PotterCast 154: 800 Words! Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 21:15)

Melissa Anelli (MA): Okay, it's that time again. Welcome to PotterCast- guys which one is it?

Frankie Franco III (FF): One fifty-three!

MA: One fifty-three? One fifty-four!

John Noe (JN): It's One-five-four.

MA: It's PotterCast One-five-four. (FF: O.M.G. my bad.) I got all messed up because we had a live show last week and it's been so long that- (makes noise) (JN: We did.) Once again, I'm Melissa, I'm here with John, Sue, and Frak, and we have a wonderful show in store for you this week. All right, so what do we have in store for you this week? We have phoenix files, which we'll be talking about the battle scene in the Ministry.

JN: The second-to-last one ever! Oh my gosh!

MA: Yup. Speaking of the ministry, we have a discussion of the break-in into the Ministry in Deathly Hallows. We'll be discussing the exciting prequel that we know nothing about of Harry Potter...

Sue Upton (SU): Woo-hoo!

MA: In a Canon Conundrums. (JN laughs) So that will be a really just chock-full of information segment and lots of tomfoolery over in the drums. So Sue, what's happening (FF laughs) in the world of Harry Potter?

SU: You know there's been so much news. I know last week you were down in Florida. I really, really want to take a few minutes- I know this is sad news, but I would like to talk about this, a big thing happened. On May twenty-third, a young man went out with his brother, they to a nightclub. There was a senseless act of violence took place. This young man was stabbed to death, and this young man was named was Robert Knox, and he was to play the part of the Ravenclaw student named Marcus Belby. He will be appearing in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (MA: Wow. Yeah.) Just as Cedric was killed just unexpectedly, and when he was a young man like this, so too was a young man taken from us. It's very- It's been hard for a lot of the fans because even though we had not met, and had no knowledge- it's just a minor part. A lot of fans were kinda shaken by just the senseless violence of it. It's very tragic. Obviously we all...

MA: Our thoughts go out to his family. It's just a shame.

FF: It's horrible.

JN: I was most disgusted with the newspapers that I with the newspapers that I walked by with the huge headline, "Harry Potter Star Killed." Totally playing up on the, "Oh, my gosh." Everybody when you read that you think Dan Radcliffe. I just- it made me cringe at how they can take something tragic like that and twist it into, "Hey look at my paper." But ah, that's just- Whatever.

MA: I don't think any of the four of us are surprised at this point. (laughs) (JN: What's that?) I don't think any the four of us are surprised at this point with the media shenanigans.

SU: Yeah. Yeah.

JN: No.

FF: It's still disappointing though.

MA: It's still very disappointing. (SU: Yeah.) Not to say that he's not a star, but he hadn't been seen in this film yet, (SU: Right.) and so to capitalize on his death that way is really just...

JN: Do we have much knowledge on exactly what happened?

SU: Yeah, we do. His brother was actually in a bar, and a guy had come up to his brother and pulled a knife on him. Frankie said, "Oh look, your brother is being harassed by this guy," and he went to aid his brother. The guy ended up stabbing Robert Knox five times.

FF: Five times, oh my gosh. Do we know if it was his older or younger brother?

SU: His brother was younger.

JN: Was his brother okay?

SU: I think he got injured but I believe he's all right now.

MA: Yeah, imagine that brother. Oh, God.

SU: Could you imagine? We just live in a world- it's so hard, because there's been so much tragedy, in China, and the cyclone and just all these terrible things. Yet here's another senseless act of violence taking another life. It's just, like you said, capitalizing on being an actor, but here it's just a young- like we in the Fandom, you were just in a comic convention, and we embrace all the actors, it doesn't matter what the role. We embrace them all. I think...

MA: Well it was heartening to see the fans, the up roaring of emotion over somebody they'd never seen, but just knowing that he was part of the Harry Potter (SU: Right.) phenomena- Part the Harry Potter World. That's really nice.

