MuggleCast 53 Transcript
Show Intro
Rupert [Show Intro with music in background]: Hi everyone, this is Rupert Grint. This is MuggleCast, the number one podcast for everything Harry Potter. Take it away, Andrew!
Andrew: Thank you, Rupert! Episode 53, for August 27th, 2006.
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Hello everyone, welcome back to the show! I’m Andrew Sims.
Eric: I’m Eric Scull.
Jamie: I’m Laura Thompson.
Jamie: [at the same time as Laura] I’m Jamie Lawrence.
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: [laughs] I’m Jamie.
Andrew: Nice. Nice, guys. And Ben Schoen is not with us because he’s late, as usual, and this week we just started – we decided to start without him.
[Jamie laughs]
Eric: Notice in…
Andrew: And…
Eric: …in the face of confrontation, Jamie’s last name just disappears…
[Laura laughs]
Eric: He’s just like, “Sorry! I’m Jamie,” then he leaves.
Jamie: Yeah. No, no. It isn’t really confrontation. It’s more of trying to build up a sort of personal relationship with everyone, you know how it is.
Andrew: Oh, right.
Jamie: I want – I think – I mean, I may even just shorten it to Jam next time, you know?
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Jam-Jam.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Now I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling kind of important tonight because I got a photographer right in front of me for the Philadelphia Enquirer, taking a – taking pictures for – what is it for again?
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: The “Coolest People Ever Cover Article”? Something like that.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Speaking of awesome people, Micah Tannenbaum is standing by in the MuggleCast news center with the past week’s top Harry Potter news stories.
News
Micah: Wow, Andrew, you sound a little different this week.
Some disappointing news for those of you who are looking forward to a good grudge match in the Order of the Phoenix film next summer – we’ve been informed that there is no storyline in the movie surrounding Ron’s Quidditch hardships, nor has there been any filming on broomsticks done by Rupert. We’re led to believe that this means there will be no Quidditch in the fifth film at all.
Mid-Day has an excellent new interview with Order of the Phoenix director David Yates, Potter actor Dan Radcliffe, and Cho Chang actress Katie Leung. In it, we learn Yates’ approach to directing the film, the kissing scene between Dan and Katie, and much more.
Yahoo! News reported earlier this week that Jessica Stevenson has been cast for the role of Mafalda Hopkirk, who works in the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic.
And we have also received three more European release dates for Order of the Phoenix.
The film hits Belgium on July 11th, Denmark on July 13th, and Poland on July 20th.
Staying with movies, Goblet of Fire was awarded the “Choice Movie: Drama” award earlier this week at FOX’s Teen Choice Awards, voted on by teenagers across the United States.
As we reported back in March, the Goblet of Fire DVD set a world record for the largest selling DVD on its first day in the United States, which was roughly 5 million copies. There is a scan from the Guinness Book of World Records, which also includes a picture of Dan holding the certificate on the set of Order of the Phoenix.
And a few days ago, the nominations were announced for this year’s batch of World Soundtrack Awards. A song on the Goblet of Fire soundtrack called “Magic Works,” was nominated for “Best Original Song Written for Film.”
These winners will be announced on October 14th at the Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium.
The Daily Record has published a new interview with actor Rupert Grint, who reveals that he recently failed his driver’s test. He also wants to continue playing Ron in the Potter series through the seventh film. And Yahoo! Movies recently posted the trailer for Rupert Grint’s latest movie, ‘Driving Lessons.’ The film will hit limited theaters on October 13th.
Tom Felton gave a small interview to the Junior Carp Tournament’s website. Tom talks about filming progress on Order of the Phoenix. He says that it is three-fourths of the way completed, and predicts that fifty percent of what he shoots will make the final cut.
Finally, as I did on the very first news one year ago, happy birthday to Ben Schoen, who turned 17 this past week.
That’s all the news for this August 27, 2006 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.
Andrew: Okay, thank you Micah.
Nicknames For Micah
Andrew: Some more names for Micah here – I think we did this one already.
Jamie: We’ve had this one…
Andrew: Micah-phone.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: “The Micah-chip”, “Micahtack”, “What I Micah About You” – that’s a new one!
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Mic-atomic bomb.
Eric: [laughs] Mic-atomic bomb.
Andrew: Just don’t stop.
Micah, Eric and Jamie Turn One-Year Old
Laura: Now Andrew, did you forget about the news this week? How it’s a year old now?
Andrew: Oh, how could I forget! [laughs] Thank you for reminding me!
Eric: So am I!
Andrew: I’ll bet Micah told you because he knew that I was going to – I was going to forget.
Laura: Yup.
Andrew: Am I right?
Laura: Yup. You are right.
[Eric laughs]
Jamie: What? I don’t get it.
Andrew: Micah Tannenbaum’s News is one year old, today.
Eric: Now wait, Jamie…
Jamie: Is that right? I see!
Eric: Jamie!
Jamie: Yeah?
Eric: Doesn’t this – this means you and I also turn one year old today.
Jamie: No, Eric, it means [singing 99 Red Balloons] You and I, in a little toy shop, buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got.
Eric: Shut up.
Andrew: It does, doesn’t it?
Eric: Because it was Episode 3? 4?
Jamie: I think it could be. It’s around that, yeah.
Eric: It was Episode 3!
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Oh yes, it was! You’re right! It was around three or four. Three or four, it was something like that.
Andrew: Yeah. And now we are – here we are a year later, and Micah’s still got – still kicking the news. So, thanks to him for his excellent weekly reporting.
Jamie: Dedication.
Announcements
Andrew: Now let’s move on to – yeah. Let’s move on to a few announcements now. MuggleCast t-shirts: pick up your copy today, because they are running out quickly.
Jamie: Completely limited edition?
Andrew: Yeah, they really are limited edition now, and we’re going to be selling some new designs very soon. Also, don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley. And California – we have lots of California updates. Unfortunately, Ben’s not here to read off the California song winners…
Jamie: ‘Cause he’s lazy.
Andrew: [laughs] I don’t know where he is, actually. But, California – I haven’t even told you guys yet. That’s how bad of a host I am. We are aiming for September 28 at the Borders in Westwood – the Westwood area of California.
Laura: Great!
Andrew: They’re very excited to have us, so mark your calendars now…
Jamie: Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Andrew: And we’ll have some updates on LeakyMug.com. Go there for RSVP and more information and all that. There’s Ben – now, hold on a second. The reporter’s here now, the reporter’s here now.
Laura: Okay, everybody.
Andrew: Welcome Toni. Say hi, Toni.
Toni: Hi, everybody.
Jamie: Hey, Toni.
Eric: Hi.
Laura: Hi!
Andrew: Ben just called me and said that he completely forgot. Which explains how he dedicated he is to the show.
Laura: Which is typical! [laughs]
Eric: We’ve only been doing the show for what, you know, over a year?
Jamie: A year-and-a-half.
Andrew: Right. Yeah. So, we’ll get lyrics next week for everyone.
Listener Rebuttal – Cedric’s Death
Andrew: Listener Rebuttals this week though, our first one comes from Julia, 16 of New York. She writes in response to minor versus major character death discussions on Episode 52. She says:
“While Cedric is not a major character, his death impacted Harry at that time nearly as much as killing off a major character like Sirius or Dumbledore does in the later books. Cedric’s death is the first death Harry experiences firsthand, and gives him the first taste of what fighting this war is really going to be like. He is put on guard, his friends and classmates are in very real danger. By having the first experienced death in the series be of a minor character, J.K. Rowling allowed us – Harry – allowed Harry to be more prepared. If Sirius had been the first witnessed murder, then it might have been a bit too much of a shock for us as well as Harry. Harry would have had to deal with the shocking grief that comes with watching someone die for the first time, along with the sadness that comes with losing someone he loves.
This is a long one.
Perhaps Cedric’s death desen – desensa…”
Laura, help me out here.
Jamie: Desensitized.
Andrew: “…Desens – desense – desensitized Harry enough that…”
Laura: Good job, Andrew. [laughs]
Andrew: “…after Sirius died he was able to get through his misery and depression enough that he could continue with his life…”
[Jamie laughs]
“…by starting off with a minor character death.”
[Jamie laughs]
“Rowling made sure things happened in the appropriate order. Cedric’s death missed the odds, Sirius’ murder caused a few tears to fall, and Dumbledore passing on caused more flat out sobbing.”
Good point brought on by Julia.
Jamie: And Ron kicking the bucket in Book Seven is going to cause some suicides among us all.
Andrew: Yes.
[Andrew and Jamie laugh]
Laura: Yeah, but wouldn’t you agree that part of the reason Cedric’s death struck Harry so strongly was because of their close age? I mean, they were so close in age and the fact that Harry saw that no one was spared…
Eric: Agreed.
Laura: And even teenagers were being killed, and one person was supposed to die in the graveyard that night. And it wasn’t supposed to be Cedric, it was supposed to be Harry.
Andrew: And he saw the death. That was the first death that he saw. So…
Eric: Yeah. This can be you. You know. This will be you, almost.
Jamie: That’s true, but I think it reinforces the points that we were making that it’s a minor character, but it’s not a minor death. You know, it tells Harry a lot, this thing. So, you know, when Jo said that she wasn’t killing off minor characters, I don’t think she was particularly saying that every single character she kills is important, but every single death that she creates is important to Harry, and obviously as this person says, takes him on a journey, where it gets worse, and worse, and worse and shows that he’s in the middle of a war.
Laura: Agreed.
