anytime" . . .

Oh, those hands. Those eyes. The promises they can make.

Phrases from the Bard: Forest Boy, the “Green-Eyed Monster”

In Othello, the villainous Iago plants seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind about the faithfulness of his wife, while advising him, “Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on.” Othello, Act 3, Scene 3.

I found it interesting that Robin would constantly push Marian, whom he purportedly loved, to work her womanly wiles on Sir Guy, and then have frequent hissy fits when she did spend time in Guy’s presence.

Doesn’t love involve trust? And if you love someone, don’t you want to protect them from evil influences and keep them out of harm’s way? (Uhm, kind of like Guy did for Marian?) Robin considered Guy to be a monster, and yet he was always shoving Marian in the “monster’s” direction. Mixed signals there, I’d say.

Robin proved to be the green-eyed monster literally and figuratively.

And the whole “Peeping Blobbin” thing got really old. Every time you turned around, he was turning up like the proverbial bad penny. He started coming across as some sort of medieval pervert.

I like to think if Blobbin and the squire had stayed out of the picture, this scene might have played out very differently. *sigh* A girl can dream . . .

Of course, dearest Guy had his moments of jealousy, too. Particularly when a certain charming count showed up in Nottingham. In spite of all his protestations that he didn’t care about Marian anymore, we all knew he did.

Our blue-eyed boy was seeing green when Count Frederich showed up and showered Marian with his attentions.

It is thought that Shakespeare may have been evoking the image of cats here–often green-eyed and fond of toying with their prey before killing it, thus a cat will “mock the meat it doth feed on.”

American actor John Edward McCullough (1837-1885) as Othello? Colour lithograph. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Was it serendipity that led you to discover Richard Armitage?

Serendipity: Luck that takes the form of finding pleasant or valuable things that are not looked for.

In the mid-18th century, Sir Horace Walpole stumbled upon a Persian fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip (Serendip was the name of the island that is now Sri Lanka). The heroes of the stories traveled about, making happy (and chance) discoveries. Walpole added the word to the English language in 1754

Horace Walpole (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I didn’t go looking for Richard Armitage, but I found him one Saturday night playing the bog-standard henchman as a supporting character in a kid-friendly show on BBC America, Robin Hood 2006.

The show turned out to be more than a bit cheesetastic. And full of anachronisms. Still, Robin Hood the show had its charms. I particularly liked the characters of Allan and Much and the young actress playing Marian. All talented and entertaining actors.  And then–slowly–I began to pay more attention to one specific character. And it wasn’t Ye Olde Legende Hero.

I'm here for the bad guy. Our meeting was serendipitous.

Sir Guy as played by Richard Armitage might be a right smarmy bastard, but he certainly was a good-looking right smarmy bastard who also turned out to be more complicated than he first appeared on the surface.  And by the time he got left at the altar by the woman he believed would cleanse his soul with her goodness and purity, I felt something funny going on inside me.  This character was getting to me.  It was as if I could see inside his heart; I could see the “evil henchman’s” humanity, his vulnerabilities.

"Let her go." Guy moments after being slugged by his bride-to-be and left at the altar. My heart truly belonged to Guy from that moment on.

That Richard Armitage fellow was a very good actor. And not bad to look at. He had–presence. Charisma. He had–IT. I wondered what else he might have done.  And so I started searching on the Internet, and found various forums, blogs and websites and the fanvids on YouTube, and started reading fanfiction. And so it began . . . the fascination, the obsession, the addiction, whatever you will call it.

Leading to a tall stack of DVDs featuring Mr. A’s performances.  Leading to writing fanfiction and making fanvids and now, blogging about him. And all because I sat down one night to watch a show in BBC America. And I just keep discovering more things to like, admire, respect and adore about him.  He is a most pleasant and valuable thing to discover when you aren’t even looking for him.

Thank you, Sir Horace, for introducing “serendipity” to the language, and thank you, Richard Armitage, for being a shining example of it.

Richard, you serendipitous sweetheart, you!

Mr. Armitage has won an well-deserved award . . .

Richard Armitage at the 2010 Television BAFTAs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was announced today by the International Callipygian Society that British actor Richard Crispin Armitage, currently in New Zealand filming the role of Thorin for Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films, has been named Callipygian Male Extraordinaire. Throngs of females (and a not insignificant number of males) are expected to celebrate this event by staging marathons of fanvids and show clips from the actor’s well-rounded roles. “We don’t call the man ‘Sweet Cheeks’ for nothing,” said one rabid fan.  Another commented,  “We love how Richard always fleshes out his characters so booti-fully.”

Sunday Behind the Scenes with Richard: Sir Guy of Robin Hood

Richard in a S2 DVD extra interview. The leather pants straining over the thighs. The bare arms. The great eye makeup job. Our medieval rock god.

 

 

Richard and His Ridiculously Attractive Hands. I love how he talks with them, don't you?

 

 

A shot with the tracking dolly from the seige on Nottingham Castle from S3 extras.

 

 

Love to see Richard laughing--especially in his Guy guise.

