Transcript #17

MuggleCast EP17 Transcript


Intro


Ben [Show Intro with music in background]: This is MuggleCast – Episode 17 for November 27, 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, e-mail 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 right now and save big.

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Now that our sponsors are out of the way, let’s get to this week’s show.

Hey everyone, we’re back for another week of MuggleCast. It’s getting closer and closer. I’m Ben Schoen.

Andrew: I’m Andrew Sims.

Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Ben: And…

Melissa: I’m Melissa from PotterCast.

Ben: The Leaky Cauldron.

Andrew: Woo.

Melissa: The Leaky Mug, Leaky Mug Cauldron, whatever. Hey, you can now get to us…I don’t have to say Leaky dash Cauldron dash…

Andrew: Why not?

Melissa: Dash Leaky.

Kevin: Oh yeah.

Andrew: Wait!

Melissa: [laughs] We have a new name.

Andrew: Wait, why not? Why?

Kevin: You didn’t…

Melissa: This is a MuggleCast exclusive.

Andrew: What?

Kevin: Yeah. Leaky News.

Melissa: Go to LeakyNews.com, you will also get to the Leaky Cauldron.

Andrew: Yes! Yes!

Ben: So, you’re telling me, if you go to BenSchoen.com, you get to Leaky Cauldron?

[All laugh]

Melissa: Yeah.

Ben: BenSchoen.com everyone, that’s B-E-N-S-C-H-O-E-N dot com.

Kevin: Okay.

Ben: Okay. Well…before we get to down and everything, down and deep down into Harry Potter analyzation and what-not, let’s go to Micah for this week’s new.


News


Micah: Thanks, Ben.

As of last Monday, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has grossed a stunning $181.4 million in the 21 countries where it has already been released. Warner Bros. has also announced that it became the biggest ever opening weekend for a film in Britain.

The fourth Harry Potter movie has proven extremely successful in IMAX theaters. The IMAX Experience opened to sell-out crowds and shattered every record for an IMAX Hollywood simultaneous release, beating the previous record by more than 30%, with earning an estimated $2.9 million over the three-day period.

Sources are predicting that Goblet of Fire, will surpass Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which made $614 million outside of North America. The fourth film grossed more than $85 million in 19 countries outside of North America in its first weekend.

International Space Station Commander William McArthur received a special viewing of the fourth movie while in space. NASA and Warner Bros. teamed up for the effort to recognize the astronaut that is living on board the space station.

Of course you can check out new pictures, video clips, posters, calendar scans and interviews as well as send in your own Goblet of Fire movie reviews. MuggleNet has also just posted their interviews (interviews hosted by MNet and interviews hosted by Leaky) from the Red Carpet in NYC. For more for information check out MuggleNet’s Main Page.

It’s only been a week since its release, but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is already widely available across file-sharing networks. According to the UK newspaper This is London, Warner Brothers had the following to say about movie piracy: “Every blockbuster will be pirated – that’s where the money is. It’s very easy to find pirated product, even though we are fighting it as hard as we can.” The movie industry estimates that piracy results in losses between $2.3b and $3.5b each year.

In other news, The New York Times has included Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in their list of 100 notable books for 2005.

And finally, the Internet Movie Database has June 1, 2007 listed as the release date for the Order of the Phoenix movie, but we think this date announcement is a little premature. We’ll keep you posted.

That’s all the news for this November 27, 2005 edition of MuggleCast. Back to you guys!

Ben: Thanks, Micah. That was just splendid.

[Andrew laughs]


Ben’s Weekly Top Ten List


Ben: Before we move on any further, I have a new segment that I am announcing for Mugglecast.

Andrew: Huh?

Ben: It is “Ben’s Weekly Top Ten List.” This is going to be great, folks. Thanks to Rebecca for sending this list in.

You know you’re a crazed Cedric Diggory Fangirl when….

Number 10 – You’re still crying.

Number 9 – You dumped your boyfriend because you felt it was an insult to Cedric’s memory to still be with him. Awww! Yeah.

Number 8 – You bought yourself complimentary Hufflepuff robes and walk around in them with a hood on.

[Melissa: If you’re a little scared by this week’s top ten list, ooh!]

Number 7 – You kiss each picture you have of him in your room goodnight, every night before you go to sleep.

Number 6 – You deny ever cheering for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Slytherin Teams.

Number 5 – You’re crying as you read this [sniff, sniff].

Number 4 – You started drooling in the theatre when he first came on the screen.

Number 3 – You only wear black and when asked about it, you say, “He was so young!” and hysterically burst into tears confusing everyone around you.

Number 2 – Once you found a good picture of him on Google, after a sleepless twelve-hour search, you print it out and force your parents to take you to the Kinko’s and made five billboard sized copies, which now hang in your room.

And the Number 1 reason you know you’re a Cedric Diggory Fangirl when….drrrr….you ask everybody to refer to you as Cho, and they won’t. And when they won’t, you act very, very insulted. And you are.

Andrew: Dah dah daaah.

Ben: Now, was that beautiful or what?

Kevin: Ahhh.

Ben: Okay, if you’re disappointed with this week’s Top Ten List, have no fear. Send ben at staff dot mugglenet dot com, send me your own Top Ten List and we’ll make this just awesome. Okay…

Andrew: Don’t worry, Rebecca, I liked it.

Eric: I liked it too, Rebecca. That was really cool.

Ben: I loved it, Rebecca. Okay…

Kevin: No, it wasn’t the list – it was the person reading it.

Ben: Ohhh! That hurt!

Kevin: So…

[All laugh]


Announcements


Eric: Let’s get on.

Ben: Okay. Let’s get on with the show. Okay, before we get into any content.

Eric: I do have an announcement.

Ben: Is there any announcements, Andrew?

Eric: Yes, I have one.

Andrew: Why yes there is, Ben. Eric, you can wait. Be patient. You know guys, every once in a while I’ve got to give you a little talk where I sit you down, we all sit down…

Ben: Yeah! [Andrew impression]

Andrew: We calm down and we take a step back into reality.

Eric: All right.

Andrew: Last week we…so everyone sit down. Just dim the lights. And last week you might remember that we made a call-out for everyone to fill out our “Listener Survey,” and we got a couple of emails from people saying how, “Well, gee, heh, heh, Listener Survey. You’re asking what kind of credit cards I use? That’s not a Listener Survey!” Well, you’re wrong, it is. Here’s what’s going on. Because we weren’t very clear about it last week. We’re using the Listener Survey to get demographics. And these demographics will help us in getting an advertiser. So, this is why we’ve been doing it, and you might say, “Oh, well why do you need an advertiser? You in it for the money, you scumbags, you money, you money…”

Eric: You dirty rotten scoundrels.

Andrew: Hungry.

Ben: Well actually, well actually, if you must know, we aren’t in it for the money considering it costs $60,000 a year just to host MuggleCast, and we have to have a way to offset these costs.

Andrew: So, the reason that we’re asking people to take this survey is so we can get demographics to look into an advertiser. This advertiser is going to help us offset our costs of a server. You might be saying, “Oh gee, your server, I’ve seen GoDaddy.com and all that, they only cost ten bucks a month. Well, we are using a very dedicated high-end, media distribution server that can easily distribute our show to everyone, and this server costs on average, on average, on AVERAGE – $60,000 a year. $60,000 a year. That is with our current subscriber base.

Kevin: And that’s in addition to the cost of MuggleNet.

Andrew: We all work at McDonald’s for 40 hours a week trying to save up this money, but then we realized, “Well, why don’t we just get an advertiser?” and so we’re looking into one right now. We promise there will only be…there will be no more than two ads per show. And they’re short. They’re like 15 seconds a piece. So…

Ben: And we’ll make them as un-intrusive as possible.

