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  • A new Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley want to tell you a story

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    LONDON (AP) — If you listen carefully, you can hear the noise of chocolate frogs flying through the air on the Hogwarts Express.

    Hermione Granger gasps with delight as Ron Weasley catches the sweet treat thrown his way by Harry Potter, as all three travel home after an eventful first year at the wizarding school.

    This isn’t the now-vintage, Daniel Radcliffe-era movies, it’s not the “Cursed Child” play and neither is it the forthcoming HBO TV series. What you’re hearing is a brand-new cast in a new Audible recording of J.K. Rowling’s seven books.

    The legacy of Harry Potter might have been clouded by headlines surrounding Rowling’s comments on gender and opposition to trans rights, but it hasn’t stopped production on new projects set in the wizarding universe. The Associated Press visited the London recording studio for a “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” session in the summer, as young actors Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester and Arabella Stanton lay down walla — background noise that’s used to bring the stories to life. The young trio voice Harry, Ron and Hermione in the first three audiobook adaptations, before an older cast takes over.

    Instead of listening to someone like Jim Dale or Stephen Fry telling the whole story alone, this new audio production — the first book releases Nov. 4 — has a full, high-wattage cast. While Cush Jumbo narrates, Hugh Laurie is Albus Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed portrays Professor Snape and Michelle Gomez brings Professor McGonagall’s Scottish lilt to life. Matthew Macfadyen voices Voldemort, and Keira Knightley appears later in the series as Dolores Umbridge.

    But it’s Stanton who is pulling double duty in the Potterverse: The 11-year-old is also starring as the studious and brave Hermione Granger in the HBO show.

    “I can’t say much, because they’ve cast a Mimblewimble tongue-tying spell on me,” Stanton apologizes. “But I’ve just started filming, and it’s great at the moment.”

    AP sat down with Treadaway, 14, Lester, 13, and Stanton to find out the snacks required to keep them going, their introductions to the wizarding world and how they feel about acting. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

    AP: What were the auditions like?

    TREADAWAY (Harry): You really got like, a taste of what it was going to be like, also in the studio and even the scenes.

    AP: Had you done anything like this before?

    LESTER (Ron): I did some audio before, yeah, but I mean nothing as professional as this is.

    AP: How does this compare to your stage work?

    STANTON (Hermione): It’s just very, very different, but I suppose the similar thing is that, because you want to make your voice come alive, I think you … sort of act as you’re saying the lines to give the words some color.

    AP: How’s the recording going so far?

    LESTER: Lovely people, great food and great experience.

    AP: What’s your favorite food when you’re working?

    TREADAWAY: The snack cupboard and the chocolate fridge.

    LESTER: The chocolate fridge is dedicated to chocolate.

    STANTON: It’s filled with snacks.

    TREADAWAY: They have to restock every time I go.

    AP: Can you remember the first time you ever heard about Harry Potter?

    TREADAWAY: I think it might have been when my sister was watching the movies chronologically and then for some reason I only decided to tag along for the last one.

    AP: Did you go back to the beginning?

    TREADAWAY: I don’t think I did, because I was like, “Oh, I can’t watch this, this is a 12 (rating),” so I had to wait till I was 12 to watch them.

    STANTON:  My friends had started all reading all the books and everything and they were like, “Oh have you heard Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that?” And so I was like, right I’m going to start reading the books. So I think when I was 8 I started reading the first one. Sort of just worked my way through them and yeah it was great, I’ve loved Harry Potter. I love it.

    LESTER: I saw this book in Waterstones and everyone said that it was quite popular. It was like one of the bestsellers. So my mum bought it for me and I read the book and it was just great.

    AP: So what do your friends and family think about you voicing these characters? Have you been able to tell them?

    LESTER: I haven’t really told many of them, not really.

    TREADAWAY: I think those who know will never truly know actually what it’s about until they listen to it.

    STANTON: I think I’ve told quite close family, sort of keeping it in a bubble. But they’ll never really understand because so much effort — I mean, the teams, all the amazing people behind it, they put in so much effort to make the audio series incredible.

    AP: Have you got a favorite part of the stories?

    TREADAWAY: I can’t wait to hear how the battle scenes work because of all the SFX and all the sounds and all of the grunts and oohs and ahs and all that because I think that will sound really cinematic. … It was very weird because I would stand there for a minute just grunting and I would feel so stupid.

    STANTON: I can’t wait to hear all the spells because I think Hermione generally just says so many spells and I can’t wait to hear the sounds of people casting them, I just love spells.

    LESTER: My favorite part that I’m looking forward to is just literally just to hear it all come together and for everyone to talk to each other because I feel like that’s going to be amazing.

    AP: Are you like your characters in any way?

    TREADAWAY: That’s how I found it quite easy to just step into the character because I think I relate to them and I’m sure you guys do as well. … I’m not like the biggest ego ever. … Sometimes you’re the smaller person in the room and you just sometimes just mingle. I feel like I relate to Harry in that way.

    AP: How about you and Hermione?

    STANTON: I love books. I love writing, I love reading, I love doing all that kind of stuff. I mean, I like school, but I don’t love school. And I think … books is the main connection between Hermione and I.

    AP: How are you like Ron?

    LESTER: I think we both relate to each other because we’re quite cheeky and we love food. We love food! … In moments, we’re both serious and we’re also not afraid to stand up for the people that we love or stand up for our friends because we always do the thing that’s right, and that’s kind of what I relate to, because I go into the deeper side of Ron, and not just the eating food and being cheeky.

