Richard Armitage Fan Blog

What a relief to know the truth!

2012-01-25T11:29:00.000-06:00

A friend posted this on facebook. Had to share. :)

She Hates Me (because she's a nutter who didn't know a good thing when she saw it.)

2012-01-24T19:02:00.000-06:00

Check out this Guy/Marian vid by Darkangel66!

It's the clean (edited lyrics) version of "She Hates Me."

Poor Giz! We love him, though. :)

*Pause blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing*

You can see her other vids HERE.

Thanks, DA!

If you want to laugh out loud...

2012-01-19T20:16:00.001-06:00

visit Frenz's blog HERE and watch

the Hobbit trailer parody she has featured.

So. dang. hilarious!!!

The wigs, the kazoos, the 80's rock, the slurred narration... pure genius!

It makes me want to bust out my mom's 1990's

camcorder and gather my high school buddies together.

Thanks for posting that, Frenz.

And thanks to the Swede group for the laughs!

*new post below*

Beware the Deadly Combo!

2012-01-19T19:46:00.000-06:00

I just stumbled across this post
I wrote last September. I saved it instead
of posting it for some reason... but here it is now.
* * * * *

Before we get onto the business at hand, let us note that
the handful of people who still read this blog are stunned by the
fact that Nat is posting for the first time in forever.

This is a Public Service Announcement.

Because of this fellow... Richard "Smoulder"Armitage...

I immediately pay more attention to any actor

with dark hair and blue eyes... aka: the deadly combination.

Thanks to Mr. A's influence on the brain,

I have been glued to many-a-cheesy show,

just to watch a lead actor who possesses these traits.

For example~

Wes Brown in "Love Begins"
has dark hair and blue eyes, which
caught my attention.

This angle reminds me of Lucas North:

His hair was even kinda floppy in front like Gizzy's.

Stinkin' Hallmark Channel!

Why do I love your cheesy movies,

even though they're sooo predictable!?

And try not to judge...

because if you're a fan of "Robin Hood,"

then you're a hunk-of-swiss-lover yourself.

"How dare you speak such lies!!!"

Watch out for the deadly combo, ladies...

who knows what you will find yourself watching next!?

Consider yourself properly warned.

Have YOU ever watched anything just because

an actor had "the deady combo"???

RAnging in the New Year

2012-01-05T02:20:00.004-06:00

Pretend this isn't 4 days late... and that it says 2012:

While I'm recycling stuff from a few years back...

check out this oldie about Stick-Figure Richard's New Years resolutions!
*Pause the blog's background music (if you can stand to stop listening

to the dwarfy swoon tune) before viewing*

Ah, a fresh new year!

So many things to look forward to... like The Hobbit.

Giddy-up, Thorin!

And while we're on the subject of horses

and looking bad-ARSE...

Okay, back to New Years.

(Apologies... my mind wonders when it comes to Mr. A.)

I guess I should make some goals, huh?

I mean... that's what people do this time of year.

I HATE being so cliche, but the first thing that popped into my head

was losing those extra pregnancy pounds that I still have...

over a year later. *ahem*

I guess there's this thing called "exercise"...

have any of you heard of it? I'm not too sure I like

the sound of such a weird thing, so I shall look

to Richard for inspiration.

Step 1:

Get a SNAZZY work-out outfit.

Preferably tacky and circa 1991.

I think I can score one of these from my mom's closet!

Step 2:

Run like the wind!

This won't happen. (Unless I pretend to see Richard Armitage

down the road and take off after him... with a stroller.)

Step 3:

Replace flab with muscle.

Does a 20 lb baby who wants to be carried everywhere

count as weights? (Because otherwise, this won't happen either.)

Y'know what? On 2nd thought,

I think my new New Years resolution shall be...

Bringing muffin tops into style!

(A lofty goal, I know.)

That, and spreading the Armitage Love!!!

I did over the holiday break a bit, and they don't even know it.

I showed "The Hobbit" trailer to 8 extended family members

(all men and LOTR fans) who loved it and were really excited!

A few even commented on how awesome the dwarfs were...

especially "that lead one who sings." (Insert Nat's smug look here.)

Yes, my friends... even MEN are destined to become RA fans! *gasp*

I have the feeling a lot of Armitage love

will be spread by many this year!

Holy Moly Frizzoly. CAN'T WAIT!

2011-12-21T01:47:00.005-06:00

"The Hobbit" trailer hath made itself known.

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing*

I am excited for so many reasons! Doesn't Richard Armitage look and sound amazing as Thorin? I loved hearing him sing his deep, dwarfy song... which I shall henceforth call the swoon tune. (LOTR movies have awesome soundtracks, but add RA's voice to the mix? Oh, heavens.) I liked how Thorin started singing and then the others joined in, all serious and deep... I may develop little crushes on all the dwarfs just because of that! (Even the chubby one with the crazy braid-beard. Okay, maybe not. But his goofy look makes him endearing- like a pug puppy... weird looking, but cute.) I loved seeing familiar faces from the previous trilogy and look forward to knowing the dwarfs better! But besides the actors... THE SCENERY! I just can't wait to head back to Middle Earth next year! Why must it be a year away!? The suspense! Have you noticed how many exclamation points I've been using!?!?!!!! Peter Jackson is a genius. The end.

I'm sure the web has already been a-buzz with this,

but feel free share your thoughts here as well. :)

Deck the Halls with Lots of Richard!

2011-12-05T13:52:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again, folks...

time to sing Christmas carols, Armitage style. :)

So clear those throats and let's belt it out together!

Deck the halls with brooding Thornton,

a dash of dwarfs with big cheese Thorin,

add some stubble and some leather,

plus a few striped, fuzzy sweaters

Pour the cocoa and the cider!

Cinch those pants a wee bit tighter!

Trim your beard, adjust that collar.

Could those legs get any taller!?

Happy Holidays, dear RA buddies!

I hope you have a wonderful season filled with

family, friends, health and happiness!

Love, Nat

For more RA Christmas fun from the past 2 years~

Click HERE for "An Armitage Christmas Carol" video

Click HERE for "The 12 Days of Richard Armitage"

Click HERE for "How the Giz Stole Christmas"

Click HERE for my 2010 Holiday Recap

Random Thoughts from Nat's Noggin.

2011-11-03T01:31:00.002-05:00

To the three people who still read this blog...

THANK YOU! :)

Okay, just kidding.

It's probably five people.

(Including me.)

Believe it or not,

I've had room for only one obsession

in my life at the moment... (besides chocolate)

which has been the new house we're building.

(And by "we," I mean the construction guys. I'm just sorta the secretary
person who calls and schedules stuff. It's harder than it sounds.)

The Richard Room is nearly complete.

Everyone thinks it's a toy room...

but little do they know the wax sculpture

and laser security system have been ordered.

Anyone wanna come over and have a

Thornton-Gizzy Fest!?

Enough about Nat.

Let's take a ~~brief~~ long drooly moment

to appreciate these photos:

*Photography by Keith Clouston- posted on RichardArmitageNet.com and Hut In the Forest*

I would like to point out that clearly,
Richard's collar and cuffs need adjusting...
in a sexy, intense way. :)

(And he has an awesome profile.
And it looks like they airbrushed out his chest hair.)

Isn't Richard pretty in pink? (And blue and grey.)
Okay, I'll stop now. Why must I over-analyze every
new RA photo I see!? (Didn't I just say I have time
for ONE obsession at the moment?)

If you prefer... here's the baddie in black.
This vid cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh, Angie.
*Be sure to pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

While we're looking at YouTube vids,
I'm guessing you all saw this one:

How many of you thought, Somebody kidnap her until she
gives us Richard's email address! or maybe, Somebody tell her
to quit stalking RA's old productions! *As you stalk him
online while eating your kid's Halloween candy.*
Oh wait... that was me just now. My apologies.

Wow, this post is really random.

Note to self: don't stay up late while on a sugar high.

Maybe I'll actually post more than once this month (Remember
when I posted once or more a day? I have no idea where I found
the time!) because Netflix is sending a copy of "Captain America"
tomorrow! (I'll finally get to see Richard as the mean Nazi guy
with the haircut I don't like. Very excited!!!)

A Regal Look, Indeed.

2011-10-04T01:01:00.000-05:00

Look at Richard and his beard...

standing there all statuesque and handsome...

gazing off at who-knows-what while thinking

very smart thoughts. Or sexy thoughts. You pick.

Photos from the Russian Richard Armitage Site HERE.

Speaking of bearded Richard and his Russian fan site,

every time I see a photo of RA all whiskered-up,

I picture him dressed in a royal uniform,

standing between these guys:

Russian Tsar Nicholas II & British King George V - 1913.

I don't know why those royal

cousins pop into my head, but they just do.

Maybe if Richard's mustache gets bushy enough,

he will twirl the ends up like they did.

Thanks for the random thoughts, Richard.

RA Word Search

2011-09-10T00:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a little boredom buster...

You should be able to click on it and print it out. If not, I can email you a copy.

(Send your request to armitageblog@yahoo.com and I'll forward it to you.)

Click HERE for other dorktastic Richard Armitage games. :)

Remember the "North & South" one?

I accidentally called it a crossword puzzle instead of a word search.

Don't judge me.

I hope everyone out in RA-Land is doing well. :)

See ya next time I have a free moment!

For the birthday chap.

2011-08-22T00:00:00.028-05:00

This is what I contributed to the birthday book

put together by RA blogger, Calexora. (The "hot" guy in sunglasses

should've probably had a beard, but this was created before

the Captain America premier. Dang it.)

Happy Richard Armitage Day, everyone!

(Isn't that what it is in RA land? A little holiday.)

Remember last year's 39th Birthday Bash,
aka: The Great Limerick Round-Up? Click HERE
to refresh your memory! Good times.

And I have to throw this vid in here because it's HILARIOUS and
appropriate for any birthday. Comedian Jim Gaffigan's shpill on cake! Classic.
*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing*

Three posts rolled into one.

2011-07-28T02:56:00.000-05:00

My summer has been filled with

t-ball games, swimming lessons, family reunions,

a 10 year high school reunion (lame!), weed-pulling and lawn mowing,

freckling and sun-burning (stupid spray sunscreen does not work as well as

the lotion), fishing, hiking and picture-taking.

Oh, and a little squeeeee-ing too,

like the rest of you. ;)

Squee #1:

Seeing the dwarfs (THORIN!) in costume.

Friggin' AWE-sooooome!

My husband and I are big Tolkien fans.

None of our extended family will play "Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit" with us any more

because we kick their trash. (Wow... I sound like the biggest nerd EVER right now, don't I?)

Anyway, I showed him the above photo and the first thing he said was,

"The guy in the middle looks too tall to be a dwarf."

(I assured him it was a perspective thing) followed by,

"What's up with the pretty boy dwarf on the far right?"

I was waiting for some sarcastic comment about my "boyfriend,"

but he didn't recognize Richard! I felt rather smug about that...

like the "smug man at the party."

Squee #2:

Seeing photos/vids of Richard and his fluffy beard

at the "Captain America" premiers. (I haven't seen the film yet,

but hope to remedy that situation this weekend.)

Richard doing the piercing stare of hotness,

while bearded, with open collar!

I think he's trying to read our minds.

