A. It's Friday.
B. People were invoking this song about the James and Sirius Prequal.
C. There's a Tom Petty song for every occasion.
D.
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
saiphgrl wrote about going to a Tom Petty Concert. E. Johnny Depp is in this video!
One thing we haven't talked about is the whole "rock star" aspect of the Marauders. In the Prequal they are wearing those Phoenix t-shirts and their wands are like Drumsticks. Is this a joke about Stubby Boardman? Or were the Marauders more like Spinal Tap? Please Discuss (seriously, sarcastically, or any way you like).
Have a Great Weekend!
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
mischievous - Music:Tom Petty "Into the Great Wide Open"
The Prequal is online now: http://www.waterstoneswys.com/
Click "Read Our Author's Stories" and then "J. K. Rowling"
Or read my screencaps:
Side Two of Card
Thanks to
freggythepod for finding a typed version for those of us (including me) with bad eyesight:( Read it Here )
I can't think of anything to write about it, so I'll just sit back and wait for the comments.
***The Comments here may contain spoilers!!!***
And here's a video for
freggythepod : "I never felt it in my feet, I never felt it in my soul, but I heard it in the alley now it's in my rock and roll.
If you want to know a secret, You've got to promise not to tell.
If you want to get to heaven, you gotta raise a little hell. "
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
surprised - Music:Ozark Mt. Daredevils "If You Want to Get to Heaven"
I just saw this article by Professor Alastair McCleery of the Scottish Centre for the Book, Napier University:
Dead Hands Keep a Closed Book
No, don't worry - that rather startling title doesn't mean he is advocating death to writers, but hoping that the descendents of deceased writers will allow more freedom for academic writers to use the published works of the departed. He is complaining about copyright "extension" which allows nearly perpetual copyrights for heirs to a literary estate.
And yes, that would mean a loosening of the copyright laws in some cases, and he goes through quite a bit of the history of copyright, and UK legislation. But methinks the Scottish professor contradicts himself and sounds a bit like an intellectual snob when he singles out the HP Lexicon as a special case because he sees it as "nakedly parasitical." Come on . . . really?
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
working - Music:Bananarama "Cruel Summer"
and on JKR's Official Site by the author herself. This is surprising considering last month JKR gave sworn testimony that she couldn't write anything due to mental distress. Even more so considering that she wrote on the card that the tale was: "[from] the prequel I am not working on - but that was fun!" The Daily Record
: reports that the note card will be auctioned on June 11, and bidding may go as high as five million British pounds. Since many have speculated on what the story might say, my good friend Olwen on Harry Potter Network set up two contests, one for fiction and one for art. Here is the link for the fiction, and I will add the one for Art when it's set up.
The HPN 800 Writing Challenge . Waterstones announced today that they are also having a contest, not for an HP Prequal, but for an original story. Details Here. The winner's story will be published alongside JKR's and other writers in a book released later this year.
For the last word on this, we turn to Giles Coren of the London TimesOnline:
J.K. Rowling: how small can you go?
...as the price of Potter goes up, so the size of the books comes down (which is, at least, a blessing). Last year there was The Tales of Beedle the Bard, only 157 pages and with a print run cunningly restricted to seven books, of which only one came on to the market and was sold to Amazon (see that? sold to Amazon, not by Amazon) for £1.95 million. That's good business, that is.
After that Rowling clearly decided to see how far she could push the maths, and has now produced a book of only 800 words, written “in minuscule handwriting” on a single piece of A5. Eight hundred words! It's true, I read it in the Daily Mail on Thursday. Rowling has grasped that, with her stock this high, 800 is about as many words as she needs to write.
...Will her next great oeuvre contain 400 words? 200? 83?
- Location:Summertime
- Mood: working
- Music:Ventures "Classical Gas"
Kristin Devoe's Daily Prophet Blog has a good question:
I ask of JK Rowling: What do you think of all the haters?
What makes this so disturbing, is that for those of us who feel that this book frankly, is no big deal, and should be published under the guidelines of “fair use”, we have been called “JK Rowling haters”, or “Steve Vander Ark lovers”. Simply because, we are exercising out inalienable right to disagree. We are not “true fans”
GASP!!! We disagree!!!
And just for reference, a quote from "The Sneetches":
Now, the Star-Bell Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.
