MuggleCast 88 Transcript
Show Intro
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Andrew: Today’s MuggleCast is also brought to you by Borders. It won’t be long before the much-anticipated release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Do you have your mind made up about where Severus Snape’s loyalties lie? Do you think he’ll betray Harry and his friends, or will he help them to triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Find out more about this complex character in the hot new book The Great Snape Debate available only at Borders. Remember to reserve Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at Borders and save 40 percent.
[Intro music begins to play]
Andrew: Because, oh my god, like, two new trailers, this is MuggleCast Episode 88, for April 29th, 2007, dedicated to AF.
[Intro music continues to play]
Andrew: We got a Facebook comment on our little group profile last week, and I thought it was very fitting because we were off the show last week, and it just so happens that a certain video game came out last week. It comes from Chris Heaton in West Midlands, the West Midlands network Facebook group. Anyone a part of that?
Ben: I am.
Andrew: Okay, Ben.
Ben: [laughs] Hi, I’m back.
Andrew: Yeah, nobody cares.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Oh, ouch. That hurts.
Andrew: He wrote:
So, you guys are having a break on the 22nd of April, which curiously is the release date of “Pokemon Diamond/Pearl” in the US. Coincidence? I think not. Doing other things? Yeah, right. Oh, how I love it.
Uh, Chris found out.
Ben: So, he thought we got together to play Pokemon? Is that what…
Andrew: Yeah, because we’ve been doing this segment on the show lately where we make Pokemon references, and the week we took off…
Ben: [laughs] Oh.
Andrew: …just happened to be the week that the new Pokemon game was released.
Ben: Oh.
Andrew: That is true for some of us like Eric and Jamie, but for others it’s not, like me. I like taking a week off because when we come back it’s like a whole big thing, and now I have a studio audience and we’ve missed out on so much news that we have so much to talk about this week. I’m Andrew Sims.
Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.
Eric: I’m Eric Scull.
Laura: And I’m Laura Thompson.
[Intro music continues to play]
News
Andrew: Micah Tannenbaum is standing by in the MuggleCast news center with this week’s top Harry Potter news stories. Micah?
Micah: I don’t even have time to thank you, Andrew.
Well, it was a week ago today that we received the international trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and later in the week received a full theater version that debuted on Yahoo. You can check out the trailers as well as a handful of new screenshots from the film over on MuggleNet.com.
Speaking of trailers, another new trailer has been released, but this time it is for the upcoming Order of the Phoenix video game. It is available for download. The game will be released on June 25th.
MillionairePlayboy.com has posted a review of the brand new Hogwarts LEGO set as part of their new Order of the Phoenix collection, due out in May. You can watch a video review and see some great pictures over on MuggleNet.com.
TIME Magazine has a new article discussing the villains of this summer’s movies. Dolores Umbridge is, of course, one of those listed, with the following being said:
“As Dolores Umbridge, the bureaucrat from the Ministry of Magic in this summer’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Imelda Staunton is a little bit priestess, a little bit villainous. Staunton, the latest in a line of top British thespians to visit Hogwarts, found it a tough balancing act. She said, ‘The character has to be ridiculous and yet real and frightening. She has to be silly and yet not cartoony. It’s difficult to gauge.'”
And speaking of TIME Magazine, they are currently running a poll asking who the most influential people are in the world. No one person will be selected, but the results are based on an overall vote influenced by site visitors. JK Rowling is one of 202 nominees, so go vote for her now. As of today, the Harry Potter author ranks in at No. 9.
And speaking of Jo, she was honored with a 2007 Rave Award. The award, given to 22 distinguished people, recognizes those who “before changing the game in technology, business, or culture, they first changed themselves.” The award ceremony took place Friday night in San Francisco, but Jo unfortunately could not attend.
July 3rd, 2007 has been confirmed as the date for the UK premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The US premiere will take place on July 8th. The venue is rumored to be in Los Angeles. Furthermore, it’s alleged that a premiere is scheduled for June 28th in Japan.
Finally, Bloomsbury has employed security measures for the release of Deathly Hallows. The British Harry Potter publisher has revealed some of their security measures to ensure the magic of Deathly Hallows is maintained until July 21st. According to The Scotsman, the book will only be delivered to bookshops one day prior the release and they will be sealed in crates bound by steel chains. Furthermore, security guards will be deployed to printing plants, and Amazon has agreed to store its copies in warehouses at secret locations.
That’s all the news for this April 29th, 2007 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.
Andrew: Alright. Thank you, Micah.
Virginia Tech
Andrew: We’re going to start off the show with a little serious note.
Laura: Yeah. We kind of wanted to take a moment, since we did take a break last week, to address the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As former, current, and soon-to-be enrolled college students it really is a horrible realization that something like this can happen on a campus, or anywhere else. Really, I mean, what did you guys think of it?
Andrew: It was just – Yeah, it was just absolutely terrible.
Ben: I just couldn’t believe it, you know?
Andrew: Yeah, and…
Ben: It was shocking.
Andrew: And immediately everybody thinks back to Columbine, and this was all very devastating. But even, you know, the magnitude.
Ben: The video was…
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
Ben: That was terrible. They gave the guy exactly what he wanted, which is the problem that I had with it.
Eric: Yeah. I agree, Ben.
Ben: You don’t put those videos on air.
Andrew: Right, right. Well, I’m sure NBC got a little…
Ben: Kickback.
Andrew: Kickback. Well, no not a kickback, but you know, they benefited from it.
Ben: Yeah, because CNN – Everywhere had the NBC watermark in the corner.
Andrew: Right. But anyway, Micah came up with a good idea that he suggested to us earlier this week, that we put a little Virginia Tech remnant in the album art this week, to recognize those who were lost in the tragedy and to show our support for everyone trying to get…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …through this time right now.
Announcements
Andrew: So, we have quite a few announcements to get to. First, Jamie is off the show.
[Dramatic pause]
Andrew: For a month.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Got everyone excited for a second. He was actually at Electronic Arts today to report for MuggleNet and MuggleCast about the new Order of the Phoenix video game coming out, and he has to finish up school for the next month and he’s busy with that. So, he will be off the show for some time. I just want to let everyone know now before we start getting any e-mails – [In a crazy voice] “Ah! Where’s Jamie! I think he’s funny! I think he’s…” You know?
Ben: British.
Andrew: “A good co-host, and British, yeah.”
[Ben and Laura laugh]
Andrew: So, if anyone wants to share some gossip about him? Anyone got some gossip about Jamie?
Ben: About Jamie?
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah, he actually made the train this time.
Andrew: Yeah, he did. Good point, Laura. He was on a train today and he did make it. We weren’t going to bail him out of this one.
Ben: Actually, send your donations to Jamieisawasteofspace2@gmail.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Just kidding. Don’t send your money.
Laura: Also, everybody, Micah is not here this week and that’s because he’s been pretty upset of the lack of updates on Jo’s site, so last I heard, he was on his way to Edinburgh to have a little chat with her.
Andrew: [laughs] He seriously IMs me everyday and says, “Why hasn’t Jo made an update? Why hasn’t Jo made an update?”
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: And it really gets to him more than anyone else…
Eric: I think Micah’s got a crush.
Laura: Yeah.
Wanted: MuggleCast Audio Editor
Andrew: Also, I just wanted to make a note that we are looking for an audio editor. Someone who can start editing the show this summer just for, like, a month, or two. What I need – What we need is someone who can take the show, take the five audio tracks that we all record, put them together, and clean it up; take out everyone else talking, take out all the – not inappropriate stuff, but stuff that really can’t go on the show.
Laura: You can say it. The inappropriate stuff. [laughs]
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. No, we’re looking for someone with experience who is very good at audio editing. You’ve heard the show, so you know what we are looking for. So, for like a month or two over the summer I need someone who can edit the show because we are going to be very busy. So, e-mail me at andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com if anyone is interested. And hey, there might be a little kickback your way…
Eric: Yeah, like a shirt.