 

 

Told ya I loved those hands. And everything here.

 

 

An intellligent, thoughtful, interesting and talented actor. And a glorious-looking one.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet John Standring for Sunday & a sweet vid with Adele

A big, burly, awkward man with a tender heart and a steadfast one, John Standring, Yorkshire farmhand, has loved Carol, the daughter of his employer, for years. But the object of his affection and devotion only has eyes for Andrew. John’s near-crippling shyness and lack of social skills make it difficult for him to connect with others.

But when he has the opportunity to marry Carol and help her save Sparkhouse Farm, he takes it–even though he knows she isn’t really in love with him. “Never think there are things you can’t tell me,” John, a gentle man with a true heart of gold, says to Carol, who is damaged from years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father.

Sweetie John–the steadfast, solid, reliable man who settles for second best. It’s hard not to love him and root for him to have a happily ever efter. The role of John Standring was a supporting one, but it was also a major breakthrough for Richard. He said it was the first role he auditioned for in character, and his transformation for this role is amazing. It’s hard to believe this is the same fellow who within a year of Sparkhouse played flirty-girty lothario Lee in Cold Feet.

 

Richard Armitage: Sweet Child O’ Mine (New Vid!)

I think we agreed the words to this song were in many ways perfect for Mr. A and his characters. I chose to go with Sheryl Crow’s version–a little more mellow, and she sings about a “he” so it works better. Hope you enjoy!

Behind-the Scenes Saturday–Spooks! Lucas (and Ros, too)

 

Rehearsing the fight scene in the scrapyard in the Dean episode of S7.

Gotta love the headgear on Hermione and Richard in this shot on a Moscow street.

Richard on a break getting a touch-up to his makeup. He once said he wanted them to let his wrinkles show and his hair get mussed on Spooks, but they kept on covering them up and attending to his tresses.

I always think he looks a bit sheepish here, making a promo for the upcoming Spooks 9 DVD and its special features. Sheepish AND gorgeous.

Hermione attending to Richard. God, I missed her and the Ros character!! She and Richard worked so well together. And she did once describe RA as "sublime."

Richard as Lucas on his way to the Bedouin Bar, I believe. I love his stance here. Very dancer-like.

Related articles

• Sexy Spy Saturday with Luscious Lucas (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)

More Behind-the-Scenes Saturday– Strike Back and John Portah!

Strike Back (TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the interest of equal time for our MI5 and MI6 officers, more peeks behind the scenes, this time on the Strike Back set with RA as the heroic Sgt. John Porter.

                                           I already liked BDUs, but after see RA as John Porter, I really, REALLy like them. Something about a man in uniform . . .

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Attending to his makeup--looks like this might have been close to shooting the fight scene in the exercise yard at Chikirubi prison.

Looks like Richard, Andrew and the other lads are doing some rehearsing with their weapons before shooting the opening helicopter sequence.

With Orla Brady as Katie after fleeing captivity . . . John and all his guns (the weapon and those bodacious biceps) battle it out with the remaining terrorists.

He's got a blood-stained T-shirt and a big gun, but RA manages to look so sweet here somehow.

Related articles

• Super Secret Agent Saturday continues . . . John Portah, my hero (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)
• Strike Back Saturday # 1: Sgt. John Porter (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)
• Strike Back Saturday #2: Captive Soldier (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)
• Tuesday Threesome: Porter, Lucas & Guy – Soldier, Spy & Sexy Henchman (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)

Phrases from the Bard: Marian illustrates “Love is Blind”

Valentine Rescues Silvia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, stage actor and manager, as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Courtesy Wikipedia

 

Will Shakespeare coined the phrase “Love is blind” and used it in several of his plays, including The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V and The Merchant of Venice.  It can be used in a positive light–love can help overlook the flaw in those we love. But it can also bar us from recognizing serious issues.  Such as the fact your “love interest” is a cockaloram and gloryhog with a bow fixation who lives in the forest with a lot of other smelly men has and will continuously use you to further his own ends and then go into a jealous snit whilst playing Peeping Tom.

Marian preferred Hoodie, aka Forest Boy . . .

Over the tall, dark, toothsome, sexy-as-hell man who adored her and never once compared her to a weapon.

Yep, she could have had HIM . . . Hot Intense Male!

Alas, she rejected this tall, sexy, smouldering black leather-clad Adonis who would have made her his queen . . .

Instead, she chose a medieval boy band reject.. *sigh*

Clearly, Shakespeare had it right. Love is blind sometimes; and sometimes, it is also deaf and dumb.   And lacking in the Good Taste Gene, forsooth!

Whilst it’s still Guyday Friday . . . Didja ever wonder . . .

Ever wonder if Marian's back caught on fire from all the smouldering Guy was doing right behind her?

 

 

Ever wonder how one hot, sweaty enraged henchman could be so damned sexxxxxy?

 

 

 

Ever wonder if Lucy Griffiths went home at night thinking. "Why, oh why couldn't Marian decide she likes Guy . . . I would certainly have more fun!!!"