Maybe if I look at the photo while wearing sunglasses,

my thoughts will feel a bit safer.

Nope... didn't work!

Did anyone else clap their hands with joy

when they found out one of "our" video/graphic queens, Heather,

was able to photograph AND MEET The Armitage in person!? I did!

I was so happy with the news, you'd have thought I met the guy myself!

(Except, if I had met him, I wouldn't be standing there all cute and dignified like Heather...

how in heaven's name did she contain herself!?!)

Just between us, I've heard from reliable sources that this photograph is cropped

to hide the fact that Heather was pinching his peaches.

JUST KIDDING... I made that up. :)

You can read about Heather and DiL's experience meeting Richard HERE.

I'm glad she mentioned she's the one who designed the Havoc Tour t-shirt...

but it would have been hilarious if she'd mentioned her Sexy Back videos too. haha!

Switching gears...

Although only one of you may appreciate this topic... (what up, Traxy?)

I saw the final Harry Potter film a few weeks ago. I love the books and enjoyed the movie.

(Have I already mentioned my nerdiness in this post? I did? Just checking. )

Besides the 3 main characters- Harry, Ron and Hermione,

my favorite character is Severus Snape.

I recently started thinking of the similarities between Snape

and my favorite misunderstood underdog, Gisborne.

Similarities:

* Black is their signature color.

*They rarely smile.

* Both had a rough childhood and were bullied by others.

* Their bullies later ended up with the girls they wanted.

* They mourned for the women they loved for the rest of their lives.

* Both were known to rock the guyliner/guyshadow from time to time.

* Both had a dark past and tried to make amends for those mistakes.

* Each had a heart-wrenching death. *sniff, sniff*

* Let's not forget... the action figures!

Switching gears yet again...

Today is

The Richard Armitage Fan Blog's

2nd Birthday! (Or bloggoversary or whatever.)

Time sure flies...

it seems like yesterday this blog was

a cute little newborn, and now it's a loud,

chubby toddler. :)

THANK YOU

for all of your visits, comments,

and friendship, blog readers!

516,000 hits and counting.

I shall now return to being on hiatus...

although be sure to check back on Richard's birthday

for something simple, yet smile-worthy.

The RA Fan Blog Experience updated

2011-06-20T02:37:00.007-05:00

It all started one April-y day,

when a cravated chap crossed my way.

My heart went a-thud!
Could this be fangurly love?

I must tell you the answer was yay.

Then I met the man dressed in all black.

(He could-a worn an old gurney sack.)

So jaded, so gloom!
Yet all I could do was *swoon*

Note to self: Get your sanity back!

That was about when this blog first started,

meant to be silly and cRAzy and light-hearted.

I just HAD to crack jokes

over our love of this bloke!

So away my creative side twas carted.

In the beginning there were only a few

other Armitage bloggers that I knew.

Then, met more and more friends,

we must've started a trend,

now it seems like the popular thing to do!

Limericks, FanstRAvaganzas and stick figures,

look-a-likes, videos and hot pictures,

a little somethin' for us all,

and I've had quite a ball

gushing over everything from guyliner to whiskers!

This has been such a fun little pastime

for a stay-at-home mom who needed "me time."

Made friends from all over,

the world feels a bit closer,

<--- brought together by our partner in crime.

I hope you've enjoyed checking out this site too.
Dear blog readers, I must say thank you!

For your comments and kindness,

and shared love of His Highness,

Though now it is time to say "adieu."

With 3 kiddos and new house a-buildin',

spare time has been something I'm missin'!
But only sort of retiring (like Brett Favre)

and will still be RAdmiring,

so check back for SFR now and then!

*Hugs*

Not to get all overly sentimental or anything... but words really can't describe how grateful I am to you all for making this hobby extra fun for me. I feel like I've been a big slacker lately, but that's how it goes sometimes! If anything RA-related pops into my head, or if/when life slows down in the future... I'll be back. (Said like the Terminator.) Until then, there are almost 2 years worth of posts to skim through, if you're interested. I used to post nearly every day, so there's plenty of random RA-related stuff here! :) Also, there are so many wonderful RA blogs out there now. Links are available on the right side of the screen under "enjoyable blogs." I will continue to visit them when I can and add my 2 cents... so don't think you're rid of my dorkiness, fellow bloggers. haha. I will still be checking my email, so please feel free to send me messages or leave comments, blog readers... I love to hear from you. :)

*UPDATE*
I woke up this morning to find that Mulubinba has also decided to take a break from blogging. What a crazy coincidence! She is one of "the few" original RA bloggers I mentioned above. We created our blogs within a week or so of each other. Through her blog, I met Ragtag (who wrote the most hilarious JT post ever) and it was just the three of us for a while, until we were joined by several others... each adding their own "flavor" and style to the scene. I'm bummed that Mulubinba and Ragtag are not longer blogging. Which makes me a big ol' hypocrite, right? (It's like I'm thinking, "Nobody else can take a break but me... I need the rest of you in place for my entertainment, dang it!") I'm glad we can still stay in touch and that there are awesome RA blogs out there who are still rollin'. Keep up the good work, ladies! :)

The Gizzy Show Cast

2011-06-10T01:26:00.000-05:00

(Why call it Robin Hood when we all know
it was really The Gizzy Show?)

A few weeks ago, I met Maid Marian.

Okay, so she is actually a cleaning lady named Marian

and she did a fabulous job getting my house ready to sell.

Soon after, I met Robin Hood.

Robin is actually my sister's friend who happened to be wearing a hoodie.

(It turns out he owns a set of bow and arrows too!)

I'm related to Will Scarlet...

who is my cousin's little boy Will,

with a head of scarlet hair.

I know the Sheriff.

He lives up the road from me and has a nice wife

and 4 kids. He also has a full head of hair and all of his teeth.

Last, but not least...
I've been to Guy's house.

He is my friend's dad, who is an awesome cook.

(And I would never, ever want to see him in tight leather!!!)

It is now my goal to meet Alan A Dale,

a friar named Tuck and a girl named Djaq.

If Lucas North had a Stick-Figure Richard tattoo...

2011-06-09T10:42:00.001-05:00

When I checked my messages this morning,

I was surprised to find this present waiting for me from MaidMelee:

HAHAHA! Thanks for making me laugh, MaidMelee! :)

You can see other funny RA character

drawings by MaidMelee at her DeviantArt gallery HERE.

Good Stuff.

2011-06-07T02:36:00.001-05:00

It's past midnight.

I'm exhausted from a day of taking care of kids and the

anxiety of showing our house to potential buyers for the first time.

You'd think I'd be tucked in my bed all snug as a bug...

but no. That would just be too sensible.

Instead, I have been watching RA videos on YouTube

with tired, droopy eyes and a big smile on my face!

I really like this one by DelicateBlossom, one of my favorite "vidders,"

who put together a bunch of clips of her fanvids so that those in Germany

(and the United States and Planet Earth) could enjoy them, in case they've been

blocked before. I loved watching this collage of RA goodness!

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

Thanks for the entertainment, DB!

Nighty night.

A Swooning Tangent updated

2011-06-01T14:49:00.004-05:00

Those of you who are in All Armitage All the Time mode~
please excuse this brief tangent, which I must get out of my system.

I have a celebrity hottie list...

or in other words, there are a cluster of talented men who
make me swoon. (I believe "swoon" is one of my favorite words...
I wonder how many times I've used it on this blog?)

Nearly all of them are from the UK

and have appeared in at least one period film.
Some of them include Colin Firth, Matthew MacFadyen
(love the Darcies) and Toby Stephens (Rochester!)
among others.

Richard Armitage is at
the top of my list, of course!

My husband joked,

"All a movie needs is a guy with an English accent and you'll love it."

I had a good laugh at that... because he was partially right. :)

(Although he left out great acting and romance.)

Another British chap was recently added to the list:
Mr. Alfie Boe.

That guy can sing the socks off of...

anyone wearing socks!

I'm sure most of you from the UK have heard of him,

but he isn't as well known in the states... which will probably change soon.

I first saw/heard Alfie as Jean Val Jean in "Les Miserables" 25th Anniversary special on PBS.

At first, I merely thought, "Wow... that guy can SING!" and by
the end of the program, I was swooning.

Click HERE for my favorite medley.

I don't mean to offend Alfie or his fans, but I wasn't instantly attracted to Mr. Boe. It's not
like he appeared on screen with the piercing stare of hotness while cotton fluff flew around him.

He seemed pretty ordinary-looking at first, and then I heard him

sing and saw him wearing a cravat (we all know the power of a cravat!)

and he was suddenly very gush-worthy.

Then, when I saw a series of YT vids with him "warbling" in a friend's

kitchen and joking around with a big grin on his face... I officially had a crush.

The admiration grew when I found out he married a Utah girl and has a 2nd home here!

So there's a possibility I could ~~stalk~~ see him perform live in the future! :)

Before I wrap up what may seem like a strange tangent post,
here are a few similarities between Richard and Alfie:

Both have a very loyal fan base.

Richard's legions are called The Armitage Army

and Alfie's minions are called Alfie's Arrows.

Get it? Like Boe (Bow) and Arrow! :)

Both look awesome in a beard.

I know some of you didn't care for Richard's beard, but I thought it was handsome!

Alfie's beard has its own twitter account.

Both can rock a cravat... or the lack thereof.

I'm too sexy for my cravat, too sexy for my cravat, so sexy it hurts!

Both have a bald, hilarious sidekick.

Richard's is Keith Allen, of course. (Weren't they such a great duo in Robin Hood?)

Alfie's is Matt Lucas, who played Thenardier in Les Miz and now they're good buds.

Both wear their collars up, while gazing

into the camera lens with a "Hey, baby!" look.

Now I'd like to know,

who is on YOUR celebrity hottie list?

Update ~
Charleybrown has posted some Alfie love
on her blog (Enchanted Serenity of Period Films)
in the past, so check it out HERE.

Several photos above are
courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com,
The RA Russian Site and AlfieBoeUK.com

My 2 Cents

2011-05-31T12:15:00.000-05:00

Everyone is going crazy about Richard's latest message,

posted on Richard Armitage Online.

I feel pretty unoriginal posting about it too,

but here are a few thoughts I had while reading it:

1. Richard said "blog."

I believe he was referring to a request to start his own blog

and not necessarily talking about the fan blogs out there, but I still

got a kick out of it. I hope he knows about the fun blogging community

that has sprouted up in his honor over the last 2 years!

2. Richard signed his message 'RA.'

Most of us fans refer to The Armitage as RA,

so I thought it was further proof that Richard's more in tune to his fans

than I originally thought. That, or um, he was feeling lazy...

let's just pretend it's the first assumption. :)

Harry the Hottie

2011-05-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

I may or may not have squealed out loud

when I saw this photo in RichardArmitageNet.com's photo gallery.

Speaking of being in awe...

have you checked out bccmee's blog lately?

If not, do it now! She has been featuring "A Graphic a Day in May"

and it has been such a treat to see a new RA design every day!

Very talented. Way to go, bccmee!

Dorktastic Dwarfness

2011-05-23T12:07:00.002-05:00

Those of you who saw

"Stick-Figure Richard Prepares for Dwarfdome" (watch HERE)

might remember the scene when SFR disguises himself as a dwarf:

That is why I burst out laughing even more than usual

when I saw Richard in this "dwarf costume"~

BA HA HA!!!