SU: Yeah, it was very nice.

MA: Again, the overwhelming goodness of the Fandom speaks up, so that's great. All right, can we move on from this?

SU: Yes, to happier news! We have some bigger, happier news! (MA: Happier news!) Yes, we do. We have actually some kinda big news, in the fact that Jo, J.K. Rowling, has written an actual new bit of Harry Potter material. In two forms, actually, and one is for a prequel to the series! On a note card, Melissa! (laughs)

MA: I know. Don't remind me of note cards, and auctions, okay? (SU laughs) You're dredging up years of memories, here. (FF laughs)

SU: Yes it does!

JN: Wait 'till you guys read it. It is so incredible, (MA: Oh, John.) you are going to be so pleased.

SU: Oh, please. Here we go. (FF laughs)

FF: How many words were there John?

JN: Somewhere like 190, something like that.

MA: Did you just make that up, or did you actually read the news?

JN: I read the card!

SU: Uh-huh.

MA: He read the news.

FF: He read the news.

MA: Yeah. Yeah.

SU: I know.

FF: I was trying to catch him.

MA: I thought you were gonna get him! Frankie, I thought you were gonna get him.

FF: He confunded me with his wit.

JN: Aw. (FF and JN laugh)

MA: I thought you had him there.

FF: What? Yeah, I figured it was subtle enough just to (JN laughs) (MA: I thought he was gonna say...) be like, "Aha! (MA laughs) You were wrong, my friend!" (MA: But the prequel...) But no!

MA: We're gonna talk more about this (FF: You saw right through me.) with all the knowledge we have of it, which is none, in a segment. (FF and MA laugh)

SU: Right. Right, but we will...

MA: Stay tuned for a totally clueless segment (FF: That's never stopped us before!) in a Canon Conundrums later in the show.

SU: Yes, yes. (laughs) But let's...

JN: How is that different than any other Canon Conundrums?

SU: Okay, we should make sure, though, that they- this card is up for a charity auction, I just want to make sure, that it is gonna be part of a charity auction on June 10th, and that the contents of the card will be revealed online for everybody to see on June 11th. (JN: Oh.) So we will know. So it's nothing that she's gonna keep hidden away, like that other note card that the winner never shared with us, (JN: Aw.) even though we saw the book, but...

FF: Now, when does- my understanding, they're publishing it, as well, (SU: Correct, right.) along with the other authors (SU: Yes.) who donated to this fundraiser. When is that being published?

SU: That comes out in August, and is available for pre-order. It's like five pounds in the U.K., which is about ten dollars here in the U.S. And they, Waterstone's, does ship internationally, so you can- and we have the link on Leaky, so you can go order it, and pre-order it right now, and it'll come to you in August.

FF: See, I would imagine that they wouldn't put it online until (MA: Yeah.) that came out, just to help (SU: Well, but its one thing...) bolster the sales of that. (MA: Yeah.) And honestly, I wouldn't be offended, because- as long as (MA: Yeah, I get the...) the proceeds to those sales go to charity. But I'm not complaining, because we get to read it sooner! (laughs)

MA: Well, I guess each one is 800 words, so they're probably thinking people are just gonna type it in on their LiveJournals, their Facebooks, their MySpace, what's the point? (JN: Sure, sure.) Just put it online, and people will be able to read it, (FF: Hm.) and if they want to support the charity, they can.

SU: Right, right, yeah, absolutely. And there's Neil Gaiman, (FF: I see, that's true.) there's a whole lot. There's twelve other authors that contributed something. (MA: Right.) Plus, there's the contest. Waterstone's, as we talked about a few weeks ago, is having a contest that you can submit your own things, and you could be part of this book, too. So it's kind of a cool thing. It's all for charity. Go for it. Do it. Very cool. Speaking of the other thing of Jo, (JN: Go ahead.) Jo has also been, as we've talked about, there is a new tenth anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

MA: Yes!

FF: Oh, yeah!

