MuggleCast EP18 Transcript
Intro
Ben [Show Intro with music in background]: This is MuggleCast – Episode 18 for December 04th, 2005. This week’s show is sponsored in part by GoDaddy.com. Get your own piece of the Internet and save money along the way. For a limited time, GoDaddy.com is offering a new domain name, transfers or renewals for just $1.99 with every new non-domain product you buy. Choose from hosting, website builders, email accounts and much more! Plus take an additional 10% off any order simply by entering “Muggle.” That’s M-U-G-G-L-E in your cart at check-out. So, visit GoDaddy.com and save big.
Well, let’s get to this week’s show. Hey, everyone! We’re back this week again for another episode of MuggleCast. I’m Ben…
Andrew: …Schoen. I’m Andrew…
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: …Sims. I’m Kevin…
Laura: …Steck. I’m Laura…
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Micah: …Thompson. I’m Micah… Somebody’s got to do it.
Ben: …Tannenbaum.
Micah: There we go.
Ben: Wooo!
Andrew: Wow!
Kevin: Oh, that was interesting.
Andrew: I had no idea we were capable of producing such as fine intro.
Laura: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah. Great job guys! Wow!
Ben: That was just, that was unintentional.
Kevin: It was.
Ben: Okay.
Kevin: Impromptu.
Ben: Well, before we go any further, Micah, take it away.
News
Sue: Hello, hello, hello from the House of Hufflepuff! Hello, Ben Schoen! Hello, Ben Schoen! Hello, Andrew Sims! Hello, everyone! Hi, Eric! Hi all!
Okay, here we go. [clears throat] Hello, everyone! Sue Upton here with your Harry Potter news recap for you. Author JK Rowling has revealed in an upcoming radio interview that she intends to write another children’s novel when she finishes writing the Harry Potter series. This book would be aimed at younger children, and this is one of many things she is considering writing for in the future. You can hear this interview, which will be broadcast on Saturday, December 10th on BBC 4.
Our favorite author has also written a foreword to a new book where she discusses her life in poverty and as a single mother in Edinburgh, as she struggled to make ends meet before she was discovered, as it were, and she found new fame and fortune with her Harry Potter novels. She writes very movingly about her life as a single mom, and how things were very difficult for her and her daughter in those early days.
Turning to film news now, there are some high-resolution photos from the Entertainment Weekly photo shoot with the Trio of Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. You can also see a great video clip of Dan Radcliffe as he appears on Sunrise Program, where he talks about the “Bathroom Scene” and the filming in the movie. It’s very good. It’s very funny. So, be sure and check that out.
Also, we learned that Lucius Malfoy has now made the Forbes Fictional 15 of the fifteen richest fictional characters. Draco’s dad comes in at No. 15 behind Santa Claus and Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s a very funny article and you should be sure to read that one.
Finally, in book news, we’ve learned the Japanese and Finnish Half-Blood Prince release dates for the books. The Japanese one will be out on May 16, 2006, and the Finnish edition of the book will be out on March 16, 2006. So, for all your news and information, please be sure to check out the website daily for all your Potter news and needs.
Now…GO HUFFLEPUFF! No, just kidding. Now, on with the show. [laughs] Sorry, Ben. I couldn’t resist! [laughs]
Okay, so for all your Potter news and needs be sure to check out the website, which is updated daily. And now, on with the show. How’s that for a proper end? But, GO HUFFLEPUFF! YAY! [laughs]
Can’t resist. Okay, okay, okay. I’m done. Bye, bye, love you. [blows a kiss]
Ben: Whoa, that didn’t sound quite like you, Micah.
[Kevin laughs]
Laura: Ummm.
Ben: What’s going on here?
Micah: Yeah, what was that?
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: I don’t know. So, let’s see…
Ben: We were invaded by PotterCast.
Andrew: But, probably, people have no idea what the joke is about that because nobody listens to PotterCast.
Ben: Ohhh.
Micah: Oooo.
Ben: That was low.
Kevin: Ohhh.
Andrew: Slam!
Kevin: That was a burn.
[Kevin and Micah laugh]
Andrew: So Micah, what happened there? You showed up on PotterCast last week for some reason, and then… It was funny because I was listening to PotterCast and I had no idea you’d done that with them. Melissa was on the show, Melissa was on the show and she was saying, “Oh no, oh no, oh no. The MuggleCast boys stole Sue.” And, I was like, “Eh, I didn’t know we stole Sue.” Then you showed up. Good job.
Ben: Yeah. Well, actually…
Andrew: That’s what? Your second appearance on there?
Ben: Guys, I have a surprise…
Micah: I appreciate it.
Ben: I have a secret.
Micah: I was in the holiday spirit and I figured they needed the ratings boost, so I figured what the heck?
Andrew: Ohhh.
Laura: Awww. That was so nice of you.
Ben: Awww.
Kevin: Yeah. That was nice of you, definitely.
Ben: Micah, Micah, Micah. Guys, guys, guys, we have to be honest here. The truth is, I have to bail Micah- Micah out of jail last week…
[Laura and Kevin laughs]
Ben: …because he broke into the PotterCast studios, kidnapped Sue. Yeah, Micah’s in trouble. This is not looking good.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Well, thanks Sue for doing the News for us.
Ben: Send your donations, send your donations to Micah Tannenbaum. Get him out of, get him off, get him off of such criminal charges.
Okay. Well Andrew, do we have any announcements this week? I’m in the dark here.
Announcements
Andrew: Oh, Ben. It’s not a new episode of MuggleCast without a few announcements. We’re going to start keeping these announcement areas shorter because people are like, “Hey, it takes you forever to get to the actual Harry Potter content.” But, you know what? I don’t like Harry Potter. I like talking MuggleCast announcements. So…but, anyway… First of all, we’d like to make an announcement that we have been getting so many emails about birthday announcements because on one episode I wished two people a “Happy Birthday,” and we would love to announcement “Happy Birthdays” to people, but we literally got over 300 birthday wishes. And I actually started writing them down when we got the first 20 or 30 and then I said, “We can’t do this.” So, I’m sorry to everyone who has emailed. I wish all of you a “Happy Birthday!” That’s all I have to say. I’m sure we all do.
Ben: Oh, sorry about that Andrew, but I am going to do a Birthday Announcement right now.
[Andrew makes disgruntled noise]
Ben: Happy Birthday to Marlese, who turns 17. She was one of the first people at the LIVE podcast. She showed up there at 8:30 in the morning. She was there before we were. So, this is probably the last Birthday Announcement you’ll hear on this show in a long time, but I just really had to say this because she’s one of our devoted fans who showed up that early in the morning, and she was the first one to greet us.
Andrew: Yeah, she deserves it.
Ben: So, Happy Birthday!!!
Andrew: So, then, moving along, yeah, I’ve been getting a lot of emails about catching up on the challenge at staff dot mugglenet dot com stuff. We’ve been so busy with this podcasting, you know, in between having a life, it’s really hard to keep up with all your challenge entries. We appreciate them all. And, I have been looking at them all, and I will turn all the Halloween ones into a gallery. I still haven’t gotten that done. [laughing]
Ben: Yeah, I’m telling you guys. Every week it just seems like the show is getting closer and closer. We just…I finish editing and then the next day we’re recording another one.
Andrew: Yeah, practically.
Ben: And it’s great fun, but these weeks just keep speeding up.
Kevin: It’s true. Yeah.
Andrew: I know.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: And then finally as promised, we finally have our demographic information. We actually got some cool stats. I am really happy how these turned out. Let’s just run through a couple real quick. These are the people who filled out the “Listener Survey” and told them a little bit about ourselves.
Ben: Thank you. You can still do that by the way.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: You can still fill out the Listener Survey.
Andrew: Yep.
Ben: If you wish.
Andrew: Yep. So, okay guys. Get this. Gender: 74% female, 26% male. A huge female majority.
Laura: Wow, I am totally shocked.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Absolutely astounded by that.
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Andrew: Oh, I sense sarcasm there.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: I don’t know. It’s pretty interesting. I sort of pictured that too. I mean that was basically the same percentile at the LIVE in New York City Podcast.
Ben: Oh, and also, some of you who took the survey did “Listener Satisfaction” and you gave…
Andrew: Oooh! And you gave us some great grades!
