#FanstRA: I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello!

Well, what a week! I haven't had much time to look at other posts, let alone respond to comments here, but that means that FanstRAvaganza 3 is far from over. While the actual event is over now, the posts are still there to read and to comment on, and that goes for all the participants, not just myself.

Thank you all for stopping by and reading what I've had to say. I've tried to mix business-as-usual with FanstRAvaganza, which means a lot more work, but it's worth it. Big, humongous thanks to the organising crew behind this year's event, and amongst those, I'd like to give honourable mentions to Servetus, who has done the nigh impossible here and managed to herd cats organise bloggers, and to CDoart, for keeping track of all the posts. Thanks also to all fellow participants, old and new. You're all awesome, and it's going to be lots of fun catching up with everything in the weeks, and probably months, to come.

#FanstRA: Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say "ooh-la-la"?

Today's Tag Teams: Last, but definitely not least! Freeform: Agzy shares with us her favorite Armitage paper doll • Ana Cris examines Lucas North's tattoos through Maori tattoo culture • Jas Rangoon premieres her new John Bateman fanvid • In fandom, jazzbaby1 thinks RA fandom is just groovy! • C.S. Winchester asks "naughty or nice?" in a picspam • Mrs. E.B. Darcy thinks about Armitage's future after TH to wrap up the Hobbit chain • Jo Ann offers the last King Richard Armitage post, on Richard III and the Tudors • In fanfic, Maria Grazia reviews and compares works by the authors she's interviewed • Gratiana Lovelace wraps up the event with a guest post by Melissa the Mouse! • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of the event!

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This post is not inspired or based on anything in particular, but it's my last actual discussion topic of F3.

I have had a thought for a while now, after reading in various online newspapers about asexuality, which is finally getting some press. We all seem to be so very fascinated to talk about if Richard Armitage is straight or gay. (Hey, what if he's bi?) What if that isn't the question? It's technically quite presumptious of us to assume he likes one gender or the other, even though that is the norm.

What if the answer is "neither"? Ever considered that?

#FanstRA: Stayin' alive

Today's Tag Teams: It's almost over, oh noes! In fandom, Phylly3 celebrates her second blogiversary! • Avalon considers her favorite fandom moments (includes interview with Jeannie Gisborne)! •  In the Hobbit chain, Antonia Romera compares trailers for An Unexpected Journey in three languages • CDoart's the King Richard Armitage blogger, writing on the relevance of the character in times of questionable justice • In fanfic, Jo Ann finishes her story • fedoralady traces the evolution of her "sloth fic" series • In freeform, Gratiana Lovelace rescreens her Armitage birthday vid • Fabo casts Armitage in Hollywood musical remakes • C.S. Winchester takes on Armitage in period costumes from N&S and Miss Marie Lloyd • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: In Divine Proportion.

I freely admit the reason I'm not going to review this episode is because I wasn't paying attention to it when I saw it. It was back in January, when I visited my parents in Sweden. They love British crime drama, and were watching The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. I was on my laptop or something at the time, and wasn't paying much attention, until I heard a familiar voice - OMG, it was the episode with HIM in!! But we were already almost half an hour into the episode, so I had no idea what was going on, and it failed to grab me - aside from the few glimpses of Richard Armitage here and there. Not until the final scenes, I was paying full attention ... but then, what I saw, did not surprise me.

If someone points a gun at a character played by Richard Armitage, what do you expect to happen? My first thought was "he's going to get shot, obviously, because his character always bloody dies in the end!" Let's see what might have led me to believe such a thing ...

#FanstRA: All I can say is that I love to love you

Today's Tag Teams: In the Hobbit chain, Mrs. E.B. Darcy projects what our hero may do in TH: There and Back Again • Ana Cris discusses a Maori ceremony Mr. Armitage witnessed in New Zealand's mountains • In King Richard Armitage, fitzg guestposts at judiang's on non-Richard roles for Armitage in a Richard III project • In fanfic, Jas Rangoon continues  her modern N&S fic • Maria Grazia presents an interview with Cat Winchester and giveaway of her book, Northern Light • In freeform, fedoralady asks about our dream Armitage-narrated audiobooks • John Thornton wonders if anyone else could play him • Agzy discusses Heinz Kruger's sartorial choices -- and what's underneath them! • In fandom, jazzbaby1 maps Armitage in the Tommyverse • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in Between the Sheets.

Say what you want about Paul, that doesn't really matter, because all we really care about are those peaches he has on such a marvellous display. Yes, even if we won't admit it, we do like to admire his body in all its glory. (Even though I'm personally quite happy not to see the crown jewels. That would feel wayyyyy to awkward!) But then there's the point of Paul potentially being unfaithful to his spouse, and that brings up a few interesting thoughts for those of us who are in steady relationships - and/or are married ... Because as much as we love Richard Armitage, where does that leave our significant others? Time to come clean ...

