Jump to content

MuggleCast: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Kdentzau (talk | contribs)
13 edits
No edit summary
Line 56: Line 56:
* '''[[Ben Schoen]]''' was born August 24, 1989, and is a high school graduate from Moundridge, Kansas. He was the leader of the debate team at his high school. Ben is scheduled to attend Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, starting in the spring of 2008.
* '''[[Ben Schoen]]''' was born August 24, 1989, and is a high school graduate from Moundridge, Kansas. He was the leader of the debate team at his high school. Ben is scheduled to attend Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, starting in the spring of 2008.


* Jamie Lawrence is the resident Brit on the podcast. Born in [[Durham]] on December 7, 1986, Jamie is a junior at [[Durham University]]. Jamie hosts a few segments on [[MuggleCast]], including Jamie's British Joke of the Day, Dumbledore Norris Facts ("facts" about [[Dumbledore]] that are inspired by [[Chuck Norris]] facts), and Make The Connection (Jamie asking a co-host to connect [[Harry Potter]] to a random item, movie, book, etc.). Jamie also had part in starting the segment [[Pokémon]] Connections, out of his love for [[Pokémon]].
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Lawrence_%28MuggleCast%29 Jamie Lawrence] is the resident Brit on the podcast. Born in [[Durham]] on December 7, 1986, Jamie is a junior at [[Durham University]]. Jamie hosts a few segments on [[MuggleCast]], including Jamie's British Joke of the Day, Dumbledore Norris Facts ("facts" about [[Dumbledore]] that are inspired by [[Chuck Norris]] facts), and Make The Connection (Jamie asking a co-host to connect [[Harry Potter]] to a random item, movie, book, etc.). Jamie also had part in starting the segment [[Pokémon]] Connections, out of his love for [[Pokémon]].


* '''[[Eric Scull]]''' is often called "the Spieler". He was born April 23, 1988, and graduated from high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. He now attends college at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. His nickname comes from his very long rants on the show.
* '''[[Eric Scull]]''' is often called "the Spieler". He was born April 23, 1988, and graduated from high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. He now attends college at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. His nickname comes from his very long rants on the show.

Revision as of 04:37, 15 September 2007

MuggleCast
File:Mugglecastart.jpg
'No Theory is Safe'[1]
Presentation
Hosted byAndrew Sims
Ben Schoen
Kevin Steck
Eric Scull
Jamie Lawrence
Laura Thompson
Micah Tannenbaum
Mikey Bouchereau
GenreHarry Potter
UpdatesWeekly
Publication
Original releaseAugust 9, 2005 –
Ongoing

MuggleCast is a weekly podcast featuring several staff members from the Harry Potter fansite MuggleNet that discusses a large range of topics related to the Harry Potter series. The first show was launched on August 7, 2005 and was made available through the Apple iTunes service. Less than a week later, on August 14, it reached the number one position on the list of highest rated podcasts on iTunes. On July 24th, 2007, during the "Harry Potter Summer" MuggleCast hit that milestone again. It is still in the number one position as of July 28th, 2007.

The podcast is constantly in the Top 10 podcasts of the month on PodcastAlley[2]. On July 2007, the podcast held the #1 spot.

Usually lasting at least an hour to an hour and a half, MuggleNet staffers Andrew Sims, Ben Schoen and Jamie Lawrence are the lead hosts. They are typically joined by several other staff members, including Laura Thompson, Eric Scull, Kevin Steck, Micah Tannenbaum and new addition Mikey Bouchereau.

Transcripts of the podcast are available on the MuggleCast website, and are usually posted five days after the episode has been released.

Show format

The show begins with a small commercial for their sponsor, GoDaddy.com, then moves on to the theme song: "MuggleCast", which was sent in by a fan. The hosts state their names, and the show begins with a news roundup done by Micah Tannenbaum and then features discussions about the latest news on the books, films, and other Harry Potter related news. It then is handed over to one of the MuggleCasters who goes on to read the listener rebuttals along with a voicemail section where listeners can send recorded questions to the panel about previous episode discussions and questions about the Harry Potter series in general. The running time of the show is usually a little over an hour.

Segments

This is a complete list of MuggleCast segments. Segments whose titles are in italics have either been retired or are on substantial hiatus, due to either lack of listener interest or lack of original content.

  • Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion: The MuggleCasters will go through a few chapters each episode, analyzing details.
  • Character Discussion: The MuggleCasters discuss a character, their name origins and what they have done in Harry Potter.
  • Editorial Section: An editorial from MuggleNet is chosen, and the author is invited to discuss it with the hosts.
  • "What if...": What would have happened if just one detail in the series had happened differently?
  • Theory of the Week: The hosts take a popular theory from MuggleNet's Chamber of Secrets forum and discuss.
  • Listener Rebuttals: A review of listeners' emails and voice mails about the previous show.
  • Favorites: The hosts are given a category and chose their favorite from that category.
  • Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Listener's Soul formerly Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul: [3]: . An email that shows how MuggleCast brightened someone's day or life is read aloud.
  • Ben's Give me a Butterbeer: Modeled on John Stossel's segment on 20/20,"Give me a Break," Ben picks a Potter-pertinent topic. Despite a lot of positive listener feedback, Give Me A Butterbeer has been taking a hiatus in recent episodes.
  • Spy on Spartz: Spy on Spartz was a segment in earlier episodes in where the MuggleCasters would call Emerson Spartz and "spy" on him, in other words, ask him what he was doing. The segment got booted because fans were getting bored with it. The segment was brought back later briefly, with the threat to reveal one digit of Emerson's phone number every time he did not answer his phone. However, it was canceled once again, and listeners were not given Emerson's phone number.
  • Andrew's Huh!? E-Mail of the Week: Features weird e-mails sent in by listeners of the show.
  • Jamie's British Joke of the Day: Features a joke told by Jamie, who hails from the UK.
  • Eric's Crackpot Theory of the Week: Eric Scull is sent a strange or obscure theory from a fan and has 1-2 minutes to defend it to the best of his ability.
  • Dumbledore Norris Facts: Jamie reads "facts" about Dumbledore inspired by the popular "Chuck Norris Facts."
  • The Dueling Club: Two MuggleCasters say two different Harry Potter characters at the same time. They then defend their character to decide which of them would win in a duel.
  • Debate: Teams of one or two hosts debate, usually over Harry Potter related topics. One host is the judge, whose vote counts for 25% of the winning vote. Listeners then decide the final winner by using a poll on the website. The winner is announced on the following show.
  • What's Buggin' Micah?: Micah rants about something bothering him. In the past, he has complained about the length of time in between updates to Rowling's web site. Not too long after, Rowling did indeed update her web site, prompting listeners to speculate whether she listened to the podcast.
  • Andrew's Weekly Challenge: Where Andrew comes up with crazy challenges for the listeners to do. At one point this segment was taken off the air, but it has made a comeback in recent episodes.
  • Dylan Spartz's Inspirational Quote of the Week: Dylan Spartz, a MuggleNet staff member, gives a quote that is supposed to make the listeners feel good and think. It was canceled after only two segments, but made a comeback in a later episode when Dylan was on the show.
  • Special Guest Interview: A rarer segment, the hosts interview someone related to the Harry Potter fandom. In the past, a variety of people have been interviewed, including the makers of the Harry Potter video games, a few fans, people related to the movies, and persons working with the book.
  • Pokémon Connections: This newly created segment originates from MuggleCast #78 when the Mugglecasters went off on a tangent about the connections between Pokémon and Harry Potter. It was named a segment in MuggleCast #80 when the Mugglecasters read other connections found by listeners.
  • Make The Connection: One of the hosts has to make a connection between Harry Potter and a random book, film, T.V. show, etc.
  • Bloopers: After the show has ended there usually are some funny outtakes from the show. One long blooper was when Ben podcasted from the hallways of his Moundridge, Kansas high school which included plenty of foul language and trash talking. Another was when Ben was parked in the middle of a street, scared of being arrested. A recent blooper featured Eric asking Laura if he "gave her pants back."
  • Live Call-in: A segment where listeners call in and discuss their theories live with the hosts.
  • The Road to Deathly Hallows: The hosts discuss various topics about what will happen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
  • Andrew's Wizard Rock: Host Andrew Sims is an aspiring Wizard Rock star, and will occasionally bring out his newest single. His first single was featured on episode #70: Goodbye 2006. His second single was inspired during the special episode announcing the release date of Deathly Hallows. The song, "Don't Let it Be July", is a parody of N*Sync's "Bye Bye Bye". The full single premiered of "Bye Bye Bye" on episode #94: Beautiful Name, Beautiful Girl.

About the Hosts

  • Andrew Sims, born May 23, 1989, takes the job of the main host. In 2007, he graduated from Shawnee High School in Medford New Jersey where he spent a lot of time working in his school's television studio. Starting in the fall of 2007, Andrew will be attending Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.
  • Ben Schoen was born August 24, 1989, and is a high school graduate from Moundridge, Kansas. He was the leader of the debate team at his high school. Ben is scheduled to attend Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, starting in the spring of 2008.
  • Jamie Lawrence is the resident Brit on the podcast. Born in Durham on December 7, 1986, Jamie is a junior at Durham University. Jamie hosts a few segments on MuggleCast, including Jamie's British Joke of the Day, Dumbledore Norris Facts ("facts" about Dumbledore that are inspired by Chuck Norris facts), and Make The Connection (Jamie asking a co-host to connect Harry Potter to a random item, movie, book, etc.). Jamie also had part in starting the segment Pokémon Connections, out of his love for Pokémon.
  • Eric Scull is often called "the Spieler". He was born April 23, 1988, and graduated from high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. He now attends college at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. His nickname comes from his very long rants on the show.
  • Kevin Steck is currently studying at the University of Connecticut at the age of 22. Kevin is always able to provide his perspective on the discussion and consistently uses "techie" talk to present his cases. This, and a large knowledge of computers, causes him to be known as MuggleCast's resident nerd.
  • Micah Tannenbaum was born August 17, 1982, and lives in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. Micah is the show's weekly anchorman. For each episode he has provided a round-up of the past week's top Harry Potter news stories, and is recognized for his "What's Buggin' Micah" segment. Micah works for the Arena Football League in New York City, where he is the Coordinator of Internet and New Media Services.
  • Laura Thompson is the only female host of MuggleCast. In the fall of 2007, she entered McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, where she is a Communications Major with a Minor in Spanish. Laura was home-schooled in Cumming, Georgia, where her family currently lives. Laura was born in Orlando, Florida, on December 19, 1988.
  • Mikey Bouchereau is a 22 year old hailing from California as a Film Major at California State Fullerton, and is the most recent addition to the MuggleCast hosts. He joins the group when the other podcasters are unavailable.

