We all need something beautiful
Promo photo for Cold Feet. Source: Richard Armitage Net
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Just needed something beautiful today. I know this is objectification, something which I in principle oppose and in practice am at least deeply conflicted about. We all need something beautiful (audio here). Richard Armitage was the beautiful thing I needed today.
Me + Richard Armitage 
Oh yes, he is beautiful. I love that Counting Crows song too! 🙂
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I can’t believe how much it dates me, already, though!
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Ah, yes, he is indeed beautiful. It is a crazy and sad world in so many ways, thank you for reminding us through this wonderful photo of RA that there’s also the wonder of the beauty of the human face and the human form in this world.
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yes, some things are always beautiful, no matter what. We can take comfort.
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Not sure what do with Lee…slap him or spank him. But at least he is one of the few men who can pull off a speedo. I do wonder if Mr. Armitage looks back at some of these early roles and chringes a bit. 🙂
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Beautiful, indeed and a lovely start to what promises to be an extremely cold and busy Friday.
No need for Richard to cringe at having played in Cold Feet. Some of the cream of British actors were cast in this drama set in Manchester; Hermione Norris, James Nesbitt (who has also been cast alongside Richard in The Hobbit, Helen Baxendale amongst others. Andy Harries, the producer of Strike Back was also producer on Cold Feet and it could be that years later when he needed a tall dark handsome lead who add layers to an action hero, he remembered Richard, his talent and how hard he works. As in all careers, few of us start at the very top and each step adds something significant to the later structure.
I agree that Richard is one of the few men I’ve seen that can carry off the speedo. Prince William is another. 🙂
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I think he might, but I don’t think this is one he should cringe at. He gets a fair amount of subtlety in the role. And it was a really popular series — another big career stepping stone.
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I think of Lee as the guy you might expect someone as handsome and charismatic as Richard to turn out to be–self-centered and a womanizer. It’s certainly not hard to believe women would be drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a flame. A bad boy, yes, but oh so tempting. Those puppy dog eyes of his, mercy! And yes, Cold Feet was very popular and a series I enjoyed, lots of good actors in it. And he certainly worked the Speedo well LOL
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he hits the “teetering on the edge of narcissism” vibe really well here — and since what we know about him suggests he’s not really that way, it’s impressive.
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Yep, he’s got what it takes to have something to be narcissistic about, but seems refreshingly “not all about me.”
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99 percent of the men in the world should not be caught dead in a Speedo . . . and then there’s Richard as flirty-girty Lee.
Richard Armitage–a person of beauty (can’t call him a “thing”) and a joy forever. And yes, we all need such breathtaking beauty–those eyes, that smile, that amazing physique that is pure poetry in motion–to lift us above the fray sometimes.
Thank you, John and Margaret Armitage, for bringing such a lovely, lovely son into this world.
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Those startling, unrelenting eyes.
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They draw you in and you can’t look away. I find myself wondering once more how Marian could have kept turning Guy down . . . well, of course she doesn’t in my stories.
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well, I couldn’t have turned him down. 🙂
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Me, neither. *swoon* If he had knelt at my feet looking up at me with those beseeching eyes and asked in such a fervent tone, “Marry me–and live.” Well, I’d have said “yes, yes, a thousand times yes!!” and then started hunting down a priest ASAP.
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I mean, when did Hoodie ever make such a gorgeous, romantic gesture? I believe he once compared her to his–bow.
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What was that — without her my world will turn to ash ?? I know Mr. Armitage did not write that line, but oh, oh, oh.
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But the way he delivered it, oh my–be still my beating heart.
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the writers never really addressed the fact of Marian’s stupidity. They made fun of Guy’s “stupidity” when it came to Marian, e.g. saving her, sacrificing himself for her with the bald headed gnome, etc. but they never focus on the fact that Marian plays the dame role for Robing. She sacrifices herself, takes chances etc.
I started rewatching RH season 1 today to get Guy’s speech pattern in my head again and I noticed that when Robin reappeared in episode 1 on his return form the Holy Land and saw Marian, it was like he just thought of her, not that he had been pining away for her but like a “oh, lovely girl here, living with her father, obviously not married yet.” I don’t know maybe somebody slipped him an attache case in the forest and he “suddenly” remembers he is madly in love with Marian. 🙂
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I need to re-watch the whole thing, I think, as well. But I agree, we see poor Guy presented as being a fool for love in his constant efforts to woo her and win her, to defend her from the wrath of the Treacherous Troll, to “keep giving” even though for Marian, it appears to all be a game in the name of helping the poor and downtrodden as the Nightwatchman and as Robin’s cohort.