#FanstRA: It's all about the Monet, Monet, Monet

Today's Tag Teams: In King Richard Armitage, Servetus admits to (gasp!) stray thoughts while lecturing • In fanfic, Margaret Hale guestposts at John Thornton's on why she loves him • Jo Ann continues her story • In freeform, Jas Rangoon jokes about potential reproductive partners for Mr. Armitage • Itsjsforme reveals another Guy of Gisborne PSA (still not safe for work!) • Gratiana Lovelace needs more help captioning "Whimsical Moments with Deadly Serious ChaRActers!" •  In fandom, IngeD3 focuses on Ricky Deeming • Fabo confesses her Richard Armitage eyelash fetish! • In the Hobbit, it's calories galore as Antonia Romera discusses fingerlicking at the Hobbit table • The Queen takes on Hobbit cakes • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day. Can't believe we're half-way through already!

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in The Impressionists.

A passion for the arts, Monet had. A passion so strong he would forsake everything else in order to become a painter. He wasn't in it for the money, but because painting was his life, his passion. Sure, through perseverance and hard work, he did achieve fame and money eventually, but up until that point, it was a struggle. He had a family to support on very little income. I don't even know how he managed.

In today's day and age, you can still be passionate about an art, and if you're good at it and keep at it, persevere, good things are bound to follow. The really funny thing here, of course, is that the role of Claude Monet in The Impressionists was played by Richard Armitage. Why is that funny? Because the two men, living in different eras, came from different countries and worked in different arts, their stories are not exactly dissimilar. Nor are their personalities.

Monet strikes me as a passionate and conscientous man who occasionally get too fixated on perfection, and gets a bit carried away at times. He's also caring and loving, yet still enjoys a drink with the lads. Claude Monet got carried away and perfectionistic with his paintings, Richard Armitage with his acting.

Squirrel beard aside, Monet and Armitage have a lot in common. That fascinates me. Was Richard basically playing himself in The Impressionists? He might not be struggling against the current with his art, because at the end of the day, what he does is still "just" acting - not a revolutionary new way of expressing oneself more realistically, and challenging the acting ideals of his time. That's where a lot of Monet's issues lay - he was trying to do something completely new and different, and the art world at the time simply wasn't ready. Being a modern-day actor is not the same thing as being one of the Impressionist painters.

Still, working hard is finally starting to pay off for Richard Armitage, and thank goodness for that, eh? :) No longer does he have to slog through brief appearances in day-time dramas or play characters no one cares to remember in mediocre drama. Aside from the fantastic adaptation of North & South, what's he been in that's been as good as that? Robin Hood wasn't an excellent show by any means, but it did lead to Spooks, and from there, he got a foot into Captain America, and from there, The Hobbit.

What will The Hobbit be a stepping stone to? I don't care much for the book on which that film is based, but I have to admit I'm really looking forward to the film coming out at the end of this year ... and what the general public, i.e. the ones who haven't fawned over him for years on end, will say about him. What will the Academy have to say about his performance as Thorin? That it brings in new light to the world of cinema, like Monet's many paintings?

Here's to hoping the Armitage acting equivalent of the Waterlilies is still to come! :)

#FanstRA: We are family

Today's Tag Teams: F3 brightens up "hump day"! In fanfic, Maria Grazia presents an interview with Trudy Brasure and giveaway of her book, A Heart for Milton • C.S. Winchester helps new authors get their feet wet writing fanfic • In freeform, ChrisB continues the alphabet with "B is for Beard(?)? • jazzbaby1 puts John Porter in the hands of Frank Spotnitz • Agzy outs Armitage characters as dog lovers • In fandom, fedoralady recommends the right tunes for your Armitage fanvid • Rose Gisborne describes her Armitage day •In the Hobbit, IngeD3 reveals the deeper meaning of the dwarfs' hoods • Ana Cris reflects on Armitage and Maori ceremony • In King Richard Armitage, Fabo offers some choices to play Anne Neville • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in Marple: Ordeal by Innocence.

Several ideas pop into my head when it comes to Philip Durrant. Why there are a lack of wheelchair-bound characters on telly is one - although I seem to recall a dashing Michael Weatherly with glasses in Dark Angel, and there's always the X-Men's professor Xavier. Another is greed, which we know he has plenty of. Richard Armitage himself, on the other hand, does not strike me as greedy. In fact, he has stated that he prefers his old rustbucket of a car to his shiny, new, convertible BMW, and he's from a thrifty family. Doesn't sound like greed to me.

#FanstRA: Holding out for a hero

Today's Tag Teams: In freeform: Melanie on why Harry Kennedy is the perfect man • Rose Gisborne on which colors look best on Richard Armitage • Itsjsforme unveils Guy of Gisborne's latest public service announcements (not safe for work!) • In fandom, Fabo on Richard Armitage's statements about fans •  Gratiana Lovelace requests help captioning in "I'm Too Sexy for My T-Shirt!" • The Hobbit chain goes creative with The Queen on Hobbit quilts • Mrs. E.B. Darcy on Hobbit action figures! • For King Richard Armitage, IngeD3 reviews the Michael Hicks biography of the fifteenth-century king • In fanfic, John Thornton on why he loves Margaret Hale • Jo Ann introduces us to a new Armitage character she knows we'll love • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in The Golden Hour.