Eric: Right.
Andrew: And this was the first death that he had seen, you know.
Eric: Well, question: Do you think without Cedric’s death – I mean, in Book Five – I’m re-reading Book Five, and it seemed like you know, that the vast majority of the wizarding population doesn’t believe Dumbledore and Harry even though Cedric’s died. They just knew that Harry appeared from somewhere with Cedric dead. Do you think without Cedric dying they would have had no case and even less people would have believed Dumbledore and Harry?
Jamie: [thinking] Ummm…
Eric: Or would they have been able to prove successfully that Voldemort returned without the question mark of how Cedric died?
Jamie: Don’t you think that kind of makes it worse because you know, Cedric’s death – There wasn’t a mark on his body, obviously. They couldn’t prove anything. Harry just came back with this thing, and it could’ve looked like to the whole Voldemort coming back thing was just a cover-up.
Laura: That makes it worse for Harry.
Jamie: Yeah, exactly. But, I don’t know. It would be interesting to see. Perhaps we can do a “What If?” What happens if Cedric said, “No it’s okay, you have the cup. I’m going to go and take a break.”
Eric: Right. [laughs]
Laura: I don’t think as many students would have been on Harry’s side. I don’t think as many people would’ve come to the DA and that kind of thing.
Jamie: Yeah, probably not.
Eric: I don’t know. Cedric might not have – I don’t even think Cedric would have believed Harry. Or he may have, because he turns.
Laura: Well, yeah. Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Well, I was talking about people…
Jamie: No, Eric. Eric, to be fair, he is dead. He won’t be believing much, you know.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Jamie: It’s just a minor point, obviously.
Eric: No, his final point… No, his final remarks, “Take my body back to the fangirls.”
[Jamie laughs]
Eric: You know, they were pretty sweet.
Laura: [laughs] Fan girls.
Andrew: Jamie, you want to take the next rebuttal?
Listener Rebuttal – Defense Against The Dark Arts
Jamie: Yeah, sure. This is from Kaitlin, 16, from Aberdeen in SD. Where’s…?
Andrew: What is that?
Jamie: What’s SD?
Andrew: Come on, American pop quiz.
Jamie: What is…
Laura: [whispers] South Dakota.
Andrew: South Dakota.
Jamie: Oh okay, South Dakota.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: I was like…
Jamie: You know, every single British place there’s a place called it in America, everywhere. Ridiculous.
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Jamie: Anyway, the subject is DADA, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
“Because of the curse Voldemort put on the DADA position none of the DADA…
Ah, god, I can’t say it now.
…teachers have been able to stay for more than one year. I find it interesting that the DA only lasted a year as well. As a secret defense class, Harry acted as a DADA teacher. [laughs] Do you think that because Harry as a DADA teacher [laughs] the curse was a reason that he didn’t continue with the DA?”
Whew, god!
Andrew: Isn’t that kind of interesting?
Jamie: I have to take a break after that.
[Andrew, Laura, and Eric laugh]
Andrew: It wasn’t much. Don’t you think that’s kind of interesting? That’s why I put it in here.
Laura: Yeah. I thought that was interesting.
Jamie: Yeah. It is, but I don’t think you can call the DADA and the DA synonymous.
Andrew: Well, yeah.
Jamie: Okay. Let’s make a competition for the person who can send in the longest sentence composed of only DADA.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: That was like three sentences Jamie. [counting sentences] One, two, three, four.
Eric: DADA, PDA…
Jamie: No, I mean only DADA. DADA, DA, DADA, DA, DADA..
Andrew: Oh, okay. Is that another t-shirt giveaway?
Jamie: No, because I think Sam will get ****** off if I ask him to send one.
[Jamie, Andrew and Eric]
Listener Rebuttal – Mad-Eye Moody
Andrew: Good point, good point. [laughs] Next listener rebuttal comes from Taya, 16, from St. Louis.
“In the last show, you guys discussed the possibility of Mad Eye Moody becoming the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Although that would be really cool because he’s such an interesting character, he’s too busy with his business for the Order to spend his time teaching. No doubt he’s got a lot of places to go and things to do for the Order, but he wouldn’t be able to do his job at Hogwarts because he’d be focused on teaching. So I think it might be someone from the Order, but maybe someone more insubstantial. I love your show!”
Laura: I agree with that. I really do. I think that the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Book Seven is going to be someone that we know, but it will be someone insubstantial because Harry’s not going to be at Hogwarts. So, we’re not really going to need to learn all that much from that person.
Andrew: Right.
Eric: And again, it can’t be someone too important – too good at Auroring if it is an Auror that does the teaching, because they’re supposed to be, you know, helping the cause. They can’t be hold up at Hogwarts, you know, teaching.
Laura: Yeah. [laughs]
Jamie: Exactly, they can’t go and, you know, stop fighting the war but then say, “Oh well, I’ve got to be back to marks some books.” You know, it’s a full-time job. It’s a full-time job.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Actually, that’s like – I was watching this political satire program in the UK and they were talking about the “Territorial SAS”, which is our special forces. And it’s like, you’re either in the SAS or you aren’t in the SAS. So, this “Territorial SAS”, this person was saying that they’re behind enemy lines, they’re fighting, but they’ve got to get back on Tuesday to do their job.
[Silence]
Jamie: I thought that was hilarious.
Andrew: [chuckles softly] Yeah, that’s why it’s British satire.
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: No, exactly! I was just about to say, you know, I tell these things about British humor and it’s just met with a “Oh, heh. Oh, that’s good, that is.”
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Well, I still find it interesting. It’s still kind of like cultural something. Anyway…
Jamie: What Eric, interesting in a kind of not funny at all way?
Eric: Not really. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah. Yeah, cool.
Andrew: I sent you an article Jamie, earlier today from a girl who e-mailed. It was an article in the BBC, and the article said that British humor is 15% funny or something like that because of the accent.
Jamie: Oh yeah. So, I think that kind of backs up the theory that the jokes that I tell every single week are awful.
Eric: Well, Jamie?
Jamie: Yes?
Eric: Does the SAS – do they have guns?
Jamie: Yes, it’s like your Delta Force.
Eric: What’s our Delta Force? You know more about this than I do.
Jamie: Oh, right.
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: Delta Force is one of your special forces divisions of the American army.
Eric: Oh, right. Okay.
Laura: [laughs] I find it really sad that Jamie has to educate…
Eric: I swear Brits know more… British people know more about us than…
Jamie: Eric?
Eric: What?
Jamie: Anything else you want to know about your country? Where do you live again? I’ll tell you if you’ve forgotten, you know?
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. Eric, that’s embarrassing.
Eric: Yeah.
Listener Rebuttal – Bill Weasley
Andrew: Next rebuttal, this is going down quick. Next rebuttal: Joanna, 18, of Kala – Kala – Kalamazoo, Michigan. Is that a real town?
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Eric: I guess so.
Andrew: Is it? Philadelphia Inquirer photographer says yes. [speaking to photographer] Have you really? What’s it like?
Philadelphia Inquirer Photographer: It’s a small town.
Andrew: Oh.
Jamie: Kalamazoo? It sounds like a Google spin-off.
Andrew: It’s a small town. You heard it here first. She writes – Joanna writes:
“What do you guys think about the possibility of Bill Weasley becoming the new DADA professor? I mean, he’s the one at Gringotts, right?” [laughs]
Okay, let me stop this for a second.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: When you’re writing these rebuttals, we’re not – we’re too lazy to go through and edit them, or read them like we’re going to read them on air, so edit them for us and then send them in. [Laughs]
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: I know exactly why [inaudible]…
Jamie: What’s wrong with this?
Laura: Come on, Andrew.
Andrew: Because then we look…
Jamie: Andrew…
Laura: You can’t just read over the errors?
Jamie: What do you expect? Haikus and…
Andrew: She writes…
Jamie: Iambic pentameter? [laughs]
Andrew: That’s exactly what I expect. She writes:
“I mean, he’s the one at Gringotts, right? So maybe he wouldn’t have any experience teaching but hey, he’s a nice guy. He is, as Harry says, ‘cool.’ He has experience fighting Death Eaters, he’s got battle wounds…what else do you need? He could gain experience as he goes and I’m sure he knows enough that he could teach these kids. Also, that would allow a member of the Order to be at Hogwarts without compromising a major player. I’m interested to hear what you think!”
Eric: Kudos for…
Andrew: That’s a good final point.
Eric: Yeah, completely browsing over what we were just saying about how they couldn’t be a major player, but if they were in the Order, it would still be nice. The only problem is, the battle wounds…
Jamie: Yeah.
Eric: …reason…
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: I… His battle wounds kind of make him part werewolf and people don’t like werewolves teaching their kids. Sorry. Even if it will never mature or whatever, he’s still got…
Jamie: Still looks like a bit of a werewolf.
Laura: Yeah, but wouldn’t any of the parents who would have that kind of opinion take their kids out of Hogwarts anyway at this point?
Eric: That’s true, that’s true. You could say, well, screw them.
Jamie: Or homeschool them.
Laura: Yes!
Eric: [laughs] Yes! And for more abuse about homeschooling…
Laura: I love how you guys all mock me for being homeschooled.
Jamie: No, we don’t, we don’t.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: No, we talked – we did a whole few episodes about that actually…
Jamie: We mock the idea of being homeschooled – home-taught magic. To be fair.
Andrew: Yeah, exactly.
Laura: Why?
