PotterCast 128: Hufflepuff Shoes Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 23:38)

John Noe (JN): Hello, hello, everybody! It's time for another PotterCast.

Sue Upton (SU): Yay!

JN: It's 128. It's PotterCast 128, (SU: Wow.) for the week of December something.

SU: It's the second week of December, right? Oh, my goodness.

JN: Gosh, we're getting there, almost to the end of the year.

SU: Yes, woah. Ho ho ho time.

JN: What will we do at the end of the year? I don't know.

SU: Hm. Don't know.

JN: It'll be cool, though.

SU: We should have a party. Yeah.

JN: Well anyway, we've got an awesome show ahead for you this week, (SU: Mm-hm.) as per usual.

SU: And we have a new sponsor this week, so take it away, John.

Audible Ad:

JN: This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com, the Internet's leading provider of spoken-word entertainment. Get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Log on to www.audiblepodcasts.com/pottercast today for details.

JN:What's happening this week in Harry Potter Land? (SU: Oh, man.) Sounds like a pretty big week.

SU: It has been. There's a whole lot of news. I mean- But first of all, starting from the queen of all things, Miss Jo, she has updated her website. (JN: Queen of all things.) (Laughs) (JN: Yes, she is.) Yes, she is. And she wrote- she did a couple things about cannon, but first, she updated her diary finally. And she was saying where did all the time go, and she was talking about how she's been so busy with the tour and she said the US-Canadian tour was her "favorite one ever. If anyone reading this was in the audience for any of those events, thank you, because they were only as wonderful as they were because of the brilliant questions and the overwhelming warmth of those present." Wow. So, isn't that nice of her? 'Cause we were there. (JN: It's so cool.) It's so cool. Love it. She goes on to say that "Deathly Hallows remains my favorite book of the series. I hope that, even if it is not yours, you understand at least that this is where the story was always leading. It was the ending I had planned for seventeen years, and there was more satisfaction than you can probably imagine in finally sharing it with my readers." (JN: Aw.) Yeah. Very cool.

JN: I believe that she'd be quite busy. 'Cause there's still countries that the book hasn't even come out yet, isn't there?

SU: That's true, there is. True. So, yeah.

JN: I wonder if she'll do any more press in any other countries for any of that stuff.

SU: You know, I don't know.

JN: Does Harry Potter even need much press?

SU: No, I don't think- (laughs) I mean, like what you said, if she just gets a dog, it's news, (JN: That's true!) so we can't really escape it. (laughs)

JN: A particularly cute dog.

SU: That's true, it's a cute dog. So everything she does is just, like, blanket-covered at all times.

JN: Yeah, definitely.

SU: But when she updated, she also gave us some really interesting pieces of cannon.

JN: She did?

SU: Yes, she did.

JN: Like what?

SU: Well, first we learned a question that a lot of us have wondered about: What exactly is in the core of the- Beep, beep! Spoiler warning. The elder wand.

JN: Oh, there's a spoiler? Oh, hang on. It's December.

SU: Yeah. That's true. If you don't know it by now, eh. She said that- and I think we had talked about this, John. She said that the thestral hair is in the core of the elder wand. (JN: Yes.) So that was kinda-

JN: That was pretty creepy. (SU: Yeah. I mean...) 'Cause the thestral, that's like the tail hair, right? (SU: Yeah.) They don't really have hair anywhere else. (SU: No.) They're, (SU: They're all skeleton, yeah.) they're hairless. They're gross-looking.

SU: Yeah. She said it's that "powerful, a tricky substance that can be mastered only by a witch or wizard capable of facing death." Wow.

JN: I wonder if that spell has any- or, that wand has any other inherent powers from the thestral. Isn't it- (SU: Well, yeah...) I mean, we don't really know if the phoenix wand had any phoenix kind of ability to it but it's like, if the thestral wand had extra powers, could it always find- (SU: Yeah...) It's interesting because there is kind of the lore about that wand about how it has to have a master, (SU: Right.) and has to find its master and everything, and the thestrals are pretty adept at finding any location you ask them to go to. (SU: Right, right.) Remember, you can say, "Hey, thestral, go to the Ministry," and they're like, "Okay!" (SU: Yeah!) They have like a built-in Tom Tom (SU laughs) where they can just punch it in in their brains and off they go.