One of the most enduring romantic fantasies is that of the handsome doctor who will sweep us off our feet. A hero in a white coat. Or, in the case of Alec Track, an orange jumpsuit. Watching The Golden Hour I can't help but think about how well Dr. Track fits the fantasy bill. Handsome AND a doctor. A kind man who goes out and gets a CD-player for a comatose patient, no less. How can you not fall for that? So gallant, so brave, so goshdarn wonderful!

What we want in our lives, but most likely are missing, is a good, old-fashioned hero.

#FanstRA: You're the inspiration

Today's Tag Teams: In the beginning, Richard Armitage made scores of fans -- and he keeps on making them! To kick off the fandom chain, Didion converts friends to Armitage love • Phylly3 reports on her fandom experiences • In the Hobbit chain, Ana Cris writes on her recent film location visit • Mrs. E.B. Darcy speculates about what our hero will do in An Unexpected Journey (spoilers!) • King Richard Armitage chain begins with Maria Grazia on a film adaptation of Richard III • Beginning the fanfic chain, fedoralady explains fanfic's mainstream appeal • In the freeform chain, Fabo files an eyewitness report on Richard Armitage's visit to U.S. accent school • jazzbaby1 wonders "what were they thinking?" re: Lucas North's women • and ChrisB opens the Armitage Alphabet, with "A is for Action" • Links to all FanstRA 3 posts appear here at the end of each day.

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This post is inspired, but not exactly based on, Richard Armitage's character in George Gently: Gently Go Man.

If you haven't seen the pilot episode of George Gently, you've missed some riveting acting. I was completely gobsmacked, watching Richard Armitage being interrogated as Ricky Deeming, in the same way that John Bateman was interrogated by Harry Price in Spooks. I wanted to stand up and applaud when the scene was over.

#FanstRA: It's the final countdown!

In less than six hours, this year's Richard Armitage FanstRAvaganza kicks off! Welcome blog readers and Richard Armitage fans, old and new! :)

The Squeee has been participating since the beginning, and is one of the "core blogs" in F3: this year, we've got a team of core bloggers and a few different tag teams, where several blogs are a chain posting about one topic, but only one person does so per day. All my F3 posts will include links to the tag teamers, and the core bloggers can be found in the sidebar on the right, over there somewhere. ----->

For those of you who don't particularly care (gasp!) about Richard Armitage, every weekday will still contain a review, as normal, posted around the normal time - between 8 and 9 in the morning GMT/UK time. All five productions do include Richard Armitage in the cast list though ... :P

Gearing up for FanstRAvaganza 2012

Back in 2010, there was an idea for a fanblogging event, where the current Richard Armitage fanblogs would participate, highlighting Richard Armitage's work and/or his fans for a whole week, and this venture was named FanstRAvaganza. You might recall this:

Then, in 2011, it was decided that the FanstRAvaganza, having been a big success and plenty of fun for everyone involved, should return, and return it did. With more participants than the year before.

The End of the FanstRAvaganza

The FanstRAvaganza here at The Squeee has officially ended. Only a week or so ago, but real life has been hectic recently. Have now finally launched the re-vamp of the company website, so at least that's no longer hanging over my head. Having been busy in real life is also why I haven't made as many posts for this FanstRAvaganza as I had planned and wanted to have written. The ones that were posted were mainly done beforehand, or at least started and then just finished off in the week. Still haven't written about Richard and his BMW, for instance, and every time I drive down the A52, I'm reminded of why I want to write it. But anyway, who says you need to save everything for the big event? I need to have some topics to write about in the year leading up to next year's FanstRAvaganza, right? :)

Here's a list of all my F2 posts on the subject of Richard Armitage, in reverse chronological order:

1. The End of the FanstRAvaganza
2. Richard Armitage - A Most Charitable Man 
3. What if Richard Armitage was gay? 
4. Guy of Gisborne ... at Southwell Minster 
5. Radio play review: Clarissa (2010)
6. Richard Armitage - Mr. Sportypants
7. Richard Armitage and the Arts
8. Richard Armitage's perfect Saturday afternoon
9. Eating like Richard Armitage: Salmon with Couscous and tomatoes
10. What's eating Richard Armitage?
11. Richard Armitage will never be himself on TV
12. Richard Armitage - is it love because we can relate?
13. Let the second annual FanstRAvaganza begin!

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to follow the event - knowing how many participants there was this year and how many posts were written, there will probably be people stopping by for another while yet. (I haven't had a chance to catch up with the other blogs yet either!) Thanks to everyone who have commented on the posts as well; the one about if RA is gay or not (or rather, why on earth it's our business either way) is the most commented on ever here. Many thanks also to those who might've just stopped by for F2, but then decided that they'll be coming back in the future as well. I'm humbled and grateful for every single one of you, regardless if you're a follower, commentator or just a lurker! :)

That's it for now. Just thought I'd make a concluding F2 post and thank everyone for participating, whether you are a blog reader or a fellow participant. It's been great fun, and I'm already looking forward to F3 next year. Will we get more fanbloggers aboard with Captain America? We'll have to wait and see.