Andrew: We’re going to be, we’re going to be the ones saying them. There’s not…so…

Kevin: Yeah. And…

Andrew: I hate when we get emails of people complaining about advertising because we did get a few – especially with this Listener Survey. It’s for, it’s because we need the money to distribute the show to you guys. Otherwise it would be a problem.

Ben: But Andrew, but Andrew, we have to give the listeners credit because they didn’t realize what was going on initially.

Andrew: No, they probably don’t.

Ben: Because it may have looked that way so…

Kevin: Yeah.

Ben: It’s not you guys’ fault, we should have explained it better so we take the burden back on ourselves. And next time this happens, we’ll make sure to explain it to you guys before we just start throwing ads all over the place.

Andrew: Oh and then also a lot of you might have noticed that Micah Tannenbaum, our All-Star Transcriber, recently made a job posting looking for a new transcriber, and a lot of people thought he was leaving. No, he’s not leaving. He just needs extra help. Because it is a lot of work and it does take a lot of time.

Ben: Because we’ve been releasing what like three shows a week now?

Eric: Yeah.

Kevin: Yes. [laughs] Yeah.

Ben: Because recently there was the live show he had to do a lot of work on, then there was the regular MuggleCast and then a LeakyMug and by the time he gets all that caught up, the next day he has to get ready to type the new MuggleCast. So, the poor guy. He’s put a lot of work in.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

[Eric laughs]

Ben: Recently, there was a live show we had to do a lot of work on, then there was a regular MuggleCast, and then a Leaky Mug, and by the time he gets all that caught up the next day he has to get ready to type the new MuggleCast. So, the poor guy puts a lot of work in.

Eric: Yeah, Micah, we’re like, “Here’s a Leaky Mug!” and he’s like, “Don’t throw that at me.”

[Andrew laughs]

Melissa: You guys got to do it like, we have a team of elves over at Leaky. Over at PotterCast.

Andrew: I know. See, we don’t do elves.

Eric: See, we like to refer to Micah as a human, as a human being, as an individual.

Melissa: Our elves like their status. They enjoy their tea towels, thank you very much.

Eric: It’s because they don’t know any better. Just like real elves.

Ben: No, personally, I think everyone at Leaky Cauldron doesn’t know any better.

Melissa: Ohhh.

[Laughing and Ohh-ing]

Ben: On that note…

Eric: That so has to go in to the show.

Ben: Moving the discussion on – Eric, I believe you had an announcement?

Andrew: That’s all from me.

Eric: Ah, yes. MuggleCast has a, now has a fan listing. And what that is, is if you’re a fan of MuggleCast, we request, and you don’t have to do this, we’re just asking, that you go to our official, number one MuggleCast fan listing.

[Melissa laughing]

Eric: And what that does is you put your name in…

Melissa: There’s like forty. [laughs] Sorry.

Eric: Our official…

Andrew: There’s forty-five, soo…

Eric: This is our official fan listing, all right? You put your name in and your country and then we have a list of all the countries people listen to us to. And also, we have forums there for discussion on every episode of MuggleCast ever released including the Leaky Mugs, and that’s updated weekly and we actually have all our MuggleCasters are site admins on those forums.

Andrew: So, what’s the link?

Melissa: Tell me I want to go.

Ben: You can get a link to the forums over at BenSchoen.com.

Kevin: Okay, stop.

Eric: The link is ok, mugglecastfan dot net. That’s pretty easy to remember – it’s just mugglecastfan dot net.

Melissa: How come I’m getting a white screen?

Eric: http://www.mugglecastfan.net and we’ll link to that in the show notes if you’re getting a white screen.

Melissa: You guys, in all seriousness I’m getting a white screen.

Ben: Hey, Melissa…

Melissa: I’m going to it right now.

Andrew: Yeah, me too, it‘s not working.

Eric: Try without the “www.”

Melissa: Um, ok.

Andrew: That’s what I, I tried both.

Melissa: White screen.

Ben: Hey, Melissa I‘m trying to…

Andrew: This is a joke.

Ben: I’m searching Google here and I’m not finding a PotterCast fan listing. Do you guys just not have that big of a following or something?

Melissa: Well, that kind of happens when you readers have less to do, have more to do then homework when they come home at the end of the day.

[Everyone Ooohhh-ing while Melissa laughs]

Kevin: That was, that was not nice.

Eric: For your information… Okay, Melissa… Okay…

Ben: Okay, so… In other words, in other words do not go to PotterCast. Do not listen to PotterCast. Cancel your subscription.

Eric: Anyway, anyway…

Kevin: Yeah.

Melissa: Listen. Listen, listen, listen, listen, no, what you’re missing is that we’ve had an active fan conversation in LeakyLounge.com since day one, you guys haven’t had it going so you guys needed a place for it.

Eric: See, they don’t care about their fans so they don’t care what countries they’re from.

Melissa: You guys needed a place for that and now you have one, but we’ve had a place since day one.

Eric: Anyway, http://mugglecastfan.net without the “www.” We’ll include that in our show notes.

Andrew: Too bad it doesn’t work but…

Melissa: White screen of doom.

Ben: It’ll probably be up by then.

Eric: Without the “www,” guys.

Andrew: Yeah, I have it without the “www.”

Eric: Ok, fine then go mugglecast dot with…all right with…sorry “with daylight dot net.” Mugglecast…

Ben: No, mugglecast.with-daylight.net. Kind of like the Leaky Cauldron.

Eric: That’s correct.

Kevin: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, anyway. Here’s our dash.

Kevin: The hypen Leaky hyphen cauldron.

Melissa: Welcome to my world.

Ben: Okay…

Eric: Okay… Okay… mugglecast.with-daylight.net That’s right, that’s it.

Andrew: Okay, so…

Ben: And some of you…

Eric: We tried making it easier with domain name.

Ben: Some of you who have been wondering, on our particular fan listing that Eric mentioned, if we were going to take a break from MuggleCast, and the answer is no.

Andrew: No no no.

Ben: Even if it’s just me, even if it’s just me doing MuggleCast, we’re still going to have it.

Eric: Yeah, as I’ve said, I do post on the forums recently and as Ben brought up, there will still be some kind of audio version of MuggleCast.

Andrew: No, no.

Ben: Or we’ll make a best of MuggleCast, the best of… [laughs]

Andrew: The reason, yeah we should. That’s a good idea. The reason people are asking us this is because last week I sort of, sort of jokingly said, “We got to take a break sometime soon.” We are going to take a break sometime soon. It’s going to be over Christmas or something. I think. Unless you guys really want to do it then I’ll do it.

Eric: Yeah, well then the topic could be Christmas and all the good stuff that happens at Christmas, yeah.

Kevin: We’ll see how thing work out.

Ben: Well, we’ll just play it by ear.

Eric: Play it by ear, mhm.

Ben: Christmas is still a month away. So yeah, Santa Claus is coming to town y’all. Okay.

[Eric laughs]

Ben: I think that cover all of any announcements we’ve had.

Eric: Pretty much.


Goblet of Fire Video Game


Ben: So Eric, you’ve had the chance to look at the Electronic Ar–the Electronic Arts video game: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. What did you think, bud?

Eric: Well, okay. It took me seven-and-a-half hours to beat. First of all, I have the Playstation 2 version of the game, and I bought it because I figured, you know, I’d pay my debt to EA Games and Harry Potter for doing such a magnificent thing as the…anyway. Okay. The game is okay. The game is okay. The graphics are great, but I have to say it’s not the Harry Potter game I wished we, as the fans, would have. Now, okay. I think that with the games, with the games and the movies, I don’t know why when there’s a movie game, I don’t know why it has to scream video game. I don’t know why it just does. This game screams video game.

Melissa: Mhm.

Andrew: I know why.

Melissa: Isn’t it a video game?

Eric: It is, but that’s…

Melissa: What’s bad about…?

