MuggleCast EP29 Transcript
Intro
Andrew [Show Intro with music in background]: “M” to the “UggleCast” – Episode 29 for February 26th, 2006. GoDaddy hosting plans are now more powerful than ever. Best of all plans start at just $3.95 per month. No matter what plan you choose, your site receives 24/7 maintenance and protection in the GoDaddy.com world-class data center. I use them for my personal website, AndrewSimz.com and I know that GoDaddy has some of the best, affordable hosting plans online. I recommend you use them for your upcoming website or podcast because as a MuggleCast listener, enter the code MUGGLE, that’s M-U-G-G-L-E when you checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the Internet today at GoDaddy.com.
Hello everyone and welcome to the show. I’m Andrew Sims.
Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.
Eric: I’m Eric Scull.
Micah: And I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Andrew: And of course this is the show where we bring you the latest in Harry Potter news, theories, and now Ben fighting childhood obesity. Isn’t that right, Ben? [laughs]
Ben: Yes, folks. I am fighting childhood obesity.
[Eric and Andrew laugh]
Ben: See, I’m starting here on a personal level. Lately, lately, as I step on the scale, it’s going the wrong way. It’s going…
[Eric and Andrew laugh]
Ben: No, I decided ENOUGH! I have had enough. So I am making a turnaround, you know? I’m going back the other way.
Andrew: We’re proud of you, Ben.
Ben: That’s, that’s… See, MuggleCast, we’re… Lately we’ve become so diversified it’s not even funny anymore.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: We’re doing so many things these days, you know?
Andrew: Okay. [laughs]
Ben: Fighting childhood obesity, saving the world. You know?
Andrew: Yeah…right.
Eric: So now everybody – we have to now ask that the fans now send Nutri-Grain bars to the PO Box instead of cookies because Ben is trying to cut back.
Andrew: [Laughs] Excellent suggestion.
Ben: Seriously, send me… Yes, please, please send me some Energy Bars or some Power Bars. I will love anyone who sends me Power Bars. Start a campaign – “Ben Schoen Losing Weight.” Be the change.
Andrew: Quick, Micah Tannenbaum, before the music runs out – Ben’s taken up all the time on this awesome theme song. Update us with the past week’s top Harry Potter new stories.
News
All right, Andrew.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has accumulated over $600 million in international box office sales, making it the fifth highest-grossing film outside North America. It ranks only behind Titanic, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sorcerer’s Stone, and Chamber of Secrets.
With North American tickets sales included, Goblet of Fire has earned a total of $888 million and is eighth on the list of the top films of all time. That’s a lot of “eights.”
Speaking of the fourth film, the results are in for this year’s BAFTAs and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won the award for Best Production Design. The fourth movie was also nominated in the categories of Best Make Up/Hair and Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects.
Goblet of Fire also won the Best Film Award at the 2006 NMEs and Jarvis Cocker, who played the Weird Sisters’ lead singer at the Yule Ball in the movie, was in attendance to pick up the award.
Moving to Half-Blood Prince, the sixth Harry Potter book has been nominated for the WH Smith Book of the Year award. The awards, which have been running annually for the past 17 years, will take place in London on March 29th. Order of the Phoenix won the award in 2004, and we hope Half-Blood Prince will be just as lucky! The Spanish version of Half-Blood Prince was released to fans on Wednesday.
At Tuesday’s Book Aid International auction in London, Dan Radcliffe’s mother, Marcia Gresham, bought – on the actor’s behalf – Jo Rowling’s hand-drawn Black Family Tree for £30,000. Marcia also purchased a Tom Stoppard play and a piece on writing by Iain Banks.
Dan’s mother had this to say: “This should put paid to anyone who says that Daniel doesn’t like reading. Daniel hasn’t stopped since he read the first Harry Potter book and he loves Iain Banks and Tom Stoppard.”
The charity, which provides books for African schools, was delighted to raise a total of £63,000.
The Sunday Mail had an article last weekend with more information on JK Rowling’s upcoming charity ball/auction in aid of MS Scotland. Jo has apparently put Trainspotting star Robert Carlyle in charge of running the show. All 250 tickets for the event – costing £250 a piece – have already sold out and the society hopes to raise more than last year’s haul of £300,000.
Finally, Expecto-Patronum.com has received two photos (1, 2) from the Order of the Phoenix filming area. In these pictures you’ll see…get ready for this…this is big…Hagrid’s Hut, which was clearly under construction at the time these were taken. You can check these photos out over on MuggleNet.com I’m just interested in why they’re rebuilding a hut that’s already been in four movies. But hey, I’m just looking out for you financially. When you can’t afford that extra owl, don’t say I didn’t warn you. But, wrapping it up, Alan Rickman will return to England in April in order to film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
That’s all the news for this February 26th, 2006 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show!
Andrew: Okay, thank you, Micah. Let’s get to a few announcements.
Announcements
Andrew: Ben, I just… I just can’t get over how you’re fighting childhood obesity. It really…
Ben: I know.
Andrew: I’m just so proud of you. I can’t even…
Ben: I know.
Andrew: Words cannot comprehend.
Ben: It brings a tear to my eye.
Andrew: You know, you should sell that George Forman grill on eBay for MuggleCast listeners. [laughs]
Ben: Yeah! Buy Ben Schoen’s George Forman grill.
[Eric and Andrew laugh]
Ben: Hey, if you’re interested in buying my George Forman grill used by Ben Schoen – the Ben Schoen (he’s cooked many hamburgers on it) – e-mail me.
Eric: Ben’s Burger Grill.
Andrew: I thought I was going to get it. First let’s check up on a few announcements – MuggleCast announcements. We just wanted to update you on a theory last week concerning McGonagall as Headmistress. And we weren’t exactly sure whether she would become Headmistress now that Dumbledore is dead in Book 7. And as it turns out, on page 51 of Sorcerer’s Stone, McGonagall signs her letter to Harry as Deputy Headmistress, meaning she acts as, and as I quote from Dictionary.com: “an assistant exercising full authority in the absence of his or her superior and equal authority in emergencies.” Which suits her perfectly for becoming Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts school.
Eric: Plus, she was in charge when Dumbledore left in Book 2. Correct?
Andrew: Yes. So, thanks to Kevin Duncan for pointing that out to us. See what happens when you guys e-mail us? You get plugged on the show.
Ben: Okay, folks. We have some more announcements here. Everyone, everyone, everyone needs to buy a MuggleCast T-shirt?
Andrew: Ben, why would everyone have to buy a MuggleCast T-shirt?
Ben: Well, for several reasons, Andrew. You help support the show. And they’re so fashionable that I bought 12 of them last week. I mean…
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: …they’re just that great. So, everyone buy a MuggleCast T-shirt, okay? They come in two designs, a multitude of sizes, and even one design even has silhouettes of each MuggleCaster. So, that’s my favorite. So, make sure you buy a MuggleCast T-shirt.
Eric: Ben, you stink at PR. Let me do this. L-L-Let me do this, please. Okay.
Ben: No, no, no, no, hold on. Hold on.
Eric: These shirts… No, no, no, no. These MuggleCast…
Andrew: I want to hear Eric.
Eric: I insist, I insist. These MuggleCast T-shirts are made out of a special synthetic fabric and in like one year, there’s going to be something big that happens and all the clothing in the entire world is going to deteriorate and we are going to have left are these MuggleCast T-shirts.
Andrew: Wow, I didn’t even know that.
Eric: So, if you want clothing, buy a MuggleCast T-shirt.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: But it like it’s the only…
Andrew: To save yourself in 2007.
Eric: Buy it like there is nothing left.
Ben: But also, visit MuggleCast.com, click on the “Store” tab and it will take you to wear you can purchase a shirt. You can purchase it through PayPal, so now worries there. But also, in addition to that, if you don’t want a MuggleCast T-shirt itself, you can buy a shirt for MuggleNet. So visit MuggleNet.com, you can click off to the right there. You’ll see a flashing image that says, “MuggleNet T-shirt – Get Yours!” So, you can buy one of those.
News Discussion – Black Family Tree
Andrew: Okay, now moving on to some news discussion – it was a semi-busy week. Right, Micah Tan?
Micah: Oh yeah.
Andrew: Come on, you’re our head news monkey. You got to give me the…
Micah: I haven’t been to MuggleNet.com once this week.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Ouch!
Andrew: What a great news reporter you are! [laughs]
Eric: Whoa! Not even when compiling your news, Micah?
Andrew: Hey, you aren’t supposed to tell people you steal your news from Leaky.
Micah: I haven’t compiled my news yet.
Eric: I know, I know.
Micah: Not to date the show or anything.
Andrew: What? You just said it. Stop ruining the magic behind MuggleCast.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Gosh! [laughs] So apparently even Micah Tannenbaum doesn’t know that Mrs… This really surprised me! Mrs. Radcliffe, as it turned out, was the one who purchased The Black Family Tree that was on auction earlier this week. There was so much speculation over who was going to buy it and then people were thinking, “Well, are they going to share it with us?” Now we know that answer is definitely, “NO!” I’m just surprised. And then in a quote by her, she had said that this was to prove, not exactly to prove, but to show that Dan reads books.