I loved that he was on his knees

with a pointy hat and fake beard like SFR.

Although he looks more like a cute little garden gnome!

Oh, and we can't forget the fist pump! Woot woot!

In case you haven't seen the hilarious

fundraiser clip from the set of "The Hobbit," watch this!

(Pause the blog's background music at the bottom of the screen first.)

"This is gonna look amazing in 3D." Love it!

What a fun bunch of guys! :)

I wish I could hang out with them for an afternoon.

Thanks to Richard Armitage Central for the pics.

JT Reflections

2011-05-21T02:30:00.000-05:00

Last month was my

2nd anniversary with Mr. Thornton.

If you're wondering where I've been lately, JT and I were enjoying

a Caribbean cruise to celebrate the joyous occasion. *ahem*

(Okay, just the same-ol' kids and new house thing but whatev.)

Two years of swooning over that cravat-wearing hottie...

time well spent, my friends... time well spent! :)

I don't know what more I could say

about JT that I haven't already covered over the

last 22 months of blogging!

After all, I've analyzed Thornton's cravats (HERE),

wrote a limerick in his honor (HERE), created a crossword puzzle (HERE),

posted tons of my favorite JT photos and YouTube videos...

Speaking of, here's a cute one I just came across:

*remember to pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing*

Isn't that Mr. Thornton just so darn handsome?

He's the one who first introduced me to Mr. Armitage!

I'm sure the same thing can be said for most of you.

When is YOUR JT anniversary?

How do you celebrate?

Spoon-Figure Richard

2011-04-25T14:29:00.001-05:00

If you think Stick-Figure Richard

and John Thornton look good enough to eat...

Yummy handsome fellows:

...then you're in for a real viewing treat,

thanks to our fellow Richard Armitage admirer,

NovemberBride...

who also happens to be a talented cake decorator

and loving grandmother.

Check out this birthday cake she made

for her 2 year-old granddaughter, Mollie:

It was based on Mary Englebreit's

"Hey Diddle Diddle" nursery rhyme drawing:

NovemberBride decided to change Mr. Spoon

to look more like Stick-Figure Thornton... and what a handsome

spoon he is indeed, with his top hat, cravat and sideburns!

That lucky dish.

"Why does Spoon-Figure Richard

get all the ladies?"

As NovemberBride created this cake last week,

she emailed me some step-by-step photos, including this one:

It was so much fun watching Spoon Figure Richard

and Mollie's fabulous cake come to life.

It kinda felt like my birthday too. :)

Thanks for sharing NB!

And one more yummy look at this cravat-wearing hottie:

Click HERE to find out more about Stick-Figure Richard

Blogger's Block and a Thorin Thought

2011-04-22T01:40:00.001-05:00

Howdy, strangers.

Remember me, your friendly neighborhood RA blogger, Nat?

I'm still here... and I still have an overly-enthusiastic love

of Richard Armitage's work. Just busy.

"Too busy for ogling at this!?" you say in unbelief.

I've been busy traveling to New Zealand,
stalking Richard and the rest of The Hobbit cast.
Okay, actually not, but doesn't that sound like fun? :)

The only people I've been chasing are my kiddos (I have 3 little ones, ya know)
and my time online has been spent emailing plumbers and electricians, asking "Can I please
have a bid on those floor plans I sent you 2 weeks ago?" Plumbers are nice, but oddly,
don't share my love of cravats, black leather or limericks. Weirdos.
(And subcontractors are not that fun to stalk.)

When I have had a moment to myself

and I think about RA blogging, my mind has gone blank!
(I know... me? Have nothing to say? Shocking!)

Although I did consider telling you all about the

RA dream I had the other night, which was probably planted

in my brain by watching this video.

In the dream, I was watching another behind-the-scenes of The Hobbit

video on YouTube, and they were showing Richard in makeup and wardrobe,

being transformed into Thorin. I remember watching it with some of my fellow bloggers

(even though I haven't met any of them in "real life") and we were all squealing with excitement,

like you would seeing cravatless Thornton climbing out of a train car.

Hello!

(Woah, how did that sneak in there?)

Anyway, the Thorin make-up in my dream was really weird...

Richard looked like a cross between a black-haired Gimli

(the dwarf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy),

and one of those Klingon guys from Star Trek
with just a tad of that forehead ribbing stuff above his nose (don't ask why),

and Jack Sparrow-ish trinkets in his hair/beard.

And he was really hot.

Which is strange, considering the combinations I just mentioned.

I woke up feeling disappointed that such a YouTube video doesn't really exist.

(Petey-J, we need some peeks at Thorin, please!)

Any-hoo, if I seem to neglect this blog,
please forgive me. Luckily there are many lovely RA blogs
out there these days to give you an RA fix (see the side bar ------>)
and I will pop in to share my crazy thoughts whenever possible.

Have a lovely weekend! :)

If Nat wrote fanfic...

2011-04-12T00:42:00.000-05:00

...it would have to be dorky
and full of photos!

There once was a sexy beast named Sir Gizzy of Hotness.

Gizzy was jaded and misunderstood, but had a soft heart underneath all that leather.

Robin, the weasel who thought he was

soooo smooth with the ladies, was his arch nemesis.

Gizzy had to constantly watch his back.
Let's watch it with him...

Luckily, Giz was pretty handy with a sword,

plus he could easily disguise himself as his alter ego, Long-Haired Gizzy.

The pair hated each other.

Gizzy couldn't stand Robin's dorky-look-with-the-furrowed-eyebrows.

Robin was jealous of Gizzy's Guyliner

and felt threatened by his smouldering good looks...

but despite Robin's insecurities, Gizzy didn't want his woman!

No, his heart was set on another,

although he would never ever admit it to anyone!

Her name was Roselyn. Princess Roselyn, that is...

who happened to be the younger sister of King Richard and Prince John.

Although Gizzy had never been formally introduced to Roselyn,

he had studied her from afar. How did she not notice his piercing stare

fixed upon her? Nobody knows... but there he'd be, brooding and staring and

thinking all sorts of naughty thoughts every time he gazed in her direction.

To be continued...

maybe.

*Disclaimer: obviously, Nat is NOT a writer!!!*

Now put your dorktastic thinking caps on!

I am currently taking recommendations for a title of this masterpiece.

The one that makes me laugh out loud the most will be given the honor. :)

Let's play a game.

2011-04-02T02:24:00.002-05:00

In the comment section, write the first word(s)

that pops into your head when you see these pictures:

Breaking news!!!

2011-04-01T02:04:00.000-05:00

APRIL FOOLS! :)

Did I trick anyone?
(Probably not since this is the 3rd fake newspaper I've created!)

I wanted to make an April Fools Festive Cheestastic video (I have the perfect,

most cheesy song ever for the occasion) but my computer's movie maker

thingy isn't working. *Pout.* Maybe next year.

I've also used this photo a bunch of times.

Isn't it cute?

To my knowledge, Richard hasn't eloped any time recently. :)

Gizzy didn't end up getting married either.

Perhaps if he had Season 3 hair at the time,

Marian would have punched Robin in the face instead!

Speaking of weddings and face-punches...

this is by far my favorite Richard wedding scene. Classic!

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

I have two questions for you, blog readers:

1. If Richard married one of his co-stars in real life,

which one would you choose for him?

2. What is the best April Fool's prank you've done

or have had pulled on you?

My siblings and I would do the same trick to my mom every year:

wrap a rubber band around the kitchen sink sprayer, so that when she turned on the faucet,

it would shoot water straight at her. You'd think she would have remembered to check it every

April 1st, but we got her every time and it was always hilarious! (Now if you'll excuse me,

I feel the need to pay my Mom's place a little visit while she's at work.)

Sexy Back 3

2011-03-28T01:54:00.003-05:00

It's HERE ladies!!!
After much anticipation, Heather has completed
part 3 of her most popular Richard Armitage vids.

I shall now refer to them as The Sexy Back Trilogy.

Heather's Sexy Back videos were the first

RA fanvids I saw on YouTube and I loved them!
They made me swoon and laugh.

Thanks, Heather!

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

Click HERE to see Stick Figure Richard's version of Sexy Back. :)

The pot calling the kettle black.

2011-03-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.

In February, I went to see "Never Say Never" with my teenage sister, Kate.

That's right, folks... I went to see the Justin Bieber movie in theater!

In case you're scratching your head...

no, I'm not a "Belieber," nor do I have "Bieber Fever."

(Maybe I would if I were a decade younger and the kid didn't

look just like my 14-year-old step-brother.)

Before you judge, know that Kate and I were doing each other a favor.

She had two free movie passes, but none of her college friends wanted to go.

Apparently they are waaay too mature for something like that. I, on the other hand, am

never too mature for anything (and happened to be desperate to get out of the house), so the thought

of a girls night sounded great! We went "in disguise," wearing sunglasses, scarves and hoods, since this is

a small town where you can't go anywhere without running into at least one person you know.

(You might assume I don't care what people think... but I do have some pride!)

I had a great time.

I laughed throughout the entire movie.

No, it's not a comedy... but The Bieb's fans (both on screen and in the theater)

were so adorably hilarious with their squeals of glee and flustered expressions that my

sides hurt by the time it was over. (And my ears were ringing.)

A month has passed, and it just barely dawned on me yesterday

that I had been laughing at those squealing females without even thinking

about how I might look to others while watching North & South or Robin Hood!

I was snickering about their love for Justy-baby, without even thinking about my adoration
for Riche-poo! (And the fact that I run a friggin' blog about the guy.)

Does this make me a hypocrite?

Well, maybe, sort of. BUT (here comes the rationalization) not really because I also

laugh at MYSELF (and the rest of RA fandom) in general all the time. That's why I started this blog.

There are those who take their RA admiration very seriously... but I am not one of them. After I was hit by

"Thornton Syndrome," I knew I had to embrace my fangurly dorkiness and have an outlet

to poke fun at my (our) swoon-fest in a fun and friendly way. It has been a blast.

It's all your fault, JT.

In the future, will I stop myself

from chuckling at photos of Star Wars conventions?

Will I keep from laughing at wild Donny Osmond fans

if I go to another concert with my mom?

No way!!!

However, I can now relate.

Excuse me while I let out my own squeeeeeeeeeee!!!

I embedded this video before, but this post calls for a repeat.
Here is RA looking hot to the voice of JB:

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

The 2nd Annual FanstRAvaganza Wrap-Up

2011-03-21T04:11:00.012-05:00

What a week!
Have you all had enough Richard Armitage
to last a lifetime?

No?

Well then, it's a good thing
there are so many RA sites, forums and blogs
in addition to his wonderful work!

FanstRAvaganza Polls~

The very first thing I noticed about RA

was the way he could unleash the piercing stare.

I just love a sexy brooder. (Is that a word?)

Poll Question:

Who would win a brooding contest?

I thought it would be JT, but Gizzy had the most votes.

Results:

Guy of Gisborne: 79 (50%)

John Thornton: 67 (43%)

Lucas North: 7 (4%)

John Porter: 2 (1%)

Work that brood, Richard!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love watching fan-made RA vids on YouTube.

It seems that Gizzy dominates the RA YouTube arena,

but wanted to find out if others thought the same.

