Are you ready for Richard Armitage in November and December?
Omission made inexplicably from Legenda 102 yesterday — Armitage Agonistes is celebrating a Blogiversary! Give her some love.
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Ahoy, England, Wales, and Ireland, we hope you’ll be inside, safe, and dry.
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Source: Richard Armitage Confessions
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Guylty’s talked about it, this “confessor” talked about it, I’ve talked about it, briefly — that weird, edgy feeling I get when something’s happening in Richard Armitage’s career and the reports and news and pictures and comments and fan sighting accounts are flying fast and furious. It’s an interesting variation on or combination with this attitude — the perception that things used to be better or at least easier when the fandom was smaller. We look back to when things were under control.
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Source: Richard Armitage Confessions
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I’m sort of on both sides of this particular dilemma. I sympathize with the negative response to the “it’s too much” feeling, but I still remember “before The Hobbit” very clearly, and even then, although the information stream was smaller, and perhaps apportioned in more easily digestible pieces, so maybe it was quieter, there really was no control. Information still appeared suddenly and when it wanted to, though it was more likely to appear at certain points, and certain people had it first because they were awake or at their computer screen when it materialized, while others were disadvantaged. There was too much of it sometimes and not enough at others. Before the announcement of The Hobbit, that information always followed the schedule and needs of the UK television audience, because Armitage was on UK TV, and the UK was where he most likely to appear in the flesh, not least because he lived in London. We sat at our screens and hoped some UK fan was downloading or capturing or screencapping or listening or whatever and we praised those people effusively for the labor that went into the sharing. We still do; it’s a worldwide effort, following the guy’s media around. And, as the late Anna said, when one of us meets him, really, all of us meet him and when he smiles for a candid with one of us, he’s smiling at all of us. I’m pretty sure he is aware of how social media work.
Now the information stream seems to be following a decentered worldwide schedule that’s designed to meet the needs of Warner Bros., which is friendlier to US audiences, but much less convenient for the UK and still sometimes leaves Australia and New Zealand out of the loop. Then again, sometimes New Zealand knows something first because Jackson is there. And Richard Armitage lives at least some of the time in New York, which influences what happens when and where as well. The decentered schedule definitely increases the effect of the edginess, the feeling that information could come out of nowhere all of a sudden from an unanticipated direction. That’s what they want us to feel, and we feel it. And I’m definitely on the other side of the dilemma in that regard, because I am one of the people looking for that information and, however reluctantly, one of the people creating the buzz effect via rippling. I don’t scour the web aggressively every waking moment of my life, because I’m still working fifty hours a week, approximately, and I have appointments that can’t ever be moved, like class meetings, where my tech is firmly off. But I do have different information sources that alert me to new developments, and I look at them several times a day. I’m even sometimes looking for the new information in my dreams; I wake up suddenly and think, “Something’s happened!” That bugs me. When Richard Armitage follows me into my dreams, that’s wonderful, but when unfounded anxiety that I’m going to miss something … I mean, given the activities of my colleagues, how would I ever miss anything? … when unfounded anxiety that I’m going to miss something follows me into my dreams, that’s entirely another matter.
To be honest, I and several others think the media rush around Armitage will be comparably smaller this year, and that promotion will center more heavily on Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, and Evangeline Lilly. I agree with that sentiment. But Thorin (like Bilbo) is still a major player in this film and as we saw from the Hobbit live event announced for next week, Richard Armitage is going to be on the stage in New York City, a central promoting location. Martin Freeman will not be anywhere. I don’t wish to jump to conclusions about the significance of that; perhaps Freeman has other obligations.
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If you’re looking for a list of the seven best tips about how to avoid the edgy feeling, like the ones published in US women’s magazines, this post will disappoint you. This problem — preoccupation with Armitage or the news about Armitage — has been known to us since early on, and we have speculated that the only way to get rid of it entirely would be to go cold turkey and turn off the computer. Doing that may be difficult or near impossible for those of us who have to work with a browser open, although software has been written to prevent one from self-destructive surfing or social media sites and enhance productivity (that link is an example, not an endorsement). I think a lot of us have developed techniques for dealing with this — deciding not to go on Twitter, for instance, or only engaging the tumblr stream at certain times of day.
So, no, I don’t have any list of best solutions to that problem, but I wanted to reflect on the source of the edginess, at least briefly. I understand the discomfort, because I feel it too. I just wonder where it’s coming from. What do you guys think?