SU: Yes! How about that? And new stuff we don't- what do you think it is? Jo- that's gonna be...

MA: (laughs) I asked them, (SU: Did you?) and they're like, "Sorry, can't tell you!" I was like, (SU: Ugh!) "I don't know why I even ask anymore." All they will say is that there is new J.K. Rowling material (FF: What?) in there. Material.

FF: What do you mean, "new material"?

MA: I don't know. Did she draw something? Is there extra information?

FF: Is it a sketch? I bet it's a sketch.

JN: I heard that she wrote one chapter additional to the book from Hagrid's point-of-view, (SU laughs) during (SU: Really?) everything that was going on, yeah.

FF: I'm surprised it's not Dawlish's point-of-view.

JN: Well, Dawlish was busy back in Sorcerer's Stone time, so he wasn't around really very much. (FF: That's true.) (SU: Uh-huh.) You know what I'm thinking, though, that this whole ten-year anniversary thing, I'm loving this and I hope this happens for every book. Because I tell you, I say right now, right here and now on PotterCast 154, for the ten-year anniversary edition of Deathly Hallows, we need to have another midnight release party somewhere in the country for this book.

MA: Aw, that'd be...

FF: Aw, that'd be fun!

JN: A ten-year anniversary of that night, and some huge bookstore needs to stay open for a midnight release of that. (FF laughs) And we can all dress up in costumes and be ten years older, and laugh at the old pictures.

SU: Uh-uh, I'm not aging anymore, John. I've stopped aging.

JN: And it'll be fun.

SU: I've stopped aging.

JN: (laugh) Me too. (SU laughs)

FF: Oh, my gosh, how old will I be? (gasps)

JN: Oh, I don't even want to think about it. (SU laughs) But it will be so much fun. And do you guys think that they'll actually release ten-year anniversaries of all the books, or just this one time thing for Sorcerer's Stone?

MA: I'm guessing that this is the only one that'll be such a production, that maybe they'll just put out separate covers (SU: Yeah.) more quietly for the others. (JN: Yeah.) You can't do this seven times.

SU: No.

FF: Yeah, as the (MA: Yeah.) hoopla fades.

JN: I would be fine with doing it for Sorcerer's Stone, and then doing it again for Deathly Hallows.

MA: Yeah, I agree.

SU: That'd be cool.

MA: At least so big. (FF: Yeah.) They should make different covers for all the tenth anniversary editions, (SU: Mm-hm.) but make a big deal out of just the first and the last.

JN: Yeah, totally. It has- I guess we have ten years to convince them, nine years to convince them to (laughs) publish a special copy of it, so we can go crazy over it.

FF: It's almost been a whole year since it came out, that's right!

SU: Yeah.

MA: A whole year. Is that crazy or what?

SU: Yes. (laughs) 'Cause about this time, we were in New Orleans (JN: Mm-hm.) (FF: Very crazy.) for Phoenix Rising!

MA: Yep! And we were gearing up for our tour.

SU: (laughs) Golly. Ah! So I think it's the- that book is available for preorder, by the way, if you wanna get that, and be sure to click in our galleries, we have the high-res photos of the new artwork from Mary GrandPré of the new Harry, and I think it's really pretty cool!

MA: Yeah, it's pretty beautiful.

SU: It is. She had given a...

FF: Yeah, it's a great drawing.

MA: It's Harry against the...

SU: Yeah. (laughs) Frak-approved!

FF: Frak-approved.

MA: She gave an interview, right?

SU: Yeah, she did, with Time. And you were talking about the covers, and you know how- I was just thinking, about a year ago, we were talking about- remember the conversation we had about when the cover art came out, it was just all this. And Mary GrandPré said that she liked doing the covers because she deliberately chose the colors to show hints and shadows. The mood in the book is often set by the sound of soft color or shadow. So, she deliberately- said she deliberately tried to do that with her covers. And I was like, "Oh Lady! If you only knew!" (laughs) (JN: Whoa.) Few have understood how much we all... (FF laughs)

MA: But it's so beautiful. (SU: Yes, it is.) The cover is that beautiful moment in Book One where Harry sees his family through the Mirror of Erised (SU: Yes.) and it's just- (JN: Awesome.) yeah. It's one of those...