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: Well, okay then, Laura. How many people do you know who, on a Wednesday morning, stay home, eat breakfast, and then get their wands out and cast some spells? And have their mom teach them how to do it?
Laura: I’d say about 50.
Jamie: 50?
Laura: 50, Jamie.
Jamie: Well, I don’t think 50 is very representative, but…
[Everyone laughs]
Jamie: Of the world’s population.
Eric: Because the wizarding world is so huge.
Jamie: Yeah, it is.
[Laura laughs]
Listener Rebuttal – Ben And Harry Parallel
Andrew: Okay, let’s move on. Erin, 31 of Pennsylvania; she writes about Ben in Nebraska. She draws an interesting parallel and this really freaked me out.
“In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is sitting in a Muggle street, in the middle of the night, wondering what the police will say when they find a boy with a trunk of magical items. Ben is sitting in a Muggle street, in the middle of the night, wondering what the police will say when they find a “boy” with his laptop stealing WI-FI. Wow, the parallels!”
Jamie: That’s pretty awesome.
Andrew: Good point, Erin. Good point, good point.
Listener Rebuttal – Book Spines
Andrew: This next one – these are some weird emails this week – Michelle, age ten…
Eric: Million.
Andrew: Ten million…
Jamie: One hundred thousand.
Andrew: …one hundred thousand. And she writes:
“You guys played a voice ‘thing,’ that said the books…”
They are called voicemails.
“…that said that books have ‘Year One,’ ‘Year Two,’ and so on. It’s on the spine of both the paperbacks and hardcover editions.”
Not all of them. I think when they first started printing these, they didn’t have “Year One” and “Year Two.”
Laura: Really?
Andrew: Like – yeah.
Jamie: Do they really?
Andrew: My copies don’t. So, that leads me to believe they did that just because they wanted to put something new on the spine of the reprints.
Eric: Hmmm.
Laura: Hmmm. Interesting.
Eric: The UK editions don’t have them on the spine.
Andrew: I don’t…Laura, are they on yours, Laura?
Laura: Ummm…
Andrew: They’re not on mine.
Laura: I don’t know. I have a newer version of Sorcerer’s Stone because my old one died, [laughs] but, yeah…
Jamie: It died?
Laura: My newer one has “Year One” on it. [Laughs] Yeah. I killed it. I’m sorry.
Jamie: Awww.
Eric: It was a Horcrux.
Jamie: Yeah.
Listener Rebuttal – The Price of Gas
Andrew: And, last rebuttal comes from Doug of Brisbane, Australia. He writes about fuel prices because we talked about this last week.
Laura: Oh, geez.
Andrew: And this kills me.
“Hey, just listening to the show. I heard the outrageous prices of fuel in the US and UK. We have it too easy down here with $1.20 AU per liter, which is approximately 90 cents in the United States.”
Laura: Oh!
Andrew: Terrible.
Jamie: Wow.
Laura: That makes me want to cry.
Andrew: I know. [laughs]
Jamie: I’d buy that just for the sake of buying it – Petrol. I mean, just…
Laura: What was that, Andrew?
Jamie: …store it somewhere.
Andrew: Ship it back here. Do you drive, Laura?
Laura: Yeah!
Andrew: Oh, you do? I didn’t know that.
Laura: I’m almost 18-years old. I do drive.
Eric: Laura drives?
Andrew: This…
Laura: Yes!
Eric: What color car do you have? Is it pink? [laughs]
Laura: I don’t have my own car. I use my dad’s.
Eric: Does it have zebra skin? Oh. Okay, never mind.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: When you get a car, will it have zebra skin?
Laura: No.
Eric: Okay.
Jamie: You’ll have to explain this joke, Eric. I must admit, I think I’m a bit behind. [laughs]
Eric: It’s not a joke, I just picture Laura as having – okay, sorry. Andrew’s conversing with a reporter so we can just continue to ask Laura strange questions…
Andrew: I was conversing with a reporter.
Eric: From apparently no origin. Huh?
Andrew: [laughs] I was conversing with the reporter.
Eric: Sweet.
Andrew: Say ‘hi’ to the listeners.
Toni: Hi listeners!
Jamie: Yeah!
Andrew: This is Toni from the Philadelphia Inquirer and – when is this article going to be in the…
Reporter: Sunday, likely.
Andrew: Oh, Sunday? Okay.
Eric: Hi Toni! I’m down here in Reading, check me out.
Laura: Cool.
Andrew: Eric says “Hi from Reading.”
Laura: I’m from Cumming.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: When I told her you were from Cumming over the phone, she was like, “What’s that again?”
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I spelled it. It was awkward.
Jamie: I’m Cumming.
Andrew: So, yeah.
Toni: [inaudible]
Main Discussion – Aberforth Dumbledore
Andrew: Yeah. Our main discussion this week is Aberforth Dumbledore. And Eric, you put this little one together, so…
Jamie: Little one? [laughs]
Andrew: …you’re in charge. No not little, sorry
Eric: I don’t put any little ones together.
Andrew: [laughs] All right, go for it Eric.
Eric: Okay, I have a little bit of an introduction, but then we are going to follow an actual structured thing which is in the Writely. So everybody, check this out. Okay, all MuggleCasters, on deck here for this one. Okay. Listen. Okay, in Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 16, pg. 335, US edition, Hermione leads Harry and Ron through Hogsmeade on their first free weekend, to the place where an unknown amount of students are going to come to hear Harry’s plans for the soon-to-be DA. Basically they’re all coming to hear a story. You guys remember this?
[Everyone agrees]
Eric: Hermione sets the whole thing up, and he just kind of follows it after a while. Anyway, so he asks Hermione, “Where are we going, anyway?” And Hermione says, “The Three–” well, Harry suggests the Three Broomsticks. She says, “‘Oh – no,’ said Hermione, coming out of her reverie, ‘no, it’s always packed and really noisy. I’ve told the others to meet us in the Hog’s Head, that other pub, you know the one, it’s not on the main road. I think it’s a bit …you know…dodgy.'”
The Hog’s head is described as being not at all like the Three Broomsticks. Its small, dirty, one room, and it smells like goats. [laughs] This is the place where Hagrid once won Norbert the dragon, as an egg, and everyone in it typically keeps their heads covered, and their minds to their own business. Now, what’s important about the Hog’s Head – apart from its location, which we’ll talk about in a few minutes – is the bartender. After many hints and references to goats and all that, JK Rowling finally told us that the bartender is actually Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus’ brother. This connection, I suppose, is where the mystery and discussion really begins.
Aberforth was first mentioned in Book Four by Dumbledore; Rita Skeeter’s article on Hagrid comes out, and in order to cheer him up Dumbledore tells of how his brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing illegal charms on a goat. It was apparently something really big in the papers – [laughter] I know, goats, right? But Aberforth continued to, quote, “go about his business as usual,” though Dumbledore then expresses concern that Aberforth may not know how to read.
Now, this is what I want to bring up first about Aberforth; his first conversation and appearance to Habby – er, Harry. [laughs] In Chapter 16 of Order of the Phoenix, “In The Hog’s Head,” he’s described as, “a grumpy looking old man, with a great deal of long hair and a beard. He’s tall, thin, and looks vaguely familiar to Harry.” Harry walks up to him to order a Butterbeer, and all he gets from him is a grunt, [imitates Aberforth] “What?” [laughs] The only other choice words Aberforth has for Harry is, [imitates Aberforth again] “six sickles,” which he takes from Harry almost blatantly, and the he goes to help someone else. In fact, Ron finds Aberforth so shady that he discusses trying to get a Firewhisky off of him, even though he is underage; Hermione scowls.
So, first question is, what exactly do you guys think is up with Aberforth? [laughs] I mean, illegal charms on a goat, grunts for an answer, and he polishes – cleans his cups with a dirty rag that looks like it’s never been washed before, and he actually makes the drinking glasses dirtier. “‘The Hog’s Head is a-bring-your-own-glass establishment,’ advises Professor Flitwick to Hermione,” and it seems like the barman is completely nuts.
The Role of Aberforth
So do you think that Aberforth is pretending to be stupid, or is he really just this creepy, distant, kind of in-the-background guy?
Jamie: I think…
Andrew: I think he’s the creepy…
Jamie: In the distant…
[Everyone begins to agree]
Jamie: I agree.
Laura: Whenever I heard about illegal charms on goats, uh, that pretty much confirmed…
Jamie: Yeah…
Laura: What I feel about him, is that he’s kind of creepy and out there, and – goats. I just…
Eric: And goats.
[Laura and Eric laugh]
Laura: That’s all I have to say.
Eric: Well, still – it kind of fits, though. In an interesting way, do you think that Dumbledore and Aberforth Dumbledore would be brothers? Because they’re both, kind of whimsical in their own ways. I guess…
[Laura laughs]
Eric: It makes sense that if – doesn’t it make sense that if Albus is this, you know, social genius, and he knows how to work people like Fudge knows how to get out of tight spots, doesn’t it seem fitting that his brother would be just as weird, with – obviously lacking some of those skills – they kind of compliment each other, do you think?
Andrew: Right. Like the Ugly Duckling.
Laura: I’m not sure he’d be lacking in any skills, though. I mean…
Eric: What? Aberforth?
Laura: Yeah, I mean…
Eric: Because he seems like a social wacko. He is this…
Laura: Well Dumbledore’s kind of a social wacko…
Eric: That’s true.
Laura: …he’s just a nice one. [laughs]
Eric: That’s true. Well, still, goats. You said it yourself.