SU: They have Thestral Maps, do they, like Google Maps?

JN: Thestral Maps (SU laughs) dot com? (SU: Yeah.) Yeah. I dunno.

SU: I don't know, it's really interesting though, because they are death, and only a witch or wizard that's capable of facing death. I mean, are- I find that quote kind of interesting. What do you mean, "capable of facing death"?

JN: Well, it makes it sound like Voldemort would never be able to control the wand, whether or not he was chosen to be its master, (SU: Right.) because if anybody in the books cannot face their own mortality, it's Voldemort. (SU: Correct, right.) So there'd be no way he could use this wand. (SU: Right.) Even if he was its proper master. It's very interesting. And he knew so little about the thing.

SU: Yeah. You're right. That's a very good point. Here he is obsessed with eternal life and seeking, and conquering death that he would not know this. You would think that, (JN: Yeah.) unless it's just really obscure wizard work.

JN: Well, we know it's obscure for sure. No one really knew about any of this stuff. Hardly anybody.

SU: But if he knows about Horcruxes, which seems to be fairly obscure and not spoken in widely social circles, (JN: Sure.) then it would seem to me that he wouldn't have stumbled across this. I don't know. (JN: Yeah.) Who knows?

JN: So, it seems like a person capable of making a Horcrux is also a person uncapable of ever commanding the three Deathly Hallows. (SU: Yeah.) The character traits required for that is something that a person who is out making Horcruxes knows nothing about.

SU: Right. So. Yeah. It's really interesting. So...

JN: Interesting. I love the canon.

SU: I love the canon 'cause it means...

JN: I love new canon too. Is there any more?

SU: Well, there was a couple of new things. She talked, she went into great depth, maybe we'll talk about this later, about more about what happened when Voldemort used the AK spell on Harry in the forest. (JN: Mm.) That was really interesting. She goes again, that, "Voldemort violated deep laws of magic that he did not understand." (JN: Yeah.) I just- he was using the Elder Wand, the wand that's Harry's and of course it's not working properly against its true owner, owners. (JN: Yeah.) That would be Harry.

JN: I love it when she says things like, "breaking deep laws of magic." (SU: Yeah.) It's like the scientific part of my brain wants to know what the other laws of magic are.

SU: Yeah. (laughs) Exactly.

JN: I want a rule book. (SU: Yeah.) There had to have been at some point a rule book for these wizards and witches, for them to be all like, how much can you lift with Wingardium Leviosa without having second and third player, Ron and Hermione come over with their Wii-motes and help you lift the rocks, in the video games? (SU: The Wii-motes.) No matter how big, obviously, they put rules into the game, (SU: Right.) but in real wizard-world life, (SU: Yeah.) the real world fiction life, what are all the rules there? I wonder. She probably had quite a few of them so she can help navigate around the story.

SU: Oh, of course. But she goes down, and I think this it what it boils down to, and she said this again, it's a big quote from Dumbledore, "It's about our choices." She goes, "It's important to state that these are the kinds of magics that are essentially unscientific, in other words there is no Elder Wand plus Lily's blood equaled assured survival formula." (JN: Right.) It's all about their choices. It's always about your choices. (JN: So interesting.) Amazing.

JN: All kind of up in the air, almost.

SU: Yeah. I know. It's just really...

JN: And very interesting that, she says that when Voldemort took Harry's blood, he unwillingly provided himself another chance, (SU: Yes!) at redemption, (SU: Uh huh.) because of the goodness in Lily's blood. (SU: Yep.) That's so interesting.

SU: And yet, Voldemort again, does not chose that.

JN: Yeah. He probably wouldn't have even known, (SU: Yeah.) that he had that in him or not. (SU: Yeah.) Because he was, at that point, so used to being Vapor-mort for so many years, (SU: Yeah.) that getting a body back, probably just missed, would have mistaken any addition to himself as something just from the spell that brought him back. (SU: Right.) He would'nt have notice any additional capacity for compassion.

