Transcript #163

MuggleCast 163 Transcript


Show Intro


[“Boom Boom” by John Lee Hooker plays]

[“Innuendo” by Queen begins playing]

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[Song continues]

[Show music plays]

Andrew: And good morning, ladies and gentlemen! 9:30 a.m. here on a Friday morning here on the West Coast, and just a half an hour ago, Warner Brothers released a brand new Half-Blood Prince trailer. And surprised the fans. Isn’t that right, Matt Britton?

Matt: Yes, they did. Yup, yup, yup.

Andrew: We found out about it last night, but of course they wanted to make it a surprise to the fans. So here we are, a half hour later after the trailer came out. Of course this is a big surprise to the fans, and, frankly, this trailer is awesome.

Matt: Yeah, it is pretty – it’s pretty awesome awesome.

Andrew: Matt and I are here. Eric will be here later on, Micah will be calling in later on. And who knows, maybe a couple of surprises. Penny Gershman from HP Prognostications is going to be joining us very shortly. But right now I want to take some of your calls, because what has happened is, fans were completely surprised by this. It came out of the blue. So start calling in now. The number 1-218-20-MAGIC in the United States. If you’re in the United Kingdom or in Australia, you know the numbers: 020-781-44-0677 in the United Kingdom and in Australia 028-003-5668. So, right now, let’s get in here Penny Gersh from HP Prognostications. I’m going to call her via our little Skype tool.

[Matt hums along with music]

Andrew: Very exciting. Matt?

Matt: What?

Andrew: What was…

Penny: Hey, guys!

Andrew: Hey, hello!

Matt: Penny, hey!

Andrew: Good morning.

Penny: What’s up?

Matt: Oh nothing, just watching the new Half-Blood Prince trailer.


Initial Reactions to Trailer


Andrew: Your initial reactions to the trailer?

Penny: Oh my gosh, I love it!

[Everyone laughs]

Penny: What can we say? I mean, it looks like everything that we wanted it to look. It’s – there’s dark, there’s light, it’s funny, it’s – I’m so excited. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah, I know.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Matt, what really stood out for you in this trailer?

Matt: Hermione’s hair.

Andrew: [laughs] Hermione’s…

Matt: It’s actually messy.

Andrew: I know!

Penny: Me too.

Andrew: You can’t help but notice. It was almost like obnoxiously sort of messy.

Matt: It was like – yeah. It was almost like, “You know what? Screw it. I’m going to make the fans happy.” And she just goes in the bathroom and just scrubs her hair.

Andrew: Right.

Penny: Well, the thing is though, I’m wondering – I mean it’s not like that in the entire trailer, so I’m wondering if perhaps maybe there’s some kind of potions accident or something that made her hair like that.

Matt: Maybe.

Penny: Except what excited me though was that we always hear about how Hermione’s hair is so bushy, and we’ve never seen it, except for maybe in the first scene in the first movie.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: So it’s exciting to actually finally see it.

Matt: But we only see it in that one scene. So – I mean – we know in the book that she get – that Hermione’s a little jealous of Harry, so maybe she was like up all night trying to study and trying to one-up Harry, and then she probably just didn’t have time to do her hair.

Andrew: Maybe.

Penny: With the Felix Felicis or something.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It is kind of – Penny, could – I don’t know of you saw my IM, but can you put on headphones, if you have some?

Penny: Yeah, you want to cut me off for a few minutes?

Andrew: Sure.

Penny: Because I had headphones on and then I couldn’t hear you guys, so…

Andrew: Sure.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: All right. So…

Matt: So, Andrew, what did you think about the trailer? I mean, what was your favorite part? What really stood out?

Andrew: The beginning. No, I have to say – well, you brought this up to me while we were talking when we first saw the trailer – the color in this is very – I want to say saturated?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It just looks very warm…

Matt: It looks like an inkwell painting or something.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, it’s funny, because I guess we’re – in a way we’re comparing it to the trailer that leaked a few weeks ago.

Matt: But this one actually had all the CGI in it.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. [laughs] The Quidditch, too, looks quite surprising, because there’s that one funny shot of Ron just like.

Matt: “Whoo!”

Andrew: He’s sort of like in X formation…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: …with his body. [laughs]

Matt: “Yeah!” That’s probably when he has the Felix Felicis.

Andrew: Do you think so?

Matt: Yeah, because he’s having a good time. It’s the only time we ever see him happy.

Andrew: Oh, that’s right.

Matt: Because he’s always nervous. But also in the Quidditch scene you can see Ginny.

Andrew: You can?

Matt: I never knew that was Ginny.

Andrew: Where?

Matt: At the very end.

Andrew: Of what?

Matt: You see “Weasley.” If – when they’re all in formation, she’s the last person to join the crowd.

Andrew: Really?

Matt: Yeah, it says “Weasley” and she has long red hair.


Call: Comic Relief


Andrew: Sasha, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live.

Caller: Oh, hold on, let me just mute first.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: Oh, thank you.

Caller: I just wanted to say that I’m really happy with this trailer. I think…

Matt: Mhm.

Caller: …compared with some of the other ones this one has so much comic relief than all the trailers for the other movies…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …and I think it’s really great for such a serious film that I was expecting it to be.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah, I agree with you, it is a good balance.

Andrew: Question though. I want your reaction though. When you first heard or saw that there was a new trailer, how did you react?

Caller: I was jumping up and down.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Caller: I was really, really excited.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Caller: I mean, it’s been really slow with the news and everything with Harry Potter.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Caller: About time for a trailer.

Andrew: Yeah. All right, Sasha. Thank you.

Matt: Thank you so much, Sasha.

Caller: Yeah, you too.

Andrew: All right, bye.

Matt: Bye.


The Trailer Was a Surprise


Andrew: All right, Penny, you’re back. Penny, we were just talking about how much of a surprise it was.

Penny: The trailer in general?

Andrew: Yeah. What were your reactions when I told you?

Penny: That they brought it now?

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Penny: Okay. Well, first of all, my first reaction was that this movie is coming out in July, so it’s still once again, as much as we – you know – we thought this was going to happen by the end of this month, it’s a really long time away, so that was my first reaction of, “I’m excited, but once again, this kills me because we’re not going to see the movie until July.”

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Right.

Penny: Also, because we had just had that leaked trailer a few weeks ago, I was sort of surprised that this one came out. I don’t know if you guys felt that same way.

Andrew: Me too, but here’s the big thing with this trailer. [laughs] This really brings it full circle. They’re releasing it – they’re putting it in front of Twilight, which is kind of funny.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: And when we were told about this yesterday, I was on the phone with WB, and I was like, “So you going to put something in the beginning of the trailer that’s like ‘Yeah, so you were supposed to see this movie with Twilight, but – or to see this movie today, but here’s a little trailer anyways. Sorry. LOLs.'” [laughs]

Penny: Yeah, and in some ways – in some ways it’s offensive to the Harry Potter fans, but in other ways, it’s great, especially for the ones who are going to go see it. I mean, how many of us are going to go see it the Twilight movie anyway?

Andrew: Right.

Matt: Yeah, totally.

Penny: So many.

Matt: Nobody.

Penny: It’s – yeah, nobody. None. [laughs]

Andrew: I think…

Penny: Go ahead.

Andrew: I think this is a – quite frankly, a pure gift from Warner Brothers, because anyone seeing Twilight is not on the fence about seeing Harry Potter. You know everyone seeing Twilight is going to see Harry Potter, so why is WB doing this? I think, in a way, it’s to say, “Hey look, we’re sorry, you know, we delayed the movie, here’s a new trailer.”

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And I think that’s great.

Penny: Can you imagine what the fans’ reaction’s going to be when they go in for Twilight and they first see this trailer?

Andrew: [laughs] I know.

Matt: Oh, I would – I would laugh my freaking butt off if that happens.

Andrew: Well…

Penny: It’s going to be amazing.

Andrew: Yeah. And if [laughs] they’ll like the trailer so much, they’ll be like “Oh, crap, I wish this came out before Twilight.”

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Penny: Hopefully Twilight will be able to live up to the trailer, but that’s another discussion.

Andrew: Yes…

Matt: Yeah.


The Focus on Slughorn


Andrew: …that is. This trailer had a pretty heavy focus on Slughorn. It was only a minute – what, about a minute and a half?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And there was a big focus on Slughorn and Ron. Matt, what’d you think of that?

Matt: Of what? I’m sorry.

Andrew: Just the big focus of Slughorn and Ron.

Matt: The Slughorn? Well, I mean, it’s about time. It’s the one character that we really introduce, and I think it was needed.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: I mean, it’s not really heavily focused, we just see – the only reason why you probably think it’s heavily focused is because you actually hear them introduce him in the trailer. Like, this is Professor Slughorn.

Andrew: Yeah.


The End of the Trailer


Matt: What I really like about this trailer though, is that there’s no narration; it’s Dumbledore speaking over everything. It just seems a little more dramatic that way, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, definitely. What also I thought was interesting – this is just a random thing, but it was an initial reaction sort of thing. At the end of this trailer – you know with the trailer that leaked, at the end there’s that very last clip: “Well, I am the Chosen One.” At the end of this trailer there’s music, and it just sort of trails off, and you’re expecting a clip at the end. But…

Matt: Yeah!

Andrew: But then it just goes pfft, July.

Penny: I had the exact same thought, exactly.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Oh, it’s like, you tease!

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: You know what? In some cases I think it’s more powerful this way. The last trailer was so serious, and then you got that last clip thing, and then it shows the – that, “I’m the Chosen One” clip, and it’s almost just sort of like a letdown.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Penny: After that one.


The Half-Blood Prince


Matt: The very last clip, though, you see, right before Harry Potter, is Snape conjuring some spell that has some green stuff coming out.

Andrew: Oh! I got so excited when I saw Snape in this trailer. [laughs] He looks…

Penny: One that I just realized is there’s still no mention of the Half-blood Prince or anything having to do with that plot-line.

Andrew: You’re right, yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: But, I mean, there are some really cool shots in this trailer.


The Cave Scene


Matt: Yeah. We get to see the Inferi.

Andrew: Crawling up to Dumbledore! I mean, oh my God! That’s so cool! What’s the time code on that?

Matt: Oh, I’m on QuickTime, so it doesn’t have a time code.

Andrew: Oh. Okay. Right. 1:33. You see these guys crawling out of the lake up to Dumbledore. Oh man, is that cool.

Matt: It’s kind of…

Andrew: And then there’s the shot of Harry grabbing on to Dumbledore’s hand.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And Harry protecting Dumbledore. Oh man!

[Penny laughs]

Matt: It’s pretty freaking sweet.

Andrew: It’s really great.


Hermione Crying


Matt: Can we talk about for a second how sad it was – I mean, we only saw it for a clip – but Hermione crying.

Andrew: Oh yeah! [laughs]

Matt: Was it – that was a good cry.

Andrew: Yeah, I’m laughing – go ahead, Penny.

Penny: I completely disagree with you there.

Matt: Really?

Penny: I think that – I thought that – I think that it looked like – I think that it could potentially be a powerful clip, but I thought that Emma Watson just didn’t pull off crying.

Andrew: I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit. I agree with Penny there. [laughs] The laughing is – I mean I guess we don’t know the context of it, though, so we don’t know…

Matt: Well, I’m looking at it in HD and her eyes are all red.

Andrew: If this is where Dumbledore died or something, then I’ll be crying along with her… [laughs] …because – I don’t know. You don’t feel for her, Penny?

Penny: Oh, I completely feel for her, I just don’t…

Matt: I don’t…

Penny: …like her…

Matt: I don’t think her – this is – oh, sorry, Penny!

Penny: No, go ahead.

Matt: I don’t think this is the death of Dumbledore. I think this is when she gets upset with Ron.

Penny: I was actually trying to figure that out, because she’s wearing that little Hogwarts t-shirt…

Matt: The Gryffindor tee, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s a little dressed-down thing.

Penny: Pajamas? It might have been pajamas or something, I don’t know.

Matt: But, then again, everyone was in pajamas when the Death Eaters stormed the castle.

Penny: Right, that’s what I was thinking.

Matt: Huh. I just don’t know.

Andrew: Yeah, because I guess if it was when Dumbledore died, she may have been dressed in something a little nicer.

Penny: No! Because it was the middle of the night, wasn’t it?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: There’s no what?

Matt: It was in the middle of the night.

Penny: Yeah, it was the middle of the night.

Andrew: No – oh, sorry, I’m meaning before the funeral. How about the shot of Snape turning around and seeing Draco, and – I don’t know who those are down there – attacking Hagrid’s hut.

Matt: It’s Bellatrix conjuring the fire. On the left.

Andrew: On Hagrid’s hut?

Matt: Yes, see her on the left?

Andrew: Oh! Oh yeah, damn, you can hardly see her. And finally, we’re also seeing shots of Millennium Bridge, which they were filming at a few weeks ago. Sorry, what am I saying? Over a year ago they were filming at Millennium Bridge and we had countless amounts of pictures and such.

Matt: It’s very sombre music too, during the trailer. It’s – you hear a piano being played the entire time.

Andrew: Yeah. I don’t know.

Matt: It’s awesome. I hate these trailers; they just get me too excited.

Andrew: Why?

Matt: Well, the Harry Potter trailers; they’re like the best trailers of any movie franchise I’ve ever seen.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: But, it just gets me too excited, and I have to wait another five months.

Andrew: Yeah, well, Eric’s going to be joining…

Penny: Longer than five months.

Andrew: What’s that, Penny?

Penny: It’s longer than five months.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Eric’s going to be joining us soon. And yeah, like – the thing is, whenever you get these trailers, yeah, you do get excited, but then I can’t help but think, “Oh, people already saw this.” And like their excitement is sort of already over.

Matt: Well, Eric’s going to tell us if there’s any change.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Because I – I don’t think that the whole CGI part, with the – with the memory at the – at the orphanage when
Dumbledore was walking, I don’t think they had that inkwell effect.

Andrew: What’s the inkwell effect?

Matt: You see – it’s just like all these little – smoke coming out from everyone.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Everywhere. I – because that wasn’t in the trailer. Or in the teaser trailer. That – it was just pure black
and white.


Ron as Comic Relief


Andrew: Yeah. And what did you guys think of – does Ron do the “in love” thing a lot, or are we going to get sick of
it throughout the movie?

Penny: Yeah, my question was, in the first four movies, Ron was used as comic relief all the time.

Andrew: Yes.

Penny: And then the fifth one I thought they did a really good job transferring that to that Nigel kid…

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: …and Ron was able to be a little more serious. And I’m a little bit nervous that they’re going to go back to using him…

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: …as comic relief.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Well, we really only see him in that one scene where he is under the Felix Felicis.

Andrew: Right.

Matt: So I don’t think that was really fair of them to give that one shot of him for us.

Andrew: And, oh, and then we actually see Luna with her Spectre…

Matt: Yes!

Andrew: …things. Which look…

Penny: They look awesome.

Andrew: Yeah, they did.

Matt: They look amazing.

Andrew: They look so cool.

Matt: I’m really excited that they – that they added the gargoyles in front of the castle. Those will just be so
much more awesome for the big battle in Deathly Hallows.

Andrew: Why? Do you think they’re going to come to life? But, I mean, the way – they change things in this movie very frequently.

Matt: But they’d never done that before. I mean, they’ve never shown the gargoyles at the entrance gate.


Slughorn and Young Tom Riddle


Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. I liked the flashback of Slughorn when he’s talking to young Tom Riddle, correct?

Matt: Where he tells him to get out?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Penny: Didn’t he…

Matt: “It’s a lie!”

Andrew: It like – no, go ahead, Penny.

Penny: In the book, wasn’t – didn’t he originally give a messed up memory he – changed the memory, correct?

Matt: Yeah.

Penny: So do you think they’re going to do it like that?

Andrew: I think so because doesn’t Dumbledore say in this…

Andrew and Matt: “Its a lie.” Yeah.

Penny: Yeah, right. Okay.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Because…

Andrew: “It’s a lie!”

Matt: Yeah, because it’s – it ends right when he says, “Get out.”

Andrew: Right.

Penny: I honestly haven’t watched it enough times to really…

Andrew: I know.

Penny: …absorb it.

Andrew: I know. There’s so much – like…


Pacing of the Trailer


Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: As I watched – another initial reaction thing I had – as I’m watching the trailer, it sort of started off a little slow. Like in terms of clip-wise. But then as you start getting to the end, it picks up more and more and it’s like…

Matt: Well, thats what a typical trailer does though. I mean it just shows you a climatic – or as just as many
scenes as they can probably push in.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. It’s really cool.

Matt: It’s really cool though. I just love that one scene where – that one shot with Harry and Hermione on Dumbledore’s office looking out to the Great Lake. It’s – I mean, I’m afraid its going to be another, “I’m scared for you” kind of scene, but it looks really nice. It’s just the whole saturation you said, Andrew, just about the way everything looks. It just looks – it looks really nice. I really – I’m really liking this.

Andrew: Yeah. And the music I thought was more epic than ever.

Matt: Yeah. It’s really nice. I really love the whole – the whole piano stuff they’ve been playing into it. Like right after – I think it was with – when Dumbledore and Harry go through – what is it called when – when you – when you transport?

Penny: Apparate.

Matt: Apparate! Thank God, oh geez. It’s still early. When Dumbledore and Harry Apparate, and they land in the office, there’s this little piano thing going on with really high pitched keys.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: It’s just so cool. It’s just like – it’s like you’re just all stepping into this huge epic story.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: Yeah, and I think it definitely feels more powerful than any of the other ones before, and I think that – and obviously that’s very symbolic for what’s happening in this one. Especially because Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows were really, you know, two parts of one story.

Matt: Yeah.

Penny: And you know – and that really just – it’s the climax of the story.

Matt: Yeah. So basically, this is like part one of the three-part story.

Penny: Exactly.

Matt: Because you get introduced to all the Deathly Hallows and then it just all goes out from there.

Andrew: Right.

Matt: Or not the Deathly Hallows, the Horcruxes.

Penny: [unintelligible] …Horcrux, didn’t we?

Andrew: You’re a movie ahead.

Matt: Yeah. I’m sorry, I’m just really excited for the next movie.

Andrew: I feel like calling Ben or someone and pranking them into thinking like – just be like: “Ben, we just got this trailer and at the end it says November 21st.” And then, “Warner Brothers surprised everyone and said that the movie actually is coming out November 21st.”

Matt: They wouldn’t believe that.

Andrew: I think he would.

Matt: No, he wouldn’t.

Andrew: I think he would.

Matt: No, he wouldn’t.

Andrew: But he’d be cursing too much. [laughs] We obviously can’t put that on.

[Andrew and Matt laughs]

Matt: Isn’t it cool, though, we got to see Seamus get exploded again? It’s been a couple of movies.

Penny: Yes.

Matt: I thought it was really cute.

Penny: It’s come full circle, sort of.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah. It’s like, “We’re going to bring back a couple things that you loved from the other films.”

Andrew: Exactly.

Matt: What do you think about the Death Mark? Above the castle? It’s a little different…

Andrew: Dark Mark?

Matt: The Dark Mark. You know what? I fail.


Call: The Death Eaters


Andrew: Let me try – hold on – let me try one more call. Karen, good morning. You’re on MuggleCast Live.

Caller: Hey, guys!

Matt: Hey!

Andrew: Hey! What’s going on?

Caller: Not much. I can only talk for a minute because I have to go to class, but it was really awesome.

Andrew: Isn’t it?

Matt: Isn’t it?

Andrew: What was your reaction when you found out that the trailer was online?

Caller: I was kind of in disbelief and then I like clicked it and I wanted to wait for the whole thing to load before I watched it because I didn’t want it to stop in the middle…

Andrew: Right.

Caller: …but then it was taking – because I clicked like one of the really big ones – and so it took like a minute to load and so I was getting so nervous, and then I watched it, and it was amazing.

Andrew: Right. [laughs] Yeah. It’s very exciting. So you have class or something in a few minutes or something?

Caller: Yeah, I can talk for like a minute though.

Andrew: Oh, okay. Well, when you go to class are you going to be spreading the word? Because I mean this was WB’s…

Karen: Yes.

Andrew: …intention. They need – wanted a big boom. A big “Oh my God.”

Matt: Mhm.

Caller: Yes.

Andrew: Was there anything else that stood out in the trailer for you?

Caller: I thought it was really awesome how they had all the black smoke everywhere, and then they had – when they had all the black smoke like going through London, were those Dementors? Or were those Death Eaters, do you think?

Matt: Those are Death Eaters, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, I think so too.

Matt: Yeah. Which is kind of bothering me, because why would they do that when the Muggles never really saw anything? I thought the Death Eaters were like in the crowd when it happened.

Andrew: Anyway, any other reactions, Karen?

Caller: I’m just going to be kind of a nerd here and say that the design on the back of The Quibbler is kind of amazing.

[Andrew and Karen laugh]

Matt: Isn’t it?

Caller: Because I watched it in ridiculous high quality.

Matt: You can see the big 3-D thing coming out. It’s so cool.

Andrew: They should print legit Quibblers or something.

Matt: I think that’d be really cool.

Caller: They totally should.

Andrew: Yeah, to promote the movie and hand them out at theaters or something like that.

Penny: I’m sure they will.

Andrew: That’d be very cool. Yeah. All right, Karen, thank you. And for everyone who doesn’t know – I don’t know if we ever said this, I think we did – but Karen designed our excellent Portus shirts, but we had a Portus printing shirt problem so that never turned out. But, Karen, thanks for doing that for us.

Matt: Aw, thanks, Karen.

Caller: Yep.

Andrew: We’re sorry it didn’t work out. All right, well thanks for calling in, Karen.

Caller: Mhm. Talk to you guys later.

Matt: Have fun in class.

Andrew: Okay, bye.

Caller: Bye.

Andrew: Thank goodness I did not have class today. Penny, do you have class today?

Penny: Do I have class today? Do I have work today?

[Andrew laughs]

Penny: No, I only work the beginning of the week.


Call: Bellatrix


Andrew: Oh okay. Shivani, good morning. You’re on MuggleCast Live.

Caller: Hi.

Andrew: Hi. How are you?

Caller: I’m good.

Andrew: What was your initial reactions to the trailer?

Caller: I was blown away. I was actually studying for a physics exam I have today so I had no idea I’d see a trailer.

Matt: [laughs] God, physics.

Caller: So that was amazing.

Andrew: Awesome.

Caller: I actually wanted to bring up that one scene on the tower where Bellatrix conjures the Dark Mark.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Caller: Because when I – from what I remember, she’s not supposed to be there.

Andrew: Why wasn’t she supposed to be there? Just because she was hiding? I’m forgetting.

Caller: Well, on the tower, isn’t it just Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback…

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Is that even the Astronomy Tower?

Andrew: It must be.

Caller: It has to be Hogwarts.

Andrew: Yeah, because Fenrir’s there. Isn’t he in that shot there?

Matt: Oh yeah.

Andrew: [burps] Excuse me. [laughs] You know what? WB makes these subtle changes just to make it work with the plot more, so maybe that was why. I mean, in all honesty, it does look pretty, in Mikey’s words, “epic” to see her casting it from atop the tower, don’t you think?

Matt: Yeah.

Caller: Right, but do you think that will change anything with the fact that Snape is supposed to be there and she’s not supposed to be know like the full details of that?

Andrew: That’s true.

Matt: Well, Snape’s not there though. Maybe this is afterwards, after the fight, and she could have climbed up on the Astronomy Tower and that’s how they left or something.

Andrew: In the…

Matt: Because I don’t remember Bellatrix – does Bellatrix leave with Snape?

Caller: At the very end, yes.

Matt: Oh, geez.

Andrew: The way I always pictured it in the book – weren’t they on the top top? Like there wasn’t even sort of like a cove like this. It wasn’t like a window looking out. Wasn’t it on top where you could just – like there was no walls?

Matt: Mmm, no.

Andrew: Isn’t that how it’s illustrated in the book?

Matt: I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I don’t know.

Andrew: Well…

Matt: The very top of the Astronomy Tower? Where Dumbledore got killed?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Well, no. Dumbledore got thrown through the window, I think.

Andrew: Was it? Because when I read the book, I always pictured it as being the very top. Because they were looking out with binoculars – sorry, telescopes.

Matt: Yeah, you’re right.

Andrew: I don’t know.

Matt: I don’t know.

Andrew: All right.

Caller: Yeah, I thought he fell over, I guess, the battlements or something. I think he just fell right over. There wasn’t a window.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what I thought too. All right, well, Shivani, thank you for calling in. Oh, and what was your initial reaction when you came online and you saw it?

Caller: Surprise, completely. I thought – we just got the leaked trailer not long ago, so it’s kind of a shocker to have like two trailers so soon.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. Well, it’s very exciting, and, Shivani, you have a good day.

Caller: You too. Thank you.

Matt: Bye.

Andrew: Bye. All right, there was Shivani who enjoyed the trailer very much. If you do want to call in and get your opinions here on the show, our phone-line doesn’t seem to be working, so use the MuggleCast Skype name. It’s just MuggleCast, and you Skype call it. The number does not seem to be working. If you are just joining us, there’s 160 people now, and when we first started the show there was like 50. Of course, the Half-Blood Prince trailer was released this morning by surprise to all Harry Potter fans, and everyone was very excited, including our next caller, Sophie. Good morning.


Call: Hermione’s Hair


Caller: Hey, what’s up?

Matt: Hey.

Andrew: Hey, what’s up? You were…

Caller: Sorry.

Andrew: …surprised – plug in your headphones or something so there’s no feedback, please.

Caller: I turned down the volume.

Andrew: Oh perfect, even better.

[Sophie laughs]

Andrew: So your reaction: You go online, you see a headline, “New Half-Blood Prince Trailer.” How do you react?

Matt: What goes on through your mind?

Andrew: What goes through…

Caller: [laughs] Oh my gosh, I was so excited. I got your guys’ update on Facebook.

Andrew: Oh, perfect. I knew those were handy! I never knew if anyone was looking at them. [laughs] Well that’s great.

Caller: Yeah, so immediately I logged onto MuggleCast, and I was downloading the HD one, so that sort of took awhile, but it amped me up. I was ready.

Andrew: It’s worth it right? The HD quality?

Caller: Yeah, it was amazing, I loved it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: It was so much better than the last two.

Andrew: Oh my God.

Matt: Yeah. I have to say, there’s no fire in this. I’m so relieved.

Andrew: No, there is. There’s the shot of Dumbledore.

Matt: But not as much.

Andrew: Oh, oh I get it. [laughs]

Matt: Not in every other scene.

Andrew: If you count the fireplace shots and stuff, there is a good amount of fire. I’m just kidding.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Anyway, Sophie, was there anything that really stuck out to you or anything?

Caller: I really liked the Hermione and the frizzy hair. I know you guys already talked about that.

[Andrew laughs]

Caller: I appreciated seeing it. I think everyone else did too.

Andrew: That’s the news of the day, isn’t it?

Caller: [laughs] Everyone’s freaking out.

Andrew: Anyway, Penny and Sophie, Matt and I, quite honestly, we don’t have long hair. We don’t know how to manage that. Sophie, by your Skype picture, it looks like you do have long hair.

[Sophie laughs]

Andrew: What do you think it took for them to do that, and why do you think it’s taken so long?

Caller: I don’t know. Like personally, with my hair, that would never happen, because it doesn’t work like that.

Andrew: [laughs] Are you saying Hermione had a bad hair day?

Caller: Maybe. She might have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

[Andrew laughs]

Caller: I don’t know, but it must have taken probably like an hour to get it that frizzy.

[Andrew laughs]

Penny: They could just have stuck a ton of spray in her hair while it was wet, and she woke up and it was frizzy like that.

Matt: Or blew up like five balloons and started just rubbing it against her hair.

Penny: I don’t think this was like a major CGI effect or anything that we’re dealing with.

Matt: I don’t know. Her hair is pretty pixelated.

Caller: I also want to say, I love Harry and Ginny. Finally like a bit longer of a scene with them maybe?

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: Still not focusing on them very much.

Penny: No, they’re not, and I just also hope that like within Order of the Phoenix, the way that they did Cho’s kiss was you almost thought that he was going to end up with Cho, and there was such drama leading up to it.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Penny: I really hope that they do a decent job with the Ginny one, because that’s the one that’s important.

Caller: I hope that they have really good chemistry, because I know she really played like the little awkward-in-love-with-him girl really well, but I’m excited to see how she’s going to play the actual girlfriend.

Andrew: Yeah, back very quickly to this bushy hair. If you look at the shot, Seamus is also like pretty scruffed up, so maybe there was like some sort of like explosion or something and that’s why her hair is bushy. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah, maybe.

Penny: Unfortunately, though.

Caller: I think you just have a thing for this bushy hair.

Andrew: Yeah, I do.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: What can I say?

Matt: Well, maybe she had to look different by comparison because Lavender’s on the other side of Ron.

Andrew: That’s true too. Lavender’s…

Penny: But then they shouldn’t have given Lavender Brown curly hair, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Or blonde.

Andrew: She’s got the bow to differentiate I guess.

[Sophie laughs]

Penny: Yeah, but have you seen how many comments on YouTube for the last trailer? People have been going crazy about “Ron and Hermione kissing,” and I’m like …

Caller: I know, they totally did that on purpose.

Penny: …no, that’s not her.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I don’t think they realized what they were doing actually. [laughs]

Caller: I think they’re trying to play up like if you haven’t read the books, you’re going to be like a dumb fan and be like, “Oh my god, Ron’s kissing Hermione!”

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah, it’s like, “Oh you’re a fan of the movies, you’re not a fan of the books.”

Caller: Exactly. [laughs]

Andrew: Sex sells.

MuggleCast 163 Transcript (continued)


Ron’s X Formation


Penny: Which brings us to the – can we talk about it? That Ron scene on the broom?

Andrew: What? What about it exactly? [laughs]

Penny: It made me really uncomfortable. [laughs]

Andrew: Just that his position? His X formation?

Penny: Yeah. Just take a look at it.

Caller: I thought it looked adorable.

Matt: Yeah, we’ve seen it. I’ve seen it.

Andrew: Sophie thinks he looks adorable.

Caller: I do.

Andrew: Sophie.

Matt: He looks…

Caller: Me and my friends are really happy that we’re finally seeing him playing Quidditch. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. The CGI looks a lot better too compared to other films, and I was saying this the last live show, they didn’t have Quidditch in Movie 5, so hopefully they would have upped the quality of the Quidditch CGI-wise, and it certainly looks like they’ve done that.

Caller: Yeah, it [unintelligible].

Andrew: Plus it’s snowing, which gives it a nice effect. It makes the – the snow really makes the Quidditch players stand out a lot too and as they’re playing, because it’s white against the red.


Apparition


Caller: And also with the CGI, the Apparition looks amazing.

Andrew: It’s very cool.

Matt: Yeah. I really like it.

Caller: Really like bendy. I don’t even know what that is. [laughs]

Andrew: Well, it’s sort of like – I have to replay it again. I have to find it.

Matt: I keep thinking like, it looks like a straw just sucking them all up.

Andrew: Exactly.

Caller: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, here, I found it. It’s about – oh geez, I don’t even know what I’m looking at now. I think I passed it. It’s about fifteen – yeah here we go – fifteen seconds in. Just grabs the arm. Yeah, it’s like a straw. It’s kind of cool.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: It’s sort of like a transition you would see in iMovie when the video gets sucked into the center.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: The transition. I don’t even know if any of you guys have seen that in iMovie HD, but there’s lots of that. All right, well, Sophie, thank you for calling in.

Caller: You’re welcome.

Andrew: All right. And, Sophie, I can’t hang up on you so feel free to hang up on me.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Caller: Good to talk to you.

Andrew: Good talking to you too. Oh geez.


Fenrir Greyback


Matt: You know what? We get to see Fenrir Greyback too. His full-on face in this trailer.

Andrew: Yeah. What do you think about it? I mean, we sort of saw it.

Matt: He looks all – yeah, but there’s actually light showing on his face.

Andrew: He’s scary.

Matt: Yeah, he’s not a very attractive man.

Andrew: [laughs] He’s not supposed to be either.

Matt: Yeah, well, you know, it’s all…

Andrew: Is he wearing a tie? What is that thing? I’m looking at 1:34.

Matt: Yeah, I’m at it too. I think he’s shirtless.

Andrew: Oh, that’s right. That’s his hair. Duh.

Matt: [laughs] Bushy hair.

Andrew: They should have made him sort of like the Joker character. You know how Dark Knight, Joker was this crazy guy?

Matt: You want him to cut his lips?

Andrew: No! [laughs] No, but just like insane somehow.

Matt: Well maybe. I mean, we haven’t seen anything from him. All we see him is just turning to the side a little bit.

Andrew: Yeah. True, true.

Penny: Wait, is that him though? And I don’t have anything time stamped, but in – it must be – I think it must be near the Burrow scene probably, but there’s somebody just in the middle of all these high, tall grass.

Matt: Yeah, that’s him.

Andrew: In this new trailer?

Penny: That’s right?

Matt: Flicking off this white spell.

Penny: Yeah, is that what it is?

Matt: Yeah.

Penny: He almost looks like he’s got like a Klingon forehead a little bit. Do you see that?

Matt: It’s his hair. I mean, his whole face is pretty much covered with hair. I think that’s what it is.

Penny: Uh-huh.

Andrew: What’s the time stamp of that, Matthew?

Matt: It’s a 1:34.

Andrew: Oh, I see. Maybe they forgot to put makeup on his wig to cover the seams so that’s what – doesn’t it sort of look like a hair net? Like, at the cafeteria?

Matt: Yeah.

[Andrew laughs]

Penny: I will say that he does look scary, which is good.

Matt: Yeah, he does not look like someone I want to hang out with.

Andrew: Fenrir the lunch lady.

Matt: He has a huge gash between his left nostril all the way down to his chin.

Andrew: Yeah, so he is kind of Joker-like. I know that sounds weird, but…

Matt: Oh, it’s not a gash it’s just – just a something – a piece of hair on the film or something.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: It might be a piece of blood also. I think I remember in the book it said that he smelled of blood and…

Andrew: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Penny: So…

Andrew: There’s another Joker comparison. Joker loves blood. Sorry, I just miss Dark Knight a lot right now.

Matt: Yeah.


Favorite Trailer


Andrew: Penny, how would this trailer rank in your opinion of the top trailers? Of the Half-Blood Prince trailers, and then we’ll go round the table about favorite trailers overall.

Penny: This is definitely my – I mean – you can’t compare this without these two because it’s a trailer, not a teaser, first of all.

Andrew: Right.

Penny: And I think they just did a great job, really just getting a lot of the movie.

Andrew: Absolutely. Oh, I guess it’s my turn. [Andrew laughs] I think – yeah, this is my favorite too. And I have to say, the first trailer, the teaser trailer, left such a mood. It had such a theme to it. But this one is more of the classic trailer that we all like to see with tons of different action, whether it’s love and lust. And, Matt, you said this is your favorite trailer too?

Matt: I – well, no I didn’t, but yeah, it is.

Andrew: Well, you said it’s one of yours. Eric!

Eric: Hello.

Andrew: Good morning, Eric.

Matt: Hello, Eric.

Eric: Good morning! Good morning, Matt! Good morning, Andrew! Good morning, Penny!


Eric Joins the Show


Andrew: Hold on. Hold on, let me call you. Sorry, I did that by accident, I’m sorry. [laughs] Geez. Eric is now joining us via Skype. Hi, Eric.

Eric: Hello.

Andrew: Eric, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the new trailer came out this morning.

Eric: Sweet.

Andrew: Have you watched it yet?

Eric: No I have not. I have just gotten home.

Andrew: Technically, though, you could say yes because you’ve already seen the movie.

Eric: Well…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: …it’s the way they splice them.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: It’s not the scenes.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. And for any of you who doesn’t know, Eric was lucky enough to catch a screening of Half-Blood Prince[laughs] …it’s so weird to say, two months ago. It was two months ago, right? About two months ago?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Guys, you have it in a zip it’s so big?

Andrew: That’s what WB gave it to us as.

Eric: Dude, that’s awesome.

Andrew: Look at the Quicktime versions. Those aren’t zipped.

Matt: Geez. [unintelligible] is just amazing.

Eric: Okay. So what have you seen? I mean, what…

Matt: Oh, we’ve seen the whole movie so far. I mean, it has everything.

Eric: I mean, overall, what’s your one word impression of this trailer?

Matt: Epic.

Andrew: Adrenaline. Yeah, towards the end – Matt and I were watching it together, and towards the end it really picks up and you start getting really excited.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s like BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Matt: And my essential reaction I can’t really say because we’re live and it’s censored, but let’s just say I said every word in the Bible. And in the dictionary.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Wow. That must have taken you like a bajillion hours.

Andrew: Yeah. I must have been really focused because I didn’t hear a single one.

Eric: Hmm. Well, it is loading here, this MOV. How long is it?

Andrew: It’s about a minute and a half.

Matt: It’s about a minute and forty-five seconds.

Andrew: Yes. Now let’s get some more callers in. Guys, please call in, username Skype. For some reason our phone numbers aren’t working, but Skype the username MuggleCast to get people’s reactions. Since this was a big trailer surprise, on MuggleNet I made a post along with the trailer post, I said tape your initial reactions, because those are always fun to watch. Nicole! Good morning! You’re on MuggleCast Live!


Call: The Music


Caller: Hi!

Everybody: Hey!

Caller: Oh, that was a surprise. I didn’t think I would get through. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh trust me, there are not many calls coming in right now.

Matt: Everyone’s in class.

Caller: Yeah, I know, I’m lucky. I literally turned on the computer and I saw that it was on. It was amazing.

Andrew: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so was that your initial reaction? Did you scream? Was there any sort of – did you pee your pants? What happened exactly?

Caller: Well, I was in my Corporate Accounting class, and I looked on Twitter, and I saw a thing announce it, and I go back to my room, and I literally had to read it like four times, I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was old or something.

Andrew: Nice, nice. Anything you want to discuss concerning the trailer?

Caller: I loved the music, especially the end. It’s just – “Hedwig’s Theme,” it just sounded different. Like it sounded more intense I think.

Andrew: Was there “Hedwig’s Theme” at the end?

Matt: At the very end. It’s always at the very end.

Andrew: I missed it. Hold on, hold on, let’s play it right now. I have that technology; we can do that. Hold on. Let’s listen. [pause] Apparently I don’t have the technology because it’s not working! [laughs]

Matt: Yeah, you definitely have that technology. Wow. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh wait, wait, I muted the trailer, that’s why. Shut up. Okay, hold on.

Matt: Wow.

[Music starts loud]

Matt: Oh geez.

Andrew: Okay.

Matt: You already passed it.

Andrew: Shh. Oh I did?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh gosh.

Matt: Do you want me to do it?

Andrew: No!

[Part of trailer plays]

Matt: [imitating Hermione] I’m scared for you.

Andrew: [imitating Harry] Fight back!

Matt: Here it is.

[“Hedwig’s Theme” plays]

Andrew: Oh man!

[Audio ends]

Andrew: That’s sick. I didn’t even notice that.

Penny: Yeah, I don’t know how I missed that.

Matt: That’s because I was screaming when it was happening.

Andrew: That’s like military style.

[Matt imitates the song]

Andrew: That was because I was too busy cleaning up my pee from my pants, I guess.

Matt: Oh, gross.

Andrew: Tend to spaz out when that happens. Well, Nicole, thank you for calling in.

Caller: Thanks for taking my call!

Andrew: You are so welcome. Have a good day.

Caller: You too.

Andrew: And there was Nicole, who peed her pants when she saw the trailer. Now here’s someone who was calling in earlier and I’m going to get him in now.

Matt: Eric, have you seen it yet?

Andrew: Eric’s on hold.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Meaning it’s his fault, not mine. Okay. Michael’s missing his chance. Sorry, Michael. It’s about time that they mixed up the “Hedwig’s Theme” a little bit to match the…

Matt: They always mix it.

Andrew: They don’t make it like that.

Matt: Yeah, they do.

Andrew: They do the classic little piano or whatever they do.

Matt: Sometimes they do it. In the teaser trailers they do it. And like the other trailers – Prisoner of Azkaban did it, I think – no, no, not Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix.

Andrew: Yes.

Penny: I like how they give “Hedwig’s Theme” its own personality in each movie.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: Mike, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live!

[Silence]

Andrew: Mike, good morning.

Matt: Michael?

Andrew: Good morning, Mike. Mike, hello? Goodbye, Mike. [laughs] Let’s see. What else is there to discuss? For anyone just joining us, there is close to 200 people in here right now. The Half-Blood Prince trailer was just released this morning. Surprised the fans. This was the intention, and the trailer is going to be coming out with Twilight, ironically enough, on the same day Half-Blood Prince was scheduled to be released on November 21st. Michael, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live!


Call: Length of the Movie


Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hey.

Matt: Hello.

Andrew: What is your reaction to the trailer?

Caller: Hey, how’s it going?

Andrew: Pretty good.

Caller: The trailer was really good. I’d like to know how much – do you guys know how long the movie’s going to be, actually?

Andrew: No. That would be a question for Eric, who has seemed to disappear, but I think they’re aiming for two and a half hours, isn’t that right?

Matt: I think I heard something like that, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah. So it’s going to be a little bit longer than these trailers.

Matt: Well, yeah, I – that’s usually the case. The trailers are usually shorter than the films.


Call: The Inkwell Effect


Andrew: Right. Let’s take another call. Anthony, good morning! You’re on MuggleCast Live.

Matt: Anthony.

Caller: Hey, how you doing?

Matt: Hey.

Andrew: Pretty good.

Caller: Hey, I’m here.

Andrew: You are here, good morning! What was your initial reaction to the trailer?

Caller: How are you guys doing?

Andrew: Pretty good.

Caller: I thought it was pretty good. What did you guys think about the fog – what did you guys think about the fog sequence though? When Dumbledore was walking over to the orphanage?

Matt: Yeah, that’s what I was talking about too. Well, I used the inkwell effect, but fog works better than what I described, because they were confused.

Andrew: Yeah, the ink makes it – sorry, which scene are you talking about exactly?

Matt: The memories in the Pensieve.

Andrew: Oh. Yeah, it’s really cool because it matches…

Caller: When Dumbledore goes to the orphanage.

Andrew: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it’s really cool because it sort of sets the tone for a memory. Because in flashbacks previously, there hasn’t been – like in Chamber of Secrets, of course, that wasn’t a memory, but it was – it was like black and white, and I thought that was sort of a lame way to illustrate the flashback…

Matt: Well, in Goblet of Fire they didn’t even do that. He just fell into a room.

Andrew: Right. Yeah. So, yeah, I think that’s a very cool effect to give the people an impression that they’re in a memory.

Matt: Because it’s kind of fuzzy.

Caller: Did – in one section, it also looked like Bellatrix was casting the Dark Mark at Hogwarts. Did you guys see that?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, we discussed that earlier. But a caller was saying she’s not supposed to be there. Do you have any sort of reaction to that? I mean…

Caller: You guys were talking a couple of months ago how Bellatrix was only casted for the beginning sequence with Snape, so I was kind shocked to see her at Hogwarts.

Andrew: Right.

Caller: So I didn’t know if you guys had any insight as to that.

Andrew: Well, I was speculating that maybe that was just one of those things they had to change to go along with the plot a little more.

Matt: Mhm.

Caller: Oh.

Andrew: I mean…

Penny: These are the people that put in the Burrow scene. I don’t think it’s going to – it’s that crazy to think that they put in Bellatrix into the scene.

Andrew: Right. Yeah. They’ve done some crazy…

Caller: Overall, I thought it was a great trailer.

Andrew: Definitely. Your favorite yet? Your most favorite?

Caller: Actually, yeah. It’s my favorite trailer out of all the movies, because it’s filled with everything. It’s got the love sequence, it’s got the horror sequence and everything later, so…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Got to say it’s definitely well balanced.

Andrew: Definitely. Eric, we had a caller in here a few minutes ago who was wondering how long the film is. Do you remember like the exact time?

Eric: No, and I’m sure it’s changed. Unfortunately, I don’t.

Andrew: Well, give us a ballpark. Two and a half hours?

Eric: Yeah, I don’t want to say.

Andrew: [laughs] What? Is it like a surprise? Is it going to be like five hours or something? Let’s put it this way: I had to pee three times.

Matt: Oh, we get to see the Death Eater siblings in the trailer as well. Along with Bellatrix and Fenrir.

Penny: The Carrows?

Matt: Yeah, the Carrows. Yeah, because there’s a female Death Eater and a male Death Eater too with them. They were both in that scene when they killed Dumbledore.

Eric: Gosh, can I just say how good it is to see an actual official released trailer?

Andrew: I know! Really.

Eric: My gosh! In High Definition. Come on!

Andrew: In like thirty different formats.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Oh my God! That’s amazing!

Matt: No lightening inserted in anything.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. No creepy lightening shot.


Micah Faxes in His Input


Andrew: I just received a faxed statement from Micah Tannenbaum in the MuggleNet – MuggleCast news office. He says, “I think it was more all-inclusive than the last trailers. Showed more of the sex and comedic side that we heard about in previous reports, and it’s nice we’ve finally moved on to something of substance for the sixth film before we start getting DH news.” That was an official statement from Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: Well, thank you, Micah.

Eric: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sex?

Matt: Can we send him like a fruit basket or something?

Andrew: Yeah, we should’ve proofread that. I don’t know about that word “sex.”

Eric: Hang on, sex? But that’s what Micah said, right? Sex.

Andrew: But – yeah. But David Heyman has described this movie as “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.” Your thoughts, Eric?

Eric: [laughs] Well, I guess if David Heyman said it, there’s got to be sex in this movie. I…

Andrew: [laughs] Would you disagree with that?

Eric: Well, no, not exactly, but, I mean, romance, you know, there are so many different ways of saying it. Micah just faxed in his brutal analysis there, and…

Andrew: Yeah. Well, it’s not brutal.

Matt: It’s not sex, it’s sex appeal.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what he was talking about. [laughs] This isn’t Harry Potter X-rated.

Matt: God.


Call: Ron’s In Love


Andrew: Let’s get another caller in here. Katie, good morning. You’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello, Katie.

Matt: Good morning, Katie. Afternoon.

Caller: Hi.

Matt: Hi! There she is.

Andrew: How are you?

Caller: Oh, I’m doing all right! I didn’t expect anyone to pick up.

Andrew: Hey, no problem. But listen. You were just surprised by the trailer this morning. Your initial reactions when you saw that the trailer, a brand new trailer. Your reaction, please.

Matt: Thoughts!

Caller: Well, actually, I just got a text message from my friend. She was all like, “Hey, check it out, there’s a new trailer,” so I just got finished watching it.

Andrew: Awesome.

Caller: I like it. I burst out laughing at the part with Ron, when he’s under the love potions – like, “have you actually met her?” He’s like, “No…” [laughs]

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, exactly.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Any…

Caller: And…

Andrew: Go ahead.

Caller: No, go ahead.

Andrew: I was just going to say, any other reactions to the trailer? What – is this your favorite one yet, or what? You are speaking for the fans. Represent them well, please.

Caller: [laughs] I’d say probably my favorite one so far. There was so much happening, and I’ve only watched it twice, so I’ll probably have to watch it again to get… [laughs] …get a better gage on it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: But what I saw, I liked.

Andrew: And…

Caller: Same as always, I can’t wait to see that.

Andrew: Definitely. Did – did – what was I going to say? Oh. Does this make you any more excited for the film, or has it changed your thoughts about the film? Or what?

Caller: Oh, more excited than ever, definitely.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: All right, Katie. Well, thank you for calling in.

Caller: Well, thank you! You guys have a great day.

Andrew: Thanks, you too. Bye!

Matt: Bye.

Andrew: And again…


The Dumbledore Debate Continues


Matt: How epic is it when Dumbledore says, “It is also a lie!”

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah!

Matt: It’s like, whoa, geez! [laughs]

Penny: Did you guys talk about Dumbledore when I was on hold or anything?

Andrew: Not really.

Matt: No. We can…

Andrew: What were your…

Matt: Your thoughts on Dumbledore, please, Penny.

[Andrew laughs]

Penny: [laughs] Sorry, but, to me – because I have never been a Gambon fan, so…

Andrew: Oh, yeah.

Penny: Could we talk about that?

Andrew: Yeah, it’s time for our weekly Has-Gambon-Changed-At-All talk. [laughs] Let’s get into that.

[Penny laughs]

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, what do you think of him, Penny? I mean, do you think he’s changed in this trailer, or what?

Penny: I think he’s changed, and hopefully he’ll continue to change, but I still just don’t think he’s Dumbledore.

Andrew: Oh.

Penny: I think one big thing that I’ve always loved about Dumbledore, especially in Half-Blood Prince, which is I think my favorite book, is that he’s just got that vulnerability, especially at the end.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: And I just don’t see Gambon playing it.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: Ooh. Ooh, ooh. Can I chime in?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Sure, why not?

Eric: Okay, I got to say, Penny, I am totally with you on Michael Gambon. I too have not liked him at all in the past. He has had very, very, very precious few redeeming qualities. But in this movie, by the time the end credits close, you will have seen more of his dying, decaying hand and more vulnerable Dumbledore than you could possibly ever forget.

Matt: I – I’m kind of with him.

Eric: No, they – they do – in this movie, I don’t know why – I think it’s because he had this hand, that Michael Gambon was able to really sort of bring it forward. But I did get a pretty good sense – it made me a little bit happy to see a more – a weaker, sort of more vulnerable, as you put it, Dumbledore in this film. And it might still not be what many people would love, maybe not still Richard Harris, but in this trailer – yeah, in this trailer – this trailer might overlook it, but there is a lot of – a lot of vulnerability on the Michael Gambon side, and Dumbledore. And it’s a bit interesting that they – I’m looking at the very beginning of this trailer, and when they – when they Apparate. Did you guys talk about that special effect? Did you say…

Andrew: Yeah, it’s very cool, isn’t it?

Eric: They show it now. That’s – that’s – it was just awesome. To me that was straight out of the book.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: The twisty-turny sort of – I don’t know, maybe that’s just me. But that line there, where Dumbledore asks Harry, you know, “Do you wonder why I brought you
here?” And Harry says, “After all these years you just sort of go with it”?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: That is one of my complaints. Not that the line exists. Many people would probably be upset that the line exists, but I – I’m upset that they showed it in the trailer because the trailer by definition is zippy and has to condense everything. And that’s not – the scene they show when he says that, obviously it’s a voice over, he doesn’t say it in that sequence. It’s – I mean he responds to Dumbledore that way, but it just – they should have left it in the movie because it’s much slower pace. I don’t know, they were looking for an early punch line, maybe. But that’s my one complaint that that line – that line gets better treatment in the film. They should have just left it there.

Andrew: Well, yeah. And I have to say that this – I really do agree that Dumbledore is getting – Michael Gambon is getting where he should be. He does seem very
vulnerable in these trailers. Especially these end scenes where you see these people crawling up to him and you see Harry protecting him. He looks fantastic!

Eric: In the – you mean in the cave?

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. The cave is pretty cool.

Andrew: Eric, now, here’s a very important question.

Eric: Yeah.


Is The Trailer Representative?


Andrew: Is this trailer representative of the movie? Because I don’t want to get excited that this going to be some action packed, amazing thing. The music always
hypes you up when you watch these trailers. Does this trailer live up to the hype of the movie? Does it represent it well?

Eric: Well, let me put it this way: I liked Movie 5, but I was with my girlfriend who hated Movie 5. And it’s got the same director, same script treatment, same everything. So it was interesting going into it. I loved and my girlfriend both loved this movie, and we hadn’t seen any of the completed special effects or many of them. And so you’re looking at the Quidditch and – or I’m looking at the Quidditch, and the cave scene, and the Inferi, and all of that stuff, and seeing all
these completed special effects. And I liked the movie without them, and so did my girlfriend, who didn’t like, along with many other people, David Yates’ flashes and montages in the previous films, which were not in this movie at all. This movie is so different of a movie, yet so awesome and true to the book. It’s probably the truest to the book, I think. It totally feels like it’s true to the book. It doesn’t feel like it’s skipping around.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It goes at a slow pace, but you’re able to – to feast your eyes on these wonderful effects which happen in Quidditch, and the Burrow scene, and the end
scene. The fight scene at Hogwarts looks amazing! Just from these tiny clips in the trailer. It’s – yes, I would say this trailer is not only representative
of the movie, but a darn – darn good one. I mean, WB must be sighing relief hearing – to hear all these fans now saying that it’s their favorite so far ever. I mean that’s just got to be a good feeling, because – and in my opinion, too, I share it, that this trailer is a success. It’s a win. It’s made of win…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: …and is going to be exactly what they needed, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, and…

Matt: We have been talking with Eric Scull of the Behind the Scenes on the trailer in film.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Woot!


The Trailer is a Sorry Gift


Andrew: This is WB’s gift to the fans, I think. It’s a sorry gift.

Eric: Well, it’s about time.

Andrew: Because it’s coming out…

Eric: It’s not only a sorry gift.

Andrew: Right, well, it’s coming…

Eric: Basically with…

Andrew: Yeah. Well – well, I say it’s a sorry gift because it’s coming out with Twilight, which comes out the same day that the Harry Potter
trailer…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Well really!

Penny: I think it’s a last ditch effort gift for them.

Andrew: I mean, yeah. [laughs]

Penny: I mean, not…

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, could that – wait, I mean, put it this way: what else could they have done that’s better? I mean, you know.

Eric: Well, right. If it is a last ditch effort.

Matt: More pre-screenings.

Andrew: More pre-screenings? [laughs]

Eric: At least it’s a successful effort, I think.

Andrew: One listener just IM-ed me over Skype chat and said it’s a lame sorry gift. But I don’t – I don’t know. I think this is a good gift!

Eric: Who’s going to still be mad? Who’s going to still be angry?

Matt: Yeah, the whole thing about angry about being delayed – that’s over with. Just – just accept it.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, you know – and what would be a better gift, like a scene? But I don’t want to see a scene. I want to see a trailer.

Matt: Yeah, I think…

Eric: I don’t want a scene too.

Matt: I really don’t want another trailer for a few months. I want to still be able to actually see the movie when it comes out or not. See everything with the TV spots and all the behind the scenes footage and all the ten million trailers they’re giving us.


The Harry-Ginny Kiss Scene


Andrew: Yeah. People also want us to discuss the kiss scene. The Harry-Ginny kiss scene. Right? Was it the Harry-Ginny? Yeah. It comes up very quickly and it’s
towards the end. I – what’s there to discuss? People in the chat, feel free to add some feedback. One listener said to me people who haven’t read the books will be
incredibly confused.

Matt: Well then, who cares?

Andrew: Which I guess is true.

Matt: Who honestly cares? If you haven’t seen – I mean, I’m tired of the movies trying to acclimate it towards people who haven’t read the books – can do that. Just understand.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: They need to…

Matt: If they really want to get the movie, read the freaking book!

Andrew: Penny?

Penny: Yeah, and does this person mean that they’re going to be confused by the trailer or confused during the book?

Eric: During watching the movie, I think.

Penny: I mean, during the movie I mean.

Eric: Yeah.

Penny Why would they…

Eric: I think that’s what they mean. But yeah, I don’t know why either, because, to be honest, he does linger over Ginny for a while in the movie.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And it’s made quite clear. It – just because it doesn’t happen exactly like it does in the book. I mean, I think these people went and spoiled themselves on all those spoilerific – which were not mine – reviews of the pre-screening film and are all angry. I mean, to be honest, I watched this trailer just while I was on the show here, and I missed the Harry-Ginny scene
in the trailer the first time, completely. I didn’t even know it was in there, and then I was – I have it paused and I’m simply looking through scenes and I see that it is in there in whatever incarnation, but yeah, I don’t know what there is to talk about it.

Andrew: I don’t think people will be confused as much as they’ll be intrigued.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I mean, so what? They’re – I mean, you know.

Eric: Bonnie Wright is intriguing.

Andrew: [laughs] Yes. Well, them staring at each other and going in for the kiss is intriguing. What’s up with this? Why is Bonnie going in for the – why is Ginny going in for the…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: …kiss? Why is Harry just standing still?

Eric: She’s more of a man than he is!

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, apparently!

[Eric laughs]

Matt: She’s a Gryffindor, she’ll go for it.

Andrew: Well, I mean, I guess we’ll have to see the context around this one. Go ahead, Penny.

Penny: She’s also the more experienced one.

Matt: Oh yeah.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, I guess so!

Matt: She’s going out with everybody and their mom!

Eric: That’s true, you know, we needed a girl on to recognize that for what it was!

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: It’s experienced kissing.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm. Well also, I think why people were kind of upset – because it was kind of a little too obvious that Harry liked Ginny. Was – that in the book, we only found all about that Harry kind of liked Ginny by inside his mind.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Because he never made it obvious, but the audience knew, so how can the audience know if they’re not, you know, reading from inside Harry’s mind?


Call: A Caller is Pleasantly Surprised


Andrew: Exactly. Let’s take another call now. Riviere, I think I got your name right? Good morning.

Caller: Yeah. How are you?

Andrew: I’m good. How are you?

Caller: I’m very glad to be on the show because I am from France, so I can usually never join your live chats.

Andrew: Oh, yes. We’re broadcasting nice and early this morning.

Caller: [unintelligible] …so it’s great.

Andrew: Awesome. Now, you will represent the fans from France. When you first saw this trailer, what were your reactions, please?

Caller: I was really happy to see that the trailer really sticks to the movie. There are many steps you usually don’t get in the movies that they included. Like I wasn’t expecting to see the Death Eater attack on London, or even Draco when he looks in the mirror. I was really like – it was like I was reading the movie again. The [unintelligible] again.

Andrew: The book.

Matt: Yeah.

Caller: The book I mean. [laughs]

Andrew: That Draco shot was really cool!

Matt: Yes! He was in the bathroom, right?

Eric: It’s at 1:32 in the bathroom. Yeah, he’s looking
into the mirror. I think that’s so – I have it paused there at the moment, 1:32, and, like you said as well, the attack on London, the Death Eaters scene is just – even with completed special effects, looks amazing! You see the bridge begin to break away, and it’s just – it’s exciting, and…

Caller: Yeah, and did you see this kind of [unintelligible]?

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: I think it was kind of the same smoke. I don’t know if they used the same effects. Anyway, no,
it was really great, and even seeing Voldemort at a different age, it was – I don’t know. I think they’re going to put a lot of [unintelligible].

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Riviere, if you had to respond to this trailer in French, what would you say?

Caller: In French? It was – I don’t know, [speaks French]. Unexpected.

Andrew: Unexpected? All right. [laughs] Is that what that word meant? All right, thank you, there’s our French lesson for today.

Caller: Just one thing, maybe. They show [unintelligible] too much, because in the end when you see Snape, I think he’s in front of Hagrid’s hut?

Andrew: Yeah he is, yeah.

Caller: And it burns when all the Death Eaters are around. So maybe it gives away too much of the story, but apart from that, I was really happy to see this.

Andrew: Yeah. All right, Riviere, thank you.

Caller: Thank you.

Andrew: All right, goodbye.

Eric: One thing they do have a lot of in this trailer too, is character treatment. That’s what I liked about the movie too, the character treatment, that they seem to pay attention to everyone’s character. Instead of trying to advance the plot, advance what happens, they focus more on everybody’s character. Everybody gets a chance to act in this film; it’s really quite nice, instead of saying – instead of it being a movie like in the earlier movies where Ron and Hermione might have one or two prominent lines and the rest are just throwaway lines to advance the plot, here they’re actually – you can see that the actors have only gotten better and they’re allowed to do stuff with their characters. It’s pretty neat, which is kind of also why there are these scenes where Harry’s like, “Well, I am the Chosen One,” or “After all these years you just go with it.” Surely that was written in the script, but it’s just more focus on where these characters are at.

Andrew: Right. Right. All right, Inger – we’ll get another call in here – Inger, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live. We’re live, its 10:30 AM, it’s a Friday, the trailer just came out an hour and a half ago, what were your thoughts?

[Feedback plays]

MuggleCast 163 Transcript (continued)


Call: Character Development and Special Effects


Andrew: I love hearing myself. All right, quick PSA to everyone who’s joining us. When you call in, please wear headphones so your – our stream can’t be picked up by your mic, and please have a question prepared and, you know, all that. So thank you for that. Let’s take another – let’s take a call. Jenny, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live, hello.

Caller: Hey!

Andrew: Hey!

Caller: I was so excited. I got a text message from Twitter that you guys were doing the live show.

Andrew: Awesome.

Caller: And I love the new trailer. The sixth book was my favorite book because of all the character development…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …and from the scenes I’ve seen in the trailer and from what Eric just said, I’m really excited to see this movie.

Andrew: Yes. Yeah, that’s actually a great point. There’s a lot of character development in the book and we’re really seeing some advancements in this – in this movie. What did you think of Hermione’s bushy hair? That’s a hot topic this morning.

Caller: I noticed that.

[Andrew laughs]

Caller: I really have no opinion one way or the other on Hermione’s bushy hair. I think it looks fine.

Eric: Oh God, I’m trying to find it. I’m trying to find it.

Andrew: I just got an instant message from my friend: “Hermione’s hair is hot, I think. And Ron is just straight up hot.” That was from my friend Alex Vogelson back in New Jersey. So a lot of people are very interested in the hair. Jenny, was there anything else that really stuck out to you?

Caller: A lot of the special effects in the trailer. The Millennium Bridge collapsing looks amazing!

Andrew: Yes, it does.

Caller: And I also love the sort of fog-like, inky, very fluid effects with the memory.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: The memory sequences.

Andrew: Definitely. So – and you know what? Hallelujah, we got a trailer that didn’t have any corny effects in it.

Caller: I know, it’s amazing.

Andrew: The first trailer – yeah! The first trailer had those stupid titles, that I swear to God, they made in iMovie, or they had someone very basic do some very basic Photoshop stuff. And then the second trailer we had that shot of McGonagall sending up that [laughs] stupid lightening bolt.

Eric: Yeah, well, to be fair that was a leaked trailer.

Andrew: Right. Right.

Eric: [laughs] That one wasn’t – you can’t pin that trailer on…

Andrew: Right.

Eric: But…

Andrew: But it did come out, and we did see it, so…

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: And they – and they didn’t take it down.

Eric: It was kind of – it was kind of funny. But the other thing – it’s been mentioned twice now, and Jenny also mentioned this too, the Millennium Bridge collapse. I think it’s hilarious that it’s the Millennium Bridge that is collapsing, because when the Millennium Bridge was first opened, it was deemed unstable.

Andrew: Really?

Eric: They let the first load of people on it – or, however, and it started shaking [laughs] and people got scared and ran off, so they actually had to close the Millennium Bridge. Is that how that happened I think?

Caller: Yeah…

Andrew: Wait.

Caller: …any tour you go on in London, they’ll tell you that. I think the bridge cost 10,000 pounds to build because the first 6,000 pounds was to build the bridge and then the other four was to take out the wiggle.

[Everyone laughs]

Caller: Or something to that effect. I forget the exact numbers.

Andrew: The wiggle.

Caller: But, yeah, they paid – they paid a lot more money to keep it from shaking.

Eric: Yeah, which is hilarious, because you see it just rip and tear. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah, that – I guess that’s very ironic then, isn’t it?

Eric: That’s an inside one.

Matt: It’s scary as you-know-what, to be honest. I mean, could you imagine being on that bridge when it’s like wobbling on all sides?

Andrew: That’s like an earthquake. That’s like a California earthquake.

Eric: That’s the thing. I think the Queen was there when they opened it. I mean, maybe not on the bridge, but there was some serious – some serious issues when they opened it in time, I guess in schedule for the millennium, and had to close it then for another year.

Matt: Yeah, well, there’s nobody on the bridge when it collapses, so that’s good.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, they had to make a point to do that. No one falling in the water or whatever, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Well, actually, in the books, people fell in.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: In the movie, I’m not entirely sure they don’t in the movie, to be honest, because it’s shaking, and there are…

Matt: Well, I’m just seeing it in this…

Caller: It’s a little hard to tell in that like…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …four second clip you get of the bridge collapsing.

Matt: You can see in the corner there’s a few people running off the bridge, but they’re almost already off it when it’s starting to break.


Emma Thompson


Andrew: Right. Hey, real quick, here’s something that hit the news the other day: Emma Thompson not coming back for Deathly Hallows, and she said she doesn’t feel like she’s creatively attached to it?

[Jenny laughs]

Andrew: And I couldn’t believe that, because she’s such a good Trelawney!

Matt: Yeah…

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: …but I can understand what she means by it.

Eric: I understand too.

Andrew: Why? What does she mean?

Matt: They didn’t give her anything!

Eric: Well, it’s not even a matter of what they gave her. She worked with everything she got. Since Movie 3 she’s created a memorable character, and I’m sure she’s
enjoyed doing it, but the question was whether or not to go on with Harry Potter Movie 7 or the sequel to Nanny McPhee, which she wrote, which she acted in.

Andrew: That I understand.

Eric: She was in it, and wrote it, and had much more creative development. So if it’s a question of doing your own sequel or starring as one of the ten million
British actors and actresses in this British film, you know, instead of doing a unique British film on your own – the sequel to Nanny McPhee, which was very
different altogether, and – you know, it’s Emma Thompson’s baby in a way, so would you go to your baby or go to someone else’s baby and have, maybe, a few, really good, but a few good lines?

Andrew: Yeah, but Micah brought up a good point to me I mean, what would it take to get her in there, for what, like the one scene, the Battle of Hogwarts?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I think that’s the only one that matters, and how long would it take her? Two, three days?

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: I mean, look, nothing against Emma Thompson. She’s great and I can completely understand this whole Nancy McPhee thing, it’s her movie.

Matt: It’s Nanny McPhee.

Eric: Nanny!

Andrew: Nanny.

Eric: McPhee. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh, well, I typed in the news post: Na – oh no, Micah typed Nancy. That idiot.

Eric: It’s Nanny McPhee.

Andrew: I’ll fix that right now.

Eric: Your fake attempt at sincerity there, Andrew, has failed.

Andrew: What? No, no, I just – the post says Nancy McPhee, and that’s what I was reading from. [laughs]

Eric: It’s Micah’s fault.

Andrew: It is.

Penny: The reason why it bothers me that she’s not going to be in it is I think one of the best parts of the seventh book, in the end during the Battle of Hogwarts, was that everybody came back, and they all – you know, from the beginning of the series, everybody had their role and, you know, so whoever it was – Sprout and Neville come with the Mandrakes, and Trelawney’s throwing down the crystal balls, and it just – it felt, once again, like the book came full circle, and I’m scared we’re not going to get that feeling in the movie.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be looking for news that Chris Rankin will be or won’t be returning…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: …because if he returns in Movie 7, it’s a good bet that I’m going to enjoy the end scene, but if Chris Rankin doesn’t come back – he plays Percy Weasley – if he doesn’t come back, that’ll be a little upsetting. But they haven’t really shown any of the falling out with the Weasley family because he hasn’t been – I don’t think he’s been in a movie since, what, 4? Or possibly 3. Was he in – yeah, he was in Movie 5 because he was with Fudge, so…

Andrew: Right.

Eric: …hey, they kind of haven’t forgotten about Chris Rankin there, which is good, but – yeah, you’re right, totally right, Penny, on that full-circle effect.

Andrew: Jenny, thank you for calling in.

Caller: Thanks for taking my call.

Andrew: You’re welcome.

Eric: You rock.

Matt: Awesome.

Andrew: She rocks. Nathalie, hello. Good morning, you’re on MuggleCast Live!

Caller: Hey!

Andrew: Hey! What’s going on?

Caller: Hi.

[Feedback plays]

Eric: Oh God, there’s like a fifteen minute delay.

Andrew: Yeah, there’s a little delay there. If you’re listening to the show, put on headphones. Then call us and listen to us through the Skype call, not the stream.
It’s a very technical process, I guess, but you got to do what you got to do.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So, what is it, it’s 10:40 right now, we’ve been going for an hour and ten. What are we doing here?


Quidditch


Eric: Have we talked about Quidditch yet?

Matt: A little…

Andrew: A very little.

Matt: I think we touched it, yeah.

Andrew: Very little. What were your thoughts? What did you want to bring up? I brought up earlier how the special effects have certainly improved.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, they were never bad for Quidditch, in my opinion, but they’ve just done so much more – because they could do so much more, they’ve done so much more, I guess, if that makes sense. I mean, actually, what you really notice, I guess – and the only Quidditch scene so far that’s really upset me as far as special effects is the scene in the rain in Prisoner of Azkaban, which didn’t exactly do anything much for me, but they’re in the rain – or is it the snow? I think it’s the rain, yeah, it’s the rain, or no – whatever. They’re in heavy precipitation in this Quidditch pitch – yeah, yeah, it is snow – and
it was so good to see the Hogwarts grounds covered in snow and a Quidditch game. It was just beautiful school sports. It totally fed into the scene and environment, and yeah, they’ve totally done it all out in the special effects, which look great.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Definitely. You know, and we’ve seen the Quidditch before, I’ll say it again. We’ve seen the Quidditch before and I’m really counting on some very great improvements CGI-wise.

Eric: Yeah. I’m inclined to even say like – you said you’ve seen Quidditch before. I’m going to say not like this you haven’t.

Andrew: Oh. So I guess the special effects were done when you saw it.

Eric: Not always. Harry is lecturing or talking to his team on the Quidditch pitch and there’s a giant blue screen behind them.

Andrew: [laughs] I wish I could have saw that.

Eric: It’s hilarious, because he’s in character and it’s seamless because some scenes, you know, some angles were completed and some other ones weren’t, so…

Andrew: Well, maybe they painted the Quidditch pitch blue. Would you be upset if you like – you saw the movie and it still was the blue screen?

Eric: Well, no because…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: …you can see the…

Andrew: I’m just kidding. I’m just…

Eric: …the poles. Yeah, you can see the – yeah. It was hilarious but it was cool. It was insight into the process, I think I mentioned on a previous episode, because Harry’s in character – Dan is in character. In between the scenes you can’t even tell. It’s not like all of a sudden because there’s a blue screen, there’s
Dan. You know what I’m saying? But you can totally notice the big giant blue – it’s hilarious.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: So it’s good to see that they worked on the Quidditch effects and – yeah. Like David Heyman said, the movie’s nearly done.

Andrew: It’s done, he said, except for one tweak.

Eric: That’s what I said earlier, yeah.

Andrew: Have we discussed that on MuggleCast yet? I don’t know. I can’t…

Eric: The tweak?

Andrew: Matt, did we discuss that?

Matt: No.

Andrew: Well, I can’t remember if it hit the news after we recorded or not, but yeah. They said they have – they’re not going to put the movie together until six weeks before to prevent any pirating, which I thought was interesting and very crucial. I mean, they probably learned a little lesson with this other trailer leak.

Eric: But seriously, you want pirating? I mean, look at this trailer. It just – it’s that simple, because – and I’m – not to say that everything in the movie is captured in this trailer, because it’s not, but…

Andrew: What do you mean pirating? Look at the trailer, it’s pirating? What do you mean by that?

Eric: No, no, I’m saying if you want to look at an early copy of the movie…

Andrew: Oh.

Eric: …I think the trailer – this trailer – I’m so proud of it, that it really highlights some great stuff, and whets, W-H-E-T-S, peoples’ appetites just perfectly.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Maybe that didn’t make sense. I’m sorry.


Seeing Twilight For the Trailer


Andrew: No, it – no, it makes sense. Changing the subject a bit, Penny, I’m sure you were probably planning on seeing Twilight anyway, right?

Penny: Mhm.

Andrew: Are you going to see it any earlier now that you know that the movie’s coming out?

Penny: That I know the trailer’s coming out?

Andrew: Yeah. Sorry, that’s what I meant.

Penny: That’s actually a really good question, because I was – I’m actually in December going up to New York to see Equus with some friends, and I was going to
see Twilight with them then.

Andrew: Oh. So you were going to wait.

Penny: And now, I don’t know. I might have to go see it now.

Andrew: You know, I just realized this. Summit must be so happy that there’s a – that Harry Potter is being put before their movie. That’s got to boost sales, right?

Penny: Summit is the winner in this whole thing.

Andrew: [laughs] Yes, they are.

Eric: Yeah.

Penny: That’s the bottom line.

Matt: Yeah. Pretty much.

Eric: Best line ever. Yes. Summit wins.

Andrew: I mean, man, did they luck out. They got the Harry Potter date, the Thanksgiving date that everyone is always after. Yeah, and now they got the Harry Potter trailer coming out before their movie. They must be ecstatic.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Really.

Eric: I know. I have…

Andrew: You know what? I want to hear – people, if you’re – if you don’t want to see Twilight, but you want to see the trailer, call in. I want to know what people think, you know, because there’s these people out there who are like, “Twilight,
my God, I definitely don’t want to see that.” But now that the Harry Potter trailer is before it, are people going to go buy a ticket and then just see the trailer and then leave? [laughs]

Eric: That would be funny but completely useless because Summit would have your money.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, I don’t think they really care about giving Summit the money.

Eric: Okay, well, yeah. Right, right, right. But, I mean, seeing the trailer in a theater – I mean,
I already had midnight tickets for Twilight not because I enjoy it as a book series, because I haven’t read the books, but I was interested in the movie, so I got midnight tickets. And so that’ll be cool. But people – because of all the different formats that this movie trailer was released in, the highest of definition, I think that’ll prevent people from going to see Twilight just for the movie, because to be perfectly honest, computer resolution’s amazing, and, you know, with all these different high definition versions of this trailer, really I could wait. I could
hold off from seeing it in theaters if I didn’t want to go see Twilight.

Andrew: Mhm. I mean, plus, you get this HD version online. You don’t really – who needs to see it on the big screen anymore? I mean, it looks just as – it looks better at home on your computer screen, in my opinion.

Eric: Well, except for surround sound. That’s…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …the main thing, you know.

Andrew: And plus, it is cool music. So you’ll want to hear that in surround sound.


Seeing Movie 6 in an IMAX Theater


Penny: Plus, there’s the whole audience thing, and that brings me to a question that I wanted to ask you guys. After seeing this trailer, though, how excited are you now about seeing this – the movie in an IMAX at Azkatraz?

Andrew: Oh, yes. What’s it? [laughs] I almost called it Portus.

Eric: Can words describe it?

Andrew: No! No, and they should play all of the trailers before the actual movie to get us really excited. [laughs]

Eric: What?

Andrew: They should play the music before – they should play the trailers before the movie because the music was awesome.


Back to the Amazing Music


Eric: Oh God, the music! Have you guys heard that “Hedwig’s Theme” at the end of the trailer?

Andrew: Yeah, we were talking about that earlier. Let’s listen to it again for anyone who was just joining us. We’re discussing the new Harry Potter trailer, and let’s listen to the end right here.

[“Hedwig’s Theme” plays]

Andrew: [laughs] And it’s so funny because you’re totally expecting another shot to come right after that, and as I said at the beginning of the show, it’s just like, pfft, July.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: It sort of just drops you. [laughs]

Eric: Yeah, I was expecting another scene too.

Andrew: It’s very cool music. I like that random “Harry!” call in the middle. Did you guys hear that? Right when – let me play it again real quick. And you don’t see anyone calling “Harry.”

[Trailer clips plays]

Andrew: Right there. “Harry!” There’s no shot of anyone calling him. It’s kind of just to add to the action, but I thought it was…

Eric: I think that’s Bellatrix.

Andrew: No, that was a dude.

Eric: Oh, well, what – do you have a time stamp or what?

Andrew: It’s when the bridge is collapsing or like going crazy. It’s right around 1:36. My friend – I’m talking with her over instant messenger – has a good strategy over what we were talking about earlier. She’s going to buy a ticket to a different movie, catch the trailer, then go watch a different movie. So to avoid watching Twilight. [laughs] That’s what she…

Penny: [unintelligible] Twilight.

Andrew: I know. [laughs] That’s funny.

Eric: Yeah, that’s a completely disembodied voice. I don’t even know who’s shouting that.

Andrew: Hold on. Hold on, your mic’s off. Go ahead, Matt.

Matt: The person who cries out “Harry” is Mr. Weasley during the Burrow scene.

Andrew: How do you know that?

Matt: Because it’s from the leaked trailer.

Andrew: Well, thank you, Matt Britton.

Matt: When you see Mr. Weasley calling out for Harry.

Andrew: There we go. Which totally doesn’t fit with that shot. The bridge collapsing. [laughs]

Eric: Oh, the bridge collapsing.

Matt: Is Harry on the bridge?

Andrew: Yeah, people are going to think Harry’s on the bridge.

Matt: It’s like, “Harry, no!”


Snow


Andrew: By the way, they have a great shot in here of the Hogwarts Express traveling through the snow.

Matt: There’s a lot of snow in this.

Andrew: Yeah, I was just going to say that. Snow is in this film. The last trailer was fire now it’s snow.

Matt: Geez. Next year it’s going to be all water all the time.

Andrew: What’s – I mean, God, it’s like all of the Captain Planet super heroes. Wind! Fire! Water! None of them were snow granted, but you get the point I’m trying to make.

Eric: Earth, fire, water, heart, go planet.

Andrew: Yeah.


The Astronomy Tower


Eric: The Astronomy Tower. The daytime view from the Astronomy Tower. I think that’s an awesome view. I’ll be taking stills of this for sure or I’ll find stills from this trailer, because quite a few good ones.

Andrew: Yeah, Matt actually took some stills before we started to get them up on MuggleNet, which we do have to do soon.


Dumbledore Under the Umbrella


Eric: What about Dumbledore walking into this memory carrying the umbrella?

Andrew: What?

Eric: Do you guys have a comment on that?

Andrew: What’s the time code on that?

Eric: When he’s approaching the – it’s 49 seconds.

Andrew: Oh, you mean he’s holding the – oh. Is that? That’s Dumbledore? I didn’t even realize that.

Penny: Isn’t that Dumbledore…

Eric: Yeah, Dumbledore is traveling the – sorry?

Penny: Isn’t that Dumbledore of the memory?

Eric: Yeah. Yeah.

Andrew: Is it raining? I mean, can it be as simple as that?

Eric: Well, yeah. It’s not for effect. [laughs] It’s not like they said, “Michael Gambon, we’re going to give you an umbrella.”

Andrew: I know, but it certainly doesn’t look like it’s raining.

Eric: Oh, that’s true. Well, it’s kind of – well, that’s because the memory itself is the opposite of dissolving, I think, at the moment. If you look – oh, I was going to say that one car had windshield wipers going, but it’s dark and dreary for sure.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: So it might as well be raining.


Call: Trailer Before Twilight


Andrew: It really is. Let’s try to get Nathalie back in here. Nathalie, or I guess I should say Nathalie [pronounces like “Natalie”], good morning.

Caller: Hi.

Andrew: Hi.

Caller: How’s it going?

Andrew: Pretty good. How about you?

Caller: Pretty good. I actually work for you on Twilight Source.

Andrew: I know.

Caller: I’m one of the forum – yeah.

Andrew: I know, I know. Well, it’s good to finally talk to you. [laughs]

Caller: Yeah.

Andrew: Hey, what are your thoughts on the trailer?

Caller: I was really excited. At first I saw it and I thought it was just the leaked one, but WB had actually released it. But when I started to see that it as a new one I was really excited.

Andrew: That’s why I put “Warner Brothers releases” at the very start of this headline so nobody was like, “Oh my God, another one leaked out?” Because of course this was by complete surprise. And it’s just like the first trailer where they’ve surprised fans, isn’t it?

Matt: Yeah.

Caller: Oh yeah, for sure, because usually it’s like we know kind of two or three weeks in advanced…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …because they’re like, “We’re definitely going to release it like three or four weeks…”

Andrew: With a certain movie.

Caller: “…with this movie.”

Andrew: Right. Yeah. So that was cool. This is – and I’m wondering if this is like another one of their last minute decisions or something.

Matt: Yes.

Caller: Yeah.

Andrew: Because I mean, the Twilight

Caller: Yeah, maybe they worked it out from people with Twilight to have more people go see the movie.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, how does this work? Does WB have to pay for it to be in front of – because they said they’re clear; it’s going to be before Twilight. So do they pick – Penny?

Eric: Usually…

Andrew: Or Eric, sorry.

Eric: Oh, you’re asking Penny.

Andrew: No, no, I thought I heard Penny. But, go ahead, Eric.

Eric: Oh, do they – oh.

Andrew: No, I don’t think so.

Eric: Well, I – working in a movie theater for a year, I ended up being a projectionist for a short amount of time before I left, but usually trailers go – certain studios will have trailers that go with their films, and that’s why it’s so interesting that you say that they this trailer will be in front of Twilight, because as far as I know, they don’t have anything to do with each other, besides the fact they’re both fantasies, which is the other thing that trailers are usually grouped by. But, strictly speaking, I mean, there are rules handed down for all movie theaters who want to buy the movie. And by buy I mean show it. You have to purchase the print that they can’t put certain trailers in front of other movies and all sorts of rules like that, so I don’t really know what’s going on, but I don’t think that Warner Brothers paid Summit. I…

Matt: No. No. I don’t think so.

Eric: …think Summit paid Warner Brothers.

Caller: Oh, sorry. I think maybe they made like a deal. Like not maybe money but Summit probably went like “Oh, well, we could use your trailer if you want to release it.”

Matt: No, no, no. I think Summit was tickle-pink to actually have the option to have a Harry Potter trailer in the beginning of their movie.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, of course, they’re…

Matt: It was either Twilight or even 007 that came out today.

Eric: God, I’m going to see that today.

Andrew: Me too.

Matt: Oh geez, so am I.

Andrew: Very excited about that.

Matt: But, yeah – I mean, who would not want a Harry Potter trailer in the beginning of their film? Just to get the people in there just to see the trailer itself.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what we were saying.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I mean, Summit, oh my God.

Matt: No, yeah, they hit the jackpot really with this, because that’s the only really big movie of next summer that a lot of people are wanting to see.

Andrew: Yeah. Speaking from a Harry Potter fan perspective right now and not Twilight fan – although I am a Twilight fan, but putting that aside – Summit is really lucking out with all this hot topic merchandise with the timing of the film release and now this trailer. I mean, they must all be sitting around a table right now having a round of drinks, because this will – I honestly think this would easily add – people who are on the fence about seeing Twilight and are Potter fans will now be like “Oh, well, okay. I’ll go see the movie and I get to see the Harry Potter trailer. Cool.” The…

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Another million right there. Smack. Done. Game over.

Matt: Aren’t they all – aren’t Twilight and Harry Potter fans pretty much the same?

Caller: Aren’t people – a lot of people go see movies just for the trailers. Like…

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. That’s true.

Caller: So…

Andrew: Well, yeah, exactly. So that’s why Summit will be so excited.

Matt: That’s what I did with Happy Feet. I just saw the trailer and then left.

Andrew: Really?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: You didn’t see Happy Feet?

Matt: No.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Eric’s all still upset.

Matt: [imitates Eric] You didn’t see the penguins dancing?

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: And actually, this is one of the rare times where a Harry Potter trailer premieres without a WB movie, because Goblet of Fire trailer premiered with Happy Feet, Half-Blood Prince trailer – what did that premiere with? The teaser?

Matt: Umm…

Eric: Oh, um…

Matt: Um, um. Um. Um. Um.

Caller: Wasn’t that with Star Wars?

Eric: Dark Knight?

Andrew: Oh. No, no.

Eric: Wasn’t it the Dark Knight?

Andrew: Was it? Or Star Wars?

Penny: That was just a fifteen second clip with Dark Knight. I’m a…

Matt: That was the teaser for the IMAX film.

Andrew: Oh, right, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Matt: But…

Andrew: Well, point is, they got a – this was one of the rarer times where WB’s putting a trailer before a non-WB movie, so…

Eric: I don’t know, are they trying to help out Summit? I mean…

Andrew: [laughs] I doubt it. Well…

Eric: I say you already got my release date, you know, seriously. But they gave the trailer. Summit is just so – I mean, I’m going to see the Twilight movie because I haven’t read the Twilight books, and now with the Harry Potter trailer in front of it, it’s just amazing and easy.

Andrew: Yeah.

Penny: Well, I think that’s why Summit…

[Audio problems]

Andrew: Nathalie, we’re going to let you go. But thank you. Ooh, getting some heavy feedback there.

Penny: I think that’s why Summit lucks out, is because Joe Harry Potter fan, who wants to just see the trailer, is more likely – because he’s a Harry Potter fan – is more likely to sit through the Twilight movie…

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Penny: …as opposed to somebody who wants to just, say, see – let’s say it was going to be in front of – well, I don’t know. I lost my train of thought.

Matt: Wasn’t it The Mummy that premiered with a teaser for this film?

Penny: Yeah, maybe.

Andrew: No.

Matt: The Mummy

Eric: I think so.

Matt: Yeah, the third Mummy movie.

Eric: Yeah, I …

Matt: I don’t know which movie premiered with Order of the Phoenix though.

Andrew: Well, that’s lame. Oh, that’s right! Yeah, because The Mummy was doing so bad, or The Mummy was so bad.

[Eric and Matt laugh]

Matt: Of course I’m right!

Andrew: It got such bad reviews. And remember? I was like, “WB’s definitely putting the trailer before this movie because it’s so bad.”

Eric: [laughs] Yeah, that’s right.

Andrew: And it ended up doing bad. I mean – yeah, so …

Eric: That’s so upsetting to me because I love The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and I haven’t seen the third one, but I’m going to. [laughs]

Andrew: Okay, are we done here? What’s going on? I’m not sure what to do.

Eric: Well, if there’s anything else you can talk about.

[Andrew laughs]


The Announcer Voice


Eric: Let’s do another run through the trailer quick and see if there’s anything else we can talk about. Oh guys, did you talk about the announcer voice?

Andrew: No. Was there an announcer voice in this one?

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: “Warner Brothers Pictures presents.” That’s it.

Eric: The whole way it was some other guy.

Matt: It was Dumbledore!

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: No.

Matt: Yes, it was Dumbledore talking.

Eric: Michael Gambon?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Now what’s the time code? We’ll play it.

Matt: Well, are you – are you being serious?

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: There’s no …

Matt: There’s no announcer in this. There’s no – I mean only – the only announcer guy says, “Warner Brothers Pictures presents.” And then it’s just still Dumbledore talking.

Eric: Hang on I’m watching now.

Andrew: I think the funniest scene in this trailer was when Harry and Slughorn clink glasses and then Ron starts to drink and he just passes out.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: [laughs] That’s pretty funny.

Matt: It’s too bad though. He’s sort of dying when that happens, but …

Andrew: Yeah. Well, all right, I think – I think we’re finished here.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: I know Matt’s rushing to get out because he has to go to work, but…

Matt: Kind of.

Andrew: I think – I think we’re good.

Eric: Yeah, there is an announcer guy. It starts at – it starts at 40 seconds: “This year…”

Andrew: 40 – oh okay. Hold on, we’ll play it. It starts at forty seconds?

Eric: 40 seconds.

Andrew: All right, here we go.

Trailer

Ron: Can you introduce me?

Announcer: This year …

Hosts

Andrew: Oh.

Matt: Oh yeah.

[Trailer Clip plays]

[Andrew and Matt acknowledge and laugh at the announcer]

Andrew: LOL.

Matt: Oh me.

Andrew: I see what you’re saying.

Matt: I stink. I fail.

Andrew: That’s funny, I didn’t even – you don’t even notice those things. I mean, not like it’s a big deal.

Penny: Yeah, I didn’t think…

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: It’s all – all our minds are prepped for movie watching; we just take it in.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: [imitating announcer] “In a world with magic.”

Andrew: Okay, well, I think this is our initial – is our initial reactions from the trailer, and I’ll say anyone who wants to call in with their thoughts. I’m looking forward to seeing reaction videos as I posted on MuggleNet with this news post. Well, it’s too late now for anyone listening to this, but when people record – when they watch a trailer for the first time we want them to record their reactions and then send them in to andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com and – oh excellent, we’ve already gotten four or five reaction videos. So that’s …

Eric: Why aren’t they listening to MuggleCast?

Andrew Well – well…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: I don’t know, good point. Well, there’s only four or five, so that’s okay.

Eric: I know. I know. It’s a joke.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Ha-ha.


Call: Snow Theme


Andrew: Well, we’ll have another episode – another MuggleCast episode out soon. Oh wait, let’s get one more caller in here. This guy’s name is Andrew so that’s why I’m taking him. Andrew Carol, good morning, you’re on MuggleCast live.

[Feedback plays]

Andrew: Okay, here he goes.

Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hello! Good morning.

Caller: Good morning. Actually, it’s the night. It’s in France.

Andrew: Oh, I’m sorry.

Eric: You got a guy from France call.

Matt: It’s our second guy.

Andrew: Second guy from France.

[Caller says something unintelligible]

Andrew and Matt: Yeah.

Caller: My little host brother was asking me if you guys could speak French.

Andrew: No.

Matt: No.

Andrew: Oui, oui, that’s about all I can do.

Caller: [laughs] Yeah, the trailer was good.

Andrew: Well, was there anything that really stuck out to you in particular?

Caller: I like the snow.

[Andrew laughs]

Caller: Kind of reminds me of Christmas.

Andrew: The snow was nice. We had fire last time. Now we have frozen water theme.

Caller: Yeah.

Andrew: That was nice. All right, well, Andrew, thank you for calling in with your thoughts.

Matt: Thanks, Andrew.

Caller: Yes, snow is nice.

[Caller and Matt laugh]

Andrew: All right, thank you.

Eric: Au revoir.

Andrew: Au revoir.

Matt: Au revoir.

[Caller laughs]

Matt: Overall, I suck.

Andrew: Eric, you’re so good at your French.

Eric: I know.

Matt: You must eat a lot of fries.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: All right, yeah.

Eric: Yep.


Show Close


Andrew: Yeah, okay, so I think we’re going to wrap it up today. Penny, thanks so much for joining us today. It was wonderful.

Penny: Thanks for having me. I had a good time.

Andrew: Penny from Harry Potter Prognostications. That’s HPProgs.com, right?

Matt: Yep.

Penny: Mhm. You got it.

Andrew: Excellent.

Eric: HP Progs is so cool.

Andrew: Yes, it’s a lovely podcast, and we should have you on more often.

Penny: Absolutely.

Andrew: You’re a wonderful host, and, frankly, I’m sick of Laura. It’s time to get a new female co-host.

[Eric and Penny laugh]

Penny: No, but I like Laura!

Andrew: I’m just kidding.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Penny: So far all the girls are always in or around Maryland, which is weird.

Andrew: Yeah. Laurie. [laughs] Laurie. Laura hasn’t joined us today because she was in class unfortunately. So – all right, guys, well, thank you very much for joining us. We’ll see everyone again soon. Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful surprise given to us from WB. And I think we can all agree Summit is the most happiest about this decision today.

[Eric laughs]

Penny: Summit is the winner.

Andrew: They are. Summit is full…

Eric: But the fans should take away – the fans should take away how awesome this film is.

Andrew: Definitely.

Eric: Based on the trailer.

Andrew: Absolutely. And this show, in case you missed the beginning or something, will be released on the feed very shortly. I’ll do it right after we sign off.

Eric: Did you need me to record in Audacity?

Andrew: Yeah. You weren’t doing – no, I’m kidding. [laughs] I’m kidding, yeah.

Eric: Okay.

Andrew: LOL. Funny joke.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: All right, guys, thanks, everyone, for listening. Penny, again, thank you. Eric, thanks for joining in, even last minute, I love doing these last minute shows; they’re always – they’re always so much fun.

Eric: Touche.

Matt: Yes.

Andrew: Oh, you know what? Let’s end on something fun. We talked about Matt being on Price Is Right.

Matt: Oh, no.

Andrew: What?

Eric: I haven’t seen it. Where is it?

Andrew: Oh, well, here, you get to listen to it. It’s on YouTube, but here, we’re going to end with this. All right, here we go.

[Price Is Right clip plays]

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: He gets called down and gets to say two words on The Price Is Right: “650, Drew.”

Matt: Hey, that’s two more words than you had.

Andrew: That’s very true.

[Everyone laughs]

Penny: You’ve seriously fulfilled every one of my dreams as a child with that.

Andrew: [laughs] I know.

Matt: I didn’t really get the chance to win anything though. Now I have to wait another ten years before I can go back up there.

Andrew: Here’s the shot where he blew it.

[Price Is Right clip plays]

Andrew: Oh. For some reason I didn’t include “650, Drew.” [laughs] What!? I isolated all these different clips.

Matt: I don’t know anything about soccer equipment! How could I…

Eric: How much was it? How much was it?

Matt: It was like two grand.

Andrew: Yeah, it was over two grand.

Eric: Oh, oh, okay. I would’ve lost too.

Andrew: Here, let’s hear Matt’s voice on The Price Is Right. This’ll be exciting.

[The Price Is Right clip plays]

Andrew: [laughs] “650, Drew.”

Matt: Yeah, I’m a stud.

Andrew: [laughs] You stole that from me because I told you my dream was always to go down there and say the price “…Drew.”

Matt: I didn’t say “the price, Drew.”

Andrew: Anyway, if you want to see video of it, Matt coming down, getting called down, it’s actually on my YouTube channel, YouTube.com/Sims89. Subscribe to me too! Rate, comment, woo-hoo!

Eric: If they ask you to pull it, will you?

Andrew: Yeah, but there’s hundreds of Price Is Right clips on there. I don’t think…

Eric: Oh okay, just in case. I wonder what the timeline is between – I have to see it.

Andrew: Well, the show’s already out. It’s not like…

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: …I released it before.

Eric: Okay, cool.

Andrew: All right, guys, that wraps up MuggleCast today. We’ll see everyone again soon. Thanks again, Penny, for the millionth time. We’re trying to wrap this up.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: All right, guys, the show will be on the feed later. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. This has been MuggleCast Live, discussing the brand new trailer released by Warner Brothers. All right. Goodbye, everyone!

[Music begins playing]

Eric: He’s Andrew Sims, I’m Eric Scull, and on The Price Is Right is Matt Britton.

Matt: That’s me.

Andrew: And from HP Progs is Penny. Goodbye, everybody! Have a great Friday!

Matt: Have a pleasant tomorrow.

[Song continues]

Transcript #162

MuggleCast 162 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music begins]

Andrew: Hey, Mason. Did you know that on July 1st Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?!

Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

Andrew: You’re right. It’s not. And I do need a deal.

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Andrew: Today’s podcast is also brought to you by Audible.com, the Internet’s leading provider of spoken word entertainment. What are you listening to after today’s episode? How about a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up. Log on to www.AudiblePodcast.com/MuggleCast today for details.

[Harry Potter theme plays]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Micah: Because we’re talking politics Potter style, this MuggleCast, Episode 162 for November 5th, 2008.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: Okay, this is our third show released in just eight days. We’re really pumping them out right now because first we had the Halloween show. Oh, no, no, no. First we had the live show – the live trailer discussion show, and then we had our Halloween show, and now we’re having our election show. All these themed podcasts that have to be out at a certain time. You know, while everyone’s still into it. So, Micah and Elysa are here. Hello, ladies.

Elysa: Hey.

Micah: Hello.

Andrew: Good to hear from you two.

Micah: Ladies?

Matt: Hey, why am I separate?

Elysa: Ladies.

Andrew: Because you’re not a lady. What?

Micah: I was going to congratulate you on the Phillies winning the World Series, too, and then you call me a lady?

Andrew: I’m not a baseball fan. I just support my home team.

Micah: Yeah, but, no, you’re a Phillies fan.

Andrew: My mom texted me today. She’s like, “I’m going to send you a Phillies shirt.” And I was like, “Oh great,” but I’m thinking like, “Why? I’m not a baseball fan.” Whatever. I’ll wear it to the gym.

Matt: It’s a free shirt.

Andrew and Micah: Yeah.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Andrew: So we have this great show. We just finished recording the discussion because Laura was involved in it too, but unfortunately she didn’t have as much time to be on the show. But that’s okay. So we have this awesome political discussion, related to Potter politics, and a whole lot more. So let’s get started. I’m Andrew Sims.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: I’m Matthew Britton.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Montfort.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: Okay, Micah, what is in the news this week?

Micah: Umm…

Andrew: What? You don’t know?

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: Aren’t you prepared?

Micah: How am I not prepared? Sorry! I’m tired. We just discussed…

Andrew: Yeah, wah.

Micah: All right, well, anyway. Try that again. I’m sorry.


Andrew Admits He Was Wrong


Andrew: Well, here, while you’re preparing, I’ll start with this, because this is my story. On last week’s episode – well, actually it was Episode 160 – I was speculating a lot about whether or not WB would be asking for the trailer to be removed. And this isn’t really news because it wasn’t removed, but the trailer wasn’t removed! Which was kind of surprising because I heard that WB was considering it, and it looks like it never happened, so… [laughs] Just – I’d just like to admit that I was wrong. And I do make mistakes, so sorry.

Elysa: Hmm. I was surprised about that too though.

Andrew: But I think – well, thank you, Elysa. I think that it just got spread all over the Internet so quickly that…

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: …it would’ve been impossible for them to take it down.

Micah: Yeah, I think the Internet is so fast that, once it spreads – it did happen over the weekend, like you mentioned, and clearly, people are not working at WB as hard as we thought on the weekends, because, if they were, they would’ve been taken down.

Andrew: Well, I was right about that.

Micah: You were right about that, yeah.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: I was wrong about that. I thought that they would’ve had somebody would would’ve been on this. Because you think when something like this would happen, they would be alerted to the problem, regardless of whether they’re working or not. Even if you’re at home on the weekends, all these people have Blackberries. They would know what was going on.

Andrew: Well, yeah, but they’re not checking them as frequently because it’s the weekend, and they have their personal phones with them when they’re out and about.

Micah: I guess. I guess. It was interesting, though, to me that Monday morning rolled around and, all of a sudden, they’re aware of it, but they really couldn’t do anything about it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: In the future, if you’re going to leak trailers, do it on the weekend.

Andrew: Well, that’s exactly what I was saying also. These pictures that come out every – there was a time back in May and June where a new Half-Blood Prince picture came out every Friday, and it seemed very strange. But when you think about it, it was every Friday because then – WB – that’s essentially the weekend, even though they do work on Friday’s, but WB, they can’t put it together to say, “Hey, take this down,” before they clock out for the weekend, so.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: It was kind of interesting to watch. And exciting. I know I was up early to check my e-mail to see if there was like, “Please remove immediately!”

Micah: Well, what was funny was, I did think that we had gotten something because I checked my e-mail that morning and I saw something. I’m like, wait, it’s from Scholastic not from Warner Bros., so…

Andrew: Well, that – yeah.

Micah: It threw me off a little bit.

Andrew: That’s what happens, though. Whenever there’s a big movie thing, or vice versa – whenever there’s a big movie thing, the book people come out with some announcement. Whenever there’s a big book thing, the movie people come out with some announcement to remind them that they’re still alive, and while the fan sites are active.

Micah: Well, I was nervous because you told me, “Make sure you check your e-mail tomorrow morning,” because, obviously, we have that time difference. You know, a three hour difference. So if anything did come along, you wanted me to get something up there as fast as possible or take down the trailer. And I was just sitting there all morning, and all of a sudden I saw this e-mail from the guy over at Scholastic – I forget his name – and then I thought that it was from Warner Bros., but – so I got played. I got Punk’d.

Andrew: [laughs] It is still online and, as the saying goes, once it’s on the Internet, it’s never off. It never leaves because people save these things to their computers and forget about it. It’s digital!

Micah: Who does that?

Andrew: It’s digital, baby!

Matt: Digital!

Andrew: Did anyone else save a copy?

Micah: No.

Andrew: I saved a copy in case they were going to take it down. Elysa, what were your thoughts on the trailer? You weren’t on the show, so what did you think of it?

Elysa: No, I wasn’t. I thought it was incredible! I loved it. I mean, I don’t know what else to say. I thought it was brilliant. It exceeded my expectations for sure.


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DH Hype Overshadowing HBP Hype


Micah: Something that happened this week was Robbie Coltrane, who plays Hagrid, did an interview, and he discussed a little bit about Deathly Hallows and his, I guess you would say, motorbike scene. But that’s not really what I wanted to focus on. I’m wondering now with Half-Blood Prince not coming out until July, and filming starting to take place for Deathly Hallows, are we going to see a lot of Deathly Hallows hype overtaking Half-Blood Prince? Is this maybe something that Warner Bros. didn’t think about before they decided to move the date, because I guess it wouldn’t make as much of a difference if we were somewhere in the middle with all these films, but we’re talking about the final film in the Harry Potter series start to film in February. Is this going to be a problem for Half-Blood Prince?

Andrew: I don’t really think so, because when filming starts, typically don’t see much. I mean, there’s going to be the occasional interview where they’re like, “Yeah, we just starting filming. It’s going great. It’s going to be the darkest one ever. Whatever. Sex, drugs, and Harry Potter.”

[Matt and Micah laugh]

Andrew: But I don’t think there’s going to be too much of a mix.

Micah: Yup.

Andrew: I’m looking at Half-Blood Prince background information. They started filming September 2007, and of course that was right after the final book came out, so I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of mixing though. I think it’s a good point though.

Micah: Yeah, that was the one thing that came to mind. There really isn’t a whole lot to the interview. He actually did two interviews, but that was really what came to mind when I was looking. I was thinking to myself, “Hey, is this going to have any impact for Half-Blood Prince?”


News: David Heyman Interview


Micah: But somebody else who also did an interview this week was David Heyman with ComingSoon.net. And he talked about Half-Blood Prince. He said the film is complete except for a little tweak that they think that they are going to have to make. So, interesting to maybe learn down the line what that tweak is going to be.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Well, he also noted that it’s going to be a little inconvenient to stop filming for a week when they have to go do press for Half-Blood Prince.

Micah: Well, he can complain to Warner Bros. then.

Andrew: Yeah. He only said a week, though, which kind of surprised me, because the premieres themselves are usually two weeks apart, and around both of those premieres, doing interviews and such – although I guess the U.K. premiere isn’t hard to get to, I mean, it’s an
hour drive down from Leavesden Studios, so. I don’t know. That was – he does seem – when you read this interview, don’t you get a little feeling of frustration from him?

Micah: Well, didn’t he do an interview before this, though, where he talked about the film being pushed back and he said that he didn’t really see a problem with it?
I forget the exact…

Andrew: Yeah, he did. Yeah…

Micah: …quote.

Andrew: …yeah, yeah. He said – he reiterated what he said in this interview, too, which is that “WB is so good to us that we can’t complain.”

Matt: You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

Micah: Right.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Well, maybe it’s because for a lot of these people that are involved in the movie, I would think that their schedules are dependent upon all these releases and events that they have to go to once the film is finally complete. And so if you’re planning everything for November, and then all of a sudden you get thrown into the middle of July, I mean they’ll be working on Deathly Hallows, but who knows what
else he could have been working on at the time also, or will be working on at the time, because I’m sure he doesn’t stick solely to one film.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Right.

Micah: Maybe that’s what he’s frustrated about. But he’s always seemed to identify more with the fans, too, if you think about it, even from the interview you guys did
with him, I think it was for Goblet of Fire. He always seems to identify with the fans, so maybe he’s just as upset about it getting pushed back.

Andrew: Yeah, definitely.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Wouldn’t it be funny if like the Dark Knight DVD did so well, because they’re in a new fiscal year now – at least in the U.S. they are – wouldn’t it be funny if the Dark Knight DVD did so well for this fiscal year that they’re like, “Oh, you know what? Yeah, we’re set for 2009 too, so you’ll see HBP in 2010.”

Micah: [laughs] Yeah, that wouldn’t be good…

Andrew: No.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: No, that’d be bad.

Micah: To put it lightly.

Andrew: But it’s kind of surprising though. I mean, you know, it’s how easy a film can be moved just because another film in the same fiscal year does so well.

Micah: Right, and something of the magnitude of Harry Potter. This…

Andrew: I may be – yeah. Just a little disclaimer, I may be wrong about that fiscal year, because in the U.S. it’s from – it starts in October and ends in September, and obviously Half-Blood Prince came out – would come out in November, which is not the same fiscal year as Dark Knight, so I don’t know what I’m saying.

[Elysa and Matt laugh]

Andrew: The point is that it’s amazing how quickly they would move this just because one film does extremely well.

Micah: Right, right.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: All right.

Andrew: I mean, Arthur – there’s got to be some big WB films coming out in 2010 other than Harry Potter, and Harry Potter‘s got a November release in 2010, so…

Micah: For now.

Andrew: …frankly I’m scared. Yeah, for now.

Matt: I don’t – no, they’re not going to delay any more movies.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Micah: Well…

Andrew: Yeah, well, six months ago WB said they would have…

Micah: …I’m not really sure they had any good reason to delay this one, to be honest with you, so…

Matt: No, and I agree with you totally on that, Micah. I really think that it wasn’t that great of a reason. It was – I mean, it’s all about money, but still, I
mean, they should have a good movie every year.

Andrew: Well, they did. Dark Knight. So that’s why they’re pushing the Harry Potter back. [laughs]

Matt: Well, I know. I mean they should have already planned that for the next year.

Andrew: Mmm.

Matt: Just shows you how much faith they had in Dark Knight.

Andrew: Yeah. Anyway, what else is going on?


News: Jo Updates Site


Micah: All right, J.K. Rowling updated her site

Matt: Oh!

Micah: …this past week, finally. Even though she hasn’t updated her journal on the home page since about December ’07…

Andrew: Yeah, I noticed that. Kind of old.

Micah: So she’s trying to go for the whole year without making an update to that. But she did update the news section with her official plans for the Beedle the Bard release on December the 4th, and she will be holding a tea party.

Andrew: Awww. La-dee-da.

Micah: Yeah. Isn’t that exciting?

[Andrew and Elysa laugh]

Micah: Sorry. [laughs]

Andrew: No, it’s nice, it’s nice.

Micah: It’s different. It’s, you know…

Andrew: Yeah, well, Jo’s done a couple tea parties for Beedle the Bard, I’m pretty sure already.

Matt: I love tea.

Andrew: Yeah, yes you do. But you know how Jo has sort of done, like, something for Christmas every year for the fans, like on her fansite? Maybe there’ll be something this year. I can’t think of what, but maybe some sort of exclusive or something. You know? You know what I’m saying?

Micah: Right, but…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: …it’ll be interesting to see how well this book does in the hype and excitement that surrounds it. Clearly it’s not going to be the level of one of her
previous seven books, but the difference this time I think with the money going to charity, the Children’s High Level Group, I think a lot of Potter fans will want to contribute in that way.


Andrew’s Cryptic Announcement


Andrew: Oh yeah, it’s a great cause. And speaking of that, nothing is official yet. Well, actually it is, but we can’t officially announce it yet. If you live in the U.K., specifically London, or if you can get to London easily for a Beedle the Bard midnight release, I would strongly recommend you keep your plans cleared. Or if you’re in the U.S. and looking for a good reason to go to the U.K., not just for a book release, but a certain Harry Potter podcast doing a certain midnight release for a certain book coming out in December. So…

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Wow, geez.

Micah: Well, that was vague.

Andrew: I know.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I’m just saying.

Matt: Geez. Way to be cryptic, Andrew.