There’s the wanting to know quickly, wanting to know first, issue. Not wanting to see something after everyone else has, and after every other thought about it has been expressed. This matter has occasionally motivated me to make judgments before I’m entirely ready. This might make you stay more tuned into media than you really want to be, and thus edgy if you can’t get away.
There’s the whole matter of liking the boutique or “best kept secret” fandom matter as opposed to a fandom that’s becoming more of a mass thing. You might feel uncomfortable with the fact that the media stream indicates a larger fandom and one with different tastes than you. I personally like the larger fandom, though it has its irritations (such as the fact that every generation of new fans has to go through particular stages on particular questions). Tumblr in particular causes one to have to sift through a lot of at times irritating repetition.
Perhaps a corollary — tumblr has its own culture, and the social media around Armitage apart from the BNFs are becoming more and more anonymous as he gets more and more fans. So there’s the whole thing of finding oneself in a sphere that’s ever more unpredictable, and in which one’s own speech is harder to make either heard, or to be universally intelligible. That could make one nervous.
There’s, of course, information overload. Just too much. As the confessor says, “too much happening at once.” And particularly, hype in advance of the actual product, something that turned Agzy way off last December.
And I was also thinking about the extent to which, if Armitage functions in one’s life as a stimulant, like caffeine or sugar, there’s the matter of crash afterwards when you don’t have it. Three hours of constant bombardment and then it wears off, and one’s sympathetic nervous system is simply shot.
Does anyone feel these things, or others?
Are we ready for the next rush of information? Got our filters in place? Gonna enjoy it? Gonna hide from it till it dies down? Wanna share your survival suggestions?
I had an anxiety attack just reading this ( including my name up in lights). As someone who morphed into a reporter, I have something to say about this – but more to learn. I’ll be back. I, too look forward to a good discussion about this. Wish some of the Tweeters & Tumblrs would jump in, too. C U later.
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Perry said this on October 27, 2013 at 10:24 pm |
it’s a journey for all of us 🙂
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:04 pm |
In answer to the title….NO
Answering the last five in order…
1. NO
2. NO, no effective filter yet produced, you’re in or you’re out.
3. YESNOYESNOYESNOESYENOEINOEJHNOSENFWPOEIGJPWEJG
4.yes, quietly, under the comforter, in the back room, in the dark.
5.If you know enough to be on this site or any of the other wonderful RA sites..IT’S TOO LATE FOR YOU…But you can throw yourself in front of the RA train and save a friend.
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CarlyQ said this on October 27, 2013 at 10:39 pm |
We were talking by Perry about the whole question of the role of the “fan” in marketing and it sort of emerged that our personal definitions of what a fan is diverge a little. There are fans (I would be one) who are so hooked into the information stream that it’s hard to avoid certain kinds of jolts — I wonder if that’s true of the “average” fan, though. Stats suggest that there are a lot of people who come here only on the weekend and aren’t watching hour by hour …
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:06 pm |
I think I’m not a ‘fan’ that marketing would be geared to. I think I’m almost still a lurker. I’m like Arkie, I have a couple of places I go for info and even then I am sometimes uncomfortable with the sheer volume.
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CarlyQ said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:13 am |
you’r ethe fan the marketers are most curious about — the lurker who says nothing or not very much.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:00 am |
Speaking of marketing is Perry (?) and I think one other usual commentator here that is in NYC going to try and go to the Armitage premier?
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CarlyQ said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:20 am |
I am so ready. But then again, this year there was less Hobbit hype – apart from the 200 interviews with RA (so I was told by RAnet), let alone other cast members. Last year I think it was January, eleven months, not 2 months or 4 months before movie release (!) there was this trailer, with first sight of Thorin. Please don´t ever do that again, WB.
Was thinking about your anxiety that blogworld in this secluded community was more fun when regular episodes of tv series had Mr A. Now eons of time pass before there´s another public appearance of him. On the other hand, he is in the most expensive movie of late and he drifts along nicely on the tidal waves of the Jackson&WB enterprise´s promotion pr machine, which is larger and sürprisingly more exciting than I have ever seen before. Although, by Dutch standards, the 7/23hrtwittering by Spooks´ characters was unheard of.