Andrew: …if you help us out. You know what I’m saying?
Ben: Also, I’m going to be very busy over the summer so I am looking for somebody in the Wichita, Kansas metro-area to do my laundry.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: So, [laughs] e-mail me at ben at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
Andrew: A little kickback for that, too? Or…
Ben: Yeah, yeah. [laughs] You can hang out with me.
Eric: If you need guidance and…
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: You can handle my undergarments [laughs]
Eric: If you need emotional guidance from that suggestion that Ben just made, you can contact any of us and we will be happy to help you through this tough time.
Prophecy 2007
Andrew: And also if you checked up on the site within the past week or so, we are going to be at – not LeakyMug – we’re going to be at Prophecy 2007. We’ve sort of been hinting at it for a while. We’ve said we’re going to be probably going to Prophecy. And now it’s official and we’ve got all of the details worked out. We’re going to be doing a midnight podcast.
Ben: It’s going to be sweet.
Andrew: Podcast at midnight.
Ben: Oh my gosh.
Andrew: That’s past my bedtime. That might be a problem for me. But we’re going to be doing that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Ben, you’re excited?
Ben: Oh my gosh. I thrive at night. I’m a night owl. [laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] You are.
Ben: Love it. I love it.
Andrew: [laughs] So, that’s going to be a great new spin to the whole live podcast thing that we do.
Laura: The question, you know – A lot of people have been asking, are we really going to wear pajamas?
Andrew: Yeah, I don’t see why not.
Laura: I think we should.
Ben: Well.
Laura: I think we should.
Andrew: Ben, what’s your problem with it?
Laura: Appropriate pajamas, Ben.
Ben: I sleep in the nude, thank you.
Andrew: [laughs] Okay. You’ve said too much. So visit Prophecy2007.org for more information on that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And I think registration – You can still register.
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: I’m sure they’re running out of spots. The Yule Ball is going to be a lot of fun. Excuse me, the Decade of Enchantment Ball. They just got 250 more spots. So, this thing’s going to be huge. I can’t even believe it.
Ben: Huge.
Pickle Pack
Andrew: Also, Ben. Okay.
Ben: Yes.
Andrew: It’s time now for our big announcement of the show.
Ben: Oh, geez.
Andrew: We’ve been working on it for…
Ben: Nobody told me.
Andrew: It’s been in the Writely. Seriously?
Ben: Oh. Yeah. Oh, I know.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Nevermind, I do know.
Andrew: Okay. [laughs]
Ben: I’m kidding.
Andrew: What did you think I was going to say, Ben?
Ben: Oh, I just got you guys good.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: I knew all along.
Andrew: Alright. So, Ben, we’ve been working on something for a while now. I mean, with all of the trips we’re going to be doing over the summer; with all of the live podcasts and such that we’re going to be doing, we need money. And we were selling t-shirts for about a year. And…
Ben: We can’t do that anymore.
Andrew: Right.
Ben: So, there’s a bit of a problem here.
Andrew: Right. But we’ve come up with a solution.
Ben: A solution. What is it, Andrew? It’s pickles again.
Andrew: It’s pickles. We’re going for a pickle kind of solution.
Ben: It’s pickles.
Eric: And Peter Piper picked a peck of peckled pickled peppers. Pickled – pickle – pickled peppers.
Andrew: You know what? Did you say, “pack” in there?
Eric: No, there was a peck, though.
Ben: A pack of pickles.
Andrew: Because today we’re introducing the Pickle Pack. Which is a brand new membership, so to speak, to MuggleCast. We’ll still be doing the regular shows every Sunday. We’ll still be doing the hour-long episodes that you’ve come to know and love with all the humor and great content that you guys all enjoy. But we’re starting something new at PicklePack.com, which is a – How do I want to put it? A membership, it’s a membership to MuggleCast. But what you get is a bunch of new, bonus material.
Ben: Bonus content.
Andrew: Bonus content, right. Ben, can you explain what people are going to be getting?
Ben: Essentially, here is what’s happening. You’re paying us for a subscription to this website. And with this subscription – In addition to the subscription, you get a free t-shirt mailed to you, and you get a lot of bonus content. Now, when we say bonus content, you’re probably thinking, “Guys, you’re being really vague here. What is bonus content and why would I buy?” Okay. Here’s why: You get video blogs for each of us, special episodes, a hint at what’s to come with MuggleCast. So, basically, you get previews of things. You get all the stuff that you normally wouldn’t get.
Andrew: If you’re a hardcore MuggleCast fan, you’re going to want this. Each day one of us is going to be making a new blog post, which we’re calling, “Blickles.” And everyone’s going have an assigned day of the week. So, say Laura’s on Monday, she’ll be posting whether it’s a written blog or a video blog. And these can be about anything. They don’t even have to be about MuggleCast. But then also we’re going to have the inside content, like Ben was mentioning. We’re going to throw some bonus stuff in there. Okay, we’ve been holding to this map that Jamie drew of the United States for quite a while now.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: It’s probably one of the funniest things we’ve ever seen in our lives.
Ben: Do you still have that?
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, I still have it.
Ben: Oh, awesome.
Andrew: Jamie probably doesn’t want that to get out but it’s going to get out. [laughs] Micah has some audio content, we’re going to be recording lots of extra stuff, we’re going to have bloopers, bonus segments, all kinds of stuff. So visit PicklePack.com for more. I have 600 Pickle Pack t-shirts sitting here in my room right now, and we need to get rid of every last one of them. One of the first videos going up on PicklePack.com is going to be a video of me and my brother, Ryan, modeling off the Pickle Pack t-shirts. So, Ben, how can people sign up for Pickle Pack?
Ben: You can sign up for Pickle Pack by visiting, well, PicklePack.com. Those of you who already have an account on MuggleNet to make comments on the news, you’re already a step ahead of the game here. You just go to PicklePack.com, log in, and it will ask you to enter your payment information and Andrew will send you a t-shirt.
Andrew: Right. And it is also going to be coming with a nice little letter that Laura wrote up.
Laura: Yeah, that’s right.
Ben: Yeah, the cost is only $30 per year. That includes shipping and handling domestically. We are still working out a system for international orders right now, but it may be slightly more depending on your location and all that, so stay tuned for that. So yeah, go – And remember, all proceeds from the Pickle Pack go to support the show. As we’ve said before, we have movie premieres this summer we need to go to, we have Harry Potter conventions, and our parents aren’t just giving us – they just aren’t giving us enough allowance.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: So, we…
Andrew: I’ve done all my chores.
Ben: We need all of your help.
Andrew: Yeah, we are serious when we say every last dollar of this is going to be going to – into the podcast, into the expenses that it takes to do these live shows. And you are going to be getting your money’s worth. There is going to be at least – at least – ten new things going on PicklePack.com every week. So, I mean, this is definitely worth the money. Plus you get a free t-shirt. You know, so it’s going to be great. For more information visit PicklePack.com.
Ben: We are only going to be taking sign-ups until June 16, so that gives you basically a month and a half to get signed up. Get your Pickle Pack t-shirt. Go down in history as a member of the Pickle Pack.
Andrew: Exclusive, elusive, MuggleCast Pickle Pack. And then we probably won’t be taking sign-ups again until probably next year. So, you know, now is the time to get into the Pickle Pack. And again, all the money will be benefiting MuggleCast. And we appreciate everyone signing up very, very much as you will see in the nice letter Laura wrote up.
Laura: Mhm.
OOTP Trailers
Andrew: Now that we got that out of the way it is time to talk about the trailers because we got two trailers within the past week, even. So, which one, do you guys want to start with the international trailer?
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: Since we got that one first?
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Let’s start with that.
Andrew: Alright. Initial thoughts, boys and girls.