Poll Question:
Which RA character has the best YT videos?

Results:
Guy of Gisborne 90 (66%)
John Thornton 20 (14%)
Lucas North 16 (11%)
Harry Kennedy 4 (2%)
John Porter 4 (2%)
Other 1 (0%)
Claude Monet 0 (0%)
This is one of my favorite Gisborne videos:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've had a blast blogging about
RA and his fans over the past week and
have loved reading the other blogs even more.
(Richard, you have some creative fans!)

THANK YOU to the other participating bloggers
for your friendships and great entertainment! (A few of them
I just met thanks to the FanstRAvaganza.) I hope you all
will continue to visit and support their sites.
This really was a group effort.

THANK YOU to all of those who
spread the word about this event.

THANK YOU blog readers
for joining in the fun!

and, most of all...

THANK YOU Richard Armitage
for loads of entertainment.

*Belated Day 7 post below.*

Q&A with Richard

2011-03-21T03:26:00.001-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 7*

Pretend that the date above says March 20th...
and that I have a 7-fingered photo.

Guess what?

I totally scored a Question & Answer

session for Richard's fans!!!

Stick-Figure Richard, that is...

who else did ya think I was talking about? :)

For those of you not familiar with Stick-Figure Richard,

click HERE to get caught up on the adventures of

the cutest stick figure you'll ever meet!

Last summer, I asked if anyone

had a question for SFR. In honor of the ongoing

FanstRAvaganza, he graciously answered

a few of them.

* * * * *

diveknit: Dear SFR, what do you enjoy doing

in your spare time, meaning what are your hobbies?

SFR: I enjoy collecting stamps,

baking,

playing the cello,

and dancing the Argentine tango.

* * * * *

Dezmond: dear Sticky-Dicky-figure :)

what's the secret of your diet?

SFR: I have a really big spoon

and a high metabolism.

* * * * *

Phylly3: Dear SFR, What do you think of your fans?
And do they really throw pants at you?

SFR: I love them... when they aren't throwing pants
(undergarments or trousers) my way!

* * * * *

Manda: What kind of hair products do you use

and how often do you have to trim your sideburns?

SFR: I don't really use any hair products.

I just get up and go in the morning, which is

probably why my hair sticks straight up.

I carefully trim my sideburns every week...

with giant scissors, apparently.

* * * * *

littlevictories: SFR, do you have a girlfriend?

[hint, hint, wink, wink]

SFR: I am currently single.

Sometimes I have bad luck wooing the ladies.

* * * * *

Thanks to Stick-Figure Richard for

taking the time to answer a few fan questions!

(Hopefully he will get to the rest soon.)

FANSTRAV TELEGRAPH FROM NAT

2011-03-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

PROCRASTINATED DAY SEVEN POST STOP HAVE BEEN OUT OF TOWN FOR FAMILY WEDDING STOP WILL MAKE UP FOR IT STOP CHECK BACK TOMORROW STOP RICHARD ARMITAGE ROCKS STOP

Funny/Embarrassing Fan Stories

2011-03-19T11:23:00.003-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 6*

I asked blog readers to contribute funny or embarrassing
RA-related tales. Only a few replied, but they made me laugh! :)

Richard, the Imaginary Friend

I've finally gone completely bonkers over RA! I was doing an enormous washing-up after having had a mad urge to make scones a few weeks ago before he travelled to New Zealand. As is my wont, my thoughts wandered to RA and I thought of all the articles on him that were out at the time, but wondered where he was physically. "Where are you now, my love?", I murmured, unaware I had spoken aloud. "Over here, mum," my middle son replied. Well, I had to pretend that I had meant him all along!

~MillyMe

Mistaken Identity

I accidentally called my fiance "Guy" once, after watching an episode of Robin Hood. He didn't even notice, thank goodness, probably because his name is Gary. I love Gary, but I also loooove Gizzy! LOL.

~Bev

Visit this blog at your own risk!

Once on a slow day at work, I was looking at this RA Fan Blog site and was so engrossed in it that I didn't realize my boss had walked up to stand behind me. She then said "I don't think that is next on the list" (She meant the list of my tasks to complete for the day.) I was so startled. I didn't close out of it immediately because she had already seen it but I did apologize profusely and closed out after she left. I don't work there anymore (not because of that incident) but my boss must have wondered about me. LOL. Maybe I secretly converted her. I would like to think I did. Thanks!

~violet8886

Caught being overly excited.

I love Spooks. Lucas North is my favourite, of course. I saw a preview advertisement on the telly (just before Season 8 aired) and let out a big "Oh my!!!" along with a squeal of delight. Something a grown woman of my age would normally never do, mind you, especially if she knew her children (two teenage boys) happened to be in the room at the time. I'm sure I blushed profusely when they burst into giggles at my expense. Afterwards, they would look at me with wide grins when Spooks ads would air and shout, "Oh my!!!" or "Oh, Lucas!"

~anonymous

Words from the asylum.

This was story was taken from part of a personal email in
which NovemberBride described her experience of attempting to record her
voice for one of RA Frenzy's FanstRAvaganza posts.

Hubs was out feeding cattle. Or so I thought. Burst thru the back door just as I was saying something in the mic about RA's amazing blue eyes. LOL!! Accccckkk! Caught me red handed!!!! Said what the heck are you doing? Uhhh. Uhhh. Uhhh. Making a recording? What in the world FOR?!! Uhh. Uhhh. A friend? Who has a blog? And asked me to record for her? Oh heck....you know the friend I met a couple of weeks ago? Well, she needs my voice. He looks at me like I've lost my mind..not too far from true...and says, well so do it. I give him the puppy dog look, and say I'm no good at this. No sympathy from the man as he says, "Well play like you're just talking to a friend on the phone. Lord knows you can TALK!!" Uhhh, yeah. Right. Now you'll get to hear my homemade version of lunacy!! LOL!! Was that hard or WHAT?! I'll bet I made 50 recordings...no joke. Sigh. Like I told Frenz...Rush Limbaugh will never be threatened by me. I'm keeping my day job. [Listen to NovemberBride's lovely Southern drawl HERE.]

~NovemberBride

He makes it look easy.

Nat's 2 cents~

Not to brag, NovemberBride, but like Richard, I'm quite the audio genius and my contribution for RA Frenzy's audio topic took only one try. (Some of us are just gifted, I guess.) Actually, that experience could easily be its own "funny/embarrassing fan story" post!!! In a nutshell: I couldn't find my computer's microphone, so I left messages on Frenz's voicemail. It didn't give me the option to delete messages, so I when I'd mess up, I'd call back and try again. Each message was worse than the previous (we're talking very dorky, people!) and after leaving 105 messages (more like 5), I finally gave up. After all was said and done, Frenz called me back. The second I answered the phone, she burst out laughing and couldn't stop. I'm sure it was just a cover-up for being jealous of my talent. (And no, I'm not linking to that audio post... you'll have to find it yourself.)

Have you ever had a funny or embarrassing experience

relating to Richard Armitage? Fess up!

Fun Fan Entertainment!

2011-03-18T00:00:00.020-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 5*

Being an Armitage enthusiast is FUN!

Special instructions:
The rest of this post is to be read out loud
in a cheesy 1950's commercial voice.

Are you ready for funtastic Armitage
time the entire family will enjoy!?

Well, we have the ticket for you, folks...

GIZZY BINGO!

Every time Gisborne does something listed as you're watching episodes of Robin Hood,
place a candy (such as an M&M) on that square. The first to get 5 in a row wins.

But wait... that's not all!
Just for stopping by,we're also including this amazing
"North & South" crossword puzzle !

Top o' the mornin' to ya.

2011-03-17T00:05:00.002-05:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day, so if yer Irish me lad...

join the celebration for the grandest time to be had!

I must take a wee break from the

FanstRAvaganza to celebrate me heritage.

~Art by an undercover RA artist who doesn't like to be credited,

even though most of us have seen her work and know who did this. :)

Time to dig up the ol' St. Patty's Festive Cheestastic video once again!

Let's all dance a wee jig!

Now back to the festivities

and a new fan spotlight below!

Fan Spotlight~ Meet RedPoppy

2011-03-17T00:00:00.073-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 4*

I thought it would be fitting to spotlight
an RA fan of Irish decent on St. Patrick's Day. :)

When I first met RedPoppy online,

I immediately felt an unspoken bond with this fellow Armitage admirer.

Not only does she have a crush on Mr. Thornton (well, who doesn't!?)

but she's also a fellow red head. We immediately started an elite club called RH4RA
(Red Heads for Richard Armitage.) Okay, there is no RH4RA club, but if there was, I'm

sure the #1 agenda would be to petition Richard's agent to make sure his next role

involves a ginger leading lady so we can secretly pretend it's he's kissing us

and make believable faceinhole photos from the screencaps.

Although, I guess Richard did have a strawberry blonde
girlfriend in "The Golden Hour." So there's that.

Isn't he dreamy in this pic?

Where was I?
Oh yeah...

What I really find interesting about RedPoppy
(and other RA fans) is not what we have in common, but our differences.

I'm from a small rural town, while she has lived all over the world and currently resides in NYC.
I am a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, while she's into fashion, knows all of the latest trends, and is
an award-winning hat designer! (How neat is that!?) This is what I love about meeting fellow
RA fans... while many of us have common interests, we come from all walks of life
and have many differences too. *Nat refrains from singing kumbaya.*

About RedPoppy...

My mother is British and my father is from Spain. Though my mother was actually born in Ireland, ironically my red hair is from my father's side. I was born in England and at the age of five my family moved to Venezuela (where most of my sunny freckles developed.) Five years later we relocated to the the beautiful Northwest of the U.S. Since college I have mostly resided in New York City where I work in fashion, where Sex and the City is mostly a myth, and where I am constantly inspired by the amazing abundance of arts and culture, which you can find practically on every street. I am a total anglophile, love Cadbury chocs over Hershey's any day, and I am a true redhead with almost black eyebrows, so people often ask me if I dye my hair. I tell them the proof is in the freckles! One of my biggest loves is writing a fashion blog called RedPoppy Fashion where I share my unique redhead thoughts on all things fashion, makeup, the latest styles, pop culture, etc. Another love is Millinery, as I have been an award-winning hat designer for the past ten years. Thank goodness mercury is out of fashion, otherwise I would most definitely resemble Johnny Depp's redhead character in 'Alice in Wonderland.'

First glimpse of Richard Armitage...

I first discovered North & South quite by accident when I was browsing through some costume dramas online. Of course the first snippet of a scene that I came cross was the intoxicating train station one with Mr. Thornton and Margaret. After viewing it 36 times somehow I managed to tear myself away, and eventually watch the entire series. I absolutely loved North & South simply because it was so brilliantly made, set in England, and because the acting was superb! Especially of course RA's portrayal of JT. He was just so convincing, so conflicted, and I could listen to that voice for hours. The scene in which Thornton professes his love for Margaret only to be painfully rejected was unbelievably hard to watch!!! Such is the brilliance of Richard Armitage. Since then I've watched some episodes of Robin Hood, Strike Back, and Spooks, and what I've realized is it doesn't matter if he's wearing statuesque black leather, muscular army fatigues, or buttoned-up tattoos, RA envelops himself so deeply into each character that I'm completely taken in to whichever story he tells.