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violetsframework said this on October 27, 2013 at 10:52 pm |
according to the research that KatharineD did based on RichardArmitageNet and other sources, *this* is the week last year that everything went crazy. My archives support that. Yes, there was publicity before that but November and December there was something every second.
of course we had all the vlogs last year and not many this year.
re — Armitage’s position: I think the confession isn’t really about how the confessor feels about Armitage or his respective situation compared to three years ago; it’s about his/her perception of how her reception of the publicity stream is affecting her and that’s what I’m talking about here. I assume that most fans are happy that Armitage is either moving on to bigger and better things or to things that put him on the path to what he wants to do professionally and personally. I can’t say I’ve run across anyone yet who admits to begrudging him his presence on the Jackson / TH / WB playbill.
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:02 pm |
Advise from the owner of a Chronic Brain Disorder…in order not to have a seizure (I’m being serious here, well sort of) choose 2 or 3 blogs and follow them. It is not important to be first in Infowonderland. Someone is always going to be ahead of you in line. As Serv said most of this stuff is going to be regurgitated over and over and then someone is going to regurgitate it again. I’ve chosen to pick Serv, Perry, Guylty and Kathy70. That pretty much takes me around the world. I’ve got London, Oz, NYC and America covered. I’m not saying you have to pick them (yes I am if you are smart!)…;) I just saying. Don’t go into brain overload. We still have the 3rd movie…..lovies! Arkie Oh, don’t forget my blog(s)…. ;P
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TheArkenstone said this on October 27, 2013 at 10:58 pm |
Glad I’m on your list 🙂
I dropped out for Tokyo last year. There were people who wrote to express their frustration, but it was at an inconvenient time, I had grades I had to finish, the datastream was such that I’d have had to go to my office to get a secure connection, and then the burnt time … just couldn’t do it.
I also think many of us suspect that the promotion of the third movie’s going to be the true tidal wave. Time will tell …
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:08 pm |
Arkie – thanks 🙂 I feel honoured to be one of your preferred choices!
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:06 am |
Don’t panic: nothing is happening. This is static, noise. The last news was the “Into the storm” release date, a movie shot more than a year ago. We are fed bits and scraps: the Todd Garner technique, “buy the dvd” promos, maybe a new photoshoot is coming up, even the Strike Back interview is being spread like jam on bread. Those who enjoy a good internet connection and can afford it have seen a few minutes of Richard’s new work, in the extended version, ten minutes in a year. There are no hard facts. The old quiet times, which I didn’t witness, were IMO more interesting.
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movie said this on October 27, 2013 at 10:59 pm |
Om, who is panicking? Did I say I was panicking? Did I say anyone else was?
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:03 pm |
I guess Perry said she was having an anxiety attack. OK.
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:04 pm |
That was my attempt at being funny….sorry.
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movie said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:19 pm |
emoticons are always helpful 🙂
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:20 pm |
I guess it’s a matter of perspective. There weren’t many hard facts pre-Hobbit either, and many of the ones that seemed especially solid have been contradicted by new information. One reason that people are getting so wild about the the EE is that we’ve seen more of Armitage “in the wild” in the last three days than we did in his entire career up to now — even if we “only” saw him working.
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:09 pm |
With “hard facts” I mean: June 2010 – June 2007: Strike back (6h main character looking (beautifully) himself) Spooks 7/8/9 (24h main character looking (most emphatically beautifully) himself) Moving on (45m main character looking himself) Robin Hood 2/3 (26h main character looking (gloriously BDSM) himself) Miss Marple (2h co-protagonist looking (devilishly) himself). If we include May and April 2007 we also have Miss Mary Lloyd (80m main character looking himself) and George Gently. Not to mentions all the audio books.
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movie said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:22 pm |
OK — I’d refer to that as “work that’s appeared.” I think that’s been a fairly common complaint, that we saw more of his work before he started the Hobbit sequence. I don’t think that’s what the confessor is referring to. She didn’t say, I wish I could see more work and less hype. She said, the stream of stuff is making me wish for the “quiet old times.”
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:24 pm |
Emoticons… with the mail, I know how to conjure them up, but here… my first language were hieroglyphics.
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movie said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:26 pm |
they work the same way here — : + ) without a space automatically turns into a smiley face 🙂 . You can also type “j/k” (Internetspeak for “just kidding”).
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:29 pm |
If there were some kind of categorization of fan intensity levels, I think I’d rank my attention a 6 or 7 on a scale to ten. I’m ok (for the most part) with catching up on whatever is new on my own time. I don’t have to be in the first rush. It’s actually very convenient to have so many blogs to help cast perspective on news, pictures.
