The 500's: Movie Musing and Theory Thinking
The early 500's were taken to discussing the movie. This was before the Boycott, and everyone was talking about the casting desigions. Rosie O'Donald as Mrs. Weasley was just announced. That took up most of the discussion from 500 to about 520.
The movie discussing was ground to a halt when Padfoot reminded everyone that there was a casting board, and to post all comments there. This was, of course, during the time when the Board was part of the Daily Prophet, and at the time, the DP had a section called "Casting Campaign 2000." It had a separate message board specifically for discussing the move.
On a different note, August 14, 2000 was an important day for Anita Skeeter. She had just become a columnist for the Daily Prophet. She would prove to be a good edition to the staff. Anita also realized that the MB was started on her birthday, July 13. That's gotta feel good! Here was her post:
Congratulate me, I am a new member of the DP staff!
Sugar quills and pumpkin juice for everyone!
And now....the self-doubt set in.....
Well, anyway. Thank you, Liz, for clearing up my little problem. I'm a bit thick-headed at times.
Hey, I just noticed something!
The bar up at the top that says "____ hits since 2000-7-13" and that was my BIRTHDAY!
I know, it doesn't really matter to the rest of you, but hey, it made my day.
I'm not getting much response on my Lupin idea...are you all THAT bored with me or is it that obvious?
Hmmmm.....
Oh, Liz, you've made me think. Congratulations.....now WHAT would be the motivation behind Voldemort's rise to power?
Did he wake up one morning and decide, "Hey, I want to be the world's most evil wizard"? Or was it something more....?
Perhaps something to do with his father abandoning him....
Or his mother's death....
Or....or......or........
DANG!
This one's tough!
I think we'll find out more about the truth behind Voldemort's need for power and dark arts in later books. Perhaps then he won't be so boringly evil.
All for now
Anita
Those are some pretty hard questions... how did Voldemort You-Know-Who decide to be a Dark Wizard? I'm sure we'll find out...
Peg has gone again to great lengths to provide us with some good Harry Potter links. Here they be:
Chad: Some of these I've mentioned before, but here for further reading/listening are several of the pages I've found with lots of links of Harry Potter information, including reviews, analysis and interviews:
http://tlc.ai.org/rowling.htm
http://www.fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Entertainment/Harry_Potter/
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/hplinks.htm
http://www.oocities.org/EnchantedForest/Mountain/5101/links.html
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/hplinks.htm
These pages (listed above) include the following interviews: Here's a fifty minute interview of Rowling you can hear from the National Public Radio program Diane Rehm Show (plays with RealAudio). It includes Rowling doing a reading:
http://www.wamu.org/ram/1999/r1991020.ram
Here's her speech and question and answer question session at the National Press club (RealAudio). Includes Rowling doing a reading:
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/exrad/991020.jkrowling.ram
Another fifty minute RealAudio fifty minute interview:
http://www.realserver.bu.edu:8080/ramgen/w/b/wbur/connection/audio/1999/12/con12281.rm
A print interview:
http://www.the-times.co.uk/onlinespecials/features/harrypotter
I'm sure you'll find more, too, on those big link collections I've listed above.
Also: The link above to the Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club includes links to a lot of fan sites. Here's another link cluster with a lot of fan sites:
http://www.harrypotterfans.net
Here's one of my favorite analytic articles (with a good rebuttal to those who reject HP because it "embraces the occult," i.e., Christian Conservatives):
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0001/reviews/jacobs.html
And some rather analytical articles, collected by the University of Wisconsin:
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/hpreview.htm
There. That should be enough to keep you out of trouble for awhile.
Peg
Professor Trelawney is a very hot subject right now. Why did Dumbledore hire her? How old is she? What was her first real prediction? Did Dumbledore hire her at all? These are some of the questions being asked. Here are snippets of people's ideas about it:
As to Professor Trelawney's first prediction....I have no idea.
It seems kind of odd, but whenever she talks about the fates or the "Inner Eye", I always get the feeling that even SHE doesn't really believe some of the stuff she's teaching. She THINKS she does, or she thinks it's very interesting, but she does not sincerely believe it.
She's a poseur.
How's THAT for a vocabulary word?
And as for her two true predictions, well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.
I wonder if Professor Dumbledore hired her for pure comedic value. He seems to enjoy poking fun at her.
I'd love to see a fight between McGonagall and Trelawney. Who would turn the other into what?
Hmmm... that's an interesting view. Ten chocolate frogs to whoever knows who wrote that.
I don't remember who said it but if Professor McGonnagal and Professor Trelawny fought. Mcgonnagal would win. Lets face it she can change into a cat and do some damage, and after Trelawny lost she'd say that it was in the star's of Mars that she wpuld get into a fight and lose. (that last part was a joke you know from book 4 when ron and Harry had too do that star juck)
Interesting point... Twenty chocolate frogs to whoever knows who posted that.
There's one prosaic possibility: perhaps Dumbledore didn't hire Trelawny; perhaps his predecessor did (Dippet, wasn't it?) We don't know exactly how old Trelawny is, and we don't know how long Dumbledore has been headmaster. I do get the impression that Dumbledore has been there a while, though.
That is a fine possibility. Maybe her first prediction was that Tom Riddle would turn bad or something...
The same ol' regulars are still hanging around, with few gained, few lost. The list o' regulars are:
- Anita Skeeter
- Liz Malfoy
- Eri
- Erick
- Trisana M. Granger
- Padfoot
- Amy
- Oak
- Azrael-
- Mrs. Weasley
- Peg
- Fleur Delacour
- Mel
- Mikey
- Louise Black
The list is growing, eh? It still has a way to go before it gets up to the present, though. I think we stand somewhere around thirty regulars.
