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Teta040

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Hi everybody, just taking a break from my normal home in FYM to post here. I know if I posted this thread there, it would be moved....so....

I know someone posted a thread about the trailer but this is for the upcoming book too. As you know, the fifith film in the Harry Potter series is coming out tomorrow (I'm going to a midnight showing!:drool: ) and the seventh and last book is comingout in two weeks.

I am happy of course--truly it's Christmas in July for us fans!--but of course sad at the same time. I'm not one of those who discovered the books as a kid and grew up with them--but I know how that feels, havung seen the first Star Wars film in 1977when I was 8. But it means the same to me. I used to work for the local Barnes and Noble for 4 yrs--from 2001 to 2005. I went to work in the Kid's section, no less. I wasn't goin g to read the books, thinking they were "kiddie", but after a year of working there, I said to myself, "I've been working in the kid's section of this place and there is a WHOLE TABLE devoted to HP, it would be strange and bit silly of me not to have read them. It's like on the job training at this point." So I decided to "bite the bullet" and took the plunge. needless to say, by the time I got to "Prisoner of Azkhaban", with its horrific description of Azhkaban prison, I was hooked... (so much more horrofic than any film can possibly portray--and possibly one of the most fieghtening places n all of modern literature--"By the end of the first day, he was screaming for his mother...after the first week he fell into a stupor. and was going mad...You could always tell when a death was coming, the Dementors would get excited" etc--I've always wanted to ask Jo: "Why couldn't there be another, more humane institution? This place breaks the Geneva Convention--it makes Gunatanamo look like a palace!") .

I remember doing the Local Book Parties for the 4th and 5th books. We staff members had a costume contest. I dressed up at the party for OOTP as Rita Skeeter, or (since film 4 was in the future) my idea of her: tight-fitting maroon low-necked velvet dress, matching chintzy fake nails, leapord-skin print neckscarf, pearl choker, my grandma's old leopard-skin pillbox hat (a real antique!), and around my neck,a huge goose feather on a chain (the Quick-Quotes Quill of course.)All evening long I'd tell kids, "Watch what you say!" etc. They'd laugh, as of course they got the joke. I had an arts and crafts table set up at one end of the Kid's area (which in our store was akind of a store within a store) kids making "brooms" paper wands, etc. At the other end some local aviary people had brought in tamed owls and were doing a presentation every half hour...parents and kids alike sat and stood watching, rapt, all evening. At exactly midnight the Store Manager came out and read the first sentence of the new book over the loudspeaker, then it was officially Sale Time! He ceremoniously ripped off the first cardboard box of copies, and even adults in the line gave out little shrieks of excitement. The store at that point being INFERNALY HOT!! , rivuletsof sweat running down your body, but who cared?? The electric feel in the air! The winner of the costume contest was a sweet middle-aged lady who dressed up as Fluffy, the three-headed monster dog from the first book .

Wonderful memories. I wish I was still working there, so I could do the last book party. I don't doubt that, amid all the excitement, there will be a few tears as well. This is the kind of experience we'll be telling our kids about in a generation or more. What was it like when Narnia came out? Lord of the Rings books 1954-56 and the apaerback editions in the mid-60's? Those of uswho rmemeber the first Star Wars films, back in the days before multiplexes, when lines stretched around the block and "line culture" began, and later, when the LOTR films came out. We still will have 2 more HP films, but the suspense, the sense of having still more to find out and "What happens next?' will be forever gone. before the Internet, surprises were surprises. "I am your father"--there is no way anybody can fully appreciate what those four words meant in the age before the Net. Those four words, totally out of the blue, in May of 1980 officially ended our childhood. A generation of kids walking shellshocked out of the theater and having it stay with you for days afterwards--then lining up to experience it again. "Try. Do, or,or do not. There is no try." "I don't beleive it."--"THAT is why you fail." Vader's helmet in the cave breaking opne,in Luke's vision, to show Luke's face, a monent that you only fully appreciate now, after being able to view the whole saga. Deathly Hallows will liklely bring such moments as well. And it'll hopefully be a complete surprise.


So share all your HP stories, books and films. We must forever thank Jo,as the fans call her, for giving us something truly magical in an ever-darkening world. Living the uneasy journey with Harry makes our uneasy journey through these troubled times a little bit easier. Well, a lot, actually.

