PotterCast 144: The Magic Dragon Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 22:14)

Melissa Anelli (MA): It is our dozenth-dozenth show! Welcome to PotterCast 144!

Frankie Franco III (FF): (sings) One forty-four!

MA: One forty-four. Welcome, I'm Melissa, I'm here with- John is back!

FF: (sings) Bum-bum-bum!

John Noe (JN): I am! Look at me!

MA: John, who finally went and did his work and graduated school, ha-ha!

JN: I'm alive!

FF: He's growed up.

MA: And- but now, this week, Sue is missing this week, as she (JN: Oh.) has some stuff to take care of, and we have with us our friend Frak!

FF: Hello!

JN: Who nobody likes.

FF: Everybody hates me.

MA: Nobody likes Frak.

JN: (laughs) God darn, I've been watching these comments, and I'm like, "Dang, they don't even to come back anymore!"

FF: Oh, shut up.

MA: Oh, are you really (JN: Everybody...) gonna try and play the pity card right here, John?

JN: No, not pity, just flattery for Frak. He's been kicking butt.

FF: No, no. Everyone...

MA: (laughs) How does that equal "They don't want me to come back?"

FF: Every comment is like, "Frak's fun, but we miss John! You can't replace him."

JN: No, nonsense. (FF: Uh-huh!) Well...

MA: Or it says "Frak's fun! I can't wait for John and Frak to come to...to be together."

JN: All right, then, maybe there's a few of those, too.

MA: Someone's a little sensitive.

JN: I've just been watching all these Pellegrino YouTube videos. (FF laughs)

MA: (sings) Pelle-pellegrino time, Pelle-pellegrino time.

FF: I was pretty impressed and flattered that (JN laughs) there was like three of them!

MA: Within five hours (FF: Pretty crazy.) there was one. The girl...

FF: Yeah, I know! I drew her Patronus.

MA: She- we're gonna put that on PotterCast.com. (FF: Okay.) (JN: Right.) She said to me- she said in the video, because I had said last week, "I give it a week," you know? (JN: Yeah.) And she had said, "A week, Melissa? You are seriously underestimating the PotterC-" and I was like, "Yeah, I have (JN: Yeah.) severely underestimated you guys." (laughs)

JN: Well, see, the first thought that I had, of course, way back into early PotterCast days, when the kids used to get excited about sending me Chipotle cards, (FF laughs) was how many bottles of Pellegrino would have to be sent to Frak's house before he would videotape (MA: Okay.) himself doing (FF laughs) the Pellegrino PG dance and putting it online.

MA: All right, I feel a nightmare coming, so let's get back to the beginning of the show. We have for you a Bit by Bit this week, a Phoenix Files, I believe.

JN: I forget how to do all this!

MA: I know, he had to be reminded how to record today!

JN: You'll have to hold my hand.

MA: Poor baby. You've been gone for three weeks.

JN: I know, it's been an eternity.

FF: (sings) Dun-dun-dun.

MA: (laughs) Aw. All right. Well, we had a lot of Harry Potter news this week, but before we do that, we have to hear from our friends at Audible.com.

Audible Ad: FF: Today’s podcast is brought to you 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 Audible.com/pottercast to get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Again go to Audible.com/pottercast for your free audiobook!

JN: What should we be talking about right now? Let's do that instead.

MA: Right now, we should be talking about some Harry Potter news.

FF: (sings) News!

JN: Oh, there's some of that.

MA: There is some of that. First thing up in the news this week, we wanna send a very heartfelt "Get well" to http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001000/Maggie Smith. She has been- (JN: Oh, no!) Well, she's been diagnosed with breast cancer. (JN: Maggie.) Yeah. Well, she says the prognosis is good, and that she's responding to chemotherapy, and they took out the tumor, (JN: Oh...) and all (JN: Excellent.) signs pointing to north. But we have had a lot of interest on Leaky, a lot of reaction, that people want to send her their "Get well" cards. You can do that at Leavesden Studios. We put the address in the post about Maggie Smith, so look for that on LeakyNews.com.