Eric: And to prove that, she bought an Iain Banks and Tom Stoppard works. But, have you…guys, have you ever heard the rumor that Daniel hates to read?
Andrew: No, I haven’t. I don’t know where she was getting that from?
Eric: And we work for MuggleNet. And I’m assuming she’s not delusional. She’s his mother and she’s looking out for him, but really! I never heard that. I heard his eyes were blue. And that’s about the biggest insult I’ve heard for Dan Radcliffe. Evidently, there were people who said he couldn’t read or doesn’t like to read.
Micah: It’s clearly a conspiracy.
Eric: Yes.
Micah: I mean, Jo told her to go an buy it.
[Eric laughs]
Ben: [laughs] Oh yeah, I bet.
Andrew: All kidding aside, I just don’t understand why… I think it would be better left in the hands of a real fan or I don’t know. It just surprised me.
Eric: On the contrary, I kind of, I kind of like it. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world when I read that this afternoon. I got online, I was like “Wow!” – that Mrs. Radcliffe had bought it. It kind of closes the connection between them as well, between the Radcliffes and J.K. Rowling. But what fascinated me was that it only went for what? £30,000? And that’s not actually… I mean if this is as big as we think it is…
Ben: That’s how much I weigh.
[Micah and Eric laugh]
Eric: 30,000 lbs.? Ben, I feel very bad for you.
Ben: Just kidding! Just kidding!
Eric: That’s why you haven’t been to the PO Box. Okay, anyway. So, £30,000 is not a lot. And if this is supposed to reveal a lot that we think it reveals, it kind of went pretty cheap. I think, I think… And what surprises me is that nobody could have outbid “Mrs. Relling” on this. Oh, sorry – Mrs. Radcliffe.
Andrew: I would have been much happier seeing a fan get it, though I don’t know how many fans have £30,000 to go and spend on this kind of thing. It just seems…
Micah: Yeah, I mean I agree. It’s something better left in the hands of a fan. Because I mean what does, why does Dan need it?
Andrew: Dan wants it just as much as the next fan because he’s as big a fan. So…
Eric: Well, that proves a point.
News Discussion – JKR Site Update
Andrew: And then in other news, J.K. Rowling has updated her website, which she does not do as often as she used to. She updated her F.A.Q. Poll yesterday.
Ben: Dun-dun-dun.
Eric: Yes. Well…kind of. I was, I was very disappointed.
Andrew: At what? The question or the answer?
Eric: Especially the answer because she has this F.A.Q. Poll that’s on there for, you know, a long time. And I don’t know how… I forget what the other questions were. And I don’t know by what margin this one won, but then JKR said in the Poll, and I quote this…hang on, let me…JKR says, “I was surprised that this question won because it is not the one that I’d have voted for. But hey, if this is what you want to know, then this is what you want to know.” And now first of all, she… You know, there’s a very big time period before she, you know, she answers these questions. And then she goes and practically re-questions us, and she’s like, “Well, pfhhh! I don’t, you know, this is not the one I would have ‘choosen.'” And then she gives a one paragraph answer and says, “When a Secret-Keeper dies, their secret dies with them. To put it another way, the status of their secret will remain as it is…as it was at the moment of their death. Everybody in whom they confided…” She answered it and then repeated it four times and then reiterated how the Fidelius Charm works. And I really don’t feel insulted, but the fact is, the answer to this question…
Micah: You feel like she copped out.
Ben: Well Eric, Eric, this question isn’t nearly as big of a letdown as, “Who is Mark Evans?” “Mark Evans is nobody. You’re stupid for that one.”
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Well, I thought that, I thought that was…yeah. That was funny. That was a funny response. For the record, the other two questions for the Poll were, “Does the destruction of the Horcrux involve more than the destruction of the object?” and the second question was, “Why did Voldemort want the Philosopher’s Stone if he already had the Horcruxes?”
Eric: Hey, wait. And, wait a minute. I’m on Jo’s side now. This one won?
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah right.
Andrew: To be honest…
Eric: I’m suddenly on Jo’s side. Wait a minute here.
Andrew: Yeah. I was…
Ben: I think Lightmaker, Lightmaker rigged the Poll here.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: No, I’m…
Eric: Wait, how could this question have won?
Andrew: I’m more intrigued… I’m more intrigued by the Secret-Keeper question because the other two… “Does the destruction of the Horcrux involve more than the destruction of the…” Well, okay that question I’d be interested in. [laughs]
Eric: I don’t know. I would have “choosen” the other one. I would have chosen the other one. I think the Horcrux thing is obvious because Dumbledore’s hand, you know, was all black from trying to destroy the ring or at least that’s what we infer from it. So, but, you know the Secret Charm, I think we could have kind of figured out. I mean as J.K. did say, we could have figured it out that it just stays the same. There’s no…it’s not like revealed or anything. Otherwise…
Ben: Well, hindsight is 20-20.
Eric: Yeah.
Ben: In this case, after the fact, once we know what the answer is, we’re really disappointed, because, “Oh, we could have known the answer to these two questions.” But what if we had chosen the other ones and it had turned out to be something simple, then we would have said, “Oh man! We should have figured out what happened to the secret after the Secret-Keeper dies.”
Eric: Yeah, well I appreciate…
Ben: That’s just what I think.
Eric: I appreciate that, you know, she went and answered this, but at the same time I am disappointed that it got pretty much the answer we could have figured out anyway. That it just dies with him and then she repeated how it works. You know that’s all good that she’s at least re-clarifying herself, with herself, you know, to figure out. But I think the F.A.Q. Poll needs to be answered a lot more, you know, a lot more frequently.
Andrew: Yeah, but you know what? When you think about it, not many authors have a fan site where they answer the fans questions and they discuss whatever we ask.
Eric: That’s more than we can ask for. Forgive me if I have offended anybody too, because it is true. Just the fact that she updates and has this site… I don’t want to hassle her for not updating because she does…she’s incredibly busy. She’s writing Book 7 right now, you know?
Andrew: We’re not J.K. Rowling [mispronounces name], but what if we trying answering the other two questions?
Eric: Okay. So, what was the other one?
Ben: Andrew, we’re not who? Hold on a second. Andrew, we’re not who?
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: J. K. Rowling.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Okay, just checking.
Eric: I thought he said that.
Ben: Because I thought I heard Rowling.
Andrew: I have this New Jersey accent.
Eric: What was the third …
Andrew: Rowling sounds like Rowling, it’s hard. It’s hard for me to fight. Why did Voldemort want the Philosopher’s Stone if he already had his Horcruxes? Which is a good question. I would say as a backup system.
Ben: No, I’d say because he has to find a way to get his body back. Perhaps?
Andrew: What if all of his Horcruxes were blown up? Then what would he do? So that’s why he needed the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Eric: Yeah, the thing is, I think with the fact poll, I voted on this a few months ago.
Ben: F.A.Q. F.A.Q.
Eric: Ok, and if you want to tell me that it’s not suppose to be satisfactory…
Andrew: Let’s stay on topic, Eric.
Eric: Ok, what I was going to say, I answered this a few…I chose the Horcrux questions a few months ago because I wanted to, I think JKR’s, even if she gave us a half answer, she would have answered in a way that related to Voldemort’s motivations. And those are going to be everything, and everything that Voldemort wants to do. She could easily say, “Oh! Well, he just needed a full body,” but by saying that she would further continue the story of how he…of what happened while he was floating around in Horcri-ness and was looking for something to do for 13 years.
Micah: You’re talking about the object question. Do you have to destroy the object?
Eric: No, I’m talking about why he wanted the Philosopher’s Stone even if he had his Horcruxes. Didn’t we talk about this and say it was quality of life or something?
Micah: Yeah, even immortality.
Eric: Yeah.
Micah: Even the more stronger Sorcerer’s Stone in addition to all his Horcruxes.
Eric: Yeah, it’s all about getting the stone.
Andrew: Now that I think about it, I think we have already answered question two, or at least talked about it on previous shows. Does the destruction of a Horcrux involve more then the destruction of the object? I could have sworn we got a voicemail on that or something. Does anyone else remember?
Eric: Yeah, I think we determined it was the quality of, I think we just mentioned that Dumbledore’s black hand… it was taking Dumbledore a little…a long time – first of all just to get to the Horcrux, you know, at the end of the book, that was in the…that turned out to be the RAB pendant or whatever. Just to get to the Horcrux seemed to be a pain in the butt, more than it would be just to destroy anything else.
Micah: Yeah, we saw the destruction of the diary in Chamber of Secrets. Even thought we didn’t know it was a Horcrux at that point.
Eric: Well, actually he just stuck a fang through that. That died… that, that thing broke pretty easily. I don’t know. That was what made me question it…
Andrew: I hope fangs don’t come back. Although, it would be nice foreshadowing.
Eric: What about the…
Ben: Oh dude! I see it now. Fang killed the Horcrux, Fang is going to kill the other Horcruxes. Fang, the dog. Oh yeah.
Eric: Yes, he’s really…no, no.
