MuggleCast 58 Transcript
Show Intro
Andrew: Three solid weeks without MuggleCast and one new Podcast Award later, this is MuggleCast, Episode 58, for October 8th, 2006.
GoDaddy hosting plans are even more powerful than ever. Best of all, plans start at just $3.95 a month; and no matter what plan you choose, your site receives twenty-four seven maintenance and protection in the GoDaddy.com world-class data center. Use them for your upcoming website or podcast today by using a special offer from MuggleCast and GoDaddy. Enter code MUGGLE – that’s M-U-G-G-L-E – when you check out, and save an additional ten percent on any order. Get your piece of the internet today at GoDaddy.com.
Spy on Spartz
[Phone rings]
Emerson: Whatchu want?
Ben: Hey, what are you up to?
Emerson: I’m going to take a shower, that’s pretty much it right now.
Ben: Hey, you know how people always like to be redundant? You know what I’m saying? Like PIN number and ATM machine? Do you know why they do that? Why would they do that?
Emerson: Because they’re stupid?
Ben: Oh, come on! Is that all you could come up with?
Emerson: Okay, no, no, no. It sounds better as ATM machine. I say ATM machine too.
Ben: But come on.
Emerson: It’s definitely acceptable to say ATM machine.
Ben: Oh really? So, how’s Notre Dame this time of year? I’m curious.
Emerson: Notre Dame is glorious.
Ben: Glorious?
Emerson: The leaves are turning colors. The football team is winning, and…
Ben: Hey, did they – how’d they do against Michigan? I was curious.
Emerson: I beg your – what?
[Micah laughs]
Ben: Against Michigan.
[Micah laughs]
Emerson: How’d we do against Michigan? Against Michigan State, they won. They made a real comeback.
Ben: Right, right. What about Michigan the week before that?
Emerson: Well, what about Michigan? Everybody knows that game. And I blame the refs.
Ben: [laughs] You blame the refs? Well, we just thought we’d check in on you. We haven’t checked in on you in a few weeks.
Emerson: The refs gave them at least six touchdowns.
Ben: Mhm. We’re missing you, man. I mean, you haven’t – we haven’t seen you forever, we haven’t touched base with you in so long. We thought we’d Spy on Spartz.
Emerson: That’s cool. Ben, what did you think of the Michigan State game?
Ben: I enjoyed the Michigan State game. It was a great game.
Emerson: What’d you think about Michigan State?
Ben: What?
Emerson: What’d you think about Michigan State?
Ben: It sucked. [laughs]
Emerson: [laughs] Why did it suck?
Ben: Because it was huge. It was, like, bigger than – it was 85 Moundridges put together.
[Laura laughs]
Emerson: [laughs] That’s probably accurate.
Ben: Yeah. [laughs] Okay, Emerson, we’ll let you go. We just wanted to see what was up. We’ll see you later.
Emerson: [laughs] Bye.
Ben: So, ladies and gentlemen…
Andrew: Oh boy.
Ben: We just Spied on Spartz.
Welcome Back
Andrew [with show music in background]: Welcome back to the show, everyone! Oh, it’s been a while since I last heard your voices. Well…
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] We don’t really talk…
Ben: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: No, we did talk. [laughs]
Ben: Big flub there, Andrew.
Andrew: Anyway, you know what I’m saying. Welcome back to the show. I’m Andrew.
Ben: I’m Ben.
Laura: I’m Laura.
Micah: And I’m Micah.
Andrew: This is the show where we bring you the latest in Harry Potter news, theories, discussions, and so much more, including that fantastic Spy on Spartz. What a way to open the show! How long have we been away? We even skipped an episode [laughs] because we’ve been away for so long.
Ben: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: Episode 57 is unreleased and might be unreleased for some time. However, it does exist, and it will go out eventually. And by eventually, I could mean five years. It’s going to be a heck of a show to edit together [laughs], but the point is – how’s everyone doing?
Ben: I’m good.
Laura: I’m great! I miss everybody, though. It’s so sad.
Ben: I miss everyone.
Andrew: I know!
Ben: I miss everyone too. Except Laura.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Ben: I’m just kidding. I miss Laura too. No, I’m really not that bad of a guy. These people know me in person.
Andrew: He really isn’t.
Ben: Even though often times I’m perceived as this grumpy teenager, it’s really not that way. I’m fun-loving. Sure, I make comments that cross the line occasionally…
Laura: [laughs] Occasionally?
[Micah laughs]
Ben: …and I can cause controversy. And I like to cause controversy from time to time, but hey! I’m still fun. I’m joyous. Yeah.
Andrew: It’s all… [laughs] You really are.
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: It’s that Subway, I’m telling you what. You must have had a Subway before we started recording. [laughs]
Ben: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: In case anyone is wondering, Jamie Lawrence is back in Durham where he’s settling down in college, and Eric Scull – well, we just didn’t invite him this week. The point is…
Ben: Well, we tried to invite Jamie. Jamie was originally slated to be on this week, but his internet – his internet conveniently…
Andrew: Didn’t work.
Ben: …fell out, yeah.
Andrew: Oh, we should – oh, there’s a good thing to insert at the end of the show! Me and Ben were trying to help him out with his thing, and we were recording his Skype because [laughs] he talks really slow. So, maybe we’ll include that at the end of the show. Actually, no. Maybe we’ll just tease you with it and never give it to you.
Ben: It was so funny because…
Andrew: I like that better.
Ben: …he sounded like – I don’t know, like he just woke up, or he took 100 pain-killers and he could barely talk. He was slow.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: It sounded like he was slurring his speech. It was like [speaks very slowly] Beeeeennnnnnnn…
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Ben: It was hilarious.
Andrew: We’ll include a quick sample out of that at the end of the show this week. All right, stop recording. Well, we have a fantastic show for everyone this week – but before we do anything else, Micah Tannenbaum is standing by in the MuggleCast news center with the past week’s top Harry Potter news stories.
News
Micah: The winners of this year’s SyFy Genre Awards were announced last week; and Goblet of Fire won the Best Movie award, Emma Watson took Best Actress and Best Young Actor, while Dan Radcliffe won Best Actor and was the runner-up for Best Young Actor. Try saying that five times fast.
Speaking of the fourth film, HBO will begin airing Goblet of Fire on November 19th at 7 PM EST. It will then replay numerous times through the end of the month. A “making of” special will also air through the entire month, starting on November 7th at 6:45 AM EST.
In a new interview, Julie Walters, the Mrs. Weasley actress, discusses Order of the Phoenix director David Yates and explains how he captures the emotional depth of the book and the atmosphere he creates on-set.
Wrapping up movie news, Toby Jones, the man who voiced Dobby in the second Potter flick, recently told MTV that the ex-house-elf won’t be making an appearance in Order of the Phoenix, but Kreacher will.
As part of Banned Books Week, held last week to raise awareness of books that have been challenged in communities across the US, the American Library Association asked 5,000 people what their favorite banned book was. Unsurprisingly, the Potter series came out on top. To Kill A Mockingbird and James and the Giant Peach came in second and third place, respectively. What’s so bad about James and the Giant…?
While we’re on the topic of banning – as we reported previously, the Georgian mother, Laura Mallory, who campaigned for the Harry Potter books to be removed from Gwinnett County school libraries [in a southern accent] because fundamentally they “promote and glorify witchcraft”, is back at it again. After the Gwinnett Board of Education ruled the books would remain on shelves, Mallory, unsatisfied with the outcome, appealed the decision in a second hearing earlier this week. Mallory rehashed her previous points regarding why the books should go, saying “Witchcraft is being mainstreamed to our kids today but people are not aware of it. They think these books are fantasies but Wicca is a real recognized religion.” But everyone, don’t worry. It’s okay. I hear Laura is actually headed down there right now to set her straight.
On a more positive note, we’re proud to announce that MuggleCast won the top prize at the 2006 Podcast Awards in Ontario, California. The People’s Choice category was awarded to us after receiving over 100,000 votes from listeners and fans. Thanks to everyone who provided their support through the entire voting process, including our friends at PotterCast who we teamed up with! They received their award for Best Entertainment podcast.
Also, if you weren’t able to join us out in the Borders in Westwood for our live show in Los Angeles, California, the show is now available for download, and a transcript will be posted shortly.
Finally, JK Rowling has been updating her site quite a bit lately. I wonder why that is… Hmmm…
That’s all the new for this October 7th, 2006 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.
Andrew: Okay, thank you, Micah…
Ben: [Impersonating Micah] Thanks, Andrew.
Micah: Oh, oh. Sorry, sorry.
Andrew: [laughs] Hey, Micah…
Micah: Oh, you’re welcome.
Andrew: I have a funny story.
Micah: Okay?
Andrew: [laughs] Jamie calls you Mic-er. What do you think of that? It’s pretty funny, isn’t it? [laughs]
Micah: Yeah well, Jamie’s British. So, we all have our faults.
Ben: Oh!
Andrew: Hey, we have a MySpace – [laughs] that was – that’s pretty bad.
Ben: Hey people.
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: I’m just kidding. Don’t send me massive amounts of e-mail.
[Andrew laughs]
Andrew: Hey everyone…
Micah: I going to get a thous…
Andrew: Okay, you’re done. You’re done, Micah. Thank you.
Micah: Sorry.
Andrew: Ummm…[laughs]
[Micah laughs]
MuggleCast MySpace and Facebook
Andrew: Don’t forget, everyone, we have a MuggleCast MySpace now. Whether you want to admit it or not, you have a MySpace and you can visit ours at myspace.com/MuggleCastFans. Become our friend and then help spread the word about MuggleCast because we’re trying to get the word out more besides – we just promote it on MuggleNet – it’s started to spread further.
Ben: Mhm. We’re going to take over the world.
Andrew: Because, about one fifth of the world visits MuggleNet. But, what about the other four-fifths? Where do they go? MySpace. So, that’s why we are on MySpace. And Facebook! We also have a Facebook so just do a search for MuggleCast and we should show up there – as a group.