JN: Oh, not good.

MA: McGonagall!

JN: (imitating Professor McGonagall) "Sherbet Lemon!"

FF: (imitating Professor McGonagall) "Lemon Sherbet!" (laughs)

MA: No, other way around.

JN: Oh, I always do it wrong.

FF: (imitating Professor McGonagall) "What's the matter, Harry?" (FF and JN laugh)

MA: None of that was even close to a Scottish accent, okay?

FF and JN: (imitating Professor McGonagall) What's the matter, Harry?

MA: Oh, this is gonna be a long show.

JN: That's just the best video ever.

FF: That is hilarious. (laughs) (imitating Professor McGonagall) "Lemon Sherbet."

MA: I don't know what video you're talking about.

JN: You remember the Comic Relief video where (MA: Oh, yes, yes, yes!) that lady was Maggie Smith, "All they do is have me walk around behind corners and say 'Lemon Sherbet!'" (FF laughs) and "What's the matter, Harry?" (laughs)

FF: And they take like three cuts of different versions of her saying, "What's the matter, Harry?" (JN laughs) One time she's in a nightgown, and then she's behind her desk. (JN: Yeah.) It's really funny.

JN: (laughs) Oh, I love that.

MA: (laughs) Okay.

FF: (laughs) Her magic lesson is like, "Hat, rabbit, magic hat. Got it?" (JN laughs) It's really silly.

MA: You two.

FF: Oh, it's funny.

JN: I wonder what else we'll hear.

MA: I love what somebody said on the comments, that having you two together would be like me running around after my two children (FF laughs) trying to do a podcast.

JN: No, but see this is fun. Because we've had him on before, but it was while you were gone (MA: Right) Melissa. (FF: That's right!) So, I couldn't mess around. I had to be the Melissa which is the boring part.

FF: Stop it.

MA: Yes, I know. Look who you're talking to.

JN: (laughs) So, I dunno. Screw it. Here we go. What next, Melissa?

MA: What next? What next, Melissa. Well the bridge we see in the Harry Potter movies. The one at King's Cross Station, the one that leads them over to Platform 9 3/4. Which actually, literally does lead you over to where Platform 9 3/4 would be (JN: Yeah). They're taking it down for construction! (JN: Oh, no!) I know! They're expanding the station. So, we just hope that it's going to be back in tact for film seven, where...

JN: No, wait, seriously? When are they doing this? (MA: Now!) They're gonna be...

FF: What happens in the real Harry Potter- you know, if they wanted to expand it there, what if- could they mess up Platform 9 3/4?

JN: That would be- yeah, you know? You'd think they would- you know, I bet as soon as the Muggles got the idea to mess around with that, somebody would come up there (FF: Confund them.) and Obliviate everybody and be like, (FF: Obliviate. Make them forget who they are.) "You guys don't need to be messing with this."

MA: Yeah, basically there's a movement to stop it being destroyed. They have it earmarked as part of- (JN: Yeah.) for destruction as part of expansion of the station, (JN: Mm-hm.) but there's a group that is trying- actually, a TV presenter is leading the campaign, to stop it from being destroyed. Because it's so iconic. And think about in Movie Seven, I mean, like they mention in this article, there's the chapter called King's Cross, and it won't look like King's Cross if you don't have that bridge anymore. And, you know, it's literally the setting of the epilogue. So it's like the last thing...

JN: And what about the little spot where they have designated now for 9 3/4? Like just off to the side of the building there, for all of us tourists.

MA: Well, that doesn't look like it's...

JN: Is that area gonna be messed with?

MA: No, no. It's the bridge before- Okay, basically, there's all these separate parts to King's Corss/St. Pancras Station. And as John and I know, because we walked around (JN laughs) for an hour trying to find Platform 9 3/4.

FF: Rub it in, rub it in. Thanks.

MA: Sorry, Frak.

JN: Oh, Frankie, something tells me you'll have your day.

MA: Yeah, I think so.

FF: Woe, is me.