Kevin: It’s supposed to be…

Eric: Okay, you may not agree with that statement, but do you agree with this? That the movies are a condensation of the books, and the video games are an elaboration of the movies.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I don’t know about that because I played the first game and I wasn’t really too impressed with it because you went hopping around…

Melissa: I couldn’t kill Voldemort.

Eric: Well, yeah…

Ben: Chasing giant jelly beans, and I don’t think, I just personally think they are a game that you sort of try to follow Harry’s adventures but you’re not actually doing them, and it really to me doesn’t…

Eric: Yeah.

Ben: …make much sense to try and compare them to books because it isn’t like…

Eric: Yeah.

Ben: …you have to go talk to Hermione in the common room or Sirius in the fire because it doesn’t work like that.

Eric: Yeah, exactly. I like how Ben put that, yeah. Now, Bertie Botts Beans are always going to be in the video games. They’re in this one. I don’t know how they got there in the first place, but those and wizard cards are all going to be in the games no matter what. Okay, about the game. This game basically, there are certain levels where… It’s actually, the really cool thing about this game, is that it’s a three-player game. If you, you can actually, this game is made for three players. It’s really cool and for PS2 you need the Multitab to do it, but the game can actually incorporate three players, because in all of the, I should say main or event levels of the game, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are always together. They follow you around in one-player mode and they help you out and cast spells and stuff, so you can actually have two or three players as the Trio, and choose your character and stuff like that and do the levels co-op. Insert “Oooh!!!” here.

[Kevin laughs]

Melissa: So, did you…

Eric: So, it is actually, it is a cool concept but…

Kevin: Well, did…

Eric: Yes?

Kevin: Did you play it single-player?

Melissa: Have you tried it?

Eric: I did play single-player, but…

Kevin: Because I have the PC version and I found that the AI is horrible.

Eric: The AI, it’s fun.

Kevin: They had no clue what they were doing.

Eric: Yeah, it’s a little, it’s not that bad. Okay, what happens in the regular levels of the Goblet of Fire videogame is, you are…you can choose which of the trio you should be and it’s a mess. It just really is. In the PS2 version “square” is for “Charm” and “X” is for “Jinx” and that’s all you need to know. Now, they actually have a whole system of like thirteen different Jinxes you can do and like five different Charms, but you don’t need to hit anything special to do it. You just need to walk up…it all depends…the Jinx you use.

Kevin: It depends on item.

Eric: It depends on what you’re using it on.

Kevin: Or object, yeah.

Eric: Yeah, object. So, basically if you want to put it in the cruelest terms that I’ll ever offer anybody, you run around and you push “square” and “X” a hundred times, really rapidly.

Ben: Sounds really exciting.

Kevin: Yeah, but…

Ben: In a nutshell.

Eric: Now listen, it is, it is, and I’ll give it this. It is cool. It is a funny game because the environments that they do create…now as I said, Goblet of Fire I feel is a more character-driven movie and there’s less plots, so the videogame people at EA Games or whoever…

Melissa: Wait.

Eric: And all the people who came up with this.

Melissa: Hang on.

Eric: Had to…

Melissa: Hang on. Eric?

Eric: Yes.

Melissa: Did you just say the Goblet of Fire had less plot?

Eric: No. I’m saying…well okay, yeah. Let me clear that up, I’m sorry. I didn’t say it had less plot I mean the plot was, I felt that it was secondary as far as character development and stuff was brought…

Kevin: What?

Eric: Never mind. Okay.

[All laugh]

Eric: Basically, the point is, they have these levels like “Herbology,” which isn’t at all in the movie, but it’s really coolly done and I think the scenes and stuff and the setting is really…it’s basically what you could expect from the game seeing as how they’ve progressed but what I liked…

Kevin: Can I make an observation?

Eric: Absolutely Kevin, please. By all means.

Kevin: What’s the rating of the game?

Eric: I’ve seen it as 7 up.

Andrew: E10 up I think it is.

Eric: I’ve seen it as 7.

Kevin: The reason why the game is so easy with the two buttons is because it’s for seven-year olds.

Andrew: It’s designed for kids.

Kevin: It’s designed for kids.

Andrew: It’s Harry Potter.

Kevin: So, you know, so you have to, I mean you have to take into account that it’s not going to be the best game for someone who is 16, 17 years old to be playing because it wasn’t truly meant for them. It was meant for anyone probably between 7 and 13 to play.

Eric: I really don’t think that’s the point. I think Sorcerer’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets games were better than this one. And I truly feel that way. If you recall, the Chamber of Secrets videogame I had it for either Playstation 2 or the computer, I actually had it for both but I’m not sure which one I played more. Anyway, that was more of a free-roaming game. You were at Hogwarts in the common room and you could walk around, you could collect Beans or Cards or whatever that were hidden behind statues throughout Hogwarts or you could go outside. You could go outside on the Hogwarts Grounds which you can’t do in this game (and granted it took literally 60 seconds to load, between inside and outside, I counted it, it was terrible). But!

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: You could walk around, you could get on your broom, you could fly, you could go to Hagrid’s, you could do all the stuff and there was a ‘to-do list’ in the Gryffindor common room of what you could do that day and it was like a day-by-day type thing and I really liked that about the games and I think it’s more of a kind of what they did with Spiderman 2 The Movie Game, more of a free-roaming, more of a…than anything and I really would like to see that in a Harry Potter game but…

Ben: Cool, cool, cool.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: In a nutshell.

[Kevin laughs]

Ben: In a nutshell, on a scale from 1 to 10, that’s all I need to know, on a scale from 1 to 10, what would you rate this game?

Eric: 7! You know why? Because two reasons, there is a game, there is a game, sorry. There is a level when you’re on a broom which is the First Task. The Second Task is not that great in the game and the second reason is Voldemort. The final duel with Voldemort they actually have Ralph Fiennes is I think the only one who voices the character from, in the game from the movie and the last level is really cool.


Goblet of Fire Discussion


Ben: Since we don’t have a main topic of discussion this week, we’re just going to basically give a rundown of the news and see what we think about it and all that. All that jazz! Well Goblet of Fire is still hot, right guys?

Andrew: Yeah!

Ben: It’s expected to surpass Sorcerer’s Stone box office sales. Woo-hoo! Go Goblet of Fire!

Melissa: Why do you think that is?

Ben: Is anybody really surprised by that? Huh?

Andrew: Sorcerer’s Stone sales? I don’t think so. Why is that such a big deal?

Melissa: It was a bigger opening weekend than Sorcerer’s Stone.

Eric: Why does that matter? I’m interested if it beats Prisoner of Azkaban.

Melissa: Prisoner of Azkaban is the lowest grossing yet.

Andrew: It’d better beat Prisoner of Azkaban.

Eric: Yeah, but it didn’t, it didn’t beat Prisoner of Azkaban the first day, which pissed me off.

Melissa: It beat Sorcerer’s Stone the first weekend.

Andrew: [whispering] No cursing.

Eric: Yeah, but it was $2m behind Prisoner of Azkaban opening day take which really ticked me off because this is so much better a movie.

Melissa: Okay. I mean, I don’t think we’re…

Andrew: Maybe people got lower…why would less people see it on opening day?

Eric: Because they were expecting a good movie in Prisoner of Azkaban and then they didn’t get one, so they decided to be wary and not…

Andrew: Yeah, is that what it was, lower expectations?

Kevin: Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s what I thought.

Melissa: Well, then…

Ben: Okay, you guys, last episode when I listened to it again I was about ready to start chucking things at my computer screen or at my iPod because every time you guys said “I hated Prisoner of Azkaban” then Micah would say, [in deep voice] “Yeah, me too, I hated Prisoner of Azkaban,” then Kevin said, “I hated Prisoner of Azkaban.”

Melissa: I loved Prisoner of Azkaban.

Ben: Then Andrew, “Yeah! I hated Prisoner of Azkaban.”

Melissa: I loved it.

Ben: I loved that movie.