I really didn’t like the way she “played” Guy; it seems cruel in the light of how much I think he truly, deeply loved her, flawed though that love might have been.
Robin was a right cheeky bugger. Look at how he was playing tonsil hockey with the very anachronistic-looking blond in the first ep.
He seemed to take it for granted Marian would just fall at his feet upon his return, once he had remembered she existed, that is *grin*
Love the comment about the attache case LOL
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oh that is beautiful…perfect
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My pleasure.:)
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That’s nice – I’ve only seen a colour version of that before, clearly I need to go back and revise some more.
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yeah, definitely, because there will surely be a quiz soon.
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Notice how the eyes change color. They can look either blue or green depending on the piccy.
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I confess I get a kick out of the eye color change as my own eyes do the same thing, depending on what I am wearing, the lighting, etc. One of my former students once told me I had eyes like a cat. I think it’s gold flecks in your blue eyes that make them change color . . . anyway, love, love, love those eyes of his.
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[…] This time of year my students get all of my rather limited reserve of optimism following my hope that my expressed belief in their projects and my somewhat ragged cheerleading will keep them going even when they find it difficult. If you feel like post this is unreasonably gloomy, do not feel the need to try to comfort me or cheer me up. If I were my brother I’d be unconscious with drink by now. Instead I’ll go to bed. This is self-contempt at Servetus’s best, there’s no solution except to get up tomorrow, and to work again at tikkun olam, though I do not often feel like I succeed in repairing anything. Probably now that I’ve written all this down I should hide it. I’m leaving it here because it’s real and these moods have a lot to do with why I watch Armitage. We all need something beautiful. Even one thing beautiful. […]
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Given: The hour « Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 19, 2010 at 8:11 am |
I am quite touched by that picture as well. He doesn’t have yet the massive and over-gymed (in my opinion) musculature he has today : it’s a body that looks both strong (the muscles) and fragile (the joints are not drowned in muscle).
Beautiful, really.
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Thanks for expressing this — it’s exactly right. He’s an actor, not a manual laborer, so the heavily toned body, esp shoulders and midriff, are not an outcome of his work — so he looks more like a man we could encounter ourselves in this picture. I think the B/w adds to that, too, makes it seem a bit more real.
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He is more like that (albeit unusually gorgeous) boy next door in this pic and as you say, Servetus, the black and white (and I do so love B/W photography’s classic, timeless quality) makes his beauty a bit more–grounded?–than usual.
So many of the actors seem to be into the sculpted six pack look lately–even if they aren’t playing a superhero or some other sort of role that would seem to demand it. I guess they have to go with what the producers and directors want.
RA doesn’t strike me as a particularly vain person as I envision so many body builder types to be, obsessed with their bodies looking perfect.
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Can we talk about the evolution of the “peaches”? Lee’s peaches aren’t quite as ripe and juicy as say Lucas’s or JP’s.
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I noticed that too; it’s actually striking in the few scenes where we can see Lee’s posterior — it’s almost flat. It makes me wonder whether Mr. Armitage is trying to give himself a butt with exercise? Or whether he was doing more or something back then (dance?) that worked it off than he does now?
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Ok I am confused. Cold Feet and Between the Sheets both came out in 2003 according to IMDB.
Those were pretty lush mounds in BTS. Oh, yes . . .
Also, Natalie Portman recently said in an interview about The Black Swan in which she plays a ballerina, that the workouts and diet had her really skinny everywhere EXCEPT her butt, because dancing really builds up your butt . . . and in the dancing seaweed vid, I recall a well-rounded bootie in this side shots . . . and the dancers I personally know do have well developed gluteus maximi.
So–did he STOP dance training in order to have a smaller bootie for Lee? And later start it up again?
Now I am trying to remember what his rear end looked like in UF. I think I was concentrating on those gorgeous legs in his rugger shorts and of course, the fresh out of the shower scene . . .
Hmmmmm.
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maybe it’s the jeans he’s wearing in CF — not sure — but I agree that the BTS look was, well, more substantial.
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The jeans he wore in CF were definitely looser and more baggy than his Lucas or John Mulligan jeans . . . and that could make a difference.
