MuggleCast 107 Transcript
Show Intro
[Intro music begins]
Mason: Hey, Laura! Do you want to know about a good deal?
Laura: Why, yes, Mason. I would love to!
Mason: Good, because I have a deal with your name on it.
Laura: Tell me more!
Mason: Well, in that case, GoDaddy.com is offering the best deals of a lifetime. For only $3.59 a month for a year, you can get GoDaddy.com’s economy package.
Laura: Amazing! What do I get with the economy package?
Mason: You get 250 gigs of bandwidth, five gigs of storage and up to 500 e-mail accounts. You can get your website up and running.
Laura: I can!?
Mason: Yeah. When you check out, enter code Muggle – that’s M-U-G-G-L-E – and save 10 percent on any order.
Laura: Can you spell that again?
Mason: Yeah, I can. That’s M-U-G-G-L-E.
Laura: Wow! Do any restrictions apply?
Mason: Some restrictions apply, see site for details. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy…
Laura: Dot com.
Andrew: Today’s MuggleNet podcast is brought to you by Borders. In May, thousands of Harry Potter fans descended upon New Orleans for the Phoenix Rising Conference. Borders was there to take in the sites and share a lively discussion of the series that has bewitched the world with some of Harry’s most dedicated fans. Listen in and watch the action yourself. Check out the Phoenix Rising Borders Book Club discussion at BordersMedia.com/HarryPotter or click on the Borders banner at the top of the MuggleNet page.
[Show music begins]
Micah: Because we’re going to have a good time tonight, this is MuggleCast Episode 107 for September 1st, 2007.
[“Celebrate Good Times” by Kool And The Gang starts playing]
Andrew: Oh, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the show! We are back for our first in studio recording in a long time and we have got a good panel today. I was going to say great but I realized it’s not that great.
Laura: Aww.
Andrew: We have Eric here.
Eric: Hello!
Andrew: Laura.
Laura: Yay!
Andrew: And Micah.
Micah: Hey.
Andrew: All the regulars. And we also have an English guy here. And I know what you’re thinking. You think it’s Jamie. Well, you’re wrong. Jerry Cook is here today!
Jerry: Hello, everyone.
Andrew: And we are celebrating.
Eric: What are we celebrating, Andrew?
Laura: What?
Andrew: We are celebrating being back in the studio…
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: …and making it through the summer without a scratch or a mark or a hickey.
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Everything’s good here. I have to ask though, is anyone sad about the summer being over?
Laura: I am.
Andrew: About the summer of Potter? You are, Laura?
Laura: Yeah, it really hit me. Like I’m in college now sitting in my dorm right now and it was like, wow, it all went by really fast. It felt like it was just yesterday we were all in L.A. for the premiere, and now it’s like back to school. So it’s kind of depressing. But exciting as well because college is awesome.
Andrew: Good. Well, I’m moving in tomorrow. Eric? Eric, are you in college now?
Eric: Yeah, that’s what I’m doing over here. I’ve been in New Zealand since February.
Andrew: Oh really? Oh.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: I was just kidding.
Eric: [laughs] No, I was just letting you know. You know.
Micah: Are you sick, Eric?
Eric: No.
Andrew: You sound a little deeper, Eric.
Micah: Oh. Your voice sounds a little – yeah.
Eric: Yeah. Oh, I think…
Andrew: Eric, have little changes been going on in your body?
Eric: …what Book 7 did for me – I’m growing up now and so I’m hitting puberty and going through all those changes. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! But yeah.
Andrew: We’re not aware of that word here on this show. But anyway, let’s see. Micah, how’s school going for you?
Micah: Oh great, absolutely. Just a great, great time. Even though it ended almost two years ago, but that’s okay.
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Didn’t realize. All right, so [laughs] we have a great show today for everyone. I am personally ready. I’m excited to be back. I got my hair cut today, so I am set.
Eric: I could use a haircut.
Jerry: Yeah, me too.
Andrew: I’m Andrew…
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I’m Andrew Sims.
Eric: I’m Eric Scull.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Jerry: I’m Jerry Cook.
News
Andrew: Micah Tannenbaum is in the MuggleCast News Center with the past couple of weeks’ top Harry Potter news stories.
[Show music begins playing]
Micah: All right. Thanks, Andrew. According to The Wilkshire Times, filming for Half-Blood Prince will take place in the village and in the cloisters at Lacock Abbey in Wilkshire, England. This location will be used for multiple night scenes from the sixth Potter book. Shooting will last four days in October between 5:00 PM and 5:00 AM. A sum of 30,000 pounds will be given to the village in exchange, and, in addition, each resident will receive a sum of 200 pounds and a secure parking service.
At a recent lecture in the U.S., John Williams, former composer of the Harry Potter movies soundtrack, was asked if he was hoping to score the last Harry Potter film. He said with confidence that he thinks he will be back for Deathly Hallows, and then added that he hopes he is. As previously reported, Nicholas Hooper will be scoring Half-Blood Prince.
Speaking of movie news, according to a new report released by several British film and tourism bodies, the location of scenes shot in the Harry Potter movies are amongst several recent films responsible for the boost in U.K. tourism. Chief Executive of the U.K. Film Council, John Woodward, said, “British films and television programs play a powerful role in showcasing the U.K. to the rest of the world and boosting tourism. There are countless examples of visitors flocking to locations they’ve seen in films or on TV, and the effect can last for years.” The report also listed several other non-Potter films including The Da Vinci Code, Gosford Park, and Pride and Prejudice.
And various details concerning the upcoming Order of the Phoenix DVD release are slowly starting to emerge. The Movie Informer has received what looks to be the front and back cover of the two-disc special edition DVD. As for a release date, rumors are currently circulating that we can expect to see it in mid-November, many sites reporting November 12th in the U.K.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix walked away with the surfboard for Choice Summer Movie Drama/Action/Adventure at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards. Other movies in the category included Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Last week, The Sunday Mirror reported that a Harry Potter themed musical is currently in the works to open in London’s West End. The article says producers are working on several script ideas and believe it has huge potential. More on that later in the show. Finally, the author of the Harry Potter novels, J.K. Rowling, and the actress that brings Hermione to life on the movie screen, Emma Watson, have been selected as two of 100 women Premiere has chosen because of their impact on the film industry in 2007. That’s all the news for this September 2nd, 2007 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show. That’s all the news for this September 1st, 2007 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.
Andrew: All right. Thank you, Micah.
Micah: Welcome. It’s been a long time.
Micah’s Birthday
Andrew: Hey! Yeah, and you just celebrated a birthday the other day, didn’t you?
Micah: I did.
Andrew: By the other day, I mean last week. By last week, I mean – I’m not sure exactly when.
Micah: Laura knows.
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: August 17th because I am…
Andrew: Oh, yes.
Laura: …awesome, and I remember people’s birthdays.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Jerry: Two weeks ago.
Andrew: Well, see, because I tried to look on Micah’s “About Us” profile, but there’s no birthday. It’s just 24.
Jerry: Sneaky.
Andrew: Just now updated. But Happy Birthday, Micah!
Micah: Thanks.
Andrew: We – what did you do for your birthday?
Micah: I actually went to another friend’s surprise birthday party. So…
[Andrew and Jerry laugh]
Andrew: Oh, okay. Cool, cool. And it was also Ben’s birthday. Unfortunately, he cannot be here today. He has some stuff to do. And then Jerry…
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: None of the listeners know you yet, but it’s also – it was also your birthday recently, right?
Jerry: Yep, August 17th, same as Micah.
Micah: Oh, really?
Andrew: Oh.
Jerry: Coincidentally, yeah.
Micah: How old were you?
Andrew: So, why didn’t you guys…
Jerry: 21.
Andrew: …like coordinate a little party?
Micah: Oh.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: 21, you said?
Jerry: Yeah.
Eric: Wow.
Andrew: Oh man, big time. That means nothing over…
Jerry: Of course you’re younger than I am. Yeah, it means nothing here.
Andrew: That means nothing over in the U.K. though, does it? Yeah.
Jerry: No.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jerry: Boring.
Andrew: Interesting.
Micah: Yeah.
Andrew: 18 is the big age over there.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: So, Happy Birthday to you three, and…
Jerry: Thank you.
Andrew: …who’s the next birthday coming up?
Laura: Should be Jamie, right?
Andrew: I’m May.
Laura: December 7th?
Andrew: Oh yeah, Jamie’s December. Yeah.
Eric: Jamie’s December?
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: Oh. Well, I turn 19 and a half on October 23rd.
Andrew: Well, see, Eric, that doesn’t count.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: We don’t count half birthdays on the show here.
Eric: Oh. Okay. Sorry.
Andrew: Because I wanted to encourage people to start sending birthday gifts in if it was me, but it’s not me. So, forget about it, and…
[Andrew and Jerry laugh]
Andrew: …anyway, so moving on to some news. Lately, there hasn’t been much in the news. After the book came out it was pretty much downhill.
Eric: It’s depressing.
Laura: Yeah, it really is depressing. Like, how many times has MuggleNet been updated since the book came out? Like twice? [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, you can probably count them on one hand.
Micah: Yeah.
News Discussion: Order of the Phoenix DVD Release Date?
Andrew: I just posted today about the DVD information. That’s – I guess there’s some information there. Rumored release date right now of November 12th in the U.K.
Jerry: Really?
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Hmm.
Andrew: For the DVD.
[Jerry says something unintelligible and laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, you know, I guess it’s good news. Nobody really cares. Another interesting piece of information was the list of deleted scenes, and back at the L.A. premiere, Emerson and I posed that question to David Yates, the director. We said, “What deleted scenes are we going to be seeing on the DVD?” And one of them he talked about that is also listed here: Trelawney eating. And apparently, according to the…
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: …what is this again? The British Board of Film Classification web site, their web site – it’s a two and a half minute clip of Trelawney eating. At least that’s the title. And apparently, David Yates said that – I’m forgetting the actress. Who plays Trelawney?
Eric: Who, Emma Thompson?
Laura: Oh, Emma Thompson.
Andrew: Yeah, Emma Thompson. Eric says it like I’m out of my mind.
Eric: No, no, that’s fine. I forgot the…
Andrew: “Emma Thompson!?”
Laura: You are out of your mind; she’s a fabulous actress.
Eric: Sorry, I think I actually am developing some kind of a cold, so I’m sounding…
Andrew: Oh, that’s not just – I’m just…
Jerry: She’s more of a big deal over here…
Andrew: Yeah. I’m just messing with you, buddy.
Jerry: …so we remember her name.
Andrew: But yeah, apparently it was a clip where Emma Thompson sort of just winged it and was just eating, and I can’t remember what exactly was said.
Micah: Well, see, Andrew, if it was going to be a deleted scene, I would expect that it would have been Professor Trelawney drinking, not eating, but that’s a different story.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Yeah. Jerry, sorry to put you on the spot here, but what is the British Board of Film Classification? Do you know what that is? Like…
Jerry: Yeah, they’re the people who give it, you know, the eighteen certificate or fifteen certificate.
Eric: Yeah.
Jerry: They watch it and say…
Andrew: Oh!
Jerry: …children can’t see that; it’s too strong.
Eric: It’s like in America, the MPAA.
Andrew: Right.
Eric: Motion Picture…
Andrew: Okay. Because I didn’t understand why this was posted on their web site, but I guess it’s because they just rate the deleted scenes?
Jerry: Yeah, I guess so.
Eric: Well, it’s just like on DVDs you get those disclaimers that say the rights or the views expressed on this do not affect studio thoughts or whatever. Things like that.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Eric: You know, this – I don’t even know how they’ve been able to release all these unrated DVDs, just because the MPAA and stuff regulate that kind of stuff.
Andrew: Right, yeah. Yeah. And usually in the U.S. it says, “This bonus DVD is not rated” or something like that.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, exactly. But a lot of the things, like to put them out, the MPAA – it’s like a law. I mean, you do have to get rated. At least to be a movie in a theater, you have to get rated.
Andrew: Right.
Eric: So…
Andrew: Right.
Jerry: I think it’s about public display, isn’t it?
Eric: It really is, yeah.
Jerry: If there’s no public display, they don’t have to rate it, but…
Eric: Children. Protecting the ears and minds of children.
News Discussion: Ian Rankin – Rowling Working on Crime Novel?
Andrew: So some other news: J.K. Rowling – well, okay, this is a very interesting story. Ian – Ian…
Jerry: Rankin.
Laura: Rankin.