Ben’s Thoughts
Andrew: Who wants to start?
Ben: I want to start. I really do.
Andrew: Okay.
Ben: Okay. I am so pumped for this movie. You have no idea how pumped I am after watching these things. Because I remember back when Prisoner of Azkaban came out, I remember sitting at my computer – we had one family computer, I didn’t even have a laptop back then. I was sitting at the one family computer just watching the trailer over and over and over again. And I just got more and more excited. I remember going into the theater and sitting there and getting all antsy, you know.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Antsy in my pantsy at the screen. It was, it was great. And, after seeing this, it was comparable to having that all happen again. You know, being basically a virgin Harry Potter fan. You know, being exposed to it for the first time. And I just – I am really excited for this film. There are a few things I noticed in the international trailer. Something that I really liked was when Umbridge just busts the people making out. I mean…
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Ben: …that’s something we’ve never seen before – people just snogging each other in the hallway.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah, and I also liked when Fred and George – that scene with the fireworks and stuff as they’re flying over the Great Hall. That was really cool.
Voldemort In King’s Cross
Ben: But the one thing that just really confused me that I’m still having a hard time understanding, is why was Voldemort in a suit? Does anybody know?
Andrew: [laughs] Laura, you had a good idea about this, didn’t you?
Laura: I can’t remember specifically where it was in the book, but I remember at one point – I think it was in Order of the Phoenix where Harry remarked and made some kind of comment or a joke about Voldemort hiding behind a dust bin in the street or something and leaping out from behind it or something, and I almost kind of took that as an interpretation, and the suit almost being so many people denying that he was back, that he could be standing in the middle of Platform 9 3/4 in a suit, and no one would notice.
Eric: Exactly.
Laura: And I’m pretty sure it’s a nightmare.
Eric: Yeah.
Laura: I mean, there’s no way it’s not.
Eric: It’s definitely a dream sequence-type thing.
Ben: That’s a good point, though, Laura.
Eric: Harry just kind of fades in and out.
Andrew: You think this is Harry having a nightmare? Because isn’t this right before he’s about to get on the Hogwarts Express? Don’t you think he might be zoning out or something?
Laura: Well, that could be – it could be a daydream or a nightmare or something.
Ben: Or Voldemort’s getting inside of his head. Voldemort put it there. Hm, interesting, though.
Andrew: What if after the close-up of Voldemort in the suit, it cuts back to Harry and he squints at him closer or something, and…
Ben: It turns back into a normal person or something.
Andrew: Yeah, it’s like Malfoy or something.
Laura: That would be really cool. I think that would be great interpretation.
Ben: At least it’s not a shrunken Jamaican head.
Eric: Yeah, yeah. [laughs]
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: That’s the way I look at it. [laughs]
Laura: I liked the shrunken head. [laughs]
Ben: [Jamaican accent] Hey, man!
Andrew: That was Cuaron’s touch.
Laura: That guy was awesome.
Andrew: I enjoyed that very much. I liked the suit.
Eric: I want that suit.
Andrew: I might be getting that for prom. Still don’t have a date yet, e-mail me at andrew at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
[Ben and Laura laugh]
Corny Lines
Ben: Moving on to the trailer, Ron has a really corny line, and I think that it’s going to be one of those lines that everybody’s thinking, “Why did he just say that?” Because every movie has a really corny line. In Goblet of Fire was when Harry walked into the tent, and he just turns around and goes, [imitates Harry] “I love magic.”
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Ben: And it just – “Oh, did he just say that? Did he just say that?” That’s what you think. The line in the trailer was, [imitates Ron] “Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?”
Andrew: Oh, I thought that was good! I don’t think that was very corny.
Eric: No, it was a good line.
Laura: I thought it was okay.
Andrew: It is kind of cliche.
Ben: I thought it was too cliche for my taste. I’m just having a hard time with the sincerity of the acting, you know?
Eric: With Ron? Or Rupert.
Ben: Not with Ron.
Eric: I – geez.
Ben: In that scene, I had a problem with Emma. And, I know, shocking.
Andrew: [Gasps] Ben!
Ben: I love Emma. I love Emma. Emma, I love you. It’s just the way she said, “Breaking rules is fun, isn’t it?” It just didn’t sound like she was in the role, like she was Hermione. It is taken out of context, but in that part it just didn’t sound like she was Hermione, you know? That she was being Hermione.
Eric: But thus far in the movie series we haven’t really seen – I mean, we’ve seen a booky Hermione Granger, maybe, in the first movie, but it’s never really been important. What’s always been more important is, “Does my hair really look like that from behind?” kind of a fashion-sense thing. They’ve made Hermione more of a girly girl.
Ben: More superficial, basically.
Eric: More superficial, exactly. So, for Ron to say, “Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?” Yes, it’s funny, but only for those who’ve read the book and actually have an image of a booky, intelligent Hermione Granger. Because those who’ve seen the movies, I mean…
Ben: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: So, in a way it’s almost ironic, too, because…
Eric: Yeah, I think they should have been a bit more careful before drawing that contrast because there’s nothing in the movies to support that line and make it funny at all, really.
Ben: Yeah. And something about Goblet of Fire was that I really thought that Emma Watson did an excellent job in that movie. I thought it was her best yet, and I’m expecting that same in Order of the Phoenix, just that line was sort of – to me, it was almost a corny moment. Kind of like at Goblet of Fire when Harry and Ron say “I’ll write you every day,” or whatever and they are like, “No, we won’t.”
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Ben: It’s just sort of – it’s just dumb because – Oh, you’re friends, you’re friends, but you aren’t going to bother to talk to each other. I mean, Harry doesn’t have anybody but his fat cousin who sits on the couch eating Oreos all day, but he’s not going to write to you guys. No, that’s not going to happen.
Eric: Biscuits, Ben. Biscuits.
Andrew: Now, I’m a big Alan Rickman fan and I love his portrayal of Snape, but was anyone not amused by him hitting Ron over the head? Because he has already done that, he’s already done that.
Eric: Aw, come on.
Andrew: Why is he doing that again?
Laura: But that is part of the thing with these movies. They have these, like Ben was saying, these constant, recurring corny moments, like…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: If you remember back to Sorcerer’s Stone, the big thing throughout that was Seamus blowing stuff up all the time. [laughs]
Andrew: Right, right.
Laura: Like ever five seconds he blew something up.
Andrew: That got old quick.
Laura: Yeah, it did. And, I think they just do it for the kids. I think they do it so the kids have something to laugh at.
The Music
Andrew: Yeah, that’s true. Let’s see. What else do these people want to talk about? I was a real big fan of the music underneath this international trailer.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: I just thought it was very powerful and, you know…
Ben: Now who’s doing it this time? Is it the…
Andrew: It’s not John Williams, correct?
Ben: Dolin? Something Dolin?
Andrew: Yeah. Peter Dolin, I think, or something like that? Peter Doyle.
Ben: Peter Doyle, yeah that’s right. Peter Doyle.
Andrew: Yeah, so I was really impressed by that. My favorite part of the trailer, the music at least, is underneath Hermione – underneath Ron’s line “Who are you and what have you done with…” It was like, “bum, bum, bum.” I just thought that that was really good.
[Eric and Laura laugh]
“Don’t Fight Him, Harry”
Ben: Something that I noticed, there’s a – I typed out a few of my favorite lines in here.
Andrew: Oh, good prep work, Ben.
Ben: In the international trailer when Dumbledore says, “Don’t fight him, Harry, you can’t win.” To me that doesn’t seem like something Dumbledore would say.
Andrew: Yeah. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback about that, actually.
Laura: I think he was talking about…
Ben: But that just…
Laura: …the Occulmency, though.
Andrew: Ooh.
Laura: I think he was kind of telling Harry not to try to invade Voldemort’s mind, just to focus on keeping Voldemort out of his.
Andrew: Ooh.
Laura: That’s what I took it as.
