PotterCast 136: Conversations with Paul Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 13:48)

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Paul DeGeorge (PD): Hey, everybody. It's January. It's cold. Dennis Kucinich just dropped out of the presidential race so there's no more (Sue Upton (SU): Oh!) Whomping Willow in the Democratic primary but fortunately for you (JN: Aw.) there's another episode of PotterCast. (Melissa Anelli (MA) laughs)

SU and JN: Yay!

SU: Woo hoo. (JN laughs)

MA: I knew you'd make it timely, Paul. (PD laughs) That was Paul DeGeorge, everybody. (laughs)

JN: You can't get any more timely.

MA: You cannot. I said timely and he managed to swing it into Harry Potteras well. Very nice. Very nice.

PD: Barely.

JN: It's raining outside.

MA: (laughs) It’s raining.

SU: It's the Weather Cast.

MA: Dennis Kucinich has dropped out of the presidential race or will be dropping out of the presidential race but in the meantime you're listening to PotterCast 136 so that doesn't matter at all. Welcome...

JN: Voldemort for President.

SU: No! Boo. (MA laughs) Hiss. Boo.

MA: Welcome, this is Melissa here with John and Sue and a very special guest this week, Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters.

PD: Hey, guys. (SU: Yay.) It's fun to be back. Thank you for having me again.

JN: Woo! How long has it been? I can't even remember.

PD: Probably about a- (MA: It's about a year.) I was on a couple shows when we were touring together, I guess, so.

SU: That's true.

JN: That's right. The L.A. show, you were up on stage with us.

PD: That's right. I had to take Sue's place. I was the Hufflepuff representative (SU: That's right.) for the night.

SU: And you did good my friend. (PD: Thank you.) You served my house well. I was very proud. Very honored. Woo hoo!

MA: Do you know what happened in that show, by the way?

JN: Lots that happened in that show.

MA: That was the show where John unleashed his famous (PD: Yeah.) "Knights of Hogwarts theory."

PD: That's true.

JN: That's right. That is right. Yeah.

SU: Oh, that’s right.

PD: Good stuff.

MA: Uh huh. And that's when Cheryl said to me, "Melissa, John should call me after he reads the book." (JN and MA laugh) While we were reading the book, she called, she like texted me and I was like, "Okay, sure." So, yeah, welcome to PotterCast 136. We've got lots in store for you for the first thing we're going to do is say hello again from our friends at Audible.com.

JN: It's my favorite part of the show.

MA: I know it.

Audible Ad: JN: Get a free audio book download of your choice when you sign up today. Log on to www.audiblepodcast.com/pottercast today for details.

MA: Welcome back, welcome back. Middle of January, we've got big news but...

JN: Big news. Do we have big news?

SU: Well...

MA: We do and that's why Paul is here. He's just launched (JN: Oh!) the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club, but we're not going to talk about it right now. (SU: Oh!) Not right this second. (JN: Oh, snap.) First, we're going to do other news and then come back.

SU: Okay.

JN: Weather news.

PD: Let's send it over to Sue.

MA: In weather news. (SU laughs) Yeah.

SU: Yay! We already had weather news but we do have filming news. The set for Gloucester Cathedral is again where they, again if I slaughtered the name, I'm sorry. How do you say it?

MA: Wait, Sue, I'm just going to just, I'm just going to say right now nobody email Sue please.

SU: Okay, how do you say it? Gloucester?

MA: Because we all say things. Gloucester.

SU: Gloucester. Okay. Filming has started for Gloucester Cathedral in England again for- we think it's the student scenes for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Last year we reported that students from King's School in the area had like 174 students were going to be extras this time and now they’re about to start filming and Hagrid's supposed to be there and Molly, Julie Walters, who plays Molly is supposed to be on set, as well as Dan Radcliffe and the trio, and so that's pretty exciting. So that should be happening as you guys are listening to this, so more new pictures hopefully soon.

MA: So, what scene in Half-Blood Prince would require them to be in that set which is mostly an outside set, if I remember correctly so?