MA: Woe, is you. So anyway, so John and I spend an hour trying to find it, we finally find it. You have to go across- It depends which way you approach, but you go through a door and behind you is this giant bridge. It's the one that Harry and Hagrid are walking across in the First Movie, it's the one that Tonks and Moody and Harry are walking across in the Fifth Movie (JN: Mhmm.) when you see Padfoot (FF: And Sirius as a dog) go by. Right. And there's a big, giant clock, it's very iconic, (JN: Yeah.) it's got a lot of beautiful architecture around it. And, as part of expansion, they're gonna destroy it.

JN: That's sad. I don't approve. (FF: I don't either.) That whole area of King's Cross has been under construction for years. I don't know, that's my cranky observation.

MA: Yeah, but they're not actually- To be fair, they're don't say that they're ripping 9 3/4 down. I think that would have been a more prevalent point in the story. You know? (JN: For sure.) Anyway. (FF: Yeah.) All right, Harry Potter books this week at Christie's in England went for $72,000. Twenty Harry Potter books. (FF: What?) Some of them first editions, some of them signed, some of them full sets. One first edition (JN: That's crazy, yeah.) of the Philosopher's Stone, one of those rare, five hundred first copies (JN: Oh my God.), okay? With a slip...

FF: Wow, that was the first run?

MA: Five hundred copies.

FF: Five hundred?

JN: Did she hand write them like Beadle the Bard, or what? (laughs)

MA: Well, let's be clear. Everybody throws around the four hundred or five hundred number, but there were four hundred and fifty hardbacks of the first and there were twenty five hundred paperbacks. (FF: Wow.) So, it was really about three thousand. Was the first run.

JN: Ok, that's not very many.

FF: No, it's not.

MA: But this is one of those five hundred hardbacks, I believe. I believe. The picture looks like a paperback, but they said it was one of five hundred? So, either they're wrong, or the picture's wrong.

JN: Wow. I think maybe they didn't have the right picture.

MA: Yeah. But, yeah, it's- basically four days into the sale of the first Harry Potter, they were already printing the second print. That's how fast things happened with Harry Potter.

JN: Yeah.

FF: Crazy.

JN: I don't know. I don't know how I feel about people using these books to diversify their portfolios and things.

FF: What do you mean?

JN: I don't know. It feels like it's too special to just be sitting there beside somebody's stocks, and bonds, (FF: Oh, I see.) and other investments. To be like, "I'll buy a first-edition so I can sell it one day." It's like- I don't know. I live in a weird world where I think that kinda stuff should be in the houses of true fans, displayed proudly somewhere.

MA: I know, but how do you decide who gets them and who doesn't, you know?

JN: I know, that's the...

FF: I'd do it. Just call me. (MA laughs)

JN: There's a raffle of sorts. They invite school children from local area schools in three random cities in the United States.

FF: What do you do is you offer the book up, and then you say, "Okay, we'll just cut it in half (JN laughs) and give half to each of you," and the person who says, "Don't cut it in half. Give it to Joe Schmo," and then what happens is, Joe Sh- the other guy gets it because he would rather be separated from it than cut it up.

JN: Yeah. Exactly.

MA: That's a strangely familiar fable, Frak.

JN: And then somebody kills a baby.

MA: And then somebody kills the baby, yeah. (laughs)

FF: (laughs) It's, "Wah! (MA and JN laugh) Wah! Wah! Wah!"

JN: That's a very controversial part of the process.

MA: Right. Well, the first-edition copy went for £4,000, which is about $8,000, (JN: Sure.) which, I have to tell you, I think that's kinda low for a first-edition Harry Potter at this stage of the game. What do you think?

JN: Yeah. Well, somebody got a steal, then, I guess. (FF: Well...) You know, they should have these auctions around movie times, or book release times. Why'd they do it in Harry Potter lull news times?

MA: I don't know. You're asking me?

FF: So we have news to talk about. (laughs) (MA: So that we have news to talk about. ) How much do first-edition books typically go for? Some older, different...