Jamie: Yeah, I mean it’s…
Laura: Well, it doesn’t mean he’s unintelligent.
Jamie: Laura, so in Cumming, do they just go around, you know…
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: …picking up goats and, uh…
Laura: No, no, no. See, here you have Uncle Daddy.
[Jamie laughs]
Laura: We don’t – people don’t mess with goats here.
[Jamie still laughs]
Aberforth: The Order Member
Eric: So wait, he is actually in the Order. Or he was in the old Order. Back at Grimmauld Place, Mad-Eye Moody is looking at that picture, or he shows Harry that picture of the old Order, including Harry’s parents, Wormtail, and that, and it shows Aberforth Dumbledore. Mad-Eye Moody says he only met him once, and that was the time that picture was taken. And so he seems to be really mysterious, even to the other Order members. Because Moody only met him once, and if he’s in the Order that seems strange; they always see people dropping by at Headquarters, and that kind of thing.
Laura: Well, think about it. If the Hog’s Head is kind of a shady place, what better place…
Jamie: Kind of?
Laura: …to have an Order member?
Jamie: Yeah, I agree. And, also, it’s like there are some people who are on the good side, but you wouldn’t want round for dinner. It’s like Aberforth – he’s obviously on the good side, but he isn’t the kind of person who you can trust to drop by and, you know? It’s like – yeah.
Laura: Yeah. He’s like Mundungus.
Jamie: It’s like Jack Sparrow says in the first Pirates Of The Caribbean…
Laura: [sighs] Oooh, Jack Sparrow.
[Laura and Eric laugh]
Jamie: If I get this 100% right, which I know I won’t, it’ll be good. It’s, “Me, I’m dishonest. It’s the honest ones you’ve got to watch out for. Because…”
Laura: [sighs] Yes.
Jamie: Okay, I don’t know. But, you know, it’s that he’ll always be dishonest, perhaps, Aberforth – I can’t believe I’m making this parallel. This does not work at all.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Yes, it does. Johnny Depp works with anything.
Jamie: Yeah. I agree completely.
Andrew: No, he doesn’t.
Laura: Yes, he does.
Jamie: But…
Andrew: You guys are both just fangirls for him.
Jamie: And anyway, ummm…
Laura: I’m not ashamed to admit that.
Jamie: So, he’s completely dishonest. And although he can be trusted to help, I don’t think he can be trusted with the most sensitive stuff, so perhaps it’s that. It’s like Mundungus.
Eric: So you think he’s untrustworthy?
Jamie: Yes. No, I don’t think he’s untrustworthy, but he’s just, perhaps, incompetent.
Eric: Awkward?
Jamie: Yeah, awkward and incompetent.
Andrew: Right.
Eric: Awkward, okay.
Andrew: He’s like Eric. We like him, but we just don’t want him places.
[Jamie laughs]
Eric: We don’t want him around. Okay.
Andrew: I’m just kidding, just kidding.
Mundungus In The Hog’s Head
Eric: No, that’s fine. But, it’s funny you mention Dung, because Dung is – Mundungus is in the – he’s in the pub when Harry and them go and try and start the DA, dressed as a veiled witch. Which, actually, Sirius says is because Dung was thrown out of the Hog’s Head twenty years before, or something like that. So apparently, Dung is actually banned from the Hog’s Head. But in addition to that, in Book Six, Aberforth is actually spotted with Dung in Hogsmeade when – right before Katie gets attacked, and when Harry finds Dung stealing Sirius’ stuff – when they walk up to him, they see the barman. Harry recognizes the barman from the Hog’s Head, and just as they start walking up, Aberforth ties his cloak a little bit tighter and walks away. And that’s when Harry finds… But Dung and Aberforth were talking, so do you think Aberforth has a hand in Mundungus stealing Sirius’ stuff, or was he trying to buy stuff off of him, or what? Because Dung and Aberforth were seen together in that street, but, yet, Dung is supposed to have been banned from the pub, and all sorts of stuff. Is that just for show, is the whole thing just for show?
Jamie: Ummm…
Strategic Location: The Hog’s Head
Andrew: What if he’s Albus’ outsider.
Eric: I thought so.
Andrew: Not outsider, but he does all the dirty work that he can’t really be seen doing.
Jamie: What? Like killing people? [laughs]
Andrew: No, just like with the trades, with Sirius, and stuff like that.
Eric: Well guys, put it this way. The Hog’s Head in Hogsmeade – Hogsmeade is so close to Hogwarts, so my opinion is that it’s a location thing. Because there’s – obviously, if you want a pub in Hogsmeade, there is either the Three Broomsticks, which is crowded with all these happy-go-lucky people, and then there’s the Hog’s Head, which is this dusty, grimy place. Everyone keeps their cloaks up and covers their faces. So I’m thinking, if Hogsmeade is kind of a strategic location for Aberforth to have a bar, because the Hog’s Head obviously attracts a lot of the shadier, dodgy people. So… Things like – well, Hagrid got Norbert there, so I guess it makes sense that Dumbledore would have known about Norbert the whole time.
Jamie: Yeah. It also doesn’t seem like a place where you’d be watched; you go there and people don’t judge you. It just seems like a place where everyone’s weird, and it’s okay to be weird there.
Eric: Right, and, like I said, Ron seemed to think Aberforth was really passive, because he was going to try and get a Firewhisky off of him.
Jamie: Yeah.
Aberforth And The Prophecy
Eric: So that’s really interesting. The prophecy – because Aberforth was there. Aberforth was the only other person besides Snape, Dumbledore, Harry, and Trelawney, who has anything to do with the prophecy, as far as we know. Because it was the Hog’s Head, which is where the prophecy was made, it’s where Albus went to interview Sybil and Snape – or Trelawney and Snape. And Dumbledore was interviewing both of them that night for a teaching position, which kind of gets into Snape. But basically, during Trelawney’s prophecy, Aberforth came in, holding Snape by the scruff of the neck – is this correct? And he said, “This man was listening in,” or something like that.
Jamie: I think – I think we’re putting slightly too much importance on him, I must admit.
Eric: Well, he’s a main discussion, if we’re putting importance on him, it’s my fault.
Jamie: No, no, no. It’s fine. I think it’s interesting that is also shows that he just seems to be part of the plot, but not, you know – he’s like a fun thing. The thing about goats, the only reason that was there, was so that we recognized him in the bar, as the bartender. It’s just – it seems like just a challenge to us, to recognize that. It doesn’t seem like it’s important to the thing as a whole.
Did Aberforth Buy The Locket?
Eric: But the fact that Harry sees Aberforth and Dung together in the street, when Dung is nicking Sirius’ stuff, it seems to me that Aberforth might have actually – do you think it’s possible that he bought the locket off Mundungus? If Dung had actually collected that locket, wouldn’t it be really convenient if Aberforth had then bought it off of him? Or something like that? Since we’re worried – the whole question is, is the locket still at Grimmauld Place, if Dung was stealing the stuff?
Jamie: That’s very true, yeah.
Eric: So, then, I’ve picked this out, thanks to Lexicon, who said that it was Aberforth who was seen. And I thought, well – I just have – I don’t know – I have this idea that Aberforth is going to play a really big role in Book Seven. I just…
Laura: Well, do you think he’s going to help Harry, at all? Or do you think he’s going to be, kind of, a barrier?
Jamie: [says cautiously] Hinder.
Eric: Dung is the barrier. I think that’s the contrast, too, between barman and bar-goer, between Dung and Aberforth.
Jamie: Thief.
Eric: I think Aberforth is actually – yeah, [laughs] bartender and thief. The difference – I think Aberforth will help Harry, or something. I mean, Aberforth was there with the prophecy. I mean, come on. He’s got to – Harry should know this, and Harry should just go into the Hog’s Head and ask him a question, because this guy was there, you know?
Jamie: Yeah, I guess so.
Andrew: Well, that’s something that does make sense in Book Seven.
How To Reference Aberforth
Eric: Yeah, so wait. Here’s a question, guys. If Aberforth is a good – is a big character in Book Seven, will she call him Aberforth, or will she call him Dumbledore? Will she slip up and just mention his last name? Because…
Laura: No, she’ll call him Aberforth.
Eric: …wouldn’t it be funny if someone…
Jamie: [laughs] Yeah.
Eric: …if she called him Aberforth the whole time? Because if someone opened the book, and they read, “Dumbledore walked across the room,” they would scream it, [imitates a fan’s excitement] “Albus is alive! He’s alive!”
Will Aberforth Teach DADA?
Andrew: Here’s a question…
Eric: [mumbles] Well, kind of funny.
Andrew: …actually, a couple people e-mailed this. I was just looking through the MuggleCast emails for Aberforth. And, a lot of people seem to think that maybe Aberforth will be the one who takes over the Defense Against the Dark Arts role, because – and this comes from Josh of Vermont via Texas, whatever that means.
“I was listening very closely to Claire’s listing of the possible DADA teachers coming from current Order members. She was really thorough, listing the lasting members and the most prominent, but JKR herself mentioned that there is a member of the Order we haven’t seen at all, who will be playing a role in the seventh book.”
[Eric gasps]
Andrew: “After pursuing the Lexicon…”
Who looks at the Lexicon? HP Encyclopedia all the way!
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: “… of living Order members, most of which we’ve seen, I think that Claire’s glaring omission was Aberforth Dumbledore. Maybe he will come in to teach DADA.”
Jamie: What? And…
Andrew: What do you guys think?