If it’s out, it’s out, right? It’s not going to go away, so I can process it all at my leisure. But I don’t want to be too late either if it’s something of particular interest as I like to join in on the conversation here and there. 🙂
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trudystattle said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:11 pm |
it’s an interesting question of you how one ends up being in that position of “having to be in the first rush”. I think a lot of bloggers who start off that way end up in the “wanting to know first” category at least for a while — I know that I have wavered. I always knew I didn’t want to be an aggregator, so I don’t blog everything i find — just the stuff that affects me in some way.
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:21 pm |
As far as blogging goes, when the flood hits,I think i’ll be OK passing up on things – not needing to be first on everything- because if it’s not me, someone else will have it shortly anyway- even if it is me, someone else will have it shortly. Yet I feel the pressure that there are now some followers who get their first news from me or Crystal or Serv – even though I frequently get it from twitter.
I have the flexibility, because I have my own business, to respond to notifications or periodically check twitter, and then stop and post if I want to.Most of the time.
Richarding is my new smoking substitute. I used to stop and smoke in between every task. I switched to solitaire and now I stop and check twitter, my blogging email, my WP notifications, a drag at tumblr. A new addiction for an old one.
Richarding has also affected my sleep cycle -which was already screwed up because I had to be up at 4 a.m. to be in contact with oversees clients. Now I’m still getting up at 4 to see what news there is – Armitage news, not real news.
Did anyone notice that this New Yorker *didn’t* see the NY Times review of Strike Back? Serv posted it. The irony!
I’m more concerned about receiving the information overload as a fan, not as a blogger. I would like a little less and wish it came more slowly.
I may have to set some boundaries for myself because of a new work project that’s taking off, and that , once I’ve written and prepared it, will require me to be out of the office for big chunks of time.
And I still have a prescient feeling, really strong, that a new role is going to be announced right in the middle of all this.
Revisit this when it becomes necessary.
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:30 am |
I’m super ambivalent about the crowdsourcing of news — I think it’s a great idea, but I’m worried that the centralized repository of stuff is becoming no longer viable because it’s just too much work — and my development as a fan was due to those “libraries” of Armitage lore much more so than to reading discussions or looking at pictures.
Peggy saw the NYT piece, not me — she just told me about it. I read the NYT once a day and I wasn’t really planning to cover new reviews of SB initially — another thing I just slid into.
I think it makes sense that any employer who has a new role for Armitage would want to announce it in the context of the Hobbit stuff. Piggybacking. That’s what happened last time (Into the Storm announced in atmosphere of ComicCon — only no ComicCon this year). Synergy for Hobbit, too — here’s Richard Armitage, star of our film and of the upcoming work ______.
OTOH I wonder what will happen if that doesn’t happen. There are a lot of really frustrated sitting on the edge fans right now around just this issue. Guess we’ll see. Least we know it’s not 50 Shades :).
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:59 am |
This is an issue worthy of another 100 comments. It bugs me constantly -but I’m solid in my belief, and it’s bolstered by the comment from one of his interviewers ( NY Moves) and your thinking as well. This is the right time.
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:07 am |
I agree, and I wish for him a dramatic announcement that makes everyone fall out of their seats almost as much as I wish for him a role of any kind that he’s been dreaming about for years and / or extremely excited about.
It doesn’t matter so much for me, though — after thinking about this for years I don’t think his role choice in *that* sense has much impact on me. I’m looking for this consistent palette of things he builds into the roles.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:11 am |
For him, I hope it’s a role he really wants. What you said. That comes first.
For me, I hope it’s a good dramatic role.
I have a feeling what he wants and what I want are the same – though I don’t care if it’s a small indie or TV.
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:29 am |
I forgot to take my phone to work the other day, so wasn’t able to access social media for about 10 hours, and you know what, it was fine. I survived. But by giggly I’ll not forget it come December!
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billiepops said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:24 pm |
I think one thing that protects me is my “dumb phone,” which doesn’t get Internet.
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Servetus said this on October 27, 2013 at 11:25 pm |
This is a recurring subject that I struggle with at the best of times. I was just joking to Obscura that I am a split personality – with a number of tumblr blogs on the one hand, and my presence in blogworld on the other. When it comes to tumblr, I am 100 percent with the “confessor”. Today is such a day – with the discussion of the Strike Back trailer, the on-going giffing from the Hobbit EE, and an Italian RA interview coming out. I think the “noise” the confessor is referring to is the constant re-blogging of the same stuff over and over (of which I am guilty, too, of course), with added comments (guilty), and lots of squeeing (guilty). I, too, feel that it is almost too much, and leads to oversaturation, really. And no, that does not mean I begrudge RA his success or that I do not want this fandom to expand. To me it does, however, feel like watering down the essentials.
