When we came back from the field trip [to the ice cream parlor, with the children I used to work with], I met up with the after-school kids. They had a movie today: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
I enjoy the Harry Potter films. We have two boys, brothers, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they weren't allowed to watch the movie, because it has to do with Halloween and Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate holidays. They don't celebrate anything other than God herself, and I can see the religious point of that. [My co-worker] Debbie, however, declared it "stupid." The idea of respecting another religion just didn't occur to her.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
September 22, 2004
While I sipped my coffee, I watched Harry Potter on the Chamber of Secrets on HBO. It was only the second time I'd seen the second HP movie. And I still haven't seen Prisoner of Azkaban.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
August 6, 2004
I read in the newspaper today that filming has already begun on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It will star the same young actors as the first three: Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. And signed on to play Voldemort is Ralph Fiennes.
Ralph Fiennes is scary anyway--I shall never get over his evilness in Schindler's List.
He'll be terrifying as Voldemort. The movie's scheduled to be released in November of 2005.
Ralph Fiennes is scary anyway--I shall never get over his evilness in Schindler's List.
He'll be terrifying as Voldemort. The movie's scheduled to be released in November of 2005.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
July 11, 2004
With all the emphasis I've placed on children's literature lately, I should now note that July 11th is the birthday of E.B. White....
Having said that, let me state that today I finished reading Shadowmancer, a "young adult" novel by G.P. (Graham) Taylor. As I mentioned before, Taylor is a British vicar, but unlike his character Demurral, he is not an evil puppet of the devil. (That I know of.)
Now, some of the literary hype surrounding Shadowmancer compared it to the Harry Potter series. The same marketing concept was used on the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy (of which I've read The Golden Compass), A Series of Unfortunate Events, the works of Eoin Colfer, the works of Cornelia Funke (which I have not yet been privileged to read), et al.
But that's marketing. Taylor's work is neither as detailed nor as imaginative as Rowling's. When Taylor describes the supernatural creature the thulak, it recalls Rowling's descriptions of dementors. But Taylor shuns the idea that Raphah, or any of the protagonists, could be a wizard or witch. He unequivocally states that witchcraft is a tool of the devil, here called Pyratheon.
(It is unclear to me where Taylor comes up with these names - Pyratheon for the devil, Riathamus for God, Glashan for demons, etc. They may have meanings in Latin, but I don't understand them. I hoped there would be a website discussing the book to help me out here, but I couldn't find one.)
And the book does tend to be preachy. Biblical phrases come from the mouths of nearly all the characters. The story is interesting enough, but the language can be a little clunky. Taylor uses the trite phrase "like a hot knife through butter" in one such passage. So I would in no way compare Taylor's storytelling style to Rowling's.
(Okay, so there is some language in the Harry Potter books that sounds a little funny to my inner ear. I seem to recall thinking there were a few too many descriptions of how Harry's stomach felt in Goblet of Fire, for instance.)
I would imagine Taylor is closer in spirit to the authors of the Left Behind series, Christian novels about the end of the world that crossed over to mainstream success. Nothing wrong with being a Christian writer, of course--it's not as though J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis suffered in popularity because of their spiritual beliefs....
That said, middle school girls who read Holes and enjoyed Kate Barlow may like reading about tough-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside Kate Coglan. If you find Hermione Granger to be too much of a goody-goody know-it-all, then I recommend Kate Coglan to you.
(Personally, I like Hermione. Her intelligence and level-headedness often save Harry's butt.)
Having said that, let me state that today I finished reading Shadowmancer, a "young adult" novel by G.P. (Graham) Taylor. As I mentioned before, Taylor is a British vicar, but unlike his character Demurral, he is not an evil puppet of the devil. (That I know of.)
Now, some of the literary hype surrounding Shadowmancer compared it to the Harry Potter series. The same marketing concept was used on the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy (of which I've read The Golden Compass), A Series of Unfortunate Events, the works of Eoin Colfer, the works of Cornelia Funke (which I have not yet been privileged to read), et al.