Eric: [makes thoughtful noise] Aaah…
Jamie: Yeah, and he’d offer a drink of Firewhisky…
Andrew: Goats?
Jamie: …and a goat, yeah, for each person who gets the right answer.
Eric: [laughs] And a goat, yeah. You’ll have to sacrifice a goat for your exam. Pretty funny.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Well, you should have brought that up last week, though. Who was going to be the one – who is the one that Jo was talking about? And this was in an interview with Emerson and Melissa. “Member of the Order we haven’t seen at all, who will be playing a role in Book Seven.” So, I guess…
Laura: Yeah, but if we haven’t seen them at all, it’s not going to be Aberforth, because we have seen him.
Andrew: Not much, though.
Laura: Well, she said…
Andrew: Not very prominently.
Laura: She said, “You haven’t seen him,” didn’t she?
Andrew: “We haven’t seen at all.” Well, this could be paraphrased, you know. [whispers] Just go with it, Laura.
Jamie: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: [laughs] I’m just kidding.
Jamie: We just agree with you, yeah.
Andrew: So now, nothing on that? Alright. You’re doing a disservice to Reading, because now this reporter is just going to say the co-host of Reading was really lame.
Eric: Listen, I’m sorry, I grabbed all the other things about Aberforth, but we went through them so fast.
The Night Of The Prophecy
Eric: There’s just this thing where he finds Trelawney helping…
Andrew: [laughs] She’s writing it down, it’s true.
Eric: No, he finds Trelawney in the room. When is this? “Sectumsempra,” “The Seer Overheard”. Here it is. Okay. So he finds – this is pg. 506 in the UK edition.
Jamie: [in excitement] Ooh, ooh, ooh. Ooh, ooh. Wait. Wait, wait. Oh no, I can’t find my book.
Eric: Aw. Book Six…
Andrew: What?
Eric: Page 507 or so.
Jamie: No, I realize that, but…
Eric: No, I didn’t.
Jamie: Okay, one sec.
Eric: “‘I think you better tell Professor Dumbledore,’ says Harry.”
Jamie: [clucks his tongue] God.
Eric: This is when he finds Trelawney. “‘He ought to know Malfoy’s celebrating – I mean, that someone threw you out of the Room.'”
Jamie: Ugh.
Eric: “To his surprise, Professor Trelawney drew herself up at this suggestion, looking horny – haughty.” Sorry…
Jamie: Looking what, sorry? [laughs]
Eric: Uhhh…
[Laura laughs]
Eric: “‘The Headmaster has intimated that he would prefer fewer visits from me. I am not one to press my company upon those who do not value it.'” Eh, yeah. So wait, hang on. She… So, Harry suggests she go see Dumbledore, and she says, while they’re walking to his office, “I miss having you in my classes. You were never much of a Seer, but you were a wonderful Object.” [laughs]
Jamie: Hmmm.
Eric: Which is funny.
Jamie: That’s the best chat up line I’ve ever heard. I’m going to start using that.
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: You aren’t a very good Seer, but…
Eric: Come on. Okay…
Jamie: Sorry.
Eric: She says, “‘I well remember my first interview with Dumbledore,’ went on Professor Trelawney, in throaty tones. ‘He was deeply impressed, of course, deeply impressed. I was staying at the Hog’s Head, which I do not advise, incidentally – bedbugs, dear boy.'”
[laughs] This is an unkempt place. I mean … Ahhh.
“‘But funds were low. Dumbledore did me the courtesy of calling me in my room at the inn. He questioned me. I must confess that, at first, although he seemed ill-disposed toward Divination. And I remember that I was starting to feel a little odd, I had not eaten much that day. But then…'”
“And now Harry was paying attention properly for the first time, for he knew what had happened then: Professor Trelawney had made the prophecy that had altered the course of his whole life, the prophecy about him and Voldemort.”
“‘But then we were rudely interrupted by Severus Snape!'”
Harry just blacks out. He’s like, “What?”
Jamie: He’s like, [puts on an American accent] “Zoh my God, man!”
Eric: And then Trelawney says, “Yes.”
[imitates American version of Harry] “Zoh my God, what?! Snape?!” All right. [laughs]
“‘Yes, there was a commotion outside the door and it flew open, and there was that rather uncouth barman standing with Snape, who was waffling about having come the wrong way up the stairs, although I’m afraid that I myself rather thought he had been apprehended eavesdropping on my interview with Dumbledore – you see, he himself was seeking a job at the time, and no doubt hoped to pick up tips! Well, after that, you know, Dumbledore seemed much more disposed to give me a job, and I could not help thinking, Harry, that it was because he appreciated the stark contrast between my own unassuming manners and quiet talent, compared to the pushing, thrusting young man who was prepared to listen at the keyholes.'”
And Harry just completely took off to yell at Dumbledore for hiring Snape and stuff. But, so Snape – the thing is, why this is important… Because Snape wanted a job before he… He wanted to work at Hogwarts before he sent Voldemort after Lily and James. Do you guys think that was to be a spy for Voldemort, maybe? Was that – could that have been an initial plan even before…
Laura: Yes.
Eric: …he applied. Or was it something…? It could’ve.
Jamie: I think so.
Eric: But, so the barman stopped, actually stopped, Snape from – in fact, in a way, Aberforth saved Harry’s life? You could draw that conclusion, considering if Snape would have heard the full prophecy, Voldemort might not have made all those mistakes.
Laura: Yeah, that’s true.
Andrew: Yes. We do – we have a voicemail about that, actually.
Eric: Really?
Andrew: Later in the show. Well, Snape hearing the full prophecy.
Eric: So, yeah, it is Aberforth who stopped Snape from eavesdropping. Which is interesting, but…yeah. So, that’s cool. So, that places him. He’s at the scene of the crime, so I just want to learn more from him. I think he has a good – I mean, he’s Dumbledore’s brother. How not intelligent, how not able to give information and help, is he?
Jamie: Well, perhaps Dumbledore was just the lucky one, and he turned out, you know, thick.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: That’s what I was saying. He’s like the Ugly Ducking.
Jamie: Yeah. [laughs] The black sheep of the family.
Laura: Yeah, but doesn’t the Ugly Ducking turn into a beautiful swan?
Eric: [gasps] Oooh.
Jamie: No, Laura.
Eric: [sings] Laura, you’re my best friend.
Andrew: Well, okay.
Jamie: Laura, Laura.
Andrew: Then maybe that can be his role in the seventh book.
Jamie: Maybe in your fantasy…
Laura: What?
Jamie: …fueled stories, you know?
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: In real life, Laura, that stuff just doesn’t happen, okay? Life is a cruel, hard time.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: The world is a cold place and it’s not worth fighting for.
Laura: Okay, Ben. All right, Ben. Thank you, Ben.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: And to cap things off, call me Ben.
[Jamie and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: That concludes our main discussion this week. And don’t forget: if you – if anyone has a topic idea for us to discuss, feel free to e-mail it: mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
MuggleCast Dating Service
We have a new segment, now, that I’m really looking forward to. This is the MuggleCast Dating Service. You might remember last week, that I put people up to this.
Jamie: Oh yeah. Oh, can I read this one?
Andrew: Can I read the first one?
Laura: Awww.
Andrew: I’m really excited about this.
Jamie: No, Andrew, you can’t.
Andrew: Oh, fine.
Jamie: No.
Andrew: Okay, because…
Jamie: No, no. No, of course you can… No, go on.
Laura: You can’t both go out with Michael White from Amherst, Massachusetts. I’m sorry.
Jamie: Ooh, but he’s so tall! And he likes long walks on the beach.
Andrew: And you’re saying…
Jamie: Yeah, exactly. No, go on Andrew.
Andrew: Well, we asked people last week to send in their applications, and we got two of them. So ladies, listen up. This first one comes from Michael, 16, of Amherst, Massachusetts. [laughs] Got the camera right in front of me, sorry. Michael…
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: Is that what you call it?
Andrew: [laughs] He’s age 16, he’s six foot three, and he enjoys long walks on the beach, dogs, paintball, volleyball, and Harry Potter. So, anyone in the…
Jamie: Yeah, man!
Andrew: …Amherst, Massachusetts area would like to get in touch with Michael, please email andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com and I’ll get in touch with you. Favorite music: Saves the Day, Weezer, Goldfinger, MuggleCast, and Jamie Lawrence. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Favorite movies: Fight Club, 10 Things I Hate About You. Favorite MuggleCaster is me of course. What kind of question is that? And he’s looking for a fun girl, preferably in Western Mass and a MuggleCast listener. So…
Eric: Interesting combination of Fight Club and 10 Things I Hate About You
[Everyone laughs]
Jamie: Yeah. I was going to say that. He likes sort of violent chick flicks.
[Eric laughs]
Jamie: And our second one in the MuggleCast Dating Service is Alan, 17ish – sounds a bit honest, 17ish.
[Jamie, Andrew and Eric laugh]
Andrew: By 17, I mean 42.
Jamie: Yeah, give or take 40 years. Yeah, Subject: MuggleNet Dating. “I would love MuggleNet dating. If you guys could find me a girl that as obsessed with…”
Eric: Obsessed with what? That’s important.
Jamie: “I’d definitely invite you guys to the wedding and vote for you a billion times on Podcast Alley. [laughs]. Currently, I only vote a million or so times.”
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Of course.
Jamie: Well, we could use a billion. Definitely. But, yes, of course Alan we will find you a nice girl. If you can send in exactly what you’re looking for and well get right on it. Okay?
