More charming and saucy Thorin/RA inspired fanart from Facebook via Tumblr. Oh, Cbeebies Thorin and the lads! Please note the careful addition of Orcrist to the portrait of Naked Calendar Thorin. *ahem*
And from Tanni Tani’s Hobbit Cats project–these handsome pair of alluring felines. 😉
And this gorgeous piece of fanart by Kimberly from Facebook of Thorin and his grandfather.
And my own Thorin photo edit. Happy Thorin Thursday, y’all!
I know some people will be busy with holiday plans over the next few days, I so wanted to extend some whimsical Easter greetings to one and all featuring Mr. A and some of his ChaRActers.
With the allure of a star of the classic silver screen. Nobody makes a tux look any better than he does (yes, Mr. Bond, that includes YOU).
Such masculinity in the pose, in those strong-looking, beautiful hands, the toned arms beneath the shirt, and the intensity and directness of his gaze beneath those bold dark brows. Quietly confident.
And then there’s those moments when he is just so boyishly cute and adorable. *sigh*
Oh, Richard. *thud* The eyes, the smile. The hoodie and leather.
Richard Armitage. He’s made of magic. Nuff said.
The dazzling unforced smile. And windblown floppy hair. 😀
Stunning bearded beauty.
I would love to see and hear this man sing a lullaby to a child . . . with that sweetness and gentleness shining through in those beautiful blue eyes and a soft smile on his lips. *sigh* Ok, I need to pick myself up off the floor.
We heard him singing a sort of lullaby on one of the RH audiobooks, but he was singing as a female character. On Finnish TV, Richard actually sang part of the Misty Mountains song a cappella (and I assume he did so without someone twisting his toned arm) in his own rich, rumbling baritone. Here’s the link to the clip. Richard’s vocal performance is at the end. A perfect finale!
Of course, I wouldn’t object at all if he came each night to tell me a story AND to croon some sweet tune to me. My husband might object, but really, I wouldn’t mind at ALL.
Oh, I love a gorgeous, good-hearted man of many talents. *thud*
For some reason the Sir Mix-A-Lot song Baby Got Back popped into my head, hence the wording on the fan art.
(I believe the original was, “Oh. My. God. Becky, look at her butt.”) Of course, when referring to Mr. A, you would encourage Becky and anyone else around to look at every inch of him. And listen to that chocolate voice. Then wait for the *thud.*
Having RA appear on an Inspector Lynley episode entitled In Divine Proportion was simply perfect, wasn’t it?
So mysterious, alluring . . .
A huge grin, a goofy giggle, a belly laugh. It’s all good.
Claude Monet may not have been able to afford more than cheap plonk for much of his career, but the talent of the man–and of the actor playing the artist–was rare and wonderful, indeed, the finest vintage. Thank goodness he was one artist who did achieve success and acclaim while still alive to enjoy it.
I couldn’t wait until Friday. Need I say more?
I re-watched the Cbeebies earlier. Oh I love, love, love Richard as Mr. Storyteller, as I like to call him. All those delightful voices-everything from mice and dinosaurs to ghosts, witches and kiddies, talk of “cuddly monsters” (those “u” sounds get me every time) and admonishments to toys not to eat his ice cream as he waves his spoon.
He is charming and funny and sweet and endearing.
And hot.
Ah, that floppy fringe across the forehead that I am so tempted to reach out and brush back; those fitted knit tops that showcase the toned biceps, the snug jeans, the way he tucks one leg beneath him. Those expressive eyebrows, the smiles–those eyes!
It’s very hard to keep naughty thoughts out of my head, quite frankly.
Yummy, yummy, yummy . . .
Ever since I was a little child clutching crayons in my hands, salivating at the very notion of a 64-count box of Crayolas complete with built-in sharpener, I have loved color and playing with colors. So here’s some fun I’ve had playing with Mr. A and color. He certainly brightens up my life! Happy weekend to all.
As I mentioned in an earlier comment on my birthday post, I am still recovering from my yesterday’s celebration and It will take me a little while to regroup and bring you the latest installment of Ladywriter’s adventures with the lads. Tomorrow I have my long-awaited hair/waxing appointment *yayyyyy* and it looks as if Benny and I may go to the county fair tomorrow night. The fairs aren’t what they used to be these days, but then–neither am I. 😉
We will also have some more of Mr. Oakenshield for Thorin Thursday.