Andrew: If by chance we were to do something like that I would keep your plans clear. Announcement coming in the next couple weeks. If something were to happen.

[Elysa and Matt laugh]

Micah: I would hope that the next couple of days – the next couple of weeks you’ll already be at the event.

Andrew: That’s true. People need time to book their train tickets and stuff, so in the next week or so you should hear from us and from the bookstore starting in “W” and ending in “aterstones.”

Matt: Ooh.

[Elysa and Micah laugh]

Matt: I mean, how many more Harry Potter books is J.K. Rowling going to write? I mean, this is the – this is probably like the only relevant book…

Andrew: I hope she writes more related to this. Or Harry Potter related.

Matt: She might, but who knows what she’s going to do? I still want to see what kind of books she’s been saying she’s going to write about.

Andrew: You know what’s – sorry, what?

Matt: Well, in that suspenseful book that she was saying she was writing. I haven’t heard anything about that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Anyway, what?

Andrew: And I think that – is that all for the news this week? I think it is.

Matt: Yep.

Andrew: Cool.


Announcement: Vote for MuggleCast in the Podcast Awards


Andrew: All right, moving onto announcements this week. Don’t forget to vote for us in the…

Andrew and Matt: Podcast Awards.

Andrew: The 2008 Podcast Awards are happening right now and voting is going through, what, November…

Micah: 6th.

Andrew: There’s a few more days left. Sixth.

Matt: Do you – do you have to vote everyday?

Andrew: You don’t have to vote everyday, but you should to help us win. You can vote once every 24 hours. So if you vote at 3PM one day you cannot vote before 3PM the next day. So you have to vote at 3:01PM.

Matt: Oh, that makes sense.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: MuggleCast is nominated in Entertainment and our other Twilight podcast, Imprint, is nominated in the Cultural Arts category.

Elysa: Woot!

Andrew: So feel free – woot woot – so feel free to vote too for other podcasts, too, in the other categories, and thank you so much for your support.


Muggle Mail: Harry Potter Books in School


Andrew: Let’s move onto Muggle Mail. Elysa, do you want to take the first one?

Elysa: Sure. This one’s from Jason Millis:

“This sort of goes with Micah’s idea at the end of the debate subject. Many schools have a program that kids can choose a book to read for a reading project. I think that would be a great place to put the book in the curriculum. That way kids could choose. They should only use Book 1 in the curriculum, wherever they put it, because the suspense could push them further. When they do it – or when they do it at our school rather, they give us an excerpt, sometimes a chapter to read, and see if we want to read the book. Kids might respond to that because they may know someone who reads the books or have seen the movies. The kids could tell their friends about them and their friends would read it too. The parents would also have less of a case against the school districts because their kids aren’t being forced to read them. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the books as much if I did have to read them. I think it was sort of like when I practice my violin. I enjoy practicing when I decide to, not when my parents say ‘go practice.'”

Andrew: Yeah. So I think that’s a pretty interesting way of looking at it.

Elysa: Yeah, that’s a good point.

Micah: Yeah. I don’t even remember my point from the last episode, to be honest. [laughs]

[Elysa laughs]

Micah: It feels like so long ago with all the episodes we’ve recorded over the last week.

Andrew: That’s true.

Micah: Yeah, no, this is an interesting point.

Andrew: Everyone liked your feedback about it the most, Micah, judging by all the e-mails we got about it.

Micah: What can I say? I should be a moderator more often.

Andrew and Matt: Yeah.

Elysa: You should. You should take Jim Lehrer’s place.

Micah: Yeah.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: I don’t know who he is. Okay.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: He is a news anchor on PBS.


Muggle Mail: “Forced” to Read Harry Potter Pays Off


Matt: Our next email comes from Corey, and he writes:

“Hi guys. Strangely enough, Micah’s suggestion at the end of one of the books being mandated in one of my classes was how I got into the series. I, too, had dismissed the series as hype at first but was required for a children’s literature class in college to read ‘Sorcerer’s Stone.’ I bought the book, and even though the course was cancelled, due to low enrollment, I figured I’d see what all the fuss was about. Around six years later, one attempt at dressing up this year, and devouring just about everything I could get my hands on in relation to the series, I’m still a ‘Potter’ geek at 26 and am really grateful I was ‘forced’ to read the first one. Thanks again, and you guys still rock.”

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, I’m just – whenever I read a book – I remember in Rowan I had a literature class, and I would read these books, and I always thought to myself, I would enjoy this a lot more if I could read it on my own time, just taking my time with reading it, and not having to pick a book apart and write summaries of it and stuff like that. It just – sometimes that kind of thing can turn you off from reading a book.

Micah: Right. I still think the first book should be mandated, just because I think the role that it’s played in our culture over the last couple of years – decade, whatever you want to call it at this point. But to me, I think, though, when you look at how many fans there are of Harry Potter, I think the next generation, our children, we’re probably going to have them read it anyway. If you think about it, it’s not going to be something that they’re going to be forced fed in school. It’s going to be something that we’re either going to read to them or, at some point, have them read themselves just because we know the importance of it.

Matt: Well, I definitely think that in college it’s going to be required for certain types of classes.

Micah: I agree.

Matt: Like in Corey’s case.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: We’ve already seen some Harry Potter classes in schools that actually do this in colleges. There’s the occasional news report about it and there’s the occasional news story, so it is happening.

Matt: Do any of you guys have a certain book that you were forced to read in class but then you just read it at a later time in your own pace and you actually liked it?

Andrew: No, but when I read a book in class I feel like I would enjoy it more if I wasn’t been pressured into reading it by certain dates and such. That’s what really turns me off. But then again, teachers have to do that or else they’ll never know who’s…

Matt: They’ll never read it.

Andrew: Exactly, so you can’t win.

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Unless you’re really studious. And final e-mail from today. Micah, you want to take that?


Muggle Mail: Rowling as a Man


Micah: Sure. It comes from Harry Parker-hill, Boston, England. Does that mean Boston in New England or Boston, England?

Andrew: Boston in England, I think.

Micah: Oh.

Andrew: There’s a Boston in England, right?

Micah: Sure.

Elysa: Sure.

Micah: Anyway. [laughs]

“Hey, just responding…”

Matt: I think he meant New England.

Micah: Yeah. I don’t think Harry knows where he lives, but thats okay.

“Hey, just responding to your discussion
about J.K. Rowling as a man. I think that if she were a man the books wouldn’t even have been written, and here’s why: we all know that J.K. went through her depression after her disastrously short marriage and pregnancy, and this is really what made her write the books, because she had nothing else to lose. But if she were a man, she would never have gotten pregnant, I hope, and therefore would have been able to go out to work. Consequently…”
[laughs] “…she wouldn’t have been able to put the idea on paper purely because she would’ve had to work for a living. Thanks for the great show, Harry.”

Andrew: I mean, you guys laugh, but I think she does bring up…

Matt: She does bring up a very good point.

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, her daughter is what partly defined her. Her relationship with her sister did that too, so – I think that was an interesting perspective and, actually, Harry was not the only person who sent that in. And
by the way, Boston, there is a Boston in England. I just looked it up on Google Maps.

Micah: Yeah. But I just don’t like the point of where she talks about – oh, sorry, he talks about her getting pregnant and therefore would’ve been able to go out to work. I’m pretty sure she still worked when she was pregnant, or at
least attempted to, and even after she had the child, was working as well. I could be wrong on that, but I just don’t see how that would deter her from writing the series if she wasn’t pregnant. You know what I mean?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Micah: This idea that she would’ve worked for a living – she still does work for a living. She
writes. You know, that’s an occupation last time I checked.

Matt: Well, it definitely wouldn’t have been the same book.

Andrew: Yeah. It’s just an interesting perspective. I think that…

Micah: I don’t think so. Anyway.

[Andrew, Elysa, and Micah laugh]

Andrew: All right, well, I appreciated it, Harry. Thank you.

Micah: I kid.

Andrew: All right, Laura is joining us now. Hi, Laura!

Laura: Hi everybody.

Elysa: Thompson!

Andrew: How are you doing?

Laura: Good, good. Thanks for letting me join you so last minute here.


Main Discussion: Politics in Potter


Andrew: Oh, well, anything. We’d do anything for you. So this week, as I mentioned earlier, we are going to have our “Politics in Potter” discussion, and…

Matt: Should we really talk about politics? Can’t we just stick to the Harry Potter please?

Andrew: This is – yes…

Matt: Thank you.

Andrew: …average MuggleCast fan. No, this is – we’re going to be sticking to the Harry Potter politics. We’re not going to be getting…

Matt: Oh.

Laura: Well, no promises.

Andrew: Well, at times we may want to.

[Andrew and Matt laughs]

Andrew: All right, so, Micah and Laura, you guys created this whole discussion, so throw it over to you guys.


Parallels to Regimes


Micah: Yep. Well, as you mentioned, it’s timely to be discussing politics on the Potter series, and I guess we divided it up into some major themes that we’ll be going through, but there is a statement that was made by J.K. Rowling on the Harry Potter series as a whole, and I’m not quite sure when she made it, but it must have been close to when the series was over. She said:

“I wanted Harry to leave our world and find exactly the same problems in the Wizarding World. You have the intent to impose a hierarchy, you have bigotry, and this notion of purity, which is this great fallacy. But it crops up all over the world. People like to think themselves superior, and if they can pride themselves on nothing else, they can pride themselves on perceived purity. So yeah, that follows a parallel to Nazism. It wasn’t really exclusively that. I think you can see in the Ministry, even before it’s taken over, there are
parallels to regimes we all know and love.”

So, with that being said, what regimes that we all know and love do you guys think she’s talking about?

Andrew: Well, one we’ve discussed on the show all the time: World War II. Just the parallel between Nazi Germany and Voldemort and his Death Eaters, correct?

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, that’s really strong.

Micah: I think she may have been focusing on some other regimes that are a little bit more contemporary.

Laura: I was thinking…

Andrew: Like what?

Laura: …a lot of the press, and how corrupt our – and not just ours, but press all over the world – is. So – and we can get more into that later.

Matt: Do you mean more like press as in media press?

Laura: Media, news outlets, newspapers, any kind of news outlet where you go to get stories and where you go to get your updates. It is all corrupt. And I will tell you why. Later.

Micah: [laughs] So you’re going to give us a little bit of a speech on why the media is corrupt?

Laura: Yes.

Micah: Is that what you’re saying?

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: Cool.

Matt: I have a feeling Laura’s going to be talking a lot about propaganda too.

Laura: Yeah.

[Micah laughs]

Laura: Courtesy of my propaganda class. That class is awesome. But anyway, go ahead.

Micah: I just thought she did a really good job when she said that she wanted Harry to experience the same things that take place in the real world. And I guess that’s what we’re going to be talking about here. But the first major theme that we all wanted to talk about – and, Andrew, you just alluded to it a little bit – was racism, ethnic cleansing, and Nazism and their role in the Harry Potter series. And we’re probably going to spend a majority, I would say, of the discussion on this, because it plays such a huge role. Does anyone else want to take the first point? Talking about really where this all got its origin from that we learn about in the series?

Laura: Sure. I mean, as we all know, the origination of that idea of blood purity comes from Salazar Slytherin – or at least as far as we know. I’m sure he was influenced by somebody else, but that’s really where we see that sort of ideology take its flight. And he was essentially saying that he only wanted a school where pureblooded witches and wizards were able to learn. Of course, the other founders didn’t agree with that so he was able to have his House. And we actually have a quote from the sorting song where it says, “We’ll teach just those whose ancestry is purest,” and that he took only pureblood wizards of great cunning, just like him. So what do you guys – can you draw any sort of parallels to anything contemporary or maybe somewhat contemporary based off that? Like do we have anything sort of like that going on now?


Parallels to Schools


Andrew: We really don’t. I mean, the only thing that would come to mind to me – but this doesn’t even seem that similar – is just like all boys’ school or all girls’ schools or – and this is even a further stretch – but like special education schools where schools just tailor to one specific group of people. And the purebloods were a specific group of people, so I don’t know. Is that a good connection? Or is that…

Laura: No, I think it’s valid.

Micah: Yeah. I think it’s interesting you brought up schooling, because there’s also schools that obviously you can get into based upon your last name or your class status that maybe people who are not as high up in social standing or don’t have that same last name wouldn’t be admitted entrance into that particular school.

Andrew: Mhm.


Parallels to Darfur


Micah: I was thinking more along the lines of what’s going on in Darfur.

Elysa: Mhm.

Micah: And just the overall practices that are being used there in terms of ethnic cleansing and things along that line. I mean, certainly all of this got its beginning with Slytherin, and he even created the Chamber of Secrets with the intention of someday having an heir who would be able to open it and purge the school of those who are not pureblood. And that just whole notion is a really scary thought.

Matt: Yeah.

Elysa: And you know what? Just in relation to the genocide in Sudan that you were just talking about, that sort of reminds me of the government’s creation of the Janjaweed militia, because it was sort of created for the precise purpose of eradicating those of different ethnicities, so it reminds me a lot of the Chamber of Secrets, the creation of that for the pure, explicit purpose of ethnic cleansing reminds me a lot of the Janjaweed.

MuggleCast 162 Transcript (continued)


Parallels Between Salazar Slytherin and Politicians


Laura: You know what kind of bothers me about this whole scenario, is that Slytherin actually created this with the attempt of letting an heir do it for him. And I’m still kind of confused as to why he didn’t do it himself if he was so hell bent on it. And it almost gives him a god-like reverence to his followers, you know?

Elysa: Mhm.

Laura: To anybody who would look up to Salazar Slytherin, it’s like…

Andrew: He’s the original?

Laura: Right. Like he – it’s almost like a god-like way, and I really – I see a parallel, and I’m not going to name specific names, but there have been people – politicians and terrorists otherwise – who have stated that they were meant to do something because of either a god or someone who lived a very long time ago. And I think that’s kind of an unsettling sort of parallel. I don’t know.

Matt: I think that the reason why Salazar Slytherin made the Chamber of Secrets was because at that time when he made it, he knew that he couldn’t do the things that he wanted to do because he couldn’t – wasn’t a good match against Godric Gryffindor and the other founders. So he knew that he would have to do something. So after he would have to leave, someone else could finish the job for him.

Elysa: Mhm.

Laura: Yeah. It’s just – I don’t know. It’s hard for me to understand why he did it the way he did, just because he did leave the school eventually anyway, so it just seems like it would make more sense if his overall goal was to purge the world, and the school more specifically, of people who weren’t pureblooded, then I think that he would just set the monster loose and then leave, but…

Elysa: Right.

Micah: Right. But I mean, this gets into a deeper discussion, I guess, about all the Hitler references and the Nazi references that I’m sure we’ll talk about a little bit later on, but with Slytherin, his mindset was just that only those of the purest blood and nobody else. And that’s a pretty prejudicial stance to have on anything.

Andrew: Oh, he’s just being naive if he assumes that forever and always after he created Hogwarts was just purebloods, that wizards – other wizards would never be educated. I mean, somebody would stand up and do something. Wouldn’t he have thought that?


Dehumanization


Micah: Yeah, but what’s interesting is even some of the greatest characters in the series that we tend to identify with a little bit more, those that are on the supposed good side, identified with that type of thinking early on in their life, and particularly Dumbledore. And I know we’ll talk about him right now. But he was somebody that we saw and we learned about in King’s Cross that had a very, very sort of issue. A big issue with power. And he himself thought about how great it would be to have this power over Muggles and people who weren’t of the wizarding blood.

Laura: Yeah, and there were sort of – and I mean, okay. There was sort of a similar attitude held here in the United States for a period of time, when it comes to control of certain groups and what they’re doing. When we were having a great influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly, the United States was actually sterilizing these people to keep them from breeding, because they didn’t want – yeah, this was the time – it’s sort of a parallel to now, because now we have such a great influx of immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries, and people really – or there’s at least a very large sentiment against these people who are coming, and it’s the same way people felt particularly against the Irish when they came here. So it’s sort of like that same idea of putting them – making them their own group, and sort of dehumanizing them, and then making it okay to deny them their basic human rights, which is what I think Slytherin was doing, or attempting to do, by not allowing Half-bloods and Muggle-borns education.

Elysa: Mhm.


Those Who Want Power Should Not Have Power


Micah: Yeah, and I mean, like I said, he wasn’t the only one that thought along these lines. I know we have a quote here about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, but anybody want to read it?

Laura: The quote is, “It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they will wear it well.”

Andrew: Well, and it’s also been discussed that Harry has a lot of qualities. That quote reminds me of this. Harry Potter has a lot of qualities like Salazar. They were both Parselmouths, they were both resourceful, they had a lot of determination. I mean, these qualities – what is Dumbledore trying to say here exactly?

Laura: Well, he’s basically trying to say that people who desire power and desire to be leaders are probably not the best people to do it, because they become easily corrupt.

Andrew: Oh.

Laura: Which kind of – I mean, just looking at the election, I always kind of felt like anybody who would want to run for President must be somewhat of an egomaniac, because – whoa.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Because that is quite an undertaking, and it’s like – it makes you wonder, what is the motivation behind the people…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: …who are running for a public office?

Andrew: And – well, that’s a good point, because you have to wonder – they always say, you know, “I’m doing it for you guys!” But are they really? I mean…

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: Is there anyone out there who’s that in love with the people of America so much that they would take a role as huge as President?

Elysa: I mean, I don’t know. Honestly, speaking as someone who has plans to be a politician one day, I can personally say that that’s my motivation. I’m not kidding.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: But you’re special, Elysa.

Elysa: Maybe that’s really naive.

Laura: You’re special, though.

Elysa: I am. It’s because I’m a badger, isn’t it? I’m a Hufflepuff.

Laura: Yeah.

Elysa: I know. But in all seriousness, I think – I mean, I think there’s a distinction to be made as well. I think that seizing power and – is completely different than putting yourself up for a vote and respecting the rules of democracy and of a republic. But you see with Voldemort, and every other dictator in the world, whether Stalin, or Hitler, or Mussolini, they’ve all seized power and taken it for themselves through a revolution or revolt on that, you know, oftentimes, is completely ignore the rule of law, so I think there is a really big difference between trying to take power for yourself and then to trying to just integrate into a political system.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Right.

Matt: Well, I think what J.K. Rowling meant when she did that quote was that she meant – she meant to say that leaders, the great leaders, are born when problems arise and when a leader is needed. I don’t think – I think she means that when you seek power for too much – for more than personal gain, like Andrew said, you just get easily corrupted and you just get – there’s no balance between them.

Elysa: Mmm.

Micah: I think, Elysa, what you said too, the difference between those people you brought up and Dumbledore down the road is that he admits himself that he learned that he was not to be trusted with any sort of power. And…

Elysa: Right.

Micah: We see him tell Harry specifically that he would have never taken the role of Minister of Magic for fear of him being corrupted by that power. Just because of the other things that he enlightens with Harry. And he says – and I’ll just read this quote here real fast. But he says:

“Grindelwald. You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me. Muggles forced into subservience. We wizards triumphant. Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution. Oh, I had a few scruples. I assuaged my conscience with empty words. It would all be for the greater good, and any harm done would be repaid a hundredfold in the benefit for wizards. Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. If the plans we were making came to fruition, all my dreams would come true.”

So…

Laura: Oh, Dumbledore.

Micah: And that’s Dumbledore speaking.

Matt: Yeah, that kind of upsets me. Like he would – he knows – he knows in the back of his mind about what’s really happening but he just chooses to ignore it and just try to – let Grindelwald cloud his mind. And he lets him do it, and he knows he’s doing it.

Andrew: Because he had a fascination with him!

Matt: I know…

Andrew: Like, J.K. Rowling said…

Matt: That’s what upsets me a little bit. But…

Elysa: Well, I mean, here’s the thing, is that at least I think it happens to most people in their lives, at some point. Probably not on such a grand scale as planning a revolution or an oppression of the people. But I think that – I would say the majority of people are fascinated and overtaken by some kind of concept or person, but not everyone – in fact very few people – have the courage and their perspective to look back and realize that’s what happened and to admit to it. So for me, that whole dynamic that Dumbledore plays out here in this scene made me kind of respect him and love him even more, in a way. Because I felt like it just – it proved how wise he was, because a lot of times being wise isn’t about always being right. It’s about being able to admit when you were wrong.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, yeah, but as we discussed before, this just makes Dumbledore a very real person too.

Micah: Yeah.

Elysa: Yeah, exactly.

Micah: But it also shows that even somebody as great as him and as good as him had these ideas in his head, even though it was probably at a relatively young age. But it just shows that how these ideas really can take hold of people, and how power is really a dangerous thing.

Elysa: Mhm.


Parallel Between Deathly Hallows Symbol and Swastika


Micah: But I guess we can move on. And I know we’ve talked about this on past shows, but the Deathly Hallows symbol shows up on the walls at Durmstrang, and it really did remind me of how the Nazis would use the Swastika in different places to instill fear in those – and it’s not just in World War II; it’s obviously still used to this day to sort of represent racism and prejudice and things of that nature.

Elysa: Well, you know what I found the most fascinating about this, is that both symbols begin out – they originated in sort of like a benign fashion.

Matt: Exactly. I was going to say that too.

Elysa: Yeah, the Swastika originally – it actually – originally I think it was sand script for Swastika, which means “to be good.” And it was used all across central Europe and even actually in a lot of Native American cultures. It’s one of the most universal symbols that there are – that there is. And it was transformed completely by this propaganda of nationalism that the Nazis employed, and so now, even though for 3,000 years it existed as a symbol of peace and good nature, in a course of a few years, a decade, now we look back on it and we see it as a symbol of prejudice and hate. And in a lot of ways rightly so, but it’s the same thing with the Deathly Hallows symbol. I mean, essentially, when you break it down, it’s just a wand and a stone and a cloak, and it originated from a legend – a fairy tale, and it was completely transformed by hate.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Right.

Laura: Yeah, and another…

Micah: It’s interesting – go ahead.

Laura: Oh. I was just going to say, another – and this sort of relates to the propaganda thing that Elysa was talking about – but another sort of parallel you can see between the two symbols is they are both so simple. Like, the whole point of having a propaganda campaign…

Elysa: Mhm.

Laura: …is you want it to be simple, because you want people to remember it. If the Swastika had had tons of elaborate…

Elysa: Exactly.

Laura: …design, people wouldn’t remember it as well as they do. But it’s stark, it’s simple, and it just sticks in our brains. And what better symbols to use in the wizarding world than a wand, a cloak, and, what, the Resurrection Stone? Which apparently…

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: …is engrained in bedtime stories…

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: …that you hear from when you’re a child. So… [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: But when you say “remember,” do you mean it’s easy to remember for people to use so that they can instill that fear?

Laura: No, it’s – I mean, it’s just easy to remember in general. Like you see it and you know. Who didn’t know what the Swastika was when they were a child? Even if you didn’t know all the history behind it, you still knew it was a bad symbol, because you’d been brought up to think that way. Anytime you saw it on a book somewhere, it was some – a book with a negative connotation about Nazism, for instance. You know?

Andrew: Yeah. But for argument’s sake…

Micah: Right.

Andrew: …I mean, is simplicity really what sticks with people in their mind?

Laura: Yes.

Andrew: Because if you think of something – really?

Laura: Yes.

Elysa: Yeah. Well, when you’re trying to make an argument about something, especially when it’s an irrational argument, and a racist or prejudiced argument, the best way to do it is to simplify and to demonize the people.

Andrew: Hmm.

Elysa: So you take a whole race or something and you simplify them to – so they’re not even really humans anymore. They’re just objectified. And when you objectify something, you are inherently simplifying it. And so that’s why propagandists will always use a lot of really simplistic symbols and signs, and even catchphrases, to get their point across.

Laura: Yeah. And honestly, as bad as it sounds, the Nazis were brilliant propagandists. There’s…

Elysa: No, they were. Can’t deny it.

Laura: …absolutely no way around it.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: Why do you think that to this day politicians hold these huge rallies? Because it’s harder to have your own individual thought and to actually interpret what they’re telling you when you’re standing in a crowd of 10,000 people screaming. And that’s exactly what the Nazis did. They gave these people their little Swastika flags, and starting yelling about – you know, Hitler did a lot of yelling. [laughs]

[Elysa and Micah laugh]


Manipulation


Laura: And people took it, because it’s so – if you’re sitting across a table from Hitler, it’s much easier to sort of reflect on what he’s saying. But when you’re shouting at the top of your lungs because you feel that your country’s economy has been driven into the ground because of one race, it’s much harder to reflect on that. And that’s what made them so brilliant in what they did, because they knew how to manipulate people.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: And I think Voldemort did too.

Micah: Well, he played…

Andrew: Yeah, I think you’re right.

Micah: I think he played on their fears and insecurities more than Hitler did. Maybe I could be wrong on that, but I think that maybe that’s a shared characteristic between the two of them, and I think that’s how they were able to motivate. You used the example of, hey, the Jewish people are responsible for all the failures in the economy at the time in Europe, and Voldemort kind of did the same thing, saying, oh, well, if we don’t take care of the non-purebloods, then all these half-bloods and Muggles are going to come along and they’re going to take all the jobs away, or they’re going to really just – I guess take the things away from the purebloods that he believed was their given right.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Well, and I mean, I think you said that you’re not sure if Voldemort played off their more – their insecurities more than Hitler did, but I think that we just see it more throughout the Harry Potter books than we really saw with Harry.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: But I mean, you’ve got to think about – think about the diary of Anne Frank. I mean, talk about playing off insecurities. There’s some serious insecurity there, so…

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: I think we just read about it more in this book.

Elysa: I think Hitler, more than anything, played off of anger than anything else, because the Nazi people – or not the Nazi people, listen to me. Geez. The German people – [laughs] – the German people, they were really – they weren’t insecure as much as they were angry over the Treaty of Versailles, the War Guilt Clause, and things of that nature. And so I think, more than any other emotion, Hitler fed off of anger and discontent than insecurity, but that’s just my perspective.

Micah: Well, speaking of Voldemort, let’s…

Andrew: Hey, can I bring something up?

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Just before we move on, though.

Micah: Sure.


The Reason for the Parallels


Andrew: I think that the reason that J.K. Rowling brings all these parallels into the books, like the ones we’re discussing right now, is because those – these parallels are really what can be – get – bring the most emotion out of reading them. Because it’s already been proven and tested that these kinds of stories can really bring a lot of emotion out of people. So I think that – I’m not saying that J.K. Rowling’s just going the easy way by using a similar story, but I think that it’s just a proven formula that works, and I think maybe that was her thinking behind it, perhaps?

Micah: Yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t even say that…

Andrew: Or one of the reasons.

Micah: …it’s – that you could call it an easy route. I think that it takes a lot of creativity…

Andrew: No. Oh yeah.

Micah: …to be able to weave that…

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Micah: …into a story, and really – to have people look through it, pick out the comparisons. And maybe there are a lot of things that are in there that are just coincidence, too. But I think, though, knowing her background, knowing that she used to be a teacher, that there are these events that you can compare to what happened in the real world, and they’re there for a reason. And I think the biggest one is hopefully that people learn from them.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: You know, they can draw similar conclusions and comparisons, and they in themselves can learn from it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: I really don’t think it’s a coincidence, to be honest with you, though. I feel like all this stuff was written for a reason.

Micah: Not after the – not after that opening quote about how she wanted Harry to face the same things in his world as – that took place in the…

Andrew: Oh yeah.


Comparing Voldemort and Hitler


Micah: In the real world, so. But I guess we can move on to Voldemort, right?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I mean, we can start with the basic facts. We mentioned before that he was the Heir of Slytherin. And something interesting about him was that he himself was a half-blood. And we all know that Hitler wasn’t very representative of the Aryan race that he prized so much.

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: Blonde hair, blue eyes. If you look at a picture of Hitler, he definitely did not have those qualities. And again, I just thought that that was an interesting similarity. Voldemort himself is so gung ho about purebloods, and yet he himself is a half-blood. Isn’t that somewhat hypocritical?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I guess more so what I wondered was, does he no longer consider himself a half-blood once be becomes Voldemort? Is he now Voldemort the pureblood…

Andrew: He’s just Voldemort, yeah.

Micah: …crazy wizard.

Matt: He’s just – he doesn’t even talk about it. I don’t even think he thinks about it anymore. It’s not even an issue in his mind.

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, he hates himself for being a half-blood. So, yeah. He would – he’s Voldemort.

Matt: Yeah, he doesn’t even consider himself any type of blood. He considers himself immortal.

Laura: Yeah. And although – I will point out that being blonde-haired and blue-eyed wasn’t really a necessity to be part of the Nazi Party. I mean, I know if you look at any number of Nazi propaganda films like Triumph of the Will, you’ll see all these strapping young blonde-haired, blue-eyed soldiers. But actually, what the Nazis believed was that you could be Aryan and have non-Aryan features, because – and this was how they would put it – your ancestors had mixed with the Slavs, or something like that. There’s actually a really great film called Europa Europa about a young Jewish boy who actually infiltrated the Hitler Youth school, and it’s a true story. And they actually brought him up to the front of the classroom and did all the weird scientific measurements they did that would justify whether you were Aryan or not. And they would sit – and they said that this young Jewish boy was of pure Aryan descent, but that he had – that his ancestors had just mixed around a little bit with Slavs and it really wasn’t his fault. So that’s kind of how they viewed that, but I don’t know. I just thought I’d throw that out there.

Matt: Good.

Micah: Yeah. The next couple points are not mine, so I’m going to defer to whoever put them in there.

Andrew: We’re going to turn it over to Laura.

Laura: I didn’t put that there.

Elysa: I think I – I think I put that…

Micah: [laughs] Or Elysa.

[Everyone laughs]

Elysa: Well, the next point was just that both Voldemort and Hitler had experiences in their youth that contributed to their adult prejudices. Voldemort, obviously, with the orphanage and how he always talks about sort of being ostracized and being the odd man out, and not fitting in, and indeed getting so frustrated and angry about it that he would attack the other students and use his magic against them. But Hitler had a similar experience when he was growing up. Hitler was actually Austrian. He was born in Austria. And when he grew up in his town the economy was terrible, primarily because of the reparations that Austria had to pay after World War I. And he blamed the economy on the Jewish people because there was a high percentage of Jews in his particular town. So he just made this very, again, simplistic though largely inaccurate connection between Jews and the economy. And this experience as a youth and growing up in sort of like an impoverished country is a huge factor for why he had a prejudice against Jews later on in his life.

Micah: And then you also mentioned that they both failed in their initial attempts to seize power?

Elysa: Oh, yeah, sorry, I lost the place in the Google doc.

Laura: Isn’t that when he wrote that huge rambling sentence of a novel, Mein Kampf? Didn’t he write that in prison?

Elysa: [laughs] Yeah, yeah, yeah exactly. Hitler tried seizing power first with the Beer Hall Pusch, and it failed miserably, and he almost – he contemplated suicide afterwards and was thrown in jail and that’s where he wrote Mein Kampf. But then, of course, later, his second rise to power, he was much more successful, or closer to succeeding in what his ultimate goal was. And I see a parallel with Voldemort as well. Just in that…

Micah: Right.

Elysa: …Voldemort tried to rise to power, failed. And he failed the second time as well, but so did Hitler. But I think the second time they both came closer.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: Right.

Andrew: This is a – these parallels really are – this may sound weird, but I think they are pretty beautiful. Just like comparing the Death Eaters to Nazi Germany.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s just so well done.


Comparing Death Eaters and Nazi Soldiers


Micah: Well, we can talk about them, I guess. [laughs] You know, Voldemort, he organized an army who followed his every word and feared his every act. And Elysa and Laura, you guys are far more informed on this than I am, but I know Hitler did some of the same things. But wasn’t it more because people actually believed in what he said, not that they feared his every act?

Elysa: Yeah. I mean, there was, like I said, there was a lot of anger with Hitler. There was a lot of anger among the German people for the reparations and the War Guilt Clause in the Treaty of Versailles. So it started out initially – I think eventually it definitely evolved into a dynamic of fear and oppression for sure. But I think initially Hitler – what’s important to remember is that initially Hitler was elected. He was appointed as Chancellor and he was elected by his party. He – with the exception of the initial Beer Hall Pusch, from which he tried to seize power, after that he learned his lesson and realized that the only way to actually take power was to do it through democratic means, and he did. And obviously, the only way to do that, through democratic means, is to have the power that people are on your side. So initially he was an extremely popular figure.

Micah: Right. As opposed to Voldemort, who was not.

[Elysa and Micah laugh]

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: Right. Yeah, certainly not among the entire magical world as Hitler was with the German people, no.

Micah: Now what about this point about Voldemort sort of mobilizing into somewhat underground manner…

[Laura sneezes]

Elysa: Bless you.

Micah: God bless you.

Laura: [laughs] Thank you.

Micah: [laughs] That’s what she thinks about that.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: But…

Laura: Sorry.

Micah: [laughs] Him mobilizing into somewhat underground manner, similar to Hitler. I mean, you mentioned very early on he had this Beer Hall approach. I mean… [laughs] …Voldemort wasn’t going around to all the local taverns and pitching his ideas. But…

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: But he kind of went about it in a comparative way. He was – I always have this idea of Voldemort sort of just going from place to place to place in a kind of a very concealed manner and recruiting people that way. You know what I mean?

Andrew: It’s like – and I mean this isn’t really a joke – but it’s sort of like Osama Bin Laden style, how he’s just always hiding in the caves and we can never find him. Similar to how Voldemort can never really be found unless he wanted to be found.

Micah: Right, and – yeah, I mean that’s not a bad comparison, because he didn’t – same with Bin Laden, he didn’t fully show his true power until he was confident that his plans would work. You know?

Andrew: Right.

Micah: You think about 9/11. He didn’t come to the surface fully until he knew that that act was going to be carried out with success.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: It’s always interesting, too, like when you don’t see Bin Laden around for a while, or now a lot of people are concerned about the Korean leader, what’s his name?

Elysa: Kim Jong-Il?

Andrew: Kim Jong…

Elysa: Kim Jong-Il.

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, the government there, I read on CNN, released a picture of him smiling the other day to assure people he’s in good health. I kind of always wished that in Harry Potter it would’ve been cool to see some of that like, “Is Voldemort even still alive? Do we even know?” I mean, there’s not that much time in the books to do that because this is only over seven years.

Micah: So moving on to the Death Eaters. We just mentioned briefly before, very similar to the Nazi’s catching on and following Hitler. And what I really want to talk about here was that you had these Death Eaters after the initial fall of Voldemort that went before the Wizengamot, and they eventually were sent off to Azkaban, some of them hoping one day that Voldemort would return to power. And I thought this was a little bit similar to the Nuremberg trials after the war was over. The Nazis were put on trial, some of the higher officials, and eventually once convicted, these soldiers were executed. I wonder why none of the Death Eaters were ever thought to be executed?

Elysa: I don’t know, but I can say that a parallel that I would draw with this is that the Nuremberg trials, as well as what we see with the Death Eaters, is they both – they both take the guilt off of themselves and try and deflect it to their leader. You know, you see a lot of Death Eaters saying, “I was bewitched. I was put under the Imperius Curse,” and everything else like that. And same case at the Nuremberg trials, a lot of the SS and the Nazis, they were all saying, “I was afraid for my life.” Sort of a Peter Pettigrew defense. Like, “What was I supposed to do?” And so I don’t know. I’m not sure if that actually worked. I know that at the Nuremberg trials there were a couple, not all, but there were a couple of people who got off on that defense. So maybe it was the same thing with the Death Eaters, I don’t know.


Muggle-born Registration Commission and “Magic is Might” Statue


Micah: Okay, well, moving on: the last point we have here in this sort of racism/prejudice category was the Muggle-born Registration Commission and the “Magic is Might” statue that showed up in Deathly Hallows, and I think, Laura, you actually put this in here, talking about that the Commission was not just a tie to the way the Nazis rounded up the Jews and other people in World War II…

Laura: Yeah…

Micah: …but there were other examples in history as well.

Laura: Yes. The one that I was primarily thinking of was – again, it actually took place here, and what’s really disturbing is a lot of people don’t know about it, because it’s pretty well covered up. But after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States rounded up Japanese-Americans and put them in internment camps in the U.S., because they thought that anybody who was of Japanese heritage would be a threat to our society after this attack. So…

Micah: Right.

Laura: …it’s sort of like the same idea, the…

Micah: Right.

Andrew: Definitely.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: And in particular, the statue, also, that we see in the hall at the Ministry of Magic, it was really disturbing to me because when I read that description, I immediately thought of the concentration camps. You know, you have these people just really twisted and contorted, all on top of each other, and it was just disgusting, if you think about it. You have these wizards sitting on top of this body of bodies, literally. It’s kind of a disturbing picture to put in your head. I see, Laura, here, that you also mentioned that being anti-Semitic and anti-Muggle-born was already somewhat acceptable in the Harry Potter series up until this point, where we see this Commission. Do you mean just from what we’ve heard from people like the Malfoys and other families, or you could even relate that to Dumbledore, I think, because you look at when you hear from him in King’s Cross, he’s talking about the idea of wizards being triumphant and Muggles being subservient.

Laura: I didn’t actually put the point in there, but I can tell you what I think. I think it’s just another parallel to show. I mean, it is completely inaccurate to say that we live in a society without racism and prejudice. It is very much present in our society, and in many areas, it’s acceptable, which is disgusting. But it’s true. So I think it’s just another tie to our more contemporary society, to make it more prevalent, so…

Micah: Yeah. I think in particular here, you just see it manifesting itself, whereas – and I’ll even bring it up, because I know it’s something that took place recently, but you look at what has gone on at some of the campaign rallies holded – held, excuse me – by Senator McCain and Governor Palin, in terms of the crowd’s response to certain things that were said and what they’ve said about Senator Obama. And the idea that racism, as you’ve just said, it does not exist in today’s society, all you have to do is go and look at something like that, in 2008, this kind of stuff is still going on.

Andrew: Yeah. It was about Obama specifically when they were talking about some of his stances, and I remember hearing that that did end up getting a lot of press a couple of weeks ago, and I remember hearing that once they saw what was going on, or once it started gaining press they, McCain and Palin, adjusted their speeches a bit, I guess to, I don’t know, calm the crowds down or something, but it’s amazing that that really still happens, and even over our presidential candidates.

Laura: And what’s very disturbing is we see the kind sort of scapegoating going on right now that you can also draw a parallel to the Holocaust. There’s been that big flap the past few months about people thinking that Barack Obama is a Muslim. First of all, he’s not. Second of all, who cares?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Why would it matter if he was? Because currently in our society, people of Arabic descent and people who practice Islam are considered scapegoats. And any time these people want to blame something terrible on someone else, they blame it on someone who is either Arabic or fits a very generic Middle-Eastern stereotype in terms of how they look. And I remember a few weeks ago there was footage of John McCain speaking with a woman who said she couldn’t trust Barack Obama because he was an Arab. And what bothered me more than anything, more than her saying that, was that John McCain responded to her and said, “No ma’am, he is not. He is a good citizen with whom I have disagreements.” So he made a distinction between being an Arab and being a good citizen. And that really, really bothered me. And I’m going to shut up now.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, yeah, I mean, this is the point, you know, that I think Micah’s – we’re all – we’ve all been trying to make, is that it was very real in the Harry Potter fandom too. And it was almost coincidental that Jo brought this up because, really, I mean, there hasn’t been many blatant – unless I’m missing something, or maybe I’m completely off – but there hasn’t been many blatant attempts at racism lately other than – but – well, there hasn’t been any attempts before this presidential election. I mean, am I right or…

Elysa: There was actually – I don’t know, no one’s really sure…

Andrew: Well, there’s the occasional story, like Don Imus having a remark about a woman’s basketball team.

Laura: Well, did you hear about the – the two men who were just arrested because they had an assassination plot? And they were – they were planning to kill…

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: …something like twenty other African-American citizens before they – yeah. It happens.

Micah: Yeah. I think…

Andrew: But you – I mean…

Micah: …Andrew’s referring to other incidents…

Laura: Like…

Micah: …before the election.

Laura: Oh, before the election. Like…

Andrew: Right. Yeah, yeah.

Micah: Yeah, I think…

Andrew: I think it’s coincidental that Jo brought this up a year ago in Deathly Hallows, but now it’s happening again. It seems to be picking up more
than it was actually at about a year ago.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Yeah, but I think there are always isolated incidents that are going to make the national media, but you have to remember there are also incidents that take place at the local level, in your local newspaper, that you never hear about – or sorry – that the national audience never hears about. So it still does exist; there’s no question about it. I mean, there are incidents – there was one that just took place on Long Island about a Swastika being spray-painted on a temple or a Menorah being overturned and vandalized. I mean, it does take place; it may not be at the level of – to receive national attention, but it still does happen.

Elysa: Right.

Laura: Mhm. I agree.

Micah: And you know that kind of – those were the final points about the Muggle-borns, saying that they were really responsible, according to Voldemort, for the falling standards of the Wizarding World, and I know Laura alluded to before about how that was similar – or, Elysa did – about, you know, Germany’s failing economy, and the Jews were blamed for that, so there’s another comparison there. And it also says here that in the years prior to the Holocaust, Jews would often be terrorized and have their residences and businesses vandalized, the biggest night of course being
Kristallnacht, which was the Night of Broken Glass, where literally hundreds, if not thousands, of stores and homes were just completely destroyed. And I think Laura here pointed out – there’s a similar incidence with a Muggle family in Goblet of Fire, where they’re tortured at the Quidditch World Cup, and nobody really thinks of it as being against the law. They just see it as happening. And they kind of turn a blind eye because they’re all running for their lives themselves.

Andrew: The final quote we wanted to make here on this topic was that even Ron said that he would tell everyone Hermione was his cousin so Hermione wasn’t known as a Mudblood. And oftentimes, friends of Jewish families would attempt to do this too, so another good parallel and a very interesting and a slightly more hidden one, I think.

Micah: Well, yeah, you brought up Anne Frank before. That’s a…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: …perfect example of that.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. It’s an amazing story.

Micah: All right.

Andrew: And movie.

Micah: So we’ve finally moved off our first point there of racism and ethnic cleansing and Nazism.

Andrew: Whoo! Happy Election Day!

[Matt and Micah laugh]


The Evils of War: Innocents Killed


Micah: Yeah, exactly. The remainder of the points, I guess, are a little bit shorter, but one of the things I just want to touch on real fast was the evils of war and,
obviously, with a lot going on with our country, here in the U.S., and others around the world who are helping out, but J.K. Rowling said, “I very consciously
wanted to show what is one of the great evils of war, which is that totally innocent people are slaughtered.” Another great evil of war is that children lose their
families. So…

Andrew: And I mean, this is her talking about the deaths in Book 7, I guess, or just as a whole. Yeah. I mean, yeah, that was – that was one of the – I remember
the first quote when Jo said like oh, it’s going to be a bloodbath, and the press picked that up. And everyone said, well, you know, of course, the press eats that kind of stuff up, but, really, it’s not a surprise because they are going into a war, and innocent people would die, so…

Micah: Yeah. I actually think this was in response to a question about why Remus and Tonks had to die.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: And it makes sense, if you think about it.

Matt: They were just boring characters.

Andrew: It does make sense, although people…

[Everyone laughs]

Elysa: Matt! Oh, my God! Blasphemy! Kick him off the show now.

Andrew: Banned from the show.

Matt: No!

Andrew: Mic off. No more mic.

Micah: No, we needed a good laugh. This was too serious of a show so far. [laughs]

Andrew: Hey, his mic’s off for ten minutes.

Elysa: I do not find insulting Remus Lupin funny.

Matt: Hook my mic up! Thank you.

Micah: Matt.

Andrew: Okay.

[Elysa and Micah laugh]

Matt: What?

Andrew: Do you have any apologies or anything to say?

Matt: Yeah, I’m sorry…

Andrew: Sorry, your mic’s off. Sorry, can’t hear you.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Joke’s over.

MuggleCast 162 Transcript (continued)


Ministry Corruption: Cornelius Fudge


Micah: All right, so moving away from war – obviously played a big role in the series, but now Ministry corruption, educational reforms, and biased media – huge topics in and of themselves. But this is something I think Laura and Elysa are going to have a lot of fun with, particularly the ignorance of Cornelius Fudge throughout the course of the Harry Potter series. And one interesting thing that J.K. Rowling said was that you should question authority and you should not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all the
truth. And an interesting quote by Dumbledore from Goblet of Fire. He says, “You’re blinded by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius. You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood. You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow up to be.” So, Laura, I’ll let you go off. Obviously, Cornelius – I hate him just as much as Umbridge, to be honest with you, in the series, and he’s just…

Andrew: Of course.

Micah: …a piece of work.

Laura: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know that there’s tons that we can say about him, and I kind of have a very biased… [laughs] …opinion that I put in writing that I won’t share.

Andrew: Yeah, you know…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …before I even read that, I realized, is Jo trying to pull any parallels here? I mean, in all seriousness, do you think she is? Like, because everything else in the Ministry seems to be some sort of parallel, so does Fudge have any?

Micah and Laura: Yeah.

Micah: Actually…

Andrew: I mean, we can point the finger…

Micah: Well…

Andrew: …on Jo.

Micah: …the…

Andrew: …instead of us being political, it’s Jo. Go ahead, Micah.

Micah: The bullet point actually got moved down to the Prophet and The Quibbler, but she said in an interview that he was based on the character of Neville Chamberlain, who was a British Prime Minister…

Andrew: Ah, there you go.

Micah: …in the late 1930s, and Chamberlain so hoped to avert another war in Europe that he looked the other way when it came to the Nazi Regime’s atrocities, and allowed Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia, calling it peace for our time. He eventually declared war on Germany when Hitler invaded Poland. Chamberlain was succeeded as Prime Minister by Winston Churchill. So, again, more World War II referencing, and you can clearly see the similarities between Chamberlain and Fudge. Just sort of really turning a blind eye to everything that’s going on and acting in complete and utter ignorance.

Elysa: Well, it seems to me, then, if she’s making this parallel between Chamberlain and Cornelius Fudge, Chamberlain’s known for – what she’s talking about here, this turning a blind eye. The technical term for that is appeasement. So it seems to me that if she’s drawing this parallel between the two, that the character Cornelius
Fudge is a rather strong – rather strong speaking out of against appeasement and the whole concept of appeasing one’s enemies to get peace for oneself.

Laura: Mhm. Yeah, I was just going to kind of throw this little point in here really quickly. I don’t know if any of you remember, but there are a lot of people who try
to draw comparisons between Voldemort and George Bush, and other characters in the series. A lot of – there are a lot of characters people try to compare to George
Bush. But actually, in chapter one of Half-Blood Prince – and this is just my opinion – it’s chapter one, “The Other Minister,” it’s talking about the Prime
Minister of England, and it said:

“He was waiting for a call from the president of a far, distant country, and between wondering when the wretched man would telephone
and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult week…”

Blah, blah, blah, it goes on from there. I think that was her little nod towards our Commander-in-Chief, but that’s just me.

Andrew: I think you have a point there.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: But, I mean, there’s very little…

Laura: It’s very – it’s very subtle, though, that’s what’s great about it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Like, it could be anyone you want it to be, which is probably what’s best about it, but considering the political climate… [laughs]

Andrew: I mean, maybe it’s just a coincidence. I mean…

Laura: [laughs] Elysa…

Andrew: …at least this one could be a coincidence. Or at least, you know, the parallel you’re trying to draw, because there haven’t been any United States-related parallels, I don’t think, in – United States, specifically, parallels in the Harry Potter books. So I don’t know if that would make any difference, but…

Laura: No.

Micah: Right.

Laura: But considering the – considering the relationship that the United States and Britain have…

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: I’ll just leave it at that. And Elysa’s informing me…

Micah: If I was a betting man…

Laura: …that I’m going to get death threats, so…

Micah: If I was a betting man, I would say that J.K. Rowling is not too fond of George W. Bush. We should leave it at that.

Andrew: Well, and…

Laura: Yeah. I mean, considering she gave how much money she gave to, what, the Labor Party?

Andrew: Yeah, the Labor Party.

Micah: Right.

Laura: Yeah.


How the Press Manipulates


Micah: Yup. The next part has to do with the press, and I know that, Laura, you put most of the press-related stuff in here. And you were actually – we were talking a
little bit about it before the show, how you feel that the press can often manipulate…

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: …people who read their news.

Laura: Right, of course. What’s really disturbing about the press in general – and it’s really a parallel that we see in Harry Potter – is that all of our media outlets are owned by the same four or five people, who have very vested interests in what those outlets are reporting to us. For instance, one of – one of the most well-known ones is that General Electric owns NBC. So if there’s ever an energy scandal that has anything to do with General Electric you will never hear about it on NBC. Furthermore, I think I was reading that NBC, out of all of the news networks, they cover energy the least.

Micah: Wow.

Laura: So, yeah.

Andrew: Well, NBC’s had those – I remember last year they had the whole Green Week, and I remember some shows actually had the lights off. They had like most of their
studio lights off. And they were trying to send a message about how to conserve energy.

Laura: Right. I mean, I’m not saying that they don’t cover any sort of energy stories, but…

Micah: Well, that’s positive press though.

Laura: Right, yeah, it’s positive press for them. That’s essentially what it boils down to. And a lot of those same tactics are used by the Public Relations Committee. I mean there’s so many instances in which I can think of, that the United States has been at war, and at large the public opinion of it was not good. There was a lot of political dissent. Particularly I’m thinking of when Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: Am I right on that, Elysa? Yeah? Gulf War?

Elysa: Indeed, indeed.

Laura: And there was a huge, huge public uprising against this; people did not want this to happen. Well, the Public Relations Committee created a quote unquote citizen group called Citizens for a Free Kuwait…

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: …in order to convince citizens that at the most part, U.S. citizens wanted to free Kuwait, which was a complete success in terms of propaganda at the very least, and I think we see the same kind of tactics used by The Daily Prophet.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Laura: Particularly, in the last two Potter books, where the government completely took over the papers, and it’s very prevalent because now, anytime the government
wants to do something or release something, they don’t do it without consulting someone from PR.

Micah: Right.

Laura: So there’s definitely a huge tie there.

Micah: Yeah, it’s all selective information. I mean – and one of the things that I can think about today is that if you think about it, whenever we hear about events in Iraq or Afghanistan, it will always be about – on, I guess, the more depressing side of things, when there are incidents where soldiers are killed. It’s usually all you hear about is if they’re American, if they’re British,
Australian, so on and so forth, and when you get these counts of people who have been killed, you never hear anything about the number of Iraqis that have been killed
over in Iraq or the number of citizens of Afghanistan that have been killed, and these are regular everyday people. I’m not talking about soldiers. So it’s very selective in terms of the amount of information that you hear.

Laura: Yeah. And actually, isn’t it true that we don’t keep a count at all? It’s like we don’t actually keep a count of how many Iraqi civilians are dying in the war?

Andrew: Yeah, I thought I heard that too.

Laura: Yeah.

Micah: It’s got to be hundreds of thousands now.

Laura: Yeah, it has to be.

Elysa: Well, I know that – I know that the reason that it’s not being counted as closely as it would be otherwise is because they’re arguing that of course it’s difficult to count when you’re talking about civilian casualties who are being bombed from the push of a button you know, so – and I don’t know. I can say a lot more on that, but I’ll…

Andrew: I did a whole paper on the ethics of journalism a while ago, and it was just really interesting and eye-opening to see how pick and choosy, so to speak, that the media is. And The Daily Prophet is definitely a beautiful representation of the real life media in today’s society. It’s terrible. It’s so bad and that’s why things like YouTube and podcasting – I just sounded like Sarah Palin when I said [with Sarah Palin accent] YouTube.

Elysa: [Sarah Palin accent] YouTube.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Matt: [as Sarah Palin] Well, I can see YouTube from my chair.

[Laura laughs]

Elysa: [as Sarah Palin] Maverick.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Andrew: It’s – they’re growing so quickly and people love them so much because it’s true free speech and – whereas with, like Laura said, with NBC not reporting on energy
as much, with just average people reporting on whatever they want because they’re not limited by a boss overhead. That’s the beauty of podcasting specifically.

Micah: Yeah. Even today we can rattle off a number of different news outlets and newspapers that tend to lean one way or the other, and it’s kind of scary though because it’s all crafted to that particular audience, and say you don’t know any better, what are you really learning? You’re not learning the truth at all. You’re learning a skewed version of the truth.

Laura: And one thing that I noticed, and it wasn’t just something that The Daily Prophet did, it was something that was performed by the Ministry, calling what they were doing to Muggle-borns the Muggle-born Registration Commission. It’s giving a very terrible act a much nicer name, in order to convince people, or at least to put their minds at ease, that maybe what’s going on isn’t so terrible. And it’s sort of like all the names that we see given to all of these terrible things that are happening now. Like conservatives – instead of calling it “global warming,” they say “climate change” and it’s not the war in Iraq, it’s Project Iraqi Freedom. And it’s very disturbing how just giving something a positive connotation completely changes the way a lot of people think about it.

Micah: Yeah, no, you’re absolutely right.

Elysa: Well, that reminds me of George Orwell. I just had to throw that out there.

Laura: Oh, yes!

Elysa: 1984

Laura: Oh, the Ministry of Truth.

Elysa: The Ministry of Truth and NewSpeak and euphemisms and the whole – yeah, that’s very Orwellian. And I also just wanted to bring up really quick that I think the beauty of The Daily Prophet dynamic is that The Daily Prophet is supposed to represent, theoretically, just like all newspapers and press and media, at least in Western democracies, is supposed to represent a beacon of information and truth, and they’re supposed – the people behind it are supposed to have good intentions. So I think The Daily Prophet really exemplifies how evil isn’t – doesn’t just come from bad people, that evil isn’t necessarily a person or a tangible object; it’s also when someone with good intentions does something wrong. So, people who are trying to do something good, who are trying to put the truth out there, are not doing it because they think they’re doing something good when it’s really only hurting everyone else. So I think The Daily
Prophet
‘s lesson is that you can’t – even people that you think you can trust in war times, you can’t because the propaganda’s machine is always rolling.

Micah: Yeah. Well, wasn’t it Sirius who told Harry the world isn’t separated into good people and Death Eaters?

Laura: Yes.

Elysa: Right, exactly!

Micah: Or something along those lines.

Elysa: Exactly. I think that’s what The Daily Prophet‘s lesson is. I think that’s just another example of that in the story.


Corruption: Educational Decrees


Micah: All right, so, moving on to the last piece of corruption, I guess you could say, is Dolores Umbridge and her Educational Decrees.

Andrew: Ugh!

Micah: [laughs] Your favorite character, Andrew!

Andrew: Yes. Yeah, no, she really is.

Micah: So, apparently education is extremely corrupt, particularly here in the United States. Laura, would you care to enlighten me?

Laura: Oh. [laughs] Well, I was thinking specifically in terms of the area where I’m from. I know that as a homeschooler, during three years of high school, I really got to experience how corrupt, at least my local educational system, was. For starters, they really tried to discourage me from leaving the public school system. And I later found out that a lot of the reason they discouraged students from homeschooling and pursuing a GED is because they lose funding for those students. For every day that you’re in school, the school gets a certain amount of funding. Also, I think that a lot of educational boards gear what the local school systems are allowed to teach in terms of what the general consensus of the area is, which is really, I think, something that Umbridge did. She came at such a time of fear for people, because Voldemort was uprising, there was a lot of uncertainty, and when you take a large mass of uncertain people, it’s very, very easy to bend them to your will and say, “Look, I’m just doing this to protect you. I’m doing this to protect your children.” And that’s all you have to do in order to convince them that what you’re doing is right.

Micah: Laura, couldn’t you say, though, that that’s really similar to how certain people that are in power in politics in our country today have used certain events
that have taken place in the past to their own advantage?

Laura: Yep.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Absolutely.

Andrew: Leave it at that.

Micah: Without getting too political!

Laura: Right, I don’t want to name any names or anything, but I feel like 70% of the country knows who you’re talking about.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Andrew: I think that Umbridge is a definition of a politician who really wouldn’t be able to get away in the real world with all the things that she does. Because I know the Ministry was corrupted so they were on her side, but the things that she was doing, namely, I mean, the Muggle-born Registration Committee – I mean, that was huge. I just think that she would never get away with the things she did in the real world.

Micah: Yeah. And she was…

Andrew: At school or in the Ministry.

Micah: And she was the perfect example of a “yes man.” You know. She just followed everything to the T. It’s like she was brought up to never question authority and anything that was laid out is exactly how it has to be done. So the government tells you this, or in this case the Minister is giving her ground rules, you have to follow everything exactly to the T. And I think that’s what annoyed so many people reading about her.

Laura: I don’t know what – I don’t know if you’ll agree with me on this, Andrew, but just like based off your point of wondering whether or not she would get away with
that type of thing, I think there is one place in current society where she would get away with that, and that place is called Guantanomo Bay.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Laura: I’m pretty sure…

Andrew: Yeah, we can agree on that.

Elysa: Where we are all going.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: But anywhere else…

Elysa: We’ll all be there together.

Laura: [laughs] I know!

Micah: Yeah, I think that wraps up our political discussion. At least for now. I know we have some more talking points that we could get to in another episode, but I feel like we’ve exhausted it.

Andrew: We’ve talked long enough today, yeah. Laura, Elysa and Micah, great job on coming up with this discussion, by the way.

Elysa: Thank you.

Laura: It was mostly Micah.

Andrew: It’s been in the works…

Micah: You could easily spend an entire episode on one of these things.

Andrew: Oh yeah, definitely.

Laura: Yeah.


Laura Leaves to do School Work


Andrew: There’s a lot to talk about and there’s a perfect time to discuss Potter politics. All right, so, Laura, we’ll let go of you for now. You’re busy with school; that’s understandable. But…

Laura: Yes.

Andrew: …we thank you for coming on…

Laura: Well, thank you for having me!

Andrew: …in this time of politics.

Matt: [imitating Laura] Oh, no problem!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: And we’ll talk to you later.

Laura: All right, I’ll see you guys around.

Matt: All right. Bye, Laura!

Elysa: Bye, Thompson!


Make the Music Connection


Andrew: It’s time to do something fun now. We’re going to do Make the Music Connection.

Matt: Make the M-m-m-mu – oh, sorry.

Andrew: Make the M-m-m-music Connection!

Micah: I actually thought that was the sound bite, Matt.

Andrew: I’ve gotten feedback that people prefer I just do it live rather than playing the prerecorded sound effect, so…

Matt: That’s good.

Andrew: Make the M-m-m-music…

Matt: Connection!

Andrew: I forget how I used to do it anyway. Anyway, Matt’s got the songs this week.

Matt: This one is for Micah.

Andrew: You ready? Okay, here’s the first one.

[“It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” by R.E.M. plays]

Andrew: “It’s End Of The World As We Know It.”

Micah: I don’t know. I think that would be a really cool song to play after McGonagall casts that spell where all the statues and portraits and everything else in Hogwarts comes to life and they go running down…

Andrew: But that’s not the end of the world! That’s the beginning, the beginning of something new! That’s good, Micah.

Matt: That’s good.

Andrew: All right, how about, Elysa, you next.

Matt: Okay.

Elysa: Okay.

Matt: Elysa, this one’s for you.

[“Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake plays]

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake.

Elysa: Yeah, you know, the first thing comes to mind…

Andrew: Make the connection.

Elysa: …is Neville. I see Neville after he slays Nagini, and he’s all feeling proud of himself and he’s like doing some Michael Jackson pop and lock moves to the song as he walks away.

Matt: He moonwalks across Voldemort. [laughs]

Elysa: Or even when he’s dancing by himself in Goblet of Fire. Awww.

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: Awww, Neville.

Andrew: That’s good.

Matt: That just seems like a song that I can see Neville listening to in the bathroom while he’s getting his hair done or something, just looking at himself like, yeaaaah!

Elysa: [laughs] Exactly!

Andrew: All right, and how about me?

[“I Want It All” from High School Musical 3 plays]

Andrew: Oh geez. I love this song. This is “I Want It All” from the new hit movie High School Musical 3,
of course, as everyone knows. I saw Micah get excited as soon as the song started playing.

Micah: Oh yeah. I was actually dancing here. You couldn’t see it. And singing along, to be honest.

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: You sound exhilarated.

Micah: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: If I had to make a connection between this, it would be in Book 7 when Harry and Hermione – well, the trio is learning about the Horcruxes and they’re deciding to go out on a mission and actually go and get them all. To leave the Burrow and go get them all. So that’s how you play Make the M-m-m-music Connection.

[Matt makes strange sound effect]


This Week in MuggleCast History


Andrew: Okay, we’re going to now go to This Week In MuggleCast History. This is a fun one. Oh, I love this one. This goes back to Episode 62, November 5, 2006. And this was when Jo announced that she had a third title for Book 7. And this also led into some predictions about when the book would be released and the predictions were very off, and I don’t think I was on the show because you never hear me talking.

Ben: She said she has a third title for Book 7. We were all there at Radio City Music Hall the second night – well, some of us were. And she said how that morning, or that day during the – while she was in the shower, she thought of a second title for Book 7, and now she has a third one and she said that it is ahead by a short nose, or “perhaps that should be a vowel and two consonants.” So, what do you guys think about the whole title stuff?

Eric: I think she added three letters.

Kevin: I think she’s teasing us.

Micah: Yeah, I mean, now there’s not just two; now there’s three. She just likes messing around with us.

Jamie: Oh, I feel…

Ben: I know. Hopefully, hopefully we’ll get to know what the other two titles are.

Jamie: I know what it is. It’s…

Ben: What?

Jamie: She’s just added the word “the” to it. That’s two consonants and a vowel.

[Eric and Kevin laugh]

Jamie: I bet it’s something, something, and something, and then, oh, sorry, “Harry Potter” and something, and then she’s added “the” into it. I bet that’s it. In fact,
I will eat…

Eric: You know what that…

Jamie: Actually, no I won’t.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: You stop right there.

Ben: “I will eat.” [laughs] I love those bets.

Eric: Yeah.

Jamie: Although, I just think it means that she favors this title above the other two and that it’s just got a few more letters than the other two, as well.

Ben: Right, but if she didn’t release the title this – on Halloween, when do you think we can see it? I mean, when do you think we will see it?

Jamie: Christmas, maybe?

Eric: I don’t want to wait that long.

Ben: I don’t know.

Jamie: It’s like a month.

Eric: I think maybe something like this. Guy Fawkes Day.

Jamie: Huh?

Ben: Yeah, but what about…

Eric: It’s Guy Fawkes Day today.

Ben: Today?

Eric: Maybe by the end of the night she’ll release the title.

Ben: I doubt it.

Kevin: Maybe Christmas?

Ben: So, what do you think this means for the timing of Book 7? I still think it’s going to be 2008.

Jamie: Yeah, I agree.

Kevin: Yeah, I do, too.

Jamie: Of course, all the way, 2008.

Andrew: [imitating Jamie] 2008, for sure. For sure, 2008.

Matt: Oh right.

Elysa: Right.

Andrew: See, I thought was funny because kind of off there. But what was the other – there was – one of the titles was Harry Potter and the Elder Wand, of course Deathly Hallows. What was the third one? Did she ever say?

Micah: I feel like she did. I don’t know if I can…


Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul


Andrew: She must have. Because that’s kind of a big question. Okay, well, we’ll wrap up today with Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul. This comes from Jessica:

“Dear MuggleCast: Hi. My name is Jessica Hernandez and I’m 11 years old. This is my first Chicken Soup, so here goes. MuggleCast has helped cope through my summer.
I was visiting my grandma and auntie in Mexico, but my sisters couldn’t come so I felt lonely. Also I was in a car accident on September 19th, Hermione’s birthday. It
was pretty serious but nobody needed to be hospitalized. But ever since then I can’t be in a car without freaking out, so I bring my mp3 player in the car to calm my nerves down. Your podcast helped me through these things. Thanks. Love, Jessica, your number one fan.”

Thank you, Jessica.

Micah: Thank you.

Elysa: Awww.

Andrew: We’re glad you’re okay.

Micah: Yep. I actually found out that other title.

Andrew: What is it?

Micah: It was Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest.

Andrew: No.

Matt: No.

Andrew: No.

Matt: No.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Where you reading that?

Micah: From J.K. Rowling’s live chat.

Andrew: Wow.

Micah: She said the other two considered were, Harry Potter and the Elder Wand and
Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest. Referring, I guess, to the brothers.

Elysa: I definitely like – yeah.

Andrew: What were you saying?

Elysa: I definitely like Deathly Hallows more.

Matt: How can you be torn between those though? the Deathly Hallows sounds so much better.

Andrew: I was…

Elysa: Yeah, it really does.

Andrew: I was a real fan of The Elder Wand. I thought that was a really, just sort of like a badass title, I just thought.

Micah: Yeah. Well Deathly Hallows only sounds good because that’s actually the title that was chosen. If she chose any of the other two I would still think we
would say, “Oh Deathly Hallows, psh, why the hell would she use that?”

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs] That’s true. I was never really a fan of this title.

Micah: Why?

Elysa: Really?

Matt: Really?

Andrew: I don’t know, Deathly Hallows. Eh, it’s cool, but I don’t know. I – when I first – when I heard she wanted it – after I read it when I heard she wanted to do Elder Wand I thought it was like – I don’t know.

[Show music begins]


Contact Information and Show Close


Andrew: But I liked it. But anyway, I think that wraps up this very long show for today. We had a great discussion on the election and this is our third show, as I said at the beginning, in eight days, so we’ll be back in a couple of weeks.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: At least with an announcement containing – related to Beedle the Bard. But let’s remind everyone…

Micah: Do…

Andrew: What?

Micah: I was just going to say we’ll do another live show when another trailer leaks out in the next couple of weeks.

Andrew: Oh yeah. [laughs] Whenever a trailer leaks we’re there for you.

Okay, well, if you would like to send something to the P.O. Box it’s MuggleCast, P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, GA 30028. If you want to leave a voicemail question, which we’ll get back to next week, if you’re in the United States you can dial, 1-218-20-MAGIC, if you’re in the United Kingdom you can dial 028114 – sorry – 81440677, and if you’re in Australia, you can dial 0280035668. You can also Skype the username MuggleCast, but just remember, no matter how you wish to call us, keep your message under 30 seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible, please. You can also visit MuggleCast.com for a handy feedback form, although it’s now available at Mugglenet.com/Feedback. Or just use anyone of our first names at staff dot mugglenet dot com. And don’t forget to also visit the MuggleCast website for the community outlets,
including the MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, the fanlisting and the forums at MuggleCastFan.net. And also follow us on Twitter, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley

Okay, once again, I’m Andrew Sims.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: I’m Matthew Britton.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Montfort.

Andrew: We’ll see you next time for Episode 163. Buh-bye!

Micah: Bye.

Elysa: Bye.

Matt: Bye.


Blooper


Matt: Sorry, so back to your History class. I’ll go back to sleep.

Andrew: Ooh!

Elysa: Ooh – ouch!

Laura: You know you love it, Matt. You know you love it. You do.

Transcript #161

MuggleCast 161 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music begins]

Andrew: Hey, Mason, did you know that on July 1st, Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?

Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

Andrew: You’re right. It’s not. And I do need a deal.

Mason: You need a deal? I got the deal you need, Andy! Check this out: transfer your domain to GoDaddy for as little as $6.99 and get a free one year extension plus guaranteed renewal pricing. GoDaddy.com makes transferring easy and offers loads of extras, including hosting, a five-page site builder, and much more. Oh yeah! Plus, as a listener of MuggleCast, enter code “Muggle” – that’s M-U-G-G-L-E – when you check out and save an additional 10% on any order. Some restrictions do apply. I want you to see the site for the details. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com.

[Harry Potter theme plays]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Andrew: Because how could we not have an episode on Halloween, this is MuggleCast Episode 161 for October 31st, 2008.

[Halloween music begins playing]

Andrew: All right. We’re here for MuggleCast Episode 160. Elysa’s here. Good morning, Elysa.

Elysa: Thanks. Good morning.

Andrew: Laura is here. Good afternoon, Laura.

Laura: Thank you.

Andrew: And Micah’s here. Hi, Micah.

Micah: What, I don’t get good evening?

Andrew: Good evening, Micah.

Laura: Wow, you sounded so unhappy about that.

Andrew: [imitating Micah] What, I don’t get good evening?

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: And also here, joining me in the MuggleCast studio, it’s been a while, Ben Schoen.

Ben: Hey, everybody. I’m back. I’m live here in southern California, and I’m out of school this week. Came out to see Andrew.

Andrew: What do you think of the MuggleCast studios?

Ben: It’s very impressive. He has a – he has a very nice setup here. I’ve got a real microphone. I feel like I’m doing a real radio show right now or something.

Andrew: Ben required that I deepen his voice prior to recording.

Ben: No. Whatever!

[Ben and Elysa laugh]

Ben: The thing is, he was trying to deepen his because got jealous of my voice.

Andrew: I felt there was too much of a contrast so we had to deepen voices. Anyway, so now we’re good. We got our EQ set. We got a lot to get to this week. This is our Halloween themed show. We’ve got some Halloween stuff going on for everyone this week and a lot more. So I’m Andrew Sims.

Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Montfort.

[Show music plays]


News: Scholastic Employees Answer Questions


Andrew: All right, Micah, what is in the news this week?

Micah: There’s not a whole lot in the news this week, Andrew, and, in…

Andrew: It’s so dead.

Micah: …fact, it’s kind of disappointing.

Andrew: It really is.

Micah: But I guess one of the things that we can talk about was that Scholastic allowed their employees to do a little bit more of an in-depth interview and give away some of the secrets behind the Harry Potter series in terms of how everything gets put together. And…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: …we have three questions here that some of the people over in Scholastic were willing to answer, and I guess we’ll go through all three of them. Do you want me to take the first one, or do you want to go ahead?

Andrew: Sure. Go ahead. Go ahead. These were interesting because it sort of came out of the blue. I don’t know if Scholastic was like, “Oh it’s a really slow time in news. I guess maybe we should do something.”

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: “We should contribute for once.”

Micah: Maybe they just wanted to one up Warner Bros. since Warner Bros. took the movie away. So they decided, “We’ll give people some inside information on the Harry Potter series.”

Ben: What a great replacement for the movie.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Exactly. Well, they do what they can. I mean, they can only do so much.

Ben: Yeah.

Micah: You know what I mean?

Andrew: So I’ll read the first question. It was from Rachel Coone, Director of Marketing. She said, “In your opinion, what has been the best idea for marketing Harry Potter?” And she wrote, “The most brilliant idea came from Jo Rowling. For Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Jo wanted to make sure that every fan had the opportunity to read the book at the same time. Strict on sale date was established. This date is what led to the midnight parties and the unified celebration worldwide.” And that was pretty interesting, because to think that it was actually Jo’s idea to put the books on sale at the same time so you could have that sort of big celebration, which has really defined the Harry Potter fandom.

Ben: Yeah, you know, the – everyone – when people think of Harry Potter they think of lining up outside your local bookstore at midnight and…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …kids dressed in robes and stuff.

Andrew: Yeah, and now all the books do it.

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: Twilight, Eragon. Those – all those big series.

Ben: Well, it’s just a great thing because those are the moments you remember.

Andrew: Mhm.

Ben: Next question comes from David Sailor, a Creative Publisher at Scholastic. “Each book has a different dominant color. How did you decide which color would be good for each book?”

Andrew: This is David answering.

Ben: David answering, my bad. “For most of the books I had a color scheme in mind, based on something that came through in the story. For example, on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, there were specific scenes in the book that dictated the color palate that Mary and I wanted to use. Because J.K. Rowling’s descriptions are so clear and easily imagined, it wasn’t hard to come up with a color scheme. And from the beginning, the palate of the books was based on the jewel tones of Mary’s artwork. Ruby reds, deep amethyst purple, dark sapphires, and emeralds.”

Andrew: And I thought the cover stuff was some the most interesting because there’s a lot involved in deciding these covers. There’s nothing much to really say with these, is there? [laughs]

Ben: Well, the first one was worth talking about.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: How about this last one? Maybe we – I have no idea.

Andrew: All right, and the last one was also to David Sailor. It said, “The cover has changed a lot from Sorcerer’s Stone to Deathly Hallows. Was that a conscious decision? If so, why?” And this is something I’ve always wondered, because they went from the multi-colored covers to the one color, and then back to multiple colors.” And he said, “The biggest change in covers came from Order of the Phoenix where Mary and I though that a more monochromatic look was good for the book based on a particular scene in a revolving room that emphasized the blue candlelight glowing all around Harry. This was also the first book where it felt that Harry was truly growing into the man he would become. He was feeling angry for various good reasons, and the tone of the book became – began – to get more intense. It felt like a shift in the cover was the right thing to do – it felt like a shift in the cover was the right thing to do for Order of the Phoenix.”

Ben: Man, after that, I don’t even need to see the movie anymore.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: You think they – nobody ever complained or anything, but it was such a huge change, just how the series had the multiple colors and they went to that one.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: I would almost think that must’ve been a hard decision to make.

Elysa: Mhm.

Andrew: Because then the covers…

Micah: I think people ultimately care more about the content and what’s inside the book than…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: …what’s on the cover.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: But that’s just my opinion.

Laura: There was a lot of discussion sparked when that cover came out.

Andrew: Really?

Laura: Yeah, I remember just like – I mean, this was before I worked on MuggleNet, but I remember reading the comments and people were going crazy. Like, wondering what this meant. So, it was definitely a pretty big thing for people.

Elysa: Yeah.

Micah: We don’t overanalyze.

Andrew: Is Scholastic cutting back? It’s probably cheaper for them to print in a same color palate.

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: Maybe that’s what they were doing.

Laura: God, these people. All they ever think about is money.

Andrew: Those cheapos.

Ben: Andrew’s onto it.

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: So that was really it. There’s a lot more. It was kind of funny in these interviews. The same questions were asked, pretty much, of each person, and they alway ask the question, “Did you get to read the book early?” And four out of six said, “Oh no. Nobody can read them early.” But there’s like two people who were like, “Yeah, I got to read it early.” [laughs]

Ben: Yeah, they probably now are going to be sued.

Andrew: It looks kind of weird. Kind of looks strange.

Ben: Kind of shady. I bet some of them were like, “Oh, we’re not supposed to say that, I don’t think.”

Andrew: Yeah.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: And the other ones, “We broke the embargo.”

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: “Oh no!”

Andrew: So that was really it. There wasn’t much other news to discuss this week.

Micah: Yep.

Andrew: Sorry to say.

Micah: It’s been very, very slow, I would say, over the last couple of weeks. It’s just little things here and there, but nothing worth talking about, unfortunately.

Andrew: Doesn’t it seem unreal now that Half- Blood Prince would’ve been released just a month ago?

Micah: Yeah. Yep.

Elysa: Yeah, for sure.

Micah: Yeah, it would’ve been a lot busier.

Andrew: You know what I mean?

Micah: A lot busier.

Andrew: Like, we…

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: …would be getting ready for a premiere.

Ben: It’d be more than just the one, short trailer.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: How many pictures would’ve been released?

Micah: Thousands at this point.

Andrew: Well, all these – too many.

Ben: Too many.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. Well, because from all the sticker books and all that, you know.

Ben: Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I’ve seen a lot. I was just wondering if…

Andrew: I saw you had a folder. You’re collecting them all.

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: You just browse through them when you’re bored.

Laura: Yeah, I hear Micah’s actually papering his walls with all these Half-Blood Prince pictures. He loves them so much.

Andrew: Is that true, Micah?

Micah: No.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: Maybe a little bit.

Laura: God, you couldn’t even play along with me.

Ben: No, absolutely not.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Andrew: Well, thank you, Micah, for that news.

[Laura laughs]


Announcement: Micah is Now a Senior Staff Member


Andrew: Hey, speaking of Micah, Ben, would you like to do the honors with our first announcement?

Ben: This is such a wonderful announcement I am very happy to make. Micah Tannenbaum joined MuggleCast back in 2005, and initially you started off just
transcribing, right, Micah?

Micah: Yup.

Ben: And then you started doing the news, and then he moved over to helping on the main site, and he’s been around quite a while now, and he has now earned the status of senior staff member.

Laura: Aww.

Ben: So congratulations, Micah!

[Hosts clap]

Laura: Congratulations.

Elysa: Congratulations, Micah.

Ben: We’re all so proud of you.

Andrew: Senior staff member.

Ben: You’ve earned it.

Micah: Thank you. Ben, I heard you were really excited about this too. Andrew was telling me about your e-mail.

Andrew: I had to check with the senior staff to make sure this was a good decision. And what did you write?

Ben: I wrote that I strongly support this decision.

Andrew: I strongly support this decision.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: Because Micah’s the man.

Andrew: Then Jamie came to me and said, [with a bad British accent] “I can’t believe he
said it like that. He’s trying to be so business like.”

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: I miss Jamie. I think we all do.

Andrew: [laughs] I’m looking at my first e-mail from Micah. It was the transcript – first transcript he sent to me dated August 14, 2005.

Micah: Wow.

Andrew: Congrats, Micah.

Ben: Too many typos.

Micah: Over three years ago.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: Just kidding, Micah.

Micah: What’d you say?

Ben: I said your first transcript had a lot of typos, but I was kidding.

[Micah laughs]

Ben: But, Micah, I have a question. When you first started transcribing, was it hard for you to, like – how long did it take you to differentiate between the voices? Were there any two that confused you or anything like that?

Micah: Well, I think the thing to keep in mind was back then it was only three people.

Ben: Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.

Micah: And maybe you and Kevin a little bit. Andrew definitely…

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Well, I guess by saying Andrew was easy to differentiate…

Laura: That’s mean.

Micah: …he had a higher pitched voice than you or Kevin.

Andrew: [in a nasally tone] Well, thank you.

Ben: I miss Kevin. When’s the last time Kevin’s been on an episode?


Announcement: MuggleCast at Azkatraz


Andrew: A couple weeks ago. Maybe about a month or two. All right, well, moving along, we have another exciting announcement and that’s that MuggleCast will be at Azkatraz 2009. We are going to be doing a special podcast event. So here’s what’s happening: the movie comes out the seventeenth. Azkatraz starts on the eighteenth. So, this worked out beautifully for Azkatraz. So what they’re going to be doing is
having a midnight viewing of Half-Blood Prince on July 17th – the night of the sixteenth, but the seventeenth. And then following – immediately following the podcast – the movie – the first time all these Harry Potter fans have seen the movie, so it’s going to be really exciting – we are going to be
doing a post-Half-Blood Prince live podcast where we discuss the film.

Ben: Yeah!

Andrew: Yeah. So, it’s going to be cool.

Laura: That’s going to be so fun.

Ben: That sounds, actually, quite exciting.

Andrew: Because this midnight viewing is going to be with diehard – like when you go to the midnight viewings, they’re pretty diehard fans. But midnight viewing at a Harry Potter convention?

Ben: Oh, man.

Andrew: That’s a whole new level.

Ben: That’s just pure madness.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, and magic. So, more details will be announced about that soon, but for now we do recommend you sign up – you register – fast, because it’s going to be a great event. It’s in San Francisco. Ben and I were talking about it yesterday. Ben will be there,
everyone will be there.

Ben: When is it?

Andrew: [laughs] July 18th.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: Oh, July 18th, okay. That’s when the movie comes out.

Andrew: Yeah, the seventeenth.

Ben: They pushed it back.

Andrew: Right. Right. [laughs]

Ben: Do you want to talk about that? Isn’t that new?

Andrew: It’s a little old, yeah.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Ben: Oh darn.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Ben: I’m kidding.

Andrew: But, yeah. So sign up for Azkatraz. HPEF2009.org, I believe is the URL.

Ben: So, can we tell them where the podcast is happening?

Andrew: We don’t know yet.

Ben: Oh, we’re not doing it on Alcatraz?

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: Why not? Let’s make a petition for it.

Andrew: They may be doing something on Alcatraz.

Ben: I heard there might be a Wizard Wrock around.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. But, I don’t…

Ben: Is that inside information?

Andrew: That is.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Andrew: So, to register, you go to HP2009.org. Then they have links there to register. In the referral area, where it says, you know, “How did you hear about us?” put “MuggleNet” or “MuggleCast.” That’s really important so they know where you came from. So, thank you for that.


Announcement: Ministry of Magic Election Coverage


Micah: The Ministry of Magic elections are still rolling along. I think we completed our first primary this past week, and Hermione absolutely destroyed the competition. In all the races…

Ben: But, it brings up the question: do you really think she’s old enough? Do you think she has the experience?

Andrew: Well, because we’re – I think what we’re trying to tell people is that you’re voting for Hermione today. So how old would she be? Like, young twenties, right?

Laura: No, late twenties.

Andrew: Late twenties. Okay. So yeah.

Ben: All right, but does she have the experience?

Andrew: Oh. She may.

Ben: She may.

Andrew: I think she does.

Ben: Is – who – else is running against her?

Andrew: It was Hermione versus Lucius, and Hermione won by, what was it, 91%?

Micah: Yeah. [laughs]

Ben: That’s like…

Andrew: Which is weird, because Lucius had won the round before, so…

Ben: Who did he beat?

Andrew: Who did he beat, Micah?

Micah: He beat Dolores Umbridge, which wasn’t much competition, obviously.

Andrew: Yeah, guess not.

Ben: Yeah, wow.

Micah: But Hermione took out Harry in her first round with a pretty high percentage of the vote.

Elysa: Yeah, I was surprised about that.

Ben: Oh really? That’s interesting. I think – I thought people would’ve been all, “Harry’s the man!”

Andrew: The closest tie so far has been between Kingsley and Minerva. Kingsley won with 55%.

Ben: Ooh.

Andrew: So that was a tight race.

Ben: Not really. A 10% margin is pretty good.

Andrew: Yeah, I guess, I guess. But compared to the other ones where it’s 80%, 75, 91. [laughs]

Micah: So who is it then this week? It’s going to be Kingsley against…

Andrew: Versus Molly.

Ben: So are we having a real election November 4th?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Oh man. The general election?

Andrew: Yep.


Announcement: Teddy Bears for Hope Update


Micah: Also, just want to do a quick update on Teddy Bears for Hope. We – I think we raised around 15 or
1600 dollars for this, which translated into about – a little over 300 bears. And we started getting them
out to a number of different places. We’ve sent out, as of right now, about 110. So we still have plenty left, and we’re looking into places that they can go out to. The first batch of 30 went to the American Red Cross in
Syracuse, New York. And the next 30 went to – I had to look up, actually, what this stood for, which is the
International Medical Equipment Collaborative…

Andrew: Nice.

Micah: …Care of the International Relief and Development section of that organization. Basically, what that means is that it goes to overseas orphanages. Particularly this one, which is based out of North Andover, Massachusetts, is most likely going to go to Iraq, so…

Laura: Oh, wow.

Micah: …orphanages in Iraq. 30 will go out there. And then 50 went to the Hudson County Child Advocacy Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Laura: Wow, that’s fantastic.

Elysa: It really is.

Micah: We hope with some of these places we can get some pictures and things like that so we can post it on the site to show that the money actually went to a worthwhile cause. And we still have plenty more, probably around 200, that we need to find places for. But, it’s been a tremendous success up to this point.

Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: Cool, awesome. Good work, Micah.

Micah: Thanks.


Muggle Mail: Snape’s Fate After Battle of Hogwarts


Andrew: Okay, well, let’s focus it back to Harry Potter talk. Let’s get into Muggle Mail now. First one comes from Faye, aged 17. She writes:

“Hi, I really enjoyed your discussion on the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, but was
disappointed by the fact that Snape was hardly mentioned. Who went back for his body? Was a funeral held for him? If so, who would’ve attended? Where would he be buried? What sort of recognition would he receive in later years? Just wanted to know what you guys think.”

So yeah, Snape was a very important part of that whole area of the book. So…

Ben: He got recognition because…

Laura: That’s right.

Ben: Harry named one of his kids Albus Severus.

Andrew: That’s true. Yeah.

Ben: So there’s his recognition.

Andrew: But maybe some recognition in the school, or…

Ben: Like a special award?

Andrew: Like a special award or a nice portrait.

Ben: Or like – was Snape’s story still untold?

Laura: No, Harry cleared his name.

Andrew: Yeah. Snape’s story.

Micah: J.K. Rowling did say that he would’ve made sure that people knew Snape’s story and that he wasn’t as bad as everyone thought he was.

Andrew: Hmm. Oh, that’s right. Yeah.

Ben: Yeah. Well, I mean, the fact of the matter, Snape ultimately was heroic, but he still was kind of a – you know what I mean?

Andrew: Yeah, I know what you mean.

Ben: I mean, I hate to talk about the dead, but…

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]

Ben: It’s just Snape.

Andrew: Yeah. What about these questions that she put in here? Who went back for his body? Was a funeral held for him? I hope some – a very nice funeral was held for him. Although, you know, we were talking about all these different people who died. Did they do just one big funeral or what?

Laura: I’m sure there was some kind of great…

Ben: A mass funeral? [laughs]

Laura: Maybe not a funeral, but I’m sure there was a large memorial service. But I don’t know, I would think that people’s individual families would handle their funerals. And, I mean, obviously Snape has no family,
so I don’t know.

Andrew: You know how sometimes people get buried with some of their favorite things? What do you think Snape
would get buried with?

Laura: Hmm. Yeah.

Andrew: Not shampoo. [laughs sarcastically]

[Micah laughs]

Ben: He’d get buried with…

Andrew: SnapeCast on his iPod.

Laura: [laughs] There we go.


Muggle Mail: Remembering Voldemort


Ben: The next e-mail is from Andrew, 18, from Nashua [pronounces like “Na-Shwa”], New Hampshire.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: What’s so funny? Nashua. [pronounces like “Na-SHOO-a”]

[Laura laughs]

Ben:

“Hey MuggleCasters, I was wondering what you guys thinks about Fred’s funeral and where and when it would have taken place. And speaking of funerals, instead of including Dumbledore’s in the sixth film, could they not merely end the film with a shot of the tomb? I think it would be a simple, yet powerful, ending. In response to the debate in Episode 159, I would have to agree with a point that Eric brought up. Perhaps not a wizarding picture of Voldemort but something I feel should have been – should be done at Hogwarts to remember his example. There is so much to be learned from Voldemort’s example after all. As Dumbledore put it, ‘The next time you have to choose between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to someone like Cedric Diggory.’ ‘Remember’ is the keyword. And yes, Voldemort did many terrible things. I don’t want to sound grim, but sometimes it takes some terrible things to really bring about change.”

Laura: Yeah, but, I mean, couldn’t just learning about him…

Ben: Well, I think – I think Cedric Diggory is an example – like, remembering Cedric Diggory is something that – that should be, always be like – they should always like – you know what I mean? They should have something at Hogwarts dedicated to Cedric Diggory.

Laura: Yeah, of course. Yeah.

Ben: And that’s going to remind people of the destruction that Voldemort did. Like, Cedric Diggory is a positive example because he was a kid who was taken away in his prime, whereas if you put up a statue of Voldemort it’s kind of like – you know what I mean? It’s like the diary of Anne Frank. That’s what Cedric is in this situation, and Hitler is Voldemort. And you’re not going to go to Germany, you’re not going to go erect a statue of Hitler, you know? That’s not going to happen. And you get Hogwarts, you can’t put up something of Voldemort.

Andrew: Yep.

Ben: You put up something that can represent that conflict that happened like Cedric though.

Laura: Yeah. I agree.

Elysa: Me too.

Micah: That’s what we said last week. I mean, in the debate, in particular, we referenced putting up a picture of Hitler in a synagogue or Osama Bin Laden in 9/11 memorials would kind of be the comparison of putting Voldemort up in some form of remembrance at Hogwarts. I just thought the really funny thing about this rebuttal was she mentioned that she had to agree with a point that Eric brought up, and Eric wasn’t even part of the debate.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Oh yeah.

Micah: Just goes to show how much Eric likes to talk.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Do you think that people still have a problem saying Voldemort’s name?

Elysa: Mmm, nah.

Andrew: Mmm…

Ben: Do you still think he’s referenced as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or since he’s gone now and they no longer fear him?

Micah: We’ve never had a problem saying his name.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: No, I mean – yeah, of course.

Andrew: People in the Wizarding World. I think people wouldn’t be afraid to. They’d be – they’re extremely excited that he’s dead, so – and because I think when they said the name they feared that he would appear or…

Laura: Yeah. It could also be generational, too. Like, perhaps some people who grew up during Voldemort’s reign wouldn’t want to say it, but then maybe more progressive people would and younger people would as well, so…

Andrew: Yeah. It’s sort of like when a really bad thing happens in the world. Like, you don’t – like in our world, you don’t joke about it. Like 9/11, when that happened.

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: You don’t joke about it. But ten years later…

Laura: Oh, yeah.

Andrew: …you don’t joke about it but you sort of start talking about it.

Ben: Like, yeah, because time heals all wounds.

Andrew: Right. Right. So true, Ben.

Ben: So true.

MuggleCast 161 Transcript (continued)


Muggle Mail: Top 10 Things That Happened to Voldemort’s Body


Andrew: [laughs] Okay, next e-mail:

“Andrew, I know you said you were joking, but I couldn’t resist. It’s a bit morbid but, come on, at least I didn’t suggest sushi. Bad Micah! So, Top 10 Things That Happened to Voldemort’s Body. Number 10: He was sent to the Love Room in the Department of Mysteries. We are told he combusted as soon as it was brought in – as he was brought in.”

Ben: Why isn’t this Ben Schoen’s Top 10 List?

Andrew: Go ahead, you do it.

Ben: [laughs] I’m just kidding.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: No, I’ll do it.

“Number 9: It was sent to Borgin and Burkes and sold as human snake.” Oh…

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: “Number 8: He was stuffed and used as a target for Auror training.” [laughs]

Andrew: Nice. I like that.

Ben: “Number 7: He was buried beside his father with a gravestone that simply said ‘Tom.'”

Laura: Wow, that’s kind of sad.

Elysa: Ouch.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: Ouch is right.

“Number 6: He was handed over to centaurs. We’re really not sure what happened after that.”

Andrew: Hey now!

[Micah laughs]

Laura: Same thing that happened to Umbridge.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: “Number 5: He was thrown to the Inferi in the cave.” Ew.

Andrew: Mmm.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: Inferi. Are you scared of Inferi, Andrew? Is it In-fairy? In-feary? In-fery? In-fiery?

Andrew: A little bit…In-feary? In-fiery? I don’t know. It depends on how you interpret it.

Laura: Inferi. [pronounces in-fear-y]

Ben: Okay.

“Number 4: He was reanimated to sing, ‘Weasley is our King’ while doing the Hippogriff.”

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: Well, I don’t want to see him doing the Hippogriff.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Micah: Well, he did, actually, down in Dallas, Texas at Portus 2008.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Laura: Oh, that’s right! Yeah.

Andrew: Oh God.

Ben: Who – did you guys see a guy who looked like Voldemort?

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah. He…

Ben: The guy…

Andrew: He was at our house last night.

Ben: He was at our house last night!

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: Andrew, notice how I say “our house” like…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …we live together now.

Andrew: You’re my roommate.

Ben: I’m moving in. I’m moving in here.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: “Number 3: His reanimated corpse was placed in the Aurors’ office to the constant amusement of Ron. Hermione wouldn’t let him bring it home.”

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: “Number 2: They forgot about his body in the broom closet and a blind Filch found it 25 years later.”

Andrew: Why is he blind?

Micah: [laughs] Yeah, I don’t know.

Ben: Because he got old, dude.

Andrew: Yeah, but he just goes blind? Okay.

Ben: And the number one thing that might have happened to Voldemort’s body is: “Filch mumbled about stupid students and hung Voldemort by his toes in the dungeons.”

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Ew.

Micah: That was from Myra.

Laura: Hope he didn’t forget about him.

Micah: I don’t think you ever said her name.


Muggle Mail: Studying Harry Potter in School


Andrew: All right, and the last e-mail of the day is actually pretty interesting. And, Laura, I almost sent this rebuttal in to us, but luckily somebody else did. It says:

“Hi, everybody. I know that this is completely unoriginal, but I love your show. Listening to MuggleCast is one of the highlights of my week. This week as I was listening to your podcast, Micah mentioned that Scholastic was coming out with a school edition of “Harry Potter.” Somebody then proceeded to say that studying the books in school would make them get sick of them. Well, I’m here to tell you that studying HP in school does not make you get sick of the books. In fact, it makes you love them even more. The past spring, I was lucky enough to be a part of the senior elective class, AP Harry Potter. We read a book every week of the course and met for three hour time slots weekly to discuss the books. Every member of the class had to write a ten-page paper on the books and present to the class about their findings. My paper on the food in the series was the basis for a guest MuggleCast podcast this past spring when I recorded for you for your contest with my sister, Lindsay. After studying the books in depth for eight weeks, I can say I love them more than ever. There’s so much that my class was able to discuss, and there are many details that I never picked up on or never thought about in a certain way that I can now consider in a different light. Kids who get to study these books in school are so lucky. I envy them for getting to read all the books for the first time. Your show rocks, and so do all of you.”

So, Laura, you actually said this in the show, and I didn’t realize it when were recording, but you had said that people would get bored of the books if they’re read in school. Do you really think that, or were you joking, or…

Laura: I don’t remember saying that. I think I’m going to – yeah, I don’t recall.

Andrew: You did.

Laura: I’m going to pull a Ronald Reagan here. I don’t recall what you’re talking about.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Well, you did say that…

Laura: Oh, okay.

Andrew: …and I was like, “What?” I don’t know, maybe your were talking about something else.

Laura: Well, were we debating? Because like…

Andrew: No. No, we were talking about in the news…

Laura: You know…

Andrew: …the school edition of Harry Potter and you were like, “Oh, kids are going to get bored of them if they’re read in school anyway.”

Laura: I don’t know. I feel like you said it too, though.

Andrew: I said yeah, but I wasn’t listening, I was just like, “Yeah…”

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Laura: Oh, okay.

Micah: Wow, so you don’t listen when Laura talks, is that what you’re saying?

Andrew: No, no, no, no. I don’t know what I’m trying to say.

Micah: I think what happened was, Laura was saying, wouldn’t it be really weird, because our kids are going to read the Harry Potter series years from now, and…

Andrew: Maybe.

Laura: Yeah, I remember saying that.

Micah: …it will almost be mandatory for them to do it in school. And I think that’s why it came up, and she mentioned that they may not like the series because it’s almost forced fed upon them as opposed to having the option to read it themselves.

Laura: Yeah, thank you, Micah. Thank you for remembering what I said, because I’m clearly clue-free.

Micah: But we’re going to talk about that a little bit more later in the show.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Yes, we have a debate prepared.

Laura: And I’m going to further incriminate myself.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Okay, well, as I said at the beginning of the show, this is our Halloween episode. Did I say that e-mail was from Renee? I don’t know if I did, but thank you for that.

Micah: You did not.


Main Discussion: Discussing Past Predictions


Andrew: Okay. So we’re going to do some Halloween talk for our main discussion this week. Set the mood here first.

[Halloween music begins]

Andrew: Okay, that’s better. So…

Laura: Oh my God.

Andrew: …every episode we discuss – every Halloween episode, we do some Halloween talk, and Micah thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the things we predicted in Episode 61, which was, I guess, our second Halloween episode. We were making predictions about Book 7. So I have these clips prepared now, and we’re going to listen to a few of them, and we also have a nice one from Laura at the end that we can dig into for a minute.


Why Ghosts Stay at Hogwarts


Andrew: Okay, so we’ll go back in time here; we’ll listen to this first clip. This was our prediction of why ghosts stay at Hogwarts:

Andrew: But even so, wanting to stay at Hogwarts, that has to be…

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: …a decision that’s up to the Headmaster. I mean, I would think you would really had to have been a great student…

Micah: Yeah.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: …at the school, in order, you know, for Dumbledore or whoever to say, “You can stay in my school.”

Laura: Is it up to Dumbledore, though? Do you really think he has that much control over…

Andrew: Well…

Laura: …the school?

Andrew: …the current – the current headmaster?

Laura: Peeves is in the school, and it doesn’t seem like it’s too easy to get rid of him.

Jamie: No, no.

Ben: Well, that’s because Dumbledore wants him around.

Jamie: Exactly. There’s a reason.

Laura: No, I think that…

Ben: No, no, no. Dumbledore won’t oust him. They’ve said that before.

Jamie: Of course, that’s true, yeah.

Laura: I know, but, I mean, I don’t think that Dumbledore can say – tell a ghost to get out of his school.

Jamie: Of course he can! He’s so powerful, it’s ridiculous.

Andrew: [imitating Jamie] “He’s so powerful, it’s ridiculous.”

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: But, okay.

Laura: God, way for everybody to rain all over my parade there. God.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Ben: Laura, you’ve come a long way since then. [laughs] I’m just kidding. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

Laura: Thanks, I think.

Ben: …I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

Andrew: So, I guess we didn’t really learn more about that in Book 7, right?

Laura: Not really.

Micah: No.

Ben: No.

Laura: That was a lie.

Ben: Then why was that a prediction?

Laura: Because…

Andrew: Well, it was just a discussion.

Ben: Oh.

Laura: Well, no, but Jo was saying we were going to learn more about ghosts, and we never really did.


The Bloody Baron and Grey Lady


Andrew: Okay, well, how about this next question we answered, which was, what happened to the Bloody Baron?

Micah: The Bloody Baron. How do you guys think the Bloody Baron died?

Jamie: [laughs] He got hacked to pieces, considering all the blood on him.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs] That’s what I was going to say.

Jamie: Or he slipped over a blood factory and banged his head on the ground and died, and then that’s why all the…

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Well, whose or what’s blood do you guys think is on him? It’s described as being silvery. Do you think it belongs to unicorns?

Jamie: Yeah, but he…unicorns…

Laura: I think it’s silvery just because he’s a ghost.

Jamie: Yeah.

Laura: I mean, they’re white and transparent. I think the blood’s just silvery because of the composition of a ghost’s body.

Micah: All right, Laura.

Andrew: [imitating Micah] “All right, Laura.”

Laura: [laughs] Sorry!

Andrew: And the last one, should we do that? What – the impact of the Grey Lady?

Micah: Well, yeah, I mean, they kind of go in hand and hand together, so we can do that.

Andrew: Okay, so this is when we discuss the impact of the Grey Lady:

Micah: The final House ghost, the Grey Lady, from Ravenclaw. We really don’t know a whole lot about her. We don’t really see her that much in the books, but, Jamie, maybe you know something about this. There are various Grey Lady ghost stories that exist in London. Is that true?

Jamie: I have heard a few, yeah. Lady Jane Grey was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII and she reigned as Queen, but she was actually uncrowned and she only reigned for nine days, which is absolutely nothing. And then I think she was beheaded at the Tower of London. So yeah, that’s why her ghost is reported to haunt it. But she is supposed to haunt other castles as well in different places – haunted places. So, I mean, is there anything there? Like, maybe the Grey Lady was only at Hogwarts for nine days and then she got killed?

Andrew: Yeah, I was going to say, maybe – yeah. [laughs]

Jamie: A bit unlikely…

Andrew: Maybe Dumbledore felt bad for her, so he was like, “Come be a House ghost.”

Jamie: Yeah, yeah. “Well, don’t worry, you can become a House ghost.”

Ben: What about Professor Binns? How did he…

Andrew: Can we stay on top of Grey Lady for a second?

Jamie: Yeah, Ben. Yeah, Ben.

Andrew: Not literally. I mean…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: We’d just fall through and hit the ground.

Micah: So it’s possible that Jo took the name from there?

Jamie: Oh, I’m sure she did. Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, there’s really no doubt behind that.

Andrew: That would probably the most reasonable explanation for…

Jamie: Yeah, but she’s a very mysterious ghost. We – I think we hear once that she was floating by or something like that, but we didn’t hear anything about her. Perhaps we’ll find something new in Book 7?

Micah: I think she’s in “Half-Blood Prince,” if I remember. They said some ghost went by as Harry was talking to Hagrid about overhearing the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore.

Andrew: Oh.

Micah: She seems to be around at kind of interesting times, because they said in the movie for “Chamber of Secrets” – and I don’t know if this was in the books too – it was a scene that was cut out where – it’s the first time that Harry goes to open Tom Riddle’s diary.

Andrew: Yeah?

Micah: And he tells the Grey Lady to get lost.

Jamie: No, he doesn’t, does he? Really?

Andrew: It’s a deleted scene.

Laura: Yeah.

Jamie: Oh, sorry. It’s a deleted scene, I see. Sorry.

Micah: [laughs] But I don’t know.

Andrew: Why would they cut that? I mean, what was…

Andrew: So that goes on and on.

Laura: Wow.

Micah: We were – we were pretty close there. I mean, Jamie in particular saying that we would learn something about her in Book 7.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly.

Micah: And we certainly did.


Place of the Final Battle


Andrew: Now there’s one more thing we discussed about on this episode, and – I’ll just play it – we’re talking about where the final battle would be.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Oh God.

Elysa: Uh-oh.

Andrew: Here’s Laura’s thoughts.

Laura: Oh God.

Andrew: Where do you guys think the final battle will take place?

Ben: Hogwarts.

Laura: Not at Hogwarts.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: Hogwarts.

Laura: Not at Hogwarts! Not at Hogwarts. Oh my god.

Andrew: I think it should.

Laura: No!

Ben: Why not, Laura? Why not?

Laura: Every bad fan fiction I’ve ever read in my whole life, they have the final battle take place at Hogwarts, and then…

Micah: Oh, no no.

Laura: …first years are out fighting Death Eaters. It’s ridiculous. No.

Micah: I think it should be at Godric’s Hollow.

Andrew: Yeah. Oh, that would be good. Yeah. You guys want a cool…

Andrew: So, Laura, do you regret…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …your statement now or do you still stand by that?

Laura: No, no, I don’t. I mean, she definitely made it fantastic. Like, I completely loved the way she did the final battle. I think the problem was…

Ben: Backtracking now.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Laura: Hey, hey, I admit, okay? I admit, I admit I was an ass, okay?

Elysa: No, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, it doesn’t mean you were wrong, though. Because, I mean, I love the way she did it too and I thought it turned out wonderfully, but it doesn’t mean you were wrong, because you were saying that every bad fan fiction is like that.

Laura: It was true.

Elysa: It’s true.

Ben: She’s not calling Book 7 a bad fan fiction. She’s not doing that.

[Elysa laughs]

Laura: No! Not at all. No, seriously, these things would literally – they had the students uniting in this battle front on the front lawns of Hogwarts. Like, it was just so cheesy. Every single one of them was the same.

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: So when I thought of the final battle being at Hogwarts, I just imagined these fan fictions and I was like, “Oh God, please don’t do it.” [laughs] Because I thought it was going to be awful. But no.

Ben: Wouldn’t it be awesome if Jo wrote fan fiction?

Andrew: She may.

Elysa: Maybe she does.

Andrew: Maybe some rejected chapters from Harry Potter show up on MuggleNet Fan Fiction.

Laura: Wouldn’t that be bad if she submitted something and it got rejected from someone’s fan fiction site?

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Elysa: Well, there was one story, actually, on MuggleNet Fan Fiction, and it pretty much got everything in Deathly Hallows down pat.

[Laura laughs]

Elysa: I mean, all the major plot points, and we rejected it! [laughs] Not because the plot was bad, obviously…

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Elysa: …but just because it was poorly written. But still, afterwards, you’re like, “Crap! I hope that wasn’t Jo!”

Andrew: It was like when she went into the MuggleNet chat room and was giving theories, but nobody liked them. [laughs]

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: That’s awesome.

Laura: [laughs] Everyone was like, “No!”

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: And everyone was like, “Give us the chat logs!”

Elysa: Fail.

Andrew: And we’re like, “We don’t have those.” [laughs]

Ben: I wish we did.

Andrew: Yeah. Okay, so that’s what happened with that. And, you know, in a way, it’s almost like – Laura, the directors of the films sort of had the same feelings you did because they’re not having a Battle of Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince just because there’s one in DH. I mean, is that sort of what you’re saying, is that it would be repetitive, too? Is that one of your ideas?

Laura: Well, no, it wasn’t – well, yeah, I was kind of talking about how every show down was sort of taking place at Hogwarts up until that point, so I was, at that point, hoping that we were going to see something different. I mean, and also you have to remember, I was a huge proponent of something big happening in the Department of Mysteries. So I was really set on the idea of something major happening there.

Andrew: Okay.

Laura: And the thought that it was going to be Hogwarts instead really upset me. But I’m over it now because I enjoyed it.

Andrew: Micah, do you want to take the discussion from here?


Hosts Choose Houses Based on Ghosts


Micah: Sure. Well, I guess we want to stay with the Halloween theme, and it’s kind of different than we have in the past couple of years, because we don’t really have much of the stories to go on in terms of predicting things and basing it off of past books. But this is more of a general discussion, I guess, so let’s start with, if you had to decide which House you would be in based upon the House ghost, which House would you be in and why?

Laura: Hmm…

Andrew: I think I would be in Nearly-Headless Nick’s, and I’m kind of just going to base this sort of just on the movie, but it just seems like he’s the most – definitely one of the nicest ghosts to get along with, and he seems so helpful and pleasant.

Micah: Laura?

Ben: I’d have to agree.

Micah: Or Ben?

Ben: I’d have to agree. I think that – I don’t think you really get to see the other – you don’t really get to develop a relationship with the other ghosts like you do with Nick, you know.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: He’s your boy.

Ben: Through Harry’s interaction with him.

Laura: I mean, I guess also – I’m sure the other students developed relationships with their House ghosts. We just didn’t see it, obviously, because the books are written from Harry’s point of view.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: But I don’t know. It’s hard to choose based on a ghost.

Andrew: I wonder if the ghosts really care to develop relationships with the students, because…

Ben: They’re dead.

Andrew: Well, they’re dead, but they’re going to pass through the school and then they’ll never see them again once they graduate.

Laura: Yeah, that’s true. I don’t know. I don’t know, I’d be all about stalking the Bloody Baron because he’s cool, so…

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: …Slytherin it is.

Andrew: [laughs] Elysa?

Elysa: I don’t know. I was going to go with Nearly-Headless Nick just because he’s the most lively of the bunch. I just think he’s the most fascinating, but now that feels like a really cliche answer. So I guess now I’ll go with the Fat Friar…

Andrew: And Micah?

Elysa: …because I think he’s one of the few that would go with trying to form a relationship with the students so…

Micah: Well, I maybe…

Elysa: …that’d be awesome.

Micah: …would have to choose the Bloody Baron, but, I mean, nobody’s gone for the Grey Lady at all. But I guess that’s just because she’s a little bit too far out there. But I’ll go with the Bloody Baron. I like that choice.


The Halloween-type Characters Significance in the Series


Andrew: So do you guys think that there were enough of the traditional Halloween characters in the series, such as the ghosts, the ghouls, the goblins, the werewolves, and the vampires? Because it seems like some played a significant role while Jo just managed to fit them in. I mean, they didn’t even really play that big of a role in the books. What do you guys think they added to the series?

Laura: I think they just sort of added – yeah.

Andrew: Right. Oh, I see what you’re saying…

Laura: I don’t know.

Andrew: Yeah, just add to it as a whole…

Laura: Well, Remus is a werewolf.

Andrew: …where they’re trying to sort of set a theme in the books?