Who would RedPoppy pick as RA's ginger leading lady?
Most of my favorite redhead actresses are not redheads in real life so I would love to see Cate Blanchett acting alongside RA. Though she is a natural blonde, Cate has played more onscreen redheads than actual redhead actresses have so you never know! [Cate will be working with Richard in "The Hobbit," although she will not have red hair, and they will not be love interests.]

RedPoppy gives us an RA fashion analysis...

My favorite RA look is unabashedly most definitely going have to be as John Thornton. Who can resist a dashing, handsome buttoned-up-to-there man wearing a crisp high pointed collar, perfectly tied cravat, fitted waist coat, and knee-high boots?

<--- This is probably my favorite RA look [as himself.] I think a good collar suits him really well. The framing angles, especially when they reach above his neckline, flatter RA's face in a way that adds a tiny bit of fullness, bringing attention to his eyes and handsome features. When he wears a v-neck for example, it lengthens his frame and brings focus to his angular side. There's a reason RA looked so darn good in those upturned collars he wore as John Thornton in North & South!

Check out RedPoppy's fashionista blog HERE

and see her lovely hat designs HERE.

Fan Letters to Armitage Characters

2011-03-16T01:15:00.000-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 3*

A while ago, I asked the question:

If you could write a fan letter to one of

Richard's characters, what would you say?

Here's what a few RA fans wrote...

Lucas,

Anything.
Anywhere.
Anytime....

Skully

Sir Guy,

Could you please loan some leather to Mr. Thornton?
He needs to loosen up a bit.

~violet8886

Dear Paul,
When I woke up this morning, you were gone!
I noticed you still had your socks on, but this time you left your shoes!
Stop by later, Hot Stuff...
I'll see you in my dreams.
Love ya,
Your #1 Fangirl (you know who!)

To all Richard's characters, especially Gisborne:
TAKE ME NOW.
~Nicole

Dear Mr North,
As you are no longer working for MI5 and have a very astute knowledge of all the back alleys of London – and I do not believe you left London the way it was suggestively depicted in Spooks 9.8 – I have a job offer for you. Could you lead theme tours through London, showing all the Spooks-related places and interesting sights? I know, after being head spy for MI5, this might seem a bit of a step down, but at least none of your former colleagues would suspect you still being in London and guiding funny and crazy RA-fans through town. Therefore, it would be the optimal hiding place right under the nose of MI5. Please let me know, if such an idea is interesting for you, as I will visit London soon and would love to attend such a tour myself (as I must admit, I belong to the crazy bunch).
Thank you for your kind attention in this matter.
Respectfully yours,
C. Doart
P.S.: Besides the tour through London, I also would love to hear the real story behind the events of Spooks 9 and your version of the explosion in Dakar.

Dear Guy,

Which 80s rock star were you channeling with your black leather get up?
Just wondering.....you look FANTASTIC in leather, BTW....

XoXo, Maria

Dear Lucas,

Did you by any chance take that boiler suit home with you?

~Sue

Darling John,

If you proposed to ME, I wouldn't turn you down.

Love, Bev

Dear Richard's Beard,
(Er, does that count as a character?)

I am so jealous of you, snuggling up to Richard's face like that!
Remember to mind your manners- don't get too itchy or catch too many crumbs.

~Your Secret Admirer

[Update: Richard was recently spotted without his beard.
Click HERE. "Secret Admirer" must've scared it away. :) ]

Dear Paul,

Got a smashing view of your backside the other day and just had to write and say what a lovely bum you have! Please feel free to flash those peaches as much as you like, especially in my direction!

~Sue

Dear Mr. Thornton,

Please don't ever put that cravat back on again.
Oh yes, and where can I find a yellow rose?
I looked in the hedgerow, but to no avail.
Maybe you could come help me?

Your ardent admirer forever,
Gwen

Cher Monsieur Monet,

Vos eyes are comme le ciel and blue as the sea;

Some melt at the sight, while others just squee.

Your clothes are a mess, and your hair a disaster -

But the poppies and lilies are simply a gasper.

The last, mon cher, was meant as a paeon,

Because those fleurs are a grand turn-on.

Because your eyes are hyacinth blue –

only the goat-beard must go too

To join the clothes in the Seine, never to be seen again.

The rest may stay and delight all nous;

To feast our eyes on a lovely vous.

Excusez, je beg, mon franglaise,

Malheureusement, I am not une francaise...

~fitzg

Dear Sir Guy,

If you need help getting into that oh so tight leather you know where I am.

~Sunshine387

PS-I'll be your Marian

Lucas,
WTF?!! Sorry, I promised myself I'd remain calm. I do feel for you. It's just not fair! I mean there you were, shut away from the world in that Russian prison camp for 8 years being tortured and half starved...that part was true wasn't it? Then you come back and find out your ex-wife turned into a Russian spy and treats you like a leper! When you finally meet a woman who seems to care for you, she turns into a two-faced killer with antifreeze in her veins and a master plan for world domination. I really enjoyed the way you finally told her off. That was great! Except that you must have forgotten when you said those words to her that you were in fact exactly the same, but I guess you didn't know yet because the scriptwriters failed to inform you (probably because they hadn't written that part yet).
So because I am your fan, I am refusing to believe all those bad things you supposedly did before you joined the Spooks team. I will even ignore the very questionable way you behaved in the last few episodes of series 9. I mean, how could you even think of doing any harm to dear old Malcolm? I think the Russians brainwashed you, and something in that suitcase triggered you into acting like a rogue agent. It's all a huge lie which will be explained properly some day if there is any justice in the world! Oh help! That's a very big IF!
Until then, stay strong, fight the good fight and remember what William Blake says:
A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.
Your fan,
Phylly3

Dear Guy,
I was going to suggest you wear something other than black leather every once in a while, but then I realized how wrong that would be.
Please don't ever wear anything other than black leather.
Sorry about Marian. I don't know why she went and died on you.
*I* wouldn't have.
Lots of love,
Gwen

John Thornton, Manufacturer & Magistrate
Marlborough Mills
Milton
Darks.

Sir,
It has come to my attention that you have recently come into some £15,000. Pursuant to this fact, I have undertaken steps to sue you on behalf of a certain Mr. Stevens, a defenseless man who was not your equal, and who, on the afternoon of Nov. 17 inst., was thoroughly beaten up by you.
Furthermore, this incident was witnessed; to wit: some 40,000 Ladies of Good Standing through a new scientific invention called a DVD, which, like Mr. Awkwright’s invention of which you yourself are said to admire, provides irrefutable evidence that aforesaid incident did indeed take place.
My firm has sent out inquiries all over the globe to aforementioned Ladies for written depositions confirming the incident. We were very pleased to receive an immediate response favorable to my client from a Miss Latimer of Milton, who tells us she is eagerly looking forward to testifying against you. Oddly enough, though, all other depositions received so far, while agreeing wholeheartedly that my client was nowhere near your equal, are also of the opinion that my client was a fool who put everyone at risk. It’s clear then, that you have got to them first, and in a big way. I am undaunted nevertheless, and only await two more of the necessary witnesses to come forth to proceed with the case.

Please consider this letter only as a fair warning between gentlemen (not you so much, but me certainly.)

Sincerely,
Henry Lennox, Esq.

P.S. I assure you that this lawsuit has nothing whatever to do with your lately betrothed, Miss Hale, for whom I still have the utmost respect despite her (pretty weird, frankly, in my view) opinions in regard to knowing a good thing when she sees it.

~submitted by runeybette

Dear Ralph John Standring,

It came as a surprise to your bride-to-be and the viewers of the BBC series of Sparkhouse to learn that your first name was Ralph and this surprise is in many ways symptomatic of the kind of man you are. You seem to be a very shy, awkward country bumpkin, in your grungy woolly jumpers and your multicoloured jackets. Your curly shaggy hair almost conceals your face and seems to reside under a woollen beanie before you get your hair cut. For me you are the epitome of that old adage "all that glitters is not gold." Even before the make-over, the observant viewer can make out the contours of the man you are. You reside with your grandfather, taking good care of him. When the old man dies, the church is packed with friends and well-wishers, as you tell Carol. That suggests that your grandfather was well-liked and respected in the community and I’m sure you share some of that regard. You are kind and loyal. Even those seemingly undeserving of people’s good opinion as Carol’s vicious dad are never subject to your contempt, but treated with care as a human being. You are a farmer and it is never suggested that you are anything but good at what you do. You are loyal in service and continue to work long after others would have left Carol’s feckless father to his own downfall. You are a good friend to Lisa from the beginning.
Under those overalls we notice the man. Broad shoulders that can bear troubles, long legs that stride about your work, strong arms that can help in a crisis, long delicate fingers that caress and care for and blue blue eyes that shyly express concern and love. You have loved Carol for the longest time, but it is when she suggests that you get together to make Andrew jealous that you realise that you love her as a man loves a woman. You have your moments of insecurity, of acute embarrassment and where you are tentative and unsure of how to approach your woman. You are overjoyed when she suggests marriage, but you are not willing to settle for less than a real relationship and hopefully, kids. Carol’s old attachment to Andrew threatens your relationship, and you now show your manliness. Your stature grows, your back straightens, you’re willing to take on Andrew and put him in his place. Meanwhile, even though you discover Carol’s direst secret, you bleed for her and reassure her with the most touching lines in the series, ”Never think you can’t tell me anything.”
You are born and bred in Yorkshire and like the Yorkshire landscape, you symbolise the seemingly unimpressive, but steadfast unto death. I see your true worth!

Your admirer,
MillyMe

A big thanks to everyone who participated! :)

Now it's your turn!
If you could write a letter to one of
Richard's characters, what would you say?

RA Fan Spotlight~ Sharona of the Russian Richard Armitage Site

2011-03-15T00:00:00.024-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 2*

One of my favorite RA hot spots is

The Russian Richard Armitage site

Thanks to google translator,
there's no need to speak Russian to
maneuver your way around it.
(Try it out!)

I became acquainted with the site's
administrator, Sharona, a few months ago
when asking permission to post some of their photos.

Being a curious person, I wanted to know all about her,
but restrained myself from peppering her with questions...
until now. (As Frenz mentioned before, having a blog
gives us an excuse to ~~be nosey~~ interview people!)

While getting to know Sharona, I was surprised to find out that the person who runs the Russian RA site is not actually Russian!

I live in Ukraine, but I run a Russian-speaking site because the Ukrainian-speaking one would have a much smaller audience. I know the Ukrainian and Russian languages. I can read and understand what people are saying in English but when it's time for me to say or to write something in English, I'm not at all confident. So I can't really say I know English. I adore British TV and actors. Richard is obviously my favourite but there are so many brilliant actors out there and I love them all. I am a passionate fan of period drama as well. (You can guess how I first discovered RA.) Also, I love doing stuff in Photoshop - graphics, icons, wallpapers and site layouts.

If Richard came to Ukraine, I'd recommend he visit the beautiful city of Lviv. It's very old and really beautiful and it feels amazing just to walk down the streets. I know foreigners are always excited about Ukrainian cuisine but I'm not a fan of it as well. It is too rich for my taste. (And I think Richard might consider it unhealthy, too.)

I'd recommend he go to the Karpaty for skiing... I think he'd really like that!