But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
...When the Star Belly Sneetches had frankfurter roasts
Or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,
They never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches
They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches.
They kept them away. Never let them come near.
And that’s how they treated them year after year...
~ Dr. Seuss
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
starry-eyed - Music:Moby "Made of Stars"
From Snitchseeker:
A special 10th anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will feature exclusive bonus material from J.K. Rowling. The book, being released by Scholastic on September 23, will also have new cover art by Mary GrandPré, which you can see below or in hi-res by clicking on the photo here in our gallery.
You can preorder the book here on Amazon.com.
Grandpre says: "It's a real treat for me to get another chance to visually bring Harry back to his fans in not only a new scene, but in a new light," said American illustrator of the Harry Potter books, Mary GrandPré. "Going back to draw the first cover for the anniversary edition was an opportunity for me to show another side of Harry... a vulnerable side. Having come to know and love Harry the way we all have, after experiencing the whole series, I think we can appreciate him even more on an emotional level."
You can see the new covers below the cut - what do you think? Will you buy one of these? And what will the "Bonus Material" be?
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
curious - Music:Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly"
First of all, since some of you are sick of Fandom, I've got a video first for a change. You can watch it and then walk away if you like. This is for all my friends, old and new, but especially my friend
corvus_coronis because she first introduced me to this song and video. Also, without mentioning any other names, this is for everyone who is having a "friendship crisis" right now. There couldn't be a more appropriate song for Fandom right now: The Stranglers: Skin Deep
Next: After the Week of Wu, I thought the Pottercast folks might just walk away from all the controversy and talk about something else.
Wrong. In Pottercast 151: Spontaneous Combustion there is a more discussion than ever on the Lexicon Trial and more about Tim Wu, who is characterized with an undignified word I will leave under the Livejournal cut. There is speculation about just how many of us are in the "loud minority" on the "other side" of the Lexicon case. Everyone it seems has been taken out of context and misquoted. Everyone is suffering. And so much more.
Here are a few excerpts for those readers who can't listen to it. I am not a professional transcriptionist, and if I 've gotten someone's name wrong, please don't throw Hippogriff dung at me! I'm fortyish, too, and my ears can fail me. Also, where necessary, I've added a counterpoint of information that I felt was necessary.
*Now 100% Complete with extra Boring stuff in Blue* so Anonymous people won't think I'm leaving out important facts
(I didn't listen beyond the end of this, nor am I ever going to, thanks.)
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
indescribable - Music:The Stranglers: "Skin Deep"
The other day, I posted a comment from the writer Karen Brown, author of Prejudice in Harry Potter. I had originally seen the comment on Kristin Devoe's Daily Prophet blog, and I posted it Here in a discussion of Tim Wu's New Yorker Article.
I did not know Ms. Brown, but I wrote an e-mail to her inviting her to comment further, which she did. I never meant to drag her into a huge controversy or cause problems for her in any way, and I am so sorry. I have quoted dozens of bloggers in the past few months to show different views, and several of them have decided to comment here with no drama.
I was just trying to give a balanced view of the case, since I have been criticized for my own bias. I felt that Ms. Brown had a refreshing view, since she is a fan and supporter of J. K. Rowling, but was wishing that fandom would tone down their criticism of Steve Vander Ark and let the legal system decide the fate of his book.
But due to unfortunate things that have been said in the past few days, Ms. Brown has been drawn into some accusations and threats, both public and private. She feels her statement is being misconstrued and her views distorted. This has caused her a great deal of distress, and she decided to state her own view in a public setting. Therefore Karen has put out a Press Release:
Caught on the Wrong Side of Harry Potter Fandom
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
determined - Music:The Who: "I Can See For Miles"
lunas_ceiling put it, this has been the "Week of Wu."
Just for the record, let's remind ourselves of who he is.
He does NOT work with the Stanford Fair Use Project attorneys who are representing RDR books in the Lexicon lawsuit.
Tim Wu is a Columbia Law Professor and writer. Last week he led part of a panel discussion in New York called "OnCopyright 2008." That is his field of interest, and yes, he has strong opinions. Everyone should already know that because he wrote an Article for Slate in January entitled "J.K. Rowling's Dark Mark: Why she should lose her copyright lawsuit against the Harry Potter Lexicon." That's a very simple, straight-forward title. So it shouldn't be a secret that he has an opinion about this case.