Padfoot has snatched the latest Long-Windedness Trophey. Here is the winner:
577
Date: 2000-08-16 08:01:34
Padfoot ( no email / no homepage) wrote:
Greetings greetings to you all!
Here's a question: If Tom Riddle had a muggle father, then how did he open the chamber of secrets if he wasn't a pureblood? Shouldn't he have been killed? To Jeremy: I think Harry got into the chamber because of his connection to Voldemort (where he got the parseltongue from). However, it would be a delicious irony if he was really a decendant of Salazar... Personally, I don't think he's either. That would be taking sides.
Anita: Perhaps your theory is correct, however, Dumbledore could be a Christ-like (or Obi-wan like) figure in that he imparts his wisdom, but is later killed by the forces of darkness. (Only to return as a glowing figure and a disembodied voice.... "Use the force Luke...." :) ) While Dumbledore is a very strong figure and is very important to Harry and the plot, I wouldn't put it past Rowling to have him die to up the ante in the plot. However, he doesn't seem like the type to go head to head with moldy Voldy. He just doesn't live in the fast lane like Lupin and Sirius (c'mon... a flying motorcycle!)
Furthermore, I agree with putting both Sirius and Lupin in the "marked for death" category. I mean, who doesn't love the kind father figures? However, they are also valuable to the author as something to up the stakes in the book. (Similar to Dumbledore, but less important to the plot.)
Killing off good and well-loved characters has always been a tool to manipulate the the plot as well as the other characters' (and the readers') feelings. It is a cathartic excercise which shocks the readers into realizing the true risk involved in the endevors of the characters. To borrow a bit from Aristotle (that's why my parents spent 8k to send me to highschool :P...), the tragedy (or tragic deaths in this case) makes us feel pitious and sympathetic to the victim as well as shocked and afraid as the fate could also befall ourselves (or the more important characters in the book.)
Also, I totally understand and agree with your predestination theory. I.e. We have a set destiny and we achieve it through our actions. No matter what we do, we will achieve it because it is set by our actions which are taken into account when our destiny is sorted out. It's a wierd paridoxical thing (similarly painful to think about as time travel) but it works...
Sure, you all say that Trelawney is a good candidate for work with Dionne Warwick (the psychic friends network went out of business.. I guess they didn't see that coming... ), but I say that she's worth more than she seems. Rowling has proven this to be true with many, many other characters in the past, why not with her? Mark my words, the trance she went into wasn't just whistlin' dixie...
And anyway, none of the prophets were up to the task either! The big man/woman/? in the sky took 'em by the neck and dragged them where they were supposed to go.
Peg: Snape never ceases to be a fascinating character. On one hand, he has all he hallmarks (literally) of the Rowling baddie, but on the other hand he's on the side of the good... Perhaps his evil drive comes from weakness and his good comes from overcoming such weakness (sort've like Draco...) Perhaps he initially went bad because of jealousy of the Prongs, Padfoot, etc. clique excluding him. However, as years passed (and the Potters got the axe) he outgrew his hatred of them. Which is possibly why he agreed to work with Sirius.
A gold star to you, Peg, for recognizing Crouch's evil behavior early in book four. Sure, Moody had a rep for tossing around garbage cans, but I don't think he'd ever stoop to transfiguring students. Also, actually using the forbidden curses on students? Not respectable behavior for a D.A.D.A. teacher. Not even Snape would do that one...
Which brings me to another point... (partially brought about by our discussion today) What is with Crouch Jr.? On one hand he's evil and torturing the Longbottoms. On the other, he's making Neville tea and congratulating Harry on resisting the imperius curse... I mean, sure he was attempting to set Harry on to the Gillyweed with Neville's book, but he still was too nice to be being pragmatic... Maybe he has multiple personalities... (A concept not so far-fetched among baddies in fiction... Anime fans will remember the evil Lady Une from Gundam Wing-- hair up: evil henchwoman; hair down: sweet as pie diplomat...)
Well that's my incredibly long post for today... (I take the Mr/Mrs long-winded trophy for the day!)
Just some quick buisness before I go:
1. SOME people didn't hear me when I directed movie (esp. cast) speculation to the movie board within the casting section... :)
2. OTHER pottymouths think it's okay to use the p-word. Might I remind you that this is a FAMILY page... don't say anything you wouldn't say to your mom... or the pope...
3. If you're new to the list (welcome!) or you're returning after being away, check back 4-5 pages and get yourself tuned to what's been asked and what the discussion is. (I've been seeing some previously asked questions here. And yes, I am working on a FAQ...)
4. Everybody go and read the latest MTTM.
Sorry to be a bit of an authoritarian there, but I don't do it often and I'm picky about little things. I'm really not trying to get a reputation as the board gestapo, just trying to keep things flowin'.
Love and Every Flavor Beans to all! (Yes, even you mel)
Padfoot
Anita Skeeter has spotted a mistake in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
Oh, and I found a mistake! Mistake, mistake, mistake! In Book 3, three owls fly into Harry's window the night he turns 13: Hedwig, and owl from Hogwarts, and ERROL. Errol is carrying Ron's birthday present to Harry--the pocket sneakoscope. But THEN, sometime later in the book, Ron says that he "borrowed" HERMES to send the sneakoscope to Harry.
So which was it, Errol or Hermes?
I never noticed that one before.
Azrael has spotted another mistake...
hi...another anoying nit-picky things...
in book 2, when harry first goes to the Weasley's house, the clock is described as having only one hand, as well as all the cool things like "late" etc. instead of numbers. In book 4, the clock still has the cool pointers instead of numbers (travelling, school etc.) but there are 9 hands, one for each weasley!!!
have i misread something, or has Rowling slipped up?
Wow! Rowling is having a field day, what?
Post 600 was taken by Hogwarts Witch