Sharona is one of the few RA fans who doesn't adore "North & South."

It is too gritty for my taste, although I loved Richard's performance. My favourite Richard characters are Thornton and Harry Kennedy. (Actually I'd love to say Thorin because I know I'll love him in "The Hobbit" even thought the movie isn't out yet.)

In fact, she wasn't too crazy about Richard when she started the Russian site.
I must confess, when I started my site January 1st, 2010 I liked Richard, but I wasn't actually what you would call a passionate fan. I didn't see much of his work and I didn't know what kind of person he was (well, I still don't know this because I don't know him personally but I think I understand better now what kind of person he might be.)

What I did know - he was handsome, he was British and that he had loads and loads of Russian-speaking fans and there was no Russian site for him. So I thought I could create one. It was meant to be a small site with a few photos and some interviews but from the first day, my visitors started demanding the forum so I just had to start the forum. I didn't have time to moderate it though, so GizTheGunslinger, a fellow fan, became my co-admin. She now runs the forum and does it wonderfully. She's also adding some news and articles. And yes, she's Russian.

[Nat note: GizTheGunslinger is one of my favorite RA vidders and artists! Check out her YouTube page HERE and keep an eye out for her fan spotlight on RA Frenzy's blog this week.]

So what was it that finally turned Sharona into a true blue Armitage admirer?

Richard's interviews. I read and watched many of his interviews for the site and then I just realized... well, that I can call myself a "passionate fan." The sexiest thing about any man to me is his sense of humour. And Richard is always really serious in his roles. But the way he talks, laughs, jokes in his interviews makes me melt. I wish he'd do more comedy.

My favorite thing about the Russian RA site is the wonderful photo gallery. How does Sharona get her hands on such great pics?
That's a big secret! But really, I just keep surfing the net. You wouldn't believe how many beautiful and rare pictures you can find if you google properly. And another tip - try to use other search engines, not just Google, especially the ones for different countries. I was quite lucky to get some rare promo photos, production stills and photo shoots of Richard. I am especially proud of our gallery since it's extensive and has some amazing photos. My favourite photo shoot is the one by Chris Floyd, for Red Magazine. Richard's not just handsome in these photos, he's exquisite.

I've always wondered what Richard's Russian fans thought about about their country being cast as "the bad guy" in Spooks and how well Lucas North spoke Russian. I could almost hear Sharona laugh out loud in her response. Well, all the Russian bit wasn't very believable. It was hard to understand what people were saying when they spoke Russian - that's how bad the accents and grammar were. So... It was a bit funny and you couldn't seriously be offended by it. I love Richard to bits but if it weren't for English subtitles, you would never guess what he was saying. I got to say, it was some kind of a very angry accent. Sometimes there were swear words but I'm not sure he knew he was swearing. Sometimes there was the impression he didn't know what he was saying at all.

A big thanks to Sharona for giving us a little inside info about

herself and the Russian RA site. Keep up the good work, ladies!

Welcome to the 2nd Annual FanstRAvaganzaaaaaa!!!

2011-03-14T00:35:00.003-05:00

*FanstRAvaganza Day 1*

Hi. I'm Nat and I'll be your
hostess in this particular corner of the
FanstRAvaganza party this week.

Welcome, welcome!

"What is Fanstrav-a-ma-call-it?"
you might ask.

Said in my fake posh British accent:

The Richard Armitage Fanstravaganza

(the full and proper name, which has since been abbreviated)

is an international, multi-blog, week-long event (usually held in March)

which celebrates Richard Armitage and his fans.

Get it? FANstRAvaganza. :)

Now let's "kick" things off with a little background info...

The History of the FanstRAvaganza:

Long ago...

in the year 2010...

there was a Richard Armitage admirer from Italy

named Maria Grazia.
(You may know her from THIS lovely blog.)

She came up with the brilliant idea of having an "RA gala"

which would involve several bloggers and feature polls

about Armitage-related topics.

MG suggested the idea to

Mulubinba of An RA Viewer's Perspective

and Nat of The Richard Armitage Fan Blog,

who thought it was a great idea.

With Mulubinba's support and advice,

Nat rounded up a few other bloggers to join the group.

At first, this gala was on the path of being an award ceremony of sorts

(like the RA Oscars or something) featuring many poll categories such as:

BEST RA FANFIC, BEST RA FORUM, BEST RA WEBSITE, BEST FAN VID, etc.

And the award for BEST HUNK EVER goes to... me!

After carefully compiling a list of nominations and dividing topics,

the participating bloggers realized that these poll questions could actually cause
unwanted competition and hurt feelings amongst the RA fan community, which
was a risk they didn't want to take. (This was meant to be fun!)

The original group of bloggers reformatted their plan,

deciding to feature polls about Richard Armitage's work instead.

Ragtag suggested that they also showcase fans and their creations throughout the week.

While brainstorming what to call the event, Servetus at Me + Richard (who was brand new
to blogging at the time) suggested the ingenious title of "Fanstravaganza". (Good thing she
was around... Nat had her heart set on "The RA Awards of Awesomeness!!!"
or something of that cheesy nature when it was an award event.)

New topics were chosen, a logo was created,

Fanstravaganza 2010

and the first-ever FanstRAvaganza was held

with great success. (Meaning much participation, many laughs,

new friends made, and new blogs discovered.)

Last year's festivities and links- HERE.

This year brings more than twice as many participating bloggers with

new topics, polls and fan highlights. Some blogs may be new to you,

so be sure to "blog hop" and participate as much as possible.

Okay, I'll stop writing in 3rd person now. :)

I had a hard time deciding on a topic this year...
but since one of my favorite things about being an RA
fan is other RA fans, I decided to focus on Armitage admirers
in general. So stay tuned this week! I'll be featuring fan spotlights,
RA character fan letters, a game, and a certain stick figure
may be making an appearance. :)

Other participating blogs for 2011:
Me + Richard
An RA Viewer's Perspective
The Spooks Fan Blog
The Squeee!
Avalon's Blog
Phylly's Faves
RA Frenzy
The Quill Tip

CDoart
Nevermind, Mr. Armitage
Mesmered's Blog
White Rose Writing
Confessions of a Watcher
Richard Armitage Vids & Graphics

All of the above links are also included in
my "enjoyable blogs" list on the sidebar and will
be marked with ** by their names this week.
(I like the blog list feature because it tells me when someone has posted
something and doesn't close this screen when I click on a link.)

We hope you enjoy the festivities.

Let the fun begin!

Oh me, oh my.

2011-03-09T01:52:00.000-06:00

Excuses, requests and a break.

2011-02-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the slacking of duties, dearest blog readers!

"Real life" has been VERY busy as I mentioned in the last post's update.

I rarely have time to do much online besides check my email these days!

If something big in RA news has happened this week, I have no idea.

Somebody keep me posted if another beard sighting occurs. :)

Not SFR... the real RA!

I have a second request for FanstRAvaganza participation~ pretty, pretty please.

Pretty and pleasing!

If you could write a fan letter to

an RA character, what would you say?
*Oh, the possibilities!*

Please send your Armitage character fan letters to:

armitageblog@yahoo.com

(I'd prefer an email to comments so it can be a surprise for other blog readers.)
They can be as short and sweet as you'd like.

Example...

Dear Mr. Thornton

Where can I get one of those

sexy top hats for my husband?

Love, Natalie

I would greatly appreciate any contributions for
RA character fan letters and/or fantastic fan stories. :)

Due to my crazy, busy life at the moment,
I plan to take a blogging break until the FanstRAvagana on March 14th.
Thanks for your support and patience!

Fantastic Fan Stories Requested! UPDATED

2011-02-21T15:45:00.002-06:00

Have you had a funny or embarrassing RA-related moment?

(Perhaps you were caught swooning, or accidentally called your significant other "Richard," for example.)

If you don't mind sharing, please tell me all about it! Nat's email: armitageblog@yahoo.com

I will feature these stories in a few weeks during the upcoming FanstRAvaganza.

Ha ha ho ho hee hee!

Update- 2/23/11:

I put the wrong email address above, but have corrected it. (Seriously... you'd think I'd know my own email address, right!?) If you tried to email me earlier, please resend it. And if you didn't... don't be shy. I could use a good laugh! :) I blame my fried brain on the fact that we are in the middle of getting ready to build a new house (loads of paperwork!) in addition to taking care of 4 children under the age of 5!!!! (An exclamation point for each kid.) I started babysitting my sister's 2 year-old girl while she works full-time. It's like I have twin toddlers. The other day, I caught "the twins" in our DVD cupboard. One was holding my Gaskell Collection case. (Which includes our beloved "North & South.") I nearly panicked at the sight, but quickly retrieved it and put it somewhere safe and sound. I could end up in a nut house for reasons other than my love of RA, stick figures and weird sense of humor. Blogging may be hit-and-miss for a bit.

Giz & Vaze

2011-02-21T01:35:00.000-06:00

Liked this vid. Wanted to share.

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of the screen) before viewing.*

Season 3 Gisborne is my favorite Gizzy. :)

Ever had one of those days?

2011-02-16T11:36:00.001-06:00

XOXO

2011-02-14T13:00:00.039-06:00

Valentine's Day.

A day of chocolate, flowers,

and ugly stuffed animals.

A day of dining out.

A day of huggin' and lovin'.

A day of cheestastic sappy stuff.

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

A day your kid brings home a bag

filled with candy attached to cartoon-covered

cards with barely readable names written upon them.

Freddy the Valentine Frog

Some don't like this holiday.

It is called "Singles Awareness Day" by many.

There are those who have romantially challenged
significant others who struggle when it comes to gift-giving
or remembering such a day exists. *ahem.*

If you fit into one of these categories...

don't feel blue!

I can't help it... that's the tint they used when filming!

Just remember this~

You don't need a man to receive flowers...

although it would be nice if the delivery boy looked like this:

The train scene from

"North & South" can warm any heart.

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

And as our RA buddy Phylly said in this recent post,
"There are so many kinds of love -- romantic love is only
a small part of the picture. (Although it gets all the attention.)
What about the love of a parent for a child, (and vice versa) or the
love of a friend, or the love of mankind? We all share those kinds
of love, even if we have never experienced romantic love."
Amen, sistah!

I feel very blessed to have
experienced the kinds of love Phylly mentioned.

And it's okay if my hubs struggles in the V-day department.

The best gifts he could give me are our 3 children.

Sticky kisses and big bear hugs every day!

Nat and Stick-Figure Richard wish you

lots of love in many of its forms. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stick-Figure Richard Prepares for Dwarfdom

2011-02-11T12:32:00.000-06:00

Watch the RA bits of The Hobbit press conference

and then see how SFR is preparing for his role:

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

Beard Love

2011-02-11T01:23:00.002-06:00

The upcoming RA film I'm VERY excited to see is "The Hobbit."
(Big Tolkien fan and love The Lord of the Rings trilogy.)

There was a Hobbit press conference held early Friday morning in New Zealand
(Thursday night in my part of the world) with many of the cast present, including our favorite future dwarf.
I normally don't like beards too much... but I'm diggin' Richard's shagginess! (Aidan Turner's too.)

Here are the "Richard bits" of the press conference.

Thanks to bccmee for uploading it to YouTube!

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing*

Visit bccmee's YouTube channel to see more clips of the press conference.