Or it may not. Will Harry die? That's the big question on everyone's lips. I'm asking this,and starting this thread, b/c of a FANTASTIC piece of video put up 2 days ago on the biggest and oldest HP fan site, Mugglenet--mugglenet.com--of Jonathan Ross, a British show, apparently a Brit version of Letterman? Some HILARIOUS bits, but Jo dropped what she calls "anvil-sized hints" as well about Book 7. No spoilers, I hate them, but here's what she had to say IN GENERAL about it.

Some quotes....Book7 will be "a bloodbath..well, no it won't, but.." and she went on to describe when she wrote one of the last chapters of the book, NOT the Epilogue (she specificaly saod this was not the Epilogue) she said that she began "howling", and that crying wasn't enough, she went over to mini-bar in her hotel and broke open a bottle of champagne and got drunk, then staggered home still crying with mascara running down her face. ("My husband is used to this". LOL!:wink: ) What would make her cry so? Killing off someone like Draco or Hagrid? Nope. IMO.

Here's who I think will die in Book 7:

On the good guys side: --1)Hagrid
--2)Aurthur and Molly Weasely (they're the "Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru" figures here; Voldemort goes after Harry's parent figures--his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore). These two willprob be the first to die, and they'll die in the first chapters of the book--Voldemort will have his spies at Bill and Fleur's wedding).
--3)Lupin (SOB!!!!!) but if Lupin dies, Tonks had better die too! I'm a huge Lupin fan, fellin love with the character after his wonderful portrayal in Film 3 by David Thewlis). THis poor guy's life has been hell, and you Want him to find a wife. At the end of book 6 when he was got together with Tonks I creid with happiness--even as I was crying at Dumbledore's funeral. If they have to die I hopeit'll be very "Shogun" with a beautiful joint sacrifice--they go hand in hand into the Veil together. *SNIFF*.
--4)Snape (and yes, he's one of the good guys--I've read Mugglenet's book they've put out on this, and the "Snape loved Lily Potter" theory has to be SO TRUE) I'm hoping for a big dramatic 4-pg long death scene for Snape, as he sacrifices himself to save Harry. Alan Rickman is SENSATIONAL as Snape--PERFECT casting--and I can't wait to see the bigger role he will play in the next films. He'll be fantastic!!Snape dying in Harry's arms and making a long, gasping and preferably TEARFUL (yes, Snape can cry!) confession as to how he loved Harry's mother b/c she was the only person who was ever kind to him and he swore an Unbreakable Vow to destroy the monster who murdered the girl he loved. This all being news to Harry of course so Harry is on the verge of tears himself and now wants Snape to live, just like Luke suddenly wanted Vader to live. But then he dies. In fact, I think in the HP series Harry is like Luke, Snape like Anakin, and of course Voldemort is the Emperor figure. When you look back on it, by the time you get to the end of EMpire and then Jedi, you can't exactly tell what Vader/Anakin's motives are, and you wonder why he does what he does.

Forget the Kleenex--I'm going to be reading this armed with a BEACH TOWEL!!!!:sad: :sad: :sad: :(

On the bad guys side--1)Draco (I feel sorry for him, now, I realydo, and want him to live, but Voldy is a bastard, and will hunt him down swiftly for failing his mission)
2) Bella. And it will be Neville who takes her out. GO NEVILLE!!!
3)Lucius and Narcissa. How touching.
4)I hope Fenrir Greyback is killed in a particularily gruesome way by half-werewolf BILL. GO BILL!(and BTW, I'd love to see Fluer kick some butt.)
5)Wormtail. His sorry rat's patootie is not worth saving. Will Ron kill him? That WOULD be ironic.
6)Come to think of it, I'd love to see Dobby come back and kick some butt. Not Kreacher though--he may be one of the good guys.
7) and what do you thinkhappens to You Know WHo? Unfortunately, as Harry is a Horcrux (IMO) he might have to kill himkself to save all. I thought someone would take the bullet forhim--UNTIL Isaw the interview on Mugglenet 2 days ago.

Anyway, my thoughts....I'm off to see a midnight screening of the new film tomorrow night and will post my thoughts.

Anyone else seeing the film/reading the book share here! And if you want to put up book/film 5 reviews too! Rolling Stone is ravijng over Dan Radcliffe's performance.

And go to mugglenet.com and view the Johnathan Ross special from 2 dyas ago with Jo on it. This is MUST-SEE viewing. It's in 2 parts and runs around 20 minutes. No spoilers, don't worry. And it's HILARIOUS.....
 
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Have you read the 6 other books? You won't get book 7 much if you haven't....
 
I'm a big harry potter fan too and can't wait for the film and the new book. I've grown up with the books, and I think it's going to be quite emotional buying the last one..a real end of an era!