Ben: …overall, overall our podcast was rated 8.87 out of 10, which is pretty remarkable. So, we’re pretty close to 9 out 10. Our highest rating was for, I believe it was for the hosts, we got 9.0…oh excuse me, “Overall Quality” was 9.12, but for the hosts we got a 9.09 rating. So, good job, guys!
Kevin: Woohoo!
Andrew: And the lowest, the lowest, ironically was website design. An 8.85. Hey guys, it’s cool.
Ben: We’re working on that.
Andrew: We’re working on something that’s going to fix that.
Kevin: Ironically.
Andrew: I’ll leave it at that. Wooo. Okay, and then another thing we found interesting, number of times listening to each podcast, 73% of you listen to it one time, but 20% of you listen to it two times, 3% of you listen to it three times, and 4% of you listen to it more than three times.
Laura: That’s devotion!
Ben: That’s pretty remarkable!
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Oh, and also…
Kevin: That’s pretty crazy.
Ben: And also most of you listen to the entire episode of the show. 88% listen to the entire episode, 10% listen to 75%, and 1% listen to at least half of it. So, this is really remarkable considering that it is an hour long and most of you are able to sit through what some people would consider a borefest.
Andrew: Yeah, we love getting these stats. So, if you guys could continue filling out the survey, that would be great. A total of 4,060 people filled it out, which is a good response! I’m feeling it.
Laura: Mhm.
Ben: So, I’m hoping that you guys feel the same way about, “Well, who else is listening to the show,” and that type of stuff.
Andrew: Yeah. I think so. Oh, and then the age range. 55% of you were under 18, 31% of you were in between the ages of 18-24, 13% of you were in the ages between 25-34, 4% of you were in the ages between 35-44, and 1% of you were in the ages between 45-54, which makes me wonder – what about the people older than 54? Because I know we have a couple of listeners older than 54.
Ben: I guess they just didn’t fill it out.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Pretty cool.
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: Well, that was fun.
Ben: Well, is there any other announcements that we have?
Andrew: Yeah Kevin, you have a little announcement?
Kevin: Ummm yes, it’s actually regarding the book reviews we promised to be doing.
Andrew: Woo-hoo!
Kevin: Laura and I will be reading a book by next episode, yes.
Laura: Mm-hmm.
Kevin: By popular demand, His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass.
Laura: Yay, I’m really excited.
Kevin: And…
Laura: Phillip Pullman.
Kevin: Who is that by, Laura? Phillip Pullman. So, if you want to pick it up and…
Laura: Brilliant, brilliant author.
Kevin: Get a head start on us. Well we shall see, I haven’t read any of his work so. [laughs]
Andrew: I’ve heard of that.
Laura: Yep.
Kevin: So yeah, next episode we will have the review.
Ben: Oh and also Micah, are you here? Micah?
Micah: I’m here. I’m still here.
Ben: Okay. Micah don’t you have an update about the transcription position too, before we move on?
Micah: Yeah, it has been filled.
Andrew: Has it?
Micah: I’d say about a hundred and…it has!
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: A hundred and fifty people or so sent in applications, so thanks to everyone who sent in. But Ally Pfohl is our new Transcription Assistant, I guess is the best way to put it.
Andrew: Excellent.
Laura: Okay.
Micah: And she’s going to be working on…she actually worked on Episode 17 and did a good portion of it, so…
Andrew: Great. Maybe we’ll get her on the show, too.
Micah: She’s already doing a good job.
Kevin: Awesome.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: Yeah.
Micah: Actually, I have some very interesting things here. I’m just going to share real quick. There were two things that were really funny that came out when I got some emails for this position. And you know, because in the post thing, I said that you should be able to distinguish between people’s voices. That’s obviously something that’s important.
Andrew: Mhm.
Micah: And a lot of people emailed me back and they said, “Yeah you know, I’m really good at distinguishing between people’s voices.” And they were being very serious when they said this. “Particularly Laura and Jamie’s.”
[All laugh]
Andrew: Laura and Jamie’s, hmmm!
Micah: I wonder why that is.
Andrew: Girl American versus…
Laura: I have no clue.
Andrew: Boy British.
[Micah laughs]
The Return of Jamie Lawrence
Ben: Oh speaking of Jamie by the way, people, everyone is wondering where Jamie is, and he will be back from December.
Kevin: He dropped off the face of the earth.
Ben: December 14th through about mid-January.
Andrew: Well he…
Ben: So, we’ll be able to have Jamie back on the show.
Andrew: He…yeah, we’re not giving…
Kevin: He said not to promise though.
Andrew: Any guarantees.
Kevin: He’s trying his best.
Andrew: But, we know you all want him on, we keep getting emails. Frankly I’m a bit annoyed by them, of all the emails that we get asking for him back.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Ummm…so…
Kevin: You should be asking for more Kevin, you know?
[Andrew, Laura, Micah laugh]
Ben: Actually we get emails asking for you to go away.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Kevin: Oh thanks a lot Ben.
Andrew: Yeah. No but…
Ben: I’ll cut that.
Andrew: Yeah, but Jamie will be back. He misses doing the show, he really does.
Micah: And…
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: College keeps him busy.
Character Discussion: Molly Weasley
Ben: Okay, well I think it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty, about Ole Molly Weasley, right guys?
Laura: Right.
Ben: Oh I like your reaction.
[All laugh]
Ben: Show me some real enthusiasm, geez!
[All laugh]
Ben: Okay, so…
Andrew: Lay it on us.
Ben: What do we know about Molly? Okay, go ahead.
Andrew: A couple of facts we know about Molly Weasley. She is a pureblood. She has several children – Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and of course….Ginny. [said with hard “g” sound]
[Laura laughs]
Ben: You mean Ginny.
Andrew: As we like to call her around the…
Laura: Ginny Whizzey.
Andrew: …group here. Yeah, Ginny [hard “g” sound] Whizzey, Ginny whatever.
Kevin: Ginny [with hard “g”].
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Andrew: The Weasley Family has the pet owl. Or the family owl, Errol.
[Kevin laughs]
Andrew: She did attend Hogwarts. Her first year was in 1961 and her House was Gryffindor.
Ben: No surprise there.
Andrew: Of course. The boggart…her…how do you pronounce it? Bogart?
Laura: Bogart I think. Boggart?
Ben: Boggart, boggart.
Andrew: Her…
Kevin: Boggart, is how I pronounce it.
Andrew: Her boggart is her family all dead. We always hear about how she fears that the most. Her skills…
Ben: Well actually, what’s…what’s really ironic about, about when you see her boggart, the one person who isn’t there is Ginny. Isn’t that weird?
Andrew: Oh yeah….
Laura: Hmmm.
Ben: Ginny doesn’t show up in her boggart.
Laura: Yeah, it was still…
Kevin: Wasn’t it still…
Laura: Yeah, it was still changing.
Kevin: Wasn’t it still switching?
Ben: I know but Harry was dead before Ginny, and…I don’t know! Hmmm, let’s see.
Kevin: We’ll get to that in a few moments.
Andrew: So, of course, those facts are brought to you by the HPLexicon.org. [laughs]
Ben: I assume that’s HP hyphen Lexicon dot org.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: And also Molly Weasley was particularly impressed by Gilderoy Rock…Gilderoy Lockhart. Bleurghlalala.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Say that five times fast. Yeah and she was a big Gilderoy…Gilderoy fan.
Laura: Quite smitten with him.
Ben: I’ll never say that word again. But…is she…
Kevin: Well, I don’t think she is anymore.
Laura: Eh, yeah.
Ben: Oh yeah, but…
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Ben: And Molly is also a member of the Order Of The Phoenix. And I think that’s basically all the information that we, that’s pertinent about Molly. She has red hair, in case you didn’t know.
Kevin: Really? [laughs]
Ben: Oh and her birthday is October 30th.
Andrew: So, here’s the typical riddle question. What would her “Paytronus” be?
Ben: Her Patronus [pronounces it correctly].
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] So here’s the typical question, what would her Patronus be?
Laura: Hmmm.
Ben: I really don’t know. That is a really good question though.