Ben: He’s really James Potter actually.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: I’m just kidding, I’m not going to start that…I can see it now.
Andrew: You know, I’m looking through the JK Rowling section on MuggleNet.com. The JK Rowling dot com info section. It’s an excellent resource for everything JK Rowling dot com. Um…
Ben: Yeah, Emerson did a really good job of it.
Andrew: Absolutely – wait, he did it? So, I think we should, in future episodes, we should answer these runner up questions. Benjamin Carl Schoen, do you have a another top ten list for us this week? Remus Lupin style in celebration …
Ben: Yes I do!
Andrew: Or Remus Lupin edition this week.
Ben: Let’s do this Lupin style.
Andrew: Hit us with it!
Ben’s Top 10
Ben: Of course. Here we go, the Top 10 reasons to become a werewolf.
Number Ten – Snape will never disrespect you.
Number Nine – the ladies don’t seem to mind.
Number Eight – you don’t ever have to worry about cooking.
Number Seven – plenty of fresh air and exercise.
Number Six – because Animagi are just too boring.
Number Five – Your boss won’t object when you take a few days off from work.
Number Four – You never have to dress up for Halloween.
Number Three – You never have to shave.
Number Two – You’re never forced to take strolls in the moonlight.
And the Number One reason to become a werewolf – you’re guaranteed at least one wild night every month. [laughs]
Andrew: All right, thank you, Ben. Excellent top ten list, as usual.
Main Discussion – Remus Lupin
Andrew: Now, getting on to our main discussion of the week: as promised, Remus Lupin. Let’s read up on some quick information, courtesy of the MuggleNet Encyclopedia. He’s 37 years old, according to the official Harry Potter timeline. He was in the Gryffindor house. And Lupin is a werewolf, transforming during the full moon each month. The rest of the time, he is a kind, talented, and highly intelligent wizard. Remus has a – has a mischievous streak that manifested itself during his time at Hogwarts, although he was the most restrained of the trouble-making Marauders. He’s also an expert on Dark Creatures and how to subdue them, he’s a vital member of the Order of the Phoenix, and Lupin is undoubtedly powerfully magical. He’s also loyal, hard-working, and self-sacrificing – but modest to the point of being self-deprecating.
Father Figure
Eric: Lupin cares for Harry, but is he a father figure like Sirius would have been? And will he be even more of a father figure and a helping hand to Harry in Book 7? What do you guys think?
Ben: Well, in my eyes, I don’t think Harry has one single father figure. He has a bunch of role models that he looks up to – I don’t think there’s just one person you can call a father figure. Well, I guess Lupin will sort of, he’s all that Harry has left, really, besides the Weasleys. And, you know, in terms of older males he can look up to, that’s pretty much it.
Eric: Well I think also, at the stage that was in Book 3, he was the most a father figure, I think. I think that’s right too, because Harry really was figuring all that stuff out about his parents in Book 3. And Lupin was there kind of like, you know, to guide him and to lead him through this transition, you know, with the Dementors, and dealing with his parents’ death. And Lupin, I think, really connected to that because I guess this was the first time he had seen Harry in at least thirteen years, or at least twelve years. And that was also since, you know, the last time he saw James and Lily. So he was very connected to that.
Micah: Yeah, and I think Lupin may even be more of a father figure than Sirius was. I think Sirius came across as more of a, you know, a friend, because Sirius really saw James in Harry, and so he tried to make that connection a little bit more so…
Eric: So you’re saying…
Micah: …than taking care of Harry, I would say.
Eric: You’re saying that that Lupin is actually better, a better father figure, because he sees Harry as Harry.
Micah: Yeah, I think so.
Eric: I think that works.
Andrew: Well, Ben was saying earlier that he looks up to a lot of people, but I really don’t think at this point that he does anymore. Because he’s sort of, he’s sort of a free lancer now. He doesn’t exactly look up to anyone. He’s on his own now. And I’m not just saying that from an observation standpoint, but I think he decided that he can’t rely on people anymore.
Eric: I think, yeah. I think, really, Harry had become independent, I think, definitely during Book 5…
Andrew: Right, and…
Eric: …when he was expecting everybody to fill him in.
Andrew: It started with Sirius’ death, because at that point, he was really relying on Sirius, and then he died, and it just totally threw everything off for him.
Eric: Well, I think it actually happened before then, too. Because Dumbledore, remember, was avoiding him all of Book 5, like, wouldn’t even glance him in the eye. And of course Harry found out later that, you know, if he did, that Voldemort would have come out, you know, whatever. But yeah. He was really ticked off in the beginning of Book 5, when nobody would fill him in. And remember, he ranted at, you know, Hermione and Ron about it. But he was becoming independent.
Andrew: That’s true. He had to.
Eric: And ever since then, you know, he’s really… and the only reason he relied on Dumbledore in Book 6 was because Dumbledore was the only one who knew the most about Voldemort, so he developed that trust. But of course, that went all to hell when Dumbledore died. So I think really, he is his own person now.
Andrew: Good point! I didn’t think of that. I’d always thought it started with Sirius.
Final Exam
Eric: Lupin’s course seemed to bring out the best in everyone. Remember, some people failed at different points and different types of monsters. The question is: remember, like, some people got stuck in the tires, other people got… I think it was Neville that got lost with the little creature that held the flashlight and lured him elsewhere. You know, like, different people got stuck at different places. What do you guys think that means?
Andrew: It means that they couldn’t excel in those different areas. [laughs]
Ben: Yeah, everyone has their weaknesses, dude. Just like in…
Eric: I know, but do you guys remember what they were?
Ben: Just like in school, some people are good at math and science and some people are good at reading. It all depends on who you are…
Andrew: Well…
Ben: …and what you’re good at.
Andrew: …Lupin was teaching an entire subject. I mean, I guess at some points of math you can be bad and some points you can not, but this was more hands-on. It’s not exactly the same thing.
What’s In A Name?
Micah: Just the name Remus Lupin…. Did you guys immediately realize when you first opened Prisoner of Azkaban and you got to the train scene that he was a werewolf? I mean, his name gives away a lot of information.
Eric: Yeah. Lupin is – well not just Remus and Romulus, but yeah. Lupin and lupine… I mean, anybody who’s had any ling – you know, linguistic stuff, should have gotten that right off the bat. That is one of the more obvious names. But I didn’t know, I mean, I was like, fourteen, so I didn’t notice.
Andrew: It must be a lot of fun for her to think up all these names.
Eric: She has to have a lot of fun! Every time she introduces a new name, it’s like a name I could not have thought of. You know? I’d think of, like…
Ben: Well, she finds it through things like Greek mythology. It’s not like she just sits there one day: “Re… re… re-re-mus! Remus Lupin! Oh yeah. That’s just…”
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Rrrr… clicks.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: She’s sitting in her sitting room, right? And she’s just sitting there going, “Rrrr…” and Neil walks in, and he looks at her and goes, “Mommy?” And… [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, I was going to say.
Eric: Or David, David walks in. And he goes, “Mommy?” And she’s just sitting there, going “Rrrr…”
Micah: Mommy is what Neil calls her on the side.
Eric: …with a little pen. [laughs] No! I’m not doing that! I’m not going to say it. But she’s sitting there with a pen, and all of a sudden she just shouts, “Remus Lupin!” and writes it down. She just shouts, “Remus Lupin.” And he’s like, “Oh! That’s the new….”
Andrew: I think her strategy is that she has a Latin dictionary, and then she picks out a word that means something that would relate to the Harry Potter films, and then she changes…
Eric: Oooo, moon! Let’s go look at that.
Andrew: …two letters into the word.
Eric: We are forgetting too, she taught Spanish – she taught English as a second language, didn’t she? So she’s got to know her English pretty darn well.
Teenage Lupin
Eric: Do you guys remember in the Shrieking Shack that Lupin described himself as like this self-conscious teenager? And he was even, like, he was unsure of himself, basically, and he was all insecure and stuff. But then the, then he said to Harry that all the Marauders became Animagi for him. Do you guys think that’s like…. Do you think guys think that’s like them? And why do you think they befriended him in the first place if he was…. I mean, I like the fact that they like adventure, but why were they, why were they friends with Lupin in the first place? Because they didn’t know he was a werewolf until afterwards, until they saw him sneaking off, you know, having to excuse himself. But why Lupin? Why did they become friends? Why did they click, do you think? And Lupin as a teenager, being all self-conscious and stuff…. James is clearly very arrogant. How would they fit together?
Ben: Yeah. And it just sort of…. How did you become friends with your friends at school? Everything just fell into place. That’s how it happened. There’s no… it just sort of happens. I mean, like…
[Ben and Micah laugh]
Andrew: Well, he’s meaning is there any sort of connection or anything?
Micah: Well, they were all in Gryffindor.
Wolfsbane
Eric: Right. Guys, what does the Wolfsbane Potion do? Does it keep him in his own head? What, you know, I think…
Ben: Yeah, it’s just the psychological part, I’m pretty sure.