However, when he wrote the short vignette in the New Yorker entitled Fan Feud , it caused quite a stir, as my readers know (see the past few entries for details). He also wrote a follow-up on his blog What's New With Wu in which he restated his view.
Some in Fandom feel his article was a cheap shot at people who are already upset. For instance, Sue, one of the regulars on Leaky Cauldron's Pottercast who was actually quoted in Wu's now famous vignette has now blogged about her feelings: The Elephant in the Room.
An alternate view to that is a comment written on Kristin Devoe's Blog "The Daily Prophet" in reference to the New Yorker story. Karen Brown author of the book Prejudice in Harry Potter's World wrote her own opinion of the Leaky Lounge, deleted posts, sympathy for Steve Vander Ark, and the so-called impartiality of fandom. I think she speaks for many of us who are still Harry Potter fans, and who are not personally involved, but still have a right to our alternative opinions.
Tonight an interesting encounter on Leaky in which Melissa accused the poster kbnthomas of being Karen Brown, and demanded a retraction of the comment posted above. About the deletions - many people who support Steve Vander Ark have been deleted on Leaky. I don't see how we can "prove" that now, since the posts are, by definiton, gone. If Melissa wants to open up her logs for a day and let us see the names of the people deleted in the past three months, that might convince me, so I would urge her to "prove" that we haven't been deleted.
- Location:Lake Wu-Begone
- Mood: working
- Music:Neil Young: "Rockin' in the Free World
I just transcribed part of Pottercast 148 from Leaky Cauldron, since they can't seem to agree on who said what, and I wanted to hear it for myself. I think the problem that Tim Wu had, and that I had, is that Melissa and Sue sound rather similar when they only give one word answers such as "right." That implies that they agree, whether they do or not. There is no way to prove who is agreeing, whether Melissa or Sue.
John Noe speaks the most, Melissa talks about her book, so we know that is her, and , from comments I've read on Leaky, it is Sue who makes the actual statement about Steve being "vilified" by fandom. So Tim Wu may have to make a correction to that article, but it's obviously all the same because no one argues a different side in this part of the Podcast.
This is the first time I've ever listened to a Pottercast before, although I've read the transcripts. I admit I didn't listen to the whole thing. I think I'd rather have a long slow root canal.
- Location:Fandom
- Mood: working
- Music:After the Fire "Der Kommissar"
The Bench: Fan Feud by Tim Wu
I'm glad he didn't call it "Family Feud" although it does have quite a bit of "Mom likes you best" in it!
I posted this link in the Leaky Lounge, then ran for my life.
Update: Melissa Anelli has written a first impression of this article on Leaky Cauldron:
( Read it Here )
This is just made of Drama.
- Location:Fandom-with-Popcorn
- Mood:
impressed - Music:Ned Nash Orchestra "Hang Em High"
Excerpts:
"...when Rapoport received a series of threatening letters last fall from lawyers . . . he didn't flinch.Added: There are two pages of Comments that really display every opinion of this case.
'The intimidation factor was zero,' Rapoport said with quiet pugnacity."
~~~~~~~
Rowling seemed willing to compromise on the witness stand, saying, "I never ever once wanted to stop Mr. Vander Ark from doing his own guide, never ever. Do your book, but, please, change it so it does not take as much of my work."
. . . "That opportunity was never presented to us," he (Rappoport) said, his eyes flashing with anger. "The only thing they said [in the lawyer letters and pretrial discussions] was: 'Will you stop the book?' "
~~~~~~~
. . . the publisher said he has never been worried about the ultimate outcome. His lawyers, he said, have told him that "no court has ever ruled that the writer of a fictional work is the only person who can write about that book."
~~~~~~~
- Location:Fandom
- Mood: working
- Music:John Mellencamp "Crumblin' Down"
First, a big thank you to Steve for giving my "research group" credit on the Lexicon Website for finding an online source for the word "Alohomora." I'm honored, and I know everyone else will be also!
You can go back and see our work HERE.
I found a little more information today to back up what we found last week, and to confirm that "Sikidy" Geomancy is practiced in East Africa, while other forms come from West Africa.