Kevin: That’s a good question. I don’t think we have enough information about her to really formulate, you know…
Laura: It would be something motherly.
Kevin: …what it would be.
Laura: Something motherly, definitely.
Kevin: It would be, yeah.
Ben: Yeah, it would be a koala bear or a kangaroo.
Laura: A koala bear?
Kevin: A koala bear [laughs]
Laura: Koala bears are mean!
Ben: Yeah, a koala bear.
Kevin: Why did you…
Ben: What about a kangaroo though? A kangaroo carries around…
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: [laughs] A kangaroo!
Ben: …babies in the pouch and stuff.
Micah: How about just a bear?
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: A bear?
Ben: Bears are mean, Micah.
Kevin: Oh that could…
Laura: Mmmm.
Kevin: Possibly a bear, that’s not bad.
Andrew: How about a fluffy pink bunny?
Laura: [laughs] No, that’s Mr Weasley.
Kevin: I don’t think…
Andrew: Ha!
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: Okay. Well…
Andrew: No, Mr. Weasley’s definitely a rubber duck.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Yeah. Okay.
Kevin: A rubber duck!
Ben: Do you guys want to go to the voicemails now?
[All laugh]
Andrew: No, we’ve got to have some discussion.
Laura: I think we have more questions. There’s more questions.
Kevin: Yes.
Ben: Well what is there, what is there to talk about Molly Weasley?
Laura: No, there are more questions that we had sent in, weren’t there? Yeah, there are more.
Kevin: There are.
Ben: Oh, they were sent to us.
Andrew: Oh here, Laura posted these ones, I’m sorry.
Kevin: Yes, yes.
Ben: Which side are the Weasleys on? That’s staring you right in the face. It’s pretty obvious that Molly Weasley is a member of The Order of the Phoenix. She’s Dumbledore’s Woman through and through. That’s what I think.
Andrew: For sure.
Laura: Uh…
Molly’s Role in the Order
Kevin: What? Now, now this is a good question. What is her specific job within the Order?
Laura: Hmmm.
Ben: That is a really good question.
Andrew: Keeping the house clean. Seriously. Definitely. I mean…
Ben: I don’t know, maybe we underestimate her real…her position. Maybe we think, “Well, she couldn’t help out that much,” but…I don’t know, she could be sort of a powerful wizard…
Laura: Well, I think she does a lot of manning the Headquarters and such.
Ben: Witch…
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah, I think she’s like a protector.
Laura: Yeah, basically.
Kevin: Especially for…I know that a lot of people comment on her as a protector of Harry.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: Because she, she is always there for Harry and she’s the one who actually allows him to stay at the house, you know?
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: It seems like it’s her authority to let him stay and not Arthur’s, you know?
Ben: Right.
Kevin: I’m sure they discuss it but it seems like she’s the runner of the house, isn’t it?
Laura: Yeah, definitely.
Ben: Yeah, and what she says goes.
Andrew: Yeah, I look forward to seeing her reaction to finding out the truth about Snape.
Laura: Yeah, me too.
Andrew: And hearing her talk to Harry for the first time. Hopefully, she’ll make a good appearance in HP 7.
Kevin: But…do you think she’s going to play a major role?
Andrew: No, just a side role, like…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: One of the bystander roles.
Micah: Wait, wasn’t she there? Wasn’t she there?
Andrew: Where?
Micah: After it all happened?
Andrew: Oh at the funeral?
Micah: In the hospital wing…
Andrew: Oh, I’m not…
Laura: Yes she was, she was there in the hospital, but we didn’t really…yeah, I mean she was…
Kevin: Get a reaction.
Laura: You know, she was…
Micah: Okay.
Laura: …upset, but no one’s really…we haven’t really seen too many of the characters’ reactions to it, really. There’s been no discussion between Harry and a lot of the other characters concerning Snape’s betrayal. Or you know, that is a topic of much debate, but…
Ben: Oh yeah! We should do a show about that by the way.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Have you guys done Snape yet?
Laura: No.
Micah: No.
Kevin: No, we haven’t. We’ve discussed him a lot in…
Ben: Next week’s Snape.
Kevin: Okay.
Ben: I’m saying that now.
Kevin: Snape it is.
Ben: Well, now that we’ve sort of hashed out who Molly Weasley is, what her role is in the series, let’s hear what questions you guys had.
Voicemails – Molly’s Job Status and Financial Situation
[Audio]: Yo dudes, this is Izzie from Oz and I would like to know in the book, Sorcerer’s Stone, there was a woman in Diagon Alley who Harry hears outside the Apothecary. She’s all like, “Seventeen Sickles an ounce, they’re mad!” raving about something on sale there. Now, not only is this strange because seventeen Sickles are a Galleon, but I believe this person is described like Molly Weasley, only Harry doesn’t know her yet. I think that the reason whoever said this “Seventeen Sickles” was because it sounds like a lot more money than a Galleon. And if you can’t afford a Galleon then that’s pretty bad. Also, how do you think the Weasleys can afford all their stuff? Do they, I mean they have things like the Flying Car and their house really isn’t that bad. How much do you think Arthur’s job pays, and is Molly Weasley really unemployed? Thanks!
Laura: I really don’t think it was her, just because it didn’t sound like her talking, from what I remember of the quote.
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: It just didn’t sound like Molly. I think she said something like “Seventeen Sickles” for however much of whatever it is she was buying and she was like, “They’re mad!” or something like that, and it just didn’t sound like…
Ben: Right, but the thing is, is that, the context that we’ve seen Mrs Weasley in, in the books, has been when she’s around Harry, when she’s trying to act like a mother.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: That’s true.
Ben: And even though she may be acting, she may have seemed like the real Molly Weasley come out. I mean, not the non-motherly type, the one who’s just personally frustrated because, you know, she says, “‘That’s insane’ because they don’t have that much money.” So, it could be…
Laura: Yeah, but again, they’ve always been kind of…I wouldn’t say secret, but they don’t discuss their financial situation in public.
Micah: Yeah, but they do always say, you know, I don’t know if it’s just the movies or if it’s in the books too, but she always seems like she will always get by, no matter what the financial situation is.
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: Like when they have to go to Diagon Alley to get all their supplies.
Laura: Really the only person that I’ve heard, that I remember talking about the Weasleys’ financial situation is Ron and it’s always when he’s complaining, like “I hate being poor.”
Kevin: Yep.
Laura: I don’t really…
Ben: Well, no actually, actually, if you look to what Mrs. Weasley has said before how, “We had to get your robes hand-me-down.”
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Like in Goblet of Fire…
Laura: But that’s…
Ben: When he got the…
Kevin: She mentions…
Ben: His dress robes.
Kevin: Yeah, she mentions it in passing but she never really you know, comes out and says, “We’re poor.”
Laura: Yeah. I just couldn’t really see her…
Ben: I think the reason that they don’t have very much…
Laura: I don’t know, I just couldn’t see her standing there, talking about anything that would allude to…
Kevin: I don’t see her being aggressive at all towards anyone.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: You know what I mean? About money.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: Well…
Kevin: So, to be honest, I don’t think it was her.
Ben: Well what about the rest of the question though?
Kevin: Well…
Ben: Is she unemployed? I’m guessing…
Laura: Well, I think so.
Kevin: I would say she’s a housewife.
Laura: Yeah, and didn’t…
Kevin: That’s what I’d say.
Laura: Didn’t Jo say on her site somewhere that she taught the kids before they went to Hogwarts? I seem to remember that she was teaching her children, so…
Kevin: Yes, yes.
Andrew: Well, that’s almost like a housewife, kind of job.
Laura: Yeah, I mean, but when you’re, you know when you’re home-schooling your kids, you don’t really have time for a job so…I doubt that she is employed.
Ben: And also…
Andrew: Laura knows all about home-schooling.
Ben: Yeah, and also I think that the Weasleys…
Laura: Yes, Laura does.
Ben: [laughs] The Weasleys, the Weasleys would have a lot more money say if they only had two kids rather than having as many as they do. Because Arthur, he works for the Ministry as like a Government position.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: And you’d think that that would pay pretty decently.
Laura: Yeah but he works, he works in the Muggle Department
Ben: And the problem is, is that he has all these older kids he has to support, and…
Laura: And we know how Fudge feels about Muggles.
