The Squeee

Coming in March is the second annual FanstRAvaganza! It's a celebration of all things Richard Armitage around a number of participant blogs. Some blogs are normally exclusively about Richard Armitage, others - like this one - has him as a recurring topic, simply because we can't help but swoon over the guy. (Seriously, can you blame us?) Over the course of a week, specifically 14-21 March, every blogger will run her own particular RA-related theme. My theme last year was the leading ladies of the RA productions. This year, I've chosen a theme myself and what that will be ... well, Read And Find Out! :P This year is going to be bigger than ever! Okay, well, bigger than last year, which is when it all began. So far, these wonderful bloggers and their equally wonderful blogs will be taking part: Avalon - Avalon's Blog CDoart - CDoart Judiang - Confessions of a Watcher Mesmered - Mesmered's Blog Mulubinba - An RA viewer's perspective from 33°0'S of ...

The beginning of this post can be found here: Celebrity and the Big C - Part 1 . Sorry for dwelling on this topic even longer, but I just remembered something as I wrote "It hurts to lose a loved one, regardless of if they're famous or Joe Schmoe down the street." THIS WAS (and still is) MY F***ING PROBLEM WITH JADE GOODY . To people outside of Britain, she was a woman who basically got famous for being famously unedumacated on Big Brother and making an arse of herself on Celebrity Big Brother a few years later by making bullying racist comments about a fellow housemate and thereby causing a huge scandal. Foot-in-mouth disease. You has had it. When she got diagnosed with cancer, it was made into a reality TV show and gathered a media circus around the whole thing. While I'm genuinely sad for the sake of her young children that they did actually have the misfortune of losing their mother to cancer, the whole show around her passing I found deeply offensi...

I'm going to be really quite serious for once, but so many things are going on in the world of the stars that I can no longer just sit here in my own little world and pretend things are fine, because sometimes, things are not fine. And it makes me sad. Behind the headlines, the stars are real people, with families who care for them. Zsa Zsa Gabor is fighting gangrene and might lose a leg, but she's age 93 now, so let's face it, while that's obviously sad for her and a terrible worry for her family, I'm not too bothered by it personally. I hope she gets better, obviously, but I can't sit here and pretend that it pulls my heartstrings too much. She's almost a century old - NONE of my grandparents lived to her age. Maybe it's also because I can't relate to her either that makes it less of a biggie. Coming down in ages, and while not young, Dame Maggie Smith (76) battled breast cancer in 2007 and was declared cancer-free in 2009. You wouldn't th...

I was writing a review when I came across an article on BBC News , saying actress Susannah York has died at 72, having struggled with cancer for a while. She has been in a number of things over the years, but the thing I knew her from was as the red-haired, too-beautiful Jane in the 1970 adaptation of Jane Eyre , opposite George C Scott. Probably one of the adaptations I enjoyed the least, to be fair, but still, one of the Janes has passed away. My thoughts are with her family and friends. May the Mother's last embrace welcome you home. What are your recollections of Susannah York?

There's this trailer running on TV at the moment, about a new movie that's out, called Season of the Witch . A 14th century Crusader returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardises the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force. Momentum Pictures, you had me at "accused witch" and "14th century". :) But that's not what ran through my head when I saw the trai...

Saw a bit of it. Seemed awright. Perhaps a bit better than it used to be, even? Which is just as well, heh. Haven't followed this show with any sort of zeal, or, indeed, at all, really. Seen the odd episode here and there, and most of series one, I think. For this new one (series four is it?), I was struck by: Complete and total inability to watch Ben Miller without expecting him to say something along the lines of "actually, this isn't funny. This actually happened to a mate of mine" or "isn't it? Isn't it, though?" or basically any other Armstrong & Miller catchphrase you can think of. "Hey, isn't that the guy from Strike Back ?" Just checked, and yes, yes it is! (Alexander Siddig, rowr!) The complete and total droolworthiness of Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt). That's one hawt couple. They weren't exactly ugly before, but now ... wowza. Woah, HELL YES! And the guy on the right ain't ba...

One is rejoicing, for Syfy's Alice is finally coming to the UK! From what I've gathered, it's to Alice in Wonderland what Tin Man is to the Wizard of Oz . And that's enough to get me very excited. Not to mention it stars The Seriously Cute Guy off Primeval (new series started over the weekend just gone, even though I thought they cancelled it), the magnificent Kathy Bates and the insanely brilliant Tim Curry. Oh, note to self: Andrew Lee Potts is the name of the cutie. Actually, better make that hottie, I just saw the piccy on his IMDb profile. Goodness me! Phwoar! The journey in two parts begins on Syfy (Sky 129 / Virgin 135 / TalkTalk 22 - but does anyone even have TalkTalk?) Thursday, 27 January 2011, at 8:00pm / 20:00. Syfy UK: Alice

Last night, I dreamed of Spooks . And Lucas North John Bateman wasn't even in it! (Bloody traitor.) It was something to do with a human-looking robot and a secret room in a house. It was hidden behind a bunk bed and the lock was really dodgy. And for being a super-secret bunker, why on earth did it have perfectly normal windows? Anyway, I believe Dmitri took Harry there, because it was top priority to keep Harry safe. Did that make me Dmitri or was I another spook? Anyway. I think I woke up somewhere there, after having given up on that blasted little key that wouldn't quite lock the secret door properly. Chin up, Harry. I saved you! If anyone wanted to vote in the National Television Awards, the shortlist voting opened today, and will remain open until 26 January. You can vote here: http://www.nationaltvawards.com/vote but there's nothing about Spooks or Richard Armitage or anything else Richard, boo. However, if you want to vote for Doctor Who or Sherlock , or t...

This is positively the best song I've heard so far this year! Okay, admittedly, the year has only just begun, but what a way to begin! Allison, you are my hero. In fact, you should be the hero of Richard Armitage fangirls everywhere. Absolutely brilliant song, it made me both smile and giggle. Thank you! And many thanks to Skully for posting about it and thus making me aware of it! 2011 has begun!