But that's marketing. Taylor's work is neither as detailed nor as imaginative as Rowling's. When Taylor describes the supernatural creature the thulak, it recalls Rowling's descriptions of dementors. But Taylor shuns the idea that Raphah, or any of the protagonists, could be a wizard or witch. He unequivocally states that witchcraft is a tool of the devil, here called Pyratheon.
(It is unclear to me where Taylor comes up with these names - Pyratheon for the devil, Riathamus for God, Glashan for demons, etc. They may have meanings in Latin, but I don't understand them. I hoped there would be a website discussing the book to help me out here, but I couldn't find one.)
And the book does tend to be preachy. Biblical phrases come from the mouths of nearly all the characters. The story is interesting enough, but the language can be a little clunky. Taylor uses the trite phrase "like a hot knife through butter" in one such passage. So I would in no way compare Taylor's storytelling style to Rowling's.
I would imagine Taylor is closer in spirit to the authors of the Left Behind series, Christian novels about the end of the world that crossed over to mainstream success. Nothing wrong with being a Christian writer, of course--it's not as though J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis suffered in popularity because of their spiritual beliefs....
That said, middle school girls who read Holes and enjoyed Kate Barlow may like reading about tough-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside Kate Coglan. If you find Hermione Granger to be too much of a goody-goody know-it-all, then I recommend Kate Coglan to you.
(Personally, I like Hermione. Her intelligence and level-headedness often save Harry's butt.)
Monday, February 8, 2016
June 20, 2004
[Yesterday] I was talking about Winx, the cartoon who goes to a fairy school near a heroes' school and a witches' school. I was going to point out the difference between fairies in the cartoon and fairies in J.K. Rowling's world.
The fairies in the cartoon were very human. They were the same size as the humans. The only differences were that the fairies had colorful hair and some of them had wings. They had magical powers, but they (the powers) were somewhat a magic spectre [I mean "scepter," probably] rather than being something intrinsic. They are fully the equal of the heroes and the witches. WINX's fairies are like Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell in the movie Hook.
By contrast, J.K. Rowling's fairies are definitely not human. They are magical creatures, but they are basically magical wild animals. They're all like the blue Cornish pixies who hang Neville from the ceiling in Chamber of Secrets. In Goblet of Fire, fairies are used as living Christmas decorations. I once said (on 9-28-2002, while "Mr. Elingtin" was in the hospital and I was reading Azkaban to escape some of my fear) that perhaps Snape was in love with a fairy, but that wouldn't be possible in Rowling's world. The only humans in Rowling's world are wizards, witches, and muggles. Even elves are tiny (relatively) and animal-like. The closest thing to Tolkien-like elves in Harry Potter's world are the centaurs. And centaurs choose to live apart from humans. Rowling may have created three magical schools, but none of them would admit fairies, elves, or centaurs.
If Severus Snape was ever tragically in love with someone doomed to die by Voldemort's hand, it possibly would have been a Slytherin witch. But I've long since abandoned that line of speculation. Currently I speculate on whether Hermione Granger lost her virginity to Viktor Krum. (Of course, we all know Hermione will eventually fall for Ron Weasley. He's already falling for her. In Order of the Phoenix, he got jealous of Krum, and bought Hermione perfume for Christmas. I'm just certain that at the end of Book 7 there will be a Weasley-Granger wedding.)
The fairies in the cartoon were very human. They were the same size as the humans. The only differences were that the fairies had colorful hair and some of them had wings. They had magical powers, but they (the powers) were somewhat a magic spectre [I mean "scepter," probably] rather than being something intrinsic. They are fully the equal of the heroes and the witches. WINX's fairies are like Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell in the movie Hook.