I have long given up trying to be first with any sort of news. (Although I actually happen to have a piece of vague news right NOW that is straight from the horse’s mouth – but I am not yet sure how and where and when I shall post that.) Others are faster than I, have better technical skills for giffing than I, and have a blog that aims to be a news blog. I am pretty happy to read and then have ample time to form my response, rather than give an immediate reaction. Excluding the emergency *ooof*s, of course, because there I *can* give a first response because it is within the area of my expertise for which I do not need extensive research.
In answer to your questions – despite all of the above, I am ready. I am tempted to say that this is all exercise for the *real* rush that is about to start. And yes, I think I *will* enjoy it. My survival strategy is concentration on my two platforms – tumblr and WP. I will (continue to) resist boards and twitter, because particularly the latter is too fast-paced for me.
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:05 am |
This blog, too, was supposed to be meta-Armitage — Armitage as mirror for Servetus — but somewhere along the way I got involved in propagating news. About which I am ambivalent. It’s an ongoing record, though, so it aims to be an honest reflection of what i feel at any particular moment (even though there’s always stuff I don’t or can’t say).
I suppose that the Typ Sozialpädagogin would say, “when it stops being fun, take yourself away.” It’s such a platitude, but I do hope it goes without saying. On the other hand, I understand exactly how difficult that might be.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:16 am |
Sozialpädagogin? *rofl* Well, I was not far off with my fictional interpretation of RA as therapist last week then. Consider his message to his fans: “If it stops being fun, then it must stop altogether.” Yes, uncle Richard, I will bear that in mind 🙂 Now can you please give me my drugs, I am on cold turkey.
Jokes aside – you, Richard and the imaginary social worker are right. And I have a couple of in-built self-preservation mechanisms that kind of make me avoid the noise when it gets too much. It’s called “family” 😀 – and “travelling”. I’ll be off-comms for a couple of days next week, travelling into the wilds of Ireland. I strangely look forward to being less present in Armitageworld, and I know that I will feel reluctant to get back into it once I am back… And that is not a reflection on anybody in particular here or on tumblr, just the realisation that I need down-time every once in a while.
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:24 am |
that’s how I feel about work. At least I’ve always been in the position that when it was a choice between doing stuff that was required for work and Richarding, till now, I’ve made the right choice. Having to think in depth about something entirely unrelated is a really good curative.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:55 am |
I am off this morning for coffee with friends who are moving to Florida. We are having face to face conversation with no phones no computers. They have no idea who RA is. They have not seen TH. I will be okay. Really.
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TheArkenstone said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:29 pm |
Will you recruit them for the Army? Is that why you are so calm? *ggg*
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:30 pm |
2 would be more interested in Evangaline and 1 would be more interested in Ian and in his age group. I am the only one drooling over RA.
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TheArkenstone said this on October 28, 2013 at 3:00 pm |
The avantgarde!
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 3:16 pm |
We had a wonderful time! I will miss the Eva girls with all my heart.
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TheArkenstone said this on October 28, 2013 at 3:54 pm |
Orcrist and I once said, “When golf quits being fun, we’ll put our clubs on Ebay.” I would hate to think I had to start thinking about an opening bid for your blog.
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TheArkenstone said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:25 pm |
no, when this blog goes, there won’t be a sale. It will just end. Whenever that happens.
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:06 pm |
What Italian interview?
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:34 am |
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:36 am |
Thanks Guylty and Serv.
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:49 am |
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guylty said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:41 am |
I don’t care about being the first to discover anything, but I admit to “just checking” about RA news at least twice a day, and more lately. My particular obsession is wondering what his next project will be. Then, in no particular order of magnitude: why is his hair so long, what he is being offered (if anything), what has he turned down, what is he doing to pass the time while he is not promoting, if he is roaming the streets of NY, where are the candid shots with fans? You know, really important stuff like that. -:+) smiley face continues to elude me, but I am smiling, honestly.
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Kathy Jones said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:43 am |
I think the “first” impulse is really augmented if you’re blogging or have a site of some kind or are tweeting — you want people to come back to your site and that’s one way to accomplish it.