Andrew: Ian – yeah, I’m turning up the story. Ian Rankin said – was quoted as saying that J.K. Rowling was working on a crime novel. And, of course, being the Harry Potter fandom that we are, all the fan sites posted about it, and everyone was like, “Oh, man, she’s writing another novel!” And it wasn’t that surprising because she’s said in interviews before that she probably would work on a – she enjoys writing and reading crime novels, right?
Eric: Yup.
Laura: Yeah, I think I read something about that, but…
Andrew: Yeah. So, then as it turns out, Ian Rankin comes back a few days later and he says, “it was a joke that got out of hand.”
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: So…
Jerry: That’s hilarious.
Andrew: …personally, I don’t believe that. [laughs]
Laura: I know, it’s a really lame excuse, isn’t it? Like, “Oh, I was just kidding!” Like, who kids about that kind of thing? Like…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …how is that funny?
Andrew: He said there were six hundred people in the audience and only one person didn’t laugh.
[Jerry says something unintelligible]
Eric: Yeah. How could you hear…
Andrew: I don’t see…
Eric: How could you hear that one person not laughing? How could you tell? [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. Good point, yeah.
Eric: So his credibility – I don’t know, maybe J.K.R. is doing a crime novel. Maybe she just didn’t want that publicity out there, you know, this soon. She’s not going to confirm or deny. She’s just put out a whopper and she doesn’t want to be…
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: …thinking about the future.
Laura: Didn’t she say, though, that the one thing she was looking forward to writing most after Book 7 was that political fairy tale that she talked about? Like it was a children’s book…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …meant for a younger crowd than Harry Potter.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: But, I mean, that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t be writing something else.
Andrew: Right.
Laura: Because if, you know, she got interested in something else, of course she’d write it. But I mean, I think it should be treated as speculation for now. But we shouldn’t rule it out because we know from just the basic premise of Harry Potter there’s so much mystery in those books that she loves to write that kind of thing, so…
Eric: Yeah, absolutely.
Laura: …I think it’s entirely plausible.
Andrew: Speaking of that children’s book, she had said at the charity reading back in August 2006 that it was halfway complete. And I imagine she hasn’t been working on it while working on Book 7 at the same time.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: But if it’s halfway complete, we should probably see it in a couple of years.
Eric: “I just killed Fred…”
Jerry: It might be like a bit on the side, won’t it?
Eric: “I’m going to go write my children’s book now.”
Andrew: Why’s that? I don’t get it.
Eric: It’s just her writing at the same time as Book 7, sorry.
Andrew: Oh, okay.
Eric: “I just exploded Hedwig! What better time to write about the gum drop fairy!” You know, or whatever.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Jerry: But you know what? It could be relaxation technique, couldn’t it? Something she enjoys doing and therefore does it as an aside to take the stress away from writing.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Exploding Hedwig or writing children’s books?
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: Isn’t it a…
Jerry: [laugh] Writing children’s books.
Eric: Oh, yeah.
Laura: Yes, because we often blow up peoples’ pet birds to release stress, Eric. Do they do that in New Zealand?
Eric: Yes, they do – well, I do. I don’t know about the [unintelligible]. My kiwi neighbors.
Laura: Okay, just checking.
Andrew: Harry Potter the musical. The Sunday Mirror broke this story. Jerry, not a very reliable source, right? In the U.K.
Jerry: No. They are a tabloid. They’re not one of the most lying of tabloids, but they’re up there.
Andrew: Okay.
Jerry: If it was the Guardian, or the Independent, then I’d take notice. But I’d take with a pinch of salt, yeah.
News Discission: Harry Potter, The Musical?
Andrew: So apparently they have a source that said that there are producers already working on several script ideas and believe it has huge potential. And I quote the article; it says::
“The difficulty is condensing the seven books into a manageable show. They are exploring various ideas. One possibility is to tell the whole story. Another is to just take a single plot.”
Personally, I think both ideas are bad. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah. I just have this visual, and I know that – I mean it says it’s a musical, but I just have this visual of Harry and Ron going across the stage in ballerina shoes and tights and everything. And I’m just like, no.
Andrew: Well…
Laura: Because when I think musical, I think of extremely artistic, ballet, dancing, songs…
Eric: The Harry Potter Ballet.
Laura: You know, it’s like, oh my gosh, no.
Andrew: Well, I’m not sure what musicals you’ve seen, but…
Micah: Yeah, really, Laura.
Andrew: Not every musical is just ballerinas. [laughs]
Laura: No, not every musical is bad, but what are they going to do with Harry Potter?
Andrew: No, no, ballerinas, ballerinas.
Eric: Ballet.
Laura: I know!
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: But, I mean, Andrew, seriously, it’s not going to be like, We Will Rock You, or any of that other stuff you like.
Andrew: Well, I…
Jerry: But if it was… [laughs]
Laura: They’re going to have Snape sing some really obnoxiously depressing ballad or something. It’s like, no please!
Eric: Yeah, Myrtle’s Moan. Myrtle’s Moan will be the show stopping number.
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: Okay, well…
Eric: No, no.
Micah: …don’t – well, okay.
Eric: No, don’t worry about it.
Andrew: Oh, don’t, wait a second. I’m actually glad you guys brought this up because after I posted this story, a MuggleNet staff member approached me – I’ll keep her nameless for now – and she said – well, she basically encouraged me and said I could possibly have a role in this musical. And I gave it some thought, and I think I want to try out for this. So, Jerry, if you could sort of keep an eye out – if you hear anything, could you let me know?
Jerry: Definitely, definitely.
Andrew: Yeah. I’m asking my casting agents to keep an ear out as well. I don’t know if you guys want to hear this, but I actually already prepared a song for my audition.
Micah: What character are you going to play? Or are you open to anything?
Andrew: Well… [laughs] …the song that I composed could really be placed into any character’s role.
Eric: Let me guess. It’s Tomorrow from Annie.
Andrew: No. No, it’s not that. Do you guys mind if I sing a verse?
Laura: No, go for it.
Jerry: Shoot.
Andrew: [clears throat] I get a little nervous. [singing] “Good morning Hogwarts School…”
Laura: Oh my gosh.
Andrew: [still singing] “Every day is like a swim in the pool! Every night is a fantasy! Every sound’s like a symphony!”
Laura: You know, Andrew, for some reason I…
Andrew: Sorry, I’m a little nervous so my throat might not be on par today…
Laura: I don’t think that there is a – the role of Tracy in this, but…
Andrew: What do you mean? That’s – what are you talking about?
Laura: It just sounds very familiar. It just sounds like another musical that’s out right now.
Andrew: I don’t know what you’re talking about, but anyway, do I have a chance? Is – was it good?
Laura: Oh yeah, absolutely. You should go for it.
Jerry: Definitely, yeah.
Laura: Right now.
Andrew: I thought Harry – I could play Harry, because that’s what that staff member said I could. Would anyone else like to have a turn and maybe sing a little song to audition for the Harry Potter Musical?
Laura: I don’t think so.
Eric: Normally I would jump…
Andrew: Eric?
Eric: …especially to get our names out, you know, here and now.
Andrew: Eric, I was definitely expecting you to do this.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Well, if you’re looking for content that way – no. But I will say, it’s just – it’s a practical kind of problem for them to do a condensed story of seven years of Hogwarts because Harry starts out as eleven and ends at eighteen. So they would – to rectify that, they would probably have to have either, you know…
Jerry: Seven Harrys. [laughs]
Eric: Well, seven Harrys or an eighteen year-old playing an eleven year-old Harry, or like a fifteen year-old.
Laura: Hey, it could happen.
Eric: Yeah, I’m just wondering how they’d do that. It’s just – they’d fix it, you know. It’s Broadway. Or would they do it on Broadway, or would they do it on West End? Or what would be the deal?
Andrew: Wasn’t it – I think the article…
Eric: It was an American article, right?
Andrew: What, the Harry Potter musical?
Eric: Yeah, they wanted to do the Harry Potter musical.
Andrew: No, no, it’s The Sunday Mirror. It’s U.K.
Eric: Oh, well, then they should only allow Brits to do it, just like in the movies.
Andrew: Yeah. One thing that does get me about…
Eric: Except – sorry to cut you off – except I did see The Producers on the West End, and I much preferred the American version. So, that’s just me.
Andrew: Hmm. One thing that got me about this article that doesn’t make it very credible is that the article says at the end that they’re hoping to have it in a theater by 2008. By next year.
Eric: That’s crap.
Andrew: That’s impossible.
Eric: Yeah, that’s crap.
Laura: Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
Jerry: You’d have to be working on it for two years already.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. I think we would’ve heard more about now, so… [laughs]
Jerry: Yeah, quite.
Andrew: But it doesn’t…
Micah: Can I ask you a question?
Andrew: What?
Micah: Does the West End generally draw more adults, or are there a lot of kids’ shows that are in there as well?
Andrew: I think it just depends what’s there.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: I mean, look at say, Equus. That would draw a lot of Dan Radcliffe fans. And it’s not like the West End is out of London. It’s in pretty central London, right, Jerry?
Jerry: Yeah, pretty much.
Andrew: Yeah. It’s just a tube ride away, right? You know what I’m saying?
[Jerry laughs]
Eric: Andrew, we stayed like three blocks from it, so…
Andrew: Yeah. It’s pretty central…
Eric: Really central. Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah. And speaking of musicals in the U.K., I have the record of We Will Rock You. Jerry, have you seen We Will Rock You?
Jerry: I haven’t.
Andrew: It’s great!
Jerry: I mean, we walked by the theater, didn’t we? But I haven’t seen it, no.
Andrew: We did. Yeah, it’s great. I highly recommend it. But anyway, let’s move on now to more of the show. I have some announcements.
Announcement: Podcast Alley
Andrew: Don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. It’s a new month. It’s now September. So don’t forget to place your vote. You guys have been doing great voting for us without us asking so we really appreciate that.
Thank-Yous
Andrew: Also, thank you to everyone who came out for the summer tour – to any of the live shows that you were at – all of us here. I wonder if Jerry was at the England one, too. We had a great time at all of the live shows so we would just like to thank everyone for coming out. Hope you enjoyed them. Hope you’ve enjoyed all of the live shows you’ve been hearing over the past month, or month and a half, or two months now.
Eric: It was fun to chill with you guys in London. I really – I thought that that was a trip in itself that really went down quite well. And I know you guys went off and you still had a continued amazing summer with the tour and with Prophecy and everything else, but it was just great to see you guys in London. I was very happy for that. And that was really memorable and really cool.
Laura: Yeah. London was really memorable for me just because it was – it was the last book, we were where it all began, sort of – you know, at least we were in the same country. And it was just really, really cool to be there with all of you. I had a really good time with that. I also immensely enjoyed the premiere trip and of course going to Toronto. Best part of Prophecy was the ball, by far, I think. What did everybody think of that?
Andrew: Yes – oh, definitely, definitely.
Laura: [laughs] Oh wait, I think we were the only ones in this group there.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah. Okay.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: It was really fun though. Yeah, you guys missed out. It was really, really fun.
Andrew: Yeah, it was a good time.
Laura: We danced to the Spice Girls.
Jerry: There’s always next year.
Andrew: Jamie had a great time getting removed.
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: Oh wow. Did he really?
Jerry: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah, he did.
Andrew: Yeah, you didn’t hear that?
Eric: Why?
Laura: Oh Jamie.
Andrew: Well, because he’s a sport. He was just too good for the dance floor.
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: So, yeah, it really was a fun time at Prophecy. There was something else. Oh yeah, it was funny when Laura – Jamie and I had just arrived in England and we were in Heathrow waiting for our bags, and I’m also keeping an eye on the escalator to make sure I see Laura coming down because she had just arrived at the same time. And as Laura’s coming down the escalator – she doesn’t see me yet – Laura, the look on your face was just priceless.
Laura: What do you mean?
Andrew: You just had this big grin on your face.
Laura: Aww!
Andrew: You just slowly go down the escalator and just looking around, taking all the sites in. And I was like, “wow, this girl is happy to be here.”
Laura: I was so excited, you have no idea. Like I was even nice to the customs person. Like I went up with this huge smile on my face and he was like, “What are you doing here?” And I was like, “I’m here for the Harry Potter release!” And then he asked me the stupidest question ever. He goes, “Oh, you like Harry Potter?”
[Everyone laughs]
Jerry: No…
Laura: And I’m like, “No, I’m just here for the hell of it.” But yeah, I was so excited to be there.