Thanks again everyone, and keep an eye out - there will be plenty more posts about Richard Armitage in the year to come. After all, who needs an excuse to write about him? It just comes naturally ...

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog.

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Richard Armitage - A Most Charitable Man

Yesterday was Red Nose Day here in Britain and it saw Comic Relief getting over £74 million to projects in Africa and the UK. Credit crunch? Not when it comes to being charitable! :) Richard Armitage is doing his bit for charity as well. He did a 24-hour thing at the Old Vic last year, which was a fundraiser for the theatre, and together with the Vicar of Dibley team (thanks for the reminder, MG!), he was in a sketch for Comic Relief in 2007:



There are also these funny clips from BBC Children in Need a few years ago:



Guy being charitable? Well, of course not!



(I love Guy's final line. Bitter much?)

Instead of just accepting gifts that his fans send him, Richard Armitage has instead urged fans to NOT send him anything, and have given away most of the gifts to charities. Good on him! He also reminds us that he's fine as he is, no need to send him any money or anything, so instead, could we please think of those who are not as well off as he is and give it to them? His chosen charities are these:

Barnado's, a charity for vulnerable children and teenagers. They run a number of orphanages in the UK. You can make a donation through Richard Armitage's Barnado's fundraising page on JustGiving.

ChildLine, a free 24 hour counselling service for children and teenagers, run by the NSPCC, and deals with any issues causing distress or concern, such as child abuse, bullying and sex. You can make a donation through Richard Armitage's ChildLine fundraising page on JustGiving.

Shelter, a charity that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing. It gives advice, information and help to people in need, and lobbies government and local authorities to improve the lives of the homeless and badly housed. You can make a donation through Richard Armitage's Shelter fundraising page on JustGiving.

The Salvation Army, known for charity busking around towns all over the world, have been around since 1865 and is a Christian organisation that work with charity in many different ways. You can make a donation through Richard Armitage's Salvation Army fundraising page on JustGiving.

The Salvation Army are not to be confused with the Armitage Army, although you could say the latter has managed to raise an astonishing £10,828.13 (at the time of writing this) through those four JustGiving pages. Not only is Richard a genererous person, so are his fans! It's wonderful to see, and I hope that he sees that figure and that it makes him feel proud of those very devoted fans of his. He sure brings out the best in people. :)

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog.

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

What if Richard Armitage was gay?

What would you do?

No, I mean that sincerely.

Would it change anything?

Would you be disappointed? (After all, if he was gay, he wouldn't be interested in you, regardless of how far-fetched the fantasy of meeting him in person is or isn't.) Would you enjoy his works less? Or, would you perhaps like him even more? There are plenty of women who love to hang out with gay men, and hanging out with Richard Armitage - I can think of a whole host of worse things, for sure.

The question of Richard Armitage's sexuality has popped up before, I'm pretty sure, and I'm not going to provide a definitive answer to it, simply because the only one who could give a definite answer it is the man himself, and he ain't here. I ain't hiding him in a closet or anything. Pun intented.

What would be the arguments for "oh he's gay, alright!" then? Well, it could be argued that the man was seen with a man going to some awards ceremony (his agent, actually), he's been in a musical (musical artists being gay could be said by some many to be a truth universally acknowledged), he's rarely seen with a woman and when he is, they're likely to just be friends rather than lovers (the whole Annabel Capper discussion, which I think says more about the fans than it does RA & AC). He also knows about style and is artistic and has an iPhone and he's sensitive and nice and all that.

None, of course, have anything to do with a person's sexuality.

Is there really any evidence of him being either gay or straight? He's been together with plenty of women on screen, but the man's a seriously good actor. Why do we all just assume he's straight? He might well be, but what if it would turn out that he isn't? Would it make a difference to you as a fan of the man and his work?

If yes, may I ask why?

What's it to do with you? What's it to do with any of us? Why should we be bothered one way or the other? Whatever he chooses to do in his bedroom is nothing no do with us, after all. It's his personal life, and it should be kept private. Maybe, if he was gay, he would be another case of "all the best ones are either taken or gay", and at the moment ... he doesn't appear to be taken. But that still doesn't mean anything.

So, what do I think? Personally, yeah, certainly, it would spoil the fantasy a bit if he was gay. Still none of my business, though. I'd still enjoy his acting, still swoon over his good looks and fantastic voice, and be happy that there's at least one man out there who is a good example to other men. Plenty of gay actors out there, so he'd just be another one of many. And somewhere out there, there might be a very lucky lad instead of a very lucky lass to capture the man's heart. And as long as the man's happy, whatever he chooses to do with his life, I think we should be happy for him.

The song below puts it so well:



The way I see it, it's okay to be gay, regardless of who you are.

And no, I don't really think Richard Armitage is a homosexual, but at the same time, I'm wary that that opinion may just be wishful thinking on my part rather than any serious analysis. But on the other hand ... no, I really do believe he's into women. He hit on Keira Knightley thinking she was Natalie Portman, and the scenes with Alona in Between the Sheets were very convincing. So ... sorry lads, I'm afraid he's still ours. :P

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. 