Ben: And if you can’t find the MuggleCast Facebook, you can add me as your friend and then I can get it through me, so…
Andrew: [laughs] Hmm. That sounds suspicious.
Ben: [Laughs] Yeah. I need more Facebook friends.
Andrew: It almost doesn’t sound like you’re having a competition with Jamie to see who can get more Facebook friends.
Ben: No, never. Never, never.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Ben Schoen. Remember the name.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: S-C-H-O-E-N
Andrew: [laughs] Oh, it’s wonderful to be back recording again.
California Podcast
Ben: So, hey, Andrew.
Andrew: Yes, Ben?
Ben: What did you think of California – Podcast?
Andrew: It was super! Thanks for asking, Ben!
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: I thought it was fun too. I mean, it was a great time.
Andrew: Yeah it was. There was about 300 people that showed up.
Laura: It was very intimate.
Andrew: And…
Laura: That’s what I liked about it.
Andrew: Was it? Yeah, it was a different setting wasn’t it?
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: We were on the second floor – it was this room – it was a circular room. And there were only about a little under a hundred seats and there was a lot of people standing around the outside, but it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fan interaction too. So, it was good.
Ben: Yeah, I liked it a lot too.
Subway Confrontation
Ben: And, if you guys don’t remember, this was the day that I had the 36 inches of Subway along with the pizza. And, well, I’d just like to clear something up because earlier this week I got an e-mail from angry@disgusted.com.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Way to use your real email address…
Ben: Yeah, yeah.
Andrew:…in case we wanted to contact you back with a legit answer.
Ben: And here’s what they said: “I always liked you guys a lot, but you have gotten so pathetic. Well, one of you anyway…”
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: “That I think I may just listen to Leaky from now on.” Who’d want to do that?
Andrew: Oooh!
Ben: “Ben keeps begging people to send him Subway cards. That itself is disgusting because you’ve gone to like New York and LA in the last six months while people listening sit at home and even if we have the money, we have to work to get it and you ask us to send you stuff which you don’t even sound like you appreciate unless it is money or gift cards, something like that. Only Laura ever sounds like she cares that people take the time to make her something that didn’t cost money.”
Laura: Awww.
Ben: Good job, Laura. “Talking about your mailbox and asking for people to give you things is totally conceited anyway. But then, after talking about the battle against childhood obesity – the famous one – so people will send him free stuff, Ben goes and is bragging about how he ate three foot long subs at once. What a jerk. There are kids in the world who don’t have any food. There are kids in America who don’t [pause] and there are kids who seriously battle weight problems. That is so insulting to both groups. Better to ask people to send money to buy food for people in Darfur or someplace where children are starving than to feed Ben’s face. I listen to hear about Harry Potter, not to hear people who just went to Disneyworld and WB Studios and whatever – beg me to send them cards to get free food so they can act like a hog. It is really sad that Ben behaves like this and the rest of you, like Jamie, encourage it and think it is funny. You may all be older than me, but you sure don’t act like it. You should all apologize, especially Ben. And, you should give the cards to a homeless shelter or something to feed people who really are hungry. You may have just won a People’s Choice Award and I’m sorry now that I voted for you, but you are not my choice any longer.”
Andrew: Oooh. Awww. Awww. That hurts. That hurts, disappointed@disgusted, whatever.
Ben: Yeah, I just have a few things to say about this. First of all, I don’t remember the last time – an episode where I asked for Subway gift cards. They kind of just kept coming and I thank people for them, whatever. I mean, you don’t have to send them, it’s not like you’re obligated to. If you feel that Darfur or one of those other situations is something better to send your money to, go ahead and do that. I mean, I’m not saying you’re obligated to send your money to me. [laughs] I mean…
Laura: OperationSudan.org.
Ben: Yeah, or…
Laura: Go there.
Ben: …SaveDarfur.com or whatever it is. You don’t have to send anything to me. I mean, actually from now on, send your money to Darfur. I don’t need it. I can buy my own Subway.
Andrew: Oh, wonderful, wonderful.
Ben: Second of all, I don’t feel it’s conceited for us to ask things because people like to send us stuff. I mean, it’s not like we’re constantly asking for things and say “hey, send whatever to our P.O. Box” – it’s not arrogant. Thirdly, the battle against childhood obesity – she brought up how it’s pathetic that I went and ate 36 inches of Subway – actually, when I was eating the 36 inches of Subway, I thought of this. First of all, I want everyone to know that none of the Subway gift cards went towards purchasing that 36 inches. All that money came out of my own pocket – I knew that would be unethical of sorts. Secondly, I’ve already lost weight and I’m still health conscious. It’s not like I go out eating 36 inches of Subway every day because then I would be the posterhood child for childhood obesity – the posterhood? [laughs] The poster child for childhood obesity.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Another thing is they mention how I should give these Subway gift cards to a homeless shelter. Well, coincidentally enough, one night we were in Los Angeles, we stayed downtown and there was a Subway right around the corner. Anyways, we went down around the corner to the Subway, Andrew and I did, and on the way back we got approached by a homeless person who said, “Guys, I am very hungry right now. I have diabetes. I really need to eat something, it’s absolutely necessary, or else I’m going to have to go to the hospital, I don’t have the money for this.” And you know I didn’t have any cash on me so what did I do? Andrew, tell them what I did.
Andrew: You gave that homeless man a Subway gift card.
Ben: Worth ten dollars.
Andrew: Ten dollars.
Ben: I gave this homeless man this ten dollar Subway gift card. So, I don’t think it’s appropriate to accuse me of being undeserving and arrogant and all that when my intentions are good.
Andrew: Yep.
Ben: So, from now on, from now on don’t send me Subway gift cards. Put your money towards Sudan or whatever. I mean, you never had to do it in the first place; it’s always just been an option. So, I ask you from now on don’t send me Subway gift cards, send the money to a better cause, save darfur dot org.
Andrew: Yeah, guys we’re just having fun. We’re not…
Laura: Very charitable.
iPod Issues
Andrew: We’re not demanding anything. We’re just messing around trying to have some fun. So, anyway, we wanted to address some podcast/iPod troubles that have been coming in. We’ve been getting a lot of complaints lately that MuggleCast screws up your iPods, and this isn’t true it’s actually a problem that occurred with the latest iPod software update. What’s been happening is, for some reason, when you put – this doesn’t happen with everyone’s iPods – but when you put podcast on your iPod, for some reason they freeze and restart or something like that. Luckily, I didn’t have the problem, but a couple people did so we’ve been getting a lot of emails. I just wanted to make it clear it’s not MuggleCast screwing up your iPod, it’s Apple. Blame them.
The People’s Choice
Okay, also and of course the big story of the week. Well, we’ve been off a couple of weeks. But it’s a big story and we want to talk about it.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Yeah, sorry about that.
Andrew: We apologize, its rough coming back from a trip and then trying to put a show together because – especially during the school year because we all, you know, we all had a lot of school work to make up and business to attend to outside of the podcast. So, anyway, MuggleCast did win the People’s Choice Award at the 2006 Podcast Awards, back on September 29th.
Ben: Seems like ages ago.
Andrew: We were all there. Yeah, it was only like a week – actually it was a week ago today.
Ben: Today, right now as we record this show.
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: We record on Friday night. This is what we do on Friday night guys.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: We record MuggleCast. [laughs]
Ben: We don’t have friends. We don’t friends? Friends, what are those?
Andrew: Yeah. What are friends? Frynds? What?
[Laura, Ben and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: So, yeah we… Yeah, so we won the Podcast Award. It was a great event, we had a lot of fun. What did you guys think of it?
Ben: I thought it was nice. I mean it was good to go around and meet other people who are involved in podcasting and all that so, yeah I’m grateful we had the opportunity to do that. If course next year we won’t be eligible. So, thanks to all the people who voted for us, Andrew had a chance to speak with the person who conducted the – pretty much the whole organizer of the event afterwards, and he pretty much told us that we crushed everybody. So, that’s thanks to you guys.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. He was blown away, yeah.
Ben: He was so surprised that Harry Potter could, you know, attract so many people and so many people would vote for us. So yeah, good job everybody.
Andrew: Right.
Laura: It was really great because there were tons of other very, very popular shows there and I had people coming up to me saying, “You’re on MuggleCast.” And they knew who we were, which was just – it was so flattering because it was like, “Wow, you know, you’re a pretty big show and here you are shaking my hand.” So, it was just great to go and get to see all these different people.
Andrew: It was great meeting all the new podcast – well not new, it was great meeting all the podcasters. I met Don and Drew from the Don and Drew Show and my buds Patrick and Adam from the Nobody Likes Onions.
[Micah laughs]
Ben: That is a good show.
Andrew: The Leo Laporte.
Ben: Yeah we met Leo. Andrew and I met Leo. We shook…
Andrew: Jamie was there, too.
Ben: Yeah. Jamie was there, too. We shook his hand. We had a good time with Leo.
Micah: Wasn’t there also…
Ben: He told us he was very impressed with what we are doing.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: The Podcaster of the Year, people. He loves us.
Micah: Wasn’t there also a priest from the Vatican?
Laura: Yeah, that was pretty cool.
Ben and
Andrew: The Catholic Insider.
Ben: It’s actually the number two search result if you search for Harry Potter podcast.
Laura: Really?
Andrew: Yeah, because he does some Harry Potter stuff from time to time. Very good. So, that was the Podcast Awards. Thanks all the…
Micah: They need to work on seating for next year.
Andrew: Seating didn’t go very well but… We walked in and there were like five seats left.
Ben: So…
Andrew: Let’s put it this way, it was so popular…
Ben: So, what we did was, I grabbed a chair, Andrew sat on my lap.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Jamie sat on his, Kevin sat on his and then Laura was on the very top.
[Andrew laughs]
Order of the Phoenix California Video Game Podcast
Andrew: Before we get to our main discussion, we want to let everyone know that we will, in I guess like three or four weeks, have a special episode of MuggleCast that focuses around the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game, where we will be speaking with producers of the fifth video game from Electronic Arts. It’s going to be a nerdfest galore, yay! Yay, Kevin!
Ben: Kevin, Kevin would definitely be excited about that.