Ben: Yeah, I see what you’re saying but…
Kevin: Yeah, but…
Ben: At the same time…
Kevin: Yeah.
Laura: I could, no I could seriously see…
Ben: Okay.
Laura: Cornelius Fudge jacking Arthur’s pay because a) he’s not a fan of Muggles and b) he knows that Arthur loves Muggles. So, I could totally see him giving him a raw deal. I really could.
Ben: But, we don’t know if it’s Fudge who decides the salaries. I’m sure there’s a type of panel, you know?
Laura: I’m sure he has input.
Ben: You know, you know…okay. But it’s not like the President. It’s not…the President of the United States doesn’t decide how much money the members of his cabinet make.
Laura: No.
Ben: You see. Those are set by a sort of Parliament maybe, the Wizengamot or whatever, but I’m just saying that even just because he doesn’t like…
Laura: Yes but he has influences on…
Ben: …Muggles.
Laura: …Those who determine…
Kevin: Who set that pay.
Laura: Yeah. [laughs]
Kevin: Yeah. But at the same time, I don’t think that even if he did make a decent salary that he would still be in any better…
Laura: I think they’d still be…
Kevin: …situation money-wise.
Laura: …they’d still be pretty tight.
Kevin: They have so many children that…exactly.
Ben: There’s so many expenses that they just have to be able to find a way to pay for everything. And look at their house, it’s…it had to be magically expanded, it wouldn’t hold together if it was a normal house like the houses we live in. So…
Kevin: Yep. And I mean, all the stuff that…that the Weasleys have, if you notice, have been, has been repaired.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: You know, like the car that Mr. Weasley has, has been fixed up by him and modified.
Ben: Right.
Kevin: So, I mean you can go to any junkyard and get a car that won’t drive, but you can fix it up. So, I don’t think that determines their money.
Andrew: But…
Kevin: You know, how much they’re making.
Andrew: Getting back to Molly Weasley’s professional profession. I just think that she hasn’t had the time to invest into anything. Because don’t you think they would want more money?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: So Molly’s wanted to…you know, but she’s been held up with the kids and then…
Laura: Now the Order.
Andrew: Ginny got out but then…yeah, right.
Laura: Now she’s got the Order.
Andrew: Right, so there’s been no time.
Kevin: Right.
Andrew: You know, and then when you think about it, you know, Aunt Petunia, Malfoy’s mother, they…we haven’t really heard of jobs from them either. Like, what other women are there that Jo, JK Rowling has described jobs for them?
Kevin: Ummm…Malfoy…
Ben: Right, but in the end.
Kevin: Narcissa.
Ben: But in the end, what you need to realize with this is that the Weasleys are a family that it’s more than money that matters.
Laura: Exactly.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: So, when it comes down to it…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: It doesn’t really matter how much money they’re making and it’s sort of the model family that you, that everyone wants to be a part of.
Kevin: And I sometime…I recall JK Rowling saying something about that. She was trying, I believe in an interview she said that she was trying to portray that type of character where material things really don’t matter.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah, but the entire family really isn’t materialistic at all.
Laura: No.
Andrew: Ah, that’s a sweet…
Kevin: Okay.
Ben: Izzie, Izzie I hope, Izzie I hope that answers your question. Next…next voicemail.
Kevin: Next one.
Voicemails – Why Join The Order?
[Audio]: Hey guys, this is Mark from New York. Great job with the show. I was just wondering what you guys thought got Molly Weasley and I guess Arthur too, into the Order of the Phoenix. I mean I know they say at one point that they’re blood-traitors because they are pureblood and on Dumbledore’s side, but that doesn’t just mean you’re in the Order. What got them into it?
Kevin: Well, this is what I think. Dumbledore constructed the Order himself, meaning he…he put people in that position. And what better people to put in the position than the people that he knew and taught. You know, he…I’m sure he had an impression of who the Weasleys were before he brought them into the Order and I believe that he selected from the talented witches and wizards that were in his opinion good people.
Ben: That, Kevin…
Kevin: And I believe that’s how…
Ben: That’s definitely true too.
Laura: Yeah, but…
Ben: But, another thing would be is that he may have, you know, sort of it may have been an open invitation. They’ve known Dumbledore for quite a long time and they wanted to help out because you’re either with Voldemort or you’re against him.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: It’s not, it’s not the situation where it’s…
Laura: Well.
Ben: “Well, I’m sort of lukewarm about him,” and it’s either it’s hot or cold, you know? And they decided to join the Order because they felt it was the right thing to do.
Laura: Well, also there are a couple of points. They weren’t in the Order the first time. We don’t really know why yet. Also, I think a big reason, especially for Molly to join the Order is that her brothers were killed in the First War.
Kevin: That’s true.
Laura: And she probably, she wants to avenge them.
Kevin: Also…also Mr. Weasley works at the Department of Ministries.
Laura: Yes.
Kevin: So that’s also a strategic position for the Order. So…
Micah: Well, also Harry too, I mean, perhaps Dumbledore thought to give them some sort of…I guess even protection. Maybe he felt that they were susceptible to an attack.
Laura: And they are.
Micah: And putting them in…yeah, putting them in the Order is a way to kind of protect them and keep them safe.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: Definitely agree.
Andrew: Arthur is…
Ben: Thanks for your…
Andrew: Arthur is definitely the inside source for everything.
Kevin: He is, yeah. He’s that guy who sits in the corner and watches what’s going on.
Laura: And gets attacked by snakes while he’s doing it.
Ben: He’s definitely kind of inconspicuous.
Kevin: Yes.
Ben: Who thinks that the person, the Head of the Muggle…Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office is going to be spying on you, you know? Everyone probably thinks he’s a lamer.
[All laugh]
Kevin: And…yeah! [laughs]
Ben: It turns out that he’s a double agent, you know?
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: That’s how it works.
Andrew: Yep.
Micah: Dude, he works with toasters.
[All laugh]
Ben: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Thanks for your question, Mark, but we’ve got to move on.
Voicemail – Over-protective Much?
[Audio]: Hi guys, this is Natalie from Stoke-On-Trent in the UK. I’d just like to say first of all that I absolutely love the show! My question is, do you think that Mrs. Weasley was slightly over-protective of Harry in Order of the Phoenix. I mean at the end of the day, he’s not her son and whilst she rightly feels very protective of him, she should really accept that she can’t really boss him around like she does with her sons. And also, did you find her comment to Sirius about not being able to look out for Harry uncharacteristic? Thank you, and keep up the great work!
Ben: Absolutely not. I just feel that she realized that Sirius was sort of overstepping his bounds to an extent, where he was starting to treat Harry more like…more like a brother-type, a brotherly-type rather than being his godfather, and Mrs. Weasley recognized this and basically tried to put a stop to it before it went to far, and before they were running out all night in their Animagi, with Sirius in his Animagus form and…[laughs] So, I really think that she wasn’t being overprotective, that it was to the extent where she realizes Harry is a teenager, she realizes that he’s not, that’s he not a grown adult. But at the same time, I do understand that Harry has been through a lot, and he deserved to know what was going on. But in terms of Sirius, I really don’t think it was too overprotective.
Kevin: I also think that one of the reasons why Mrs. Weasley is so protective is that Dumbledore allows Harry to go there and he does that under the condition that he will be looked after and cared for.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: So it’s…it’s entirely her responsibility. Maybe she’s not her, maybe she’s not Harry’s mother but in this case she acting as it.
Laura: She’s the closest…
Kevin: She’s the guardian of Harry.
Laura: …thing he has to a mother.
Kevin: Exactly. And I mean, just imagine if something happened to Harry under Mrs. Weasley’s nose.
Laura: Also…
Kevin: You know, like…
Laura: …I really think that there are points where I do feel she is over-protective of Harry, especially when he was asking what was going on with Voldemort. I think Harry had every right to know. However, that does make a lot of sense, what you said, Kevin, with her feeling that he, he is her responsibility in a lot of ways and it is understandable that she is overprotective at points. But I don’t think that Sirius was totally incompetent.
Micah: Yeah but, I mean I agree with Ben. Like, based on Sirius’ previous activity, it shows that he’s kind of an irrational thinker.