Andrew: Because everyone seemed to take that to be Dumbledore talking about Voldemort. That might make sense.
Harry Dueling With Voldemort
Ben: See, at the end of the trailer a lot of people think that when Harry shouts Expelliarmus and then Voldemort is shown doing something right after that – At first I thought, “Well, what’s Harry doing dueling Voldemort again?” Or did he duel Voldemort?
Laura: No, he didn’t.
Ben: Sort of. Well, he just dived out of the way in Order of the Phoenix, right?
Laura: Yeah, pretty much. Dumbledore dueled him.
Ben: And so – Yeah. And so, I was just sort of wondering, “Well, what was going on there?” So, I think it’s just two different clips, they wouldn’t put a new dueling scene in. [laughs]
Laura: Well, remember Harry dueled with Bellatrix. He tried to go after her.
Andrew: Yeah, and in this shot Sirius is blocking Harry, so that’s probably that scene. I hope they’re not trying to create the perception that Dumbledore and Harry are dueling because that would be kind of…
Laura: Yeah. One thing – I’m pretty sure that it was in the domestic trailer where Dumbledore and Voldemort were dueling, and they were having a Priori Incantatem moment. Did you guys notice that?
Andrew: Yeah, you know what…
Laura: Their wands were connected.
Andrew: Yeah. Well – Hold on, wait. Let’s get to that in a second because…
Laura: Okay.
Andrew: I just – That end of that trailer was so good.
Laura: I know.
Andrew: But…
“You Will Lose Everything”
Ben: Okay, at the end of the international trailer when Voldemort…
Andrew: Yeah, let’s talk about the international…
Ben: When Voldemort says, “You will lose everything,” that sent chills down my spine, I was…
Andrew: I was so happy that made the trailer because it looked so corny on the poster.
Laura: It looked really lame.
Andrew: It was just said, straight up, “You will lose everything,” and I’m like, “That’s stupid, what – ” You know.
Ben: I was just wondering who said it, who says, “You will lose everything”? That was the thing for me.
Andrew: Well, I thought it was Voldemort because Voldemort’s right there on the cover, but – or on the poster – but in the trailer it sounds so much better because there’s that long pause “You will lose” – [whispering] – “everything.” Bah bah bah!
Eric: Well, Ralph Fiennes is great!
Andrew: He is great.
Laura: He is an awesome actor.
Ben: The actors in these movies are incredible. They do every role justice in my mind, with the exception of Gambon/Dumbledore from time to time. I think that every role is done justice. I mean, there is nothing that I am extremely displeased with in these films.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Feel free to disagree.
Andrew: In these films or in the trailers – in this Order of the Phoenix? What are you talking about?
Ben: In the films, in general, I just…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: The acting is just so wonderful.
Andrew: Yeah.
“He’s Not Back”
Andrew: Oh, another thing I wasn’t happy about though is when Dumbledore is there on trial and Fudge says, let me play it – “He’s not,” “he’s not” – What does he say?
Laura: “He’s not back”?
Andrew: “He’s not back.” He says it like he’s losing his voice or something. I hate that voice, because that’s not how he sounds in Prisoner of Azkaban.
Ben: Oh! Oh, I take that back. I was extremely disappointed…
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: …with Barty Crouch, Senior. Okay. Ugh. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, that…
Ben: [in a high voice] “Harry Potter, you…” [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Andrew: But, just – Fudge – his voice, was he – did he lose his voice that day, because that sounds terrible.
Laura: No, it sounded to me like he was – I don’t want to say whispering, but kind of trying to shush Dumbledore, in a way.
Andrew: Like he’s afraid.
Laura: By the tone of his voice.
Andrew: Oh, oh.
Ben: Has anyone else seen Robert Hardy, the actor who plays Fudge, act a lot before or…?
Andrew: No.
Ben: He really isn’t that much in the movie. You don’t really hear him speak that much so maybe we just haven’t seen him talk enough until now.
Andrew: Yeah. I’m looking at his IMDB just for kicks. He hasn’t really starred in any big movies.
Eric: Well, there was a…
Andrew: Lassie. [laughs]
Eric: Well, for British actors – British actors you can never really tell what movies they do, how popular they’ll be but, you know, unless they’re premiered in America, which you know everyone’s kind of doing. But no, he had a big scene in Chamber of Secrets. Remember when Lucius Malfoy went with Cornelius to Hagrid’s hut and tried to…
Laura: Was that the same guy?
Eric: Yeah.
Ben: It was. It was.
Eric: It was the same guy, but that’s…
Laura: He looked different to me.
Eric: That’s why you asked that, Laura.
Laura: So, I just…
Eric: He looked different, he looked completely different. And in Prisoner of Azkaban he was pretty much the same, you know, “Oh, Harry, we don’t send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts.” [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: But, then Tom was so different, so, that was really messed up.
Imelda Staunton And Umbridge
Andrew: Anything else to bring up about this international trailer?
Laura: Well, while we were still talking about the characters, I just wanted to bring up Imelda Staunton as Umbridge.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Oh, she is awesome.
Laura: She just looks so good. She really looks brilliant. And I’m so excited, like…
Andrew: She does…
Laura: You know, whenever she did that kind of squeaky laugh – I can’t even imitate it, but when she did it, it annoyed me so much.
Andrew: You know what – and I…
Laura: I wanted to hit the wall. [laughs]
Andrew: I was thinking, I extracted that clip of her laugh and I thought we could start playing it on the show every time we said something funny, but then it just got so annoying after I played it for like the tenth time.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: And it sounded so fake after you hear it so many times. But I was thinking about this, I’m a little afraid that there’s almost too much focus on Umbridge, like they really center around her in this trailer. Like she’s in almost every shot just her being herself, and I almost feel like there might be too much of Umbridge.
Laura: Well…
Eric: Well, the Ministry…
Laura: …I don’t think so.
Eric: …is imposing.
Andrew: She plays a big role, but I just really want to come out of the movie hating her, and if we do, then I think…
Eric: Oh yeah, well, look at the…
Andrew: …it’s a job well done.
Eric: Look at the international trailer, right after Hagrid says something about the war coming full-scale uprising and then there’s like…
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Eric: …ten centaurs who are like running through the woods who burst out of this, like – in between two trees – like, if that’s…
Andrew: You’re willing to see the movie?
Eric: …the scene where Umbridge gets attacked by the centaurs, I’m willing to see it.
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: Mhm.
Eric: Yeah, I’m going to run to see the movie because that’s just going to be so good.
Filch Hammering The Decrees
Eric: But Laura was talking about hitting the wall, too. The international trailer is punctuated with the hammer and the nail.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: On the wall, nailing up Umbridge’s…
Andrew: I thought that was too much.
Eric: …educational decrees, so…
Laura: Yeah. Really?
Eric: I thought it was cool.
Laura: I thought it was kind of cool the way they had those set up.
Ben: I thought it was cool, though.
Andrew: No, no. I love how they have them set up. I don’t like how it kept cutting back to Fudge nailing in the different – I don’t know.
Eric: Well, not – Filch? You said Fudge.
Andrew: Oh, I meant Filch.
Cho’s Change
Andrew: But have we talked on the show at all about the change in the movie where Cho rats out Harry?
Laura: Yes. Yeah, we did.
Andrew: Because the trailer gives that away, so I thought it’s fair game now.
Laura: Yeah.
The Ministry Of Magic
Andrew: Also a big fan of the scene where they’re running through the Hall of Prophecies. I thought that looks really cool.
Laura: Oh, my gosh.
Andrew: Completely digital.
Laura: It looks amazing.
Andrew: Laura, what did you think of the Ministry of Magic?
Laura: I don’t know. I think the Ministry – I think the whole thing looks really good just from what we’ve seen of it in the trailers.