Laura: I think they just set the atmosphere of the fantasy setting. Like, I don’t really see much purpose beyond that. I don’t – I mean, I don’t know if that’s what you’re asking, but…

Andrew: Yeah, basically. No, that was it. Micah?

Micah: Yeah. I think what I was trying to get at, though, is it seems like we have Remus Lupin, who’s a werewolf, but then you kind of just have these other ghosts and ghouls. Like the ghoul that lived up in the Weasley’s attic and the goblins at Gringotts. And the vampires; they very rarely make an appearance in the series. I agree with Laura that it set the tone just kind of having them around. They didn’t necessarily play a significant role, but it seemed like she took only a few of those and made them important, whereas the others were just kind of scenery. You know what I’m saying?

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: But why do that? I mean, you have seven books. Why not make them more important to the central plot?

Andrew: Well, because you know why. We’ve read them all now. It’s like – maybe around Prisoner of Azkaban you could argue that, but they’re not that important. They don’t really need to be.

Laura: Yeah, and there’s only like so many times that you can make the plot surround some magical creature. Like, it would – I don’t know. I think it would be weird if you had, you know, the book with Remus and being a werewolf, and then in the next book you had someone being a vampire, and the book after that – you know. I think it would get old.

Micah: All right.

Andrew: Elysa.

Elysa: Yeah, I agree. I mean, if anyone could pull it off it would be Jo, but…

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: But really, I think if there had been too much of that, it would have just turned into a freak circus. And it would detour from the writing and from the plot, anyway, if she had purposely went out of her way to incorporate that.

Andrew: Yeah. And the uniqueness that is Harry Potter. Because it would be very generic to have a story about vampires and stuff. And by keeping these people minor, it’s not really a generic story of vampires or werewolves. I think she balanced it perfectly.


Snape Not a Vampire


Micah: Well, speaking of vampires, one of the main theories that was out there throughout the course of the entire series was that Snape was a vampire. And this theory was obviously absolutely crushed by J.K. Rowling, and I just want to know – I guess maybe just even from Elysa, having read a ton of fan fiction, what did you think… [laughs] …when it was finally put to rest? Because I’m sure there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of stories based solely on this.

Elysa: Yeah, no, there definitely were. Though to be completely honest, I was never quite sure where that came from, because a lot of the stories, anyway, the reasons that they used for – or the motive, rather, that they used for Snape being a vampire seemed a little arbitrary. I mean, they made for great stories, but I didn’t find that much canon to support it. A lot of the times they would sort of use the whole Remus Lupin being a werewolf thing as a basis for the plot, and Snape being a vampire, him being a werewolf, and the whole vampire/werewolf feud, and so – like, that was usually from a fan fic perspective, what – you know, how it came about, but in terms of it being a legitimate theory of him being a vampire, I wasn’t quite certain where that came from.

Micah: I mean, did any of it come from – there are a couple times in the series that she refers to him as being bat-like.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Or having qualities like that.

Andrew: Well, let’s not forget that in Sorcerer’s Stone Anniversary Edition, she described him as somewhat looking like a vampire, but that is Snape. That’s just his appearance.


The Veil


Micah: Okay. One of the other theories that was out there that I know we spent a lot of time talking about, and Laura in particular…

Laura: Uh-oh.

Micah: …because of her love – [laughs] – because of your love of the Department of Mysteries. Halloween being the day where the Veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and its role in Deathly Hallows. We did spend a lot of time talking about this in past shows, and it was kind of disappointing, because it really ended up having – the Veil itself, actually, having very little impact on the final book.

Laura: Yeah, it like – next to nothing. I was so disappointed. [laughs] Anyway. Yeah, I remember discussing this. Didn’t we do like a three part series?

Micah: [laughs] We probably did, yeah.

Andrew and Laura: On the Department of Mysteries? Yeah.

Laura: And I remember we spent a long time talking about that. And I remember it was because someone was theorizing that maybe Voldemort was going to fall on Halloween, that it would go down on the same day it all started.

Andrew: Yeah, because there was some…

Laura: And I forget whose idea that was.

Andrew: I don’t know, but there were – I had brought up a theory saying there was something related to Halloween where some veil was always the thinnest.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: Do you guys remember when we were talking about that?

Laura: Well, yeah, that’s always been sort of a theory, that, like, the bridge between the world of the living and the dead is at its shortest or at its thinnest on Halloween.

Andrew: So you could, theoretically, hear through it better, maybe? Or look…

Laura: Yeah. Or it would allow people to cross over, I guess. I think that was our – and at this point, did we have the title of the book?

Micah: We probably did…

Laura: Because I feel like that’s where…

Micah: …and there – there were so many different things related to Hallows at the time that we were analyzing, that probably did have something to do with it as well.

Laura: And I feel like we heard “hallows” and then we thought, “Oh, Halloween,” you know?

Andrew: Right.

Micah: All Hallows Eve, yeah.

Laura: Yeah, yeah. I think that’s where it was coming from.

Andrew: Yeah, that was it. That was exactly it. Yeah. So…

Micah: So, we…

Laura: Such a different – like, where does this crap come from? Like, where did we get this crap? [laughs]

[Andrew and Micah laughs]

MuggleCast 161 Transcript (continued)


Over-analyzation


Micah: Well, not only that – you want to go crazy? We spent that whole episode – Laura, I think it was you, me, and Eric talking about the Antipodean
Opaleye, the dragon, because we thought that…

Laura: Oh, my God, yes. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh yeah…

Laura: Oh my God!

Micah: The dragon on the cover of the Deluxe Edition, and that means that – I don’t even know.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: We were talking about that Deathly Hallows symbol being – like, reversing worlds, or going through time, or different ends of the Earth.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: We were all over the place. [laughs]

Laura: Oh, I remember, I remember… [laughs]

Elysa: Oh man.

Laura: What happened was that Eric was saying that the scenery on that cover looked like New Zealand. I wonder why.

Andrew: Oh yeah, yeah.

[Elysa laughs]

Laura: And then he’s like, “Well, maybe they go to New
Zealand.”

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Andrew: But you’ve got to remember, that’s all we had to work with, so we had to discuss and pick apart every little pixel of those covers.

Micah: Yep.

Laura: I miss that, though. Those days were really fun…

Micah: That was great, yeah.

Laura: …because we really had no clue what was going on. [laughs]


Significance of Halloween


Andrew: Yeah, yeah. So let’s move along. Do you think J.K. Rowling intentionally made significant events happen in the series on Halloween after the Potters’ death? Micah, can you elaborate a little more?

Micah: Do you want me to answer it, or do you want me to elaborate?

Ben: Well, I think – I think that makes sense, because it’s All Hallows Eve, it’s a – it’s like when the spirits come out of Hell or something like that. Isn’t that what it is?

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: So, I mean, all this evil – all evilness is coming out, and some bad stuff has to happen.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, it also just – it also just sets a very interesting theme. You just – I think it’s part of Jo’s really descriptive writing. You get feeling out of
knowing that all this stuff is occurring on Halloween. Because we all know what Halloween feels like, that sort of spirit.

Micah: Right.

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: I think after the Potters’ death, she chose to really make that a significant date in the series.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: Because if you look at all the different events, I mean, what happens on Halloween in the first book is, that’s when the trio really forms. It’s
when they come together to face the troll. And from that point on, at least through – I think it’s like the first four books – there are significant events that take place on Halloween.

Laura: Yeah, I was just trying to remember, like – I don’t know, I don’t want to back track too much, but Book 1, it’s the troll…

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: …and then Book 2, Deathday party slash whatever. They find the first…

Micah: The first attack, yeah.

Laura: Yeah. Book 3, Sirius broke into the castle. Book 4, Harry…

Andrew: We had a main discussion on this, didn’t we?

Laura: Yeah.

Micah: Probably, yeah.

Laura: Yeah, we did.

Andrew: We did.

Laura: I think we went over everything that had happened. I think this was our first Halloween episode, actually…

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: …that we went over all the stuff that happened on Halloween. That is crazy.

Micah: What was Goblet of Fire? That was the actual…

Laura: Harry was chosen, I think.

Micah: Right, right.

Laura: From the Goblet.

Micah: And then it – nothing happened in the last three books, I don’t think.

Ben: [imitating angry Dumbledore in Movie 4] “Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?!”

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Oh, we’re joined by Michael Gambon, everybody.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Micah: I guess we could talk briefly about – it’s obviously Rowling’s favorite holiday. It’s a day of both great triumph and tragedy for the Wizarding World. I guess the only real thing to say about that is just that it was the day that Voldemort met his match in Harry Potter, but it was also a day of great tragedy,
because both Harry’s parents were killed.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: That was kind of the only point that I was trying to make there.

Andrew: Yeah. It’s interesting.

Micah: And, actually, somebody brought this up just before, but should Voldemort have fallen on October 31st? You know, would that had brought the story full circle? Better than what happened?

Andrew: I think it was already full circle enough with Remus and Tonks’ kid losing Remus and Tonks. So, I think it would’ve been cool, but I don’t know if it’d be necessary. But I guess when you think about all the events that did happen on Halloween, it would’ve been pretty fitting. Although, if you think about it, let’s see, they were – school had started when they were still searching for the Horcruxes. So don’t you think with the Harry Potter timeline in mind, like…

Micah: You wouldn’t have been able to have a battle at Hogwarts, really. In the way that she wrote it, if you waited until Halloween. I don’t think.

Andrew: Do you – when did this happen, exactly? Was it before Halloween?

Micah: Yeah. I think so.

Laura: Well, technically. No, wait, the final battle at Hogwarts?

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, that was in June. Like, it was towards the end of the school year, I think.

Andrew: Right. So they had already passed.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: You know what I’m saying?

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking, is that they – it would’ve – like, the book started in, what, July?

Andrew: Right.

Micah: Probably. Yeah.

Laura: It would’ve been – it would’ve been a few months long, the timeline of the book.

Micah: Yeah. It would’ve had to have been – it would’ve had to have spanned two Halloweens in order for it to get to where we wanted it to be, you know? We would’ve
passed the first Halloween, where they were in the forest, or something, and then the second one would’ve had to extend beyond that Battle of Hogwarts for it to
actually be worth anything. But that’s what I’m saying. I don’t think that it would’ve worked well for – for her to have to write it that way. It didn’t make
sense.

Andrew: Okay. So I guess we’re going to get into the fun portion of the discussion now. If you had to dress up as a Harry Potter character for Halloween, who would it be? I’ve already done it. I’ve been Harry.

Laura: Dork!

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: How about you guys? Ben, who would you be if you had to dress up as a character for Halloween? Harry Potter character for Halloween?

Ben: [imitating Hagrid] Rubeus Hagrid!

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: You would fit the character well.

Ben: Thanks, Andrew, because I’m a giant. I’m larger than life.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I didn’t mean it that way.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Andrew: I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that you’re tall. That’s all I meant.

Ben: This is why I don’t come on, Andrew.

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: Oh, my gosh! [laughs]

Andrew: MuggleCast 160, Larger than Life. Should be a show title.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Micah, how about you? If you had to be one character? Actually I – let me guess, let me guess. I would say you would want to be…

Ben: Hermione.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I would guess you’d want to be Snape.

Micah: That might not be a bad character. I’m trying to think of a really obscure character that would kind of fit.

Ben: Dawlish.

Micah: [laughs] Dawlish. I don’t know.

Andrew: Well, here, we’ll get back to you in a second. Laura and Elysa? How about you guys? You think about it though, Micah.

Laura: I don’t know. I mean, I don’t really – I can’t think of anything. But I will confess I did dress up as Hermione for Halloween in fifth grade.

Elysa: Nice!

Andrew: Well – so yeah. So you would want to…

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Wow, fifth grade.

Laura: Yeah.

Ben: Wow.

Andrew: Nobody was really dressing up like Harry Potter back then.

Laura: I was, like…

Ben: I think Laura’s a trendsetter, I think.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Laura: Yeah, that’s right.

Ben: She broke the mold.

Laura: That’s right.

Andrew: You should’ve copyrighted the costume design before – before WB got to it.

Laura: Yeah, really. What was I thinking?

[Elysa laughs]

Laura: My dumb eleven year-old self. Like…

Elysa: Aww!

Andrew: [laughs] Elysa, how about you? I could see you dressing up as Tonks.

Elysa: I’m going to go with…

Ben: No.

Elysa: Tonks?

Ben: Bellatrix.

Andrew: Oh, Bellatrix.

Elysa: Bellatrix?! Ouch!

Ben: What?

Andrew: It’s not an insult. Just a…

Ben: She’s a badass.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: Yeah. Actually, I’m going to go with Hedwig.

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: No one ever thinks of Hedwig!

Ben: I’m going to be a Nimbus 2000.

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: And then we would – and then we would have to blow you up.

Micah: [laughs] Yeah. I mean, he’s nothing more than a puff of feathers. Or she.

Elysa: Oh no! Blasphemy! No!

Micah: Nothing more than a puff of feathers.

Elysa: [laughs] Actually, Thompson, I have a proposition for you.

Laura: Uh-oh.

Ben: Who’s Thompson?

Elysa: Yeah, I was thinking about this. And if I was thinking to be Hedwig, I would totally want to be Firenze. So…

Laura: [laughs] What?!

Elysa: …you know how, like, those old fashioned – those old fashioned horse outfits? Like, could you – would you please do me the honor of being my…

Andrew: Back legs?

Elysa: …backside?

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Elysa: Would you please do that for me?

Laura: Yeah. You know, I’ll just go ahead and go book a flight right now and fly out to England.

Elysa: Yeah!

Laura: It’ll be fun. We’ll walk around the Oxford campus.

Elysa: Yes! Seriously! When? Come on out.

Andrew: As Firenze?

Elysa: Yeah, I think that would totally work. Let’s do it.

Laura: That’d be pretty fun. Maybe we’ll run into Emma Watson and – yeah. She’ll be really impressed by that, right?

Elysa: Probably would.

[Laura laughs]

Elysa: Scare the living daylights out of her.

Andrew: This has been girl talk on MuggleCast.

[Micah laughs]


What If?


Andrew: All right. Well, that’s our Halloween main discussion for now. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. We’ll do it next year. Grasping for even more straws, unless J.K. Rowling reveals something interesting in Beedle the Bard, maybe. When it comes to Halloween discussion, I mean. Next up we have an interesting What If?, and we haven’t done this in a while. And when Micah originally suggested it, I wasn’t sure if it would offend people. But I don’t think – it’s not offensive. Micah, go ahead. Why don’t
you introduce it?

Micah: Okay, well, the What If? segment… [laughs] …for this week is, what if J.K. Rowling were a man? And I guess…

Elysa: Mmm…

Laura: Oh, I’m so offended.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: No, but the best two people to ask about this, I really did think, were Laura and Elysa, because I’m interested in what their take would be if she were actually a man and this was a man who was writing the series. Do you think there would be a different reaction to it? Do you think that sales would have been different? Maybe she would have had a little bit more success early on in her career when the series first came out?

Laura: I don’t – I mean, how much more success can you ask for? I mean, she’s been pretty…

Micah: Well, we all know it didn’t take off the way that it obviously blossomed into later on, years later.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, but I think that’s just being an author, though. I mean, you go to any…

Micah: Well…

Laura: …famous author, they didn’t just – most of them didn’t just take off overnight. I don’t know that it’s gender-specific.

Micah: Well, didn’t they specifically have her name be changed to J.K…

Laura: Yes. They did.

Micah: …Rowling on the book covers?

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, they did that because they thought that, what was it? They don’t think that – there’s some study…

Andrew: Women authors would sell.

Laura: Well, no, that’s not it. They think that women readers don’t discriminate based on sex, but that male readers aren’t likely to pick up books by female
authors.

Andrew: Oh, right. Right.

Laura: And so that’s why they did it. But, I mean, these are also the same people who changed the name of the first book in the U.S. because they thought American kids were too dumb to know what a philosopher was. So…

Andrew: I was too dumb to know what a sorcerer was.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: They should have just kept it. It would have been the same thing. I think that – I think the biggest difference would be the writing style, don’t you think? Because there are differences between a man writing and a woman writing, and I think J. K. Rowling’s extremely…

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: …clever writing style and her witty remarks from Dumbledore and all that, I think it’s from J.K. Rowling’s feminine qualities. You know what I mean? Or am I way off here?

Laura: Yeah. Well, no, no no. I mean, I think there’s something to be said for that fact, just because if she were a man, she would obviously be a completely different person.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: So, I mean, clearly, the perspective would be different.

Micah: Yeah. I don’t think you would have as many powerful female characters, probably, as you do in this series. I mean, you look across the board, whether it’s
Hermione or Molly – or even Umbridge and Bellatrix – they’re very, very powerful. Ginny too. I don’t know that you would have that in a book that was written by a man.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm. It depends. I mean, some men do write very powerful female characters. It just depends on the guy, I guess.

Elysa: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m tempted to speculate on a whole host of things that might have been different, including what Micah was saying about strong female characters. But, honestly, I feel like it wouldn’t make much difference at all. And I hate using such a loaded word, but I feel like feminism is about equality, not being better, or being worse, or even different intellectually, just equal. So I don’t think it’d really matter. I don’t feel like the characters she created, or the plot she created, or the atmosphere, or the level of creativity, I don’t think any of that is gender-specific, and I think the books would have been just as good and had all the
same positives, or negatives, if she were a man.

Ben: That’s what I learned in my Sociology class at school, was that in society we tend to think – we tend to associate gender roles. Like, you know, men are better at fixing cars…

Andrew: Oh, yeah.

Ben: …or women are better at doing this thing, when the actual studies indicate that it’s completely the opposite way, that gender doesn’t matter.

Elysa: Right.

Ben: It doesn’t affect the quality of work.

Elysa: Yeah. I think the only time it matters is in perception.

Ben: But don’t they say perception is reality?

Elysa: That’s true. I disagree, though.

Andrew: J.K. Rowling has always admitted that she’s been shy. She was very shy, you know, as an author, back in the ’90s, and she still kind of is now. Do you think that would have changed at all? I mean…

Laura: No.

Andrew: …this is a tricky thing to step around, because you don’t want to come off like you’re sexist or anything.

Laura: No, I don’t think so. I mean…

Andrew: Like, you know, only women are shy, which is obviously not the case. I mean, look at Ben.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: So…

Laura: Hey! Stop insulting my gender.

[Elysa laughs]

Laura: Anyway – I’m just kidding, Ben. [laughs] What I think – okay, here’s what I think. If we’re like taking this – like we’re assuming, right, that it’s exactly her, like same person, just in a male body, right? Like that’s what we’re saying?

Ben: But then it’s not her anymore.

Laura: Right.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Like same personality, like same everything, like carbon copy, but male. Okay.

Andrew: I don’t know. How exactly should we put it, Micah? Like…

Micah: Well…

Andrew: What are we exactly talking about?

Micah: Well, I think we’ve addressed some of the things.

Andrew: Because personality changes.

Micah: We’ve definitely talked about some of the things so far, I mean, in terms of her writing style, in terms of how the readers would choose to accept her or not accept her, or maybe even, would she be a more aggressive person? You know, would she be a little bit more arrogant? I mean, not that she – she’s definitely not an arrogant person, and you mentioned that she’s very shy and reserved. But, you know, if you lend that quality to – or rather, if you changed the gender, does that change completely? I mean, is she somebody that then doesn’t donate to charity or doesn’t do some of the things that J.K. Rowling has been known to do?

Laura: Hmm. I don’t know. I mean – just like – one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly, is extremely shy. I mean, you see this guy interviewed on the news and he’s like in shock, like he – you can tell – he’s completely confused by the idea that people want to talk to him. And it’s – and I like it because it’s very humbling, and you feel like that person actually deserves to be where they are. But no, I don’t think that shyness or any other personality trait like that is gender specific. And I mean, I think assuming like what I was saying earlier, if we’re just saying she’s the same exact person just with a different gender, then I don’t think anything would change. But at the same time, I do think that there are – I mean, I personally feel like if I had been born male, I wouldn’t be the same person. I mean, it’s like – I would probably have some things that were different about me. So – but for the sake of the argument, I was assuming…

Ben: But society conditions you, though.

Laura: Right.

Ben: When you’re born male, your crib and the sheets have to be blue. When you’re female, the sheets have to be pink. And girls play with dolls and boys play with action figures, so…

Laura: I played with Tonka trucks. That’s just me though.

Ben: Yeah, but you’re weird.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Thanks, Ben. [laughs]

Ben: Good to be back.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: It’s great to have you back.

Andrew: All right, so is this what we’ve come up with? So, if J.K. Rowling were a man, there really wouldn’t be many differences.

Micah: It’s just…

Ben: I just think you can’t tell because it’s all like – everything was timing, you know what I mean? That’s why Jo was successful was because she – all the pieces fell into place in the right way, and you don’t know that if she was a man, all the pieces would have fell the exact same way because her being a man completely changes who she is as a person.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: You know what I mean? Because…

Laura: Right.

Ben: You know, if you – if you’ve had – if you identify as being female and you identify as being male, you know what I mean? Clearly going to be different, so who knows if the book would have even been published to begin with.

Elysa: Right. I agree.

Ben: Or it could have been even popular, who knows?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Or it could’ve been Eragon.

Andrew: I think there would be…

Laura: Oh, God.

Andrew: …some changes in personality.

Micah: I mean, it’s a very dicey subject, and you know…

Andrew: Yeah. Oh, definitely.

Micah: …like you said in the beginning, and obviously we’re just trying to come up with some sort of ideas over… [laughs] …a very messed up topic.

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Andrew: It’s not messed up. It’s a fun topic. We’re shock jocks.


Debate: Harry Potter Mandatory Reading in Schools


Micah: All right, well, it is time for our debate segment this week, and I’d like to thank all of you for coming here today, and I’ll ask the audience to please be quiet during the debate.

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Micah: Except for this time, when we welcome in our two sides…

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Micah: …to argue whether the Harry Potter series or one of the seven books should be made mandatory reading in U.S. public schools. On the side arguing that they should be made mandatory, if – are Ben Schoen and Elysa Montfort. On the side arguing that they should not be made mandatory are Andrew Sims and Laura Thompson.

Andrew: That’s me!

Micah: Each side will have two minutes to make their case followed by a one minute rebuttal period. Ben and Elysa, you go first. You have two minutes, and your time starts now.

Ben: Well, my friends…

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Ben: …I would just like to say that the impact Harry Potter has had on literacy is absolutely undeniable, and I have never met a single person who’s read Harry Potter and said, man, I wish I’d never done that. And the fact of the matter remains that you continue to hear success story after success story that of people who have read Harry Potter, that have gone on to read other things, and Harry Potter sparked their interest in reading. And it’s been proven, through so many – when we’re at these podcasts, doing these events, we’ll talk to parents of kids who say, “My child didn’t read before Harry Potter and now it’s helped them become passionate about learning and passionate about education.” And I think that if the Harry Potter books were made mandatory, you’re going to spread that education and you’re going to make that something that’s important to these kids, and Harry Potter is a great hook to suck them in. Elysa, do you have anything to add?

Elysa: Yeah, I just wanted to say that I agree completely, and I actually found a newspaper article on ThisIsLondon.com talking about Robert Meller’s Primary School, which is in a depraved – a deprived area, has jumped from the bottom twenty-five percent of schools in the U.K. to just outside of the top five percent over the last three years alone after deciding to incorporate the Harry Potter books into their curriculum and making it mandatory reading in their English classes. So that’s hard evidence of what Ben was just saying. And especially in the United States, where we rank number eighteen on literacy rates in the whole world, with countries like Moldova and Lithuania being ranked higher than us, I think it’s extremely important to make literacy and the Harry Potter books mandatory reading and a higher priority in our education system.

Ben: It is all about education, my friends.

Micah: All right. Your time is up.

Elysa: Yeah, forty million adults in the U.S. are functionally illiterate.

Micah: Andrew and Laura, you have two minutes.

[Clapping sound clip plays]

Laura: Okay.

Andrew: Go ahead, Laura.

Laura: So students…

Micah: I said no clapping.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Micah: …by the audience. Only when the candidates entered.

Laura: This better not cost me time.

[Audience booing sound clips plays]

Micah: No, you’re two minutes will start now, but please refrain the audience from clapping in your favor. I’ll have none of that in my debate hall.

Laura: Okay, well, thank you for having us here tonight, Micah.

[Audience cheer sound clip plays]

[Laura and Elysa laugh]

Laura: Oh my God! Okay.

Andrew: Okay, go. That’s it.

Micah: Mr. Sims.

Laura: So…

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Micah: Stop making hand gestures to the crowd.

Andrew: Go ahead. We’re done. Go ahead.

Laura: So first point, students are notorious for hating books they’re forced to read in school. One of the reasons that we all love Harry Potter so much is because we’re allowed to find it at our own pace as opposed to being forced to have a certain amount of chapters read by a certain time. Why do that to kids? Why would we possibly want to destroy the magic that we’ve gotten from Harry Potter by making it something mandatory? Furthermore, it’s great and all that some schools are involving Harry Potter in their curriculum, but there are a number of ignorant people out there who would be adverse to allowing their children to participate in classes in which Harry Potter was being taught, and I don’t sympathize with these people, but rather, I don’t think schools should have to deal with the kind of distraction that could arise from several students refusing to take part in classroom activities. Like think of Laura Mallory, seriously, and think about where I live; people would definitely do it. Furthermore, I’m thinking of Chronicles of Narnia. You couldn’t possibly teach all of the Chronicles of Narnia in school, so they picked the first and most popular book and made everybody read it five million times, to the point where no one wanted to read it any more. And I fear that this would also happen with Harry Potter. Go ahead, Andrew.

Andrew: Yeah, there’s something about making sure that students read a book. Once you read a book, you suddenly lose – it doesn’t come – it’s not as fun for you to read that book. And, like Laura was saying, this would just spark a whole bunch of new debates over whether – it would start with fights in schools with parents versus the administrators saying, oh, you shouldn’t allow – my kid shouldn’t be reading this. I don’t want them to be reading this. It’s sort of like with the flag, the American flag. That one line, “One nation, under God.” That sparked a whole thing because schools were making them say, “One nation, under God.” And, oh, well, you know, I’m Atheist or support a different religion. So that’s why. It would just cause too much of an uproar; it’s better off with people just simply reading it on their own time in a relaxing environment.

Micah: All right, Ben and Elysa, you have one minute rebuttal time.

Ben: All right, well, first of all, I would like to point out that education is the value that we are saying that we should win on because education is the most important thing by far, and, like I said, before I read the Harry Potter books I absolutely hated them. I didn’t think – I heard all about them and I hated all of the hype about it and then when I actually took the opportunity to read it, I loved it. And I think if you made people read these books it can spark their interest in reading, and that will be the most important. On to your point about the controversy that it would cause having the books in the classrooms: fact of the matter is, they’re just books. They encourage children to read. The controversy would be more than worth it because education outweighs any controversy that could possibly be brought up. Not only that, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Huckleberry Finn are two books that are read a lot of times in classrooms, even though they may cause some controversy. It’s like when a teacher shows a rated R movie – a movie that’s rated R or something in the class, they just have to get permission slip signed by the parents. It’ll be fine. If kids can’t participate, that’s fine, that’s their loss. But education wins here. Period.

Andrew: Laura, you want to start again?

Laura: Sure. [laughs]

Micah: Andrew and Laura, you have a minute for rebuttal.

Laura: Okay, it’s not that we don’t think that Harry Potter has educational merit, because we do. But the problem is that Harry Potter has been such a integral part of our lives and it has allowed us grow so much as people and have so many great experiences, and I would frankly hate to see for my children to bring this book home from school one day and be like, “Oh, I have to read this dumb Harry Potter book because my teacher’s making me do it.” I want my kids to be able to pick up those books and find the same magic that I found in them, and I didn’t find that by being forced to read it.

Andrew: Yeah, I mean, look. It’s…

Micah: Thirty seconds.

Andrew: People just cannot enjoy a story when you’re being forced to read it. And parents – Ben was saying that if your parents sign a permission slip or they sign something saying that they can’t read this book, that’s just not acceptable because then those kids…

Micah: Five seconds.

Andrew: …are losing an education when they all could be reading a book that they agree on.

Micah: That concludes our debate for this evening.

Andrew: Micah, who do you think won?

Micah: Well, this is a very interesting topic, and I’m not going to call it my inquisition, as Eric did last week, and spend a lot of time discussing. I think both sides raised very good points. The one thing I was a little bit concerned about, and obviously, you do have to base your opinions strongly on your own experiences, but worrying a little bit about your own personal experience with the series, I thought – you can’t really use that as a basis for the future generations, because they’re not going to have the same experience and they’re not going to go through the midnight release parties or sort of the magic surrounding the series as a whole; it’s just not going to happen no matter how you try to recreate it for them. But another point that I didn’t hear brought up from either side was that these books could be read before your children even get to school, so if you’re worried about preserving the magic of the series, just like with a lot of other fantasy series, certainly one thing that could be done is introducing the books to them before they would have to encounter them at school.

Andrew: But to enjoy it fully, I think you need to read it at at least middle school.

Ben: Well, I think the problem is that you’re going to have a lot of people – the fact of the matter is that if it’s mandated that they have to read it, then you’re going to have a lot more people who actually do read it, and you could gain more interest in the series because there may be kids who never would have read it unless it was assigned in English.

Elysa: Right, I agree.

Andrew: And I think little kids get turned off by the size of the books. My brother’s an example of that. I know that’s not everyone, but people look at some of the sizes of these books and think, “I can’t read all that,” because they’re used to these books where the print is larger and there’s just less pages.

Micah: And I think the other point that was brought up that was strong was the controversial topics. That shouldn’t be a reason why it’s left out of a curriculum. Whether it’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin or even The Diary of Anne Frank, would be another example, not wanting to delve into the whole issue of the Holocaust. I mean, there are so many different books that you could go through that have those sort of racial undertones or some sort of controversial issue attached to them that you don’t want kid’s minds being affected by that. This, I guess, is more of a religious issue than anything else, but I still don’t think that that’s a reason to keep it out of children’s hands and being taught, because there’s so many things within the series itself, I think, that can be taught and are being taught even today at a lot of different colleges and universities. If I had to make a decision – I’m trying to stay nonpartisan as the media always does, you know…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: That was a bad attempt at a joke.

Andrew: Well, good point.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: You brought up some valid points.

Micah: I would have to say that it should be. Not the series as a whole, but one of the books possibly mandated for kids to read and then leave it up to the kids.

Andrew: Sure.

Micah: The children. Do you want to explore it further? And then that’s your choice.

Laura: That’s a good middle ground.

Andrew: All right, well, that does it for our debate. And that actually wraps up our show for this wonderful 160 milestone.

Laura: And let me just say, I didn’t agree with anything I said. I was just arguing.

Andrew: Yeah, me too. Me too.

Laura: Yeah, because I know people are going to be like, “Laura! You hate education!”

Ben: So, Micah, who won?

Micah: I said I would have to side with you and Elysa, based on the debate.

Ben: I think I’m undefeated in these things.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Micah: But I’m sure that there’s plenty of stuff that people are going to send in both about the debate and if J.K. Rowling were a man.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: I just think that the point is that education shall overcome everything.

Andrew: Yeah. [singing] We shall overcome.

Ben: All-right-y.


Show Close


Andrew: It’s been a great show! Happy Halloween, everyone. Happy Election Day! Vote no on Proposition 8.

Laura: Happy Halloween!

Ben: Thanks for…

Andrew: Ben, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in the MuggleCast studio.

Ben: Yeah, thanks for welcoming me back with open arms, everybody. Laura, it’s been great. Eliza -Elysa, it’s been great.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: Micah, it’s been even better.

Laura: Way to remember your co-hosts names.

Micah: Hey, it’s good to be a member of the senior staff now with you, Ben. I can’t say enough about your endorsement of, you know, my staff…

Andrew: You’re right up there on the same level. He strongly supports the decision.

Ben: First senior staff, next Tannenbaum ’16.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Ben: 2016!

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: I’m running his campaign.

Andrew: Well, Ben and I have to go because we’re actually going to go to a Wizard Rock show. It’s a Potter day for us!

Ben: [singing] Fell in love with a girl at the w-rock show.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Wizard Rock with a W, thank you very much. W-rock.

Andrew: We’re going to go see The Remus Lupins and Ministry of Magic.

Micah: Is that the crazy Voldemort dude?

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Andrew: It is, it is. So we’re looking forward to it.

Ben: He’s not crazy. He’s actually quite a nice guy, Micah.

Andrew: Yeah, he’s cool.

Micah: I meant crazy in a good way. You know, like a cool, hip kind of way.

Andrew: All right, well, if you would like to send something in to our P.O. Box, Ben – no, sorry, Laura, what’s the P.O. Box?

Ben: P.O. Box 223, Moundridge, Kansas – oh wait.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

[Show music begins]

Laura: Oh, my gosh, it’s P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, Georgia, 30028.

Andrew: You can also use the MuggleCast hotline to give us a call. If you’re in the United States you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you’re in the United Kingdom you can dial 02081440677. And if you’re in Australia, you can dial 0280035668. Or Skype the username MuggleCast, but remember, now matter how you call us, just remember to keep your message under 60 seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible. Don’t forget, you can also visit MuggleNet.com/feedback to use our feedback form since we could never get the MuggleCast one working.

Ben: I don’t know why.

Andrew: It’s weird. We gave up.

Ben: It just broke out of the blue, didn’t it?

Andrew: Yeah. These people, these people on the staff. Micah, get that working. You’re senior staff now.

Micah: All right.

Andrew: Responsible.

Micah: Where’s Damon?

Andrew: I think that wraps up the show.

Ben: That wraps – that’s a wrap.

Andrew: And don’t forget the community outlets, but you all know them. The MySpace, the Facebook

Ben: YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, the forums and fanlistings.

Andrew: Follow us on Twitter.

Ben: Twitter.

Andrew: I’m trying to get Ben to Twitter.

Ben: Andrew is so excited for tonight.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Ben: He’s going to go to the w-rock show.

Andrew: I’m going to Tweet that right now. So excited for tonight.

Ben: Laura, are you coming out for the w-rock show?

Laura: Yeah, I’m actually going to go down to BWI as soon as I finish here, and I’ll be there in three hours? Four hours?

Andrew: All right, guys, once again…

Ben: Wrap it up.

Andrew: …I’m Andrew Sims.

Ben: I’m Ben Shoen.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Monfort.

Andrew: Thank you, everyone, for joining us. We’ll see you next time for Episode 161. Buh-bye!

Micah: Bye.

Ben: MuggleCast 160 is in the can.

Laura: Bye!

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: That’s what [unintelligible] said, right?

[Show music ends]


Blooper 1


Andrew: Micah, what’s in the news this week? Hold on, that was bad. That was bad.

Ben: Lay it on me, Micah.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: That’s what she said.


Blooper 2


Andrew: Okay, that’s all. [laughs]

Ben: No. Snape. Snape’s greasy.

Andrew: [unintelligible] What’s going on?

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: What the hell?

[Micah laughs]

Ben: I’m just chilling. I’m having a good time in the MuggleCast news studio.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Actually, that’s in New York. I want to go visit the news center.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Micah, do you have a sweet set-up?

Micah: [laughs] I just – I have a headset and a Macbook. It’s not that exciting.

Ben: Oh. Oh, damn.

Micah: I don’t get the layout that Andrew does with the…

Ben: Well, Andrew has an announcement to make. Andrew, go ahead and tell them.

Andrew: What?

Ben: Andrew’s going to be buying everybody soundboards.

Laura: Oh, really? Great!

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: They’re in the mail, so…


Blooper 3


Andrew: Okay, this last blooper requires a brief set-up. We recorded the episode successfully, and the reason this show was delayed was because we accidentally lost Elysa’s audio. So she had to re-record her voice. So I don’t know if any of you could tell, but when she spoke in this episode, she wasn’t speaking live. She was when we recorded, but we lost her recording, so she had to re-record everything that she said. So this is the little message she attached to the end of her audio file after she finished re-recording and heard the final goodbye of the show. Hope you enjoy.

Elysa: Yes! I’m [bleep] done. Oh, [bleep] on a cracker. Oh, my God, that was painful. Oh, God. God bless you, Andrew. I don’t know if there’s another human being on this planet that could make me do that [bleep]. That was [bleep] ridiculous. Okay. Anyway, this is completely unrelated to the show, so I’m ending this now. Bye!

Transcript #160

MuggleCast 160 Transcript


Andrew’s Disclaimer


Andrew: Hey everyone, this is Andrew, and as you all know by now, the Half-Blood Prince international trailer leaked online this morning, Sunday, October 26th. And so we did a live show, and it went great. The only problem was, we lost – well, we didn’t lose – but I had audio problems. I stupidly put the output into the input and vice versa on the computer that was streaming the stream, so we were having these weird audio problems. But the show did turn out okay, other than it being really low, and that was the problem. That was why it was all messed up, because two wires were crisscrossed the wrong way. So I’m a complete idiot; I admit it. Anyway, so the first couple minutes of the show did not turn out because of how I stupidly set it up – accidentally set it up. The music was too loud… [laughs] …over our voices. And so we’re going to cut into the show just a minute or two in. You didn’t really miss anything in the beginning. It’s just us introducing the co-hosts, and that’s all. But I am going to play the intro music and all that to pretend like nothing ever happened. Although I just spoiled it for you now. Anyway, so that’s why there will be a cut into the show. I’ve talked long enough, so enjoy.


Show Intro


[Intro music plays]

Andrew: See why GoDaddy.com is the number one domain registrar worldwide. Now with your domain registration, you’ll get hosting, a free blog, complete e-mail, and much more. Plus, as a MuggleCast listener, enter code Ron – that’s R-O-N – when you check out, and get your dot com domain name for just $7.49 a year. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com.

MuggleCast Live is just 60 seconds away.

[Music continues]


Special Effects


Eric: No, I’m talking about special effects. One of you guys talking about special effects in this trailer being weird.

Laura: You know, the ones that look like they were made in iMovie.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Well, no, there’s one that really stood out. I don’t know if Laura said it specifically, but it was the one where McGonagall is sending the lightning bolt up into the air.

Eric: I see.

Andrew: That’s the one, right?

Laura: Yeah, it looked really bad.

Andrew: Yeah. It was weird. So, yeah, that was – that was strange.

Eric: I see. Is there any others that stick out as being…

Matt: What is so bad about it? It looks like a lightning bolt.

Eric: And, I mean, I’m looking at this trailer, and I’m seeing Slughorn pulling out his memory, I’m seeing Harry getting covered by Draco with the Invisibility Cloak, all those other crazy stuff that’s really cool, like – even the waves, because, remember, I saw this movie when the effects weren’t anywhere near completed, and the opening cave scene in this international trailer is definitely very, very beautiful, and you guys might not realize, but that’s CGI. That’s pretty much all CGI, so…

Matt: Really?

Eric: Yeah. I have to say that…

Matt: It’s not real?

Eric: …it looks great to me.

Matt: Oh, my God. I thought it was all real. I thought it was real magic.

Eric: The front – I would say the closer you get to the cave, the more it’s actually CGI, because it was completely blue-ed out, or green-ed out, [unintelligible] of the film, so I guess maybe I’m bias, but I’ve seen what they look like uncompleted, that I’m all happy. But Dumbledore battling the fire. You guys want to bitch about that at all?

Andrew: No. That was fine.

Laura: We’re not sitting here saying that every effect in the trailer was terrible. We’re saying there was specific ones that look unfinished. Particularly the lightning one.

Matt: Well, everything…

Laura: I don’t know, I even thought that the whole bit where Slughorn was pulling the memory out, I even thought that looked a little weird. Not that it’s going to be a bad effect when the movie comes out, but I’m saying that I think this trailer wasn’t completed.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Before it was leaked.

Andrew: Micah, and lastly we’ll get to you, what about your thoughts?

Micah: Well, I didn’t even notice the special effects stuff, to be honest with you. I don’t usually pick up on that.

Andrew: Were you just checking out Hermione or something?


The “Chosen One” Scene


Micah: Yeah. Actually, more Lavender Brown, but that’s besides the point right now. The one thing I will say, though, and I’m sure we’ll talk about this a little bit later on, because it’s at the very end of the trailer – I felt that the end of the trailer had absolutely no connection to the rest of the stuff that was going on before it. And it was just a really weird moment to include. It was – it’s kind of an attempt at humor, but the whole trailer leading up to that had nothing to do with humor at all, so that’s just my initial thought on it.

Andrew: Well, here’s the thing. Here’s why I think that the the effects suck. This trailer – well, okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, you don’t suck. But why – first of all, that one cheesy lightning bolt effect, but also the end where it says it’s coming this year.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: This trailer must have been made months ago. It must have been sitting around WB for months. And somebody…

Eric: It’s very mysterious.

Andrew: Somebody who had a hold of it, maybe somebody within WB, said – I mean, look at the amount of news lately in the Harry Potter fandom. There’s nothing. This has seriously been the slowest news period ever. So they – somebody leaks this to put a little, you know, spark into the fandom. Because it’s been dead! There’s been nothing going on. Don’t you guys agree?

Micah: Oh, I don’t agree with that. We have our Ministry of Magic election. [laughs]

Andrew: Well, that – that’s very exciting, but…

Micah: No, I know what you mean. I know what you mean.

Andrew: Yeah. So that’s – that’s what I think.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: What other – Micah, you said you took some notes. What else do you want to talk about related to this?

Micah: Well, I guess we could start at the end, actually, because I still think it – maybe it has to do with the fact that it’s been sitting around WB for so long, perhaps, but I just didn’t feel like that scene at the end with Hermione and Harry and, Eric, you can maybe clue us in to whether this is actually in the real film, but it was, to me, almost like that moment that – and, Laura, I think this is you who always brings this up, but in Goblet of Fire when he walks into the tent and he says, “I love magic.” And for him to be calling himself the Chosen One in kind of a joking way, I just feel like it is one of those lines they just felt they had to throw in there but really does nothing overall to, I guess, advance the plot. I don’t know.

Eric: Yeah. I mean, I think it’s very interesting that you felt that this scene – well, not interesting but it’s cool that you felt that this scene was so out of place in comparison with the rest of the trailer. That’s a good remark that I appreciate and respect. It’s very – it’s, you know – you’re kind of right there, because they even got the voice over guy in on this trailer.

Andrew: He was really in on this trailer. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: [laughs] I don’t recall them doing that in previous trailers with the voice over guy, so that’s really interesting. Even with that and then to have this scene at the end. But as for the scene itself, I think it – I was thinking about it in the hour we had to prep for this show, and I think that it’s moments like that, especially in this movie, are not only okay but important. Because the humor moments, there are more of them, like more – not more “I love magic” moments, because that has a very negative connotation, but there is a relationship – the whole thing is about this girl liking Harry and Harry, you know, starting to clue in on that kind of stuff. And it is a pretty big plot of the book to have the relationships and the romance, and it did kind of get snuck into the end of this trailer alone, which is kind of something I appreciate, but at the same time Micah was right, that it seems out of place. Now, just finally here, the – Harry is accepting his role as the Chosen One, which is what I like about that statement, which is in the movie – that I saw is in the movie, and it was just a moment where it kind of replaces those paragraphs in the book where it’s like, “Harry knew what must be done,” this and that, this and that, angst, death, he must sacrifice himself, etc. He is speaking with Hermione and Hermione alone. He wouldn’t go around Hogwarts, surely, shouting out, “I am the Chosen One!” He’s just with Hermione and says, “Well, but I am the chosen one.” And she slaps him on the head. It’s funny. There was a lot of slapstick in this movie I think, but we’ll get into that later.

Andrew: Yeah. I was – that was really the first time that you see Harry be like, “Yeah, I’m the Chosen One. What’s up? What are you going to do about it?”

Matt: Mhm. I’m going to slap you in the face.

Andrew: Yeah, I really liked that. I thought that was pretty funny.

Matt: Yeah. That was our first time we got to see Romilda Vane.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Matt: Is that who you guys really thought Romilda Vane looked like? Because I thought – I mean, the actress who plays Romilda Vane, she looks – she looks pretty attractive.

Andrew: I never wasted my time trying to picture what she looks like.

Eric: You mean Romilda or Lavender?

Matt: Well, I mean – you mean you never wasted your time picturing the characters you’re reading?

Andrew: Oh yeah, Lavender. Don’t you mean Lavender?

Matt: No, Romilda Vane. The one he’s looking at when he says, “I’m the Chosen One.”

Andrew: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, right. Yeah, that’s not Lavender, Eric.

Eric: Oh! Oh, right.

Laura: She plays such a minimal role anyway. Like, I never really …

Matt: Well, she sort of…

Laura: …put much thought into what she looked like.

Matt: …poisons Ron, so to speak.

Eric: Oh, I don’t think that’s Romilda Vane.

Laura: Eh.

Matt: You don’t think so?

Eric: I actually – I actually don’t. I remember…

Matt: I could have thought I saw a picture of her…

Andrew: It’s not Lavender.

Matt: I didn’t say Lavender.

Andrew: I know, I’m talking to Eric.

Matt: Oh.

Eric: No.

Matt: That’s not – it’s definitely not Lavender.

Eric: It’s not Lavender, but I don’t think it’s Romilda Vane either. I think that was sort of an offhand, pretty, secure girl for this scene. I don’t think it was actually Romilda Vane, because Romilda Vane shows up at some other point. Not in the trailer. But yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think that’s her. But she’s very pretty.

Andrew: Now, Matt, what do you think Hermione slapping him was?

Matt: I think it was the Marauders Map.

Andrew: I’m looking at that now. I mean, why do you think that? It’s not like…

Matt: Because it’s the shape of it.

Andrew: So? Anyone can fold a paper into thirds and be like, “Here’s my Marauders Map.” I don’t think it is.

Matt: Fine. You know what? Just – fine. You didn’t even ask me, you just wanted to…

Laura: And they would say it just like that too.

Matt: You just wanted to – yeah.

Andrew: I just wanted to anger – say you’re wrong.

Matt: Discredit me in front of all the people listening?

Andrew: Yes, exactly.

Matt: Yeah. Shut up.


Dumbledore’s Character


Andrew: Vol – we also see more of Dumbledore talking in here, and he’s saying “I got to ask too much of you again,” and he still has a different tone for me in this movie. Because we talked about this a lot about this with the first teaser trailer. We were saying how – I was saying how he was – something about Dumbledore. He’s just a little extra spark in his – in the tone of his voice. Does any one else agree with that?

Matt: No.

Andrew: Oh.

Matt: I wasn’t really listening to you.

Laura: No.

Kevin: No, I don’t really…

Eric: Sorry, what, Andrew?

Andrew: I was saying that Volde – or Dumbledore seems to have a little extra spark in his – in his tone when he’s talking. It just – it just feels different from past Potter films.

Matt: Hmm.

Eric: I think Michael Gambon read the book on this one.

Andrew: [laughs] Maybe. Somebody should ask him that come premiere time. Did you read the book? Nope! Goodbye. Hmm?

Micah: He’s different than in past films. And it goes back to what Ben was saying, though. You only really have, what, thirty seconds of him in this trailer? To gauge any sort of acting change from the past couple of films?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I don’t really know. I’ll have to see him not have one of his moments where he shook Harry or says something about students going to do his homework. But again, that’s not him. He’s just doing what he’s being told to do by the director, so…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: You can’t really blame Gambon, I guess.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: No, Gambon’s just being Gambon.


Cave Scene


Andrew: What do you think of the exterior for the cave? I mean, that just screams straight out of the book.

Matt: What?

Micah: I think it’s CGI.

Laura: I think it looks fantastic.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It really does.

Matt: Mhm.

Kevin: Yeah, I think it was [unintelligible].


Theme of Trailer: Everything is Set on Fire


Matt: What was with the whole trailer – I mean, the theme of this whole trailer seems to be “everything is set on fire.”

Andrew: There is a lot of – yeah.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Everything’s fire, this movie.

Matt: [laughs] Everything’s up in flames.

Andrew: Yeah. Just to give urgency. That’s true, there’s, like, three different things in this film…

Matt: You see…

Andrew: Or four.

Matt: You see the Burrow on fire like, what, three times?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: And then you see, you know, McGonagall casting a lightning storm, and then you see Hagrid’s Hut being set on fire. And then Dumbledore casting the fire around him.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Just fire, fire, fire.


Theory Continues: Trailer Not Ready for Release


Eric: I’ve been watching this lighting scene that you guys say about McGonagall, and actually, I kind of agree with you here on the lightning effects shot. I kind of wonder – and you guys mentioned the Slughorn pulling the memory thing too – I kind of wonder which of these scenes aren’t – I mean, that was sort of a close up on McGonagall’s hand shooting the lightning. I don’t think that was in the movie. I mean, certainly not as sped up and as fast as it goes by. That’s a very – not slow, but a very impacting scene. It’s not – I think the trailer is definitely – they may have modified some of these shots that you guys are saying is a little bit messed up, because that lightning shot – yeah, you’re right. I totally see where you guys are coming from.

Matt: I – well, see, it doesn’t even look like – I mean, the fact that it looks so fake is probably not really what’s going to come out of her wand in the movie. I think they just added that just because they’re not done with the special effects.

Andrew: Well, I think that’s another sign that this – this trailer was not ready to be released yet. It just screams leak. I mean, that – they don’t have the corny titles like they did with that other teaser trailer.

Kevin: And the date.

Andrew: And the date. That’s huge!

Matt: This year. This year, which is in two months.

Andrew: Here’s the other brilliant thing about this.

Eric: They do have…

Kevin: Unless…

Eric: Okay, go ahead.

Kevin: Unless they meant to release it after December.

Matt: Well, that’s what they mean.

Kevin: I mean, it only says “this year,” right? Yeah, so…

Andrew: Well, yeah. It does, but I don’t know.

Kevin: Were you thinking that they had made it prior to…

Andrew: The delay.

Kevin: …the date being moved?

Andrew: Oh, are you saying they’re planning on releasing it this year?

Kevin: Because I would say that…

Andrew: I mean, they were releasing it next year?

Kevin: Yes, after December. Probably January, yes.

Andrew: Yeah, but see, remember…

Kevin: You don’t agree? Because it would be perfect for a Christmas release, this trailer.

Andrew: Remember that…

Eric: I do agree with Kevin here.

Andrew: Remember, though, that when the trailer initially came out in the U.K. – the first trailer initially came out – in the U.K. it said “this year.” When the first trailer came out initially in the U.K., it said “this year.” It didn’t say “November,” it said “this year.” So…

Kevin: Yeah, but it seems as though knowing what Eric knows about the film, and seeing as they replaced a lot of the CG in the film with this trailer…

Andrew: Yeah.

Kevin: It seems as though, you know, it’s been made since that point – you know, since they had those screenings.

Eric: It does kind of seem like a later thing. You’re right.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And the other thing I noticed they had that they didn’t have before, as far as I recognized, was their take on “Hedwig’s Theme” here. Like the special Movie 6 part of “Hedwig’s Theme.” Unless we’ve heard that particular rendition before, I thought it had a little bit more strings this time around, just at the end of the trailer when “Hedwig’s Theme” was playing. I didn’t think that that was a particular piece of music that had been inserted in the film at that time. I think they were using – David Heyman and them had said they were sort of using other things from previous movies to fill it in until they finalized the score, etc. And I think that particular part of “Hedwig’s Theme” that plays in this trailer is either new or more of the recent [unintelligible]. Or maybe they just put it into this trailer. Regardless, I think I’m with Kevin here that this trailer isn’t actually eight months old as much as it would be just more new, but not to be released yet.

Andrew: Yeah. The other brilliant thing about this…

Micah: I actually agree with Kevin.

Andrew: What? Go ahead, Micah.

Micah: When I first saw the trailer, what I initially thought was that it was being released for next year. And that’s what we were to expect it to maybe come out, like he said, around Christmastime or something like that. I didn’t even think that it was an older piece that had been sitting somewhere in WB Studios.

Andrew: Oh, I think it must have been. Because, it just – it doesn’t feel like the effects are finished. And here’s the other brilliant thing about this: this came out today, Sunday. Whenever something leaks online, whether it’s a picture – we’ve never had something as big as a trailer leak before on the weekend – but when it does leak online, WB doesn’t say anything, because they’re all at home. And so that’s why these things always leak on Friday nights or weekends. Like, I don’t know if everyone remembers, but there was a time where a picture – a new Half-Blood Prince picture was coming out every Friday. And it comes out – it was coming – my guess is it was coming out every Friday because WB doesn’t do anything about it when it’s on the weekend. So, we’ll see what happens tomorrow. I have a feeling – do you guys think they’re going to make everyone take it down?


Will WB Make Them Take it Down?


Kevin: No.

Eric: Probably.

Matt: No, probably not.

Andrew: Probably not?

Laura: I don’t know.

Eric: Everyone who’s seen it is going to see it. Or everyone who’s going to see it has seen it.

Andrew: Yeah, but, you know…

Eric: Or people save it. Everybody save it to your computer.

Andrew: Yeah, I’ve already got it saved. It’s already on YouTube. The wonderful UStream folks added a permanent link to it in the chat so people…

Matt: Yeah, that was really cool.

Andrew: …can reference it. That was cool. Thanks to those guys.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: So… [laughs] …I just don’t know what to think about this.

Matt: Hey, does anybody think that the cliffs remind you a little bit of the opening of The Two Towers in Lord of the Rings when you go through the mountains? Because that’s what I thought when I first saw the trailer.

Kevin: Not really.

Matt: You don’t think so?

Kevin: I didn’t – no, I didn’t really…

Matt: When you kind of go up the mountains?

Kevin: …make the connection.

Matt: Oh, okay. [whispers] Damn.

Eric: It’s been years since I’ve seen the teaser for The Two Towers.

Matt: No, it’s the film itself.

Kevin: The opening of the film itself. Yeah.

Eric: Oh, the film itself? Okay.

Kevin: The opening scene of the movie.

Andrew: Yeah. Micah, I have a question for you.

Eric: Kevin, what was your favorite part of this trailer? Oh, yeah, sorry.

Kevin: I actually…

[Eric laughs]


The Field Scene


Kevin: Well, the scene when they’re running through the field towards the burning hut, is that CG?

Eric: Yeah.

Kevin: Because that’s – when you look at the grass actually moving, it’s impressive.

Eric: Oh.

Kevin: I had a hard time telling…

Eric: Yeah, I…

Kevin: …whether it was real or not.

Eric: The – you mean Harry running through the, what, the field of the Burrow?

Kevin: Yeah. Right.

Eric: Yeah, when he’s running through the grass. Yeah. He’s…

Kevin: Is that, like, 35 seconds?

Eric: He’s running through – I think it’s either – yeah, it’s either a cornfield or something. Let me actually take a look at that. I noticed that too, especially in this trailer. In the movie, he actually does it – in the movie, it lasts longer than that. You see him pretty much just running through. And, yeah, it’s really well done. I don’t know if this particular shot is CG or not. I know it was completed when we saw the movie. But it’s really cool, that sequence, and it’s really well shot. So yeah, I do like it, but I’m not sure if it’s CG. I actually – I want to say it isn’t, because that’s just the feel I get from seeing it.

Andrew: I’m kind of afraid…

Micah: Not to change the subjects real fast…

Andrew: Go ahead.

Micah: Go ahead.

Andrew: I just think – real quick – I just think there’s too much emphasis on this new scene that they added. Like, we’ve seen it, and it’s like half the pictures that come out are the attack on the Burrow. With the – what I am I trying to say? With this new trailer, there’s a few more shots from the Burrow. And it’s just annoying to me.

Matt: Why?

Laura: Yeah, they really have…

Eric: It’s like a…

Laura: …sort of been…

Eric: …big beacon of “Look what we did!” which is kind of uncommon.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. “Look! We have a new scene, and Jo approved it, so it’s awesome!”

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: I mean…

Eric: Well, and I think it’s to remember your own words too, Andrew, that WB has released next to nothing. It has been leaked. And so all these images and stuff from the Burrow that we’ve seen, and all these new trailers that have the Burrow scene in it, I think part of your discomfort has to be due to the leaks, because if Warner Bros. – if we only had what Warner Bros. released, we’d have a lot less stuff, but perhaps it wouldn’t be as “Look at this”-y as it seems.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Because we did see all those shots. Like the individual promo pics of them standing in the doorway and looking out into oblivion…

Andrew: Right.

Eric: …and all that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It is pretty – it’s just, we’ve had so little actual official stills released and everything.

Matt: Yeah.


Andrew is Obsessed with Leaks


Andrew: Yeah. I’m just – like, you – I can’t – sorry, I keep going back to this, but I’m really obsessed with how this leaked. I love leaks. I just don’t think that – what am I trying to say?

Matt: I don’t know.

Andrew: I just – WB had better keep it online. But I have a really strong feeling that we’re going to get an e-mail first thing tomorrow morning that says, “Take it down.” But – okay, whoever released this, though, I think is just a genius. Because there’s nothing going on right now, and the Harry Potter fans needed something. And Alan Horn, in an interview with – I think it was the LA Times – he even admitted. He’s like, “Yeah, we’re going to have to keep the fans excited. We’re going to have to throw them a few extra bones.” But I just – I have a feeling they’ll take this down. Because it may not be up to WB’s standards, this trailer.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So.

Eric: So, wait, Kevin. What’s your favorite point of this trailer?

Kevin: I don’t really know. I mean, see, I sort of judge the trailer as a whole. I wouldn’t say there’s a favorite particular scene, just because we’ve never saw a single scene long enough to….

Andrew: Yeah.

Kevin: …say, “Oh, that’s amazing.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Kevin: It would be insulting to try and choose one and then have it turn out to be terrible in the film.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Kevin: Because, of course, they’re going to show you what they consider is the best piece of the scene. So you’re sort of misled.

Eric: The most fitting, yeah.


Quidditch in the Film


Matt: Is anybody excited about seeing Quidditch in this movie now…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: …that we’ve actually seen it?

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: There’s a quick glimpse.

Matt: Because it looks pretty cool. It looks more up-scale. Like you only saw a second of it, but just they way it looks, it looks like they put more into it.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, I mean they’ve had a couple years now to develop the CG technology for this, so hopefully, you know, with today’s advances in technology, it’s better looking Quidditch than ever.

Eric: You’re not watching sort of a kid’s movie with Quidditch in it, but you’re watching a more teenage movie or adult movie with Quidditch in it, and the whole tone of the movie being – you know, it’s good to have Quidditch back. It really is. And with the new effects and everything, you know, the newest and most up-to-date take on that sport, and it’s good to have a back. It looked great.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: And, you know, with the – the Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets Quidditch was good, but it always bothered me how you could see the blue from the blue screen – or it was green – reflecting off their faces. Wasn’t it really obvious?

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And I’d love to get that on Blu-Ray, because it would be even more obvious that – yeah.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: So bad. Am I right or am I right?

Matt: You mean when Harry’s sitting on the floor in the grass and then everybody runs in the studio?

Andrew: Exactly. Yeah, exactly. [laughs] Yeah, runs in the studio.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. So hopefully that should be improved. And that’s something they should really hype up with this film, because people like coming to movies to see action like Quidditch.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: You know how every year they’re always hyping up the [with a British accent] “Oh it’s darker than ever. I know I say this year, but it’s our best one yet.”

Matt: Why’d you use – who are you making fun of?

Andrew: It’s basically any Harry Potter actor.

Matt: Oh, okay.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Micah, what other notes do you have from the thing? Or anyone, for that matter? Is there anything that really tickled your funny bone?


Dumbledore’s Hand


Micah: I was going to say, what did you guys think about – and it looked to me like it was messed up – Dumbledore’s hand, when he was working it on the cave wall?

Andrew: Working it on the cave wall? Is that what you said?

Matt: Well, wasn’t he smearing blood on it though? Isn’t that what was kind of awkward?

Eric: Yeah, let me take a look here.

Micah: No, no. His hand looks like is has some sort of deterioration on it.

Matt: Oh.

Eric: Oh yeah, that is his hand that he does. Yeah, that’s an effect. That’s an effect.

Micah: So is that supposed to be his black hand?

Andrew: Yeah, must be.

Laura: Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Eric: Well, you see it better in the beginning of the movie.

Matt: It’s his right or left hand?

Eric: It’s his right hand, which is why, when they’re…

Andrew: Is it?

Eric: …side-along Apparating in this trailer, he’s holding out his left hand.

Matt: Right.

Eric: Yeah, that’s his – that’s his messed up hand.

Kevin: Oh yeah. You can – when he’s making the fire you can sort of see it as well. That’s his right hand as well.


Memories are Painful to Pull Out


Matt: Why do they make it always so painful to pull out a memory for the Pensieve?

Andrew: To make it look more interesting!

Matt: I know, but, I mean, Jim Broadband looks like he’s giving birth or something when he’s pulling out the memory…

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: “Oh my God! Oh!”

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Maybe Slughorn’s multitalented there.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Maybe he can do two things at once. He’s concentrating.

Matt: “I pulled the wrong one!” [laughs]

Andrew: Well, when something’s leaving…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …your body, no matter what it is, you can’t help but, you know. Or is that just me?

Matt: No.

Andrew: And Jim Broadband.

Eric: It’s just you.

Laura: Wow, Andrew. I think you need to stop.

Andrew: You can’t help but – okay. Maybe too much. TMI.

Laura: Yeah.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Oh, I didn’t even hear what you said and I said it was just you, so if that was disgusting, I take it back.


WB Closes its Doors on the Weekends


Andrew: For anyone just joining us, there is close to 600 people listening right now. It’s 1:30 and we’re talking about the just released, international Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince trailer that leaked. And we’ll be offline quickly and swiftly tomorrow with a statement from WB. This is going to be in the press tomorrow. You guys realize that, right?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: No.

Andrew: “Trailer leaks, fans react.”

Eric: It’s amazing that we have…

Micah: I don’t see what the big deal is.

Matt: I mean, the fact that they haven’t taken it down from the website yet and it’s been up for, what…

Andrew: Because it’s the weekend. This is the brilliance.

Eric: Oh, come on. They have 24-hour e-mail.

Andrew: No, they don’t. They don’t.

Matt: They close the doors, the entire company.

Andrew: I am telling you, whenever a picture or something leaks, they don’t react until Monday. That’s why this stuff comes out on the weekends, so they don’t take it down.

Eric: But we haven’t seen them react.

Andrew: What?

Matt: But if a major…

Andrew: Hold on.

Matt: …film is leaked, and the trailer is leaked, no one’s going to run the office and…

Andrew: Yeah, they’re all going to be like…

Matt: It’s like, oh my God, this is leaked! Okay, but tomorrow I’m going to tell them.

Kevin: What do you do on the weekends? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m not on my work computer…

Andrew: Exactly!

Kevin: …watching what’s going on.

Andrew: They’re not going to drive into work, sit down, and be like, you know…

Kevin: The last thing they’re going to want to look at is stuff involving their trade, because they’ve just spent five days doing that.

Andrew: Five days…

Micah: Don’t you think they have offices open on the weekends? Somewhere Warner Brothers has an office open right now.

Eric: I’m sure…

Matt: This is stupid to think that they don’t right now, have somebody in that office on the weekends, just taking phone calls or something.

Andrew: I am telling you, we will see something about this tomorrow but not today. Guarantee you.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Just based on what has happened.

Micah: Let’s get back to the trailer.

Matt: Yeah, okay. All right.

Andrew: I’m sorry. I’m obsessed with this whole thing.

Micah: I have a question.

Andrew: What?


Draco Scene


Micah: I actually have a couple of questions about this trailer, but the first one was, what is Draco pulling that sheet off of? Is that…

Matt: I think that’s the cabinet. I think it might be the cabinet.

Eric: You got a time stamp for me, Micah?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Because I was thinking that too.

Micah: You actually have to get it just right, because it’s like a flash scene; it goes really quick.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: What’s the time code?

Micah: I don’t know. It’s right where – maybe a scene…

Matt: Oh, it’s 42 seconds.

Micah: Or at 42 seconds.

Matt: Yeah. It’s so – it’s so Chronicles of Narnia too. “I’m just going to pull this drape very angrily – pull it down.”

Andrew: I don’t – I don’t see it at 42 seconds. At 42 seconds?

Micah: It’s very soon after they show Draco in front of the Room of Requirement saying something about evil.

Matt: It’s so at 42 seconds! You guys just have to look.

Eric: Yeah, it – at first I thought it was Voldemort coming down somewhere, but it is the curtain on the wardrobe that he’s…

Kevin: Oh, I see. Yeah.

Eric: It’s the curtain of the – the thing that has twins.

Micah: Vanishing Cabinet?

Eric: Yeah, thank you.

[Eric and Kevin]

Eric: The Vanishing Cabinet.

Andrew: So yeah, that’s probably the Vanishing Cabinet. Matt’s trying to show it to me. Forget it, it’s okay. I must have a different trailer.

Matt: Yours is different.

Andrew: I think I have the third trailer. Okay, what else? What else?


The Flashbacks


Micah: Were you guys kind of upset with the Voldemort flashbacks? I know none of us were really big on flashbacks…

Andrew: Again? [laughs]

Matt: Well, yeah, this is like their thing.

Laura: Haven’t we done this like three times now?

Andrew: Yeah. Laura…

Eric: It’s because Voldemort’s not in this movie.

Matt: Yeah, but what’s with the snake? The snake coming at you and attacking you. Did you see that?

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Matt: Nagini just turning around and going “Ahh!”

Eric: Goodness!

Andrew: Yeah, there’s the snake from Order of the Phoenix, I think.

Matt: Yeah, it’s the fiery snake, and then right after it the real snake coming out…

Andrew: The real snake.

Matt: I seem to think it might be Harry recollecting what Horcruxes Dumbledore is telling him. Like every time he says it, there’s this little thing all by itself, and then comes Nagini, and then she attacks, and it’s just – or not.

Andrew: One thing I just really – got to me about Order of the Phoenix, and I’ve said it before, is the flashbacks. Laura do they bother you too? Are you concerned?

Laura: Yeah, they – I just remember, I think it was when the Order of the Phoenix trailer came out, and we were like pausing it frame-by-frame and finding all the Goblet of Fire flashbacks…

Andrew: Yeah.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: So it’s like, come on, guys.

Eric: Yeah, there was a scene from the graveyard that was in that one. I – but it’s good because I think it – I think that people know that the flashbacks upset people.

Matt: They didn’t use as much, though, in this one.

Eric: There is not flashbacks in Movie 6. I mean, there is not these – and there’s not – like montages is the other thing I said. Like during Dumbledore’s Army in Movie 5, you know how they had the passage of time through montages?

Andrew: Yes.

Eric: That is done differently in this movie. There aren’t those sort of things with giddy music playing.

Andrew: From newspaper to newspaper and like zooming in and out.

Eric: Yeah, so it’s same director and different sort of techniques employed here. There is some really good – like Kevin mentioned in the cornfield, Harry running through the field, there is some of those really cool shots just to look at, and one of them is when Harry first arrives at the Burrow. There’s a great, in my opinion, what looks like a great shot, but – I won’t say more, but there are some really cool visuals in this movie that don’t necessarily have to do with the special effects.

Andrew: Yeah.


Scene Pays Homage to U.S. Book Cover


Matt: There’s this one clip in the trailer that I thought was really cool, because it was kind of like an homage to the book cover – the U.S. book cover in Half-Blood Prince – is when Ron and Hermione are looking up together. They’re looking up at something, and it looks – it’s almost exactly like the way the drawings of Ron and Hermione are looking up in the back cover.

Laura: Oh, yeah!

Andrew: What?

Matt: You know what I’m talking about, Laura?

Laura: Yeah, you’re right. There’s – on the back of the Half-Blood Prince cover, there’s…

Matt: It’s 39 seconds in the teaser.

Laura: …Ron, Hermione and Ginny. And they’re all looking up.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah! It’s almost exactly the same. I didn’t even notice that.

Matt: Yeah, I just paused it, and then it looks right – I just saw it.

Kevin: What’s the time?

Andrew: It’s – see…

Matt: 39 seconds.

Andrew: See, it’s not 39. This frame you’re talking about right?

Matt: No.

Andrew: Oh.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Oh, but – that’s not from the – come on!

Matt: Yeah – no it does!

Andrew: Come on!

Laura: It does look like it.

Matt: I love it how I have a revelation or something, and Andrew always tries to mark it down because he didn’t think of it first.

Andrew: I could go…

Matt: “No, it’s not true! No, you’re stupid.”

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: I could go through the first five movies and show thirty million more times where they’re looking up like that.

Matt: Okay. I expect to see them at the end of the day.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh. Someone do that for me, please, thank you.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Okay, I see what you mean. I see what you mean. They’re just ripping off Twilight now. Robert Pattinson [unintelligible] the apple with his hands. [laughs]

Matt: Don’t bring this up! Don’t. Don’t bring this up at all. I swear.

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: Okay, so what else? Micah or Laura?

Laura: Um…

Andrew: I didn’t really have time to take notes. I was preparing for the show.


Overall, Laura is Appreciative


Laura: I don’t know. I just really appreciate seeing more of the cave.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Seeing the exterior, I was pretty impressed by that. And also seeing Dumbledore’s hand was really great, and just like, as the wall fell away sort of, as he was – as he was touching it. It was exactly as I imagined it from the book.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Or what little we’ve seen of it, so I’m pretty impressed by that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah.


In the Cave


Micah: What about that scene where Harry is firing a spell…

Matt: I was just going to say that! In the cave?

Micah: Yeah. What was that?

Eric: I’m looking now.

Matt: Isn’t that when he says, “Accio” or something? And then one of the Inferi go up inside – you know, arise out of the lake and then go back down?

Eric: Do you have a time stamp?

Matt: [whispers] No, I don’t.

Andrew: Do you have a time stamp?

Micah: I just took notes. I didn’t pay any attention to the time stamp.

Andrew: Oh, yeah. Well, that’s important too. [laughs] But sort of going off what Laura was saying, it’s more clear than ever that, no pun intended, that he’s standing on ice, it seems, when he’s at the…

Eric: Crystals, not ice.

Laura: No, not ice.

Eric: Not ice at all.

Andrew: Okay, crystals.

Laura: They’re crystals.

Eric: It looks more like – it’s crystals. It’s a crystal cave.

Andrew: You’re a crystal cave.

Micah: Aren’t they called – aren’t there specific names for things like that…

Andrew: Kryptonite?

Micah: …in top of caves, or that come up from the bottom?

Andrew: Oh.

Eric: Stalactites and stalagmites…

Laura: Stalagmite.

Eric: The difference is that stalagmite’s got an “m” in it. But, yeah, no. They are different than that. They aren’t – stalactites and stalagmites are made from like deposits…

Kevin: Oh, and the time is 57.

Eric: 50 seconds for what?

Kevin: 57 seconds for Harry firing off that spell.

Eric: Oh, thank you. I’ll take a look at that.

Kevin: And it shows the crystals as well.

Micah: Well, we might as well ask our own expert who’s seen the film so he can tell us exactly what…

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: …I’m asking about.

Matt: Eric? At a minute and like nine seconds into the trailer, right before you see the Harry Potter logo, you see Harry look shocked or something. Is that when he witnesses Dumbledore dying?

Eric: Hang on. Okay, first…

Matt: Oh, it’s a minute and ten seconds.

Eric: Harry throwing the – the 57 seconds – Harry throwing the spell.

Matt: No, no, no, no. At a minute and ten – oh sorry. Are you talking about something else?

Eric: I’m talking about the first thing that you mentioned. Yeah, that is him casting – I believe it’s lumos, actually, like he’s trying to see what’s over there. Or it’s accio. But he is – I’m pretty sure it’s one of those two. But yeah, that scene casting a spell is very well done too, because you see, in that shot that they show part of here, you see how deep the cave is, which is a really cool effect. Now, what is it? 1:10?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Oh. That is around that scene that you guessed.

Matt: That I guessed? Oh geez. We don’t want to spoil people.

Eric: That’s around that scene.


Bellatrix Dancing


Andrew: Hey, I just found something I thought was really cool. At a minute three. My time codes are messed up, but when they’re – when the fire’s on Hagrid’s hut, Bellatrix is like dancing up and down.

Matt: Yeah. Raising her arms up, conjuring it.

Laura: You know what? It kind of reminded me of Twilight a little bit.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: [gasps] Don’t bring it up!

Laura: I hate to bring that in, but…

Andrew: Why? Why does it remind you of it?

Laura: Wasn’t there that one part where they had the vampires, and they were sort of dancing around something that was on fire?

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Laura: I remember a clip and I was like, “Oh my God. Why? Why?”

Andrew: That’s just really cool, because Bellatrix is just crazy like that. And that reminds me of in Order of the Phoenix when she’s running through the corridor of the Ministry of Magic just going, “I killed Sirius,” or whatever.

Matt: Mhm.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: That’s just her craziness right there shining through again.

Eric: She is dancing up and down.

Andrew: I can’t wait to see that.

Matt: It’s going to be awesome seeing Bellatrix act all crazy with fire in her eyes.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: There was another shot of her in this trailer, too, though. She looked like she was fighting on the grounds of Hogwarts.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: In an attack…

Matt: I think she was in the Great Hall, I think.

Andrew: Where was that? What’s the time code?

Eric: It looks like it’s in the Great Hall.

Matt: Well, there’s a photo of her doing that, too.

Andrew: Oh, I see that. Yeah, that’s definitely the Great Hall.

Matt: Why is she in the Great Hall?

Eric: But her jumping up and down in front of Hagrid’s hut is hilarious.

Matt: Well, they have a photo of her on top of a table like shouting and laughing, too.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: So maybe she’s fighting somebody in the Great Hall. I mean, there is a scene in the book. It’s kind of a big scene where she is fighting.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Of course, apparently, they’re cutting it.


Back to the Burrow Scene


Andrew: Is like the only action at the Burrow? Because it’s just all this Burrow stuff. It’s like Burrow, Burrow, Burrow.

Eric: No, the Burrow’s not the only scene of action.

Matt: There is snogging.

Eric: The Burrow, if anything – to be honest, the Burrow is an interesting scene, but it’s not one of the biggest scenes in the movie. I mean, it’s not – as far as the interesting things in the movie, the Burrow scene is not sort of what they put all their money into. It’s very interesting that they constructed the scene. It serves several different purposes, but, yeah, it’s not like the big fight scene or anything like that.

MuggleCast 160 Transcript (continued)


Draco/Harry Train Scene


Matt: Mhm. You know, I’ve been noticing – is it just me or when Draco throws the Invisible Cloak over Harry, the Cloak seems a lot more lighter than that fifty pound cloak that he’s had in the previous films.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: Because it looks more silhouette and satin.

Eric: And part of that is, too, because the thing’s in high speed, too, but…

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: …that is a little bit high speed. But I like that they had that, because the Draco – actually, the Draco/Harry train scene is one of the completely completed scenes as far as I could tell from the movie when I was watching it, and that’s just a great scene with Harry and Draco on the train. I remember reading that and thinking it was going to be so great. And in the movie it is.

Matt: Well, it was one of the first scenes that they shot. I mean, we got that as a teaser back in November of last year, I think it was.

Eric: Aha.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah. It went with the Order of the Phoenix extra behind the scenes of the Half-Blood Prince stuff. It was like Quidditch and this scene right here.

Eric: Oh yeah. I got that third disc because Mikey B. told me where to get it, and I got it.

Matt: Mhm. At Target. Always get your DVDs at Target.

Eric: At Target, yeah.

Matt: Right, Laura?

Laura: Yeah.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Go ahead, Micah.


Snape and Greyback Scenes Combined?


Micah: Well, one of the other things I had down here was it seems like they combined two scenes when Harry says, “Fight back, you coward.”

Matt: Uh-huh.

Micah: It looks like the first part of the scene he’s chasing after, what I assume, would be Snape and Draco in a forest area, but then it immediately switches over to the Burrow…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: …when it looks like Ginny’s being attacked by Greyback. And the way that they did it, it looks like the phrase comes out of his mouth during the Burrow scene as opposed to when he’s chasing…

Eric: Oh yeah.

Micah: …Snape.

Eric: That’s incredible notes. No. Yeah, that’s incredible notes, and they did montage that just in this trailer.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: They combined it, because they’re trying to show so many things at once. When he says, “Fight back, you coward,” that is from the end of the movie when he’s chasing Snape. It’s not from the Burrow scene when he’s defending Ginny. That’s – they are two separate scenes. They’re not – it doesn’t happen at the same time. But it looks like it does, because…

Micah: Does he say it twice, or is it just the way that they did it?

Eric: No, he doesn’t say it twice. Just the way they did it, they’ve taken – they show you the Burrow scene – I’m taking a look here. They show the wardrobe going up in flames, Snape going through the Great Hall, Harry running down the hill saying, “Fight back, you coward,” from the end of the film, and then they immediately show at one minute and five seconds – it’s about right after the minute – this whole thing happens. They show him running through the field casting a spell to protect Ginny against Fenrir Greyback, I believe that is, but I’m not sure. I’m not sure about that.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: You saw the film.

Eric: I know.

[Matt laughs]

Eric: But I…

Micah: [laughs] How are you not sure?

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Eric: They make it clear in the movie, but I’m – where I have it paused at the moment isn’t lit up at all.


Greyback


Micah: Well, I was going to ask you about him too, because he didn’t really look like how I pictured Fenrir Greyback.

Eric: The actor, or do you mean like a promo pic that you saw?

Micah: No, in this trailer.

Andrew: In this trailer, yeah.

Eric: Oh, if that is him, or…

Andrew: No that’s him.

Micah: Yeah.

Eric: Okay.

Andrew: He’s just saying, it doesn’t look like how he pictured, right? I thought he looked better in the first trailer, but maybe it’s just the shot, because we’re kind of far away from him in this trailer. Isn’t that right, Micah?

Eric: And it’s head on, so you don’t see his hair or anything like that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: I can’t see his hair. It could be the shot.


Time of Day for Cave Scene


Matt: Hey, is it me – I don’t remember this – what time of the day it happened, but wasn’t the cave scene a little darker when they – outside, wasn’t it a little later in the day, or was it still daylight outside?

Eric: No, in the book it was – it was sunset, dusk. Wait, dusk?

Matt: Yeah, because it seems like it’s one in the afternoon when we see the clip.

Eric: This is interesting because in the – in the – [laughs] You forgot to account for Daylight Savings Time.

Matt: Oh, that’s right, yeah. Seven hours forward and six hours back, or something like that, right?

Eric: Yeah. Actually, that’s interesting. This is – you know what? You guys are totally right here. This is a day shot – daytime shot of the cave. In the movie, the shot – hang on, let me watch this. Let me watch the crawling towards the – wow! There is a…

[Andrew laugh]

Eric: It’s definitely darker in the movie.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: It’s darker in there.

Matt: You think they just added it just to put an effect on it to make it look night outside?

Eric: This seems like – hang on. Yeah, this seems like a daytime shot, but when they go, it is dusk when they are heading there at night, so that’s really interesting, because it looks like they did this shot just for the trailer or…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: Oh wait! Wait, I could be wrong. There is a daytime shot of the cave, but…

Andrew: Yeah, duh.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Thanks to Kristen for the tip! LOL.

Eric: Well, yeah, but regardless, when they do go to the cave…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: When Dumbledore and Harry do go to the cave, it’s at night.

Andrew: I see.


Back to the Lightning Bolt


Matt: Oh, nevermind on that thing I said about McGonagall’s lightning thing was just an add in. It’s actually in the movie. I forgot.

Micah: Can I…

Matt: Because you can see the lightning going in the sky in the previous shot.

Micah: I know I’m a really bad trailer watcher, obviously… [laughs] …but I thought it was Hagrid that was doing that.

Matt: You know, I thought it at first, and then I slowly…

Eric: Looks like it.

Matt: …looked at it…

Andrew: Doing what?

Matt: …frame-by-frame.

Andrew: Doing what? The lightning bolt?

Matt: The lightning bolt, yeah.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Matt: Yeah, it’s on 16 seconds.

Eric: You guys didn’t really talk about that with the shot being weird, because, like…

Micah: Is that in the movie?

Eric: No. It’s – I mean, what do you mean?

Matt: The lightning going in the sky from McGonagall?

Andrew: What is she doing there? Is she casting a spell on the clouds over the Great Hall or something?

Eric: No. Yeah, I don’t think that scene is in the movie. Just the way the camera…

Andrew: Oh, that’s good. I’m glad they played it in the trailer.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Eric: It’s something – I mean, honestly, that particular shot, I thought it was zoomed in. I thought it was something else. It’s just messed up, the way it looks a little bit different. But no, that’s not anything I can think of.

Andrew: Maybe you blinked while it happened in the movie, because it is pretty quick.

Eric: Dude, that scene in the movie where they’re all together on the grounds of Hogwarts is, like, five minutes long; I didn’t blink.

Matt: Mhm. Maybe she was just destroying the Death Mark in the sky.

Andrew: Dark Mark?

Matt: Yeah, that’s what I said. Did I say Death Mark? Yeah, Dark Mark, sorry.

Andrew: Yeah. So, what else, guys? What else?

Matt: Well, I mean…

Andrew: We’re going to pick this apart until there’s nothing…

Eric: Micah had a ton of notes. That was good.

Andrew: Oh, Micah, do you still have more, or what?

Micah: No. I mean, I think we really hit the main questions that I had and talked about some of the stuff that I had written down, so…


That Dumbledore Quote


Matt: That quote that Dumbledore keeps saying, “I must ask too much of you, Harry.”

Andrew: Yeah, what’s up with that? I mean…

Matt: I don’t know. “I must ask to much of you, Harry. I need you to go to Lens Crafters and get my glasses, because I seem to have forgotten them.”

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: “My half-moon spectacles need new lenses.”

Laura: But they always do that with these movies.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: They always do that. They always pick one…

Eric: [as Dumbledore] “Eternal glory!”

Laura: …phrase.

Matt: [as Harry] “But I am the Chosen One.”

Laura: And they repeat it over and over again.

Eric: [as Dumbledore] “Incontrovertible.” “Eternal glory!”

Andrew: I kind of wish he was around in Movie 7, just so he could be like, “Seriously, this time I’m going to ask way too much of you, but just bear with me.”

[Eric laughs]

Matt: “I’m seriously going to tell you everything, I swear. It’s the last time I’m going to talk to you.”


Dumbledore’s Place in Movie 7: Part I and II


Eric: Just from, like, all the stuff that they have to show about Dumbledore in Movie 7, it’s going to be pretty cool. Like, I mean, Michael Gambon, it’s not just they’re going to cast him back for one scene. I’m pretty sure that they’ll show lots of Michael Gambon in Movie 7. Don’t you guys think? I mean…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: …with all the back story with Dumbledore being the overlying theme, don’t you think they’ll show a few more scenes than just the Kings Cross? I think Michael Gambon will appear plenty.

Micah: They have so much they need to fit in that I don’t know if there’s going to be time for flashbacks.

Eric: They have two movies.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Yeah, but they still have a lot to fit in those two movies. That’s my point.

Matt: They do, actually.

Eric: Yep.

Matt: It’s going to be too much. So what do you guys think of his haircut? [laughs]

Laura: [laughs] Really, Matt?

Matt: Sorry, I was trying to change the subject.

Micah: Who are we talking about even?

Matt: Oh, I was talking about Harry.

Micah: Oh.


The Burrow’s Location


Matt: Does it seem just a little bit weird that the Burrow – has it changed its location at all from Movie 2 that we’ve seen?

Laura: Yeah, it is different. Or at least the scenery around it is different.

Matt: Like the aerial shot of the Burrow up in flames. Like how…

Laura: Because I don’t remember it being in the middle of a cornfield. [laughs]

Micah: [laughs] Yeah.

Andrew: I didn’t either.

Matt: How are they going to make it – are they going to show them fixing the Burrow at the end of the movie or something, like in Batman Begins? Because they go to the Burrow…

Laura: No. The Weasleys are homeless now, Matt.

Matt: Huh?

Laura: The Weasleys are homeless now. It’s gone.

Matt: All right. Yeah, the Weasleys are homeless. Do they have a wizard Y.M.C.A.?

Laura: Oh my God.

Eric: I think the Burrow was always in a fielded area, just perhaps not with – like, I think this is…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: …a different side of the house, perhaps, because they’ve got the…

Laura: But the whole thing is surrounded.

Eric: But it looks like the greenhouse…

Micah: Well, wasn’t the point so that it could allow for the Death Eaters to sneak up on it? Isn’t that why they created more of that cornfield-like surrounding?

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, I think so.


Trailer Created by Pyros


Matt: I’m just so ticked off they burnt the house.

Micah: Man, this trailer is like a pyro’s…

Laura: Yeah. And remember…

Matt: I know, seriously. Someone really liked fire during this trailer.

Micah: Yeah.

Matt: Someone had a lighter or something with them. “Ooh, fire. Ooh, do we have any more fire scenes? I just want to add just a couple more. Just a couple more. Because the fire looks so good.”

Andrew: There will [makes swooshing sound] be [makes swooshing sound] fire [makes swooshing sound]!

Matt: Fire!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: That’s Laura’s joke. I just stole it from her.

Laura: Aw, thanks for crediting me.

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: No, I was…

Eric: I think the code name for this show was Incendio.

Andrew: What, Laura?


Back to the Burrow


Laura: Right. I was going to say, in regards to the change in scenery around the Burrow, this isn’t the first time they’ve done this. I mean, remember they moved Hagrid’s hut and completely changed how that looked between the second and third film.

Andrew: Mhm. We asked them that at the…

Kevin: It’s because they can’t agree on it.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: The third and fourth and fourth and fifth.

Kevin: We tried it your way. Now let’s put the Burrow in a field.

Andrew: Yeah. It’s like they draw out of a hat each time. We asked them…

Eric: I think it’s recognizable though.

Andrew: We asked them…

Laura: It looks like Kansas.

Andrew: [laughs] We asked them at the Order of the Phoenix premiere why they changed it, and I think it was David Heyman who gave us an answer, but now I’m forgetting what it was. [laughs]

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: It was something about they just…

Laura: It was probably B.S.

Andrew: It’s just one of those things, I think, with filming locations and what kind of filming locations they’re working with, with that film in particular.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: The only thing that would make sense, though, would be that they moved it because – at least in Prisoner of Azkaban – you had to have a way that they could get back to the hut through time without sort of really running into each other or anybody else.

Andrew: Yeah. So it depends on some of the film. Right?

Micah: You know what I mean?

Andrew: Yeah, totally.

Micah: Because if they had left it where it was, it would seem almost impossible that they wouldn’t run into anybody else going across that courtyard.

Andrew: That’s very good point.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, because it was like a straight, flat-grounded courtyard with no overgrowth or anything, and…

Micah: Right.

Eric: I mean, you guys brought up the point, too, that, yeah, as of the third movie there was a lot of – a lot more terrain, actually, involved in the whole thing, which made a lot of sense and also complemented some of the filming locations they had for…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: …all the different, you know – Hagrid’s hut was on a hill in Glencoe, or whatever. And they had to show the trio walking down the steps as part of the sequence of getting there…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …as opposed to just walking, you know, through a tunnel.

Andrew: Wouldn’t it be funny if, in Movie 7, Parts I and II had different locations for Hagrid’s hut? [laughs]

Eric: Sure. That’d be funny.

Andrew: But yeah, Micah, I think you bring up a good point. And actually, the location in Prisoner of Azkaban kind of made it even scarier, that it was so open. Because they were like, “Oh my God. Somebody must see them.”

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: That was just my humble opinion.

Matt: Yeah. Mhm. Okay, yeah.

Andrew: So. Should we start taking calls now? Because we’re fifty minutes in, we’re here live.

Matt: Yeah!

Andrew: I want to go to Disney today…

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: …and see the new High School Musical parade. So…

Laura: Oh my God. You are a tool.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Whoa! Hey!

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Yes. I love you, Laura.

Andrew: Whoa. That’s mean. Let’s give everyone the number. The number should be working, although surprisingly, I haven’t seen any phone calls. We want your questions from, you know, relating to the Half-Blood Prince trailer. If there’s anything you saw in it. We’ll take questions for a few minutes and then we’ll wrap things up for today. Let’s take the first call now from – oh. Or not. And that’s what happens when you hang up as soon as – hold on. There we go. Getting a call now. See, this is what happens. I should’ve just said – oh, and there goes Skype. So, Matt, why don’t you do a dance for us while I re-launch Skype?

Matt: All right. [singing] High School Musical sucks, High School Musical sucks. How’s that?

Andrew: That’s good.

Matt: Okay. All right, so – wait. What happened? Why is it only us?

Andrew: Skype crashed.

Matt: Oh. Skype crashed. Oh, beautiful Skype. I love you, Skype.


Call 1: Dumbledore’s Hand


Andrew: It’s coming back up now. Skype should really – let’s take a call now. Oh, did they go away? Skype really needs to come up with a good podcasting program. Hello, John.

Matt: John?

Caller: Yeah?

Andrew: John Rogan. Hi, you’re on MuggleCast Live. What’s up?

Caller: Oh.

Andrew: How about that?

Caller: Nothing.

Matt: Yeah.

Caller: How are you? [laughs]

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: I’m good, how are you? Were you expecting us to answer your call?

Caller: No.

Andrew: Okay. [laughs]

Caller: No, this is a little – a little weird.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Matt: You got a question or something, John?

Caller: [laughs] Not really. I always get mad at people when they call in and they don’t have a question, but…

Andrew: Oh.

Caller: …I called in, and I don’t really have a question.

Matt: Well…

Andrew: Karma. It’s something, isn’t it?

Matt: …what do you think about the trailer?

Andrew: Yeah, what are your thoughts? As a fan? As a fan? What are your thoughts?

Caller: You know, I thought it was pretty nice. You know, everything looked pretty cool, like the cave. I really liked that, except for Dumbledore’s hand…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …is kind of weird.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah, the hand is kind of weird. It’s kind of black.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: Yeah, it wasn’t how I pictured it.

Andrew: No, most definitely not.

Caller: I kind of pictured it as a Dumbledore hand.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Mhm.

Caller: Or, not as a Dumbledore hand, as a – like a Dementor hand.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: Black like that.

Matt: Oh, like skeletal?

Eric: Ooh, that’s really necrosed.

Andrew: Maybe it was for Halloween when they planned on this coming out for November.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh, owned. I need to think – we need to do something on MuggleNet on the day it was supposed to come out. Like, sort of like a…

Eric: Yeah, what, advertise Twilight?

Andrew: …a funeral in a ways. Huh? No, no, no. No.

Laura: Yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. Let’s do it.

Andrew: [laughs] Advertise Twilight? No. No, just sort of like a – I don’t know, something clever, like a – not a funeral, but – I don’t know. It should just be “Watch an HP Movie Day,” or something like that.

Matt: Yeah.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: Or we should put up a fake news story saying the entire film has leaked.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: Well, now it’s – now we can’t.

Eric: That would be – yeah. Are we hurting or helping the fandom if we do that?

Matt: Mmm.

Andrew: Mmm.

Matt: Let’s just make a spoof.

Andrew: Saddening.

Matt: Let’s make a spoof video of the movie.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Let’s just all fly out to England and just make one.

Andrew: Okay. Cool. All right, well, John, thank you for calling. We have lots of people calling in, so we’re going to get to some other questions.

Caller: Can I ask another question?

Andrew and Matt: Sure.

Caller: Are you going to have any other MuggleCasters on tonight?

Andrew: No…

Matt: No.

Andrew: …I’m afraid. No. Who are you looking for?

Caller: I don’t know. Maybe Jamie, maybe Ben.

Andrew: Jamie or Ben. Hmm.

Matt: Who is Jamie and Ben?

Andrew: Well, we can try giving them a call in a little bit, I guess. Ben was actually on MuggleCast Episode 160 that we recorded last weekend. However…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …we are having audio problems with one of the audio files right now, and we’re anxiously awaiting receiving that audio file. It wasn’t Ben’s fault. He was actually here in the MuggleCast studio with me, and it was fun. So we’ll have that episode out eventually, but yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Caller: Okay, and one more thing…

Andrew: Okay.

Caller: …if it’s okay.

Andrew: Yeah, go ahead.

Caller: Do you need – are you going to be using – need transcribers for Imprint?

Andrew: Maybe, but you know what? E-mail us and we’ll let you know.

Matt: Yeah. We don’t really know yet.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: All right.

Andrew: All right. Thank you, John.

Caller: All right, thank you for taking my call.

Andrew: No problem. Goodbye.

Matt: Bye.


Call 2: Scene at End of Trailer


Andrew: There’s John, who had some questions about Imprint and several other things. We’re taking a call now from Sylvie. Hello, Sylvie.

Andrew and Matt: Sylvie?

Andrew: Am I pronouncing your name right?

Caller: Yup. I was just wondering what you guys thought about the scene at the end. I don’t know if you talked about it right now, because I just joined a while ago.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: What about it? Its comicalness?

Caller: Well, yeah. And what the significance of that at the end was.

Andrew: I just think it’s – you know, in trailers, they like to end on funny moments.

Matt: Yeah. I mean, they definitely need to end on a lighter note, because everything was on fire and people were dying and jumping…

[Eric and Laura laugh]

Matt: I think it was…

Andrew: That’s true. [laughs]

Matt: Just – they wanted the audience to know – well, you know, there is some lightheartedness in this movie. Not everybody’s going to be on the verge of death the entire time.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah.

Caller: Yeah, because then it would be really depressing.

Andrew: Laura?

Laura: I was going to say, this is really the first time we’ve seen any evidence of the humor they keep going on about. Every interview, they’re like, “Oh, this one’s…”

Andrew: Oh, yeah. [laughs]

Laura: “…a lot more calming.”

Laura: And it’s like, really?

Andrew: Fire, fire.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: That’s true.

Kevin: So they showed us the only scene that had humor.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s the one scene.

Laura: Yeah.

Matt: The one scene that has humor in it.

Andrew: I’ve got to say that…

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: The one scene you’re allowed to laugh at.

Andrew: …that humor – that type of humor was – I don’t think we’ve really seen that before…

Matt: We haven’t.

Andrew: …in a Harry Potter film.

Matt: Well, like…

Andrew: It’s cocky Harry, essentially. [laughs]

Matt: Well, like Eric said, there’s a lot more slapstick, and there hasn’t been slapstick, really, in the Harry Potter films as much.

Eric: There’s been slapstick, but it hasn’t been funny. Like Snape whacking…

Matt: Yeah, hitting – yeah, you’re right.

Eric: …Harry and Ron with it. Like, what was that?

Andrew: That was funny.

Eric: I think…

Matt: Well, that was the first one that we’ve seen, though. I mean, initial…

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: …definition of slapstick, and that was from David Yates, too.

Eric: No, that was not – that was Movie 4. Wasn’t it? Goblet of Fire

Matt: No.

Eric: …where he slapped his…

Laura: Yeah, it was.

Matt: Oh, Goblet where he slapped him, but he did it in Order of the Phoenix, too.

Andrew: Hmm. I don’t think so.

Matt: He slapped Ron in the head.

Laura: Yeah. He did.

Andrew: Oh.

Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, see, I don’t think this whole thing with Harry is cocky, though. Like him saying, “Well, I am the Chosen One.”

Andrew: “I am the Chosen One.”

Eric: I just thought it was funny.

Matt: He’s a guy!

Andrew: It’s cocky funny.

Matt: He’s getting attention from girls.

Andrew: It’s like when I say, “I’m Toots.” Or, “I’m the best host.” It’s true.

[Eric laughs]

Matt: That’s cocky.

Andrew: No.

Matt: That’s bigheadedness.

Andrew: But it’s true. No. Whatever. Okay.

Matt: That’s delusion.

Caller: Just before I go, can I make a shout out to my friend Nikki, whose birthday is today?

Andrew: Aw, Happy Birthday, Nikki.

Matt: Happy Birthday, Nikki.

Caller: Thanks.

Andrew: We have a lot of birthdays today.

Caller: Yeah, she’s been saying that it was her birthday present from Warner Bros., this trailer.

Matt: Aw, that’s so sweet.

Andrew: Aw, that’s so – well, somebody in Warner Bros. [laughs] Not everyone’s happy with us.

Matt: [laughs] I don’t think it was Warner Bros.

Andrew: Yeah. But all right. Thank you, Sylvie.

Caller: Okay, bye!

Andrew: Happy Birthday to her. You know, it’s my sister’s birthday as well. And I kind of wanted to call her here on the show, but…

Matt: Do it.


Call 3: Movie 5 Scene Used in Trailer


Andrew: Do it? No, maybe later. Noah, you’re on MuggleCast Live. What’s up?

Matt: Noah?

Andrew: Noah.

Caller: Am I on?

Andrew: Yeah, you’re on.

Caller: Oh! That’s weird. I didn’t expect to be on. Cool.

Andrew: There you go, man. What’s going on?

Caller: Oh, nothing much. I just noticed in second 42 of the trailer that they just basically have the fire snake again from the Ministry of Magic scene from Movie 5.

Andrew: Yeah, we were talking about that a little earlier. There’s a lot of – can you mute your feed? We’re getting a lot of feedback.

Caller: Okay, sorry about that. The show actually cut out, so…

Andrew: Oh, okay. I had to let him go because the feedback’s killing me. Yeah, we were saying earlier that they’re using some scenes from the previous movie, which is also what they did in Order of the Phoenix.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Andrew: So.

Matt: Mmm. Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I have to say, though, there’s something about these repeated – like, do you have any ideas why they do that?

Matt: I think it’s basically – I want to say, I think it’s just filler. I mean…

Andrew: Because everything’s not completed?

Matt: …it’s a snake on fire. I mean, they had enough fire scenes in the trailer, they just probably thought “Well, in the last movie we had some fire, so let’s just add it in.”


Call 4: …is from South Africa


Andrew: Yeah. [sighs] Lauren, you’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello.

Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hi, how are you?

Matt: Hi!

Caller: Hi! Oh wow. I got through.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: That’s weird.

[Andrew and Caller laugh]

Caller: Hi. This is all the way from South Africa, so hi.

Andrew: South Africa? Hello!

Caller: Yes, hi.

Matt: Geez. Is it daytime?

Caller: It is now 11:00 at night, and I am studying.

Andrew: Oh wow. Nice. So, what questions do you have?

Caller: Well, I’ve only seen the trailer once because I’m running out of bandwidth, because we have very limited bandwidth down here, so… [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. It sucks living outside of the U.S., doesn’t it?

Caller: So, my question was – yeah, there’s a lot of fire. It’s weird.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: And I was just listening to Imprint like half an hour ago, and I was like, “Oh wait! MuggleCast is on, so I’ve got to check what they’re talking about.”

Matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah, MuggleCast.

Caller: So I’ve missed most of it.

Andrew: Yeah. Do you have any other questions pertaining to the trailer?

Caller: Questions about the trailer? Hmm, I don’t know. I missed most of your chat, so I can’t really say anything. Otherwise I’ll just sound stupid, right?

Andrew: Oh, no.

Matt: Oh, no.

Andrew: No, no. We love all our listeners. But hey, let me let you go, because there’s other people calling and I think they have some questions.

Caller: Cool.

Andrew: Thank you.

Caller: Thanks for taking my call.

Eric: Nice talking to you!

Caller: Okay. Goodbye!

Andrew: Bye. There’s Lauren from South Africa. Time for a PSA, guys: if you’re going to call, please call in with a question.

Matt: Yeah, please.

Andrew: A question about the film.

Eric: And mute your stream.


Call 5: Comedy vs. Seriousness in Movie 6


Andrew: And mute your stream, for God’s sakes. Terrance, you’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello!

Caller: Hey, what’s going on, guys?

Andrew: What’s going?

Matt: Hey.

Andrew: This is Terrance from Hogwarts Radio…

Matt: Oh! Terrance.

Andrew: …a popular Harry Potter podcast.

Caller: [laughs] Thanks.

Eric: Terrance! How’s it going, buddy?

Caller: Thanks for plugging us, Andrew.

Andrew: No problem. [laughs]

Caller: Thanks for taking my call, guys. I just was like, wow, and I didn’t expect you guys to do that. But anyway, didn’t call in with a question, really, but I called in just for couple of comments. I’ve been listening to the show. Great job, by the way.

Andrew: Thank you.

Caller: But you guys were saying something about the slapstick humor. We were originally told that this movie would be more comedic than serious, is that correct?

Andrew: Well, they were sort of like, “it’s the sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll of Harry Potter.”

Matt: They did say there was going to be more slapstick in the film, but I don’t think they said it was more slapstick than seriousness. Because I think they said there was too much seriousness in it, so they added more slapstick.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: I think that’s what…

Caller: Yeah, because the two trailers that have come out so far, they’ve been – you know – they’ve had that darker, deeper tone.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm. Well, it’s a darker, deeper story.

Caller: Of course.

[Matt laughs]

Caller: And even the fire – I mean, the fire – the intensity. I mean, come on. It’s…

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: …a really dark film.

Andrew: I think – maybe with the next real trailer, they’ll put emphasis on the funny. Because I think they try to balance different themes with each trailer, and it’s probably hard to mix it all.

Matt: Yeah, this one’s fire. The theme is fire in this trailer.

Eric: [laughs] Well, the last one was the…

Andrew: And the first one was memories.

Eric: …young Tom Riddle.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, the memories. So there’s a certain theme to all these, I think, and I think with TV spots especially, they like to emphasize the funny.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: Mmm.

Matt: Yeah. Well, TV spots…

Eric: Yeah, I’m just glad…

Matt: Oh, I’m sorry.

Eric: Yeah. I’m glad they didn’t come out with the funny relationship stuff first, because that was my biggest fear, was that they were only going to focus on teenage Harry Potter with hormones, this and that, in this movie.

Matt: Well, that’s what they did…

Eric: Which is originally what I thought they were going to do.

Matt: Well, they did that with Order of the Phoenix and the Cho kiss with Harry. I mean, they advertised the crap out of that. The whole, “Love is in the air, Harry and – Harry gets love, a kiss.”

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: You know, I felt like that end scene of the trailer was almost like a moment where the director is saying to the parents watching, “It’s okay for your children to go see this movie.” Because fire, fire, fire, fire, destruction, fire, people…

Matt: Fire, fire, fire, slap in the face.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: …shooting each other with spells. “Oh, there’s humor, don’t worry, your kids can go see this.”

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Yeah, I still think it’s – I would limit the age to thirteen. I would say children under thirteen might be – I’d be worried about seeing this movie…

Andrew: Really?

Eric: …to be perfectly honest. Yeah, to be perfectly honest. That’s what PG-13 is supposed to mean anyway!

Andrew: [laughs] But who follows that these days?

Laura: Yeah, but I feel like someone says that about every single one of these movies, and I feel like with every single one of them it’s not true.

Eric: Well, like Chamber of Secrets being, what, PG for scary monsters, or whatever, being Aragog the spider, or what do you mean?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Well, just like in general, I always read these reviews where it’s like, “I wouldn’t suggest taking anyone under the age of thirteen,” and it’s like, come on, guys. Please.

Eric: Yeah, but this is me saying it, Laura. The film – the film is morbid.

Laura: Yeah, but no. No, I don’t think it’s – I mean, clearly it’s dark…

Matt: Well, with the spiders, people have phobias about that. They had to say about scary monsters because a lot of people are scared of spiders.

Eric: Well, I know people who say the Basilisk scene really creeps their kids out, too.

Andrew: Yeah, and I’ll always remember – I don’t know why I remember this, but when I was – when I remember telling my mom when I was like twelve, about the Chamber of Secrets, and I was like, [funny nasal voice] “I don’t know if Ryan will be able to go to this one, because there’s a Basilisk. And the knife goes through his head. And I’m not sure if Ryan will really like this. Might be scary.”

[Everyone laughs]

Caller: Also the fang. Also, the fang goes through Harry’s arm.

Andrew: Yeah. It was pretty brutal.

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: WB must have paid them to give it a – no, I’m just kidding. That’s probably the wrong thing to say [laughs].

Eric: Certain things too. Even Voldemort on the back of Quirrell’s head creeps people out. I know it’s kind of creepy still for me to watch. It’s really above and beyond creepy compared to the rest of the movie.

Matt: Well, each film has its own creepiness.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, but this movie – the other thing in the trailer that I just thought of is the Side-Along Apparition, which is – again, this scene in this trailer, everything’s sped up a little bit – but if you look carefully when Harry grabs Dumbledore’s hand and they Side-Along Apparate, there’s this twisting sort of thing…

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: It actually – it looks awesome, and the effect in the movie is – I was so happy with it when I saw it, because it conveys in a split second almost everything – almost perfectly what the book was writing about, in that…

Matt: It does look like a siphoning, or like someone takes a straw and just sucking them all up.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: It was really – it was really cool.

Andrew: Mmm.

Eric: It was really cool.

Caller: Do you guys think Dumbledore looks more tired in this film than he does in the other ones?

Matt: Well, he’s dying. I mean…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: [singing] Knock, knock, knockin’ on Heaven’s door! [makes guitar sounds] I don’t know. I think – again, I just think he has a little extra spring in his step when it comes to his voice.

Matt: But also in the book, he does seem more frail. It does say that. It does say that Harry notices that Dumbledore is a lot more frail.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: I’m glad Gambon toned it down, too. That’s why I said I think he read the book on this one. Because he’s really – a little bit more personable, actually. The whole movie around, he’s getting along with other people and stuff, and that’s just – that’s really interesting, you know. It’s not just start-of-term announcements, where he relates to other people. He’s actually sort of even relating to Slughorn in the beginning, in the Slughorn scene, which is amazing in the movie. It’s really funny. Yeah. It’s good stuff, and, yeah, so he’s…

Matt: Well, I mean, everything’s happening to the teachers, this movie. I mean, Dumbledore’s dying from his hand being black, and McGonagall’s conjuring lightning, and Slughorn’s giving birth to memories.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: All right, Terrance, thank you…

Caller: No problem.

Andrew: …for calling.

Caller: Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot, you guys, nice show.

Andrew: No problem. Terrance from Hogwarts Radio. An example of a good caller. Someone who speaks clearly, audibly, you are able to understand what he’s saying, there’s no background, there’s no feedback, there’s no B.S. Straight up call! That’s what all calls should be like.

Matt: Geez.

Laura: Speaking of which, if you’re going call, you need to call the MuggleCast Hotline, so please stop calling me.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I’ll call you, Laura!

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Yeah, me too.

Eric: We’re not going mention names yet, but if…

Andrew: Oh, I’m sorry, I just cut off Eric because I was taking another call. Sorry. Say that again, Eric.

Eric: Oh, yeah. If you call us – now that we’ve made the announcement, if you call us personally, we are going to mention names. And you will be shunned.

Matt: That’s probably what they want, Eric.

Andrew: Yeah. Don’t you think they want shout-outs? [laughs]

Eric: Oh, oh, oh. Okay, we won’t mention your names then.

Matt: Yeah.

[Small crashing noise]

Kevin: Either that or…

Matt: Oh, did somebody fall down?

Andrew: No…

Eric: Yes. Sounded like gates crashed.

Andrew: No, I answered a call and I think he passed out from…

[Matt laughs]

MuggleCast 160 Transcript (continued)


Call 6: …is lost


Andrew: Maria, you’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello.

Matt: Maria?

Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hello. You’re on MuggleCast Live.

Caller: Hi, it’s Isabel, by the way.

Andrew: Isabel.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Sorry, we’re going off your Skype name. You know.

Matt: Oh.

Caller: Yeah.