I agree with you and think that Snape is definately a good guy, I think he put himself in danger by killing Dumbledore (as voldemort stated that Draco Malfoy HAD to do it, and there must be a reason why).

I'm starting to think that the main part of the prophecy could be about Neville rather than Voldemort (neither can live while the other survives) because if you read the whole thing it makes more sense to me.. Maybe Neville will die?

Harry may be a horcrux, I'm not sure, but I don't think he'll die. For a start its too obvious to just kill harry. Plus if harry dies, voldemort will triumph. And don't you think the lasting message J.k.Rowling will leave is good always triumphs over evil?

Oh well I don't really mind what happens, just so long as Rita Skeeter makes another appearance. :D She's my favourite character by a mile!
 
I can't believe it's the last book! My family was on the Harry Potter bandwagon before it was a bandwagon. My aunt is a teacher and specializes in children's lit. She also reads and reviews children's books. She tipped us off at least a year before the HP craze began, before the book had even been published. We thought it sounded really dumb and refused to read it, so my mom read it to us (geez, it was THAT long ago!?! My mom was still reading to us? Haha).

I pre-ordered the book b/c I had a bunch of bookstore gift cards, but I'm not reading it until my vacation (July 28). I'll have to wear a box over my head for a week.
 
I got into the books after seeing the first movie back in 2001, and I love the books. :love: I caught up on the first five before the last one came out two years ago, and when it did I read it in a little less than a week (I think it wasn't much longer than that, lol). Can't wait for the seventh one, I actually should have pre-ordered it when I was at Borders last week or the week before.
 
I'm going to see the movie tonight! :hyper:
Lies, you've got courage! Haha I usually rush through reading it the weekend it comes out, in solitary confinement. Then about a month or two later I re-read and pick up on all the little details I missed.

This one time the local radiostation leaked a huge spoiler. I felt bad for my friend, who hadn't been able to finish it yet, and this was just a week after it was released!
 
Yeah, I'm tempted to, but we always go on vacation at the end of July, so it's customary to save the latest HP until then.

I think we're going to a midnight IMAX show on Sat. I like to wait a few days and go late so all little kiddies are in bed.
 
Oooh IMAX? That's gonna be sweet!! I'm just going to the local cinema, but it isn't too bad, it is one of those with the technology to show U23D.

Haha the premiere crowds can be just as entertaining as the movie! LOTS of people pregame, so the wait is kinda wild. But at least they shut up during the movie.
 
unico said:
I usually rush through reading it the weekend it comes out, in solitary confinement. Then about a month or two later I re-read and pick up on all the little details I missed.

Same here.

I'm so excited for the book and the movie! I may not be able to see the movie for a couple of weeks, but that's okay.

I've pre-ordered my copy of the book, and I'm most likely going to pick it up at midnight when it's released. I won't have a lot of free time during the week after it's released, but thankfully I'll be away from TV and the internet, so there will be no worries of being spoiled. :D
 
ThoraSEB said:




I've pre-ordered my copy of the book, and I'm most likely going to pick it up at midnight when it's released. I won't have a lot of free time during the week after it's released, but thankfully I'll be away from TV and the internet, so there will be no worries of being spoiled. :D

I'm going at midnight too :up: I'm so worried about having the ending spoiled for me, I'm going to lock myself away in my room and not go out. Last time, before I read the end of the 6th book, i didn't watch tv or anything. But when i was out in the car, someone had graffitied 'dumbledore dies' on a fly over. I was heartbroken and I'm not risking leaving the house this time!
 
unico said:
Oooh IMAX? That's gonna be sweet!! I'm just going to the local cinema, but it isn't too bad, it is one of those with the technology to show U23D.

Haha the premiere crowds can be just as entertaining as the movie! LOTS of people pregame, so the wait is kinda wild. But at least they shut up during the movie.

Yeah my friend is addicted to IMAX, plus a co-worker said something about a fight scene being in 3D?
 
my interest in HP started a few years after the books/movies were out. even my mom knew more than I did AND had the books. so I borrowed books 1-4 and that was it. after that, I watched the movies for the first time. since then I've been hooked.

very excited, I am currently rereading Order of the Phoenix. wanted to refresh my memory a bit before seeing the movie tomorrow night. my sister and niece are coming Friday night, and Saturday morning we're getting up super early to get in line because the Weasley twins are doing guest appearances all week at the theater we go to. my niece is 10 and she's very excited and told all her friends about it already. should be a very crowded and good time, and then seeing the movie again right afterward. Then I have another week to reread book 6 to prepare for the last book. I preordered it but my sister and her husband are coming in for a visit, so it wouldn't be the best time to lock myself in a room and read :)
 
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Thanks guys..I just found out about the ZooStation thread for movie reviews, I wish I had posted this there:mad: :sad: . But hope you guys are telling your thoughts on the film! Someone said this was an "emotional" thread rather than a book or film thread...but oh well...after Book 7 it'll be time to be crying and emotional (last book!) so I'll keep this "forwarded" on the first pg or two until July 21, maybe.....
 