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: “Is as obsessed as I am” must be about Harry Potter or MuggleCast.
Jamie: Yes.
Andrew: Not the greatest speller though, so if you’re looking for someone who is excelling in English, I would not look for this one, ladies. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah. [laughs]
Voicemail – Micah’s Theory
Andrew: Voicemails this week. First one comes from, I don’t know. First voicemail this week comes from someone who has a question about Micah’s theory that Jamie posed last week.
[Audio]: Hey, guys! This is Mindy from Iowa calling about Episode 52 of MuggleCast. In it, Jamie talks about Micah’s theory of Harry’s dream in Sorcerer’s Stone being connected to Dumbledore’s murder. Couldn’t it be possible the dream was referring to the night Harry’s parents were killed. In it, it talks about seeing Snape and Harry hearing a laugh, a high-pitched laugh. Couldn’t it be connected to the theory that Snape was at Godric’s Hollow when Voldemort killed Harry’s parents and then laughed afterwards?
Jamie: I think it definitely could, but that wouldn’t explain why Draco was there. And I think it follows so well that it’s Draco and then he turns into Snape and then he kills Dumbledore.
Laura: If this is the case though, does this mean that Harry is a seer?
Eric: No, it just means he’s really gifted.
Andrew: No.
Jamie: No, no. Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura. “See”ker. Almost there.
Laura: [laughs] Oh, Jamie. You’re so funny.
Jamie: It has a “k”. It has a “k”.
Laura: There’s that British humor again.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: Keep practicing and next week you may just have it.
Voicemail – Lockhart
Andrew: Next rebuttal is about hiring Lockhart as we discussed last week.
[Audio]: Hi, MuggleCast! This is Seth from Venice, California with a listener rebuttal. I think the reason that Dumbledore hired Gilderoy Lockhart was partly because he needed a Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and Gilderoy was the only one willing for the job, but also Jo said in an interview somewhere, and I can’t quote chapter and verse, but Dumbledore sometimes hires teachers even if they are incompetent or nasty or otherwise undesirable just because he wants students to have the life experience of dealing with the less savory side of human nature. So, I think that’s another reason he hired him. Thanks! And love the show. Bye!
Andrew: That is a good point.
Jamie: I agree, actually.
Laura: I think what you guys are also forgetting is that Hagrid said in Chamber of Secrets that Lockhart was the only one…
Andrew Yeah.
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: …who was qualified for the job.
Jamie: That’s what I was going to say.
Eric: Anyway, this guy couldn’t quote chapter or verse, I don’t know what his deal is, but he just somehow couldn’t.
Jamie: Or series.
Eric: I know right? [laughs] Anyway. Yeah, I agree with him. But it was… Lockhart was one of those… You know, I agree Dumbledore kind of presented… It was kind of what Harry could have used at that time…
Jamie: You’re doing well so far Eric, I must admit.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Oh my god! No, it’s kind of what Harry needed. You know? This whole clearly-famous guy who knew nothing and it gave Harry the opportunity to really shine forward with his own – at least in the Chamber of Secrets thing if they had somebody like Moody, it would have maybe been taken… I don’t know. It’s just the way the books worked. I think Lockhart came at an important time in the series. You know? It showed Harry – definitely I think it was for Harry’s first view of something that the public would have liked or though or supported that he was in contrast with.
Jamie: I agree. That sounds pretty reasonable.
Voicemail – Fred And George At The Quidditch World Cup
Andrew: Next rebuttal is about Fred and George and their scheming at the Quidditch World Cup
[Audio]: Hi, y’all! This is Marie Pat from Queens. I listen to y’all on the subway. It makes my commute go faster. I just listened to Episode 52 and I wanted to comment on Fred and George’s bet and the Quidditch World Cup. I don’t think they cheated or time-traveled or anything. I think this is an indication of what shrewd businessmen Fred and George are going to be. First off, if you listen to, I think it was Harry, after the game is over, he does a little analysis of the game – the Irish Chasers Troy, Mullet, and Moran, I think their names, were so good. There was no way Bulgaria was ever going to catch up once they started to lead. And Krum was, of course, the best Seeker ever. So, it was probably a pretty good chance that Krum would get the Snitch and a very good chance that the Irish would win the match. The combination, of course, is not as likely, but they needed to take the risk. And that is part of being a shrewd businessman, is knowing when take a big risk in order to get a big payoff. And you start to see that… Whoops, excuse me! You start to see that when they open their shop and also the way they leave the school. They have to take big risks in order to be successful. And they just happen to be smart and shrewd enough to make it work. And that is my theory on their bet. Too bad the bookmaker they placed their bet with wasn’t an honest dealer. Anyway, love the show and hope to hear the next one! Thank you! Bye bye!
Eric: Zoh my god! Goodnight!
Andrew: Good, nice and long, right?
Eric: I love how she is from Queens and says y’all. I like it when they say “y’all,” especially when they are from Queens, but this has got to be one of my favorite voicemails because thinking about it, she said it wasn’t exactly that far off or far-fetched idea for the kind of scenario that played out to actually happen. I think the way she did that, it was done very well. I think it seems a lot less necessary that Fred and George would have had to use time-travel.
Laura: I agree.
Andrew: It’s just a bunch of agreeing today.
Jamie: It is! I know! It’s…
Laura: We’re all so passive.
Jamie: [laughs] Yeah, we are. I couldn’t feel more passive today.
Voicemail – Odd Wizard Out
[Audio]: Hi this is Amanda. I’m from Michigan. I wanted to know what you guys would think, how it would feel like if you were the only non-magical person in a whole family of wizards. Like, how Ron would feel if he was the only non-magical person in his family. Thanks! Bye!
Jamie: I would feel left out and I would feel ashamed. I’d kind of be annoyed as well that all of my friends or my friends could conjure computers and stuff.
Laura: But what you don’t know is Jamie is the only non-magical person in his family.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: I am. Yeah. [laughs] I am.
Laura: That’s why Andrew’s dad gave him the Lucky Charms.
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah, exactly! {laughs]
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: He’s speaking from the heart.
Jamie: I was crying to Andrew’s dad all night that I didn’t have any magical powers.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Jamie: So, he gave them to me in the hope that they ignite my magical powers or something.
Andrew: Make you feel [in leprechaun voice] “magically delicious!”
Jamie: Exactly! [laughs]
Eric: Jamie, are those Lucky Charms magically replenishing themselves or…?
Jamie: Yes, they are.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Oh my gosh!
Jamie: They’ve turned into 18 boxes so far.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: They’re reproducing in your cupboard.
Jamie: No, they are.
Andrew: So, I’m not sure why the person asks this question, but I guess she just wants our feelings on it. And we’d be sad.
Eric: Well…
Andrew: Of course we’d be sad. It would be like – insert something funny here.
Jamie: It would be like everybody in your family being amazing musicians and you being useless.
Andrew: Yeah, right.
Laura: Yeah.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: It would be like being the Ugly Duckling.
Eric: You’d get pissed about it all the time.
Laura: Or it would be like being the only person in your family who liked talking about Harry Potter all day.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: Can you imagine what that would be like?
Andrew: That is why people listen to this show because we connect with them and that’s it. That’s why.
Voicemail – That Night In Godric’s Hollow Revisited
Andrew: Next voicemail could possibly reveal why Harry could not be killed when he was a kid in Godric’s Hollow.
Eric: We already know why he couldn’t kill him.
Andrew: Are you ready for this? No, you’re… Not until you hear this.
[Audio]: Hi, this is Sarah from Maryland. I just rereading Order of the Phoenix and I was wondering what you guys thought about this passage. It’s on pg. 791, Chapter 35 of “Beyond The Veil”.
“The Death Eater had pulled his head out of the bell jar. His appearance was utterly bizarre, his tiny baby’s head bawling loudly while his thick arms flailed dangerously in all directions, narrowly missing Harry, who ducked, Harry raised his want but to his amazement Hermione seized his arm.”
“‘You can’t hurt a baby.'”
Now are we all know, Hermione usually speaks truth. And if this is true, could Voldemort have hurt Harry as a baby. Just wanted to know what you guys thought. Bye!
Jamie: I think she was speaking figuratively when she said you can’t hurt a baby. Like, it would be wrong to hurt a baby.
Laura: Yeah, I think that was kind of Hermione reacting in horror that…
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: …Harry would try and curse a baby.
Andrew: Hurt a baby. But that does bring up another point we got an e-mail about a while ago and I wanted to bring it to the show. But… Or maybe we did talk about this on the show – Hermione is always right.
Eric: Well, no. She wasn’t… But this isn’t her…
Laura: Not always.
Jamie: Except…
Eric: This is not Hermione…
Jamie: Except when she gets emotional.
Andrew: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Eric: That, but also this isn’t her matter-of-factly speaking. You can’t hurt a baby Harry! This is her saying…
Jamie: [in an American accent] Zoh my god, Harry! You can’t do that, man.
Eric: You can’t hurt a baby! Hermione sees his arm and she’s like, “What are you doing, Harry? You can’t hurt a baby!” And Harry could have retorted, you know, “Oh, but it’s really a Death Eater.” But she was just using, it was her mother instinct a girl. They already got the Death Eater, he’s got a baby for a head.
[Jamie laughs]
Eric: He’s got this baby-faced Death Eater. They’ve got him. You don’t need to fire another curse. It was just Hermione – her mother instinct saying, “You can’t hurt a baby” not factually speaking. “Harry, you can’t hurt a baby…”
Jamie: Yeah.