[Eric laughs]

Ben: I don’t know what you guys’ problem is because I remember right after the movie came out, the general consensus was “This movie was awesome, this movie was great,” and then a few months down the road, all of a sudden these people start hating it. Does anyone know why that is?

Andrew: Yeah, because we all saw it a second time.

Melissa: No, it’s because popular media turned…

Ben: I have the DVD at home.

Kevin: Yeah.

Melissa: ….and everybody turned into lemmings when that happens.

Eric: [laughs] No!

Melissa: No.

Kevin: I did not like it from the beginning. I really didn’t.

Melissa: Why? I don’t understand this.

Kevin: It’s because…

Eric: I think, I think…

Ben: Tell me why you did not, tell me why you did not like Prisoner of Azkaban then. Give me a good reason.

Kevin: He was too, he was too focused on the cinema.

[Melissa gasps]

Kevin: He made an artistic movie like a movie that people would like who haven’t read Harry Potter before but he completely slaughtered…

Ben and Melissa: Why is that a bad thing?

Ben: Why is that a bad thing?

Kevin: Because we’re Harry Potter fans!

Eric: Yeah and also it’s not just for the people who haven’t read the books, it’s for the people who don’t want to be interested in the books or any form of characterization at all. What Goblet of Fire did to me, Ben, I saw it the third time today, I saw Goblet of Fire for the third time today when I woke up, first thing I did I went and go saw it, went and saw it. So! What it did for me, is it gives me a warm feeling of happiness about characterisation and that’s what it did! The Hagrid scene with Maxime and the whole story about him putting his father on the dresser – that was in there, it was such a warm feeling of happiness.

Melissa: Yeah but that wasn’t true in the book.

Eric: Prisoner of Azkaban

Melissa: It was not.

Eric: What do you mean? It’s in the book, right when…

Melissa: Maxime was not so interested in Hagrid in Book 4 as she was in this movie so if you’re talking about it being true to the book.

Eric: No, but the story.

Melissa: Oh the story about his dad has nothing to do with characterization.

Eric: The very…no.

Melissa: I mean it does, but not the Hagrid/Madame Maxime relationship. That’s just that the story about his dad is in there.

Eric: I didn’t say, I wasn’t saying…

Ben: Eric, Eric…

Eric: I don’t care about their relationship.

Ben: Eric, listen to me, Eric! Shhh, just listen to me for a second. You start saying how you believe that Goblet of Fire was so true to the book which is completely ludicrous because how could it be true to the book when it’s ten minutes longer than Prisoner of Azkaban and there’s 300 hundred pages more in Goblet of Fire?

Melissa: Goblet of Fire takes the most freedom.

Eric: That just shows how much Alfonso slacked off, but anyway!

[All laugh]

Ben: Oh that is a lie. That’s a downright lie.

Eric: I am going…no, you know what Ben, I’m going to stop dissing Alfonso because you know what? I am going to stop.

Kevin: No, he did an excellent job.

Melissa: He’s a wonderful director.

Kevin: Just that his movie…

Eric: No, I’m going to stop. I really am, but all I know is, all I know is it did give me a warm…watching Goblet of Fire gave me a warm feeling for whatever reason. Now, I don’t care about Madame Maxime and Hagrid’s relationship, that was an example, but it gave me a warm feeling and I…it made me feel all fuzzy and Book 3…Book 3 made me feel fuzzy and Movie 3 did not.

Ben: Okay, here’s what I think’s happened.

Eric: Call it…I call it the fuzz effect.

Ben: Just hold on a sec, listen here. Everyone saw the first movie, everyone was like, “Oh yeah! I like this movie.” Then the second movie comes out, “Oh the first movie wasn’t so good, this one’s much better.” The third movie comes out…

Kevin: Not at all.

Ben: “Oh this movie rocked! Oh the first two, those were terrible films and all this.” And what’s really, really ticking me off is when I hear people say, “Oh the first movies were just terrible, the third movie was terrible…”

Melissa: No, see that’s crap, too.

Ben: I don’t think people are being honest.

Kevin: No, no, not at all.

Melissa: Christopher Columbus…

Ben: I think they’re lying to themselves. I mean, seriously. these are not bad movies.

Melissa: Guys…

Eric: I agree with Ben when he, you know when he points out the hypocrisy of it all because yeah, people will go back on their word and people will say things for whatever reasons, it’s not bad, it’s not evil it’s just, you know, it’s not good either. So, I agree with that aspect of what Ben said, but I did like the first two movies better than Prisoner of Azkaban and that’s just a reality and I think Goblet of Fire is the best of all and…

Ben: I mean some of these people are flip-flopping worse than John Kerry because…

[All laugh]

Eric: Ben! Ben, you’re my new best friend!

Ben: “I love this movie.” The next minute they’re saying, “Oh this movie was terrible.”

Eric: Flip-flopping worse than John Kerry. Wow! Okay, no politics but Ben I, I’m going to shake your hand next time I see you.

Ben: Everybody I’m just…that what was like…

Andrew: No, you have to edit that out.

Ben: About how people played it up. No. Just people playing it up in the media and it was, do not take that as politically insulting John Kerry. It was just my weak humor.

Melissa: Christopher Columbus did an excellent job in the first two films and then everybody started complaining that he was too slavish to the material and I think to a certain extent that was true. He didn’t take a lot…he didn’t, it’s not that you have to take liberties to make a good film, you have to take the kind of liberties that make it from a book to a film, they’re different mediums and you have to just accept that. So, in order to make a good book and a good film you’re going to have to do different things. Alfonso Cuaron was the first one to start doing that and everybody flipped out. He started changing things to make it a better film because that was his job. Everybody lost their minds. Goblet of Fire does that ten times more than he did. So, I just don’t get it, I don’t get how you can call Alfonso Cuaron out on that and not say anything about Mike Newell.

Eric: I think it’s part of a few things. One, we’re probably already used to the shock and that’s just something I’m going to say, maybe I’m guessing, but also I think when Alfonso made the changes and changed it into a better film or whatever his job was, he replaced the stuff he took out with art as opposed to character development and happiness.

Kevin: And happiness!

Eric: And happiness, which is what Newell did. You know, when Newell makes changes, he replaced it with a good scene of you know, Moody and his ferret on his lap tapping to the music you know, and not…

Melissa: And that’s characterization how?

Eric: Because that’s the underlying…

Melissa: I mean characterization as that brings us back to what’s in the book.

Eric: Okay well…

Melissa: That’s not in the book.


Barty Crouch Is Good?!?!?


Eric: It’s…yes, well what it is, is the undertone of Barty Crouch Jr. Here you have an evil, evil, Voldemort follower who is actually a decent guy and he actually guides Harry pretty darn well.

Melissa: Whoa!

Eric: And Brendan Gleeson is an incredible imposter Moody and I think it completely does, it gives tribute…

Melissa: Wait a second!

Eric: What I’m saying is that Barty Crouch Jr. is a good guy and that’s…

Melissa: Eric, Eric, it’s exactly what you’re saying. You just said that Barty Crouch Jr. was a good guy.

Eric: He is! That’s the point!

Melissa: I can’t even have this conversation!

Eric: No, the whole point of the series, no listen. No. Okay, Melissa, Melissa. People are bad, right?

Melissa: I’m listening.

Eric: But are people completely bad? And that’s the point.

Melissa: He is!

Kevin: He is.

Ben: Yeah.

Eric: Yes. He’s malicious, right?

Kevin: No, no…

Eric: But look at his, look at his parenthood. His father. Look at how his father treated him. Look at that.

Melissa: Are we going all Draco on him and going to stop blaming him for his own actions?

Kevin: I know, and blaming it on his father.

Eric: No, no, no.

Kevin: In the end, everyone has a choice.

Eric: That’s right, but he…

Melissa: Look, that scene…

Kevin: He made the choice to join Voldemort and that’s what makes him evil.