Here are a few more pics from the event:

Some of The Hobbit cast-

Whose bright idea was it to stick Richard in the back!? You're fired.
(They must have heard about him stealing all the scenes in Robin Hood...
or don't want his scraggly beauty to distract unsuspecting viewers.)

Scoot over, Bilbo.
We need a better view of the furrow-browed, bearded one.

Check out more press conference pics HERE.
(Including one of beard + crinkles!)

I wish this film was ready already.

Thanks to Richard Armitage Net for the links to great pictures!

Hello, Heinz.

2011-02-07T12:55:00.002-06:00

Until now, I haven't published a single post about

Richard's upcoming role as Heinz Kruger in "Captain America,"

which is set to hit theaters this summer.

Thanks to Richard Armitage Net for this!

I'm not exactly sure why...

perhaps because I'm not crazy about superhero movies.

Look at my tough muscley muscles.

Maybe it's because every time I read

or hear the name Heinz Kruger, I think of ketchup

with a side of horror.

It could be due to the fact

that I don't like Richard's hairstyle in this movie.

Floppy in front, short in back?

And where are the sideburns, dang it!?

Now looking at the bright side...

I don't despise superhero movies by any means.

My husband enjoys them, so I can look forward to a date night

with perks for both of us:

Not really us.

I like ketchup. If dinner is cooked too long,

just throw some of it on top and the fam will never know the difference!

(I should totally start the "How to Cut Corners for Housewives Blog.")

I'm not a fan of the freakish guy from nightmares, though...

so from hence forth, I shall refer to RA's

Captain America character as simply

Heinz.

Although I'm not big on the Heinz hair,

thanks to the fact that it's technically the opposite of a mullet,

I do realize not every hairdo can be a Thornton.

Hello, gorgeous.

Plus, it's not the worst hairstyle Richard could be sporting, right?

Don't ever do this, Richard.

The bright side, people.

The bright side.

Just in case you were traumatized by anything above,

let's cleanse our viewing pallet with this:

What are your thoughts on

the upcoming film, Captain America?

Excited? So-so? Meh?

Do share.

Best photoshoot ever!

2011-02-04T00:05:00.001-06:00

The Russian Richard Armitage Site

recently uploaded a beautiful photoshoot session by Justin Cunningham

in 2008. I've viewed these before, but mosty with watermarks, so
I was really excited to see the entire collection stamp-free!

Here are some of my faves:

I know the red sweater isn't the most popular

amongst RA fans... but I like it. I love his Gizzy smirk. I do have

to keep myself from humming THIS song, though.

Go HERE to look at the entire photoshoot.

It's fabulous!

"Homage to Armitage" Highlight

2011-02-01T01:00:00.002-06:00

An Armitage musical revolution is at hand!
No, Richard hasn't taken up conducting symphonies.

(Although you never know...)

It is music about our dear Richard I speak of.

There have been whispers of a Grammy nomination

and a sold-out world tour is inevitable.

What a few critics have said about
the song and video "Homage to Armitage"~

"This song will get stuck in your head for days and you won't mind one bit." ~ragirlforevah

"Homage to Armitage is musical genius! Genius, I tell you!!!" ~giddy4gizzy

"WHERE can I buy the MP3!?" ~maggiethornton

"I want that girl's cleavage." ~flattypatty

If you don't know what these people are talking about,

you must view Allison Cossitt's "Homage to Armitage" video:

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

I first saw this vid posted on RA Frenzy's site and
The Spooks Fan Blog and laughed out loud as I watched it.
I especially like that Allison is enjoying herself while singing,
which is obvious by that big grin on her face and inability to keep
from laughing at times. I thought, "A kindred spirit!"
since Allison clearly doesn't take herself
or her admiRAtion too seriously.

Shortly after seeing this video, I added the
song to my "Armitage Tunes" mixpod list (bottom of screen)
which automatically plays RA-related music when this blog is
opened. After receiving many comments about how wonderful and
life-changing this song is ;) I had to question the mastermind
behind it so we could all know a little bit more.
Plus, I'm always curious. :)

Nat: Please tell us a bit about yourself~ What part of the world do you call home? What are your interests and hobbies? Do you have a significant other?

Allison: Home is a very grey area for me. I was born in Toledo, Ohio (USA) and moved to East Amherst, New York (near Buffalo) when I was about 14. I fled Buffalo after getting my degree in theater and headed west, to Portland, Oregon. I spent three years in Portland until heading up North to finally end up in Seattle, Washington. I also did a study abroad program where I lived in Australia for 5 months, I absconded to Ireland for three months in 2008, and last Fall I spent 2 1/2 months living in the Dominican Republic. So, at this very moment, my apartment is in Seattle, but lately I've been feeling the need to move on again, so who knows where I'll end up next! Obviously one of my big interests in travel. I've been extremely lucky to have a father who is also a world traveler, and can therefor facilitate my adventures with generous donations of frequent flier miles!

One of my great passions in life is my pet rats. I've kept rats for almost 20 years now, and they are the lights of my life. Right now I only have two, H.T. Vanderrat and Umlaut, but I'm sure there will be many more in years to come... and no, I've never named any of them after any RA characters, even though that would be rather appropriate! I love to cook and bake, play guitar (clearly), I make necklaces out of vintage postcards and stamps, I work as a barista (like a bartender for coffee beverages) in Seattle, but I'm actually an avid tea-drinker, I used to write poetry, but I've found it's a lot easier to get people to listen to a song than to get them to listen to a poem - so now I write a lot of songs! I have no significant other, unless you count the rats!

Check out her etsy site HERE, where you can

view and/or purchase one of her awesome vintage postcard/stamp necklaces.

Nat: When and how did you first discover The Armitage?

Allison: The swooning first started almost three years ago when I rented disk 1 of Robin Hood. I actually didn't care much for the first episode and wasn't going to watch the rest but luckily my roommate at the time convinced me to watch the rest - she was right, I loved it! And with each passing episode grew more and more smitten. My roommate was appalled that I was all gooey over the bad guy. We would watch RH together and she would be disgusted with Guy of Gisborne and I would be all dreamy-eyed and smiling.

Nat: Do you belong to any RA forums?
Allison: Ages ago I remember signing up for something but never kept up with it. I'm not particularly tech savvy and don't spend a lot of time computering, so I'm not a member of any of the forums or anything.

Nat: What is your favorite RA character/production?

Allison: Gosh I would have to say that my favorite role was Harry Kennedy in the Vicar of Dibley. While I do love it when he's playing bad, he's got such a sweet smile and the fans rarely got to see that! Plus I think it let us all believe that someone THAT dreamy just might show up out of the blue one day and sweep us off our feet!

Nat: What do your family/friends think of your admiRAtion?
Allison: My friends think it's adorably annoying. They don't understand how I can be ogling the tv screen while an angry, sour-looking man yells at people and cuts out tongues. My family just thinks it's cool that I have a You Tube video, they all live pretty far away so they didn't even know who RA was!

Nat: When did you learn to play the guitar? Do you play any other instruments?

Allison: I actually just started playing guitar last July. I never thought I'd be any good at it, and honestly, I don't think I would have been, but it came into my life at the precise point I needed it. Let's just say it was very therapeutic and helped me get through some hard times. I once sat in with my friend's band practice and I shook me some mean tambourine, but other than that I don't play any other instruments.

Nat: When did you write "Homage to Armitage" and how long did it take you to write it?
Allison: I wrote HtoA after having just finished watching the last few episodes of the most recent series of Spooks, so around the middle of last November. I had just finished yelling at the screen something along the lines of, "NO! How could you make him the bad guy - AGAIN!?!" And I just started thinking how funny it would be to write a cute song about how he always plays bad guys but I still think he's dreamy. I think I took all of 30 minutes to hash it out. I figured that no one would really care to hear it so I really just wrote it as a joke for myself. But then I played it for a few friends who know about my RA crush and they, much to my surprise, really liked it and encouraged me to make a video.

Nat: Please fill us in on the video process. How many takes before it was completed? Did anyone help you?
Allison: This video would not have been possible at all without the help of my awesome friend, Jumana, who is the techmind behind all this. I'm rubbish with most technical things, and never would have managed to pull everything together on my own. With the help of several stiff shots of whiskey and her guidance, we managed to get something usable in about 5 takes, I think. It was actually much harder performing it for video then playing it on my own or even before people. Not only did I have to try to remember the chords and lyrics, but I also had to remember to play to the camera. Nobody wants to watch someone playing with their head down all deadpan - you gotta be lively! It was more of a challenge than I'd anticipated.

Nat: How do you think you'd react if you ever met Richard in person? (Become shy and hide? Chat his ear off? Burst into song like Julie Andrews?)

Allison: Well, one thing I can be sure is that I'd have a giant goofy grin plastered to my face (kind of like the one I have in the video!) and for the first minute of two it would probably be a bit hard to breathe. Other than that I really don't know. I'd certainly love to have a conversation with him, it would be great to know what he's like in real life when there aren't cameras and microphones pointed in his face.

Nat: Stick- Figure Richard wants to know if "Homage to Armitage" was actually directed towards him.

Allison: Well, before doing this interview I wasn't actually aware of the existence of SFR, but if he's the jealous type, I can always change the first few lines of my song to...

"Skinny limbs and an inky smile

Stick-Figure Richard I've been crushing on you for a while"

Nat: I'm sure SFR would be very pleased.

In conclusion, I'd like to present Allison with

the following award for having the courage to publicly declare
her "crush" on Richard with her performance.

For a more in-depth look at Allison,
the genius behind the music, please check out
RA Frenzy's blog. After finding out we both interviewed her,
we thought it would be fun to publish our posts on the same day.
I love Frenz's "Allison post." I especially enjoyed reading about
her traveling adventures and poem about the dryer. :)

Grab a needle & thread- Part 2

2011-01-26T00:28:00.000-06:00

Inspired by the Richard Armitage cross-stitch patterns

featured in last week's post, The Richard Armitage Fan Blog proudly presents...

The Stick-Figure Richard cross-stitch pattern!

*Absolutely FREE with no ebay purchase required!!!*

How lucky are you to be a blog reader!? You're welcome.

Sure, CS-SFR may be a bit bow-legged... but that just gives him character.

Sure, this may not actually work as a "real" cross-stitch pattern since they're probably supposed to be

lined up just right on graph paper or something... but that's lame! And I don't have any graph paper.

Attention Gisborne-Lovers!

2011-01-24T01:40:00.002-06:00

Well, well, well... look who we have here:

No, I wasn't looking for an excuse to post

another picture of hot Season 3 Gizzy with his giant sword... ;)

I wanted to let you know my blogging buddy Avalon would like to receive your

nominations for favorite Gisborne fanfic, video and artwork for the upcoming FanstRAvaganza.

This event highlights not only Richard but his fans, so if you would like her to feature

your Guy-related creation that week, please let her know as well.

Email her at avalonmedieval@yahoo.com or visit her

blog HERE and leave a comment.

To see what the first-ever

FanstRAvaganza was like last year,

click HERE.

Grab a needle and thread.

2011-01-21T14:25:00.000-06:00

Time for another episode of

Awesome RA EBay Finds!

Today, we bring you...

*drum roll, please*

this Richard Armitage cross stitch pattern!

As of today, there are three different patterns available.