Andrew: I had an awkward moment with a customs guy. When I was leaving Canada I had my Pickle Pack shirt on. And I walk up to him and he just goes under his breath, “The Pickle Pack.” And I was just like, “Yeah, it’s this thing I do.”
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: So it was kind of an awkward moment.
Eric: I bet he wrote it on your passport: “Possible trouble maker. Likes pickles.”
Announcement: MuggleCast Ringtones
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. Keep an eye out for pickle jars. Which I broke – never mind. I’ll tell that story another time. But hey, moving along now. One thing I’ve been getting a lot of requests for – and we have a new way of supporting the show – it is MuggleCast ringtones. Have you guys seen these yet? I just put them up last night.
Laura: I did.
Jerry: No. I didn’t see them.
Andrew: MuggleCast ringtones. MuggleCast.com. It’s just the Wizard Rock – not to come off arrogant – but it’s just my Wizard Rock singles for now. The problem is we can’t release the MuggleCast background music because it’s not ours, so we can’t really do that. But anyway, these MuggleCast ringtones – they’re five dollars. We get a small cut; we get half. We get two fifty-ish. Not even. I was looking at the thing the other day – or earlier today. And they go to help supporting the show. So if you’d like to have a little piece of MuggleCast on your show. Maybe we’ll take clips from the show and throw those on there too?
Eric: Well, are they true-tone or are they polyphonic? Or how are we doing this?
Andrew: Oh, I don’t know how it works. It’s a service I went through.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: But a few people have been buying them so far and I haven’t seen any complaints yet. The only problem is that Verizon customers cannot use these. And it’s only U.S., I’m pretty sure.
Jerry: Oh.
Micah: Verizon’s always a problem.
Andrew: Verizon is always a problem. Yeah, sorry, Jerry. [laughs]
Jerry: I know.
Micah: I know.
Andrew: Yeah, so visit MuggleCast.com. There’s a news post there and we’ll put a permanent link around there somewhere. They go to help supporting the show. I know what some of you may be saying – some of you tech-savvy users: “Oh, I can just do that for free! I can just mail myself.” Yes, I’m aware of this. But you can – if you want to support the show, this is the way to do it. MuggleCast.com, look around for ringtones, it should be right there.
Announcement: Poll on MuggleCast.com
Andrew: And lastly – I thought this was very interesting – we put up a poll on Mugglecast.com, “have you finished reading the book?” 98%, 10,138 people, said “yes, I’m finished.” One percent, or I guess it would be a little bit more than one percent, say, “No, I’m still reading.” That was 206 people.
Jerry: My God.
Andrew: So, I was wondering, do we even have to use a spoiler warning? It seems kind of pointless to me.
Laura: I really hope that that one percent of people were just being smart. If you really haven’t finished the book, what are you doing on the Internet? Like, really.
Andrew: Yeah. And this poll was put up two or three weeks after the book already came out. [laughs]
Eric: I’m inclined to say, if they have been able to navigate the spoilers of the past six or seven episodes of MuggleCast that have been out, you know…
Andrew: I just think they’re not listening.
Eric: Well, and that’s fair enough, but what are you doing on MuggleCast? But yeah.
Jerry: Maybe shock, horror there. MuggleCast fans who aren’t Harry Potter fans just listen to your voices.
Andrew: Maybe!
[Eric laughs]
Main Discussion: Deathly Hallows
Andrew: Our voices are wonderful. So that is that. Let’s move on now to our main discussion this week. Of course it’s all about Deathly Hallows. We are going to continue our discussion.
Jerry and Micah Share Their Thoughts
Andrew: First, I actually want to start off with Micah and Jerry’s thoughts, because we have not yet heard your thoughts on the show yet. Oh, actually – no, we heard Eric’s too. Yeah. So, Micah and Jerry.
Micah: Yeah?
Andrew: Your thoughts on Book 7, overall. We’ll start off with overall and then we’re going to get into some e-mails and get nit-picky.
Micah: Sure. Overall, I think it’s kind of consistent with a lot of what people said. I like the book. The epilogue I wasn’t too fond of. I thought it was a little weak in certain areas, but I understand that Jo had things that she wanted to answer on her own and leave to interviews afterwards. But I don’t know. I just didn’t like the epilogue a whole lot. Don’t know if it necessarily even needed to be there. But the book overall, I was content with and I didn’t have a problem with any of the people, other than Dobby, who kicked the bucket, on either side. But I was satisfied. No real complaints other than the epilogue.
Andrew: [laughs] Okay. Jerry?
Jerry: Yeah, I agree. I found it pretty good. The first read through I was a bit disappointed, but I was just so dead from London. But the second read through I was pretty happy. I was fine with the epilogue, even. I think the second read through I was quite happy with it. But I might get shot for saying that.
Andrew: [laughs] Why were you happy with it?
Jerry: I don’t know. I think that maybe it’s a British thing. I don’t know how Jamie found that.
[Everyone laughs]
Jerry: But maybe we’re a bit more cheesy than Americans. Maybe we – yeah.
Andrew: Stephen King really enjoyed it too. He described it as being “delicious,” didn’t he?
Eric: He did.
Micah: Well, he could probably create a mass-murder scene out of it or something.
Eric: Yeah, but Stephen King has said some really nice things about Book 7 and J.K.R. in general. I just love reading – he wrote two or three different articles for, I think it was, Entertainment Weekly or something, completely, completely praising J.K. Rowling. Very well written and very sentimental as well.
Laura: Yeah, you could tell he was a huge fan at the readings for Harry, Carrie, and Garp last summer. Just the way he talked to her you could tell he was such a fan. It thought that was very adorable.
Andrew: Oh yeah, and he was open about it too.
Eric: Oh yeah, and his book reviews at the beginning of some of the books, at least for, I think, Prisoner of Azkaban – there’s a quote from him in the U.S. version I think.
MuggleCast 107 Transcript (continued)
The Epilogue
Andrew: Jerry, that still doesn’t really answer the question, why you like the epilogue. [laughs] I mean, you know…
Jerry: I think it brought me some sense of fulfillment, that everyone was just happy and that sort of thing.
Eric: I think it’s like Jo’s vision; something that stretches beyond. Like Micah said, she had to close it out for herself in her own way. It’s kind of like this overtly, motherly kind of way to close the series with your characters, your children, naming their kids after themselves and stuff and just sending them off to school. I don’t know.
Andrew: Makes sense.
Micah: It just – the one thing I was going to add was that it didn’t seem very J.K. Rowling-ish. That was my problem with it. You go through the whole series and she has a specific way of writing. I just don’t think the epilogue came across written the same way as the rest of the book.
Eric: Well, Micah, I would argue that Book 7 itself didn’t seem J.K. Rowling-ish.
Andrew: Well…
Laura: I don’t agree with that, but I really agree with what Micah’s saying. Looking back on it, at first when I read the epilogue, I was like, “What’s this?” It just didn’t seem like it was on par with the rest of the book at all. And thinking about it, honestly, I’m glad that all the characters got what they wanted. I’m glad that they all grew up and got married and had babies. That’s wonderful. But I think the main issue that I took with it upon my initial reading of it was that it really almost felt like that had been written a very long time ago and that it hadn’t been edited very much. I guess it just seems like the writing style was different from the rest of the book. Not that it was bad, just that it was different.
Andrew: Yeah. I mean, then again, it was set nineteen years later, so it is telling a story in a different way. Like you’re not really seeing it – it’s…
Laura: Well, I mean, the difference was there was no conflict…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …and that’s what the Potter books have thrived off of, is just…
Andrew: That’s true, that’s true.
Laura: …the amazing amount of conflict…
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: …between, you know, Harry and Voldemort, Harry and Draco, so…
Eric: Also, I think it was…
Laura: …that’s why it was different.
Eric: …weird to have had the chapter “King’s Cross” just moments before and imagining this ethereal kind of King’s Cross afterlife type foggy setting. And then to actually be in King’s Cross, but in the distant future, I thought was a little bit weird, you know, that they were back there, like, you know what I’m saying? Like it was – we had just been reading about this kind of afterlife, King’s Cross, and now we’re in this epilogue where we’re imagining, kind of foggily, the future.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: You know what I’m saying? Like it was just – like bringing it back again, and I’m like, “Wow.”
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: You know, it was a little awkward…
Jerry: Yeah.
Eric: …but not too unpleasant.
Andrew: Fair point. Fair point. I feel what you’re saying. You want to move along to – anyone else have some thoughts before we get to some e-mails? Lots of e-mails.
Laura: No, I think we can move on to the e-mails…
Andrew: Okay.
Laura: …if everyone else is ready.
Andrew: As you guys can imagine, we’ve been getting a ton of e-mails concerning the book; everyone’s got their own little question. And we have a couple of those, and then we also – we had Jamie dig back into his e-mail – deep into his e-mail – back in July, from when we had everyone e-mail him questions when we were doing the live e-mail-in, so to speak, right when we had finished reading the book. So we have a few of those here and a couple more current e-mails.
Harry’s Career
Andrew: First one comes from Drew Lauten, eighteen, of Orlando, Florida. He writes about the epilogue, actually. He says:
“Was I the only one who thought for sure that Harry was going to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I mean, an Auror’s cool and all, but when he was teaching the DA I just thought it would be logical for him to fill the position that was available now that the curse was lifted and do something he’s good at.”
I was – we had discussed on the show that he – how confident were we that he was going to be the DADA teacher? [laughs]
Laura: Well, I never thought he would be, because Jo flat out said that none of the trio were going to teach at Hogwarts, so… [laughs]
Andrew: She said that?
Laura: Yeah, she did.
Jerry: And how he does state his own.
Andrew: When did she say that?
Laura: She said it in an interview. She said one of – see, my friend here, who is a Harry Potter fan, is nodding. She’s telling me that I am right. But anyway…
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: …back – I don’t even remember when it was, but she said that someone – one of the characters that we know will become a professor, but it won’t be Harry, Ron, or Hermione. And that’s why everyone thought it would be Neville, because apparently his name means “absent-minded professor” in Latin or something…
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: Oh, okay.
Laura: …so…
Jerry: That’s a detailed translation.
Eric: That’s a spoiler. That’s… [laughs]
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: It just seems so right for Harry, though. And Drew’s right; after Order of the Phoenix when he’s teaching the Dumbledore’s Army, you know, all these defensive spells, it was almost like foreshadowing.
Micah: It also goes back to Order of the Phoenix, too, and McGonagall had said – not exact quote, but something along the lines of, “I’ll make sure Potter’s an Auror if it’s the last thing I do.” Do you guys remember that?
Eric and Jerry: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: I forgot about that.
Laura: Also, I feel like – and not to degrade the position of a teacher or a professor – but I feel like Harry’s purpose was something beyond that. Like, I feel like if he was the person who was going to defeat Voldemort, it seems somewhat anti-climactic, to me at least, to have him, after that, be teaching at Hogwarts. It seems like an Auror was far more of a fitting position just because it’s the kind of thing that he was born to do, so…
Jerry: It’s not just that he was an Auror; it’s also that he caused all that reform in the Ministry and, therefore, inflicting such change.
Eric: Yeah, which I really like. Like facing that persecution from the Ministry. There’s nobody better to reform the government…
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: …as it needed to be done.
Mrs. Weasley Killed Bellatrix
Andrew: Okay, let’s move on to another e-mail. This is from Sheila Salanick, fourteen, of Pennsylvania. She writes:
“Dear MuggleCast, in your most recent podcast, MuggleNet Episode 105…”
[laughs] Not most recent anymore.
“…you mentioned your theories that Mrs. Weasley did not kill Bellatrix Lestrange. You are completely and utterly wrong. My first piece of evidence that Mrs. Weasley killed Bellatrix is on page 736 on the U.S. edition…” and she quotes, “‘Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches’ feet became hot and cracked. Both women were fighting to kill.’ Also…” she quotes another part of the book: “‘Molly’s curse soared beneath Bellatrix’s outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.'” Sheila goes on to say, “As demonstrated quite a few times throughout ‘Order of the Phoenix,’ ‘Half-Blood Prince,’ and ‘Deathly Hallows,’ stunners lift the person off their feet. Bellatrix was not lifted off her feet; she just toppled over. Also, we all know that Voldemort does not get emotional about his supporters. Dumbledore said himself, over and over, that Voldemort has no friends. Thus, why would he scream and advance on Molly if Bellatrix was just stunned?”