SU: Yeah. It's just amazing. But she's, it's amazing just how she thought this all the way through. It's just, wow.

JN: Brilliant. It's just brilliant. I wonder if she'll put any of, all of these notes into a book one day. (SU: You think?) Maybe, in encyclopedia format that would, (SU: An encyclopedia? Hm. There's a concept.) pwn every book in the world. Probably like five thousand pages, (SU: Yeah.) and pop-out pictures.

SU: And there's one more thing I have to talk about, because this is, we had talked about this on one of our Canon Conclussion - Conclusion shows.

JN: Yes. Concussions.

SU: Yeah. Concussions.

JN: Canon Concussions.

SU: Yeah. Pretty much. (JN: Yikes.) About Harry and the Big D and the Dudleys, (JN: Yeah.) and what's going to happen. (JN: Yeah.) That was awesome. I had a chuckle when I read this because this is like jsut exactly what we talked about, like them having all the Christmas cards and that Harry would have taken his family to visit Dudleys when they were in the neighborhood. Occassions dreaded by James, Albus and Lily.

JN: There's two funny things about that. One, of course; everybody has family members like that. (SU: Oh, totally.) Especially around the holidays, you're like, aww, (SU: Yeah.) we've got to go to Uncle Ted's or (SU: Yeah.) whoever. And then you get there and you sit on the couch and look at each other for two hours. (SU: Yeah.) And then you eat something without meat. (SU: Yeah. Exactly.) That is funny. (SU: And you...) Very relatable.

SU: Yeah. It's totally, it is completely relatable and...

JN: Not that I have anyone in my family like that.

SU: No. Not at all.

JN: For anyone listening. I love all of my family and I enjoy visiting them equally, (SU laughs) around the holidays.

SU: And as soon as we get up, "John, what are you talking about?"

JN: Yeah, because we're live right now. I'm going to get several calls.

SU: Well, okay. Soon as the show gets done, you'll hear it. You'll be getting lots of little howlers.

JN: The other funny thing, the other thing I thought was funny about that is, what exactly to a witch or wizard is it to be in the neighborhood, when you can blink and be somewhere else?

SU: Well. (laughs) Yes, this is true.

JN: (laughs) The only time I've ever seen families traveling together (SU: Uh-huh.) is the Weasleys heading out with Harry to get to the train station where they're purposely trying to look like Muggles for protection, or taking the Muggle car because it's fun.

SU: Well, but yeah, John don't you remember the Quidditch World Cup there were families going together.

JN: In the Quidditch World Cup and they go magically by the Portkey.

SU: Well, right. But, say Albus and Lily, they were still too little to apparate, right? So....

JN: So then they take the Floo.

SU: Well, I guess that's true. Well, but maybe there's some places- I don't know. Because Big Dudley would be living in a Muggle neighborhood, right? So he.

JN: Of course. Yeah. But how do you get in that neighborhood? (SU: I guess he...) I don't know. We're being mean (SU: Yes.) and we're overanalyzing Jo's (SU: Yeah.) (SU laughs) haphazard. Not haphazard. Jo's never haphazard.

SU: She's like, John, you can go live in Dudley's neighborhood. There you go. (laughs)

JN: Yes. Hey, man, if Harry's family show up in that neighborhood once a year, I'd move into Dudley's neighborhood. (SU: Yeah, that's true.) (SU laughs) I'd be peering over their fences just to freak them out even though they don't have any (SU: Yeah.) wizarding blood in the house.

SU: (laughs) That'd be awesome. But Jo's website is a wealth of wonder. If you get a chance, you should go to www.jkrowling.com and check it out because it's really just amazing (JN: Yes.) website. She does this stuff and it's incredible.

JN: If anyone's not been to that website and they listen to this show, I will be quite amazed.

SU: Yeah. Pretty amazed. Yeah, I think so too. (laughs)

JN: Oh, gosh. Well, did we get any other news that was not provided by Jo this week?