Eric: But he said, I think it was like, somebody corrected me on this when I mentioned it to him, and they said it was him being with the Animagi in their animal form that kept him in his own head – but when he took the Polyjuice Potion, he was still kind of a wolf, but he didn’t, like, transform, he just, like, got stuck in his office. But in addition to this, the Wolfsbane Potion, even though we don’t know exactly what it does, Snape made it for him you know, and that was all that Lupin told
Harry: about how, you know, he made it for him every month and that’s why he doesn’t think Snape’s the bad guy. I know we defend Snape a lot on this show, but I think it’s important to bring up, too. Like, every month like clockwork, you know, Snape… it’s interesting, you know, because Snape hated the Marauders enough to give Harry crap, yet he made the potion for Lupin anyway. So, like, is Snape only mad at James? And, you know, what is the Wolfsbane Potion, what does it do? Because I think at one point, Lupin said… when he was bitten, Lupin was referencing when he was bitten as a child, that that was before the Wolfsbane Potion, as if the Wolfsbane Potion could have prevented that or something.
Ben: It’s like when people get old and they start forgetting stuff.
Eric: No that’s Alzheimer’s. Dementia is just any kind of crazy delusions. Like it can be forgetfulness but it’s also hallucinations and if you imagine you’re in like, a different time or…
Ben: Okay, okay, Dr. Scull. Thank you, Dr. Scull.
Andrew: Eric, I think I remember reading somewhere, I don’t know if it was an interview with JK Rowling or whatever that it prevents dementia which is a side effect of transforming into a werewolf. Now, why would Snape make this for Lupin? It could have been a favor that he was returning because I doubt Snape creates anything that would require Lupin to give him a favor.
Micah: I thought it was on Dumbledore’s orders.
Eric: Yeah, it’s kind of expected of him…he’s a co-teacher. He would look bad if he were still holding this grudge, and you know, Dumbledore already knew that Snape was giving Harry crap still so…I think it might have been overboard if he didn’t, you know, and Snape was probably the only person who could make the Wolfsbane Potion. David Thewlis, beyond Hit…sorry…beyond Hitler’s ‘stache, how good is he for the role and will he change much to accommodate Order of the Phoenix? Now, remember, the way he acted and like the whole mustache thing, that’s not necessarily tied to…it’s not necessarily going to be in the fifth movie, you know what I’m saying? I mean, he might shave, he might act a little differently. I think he would be a little stupid if he kept the Hitler ‘stache too. It would kind of be like, the fans would still complain about it. I think…
Andrew: Well, wait a second. Doesn’t Warner Brothers tell them what to do? Is it that big of a decision to shave your mustache? [laughs]
Eric: There’s people though…there’s fans who say, “Oh David Thewlis sucked as Lupin. I hate that ‘stache.” And they like totally go on to diss his acting skills based on his mustache. Now, I thought he did a great acting job in Prisoner of Azkaban, probably one of the best actors in that movie. One of the best performances, you know. He worked with what he had, and what he had was a ‘stache and everybody gives him crap about it.
Andrew: I’ve never seen that crap about the ‘stache. If the part requires him to look differently than he did in Movie 3, then he’s going to do it. He’s not going to suppress the fans by objecting to, you know, something as simple as a mustache.
Tonks
Eric: David wanted his wife to play Tonks and she was an actress but then they went and cast somebody else. So what do you guys think about that? Like, I actually thought it might be cool if his wife…if David’s wife was Tonks because she likes the books and whatever.
Micah: She’s American.
Eric: Oh she’s American? Okay, never mind. Thank you.
Andrew: There you go. [laughs] Well folks, for people who don’t know there’s…Warner Brothers does not allow people from the US… Basically, if you don’t have a British accent, you can forget about it.
Eric: And not even. If you don’t have an authentic British accent too, not like, faked ones, because there’s Americans, including me, who think they can fake one and it really just doesn’t…they don’t do that. Plus, there’s probably some kind of rights behind it.
Lupin And The Veil
Eric: Okay, here’s something you guys are all going to comment on, because this is a good topic. You know in the Department of Mysteries…you know, Harry’s all running after Sirius, well Sirius falls into the big freaking curtain, alright. Didn’t upset me at all, no not at all. The big freaking curtain, right? So, Harry runs after him, jumps, you know, tries to jump in after him, but Lupin holds him back and says, “He’s gone, Harry,” you know, that’s it. Now, when I first read this, I thought of two things. I thought, either Lupin knows about the veil and what it does so that he can actually make an informed decision and say, “He’s gone, Harry” because that thing kills you when you go into it. Or, he was just saying, you know, “He’s gone,” you know that’s it, to hold Harry back from jumping in because he know…that he, you know if he didn’t know what was in the veil he wouldn’t want Harry to go in there too.
Ben: You’re making a good point here, Eric, that Lupin would have to know something about the veil in order for him to say definitively that Lupin is gone, I mean, that Sirius is gone.
Micah: Isn’t it Luna also…when Harry talks to her…that says something about voices?
Eric: Yeah.
Micah: So, it’s not, I mean, maybe she doesn’t know specifically about the veil, but she has an idea about, you know, what happens to people.
Eric: I saw Lupin as the father figure, just saying, you know, “Oh he’s gone,” even if he didn’t really know what was back there, you know. He had to say it to get Harry to stop and I think that worked effectively, so. I just want to know if you guys thought it he actually knew what was back there, or it was just, you know, a fatherly thing, you know…instinct to get Harry away from it.
Micah: Yeah, it definitely could have been instinctual, if that’s a word but, yeah he might have just thought that there was danger and he thought first about protecting Harry more than anything else.
Unemployment Line
Eric: Just how hard is it, guys, do you think, to get a teaching job and respect as a werewolf, even with Wolfsbane Potion and, you know, because Lupin’s all talking about, you know, his prejudice and how their parents wouldn’t want the, you know, their teachers schooled by werewolves, but then what can werewolves do in the world besides go around, you know, underground and kill people? Like, can they get any professions?
Ben: You raise a good question, Eric. That’s a good point, but I think it’s kind of tough because it’s not truly that, like once you actually get to know a werewolf, it’s not like they’re all bad people, you know, but of course there’s the negative people, the werewolves who actually do do the bad things that get the primary focus for the entire group. So, it’s what creates the stereotype and what propagates at the center of attention. You know, it’s like many stereotypes we see in society. Things like “all black people are thieves” and things like “all Mexicans must be illegal,” “all Jewish people are rich” all things like that. And we continue to see these stereotypes and it’s just the same thing as for a werewolf. And it’s hard to overcome those stereotypes because it’s just ingrained into society.
Eric: Ben brings up a point, guys. Things like goblins: what if they don’t want to be bankers but they’re…you know, just because they’re goblins society tells them, oh you have to be bankers? Same thing. They see how society treats them, they can’t do what they want anymore. They can’t become teachers and it’s not even their faults. They just go and live as werewolves because that’s what they…
Ben: Well it all comes down to, is the glass half full?
Andrew: No, it doesn’t come down to the glass.
Ben: Or is the glass half empty?
Eric: It doesn’t really come down to that.
Ben: Yes it does, it does come down to that. It comes down to the whole perception. You’re born a werewolf and are you going to take it and say, “Well, I’ll just evolve into the typical stereotype werewolf and bite little babies” or are you going to say, “Well, I’ll just make the best of the situation. That sucks, and that life dealt me a bad hand of cards, I’ll just deal with it,” you know. Make the best of it.
Andrew: Ben, you were saying the whole stereotyping thing…if a werewolf can prove himself as a good person, or a good animal, then there would be no stereotyping to that one specific person. It’s just like in the real world…
Ben: No, but…No, because not everyone knows Remus. So when they just hear, “Oh, a werewolf teaching my kids,” it’s not “Remus Lupin teaching my kids.”
Eric: I agree.
Andrew: Unless Dumbledore…
Ben: A werewolf is teaching my kids…
Andrew: Unless Dumbledore or someone else high up that people already do respect can show the public that yes, he can be trusted.
Eric: I agree…
Ben: Absolutely not. Absolutely not, Andrew, because everyone thinks Dumbledore is crazy anyway.
Eric: Yeah that’s…
Andrew: Okay, then not…
Ben: Dumbledore’s already done radical things and by that same logic, Andrew, when Dumbledore said that, “Hey Voldemort’s back,” then people would have believed him…the majority of the people would have believed him.
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: Well that’s not Dumbledore’s fault.
Eric: I agree with Andrew to a point except for the fact that, yeah the media was discrediting Dumbledore ever since, you know, the beginning and Fudge was too because he didn’t want to admit that he was weaker than Dumbledore, so there was no respect for Dumbledore. I think Dumbledore probably could have, if everybody respected him, tell them “Hey, this werewolf is okay by me.” I think even if there were people who sided with, you know, Dumbledore like Hagrid, you know, people who really had reasons to, I think that the majority would still probably fall back on whatever prejudice like Ben mentioned was that werewolves were dangerous people, but how hard is it to get a job? What job…okay, goblins have banker jobs where they’re all in tunnels and stuff and they can…because they know math very well and they can, you know, steer a mine cart. So what do you think werewolves can do if there were a trade like, for werewolves that society was okay with werewolves doing, what so you think they would be doing?