Laura: I didn’t know that there was any question about her death at all. Like…
Andrew: Well, on one – in one of the live shows, and I guess this is – this would have been Ohio, she says – we were talking about, was Bellatrix killed for sure? Because – whether – I’m pretty sure we said on the panel that she wasn’t still alive, that she was killed. But at any rate, you guys all agree that Bellatrix is dead?
Laura: Oh, yeah.
Jerry: Yeah, definitely.
Andrew: Okay.
Laura: I didn’t question it at all when I read it.
Andrew: All right. Because we did. I think it was because one of the people who were there was like, “Are you sure she’s actually dead?” But all right. The one thing that got us – the one thing that we were discussing to begin with is that J.K. Rowling never says, “Bellatrix is dead.”
Eric: Well, I’m just depressed that Neville didn’t get to kill – well, Neville got to kill the snake, okay, fair enough, but I would have liked to see Neville and Bellatrix…
Micah: That’s going to be an awesome movie scene. You know that.
Eric: Oh.
Laura: Oh, I know!
Eric: “Not my daughter you…”
Micah: No, no. Him slicing off the snake’s head.
Nagini
Eric: No! That was poorly written, I thought.
Micah: Both of them will be. You did?
Eric: When I…
Laura: Why’d you think it was poorly written?
Eric: Just…
Andrew: [laughs] Just because it was poorly written.
Eric: No, no, no! I just thought there was so much happening in that scene, that when I first read it, I wasn’t sure why Voldemort wasn’t right in front of Neville as Neville cut the snake’s head off. And if Voldemort would’ve seen that happen he would’ve killed Neville right then and there. Like, Voldemort is freaking out about his Horcruxes; does he not notice that this little boy just killed one of his Horcruxes? He’s that much closer to mortality because of this kid. Was he right in front of them? I just didn’t understand the placement. I thought that Nagini was wrapped around Voldemort’s neck when Neville took its head off. That’s what I thought, and then all of the sudden I was reading and Voldemort was heading into the Great Hall. So I was like, what is going on? Because Neville should actually be dead right now. And it’s not that I want Neville to die, but if he took the snake’s head off, I’m pretty sure Voldemort would be a little bit more upset than he was and instead focusing on whatever else he was. It was just – I’m sorry, didn’t understand that scene.
Laura: I would have to reread it. I don’t exactly remember the placement, but at the time…
Micah: I don’t remember the sequence of events enough to…
Laura: Yeah. Just thinking about the reading of it at the time, it made sense to me, so I don’t know.
Andrew: Yeah, maybe – Eric, I think Voldemort was just – main concern, all he cared about, was getting rid of Harry.
Eric: Well, I think it would be intelligent to have some kind of sub-objectives, like not losing more Horcruxes.
Andrew: [laughs] But…
Jerry: He did show earlier how much he was willing to protect Nagini in the box.
Andrew: Yeah.
Snape’s Death
Eric: Yeah, in the box. What do you think of Snape’s death? That’s the question for me, because there are a few people who were actually upset about Snape’s death even though it was such a noble death, and afterwards Harry just, you know, forgets about the battle and goes up to the Pensieve and learns all that stuff. Some people think maybe he should have dueled, maybe kind of done something else instead. You know, he just got bit in the neck by a snake…
Andrew: Well, yeah.
Eric: …but it’s an important snake! Maybe it’s important that Snape’s death was kind of – not anticlimactic, but kind of quick and easy, in ways.
Andrew: Well, that’s the thing. It should have been more of a triumphant death, I think. [laughs]
Laura: I thought it was very tragic though, and I think it was fitting because…
Andrew: Oh, it was terrible!
Laura: Yeah, because Snape is a tragic character. I don’t know. I think it would have seemed kind of weird for him to be like triumphantly – well, not triumphantly – but bravely leap out in front of Harry and stop a Killing Curse. That would’ve just seemed out of place to me.
Eric: Yeah. No, I think I agree. When I’m asking about that, as well, I just think, you know what? I actually do like how it was done. Voldemort and Snape had that conversation just moments – and Voldemort was getting tired of Snape, finally kind of seeing things less as equal and decided to kill him. I think that is actually cool, because it’s all about the relationship that Snape has been upholding between himself and Voldemort to protect Harry and stuff. And when he grabbed him and said, “Look at me,” that was actually very dramatic.
Laura: That was so sad. You know what? A lot of people – you know you’ve got a lot of people out there who are huge Snape fans, the ones that write all the fan fiction and apparently there’s a podcast. These people were very unhappy that Snape did not get a funeral.
Eric: Oh, come on! If you’re going to ask…
Laura: I was like…
Eric: …her to write…
Laura: Here’s my point: if we were going to show the funeral of a character that everyone cared about, then you would have had like seventy-five funerals at the end of that book. Honestly, I didn’t feel like that was important to it. I felt like Dumbledore’s funeral was important because at the time he was important to Harry. Harry didn’t realize Snape’s loyalty; he didn’t realize anything like that about him until after his death. And I think that Snape really got – I think that we what Snape was made of and I think that we saw that Harry did come to appreciate him because he named his son after him. So…
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: …I just don’t see the big deal.
Eric: You’re right about the funeral. Just – yeah.
Micah: There was something about his death that always puzzled me. I don’t know if you guys thought about this at all. You know when Voldemort kills Snape because he thinks that it’s going to give him the power that he needs to defeat Harry and the whole issue with the wands? He never kills Snape with the wand so, essentially, he never takes that – at the time he thought he was taking that power away. But how does that work, though, because he had the snake do it. He didn’t actually use his wand. So isn’t that a flaw in his plan?
Laura: Yeah, but that was the whole point. He was flawed in his assumptions. He didn’t know what he was doing.
Micah: Yeah, he was flawed no matter what, though, because of the whole Draco situation, but…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: …he was flawed even more in the sense that even if Snape was the person, he didn’t even kill him with the wand. He killed him with the snake. So he would never have had the power anyway, right? Do you understand?
Laura: Yeah. But that was…
Eric: Voldemort was…
Laura: That was the whole point. I think a lot of it was Snape also protecting the other people connected to the wand. He wasn’t just protecting Harry; he was protecting Draco, too. Like, you’re trying to basically – I think that Snape was acting on Dumbledore’s orders to protect as many people as he possibly could, just like he acted on Dumbledore’s orders to kill Dumbledore in order to protect Draco and in order to keep his position safe.
Eric: But while we’re on the subject of Snape, just thinking about how cruel he would have had to have been as Headmaster of Hogwarts. He couldn’t have been nice, because his under-teachers, the Death Eaters that were – I forget their two names – but they were teaching Unforgivable Curses to the students. I feel like we’ve had such a brief glimpse of Hogwarts from this book and what was actually going on that it’s impossible to say that Snape was – he died a valiant death, but just thinking the beginning of the book, he was the one who took George’s ear off and, I think, killed Mad Eye. Didn’t he?
Jerry: But surely he was doing that in order to protect him, theoretically.
Laura: Yes, and he also killed that Muggle Studies teacher, but I think it was all in order to protect his position.
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: I really think so.
Eric: No, but in the end it was just an end of means, I think, but…
Jerry: He had to be there; he didn’t need to protect – protect the students.
Eric: It’s just something else. And to take orders from Dumbledore’s portrait all year and to really organize things based on that, which I thought was cool. The thing I liked most about it was the Dumbledore/Snape relations as viewed in the Pensieve. That was just cool.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Overall, though – well, first of all… [laughs] …I was off for a second, but the Snape funeral thing, that’s definitely pushing it.
Laura: Yeah, I think so as well.
Jerry: More people would want a Tonks/Remus funeral, wouldn’t they?
Andrew: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. [laughs]
Eric: More people would have wanted them to live, actually.
Harry’s Signature Spell
Andrew: Next e-mail is from Harlene Gambeer. She says:
“It was said earlier in DH that ‘Expelliarmus!’ was Harry’s signature move, and he defends his choice by saying it saved him from Voldemort in Book 4. It’s cool to note that this is the spell that he uses to finally destroy Voldemort and he needs nothing else.”
As we were saying on the tour a lot, that seems to be Harry’s spell for everything in Book 7.
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Jerry: Yeah.
Eric: Oh, there’s a giant snake coming out of an old lady’s face and body, and just magically: “Expelliarmus!”
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Problem solved. It’s like the whole Alohamora thing. I just can’t…
Eric: It’s the wizard’s bread and butter, as Dan explains in the movie.
Andrew: Yeah. What’s the point of locks in the wizarding world if everyone can just do a quick Alohamora and open the doors up?
Jerry: Well, they have magic locks, as been proven in the Department of Mysteries, haven’t they?
Andrew: Yeah, but still. [laughs] But still, it’s like – I don’t know.
Jerry: Honesty, Andrew, honesty.
Eric: Well, the only thing they haven’t – what?
Andrew: I guess it is honesty.
Eric: They haven’t undone Permanent Sticking Charms, have they? Because there’s apparently some kind of level of Sticking Charms that you can’t undo; for instance, Mrs. Black’s portrait. Because they said they must have tried everything on it. So there are apparently things you can do to lift Sticking Charms, but not Permanent Sticking Charms, depending on how strong they are. So I’m just thinking about locking doors, etc. You could just put a Sticking Charm on the door, maybe.
Jerry: You could, but you wouldn’t really want to put a Permanent Sticking Charm on a door, would you?
Eric: Well, not unless you could walk through walls. [laughs]
Extent of Dumbledore’s Knowledge
Andrew: In the second part of her e-mail she writes:
“To what extent did Dumbledore know that Harry would survive because of his blood which ran in Voldemort’s veins? I’m also a bit sketchy on this idea since wasn’t it Voldemort who was the withering child at King’s Cross? Wouldn’t they both be in limbo, sort of? Was Dumbledore really all right with raising Harry as a ‘pig for slaughter’ and making him sacrifice himself despite the love that we are assured he has? Is this the grand plan that he tells us about at the end of Book 5? The plan to equip Harry with the power to kill the other Horcruxes and then kill himself? This idea tarnishes Dumbledore’s image for me.”
Eric: Okay, quick answer: No, he did not know at all. Second thing: Yes. No, you’re right. It’s not cool.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: And third answer: Yes, you should be tarnished in your Dumbledore image because that’s a crap cop-out!
Andrew: [laughs] Oh, man.
Laura: Okay, it’s not a cop-out, though because…
Eric: It’s a cop-out. Harry is a Horcrux?
Laura: Dumbledore’s whole thing – it is not a cop-out.
Eric: What are you going to say? “Harry is a Horcrux”? Come on.
Jerry: Dumbledore was incredibly, incredibly intelligent.
Laura: He was!
Eric: Even if Harry was a Horcrux, he could not…
Laura: He was, Eric.
Jerry: He was a Horcrux, Eric.
Andrew: Don’t tell me we’re getting into this debate.
Eric: Listen, he could not have been a proper Horcrux because he was made accidentally, not with all the right charms, right?
Laura: It doesn’t matter, Eric.
Eric: Even if Harry was a Horcrux, he could not have been a proper Horcrux. There should be…
Micah: He’s a bastardized Horcrux.
Andrew: Eric, Eric, Eric…
Eric: Yes, he’s a dastardized Horcrux, which has to be the title of this episode. [laughs] Dastardized Horcrux.
Andrew: A what?
Eric: Um…
Andrew: Dastardized?
Eric: Dastardized. D-A-S-T-A-R-D-E-L…
Micah: No, no. No, you said he was illegitimate, so – forget it.
Laura: Yeah. [laughs]
Eric: Illegitimate Horcrux.
Jerry: I like that better.
Eric: Not made properly. Harry is also his own private entity, and, not only that, but J.K.R. did not specify, or at all, what part of him is a Horcrux, or if he is a Horcrux, how’s his scar intrinsically linked to that? Because she didn’t remove his scar; she didn’t…
Andrew: I really don’t think that this is up for debate though.
Jerry: But she’s not specified about…
Eric: No, I’m not…
Andrew: Dumbledore explicitly said, “Harry, you are the seventh Horcrux.” And I laugh at people who still try to argue with it.
Eric: Oh, no, no, don’t confuse me.
Andrew: I agree. There should be more details…
Eric: There should be more details; that’s all I’m saying. I will accept that Harry is a Horcrux. I think it was a cop-out…
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: …just because the prophecy – we were told ahead of time how strictly worded that was, and we were guessing and guessing on the prophecy for so long. That didn’t come into play. Okay? It turns out Harry’s this Horcrux. That was anticlimactic.
Laura: Yeah it did.
Eric: And – oh yeah? How’d the prophecy come into play?
Laura: One has to kill the other…
Jerry: One of them killed the other.