Andrew: So, we need your help, this is why we are bringing it up on the show. We want you guys to send in your questions that you have about the Order of the Phoenix video game to 1-218-20-MAGIC. Kevin is going to have a super time going through all the voice mails and picking out some questions for them. We’re going to choose like 15 to 20 questions, to pose to them, and then you’ll hear their answers on the show. And – what was I going to say? Oh, we’ll put some links to some information about the video game on MuggleCast.com and also MuggleNet will be promoting it there too, so that you guys can read up more about the game and then get some questions for them. We got a little preview of this game when me, Melissa and John hit up the Order of the Phoenix set. It’s looking like a great game, it’s very interactive, you can go around the entire school, do what you want, mess around. So, I am sure everyone will have a lot of questions for them. And the EA guys are really cool. So, for more information visit MuggleCast.com.
Harry Potter Jeopardy!
Ben: Also, wasn’t Harry Potter on Jeopardy! the other day?
Laura: Oh yeah!
Andrew: Yes it was, Ben.
Laura: It was!
Ben: Actually, someone sent me in the questions. They were completely lame, oh my gosh! Let me read a few of them to you. Because you guys all know how Jeopardy works, they give you the answer and you have to say the question, and it says, “In this sport Harry plays the position of Seeker.” Okay, seriously you have to be joking.
Laura: Are you kidding?
Andrew: Oh.
Ben: Yeah, it says, “A half-giant, he’s the game-keeper of Hogwarts.”
Andrew: Who is Umbridge?
Ben: Hagrid [uses silly voice]. “Ron and Harry use this unusual transport to get to Hogwarts for their second year.” Then…
[Laura laughs]
Ben: …”Harry’s nemesis, this member of Slytherin, has a dad named Lucius who is a supporter of Voldemort.” Then, “Any cat could tell you that she teaches Transfiguration magic at Hogwarts.”
Andrew: [in goofy voice] Whoa, ho, ho.
Ben: Yep. These are the exact questions.
Laura: Those were…
Ben: They appeared on the cards, but yeah that’s…
Laura: Some really difficult questions.
Andrew: Little too easy.
Ben: Yeah I know, but I guess if it was – not everyone’s read Harry Potter.
Andrew: It was like Teen Week, so I think that’s why they asked.
W.O.M.B.A.T.S.
Laura: Yeah. Jo’s WOMBATS were nothing next to those questions, huh?
Andrew and Ben: [together] Speaking of WOMBATS.
Ben: Yeah, good transition there.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: So, how did everyone do on their WOMBATS?
Ben: Hey Andrew, Andrew. How’d you do on your WOMBATS? Just curious.
Andrew: Oh, I did great. I got a nothing, because I didn’t take it.
Ben: Awww.
Laura: Mhm.
Micah: Yeah, neither did I.
Ben: Well, you know, we’re sorry excuses for Harry Potter fans. I can feel the hate mail coming already, and I can hear all of you booing us right now because we didn’t take the WOMBATS.
Andrew: Well, we sort of have valid excuses.
Laura: You know what? I can proudly say that despite being in Los Angeles – see that’s these guys’ excuse. They’re saying, “Well, we were in LA. We were too busy to take it.”
Andrew: We were distracted.
Laura: I took my WOMBATS and I got an Exceeds Expectations. Thank you very much.
Andrew: Well, very good. Very good. What was the second round like? Was it any harder than the first round?
Laura: You know what? I honestly thought that the first one was harder.
Andrew: Oh.
Laura: I got an Acceptable the first time, and I thought the questions were a lot more difficult. But at the same time, you really had to be paying attention to the books to do well on this, I think.
Andrew: Did this second round focus around certain style of questions? Or what?
Laura: Ummm.
Andrew: What were some of the questions?
Laura: God, let me remember. It had some stuff about magical creatures, like the first one. There was actually a question that it was all about Muggles; like this one section was about them. And one of the questions, I specifically remember, said, “Muggles are” and it had all of these little checkboxes with, like, opinions below it. And one of them said…
Andrew: Like ignorant, in danger…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …inferior to wizards, insensitive to their surroundings, interesting, or irritating facts of like for example?
Laura: Yeah.
[Ben and Laura laugh]
Laura: I liked irritating facts of life, but I didn’t choose that one.
Andrew: Wait, are there correct answers for these?
Ben: I missed out on taking the WOMBATS the first time, so I’m still disappointed in myself.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Awww, geez.
Ben: Because you never know when their going to close the door and I was like, “Oh, I’m going to take the WOMBATS.” Then I log on to MuggleNet and it says, “The door is now closed.” Like, noooo!
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Micah Says, The Door Will Open…On Halloween!
Laura: Micah, do you think you could get Jo to open the door back up?
Ben: Come on Micah.
Micah: Yeah, yeah.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Let’s hear it.
Micah: I’m telling you.
Andrew: Do it.
Micah: October 31st she is going to reveal the title of Book Seven. I’m not joking about that.
Andrew: All right.
Ben: Are you pretty sure about that Micah?
Andrew: Oh Micah, I’m getting excited now.
Ben: Micah, do you have some kind of inside source?
Micah: You know, I think it would be really creepy if the night of the show I had said, “Oh she’s going to open the door later tonight.”
[Laura laughs]
Micah: And then we all went back and…
Wake Up Call
Micah: Well, you guys have an interesting story. Didn’t you guys get woken up?
Laura: Oh yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Micah: At five or six in the morning.
Andrew: That’s a lame story.
Ben: That’s a great story. Okay.
Andrew: Go ahead, tell the story.
Ben: Okay. I’ll tell it. I’ll tell it. It was awesome.
Andrew: [laughs] I can’t stand it.
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: See, now here’s the thing, let me just say something first. If you listened to PotterCast earlier this week, they told like a completely different version of this story. [laughs]
Ben: Oh, did they really?
Andrew: [laughs] That doesn’t make sense at all, but anyway go ahead.
Ben: Okay, here’s what really happened. It was about…
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: It was probably like 9 AM. Wouldn’t you say?
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: It was about 9 AM and I get a knock at the door.
Andrew: We’re in LA.
Ben: We’re in Los Angeles; Andrew and I in one bed and Jamie and someone else was in another. Anyways I get a knock at the door, and I go to the door and I’m like, “Who could this be? Who’s knocking at the door?” I open it up and Sue, Sue Upton from TLC, standing at the door saying, “Ben! Ben! Oh my God! Ben! The door’s open! The door’s open!”
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: And I’m like, “What? What door’s open? I know the door’s open.” And then she said, “No, JKRowling.com. The door is open.” And apparently she had some text message notification service so when she updated her site, the door…
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: It sent her a text message or something, or someone called her. Something like that. Anyways, I go back to…I wasn’t about to post news, because I was so tired. So I go back to the bed and I start prodding Andrew. I’m like, “Andrew, get up. Andrew come on. The doors open, Andrew.” And he rolls over to me, he’s like, “No, it’s not. She wasn’t telling the truth.” I was like, “Oh yes, Andrew. It was a big conspiracy. Melissa and Sue are sitting over there…
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: No! I didn’t say that.
Ben: …plotting against us.”
Andrew: [laughs] Well, I did say that.
Ben: It was like, “Yeah. They’re sitting over there plotting against us. Like, oh, we can go wake him up and get him out of bed and get him all riled up if we tell him the doors open.”
Andrew: Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. I was still sleeping. I didn’t know Sue came to the door, so…
Ben: Yeah. It’s classic me just to mess with him like I’d say something like…
Andrew: It is.
Ben: “Oh yeah. Sue came to the door, and she wants you to get up and post about it.” But, in reality…
Andrew: So, Ben kept bugging me.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: It got to the point where I was ready to throw him through the window. [laughs]
Ben: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: I was so annoyed. [laughs]
Ben: I was like, “Come on just post it. Post it now.” Because, you know, of course TLC waited about two-and-a-half hours until after they’d posted it to come get us up you know.
[Andrew laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] And so then I went on MuggleNet to see if Ciaran posted it, and he didn’t. So I went and I checked out, like, the details on how to open it up and it was so much. I was just like, “Oh, forget this. I’m going back to bed.” [laughs]
Ben: So, we messaged Ciaran. He’s like, “Ciaran, post it.” And he gladly obliged, but yeah. It was a mess.
Andrew: It was funny.
Ben: It was pretty funny. [laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] So, there’s our story. I was so annoyed with you. No one wake me in the morning.
Micah: But you guys are happy with these results, right? I mean, stuff is happening at least.
Andrew: What results? Your results?
Micah: She’s updating the site.
Andrew: Micah Tan the Anchorman gets results. Oh yeah. It’s all because of you Micah.
Ben: She’s scared of you, dude.
Micah: It’s funny. Somebody in Los Angeles, when were at the podcast, gave me a shirt that says, “Jo updated her site because I told her to.”
Ben: That’s awesome.
Andrew: Nice.
[Laura laughs]
Micah: So, thank you to whoever gave that to me.
Andrew: So Micah, that is your prediction? October 31st we’re going to see something?
Micah: October 31st. I’m going to stick with the title. I know she’s going to do an update, but I’m going to go big with it. I’m going to say she’s going to reveal the title.
Ben: No, Micah, Micah. You don’t say….
Laura: And what are you putting on the line here? What if you’re wrong?
Andrew: Yeah. You have to do something if you’re wrong.
Micah: Well, I’m going to look pretty stupid. [laughs]
Ben: Hold on, Micah, you have to say it with confidence. You have to say, “The release date…” Yeah. “The title will be released October 31st.”
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: No question about it, okay?
Micah: Okay. Okay.
Andrew: Good, do it.
Micah: The title of Book Seven will be…
Andrew: No, more, more… No, no, more, more force.
Ben: Come on, Micah.
Andrew: Kind of angry.
Ben: You have to…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: …lay down the – throw down the law here.
Micah: Well, it doesn’t need to be angry though, it just has to be definitive.
Andrew: Yeah, well I know. It just has to be forceful. It has be like you’re in control.
[Laura laughs]
Micah: The title of Book Seven will be released on October 31st.