SU: Well, although she's up for all these kinds of awards and we- there's a lot of- (JN: Jeez.) she was named Barbara Walters' Most Fascinating Person, she...

JN: Oh, I'm lost.

SU: I know. (laughs)

JN: I was up for that one actually. (SU laughs) Two years running.

SU: Yeah. (laughs) And darn, always a bridesmaid, John, always a bridesmaid. (JN: It's, you know.) (laughs) There's always hope. (JN: I guess.) We'll talk Gilderoy and say, "Can you nominate me?" Which is give up one of your awards.

JN: It's a pretty shoddy consolation prize. I think I got like a subscription to US Weekly or something. (SU laughs) I don't know who reads that crap.

SU: (laughs) That's a magazine I actually do not read. I tell you that much. I don't read that one. I don't know.

JN: Yeah, no comment.

SU: Speaking of a magazine, this is kind of cool. Emma Watson is in In Style magazine. Emma Watson has been everywhere this week. I mean, she's been in- (JN: She gets around.) Well, she does, but there was a really nice feature of her in In Style and she did this Fifties look and now she's doing this stuff with Chanel, which is a very high-end couture line house. And they're fabulous. And she went to a fashion show and she was at this private dinner with the designer. It's just, Emma's really becoming quite the.

JN: It was interesting that they have such a mature and out of reach brand to have her be the spokeslady for. (SU: Yeah.) I don't quite understand that. I would think she would (SU: Right.) pull a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (SU: Yeah.) and have her own clothes or fashion line (SU: Yeah.) or be a Limited or Express or something that's in actual reach of most of her fan base.

SU: Yeah, that's pretty high-end stuff.

JN: What the hell do I know? (laughs) That's like red carpet stuff.

SU: It is, it is. Because she has worn that design- I mean I do not own any, not one piece of Chanel, and it would be fabulous, because I mean, they're just legendary, and they're beautiful things, but I mean, that's just, for a young teenager like herself, that's pretty remarkable. (JN: Yeah.) But Emma- and then we saw a thing about her Ballet Shoes. It's going to air the day after Christmas in the United Kingdom. Her Ballet Shoes movie. (JN: Oh, right, yeah.) So that's going to, we got the date on that and so Emma. There's a lot of Emma this month. And she starts filming on the 18th, which is next week everyone. Half-Blood Prince. Woo-hoo! It will be good.

JN: Isn't that Ballet Shoes also starring Julie Walters?

SU: I think it's Richard Griffiths is in that. (JN: Oh, right.) He's in everything, isn't he? (laughs) He's doing the thing with Dan, he's doing with Emma, I don't know. Maybe it is Julie Walters. I think it's Richard.

JN: I thought he was doing a Dukes of Hazzard sequel with Rupert (SU laughs) next summer.

SU: (laughs) Rupert, too?

JN: I kind of got that one in the tip box.

SU: I'd love to see Dukes of Hazzard Rupert. If he can drive that ice cream truck, he could certainly drive (JN: He can.) in the rural south.

JN: He got an ice cream truck. That's brilliant. (SU laughs) Yeah, a store filled with ice cream. I love that kid. He's my favorite.

SU: Here he is, driving through the ninety degree humidity in the South. Now that's a good plan. (laughs) (JN: Yes.) That's awesome.

JN: With a Seventies haircut on both of them. (SU laughs) That would be awesome. I'd love to see an avatar of that.

SU: (laughs) That would be great. That would be so hysterical, that would be awesome. Oh, my. Okay. Breathing.

JN: Is there anything else that we are going to uptown from?

SU: Yes. Well, there's one thing. We had talked about Jim Dale and the audio books and stuff he got nominated for a Grammy (JN: Yeah.) for his reading of Deathly Hallows, which is really pretty cool, (JN: Sweet!) it is, it's very cool. Congratulations to them. And Mr. Radcliffe and Fiona Shaw and Dame Maggie Smith, and Pam Ferris, who plays Aunt Marge, all got nominated for What's On Stage Theater Awards which is amazing. And John, to a place where you saw Equus (JN: Yeah.) and Jason in Dumb Waiter both got nominated too.