Laura: He definitely is.
Micah: And…
Kevin: Oh yeah, definitely.
Laura: But I don’t think that he was…
Kevin: And he’s rash.
Laura: Totally inept.
Micah: Yeah but Molly is already a mother, I mean she has all these children so I think it’s…
Laura: And I think…sorry! [laughs]
Micah: And basically all of what you guys are saying, it was a natural…no, no it’s all right. It was a natural kind of reaction to feel the way she does for Harry.
Laura: I think…
Kevin: And I don’t think that she meant it as…as almost a serious comment, she meant it as a threat kind of thing. It was…I think she intended it to be a wake-up call to him.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: You know what I mean?
Laura: I also think there’s…
Kevin: From what she was observing.
Laura: …a little bit of rivalry going on there. I mean, here she’d been sort of Harry’s mother figure since he was eleven and then all of a sudden Sirius comes along, and I think she feels like he took it away from her, in a way. So, there could be a little bit of that going on.
Ben: Okay, well I think we’ve pretty much discussed Molly Weasley. For those of you who want to hear about other stuff, well this is…this part of the show is for you. Okay Kevin. Roll the first non-Molly Weasley voicemail. [laughs]
Voicemails – Columbus’ Return?
[Audio]: Hey, MuggleCast! It’s Meredith and I had a question about what you thought about Chris Columbus. He said that he wouldn’t mind coming back to direct like the sixth or the seventh movie, so I was wondering if you think that would be good for the Harry Potter movies. Especially after a movie he just finished, Rent, and from what I gathered, like I thought the movie was amazing, but from other kids at my school, it seemed to be one of the movies that you either absolutely loved or absolutely hated. So I was just curious, so thanks for your time and hooday and peace out.
Ben: Well, thanks, Meredith, for your question. Chris Columbus, I thought he did a really good job with the first two movies because we’ve talked about this in past shows, where he basically had to set the foundation for the entire series and he had to include as much as possible, because we see the books start to balloon out and things start getting cut. The first two movies are probably the most true to the book and the most true to the characters, and even though some people don’t think they’re very good movies because the Trio’s still basically coming into their own, learning better acting skills, and things of that sort. I think if he was going to come back for Movie 6 and 7, he would see what the other directors have done with the series and compare what he did and make the adjustments based off that, and perhaps make a better movie, something that no one would actually expect from him.
Kevin: Well, I think that he would be an excellent director for the seventh movie, and the reason being is that, as you’ve said before, the Harry Potter movies have moved off from a lot of content base and have moved to being an artistic movie where it doesn’t necessarily follow the plot of Harry Potter to the T, like, the original two movies, and I think that what better director to finish off the series then someone who’s going to wrap up all of the loose ends that have been formed by the other directors. Although it may not be as good of a movie for those who are just coming in to the series, it’s going to be the final closure for those who are fans of the series.
Andrew: Yeah, okay, I don’t think he should come back to direct anymore of the films. Sorry to anyone who has felt that way, because you compare the first two movies to movies three and four, and there is such a difference in the way that it was presented. I think that Chris would want to turn it back into the way he had them, because that’s the way he does his films and that’s the way he does his Harry Potter films. He’s done two, so we can say that. I mean, if we brought him back, I just think it would just be taking a step back.
Laura: I agree. I agree.
Ben: I don’t know about that.
Kevin: I don’t know.
Ben: Let me hear your defense, Melissa. I mean – not Melissa.
Kevin: Oh jeez. [laughs]
Laura: Oh, now I’m Melissa. Ok.
Ben: Laura.
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: No, the reason I wouldn’t want to see Chris Columbus come back is because he tends to direct much lighter films…
Kevin: Yeah.
Laura: And I don’t think that Movie 6 and 7 need to be light. I really feel…
Ben: What about…
Andrew: Like I said, it’s…
Ben: Hold on a second. What about David Yates? David Yates never has even directed a movie.
Laura: Hey, I’m apprehensive about that.
Ben: He’s only made for TV stuff.
Andrew: Yeah, whoever said we were confident about that?
Laura: Yeah [laughs].
Kevin: Yeah [laughs].
Ben: My flawed assumption there, sorry.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, well you don’t know what to expect and once they start filming in February, then we’re going to start to see pictures, we’ll see where they’re filming.
Laura: Yeah. Honestly, this is just me, but I’ve never found Chris Columbus to be terribly creative. That’s just my perception. I’m not saying that everyone should feel like that but…
Andrew: Well, I mean, but…
Ben: Well, the first two films look what he was given to work with.
Andrew: Yeah, he wasn’t given anything.
Ben: There wasn’t much to be creative with.
Kevin: Exactly.
Laura: No, he wasn’t given good materials to work with per-se.
Andrew: Well, you got to give him credit for starting the whole thing out and making it a pretty good show.
Laura: I do, I do.
Kevin: But what I’m afraid of is that the director that they are going to choose for 7, is going to be a director much like Alfonso, who focuses more on the artistic-ness of the movie.
Laura: Well, I think Alfonso…
Kevin: And we’ve read the story so people are like, “This is very disappointing.”
Laura: I think Alfonso focused more on the tone.
Ben: You are one of the three people that thought that.
Laura: I think he focused more way more on the tone of the story really, and in a lot of respects, I think that focusing on the tone and being true to that is a lot more important then getting every detail from the story.
Kevin: Yeah, but at the same time, if you leave out too much, you’re letting the people you have followed you through…
Laura: Totally, I agree.
Ben: I got an email from someone from Universal Studios this week and they told me that they had been listening to the Podcast quite a bit and they said, “From the moving-making perspective, that it’s not really, when you’re changing a book to a movie, it’s not really your job to basically include every detail. It’s your job to convey the idea,” which I agree the directors to this point have conveyed the idea of the movie of what it’s suppose to be about. The first movie, all these movies sort of contained the same central theme but had different twists on it and thing of that sort, and I think throughout the entire series so far, all the movies, all four of them have done a very good job. Each director has put their own little twist on it and put their own little, basically made it their own world and they’ve done good jobs. I don’t see what problems you guys have with it until you get down to overanalyzing it and I know there’s no such thing as overanalyzing but go on.
Kevin: I think I’m just a typical Harry Potter fan who fears that the series will be destroyed by some crazy director.
Ben: Right, see, you haven’t even seen…
Laura: See, and I think the movies are intended for the fans, really, and I think that they expect that you are walking into the theater knowing the story. I think that’s the reason behind so many…
Ben: That’s not necessarily true…
Kevin: But that’s wha…
Ben: Warner Bros. wouldn’t make a movie if that was the case. I know making movies, it’s meant to satisfy the fans and it’s meant satisfy the average person. If the average person in the street wants to go out and see a Harry Potter movie or see a movie, that’s plain, they aren’t exactly going to know Harry Potter walking into the theater.
Laura: Yeah, but they are depending on the fact that there are so many Harry Potter fans.
Kevin: Speaking of which, guys, there was actually an article in my school newspaper regarding Goblet of Fire, and the last paragraph did pretty well to sum it up. I quote, who is this, I quote Ted Blake…
Andrew: Yo, Ted.
Kevin: “Though the-” yes. “Though the movie is still a must-see for fans of Harry Potter book series, Muggles unfamiliar with Hogwarts, house-elves, or Hermione, should bring along a Rowling fan to talk them through the plot.”
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah, you’d go into it confused.
Kevin: Exactly.
Laura: Oh, I took someone who is a complete Harry Potter virgin, apart from the fact that she’s seen the first three films. She’s never picked up any of the books in her life and she was so confused by Goblet of Fire. She walked out and she was like, “What did we just see?”
Andrew: And I remember my friend. I took a friend to see Prisoner of Azkaban and it was the same thing. He didn’t like the film because he was like “Uh, okay. He flew off on a broom and crashed into the screen and [Laura laughs] that’s all I can remember.”
[Micah laughs]
Kevin: And that is very similar to what Laura’s saying with – it’s for the fans. The movies up until now have been very fan-based where a person who hasn’t read the series ends up being confused by the movie.
Andrew: I don’t think that WB thinks about the fans first. I think they think about making it appeal to as many people as possible.