By contrast, J.K. Rowling's fairies are definitely not human. They are magical creatures, but they are basically magical wild animals. They're all like the blue Cornish pixies who hang Neville from the ceiling in Chamber of Secrets. In Goblet of Fire, fairies are used as living Christmas decorations. I once said (on 9-28-2002, while "Mr. Elingtin" was in the hospital and I was reading Azkaban to escape some of my fear) that perhaps Snape was in love with a fairy, but that wouldn't be possible in Rowling's world. The only humans in Rowling's world are wizards, witches, and muggles. Even elves are tiny (relatively) and animal-like. The closest thing to Tolkien-like elves in Harry Potter's world are the centaurs. And centaurs choose to live apart from humans. Rowling may have created three magical schools, but none of them would admit fairies, elves, or centaurs.
If Severus Snape was ever tragically in love with someone doomed to die by Voldemort's hand, it possibly would have been a Slytherin witch. But I've long since abandoned that line of speculation. Currently I speculate on whether Hermione Granger lost her virginity to Viktor Krum. (Of course, we all know Hermione will eventually fall for Ron Weasley. He's already falling for her. In Order of the Phoenix, he got jealous of Krum, and bought Hermione perfume for Christmas. I'm just certain that at the end of Book 7 there will be a Weasley-Granger wedding.)
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Thurs. April 24, 2008
This morning I did several cold calls to potential advertisers. I did this until noon, when Brie dropped off my nieces. Mostly Lydia, Eira, and I played at the park. But we also played with Barbies, ate ice cream, and watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Eira likes to pretend she's Hermione Granger.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Friday, March 14, 2008
When "Mr. Elingtin" came home, we went to Borders. I wanted to spend some of my $25 gift card from Gather.com. (Points, earned by posting content and commenting on others' articles, can be redeemed for gift cards. But it takes a long time.) Which I did, on a bag of white chocolate truffles and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Now I have every HP movie except Goblet of Fire.
Speaking of which, the Leaky Cauldron website is reporting today that Half Blood Prince will be made into not one, but two movies. I think that's an excellent ideas. That way they don't have to cut out so many of the subplots. I really hope they leave in the bit about Lupin and Tonks starting to fall in love. You know how I love a good werewolf romance. "Oliver's Famous Clam Chowder" is one.
This means Deathly Hallows will likely be two films as well. So I have four more Potter premieres to anticipate. At the rate of one film every 2 years, the last will be released in 2015. And Daniel Radcliffe will be, what, 25 by then? But that's okay. I'm sure he'll be able to pass for 17....
In the evening we undertook the epic task of watching the 1939 film version of Gone With the Wind....What else was surprising was that the Tarleton twins were not played by twins. I always pictured them as an 1860s Southern version of Fred and George Weasley.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Monday, Feb. 18, 2008
This Presidents' Day I spend the morning revising chapters 1-3 of Beltane.
In the afternoon, "Mr. Elingtin" and I went to Office Max. We had to get more party invitation paper and make more invitations for my dad's retirement party. We also went to Meijer for beer. I bought a box of Harry Potter valentines that were 50% off.
In the afternoon, "Mr. Elingtin" and I went to Office Max. We had to get more party invitation paper and make more invitations for my dad's retirement party. We also went to Meijer for beer. I bought a box of Harry Potter valentines that were 50% off.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas to one and all!....Now, as for presents that I received: there was money, and chocolate, and books. I got the hardcover versions of Harry Potter books 1 and 2 (intended for Brie, really, but she already got the boxed set), and The Great Women Superheroes by Trina Robbins....
[My brother] Kevin gave me a new cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland. And one of my favorite new things: the DVD of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We watched it when we got home tonight. It was only the second time I've seen it. It's great, but I can't help but feel that there aren't enough scenes with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Dora Tonks. I hope that when the Half Blood Prince movie comes out, it somehow includes the beginnings of the Lupin-Tonks romance....