Catch Phrase

Although it is not a part of the format of the show, host Andrew often says "Pickle! " at any random moment, after being dared by fellow podcaster Melissa Anelli to create a catch phrase. Similar to John Noe of PotterCast's use of the word Dawlish, Andrew declared "Pickle" the MuggleCast catchphrase in Episode #54, though its use in the show has recently reduced. "Pickle" has now been recognized by listeners as something to say when there is nothing else to say on a subject.

"Pickle" was brought up again in episode 107, with Andrew's Weekly Challenge.

Pickle Pack

MuggleCast has recently come out with "Pickle Pack", a subscription that allows you to access bonus material, such as: MuggleCast videos, outtakes, host blogs, dubbed "Blickles". A Pickle Pack T-Shirt is also included in subscription. Membership to Pickle Pack costs $30 per year, with the profits go towards paying all of the expenses that arise for MuggleCast. Registration to Pickle Pack is now closed. Andrew Sims has said that registration may open again in 2008. However, there is now talk of re-opening registration soon.

Guest Hosts

Members of other Harry Potter fan sites have also appeared on the podcast as guest hosts, such as:

April Fool Jokes

Just like its parent site, MuggleNet; MuggleCast has an April Fool's joke every year.

2007

Andrew, Ben, Laura, Micah and Eric talked about how they received a manuscript of the seventh book. They discussed many different topics, deaths, themes, etc. They reported that two main characters from the book, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, both die in the final book. Notably, they also talked about Harry slipping on a carrot cake and fracturing his pelvis, Neville Longbottom running Bellatrix Lestrange over with a motorbike, and they also joked that the popular social website Facebook appeared frequently in the novel. Though the "report" was clearly an April Fool's Day joke, they still received many complaints from listeners claiming that they spoiled the book for them. To put an end to the complaints, they finally admitted it was a joke on MuggleCast #87.

The Leaky Mug

MuggleCast has a friendly rivalry with The Leaky Cauldron and its podcast PotterCast. Hosts of PotterCast have appeared on MuggleCast on occasion and they have teamed up to record joint podcasts, which are titled "The Leaky Mug".

One joint podcast was recorded live in New York City on November 12, 2005 at the Union Square Barnes & Noble coinciding with the United States premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. During this show, PotterCast host Melissa Anelli's mother, who was at the premiere after party, called in with Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), Jamie Waylett (Vincent Crabbe), Tolga Safer (Karkaroff's aide) and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) on the phone.

Two joint live podcasts were held in the summer of 2006. The first was in July at the Lumos 2006 Symposium, a Harry Potter convention that was held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Las Vegas. A few days later, the LeakyMug team held another live podcast in New York City at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square where the first live podcast was held. The show was focused around JK Rowling's August 2006 visit to New York and the readings she did for the event "Harry, Carrie, and Garp" at Radio City Music Hall on August 1st and 2nd.

A LeakyMug was also held in late September 2006 at the Borders in Westwood, California. It was a small and intimate podcast.

Four live podcasts are in the works for summer of 2007, as announced on MuggleCast #72. One is going to be during Enlightening 2007, which is a Harry Potter camp from July 12 - 15, where Andrew Sims, Ben Schoen, and Jamie Lawrence are going to hold a seminar on How to Create a Podcast. Two more are going to take place during the two premieres of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - one in England, and the other in New York. Finally, perhaps their biggest of the four podcasts will be the one held at the Harry Potter conference Prophecy 2007, a Harry Potter conference from August 2nd - 5th.[citation needed]

Summer 2007 Road Tour

During the summer of 2007, Mugglecast did a tour of live shows across America with the wizard rock band The Remus Lupins, discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with the fans. The tour travelled eight states: Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennslyvania.[4]

Awards

MuggleCast was voted Podcast of the Year by the 2005 Weblog Awards, which are decided by popular vote.

In late September 2006, it was also awarded the 2006 People's Choice Award at the 2nd annual Podcast Awards in Ontario, California.

See also

References

  1. ^ "MuggleCast – MuggleNet's Harry Potter podcast". MuggleNet. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  2. ^ http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=8028#
  3. ^ The title was changed in MuggleCast Episode 79 by Ben Schoen in the absence of the MuggleCast coordinator, Andrew. It is unclear whether the change is official as of yet.
  4. ^ http://www.mugglenet.com/mugglecast/index.php?page=summer07.php

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MuggleCast&oldid=157994116"