MA: It all depends. Every book- actually, I spoke to the Sotheby's people about this because I was so curious when I saw Beedle the Bard back in November, I was so curious as to how they determined how much they think something's gonna go for. And they said it's all dependent on the story behind each particular object. So a regular, standard first-edition might go for a lot less next to a first-edition that perhaps was one that J. K. Rowling herself sent out as one of her copies that she gave to people. You know what I mean? (JN: Hm.) (FF: I see.) So, like, the story behind it and their ability to verify that story really effects it.

JN: Well, yeah, the ability to verify that's huge.

MA: So I don't know. Maybe it was broken-down a little bit, that book?

JN: I don't know. Maybe. It was in good shape. (MA: We saw...) If you're the person who bought the book and you wanna tell us about it, (MA laughs) e-mail us.

MA: If you're rich.

FF: That came in a package, right? In- or that was sold off separately?

MA: No, it wasn- No, it was sold off separately.

FF: Oh, never mind, then. My point isn't valid.

MA: Yeah, it was- there was a lot of books, about twenty books, some in packages, some in, like, full sets, (FF: Oh, I get you.) some in first-editions, etcetera, and it was one of them.

JN: That'd be funny, if they packaged first-edition Harry Potter with, like, Eragon or something, and someone's like, "Darn it, I just want the Harry Potter, I don't want the extra nonsense."

MA: (laughs) I thought you were gonna say, "Darn it, I just want the Eragon." I was gonna be confused.

JN: Oh, yeah. There you go. Everybody's clamoring over that.

FF: They should really release a book of all the different cover art from all the different countries. (JN: Like a picture book? That'd be cool.) Like a coffee table book, and just like the American ones, and then the British ones, and then the...

MA: Well, the legal nightmare that would take to get together...

FF: Really? Oh.

JN: Well, somebody should go about and find all of them, categorize them, (FF laughs) alphabetize them, and then (FF: Take credit.) print it out themselves, and put it out there. And...

MA: You did not just say that.

JN: What? (FF laughs)

MA: We're moving on, (FF and JN laugh) right now, before you put another toe in that pool, John Noe. (All laugh) Okay.

JN: I don't know what we're laughing at.

MA: We're laughing at Frak right now, because when he laughs like that I can't help it.

FF: (laughs) I'm sorry! (clears throat)

MA: Okay. (FF laughs) Anyway, we had a new Half-Blood Prince pic.

JN: Yes. They're in the common room. And someone pointed out to me, is it coincidence, or every movie lately, the first picture we've gotten has the trio been sitting in the common room?

MA: I don't think it's a coincidence at all.

FF: It's not coincidence. It just won't- honestly, it looked a bit photoshopped. The book, his Potions book's in there, and I'm like, "Oh, new pictures!" It's like, "Ah, well, we got you."

JN: I love the bowl of walnuts, though.

MA: (laughs) So random!

JN: That was my favorite part of that picture.

MA: Ron's sitting there with a bowl of walnuts. (laughs) What is happening?

JN: And no walnut cracker in sight! You can't eat those things without some means of opening them.

FF: Are they wizards, or not?

MA: You really think they couldn't figure out how to do it? As a wizard?

FF: Crackio!

JN: They can't zip up their own flies! I don't know.

MA: Well, anyway, I think...

FF: The spell to open a nut is Pistachio!

JN: (laughs) Pistachio.

MA: (laughs) You're gonna- J.K. Rowling is going to get mad at you at some point (FF: I'm sorry.) because she's going to say...

FF: No, she can't get mad at me!

MA: No don't be sorry! Eventually she's going to be like, "Who is this guy making up all these weird spells? How come people think that the spell to open a nut is Pistachio, and to make water bubbly is Pellegrino? What's going on?"

FF: (laughs) She better not hate me. I'll stop right now.

JN: (laughs) Pellegrino?

MA: No, no, no, no, no.

JN: That actually would be a good spell for the water, I do declare.

FF: I do declare.

JN: I like that.

MA: Pellegrino!