Ben: Are you sure, Micah?
Micah: Yeah! 100 percent.
Ben: 100 percent.
Andrew: [laughs] Whoa! 100 percent.
Ben: Oh guys, you heard it here first.
Andrew: I don’t know who you’re talking to. Yeah.
Ben: Guys, imagine if the title of it really is released, how much praise we’re going to get, how much praise Micah is going to get?
Andrew: Yeah. Micah Tan gets results.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Well, because she’s still deciding between two titles, so it’s kind of funny. She came up with the second title in New York City while she was taking a shower. I’ll tell you what, that New York City water really gets ya movin’. [laughs]
Micah: Watch, she’ll do it on November 1st just to spite me.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. That would really stink, wouldn’t it?
Main Discussion: The Veil
Andrew: Well, let’s talk some Harry Potter now, guys. This week we’re going to talk about the Department of Mysteries but, more specifically, the Veil.
Connections Between the Veil and Thestrals
Laura: Now, Micah, you told me that you got an interesting e-mail about this from a listener talking about what they thought the Veil was.
Micah: Yeah, I’m going credit them, too. Dana, 14 of Ohio, sent in a message saying, “On Episode 56 you put out the theory that Harry could get past the Veil using his Invisibility Cloak. That got me thinking of some way the two could be connected. I thought that maybe the Veil itself was made of the same material as the cloak. So, when people pass through, they don’t die, they just become invisible. That can be why Harry and Luna can still hear the voices.” And they were just wondering what they thought and, of course, they love the show.
Laura: Well, we all know that the Invisibility Cloak is made out of the fur from a Demiguise, which we all know very well, because of a certain trivia contest in Las Vegas.
Ben: You mean the one that we won?
Laura: Yeah, that one!
Andrew: Yeah, that one.
Laura: [laughs] Now, I was going through Order of the Phoenix and Sorcerer’s Stone, and I looked at the descriptions for both of them and the Invisibility Cloak is described as being fluid, laying on the floor and gleaming folds, shining like water woven into material. Now when you look at the description for the Veil, it’s described as being tattered, rippling, ragged. I got the impression of the Veil that it was just a veil. It wasn’t woven out of any kind of creature’s fur, not to mention it’s black. The Invisibility Cloak was described as being silvery-gray. So what do you think about that, Micah? I just don’t think that it could be made out of the same material. It’s a good theory, though.
Micah: Yeah, it’s definitely a good theory. Its just one of those things that you have to sort of take into consideration and, you know, sort of analyze.
Laura: Mhm.
Micah: But based upon the descriptions that you just went over, it’s probably not, but I mean there’s different forms of material – of the same material rather – you just can’t rule it out because they’re different colors.
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: There still has to be something more to the Veil, though, because… Well, we’ll get into this later on, obviously, there has to be, but – ’cause, why would Harry and Luna only be able to hear voices beyond it? If you’re trying to relate it to the Invisibility Cloak…
Laura: That’s interesting, though, Andrew, because…
Andrew: …because they’ve both seen death.
Ben: The Thestrals.
Laura: Andrew because – sorry, Ben.
Ben: I’m saying, like, the Thestrals. You had to see someone die in order to actually see the Thestrals.
Andrew: Right.
Ben: Maybe it has something to do with that.
Laura: But you know what? Do you guys think that Jo is kind of pulling a fast one on us here? Kind of assuming that we will think that the Veil is all about death because, if you remember, it wasn’t just Harry and Luna, it was Neville and Ginny, too. It said that they were both staring at the Veil entranced. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who weren’t affected by it. And we know that Harry, Luna, and Neville have all witnessed death but we don’t know about Ginny. When would she have witnessed a death?
Micah: When did Neville witness a death?
Andrew: Well, Ginny was in the Chamber of Secrets, so maybe something happened in there.
Ben: Right, but I don’t know if there was any death going on there.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Are we sure that death has a direct connection to this, though?
Laura: That’s what I’m saying, though. I’m saying that because of Ginny, there has to be some sort of different connection between those four people. Otherwise, Ginny would have had to have seen a death.
Andrew: She almost saw a death in Chamber of Secrets when Harry almost died.
Laura: But he didn’t die.
Andrew: He almost died.
Laura: But that doesn’t count.
Ben: But that’s different, its like…
Laura: “Almost” only counts in Horseshoes and hand-grenades. [laughs]
Ben: Yeah. “I almost won a million dollars.” Doesn’t mean you’re a millionaire.
Laura: But if someone close to Ginny died, wouldn’t the chances be that that person was close to Ron, too?
Micah: Yeah, what about Neville, though? Who did he witness?
Laura: His Grandfather, I think?
Micah: Oh, okay. I just wasn’t sure.
Laura: I remember during their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, they were looking at the Thestrals and Hagrid asked him who he’d seen die.
Micah: Oh, okay.
Was the Ministry Built Around the Veil?
Laura: But it just – there’s something about it that doesn’t seen natural. Like, when you think about it, there’s no actual archway to the afterlife. It’s not like, for instance, they go into the Department of Mysteries and there’s this veil there. It’s not like you walk into the White House and there is some sort of veil leading you to death. [laughs] It just seems bizarre to me that this would be here. Why did… Do you guys think that the Ministry built this thing, or…
Ben: Well, of course, I mean, it’s not like it’s going to just appear out of nowhere. If it’s a veil…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Well, here’s the thing. And I hate talking about the movies because to me it sounds arrogant because I’m like, “I saw the set! Blah blah blah.”
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: But, they had an artist’s rendering of the Veil on the set and we talked about this at the Leaky Mug, this is the only reason I’m bringing it up, W.B. [laughs] I’m not, you know, we’re not going to spill all the details here but, from the artist’s rendering, you can tell that it looks like the Ministry was built around it. That Veil was connected to the rock, this, this… It’s hard to explain because… I was really surprised by it, because it wasn’t like you’re traditional veil. It looked very – the whole thing looked very old and tattered and looked… It was crooked and it was all weird, but it definitely looked like the Ministry was built around it. Because it was connected to the rock. The Veil was connected to the rock. The ground.
Micah: And you have to wonder what kind of input J.K. Rowling has when those things are created.
Ben: Well, I remember people saying that with the death scene – I mean, not the death scene, but at the beginning of Sorcerer’s Stone in the movie where – like where Voldemort comes into Harry’s house and he kills his parents or whatever. You see like. there’s just this scene at the beginning. You know what I’m talking about.
Laura: Mhm.
Ben: Apparently, J.K. Rowling had a say in that. It was like very specific about what went on.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: So, it could be likely that Jo said, “Yeah, the Veil is built – the Ministry was built around the Veil,” you know. But to me, to me, what I think that the Veil is just a place where, like, I don’t know, where they study death, you know? I’ve heard that theory quite a bit. And it makes sense because…
Andrew: It’s not a theory. Jo actually said that.
Ben: Oh, did she really?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Well, then, yeah. Then…
Andrew: In the interview with Emerson and Melissa.
Ben: Sorry, I feel so out of the loop.
Andrew: Melissa said, “Was it used as an execution chamber or just studying?” And J.K. Rowling said, “No, it’s just studying. The Department of Mysteries is all about studying. They study the mind, the universe, death, and in this case, where the Veil is was the Death Room,” or something.
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: It’s called the Death Room or something like that.
The Veil is the Gateway to…?
Laura: Now, if we’re assuming that the Ministry was built around this veil, this archway, what is it about it that they’re trying to keep so secret? Because I don’t really think that we can assume – I’ve seen a lot of people assuming that when you die in the wizarding world, you go beyond the Veil. And I don’t think that’s so, because if that were the case, then the Veil would be common knowledge. Like people would think of it as like going to Heaven or doing, you know, whatever a specific person’s religion…
Ben: Yeah, something, something has to be special about the Veil itself for that to be in the Department of Mysteries. Like, what’s so mysterious about it – when you go through the Veil, is it really the afterlife you’re going to? Because I mean, does it make sense for them to hide it then? I mean, what’s the big deal? Why is it hidden? What’s so secretive about it?
Laura: Mhm. And…
Andrew: Well, it has to be protected because then anyone can just jump
through it and kill themselves.
Ben: Right, but you can kill yourself in a multitude of ways. It’s like
saying we should get rid of all shotguns…
Andrew: But that way is so easy.
Ben: …so people can’t kill themselves.
Andrew: I mean, also, the thing is, they were transfixed by it. They were
attracted to it. It’s not just that you can so easily die by walking through it, but you can also, inadvertently, become attracted to it. It pulls you in.
Laura: Yeah. So, do you guys think it’s evil?
Andrew: How can it be evil?
Laura: Because if it – well, if it causes death. Harry said that – hang on,
I’ve got the quote here. It says, “Harry felt a very strong inclination to
climb up on the dais and walk through it.” Now, if it causes death and it
makes you want to walk through it, I’m going to assume that it’s not a good
thing.
Andrew: I don’t know, it’s like a cat. When it looks at something shiny it
wants to touch it.
Laura: Okay, but a cat doesn’t die when it touches something shiny.
[Micah, Ben and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Well, Harry doesn’t know that…
Micah: If it’s a blender it does.
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: Harry doesn’t know if you walk through it you’re going to die. So,
of course you might want to go up to it and be like, “Whoa, what’s this?”
Laura: Yeah, but still, if it kills you – if it draws you in and unexpectedly kills you – it’s kind of evil, isn’t it?
Andrew: Right, well, right.
Micah: I think he raised…
Andrew: Yes, but you’re coming to a conclusion that it draws you in. I mean
you could just… I see what you’re saying, but I wouldn’t consider it…
Ben: I mean it’s natural, it’s natural…
Andrew: [laughs] …evil. It’s a thing. That’s like calling a tree evil.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Yeah, okay. Hold on, if you see a… No, hold on a second. If you see a…
Andrew: [laughs] “You’re trying to kill me! You’re not putting out enough oxygen!”
[Laura laughs]
Ben: If you see, if you see a hole in the wall…
Andrew: Mhm.
Ben: …you’re automatically going to be intrigued by it, interested by it…
Andrew: Right.