I totally get those priorities.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:01 am |
I have struggled a bit with overload in the past couple of weeks. I find that I do need to limit my exposure from time to time. I think that I’ve come to realize that I can’t, and don’t actually need to be on the cusp of breaking news…it’ll still be there when I get there – thanks to all of the people who are able and enjoy staying at the “front line”. (This is no doubt a symptom of my chosen area of study, where even hot news is more or less old news 🙂 )
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obscura said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:33 am |
I have similar issues, as you know. Why rush to write about things that have been written about for hundreds of years …
the thing is, too, there will always be someone who is standing right there — it’s very rare now for us to find out things much later (as happened occasionally even three years ago). he has enough fans now for that to be the case, and the newer fans are much more digitally adept than the legacy fans are these days. Of course, at the beginning, he had a group of unusually technologically together fans, too.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:03 am |
Could even be classified as ancient… : ) But you’ve “dug up” some really interesting news to me!!! Okay, I’ll stop now…*hangs head*
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TheArkenstone said this on October 28, 2013 at 12:37 pm |
I can understand both sides of this too and my stance on it changes from day-to-day, week-to-week. I recently went on a week long vacation with very limited internet access. I didn’t really miss the activity of fandom while I was gone (until I got back & had to play catch up!), though I did miss Richard, and I feel that I have been missing him a lot lately within the hustle and bustle of keeping up with the news of him. does that make sense? but then on the other hand, the EE stuff, the audition especially, made me feel connected to him in a way that felt very raw and personal, and I savored that. I *think* I look forward to all that is to come, but I know I will be attached to the computer when I should be taking care of other things; the pitfalls of being an active “enthusiast” 😉
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kelbel75 said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:37 am |
Yeah, the EE extras really gave us a much better idea of how he might be as a person (even if he’s working) than we’ve ever had. That stuff *really* lifted the veil and, I think, settled at least one really longterm burning question or at least provided definitive data to do so.
I’m sure if i had a family they’d be being neglected right now.
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:05 am |
I will let everyone else find out the info and see it when I get to it. I am just to busy with work and school, those two have to come first. Right now I am listening to music and reading to make sure I get my daily dose of music in for the day. If I have to play catch up then so be it. Last year in November when we got hit with info it took me till after Christmas to get caught up.
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katie70 said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:01 am |
there’s someone with a healthy sense of self 🙂
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Servetus said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:05 am |
My RL just seems to be there front and center and right now don’t leave time for much else. Homework always seems to be lurking around and there me trying my hardest for an A. We do have the whole week of Thanksgiving off from work (school) and college too, so I may have time there. I spent today cooking for Sunday dinner, Mondays supper and something to take for a couple days to work.
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katie70 said this on October 28, 2013 at 3:27 am |
So much to say here. Living in Australia, I’m always ahead or behind on news, and have been on both ends of late.
Being fairly new to fandom, I’ve experienced the rush of finding some apparently new piece of information and passing it on to those (Perry, mostly) who have the means to put it out to a large audience. It appeals to my innate ferreting instincts to unearth some new intel, rather than some need to be an acknowledged news hound- in the case of the Strike Back review I passed on to Perry yesterday, it was fascinating to get up this morning and read what unexpected paths the comments discussion had wandered down.
I had a discussion with fellow Aussies Mezz and Bolly recently that news, or an interesting new article, can break while we’re asleep and the discussion thread seems to have run it’s course by the time we arrive. On the other hand, I was heartened that though I missed the initial announcement of the upcoming live event, a couple of thoughtful people had emailed me to be sure I didn’t miss the news.
I do feel somewhat anxious about the upcoming wait between the release of DOS in cinemas in other countries, and the date we will get it here. I’ve seen comments from annoyed people who wish to remain unspoiled for the AUJ EE DVD, and are having to stay away from their regular haunts like tumblr for another week or so. That was going to be me, and then some, as the DVD doesn’t hit here until 20th Nov, but by the good graces of iTunes, I was able to experience the first rush of new images with others worldwide.
There is no way the new movie will be moved forward to accommodate my needs, so I’ll have to decide what I can bear to read and view in advance. Do I wish to read reviews, especially ones from my fellow RA fans, ahead of seeing the movie for myself? No, I don’t- but I know myself well enough to know it’ll be hard to resist having a peek.
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KatharineD said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:21 am |
I should add that I marathoned the EE extras, watching about 85% in one sitting- starting at the beginning, and just immersing myself. It wasn’t a need to be one of the first to have seen it all, but I do find all those extras very engrossing, so it’s hard for me to stop. I did feel more than somewhat overloaded by the end,though!