Eric: Oh, my gosh. Guys, I just uncovered the scene where Remus is holding Harry back from the veil. It’s towards the very end of the international trailer right after the wall of Educational Decrees blows up, but then the fiery dragon is coming through it. There’s a short scene where Harry’s just screaming and you can see Remus holding him back. I really like that. The way that it looks – it’s just – because you can tell Sirius has just died.
Dementors
Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. Let’s move on to the domestic trailer which came out a mere, what, three days later?
Laura: Yeah, one of the first things I noticed were the Dementors. And they look really different, but I like them.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: They look really, really good. This was the one that I basically sat there and went through frame-by-frame just to look at everything, and I just love the way the dementors look. They look really, really good.
Dumbledore And Voldemort’s Duel
Andrew: Yeah. The ends, which you wanted to talk about earlier – the shot of Dumbledore and Voldemort dueling.
Laura: Oh, Dumbledore and Voldemort.
Andrew: It’s like, I can’t even – it’s really – [sighs].
Laura: Yeah, it looks so good. But, my only problem with it is it looks like they have Priori Incantatem going on.
Andrew: I need to find it.
Laura: It really does. And at first I thought it might’ve been Harry, but then I looked at it and the robes looked like Dumbledore’s.
Andrew: Oh, it’s 1:42.
Laura: Ah, I don’t even have it up right now. It’s towards the end.
Andrew: Yeah, that’s definitely not Harry. Hm. Yeah, because the colors are different in the spells, and they’re clashing; Voldemort’s is green and Dumbledore’s is red. That scene is going to be so amazing, though.
Falling Into The Department Of Mysteries?
Laura: Yeah, another thing that I wanted to bring up: What was with that – did you notice that one – it was really short, where the kids – they were falling…
Andrew and
Laura: And then they stopped.
Laura: Yeah, what was that?
Andrew: Was it bouncing?
[Eric and Laura laugh]
Laura: I was trying to think of what happened in the book that would even influence that.
Andrew: Oh, they must be coming into the Department of Mysteries because they’re all there.
Laura: But they didn’t fall into the Department of Mysteries.
Andrew: I know, but…
Eric: It reminded me of Hook, when Robin Williams’s character just begins to gain flight after falling down the old tree house shaft and then bursts out in tights and everything.
Andrew: Yeah, but this is the Department of Mysteries. Look around it.
Laura: Well, it’s got to be. They’re all there.
Eric: Is it? Because all you see is…
Andrew: They’re all there. Look at the brick.
Eric: The question is who’s casting it.
Andrew: And then, one of the pictures that was released a month ago by Newsweek, there’s a picture with this set, with those green bricks, and you know, that kind of set, and they said it was in the Department of Mysteries.
Eric: Oh, wait. Actually, when – I thought originally that it was when they fall and somebody’s holding out an arm with a wand, but actually, it’s two feet.
Andrew: Yeah.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: So, somebody else is in front of them? What is going on?
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: That makes very little…
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: I also see Umbridge casting a spell just before that.
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: I don’t know, guys. I can’t find the whole Dumbledore/Priori Incantatem thing.
Andrew: I also – well, that’s at 1:42, I think.
Privet Drive
Andrew: I like the shots where Harry and Dudley back at Privet Drive, right after Dudley gets attacked the Dementor, Harry casts a spell, and the way he casts it, it’s like he’s rolling a bowling ball, sort of. I’m going frame-by-frame.
Laura: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: It’s like an underhand pitch almost, it’s not the normal overhand thing.
Ben: Yeah, his stroke – his wand stroke.
Andrew: But that’s a really cool shot.
Laura: The whole set of Privet Drive and the surrounding neighborhood is completely different.
Andrew: Yeah, they’re in a tunnel. They weren’t in a tunnel in…
Laura: It almost looks like they’re in a city.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Inside that tunnel.
Ben: Yeah, because in Prisoner of Azkaban, it was fairly open, you know?
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Hmmm.
Andrew: Yeah.
Harry And Cho
Ben: Something I liked about the trailer – Ben Schoen, always a sucker for romance.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: When Cho says, “You’re a really good teacher, Harry,” and then they kiss. That’s just so – it was heartwarming, to say the least.
Andrew: What I did like about that was right afterwards the transition from that stupid love scene to the dark serious stuff because the music suddenly changes.
Laura: To all the good stuff, yeah.
Ben: No…
Andrew: Exactly.
Ben: I thought that was a really cool line, though. “You’re a really good teacher, Harry.”
Andrew: I guess.
Ben: Yeah.
Laura: And then she had to drop the kid because they had to have another one of those corny moments…
[Andrew laughs]
Laura: …like we were talking about.
Ben: Or when Sirius said, “It’s your turn, Harry.” I really like that too.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah, that was a good one.
Eric: Oh, wow. I’m just…
High-Definition Trailer
Andrew: But there was – by the way – everyone should download the 1080p version. It’s beautiful. You can see every last thing.
Ben: What’s a 1080p?
Andrew: It’s hi-def. It’s like a 150 megabyte trailer, it’s – yeah, the quality’s awesome.
Laura: My computer couldn’t handle that one.
Andrew: Yeah, it plays a little slow.
Eric: Where do we get this from? Guys?
Andrew: You – links are on MuggleNet, I can’t remember exactly. Well, let’s just run through shots that we think are really good. I mean, I loved the one where Harry is in a really close isle of prophecies and he’s running by himself. I’m a sucker, Ben, for shots that are shaky-camera shots to illustrate the action in the movement of the scene.
Judging OOTP Too Soon
Ben: Okay, guys, here’s what happens. Hold on a second. You have to hear me out here, quickly. Here’s what always happens whenever, and I’m serious – I mean, whenever we start talking about a movie. It happened with Goblet of Fire, it always happens. We start off talking about, “Oh my gosh, this movie looks so great,” and then the second we see the movie…
Andrew: We always start judging it.
Ben: After we get out of the movie, we say, “That was a wonderful movie,” and then Emerson says, “Hands down, hands down…”
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: “…best film I’ve seen, the best film yet,” and then…
Andrew: “Best movie ever!”
Ben: The crowd goes wild and they scream and stuff. Right. And then three weeks later, three weeks or a month later, we’re talking about the movie on the show and all the sudden, we’re all talking about how much we hate it and how it didn’t do the book justice. It’s what we always do.
Eric: I don’t know, I was really always…
Andrew: It’s because we all get caught up in the hype in the beginning, and the trailer’s like an amazing action-packed two minutes of just…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: You know, the best scenes.
Ben: So, let’s be realistic here. What does this mean for the film?
Laura: I really think this trailer…
Ben: What does this mean for the film? What does this trailer mean for the film?
Andrew: Honestly?
Eric: Freaking awesome.
Andrew: Jam-packed. I have to say, looking back at Goblet of Fire, I didn’t – it was good, but it’s not as good as…
Eric: Aw, come on. Ben, you’re right.
Andrew: I thought it was when I first saw it. Because I saw it a couple weeks ago…
Eric: It’s just that simple, Ben’s right.
Andrew: I just – I almost felt like it was a pain to get through the three challenges because it’s like, “Alright, now we’re at number one. Okay, now we’re at number two. Alright, now…”
Ben: No, it wasn’t a pain. I thought it moved incredibly fast.
Laura: Well, you know…
Andrew: It was quick.
Ben: I thought it did an excellent job. Because everything is just so boom, boom, boom, boom, there is no – if you go to the bathroom in Goblet of Fire, during that movie, you’re hosed, okay? You…
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, that’s true.
Ben: Come back and you’re completely out of the loop. So, yeah. Parents, before seeing Order of the Phoenix, take your children to the restroom. Or else you’ll regret it.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, take yourself to the restroom, too. When you see Movie 5, though, you’re going to immediately think that Movie 4 sucked. I really think so. I’m going to. I’m already thinking Movie 4 sucked before Order of the Phoenix.