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Guy of Gisborne ... at Southwell Minster

Last Saturday, we happened to venture to the old market town of Southwell in east Nottinghamshire. (It's either pronounced "south-well" like you'd expect OR "suth-ull" - haven't had a definitive "it's this way or the highway" yet, because there are people who argue both sides.)

We walked around town for a bit - lots of old houses, particularly of the Georgian fashion (which I love). I'm happy to announce they have a very nice greengrocer's hidden away on a back street, and a nice little chocolate shop on the high street and a selection of cafés and restaurants. They also have a great big church for a fairly small town: the Southwell Minster.



As we were walking back to the short stay car park (free parking for up to two hours), we came across this ... touristy informationy thingy:

You should be able to make out that it says "SOUTHWELL MINSTER" and "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBIN HOOD" and that a green-clad guy it would be safe to presume is Robin Hood is fighting someone. When I looked closer at it, however ... I had to take a picture of the text. It's Guy of Gisborne! Here's what the sign says:

Click the image to enlarge

Click the image to enlarge

Sadly, no mention of Richard Armitage in leather.

For a good 'n' proper Guy of Gisborne fix, why not stop by the blogs of Avalon and Judiang? If you want a good story to read about Guy, then Mesmered has a good one going on as well - you'd be a fool to miss it! :)

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. 

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Richard Armitage - Mr. Sportypants

One of the things Richard Armitage is very fond of is sports. He likes skiing and seems to have looked into buying a little chalet in the French Alps (or how else would he actually know how much one costs?). In one interview, when talking about extreme sports, the interviewer said something about he wouldn't fancy a holiday on a river boat, Richard quickly - and emphatically - said "No!"

I could do a whole post about him training until he throws up in preparation for Strike Back, good locations for skiing in the Alps (Chamonix maybe? Isn't that one they normally show on telly when there's winter sports on?), he wasn't keen on swimming when he took the role as Lee in Cold Feet and I've mentioned already that he enjoys watching rugby. So he keeps himself active.

However, if there's a topic I care very little for, it's sports. And I thought there has been far too few piccys of Himself this week (especially today), so I went looking for something sporty. So I found this:

... And now I've completely lost my train of thought.

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Richard Armitage and the Arts

Is it true that if a person is artistically inclined and talented in one way, they are more likely to be artistically inclined and talented in other ways too?

That is the question.

Judging by Mr. Armitage, the answer is yes, very much so. We all know he can act, so that's one just for starters. He has mentioned on several occasions that he plays the cello, and that, to me at least, makes him a bit artsy. If he was just into music like most people, he'd be strumming an accoustic or maybe even electric guitar from time to time, because that's the most common thing, really. Or play the piano. But a CELLO? That's pretty impressive.

(Thanks to Angelfish via Skully for this one!)

If someone can play an instrument well, then they probably can sing as well, right? You'd think. With regards to Richard Armitage, from what I've gathered, he's said he's not a singer. However, listen to the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and you'll ask yourself what he means by "not being a singer" because that is one incredible singing voice!

And if you can play an instrument and sing, you've obviously got rhythm, and if you've got that, you might be able to move quite well. Dancing? Well, the man's got that covered too, having taken dancing lessons and been in Cats and everything.

IS THERE ANYTHING THIS MAN CAN'T DO?!

Paint? There's an interview he did to promote The Impressionists, where he says that he has done a bit of painting as well. He also mentions that his favourite Monet painting (he played Claude Monet in The Impressionists) is one he saw in Paris, and it's the Houses of Parliament in the sunset, and how vivid the colours were. Unfortunately for us, Monet did a lot of paintings of the same subject at different times of day, so it's anyone's guess exactly which sunset over the Houses of Parliament Mr. Armitage was on about. It's not exactly like van Gogh's Sunflowers or da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Looking at a few different sunset Parliaments for comparison, I chose this one:

The way he's made the clouds and the colours of them are incredible, and the painting has its own life. Whether this is the painting Dear Richard spoke of, there's no way of knowing. However, if you want to know more about Claude Monet, the famed squirrel beard, paintings or The Impressionists, Phylly's blog is the place to go! :)

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. 

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Richard Armitage's perfect Saturday afternoon

In two words: Pizza and Beer. Oh and something about watching rugby on telly, but as rugby is a total mystery to me and I really don't get any of it, I'll focus on the first two things - both of which I can relate to very well ... one more than the other.

I know a lot about how to eat pizza, I can make many different ones and the Squeeze and I have gone to the Robin Hood Beer Festival in October for the past four or five years now. It's the one time of year I get drunk, and then it's not for the sake of getting drunk, it's because I'm not very used to alcohol (seriously, I'm such a cheap date) and love trying lots of different flavours! I don't know anything about beer more than "ale is darker and drinkable, lager is lighter and tastes absolutely awful, and stout is black with a creamy head" - oh and the water, malt and hops bit - so as I was thinking what kind of beer would go best with which pizza and finding I haven't got the foggiest, I thought of who would be the best person to ask. The organisers of the beer festival, of course! So here's a little interview with Iain R Loe of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA):

A cold beer and a curry is a common pairing, and I would think pizza is another one. Is beer the best accompaniment to this Italian classic?

