A Cappella and Middle Earth

It’s not a secret that I am a nerd. I embrace the title. And I have many different “nerddoms” that I belong to. But there are two that I think have been part of my life for longer than the others – Middle Earth and A Cappella. And they don’t generally intersect. Until recently…

There is this amazing dude named Peter Hollens. Peter was the founder of the University of Oregon’s male a cappella group On The Rocks (and you should totally search them up on Spotify or YouTube – awesome music to be heard). Peter and his awesome group were on the short-lived (and sorely missed) show “The Sing-Off” during its second season. And not long after, Peter began making his own a cappella music videos, covering popular hit songs. I’ve mentioned Peter before on my blog (click here to read what I wrote and see an example of his earlier vids). Peter does this amazing one-man aca-thing, recording all of the parts and vocal percussion on his own (though he does occasionally include a guest preformer, like his equally talented wife, Evynne). The arrangements are intricate and the sound is beautiful.

Now, those of you readers who only stopped to read because I said “Middle Earth” are probably wondering how this connects with Tolkien. It’s because, in his newest video, Peter Hollens has taken on The Hobbit! When my brother told me about this new video, I thought it would be a cover of Neil Finn’s “Song of the Lonely Mountain.” But, because fans asked for it, he did the “Misty Mountains” song performed by Richard Armitage and the Dwarf Cast in the film. And I love it!

First off, I am always in awe of Peter’s range, cause I’ve heard his tenor… and his baritone is pretty amazing too! Beyond that, I am at a loss for words. This is really another fabulous Peter Hollens special and I am delighted that there is finally something to bring A Cappella to Middle Earth!

Peter also did a version with a stellar violinist named Jun Sung Ahn.

P.S. – I can’t help thinking how cool it would have been if Richard Armitage had been available to “appear” in Peter’s video. That would make one very happy Middle Earthappella fan!

A Gushing Happy Birthday Post

I haven’t taken blog space to gush about an actor for quite a while (not since Colin Firth) And today seemed the perfect day to sit and ramble about Richard Armitage.

Richard Armitage

Why today? Well, today, Richard turns 41. So, I’m gonna tell y’all why I adore this actor and wish him a happy birthday at the same time 🙂

A few years ago, I was in a chat with some of my fellow Celtic Thunder fans and they started talking about some good looking guy from the BBC America show “Robin Hood.” I’d wanted to catch the show, but schedules didn’t work (and my family still doesn’t have TiVo). I heard quite a bit about how handsome this Guy of Gisbourne dude was. But I never got around to checking him out.

Lucas North

The first time that I actually remember seeing Richard Armitage in anything was when I got addicted to the UK show “Spooks” (known here in the US as “MI-5”). I shot through the seasons and when the character of Lucas North appeared, I was smitten. I wasn’t just won by this brooding character or Armitage’s beautiful blue eyes. There was something in his portrayal that hinted at more in Lucas than we were seeing. I love to see a character with dimension and I think it takes a great actor to pull that off. I developed a crush on the good looks and a serious respect for his craft. (Seriously, the man agreed to be filmed being waterboarded.)

John Thornton

I had tweeted something about finally understanding the Richard Armitage hype when someone who has now become a Twitter buddy recommended I check out “North & South.” I planned a girl’s night on Netflix with my mom. And we were not disappointed. It’s not news that I love Austen-Brontë-Gaskell fiction and love the brooding men in their books. Richard’s John Thornton is no exception – I’d rank him up there with my Colin Firth/Matthew Macfadyen-as-Darcy love affair.

Guy of Gisbourne

I then discovered that “Robin Hood” was on Netflix. My friends weren’t joking – Guy of Gisbourne is pretty gorgeous for a baddie. But he has his moments, moments when you see that he has the propensity for good. He’s damaged… and I’ll admit, I kinda want to fix him. 🙂

As with any actor I come to admire, I start haunting their filmography so I can see the other things they’ve filmed. I found out that Richard played the final love interest for Dawn French’s “Vicar of Dibley” – a show I loved when it aired on BBCA. I had never seen the specials with Richard, so I hunted them down. And I sat happily watching him do something comedic and adorable. And frequently found myself wanting to exchange places with Dawn French.

Thorin Oakenshield

Richard is finally gonna get a lot more attention outside of the UK very soon. He is playing Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit films, the first of which releases this December. I am beyond thrilled that he is involved with a project I was already chomping a the bit for. And I hope this opens more doors for his career worldwide. And I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see him do some more comedic turns – maybe even a rom com?

you extremely talented and handsome man! Thank you for sharing your wonderful talents with the world and I look forward to seeing what else you have in store for us fans!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICHARD!