PotterCast 90: Live from New Orleans Transcript

Opening Part 1 (0:00 - 14:14)

Melissa Anelli (MA): Well, welcome. We just got into New Orleans, what, yesterday? (JN: Hm.) Eighteen hours ago yesterday? (JN: Yeah.) We're having a great time. This looks to be an amazing! Does this not look like it's going to be an amazing couple of days? (audience cheers)

John Noe (JN): I don't even know where to start. This is my real first trip to New Orleans. I only went once when I was real young on a family vacation. We stopped through here for like an hour. But, this is really cool so far.

MA: See, I'm a little annoyed because they (to SU and JN) got to be in the same house.

JN: I know. I love this! (audience cheers) We're like the...

Sue Upton (SU): Awesome! Hufflepuff colors!

JN: Hufflepuff colors went out. Slytherin Snape went out. This really puts us at odds because we're used to, you know; it's about the houses. But now we're like, what's going on?

MA: They combined Hufflepuff and Slytherin for you guys.

SU: You think? (referencing the microphone stand) Could we get rid of this?

MA: Yeah, we don't like this whole stand here.

JN: I like my stand here, this is cool.

SU: I'm just saying that anything to do with...

JN: It is Gryffindor gold.

SU: And Ravenclaw, is that it on the other ones?

MA: I guess the red plus the blue, the Gryffindor plus the Ravenclaw would be purple, right?

JN: What house are you in, Melissa?

MA: Bellereve. (audience cheers)

JN: You can't even pronounce it!

MA: How do you pronounce it?

Audience Bellereve!

JN: You know what it sounds like? Does anyone watch "Smallville"? What's that place where all the meteor freaks are sent to? Bellreve? Yeah, probably, I can't pronounce that the right way, so.

SU: You're a master at all TV shows.

JN: I have a few shows I enjoy.

SU: That's awesome. Anyway, this is great coming here. I just think it's awesome. And look at all these costumes! Y'all rock! I know you can't see them at home, but we'll put pictures up on Leaky and it's just amazing. Pictures of costumes.

MA: Yes, send all your pictures please to what? Images, thank you, guys. Images@the-leaky-cauldron.org. See, this is my staff over here by the way; part of the staff. (audience cheers)

JN: Big round of applause for the Leaky staff? We couldn't do a darn thing without these folks.

MA: (laughs) Not one. It's a little embarrassing how little we do without them. (JN laughs) We spent this morning really seeing New Orleans. I gotta give a huge shout-out to the people who were with us for the Habitat for Humanity trip. (audience cheers)

SU: Thank you!

JN: Nice! Oh, my God, hold on. Farmer's tan. I have to apologize to Melissa. I was dubbed with the task of...

MA: Wait a minute. I'm sorry. Hold on. You have to apologize to me?

JN: Yes, (Audience Aw!) and this does not often happen.

MA: I'm sorry. You have to apologize to me?

JN: Are you gonna show them what I did to you?

MA: No, I'm not, but okay. Continue.

JN: I was stuck with the honorable task of applying Melissa's suntan lotion to her back this morning. I was distracted and lo and behold...

MA: I have a funny shape of red on my back right now.

JN: There is a huge red patch of sunburn on poor Melissa's back and it had me thinking... I was thinking about this and there could be like this snake, (audience laughs) that would have been really cool. I would have gotten fired. But I would have had a hilarious picture out of it. So I don't know, it would have been worth it.

MA: He also would have had a very hilarious bruise out of it. (JN laughs) So much fun.

JN: I would have had a very interesting time trying to find somewhere else to sleep for the rest of the time here.

MA: No, you wouldn't. (laughs) You would have had a very easy time finding one.

JN: I said interesting, I didn't say difficult.

SU: Can I just say though about the Habitat thing? That for me, I have strong ties to the city and for me this was an emotional trip. And, so for us to go out there today to see that still, after all this time, that the amount of work that still needs to be done and the great work that the Habitat people are doing and volunteering is very striking because it really, really needs a lot of work. I mean, we were in areas that looked literally like a war zone, that are homes are still gutted and they're overrun and yet people come back and they're still living in trailers right next to their destroyed homes. (MA: Yeah.) And it's just a very powerful image to go see it. I mean, cause I work in television and it's just watching it when you watch it at home, it doesn't begin to capture really what's going on. So, I thank Habitat to be able to reach out...

MA: Thank you, guys! (audience claps)

SU: Thank you for letting us... (MA: Too sweet!) (JN: Oh.)

MA: I saw a few- you see these houses destroyed and you think there's no way anybody's living there and you see the trailer next to it. And I was- actually, while everybody was banging, pounding, and nailing, I went over between two fields, two property lines. And I was just standing there, staring at this house that was so destroyed and somebody came out of the trailer and I was just staring in amazement that people are actually living and still... And that you can live in that. But, anyway, we had a great time acting the carpenters and I think we had a couple of bruised thumbs (SU: Yeah.) and couple of split nails.