Beer is fit for any occasion and for any food and drink pairing. There are well over 2,500 regularly produced real ales in the UK and many different beer styles to go with all types of food.

Generally speaking, what kind of beer would you recommend to have with a standard pizza? For instance, would it be a darker or a lighter beer?

I would suggest for pizza something light bodied as you say, around 4% abv, say the current Champion Beer of Britain Castle Rock Harvest Pale Ale. Or perhaps Crouch Vale Brewers Gold. Oakham Brewery also brew a couple of beers that could fit the bill, such as White Dwarf and Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (JHB).

White wine with fish and red wine with meat is a rule of thumb in the wine world, would there be something similar in the world of beer and pizza? Does the type of beer that goes with it vary depending on the toppings?

Of course you can have all sorts of toppings on a pizza and you then make the decision on whether to have a beer whose flavour matches that of the food or acts as a contrast.

If we're looking at a classic Margharita (tomato base with cheese), what do you think would go best with that? What would go best with ham & pineapple? Pepperoni? Meat Feast? Vegetarian?

I am not a great pizza eater myself so am probably not the best to comment but what I want when I have a beer with food is to have a beer that brings out the flavour of the food I am eating. So if you have a robust topping of beef or even curry you could go for a stronger more malty bitter or even a mild Hobson Mild. If you are going more Hawaiian then perhaps even a fruit flavour beer. With spicy foods you could also try a beer that has a good strong hop bitters character. Go American and try Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Cheese will also go better with beer than wine.

What's the best ever pizza to have with a beer? Is there a match made in heaven?

Just experiment there are no hard and fast rules. Beer has far broader taste profiles than you will find with wine and there will be one that for you goes with the food you are eating but someone else may disagree. One book worth a look at is The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver.

Coming soon to a
tavern near Hobbiton!

Is there a beer best suited for those of us who are trying to lose weight or is it better to just have a decent stout and just forget about the pizza instead?

If you are trying to cut down the calories and fat just leave out the pizza and drink the beer. Most real ales will come in at about 170 calories a pint, probably less than a glass of wine or an alco-pop.

Thank you very much for your help and for answering my bizarre questions, Mr. Loe! :D

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog.  This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Eating like Richard Armitage: Salmon with Couscous & Tomatoes

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to rustling up dinner. I'll happily make the same dish over and over again until I'm sick of it. At the moment it's salmon with couscous and tomatoes. I got it off the Jamie Oliver app on my iPhone. [Sunday Times]

That's a challenge too good to miss! So, off to find a recipe for said concoction. Not having an iPhone to hand, I had to trust Google - and found it on a blog called Feelings of White, which also has a nice video to show how it's done. So a while ago, I printed the recipe as a PDF so I wouldn't have to try and find it again and fail when all the ingredients were purchased, and then, once all the ingredients were gathered, I set to work.

Arthur doubling as a cookbook

For this recipe, we need:

• 2x 7oz (200g) salmon fillets, thaw if frozen
• 4oz (~115g) cherry tomatoes (a.k.a. "a handful"), cut in half
• 1 cup (~225 ml) couscous
• 1 small bunch fresh basil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 small bulb fennel, finely chopped
• 1 medium red chilli, chopped (deseeded if needed)
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, pestle-pounded in mortar
• 1 bayleaf
• 1 lemon
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• plain yoghurt (optional)

Which looks like this when you put your supermarket loot together:

It's not that I don't wish to seem to favour any particular supermarket, it just so happened that we made different shopping trips to get different bits, and therefore ended up with basil and fat free yoghurt from Morrisons, couscous from Tesco and fennel, fennel seeds and salmon from Sainsburys. For this particular venture, we decided on wild Alaskan salmon as opposed to farmed Scottish, simply because the Alaskan was leaner. We're trying to lose weight, after all, and fortunately, this recipe is actually free (or nearly free) on Extra Easy, as long as you substitute the glugs of Jamie's favoured olive oil with a couple of squirts of low fat spray. (There's one they keep talking about in group, but we chose a different brand that had less stuff in it.)

Substitutions: I thought we had red onion at home, but we didn't, so I used an ordinary yellow one instead. I also thought we had bayleaves (I remember sending the Squeeze out once because a recipe I was making required it, and we still had some - because most recipes we ever cook don't) but I couldn't find it at the time. (Ironically, some weeks later, looking amongst the spice jars, there it was. D'oh!) The cherry tomatoes were just normal tomatoes for this. When I re-made the recipe a few days later, I used cherry tomatoes. Not that it made any difference, really.

Let's start cooking! Let's start with them pesky fennel seeds. I found mixing a little bit of salt in with the seeds helped them grind down better.

Fennel seeds - before

Fennel seeds - after

1. Boil 2 cups of water - did so in the kettle. Check! Here's where I chopped the veg as well.

2. "Place pan on medium heat. Once hot add a splash of olive oil" (or a squirt of Fry-Lite or other 1 kcal fry spray). "Add basil stalks, onion, fennel, fennel seeds and bay leaf" (provided you actually have one, which I didn't.) "Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are soft":

3. "Place couscous in a mixing bowl, pour 2/3 cups of boiling water over it. Stir with a fork to break up any lumps."