"Mr. Elingtin" got snacks and money, too, but no books. He got some pajama pants. Kevin gave him beer. He also got a popcorn popper, 3 toy birds with a nest and a cage (similar to the cage in which Harry Potter used to keep Hedwig--before she was tragically killed by Death Eaters!)....
"Mr. Elingtin" and I waited 'til Dad got back from Reins of Life, then went home. Then, as I mentioned, we watched Order of the Phoenix. Oh, Sirius Black, how I miss you! Now I'll have to wait until 2009 to see the Half Blood Prince movie--and I'm not looking forward to Albus Dumbledore's funeral.
[My brother] Kevin gave me a new cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland. And one of my favorite new things: the DVD of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We watched it when we got home tonight. It was only the second time I've seen it. It's great, but I can't help but feel that there aren't enough scenes with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Dora Tonks. I hope that when the Half Blood Prince movie comes out, it somehow includes the beginnings of the Lupin-Tonks romance....
"Mr. Elingtin" got snacks and money, too, but no books. He got some pajama pants. Kevin gave him beer. He also got a popcorn popper, 3 toy birds with a nest and a cage (similar to the cage in which Harry Potter used to keep Hedwig--before she was tragically killed by Death Eaters!)....
"Mr. Elingtin" and I waited 'til Dad got back from Reins of Life, then went home. Then, as I mentioned, we watched Order of the Phoenix. Oh, Sirius Black, how I miss you! Now I'll have to wait until 2009 to see the Half Blood Prince movie--and I'm not looking forward to Albus Dumbledore's funeral.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
December 14, 2007
In the evening I read online about how J.K. Rowling produced seven, and only seven, handwritten copies of Tales of Beedle the Bard. Fictionally, this is the book that wizard and witch children read, like Muggle children read Grimm's fairy tales. The once-fictional-now-real Beedle has seven tales, one of which is told in Deathly Hallows.
But now she's written the other six. Six copies were given away by Rowling to people who were involved in the writing of the Harry Potter books. She auctioned off the seventh, with all of the proceeds going to charity. (I don't know which charity, but Amnesty International is one of her favorites.) The buyer was Amazon.com. It's unknown at this point whether the general public--and all of Harry's rabid fans--will get to read the tales, or at least an excerpt of them.
But now she's written the other six. Six copies were given away by Rowling to people who were involved in the writing of the Harry Potter books. She auctioned off the seventh, with all of the proceeds going to charity. (I don't know which charity, but Amnesty International is one of her favorites.) The buyer was Amazon.com. It's unknown at this point whether the general public--and all of Harry's rabid fans--will get to read the tales, or at least an excerpt of them.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007
Today is the 67th birthday of the poet (and former US poet laureate) Robert Pinsky--who I've only heard of because he guested on The Simpsons. (I know what you're thinking--"guest" shouldn't be a verb. You're right. Pretend I wrote "guest-starred.") I wrote of him in "Poet's Day"--which I read at the Chicory Cafe today.
But first, I worked very hard to revise Beltane into a second draft, so that I could begin sending out Beltane queries.
While I was online today, I read that J.K. Rowling, as part of a book tour of the U.S., told an audience in New York that Albus Dumbledore is gay. She said that he was in love with Grunewald when they were young, and that was part of the reason that Dumbledore fell in with Grunewald's fascist schemes. He was blinded by love, in other words. The audience's reaction was applause. Now, it's nowhere in the books, but the author exercised her authority and said it. So Dumbledore was gay.
But first, I worked very hard to revise Beltane into a second draft, so that I could begin sending out Beltane queries.
While I was online today, I read that J.K. Rowling, as part of a book tour of the U.S., told an audience in New York that Albus Dumbledore is gay. She said that he was in love with Grunewald when they were young, and that was part of the reason that Dumbledore fell in with Grunewald's fascist schemes. He was blinded by love, in other words. The audience's reaction was applause. Now, it's nowhere in the books, but the author exercised her authority and said it. So Dumbledore was gay.
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