Andrew: [laughs] What’s going on? You have any questions about the trailer?

Caller: Yeah, actually, I was wondering, why do you guys… [laughs] Okay.

Andrew: Go ahead. Hello? Don’t listen to your stream. See, this is the thing. People listen to the stream and they think it’s live, when actually there’s a delay there. I’m going pick up Terrance again. Let’s just keep talking to him.

[Matt laughs]


Call 7: The Music


Andrew: I’m just kidding. Amy, you’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello.

Caller: Oh my…

Matt: Oh my?

Andrew: Amy?

Laura: Hello?

Andrew: Hi.

Caller: Hi, hi.

[Eric laughs]

Caller: Can you hear me?

Andrew: Yes, we can.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: What kind of question do you have today?

Caller: Sorry, I’ve got to mute my stream. One sec.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: Oh, thank you. There’s a concerned caller who knows we’re all about quality here on MuggleCast Live.

Matt: God, okay, we get it, Andrew. Geez.

Caller: I’m really – sorry – I’m really happy. Okay, so I wanted to ask, what did you think of the music?

Andrew: Matt, go ahead, start with you. You’re a big music…

Matt: Well actually, I immediately recognized the music from the beginning of the trailer, and it was a rip-off of the X-Men trailer. And I was actually kind of disappointed with the music in this trailer.

Eric: Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Rip-off of the what? What?

Andrew: Not rip-off. They used the same music, you mean.

Eric: No, they – what?

Matt: Yeah, they use the same exact music from the X-Men trailer.

Eric: I’m a fan of the X-Men trailer. Let me see this. Let me listen to this.

Matt: Okay, it’s X-Men 3, the trailer. It’s the very beginning. Okay…

Eric: Oh, X-Men 3? The movie X-Men 3 teasers ripped off Pirates of the Caribbean, so it’s some sick chain. But let’s see in a second.

Matt: No – Well, yeah. But not the song I’m thinking of – I’m talking about. But I was actually kind of disappointed, because I just didn’t think it was the best song for the trailer.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Oh hey, you’re right, Matt. You’re totally right. This is from X3: The Last Stand.

Matt: [laughs] You act like you’re surprised, Eric.

Eric: No. I mean…

Matt: I’m just kidding.

Eric: …as far as X3 goes, because that wasn’t – I mean, yeah. That’s…

Andrew: I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t really listen to the music in this trailer. Does anyone else have thoughts about it?

Micah: Me neither. I didn’t pay any attention to it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It’s preliminary. It enhances the scene.

Laura: Yeah, I didn’t really pay that much attention either.

Andrew: But, the thing about the music in the trailers, I love the music in the trailers, because they always get you really pumped up and excited.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: But the problem is, is that this music doesn’t come into the movie. So when you see a scene that you saw in the trailer, you’re kind of expecting that music and that extra oomph.

Matt: Yeah, there’s no oomph in this.

Andrew: Yeah. My favorite was… [starts humming song from trailer]

Matt: Yeah, that was awesome.

Andrew: And it’d be great if they use this kind of thing in the movie, but I guess it just doesn’t work.

Matt: Well, this is also the international trailer. It’s not – it’s – usually the ones for the U.S. are actually the best music for the trailers.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.

Matt: Because they have to re-dub the language, that’s why. So they don’t want too much interaction with the music.


Call 8: Trailer Released “This Year”


Andrew: Sean, you’re on MuggleCast Live. Hello.

Caller: Hi!

Andrew: What’s going on, Sean?

Caller: Not much. I was just wondering, why would it say “this year”? Could it be that it was an older trailer and that they haven’t updated it yet?

Andrew: Didn’t – you didn’t see that they actually moved the release date back to November 21st?

Caller: No, I – What? What?!

Andrew: Yeah. You didn’t see that?

[Laura laughs]

Caller: Oh my God! No, they didn’t, they didn’t. Don’t go there. Don’t go there.

Andrew: No they…

Eric: Don’t start that rumor, man.

Caller: Yeah.

Eric: You’re just opening up a wound, man, seriously.

Andrew: [laughs] That reaction was worth it though.

Eric: It’s in the air. Okay, okay, okay. We got – hang on.

Matt: What just happened?

Andrew: No, nothing. I was just messing with our caller, Sean. No, well, like we were discussing earlier in the program, there seems to be – my personal opinion is that this trailer actually leaked early – oh sorry – was created a few months ago. And, you know…

Eric: Before the release date was pushed back.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: But other people think – Micah, myself and Kevin included, and maybe Laura – that this was an early leak, meaning the trailer was meant to be released sometime in the very beginning of next year, which would mean that this year, you know, works there too.

Andrew: I think that’s a very good theory, but I’m trying to figure out what – when does WB decide – well, what makes them think, Oh, we’ll put “this year,” as opposed to, Oh, we’ll put “July 17th”? You know what I mean?

Eric: You know, I don’t know.

Laura: Well, generally…

Eric: The whole marketing for this movie has been off. Like completely weird.

Micah: Well, because you don’t hear, “On July 17th,” you know?

Andrew: No, but they didn’t say “this year.”

Laura: No, they just had the text.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: I’ve noticed that they tend to be more vague when they’re farther out from the release date.

Matt: Yeah.

Kevin: And also…

Laura: So I don’t know. I’m somewhat moderate on this issue. I feel like it could’ve gone either way, so…

Micah: You could say “this year.”

Andrew: Kevin?

Kevin: You’ve also got to remember it’s an international trailer, as well. So it’s not necessarily…

Eric: So they are extra safe?

Matt: Yeah, they have to deal with all the time zones. It’s already next year in some of the countries.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: No, no. He’s saying that not every place is going to have the same release date.

Matt: Yeah, that’s true. But they could say “this summer.”

Kevin: But maybe not that, you know, everyone applies, I suppose.

Eric: It would be winter in Australia.

Matt: But who cares?

Andrew: Oh, that’s true. But this is for the U.K., because it’s HarryPotter.co.uk. And remember – remember what I said. When this trailer leaked online – no sorry, no. When the first trailer leaked online, it appeared on MSN, and it was an international version, because it said “.co.uk,” and it also said “this year.” So that’s why I feel like this came out – this was done a few months ago. Plus, they must have had this trailer completed a few months ago, because they were planning on it coming out in November.

Matt: Yeah!

Andrew: And that trailer wasn’t a full trailer. It was really a teaser trailer. It’s only a minute and a half. Guys, I’m just so right, okay? Just admit it. Well, thank you, Sean, for calling.

Caller: It’s such an honor. It is.

Andrew: Well, it’s an honor to have you and an honor to prank you. So thank you.

[Matt laughs]

Caller: Bye, guys.

Andrew: Bye. Bye. There’s Sean, who I convinced momentarily that, in fact, the movie was coming out this year.

Matt: [imitating Sean] “What?! What?!”

Andrew: “What?!”

[Everyone laughs]


Call 9: Michael Gambon


Andrew: Wonder if every Harry Potter fan did that. Hello, Colin, you’re on MuggleCast Live.

Matt: Colin?

Andrew: Colin. Hello.

Caller: Let me mute my feed.

Andrew: Oh. Thank you.

Caller: Oh my god! I’m on MuggleCast Live. I did not expect this.

Andrew: Colin, I’m sorry. We’ve breaking news: the – WB just announced the movie is coming out in November. Your reaction?

Eric: Oh shut up, Andrew Sims.

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: Stop it.

Caller: Don’t even try that, Andrew.

Andrew: What’s going on, Colin? What’s your question?

Caller: I just joined in MuggleCast Live a couple of minutes ago to hear Terrance. So I’m not entirely sure of everything that you guys touched on.

Andrew: Okay.

Matt: Okay.

Caller: One thing: I’ve never been a huge fan of Michael Gambon before.

Andrew: Yeah.

Caller: In this trailer, I have faith in him. I don’t know why, but I just like him a lot more.

Andrew: Well, was it something he said?

[Matt laughs]

Caller: I don’t know. It just – he seemed a lot more calm than he was in the past, especially in Order of the Phoenix. “Did you” – oh, not Order of the Phoenix, Goblet of Fire – “Did you put the name in the Goblet of Fire!?”

Andrew: Right.

Caller: I don’t know. I liked him a lot more.

Andrew: Yeah. I agree. I agree.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: I had that general feeling, too, in the entire movie, that he is really toned down. And not only toned down, but respectable, almost likable.

Matt: They should have…

Andrew: Almost like-able. [laughs]

Kevin: Yeah, don’t go that far, Eric.

Matt: They should’ve killed Dumbledore a little earlier in the books so we had a better Dumbledore from Gambon. Because it just seems…

Andrew: As he gets closer…

Matt: …that we just have to – take him down a peg, yeah. You have to be less – you have to be dying a little bit, Gambon. You understand?

Eric: Add more death! Add more death!

Matt: Add more death, yes.

Andrew: Laura and Micah, do you feel like Gambon has changed in this trailer? Does it change your opinion?

Laura: No, and I’ve said this before…

[Micah laughs]

Laura: …I really don’t see a difference.

Micah: She likes him, so…

Laura: I like Michael Gambon!

Andrew: So do I.

Micah: I don’t like Michael Gambon, and I’ve never liked him in the movies, you know, since Richard Harris passed away. But again, I think it’s a hard role to fill. You can’t replace somebody like that. But in this particular trailer, I said it even with the teaser trailer that came out a couple months ago, I felt like he does look
better, in terms of how he’s portraying Dumbledore. Just the tone of his voice. It seems like he’s into the role a little bit more. I don’t know why that is.

Matt: He needs glasses!

Micah: Yeah, that too.

Laura: Okay, but you guys…

Micah: Maybe…

Laura: You make it sound like he screams through the whole movie. You make it… [laughs]

Eric: He does!

Laura: …sound like every line…

Eric: He does!

Laura: No, he doesn’t.

Micah: Even if he does…

Kevin: I think what gets me about him is that you watch the previous movies and think that he hasn’t read the books.

Andrew: Mhm.

Kevin: He just completely mischaracterizes Dumbledore.

Caller: Michael Gambon didn’t [unintelligible].

Kevin: You sort of lose faith in his ability, I suppose.

Eric: Okay, I’m going to say – to Kevin’s thing, I’m going to quick say, though, that – oh wait, Laura, just continue.

Laura: No, I was just going to say that I think he plays a different aspect of Dumbledore’s personality. Like, I feel that Richard Harris really sort of encompassed that
very calming essence that Dumbledore has, and I feel that Michael Gambon sort of plays more on the quirky side, which is the side of Dumbledore that I really like, so of course I’m going to like Gambon.

Micah: But I think it also matters – it also matters who the director is. I think when you deal with Chris Columbus, in the first two films, you were dealing with films that were more geared towards children, and it had more of that calming effect of sort of a grandfather figure.

Eric: Ah, phoenixes…

Micah: [laughs] Whereas, you know, once you hit Prisoner of Azkaban and Movie 4, again, and I’ve said it many times on the show, obviously Richard Harris didn’t have that chance to take on a more serious role. But just bringing in Michael Gambon, and from the
start, not having that more compassionate, older guy type feel to him – you know, like a grandfather, somebody who you can identify with in that type of character, he just doesn’t have that. He’s like – he’s almost like a bad-ass version of Dumbledore.

Andrew: Yeah. I don’t know what that word meant, but yeah.

Eric: Well, yeah, and, guys, I’m…

Micah: A more rogue version of Dumbledore.

Eric: Yeah, and I’m going to share with you guys too, that during this movie, very early on, what clicked with me, and it was a moment where I was sitting in the theater and I said, “You know what? I’m finally going to be okay with Michael Gambon as of this movie.” In the scene with Dumbledore and Slughorn, the line in the book about knitting patterns, if you guys remember that – that offhand, funny quote about Dumbledore liking knitting patterns – that’s in the movie. And you hear Michael Gambon say that, and just the way… [laughs] …he acts it, it becomes him. And you know what? That is the moment when I said – I actually – I laughed. I actually laughed at something Michael Gambon said, and it was just this beautiful feeling, because it was hilarious. Just the way he got into the role, and I think, possibly – I’m going to throw this out there since we’re talking about Michael Gambon – I think that the mention – the post-canonic outing of Dumbledore also gave Michael Gambon a little bit more to work with in this movie, as far as how he can
shape the character, and I think – I think Gambon likes that Dumbledore isn’t quirky just to be quirky, but has these other quirks, as well, and can sort of twist it. I think the – I think that Michael Gambon…

Micah: But why did he need that, though? Why would he need that? This…

Eric: I don’t know! I don’t know, Micah. You’re completely right about…

Micah: If you read the books, there’s plenty of Dumbledore to go on.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: There is. There is definitely plenty of Dumbledore to go on, but I just get the feeling that Michael Gambon is more of a stick-it-to-you kind of person, and regardless – regardless, I liked that scene, and the scene in Slughorn’s house is hilarious, and when Dumbledore says that, I fell in love with Michael Gambon for the first time.

Andrew: Michael Gambon – or sorry, Dumbledore – says vote no on Prop 8, by the way. Just wanted to get that out there.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Andrew: All right, Colin, thank you for calling in.

Caller: Thank you! Thanks, guys.

Andrew: This has been MuggleCast’s daily, or weekly, “Let’s Rip on Gambon” segment, brought to you by Colin. All right, we’ll take one more call for the day.

Matt: One more call?

Andrew: Yeah, one more…

Matt: One more call.

Andrew: …because we’ve been podcasting for a while now, and it’s getting close to closing time.

Matt: Okay.


Call 10: Arrogant Harry


Andrew: Hello, caller, you’re on MuggleCast Live. What’s going on?

Caller: Hi. You know at the end of the trailer, Harry calls out, “Yeah, I am the Chosen One.” Well, did that sound a little arrogant to you?

Eric: No!

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Sorry.

Caller: No, I didn’t think it was…

Eric: I’m not mad at you, but…

Caller: I didn’t think it was…

Eric: …I didn’t think it sounded arrogant at all.

Matt: It’s not – I don’t think it’s arrogant. I think it’s just him playing it off. Just that – kind of making fun of it.

Caller: I don’t think he’s arrogant either, but I heard some complaints: “Oh, Harry would never say that in real life…”

Andrew: Oh, geez. Here we go.

Caller: “…or in the books.”

Matt: I think he would! I think Harry would say that, because he’s just making fun of how everyone’s calling him the Chosen One, and he doesn’t think that way.

Caller: Exactly.

Matt: “Oh, I am the Chosen One, apparently, now.”

Kevin: Yeah, I think it was a sarcastic remark.

Andrew and Eric: Yeah.

Eric: “I am the Chosen One.”

Andrew: Yeah. Not cocky.

Eric: He’s like, “What, Hermione?”

Matt: It’s not cocky, fans.

Andrew: What’s your name, caller?

Caller: Carla.

Andrew: Carla, thank you for calling in.

Matt: Carla.

Eric: Carla, thank you so much for getting these guys to say that it’s not him being cocky.

Matt: Who said he was cocky!?

Caller: [laughs] Okay, no problem.

Eric: You all were saying he was cocky. You all were like, yeah, that was a bit arrogant.

Matt: I never said that, Eric.

Andrew: Goodbye, Carla. Have a wonderful day.

Matt: You said it too, Eric.


Call 11: The Romance


Andrew: Hey, let’s take one more call. Just one more. Hello, caller, you’re on MuggleCast Live. What’s going on?

Caller: Not much. I’m just listening to your thing. I’m loving it.

Andrew: Oh, good.

Matt: Hello?

Caller: Hello?

Matt: Hello?

Andrew: Yeah, we can – we can – what are you doing? What – what’s your question?

Caller: I was – when I was watching it, I was interested by the focus of romance in it. They didn’t show any Harry and Ginny, but they did show a little bit of Ron and kind of this random person, if you think about it. Like if you haven’t seen – if you haven’t read the book, you wouldn’t know who it is. So I thought that was kind of interesting.

Andrew: Are you talking about the end scene? That the girl…

Caller: Not the end scene.

Andrew: …was checking out Harry?

Caller: Not the end scene, the part with Ron and…

Andrew: Lavender?

Caller: Lavender.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: You know what’s interesting about that, when I initially watched it, that scene is so quick. Lavender almost looked like Hermione, for a second, just like the
hair…

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, she…

Laura: …and everything.

Matt: The hair.

Laura: I was like, what? Like, you’re a movie early, guys, and then I was like, oh wait.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: But it was kind of misleading, I thought.

Andrew: It was. It was, kind of.

Caller: Yeah, I mean, the problem – I think they’re probably going to try to keep Harry/Ginny a surprise for people who haven’t read the books.

Andrew: Maybe. Yeah, because there’s always those things that you never see in the trailer. They keep them complete surprises. And I always appreciate that because
it’s nice to be surprised by seeing something you haven’t seen before.

Caller: Yeah. [unintelligible] bad. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. Caller, do you live in the south Jersey area? I recognize the zip code.

Caller: I do. I do. I live in Cherry Hill.

Andrew: Cherry Hill. Wonderful.

Matt: Oh, snap.

Andrew: They have a mall there. It’s called Cherry Hill Mall. Don’t they?

Caller: Yes. I do live near the Cherry Hill Mall. [laughs]

Andrew: Excellent. Well, you say hi to Cherry Hill Mall and my family, and that’ll be great.

Caller: Okay.

Matt: Awesome.

Andrew: Okay. She’s confused.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Thank you for calling. All right, well…

[Micah says something unintelligible]

Andrew: What, Micah?

Micah: Take one more call.

Andrew: Take one – oh.

Matt: You said – you said that was the last one.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Oh.

Andrew: What are you doing?

Eric: You already said that was the last one.


Andrew’s Sister is Legal


Andrew: Hold on, let’s just – I don’t know if people will mind this. We’re just calling my sister real quick and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Everyone: Awww.

Eric: It’s been so long since I’ve talked to Becca.

Andrew: Oh, Andrew, you’re such a sweetheart. Okay, I’m going to give her a call now. Wonderful technology. I think we’re going to get one of those ringback tones.
You know those cool things, where it doesn’t ring, it plays a song.

Micah: It’s not on.

Andrew: Oh. Oh, that’s right, she has an iPhone now.

[Phone rings]

Micah: Take her number right off of Skype.

Andrew: Hey, don’t you dare, Micah.

Micah: No, I said… [laughs] …it’s a good thing Ben’s not on.

Andrew: Oh. [laughs]

Matt: Oh, Ben.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

[Phone rings]

Andrew: I’m sure my sister’s – I’m sure my sister’s busy. She’s already – Becca!

Becca: Yeah?

Andrew: Hey.

Becca: Andrew?

Andrew: Yeah, it’s Andrew. Hey.

Becca: Andrew!

Andrew: Hey.

Becca: What are you using to call me on?

Andrew: I’m using this thing called the MuggleCast Hotline because we’re doing a live show right now. And I just wanted to wish you…

Becca: Oh my God.

Andrew: I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday in front of the 673 people listening right now.

Becca: Awww! Thanks, Andrew!

Andrew: Matt’s here, and my – the fellow co-hosts are here, so everyone…

Becca: Matt’s here!?

Matt: Hi, Becca!

Becca: Hi, Matt!

Andrew: Laura’s in here, Eric’s in here, Kevin, Micah, so…

Becca: Kevin and Micah, hi! Love you all!

Matt: How old…

Andrew: She doesn’t – she doesn’t even…

Matt: How old are you, Becca?

Andrew: Yeah, how old are you turning?

Becca: I’m eighteen.

Andrew: Oh, geez.

Matt: Oh, geez.

Laura: Oh.

Becca: I’m legal!

Matt: Uh-oh.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: She knows she’s live in front of…

Andrew: Wow.

Eric: …673 people, and yet she makes that known.

Matt: I’m legal! Friend me on Facebook! [laughs]

Andrew: Oh, God, why did you just say that?

[Becca laughs]

Eric: Looks like MuggleCast will be planning a trip to New Jersey.

Andrew: Micah’s already got his train ticket booked.

[Matt laughs]

Eric: Geez.

Becca: When!?

Andrew: Oh my God, Becca.

Matt: Becca, Becca.

Micah: No!

Andrew: It was a joke!

Becca: I can’t hear!

Andrew: It was a joke.

Kevin: Subtleties, subtleties

Becca: All I heard was that you were coming to New Jersey.

Andrew: No, no, no, no, no. What are you doing?

Becca: Oh.

Andrew: What are you doing right now?

Becca: I’m in the car.

Andrew: Doing what? Where are you going?

Becca: We’re going to the Cheesecake Factory.

Matt: [gasps] Ooooo.

Andrew: Oh, wonderful. With the family? With the Sims family?

Becca: Dad wanted me to tell you we’re going to Chuck E. Cheese.

Andrew: With the Sims family?

Becca: Yeah, and with Cassy and Kelly – yeah, and Cassy, Kelly, and Manda.

Andrew: Oh, wonderful.

Matt: Chuck E. Cheese.

Andrew: No, Cheesecake Factory they’re going to.

Matt: I thought she said Chuck E. Cheese.

Andrew: I know some people…

Becca: No, my Dad wanted me to tell you we’re going to Chuck E. Cheese.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: There’s a couple people of listeners in Cherry Hill right now.

Becca: So funny. What?

Andrew: We were just speaking to a listener from Cherry Hill, and do you want to give the location of the Cheesecake Factory so maybe they can come wish you a Happy Birthday?

Becca: Who, Alyssa? I’ll tell her – I’ll say hi to her.

Andrew: What are you talk…? Okay. Anyway.

[Laura laughs]

Becca: I can only hear half the things you’re saying right now.

Andrew: It’s okay. iPhones stink. So just wanted to say Happy Birthday and get a…

Becca: Thanks, Andrew. Miss you.

Andrew: Get a deep…

Matt: Awww.

Becca: Are you coming home soon?

Andrew: December 23rd.

Becca: Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?

Andrew: No.

Becca: With me and Grandma?

Andrew: No.

[Matt laughs]

Becca: Awww…

Andrew: What is – so, yeah, Happy Birthday, and yeah.

Becca: Thank you!

Matt: Happy Birthday, Becca!

Andrew: You’re not going to get a present from me.

Becca: Thanks.

Andrew: It was – it was this call. It was your exposure to the world and you telling everyone you’re legal.

Becca: Oh. That’s enough. Hello, world. Thank you.

Andrew: All right.

Eric: That’s so sweet of you, Andrew. You’re such a good brother.

Andrew: I know.

[Andrew and Becca laugh]

Andrew: All right. Happy Birthday. Goodbye.

Becca: Goodbye. Love you!

Andrew: I love you too.

Matt: Bye!

Andrew: Okay.

Matt: Awww.

Andrew: So there you go, there’s my sister, who turned 18 today. Micah, I swear to God, don’t you dare leave your house tonight.

Micah: She – hey.

[Matt laughs]

Kevin: Her cell phone number is – no.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: I already wrote it down, so…


Announcement: Episode Expected for November 3rd


Andrew: Okay. All right, well, thank you, everyone, for listening today. I just want to say that we are planning a episode to be released November 3rd at the very latest. I said earlier in this recording that we did record an episode, actually, this time last weekend, but we’re having audio problems with the audio files right now. It will be released eventually. We had a Halloween discussion and all that, but – and Ben was here so it was a fun time.

Micah: It’s all Elysa’s [pronounces El-i-sa] fault. Or Elysa’s [pronounces El-yee-sa] fault.

Andrew: I didn’t want to name names, Micah.

Micah: Well, I’m just throwing her right under the bus. I mean, how long has it been since she could get your audio file?

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: Everyone should know listening right now – 665 people that are listening live should know – that it’s her fault that we don’t have Episode 160 out to them.

Andrew: Incredibly mean. I’m sure Elysa really appreciates that.

Eric: Stop picking on Elysa.

Andrew: [laughs] Okay, so that’s what I’m trying to say. November 3rd is the latest when you’ll see the next episode. This episode will be released later tonight. So I think it was a good show. Any final thoughts about the trailer? Does anyone feel different about the movie now?

Eric: Are you guys still – are you guys all excited about the movie?

Matt: I’m glad it’s still there.

Andrew: I have to say, Eric, when I watched it I was like, it’s – I want to be excited, but it’s bumming me out that people already saw this.

Matt: Yeah, I agree with Andrew on that.

Eric: Well, there haven’t been any screenings since that we know about, have there?


Eric is Still Excited to See the Movie


Andrew: Yeah, I know. No, there haven’t, but, Eric, are you – does this trailer make you excited, having seen the film? You’re, like, wow, I can’t wait to see that.

Eric: Yeah, it does.

Andrew: Really?

Eric: Yeah, I still am, yeah. I still see it, like, as if it were a different movie. I’ve seen the scenes,
I can offer some inflection on the scenes and all that, but the final trailer with the final music and the final everything is going to be different and special.

Matt: Is it, though, weird at all, Eric, on any shape or form that you’ve seen the movie almost a year before it’s going to be shown to everybody else?

Eric: Well, see, that’s the thing. And I don’t want to say that I’ve forgotten bits, but to be perfectly honest, I’ve forgotten bits. Watching it in that kind of setting, it’s different. You don’t remember all the funny lines…

Andrew: Oh, of course.

Eric: …and you’re going to laugh at them once more and stuff, so…

Andrew: Kevin?

Kevin: But, Eric, you told me that you recorded it.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Eric: Oh, that’s right!

Andrew: Micah, Laura, Kevin, do you guys have any closing thoughts?

Micah: No, I think it’s still nine months away, and Laura can have a baby in that time.

Kevin: It’s still nine months away.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: What!? Micah, you’re getting way too perverted. [laughs] Anyway…

Kevin: Well, my thought was, it’s still nine months away so I can’t be excited just yet.

Andrew: It’s still a baby away.

Micah: Exactly. I agree with Kevin.


Everyone is Excited for Azkatraz


Andrew: [laughs] Laura, do you have any final thoughts? Anything change for you?

Laura: I’m always excited to see the film.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: That’s pretty much it.

Andrew: All right. And Matt and I – Matt, are you excited? I’m excited.

Matt: Well, I’m excited for the movie. Heck yeah. I’m just – I’m tired of waiting.

Laura: I’m more excited for the – for the atmosphere.

Matt: I’m just so done with it.

Andrew: What, Laura?

Laura: I’m more excited for the atmosphere, because I’m going to come out and see you guys, and were going to go see the movie.

Andrew: That’s what I’m excited for.

Matt: Yeah. Seeing it with a whole theater full of hardcore Harry Potter fans.

Andrew: Yes! Speaking of that, since the last episode we – there was an announcement by HPEF that we will be doing a live podcast after the midnight showing…

Matt: Yes!

Andrew: …of Half-Blood Prince. So what’s going to happen is, everybody, all these hardcore Harry Potter fans, are going to all be traveling to San Francisco, seeing the film together for the very first time, because it’s going to be a midnight premiere. Azkatraz is the day after the movie comes out, so they are going to have a midnight showing…

Matt: Who…

Andrew: …the day before Azkatraz starts. Hold on, let me finish.

Matt: Sure, sorry, sorry.

Andrew: We’re going to be doing a podcast right after that midnight premiere. So…

Matt: Who do we know that’s going to be there?

Andrew: What do you mean?

Matt: Of the live show. Of us?

Andrew: I’ll be there, Laura and Micah are going to be there. Kevin, maybe he can try to make it. Eric, are you coming?

Eric: I’ll definitely try to make it.

Andrew: Okay, so there you go.

Matt: I’ll be there. Wait, isn’t Ben going to be there too?

Andrew: Ben wants to go too. So, I think Ben will be there, it’s going to be a big fun panel. Go to HP2009.org to register for Azkatraz, and when you do register, please, please, please put “MuggleNet” or “MuggleCast” in the referral area so they know where you’re sent from. And that’s very important for us as well, because they’re trying to get a handle of how many people will be participating
in the midnight podcast. So, in the referral area please, “MuggleNet” or “MuggleCast.” Or both. Whatever. Okay, so that’s it.

Micah: Oh yeah, we have one more thing. Sorry.

Andrew: Yes, Micah?

Micah: Since we’re doing a live show, did you want to talk about the Podcast Awards real fast?

Andrew: Oh! Yes.

Eric: Guys, I’ve got to get going quick…

Andrew: Okay.

Eric: …but good luck, and good luck with Imprint and all that.

Andrew: All right.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Eric, thank you for joining us.

Matt: Thanks, Eric.

Andrew: Goodbye.

Eric: Thanks, everyone.


Vote for MuggleCast in the Podcast Awards


Andrew: Go ahead, Micah, do a quick PSA about the Podcast Awards and then we’ll get out of here.

Micah: Well, voting for the Podcast Awards opened a couple days ago. It goes through November 6th, which I think is next Thursday, and you can vote every 24 hours. We’re nominated in the category of entertainment. So go vote for us. And vote as frequently as possible. Tell as many of your friends, family, anybody you want to send it to. Put fliers up around school, I really don’t care. Just vote for us.

Andrew: It is important, though, you have to vote once every 24 hours. Don’t vote any more frequently than that. So if you vote right now, 2:30 West Coast time,
don’t vote again until past 2:30 tomorrow. So. It’s kind of…

Micah: And make sure you verify your vote. Everybody gets sent an e-mail.

Andrew: Yeah, they said it’s at random, but every time I vote I get an e-mail.

Micah: Yeah, me too.

Andrew: And also, I’ve got to do it here, Imprint is also nominated in the cultural arts category, so vote for Imprint as well! You can vote for a podcast from each category. And so MuggleCast and Imprint are both nominated, so thank you, everyone, for voting for us. Vote daily, don’t forget.

Matt: Mhm. And don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley.

Micah: [laughs] What’s that?

Andrew: We need to focus on the Podcast Awards right now. You’re asking too much of our loyal listeners.

Matt: Yeah, but October’s almost over!


Show Close


Andrew: I know, it’s Moctober. Okay, so, thank you, everyone, for joining us. Micah, Laura, Kevin, Eric, thanks for being on. I know we planned this very last minute and it was great that everyone could come on, so thanks, guys.

Laura: Yeah, it was fun.

Matt: We should do this more often.

Andrew: Yeah, we should have trailers leak more often.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. I’m telling you, WB’s going to say something about it. It’s going to be all over in the press. Okay, sure, maybe…

Kevin: We should place bets on it.

Andrew: See, but I’m afraid they are just going to let it go, because it’s so – it’s so – what’s the word? Pushed into the fandom now. I don’t know.

Matt: If only you were a betting man.

Andrew: Yeah, but I don’t know the future.

Matt: All right.

Andrew: All right, it’s time to get out of here.

Micah: [unintelligible] I’ll find out the future.

Andrew: Yeah. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. This has been MuggleCast Live, and…

Matt: Episode 161?

Andrew: Yeah, we’ll call this 161 because 160 is still coming.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: All right. Thank you, everyone, for listening. We’ll see you next time. Buh-bye!

Matt: Bye.

Laura: Bye.

Kevin: Bye, guys.

Transcript #159

MuggleCast 159 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music begins]

Andrew: Hey, Mason, did you know that on July 1st, Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?

Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

Andrew: You’re right, it’s not. And I do need a deal.

Mason: You need a deal? I got the deal you need, Andy! Check this out: Transfer your domain to GoDaddy for as little as $6.99 and get a free one-year extension, plus guaranteed renewal pricing. GoDaddy.com makes transferring easy and offers loads of extras, including hosting, a five-page site builder, and much more. Oh yeah! Plus, as a listener of MuggleCast, enter code Muggle – that’s M-U-G-G-L-E – when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Some restrictions do apply. I want you to see the site for the details. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com.

[Harry Potter theme plays]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Micah: Because to hang Voldemort, or not hang Voldemort, that is the question, this is MuggleCast Episode 159 for October 7th, 2008.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: All right, it’s time for another fascinating installment of MuggleCast this week. Welcome back, everyone. Thank you for still sticking with us, even though we all gave up on you and decided to not do the show weekly anymore.

Matt: That’s true.

Laura: Wow, that’s…

Andrew: We are your Harry Potter friends, and we’re back with – we’re changing up the episodes this week. We’re getting back to something we haven’t done in a while, a long while, and that is book discussions. It’s something that a lot of people have asked us to get back to, because let’s face it, we’ve been talking a lot about the movies. Micah’s been complaining a lot about movie pictures.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: And it’s just time to get back to some book stuff. So that’s what we have this week, and that’s going to be our goal through the next, you know – through MuggleCast going onward.

Matt: Ah. Makes sense.

Andrew: Yeah. Okay, so we’ve got a lot to get to this week, so we’ll jump right into it. I’m Andrew Sims.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Matt: And I’m Matthew Britton.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: All right, Micah, what is in the news this week?

Micah: Well, where do you want me to start, Andrew? There’s a lot of stuff, and we have…

Andrew: Start at the top!

Micah: The top?

Andrew: Number one!

Micah: Number one?

[Laura laughs]

Matt: And work your way down.

[Everyone laughs]


News: Scholastic’s Cover Event


Micah: Thank you. One of the big events that took place during the last couple of weeks was Scholastic held a Cover to Cover event for the release of the tenth anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, even though it seemed to be leaked out before that. And from what I read and the pictures I saw, it seemed that everybody who went had a good time. They got to sit on the throne, they got to read from the book, and the throne, of course, was the one that J.K. Rowling used at Carnegie Hall back a year ago now, I guess. Or almost a year ago.

Laura: Oh, man.

Micah: Can you believe it was that long ago?

Andrew: Over a year ago.

Laura: Oh, God. I can’t believe that.

Andrew: Oh, it was a year ago. Yeah. Yeah, it was a year ago this time we were all summoned to New York City. That was a fun trip.

Matt: It really was.

Micah: It was.

Matt: Was I there?

Micah: Yeah, you were.

Laura: Yeah, you were there.

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: Oh, I was there! I actually was there.

Micah: But I did go and purchase this tenth anniversary edition, and I know we talked about this on the last show when we had all that leaked information about what was in this book, and there really isn’t a whole lot of anything. I mean, it’s the cover, and it’s that drawing of Snape and that’s about it. Which is – I don’t know. Is that pretty pathetic for an anniversary edition of a book?

Andrew: I was really surprised that’s all it had. Because, like you said, the book leaked out really – well, not – it wasn’t leaked. Technically, they didn’t have to put it on – they didn’t have to wait until September 23rd. And, you know, if I’m a bookstore, I would put it out there as soon as I got it. But, yeah, I thought the book was really disappointing because they were sort of hyping it up. They were saying it was going to have this exclusive bonus material from J.K Rowling. And it did, but it was just a picture of Snape and it’s sort of like, eh.

Matt: It did look like Mary GrandPre’s version of him too.

Andrew: Yeah. I almost thought I’d seen that before.

Matt: Yeah. It looked very familiar looking.

Micah: You ended up with more from Mary GrandPre than you did from J.K. Rowling, because in the book there’s also, in the first couple of pages, another drawing by Mary GrandPre with Hagrid and him taking all the first years across to Hogwarts in the boats. And I had never seen that before in the original Sorcerer’s Stone, and it was a colored drawing. Overall, not enough in my opinion.

Eric: I think you guys are probably correct, or Micah, that it was possibly mis-marketed, meaning that you get more from Mary GrandPre than you do by J.K. Rowling. That’s an interesting observation. I do – I haven’t bought the book yet, because I haven’t been in a bookstore and seen it, but I did see it when the cover was shown to us, and I think it’s a cool cover and…

Andrew: Yeah, it’s very cool.

Eric: …whatever they have inside is going to be – yeah, going to be cool. I mean, it’s not a deluxe edition by way of, you know, it’s not going to be more expensive. I mean, clearly it’s something to mark the date…

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: …and the occasion. And the thing about not having too many different special features inside is that it does still have to serve its purpose as a book. You know, it still has to function as a book that people read…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …as opposed to what they collect. Maybe this will be what they read and people will start collecting the old versions once they start replacing the whole lot. Not that they’re going to replace them.

Andrew: I hope they don’t.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. It’ll still be – it’s an interesting alternate version of the book, and the U.S. doesn’t have enough of that. You know, the U.K. already has adult or child.

Andrew: But anyway, getting back to this Cover to Cover event itself, I thought this was a really cool event. And I watched the stream because they were streaming it live online for most of the day, and it was really cool just seeing all these people come in and read the books, and everyone – as I tweeted on Twitter, I thought it was cool seeing what every – each person was going to be wearing as they walked up and sat in the chair. And then also, the first, I think it was 100 people, got a free copy of the book, so it was a good deal.

Micah: Very good deal. So…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: …if you were able to make it out there, write in and let us know how it went, because I didn’t go down there.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I had work and all that fun stuff so I wasn’t able to go down there, but it seemed like it was a very successful event.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: A couple of our friends were there, too.

Andrew: Mhm. So – and then at the end they even hinted that there may be another. They said, “We’ll see you next time for Chamber of Secrets,” and I was like “Whoa!”

Matt: Do you think they’ll do it in New York? I kind of want them to just go around…

Andrew: They will do it in New York.

Matt: …the country or something.

Andrew: They did it at Scholastic headquarters, so I think they’ll keep it there.

Matt: Oh. And Scholastic only has one headquarter?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: That’s why it’s called the headquarters. That’s the one place. [laughs]

Matt: Oh, you’d think like quarters would be four different places, because quarters – you know.

Andrew: Four heads?

Matt: No?

Andrew: Right. Okay.

Matt: No? Okay.

Andrew: No.

Micah: Good try.

Matt: [sighs] Sorry.

Andrew: Well, what else is going on, Micah?


News: Deathly Hallows Paperback to be Released Next July


Micah: Well, speaking of books, Deathly Hallows, the paperback, is going to be released next July.

Andrew: What?

Micah: Yeah. Isn’t that a a long time?

Laura: Isn’t that really late?

Andrew: It is late. U.K. – the U.K. already has their paperback. Where’s ours? It just seems weird that, you know…

Laura: It is very bizarre.

Andrew: …there’s that long of a delay. And one could argue, “Oh, well, they want to time it with the movie.”

Matt: One could argue that.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: Yeah, that’s probably a pretty good argument to make, actually. I think that that’s probably why they’re doing it, because I was listening to one of our shows on the train this past week, and we were actually discussing something related to the hardcover edition and we said, “Oh, well, this paperback is probably coming out in July, so that’s why they’re doing this.” I don’t know if they were moving the hardcover editions off the shelves at a pretty fast rate at some bookstores. I think that was the story. I forget exactly what it was. I know Laura had brought it up, but – and then we kind of surmised, “Hey, maybe it’s because this paperback edition’s going to be out in July,” and then of course…

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: …it’s not coming out for another – about a year or so from today, so…

Eric: Yeah, guys, it says on Amazon.co.uk – yeah, paperback version July 10, 2008.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s weird. It’s like I just said that.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Matt: Yeah, but why haven’t we heard about that? I mean…

Andrew: No, we did.

Matt: I would’ve just paid for a paperback version of it than the hardcover.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: I don’t know. I mean, hardcover – there is something about the hardcover version…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …and it is stronger. It lasts longer. I mean, all my paperbacks – paperback books are pretty much falling apart now, and I haven’t read them near as much as everyone else has. But I remember that the Goblet of Fire paperback – if I am remembering correctly – I think that I got the Goblet of Fire paperback one of the few days it came out, which – or one of the first days it came out, which could have been July 2002. Could have been out sooner. I could be completely mistaken, but if that’s the case it would be two years after release date, which would be similar to the time delay we’re seeing here with Deathly Hallows in the United States. I think it’s incredibly weird, though, that the paperback is out in the U.K., and not here for another year.

Andrew: Maybe Scholastic figures, well, you know, with hardbacks, you can make more. I’m not saying that’s what Scholastic is figuring, but that could – I mean, I imagine that they’re making a bigger profit off of the hardbacks.

Laura: No, it wouldn’t be about money at all. I mean…

[Micah laughs]

Laura: …why would you think that?

Eric: Maybe Britain represents the future. You know? I mean, they’re already five hours, six hours in the future.

Andrew: Well, yeah, but the other – with all the other paperbacks, we waited a year just like the U.K., so…

Eric: Maybe they’ll release Movie 6 out before there than they do here.

Andrew: Maybe they were thinking about skipping paperback and just going straight to anniversary edition.

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Maybe.

Andrew: Two year anniversary edition.

Matt: Oh my gosh. Two years could be…

Micah: Well, that could be…

Andrew: Including a new sketch from Jo.

Micah: No actually, Andrew, you might be right, though. Anniversary editions. Maybe they didn’t want the two to sort of compete with each other.

Andrew: Oh, yes. That’s what I – that’s exactly what I meant.

Eric: No.

Andrew: That’s exactly what I meant, of course.

Eric: They’re not going to do a two year anniversary edition.

Micah: No, no. [laughs]

Eric: They’re going to wait ten years.

Andrew: No, no, no.

Micah: The Sorcerer’s Stone anniversary edition…

Laura: No, Eric, they are.

Micah: …they didn’t want the Deathly Hallows paperback to compete…

Andrew: To compete.

Micah: …with the Sorcerer’s Stone 10th Anniversary edition.

Matt: And Beedle the Bard‘s coming out, too.

Eric: Oh, that makes sense. More sense, anyway.

Andrew: That’s valid, yes.

Micah: We’ve solved it.

Andrew: That’s exactly what I meant. Thank you for rephrasing it, Micah.

Matt: Yes.

Andrew: But just for the record, I had that idea.

Micah: Yeah.

[Laura laughs]

Matt: I think we all have the same general idea. We just said it differently, Andrew.

Micah: Yeah, I was just interpreting what Andrew was trying to say.

Eric: Yes.

Andrew: Thank you. And what else is going on?


News: David Heyman Talks Half-Blood Prince


Micah: [laughs] Well, how about you talk about this one a little bit more, because I think you know more about it. David Heyman…

Andrew: David Heyman talks Half-Blood Prince! So here’s what happened, and I’ve got a little side story about this too. So David Heyman’s got a new movie out he’s producing, and he’s promoting it, and the film production company had a good idea. Talk to – get the fansites, let them ask questions about Harry Potter, and then they can post about the movie on their sites. That’s a good idea.

Matt: Yeah, why not?

Andrew: So our own Jamie’s in touch – was in touch with the David Heyman people, and he was supposed to submit questions about Half-Blood Prince that we would post on the site once we got the answers back. Well, now Jamie claims that it wasn’t his fault, but all the other fansites had these interviews with David Heyman, and Jamie was in touch with them, and for some reason, Jamie did not get the questions in. So something tells me it was Jamie’s fault. He says it’s not, but anyway. David Heyman did talk about Half-Blood Prince and revealed some interesting things.

Eric: And MuggleNet did not have coverage…

Andrew: No. Yes, we did.

Eric: …except to say that everyone else had coverage.

Andrew: Yeah, we linked to them.

Eric: Yeah. We had coverage to say that everyone – but we did not have our own original question.

Andrew: Right. Exactly. But honestly, a couple of these questions kind of overlapped each other anyway, so…

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: …we’re just going to take two. Snitch Seeker asked them – asked David Heyman, “As you know, Half-Blood Prince screenings were recently held in Chicago, which has given fans an idea what to expect come July 2009. Many were shocked to see the omission of the battle at Hogwarts and Dumbledore’s funeral. Can you explain why these scenes were left out?” Very good question. David responds, “The reason why we left out the battle of Hogwarts is because we have a battle at Hogwarts in the seventh film, and we are avoiding repetition. Dumbledore’s funeral was something that I really loved and is a fantastic part of the book, and part of me would have loved it in the film. But we decided that while we loved it, that what we came up with was the right ending for the film that we had made.” So he’s admitting here that there is no battle of Hogwarts and there’s no Dumbledore’s funeral, which is kind of crazy to even say.

Laura: That really bothers me.

Micah: He’s really behind the times, though, because I think Eric said that on last week’s show. Or…

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]

Micah: …a couple of shows.

Andrew: Well, no no…

Micah: Weeks ago.

Andrew: Yeah. Yes. Eric did tell us this when he was lucky enough to see the screening. By the way, Eric, did you catch anymore movies that are coming out in like ten years?

Eric: You know, actually, yes, but you wouldn’t understand.

Matt: Oh.

Eric: I’d have to – yeah. Give it a few years. I’ll tell you when you’re older.

Andrew: [laughs] Okay.

Eric: And then I’ll – you know.

Andrew: So, I’m not really totally cool with this reason – there’s no battle of Hogwarts because there’s another battle in Movie 7, because think about all the other movies. Think about Lord of the Rings. You know, there’s a big battle. Think about all the Harry Potters. There’s always some big sort of battle. Maybe it’s not so generic like the battle of Hogwarts, but saying that – I mean, do battles not translate well from one movie to another? Because it translates fine from one book to another.

Micah: Well…

Laura: No, I…

Micah: …it probably costs a lot of money, too.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: Yeah, that’s what I think it is.

Eric: Well, and not just to jump quickly to that, I think that my review on MuggleNet reflects my happiness with their treatment of the whole story of Book 6, and I think by making that decision to not do – let’s just say the Battle of Hogwarts for right now – choosing not to do that big battle of Hogwarts, they didn’t have to make the whole movie sort of lean towards – to build up to this crazy Battle of Hogwarts. Instead, they’ve made the cave scene really sort of the climax…

Andrew: Hmm.

Eric: …and Dumbledore’s death itself has been a climax. And there’s no real distraction from that, that they’re able to jump right into the emotion of everything without this Battle of Hogwarts, which, let’s face it, who died in that? I mean, Bill got his face kind of scratched pretty badly, but nothing really productive happened as far as the plot. It’s essential to the book. It makes sense in the book, and in the movie they didn’t do it. But at the same time, I thought they were able to spend that time that would have been taken up by some big battle at Hogwarts, in which no one dies, to spend more time on the plot of Book 6 and get some more of that stuff in there. In the movie.

Andrew: That make sense. Because as long as the cave scene’s the climax, that makes sense to me. Because when I think Half-Blood Prince, I think about the cave scene.

Eric: You don’t think about the Hogwarts sort of…

Andrew: No. But, Laura, what’s your issue with it? Initially, when I read this, you sort of grunted in a way.

Laura: It – well…

Andrew: Maybe not grunted, but…

Laura: I mean, I’m honestly more annoyed about the fact that they leave Dumbledore’s funeral out. I mean – I don’t know…

Andrew: There’s not a second one of those. [laughs]

Laura: Right, you don’t get another one of those.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: So it’s just…

Andrew: You only get one death.

Laura: Right.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: He can’t come back and die again so that we can have a funeral in the next movie.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: I think it’s a legitimate…

Matt: Yeah, yeah.

Eric: Yeah. But did they – I don’t know if they filmed part of it, too, because I heard a quote from Natalia Tena from the – from one of the Comic-Cons. One of the fans sent in a report that said that she had expressed her disappointment that the – it said that she expressed her disappointment that the Dumbledore’s funeral scene was cut. I guess that means that it was cut from the script and not actually partially filmed or anything.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s…

Eric: But logistically…

Andrew: …not in there at all.

Eric: This is what I said before. Logistically, getting all those actors, even many of the characters we haven’t even seen before…

Micah: Well…

Eric: It could just be extras, but I think it’s – Dolores Umbridge, for instance, will have – Imelda Staunton will have a lot more to do in Movie 7.

Micah: Yeah. And what’s the cost associated with bringing back those actors and actresses just for that one scene? I mean, you have to imagine that there’s going to be a lot of people that would have to be involved in that, and they’d have to start paying salaries to those people just to show up for that one spot.

Laura: Yeah, but you don’t have to bring all those people back, though. The whole thing is about Dumbledore’s funeral. It’s not about who’s there for it. So you get a bunch of extras, you get all the students, and you have the professors. I think that’s…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: …perfectly adequate.

Andrew: I agree.

Eric: Well, if that’s true, they have the students and the professors. There’s no need for…

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: …anything different than what they actually ended up doing in the movie.

Micah: Right.

Andrew: Really? Well, I guess we can’t really say more without…

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: …spoilers.

Micah: But, Eric, I have one more question for you, though, about this Battle at Hogwarts. You said that them cutting it out seemed to work well with the movie, but did they also leave out sort of the after effects of Dumbledore’s death, where Harry is running after Snape? Because I thought that is a crucial part…

Andrew: Ooh.

Micah: …leading into Book 7.

Eric: I’ll take the broader question on that…

[Micah laughs]

Eric: …so as not to spoil everyone. The after effects of Dumbledore’s death are not in any way skipped over. It’s still very important to the film and important to the ending.

Matt: Oh good.

Andrew: Good. That’s good to hear.

Matt: We’re not going to see another scene where just Harry just starts screaming, “He was your friend!”

[Laura laughs]

Eric: You – no, what movie’s that from?

Laura: The third one.

Matt: The third one, Prisoner of Azkaban.

Eric: That’s right, that’s right, that’s right.

Andrew: All right, well, there was more to be said by David Heyman. HPANA, the Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator, asked him, “How are the screenplays by Steve Kloves coming along for Book 7 – Movie 7?”

Matt: Mmm.

Andrew: Heyman said, “They will be very faithful to the book. One of the pleasures of having the time to make two films means we will be able to go into more detail than we might otherwise have been able to do. If we had only done one film, we were concerned that we might have to remove the Deathly Hallows.”

Laura: What?!

Andrew: “We never went that far, but that would have been something that might have had to come out, which would have been terrible. The script is coming along well. I have read the first half of the adaptation. I have not read the second half. That should be coming in the next few weeks.” So it seems like they already know where the split is, that means.

Laura: Mhm. Yeah.

Matt: Cool. Cool, cool.

Micah: It bothers me, though…

Laura: Wait…

Micah: [laughs] …that they would even consider leaving out…

Laura: Consider – yeah.

Micah: …the Deathly Hallows. That’s the name of the movie.

Andrew: That’s so wrong!

Micah: I mean…

Andrew: Yeah, they’d have to rename it.

Laura: Harry Potter and…

Matt: Harry Potter and the Last Book.

Andrew: Harry Potter and Voldemort.

Laura: Do you think they would have renamed the movie?

Andrew: Well, wouldn’t they sort of have to if they cut out that whole plot?

Matt: They would have to if they cut out – yeah.

Eric: Well, I think what he means too, is a lot of the backstory too, and think of all the creative things they’ll be able to do with the tale – maybe even the Tales of Beedle the Bard, getting that – getting the story put to film, “The Three Brothers.”

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: Who knows if they’ll do that? I mean – you know. So, they could have gone into elaboration. They might have the Hallows but not be able to explain it.

Andrew: Harry Potter and the Quest for the Horcruxes.

Eric: Well, it’s like having the Marauder’s Map and not learning who the Marauders are.

Andrew: Right, yeah. Or Sorcerer’s Stone not having the Sorcerer’s Stone in the plot. It just doesn’t make sense.

Micah: Yeah, and it…

Eric: No, I mean in the movie we didn’t learn who the Marauders were.

Micah: His statement here though, is…

Laura: Yeah, but the movie wasn’t called Harry Potter and the Marauder’s Map.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Eric: Oh, okay. Still a plot-hole.

Laura: No, it is. It’s not as significant.

Matt: Well, if you want to go with plot-holes, we’ll be here all day with the movies.

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: Oh, it’s true. It’s true. Right.

Micah: And his statement here is the complete opposite of what he answers with the other question that we just looked at earlier. He’s saying here, “Hey…”

Andrew: “It’d be terrible to cut stuff out”?

Micah: Yeah, exactly. We – this is basically him saying, “We’ve screwed up so much in the first six films that we have to go ahead and make sure we cram everything in these last two, because if we don’t…” But then, yet, you look at the fact that he goes out and leaves the Battle at Hogwarts at the end of Half-Blood Prince out. He leaves out…

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: …Dumbledore’s funeral, and yet in the next question he’s talking about having to put as much in as possible. You know, it – which one is it? I mean, do you really care that much?

Matt: Well, what are your guys’ opinions?

Eric: Well, a lot of stuff separately happens in Book 7 that doesn’t necessarily make complete sense telling a linear story. A lot of stuff happens for a lot of separate different reasons. Sure, Harry is hunting down the Horcruxes, but all the separate scenes in that movie – I can’t imagine what it would be like cramming that all into one film, showing them here at this location and here at that location.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: The movie would’ve been a mess!

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It would have been an utter mess. There’s a lot of stuff – guys, I should tell you now, what I did just today and yesterday, I reread the last seven or so chapters of Book 7. I loved it the second time around, by the way, guys, but I wanted to say that just reading the Battle of Hogwarts scene, it goes on forever, and that alone could be a two and a half hour movie. I would want it to be, and thinking of all the renegade plots, all the things that the trio goes through before they get back to Hogwarts, which is essentially where we left off – where I picked the book back up again, that’s a lot of stuff, and…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: Yeah. So David Heyman is saying that he is – that they’re going to have to be totally faithful, is – may not even mean that they have to get all the dialogue right and all of everything else right. They just mean they have to show what’s actually happening in the book.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: Because of all the – because of the time freedom.

Matt: Well, they also probably – David Heyman is probably also meaning with “we have to be very faithful to the book” is that if they cut one – the scenes in the book are so crucial for the whole plot-line for the entire book. If they cut like one thing in the movie they’re going to have to cut a few other things that which will have to cut more things, because one scene leads to this or that, and then the next scene will lead to something else. It’s just – you can’t just cut one thing because then you’re cutting other plot twists and turns in the book as well.

Micah: Yeah, and not only that, you’re having to cram in whatever you left out in the previous six films. Like the fact that in Movie 5, they couldn’t take two minutes to put in something about the locket, or in Movie 6 they couldn’t put anything about the diadem that Harry had seen when he was in the Room of Requirement. So by not even alluding to those things in the last two films now, you have to go back and explain to the audience how Harry could possibly have any clue what those items are and where they are. And that’s a huge thing to undertake.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s true. All right.

Eric: It’s very true.

Andrew: Let’s move it along. What else is going on, Micah?

Micah: Oh, we’re still on news? It’s like the other episode where…

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.

Laura: It won’t end!

Micah: …45 minutes later we’re going to come back to – we’re still going to be doing the news.

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]


News: Even More Movie 6 Pictures


Micah: Oh, well, Christmas came earlier for me, and it just keeps coming every day of the week. And it’s great. All these pictures from Half-Blood Prince. I can’t get enough of them.

Andrew: It’s about quitting time now. I’ve had my fair share.

Micah: I mean, they – how many different calendars can you make here? It’s beyond belief.

Eric: Well, what do you guys mean? What do you mean, Micah?

Andrew: There’s a slew of calendars coming out, and I have to say, WB must be kicking themselves for all these, because I’m sure if they would have preferred all this stuff comes out next year, but now we’re getting all these pictures and stuff way early before the film comes out. I mean, here we are a month and a half before when it was supposed to come out, if – when in reality these are coming out, what, eight months ahead of time? If these pictures were coming out in March, WB would have had a fit! If these pictures were coming out eight months before the November release, they would have had a fit. So we saw nothing in March. We saw, I think – I think in March we had that one single picture of Harry holding the Half-Blood Prince book. Actually, no.

Matt: God, that seems so long ago.

Andrew: I think that one came out in January. But yeah, it just – you know. So I’m sure they’re really annoyed by all this. [laughs]

Matt: I think March was when we saw the trio at the fireplace, when Ron was holding walnuts or something?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. So…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: It’s just a lot now, so I think it’ll…

Micah: It’s just beyond at this point. There’s…

Andrew: It’s got to come to an end.

Micah: …no reason to keep releasing these. I think a lot of people are just fed up, because if you’re going to do anything from this point forward…

Andrew: Well, I don’t think anyone’s fed up.

Micah: …just release another trailer of some sort.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I think that would be more worthwhile.

Eric: I don’t think they can control it, because they’ve licensed all these other companies to produce all these other calendars and things internationally, and all that was set for that schedule, to be released in November. It’s just like the game, the video game, you know. Everyone was pushing for it. So these calendars are produced. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already even mass produced, that they have a bunch of them that now cannot be sold. So it’s kind of impossible for them to stifle the images that are going to come from people who see these calendars…

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: …and want to scan them for us, you know. It’s not WB releasing these images so early, it’s all these people who have access to these unreleased calendars.

Andrew: Right.

Matt: Right.

Andrew: And that’s why WB hates it so much, because they really have no control over it.

Matt: So everything is all delayed and stuff. Yeah.

Andrew: They’re out now.

Matt: [gasps] Is the yarn delayed as well?

Andrew: No, I think the yarn’s been printed. We’re safe on that.

Micah: Well, if you were one of these companies wouldn’t you be pissed off too? That you have to wait on this product now for another eight months, or…

Andrew: Who’s waiting though? Who’s waiting though? I mean, just EA is.

Micah: Well, they’re not going to sell these calendars before the release date.

Andrew: Yes they are.

Micah: They are?

Andrew: They’re coming into the hands of people, yeah!

Micah: Oh, okay.

Andrew: Yeah, they’re already – they’re going out. They’re going out, baby!

Matt: Bring it!

Andrew: Out like a dog.

Matt: Bring it.

Micah: That’s going hurt them come release date too, though, don’t you think?

Andrew: Yeah, but…

Micah: I mean, they’re not going to be able to sell as much because all the stuff’s going to be out already.

Andrew: But I think they prefer the holiday season market over the summer.

Matt: Yeah. That’s going to be kind of weird, though. I mean, has all, like – has, like, the Goblet of Fire calendar – was that released during the year that Goblet of Fire was released?

Andrew: It’s usually like a 16 month calendar where you get half the year in.

Matt: Oh. Well, we’re going to get the entire year that it’s out.

Eric: Yeah. Well, they’ll just make a 2010 calendar then.

Matt: Yeah. a 2009-2010 calendar.

Andrew: [laughs] Just rearrange the pictures. Yeah, I’m looking – the wall calendar was released October 1, the desk calendar, according to Amazon, it’s not out yet. But the wall calendar is and so is the day-to-day calendar. So…

Eric: You know, I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world to have a day-to-day calendar that you can peel back…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …and it has a slightly new image of a movie you haven’t seen yet.

Andrew: Yeah. No, it’s cool.

Eric: I mean it’s kind of cool.

Andrew: The mini wall calendar came out in September, the poster book’s coming out in November, so I think we still have – actually no, we already saw pictures from the poster book, so. It’s just a slew of Half-Blood Prince for the holidays. Okay. And what else, Micah?


News: Film Printing Press Replica of Actual 100-Year-Old Press


Micah: Well, the Daily Record reported back on Tuesday that a 100-year-old printing press is being replicated by Deathly Hallows film producers for one of the scenes.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Oh right.

Micah: And the owner of this printing press, David Phillips, was pleasantly surprised when he was invited to Leavesden Studios to help the producers come up with a design. And he’s got no idea what it’s going to be used for, but I guess some of us can offer our thoughts.

Andrew: Yeah, I think this is pretty cool that they’re actually putting this much effort into a printing press. It almost makes you think that they’re going to have a lot of focus on this scene.

Eric: Mm. Yeah, like possibly. This scene – well, what is that scene in the book? The Xenophilius Lovegood scene is what we speculate. We speculate that it’s going to be The Quibbler‘s printing press.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.

Eric: So that scene would only further – well, first of all, it goes to support that’s where we find out about the “Tale of the Three Brothers.”

Andrew: Right. Right. Yeah.

Eric: But also, possibly a subplot…

Andrew: I mean, there’s going to be a lot with this.

Eric: Yeah. And also, possibly the subplot that they’re taking – you know, that they took Luna and are blackmailing Xenophilius Lovegood. So two good things, two good big subplots come out of that scene that we now think that they might be paying a lot of attention to.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: I mean, they basically – I bet someone writing the thing, or the producers, had to say, well, who’s the – who owns a 100 year old printing press? You know, who’s the guy to talk to? And they called this guy up who’s never really heard about them, and never been associated with them before. He just happens to have this old printing press. They call him in on a consulting basis. It just shows the effort that they’re putting into this.

Matt: Yeah. Well, it’s a big scene. I mean, it’s the scene that we find out why the story’s called The Deathly Hallows.

Andrew: Let’s do a little math here, too. If they already are getting this printing press design, you would assume that’s for the first script if the second script isn’t ready yet. So that means…

Eric: That movie’s in pre-production. I mean – or something.

Andrew: Yeah, but, you know, you still – you would cut stuff out of the – you wouldn’t do this until after you have the final script, I would think. Maybe?

Eric: Unless you know that this will be made into all copies of the script, to show the printing press. Things like props.

Andrew: Yeah, I guess it’s important, yeah. But anyway, if we could assume that they’re doing this just because of that, just because it’s in the first script and the first script is ready to go…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: …then we’re looking at – it’s going past “The Silver Doe,” which some speculated that might be where it cuts off.

Eric: Mmm. Interesting.

Andrew: So, just something to think about there. Eric, you could be right, though. Go ahead, Micah.

MuggleCast 159 Transcript (continued)


News: Rowling Backs Labor Party


Micah: One of the last pieces of news was that J.K. Rowling has donated close to two-million dollars to the Labor Party, saying she was motivated by Labor’s record on child poverty and opposed the conservative plan to give tax breaks to married couples.

Andrew: Ouch.

Micah: Her donation will boost Gordon Brown as he tries to calm unrest among party members at Labor’s annual conference.

[Law and Order theme begins playing]

Andrew: That’s a lot of money. We know what party she’s on.

Micah: [laughs] Yes, I have a feeling you would know who she was voting for here in the United States if she was an American citizen.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Is the Labor Party the equivalent to Democrats?

Laura: Well, they’re not, like, exactly the same, but they are the liberal party.

Andrew: Well, that’s something, because here in America you would never see a celebrity donate so much – any money to a party.

Laura: Oh no, they do. They do.

Andrew: Really?

Laura: Oh yeah. Celebrities donate tons of money. I bet you could find somebody.

Andrew: Well, yeah. I mean, a lot of artists go out and support – yeah, I guess they don’t do it as publicly, though, too. Because you don’t want people not seeing your movie because you’re, you know, Republican, Democrat, whatever. And last story of the day, Micah Tannenbaum.


News: Exclusive Scholastic School Market Edition of Sorcerer’s Stone


Micah: Well, we talked about Sorcerer’s Stone a little bit at the top of the news, but apparently they’re coming out with an exclusive Scholastic School Market Edition, that I guess is strictly for groups that are going to be ordering – or schools that are going to be ordering this special edition. Is that what it’s going to be?

Andrew: Yeah! It’s cool! Yeah! It’s the exclusive Scholastic School Market Edition, so a lot of S’s in there. But it’s a cool cover, and I’m really surprised that Scholastic is shaking it up this much with all these new covers for the first book. And this one was also illustrated by Mary GrandPre, which is cool. It’s got Harry, Ollivander, and Hagrid in Ollivander’s wand shop. So it’s cool, it’s cool! We don’t have any good sized images of this yet but hopefully we will. Somebody will get a copy and then send it in.

Micah: So a lot of schools and libraries will probably be ordering this edition, and I’m sure people are going to try and get their hands on it as well. Collectors mainly.

Laura: Doesn’t it kind of weird you guys out that when we all have kids they’re going to be reading Harry Potter in school? Like, it’s going to be an assigned book.

Andrew: I know!

Laura: And they’re going to…

Andrew: I hope it’s an assigned book.

Laura: Yeah, and they’re going to come home and they’re going to hate it by sheer virtue of the fact that they’re being forced to read it, and that’s just going to make me sad.

Andrew: Yeah. It’s amazing to think how many more generations of people still are yet to fall in love with Harry Potter. It’s just surreal. It’s generation after generation. Is that it, Micah?

Micah: That is it. I’m done. I’m leaving. See you guys.


Announcement: Podcast Alley


Andrew: Okay. [laughs] It’s time for some announcements. Don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. It is MuggleCast Moctober. It’s a very important month for us.

Matt: Yes, very.

Andrew: It’s the sweeps, so please vote for us. Everyone’s doing a great job, so thank you so much.


Announcement: Waiting for Podcast Awards Nomination


Andrew: Another thing: we nominated ourselves in the 2008 Podcast Awards. We nominated ourselves in the entertainment category, and we should be hearing soon if we got some of the top nominations so we can actually be in the running for the award. So, thank you to everyone who helped nominate us.

Micah: Isn’t it the 19th? Is that right? That we’ll know who is going to be able to be voted on?

Andrew: Did they post an update?

Micah: I think so, yeah. It says October 19th at 4PM Pacific time.

Andrew: Ooo. I’ll be tuned in.

Micah: So 7PM for you East Coasters.

Andrew: I’ll be tuned in. Yeah, so. All right, well, cool. That’s good! So just over two weeks. Two weeks from today.

Matt: Wow!


Announcement: Azkatraz Newsletter


Andrew: So, thank you for that. And, another thing, something really exciting that I was informed just yesterday; Azkatraz 2009: we’ve been talking about it a lot, and they’re going to be sending out their very first newsletter soon, and it’s going to have a very exciting MuggleCast related announcement in it. So sign up for the Azkatraz newsletter. It’s HP2009.org. And put your e-mail address in and the first newsletter’s going to have something cool that, frankly, no podcast has ever done before.

Matt: No, actually, no.

[Andrew, Laura, and Micah laugh]

Matt: That is right! No.

Andrew: So it’s very exciting, and I guess once they announce it then we’ll talk about it more.

Matt: It’s going to be epic!

Andrew: If you do want to register for Azkatraz early, which we do suggest – that’s a very good idea – under referral, put “MuggleCast” or “MuggleNet” so that…

Matt: Oooooo……

Andrew: ….way they know – no, this is serious.

Matt: Oh, sorry.

Andrew: That way they know where you’re coming from. So, thank you very much for that. And like I said, sign up for the newsletter.


Announcement: Ministry of Magic Elections Are Going Strong


Micah: I just wanted to… [laughs] …wrap up some announcements with the Ministry of Magic election, just talk about that real quick and say that it’s going strong. It seems like people are really enjoying it, and for as crazy as this whole concept is, it seems like people are getting into it, and we’re getting into our second week, actually, starting on Tuesday.

Andrew: This week is Molly versus Horace and Kingsley versus Minerva.

Matt: Ooh, Kingsley and Minerva.

Andrew: It’s good. I like these battles. It’s interesting to see how people – what people think. Next election’s October 7th…

Micah: Tuesday.

Andrew: …on MuggleNet. Tuesday.

Matt: Tuesday, October 7th.


Muggle Mail: A Person Against Seeing Movie 6 Early


Andrew: Okay, let’s move onto Muggle Mail. I hate to say it, but we’re still having feedback form problems, even using the MuggleNet feedback form. There’s something wrong with it, and Damon’s looking into it and hopefully have it fixed soon. But we have two e-mails right here and these focus on the Half-Blood Prince movie. First one from Skyler. She writes:

“Hi, I’m just giving my thoughts on the early ‘Half-Blood Prince’ screening. If I had the choice to go, I don’t think I would’ve. I would not have wanted to wait two additional years to see ‘Deathly Hallows.’ The push back of the complete ‘Half-Blood Prince’ movie is enough already. Another reason I would not go is for the imaginative part. When you see a ‘Harry Potter’ movie, you get sucked into the movie, and you seem to be right alongside the characters. See the movie go from special effect to blue screen would ruin that for me. Thanks. Love the show.”

Matt: Ehhh….

Andrew: So there’s someone saying, I don’t want to see it early. And, frankly, I agree with everything she had to say, because seeing it now is just way too early.

Matt: Yeah, but I mean, you would still see it.

Laura: Yeah, but it – okay. But if somebody came up to you on the street…

Matt: Because, I mean, if you knew…right.

Laura: Yeah. And said, “Here, I’ve got tickets to this…”

Matt: If they had the – if they originally had Half-Blood Prince in July of 2009, and the premiere for, what, Order of the Phoenix came out – so you would be going – would you wait a year after Order of the Phoenix was released because you didn’t want to wait two years for Half-Blood Prince to be released?

Andrew: No, I just think there’s something about spoiling – not having all that hype to look up to.


Muggle Mail: Optimistic About Movie Release Date Moving to July


Matt: Next e-mail:

“Hey there! In the last month I’ve been hurting like everyone else that the sixth ‘Harry Potter’ film is not going to be released in a few months. But despite the disappointment, I have to say that I’m not so angry anymore. I’m not here to rebuttal your feelings because they’re just that, feelings. But I feel that very few people are taking this in an optimistic way. However, I’m taking it in a different view. According to all the testimonies, like Eric and Jo’s, we are in for a treat. Sure, it was a major disappointment. Sure, its former release date is being replaced by ‘Twilight,’ which, sorry, is not my cup of tea. And sure, we have to wait for basically a year until we can see the finished product. But can you imagine how wonderful of a movie this is going to be after a year? I think we should sit back and look at this with excitement besides anger. Another thing: when we see the final three seconds of the final film, and the theater lights up, and the movie is over, so is the excitement felt every year throughout the fandom, whether it be for the book or the movie. Despite the disappointment we all felt to hear the movie had been pushed back, I think of how utterly abrupt the end will come, regretting it couldn’t have lasted longer. I say amen for an extra year. The anticipation lives on. Sophie.”

Andrew: Here’s an e-mail that WB knows would’ve come eventually, because, like everything, everything blows over. And here’s just a great example of a fan, who I’m sure was frustrated at first, like she said in her e-mail. But, you know, like, I’m sure they thought, “Oh, it’ll blow over. Everybody’ll be fine with it.” And she’s right. The anticipation in the fandom does last longer, which is always good.

Laura: Yeah. Well, I mean, fans are going through the five stages of grief. They’ve started with anger and now they have moved on to acceptance.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Well, you know what? It’s that way with a lot of the fandoms. It’s not just Harry Potter. I mean, it’s other fandoms as well. A lot of the fans get upset when things change or something just doesn’t go the way they thought of it. Their initial reaction is very, you know, extreme. And after a time it kind of boils over a little bit.

Andrew: I miss the days when we were debating when Book 7 was going to come out: 2007 or 2008.

Laura: I know.

Andrew: Let’s bring that back.

Laura: It’s such a different, like – I mean, I hate to say it – Like, I’m not saying that the fandom’s dying or whatever, but it was a very different time for the fandom. And I really do miss that, because there was an excitement that we don’t really have anymore. It’s sad.

Andrew: Yeah. Think about how much better the fandom timeline to this pique would’ve been, because we had a movie and a book last year. Imagine if, you know, we had the movie last year, the book this year, then the movie the following year, then two more movies and two more years. It would’ve been great.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Do you remember when we were debating and we were like, “Oh!” – I think it was Jamie and I, who were like, “Oh! Book 7 won’t come out in 2007. It’s going to be 2008.”

Andrew: Yeah. I remember that.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: And Jamie made the infamous, “I’ll bet you…” He’ll…

Laura: He would eat…

Andrew: …eat 50 sausages.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: I think that was it.

Laura: He never did.

Matt: Yeah. I remember that episode too. I was listening to it. Laura was like, “She can’t finish that book in a year. She can’t. You don’t understand the writing process.”

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Laura: Okay, I did not say that.

Matt: [laughs] Yes you did.

Laura: No, I didn’t.

Andrew: It’s a fair case. It’s a fair case.

Laura: No, I was just saying that I thought it was somewhat unreasonable for people to assume that she could write a 600 page book in a year. She exceeded my expectations.


Main Discussion: What Happened After the Battle of Hogwarts


Andrew: I agree. Speaking of Book 7, it’s time now to get into our main discussion. And this is a good one. I’m excited about this. Everyone is, I think. What happened after the Battle of Hogwarts in Book 7? And, you know, we’ve talked so much about the battle and everything surrounding the book, but what happened after the Battle of Hogwarts? And that’s what we’re going to discuss now. We’re going to discuss the future. And first I have to give credit where credit is due. We – this discussion idea came from the COS forums, Chamber of Secrets forums. They’re MuggleNet’s official forums. They have fantastic discussions there all the time about Harry Potter. So if you want to get in some good discussing, I would definitely recommend COSForums.com. You can try an online discussion about this too.

Matt: It’s definitely a venue for a Harry Potter fix.

Andrew: Oh Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Okay, so we’re going to start off – I mean, should we do a summary? Everyone knows what happens at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Matt: Yeah, everyone knows. We even talked about it after Chapter-by-Chapter.

Andrew: Yeah. All right, Eric, you’re back now? You’re all good now? Eric had a little fall out.

Eric: I’m back. I’m all good. I’m on my laptop now.

Andrew: Little BSOD action. So, the Battle of Hogwarts was a very happy time and it was a very sad time.

Matt: It was the best of times and also the worst of times.

Andrew: Yes.

Eric: Actually, it was lunch time.

Andrew: [laughs] No, it was breakfast time…

Eric: Oh. Psh.

Andrew: …because it ended in the morning.

Laura: Fail.

Matt: Actually, it was breakfast time in the U.S.

Andrew: Yes.

[Matt laughs]

Laura: What?!


Immediately Following the Battle: Happy or Sad?


Andrew: So first question: after the battle – and most of these questions focus, like, directly after the battle. Do you guys think everyone grieved or do you think the happiness outweighed the sadness? Because, you know, like I said, it was such a happy time and a sad time. You have to wonder what takes control. After Harry killed off Voldemort. How does everyone react? Is it just a quiet time, where everyone’s just looking around each other and hugging, or is it cheers and celebrations, or what?

Matt: I think it’s a mixture of both.

Laura: Yeah. Didn’t it say after it was all over that they all sat down at the House tables? Like, isn’t that kind of weird? They all just sat down at the tables together.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, they didn’t sit by Houses, they were just kind of all mixed up.

Laura: Yeah. Everyone just sat down.

Eric: The point I wanted to make, too, is that everyone – during the Battle of Hogwarts there were periods of time where everyone – I mean, basically there were two separate periods of time where everyone had the ability and the time to pick up the dead and bring them into the Great Hall and do their sort of grieving. You know, I mean once – it’s sort of in between the battling there was all that time where people were taking those who had fallen in battle, and taken them into the Great Hall, which is where everyone was grieving, sort of, even during. So, at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, it makes sense to me that – I mean, there’ll still be plenty of grieving to do, but if you’re asking whether or not it’s a celebration or not, surely with the Dark Lord’s battle and the Harry versus Voldemort, you know, final confrontation, it’s got to be an
overall – really rewarding, I would say, if anything…

Micah: Mhm.

Eric: …rewarding, you know? And can I also say that the writing around this time, the press, the newspaper, those stories have got to be sort of the best news that anyone can bring. That there were…

Micah: Mhm.

Eric: …plenty of casualties. It’s not a particularly happy time in any reason, but everyone can be relieved. I mean, there was that statement – there’s actually a statement in the book which explains how Kingsley Shacklebolt was made temporary Minister of Magic and stuff. So, all that sort of stuff is happening.

Andrew: Oh yeah, I love that kind of stuff.

Eric: Yeah, yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: So that’s in the book. So there is sort of a – it’s progress, it’s what now? You know, re-building. It’s really this big air of re-building.

Matt: Yeah. It’s also kind of – I don’t want to say grieving, though – but – and I hate, you know, really comparing it to other book series, but in Lord of the Rings, after the big battle in it – are you guys familiar with it?

Laura: Yes.

Matt: At all? Well, the characters going home after the big war was over, it was just so hard to go back to the way everything was. I think one of the characters – there was, like, a quote saying, “How can the world go
back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?” And you just got to wonder, like, what the Wizarding World was like after – really after Voldemort really
wrecked havoc. I mean, he did the first time until he was defeated, quote un-quote, but now that he’s dead – but that huge battle. I mean, just all those lives
that were affected by it. And also there were students and it affected them so young. I mean, we have to sit like – they were kind of traumatized too…

Laura: Yeah. Well…

Matt: …about the whole thing. How they view things now and what they take from what they witnessed and everything.

Laura: Yeah. Well, I mean I imagine that there would have to be a great deal of pain involved. I mean, there’s no doubt about that. You just look at examples like the Weasleys, who lost a son.

Matt: Yeah, well…

Laura: You know, it’s…

Matt: …the Weasley’s lost a lot.

Laura: Yeah. It…

Matt: The whole war – the first and second war of it, they lost a lot of Weasleys. I mean, granted they had a lot to spare, but…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Awww! That’s terrible!

Eric: Spare your Weasleys?

Micah: Yeah. I think the grieving period would be probably pretty long and drawn out. You know, just for them to pay their respects and have all the
proper services for all the people that had gone. I don’t think there would be that sort of sense of happiness until they were maybe a couple of months
removed from everything that happened.

Eric: I…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: I don’t know about that. See, again, they had that time to do – I mean, they really did grieve a lot during the time when Harry was in Snape’s Pensieve, and
then, you know, viewing Snape’s memories.

Micah: Mhm.

Eric: That was an hour. Then Voldemort gave him to come back into the forest. And then all that time that Harry went into the forest and had that thing with Voldemort, before Voldemort said, “Harry Potter is dead.” All that time has passed where they’re in the Great Hall. Yes, they’re waiting, scared to figure
out what’s going to happen next and when battle comes back, but they – they’re having that time, so in the end you know that the – you know that the people didn’t die for nothing, because you’ve just seen this extraordinary battle in the Great Hall between Harry and Voldemort, and Voldemort is finally dead. For good. Completely dead. His body is right there in front of you, nothing mysterious about it, he’s gone! And…

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: …there just has to be this such overwhelming – because nobody more will die, and…

Matt: Right.

Eric: …no matter who you lost, especially if you’re the Weasleys, you know that nobody more will die, and I think that good cause will completely – they’ll still
be upset, and you’re right, Micah, in mentioning that they have to have all sorts of services. That’s true and it can’t be easy and it can’t be fun or happy, but
I think, overall, they’re going to be relieved, I think.

Matt: Oh yeah, there’s a huge sigh of relief after this, but…

Micah: They were doing what they could with the time that was given, though, and there was that sense of not knowing what was going to come, so they had to
grieve as fast as possible in the sense that you were talking about, because they didn’t know if, you know, fifteen minutes from then they turned around and were
going to be dead themselves. So there was a little bit of that, but I just think that when you look at all the people who died in, you know – Matt mentioned
students before – there’s a good chance that their parents, and other siblings, and people like that weren’t there at the time that it happened, and they have to go through that whole process…

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: …of…

Matt: It’s almost like soldiers coming back from the war. You know, going back to their families that just really can’t, you know, reach out to them anymore after what they’ve seen.

Andrew: Yeah. Plus, I’m not sure how happy they may have felt, because I’d like to argue that they don’t know what could be coming. There still could be more
to come. Or maybe they could have figured that Voldemort, you know, by some really odd way actually didn’t die or had some freaky way of coming back. Because, you know, if he can split his soul into seven parts, who knows what else he can do, especially if, you know, he were to die. But…

Eric: I don’t think at that time it was any question. That’s just…

Andrew: Well – yeah, but you can’t feel totally complete because you’ve got to remember that the Death Eaters are still out there too. But, I mean, you know, I guess there is never no 100% peaceful world ever, in any world. So…

Micah: I think there would be more relief than happiness, probably.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, I don’t think happiness is the right word.

Micah: We’re not talking party here.

Matt: Mhm. I think it’s more like relief. You know, it’s finally done and over after all the suffering, but…


The Original Weasleys


Andrew: But here’s a random stretch at one of those seven relations that I was thinking up when you guys were talking about the Weasleys. Technically, there’s like seven Weasleys, because Molly was not a Weasley originally.

Eric: But there’s not.

Andrew: No, there’s nine including Molly…

Matt: She’s a Weasley.

Andrew: …but if you don’t include Molly because she
wasn’t in the family, that means one dies so there’s seven. It’s the number seven.

Eric: No, there’s…

Matt: But she made, like, half a dozen.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: No, I don’t care if there’s nine. I’m just saying that she married into the Weasleys.

Eric: What about Arthur Weasley?

Micah: Yeah, he helped.

Eric: Ooooh.

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Would you consider Harry a Weasley?

Andrew: No.

Laura: No!

Matt: He’s married into them.

Andrew: No. And I don’t. That’s why I don’t count Molly.

Matt: Even if they include him as a family?

Eric: What about Rose and Hugo? They’re Weasleys too.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: At that point they didn’t exist.

Andrew: What I’m saying is that they’re original Weasleys.

Eric: Your logic is flawed.

Matt: The original Weasleys…

Andrew: Oh, whatever.

Eric: The original Weasleys lived a thousand years ago.

Andrew: Sorry I’m thinking outside of the box.

Matt: The original Weasleys. God, we could even call the Malfoys original Weasleys because they’re related to them somehow.

Eric: Yeah, yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I’m saying they’re not – I’m saying Molly’s not related…

Matt: Nope. No, no, your argument does not hold water.

Andrew: Yes it does.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: I’m sure people will e-mail in and support me.

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Don’t. [whispers] Don’t do it.

[Laura laughs]


Harry and the Malfoys


Andrew: Another question: Did Harry speak to the Malfoys after the battle? And if so, what did he say? There’s only one thing I can think of. Awkward!

Laura: Yeah.

Matt: Well, yeah, because doesn’t Malfoy owe him a life debt?

Andrew: Well, yeah, there’s even a mention of that in Book 7, that – towards the end – that Draco sort of just like – he gives him a look, right?

Laura: Yeah, he gave him a nod.

Eric: Yeah, he nods curtly. That was in the epilogue.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. What do you think Draco’s feelings toward Harry were?

Matt: [laughs] Embarrassed!

Eric: Well…

Laura: I’d be embarrassed.

Eric: …the whole thing is, too – yeah, like, Narcissa Malfoy is the single reason that Voldemort was defeated. If you’re going to look at it, she could have ratted Harry out as not – you know, she said to Voldemort that he was dead and Voldemort went up to
the castle then. So Harry owes – I mean, Narcissa just wanted to know if her son was safe, and Harry said he was, and so Lucius and Narcissa – it said at some point in the battle, they’re just walking through the Great Hall calling their son’s name. They just need to find Draco; that’s all they care about. And so they get to be a family, and Voldemort is defeated, and so if Harry did speak to them – I mean, I just think the events of the evening speak for themselves, that Harry was helped by Narcissa, that Draco was helped by Harry and Ron, that in the end the evil was conquered, and it would be kind of awkward, but I think that some real kind of forced respect – you know, like in the beginning when they say when – in Book 1 when it’s – that there are a few things you can’t do without becoming best friends, and knocking out a fully grown mountain troll was one of them. Well, you have to have respect for sort of what has gone after all they’ve suffered.

Matt: Mhm. That, and also going back to when it’s about embarrassment, is that Malfoy doesn’t only owe him one, he pretty much owes him three life debts…

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: …if you think about it. They saved him in the
fire, they saved him from being killed by a Death Eater, and Harry pretty much saved his life when he told his mother that he was safe, because he was going to get killed anyway by Voldemort, because technically he’s still in the castle, which means that he’s on the other guy’s side, the good side.

Eric: Yeah, you’re right.

Matt: So he’s saved his butt three times.

Micah: Yeah, and one thing that I did was I looked up this chat that J.K. Rowling did after the book was released, and somebody asked her, did Draco and Harry lose their animosity towards each other when Voldemort died? She said not really. There would be a kind of reproachment in that Harry knows Draco hated being a Death Eater and would not have killed Dumbledore, but similarly, Draco would feel a grudging gratitude towards Harry for saving his life. So…

Andrew: Yeah. This reminds me, do you guys ever feel bad for the bad guy after they already lose at the end?

Eric: In like any book?

Andrew: In any book or even any movie.

Laura: I…

Andrew: You know, there’s this sort of just, like, eh…

Laura: I have sympathy for the bad guy who isn’t a bad guy through and through. You know? I mean, yeah, Draco, he is not a good guy, but at the same time we see that he has some moral compass, like… [laughs] …I mean, he didn’t want to be a Death Eater so I felt bad for him in the sixth book, yeah.

Andrew: Me too.

Laura: But Voldemort? Hell no.

Eric: Is it a Golden moral Compass, Laura?

Laura: Yes…

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: …Eric, that’s exactly what I meant.

Matt: It’s fun to know that…

Andrew: When you see Draco being ashamed.

Matt: …that was probably the perfect punishment for the Malfoy family, is utter embarrassment and shame.

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: Absolutely. But gratitude that they’re still alive, you know, to feel those things.

Matt: Pretty much mercy-ed to being alive by the people that they loathe is kind of… [laughs] …I don’t know what to say.

Eric: It fits.

Matt: Yeah, it does. It’s a perfect ending for their chapter.


Did Harry Tell All?


Andrew: Here’s a question I’ve always wondered: did Harry tell anyone exactly what he had been doing for the past year?

Laura: Oh.

Andrew: Because, you know, at the end he sort of – of every book he sort – he kind of reveals what was going on. Like with The Sorcerer’s Stone, he told everyone, didn’t he?

Matt: I mean, he probably wrote an autobiographical book.

Andrew: Dumbledore did.

Matt: I mean, he had a lot of time on his hands.

Laura: Yeah, I was going to say, he wrote a memoir…

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: …like in Burn After Reading.

Matt: Harry, My History.

Andrew: Harry, A History.

Matt: Yeah.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Well, remember, he takes Ron and Hermione aside and tells them exactly what happened in the forest right afterward, but everyone else pretty much heard what was going on in the battle, because he, at one point, says to Voldemort, “No more Horcruxes,” you know, and there are all sorts of adult wizards there who would know or have heard of Horcruxes before who can discern then that that is what happened and, certainly, somebody will tell someone, word will get out, and they’ll know sort of how exactly Voldemort had been doing everything that he had been doing. Because in that talk between Harry and Voldemort at the very end in the Great Hall, that sort of – everything is more or less given out. All of the back story, things like – even Snape loving Lily is completely made public of when…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …Harry shouts it to Voldemort.

Andrew: I would also think that the public – there would be a demand from the public about what happened. Specifically…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: …specifically…

Laura: Yeah, there would be some kind of commission, really.

Matt: Everybody would want to know Harry’s story.

Andrew: The Voldemort Commission.

Matt: Harry’s…

Andrew: That would be published.

Laura: Yes.

Matt: Harry has to write an autobiography.

Laura: Hey! There are commissions published on national tragedies here, too.

Andrew: Yeah! No, that’s what I’m saying. The 9/11…

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: …Commission Report, specifically. That’s what I was thinking of.

Matt: The 9/11…

Andrew: Commission Report.

Matt: …Commission. Yeah, that’s awesome. Good connection.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Someone should write that – should write up, like, a report style of what happened. That would be kind of cool.

Matt: Yeah. That’s your listener challenge.

Laura: And then we should do a documentary on it.

Andrew: Documentary, yeah. Let’s see.

[Micah laughs]


Dumbledore and Snape


Andrew: What’s next? Do you guys think he told everyone the truth about Dumbledore and Snape? And if – and here’s a good point – if so, how? How the hell do you, you know, explain that to someone?

Eric: What do you mean? What is this question even asking?

Andrew: Well, because everyone wondered. I think…

Eric: What truth?

Andrew: …there was a lot of debate, even in within Hogwarts, if Snape was a good guy.

Laura: Didn’t Jo say that Harry cleared Snape’s name? I’m pretty sure…

Micah: Yeah, I think…

Laura: …she said that in an interview.

Micah: …she said that he would ensure that a portrait of Snape would hang in the Headmaster’s office.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Micah: So I think that that would sort of…

Eric: That’s good.

Micah: …at least as far as Snape is concerned, put to rest any sort of questions that people had about him. And then Dumbledore – who knows if – I doubt he
shared – maybe with the exception of Ron and Hermione – what he went through at King’s Cross.

Andrew: Yeah. Or even…

Eric: That’s true.

Laura: Yeah, that’s private.

Andrew: …about Grindelwald and all that. Do you think Harry would’ve ever revealed that sort of information, or is that personal stuff that Dumbledore more would have appreciated?

Laura: That’s personal.

Eric: It’s very interesting.

Andrew: I mean, it’s a good question, and Harry certainly has a good book deal out of all this information if he were to do a thing like that.

Eric: Congratulations, Mr. Potter. You get a book deal.

Andrew: So.

Eric: But the Snape thing was something else that was already cleared, sort of, in the Harry/Voldemort discussion at the end. Snape’s name was more or less cleared. “He was a spy for” – you know – “He was a spy for you, but he was really Dumbledore’s” etc., etc. “You don’t know a thing, Tom. You don’t know anything. Don’t you know anything?”

Matt: Tom.

Eric: “Haven’t you been listening…”

Matt: Tom.

Eric: “…Tom?”

Matt: [sings] “Tum Tum Tum Tum Tums!”

Eric: Tom.


Time with Teddy, Time with Ginny


Andrew: Yeah. And in good Harry fashion…

Eric: Next question!

Andrew: …somebody would assume that Harry probably would’ve went to see Teddy Lupin as quickly as possible. Do you guys think that was one of his priorities or what?

Laura: Yeah, I think so. He seemed really…

Eric: Because he…

Laura: …really hyped and very honored about being a godfather.

Matt: Well, I also think that he wanted some time with Ginny, too. I mean, geez.

Andrew: Finally!

Eric: Mmm. Yeah. Where does that come on the list? Where does that come on the list? Does he visit Teddy or does he…

Andrew: Which came first?

Matt: Visit his girl? I mean…

Andrew: Well, yeah. I think his – Ginny, you know, would definitely be a quicker person to get to…

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: …you know, visiting. I mean, you know. And plus, Teddy was very young at that point, you know.

Matt: Mhm. And he has to find out where exactly…

Laura: Yeah, I mean, Teddy…

Matt: …you know, where Teddy is.

Laura: …wouldn’t – at that point, Teddy wouldn’t remember that he was second best, so…

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: Do you remember you were second best?

Andrew: That’s also really one of the sadder stories, but I think, as one of us brought up on an episode a while ago, that really did bring the story full circle,
Teddy losing his parents, so…

Matt: Mhm. Teddy seemed to be okay. Wasn’t he making out with somebody?

Andrew: No. Teddy’s a baby.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Matt: Oh, no. In ten years later, I thought that Teddy was.

Laura: He was later.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Eric: No, in the epilogue Teddy was making fun of Victoire.

Andrew: Oh, yeah. Victoire.

Laura: I don’t think he was making out with anybody ten years later.

Andrew: This is after the battle discussion.

Matt: Ugh!

[Laura laughs]

Matt: Well, that was after the battle!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Right after, I said.

Matt: No, you didn’t specify the time.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: [laughs] Nineteen years after.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Yeah, this is right after the battle.

Matt: I wonder how quickly they rebuilt Hogwarts. I mean, just use a little magic wand…

Andrew: It was…

Matt: …and everything goes back, or…?

MuggleCast 159 Transcript (continued)


Did Hogwarts Finish Out the Year?


Andrew: Well, I’m glad you asked that because it goes into our next question. Did Hogwarts finish the year? Did everyone join in to help rebuilding it, or do you think they just, you know, cancelled the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and they were, like, go home for the year?Because, I mean, in all fairness, though, the castle wasn’t in such bad shape that people couldn’t learn.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And with magic they could have cleaned it up really quick.

Eric: There’s so much…

Matt: Well, it’s really hard to think that these students can go from this huge, epic, big battle of their time and then the next day they’re learning history of wart-remover or something. It’s…

Eric: Yeah, they’re not going to – there would’ve had to be a definite period of time. I mean, with the timeline of the film, it was towards the end of the year anyway.

Matt: Hogwarts does seem to be a little lenient, though, on like their final exams and stuff. Like, in Chamber of Secrets they cancelled their final exams.

Eric: It’s the least of their worries. If you remember, all the students, or most of the students who were underage, were sent away from the castle to escape and be safe somewhere else. You know, they’d either – you know, I think the big pull would be to get those people to their families and to get the people who were killed to their families, and, really, I think that would’ve been a massive effort. The Ministry of Magic being constantly reformed would have, you know, provided aid.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: And all sorts of stuff would have happened. A) the rebuilding of their only school in England, you know, plus everything else. It just – it would’ve been a massive project that, even with magic, wouldn’t have been completed in a day.

Matt: You would think, though, like the students – and during that huge battle and living afterwards – that the school would at least let them not take, like,
Defense Against the Dark Arts or something. Like if they lived through that, they know what they’re doing a little bit. I mean – shoot.

Laura: Yeah, you just passed your Defense Against the Darks Arts exam.

Eric: No, you always have to teach it. Constant vigilance, Matt.

Matt: Yeah, well, I mean, History they have to teach, because no one’s going to remember that. But…

Eric: No, constant vigilance. You got to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts all the time, because they’re constantly improving. Now that the secret is out, now that everyone knows about Horcruxes, what’s going to be next?


What Harry Did Next


Andrew: What exactly did Harry do next? Did he move into Grimmauld Place, or move back to the Burrow for a couple weeks? I think he would have moved to Grimmauld
Place.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I think that’s a very special place for him.

Matt: Definitely, because he’s got Kreacher there.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It’s his. It’s his place.

Andrew: But not just that. I mean, there’s memories of Sirius there. There’s even memories of Snape there. Even Dumbledore. [laughs] Obviously.

Matt: I like to think that Harry…

Eric: Yeah.

Math: …had a good – I mean, grew a really fondness for Kreacher and they both had a really good relationship, living arrangements.

Andrew: Yeah, obviously, yeah.

Eric: Harry says something in Book 7 about Kreacher making him a sandwich…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: …after it’s all over. It’s towards the end. Because all the House-elves come out of the kitchens with knives and things, and…

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Matt: No.

Eric: …attack all the Death Eaters. You guys remember that? Yeah. And Harry’s like, “After this, I hope in my four-poster bed…”

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: “…he can come and make me a sandwich.”

Matt: A cheese sandwich.

Eric: That’s what he says. It was very cool.

Andrew: Grimmauld Place is really a great place for Harry too, because he must have so much reflection there. Because so much of his life changed because of events and planning that occurred in that place.

Matt: Well, I mean, also, I would kind of like it if he had a vacation home at his parents’ house. I mean, now that everything’s okay, he can move back, can’t he? Oh,
that’s right, it exploded!

Eric: In case you didn’t know, it was kind of…

Matt: Yeah, well, he can re-grow it. I mean, geez, if they rebuilt Hogwarts, they can rebuild Godric’s Hollow.


Voldemort’s Body


Eric: Actually, that’s a question I had. Because Voldemort’s body was there, wasn’t it? Like, Voldemort says he…

Matt: Voldemort’s body’s everywhere in this book.

Eric: …was ripped from his body that night. So, I mean, it’s not enough that Voldemort – they did take Voldemort’s body to one of the towers. They separated it from all the good victims and put it somewhere. We don’t know what exactly happened to that. Which kind of leads into the next point: did everyone have a proper burial? But, you know, just finishing this thought, Voldemort’s body was at Lily and James’s house the night it – or was there some kind of – did J.K.R. say something against that? Apparently J.K.R. said his body disappeared.

Matt: Yes, his body disappeared.

Eric: So there isn’t two corpses of Voldemort hanging around.

Matt: No, no. There’s only, like, one. The other one was just like, “Okay, I’m done.”

Eric: So what do you guys think they did with Voldemort’s body then? The new body.

Andrew: Burned it.

Laura: Kicked it.

Eric: [laughs] Kicked it.

Andrew: Sent it into SVU.

Eric: Then burned it.

Matt: Had a little pinata party.

Andrew: I don’t know, you can…

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Oh, that’s sick.

Micah: Made a little sushi.

Andrew: You can…

Eric: I’m going to ask.

Matt: Ew!

Andrew: It’s a good question, though.

Eric: Pinata party, sushi…

Andrew: I mean, you can’t bury the guy. You can’t give him any sort of funeral.

Matt: I think…

Laura: They send his off Viking-style.

Matt: …with formalities they had to bury him or something. They probably just put him in the backyard, or something, of Hogwarts.

Eric: No, they stuffed it and it’s now in the Weasleys’ living room.

Matt: Ew.

[Micah laughs]

Laura: Like chilling on the couch.

Eric: No.

Micah: There’s a good Top Ten. Somebody come up with the top ten things that could have been done with Voldemort’s body.

Matt: Yeah, that’s a good idea. Yeah. No, no, no, no, send it. Send it…

Eric: Like, that leads into our…

Andrew: Actually…

Eric: …debate, actually.

Andrew: Yeah, but…

Eric: Kind of.


Remembering the Deceased


Andrew: …before we get there, I would love to see like a sketch by Jo or Mary GrandPre of a memorial that was resurrected at Hogwarts to recognize all those
who did die. Can you imagine, like, a giant – like a fountain or some sort of…

Matt: Like a memorial thing?

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what I said.

Matt: Oh. I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.

Andrew: Or some sort of statue or something. That would be really cool to see.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Or they could even devote an area in Hogwarts to everybody who was killed.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Like the Dungeon.

Micah: I think that would be really…

Andrew: The Potions room?

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Another discussion, I think, that something will turn into a debate, is – maybe even as soon as next episode – is whether all the Houses should’ve become one, because there’s a question of unity after this big battle. A lot of readers and fans were saying that they should’ve all united and turned into one House, but then that raises some questions. I think it would be an interesting thing to debate. But we can save that for another time. Do any of you, wonderful MuggleCast co-hosts, have any other questions about what happened after the Battle of Hogwarts? Okay, so, listeners, if you have any ideas – if you have any questions about what happened after the Battle of Hogwarts, send them on in to mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com. We’d like to know what your thoughts are. And give us your answer about some of the questions we’ve brought up, or questions you have, and we’ll read them next time in our rebuttals.


This Week in MuggleCast History


Andrew: So now it’s time for This Week in MuggleCast History. This is going back to MuggleCast 115. It was in early October. It’s just last year. Micah, you remember when it took you four months or whatever to see the film, right?

Micah: Which one? Order of the Phoenix, right?

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.

Micah: I thought you were talking about Half-Blood Prince.

Eric: He still hasn’t seen Goblet of Fire.

Micah: This is pay back, I’m thinking. Warner Bros. heard that I didn’t go and see Order of the Phoenix when it was first released, so now they’ve delayed Half-Blood Prince.

Andrew: Well, like I said, dude, you wouldn’t have…

Eric: Eight months for your schedule.

Andrew: Yeah, you wouldn’t have seen it until July anyway. So I don’t know what your problem was.

Micah: That’s true. Yeah, that’s about right. Yeah.

Andrew: [laughs] Okay, so… [laughs] …here’s a moment from that. [makes time machine noises]

Laura: So, Micah.

Micah: So, Laura.

Laura: After Jamie and I – we railed on you a little bit last week for not seeing Order of the Phoenix, didn’t we?

Micah: Yeah, you did.

Laura: Yeah, we gave you a pretty hard time. But I have to say that after last week’s show you did the responsible thing that any MuggleCaster would do, and you went and saw the movie. So, just in a nutshell, what did you think of it?

Micah: Overall, I thought that it was done pretty well. I didn’t really like the pace of it too much. I thought it went a little too quickly, and, not that these movies don’t have to go quickly, because obviously they have to cover a lot, but I thought that…

Andrew: [makes time machine noises] Wah wah wah.

Laura: Wah.

Andrew: So, there you go. There’s Laura’s hosting skill, shining right through.

Micah: Yeah. Like any respectable host, I went and asked Kevin Steck for a copy, and he sent it over to me, so…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: You didn’t even go to the theater!?

Micah: I didn’t go to the theater, no.

Andrew: That’s right. Can’t believe that.


The Debate


Andrew: Okay, well, up next is a segment that we have not done in a long time, and this is a segment that people have really wanted to see come back, and I think we’re very happy to bring it back now. It’s debate time! There’s not even a segment name. It’s just called The Debate. And this is a segment Ben started a while ago, and people loved it. So we’re going to get back into it. But we have a very fun topic.

Micah: Were you inspired to get back into it because of the vice presidential debate that was on Thursday?

Andrew: Yes. I want to be Sarah Palin too.

Matt: [imitating Sarah Palin] We are so excited…

Eric: All right. The debate topic for this week’s debate: a portrait of Voldemort should be hung in the halls of Hogwarts.

Andrew: Yeah! Woo!

Eric: On the side of the affirmative, saying that a portrait should be hung in the halls of Hogwarts, we have Andrew Sims and Matt Britton.

Andrew: Team Win! What!?

Matt: You going down.

Eric: On the non-affirmative, meaning negative, that a portrait should not be hung, we have Micah Tannenbaum and Laura Thompson.

Laura: Boo…for the portrait.

[Micah laughs]

Eric: Both sides…

Andrew: Wow. Good enthusiasm, Laura.

Matt: Geez.

Laura: No.

Andrew: Oh. [laughs]

Eric: Both sides have…

Matt: Take a Percocet.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: …two minutes to explain and express themselves, and then a one minute rebuttal period will be granted for anyone to say what they want to say about the other person’s stuff. Okay!

Andrew: Excellent.

Eric: With no further ado, let’s go to the affirmative, Andrew and Matt. You have two minutes. It’s on the clock. Get ready, on your marks, get set…hang on.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Get more set.

Matt: Should we go first?

Eric: Two seconds.

Matt: Or should we go second?

Eric: Are you ready? You ready?

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: You go first. Okay. On your marks, get set, go.

Matt: Because.

Andrew: All right. Well, Eric, first of all, I’d like to thank you for hosting this panel tonight, and I’d like to thank…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: …Skype for hosting us all.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Andrew: Can I call you Eric, by the way? Just…okay.

Matt: Stay on topic, please.

Andrew: Okay.

[Eric and Laura laugh]

Andrew: Lord Voldemort was the greatest – was one of the greatest wizards of all time. He battled numerous people and nobody could stand in his way. Except for Harry Potter, but that’s besides the point.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Lord Voldemort deserves a portrait in the halls of Hogwarts. That’s why Matt and I stand resolved.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: He has made such a huge difference in the Wizarding World. This guy, he changed everything in the world. It was the Wizarding World’s 9/11. And I’m not even kidding! He changed everything.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: So – go ahead, Matt.

Matt: Okay. [imitating Joe Biden] Well, Eric, I have to say that Voldemort did great things. Great things for the Wizarding World. They’re terrible things, terrible. But they were great things.

[Eric laughs]

Matt: [imitating Joe Biden] And, Eric, what we’ve got to really decide is that Voldemort did pretty much – [back to normal voice] well, he did do a lot. He did a lot of things that wizards never did, never could accomplish, and he did them. Whether they were good or bad, he did them. And whether he was evil or not, he does need some recognition for it.

Andrew: And he was a student at Hogwarts! Hogwarts taught this guy so they should recognize him. Let the students throw eggs at it – whatever! Filch will clean it at the end of the day.

Matt: And we can’t say that all the wizards that were in the portraits were good. I mean, we have Salazar Slytherin, and he was a jerk.

Andrew: Yeah. He needs to be recognized for his accomplishments.

Matt: Yes.

Andrew: And, sure, not everybody would agree with it. But look…

Matt: It would definitely need to be protected because people would vandalize it. But still.

Andrew: He changed everything. And I think Slytherins would be very happy to see his portrait hanging up there. And I think Dumbledore would be, too.

Eric: Time! Excellent. Okay, that was a bit scattered, but mostly to the point. Personally, I feel it would be a bit creepy to have a Voldemort poster, but I’m sure that the great Team 2 can say it better than I can. So we’re going to go for the negative. You have two minutes. Opening statements: go.

Laura: Okay, well, I mean first and foremost: Voldemort is a killer. And I’m going to go right out here and say, a lot of our points are interrelated, but I think this one stands for itself. There’s not one instance in which a school or any kind of institution would find it appropriate to place a portrait of a previous student who later turned out to be a mass killer. Yeah, you can say that he’s one of the greatest wizards of all time, but there are plenty of other terrible people who did extraordinary things. Remember, as Ollivander said, he did great but terrible things. And we can’t forget the severity of the situation. I think it’s also important to remember, for comparison’s sake, that the U.S. has also trained – or in this respect, taught – people who later turned out to be very evil and did terrible things to us. But we don’t have portraits of them on our walls just because they changed the world.

Micah: Yeah. And the other thing is, Hogwarts, he was responsible for deaths at the school both during and after his time as a student there. You look at Moaning Myrtle, you look at the Muggle Studies teacher that he was able to extract from Hogwarts and then torture in Deathly Hallows. I mean, he has no remorse for anybody, especially people at that school. Yes, it was a great source of refuge for him, but at the same time, look at what he did to the people who were there. He even staged the final battle on the grounds of Hogwarts.

Laura: Right. And speaking of Hogwarts, he’s against everything that Hogwarts stands for. It’s supposed to be a place where students of all different magical backgrounds are welcome to gain an education. And Voldemort was famous for promoting segregation between purebloods and everyone else. So it would really hurt the morale, I think, of the student body to give any sort of honor to this guy, who not only widely promoted ideals of segregation, but also actively pursued a course to make those ideals a reality. So…

Eric: Time! Time, time.

Laura: …yeah. Sorry. [laughs]

Eric: Excellent. Very well reasoned, guys. And now it’s time for my inquisition!

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Don’t we get to all talk together, too?

Eric: Yeah, yeah. Okay, well…

Laura: Yeah, don’t we get a rebuttal period?

Eric: Yeah, you get a rebuttal. Okay, one minute rebuttal period. Andrew and Matt, you guys, your time starts…

Matt: Well, don’t we talk over each other?

Andrew: No, no, no, no, no. Okay, you guys brought up that Voldemort staged a battle on the grounds of Hogwarts. This is exactly why there should be a portrait! Like I said, he changed everything! Nothing will ever be the same again because of him. You guys also said that Voldemort promoted segregation. So do the Houses in Hogwarts! This guy was just promoting what was going on in Hogwarts. Hogwarts was corrupted, and Voldemort should be recognized for realizing these things that nobody else was bright enough to realize. I mean, look at these Houses! Look at the Gryffindors and Slytherins! They were at each other’s throats. Look at these Quidditch matches. All they do is promote anger within the school when one team loses to another’s team. What did Voldemort do? He was angry. He was angry at the half-bloods and the Mudbloods – well, mostly the Mudbloods. He didn’t accept this. Matt.

Matt: Yeah. I agree.

Andrew: I mean, the portrait, frankly, should be hung at the very entrance of the school. Because anyone who enters the school immediately thinks of Voldemort and what he did to this world. Remember…

Eric: Time!

Andrew: …Voldemort was segregation.

Eric: Time! Time! Time!

Matt: I didn’t get to say anything.

Andrew: You had nothing to say!

[Eric and Micah laugh]

Eric: Okay!

Micah: [laughs] All right.

Eric: Rebuttal period. Laura and Micah, you have one minute. On your marks, get set…

Micah: All right.

Eric: …family double dare.

Micah: But, Andrew, by your reasoning then, they should hang pictures of Hitler in synagogues and a picture of Osama Bin Laden at all 9/11 memorials. I mean, the idea that this guy did what he did and should be honored for it in some capacity is absolutely ridiculous. Teaching about him in the school is one thing, honoring him with a portrait is a completely different one. I mean, you look at what happened at Durmstrang when you had these rogue kids who put the symbol for the Deathly Hallows up on the wall and vandalized the school. Look at the kind of reaction that it elicited from the students over there. I don’t think that you can have that type of, you know, honoring of someone who is responsible for so much. You can teach about him, absolutely, but putting him up on the halls of Hogwarts is ridiculous.

Laura: Yeah, and I will also say that you can’t compare student rivalry to genocidal rage and murder. I think they’re two completely different things.

Eric: Five seconds.

[Laura and Matt laugh]

Laura: I’m done.