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Richard’s butt and the rest of him would have been even more defined and toned by all the horse riding he did whilst shooting RH from 2006 -2008. Then you have the Porter regime which probably added to that. So we have indeed had a rear in muscular development from Lee to the present day!
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God was in a really good mood that day, well done Lord, well done!
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And the Lord looked upon his creation of RA, and smiled. Well done, indeed!
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Just to make sure that we are quoting the authentic source: Dixitque Deus fiat Ricardus et facta est Ricardus, et vidit Deus Ricardum quod esset bonus.
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@ servetus, what I got form the latin above, in relation to Mr. Armitage was the word “bonus”. Score!
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@k, I so much agree. I don’t at all care for the Porter musculature; perhaps it’s too much of a good thing? Also felt that that Mr. Armitage moved differently, carrying that bulk. Don’t wish to see him Spooks 7 anorexic again, just back to the normal gym-toned physique….(well, let’s face it, what does my opinion matter in TVLand!? 🙂
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I think the preference these days is for the gym look.
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Yeah, even if an actor is playing a character who works in an office, it seems he is going to have that buff gym look.
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Am I the only one who likes the Porter muscles? I thought he looked good and that he’d achieved what he wanted – to look strong, not pumped up in the gym. His body still had that lean, sinewy quality, especially as his legs and forearms remained slender.
This image is truly beautiful too, of course. His eyes are magical.
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I think the Porter muscles were called for by the part, and they worked wonderfully well for the character (I also really, really liked his biceps in t-shirts. Yum) Those muscles would have looked funny on Harry Kennedy, but then one of Harry’s cozy jumpers would have looked out of place on John P.
I think RA tries to have the right body for the role. If he were playing a college professor, I am guessing he wouldn’t have John Porter muscles (thoughts on that, Servetus?) And of course, he is also constrained by what TPTB want.
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Iz
I love his look as every character, too. He is always beautiful to me, although as I have said, I dearly wanted to feed him a nice hearty bowl of soup and a sandwich when I saw him as S7 Lucas. Whether he’s lean and lanky or muscular and buff or somewhere in between, he’s a treat to watch.
I think in some roles he looks more “accessible” i.e., more like the boy next door Servetus has referred to. His masculine beauty not quite so overwhelming.
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Agree with Angie — the Porter muscles are appropriate for Porter. If, in an alternate universe, I were Mr. Armitage’s significant other and I got to decide how his body looked, it wouldn’t be my preference. He looks good, but I like a few flaws. Boy next door.
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I married the boy next door (so to speak) so I totally understand where you are coming from, Servetus. Also, when I see someone get too overly-muscled, I start to think steroids and body builders wearing teeny bikinis and lots of fake tan and oil, striking rather silly poses.
And female body builders look freakish to me at a certain point.
Toned is great and desirable for good health and fitness and I wish I were there; but I also think women should have some softness and femininity to them, too. And nothing wrong with a guy having a little bit of a Gizzy belly, either. *grin*
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This image does nothing for me. Maybe I should look again … Nope. Nothing. @Nietsche I love his body as Porter, I loved his biceps as Doctor Alex Track when they appear *_* from out of the orange boilersuit. I love him as skinny S7 Lucas or lanky Harry.
And I do love him as Lee in his speedo being a flirty girty!
Although I do have a fondness for black and white, this pose is too passive to appeal to me.
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But the eyes! The eyes do nothing for you? I feel like the eyes are riveting and the body relaxed.
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Ok, I’m inventing a term here:
Spookd -adj: describes the result of an action which is inexplicable, ridiculous, impossible or unrealistic, usually occurs in TV scripts for series ready to Jump the shark.
Use: “Man, Lucas in love with Maya, he was spookd.” or
“Robin Hood (BBC) was spookd when introduced a lion as the “secret weapon”.
Feel free to offer any thoughts…
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Females playing opposite RA-characters who never seem to be conscious of his gorgeousness and deprive him of their physical response to said gorgeousness are definitely spookd, in my book!
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Millyme- excellent usage of that word!
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spookd: I like it!
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Why thank you!
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…clicked my way here today from reading the more serious Crucible discussion posts, pasting the German and Latin into Google translate to understand, my brain working overtime! This is also a topic of serious consideration (albeit from 2010) that I missed but still appreciate: discussion of Richard Armitage’s derriere, description per role, and preferences of posters. Thanks for the wit and smiles today.
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