Ben: …regardless of whether what’s on the – you want to figure out what’s on the other side. I mean, the reason that Sirius fell through the Veil wasn’t because, you know, he was like, “Oh my gosh, this is so interesting.” It was because he got knocked back into it by Bellatrix.
Laura: Yeah, look. Listen to this. Order of the Phoenix, chapter 34
pg. 775, says, “On the other side Ginny and Neville were staring,
apparently entranced at the veil, too.”
Ben: Was this after Sirius died?
Laura: No this was before.
Andrew: No, it was before.
Laura: Whenever they were exploring. And these four: Harry, Luna, Neville, and Ginny were all entranced by it, while Ron and Hermione were saying, “Come on, you guys, I can’t hear anything, let’s go.”
Andrew: Mhm.
Ben: Well, then it probably has to relate with seeing death, then.
Laura: Well then, doesn’t that beg the question, who has Ginny seen die?
Micah: The Basilisk.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: What about Tom Riddle?
Micah: Yeah.
Ben: Never thought of that.
Laura: He didn’t die, though. He wasn’t…
Ben: Yeah, he did. I mean, depends what you classify as dying.
Laura: …a person. He was a piece of a soul, he was shattered.
Ben: I guess that’s true.
Laura: And I’ve gotten the impression from Jo that whenever you, you know,
you break your soul up like that, you don’t count as being alive anymore. Hagrid even said it, “he’s not even alive.”
Ben: Oh, he’s alive, but just…
Laura: He just exists.
Ben: He’s a fragment of what he used to be.
[Micah laughs]
Ben: But something…
Micah: But to go…
Ben: Go ahead, Micah.
Micah: I just wanted to go back to what you said before about the Veil being the – is it the only barrier between life and death? It’s interesting because if you think that it is, then that drawing that Andrew brought up kind of makes more sense because, then, if that is the only passageway, the Ministry, it makes sense for it to be built around it.
Laura: Mhm.
Micah: But if it’s not, if there is some other passageway out there it kind of – you want to know, how did it get there?
Ben: Well, it’s…
Micah: How did it get to the Ministry?
Ben: Right. Well, is it possible that the Veil could be, like where, you know, right now if I died, it’s only – I can’t come back from being dead. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Laura: Mhm.
Ben: So, is it possible, if Harry goes to the
Veil, tosses a rope down there, “Sirius! Sirius!”
[Micah laughs]
Ben: Just pull him on out.
Laura: But the only…
Ben: No, no, not that, really. I mean, is it possible for Sirius to return,
since the way that he died was going through the Veil? If you know what I’m
saying.
Laura: I don’t think so. Because if you look at the way the Veil is
described, it’s not like it’s a veil leading into another room. Harry went
around and looked at the other side of it. It was literally like he fell
through that archway and disappeared.
Ben: But, is the Veil a one way street or is it a…
Andrew: It’s got to be a one way street because, otherwise, Lupin wouldn’t
have said to Harry that Sirius is dead, he’s not coming back. If there was a chance, if somehow people could come out of that Veil, I think he would have said so.
Ben: Okay.
Micah: But it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that, unless that is
sort of the passageway into the Beyond, that…
Ben: Then why would they keep it secret?
Micah: …then every single wizard that dies, or witch that dies, is behind there. You know what I mean?
Laura: Yeah, but why wouldn’t they know about it? You know? If that’s where
everyone goes when they die, how could they not – how could it not be common knowledge?
Micah: But Lupin seems to know, though.
Ben: I don’t think it’s truly an afterlife. I think it’s like a gateway to the afterlife.
Micah: Right.
Ben: I mean, it’s not like saying, “Behind the Veil is…” I mean, it’s like, behind the Veil will probably be like, your, you know, depending on what religion you are, your Heaven, your Hell, whatever, your Paradise, Abraham’s bosom, or whatever you believe in, and I’m not sure that, like, they would think, “Oh, behind the Veil is, like behind the Veil is behind the Veil,” like that’s a location, you know? I assume they think when they die they go to Heaven, Hell, like their own form of their own afterlife, not necessarily, “beyond the Veil.” They don’t think of dying, going, “beyond the Veil.” If you know what I’m saying.
Laura: Do you think it’s a sort of Purgatory? Maybe? I’m thinking about if
it does lead somewhere, what if it’s kind of a Limbo between two worlds?
Like, what if you’re sort of stuck there? You know what I mean?
Micah: But didn’t Lupin – you just said that nobody else seems to know about it – but Lupin seemed pretty confident that Sirius was dead.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Because he grabbed Harry, and he said, “He’s gone, he’s gone.”
Laura: Well…
Andrew: And I mean, Sirius knew what the hell was about to happen, too, because he… [sighs] Laura, do you have the page open? I was just reading it earlier.
Laura: Oh, no. I closed it. It said something like…
Andrew: [sarcastically] Oh, Laura. You – ah – geez…
Laura: No, I remember the quote! I remember the quote.
Andrew: No, off my show. Off my show.
[Micah laughs]
Laura: I remember the quote! Shut up!
Andrew: Harry… No, I’m just kidding. It’s not my show, I hate it when people say that.
Laura: It said something along the lines of, “the laughter had not quite died from his godfather’s face,” and all this stuff.
Andrew: Oh, I’m getting it. Right, right.
Laura: He was shocked.
Andrew: Oh, you wait one second. I have my…
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: …U.S. paperback. Yeah, “The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.” So, it seems like he knew what was about to happen.
Laura: Well, I always attributed that to just being stunned.
Ben: Yeah.
Laura: Like I’m not sure if he was really thinking about, “Oh, crap, I’m about to fall backwards through the Veil.”
Andrew: But, “The laughter had not quite died from his face.” That’s what lead me to think that…
Laura: Well, yeah, because he was laughing at Bellatrix.
Andrew: Right.
Ben: Why would he laugh in the face of defeat? I don’t get that.
Laura: No, because he’d just been laughing at her a few moments before.
Ben: Okay, yeah.
Andrew: Because he said, “Come on, you can do better than that,” when she tried to put a jinx on her, I think it was.
Ben: And he was probably shocked because he was kind of being arrogant saying, “Oh, pretty much I’m better than you, there’s no way you can beat me,” and then, BAM! He gets nailed. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Why Didn’t Harry Ask More About the Veil?
Micah: Something else that is interesting is, why doesn’t Harry ask more
questions about what exactly it is?
Laura: Yeah, I thought that in Half-Blood Prince he would have…
Andrew: Yeah! That’s what bugged me, too! [laughs]
Laura: …wanted to know. I figured we were going to learn so much about the Veil in Half-Blood Prince, and we didn’t.
Ben: I really didn’t expect to, because I thought – I don’t know. It just didn’t seem like – I thought the Ministry would be saved for the last.
Laura: Well, I figured – I didn’t think we’d find out, you know, exactly what it was, but I figured we’d hear more about it.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: I don’t even think the word ‘veil’ was in that book.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. Well, it leads me to wonder, why didn’t Harry just ask Dumbledore at the end of Book Five when he was talking to him in his office?
Micah: Yeah, exactly.
Andrew: What gives, Harry?
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Because, maybe it didn’t come to mind, and maybe JKR…
Andrew: Yeah, but it was Sirius!
Ben: …needed to keep that detail out until the last possible moment. [laughs]
Andrew: Probably.
The Veil in Book Seven
Ben: So, what about the Veil in Book Seven? I mean, do you think Harry is going to use it? I, personally…
Andrew: It’s got to be brought up.
Laura: Oh, yeah. He’s going to have to go.
Ben: Of course, yeah, she has to tie that up somehow. And, you know, throughout Book Seven Harry is going to have to do a lot of investigating, just in general, acquire as much knowledge as possible, you know. There’s talk about he’s going to return to Godric’s Hollow, all these places, and the Ministry of Magic has to be one of them in order…
Laura: Mhm. There’s been a lot of talk about Harry going back to Hogwarts to do research, and I don’t think so. I think if he does research, it’s going to happen at the Department of Mysteries. Because that’s the place that holds all of the answers that he needs; especially the one door that he couldn’t get open, that had “the power of love” behind it, allegedly.
Micah: But, if you look at a lot of the different sort of heroic tales, there is always that journey into the underworld.
Laura: Mhm.
Micah: Before he can finally complete his quest, there’s always somebody there that knows some piece of information.
Back to Comparing the Veil and Invisibility Cloak
Andrew: Getting back to the Invisibility Cloak, did we really answer this?
Laura: I, personally, don’t think that they’re one and the same.
Micah: They seem to have similar qualities.
Andrew: Yeah, which is interesting, but what was that girl’s theory, Micah, that it just makes them invisible?
Laura: That room would be pretty crowded, though. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. Well, if it makes you invisible…
Micah: No, no, no, that’s not what she said.
Laura: It just seems like, if that were the case, then there would have been no issue with Ron and Hermione hearing any of the whispering.
Andrew: Right.
Micah: Well, if it’s a big Invisibility Cloak, it’s just covering what’s beyond it. You know what I mean?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: It can’t be a big Invisibility Cloak. That sounds so goofy.
Ben: Yeah, because it isn’t like there’s a… It isn’t like if you look behind there, there’s going to be like, a million people standing right there.
[Micah laughs]
Ben: It doesn’t work like that.
Andrew: Yeah.
[Laura laughs]
Micah: She just said that, the Veil may be made of the same material as the Cloak. So, when people pass through the Veil, they don’t die, they just become invisible.
Ben: I don’t think…
Laura: But why wouldn’t Sirius come running up and be like, “Hey, Harry, I’m invisible!” You know? [laughs]
Ben: Yeah, and JK Rowling said that she had to kill off a character in Book Five.
Laura: Yeah, she did, actually.
Andrew: That is close to Harry.
Ben: She was very upset about it, and I doubt it was, in Emerson’s words,
“Martin Miggs the Mad Muggle.” I’m pretty sure it was Sirius. I mean, there’s no doubt. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Tangent: Seeing Sirius Again
Micah: Well, it doesn’t mean we won’t see him in some form.