Ben: I really don’t think there’s anything because, like I said, they’ve been alienated and they just become this group where people don’t want to have any involvement with them. I hate to… Here’s a good parallel for you. Someone like, say a werewolf goes and gets a job, like Lupin did. Once they found out that he was a werewolf, then he was done and over with and a parallel to that in American society is when someone gets a job and they find out that they have a different sexual orientation than everyone else, then they could face a lot of scrutiny for it and probably end up getting fired. And that’s…the same situation applies in terms of werewolves because as long as your employer doesn’t know they have, you know, this condition and maybe if they get the right days off each month, you know, then it will be alright.
Andrew: I don’t know if it’s to the point of getting fired unless your boss is really, really biased.
Eric: But consider, no. In the case of a werewolf, you can be very, you know, hazardous on, in certain…but even with the…the Wolfsbane Potion is a discovered potion… It’s a discovered thing that makes this less harmful so I’d think werewolves would start being more accepted, you know, in society.
Ben: Right, but how widely available is the Wolfsbane Potion though?
Eric: Well, that’s the question. Apparently, it’s a real bee-atch to make, which is why Snape had to do it. So, I mean, it is comprehensive, so that’s a good point.
Micah: I just think that JKR is compelled to put certain things in the books and prejudice is one of them. It’s just like, when you’re talking about Ministry corruption in government, this is just one of those things, I think, that she feels that she has to get across and I don’t know if we’re taking it a little too far when we’re talking about werewolves getting jobs. I think her whole idea behind this is just to show that prejudice exists even in this type of a setting.
Eric: I agree with that.
Andrew: I think Jo Rowling adds prejudice into the stories because it adds an interesting angle where, from the reader’s standpoint, you’re going to be thinking “Oh, come on, it’s not fair.” And you feel the emotion, sort of like with Umbridge: you get really angry at her. You get angry at these people who are doing exactly that. You’re saying, oh well look at Lupin, he’s being disregarded as some stupid worthless animal.
Eric: And it points out more unfairness. I like that.
Andrew: Grrr. I hate this, but…hmm. So intriguing.
Dumbledore and Lupin
Eric: [Laughs] Okay, the Whomping Willow, guys, and this is what shocked me. This actually was an all-time high for…on my Dumbledore meter, my Dumblemeter. My Dumblemeter was completely going off when I heard this. Dumbledore’s tree, the Whomping Willow…that tree Dumbledore willingly planted there to protect the students from Lupin, but actually this is a very dangerous tree that almost killed Harry and Ron. The whole…this huge, dangerous tree that’s on the school grounds, he put there just so Lupin could come and attend Hogwarts. Now, do you think that was a statement, like to Dumbledore… Was it a testament to his own “oh, any student can come here” or was that just complete absurdity that, you know, he would even do that. But Dumbledore went through all this trouble just to get Remus to come to school and what do you guys think about that?
Andrew: Well, it shows that Dumbledore cares for every single student. I think it’s as simple as that. I, you know…
Eric: Okay.
Andrew: …unless there’s some specific reason that Dumbledore really wanted Lupin there, but what would it be?
Micah: He’s Remus’ father, obviously.
Andrew: You know, so many people try to make parallels between Dumbledore and certain HP characters here. Like, everyone thinks every character is related to him.
Eric: Dumbledore is everyone’s father.
Andrew: Somebody sent me an email saying McGonagall was Dumbledore’s daughter. I said, “No.”
Eric: Awww.
Andrew: Yeah.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: McGonagall was an accident.
Greyback Attack
Eric: Lupin, guys, we found this out…he said this off-handed in Book 6…Lupin was bitten by Fenrir Greyback. That was such a character introduction, but doesn’t Fenrir usually kill kids and, like why would Lupin have survived that?
Andrew: What if he wanted Lupin to become a werewolf?
Eric: Yeah, but he was just a kid. He was a little baby when he got bit…
Andrew: So?
Eric: …you know, he was like three. So how would he…
Micah: He did it to get back at Lupin’s father.
Eric: Oh, I completely forgot about that…really?
Micah: So wouldn’t it be more harmful to have…to see his kid live as a werewolf?
Eric: Yeah, well completely, but I…
Andrew: It’s like a slow, painful death compared to a quick one.
Eric: No, Micah, I agree with that, but that really happened?
Micah: Yep.
Eric: I completely forgot about that.
Andrew: Eric, you’re fired.
[Eric laughs]
Micah: Where’s the bobble-head?
Andrew: Oh, thank you for reminding us.
Eric: [Still laughing] Oh no.
Voice: You’re fired. You’re fired.
Eric: Not the bobble-head! Not the bobble-head, please. I’ll be good. I won’t spiel for three minutes. Come on, not the bobble-head.
Andrew: So, it would’ve been better to get back at him by just biting rather than killing because…
Eric: Yeah. No, I completely agree with that.
Andrew: …it’s a long term.
Eric: I just completely…I don’t recall reading that at all, so thank you guys, because that’s…
Ben: Now, tell me where it says that in the book. I’m confused; I don’t remember that either.
Micah: Would you like me to…
Eric: I don’t know this is like…
Micah: Would you like me to go get it?
Eric: It’s like a weasel/otter…yeah get it. This is a weasel/otter relation type of thing, where I’m like “oh my God, oh my God.” Micah?
Micah: It says, no, it says that he offended him. He offended Greyback…Lupin’s father offended Greyback.
Eric: Please find that…please.
Micah: Also, Greyback bit Lupin as a result.
Eric: Please, Micah, find that, that would be… Yeah but no, guys, while Micah’s finding that, what about Lupin’s parents? Like, you know, he offended Greyback but his parents still had to raise him and I guess they really loved him and really had to care for him but they had to search probably for a while to find Dumbledore. What do you think his parents. What do you think his parenting was like, you know, growing up. He was still a little self-conscious about his gift, but I think they encouraged him, you know, still.
Micah: Alright, I got the line, if you want.
Eric: Okay, Micah got it, Micah got it. That was fast.
Micah: Okay, “Lupin paused and then said, ‘It was Greyback who bit me.’ ‘What?’ Harry said, astonished. ‘When you were a kid, you mean?’ ‘Yes, my father had offended him. I did not know for a very long time the identity of the werewolf that attacked me. I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had no control, knowing, by then how it felt to transform.'”
Eric: Oh God, that’s imagery. Micah, that’s brilliant. What page is that?
Andrew: Chapter? Page?
Micah: It’s page 335 of the American edition. It’s in the…
Eric: What chapter?
Micah: “A Very Frosty Christmas.”
Andrew: So that wraps up this week’s main discussion.
Andrew’s Listener Challenge – Winner Announced
Andrew: All right, a couple weeks ago, I announced to everyone our brand new MuggleCast contest, Create Your Own MuggleCast Segment and now it is time to reveal the winners. I’m here with Laura and Micah.
Laura: Hey.
Andrew: Segment judges extraordinaires. And they helped me judge the segments. What do you guys think, overall, of the entries as a whole?
Laura: I thought they were extremely creative. I was really blown away by some of them, just some of the ideas you guys came up with, really…you know, props to everyone.
Micah: Yeah, I agree with Laura. Overall, things were pretty good. There were a few here and there that were a little disturbing, I guess would be the right word, but…
[Laura laughs]
Micah: Overall, good job, though.
Andrew: Yeah. I agree. And so now we have the three big winners. Well, actually we have the five big winners. And, how this is going to work is we’re going to air first place winner in a few moments and…but then for the next four weeks after this show, we are going to air the runner-ups. Second place, third place, honorable mention, and then fifth place, if that makes sense. Honorable mention is basically fourth place, but they just missed out on the third, so it’s sort of honorable mention, you see what I mean here? [laughs] So first place on the Create Your Own MuggleCast Segment Contest goes to…da da da-da, da da-da…
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: …da da-da, da da-da, da da-da…after this commercial break.
[Laura laughs and sighs]
Micah: Oh that was so funny.
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: Don’t you want to go third place to first place?
Andrew: GoDaddy.com is your ultimate sponsor. What?
Micah: Don’t you want to go third to first?
Andrew: No…no, I don’t.
Micah: Okay.
Andrew: Well, I don’t…how about this…
Laura: It builds up excitement.
Andrew: How about we don’t reveal the runners-up until the following weeks, huh?
Laura: Oooo.
Andrew: All right.
Laura: That can create some excitement…some…
Andrew: Some tense moments.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Okay, so we’ll just do first place for this week. So, first place winner goes to Anthony Traina with Order of the iPod with his friend Mike.
Laura: [Laughs] I really liked that one…it’s pretty funny.
Micah: Yeah, it was really creative.
Laura: Actually, there’s one point where I found myself laughing out loud so that was really…[laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, same.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I was judging these while on my way to school and throughout school because instead of talking to real people, I listen to MuggleCast listeners.
Laura: Hey, I did the same thing.
Andrew: …with my life. Yes.
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: Or paying attention in class.
