PotterCast 146: Set Them All Free Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 14:55)

Melissa Anelli (MA): John Noe's already burning things down. Let's see if he gets to the end of the show and is still alive. Welcome to PotterCast Number 146. (MA laughs)

John Noe (JN): (laughs) Come on.

Sue Upton (SU): Hello.

JN: I burned an artichoke of all the darn things to burn.

MA: No, let's be clear. You were boiling artichokes and somehow you managed to burn them. That's an accomplishment.

JN: Now, come now. Artichokes soak up the water and I even had a lid on too.

SU: You know what? Rachael Ray is going to get you.

JN: I'm going to put that picture online. You guys- I'll own it. That was stupid of me. But I will own it and you can see the picture.

MA: All right. Well, welcome to PotterCast 146. I'm here again with the now full PotterCast quartet. (FF laughs) (SU: Woo Hoo!) I'm Melissa, here with John, Sue, and the lovely Frak, who has slipped into this little group here like a glove or something.

Frankie Franco III (FF): Well, thank you very much.

JN: Say hi, Frak.

FF: Hi. Where are you at, John?

JN: He's from the past. I'm from the past. (laughs)

MA: Okay, before we go further into this week's show, which is a great one, let's here from our friends. Not Audible.com. Audiblekids.com.

JN and FF: Ooh!

JN: Really?

SU: Oh, my.

FF: Audible Kids.

Audible Ad: JN: This podcast is brought to you by Audiblekids.com, the Internet's leading source for children's audiobooks. Get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Log on to audiblekids.com/pottercast for more details.

MA: All right. This week's show, we have what? We have a Bit By Bit, a Scribby 5, a Canon Conundrums. (FF: Ooh.) (SU: Yes.) (JN: Maybe.) A Phoenix Files?

SU: Mm-hm. Hopefully.

JN: A Phoenix Files for sure.

MA: I don't know. I'm asking.

SU: Yes. Phoenix Files.

JN: Phoenix Files and Bit By Bit. Right, Susie?

MA: No Canon Conundrums?

FF: No Canon Conundrums for sure.

SU: Aw, I want to do Canon Conundrums.

JN: I guess we could maybe do a Canon Conundrums if you'd like.

MA: We just got to keep our discussion tailored. Before we... (laughs)

JN: I'm going to let Sue decide. (SU: Well, I...) Because she was the good lady who prepared (MA: Yes.) the notes this week because I fail.

MA: And I fail too.

SU: I think we should do it in honor of our recent staff member. Who was just here.

MA: Oh, our dear departed Sybill?

JN: Oh, right. Yeah. What happened? Did she die?

SU: No. (laughs)

MA: No, John! (SU and MA laugh) We fired her. She was drinking on the job.

JN: Oh, that's right. Oh, you can't do that. (FF and MA laugh) There's only a few people who can get away with that.

MA: Yeah. Only Dumbledore allows that stuff. I run a tighter ship. (FF laughs) We got to get rid of her. (SU: Yeah.) So, yes. So let's do a Canon Conundrums about what house she might have been in.

SU: Hm.

FF: Yes.

JN: Okay, sure. Sounds fun.

FF: Continuing the sorting series.

MA: Okay.

JN: And guess what all you peoples? We might even have a little announcement about the acting troupe (SU gasps) at the end of the show.

MA: Well, I think we really should.

SU: Yeah.

JN: Except for the part because we've been forgetting about it for weeks for some ridarculous reason.

MA: Ridarculous? (JN: Yes.) All right. Sue, what's the news this week?

SU: Well, we keep hearing more from Miss Jo. This one is another- back in February- (MA: Miss Jo.) Miss Jo. Better known as J.K. Rowling I should say. She had appeared at the James Joyce Awards over in Dublin, Ireland. Someone had attended the event but we weren't able to get a transcript. And now someone- We have have a transcript of- she took a lot of questions. And Jo said that- she talked about the importance of Snape and Dumbledore to the series and that- and I found this really, really interesting but she said that the series is based around their two plot lines. (MA: Hm.) What do you think about that? I thought that was really- (FF: It makes sense.) and she continued on to say to that the plot lines of Dumbledore and Snape in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were actually he two most important characters, aside from the trio. I thought that was really interesting when you reflect back that's what she was thinking. So, she developed their plot lines right away.

MA: So, was Harry a pawn in the histories and foibles and mistakes of Dumbledore and Snape?

SU: I think that's the way she was looking at it.

FF: Well, if it's a pawn, I don't know if pawn's the right term, (MA: Yeah.) but I think that he's subject to cleaning up their mess.

MA and SU: Yeah.

MA: Poor Harry. Everybody else screws up.

FF: That's why I was really happy with the epilogue because it was nice. You know what? Harry had such a screwed up life. (MA: Exactly.) His whole life. It's nice that he can settle down into some quote, unquote monotony just being a regular family.

MA: Exactly.

SU: But, it's really true. I mean, you could look at as a story as Snape's journey. No, because what Harry went through, although it was his journey, what his adventures were were actually the cause or the result of the actions of Dumbledore and Snape. So, it's kind of like how Frodo's journey was reaction, kind of...