[Jerry and Laura laugh]
Eric: Oh, oh, but what about one…
Laura: …for neither can live while the other survives.
Eric: Yeah, but they both died and one of them lived and it’s like…
Jerry: And that’s why…
Laura: But Harry didn’t die.
Eric: But they were both surviving the whole time anyway.
Andrew: Yeah…
Laura: But here’s the point, though: Harry never died. Voldemort died at the end. They weren’t dead at that moment…
Eric: Okay, well…
Laura: …because…
Eric: Okay.
Jerry: One of them died eventually.
Laura: …because the point is – yeah.
Jerry: That’s all that had to happen.
Laura: Yeah. Harry was anchored to the earth with the same protection that his mother gave him. That was the whole point, because as long as Voldemort survived with Harry’s blood in his body, Harry couldn’t die.
Eric: Mhm. So…
Laura: So since Voldemort cursed Harry with Avada Kedavra, it should have killed him, but it didn’t because Harry didn’t try to kill Voldemort.
Eric: Though, according to Dumbledore, Harry had the choice of whether or not he wanted to live or die at that moment, so…
Laura: Yes, and he chose to live because it wasn’t easy. He could’ve died and gone and been with his family, but he didn’t. He chose to go back and finish Voldemort off.
Eric: Okay. So you justified the prophecy; it does come into account. I might stand corrected. But what about the journey? What about the journey, how Harry thought that he had to do it on his own and yet every time in this book it’s someone else who finishes off a Horcrux? I like the idea that all of Harry’s friends get to get their own try at a piece of Voldemort’s soul, but then why emphasize Harry’s lone journey at all? Or the fact that it’s Harry alone? Because he never embraced help, yet every single…
Laura: I don’t think…
Eric: All of his friends got to try at the Horcruxes.
Andrew: He did it himself.
Eric: Why does it have to be Harry? Or why is Harry important at all if all of his friends get to go around and have the power to destroy Horcruxes? If all it takes – I mean, I realize…
Laura: The difference, though…
Micah: I don’t understand what the argument is, though, because, I mean, Harry’s only destroyed one, and the one he destroyed was by accident, really, and what does it matter who’s destroying the Horcruxes? As long as they’re being destroyed.
Jerry: They’re being destroyed, yeah.
Laura: Yeah. See, the point is, Harry – the prophecy never said anything about Harry being the only one to destroy the Horcruxes. It said explicitly that Harry had to kill Voldemort. So I don’t think that it matters that his – that Neville and Ron and Hermione all went after Horcruxes. I don’t think that matters. I think the point is that Harry had to be the one to finish off the last piece of Voldemort’s soul, which was the piece residing in his body.
Eric: Oh, well, then that kind of plays down the prophecy, I think, in my opinion, because the only thing…
Laura: I don’t think so…
Eric: …because…
Laura: …because it was the active…
Eric: …the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, the one with the power to actually finish him.
Andrew: To actually do it, yeah.
Laura: But, you see, that was…
Eric: Okay…
Laura: Okay, Eric…
Eric: After seven other people…
Andrew: Eric…
Eric: …take care of seven other bits of soul, Harry is the one – this kid at the seventh month, he’s the one who can actually kill him after everyone else.
Andrew: But I think…
Laura: Yes, but see…
Andrew: I prefer to – I think I prefer to see all of his friends help him out.
Eric: I do! I do too, as well! I do, as well. It’s just that…
Jerry: That’s the moral of the story.
Andrew: So don’t complain, sir, don’t complain.
Eric: No, it’s great. But why did Harry not accept that? Or why was it focused on him? For most of the book – and this is a paradox, this is where it pisses me off. This is where it upsets me. For most of the book it’s the trio in the woods, all the way past Christmas, maybe even into – I think it’s Easter by the time they actually do something. Okay?
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: They’re just in the woods…
Andrew: Uh-huh.
Eric: …for the longest bit of time, and they have their own kind of relation. It was all right to read, I guess, but there’s just – among the many problems, it’s just them alone. And they’re secluded from the world. And it’s big emphasis on maybe the trio. Harry, yes, but maybe his closest friends. But yet, at the end, it just never – it didn’t seem to amount to anything. I’m sorry, it didn’t.
Laura: I thought it did, though, because…
Andrew: That’s your personal opinion.
Laura: …you can argue that all of the pieces of Voldemort’s soul all add up together to make the entire thing, but the point is those pieces of soul that Ron, Hermione, and Neville all destroyed, those were all dormant. The point is, Harry destroyed the piece of soul that was out wreaking all the havoc. Harry destroyed the piece of soul that was out killing everybody. He destroyed the big bad guy, in a sense. I mean…
Eric: They’re all the big bad ones.
Laura: Everybody else sort of…
Jerry: I wouldn’t say they’re all dormant, though. I mean, look at Riddle’s diary, the amount of harm that caused.
Laura: But, see, they were – it was – I don’t know. They were dormant unless you started messing with them, in which case they could possess you. But the point was, you had – I really feel like the piece of soul that was inside of Voldemort’s body was the primary. Like…
Andrew: Yes.
Laura: …it was the one out directly…
Andrew: Harry was…
Laura: …causing trouble.
Eric: There’s seven…
Andrew: Harry was the only one who could do it.
Eric: Oh, no, no, Harry wasn’t the only one.
Andrew: No, he – but…
Eric: Harry was the only one who could kill the one part of the soul that was in his body. But…
Andrew: Mentally, mentally…
Eric: But Dumbledore prepared Harry for the Horcruxes. He didn’t – he didn’t go out and invite Ron and Hermione into the classroom and tell them about Horcruxes. Yes, he told Harry that…
Laura: Ah, but, you know…
Eric: …he could tell them…
Laura: But remember, Dumbledore explicitly told Harry that he needed to confide in Ron and Hermione. I don’t think he would have told Harry to tell them what was going…
Eric: Okay…
Laura: …on if he didn’t want them involved.
Eric: …fair enough. But what about Neville? What about – you know, anybody else that – did he – I mean, Dumbledore kind of wanted, or thought it had to be specifically Harry, but yet it was very vague and I – there’s just a lot of problems I have with Book 7 I’m not coming to terms with. This show is a good way for me to…
Andrew: Well…
Eric: …do that.
Andrew: …let’s…
Eric: Forgive me.
Andrew: [laughs] Okay. We should split it up over multiple shows, Eric, because I have a feeling this is going to be…
Eric: Okay. Yeah.
Andrew: …a lot.
Eric: No, that’s fine.
First Snitch Made in Godric’s Hollow
Andrew: Let’s move on though to another e-mail for now, and, Eric, you can do your thing later. Another one comes from Deborah Bailey. She says:
“Is there any significance that the first Golden Snitch was made in Godric’s Hollow?”
Not really, I don’t think.
Jerry: Just a coincidence.
Andrew: I think it’s just a fun fact.
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: I think it’s just…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …a cool fact.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Just like a plot thing.
Harry Going After the Hallows
Andrew: Another e-mail from Matthew Rulestone:
“Did you feel betrayed that we had built up too much to Harry going after the Horcruxes, then halfway through, he was choosing between the Horcruxes and the Hallows, which he didn’t really know so much about?”
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: He didn’t really know so much about. Yeah, but there had to be a new plot introduced in the book, I think. A new – a new – what’s the word I’m looking for?
Eric: I know what you mean, Andrew, because I was feeling this…
Andrew: A new factor…
Eric: Yeah…
Andrew: …or a new…
Eric: …or a new – kind of like all the books have been separate in a way. Even if they’ve tied to Harry, the overall story they’re separate books.
Andrew: Yeah. Like Book 6 focused on Horcruxes and…
Eric: Like the Philosopher’s Stone, like the Chamber of Secrets, you know, that kind of thing.
Andrew: Right. Right. Right.
Eric: But yeah, the inter…
Andrew: And there had to…
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: What? Yeah.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Eric: Yeah! I – no, Andrew. I agree with you. That’s…
Micah: Well, I was going to say I thought it was…
Andrew: Micah?
Micah: …important because it showed what Dumbledore was working towards for so long. You know, that was sort of his means of trying to combat Voldemort, I thought.
Andrew: Right.
Micah: And it was important, I think, to learn about that because it offered an alternate means. I’m not saying that it – I don’t think it took anything away from the Horcruxes. It was just an alternate decision for Harry to make. “Which way do I go?” And it just turned out that the destruction of the Horcruxes was the easier way for him. I don’t – I mean, I’m not upset that it was introduced but it was kind of the whole basis for the book.
Eric: It tied in what several things I think J.K.R. wanted to do to the Hallows story. It gave us a lot of Dumbledore’s past, it presented Harry, as Micah
said, with a chance, even at the last moment, to possibly do something different. Go an alternate route. Especially with all of his loved ones – his deceased loved ones showing up in the woods before he threw the stone down.
That was – you know, that’s pretty cool. Introducing the Hallows this late in the game was – I don’t know that it was perhaps done the way I wanted it to be done. But
at the same time, it was – it did present things to the novel that made it – made it kind of interesting in one of the ways. And you have to see this book as one of the books in the series, but also just a distinct book, I think. It was – it was an interesting plot line to add. I thought…
Micah: The thing was though…
Eric: …that this…
Micah: …the Hallows weren’t introduced in this book. They were there pretty much the whole time with the exception of what was inside the Snitch, what Dumbledore put inside the Snitch. So, it’s – with the Invisibility Cloak and the Elder Wand, they were always there; we just didn’t know…
Eric: And…
Micah: …they were there…
Laura: Mhm.
Eric: And the ring…
Micah: …which…
Eric: …even…
Micah: Yeah.
Eric: I mean in Book 6.
Micah: Yeah…
Eric: That’s…
Micah: …that’s what I meant.
Eric: …what I didn’t like though. I mean – I mean I liked how intrinsically linked they were from the past. But Voldemort made a Horcrux out of something that was a
Hallow without even knowing it was a Hallow, and I’m pretty sure nobody except Harry ever understood the rules of the Elder Wand. I still don’t.
Laura: Well, that’s probably a good thing.
Eric: Yeah…
Laura: I’m assuming that…
Eric: …but the rules though.
Laura: …not everybody knows about the Elder Wand.
Eric: No no, I mean the rules of the Elder Wand.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: The rules of the Elder Wand. The rules of the Elder Wand! When Voldemort was fighting with Harry, okay,
and Harry’s like, “Booyah! It’s Draco Malfoy!”
Laura: Okay, but then that would have…
Eric: I did a double take.
Laura: …been completely – that would have been completely pointless if Voldemort had understood the rules of the Elder Wand. They would have been in check basically.
Eric: Oh, it – if Voldemort had a – I mean, it’s just – it’s carelessness on Voldemort’s part. I think Voldemort’s pulling a Harry. He’s taking some of Harry’s traits now by not – by not knowing anything, really. I mean, that’s a very offensive comment, I’m sure, but I…
Jerry: I think it’s…
Eric: I was just disappointed.
Jerry: …also all about how he’s discovered it, isn’t it? How he’s taking the time to fully understand this has all happened because – because he’s discovered all the stuff along the way. I mean, he’s showing that Voldemort’s
losing his intelligence. Dum – Voldemort was, once this dominant character, has now slipped down. Harry has been learning all of what Voldemort hasn’t been learning and
that enables him to defeat him in the end.
Eric: With Expelliarmus.
The Chamber of Secrets
Andrew: Another question comes from Aria Hersh. Sorry if I got your name wrong.
“How did Ron and Hermione get out of the Chamber of Secrets?”
Eric: [laughs] Oh, well…
Jerry: Well…
Eric: …here’s a question.
Andrew: Fawkes saved the day.
Eric: Geez.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: I don’t know! Can – it’s like, can you speak Spanish without speaking Spanish? I mean, do you even get in? Like, you know, can you…
Andrew: Hmm?
Eric: …say “amigo” without actually knowing…
Laura: You speak Spanish to get into the Chamber of Secrets, Eric?
[Jerry laughs]
Eric: No, I’m saying that another language such as Parseltongue – what did Ron say that…
Laura: [laughs] No, I’m just kidding.
Andrew: Le gusta…
Laura: Well, didn’t…
Andrew: …Secret…
Laura: …Ron have…
Andrew: …de Chamber.
Laura: Didn’t Ron have a broomstick in his hand?
Andrew: Did he?
Jerry: Yeah.
Laura: After he came back? I thought he did.
Eric: There was a broomstick. There was a broomstick.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: So he did.