Andrew: Right, and, well actually, no, I turned it off during class, but yeah I was laughing out loud too. I had to hide my smile.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: You are so much…
Andrew: Micah, what did you think of it?
Laura: …of a better person than I am, because…
Micah: Oh, I enjoyed it…sorry.
Laura: No, I’m sorry I interrupted you.
Andrew: Why, Laura?
Laura: Because, I would get bored during school and I would put my school stuff away and judge the contest winners. So, that’s how faithful I am, that I actually put my school aside for you. Don’t you love me?
[Andrew laughs and sighs]
Andrew: Of course we do, Laura.
Laura: I wasn’t talking to you.
Andrew: Micah, why do you like this segment so much…Order of the iPod?
Micah: It was good. I thought the guy who played…whether he was playing Dan Radcliffe or playing, you know, the fictional character, I thought he did a pretty good job of imitating it.
Laura: He did.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: He really did.
Andrew: So the deal is, we had the rule…it has to be under seven minutes, but Anthony also created an extended version, which is eight and a half minutes that we’re going to air instead of the shorter version, which is even funnier. And this is a really great segment. So listen now, first place winner Anthony Traina and his friend Mike with Order of the iPod.
Winning Segment
[Intro music with voiceover] Harry, you are Dumbledore’s man through and through.
[Intro music continues, followed by recorded applause]
Mike: What is up? Welcome to Order of the iPod. This is Mike.
Anthony: And I’m Anthony.
Mike: And we’ve got a special guest here today. We got the big man, the big dog, Harry Potter, sitting with us in New York City. What’s happening, Harry?
Harry: [With a British accent] How are you fellas? It’s great to be here, I must say my time in New York City has been very, very good and I can’t wait to hear what kind of questions you’re going to ask me today. It’s just getting me very excited.
Anthony: Well, we definitely have some questions for you, Harry, don’t worry about that. We’re going to kick it off now with the very first one. What is one thing that you’re looking forward to next year at Hogwarts?
Harry: Oooo. Next year…well I must say, the first thing that I’m looking forward to is getting rid of these darn glasses. I can’t stand them and I can’t wait to get contact lenses. They keep falling off my face when I’m fighting dragons and things like that. And then, everybody’s just laughing at me when I do these things and then they say mean things: that I look like John Lennon and…I don’t even know what that means, but I know it’s hurtful.
Anthony: Yeah that’s not right. That’s not right.
Mike: No, no. You got to get those contacts Harry, you know what I’m saying? Got to represent. Alright, now what I want to know, and I know people want to know these things, is that there’s a little bit of love going in the air, so how are things between you and Ginny Weasley? Oh, that’s a good one.
Harry: Well I must say, that I’m really trying to keep myself pretty single these days and not so tied down to one person. As I know you Americans say in your hip-hop music, which I know you’ll be able to relate to, I compare myself to 50 cent, because we are both a P-I-M-P, if you know what I mean? I really can’t say it any better than that.
Mike: Absolutely, man. You got to be P-I-M-P, man. So, what are your true feelings about Professor Snape?
Harry: Well, over my time at Hogwarts, I’ve gotten to know Professor Snape very well, very personally, very closely. And I tell you, being that close to him, is very tough because that man’s breath is horrible.
Anthony: Oh! [laughs]
Harry: I’ve got to tell you, it is terrible. He is, honestly, he smells like he eats a Bertie-Bott’s Every-Flavor Bean that’s just poo flavored. All he eats is the poo-flavored beans. He takes all the other ones, picks them out, throws them in the garbage…poo beans all day long, that’s all the man eats. And it makes my nose-hairs curl. It’s horrible.
Anthony: So, he’s poo-breath? Professor Poo-breath.
Harry: Absolutely. He’s Professor Poo-breath and everybody knows it. And he’s Professor Poo-face because he’s ugly and smelly.
Anthony: Well, that’s definitely one person we will never interview, then.
Mike: Absolutely.
Anthony: Thanks for that heads-up.
Mike: Yeah.
Anthony: All right, moving on, what’s up with Luna Lovegood? Does she really act that way? Because it seems that she has a little bit of Jessica Simpson there.
Harry: Well, absolutely, I have to agree with you, Anthony. She…I’ve caught her, in her room doing Calculus, studying Latin, and reading these extremely hard books and then when I come in, I say, “Luna! What are you doing?” She shuts the books and looks at me and says, “Harry, I’m dumb. I’m stupid. I don’t know why I have these things in front of me…who put them there?” And I say, “It’s obvious, lady, that you are very smart, why don’t you just admit it?” She looks at you with this blank stare, “I’m stupid.” It’s really quite annoying, I’ve got to say.
Anthony: Wow. That’s definitely a great insight to Luna Lovegood.
Mike: You see, I knew it, I knew it, An. She can’t be that dumb.
Anthony: Nobody is.
Mike: No.
Anthony: Except for Jessica Simpson, of course.
Mike: Right, right.
Anthony: But, she’s hot.
Mike: Right.
Anthony: All right, next question, we’re going to actually see if you can do any impersonations.
Harry: Oh, an impersonation? Absolutely. Okay, let me see, I’ve got a couple good ones. My favorite impersonation is my pal Ronald Weasley. And here we go. “Oh Harry, I love Hermione. She’s so pretty. She’s so cute. I love her hair…I want to touch her hair. I want to rub her back.” Alright, Ron. It’s enough, we know you love her, we know you want to kiss her, we’ve had enough.
Anthony: Yeah, Ron just needs to step up to the plate and get that done.
Mike: Just do what you got to do… Be a man, right?
Anthony: Definitely. Well, Harry, we really appreciate the time that you’ve given us, but, unfortunately that’s all the time we have.
Mike: So you want to give any shout outs to any people that you got back at Hogwarts or something, Harry?
Harry: Absolutely! I love to give a big shout-out to the Order of the Phoenix. I know they’re listening and I want to say Dumbledore’s Army forever! And, Dumbledore’s alive!
Anthony: Oh, there you have it, there you have it.
Mike: All right, man.
Anthony: We just need to wrap it up right now.
Mike: All right.
Anthony: Thank you for listening to Order of the iPod, I’m Anthony.
Mike: And I’m Mike.
[Outro music, followed by recorded applause]
Anthony: Alright and we’re back. Mike had to leave for a brief second, but I actually pulled Harry Potter back in. We’re going to do a new segment we call the Listener’s Shout-Out. I know it’s a little extra, but hopefully we’ll get a couple extra minutes to do this segment, it’s pretty fun. And we’re going to actually pull people that have registered for, on MuggleCast, at the Tell Us Where you Live segment. So Harry’s going to pull some names out, just kind of give a shout-out to people that are out there.
Harry: Alright, I’ll do that. And I love when we do this fan appreciation stuff. First off, we have Katie from London, England, Natalie W. from London, England…she loves Andrew. Go, Andrew. Also, we have Sara Greene from Oxford, England and Cara from Edinburgh, Scotland. We also have Ricki Sutton from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Anthony: We’re going to take it back to the States now, actually where we’re broadcasting from…Rockland County, New York…who’s out there?
Harry: We have Matt M. from Blauvelt, Val from Spring Valley and Val says, “Andrew Rocks.” Go, Andrew, you are the man, alright. We have Jessica Gordon from West Nyack and finally Emily Chang from Hartsdale, New York. She loves the MuggleCast. I’m glad you like it.
Anthony: Thank you very much, Harry.
Harry: Oh, you’re welcome. I’m off on my broom and I’ll see you at Platform 9 3/4. Rock on, Hogwarts!
[Outro music and recorded applause]
Andrew: Okay, so there you go. We hope everyone enjoyed it. Laura and Micah, I was in tears all over again.
Laura: Oh, I was too. [laughs]
Micah: Yeah.
Andrew: Laugh out loud funny. No, it was really good.
Laura: It really was.
Andrew: For future…yeah. Second place winner will be announced next week, third place, then honorable mention, and then fifth place. So this is going to span out across a few weeks here. And then, all the other segments, we know everyone put a lot of time into them, will be put together all into one show that is just the rest of the segments. So everyone has a chance to get their voices heard, because, you know, like I said, we know people put a lot of work into these.
Micah: Most people put a lot of work.
Andrew: Mhm. And I forgot to mention that Anthony and Mike will both be winning a MuggleCast T-shirt on top of just being aired on MuggleCast, so congrats guys and, you know what, I wouldn’t mind hearing some more from them.
Laura: Definitely.
Andrew: You know what I mean, segment wise, yeah?
Laura: Oh yeah, definitely.
Micah: Yeah, they did a good job.
Andrew: All right well, thank you, Micah and Laura, once again for helping me judge this.
Laura: No problem.
Andrew: It was rough, but we got through it. It was a lot of fun.
Laura: Yeah, it was a battle, let me tell you.
Micah: Puking Pastilles. You guys, does anyone want some Puking Pastilles?
[Laura and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: Mmmm! Pass them over here!
[Micah and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: All right. Thanks, guys.
Voicemail – Lupin The Legilimens
Andrew: Now let’s head over to the voicemails. Kevin Steck gathered them for us this week, despite the fact that he’s not here.