Eric: Oh, so confident! Okay. That ends both the main discussion and rebuttal period. Now it’s time for my inquisition. Yes, yes, Lord Voldemort did great but terrible things. Certainly his reign of terror has earned him status as one of the most powerful and powerfully terrifying wizards of all time. But you don’t see them hanging portraits of Adolf Hitler in synagogues, do you? And certainly his – there must be some contempt for the evilness of all of his atrocities. Certainly not in an inviting school setting such as the main entrance hall, by any means, would be appropriate, certainly considering many of the students’ ancestors, or parents even, siblings, and teachers’ children were killed in that final epic battle. So finally, I have, in fact, reached a verdict over this debate segment, and it will be right after these messages.

Laura: Thompson-Tannenbaum ’08.

Eric: And we’re back. And the verdict is: Laura Thompson and Micah Tannenbaum have won. Negative; there should not be a portrait of Voldemort at Hogwarts.

Andrew: Oh! I agree. I agree.

Laura: Thank you, Eric.

Micah: [laughs] You agree?

Andrew: You guys are right. But it was a fun topic to debate.

Laura: You know what? Yeah.

Matt: Actually, I’m on the fence now.

Micah: People, send in your thoughts.

Eric: I think you guys have won the debate, but that’s not to say I didn’t think there was something in here. When you guys first came up with this topic, or borrowed it from CoS Forums, I thought that there should be a portrait of Voldemort at Hogwarts because of studying him, and, you know, in the name of prevention, and trying to figure out exactly what made him that, and bringing people closer together as a result of what has happened, that there should be books about him and all that stuff, which there will obviously be, but I always thought that maybe a sentient portrait, you know, magical portraits that can talk and walk and think, should never be made of Voldemort, because that’s pretty creepy. He’d find a way to escape that, wouldn’t he?

Andrew: That’s just creepy, yeah. He would.

Eric: So why wouldn’t they do something like a Muggle portrait. Maybe a non-moving portrait of Voldemort that can’t be cursed.

Matt: We never said that.

Eric: Well, I mean, you think Muggles have them, so they must – just don’t enchant, whatever you do. But I always thought that would be a compromise. But, yeah, so I was in favor of something, but certainly after that great debate by Laura and Micah there, their side, they pretty much conquered it.

Andrew: Well, I still think you guys are losers, but that’s okay. We’ll put a poll on MuggleCast.com to see what everybody else thinks. I have a feeling…

Micah: But they can’t send in their feedback.

Andrew: Yeah, well, send in feedback to – e-mail directly mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Don’t use the feedback form unless there’s an update on MuggleCast.com with an update. Okay, so that’s debate. Thank you, Eric, for moderating, and we’ll have you debating next time. Probably next week.

Micah: I’ll moderate next week.

Andrew: Oh, okay. Wonderful.

Micah: So this way Eric can…

Laura: Fantastic.

Micah: …debate.


Guess That Scene


Andrew: Okay. It is time for Guess the Scene.

Matt: Guess that scene!

Andrew: Okay, let’s get right into it, because we are very short on time.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: It’s been a long show. Let’s hop right into it.

Matt: All right. I’m just going to introduce this because it’s a fairly new segment. Basically, Guess That Scene is that I play a snippet from the soundtrack of the already released Harry Potter films, and the entire panel will have to guess what scene in the movie this is from.

Andrew: Yeah, the rules are different this time. We’re going to do – we’re just all going to guess together.

Matt: Yes, because last time it was kind of too hard one-on-one. Too much pressure.

Andrew: Right.

Micah: Yeah. Plus, really, I’m not good, so that also…

[Song clip plays]

Eric: Room of Requirement. No, Dolores Umbridge.

Andrew: Which one was it?

Matt: He was right.

Andrew: Which one?

Matt: Room of Requirement.

Andrew: Oh. Okay.

Eric: It’s not going to be the first person who answers it, are they?

Andrew: Well, I mean, you got it, so…

Matt: Yeah. I say we see how many – who gets the most right at this.

Andrew: Okay, sure.

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: All right. Good job, Eric.

[Price is Right bell sounds]

Matt: Winner.

Andrew: Okay.

Matt: All right. That’s stupid. Okay. Here’s number two.

[Song clip plays]

Andrew: This is a fast scene. Can we have a hint? What movie?

Eric: The Hedge Maze from Goblet of Fire. The Final Task?

Matt: The what? No.

Andrew: The hedge…

[Music continues]

Andrew: It sounds POA-ish.

Eric: No, it doesn’t. It sounds…

Laura: Is it Order of the Phoenix?

Matt: No.

Andrew: Goblet?

Eric: Is it Goblet of Fire

Matt: Yes.

Eric: …at the end? The third and final task when they’re in the labyrinth?

Matt: No.

Andrew: Oh, is it the Merpeople?

Matt: No. Oh, your time is up.

[Fail music plays]

[Matt imitates music]

Andrew: What was it?

Matt: It was the Death Eater scene at the camp in Goblet of Fire.

Everyone: Ooooh.

Laura: That’s right. I remember now.

Andrew: Okay. Let’s continue.

Matt: Here comes another one. This one better be answered in two seconds. I had to give you an easy one. Here we go.

Micah: Well, Eric’s going to get it, then.

Eric: Thank you for your confidence, Micah.

[Song clip plays]

Laura: Oh, this is Christmas from the first movie.

Micah: Sounds like Christmas.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah. Which movie?

Andrew: It’s Sorcerer?

Matt: Yes.

Eric: Good job, Micah.

Laura: First movie.

Andrew: “Happy Christmas, Harry!”

Matt: Oh, good job.

Andrew: “Happy Christmas, Harry!”

Matt: All right. And here’s the last one.

Andrew: Oh, there’s still one more?

Matt: Yeah. I did four.

Andrew: Oh. Well, hold on, we’ve got to celebrate that one first.

[Price is Right bell rings]

Matt: Yay! Okay, here goes number four and the final one for this segment. Here we go.

[Song clip plays]

Matt: This is a trick one.

Laura: Oh, that’s when the Durmstrangs comes.

Eric: It’s…

Andrew: Yeah, when Durmstrang comes in.

Eric: When Durmstrang comes in, yeah.

Matt: Yeah. There’s two. That’s the trick. There’s two.

Andrew: Two answers?

Matt: They use this in two scenes.

Andrew: What’s the other one, guys?

Eric: The dragon?

Matt: No.

Andrew: I know it, but…

Matt: You got one right.

Laura: Was it Quidditch?

Andrew: Durmstrang comes in…

Eric: Time’s up.

Andrew: The trailer? I don’t know. Why’d you bring it up? Don’t do that. I don’t know.

Eric: It’s pretty creepy, though. It just keeps…

Andrew: We give up.

Matt: All right. It’s when the Bulgarians come in during the Quidditch World Cup.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

[Fail music plays]

Eric: Oh.

Andrew: All right.

Matt: I think Eric won.

Andrew: Good enough. That’s how we play Guess That Scene! All right!

[Price is Right music plays]

Andrew: I love sound effects. Okay.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]


Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul


Andrew: All right, so we’ll wrap things up today with a Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul. This comes from Katie:

“A letter cannot even express how much you have helped me, but here it goes: I began to listen to MuggleCast about two weeks after the release of Book 7. I was hooked immediately and never missed an episode after that. At the time I was going through the stress of junior year and my grandma suffering from Alzheimer’s. My family was, and still is, going through grief. There were nights I would just go break down and cry. Every Sunday I would download the latest episode of MuggleCast and your jokes and voices would calm me down and help me go to sleep. I made it through the school year passing everything, and I always love to think I did it because of MuggleCast. Now, my senior year, I am facing the same situation, but I know that I will have 157 episodes of MuggleCast to get me through the tough time of college admissions and helping my grandmother. I truly love you guys, and I owe you my sanity. Heart heart. Love, Katie.”

Matt: Awww. Katie, that’s so sweet.

Andrew: So that’s very sweet. Thank you, Katie, for that.

Laura: Awww!

[Show music begins]


Contact Information


Andrew: And hey, there we go. It’s the end of the show. We want to remind everybody about our contact…

Laura: Yay!

Andrew: …information before we let you go. Laura, hey, what’s the P.O. Box?

Laura: It’s P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, Georgia, 30028. You should be really glad I can still remember that.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: Don’t forget, we do have a MuggleCast voicemail hotline if you want to call in your questions, comments, or whatever else. If you’re in the United States you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you’re in the United Kingdom you can dial 02081440677, and if you’re in Australia just dial 0280035668. You can also Skype the username MuggleCast, but no matter how you call us, just remember to keep your message under 60 seconds as – under 60 seconds please. And eliminate as much background noise as possible.

Eric: And, you know, it’s been forever since we’ve heard from Billy Joe, so if Billy Joe could call back…

Andrew: Why don’t we have any crazy listeners who call in a lot with crazy…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …statements and stuff like that?

Laura: We used to.

Eric: I don’t know. Could be because we like…

Andrew: We used to. [laughs] So they all move on.

Eric: [laughs] We used to.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: They all became normal.

Andrew: [laughs] And don’t forget, you can visit MuggleCast.com for a variety of community outlet links, including our MySpace, our Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, the fanlisting and the forums. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley.


Show Close


Andrew: Thanks, everyone, for listening. We hope that you all enjoyed the book discussion. I think that we did a good job with that. And we’re going to stick with that for a while until ever. Forever. So thanks, everyone, again for listening. Once again, I’m Andrew Sims.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matthew Britton.

Andrew: We’ll see everyone next time for Episode 160! Goodbye.

Matt: Bye.

Laura: Woo! Bye.

Micah: 160. Yeah.

Transcript #158

MuggleCast 158 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music plays]

Andrew: Hey Mason, did you know that on July 1, Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?

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Andrew: Today’s podcast is also brought to you by Audible.com, the Internet’s leading provider of spoken word entertainment. What are you listening to after today’s episode? How about a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up? Log on to www.AudiblePodcast.com/MuggleCast today for details.

[Harry Potter theme starts]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you all enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Andrew: Because game shows! Surgeries! Travels! Oh my! This is MuggleCast Episode 158 for September 15th, 2008. Looking into the future.

[Show music continues to play]

Andrew: All right, we did it! We came back with another show, and some of you guys thought we weren’t going to do it.

Matt: I didn’t.

Andrew: I did.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: I knew it. See, it wasn’t so bad of a wait, was it, audience? [imitating audience] “No, no. It was great!”

Matt: [imitating audience] “No!”

[Andrew says something unintelligible]

Matt: [in a high pitched voice] “We’re going to get the pitch forks out and kill you!”

Andrew: You know, it’s been almost a month now and a lot has happened since we were last podcasting. Micah, you’ve been sort of keeping track, since you are the MuggleCast News Anchor. What’s been going on with all of us?

Micah: Well, you know, it actually has been a lot of different things going on. I don’t think you could possibly put together a more random list of stuff that I have…

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: …right here, but one of our co-hosts moved over to England, be it for a short period of time. One of our…

Matt: Who is this person?

Micah: I can’t reveal…

Andrew: He’s going to tell us later.

Matt: Oh.

Micah: I can’t reveal that. You guys have to – you know, you have to guess.

Matt: It’s a game.

Micah: Yeah, speaking of games, one of our co-hosts was a contestant on a nationally televised game show. I guess they’re trying to move on with their career a little bit.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Micah: One of our co-hosts went under the knife.

Andrew: What?

Micah: We’ll talk about that a little bit later. And another one got their own personal trainer. I don’t know who that was. [cough] Andrew, but…

Andrew: Smart person, whoever that was.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: He’s trying to stay fit.

Micah: And one of them went to a screening of the sixth Harry Potter film.

Andrew: What?!

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: But it’s not coming out until July!

Micah: I know.

Matt: What?!

Micah: How does that happen?

Andrew: No fair!

Micah: I don’t know how that happens.

Andrew: And one of us went to a live Harry Potter podcast that wasn’t MuggleCast.

Matt: Repeat, not MuggleCast.

Andrew: Wasn’t. Dun-dun-dun…

Matt: [makes dive-bombing airplane noise]

Andrew: So we’ll let everyone try to figure out who matches up with what, you know, event. In the meantime, it’s just us three for right now. Laura will be joining us later on. And we’re going to call Eric; his computer’s not working, so we’re going to give him a call and talk to him about which one of those – I almost spoiled it – which one of those he was involved in. I’m Andrew Sims.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matthew Britton.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: All right, so before we get to the news, let’s reveal all these. Which one should we reveal first?

Micah: Well, I think it’s pretty obvious who went to the screening of Half-Blood Prince.

Andrew: Yeah, it was Eric. Of course.

Matt: Of course, Eric. If you have any type of web face – MySpace, Facebook, sort of Twitter-ish…

Andrew: Or just go to MuggleNet.

Matt: Or that.

Andrew: We’ll call him in a bit to figure out what – how the hell that happened.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: How about the game show? Who went on a game show?

Matt: I believe that was me.

Andrew: Oh. That was you?

Matt: Yeah. I think so.

[Price is Right theme music plays]

Andrew: Ah yes.

Matt: Ah yes. That’s right.

Andrew: Ah, it was this one.

Matt: It was that one.

Andrew: [laughs] It was The Price is Right.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Matthew Britton, come on down!

Matt: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!

Andrew: You’re the next contestant on The Price is Right!

Matt: Oh my God! Ahhh!

Andrew: So we went on Tuesday, this past Tuesday, and we got the interview process. Just a real quick story: went through the interview process, and Matt and I were there and John.

Matt: Noe.

Andrew: Yeah. Our friend John Noe and Bre Bishop. And we were all there, and we all got interviewed in a group together, and, you know, we came out of it feeling really good. We’re like, we both did really good.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: You and I in particular.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Even John and Bre were saying that.

Matt: Because we knew when they were going to interview us. We had to be really, you know, enthusiastic and…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: …really personable and stuff.

Andrew: We were. We were all over it. So we did really good, but, unfortunately, we can’t tell you the full outcome, but Matt didn’t get picked until the very end – the very last round.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So you can sort of gather what happened from there, but…. [laughs]

Matt: It was so much fun. I mean, because you – you really can’t hear yourself.

Andrew: Yeah, well…

Matt: You can’t hear them call your name.

Andrew: Yeah, so they wrote it on a big piece of paper, and they flashed it.

Matt: And I got to take the piece of paper with my name on it home.

Andrew: It’s awesome. It’s awesome. That episode will be airing November 5, so if you want to see Matt get called down, and you’ll see me in the audience, flabbergasted when Matt gets picked.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: And also John and Bre. We’re – if you’re looking out into the audience, we’re in the top left corner. We were all the way in the back corner.

Matt: Literally in the back, but it’s right where the big Price is Right sign is.

Andrew: So you’ll of course see us when Matt gets called down.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: So anyway. In other news, one of us – the person who got a personal trainer, that was me. It was only for a couple weeks, but I am going to gym now. I’m going to be more active in my life.

Micah: It’s good.

Andrew: Micah, which – thank you – which one were you?

Micah: I was the one who attended a podcast that was not MuggleCast.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Why? Why? How could you do this?

Micah: Well, you know, it was – it was – I think it was like Wednesday night in the city, and it was after work, and I figured, you know what? I know PotterCast is in town, you know, Sue, John, and Melissa were all there, and I hadn’t seen them in a long time. I think it had been…

Andrew: Sure.

Micah: …not since the J.K. Rowling – it was like a reading, I think, at Carnegie Hall.

Andrew: Yeah. In October.

Micah: So it had been quite a while since I saw them, and it was a good opportunity go listen to them and hang out, and it was a good time.

Andrew: Good.

Matt: Cool. Cool.

Andrew: And Laura was the one who went under the knife.

Matt: That’s right.

Andrew: She had to have a little surgery, unfortunately, but she’s all better now.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s all good. And was that it? Oh no.

Micah: There’s one more.

Andrew: What was the other one, Micah? Yeah.

Micah: One of us picked up and moved to England. I guess that kind of limits the remainder of the hosts to choose from.

Andrew: Elysa.

Matt: Elysa. Yeah. She’s now…

Andrew: At Oxford.

Matt: She’s taking a semester at Oxford in England.

Andrew: Mhm. And funny story: her roommate was actually a girl who came to see us at Portus.

Matt: Really?

Andrew: But it was completely random. Like they didn’t, you know, sign up together or say they want to be together. They just happened to be picked together to be roommates.

Micah: [laughs] Yeah, right.

Andrew: And it’s just – how does that happen?

Micah: She’s just stalking Elysa.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: [gasps] Oh my gosh, Elysa Montfort.

Andrew: It’s crazy. There’s a picture of them together from Portus on Facebook. But that was crazy. So that’s what’s been…

Micah: What about everybody else? I mean – what about Jamie and Ben?

Andrew: Jamie – Jamie’s – Jamie’s getting a job.

Matt: Oh, really?

Andrew: Getting job because he needs some money, so he’s getting a job there in the U.K.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Ben’s back at Notre Dame, and I think that covers everyone, so that’s what’s been going on with us.

Matt: What’s going on with Kevin? Do we know anything about Kevin?

Andrew: Kevin’s at school.

Micah: No, Kevin’s got a job.

Andrew: Okay. Kevin’s got a job.

Micah: Yes. He has graduated.

Andrew: Oh yes.

Matt: Of course Kevin graduated.

Andrew: I’m living in 2005 still. Well, so that’s what’s been going on with everyone, and we hope all of our listeners have been doing very well as well.


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News: Alan Horn’s Statement


Andrew: And there’s been a lot of news over the past month since we’ve last spoken to you. One of the big things, and there was actually a Muggle MiniCast about this, which was Micah and Eric – Alan Horn issuing the statement about the Half-Blood Prince delay.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Micah: So, I guess, what are your guys thoughts would probably be the best question to ask, because you can listen to 35 minutes worth of Eric’s and my thoughts, but mostly Eric’s thoughts…

Matt: Yeah.

[Everyone Laughs]

Micah: …on the Muggle MiniCast.

Andrew: Well, Warner Bros, actually tipped a couple of the fan sites off beforehand, because they wanted to get this announcement up online as soon as possible, because, as everyone knows, there was this huge fan outrage. I think it was stu – well, okay, when someone from WB called me they were like, “Yeah, keep an eye out, I’m going to be sending you a statement from Alan Horn soon.” And I’m like, oh geez, if they;re letting us know about this beforehand, this must mean they’re doing something for the fans. You would think, because why would they warn us beforehand?

Matt: Yeah, it’s definitely something big.

Andrew: Yeah. So that;s what we thought. But, you know, then we get the statement. I think it was stupid. This is just an apology. It’s just adding more fuel to the fire.

Micah: Right.

Andrew: There was nothing in the statement that could calm the fans down. You know, [mocking Alan Horn] “If I might offer a little silver lining.” It was just ridiculous.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: It was stupid, they shouldn’t have said anything.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Matt?

Matt: I agree with you on that. But there was this one statement that he said – like, “we care about our Harry Potter movies.” Or something.

Micah: Fans.

Andrew: We care about the fans.

Matt: What?

Andrew: We care about the fans.

Matt: No, they didn’t say “we care about the fans,” they said, “we care about the movies.” Not the fans.

Micah: No, they were talking about the integrity of the films and trying to do the best they possibly could with them. And I think there was also part…

Matt: Yeah, I know.

Micah: …he referenced Harry Potter fans as well. Let me see if I can find it.

Andrew: “Please be sure that we share your love for Harry Potter and would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films.”

Matt: Right.

Andrew: Yeah. So, the statement was just worthless. We shouldn’t really spend any more time on it.

Matt: It really was.

Micah: Well, I just wanted to go back to what you were saying about the silver lining, because I thought that was the worst part of the entire statement. I felt if he had removed that line of the silver lining where he says that…

Matt: Silver lining – it’s a shorter wait from this movie to Deathly Hallows.

Micah: Right. I thought if that sentence was left out the statement was fine.

Andrew and Matt: Yeah.

Micah: It was overall, like you said, an apology first and foremost. And I just don’t really think it did anything for the average fan. Yeah, it was great that he came out, he made a statement, he’s the president of Warner Bros. You have a very high official doing that because of the situation, but what does that do, having to wait now – what is it? – maybe more like ten months, but even still, nobody is happier about it after the fact.

Matt: No, it doesn’t make anybody feel reassured at all.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s just really disappointing. And then there’s that other news that the push back decision was made about three to four weeks before they made the official decision, which was August 17th. So they had made it between July 17th and August 17th, and just, you know…whatever.

Matt: I wonder what made them want to change it. I mean, if it’s something that happened three to four weeks before, why – I mean, what sparked it?

Andrew: They realized that The Dark Knight was making a ton of money.

Matt: Right.

Andrew: Because that was right after The Dark Knight came out, so, now that’s almost the top grossing film of all time.

Matt: Why can’t they just say that? I really don’t get it.

Andrew: Well, because that comes off…

Matt: The whole Alan Horn statement just dug WB into a deeper hole.

Andrew: Yeah. Anyway – well, no, it dug them a big pile of money, the whole Dark Knight thing.

Matt: Yeah, but I’m talking about hatred from the fans.

Andrew: Well, I think at this point now, mid-September, I think everyone is relatively calm.

Matt: Yeah. Well, because we accepted the fact that there was really nothing we could do except wait another ten months.

Andrew: Yeah. So speaking of Half-Blood Prince, Micah, what was our big surprise among MuggleNet staff members?

MuggleCast 158 Transcript (continued)


Eric Reviews HBP


Micah: Well, the big surprise would be that Eric actually attended a screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last week in Chicago. And it was also attended by David Heyman and David…

Andrew: Alan Horn!

Micah: Horn, yeah.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: You know, it would be interesting to know kind of the interaction that took place between Eric and somebody like Alan Horn. But I don’t really know if he spoke that much with him. We can ask him, I’m sure. But I’m kind of wondering what went on between him and David Heyman, because he said he did have a conversation with him after the film was over.

Andrew: Well, how about this? Let’s find out. Let’s give him a call.

Micah: All right.

Andrew: All right, here we go.

Micah: I care more about that than what he thought about the movie.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Yeah, honestly.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Phone rings]

Eric: Hello?

Andrew: Hello, Eric.

Eric: Hey!

Andrew: Hey, we’re recording MuggleCast.

Eric: Hey.

Matt: Hey.

Eric: Oh wow!

Andrew: Yes.

Eric: Oh my God, oh my God, I’m going to be on MuggleCast?

Andrew: Yeah…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: …I know, it’s a first for you. So, we just started talking about the screening. And I guess we’ll ask you a couple questions about it and then, you know, you can get into you’re whole big thing. But first of all…

Eric: Sure.

Andrew: …I think, what every one has been asking, is, Eric, how the hell did you, you out of all the people in the world, out of all the people in the wonderful city of Chicago, end up seeing this movie?

Eric: [laughs] Well, if that’s what everyone wants to know, I mean, I must assure everyone that it was random. I know I got a lot of e-mails myself too, saying “Oh, sure it was random, that you just happen to see that,” but no, really. The story is, I got an e-mail from MovieTickets.com, which is where I buy my tickets. You know, I buy my tickets online…

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: …before going to the movies, at the movie theater, which is where they had – which is where they ended up having the screening. So, through whatever demographic diagnostics they ran, I was one of the guys they sent the e-mail to, saying “There is a screening of a movie. It’s expected to be PG-13.” They didn’t say what it was. We got the call and RSVPed. You can bring yourself and a guest. And I was like, “Okay, well, okay, that sounds interesting.” I didn’t know what it would be. No clue at all. So I called up Kristen. I said, “hey do you want to go see a movie this Saturday?” And she was like sure. So I called them, gave them our name and our age, and then we basically got – they said fine, just show up. Print this thing out and show up at the theater. So…

Andrew: Because, I think…

Eric: Yeah. It was completely random.

Andrew: I think in the past what they’ve done is, they’ve actually just, like, if people are walking in the movie theater, or like walking in the street, they just pull them aside and are like, “Hey, we need help screening a movie, can you help us out?” So this is a….

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: …new, high-tech way.

Eric: Yeah. Well, there’s that too. Someone next to us in line had seen Tropic Thunder the previous weekend and they got pulled aside. So, it was kind of a variety of different ways they got sort of people to show up.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: But they certainly didn’t have a shortage of people. There were a couple hundred there. I don’t know if they had to turn anyone away, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: I [unintelligible] did if you RSVP online you get turned away, so I didn’t get turned away though. Yeah, there were – there were tons of people in the theater too. And we didn’t know what it was going to be, and that was actually the shock of it all.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Eric: Because we heard them saying that the demographic was fourteen to seventeen year old girls.

Andrew: [laughs] Twilight.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: That’s exactly what I thought! I thought it was going to be Twilight.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: We were sitting in line, and the girl in front of us had this Twilight button on and, I don’t know, maybe you guys will get a kick out of this. It said – what was it – “‘Breaking Dawn…'” “I was bitten by ‘Breaking Dawn.'”

Andrew: “Took my breath away,” or something?

Matt: No, “I was bitten by ‘Breaking Dawn.'”

Andrew: Oh, okay, yeah.

Eric: “I was bitten by ‘Breaking Dawn.'” So we we’re like, okay, this is probably going to be Twilight. You know, that’d be cool, ’cause it was still a month away from that. We went into the whole thing thinking it was Twilight, and then, you know, turned out to be David Heyman was walking up the side, and I had seen him on the – was it the Goblet of Fire red carpet premiere that you did, Andrew, where you were on the red carpet and you ran it on an iPod video and put on the feed?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Eric: Yeah, that’s how I recognized David Heyman. I was like, “Andrew met him.” It was like, “Oh my God, David Heyman.” So…

Andrew: So that’s when it hit you. That’s when you realized, this must be Harry Potter.

Eric: Yeah, I vapor locked, ’cause we were in the theater.

Andrew: You what?

Eric: By that time we were in the theater.

Andrew: You what? What?

Eric: Vapor locked. Vapor locked.

Andrew: Oh, okay. [laughs]

Eric: I was just – I was so shocked because we weren’t expecting it, you know. Some one else said they heard that it was next summer’s blockbuster, which was exciting. But they also said, oh – [talking to someone else] what was the other information?

[Female talks in background]

Eric: Oh, that it was filmed in Chicago. So there was all this stray…

Andrew: Batman II.

Matt: [laughs] Yeah.

Eric: …guess work going on. We were like, this is next summer’s Johnny Depp movie? You know, what are we thinking?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Eric: It kind of made sense after we got to the line, and I saw David Heyman, and I was like, “Wow, that’s David freaking Heyman.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And he actually ended up sitting, like, three feet from me.

Andrew: Nice.

Micah: So if you had to decided to go to dinner, you would’ve been really pissed off.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: Instead of going to the movie.

Eric: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, pretty much. That – if I would’ve found out – ’cause, I mean, you know, all of – different websites have gotten reports that night even. But if I had not gone to that screening, if I had chosen, well, it’ll probably be just a crap movie, or maybe if, I don’t have any novel interest in seeing this. If I had chosen that, and then found out that there was this screening in Chicago – I did not know that they screened it in Chicago first. Or, because of the delay, would be screening it, you know, any time soon.

Andrew: Right, that’s the really surprising thing. A lot of people were surprised at how early that they screened it. Do you have any idea why? I mean, because a lot of people are hoping now, they’re going to take all this extra time to really enhance the movie and make it fantastic. So do you think that’s why they still kept it, you know, screening in September?

Eric: Yeah. I think it’s – I think it’s a variety of different reasons. Number one, they wanted people to know that the movie – or I guess they wanted people to know – probably one of the added benefits that – to let people know that the movie was in a somewhat completed form, that it wasn’t as delayed as some people were maybe speculating.

Matt: That the movie existed?

Eric: That the movie was delayed because it wasn’t completed or, you know, something like that. It still wasn’t completed. The CGI was, you know, not at all complete and stuff, but I think they wanted – I mean, people will know at least that the movie’s not in any bad shape, so they wanted to sort of maybe [unintelligible] some of the people who are still angry and still very confused and worried out there. One of the other things, I think the reason is, is that they – lost my train of thought, but I think that’s definitely one of the bigger reasons.

Andrew: So you get in there. They announce that it’s going to be Harry Potter. What was the reaction of the audience? Like was everybody like, “Oh My God!”

Eric: Yeah. It was that huge.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: David Heyman didn’t make the announcement. It was one of the associates. You know, they have these guys who don’t work for the theater. They’re independent. I think it’s Movie View, they said. It was like a website I had to go to.

Andrew: Uh-huh.

Eric: But it’s these other guys that come and sort of organize everything and, you know, they pass out cards and surveys at the end of the film and all – but the lights dimmed, and we were expecting Twilight. Somebody else said, “Wait a minute. What if it’s High School Musical 3?”

Andrew: Ooooh.

Matt: Ooooooh.

Eric: And everybody, “Ooooh.”

Andrew: That’s a good idea too. I would’ve been excited.

Eric: Wow, that would suck. And Kristen and I were like…

Matt: PG-13? Really?

Eric: Yeah, well, we were like, we’d walk out. You know, like…

Andrew: Why!?

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: [singing] “What time is it!?

Eric: No, no, no, no. It was crazy though. I mean, when the lights dimmed, no one had any clue, and I really mean that. Some people – that Leaky reader said they were sworn to secrecy but they knew. I don’t believe that for a second. I mean, I think that, really genuinely, no one knew. There was just – ever since the time we got in line for an hour and by the time we got in the theater and the movie started, no one knew. But the lights dimmed and the guy said, “You guys are going to be the first audience ever to see the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

Andrew: God, that’s so cool.

Eric: And everyone was in an uproar. Everyone.

Andrew: That is so cool.

Eric: Just absolutely, and there were plenty of adults there. There were plenty of guys that could tell, you know, hadn’t seen maybe even any Harry Potter movie before. I mean, seriously, there was that – they very well managed the diverse people thing.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: The demographics and everything?

Eric: Yeah, the demographics. They totally – and I guess that probably went into the MovieTickets.com thing and, you know, they sort of browsed that database, because they got enough different people there that it wasn’t – or maybe it was just good picking the previous weekend, but they got enough different people there, and I think everyone in the audience really liked it. But we were all just so excited. And I didn’t even believe it, but there weren’t any previews, you know, there weren’t any sort of thing going before the movie, so as soon as he said that and everyone was in an uproar, we had to immediately stifle ourselves because the Warner Bros. logo was flying by…

Andrew: Right, right. [laughs]

Eric: …on the screen, you know, and so it was like completely going into it, so it was just amazing.

Andrew: So were all the special effects finished for the most part?

Eric: No. No, it’s interesting. They – I don’t know what kind of ratio I would say, but there were scenes that were still in front of blue screens.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Eric: Like some of them, which were hilarious.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: And so fascinating. I would not actually change the version of the film we saw because…

Andrew: [laughs] It’s so funny.

Eric: …it’s just – because they have a scene where Dan’s on the Quidditch pitch, because they have Quidditch back in this movie, right?

Andrew: Right.

Eric: And ten or fifteen feet behind him is a blue screen. It’s this blue curtain, you know, and it’s just so amazing because the previous scene, they have the CGI finished. Or the previous shot, or frame, or angle. They have the CGI finished, so you’re on the Quidditch pitch, and he’s talking to the team – or tryouts, I think it was – and he’s talking to them and talking to them, and all of a sudden there’s this shot where he is still, you know, mid-sentence, but there’s a blue screen behind him, and so it’s not off-putting or distracting. It’s the fact that the actors can do that without seeing what we’re seeing.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: You know, it’s the film process like that, and certain other scenes were finished. I won’t, you know, give any spoilers away, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And then other scenes were not. It’s just different pieces. It was really interesting.

Andrew: It’s a real – I would’ve said it, it’s a real shame if all the special effects were finished, because then like, you know, then like the movie’s ready to go and you could totally put it out, but it’s actually kind of good to hear that they’re not finished. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So it’s not like a waste.

Eric: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it isn’t, and that’s the – that’s probably what I was trying to talk about that I forgot about, but having the movie – I mean, if you think about it, they would’ve had to have rushed to completed this deadline had they not known that it was going to be pushed back.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: That it would’ve been – seeing the state the movie is in now, they would’ve needed to have completed a significant amount of things, I would say, to get it out in time. I’m not saying that they couldn’t do it, but the movie was still a bit in pieces, and I think the extra time does give them, as you said, Andrew, that people are hoping they are taking advantage of and people think.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Now, Eric…

Eric: Yes, Micah? Who else is on this show, by the way?

Andrew: It’s just Micah, Matt and I for right now.

Eric: Oh cool.

Andrew: Laura will be joining us later I think.

Micah: Yeah, a lot of the reviews that were out there were very negative. Yours was a little bit different. It was – it was positive in nature, and it also kept away from, I thought, spoiling too much of the movies for the fans.

Andrew: Exactly.

Micah: I thought it kind of balanced that really well. But I’m wondering, from you, was there anything that stood out to you more than anything else that you were really happy about for this film?

Eric: That I was really happy about?

Micah: Yeah, because from other reviews that I’ve seen, they haven’t necessarily been the most positive about the sixth film.

Eric: And – and that’s very true. Truer words could not be spoken at this present time, I’ll tell you that much. And all of these – it just upsets me, because when I saw the movie, and I wanted to talk about it, and I wrote up that review that’s on MuggleNet, and I didn’t want to spoil anybody. I – I wanted to give just my absolute, true, happy impression of the movie, and then all of the other reviews were not only spoiling but completely negative. That were ruining complete scenes and nitpicking and just doing all of these horrible things that -that I could not, in a way, respond to without losing a – a good deal…

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: …of the quality that I was trying to do. And it just upsets me that so many people are – are – are angry about all of these changes and sort of how that whole thing …

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: …transpired is very upsetting to me. But overall, I was happy with some of the changes they made. Mainly – well, first of all, I was most happy with the characters. They spent a lot of time, I think – or they showcased a lot. I – I mentioned in my review that Hermione – that Emma Watson, for the first time, jumped out as being my book Hermione in – in a way, which has never happened to me before. You know, usually the sidekicks lines are… [laughs] …or Ron – Ron and Hermione’s lines are changed if different. But seriously, in this – in this – hang on a sec. Yes. In this – in this scene – I mean in this movie, you just get a lot of good characterization among the trio, and you can kind of tell – I mean I thought they were building up sort of toward a Movie 7 sort of thing, because they’ll be focusing on the trio for obviously a great deal…

Matt: Uh-huh.

Eric: …and it just shows how well these actors have grown up and can still work together and still kind of get into their characters. I was happy with that. One of the changes I think, since many people have been spoiled I won’t spoil it, except to say the Sectumsempra scene is in the movie, and…

Andrew: Woo-hoo!

Eric: …not only that, but it’s a battle scene.

Matt: Oh cool.

Andrew: A battle scene?

Matt: It’s a duel.

Andrew: Woo-hoo!

Eric: It’s a battle scene. I will say that, because a lot of people, I mean, are making other spoilers that they’re angry about, and the Sectumsempra…

Andrew: Jerks.

Eric: Yeah, I know, those jerks.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: No, it’s a battle scene. And what it means is – what I mean by that is Harry and Draco – you know, Draco isn’t just crying and then all the sudden gets angry that Harry’s in there and throws a spell at him. It actually is a little bit more elaborate than that. And Tom Felton, my God! They – they give good time for him and he does a good job.

Micah: Uh-huh.

Eric: And this is his last chance to, obviously, but …

Matt: Well, Eric – oh, sorry.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: I have a question about the reviews that I’ve been reading, and I just – I mean, it may be a spoiler so we may have to cut it out later, but do they – do they cut the entire battle scene at Hogwarts? Because I’ve read two reviews that say they cut it completely.

Eric: The battle at Hogwarts is not in the film.

Andrew: Oh! What? Okay, well, maybe we shouldn’t go into it.

Matt: Okay, I just wanted to know, because…

Eric: Well, yeah, but…

Matt: …I didn’t know if they were going to do it or not.

Eric: Yeah, but I’ll say that to ease your conscious, too, that it’s interesting, too, because you’re probably thinking, well, without a battle scene at the end of the movie, how is the movie anything worth while? How could they stay true to the books the way I claim they have in my review? You know, how does that sort of happen? But I really think they did something really good with it and it’s so interesting that I’m so positive about it when they missed that scene. Something else I’ll say, if we’re being spoiled or cut out or whatever, is Dumbledore’s funeral. A lot of reviews are saying that’s not in it. They didn’t have the Dumbledore funeral scene specifically, but my thoughts on that, while we’re at it, is that they didn’t introduce enough of the characters in the world in the movies, that it would be completely pointless to have all of the characters of the world at the funeral. You know, I just don’t think that that would be anything feasible, anything worthwhile, considering how closed the movies have been.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: But, Eric, despite all this, you believe that this is worth the wait?

Matt: Yes.

Eric: Yeah, I strongly do, despite all of the little nit-picky discrepancies. What they’ve done is they’ve really created this movie that flows that – oh, and Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn is a surprised joy.

Andrew: Okay.

Eric: Is a surprised joy. I was hooked from the first [unintelligible] minutes, and he’s a surprised joy in – throughout the whole movie. It works well with him in some Slug Club scenes. It worked, and I was surprised with how many things from the book are in the movie.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Eric: Surprisingly enough.

Matt: Well, Eric…

Eric: The Aragog scene is in the movie.

Matt: Oh, awesome. Awesome. Eric, since this is David Yates’ second film for Harry Potter, what would you say is probably his – what do you think he improved?

Andrew: Do you think he’s improved?

Matt: Yeah. What did he probably improve on most since the last movie?

Eric: I think he improved, and I do think he improved quite well. It’s interesting because he wanted – in the last movie I remember reading an article or hearing an interview with him where he wanted to focus more on the characters. And I just think that he’s done better now. And as for camera techniques too, a lot of people didn’t like the montages in Movie 5, you know, like during the DA…

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: …scene they would sort of go through the montage of it having been a few months later. They don’t use that technique at all to pass time in this movie. This movie is, overall, not done like that. I’m not going to say not fast paced, because it’s not slow paced either, but you get to know – you feel that a year is progressing. And that may be done the best out of all the films now, is that the movie progresses in a really gradual, not to say speedy, way. That all of the scenes that happen are just very true to the characters.

Andrew: Cool.

Eric: They’re enjoyable to watch on screen. Maybe that’s what I’m trying to say through my whole analysis of the movie, is that it was enjoyable to watch, and I did enjoy the story as if I had never read the book. And then from having read the book, I enjoyed what I saw that I remembered from being in the book.

Andrew: That’s good.

Matt: I’m glad.

Andrew: That’s good to hear.

Matt: I’m really glad, Eric, that people who have never really seen – or read any of the books will enjoy this movie. Is that what you’re saying?

Eric: Interestingly enough – well, that’s what I’m saying, but also the other thing is that this movie caters to the fans, which you’re wondering, how can things be both? But I really think this movie, like – I say it’s great for – I say it’ll be enjoyable to watch for people who’ve never seen, but even more enjoyable for the people who have read the books, because a lot of those things, even the line about knitting patterns -Dumbledore liking the knitting patterns – that’s in it, and it’s oh-so-funny to watch Michael Gambon say that.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Michael Gambon does a great job in this movie. All of these inside things and all of these – they don’t cut corners as they have in other movies, and they don’t go out of their way to make sure that the outside world knows really what’s going on. They’ve sort of gotten to the point where they can say in the story, and this might be what they have to say, but, look, this is what’s happening in the story. They don’t need any extra things about Horcruxes, this is just what’s happening in the story.

Andrew: Cool.

Eric: This is a movie – this is a story we’ve got to tell and a lot of those scenes, I think, are tailor fit for the fan’s enjoyment – for the book reader’s enjoyment.

Micah: So, would you say that they’ve compensated with these smaller, more intricate little plot points – you know, they compensated with that after having cut out some of the scenes that you’ve mentioned. Do you think that they were trying to compensate in that way by saying, oh, we’re going to have to really change, say, the Battle at Hogwarts, say, Dumbledore’s funeral, so, we’re going to do is give the fans something that – who reads the books, so they’re going to know, okay, well, this line was used, or this particular scene was used, or this particular item was included. You know what I’m saying?

Eric: Yeah, I think it’s a great question and I’m going to say that, no, they didn’t say that, because what they found through making the movie is almost – I mean, the movie doesn’t lack Dumbledore’s funeral or the Battle of Hogwarts, it’s just kind of a different – like, I wasn’t looking for it, in a way. I wasn’t looking for the Battle at Hogwarts to happen or Dumbledore’s funeral as much. I think what they’ve done is, they have these scenes, which are so wonderful for the fandom. I don’t think it’s made to compensate as much as it is in line with the story that they’re telling. And the movie that they’re making.

Micah: Yeah, but…

Eric: It’s true that some of these scenes don’t get – sorry, what’s your question?

Micah: No, no, I – what I was going to say is, oftentimes how they tell the story is what the problem is, and it has been in the past with a number of criticisms that the other films have received. So, I guess what I’m getting at is, seeing some of these negative reviews, and I’d hate to dwell on that, but, is a die-hard Harry Potter fan going to go in – can you see some of these fans going in and being disappointed in the film based on what you’ve seen left out?

Eric: It will be very interesting. If the fans can get over themselves enough to go see the movie, I will be more than interested in what they have to say about it. And I mean, I know in a way there will be people who do not like this movie, just as there are people who do not like Movie 5, which I liked. And there are people who love Movie 3, which is more than I can sometimes say. And, you know, I know that there will be people who see and dislike the movie for the scenes that are missing but, having said that, I think that anyone who got into the series through the movies will have automatically more respect, and I think that anyone who has ever seen these movies as a separate item will, in fact, be impressed with how much of the book was brought to the movie, just by these big scenes being cut.

Micah: And what about – just to follow up, as far as plot points are concerned, you know, Horcruxes is one thing that comes up a lot in the reviews. Again, did they do that justice?

Eric: I think that they did. I think that they did. What they will – they’ll probably will have to deal with it, obviously, more in Movie 7, when they have to find the rest. And it will be interesting to see the transgres – how that happens in the movie, as opposed to the book. Because the book that at the point – I think Book 7 towards the end is very, you know, linear, but rushed almost, as they find out things in the order they need to, because they don’t have any more time to really do anything. But in this movie there are scenes, and one of the scenes I would have liked to seen in the movie, I think, is the Gaunt house scene, which was not in the film. There are only a few pensive scenes, and that is not one of them, but I – with the movie being what is it, there is a terrific balance. And the movie is dark enough. And that is one point I tried to make in my review. But the movie is very intense, as far as impending doom, and it’s really interesting with how they balance that with all the hormones and all of the snogging going on in the book, which, you know, many people who talk about Book 6 will say there’s either too much snogging or too much Voldemort stuff. So this movie has totally, I think, found a balance. And David Yates as the director has really connected with that adolescent sort of vibe. And Dan still looks like he could pull off a 16/17 year old, I think. I mean, it’s still good in that aspect. Tom Felton looks a bit older, but you’re just happy to see him in the movie, so thats good. [laughs] You know, he gets good screen time. So, overall, yeah, it’s really interesting. I mean, I could talk about this movie, but I just basically enjoyed it, and that is something that I’m having to come to terms with in spite of all these negative reviews.

Andrew: Well, Eric, this has been very informational. And we thank you, the fans thank you. You’ve done the fandom justice, and we all appreciate that. We’re glad to see you like the movie, and we’re glad to hear that you believe it will be well worth the wait. The extended wait.

Eric: Yes [unintelligible]. [laughs]

Andrew: And here’s hoping you get to see Deathly Hallows too. [laughs]

Eric: Yeah, yeah. Well – and actually, I did want to talk about – if I could bring up a thing before I leave.

Andrew: Sure.

Eric: I got to meet David Heyman, David Yates, Alan Horn, one of the representatives from WB, Mark Day, the film editor [laughs] and…

Andrew: Wow.

Eric: …David Baron, the other co-producer with David Heyman, on…

Andrew: Was…

Eric: …the movie, after the movie.

Micah: So when are they coming on the show?

Andrew and Eric: What?

Micah: I said, so when are they coming on the show?

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: Was Alan Horn afraid of anyone giving him a good punch? Giving him a good old one-two, you know what I’m saying?

Eric: You know, Andrew, I’ve got to say that’s not funny, because…

Andrew: Oh.

Eric: …to be perfectly honest with you – no, no, no no, okay…

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: And don’t feel bad. Don’t feel bad. Don’t feel bad.

Andrew: Oh, I don’t.

Eric: But – [laughs] – but, to be perfectly honest, we spoke with the Warner Bros. people and they were – to be honest, it’s a bit sad, I think, for our fandom, knowing that so many people at WB have received actual death threats. I mean, think about…

Andrew: That is sad, yes.

Eric: Think about the fandom actually saying, “Oh we’re actually going to send so many death threats, we’re going to storm the gates of WB,” and then think of actually receiving a death threat in your e-mail inbox from someone you’ve never met, from someone who is old enough to have the means to make that sort of thing happen.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s very scary, for sure.

Eric: And they received those worldwide, and that’s not cool. For that I shame the fandom. I mean, not for being angry…

Matt: But that’s definitely something that they should expect.

Andrew: No. No, not death threats. [laughs]

Matt: No, seriously, they should. For something this big, they should expect something to be extreme even though it may not happen.

Andrew: I’m sure they expected a big outlash, but I don’t know about death threats.

Matt: I know – I know – well, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened.

Andrew: Can you see them sitting down at a meeting and being like “Look, guys, if we do this, we’re going to get death threats.” [laughs]

Matt: No, no, “If we do this, we’re going to get a huge flack.” And they are. I mean, it may get a little more than they anticipated…

Andrew: Yes.

Matt: …but they should’ve expected…

Eric: But seriously, it’s a bit more. I mean, in all the history of Warner Bros., to think that this – I mean, you guys, let’s speak candidly here. You know how crazy some of the fans out there are. But to actually – I mean, that’s all I’ll say.

Andrew: Yeah. Oh yeah.

Eric: It’s got to be scary. But still – no, Alan Horn was there, and they had all seen the screening and they were all, I think, very pleased with all the feedback they got; they got a lot of – they sat for a session afterwards, plus all the surveys we were filling out afterwards. There’s one thing I wanted to talk about; the surveys were very detailed. They mentioned – first of all, in every question they urge you to be as specific as possible, which may just be standard, but they were asking things like, “what scenes do you think moved too slow?”, “what scenes do you think moved too fast?”, “what were your favorite actors?”, “what were your favorite scenes and the least favorite scenes?” All these questions that…

Andrew: Were they general questions? Or were they tailored – were they like, “What did you think of Slughorn?” Or were they like general questions that you hand out at every movie screening?

Eric: No, no, no, it wasn’t as – that’s right, yeah, they were tailor fit.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Eric: They were absolutely tailor fit. I can’t think of many more specific questions except that they really did – there was a lot of room for total explanation and also a lot of guiding where they could get your feedback even if you didn’t be specific. So it was a bit, overall, quite interesting. My favorite scene was the Felix Felicis scene in the movie, which is great.

Andrew: Cool.

Eric: Next to the cave scene, which I quite enjoyed. And yeah, so that – meeting David and – David Heyman afterwards, and David Yates, was a really good experience, and I shook their hands. I even hugged them.

Andrew: Awww.

Eric: And I just – I just assured them. You know, I said I like the movie, and, you know – hopefully – and they said, you know, great, because we really did try to make this a great film, especially for fans, and they said that Jo Rowling had seen about twenty minutes of the movie and she said what she always says, which is – but she said this might be her favorite film so far.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: Oh, that Jo.

Eric: Which is important to mention, but – yeah, it is. It is important to mention. So Jo thinks this might be her favorite film ever, and the film editor and everyone were there, and so – or everyone was there, so everyone did want to see what people thought and were very interested to the core of their soul on what people thought, so I thought that was really fitting. I thought that was very great. They were all very nice people, all very grateful to hear all that. But so – I mean, I sat with – I stood with them and spoke about some of the things that I was concerned about, but basically I think, overall, the final product is going to be great, and it was just such a pleasure because I hadn’t made it to the red carpet premieres. [laughs] I believe I was getting a Mickey Mouse from somebody? Last – Goblet of Fire?

Andrew: Yeah. Well, this obviously is pretty big.

Micah: The gods made it up for you, Eric.

Andrew: The gods, yeah. You were destined.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: It was karma. You do, you know – pay it forward. Pay it forward.

Eric: Honestly, so…

Andrew: Eric, we got to go, but thank you so much. This was very informational.

Eric: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: I hope to see you back on the show soon.

Eric: Absolutely. Just let me know when the next one is and hopefully my computer will be working.

Andrew: Of course, of course. All right. And, Eric, again, we thank you, the fans thank you. I’m sure you’ll get some more feedback from the fans with some more questions. Just one more thing, actually, real quick: are you sad that you can’t wait until July now to see it? Or like – what’s the feeling there? Because a lot of people say, like, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to see it this early because then what do I have to look forward to?” Do you feel bummed?

Eric: Oh, yeah. That’s a good question too. I’ll answer that for sure. I strongly think that the movie that I see in July is going to be different…

Andrew: Yeah, definitely.

Eric: …than what I saw at this past screening. I really believe that. Maybe I’m out of my mind, but I really do think that definitely the finalized version with the finalized – even the look and feel, even the touch, is going to be changed, and different. That’ll come with a completed score, which we haven’t – which we didn’t have. They had kind of in and out of different pieces, so it hasn’t been fit. You know, the scenes that were cut might not remain cut, and there might be more scenes that did get cut and some added in.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: So, we just don’t know from this standpoint. So once the effects are complete – a lot of that does change how you view the movie, how the movie feels, and, you know, I don’t know how those those scenes are going to end up looking, in a way. The way the movie was presented to us, it didn’t even – it didn’t feel like it was completely presentable, like it was completely…

Andrew: Of course.

Eric: I mean it was presentable but not completely fit.

Andrew: Sure.

Eric: It wasn’t like, here’s a completely fit possible version of the movie. That wasn’t it at all. This was still a bit far away from the complete final stages, and so I think, yeah, when I see the movie in July, which I will, it will be different enough that I will be surprised. Plus I’ll have forgotten a little bit by then, and so in a way it’s not really a negative thing that I have to wait even longer for new material. Say Movie 7, I have to wait even longer for it than I did before, but I think the movie will be different.

Andrew: And you know what? They’ll be making changes down to the last few weeks. I remember Matthew Vines from Veritaserum.com, I was in touch with him a lot around Goblet of Fire, and he went to literally, you know, the U.S. premiere, the U.K. premiere, the U.S. screenings, the U.K. screenings, and he said every time he saw it, he saw little changes. They’re changing these films down to the last possible minute. You know, because there’s a lot of pressure. So yeah, I think you will be seeing a – it could be a whole new film depending on that feedback they got. So there you go. All right, Eric.

Eric: And now with the extended time, they’ll have plenty of time to do more screenings, you know.

Andrew: Yeah, of course.

Eric: Chicago – and to answer the first question I was asked completely, Chicago was where they always did their first screenings.

Andrew: Yes.

Eric: That goes back to the days of the first two movies, because Chris Columbus is from Chicago, or one of the suburbs, and they developed good relations with movie theaters…

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Eric: …and basically that was – that’s where they hold their first test screenings. Again, just one of those random benefits of living in Chicago and subscribing to MovieTickets.com, I guess.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, apparently. I guess we all will now. All right, Eric. Thank you very much. We’ll talk to you again soon.

Eric: Thanks, guys. This has been fun.

Andrew: No problem. Yes it has. All right, dude, talk to you later.

Eric: All right. Is the recording going to work?

Andrew: Oh, yeah. We got it all. We’re good.

Eric: Sweet. Thanks so much.

Andrew: All right. No problem. See you, dude.

Matt: Bye, Eric.

Eric: All right. Bye, everybody. Bye, Matt. Bye, Micah. Bye, Andrew.

Everyone: Bye.

Andrew: That was Eric Scull who just recently caught a screening of Half-Blood Prince in Chicago.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: That lucky little boy.

Micah: Plenty more questions, I’m sure, that…

Andrew: We’ll be asking him.

Micah: …we could ask him, too, I mean…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: …there are so many that came to mind, but maybe people can send in their questions. Obviously…

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: We’ll have plenty for him next show as well.

Andrew and Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So, Micah, what else has been going on in the news?

Micah: We’re still on the news?

Andrew: We’re still not through it. [laughs] Yes, we are.

Micah: We’re like 45 minutes into the show and we’re still not done with the news.

Andrew: That was a whole segment. That was a whole big main discussion, I guess you could say. [laughs]

Micah: That’s true.

Andrew: So anyway, what else is going on in the wonderful world of Harry Potter?


News: HBP Video Game Delayed


Micah: Well, let’s wrap up Half-Blood Prince news first. The only other remaining piece of news from the movie actually affects the video game. The Half-Blood Prince video game is in fact going to be delayed, and one thing that Electronic Arts reported was that it is going to be a 120 million dollar loss for them this year. Andrew, you noted that they’re going to make somewhere around 5 billion. In the grand scheme of things, is that a huge hit to take? I would argue it may be when you look at their overall budget for 2008. If they were anticipating that revenue to meet their budget, that certainly could have an effect on it. I mean, in the scheme of 5 billion dollars, 120 million seems very small, but at the same time, you know, to us, that’s a lot of money.

Andrew: Yeah, and I think that, you know, they want to get this game out of the way and get going on the next one, because they’re real passionate about these Harry Potter games. I mean it is a studio in London that works on these, so it’s different from EA’s other big franchises like EA Sports.

Micah: Right. Did they mention anything about how it would affect maybe Deathly Hallows, similar to how everybody had questions, well, now with Half-Blood Prince being delayed, is that going to affect Deathly Hallows at all? You know.

Andrew: It may, but there’s still a two year wait.

Micah: That’s true.

Andrew: So…

Micah: And there’s probably only going to be one game though. The video game is not going to be split into two parts.

Andrew: Oh yeah. But I wonder what – they’ll have to wait to release it, though, because, you know, you can’t release it, a full game, with only half the movie, because then half of it’s spoiled. Warner Bros. has very tight restrictions for them, you know, saying, “You can’t spoil anything in the movie before the movie comes out.” You know, that’s involved in the video game, so…

Micah: And the thing to remember is that it’s not just going to affect, you know, EA. It’s going to really affect anybody else who’s in the merchandising industry that was anticipating this release in November, and was going to use that money towards their budget for 2008. You know…

Andrew: Yeah. It’s important. It sucks for them, you know?

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: I’m sure Warner Bros. probably had to take that into consideration.

Andrew: Warner Brothers should send them a big fat loan of 120 million. [Andrew laughs]

Micah: Absolutely. [laughs]

Andrew: They really should. I mean, you know. And, honestly, I think if EA wanted to they could have released it in November because it’s part of their contract, unless there’s a little clause in there, you know, that says Warner Bros. has the right, but – because they didn’t change it immediately, so they had to be thinking about it.

Matt: And the movies are never really exactly like what the game is anyway.

Micah: Right. Well, I mean I – the reason they waited is they want to release it with the film; however, this is what I wonder about more than anything else: is something like the video game, is the other merchandise because that’s where the franchise as a whole can be hard hit for the movie being delayed, because people can decide, okay, well, you know what? I’m going to go spend my ten dollars to go see the film, but I’m not going to buy any of the merchandise.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Matt: But also, this is during the Christmas season too, is when, you know…

Micah: Exactly.

Andrew: People buy video games.

Matt: Yeah, so they buy – they would buy the video game for Christmas for their kid or something, but now that that it’s going to be in summer, I mean, it’s just for whenever you want to buy it.

Micah: Right.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Absolutely.

Andrew: So…

MuggleCast 158 Transcript (continued)


News: The Trial is Finally Over


Micah: And other news: we finally received a verdict in the J.K. Rowling Warner Bros. versus RDR Books trial.

Matt: Oh.

Micah: Everyone is happy about that, right?

Matt: Yay!

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: You know, it’s weird because it’s like – it came out, and it was big news, but then it’s like – I just feel like there was a big – hold on. Let’s get in the mood first.

Matt: Oh.

[Law and Order theme music plays]

Andrew: That’s better. I feel like there was like a big – you know, there is supposed to be a big lead up to this and then it’s – I don’t know. Micah, was it big news to you?

Micah: You know, it just seemed to come in the middle or, I guess, towards the tail end of everything that was going on with Half-Blood Prince, and there wasn’t a lot to it, to be honest with you. I wasn’t…

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs] It was very basic.

Micah: Yeah. I mean – hey, look. I’m really in favor of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. in this case, and, you know, it – why did it take four months to come to a decision? I think probably because the judge has more on his plate than just this case and he’s hearing other cases, he’s writing other decisions, and that’s just what happens. I mean, I was in jury duty at the beginning of this year, and I can tell you the legal process is one that takes forever. I mean, these are some of the – sorry to any lawyers and judges that are listening to the show, but they’re some of the laziest people…

[Matt laughs]

Micah: They’re hard working in the sense that, you know, I’m sure they’re spending many hours when they’re not in the courtroom, but lazy in the sense that they just take forever to get stuff done. I mean, the legal process – oh, let’s go to lunch, take a two hour lunch, you know, they just – they milk the system for all it’s worth.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: So it turns out, Steve Vander Ark is actually…

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Has been in the process of writing another book! It highlights the places in the United Kingdom that relate to Harry’s world.

Matt: So, like, he’s trying to find Hogwarts or something?

Andrew: Yeah. Sort of. [laughs] And so that’s what he’s doing. And the book is due out kind of soon. I’m not sure when exactly, but it’s a different publisher. It’s not RDR, so that one will not – that’s an actual book. That’s not just copying and pasting information out of Jo’s books.

Matt: Oh. Okay.

Andrew: That one will be okay.

Micah: But was anybody a little bit surprised by his reaction at all to the ruling? I just thought it was a little bit too nice for somebody who decided to go through with this process.

Matt: Well, he also wants his book to sell. I mean, he doesn’t want to be so negative about it. Also, he just wants it to be over with so that he can work on the next book that hopefully will, you know, make money.

Andrew: I know what you mean though. Steve said a few days ago, “I’ve always been a fan” – in response to the verdict – “I’ve always been a fan of Harry Potter and of Rowling, and my hope all along was that we’d find an amicable way to settle this. I’m disappointed, but this is the way it went, and I don’t hold any ill will at all. It was a question of law over a difference of opinion and, in a way, I’m glad that it’s finally over.”

Micah: Right.

Andrew: “In a way”? You should be completely glad that it’s over. [laughs]

Micah: Well, I – the big problem I have here is if this is the kind of response you’re going to have, why do it in the first place? Why, you know, put it – the situation – I don’t know. I’m trying to frame it the right way, but why even go through with all this in the first place? It, you know – it just seems like a very sort of nonchalant response…

Andrew: It is.

Micah: …to something you pressed very hard for. You know.

Andrew: I think it’s just a happy that it’s over with response.

Matt: Yeah. I think it’s something that’s just saying that I just want to move on from this.

Andrew: We have an e-mail here from Susan that relates to this. It’s a MuggleCast listener, Susan.

“Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. Yay! Jo won. I’m so glad the judge had the sense to be in favor of Jo, the rightful owner of the rights to write an encyclopedia based on her book series. And show that Vander whatever not to mess with Jo.”

Vander whatever. [laughs]

“Though I don’t hold anything against Vander-poo.”

Susan, you’re very mean.

“I can’t believe he would say he was ‘disappointed’ that he couldn’t steal Jo’s work and write his stolen encyclopedia. It doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t he feel ashamed that he even put Jo through all this? Isn’t she his favorite author that he devoted a whole lexicon too, or is he too distracted by the sadness – his sadness over his lost selfish gains?”

So Susan is saying there, look, why do you disappoint – I’m sure when he figured out the idea to do this book he was thinking about how much money he could make.

Matt: I think he just – the fact that he said he’s disappointed just means that, you know, he lost.

Andrew: Someone else asked, can we allow him back into this fandom again?

Micah: I…

Matt: Well…

Andrew: What do you think, Micah? Matt made a disgruntled face.

Matt: Well, no, I’m just – I’m saying, who has the keys to let someone back into the fandom?

Micah: Yeah, exactly.

Andrew: [laughs] Jo.

Matt: He’s never really left the fandom. If he’s still a fan of Harry Potter then he’s in the fandom.

Andrew: No, but I mean, like, say he shows up at Azkatraz 2009, which is quickly approaching in July? Will fans go up and greet him and be like, “Oh my God, can I take a picture with you?”

Matt: Well, I mean, I’m sure that’s not going to happen.

Andrew: Micah, will you take a picture with Steve if he shows up at Azkatraz?

Micah: Probably more likely he’ll want to take a photo with me, but…

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Micah: No, I’m just kidding.

Andrew: You’ll say, “Yeah, but I need $20 first please.”

Matt: Well, I mean – okay, if we see him – if any of us saw him at, like, a Harry Potter convention, would we just turn away and walk away or would…

Andrew: I would hide because we’ve said too many bad things about him on this show. [laughs]

Matt: I don’t think – I think – I think we’ve been – we haven’t been as angry as, you know, other…

Andrew: Outlets?

Matt: There we go.

Micah: I think the big thing that a lot of people miss in this, and maybe that’s why you’re saying it was more of a “I’m happy this thing is over” statement, is really RDR. I think RDR pressed this more than Steve pressed it. If that makes sense. I mean, all throughout the whole trial and when we really did that one episode where we focused solely on what was going on, we said, you know, if you look at everything that went on from the beginning going all the way back to – to when the lawsuit was first filed, and even before that, it seemed that RDR was not doing anything to be in compliance with WB or J.K. Rowling, that they wanted to…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: …take this to the courtroom. And, you know, they still can go beyond – you know, they can obviously file for an appeal based on the ruling, it seems like, so it – it may be a matter of time to see if they’re going to pursue anything further.

Andrew: Yeah, and let’s all remember, too, that there was that clause in Steve’s contract from RDR that said, look, Steve, if, you know, WB decides to take this to court we will protect you. You cannot get out of it. So yeah, he really had no choice. I – I would think – I would hope that if WB took him to court and he had the option to just say, like, look, forget it. I’m not going to do this book. I don’t want to face going to court, that he would have actually done that. That would, I guess, really define his position in the fandom at this point. Okay, anything else, Micah, this week?


Sorcerer’s Stone Anniversary Edition is Released Next Week


Micah: Yeah, one final piece of news.

Andrew: Oh my God.

Micah: [laughs] Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: …Anniversary Edition is going to be released next week.

Andrew: It’s been released.

Micah: Well, it’s been released ahead of schedule for some people. But there’s some bonus material that was promised. There was obviously a new drawing of the cover art by Mary GrandPre. But, Andrew, you know a little bit more about what this bonus material is, having gotten information from people who received the book early.

Andrew: Yeah, we originally got an e-mail from someone saying, “Hey, my book arrived already,” and I was like, “Wow! That’s weird,” because it’s not supposed to come out until September 23rd. Long story short, as it turns out, Amazon received permission to start shipping it early, so they did. They sent out e-mails to all the people who pre-ordered and said, “You’ll be receiving it this week between September 11th and the 15th.” So people got their copies, and they were happy with it, I guess. But the thing was, they were – the fans – this book has been promoted as having bonus material from J.K. Rowling. And the only additional thing in this book is a sketch of Snape drawn by Jo back in ’92 or ’93, she wrote. And she wrote how Snape looked Count Dracula-ish. So it’s kind of disappointing, because it’s just one thing and people were, like, expecting maybe like a foreword or maybe something more from Jo in some way.

Micah: Are we sure that that’s it?

Andrew: That’s it. Yup. I’ve gotten numerous e-mails about it, and that is the only thing.

Micah: Right.

Matt: Well, I mean, it’s still a drawing by J.K. Rowling.

Andrew: Yeah, but it’s not like, you know, an original painting or anything. [laughs] It’s just – I mean we’ve seen lots of sketches from her before. People were just expecting more. Like, why would you buy this book again?

Micah: Right. And I know on Amazon I looked up the price. It’s like sixteen bucks to buy the hardcover edition, but I was wondering, didn’t we see a price – is there like a special edition of this book, too, that – that was selling for enormous…

Andrew: No, you’re thinking of Beedle the Bard.

Micah: Oh, okay.

Andrew: Beedle the Bard is going for, like, a hundred.

Micah: Yeah, that was crazy.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Micah: But I just – I mean, if you’re a collector then you’re probably going to pick it up. You know, if you’re somebody, in addition to liking the series, that gets the U.K. edition and the U.K. adult edition and – and, you know, picks up all these books from all over the world and different covers. Yeah, you know, you’re probably going to buy this.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: But I guess – yeah, it seems a little bit disappointing in terms of value.

Andrew: Yeah. So people actually took pictures of the book and sent it into us. And I actually forgot how small Sorcerer’s Stone was. I mean, that book’s really thin. I’m just so used to these books being so thick, but whatever. Just something that I thought.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: So apparently it is in bookstores now, in most bookstores. So, you know, stop by, send in your feedback and tell us what you think.

Micah: So it’s actually out there?

Andrew: Yeah, it’s actually getting out there.

Matt: In the mainstream?

Andrew: In mainstream bookstores near you.

Matt: Awesome.

Andrew: I don’t know everywhere at this point, but someone who works at a bookstore actually e-mailed us and said, you know, this actually isn’t leaked or anything. That was the suggested release date, apparently. But since people are already getting it they’re allowed to put it out.

Matt: Huh.

Andrew: So, they’re doing it. And people are buying. And kind of getting disappointed.

Matt: Awww. It’s still Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s still the book.

Andrew: Is that it, Micah?

Micah: That’s it for news.

Andrew: All right.

Matt: Awesome!


Announcement: Podcast Alley


Andrew: Thank you. Let’s move on to some announcements. Hey, it’s a new month and we’re still a podcast, so vote for us…

Andrew and Matt: On Podcast Alley.

Matt: It is going to be Mugglecast Meptember.

Andrew: [laughs] Meptember. Yeah! We’re number six right now. That’s good, that’s good. I like…

Micah: Isn’t that great? We’re off – that we’re off for a month, but your still in the top ten on Podcast Alley?

Andrew: [laughs] People are still voting for us, yeah.

Matt: That’s awesome.

Andrew: That shows the dedication of our fans.

Matt: Thank you.

Andrew: Thank you.

Matt: That’s really nice.

Andrew: But, I mean, we could be higher, so…

Matt: Well – yeah, but…

Andrew: I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding. If you get the joke still.

Matt: Thank you.


Announcement: Teddy Bears for Hope a Success


Andrew: Micah, the past few episodes we were promoting our charity drive, Teddy Bears for Hope. How did that turn out?

Micah: It turned out really well. I actually sent the money over to the organization today. And they’re going to start dispersing the teddy bears, I guess, in the next couple of weeks or so. And the total amount raised was about $1,600. So that’s awesome.

Andrew and Matt: Wow.

Andrew: That’s really good. Thank you.

Micah: Plus whatever we made from that site. I think it was SearchKindly.org. They had a little bit of a pull up for one of the weeks we do this charity drive, and of course everyone from MuggleNet went and voted over there. So I think we probably picked up another $100. So about $1,700 in total.

Andrew: That’s wonderful. How many bears does that equate to?

Micah: That equates to probably…

Andrew: You said it’s $5 a bear?

Micah: Yeah, it’s around there. It could be a little bit more, a little bit less. So you’re probably looking at about a little over 300 bears.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Which…

Andrew: It’s great.

Micah: Which is cool. And we’ll keep everyone posted on where they end up going and get some pictures from when they’re delivered.

Andrew: Yeah, that’d be great. Definitely.

Micah: And post about it on both sites. So it’ll be cool.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: That’s so cool.


Announcement: Azkatraz in July


Andrew: All right. And reminder: Azkatraz is coming up quickly. It’s in July. It starts the day after Half-Blood Prince comes out, which is really awesome.

Matt: Ooh.

Andrew: They have some really good plans. We can’t announce anything yet, but we are going to be very involved. And it’s going to be awesome.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Imagine seeing this film with tons of hardcore Harry Potter fans at midnight.

Matt: And then coming back to a…

Andrew: A Harry Potter [unintelligible]

Matt: …really nice…

Andrew: …hotel.

Matt: Really, really nice hotel. We can’t stress that enough. It is a really sweet hotel. And just going back after the movie and just discussing it with all these diehard Harry Potter fans.

Andrew: Yeah, so it’s going to be really something special.

Matt: I mean, has that ever been done before?

Andrew: No. Registration is open, and actually, I don’t know if we should say. If you register, please put in the referral area MuggleNet or MuggleCast, if you do decide to register this early. Please, please, please put MuggleNet or MuggleCast. It will help us out very much in being there at Azkatraz. So thank you.


Announcement: Matt’s Birthday


Andrew: Happy Birthday, Matt.

Matt: Oh, thank you.

Andrew: Turned 23 on September 11th.

Matt: [imitating Jamie] “Oh, I’m so old, Andrew.”

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Micah: Jamie’s back, huh?

Andrew: I just want to be a kid again.

Matt: [imitating Jamie] “Oh, oh, hey, Micah.”

[Micah laughs]

Matt: [imitating Jamie] “Laura, Laura, don’t even start with me. I’m so old.”

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: On September 23 we’re having a, I would say little birthday party, but it’s going to be a big birthday party, here at the MuggleCast Studio tonight.

Matt: Yeah, we got a bunch of…

Andrew: All day.

Matt: We’ve got a bunch of Wizard Rockers coming to our apartment, and…

Andrew: Ah, man.

Matt: It’s going to be awesome.

Andrew: Star-studded.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: Bring out the red carpet.


Announcement: Harry Potter Election


Andrew: For Alex Carpenter [unintelligible] to make his appearance. And one last thing. We want to do a little teaser about – before we get into the rest of the show. Micah and I are working on a new thing for MuggleNet, and since we’re not doing the new show weekly right now we wanted to promote it. As everyone knows, the presidential election is coming up, so, you know, it’s a big election this year, so we wanted to do something Harry Potter related with this election. And, Micah, do you want to sort of – we’ll just give a teaser right now. I don’t really want to get into it too much, but…

Micah: No.

Andrew: What are we doing? What are we putting together?

Micah: We’re just putting together a little bit of an election. We’re going to have fun with this. It’s going to be completely – well, I’m not going to say it’s not going to relate in any way to what’s going on in the current election. You may see some themes there.

Andrew: Some words. [laughs]

Micah: Some words.

Andrew: Like “maverick.” [laughs]

Micah: Exactly. But, you know, we’re going to get a couple of staff members involved with this, and I think we can reveal, we’re going to use eight characters with the ultimate goal of one from each party facing off in the final election. And we’re going to use come cool little social networking tools and probably some other technology – audio, video – to spice it up a bit. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I mean, that’s the whole point of it, you know, give people some laughs. Let them enjoy what we’re doing, and it’s not to make a mockery of the election as a whole. Maybe in a little bit of a way to poke fun at some things that have gone on, but just to kind of lighten the mood a bit, I guess you could say, because it’s been a very serious last couple of weeks, at least here in the United States with everything that’s going on with this election.

Andrew: But it’s – I don’t know if you said, it’s going to be an election for the Minister of Magic.

Micah: Oh yeah. That’s true.

Andrew: And – yeah. They’re characters from Harry Potter, so we’re putting together something really fun. It’s going to be kicking off September 23rd, but we’re going to have a formal announcement on MuggleNet.com a few days before that, so keep an eye out on the site. It’s going to be a fun thing, you know. Get kids involved in sort of a Harry Potter election, so it’ll be fun. And we’re doing some good work on it. So I think that’s it for announcements this week, and the news, and the opening. Good bye, everybody.

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Bye, guys.

Andrew: That was a long show.

Micah: Oh. Oh, that was awesome.

[Matt laughs]


Muggle Mail: The Pre-screening of HBP


Andrew: Let’s move on to some Muggle Mail that reflects on things we’ve actually already talked about. First one comes from Adrianna. She writes:

“Hey MuggleCasters, I just have a few comments about the screening of ‘Half-Blood Prince.’ First off, I’m torn between the idea of seeing the movie before the finished product. I’d want to put them again IMAX 3D. I think I’d hold out. But out of curiosity, why are they releasing the screening so close to the date that it would’ve come out on. It almost feels like a slap in the face. Like, ‘Ha-ha, November 21st, just kidding. July 17th. However, you can see the unfinished version in September.’ Okay, I just feel we’re being teased way too much, or maybe I’m just jealous. Love the show. Love the hosts. Special love to Matt and Andrew. P.S. I knew J.K.R. would win.”

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Thank you, Adrianna. I think it’s a really good idea that they’re still screening it on time because this gives them a lot more time to fix the movie and get it exactly how they like it and how the fans like it.

Micah: But isn’t it a little bit odd to be screening it now? I mean, that’s my only issue here. If Eric – like he said before, he was watching scenes like with Harry on the Quidditch pitch where there’s blue screens behind what’s happening. It seems a little bit odd to me that, here you are in September, and you were expecting to release this film in November, and you had your producer, you had your director saying in the interviews that the movie’s complete, that there’s nothing wrong with it. That nothing needs to be redone. That seems a little bit odd to me.

Andrew: Well, I think they seriously considered – maybe these scenes are finished in special effects. Obviously, they slowed it down once they realized that, you know, they have an additional eight months to complete this.

Micah: Yeah, but at the same time, they realized this in, what, August? That they were going to, you know, delay the movie until November. The question is how much – I’m sorry, to July. But then how much in advance did they know that this change was going to happen? You mentioned it was only three to four weeks.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: But it’s just the time frame is not matching up for me.

Andrew: So yeah, I see what you’re saying.

Micah: That’s the thing.

Andrew: I see what you’re saying. I think they will be doing many more screenings, you know, once they reach a few milestones. Like the special effects being done, the soundtrack being done, because that’s all things they have to ask people about.

Micah: Right, but my question is, when normally would a screening have occurred for a movie released in November?

Andrew: I think right now.

Matt: I think it really depends on the type of budget the movie has.

Andrew: No, actually, you know what? And this is a true story. I swear to God, I read an article back in July saying that they were going to do screenings in August, and that was before the film came out – or they announced the film delay. And I remember this so well because I thought to myself, oh man, they’re screening this in August in Chicago? That’s when Terminus is. I wonder if a lot of Harry Potter fans are going to end up seeing it there. So, yeah, they were definitely going to be screening it in August, but they pushed it, you know, I guess a couple weeks back to September, so yeah. I think this is normal. But if it was still slated…

Matt: August to November – I mean, August to September is, what, one month?

Andrew: No, no. Yeah, it was probably just a couple weeks they delayed it by. I’m not saying that, you know, it made any difference, but maybe they delayed it that much to get a certain part of the film completely finished. But I do think that if it wasn’t delayed, the people that saw the screening, including Eric, would’ve seen a lot more complete, definitely.

Matt: Well, they see it now, it just gives them all the more time to change it.

Andrew: Mhm. Exactly.

Matt: I mean, if they screened it, what, three months before the movie is now going to be released, that gives them only three months to change everything, and I would much prefer that the people behind the movie have – can actually take their time and, you know, make it the way that they really want to instead of just having to do it under the gun and have to just spit this version out that they really – aren’t really proud of.

Micah: Right, and that’s what leads me to believe, maybe they knew further in advance that they might have to change the date because of something not being finished the way that they wanted it to be. It just…

Matt: Right.

Micah: My thing is, it just seems like if you’re going to screen a movie now, ten months in advance, as opposed to what would’ve been a couple of months, something must not have been right there. Maybe I’m wrong, but…

Andrew: I think with – sorry, go ahead.

Micah: No, it’s just what I said before. It’s just not matching up for me.

Andrew: I think with all this – I think with the film – with them screening the film this early, this really puts a lot of pressure on them, because they have so much time to perfect this. And that’s what they need to do. I doubt they’re going to go back and film more, so they got to work with what they have. But, you know, that could…

Matt: They probably have a whole bunch of – of footage though.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: To work with.

Andrew: Of course, but I mean, like, if they wanted to add the Hogwarts Battle, you know.

Matt: I think they already filmed it.

Andrew: Or the Dumbledore funeral. I mean, God, with all this more time use a little more money from Dark Knight and put it into… [laughs] … put it in the Dumbledore funeral. But whatever.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: I think, you know, this is just a lot more pressure. Now you really have to perfect it, and that’s why they’re starting to do these screenings so early.


Muggle Mail Rejected


Andrew: Next e-mail comes from Lucy:

“Hi. I just wanted to say, as I’m sure others have, that it’s very promising that they’re screening the film now. It suggests that they will use…”

Actually, you know what? We don’t need that.


Muggle Mail: A Call for Action


Andrew: One more e-mail today from Gregory Bosk, 20, from Newport News, Virginia. He writes:

“My friends at MuggleNet, as one of the premier sites for ‘Harry Potter’ fans around the world, you hold a significant amount of sway in the minds of not only readers, but Hollywood producers and filmmakers. I am a concerned fan who is enraged by the fact that the movie is to be postponed. I feel it is unnecessary for us to wait an entire eight months for the movie to be released when it is, supposedly, finished with production. Is there anything you can do, anyone that you can contact, anywhere that you can go to get things in motion? I am sure you are all as upset as I am. We need to move into action and motivate others to do the same. We need to let these greedy Hollywood producers that it is the fans that control the market, and we demand the movie to be released as planned.”

Micah: All right, Gregory. [laughs] Listen, buddy. If I held sway over Hollywood movie producers, I would be in the damn movie, okay?

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Micah: So the idea that we have any control over this is – is, you know…

Matt: Well, you know what? Wait.

Micah: …minimal.

Matt: Let me get Alan Horn on the phone.

Micah: Call him up. I mean, I understand what he’s trying to say, but it’s kind of – we don’t – we – I don’t know.

Andrew: The reason I included this is because a lot of fans do think that we have a lot of power, but really we don’t. And we don’t want – like, people ask well, why don’t you post petitions and stuff like that? We are on the good side with Warner Bros., you know. We have to stick with them. They do a lot for us and we’re – they do a lot for us and they do a lot for the fans, and we have to be appreciative of that. So…

Matt: And just because we don’t have the same viewpoints as a lot of the fandoms do doesn’t mean that we’re – that we’re sucking up to WB also. I mean, I get a lot of e-mails saying that, well just because, yeah, okay, you have to suck up to WB, that’s why you’re saying this and that. But really, we have to see both sides of it. We can’t just see, like, one side of – of the whole decision-making.

Micah: Yeah exactly. Then we’d be Fox news.

Matt: Yeah. Yeah! Then we’d be Fox!

Micah: No, but Matt’s right. I mean, the fact of the matter is, it was just like the case between Steve Vander Ark and J.K. Rowling. We couldn’t sit for a whole episode. Obviously, a lot of us favored the opinion of, of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros., but we couldn’t sit there and not try and come at it from Steve’s position, which we did do, and, you know, and it’s kind of like the same thing here. We need to see it from both sides. Obviously, as fans we’re not happy that the film got moved, but we also need to understand it from Warner Bros.’s perspective, that it’s a business decision, and that’s the reason why this film was moved, and, you know, while we can all be upset and all be angry, you know, we’re not going to change the fact that…

Andrew: Right.

Micah: …that the movie is going to be coming out next July.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. And there’s really nothing more to say. I just think that, you know, sorry, guys, but, you know, we don’t have any more power than you guys do. So. Let’s move along now. That’s all for e-mails. Very short with the e-mails this week, but I just want to say that we do have a working feedback form. It’s now available on MuggleNet.com. So visit MuggleNet.com to get all the feedback – to leave us feedback. MuggleNet.com/Feedback. You can contact any one of us there, and also you can send us rebuttals and stuff like that. So we’ll get more e-mails soon.


This Week in MuggleCast History


Andrew: This Week in MuggleCast History is up next. It is actually two – not two years ago, a year ago this week that we had our twelve hour live show.

[Matt gasps]

Andrew: Which I still tell people about. They’re like, you did a live show for twelve hours? What did you talk about? I don’t even know what we talked about.

Matt: I think you guys called me.

Andrew: Yes, we did.

Matt: That was the first time I was ever on the show.

Andrew: We spoke with you and Alex Carpenter.

Matt: You also ordered a pizza.

Andrew: Yes, that was fun. And my number accidentally got out on the air. Or no, my address did. That was a mistake.

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: But anyway, let’s play a quick clip from it. Just the introduction, you know, to relive it.

Andrew: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to MuggleCast live. Jamie and Laura are here.

Laura: Hey, everybody!

Jamie: Hey!

Andrew: We are live on the Internet! This is our first ever twelve hour podcasting event. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is the first ever twelve hour podcast.

Jamie: I would agree.

Laura: I think that’s a safe guess.

Andrew: That’s a safe guess. Laura’s at college right now.

Laura: I am at college. The only [unintelligible] kind of Internet that’s somewhat not wanting to work today, so here’s hoping that it holds through for me.

Andrew: Well, it’s holding right now, and it’s actually sounding better than Jamie’s connection, but…

Laura: Yeah!

Andrew: Nothing we can do about that.

Jamie: Yeah. [unintelligible] is not particularly good.

Andrew: Jamie, this is twelve hours we’re doing here.

Jamie: This is twelve hours, and I reckon we need to tell everyone that twelve hours is an extremely long time. In twelve hours you can do a lot. You can fly from Heathrow to America twice in a jumbo jet. You can go there and come back. Also, you can go from Heathrow to New York and back twice on Concord. You can drive almost the entire length of the U.K. You can run a very long way. I don’t know how far. If anybody wants to try it, please feel free and then you can write in and tell us. You can cycle a long way. You can even walk a very long way.

Andrew: So we get it.

[Jamie laughs]

Andrew: Can you tell how nervous I was? My voice was so trembling. So [quaking voice] “Hi, everybody, welcome to the show.”

Matt: Awww! You were going through puberty.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Laura’s in college!

Matt: There’s nothing wrong with that.

Andrew: How’s college, Laura?

Micah: He still is.

Andrew: Ehhh!

Matt and Micah: Yeah.

Micah: Oh.

Andrew: That was very nerve wracking, but that was a lot of fun. Micah, you were a part of that, weren’t you?

Micah: I was not a part of that. I was…

Andrew: What!?

Micah: I was at a wedding that weekend in Nantucket. I think I called you guys…

Andrew: You’re always at weddings.

Micah: … at like…

Andrew: Oh, that’s right.

Micah: … eleven o’clock, or you called me, and I had a few beverages and… [laughs]

Matt: Oooh…

Micah: Someone covered that point. It was, you know, all fun.

Andrew: So we had started at 12 PM Eastern on September 15th and we went until 12 AM Eastern on September 16th, so that was a full twelve hours.

Micah: Unbelievable.

Andrew: I wouldn’t – I – in hindsight, I wouldn’t mind doing it again because it was a lot of fun, and we actually did get through it. It’s just a lot of planning.

Micah: Yeah, absolutely.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I couldn’t imagine that you guys stayed on for that long.

Andrew: Well, yeah, but that was the fun of it, you know? We took, like, ten minute breaks on top of every hour and, you know, I looked at the Google Doc a few days ago to see our schedule and, like, it was so bad. Like, we had each hour planned out, but, like, in some of the hours there was, like, there was just, like, one e-mail to read and that was it! [laughs] I don’t know what we did the whole time. But a lot of people – a lot of our listeners – that were listening, actually did listen to the whole live show, which is insane.

Micah: What was the – like, what was the top number that you received on that show? Where did it peak? In terms of listeners.

Andrew: Listener-wise?

Micah: Live.

Andrew: I completely forget. But I would say at -probably at its peak, was probably, at the very start through most of the afternoon, probably through the night, it was probably 1700 people.

Matt: It’s probably, yeah.

Andrew: Which is really cool that we can get that many live people at each of those times…

Micah: Well, we did quite well with the last live show, too, didn’t we? We had a – was it like 1500 at one time?

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, it’s great doing those live shows. A lot of people listen to them.

Micah: We should do another live show sometime soon.

Andrew: Let’s go live right now! I’m ready.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Let’s go. It’s too much.

Micah: Maybe our next show.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I’m just making this shit up.


Guess the Scene


Andrew: Well, whenever there’s big news, that’s when it’s funnest to – most fun to do a live show, because that’s when everyone’s in to it. So, moving along, we’re going to play a new segment now. This is called Guess the Scene. We’ll just do one so that, you know, give you guys a little tease since Matt obviously picked these and I’m looking at them to play them. That leaves just Micah, so, Micah, if you do really good we can – you know, it’s fun for people to play at home too, so…

Micah: All right.

Andrew: All right, so how this works is I’m going to play a clip from one of the soundtracks and I’m not going to tell which soundtrack it is, and Micah…

Micah: Oh, it’s a soundtrack.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: You have to guess which – which scene…

Matt: Where in the movie this is being played.

Micah: Oh, okay. Maybe I can do them.

Andrew: Yeah. So, it’s…

Micah: I don’t get told what movie it’s from, though, right?

Andrew and Matt: Right.

Andrew: Okay, here we go.

[Music plays]

[Andrew whispers something unintelligible]

Matt: [whispers] Yeah.

Andrew: [whispers] What could it be?

Matt: [whispers] It’s from Harry Potter, I think.

Andrew: Should we give him a hint?

Matt: Sure.

Andrew: I think we should. This is from Chamber of Secrets.

Micah: Yeah, I thought so. It’s like – it’s almost like Oompa Loompas.

Matt: Oh. Oh, very – oh, you’re close.

Andrew: Trick question.

Micah: Geez.

Matt: A lot closer than you think there, Micah.

[dramatic chord of music plays]

Andrew: Oh!

Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Something just happened.

Matt: Something happened.

Andrew: Any guesses, Micah?

Matt: You can pause it.

Micah: Oh – that’s not – no.

Matt: Oh…

Andrew: All right, so do you have any guesses at all?

[Music stops playing]

Micah: I’m thinking, like, the beginning of the movie.

Andrew: Like a specific scene, though.

Micah: No, no, I know. Yeah, I – I can’t. I’m sorry.

Andrew: Oh, I’m so sorry, Micah. The correct answer we were looking for was when Crabbe and Goyle get the – grab the cakes that are floating in mid-air.

Micah: Oh. Yeah. That was right at the top of my list.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: You said “Oompa Loompa” so you’re close.

Micah: Yeah, you’re right.

Andrew: You’ve mentioned candy.

Micah: You got another one? I feel like I need to redeem myself.

Andrew: How – how about – yeah, we could do one more. All right, well, we’ll give him a hint to start out. This is from Prisoner of Azkaban. You – you – you said yourself that this was one of your favorites…

Andrew: …so…

Micah: Me?

Andrew: It can’t be too hard for you. Oh, maybe you didn’t. I don’t know. Here we go.

[Music plays]

Micah: Isn’t this how – oh.

[Music finishes]

Micah: I thought this was how the movie starts. Or do I have…

Matt: No.

Micah: No?

Andrew: No. I’m sorry. That was [unintelligible].

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: What we were looking for was from the Dementors hovering outside of Hogwarts. I don’t even remember that.

Matt: Huh?

Andrew: The Dementors hovering outside of Hogwarts.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: That’s the answer we were looking for.

Matt: It’s during the castle scene, when it’s raining outside, and all the boys are eating the candy from Honeydukes.

Andrew: Ah! Matt got it!

[A bell sounds]

Matt: Well, yeah…

Andrew: I’ve got to work on my Price is Right [unintelligible].

Matt: …I’m the one who did it!

Andrew: Yeah, I know. I just wanted to play that sound. So that’s how we play Guess the Scene. Hopefully our listeners enjoyed that, who will enjoy it when somebody guesses correctly.

Matt: Or when there’s more of us to play.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s true. This may be hard. This may be a hard game. I think it kind of is.

Matt: It is hard.

Andrew: Good try, Micah. You were the first contestant, so…

Micah: Thanks.


Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul


Andrew: So we’re almost done with the show today. This has been a very long episode. We’ll wrap things up with Chicken Soup. Micah, would you like to read it?

Micah: So this week’s Chicken Soup comes from Granny. She says:

“I was not aware you had a MuggleCast contact problem, so just in case you did not receive this, could not call this one in. I would cry. I have downloaded your shows, not only for the fun of listening to them again. Lots of times you got so close to the truth and yet so far. Just missing it. If I am widowed, you will be there to comfort me. If I go blind, you will be there for me. I thank you for that, and when I was going nuts between Books 6 and 7, you kept me sane. When movies came out, books came out, I was part of it all because you were there. Politics aside, you will grow out of it.”

Not sure what that means, but…

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: “I do love you all. Best regards, from Granny.”

Andrew: That was very nice. She’s a frequent e-mailer and that was a very nice e-mail, I thought.

[Show music begins]


Contact Information


Andrew: Anyway, that does wrap up our show for today. We hope everyone’s enjoyed hearing some more MuggleCast. To send us some parcel mail, you can always use the MuggleCast P.O Box. P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, GA 30028. You can also call in a voicemail question, comment a listener rebuttal to the MuggleCast hotline. Just remember to your question under 60 seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible. Those numbers are, in the United States, 1-218-20-MAGIC, in the United Kingdom 0208144677, and if you’re in Australia, the number is 0280035668. You can also Skype the username MuggleCast. Don’t forget you can visit MuggleNet.com for a handy feedback form. That’s MuggleNet.com/feedback. There’s also a link where the old feedback form used to be, and you can contact anyone of us there. Or you could just use our first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Don’t forget, you can also visit MuggleCast.com for a variety of community outlet links, including our MySpace, our Frappr,, YouTube, Last.FM, Facebook, and the fanlisting and the fan forums located at MuggleCastFan.net. You can also follow us on Twitter.com/MuggleCast for the latest updates on the show, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley, which you have all been doing, so you’re all very good listeners. So there’s little pats on the head there.


Show Close


Andrew: So that does it for the show this week. Thank you, everyone, for listening, seriously, and…

Micah: When’s our next show?

Andrew: We will be back soon. You know, it was a good show.

Matt: When will we be back?

Andrew: We will be back next time.

Matt: When’s next time?

Andrew: We will be back next time. So, to wrap up the show today, I am Andrew Sims.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matthew Britton.

Andrew: Thank you, everyone, for listening, we will see you next time, for Episode 159. Goodbye!

Matt: Bye.

Micah: Later.

Transcript #157

MuggleCast 157 Transcript


Show Intro


Micah: Over the next three weeks MuggleCast will be teaming up with Teddy Bears for Hope, a nonprofit organization that provides teddy bears to children affected by homelessness, disease and neglect.

Andrew: It’s time for the show and its fans to help give back to those who really need it. Visit MuggleCast.com to learn about this great charity and how you can make a difference.

Laura: The Potter fandom has always prided itself on rallying around great causes. No amount is too small and all funds go directly towards providing children with hope for the future through the comfort and security of a brand new teddy bear.

Andrew, Laura, and Micah: Thanks.

[Intro music begins]

Andrew: Hey, Mason. Did you know that on July 1st Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?!

Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

Andrew: You’re right. It’s not. And I do need a deal.

Mason: You need a deal? I got the deal you need, Andy! Check this out: transfer your domain to GoDaddy for as little as $6.99 and get a free one year extension, plus guaranteed renewal pricing. GoDaddy.com makes transferring easy and offers loads of extras including hosting, a five page site builder, and much more. Oh yeah! Plus, as a listener of MuggleCast, enter code Muggle, that’s M-U-G-G-L-E, when you check out and save an additional 10% on any order. Some restrictions do apply. I want you to see the site for the details. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com.

[Harry Potter theme plays]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Micah: Because at least we’re not making you wait eleven months until our next show – well, maybe we are – this is MuggleCast Episode 157, our final weekly episode, for August 17th, 2008.

Andrew: All right, well, it is time for our final weekly episode of MuggleCast. And, you know, at first it was just going to be the show where we looked back on the show and we do all the segments that we’ve ever done, and it’s still going to be that, but now there’s this big news that Half-Blood Prince is being delayed until 2009, and now that’s the big focus of the week.

Jamie: Yeah, it’s a huge surprise. It’s ridiculous. But, you know …

Andrew: And Jamie’s back! It’s even bigger news than the movie delay.

[Jamie and Kevin laugh]

Eric: I agree with that.

Andrew: Oh, and I can’t forget Kevin either. Kevin’s here too. Hello, Kevin.

Kevin: Hello.

Andrew: It’s been awhile for both of you.

Jamie: Well, it’s nice to be back.

Andrew: Welcome back.

Jamie: I tell you, it’s absolutely very nice to be back. I’ve missed it a lot. I can feel the serotonin cascade down into my brain now…

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: …from being back this week.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: And how about you, Kevin? The same feelings?

Kevin: Absolutely.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: All right, good. I’m Andrew Sims.

Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.

Jamie: I’m Jamie Lawrence.

Eric: I’m Eric Skull.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: I’m Matthew Britton.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Montfort.

[Show music continues]


News: Movie 6 Moved to July


Andrew: All right, Micah Tannenbaum, we’re not going to have big focus on the news this week, but what is the big story? I know you’re very upset about this, so try to get through it.

Micah: You mentioned it before. The big story…is…it’s our last weekly show.

Everyone: Oh.

Andrew: No. No.

Eric: It’s sort of pressing.

Andrew: Let’s be modest. What’s the real big news?

Micah: All right, well, the big news is that Half-Blood Prince has been delayed until July 17, 2009.

Andrew: WHAT?!

Eric: HUH?!

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Eight months after the original date in November. And this is just, in my opinion, one of the most ridiculous moves that Warner Bros. has ever made.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Micah: And it is completely, 100%, revenue generated. There’s no other reason!

Andrew: Oh, Micah!

Matt: Is this bugging you, dude?

[Laura and Matt laugh]

Micah: It’s bugging me a little bit.

Andrew: Let’s be happy. This is a happy show. No. Well, honestly, when I heard this news I was like, “Oh, I’ll never forget where I was when I found out.”

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: We were in Target, about to check out, and Eric called me, and then Ben called me and, honestly, a little part of me died inside when I found out. I just felt so empty and betrayed.

Jamie: No, Andrew! That’s not true, is it? That’s not true!

Andrew: No, I am dead serious. Matt, what did I say in the Target? What did I say?

Matt: I said, “This is awesome.”

[Andrew, Laura, and Matt laugh]

Andrew: No, I actually felt like a little part of me died. I’m not even kidding!

Matt: Yeah.

Jamie: Andrew, that’s not true though, is it?

Andrew: It was kind of depressing. No, Jamie, I’m not kidding you. I really did.

Jamie: You’re still going to see it.

Andrew: What was your reaction?

Jamie: I was like, well, fair played, these things happen in Hollywood. You know, I wasn’t going to…

Matt: Yeah.

Jamie: Like, fair enough. If a part of me died, like, parts of me die when, like, there are world tragedies, Andrew.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Jamie: Or like when somebody close to me gets hurt.

Andrew: That’s a world tragedy!

Matt: Yeah, kind of like when Russia was invading Georgia or, you know, something’s going on in the world, but [whispers] Harry Potter‘s been delayed.

Jamie: Yeah, it’s sad, but, you know…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: I’m just really…

Jamie: These things happen.

Matt: Yeah, it’s very sad. It really is though.

Eric: Well, can you guys name the last big movie that did this? That totally delayed eight months? I mean, I’m not going to say it’s unprecedented, but…

Jamie: Matt, you need to teach Andrew to suck it up and start, you know, hiding his feelings.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Eric: Oh – oh no. I’m fully backing your moral example there, Jamie.

Matt: Mhm. Well, this is just a big shock, though, because, I mean, Harry Potter is such a huge franchise for Warner Bros. and the fact that they delayed this movie is just kind of shocking.

Jamie: But it’s Dark Knight mania, isn’t it?

Andrew: Here’s my main problem: it was so late in the game to make this decision. I mean, we just got under a hundred days. And I was about to e-mail our coder and be like, “Yeah, you can take the zero off that countdown, that third one, since we’re at 98 now, there’s no reason for that.” And, you know, and then this happened. It’s just really surprising. Now, Micah in particular, and I’m not even joking, he’s very upset on this issue.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I guess we’ll go through some of the concern. And let’s face it, a very large part of the fandom is very upset about it.

Jamie: But it’s brilliant when you think about it. Like, there are, you know, a hundred days to go and they put it back and the hype gets built up and, you know, I just think – anyway, it brings Harry Potter – sorry, it ends – Harry Potter‘s going to end even later now, so I don’t know why people are complaining, you know?

Eric: Well, actually, Jamie, I’m going to disagree with you. They said that the Deathly Hallows filming would still be on schedule so that will not be affected and, therefore, end later. And I don’t think that the…

Jamie: Oh. [laughs]

Eric: …excitement is what’s being built up here. I think that what they’re building up here is the lynch mobs who are going to go out to WB and cause some…

Laura: The lynch mobs?

[Jamie and Laura laugh]

Eric: You know. The riots!

Kevin: People are going to watch it either way.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, really.

Matt: Well, it’s just sad because you waited like an entire year for this movie and then you find out that you have to wait completely another year.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: And for what reason? And for what reason? Because Dark Knight over-performed at the box office and they no longer need the money this year? But they said, “Hey, wait a minute, we could use it next year”?

Laura: Yep.

Eric: That’s the reason they gave. Now whether or not you want to believe that and, you know, there are a few e-mails and stuff that we read, but whether or not you believe that, that’s kind of crappy.

Matt: Well, what I didn’t get was, did Warner Bros. really doubt that The Dark Knight would do so well in the box office?

Jamie: No, they knew!

Andrew: That’s a good question.

Jamie: They knew it was going to clean out.

Matt: They knew it was going to be awesome.

Jamie: They knew it was.

Matt: Wouldn’t they have put that in consideration for the Warner – for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince release?

Jamie: It’s timing, isn’t it?

Andrew: I think, well – let me tell you. Here’s a couple things that bother me.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: First of all, two weeks ago – two weeks ago, the teaser trailer comes out. What does it say? November. A week later on HarryPotter.com, they publish all the Half-Blood Prince release dates, you know, and they’re like November, whatever. It’s the 21st, a couple days later, blah blah blah. And there was one more thing that I can’t remember right now. But it’s just all these different things, and it’s like, you realize that this was actually a very late minute decision.

Laura: Yeah, but I don’t believe for a second they didn’t know it was coming. I mean, they try to make it sound like…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: …”Oh, we just made this decision yesterday, really, no one knew!”

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Yeah, no. I think that’s crap.

Matt: Yeah, I don’t really buy that whole “Harry Potter is a summer movie.”

Eric: Yeah, yeah, that’s crap.

Matt: Because if that was true then they would have made it a summer release at the get-go.

Matt: Yeah, that was lame.

Eric: Absolutely, absolutely, you’re totally right, Matt. You can’t tell me that the – there’s very little going on this weekend if you look at the Entertainment Weekly – er, sorry, this fall. It’s a holiday movie season. You can’t tell me that Harry Potter – I mean, Harry Potter has always been holiday movie season with the exception of Movie 3 and 5. You know, most of the time.

Matt: And they’re always released for Thanksgiving weekend, too.

Eric: Exactly! And Christmas and they stay over Christmas. There was something in the press release about giving it a longer box office stay. That’s absolute crap, because the next big movies to hit after the Thanksgiving or Christmas are, like, February, March. You know, Harry Potter would be, you know, assuming it’s a good movie, would stay through months.

Andrew: Micah, what was the point you brought up earlier today about kids being out of school in the summer?

Kevin: I think we lost Micah.

Andrew: Oh, did we? Oh, woops!

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: No, what I was going to say, the point Micah made was that this movie was coming out over Thanksgiving anyway. So it’s like, kids are going to be off anyway. That was the point that Micah had.

Kevin: Oh.

Andrew: Here’s something else that bothered me: this release date was set before Order of the Phoenix came out. We were – I was on the Order of the Phoenix set September 2006, and right before that was when they announced the release date. And when we were interviewing David Heyman, I said to him, “Why set the date this early?” And he says, “Well, we want to set our schedule ahead of time because, you know, we want to know what we’re doing,” and, you know, the gist of it was that they wanted to be, you know, a little more organized with, you know, setting the dates. And I wonder if they actually waited to set a release date, you know, maybe until, I don’t know, Order of the Phoenix was out. Then they would have decided to release it in the summer.

Jamie: No, but, Andrew…

Andrew: …instead of making this decision before Order of the Phoenix was even finished filming!

Jamie: Andrew, it’s so approximate though.

Kevin: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s just – it felt so absurd from the beginning.

Jamie: But movie making takes so long to do.

Kevin: And it seems strange that they delayed so long to tell everyone.

Elysa: Yeah.

Kevin: If that was the case, you would think that they would…

Matt: Yeah. They delayed after they gave us the teaser trailer.

Kevin: Yeah, exactly.

Andrew: You know, there was a blogger a few weeks ago – somebody sent this in as a news tip, there was a blogger who made a post about maybe the reason why we haven’t been getting the teaser trailer is because they’re delayed. And I’m thinking, “Oh my God. First of all, this guy’s insane! How could they delay the movie this late in the game? There’s no way!”

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: And [laughs] it came true! And I think that’s partially why a part of me died inside…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …because, like, when somebody suggested that to me – well, when I read that blog first I was like, that is the biggest bunch of B.S. I’ve ever read. There’s no way they’re pushing this movie back.

Matt: Well, I don’t know if a part of me died inside when I found out. It kind of felt like someone just kicked me in the stomach or something.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: I kicked you in the stomach. In Target I was so freakin’ angry.

[Elysa laughs]

Matt: Oh, that’s why I blacked out.

Laura: Yeah, you guys were really upset. I saw your reaction video on YouTube. It was very sad.

Andrew: Yeah, of course we had our reaction video too. [laughs]

Elysa: You did? I didn’t see that!

Laura: Oh, they were in tears, Elysa. It was – oh my gosh.

Elysa: Oh my God.

Laura: Heartbreaking.

Andrew: There have been so many people submitting petitions.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: You know, e-mailing in their petitions and stuff, you know, complaining like, “Sign these petitions. MuggleNet, please post this.”

Matt: Oh my god, I – I – what were we talking about?

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: Yeah, but… [laughs]

Elysa: Yeah.

Matt: That’s what I was talking about. I got like thirty plus…

Kevin: Oh my God.

Matt: …invites, and they’re like all different groups saying, “Boycott WB.” “WB sucks.”

Kevin: Yeah, they’re all unique.

Matt: “Let’s all not even see the movie.”

[Eric laughs]

Matt: “WB is the devil.”

Elysa: That’s not going to work.

Laura: That is all such a load of crap. Seriously? None of these people are going to boycott the movie. They’re all going to go see it.

Matt: I mean, but you can understand their reaction to it. But, I mean, just some of them are so extreme. You’re just thinking, “oh my goodness.”

Laura: Yeah, I’ve gotten a few e-mails from people who are like, “Yeah, we want you guys to promote this on your show, and we’re going to lead a boycott against Warner Bros.” I’m like, oh my God! Calm down! Breathe!

Eric: 25 to 250 separate groups.

Matt: I mean, we can agree that the decision wasn’t exactly, you know… [laughs] …a positive on our side, but I don’t hate – we don’t WB for it. Do we?

Micah: Sure, why not?

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: I don’t know, that’s debatable.

Micah: I don’t hate them; I think this was a pure business decision…

Matt: It was definitely business.

Micah: …and from a business perspective it makes a whole lot of sense. From a fan perspective, it sucks. I mean, there’s – that’s kind of the two different sides of all this.

Matt: Yeah, it really does suck.

Eric: We were expecting a movie here, in November.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Jamie, you don’t seem to be as hurt by it. I mean, what’s your – what’s your take on it? I mean…

Jamie: I think it’s, as Matt says, it’s business. You know, it’s going to happen. When you – [headset makes noise] Sorry, my headset flew off – when you said…

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: …that you were talking with Heyman, and, you know, when they sort of set a release date that far in advance, then, you know, movies, you can’t tell. When you’re spending $100 million on anything then there’s so many things that could go wrong, even if one tiny part of it gets put back, then the entire project gets put back, so these people who have to set a release date have to work within tiny, tiny windows. So even though it probably is a complete business decision and it’s all about making more money, ’cause, you know, they obviously learned quite a bit from The Dark Knight and all the hype surrounding that. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a couple of things that also should have edged them towards moving it back, so they can relax in other areas as well.

Micah: I really believe the point that they gave us about how the writer’s strike could have impacted other films that were slated to be released in 2009 and maybe something very recently happened that caused one of those films to not go into its final production.

Eric: Writer’s strike? What writer’s strike?

Matt: Yeah. Well, earlier on in the announcement they said that the writer’s strike had some effect, or something, to this delay, but…

Andrew: On future films.

Matt: I think that was just a quick cop out that they could think of.

Laura: Yeah, I agree.

Matt: I don’t think there really was any real…

Elysa: I agree.

Eric: What writer’s strike?

Micah: You don’t think it’s possible that they lost a movie slated for that 2009 summer month? And just decided…

Eric: No because everything right before that is coming out now.

Matt: The only thing that I can see that the writer’s strike had some effect on it as, I think you’re right, Micah, I think it had something to do with a separate movie, maybe?

Andrew: Right, that’s the issue, yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Right, so say Movie X was supposed to come out…

Matt: Why does it really have anything to do with a huge movie like Harry Potter? Couldn’t they just switch out with another movie?

Micah: Well, I’m just saying, say they lost their biggest revenue-generating movie of 2009 due to some issue with the writer’s strike, and they didn’t find out about it until just now, or in the last few weeks, let’s say, and so they handed down the decision, let’s put out Half-Blood Prince in 2009, because we know that’s going to make us that money.

Kevin: Yeah, that does makes sense.

Andrew: Yeah. I just – I think what it comes down to is, sure, people – be upset for whatever reason that you want, but the reason I’m upset about this is the timing of it all. They announced this too late. They should have made this decis – decis – [stumbles over words] – decision a long time ago.

Jamie: They should have done it, it’s true.

Micah: Yeah.

Jamie: It is…

Laura: Yeah.

Jamie: It is kind of bad on their behalf. I don’t know.

Andrew: They released a teaser trailer two weeks ago that said November, and then the following week they released release dates! It’s so – it’s just unprofessional.

Matt: Well, yeah.

Jamie: But it’s genius too, though.

Andrew: Why? Why is it genius?

[Eric laughs]

Jamie: No, you know, it’s just great the way everyone’s talking about it in all types of publicity.

Andrew: That’s true.

Jamie: It’s good publicity. Like, if you’re angry, Andrew, you’re thinking about it, which means, you know, you’ve got Harry Potter and Warner Bros. on the brain.

Eric: And you’re more likely to buy action figures…

Micah: Yeah, and now you have eleven months to forget about it.

Andrew: I am so angry, I’m going to go buy the complete collection on Blu-Ray right now!

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Well, you know, Jamie…

Matt: I have to say, though…

Eric: What?

Matt: Go ahead.

Andrew: I am so angry I’m going to go see another WB movie on November 21st. Grr.

[Eric and Laura laugh]

Jamie: Wow.

Andrew: Sorry. I’m done interrupting.

Matt: Well, I have to say, though, that on a positive note for this delay, is that the move will be released a day before HPEF’s convention, Azkatraz, in San Francisco.

Jamie: Yes.

Elysa: Oh, that’s a good point.

Eric: Well, no, did you guys get the e-mail about that, too, they’re actually – they’ve already booked an IMAX theater. A whole theater.

Laura: You’re kidding me!