Ben: Initially, initially. People are going to run out of the premiere after they see the movie, run into the live podcast, and talk about how cool everything was, instead of objectively judging the movie like they will a week later, you know?
Eric: No…
Ben: Because, that’s how I honestly think it was.
Eric: I don’t like what you’re doing, Ben. I mean, you’re saying that people will not like this movie after they give it a real, serious think. Are you ignoring…
Ben: No, I’m not. No. No, I’m saying is that from our perspective as people on a podcast, we analyze every little detail. Andrew started talking about time stamps a little bit ago. “Did you see at 44 seconds?” You know? We analyze every little detail to the point where even if we actually do enjoy the film, it sounds like we don’t because we are scrutinizing it so much, is what I’m saying. And I think that’s true.
Andrew: But, you know, at any rate, I think we are all in agreement that this is probably going to be – completely countering what you just said – but it’s going to be the best movie ever.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Andrew: I really think so. I think it’s got a great group of actors…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: We’re going to be seeing everyone in this film, and we are going to have an awesome duel at the end.
Eric: I don’t – yeah.
Andrew: And well besides the fact, Order of the Phoenix is my favorite book – Eric, your opinion on all of this?
Eric: Well, I don’t think their acting was lacking, really. I mean, I love all the other movies. I don’t hate the previous films just because I think five is going to be great. I’ve even made my amends with POA. I really have. So, I love all the previous films. I don’t really know what’s going on.
Ben: See, that’s the thing. When I remember first watching Sorcerer’s Stone, I loved that movie. I mean, that was my favorite movie. At the time, it was my favorite movie period.
Eric: You’re allowed to have new favorites.
Ben: I know. I’m just saying that it’s just sort of interesting how from the standpoint of someone who – Back then I wasn’t involved in the website or anything like that, and I really enjoyed the movie, and I kept enjoying the movie. Then once I saw it a thousand times, I started nitpicking at it. [laughs]
Eric: Hmmm.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: And I liked it less.
Laura: Well, I think that’s what people like us do. When you consider the general public who isn’t as obsessed with Harry Potter as we are, the people who are going to watch it once maybe twice, they won’t have as many problems with it as we obviously will because we are going to watch it ten million times.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: There is no doubt about it, and I think that’s a big part of all of the criticisms we have for the movies.
Eric: Hey, if somebody has to sit in a room and review this movie five thousand times, I’m game to volunteer.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Because it looks like it is going to be so good.
Andrew: It really does.
Laura: It does.
Listener Feedback: Positive Review
Ben: Should we see what the listeners thought about the trailer?
Andrew: Ben, that’s a great idea. Earlier this week we posted on MuggleCast.com and looked for your feedback.
Ben: Vanessa, 19, from California says,
I must say; wow. Just wow. I get goosebumps whenever I watch that trailer. There are a lot of shots of action scenes with things breaking and with lots of chaos, which the book did convey. I’m particularly excited about the Weasley’s chaos. Other than that, I’m just speechless.
Andrew: Yeah. Everyone got chills, right, when they saw it?
Laura: I agree. Yeah. I think this is probably the best preview we’ve ever gotten for any of the Potter films, really.
Eric: That’s what I agree with, but, if you remember, I think it is something different that they did in marketing because with Goblet of Fire, remember we had full scenes from the movie – not full scenes – but clips from the actual movie. We had, what, ten scenes of like a minute long, two minutes long?
Laura: Yeah.
Eric: Like the ferret scene and etcetera, and they released it. They are not doing that with this, but yet we get such a better trailer, and international and domestic trailers are just so much more…
Ben: But how do we know they are not going to do that? The last time, what they did was they waited until May, and they did a special on ABC. Wasn’t that what it was?
Eric: Ooh.
Ben: That’s what it was for Prisoner of Azkaban. They had a special in May on ABC where they played Chamber of Secrets on TV, and then they had the previews – the interstitials – for Goblet of Fire.
Eric: They were actual clips from the movie, and if anybody understands what I’m saying, I just want to speak out against that happening in this movie because they ruined the…
Ben: Spoiled it in a way…
Eric: They took it out of context of the rest of the movie, and even though they were great scenes, and it’s great, “Oh, yes. They kept this scene in the movie!” I would prefer it if it stayed in one whole piece. You know, Order of the Phoenix exists as a whole film. I don’t want to just see one scene given to me in advance. I want to see the whole movie.
Laura: Well, you…
Eric: And I want it to be good.
Laura: You don’t have to watch it.
Eric: I know I don’t have to watch it.
[Ben laughs]
Eric: But the fact that they’re releasing it to – to…
Ben: Well, okay.
Eric: Everyone just to watch it but the fact that they’re releasing it to everyone to watch is just disgraceful because what they’ve got is something that seems to be very coherent and very important to where it is in the movie. It seems to be fit and crammed so tightly that taking it out to show the people, “Hey, we did this scene and we like it.” It’s just not good for anyone. It’s just not – People don’t need to see that. They’ll see the movie anyway. Alright, guys. I gotta go. Good luck discussing everything else. I don’t wanna snub the listeners, I try to get in a little bit, but I have to go to work now, so. I’ll…
Ben: Okay, have fun at work. Where do you work at?
Eric: Oh, Borders, man.
Ben: You flying back to the movie theater?
Eric: [laughs] Yeah, I fly back to the movie theater. No, but we do get – we do get Spiderman 3 before y’all. By like a day, so it’s pretty cool.
Ben: Ooh.
Eric: Alright, cool. Take care.
Listener Feedback: Good Scenes And Voldemort’s Appearance
Ben: Enough of what we think of the trailer, Samantha, 19, of Illinois writes:
Hey, guys. Love you, love the show. I was very pleased to see Fred and George Weasley flying around wreaking havoc. My only hope for this movie is that they keep in the funniest line, “Give her hell from us, Peeves!” Umbridge looks positively annoying, as she should. At first, it was a bit weird to see Voldemort in a suit, but now I kinda like it. Does he look kind of different to you guys? Like, redder lips or something? And of course, there was Dumbledore’s flight. I think that maybe Michael Gambon may finally be bringing out the true Dumbledore. About time. Overall, this movie looks amazing. I can’t wait.
End quote.
Andrew: Voldemort’s lips do look pretty…
Ben: I didn’t – I didn’t – I wasn’t – I wasn’t looking at his lips.
Laura: I thought Voldemort looked a little different.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Like his face, it almost looked like his eyes were more sunken and there was more darkness there and his lips looked more human than they did in the last one. I noticed that as well.
Andrew: Which I think is a good idea. Because you…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …want to make him look more real, but at the same time you want to make him look unreal.
Laura: Yeah. It doesn’t – he doesn’t look drastically different, I just think they’ve made some make-up, cosmetic-type changes just to kind of upgrade him, I suppose.
Andrew: Right.
Laura: I think it looks fine.
Andrew: Right. Um, yeah. What else did she say here?
Laura: Oh, Dumbledore’s flight. That looked really great.
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
Laura: [laughs] That just looked amazing.
Andrew: Yeah, absolutely.
Laura: That was just another thing in that trailer with so many large-scale type action moments, and I’m just – I’m really, really excited for it.
Andrew: Definitely.
Listener Feedback: Negative Review
Andrew: We got some other feedback from Andrew of Chicago, Illinois. He writes:
I’m probably the only one that hates the trailer. I can accept changing some things and cutting things to make a movie, but this is Potter blasphemy. They might as well call this “Harry Potter and Some of The Things That Occurred In Order of the Phoenix, but Perhaps in Different Places or With Different People and Some Things That Didn’t Occur At All, With Some Other Stuff That Will Look Cool With a Bunch of CGI.
[deep breath] Um, I think that’s too long of a title.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: PS: Is that Jamie I see in the business suit at the train? I thought he missed it.
Oh, snap!