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
cheerful - Music:Jimmy Buffett "Boat Drinks"
In the HP books, there are many questionable juvenile jokes, from Ron making remarks about "Uranus" in Divination class, to George considering himself "holy" now that his ear is gone, to Percy being teased as "Bighead Boy" by his brothers. The name "Harry Potter" is euphemistic and just barely passes the censors. And the fact is, most HP fans appreciate a good joke, the sillier the better.
So when I read last week that JKR and her witnesses do not appreciate the "facetious asides" in the Lexicon, it seemed rather incredible. And when you read the transcript and see what the objections were, it's really funny. Recall that Harry himself thinks that Hagrid is "too large to be allowed," Yet JKR said:
A. (JKR) For that money, I believe you are being resold the Harry
15 Potter books with a negligible amount of attempted commentary,
16 some of it false, and a lot of facetious comments. I quote,
17 "I would like to see Hagrid fit himself into a McDonald's booth."
That was a remark Steve put in the Lexicon book. I fail to see why that would bother JKR, unless she hasn't been to McDonald's lately and tried to sit in a narrow plastic booth. It makes me wonder, have the books suddenly turned into "sacred texts" so that we can't joke about them?
Witness for the Plaintiff Jeri Johnson was on the stand complaining of some rather mild jokes Steve Vander Ark makes in the Lexicon book, and the Judge saw right through it to the heart of the matter and chimed in:
Q. (Hammer) You are an Oxford don, are you not?
9 (Johnson) A. I am.
10 Q. Many of the readers of the Harry Potter books are 12, 13,
11 14-year-olds, isn't that true?
12 A. Yes.
13 THE COURT (Judge): Or younger.
14 Q. Or younger.
15 The Harry Potter books are filled with jokes, are they
16 not, that are directed at 10, 11, 12 and 13-year-olds, correct?
17 A. Yes, there are.
18 Q. In fact, there are jokes about troll boogers, isn't that
19 true?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. There are jokes about phlegm, isn't that true?
22 A. Yes.
23 Q. You, I assume, don't often joke about phlegm, correct?
24 A. Only with my 9-year-old daughter.
25 Q. So, in fact, you yourself recognize that a 9-year-old might
1 find something funny that you yourself do not?
2 A. Absolutely.
Absolutely right. In the books there are also jokes about toilet seats, and jokes about an old man with nothing on under a dress so air can get to his privates. There are jokes about Moaning Myrtle getting into the bathtub with Harry. Sirius jokes about Kreacher snogging a pair of pants. Gilderoy Lockhart tells Snape that his "wand is a little over-excited." And how can we forget all the "goat jokes" about Aberforth? Are those stories not meant to be "facetious asides"?
Really humor is the last thing they should have brought up because parody is protected under copyright law, and the way things are going, that may be the only legal way anyone can express an opinion eventually.
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
quixotic - Music:Beatles: "Magical Mystery Tour"
A. I think that it is sloppy, I think there is very little
4 research, and I don't think that it -- I don't think it
5 constitutes an original work.
6 Q. You mentioned that the Lexicon occasionally -- earlier that
7 the Lexicon occasionally contained etymologies.
8 A. Yes.
9 Q. I believe you also mentioned that the some of those
10 etymologies were wrong?
11 A. Hmm-hmm.
12 Q. Could you give the Court an example.
13 A. I could give several. But Mr. Vander Ark gives an
14 etymology for alohomora, which is an incantation used within
15 the Harry Potter books to open a locked door by magic. And he
16 asserts that this word was derived from the Hawaiian aloha
17 meaning good-bye. Which is errant nonsense. Alohomora is a
18 Sidiki word from West Africa, and it is a term used in
19 geomancy. It is a figure -- the figure alohomora means in
20 Sidiki "favorable to thieves." Which is obviously a very
21 appropriate meaning for a spell that enables you to unlock a
22 locked door by magic.
That's all very interesting, but is it realistic that someone could find that on the Internet without the use of some obscure source? Steve used "Aloha" as the etymological source, the Hawaiian word for both "good-bye" and "hello," which makes sense when dealing with opening doors. I always thought that was the root word for Alohomora until reading in the news that the writer had a different view.
I disagree that this is "sloppy research" though, and my own experience in trying to go on a quest for alohomoro is probably typical. I invite anyone who can actually find this root word to please post it here and tell me where they found it, or if anyone else is searching, let us know if you came closer than I did.