JN: It's Jo's favorite part of the book too. Isn't it Jo's favorite scene of like any Harry Potter book that she's done?

MA: Yeah. Yeah.

FF: Well, it's such a powerful scene. Imagine this orphan being able to see, you know, his parents. (JN: Yeah.) It's beautiful.

JN: And it makes the whole epilogue so much more appropriate when you think about what his heart's desire (SU: Yes.) was and (SU: Yes.) to, you know, be with family. (FF: Yeah.) And there he is with his family. (MA: Yep!)

FF: Look at you all-insightful.

MA: Well, that's one of those things that I can't stand when people- not can't stand. I mean, I understand, that's their right. But I so vehemently discriminate people who don't like the epilogue because Harry goes where he was always- where he always- what he always wanted the most was family and normalcy and being kind of boring and having kids and love and things that he didn't get to grow up with and like that may be boring for an adventure book reader, but (FF: See, I'm not going to argue. That's not even boring. ) that's what he wanted. And that's why I love it so much.

JN: Honestly, what do people expect when they complain about this? Do they want there to be a new evil out there already when Jo has said she's not writing any more books?

MA: Well, I think...

JN: Do they really want to sit there (MA: No.) and think there's (MA: I think people think...) a new evil?

MA: ...that it's a little bit sappy and maybe a little trite and maybe a little bit like an easy end. Like an, "Oh, he got everything he wanted." But (sighs) come on! The kid fought for (FF: He did not get everything he wanted.) seven years of his life! Leave him alone! (FF: Yeah.) Let him get everything he- (laughs) let him get the girl and get some love and have it be sappy. This is the end! You know? (JN: Well.)

FF: And it is you know.

JN: I mean, after all of that stress.

MA: Think about the ending of the television shows that you've seen. You know? (JN: Yeah.) And movies endings.

JN: He's already probably- he's probably already shortened his life expectancy about twenty years from all that stress over the seven years, so.

MA: And not to mention, a dark power- he's like in his thirties. He has one hundred and twenty years left of his life. He may yet see another dark power. You know? You have no- like this is just where (JN: Yeah.) he is right then.

SU: That's why Jo needs to write that book (JN: For real.) about Albus Severus. She said that's the name that most interests her. Do it, Jo! Come on! (laughs) Sorry. (FF laughs) (JN: We're ready for it.) I'm all for it. We just had an official update from Miss Emma Watson on her website that said that filming is- principal photography at least, is done on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Woo-hoo! And I believe you guys (JN: Yay!) might have talked a little about that last week (FF: All right.) somewhere. Where were you all? In Florida, right?

MA: It was lovely.

JN: It was.

FF: It was Florida.

JN: It was fun. It was awesome.

MA: I got sun burnt.

SU: Did you?

JN: You did? Yeah. You didn't get- it wasn't a (FF: Really?) painful sunburn, was it?

MA: It was a painful sunburn for a night! (JN: For half a day.) I was outside for one hour. This is not for now. We'll talk about this in the drums.

SU: Can can can- (JN: Yeah.) yeah. (FF laughs) I wanted to ask you what Natalia Tena said. Was it the (inaudible).

MA: Oh man, she is so funny. That girl has no filter. She just talks.

FF: I'm a little jealous that you got to meet her.

MA: And it's amazing. It's great. It's such a free- like thank God because sometimes it's hard to get like the real details (SU: Mm-hm.) when you do an interview because everybody is sort of careful and dancing around it and Natalia Tena, she just goes. (SU laughs) It's great. So basically, she told us that yes, there is no Dumbledore's funeral in the sixth film. And also, that the Remus/Tonks relationship is bit- like it's off script. Like it's hand holding and touching and you know, like it's obvious they're together, but it's not really written into it. Yeah. (JN: Yeah.) (FF: It's just assumed.) Which is- I'm fine with that. That's valid.