SU: Yeah. That's...

JN: Hm, how about the part where (SU: Well.) Ron gets poisoned?

SU: No.

MA: No. That's really about three people. (laughs)

JN: Oh.

SU: I was wondering though because they used the one part of it for where Dobby is free when he kicked my beloved Jason's butt, you know and he flew.

JN: Oh, that's the place?

SU: Yeah, so I was wondering.

JN: Oh.

MA: Oh, yeah.

MA: So maybe Dumbledore's office.

SU: Yeah. So maybe it's that or maybe, it's for the funeral.

MA: Or all those kids. You know what? Quidditch!

SU: Oh, Quidditch!

JN: What about Quidditch? Why Quidditch?

MA: Because that's where you need to- that's where you have a lot of kids.

SU: Well. (JN: What?) Yeah.

MA: Where else besides the Great Hall do you usually see 170 people in one room?

SU: Yeah.

JN: That's true but why do they need to go to a castle to tape Quidditch scenes?

MA: I don't know. Where are you going to put all those people?

JN: They have little stands and crap, right?

MA: Yeah, but remember the shots, you know I don't know, I'm not working on the movies. What do you think it is if you're so sure it's not this?

SU: Hm.

JN: I told you what it was. You guys...

MA: It's not. There are 170 (JN: Oh.) people in the room and Ron gets poisoned?

JN: (laughs) Well, they make it a little more dramatic in the movie. (MA: Uh oh.) It's Ron, (MA: Maybe.) for crying sake. It's a big deal.

MA: But it's also over Christmas when there are no students there.

JN: Well, maybe it's like a dream sequence?

MA: Oh, it's not over Christmas. It's just- No it is over Christmas. I'm confused. (SU: Well, yeah. I don't know.) Paul, what do you think?

SU: I don't know.

PD: I have no idea. Maybe they're writing new (JN: Mm.) stuff. Some new material. Maybe they got some new stuff from JK.

MA: Oh no. (SU laughs)

JN: They could.

PD: Some deleted (SU: Its possible man, you never know.) scenes, you know? (SU laughs)

MA: Yeah.

JN: It's not particularly large...

PD: Some B-roll material. (MA laughs)

JN: Yeah. (MA: Half-Blood Prince- maybe like...) Kloves is back for this one.

SU: Yeah. He's back, unfortunately. But no, be nice.

JN: Oh, man (MA: Don't say that.) unfortunately.

SU: Okay, Mr. Kloves is back. But, you know, so it could be, I mean obviously it's the Great Hall. So it could be just like be between scenes, but I wondered if it had something to do with the funeral, you know?

MA: I don't know if they're going to do the funeral. (SU: Oh, maybe so.) I'm not convinced. (SU and JN: Hm...) We haven't heard anything about it. I don't know.

JN: It'd be kind of a bummer and they're all going to be like, "We don't wanna make everybody all bummed out."

MA: Right. At the end.

SU: That's true.

MA: You know?

PD: I don't think the funeral's like (JN and MA: I don't know.) that depressing. I think it's kind of, like a nice closing to the book, versus if Dumbledore just gets killed all of a sudden like, "Whoa!"

JN: (laughs) Dun, dun, dun...

MA: But they do (JN: ...the end!) also have a big (SU: Well...) battle.

SU: They could make more it dramatic, yeah, exactly.

MA: Snape, the "don't call me coward." Oh, maybe it's the battle!

SU: Yeah. (JN: Ooh.) Yeah? It could be you're right. It could be doing the battle scenes, because Bellatrix- As I said, they specifically said Helena Bonham Carter is gonna be there, so that would make no sense. But...

MA: Oh. Why else is she (SU: You know.) there? Right. When (SU: Who knows?) it's when there's a lot- Maybe they're not going to do it when the kids are usually sleeping, but have it be like during a high-traffic time of day. Or like (SU: Yeah.) dinnertime at least when there's a lot of kids (SU: Yeah.) around to start it off.

