Porter & North: Soldier & Spy Saturday (NEW edits/old vids)

Two men, intelligent, resourceful and quite ruthless when necessary. Both willing to put their lives on the line to save others. Both knowing the last bullet may be the one they have to use on themselves, their mission fully deniable by the government they serve. Men who have endured deprivation, torture and humiliation, haunted by their pasts, determined to reclaim their honor, to do their duty. Two men, tough and yet capable of great tenderness, too. Although flawed and damaged, they are still good, decent men. True heroes we can respect and admire. Thank you, Lucas North and John Porter, and thank you, Richard Armitage, for so beautifully and memorably bringing these two complex characters to life for us.

Portah rocks a shemagh; or how the keffiyeh does he look so good?

Porter was a character who accessorized well. The shades, the bracelets, the vests . . . and those scarves, also known as shemaghs or keffiyehs. And boy, are those pieces of cloth really versatile! Just take a look!

(Not too sure you’d want to re-use that rockin’ scarf after making it your toilet paper or feminine hygiene product, however . . . )

“Portah’s so sexy . . . rockin’ the shemagh, rock the shemagh!” (with apologies to The Clash)

Hotter–and better accessorized, too.
What’s your favorite Portah accessory?

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.

Happy Father’s Day: Tough Portah as Lexie’s Tender Daddy

A real man can be strong and tough and still be gentle, providing consoling hugs, kisses to heal boo-boos and  offering comforting, tender words for those he loves.

Richard Armitage does a brilliant job of making John Porter believable as not just a tough, kick-ass SAS hunk, but as a loving dad, desperate to maintain a relationship with his little girl after his world falls apart. A dad who thinks of her when it looks like he may not get out of the latest adventure alive. A dad who cries with her even though they are thousands of miles apart . . .

Look at how he so fully embraces her, at the contented smile on his face. How can you not believe? And love him just a little bit more.

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.

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.

Rescue Me, JP!

Oh, Porter. Look at you. You’ve been through hell and high water, and you still look steely-eyed and determined–and gorgeous.

As for me, I feel every one of my 52 years and then some. A lot of “somes.” I have popped the muscle relaxer and the ibuprofen and fired up the heating pad to maximum velocity. The photos are now exporting from Lightroom to a subfolder on the desktop.

It will take a while.

I thought I took 500 or so photos. It was 706.  How in the heck did you take that many, my husband asked me.

I guess it had something to do with the 110 or so contestants and trying to get decent photos of each of them. I try to hold my camera very steady as I am shooting and, Porter, my shoulders are now screaming at me. And my back and hips. It was a long night.

I keep thinking of that Danny Glover tagline in the Lethal Weapon movies. “I am getting too old for this sh*t.” Danny, you and me both, my friend.

I know my various aches and pains, as loudly as they are screaming at me presently,  are nothing compared to what you’ve been through, Sergeant,  what with being shot and stabbed and water-boarded and beaten. You take it all with such amazing toughness and stoicism and then promise in the end to kill every last one of the bastards and rescue the girl and you manage to do it!

I don’t want you to kill anybody, just put a can of whup-ass on this pain, if possible.   I trust you to be able to do it, too.

I believe in the Powah of the Portah.

Rescue me, JP, as only a genuine Armitage hero can . . .

Two for Teusday: Portah & Lucas!

Lucas, the cerebral, enigmatic, cool-as-a-cucumber spy and Portah, the tough-as-nails SAS soldier with the tender side. Dedicated heroes and alpha males who are also sexy as hell.  And So Not Dead! What’s not to love here?

By popular request: More of Portah, John Portah!

Everyone seemed so happy to see our sexy sergeant earlier today, I thought I would whip up another post featuring our tough, take-no-prisoners, savvy-yet-sensitive John Porter of MI-6.

Hotness required: Porter reporting for duty!

Sunday SmoRgAsbord: Smiles, smoulders and bondage–oh my!

Because he does all of the above so very well, doesn’t he?

He’s downright balsamaceous, that boy: TAE Word for the Day

(And I’d like to hear him say that word, too.)

Balsamaceous: (adjective): Possessing healing or restorative properties.

The word derives from the Latin balsamum, “resin of the balm tree.” The substance is historically celebrated for its aroma and healing properties.

Dr. Track is a healer by profession, and with his steadfast dedication and delightful bedside manner, he certainly makes us feel better.

And whilst John Porter is a tough soldier by trade with kickass skills, his gentleness and compassion helped Katie through the trauma of her captivity even as he worked to free her. This balsamaceous hero is tops in our books.

Our Victorian hero, Mr. Thornton, restores our belief in foolish passion and sweet romance. Surely he’s been a balm to many a troubled spirit.

Dear Harry Kennedy. His sweet, sunny, nurturing nature–perhaps a reflection of his CReAtor’s own lovely character?–cannot fail to bring a smile to our faces and a warm tug on our hearts.

Just a few examples of Mr. A’s balsamaceous characters. But of course, the most balsamaceous of them all is the man himself.

Lovely, funny, brilliant, modest, insightful, endearing, charismatic . . . how you touch our hearts, minds and souls, Richard Armitage.

Sunday Smorgasbord: Sunshine, Smoulder, Sex Appeal

Oh, the sunshine of that smile. Darling, darling Harry.

Sir Guy. Such haunting beauty.  Those eyes . . . the mouth.

 

Oh, Danni, you lucky girl, you. That is one gorgeous and sexy hunk of a hero you’ve got there!

Lucas. Brave, haunted, damaged–but still a hero.  Still Lucas. John who?

 

Porter from that fantastic viral video. One minute of raw intensity. What a performance. And the thoughts we find in our head . . .

Speaking of intense, here’s our favorite dwarf warrior. He has no trouble smouldering, does he??

Sunday Smorgasbord: Early Munchies

Enjoy all this alpha male hotness, my darlings. Even yummier than waffles with lots of syrup and butter, crispy bacon, fresh-squeezed orange juice and a piping hot cup of coffee.

 

Bette Midler, Bondage and . . . Porter? A Strange Monday.

I’m feelin’ kind of beat up today. Another weather change underway, growing cooler and with rain in the forecast.  Along with the slightly less hideous toe, the tailbone is aching, as are the knees and the general FMS malaise.

I am snuggled up under the covers to get warm, still trying to wrap my head around the strange series of dreams I had while napping earlier. Birthday celebrations, Bette Midler as a dwarf in a large orange hat and polka dots, the gift of a magic spatula for cakes and cookies, a very sweet-looking lady using a cutaway dummy figure to explain bondage gear for guys and gals . . . you had to be there.  As my husband would say, ” You may be maddening, but nobody can accuse you of being dull, Ang, even your dreams.”

Monday has been a little on the strange side, even for me.

So I think I need some Sgt. Porter as something good for what ails me . . . anyone want to join me?

OK, here’s a little Luscious Lucas and Gorgeous Guy to go along with our sexy sergeant . . . they all shoot to thrill!