JN: Oh, my gosh. We have two PotterCast exclusive videos (SU: No!) to come from this trip, all starring Miss Sue Upton. (audience cheers) And, we didn't really have video cameras with us, but I felt like taking out the old camera phone and I captured (SU: Yeah, but in the worst...) fifteen seconds of Sue-frustration (audience laughs) of why...

MA: Can I do the face? Can I do the face? (JN: Yeah.) This is the Sue Upton's "I can't get a nail into a board" face. (audience laughs) People listening at home, when we put this podcast up, just wait.

JN: Yeah, somehow it ended up turning into Slytherin's fault that the nail wouldn't go in. (audience laughs)

SU: See, let's be clear about this. We had little teams, so you're working in two's and who was my partner but Mr. John Noe. (JN: We made a great team, Sue.) Yes we did. (JN: Come on, now.) We actually did a lot of work. We got a lot of stuff done. But I'm not technically skilled in most things. And I am not Bob Vila. I cannot do the things with a hammer. (audience laughs)

MA: It's hard.

JN: It is hard!

SU: It is hard! It took me awhile to learn how- I know this sounds stupid, but whamming those nails into this (JN laughs) wood (MA: For real.) can be tricky.

JN: There's a science to it.

SU: Just trying hard.

MA: John, what does the science?

JN: Getting frustrated with the nail is not going to put it in the wood.

MA: I don't know. Sue did a good job. (JN laughs) When she got frustrated, it was like, "BAM!" (JN: That's true.) And, it goes right through.

SU: And then, they're like, "think of something you have frustration, get it out," and bam! "John!" And, it went in. (audience cheers)

JN: You know, it's a hard, sad truth when you realize your hero was the one responsible for enslaving all the house-elves (audience laughs) into Hogwarts.

SU: This is the month of Hufflepuff, just saying.

Audience Member: Hufflepuff!

SU: Okay, I won't get on the Hufflepuff thing, but it's not...

MA: Yes, you will. (audience laughs)

SU: It's not a coincidence that yet, again ,we just had Pomona Sprout's birthday, too. I mean, this is a whole...

MA: Sue's right. There's a theme! Does anyone notice? There's a theme going on Jo's website with the Hufflepuffs. (SU: Yes, there is.) Helga Hufflepuff, Pomona Sprout, what were the others things? (Audience Tonks!) (SU: Tonks.) Tonks is a Hufflepuff.

SU: Is that not the coolest in our house? (audience cheers) (JN: Hm.) Her hair was rocking.

MA: It makes a lot of sense, though.

JN: Now, if she would have said that Dawlish was a Hufflepuff (audience laughs) then she would have had a few letters from me.

MA: Dawlish is...

SU: We saw Dawlish! Did ya'll not check it out on the U.K. and the U.S. Warner Bros. websites have been updated and they have a bunch of new pictures and we saw Dawlish! Yay!

JN: Now, I realize that he's described as probably looking the way he does.

MA: He's not described at all. Like at all.

JN: I thought he was described as having some grey hair, or something. Like silver. I don't know, help me out.

MA: Anybody? Is there description?

JN: No one cares about Dawlish. (audience laughs) I just pictured him younger, maybe in his early twenties. (audience laughs) Maybe with an Italian heritage. (audience laughs) And, I don't know, I was a little disappointed. No, Richard Leaf's going to do a great job. I've heard nothing but good things. (MA and audience laugh)

MA: (laughing) What have you heard?

JN: And he has his people and my people have been in touch.

MA: I've heard great things. He's in the movie for like negative-point-two seconds.

JN: No!

MA: Imagine, he shows up and Dumbledore flies away. And then, that's it.

JN: No, actually what you didn't see from the trailer is that after Dumbledore transforms with Fawkes into the fire he blows away, Dawlish chases after him (audience laughs) and he turns into a tornado-y kinda thing, and cost seven million dollars for that effect. And, it was worth it because it was for Dawlish.

SU: Seven million dollars for Dawlish?

JN: Yep. Worth every cent.

SU: I'm going to ask. "Dear W.B., is John Noe crazy, or what?"

JN: I hope it isn't cut. Aw.

MA: Yeah, that's fine.

SU: Oh.

JN: Sad.

SU: That was great. Seeing Dawlish flying...

JN: Seeing Dawlish made my day, I got to say. No, I was at the airport when I came in.

MA: Yeah. Dawlish, Dawlish, Dawlish, Dawlish. Okay, I'd rather to talk about Snape. (some audience members cheer)

JN: Yeah, okay. Well, you made our little list here.