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KatharineD said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:45 am |
Australia is really disadvantaged on the whole “first news” part, I have to say. Good for you for hanging in there.
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:08 pm |
If we can just remember to click the comment notification buttons, even late entries to comments can regenerate a discussion. I forget all the time, and,having commented early, go back a few hours later and see that I’ve missed the most robust parts.
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Perry said this on October 28, 2013 at 3:30 am |
I’m so over the anxiety & the über excitement over new news. I did that the last few years which peeked for me shortly after all the global premieres. Tokyo was BLISS following the live streaming w fellow fans. The movie was a huge disappointment for me and I desperately needed a break from all the cRAzyness. (Until the DVD release and new interviews) It feels we’ve grown as a fandom like a big fat lady 🙂 still cozy & generous! It probably will keep growing but I don’t think we’ll feel the change ever as acutely as the past year.
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Fanny/iz4blue said this on October 28, 2013 at 6:43 am |
I think Frenz felt that way, too — like the movie itself was a disappointment. i didn’t feel that way but i shut off the spoiler stream relatively early last year and I’m doing it earlier this year.
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:09 pm |
I’m planning to repeat what I did last year but without any expectation of the movie, I like his interviews far too much and relish public appearances. I haven’t kept up w most of the new movie promo in so far I don’t even know it’s abbreviation by hard 🙂
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Fanny/iz4blue said this on November 1, 2013 at 11:30 am |
somehow the print interviews aren’t a problem. I’ve stopped watching the TV spots though.
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Servetus said this on November 1, 2013 at 5:45 pm |
Am I worried that I’ll feel the need to turn off this year too? Sure, I’m already feeling antsy about the Nov 4th event. I think a big part of my feelings is that although I blog about Richard, I almost ever blog about current news. I’m more like a hyena picking at the bones once the first wave has already hit. European fans like me are usually asleep when good news hits, so we don’t usually get to be on the front line, we react rather than act.
Then again, maybe I just don’t enjoy the avalanche. I loosely follow Benedict Cumberbatch’s career because the flow of info is exhausting. There’s no time for contemplation, by the time you see a new pic there are 5 others to grab your attention.
Not to worry though Richard and RA fans, Agzy will be here waiting, outside the eye of the storm, a fangirling port you can sail back to after the publicity madness 😉
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AgzyM said this on October 28, 2013 at 1:18 pm |
🙂
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:10 pm |
I regret to admit that I didn’t read all the comments preceding mine – sorry – bad commenter here. I apologize if I cover old ground or am repetitive. :} But I’m kind of ambivalent about the whole thing. It’s like my feelings about Twitter; if I were independently wealthy, I’d spend a couple hours a day on Twitter, have a rip-roaring good time, and only my buttocks would suffer, because I stinkin’ love Twitter. It’s a good time. However, once I’m on, I forget to do other things like eat, respirate, feed my dog. These are important things. So I have to limit my Tweeting. (dammit)
I suspect I’ll come up against the same wall in regards to the Hobbit onslaught. I joined this party (RA-wise) in January, so I missed the last movie madness completely – was in India for all of December and spent November working my arse off and getting ready to go – didn’t see AUJ until almost February! Unthinkable for such a Tolkien fan, but there it is. And I didn’t even know RA until January. So… this will be a first. I’m bracing, but joyfully. I’m ready for more lusciousness and a new project announcement(?) and the EE (haven’t seen yet) and the new movie (YES) and good lord do I think about patting his buns (wait, how did that make it in this post?) and I think I should stop typing now.
Whew.
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Christine said this on October 28, 2013 at 2:10 pm |
If I were a scholar (oh wait) I’d track pre and post-December 12 fans of Armitage for their reactions.
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:11 pm |
I read the post very late yesterday evening, but had to sleep before I could think about it, because I was so exhausted being overkilled reading a whole weeks stuff yesterday. The most forward looking thing on the EE DVD was the audition, and I got it, don´t have to wait until I get my copy. Thanks to all the lovely ladies for all the efforts they make to keep us so well informed.
Last year I missed all the hype because I was not armitaged before the Hobbit release. I liked RA very much, had seen most of his stuff on TV or DVD (and I really cried when Lucas died), but I was not thrilled by the man himself, only loved some of his characters.
