The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
 
Comic Strips  |  Lifestyle Features

Wizard bits

Odds and ends on the occasion of the final book's release
By SHARON STEEL  |  July 18, 2007

070720_poter_main

The last Potter: What does the end mean for Harry's strange Boston disciples?

What's in a name?
The Potter series has been translated into 64 languages. Here’s what the pubescent sorcerer is called in five of them:
1) Lithuanian: Haris Poteris
2) Bulgarian: Xari Potûr
3) Arabic: Hari Butar
4) Russian: Garri Pottyer
5) Japanese: Harii Pottaa

Throwback
People did enjoy reading serials before that Potter kid showed up. Here are five vintage titles:

1) The Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle: from A Wrinkle in Time to An Acceptable Time, Meg, Charles Wallace, and the rest of the Murray kids saved everyone, from their own father to entire planet.
2) Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal: oh, those Wakefield twins. Did anyone actually care what Elizabeth thought?
3) The Fudge Books by Judy Blume: we like to think of Peter Hatcher as the Woody Allen of kid-lit.
4) The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin: raise your hand if Stacy McGill was your favorite sitter. Yeah, us, too.
5) The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon: god, Nancy Drew was so much cooler than those bozos.

Lyric sheet
From Harry And The Potters’ “My Wizard Scar Still Burns For You”
Oh, Ginny Weasley
You’re so dreamy
Ginny Weasley
Ron’s gonna kill me

So you know that Voldemort is trying to kill me
And I don’t want you caught in between
Like Sirius Black and my mom and my dad
I don’t want to lose you
So I can’t see you
I don’t want to lose you
So you know I can’t see you

But my wizard scar still burns for you

From Harry And The Potters’ “The Foil (Malfoy)”
Your blood may be pure
But your heart is spoiled
You wouldn't be so tough
Without Crabbe and Goyle
Malfoy wouldn't be so cool if I wasn't around
I'm his enemy at school
He really wants to get me down

Draco Malfoy what’s your problem?
All your friends think you're rad
’Cause you treat me so bad
Draco Malfoy what’s your problem?
All your friends think you're rad
’Cause you treat me so bad

You think you’re so cool
’Cause youre Slytherin’s seaker
You're only that good cause you're a dirty cheater
You hate muggle-borns like Hermione Granger
I wouldn't be surprised if you became a Death Eater

Draco Malfoy what’s your problem?
All your friends think you’re rad
’Cause you treat me so bad
Draco Malfoy what’s your problem?
All your friends think you're rad
’Cause you treat me so bad


Midnight parties
Without the assistance of a time-turner, it’d be difficult to hit all of these Potter bashes at once. Choose your favorite July 20-midnight fête from the handy guide below. But remember, neither therapists nor Denial Spells will be made available if you spoil yourself with a sneak peek at Deathly Hallows’ epilogue. Repeat after us: celebrate now, break down later.

1) Harvard Book Store/Harvard Yard: Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and the Hungarian Horntails are booked to play a free set in Harvard Yard from 7 to 9 pm, preceded by a speech from Andrew Slack of the HP Alliance; from there, apparate to the Harvard Book Store (1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge; 800.542.READ) for their HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS RELEASE PARTY, which features more music, fortune telling, and an in-store Marauder’s Map.

2) Prizes, spellbinding crafts, and an HPIQ scavenger hunt are among the many activities filling the fifth-floor reading room of the Barnes & Nobles at Boston University’s MIDNIGHT MAGIC COSTUME PARTY (660 Beacon Street, Boston; 617.267.8484). The festivities kick off at 9:30 pm.

3) For a full twelve hours (1 pm–1 am) Coolidge Corner is turning itself into the Brookline version of Hogsmeade Village with its POTTERPALOOZA. Brookline Booksmith (279 Harvard Street; 617.566.6660) will function as your home base in an indoor/outdoor street festival complete with Potter-themed food at local restaurants, contests, and performances.

4) Beginning at 11 pm, guzzle butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and treacle tarts at Porter Square Books (25 White Street, Cambridge; 617.491.2220). The Underground Railroad Theater will present an in-character, in-costume reading from the book at this HARRY POTTER PARTY.

5) Dress up as your favorite character and catch a Knight Bus to your local Borders Books and Music for a GRAND HALLOWS BALL that will include a Potter spelling bee, the Great Snape Debate, and the crowning of a king and queen.

Deathly Hallows Stats
1) Amazon.com pre-orders: 1.5 million and counting
2) Initial print run by Scholastic: 12 million copies
3) Page count: 784 (US version)
4) Harry turns: 17 years old
5) Deaths: two major characters

What’s next?
1) Two Warner Bros films: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
2) At least three Harry Potter conferences: Prophesy (August 2–5) in Toronto; Portus (July 10–13, 2008) in Dallas; Level Two (July 23–26, 2009) in San Jose; and possibly 2010 in Orlando (the location of the yet-to-be-constructed Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park).
3) One last Harry Potter book? Billionaire J.K. Rowling’s made no promises, though she might change her mind if she needs a little rainy-day cash.

1  |  2  |   next >
Related:
  Topics: Lifestyle Features , Harry Potter , Draco Malfoy , Young Adult Books ,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

Today's Event Picks
ARTICLES BY SHARON STEEL
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   BAD GIRLS  |  October 29, 2008
    Fashion deathmatches on Stylista and The Rachel Zoe Project
  •   CRY BABIES  |  August 19, 2008
    Teen talent wails on High School Musical: Get in the Picture
  •   HIGH-SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL  |  July 29, 2008
    American Teen is no wasteland
  •   THE WAY IT IS  |  July 29, 2008
    Interview: Talking about American Teen
  •   FACEBOOK PHOBIA  |  July 16, 2008
    Thought high school was bad? Social-networking sites jack up Web-era insecurities

 See all articles by: SHARON STEEL

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



Wednesday, December 03, 2008  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2008 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group