Eric: You know, I wanted to see the Chamber of Secrets come back. I wondered – now obviously, after they discovered it in Year 2, for five years, did Dumbledore never go down there? Looking for traces of Voldemort?
Jerry: They could use it for something. They could convert it into useable space, surely.
Eric: They could have made it into useable space. Maybe…
Jerry: Painted the walls?
Eric: …since there’s only room for like five – four poster beds in the Gryffindor dormitory, they could have housed some more Gryffindors.
Jerry: Or a whole new House.
Andrew: That’s a good point.
Jerry: That’s an awesome point.
Eric: Or used it to house anyone really. But now, thinking about that, that was such an abscess. I can’t believe – and thinking back I don’t know why I never brought up the question before, but the Chamber of Secrets – I mean, even though it’s been postulated what – or pondered – what has been happening down there, it seemed like very empty. She – I didn’t even know if she ever answered the question and she still hasn’t – if any of the teachers ever went down there. Because I mean, apparently, it had been looked for and actually searched for a long time.
Andrew: I think that’s just irrelevant information though.
Eric: I don’t think it’s irrelevant. It’s a big hole in the – in Hogwarts. Students could have been using it afterwards for secret things.
Andrew: Yeah. I think Jo’s answer would just be, “Dumbledore sealed this.”
Eric: Well, I would like that answer, just to clear it up.
Andrew: [laughs] Just to clear it up, yeah.
Eric: But yeah, Hermione and Ron going down there, I can understand why we didn’t see it in the first person because it wasn’t Harry, but I would have liked to kind of read about them in the Chamber a little bit more. Obviously, I mean, it was at the end of the book, everything else was happening. “Oh, by the way, we’ve been down in the Chamber.” You know.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Nothing has happened there for five years but we pulled up some more Basilisk fangs; we’re ready to kick some Horcrux ass.
Andrew: Yeah. Hey, hey!
Eric: We’re ready to kick some Horcrux bum.
Micah: PG.
Andrew: What kind of language is that?
Eric: Sorry.
Laura: Hey, she used – she used “bitch” in the book, so…
Andrew: Oh!
Eric: Oh yeah, yeah…
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Gosh, you guys, stop, my ears are bleeding.
Jerry: Good enough for J.K….
Eric: Good enough for MuggleCast, yeah.
Andrew: Well, yeah, we can curse with limits. Well… [laughs] …I hate to be like, “we can curse now,” but whatever.
[Eric laughs]
Rules of Apparition
Andrew: I guess our listeners are growing up. Hey, another e-mail now, unless anyone had anything to add to Eric’s thing. Jessica writes:
“I had always thought that in order for a witch or wizard to Apparate somewhere, they would need to have been at the place before in order to picture the place in their mind. But the trio was able to Apparate to Godric’s Hollow and various forests. Hermione couldn’t have camped at all of them when they’ve never been there before. How were they able to get there?”
Jerry: Well, they never say that you have had to have been somewhere to Apparate there, do they? It’s never stated.
Andrew: Yeah, you just got to – I think they’re just thinking of the location. At least I was…
Laura: Yeah, I mean, I guess you could also argue that Harry has been to Godric’s Hollow. The only problem with that argument is of course he really doesn’t remember it.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: His only recollection of it is the actual attack by Voldemort.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: But, I mean, I don’t know, it sounds like – I mean didn’t Hermione ever – it’s like they went to the forest of Dean or something and Hermione said she’d been there camping. I mean…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …I don’t think it’s entirely impossible.
Eric: Oh, that’s true.
Jerry: That just means she could picture that place really quickly because it was a split second decision to go there, wasn’t it? So…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Hmm. And…
Eric: Read the e-mail…
Andrew: Let’s see, where did I leave off here?
Eric: …from Lexie. Well, you skipped Charlotte Hutchens.
MuggleCast 107 Transcript (continued)
Should the Houses be Disbanded?
Andrew: Yeah, I thought so. Sorry. Another e-mail now from Charlotte Hutchens. She writes:
“Should the Houses of Hogwarts be disbanded in the wake of the wizarding war considering all the enmity that it created? You’d think that after war meant to separate people into worthy of life and not worthy of life, that they might realize that it doesn’t matter if you’re smart and cunning, bold and loyal, sweet and love-able, or the wittiest person on the planet.”
Personally, I think that the Houses create a little fun competition in the school.
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: It’s like sporting. It’s sporting teams, it’s a sporting event.
Eric: It is sporting, it’s not…
Jerry: I went to a school with Houses, and it does. It creates camaraderie with people.
Laura: I think the point there is that there’s always going to be some amount of – I don’t want to say prejudice – but there’s going to be some amount of competition between people no matter what you do, no matter how many wars there are. I think what we saw as important was Harry, who had started off the series with a completely negative view of the Slytherin House, told his son that it didn’t matter if he ended up in Slytherin because it was your choices that define you, it wasn’t – it wasn’t what House you were in or anything. And I think that people like Harry and people who revolutionized the Ministry knew that. I think the people who really changed the world knew that, and I think that’s what matters. There are always going to be people out there who hold grudges and that kind of thing, and you really can’t change that whether or not you get rid of Hogwarts Houses.
Eric: That’s really brilliant, Laura.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: That’s a brilliant comparison between how Harry at the end didn’t mind if his son was in Slytherin. I like that a lot.
Micah: What surprised me also was him saying that the bravest man he ever knew was in Slytherin. Why would somebody who is – their biggest character trait is being brave – be in Slytherin as opposed to Gryffindor? But…
Laura: Yep. And Dumbledore even said sometimes I think we Sort too early.
Jerry: Yeah.
Eric: Ooh.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jerry: Because people’s personality traits slide as they grow older, don’t they?
Andrew: Oh yeah.
Eric: Yeah, they slide.
Andrew: Oh yeah, oh yeah. Although it seems that all the characters that we know that – I can’t really think of a specific example where someone’s House would change, could you? Could anyone?
Laura: Maybe Hermione.
Jerry: Yeah.
Laura: I mean the Sorting Hat wanted to put her in Ravenclaw at first.
Eric: Yeah, which was interesting when she said it. But I think also, drawing – being drawn into the story of Harry Potter, we’ve been basically pitting Gryffindor against Slytherin. And that was like, obviously, I think, the rivalry with the most fuel in it. You know, for anything beyond simple rivalry, you know, anything with prejudice would be Gryffindor and Slytherin. Do you want only Mudbloods – I mean, only pure-bloods – to be trained as Slytherin did? Or do you want all people like Gryffindor? I mean, that was like the fundamental, kind of – if it were a story about Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, you know, there might not be that much enmity between the Houses. And there wasn’t that we know of. I mean, I think it’s just – if there was going to be a prejudice, it would’ve been Gryffindor against Slytherin, and we’ve been drawn into that…
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: …through the books.
Jerry: I would’ve thought it’d be more natural to have a prejudice between Hufflepuff and Slytherin since Hufflepuff was loved [unintelligible].
Eric: Yeah. I kind of think so too.
Jerry: That’s kind of the opposite of Slytherin.
Andrew: That would’ve been – I mean, the students themselves love the whole Housing situation, I believe. So if you were to merge them altogether…
Jerry: You’d have huge dormitories.
Andrew: We…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: We had a show once called Gryffravenhufflerin something.
Laura: Hufflerin. Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs] As coined by – who made that up? Eric?
Laura: Jamie. I thought it was Jamie.
Eric: No, I think it was definitely Jamie or it was – because…
Andrew: I’m thinking Greg Porter…
Eric: Really?
Andrew: …for some reason. Maybe not. I don’t know.
Eric: We tried – even on the episode we had five or six names, and I had one that was obscure and didn’t make much sense in a way. It wasn’t…
Andrew: Oh yeah. We picked the one that flowed the best, I think. [laughs]
Eric: Yeah, I think it was Jamie, actually, but I could be correct. But about the Houses, do you guys think – because I really liked for – one of the things I liked about Book 7 was the Lost Diadem, or tiara for short, of Ravenclaw. Like, and – that kind of back story on the Bloody Baron and Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter and that kind of thing. That it took us back to the founding days of Hogwarts, kind of way.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Because I wanted to see or hear more about the founders of Hogwarts because they were the greatest witches and wizards of their day.
The Ghosts
Micah: You what I liked about that, is that we had a show way back – I think it was one of the Halloween episodes – and a bunch of people were like, “Why are you discussing the ghosts? They’re not going to play any role in the…”
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: “Nobody cares about them.”
Laura: Joke’s on you.
Micah: Well, you know what?
Eric: Eat your words, listeners!
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: And Ben.
Laura: You were wrong.
Andrew: And Ben. [laughs]
Eric: And Ben. [laughs]
Laura: You know what I find interesting about that whole situation, though? There seems to be so much mystery surrounding the founding days of Hogwarts and that type of thing. And then we find out that the Grey Lady was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, and I’m like, you pretty much have a walking encyclopedia of Hogwarts history right there…
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: …so why are there so many questions?
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Laura: I was like, that seemed a bit weird. Maybe she just willing to talk about it; maybe not that many people knew who she was. But I was – I find that kind of peculiar.
Eric: Well, I think you need the manly charisma and boyish good looks of Tom Riddle to get anything out of her, and – or, of course, Harry. Because she said – she confessed the Diadem thing, but to Tom Riddle was the only one she ever told about that. Like, which is kind of upsetting like – I did like the story. I didn’t like how it was crammed into the end with the Battle of Hogwarts, but I did like the story. You could tell J.K.R. had so thought that out about the founding days of Hogwarts and stuff. That was cool.
A “True” Gryffindor
Laura: So, you guys, I just had an interesting question posed to me. My friend who’s here in the room – she’s actually sitting here listening while we record – her name’s Lauren. Say hi, Lauren.
Lauren: Hi.
Laura: Okay.
Andrew: Wait. Is she the MuggleCast listener?
Laura: Yes, she is actually.
Andrew: Okay.
Laura: She’s my next door neighbor. That was a weird coincidence, but…
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Laura: She’s asking – we were talking about the Houses and stuff, and she’s asking – it says, “It takes a true Gryffindor to pull the sword out of the hat, like Harry and Neville both did. Could someone else of a different House do that if they were sorted wrong or too early? Or does it just take some time to realize you full House potential? So for instance, if Snape should have really been a Gryffindor, could he pull the sword out of the hat? Or is it like a arbitrary thing?
Andrew: Well, no, because you have to be a true Gryffindor. [laughs]
Laura: But just because you’re sorted into Slytherin, does that mean that you are a true Slytherin? Like Dumbledore…
Andrew: Well – oh.
Laura: …was saying that we’re sorted too early.
Eric: Well, Snape’s brave.
Jerry: But he’s also very cunning, isn’t he? So…
Eric: He’s also very cunning and also very – I mean, I don’t think anybody is one House and only has those traits. You know, everybody’s got traits…
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: …of all the Houses. It’s just, which ones are – not necessarily emphasized. I mean, you’re right, Snape’s underlying thing was probably the bravery he had for doing everything, or the courage, you know, to go through with stuff. But at the same time, as a well-rounded person – it’s a good question though, with the Sorting Hat. Just ask J.K.R., please. Just…
Andrew: I guess it just depends what’s running it.
Laura: Okay, I’ll call her up and ask her.
Andrew: [laughs] I guess it just depends the – it just depends on what’s in your magical blood.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Because, yeah…
Laura: Do you think so? Because Harry wasn’t descended from Gryffindor, so…
Andrew: Oh, well, okay.
Jerry: No, and Sirius just descended from a strong Slytherin house.
Andrew: Oh yeah.
Eric: Though Harry was descended from the Peverells and so is Voldemort, Laura.
Andrew: All right. You guys got me; you guys got me.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Well, yeah. I don’t know.
Laura: I mean, I was…
Andrew: Maybe Fawkes did something.
Laura: …just – I was just thinking, like, is it exclusive to people who were actually sorted into that House? Or if you – or say if like Godric Gryffindor rose from the dead and walked over to Snape and said, “You are very brave. I consider you a true Gryffindor.” Would he be able to pull the sword out of the Hat?
Jerry: If that happened, however unlikely.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I guess I’ll say, I don’t think it could be a verbal change.
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: If you know what I’m saying.
Eric: I don’t know. It’s got a cool connection, the Hat and the Sword, especially after Griphook had the Sword. To think that it would still be retrievable, if you needed it, from the Hat, is cool.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: And it kind of answers the question about whether or not it was actually Godric Gryffindor’s, or whether or not he stole it from goblins or tricked goblins in making it, or whatever the controversy was. I think it was – the sword is still associated with wizard. And that’s kind of, I think, a small triumph in – despite any of the prejudices that would have gone on, that Godric’s sword was still credited to him, and his hat could pull it even after Griphook had it.