Eric: But you know what?

Melissa: That’s it.

Eric: Yes, but! He was a good Moody. He was an enjoyable Moody. He had fun as Moody.

Melissa: Okay. Well let’s look, no, well let’s look back at that scene.

Kevin: Yeah but what did he do? He was manipulative.

Melissa: That scene, that scene in which he has that ferret is supposed to be an unguarded room and he’s supposed to be drunk, he’s having a good time. Do you think…unguarded means he’s more like Barty Crouch than he is like Moody.

Kevin: Right. Uh-huh.

Melissa: Why is he not acting more like Barty Crouch? He’s acting more like a fun-loving Moody instead of Barty Crouch.

Eric: Because he’s enjoying it, he’s enjoying the freedom and he actually does…I think all bad people, a lot of bad people do like happiness and they aren’t all bitter you know, bitter morons.

Kevin: Except they get happiness by causing other people pain.

Ben: Okay. I think you’re…

Melissa: I’m done with this conversation.

Kevin: Yeah, me too.

Ben: I think you give the bad people way too much credit. And in reality you must know that it’s all a matter of opinion and I can like a certain movie. There are no facts in this game here that we’re playing so…

Melissa: That’s very fair, Ben.

Ben: No worries.

Eric: Ben, I like that.

Ben: Okay so…don’t listen to Eric, if you want Prisoner of Azkaban to be your favorite movie of all time, it’s fine. Don’t let Eric Scull get you down!

[All laughs]


Voicemails – Voldemort’s Patronus


Ben: Since that cut pretty much…we sort of branched off there from our mini-topic about Goblet of Fire surpassing Sorcerer’s Stone in sales and went to a debate about which movie is best, but anyways, I think it would be prudent now to move on to the voicemails.

[Audio]: Hi guys! This is David from Melbourne, Australia. Great work on the show by the way. My question is, do you think Lord Voldemort is able to produce a Patronus? Love, laughter and happiness are all said to come from the soul, and these things are used to conjure the Patronus. Since Voldemort is unable to love and his soul is severed and damaged, do you think he’d have the necessary emotions to conjure the Patronus? I don’t think he would. Let me know what you think. Thanks, guys.

Ben: Melissa, what do you think?

Melissa: No. I mean Voldemort pretty much…it’s been drilled into our heads that he has no ability to love.

Kevin: Yeah.

Melissa: And if he’s going to produce a Patronus…if he needs to produce a Patronus, he’ll figure out some other way to produce a Patronus.

Eric: Yeah or got rid of…

Melissa: That’s not from love.

Kevin: Also, the question, is does he have to?

Ben: Because the dementors are on his side anyway.

Kevin: Exactly.

Ben: So why would he need to produce a Patronus?

Melissa: It’s true.

Kevin: There’s no…he has no need to produce one so…

Melissa: However.

Ben: Out of curiosity.

Melissa: However, he does have memories like that, that would, should the dementors turn on him, he has some pretty dark stuff that would drive him probably to insanity if he was forced to relive them.

Ben: Probably.

Eric: Yeah. Ummm…

Ben: What do you guys think, if he was able to produce a Patronus, what form do you think it would become? A serpent?

Kevin: Himself.

Ben: A serpent.

Melissa: Didn’t we ask her this in the interview?

Kevin: Yeah, I’m teasing.

Melissa: And she said she couldn’t answer.

Ben: Oh you did, didn’t you? That’s right.

Eric: Yeah the only thing I want to point out here is the difference between love and happiness. It doesn’t take love to produce a Patronus, it takes happy thoughts to produce a Patronus, so happy thoughts could also probably potentially be evil ones, don’t you think? Like him killing Lily Potter.

Kevin: Oh yeah.

Eric: Stuff like…

Kevin: Killing anyone, yeah.

Eric: Killing anyone would be a happy thought so theoretically, it doesn’t take love to produce a Patronus.

Ben: That is a good point.

Kevin: Yep.

Ben: So I think that covers that. Roll Voicemail Number Two.


Voicemails – Snape and George Lucas


[Audio]: Hello everyone, my name is James from up in California and I had two questions for you. First, do you think that Snape’s old Potions Book will play a part in Book 7, and second how would you like to see George Lucas direct one of the movies? Thanks!

Kevin: I just want to start with the second part. If you wanted to see the movie edited about three times and released in about three or four different versions, George Lucas would be perfect, okay?

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Well, he…

Eric: Order of The Phoenix: Special Edition!

Kevin: Exactly.

Andrew: You’d have to admit that it would get all the Star Wars fans to go see it.

Eric: You know what? Yeah I want prequels.

Kevin: That’s true.

Eric: I want prequels too.

Kevin: I do not want…

Melissa: But then you’re going to end up with this horrible dialogue, like Harry and Ginny circling the Lake, and he touches her arm and it’s, “Oh…it’s so nice here.”

Kevin: It’s true.

Eric: But that’s why…Melissa, that’s why George Lucas wouldn’t be writing the film he directs. That’s why we have…

Ben: Yeah.

Kevin: His stories are very, very dangerous.

Melissa: It’s a dangerous proposition, guys.

Ben: Okay.

Eric: Just don’t give…give the man a camera and not a pen.

Melissa: We’re going to end up with Jar-Jar number two because we’ve already got Dobby.

Kevin: Oh yeah.

Eric: We have…oh god!

Ben: Okay. But what about the first part of the question about Snape’s old Potion Book playing a role in Book 7? Personally, I don’t know because it was left in the Room of Requirement I believe, and the issue here is that there are so many loose ends that Jo has to tie up in this book that I don’t know if there’ll be room for that. I don’t know if there will be room for the Mirror of Erised, I don’t know if there’ll be room for everything because if you go through every magical object there’s been throughout the entire series, you’ll know if it’s actually going to play a huge role.

Kevin: Yeah, but…

Ben: Like what I can see happening is Harry getting it out of the Room of Requirement and using it for Potions again. I don’t know.

Melissa: I can just see that room being…I think getting that book to that room was significant because of all the stuff that’s in that room.

Kevin: Yep.

Eric: Yeah.

Melissa: And getting back there and being in that room is important.

Eric: She did mention…

Kevin: I think that he’s going to use it, yeah.

Ben: Because we don’t even know if Hogwarts is going to be open for business, so…

Melissa: Who knows?

Eric: Well, JKR described exactly where it was, like the exact cabinet in the exact aisle and the exact row. So, even if it doesn’t show up in the books, we know where to find it for our Fan Fiction writers.

Melissa: Well, don’t we just all feel better?

Kevin: Oh yeah. But I think the point is that she did draw a lot of attention to it and then not much came of it. And you know, I think it does have potential to play a part and I think if anything, it would be the fact that Harry believes Snape is now bad and what better way to learn your enemy than read out of his own notes?

Eric: Well here’s a man who created Sectumsempra, so.

Kevin: Yep.

Eric: That was a tear-ible spell.

Ben: For what it did to Draco. I hated Draco and I still felt sorry for the guy.

Kevin: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah. Guys get it, tear-ible? Tear…ible.

Kevin: Okay.

Ben: Yeah…ohhh, good joke!

Kevin: Funny. So…

Eric: I like the third voicemail.

Ben: Okay, next voicemail.


Voicemails – Bathing at Hogwarts


[Audio]: Hey, I’m Cecile from France. Do you guys think students in Hogwarts wash? I mean we have this scene in the prefects’ Bathroom in Book 4 and in Half-Blood Prince, Harry is looking for Malfoy on the Marauder’s Map and says, “He’s not in the bathroom,” but apart from these two hints we’ve never heard of them actually washing…it’s a bit weird? Thanks for the show and congrats for the Live Podcast in New York City that was completely awesome. I wish I could have been there but there was an ocean to cross. Don’t change anything, you rock. Sorry for my accent, bye-bye!