SU: Who? What was his name? Who are we talking about?

MA: Snape, Snape, Snape, (JN: Snape.) Snape. (MA and audience laugh) I have the peanut gallery down there, every time I do this.

JN: Has everybody seen our awesome Snape buttons, yet? (audience cheers) The good Snape, the evil Snape.

MA: Thank you, Heather Campbell.

JN: Thank you, Heather Campbell. Makini, Makani, Makooni.

SU: Makani.

JN: Who is not here at this convention. But, I think she'll be at Prophecy.

MA: Okay, is Snape good? (audience cheers)

SU: Is Snape bad? (audience cheers)

MA: Wow, really? Snape.

JN: Snape for himself? (audience cheers) (MA: Snape.) Hm.

MA: Snape bad person, but not evil? (audience cheers)

SU: Yes. See, I think that one...

MA: Any others?

JN: I think Snape is drastically misunderstood. (audience laughs)

MA: Poor tragic child in his family. Yeah, boo hoo. Subject of many fanfictions. (Audience member: Snape's a drag queen!) What?

SU: What? Snape is what? He's a drag queen?

MA: We have a vote for Snape the drag queen. (JN: Wow.) It's canon.

SU: It's canon. (audience laughs) Neville's grandmother, come on. Woo!

MA: It's canon.

JN: That is true.

MA: As you know, our PotterCasts are sponsored by the lovely people at Borders here. (SU: Woo hoo.) (audience cheers)

JN: Big props for Borders!

MA: Give it up for Borders! (audience cheers) Let me tell you, we've never met a bunch of more enthusiastic booksellers in our lives. Borders are so into this. And, they put out this book, I don't know if you've seen it, "The Great Snape Debate."

SU: It's rocking.

MA: There are no bad copies. We're making it up. It's all the cases, all the things that we just discussed about are right here. Orson Scott Card wrote for this book. We have Joyce Millman, Amy Berner. I mean this is really a fantastic, and Sue knows much more about it than I do. So, I'm going to let her.

SU: Because I've been reading it religiously. I go out, I go post on Leaky, and go read a little bit more. And, I argue with the book. I mentioned this on the podcast before. But, I'm arguing with the book. And, this is kind of scary.

JN: Do you talk to the book?

SU: Kind of feel like tumbling.

Audience Member: Do you see his brain? (SU: What?) Do you see his brain?

SU: No. That I know.

MA: Right there. There's an evil basilisk on the- what is this?

JN: It's like a cobra.

MA: There's like, it's like Jafar coming out of cauldron.

JN: Yes! (audience laughs) That's awesome.

MA: (singing) Prince Ali...

JN: I was wondering what he was up to.

SU: But even though, even it's- they bring it up, they have two sides: one side you have all the different things that you believe in, in his guilt, (JN: Sure.) and then they have the side for the innocence. I dunno, see, my mind is that he's just, you know, when you have your- You're pretty much convinced, and then you read the opposite side, then you have some good points, and then you find yourself arguing. So, it's really pretty deep. I dunno. The only thing- I'm gonna be honest. The problem I have is that movie-canon is not, in my mind... (MA: Canon-canon.) ...canon-canon.

MA: Come on, we know it, right?

JN: So, it's mixed now, though, isn't it?

SU: Well...

MA: What?

JN: Well, we've been hearing things that's like that've been included in these films that have been confirmed, you know from Jo, and from the supplementary canon (SU: Right.) that we don't have. There's other things that may just be, "that would look really cool, put that in." So, it's- I don't really know.

SU: But it was really interesting though that they brought up the point about that scene in The Prisoner of Azkaban, which we were all kinda surprised we saw, when Snape protects the trio from the werewolf. And I don't know if we can- I don't know. How do ya'll feel? Do ya'll think that's actually a good sign? Say yes or no. (audience has a mixed reaction)

MA: All right, how about this. Say yes?

Some Audience: Yes.

MA: Say no?

Some Audience: No.

MA: Is "no" purely because it's the movies and we just can't...

Audience Yes!

JN: Yeah.

MA: Okay. And then the director said, "Hey, wouldn't it be fun if he jumped in front of the kids." Without any thought to...

JN: But the whole thing's screwed up because he's supposed to be passed out and stuff. (SU: Yeah, I mean he's...) But he's running around, you know? What the heck? I'm so confused.

MA: I'd like to point out that John just did a shoulder dance to "running around." (audience laughs and cat-calls)

SU: But that's what's neat about that book, though, because they do. They cover it, so from all the different- all the way through. It makes you think about it, it makes you go through- I don't know, I'm still...

JN: I heard that there was some significance from the numerology on page 394 that he chose in Azkaban.

MA: No.

JN: No? That's what I heard.

MA: Oh, "Turn to page 394."

JN: Yes!