RA FRIDAY - GOOD OLD TIMES , GREAT EXPECTATIONS AND RED-SELF'S CORNER

Hello, RA fanworld! I hope you had a wonderful week. Mine was the first of total relax after a long hard working season. Red- Self? She's OK! She's been rather quiet since she was back from ... Narnja. I hope she got it and now either she behaves properly or I've already bought a new  ticket for her! We've got to an agreement and she seems satisfied with it. She'll have her own small corner on my blog every Friday. So... get ready. She's going to add something to this post of mine! I'm already trembling...but she claimed for no censorship! And that's terribly dangerous! Now,  let's start with my weekly ramblings.

Like many others RA admirers I've been on the news and I have read about the possibility of seeing  more of John Porter's adventures  in  a STRIKE BACK  2 series (see  this brief article from The Mirror). I'm not complaining,  mind you , not at all indeed! I like Richard's modern action hero, tough but not flawless, with a complex background and a conscience. But as many other of his fans spellbound by his John Thornton, I long for seeing him back in a costume, in  a period film/drama. However, I have been  also pondering the fact that John Thornton is not RA's only role in a period piece. He's worked in  many period/costume productions . But more or less than in modern ones?  Let's see...

a.  modern drama/films (only major roles)  : Spooks, Strike Back, Moving On, Vicar of Dibley, Shakespeare Retold - Macbeth, The Golden Hour, In Divine Proportion (Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Between the Sheets, Ultimate Force, Sparkhouse, Cold Feet, Frozen. (12)

b. period drama : North and South, Robin Hood, Miss Marple, Mary Lloyd, George Gently , The Impressionists, Malice Aforethought (7)

Well, you see? It's time for another beautiful role in a costume, Richard! Modern drama beats period drama in your TV/movie  career. What?!?  Red - self is reminding me that he may soon be "in a costume"... as Union Jack in the upcoming  Captain America?!? No, well, you know, that's definitely NOT what I had in mind! But if he's willing to wear THAT costume, I'm sure I'll bear even watching THAT kind of film. (Red - self laughs . Grrrrrrr!)

To be honest, I am looking forward to seeing something like ... Richard in the smart medieval clothing on the left. A real costume drama, set in troubled times and with an intriguing plot. He as the charismatic protagonist. You know, I've been reading this gripping historical novel, THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR,   for two weeks now and the sad epilogue is there,  few pages ahead. It has been such a beautiful  experience, so many exciting emotions with certain blue eyes in mind... it'd be great if Richard's dream could come true, if a series dedicated to Richard III with him as the protagonist (at least as the adult Richard  of Gloucester) could be produced soon. But he has never spoken  about it again recenlty. The last time was at Vulpes Libris, in that extraordinarily interesting interview about books.

He said: "I was named Richard being born on the anniversary of Richard III’s demise at Bosworth; one of my father’s favourite novels is The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, and I read this many years ago. In recent years it has lead to a tentative interest and line of research into the rehabilitation of this story. As an actor, it’s a project I would love to achieve. I believe it is a great story, a socio-political thriller, a love story and a dynastic tragedy. My challenge is to convince commercial producers to see beyond ‘history lesson’, but I strongly suspect that this will be a long way off, probably outside of my ability to play the role, but I wouldn’t rule out playing another role, I may even be producing by the time someone wakes up and realizes the potential for this project".

After reading this wonderful gripping novel,  ( a proper review is coming soon )  I can't even imagine how much such a huge production might cost!  So,  knowing the troubles many successful series are currently having at being financed, I can guess this project must be considered very ambitious,  if not crazy. But I hope RA holds on  and  I'll go on dreaming of seeing  Richard as Richard before he turns too old. In that case,  he said he'd like to produce such  a series, but it won't be the same for us, will it? These are my great expectations.

Meanwhile, our darling hard-working gorgeous man (look carefully on the right)

1. goes on recording ads and audiobooks (  You can download his new ads for Sky Sport at Alicat's site http://www.richardarmitage.net/ or order his The Convenient Marriage coming out on August 2nd, if you haven't done it yet)

 2.  has done very little to quiet down our worries about his Lucas North's destiny.  On the contrary... his admissions in the latest interviews have lit up animated debates and made our worries even greater. What of him in the new series? Will he be in Spooks 10, if recommissioned as it seems?

I told you I've carefully avoided - and want to go on avoiding - all that razzmatazz (never used this word before! does it work?) . I keep on stuck at what RA said in the interviews. Does this make me quiet? Not a bit. No great expectations for Lucas in Spooks 9.  Let's sum up what Richard  said about his character in the next  episodes (due to broadcast autumn 2010).

a. In the GMTV interview ( 4th May 2010) with Lorraine Kelly he said : "Lucas isn’t who you think he is. It’s always been hovering there, whether or not he’s a double agent." (...) "He's not who I thought he was either, which is really interesting."

b. In an interview with Digital Spy (5th May 2010) , Richards admitted even more : "It's interesting because you have to just rethink the character and retrace your steps and go back and make sure that everything fits and rework things that don't work. It's very exciting. And I think this series is very much about identity. All of the characters from the very beginning are not what they seem. All of the new characters that come in actually turn out to be slightly different from what you think."

 In the same interview, talking about Laila Rouass's character (Maya) in Spooks 9, Richard added: "I think he's had a string of quite disastrous love affairs. This one is particularly different and it's quite hard to tell you without revealing too much of the story but Lucas isn't quite who you think he is and she's part of that story, so there's a whole other character that's contained within Maya."

He conludes saying that Lucas  "... does have to go off the radar quite a lot this series, but I think he's made a habit of doing that so it doesn't raise too many eyebrows. It's just the way he operates. But it's quite a good way of concealing your tracks. If you're used to being a maverick, then people don't get surprised when you start acting strangely. And he does behave quite strangely this year."
Isn't that enough to start worrying? Have you seen the photos from the set some fans have posted? That is definitely NOT Lucas, but someone who looks like him pretty much! Will we be regretting the good old times ... I mean, SPOOKS 7?
I feel like I will! And these are my not great expectations. 

And now ladies, good luck! I promised her she would have her 5 minutes of glory if she had behaved properly and, unfortunately and unexpectedly,  she did! So I must keep my promise and say good -bye to you all. Be patient with her...and have a wonderful weekend! Here's red-self! ( Remember! I've booked a one-way ticket to Narnja!)

(Rolls Eyes) Ssssh! She's gone. Well,  she's been understanding, at least. I need my space and  time alone. So, she's gone. She  made me a  promise: no interference and no censorship. I told her: "For once, trust me, Prof!" (Awwwww... Do you remember JP saying TRUST ME to Katie in Strike Back ep. 2?) . She hates to be called "prof." but that's what she is a ... boring teacher! Yep! (Hinted smirk) I know she 's going to read this,  but she promised. She can't  change a word! No correction, thanks , Mrs. Prof.

So, what do I want to do with my space? Unveiling Mrs. Prof's  secrets! LOL !!! I'll tell you what she avoids telling you. Do you like the idea? I LIKE IT A LOT!!! Let's have fun.

Did she tell you what she has been re-watching this week? No! I bet she didn't. And I even know why. Have a look at these photos...

Got it? BETWEEN THE SHEETS! Paul and Alona on a crisis... she suspecting him of being on a hook dreaming the pants of a 16-year-old-girl, Tracy,  ... the ITV 2003 series about sex ! Sugar! Have you seen it?  COOL!!! That's a very good series, full great actors, but she refuses to write about it and watched it as secretly as if it was a porn film! She reminds me of Richard's mother! I've read on Annette's site (see? Annette doesn't blush or hide and, intelligently,  gives us all the information we need about this awesome series!)  that Richard's mother was shocked at seeing her son in that series. Well, poor woman, to see him as naked as when she first saw him, and   in bed having sex with a woman...  Wait ,  I'll try to find the article and link it here... Just wait... back in a moment!

HERE!!!! Enjoy it!!!

What was I saying? "Mrs Prof" is becoming old, but, maybe,  she's always been!!! Prudish, silly,  middle-aged girl! But,  believe me, she's been re-watching it and, I can assure you,  she likes it! She says  Paul Andrews is a mediocre, immature,  selfish man, incapable of real faithfulness but she likes him. You should see her smile while she watches him.  And watches, and re-watches... especially certain scenes. No, not the hottest ones. Those are MY favourite ones! Hers are apparently more ... chaste (LOL! ) But RA is always so seeexy!  She loves the long scene when Paul and Alona talk with a sex therapist ( a friend of Alona's, can't remember his name now!) about their first sexual experiences, the first time they had sex...

Then,  she also likes the scene with Alona and Paul doing "their homework", that is the questionnaire the therapist gave them...Bollocks! I prefer other scenes. For example,  when they go to dinner to their friends and Paul starts caressing Alona with his foot under the table. OMG, I could die to be there instead of that ... Alona ...

WHAT?!? My 5 minutes are over?!? I must stop here? But , please, black-self! I have just started talking about my ... Oh, at least, let me  say it was not Paul's fault... that Tracy girl, she had a hook on him and , you know, these teenage girls know how......... OK. Bye, then. Black - self has an awful scawl on her face, she reminds my of a certain furious GUY... Gosh! I hope I'll be back next week. After she reads this, maybe, she'll close me up again in that wardrobe she calls Narnja!

Have a very good weekend!

And , by the way, HAPPY 1st BLOGOVERSARY  TO ...

RICHARDARMITAGEFANBLOG!!!

(Thanks to www.richardarmitagenet.com for one of the JP's caps and to www.richardarmitageonline.com
 for the precious archive and updates)