I know what you’re thinking…you want a podcast delving into the subject of…Occlumency and Legilimency!  Your wish is granted (we always try to anticipate your needs…).  This week, we explore the meaning of the mind in the HP books with a closer look at the inner workings of the wizarding psyche.  We know you’ll like it!

Also, tune in to hear the winners of the “So You Think Our Accents are Rubbish?!?” contenst! 

In the news:

• The last twenty minutes of OoTP will shown in 3-D on Imax
• Trailer for the OoTP video game looks amazing
• WB’s official OoTP site launching this week: Will be called “Dumbledore’s Army”
• The MS Society of Scotland is auctioning off a JKR signed Philosopher’s Stone Poster
• JK Rowling has won Wired Magazine’s 2007 Rave Award for Business
• Bloomsbury pumping up security big time

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OK, if it got our listener, Michal, to rethink her purist ideals and consider seeing the movie, you know the international trailer was a success.

Now, the domestic U.S. trailer is up- watch it and tell us what you think. There are some new scenes and pictures.  It looks good.  I am just going to weigh in on a few thoughts before I get your opinions though:

• Hermione’s Hair- blonde?!?
• Ron giving Harry that “Power to the People”/”I’ve got you, Dawg” hand motion during the D.A.- not doing it for me.
• The Order (including Harry) on Privet Drive summoning their brooms: COOL (and Kingsley Shackelbolt looks good- he might be up there with Samuel L. Jackson a.k.a. Mace Windu for ‘baddest’ good guy).
• Harry dropping Dennis Creevy comes in at a close second to the infamous milk drool in Goblet of Fire for girl induced temporary lapse of control slapstick .
• Is that an effigy of a death eater?
• I can’t decide who is more evil: Ralph Fiennes as the Nazi in Schindler’s List or Voldemort.

Tell me what you think.

-Penny

While we don’t usually focus so much on the movies, we would be remiss if we didn’t point you in the direction of the new International trailer for Order of the Phoenix.  One word.  WOW.

Quite predictably, ever since we were introduced to The Prophecy in Book 5, it’s been the subject of controversy.  Despite almost an entire chapter of Book 6 devoted to setting the record straight, questions still abound about what The Prophecy might mean.  Could it be referring to Neville? (No.)  Maybe it doesn’t have to come true? (No.)  In this week’s podcast, we set the record straight.

A few old posts related to The Prophecy from the old HPProgs blog:

• Prophecy Boy: Why Neville is NOT The One.
• Prophecy Analysis: What are the logical implications of the language used in The Prophecy?  Complete with Truth Table.

And the news:

• If you order Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows through Amazon, you are guaranteed to get it on time.
• Harry Potter World?
• First Scholastic Question up!

Make sure to check out the Prophecy 2007 Conference, August 2-5 in Toronto.  We’ll be there!  If you sign, make sure to tell them HPProgs sent ya’!

Shamless Plug of the Week: Preorder O.A.R.’s new album, Live From Madison Square Garden.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download directly as an mp3.

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We would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Yamil! In case you all don’t know, Yamil is one of our listeners who has been with us from pretty much the beginning of things. He graciously volunteered to create (and manage) the hpprogs forum- which is really a great site!

Yamil, we hope today is a good day and this year is a great year for you.

Keep smiling and thanks for all of your hard work.

Penny and Greg:)

House Elves were made to serve…or were they? This week’s podcast uncovers the complex philosophical conundrums disguised as bug-eyed, self-flagellating little green monsters.

In the News:

• If you work in a library, don’t even think about abusing your Deathly Hallows rights.
• The Scholastic Knight Bus: Coming to a library near you?
• Darn, I misplaced my invisibility cloak AGAIN!
• The Hogwarts Express’s vandalism has been avenged!

If you’re interested, the book mentioned in this week’s podcast is The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher.

If you speak any kind of English other than American, don’t forget to enter our So You Think OUR Accents are Rubbish? contest.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or you can download it directly as an mp3.

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Hi everyone! As we announced in episode 27, we will be holding the first EVER Harry Potter Prognostications contest. In case you were so enraptured by the end of our podcast and can’t remember the rules, I will write them out for you here as well as a bit of background information.

1. This contest is the result of a few too many “your British accent is rubbish!” comments to Greg.

2. This contest is for all of our non-American accented listeners (that means you, listeners from : the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, Lithuania, France, Denmark, anywhere else I may forget to mention). Don’t worry, Americans and Canadians: there will be plenty for you in the future:)

3. Here is what you’ve got to do: First, introduce yourself in your regular accent: your name and where you are from will do. Next, read the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence in your best American Accent- record the reading as an mp3 file and send it to us at harrypotterprogs at yahoo dot com (a.k.a. the address we give you at the end of each and every episode).