Eric: Kevin.
Andrew: Where is he again? He’s like, studying and stuff? For college? And…
Ben: [Imitates Kevin] His differential homework!
Andrew: [Imitates Kevin] Differential! He’s working on a project, he wanted me to tell everyone!
[Audio]: Hi, this is Kim, from Melbourne, Australia, and I was wondering: Do you guys think that Lupin is a Legilimens? Because there’s a lot of mentioning, like, he says something and then it says “as if he’d read Harry’s mind,” and they mention that in Snape a lot- and we all know that Snape is a Legilimens. So, I was wondering if you guys thought there was anything to it. Thanks! I love your show.
Eric: I think… yeah. I think, I think it’s cool how they, you know, because Lupin did read Harry’s mind too. But I think this is more to emphasize the fact that Lupin was so close to James, and kind of really relates to Harry in the way that they both lost James and Lily and stuff. So, I think when Lupin reads Harry’s mind… I mean, I’m not going to rule out that, you know, I’m not going to rule out that Lupin can, is a Legilimens. But I think usually when he reads his mind, especially in, like, Book 3 and stuff, even though the… even though when other people read their mind, it’s kind of like the omen of Legilimency, I think in the case of Lupin, it’s just that he relates to him and can understand what he’s going through.
Voicemail – Lupin’s Role In The Order
[Audio]: Hi MuggleCasters! This is Sarah from Massachusetts, and I have a question. What do you think Remus’ role in the Order was in the last war, and what do you think his role in the Order is now? Thanks! I really love the show… and I’m a Girl Scout, so if you guys really want some cookies, you can get back to me on that one. I’ll pay for it! Okay, thanks. Bye!
Eric: That wasn’t me, that was my evil twin.
Andrew: No, I’m pretty sure that was you.
Ben: Dude, I really want cookies.
Eric: People are…
Ben: If they’re low-fat.
Eric: … people are Photoshopping me…
Ben: If they’re low-fat, send the cookies.
Eric: People are Photo-shopping me in a dress, okay? That’s insane. And then, somebody emailed me and said, “I’m a Girl Scout, and we don’t really wear dresses.” And I was all like… you know, I’ve offended people…
Andrew: Lupin’s role in the war now. Ahhh… to transform into a werewolf and attack? [laughs] I don’t see a…
Ben: No, I don’t know. I think he makes sure…
Eric: No, his role is to get on a…
Andrew: Is he even involved in the war?
Ben: Yeah, he provides chocolate for everyone.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Ben!
Andrew: I don’t think he’s really involved in the war. Yes?
Eric: No, no. He’s on the werewolf side now. He’s on the…
Ben: Yeah, that’s true.
Eric: He’s underground. But I don’t know what he was, I don’t know what he was doing in the last war. Like, I doubt he was doing that because they would know they couldn’t trust him if he already bailed on them. I don’t even know if he was in the last war, because if you think about it, he was the same age as Lily and James. Was Lupin, like, were they old enough to really be in the war? I mean… you know? What do you think.
Ben: I don’t know. Lupin… in the first war, you mean?
Eric: Yeah.
Ben: I don’t know about the first war, because Lily and James seemed to sort of be privileged, and maybe Lupin, you know… just out of Hogwarts, doesn’t know what he’s going to do with his life yet, that type of thing. I don’t know.
Eric: Because I mean, they just…
Ben: Well, do you remember… does anyone remember in Order of the Phoenix, was Lupin in the first Order?
Eric: He… I think he might have been.
Andrew: Why wouldn’t he have been?
Eric: Yeah. Because it was like, well it was Sirius, and it was, you know, James and Lily. And wasn’t there also a picture…?
Ben: Well, why weren’t Arthur and Molly Weasley in the Order the first time? So…
Eric: Well, that’s a good question. And they’re older, so…
Andrew: And they’re in the Weasley family.
Eric: Yeah. Which is…
Andrew: I mean, what relation do they have to the Order, other than that Arthur was in the Ministry of Magic and he didn’t have any… well, did he have sons or daughters?
Ben: Well according to Andrew, everyone, the “W” in Weasley is for worthless. Because he thinks all the Weasleys are worthless. [laughs]
Andrew: No! I think they didn’t have any connections back during the first war. So…
Eric: I think that makes sense. And then once, during the first war, Molly’s brothers got blown away, so they needed to start choosing a side and making it clear.
Andrew: So really, all it depends on basically is what your connections were at the time of the first war.
Voicemail – The Werewolf Trait
[Audio]: Hey MuggleCasters, I’m Ally from Illinois. And I was wondering if being a werewolf could be passed on to your children. Like, if Lupin and Tonks have a child, would that child be a werewolf? Or have werewolf-like qualities, like Bill Weasley suffers from? I’d love to know what you think. Thanks. Bye!
Eric: I think this is an interesting question, because it reminds me of, once again, The Underworld Series of movies, and I guess they made books out of them too…
Andrew: Yeah, they have.
Eric: … does that make them good books?
Andrew: But does the Underworld Series, does it run on the same track of rules here as the ones in the Harry Potter books?
Eric: I actually don’t know, because…
Andrew: I feel like this question’s been answered already.
Eric: … what would create…. Well, it’s interesting, because I don’t think they really answered it in the Underworld series, and that was my big question. And I think it seems to be the same big question, because if werewolf children, you know, if the children of werewolves are also werewolves, then clearly there is two kinds of werewolves. There’s the ones that were mortal but then they were bitten, or then there’s the ones that were born into it. And would they be stronger for being born into it? Or what exactly would happen? And I don’t know exactly, like, the werewolf qualities Bill Weasley suffers from. I think that’s unique to his case, where he was just kind of scratched a bit. But… you know. Ally from Illinois asks this question, and it’s really questionable because you wonder if there’s two different types of werewolves. There’d be like, if a mortal person, if a Muggle was bit by a werewolf, or if a witch was bit by a werewolf, or if you were born into a werewolf-hood. It’s like this whole thing of stuff that’s clearly, I don’t think, ever going to be answered.
Andrew: Can a werewolf be carried in your genes, though? The werewolf trait.
Eric: It’s still a question.
Andrew: And with that said, can it be carried in your blood?
Eric: I think… I think, I think, I think I’m going to say that maybe. If you make love in your human form, I guess… and maybe you’ll just have a human baby. But if you make love during the full moon… [like a werewolf] Awooo!
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: Was Tonks’ mother or father a Metamorphmagus? [laughs] You know, did that carry on through?
Eric: That’s a good question. Well, Ted Tonks was a mother, so… I mean, Ted Tonks was a Muggle…
[Eric and Micah laugh]
Eric: Ted Tonks was a Muggle.
Micah: Yeah, there you go.
Eric: So I doubt he was a Metamorphmagus. But then…
Micah: Did Andromeda have any weird traits in her?
Eric: Good question. That would be like saying, does Sirius?
Micah: Does it skip a generation?
Eric: Maybe Sirius had to learn his Animagi skills…
Andrew: I’m going to have to lean more towards you would actually have to be bitten.
Eric: Yeah, I think so too. I think that would keep it simple.
Andrew: The whole genes thing, then there would probably have to be some plot of mix-up between the characters or something.
Voicemail – Payback For Greyback?
[Audio]: Hi MuggleCast guys! I’m from Pleasant Hills, California. In the seventh book, if Lupin fights and kills Greyback, would he be cured of being a werewolf, or will it stay with him even though the person who cursed him before is dead? Thank you!
Eric: God, another Underworld-related question about werewolves! Darn this! There was a…
Andrew: Stop!
Eric: I’m sorry! But there’s this myth that says, you know, that if the head werewolf was killed, then all of them… I think it’ll still happen. I think… I don’t think they’ll turn back normal, I think they’ll still be werewolves. Because there’s no, it’s not like there’s a one major bloodline necessarily. Like it kind of is, but I see no reason why the gene should subside just because somebody’s dead. You know, like if they kill the leader, I don’t think that should change him because of this. But it’s magic, so that might actually work.
Ben: But is there, is there, I don’t know if there is… isn’t there an alpha-wolf? Do you know what I’m saying? The alpha, the ultimate wolf?
Eric: Is there an alpha-wolf?
Ben: Omega?
Eric: A beta-wolf? A delta-wolf?
Ben: Omega-wolf?
Eric: Gamma-wolf?
Andrew: I don’t know. It seems stupid. I mean, it sort of relates to the whole Secret-Keeper thing. It stays with you still.
Eric: Yeah. I think that… I think that’s a good tie-in, Andrew!
Andrew: Oh, thanks!
Eric: I like it. It just stays.
Andrew: It’s, like, how would you be related? Sure, it came from him, but how would you be directly connected to the point where if someone died who bit you, then you’re automatically… [laughs] But I mean, in that case…
Eric: Yeah. Andrew, Andrew….
Andrew: In that case, Lupin would go after Greyback and kill him right away.