UPDATE: Ding Ding and Ta Da!!! We have a winner! An anonymous, but very lucky researcher discovered the source for Alohomora! And her name is "Marielle." Also thanks to
sander123 and sciencegeek for following soon after.Whoo-Hoo! So here's the Magic Link: http://www.serenapowers.com/sikidy.html
And another, which says "See Aloha" - *lol* : http://www.mysteryarts.com/magic/words/E
As you see, you have to spell it "Sikidy" instead of "Sidiky." That is probably a court transcription error. Sikidy is not a dialect but a type of divination used on the Island of Madagascar. I had seen some links leading to that yesterday while researching Geomancy, but dismissed them because . . . that is East Africa, not West Africa. So even with the supposed location of the name origin, this was a challenge to unravel just from what the author said. I don't know why "alohomora" doesn't show up on Search Engines from that website - it's odd, but I just searched for it again, and got nothing except references to the HP books. Anyway, this has been alot of fun and thanks to all who did the research!
- Location:Fandom
- Mood: geeky
- Music:Don McClean "American Pie"
In honor of that, I thought I'd post a few comments about the Lexicon case from various sources, from Neil Gaiman to Entertainment Weekly, and more:
- Location:Fandom
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:Traveling Wilburys "Rattled"
- Location:Fandom
- Mood: busy
- Music:Madonna "La Isla Bonita"
Inkwolf's Hogwarts Staff Meeting: Trial Edition
Excerpt:
Bugs Bunny: Myeaaaah (chomps carrot) Warner Brothers intends to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Malfoy Publishing printed a Guide to Harry Potter that infringes on our intellectual property and includes slanderous statements about Harry Potter’s former intellectual property owner, causing the lovely Ms. Rowling untold heartache, pain, suffering, malaise and gastritis, and moreover to prove that Warner Brothers refuses to let Disney be the only studio that burns terror into lawyers’ hearts. We’re number one! Eat that, Eisner—oh, wait, he’s long gone…
Judge: And the defendant?
Malfoy: The Defense maintains that all biographical statements are entirely true, that the Harry Potter Guidebook is a legal and scholarly work necessitated by demand, and that Warner Brothers is only being pouty because I thought of it first!
Bunny: Objection! Warner Brothers is NOT being pouty! We’re protecting our rights! (stamps foot and pouts.)
Malfoy: Yeah, right. Don’t mess with me, Bugs, I had rabbit for lunch.
Bunny: This…means…war!
Judge: Order! Order in the courtroom! The Plaintiff will stop pouting and call their first witness.
Bunny: I call…Professor Joanne Rowling!
Judge: Are you Ms. Rowling?
Rowling: You mean…you don’t KNOW? You don’t recognize me? What, do you live in a hole or something? Darn you, I’m FAMOUS!
Bunny: And so lovely and unspoiled by it. Tell us, Joanne, in your own sweet words, how the idea of Malfoy Publishing printing the Harry Potter Guide fills you with horror and loathing and has caused you uncountable sleepless nights.
Rowling: The idea of Malfoy Publishing printing the Harry Potter Guide fills me with horror and loathing and has caused me uncountable sleepless nights.
Bunny: Poor darling!
Rowling: I mean, I wrote the books! ME! I slaved over them day and night for years, Dumbledore standing over me with a whip! If anyone’s going to chisel a share of profit away from WB, it should be me, ME!
McGonagall: Did you stand over her with a whip?
Dumbledore: I can’t remember…
(Much Much More at the Link)
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
giddy - Music:Underdog Theme
Selected Quotes of the Day
"I believe the flood gates will open," Rowling said, her voice rising. "Are we the owners of our own work?"
"Copyright law does not permit an author to suppress a book because she doesn't like it," he said. ~Anthony Falzone, Defense Attorney
“I can’t simply take the expert’s opinion as my own.” ~ Judge Robert Patterson
Again, Judge Patterson interrupted, and addressed Rowling directly. “Can you imagine anyone reading [the Lexicon] for entertainment value?”
“Quality shouldn’t matter,”. . . If the Lexicon is lousy, Falzone concluded, the answer is not to suppress it, but for Rowling to write her own.
- Location:Fandom
- Mood:
blank - Music:Roy Orbison "It's Over"