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, no, Azkatraz – HPEF has really, really gotten it good here. It’s very lucky for them. Very fortunate for them.

Andrew: Yes. And…

Matt: I got to tell you…

Elysa: Wow, that’s kind of neat though.

Matt: I am so going to Azkatraz.

Jamie: Oh man, yeah! It sounds awesome!

Eric: I know, it’s totally one great reason to go. Yeah, absolutely.

Andrew: And I’ll tell all you guys about this after the show. We can’t announce this yet, but already we are planning an event in relation to the movie release and Azkatraz. So put two and two together.

Jamie: It’s going to be a podcast probably, since we do a podcast, eh?

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Well, okay.

Matt: Put two and two together, Jamie, very good.

Andrew: No, no. Okay, obviously it’s a podcast, but it’s a special podcast.

Laura: Ooh.

Matt: [whispers] Special.

Andrew: I’ll tell you guys after the show. They don’t want to announce anything yet. But they’re working on it. It’s going to be cool. Let’s move on to some e-mails that we’ve received and we’ll comment on them. Obviously, the fans, as I said, are very upset about these developments.


Reaction to Release Date Move: The Movie is Bad


Andrew: First one comes from Ed McPherson of Anaheim. Just around the corner from the MuggleCast studios.

Matt: Oh my goodness.

“I’m a firm believer that this movie was put on hold because it is not good. It must have been previewed and found wanting. Therefore, it was decided to fix it. This also explains why there was such a delay in releasing a teaser trailer. The excuse of the writer’s strike only makes sense if what they had was bad. If it has already been shot, then you do not need writers anymore. What do you think?”

Matt: Hm.

Elysa: I think that would suck for us after hyping up that teaser trailer.

Micah: Well, we kind of explained this earlier, I think. I think he’s confusing the writer’s strike here. He’s thinking that the writer’s strike had an impact on Half-Blood Prince. That’s not what they’re saying.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: They’re saying that the writer’s strike had an impact on other movies slated to come out in 2009 and, therefore, Half-Blood Prince needed to be moved.

Matt: Right.

Andrew: Elysa, what did you say?

Elysa: Oh, me? No, I just said I think that would suck…

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: …after – that would suck for us after hyping up that teaser trailer. I mean, we spent two hours talking about how great it looked, and so if the reason is that the movie’s terrible…

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: …we’re going to come out looking like idiots.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. Well, and – to avoid these – this type of criticism, they did say in the press release, you know, oh the film is great. David Heyman is like, “I’m so proud of David Yates and the entire cast. Incomparable cast,” you know.

Micah: Those were so scripted, man.

Jamie: They have to say that, though, don’t they? They’re not going to say it’s [beep].

Laura: Yeah, but even if the movie is good, they’re still going to face this sort of criticism. Because really, when you look at a film this big being pushed back that much, that’s what people are automatically going to assume. And that’s a lot of the reason I feel this was a really bad move on their part. I mean, yeah, it’s more publicity for the movie but it’s not necessarily good.

Andrew: Hey, do you guys think – I had this idea last night too – do you guys think maybe they actually did have this decision before the teaser trailer came out? They just didn’t want to announce it beforehand because then everyone would be so PO-ed?

Jamie: You’re such a conspiracy theorist, Andrew.

Matt: That is such a bad tease, though.

Elysa: I’d be pissed.

Matt: “Let’s tease them with this awesome teaser trailer and then just tell them, ‘you know what? You’re going to wait another year for this.'”

Eric: Absolutely. I mean, when I first heard this news I said, well, wait a minute, that explains why the teaser trailer was so late, because the whole movie isn’t ready and it has to be pushed back. But at the same time then, I think they kind of got themselves into a pickle, which is our catchphrase.

Jamie: Yay! [laughs]

Eric: Because they waited so long to release the teaser trailer that, you know, that they waited so long so that if they hadn’t released the teaser trailer at the time they mentioned the delay, it would be an even bigger issue because we would have, you know, three months anticipation of, you know, different reports saying it would come out in this movie, come out in this movie, and then WB says wait, another eight more months without a teaser trailer, that would be a bad thing. If they had mentioned it way, way long ago…

Jamie: See, that is very, very true, yeah.

Matt: Yeah. Well, how could Half-Blood Prince not be ready though? I mean, what is in The Half-Blood Prince that is so much more difficult than the other movies that they had to actually push back the release date?

Eric: It’s a worthwhile – it’s a worthwhile question to ask.

Micah: Nothing. That’s it. It’s all business.

Matt: I could understand if, like, Goblet of Fire – or Deathly Hallows – was pushed back because of the, you know, production value and they couldn’t get all the CGI, special effects and stuff.

Jamie: It’s a harder film, isn’t it? The image is sort of like quite a bit more important in these two, in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows, than it has been in the last five.

Matt: Half of the movie is memories! Just put a fog effect in the lens and that’s it.

Jamie: What, like iMovie it, Matt?

[Eric and Jamie laugh]

Matt: Oh my god! Totally! Just take some ashes and blow it into the lens and then you’ve got it.

Jamie: And ruin your 150 grand IMAX camera. [laughs]

Matt: Yes.

Jamie: That’s probably why the movie’s being put back. They tried your amazing idea.

[Eric and Jamie laugh]

Micah: What did you guys think about the reasoning, you know, Half-Blood Prince is now closer to the release of the first Deathly Hallows and fans will enjoy that.

Eric: Bull! Bull! Like they give a crap!

Matt: It’s their movie.

Micah: I was talking to Andrew about this, I don’t know, last night. What does that do for the fan, though, if Half-Blood Prince is now closer to Deathly Hallows? I mean…

Andrew: They’re just trying to give everyone something positive about it. I mean, you know, that’s all it is.

Micah: There’s no sort of flow from one to the other, really. I mean, Dumbledore dies, that’s the end of Half-Blood Prince.

MuggleCast 157 Transcript (continued)


Reaction to Release Date Move: The Fans


Andrew: Okay, here’s another e-mail. From Katie:

“I was just wondering your thoughts about the fans. I know a lot of people were saying they won’t be going after this because WB is…”

Naughty word.

“…them off.”

Kevin: Oh, that is such…

Andrew: “Do you think this is going to affect the money they are going to make?”

Kevin: Absolutely not.

Andrew: “It was a total shock when I found out.”

Matt: No! No!

Laura: People are still going to go see the movie.

Eric: People are still curious.

Matt: To be honest, it was a good move to release Half-Blood Prince in the summer because they do better during the summer. However…

Eric: Do you really think that?

Matt: …they could have actually given us a little – yeah, I do! I honestly think, because they did better with Order of the Phoenix.

Jamie: Guys, I have a perfect analogy for this. If you’ll…

Andrew: What’s that?

Jamie: I just went to buy an iPhone from this shop in the U.K., and it’s the only sort of network that does the iPhone, and they screwed me around, and screwed me around, so my mum says to me – she is not an Apple fan, so, you know, obviously this statement will come as a shock to the Apple fans. She said, “Well, why don’t you just get a different phone? One that’s not an iPhone.”

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: Obviously a ridiculous sentiment…

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: …but I was like, obviously, I can’t. So, you know, Warner Bros. is the only company releasing a decent Harry Potter movie, so of course people are going to go see it even if they have to wait ten years, kind of like I had to go back to the store fifteen million times and pay a zillion pounds on top of it. I’m still going to get an iPhone because I want an iPhone. I don’t want anything else.

Eric: Absolutely. No, I think that the logic is flawed when they say that Order of the Phoenix was the second highest grossing movie. I mean, obviously that’s the fact, but it was also the Summer of Potter that was releasing, you know, a week before the actual last book in the series. It was all hyped up. As far as summer movies go, if you guys remember this summer that is just passing now, there were three or four big movies that I wanted to see every weekend, and I would not have had the time or the resources to go back and see a movie twice because I always wanted to see the next movie that was coming out, the next movie that’s coming out. Summer is so piled up like that. November, Thanksgiving weekend, and Christmas there’s – that’s not how it is. There might be two, three movies…

Jamie: You could have seen them if you had wanted to though, couldn’t you?

Matt: I know. Andrew, how many times have we seen Wall-E and The Dark Knight?

Eric: Once.

Matt: I think we’ve seen them at least three or four times. Each.

Andrew: Dark Knight three times, Wall-E three or four.

Eric: Oh my gosh. Well, Wall-E was a great movie.

Andrew: And I saw Hairspray like seven times.

Jamie: Oh my God, that is insane.

Laura: Oh my God. [laughs]

Eric: That’s unnecessary.

Andrew: It was a good film.

Matt: Is that really that surprising?

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: It’s a good film. I enjoyed it. It’s a good film. Good emotion.

Jamie: Why don’t you just download something?

Andrew: Because I want to support the creators, Jamie. And you know what? This bodes wetter – this bodes better for a L.A. premiere. I mean, personally, that’s what I want. I want an L.A. premiere instead of New York City.

Laura: It would be a lot easier. [laughs]

Andrew: Because the way….

Kevin: Because you live there?

Jamie: Why do you want that, Andrew?

Kevin: Close to there, I should say.

Andrew: Yeah, because I live close. Yeah, exactly.

Jamie: No, I know. I know.

Andrew: I want to drive, I don’t want to fly.

Matt: It’s a half hour drive from here.

Kevin: I think Micah and I would prefer a New York.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, honestly.

Micah: Yeah, plus, you know, it does get warm here in the summer, Andrew. It’s not just L.A. that’s nice in the summertime.

Andrew: Yeah, but the L.A. – there was something about the L.A. premiere that was really…

Laura: Haven’t all the summer premieres taken place in L.A.?

Andrew: Well, there’s only been two on L.A.: The Chamber of Secrets and…

Matt: Order of the Phoenix.

Andrew:Order of the Phoenix.

Eric: Guys, I think we should compromise. I think the premiere should be in Chicago.

Andrew: You know, there was another blog – oh no, it was Fox News

Laura: Eww.

Andrew: …and you guys won’t believe this. Fox News said the reason why they are having this delay is because WB is disappointed with Dan’s image in Equus.

Laura: What?!

Elysa: Did Bill O’Reilly tell you that?

Jamie: No way.

Andrew: No, but it was a blog post on Fox News. It said that Dan Radcliffe is going to be in Equus the same time as the movie comes out, and it’s just going to be bad publicity, and, you know, because he’s naked, you know. He comes out naked. The naked pictures and all that. What kind of BS is that?

Eric: Well, no, that is BS. Well, for several reasons.

Matt: The nude photos were out for Order of the Phoenix too.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: They were, and the movie’s already filmed, and Dan and all the actors are only getting older, so if you’re going to talk about pushing actual production schedules back or filming schedules, which they haven’t yet, you know, I mean, the actors are only getting older.

Jamie: It’s not going to be enough to make a difference, is it? Like, four months they push it back they’re not going to get gray hair.

Eric: Yeah. [laughs] It’s true. It’s true. It’s true. There’s another e-mail.

Kevin: November 21st.


Reaction to Release Date Move: A Live Show


Eric: This other e-mail, kind of, we just talked about it, but it’s from Afik – or Afike – Age 22 from Malaysia. She says:

“Hi. Regarding the movie delay, why don’t you set up a quick live show so that everyone can vent in a nice little MP3 package that can be sent to stupid WB? Cheers!”

Andrew: That’s what we’re doing right now, and we will…

Eric: Well, she said live show.

Matt: Stupid WB?

Eric: With all the public.

Andrew: Oh, a live show. Yeah, that would be a mess.

Matt: Yeah, let’s do it right now.

Andrew: No thanks, that would be a mess. And then we…

Jamie: Wouldn’t that be great, though, if we could change those people’s opinions just by doing that? Like if you didn’t like, you know, a politician’s stance on something you just sent an MP3 and he changes it completely.

Andrew: He changes his opinion.

Jamie: The war in Iraq. [laughs] Send an MP3.

Andrew: Only if it’s on an iPod, though.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: Wink.

Jamie: [unintelligible] the Apple products.

Matt: It’s sad. WB created a dark day for the fandom, didn’t they? From November 21st. That’s going to be a sad day, though.

Micah: They’re not stupid; they’re looking out for themselves and doing what makes the most sense in terms of…

Matt: Of course. Yeah, but…

Micah: Money.

Matt: …for the fandom itself, though, I’m not talking about WB. I’m talking about the fandom.

Jamie: Hey, Matt.

Matt: It’s going to be a dark day for all the fans.

Jamie: Matt, it’s going to be a dark day, but when is the day darkest?

Eric: Just before the dawn.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: “The night is darkest just before the dawn.”

Matt: “And the dawn is coming.”

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: “I assure you, the dawn is coming.”

Eric: “I believe in Harvey Dent.”

[Laura laughs]

Matt: In eight more months.

Andrew: And then it cuts to a close up. “Not for you, Potter fans.”

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Ooo. Slam.

Andrew: All right, well, I think that wraps up our discussion on this for now. I’m sure there will be more to come. Maybe, you guys, maybe WB will change your mind and be like, “Hey, look, we were, you know…”

Elysa: “MuggleCast said so, so…”

Andrew: “We understand you guy’s concern. You are the fans and we respect you, so it will be out in November.”

Elysa: Yeah, right.

Laura: Yeah, right.


Announcement: Micah’s Birthday!


Andrew: So let’s move on to announcements. First up, Micah Tannenbaum is celebrating a birthday.

Elysa: Happy Birthday, Micah!

Andrew: Happy Birthday, Micah!

Laura: Happy Birthday.

Andrew: A round of applause for Micah!

Micah: Thank you.

Matt: [singing like Marilyn Monroe] “Happy Birthday, Micah Tannenbaum…”

Andrew: When is your birthday, Micah?

Micah: Sunday, August 17th.

Jamie: Ah, Happy Birthday for then!

Matt: Ah, there it is.

Andrew: I will send you a Facebook gift.

Micah: Oh, thank you!

Andrew: It will cost me a dollar.

Matt: Oh, I have a free one, so I’ll give one to you.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Well, congrats, Micah. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Micah: Thank you.


Announcement: Podcast Alley


Andrew: It’s very nice. Don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. It’s midway through August and just because this is the last weekly show doesn’t mean you want to stop now. Am I right, or am I right?

Matt: [singing] “Ain’t no stoppin’ us now…”


Announcement: Terminus


Andrew: And lastly, Eric wants to talk about Terminus.

Eric: Okay. For those who attended and those who didn’t, Terminus the Harry Potter conference, happened just this past week in Chicago, Illinois. Great fun! There were about – overall there were about 1,600 fans, I think that they said were registered there. The whole event started off with Wrock Chicago on Wednesday night, which was actually – it wasn’t just Wednesday night. It was twelve hours during the day. Tons of wrock bands from all over came in. There was great programming, I think it was actually some of the best I’ve experienced. I mean, I actually go to programming, but it was – was really, really good stuff. It proved something good to me, which was that, you know, these books, while we can still talk about some very interesting stuff. I’ll talk to you guys about it later, but the programming at Terminus was really amazing. Last but not least, the Bon Voyage Ball, which Ben Schoen was wonderful enough to grace us with his presence during, and Dylan and Emerson…

Andrew: Oh, how nice.

Eric: …made a showing too. And then the closing banquets. But I just wanted to say thanks to everyone I saw there, and it was great, great fun, and very successful. It was a beautiful hotel, the Chicago Hilton downtown. It was amazing, so I just wanted to…

Andrew: Cool. It’s a shame that’s their last one.

Eric: It’s their last one.

Matt: Yeah, I never got to go to one of those type of conventions.

Andrew: Well, their last Harry Potter Con.

Eric: Oh yeah, that [unintelligible] doing, I think. Yeah. But it was very successful.


No Muggle Mail This Week


Andrew: All right. Thank you, Eric. Muggle Mail this week. Now, I think I stated last week there’s a problem with our feedback form, and we’re actually still having a problem with that feedback form, so there actually is really no Muggle Mail this week. We have a few more e-mails scattered throughout the show, but if you do want to e-mail us about something, e-mail our personal e-mail addresses directly while we still – while we figure out what’s wrong with our feedback form. Just use any of our first names at staff dot mugglenet dot com. And we’ll try to have that worked out soon.


This Week in MuggleCast History


Andrew: Okay, now it’s time for This Week in MuggleCast History. We’ve been doing this segment for the past few weeks, and we take a look at what was happening this time one year ago, or two years ago, since we have been around for a while now. I guess even three years ago.

Laura: Yeah. Three years ago now.

Andrew: I didn’t realize that. Crap. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: All right, so we are going to go back to Episode 51. This was August 13th, 2006, when Ben set a new standard
in podcasting by driving through Nebraska searching for a Wi-Fi signal and podcasting from his car.

Jamie: Oh, wow!

Laura: Oh gosh.

Andrew: And it’s actually pretty funny.

Jamie: Was that in 2006? Oh my God, that is insane.

Andrew: I know.

Matt: I know, you were just a kid then, Jamie. You were teenaged.

Andrew: And now you are in your twenties. Weirdo. [unintelligible]

Jamie: Matt, don’t even talk about it. That’s insane…

Micah: Yeah, you got a problem with that?

Jamie: That’s insane. I don’t want to get any older. I’m feeling it.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Jamie: You know, I have a problem with it. I have a huge problem with it. I want to be eighteen again.

[Andrew and Laura laughs]

Jamie: Everyone stop!

Andrew: All right, well, let’s do this. This Week in MuggleCast History. So we’ll just go back in time now.

[Andrew and Matt make time machine noises]

Micah: That’s all the news for this August 13th, 2006 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.

Ben: There’s a car passing me and I’m laying down. Hold on.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: False alarm. They turned, they turned.

Laura: Wouldn’t it be awesome if Ben got arrested and we were recording?

Ben: Live on MuggleCast.

Jamie: Oh, it would be so funny. It would be Spy on Schoen.

Ben: This is ridiculous. I drove three-and-a-half hours tonight, tired as – more tired than you can imagine.

Jamie: Tired and soaked to his skin.

Ben: And I get here to record MuggleCast, and I go to the library to steal their Wi-Fi…

[Laura laughs]

Jamie: Ben…

Ben: They had it encrypted…

Jamie: …I think the term is “use” not “steal,” you know?

Ben: “Use” their Wi-Fi.

Jamie: Oh God, that sounds awful.

Ben: They have it password protected. And so I drive around this small podunk town, searching for Wi-Fi, and I found some, and now I am parked in the middle of the street…

[Laura laughs]

Ben: …windows rolled up in my car. It’s about 5,000 degrees and I’m here to do MuggleCast.

Elysa: Oh boy.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: So, I am the most dedicated MuggleCaster…

Jamie: That’s commitment to you?

Laura: That is devotion.

Ben: …ever.

Jamie: Are we still streaming this to the FBI, Andrew? Or did we stop?

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, I think we’re going to have to stop after this episode.

[Andrew makes time machine noises again]

Andrew: Oh, what an episode. Elysa, you feel his pain?

Elysa: Yeah, I feel his pain. Ben has definitely passed the torch on to me.

Andrew: I’m sorry, Elysa, but Ben did pioneer that concept of podcasting.

Elysa: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Andrew: You are just a mere copy cat.

Elysa: Okay. I did it better.

[Andrew and Elysa laugh]


Eric’s Crackpot Theory of the Week


Andrew: Oh geeze! Okay. All right, well, now keeping in the spirit of going through all the segments at, you know, we’ve always done here on MuggleCast, we’re going to now do Crackpot Theory. Eric’s Crackpot Theory of the Week. Eric, are you – do you think you’re ready for this or what?

Eric: Yeah. No, Andrew, I’m totally psyched.

Andrew: Yeah, I can hear it in your voice.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: No, how did you come up with that segment? How do you – can you intro it? Like how you came up with it,
because this is like the only real segment I ever really had, but it was a complete rip off of – the [unintelligible] by Jane Jack.

Andrew: But it really wasn’t. Jane Jack did this too, but it really wasn’t! Somebody – I don’t know, I can’t remember how we came up with it. But I remember somebody – people complained about that and I was like, no I didn’t even know they did it.

Eric: Same name, though. Same name, different stuff.

Andrew: Same name, okay. Same name, sure.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: All right, well – so I actually had to search through deep into the Gmail inbox because, you know, people haven’t been sending these in, but I did find a good one. This comes from Kate, 22, of Wisconsin, and she writes:

“My crackpot theory is that Harry Potter…”

Oh wait. [laughs] Are you ready, Eric? [laughs]

Eric: Well, she’s probably 23 by now so we should wish her a Happy Birthday.

Andrew: Yeah, true. That’s… [laughs] Yeah, that’s true. Anyway, okay, so here’s the crackpot theory:

“My crackpot theory is that Harry Potter is real. Jo is a squib who is breaking the silence between the two worlds. There is a Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, and a Quidditch World Cup. Once more, our favorite people, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore. etc. are/were real. Of course names have been changed; it’s like details altered for the sake of literary effect.” Eric, go.

Eric: Wait, what part of this was the crackpot theory?

Andrew: Harry Potter – generally, Harry Potter is real.

Eric: Yep, but it is.

Andrew: No, but you know what I mean.

Eric: No, but it is. It’s real, dude. What are you talking about? What’s the crack part? I’m waiting for the crackpot part.

Andrew: Real, like we could actually, physically meet Harry Potter.

Eric: Oh, okay, okay. So if we can really physically meet Harry Potter I think that what would…

Jamie: Eric, stop giving yourself thinking time.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. [laughs]

Eric: No, I think this – I think that what would be happening – I think that Draco would be working at a Starbucks somewhere, maybe in San Francisco, and Harry on Ministry business would go and meet him. I think that’s – I think that’s totally right. So all the people in the downtown L.A. area – or San Fran, sorry, San Fran area, just check your Starbuckses, I think that Draco Malfoy is secretly working undercover at a Starbucks.

Andrew: Okay, fair enough. Is that your crackpot theory?

Eric: Yeah, it was actually one of the – it is also one of the only fan fiction references I think I’ve ever done in my life, so I’m pretty happy about that.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Had to get one of those in the show.

Andrew: All right, so here’s some of the reasonings that Katie provided: the characters in the world of HP seem so life-like to so many people. That’s because it is.

Eric: It’s called an allegory.

Andrew: How do Squibs make a living in the magical world? Jo solved that problem by using the proceeds of the HP books to set up a fund to help needy Squibs. Another reason: lots of unexplainable things happen in real life. How come they can’t be explained by magic? Another reason: Dementors cause hurricanes and tornadoes, which we’ve seen a lot of in recent years, and ever been to Wal Mart late at night? The people who come out look like wizards who are trying to dress up as Muggles.

Eric: [laughs] I really like…

[Laura laughs]

Eric: I really like that second one about the funds from the Harry Potter books going to sort of employment, security, welfare for Squibs. I really like that one.

Matt: Well, I’m curious, what are the people who look like – that work at Target? Laura?

Laura: Hey.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Laura: Don’t be mean to me.

[Jamie and Matt laugh]


Dueling Club


Andrew: There you go. There’s Crackpot Theory! All right, let’s move on now to Dueling Club. This is another segment we haven’t done in a while, and we have a couple submissions. I think they’re good ones. First one comes from Brady, 14 of Manitoba, Canada.

Jamie: Andrew!

Andrew: Yeah?

Jamie: I have a Dueling Club for afterwards as well.

Andrew: Okay.

Jamie: This one is amazing.

Andrew: Okay, cool. He says:

“Hi, you haven’t done Dueling Club in a while, have you? I have a suggestion. Michael Gambon versus Richard Harris. No, not that same old endless argument of who is the better Dumbledore…”

The answer is Gambon, by the way…

Matt: No, it’s not.

Andrew: “I mean two old Muggle men, one on one, fisticuffs! Also, I love your show and Andrew is not hot…”

Okay, I’m pretty sure that said hot.

[Matt laughs]

Laura: No, no, don’t think so.

Matt: That was me.

Andrew: Okay, thank you. So, Michael Gambon versus Richard Harris. If they had to duke it out, let’s say in their golden days, when, you know, they were actually in good fighting condition.

Laura: I would say Gambon, and I mean I’m not just saying that by virtue of the fact that I’m a huge Gambon fan, but…

Jamie: I agree, I agree.

Laura: I don’t know, he’s just seems like he has more of an attitude than Richard Harris did, you know?

Andrew: Yeah, I agree too. I always saw Richard Harris as a very frail man, no matter what age.

Matt: Well, wait a minute. There’s…

Jamie: He really was.

Matt: Okay, well, there’s a ten year difference between the two actors too.

Eric: That’s a good point. I’m trying to think – I’m looking at the Richard Harris Wikipedia here, and he was kind of – he did have some kind of fierce roles going on for him. But I’m willing to say that Michael Gambon could out-scream Richard Harris and, therefore, would probably win in a duel.

Matt: [laughs] Richard Harris would probably not win in a fight with Michael Gambon, because Michael Gambon would just run down the stairs, grab him, and push him to the side of the wall and says, “Did you know I played you in the Goblet of Fire?”

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Shaking him, shaking him. And he’ll say, “No, I didn’t.”

Matt: “No sir!”

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: All right, the second one comes from Anlise – Analise:

“I really miss the segment, so I thought I’d send a new topic in. Molly Weasley versus McGonagall. You had a previous segment where Minerva beat out Umbridge, so considering Molly’s new found power, I wanted to see where this would go. And for the sake of being original, I love the show. Eric, you’re my favorite.”

How cute.

Matt: Awww.

Eric: Had to get at least one of those e-mails before the end of the show.

Jamie: Molly would just, like – she’d just make cakes and stuff and cook food, and McGonagall would just blast her down.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: That’s not sexist, that’s just…

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: That’s just taking stuff from the books, because, you know, it’s what she does, Molly. She cooks and makes onion soup and bread.

Andrew: Yeah, but we also saw her kill…

Jamie: She’d try and do that to try and placate McGonagall, but…

Andrew: We also saw her kill Bellatrix.

Jamie: Well, we did, that’s very true. And she did find a lot of power. I…

Andrew: I mean, have we ever seen McGonagall kill anyone?

Matt: No, we haven’t seen her kill anyone…

Eric: McGonagall’s just very stern to people.

Jamie: I don’t think she’s that kind of person.

Eric: She just glares at them.

Matt: But she’s been in battles all the time. Do you honestly think that Molly Weasley could have beaten Bellatrix Lestrange if the fact that she almost killed her daughter didn’t influence her, you know, filled with rage.

Jamie: No way. She couldn’t have done. No.

Matt: No, I think the fact that she killed Bellatrix means that she has the potential, but it doesn’t mean that she can kill – she could just duel just off the drop of a hat.

Eric: Going back to what Jamie said about the cooking thing, I think that it’s very likely that Molly Weasley would have a sort of sit down dinner, you know, and invite McGonagall to it, if the two were on bad terms, and, you know, maybe just slip a little arsenic…

Jamie: Talk about it, yeah.

Eric: …into the little pumpkin juice, you know, sort of thing.

Jamie: But also, Eric, the – even though Molly has killed a human being, when Professor McGonagall transforms into a cat, every single mouse that she’s killed more than adds up to Bellatrix, because she’s a demon when she’s a cat.

Eric: That’s a good point.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: She goes around killing every single small vole animal.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: That’s a lot of mice waiting for that McGonagall animagus in the afterlife, I’ll tell you that.

Jamie: Don’t you think it’s weird when people talk of snake venom and stuff like that, when they always compare humans to mice. Like, I swear there’s one snake that has enough venom to kill, like, a hundred humans or 250,000 mice. It’s just a weird comparison.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: Yeah, but I think there is some potential here.

Matt: Yeah. Wait, so are we men or are we mice?

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: Micah, what do you think? Molly versus McGonagall. Who would win?

Micah: Probably McGonagall. I mean, she’s just more learned, I guess you could say. She seems like she’s much more powerful. Even though Molly did kill somebody, I think it was more out of a protective nature than anything else, whereas I think McGonagall would probably be more apt to kill, just sort of overall, I guess you could say. Just – and I think being a Transfiguration teacher, obviously, she spent a lot of time around Dumbledore as well…

Eric: That’s true.

Micah: …so I’m sure she’s learnt a few things from him.

Eric: Even as a teacher she seems more educated in spellwork than – I mean, Molly’s got a lot of charms that apply to the home, and – but McGonagall seems to be a lot more educated, more experienced.

Andrew: Elysa, how about you? What do you think? Who would win?

Elysa: I’m going to go with McGonagall too. I mean, I was sort of on the fence about this, but I agree with Micah. I think Molly Weasley, she was able to kill Bellatrix because she was instigated. I don’t think – I think in terms of skill and talent McGonagall would still beat her out, so…

Laura: Yeah. You know, I think it depends on the context. I mean, if McGonagall were about to fail Ginny in Transfiguration, I think Molly would say, “Not my daughter, you bitch.”

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Oooh.

Matt: And then McGonagall would be like, “oh no you di-int.”

Laura: [laughs] But otherwise, I would have to agree that McGonagall definitely seems to be trained better.

Micah: Wait. Andrew, what was the line you used back in an older episode about McGonagall sitting on the…

Laura: [laughs] Oh yeah.

Micah: …bricks all day?

Andrew: Was it “mmmm, girl”?

Eric: Yeah, yeah.

Laura: It was something along the lines of…

Matt: “You’d be sore too if you had to stand on that wall all day.”

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: What was it? “You’d be…”

Matt: I remember…

Andrew: …what too?

Matt: I remember because I transcribed that part.

Andrew: “Mmm girl, you’d be sad too if you had to sit on that bridge all day.”

[Laura laughs]


Make the Connection


Andrew: Something like that. Well, let’s keep moving the show along now. [laughs] Here’s another segment we haven’t done in a while. Well, we’ve been doing Make the Music Connection, but since Jamie’s back we’re going to do his original idea, Make the Connection.

Jamie: I have some crackers for you guys today.

Matt: Oh no.

Laura: Aw man.

Jamie: You’re going to be struggling.

Matt: God, I love crackers.

[Laura laughs]

Jamie: Andrew, you have to make the connection between Harry Potter and the extremely narrow possibility of being struck by lightning twice.

Andrew: Oh God. Okay, let’s see.

[Jamie laughs]

Andrew: Well, you know, the possibility of Molly Weasley killing Bellatrix was – what’s the chances of being struck by lightning twice, like one in a trillion or something?

Jamie: Something like that, yeah.

Matt: Okay. Yeah.

Andrew: Anyone who expected the – if MuggleNet had – you know how MuggleNet had the predictions in the book – you know, like, Dobby die, a thousand to one. Well…

Jamie: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: …the chances of the prediction that Molly Weasley would kill Bellatrix, the chances would be about one trillion to one.

Jamie: That’s pretty good.

Andrew: [laughs] Thank you. I thought it was.

Jamie: Wait. Isn’t that saying that – aren’t you insulting us though? [laughs]

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: No, I’m not insulting us…

Jamie: Saying that we get odds wrong.

Andrew: No. I’m just saying that, you know, nobody would’ve ever predicted that.

Jamie: That’s good though, that’s very good. Laura, do you want this one?

Laura: Aw, man. I guess so.

Jamie: All right. You have to make the connection between Harry Potter and being water boarded by Will Smith.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: As seen in I Am Legend? Or Hancock. Sorry.

Laura: [laughs] Oh my God.

Jamie: No, no, just any Will Smith. Any Will Smith water boarding, you know? An advanced CIA interrogation technique by Will Smith.

Laura: [laughs] God. I don’t know. I guess that’s what would…

[Jamie laughs]

Laura: …have happened to you if you had got an advanced reader copy of a Harry Potter book and leaked it. I assume that something along those lines would have happened to you. So…

[Jamie laughs]

Laura: Yeah. Exactly. Go to Guantanamo Bay.

Andrew: Hancock style.

Jamie: Eric, you have to make the connection between Harry Potter and Incubus front man, Brandon Boyd, chillaxing in Hawaii.

Eric: Chillaxing in Hawaii? I – okay.

[Jamie laughs]

Eric: Harry Potter – well, see, I think that’s a likely vacation, you know. We’ve seen several times people vacationing in the Harry Potter books, right? We’ve got Aunt Marge vacationing in Majorca. We’ve got the Weasleys going to Egypt. We got Hermione going to France. I think it only makes sense that at some point they might cross paths with, what was it, Brandon Boyd of Incubus chilling in Hawaii. Yeah, yeah. People go on holidays.

Jamie: And, Eric, what – what song would he sing? What’s the greatest Incubus song?

Eric: The greatest Incubus song? Hang on, let me pull up my iTunes library.

Jamie: Everyone needs to listen to Incubus “Dig.” “Dig” by Incubus. You will absolutely re-invent music for yourself. Listen to it. Matthew? You next?

Matt: Yeah, I guess. I’m going to get it wrong anyway, Jamie, like I always do, so it doesn’t matter.

Jamie: You have to make the connection between Harry Potter[laughs]

Laura: Awww.

Jamie: All right. You have to make the connection between Harry Potter and Bugs Bunny writing his own self-help novel.

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Okay. Well, due to the hundreds and thousands of suicide letters that Warner Bros. was given from the Harry Potter fans from the Half-Blood Prince release date, Bugs Bunny has put it upon himself to to write his own self-help…

[Jamie laughs]

Matt: …book to keep all the Harry Potter fans from killing themselves to having to wait another eight months.

Eric: Very timely and very brave.

Laura: Wow.

Eric: I like that.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Nicely done.

[Laura laughs]

Jamie: Very lucid, Matt, as well. Very good. All right, Micah?

Micah: All right.

Jamie: Ready?

Micah: Yup.

Jamie: All right, this is quite a topical – well, not really topical but you’ll appreciate it. All right, you have to make a connection between Harry Potter and “The Downeaster Alexa” by Billy Joel.

[Matt laughs]

Micah: The one thing that I can think about. “The Downeaster Alexa” is really about the start of the hard times of fishermen and all sorts of people who work on the ocean and, you know, trying to provide for their families, and the only person that comes to mind for me is Arthur Weasley. He’s always going to work trying to provide for his family, doing whatever he can. So – and he’s not on a boat, I get that, but that’s about as best as I can do.

Jamie: No, that’s good, that’s good.

Eric: Arthur Weasley works at a grocery store.

Jamie: Elysa, okay, this is quite a tough one, sorry. [laughs]

Elysa: Oh great.

Jamie: Okay, make a connection between Harry Potter and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation being turned into a safe house for Werewolves. Oh, actually, werewolves is kind of an obvious link there. Okay, turned into a safe house for starfish.

Eric: Are you making this up as you go along?

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: No, I had a few notes down.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: Werewolves and starfish.

Elysa: Wait, turned into a safe house for starfish?

Jamie: Starfish, yeah. [laughs]

Elysa: All right. I’m going to say that Bill Gates is Voldemort’s public relations manager and he’s doing this as a facade to cover up all his evil doings.

Eric: Wow, you’re really anti-capitalism, aren’t you?

[Jamie and Laura laugh]

Elysa: If it makes anyone feel better we can say that he’s been put under a curse.

Laura: That works.

Jamie: All right, yeah.

Andrew: All right, well, that’s how we play Make the Connection. Thank you, Jamie.

Jamie: You’re welcome, that was fun.

MuggleCast 157 Transcript (continued)


Jamie’s British Joke of the Week


Andrew: Jamie, the spotlight is still on you. It’s time for a British Joke of the Week.

Jamie: Awesome, I don’t actually have one.

[Andrew says something unintelligible]

Jamie: Or the decade, actually, I think.

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: All right, this one’s kind of weird. I hope you guys like it. I found it earlier. All right, there are two prawns, one called Johnny and one called Christian. They’re extremely happy prawns playing with their happy prawn friends. One day Johnny decides that he’s bored so he goes to see Cod. “Cod, I’m bored,” says Johnny, “Please turn me into a great big shark.” So Cod waves his magic fin and turns Johnny into a shark. Johnny swims off and has a few fun weeks scaring all his little friends. But eventually they work out that this particular shark isn’t going to eat them so they start ignoring him. Johnny gets angry and, since he’s an extremely disturbed prawn, he starts eating them. At last there is only Christian left and Johnny wants to play with him. He goes to Christian’s rock and says, “Christian, come out and play with me.” Christian replies, “No, no, you’re a huge shark, you’re going to eat me.” “No, I won’t eat you, please come out and play with me.” “No, you’re a huge great shark, you are going to eat me.” So Johnny swims off to see Cod. “Cod, I’m bored, all my friends are dead and Christian won’t play with me. Please turn me back into a prawn again.” Cod says, “Okay, I think you learned your lesson.” He waves his magic fin and Johnny is a prawn again. He swims off to see Christian. “Come out and play with me,” he calls. “No, no, you’re a shark, you’re going to eat me.” And Johnny replies, “No, it’s okay, I’ve spoken to Cod, I’m a prawn again Christian.”

Laura: Oohh.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Oh, it’s a…

Matt: It’s a…

Eric: It’s a born again joke! Oooh.

Laura: Got it.

Eric: Religious tolerance, Jamie.


Favorites


Andrew: Okay, well, rolling right along, it’s time now for Favorites. And we’re going to do favorite MuggleCast memory. And we sort of did this before where we said, you know, like our favorite show moment, or we played a clip. But we’re just talking now overall, whether it’s just a specific episode maybe, or a moment. Or a live show, or, you know, a favorite host. Whatever you want it to be, that’s what it is. So we’ll go around the table and just, you know, reminisce a little bit, and then we’ll get into some voicemails from fans. How about, Matt, you start.

Matt: My favorite MuggleCast memory is definitely in the summer of 2007 when I got to meet everybody for the Order of the Phoenix premiere. It was just really nice seeing everybody, and we had such a great time. That whole summer was just so much fun, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: How about Elysa next? How about you next, Elysa? You’re relatively new to the show.

Elysa: Yeah, you know what? I was first – I was inclined to go with the live show that we did at Portus, but I’m actually going to have to say, before I was ever on the show, you let Laura plug Operation Sudan.

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: And that was forever ago…

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: …and that just really stuck with me because, at the time, I was having such problems with getting people to help us out…

Andrew: Awww.

Elysa: …and trying to – and trying to spread the word and get it out there. And you sort of – you just came in and saved the day as usual, so…

Andrew and Laura: Awww…

Andrew: Well, it wasn’t me. I mean, you know…

Elysa: That’s my favorite memory.

Andrew: It’s great when we all come in here and discuss our various projects.

Micah: Favorite moment? I mean, it would probably have to be in Philadelphia. I think Enlightening was one of the best conventions that I’ve been to. It was really just well done, and I thought of all of our live shows that it was probably the best one we’ve ever done, just in terms of the crowd being so engaging, the venue itself, and just kind of how the discussion went. Even though I hadn’t read Order of the Phoenix – or not – no, hadn’t seen Order of the Phoenix, sorry.

[Eric laughs]

Micah: And, you know, but also I think really, at the very beginning, back in New York City meeting Andrew and Ben for the first time when we did that Leaky Mug at Barnes & Noble around the Goblet of Fire release…

Eric: Oh, I was there too.

Micah: Yeah, you as well, and, you know…

Andrew: Conveniently forgotten.

Micah: I didn’t mean to exclude anybody…

Eric: No, no, don’t forget how happy that memory was of you meeting me. [laughs]

Micah: Andrew and Ben. [laughs] Well, you got – you were off at the Disney Store somewhere.

Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Picking up that Mickey Mouse.

Micah: But, no, when I first met Andrew and Ben they were waiting in line for Starbucks or something like that, so that was kind of the first thing that had popped into my mind right there with them.

Andrew: And then – and then a song crept into your head was a – what was it?

Micah: The song? Oh, by…

Andrew: [sings] “I can’t see me loving nobody but you…”

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: No?

Micah: No, I thought you were going to say U2.

Andrew: Oh…

Micah: City of Blinding Lights, but…

Matt: Chariots of Fire or something like that, huh?

Micah: [laughs] But – and as far as, like, shows and things like that, I mean, there’s been a lot of them; there’s been a lot of great moments. Too many to sort of just point out any of them, but, you know.

Andrew: Okay, Laura, how about you?

Laura: Oh my gosh, this is hard. It would probably have to be a tie between meeting everybody that we do the show with and the Book 7 release in London. That was so much fun.

Jamie: Oh God. Oh my God.

Laura: The venue was great.

[Matt laughs]

Laura: What!? What!?

Jamie: No, no, I’m saying, I’m…

Micah: You need a box of tissues there, Andrew – Jamie.

Jamie: You do. Book 7 was amazing.

[Jamie and Micah laugh]

Andrew: Yeah…

Micah: Yeah…

Laura: It was amazing. But I do also have to say dancing to the Hippogriffs song at Prophecy 2007. [laughs]

Matt: Yes! That was the epitome of that whole summer, that dance right there.

Laura: Yeah. Yeah, it was.

Andrew: Let’s see, who else still has to go? Is it just me? Oh no, Jamie, how about you?

Jamie: Well, probably best thing would have to be either Lumos 2006 because everything started, we met everyone, it was “Oh wow, oh wow, this is, you know, this is insane. I can’t believe all this stuff is happening!” And we got to meet people for the first time, meet all the fans. That was an incredible experience. Tour was absolutely insane as well. I had one of the best times of my life going across country with everyone. And that was a lot of fun. But one of the funniest show moments, that I always think, is when Andrew takes a break, and we’re all on Skype about to record, and we’re like, “Right right, let’s get down to it, let’s start it,” and then there’s just tumbleweed going along where everyone’s just like, “Uh, uh, I don’t know how to start this.”

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: Which is funny.

Andrew: I would have to say Lumos was definitely one of my favorite moments too…

Jamie: Oh, that was amazing.

Andrew: …because that was the first time, Jamie, you met any of us.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: That made it especially special.

Jamie: That was very cool.

Andrew: Definitely the road tour, and also what Laura said, the live podcasts. But really, and I’m not even lying, I really do enjoy doing this podcast every single week, so I have to say every episode is my favorite moment.

Laura: Awww.

Jamie: Andrew, you can’t say that.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: That’s really corny.

Matt: No way. No, no, no.

Micah: Wow.

Andrew: [laughs] No, but I really do mean that. I really do enjoy doing this week to week. But yeah, it’s given us all a lot of great experiences, I have to say.

Micah: There’s so much that doesn’t make it, too. I mean, there are so many funny things that we say that aren’t allowed to be put on the airwaves, I guess you could say.

Eric: Not so much anymore though.

Andrew: Yes, a lot of stuff. In this episode too.

Eric: Oh yeah, in this episode probably. You know, that’s very interesting that Jamie should say Lumos, I think. That was really – I mean, that was my first conference and there were a lot of people that I met there that I’m still very good friends with today, and I just – who really watch over me. Lumos was a great experience, so was London. Ah geez, I’m going to say the first time Ben called me up to – I was driving, I don’t know where I was going. But Ben called me up, I was driving, and he said, “Hey, do you have a headset?” And I said “Why?” And he’s like, “Well, you know we did that thing, that podcast, it was called ‘MuggleCast?'” The second episode had just been released, and he’s like, “Yeah, we were going to have Jamie on, but we don’t know if Jamie can make it, so why don’t you get a headset and…”

Jamie: Yeah, I bet he didn’t say it like that. I bet he was like, “Dude, that dumb Brit.”

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: No.

Eric: Actually, actually, it all worked out because I got my headset, and the reason I choose that moment was not just because of how great I think that Episode 3 – I mean Episode 4 – I just related to you guys so well, but I chose it because I didn’t know what was in store for me. You know, everything was completely new, and I had been working, you know, for MuggleNet for two, three – actually, three years, and Jamie for two, but, you know, we never really just podcasted together. I mean, that was the newest thing.

Jamie: Yeah.

Eric: I just choose it because it was just such an innocent moment were everything could’ve – the future was just ahead of us. You know, looking back, I’m a very nostalgic person. The future was ahead of us, and I’m going to choose that first moment when Ben called me as my absolute favorite MuggleCast moment, because I just – I didn’t know what was in store.

Matt: Awww.

Andrew: That’s sweet.

Matt: That’s so cute.

Andrew: Yeah. Now I think that’s everyone. There’s our favorites. Unfortunately, in case anyone’s wondering where Kevin is, he is in the midst of a very bad storm right now in Connecticut.

Micah: Which is also here too.

Andrew: And he lost power. Yeah. But Micah’s sticking through it. He’s got his back up generators and his hamster’s spinning the wheels.

[Jamie laughs]

Andrew: He’s okay.

Micah: What about any other random moments, though? I mean, is there anything that you guys could think of?

Andrew: Not anything that we haven’t really talked about before. We’ve played lots of “Best Of” clips and everything.

Eric: Random moments – Jamie, what’s your favorite – what’s your favorite – what’s your favorite Ben moment on the show? You remember anything funny Ben said that absolutely cracked you up?

Jamie: There has been a lot. We have – I mean everything funny that’s happened – just some of the stuff that’s happened has actually – you couldn’t write it.

Micah: I remember you, though, Jamie, “Ben Carla Schoen, will you marry me?”

[Everyone laughs]


Voicemails


Andrew: Oh yeah. All right, well, let’s continue moving along. Now keeping with the theme of “Best Of” moments, we have lots of voicemails from callers. We’re going to play a few of these, and then we’ll move along to Chicken Soup and then wrap it up. So here’s the first caller:

[Audio]: Hello, MuggleCasters, my name’s Connor, I’m from Ohio, and I’m just calling to give my comment on the show as a whole. I thought it was a great show. I’m really mad that you guys aren’t doing anymore weekly episodes. I get it with Chapter-by-Chapter over and stuff. But I really wish I could’ve been a longer listener. I only started at, like, 132, and I wish I could’ve been there from the beginning, but anyways, it’s a great show and I hope you keep doing it. Thanks. Bye.

Andrew: So there’s a caller who wishes he got in on the fun earlier.

Jamie: He could just use your time machine. Why don’t you give him a practical demonstration?

Andrew: He could or just download the old episodes.

Eric: Yeah, it’s as simple as going…[makes time machine noises]

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: Yeah, but that’s not as exciting.

Eric: Actually, I was going to recommend too, and it’s good this voicemail allowed me the lead in to do it, but you guys, our episodes – well, only like the last ten are actually on the feed. MuggleCast.com has all the episodes ever and I was trying to start a sort of revolt….

Andrew: Yep.

Eric: Not a revolt, but just – I wanted to get people listening to the older shows, maybe go in order, and we’ve got the MuggleCast fan forums, you know, to discuss all the episodes ever and, you know – so its discussion may live on even though a lot of it’s Book 6 speculation, or Book 7, but…

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: There’s all those funny moments, and so…

Andrew: There you go.

Eric: …if you wish – if you find yourself like this voicemailer, wishing that you had gotten to listen earlier, there’s all those funny moments and they’re locked in history. They’re always going to be on our server.

Andrew: And we have many more voicemail calls so let’s move it along.

[Audio]: Hey MuggleCasters, this is Kelsey, 16 from California. I’ve been listening to the show since about Episode 40 and have loved it ever since. I spent my summer vacation downloading and listening to every episode you guys have ever made and I’m proud to say I made it through every one. Thanks for keeping me so entertained. Though I am sad to see the weekly shows end, I am very excited that you are keeping on. No one knows when the next episode will be, but I know that I can’t wait for my phone to go off, saying, [Easy Button] “That was easy,” letting me know that the Twitter has been updated and the new show is out. Thank you for all the memories over the years and keep up the great work. Bye!

Matt: Awww.

Laura: Awww. That was sweet.

Andrew: That caller was very prepared. She has the…

Eric: Easy button.

Andrew: …MuggleCast Twitter account all set up, so she’s notified as soon as a new episode comes out. That’s nice, that’s good. Okay, and here’s the next one.

[Audio]: Hey MuggleCast, it’s Sevem from California. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done over the past three years, and I’ll miss your weekly shows so much. Your shows have helped me through a lot of boring times and endless airplane flights. You guys have always been my favorites. Keep rockin’. Thanks. Bye.

Andrew: Thank you for that. You guys, I’m starting to change my mind. I’m starting to think that we shouldn’t go, you know, cancel the every other week thing.

Matt: It’s true.

Elysa: Don’t say that.

Andrew: Just kidding. [laughs] All right, here’s another – ouch, that’s mean.

Laura: Pulled a WB there.

Andrew: Here’s the next caller.

Eric: Yeah, just like WB waited…

Andrew: Yeah, I did.

Eric: …until the last possible minute to say, hey wait.

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, guys, I mean, you know, gosh, you’re mad at us for – well, not mad, but people are upset that we’re not going to be weekly anymore. At least we’re not pushing it back eight months. Am I right or am I right?

Eric: He’s right. He’s right.

Matt: Uh, yeah.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: [laughs] Okay, here’s the next caller.

[Audio]: Hey MuggleCasters. My name is Maggie and I am 12 years old, and I live in Sarasota, Florida.

Andrew: Awww.

[Audio]: I am totally Potter crazy, and I just wanted to thank you guys for all that you do. I have been a part of the Potter fandom for about a year, and a MuggleCast does more than just fill my Potter craving. I love you guys until I’m as old as Nicholas Flamel. Okay, bye.

Matt: Awww.

Laura: Awww.

Jamie: That was a nice message.

Laura: Thank you.

Andrew: She was nine years old when we started MuggleCast.

Matt: Such an unbelievable…

Eric: So cute.

Laura: Oh my gosh. Wow.

Andrew: Crazy.

Eric: God, this is going to make me cry.

Andrew: All right, and… [laughs] And here is the final one for today.

[Audio]: Hi there, MuggleCasters. On your site you asked for responses to how MuggleCast has been a good thing for you, and I’m calling for that. By the way, I’m Jess. I’m from Pennsylvania. Anyway, MuggleCast is so totally amazing. I started listening to it on Episode 97, and I’ve been laughing and listening ever since. You guys are the greatest, I really love you, and just keep releasing episodes, even if they’re not weekly, because I’m really going to miss you guys. You guys have kept me so happy sometimes. This probably isn’t the best thing that you’ve ever heard. It’s not exactly [unintelligible], but you guys mean a lot to me. All’s fair in love and pickles. Bye, guys.

Laura: Awww, that was so sweet!

[Andrew says something unintelligible then laughs]

Eric: My eyes are watering now.

Andrew: [laughs] So as everyone can see, MuggleCast has played a very important role in the lives of thousands.

Eric: Sounds like you’re proving something, Andrew.

Andrew: No.

Eric: The voicemails speak for themselves.

Andrew: Well, you know, it’s very nice to hear these messages from all the callers, and we got tons of messages, and we’d love to play them all, but we really cannot even fit them into a whole show, you know, without the rest of the stuff.

Eric: [unintelligible] …tear-fest of, you know, it all. Just, like, closing info to everyone’s, you know, voicemails, that’s just – but I think we should thank the listeners. I don’t think that’s in the rightly, but, you know, sort of a thing at the very end.

Andrew: Yeah, of course.

Eric: And if you still want to send your gold, you know, to the P.O. Box, we’ll give them the address one more time.

Laura: Oh please. Yes.

Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]

Jamie: Or oil, it’s probably worth more now.


Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul


Andrew: We’ll wrap things up with Chicken Soup for today, and then we’ll have a few final words. This comes from John, 17, of Iowa. He writes:

“Hey, MuggleCast, I just wanted to thank you for making my summer a lot more enjoyable than it could’ve been. I was having a great summer when, all of a sudden, I got caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.”

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: “My parents grounded me and didn’t tell me when I could be un-grounded. I knew this would be bad, so I went to my computer quickly to download as many episodes of MuggleCast as I could to keep me entertained. Needless to say, being grounded wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, thanks to you guys. Now I’m un-grounded and having a fun summer again.”

Matt: Yay.

Andrew: “P.S. After seeing ‘Wanted’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ three times each, I got to thinking how B.A. it would be to see Morgan Freeman play the part of Dumbledore.”

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: Oh, that would be amazing. Oh man.

Laura: That would be awesome.

Eric: “Harry Potter.”

Andrew: He’s been everywhere lately. He’s great. So there’s Chicken Soup. That’s one of the segments that’s, you know, been around for a while, really recognizing, you know, how fans really do appreciate the show. And of course we’re never really going to end MuggleCast. I mean, that would, of course, be silly. And, like we said from the beginning, I think, you know – what was it? – maybe January, when we announced that we were going to stop weekly shows? Or was it earlier than that?

Matt: I think it was, like, November, December.

Andrew: Geez. And our original plan was March. And then we decided to, you know, give – let Chapter-by-Chapter pan out, one chapter a week. And then it ended up here. So it’s kind of weird to think this is actually the last weekly show.

Jamie: It’s kind of sad.

Laura: It is.

Andrew: I was reading the – yeah, I know. While I was reading the Chicken Soup I got kind of sad. I was like, wait, why are we doing this? [laughs]

Jamie: A piece of Andrew died inside, but there are two pieces of Andrew that have gone this week. See if you can cause more pieces of Andrew…

Andrew: No, I lost too much from The Half-Blood Prince

Eric: You’ve got to gather your Horcruxes, Andrew.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: [laughs] Yeah.


The Hosts Give Out Thank Yous


Eric: Seriously, keep them close. I’m actually – guys, I have the seventh book right in front of me, and I’m reading this dedication that Jo Rowling wrote on her seventh book. And it’s just – it’s really great. I’m going to see if I can try and convert it here. The dedication of this podcast – should we dedicate this episode or – I mean, the whole podcast has been for the…

Andrew: Sure.

Eric: …the fans, but the dedication of this [laughs] – sorry – this podcast is split seven ways. From Andrew, from Kevin, from Ben, from Jamie, from Eric, from Laura, from Micah. And Matt, Elysa, Mikey B, everyone else here at MuggleCast. We just want to thank you for sticking with us until the very end of the weekly segments, of the very weekly, weekly segments, but, listen, thanks, listeners. And it has been one heck of a journey, at least for me too, I know I was – since we first got feedback from the show and, you know, made it this far, I wanted to thank you, the listener, for just being with us. You know, we enjoy podcasting and the best gift, I think, of podcasting is hearing the people that like to hear us speak as much as we like to hear ourselves speak. [laughs] But who can take something out of it? Who can – who can take something out of it. And…

Matt: Eric, are you getting a little teary?

Eric: Yeah I am, I am. I’m trying not do this on recording, not because I have to be strong, but because there will be mass flooding.

Jamie: Awww, Eric, that’s not the right message to give along to children, that only weak people cry. Everyone can cry.

[Everybody laughs]

Matt: I know. Jamie bawls all the time.

Jamie: Yeah.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Matt: And I’ve seen those biceps.

[Everybody laughs]

Eric: No, it’s not weak, people. Seriously, guys…

Jamie: That was genius, thank you.

Eric: Well, then why – okay, you guys should say something. You guys should all say something. Don’t let it just be me.

Andrew: Well, let me say, this should be no sad time. And quite frankly, I think after this, MuggleCast will be better then ever. The reason why we are switching from non-weekly – switching from weekly to whenever we feel we can produce a show is because we want to give you the best shows. And I would much rather have ten amazing episodes that, you know, action packed, lots of laughs, a lot of fun, great group of people. Instead of just, you know, week after week it’s “Looking at MuggleNet there’s not much in the news going on” and, “Let’s do a discussion that, you know, we could do but it really isn’t going to pull you in.” And I’m not saying we’re not capable, because, sure, we could come up with lots of discussions! But the thing is that I feel like the show at this point will be much better off doing episodes that we release when we feel like it’s time to release them.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: And there’s going to be plenty of episodes. Don’t think this is the end of us. There’s plenty!

Matt: It’s not like we’re going to wait ’till July to make another episode.

Eric: And if you guys are sad out there, just remember that WB just screwed everybody over, so…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Focus on them.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: Don’t be angry at us.

Matt: We kept our promises.

Andrew: Micah, Laura, Jamie, as you know, pioneers of this show – Eric, you are too, but you already said what you had to say. How about you guys? Do you have any other thoughts?

Jamie: Oh man, it is sad. It is very, very sad. It does feel like a part of the last three or four years is coming to an end. And it has been a huge part of the last three or four years, and it’s been a lot of fun. It really has been. I know when Eric says that I completely understand what he’s saying, and you guys have made it, the fans have made it. It’s been an absolute pleasure to meet every single one of you, and I really mean that, and I’m sure every one else means that as well. It’s been an absolute whirlwind, and I can’t thank everyone enough, really, so thank you very much. I tip my hat off to you.

Andrew: [laughs] Laura?

Laura: Oh my gosh, Jamie just made me feel so sad!

[Andrew and Jamie laugh]

Jamie: Sorry.

Laura: I mean, this – I mean, it’s definitely bittersweet because this has been such a huge part of the last three years of our lives. But, you know, like Andrew was saying, it’s hard for me to feel entirely sad about it because it’s not like we’re ending; we’re going to keep going. It’s just a matter of putting out quality shows when we can do it. And I’m still excited, because we have things to look forward to. We’ve got three more movies to look forward to, so I think it’ll to be great. I think we’ll put out some good stuff between now and then, and I don’t really see this show dying ever, so…

Micah: Ummm… [laughs]

Andrew: Micah?

Micah: You know, I’m just – in all honesty, I know we’ve talked a lot about the fans, and just the ability to interact and to meet with them no matter where we go, and just kind of the experience that we’ve had over the last three years has been amazing. But, you know, for me, one thing I did want to say, though, is really to thank the rest of you guys, because, you know, you guys have done a tremendous job over the last three years. You know, being – I always say this – you know, a little bit older, it’s really amazing to look back and to see what all of you have done, you know, sort of maturing and doing this show, and taking the responsibility of it, and just putting out a quality thing every single week that people enjoy that impact their lives.

Eric: Micah, your persistence, too, man.

Laura: Awww, thank you.

Eric: I mean, you’ve done great things for this show.

Andrew: Of course. Micah was a really crucial edition to…

Eric: He really was.

Andrew: …this podcast. And, frankly, the show would be completely different if any one of us were not involved at this point. Completely different. Everyone has made such an impact on the show, it really is amazing. Because, you know, not anyone can just go on a podcast and really, and I mean it, make an impact, you know, with their personality, with, you know…

Eric: There’s something very special with what we still have, as far as dynamic goes, that is unmatched, I think. It’s very unique and it’s why people like us!

Andrew: And lastly, Matt and Elysa, as two of the relatively newcomers, but you’ve always been involved with us someway. What do you guys have to say?

Micah: They’re both crying right now.

Jamie: Yeah.

[Elysa laughs]

Laura: We’re all going to hang up the Skype call and just burst into tears.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Well, I have to say that this show has done nothing but great things for me, first of all. Ever since I started working for this show, I have had the best times of my life, and all I have to do is thank MuggleCast for that. And there has never been a second while doing anything related to this show that I have never had a blast doing. And I am super excited for the next chapter in this show, because I’m always so super excited for each weekly episode and just the delay between each episode – it’s just going to intensify my excitement for each one, so…

Andrew: It’s going to kill me too.

Micah: You didn’t thank me for hiring you.

Matt: Yeah. Thanks.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Hey, Micah, thank me for hiring you.

Eric: Oooo.

Micah: Yeah, thanks, Andrew.

Eric: Jamie and I were there before all of you.

Jamie: Yeah, it’s true.

Andrew: I know.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Show off.

[Jamie laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Good thing Ben isn’t here, because…

[Jamie laughs]

Andrew: …he would make me thank him for hiring me.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Worked out pretty well for me.

Micah: For waiting online for an instant message. You told that story in Philly.

Andrew: Yeah. He’s very sad he couldn’t make the show, by the way. And Elysa? Last but not least.

Elysa: Yeah, I just want to say that, when I first got on this show, a lot of my friends, who were huge MuggleCast fans, asked me, “Do you have any idea how luck you are to be on this show?” And they were just, you know, visibly jealous and very happy for me, and I just want to say that yes, I understand exactly how lucky I am. I feel incredibly privileged to have been brought on, especially, you know, relatively late. I’m the resident newb around here, and I totally recognize that, but all of you guys, and especially the fans, have been so welcoming and so great about having me on, and, you know, just thank you. Just thank you to everyone, you know, I do agree with Andrew, though, that – and Laura – that there’s going to be some great shows to come, and I just look forward to those.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Well said.

Andrew: Well, thank you.

Matt: This is sad! I don’t want to talk about this anymore! Can we say something else?

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Well, I think that’s all there is really to say.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: And this has been a very long recording.

Eric: Episode 157. Geez!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: I think we’ll wrap it up!

Matt: I think a two-parter, maybe?

Andrew: No, not a two-parter!

Eric: No. Oh please.

Andrew: Ain’t doing that. We’re not milking it. All right, well, I want to definitely thank everyone for being on the show for such a long time. I’m not talking about this episode, I’m just talking about the show as a whole…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: …and definitely thank you to the listeners. I mean, of course, we’d be nowhere without them, so thank you all. Thank you all for listening, thank you all for coming out to the live shows, thank you all for supporting us via t-shirts and PicklePack…

Eric: PicklePack

Andrew: …all that really makes a difference with us, and of course, you know, this is a huge part of our lives. So I – like I said, you know, MuggleCast isn’t over and we’ll be back before you know it, so…

Matt: We already got new segments lined up!

Andrew: Yeah, well, I actually have an idea for a new segment that we’ll kick off with the next episode, you know, sort of freshen up the show, so…

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: So I think that’s it.

Jamie: Excellent.

Matt: All right!

Jamie: Sounds awesome.

Andrew: Let’s wrap it up.

Jamie: Can I give a last piece of advice quickly?

Andrew: Yeah!

Jamie: Well, I just want to tell everyone that if you aren’t good, if you do bad things, if you don’t follow rules then Will Smith will come and water ball your ass.

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: Is that an Old English proverb?

Jamie: Yeah, it’s been around for hundreds of years, seriously, because Will Smith is eternal.

[Andrew laughs]

Jamie: So yeah, be good.

Eric: Hancock.

Jamie: Be good.

Matt: Are we going to have to do the Dumbledore/Will Smith jokes now?

Jamie: Oh man, we should! [laughs]


Contact Information


Andrew: All right, well, as always, it’s time to remind everybody about our contact information. Laura, what is the P.O. Box?

Laura: P.O. Box is P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, Georgia, 30028. Send anything you want except pickles. Pickles are banned forever.

Andrew: You can also call the MuggleCast hotline to leave us a message, question, comment, whatever you want. If you’re in the United States you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you’re in the United Kingdom you can dial 020-8144-0677, and if you’re in Australia you can dial 028-003-5668. You can also Skype the username MuggleCast, just remember no matter how you call us just remember to keep your message under sixty seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible.

[Show music begins]Andrew: Normally I’d also promote the feedback form but right now it’s not working, so just e-mail any one of us at our first names at staff dot mugglenet dot com. You can ‘cc’ all of us if you want to get it to all of us too.

Eric: Also…

Andrew: So that’s that. And also visit MuggleCast.com for our handy feedback form. No, what am I saying? You can also visit MuggleCast.com for a variety of community outlets, including MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, and the fanlisting and the fan forums over at MuggleCastFan.net. You can also follow us on Twitter.com/MuggleCast, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley.

Eric: And all the past episodes of MuggleCast are available as well right at MuggleCast.com. So…

Micah: With transcripts.


Show Close


Andrew: All right. And also, just a quick plug, don’t forget Teddy Bears for Hope. We’re still raising money for that charity effort, so thank you. And with that I think that wraps up Episode 157, our final weekly episode!

Eric: Ooh!

Matt: Woo!

Laura: Oh my gosh!

Andrew: So we will do the fine-offs – the fine-offs? The sign-offs one last time.

Matt: For every week.

Andrew: Thank you, everyone, for listening once again.

Jamie: Thank you.

Andrew: I’m Andrew Sims.

Eric: Thanks! I’m Eric Scull.

Jamie: I am Jamie Lawrence.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: I am Matthew Britton.

Elysa: And I’m Elysa Montfort.

Andrew: We will see you next time for Episode 158. See what I did there? I didn’t say next week.

Matt: Yeah, next time!

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s false advertising now.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Next time.

Micah: Until WB releases some other information that causes us to have to do a show.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: We’ll see you next time! We’ll see you next time! That sounds so much more radio-like. We should have done that…

Matt: We’ll see you next time!

Andrew: We’ll see you next time – we’ll see you next time for Episode 158. Buh-bye!

Jamie: Watch out for Will Smith.

Everyone: Bye

Laura: Thanks, guys.

[Show music ends]


Blooper 1


Andrew: All right, well, we got a lot to get into this week, of course, so I am Andrew Sims.

Kevin: What order are we doing?

Matt: Yeah, what order are we doing?

Andrew: We’ll do Andrew, Kevin, Jamie, Laura, Micah, Elysa, Matt.

Eric: Um, you know…

Laura: Eric goes before me though.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Aw, thanks, Laura, somebody with principal.

Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Jamie: I didn’t say anything yet.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: How come Jamie never went?

Jamie: Sorry.

Laura: Okay, do you want to start over?

Andrew: Just say it. Just say it, Jamie. I’ll just fix it.

Micah: Can’t we just go through them again?

Andrew: Sure, all right.

Jamie: Andrew, I love it when you do this, when I think it’s going to be a huge thing but I just say, “And I’m Jamie Lawrence.” And then you just fix it all.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. We’ll just do it again.


Blooper 2


Andrew: John Noe has actually been sitting here in the studio with us for a few minutes. I feel like he wants to comment on something. Do you want to get on the mic for a second?

John: I don’t know what to say.

Eric: John Noe!

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: I just saw you, John!

John: Oh my gosh, who’s over here? Oh my god.

Andrew: Do you have any comment?

John: Comment? I don’t know. We’re talking all about this too.

Jamie: John!

[Andrew and John laugh]

John: Actually, I just finished recording talking about this. No, I think Andrew, and Matt, and Me, and Bre, and Mason are going to dress up in Harry Potter costumes and go down and have a sit-in in Burbank…

Jamie: What the hells a sit-in?

John: …on the front lawn of Warner Bros. Until they change the release date.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: And we’re going to get arrested too.

John: [laughs] Yes, just like all those Disney employees.

[Everyone laughs

Eric: John, I have one more question for you. John.

Matt: Oh, Eric has a question for you.

John: What’s the question?

Eric: Did you enjoy Terminus as much as I did?

John: Oh, Terminus was amazing.

Eric: Excellent.

John: I had an awesome time at Terminus, as all of my Facebook friends could find out.

Jamie: I had an awesome time too, John. Thanks for saying you had a good time.

John: No, I don’t want to promote that. Please don’t do that. Anybody.

Eric: Okay.

Andrew: All right, and we’ll just pause for editing. And okay.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: No, I’m kidding. What was I going to say? Speaking of that…


Blooper 3


Matt: Oh my God. So Half-Blood Prince is going to be released in July. Four months later Deathly Hallows Part I is released?

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: That’s insane.

Eric: Exactly, exactly. There’s no mystery.

Jamie: That’s horrible.

Andrew: Four months?

Matt: Yeah: July, August, September, October, November, four months.

Eric: There’s no mystery.

Laura: Wait.

Jamie: That’s clever.

Andrew: No.

Laura: I thought Deathly Hallows was 2010, 2011.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s 2010

Matt: Oh, shoot. Okay, a year and four months. Still…

Jamie: Andrew, you should probably take out where we all just agreed with Matt.

[Eric and Laura laugh]

Matt: Yeah, just take out my entire theory because I just made us all look like idiots.

Jamie: Me too as well.

Andrew: You look like an idiot. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah, nevermind.

Transcript #156

MuggleCast 156 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music begins]

Micah: Over the next three weeks, MuggleCast will be teaming up with Teddy Bears for Hope, a non-profit organization that provides teddy bears to children affected by homelessness, disease, and neglect.

Andrew: It’s time for the show and its fans to help give back to those who really need it. Visit MuggleCast.com to learn about this great charity and how you can make a difference.

Laura: The Potter fandom has always prided itself on rallying around great causes. No amount is too small and all funds go directly towards providing children with hope for the future through the comfort and security of a brand new teddy bear.

Andrew, Laura, and Micah: Thanks.

Andrew: This week’s podcast is also brought to you by Audible.com, the Internet’s leading provider of spoken word entertainment. Get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Log on to AudiblePodcast.com/MuggleCast today for details.

Andrew: Hey, Mason, Did you know that on July 1st, Yahoo! Domain renewal pricing increased to $34.95 per year?

Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

Andrew: You’re right, it’s not, and I do need a deal.

Mason: You need a deal? I got the deal you need, Andy! Check this out: transfer your domain to GoDaddy for as little as $6.99 and get a free one-year extension plus guaranteed renewal pricing. GoDaddy.com makes transferring easy and offers loads of extras, including hosting, a 5-page site-builder, and much more. Oh yeah! Plus, as a listener of MuggleCast, enter code “Muggle,” that’s M-U-G-G-L-E, when you check out, and save an additional 10 percent on any order. Some restrictions do apply, I want you to see the site for the details. Get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com!

[Show music begins]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you all enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

Micah: Because it’s three years and 155 episodes later, this is MuggleCast Episode 156, August 7th, 2008.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: All right, it’s time for another week of MuggleCast, and we have a very special interview this week, isn’t that right, Laura?

Laura: That is right, Andrew.

Andrew: Who are we interviewing?!

Laura: We are going to be speaking with the author Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the Twilight saga.

Andrew: O…M…E…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …for “Edward.” We’ve decided to have Stephenie Meyer here on the show this week because we’ve talked about Twilight here on MuggleCast so many times, and a lot of our listeners decided to read it because of our recommendation, and they realized, “Oh wow! This is great!” So, we want to get more of you guys interested in Twilight. We’re going to hear about what Stephenie Meyer has to say about the Harry Potter fandom and also Breaking Dawn, as well. So I’m Andrew Sims.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matt Britton.

[Show music continues]


News: Beedle the Bard Being Published


Andrew: All right, like I said, we have a big show today, but first, Micah, what’s in the news?

Micah: Nothing.

Andrew, Laura, and Matt: Aww.

Andrew: It’s close to nothing, but…

Micah: Well, it’s been another slow week, I guess you could say, but the one piece of news that we have gotten has been pretty big. The – I guess Scholastic has decided to go ahead and publish The Tales of Beedle the Bard. And the post that was on MuggleNet had mentioned that all the sort of clearance that was necessary to go ahead and publish this was given. Wasn’t it Amazon.com that had the winning bid?

Andrew: Exactly. At 4 million dollars!

Micah: They gave the go ahead to publish this, I think primarily because all the proceeds are going to be going to charity…

Matt: Uh-huh.

Micah: …and the charity that’s going to be benefiting from this is the Children’s High Level Group, which is an organization that J.K. Rowling helped to find, and, you know, start up, so the book will be released on December the 4th. Anybody thinking that there’s going to be a midnight release for this potentially?

Matt: I think there could possibly be a midnight release.

Micah: It’s winter time, so it’ll be cold.

Matt: I don’t think it’s going to be as widespread as a regular Harry Potter book, but I could see potential in a Borders or Barnes and Nobles having, like, a release party for it because it’s still a J.K. Rowling novel.

Micah: It is. Were you guys surprised by this? I mean, did you foresee it coming? Did you think when you first heard about this book – you know, wasn’t it the other copies went to select people that were close to Jo?

Matt: Yes.

Andrew: Right.

Laura: Yeah.

Micah: And I’m assuming she probably checked with some of them as well to make sure that they were okay with this, but…

Andrew: Yeah, she did say she cleared it with them beforehand. I have to admit, it kind of loses a little – Tales of Beedle the Bard has just lost a little appeal to me now because, like, the main reason this was so special was that only these five or six – actually, well, technically seven people if you’re counting Amazon – seven people actually were able to read it, so it’s kind of losing its charm now. I think it’s awesome though.

Matt: Yeah, I think it’s amazing. I think that also it’s – it was kind of a shock for it to be, you know, released to the public so soon.

Andrew: It is kind of soon.

Matt: I mean, I wouldn’t really mind – I can’t wait for the book to come out. It just seemed kind of soon though. It kind of took me off guard when it was released.

Andrew: Well, I think it was in December of this past year that the auction was actually held…

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: So…

Micah: What’s a little bit weird though, is December the 4th is a Thursday this year, so I’m not too sure if they are going to actually be doing some sort of midnight release.

Andrew: That’s very interesting. I think that would definitely suggest that Scholastic and Bloomsbury certainly don’t have any plans to do midnight releases, ’cause, you know, I got to party Thursday night; I can’t go to a release party!

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Laura: Sure you do.

Micah: Sure you do. Anyway…

Andrew: I got to watch Lost. But I have to say something about this. The price difference between the two books: it’s eight dollars for the paperback. The collector’s edition is a hundred dollars! A ninety-two dollar price difference!

Matt: Maybe it’s gold plated!

Andrew: Well, the collector’s edition looks awesome, there’s no doubt about it, but it’s just… [laughs] …I don’t get it! I don’t get the huge price difference!

Matt: It’s really – I really like the cover art, though, for it.

Andrew: Yeah. It was illustrated by Mary GrandPre, which is cool.

Laura: And I mean, at the same time, I know the price difference is pretty steep, but the proceeds do go to charity. I think that has a lot to do with it.

Andrew: Definitely.

Laura: They’re assuming that they can make more money for the charities off the fans who will go out and buy the most expensive collector’s edition.

Micah: I’m going to ask a stupid question. But is the British version different in any respect or is it just cover?

Andrew: I doubt it.

Micah: Because…

Andrew: I don’t even know if there’s a cover yet for it, for the U.K. edition.

Micah: I looked because I got a preorder from Amazon U.K. recently, and it looked different. I just wasn’t sure. I’m guessing the context is not going to be any different; it’s probably just the cover that would be different.

Andrew: Right. Well, I was very glad to see that the cover was illustrated by Mary GrandPre. And I was kind of hoping for that because, you know, it’s essentially another Harry Potter book, and it feels like it just with that really nice cover, too.

Micah: Which would beg the question, then of course, would Jim Dale do an audiobook?

Andrew: Narrate. Oh yeah! It’s funny because didn’t we ask him that question during our interview?

Matt: I think we – no, we asked him if he would narrate the encyclopedia.

Andrew: Oh yeah, but I mean, I think he said if anyone asked him to do it he wouldn’t say no.

Matt: Well, yeah, he said he was up for doing the encyclopedia if he was asked, so I’m sure if this gets a lot of attention and they ask him, I’m sure he’ll do it.

Micah: Yeah. I think also it came up during that round table, Andrew, and I think he said he would do future J.K. Rowling works if he was asked to also.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Not just the encyclopedia, but anything that she did down the road.

Andrew: I’m reading the features of the collector’s edition right now, and they look really cool. “Ten new illustrations by J.K. Rowling not included in the standard edition or the original handcrafted edition.”

Matt: Wow.

Andrew: So…

Laura: Oh, wow.

Andrew: It says it’s ten completely new illustrations, and, you know, and you get that whole box thing.

Matt: Well, what do you guys think? Are you going to get the special edition or the regular edition? Or the paperback?

Micah: Whatever Scholastic sends us.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Yeah. I was about to pre-order the special edition, but then I saw the price I was like, “Oooo, going to wait.”

Matt: I’ll do it.

Andrew: Okay, go ahead, do it.

Matt: I’ll buy the special edition.

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: I would think of asking for the special edition as a gift, like…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: …if someone asked me…

Andrew: A Christmas gift! Perfect gift!

Laura: …”what do you want for Christmas,” I would say, “Oh, you know…”

Micah: Sorry, Laura, I’m not getting it for you.

[Matt and Micah laugh]

Laura: I wasn’t going to ask you.

Matt: Me neither, Laura.

Andrew: I’ll tell you why I’m really excited about this, and I’m going to read a quote from the product description: “Dumbledore reveals not just” – this is all new for the actual book – “Dumbledore reveals not just his vast knowledge of wizarding lore, but also more of his personal qualities; his sense of humor, his courage, his pride in his abilities, his own hard-one wisdom. Names familiar from the Harry Potter novels sprinkle the pages, including Aberforth…” Micah…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: “…Lucius Malfoy and his forbearers…”

Micah: What’s with Aberforth?

Andrew: Well, he’s just going to be in the notes that Dumbledore – Dumbledore…

Micah: It doesn’t say the goat’s going to be there.

Andrew: No, but Aber – close enough. “And Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porp…” Oh, Nearly Headless Nick, “…as well as other professors and past owners of the Elder Wand.” So it’s going to have a lot of new Harry Potter information in it too…

Micah: Yeah, I think that’s the big draw.

Andrew: …which I’m really excited about.

Laura: Oh, that’s cool.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: And, you know, we all love Dumbledore’s witty humor, so I think that’s definitely going to be worth reading, so I’m excited. Anything else going on? I know you said it was a slow week.

Micah: I think that was all we were going to talk about, right? Unless we wanted to…


News: Theme Park


Andrew: There’s new concept art from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park on the website.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: It’s of the Three Broomsticks.

Matt: Oh, well, they also have a poll on it about what would you – if you were to order a drink at the Three Broomsticks, what would it be? Would it be butterbeer or would it be pumpkin juice? It seems like…

Micah: Firewhiskey.

Matt: Yeah, I was going to say firewhiskey too…

[Laura laughs]

Matt: …but it seems the…

Micah: It’s not a choice?

Matt: No it’s not a choice. It’s only two. The majority, like, 75-80%, I think it is…

Andrew: Butterbeer?

Matt: Butterbeer, yeah.

Micah: That’s not a poll. You can’t have two choices on a poll.

Andrew: Yeah, I don’t get that. I didn’t get that. [laughs]

Matt: Maybe it’s like their specialty drink that they’re trying to go to.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Why can’t they do both?

Matt: I know, that’s what I’m saying.

Laura: I don’t understand.

Matt: Why can’t they just do both? It’s not really that hard of a recipe.

Andrew: I bet they will. I bet they will. It’d be boring if there was just one Harry Potter drink on the menu.

Matt: Well, I’m sure there’s going to be a bunch of other stuff. But I think they’re just trying to figure out who’s more keen to drinking it than the others. So they’ll probably make more of this drink than the other.

Andrew: I’m not very impressed by the concept art. Like, okay, yeah maybe it is real to the books, but it’s just bland. Like…

Matt: It’s not supposed to be like brand new and modern.

Andrew: Yeah, well, I know.

Matt: It’s supposed to look like it’s lasted there…

Andrew: But is this exciting? Like…

Matt: I think it looks very – it looks very busy.

Andrew: It looks [unintelligible].

Matt: Like a whole bunch of stairs and stuff.

Andrew: Yeah, and it’s cool, it has a Sirius Black wanted poster towards the back.

Matt: Yeah, that’s going to be cool.

Laura: Oh, that’s awesome.

Matt: It reminds me a lot of the Three Broomsticks in Prisoner of Azkaban.

Andrew: Oh, well, then I think they did their job.

Matt: Oh, well, then good.

Andrew: I guess that’s really all that’s worth discussing. The theme park – and we actually didn’t post this on MuggleNet, but originally they said it would be opening late 2009, early 2010, and with those updates on the website they changed the release date to just 2010. So I think that’s a sign of…

Matt: Well, we were all – we were all pretty much thinking it was going to be 2010 anyway.

Laura: Yeah

Andrew: I just think it’s just a sign of many delays to come. All right, well, I guess that’s it for news this week. Thank you, Micah.

Micah: Oh, you’re welcome.


Audible Advertisement


Andrew: And now a quick reminder: today’s podcast is brought to you buy Audible.com, the leading provider in spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 35,000 titles to choose from to be downloaded and played back anywhere, just like MuggleCast. On the summer road tour the co-hosts and I listened to a few audiobooks from Audible to pass the time. It is a fantastic listening experience and is a great way to do some reading. Log on to www.AudiblePodcast.com/MuggleCast to get a free audiobook download of your choice when you sign up today. Again, go to www.AudiblePodcast.com/MuggleCast for your free audiobook.


Matt’s Thoughts on the Teaser Trailer


Andrew: Oh, Matt, also we did the live show last week and you couldn’t make it.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: What were your – you want to just give a brief overview of your thoughts on the teaser trailer?

Matt: Yeah. I absolutely loved it. If you’ve seen our beautifully-made teaser trailer spoof.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Right.

Micah: Can I tell you, that was one of the funniest things I’ve watched in a long time.

Andrew: Really?

Matt: Really?

Andrew: Oh, thank you, Micah. That’s very nice.

Matt: Awww, thanks.

Andrew: It’s hard to make Micah laugh and I’m glad we did.

[Micah laughs]

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: I’m just kidding.

Matt: I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite teaser trailers of the Harry Potter movie series. I think other than this one I think it’s the Prisoner of Azkaban teaser trailer, and what I’ve noticed a lot is – I don’t know if you guys touched on this but – there were – the Harry – the Half-Blood Prince teaser trailers, both of them, even the one for IMAX, and the movie Prisoner of Azkaban, have close relativities to each other. They have the same music. And in the Half-Blood Prince teaser when you see young Tom Riddle sit down, you hear the music, the kind of eerie music.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: That’s when the Dementors come on the train in Prisoner of Azkaban.

Andrew: Oh, really?

Matt: Yeah, that’s the theme – that’s the song for it. And in the IMAX teaser trailer, when you hear this music right before you hear Dumbledore speak, “I must ask too much of you again, Harry,” or something like that, that’s the same music they played for the Prisoner of Azkaban teaser trailer in the very beginning.

Andrew: Hmmm. Wasn’t it just “Hedwig’s Theme”?

Matt: No. Because in the very beginning you can hear, like, the chorus. They’re going, “Ahhh,” sort of like that. But I think it was definitely a really good – it was a perfect teaser just meaning what a teaser trailer is, because it didn’t really tell us anything about the plot or anything. It just showed us one aspect of the story, and I thought that was just brilliant. They just centered on Tom Riddle instead of it being scattered to different kinds of scenes in a big collage.

Andrew: Yeah. That’s what the theatrical trailer will be.

Matt: The theatrical trailer will definitely have a more, like, you know, detailed version of what the movie’s about and will show a lot more scenes. It didn’t really show that many scenes either. It was just, like, four of five scenes that were just dragged on.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: So I thought that was really good.


Announcement: Podcast Alley


Andrew: All right, thank you, Matt. Let’s move on to announcements now. Just a couple this week. Don’t forget to vote for us in – on Podcast Alley. Number 5 right now. Not bad. Could be better. But, hey, it’s okay.

Matt: Yeah, the month’s not over.


Announcement: Teddy Bears for Hope Update


Andrew: That’s true, it’s only just begun. And, Micah, you have an update about Teddy Bears for Hope.

Matt: Can I have one?

Micah: [laughs] Can you have one?

Andrew: You have a teddy bear.

Matt: Yeah, but I want hope too.

[Micah laughs]

Laura: Ask Barack Obama.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh geez.

Matt: Oh geez.

Micah: Yes we can.

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Yes we can.

Andrew: Oh god.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: What’s going on with Teddy Bears for Hope, Micah?

Micah: As we mentioned last week on the live show, and I’m sure many people have already heard at the beginning of our show, we’re doing a little bit of charity work with this organization called Teddy Bears for Hope. It’s a non-profit, and the idea is to be able to give these teddy bears out to children who have been afflicted some way in their life, whether that be by disease or disaster. The effort so far is going very well. We made a post on MuggleNet.com at the beginning of the week. That obviously had a tremendous impact, and I don’t know if I should say where we’re at as of right now, but I’ll just say that we’re doing extremely well, and we appreciate obviously anything that anybody can give. No amount is too small and, you know, everybody’s kind of been rallying around this cause so far, and you know, all the listeners and the visitors to the site. So we really appreciate it.

Matt: That’s a really good organization. I was reading up on it yesterday. It’s really sweet.


Muggle Mail: The Fandom Changing


Andrew: Mhm. All right, thanks, Micah. Let’s move on to Muggle Mail now. Laura, you want to take the first one?

Laura: Sure. Our first Muggle Mail comes from Maggie, 16 of Michigan. She says:

“Hi, let me just say that you guys are amazing and that I love each and every one of you in your own special way. I was listening to your podcast when the subject came up about what is next for the ‘Harry Potter’ fandom and whether it is shrinking or changing. I just had this to say: with such a monumental series as ‘Harry Potter,’ its fanbase can never shrink. It only
becomes an even more integral part of our life. Since we have no new book to look foward to, ‘Harry Potter’ is slowly becoming an everyday part of our lives, a concrete part of our childhood. It’s in this weird stage where the books are going from a pop culture phenomenon to a classic piece of literature. Slowly but surely ‘Harry Potter’ will be passed on to our kids and they will have the same awe and wonder we all felt when we first read it. So yes, the fandom is changing. There may not be as many people coming out celebrate at conventions, or Harry’s birthday, but that is only because ‘Harry Potter’ is such a normal everyday thing in our lives that it just seems silly to do that
anymore. Yeah, it was a long message but there you go. Shrinking? No. Changing? Yes, but for the better.”

Andrew: Yeah, I like what she has to say, because I think she’s right, and when people do say, you know, it’s dying, it’s not really. I mean it’s just the same things that happened in the Harry Potter fandom continue to happen every day, so people think, oh, it’s dying just because there’s not big change. But when we have things like podcasts and Wizard
Rock, and I – you know, I was thinking earlier today, the Harry Potter fandom has contributed two major things to
the fandom as a whole, and that’s podcasting and a musical genre for that fandom, and it really is amazing of the impact of both of them.

Matt: Well, and so to speak, I mean the Harry Potter fandom can’t really shrink as long as the people who love the books still – still love it, yeah. I mean, just because you don’t go to conventions doesn’t mean you’re part of – not part of the fandom.

Micah: I think the online aspect of it as a whole, too. I mean, not just necessarily podcasting – I know that’s unique in itself – but kind of the whole online aspect to it too. I don’t know if it was as rampant just because of, you know, the Internet not necessarily being available as much to sort of – the other, you know, fandoms that existed previously.

Andrew: Right.

Matt: Right.

Andrew: And never again will there be a fandom that does not have online websites, forums, fan fiction, Wizard Rock.
Well, maybe not fan fiction because that sort of comes down to books, but like the musical genres. I just think that, Matt, you brought up a good point.

Matt: Well, it’s just so unique. I mean the fandom – I mean how many books – how many series have made a sport out of the book series, have made a genre of music from it? I mean…

Andrew: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.

Matt: It’s never been done; it’s a totally original fandom.

Micah: Yup.


Muggle Mail: Theatrical Trailer


Andrew: Next e-mail comes from Ivan, 17 of West Covina, California, writing about the theatrical trailer. He says:

“Hey guys, I was just wondering, now that we have seen the HBP teaser trailer and how much it focused on young
Tom Riddle, what do you think the theatrical trailer will focus on? Will it continue the focus on Tom Riddle or do you think it will focus on something new? Just wondering what you guys think, I love the show and all of you are awesome.”

Matt: I think it will, mostly, because that’s mainly…

Andrew: Mostly what?

Matt: Oh, focus on Tom Riddle. I mean not all of it focus on Tom Riddle, but I think especially at the end of the trailer when it gets to more, you know, the climatic scenes, it’ll show mostly about – it’ll show Harry and Dumbledore together, and basically what they’re together to do is hunt Horcruxes about Tom Riddle.

Micah: I kind of brought this up last week too, and I know it’s not necessarily the focal point of the book or the movie, but Snape and just kind of including him a little bit more in this because he does play such a huge role, even though…

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: …you know, it’s kind of a behind-the-scenes role. You’ll probably get a lot more of the end battle scene at
Hogwarts, which we haven’t really seen much of at all.

Matt: Yeah, definitely. I hope we get to see some Snape and Draco scenes.

Andrew: Yeah. I think there’s going to be a lot of love in it, too.

Matt: I don’t…

Laura: I hope not. [laughs] But you’re right, there probably – there will be, a little bit. I think it’s going to be a pretty encompassing trailer. I think they’re going to show a little bit of everything. There will probably be some Tom Riddle follow up, I’m sure, and like Micah was saying about the battle scenes, and Andrew’s thing about the love…

Andrew: The love.

Laura: …so I think we’re going to see a little bit of everything.


Muggle Mail: The Magic Number Seven


Micah: The last e-mail comes from Leela, 21, of Daytona Beach, Florida. She says:

“Hi, love the show, you guys are awesome! I just wanted to point out something interesting in the latest ‘Half-Blood Prince’ trailer. At one minute and ten seconds, if you look behind young Tom Riddle, you can count exactly seven stones laying on the windowsill. It also is shown again at one minute and sixteen seconds. I just thought it was pretty cool. Seven stones for seven Horcruxes. Again, love the show, pickles, Layla.”

Laura: Oops, it was Layla. [laughs]

Andrew: Uh-oh! That’s kind of clever.

Laura: Yeah, that is a nice little…

Micah: Is anybody looking at it right now? I don’t have it up.

Andrew: No, but I can real quick. Watch, she’s probably lying. See, one thing we fail at is checking the authenticity of – the legitimacy, I guess I should say, of the e-mails.

Laura: Well, that’s because…

Andrew: People could tell us anything and we’ll believe it.

Laura: We trust our listeners.

Andrew: Well, exactly. That’s exactly what I meant. Okay, let me see, I’m looking here.

Matt: Yeah, but he doesn’t know anything about seven, though. The power of seven. Because he’s not…

Laura: Yeah, but…

Micah: Doesn’t mean David Yates couldn’t put it in there, though.

Andrew: Oh, there they are. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Yeah, seven stones.

Matt: Oh, wow!

Andrew: That’s really – I wonder what they’re trying to do with that.

Matt: They may not – I mean, we’re only seeing it from a pretty far – they could be just the knickknacks he stole because we know he stole stuff from…

Andrew: Those are stones.

Matt: They’re stones?

Andrew: They’re stones. Yeah. They’re not…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: They’re not knickknacks. If Mikey B. was here he could confirm that for me. He would…

Laura: Yeah, really.

Andrew: He would do a close up and analyze it with Photoshop, and…

Laura: We would have a twenty-minute long analyzation.

Andrew: Yeah, analyzation [laughs] of the different shapes…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …and how rocks form, and all that. [laughs] Thank you for that, Layla.


Interview with Stephenie Meyer


Andrew: Okay, well, it’s time now for our interview with the one and only, the fantastic, the charming, the bubbly – as Laura and Elysa described her after the show – interview, Stephenie Meyer. And now, for those of you who have read Breaking Dawn or are planning on reading it, we do get into the plot of the book, but I inserted a little spoiler warning before Breaking Dawn content so you’ll know when to stop it so nothing gets spoiled for you. So, we’ll take it away to our interview with Stephenie Meyer. Joining us now is Stephenie Meyer, the author of the highly successful Twilight saga, which was just completed Friday when Breaking Dawn was released. Hello, Stephenie!

Stephenie: Hi, Andrew!

Andrew: How are you today?

Stephenie: I’m pretty good. I’m starting to get a little nervous [unintelligible] the show tonight. That always happens.

Andrew: Yeah, you’re in the middle of this tour right now. What is this, your second or third?

Stephenie: This is my fourth tour.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Stephenie: So both books, and then one tour for The Host, and then, you know, various international tours. [laughs]

Andrew: Right, right, and you are in Chicago tonight, right?

Stephenie: Right.

Andrew: Awesome. So, we’re going to ask you some questions about the Twilight fandom and how it compares to the Potter fandom, since we are a Harry Potter fansite, and then we’ll get into stuff about Breaking Dawn. Does that sound good?

Stephenie: That sounds cool.

Andrew: All right, cool.

Elysa: With the release of Breaking Dawn, the press is really all over this huge phenomenon that you’ve created with these books, and a lot of them are comparing you to J.K. Rowling because of the similarities in the fandoms. Why do you think so many Potter fans also enjoy Twilight and vice versa?

Stephenie: Yeah, I think everyone says that, actually, not most of them.

[Andrew and Stephenie laugh]

Stephenie: I get that all the time now, and I don’t really know. I mean, when it comes down to it, there isn’t that much that’s similar…

Elysa: Mhm…

Stephenie: …about the books, except for the fans of the books are very similar. And of course all my fans are Harry Potter fans because everyone is a Harry Potter fan.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Stephenie: That just goes without saying, right?

Elysa: Right. I agree with you, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: Yeah, so, I mean, I think the fans see, and they’re fun reads, but they do appeal to people who like a little bit longer books, so there’s that too, I guess.

Elysa: Right.

Matt: Okay. Stephenie, in your opinion, what is it about this whole genre that appeals to so many readers?

Stephenie: The vampire genre?

[Matt and Stephenie laugh]

Matt: Yeah.

Stephenie: You know, I don’t know, because I’m not – I don’t read vampire books, so – and that – before, now I’ll be able to. I – I’ve never really been into horror, so I’m not sure what the appeal is. I think it’s because – you know, a lot of people like horror movies, people who aren’t me, and I guess people liked to be scared, and vampires, of all the monsters that we can scare ourselves with, are definitely the sexiest. I mean, the rest are unattractive.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Oh. Yeah.

Andrew: Right.

Elysa: Clearly.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Now, one major difference between the fandoms is that – between Harry Potter and Twilight is that J.K. Rowling has had ten years to develop her fandom, whereas yours has only had three years. So if your fandom only had – not only – if your fandom had ten years to develop, do you think it would grow into this huge thing?

Stephenie: You know, I don’t know. Everything has been so much more than I expected…

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: …so it’s hard to say. I kind of keep waiting for everything to crash and burn.

[Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: Something about my personality…

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: It just seems like, you know – I would have to wonder what would happen if there was just more time. It would be fun to watch, and just seeing this whole fandom grow has been a lot of fun to watch for Twilight.

Stephenie: Yeah. It’s been really fast. I mean – obviously, cool and fun for me…

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: …so I don’t know. I kind of like the idea of starting over with new characters though. It should be – I imagine J.K. Rowling deals with is the idea that people feel like the characters belong to them, and after a while they have their guess and idea of what they want to see happen. You don’t really have to deal with that so much when you’re starting over with fresh characters.

Andrew: Is that a hint of things to come?

Stephenie: Well, I – well, obviously, I’ve got to go and do Midnight Sun, so people don’t come after me, right?

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: But I’m still – I’m still in the Twilight world for now, but then I’ve got a lot of other, you know, non-vampire: ghosts, time travel, mermaids. I got a ton of stuff…

Andrew: Wow.

Matt: Oh, wow.

Stephenie: …to work on.

Elysa: Awesome.

Matt: Oh, cool.

Andrew: That’s a spectrum there. Yeah. [Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: Yeah.

[Matt and Stephenie laugh]

Laura: So, considering that you’ve said the two stories don’t have a lot in common, what do you think Harry Potter fans would like about Twilight, especially people who haven’t read the books yet?

Stephenie: You know, I don’t know. It’s not – to me it’s so not comparable, but I do think that people who are readers – I was always a reader when I was growing up, and I just liked really big stories. I never wanted them to end. And my stories are long, so they’re – they have that going for them, but then I think they’re kind of fun, fast reads, you know, for as long as they are. My top priority is always entertainment, and so I think that is similar to Harry Potter. Rowling just had such a whimsical, magical, escapism that’s really cool, and I with Twilight I think it’s a bit closer to home because it’s set more in the world that we know, but I still think it has that escape that people might be looking for.

Laura: Right.

Andrew: Yeah. You know, and I’ve got to say, that’s what I’ve always liked about your books is – it is set in today’s world, and in America, too. I mean, I’ve always appreciated your reference to Rotten Tomatoes. I think that was in…

[Laura and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Twilight or New Moon. Just thought it was good.

Stephenie: [laughs] Well, you know, Rotten Tomatoes is a good tool.

Andrew: Yes, it is.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Matt: Okay, Stephenie, you’ve read the Harry Potter books, correct?

Stephenie: Yes.

Matt: Okay. What would you say is your favorite of the series?

Stephenie: Probably number three. I’m just a huge Sirius Black fan.

Matt: Ohh.

Elysa: Oh my God.

[Laura and Matt laugh]

Elysa: I’m there with you. Me too.

Stephenie: I had a really hard time when he died. It was not easy for me.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Laura: Aww. Well, I think we all felt the same way. [laughs]

Stephenie: Yeah. [laughs]

Laura: But if you had to pick something specific, or maybe not so specific, what do you admire most about J.K. Rowling’s work?

Stephenie: Oh God. Her imagination. I mean, she – I – when I work, I work within the world that I’m in because I kind of like having that foundation of realism. Also it’s a little bit easier. People are used to being in this world. To create a whole other world and get the walls up as solidly as she does takes a ton of imagination and just a real gift. I am constantly amazed by that with her.

Matt: Yeah. Aww.

Elysa: Okay, so if Harry and Edward had to duel against each other, using their own abilities, who do you think would win?

Stephenie: Oh gosh. Don’t get mad at me, but, I mean…

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Stephenie: Okay. I don’t know what a wizard fight looks like in her head. I know what it looks like in the movie, so I kind of have to go on what it looks like in the movie.

[Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: But here’s the thing: if it’s possible for a human to duck a wand being [unintelligible] at them, the vampire’s not going to have a problem. I mean, the fight would be over in .01 seconds, because Edward would be across the room, snap his neck, and be done.

Andrew: Oh, yeah.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Stephenie: He wouldn’t even have time to say his spell word. I’m sorry. Edward would win that one.

[Everyone laughs]

Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: All right, let’s move on to…

Matt: I kind of… [laughs] …I kind of agree with her.

Laura: Yeah, me, too.

Andrew: Let’s move on to Breaking Dawn now.


Warning: Breaking Dawn Spoilers


Andrew: And if you, the listener, have not read Breaking Dawn yet and you plan on it, and you don’t want to be spoiled, now’s the time to fast-forward about thirty minutes ahead to get the rest of MuggleCast.

MuggleCast 156 Transcript (continued)


Back to the Interview


Andrew: Because we all finished reading it, I think it’s safe…

Stephenie: Yay!

Matt: Yeah…

Andrew: ..to say we all loved it.

Matt: Yes.

Stephenie: Thank you.

Laura: It was amazing.

Stephenie: I – you know, I haven’t gotten all the reaction yet, but I hear murmurs that some people are upset with me, so I’m glad to hear you guys liked it.

Matt: Well, it’s over. That’s probably why a lot of people are so upset.

Andrew: Yeah. That’s definitely part of it, I think.

Stephenie: I think it kind of goes back to the dream of what Steven Spielberg was saying about the new Indiana Jones and how people all had written their own stories.

Andrew: Hmm.

Stephenie: And I think that when you leave that space for people to do that, it’s hard to make them happy.

Matt: Exactly.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: Yeah.

Andrew: So, did you always have a four-book saga planned out in your head?

Stephenie: No. When I wrote Twilight, that was – you know, I didn’t know I was writing the book…

Andrew: Right.

Stephenie: I wasn’t thinking about that, right? So as I wrote that, it was its own thing. And then when I continued on, I wrote, you know, the other sequel, Forever Dawn, which was basically a rough draft of Breaking Dawn.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Stephenie: And then – so that was the end. So two books then. And then my editor came and said, “You skipped right over the end of high school. People want to see more high school Bella. Let’s go back and develop that.” And so that’s what I did. But I knew the ending, and when I started New Moon I knew it would be a four-book story arc.

Andrew: Oh.

Laura and Matt: Oh.

Andrew: Interesting.

Matt: Okay. But how did you come up with the…

Stephenie: I’m a little disorganized. As you can tell.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: I think it turned out great, though.

Matt: So, Stephenie, how did you come up with the title for Breaking Dawn?

Stephenie: Well, the first book was originally called Forks because…

Matt: Yeah.

Stephenie: …I just really liked that, and I thought, “I would pick up a book called Forks. How can you write a book that’s wrong about Forks?”

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: My editor didn’t think this was a very good idea, so we kicked around a ton of titles. And then we finally did come up with Twilight. Then the other titles became really easier. [unintelligible] was really obvious to me. Eclipse came really well. And then Breaking Dawn, I fevered on something cheesy, I didn’t want to go back to that. I wanted more of a sense of impending doom while at the same time breaking day, you know?

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: And, actually, Pel on the Lexicon was the one that originally suggested that. I kind of was kicking it around, like, “Guys, what do you think?” She said, “Breaking Dawn.” And I said, “Ooh, I like that.” And that’s what I ended up using.

Andrew: Oh wow.

Matt: Yeah. It does kind of have that…

Elysa: Awesome. Okay, so this has been discussed and mostly the cover of Breaking Dawn. What does it mean to you?

Stephenie: Ooo, you guys are – I figured I’d answer that one tonight for the very first time, but you guys [unintelligible].

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Stephenie: This cover has kind of two – two things. For me the main thing is, this is a metaphor for the entire story arc, because you have Bella going from being the most helpless player on the board to being the most powerful on the board.

Matt: Yes! Yes!

Stephenie: So…

Laura: Oh, Matt had it right.

Matt: Yes!

Andrew: Good job, Matt.

[Elysa says something unintelligible]

Stephenie: The pawn to queen. And the other – I kind of wanted to foreshadow – the final scene in the book is not a battle scene. For me it’s more of a court room drama. And so I wanted to get that sense of people very methodically plotting their move. And so I liked the chess metaphor.

Andrew: Oh, wow. That’s great. You know, what I really loved about this cover was that there are so many ways you could interpret it.

Matt: Yeah.

Stephenie: Right. But all the covers are that way, to an extent.

Andrew: Oh.

Stephenie: And so I thought it would fit well with the whole series.

Andrew: Sure.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: Yeah. I will say we spent hours sitting around discussing what this cover could have possibly been.

[Andrew, Matt, and Stephenie laugh]

Laura: We had everything you could possibly think of. It was ridiculous.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: Well, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work. So awesome.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Laura: So, this might be a difficult question to answer, but what was your favorite scene to write from Breaking Dawn?

Stephenie: I said at Comic Con that it was my favorite Edward and Bella scene…

Andrew: Yes.

Stephenie: …was in Breaking Dawn. And it’s the very last scene in the book, like the last two pages.

Matt: Aww…

Stephenie: Yeah. That was one of my favorite things of that. So then, writing the Jacob Black section was the most fun I’ve ever had. I was just laughing the whole way through. It was fantastic.

[Laura and Matt laugh]

Matt: That’s awesome.

Laura: Yeah, really. I have to say, I’m so appreciative that you did that, because Jacob – I know I’m not the only one here who says that Jacob is their favorite character, and reading from his perspective was just awesomeness. That’s the only way I can describe it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: It was fantastic.

Andrew: Yeah, it was really…

Stephenie: Writing from his perspective was was just hugely fun. And he’s always been one of my favorites, and, you know, I’ve been hearing his little snarky inside comments the whole time I’ve been writing, you know? I know what he’s thinking, I’m hearing his responses…

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: …that he doesn’t say, and it’s been great to finally be able to have those.

Andrew: I’m so glad you brought up those snarky comments, because I was actually laughing when he was saying some of those things.

Matt: Yeah. Uh-huh.

Andrew: Especially the Rose-Jacob interaction. It was just so funny. I loved it.

Matt: Yeah.

Stephenie: Oh. I very much enjoyed Jacob and Rosalie. [laughs]

Matt: Yes.

[Andrew laughs]

Matt: Oh, I love them. I love those blonde jokes.

[Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: Yeah.

Matt: Well, I just love how when Bella was sick, and we were from Jacob’s point of view, he was kind of taking over Bella’s sarcasm a little bit. And you kind of mention that a little bit in the book.

Stephenie: Yeah. Well, one of the things that went in Forever Dawn, the original series, it does not have that section, and the whole thing is narrated from Bella’s perspective, because Jacob has not developed into the character that he was by the time I started Breaking Dawn. You know, it’s just in Twilight he’s a very small role, so – but part of the problem with the original draft was that it gets a little grim for a while.

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: Oh.

Stephenie: And I…

Laura: Yeah.

Stephenie: …wanted it to be outside of this life and death struggle for a little bit. And, you know, to have it there but at the same time be away from it. And I also wanted to show where the action was. Bella’s sitting in a house for a week during that part of the time doing nothing… [laughs]

Andrew: Right.

Stephenie: And there’s a lot going on that she can’t see, so I needed [unintelligible].

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: So, kind of moving along a little bit, Renesmee. Was she always going to happen from the beginning, or was she a surprise to you the way she was to Bella and Edward?

Stephenie: From the time I started Forever Dawn she was a big part of the story.

Andrew: Oh.

Stephenie: And, in fact, wouldn’t be in [unintelligible] situation.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: Mhm.

Stephenie: They wanted me to end the story at three books, and I couldn’t do that and get Nessie at the same time, and so it was really for her that I was fighting that whole time, because I wanted her. [laughs]

Laura: Oh, wow. So kind of like the way Bella was fighting for her. That’s really cool.

Stephenie: Very similar. It was very similar, actually.

Andrew: Hmm.

Elysa: Going back to Jacob a little bit, because, like Laura, he really is one of my favorite characters. I really love him a lot. I’ve always sort of felt like fans judged him a bit too harshly for some of his behavior in Eclipse, and I’m wondering, do you think that now after Breaking Dawn, after we’ve seen all the sacrifices that he’s made, that fans will ease up? Do you think that he’s redeemed himself?

Stephenie: You know? No. Because I thought that people would get him in Eclipse. I thought that they would understand how much of his gruffness and attitude is about his heart being broken and how much he was already giving, even in Eclipse, to make an alliance with his enemies for her.

Elysa: Yeah.

Stephenie: So much of it’s self-sacrifice, and the willingness he was to hurt himself for her, it kind of broke my heart. And then for people not to get that, I was very surprised. So I will never predict [laughs] that people find Jacob Black redeemed.

[Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: No matter what I write. Because I don’t think some of them can be convinced in any direction besides just hating him. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Elysa: All right, that’s true. And I was disappointed with that too, becasuse from the very get-go I loved Jake, you know, so – but…

Stephenie: Well, I’ve always been inside [unintelligible], so I’ve never gotten that – that sense of – that he was up to no good, that he’s this bad person. That’s always surprised me.

Elysa: Right. Right.

Andrew: Mhm.

Elysa: Well, what about imprinting? There was a bit of that – well, obviously, a lot of that in Breaking Dawn, but Jake says at some point, I think it’s when he’s talking to Leah, that he wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of having him imprint. I think he says something along the lines of, you know, he wanted to keep a mind of his own, or at least he had a mind of his own, or something. So, what are your thoughts on imprinting? Do you think that it sort of relinquishes free will or is it just sort of the werewolves – or the shape-shifters, excuse me – the shape-shifters…

[Andrew laughs]

Elysa: …version of soul mates?

Stephenie: I’m kind of on the line between that. On the one hand it doesn’t leave you a choice. And it can mess up your life, like it did with Sam. You know, and someone else’s life in the bargain. On the other hand, it gives you a life-long love that you’re never going to tire of, and that is always going to be fresh and new. And so there’s a gift and a curse wrapped up in there.

Laura: Right.

Andrew: One thing I had been wondering about: towards the end there is the resolution with the Volturi – Volturi, sorry. Why did you have the Volturi understand Rensesmee’s situation instead of having some sort of, you know, like, climactic battle or something? Because it was a surprise – I did enjoy it, but I was surprised that the Volturi sort of, you know…

Matt: Cowered away…

Andrew: Understood – well, not so much coward…

Stephenie: Work it out.

Andrew: What’s that?