Ben: Well, what I think is that JK Rowling sort of has so much to write into the books already that she’s not going to go into a detailed shower scene about, “Oh, Harry was in the shower and he was washing his chest,” which Eric was staring at his abs and all that stuff.

Eric: Oh, Ben! Cascading.

Kevin: Although I’m sure people would love that.

Eric: Cascading. Uses of the adjective cascading.

Ben: I’m sure they take a bath and you know, there’s use of Magic, would they really have to, couldn’t they just zap themselves clean?

Melissa: No. They take baths.

Eric: They do, but…

Melissa: Harry clearly knows how to do it in Book 4 when he goes to the prefects’ bathroom.

Eric: He’s not like, “What are these?”

Ben: Yeah. [laughs]

Melissa: No, but she does come out on how dirty he is in the beginning of Book 6. It’s really nasty actually.

[Eric laughs]

Melissa: Harry is this gross sixteen-year-old kid who has owl droppings all over the room, his dirty socks, and a misty fug. Which is a dirty thing…

Eric: Uhhh.

Ben: Yeah, I remember there was a news article that was released a while back. Emerson posted about it and basically slammed it down. There was this person that said, the title of the article was “Take A Shower, Harry!” [laughs] and it was all about how throughout all of the books Harry has yet to take a bath and all this stuff.

Eric: You know what, fine. That’s the same thing with movies. You’re not going to find movie – it’s the same thing with movies. You’re not going to see the character go to the bathroom unless there’s like a fight scene in the bathroom. You know?

Melissa: Or a Moaning Myrtle scene in a bathroom.

Ben: It’s just kind of obvious, that you don’t ever see Harry go use the bathroom either, you know? What does he do, hold it for six years? You know?

Melissa: Well, Hermione also talks about Moaning Myrtle and how hard it’s to have a pee with her wailing. You know, so clearly they do.

Eric: Yes, Melissa’s brilliant. That’s one of the points I wanted to mention, is that it‘s mentioned enough…

Melissa: Is that Melissa is brilliant? Excellent, thank you.

Eric: Yeah, that and that it’s in the background. Like exactly, like at the Death Day party as Melissa said, Hermione says it’s hard to have a pee when Mel– ah when Moaning Myrtle…

Kevin: Melissa… [laughs]

Eric: [laugh] Sorry, she wails too, which I love. But anyway, when Myrtle’s wailing, it’s in the background.

Melissa: No, I just snore.

Eric: There’s very little mention of it but it’s enough to, it’s just implied. People, you know, they go to the bathroom. Do you really want to read about it?

Kevin: Not to mention…

Eric: Read Fan Fiction. Read Fan Fiction if you want to read about bodily functions in the Potter Characters.

Andrew: No, don’t. [laughs]

Melissa: Ohhh!

Kevin: And not to mention, go to any book, go to Lord of the Rings, go to you know, how many times does it…

Eric: Does Legolas squat in the woods? I mean, you know?

Kevin: Exactly. She’s not going to put that in.

Ben: Eric, I can see that on one of your avatars already: “Does Legolas Squat in the woods?”

Melissa: Yeah. [laughs] That and “The fuzz effect.” I can see that on an avatar as well.

Ben: Oh geez. I think that pretty much sums up that question.

Eric: But that was a nice accent. That was a nice accent.

Ben: Yeah. We answered it pretty well. Onto the next question, next question.

Melissa: It was Clemence Poesy.


Voicemails – Characters: Movies vs. Books


[Audio]: Hi, this is Allison from New Jersey, and I listen to MuggleCast every week. I love the show and you guys are awesome, keep it up! Anyway, I have a question that kind of relates to all of the movies but most recently for Goblet of Fire. Do you use the movies’ portrayal of magical creatures and scenes is how you would envision it when you read the books? Or do you still picture things like you did originally before the movies came out? I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks!

Andrew: Well I haven’t read them again since I’ve seen the movies. [laughs] Yeah, so… I would because that’s, when I read them again now, the books compared to the movies, I always see the actors and just the school. It plagues your mind, it’s really bad actually. [laughs]

Kevin: Well see, I don’t.

Ben: Since, Harry Potter, since the first movie got me into the books, that’s what I’ve known Ron, Hermione, and Harry as.

Eric: Well Ben, they aren’t necessarily talking about that. I think she also means that once the movie comes out, does that help you fill in gaps that you’ve had before?

Ben: That’s a good point too. I don’t know, I’ve looked at Mary GrandPre, her illustrations in the books, and I’ve really thought, well they’re brilliant but Snape doesn’t look anything like Alan Rickman.

Andrew: I love Alan Rickman.

Ben: You know, remember the drawing for Order of the Phoenix for the “Occlumency” chapter. The picture was a picture of Snape with a goatee and bald on top. And that’s not how I envisioned him.

Eric: Yeah, it’s more of a literal interpretation with Mary GrandPre and I think Mary GrandPre has skewed my thoughts as well. But viewing it as once the movie come out does it help fill in spaces. I imagine the actors when I think of the Trio, but not when I think of Dumbledore and some other characters. Like my Dumbledore is probably a cross between Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and then some third party that is the cover of Half-Blood Prince. Some kind of in-between character, and then that happens. But usually the Trio is like the movie and the scenes…I guess for the whole world, I have to say primarily it is the movie because I came in after the movies came out.

Ben: Right, and what I feel actually, what I see happening when I read the books is that I need to put a real life face to it. I can’t imagine a cartoon-drawn Harry, you know? I have to actually, when I imagine them flying on their brooms real people. David Thewlis as Lupin.

Melissa: These are still my imaginary characters when I read those books.

Kevin: Yeah, same with me.

Melissa: I’m always sort of amazed when it turns off.

Kevin: Same with me.

Melissa: The movies – they just turn off. She’s so vivid and wonderful that it’s, it’s not like I can sit down and draw my Harry. It’s not a distinct Harry, but I know him.

Eric: I agree.

Melissa: I know him in my brain, I know him.

Eric: Melissa, I’m along with you. Yeah, come to think of it my Trio kind of are like the actors, but not entirely.

Ben: Well the only reason my Trio are like the actors is because I like to imagine Emma Watson every time I read the book.

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Well, it’s funny is that my Hermione is probably most different from Emma I think then, at least in previous books but I liked her in this movie.

Ben: Well I think Emma’s probably…

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: Too good looking to be Hermione. My mind sort of thinks that.

Andrew: Yeah, that’s true.

Melissa: No, I’m with you. I’m with you.

Ben: I mean, Hermione’s not supposed to be that hot.

Melissa: Hermione’s supposed to have big teeth and bushy hair and it’s a surprise when she looks so beautiful.

Ben: Yeah, Emma’s hot.

Melissa: Emma just is that beautiful.

Eric: I still thought Emma did portray Hermione well.

Ben: Oh I do agree. I thinks she does an excellent job.

Melissa: I agree.

Ben: But, just like physical features, I don’t know if she really fits the mold of Hermione.

Eric: Blame it on Hollywood.

Ben: In the very first movie, I thought she did the best because then she had the really bushy hair and…

Andrew: They started making her look good on purpose.

Ben: Then it started getting less bushy – like in the second movie it was sort of curly, curly when it came down.

Eric: Yeah, well that’s Hollywood, man.

Ben: Like, you have to attract people to the movies some how, you know, Emma…

Melissa: It’s upsetting because the franchise became popular on these concepts without bowing to those ideological whatever and then Hollywood can’t trust that.

Eric: I think that’s a brilliant analysis, Melissa.

Ben: I think Eric’s falling in love with you. I smell a new ship coming on.

Kevin: Yeah, I think so.

Ben: Meric, Meric, Meric.

Melissa: Ooo.

Ben: Sail the H. M. S. Meric.

[Andrew laughs]

Melissa: Man I’m waiting for the day a ship happens with the MuggleNet boys that can’t get me arrested.