In the meantime, let’s have a little fun with Mr. A . . .
“I had never heard of Richard Armitage before The Hobbit. I’m more into the Thorin Oakenshield Effect. He rode up in the trailer and turned to the camera and I was poleaxed…and I swore I would never look at another man after my last marriage. Let alone a man with long hair and a beard like my ex. Well, Richard proved me wrong, so here I am cruising the interwebs for treasures. I have watched “King Under the Hair” several times and sent it around to friends who were equally delighted by it. I have just started to peruse your site and have already found it to be a treat.” (Excerpt from a comment made by Jane Rafferty here at TAE)
I saw this comment and I could not fail to smile. What happened to Jane (and welcome, Jane, to our little community!) is something I suspect many, many more folks will experience: being “poleaxed” by the amazing charisma and presence of Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield.
Of course, I am feeling a bit smug about all this because I don’t want to say, “I told you so,” but of course, I DID. Sure, when I first heard Richard was going to be playing a dwarf I raised my eyebrows. A strapping six-foot, two (and-a-half!)-inch-tall, youthful-looking fellow like RA as a pint-sized warrior of rather advanced years?
But I reminded myself he’d convinced me over and over again–as a conflicted “evil henchman” with a troublesome conscience, carrying a torch for a fair, duplicitous maiden, a determined Victorian mill owner with a foolish passion for a persnickety parson’s daughter, a cripplingly shy gentle giant of a Yorkshire farmer, a dedicated, cerebral spy damaged by eight years in a Russian prison, a tough, sometimes ruthless soldier seeking redemption who is also a loving father and a true hero–and the list goes on.
He’s so very good, our Richard, a veritable chameleon, submerging himself in each character. Why would it be any different with Thorin, I asked myself?
And indeed, from all evidence thus far, Richard IS Thorin Oakenshield–proud, regal, passionate, at times arrogant, a charismatic leader who can convince a small company of dwarfs with “willing hearts” to follow him on a very difficult and dangerous mission.
I suspect since the last trailer appeared, many, many more people who were interested in The Hobbit in a more general sense, are finding themselves specifically drawn to learn more about the actor behind Thorin. “What a voice! And those eyes! The way he carries himself. Who IS this guy?”
Even as a dwarf, forced to look up at Gandalf and the elves, RA is somehow larger than life as Thorin. It’s a role that will surely become iconic.
What will it be like to see him on the big screen, to hear him through the stereo speakers in the theater? I may very well have to see it twice–just to absorb into my brain the whole sensation of that much RA truly larger than life, his honeyed baritone reverberating in my ears, and then a second time to actually enjoy the entire movie, because I do believe there will be much to appreciate and savor in the film as a whole.
Many, many people will flock to the theater in December to see The Hobbit because they are Tolkien fans, or their kids, grandkids or significant others are fans. I believe a fair number of those attending (who were not already RA fans) will leave as converts to “our little community.”
Because once you discover Richard Armitage, once you’ve been poleaxed, as Jane puts it, by him in one role, it’s almost impossible not to pursue seeing him in other roles.
To discover the sweet and sunny-natured accountant Harry Kennedy, the brooding John Thornton, smouldering Sir Guy, sweet John Standring, the passionate artist Monet, rebellious biker Ricky Deeming and the other memorable chaRActers he’s brought to life so vividly. Not to mention all the wonderful audio recordings he has done, the irresistible appeal of the CBeebies . . .
And then to watch/listen to/read his interviews, and find out what an intelligent, insightful, funny, sweet-natured, modest individual he really is. In a world of wanna-bes, it seems Richard Crispin Armitage is all that and a big, big bag of chips.
Richard in a GMTV interview prior to Spooks 9. Courtesy of RichardArmitageNet
Oh, for those who have not yet experienced The Armitage Effect (and I don’t mean the blog, because if you are reading this, you’ve obviously found me), there’s so much wonderful, amazing stuff out there to be discovered.
I look forward to Richard’s fanbase growing and diversifying in the coming months as more people discover just what an amazing and versatile talent he is. I fully expect more folks to come forward and say they’ve been poleaxed, too.
As Mezz said, resistance is, indeed, futile. And we’ll welcome you to the fold. 😀
Oh, and is it December yet?
The insomniac imagines something much better than counting sheep–wouldn’t you agree?
the armitage effect 