Here's my little reflection piece. It's long and I wrote this for me, so I don't care if nobody reads it, but Teta provided a good forum for this type of thing and reminded me that I wanted to write my own reflections on the series.

I did read your post Teta, thank you for sharing your personal journey with Harry, here's mine.


--
I have shared over a third of my life with Harry, and I distinctly remember the early moments of our friendship. It was during finals in 7th grade, and I would rush to finish each exam so I could pull the novel from beneath my seat and devour more of it. That summer, Goblet of Fire came out, and I was fortunate enough to fall ill at my overnight camp a day later, allowing me to race through borrowed Amazon.com ordered copies and share the adventure and tragedy of that tournament with a boy who was just a year older than I.

I missed attending midnight releases for book 5 because I was on a baseball trip with my mom, and indeed had to endure the agony of seeing it on display in grocery stores for two days before we got to my grandparents’ house, where I’d stupidly preordered it to.

Nor was a midnight release in the cards for book six. It came out following my freshman year of college, and over winter break I prepped for it by reading the first five straight through in five days, my third trip through Harry’s world. It was a most enjoyable marathon after a hard finals period. At the same time as I was lurking in the U2 online world (and leaving my Red Sox online world, scared off by the attitudes of a bunch of grown men in an unmediated forum) I dove into Harry Potter essays and theories and analysis online, excited to find writing that stimulated me to examine the books from various intelligent angles and that enhanced my understanding of the plot and my admiration for JKR as a writer. However, I was cut off from both U2 (mid-tour!) and Harry at the end of that May when I flew over to Ghana. My month and a half there was wonderful and educational and life-changing and all of those things, but the homesickness you would expect only was intensified on my 24-hour-long journey to Uganda. I was leaving a place that had made me so homesick but was finally beginning to feel like home, and towards the end of that journey the clock would roll round to July 16 and the rest of the world would get their hands on Harry’s sixth year while I would remain lonely, looking forward to snatching up a copy at Heathrow on the way back to America a whole month later. (But at least I’d have a British copy!) Harry to the rescue! Much to my delight, there was an English bookstore in Kampala, and I only had to wait until two days after the release to get the book. I think my heart actually leapt when I saw the big poster in their window, advertising the book’s presence. Again, a new Harry kept me company while I was ill (lesson in eating unvouched for street food learned) and this time I couldn’t bear to prolong it, instead rushing through it in eight hours. Harry’s familiar world was like going home and helped to cure me, along with a fresh sense of adventure.
In the last two years I have popped in now and again for Harry Potter news and sometimes theories. Since the title and release date were announced I’ve become obsessed again, going through theories and analysis that has once again expanded my awe and understanding of Harry’s world and Jo as an author.

And now I’m on the brink of the end. I’ve nearly finished my great reread. I’ve been distracted at work, annoyed friends with analysis and questions about little details, planned out the wee hours of the 21st and how I will make it there without being spoiled. I feel this great nervous excitement, a feeling that I get only from a Harry release, a U2 release or concert, or a Red Sox playoff game. I feel certain to be taken on an emotional ride that will be painful, joyful, memorable, and satisfying, to be knocked over by the brilliance of the final plot, to be able to enjoy analyzing all the little clues and foundations and how it all came together for years into the future, to have many discussions about the moral lessons of Harry, the brilliant techniques Jo uses as an author, and the workings of Harry’s magical world. I have taken this journey with Harry, from the end of middle school to now, on the brink of my final year of college, with uncertainty ahead. I have grown up with him, known the feeling of being exactly his age while I read several of the books, known the anger and angst of being fifteen (well, sixteen) along with him, watched excitedly as romances that I’d waited years for blossomed. It has been a marvelous trip, but I can’t help feeling a significant and sometimes overwhelming twinge of sadness at the thought that after Saturday, I will never again turn a page of Harry Potter that I have never turned before. I will never witness a murder, solve a puzzle, giggle at a joke or humorous moment for the first time. I will only get one more “Aha!” moment where everything snaps into place. It is the ultimate bitter sweet experience that awaits.
 
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