JN: Which is- yeah. It's better than not having them in it at all.

MA: And it's something you can't do in a book. You have to write it in a book. So, (JN: Yeah.) excellent, you know? Get something off the book and onto a visual, translate it well, and the other stuff that you have to lay out, can take precedence, you know?

JN: Some people were theorizing that instead of the Fleur wedding in Deathly Hallows that we would see Tonks and Remus wedding just because we haven't really seen much (FF: Hmm.) of those Weasley's and that it would be kinda random.

FF: I know. I'm still kinda disappointed that we don't get to meet Charlie...

MA: Is Clemence Poesy even in Six?

FF: ...and Bill.

MA: I don't think she is, right?

JN: I don't think she was cast. (FF: Fleur?) No.

SU: Yes, she's not in the movie. No.

FF: Oh, the actress. No, she's not.

MA: You know, I can- isn't it terrible, I can kinda see them cutting the wedding from Seven. (SU: I can, too.) I'd love to see it...

FF: (sighs) No. I can too. I don't want them to though.

MA: ...but that's more from a fan- just like a desire to see it. I can't see serving (JN: Yeah.) a full (FF: Mm-hm.) importance in the seventh movie. (SU: Well.)

JN: You know, it was interesting...

MA: What was interesting?

FF: Can they (inaudible).

JN: It'd be interesting if it was because think about any other time in a Harry Potter movie we've had a long period of time- a long scene without Dan Radcliffe in it.

MA: Well, that's another reason why they might not do it. (laughs) It would be so confusing (JN: Yeah.) for people.

JN: To cast some random redhead dude (SU: Aw.) that no one's ever seen before.

FF: I can see if they were going to do that scene, (MA: Yeah.) I can see them doing it (SU: Right.) with an invisibility cloak. So you can see him like under it rather than- if they were going to do that, but like you said, I think there is just- (JN laughs) it doesn't make sense to translate it into a film.

JN: What do we do without Dan?

FF: Without him being under Polyjuice.

MA: Barney.

JN: Dan!

SU: I do too. Bright yellow. I wanted to see that.

FF: But, I really wanted to see Luna at the wedding.

MA: I mean they may have to make some excuse for some gatherings with (inaudible).

SU: Yeah, they'll have to be. Yeah.

MA: (inaudible) Ministry. So they can have...

SU: Yeah.

FF: They can do it at Harry's birthday or something.

MA: They can celebrate Harry's birthday and they have to run.

JN: Yeah. They could be out having smores or something (SU: Smores. Uh huh.) in the backyard.

MA: As they do every night.

JN: Chilling. Hang out.

SU: Weenie roast.

JN: Adavadawhat?

FF: Making smores out of fire snakes.

JN: What are these fire snakes, I wonder. I don't really want to see these things.

FF: I think it's the fire snake that happened at the end of the fifth movie with Voldemort.

JN: Yeah, but those are brilliant kind. (FF makes cat noises)

MA: Frak, I thought you were Mootchka. (JN laughs) (FF makes cat noises)

JN: At least we know how to defeat them though 'cause we saw Dumbledore do it.

SU: Yeah.

MA: What? Okay.

SU: Speaking of him...

JN: You got it. (FF laughs) That'll teach them.

SU: Can we move along? Actually, talk about the movie now that we're in control.

JN: I was going to swing a rake at it, but magic will probably work better.

SU: Ah, yes.

FF: That is always a good segue way to go over to...

JN: Are we done with the news?