Kevin: Yeah but, think of how many millions read…
Laura: Exactly.
Kevin: The books. I mean, you can’t ignore the fans, especially in Harry Potter.
Andrew: No, but here‘s the thing, you put Harry Potter in the front of a title of a film and every fan is going to go see it. Warner Bros. automatically knows that, but then you also want to get the people who aren’t the fans to go and see the movie. So, they’re trying to appeal to them first because they know these fans are going to go see it because it says Harry Potter.
Laura: Well, that’s why – I mean come on. Look at the promotional pictures. Look how they make the characters look. They are trying to appeal to people who are not fans by making them look, I guess you could say…
Andrew: Cool.
Laura: Prettier, better-looking then they really are in the books.
Andrew: Alfonso started that.
Ben: Look at Hermione. For example, Emma Watson isn’t what Hermione really looks like…
Laura: No, no.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Because she’s hot. Emma Watson’s hot. I love Emma Watson.
Laura: I get personally annoyed because in all of the promotional ads she looks like a model.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: And Hermione is not a model. But see…
Andrew: But you know, perfect example: Ben Schoen. How many times has he seen the movie?
Laura: Yeah, they are trying to get people by…
Andrew: 83 times.
[Ben Laughs]
Laura: They are getting the Ben Schoens of the world to go “Wow, that girl’s hot. I’m going to see this movie now.”
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: That’s what they’re doing. [laughs] At least you admit it.
Andrew: You went to see the film 83 times right?
Ben: Well not only that, I have about every Emma Watson picture ever in creation downloaded on my hard drive.
[Andrew, Laura, and Kevin laugh]
Ben: And I’m not a creepy stalker.
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: Yeah, right.
Andrew: Seriously Ben…
Kevin: Right Ben.
Andrew: Yeah well, I just think Warner Bros. is trying to appeal to the mass audience before they appeal to the fans because…
Kevin: But have they accomplished that, yet?
Andrew: I think the…I don’t know. Well, I think the reviews are pretty good, and most of the critics aren’t die-hard Harry Potter fans, so I don’t know. And then they also consider money and time, and you know.
Kevin: Well, in the end, at least I think that he would be a good director for the seventh movie, but it might not be the best movie but I trust him to include all the information.
Micah: So, you want to see him come full circle, from the first to the last movie?
Kevin: Right, right.
Andrew: It would be nice, because I mean, that’s what a lot of people credit Chris Columbus for, keeping the movies real to the books. So, if people want to put that trust but then again Book 7 could be 2000 pages and then they are going to have to cut some stuff.
Ben: The movie I’m really worried about is Movie 6 because the director is going to have a hard time jumping back and forth into the Horcrux scenes in the Pensieve and you know, that’s the movie I think would be the hardest to direct, to this point. Wouldn’t you guys agree?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Just that whole scene where Dumbledore dies is going to be really hard to make it not seem cheesy. Like him flying off the tower.
Andrew: [in high pitched squeak] Well.
[All laughs]
Andrew: You’re taking that out.
Kevin: No, you’re keeping that in.
Andrew: No you’re not.
[All continues to laugh]
Kevin: Well, they didn’t make the Cedric scene look…
Laura: No, they did a good job with that.
Andrew: That’s what I was going to say, but I’m not a man yet so.
Kevin: Before you [laughs] before you squeaked.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: I’m a man.
Kevin: I’m a real man.
Ben: Thanks, Meredith. That question really sparked a pretty lively discussion there.
Andrew: I like talking about the movies.
Kevin: But…
Ben: There are other questions, other voicemails. Roll the next clip, Kevin.
Voicemails – Harry and Draco
[Audio]: Hi, my name is Eric Peterson, and I listen to your show religiously. I have two questions for you. In the first year, why do you think Malfoy tried to befriend Harry? His family would have hated him because he brought the downfall of Lord Voldemort. Do you think this was an earlier plan to assassinate Harry? Thanks, and I love your show.
Andrew: Well, if we go by the movie standard, Malfoy gave Harry the chance to come onto the Dark Side. That would have been a whole different ball game because I think Malfoy could have easily persuaded Harry to turn into a Dark Side-lover.
Laura: I don’t agree.
Ben: A Death Eater.
Laura: I don’t agree.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you would.
Laura: No, Harry’s a much stronger character then that.
Andrew: Yeah, because of his friends. If he wasn’t friends with Ron and Hermione…
Laura: No, but we had this discussion during the Draco Cast. He didn’t like Draco when he originally met him at Madame Malkin’s.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: That’s true.
Kevin: But at the same time, I think he was trying to befriend Harry knowing what Harry is. I think he was being more manipulative then…
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Right, and by the same token, look at the fact that Voldemort tried to convince Harry, “We can bring back your mother.”
Kevin: Yep, exactly.
Ben: And it’s just the reason for doing that is because Voldemort knows that this kid is the Chosen One to an extent and that basically we need this kid on our side or it’s going to end up, “He’ll eventually be my downfall.”
Kevin: Yeah, and as for Malfoy’s family hating Harry, not a chance. If Harry had joined Malfoy, I think they would have opened Harry with open arms.
Andrew: They would have been all like…
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: Because they knew the importance of it.
Micah: But there is no guarantee at that time that Voldemort’s going to come back.
Kevin: Exactly.
Laura: Exactly.
Micah: So, why not get the next best thing?
Andrew: Do you think Draco’s dad told Draco to try and become friends with Harry so that down the road…
Laura: It wouldn’t surprise me. I would not surprise me in the slightest. If he at least said, “Try to get close to Harry Potter,” it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Laura: That’s the type of thing Lucius would try to do.
Ben: I think he would have tried more then the one scene where it’s, you know, like in the movie it says…
Laura: But Draco’s lazy, we know that. And he takes offense to people…
Ben: I don’t know.
Laura: Who don’t agree with him automatically, and don’t follow him, you know?
Andrew: Yeah, well cause he learned it all from his dad.
Laura: Exactly. His arrogance definitely gets the best of him.
Ben: When it comes to his father he sort of, his father sort of has a lot of control over him. So, if his father told him to do this I think he would, so I’m not really convinced that Draco’s dad said, “Go befriend the Potter boy, or else,” because maybe it sort of happened in passing or maybe Draco realized the importance himself, but other then that I don’t see how it really relates to his dad. Thanks Eric.
Kevin: Yes, thank you.
Ben: Next voicemail.
Voicemails – Love Triangle: Harry, Cedric, Cho
[Audio]: Hi my name is Michael and I’m from Rochester, New York, and before I ask my question I just wanted to say that I personally thought the [Andrew impersonation] “Yeah! Yeah!” thing in the LIVE Podcast in New York City at the premiere was really, really funny so stop making fun of him, guys. So, anyways my question is: After watching Goblet of Fire, I personally thought they didn’t really show Cho and Cedric’s relationship that well because in the fifth book, we all know that Harry tries to date Cho and there is a big conflict between them, and him bringing up Cedric, so I wanted to know your guys’ personal thoughts was on that and if you thought they showed a good enough job with those two. Thanks.
Ben: Well, the point of this movie was they had to get to the beefy parts.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: The Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort coming back, and things of that sort because they didn’t really have time to display the a lot of the subplots like I’ve said in the past, and they didn’t have time to develop the Cho/Harry thing, and you know there is something up because she sort of eyeballed him…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Gave him a flirtatious look and they bumped into each other. “Oh, this way. No. You. Me.” You know, sort of there in that scene where they’re up on the castle and stuff.
Andrew: Yeah, I think that whole area of the book is another victim of…
Kevin: Yeah, the conversion to…
Ben: [Andrew impersonation] Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
[Kevin and Micah laugh]
Ben: I’m sorry, sorry, Michael.
Kevin: I don’t see much happening with Harry and Cho in the fifth book, or fifth movie I should, fifth movie.
Ben: Yeah, that can probably be completely be cut.
Andrew: Yeah, they already bombed on the fourth movie, and that ain’t coming back.
Laura: Yeah, but you know they are going to have that whole part with Harry and Cho in the Room of Requirement. You know that’s going to happen.
Ben: That’ll probably happen but I don’t know about the date they have in Hogsmeade, I don‘t know where you‘d put it.