4. "Cut the cherry tomatoes in half" (or quarters, or chop up a couple of normal tomatoes any way you like) "and add to the rest of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Flatten everything out."

5. "Add couscous to the vegetables, flatten everything out. Add another 2/3 cups boiling water." Like so:

6. "Add salmon fillets on top of the couscous. Grate zest of lemon. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon. Cover pan with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes until couscous is fluffed up and the salmon is cooked."

I can't remember if this is supposed to be a before or after the 10 minutes of cooking, but never mind:

7. "Drizzle some olive oil over top of everything," or don't because it has lots of calories and besides, the flavour of olive oil is yucky, "take some basil leaves and tear them up, scatter over everything." I used a knife and chopped 'em, but still.

Serve with some lemon wedges and in case you used the seeds in the chili (on this day, I did), serve with a dollop of yoghurt to cool it down a bit.

Ta-daaaah!

Okay, admittedly, I need to work on my presentation. ;) Initial reactions to this very first attempt was: 1 cup dry couscous a LOT of couscous for two people. It's too much. I also used the seeds in the chili which meant that it was raaather spicy. When I re-made it a few days later, I used less couscous and removed the seeds. It was better. It's perhaps not the most amazing dish I've ever tasted, but it's nice and fresh and zesty. The Squeeze enjoyed it too, even though the reason for me cooking it was never fully explained. (Kinda left it at having been told of this Jamie Oliver recipe that seemed quite nice to try.)

Wouldn't want it every day of the week, but every once in a while, sure. If this is the sort of food Mr. Armitage likes to indulge in, hooray, I say! It's healthy and tasty, fairly quick to do and pretty simple as well.

Now, how cool would a cook-off of this dish with said Mr. Armitage be? Novice versus expert. My bet's on him.

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. 

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog and White Rose Writing.

What's eating Richard Armitage?

The subject of food is one a little too dear to my heart (there's being voluptuous and then there's just being fat, aaight? :P), and - hooray! - there seems to be some of this in Dear Richard too. After all, was he not the one who mentioned fantasising about kissing Nigella Lawson after she's eaten some of her sumptuous chocolate cake? To that, I say: Hey Mister! I make wicked brownies! *polite cough* So today, the topic is going to be food!

Yeah, I could've posted a piccy of a chocolate
cake here, but decided Nigella is better for our
collective waistlines. Unless we eat her, but
then that would be rather disturbed.

Our man's also been on telly with another Richard, making a Thai green curry with Myleene Klass in the way, he's been known to make smiley faces out of chunks of stilton and he's also mentioned how he's fixated on a certain dish from Jamie Oliver - one which I have actually tried making! (How it went will be revealed later today.)

They say the way to man's heart is through his stomach. The stomach of Our Richard has microwave scrambled eggs and porridge. The latter, yes, that's what I do too. The first - meh, prefer it in a classic pan. And not scrambled. I bet he grew up with Sunday roasts and that when he comes home to his parents, there's a nice, traditional Sunday roast on the table. And he probably helps peeling the potatoes too, swoon.

Actually, yes. Found a quote!

I try and eat as healthily as possible. A bit of fish, fresh vegetables ... It's how I was brought up. Growing up in Leicester, my brother and I used to whinge about not having any of the ready-made dinners that came onto the market in the 1970s. But Mum's always hated anything processed. And now I'm the same, so when I go home I look forward to her cooking. [Sunday Times]

That quote warms the cockles of my heart. My mum has always been the same, and I'm like that too. The best and healthiest meals are made from scratch at home, because you can control everything that goes in the dish. It's a bonus if you know how to cook, although I don't think you need to be a brilliant cook to make some tasty dishes at home. If you don't know how to make something, a cookbook is normally quite useful.

This is the one I grew up with at home

There are fancy-schmancy cookbooks with food you wouldn't normally eat (such as The Masterchef Cookbook), but plenty of cookbooks are full of basics, such as how to make pancakes, boil an egg, cook a roast and so on. Really very useful, so if you haven't got yourself a good, basic cook book, invest in one.

Ready meals are never as nice as if you had made them yourself, and even though the ingredients are listed on the back, you don't have any control over what's gone in it, be it salt, fat, allergens or additives. By cooking food yourself, you can cater for all dietary reqirements, such as low salt or low fat. Normally, if you eat out, food will be cooked in a lot of fat, and on cooking shows on TV, chefs are obsessed with drizzling olive oil over everything. If you're trying to lose weight, it's not exactly going to help your cause. We've noticed that before, we used to have lots of takeaways, and we both put on weight. Now, because we've joined a healthy eating "club", we've started cooking at home again, and nine weeks in, I've dropped around 10 kg / 20 lbs. The thing is, we both actually really enjoy cooking, so it's not a question of "can't cook, won't cook" - more like "can't be bothered to cook tonight, let's order a takeaway". It doesn't help that we're both big fans of Chinese, Thai and Indian food either, so takeaways are not just an easy option, they're a darn tasty one too!