Stephenie: They work out. They work out, and it wasn’t a big battle where everybody got slaughtered. And a lot of that is because I was not ready to slaughter everybody. And it would have happened that way, and I had this discussion with my editor, you know, there were a couple different people giving me feedback on this, and I always wanted it to be an official game. I knew who I was going to have to kill and I didn’t want to go there. It was always this way for me, but, you know…

Laura: Speaking of…

Stephenie: …I thought about doing it. I just couldn’t do it.

Andrew: Okay.

Matt: Aw, okay.

Andrew: Go ahead, Laura.

Laura: So just speaking of the Volturi, we were curious to learn more about some of the other vampires. Like, for instance, what did Jane have as a human that translated to her special ability as a vampire? And were there any other interesting tidbits you could give us about any of the Volturi or the Denali that we don’t already know?

Stephenie: Well, that’s an open-ended question.

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: I could go on for hours! There is stuff on the website, actually, about Jane and Alec and how they were sort of shaped as they became vampires, because they were, you know – they were in England and considered witches at the time, because they had, like, Alice had – when the Volturi caught up to them they were actually being burned at the stake, which shaped how their powers manifested.

Laura: Okay.

Stephenie: It’s the pain of that. So that was one, but yeah, all of the characters have, you know, back stories in my head. I’m kind of waiting for some questions that I’m expecting about the index that I provided at the end. I’m sure – I’m pretty sure those are coming. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh yeah, I thought that was…

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: I thought that was pretty cool how you had that in there.

Matt: Yeah, I like them too.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: I liked as a reference to keep going back and forth.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: So, why was Bella able to, essentially, skip her newborn stage? Was it due to the attitude and preparation that they had suggested?

Stephenie: Yes, it was because…[unintelligible]…her personality. Well, her personality is a very controlled personality in some ways. And it translated really well. She was sort of uniquely fitted towards it.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Elysa: Right, right.

Matt: And she pretty much embraced the vampire stage too, I mean, she didn’t really – it wasn’t really like her body was – her whole existence wasn’t against it.

Andrew: Mhm.

Stephenie: No, and it was just Bella. Everyone else was kind of stunned by it.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: The Cullen family anyway, and then those that were born into different families, like, you know, the Volturi, would never have been taught that they needed to do anything differently. So she just had a lot more prep time than anybody else.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: Right, right, that makes sense.

Laura: Now this – it seems like this is somewhat disputed between some of the vampires, particularly Edward and Carlisle – at least for a little while. Is there an afterlife for the vampires?

Stephenie: Damn. You know, I’m not good about answering questions about things that haven’t been answered in the novels that are…

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: Because there’s that chance that I might go there.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: I mean, I think that at this point in the story it is still up in the air. None of them know because they haven’t seen.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: Okay.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: That makes sense.

Elysa: I think you touched on this a little bit already, but our next question was, was there ever a point when you considered killing off one or more of the main characters?

Stephenie: I know who would have to die if I went ahead with the series, and that is kind of one of the reasons why I don’t want to.

Andrew: Oh.

Stephenie: I’d have to kill a lot of people if it ever really came down to a fight, a pitched battle. People would die and that’s no fun. So I do know who I would kill, but I don’t know if I ever will go there.

Andrew: Mhm.

Matt: Oh. So, Stephenie, we saw that the issues between Jacob and his old pack were resolved in Breaking Dawn, but does he ever go back to join them with Sam and his pack? Or does he stay as an alpha and lead his own.

Stephenie: The alpha thing isn’t something you can really turn off.

Matt: Right.

Stephenie: So, he realizes he’s in, so that’s why he sort of pulled some of his friends over and he’s got his own pack now. There’s no going back.

Laura: And speaking of that, did you always know that Jacob and the rest of the pack were shape-shifters? Or was it just kind of something that came about maybe in the middle of the series, maybe?

Stephenie: I still think of them as werewolves because, really, what’s the definition of a werewolf? A man turns into a wolf so technically, yeah. But I knew their back story in a very – I haven’t defined it entirely, but I knew where it came from. And I knew that it had been a different story than if they had been bitten by a traditional werewolf, and so I kind of had to make the decision early on, do traditional werewolves? Where are they at? What’s with the moon and the silver bullets? And I kind of decided that they must [unintelligible] and that they would be close to extinct at this point. So, I’ve known that.

Andrew: Now, Edward mentioned at the end of the book that the Volturi would eventually try to pick each of their family off individually. Does this mean we’ll see more books about the future of the Cullens? Is that what you may be leaning more towards? Or are you ready to move on to something else?

Stephenie: I mean, that’s definitely left open for that purpose.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: Clearly, there would be a possibility for a lot more stories there, but I have not yet decided. You know, I have to admit, it’s been a really long year.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: And I don’t know if I am ready to dive back into that. I think that I’m going to go and explore a different direction for a while.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Uh-huh.

Andrew: If you had to choose a character’s point of view to go from, other than Edward’s, who would be your third favorite to write from, I guess it would be.

Stephenie: You mean from this point out?

Andrew: From – yeah, just from anyone else’s point of views. Like Jaspar, or…

Matt: Alice.

Andrew: Yeah, or Carlisle. Alice, of course. Yeah.

Stephenie: Do you mean for – to go back and redo from a different perspective? Or from this point on?

Andrew: Well, maybe…

Matt: Maybe…

Andrew: …either.

Matt: Like, their story, or something even.

Andrew: Yeah, maybe.

Stephenie: Well, because I’m writing from Edward’s perspective on Midnight Sun, I actually get to get a lot of people’s perspective because he’s reading everyone’s thoughts.

Andrew: Oh, yeah. That’s true.

Stephenie: So, you really get a lot of Alice’s, and a real extent to Rosalie, as well, and Emmett. It all just – you really get their perspective, too, when Edward’s telling the story. I don’t really have the urge to go back to any of those characters. And if I were to go forward, I don’t think that those would be the ones I’d do.

Matt: Hm.

Andrew: Hm.

Matt: Okay.

Elysa: All right.:So, we get to see a lot of really cool new characters in Breaking Dawn and, just as a personal aside, I have to tell you how much I adore Garrett.

Stephenie: Yes, I loved him instantly.

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: I’m a big Garrett fan. I love the guy.

Elysa: And his little monologue at the end, the revolutionary sort of monologue, that just thrilled me.

Matt: Yeah.

Elysa: He just won be over completely. But, I mean, who’s your favorite of the new characters? The personality-wise and in terms who you like to write?

Stephenie: I enjoy Chavon quite a bit. She actually had – and Maggie – in the original draft there was a little bit longer towards the end. It was too long, which is why it got cut down. It’s still very long. But I cut out some interactions with Chavon and then I also – I really enjoyed the Romanians. They’re new to the version of the story and I loved having them come in with their totally different attitude…

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: …and just kind of their – I got a huge kick out of them. [laughs]

Matt: That was funny. I love the Romanians.

Andrew: Didn’t Aro give them a look too? I was like, oh geez.

Stephenie: Oh, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah. That was great.

Stephenie: It was just like the last cue and they’re still kind of the thorn in the side, never quite eradicated the entire clan, you know.

Andrew: Right. [laughs]

Matt: So, Stephenie, this question I’ve been dying to ask ever since Breaking Dawn finished. What is your opinion – or not what is your opinion, gosh. What is the overall message to the series?

Stephenie: [sighs] You know, my editor said that to me.

[Everyone laughs]

Stephenie: When I gave her the outline, she said, “What’s the moral of the story?”

[Andrew laughs]

Stephenie: And I was like, there’s no moral to the story. The point is to have a good time.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Stephenie: So the message is, did you enjoy, you know, the ride? Hopefully, because that’s what it was about. It was about having fun and entertainment.

Matt: Oh, okay.

Stephenie: Nothing beyond that was intentional. [laughs]

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Okay, interesting.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Elysa: Right. Yeah. Okay, so I have a question for you about Jasper because our mutual friend, Kim, is just in love with him, so – and she’s wondering, does Jasper actually feel other people’s emotions or does he just feel the emotion coming off of them?

Stephenie: Oh, he feels their emotions, which, to me there’s not really a distinction there. You know, for him, people are putting out this emotional aura all the time and if someone’s very sad then he’s going to feel that too. He can separate from himself a little bit, you know, and he knows that he’s not sad, but he’s still feeling the effects of it.

Elysa: Right.

Matt: Mhm.

Elysa: Right. Well, when he is trying to influence someone else’s emotion, does he have to feel it himself? Like if he’s trying to calm someone down, does he have to feel calm or is he able to do that outside of his own emotion?

Stephenie: He has to be calm to calm someone down.

Elysa: Wow. Poor Jasper.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Laura: I feel so bad for him.

Stephenie: He’s had a lot of practice. He’s good at it. [laughs]

Elysa: Yeah, I guess that’s true. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: So I know we kind of talked about the encyclopedia or the official guide to the Twilight saga that was advertised at the end of Breaking Dawn. What, if anything, can you tell us about what to expect?

Stephenie: You know, I am only tangentially involved in that. It should just be sort of – I think a lot of it will be old information to someone who’s read everything on the Lexicon, and everything on my website, and everything that’s out there. They’ll be like, oh yeah, I know a lot of this. But to someone who hasn’t put in that effort, it’ll be a good reference guide for them.

Matt: Mhm.

Stephenie: I’m hoping to be able to add in some new material. Don’t know if it’s going to happen. We’ll see when we get off tour and what their production schedule is like. If what I’m working on doesn’t make it in time, I’ll just put it on my website.

Andrew: Okay. Cool.

Laura: Awesome.

Elysa: Cool.

Andrew: Now – oh, Elysa, you have a question?

Elysa: Oh, okay, sure. Well, I know that you’re a big fan of the band Muse, and so am I, so I was wondering, was there any particular songs that really stood out to you while you were writing Breaking Dawn? Any one or two in particular that inspired you the most?

Stephenie: On my playlist at the end in the – it’s fitted to the battle scene, I hear the song “Take a Bow” as the Volturi are coming into the meadow. I can just see them almost moving them to that, the way it builds and kind of expands. I mean, it’s an amazing song. And then “Assassin” is Garret’s speech, which you guys [unintelligible]. [laughs]

Elysa: Right. Perfect, yeah. I totally see that. That’s a good one.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: Awesome. Now a couple questions about the movie. At Comic Con, you were doing an interview with Katherine Hardwick, the director of course, and she said that you’d be seeing what they put together the following Tuesday. So do you want to say anything about the film? Like, have you seen it? A rough cut of it at this point?

Stephenie: I did see a very, very rough cut.

Andrew: Ooooh.

Stephenie: There were, you know, there’s a lot of transitions and things like that. A lot that they didn’t do because it’s still in the very early stages.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: But I was kind of amazed at how the emotions came through and how certain Rob is and how Bella-y Kristen is, and how them together just really caught that chemistry. It’s kind of mind blowing.

Andrew: Wow. Awesome. That’s really exciting to hear.

Stephenie: And I think – I think that you guys knew Rob before, as Cedric. And kind of have seen him in action but he’s going to blow you away. You’re not going to believe it when you see how – what his skill range is. He’s amazing.

Andrew: Right. Because Matt and I were at Comic Con and we saw the scene that they played at the panel, at that now, like, historic panel…

Matt: Yeah.

[Stephenie laughs]

Andrew: …with you guys. [laughs] And that scene, it seemed like it was pretty much complete. It was definitely a lot different than when they played it at the MTV Movie Awards. And that scene was just awesome; it just felt so cool.

Matt: I was so excited. The last scene we actually saw what Bella was seeing when she got bit.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Stephenie: Yeah. [laughs]

Matt: And then they stopped. [laughs]

Andrew: That was crazy. So is it true to the books? Do you think the fans will be very happy with it? Because that’s always been a big thing with Harry Potter, about it being true to the books. And, frankly, they – they really haven’t, and it’s a thing the fans have come to accept. So what do you think the Twilight fans should expect?

Stephenie: It totally depends on the attitude they go in with. Like I’ve had people e-mail me about trailers they’ve seen, and say, you know, this line is different than it is in the book, I’m concerned. It’s like, okay, well, you need to be because if you’re expecting them to come out and spout all the lines out of the book and have everything happen in the same order, you know, that’s just not possible unless you were doing a twelve-hour mini-series.

Matt: Exactly.

Stephenie: Can’t be done. But what I was looking for, and hoping for, was that it would feel like Twilight, and the little things that are different are almost, like, little extras, you know, that totally could happen because they’re absolutely in character, and when they’re talking to each other it sounds like Bella and Edward and it’s, like, little extras for me and there are scenes even that I wish I could put into the book.

Andrew: Yeah.

Stephenie: They’re that much in line. So if you’re expecting to see the book exactly as it is, you’re not going to see that. But you are going to see the soul of Twilight, and that’s what counts to me.

Andrew: Yeah. Awesome.

Laura: Awesome.

Matt: Awesome.

Stephenie: Okay, well, Elizabeth just walked in so that’s my cue; I have to run over to the theater.

Andrew: All right, great. All right, well, Stephenie, thank you so much, this was a lot of fun.

Laura: Yeah, we really appreciate it.

Stephenie: Oh, absolutely. It was fun for me too!

Andrew: Awesome!

Matt: Aww.

Andrew: Good luck on your show today. I’m sure you’ll do fine.

Matt: Good luck, Stephenie.

Stephenie: Oh, thank you!

Matt: We’ll see you Thursday.

Andrew: Yeah, Matt and I are going to be at your L.A. stop, so…

Stephenie: Oh cool, cool! I’ll see you on Thursday then.

Andrew: Yeah, definitely. All right, thanks a lot!

Matt: Thanks!

Stephenie: Thank you.

Andrew: Bye.

Laura: Bye.

Stephenie: Bye.

Matt: Bye.

Elysa: Bye.

Andrew: Okay, there it was. That was wonderful. That was a lot of fun.

Laura: Wow.

Andrew: Wasn’t it, Laura?

Laura: That was awesome. She’s so nice.

Andrew: Yeah. And many of you know that we do run a fan site and podcast for Twilight, TwilightSource.com, and also Imprint the podcast. So feel free to check those out if interested in what Stephenie had to say. I can’t – do you think that J.K. Rowling would by annoyed that Stephenie thinks that Harry Potter – or Edward – would win in a duel versus Harry Potter?

Laura: I don’t know. I’d be interested to hear what Jo would say.

Matt: Yeah. Hey, Jo, come on the show.

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Come on the show, Jo. Fire back.

Matt: We’re waiting.

Andrew: Yeah, now she has to fire back. She can’t let that hang.

Matt: Have you gotten our e-mails, Jo?

[Andrew and Laura laugh]


This Week in MuggleCast History


Andrew: Okay, well, actually, today’s actually a very big day for MuggleCast. It’s actually the three year anniversary of when MuggleCast was first released.

Laura: Oh my God.

Andrew: August 7, 2005. Can you guys believe it? Three years. So this week we are going to do This Week in MuggleCast History, and why not go back to the very first episode? I’m just going to start it right from the beginning, and we’ll only play like a minute, minute and a half, but…

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: You know, talk about it afterwards. So, here we go. Let’s go back in time, turn on the time machines. [makes time machine noise]

Andrew: This is MuggleCast, MuggleNet.com’s brand new podcasting feature: Episode 1 for August 7, 2005. If you haven’t finished reading Book 6 yet please do not listen to this podcast, as we do talk about several different spoilers.

Ben: Welcome to MuggleCast. I’m Ben Schoen.

Andrew: I’m Andrew Sims.

Kevin: And I’m Kevin Steck.

Andrew: Loving this music.

Ben: This is the first edition of a brand new feature brought to you by MuggleNet.com. Each week our discussion will be centered around one topic. This week we’ll be discussing the recently released sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But first we need to take a look at this past week’s news. Within the past week we’ve seen a lot of news for the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Laura: You guys sound so young.

Ben: A lot of brand new pictures have also been released. Kevin and Andrew, what do you guys think?

Andrew: Okay, well, I’m really thinking this movie…

Andrew: Who’s that?

Andrew: …will be one of the best ones yet. And I said that about Prisoner of Azkaban too, but this one I really think is going to be good. The director, Mike Newell…

[pronounces New-ell]

Andrew: Newell! Newell, you idiot!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …he’s the director of Mona Lisa Smile, Four Weddings and A Funeral…

Laura: Listen to that audio quality. Terrible.

Andrew: [laughs] Okay, well, that’s…

Matt: Who was that?

Andrew: That was me! That was nasally Andrew.

Matt: Awww! Twelve-year-old Andrew.

Andrew: [imitates nasal voice] I think this movie’s going to be the best one yet. I’ve said that before. [snorts] But I really think so this time. I mean it.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Ben sounds the same.

Andrew: Oh geez. Ben…

Matt: [laughs] I know.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: So does Kevin. And what’s great about that episode was…

Matt: I agree.

Andrew: …that I was so prepared. I had – I had a notepad with all the – everything I said about that movie in the first sentence, I had it all jotted down. I researched, like, you know, Mike Newell. I was looking into the films he’s done. I was pretending like I was an expert on it, because when we first started that show, there was a little pressure to sort of be experts because we were like, well, you know, how are we going to do this? We need a way for people to rely on us so it was just, you know, [imitates nasal voice] “this movie, I think it’s really going to be the best.” So that was fun. We – I don’t know if I’ve said it on the show before, but it took us so long. Initially, I was doing the intro to that show. Like to, you know, “Hey everyone! Welcome.” But I just kept breaking down or, like, laughing and being so nervous every time I tried so then Ben finally was like, “Okay, let me do it.” Wish we had the bloopers from that original stuff, but there it was.

Matt: Awww.

Andrew: Thank God I’m not nasally anymore.

Matt: That was the first episode, right?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: That’s amazing. 150 episodes later.

Laura: Yeah, I remember listening to it, too.

Andrew: Yup.

Matt: I know, I know.

Andrew: Micah, now, you were a listener before, you know, you got…

Micah: For one episode.

Andrew: …on to the site.

Micah: Yup.

Andrew: Did you – you listened to the episode. What were your honest thoughts about it?

Micah: My honest thoughts about it. I liked it. I mean, I thought that it had a lot of potential, clearly, and… [laughs]

Andrew: Meaning it sucked but it could get better.

Micah: No, because – hold on a second. Let me see if I have an e-mail here that I sent to Kevin all the way back then.

Andrew: Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

Laura: Yeah, I want to see if my thing in the staff forums is still there, because I think I was actually really mean. Oh no, mine was really nice.

Andrew: What did you say, Laura?

Laura: Well, Ben posted a topic in our staff forums just asking what everyone thought of Episode 1, and everyone was kind of commenting that they thought the episode should be shorter, and I agreed with that. I said, “Yeah, I’d say you want to go around twenty minutes shorter. I like the idea of a rotating cast, but I see no problem if Ben and Andrew want to sit in on them to make sure they’re going the right way, since they’re heading the project. Overall…”

Andrew: Damn straight!

Laura: “…I thought it was really cool and well done. Nice work.” I was so nice.

Matt: Aww. You were so nice.

Andrew: Now, was that legitimate or were you lying?

Matt: What happened, Laura?

Laura: No, I don’t recall not liking it. Like, I just remember a lot of people didn’t like it, I remember, so I thought maybe I was one of them.

Andrew: Staff-wise.

Laura: No, I remember I was upset with you guys because there were no girls on the show. And I ranted a lot about that, but…

Andrew: Yes. You and a couple others.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Anyway, so that’s This Week in MuggleCast, looking back at some MuggleCast history. Let’s see.

Matt: This Week in MuggleCast.


Make the Music Connection


Andrew: What’s next? I know what’s next!

[Make the Music Connection intro plays]

Andrew: Matt, you have some songs prepared for us this week?

Matt: Yes, I do.

Andrew: Okay. All right. Let’s begin with Laura.

Laura: Oh boy.

Andrew: Here’s your song.

[“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc plays]

Andrew: What’s the name of the song, technically?

Matt: [sings] Funkytown…

Laura: Wow. I don’t even know what to say to that.

Matt: You do know the song, right?

Laura: Yeah. Yeah, I know the song. I’m just grasping at straws here to try and think of how it has any connection whatsoever to Harry Potter.

[Matt laughs]

Laura: Oh, shoot. I guess the only – damn it! I don’t know. I guess I can just… [laughs] …this is so stupid. In Book 3, when Harry couldn’t go to Hogsmeade, he really wanted to go, so he really wanted to go to Funkytown, I think.

Andrew: I like that. I was thinking of Hogsmeade, too.

Laura: Okay, good, so I’m not the only one.

Andrew: It kind of is Funkytown if you think about it, you know?

Matt: It is kind of funky.

Andrew: If only it was in the ’70s.

Laura: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Who’s next, Matt?

Matt: I don’t care. Someone choose.

Andrew: I’ll go and fail.

Matt: Okay. Oh, I’ll give you an easy one.

Andrew: Oh good.

Matt: Okay, here we go.

Andrew: Okay.

[“If I Didn’t Have You” by Mitchel Musso plays]

Andrew: Is that “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”?

Matt: No, it’s “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monster’s Inc.

Andrew: Oh. Well, this is definitely Snape’s song to Voldemort as Voldemort’s about to kill him.

Matt: What?

Andrew: In the Shrieking Shack.

Laura: Wow, Andrew, wow.

Matt: Is that a joke?

[Laura laughs.]

Andrew: No. Okay, it’s Dumbledore’s song to Snape as in that one flashback where Dumbledore is telling Snape, you know, how much he trusts him and how much he’s done for him.

Matt: Okay.

Laura: That’s – that’s pretty good. I can agree with that.

Andrew: Thank you. Thank you. I got to fix the audio problem where – I don’t know if you guys noticed, but the lyrics on songs are never loud.

Laura: Yeah, I know. You can only ever hear the instruments.

Matt: You can really only hear the melody.

Andrew: Yeah. I don’t – I don’t know why that is, but I’ve got to fix that.


Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul


Matt: Okay. And so now we’re going to move on to Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul for this week, and this week’s comes from Polly Clair, 13, of Dallas, Texas. And she writes:

“Hello, MuggleCasters. First off I wanted to say that I hope you all had an awesome time down here for Portus, even though I was too young to go. I started listening to Imprint and I think it’s really good. Now my Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul isn’t one about some fatal disease or getting me through last year of school, though you got me through my boring math class. My Chicken Soup is about the fact you guys got me through the nights when I thought I would just break down. When I was four years old my sister, who is now eleven, was diagnosed, the youngest person in my country to have bi-polar disorder. And in the past couple of years she’s been showing signs of Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. Our family recently got into a big fight with our school district, which automatically meant stress in my house. Stress in my house means I get yelled out because if someone yells at my little sister she throws things, and when she was two she broke my mom’s front window of the car with her head. And on top of that, I apparently am the one who’s expected to pick up after my sister has had little fits, and I have glass in my feet to prove it. So what I did to keep myself from totally breaking down is this: I will go into my room and play all the old MuggleCasts as loud as my speakers would let me. All your jokes and little quirks made it that much easier to forget the stress that I have that a normal thirteen year old shouldn’t. I mean, come on, I just turned thirteen on the 14th of July. Oh well. Thanks for reading this. I love the show and I can’t wait until your next live MuggleCast.”

Andrew: Aww. Well, thank you, Holly. That was a very sweet e-mail.

Laura: Yeah, I’m glad we were able to help you in some way.

Andrew: All right, well, that does it for this week’s show. People probably know that we had planned on this episode, 156, being our final weekly show, but then the Stephenie Meyer interview actually came sooner than we thought, so we decided to put that here and then delay the final weekly show until next week so we can do it justice.

Micah: Plus we’re missing a couple of hosts that we’d like to have back for our final show, and they weren’t able to make it this week.

Andrew: Right. Right. So next week we’re going to have as many people on as possible, so it’s going to be a fun time. But, of course, again, we’re not ending; we’re just stopping the weekly shows. We’re going to do shows as often as possible. One other thing: check MuggleCast.com for a news post I made about calling in with your thoughts on the show as a whole and all that, and we’re going to play a couple of them throughout the show next week. So I think that does it. Thank you, everyone, for listening.

[Show music begins]


Contact Information


Andrew: Thank you to Stephenie Meyer for coming on and speaking to us about the Twilight fandom and all that. It was a lot of fun. Before we let everyone go we want to remind you all about our contact information. Laura what’s the P.O. Box?

Laura: That’s P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, GA 30028.

Andrew: And as I mentioned, we also have the MuggleCast hotline. To call us if you’re in the United States you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you’re in the United Kingdom you can dial 020-8144-0677, and if you’re in Australia you can dial 028335668. You can also Skype the user name MuggleCast, but remember no matter how you call us just keep your question or comment or whatever under sixty seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible. You can also visit MuggleCast.com for a handy feedback form to contact anyone of us, or just use our first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. I would recommend e-mailing us directly, because right, I know Matt and I – oh, and Micah – we’re all having problems with our e-mail. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I haven’t been getting many e-mails. Matt hasn’t either …

Matt: No.

Andrew: … and neither has Micah. And I think there’s something wrong with something, so we’re going to look into that. But also look at MuggleCast.com for a variety of community outlet links, including the MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, and the fanlisting and the fan forums over at MuggleCastFan.net. Follow us on Twitter.com/MuggleCast, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley.


Show Close


Andrew: Don’t forget also on MuggleCast.com right now we have a banner at the top, Teddy Bears for Hope, and you can contribute to our little campaign we’re running right now. Thank you, everyone, for listening. Once again, I am Andrew Sims.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matthew Britton.

Andrew: We’ll see you all next week for Episode 157. Bye-bye!

Laura: Bye.

Micah: Bye.

Matt: Bye.

Transcript #155

MuggleCast 155 Transcript


Show Intro


[“Princes of the Universe” by Queen plays]

Mason: You’re just one minute away from listening to the best Potter team in podcasting, live! But first, here’s a piece of information you need to know. Have you always wanted to make an impact online? Now’s your chance! GoDaddy.com has domain names for as low as a $1.99. But that’s not all. GoDaddy.com also offers world class hosting and fast and easy website builders. Plus, by you being a listener on MuggleCast Live, you can save an additional ten percent on any order by entering code “muggle.” Oh, yeah, that’s “muggle,” M-U-G-G-L-E, Muggle! Some restrictions do apply but feel free to see the site for details. I want you to get your piece of the Internet at GoDaddy.com.

[“Celebration” by Kool and the Gang plays]

Andrew: Because we finally have a teaser trailer, this is MuggleCast, Episode 155 for July 31st, 2008.

[song continues]

Andrew: Hey now, everybody! Celebration! A teaser trailer, finally. 7 PM on the East Coast, July 20th, 2008, this is MuggleCast, coming at you live this evening with discussion of the teaser trailer. Oh, geez, one thousand people at the moment. Joining me tonight is the best team in Potter podcasting, starting with the lovely Laura Thompson.

Laura: Aw, thank you, Andrew.

Andrew: Good evening, Laura.

Laura: Good evening, Andrew.

Andrew: You sound beautiful this evening.

Laura: So do you, dear.

Andrew: What’s that?

Laura: I said, “so do you, dear.”

Andrew: Thank you. Next up, MuggleCast news anchor, Micah Tannenbaum! Fresh from New Orleans. Good evening, Micah.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Woah!

Micah: How are you doing?

Andrew: I’m great! How was New Orleans?

Micah: It was a lot of fun.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Did you party it up?

Micah: Little bit, little bit.

Andrew: Meet anyone?

Micah: All work, Andrew, all work.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Ben Schoen is also here… [laughs] …holding down the fort at the MuggleNet offices. How are you doing, Ben?

Ben: [laughs] I’m doing great, how are you doing, buddy?

Andrew: Pretty good. Doing Spy on Spartz later on, maybe? Is Emerson around?

Ben: No, he’s not, actually. I’m in his house all by myself.

Andrew: Ooh. Okay.

Ben: I’m selling his boxers now on eBay.

Andrew: Selling Emerson…

[Andrew, Ben and Micah laugh]

Andrew: Did you wash them or no? I would buy them, they just – you couldn’t wash them.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Joining us by phone is Elysa Montfort. Hello, Elysa.

Elysa: Hey, Andrew. Hi, guys.

Andrew: Hi. Joining us by phone because, you know, Elysa puts a lot of dedication into the show but sometimes, you know, you just can’t go to a library and stake yourself out there. She presents herself with a very dangerous task every episode…

Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: …when she does go out to the library. Anyway, the teaser trailer came out and this is what we’re here to discuss. I hope everyone’s seen it by now because otherwise we’re in trouble! No? Okay.

Micah: Maybe.


General Thoughts on Teaser Trailer


Andrew: What did you guys think? Was everyone happy in general? Laura, let’s start with you. We’ll start with general thoughts; we’ll just go around the table. Let’s hear Laura first.

Laura: I thought it was fantastic! I mean, I don’t want to get too much into it because we have a few talking points we’re going to use here, but I really loved the focus they’re putting on Tom Riddle. I think that was my favorite part of it and, frankly, I’m just glad to know that we’re actually having a movie come out, because for a while I was doubtful.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: So…

Andrew: Well, you know what? And the trailer leaked online early on MSN. They leaked it like forty-five minutes early.

Elysa: What?

Andrew: And at the trailer, at the end, it said “this year” instead of, like, “November” or anything, and I started getting worried because I was like, “Oh no, maybe they are going to change the date!”

Laura: Oh, my God.

Andrew: “Maybe it is going to be delayed!” But then, you know, the U.S. one did come out and it said “November.” Ben, how about you? What did you think of the trailer?

Ben: I thought it was great, I thought it was good. I mean, everybody seems to be in awe of it and I just hope that the movie’s actually as good as what we saw there.

Andrew: Yeah. Micah?

Micah: The pictures finally moved.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: So, yeah, I was really impressed and even more so than that, Michael Gambon may redeem himself with this movie for me.

Andrew: Oh, yes, thank you. Definitely.

Micah: He seemed…

Laura: I’m surprised to hear that coming from you, Micah.

Micah: Yeah, I know, I know. It’s kind of hard for me to say that, but he looks like he’s doing a good job in this movie in particular. So we’ll se what happens. Like Ben said, will it all live up to the hype of this teaser trailer?

Andrew: Yeah. And Elysa?

Elysa: Yeah, I agree with Micah. I mean, just the five seconds we saw of Dumbledore with the fire spell and everything. That was exactly how I imagined it. And also what Laura said, the focus on young Tom Riddle. I wasn’t expecting that, honestly, so I was pleasantly surprised.


Trailer: Scene-by-Scene


Andrew: Yeah, it looked really good. So what we can do is we can just play the trailer through and then we can talk about the different parts of it. There was a – well, here, let’s start with the trailer. We’ll just start from the beginning and then go through the whole thing.

[Trailer audio begins playing]

Andrew: Okay, so there’s the eerie music at first. Goes to the field.

Dumbledore: What you are looking at are memories.

[Trailer pauses]

Andrew: Okay, we’ll stop right there. Doesn’t Michael Gambon already sound different than how we’ve ever heard him before?

Ben: I don’t know.

Laura: I don’t think so.

Andrew: Really?

Laura: Everyone thinks he sounds different. I don’t get it. He just sounds gentler in this part.

Ben: Yeah.

Laura: I mean – but Harry’s had these conversations with Dumbledore in his office before and Michael Gambon has portrayed them beautifully I think. I really don’t see any difference.

Andrew: I just – it sounds like he has a different inflection in his voice. He just sounds like – “The memories” – I don’t know, it just sounds better. Because he does…

Micah: He seems a lot more caring.

Ben: Do you have a clip? Do you have a clip to play from an older Michael Gambon clip? So we can compare it.

Andrew: No, but when we get to it later, there’s a different part in this trailer where he does sound different. Where he sounds like how he has sounded. Let’s continue.

[Trailer continues]

Dumbledore: In this case pertaining to one individual.

[Trailer pauses]

Andrew: Come on. How does he sound normal there?

Micah: He sounds more in character to me.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: From somebody who didn’t like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore after Richard Harris passed away. He does sound much more in character and, you know, a very much different individual than from when he shook Harry. “Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?” Type thing.

[Andrew roars]

Elysa: I agree.

Andrew: Laura, what were you going to say?

Laura: The only difference – okay, the only difference is that he’s not yelling at the collective student body like he did in Order of the Phoenix. There’s a slight echo to his voice, too, and I think it’s just an effect on it. I don’t…

Andrew: He just sounds so much more magical.

Ben: So what Laura’s saying is it’s the room they were in, it’s not him.

Andrew: [laughs] It’s the echo.

Laura: No, seriously! There is an echo to his voice. Listen to it.

Andrew: I hear an echo.

Ben: Andrew, Andrew, Andrew, do you think that Gambon is a more convincing Dumbledore?

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Is that what you and Micah are saying?

Andrew: He just sounds cooler.

Ben: So you’re saying that based off of one clip, huh?

Andrew: Yes!

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Keep in mind that this is actually the first film we’ve seen since J.K. Rowling announced that Dumbledore’s gay. So maybe…

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: …Michael Gambon is taking that into account.

Laura: Are you saying he sounds gay?

Ben: Oh no.

Andrew: Well, let’s put it this way. We have heard reports that he’s been a little more, how do you say, flamboyant? On the set. He’s been taking advantage of Jo’s revelation. I don’t know, just saying.

Laura: I would love to see that.

Ben: How do you – I mean – why would he take advantage, because…

Andrew: Not taking advantage but…

Ben: …like Dumbledore – no, listen – Dumbledore was gay all along. The way that Gambon portrays Dumbledore, based on how he read in the book, if he was supposed to be gay…

Andrew: I’m kidding. It was a joke. [laughs] I’m just kidding. But you never know. You never know.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Let’s continue.

[Trailer continues]

Ben: Please.

Dumbledore: This is perhaps the most important memory I’ve collected.

[Trailer pauses]

Andrew: “I’ve collected.” Okay, we’ll keep going.

[Trailer continues]

Dumbledore: I’d like you to see it.

[Trailer pauses]

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Are you going to stop every two seconds?

Andrew: Okay, sorry! Okay.

[Trailer continues]

Mrs. Cole: In all the years Tom’s been here he’s never once had a visitor.

Tom: You’re the doctor, aren’t you?

Dumbledore: No.

Tom: Who are you?

Dumbledore: Well, I’m like you, Tom. I’m different.

Tom: Prove it.

[Trailer pauses]

Andrew: Was anyone scared when that fire just came out of nowhere?

Laura: Well, you and Matt were.

Andrew: I shook, yeah.

Laura: I have to say, you guys win the award for girliest reaction to a trailer.

Andrew: Oh, are you talking about Matt and I’s trailer reaction video?

Laura: Yes!

Andrew: YouTube. Link available on MuggleCast.com. It’ll become a quick classic. But – yeah. I have a confession to make about that. That wasn’t the first time we actually watched it.

Laura: No!

Andrew: That was the fiftieth. [laughs] Well, some people actually believed that that was the first time, but we’re pretending it is for…

Micah: That’s false advertising.

Andrew: Well, that’s all part of the joke though. I mean…

Micah: Oh. I was scared.

Andrew: Yeah, weren’t you?

Micah: I was more scared by the look in young Tom Riddle’s eyes, by the fact that the cabinet just burst into flames. He seemed to really enjoy it.

Andrew: I know.

Laura: That kid – I mean I know Ben’s going to yell at us for basing these assumptions off one snippet of trailer, but this kid looks amazing.

Andrew: He does. He really does.

Laura: He really does. I mean, just the inflections of his voice. He just sounds so dead. So lacking in emotion. And the only part where there is the slightest amount of emotion in his voice is when he talks about being able to hurt people when they’re mean to him.

Andrew: Right. Yeah, he just looks so disturbed and you could just look at his eyes and – we’ll get into logistics of this whole trailer, but we’ll move along here.

[Trailer continues]

Tom: I can make things move without touching them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can speak to snakes too.

[Trailer pauses]

Andrew: And this part was awesome too. Where Dumbledore just – he’s walking out of Tom’s room and just pauses right there. Didn’t you guys love that?

Laura: Yeah, it was really good. It was basically one of those “Oh crap!”

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. At first, the first time I watched this, I was a little afraid that they edited this to make it look like Dumbledore is walking out and then stops when he says that. And I hope that’s actually how it is in the film. You know what I mean? How they change around the scenes sometimes to make it look cooler or something?

Elysa: Right, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, I really hope that’s not how they – they don’t change it in the film. Anyway, we’ll continue.

[Trailer continues]

Tom: They find me, whisper things.

Harry: Did you know, sir? Then?

Dumbledore: Did I know I’d just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No.

[Trailer ends]

Andrew: [with a lisp] Yes, of course I did!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: So, the trailer as a whole, did you think it was good how it focused on one topic this time? ‘Cause I mean, like in the past, they’ve sort of focused on Umbridge, but this trailer was really – it just felt so different compared to past teaser trailers, right?

Laura: Yeah, I agree, and I’m hoping that what this means is they’re going to put a strong focus on the history behind Voldemort and Tom Riddle in the film. I mean, one of the big differences a lot of us noticed is there’s virtually no Trio in this; Hermione doesn’t appear in it and Ron’s in it for a split second.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: So I really appreciated that because I’ve noticed in the past they have a habit, in the trailers, of using Hermione to explain what’s going on and using Ron to provide the laughs.

Andrew: Mhm. Yeah, and there was…

Laura: So it was nice to see a change of pace.

Andrew: Yeah, and there was no Hermione in this either. You know…

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: …I know exactly what you’re talking about, and that does get kind of annoying, doesn’t it?

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: It seemed that there was finally a focus on the story for once, and maybe they’ve actually paid close attention to the books. The only knock on it that I would say is there was really nothing to do with the Half-Blood Prince himself in this trailer.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Right, that is true.

Andrew: I wonder if that’s one of things that they’re going to keep a surprise, because I know with Order of the Phoenix, they kept Sirius’s death a whole secret, so maybe they want to stay away from the Half-Blood Prince because it ultimately leads to Snape killing Dumbledore?

Ben: Well, I think that – I mean, is it just me or in the book, wasn’t the Half-Blood Prince – I mean, that wasn’t the main important part.


The Title, Half-Blood Prince


Andrew: No, it wasn’t. That was one of the things that bothered me about Half-Blood Prince. It was called Half-Blood Prince and it didn’t really focus much around Snape.

Ben: Yeah, so why would the trailer focus around something that’s just an underlying plot?

Andrew: Well, I don’t know. Why did you think so, Laura?

Laura: Why did I think they centered around Tom Riddle or…?

Andrew: No, not around the Half-Blood Prince. Or was that Micah who said that?

Micah: I said that.

Andrew: Oh. Yeah, well, I mean…

Ben: Because the book didn’t either.

Andrew: Yeah, I mean, that was ultimately Jo’s mistake and we really can’t blame the movie.

Ben: How is it a mistake?

Laura: I don’t think it’s a mistake!

Andrew: Okay, okay!

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Sorry, I take that back. I don’t mean Jo’s mistake, I just mean her doing.

Ben: Her doing, yeah. It was her decision.

Andrew: So, I guess…

Ben: Andrew, do you think it’s a mistake, though? Was that a Freudian slip?

Andrew: Yes. Now you’re going to ask me title would I have called it and I don’t know. It should have been called Harry Potter and Snape Kills Dumbledore. Just don’t even make it a surprise.

Ben: You got that from a t-shirt from Hot Topic.

Andrew: Yes, that was quite popular.

[Ben laughs]

Elysa: I mean, I was always sort of under the impression, though, that part of the reason it was called Half-Blood Prince is because Jo was sort of trying to trip us up. Because I know a lot of people were just assuming, beforehand, that it was Voldemort, and I think that – well, I know for a fact, actually, that a lot of people who don’t read the books are seeing the trailer, looking at the title, and making the exact same connection. So maybe it’s just like a head fake. That’s what I always thought it was.

Andrew: Oh, yeah.

Ben: Mmm.

Andrew: You’re probably right. Well then, also, the teaser’s a little misleading because – well, I don’t know – because young Tom – young Voldemort’s talking about, you know, making people – he can control people and start crap, and it starts going to those flashes of Ron passed out and Ginny’s wand getting knocked out of her hand.

Ben: Ah!

Andrew: And, by the way, that’s actually the new scene that’s been much publicized. So…


Ginny’s in Water


Laura: Yeah, what was – I just have to ask, I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but what was with Ginny, like, standing in water?

Andrew: It’s a rainy day.

Laura: Really rainy, apparently.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Andrew: Was it water? I couldn’t even…

Laura: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was.

Andrew: Let me load up my trailer.

Laura: But yeah, it’s like she’s standing in a bathrobe in water.

Elysa: Really?

Laura: Yeah!

Elysa: It looked like she was standing in a cornfield or something that…

Andrew: Well, it’s weird. What they have now is – it’s at the Burrow, and the house is surrounded by tall grass, I guess you would call it. And, I mean, I think the only reason it’s there is to, like – so Greyback can hide.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: And so the place goes up on fire more easily. That’s the only reason I can think of, though. I’m looking at the Ginny shot and you don’t even see her feet.

Laura: Really? I thought I saw – maybe I’m blind. I don’t know, but…

Andrew: I think you’re a bad trailer watcher.

Laura: You know what?

Andrew: Oh! Okay. Yeah, something – okay, maybe that is water. It’s a rainy day. No, you’re right. You’re right. It is water.

Laura: Okay. And I’m the bad trailer watcher? Thank you.

Andrew: Sorry. [laughs]

Laura: No, about the cornfields, I do have to say it kind of looks like they’ve picked up the story and dropped it in the middle of, like, Kansas.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Ben: [unintelligible]

Andrew: Well, that’s where they’re filming now. Yeah, I think the only reason they did that is one, so Greyback can hide, coming in.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Because, like, you know, it – well, I guess we’ll see in the film. But then also, you know, the place – there is like a fire scene that occurs. And I’m looking at the trailer and Harry’s running through all that tall grass, so…

Ben: Mmm.

Laura: Yeah.


The Hogwarts Express


Andrew: Was anyone annoyed at the beginning how – I’m jumping around now – how at the beginning there’s a shot of the Hogwarts Express, and it’s going through – it looks like a – it’s not a desert, but it kind of looks like a desert. It’s just some flatlands.

Laura: It’s part of that tall grass, I think. The same kind of…

Andrew: Oh, is it? Whatever happened to the days when the Hogwarts Express would glide smoothly through rolling hills of Scotland?

Micah: Well, Ben, this really was…

Laura: I don’t know, maybe they were just trying…

Ben: That was back before the book – they were PG, man.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: PG 13. This is – this is the hardcore Hogwarts Express.

Andrew: [laughs] It’s just – the whole trailer as a whole has a very dark feel to it. It just seems like the whole film doesn’t – give us a break at least with the Hogwarts Express. Make that look happy before it gets all dark.


Movie 6 Shot in Kansas


Micah: It really does seem that it was shot in Kansas.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: I’m starting to get that feeling now, because this is two different shots. First the cornfield, now kind of this open terrain. Ben, did you just loan them some of your backyard or something?

Ben: Yeah, actually.

Andrew: Ben, I think I can see you and your mom out here.

Ben: Yeah.

[Ben, Elysa, and Laura laugh]

Andrew: In the tall grass or something.


A Darker Film


Ben: Is it just me – is it just me, or is each time anybody who does the film is asked about the film in comparison to the other films…

Andrew: It gets darker.

Ben: Yeah, this one – [in English accent] “this one’s a bit darker.”

Andrew: It’s always darker!

Laura: Every time, yeah.

Andrew: But in all reality…

Ben: It is a bit darker. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. And this one definitely is taking the cake. I think it’s getting darker faster than it did with previous films. Because nothing – nothing’s happy. We haven’t seen any happy – that was the other thing. I was looking at MuggleNet today, and, you know, we have all these thumbnails on each news post, and the whole page – the whole home page right now is covered in Half-Blood Prince news, so it’s all Half-Blood Prince pictures, and there’s not one, like, joyous, happy, photo that’s been released. They’re all, you know, dark photos, they got brownish tints to them because it’s low lighting…

Laura: Well, what do you expect them to do? Be like, “Yay! Dumbledore died!”

Andrew: No, but we don’t…

Laura: “Smile!”

Ben: You think the [unintelligible] are depressed?

Andrew: [laughs] Maybe they are. “Oh my God, we got two more films to go after this.”

Ben: Oh, man.

Andrew: Maybe that’s what they’re thinking. Like, Slughorn’s party, like that’s going to be purple and green, and that’s all good, but it just seems like everything’s so dark.

Ben: Dark.

Andrew: Dark.

Laura: Well you know what’s interesting about that? Wasn’t it – I don’t know, I think it was Emma Watson who said in an interview that this movie was supposed to be a lot more comic than the previous one.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure she did. And thus far I’m not seeing any comedy.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: You know, if they’re saving it. But usually they don’t. They usually take all the lame comic moments and throw them together in the trailer.

Andrew and Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, also, there’s been that quote floating around from David Heyman, I think it was, describing the film as – it’s more “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll”-ish. Course there’s no drugs or sex, but it’s just more – I guess what he’s trying to say is it’s just darker and cooler, and maybe that also does include being funnier. I mean, you got to keep in mind, this trailer – I don’t think it’s supposed to be representative of the movie as a whole at all. I mean it’s very obvious they’re just focusing on the darker side of this film.

Laura: Well, I think they’re trying…

Ben: I just hope the humor in this film is a lot more, I don’t know, not as childish or forced as it is in some of the other films, I think.

Andrew: Mhm. “Why couldn’t we follow the butterflies? Why couldn’t he have said follow the butterflies?”

Laura: “I love magic.”

Ben: Oh, and – yeah, the “I love magic” thing.

Laura: That was pretty bad.

Ben: That was such a corny moment. I just hope they shy away from that.

Andrew: That was Goblet, right?

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, when he goes in the tent. Okay, so it’s a different director, so maybe – I haven’t seen – David Heyman, or Yates – hasn’t done anything very corny, has he? I don’t think so.


Ron’s Film Character


Laura: No, I really can’t think of anything. Honestly, I really appreciate Yates, just because of what he’s done for Ron’s character.

Andrew: Mhm.

Ben: What did he do for Ron? Elaborate.

Laura: Okay, well, you know how up until pretty much the fifth movie Ron was constantly used for comic relief, and he always looked scared…

Elysa: Mhm.

Laura: …and in every promotional photo he looked like he was about to wet his pants…

Elysa: Yeah.

Laura: …and now Order of the Phoenix comes out, and suddenly Ron is, I think, a more believable character. They’re not just using him for comic relief. It just felt like they were using the fact that he was such a direct contrast to Hermione from the books, and just taking that to the full extreme, and giving him all the corny lines, and making him the laugh material. So…

Ben: So you’re saying David Yates gave Ron some fortitude.

Elysa and Laura: Yes.

Andrew: I like how Ron’s always sleeveless now in these films.

Ben: Oh Jesus.

Andrew: Like when he’s sleeping and stuff, he’s all, you know, we can see all his arms, his full arm.

Laura: He’s buff.

Ben: Well, that’s just so when Laura goes to the movie she can be like, “Oh my God, Rupert with his shirt off! Oh my God!”

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Andrew: I guess that the sex they’re talking about. More skin bared than ever!

Ben: That would have been Goblet of Fire, with…

Andrew: Oh yeah, with…

Ben: But then again, Dan was like thirteen then, so…

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Ben: Fourteen, fifteen, don’t – I don’t know. Someone’s going to correct me.

Andrew: Yeah. Just wait till DH; DH he’s going to be naked all the time. Mmm.

[Ben and Andrew laugh]

Ben: They might as well film the whole movie naked. Sorry. Andrew’s crazy.

Andrew: Did anything stand out that was really different or really similar to the book? Did anyone…

Ben: The title. The title…

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Ben: …at the beginning was really good.


McGonagall in the Trailer


Andrew: No, but just like the scene with McGonagall, she’s like addressing all the students it seems. Does any one know what that is? What’s going on?

Laura: It looks like they were all milling around her. I didn’t really notice that she was making an announcement.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: I mean, it didn’t look like she was – that she was directing anything towards them. I think it just looked like she was walk down a crowded corridor.

Andrew: Well, she’s talking too. If you watch it, she is opening her mouth, and she’s reading – she’s holding a piece of paper and saying something.

Laura: Hm.

Ben: Hm.

Laura: I don’t know.

Andrew: I don’t know. It’s a stumper. But that was kind of a cool shot, ’cause it’s hard to notice McGonagall at first, unless you’re actually looking at the very bottom.

Micah: Yeah, I didn’t even notice she was there until you just said that.

Andrew: Really?

Elysa: Neither did I honestly.

Andrew: You see what you learn when you podcast? What – did anyone notice anything else that’s very similar or anything?


The Orphanage


Laura: Well, I mean, I don’t know about the similarities but, I mean obviously, you have the orphanage scene, and I just think the orphanage looks fantastic.

Andrew: Yeah, it really does. And we were talking about this…

Laura: I did notice, it kind of had a similar style to the Department of Mysteries, with the dark brick.

Mikey: The very uniformed dark brick, you mean?

Laura: Yes.


Mikey Joins the Show from Work


Andrew: Mikey B. is joining us now, by the way.

Mikey: Hi, everybody.

Ben: Another one of So. Cal.’s finest.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: So, guys, I’m sorry to distract. I’m calling from work. I’m actually working right now.

Ben: No way.

Mikey: Yeah.

Ben: Where do you work?

Mikey: Right now I’m working on Jack Black footage.

Andrew: What a show off. You’re such a show off.

Ben: Get him out of here.

[Andrew and Ben laugh]

Andrew: No I’m just kidding.

Mikey: Bye, guys.


Mikey’s Thoughts on the Trailer


Andrew: Mikey, can we have your thoughts…

Ben: Autograph?

Andrew: …about the trailer?

Mikey: Yeah, no, I loved the trailer, dude. It was pretty – you know, I saw it at first… [unintelligible] …the little one.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: Honestly, I wasn’t that impressed watching the little one. And then last night I watched the 1080p one and… [laughs]… I felt better about it.


Titles During Trailer


Andrew: Yeah. Hey, hey, here’s something I can talk about with you that nobody else will really be able to appreciate. Those titles during the trailer are so bad!

Mikey: Well, you know, yeah – like, so those titles are in the trailer. I went back after watching it on the MSN because I was totally kind of underwhelmed. I was like eh, that’s kind of cool, but, you know, it’s creative editing. You know, I’m kind of jaded more and more with editing every day now that I’m working every day on a television show and stuff. But when I looked back at the, you know, Order of the Phoenix trailer versus the Half-Blood Prince one, Order of the Phoenix looks way more polished, and the titles look super crisp with the gold…

Andrew: Well, yeah.

Mikey: …texture.

Andrew: The title looks so last minute.

Ben: That’s why I go to the movies. To see the titles.

Andrew: No…

Mikey: But again – but it’s a style thing. And, you know, the titles came up just a generic background, it looked kind of like a soupy, you know, type of background. It was all blue and dark. And it looks scary looking. But when I actually looked at the titles, like, frame by frame, ’cause of course I would do something that ridiculous.

Andrew: Mhm.

Mikey: The titles are just as finished as Order of the Phoenix and all the other films, it’s they added this weird outline to them. And it just looks really amateur…

Andrew: It does.

Mikey: …like something right of like…

Andrew: I would do that.

Mikey:[unintelligible] movie or something.

Andrew: Right out of an Andrew Sims video.

Mikey: Yeah, a Sims video, and I love Andrew, but, you know, I don’t what him editing the Harry Potter movies.

[Andrew and Mikey laugh]

Andrew: But it’s just, yeah. I – we don’t have to get into it because it’s just – it’s not up to WB standards. And it looks like an amateur trailer. And we’ve seen so many fake trailers floating around – I’ve seen so many. Like, if you go on YouTube and search for Half-Blood Prince trailer, people make these fakes, and these titles look like they’re, you know, the real ones.

Mikey: Yeah, they look like the fake trailer titles and…

Ben: So – so are you saying it might be a hoax by WB?

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: That we still don’t have the real trailer. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?

Andrew: Exactly.

Mikey: Truthfully, truthfully me and Andrew, since we live so close together, we actually went down to the studio, filmed a bunch of footage, and that’s – this trailer that everyone’s been watching was cut together on my computer. That – that’s what it is, guys.

Andrew: There he is, showing off again. What a show off.

Mikey: I’ve given it up….

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: I’m giving it up now, saying sorry, guys, I lied to all of you. But I wanted something new, and there you go. Hope you like the trailer.

Andrew: All right, well…

Mikey: And just so everybody knows, I didn’t really cut it, so don’t be like “Mikey cut it!” I didn’t.

Andrew: All right, well, thank you, Mikey, for checking in with us.

Mikey: I can stay for a while.

Andrew: Oh. Okay. All right.

Mikey: I just have to zone out every once in a while.

Ben: That’s Andrew trying to kick Mikey out.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I was not!

Ben: You’re still welcome here.

Mikey: Ben, I loved – we talked last night, and it was like “yeah, Ben, what’s up?”

Ben: Yeah, that was all like a two second IM chat.


The Younger Dumbledore


Andrew: All right, so let’s move along now. All right, we talked about the trailer having different feel to it. Let’s talk a little more about Michael Gambon again, because he really does – he’s really featured in this trailer. Was everyone – actually, I heard a lot of complaints about – people weren’t happy with how he looked in the flashbacks. The younger Dumbledore. Would anyone agree with that? Not up to par how he should look?

Laura: Why? What was wrong with it?

Andrew: Well, people just said he looked – I don’t know.

Mikey: I think he look’s darker than he should. Like I’m – when I looked at it, I liked the way he looks, and it definitely helps set a tone, and the fact that, like, the way he lit the dresser on fire, it’s super kind of dark. And that’s the whole mood they’re going for. So I’m wondering if that’s creative editing. But the Dumbledore in the book and everything to me is, you know, he’s kind of, you know, he’s Dumbledore! You know, odd, [unintelligible], you know, everything. He’s goofy! And…

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: …this one seemed really dark, and even like his hair, which had like a tinge of grey, and it looked black; it looked dirty almost…

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: I don’t know, he just seemed really darker than the Dumbledore I like. But he’s Michael Gambon, what can I say?

Andrew: It’s – I think a lot of people are also comparing it to the Richard Harris, young version of Richard Harris, where he had the short beard, and it was still white hair, I think. I mean it was a black and white flashback so we didn’t really know, but…

Laura: Yeah, you know, they might have… [sighs] It might have been beneficial for them to try to mirror that a bit more as opposed to going in a different direction. I don’t know, I mean, I guess they’re figuring that most people won’t notice the discrepancy there, but I don’t know. It would have been nice.

Andrew: Anyway, Micah, you were talking about you think Michael Gambon’s redeeming himself. Why?

Ben: Because we saw 30 seconds of him act.

[Laura and Micah laugh]

Andrew: No, but it does make…

Micah: Which is more than he’s acted in the last couple films, so…

Laura: Oh, Micah…

Micah: No, no, no.

Mikey: He’s kind of telling the truth though, guys.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: The whole look of it doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t understand what people are getting upset about. I think, you know, the flashback scene is fine, but he just seems a little bit more at ease with his role in this movie as opposed to movies that he’s done previously, in my opinion, and yeah, I understand it’s thirty seconds, but just those thirty seconds he seems a lot more serious. I don’t know in terms of the role that he’s playing, I mentioned before the scene in Goblet of Fire or, you know, Laura mentioned in Order of the Phoenix when he comes out and tells everybody to go do their school work – that’s not Dumbledore in terms of how he’s portrayed in the books. He would never do something like that. This Dumbledore seems a lot more calmer, a lot more Richard Harris-like than I think we’ve seen in the past.

Andrew: Hm, yes, exactly.

Ben: Ah, well, did you think that had anything to do with the screenwriter?

Micah: Could be.

Mikey: Uh, yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: Well, wouldn’t it have to do with the – I just – I just think the sound of his voice is so different especially in the beginning, and that’s what really made the difference for me. So, I almost wonder if it’s David Yates saying to him, “Look, act a little lighter. Be a little chippier.”

Elysa: Well, you know what I read? I read – actually, I think it was after Order of the Phoenix came out, that Michael Gambon hadn’t read any of the books since he started filming when he took over for Richard Harris.

Andrew: Right.

Elysa: He hadn’t read any of them, and, I mean, I agree with Micah; I think you can tell. I didn’t like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, not at all. I mean Richard Harris aside, I just didn’t think he portrayed him very well. But he did say – and I can’t remember where I read it, I think it was a few weeks ago – that he actually read Half-Blood Prince. I think that probably played a huge role. I mean, I think you can tell – I agree with you, Andrew, like, in his voice. I feel like it’s more – more solemn almost…

Andrew: Mhm.

Elysa: It had a very calm, easy way about him, even when, no matter what his emotion was – happy, or sad, or depressed – he was always sort of very stable, and you can hear that in his voice, even in the, you know, twenty seconds of the trailer or whatever.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Now, now, hold on a second. Where did – where did you hear that he read Book 6? Did anybody else hear that?

Andrew: I feel like I did. We have to look into that though, because I mean, that is really important.

Ben: That’s a big deal, yeah.

Laura: Yeah, that would be interesting.

Mikey: That would be huge if he actually read a Harry Potter book and decided to act like, you know, the Dumbledore from the book.

Ben: I feel like it would’ve been made a bigger deal, is the only thing.

Andrew: I feel like it’s…

Ben: Everyone bashed him so much.

Elysa: Yeah, I don’t know if he read the whole thing, but I know that – I don’t think it was he that said it, I think it was actually Daniel Radcliffe was like, you know, well, for the Slughorn scene where they go and they try to get Slughorn to teach, that they were actually referencing parts of the book, that he and Dan had worked together referencing parts of the book.

Andrew: Mmm.

Elysa: I don’t know if he read it cover to cover, but…

Ben: We should find out.

Elysa: He at least read parts of it. Yeah, I’ll look for that.

Mikey: We could…

Laura: They’re very…

Mikey: We should call them up.

Andrew: You could also blame it on the director, because you know, what would it take to just give him – surely somebody must have told him about Dumbledore before. They couldn’t have just handed him the script and said “Go!” I think somebody would have to explain to him…

Ben: Of course.

Andrew: …who Dumbledore is.

Ben: Or you get it through reading the script, you know?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Right, and I mean also there were two other movies to work off of, as well. Not to say that he should have taken Richard Harris’s portrayal and tried to copy it, but, I mean, I think he saw those and he read the script, and not that is preferable to reading the books, but I don’t see that reading those things would give him a bad portrayal of Dumbledore. I think there are valid points brought up with some of the lines he was given, but I think we need to remember that he didn’t write the script, someone else did, so that’s not really his fault, and I think he takes a lot of crap off people for that.

Andrew: Let’s talk about the good parts of Dumbledore…[laughs]…a little more.

[Laura laughs]


Clips of the Cave Scene


Andrew: The scene in the cave that there’s a couple of quick clips of. How amazing does that look?

Laura: It looks awesome.

Mikey: Oh!

Andrew: He’s just…

Mikey: Fire [unintelligible].

Andrew: Yeah. What do you guys think of what he’s standing on? Because it looks like ice, doesn’t it?

Mikey: Oh no, no, no. I went back and actually looked frame by frame to see if I could find Harry. He’s on an island, definitely.

Andrew: Right, but why is it ice? That’s what I don’t get.

Mikey: No, it’s not ice, it’s not ice. Here, hold on, I have the trailer – I happen to have downloaded the trailer.

Andrew: Yeah, I’m looking at it right now. One minute, eight seconds. It’s just – on the set…

Ben: What frame is that? What frame is that on our wonderful image viewer, Andrew?

Andrew: Hold on, I’m going to look it up. Oh…

Micah: Well, didn’t…

Andrew: Point seven eight seconds…

Micah: Wasn’t the cave described to have stalactites and stalagmites and all that kind of…

Laura: Yeah.

Micah: …stuff in it?

Andrew: Oh.

Micah: So maybe that’s what it is.

Mikey: Yeah. If you look – if you look a little bit forward, more towards the end of one minute eight seconds…

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: …Andrew, and you come to the high angle looking down on Dumbledore…

Andrew: Right.

Mikey: …where it flip-flops, you can really see that there’s like rocks and pebbles and other things, and I think the view we’re looking at before, when it looks like ice and blocks and stuff like that – I think that’s just because it’s – it might even be like a grain color to accent the, you know, the – the locket pool, but what happens to the fire, it’s just so bright and it looks like ice now.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I don’t know, Mikey. That looks a lot like ice. I think I see…

Mikey: It does, but there’s also – but if you look – see, I’m looking at the high-res version. If you look towards the center, about maybe an inch down…

Ben: Oh, sorry…

Mikey:[unintelligible] of Dumbledore…

Ben: I was looking at the low-res version.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: Of Dumbledore, you can see a green tint on the ground still, and when you flip it over to the other way, you definitely see darker colors – darker colors of the ground. And you can see, you know, the darker colors, and some of the stuff that looks like ice now looks has a pigment.

Ben: You’re probably right. You’re probably right.

Mikey: I’m sorry. I am – I went through and looked through this whole thing when I should’ve been working, and luckily no one can hear me through my door.

Andrew: You know…

Ben: The first person to report Mikey to his boss. Nevermind.

Andrew: You know, you can actually see Dumbledore’s boat, I realize, now that I’m going back and forth through it at 1:08, where there’s that high shot going down. If you look over his left shoulder, you can see something tall sticking up, and it’s actually connected to the boat, which is kind of cool.

Ben: Yup.

Elysa: You know what stuck out to me, honestly? And I actually just scrambled to find the page. What stuck out to me was the description in the book on page 576 in the American version, and it’s talking about that scene and he says, “his wand was raised like a torch and from its tip emanated the flames, like a vast lasso, encircling them all with warmth.” And when I saw that scene, I was just so incredibly excited that they had actually captured that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: Like the lasso sort of movement. You see Dumbledore with his wand sort of circling around his head, and then, like, it’s exactly like it describes in the book.

Andrew: Yeah. They really have. I just hope there’s no, like, corny sound effects during this scene because, like, that was part – part of what ruined Order of the Phoenix for me at the end, just the stupid little noises they had inserted, but yeah, this just looks so – so good.

Elysa: It looks awesome.

Micah: Yep.

Elysa: I love it.

Andrew: Still can’t see Dumbledore’s black – well, actually, that one shot you can see both hands, but neither of his hands look black. So I guess they haven’t done that yet.

Micah: There are those two small clips, too, of him putting the ring on.

Andrew: Yeah! They’re really quick. What else? I loved how there were the quick shots of Voldemort in between the shots of young Tom. It was just so well done, the presentation of this trailer. It was so…

Ben: That’s probably why it took them so long.

Andrew: Yeah. Maybe.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: I mean, because what happens? They raise you up with this, you know, “I can see snakes” and then – or “I can talk to snakes,” and then they just drop you with that BOOM, when he says something. I can’t remember what he says, but – just really well done. Anything else you guys want to talk about with the initial thoughts about the trailer? Anything else? We’re going to take calls after we go to break, but is there anything else you want to discuss?


Appealing to Both Readers and Non-Readers


Elysa: I just wanted to say that I think it did a really good job appealing to both the fans who have read the books and those who haven’t, just because talking to a lot of my friends in Baltimore, who haven’t read the books, they were saying that it was the first time they felt like they actually knew what was going on from the trailer.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: From watching, and you were saying with like the flashes of Voldemort’s face, like overtop of young Tom Riddle, they were watching the trailer up until that point, and they were thinking well, who is this kid? And then at that moment, of course, it sunk in. So I feel like they did a really nice job of sort of appealing to those who just see the movies. At the same time, they obviously – with the, you know, fire scene and everything else – really appeasing the hardcore fans.

Andrew: Yeah.


Really Good or Just Hype?


Ben: I just have a quick question for Andrew. Do you think that the trailer would have been this well received – do you think that the hype has something to do with how long they made us wait, or do you think it’s really just that good?

Andrew: I think it’s really just that good, just because of how they did this trailer, because it feels – I really think it feels a lot different than teaser trailers that they’ve released in the past. And after the trailer came out, I couldn’t help but to feel a little depressed. Like all the anticipation was over, but then I watched it a couple more times and I was like yeah, this is sweet. I don’t know…

Ben: Now we can’t gripe about it anymore.

Andrew: Did you think it was…

Laura: Now we have nothing to whine about.

Andrew: Yeah, I know.

Elysa: [laughs] Yeah, really.

MuggleCast 155 Transcript (continued)


Theatrical Trailer


Andrew: Well, now we – now we get to bitch and moan about the theatrical trailer, so…

Laura: Yeah. See now when is that going to come out? That really…

Andrew: I don’t know. Let’s start some movie rumors now.

Mikey: Yeah. What about the one that was part of the IMAX one? Did you guys talk about that at all?

Andrew: Yeah. It was terrible.

Laura: Yeah. It was basically nothing.

Andrew: Yeah. It…

Mikey: I like the line, and I thought that was kind of cool. It was like all mysterious, but it was just kind of like totally lacking. Like why would you put something like that before one of the biggest – the biggest movie opening of all time so far?

Andrew: Yeah. I just – I was so disappointed by that. It was just ridiculous.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Do you think…

Ben: So do you guys think it’s going to beat the Dark Knight?

Andrew: No. [laughs]

Laura: Yeah…

Elysa: No.

Ben: Come on, Potter fans. Let’s start a rally. Let’s do it.

Andrew: Yay.

Ben: Everybody go see the movie ten times in theaters.

Andrew: I’m really keen on starting…

Mikey: Ten times the opening weekend and to have all your friends go with you.

Andrew: I’m going to predict right now that the theatrical trailer will be released with…

Mikey: I call Clone Wars.

Andrew: Dude, that’s like two weeks away. [laughs]

Mikey: Yeah.

Ben: With Mikey going with the bold call.

Micah: I mean, we’re already into August, right? How…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: You think like – like – like…

Ben: How long do you need?

Laura: …September? Early October?

Ben: Yeah…

Andrew: High School Musical 3. Done.

Laura: Oh God, no!

Elysa: Oh, geez.

Micah: I will not go see that movie.

Andrew: That’s one month before…

Ben: Andrew’s going to be at the midnight release.

Andrew: That’s one month.

[Laura laughs]

Mikey: Andrew, Andrew. We’ll go see it together. We’ll go see it.

Andrew: I already have my – my tickets booked for – for that film.

Elysa: Oh, for what? High School Musical?

[“What Time Is It?” by High School Musical cast begins playing]

Andrew: Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Laura: No!

Andrew: Here’s one of my favorite songs.

Laura: Turn that off.

Andrew: [sings] Summer time. It’s time for a trailer. What time is it? Time for a trailer.

[Music stops]

Andrew: I don’t know. Maybe. I’m putting my money down on High School Musical 3. Either that or the Chihuahua movie – Beverly Hills Chihuahua, with the worst trailer ever made.

Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: Chihuahua! Don-don-don-da-don-don-don.

Laura: Oh yeah, we all…

Elysa: That’s terrible.

Laura: …saw that together. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: We all about died. Anyway…


Was It Worth Waiting For?


Andrew: Other – other trailer things to talk about? Anyone? Ben, how about you? I mean – well, I’ll ask everyone. Do you think it lived up to the hype in the long wait? Do you think WB made it any different because of the wait, or what?

Ben: I don’t think so. I mean, do you think they were still working on this? Do you think that this was, like, the eleventh hour and their editors just finished it? “Yes, tomorrow we can do it.”

Andrew: [laughs] The eleventh hour.

Ben: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, no. I think it’s been ready for a while. I think they just didn’t know when to release it.

Ben: Do you think they were just trying like to – perhaps they have someone different who’s in charge of marketing now or something. And they decided to stall on releasing the trailer.

Andrew: Maybe. I just think – because there were so many different rumors for this trailer, and so many strong rumors, and that’s why I think that they actually didn’t know what movie they were going to release it with. And our initial Mummy rumors – and it is coming out with The Mummy on Friday – our initial Mummy rumors said that Universal really wanted the trailer with The Mummy because The Mummy – they’re thinking it’s not going to do well in theaters, so they wanted The Half-Blood Prince teaser to boost ticket sales. And I think that makes sense. I’m not a Mummy fan. [laughs]

Elysa: Yeah.

Ben: Are you going to go see it, though? Are you going to go see the trailer in theaters just to get a…

Andrew: I may see it. I may plan it right so I can just hop in, see the trailer, and then go to Batman.

Ben: Oh, that’s illegal, Andrew. That’s illegal.

Andrew: [laughs] Is it illegal? Is there actually a law? I mean…

Ben: You have to have a ticket to enter the theater.

Andrew: Eh, that’s true.

Ben: You can’t just stroll…

Andrew: I do have a ticket.

Ben: …up in there.

Andrew: I do have a ticket.

Ben: You don’t have a ticket to The Mummy.

Andrew: I accidentally walked in to the wrong theater.

Ben: Oh, I see. “I thought I was going to the bathroom.”

[Andrew and Elysa laugh]

Andrew: I saw the video and I just couldn’t leave.

Mikey: Wow.

Andrew: So did – what about everyone else? Did you guys think it was worth the wait? Does everyone feel satisfied now?

Laura: I feel really satisfied.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Really?

Laura: Mostly because it completely…

Andrew: Grow up, Ben.

Laura: …not what I expected.

[Ben laughs]

Laura: Ben, shut up.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: No, just like – I’m sorry.

[Andrew and Elysa laugh]

Ben: Sorry.

Andrew: Naw…

Ben: Sorry.

Laura: Grow up!

[Andrew laughs]

Laura: Anyway – no. It’s really not what I expected.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: I mean, from them. Typically these teaser trailers, you know – I was kind of expecting something along the lines of the Goblet of Fire teaser trailer, where they spent half of it using old footage of the kids, you know, and I was really pleased to see that the whole thing was new footage, because I wasn’t quite expecting that. So, they always seem to think to throw in a flashback somewhere.

Andrew: Well, it’s funny – the shots of Voldemort are flashbacks.

Laura: Are they?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: They’re at least edited to look different.

Andrew: They’re – yeah, they’re at least used properly.

Micah: Laura, I hate to break it to you, but most of the trailer is a flashback.

Andrew: Ooh. Laura, you’re dumb.

[Ben says something unintelligible]


Astronomy Tower or Graveyard?


Andrew: Well, there’s also very quick flashes around Ginny. And there are three separate flashes and they’re three separate frames. And there’s an article on Rotten Tomatoes trying to figure out where that scene is, and somebody suggested it was from the Astronomy Tower. It’s at 1:07. It’s a blue flash. But then someone in the comments said it was actually from the graveyard scene in Goblet of Fire. And it’s one frame so you can’t really tell what on earth is going on. It looks like it’s outside. I don’t think it looks like the graveyard tower to me. But it is – they always love to embed little old clips in these trailers. And I…

Laura: Oh, you know what? It does look like it.

Andrew: Do you see that? It looks like what, the Astronomy Tower or…

Laura: It looks like the graveyard.

Andrew: Do you think so? Because I can’t figure out, like…

Laura: Well – oh, you know what? It – I can see how it can look like both, because there’s, you know – I mean it’s really blurry. I wonder if this is where Dumbledore gets thrown off the Tower. Because it’s a green curse, and then you see sky, and there’s like – it looks like it’s hitting a body. And…

Andrew: Right.

Laura: …it almost looks exactly like it did when they hit Cedric with it in Goblet of Fire.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Cedric!

Laura: Hmm.

Andrew: Yeah, I mean it does look like it could be from Goblet.

Ben: Oh, that would be cheap. They didn’t even give us real…

Mikey: What flash are you talking about?

Andrew: It’s at 1:07. It’s not exactly 1:07. It’s after – it’s one frame. You have to go frame-by-frame, because even if you scroll through this trailer – see, because you see something in the background on the left. That’s the clearest thing you can make out. And I just don’t know – that just doesn’t look like the graveyard scene to me. That’s why I’m confused. It almost looks like the Mirror of Erised, but can’t tell.

Ben: So you’re saying that they took a shot from Goblet and put it in this trailer?

Andrew: Yeah. They did it with Order of the Phoenix too. They took the graveyard scenes.

Ben: That’s lame.

Andrew: It’s not that big of a deal.

Laura: It looks like buildings to me.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: Yeah, no. It looks like buildings like in the left, and center.

Andrew: That…

Mikey: And then there’s like all that going on in the center that’s going on with the super white light. I don’t know.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s weird. This is going to sound really weird, but on the left where the hand is – it kind of looks like it’s sticking out there – it looks like Mewtwo from Pokemon. It looks like Mewtwo’s hand.

[Elysa and Laura laugh]

Andrew: It does! What?

Mikey: I’m not even going to respond because I have so much I can refer to Star Wars on this, just because you bring up Pokemon.

Ben: Really?

Andrew: Well, but it’s real quick and I’m already done. So now you’re the one dwelling on it, so joke’s on you.

Mikey: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah.

Andrew: All right.

Mikey: It looks like buildings.

Andrew: It’s almost time to take a break, and we will be taking calls after the break, and we’ve got a couple of other things to get to. Does anyone have anything else to say about it before we go to break? Was anybody disappointed in anything?


No Snape in Trailer


Micah: The only thing I’ll say – and I brought this up before – and I know we kind of mentioned that the Half-Blood Prince was a subplot, but I think nothing focusing on Snape at all on this trailer is a little bit disappointing.

Ben: Uh…

Laura: Eh…

Mikey: I don’t think so, just because no one knew who the Half-Blood Prince was before the book came out, and I think at the same time, they kind of almost want that same mystery, where they’re not like giving anything away before. Again, they’re not really, you know – we know what happens, the book’s out, but for the people that just follow the movies, they don’t know who the Half-Blood Prince is, and, you know, what is the Half-Blood Prince? And now it’s like all of this Voldemort stuff. So they really don’t know what’s going to happen.

Elysa: Yeah.

Mikey: And I think that’s what I loved about Half Blood Prince, where so much happens and, you know.

Micah: I’m just saying…

Ben: For anyone who hasn’t read Harry Potter

Mikey: Yeah.

Ben: …or, like, at least, like, know the plot from the movies, you know?

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Well, I’m just hoping that they did that character justice, because they haven’t done him justice throughout the first five movies.

Mikey: You know what? Truthfully, they might have actually waited on this just because, since the seventh book has come out, you know, and Snape is such a big role, they probably – they may have reworked some stuff with him to make him give him that much more justice, ’cause he’s such a huge role in the seventh movie. And book, I guess you could say. Because it is a book.

Andrew: Yeah. There’s a new film with Alan Rickman coming out, and I saw the trailer for it in front of Mamma Mia. Does anyone know about this? I’m going to look it up real quick. But he’s…

Ben: You saw Mamma Mia?

Andrew: Yeah. It was the worst film of all time. In a funny way.

[Laura laughs]

Mikey: Really? Didn’t I tell you that when we were watching Batman? You were like, “I want to see it!” And we were like, “No, please don’t.”

Andrew: I still – well, I still wanted to see it. It was fun but it sucked. So, it’s this movie called Bottleshock, and he plays this guy who comes over from the U.K. in something like – something about tea or something. And Alan Rickman – I love him. He’s an awesome actor. But in every role – lately, at least – it just screams Snape. Like just the way he talks very slowly, and putting it this way. You know what I mean?

Micah: Well, even Jim Dale said he took Snape’s – I mean, he took Snape’s voice from Alan Rickman when he did the audiobooks, and this was, what, probably before…

Andrew: The movies.

Micah: ….Alan Rickman had gotten the role.

Andrew: Right. Because Jim Dale said they were friends.

Micah: Yep.

Andrew: So…

Ben: So…


The Hosts Make Some Phone Calls


Andrew: Before we go to break, Alex Carpenter wanted to get in here with his thoughts. He has a big Wizard Rock show coming up in just about – let’s see, what time it is now. Eight o’clock. So, coming up in an hour or so. We’re going to give him a call. He may be very nervous before the – you know, the pre-show nerves. You know. Ben and I, we never experience that on tour. Or Mikey, because we’re just naturals, but Alex can get a little nervous. So we’re going to give him a call. He’s actually touring on the east coast right now.

Ben: Ooh. Fun.

Andrew: He better answer.

[Phone rings]

Andrew: Does he know who he’s dealing with? We made him who he is.

[Phone goes to voicemail]

Voicemail: Hey, it’s Alex. Sorry I missed your call…

Laura: Ah!

Andrew: Ah, that’s real cool.

Laura: Oh, fail.

Andrew: Real cool. Alex.

Voicemail: I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks. Have an awesome day.

Andrew: Have an awesome day.

Laura: Have an awesome… [laughs]

Andrew: Have an awesome day.

Alex’s voicemail: To page this person, press five now.

Andrew: What a jerk! I texted him earlier. I said…

[Phone beeps]

Andrew: Hey!

Ben: Hey.

Andrew: We’re doing a show! I text you an hour ago, you said, “Sure, I’ll come on. Just call me before nine because that’s…” Give you a call, straight to voicemail.

Ben: The ignore button. That wasn’t even the – that wasn’t even voicemail.

Andrew: Oh, you’re right.

Ben: It rang twice. We got the ignore button.

Andrew: What a jerk. You know what? Sam Friedman’s with him right now. I bet she’s behind this. Jerk. All right, well, call us back if you want.

Ben: Don’t say her name! [laughs] Just kidding.

Andrew: [laughs] Just kidding, just kidding. Sam’s not a jerk. ‘Kay.

Ben: Call her.

Andrew: Oh yeah! That’s a good idea. All right. So we’ll call her and demand that we speak with Alex immediately. We’ll pretend like it’s of great importance. Somebody fill the time.

Elysa: Where is he on the east coast?

Andrew: He’s in – I want to say Providence, Rhode Island.

Elysa: Oh, okay.

Ben: Laura, let’s sing Green Day songs. [sings] Do you have the time

Ben and Elysa: [sings] To listen to me whine?

Laura: Oh my gosh, this is like – remember when we used to have those big debates about Fall Out Boy?

Sam’s phone: Please enjoy the music while your party is reached.

[“Cupid’s Chokehold” by Gym Class Heroes plays]

Ben: Oh yeah

Andrew: [sings] She’s the only one I got.

Sam: Hello?

Andrew: Hey, this is Andrew. What’s up?

Sam: What the hell? Why did you come up on…? What the hell is going on?

Andrew: I – nothing. Is Alex there? Are you with Alex?

Laura: No swearing!

Sam: I’ll be with Alex in a few minutes. Why, what’s up?

Andrew: I need to talk to him now.

Ben: Go find him, this is urgent.

Andrew: This is urgent.

Sam: You need – you need what?

Andrew: Alex. Need him. Tried calling him, he didn’t answer.

Sam: Okay. Okay. I’ll have him call you as soon as I get back to the place. It’ll be like ten minutes, okay?

Andrew: Oh forget it, forget it…

Ben: We’re live right now.

Sam: What the hell?

Andrew: We’re doing MuggleCast Live right now and he said he would come on and talk about his trailer thoughts, and I called him, and it went straight to voicemail.

Sam: Well, he’s warming up for his show.

Andrew: Oh whatever. Whatever. No, I’m just kidding.

Ben: Nobody warms up for Wizard Rock.

[Andrew Laughs]

Sam: Is that Ben? What the hell is going on?

Andrew: All right. Nothing.

Ben: You don’t even know. You don’t even know.

Andrew: Thank you. Thank you, Sam.

Sam: Okay, bye, I’ll go call him.

Ben: Buh-bye

Andrew: That was Sam Friedman. All right, so we’re going to take a break. When we come back we’re going to be taking your calls. We have a little announcement about a little charity effort we’re doing with the live show today, and much more. Mikey, are you going to stick around, or what’s the deal?

Ben: Mikey, stay.

Andrew: I think Mikey already left.

Laura: Oh, no you know what? He told me he had work to do.

Andrew: Oh, so he just left.

Ben: Boo.

Micah: I think his boss walked in.


Hosts Take a Break


Andrew: These people, the dedication has dropped to the show; I’m very disappointed. From Mikey and Alex, you guys are great. Anyway, all right, we’re going to take a break. When we come back we’re going to be taking your calls, playing Spy on Spartz, baby, and much more. This is MuggleCast live, we’ll be back in just a few minutes.

[“Mississippi Queen” by Mountain plays and fades into “More Than A Feeling” by Boston]

Andrew: [sings] MuggleCast live, Wednesday July 30th. Dun dun dun dun…

Ben: I just want to say whoever put that playlist together should be given an award.

Andrew: Oh, that was me, Ben!

Ben: Oh. Never would have guessed. [laughs]


Charity: Teddy Bears for Hope


Andrew: Thank you. [laughs] Anyway, welcome back, everyone. We have a lot of things to get to in the second half of this show. We’re going to be taking your calls in a minute, so don’t start calling yet please. First of all, we’re kicking off a new little charity thing here on MuggleCast starting today, actually. We’re starting it – today – with this live show. Okay, I got to stop bringing up UStream because it does that. Teddy Bears for Hope. Micah, can you explain this a little bit to the audience please? Micah Tannenbaum?

Mikey: Micah Tannenbaum? Are you there? I’m here, Andrew.

Andrew: Micah Tannenbaum is not here. We’ll get to it in a minute. Visit MuggleCast.com, go click on the banner on the top, it says “Teddy Bears for Hope.” What we’re doing is we’re trying to raise money to send out teddy bears to people who are going through tough situations right now. It’s this charity effort – that’s a friend of Micah’s. We’re looking for five dollar donations from each person because it’s five dollars a teddy bear, isn’t that right, Micah? He tells me he’s back and – oh! He dropped from the Skype conversation, that’s what happened.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Ah, I’m good at this live thing. Micah, can you explain Teddy Bears for Hope briefly? I went through it all, but do you want to explain it a little bit more?

Micah: Sure, basically, we’ve been talking about doing some kind of charitable effort on this show for a pretty long time, and we just couldn’t figure out what to do and we came across this non-profit organization called Teddy Bears for Hope, and really what they do is they provide brand new teddy bears to children around the world whose lives have been ravaged by tragedy. And, you know, one of the areas of course that would come to mind in this country is down in New Orleans. I actually just came from there as Andrew, you mentioned earlier on in the show. And, you know, some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina are in fact children. And what we were thinking of doing was putting up a poll on the site and seeing where our listeners thought these teddy bears would be able to go. And there is a link I believe that you created, Andrew, with a banner on MuggleCast.com. People can go over, they can click on it…

Andrew: Yes.

Micah: They can read a little bit about the non-profit organization, they can check out the non-profit organization’s website. There’s a donate button that’s located on this page, and you can give as little or as much as you want, there’s no set amount. We just want to try and help out in any way we can. And then of course once it’s voted on where these bears are going to be going we will of course follow through and let the listeners know. We’ll get pictures and all that kind of thing and post them up on the site. But this is our chance to give back. You know, the fandom as a whole has always been so good about rallying around important causes. You know, I mentioned New Orleans, we don’t have to do it with New Orleans. We could do it with New Orleans and another place, it really doesn’t matter. We can – we can spread it out. But this is really just a great opportunity for us to give something back.

Andrew: Sure.

Micah: So…


Andrew Tries Calling Alex Again and Fails


Andrew: All right, and that’s going to be going on for the next three weeks. We’re going to be trying to raise money, so – and if it’s a good success we’ll keep it going even longer. I mean, why not? So, we’ll keep you updated on MuggleCast. Switching gears now, Alex is ready. He’s done his practicing. And he wants to call in. So, I’m going to give him a call now. If you don’t know, Alex is the leader of the Remus Lupins, a very popular Wizard Rock band. They’re my favorite, personally. I think they’re excellent.

[Phone rings]

Andrew: I’m calling now. If he doesn’t answer this time, I’m boycotting his music.

[Phone rings]

Andrew: Burn all his albums.

[Elysa laughs]

[Phone rings]

Andrew: Jerk.

Alex’s voicemail: Hey, it’s Alex…

Andrew: This is a joke. He had his chance.

Ben: Ooo .


Andrew Experiences an Earthquake


Andrew: “Call me back as soon as I can…” Before we get to anything else, I’d like to comment on a recent headline in the news.

[“Taps” begins playing]

Andrew: Yesterday there was what many were calling a natural disaster. It was about quarter of noon, yesterday.

Ben: Oh, you make me sick.

Laura: [laughs] Oh my God…

Andrew: And I was stepping out of the shower, minding my own business…

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: …and I opened the bathroom door. Things were great, it’s another beautiful day. Trailer coming up this evening. And I noticed the ceiling begins to shake, and I think to myself, “Geez, the neighbors up there are being noisy.” And before I know it, the walls begin to shake, as well, and little did I know I was in an earthquake. And I just wanted to let everyone know I am okay. I know a lot of people were worried. They may have saw my Twitter or my Facebook. I am okay. Mikey has also survived the earthquake. Did you survive, Mikey?

Ben: I don’t know. He’s working.

Andrew: He didn’t.

[Everyone laughs]

[“Taps” stops playing]

Andrew: But it’s okay. We made it through. I just wanted to update everyone on that situation. Hope nobody minded.

Ben: Oh, I was just…

Andrew: It was very sad.

Ben: Well, it was so funny. I was sitting on the computer yesterday. I wasn’t actually sitting on the computer.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: I was at the computer.

Andrew: I was going to say.

Ben: But yesterday, this was about the afternoon, Andrew comes to me online and he says, “OMG! OMG! OMG!” And I said, “What?” And then he signed off, and then he came back and he said, “There was an earthquake.” I was like, “What? No way!” And then I called his parents, of course, to make sure they knew that Andrew was okay. Yeah, I took the liberty…

Mikey: I remember that. Andrew IMed me and was like, “Mikey! Did you feel that?”

Ben: And then Mikey starts busting out all this data.

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: He linked to…

Ben: “It felt like a 5.6.”

Andrew: [laughs] It felt like a 5.6. But anyway…

Mikey: Guys, when you live with earthquakes all the time, you just go to USGS. The globe – they check everything.

Andrew: I didn’t know that.

Mikey: It’s just there. The best part, though – Ben, you don’t know this – me and Andrew were talking and he said, “Did you just feel that?” We felt an aftershock at the exact same time.

Andrew: Well, earthquakes are amazing because Mikey and I – he was at work yesterday and it’s like a half hour from where we live, in [unintelligible], and the moment he feels the aftershock, I feel it too, and it’s just surreal to think something under the earth is shaking the ground where we can actually feel it at the same time.

Ben: Haven’t you seen the movie Tremors?

Andrew: No. It’s just surreal to me.

Mikey: I own the Tremors 4-pack with all the movies. It’s pretty amazing, Ben. You should come by and we can watch all four of them.

Ben: Yeah, we can cuddle.

Mikey: Yeah.


Rules: No Shout Outs, Tacos, Twilight, and Mute the Stream


Andrew: [laughs] All right, we are going to start taking your calls now. I just want to lay a couple of ground rules first. We did this last time and it worked out very well, so we are going to do it again. No shout outs, please. You know, it’s great you want to shout out to your friends, but please don’t do it, it slows the show down. No Pickle Pack. I saw in the chat, there’s like a TacoCast or something like that. No taco references. No Twilight references. Even though TwilightSource.com is a great website for all your Twilight needs. And mute your stream while you call. Do not have the stream of the show up while you place your call because then we’re just going to hear it and it’s going to sound bad. Everyone’s going to hear it.

Ben: But, Andrew, then I can’t hear myself.

Andrew: Well, just have it low and be prepared to turn it down the moment I answer your call.

Laura: And you’ll get hung up on.

Andrew: Yes. Have a question prepared before you call, please. Some people place the call and like, “I don’t know, I forgot what I was going to say.” Have a question prepared.

Mikey: I like the people that want to call and just say, like, “So, how you guys doing?” I like that. It makes me feel special that people want to know how I’m doing.

Andrew: But it’s ruining the pace of the show. It’s ruining the pace.

Mikey: Know what? I like it when people want to know how I’m doing, Andrew.

Andrew: Okay, well…

Mikey: I feel like someone cares. Okay, I want to know that people care. But you know what? If you don’t want people to know that, yeah. I care about everyone.

Andrew: Only call in once. Do not make repeated calls. It won’t do you any good. I’m not going to answer if I keep seeing you call, or if your call comes on and you try to call back again. You only get one shot because everyone gets – we’re trying to give everyone a chance. And we’re trying – you know, this is all just to avoid slowing the show down, as I said. All right, so after being all mean with that, let’s start taking a couple calls right now. Hello, Colin.


Call: Audience May Think Voldemort is the Half-Blood Prince


Colin: Hello?

Andrew: Hello, Colin! You’re in MuggleCast Live. What’s going on?

Colin: Awesome.

Andrew: Awesome!

Mikey: Totally.

Colin: Now I’m really here.

Andrew: So, what’s going on? Got any questions?

Colin: What?

Ben: He’s cutting out, isn’t he?

Andrew: Yeah, a little bit.

Mikey: It’s a little bit slow.

Andrew: Do you have any questions, sir?

Colin: I just re-watched the trailer, and I was thinking for a second, doesn’t – to me it gives every thought that, like, that – to make people think that Voldemort is, like, the Half-Blood Prince. It doesn’t mention any…

Andrew: It doesn’t mention any Half-Blood Prince references? I

Mikey: Any Snape references or anything.

Andrew: Is that what you mean?

Colin: Well, the title, and then some [unintelligible], it would make, like, someone who hasn’t read the books think that Tom Riddle’s the Half-Blood Prince, just from the title and…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Yeah, but that is the trick, my friend; that is the trick.

Andrew: Yeah, and we were sort of talking about…

Colin: And…

Andrew: Go ahead.

Colin: I know you guys mentioned that earlier about how we didn’t see any Snape, but it bugged me how it just – it’s going to make all like the non-readers think that that is…

Andrew: Right.

Colin: That Tom Riddle is the Half-Blood Prince.

Ben: That makes for a good movie. If they spend the entire movie thinking Tom Riddle is the Half-Blood Prince, and then when they find out what it really is, you know?

Elysa: Yeah, that’s a fair point, because if you think about it, we went into the book not having any idea, but the people who haven’t read the book are going to go into the movie with assumptions. So there is a slight difference.

Andrew: Mhm.

Micah: At the very least I would say…

Colin: I guess that’s kind of the same because… .

Andrew: All right, well thank you, Colin. Micah, what were you going to say, Micah?

Micah: Well, kind of going off what Colin was saying before, at the very least, you know, throw the book in there. Throw the Potions book in there, so there’s at least some tie to the title of the movie.

Andrew: Well, the Potions book was in the very first picture.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: What, Laura?

Laura: Non-readers of the book aren’t going to make the connection between the Potions book…

Ben: Why does it matter? My question is: why does it matter?

Andrew: Well, it doesn’t necessarily matter.

Micah: It doesn’t.

Andrew: It is kind of misleading, but I guess because there is so much focus on Tom Riddle, and then it says Half-Blood Prince, so you do assume.


Alex Carpenter Finally Makes it to his Phone


Alex: Hello?

Andrew: Alex Carpenter.

Alex: There we go. I’m sorry.

Andrew: What’s going on? It’s okay.

Ben: [singing] Lumos 2006.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: Hey, buddy.

Andrew: You’re preparing for a show.

Alex: Hey, man. I am. It is a hectic evening. We are in Providence and just setting up for a show, yeah.

Andrew: Are you excited for the show? You’ve been on tour for a while, haven’t you?

Alex: This is like show nine million of this tour here.

[Andrew laughs]

Alex: It’s crazy.

Andrew: So, I…

Alex: For like almost two months.

Andrew: I assume you saw the trailer. What did you think of it? Were you happy…

Alex: Oh man.

Andrew: Yeah?

Alex: It is so awesome.

Andrew: Yeah.

Alex: It’s out of control.

Andrew: Yeah.

Alex: I saw it. I have to admit, I liked it better without audio, like I saw it on an iPhone without audio first…

Andrew: Yeah?

Alex: …and then I heard all the talking and that was cool.

[Andrew laughs]

Alex: Dumbledore, like, just being Gandalf with the fire all around him.

[Andrew laughs]

Alex: That was so amazing.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, we were saying that it’s really true to the books too. It actually looks how it was actually described.

Alex: Yeah, it’s pretty BA.

Andrew: Yeah.

Alex: I have to say. I’m excited to see how the whole thing is realized.

Andrew: Yeah.

Alex: But I’m sure they’re going to cut out everyone’s favorite part because they always do.

Andrew: Which is what?

Alex: Whatever that is.

Andrew: Oh.

Alex: I don’t know. For every person it’s something different. They always cut out everyone’s favorite part.

Andrew: That’s true. Has this trailer inspired you to write any new songs perhaps?

Alex: [laughs] Since last night…

Mikey: Like songs you’re going to sing right now?

Alex: [laughs] I wish it had.

[Andrew laughs]

Alex: Funny about that trailer.

Ben: [sings] Trailer 2008.

Alex: [sings] I’m super excited that Bonnie Wright doesn’t look like a little girl, because it would be creepy…

[Andrew laughs]

Alex: [continues singing] …when her and Dan Radcliffe hook-up… [laughs] …because they’re going to…

Andrew: See, you could turn that into a full-fledged song.

Alex: Were you guys concerned at all about that?

Andrew: What?

Alex: I was concerned because she looked…

Mikey: I totally was concerned.

Alex: …like a little girl in the last movie.

Andrew: Yeah, she did look ridiculous.

Alex: I hope that’s what they accomplished.

Andrew: I agree, thank you.

Alex: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Alex: Yeah.

Andrew: She gets attacked in this one, poor girl. But – all right, well, we’ll let you go, Alex.

Alex: Did you guys enjoy it? Did you scream like little fangirls perhaps?

Andrew: Oh, yes. You’re talking about my video on YouTube?

Alex: I enjoyed it. I watched it a couple of times.

Andrew: Oh, yes.

Alex: It kept me laughing on tour.

Andrew: Good. Excellent. Anything to help you and the tour.

[Alex laughs]

Andrew: All right, well, we’ll let you go. Thank you, Alex, for calling in.

Alex: Have an awesome rest of your show.

Andrew: You too. Have a good show, man. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do fine.

Alex: Thank you.

Andrew: You guys are great.

Alex: All right, bye.

Andrew: All right, bye. All right, that was Alex Carpenter of the Remus Lupins. Good guy. I like that guy. Let’s take another call now going with this voice streak. Hello Nick – no, boy streak, excuse me. Hello, Nick.

Nick: Hi.

Andrew: Hi. Welcome to the show.


Call: The Little Details


Nick: Hi. All right, I have less of a question but a comment. All right, are you ready?

Andrew: Yeah.

Nick: Now, I love the books and I don’t really like the movies as much, but WB makes it so hard. Dumbledore is supposed to have auburn red hair when he goes to visit Tom Riddle.

Andrew: Ah, yes.

Laura: Harry is supposed to have green eyes.

Andrew: [laughs] But hair is much more obvious, Laura.

Nick: See, is it really that hard to make those little details true to the book? They just have to look at the book.

Laura: But, I mean, does it really matter?

Mikey: Yeah, but at the same time, Harry is not supposed to be Dan Radcliffe, you know, handsome, and Ron is not supposed to be the way – these people are not…

Ben: We all know Hermione is not really that hot.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: Seriously, so…

[Ben laughs]

Mikey: …at the same time, you know, they’re trying to sell tickets, man. I totally agree with you in a lot of aspects but it’s movie-making, it’s magic.

Nick: But he just looks stupid. I mean, like, wouldn’t it be so much cooler if he had red hair in the trailer? It would be like, “Wow! He looks so different.”

Andrew: He would look younger.

Mikey: At the same time, you got to…

Nick: He still has gray hair. I mean…

Mikey: But you got to remember, though, at the same time, like, people that don’t read the books, will they know who that guy is with red hair? Will they? Honestly, like…

Ben: That’s probably why.

Mikey: In fact…

Nick: Yeah, that’s true, that’s true.

Mikey: …just a minute ago, like I’m at work, I had two people come to my office, and I showed them the trailer, and they didn’t know who that little kid was until the very end with the flash with Voldemort. Like I knew who it was instantly when I saw him. I was like, “Dude, he looks like, you know, how it should be.”

Nick: Right.

Mikey: You know these two people had no clue who he was. It was like, “Who’s that kid? Is that like Harry’s brother or something?” They actually asked me that.

Nick: Right.

Mikey: And I’m just like, “Watch,” and it wasn’t ’till the very end that they saw the flash that they put two and two together. And I think a character like Dumbledore, because there’s nothing to make it sound like Dumbledore, short of the name, and people sometimes miss audio, like, in a movie. I think that’s one of the reasons they can’t change them that much. They can’t put a different actor in Gambon’s place for that flashback scene.

Andrew: It kind of takes…

Micah: They didn’t put a different character in Harris’ place for the flashback scene when Tom Riddle was in school, either, so it’s movie-making. There’s a lot of decisions made for that.

Andrew: It also kind of takes away from the darkness, I think, because that whole scene is very dark, and who’s this younger Dumbledore with some red hair? I mean…

[Nick laughs]

Andrew: …if you look at the scene, there’s basically two colors. Well, three: black, white, and gray. It’s just a very depleted scene. I mean, just look at even the doors, it’s just a dark green. Everything’s just dark color, and I think it would take away from the style, the color style, that they were going for.

Nick: Right. Which is exactly the same as when they went back in the past in Chamber of Secrets. It was like basically black and white.

Andrew: Right, exactly, yeah. And it’s too much of a distraction. Everyone’s going to be like, “Why does he have red hair? What the hell’s going on?” So…

Mikey: Yeah, again, I know it’s not true to the book, but when you think of it from a visual standpoint, in our minds we can imagine this amazing thing, and, truthfully, everything I imagine in my mind is probably about a hundred times better than what they put on film, but at the same time, I still think some of the stuff they do is way cool.

Andrew: Mhm.

Mikey: So it’s a visual standpoint, what they can actually physically pull off, what they can do, and what makes sense for people that aren’t reading the books, because, again, that’s a huge fan-base for them. You know, this movie reaches out to – my parents don’t read the books, but they go see all the movies. So it’s one of those things where you really have to think about how many people are going to go see this movie.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: You know, not just your core audience.

Nick: You’re right.

Andrew: All right, thank you, Nick, for the call.

Mikey: Thank you.

Nick: All right, thank you.

Andrew: Have an awesome day. I’m going to start taking that. I’m going to steal that from what’s-his-face. No, I don’t want to accept video. Hello, Lucas.


Call: Voldemort is Gay?


Lucas: Oh – hold, on I got to make sure…Okay, am I the only one that thought Dumbledore was going to say that
Voldemort was gay when he was like, “You’re different, like me”?

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Not really. I was…

Mikey: No, but I think I will start saying that.

Laura: No.

Mikey: I think I agree with you on that one, one hundred percent now.

Andrew: Laura?

Ben: There were flames after that.

Laura: Um…

Andrew: “You’re different,” and then he sends up the flames. Yeah, maybe they are trying to say something.

Laura: And then he makes him prove it.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Prove it.

Mikey: You know, to [unintelligible], Dumbledore there is like nine years old, or eleven years old, guys. It’s kind of wrong to think that.

Andrew: Yeah, you’re right.

Mikey: Prove it? Really?

Ben: Dumbledore’s only eleven?

Mikey: You had to say that? When Voldemort’s only eleven in that scene, and you say “prove it”? That’s just really wrong, guys. I don’t know if I can stay on anymore.

Andrew: Okay, bye. [laughs] Just kidding.

Mikey: I’m just saying, don’t say those bad things. That’s bad.

Andrew: All right, thank you, Lucas, for that. Take another call now. Hello, caller. [silence] Hello, caller, that’s you. Yeah, Monster Hospital. Yeah, hi.

[Feedback]

Andrew: Hello, Monster Hospital.

Ben: I hear the lag coming through.

MuggleCast 155 Transcript (continued)


Call: Harry’s Birthday and Movie Dumbledore versus Book Cover Dumbledore


Andrew: All right. Yeah, we’re going to take another call. Hello, caller, you’re live. Hello? Hello, Inger?

Inger: Hello?

Andrew: Hi. Welcome to the show.

Inger: Can you hear me okay? Hi.

Andrew: Yeah, hi!

Inger: Hi. Thank you. I just have some comments. First of all, it’s Jo’s and Harry’s birthday today.

Andrew: [gasps] That’s right.

Inger: In Norway, at least.

Andrew: Happy Birthday, Harry. Well, technically, at least. Where do you live, ma’am?

Inger: Norway, Oslo.

Andrew: Norway, okay, yeah. See, us East Coasters still can’t recognize it yet, technically, because it’s not July 31st.

Inger: Yeah, I know. That’s why I reminded you.

Andrew: Oh, well, thank you.

Inger: You’re welcome. And I was just thinking about the fire scene. Dumbledore looks really like on the book cover.

Andrew: Yes.

Laura: Oh, yeah!

Inger: He looks really similar, so if you just look at the picture on the cover. It’s really similar.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, the U.K. cover, she’s talking about.

Inger: Yeah, the U.K.

Andrew: Yeah, I actually – I noticed that too, when I first – well, not when I first saw it, but when I checked it out a couple times. That’s really cool. I wonder if they modeled it after the book cover maybe. Although Harry’s in the middle.

Inger: Yeah, and even the fire looks the same. The circle around it.

Andrew: Yeah. The big difference, though, is that Harry’s not in the middle, unless I’m missing something.

Inger: Yeah, and Dumbledore’s not wearing glasses.

Andrew: [laughs] Right. Yeah, they’ve completely…

Inger: I don’t…

Andrew: Yeah, does anyone…

Inger: Sorry.

Andrew: No, yeah, basically Inger’s talking about how Dumbledore doesn’t wear glasses anymore. What’s up with that?

Inger: Like that’s the easiest thing that they could do.

Ben: He had laser eye surgery.

Inger: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: Laser eye surgery.

Inger: Yeah, it’s like magic. Doesn’t need glasses anymore.

Andrew: Yeah.

Inger: That’s stupid. It’s not that hard to just give him glasses, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, and I really liked that about Dumbledore. That really gave him the studious, the wisdom-ish look. I thought that contributed a lot to it.

Inger: Yeah, no, and he looks a lot angrier on the cover.

Andrew: Yeah.

Inger: And his facial expression is pretty good at the end of the trailer as well, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, definitely.

Inger: So I do think he’s redeemed himself. And there’s something else. The last line, it’s from the book, isn’t it?

Andrew: Was that from the book?

Inger: The very last line.

Andrew: Was it from the book?

Inger: I think so!

Andrew: I didn’t know that.

Mikey: Yeah, it was. Like, did you know that? Yeah, that’s from the book.

Andrew: Oh!

Inger: And – and Voldemort at the end when, I understand that people don’t, like, read Harry Potter and aren’t obsessed like us, and that they wouldn’t understand that it’s young Voldemort we’re seeing, but I mean, it’s just – it just looks so extremely silly, like it’s coming from a corner just saying “boo.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Inger: I think it’s just – I don’t like that, but that’s okay, I didn’t like it in the Order of the Phoenix movie either, so…

Andrew: I thought it was kind of cool, but…

Ben: Where did you say you’re from, by the way?

Mikey: Are you talking about the flashes?

Andrew: Norway, she’s from Norway.

Inger: Andrew, I met you in London. Jamie gave me tickets for the show.

Andrew: Oh, awesome! Our big Deathly Hallows release show!

Inger: Yeah, I know.

Andrew: Sweet. Well, Inger, thank you. We’re going to take some other calls now. Great points you brought up.

Inger: Thank you. Bye!

Andrew: Thank you. Bye bye! Yeah, from Norway. Isn’t that crazy, to think about it, we have callers in Norway? Brian Vetter, you’re on MuggleCast Live. What’s going on?

Brian: What is this? No way!

Andrew: What? You called! I answered!

Brian: Aw, this is insane!

Andrew: It’s literally the luck of the draw, because I get so many Skype calls, they just keep popping up. And like, I’ll hit “answer” to somebody, but then, like, five more names show up and then, you know, picked you. So do you have a question, sir?


Call: Draco Malfoy


Brian: Yeah! I was just wondering, is he – is Draco Malfoy in this movie? Like – like, you know, I – I thought, like, he was this huge – I thought he was a huge plot, you know? Like underneath Half-Blood Prince, he’s not – I didn’t see him once.

Andrew: He’s all over this movie. The pictures they’ve been releasing, there’s a lot of Draco pictures so far. I think two official ones now?

Brian: Well, I thought he’d be in the trailer though.

Andrew: Oh. Yeah, well, it’s not really related to…

Ben: It’s just a teaser trailer, too, you’ve got to keep that in mind. We don’t have…

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: But at the same time, you’ve also got to remember, I know Draco’s a huge part of this, but Snape’s not in it either, and he is the Half-Blood Prince, so, it’s a teaser trailer. They’re focusing on one aspect of the story.

Ben: Yeah.

Brian: Right.

Mikey: Jo wrote this amazing story and it’s got all these little weaves of different, like, storylines, and they’re focusing on one small one.

Brian: Yeah.

Elysa: Right.


Where’s Matt?


Brian: And then just the other question I have, you know, is Matt going to be on sometime, or is he just not going to show up?

Andrew: You’re talking about Matt Britton.

Brian: I am.

Andrew: He’s at work right now; he regrets not appearing on today’s live episode.

Ben: Uh-huh.

Laura: We’re all sad.

Andrew: Are you a Matt Britton fanboy?

Brian: Eh, he’s a cool guy.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: No, Andrew, I was talking to Matt earlier. He’s like, “I’m actually glad I don’t have to be on the live show.”

Andrew: Oh, he did not say that.

Mikey: I was really sad. I’m like, “Well I’m going to be at work and be on, why can’t you be at work and be on?” He’s like, “I just don’t want to.”

Andrew: He was very sad that he couldn’t be on the show today.

Mikey: Uh-huh. I’m sure.

Andrew: He was very upset. And, unfortunately, he’s not going to be back anytime soon, so – all right, thank you, Brian! Is that all?

Brian: Yeah, definitely, yep!

Andrew: All right, thank you, sir.

Brian: Thanks for having me on.


Statements from Eric and Jamie


Andrew: No problem. You know, speaking of co-hosts that haven’t made it on today, Eric and Jamie have also regretted not appearing on today’s show, and I do have statements from Eric and Jamie, and I’d like to read them now. Jamie’s is actually an audio clip that we’ll play in a moment. Eric provided this…

Ben: Oh, I can’t wait to hear that.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. You’ll like it, Ben. He digs on you. Eric had this statement to say. It was surprisingly short: “The more they focus on the Tom Riddle back story, the happier I become. I am happy.” That’s a statement from Eric today. His people spoke with my people and passed along that.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: That sounds like a – that sounds like a statement from, like, a lawyer.

Micah: Wait, hold on a second. That was unbelievably short.

Andrew: I couldn’t believe it! Well, because…

Laura: [unintelligible] saying earlier…

Andrew: He called me, and he’s like, “Hey, can you write something down that I want to – that you could read on the show?” I was like, sure, and I’m like – I’m taking out, like, you know, I’m clearing my hard drive out, ready to type up a book, you know, so I have enough room to save the document, and it was just that. It was awesome. Also, we have this clip from Jamie to play to – he’s speaking to all the fans who are wondering where he’s been lately.

