PotterCast 119: Bit by Bit Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 15:55)

Melissa Anelli (MA): Hey, thanks for listening to PotterCast. Before we get to the show, here's a word from this week's sponsor.

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MA: Welcome, welcome, guys. It is PotterCast Number 119. We're heading into old age here and I'm here again. I'm Melissa. I'm here with John and Sue, and we are in for another week of awesome Harry Potter news, theories, discussion, analysis, and anything else (JN: Because we can can can!) you can possibly think of. Because you can can can. As always, we take this moment to say a special "hi" to our friends at Borders.

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MA: Thank you, John! And now this week in PotterCast 119 we have the introduction of a very new awesome segment that we probably should have started a few weeks ago (JN: That's all right!) (laughs) since we're a Harry Potter podcast. This is Bit by Bit, where we discuss little bits of Deathly Hallows sequentially, so it might be a chapter, it might be a paragraph. This week we have the whole first chapter of Deathly Hallows because you really can't separate that out. No.

JN: Can't split that up easily, no. (MA: No.) What if we did a whole Bit by Bit thing with like one sentence?

MA: It's possible. "All was well"? That's a great bit.

SU: Yeah.

JN: "Not my daughter, you bitch."

MA: I demand that that's our last- oh, God, that is gonna be like 300 PotterCasts from now, isn't it? (SU: It's gonna be awesome.) We also have a very special guest. Our first fan guest, our friend Frak, has come to join us for Phoenix Files, as well as the Bit by Bit. We don't have a Canon Conundrums this week to make room for our new segment, and we also have another awesome five minutes with the girls from the essay project Scribbulus, at scribbulus.com. (JN: Yes.) And with that, I think it's time that we heard from Sue.

SU: "I see dead people in the water, Professor Dumbledore." Yes, we're getting Inferi! The army of the dead has been confirmed by David Yates in a new interview that he did. (JN: Oh, gosh.) And this- yes, he did. (JN: I'm scared.) And he conf- I know- and he called them (MA: Love it.) the "army of the dead" is how he phrased it, and said that in Half-Blood Prince that that segment- he describes it as "epic" cave scene, (JN: Oh, man.) would be taking place, so that's very exciting news, I thought.

JN: I have a feeling that that means that they're going to follow them all the way out the cave, hop on their own dead brooms, (SU laughs) and chase them back to Hogwarts. (SU: Yeah.) They're just gonna latch onto that death thing so much, it's gonna be crazy.

MA: They are skating a really thin line. This could turn into cheesy '80s "Thriller" if they don't do it right. (JN hums) You know? (JN: "And now it's Thriller!") Yellow eyes, running into a house.

SU: Yeah, it could, but then again you could also see that scene being very intense. When I read that I was like- that was such a gripping scene the way it was written. And if they did it, it could be just really powerful. Although Dan Radcliffe also gave an interview when he talked about him being in a boat with Michael Gambon and how they're looking forward to that, so. (JN: Totally.) We still have Mr. Gambon in that scene, I don't know. (laughs)

MA: No, we get powerful Dumbledore in that scene! It'll be good.

SU: Let's hope!

JN: Oh, he's gonna kick ass with all the fire and everything and the whips of fire. (SU: Yeah.) Be awesome.

SU: Let's just hope he does- he drinks from the thing, you know? I hope they keep it that way. But in the same interview, David Yates also says that Mr. Kloves has turned in what he called a quote "terrific and fun draft that will lend to a very character-driven film." (sighs) (JN: Seriously.) (MA: Let's hope...) I don't know, I don't know.

JN: What don't you know, Sue?

SU: Well, there are moments of comedy. We've heard Jim Broadbent describe the comedy and Dan Radcliffe talk about the comedy, and there are lots of great comedy in this, but I don't- the last third of the film is not what I would describe as fun. And I just- I worry. I don't know.

JN: I'm not- (SU: I don't know.) eh, I think it's a little early.

SU: Yeah. I suppose it's true. Because Mr. Yates goes on and talks about the unrequited feelings between Harry and Ginny. (JN: Which is good.) Yeah. (JN: It's great.) And he says...

MA: Hey, no unrequited! There's a point where it gets quite requited, and I want to make sure that's in there.

SU: Yes! Yes, thank you, Melissa. (laughs)

MA: (laughs) Requited: check! (laughs) Just sayin'. (JN laughs) Just sayin'.