SU: That would be cool. That would be cool. (MA: Huh!) Wow. Don't know. Let's see, in other news Brendan Gleeson says he's not gonna be back for Half-Blood Prince, 'cause obviously Mad-Eye really was pretty absent during Half-Blood Prince, but he is going to be back for Deathly Hallows, which is good. So (MA: See...) that's...

MA: You know what that says? That says that they are doing what we've hoped they'd be doing with Deathly Hallows: having everybody (SU: Yes.) come back. Everybody. Because there's (SU: Yes.) really no need. You can do Deathly Hallows without Moody. He's not essential. Oh no! I take it back! I lie. What am I talking about?

JN: Probably the part where he kind of dies.

MA: Oh, my God. Something in my head just snapped and made me (SU: Yes.) think he was there at the end (SU laughs) but he's so not.

SU: It was the cold. It's the cold.

MA: Whoa. I take it back.

JN: He's there like a ghostly Jedi. (SU laughs)

MA: Whoa, I take it- Especially considering what we're discussing this week. Oh, I totally take it back. Wow, I (SU: Yeah.) clearly have not done PotterCast in awhile. Ooo!

JN: It's all good.

SU: You know. But you know, but that's good though that they keep his scene. I mean to have that impact of him, his character dying. I mean that's important. That's important for the plot, I think. And, you know, it's good that they're taking the time with that canon (MA: Yeah.) to put that in.

PD: Sue is...

MA: "The Seven Potters" scene.

PD: Sue, is Hedwig on board? Is (MA: What, Paul?) Hedwig on board for the seventh movie?

SU: (laughs) Well we haven't confirmed it with her representatives, but I'm sure (PD: Okay.) that we'll find that out (JN: Yes.) soon. (PD: I know.) She's so pivotal, with her mysterious death.

JN: Have they used the same Hedwig for every movie so far?

SU: (sighs) I think there's actually a couple of them. I mean, I remember watching- (MA: Yes.) there was an ITV special on the making the animals specials, (JN laughs) and I think (JN: Making the animals?) they had- (JN laughs) no, about the different animals, 'cause...

JN: We have (SU: They had different...) the technology.

SU: No, they have all the owl trainers.

MA: We have...

JN: We shall rebuild her. (SU laughs)

MA: There are- I think there's seven. (SU laughs) I think there's seven of them that they've used.

JN: The ten million dollar Hedwig.

SU: Yes.

MA: No. (SU: I'm sure...) No, there's been a couple, at least. (JN: Yeah.) We met one of them once.

JN: That would kind of be an identity crisis.

SU: Which- (MA: Hm?) but she's not a Muppet. (JN laughs) You know, I mean, they don't like haul her out like Grover (JN: Certainly.) or something. "I'm Fozzie Bear!" (JN: Yeah.) "Hi, I'm here! I'm Hedwig!"

JN: Pull her string.

MA: Do you think they're going to bother with it in Deathly Hallows?

JN: Bother with exploding Hedwig? Are you serious?

MA: Well, I'm just asking.

JN: I think that's at least a three-million-dollar effect.

MA: Oh, geez. (MA and SU laugh) (JN: At least.) As long as they keep Accio Hagrid.

JN: They want all the feathers exploding properly.

SU: Three million dollar shot, uh-huh.

JN: Well maybe- okay, plus the motorcycle so, yeah, that's what I say anyway. I'm the authority on these things.

MA: Yes, that's right.

SU: Well, maybe you can do that shot John. (PD: I think you got to have that tortured element of Harry...) We'll look for your secret messages in his feathers exploding on the screen.

PD: Trying to or deciding to blow up his owl, supposedly.

JN: Yeah. Well, how I've heard they're talking about doing it though, is actually going to slow time down, (PD: Yeah.) and just kind of, you can feel just Harry's breathing and heart beating. And then you see Hedwig and she's falling and zoom on her eye and she's crying, (PD: Yeah.) (MA: John.) and Harry fires a spell, and it hits her and then, everything explodes and everything zooms back to full speed and everybody's just pandemonium 'cause everybody just saw it. (PD sighs) They're just totally freaking out.