Audio of Jamie: Hello, everyone. It feels like it has been years since I’ve spoken to you last. Probably hasn’t been that long, but certainly been a while. I miss everyone. I miss you guys a lot. I feel completely rusty talking into a microphone now because I haven’t done it for so long, but I’m sorry I haven’t been on for so long. I’ve been pretty busy. After I graduated I got back from university and I just haven’t really gotten around to it, but I am going to return with a vengeance now. The real reason is, though, I think Ben’s back on the show after a long hiatus, and I just did not want to steal his thunder for this show, so I thought I’d, you know, let him have a – have one show then I’d come back. Only kidding! Buddy, only kidding. But yeah, the reason I’m not on this live show is because I have a six hour drive early in the morning, so I need to get to bed and get some sleep…

Andrew: Wah!

Audio of Jamie: …so I don’t crash and, you know, cause mayhem, so, I will sign off and hope you guys really enjoy the live show. I’m sad I’m missing it, sounds like it’s going to be an awesome one, and I will catch up with you guys soon.

Andrew: That was Jamie Lawrence.

Ben: Speaking of – speaking of driving though – speaking of six hour drive, Andrew, how’s he going to sit during that six hours? You’ve seen Jamie drive. Is he a good driver?

Andrew: Jamie’s a very good driver; he’s a very cautious driver, he sits up with perfect posture. Leans a little into the wheel. He told me today he got a – he told me, he was like, “Dude I got a Sat Nav.” And I was like, a Sat Nav? What is that? I thought he was talking about like a Saturn car. It turns out…

Ben: He’s probably means, like, a GPS.

Andrew: A GPS, yeah. That’s exactly what he was talking about. So there’s a statement from Jamie and Eric, we thank them both for that. Let’s take another call now. Hello, Viv!


Call: Defense of Michael Gambon


Viv: Hey.

Andrew: What’s going on?

Viv: Hi.

Andrew: Hi.

Viv: Not much right now, actually. I just kind of wanted to comment on you guys kind of being really hard on Michael Gambon.

Andrew: You think so?

Ben: What?

Laura: I agree.

Viv: I do think so.

Laura: You guys are really mean to Michael Gambon.

Viv: They really are.

Ben: Blame it all on me. Blame it all on me.

Viv: No, no. Hear me out here, guys. I think he’s an insanely talented actor, and I don’t think anyone can deny that. Everyone has such a different view on Dumbledore – like, personally, when I read the books, I saw him as kind of like my grandpa, and he acted a lot like my grandpa acted before he died, and that’s how he kind of connected to me, but – and the Richard Harris was a lot closer to my grandpa. My grandpa actually knew Richard Harris, which was kind of cool, but…

Andrew: Oh.

Viv: …when I saw Michael Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore, I actually thought it was better because I just – I don’t know, for me Richard Harris was just so, kind of, quiet and not as forward as Dumbledore might be, and so I think you just need to give Michael Gambon a chance.

Andrew: Well, let me start with a rebuttal. I’ve always been flip-flopping with – not with Dumbledore, that would be weird – about Michael Gambon.

[Ben and Laura laugh]

Andrew: I don’t know exactly what to think about him. I like Michael Gambon a lot, and I have said on the show before that I thought he’s better than Richard Harris, and I don’t really want to rip on him because I think he’s really great in this trailer. I mean, you heard me. Did you think I was ripping on Viv – on Viv – on Dumbledore? Michael Gambon?

Viv: No, no, I didn’t, but I’ve been listening to this show for a while and you guys, sometimes you’re just awful to the guy, and he’s just a different Dumbledore, and I like him, honestly. I think he’s going to be…

Ben: Oh, come one. He couldn’t even grow auburn hair.

Andrew: Yeah.

Viv: Could you grow – can you grow auburn hair?

Ben: Oh, yeah.

Andrew: Micah, what do you have to say about this?

Micah: Well, I mean, I’m probably the one that’s been the most critical of him, so I’ll say this, and, you know, the biggest problem is whenever you establish a role and you use somebody like Richard Harris and, unfortunately, he passed away, it becomes very, very difficult to fill that void, and it doesn’t really matter who initiated the role, it doesn’t – Richard Harris was a great actor, but it could’ve been anybody, and once that’s established, you know, it’s very, very hard for somebody else to come in and take their place, and I think people talk about Harris being so quiet. Well, the thing is, you have to remember the first two movies are so lighthearted. They’re not as serious.

Viv: Yeah.

Micah: Harris never got the chance to portray beyond Chamber of Secrets. So, I mean, that’s kind of my take on it, and for me I think it’s very hard for Gambon to fill in that role. With that being said, though, I think in the thirty seconds or so that we saw him here, that he looks like he did a better job in Half-Blood Prince. That’s just my opinion.

Elysa: Well, I think…

Viv: Yeah, I definitely agree with that.

Andrew: Elysa?

Elysa: I think there’s an important distinction, though, because you were saying how he’s a great actor and I was never really a fan of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize him as an amazing actor. I’ve seen him in other movies, and I thought he was phenomenal. But I think – I mean, you make a good point that Dumbledore is such a beloved character that people interpret differently. It’s always going to be difficult to take such a figure and put him up on screen and then, you know, expect someone to be able to portray him exactly as every fan imagined. But I just, you know – I like him as an actor, just not as much as Dumbledore, and I just think that you have to draw the line there. There’s an important distinction between the two.

Andrew: All right, let’s leave it at that for now. We have many other callers who want to talk about some other things besides Michael. Thank you, Viv.

Viv: All right. See ya.

Andrew: Bye bye.

Laura: Bye.

Ben: Bye.

Andrew: Bye bye. All right, take another caller now. Macey. Hello, Macey. [static] Hello, Macey. Hi.

Macey: Hello?

Andrew: Hi. Welcome to the show.


Call: Yaxley or Greyback?


Macey: Oh, hi. I just downloaded Skype, so I’m not really sure how all this works, but I was just wondering about – you know the frame that everyone says is Greyback?

Andrew: Yes.

Macey: Well, my friend Maddy and I, we were looking last night, and we compared it to Johnpaul Castrianni, the guy who was just cast as Yaxley.

Andrew: Yes.

Macey: And we did a picture search type thing, and he has a very interesting nose, as you probably saw in the frame, and kind of sunken eyes, and it – his profile from the Google’s pic search or whatever nearly exactly matched the profile that was in the frame. So I was just curious if it was confirmed that it was Greyback or if it could be Yaxley.

Andrew: I’m going to say – well, okay. I’ll put it this way: it is Greyback who attacks the Burrow, so I can’t imagine why they would be showing Yaxley. Although, is it Greyback and Yaxley? See, I don’t know.

Laura: I mean, I have…

Mikey: I don’t think it’s Yaxley.

Laura: I haven’t studied the profiles of these two actors, but I’m looking at the frame right now, and he just looks more like they’re trying to make him look distinctly like a werewolf.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: I mean, he’s got a lot of hair.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: And he just looks very angular, and he just looks like a dog to me. I mean, not in a mean way, but…

[Elysa laughs]

Andrew: I agree.

Laura: It just looks like they’re setting it up to make it obvious that he’s a werewolf.

Andrew: Yeah, I think I agree with you because, like, if you look around his eyebrows, he has a lot of hair in that area. That’s what really gives it away to me, and even on his forehead, it looks like.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Unless it’s a shadow, but – no, it’s not a shadow.

Laura: No, it’s definitely hair.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s Greyback. That’s Greyback at the Burrow.

Macey: Does anybody know how – I was just thinking, how Greyback became a werewolf? Because I know he has all these scars, but the books never mentioned Greyback all scarred up or anything.

Andrew: They may just be adding that to his character – I mean, it looks like there’s only one visible scar on his nose, I guess you’re talking about?

Macey: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, I don’t know, what do you guys think?

Mikey: That’s back story we never got.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: I know Alex Carpenter has written since many werewolf back stories in his songs, but there’s no official back story, so…

Andrew: All right, thank you, Macey, for calling.

Macey: Thank you.

Andrew: Micah, did you have something to add? I didn’t want to cut you off.

Micah: I just wanted to know why Yaxley was cast for Half-Blood Prince.

Andrew: Uh…

Mikey: I think just to build him as a character for the next two.

Andrew: Maybe.

Micah: That makes sense, yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: Just ’cause he – he has a – in scope of important roles, Harry being like a ten and Voldemort being a ten, Yaxley’s about like a four or five. Like, he does some pretty key things…

Andrew: Mhm.

Mikey: …in the last book. You know, he’s the counterpart to Snape, like him and Snape go at it quite a bit, like arguments. So…

Andrew: All right, let’s take another call from Becca. Hello, Becca.

Becca: Hi.

Andrew: Hi. What’s going on?

Becca: How are you doing? Not too much.

Andrew: Mute UStream please, we can hear the stream in the background.

Becca: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: Can you turn that off? Thank you. Anyway, what’s your question?


Call: Unprofessional Trailer


Becca: It’s kind of more of a comment about how you guys were saying the trailer looked kind of unprofessional. Well, the part I thought was really unprofessional-looking was the part where they show the flashes of Voldemort, and it’s just like a black backdrop, and I thought that looked really crappy.

Andrew: See, but Laura said earlier – well, maybe it wasn’t Laura – that is actually from Order of the Phoenix. Those little flashbacks are from Order of the Phoenix, including those backgrounds that look kind of, like, cloudy. Those clips come in at the very end when Voldemort is in Harry’s mind. I don’t know…

Ben: I think when you’re doing those little flashes that…

Andrew: It doesn’t…

Ben: …you only need to have Voldemort in the shot because…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …it’s such a quick little shot of it that if you had anything in the background it may distract from what they were trying to portray, which was Voldemort, in those scenes.

Andrew: I think that’s a very good point.

Mikey: Yeah, I agree. I’m actually looking at one of the stills. I think the framing in itself is kind of a lame shot, but the fact that they put it in the right position. Even if this shot – you know, the first one where he’s, you know, the wand is up, it looks almost it’s from Goblet of Fire, and they just cut him out and placed him on a black background, which by all means could have easily been done, but it’s one of those things. They had to position them in the right spot, so that way you can get that link between the younger Tom Riddle and Voldemort. Again, I had people here who had no clue who that kid was, so, the fact it’s right underneath his head, like the eyes are almost in the exact same spot, it kind of lets you go, “Is that the kid?” you know, “Is it the darkest wizard?” And of course they go ahead and say that – that “I know I just met the darkest wizard of all time.” So…

Andrew: Yeah. When I first saw these clips in the Order of the Phoenix, I thought they were kind of corny and that, like, the one shot of Voldemort, he’s almost sticking his tongue out. It’s kind of weird.

Mikey: Yeah, I think that’s a style thing that – from the director, though, like…

Andrew: Maybe.

Mickey: …we need to have this kind of creepy, kind of – but at the same time keep it light-hearted, you know what I mean?

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: It’s creepy, and it’s kind of like – if you stick your tongue out, it’s kind of like you’re having fun, maybe? Like you’re joking around?

Becca: Yeah, it was very creepy, it just – yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: And you know what, actually? Only I would notice something like this. I’m actually still on that frame. That frame they used, I think they probably used it – they used it in Order of the Phoenix too. I think that’s actually from the graveyard scene from Goblet of Fire.

Andrew: Mmm…

Mikey: Because if you look at – if you go to 1:18, and you look around the neck on the left hand side, you can see that it’s actually photoed out, so it’s actually cut out of the film, which, of course, I would notice that, like, “Oh, it’s kind of sloppy there,” but it’s a good job still, like I didn’t…

Andrew: Yeah, I think you’re right, actually.

Mikey: If you look around his ear and neck, you can really tell like it’s a super sharp line that shouldn’t be there on film…

Andrew: Yeah.

[Becca laughs]

Mikey:…and the more I look at his head and stuff, it looks like it was cut out. So, even though, you know, this shot has been in multiple, you know, movies, it is, you know, it’s a piece from there, and now that I think about it, they probably, you know, there’s probably a bigger shot, and they just positioned it in the bottom left hand corner to fit the shot, so…

Andrew: All right…

Mikey: There was a lot of work there.

Andrew: …thank you, Becca, for the call.

Becca: All right, thanks, guys.

Andrew: No problem, bye. Okay, let’s take another call now. Hello? Hello?

Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hi.

Caller: Hello?

Andrew: Hi.

Caller: Hello?

Ben: Hello, hello. How are you doing today? Hello?


Call: Vials in Dumbledore’s Office


Andrew: And that’s what we call an unprepared caller. Let’s take another call now. Hello, Elliot. Hello, Elliot. Elliot, I know you’ve done this before.

Elliot: No, I’m – this is…

Andrew: There you go, you got it now.

Elliot: Yes.

Andrew: What’s going on?

Elliot: Hey.

Andrew: Hey.

Elliot: Nothing much. Okay, I would like to comment on the vials in Dumbledore’s office. Do they look really, like, old grannyish to anyone? Like they’re really weird. I don’t really like them.

Andrew: Old – old what?

Elliot: Old gran – they look like something you’d find in, like, a grandma’s house, like their shape. And there’s, like, lace in the little, like, cabinet thing.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Well, Dumbledore is 150.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: Well, there’s not lace. I’m actually looking at it, there’s not lace, but on the little things it looks like
lace. Like the title, it’s, like, around, like – it looks like it’s a sticker almost, where it’s cut out and it’s made to look like lace, like it’s a design thing.

Andrew: It kind of looks like a bowl.

Mikey: Yeah, no. It looks like something that would be at my grandma’s house. Like, you know, fifteen minutes from where I’m at.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elliot: But then, like – I don’t know, like the shape of the vials too, they’re kind of – like really delicate
looking, and I don’t know if I like that.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s definitely not how I would’ve pictured it, I guess.

Elliot: Yeah.

Laura: No, I think it looks cool, though.

Andrew: They do.

Laura: Definitely a cool prop.

Andrew: They were described on – the USA Today articles as like capsules. Doesn’t really make sense, but…

Elliot: Yeah, yeah. I don’t know.

Mikey: Yeah, I never envisioned them like this, but they do look kind of cool, but I don’t know. Like – I don’t know –
this is my question – I don’t know how functional they look like. If you look at them – like – there’s – it’s like a wine glass bottom, and it looks like a long shot glass.

Elliot: Yeah.

Mikey: It looks like a really elaborate shot glass with a topper, so you can put, like, a shot in it and fill
it up and…

Elliot: Yes!

Mikey: …get the [unintelligible].

Andrew: What’s a shot glass?

Mikey: It’s a shot glass.

Andrew: No, what is a shot glass? I don’t know what that is.

Mikey: But – I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem very functional, like – really delicate. You’re going to put that important [unintelligible].

Elliot: Exactly.

Mikey: What if there is an earthquake? Like me and Andrew just had?

[Elliot and Laura laugh]

Mikey: Those are going to fall and everything is going to be all over the floor, and you’re going to have memories of
Grindelwald mixed with Tom Riddle, and you’re not going to be able to go back to those memories at all.

Micah: They already shot the movie so it’s safe.

Andrew: Actually, when I went on the set…

[Laura says something unintelligible]

Andrew: …I actually did try to swipe one of those.

[Ben says something unintelligible]

Mikey: I know you did, you told me you tried.

Andrew: I tried to swipe one of these little capsules and they actually were spinning. You can’t really tell in
this, but I tried to swipe them, but they were actually glued to the Pensieve so…

Micah: Yeah, WB is not listening.

Andrew: Yeah. No, I’m just kidding. I didn’t really, you know…

Laura: Yeah, you did.

Andrew: Okay, you’re right. All right, thank you, Elliot, for the call.

Elliot: Thank you for taking it.

Mikey: It’s all right, he brought back plenty of souvenirs for the rest of us anyway.


Call: Extending the Movie


Andrew: Nope, just one. All right, let’s take another call. Hello, Logan!

Logan: Hello?

Andrew: Hey, what’s going on?

Logan: Nothing, I was just wondering…

Andrew: Go ahead.

Logan: I was just wondering, you know how everyone’s always disappointed in the movies, like when they don’t
put everything in them?

Andrew: Right. Yes. I’m one of those people.

Logan: Well, anyways, I think it would be kind of cool if for Half-Blood Prince, like, they filmed a really big, long movie that would satisfy everyone, and then they just cut it down to two hours or whatever for the theatrical version, and then they, like, put the whole extended version out when they put it on DVD.

Andrew: Yeah, like Lord of the Rings?

Laura: Rings.

Andrew: Yeah. That’d be cool. I think they’re trying to balance the budget with income. I’m sure there’s a
technical term for that, but I – you know, they’re going to do it with Movie 7 sort of. I don’t know, anyone else
have thoughts about that, doing an extended edition?

Laura: I mean, there are a lot of people who would go out and buy it, that’s granted, but I just wonder if it would
be enough to really make up for how much extra they’d spend filming like a four hour movie.

Andrew: Yeah. Because they are one of the more expensive film franchises to make. I know they’ve said that before. If not the most expensive. I know Spiderman 3, I think it was, was the biggest production-wise. All right, thank you, Logan, for calling.

Logan: Yep.

Andrew: Yep. All right, let’s take – we’ll do two more calls then we’re going to do Spy on Spartz, and then we’ll wrap things up for today. Hello Emily!

Emily: Oh, hi!

Andrew: Hi.

Emily: Hi!

Andrew: Just saw you in San Diego. What’s going on?

Emily: I’m good. Yep, the trailer was awesome.

Andrew: Yeah.


Call: Tom Riddle and the Wardrobe


Emily: I was wondering, in the book it has, like, Dumbledore showing Tom the stuff in the wardrobe and then
having him look at it, and, like, he’s really frightened. But in the movie he’s all like interested in the wardrobe,
and he thinks it’s cool, and it’s kind of creepy. Do you think that will… [cuts out]

Andrew: Sorry, can you say that again? You broke up.

Emily: Oh, sorry.

Andrew: Do you think it’ll be showed – we heard the first part – will it be showed? Is that what you said? The last
sentence?

Emily: Like, yeah, the whole movie. Or like Dumbledore showing him the box of like the stuff he stole.

Andrew: Oh.

Elysa: Oh, right, I remember what you’re talking about.

Andrew: Elysa, do you have any thoughts?

Elysa: [unintelligible], you know, imploded the wardrobe before he could even open it. I don’t know, but I
would be – I think it would be cool to see that. I think they sort of replaced the box of stuff with Tom telling
stories about how he was capable of killing people he didn’t like and stuff like that, because I think the box is
more of a prop to sort of move the story line of Tom Riddle and like his experiences with taking things. [unintelligible] And they just replaced the box with dialogue. So it’d be awesome to see it, but I’m not sure. I wouldn’t put it past them.

Andrew: Mmm. All right, Emily, thank you. We’ll take one more call for today. I’m sorry, guys. We’ve been getting a ton of calls. We were trying to get to all of them but, unfortunately, you know, that’s just the way these things go. Hello, Kate!


Call: Filming Dumbledore and Grindelwald Scenes


Kate: Hi!

Andrew: Hi! Welcome to MuggleCast Live! How you doing?

Kate: Good! Let me mute my thing.

Andrew: Okay. Prepared caller.

Kate: So, I was wondering what you guys thought about Dumbledore and Grindelwald and when he goes back to do that.

Andrew: What do you mean? Dumbledore and – hello?

Laura: Hello?

Kate: Hi.

Ben: Hello.

Andrew: Go ahead. Sorry. Restate your question.

Kate: Hi. I was wondering, when Dumbledore and Grindelwald – do you think they’re going to go back and film – actually have Michael Gambon and someone cast as Grindelwald going back and doing that? Or do you think they’ll have a different actor to do those scenes?

Laura: Um…

Andrew: I don’t know. I really don’t know.

Laura: Yeah.

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Kate: Just based on – since Michael Gambon is going back and being a somewhat younger Dumbledore for this, do you think, I mean – do you think he could play a younger Dumbledore?

Andrew: I don’t think he can get any younger.

Laura: Are you talking about for Deathly Hallows?

Kate: Yeah, for Deathly Hallows.

Laura: Oh, okay. I mean, it would depend on how young they wanted to take it. Honestly…

Micah: I’m pretty sure they were in their teenage years, weren’t they?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, I don’t think he could play a teenaged Dumbledore.

Andrew: No.

Elysa: Oh. Oh, wait. You’re talking about when they were together as teenagers?

Andrew: Right.

Kate: Yeah, and just like – I mean, do you think they’ll include the duel they had or – I mean…

Andrew: I hope so. I think it’d be really interesting to see – you know, actually see it. Because when you see it in the books you can’t tell who killed Dumbledore’s sister. But…

Kate: Right.

Andrew: …you know, and I was always hoping – and I said this on the show – it’d be really cool if Jo had set it up so we – it was descriptive enough where we actually had to figure it out.

Kate: Yeah, and, like, when he actually has the duel and wins the Elder Wand, I mean, since that’s kind of a crucial part, do you think they’ll just add that scene in even though it’s not written in the books?

Elysa: Well, one thing: doesn’t Harry or someone see that scene through – was it Ollivander’s? – or someone goes and sees Grindelwald while he’s in the jail cell. So I imagine they’d at least show that part because that’s sort of important to Deathly Hallows.

Micah: Well, that’s when Voldemort goes to kill him.

Laura: Yeah.

Elysa: Well, okay…

Kate: Yeah, I mean the part where Dumbledore and Grindelwald are dueling for the Elder Wand.

Elysa: Oh. Oh, I don’t know.

Laura: I don’t know. I can almost see them explaining that away with dialogue.

Andrew: Yeah.

Elysa: Yeah. Probably.

Kate: Yeah, I just think it’d be cool to see.

Andrew: Yeah. Oh no, it definitely would be. I’d love to see Grindelwald.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: I mean, why’d Dumbledore have a crush on him? We got to know.

[Kate and Laura laugh]

Andrew: Was it looks or was it – no, we know it was more. I was just kidding. All right, thank you, Kate.

Kate: Yep, thank you.

Andrew: No problem. All right, Micah wants to takes one more call because that wasn’t a Book 7 – or Movie 6 call. So, hello, Brad.

Brad: Hi. Hi. Hello?

Andrew: How you doing, sir?


Call: Greyback and Ron


Brad: Good. Yeah, I just had a couple questions. So you were talking about the guy in the grass, the thing that was – the werewolf?

Andrew: Greyback. Yeah.

Brad: At 1:03?

Andrew: Let’s see here. Yeah. Because Greyback attacks the Burrow and that’s where he’s at right now because it’s the tall grass.

Brad: Oh. They’re attacking the Burrow. Okay. I couldn’t figure that out.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Brad: And what’s the crap with Ron being dead? I mean, he’s just lying on the ground like he’s dead.

Andrew: Well, that’s when Harry goes to save him with the – how do you pronounce it? The bezoar?

Elysa: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: The bezoar.

Brad: That’s going to be in Slughorn’s office?

Andrew: Is that in Slughorn’s…?

Mikey: Well, yeah, that’s in Slughorn’s office when they have the wine that’s…

Laura: Yeah.

Mikey: …poisoned.

Andrew: Yeah. I’m just trying to look at the scene to see if you can tell. Actually, it kind of looks like the Gryffindor common room.

Elysa: Yeah, it did.

Brad: Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.

Andrew: Because of the fireplace. Actually, the fireplace was open though. Hmm. Plus, Ron’s in his PJs. Harry almost looks like he has a leather jacket. He kind of looks cool. From the back.

Mikey: But he’s got track pants on. You can see the stripe on the left hand side.

Andrew: He must have been jogging.

Mikey: Yeah. But you know though? That day, that whole bezoar thing, that happened like super early in the morning. Because remember Ron was affected with Romilda Vane and the cauldrons? Chocolate cauldrons? And so they went – it was like super early – I can imagine them still in their PJs, going down to see – and actually, I think they were in their PJs when they went to go see Slughorn.

Brad: Yeah, they were. Wasn’t it on Christmas Day or something?

Mikey: Yeah, it was. Yeah, because it came out of Harry’s trunk and Ron assumed it was his Christmas gift.

Brad: And Slughorn hadn’t gone down to breakfast, so it must have been early.

Mikey: Yeah, it must have been early. They’re in their PJs and it must be his office. We think. We think. You know, we can’t say for sure.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: If I was a betting man – if I was a betting man I would say that was his office.

Andrew: What else did you have to say, Brad?

Brad: Just one more thing. So could the attack on the Burrow be early in the morning, ’cause could that be Ginny in her PJs, defending the Burrow?

Andrew: Yeah. It’s either late at night or early in the morning. Yeah. That’s all there is to say about that, really. I mean, it’s so hard to tell with these scenes because their so friggin’ quick, but yeah, she’s in her bathrobe actually. It looks like she just got out of the shower or something.

Mikey: Yeah I mean…

[Brad and Elysa laugh]

Andrew: What?

[Brad laughs]

Andrew: I think it’s in the morning because I can see the newspaper on the doorstep.

Brad: Yeah.

Andrew: I’m completely kidding. [laughs] All right, Brad, thank you for calling.

Brad: Thanks.

Ben: Thanks, Brad.


Spy on Spartz


Andrew: We’ll help find answers to your questions soon. All right, it’s time now to play Spy on Spartz. It’s an old segment we haven’t done in a while and Ben’s prepared to Spy on Spartz. I’m just going to enter Emerson’s phone number, which I’m always tempted to sell because I know you can make a good amount of money from…

Ben: I’ll sell it. One dollar.

Andrew: 2-1-9-blah-blah-blah. Do-do-do. Oh, people, okay, we’re not taking anymore calls. I’m sorry, everyone. A lot of people are calling. I can’t even type in Emerson’s phone number. All right. Here we go. Going to add to conference. Ben, are you ready?

Ben: I was born ready.

Andrew: Okay, it’s calling now.

Mikey: Yeah, Ben.

[Phone rings]

Andrew: This is very exciting.

[Phone rings]

Emerson: Hello?

Ben: Is Emerson there?

Emerson: Speaking.

Ben: Emerson?

Emerson: Yeah?

Ben: No, put Emerson on.

Emerson: This is Emerson.

Ben: No way.

Emerson: Yeah. [laughs]

Ben: Oh, okay, it is Emerson. I can tell by the laugh. What are you doing?

Emerson: Eating pizza, like, five feet away from you.

Ben: What?

Emerson: Eating pizza, like, five feet away from you.

Ben: Is it good pizza?

Emerson: Why’d you call our house phone?

Ben: I didn’t call the house phone. MuggleCast called the house phone.

Emerson: Oh. [laughs]

Ben: So how’s all that MuggleNet work going?

Emerson: How’s what?

Ben: How’s MuggleNet going?

Emerson: It’s good.

Ben: It’s good. What have you been doing? We’re trying to spy on you. We’re trying to Spy on Spartz.

Emerson: Well, we were up at Gold Lake and we went out today. I was water – like wake boarding, and we went tubing out in the lake all day, it was awesome.

Ben: Is that why your face was all sunburnt when you walked in?

Emerson: Yeah. I’m like – my face looks like an apple. Just straight red.

Andrew: Emerson, this is Andrew now. What’s it like living with Ben? Is there any, like, ablutions he has that are really annoying?

Emerson: Well, I mean, he walks around naked all the time, which is a bit absurd.

Andrew: Oh! Geez.

Ben: They get used to it. They all adjusted.

Andrew: [laughs] Was it hard to adjust to?

Emerson: I can put up with living with Ben Schoen, you know.

Andrew: Yeah. Does he eat a lot of your food?

Ben: I smell sometimes too.

Andrew: Does he eat a lot of your food?

Emerson: Yeah, we just have to – my dad has to make a run to [unintelligible] every day just to keep him happy.

Andrew: That’s rude.

Ben: They put a lock on the fridge.

Andrew: [laughs] Change it daily because he’d just bite it and open it up anyway.

Ben: Yeah, I eat the lock too.

[Emerson laughs]

Andrew: All right, well…

Ben: So we’re not going to call you back ever again unless you’re doing something interesting, so I guess I kind of live with you, so I guess I’d know.

Emerson: [laughs] Yeah, you would know.

Ben: Yeah.

Emerson: Are you spying on me?

Ben: Well, enjoy…

Emerson: [unintelligible] …over the past year you’ve been Spying on Spartz.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Oh yeah, I’m actually writing a book. I’m actually writing a book about the – I’m actually writing a book about it.

[Emerson laughs]

Andrew: It’s an investigation.

Ben: Mhm. Into the Spartz home.

Emerson: It’s going to be our next bestseller, right?

Ben: All right, all right, the beauty of Spying on Spartz is, we can hang up on Spartz.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Do it, Andrew.

Andrew: All right, he’s gone. Thank you, Emerson. That’s how we play Spy on Spartz.

Ben: See? He’s the webmaster and he has control over MuggleNet, but on MuggleCast we can just cut his mic – cut him out. Just like that. I just hope he doesn’t come in here.

Andrew: And punches you. I hope he does but he won’t. And we learned something about Ben too, so there you go.

Mikey: I’m naked.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s gross. Is that true or was he just kidding?

Ben: Let’s not go there, Andrew.

[Andrew laughs]

Mikey: It’s true!

Ben: I mean – I’m saying if your only clean boxers are down in the basement, you know…

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: …you think nobody’s home and you’re already dried off you don’t need a towel. I mean, things happen.


Watch Andrew 24/7


Andrew: Here’s an idea we’re kicking around in the apartment right now, because it’s me, Matt, John from Leaky, and his girlfriend Bre, all living here, and we’re considering the idea of putting up a live cam in the living room that just streams 24/7.

Ben: Oh.

Andrew: Like doing, you know, so they can watch us, you know, just hang out. Is that a good idea or is that stupid? Is that too far?

Ben: That would be called a fandom stunt.

Andrew: [laughs] I don’t know. Well then, I was – you know, we could charge access to additional rooms. What?

Mikey: Andrew, can we make it, like, “when two Harry Potter sites collide. The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet living together. Andrew Sims.”

Ben: Then show Andrew…

Elysa: It’d be like Big Brother.

Ben: It will show Andrew, like, going up into John’s room and, like, plugging a flash drive into his computer.

Andrew: [laughs] Copying all his…

Ben: Extracting all his files.

[Elysa laughs]

Mikey: All the Leaky website. The next day MuggleNet looks like Leaky and – yeah. That’d be funny.

Andrew: You know what we should do?

Ben: No, we won’t downgrade.

Mikey: [laughs] Andrew, if you do that, I have to give you, like, fake challenges.

Ben: Sorry. I love you, everybody.

Andrew: Um…

Mikey: The daily challenge for the houses: Muggle vs. Leaky.

Andrew: Yeah, see that’s a good idea.

Mikey: Day: Make my hija burrito.

Ben: Make my hija burrito?

Mikey: They can make me food, and they can cook and clean my apartment, and…

Ben: Mikey, Mikey, how far away do you live from Andrew? How long of a walk?

Mikey: It’s like 37 steps.

Ben: Really? Geez.

Laura: He’s got a… [unintelligible].

Mikey: Yeah, but I’m upstairs.

Ben: Have you ever gone Spy on Sims?

Mikey: You know what I’ve had to do? Andrew was driving to work one day and his tire blew, and every single person in that apartment – John, Bre and Matt – were like dead asleep. Andrew was calling them and they wouldn’t answer. I went there and knocked on the door for like five minutes. I finally went up to Matt’s bedroom window and started knocking on his window. He wouldn’t get up, so I went to John’s and took the screen off, and I’m like, “John, open the door!”

Andrew: Somebody should’ve called the cops on you. That’s, like…

Mikey: They all knew – everybody in the apartment complex knows who I am. I’ve been there for a long time.

Ben: Everyone does?

Mikey: Majority.


Teddy Bears for Hope


Andrew: [laughs] All right, well, we do have to wrap this up today. It’s been a long show. Micah, one more time lets talk about [stumbles over words] – our new charity effort. I’m sorry. [laughs] I for – Teddy Bears for Hope. So once again, you go to MuggleCast.com and click on the banner at the top and that’s where you can find information about the charity non-profit organization, isn’t that right?

Micah: Yes it is, and some people have already started to donate…

Andrew: That’s awesome.

Micah: …so very generous of all you guys out there. We appreciate it, we’re going to be – as Andrew mentioned before – the hosts will be making contributions as well.

Andrew: I didn’t mention that, but yes.

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Micah: Laura said you did, so…

Andrew: Oh.

Micah: I think that’s – yeah.

Laura: Oh, yeah, sorry, Micah.

Micah: You know what? Any amount that you can give. It doesn’t matter how small or how large, you know, every bit, penny makes a difference, and, you know, this is something we have been looking to do for a while, and we just hope that, you know, everyone out there can do a little bit to contribute.


Show Close


Andrew: Yeah. All right, well, I think that does it. Panel, thank you for coming on today, it was a wonderful discussion.

Ben: You’re welcome, Andrew!

Andrew: We’ll have this show later tonight for everyone’s listening pleasure. I think that’s it. I hope I’m not forgetting anything. We got to everything, right?

Micah: I have a story.

Andrew: You have a story?

Ben: He just got back from New Orleans.

Micah: From New Orleans.

Andrew: We don’t have time. Goodbye, everyone! No, I’m just kidding. What’s the story?

Micah: Well, you know how work likes to make fun of me for doing this show from time to time?

Andrew: Yes.

Micah: And we were all out at dinner, and I had gotten there late, and I guess one of the things that they wanted to do was to, you know, get the people that were sitting at the tables around and in on the joke, the waiter in on the joke and be like, “Hey! You’re Micah from MuggleCast, blah blah blah.”

Ben: Ha-ha!

Micah: And really pull one over on me.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: So, they were sitting at the table – they were planning this whole thing out, and the guy at the table next to them overheard him, and I guess he was from Philadelphia. And he actually turned to him and he said, “Oh, are you talking about that Harry Potter podcast?”

Andrew: Oh my gosh!

Micah: “Because I’ve listened to it before, you know, and it was written up in our Philadelphia newspaper recently.”

Andrew: Right.

Micah: So, apparently, you want to make fun of things…

Andrew: Wow, talk about karma.

Micah: It gets back to bite you.

Andrew: Yeah, it showed them. Now they won’t make fun of it anymore because it actually happens!

Micah: There you go.

Ben: Did they – did they – did they actually pull the joke over on you? How did you find out about that?

Micah: Well, the guy – when I had showed up and the guy started – I guess they were trying to plan it out at the table when I was there still, and the guy overheard him when I was at the table, and I thought, “Okay, this is a big joke, he’s joking around,” because then, you know, five minutes later the waiter starts, you know, in on his part of it, and I actually found out later that the guy who was at the table next to us was legitimate. He wasn’t a joke. So…

Andrew: Wow.

Micah: Just goes to show you there’s a lot of people out there that listen to the show.

Andrew: Yeah.

Mikey: You know, I had a very similar experience. I was at Leaky Cauldron’s Disneyland day, ’cause I was the only one living in California at the time, and when I was there we went on Winnie the Pooh ride, and they were like making a joke like how Leaky’s here but no one from MuggleCast or MuggleNet’s there, and I’m like wearing my MuggleNet shirt and someone’s like, “Wait, are you from MuggleNet and MuggleCast?” And I’m like, “Yeah.” And they’re like – and they give me this like special citizen one – and I’m like, “You know all the people from Leaky?” And they’re like, “Oh, I don’t listen to that podcast.” I felt really bad.

Andrew: Owned!

Mikey: They were making fun of me for, like, the whole day, and, like, that night they were still making fun of me. One of the employees at Disney like totally pwned them going like, “Oh, but that’s Mikey from MuggleCast.”

Andrew: Ah, that’s awesome.

Mikey: Wow. It was just totally, like, a random thing. Who would have known?

Andrew: I know, seriously. Well, it’s amazing how, you know, quickly…

Mikey: People listen.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly.

Mikey: Thank you for listening, everyone. Please. Thank you.

Ben: Yeah, thank you so much.

Andrew: It’s been fun. Like I said, the show will be going out tonight on the stream, so I think that’s it. We had about 1,400 people listening during the peak of the show. Well, actually, through most of the show, so thank you, ladies and gentleman.

Ben: Thank you.

[Show music begins]

Andrew: Andrew – yeah, that’s me. Micah, thank you. Mikey, thank you. Elysa, thank you.

Mikey: Yeah, I’m at work still.

Andrew: I know, good job. You’re a real slacker.

Mikey: I’m actually working. Like right now I’m transferring, like, 26 gigs of data. So.

Ben: No. No wonder your voice is cutting out.

Andrew: [laughs] Ben, thank you.

Mikey: Is it?

Andrew: No, it’s not, it’s fine. Laura, thank you.

Ben: It’s been real, Andrew.

Laura: You’re welcome.

Andrew: It’s been real.

Ben: It’s been good – it’s been good to do this again.

Andrew: Well, I hope everybody enjoyed the trailer. We will do this again once the theatrical trailer is out. Yes, Mikey?

Mikey: Hey, are we going to hang out tonight? What are we doing? Let’s go dinner.

Andrew: I want to see Dark Knight in IMAX.

Mikey: Tonight?

Andrew: Well, maybe. No, actually not tonight. Matt doesn’t get off ’til 10.

Mikey: Yeah, yeah, let’s go to dinner. Let’s go bug Matt at work.

Andrew: Okay. I’ll do that. I haven’t been there in a while. All right, thank you, everybody!

Mikey: I’ll stop by at 7:30.

Andrew: All right.

Mikey: Bye, guys!

Andrew: Good night, everyone!

Elysa: Bye!

Transcript #154

MuggleCast 154 Transcript


Show Intro


[Intro music begins]

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Mason: $34.95 per year? No way! Ridiculous! That’s not a deal at all.

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[Harry Potter theme plays]

Jim Dale: [as Professor McGonagall] This is Professor McGonagall welcoming you all to MuggleCast hoping you all enjoyed – Dobby! Dobby, come here! Here! Dobby! [as Dobby] Yes, I’d just like to say how very pleased I am to introduce MuggleCast to all of you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Show music begins]

Micah: Because it has been one year since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this is MuggleCast Episode 154 for July 21st, 2008.

[Show music continues]

Andrew: All right, well we’re coming off of our big Portus show, live in Portus, and this week we have two gentlemen with us, who haven’t been on the show in a while. First, Eric.

Eric: Hey!

Andrew: Eric, welcome back; it’s been a while.

Eric: Thank you, good to be back.

Andrew: Where are you these days? Are you, like, back in New Zealand, or…

Eric: Ah, no, these days I am in Chicago, and I – since I was last on the show. I got a job.

Andrew: Ooooh.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: What’s your job?

Ben: You work at Target?

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Yeah, I’m trying to pick up a career there. I heard Laura was doing that, so – ah, no, I work for – I work for RedBox. You guys ever hear of that?

Andrew: Yes, that would be the DVD rental service.

Eric: Yes.

Andrew: Just one dollar a day.

Eric: Yes, yes indeed it is.

Ben: Oh, those are the ones outside of McDonald’s?

Eric: McDonald’s, and super markets, and all that stuff, so…

Ben: So how do you work for them? Like, what do you do? Do you go pick up the DVDs? Do you come – what, go collect cash? Or what do you do?

Eric: [laughs] Each week you put in the new movies that go in the following week. And take out all the old ones that no one wants running anymore.

Ben: So you have to do a lot of running around, then, huh?

Eric: Yeah, yeah, pretty much. Every kiosk is, you know, couple, you know – they have them spread out all over Chicago; there’s hundreds, so…

Andrew: Do you cover everyone in Chicago, or…

Eric: No, no. There’s about, like, ten different people that do it.

Andrew: Hmm.

Ben: So [unintelligible] you’re a humanitarian, providing movie services for all Americans.

Eric: For cheap! For cheap. Absolutely. It’s kind of a cross between my computer experience and my movie theater job, so I really love it. But yeah! Thanks for asking. So did the responsible thing and got a job.

Andrew: Also this week, Ben’s returning. Hey, Ben.

Ben: Hey, Andrew.

Andrew: Where have you been, Ben?

Ben: How are you? Huh?

Andrew: I’m good, thanks.

Ben: How – Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben?

Eric: How’ve you been, Ben?

Ben: I’ve been great. I’ve been – just got back from New York City. Went out there, had a good time. Saw a bunch of friends, saw people, saw big buildings…

[Someone laughs]

Ben: Saw pink berry, tried pink berry. It was pretty good.

Eric: Did you see pigeons?

Ben: Other than that, I’ve just been living life, you know, getting ready to go back to Notre Dame here in about a month. And – yeah! I saw that we’re – you know, it’s been about a year since Deathly Hallows, and so…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I decided it’s time to come back to the show.

Andrew: Well, I’m glad you brought that up because that’s going to be the big focus of our show this week. Now that we’re finished Chapter-by-Chapter, we’re going to talk about how it’s been one year since the book was released. We’re recording on the 20th, so, I mean, this was the night we were all at our respective release parties, and – oh boy, do I miss it.

Eric: Actually, yeah, by now we were back at the hotel.

Laura: Actually a year ago. Yeah, we were all reading it this time a year ago.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah. Tom Rutland actually IMed me a little bit ago at quarter after midnight, England time. He was like, [in a British accent] “Mate, do you remember? We were – we were there a year ago tonight. Chip Chip!” But – yeah, so it was good. So we’ll talk about all that coming up on the show, and of course all the latest news stories. So, I’m Andrew Sims.

Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I’m Matt Britton.

[Music continues]

Andrew: All right, Micah Tannenbaum, what’s in the news?


News: Teaser Trailer


Micah: Well, we’re supposedly going to get a teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Andrew: No, we’re not. I don’t believe you.

Micah: …on August 1st, with the release of the new Mummy movie.

Ben: Oooh.

Micah: And who’s all going to go out and see that lovely movie to…

[Eric laughs]

Micah: …heck out the teaser trailer.

Ben: Are you guys bashing The Mummy?

Andrew: No, I’m not – I’m not a Mummy fan. Is anyone else?

Eric: Dude, I’m not bashing The Mummy. I love The Mummy. If I…

Ben: I thought – I thought The Mummy was awesome. The other two were cool.

Eric: Dude, here’s how much I like The Mummy.

Laura: No, I really liked the first two.

Eric: Here’s how much I like The Mummy: I was going to go see the movie before – before I knew that the trailer – or whatever they’re going to call it – maybe it’ll be twenty-five seconds…

Micah: But you’re a movie junkie.

Eric: Yeah, but The MummyThe Mummy in particular is a big thing for me.

Micah: Well, The Mummy was okay, and then what came after it? The Scorpion King? Or was that a spin-off?

Eric: No, The Mummy Returns.

Micah: Oh, The Mummy Returns, then The Scorpion King.

Ben: Then The Scorpion King.

Eric: Which was a spin-off. Yeah. Which I – I even went and saw that in theaters, so – that’s – yeah, big on that.

Andrew: So…

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: …at this point it’s either going to be with The Mummy or Star Wars, and…

Ben: There’s another Star Wars?

Andrew: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It’s the animated Star Wars.

Ben: What?

Andrew: It’s – George Lucas is behind it, so I guess it should be pretty good.

Ben: Oh, he’s just trying to make more money.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: But I love him.

Andrew: So, either one of those two. I’m going to put my money down on Mummy, just because that’s the rumors – we never got rumors about Star Wars.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: They were about The Mummy, so I’m going to stick with our…

Eric: Well, now you say WB confirmed it, or reportedly – like, who did they confirm it to?

Andrew: No. No, nobody. Well, it’s just – people who work at movie theaters have been talking to marketing reps at WB, and they have said The Mummy.

Eric: I see.

Andrew: So…

Eric: Because if they emailed you, you should just say – you should, like, send a nasty e-mail back. Like, if they’re like, “By the way, these things are slightly more true,” you should be like [spitefully] “Thanks.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: You know, because how long has it been? Seriously?

Andrew: Well, yeah. We’re long overdue for a trailer and…

Matt: Well, the movie comes out in three months.

[Eric laughs]

Ben: What? Actually 123 days, 5 hours, 11 minutes, and 50 seconds…

[Eric laughs]

Ben: …if you want to be exact.

Andrew: Oh, thank you. MuggleNet countdown. Yeah. So, it will be exciting when it comes out.

Micah: The shorter trailer – I don’t even know if you can call it a trailer, right? It’s like a teaser teaser trailer? – was released with The Dark Knight in IMAX this past weekend, and it has one line with Michael Gambon speaking and that’s about it.

Andrew: Here – here we got it. So, we’re going to play it and we’re all going to be enthralled, and we’re going to be like, “Wow, this was definitely worth the wait.”

Ben: [as Dumbledore] Once again I must ask you to do the impossible, Harry.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: All right, let’s play the real clip now.

Micah: That was the real…

Eric: That was the real clip.

Andrew: No, that wasn’t the real clip.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

[Clip begins]

Dumbledore: Once again, I must ask too much of you, Harry.

[“Hedwig’s Theme” plays]

Andrew: Ooooo……

[Clip ends]

Ben: I can’t hear what he said. It sounds – to me it sounds like, [as Dumbledore] “Once again, I must ask you once again, Harry.”

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: “I must ask too much of you, Harry. It’s like – it’s almost too hard to understand, he’s like mumbling.

Matt: Well, it’s not even proper english is it? [mumbles] “Once again, I must ask too much of you.”

Andrew: It’s like, at WB, they were like, “Michael, Michael, come here, real quick. We need you to do something.”

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: You guys, you know this comes back to the fact that he hasn’t read the books, you know?

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: If he would have read the books, he probably would have said that line clearer.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: He’s not confident? So he’s just sort of like…

Ben: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Laura: I don’t know.

Eric: So – so that was for all the people who paid $300 to go see The Dark Knight in IMAX?

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: In IMAX, yeah.

Eric: People got that little…

Ben: People paid $300?

Eric: Thanks WB. Yeah, yeah, dude, at least in Chicago that’s how it is. IMAX is booked…

Andrew: Really?

Eric: I was down there at noon today, and they were booked, every showing through Wednesday of The Dark Knight in IMAX.

Andrew: What – what – and people – what do you mean, like ticket scalpers were selling them for $300…?

Ben: Yeah.

Eric: There was a women who sold three tickets for $180, and there was something else that was.

Andrew: Oh, okay.

Eric: Yeah. These people will buy it just to go see the movie – go see it. Seriously? I would get tickets and sell them for that much money. And wait a week. But…

Andrew: Well, I don’t mean to brag, but MuggleNet was the first person – first site to report that IMAX was going to have that teaser teaser trailer. Even though it was kind of disappointing. But…

Laura: Well, that’s fantastic because that trailer was life altering.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Thanks to our [unintelligible].


News: Dark Knight Highest Grossing Weekend Film


Andrew: What else is going on, Micah?

Micah: Well, The Dark Knight, wasn’t it the highest grossing movie in a single weekend?

Andrew: All time. Yeah, the weekend. Yeah. It beat Spider-Man 3.

Ben: Who saw it? Who saw it?

Matt: I saw it, I think everyone saw it.

Ben: I saw it too.

Andrew: I saw it. Think everyone – Micah and Laura, did you guys see it?

Micah: No I did not.

Laura: No, I did not. I haven’t seen it yet.

Andrew: Aw. Come on, guys.

Ben: Get with the times!

Andrew: Go see it.

Ben: Get with the times.

Matt: I’ve seen it three times already.

Micah: I’ll have to go to IMAX so that I an see that really cool teaser trailer that we just talked about.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: That’s what I’m doing. I’m going to pay $300 for it.

Ben: You can capture it with your iPhone.

Eric: Dude, dude, dude…


Is WB Making a Marketing Mistake?


Andrew: You know, some people have been saying that Warner Bros. is getting themselves into a marketing nightmare. Like, this is a huge marketing mistake. Just waiting so long. Would you agree with that? I mean, people are going to – it’s still going to make just as much money as…

Eric: Well, just as like – Andrew, just like you were saying, it’s like they just took Michael Gambon. It’s like – it’s like some WB representative just woke up one day and was like, “Oh, what date is it?” You know? Or he’s like sitting on his couch at home and he reaches in the little pouch in beneath the cushions and he sees his to-do list: get a trailer together. For them, and he’s like, “Oh, crap! Woah, woah, woah, wait. Michael Gambon.” So, he calls him up and just asks him to record this and that’s their teaser trailer. Like seriously…

Ben: Well, come on. This is at least – well, with the other movies, I think there’s almost been too much. You know what I mean? Because, like, with Prisoner of Azkaban, there was always that one line that seemed to show up in every trailer that was just around all the time, where its like, “It is not in the nature of the Dementor to be forgiving.”

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: And then like – but no, like, I’m dead serious, though.

Andrew: No, I hear you, yeah.

Ben: Like, with the previous films, I always felt like – I almost got worn – maybe it’s because I work on a Harry Potter website, but I got worn out by seeing so much, like, of trailer material, you know? And at least we don’t know what to expect going into the film at this point…

Eric: Yeah.

Ben: …and maybe if we don’t get that much footage beforehand, when we actually see the film, it’ll be more enjoyable because…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …it will be more of a surprise.

Matt: Well, I agree with that.

Eric: Yeah, I think you’re right.

Matt: They did the exact opposite with The Order of the Phoenix film.

Eric: Well – or wasn’t it in Goblet of Fire they actually showed entire clips?

Laura: Yeah, they did, with Goblet of Fire.

Matt: They showed a lot really early, too, in the advertising.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: I didn’t watch any of that crap, and I never watch any of that crap.

Matt: But whether you watch it or not…

Eric: It was made available.

Matt: …they had it. Yeah. It was available for anyone to watch.

Eric: And that wasn’t just crap. That was clips from the – from the actual film.

Matt: Hell, we saw half the movie by the time the movie was released.

Eric: Exactly. So I’m glad they aren’t doing that, but still. It’s, you know, two months away. You’d think they could do, you know…

Matt: Give us, you know…

Laura: I could go for a substantial trailer by now.

Eric: Yeah. Or maybe even…

Laura: I mean, that’s all we want.

Matt: I don’t even need a teaser, just a good trailer. I mean, we’re even almost past due with a normal theatrical trailer.

Eric: It’s just like – I mean – how many promo pics do we have? Maybe ten? I mean – the only reason – the only way to get promo pics is if someone smuggles low-res ones out, and WB says, “Oh wait, here’s the…”

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: “…high-res of that.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Well, there’s not even any promo posters out yet, are there? It’s just that…

Andrew: Right.

Laura: …one that’s black that says Half-Blood Prince.

Eric: I didn’t even see that one.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: We need to get…

Andrew: It’s nothing.

Ben: We need a janitor – we need to get a janitor insider at Leavesden.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Then – and then have – then give him a digital camera.

Andrew: Leavesden’s closed now though. They have been done filming since March. It’s like, you know – whatever. What else is going on, Micah?


News: Another Picture


Micah: Speaking of pictures, we got another one. [laughs]

Andrew: Yay.

Laura: Wa-hoo.

Micah: Of Harry and Professor Slughorn, so I guess that’s…

Andrew: I’m loving these pictures of…

Micah: That’s supposed to keep you satisfied, I guess, until this teaser trailer comes out.

Andrew: Yeah. I am loving these pictures of Slughorn. He’s so, like, quirky and…

Eric: And non-Slughorn-y?

Andrew: And – what?!

Eric: [laughs] He doesn’t have a mustache! Doesn’t he have a handlebar mustache? He looks nothing like him.

Matt: I never pictured him with a mustache though.

Laura: Yeah, me neither.

Eric: Well, you should have. [laughs]

Matt: I mean, does it really matter if he has a mustache or not?

Eric: No. No. No. Not particularly, but I – I just – I don’t know. I don’t know how he looks. It like – truly analyzing the pictures of him, I just – I don’t know.

Matt: The only thing that I don’t really care for is that he’s not short. Slughorn is short.

Ben: In this – in this photo isn’t Harry holding…

Eric: Felix?

Andrew: The Half-Blood…

Ben: Yeah. The Half-Blood Prince book, and then he’s – then Slughorn’s holding the Felix Felicis, isn’t he?

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: It’s pretty clear, though.

Ben: Yeah.

Micah: Yup.

Andrew: Why does it look like they’re in an igloo whenever…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: …they have pictures in the Potions room? It’s like a rounded room. I don’t know.

Eric: Well, see, that was…

Matt: This is where they did the Legilimency lessons, right?

Andrew and Eric: Yeah.

Eric: It’s Snape’s office, or…

Andrew: Right.

Eric: …presumably.

Andrew: Formally.

Micah: Isn’t Slughorn supposed to be fatter, too?

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, he is.

Andrew: Well, they actually did add padding on Jim Broadbent, but I guess it wasn’t enough.

Eric: Yeah, I mean, on 120 pound man, you can only add so much padding.

Andrew: Yeah. I think it looks good though.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I’m happy with it.

Ben: That’s not true. That’s not true. You can add a lot more padding.

Eric: That’s true.

Ben: Look at Eddie Murphy, the Professor.

Eric: Yeah.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Look at John Travolta in Hairspray.

Eric: Yeah, in Hairspray. Right.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: But still – I’ll just reserve judgment until I see him act, because I – I really like the character of Slughorn, and I think they can do a lot with him in the movie.

Matt: Well, I think Jim Broadbent’s a really good actor, so I think he’ll portray it…

Eric: Yeah, I think so, too.

Andrew: Anything else, Micah?


News: Jim Dale at Portus


Micah: Well, we were at Portus last week in Dallas, Texas. Most of us were actually – we were coming home right about now, while we’re recording.

Andrew: This time last week, yeah.

Micah: Jim Dale was down there. We could talk about him a little bit. I thought he did a really good job.

Andrew: Jim Dale was amazing. That was the best event sort of thing that could ever happen at a Harry Potter symposium, hands down. It was so – Jim Dale got so into it. He was reading from the – for anyone who doesn’t know, maybe if you didn’t read the post on MuggleNet, Jim Dale was reading from the audiobook – well, he was reading from the books, and he was extremely animated and he sang the Sorting Hat song, and he was doing all these fun different scenes. It was just so good. He really definitely made it worth everyone’s while.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: So much fun. Right, Micah?

Micah: Absolutely.

Andrew: Weren’t you impressed?

Micah: Yeah, I was impressed, and he had the crowd going. I mean, he was up there pretty early in the morning, too. It was about 9:00 in the morning, and there was a large number of people that were there, and he really kept the crowd entertained from the moment he took the stage until he finished up. Like you mentioned, he did a number of scenes from the first four books and he didn’t miss a beat; he just kept going. And he’s what? He’s in his early seventies, I think.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: The guy had so much energy.

Andrew: He’s old.

Micah: He really, really did.

Ben: That’s awesome.

Andrew: Yeah. It was so cool.

Ben: I wish I could have been there.

Andrew: I know, Ben. I’m sorry you weren’t.


Reflections on Portus


Ben: How’d the podcast go?

Laura: He was really nice as well.

Andrew: Yeah, he’s a very nice gentleman. The podcast went great. Went off without a hitch. Just about midnight actually. It was actually on time. And everyone was there, excited to hear the show.

Ben: How many people was everyone? I’m just curious.

Andrew: I would say 300.

Ben: Really? Geez.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I saw a picture and I thought there was like ten people there.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: No…

Eric: That was the meet-up though, wasn’t it?

Andrew: Are you talking about the meet-up?

Ben: Oh, maybe I was talking about the…

Andrew: I think you were talking about the meet-up.

Ben: I saw, like, people…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …sitting in a circle in a room, kind of.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, that was the meet-up.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. That wasn’t ten people. It was like 30 or 40.

Ben: Yeah, yeah. Sorry.

Andrew: It was very nice of people to…

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: I figured…

Andrew: It was…

Ben: …since I wasn’t there, no one came out.

Andrew: No. Oh, yeah, of course.

Ben: Just kidding. [laughs]

Andrew: No, no. That’s a good transition into the meet-up. We also did a meet up on Saturday and that was a lot of fun, too. And I was so annoyed at the end of it because it went so well. If we had the proper mic equipment there it could’ve been a whole other podcast because we just talked about anything and everything Harry Potter. And everyone really enjoyed it. We talked about MuggleCast…

Ben: Were you guys wearing your suits?

Andrew: No.

Matt: No.

Andrew: We weren’t dressed up.

Ben: How did the ball go?

Andrew: The ball was…

Laura: The ball was really fun.

Ben: Was there spontaneous bawling by anybody?

Andrew: Bawling? What do you mean bawling? [laughs]

Ben: Like crying.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Oh, no, no, no. None of that this year.


Matt Fractured His Foot


Matt: I broke my foot.

Laura: Yeah, Matt. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah, Matt broke his foot, but… [laughs]

Ben: That’s what I heard. Like, so – does that mean the MuggleNet has to have some, like, workman’s comp for him or something?

Andrew: [laughs] No, he fractured it. It’s okay.

Micah: So, does he have a cast now?

Eric: How’d that happen?

Andrew: He had a brace.

Matt: I have a boot.

Andrew: He has a brace. He hasn’t been using it much, though. But…

Ben: You got to get healthy, Matt.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: The podcast needs your foot.

Andrew: You want to tell the story, Matt? Go ahead. Tell the story for the audience, how you fractured your foot at the ball.

Matt: I was dancing.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: What kind of dance?

Matt: And… [laughs]

Ben: What kind of dance was it? Was it freaking?

Eric: That’s some hardcore dancing.

Matt: It was…

Ben: Was it juking? Was it grinding? Was it the two-step?

Matt: Well, it was – what is juking? No, I was just jumping up and down, and I landed on my foot sideways, and I heard it pop like three times.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: So the dance was a lot of fun. They had a really cool Portus ice sculpture that was all lit up. It looked really, really cool. And they had Wizard Rock there, so that was a whole lot of fun.

MuggleCast 154 Transcript (continued)


Another Convention in the Hotel


Micah: Speaking of – I thought we’d just mention this. There was another interesting convention that was going on at the same time…

Laura: Oh, yeah! [laughs]

Micah: …in the hotel.

Andrew: Go ahead. Laura, you tell them.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Go ahead. You talk about it real quick.

Laura: Oh, man. So, at the same time that this Harry Potter convention was going on, we noticed that a large, miniature church had been erected in the center atrium of one of the lobbies. There were – there was a Christian missionaries convention going on. And it was really interesting because a few of them went around trying to evangelize the Potter fans. They even…

[Eric laughs]

Laura: …bought day passes into a couple of the events in order to come in to…

Andrew: Spread the Word.

Laura: …preach. Yeah. So it was special. They told us that God loved us, and it was nice.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.

Laura: And we said, “Well, Harry loves you.” So…

Micah: Yeah. [laughs] Even that guy who was dressed up as Voldemort, I think, paid a trip over there, so…

Laura: Did he really?

Micah: …that was an interesting time.


A Few Thank Yous


Andrew: So there are a few people we want to thank: Aziza, HPEF, Jim Dale, and the rest of the Portus staff. They did a great job. Micah, what’s coming up? HPEF has more stuff coming up. It’s pretty exciting, right?

Micah: Yeah, they do. They have two events that are taking place over the next two years. Next year is going to be in San Francisco, July 18th through the 21st. It’s called Azkatraz, and it’s kind of a combination, a spin off, of Alcatraz and Azkaban. So, it’s going to be interesting to see what the programming is going to be for that one.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: And then we actually got some time to speak with the people from Universal Studios when we were at Portus, and they’re going to be – HPEF is going to be in Orlando in 2010, July 15th through the 18th, in conjunction with Universal Studios, so hopefully something associated with the theme park.

Andrew: It’s going to be insane. No question…

Micah: Absolutely.

Andrew: …about it.

Laura: Yeah.

Ben: Ooo. I’m coming to these. San Francisco especially. I went to San Francisco last summer for the book tour thing, Emerson and I did…

Andrew: Mhm.

Ben: …and I went to Alcatraz and stuff, and San Francisco is just one of the most unique, coolest cities ever to go to. So…

Andrew: Yeah. I can’t wait. That’ll be so much fun.

Ben: It’ll be so much fun.

Andrew: The Orlando thing too, though. I mean, working with Universal to make this happen…

Laura: Yeah, it’s going to be…

Andrew: Like, oh man. It’s going to be insane.

Laura: …it’s going to be crazy.

Eric: Unbelievable.

Andrew: Ben’s going to…

Micah: It’s called Infinitus, right? That’s how you say it? We kept screwing it up.

Matt: Yes. Because the possibilities of the fandom is infinite.

Micah: Oh. Good job. That’s their slogan. Or did you just come up with that?

Matt: Yeah. I think it is. [laughs]

Andrew: So that’s the news this week, right, Micah?

Micah: That’s it.


Announcement: Podcast Alley


Andrew: All right, let’s move on to some announcements. Don’t forget to vote for us at Podcast Alley.

Ben: You’re still on that?

Andrew: Yeah. Always will be, Ben.

Ben: Okay.

Andrew: Always will be.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Just a little side note, on iTunes store, under podcasts this week, if you go to the podcasts main page – well, actually for the past two weeks, we’re under the Fun For Kids section, right there on the main page. We’re actually the number one Fun for Kids podcast. Next to us is Sesame Street, so that just shows you what, you know, iTunes thinks of us.

Micah: We’re two on Podcast Alley.

Andrew: We’re more kid friendly then Sesame Street. We’re more fun – yeah. That’s what I was about to say.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Eric, you have a note here. What’s this about?


Announcement: MuggleCast Down Under Now Online


Eric: What’s this about? Well, it’s – you guys may not remember, but about nine months ago – it was nine months ago – last October, we did a little – well, not a little – we did a big MuggleCast event down in Australia.

Ben: Oh, MuggleCast Down Under!

Eric: MuggleCast Down Under! Heck yes! And I just – I got to say how happy I am that both Ben and Micah are on this episode. I mean Ben especially, because that’s rare, but you guys both really contributed to that podcast, and what’s happening with it is that I have the video footage edited, and now online. I put it up on – well, actually, it’s Google Video, it says “processing” for the last six hours, so I’m trying to get it up. But it’s basically…

Ben: So could you please explain to me how I contributed? I don’t recall being there.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Well, you…

Andrew: This was Eric’s clever solution.

Ben: Oh, did I record a video? I did, didn’t I?

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yes, exactly.

Eric: Yes, yes, you did. You did a debate segment. You did a live debate segment.

Ben: Oh, crap. I didn’t even realize that.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: I haven’t even seen that yet.

Eric: And Micah did the first ever news at a live podcast as well, and I just got to say, Micah especially, if you take a look at this video, I think it’s around the fifteen minute mark, you’ll see just how much everybody really loved it. And you guys pretty much – your video input really kept the show afloat, so that it wasn’t sort of just me there, and they really appreciated it. So the Australian fans, big thanks to HP Events Australia, but yeah, everything down there. The Sydney footage is now online.


Muggle Mail: Dumbledore Didn’t Know Everything, He Guessed


Andrew: First one comes from Jenny, 26, of Sweden. She writes:

“Hey MuggleCasters, about Dumbledore’s lying and saying he was going to tell Harry everything about eleven times. I found a part concerning that in ‘Half-Blood Prince.’ This is on page 187 in the UK edition. Harry says, ‘”You said at the end of last term you were going to tell me everything.” It was hard to keep a note of accusation in his voice. “Sir,” he added. “And so I did,” said Dumbledore, placidly. “I told you everything I know. From this point forth, we shall show leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guess work.”‘” Jenny continues, “I think Dumbledore’s excuse to himself, or loophole, is that he didn’t know everything, he merely guessed. I love your show, thanks for it.”

So I thought that was a valid point because we – Dumbledore does emphasize that a lot, that he’s just making guesses, and he says that in Book 7 as well.

Eric: Hmmm. I liked how Dumbledore kept an open mind throughout Book 6 as far as what was going on, but he didn’t really, because, when shown with all the memories, like – I mean he did, but when shown with all the memories, I mean, Harry formed that same conclusion which was kind of the cool thing about it, was that Dumbledore was letting Harry form his own sort of conclusions, too, and Dumbledore had kind of guess. But, I mean, ever since Dumbledore had the diary of Tom Riddle, he more or less knew that that was where it was going, so, that was really cool.


Muggle Mail: Lord of the Rings Connection


Laura: Our next e-mail is also from Jenny, 26, of Sweden. She writes:

“Hey, MuggleCast. When Narcissa aids Harry in the last chapter I thought of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and how pity from the heroes saved them in the end. In ‘Fellowship of the Ring,’ the movie, Frodo says something along the lines of, ‘It’s a pity Bilbo didn’t kill Gollum when he had the chance,’ and Gandalf answers, ‘It was pity that stopped Bilbo’s hand; do not be too quick dealing out death and judgment. My heart tells me Gollum has some part to play yet.’ And sure enough, Gollum is the one who inadvertently destroys the rings, saving the world. Harry saves Draco, who has been his enemy, from the fire, and also in the battle, and because of it Narcissa enables him to save the world.”

It’s an interesting little connection.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Eh, I don’t really see there’s really much relevance, though. In Lord of the Rings, when they were referring to pity the that Bilbo had on Gollum, it was just pity on Gollum himself because of what kind of a person that Gollum was. But Narcissa didn’t really give pity on Harry. She was…

Laura: Well…

Matt: She asked him if her son was okay because she was thinking just about her son.

Laura: Well, I think she’s…

Matt: And of the fact that…

Laura: …talking about the pity Harry had for Draco, because he saved Draco.

Andrew: Hm.

Eric: Yeah, I really like that scene in Book 7.

Matt: But what does Narcissa have anything to do with it?

Eric: Well, she pretends that Harry’s dead and she saves him. She has a moment of decency.

Matt: Right, but what relevancy does this comparison have to Narcissa?

Laura: Well, she’s just making the comparison that, because of – because Bilbo originally had pity for Gollum, that enabled Gollum to inadvertently save the world, and then because Narcissa – she didn’t really – I see what you’re saying, she didn’t have pity for Harry necessarily; she was in it for her own ends, but I think she’s drawing the comparison from Harry’s pity for Draco, having that effect.

Eric: Hm. In both instances…

Laura: That would sort of – yeah.

Eric: In both instances sensitivity has saved the day.

Matt: Harry’s pity for Gollum – I mean Harry’s… [laughs] …pity for Draco enabled Harry to…

Laura: Save the world.

Matt: …save the world. Okay.

Laura: Yeah.


Muggle Mail: Snape’s Death Scene


Eric: Okay. Next Muggle Mail comes from Sierra D. of South Carolina. She says:

“Hello. I’d like to start off, like the rest of the Muggle Mailers, though it may seem like a cliche, by adding – or by saying that your show rocks. I was listening to the Portus episode and I thought I might be able to help you reword this sentence. How about, and I quote, ‘All was well. Nineteen years had passed since pain had come from his scar.’ End quote. Or something along those lines. I also had a question, though maybe a bit late. Do you think that Severus Snape died in a way that showed the type of person he was? Snape was clever and sneaky, just like the snake that killed him. Hmmm.” …. “Interesting. Anyway, thanks.”

Ben: Kind of karma.

Eric: Yeah. Kind of. And she says, “Matt, Andrew, Ben, Micah, Jamie, Laura, Eric, Mikey and Elysa are my favorites. Love, Sierra D.”

Andrew: Aw, how fair of her.

Matt: Aw.

Eric: Yeah, well, if I were Aris Janetakos I’d be pissed off.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Why?

Matt: Why?

[Eric laughs]

Micah: He hasn’t been on the show in what, like, 152 episodes.

Eric: [laughs] Yeah, well, I mean she listed like all of them, so, but yeah.

Andrew, Laura, and Matt: Oooh.

Andrew: [laughs] Aris Janetakos. Oh man.

Micah: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know about the Snape death scene. I was kind of disappointed with that, to be honest with you.

Andrew: Oh, I loved it.

Laura: I thought it was great.

Micah: It wasn’t enough fight from him. I mean, I guess he…

Matt: Because he accepted his fate.

Micah: …was kind of taken by surprise.

Matt: He knew he was going to die.

Micah: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah. I don’t know, and as for the rewording of the sentence, I personally really liked the way the last sentence was worded.

Andrew: But this was just for the fun, because at the live podcast…

Laura: Yeah, I know…

Andrew: …everyone was like, “It should have ended with ‘scar’ like she promised.”

Laura: Because Andrew can’t reword the last sentence of the book.

Andrew: Right.

Laura: He just said something along the lines of, “All was well. Pain…”

Andrew and Laura: “…scar.”

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: No, and then I came up with a sentence and I forget what I said now, but it was really good, I thought.

Laura: Yeah, no.

Matt: But the last word was “scar” and it was the last sentence that you used it as.


Main Discussion: One Year after Deathly Hallows


Andrew: Oh, whatever. Anyway, speaking of that, it’s time to get into our main discussion now. We’re going to talk about one year since Deathly Hallows. It’s been one year since the book came out. July 21, 2007, and we’re still here. Look at that. Imagine that. We still – Laura and I…

Ben: I remember when we started talking about ending the show then.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: I was talking to Laura today about being nostalgic over, you know, it being…

Laura: Yes.

Andrew: …one year and being in England.

Laura: Oh my gosh.

Andrew: Laura, it’s sad, isn’t it?

Laura: It is. Well, because you pulled up the video from our live UStream after…

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: …we all finished the book, and it’s just like I could go back to that so easily.

Andrew: Oh, I’d love too.

Laura: Oh, so much fun.

Andrew: Yeah.


Eric and Kevin Fought Over a Blanket


Ben: Was Eric and Kevin’s fight on the UStream?

Andrew: Oh, no I forgot about that, though.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: What did they fight about? I forget. What was the fight?

Ben: The duvet cover.

Andrew: The debate cover?

Laura: Huh?

Ben: Duvet!

Andrew: The what? Duvet?

Ben: The blanket.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: Oh, the blanket. They fought over the blanket. Eric, any comment? One year later?

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: No comment from Eric.

Matt: You guys fought over a blanket?

[Laura laughs]

Micah: Where’s Eric?

Andrew: No comment. Yeah, I’m sure he doesn’t want to comment.

Ben: Eric, are you mad?

Matt: Eric’s on mute.

Andrew: We’ll get Kevin Steck’s opinion at one point. Anyway though, Ben, you had a fun event going on too, right, in Chicago?


Ben’s Event


Ben: Yeah, I was in Oak Park, Illinois. We had a…

Andrew: Mhm.

Ben: …lot of people there. We had – it was me and Emerson, Emerson and I, up on the stage, and it was one of the best nights of my life. I’m not going to lie, just the energy I felt standing up there.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: The way, you know, when we were signing autographs or whatever there was literally a line all the way down the block, and that’s when it hit me that I made it. [laughs] Just kidding.

[Everyone laughs]

Ben: No, I’m just saying, I just felt so fortunate and so lucky to have been a part of all this…

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: …and still be a part of it.


The State of the Fandom


Andrew: So, we’re going to talk a lot about the fandom today, because it has been a year, and for the longest time people were wondering what was going to happen after the book came out. And I mean still it’s just as popular as ever, right? The fandom?

Laura: Yeah, I think so.

Eric: I think it’s changed.

Ben: It’s evolved.

Andrew: It has changed, but how, Eric? How has it changed?

Eric: Has it changed? Well, I don’t know. It’s interesting, Andrew, because I distinctly think – I mean – okay, there’s different people in the fandom, and of course when I’m speaking it’s my opinion, and it’s not necessarily how things really are, but I’ve noticed that there are certain fans, for instance, that have really begun following Wizard Rock, and they’re attending more Wizard Rock concerts than they did, you know, I mean – with no new books coming out, there’s of course still hype for the movies, but it’s kind of branched off. I think the fandom, some people have gone the way that three of our MuggleCasters have gone: Twilight. They’ve gone into the Twilight fandom.

Ben: Ooh! By the way, TwilightSource.com, check it out!

Andrew: Mhm, fantastic site.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: Yes, thank you. It’s a great site.

Eric: Anyway, so people have found sort of other books, and you know that’s good because obviously we want to promote reading and all that other stuff.

Ben: It’s all about literacy.

Eric: Yeah, yeah. So some people have gone off and kind of got interested in Twilight and hooked on that. Other people have stayed and they still listen to our shows, and still talk about our shows on the fan forums and pretty much do that. But it’s just interesting, because without a book coming, it’s not like the whole fandom as a whole is just sort of waiting to be enlightened, which is how I kind of felt it was, especially between Book 6 and Book 7. There was so much hype of – there was a presence. You know, Book 6 itself was almost a presence – or the books. The book series, Harry Potter the series was a presence until it was closed off, and I think we lost that, but at the same time, you know, there are still plenty of things to talk about and do.

Matt: So basically, Eric, you’re saying that after the last book had ended, that the fandom separated into separate niches. And so they’re in their own groups.

Eric: Yeah, I think they still identify, and you guys, having just been to the Harry Potter conference, can kind of identify – you know, say what you think, but I think Harry Potter fans still identify themselves as Harry Potter fans, and we’ll all converge for the movies and stuff, but there’s no encyclopedia in sight, and I think at the moment, it’s this really interesting, not just down time, like there was between the books, but a completely different sort of, you know, branching off, because there are no books left.

Matt: I think it’s a time in the fandom when everyone gets to be more creative, because now they have all the information they want and now they can do what that they want to do in the fandom.

Eric: That’s good.

Andrew: Micah?

Laura: Yeah, I agree with that.

Micah: I think – wasn’t it you, Andrew? This question came up when you were doing your little panel with the rest of the podcasters at Portus, and I just think that, you know, when you have these events that are still going on and still taking place, obviously the gathering, I don’t think, was probably as large as some of the previous conferences that have been held, but it still seemed like the people that were there were extremely dedicated and into it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: I have never seen people dressed up like that before in my life, and some of it was scary, and some of it was fun at the same time. But, you know, I still think you have – I mean Matt, you brought up a good point, that everyone has kind of gone their own way into different areas of the fandom. But it still seems like there are a good amount of people out there that are still going to be into it no matter what. You look at the fact that HPEF is still planning these events in the future.

Andrew: Through 2010. I mean…

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: These conferences really do remind you what the fandom is all about, because, you know, even if there’s one twenty years from now people are still going to show up there dressed up in their costumes and talk Harry Potter. People make friends.

Micah: Absolutely. And it was just interesting to see, particularly with Portus, that it wasn’t just the younger fanbase; there was a lot of, you know, older people, not to classify age range or anything like that, but… [laughs] …you know, there’s – all age ranges love the series.

Eric: Yeah, I was just going to ask you that. Portus, were there more adult Harry Potter fans?

Andrew: I think there was an even balance, actually.

Micah: Yeah, I would agree with that.

Andrew: We brought the kids and Portus brought the adults.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: And everyone had a great time, so…

[Eric and Micah laugh]

Matt: Yeah, everyone had a great time. We’ve been noticing, too, lately, is that for the podcasts, like our podcast even, we’re still getting a lot of new listeners. It’s not just the same amount – or people just, like, stop listening to it ’cause the fandom is starting to slow down or something. We’re getting – we’re getting a lot of new listeners listening in to the show, too.

Andrew: Yeah, and I brought that up at the Portus panel, too. We still see lots of e-mails from people saying “Hey, I’m new to the show,” and, you know, “it’s great, thanks for doing it.” And then I realize that I think we are getting new listeners because there’s die-hard Harry Potter fans who, you know, no longer have the books to read. They’re looking for other outlets in the fandom. And Wizard Rock and podcasting are definitely two of the biggest ways to fill your Potter craving, I think. Wizard Rock is more fun, just to have fun with Harry Potter. And podcasting is having fun and also learning a thing or two.

Micah: I mean, just think if we had started podcasting, like, you know, before Order of the Phoenix came out, how much…

Laura: How big it would have been.

Micah: Yeah. [laughs]

Eric: Yeah. Dude, half of us would have been thirteen.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Laura: That’s true. I was like fourteen when that book came out.

Eric: [laughs] Yeah.

Laura: Oh well. Doesn’t matter.

Andrew: There have been a few things that have really fueled the fandom, over the past – well, actually over the past year. Some of those would be the anticipation for the theme park, Dumbledore being gay in October, that was huge…

Ben: He’s always been gay.

Andrew: That got as much press as when the book came out.

Eric: He wasn’t just gay in October, Andrew. [laughs]

Andrew: He’s always been – well, when it was revealed that Dumbledore was gay.

Eric: Yeah, absolutely. That was a shocker.

Andrew: Yeah. The Harry Potter prequel was also fueled some interest in the fandom, and then the J.K.R./R.D.R. lawsuit, which, while isn’t the most positive thing, it’s certainly created discussion in fan forums and on podcasts, and maybe even a Wizard Rock song or two. Nobody’s done that yet, but I think they should.

[Eric laughs]


Big Harry Potter Stories


Laura: I have to say that out of all of these, I really think the Dumbledore being gay story was the biggest one.

Andrew: Oh, yeah.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: No, yeah. I agree. The theme park was pretty big too. And, actually, I may be wrong about this, I think it was announced before Book 7 came out, right?

Eric: Yeah, it was, but it was never…

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: It was in March…

Eric: I don’t think we got any solid, like, concrete stuff. And then one day, Universal said “Okay, we’re actually tearing this stuff down and building a Wizarding World.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Like, they announced that J.K.R. had been with them since the beginning and was totally planning this. And I think that happened after Book 7.

Micah: Well, I think two of our best episodes came from two of these topics, the first being about Dumbledore, and the second being about the lawsuit. So…

Laura: Yeah.

Micah: …I think, you know, we need something else like that to stir things up here, before they – well, if they still plan on releasing a movie, ’cause who knows at this point…

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: …what’s going to happen.

Laura: Jo needs to out another character.

Andrew: Yeah, seriously.

Eric: [laughs] Out someone else, Jo. Just, you know…


Back to the Fandom


Andrew: How long do you guys think the Potter fandom will be around for?

Ben: Forever, Andrew!

Andrew: In this sense, with multiple fansites…

Ben: Forever!

Andrew: No, but I mean – but I mean…

Ben: The Potter fandom lives on within you!

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Andrew: Multiple popular fansites, multiple popular Wizard Rock bands, multiple popular pod – actually, wait, no, we’re the only good one.

Eric: Well, okay, we answered that question.

Laura: Honestly, I…

Eric: Well – go ahead, Laura.

Andrew: What, Laura?

Laura: I think the lifespan of that lies with those of us who are running them.

Eric: Yeah. Right.

Laura: Essentially, as we all grow up, and as we get jobs, and start making families, I have a feeling it’s going to start dying down.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Oh, Laura, Laura, we’re never going to get old.

Eric: Though…

Laura: It’s just – that’s the natural progression. I’m sorry – not that it’s a bad thing! Not that the sites won’t still exist, but I’m saying when we all have three kids running around our feet, we’re not going to have time to go post news on MuggleNet.

Andrew: But the big thing…

Micah: No… [laughs] …I’m not going to say anything, that’s way too easy to…

Laura: [laughs] Shut up!

Micah: …to say something else. [laughs] No, no…

Andrew: I think – but the fans choose whether the fandom stays big or not. I don’t think it’s really up to us. Because a lot of people just gave up on the fandom after the book came out. They were just like, “Harry Potter is over.” And we still – it’s so weird. We get comments on MuggleNet from people who are like, “Who cares anymore? The fandom’s dead, Harry Potter is over.”

Micah: Well, they’re taking the time to write that…

Andrew: Right, exactly…

Micah: …so clearly they care.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Why are you visiting the site if you think the fandom’s over? It just doesn’t make any sense. So – but I
think there are some people who really do feel like that Harry Potter is over and all that…

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: …and, hey, whatever, it’s their decision but I think ultimately it depends on how many dedicated Harry Potter
fans there are. I think Harry Potter will certainly last longer fandom-wise than, say, Twilight, because it doesn’t
have as big of an audience. They are dedicated but it’s not as big.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: Mhm.

Laura: Well, I think it’s comparable to any other fantasy series that has a following but it’s finished. You know, you look at Lord of the Rings. There is still Lord of the Rings sites online, they just don’t make big news.

Eric: Yeah, well, it’s forty or fifty years before they did the movies.

Laura: Yeah, but what I’m saying – what I’m saying is that this is what it’s going to progress to. I’m not saying it’s going to be like that in five or even ten years, but eventually it will.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Oh no, no. I agree. I agree with you.

Matt: When they re-make the movies it will be huge again.

Eric: Yeah.

Micah: I still think you’ll have the conventions that people will go to, regardless, and…

Laura: Oh, definitely.

Matt: Yeah, like the Star Trek conventions and the Star Wars conventions they do.

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: Yeah. Well, that’s still going on, kind of. I mean Star Wars is still going on because all the fans are taking that – well, actually, Andrew, have we seen anything? Because, like, you asked, like, how long is it going to last? Have we seen anybody drop? Have we seen any major websites that don’t get updated anymore? I mean, I think that’s the kind of way to gauge it.

Andrew: Not really. Well, I mean – I of course wouldn’t say that on air, I wouldn’t point fingers at people, but I think – yeah, I think there definitely have been changes in the fandom. Not podcasts, not big podcasts, not big Wizard Rockers, but there are some bigger websites that have sort of dropped the ball after the book came out. That’s maybe just my personal opinion.

Matt: Interesting.

Andrew: I think with time, things change, people come, people go, so – but how many, like – how the fandom is today. How many years do you guys think it’ll last? Do you think it’ll last through the last film coming out in 2010?

Ben: I think so.

Laura: Yeah, I think so.

Matt: I think it really depends on what comes up.

Ben: Well, I think it’s going to go in the same – it’s going to follow the same pattern that it did, that it went through with the movies before, you know. There’s always – there’s going to be – like the baseline of the fans, you know, like when – in between movies, you know what I mean? Like when we’re in between books, like – that, like – the fandom at that level has dropped, has died down significantly, I would say. But as we get closer to a movie release, you know, the one that’s coming out in 123 days, 55 minutes and 22 seconds, then we see it’s like a roller coaster effect, you know? At those points we’re going to have the peaks in our traffic, and there are going to be more fans online, there are going to be more people interested in it, MuggleCast is going to get more downloads, and then after those periods…

Andrew: Woo!

Ben: …it’s going to fall back off to the baseline. Now the only difference is that baseline, the base of the fandom, is
continually getting smaller as time goes on, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Laura: Yeah. I think that’s the perfect way to describe it.

Andrew: Another thing that I just remembered is Harry Potter the Exhibition, which is going to be that…

Matt: Oh, right.

Andrew: The roving Harry Potter set.

Matt: That’s going to be pretty cool.

Andrew: And that’ll be really cool.

Ben: What is it?

Eric: We’ll definitely – we’ll definitely get reports.

Andrew: Some company’s working with Warner Bros. to bring an exhibition across the United States. Like, to different cities. And it’s just going to be tons of, like, props and stuff from the Harry Potter films.

Ben: Ahhh.

Andrew: And it’s going to be ten thousand square feet, and hosts “elaborate displays of authentic costumes, props and artifacts from popular environments featured in the films.” And that’s starting in Spring 2009, so…

Eric: Yeah, that’ll be really cool.

Micah: Yeah, I think it depends a lot on this encyclopedia too. I mean it’s not going to – it’s not certainly going to attract the same amount of attention as the books because I don’t think that you can do that and, you know, there’s never going to be the build-up that we all experienced before the release of each of those books. It’s just not – you can’t replicate that.

Eric: Totally.

Micah: And it’s never going to happen again.

Ben: That’s what I’m saying. Imagine, like, how could you miss something like that? You know what I mean? Like if I was – like imagine if you just started reading Harry Potter now and, you know, you already heard from your friends that Harry lives, you already heard all of these things, and imagine how you’d feel after you read the sixth book. You know, it was – it’s a completely different scenario, like what we were looking at last summer, you know? Because we were – it was one of the only times ever that we didn’t know what was going to happen, and it was like such a beautiful feeling, you know, in hindsight, because now that everything’s said and done…

Andrew: Right.

Ben: …you can look back and, you know, it’s kind of like after Lord of the Rings, after that last book came out, you know? It’s – we truly – we lived in such a unique time, and it just sucks that so many people – I have so many friends who didn’t read the books, who just, you know, thought it was stupid thing or whatever when they’re missing out on the greatest cultural phenomenon ever.

Eric: Dude, that’s very sensitive. I…

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. Very sensitive.

Andrew: Well, yeah, and it’s also a shame to think about how many kids in future generations are going to read these books but they’re missing out on one of the coolest parts of reading these books. It’s just being part of the fandom. Like, you know, twenty years from now when kids are turning fourteen or fifteen, and somebody finally introduces them to Harry Potter, they’re going to be like, “Wow, these books are great. I need to fill my craving,” and there’s not going to be anything! [laughs]

Ben: Well, see, what’s interesting, though – like, what I would like to know, a statistic I’d like to find out, is what percentage of people who have actually – who have read the Harry Potter books, have participated in what we refer to as “the fandom” in some way, shape or form. You know what I mean? Like what percentage of them have gone to the Internet and actually looked for additional Harry Potter news? Like, it’s like a casual reader versus somebody whose more into it, you know?

Eric: Exactly, because there’s probably – I mean, oh geez, there’s – I’d like to know the percentages of those who haven’t, you know. I mean all the people we’d never hear from. Even listening to the show there’s hundreds of people that listen to this show and we don’t ever, ever ever, hear from them. They hear us, so hi, people!

Matt: Well, yeah – well, just the other day – actually today, right before we were recording, I went to Chipotle to get some food, and I was passing these two girls in the restaurant and they were talking to each other about Harry Potter.

Eric: Dude, really?

Matt: Just talking about the fandom.

Andrew: Really?

Matt: Yeah, or not the fandom itself, but they were just talking about, you know, Harry Potter and talking about, like, how can somebody not like Harry Potter or not read Harry Potter.

Ben: What’s weird – what’s weird is I’ll still, like, on occasion, on rare occasion, when I’m in Chicago or something – you know, like someone will recognize me or I’ll be with Emerson or somebody will recognize Emerson, and it’s just so funny because, like, what will happen is they’ll make eye contact with you, they’ll look away, and, like, they’ll think about it for a second, and then their eyes will immediately dart back to you. And then like…

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. [laughs]

Ben: …that’s like the dead giveaway. That’s when you instantly know you’re like, “Are they going to talk to me or are they not going to talk to me?” [laughs]

Andrew: Right.

Micah: Right.

Eric: Ben, some people have all the luck. I’ve been living in Chicago for five months and that’s not happened to me yet.

[Micah laughs]

Ben: Maybe you’re just not as recognizable.

Micah: You know, I…

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: [mocking Ben] I just have one of those faces.

Micah: You know, it’s funny, because I always bring up work and, you know, I always talk about people there who read the series but kind of don’t say anything, but when I was at Portus, you know, I guess somebody did a Google search on me at work and they found out one of the articles that I guess we had done, and they started sending it around to a couple of people in the office and – you know, because they always like to give me a hard time about this, and…

Eric: Is this a story about how Micah gets picked on at work?

Micah: Yeah. Well, no, it’s actually – this is to show that – how many people actually read it but aren’t as active as we think.

Eric: Absolutely.

Micah: And so this article starts getting passed around to a bunch of different people and I wasn’t on it so I don’t know what was said, but I was told it eventually got to one of the guys that I used to work for and one of the guys who now works for him – and the guy who worked for him, he’s like, “What is this Muggle crap? I don’t understand. Who the hell would be interested in this kind of stuff?” And his boss replies to him, and he says very strictly – he’s like, “I’m interested in it.”

Everyone: Ooooo…….

Micah: I guess you better be careful.

Andrew: You know, my initial prediction was that ten percent of people who have read the books are a part of the fandom. But I’m reading an article now that just came out in June. Says, “Potter tops 400 million sales worldwide.” And so now I’m thinking, okay, so 400…

Ben: It’s more like one percent.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, if you divide – 400 million divided by seven, that’s – that would be -technically be 57 million readers, and so, I mean…

Ben: During our peak time we got maybe…

Andrew: Ten million.

Ben: …300,000 visitors per day.

Andrew: Mhm. Wait, you think when the book came out? It was more than that.

Ben: I guess it was probably…

Andrew: I guess average. I guess average, that would be right.

Ben: I guess it was pretty close to, like, half a million.

Andrew: So it is extremely small, and you wonder, like, why those people…

Ben: Less than one percent actually. I guess it just depends. A lot of people who are involved in the Harry Potter fandom are Internet junkies. That’s safe to say.

Laura: That’s true.

Andrew: Right. Yeah.

Ben: I have nothing against those people. Like they just – they’re into a lot – they’re into instant messaging, social networking, Facebook, MySpace, those kinds of things. And so, you know, that’s the reason I got into the Harry Potter fandom, is because from the time I was ten years old, I was just constantly on the computer, and so when I started reading the books, the first thought that went through my mind was, I need to see what’s on the Internet about this.

Eric: Same. Absolutely same.

Laura: Yeah, me too.

Ben: And some people just aren’t as lucky as us to have stumbled upon something so great.

MuggleCast 154 Transcript (continued)


Eric’s Solution for Future Generations


Eric: Actually, you know, I have the solution to that, Ben. The thing you were saying earlier about our, you know, future generations not being able to wait. I think we as parents should just take away their seventh book. You know…

Ben: Don’t allow them to read it.

Eric: Yeah.

Ben: Kind of like Santa Clause. You know, when people… [laughs]

Laura: Give it to them at midnight. [laughs]

Andrew: That’s what Scholastic and Bloomsbury should do. Ten years from now, take all the books off store shelves and release each one, one per year…

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: And you make people wait. You do all these releases all over again.

Eric: You think that…

Andrew: Talk about a money maker.


Jo Revising the Books


Ben: They should release, like – don’t you remember when Jo said a while ago that she, at one point, would go back and revise the books?

Andrew: Did she?

Laura: Oh yeah! She did.

Ben: She said that. She said that she’d go back and go through the books and make them better, you know what I mean? Do something like that.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I mean, that could just be a kind of a pipe dream on her part. Because if I was her, I’d be tired of all the Harry Potter crap. It’s not crap, but you know what I mean.

Eric: I think what she said was, that if she did go back it would be to Book 4, which she felt was rushed.

Matt: Yeah, it would be Goblet of Fire, she said it was her favorite.

Micah: Well, look what she already did with – didn’t she put in some extra writing to the tenth anniversary of Sorcerer’s Stone?

Andrew: Yeah, she did something. She added like a foreword or something to it.

Eric: You’d think she’s itching though, because she just out of nowhere came up with that Harry Potter prequel, for charity. She just out of absolutely nowhere there’s a page and a half, probably took her a minute, and that stuff’s still living on inside her. So, I’m just – that’s like a treasure trove. I mean, her mind, you know.


Jo’s Future Works


Ben: Do you think – I think we’ve discussed this before, but it’s probably been awhile since we brought it up – do you think that when Jo releases her next book, that she’s going to release it under an alias?

Eric: No.

Andrew: I hope not.

Ben: Because here’s – here’s the two sides of the story. Of course she wouldn’t – one party is going to say, “Of course she’s going to release it as J.K. Rowling. Why would she want to do anything else? If she releases it as J.K. Rowling, it’s going to sell so much more.” Right?

Andrew: Right.

Ben: But, at the same time, you have to keep in mind that she’s a billionaire. So money isn’t exactly an issue with her. So maybe she would want to release it under a different alias just to see if she could become successful again through different means without having J.K. Rowling, her title, be what makes her successful.

Andrew: No, I think that’s right.

Laura: Didn’t she mention something at one point about publishing under a pseudonym?

Andrew: Maybe jokingly. I think she said it jokingly.

Laura: Oh, ’cause I remember something about she was writing a children’s fairy tale.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

Laura: And I thought that she’d mentioned she wasn’t thinking of publishing it under her name.

Andrew: No, you’re right about that.

Micah: And a political thriller, right? Or a political mystery or something along those lines?

Eric: Yeah, yeah.

Andrew: Something like that.

Micah: But she could give money to charity, too. I mean, that would be another benefit of writing under her name.

Eric: Wouldn’t we find out that it was her?

Andrew: You know, someone…

Laura: Probably.

Andrew: …called her the other day – not the other day – I’ve read somewhere, somebody called her a one-hit wonder and I was like, “You know what?!”

Laura: Are you kidding me?

Ben: More like a seven hit wonder.

Andrew: No, but wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. They’re kind of right because we’ve only seen Jo write one series.

Eric: That’s all we need!

Matt: Seven books of it though.

Andrew: Seven books, but it’s still the one series, so I’m thinking what happens if, you know, I wonder if she feels pressured to, you know, like what happens if she writes another book, a different series, and it’s a flop?

Eric: I do not think it’s possible. I do not think it’s possible.

Matt: It will not flop.

Andrew: You don’t know that.

Matt: Even if it’s a horrible story, it’s not going to flop.

Andrew: Story-wise, though. Putting – putting – putting aside the fact that she’s J.K. Rowling, say she did it under an alias and we all read it, would we think it’s just as good?

Ben: Well, absolutely not.

Andrew: Or are we clouded by the fact that it’s Harry Potter?

Eric: No, I’m almost positive…

Ben: No, no, here’s the thing – here’s the thing, though. Here’s the thing about it is, imagine when a band releases, you know, an album that people are just so amazed by, okay? People are just, like, “Man, this is the best album ever.” More time – more often than not, the next album that they release, most people are like, “Man, this is,” even if it’s a really good album, they’re still comparing it to the last album. And since the last album is the album they heard first, they’ve already built such a positive association with it that nothing else really stands up to it, you know what I’m saying?

Eric: I understand.

Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

Ben: So, when Jo writes another series, it really – it would really have to knock our socks off in order for us to not think it was worse than Harry Potter.

Eric: But I think that – I think that writing is a little bit different from – from song-making for one reason, which is that I – I – I don’t necessarily think that whatever she writes is going to garner the huge, you know, fan thing that Harry Potter had, but as an author, she’s the one who actually wrote the words that have touched so many people. She – just the way that she writes, the way that she has progressed in writing, the way that she illustrates her characters, it would be impossible for – I think it would be impossible for her next writing venture to not be as well written, in a way, or as – as – as – as appliable to – to people. I think just as many people will identify with whatever she writes because she’s got that voice. She’s got that writing talent to be able to bring people in, even if she’s not writing a Harry Potter book.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: Yeah, there’s no doubt that she’s talented…

Laura: Yeah.

Ben: …but I don’t think that necessarily means that her next work is going to be just as good or on the same level as Harry Potter, because…

Eric: I wouldn’t compare it to Harry Potter.

Ben: But you’re one of the few who wouldn’t.

Laura: I was going to say, nothing’s ever going to compare to Harry Potter, and Jo herself even acknowledged that. And frankly, she was glad at the prospect of the reporters packing up and going away, so she could actually write something else and not get as much attention. I don’t know that it’s really – I mean, even fair to compare anything she would write next to Harry Potter. People will do it, but Harry Potter‘s such a classic thing, and a lot of the series is the hype that surrounded it and the suspense that we all had going into the next book. That’s something that we’re not going to have again, and I think it’s unique and we need to accept that as what it is and not expect her to put out another huge world phenomenon like that. But it doesn’t mean it’s not going to be good.

Ben: Right. It doesn’t mean that she – what if she does do it again, you know? Like, it would be – it’s improbable, but I’m saying, why not, you know – like I said, don’t set yourself up for – don’t have expectations that are too high and be thinking, “Oh my gosh. It’s J.K. Rowling. She’s not going to disappoint.” But at the same time approach it with an open mind, you know?

Andrew: Oh sure.

Ben: Like don’t – don’t compare it to Harry.


The Encyclopedia


Eric: Do you think they’ll be a midnight release for the Harry Potter encyclopedia?

Andrew: Yes. Yes, no question.

Ben: Absolutely, absolutely.

Eric: Okay.

Laura: We should all go.

Ben: We will.

Andrew: Oh of course.

Eric: Yeah, we should…

Andrew: I think that there will be just as much hype because it is like a new Harry Potter. You’re learning just as much information.

Eric: Yeah, maybe, but…

Andrew: Why wouldn’t you?

Eric: Because it’s …

Andrew: It’s just as exciting.

Eric: It’s not the narrative. It’s not at all …

Ben: Just as long as Steve Vander Ark doesn’t publish it first.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: So we should move on.

Andrew: See, I would go to a midnight release for that too. There would be just as much hype.

Eric: We should move on.


Jo Should Update her Site


Micah: You know the one thing that I will say is that, she should update her site. I mean that – she hasn’t updated it in months, I think.

Ben: Ladies and gentlemen, what’s bugging Micah.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: But seriously, I mean, she’s done a couple of little things here and there, but nothing, you know, kind of an overhaul.

Eric: Yeah we – we still care about her.

Micah: No new material for us.

Andrew: Maybe she’s saving it all for the encyclopedia. Maybe she’s working on it heavily.

Micah: Maybe she’s on vacation.

Andrew: Maybe she’s on vac – maybe she’s sick of Harry Potter.

Eric: Maybe she’s raising her kids. She’s got three of them.

Andrew: Yeah, maybe she has a life.

[Ben laughs]

Andrew: Maybe she thinks we’re all suckers for continuing on with the sites…

[Eric laughs]


No More Harry Potter Books


Andrew: …and the podcasts, and the Wizard Rock, while she’s moved on now, she’s already got her next book all ready to go. Back to the one-hit wonder thing, I know that that – that stirred all you guys up, but I mean it is good that Jo did say that she can’t – she’ll never do another Harry Potter, or she doesn’t think she would be able to. I mean that’s a lot to live up to because one of the things people love J.K. Rowling for with Harry Potter so much is that the story is so deep and complex and, you know, with – you know, we’ve proved you can talk about it for endless hours.

Eric: That’s what I’m saying. How could any book she writes…


Number of Hours MuggleCast Has Talked About Harry Potter


Micah: How many hours, Andrew? We need …

Andrew: I don’t know.

Micah: We need to find out how many hours.

Andrew: That would be pretty easy to do.

Ben: Hey, some – some MuggleCast fan, here’s a contest. Total – total the amount of time in all the MuggleCast episodes ever.

Andrew: I’ll give someone a trick. Put them all into one playlist on iTunes and then on the bottom of the iTunes it will say how long that playlist is.

Eric: Wow.

Andrew: I don’t have all the MuggleCast episodes, and I don’t want to download them all, but somebody probably does have all of those, so…

Laura: I think I actually have all of them.

Andrew: Do you?

Laura: Yeah.

Ben: Laura’s a big Muggle Cast fan.

Eric: Actually, actually…

Laura: Actually, I do. I listen every week.

Andrew: Do you want my autograph, Laura?

Ben: She likes hearing her own voice.


More on Jo’s Future


Andrew: [laughs] So speaking of Jo, what do you guys think will happen with her? I mean, there won’t be an eighth book, right?

Ben: No, I don’t think so. I mean, maybe like a decade from now. That – that would be awesome if she did write something, or if she was able to take the same world and…

Eric: Do another story.

Ben: …you know – you know, there’s a new – there’s a new villain but make it, like, completely different, you know?

Andrew: Yeah, that would be cool. But then it would sort of – you know, the one thing about Harry Potter is now the evil was defeated and, you know, happily ever after.

Ben: “And all was well.”

Andrew: “All was well.”

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Even nineteen years later. What do you think – what do you think – okay, we know she’s doing a children’s book and she’s also said a mystery novel too, right?

Eric: Political mystery novel.

Laura: Mhm.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Political mystery. Oh, but the children’s book is politically charged, isn’t it?

Eric: Many are.

Laura: Yeah, that’s what she said.

Andrew: Yeah. What else do you think she could do?

Micah: I don’t think the mystery – wasn’t that more of adults, she said?

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: Well, she said she was writing …

Micah: Yeah, adult crime novels.

Laura: She said she was writing a political fairy tale for children.

Andrew: I would read the mystery. I love mystery novels.

Laura: Yeah. Well, and there’s so much of a mystery element in Harry Potter anyway. We already know she’s good at it, so…

Andrew: Yeah, but sort of like the classic crime story sort of feel. Maybe it will be something like that?

Ben: Yeah, maybe. Who knows?


The Future of MuggleCast


Eric: Okay, okay. So let’s talk about MuggleCast now. You guys – the past few weeks you finished up every chapter in book seven. Chapter-by-Chapter of book seven.

Andrew: Woo!

Eric: And MuggleCast was started, of course, right after we got the sixth book, and so we had – you know, we just – we just talked, and now we’ve finished, obviously – we’ve finished talking about book seven. So what’s – what exactly is next? You know, what’s next for the show? And are – you know, is there an official date to when we’re going bi-weekly or non-weekly, or whatever it is? Or…

Micah: Well?

Andrew: I don’t know.

Micah: I just figured I’d throw that out there.

Andrew: Everyone’s expecting a big announcement right now.

Matt: Have we gotten an answer…

Andrew: I’ve been trying to think about what we would do with the show, and I really still don’t know. Micah’s suggested we keep going weekly through our three year anniversary, which is what, like August 5th or something? I think that’s a good idea. We’ll probably be doing a live show in, like, two or three weeks at the latest.

Ben: Where?

Andrew: Live online, I mean.

Ben: Oooh. Oh you mean like “live.”

Andrew: So I think the plan right now, after the three year anniversary, is we will do episodes whenever we feel the time is right. So that’ll be when there’s a lot of news to discuss, or there’s, you know, a hot topic that we feel should be a main discussion. You know, we’ll do the fun segment…

Eric: I’m sure we’ll get some e-mails, too, like, “Hey, this happened, I really think this would make a good main discussion on MuggleCast.” Like for fans who really want another show. And we’ll consider that, sure.

Matt: And for, like, really big news, or not even really big news, but like news that needs to be addressed immediately, we can probably do like maybe a…

Andrew: We’ll do live shows.

Laura: And we can even do mini-casts, yeah, for…

Andrew: Yeah. Those could even be regular shows. I mean, who says we have to do an hour?

Eric: Yeah. Who says?

Andrew: So.

Eric: Huh? Who says?

Andrew: Who says?

Eric: Who says?

Andrew: Well, I guess…

Ben: [in God-like voice] The Harry Potter podcast god.

Eric: So…

[Everyone laughs]


Reminiscing


Eric: Anyway, guys, also talking about MuggleCast, you guys did finish talking about Book 7, so – now, I noticed, as I was reading through one of the show notes, and was it Andrew who was saying that Voldemort is too cool to issue ultimatums? [laughs] Like “meet me here by midnight.”

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: I totally agree with that, but basically, what do you guys think? Having read Book 7 again, and thoroughly gone through it on the show, do you have any differing opinions than from when you first read it a year ago? ‘Cause it’s…

Andrew: I really enjoyed picking apart the book, thinking back in hindsight. I mean, sometimes it wasn’t the funnest thing to prep, but it was a lot of fun, I thought. No, I still see the book the same way I did. I see it deeper now, since we did go more [unintelligible], and I think that’s why people liked Chapter-by-Chapter so much.

Laura: Yeah. It just makes me nostalgic, really, to read it, because I remember reading it with all of you guys, and I remember all the parts where I cried, and all the parts where I got made fun of. And being in London, it was so fun. So, really, reading it was kind of a way to go back to those really, you know, fun days we had before the series was over.

Eric: It was just a year ago. Laura…

Laura: I know!

Eric: We were all in that same hotel room…

Laura: I know, we were like five of us crammed into that little hotel room.

Eric: [laughs] In front of the camera.

Laura: That thing was like a closet.

Ben: Were you guys at the Holiday Inn in Mayfair?

Andrew: Yes, we were. Fantastic hotel.

Ben: Oooo.

Andrew: I think that wraps up our discussion on the fandom.


Announcement: Ben and Eric Will be at Terminus


Eric: Yeah, except Terminus. Just wanted to set the record straight, I’m going to be at Terminus. And it’s not going to be like a MuggleCast thing there or anything, but I’m going to be there, and so is Ben. So…

Ben: Let’s organize a secret meeting. We’re actually holding a – Eric and I are holding a convention across town called…

[Andrew laughs]

[Ben mumbles something unintelligible]

Andrew: MuggleCon.

[Laura laughs]

Ben: Called MuggleCon? Come meet us, since all the fans are going to be in town anyways. Come meet us.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: I’m just kidding. At Dylan’s apartment.

Eric: We’ll make a poster or something. But, yeah. I guess – we can do a meet-up, right, Ben? Yeah. You and me together?

Ben: Of course.

Eric: Emerson.

Ben: Hell, we can get Emerson involved too.

Andrew: I can’t wait. No, but…

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: All right, so that about does it for the show today. We wanted to keep it simple and just do a discussion on the fandom. I thought that was very enlightening.


Contact Information


Andrew: Let’s remind everyone about our contact information real quick. Laura, what’s the P.O. Box?

Laura: It’s P.O. Box 3151, Cumming, Georgia, 30028.

Andrew: At Portus, Laura brought lots of the mail that’s been showing up. A lot of people sent me birthday cards, thank you very much, everybody, for that. I really appreciate that. It’s really meaningful when you see letters from people – actually took the time to send them in. So thank you to everyone who did. I’ve read every one of them, didn’t I, guys? You saw me read them.

Laura: Yeah, you did. Yes, you did.

Micah: Yes, you did.

[Show music begins playing]

Andrew: So, continuing on with the contact information, maybe we’ll get back to voicemails next week because we’re going to need some stuff to talk about. You can always call into the MuggleCast hotline. If you’re in the United States, you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you’re in the United Kingdom, you can dial 02081440677, and if you’re in Australia, you can dial 0280035668. You can also Skype the username MuggleCast. No matter how you call us, just remember to keep your message under 60 seconds and eliminate as much background noise as possible.

Ben: Hey, Andrew, Andrew.

Andrew: What’s so funny, Ben?

Ben: Remember when I gave out your number…

Andrew: Yes.

Ben: …on that one podcast?

Andrew: Yeah. I still get calls.

Ben: And, like six months later you were getting calls.

Andrew: Yeah, try like two years later, still getting calls. [laughs]

Ben: Sorry about that, by the way. [laughs]

Andrew: No, no, I’m over it now. You can also visit MuggleCast.com for a handy feedback form to contact any one of us or just use our first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Don’t forget, as always, on MuggleCast.com we have the community outlets: the MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.FM, the fanlistings and the forums. Follow us on Twitter, Digg the show at Digg.com, and vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley.

Everybody call in with your thoughts about the fandom and where it’s going and how it’s changed and stuff, and we can talk about that more next week. It’s a never-ending discussion.


Show Close


Micah: But thanks, again, to everyone at Portus. Seriously. They…

Matt: It was a lot of fun.

Laura: Yeah, they were great.

Micah: …treated us very well while we were there.

Matt: It was so much fun. Everybody was – the people there made the whole symposium.

Andrew: So thank you to everyone for that. Panel, Ben, Eric, thanks for coming back.

Eric: Yeah, thanks.

Ben: Oh, no problem, Andrew, it was my pleasure.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: My pleasure.

Andrew: All right, once again, I’m Andrew Sims.

Ben: I am Ben Schoen.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.

Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I am Matthew Britton.

Andrew: We’ll see everyone next week for Episode 155. Buh-bye!

Ben: Buh-bye.

Micah: Bye.

Laura: Bye.

[Show music ends]


Blooper


Ben: Alrighty.

Eric: Hey, hey, I got a knock-knock joke! Knock, knock, Andrew.

Andrew: Uh…

Eric: Dobby.

Andrew: …who’s there? Dobby who?

Eric: Dobby sad. There’s plenty of stuff coming – left in the Harry Potter forums. [laughs] The Harry Potter fandom!

Ben: What the hell kind of joke was that?

Andrew: Okay, worst joke ever.

Laura: Wow!

Micah: Wow!

Andrew: I can hear the fangirls calling. [mimics fangirl] “If that was Jamie, it would’ve been a good joke!” Anyway.