MA: Yeah.

FF: That's a good example.

MA: Well, something i want to ask for next time is I was talking with Andrew Slack today, from The HP Alliance. (JN: Andrew Slack!) Yay! Andrew Slack! We were talking about Harry and how nineteen years later we saw that he had a normal life. He had a great life with Ginny and three wonderful kids but there had to have been moments when he, after the battle, were really hard for him. (SU: Oh.) (JN: In what way?) And I'm curious. Just post traumatic stress alone. Jeez. (JN: Oh, right, right.) What he gone through. And I'm curious to what Jo has imagined about how they get to the pure happy point that they were at at the epilogue.

JN: I always wondered if his personality was changed in any dramatic way. To think he's lived his whole life with this little piece of Voldemort inside of him, if it had any influence on who he was, and with its absence, if it changed him into a different sort of person.

FF: I don't know. Becuse I think in the fifth book is when Harry- everyone noticed that Harry's all emo and really whiney in the fifth book, and that's one of the books where Voldemort's soul was the aggressive in him, and so I think that would be indicative of that he was who he was, and then when Voldemort's soul became more active in him, it kind of, it did alter him a little bit, but now with that gone, I think he'll just settle back into what he was when he was younger.

SU: For me, the part I wonder about is how he resolved his emotions towards Snape. We were just talking about the influence of plot lines. Here's Harry going all those years hating this man. I mean, you had that moment where you understood what he had done, they saw pensive and all of that, but how you come to resolution with all those emotions? I just think that just must have been really- obviously he named one of his children- (FF: That's a good point.) did he name- it was one of his children, right? Albus Severus?

MA: Yeah. Yeah.

FF: Yeah. The one that had Lily's eyes.

SU: I just thought that was really- ooh, that's a good topic! I once had a good conversation, Melissa, with Andrew about that.

MA: Yeah! Yeah. Andrew and I- he intends to call for two seconds, then it's three hours later (SU: Yeah.) when we both realize that we kept talking about the epilogue for 25,000 minutes. So, (FF laughs) yeah, I'm interested. It brings all these other questions that- Ah, she needs to come back.

SU: I know. Do it, Jo! Come on. Anytime. (FF laughs) Ooh, this is one more thing- I'm still in that story of that transcript of her in Dublin. She also said that she never really heard any of the actors while she was writing the book except for Evanna Lynch. She heard the voice of Evannah as Luna as she was writing Deathly Hallows. Isn't that cool?

FF: Yeah? That's so cool!

SU: I thought that was neat. You know?

MA: Yeah. She is Luna. There is no- it's freaky.

FF: I've always said that, too, because I have diff- all the actors, characters, I have my own version in my head, but for some reason, Evannah and Luna are, like- like, it's so right on (MA laughs) that they just kinda lift, they just kinda change.

JN: The only person I have like that I think is Rupert. I don't know why. I see Rupert very much like my Book Ron in my head, but nobody else...

MA: Hm. My Ron's a little taller. Ganglier. All right. What else is going on this week, Sues?

SU: Speaking of Rupert, he was just on a talk show, it was actually a kind of amusing show, it's called Al Murray's Happy Hour Show, and he said that again he's- Ron Weasley is gonna be doing Quidditch in Half Blood Prince, (FF: He is? Nice.) yes, he is. He's been filming those scenes, so- we knew that, but it is always nice when he mentions it, you kinda get that little thrill, like, "Yes! Weasley is our king."

MA: Nice cover, Frak. (FF: Huh?) Nice cover, Frak. "I mean, I knew that."

FF: Way to point it out, Melissa. (MA and SU laugh)

MA: Sorry. There's no free passes on this show.

FF: (laughs) We haven't seen Quidditch since Movie Three. Correct?

SU: No. And it wasn't that really- When the broom was up in the air, right? And then he fell off. And then- wasn't that that famous "Arresto momentum!" or whatever that was?

FF: "Restroom," that's Dumbledore...

SU: "Ayeee!" That's one of John's favorite scenes.

FF: It's when he's falling, sorry.

JN: Splat.

MA: Splat. (laughs)

FF: Splat. Wah-wah.

SU: Yeah, that'll be exciting to have that in there.

MA: Yeah. Ron's doing Quidditch. (SU: Yeah.) Yay. Okay.

SU: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter news keeps trickling out. We got a really pretty good scoop that they're starting auditions for the people who'll be playing- like, through the park there'll be characters walking through the park. And this is kinda neat. The person said what they're gonna be doing is they're gonna have duels. (MA laughs) So in certain spots throughout the park, (JN: I see.) there are gonna be pre-set things so when they duel each other they'll have explosion effects and stuff. Isn't that great?

FF: That is cool. Nice.

MA: That's amazing.

JN: Awesome.

SU: Yes. Like Expelliarmus! Pshew!

JN: Be all choreographed.

FF: They could have like a random person get hit by an AK just lay there for the rest of the show. (MA: Oh, no.) That'd be fun.

MA: I'd hate seeing someone killed.