JN: (in a southern accent) I do declare!

MA: Anyway, I think they tried to release a picture of the three of them, because (JN: Yeah.) they're what people pay to see.

JN: Yep. Poor Ron is not even in focus.

MA: (laughs) He looks a little pissed about it, too.

JN: He's like, "Ugh, I'm sitting back here."

MA: We also heard that there will be a premiere in Los Angeles, for (JN: That's cool.) Half-Blood Prince. (FF: Yeah!) Also, around the time of the release, Dan Radcliffe will be in Equus, in New York.

JN: Now, let's just hope that he doesn't get confused about which event he's supposed to wear what to. (FF laughs) (MA: John...) Because that could mean a very interesting premiere.

FF: That would be very interesting, and I think a lot of people would either be for that, or against it.

JN: You see the horse-chorus walking down the red carpet with their horse-helmets.

MA: But speaking of Equus, we did an impromptu dialogue contest on Leaky with that picture. We just said, "Hey, write dialogue for this picture, put it in the comments." (MA and JN laugh) And somebody wrote, and his name was- oh, gosh I forgot his name, it's on Leaky- Harry's showing Hermione a book, right? And she's giving it the eye, like a "Whoa,"- not "Whoa," but (JN: Yeah.) a stand-offish kind of glare. And he wrote, for Harry, "This is me in Equus." (All laugh) Oh, so funny!

JN: I saw that. It's awesome.

FF: I missed that one. That's funny.

MA: It killed. Yeah, I just, when we were posting the pictures, said, "Hey, let's have a little fun with this." And people really took to the challenge. (sighs)(FF: "This is me in Equus.") All right, last couple tiny bits of news. We have some conference news. The programming schedule has been posted for Accio 2008. That's a conference in the Uck.

JN: Oh, yeah?

MA: Accio 2008.

JN: Where is that at?

MA: In the U.K, (JN: Ooh!) and I forgot the date! Go to Accio2008.org. Or hold on, I'll tell you. Sue usually knows this stuff off the bat. I've got look it up.

JN: Accio. I still hate that pronounciation.

FF: Me, too.

MA: Me, too! I'm not a fan. I'll adopt it.

FF: How would you pronounce it?

MA: Well, I'm Italian, so it would be, "Achio."

FF: Achio. John?

JN: I forget now, isn't that terrible?

FF: I always said "Ascio," like ascend? (JN: Oh, yeah. I guess so.) But I guess it does sound kind of weird.

MA: Anyway, Accio is the 25th through 27th of July at Oxford.

JN: Crike! Why are all the conferences on top of each other?

MA: I don't- because you have a very few- trust me, we know. You have a very set few number of weeks in the summer in which you could put on an event. So...

JN: I know, but if you want to go to all three of them, or whatever, you can't just be all like, "I'm going to take two months off from my life. Here we go."

MA: Well, it's sad, and everything, but the world goes on!

JN: I suppose. The world goes on.

MA: It's just, it's more choices for people. They can go to this one, they can go to Portus in Texas or they can go to Terminus in August in Chicago, August. (JN: Yeah.) We just found out that our friend Cheryl Klein is going to be a keynote speaker at Terminus!

FF: Oh, cool!

JN: Sweet!

MA: She's doing...

JN: How many T's do they have her billed down there? (FF laughs)

MA: You know, I think that Terminus might add a couple T's to her name.

JN: Do they- I think, as does a fine wine, with age, we add T's. (FF laughs)

MA: You don't want to tell Cheryl that that's why she got T's, okay?

JN: No, I'm not saying that she's aging, I'm saying just that the phenomenon of the Hot Cheryl.

MA: All right, also speaking at Terminus will be Tamora Pierce. You can get tickets to those presentations at Terminus2008.org. There will also be a live PotterCast at Terminus, and many other events. Sue is Head of House at Terminus. I'm not in her house, I'm in Brubu.

JN: I'm head of mischief.

MA: I know.

FF: You're in her house, (JN: I'm Peeves.) John.