Andrew: So, you want to come over to my house?

Eric: Next April 23rd Melissa.

Ben: Yeah [laughs].

Melissa: Oh geez.

Ben: Next voicemail.


Voicemails – Stingy Harry


Audio: This is Donald from Ontario, Canada, and I was wondering what you think that the fact that Harry didn’t give Fred and George his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament at the end of the movie. Thank you.

Ben: In the actual movie they never said that they won money, you know? Dumbledore’s only prize he said was [yelling] “Eternal Glory is what’s at risk!” He never actually said [says quietly] “And a thousand galleons.” Cause that never really came into play so we don’t even know if, yeah.

Eric: That’s a really good point, Ben. It goes along for me, it goes along with the whole Fred and George’s joke shop in the future, will that ever make it into the movies? Will even the Fred and George exit scene make any sense in Order of the Phoenix?

Melissa: Fred and George’s exit scene will make it into the movie, I guarantee it.

Eric: It will but where will they go? Will they say, “We have our joke shop waiting for us”? Will they, what they’ll have to do if they want to get any of the subplot going with Fred and George and the joke shop, they’re going to have to show the Extendable Ears because that’s pretty much the only thing they can show.

Melissa: Well they have all Movie 5 to start that and …

Ben: Yeah, but Movie 5 to me is looking like it’s going to be a disaster because there’s so much to put in. You have all these tiny subplots that are going to be, that’ll probably end up cut.

Andrew: Yeah, but they still cut stuff, so…

Melissa: That’s what we all said about Movie 4.

Andrew: …in that sense it’s a disaster.

Kevin: Exactly, I mean…

Andrew: Yeah.

Melissa: Yeah.

Kevin: They cut stuff, but they can put in subtle ways of introducing these things.

Eric: Yeah.

Kevin: They don’t have to show you the construction of their joke shop or anything, they can just mention, “Hey, we started a joke shop with the winnings Harry gave us.”

Melissa: Yes, or just not even with the winnings, they started a joke shop. Why explain it? It’s a movie, just say it and people will go with it.

Kevin: Exactly.

Ben: Yeah, I see.

Kevin: Yeah, so…

Melissa: And it’s just, I think it was a smart cut. I think it was just a waste of time in a movie format, but it does irk me because I like seeing Harry grow like that. But they did show him grow in other ways like, they showed him grow when he said…hmmm?

Kevin: It was one of those moments that showed how little Kerry, ah Kerry, Harry cared about physical things like money.

Eric: Yeah, Material.

Kevin: Material, exactly.

Eric: And also, with Cedric’s death on the mind and stuff and then, if Dumbledore, in the scene where Dumbledore goes up to his room, four-poster bed and stuff, if he would have handed him winnings or money then, that would have just destroyed the whole mood everybody had over Cedric you know? Over Cedric, “Cedric’s dead and I just did a really sad speech about him, but here’s a thousand galleons.” It’s like money compensation for the death. And it would just not fit in the movie at all.

Ben: Yeah, I agree with what you’re saying about it. It’s just basically destroying the mood.

Eric: But remember Cedric Diggory and oh here’s your cash.

Ben: Yeah [laughs].

Melissa: Yeah.

Ben: That’s one beef that I’ve sort of had with the movies, is that I understand that it’s Hollywood and these things have to get cut but like a lot of the subplots.

Andrew: Yeah.

Ben: I mentioned last episode that Hermione basically became a mother figure for Harry with “Harry I’m worried about you” rather than “Harry, we have to do this. We need to…” Guiding Harry more rather than when she is, “Harry, I’m sorry, you’re going to die but I don’t want you to.” I wish it was more of the whole Fred and George thing too. Fred and George being these real jokesters – it’s still in the movie to an extent, but I’d just like to see it more. You know? Them passing out candies that are doing funny things to people.

Melissa: Well, that’s Book 5, but still.

Eric: I thought Movie 4 had a good deal of Fred and George as pranksters. They took bets and stuff, and even though they didn’t have the bet with Ludo Bagman, they had the bets during all the tasks and stuff. As for Hermione, last week Ben, when you said that I did agree with you but actually seeing the movie a third time, it didn’t seem like she was that much of a word… It’s good to see the movie more and more because you can re-analyze the characters. So if you go to see it again, look over Hermione again, and look over Dumbledore.

Melissa: Actually…[laughs] I’m sure plenty of people are willing to look over Hermione again. Actually, all you boys, actually I thought that they brought Hermione closer to the real Hermione in this movie than in Movie 3. Movie 3 she’s this socially perfect, superstar, she kicks Draco…

Eric: She cuts classes.

Melissa: She’s got wonderful hair, she’s in a pink top, she’s everything, and it’s not so real.

Kevin: Yep.

Melissa: She cuts class, she’s the best at everything. In this one she’s a little bit more bookish, a little bit more worry-wart and not as perfect as she was.

Eric: It’s not going to work. It’s not going to woooork.

Ben: Yeah [laughs] Okay guys, let’s get to this last voicemail. Roll the clip, Kevin.


Voicemails – Matthew Lewis


Audio: Hey MuggleCast. This is Anna and I absolutely love your show–especially Ben. I was wondering if you think Matthew Lewis portrayed Neville good enough in the fourth film that he will be able to pull off the hospital scene in the fifth movie – if it’s not cut of course? I think he’ll do fine but I want to know your opinions. Thank you.

Ben: [laughing] Awww, I love you too Anna. Uhhh…Eric?

Eric: The answer is yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, I love…

Ben: Without a doubt.

Eric: Neville in Goblet of Fire. There is no better actor.

Melissa: You guys, he worked so hard at it.

Ben: He did an excellent job.

Eric: That line, “Oh my god, I killed Harry Potter.” Come on!

Melissa: Yeah.

Eric: The dancing, the dancing. He was the only boy who got up and danced. Such brilliant characterization.

Kevin: Yeah, but as an actor, he was excellent this movie.

Eric: As an actor, he was excellent and also if you, relating to the hospital scene, the Crucio curse, and this in the classroom in the movie, he acted that pretty well and him staring at the stained glass, I mean that was good. So those were preludes to the hospital scene and I think that if it does make it into the movie…

Melissa: That’ll make it in. He’s spoken about it before and if you guys have heard we did a very long, three-week interview with Matt on PotterCast, haha. I said that and Andrew just laughed and he’s like…

[Andrew and Melissa laugh]

Melissa: Well no. I have to say it because if we are talking about Matt Lewis it is an excellent place to get some information about that and would totally…

[Eric laughs]

Melissa: He, yes.[laughs]

Eric: I agree.

Melissa: This kid works so hard on his role. [Ben in the background: And for other information go back to the Leaky Mug 5 where we had a great conversation with Matthew Lewis] He has read, you can’t mention anything from the books without him knowing it, and I don’t know if you can say that about any of the actors in the films. He really, he takes it close to heart, and immediately when you say to him, “That’s cool that you do that because the fans appreciate it,” he goes “Well, I appreciate the fans and I know they want me to be Neville and I don‘t want to disappoint them because I‘m a fan as well.” He just takes it so seriously and he’s just, I’m really impressed, yeah.

Andrew: He really just doesn’t take it for granted. He’s…

Ben: And he’s very humble too.

Eric: I don’t know who takes it for granted but I think Matt Lewis is definitely a very good, good man.

Melissa: Well, he also said he was thinking about Book 5 in Book 4. Which is one of the things I think that all the actors should stop and do, and think about their characters as a whole with all the information about the books for every scene they film in these books. I mean, Neville – we have whatever x-amount of information about Neville. He used everything he could to inform what was going on in Book 4, and Movie 4, and that’s why he’s shown so much. If everybody did that…

Eric: That’s above and beyond the call of duty.

Melissa: Yeah.