Jerry: I’m pretty sure Jo responded to that. I’m sure I read somewhere that she responded to that in saying that Griphook was mistaken and that Godric hadn’t, in fact, stolen it.
Eric: Oh, cool.
Jerry: But I might be wrong.
Andrew: Really? Oh, oh. Yeah, I think you’re right. I think she said that in the web-chat or something.
Eric: Which I only got the second half of, yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: I think you’re right.
Andrew: Okay, yeah. Okay, there you go. Well, let’s keep moving. We’re getting…
Laura: Okay.
Andrew: Showtime’s running long.
Eric: We’re almost done, yeah.
Laura: Yeah. [laughs] We’re getting kind of long.
Andrew: Yeah. Let’s see here.
Eric: Lexie.
Pettigrew’s Death
Andrew: Lexie:
“Were any of the guys disappointed with how…” – or girls. Sorry, Laura.
Eric: [laughs] Girls!
Laura: She said, “you guys.”
Eric: “You guys.”
Andrew: Oh, “you guys.” [laughs]
Laura: Andrew, you can’t read.
Andrew: “Were any of you guys disappointed with how Pettigrew paid Harry back as well? I kind of expected something with more grandeur…” [laughs] “…and I guess I had a little bit of trouble sensing the significance of what ended up happening.”
Yeah. I guess I was a little disappointed. I mean, that wasn’t the best way you could pay Harry back. He just killed himself.
Eric: I thought it was.
Jerry: No. If he’d kill himself and kill Voldemort…
Laura: I thought…
Jerry: …that’d be cool, but…
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: I don’t know. I mean…
Eric: Yeah, I thought it was cool that his hand…
Laura: …I thought it was fine.
Eric: …had a mind of its own.
Andrew: It was helpful.
Eric: You know, how the hand had a mind of its own and Voldemort…
Jerry: I think it was the hand reflecting his true personality, wasn’t it, rather than reflecting his mind.
Eric: No, I think it was that Voldemort created the hand and the minute that it went against Voldemort’s means, it would strangle him. I thought that was actually a little bit of a terrifying moment where it’s like, “Wow! Your own hand is strangling you. How much must that suck?” [laughs]
Jerry: Yeah.
Eric: But no, I liked it. That was one of the parts I liked, Pettigrew paying Harry back. Because it was quick. I mean, people were dying left and right. J.K. had her death stick, everybody was dying. Pettigrew, I thought that was cool. You know, where Harry just shouted at him, there was a moment’s hesitation where Pettigrew – there was kind of some good that might have been in him, and then his own hand finished the business. I thought that…
Micah: Yeah, it was…
Eric: It’s a true reaping of what you sow.
Micah: Like you said, Eric, it was a recognition factor, I think, from the hand that Voldemort put there. And once – it was almost – it sounds weird to say – it was, in a way, like an activation. And as soon as Harry said out loud that he needed to pay him back in some way and that he had saved his life, it was like a trigger effect.
Andrew: Mhm.
Micah: I mean, I don’t have a problem with it. He was going to go at some point, and I think there was a lot going on. And it prevented him from doing Harry anymore harm or anybody else that was on his side anymore harm. So I don’t necessarily see a problem with how it happened.
Andrew: Yeah, I agree.
Eric: If you’re – this is just to Allison. If you’re – no, this is to Lexie. If you expected something with more grandeur out of that, I’m just curious what your thoughts were on the rest of the book.
Scrimgeour
Andrew: Yeah. Final e-mail today comes from Allison:
“Do you think Scrimgeour’s last act was really intended to protect Harry?”
Jerry: Well, obviously.
Andrew: I think so.
Eric: Yeah! That was…
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: That was good, too. Scrimgeour, come on! He died.
Andrew: Hey, he came back.
Eric: Yeah! He was pretty much eating his words. I mean, everybody around him had been infiltrated. And all his coworkers, all of everything that Scrimgeour was working for as a Minister. Even if he was not a nice guy or whatever, I think Scrimgeour in some form believed that what he was doing was right. And to actually have Death Eaters having infiltrated everything and are now torturing you.
Andrew: He still doesn’t give up the information.
Eric: He doesn’t give up the information that he was working so hard to get. I mean, he still maintained – he changed sides that quickly, in a way. He knew that protecting Harry was the right thing to do after all, because what Harry had been working against, the corrupt Ministry, was actually reality.
Andrew: Yeah. Anyone else?
Eric: That was a darn good character trait.
Laura: No, I think that’s good.
“HUH!?” E-mail of the Week
Andrew: That was a darn good answer, Ali – Eric. [laughs] Okay, we’re going to do a segment now that we haven’t done in a while. And, unfortunately, I’m out of water here, so it won’t roll out of my mouth as well as it usually does. Somebody actually asked me to do this in Pittsburgh. I think they were recording it, too. I don’t know what they would do with it, though. It’s time for my “HUH!?” E-mail of the Week. That was terrible. [clears throat]
Laura: That was really bad.
Andrew: It’s time for my “HUH?!” No? Better?
Laura: Yeah, that was better.
Jerry: Better, yeah.
Andrew: “HUH!?”
Laura: You sounded a bit like Scooby-Doo there.
Andrew: I can’t do it like I used to! I think I just have to like…
Micah: You sound like a donkey.
Eric: Get it in the belly. Feel it in the belly, feel it in the belly.
Andrew: Okay, maybe I need to sit up straight, have better posture.
Jerry: Be the “huh.”
Andrew: It’s time for my “HUH!?”…
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: It’s a little better.
Eric: Yeah, a little bit better.
Andrew: …E-mail of the week. Becca Bates, fourteen, of Reading, Eric’s hometown.
Eric: Oh my gosh!
Andrew: Subject line: “Auditioning for Harry Potter.” Her message:
“How do you audition?” Next line: “And where?” Two lines down: “When?” Two lines down: “Time?”
Jerry: Was this after you posted the – about that musical perhaps?
Andrew: No, this was actually before that.
Jerry: Oh, okay.
Andrew: We get these kind of e-mails a lot, actually. People ask us – whenever filming starts up again for the upcoming Harry Potter film, we always get these e-mails from people, saying, you know, “How do I audition?” And the first problem, Becca, is that you’re from Reading, and…
Eric: Hey, wait a minute, don’t say Reading people never amount to anything.
Andrew: Well, Reading, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, United States.
Eric: Right, yes, of course.
Andrew: Yeah, I wasn’t saying…
Jerry: Not in the U.K., for instance.
Eric: No, I know, Andrew, I’m just joking. It was awesome.
Andrew: Oh, there’s a Reading in the U.K.?
Jerry: Yeah, quite a big city, yeah.
Andrew: I’d better track this I.P. [Andrew laughs]
Eric: It could be Reading, England man. Because that’s where the original name – William Penn named it after Reading, England.
Laura: Well, if you are from the U.S….
Eric: No.
Andrew: Go on, Laura.
Laura: …they haven’t – they don’t cast Americans. I’m sorry.
Jerry: Hear, hear.
[Jerry and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Not to rain on your parade, because I actually – and this is a story – when they were casting for the first movie, I did send in an audition tape. I was eleven. I had just turned eleven, I had just read Goblet of Fire, and they were doing casting, and I sent in an audition tape. I’m sure that some WB exec still has it and plays it every now and then to laugh.
[Andrew and Jerry laugh]
Laura: But…
Eric: Laura, are we going to see that…
Laura: …I did, so…
Eric: …that video as a special on Pickle Pack?
Laura: No…
Jerry: I think we should.
Laura: …because there was only one copy of it, and it’s in England somewhere.
Andrew: You should get it back! That’d be perfect.
Eric: Get it back! We have contacts at WB, don’t we?
Laura: Oh no, no. Oh my God, no, I hope they burned it.
Andrew: The other problem is that – well, I mean, you could have been a little nicer in your e-mail to me, that would have been nice. And at this point if – you need to go to an open casting call; you can’t just submit tapes anymore.
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: I don’t think. I mean…
Laura: Yeah, I don’t think you really can.
Andrew: …because they have all the roles, so…
Jerry: You need an agent.
Andrew: …unless like Emma’s – yeah, oh yeah, you need an agent too, that’s kind of important. So, there’s my “HUH!?” E-mail of the Week. Don’t send any stupid e-mail on purpose because it’s pretty obvious when they’re on purpose. You write it…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …obnoxiously bad. So there you go.
Dueling Club
Andrew: Dueling Club. Haven’t done one of these in a while. Laura?
Laura: Oh, yeah, and you made me come up with it this week. Looks like we have a couple of them. First one is going to be Neville versus Luna. Who do you think…
Andrew: Neville.
Laura: …would win? I think Neville, yep. I agree.
Jerry: Yeah, definitely.
Laura: I think we should probably back up our statements here, but…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …I think that definitely Neville, because Luna is very whimsical, and, not to say she’s unintelligent, because she’s certainly not, but I think that a lot of her talent and her capabilities lie in the world of discovery, I suppose. Like discovery of new things. Almost like a scientist in a way. And Neville’s actually very magically inclined. He’s also, you know, proven himself to be very brave, so…
Andrew: Yes.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: I think they’re a different kind of smart.
Andrew: When you were coming up with these I was like, “make them Book 7 relevant.” And Neville’s really changed, so that’s why I’m thinking Neville.
Eric: Neville kicked bum.
Laura: Yeah
Eric: Yeah, Neville was great in Book 7
Andrew: He grew up.
Jerry: A Crumple-Horned Snorkack won’t help you in a fight.
Eric: Well, no, and…
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Eric: …that’s the thing. With – what was it – Mr. Lovegood – Xenophilius Lovegood – it was kind of a shame when he had to – when Luna had to accept that her father had been pretty much lying to her about – well, first of all, the big Crumple-Horned Snorkack thing, but her father is kind of – I don’t want to say deadbeat dad, but just, you know, not really as reliable as she would of hoped he’d be.
[Micah laughs]
Jerry: It’s like a rite of passage, though, isn’t it? Growing up and finding out your parents aren’t infallible. And they make mistakes.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, exactly, though. But Xenophilius…
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: But people who – this just reminds me, this Dueling Club – people who ship Neville and Luna, what do they call it? Do they call it NevilleLuna? Or LuNeville? Or…
Jerry: Nula? [laughs]
Laura: Leville.
Andrew: Nula.
Eric: Nula?
Laura: Nuna. [laughs]
Eric: Oh God.
Laura: Oh my gosh.
Andrew: Neviluna. Neviluna.
Eric: Okay.
Andrew: Nevuna.
Eric: The next’s ones…
Laura: We could make an entire show coming up with ship names. Okay, anyway…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: The next one is Griphook versus Kreacher.
Micah: Wow.
Eric: Kreacher! Kreacher! Kreacher! Kreacher!
Micah: I want to see Griphook just get it.
Andrew: Yeah, I guess… [laughs]
Laura: I have a – it’s…
Micah: I didn’t like him.
Jerry: We don’t know enough about dwarf magic though, do we really? What they possess in terms of fighting.
Laura: Well, just based off of what we do know. I mean, we’ve seen that – Gosh, it’s difficult because, especially with Kreacher’s character transformation, I want to say that it is a correct assumption to say that, in general, House-elves are more trusting than goblins are.
Jerry: Hmm.
Andrew: Mhm.
Laura: Especially Kreacher’s…
Jerry: I don’t think they think for themselves quite as much, do they?
Laura: What?
Jerry: They don’t think for themselves quite as much, do they? They’re quite…
Laura: No, that’s the – they’re not really as selfish as goblins, and it seems like – I don’t know – it seems like a goblin would be more inclined to cheat or do something…
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Laura: ….you know, play dirty. That type of thing.
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Laura: I mean, no one said the Dueling Club was fair.
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Laura: You could win by default of being a jerk, so…
Andrew: But I mean – well…
Eric: Yeah, I would assume that’s true.
Laura: I mean…
Andrew: I mean, even Kreacher could be accused of cheating. I mean, up until…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …Book 7 he wasn’t always the most honest of people. [laughs]
Eric: That’s really weird. Kreacher kind of replaced Dobby in Book 7. I mean, in Book 6…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: …there was this whole wonderful kind of, “Dobby is going to do the right thing, Kreacher is just going to hate what he’s doing the whole time,” and then in Book 7 Dobby died, and Kreacher pretty much took over for the whole – the whole absence of Dobby, really.