4. The person with the best submission will be selected and will be our guest host on a future episode.

5. Please send us the file no later than April 15, 2007.

Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!!

-Penny:)

This week’s podcast is a sort of amalgamation of a bunch of different stuff. On the one hand, Penny and I have come up with the Top 10 Alternate Endings for The Deathly Hallows (assuming it was written in the vein of other popular stories). Then we’ve got more speculation on what is going on on the US cover. And finally, we’ve unveiled our first-ever HPProgs contest! You’ve got to listen to get the details, but I’ll give you one clue.

In the news:

• People in the UK are betting on the end of Harry Potter.
• Harry Potter won the 2007 Nickolodeon Kid’s Choice Award!!
• Do you live in the “Harry-est” city?
• Bloomsbury financial future is on the rocks.
• Daniel Radcliffe to appear on American Idol.
• You can win tickets to the Hollywood premiere of OoTP.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.

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We’ve got our own theory as to how the Harry Potter series will end; but there’s always a chance that JK Rowling will go with another ending, one that is perhaps based on other popular books, movies or TV shows. Without further ado, here’s our list of the top 10 alternate endings to Deathly Hallows:

• 10. Scooby Doo ending – Voldemort is captured, and is revealed to be Filch wearing a mask. As he is hauled away, he shouts, “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”
• 9. South Park ending: After defeating Voldemort, Harry and Ron address the audience, saying, “You know, I’ve learned something today.” Suddenly, Ginny is run over by the Knight Bus, prompting Ron to shout, “They killed Ginny!” Harry responds, “You bastards!” Neville laughs and says it’s because Ginny was poor.
• 8. Star Wars ending; Voldemort reveals himself to in fact be Harry’s father.
• 7. CSI: Miami ending: Harry, Ron and Hermione collect evidence linking Voldemort to the murder of Albus Dumbledore. When confronted, Voldemort challenges Harry to prove he did it; Harry puts on his sunglasses, holding up a single strand of Voldemort’s hair, responds, “I don’t have to, you already did.”
• 6. 24 ending: It is revealed that Voldemort was really just working for the French, and Madame Maxime was really behind the entire plot to destroy the wizarding world. At the last second, Harry is able to diffuse the device Maxime had planted that would neutralize all wizard’s power in all of England. Just as they begin to celebrate, Harry is captured by the Chinese and when we last see him, he is on a boat to China.
• 5. Brokeback Mountain ending: After wishing he could “quit him,” Harry finally finds out that Draco was beaten to death with wands by a group of angry Deatheaters. The book closes with Harry gazing longingly into his trunk, in which he has Draco’s Slytherin robe wrapped around his own Invisibility Cloak. Harry mumbles, “I swear, Draco.” and sheds a single tear.
• 4. Lord of the Rings ending: Harry and Ron finally destroy the final horcrux by throwing it into a bubbling lave pit deep beneath Hogwarts, killing Lord Voldemort in the process, but at the same time weakening the foundations of Hogwarts, trapping Harry and Ron miles beneath the surface. where they gaze into each others eyes, too afraid to talk of the love that dare not speak it’s name. Just as they pass out, Fawkes rescues them and they both live out their lives married to their respective spouses
• 3. A Few Good Men ending: In the process of defeating Lord Voldemort, Ron and Hermione accidentally kill Draco. They are brought to trial before the Wizengamut, and Harry must act as their lawyer. Harry believes that Ron and Hermione were only following orders from Percy, and so he calls Percy to the stand. After a few hours of intense questioning, Harry finally tricks Percy into admitting he ordered the attack on Malfoy. As he is led off to Azkaban, Percy remarks, “All you did was weaken the wizarding world today, Potter. That’s all you did.”
• 2. Back to the Future ending: Harry, Ron and Hermione defeat Voldemort by traveling back through time to 1955. While there, they befriend a young, and not yet evil, Tom Riddle. By showing him love and friendship, Tom grows up to be a swell guy, in fact, he’s Dumbledore’s personal assistant. Just as we think things are going to be OK, Mad Eye Moody shows up, grabs Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny and herds them to his nuclear powered broom time machine. When Harry asks what is wrong with them in future, Moody replies, “You turn out fine…it’s your kids!”
• 1. Harry Potter ending: It’s the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. ‘Nuff said.