Eric: Or somebody else who didn’t want to be a werewolf would surely have tried to kill Greyback years ago.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Also, Andrew, relate it to AIDS, too. You know, any kind of disease. The person who dies, you know, clearly it doesn’t cure AIDS, so…
Andrew: Yeah. And wouldn’t Greyback, where did Greyback’s come from? And wouldn’t have Greyback’s thing been cured now?
Eric: Exactly. Greyback… yeah.
Andrew: So, yeah. It definitely stays with you.
Ben: It all comes to the whole, what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Voicemail – Animagus or Werewolf?
Andrew: No, it doesn’t really come down to that, because the chicken died anyway, so… and the egg still survived.
[Audio]: This is Tyler from Lancaster. I was wondering – this doesn’t completely have to do with Professor Lupin, but I was wondering what you think would happen if someone turned into a werewolf but they were also an Animagi, and they turned into a different animal: if the werewolf instinct would have control or if they would regain control. Thank you. Bye.
Andrew: Geez! No, I think you would just, if you turned into your Animagus form and then the full moon came out, I would think you would just turn into a werewolf.
Eric: As to… yeah, I agree. I think you still would. But that’s, you know, the same reason Lupin didn’t turn into an Animagus too. It wouldn’t have really helped him, I think. Plus, it would just be, you know, he already turned into an animal, he doesn’t need to turn into another animal. What if his Animagi were a werewolf? [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, and you start as a human. So take, for example, Lupin starts as a human. Then, when the full moon comes out, he turns into a werewolf! Wouldn’t the same thing apply where if you were an animal? Whatever you are, you turn into a werewolf.
Eric: So there can be rabbits that turn into werewolves on the full moon?
Andrew: If they were bitten?
[Ben laughs]
Micah: Sure!
Ben: Cool!
Andrew: Absolutely! Absolutely.
Ben: Andrew, Andrew, did you get that from your pattern?
Andrew: No, I got that from my new book on podcasting.
Voicemail – Secret-Keepers
[Audio]: Hi, my name is Amy. I’m from Florida. I have a question about J.K. Rowling’s new FAQ poll that she posted. She says that if a Secret-Keeper dies, the secret dies with them. Does this mean that if someone has not been to, for example, Grimmauld Place, then no one else will ever be able to go, since Dumbledore has already died? And also, if Harry wants to go to Godric’s Hollow to see his family’s old house, since Wormtail was the Secret-Keeper, would he have to get the secret from Wormtail to be able to go there? That’s all. Thank you!
Eric: In relation to the second part, the Wormtail Secret-Keeper, the secret was the Potters resided in Godric’s Hollow. So, I think it would probably be the case where Harry could find Godric’s Hollow, but he just wouldn’t be able to find Lily and James. You know, if you know what I’m talking about. But, if they were all…
Ben: No! Because the thing… okay. Lily and James have already died, so I think the charm is gone since they’re dead.
Eric: It was, like, to protect them. But even if it wasn’t, he could still find Godric’s Hollow, I think, because the secret wasn’t…
Ben: The charm was not on, like at Grimmauld Place.
Eric: Godric’s… yeah. Grimmauld Place, it was on Grimmauld Place.
Ben: Right.
Eric: So now that’s the question that’s…
Micah: Because Hagrid’s been to the house, too. So why couldn’t Harry find it?
Eric: No, Harry could find it, but he couldn’t tell anybody else. See, when JKR just clarified- I guess I’m glad she did!- the Fidelius Charm, she said that none of the people who knew it… wait. Could they… I don’t even think they could tell people. Like, I think only the Secret-Keeper could tell more people, right?
Andrew: Right.
Ben: Well, well, they could tell them. It’s just they wouldn’t be able to find them.
Eric: Yeah! So that’s even interesting. So now, the only people who could see Grimmauld Place ever would be the people who…
Andrew: But weren’t they planning to ditch Grimmauld Place anyway?
Ben: Yeah, but another thing is, I think, okay, Dumbledore cast the charm to create the, to make himself the Secret-Keeper. So if that’s the case, and he’s dead now, then, then so the charm would be broken.
Eric: No.
Ben: Just like we saw that when Dumbledore, the charm was broken off Harry. Right?
Eric: No, but the charm’s not broken, the Fidelius Charm. But I just thought of something else. The Fidelius Charm was not for Grimmauld Place, if you read it carefully. It’s for the location of the Order of the Phoenix. So actually, the secret, you know, the house might not have died with Dumbledore, per se, it just, you know the secret…. Because the secret was that the Order of the Phoenix resides at 12 Grimmauld Place. I think the fact that it disappeared and was in the middle of those houses was another charm entirely.
Andrew: Oh yeah, well, absolutely.
Show Close
Andrew: Well, we do believe that wraps up this week’s episode of MuggleCast, Episode 29. Eric was really kicking butt this week. We’re sorry, everyone. We were a little down in the dumps. It was a rough week. I’ve been in New York City all day, Ben actually had some physical activity. Micah was in the city too, although we didn’t actually run into each other. Good job, Eric, saving all our butts. We have some big plans for future episodes. We’ll talk about that in detail next week. I’m actually pretty excited about that.
Eric: Yeah, well, not willingly. I was like, “Guys! What do you think about this? Hey! Moony: as a teen!” And you’re all like…
Andrew: We’re all beat, and you’re like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Remus, Remus, Remus, Remus!” [laughs]
Eric: Chirp. Well, because the fans were waiting for it, and that made me passionate about it. I mean, ever since Episode 13, you know, everybody… Oh, Andrew, thank god you’re here! Can you clarify that they will not get the original footage of 13? There isn’t even original footage. In fact, the original footage is the one we have. People want the footage of, from what was going to be 13, when we talked about Lupin the first time. Can you go show them that we never even had that footage?
Andrew: Yes! But Eric, I can’t… [laughs]
Eric: Or is there, like, a secret cast that’s going to, you know, going to be released.
Andrew: [Whispers] Send me 20 dollars and I’ll mail you the secret show.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew [Show Close with music in background]: Does that work for you, Eric?
Eric: Because, I mean… People were asking. Because, I mean, I hope that this episode satisfied the people who wanted to hear about Lupin.
Andrew: So next week, for Episode 30, we will bring you… it’s just so unexpected, I can’t even tell you. I’m Andrew Sims!
Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.
Eric: I’m Eric Scull. And I wish people would talk as much as I do.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Andrew: [In a deep voice] And I’m Micah Tannenbaum. [laughs] We’ll see everyone next week.
Comments
[Groovy music starts]
[Audio]: Hi, this is Collin from Pennsylvania, and I just wanted to say that I really, really, really like your show. It’s the best, and I listen to it every week. I can’t wait for every episode. And Laura? I like you the best! Sorry, guys. All right. Bye!
[Audio]: Hi, this is Rebecca from Pennsylvania. I just wanted to say that I love your show, and you guys have inspired me to make my own podcast called So, thanks! Keep up the great work. Go Laura!
[Audio]: Hey! This is Jeffery, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I just finished listening to Episode 28, and all I have to say is: [imitates Andrew] Yeah! I’m Andrew-I-talk-with-my-mouth-full Sims!
[Audio]: Hi, this is Nakia from New Jersey. And I’ve been listening ever since you guys were started, in like, you know, August. And I think you guys rock. And Ben Schoen, you have the most hottest voice in the world. So keep up the good work! Bye.
[Audio]: Hey, this is Mary from Delta, Colorado, and I wanted to give a shout-out to all the Delta people. If any of you guys listen to MuggleCast, you need to come talk to me. All right. Bye!
[Audio] Caller 1: Hi, I’m Sam, and I’m from Panama City Beach, Florida.
Caller 2: And I’m Natasha, and I’m from Panama City Beach, Florida!
Caller 1: And I must go out to the noble world [laughs] and do noble things for the good of all.
Caller 1 and 2: And you can’t come because you don’t speak French!
[Groovy music ends]
Bloopers
Eric: Micah, was that you who just parked at the News Center with your Jag?
Andrew: What does that have to do with anything in this world that just happened?
Eric: Jewish rich people! I wanted to prove that they were all rich. Nevermind.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Forget it.
Micah: Aw, geez.
Eric: No, but…
—————————————————
Eric: I just wanted to mention this before we move on. This dude’s from Lancaster, the guy who just did the voicemail. Tyler from Lancaster.
Andrew: Shout-out!
Eric: I think I got an email from him, and so that’s pretty cool.
Andrew: I’ve been to Lancaster.
Eric: Pennsylvanians know that I’m right.
Andrew: Amish people, everywhere.
Eric: Yes!
Andrew: Everywhere you look! Long beards and top hats.
Eric: Yes!
Andrew: And horses.
Ben: How does this guy have a computer? He must be shunned.
[Andrew, Micah, and Eric laugh]
Eric: Yeah! He’s been banned, so he listens to the show now.
Andrew: He’ll hide it in his closet.
——————————————————-
Eric: [Singing] Hershey’s chocolate, Hershey’s chocolate, Hershey’s chocolate world! It’s a place where they…
Micah: [Interrupts Eric’s singing]Can we stop recording?
Eric: Okay.
——————————————————–
Eric: Talk amongst yourselves.
———————–
Written by: Micah, Ally, Martina, and Sarah