Laura: I don’t think so. I’m not one of those that subscribes to the…
Andrew: No, we have to.
Laura: …the theory that…
Andrew: He’s his godfather.
Laura: Okay, but… [laughs]
Andrew: And people question, why did he play such a big role in Book 3 and then
killed off in Book Five? There has to be something more to it, like in Book Seven he, I don’t know…
Laura: Because there was nothing else to do with him.
Andrew: Well, here’s a question.
Laura: Even Jo said that he had become a brooding presence in the books. He was done. [laughs]
Andrew: Here’s a question. How could Sirius come back? The two-way mirrors? We’ve sort of discussed that. The portrait?
Ben: I think that has to relate to it somehow, the two-way mirror.
Laura: I don’t know if Harry’s going to use that to communicate with Sirius, necessarily.
Andrew: Well, it all comes down to, if he had his two-way mirror with him when he fell through, which…
Ben: I don’t know. I seem to think we’re missing our guess about the two-way mirror thing.
Laura: You know what I think it depends a lot on? What exactly death is in the wizarding world. All we know is that when you die, you’re dead. We don’t know if you choose not to return as a ghost, if you have any afterlife, or if it all just goes black. I mean, we don’t know. If that’s the case, then there is no way Sirius can communicate with Harry.
Micah: Does your soul travel down…
Laura: Yeah.
Micah: [laughs] …to the Department of Mysteries?
JKR Defining Death
Andrew: It seems like Jo tries to stay away from explaining death.
Laura: I don’t know.
Andrew: Because it’s a very close and touchy subject.
Ben: Well, it depends on…
Laura: Well, it was…
Ben: I don’t know. Because she said, well, Dumbledore said that there are things much worse than death. And you hear in the Department of Mysteries, you hear Voldemort say to Dumbledore, “There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore.” Blah, blah, blah.
Andrew: Although, could you imagine if she started talking about what would happen after death?
Ben: Oh yeah, of course! She can’t define what happens after death because then the religious radicals really are going to go nuts.
[Laura and Micah laugh]
Ben: Because, that’s too much, I mean…
Laura: I’m calling you out, Laura Mallory. Calling you out.
Ben: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: No, the thing is, though…
Andrew: We should talk about her again for a second, later.
Laura: If she doesn’t define death, then there’s absolutely no way that we’re going to see Dumbledore, Sirius, Lily, James, or anyone else who has ever died in the series.
Andrew: Right, but we could still see them in another form.
Ben: Well, I don’t know.
Laura: Yeah, this is true.
Ben: That’s a good point, but what I don’t see… I don’t know about… She’s not going to define death in a way, in a religious sense, you know what I’m saying? Because then she’s…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Because that’s when she’ll cross the line in the eyes of many people, like Christians, Muslims, whatever religion you are. Then she may cross the line. But as long as it’s sort of like a vague representation of the afterlife, I don’t really see there being really much of a problem with it. I mean, it is a fantasy book. Gandalf came back from the dead – that’s
not possible, you know? Except I have a thing, Harry Potter has just gotten a lot of notoriety.
Micah: We know it’s not possible for Dumbledore.
Ben: Right.
Laura: Well…
Micah: That we know. We don’t know about anybody else. And until she actually says it herself, I’m…
Laura: Well, Jo said Sirius is dead. [laughs] I mean…
Ben: Right, but another thing is, it’s important to remember is…
Micah: It doesn’t mean he’s not going to make an appearance.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: …that we cannot bring people back to life.
Micah: Right.
Ben: You know what I’m saying? But Jo – I keep referring to Jo, to Dumbledore as Jo, because it’s really her words – but Dumbledore said that those who love you, even though they may not be there physically, they truly haven’t left. You know? It’s that type of thing.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Their presence will still always be felt.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Harry’s always going to remember what he learned from Sirius. Sirius is always going to be in the back of his mind. So, it’s not like Sirius truly is dead – he’s dead in the physical sense, but in a personal sense he’s still Harry’s godfather. He’s really – he’s still there, in a way. His influence remains, just he’s no longer there to add any further input.
Andrew: What I’m saying is that, if he does come back, he’ll come back in a different form, because maybe the Veil didn’t really kill him, but in Bono’s words, he’ll be “all that he can’t leave behind.”
Ben: [sings] It’s all that you can’t leave behind…
Laura: Yeah, the only thing is, though, I’m not sure how I feel about…
Andrew: Laura, shhh. [sings] All that you fashion, all that you…
Ben: Sorry, sorry.
Laura: [sighs] I can’t believe you were shushing me.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Here I am, talking about Harry Potter on a Harry Potter show and you shush me to sing.
Andrew: Hey, hey, hey, we haven’t had a U2 moment in a while, we had to have one.
[Ben laughs]
Laura: Okay, no, you had plenty of U2 moments before we recorded. Thank you very much. Now, as I was saying…
[Andrew fakes crying]
Laura: Now, I can’t even remember. [laughs] I’m sorry! I’m sorry.
[Andrew sniffles]
Laura: Anyway, the thing is, Voldemort fears death so much that I don’t think that the series can finish without us learning about what death is in Harry’s world.
Andrew: Any final conclusions from anyone? I mean, I guess we covered all the bases here. So, we really covered everything about the Veil. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: And there’s not much to cover in the first place, but we covered everything there is. So…
Micah: Well, wait. I’ll ask one more question.
Andrew: Oh, okay.
Who Made The Veil?
Micah: If it’s not made out of the same material, right, as the Invisibility Cloak – we really didn’t touch on, then, who made it.
Ben: Actually, George Washington’s wife knitted it.
Micah: Martha?
Ben: Martha knitted it.
Micah: [laughs] That’s genius.
Ben: No, I don’t know if it’s really necessary to find out who made the cloth that covered the Veil.
Laura: Well, what if it’s…
Ben: It’s probably a linen, a cotton substance, probably.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: It’s a – what?!
[Laura and Micah laugh]
Andrew: No.
Laura: [laughs] What if it’s something along the lines of Stonehenge? It’s one of those really weird things…
Andrew: Right.
Laura: …that someone built, but we have no clue because it’s so old.
Andrew: Because again, it looked like – in this artist’s rendering – it was part of the earth. And in the book, I’m pretty sure that Dumbledore does say – Harry asks him, or someone asks someone, and Dumbledore says that the Veil was there for as long as the Ministry had been there, if not longer.
Laura: Wow, the Ministry must be pretty old, [laughs] when you think of it that way.
Studying Death
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, I’m pretty sure, I’m 99% sure that’s in the book. But, also, this Veil area – the Death Room – is where you study. How do you study death? And do they still study death?
Laura: Well, what you do Andrew…
Ben: Actually, they push…
Andrew: Like do they just chuck stuff through it and it comes back out?
Ben: They threw puppies, they throw puppies through it.
Andrew: Throw puppies through it?
Ben: They throw puppies through the Veil.
Laura: I was going to say that they pick their least favorite person on a podcast and they throw them through.
Ben: Then, bye, Laura.
Laura: No, I was actually thinking of you, Ben.
Ben: Bye, Eric. Bye, Eric.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Just kidding.
Andrew: He’s already through.
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: No, because it makes me – it kind of annoys me. Why don’t you just throw a fishing line in there, see what happens, reel it out…
Laura: [laughs] See if someone grabs on to it?
Andrew: Or just stick your hand through. Seriously. Why can’t you just stick your hand through?
Laura: Okay, why don’t you just…
Andrew: I’m serious. I’m being serious.
Laura: …go stick your hand through something that kills people when they go through it, and let me know how it goes.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: No, I’m just saying, why don’t you test it, why don’t you – maybe they have.
Laura: I don’t know. Wasn’t there a theory…
Andrew: I’m being serious, though. [laughs] Not Sirius Black! [rings bell] Ooh-ho-ho-ho!
Laura: Owww.
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: Anyway.
Laura: Wasn’t there a theory discussed – I think we talked about this on a show way back at the beginning – that someone brought up, what if going through the Veil turns you into a Dementor?
Ben: No.
Andrew: Oooh. Interesting, but he’s dead. So…
Laura: I know he’s dead.
Andrew: He’s dead, he’s dead.
Laura: But it’s kind of along the lines of, what if the Veil is made out of – that was pre-Book Six that that theory came about. [laughs]
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: But how do you study death?
Ben: I don’t know, there’s…
Andrew: How can they use the Veil to study death?
Ben: …there’s a big textbook about it.
Laura: Well, see, you know what? And this could just be me looking into it too much, but Jo said it wasn’t used as a torture chamber.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: And I’m kind of wondering, how do you study death without throwing people through this Veil?
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: I’ve kind of always wondered, I’m like, what if they took Azkaban prisoners and just threw them through this veil just to test death, see what was going on with it? What if they took the ones who had had their souls sucked out by Dementors and just shoved them through?
Andrew: Why don’t you just…
Laura: What then? But then, wouldn’t that be, technically, considered torture?
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: I mean, I guess it depends on how you define torture.
Laura: So, then, the only other solution, if they’re not throwing people through it, then someone has to go into it.
Andrew: Unless they’re just using it to hear the voices that are coming from out of it.
Laura: Yeah, but only certain people can hear them.
Andrew: Right, and then it would just be those people who are able to hear the voices that would be studying death.
Laura: I don’t know, it just, it seems like a waste for it to be there and not have any kind of interaction with it. You know, it just seems like…
Micah: Well, we don’t know that.
Laura: Something’s…
Micah: We just haven’t been told that.
Laura: Something’s got to be going in there. Something has got to go through that Veil.
Andrew: Not really, because you can’t observe what happens after someone goes through it, and if it’s a one-way street, so to speak. That’s why I’m thinking that they can only use it to hear voices.
Micah: Well, there’s probably a way that they could communicate with whomever’s on the other side of that…
Laura: Two-way mirror.
Micah: …one would think.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: No, that’s just the case with Sirius and James, I think.
Micah: No, because, I mean…
Laura: No, no, no. It was a joke, Andrew
Micah: …if the Veil was there…
Andrew: Oh.