Rereading The Hobbit, watching PJ´s vlogs twice fascinated me, though Thorin was not my favourite character. But when I first saw the movie Thorin´s arrival at Bag End strucked me totally. The gaze of this amazing blue eyes went straight to my heart. My daughter feeled ashamed sitting besides me and forced to hear my sighs. Coming home I felt “what is wrong with you?” After lurking for a couple of years on several forums I decided to join the AA finally. And some lucky coincidence brought me to this blog and some others, too.
So I`m not prepared in any way to protect from brain disorder (maybe it´s already to late 🙂 ), fortunately my job circumstances work for me: no private Internet use allowed, no Internet option on my handy (I´m oldfashioned, don´t use a smartphone), much of working overtime… Besides I follow Twitter and Tumblr at home only occasionally.
I guess, in Germany there won´t be a big hype anyway: Yesterday I looked for the preview at our nearest multiplex cinema and they don´t even mention RA in the cast, all the old ones from LOTR, so ignorant… Probably I´ll be the only one in the 600 seats-cinema who is RAddicted. A piece of tape over my mouth should do it as preparation 🙂
Forgive me if I´ve lost the thread a bit, I can´t express my thoughts eloquently, still wondering is it my lack of fluent English or is it just being dumbstrucked most of the time when reading this blog.
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utepirat said this on October 28, 2013 at 7:00 pm |
There was some news today that there will be a festive premiere of TDOS in Berlin …
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Servetus said this on October 29, 2013 at 7:11 pm |
Wow there is so much here. I have google alerts for anything on Richard and of course I look to Serv for more plus I have a few other spots but I realize that it is next to impossible to be first on anything so I just wait and look. I am still picking up stuff here and there but I agree it is a madhouse at times. I agree really that this time around it may not be as much of Richard because this middle film isn’t but the third film is the true big one for Thorin and for Bilbo. So both might be getting a bit of a break here. Of course Martin has a new series he is involved with or will be so maybe that is why he isn’t listed for the big Fan Event.
I’ve been the route of the fan who looked for everything and anything at one time back when LOTR was being done. Everyone involved with Musings was looking and it was exhausting. Most of us do work and you just can’t do it all. I feel for the UK fans really because they’ve watched Richard go from being theirs really to being somewhat worldwide and it may seem now like he is leaving them behind. He has reasons for being in NYC of course and that move isn’t likely to be permanent but with TH and Into the Storm his time is split plus all the photoshoots so he is very much an International Man now.
I don’t see any way to solve this except to hang on and ride the wave. When all is said and done at the end of these three movies we will see where that leaves us. Richard has said many times that he doesn’t feel that anything is really going to change. I’ve always wondered if he truly believes that. I mean I am not sure that he is ever going to be a “huge” star but I do think that his work in TH is going to bring him more work than before. At least I hope it will. If it does then this media circus will continue and so will the fandom. If it doesn’t then it is entirely possible that some of this will die down. True fans will remain as we know but this sort of thing always has the “fans” who are temporary too. The gaps in news will be longer certainly if business is slow and we’ve already seen some impatience with that. That is for another discussio though.
I am just amazed at the work that all of you have done. I know I couldn’t do it even half as well. I know that we all thank you truly for every little bit of blog and news you have given us and all you continue to teach us. So onto November and December.
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Peggy Kincaid said this on October 29, 2013 at 2:52 am |
[…] But I always used to be on pins and needles, to enjoy being on pins and needles! I tried to stay there, to develop my capacity to live in that space, and I was largely successful. That I felt that way, wanted to feel that way, for over four years points, I think, to the centrality that Armitagemania has played in keeping me not just sane and moving but also the kind of happy that I have been since it struck. DopArmitage, as Calexora used to say. I always wanted to know the next thing, and I wanted to know it quickly, which meant that I was constantly looking for it, and then sharing it. That was more true this summer, as I got involved in tracking web ephemera around The Crucible, than it ever was before. What had been occasional spates of live blogging that lasted 24-48 hours around particular events turned into a months-long involvement. The more I did that, the more I wanted to do it, and the more I wanted to do it, the more I wanted there to be other people around doing it with me. Still, the fact that other people were around also heightened the aggravation factor for me, at times unbearably (and, no doubt, vice versa) or destructively. […]
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Armitage assessment, or: Fandom, life, and stuff | Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 11, 2014 at 1:35 am |
[…] I have written this many times (here and here and here, at the least), aus gegebenem Anlaß, I will say it […]
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Ceterum censeo: I am Richard Armitage’s fan, not his publicist | Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 11, 2014 at 2:01 am |