Eric: What I would have, actually pulling the third time watching this movie, I pulled it from when Harry’s name is in the Goblet and they’re all in the Great Hall. The very end of that scene where McGonagall, and Snape, and Dumbledore are all looking at Harry, before the trophy scene and before you go to Moody, you get this kind of look that they’re all together and if you think, when Moody entered, and it shows Professor McGonagall, shows Maggie Smith looking at him, I realize the last time she’s seen him was probably when he was in the Order last, last times she’s seen him as a character. So, the whole ferret scene she is kind of reevaluating him but the last time she saw him was when he was in the Order. So, it’s kind of like trying to pull things out but that stuff should already be embedded and they should have that kind of familiarity with themselves and really think about “Well gee, what did these characters do last?”

Ben: Right, and Matt said that he re-read Order of The Phoenix before he started filming the movie.

Eric: I know, and that’s brilliant.

Melissa: That’s brilliant. And he also has said that David Yates has, they’ve had conversations about Neville, and David Yates wants to really play up Neville’s family in Book 5.

Eric: I think it’s important because as we all know now, post-Book 5 he’s the other Harry.

Ben: He could have been the other one.

Melissa: He might have been king, as Jo says.

Eric: Which is also what’s so funny about his line, “I killed Harry Potter.”

Ben: Yeah. [laughs]

Melissa: It’s really a great line. [laughs]

Kevin: It is.

Eric: I killed the Chosen One! I killed the Chosen One! He doesn’t know how close he came to being the Chosen One and Oh my God I killed the Harry Potter!

Melissa: But he sort of drops out in Movie 6 and Book 6.

Eric: In Book 6 he does but I think Book 5, if they do enough with Dumbledore’s Army and Neville, I think it’ll be strong.

Melissa: I think we’re waiting for a big Neville moment in Book 7.

Eric: Oh yeah.

Ben: Because there’s so much stuff to still tie up, because he got his own wand now and he could be a stronger wizard.

Andrew: He’s going places.

Ben: I don’t know. Something’s going on with that kid. We’ll find out what happens.

Melissa: The very first time I ever cried while I was reading Harry Potter was when I was reading Book 3, and Neville strides forward to finish the boggart in the scene with Snape. I don’t know why but Neville, the first time he asserts that he’s a good wizard and he can be, and he can do it. It’s just, it rips me apart. So, in Book 5 when he really starts to come into it, oh I can’t wait to see Matthew do that.

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: He’s like the little engine that could. Kept on chugging, man.

Eric: How about Matt and Bonnie, huh?

Melissa: Yeah. [giggles]

Eric: Yule Ball scene, Matt and Bonnie? That was cute, that was just cute. The whole dancing thing and I love how the actors mentioned him too in the study hall with Snape, they’re all talking about Neville and now I’m really depressed because Neville has a date and stuff, but you really see he’s not this pathetic thing, that he’s really a lovable character. I’m, I’m done.

Ben: Well I think that’s pretty much it for PotterCas–ah what am I saying?

[Melissa laughing]

Kevin: Oh geez.

Ben: Excuse me.

Eric: Benjamin! Benjamin! Benjamin!

Ben: I think that’s pretty much it for MuggleCast Episode No. 17?

Melissa: You’ve killed Melissa! [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah, we’re up to 17. We’re getting old.

Eric: This is 17, lucky number 17.

Melissa: Why’s 17 lucky?

Andrew: How were we able to make it to 17 shows?

Ben: I don’t know. It’s pretty remarkable.

[Andrew laughs]

Melissa: Seventeen shows and specials and extras and Leaky Mugs and…

Andrew: No, no, no, no. We’ve done 23 total with extras and stuff.

Eric: Seventeen is my lucky number. See… Seventeen… Yeah, well 17 is my lucky number Ben, so you have to keep in that part about Barty Crouch Jr. being a great guy.

Kevin: Ok let’s…

Ben: Ok, shut up.

Eric: 23 is my birthday so that’s two reasons.

Ben: And I think that completes a Muggle [Ben and Melissa laugh] – that completes MuggleCast Episode 17.


Spy on Spartz


Andrew: Oh, wait no. No MuggleCast is complete without…

Ben: Awww, or not.

Andrew: “Spy on Spartz” and our “Andrew’s Listener Challenge.”

Ben: And “Andrew’s Listener Challenge.” Ok, I’ll do “Spy on Spartz” this week.

Melissa: What are we sying on?

Ben: Emerson is at home for Thanksgiving Break.

Andrew: Yaaay.

Ben: We check his away message and he is: out. Oooh…where is Emerson?

[Andrew laughs]

Andrew: Tune in next week.

Ben: No one knows. Okay, Andrew…

Melissa: That’s kind of the point.

Eric: That’s another not so exciting edition of…

Ben: “Spy on Spartz.”


Andrew’s Listener Challenge


Ben: Andrew, what’s your Listener Challenge this week?

Andrew: My Listener Challenge to all my listeners, is to [laughs] to all my listeners…

Kevin: To all our listeners. A little redundant there Andrew.

Andrew: …is, start sending us end-of-show comments. We don’t get enough of them despite the fact that we ask for them.

Ben: [Impersonating Andrew] Yeah!

Andrew: At the end of every week. We want your…

Melissa: Oh oh!

Andrew: What?

Melissa: Oh, Can I give an “Andrew’s Listener Challenge”? Send voicemails doing Andrew’s “yeahs.”

[Andrew laughs]

Ben: [Impersonating Andrew] Yeah, yeah!

Eric: [Impersonating Andrew] Yeah, yeah!

Ben: And a final amendment to “Andrew’s Listener Challenge,” fill out that PodTrac survey. We want to know who’s listening to us.

Andrew: And let’s everyone again otherwise…we need a solid advertiser, so that we can afford this show.

Melissa: You guys need lots of money.

Andrew: Because as we grow, our money needs to grow. Originally when we had five listeners we were able to afford this …

[Melissa laughs]

Melissa: You had five listeners for negative two seconds.

Eric: Which was us.


Show Close


Ben: Okay guys. Well now I think that wraps up MuggleCast Episode 17.

Andrew: Next week’s character discussion will be: Eric Scull. Everything you want know about Eric Scull.

Ben: Just kidding.

Eric: Heyyy.

Melissa: What a character. You’re such a character.

[All laugh]

Ben: Just kidding. Well for any questions, suggestions, comments, anything of that sort visit mugglenet.com/mugglecast, or mugglecast.com or mugglecast.net, where you can view tons of information about the show. View our show notes, direct download each episode and also please go ahead and subscribe to us through iTunes, and cancel your subscription to PotterCast.

[All laugh]

Andrew: And don’t forget to vote for us on PodCastAlley.com. We’re No. 1 there so thanks to everyone who voted. But we’re not No. 1 on Yahoo!Podcast under “highly rated,” and I want to be No. 1.

Melissa: Oh my god the horror! Horror, shock, and horror!

Kevin: On Yahoo! Podcast, make sure to go to PotterCast and rate them one star. Take them off the list.

[Ben and Andrew Laugh]

Andrew: No, no that’s really mean. That’s really lame.

Melissa: What did I do to you guys?

Andrew: No, don’t say that.

Melissa: Geez. I’m going to go take back my rating. Going to rate y’all one star.

Ben: In the ratings.

Melissa: In the ratings.

Kevin: In the ra–[laughs]

Ben: Next week out character discussion is going to be centered around Molly Weasley. So send in your questions.

Andrew: Molly?!? Molly Weasley? Yes!

Melissa: Mollywobbles.

Eric: Molly Weasley!

Ben: Send in your emails, questions, voicemails about Molly Weasley and with that. I’m Ben Schoen.

Andrew: I’m Sims Andrew.

Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.

Eric: I’m Eric Scull.

Melissa: And I’m Melissa Anelli.

Ben: So everybody, goodnight. And visit BenSchoen.com. Goodnight everybody!

———————–

Written by: Micah, Jess, and Ally