MA: What else happened? What else did we talk about in last week's show? Devon was hilarious about Seamus and how he's like the stupidest wizard ever. (JN: I love that.) Blow things up and stuff like that. (FF: That was really funny.) I love it. I know a lot of people are like, "Why don't they read all the books?" Guys, they're actors. Gambon is different because he is pivotal in all these movies, but I can understand Natalia Tena only reading for her character. (JN: Yeah.) 'Cause she doesn't need all that. So, they're actors. They don't take it as seriously as we do and that's fine. As long as they do a good job, I don't care.

JN: Yeah, I don't think it...

FF: And, didn't she, she read the, after she read the fifth one, she read the sixth one on her own accord.

MA: Yeah, now she's all into it. Now she loves it (FF: She got all upset when...) and that seems to be the common story.

FF: Like me. I didn't start reading the books until after I saw the third movie. So, I was late into the fandom.

MA: I just like how they said at least with the theme park at least they have jobs forever. If they're out of work, they can just ask to go work the theme park (SU: Yeah.) for the rest of their lives.

JN: As permanent face characters.

MA: That's fantastic.

SU: Did you ask Hugh about Colin? About Colin Creevey? Just about being emo and all that kind of stuff?

FF: I wish I was British so I could be a random student.

SU: Remember how we had talked about it before. I just thought it was kind of funny that we got to interview him.

MA: Well, it's so funny because we didn't find out he was going to be there until the day before, or something. So, it was so hilarious because we've talked about Hugh Mitchell here, about his music and stuff. And, it was just kind of this funny, random, "Oh, ex-Harry Potter cast member. Here's his fun band's MySpace." And then all of a sudden we were sitting on stage with him, and it was completely bizarre.

JN: Yeah.

FF: What does he look like because his voice is deep?

MA: He looks like a Hanson brother.

JN: Oh, yeah. Maybe a little bit.

FF: He looks like a Hanson brother? Which Hanson brother?

MA: Yeah, like long hair, stringy. Oh, I don't think they look like girls. (JN and FF laugh) Come on, that wasn't an insult.

FF: Sorry.

SU: Boo.

JN: I'm sorry Hanson.

FF: I'm being mean. I apologize. I grew up on MmmBop. I was fifteen when that came out. (singing) MmmBop talking about DooBop. Anyway.

MA: Actually, they're later music is actually pretty good. I admit it. I am a Hansen fan everybody. I am. (JN: Oh, man.) Their later music is actually pretty excellent. (SU: Wow.) Check them out. (JN: Oh, gosh.) Okay, let's move on.

SU: That must have been cool though just to talk to him 'cause we miss you Colin. We miss you!

MA: It was bizarre.

JN: I was all nervous.

MA: You were nervous. It was so cute. 'Cause you weren't nervous at all around J.K. Rowling, but around four actors from the film.

JN: See, I'll tell this to anybody. I know J.K. Rowling gets it and she gets us and she gets the obsession. There's no feeling embarrassed about anything in front of J.K. Rowling. And like I said, it's hard to come up with questions for them because you don't want to geek out too much 'cause they don't know what you're talking about necessarily. So, then it just gets to a general interviewee/interviewing subject, which is not where I've ever been good at. So, I don't know. It was difficult for me.

MA: Well, I love when somebody asked them about anime and they were like, "What's that?" It was cute. It was a reminder that they're not the geek level that we are. (SU laughs)

JN: I think that's actually the one question that got cut out of the show.

MA: Oh, well. There you go guys.

SU: Host secrets revealed. There we go.

MA: No, there was one other question, right?

JN: There was one other question. Oh, I want to say it. It's funny.

MA: No, we're not going to talk about it here. We're moving on right now.

FF: Do it!

JN: (laughs) The people there will know.

MA: That's right. It'll be our secret.

FF: I'm right in the middle.

SU: We have to talk about Phoenix Files and other stuff.

JN: Oh, right.

FF: Yes, let's apparate on over to the Phoenix Files.

JN: Let's finish up Phoenix Files. Up. (MA: Up. Up. Up.) Sue will be there when we get there.

FF: Miss Melissa.