SU: Gotta have that in there. Yeah. And then he also says that Ron and Hermione- their relationship, he describes it as quote "delightful and funny and tender and true," end quote. So that's good. We're gonna have "Won-won," but then there's gonna be...

JN: Yeah, what about that relationship there with our new Lavender here? Who has yet to be announced. (MA: Well, it's a very deep and meaningful relationship.) Has she been announced yet? Do we have a picture of this girl yet?

MA: Nope, nothing. (SU: No.) Nothing.

JN: Come on, guys, you're slacking. You're already filming this.

SU: I know.

MA: Yeah. I had predicted September, but now it looks like it's gonna happen in October.

JN: It's crazy.

SU: Oh, the announcement, you mean?

MA: Yeah. (SU: Yeah.) Slughorn came in September. But still no Lavender, and still no Tom Riddle.

JN: They're probably spacing them out, so there's equal excitement for everybody.

SU: What I'm most excited about is the Gaunts. I know that sounds goofy, but I hope they have that whole sequence in there. You know?

JN: Which parts of the Gaunts?

SU: When he goes back into the memory of (MA: Voldemort's parents.) (JN: Oh, yeah.) Voldemort's family and all that.

JN: Yeah, that was really cool. Did they put that casting? I mean, did they say they were going to cast that?

MA: Nothing. Nothing has been said yet.

JN: That makes me nervous because they haven't said anything about that. How else could they do it? (SU: Mm-hm.) How else could we find that stuff out?

SU: Don't know. I don't know. I'm sure it'll be quick like they did with the young Marauders. We all anticipated that and that was a blink of the eye in Order of the Phoenix. So, I don't know.

JN: (sighs) What else is going on?

SU: Oh, you know- I really hate to bring attention to this, but this is kind of a timely thing. There was a character actor from Scotland and he plays in a very popular series that airs in the UK, called Rebus. And he said that- for some reason he gave this interview and he started this launch against J.K. Rowling, I guess, but he says "If we're going to make a fuss about children reading books, do it with Philip Pullman's Dark Materials, not with J.K. Rowling. I can't believe idiot educationalists are praising children for turning up at school and reading Harry Potter." (MA: That's just...) (JN: Hm.) I just found (makes spitting noise)

MA: Yeah. No, it's just- (JN: Pretty crappy.) we have talked about Philip Pullman's books a lot here. (SU: Yes.) And as much as I recommend them to every man, woman, and child on this earth, I don't think it's a valid comparison. Kids aren't running out and telling each other "Oh, my gosh. Did you read the latest Philip Pullman book?" As wonderful books as they are, it's not like that. (JN: Yeah.) (SU: Right.) It doesn't have the same sense of reachable of identity, of reachable adventure. And if the Philip Pullman books are better by this guy's estimation, then that's all great. But it's not going to have the same effect, so- it's not what gets kids reading. Harry Potter is what gets kids reading. And maybe because they read Harry Potter, they will read Philip Pullman. So just shut up, guy! Just shut up!

JN: Well, I was about to, anyway, because of Harry Potter. Everybody keeps- "Hey these cool books, His Dark Materials, this and that," so all right I'll find the materials (SU: Right.) and see how dark they are. Whatever, I'll try them.

MA: You got them? You're gonna read them, John?

JN: Someone said they're going to give them to me, so I haven't started it yet.

MA: You just- you better.

JN: That's what the people are saying! (MA: Okay.) And if I hadn't read Harry Potter I'd be like, "Heck- whatever, I've got a lot of TV to catch up on. But fine, I'll read another book."

MA: So good.

SU: Well, I mean the point is that they're getting children to read, and not just children. Adults. And you can talk and be as, "Oh it's pedestrian or low brow." You can say whatever derogatory thing about it- people are reading and I think that's an encouraging thing. And I think he's missing the bigger picture, and it's just beyond anything. And I didn't understand that attack.