Eric: …so don’t even bother trying – don’t waste a spell. That’s not what she’s saying.
Laura: And where would you draw the distinction? I mean saying you can’t hurt a baby, but you can hurt a 10-year old? Because there – wasn’t it in Half-Blood Prince, the Montgomery sisters, their little brother was killed?
Jamie: Yeah, yeah!
Laura: He was like, killed. So, I just don’t see where that distinction could be drawn because most parents view children as their babies forever.
Jamie: Well, no, no, it depends which side you’re on. I mean Greyback killed their brother, didn’t he?
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: Greyback kills little kids.
Jamie: He doesn’t care if you’re a little baby or if you’re… Yeah, exactly.
Laura: It doesn’t matter if there is magical protection over a baby.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: No, it’s not. It’s not.
Andrew: There isn’t.
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: I don’t think so either. That’s what I am saying. I think it was just Hermione’s maternal instinct.
Jamie: She’s speaking… She’s speaking figuratively.
Eric: Yeah. There can be magic that is triggered by age, like for instance the spells on Privet Drive that will have passed.
Jamie: That will go off when he’s 17.
Eric: That will go off when he’s 17, that kind of thing. But, I don’t it’s regularly, like an actual regular occurrence.
Laura: Is Toni leaving us?
Andrew: No, the photographer is leaving. Toni is going to stick around. I am going to talk with her after. It was a problem they came this week because I couldn’t podcast naked like I normally do.
Eric: Yeah.
Jamie: Yeah, exactly. [laughs]
Andrew: I had to be clothed.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: Right? I know. So inconvenient. Put on some clothes.
Andrew: Yeah, it didn’t work out.
[Jamie laughs]
Andrew: Okay, well that does it for voicemails this week.
Dumbledore-Norris Quotes
Jamie: Now, as I am sure quite a few people have noticed, with the Dumbledore quotes, I have just been taking Chuck Norris quotes and turning them to Dumbledore quotes, which is not difficult. You just take out the word “Chuck Norris” and put in the word “Dumbledore”. So, but then I thought they aren’t very original if you do that. So, starting now we’re going to do some original Dumbledore quotes. And we’ve already been sent some in. And we’re going to start doing them, you know, from now on. So, if somebody has some original ones, please do send them in. [laughs]
For example, [laughs] one person sent one in today that Dumbledore was made Head Boy while he was still on the train, on the Hogwarts Express, in his first year.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: Also, that Dumbledore told the Sorting Hat which House he was going to be in at Hogwarts.
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: And my personal favorite of the week: When a basilisk looks into Dumbledore’s eyes it suffers an instant death.
[Andrew and Jamie laugh]
Jamie: That was hilarious. How could you not laugh at that?
Laura: I guess I am going to have to rent some Chuck Norris films because…
Eric: It’s some of the British stuff, right? Wasn’t that British? I…
Andrew: Yeah, I need to have a talk with Laura and Eric and Ben, if he was here. Why don’t you guys think they are funny?
Laura: Hey, well if it helps, if it helps my dad worked on the set of a Chuck Norris film.
Jamie: Really? That’s awesome!
Andrew: No way!
Laura: Yeah! Invasion USA.
Andrew: Did he get his autograph?
Laura: No, I don’t think so.
Andrew: Was Chuck Norris as cocky as he seems on screen?
Laura: I don’t know. This was back before I was born. So…
Andrew: Oh.
Eric: I don’t think that Chuck Norris has anything to do with these Chuck Norris jokes. I think it’s just his fans.
Jamie: Probably, yeah. How about…
Andrew: Because he’s… Because he’s a real tough guy on the show and so that’s where these – they are sort of like the Jack Bauer jokes.
Jamie: Yeah, they are. Yeah.
Eric: Oh, Jack Bauer.
Jamie: There is no chin behind Dumbledore’s beard, only another wand.
[Andrew and Jamie laugh]
Jamie: [laughs] What about if Jack Bauer and Chuck Norris had a fight, Dumbledore would win? I think that was good.
[Andrew and Jamie laugh]
Eric: That was good.
Jamie: Or when Dumbledore and Chuck Norris walked into a room, the room collapsed because that much awesomeness cannot be contained in one building.
[Jamie and Andrew laugh]
Andrew’s Huh?! E-mail Of The Week
Andrew: It’s now time for Andrew’s Huh?! E-mail of the Week. No, that was bad. Huh?!
[Everyone laughs]
Jamie: There you go.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: It concerns my Easy Button that sounds a little like this [press button] “That Was Easy!”
Jamie: You’re fired!
Andrew: Alyssa, 13, of Massachusetts.
[Plays Trump sound “You’re Fired!”]
Andrew: The battery is dying, it’s getting quieter with every push. Alyssa, 13, of Massachusetts writes:
Hey, Andrew. When you mentioned the Easy Button and played it on the show, I immediately wanted one. I’m sure I’m not the only one and you should have Staples pay you because you brought them business. Love the show! Keep up the good work!
Alyssa, the reason why this my Huh?! E-mail of the Week is because the money from these go to charity and I am not the kind of person who would steal money from charity just by promoting the Easy Button.
Jamie: Nope.
Andrew: As a matter of fact, I have been working with Staples to promote the Easy Button and you can purchase these at your local Staples store for only $5.00 and it benefits the Boys and Girls Club of America. [pushes button] “That Was Easy!”
Jamie: That was quite easy, wasn’t it?
[Everyone laughs]
Jamie’s Back Hurts
Andrew: Jamie, I’ve noticed now – you’ve been a little moody for the past hour. What’s going on? You have a story to tell us or something?
Jamie: Well, I haven’t… I have a… I can’t even think of the word.
Andrew: Story?
Jamie: Story, yeah. [laughs] Well…
Andrew: It’s called a story. [laughs]
Jamie: Well, I have a half-confession, as well. I haven’t got a joke this week. Now, normally, I’d apologize, but there’s a story behind it, so I won’t
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: I thought I would be an extremely nice person and clean the kitchen. And I brought the bin, the qui – sorry, the trash can, man. I got…
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Jamie: I got the trash can, took it outside, and filled it up with water to clean it because it was dirty. Then, I bent down to pick it up, so I could move it to the drain and pour the water away. However, I didn’t realize it – it was this heavy. So, I got down, put my hands on it, went to lift it up, and I didn’t lift it because it was too heavy, and basically, to cut a long story short, I’ve torn all the muscles in my lower back, and it hurts. And it hurts so much.
Laura: [moans] I vaguely remember you telling me about that.
Jamie: Yeah. And I can hardly move, and it hurts to do absolutely everything. And they keep spasming and causing me to almost fall over, so that’s why: a) I don’t have a joke; and b) I feel moody this entire show; and, c) My jokes have been jokes but haven’t really been jokes. So, yeah. [laughs]
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: How does he do that?
Andrew: Jamie, have you consulted a doctor?
Jamie: I have, yeah.
Andrew: Because, frankly, I’m worried about you.
Jamie: I have, yeah, yeah.
Andrew: Well, what’d the doctor say?
Jamie: That I’ve torn my muscles. [laughs]
Andrew: Oh. [laughs]
Jamie: Basically.
Laura: [laughs] Send Jamie some pain killers.
Andrew: Yeah… [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah, and hopefully…
Andrew: …to the PO Box. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah, and they’ll get with me in 2015, so, I’ll tear them again then just so I can use the pain killers.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
New Segment: Crackpot Theory of the Week
Andrew: Okay, Eric? Are you going to do your e-mail?
Eric: Yeah, sure. You want to intro it, though, because…?
Andrew: Okay. Yeah. We’re going to start a new segment this week. We’re going to call it – you know, we’ve been kicking this one around for a while and, when thinking of who would be the best co-host to defend a theory down to the wire with his life depending on it, it would definitely be Eric. So, Eric is going to start a weekly segment, or attempt to make it weekly. It is going to be the Crackpot Theory of the Week. Eric?
Eric: [laughs] Okay. For this first Crackpot Theory of the Week, we go back to… You know, we go back in time a couple…
Andrew: No, wait, wait, wait. Let me explain this a little bit more, because I thought you were going to. Crackpot Theory of the Week: Where Eric will take a theory that he finds online, or maybe one that you send in, and he will defend it with all his might, as outrageous as it might sound, but it could very well be possible. So, go ahead, Eric.
Eric: You’ve completely crushed [laughs] – you’ve built up this sort of, you know, big, big tension for this really good, I don’t know. All right.
So, for this first Crackpot Theory of the Week, we go back in time a couple of weeks to Lumos. Lumos 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now – oh, by the way, I have pictures of Lumos and Vegas and New York City on my private gallery: crownscull dot com slash gallery. Okay? That’s just that for people who want to relive.
Now, okay, so going back to Lumos, there was a few panel discussions, and Steve VanderArk from HP-Lexicon.org was in one of his keynote speeches, I think, or one of his speeches, and at the very end, he fooled, or he surprised everybody with a strange theory as to why Dumbledore isn’t dead, or, well, you know, later on in New York City, JKR confirmed this, so I can’t really defend it to the T, but he suggested that Dumbledore couldn’t be dead because Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn switched bodies before entering the cave.