Laura: Yeah, that’ll probably be cut.
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: But, I definitely, speaking of this whole Harry Potter romance stuff, I definitely want to see the relationship between Harry and Ginny happen in Movie 6, and I think they sort of have to start building that in Movie 5 where they need to…
Laura: Yeah, they need to.
Ben: Where Harry starts noticing her more, where she’s no longer just a little girl.
Kevin: Yep.
Andrew: You think Steve Kloves…
Ben: Yeah, right now.
Andrew: Is looking into that.
Ben: Kloves. [accentuates the “es”]
Andrew: [repeats Ben] Kloves, whatever.
Kevin: I hope so.
Andrew: First of all, do you think ..wait let me start that again…
Ben: Steve Kloves…
Andrew: Do you think Steve Kloves is looking ahead to the future books?
[Ben laughs]
Ben: Well, I think the problem is, Andrew, that you don’t even know who the screenwriter is for the fifth movie. It’s not even Steve Kloves, it’s Michael Goldenburg…
Laura: Yeah, I thought he left.
Andrew: It’s who?
Ben: Steve Kloves will return to write Movie 6, he’s already signed up for all that and talked to Warner Bros. about it so, he’s going to return to do the screenplay for the sixth movie, but the person doing it for the fifth movie is Michael Goldenburg.
Andrew: Oh, sorry. I’m not up on my screenwriters.
[Kevin and Laura laugh]
Kevin: Well, the screenwriters is one of the most important parts.
Ben: So, the fifth movie may be sort of an outliner, so to speak as comparison to the others, as Steve Kloves may do the rest of the series except Movie 5, and I’m anxious to see how it turns out without having the person who wrote the previous…
Laura: He might try to emulate his style, but it won’t be exactly the same.
Ben: That may happen just so, yeah they maintain…right. They want to maintain some iota of consistency throughout the films to the extent where it’s not really going to alienate the audience, where it’s “Oh my gosh! What did this guy do?” Cause you sort of gotten used to Steve Kloves’ style where we sort of know things where he’s going to lead into the very important parts, he’s going to leave in the key dialogue, and some of you might not be very pleased with him, but I personally think he has done a decent job.
Laura: Yeah, I think he’s done great.
Kevin: Yeah.
Andrew: But it’s not just him who’s making those decisions for the entire movie. Warner Bros. is telling him, “Ok, you have this much time, you have this much money.”
Ben: Right, and JK Rowling has to approve all of this too.
Kevin: Yeah.
Andrew: They run it by her.
Ben: I’m sure Jo’s not going to let them massacre her work.
Andrew: No.
Ben: I’m pretty sure.
Andrew: Too bad we don’t know her thoughts on the movie yet.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: We still haven’t gotten any official word.
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: Jo, Jo email me. JK Rowling email me, ben at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
Kevin: Yeah [laughs].
Ben: Tell me what’s up.
Andrew: Sorry I didn’t return your message the other day. I forgot to give you a call back.
Ben: Yeah right.
Andrew: I’ll get back to you later this week.
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Ben: Ok guys, I think this pretty much sums up the voicemails. If you want to send in a voicemail, send it to voice at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
Kevin: Also…
Ben: But don’t fear, the show is not over yet.
Kevin: Well, also a mention of the voicemails. If you have it in different audio formats, send it – I can convert. It’s not a big deal.
Laura: You have just asked for it, Kevin.
Andrew: This has been Kevin’s Technical Note of the Day.
Kevin: Yes, it’s my Technical Note of the Day.
Laura: You are going to get 10 million random voicemails that you are going to have to convert.
Kevin: I have software that can open all of it. Trust me. Backwards compatible.
Laura: Oh, you’re so inferious.
Ben: Ok guys.
Laura’s Take on Goblet of Fire
Andrew: One thing we haven’t got the chance to do yet is ask Laura her thoughts on Goblet of Fire.
Laura: Oh yes.
Kevin: What were they Laura?
Laura: I came out, overall…
Kevin: Great Laura, by the way.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Overall, I very much enjoyed the film. I didn’t think the pacing was as good as previous films, but it’s really the only thing I faulted on. I especially loved the Graveyard Scene. I thought that was so intense and so well done, and Ralph Fiennes is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Micah: Laura…
Laura: Yes.
Micah: I have a question for you. Did you think Barty Crouch was good?
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Senior? Senior?
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: Yeah, senior, of course.
Laura: I thought, ok I don’t understand what everyone’s problem with him was. I didn’t think…
Andrew: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Laura…
Ben: He sounded like a girl.
Laura: I didn’t think he was outstanding or anything, but I thought he was all right.
Ben: Ohhh.
Andrew: Did you listen to Episode 17, Laura?
Laura: No, I never listen to MuggleCast.
Andrew: Because, are you being sarcastic?
Laura: Yes, that would be sarcasm.
Andrew: You were suppose to laugh and be like, “Haha, Eric’s a joke.”
Ben: When Eric said, “Oh my gosh, Barty Crouch Jr is a good guy.”
Laura: [laughs] That’s something we should talk about later. But, no I didn’t think the guy who…who played him? I don’t remember, anyway, I don’t think that Barty Crouch Sr was bad at all, really. I thought that he was fine and I think that judging him on his high-pitched voice is a little stupid.
Kevin: Well, I don’t think it’s so much the actor as it was just the representation. People were thrown off by it because you don’t imagine Barty Crouch as someone who has a high-pitched voice, and it just threw people off and that’s why they’re so critical.
Laura: I thought he was good.
Andrew: Yeah, it must have turned people off, because you see him and he’s always got this scary look on his face. Hey, quick question. Goblet of Fire DVD, we found out earlier last week. “March 2006” reports one DVD site. Good marketing on Warner Bros.’ Half? 5-ish months.
Ben: Not too bad really.
Laura: Well, for the first two movies, they released them, what? April, after about…
Andrew: About five months later, yeah. I don‘t know, it just seems that…
Laura: It’s Harry Potter. People are going to buy it.
Andrew: Well, of course.
Kevin: Yeah.
Andrew: That discussion went worse then I thought it would.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Good job, Andrew.
[Laura and Andrew laughing]
Kevin: Way to start a discussion.
Ben: Yeah.
Kevin: Speaking of DVDs, did you see…
Andrew: [mocking Kevin] Speaking of DVDs…
Kevin: Did you see that, not to give them an ad or anything, but Target has the Harry Potter series at $5.88 each.
Andrew: Oooh.
Laura: Yes.
Ben: Really?
Kevin: Yes.
Ben: Go out and buy them.
Andrew: Go check out and say MuggleCast and get an extra 10 percent off any order.
Kevin: I can’t guarantee it, someone sent it in to me.
Laura: Yeah, because all of our listeners don’t own Harry Potter anyway.
Andrew: Yeah.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Just desperate to get rid of it.
Kevin: Hey, if you have a bad DVD…
Ben’s Weekly Top Ten
Ben: Well, before we close up the show, we have to get to our usual segments that we do each week. Last week I announced the first annual Ben’s Top 10 List and we have a doozy for you this week. This is a stellar Top 10 list, just let me pull it up quickly. This is, ah it’s amazing. The Top 10 Reasons Why You Know You’re A Ben Schoen Fan.
Andrew: Oh brother.
Laura: Uhhh.
[Everyone moaning]
Laura: Ben, did you write those?
Ben: You renamed your…no I didn’t, someone sent them in actually.
[Laura laughs]
Micah: Oh god.
Ben: Number 10: You’ve rename your favorite teddy bear Ben. Number 9: You feel like clubbing Andrew over the head every time he tells Ben to shut up. [Everyone laughing] I agree. You’ve added Ben to your AIM and Skype account, hoping you’ll have a chance to chat with him. Number 7: You’ve laminated Ben’s autograph, put it in a huge frame, and hung it up on top of your bed.
[Laura laughing]
Ben: Number 6: You have a Ben Schoen screensaver on your laptop.
[Laura and Micah laughing]
Ben: Number 5: You visit BenSchoen.com at least once a day.
By the way, that’s a very good idea, visit BenSchoen.com.
Kevin: Ok.