JN: Really? Brilliant! See, I'm very cultured. (SU: See you...) I actually was planning on going to the theater otherwise had there not been Harry Potter's actors in them (SU laughs) because I am very high society out on the town, kind of guy. (SU laughs) (SU: Yeah.) But I will tell you what. Do you know who's not nominated? (SU: Who? Who was it?) And for a very good reason. (SU: Uh huh. Who?) The butt-head understudy for Richard Griffiths at Equus, who read off his script the only night I was able to see Equus. (SU: That's right.) Good Lord. I felt terrible that Melissa had to poke me in the sides to keep me awake, when that guy was on stage, because I wanted to get the most out of that experience, sadly. (SU: Sadly.) Maybe I'll have a second chance when it's in New York.

SU: Yes, I can't wait for that. He is going to reprise his role next Fall, on Broadway, and it'll be great. And so is Mr. Griffiths will be there so it will be awesome, that will be really cool.

JN: I'm trying to understand the decision to have them both use American accents, though. (SU: Pff! I don't think that's going to happen.) I don't see how that's going to change anything. Yeah! It said (SU: Oh really?) that every character needs to have an American accent, in that, babble.

SU: Uh huh. Really? (JN: Mm-hm.) I missed that part.

JN: It will be interesting, more or less.

SU: Is he going to say ya'll and all the too? Or yeehaw when he's on the horse?

JN: This is New York, (SU: Oh. Oh, okay.) this isn't anywhere else.

SU: Well, okay. Okay, one more thing. We did talk about this last week John. But there's more construction photos of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

JN: Ooh. Oh, the park. (SU: Yeah.) Oh, the park. I cannot wait for the park.

SU: I mean, especially with just a bunch of the tractors plowing dirt. (laughs)

JN: But do you know what's going to be on top of that dirt? Hello?

SU: Hello! (laughs) Big mega castle!

JN: Could be- that could be Hogwarts we're looking at guys. (SU: Mm-hm.) I was actually there recently and I went up on the Dueling Dragon ride, (SU: You did?) that they have with the roller coaster, (SU: Uh huh.) and it was a while ago, so I didn't see much of any of that excitement, but I know exactly where they are talking about. (SU: Yeah.) Oh, it's just so exciting just to be near it.

SU: So cool, so cool.

JN: I'm envious of Orlando people who right now.

SU: Yeah. Especially, it's nice, because it's snowing up here in Michigan, and it's cold. (SU and JN laugh) Okay, this week when you'll be hearing this it will be right before December 11th, which is a big banner day here in the United States, in North America, because we are finally, finally getting the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD. Woohoo! (JN: Hooray!) Also, all the other films are being re-released on High Definition format, and those are coming out. (JN: That's awesome.) And the new interactive game, and we have a new demo from that game, that WB sent us a cool clip to.

JN: Oh, right! Yeah.

SU: Yeah, so that's cool. And we have about a zillion clips from the DVD, so if you haven't seen them they're on our website and in our galleries. You can't escape them.

JN: Well, you can't download the whole movie from our gallery, that would be illegal.

SU: No, but, it's pretty close! They must have sent out thirty.

JN: (laughs) Don't say it's pretty close!

SU: Okay, I'm sorry! But it's just nice. It seemed like an excessive amount of clips. (JN: Really?) I mean it just was all of a sudden, "Boom! Here you go! Here's twenty-five clips." It's just like okay.

JN: Dang!

SU: A lot of those were just interviews with the cast and stuff, but they are very short.

JN: That stuff's awesome.

SU: But it was awesome, but I was like, "Whoa! Here we go again." Nothing forever and then all of a sudden, Boom! Here you go.

JN: Did we manage to get the director and Dobby's commentary on this DVD? (SU: No.) Is that Half-Blood Prince they were talking about doing that for?

SU: I believe so, I don't know. I think though, on the High Definition, one of them there's the...a pop up or something that comes up on the...

JN: Ooh, the Fred and George thing?

SU: Yeah, I think that that's on that.

JN: So you can sit there and crack jokes, (SU: Yeah.) (SU laughs) during the whole movie.