You may purchase this one HERE. Don't just sit there, act now!

(I must take up cross stitching...

this would make the perfect accent pillow in my Richard Room.)

Thud-worthy Thursday

2011-01-20T00:55:00.000-06:00

This picture couldn't wait until Photo Friday, my fabulous friends!

Behold the beauty of the Season 3 Gizzy...

Thanks to the ladies of the C19 Crinkle Zone

for sharing such lovely photos such as this!

Selfish Thoughts, Part 2

2011-01-17T17:13:00.001-06:00

To fill you in on the whole
sister-borrowing-Nat's-North & South-DVD,
here's part of a conversation that happened over the weekend:

Nat: So, what did you think of North & South?

Allie: I have a new crush!

Nat: *smirking and nodding to herself knowingly*

I knew you would! Heh heh.

Allie: Yep... I just love Higgins!!!

Nat: *stands there speechless, blinking & open-mouthed

while Allie continues to talk about the movie*

Allie: I could barely understand Mrs. Thornton

with her deep, mumbling voice... Fanny was so funny!

Margaret's parents were kind of annoying, but sweet. Her brother

was cute. I felt sorry for Henry Lennox... and Boucher, how sad!

I LOVE the soundtrack... *starts singing the main theme*

DUM... da dum da dum DA DA DAAAA!!!

Nat: But... but...

what about JOHN THORNTON!?

*pictures this smouldering image in her head...
and then joins in singing the N&S theme song.*

Allie: I like him too. The way he stares

at Margaret was SO intense! The train scene!!!

Nat: *breathes a sigh of relief, knowing she won't
have to commit her sister to a mental institution for
not recognizing the beauty of JT and his piercing stare.*

Allie: Higgins was definitely my favorite, though.
He is that cuddly teddy bear type!

Nat: *reconsiders the mental institution idea for a split second*

Allie: We should watch it together next time

and invite Mom and Kate too.

Nat: Sounds like a plan.
Now give my DVD back, dammit!!!

~The end~

[Okay, so that last sentence wasn't spoken out loud. :)
And for the record, Higgins is my 2nd favorite character.
I was just surprised that Allie chose him over Thornton. Thornton!]

So... while I still don't have an RA convert under my belt, there is
definitely another N&S lover out there. (And though my
sister may not share our over-the-top enthusiasm for JT,
it was so much fun to discuss the movie with her!)

2nd plan of action to lure Allie into the fold~
Mr. Harry Kennedy!

I'll keep you posted. :)

Selfish Thoughts

2011-01-13T23:47:00.001-06:00

My sister Allie has always been

one of my best friends.

Since we were little, she has put up with me

being the bossy older sibling and I've put up with her

wanting to borrow all of my favorite things...

but we're not talking about Tasha the doll

or my ABC blankey right now.

Allie currently has my copy of "North & South"

and I'm feeling a little antsy.

(She doesn't even know

the correct name of the film.

She keeps calling it "North by East"

or "That Richard Armi-whatever Movie.")

I am resisting the urge to revert back to my toddler days~

snatching the DVD away from her and shouting, "Mine!!!"

while she sobs, "Moooommy! Natalie won't shaaare!"

No, I'm much too mature to do such a thing now.

I'm merely thinking about doing it.

To be continued...

Thornton Thursday~ Lovely JT Art

2011-01-13T00:00:00.005-06:00

Click to enlarge.

Look Back at Me by ~ManderFFA on deviant ART

"Sometimes you just stop hearing it." - Lucas North

2011-01-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

This is a great vid by GizTheGunslinger.

(Not too long, great Lucas clips, cool ending.)

*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

Like a good neighbor... Richard is there.

2011-01-10T01:33:00.001-06:00

I really hate the State Farm insurance commercials

that are shown over and over here in the US... but one tiny plus
I'll give them is their spokes person's hair reminds me of
Richard's circa Gizzy Season 1 & 2.

(Apologies in advance for annoying commercial.)

*Remember to pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

State Farm must have figured that having
a Richard hair double would be like gold in the bank.

Unfortunately, that Eddie Matos
fellow is a bit too smiley. He hasn't learned
the art of the brood...

Eddie: "I can't brood! I have to show off my dimples!"

If you discover a Richard look-a-like

(or just a person's feature that reminds you of him)
let me know: armitageblog@yahoo.com

Photo Friday ~ Holey Jeans

2011-01-07T00:00:00.001-06:00

Tell us what we don't know.

2011-01-05T01:19:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to point out that Richard won another poll contest at Dezzy's

Hollywood Spy blog. (This one asking who should be the next James Bond.)

Check it out HERE. Dang right RA would make a good Bond!

Robin Hood Vids

2011-01-05T00:00:00.001-06:00

Here are two Robin Hood videos by Liisakee.

They don't show much of Gizzy, but I like them so much, I have to share.

*Be sure to pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

The first one is on the serious side.

I love the song and all the scenes of Robin's gang.

You can't watch it and not feel sentimental!

This one cracked me up. (Oh, Vasey and PJ...)

Lovely Lucas

2011-01-04T01:08:00.001-06:00

Do you have a selective memory when it comes to Lucas North?

If yes, then you've come to the right place.

The only Johns around here are Thornton, Porter & Standring...

and Lucas is still a hot MI5 agent doing good. The end.

I was browsing the Russian Richard Armitage site

and found some lovely pics of Lucas that I hadn't seen before. Must share.

Exhibit A:

Lucas + brooding stare + jeans + manly stance = HOT!

Exhibit B:

Love the haircut and the eyebrow/crinkle thing going on here.

Exhibit C:

He's looking straight at me! Can't... look... away...!

Exhibit D:

Look at those long legs!

Exhibit E:

One of my new favorite Lucas pics.

Jawline. Sideburns. Furrowed brow. Love it!

Don't be sad when you think of Lucas.

Just remember: selective memory,

and think pretty thoughts.

Gisborne Drawing

2011-01-03T15:43:00.001-06:00

Check out this lovely Gizzy drawing by Julia:

Nice, eh? I especially like the Guyliner. :)

Julia is from the UK and just started a blog, which you may view HERE.

Seeing Julia's amazing skill with a pencil & paper,
I couldn't help but think of my attempts at capturing Sir Guy
in black & white as well...

although my efforts are clearly more realistic! (I kid.)

I really do admire the many talents of our fellow RA fans, whether artistic,
literary or friendship skills (yes, that's a talent) are possessed.
Keep it up, peeps.

The Evolution of The Armitage at the BAFTAS ~ by guest blogger @Rob

2010-12-31T00:00:00.001-06:00

With New Year's Eve upon us, it got me thinking about RA in a tux.
I doubt he spends his NYE in one, but a girl can fantasize can't she???
Besides, he has made quite a transformation on the red carpet over the years.

2007-- Guy of Gisborne Rocks the Red Carpet.

2009-- RA goes Bond... James Bond.

2010-- Move over, Hugh Jackman!
There is a new actor in town, his name is Armitage, Richard Armitage.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
xoxo, @Rob

* * * * * * * *

About the guest blogger @Rob:

Been a fan since 2005, after my first viewing of North & South, but it wasn't until I stumbled across Nat's blog that I became a bit more ardent in my "obsession," err um, "interest." My fav fan sites/blogs are this one (of course), Me + Richard Armitage and RichardArmitageOnline. As much as I love, RA, I enjoy the community that has popped up around his fandom even more. Although, I am happily married, I consider Mr. Armitage my pretend hubs. Just kidding. Not really. Well, sort of.

Holiday Recap

2010-12-30T01:21:00.001-06:00

Hey, blog readers and fellow RA fans! Nat here. Still around, just busy

as I'm sure you have been this holiday season as well.

Here's a look at what kept me so occupied~

1. I trimmed the tree.

The Hubs didn't fully appreciate the "special" star or ornaments.

2. I helped Stick-Figure Richard address and mail his Christmas cards.

I thought this would be a quick task, but apparently he made

many friends traveling the world this year.

3. I watched "Vicar of Dibley" while knitting stripey sweaters for everyone I know.

4. Then I made a miniature Dibley village out of gingerbread.

I would provide a picture, but it looked so good, I ate it.

Speaking of my lack of control when it comes to holiday goodies...

5. I ordered 1,000 boxes of Thorntons chocolate. (Some for me, and 6 boxes

for a few lucky family and friends.) Of course, I had to redo the label

to make those chocolates even more drool-worthy:

Dang right.

6. Oh, and apparently I met Richard Armitage and his agent with Traxy!

It may have been a dream, but I'm counting it since everything else was made up.*

So there ya go.

I've been one busy bee.

What have you been up to?

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season

and enjoy your New Year!

*Half-truths revealed: I did trim a tree (although not with RA decor),

mailed Christmas cards (featuring my children, not SFR), watched VOD and

ate too much chocolate (although, not from Thorntons.)

Richard Armitage Fan Blog

What a relief to know the truth!

She Hates Me (because she's a nutter who didn't know a good thing when she saw it.)

If you want to laugh out loud...

Beware the Deadly Combo!

RAnging in the New Year

Holy Moly Frizzoly. CAN'T WAIT!

Deck the Halls with Lots of Richard!

Random Thoughts from Nat's Noggin.

A Regal Look, Indeed.

RA Word Search

For the birthday chap.

Three posts rolled into one.

The RA Fan Blog Experience *updated*

The Gizzy Show Cast

If Lucas North had a Stick-Figure Richard tattoo...

Good Stuff.

A Swooning Tangent *updated*

My 2 Cents

Harry the Hottie

Dorktastic Dwarfness

JT Reflections

Spoon-Figure Richard

Blogger's Block and a Thorin Thought

If Nat wrote fanfic...

Let's play a game.

Breaking news!!!

Sexy Back 3

The pot calling the kettle black.

The 2nd Annual FanstRAvaganza Wrap-Up

Q&A with Richard

FANSTRAV TELEGRAPH FROM NAT

Funny/Embarrassing Fan Stories

Fun Fan Entertainment!

Top o' the mornin' to ya.

Fan Spotlight~ Meet RedPoppy

Fan Letters to Armitage Characters

RA Fan Spotlight~ Sharona of the Russian Richard Armitage Site

Welcome to the 2nd Annual FanstRAvaganzaaaaaa!!!

Oh me, oh my.

Excuses, requests and a break.

Fantastic Fan Stories Requested! *UPDATED*

Giz & Vaze

Ever had one of those days?

XOXO

Stick-Figure Richard Prepares for Dwarfdom

Beard Love

Hello, Heinz.

Best photoshoot ever!

"Homage to Armitage" Highlight

Grab a needle & thread- Part 2

Attention Gisborne-Lovers!

Grab a needle and thread.

Thud-worthy Thursday

Selfish Thoughts, Part 2

Selfish Thoughts

Thornton Thursday~ Lovely JT Art

"Sometimes you just stop hearing it." - Lucas North

Like a good neighbor... Richard is there.

Photo Friday ~ Holey Jeans

Tell us what we don't know.

Robin Hood Vids

Lovely Lucas

Gisborne Drawing

The Evolution of The Armitage at the BAFTAS ~ by guest blogger @Rob

Holiday Recap

The RA Fan Blog Experience updated

A Swooning Tangent updated

Fantastic Fan Stories Requested! UPDATED