Richard (trying to bring the post back from a healthy cooking rant) hasn't said much about takeaways himself, but he seems to be more the one to cook for himself anyway. Well, there is of course the comment about fancying sitting on a lazy Saturday afternoon with some mates, watching rugby on the telly and eating pizza, drinking beer. Perhaps he was talking about home-made pizza. ;)

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog. 

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.

Richard Armitage will never be himself on TV

One of the interesting comments Richard Armitage was when an interviewer asked him, because he's a great dancer, is if we'd ever see him on something like Strictly Come Dancing. His response was that we'd never get to see Richard Armitage as Richard Armitage on TV. Basically, he's not the kind of celebrity to show up as soon as someone waves an invite to a reality TV show.

Richard Armitage as himself. On telly. But not in a reality show.

Things that make me love and respect the man: +1!

Before I read that interview, I was thinking about him on Strictly, and then started to think of a host of other reality TV shows and whether or not he would be a suitable candidate. This is what I came up with ...


Top Gear

What it is: This is a car show, or ... a comedy show with cars in, depending on how you look at it. Rupert Penry-Jones and Peter Firth came on it to promote series 7 (?) of Spooks, so why not Richard Armitage? He does drive a car, after all ...

Why he should be in it: Who doesn't want to be on Top Gear? It's a brilliant show! It's fun, it's lighthearted, not too uncomfortable - unless Jeremy Clarkson starts hitting on you, but he tends to save that for female guests. ;)

Why he should stay away: They'd take the micky out of him for preferring to drive an old banger rather than the grey convertible BMW that he bought a few years back. And for being a BMW driver, but that's another post entirely!

Likelihood of him appearing: I don't really see why not? It would of course have to be because he's promoting something, rather than just coming on for the fun of it, but still. It could definitely work.

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Strictly Come Dancing

What it is: A show where a celebrity gets paired up with a professional dancer and perform dance routines together.

Why he should be in it: The man's a dancer. He'd move with grace and those of us who haven't been bothered watching it before will now be watching and phone in to vote for him.

Why he should stay away: Sequins. Plus it would take too much time out of his busy schedule.

Likelihood of him appearing: Not a chance! He's already said as much.

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Celebrity Dancing on Ice

What it is: See Strictly Come Dancing. Add an ice rink and skates.

Why he should be in it: See above.

Why he should stay away: Sequins again, plus the schedule thing, plus we don't want him to catch a cold in the arena and also, skates are so darn uncomfortable!

Likelihood of him appearing: Minus 18 degrees.

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I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

What it is: A group of Z-list "celebrities" get thrown off a plane into the Australian jungle and then have to survive the jungle, each other and have to suffer copious amounts of creepy crawlies and eat kangaroo's testicles, grilled spiders and that sort of thing.

Why he should be in it: There is no reason. He's a real celebrity. This show does not apply to him. :P

Why he should stay away: Seriously, did you miss the description? Go back and read it again. Do not question this ever again!

Likelihood of him appearing: Absolutely nil, thank gods.

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Celebrity Masterchef

What it is: "Cooking doesn't get tougher than this!" that bald bloke keeps saying, and it's basically a cooking show. Celebrities get to try out being the best amateur chef. Not to be confused with Australian Masterchef, which took the British idea and made it a heck of a lot more interesting to watch.

Why he should be in it: He likes food, he likes cooking, it would be a competitive thing with lots of pressure. Sounds like he might actually enjoy it.

Why he should stay away: I can see no real reason not to.

Likelihood of him appearing: Way too low for my liking. But to make up for this, tomorrow, the FanstRAvaganza topic will be Richard & food. ;)

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Celebrity Come Dine With Me

What it is: Four people take turns hosting a dinner party for the other participants. Then they score each other on cooking skills and hosting abilities.

Why he should be in it: He'd charm the socks off and win by default because any women there would give him ten out of ten simply for being himself.

Why he should stay away: He'd most likely have to put up with three complete media hungry idiots.

Likelihood of him appearing: Pretty much ... none.

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Celebrity Big Brother

What it is: A bunch of celebs get thrown into a house with constant surveillance and make complete fools of themselves for a set amount of time, or until they get voted off by the British public.

Why he should be in it: 24 hours of cameras and microphones constantly on. (Yeah, I'll admit this a whole lot more for our pleasure than it would be for his!)

Why he should stay away: His privacy would get so invaded he wouldn't know what to do with himself and the other housemates would find his quiet awkwardness as him being an arrogant snob and it would all go pear-shaped.

Likelihood of him appearing: NONE! HAH! They cancelled the show! :D

Can you think of any more celebrity reality TV shows you'd like (or would hate) to see Richard do?

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This post is part of FanstRAvaganza 2, a Richard Armitage fanblogging event running 14-21 March 2011. See all FanstRAvaganza posts from this blog.

This year's other participants: An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of the equator, Avalon's Blog, CDoart, Confessions of a Watcher, From the Quill Tip, Me + Richard, Mesmered's Blog, Nevermind, Mr. Armitage, Phylly's Faves, RA Frenzy, The RA Fan Blog, RA Vids & Graphics, The Spooks Fan Blog, and White Rose Writing.