I suppose this could have been predicted (and, in fact, it was, back in 2001). Harry’s popularity and Hedwig’s beauty being what they are, children have been asking for and receiving owls as pets. They are, of course, a little more to deal with day to day than one of Arabella’s tabbys. Defrosting the mice every night for the next day’s breakfast, chores like that. Owl Rescue habitats, consequently, are filling up with abandoned Potter Pets. And the folks who provide the owls for the movies are having their troubles, too.

Wands make a better gift than an owl. Hard to train, but docile and very little mess, even if they have a mind of their own. And they can be purchased online from a host of vendors without registering with the Endangered Species Ministry.

I’m not sure how many of the 64 languages any Harry Potter has been translated into are just now getting an edition of Deathly Hallows, but you can check Hindi off the list. It will be a few years before we get the Latin, Attic Greek, and Welsh versions; it’s a relief to know, though, that our Indus Valley Elvindork friends can now read the series finale in their own language.

Reading the article Hindi Edition of Seventh Harry Potter Book Released (from IANS, Posted: 9:30p.m IST, June 27, 2008), I stumbled on an obvious error which led to my learning of an error of my own. Make that “two errors” I had made. The article claims: [Read more…]

Probably just colloquial usage rather than a pointer to literary alchemy per se, but Jason Isaacs (Lucious Malfoy) uses the word correctly and even profoundly, I think, in discussing the possible effect of the stories on the movie version’s principal players:

CS: Can you talk about how they have matured over the years? How have they stayed grounded through all of this?

Isaacs: In the beginning all of us grownups got to patronizing a little bit. Now they have gotten a thousand hours more screen time than any of the rest of us put together – and bank balances to match. They are not just very accomplished actors, they’re very seasoned and mature individuals. They have learned to handle this very enormous stress and this kind of global fame. Frankly, I marvel at how well they have turned out as human beings. Like the mystery of “Harry Potter” and the magical alchemy that happens in the stories, the scripts and the books, something very magical has happened to those young people because by rights they should have turned into monsters, but they are still delightful to be around.

Of course, this could just be Hollywood pablum and the Harry, Ron, and Hermione actors and actress could be monsters for all we know. Let’s hope not. Hat-tip to David for his discovery of this reference. Could alchemy be a subject of discussion on the movie sets?

I had a wonderful time last night at a Camden County Librarary (Vorhees, NJ). The facility was beautiful, the crowd was friendly and knowledgeable, and we had a long talk about Deathly Hallows. I had just received a box of my new book, The Deathly Hallows Lectures, for Convention Alley 2008 and reviewers (really, uncorrected proofs) — and the folks there bought almost all we had on hand.

Today I’m packing up my things for the long drive to Ottawa tonight and finishing up my PowerPoint talks for those lectures. Travis Prinzi of the HogPro sister site, Hog’s Head.org, is a Featured Speaker at Convention Alley 2008 as well and has plans for a pod cast from Ottawa sometime this weekend. Please check in here and there for updates from the other side of the Great Lakes tomorrow and Saturday!

And we’ll be skipping the print version and going right to film, thank you very much! Given that this is for a Universal Studios Amusement Park, that seems appropriate. Officially a “mini-movie,” [Read more…]