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: That’s a good one, Andrew, and Jamie can’t defend himself which makes it even better. I think it’s too early to be complaining about the changes. Although, we already have. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah. I think his big complaint is that what they’re doing is basically taking characters who weren’t there during certain parts of the movie. Like they have Ron in the woods with Harry and Hermione when they come into contact with Grawp. And then they’ve definitely put more of a focus on characters like Fred, George, the trio, Luna, Cho and Ginny for Dumbledore’s Army as opposed to how many people were in it originally, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing because if you tried to focus on all of the people that were in there originally, it was like what, 25 people? There’s no way you can put that kind of focus in a movie. You’ve gotta keep your focus with the characters that the audience can relate with because they’re the ones that they know.
Listener Feedback: Ron
Andrew: Alright, and one last piece of feedback comes from Laura, 24 of [imitates English accent] Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK. Chip, chip! She writes:
Wow. That’s all I can say. I’m now even more excited about this film than I was before, and I didn’t think that was possible. The most exciting thing in this trailer, for me, is Ron. It seems like the filmmakers have realized that Rupert is more than just a rubber face and have given him some great lines.
Uh, Ben would not agree with this, but, she quotes:
“Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?” Perfect, she says.
Ben: Ooh.
Andrew: Laura from the UK thinks…
Ben: Alright, Laura. I just have problems with people named Laura. I think that’s more than obvious by now.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Ben: Just kidding, Laura. I love you. You know I love you, Laura.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: Which one are you talking to, Ben?
Ben: Both! All Laura’s.
[Andrew and Laura laugh.]
Ben: If your name is Laura, Ben Schoen sends his love.
New OOTP Website
Andrew: [laughing] Alright, so that does it for the feedback this week. If you have anything to add to our conversation please email it in to mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com and maybe we’ll put it on the show next week. Also, something that came out this week, a new Order of the Phoenix website. Have you guys checked that out?
Ben: I did. I actually…
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: I signed up for the Dumbledore’s Army. It was awesome.
Laura: Me too, but they wouldn’t let me in. [laughs]
Andrew: I couldn’t – Yeah.
Ben: Yeah, they had to review my profile.
Andrew: Yeah, but then once you come back like an hour or two later they’ll let you in. I was trying to do the spells and it wouldn’t register any of them. Like, it gives you twenty tries and then it tells you…
Ben: Ooh, Andrew’s a squib! Ooh, Andrew’s a squib.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: Geez, I guess that’s what it is. I just thought it was a computer problem. I didn’t even think it was me. But it tells you how to do it, but I couldn’t do it right. That’s that. Anything else about the website? It’s nice. I hate sound on websites.
Ben: Yeah, that was so annoying. Oh my gosh.
Laura: Every time you opened up a window it would play the music.
Andrew: Yeah, but you know, I’m rocking out to Freddie Mercury and then all of a sudden – [imitates the website music] – like, obnoxiously loud.
Laura: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: Thank god they have a turn-off button, but you know, that’s just…
Theme Park Rumor
Ben: You know…
Andrew: What?
Ben: You know what’s annoying to me?
Andrew: What’s that?
Ben: This Harry Potter theme park rumor that just won’t seem to die.
Andrew: Ben, but it’s true.
Ben: It’s true? Oh yeah, it is true. That’s right it is true – sort of.
Andrew: Well, not really, but – So, there’s been rumors going around for a while, but now they seem to be picking up pace again, which, you know, could mean absolutely nothing but it could also mean that some things are in the works. The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator independently confirmed, apparently, that Universal, J.K. Rowling, and Warner Brothers are on talks to make it happen. So with that said, I think it’s certainly a possibility.
Laura: I think it’d be pretty cool.
Andrew: Oh, there’s so many possibilities. You could do…
Ben: Oh, this would be awesome – Azkaban, the Azkaban ride. That would be sweet.
Andrew: It seems like a stupid question, but would everyone go to the theme park?
Laura: Yeah, I’d go.
Ben: Oh, dude, oh man, that’d be a giant attraction.
Andrew: I don’t know if I’d be first in line.
Ben: Well, that’s because I would shove you out of the way, I’d be first.
[Andrew and Ben laugh]
Ben: So, no, you wouldn’t be first.
Laura: Well, you know, in that article that we posted, didn’t it say that they were considering just adding it as part of the Islands of Adventure thing? At Universal Studios?
Andrew: Right, it wouldn’t be an actual – it would be an extension of one of those things.
Laura: Yeah, and I mean those – I was just there a couple months ago and those little sections have like two or three rides each. So, it wouldn’t have tons and tons of Harry Potter rides. There would be like a restaurant and like, some shops and stuff, but it wouldn’t be huge if they had it there.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Which would be kind of disappointing.
Andrew: Oh, can you just imagine the store area, Diagon Alley? I mean, it would be very predictable.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Some of the things. [laughs]
Ben: I think it would be awesome just to go there.
Andrew: It would be awesome.
Ben: I wish that there’d be like actual Dementors that come around and suck out people’s souls. Now that would be cool.
Andrew: Well, yeah, cause there would be mascots. Wouldn’t that be weird seeing like a Harry Potter…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: But Harry Potter, you couldn’t really put like Mickey Mouse…
Ben: Yeah, can you imagine a little kid going up to get his picture taken with a hooded, cloaked…
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Ben: You know, a Dementor. That’d be crazy. [laughs]
Equus In The US
Andrew: And also, moving along, Dan and Richard Griffiths are coming to the United States for Equus, apparently. Not completely confirmed yet…
Ben: That is crazy.
Andrew: Isn’t it? Because we were just joking around on the show a couple of weeks ago that they wouldn’t be coming out to the U.S. It wouldn’t seem to make sense because like, with filming Half-Blood Prince coming up later this year, you know?
Ben: Yeah, I remember that, actually.
Andrew: I think – It’s gonna be huge here, first of all. I mean, you know, all these Dan Radcliffe fangirls. I mean, there’s quite a few in the United Kingdom, but there is even more in the United States, and I think it’s just going to be huge. The fangirls are going to be going crazy. But – oh, it’s closing down in mid-June which – And there’s been like, tabloids have been saying, “Oh, they’re being shut down because it’s been doing so bad.” It hasn’t been doing bad, but I don’t think it met their expectations in terms of ticket sales. Obviously, Dan Radcliffe was a big selling point for anyone interested in going to see Equus.
Promotional Poster
Andrew: Okay, so I think that wraps up the news discussion for this week. Is there anything else anyone wants to talk about? I mean, there’s been so much lately. It’s unbelievable.
Laura: We’re probably going to have ten million things we remember we wanted to talk about once we stop recording.
Andrew: Yeah, I’m looking at the news now. I mean, there was the Order of the Phoenix promo poster, which looks fantastic. I think it’s probably…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …my favorite one.
Laura: One thing I’m glad about – and I think it was actually addressed in one of these rebuttals that we just read – was that for once in these posters, Ron does not look like he just wet his pants.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah!
Laura: I love that so much! I’m like, “Finally!” [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, and I love the caption: “The Rebellion Begins.”
Laura: Yeah, I really like how they’re taking on the political rebellion-type thing that’s going on in the wizarding world during that point in the series.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: I’m really glad that they’re…
Andrew: Ginny…
Laura: …doing that.
Andrew: Yeah. Bonnie Wright looks much more mature. I could have sworn she’s aged ten years since we’ve seen her. Seriously. I mean, she looks a lot…
Ben: Where’s the picture of her at? In the photo – in the poster?
Andrew: Right there. I just linked you. Yeah, and Evanna Lynch is looking very nice, too. Shout out to Evanna Lynch, MuggleCast listener.
Ben: Does she really look that mature? Or is it just because the way the…
Laura: I think she does because…
Andrew: She just looks older to me.
Laura: …they have some promo pictures, like individual headshots of everybody, and she looks a lot older in this one. They had them all…
Andrew: You do get to that point where you do suddenly…
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: …grow up a lot.