Micah: …beforehand, before the Ministry even was there…
Andrew: And they built it around it, which, really, that is how it looked.
Micah: …then, the chances are that there was already someone or something behind the Veil. So, perhaps they’ve been working on a way to communicate with those that are there.
Laura: Maybe. Did you guys also notice that the chamber it was in, it was described a lot like the courtroom Harry had been in at the beginning of the book? It had lots of seats…
Andrew: Is it – doesn’t it sort of look like a coliseum?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Like, seating. Yeah.
Laura: And, so, you’re wondering, how many people do they have studying this?
Andrew: Hmmm, yeah. Yeah, but those weren’t… Was that Ministry-built too? I wish I remembered that picture. I should’ve taken a picture of the picture.
Laura: What if it was, at one time, used for torture? Maybe they don’t use it that way anymore.
Andrew: I don’t know, how could you consider it torture? Once you throw them through, they’re done, it’s not like…
Ben: Yeah.
Laura: But it’s still killing them. [laughs]
Ben: Right, but that’s not torture. Why don’t you use the Cruciatus Curse if you’re going to torture them?
Laura: So, so you’re saying, you’re saying, Ben, that if we, if we kill somebody, but we don’t cause them any pain, it’s not torture?
Ben: Not at all.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Well, what… Tell me, tell me, what would you rather die…
Laura: You…
Ben: How would you rather die?
Laura: Okay, it doesn’t…
Ben: Have, have – go through a guillotine…
Laura: It doesn’t matter.
Ben: …have your head cut off, or would you rather be electrocuted, where you die a lot more slowly?
Laura: It, okay, it doesn’t matter.
Ben: I think you’d rather have it be quick, than…
Laura: It doesn’t matter what you prefer. It doesn’t matter. The circumstance doesn’t matter. The fact is you’re still taking away a person’s life.
Ben: Right, but that’s not torture. You’re not torturing them. Torture is…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: …like when you…
Laura: Yeah, it’s torture leading up to it.
Andrew: A painful death.
Ben: How? How?
Laura: It’s torture leading up to it, when you’re like, “I’m about to die.”
Ben: Oh, you mean when you’re pushing the… Yeah, but that’s not torture.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Torture is like extensive punishment, and…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: …you don’t even have to kill them.
Andrew: [sighs] That’s the… Yeah, we don’t need to make…
Laura: I don’t agree.
Andrew: …a discussion out of that, but…
Laura: I don’t agree.
Andrew: Final conclusions: I say, Veil is a portal to death, you can hear the voices, so they can study the voices, hear the death – hear dead people, I mean.
Laura: I don’t think the Veil is the only path to the afterlife. I think it’s a specific…
Andrew: Well, there’s the other one, which is stabbing you in the throat.
[Laura and Micah laugh]
Laura: God, Andrew! You make me cry.
Andrew: Well, it’s a portal to death, right? Not you personally. I’m just saying as a…
Laura: [still laughing] No, I think that it is a very specific path to a section of underlife. I just don’t think that you go through there. It would be like, for instance, if you’re talking about an afterlife, like we would imagine it. It’s not like you have six doors, and you go through one of them, and you still get to the same place. I’m thinking of it as, you get into this place that is an afterlife, but you can’t get out, and it’s not where everyone else goes, if you go through the Veil.
Andrew: Do you have a final thought on the subject, Ben?
Ben: Ben Schoen’s – I’m like Jerry Springer, it’s Ben Schoen’s final thought.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: The Veil, it’s a big mystery. That’s all, that’s all I know about it. I don’t think it’s the only – I don’t think there’s like a portal to the afterlife, there’s something that’s special about the Veil. It may… It could be a portal to the afterlife.
[Micah laughs]
Ben: But I don’t think, you know, people think, “Oh, when I die I go behind the Veil.” I think, if it’s a portal to anything, it’s like a portal to Heaven or Hell or whatever. I mean, it’s not like, “Oh, you die, you go behind the Veil where you whisper to people as they walk by.” [laughs] It doesn’t work like that.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Right.
Ben: That’s my last thought.
Laura: Micah, what’s your final thought?
Micah: I think it may just be, because there’s actual whispering that’s taking place, maybe it’s just the collection of souls, in a way, that they’re studying. Maybe those that are – just got caught. I don’t know, it’s really weird, but I like the whole idea that the Ministry was built around this thing, and that this thing has been there for quite some time. And building the Ministry around it is a way to protect it, and if it really is that important, and Jo sort of follows the whole line of this being some sort of heroic tale, which, you know, she never follows mainstream, but I think that we’ll see, definitely, something interesting will be revealed about it in Book Seven. I’m not saying Harry is going to through the Veil, or whatever, but maybe he uses it for his own purposes.
Andrew: That was a good talk. That was a good – geez, that was over a half hour. That was a solid 45 minutes. [laughs]
Laura Mallory
Andrew: Laura and Micah, there’s been something that’s been bugging all of us, but you two, especially.
Laura: Well, as everyone knows, Laura Mallory, who is a Gwinnett County, Georgia, mother of four – she’s actually, she’s about 30 minutes away from me – has been campaigning to get the Potter books removed from the Gwinnett County school libraries. Well – oh, God, what day was it that that was?
Micah: It was two days ago? Was it two days ago?
Laura: I don’t even remember. Two days ago? Okay, well, a couple of days ago, she took her hearing to the state, and she basically, she appealed to the State Supreme Court to get the books banned from the school libraries. What I found interesting this time, though, was she actually acknowledged some of the good themes in the books. Like friendship, loyalty, good versus evil, which was weird to me because this whole time, she’s been saying the books are evil, and now she’s saying that they kind of, you know, go for good versus evil, or good triumphing over evil.
Andrew: Mhm. Micah, do you have anything to add?
Micah: I just don’t understand the whole point behind banning these books. I mean, there are themes in almost any classic book that you can sort of look at and say you know what, “There’s a problem with this and I don’t want my child to read it,” and I think it should just be as simple as that. If she doesn’t want her children to read these books, then don’t let them read it. I mean, they’re going to come to a certain age where they’re going to start doing whatever it is that they feel is necessary, and if they want to pick up and read a Harry Potter novel, that’s their choice, but she’s the supervisor now. She’s the guardian of them until they’re 18 years old. If she feels that it’s not the place of the child to read the book, that’s fine, but I don’t think she should be imposing her will on other people.
Laura: Mhm. You know what I find interesting about that? She recommended that children read other books, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, and I realize that Narnia is a very – it’s, you know, very religiously based; however, she talks about how Harry lies, cheats, and steals. Well, what can you say about Edmund from Narnia? He betrayed his family, and it was a mistake. Of course, he realized that, but it’s another life lesson, just like Harry learns.
Micah: Not to mention there’s a witch in the story!
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: I know! And they sacrifice Aslan! She goes on about evil blood sacrifice, and I’m like, “Ummm… Aslan much?”
Andrew: You know, guys, this is buggin’ me. This is really grindin’ my gears.
Micah: Uh oh. It’s what’s buggin’ Andrew now.
Andrew: This is really – this makes me want to “Get a Butterbeer.” Makes me want to say, “What’s Buggin’ Andrew.”
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: But, how about we give her a call? Try to give her a call? Okay. Let’s do it.
Laura: Well…oh…okay.
[Phone rings]
[Phone rings again]
[No answer]
[Still no answer]
Andrew: [laughs] Leave a message if …
Mr. Mallory on answering machine: Hi, you’ve reached the Mallorys. Your call is very important to us…
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Mr. Mallory on answering machine: Please leave your name and number…
Andrew: I bet!
[Everyone laughs]
Mr. Mallory on answering machine: …and a brief message after the tone…
Andrew: Leave a message!
Mr. Mallory on answering machine: …and we’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thanks, and have a good day. Bye.
[Answering machine beeps]
Ben: Hey, Laura. This is Ben from the Harry Potter MuggleCast podcast, and I was just calling to ask you a few questions about your vendetta against the books, and to see if – feel free to give me a call back at this number. Thank you.
Andrew: All right. Well, that’s a bummer, but, hey – maybe she’ll call you back, Ben.
Ben: That – wouldn’t that be weird?
Micah: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: [laughs] What if she calls you at, like, three in the morning?
Micah: What would you say to her?
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Ben: “Hey, Ben, I want to ban your book because I want attention in the media is the real reason why.”
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. [laughs] Well, I like the part where it goes, “Your call is really important to us.”
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Is it? Then call us back! Anyway…
Andrew: [clears throat] Got to clear my throat for this next segme – bleah! – segment. Time for Andrew’s …
[Ben sneezes]
Andrew: Whoa!
Ben: Sorry. Ben Schoen’s dying.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Tell us what’s beyond the veil, Ben.
Ben: I don’t know. Well, I’ll tell you.
Andrew: That sneeze.
Ben: I’ll write you a letter. I’ll bring my two-way mirror.
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Ben: I’ll text message you from behind the veil.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew’s HUH?! of the Week
Andrew: Hey, it’s time for Andrew’s HUH?! of the Week!
Laura: Wooo!
[Andre presses Staples Easy Button: That was easy!]
