HARRY POTTER 2007
I can never remember what year the first Harry Potter book was published, but I won’t soon forget that Book 7 was released in 2007. The franchise offered a unique opportunity for Potter-philes to watch Movie 5 and read Book 6 the week prior to The Deathly Hallows debut.
Much has been made about Order of the Phoenix the longest book yielding the shortest movie in the series. [Harry’s godfather, for example, only has four scenes: "Here's the family tree. Look, I'm a dog. Now I’m in the fire. Let's fight the bastards! The End.”] I was thankful for the reduced running time since it meant one less CGI Quidditch match to sit through. The main plotline was there—Harry Potter meets The Devil Wears Prada—and Imelda Staunton was perfectly cast as headmistress-from-hell Delores Umbrige.
Leaving the Chinese Theater on opening night, we got to see the still-drying hand, foot and wand prints of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. The concrete slab has since been incorporated into the courtyard near those of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. (Photo by Shephard)The following week, I re-read The Half Blood Prince and headed to Borders Friday at midnight to find I was Potter Nerd Number 282. The store was hosting a Grand Ball in which kids and adults were making wands, challenging each other with trivia questions, and complimenting each other on their costumes. There were lots of Gryffindors, a Tonks, a Hagrid (or was it Hurley from Lost?) and for some reason, two Pikachu’s. Unfortunately, Borders was so clogged with people that the air conditioning and PA systems were ineffective. Two of the sales girls had to stand near the counter and scream “Numbers 41 through 50!” while handling complaints about the heat.
The Fire Marshal In My Head directed me to the sidewalk so that I could wait the next half hour in the cooler air and open spaces of downtown Glendale. Finally, with book in hand, I walked back home and turned to page 1 at about 1:00am. Saturday was spent leisurely reading the remaining 758 pages. I wasn’t the only one doing this, since Warner Bros blamed the book’s release for a drop in ticket sales for Order of the Phoenix.
In case you are still immersed in The Deathly Hallows I won’t include any plot points here—they’re not called “spoilers” for nothing. I will say it was an enjoyable read with a fitting conclusion for the series. Future generations are sure to embrace Harry Potter as kids continue to do with The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
Bloomsbury, Harry Potter's U.K. publisher released two different editions overseas. The adult version looks pretty good but I think the kids cover missed the mark completely. The kids seem to agree as you can see in this BBC message board. In typical English fashion, 10 year old Lottie dismisses the art as “rubbish.” If you’re curious, here’s a link to all seven U.K. covers.
If you want to learn more about the Potter-verse there’s plenty online at Muggle Net including a comprehensive character database that has seventy-five entries under “B” alone. The Leaky Cauldron promotes itself as “The Most Trusted Named in Potter.” JK Rowling discusses spoilers here and answers readers' questions here. This Yahoo article details the record-setting first-day sales and challenges of such large-scale printing and distribution
I also recommend the August 3rd Entertainment Weekly which devoted 36 pages to the Harry Potter phenomenon.
JERSEY BOYS AT THE AHMANSON THEATER
The next day, we joined Diana and Kim at the Ahmanson to see the 2006 Tony Winner for Best Musical Jersey Boys. It’s the story of the 60’s/70’s group The Four Seasons told with their songs and plenty of four letter words.
Instead of dance numbers, this production uses humor, top ten hits and clever staging. It was as slick as a sharkskin suit. Structurally, the play moves chronologically through their rise and fall, giving each Season the chance to tell his side of the story. Daryl and I learned a lot about the group, such as the story behind “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” where the group name came from, and the role Joe Pesci played in their formation. Frankie Valli is such a vocally demanding part that two guys alternate the role during the week. Imagine having to hit all the high notes in “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry,” “Rag Doll” and “Dawn” nightly. Rick Faugno earned two standing ovations for his work as Valli in the performance we saw.
If you like the Four Seasons or have wondered what a musical version of The Sopranos might feel like, check it out. The show runs through August 31. Thank you, Diana for setting this up.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
This weekend we headed over to the new AMC Century City 15 to see The Simpsons Movie. Like some of their best half-hour episodes, the film had plenty of one liners, sight gags, and political nose-tweaking. Daryl, Cynthia, I and the rest of the audience had a great time, so I wasn’t surprised that it was the number one movie this weekend. With $72 million, it was the fifth largest opening this year beating out Transformers and Ratatouille.
As part of the promotional push for the movie, 7-Eleven converted some of its franchises into Kwik-E-Marts, the not-so-convenient store run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The outside is painted those distinctive colors and features characters like Bart, Milhouse, and Comic Book Guy. For sale inside are Springfield-specific items like Krusty-O’s Cereal, Duff Beer, and Squishees. We drove by the one in Burbank and I had to laugh when I saw that 7-Eleven had a line to get in. That’s as crazy as a midnight crowd at a bookstore. Oh wait.THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
We made it to the Hollywood Bowl to see Mozart’s comical opera The Magic Flute. This was a concert version without costumes, or sets or props. Or subtitles, which took everyone by surprise. It was a bit of a challenge at first but Alfred Molina was there to narrate between the arias and make sense of it for those of us unable to follow along in the original German. We'll be back tonight for more German singing as I finally get to see Beethoven's 9th performed live. Thanks to Justen and Kim for inviting us to both events!
DARYL'S BIRTHDAY
For his birthday, I took Daryl over to Pasadena for a proper English tea at Rose Tree Cottage. Covered in ivy and nestled among other half-timbered Tudors, you half-expect Jane Austen or Beatrix Potter to greet you at the door. Between cucumber sandwiches and scones, we got to talk with owners Mary and Edmund Fry who have been serving up pots of tea and petit-fours for twenty years. They gave us the sad news that the Rose Tree was being forced out of its little cottage to make way for low-cost housing. Then they gave us the good news that the business will be continuing at a new location, although this one will be hard to top. Wherever they land, I’m sure we’ll follow.
After tea we walked around the attached shop, which has everything from clothes to crumpets. Daryl picked up a book called The Great Tea Rooms of America which features The Rose Tree Cottage and its feline ambassador Miss Moppet on page 87.
Daryl was working backstage at Disneyland on his special day and had two surprises. Mickey and Minnie stopped for a private photo op outside Team Disney and the entire cast of High School Musical Pep Rally completely caught him off-guard when they burst into “Happy Birthday.”
The following weekend we were at our friend Bhavani’s for an informal birthday get-together with friends. We played games, laughed a lot and didn’t get home until late because we were having so much fun. Thank you, Bhavani!
FOURTH OF JULY
Speaking of birthdays, we celebrated July Fourth in Santa Monica with our friends JJ and Adam. JJ hails from London, so instead of hotdogs and potatoes chips she served the English equivalent: bangers and mash. It was tasty!
Because of the continuing dry spell, the community fireworks were cancelled, but that didn’t stop the neighborhood from launching some private pyrotechnic shows. Their little dog Hamish thought he was in a war zone. Thank you JJ and Adam!
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:
Although Daryl was disappointed by I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, he talked briefly to Seth Rogen [Knocked Up/40 Year-Old Virgin] as everyone was leaving the theater. At the Disney Commissary last week, I saw Victor Garber from Alias who is currently shooting the new series Eli Stone on the lot.
NEXT MONTH
Who knows what the stars will bring. Until then, James & Daryl