JN: They of course plan on having Dawlish there (SU laughs) to make sure everybody is (SU: Uh-huh.) dueling properly.

FF: I hear that Dawlish and Grubbly-Plank are going to duel. (SU laughs)

JN: Ooh, that would be fun because, see, I get the automatic casting there (SU: You're doing both parts?) as the namesake. (SU: You're going to do both?) I can't do both if they're in the same place I can't be there at the same time but one or the other, I have free rein to take either character. (SU laughs)

MA: I want to petition Jo to use her (laughs) pull to give some people like Golden Passes. (laughs) (JN: Yeah.) I want to brazenly use our whatever faux status (JN: Our clout.) is in society (JN: Yeah.) to get on the rides first! (laughs)

JN: Yeah!

SU: Oh!

FF: We could do a podcast on a ride.

SU: Oh, yeah because.

MA: Exactly. This is the only time ever that I will openly try to abuse this podcast. (FF laughs)

SU: Melissa, that's shameless. That's like John. (laughs)

JN: Well, all of us already. We'll go to Disneyland and try to kill the basilisk on the Indiana Jones ride. (MA: We do!) We just need, we need our Harry Potter rides like ASAP.

FF: Every time I go by that I think, "Where's my rooster?"

SU: That would be so fun. (JN laughs) Because the one the report said that they're going to make a ride through Gringott's that's based on the rails through the bank. So, you guys could.

MA: There has to be. You have to have the Gringott's Goblin Coaster.

SU: That would just be so fun. (laughs) I could see you up there, Melissa, trying to bat off Johns. You could go, you know. (MA: I'm there.) It would be awesome.

FF: It's like at Disneyland, what Frak was just saying when we all started singing the Harry and the Potters song. (SU: Yeah.) "Got to Save Ginny Weasley From the Basilisk." Because as you go through (JN: Yes.) the Indiana Jones ride (JN: Yes.) it is so very much the Chamber of Secrets. It's terrible. (laughs)

JN: It's so cool. With vehicles and bridges and skulls.

SU: I have not been on that ride. Is it really like that?

MA: It really is. (laughs)

SU: That would be fun.

JN: Yeah.

MA: Crazy.

SU: There's one more thing about this.

MA: All right, what's up, Sooz?

SU: I wanted to say, this was one thing I didn't know. It said there's going to be a stage show, too, that comes from the Goblet of Fire scene in the graveyard. (JN: What?) (MA: Boo.) I know. And I thought she had never actually authorized performances, right, before? Is that right? So?

MA: That's right.

JN: All bets are off for this thing.

SU: So that's.

FF: Wait, wait. The graveyard scene? (SU: Mm-hm.) You get to see Voldemort come back? (SU: Well.) And do that creepy spell?

MA: Isn't that scary for kids?

SU: I would think so.

FF: I don't like that spell. Cutting up Harry, "Let's put his blood in this cauldron." "No."

JN: Of all things to re-enact on a daily basis. That? (SU: Well, yeah, you.) Watching Wormtail getting his hand cut off?

MA: But maybe it's Harry beating him.

SU: Yeah. Doing the duel. Just, you know.

JN: Maybe.

FF: Oh. Word.

MA: Getting back.

FF: Yeah.

SU: I keep getting the old rumor, remember the one about there's going to be Harry Potter the Musical, you know, and that they want to do this and you get this and you think well, maybe someday in our lifetimes we'll actually start doing these kind of crazy performances. I don't know. I thought that was kind of interesting.

JN: Yeah.

MA: But it sounds like it's going to be an amazing. I just keep thinking back to that meeting that they showed us from the documentary. (SU: Oh, right.) That Jo was in, (SU: Mm-hm.) that meeting. The guy was talking about how you're going to have certain areas where only if you stand in that specific spot will you hear voices and stuff. (laughs)

SU: Yeah.

FF: That'll be cool.

MA: They'll be trying to use technology to do all this magic stuff so I think it's going to be great.

SU: Our Miss Jo is amazing, too. I just want to do a quick book mention. She's going to do contribute to a book for Prince Charles. He's turning sixty this year and so I think that's really neat that here's Jo, doing all these amazing contributions. I guess it's going to celebrate his life or something. I'm not really sure but it's kind of a cool thing. (MA: Cool.) And Dan Radcliffe fans, pay attention to the calendar. April 22nd, the DVD comes out for that My Boy Jack. We've had so many requests about that. It's going to be on PBS two days before, too, that movie. We have a whole bunch of new clips from that movie in our Galleries, so, should be neat. (JN: Awesome!) I was actually really surprised. It's already aired in the UK and everybody's already seen it and I think parts of Canada, too, but I'm not really sure, but I was really surprised the maturity he is exhibiting. I guess so in Equus clearly he's a little bit more mature but I don't know. That was a good part so that was interesting. So, that's all I got. That's all I got for you right now.

MA: All right, Suze. (SU: Yep.) Sounds good to me.

JN: We got the news. What are we doing now? What do you want to do now?

MA: What do you want to do first?

JN: Let's bust into maybe the Phoenix Files.

SU: Okay.

MA: Sounds good to me.

JN: Right.