Laura: Yeah, I mean…
Andrew: And I think Ginny looks taller than Harry in this photo. But really, she’s not. That might be making her look a little bit older. Why isn’t Harry wearing his Hogwarts wardrobes?
Laura: Neither is Hermione.
Andrew: Him and Hermione.
Laura: That’s what I didn’t get about it.
Andrew: Why aren’t they all matching?
Laura: Like, why are they two in – why are they in normal attire, and everybody else is in their robes?
Ben: [laughs] That is kind of strange.
OOTP Video Game
Andrew: Also, there’s been a lot of news with the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game. They released a “sizzler” trailer, they’re calling it, basically to hype up the new game with awesome – with some great shots are up. The game’s looking fantastic. You’re going to be able to walk around the game, or walk around Hogwarts, as you please. It’s going to be unbelievable.
Ben: Un-be-lievable.
MuggleNet In Portuguese
Andrew: And MuggleNet news is now available in Portuguese for all you out there who…
Ben: You Brazilians out there.
Andrew: Yeah, for all you Brazilians. Let me try and read a post.
[Andrew reads post in broken Portuguese]
Ben: That’s very disrespectful, thank you very much.
Andrew: No, I just, I don’t – Well, no, I don’t know my Portuguese. I’m just – I’m not good at any language, not even English.
Ben: I know a – I had a Brazilian foreign exchange student at my school last year. I have one this year, too.
Laura: Yeah, me too.
Ben: Thank you.
Andrew: Yeah?
[Laura laughs]
Ben: You have a – at your school Laura?
Laura: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: The video game’s going to be amazing. When me and Jamie were there last month – the PS3 version is unbelievable quality. Jamie was actually just there today – we’re recording on a Thursday. Jamie was there today. He got a bunch of interviews and we’re going to have them on MuggleCast within the next few weeks. So, we’re going to get another good look at the video game coming very soon on the show.
Chicken Soup For The MuggleCast Soul
Andrew: Let’s wrap things up today with two Chicken Soups for the MuggleCast Soul to make up for last week and all the other times that we skipped. This is a really – you know we’ve talked about this before – but this is a quality segment on the show, I do believe. Alright, so our first Chicken Soup today comes from Linda, 47, of Missouri. She writes,
I just had to tell you guys, and Laura, how much I love the podcast and listening to all of your theories and comments. It reaffirms my lost faith in today’s youth.”
We get that a lot – people saying that. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrew: It makes me – “I feel so much better about teenagers these days when I listen to you guys.” I guess that’s a compliment. Yeah, if they only knew what we do outside of the show.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: I thought you might enjoy a little “Chicken Soup” moment. I am a grandma in the Midwest with a 21-month old granddaughter named Raven that was born visually-impaired. One of the things we enjoy doing together is reading Harry Potter out loud, as I rapidly tire of reading the routine toddler fare. Raven may not be able to see what is on the pages, but she knows what books are by touch and likes to help turn the pages and hear the paper crackle, as well as the stories. She is learning to walk and talk and can say “book” and “read” and recently started bringing books to me and saying, “Mi-nee.” I thought she was saying “Mine” because we have Raven’s books and Grandma’s books, but one day I kept hearing her say it when I had Goblet of Fire playing on the TV and I realized she was saying “Hermione.” It was heartwarming to know that one thing she and I will always be able to share is a love of reading, whether out loud or later on by Braille, and especially a love of Harry Potter. Thanks to all of you for helping to keep the love of reading alive in your generation and those that follow you. I look forward to the podcast each week and think you are all great, but Laura is my favorite. Sorry, guys.
Thanks for all you do. Linda.
Thank you, Linda, very much. That was very nice.
Laura: Yeah, thank you.
Andrew: Laura, you can’t talk.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Alright. And the next Chicken Soup comes from Andy, 15, of Ohio. She writes:
Hey, guys. My name is Andrea and I’m from Ohio. I have a disease called RP and I am gradually losing my eyesight. I look forward to MuggleCast every week and I love listening to you guys. You really cheer me up, especially when I’m stuck in the hospital or at my doctor’s office for a really long time. I am sad that I will have to listen to Deathly Hallows and I won’t get to read it, but whenever I am listening to MuggleCast, I always forget and just listen. Thank you guys so much for being there for me, and I will continue to listen every week. Signed, Andrea, also goes by Andy.
Show Close
Andrew: Well, on that note, ladies and gentlemen, I think that does wrap up today’s show. That was an entire Order of the Phoenix show. It was nice to get a little bit of a break from the books.
Laura: Yeah, I agree. Definitely.
Andrew: Yeah, we had some voicemail planned, but we talked so much about the movies that we’ll get to the voicemails next week. If you want to contact – you know, I really don’t like how you guys mock me in the contact information thing.
Laura: [laughs] You do do that.
Andrew: Because you got this thing going on.
Laura: [laughs] You do.
Andrew: I’m going to start doing it more obnoxious because I’m trying to, you know, raise my voice to keep the tempo to not bore people. So, I’ll do it again. Ben, what is the P.O. Box for people who would like to send us a parcel mail?
Ben:
PO Box 223
Moundridge, Kansas
67107
Andrew: You can also call in a voicemail question, comment, or a listener rebuttal. Just keep your question under 60 seconds, and eliminate as much background noise as possible. To call us, if you are in the United States… [laughs] Now I hear myself doing it.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: If you are in the United States you can dial 1-218-20-MAGIC. If you are in the United Kingdom you can dial 020-8144-0677. If you are in Australia you can dial 02-8003-5668. You can also Skype the user name MuggleCast. Just try to keep your message under a minute and eliminate as much background noise as possible. Bam!
Ben: Have a wonderful day, people.
Andrew: [laughs] I’m not done yet! I’m not done yet. Stop! Ben, I’m not done yet! Ben, I’m not done yet.
Ben: Have a wonderful week! Remember this is a historic time period, folks. A historic time period. Go on.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: [laughs] I’m not done yet.
Ben: I’m sorry.
Andrew: Ben’s trying to inspire us all now. You can also use the handy feedback form located on MuggleCast.com. Just select whoever you want to talk to. You can also email all of us at the same time, or you can get in your little listener rebuttals, or submissions that way. Or just email…
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: …all our first names at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Also… [laughs] I’m really tuckered out for today. You can also call – use any of our community outlets. We have the MySpace, the Facebook, YouTube, Frappr, Last.fm, and the Fanlisting/Forums. [laughs] You can also digg us on Digg.com, vote for us once a month on Podcast Alley, and rate and review us at Yahoo Podcasts. Guys, guys, guys, we have over 8,000 friends on our MySpace now.
Ben: 8,000!
Laura: I thought you were supposed to stop it at…
Andrew: 8,000!
Laura: …7777.
Andrew: I did – we did for, like, two days. But then some friends would start dropping off, like, people would delete their accounts, so then it would drop underneath. It was too hard to keep it at exactly 7777. So, that is that. And don’t forget to become a member today at PicklePack.com for exclusive MuggleCast audio, visual, pictures, secret documents and much more. You also get a free shirt! We’re only accepting sign-ups through June 16th, so sign up today. And all money raised benefits the show and our summer plans with the live podcasts and all that. And if you have any question for us just email andrew or ben at staff dot mugglenet dot com and we’ll be happy to answer them for you. So, once again, I’m Andrew Sims.
Ben: I’m Ben Schoen.
Laura: And I’m Laura Thompson.
Andrew: We’ll see everyone next week for Episode 89. Buh bye!
———————–
Written by: Micah, Allison, Briana, Cindy, Haley, Hannah, Jessalyn, Jessica, Jessie, Karen, Laura, Leah, Luke, Margaret, Marya, Matt, Meredith, Rebeca, Samantha, Sapna, Shannon, Shelly, and Tina