SU: I don't know. I actually have not talking to anybody who's actually watched the entire thing, so...

JN: I don't know who would want to watch a Harry Potter movie while somebody sat around and cracked jokes.

SU: I don't know, who would want to do that? (JN laughs) Lame idea. (laughs)

JN: One of the thousands of you who downloaded our last DVD commentary probably. (SU: Oh! That's right. We did those...) They probably tricked them into that. They probably didn't know what they were getting into.

SU: One more thing, speaking of films, Lord of the Rings, pwned Harry Potter in a poll.

JN: No! That's not news.

SU: I know. It's not, but they got voted...

JN: It's not news when we lose.

SU: I Know, but it's kind of interesting that these persistent- They go round and round, and these things pop up every six months it seems. And it's like, come on, (JN: It's sad.) people. (JN: Oh well.) Oh, and one more thing too, speaking of movies that people watch. (JN laughs) (JN: Just one more thing.) Okay, I promise, this will be the last thing. Jo- there is a special ITV documentary following Miss Jo, (JN: Right.) when she was writing the book. And that's going to air now on December 30th in the UK.

JN: Oh, set your clocks, guys. (SU: Yes.) Set your TiVos.

SU: So, that should be really cool. It goes up, it said- the guy that was filming it, we found his blog, Mr. James Runsie. And he said that he started filming it for every month, when she's been doing this for a year. (JN: Mm-hm.) And, it's filmed the day the book's delivery in a locked suitcase to her agent at Heathrow airport. Isn't that amazing? (JN: Jeez.) I just have this image of- when I read that, you ever watch that show "Get Smart"? And it always had those things with those secret bomb suitcases that would just do stuff. (JN: Yikes.) So I can just see these guys skulking about with these high tech suitcases of...

JN: It reminds me of Cheryl's story when she was recounting taking (SU: Oh, right, right!) the manuscript overseas there. Cheryl Klein, (SU: Yeah.) one of the editors for Scholastic.

SU: Yeah, that's true.

JN: Also known as Hott Cheryl with seven t's.

SU: Yeah, Hott Cheryl. So, phew! That's a lot of news.

JN: All right, that's the last one more thing.

SU: Yes, I'm done. I'm sorry. (JN laughs) We know when it's me and the news, it'll going forever, sorry.

JN: There's a lot of news. But, anyhoo. Let's remind everybody about Audible again, and we'll push on to the Bit by Bit.

Audible Ad:

SU: Today's podcast is brought to by Audible.com, the leading provider in spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 35,000 titles to choose from to be downloaded and played back anywhere, just like PotterCast. Log on to www.audiblepodcast.com/pottercast to get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Again, www.audiblepodcast.com/pottercast for your free audiobook!

JN: Woo hoo!

SU: Very cool.

JN: And, I have to say. I own all of the audio books for the Harry Potter series.

SU: Yeah, I love them.

JN: And they make awesome listens (SU: Yeah.) while you're having a commute like I do.

SU: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Very nice.

JN: Home, or to school, and things like that. Very difficult to read while you're driving. (SU: Yeah.) But, easy to listen.

SU: (laughs) It's not advisable to be reading a book while you're supposed to be driving in seven lanes into traffic. Not a good thing.

JN: No, definitely not. (SU laughs) I was actually thinking of picking up The Golden Compass audio book, (SU: Oh, yeah!) because everybody keeps saying, "Read this thing," and (SU: Yeah.) I don't often have a lot of non-Harry Potter reading time, (SU: Right.) I find. (SU: Yeah.) But I do always have lots of driving time. So, maybe I'll get that one.

SU: Oh, that would be cool. Well, go there to www.AudiblePodcast.com/PotterCast for your free audio book. There you go.

JN: Probably where I'll do it. (SU: Okay.) Guaran-darn-tee it. Anyhoo, we've got a big show, and we've chatted for about twenty-five minutes of it, (SU: Mm-hm, yeah.) so we need to move on to our Bit by Bit, and let's bring in our good old friends Frak and Rita. But, first we're going to hear what the fans think about this weeks topics.