MA: See, I talked about this briefly with Laura Mallory. So Laura Mallory is this woman who, as most of you know, she has been trying to get the books banned in Georgia. And she has been trying to get them taken off her shelves. So I went down to Georgia- Melissa went down to Georgia, ha-ha- to interview her for a book I'm writing about the Harry Potter fandom, which will be out next November. And we had a long two-hour chat about everything that's gone on. She's sort of become the face for censorship of Harry Potter in the world, and it's especially poignant this week because this week is Banned Book Week here in the United States. This is a celebration of all books banned and a fight against censorship, the continuing bringing of light to the fight against censorship, sponsored by the American Library Association, which encourages people to read banned books and discourages people from banning books. But is also the entity that deals with the challenges that gets made against banned books. So if you want to find out more about Banned Books Week, please head over to ala.org. Find out how you can take part. You can put imagines up on your website, or you can donate banned books to libraries, or you can- even just putting up a sticker that says "I Read Banned Books." As JK Rowling says on her site, "Every burned book enlightens the world." And we are recording this before the stats come out but no doubt the Harry Potter books are on the top of this year's most banned books, if not number one. I can't imagine they wouldn't be number one, number two, or number three. But what happens is that a parent makes a claim and that claim gets sent to the school and when the school needs help they go- trying to keep this book on their shelves they go to the American Library Association who tries to help them by giving them materials and support to try and keep our schools' libraries full of the books that- just censorship- you don't want somebody telling you what to read, do you? (JN: Not generally.) So- except for His Dark Materials. (JN: Okay.) You should go read that right now. The part that we're gonna hear from Laura Mallory is actually something I might turn into a news item and put on Leaky, because it's relevant now and isn't so much of a reveal that I would be taking something away from the book. (SU: Mm-hm.) We talked a little bit about her plans and her appeals and what happens now. We don't mean to set her up as this woman who's- (JN: Here she comes!) yeah, exactly! (laughs) Here's the face of the person trying to do this bad thing. (JN: Yeah.) But she is a very important figure in the fight to either ban or keep Harry Potter on shelves. She has made headlines like you can't believe, all over the country, perhaps all over the world, with her efforts to get these books taken off the Georgia library shelf. (JN: Wah wah.) And she has been unsuccessful but for some reason her image and her personage have sparked some sort of fervor. And we had a long talk about her reasonings and about her efforts. And it is for the book that I'm writing about the Harry Potter phenomenon which will be out next November. And let's hear it, a couple minutes from Ms. Laura Mallory.

MA: I'm not sure if you're aware but it is considered by very many to be a very very, very Christian book. Harry essentially- not even essentially, does, literally dies to save everyone that he loves and is brought back because of love and then kills the evil guy, so basically it's- there is a very specific purgatory implying a very specific heaven and we do see the evil character in a very specific hell. It's almost (inaudible) overtly and it's all fueled on love, love, love, love, love. Harry loved everybody enough to die for them so that he was granted another chance; he comes back and finally absolutely kills The Devil. You see what I mean? And...

Laura Mallory (LM): Mm-hm. Voldemort.

MA: Voldemort. What is your reaction to that?

LM: It's a good question. I was told that would probably happen. A lot of people figured that she would have Harry killed and rise from the dead to make him Jesus-like. I think that only fuels the fire in this case. Light and darkness don't mix. And you've got so much darkness in these books. Everybody I've ever talked to admit the books are dark, there's no denying that.

MA: The word dark can mean many different things. (LM: Yeah.) You know? I'll admit they're dark but I don't think they're dark in the same way that you think they're dark.

LM: My reaction in one sentence would be I'm not surprised. I just wish people would know my heart. My heart is in the right place. I love kids, I love- I love 'em. And I think they're precious to God and he loves them so much that he's willing to go to great lengths to get them the truth. If they read Harry Potter and they're not the least bit interested in the occult, then great. Great! But a lot of them are.

MA: Are you appealing again right now?

LM: No, no. It went to the local school board, to state school board, to superior court, and it can't go any further without a lawyer. No lawyer really wanted to take this case because it's just too controversial. The media slam, the whole deal.

MA: Did you attempt- did you go to some lawyers?

LM: Yeah, I had a little bit of legal assistance but I never had a lawyer to actually represent me in the case. I think that the legal issue is like you were asking me before, separation of church and state and a First Amendment case. And that would really need to be a federal issue. It would be a federal case not a local thing, so I don't know if that'll ever happen or not. Not any plans at the moment. (inaudible) It's in God's hands.

JN: And that actually was Laura Mallory, that was not one of our mothers pretending to be Laura Mallory for a funny part.

MA: No that was Laura Mallory.

JN: What do we got coming up now?

SU: Woah.

MA: I think it is time- what do you guys think it's time for?

JN: I think it's probably time for our new segment, Bit-by-Bit, immediately after we hear some of what you guys think about this week's Bit-by-Bit topic, which is Chapter One to Deathly Hallows.

MA: All right. Let's go.