MA: You're making that up.

JN: That's the gossip I've heard, (PD: Yeah.) in the forums.

PD: That's what I heard that the...

MA: Crying Hedwig?

PD: They were thinking about inviting John to direct. Is that true? Can you talk about that John? (SU laughs)

JN: You know, there are some forums that would say the very same thing, so (MA: Hm.) you don't know who to believe these days.

MA: There are indeed forums for everything. (JN: Yep.) Okay. (laughs)

SU: Rumors. Rumors. Speaking of rumors, well although- actually, there was a little bit more of a rumor, we heard first of an actual opening date for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Orlando, that the President of Universal Orlando, said that December 1st (JN: Yay.) (MA: Of '09?) of 2009, which is- yes. (MA: That's excellent.) I was very surprised by that. (PD: Whoa.) Rock! (JN: We shall see.) You think so? Opening it right before Christmas. We had talked about those rumors before about knowing what they were going to do and have Hogwarts decorated and have it all festive and carolers singing and stuff.

JN: That would be a brilliant way to open it.

SU: Can you imagine though? It's all ready- they have the Bowl games at the end of the month in Florida, in Orlando. But, I just think trying to get down there for it would be wild.

JN: I'm not going to have to worry about it. I will be...

MA: Oh, shut up you. (JN: Who knows where the hell I'm going to be living by then.) You'll be a regular there. They're going to wink at you and let you through the gates (JN: I say...) when they see you coming.

JN: Ooh, are you kidding me? I'm a face character over there all ready. They all ready hired me for the Dawlish role. (SU: Oh, god.) I just have to do my costume fitting.

MA: I got to tell you something though, (SU: So...) you do have some similar traits to Richard Leaf.

JN: What now? How's that? (MA: The eyes.) Did I get a new haircut? (SU laughs) My Eyes?

MA: Yeah, you guys both kind of have large eyes. (JN: Mm.) Mm, it's true; somebody should do a face comparison, one of those morph things. A fan joke.

JN: I'm a little bit more muscular.

MA: Okay, John. (laughs)

SU: You got to build up those muscles to fight off that old woman with that dead bird on her head, beating you up, yeah, uh huh, that's good.

JN: We've been through this.

MA: Too many times. Okay, what else is happening?

SU: Okay, okay, one last thing, Dan Radcliffe is giving a new interview where he talks about the new role he's taking about the late photojournalist Dan Eldon, it's called Journey. And if you don't know the story about Dan Eldon, he was a young photographer who was unfortunately terribly murdered in Somalia when he and some other colleagues were there covering a story. I believe there was a bombing and anyhow, it's a very moving story. And this young man had done some really brilliant photography and really exposed a lot of the world to what was happening in Somalia at that time. And Dan is going to take on that role, but he just wanted to confirm that he is doing it, but it's going to be happening any- really soon. We were talking about before when he was going to try and get the filming in with him coming to Equus in the fall and stuff so, but, he's looking forward to it and he's very excited about doing it.

MA: Excellent. I'm always exited to see him in new roles. I just saw there's a DVD out for December Boys; I just saw it in the store this week.

JN: Yeah!

SU: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we have that available in our shop.

MA: Thanks, Sue. (laughs) Is the shop online by the way?

JN: Can we get to the shop?

MA: Is it fixed? (SU laughs) Did it fix itself yet?

SU: Last time I checked you could not. But, hopefully you can by...

MA: Sorry guys, my spam filter sort of- oh! It's back! It's back! It's up.

SU: It's on. Yay!

JN: Yay.

MA: My spam filter sort of went berserk and didn't tell me that domain name for the Cauldron Shop.com was expiring. (SU laughs) So Sue sounded all panicky this morning, (JN: Aw.) "The shop is gone!"

JN: Man, we were so close. We were days away for somebody to just squat that into a slash site or something. (MA: Nice.) That would have been awesome.