Andrew: It’s not an e-mail, guys. It’s something – it’s something different this week. It’s actually a YouTube video, and a lot of you have been e-mailing us this video, and it’s actually really funny, because this girl nailed it head-on. What makes a MuggleCast fan girl? And she got it exactly right, and she recorded it after she met all of us, and, you know, went to Lumos and all that. So, we’re going to play it right now. There’s some naughty language in here, so we had to edit it down just a little bit, but take a listen to this. It’s pretty funny:
[Audio]: Oh, my god! Hi, guys. I just got back from Lumos, and it was, like, the best time I ever had in my life. It was, like, so amazing. There was, like, some really stupid that I didn’t understand, but I got to see MuggleCast, and I got to see Emerson, and I got to see Andrew, and I got to see Ben, and I got to see Eric, and I got to see John Noe, and it was, like, so amazing. I waited in line for, like, twelve hours, even though you weren’t really supposed to line up, but I just waited outside the door, because there was, like, some other stupid stuff going on, like, all my friends went to go see this guy. I don’t really know his name. It’s like its Steve Vander something. Like, who thinks about Steve Vander something. I don’t. I waited in line, and then, like, Emerson, like, walked by me, like, five times, and I was like, “Oh, my god! Emerson, I love you!” And he was like, “Yeah, blah blah blah.: And there was, like, really weird people at Lumos. And I was, like, really upset, because Dylan wasn’t there, and really, Dylan’s, like, the hottest one, and, like, some people think he’s not very important, but I think he’s really important, because he does the layouts for MuggleNet, and that’s, like, the most important part, and it’s, like, if the layouts were never really good, like, no one would go to MuggleNet. Um, yeah. There’s, like, a lot of people who, like, really like The Leaky Cauldron, and I don’t know why. The Leaky Cauldron’s really stupid. I don’t know. I don’t get Sue and her Hufflepuff stuff. Like, who wants to be in Hufflepuff? Hufflepuff is so stupid. There’s no hot guys in Huff – oh. Never mind. There is a hot guy in Hufflepuff. [gospel music starts] Never mind. I, like, totally love Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff is, like, the best house ever. So, like, Jamie came up to me, and he was, like, “Do you want a sticker?” And I was, like, “Oh, my god! I would love a sticker!” And so he, like, gave me a sticker, and I was, like, “Oh, my god! Jamie just handed me a sticker!” So now, like, every night, for the most part, I kiss it and stuff. And, so, in total, I got, like, five hugs from Emerson, and, like, ten from Eric, and one from Andrew, and, like, three from Ben, and two from John Noe, and, um, five from Jamie, and I almost asked Laura Thompson for a hug, but no one, like, really cares about Laura Thompson anyway. Laura Thompson isn’t a hot guy, so I don’t really care about her. And I think she should just leave MuggleCast, because no one cares. Like, just think: Jamie’s hands were on this, and maybe Emerson’s hands were on it. And if Emerson’s hands were on it, that means that J.K. Rowling’s hands were on it. I’d rather be kissing Emerson’s hands than J.K. Rowling’s hands. I know that’s really stupid, because, like, if it wasn’t for J.K. Rowling, there would be no Harry Potter, and if there wasn’t any Harry Potter, there would be, like, no Emerson.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: That was great!
Andrew: That was good! That was good.
Chicken Soup For The MuggleCast Soul
Andrew: Well, we’re going to wrap things up now with a Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul.
Ben: I hate this.
Andrew: The segment Ben loves to hate. This comes from Reva, 33, of Cleveland. Subject: Bad day, made me better. Actually, just Bad day made better.
Recently, I needed to have a surgical procedure done. The doctor said to find something I liked to listen to. They were going to use a local anesthesia, so I figured I didn’t want to stare into space for that long. Even though it was outpatient, he said I would be there a while. Three hours, to be exact. I borrowed a friend’s iPod and downloaded three podcasts from MuggleCast. Needless to say, this was the first time the doctor ever had a patient giggling during a surgery. Thanks for making a really hard day a lot better. P.S. The [emphasizes] pickle thing got me every time, but maybe that was the anesthesia.
Ben: Oh, of course you’re going to include that one. Pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle…
Andrew: Pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle! [laughs] No, that had nothing to do with the pickle. That was just one that was sent in, so…
Show Close
Andrew [Show Close with music in background]: Thank you, Reva. You can also send your Chicken Soup stories to mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Just put “Chicken Soup” in the subject line. As always, we enjoy reading them.
So, boys and girls, yeah, that does wrap up Episode 58. We are so thrilled to be back as People’s Choice winners!
Ben: Yeah!
Laura: Doesn’t it feel so good to say that?
Andrew: Once again, I am Andrew – yes it does.
Micah: Now, we’re up for another award, too. October 11.
Andrew: What’s Oct…
Laura: Oh, yeah.
Andrew: Oh yeah! Kid’s Choice Awards, Australia! [Laughs] Who’s going?
Laura: I want my blimp.
Ben: Erica. [laughs]
Laura: I want blimps.
Andrew: Yeah, Erica. [laughs] We’ve got to have a… Yeah, anyone out there in Australia, who’s going to be around, what is it, October 11th? Tune into Nickelodeon keep an eye out for the category of fave podcast. Let us know if we won, or if we lost. And if we won, I guess they’ll be in contact with us? I don’t know.
Ben: They’ll e-mail us a surfboard. A picture of a surfboard.
Andrew: Yeah. [laughs] They said it’s a web only category, so I don’t know what that means, but hopefully we’ll get something from it. So anyway, I’m Andrew.
Ben: I am Ben.
Laura: I’m Laura.
Micah: And I’m Micah.
Andrew: Tannenbaum.
Micah: [laughs] Thanks, Andrew.
Andrew: [laughs] Oh, our contact information. Ben, what is the P.O. Box?
Ben:
P.O. Box 223
Moundridge, Kansas 67107.
Send us anything, everything, only if you want to. Remember there is no obligation to send anything to the MuggleCast P.O. Box. Only if you feel like it. Don’t feel like you have to.
Andrew: You can also call us. In the United States: 1-218-20-MAGIC (62442) In the United Kingdom: 020-8144-0677 If in Australia: 02-8003-5668 That’s for voicemail questions or comments. Also, you can Skype us with the user name MuggleCast to leave your voicemail questions, comments, or e-mail mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
Ben: Wait. There’s a contact form on MuggleCast.com, our web page.
Andrew: Or if you just want to e-mail any of us personally, it’s out first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Also, do not forget that the interview with creators of the Order of the Phoenix video game. For more information on that, go to MuggleCast.com it will be right there. Also, check out our new MuggleCast website!
Laura: Yay.
Ben: Yay.
Micah: Yay.
Ben: Oh, crap, is that up?
[Micah laughs]
Ben: I have to get it up then
Andrew: No, but it has to go up. [laughs] We have a fun new blog on there that we’ll be posting all the MuggleCast updates, and maybe we’ll do something else with it. All the usual stuff is there. Once again that wraps up episode 58, and we’ll see everyone next week for Episode 59! We leave you tonight with a special MuggleCast parody by a MuggleCast listener, Tom, who took some audio clips of Ben and I, and put them in to a mock interview that he did with us. It’s actually pretty funny, so you’ll hear that at the end of the show. Bye everyone!
Ben: See ya!
Micah: See ya!
Laura: Bye!
Andrew: Bye! Bye Internet. [laughs and says in high-pitched voice] Bye!
MuggleCast Parody
Tom: Hello and welcome to the first edition of a probable series of one; MuddleCast, the companion podcast to the popular Harry Potter show, MuggleCast. I’m your host, Tom Stelzer. The aim of this podcast is to provide you devoted MuggleCast listeners with the background on your favorite podcasters, through interviews with each of the main players. Whilst many of you have met many of the podcasters at various live events, we still really haven’t had a chance to get to know the people behind the minds, which is where this show will come in. First up, we’re going to catch up with Andrew Sims, the host of MuggleCast. Hello Andrew.
Andrew: Welcome everyone to the show, but…
Tom: Thanks, Andrew, but that’s my job here.
Andrew: Yeah! Yeah! All right!
Tom: Who’s that in the background? Is that your cheer squad or something?
Andrew: Yeah!
Tom: Do they scream every time you say “Yeah”?
Andrew: Yeah! Yeah! All right!
Tom: Okay, so anyway, Andrew, you having a good day?
Andrew: Yeah!
Tom: How’s it been?
Andrew: All right!
Tom: That’s good to hear.
Andrew: Pickles.
Tom: Ummm, okay. So first up, Andrew, would you be able to tell us how the idea of doing a Harry Potter podcast first came up?
Andrew: Yeah! Yeah! All right!
Tom: Care to elaborate?
Andrew: Yeah!
Tom: Well?
Andrew [To the tune of the Harry Potter theme song]: Nar nar nar nar nar nar nar nar nar nar nar…
Tom: Are you actually going to say something?
Andrew: Yeah!
Tom: Well that’s good, let’s hear it then.
Andrew: All right!
Tom: Yeah, we got that the first time, but is there anything else you’d like to add?
Andrew: Pickles.
Tom: Yeah, you’ve already said that, too. Okay, well, I think that’s all we’ve got time for. Ladies and Gentlemen, Andrew Sims.
Andrew: Yeah! Yeah! All right!
Tom: Thanks, Andrew. That was very illuminating. Okay, next up we’ve got everyone’s favorite MoundRidgian, although that’s nothing special because there’s only about five of them. Direct from Kansas, it’s Ben Schoen.
Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.
Tom: I – yeah. I just said that. So, anyway, how are you today, Ben?
Ben: It’s rough being Ben Schoen.
Tom: So, what are you up to today?
Ben: Thirty six inches of…
Tom: No, I wasn’t talking about how much Subway you’ve eaten. I mean what are you going to be doing today?
Ben: Give me a Butterbeer.
Tom: Uh, sorry Ben, but I don’t have any Butterbeer.
Ben: It’s rough being Ben Schoen.
Tom: I’m sure it is. Anyway, I’m sorry but that’s all we’ve got time for today.
Ben: Time flies when you’re having fun.
Tom: Very true. Thanks, Ben.
Blooper
Jamie: [Slowly] I’ve never ever insulted your parents.
Ben: There he goes.
Jamie: [Slowly laughs] Can you record it for me so I can hear it?
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, we’re recording. You sound really stupid. [laughs]
[Andrew and Ben laugh]
Andrew: [Imitating Jamie] Hey guys blah blah blah!
Jamie: Record it for me. Andrew, record it for me so I can hear it.
Andrew: Yeah, I know.
Micah: While we’re on the topic of banning, as reported previously, the Georgian mother, Laura Mallory campaigned for the Harry Potter books to be removed… [stumbles over word] Yes! Oh, nice. Now he dropped it. See, this is why you cannot do the news, and watch the Mets in the playoffs at the same time.
———————–
Written by: Micah, Adrienne, Allison, Amanda, Jessica, Judy, Mandie, Margaret, Martina, Matthew, Megan, Sarah, Shannon and Shelly