JN: I don't- yeah, well, I requested to be in Sue's house. Last time...

MA: You got assigned to Sue's house.

FF: (laughs) Side step!

JN: Last time, there was- I believe it was http://www.thephoenixrises.orgPhoenix Rising, Sue and I were in the same house, and it was yellow and black, but it was a snake, or something. (MA: It was perfect) So I felt like it was a decent merger there. I'm still partial to my green and silver.

FF: Do they have animals for these houses, or no?

MA: I don't think so. These are based on winds, so I don't know.

FF: Based on what?

JN: You know, that's interesting, winds. (FF: Wind?) I didn't realize winds had names.

FF: I wasn't aware.

MA: Yeah, man.

JN: You know, Eskimos have like a dozen different names for snow.

FF: Well, I know there are four winds, in mythology, the four corners. (JN: Really?) I think so. Like on maps, old maps, they used to have those people blowing winds on the four corners of the world.

MA: Yeah, that's what (JN: Oh, right, yeah.) it's based on, the four corners. (FF: That's interesting.) That's why it's based in where you live. This is a little secret to Terminus...

FF: Oh. What would I- what's over here? What would California be?

MA: There's Brubu, which is the north, Sue's, which is Pampero, which is the south, southeast...

JN: Mm-hm. But now, wait a second, Sue lives all the way the hell up in Michigan.

FF: How dare her!

MA: Yeah, but she has roots in Louisiana, that's why.

JN: Well, no one asked me where I had roots! I have roots in Ohio.

MA: Okay.

FF: Okay. (laughs)

JN: What the hell?

MA: Well, you didn't put that down as your address, that's the problem.

JN: Well, I'm sure Sue didn't put down her address as where her roots were.

MA: Well, she's Head of House! For that house!

JN: Oh, I see, so, you know...

MA: She doesn't need to be in it, she's Head of House! She doesn't need to live in that area.

JN: So she's not herself in that house? She's just the head of it?

MA: She has roots there! What are you talking about?

JN: Oh, for the love of God...

MA: You want to get technical on the houses at a Harry Potter conference?

JN: I will have an argument with somebody.

MA: The other two houses are- I know you will- (JN laughs) the other two house are Matanuska House. (JN: Okay.) "Gales of fury lash the land, shrouding mountains, rivers and trees in power and ice, fiercely challenging the stalwart people of the north." That's that one, so that would be more like probably northwest, I think.

JN: Okay.

MA: There's Pampero, there's- oh, and Kohilo House.

JN: That's brilliant that they picked names that no one can pronounce.

MA: It's really hard! "Gently, steadily, the west wind blows, touching the ocean, rustling the trees." That seems like southwest. And that has a dragon. The Matanuska has another dragon. Oh, they're all dragons. (JN: Sweet!) Yeah, I'm in Brubu, it's red. I'm always in the red house!

FF: Are there pictures? Of these dragons?

MA: We'll put it in the show notes.

JN: (laughs) Frak has his sketchbook out already.

FF: I was just looking at the illustrations. (MA: They're pretty!) Yeah, the purple one is very elegant. That's pretty much Ravenclaw.

MA: Do you know what the purple one looks like? (FF: What?) Puff, the Magic Dragon.

FF: Does not!

JN: Aw.

MA: No, I love Puff, the Magic Dragon! Don't be all "Aw..." about it!

JN: No, I'm just being like, "Aw, I remember Puff."

FF: Puff, I imagine like a Barney-type character, like in a suit. (laughs)

MA: I guess, but it's just, it's the purple. (FF: I suppose.) Okay, anyway, anyway, (laughs) can we get back? Okay, that's our news for this week. That was the longest news ever, (FF: It was.) and we're gonna come back (JN: Mm-hm.) right to you with the Bit By Bit where we get into Chapter Ten of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood- (JN: Oh, my.) no Half-blood, what's the book? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! (laughs)

FF: (sings) Dun-dun-dun!

JN: All right!

MA: Oh, my brain!

JN: (sings) "And frolics in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee!"