If you pay close attention, and the reason this floored everybody – everybody went silent – was because in the cave, there are several instances where Dumbledore uses, “Oho” – O – H – O – as a kind of response to start his stories. And it’s just – it’s very awkward for Dumbledore to, all of a sudden, be saying, “Oho!” a lot, and he’s waiting around in the cave. And people – so, the theory is, I guess, that Dumbledore and Slughorn switched bodies. That Slughorn used the Polyjuice Potion, and then that it was Slughorn who was killed, and that’s why Dumbledore is still alive, and people were just floored and completely silent, and Steve VanderArk totally PWNed everybody, and everybody walked out, like, “Oh, my god.” So, I guess I’m supposed to defend this to a T, but JKR kind of said that he died, and also, Mr. Weasley says, “Oho,” once, I think, in Book Five, I was reading. So, Crackpot Theory – well, Crackpot Theory should also be theories that are completely crackpot.
Jamie: I’ve got a different idea.
Eric: Okay.
Jamie: Can we – can we put a spin on this? Basically, you don’t know what the theory is before the show, and then we come up with a theory, and then we say it to you.
Laura: Oh, that’s a good idea!
Jamie: And you have to say for five minutes just to defend it, and to come up with all the evidence, and just…
[Eric laughs]
Jamie: …improvised – improvise.
Andrew: So, we’re going to ask the listeners to send in theories that are crazy but could be true, and then we pose them to Eric on the show.
Jamie: Yeah, and he has to improvise, you know, and defend it for two or three minutes, completely improvised.
Andrew: Okay.
Eric: I like that, actually, a lot.
Jamie: Yeah, it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun.
Eric: I’m psyched for it.
Andrew: All right. So, listeners, subject line: Crackpot Theory. Pose a theory, pose your points, we’ll read them to Eric. Eric will…
Jamie: Defend them to the death. Good, good.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Oh, but no points. I almost want to ask no points, because they’re…
Andrew: Okay. Then, just the theory.
Eric: Just the theory.
Andrew: All right.
Eric: Even if you have points for it, don’t share them, and see if I bring them up.
Andrew: But, keep in mind that Eric has to defend it for a few minutes…
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: …so, don’t make it something that could be… Well, two or three minutes. So, make it a theory that it can last…
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: You know, it’s not stupid. It’s discussion worthy.
Eric: Okay. Oh, by the way, Eric…
Andrew: mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com
Eric’s Exciting News!
Eric: You guys, you guys – Laura, Laura especially remembers Eric. You know, the wand checker, Eric, from Book Five?
Laura: Oh, yeah.
Andrew: Yeah, you brought him up on the show.
Laura: I remember that.
Eric: He has a last name! I was… As I said, I was reading Book Five, and he has – his last name is Munch.
Andrew: Oh.
Jamie: Yeah, yeah. It is. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, it is. His name is Eric Munch, and he arrests Sturgis Podmore. He’s on night duty in the Department of Mysteries, so, he must be important to have a job in the Department of Mysteries. Okay.
Andrew: Cool!
Eric: Okay. Cool.
Andrew: Well, I believe that does wrap up our show this week. [laughs] We hope you enjoyed our testing of Crackpot Theory.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: I did.
Andrew: And…
Eric: I think Jamie’s idea was better.
Jamie: Thank you.
Last E-Mail: Where’s Chapter-by-Chapter?
Andrew: One last e-mail comes from Sura…Suraimee…Surama…
Laura: Suriyama?
Jamie: So, yeah. This is from Suriyama, 21, from Bonn in Germany. Subject: Chapter-by-Chapter.
“I just wanted to ask if you are going to continue with the Chapter-by-Chapter segment. I really liked it and miss it a lot. I love your show and all you. It’s by the far the best podcast. Regards, Suri.”
Thank you, Suri.
Andrew: Yeah, we’ve been getting a lot of e-mails like this lately, wondering where Chapter-by-Chapter is, and, like we said, at the end of the last one, that we’d be taking a break off it, but we are going to bring it back very soon, but…
Eric: Yeah, I think I…
Andrew: But we’re working on a new format for it…
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: …in order to make it better.
Eric: I guess I just have to send you a kind of reformed, revised outline about how to clearly state things, right, Andrew? So, shouldn’t we – could we promise getting it on next week? Could we do that? Can everybody read, I think it would be the first two…
Jamie: Yeah, yeah.
Eric: First two chapters of Book Two?
Jamie: Two? Two?
Andrew: Yes.
Eric: Next week – I tell you, people – with this new Crackpot Theory of the Week; with this Chapter-by-Chapter Book Two starting up, next week is going to be Eric-tastic.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Oh, god. [laughs]
Laura: Oh, Jesus.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Eric: I am stoked. And, by the way, check out the gallery. eric scull dot com slash gallery.
Jamie: Yeah, yeah. Right.
Show Close
Andrew: If you cannot believe next week’s show is going to be Eric-tastic, then please remember to call in with all your excitement to 1-218-20-MAGIC in the [says slowly] UK you can dial…
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: It’s loading really slow. 020-8144-0677. In Australia you can use 02-8003-5668. We haven’t been getting many calls from these places.
[Show close music plays]
Eric: It’s because you say double four, double oh seven, double eight, acht, neun…
Andrew: I picked double numbers so it’s catchy, sort of.
Eric: No, it sounds awesome, but I would hate to be the person who has to slow down your voice on the show and actually catch it.
Andrew: 020-8144-0677 UK. 02-8003-5668 in Australia. If you didn’t catch that, just go to MuggleCast dot com, click on contact. Also, Skype the user name MuggleCast, e-mail mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com with your dating uh, dating uh, dating uh, dating uh things.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: If you like Michael or Allan, please e-mail Andrew at staff dot MuggleNet dot com and let us know.
Eric: If you like goats, send that in, too.
Andrew: Hopefully, we’ll get you two together.
[Laura laughs]
Eric: About Aberforth’s…
Andrew: Listener Rebuttals; you guys know how we do the show by now. Send everything in. And also check LeakyMug.com this week for more information on LeakyMug Live in California for the Podcast Awards. We’ll all be out there. It’s a par-tay, woo! That wraps up MuggleCast Episode 53 [laughs]. I’m Andrew Sims.
Eric: I am Eric-tastic.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Jamie: And I am Jam.
Laura: Jamie, you were supposed to…
Eric: [laughs] Jam. Jam.
Laura: …fight me for that.
Jamie: No way. No way.
Laura: We were supposed to be fighting over that last place now…
Jamie: Laura.
Laura: …like we were at the beginning of the show.
Jamie: Laura. Laura, I’m in so much pain now, you just have to poke me and I fall over and give in, seriously.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: We’ll see everyone next week for Episode Fitty-four.
Laura: Adios!
Jamie: Fitty-four! Bye bye.
Eric: Ciao.
Micah’s First News Segment
Andrew: In commemoration, now, of Micah Tannenbaum’s one year of news podcasting here on MuggleCast, here is his very first news segment, which he is very, very embarrassed of.
Micah: Thanks, Andrew.
Let’s begin with our top news story…
Start spreading the news (don’t worry, I wont break out singing Frank Sinatra), but Warner Bros. announced Friday that the Big Apple will host the U.S. premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on November 12, 2005. The world premiere will take place a week earlier, on November 6th in London.
Speaking of Goblet of Fire, on Wednesday, Warner Bros. officially released the international trailer with amazing shots of the Quidditch World Cup and all three tasks in the Triwizard Tournament. Listeners can check out this new trailer by logging on to the film’s official website at www.gobletoffire.com.
Staying with the topic of movie premieres, Katie Leung (who portrays Cho Chang) and Robert Pattinson (who portrays Cedric Diggory) both recently attended the Dukes of Hazzard premiere in Leicester Square, London. Hopefully, they weren’t taking any acting lessons.
Finally, wrapping up our movie news for this week, Tom Felton (who portrays Draco Malfoy) will supposedly stay on through the filming of the seventh Harry Potter movie. He spoke about it while hosting the 3rd Annual Junior Carp Tournament, saying: “I’ll keep doing it as long as they
want me to.”
In other news, a Dutch Harry Potter fan named Dennis just couldn’t wait for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so he made his own rendition entitled Harry Potter and the Torch with Green Flames, which he started writing back in January of 2004. And while publishing of his creation was forbidden, it was uploaded onto the Internet (in Dutch for those who wish to read).
Moving from the Netherlands to France, the French cover of Half-Blood Prince was released on Tuesday, which is similar in style to the American deluxe edition. The book is due out in France on October 1st.
Finally, if you didn’t have a chance to participate, on Thursday MuggleNet staffer Jamie Lawrence hosted a chat with Matthew Lewis (who portrays Neville Longbottom). You can log on to MuggleNet to check out the transcript.
Before we leave two birthday announcements to take make: one to Rupert Grint the actor who portrays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films turned 17 and to MuggleNet senior staff member Ben Schoen who turned 16, both on Tuesday. Happy birthday to both of you. And I’d sing happy birthday, but I assume you want to keep your ratings up.
Of course you can get more in-depth news, pictures, videos, and audio clips of all the things mentioned by logging on to MuggleNet.
That’s all the news for this August 28, 2005, edition of MuggleCast, back to you guys.
Bloopers
Jamie: [singing] They’re coming to take him away, ha ha, they’re coming to take him away, ho ho, hee hee, ha ha. To the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time. And I’ll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats.
Laura: [laughs] Thank you, Jamie.
Jamie: You’re welcome.
———————–
Written by: Micah, Adrienne, Allison, Amanda, Eloise, Jean, Jessica, Judy, Mandie, Margaret, Martina, Megan, Sarah, Shannon and Shelly