Laura: Okay, but who…
Andrew: He turned into a really cool House-elf.
Micah: No, see, I don’t agree with that though, because he really came in before Dobby died.
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: His transformation occurred before Dobby was killed off…
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: …by Bellatrix, and – I don’t know. He wasn’t really seen again until after – or during the fight with Voldemort.
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: I mean Kreacher’s transformation really was there during their whole stay at Grimmauld Place, which was before Dobby…
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: …kicked the bucket.
Eric: I suppose you’re right.
Jerry: We do know that Kreacher was there hacking at ankles though, because J.K. has told us. Even though she doesn’t mention it in the book.
Laura: Yes, he was. But who seriously didn’t sit there and just let out a huge, “Aww!” when Kreacher made them food? Like when he made them breakfast?
Jerry: Yeah, it was good.
Andrew: Oh yeah, oh yeah, it was so good seeing a nice Kreacher.
Laura: It was like, “Aww, that’s so cute!”
Eric: But when Kreacher would be expecting them home and then the Death Eater guy or whoever was there instead.
Laura: Aw, and then Harry felt bad, yeah.
Eric: Yeah, Harry felt bad. That was amazing.
Laura: I know.
Micah: Yeah.
Andrew: Okay, so is that it?
Laura: So, Griphook. I say Griphook.
Andrew: Yeah. Same. Micah? Eric?
Eric and Micah: Kreacher.
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: Oh, hmm, okay.
Micah: I mean, look what he did for the whole Horcrux thing.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: He drank the potion and survived.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Well, he’s got a tough stomach.
Jerry: Yeah.
Andrew: We know that.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Eric: He’s got a tough stomach. [laughs] He could outdrink Griphook. [laughs]
Andrew: Since we’re kind of split, do you want to make it the poll on MuggleCast.com this week?
Laura: Sure, yeah.
Andrew: Semi-split. We’ll see.
Eric: If you’re looking for a poll. [laughs]
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: Huh?
Eric: I said, if you’re looking for a poll, sure. I mean we update weekly, right?
Andrew: Oh, well, no. We don’t update…
Eric: Oh.
Andrew: …the poll weekly. [laughs]
Eric: Well, you should make the poll thing anyway.
Andrew’s Listener Challenge
Andrew: I mean – yeah. So, okay, let’s move on to another segment we haven’t done in a while: Andrew’s Listener Challenge. It comes from – it stems from this e-mail I got earlier this week. I was in this nice little conversation with Tiffany, and in one of her responses to me she said, “Question: Why don’t you say ‘pickles’ anymore?” And I was like, “Hmm, good point.” We have the Pickle Pack, we have lots of people enjoying the Pickle Pack, getting lots of exclusive bonus content…
Eric: Putting out a shirt.
Andrew: …that you’ll all missing out on. Ha-ha.
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: No, everyone has their shirt now.
[Eric and Jerry laugh]
Andrew: It’s a good point; we don’t say “pickles” anymore on the show, guys. It used to be a big catchphrase on the show.
Eric: Was it?
Andrew: Yeah, it used to be a big thing.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: I remember even one show, I went as far as to go, “Pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, pickles, blah!”
Eric: Nothing beats you doing that, Andrew.
Andrew: Mhm.
Laura: Well, I think she probably got her fix just there, Andrew.
Andrew: Yes. But, wait, I don’t want to stop there, Laura. For my Listener Challenge this week, it’s time to bring the pickle catchphrase back to MuggleCast. So for the Listener Challenge this week find your nearest pickle retailer, create a sign that says, “Want more pickles? Visit MuggleCast.com” or whatever you want. Just make sure it has “MuggleCast.com” on there. Take that sign, go to your nearest pickle retailer, and put that sign right on the pickle stand. Now, I want, of course, you guys to take pictures, send them in to andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com with “Pickle Listener Challenge” in the subject line. We’re bringing pickles back to the show! Now the next time someone’s looking for pickles in their pickle retailer, they will find the sign, they’ll go to MuggleCast.com, and, hey! Maybe we’ll get an extra few MuggleCast listeners out of it.
Eric: Sweet.
Laura: Very nice.
Andrew: So that’s the Listener Challenge. I don’t think there can be one winner unless you do something extremely extravagant. I don’t know what you could do. [laughs]
Jerry: Well, people can vote for the picture or something.
Laura: Oh, someone will think of something.
Andrew: Okay.
Eric: You can get jars of pickles and spread them out on the beach. Like along the beach.
Andrew: No, but it has to be a pickle retailer.
Eric: Well, a pickle…
Andrew: Pickle retailer!
Eric: Well, I don’t know any beach-side pickle retailers.
Andrew: Well, here’s what you do: whoever creates the most extravagant pickle/MuggleCast display at a pickle retailer in the pickle area… [laughs] …take a picture. Hopefully you’ll keep it up in the store and just run out and never return again. And, by the way, parents, we’re not endorsing any of this immature behavior, it’s just for show. If people do it, whatever.
Laura: We’re not liable.
Andrew: We’re not making people do any of this…
Eric: No fast-suits.
Andrew: …it’s just – yeah, we’re not liable, good point, Laura. Thank you. So, send your entries in to andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com with “Pickle Listener Challenge” in the subject line. Most extravagant wins…
Eric: A shout out.
Andrew: …a Pickle Pack membership. How about that?
Laura: Oh, that’s nice! Let’s do that!
Eric: I don’t know if you can do that, though, legally. Like, I don’t if you can…
Andrew: Why not?
Laura: Well, why not?
Jerry: However not? Why couldn’t they?
Eric: Okay. Well, because the registration was closed – oh yeah, I get it. Okay, cool.
Jerry: Yeah, but he…
Andrew: Yeah, but still – we’re not like…
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: Win a membership to Pickle Pack. So if you missed out – Pickle Pack listeners still – if a Pickle Pack winner – if a Pickle Pack member wins, then we’ll give them a MuggleCast t-shirt. MuggleCast Summer Tour t-shirt or something like that. Okay.
Eric: I need one of those.
Andrew: Yeah, well, I’ll mail that out right away.
[Jerry laughs]
Andrew: I’ll get right on that. [laughs] I’m just kidding, Eric. I’ll mail it…
Eric: Yeah, that’s cool, that’s cool.
Andrew: …sometime in the next year or so. Okay.
Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul
Andrew: And now it’s time for Chicken Soup: Hurricane Dean Edition. I love the special editions of Chicken Soup; they’re the most fun. But somber at the same time.
[Eric laughs]
Laura: Okay, this comes from Jessica Chung in Kingston, Jamaica. She writes:
“I live in Jamaica and Hurricane Dean hit on Sunday. I was praying that I could download the latest MuggleCast before they cut off electricity. Actually, loading MuggleCast on my iPod was the last thing I did before the power went out. Anyway, I’d just like to thank you guys for keeping me entertained during the hurricane. MuggleCast was one of the few things that kept me sane during the three-day power cut. I love MuggleCast. Keep up the good work.”
Andrew: Aww!
Laura: Aww!
Andrew: Good! We’re glad it kept you safe…
Laura: Entertained.
Andrew: …and happy and entertained.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew Wonderful.
Laura: Glad you’re okay, too.
Andrew: So, with that, I think that wraps up today’s show. Good show, guys.
Laura: Yes…
Eric: Good show, guys.
Laura: …it was…
Jerry: Yeah, great.
Andrew: It’s been a while.
Laura: It has been a while. But it was good to get back. I’m glad to get back into the regular scheme of things.
Andrew: I think we got back…
Laura: Hit the ground running.
Andrew: …in the words of my easy button…
Easy Button: That was easy.
Andrew: Yes, it was.
Laura: The Easy Button returns.
Contact Information
Andrew: Here’s another thing we haven’t heard in awhile: the contact information.
Eric: Ooh.
Andrew: Laura, what’s the P.O. Box if somebody wants to send us something?
Laura: It’s going to be P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, Georgia, 30028. There are some people asking questions about that. No, I do not live in Georgia anymore. Yes, my mother is going to continue checking the P.O. Box and sending out people’s mail for me, so…
Andrew: Thanks, Mamma Thompson!
Laura: Yes…
[Micah laughs]
Laura: …the Muggle-Mom, as I like to call her now.
[Eric laughs]
Laura: So keep sending mail. She’ll make sure it gets sent out. And every now and then, you know, give her a little tip. Put a couple of dollars in there.
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: Hey, hey, hey!
Laura: In the envelope or something.
Eric: Send some cards to Laura’s mom! Postcards, that can do.
Laura: Yeah, very nice! Yeah. Write to my mom.
Andrew: Actually, I – yeah!
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Andrew: I should address this quickly: we have been having many, many, many, many, many, many, many new listeners, so if you are a new listener, on three. One, two, three: welcome! Yay!
Eric: [singing] Welcome…
Laura: Yay!
Eric: …to MuggleCast.
Andrew: I was hoping everybody would chime in. Yeah, we hope everybody continues to listen. Seriously, though, the numbers have been through the roof! It’s been a – it’s been good. So the P.O. Box is just a little fun extra thing we do here on the side if people like to send us some fan-mail, or maybe a craft, or maybe a fun, quick recipe or…
Eric: Like macaroni?
[Show music begins]
Andrew: Whatever. They can send whatever as long as it is legal, and we appreciate that. Here’s another way of contacting us here on MuggleCast: you can call in a voicemail question, comment, or even a listener rebuttal. Just remember to keep your question under 60 seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible. We have several phone numbers you can use to contact us. If you’re in the United States, you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC – that’s 1-218-206-2442. If you’re in the United Kingdom, you can dial 020-8144-0677. If you’re in Australia, you can dial 02-8003-5668. You can also Skype the username “MuggleCast” at Skype.com. Get Skype. Free program. Really cool. Most people know about that already. You can also e-mail in a question, rebuttal, comment, or whatever else you want. Just visit MuggleCast.com, click on “Contact” at the top or contact any one of us at our first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Jerry, you’re Jerry at staff, right?
Jerry: Yep, yep.
Andrew: J-E-R-R-Y at staff dot mugglenet dot com. We also have some – several community outlets, ways to interact with fellow MuggleCast listeners, or even the co-hosts: us. Hee-hee! We have a MySpace at MySpace.com/MuggleCastFans. We have a Facebook group, YouTube group, Frappr group, Last.FM group, which is a music community. You know, we haven’t done this in a while. Why not?
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: We’re not on a time limit here; let’s see the most popular artists MuggleCast fans are listening to right now. This is what Last.FM is all about. The Beatles is the top artist this week.
Laura: Oh, finally!
Jerry: Wow.
Laura: Something good!
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Thank you! No more Fall Out Boy.
Eric: No more Fall Out Boy.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Rounding up the top five: Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, and The Killers. What – what’s up with you emo people?
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Why are you all emo?
Eric: Well, no. The Beatles are an essential part of music history, and I must say that I just downloaded – I just put my two albums of The Beatles that I brought with me to my iTunes library, and I have been listening repeatedly to the song “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” originally from Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Jerry: So it’s you, Eric. It’s entirely your fault that it’s gone right to the top of the list.
[Jerry and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: Yeah.
[Laura laughs]
Jerry: All you’re doing.
Laura: Yay, Beatles!
Eric: Yay, Beatles.
Andrew: We also have the fanlisting and the forums over at MuggleCastFan.net. You can also Digg the show at Digg.com. Don’t forget to vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley, and rate and review us at Yahoo! Podcasts.
Eric: [singing] “Do-do-do!”
Show Close
Andrew: Jerry, you’re also running a little website and podcast right now.
Jerry: I am. A little old thing. www.FandomForecast.com. We’re a far less well-known weekly podcast called ForeCast, and we talk about…
Andrew: Now it’s known.
Jerry: …the fandom and events and rock concerts and conferences, and all that.
Andrew: Awesome.
Jerry: So, yeah, check it out.
Andrew: Awesome, because…
Laura: Very cool.
Andrew: …even though the final book is out the fandom is still thriving. And that’s a great idea you and Jennifer put together, so…
Jerry: Thank you.
Andrew: Very cool. I think that’s about it. Once again, I’m Andrew Sims.
Eric: I am Eric Scull.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Jerry: And I’m Jerry Cook.
Andrew: We’ll see everyone next week for Episode 108.
Andrew and Laura: Buh-bye!
Eric: Ooh! That has special Lost significance.
[Show music ends]
[“Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray plays]
———————–