[Laura laughing]
Ben: Number 4: You were saving money to go on a shopping spree to NYC with your friends but you decided to go to Kansas instead. Number 3: You’ve developed a sudden hatred for Emma Watson. That’s my favorite right there. I love you, Emma! Number 2: You just visited benschoen.com again while writing this. And number 1: You asked Ben to sign one of the body parts I can’t mention right now and now you have it tattooed. Ben Schoen’s Top 10 List everybody, woo!
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Ok, Spy on Spartz time.
Kevin: Now that we’re thoroughly bored.
Andrew: Two people were entertained by that list.
Laura: Yeah if…
Kevin: Oh!
Ben: Yeah, whatever that was a funny list.
Laura: You know you guys are misled, that’s all I have to say.
Ben: How?
Laura: Ben?
Ben: How were they misled?
Laura: They were misled by Ben.
Ben: Oh, guys. I am totally a hottie.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Just so everyone knows. Actually, Emma Watson is a big Ben Schoen fan.
Laura: I’m sure she is.
Ben: Just kidding.
Andrew: I saw you try to talk to her at the premiere.
Kevin: Try, and get jumped by her bodyguards.
Andrew: Yeah, they shot him twice.
Ben: Oh, whatever.
Kevin: Yeah.
Spy on Spartz
Ben: Well, now it’s really time for “Spy on Spartz,” and this is a doozy this week.
Andrew: This one’s way too long.
Ben: A very good “Spy on Spartz.”
Kevin: Ugh.
Ben: Ok, I’ll read to you Emerson’s away message. “I’ve been invited as a guest on the Mike Petersen show, which is a late night talk show which is sort of like Conan. It’s being filmed in front of a live audience at 10 at Legends. They’re expecting more than 150 people. You should go!” Well, by the time you get hear this, it’ll be too late but [Laura laughs] congrats to Emerson for making his first television appearance on a talk show. Woo, go Emerson.
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: And from what I know, that show is only on…
Andrew: Notre Dame.
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: Notre Dame TV. [laughs] Notre Dame TV, so if you want to watch it, move to Notre Dame.
Andrew: Well hopefully, we should have found his fans from Notre Dame to record it for us. Get it online.
Kevin: Oh yeah.
Andrew: Now that would have been good. [laughs]
Ben: We should have. Oh and by the way people, I know I’m sort of jumping around here but, next week I’d like to do a Top Ten list not related to me, and not related to MuggleCast. So please send in a Top Ten list related to something else, relating to Harry Potter and that would be great. Ok, now it’s time for “Andrew’s Listeners Challenge.” [does a drum roll]
Andrew’s Listeners Challenge
Andrew: [sings odd theme song music]
Kevin: Has he thought of one yet?
Andrew: I have my own Listeners Challenge which is to get Listeners Challenges done, and up online. Geez, I don’t have a Listeners Challenge this week.
Ben: I have a good idea for a Listeners Challenge.
Andrew: What?
Ben: Send in your own jingle that’s an intro to Andrew’s Listeners Challenge. Send it to challenge at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Nice music…
Andrew: That’s a good idea. No, no, no, no, stop, stop. Not only for Andrew’s Listeners Challenge but make little intros for all of them. Spy on Spartz, Ben’s Top 10 List of the Week, Jamie’s British Joke of the Day, Andrew’s Listeners Challenge, just make little songs. Like 10-15 seconds long.
Micah: Hey my news too, or Sue’s news.
Andrew: Micah, Sue’s news.
Ben: No, Micah…
Andrew: Micah, we give you an intro every week, isn’t that good? You have background music during your thing.
Micah: That’s true.
Kevin: You have your own theme song.
Ben: Micah, do we have to downgrade your status from a human to an elf, seriously?
[Everyone Laughs]
Ben: You better watch it, Micah.
Kevin: He has his own theme song, I mean…
Andrew: Does he?
Kevin: Could he ask anymore?
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: Just let it be known, Micah’s been on PotterCast more times then any of us have. We’ve been on zero, he’s been on twice now, right, Micah?
Micah: Yeah, twice.
Laura: They like him better then us.
Ben: He’s our all-star transcriber everybody.
Kevin: No, it’s Melissa who likes him better than us. You know, he has a thing going on now.
Ben: Yeah. Let’s don’t start the…Micah, does that make any sense?
The Las Vegas Minute
Andrew: We’re premiering a new segment this week: The Las Vegas Minute.
Laura: Yay.
Andrew: And every week, we’re going to talk about Las Vegas for exactly one minute.
Ben: Yes.
Andrew: So, that way we’re going to have like, 30 minutes of Las Vegas talk.
Ben: Okay, Andrew.
Andrew: I love this new segment.
Laura: Okay.
Ben: The minute starts…now. Ok, everybody, Las Vegas. It’s going to rock.
Andrew: I can’t wait,. July…
Laura: I’m actually going to this one.
Andrew: Yeah, Laura’s coming. Who else is coming? Micah’s coming…
Laura: I think we’re all coming, aren’t we?
Andrew: Yeah, we’re all going to be there. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Kevin: Yeah, Emerson.
Andrew: Yeah, it’s like seven months away.
Laura: No one cares about Emerson.
Andrew: We’ve been getting a lot of emails [Kevin and Laura laugh] about people who’ve already signed up to go just because of us. So…
Micah: Sweet.
Andrew: Lumos 2006 owes us big time.
Kevin: Yes they do.
Ben: No they don’t.
Andrew: Yes they do.
Kevin: They do.
Ben: They’re offering us a facility to host a LIVE Podcast, they don’t owe us anything.
Kevin: That’s true.
Ben: It’s a joint relationship we have going. [Kevin laughs] But anyways, Las Vegas you be there. Anybody who’s anybody is going to be there.
Andrew: Anybody who’s anybody in the West Coast will be there. You know Chaya from New York City, even she’s going to be there.
Laura: Awesome.
Kevin: Wow.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Well, T-minus five.
Andrew: She already bought her tickets and stuff. I’m really excited, we can’t wait for Las Vegas. [Ben in background counting down] It’s July 29th-31st be there.
Laura: Be there.
[Andrew and Laura]
Ben: Well, the wraps up the Las Vegas minute for this week, everybody.
Andrew: That was fun.
Kevin: Yes it was.
Andrew: I can’t wait for next week to do it again.
[Laura laughs]
Show Close
Ben: Thanks to everyone. Everyone, everyone to listening to the show, it was very enjoyable. I think this weeks’, this episode was pretty good. Well, if you have any questions and/or suggestions, visit MuggleCast.com or MuggleNet.com/MuggleCast. You can subscribe to our feed on iTunes, you can view information on how to contact us, and we’re actually going to post our demographic information for you guys to look at, and that’ll be cool so you guys know what your fellow Potterites are listen to the show. So I think that concludes this episode of MuggleCast. Episode 18, we’re getting up there. Andrew or…
Andrew: I know. Episode 20 we’re going to have, actually, we have no plans.
Ben: We’re going to party.
Andrew: We’ve decided to take no breaks. We’re going straight through. We’re going to have a show on Christmas, we’re going to have a show on New Year’s day, it’s going to be a ton of fun.
Kevin: It should be fun, yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Definitely.
Andrew: For Christmas, me and Ben are going to sing U2. Oh oh…
Ben: We’re going to. So, so…[Ben with Andrew] beautiful.
Kevin: So, I recommend most of you skip that episode.
Laura: Yeah.
[Andrew and Ben singing in the background]
Kevin: Unless you want your ears bleeding.
Laura: Or want to be drowned out by U2 fans.
Andrew: American Idols going to call us and want us.
Ben: Definitely.
[Everyone laughing]
Ben: Okay, well that wraps her up. I’m Ben Schoen.
Andrew: I’m…
Micah: No you got to do it the right way.
Andrew: Oh yeah, Andrew Sims.
Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Micah: And I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Ben: Good night, everybody.
Kevin: Goodbye.
Laura: Goodbye.
Kevin: Andrew say, bye.
Andrew: No.
Ben: Andrew say, bye.
Andrew: No!
[Everyone laughing]
Ben: Goodnight everyone, or goodnight afternoon or morning, or whenever you’re listening to this.
Andrew: Good afternoon.
[Everyone laughs]
———————–
Written by: Micah, Jess, and Ally