    AP: What’s your favorite kind of magical element?

    LESTER: My favorite kind of magical element is the spells. I think they’re just really cool. Like “stupefy” (the stunning spell) — I think that’s very, very cool.

    STANTON: One of the main props that Hermione uses is the Time Turner. I love all the magical objects like the Invisibility Cloak, the Time Turner, all those things because … (they’re) things you wouldn’t be able to use in real life, but in the magic world, it transports you into a completely different world.

    TREADAWAY: The Polyjuice Potion, because when you record that, it’s like, you have to really hone in on the actual sound of turning into someone else, and that was one of my favorite magic parts of it.

    AP: Are you aware of how much love there is for Harry Potter?

    TREADAWAY: I guess that’s sort of why you have a bit of pride in yourself knowing that such a big name and characters, you get to associate yourself with them. If you know what I mean, it gives you a little feeling inside your heart.

    AP: What does it mean for you to be representing Ron?

    LESTER: It makes me proud, honestly, to be representing such a great and funny character, but then also, I don’t know, it just makes me … feel a part of this community.

    AP: And how about you, representing Hermione?

    STANTON: I’ve dreamt of that since a really young age, and I’ve always looked up to all of the people who played Hermione, like Emma Watson and all those people.

    AP: Are you aware how huge it is around the world?

    TREADAWAY: I don’t think we’ll really feel that until it comes out, I guess, because that just makes it more unreal.

    LESTER: It’s so popular around the world, which makes it more unreal that so many people are going to be interested in this and we don’t even realize it, yeah, we can’t even process this.

    AP: So is acting the way forward for you now? Would you like to continue doing this?

    TREADAWAY: Yeah, definitely — I mean on this, it never really felt like pushing yourself to do something, it wasn’t work, it felt like an enjoyable experience and you’ve got something to see at the end of it.

    STANTON: I’d love to act, yeah, definitely. And I think, like Frankie said, I mean, just being part of the audio series is incredible. And yeah, can’t wait to do more.

    LESTER: I think it is for me because I always say it’s not work if you do something that you love and, honestly, I love acting so much. It makes me feel happy and it makes me feel like my true self and … I think it is the way forward just to keep going and do a lot of jobs, hopefully.

    AP: And you’re all bonded now aren’t you?

    ALL: Yeah.

    LESTER: The proper trio.

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  • Stephen Fry goes behind the lectern to host ‘Jeopardy! UK’ – National | Globalnews.ca

    Stephen Fry goes behind the lectern to host ‘Jeopardy! UK’ – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Jeopardy! has crossed the pond.

    Yes, you read that right: the famous answer-and-question game show has added a couple letters to the end of its name. Dubbed Jeopardy! UK, the show will be hosted by Stephen Fry (The Morning Show, The Hobbit) and will air exclusively on BBC First in Canada starting Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

    Despite the big move, the show will for the most part stay the same except for one big change — the U.K. version will allow participants to play an extra round, increasing stakes for the players.

    Fry is no stranger to hosting quiz shows, having hosted the popular British quiz program QI from 2003 to 2016.

    “I am dizzy with delight and honoured to host,” Fry said. “I hope Canadians watching this endlessly rewarding game show will welcome me into their homes as they did the great and iconic Alex Trebek. Audiences should be prepared for a nostalgic and uniquely beguiling good time to grace screens on BBC First in Canada this January.”

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    Global News did a quick Q&A with Fry about the gig, and how British folks are taking to the “new” game show.

    Global News: Do you watch the original Jeopardy!? And do you still watch it when you’re in North America?
    Stephen Fry: Yes, I watch Jeopardy! whenever I can when I’m in America. I’ve become quite fixated with it because there are so many dramas involved, internal little narratives that change and shift over the weeks. It’s thrilling, and I think there is something magical about the format. I first saw Jeopardy! all those years ago, with the legendary Alex Trebek hosting the quiz show and the idea that I’m now in this position at the lectern in charge of the game, well, I mean, it makes me have to pinch myself.


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    How have the U.K. contestants taken to the quiz show?
    The U.K. contestants have taken to the game like ducks to water. It’s been amazing to watch. A lot of them have seen it before, and even if they haven’t, it is a game that, like so many others, if you try to describe it and just lay it out in words, it sounds odd. But, as soon as you start watching it, you pick it up, and the little nuances become very apparent, and our contestants have been amazing.

    They’ve really shown all aspects of this game. They’ve shown that it’s called Jeopardy! for a good reason. They take risks, you know, you have to take risks, and sometimes it can blow up in their face, and they can go from a high to a low money score in seconds. It’s very unpredictable, and it’s wonderful to watch. Our U.K. contestants are simply brilliant, and the range of their knowledge will blow audiences away.

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    Click to play video: 'Montrealer on Jeopardy'


    Montrealer on Jeopardy


    How do you think you would fare as a contestant?
    [Laughs] Well, there are some subjects I feel reasonably confident in, and I think: How come they haven’t got that? But, I have to say I’d be very weak in some scientific, mathematical, and geographical categories. I’ve always been very bad at recognizing countries’ flags.

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    For example, I’m not naturally gifted with a good visual memory. I’m very bad at faces. Indeed, I have prosopagnosia, which is face blindness. So I’m pretty bad at those visual clues that show the face, but I think I would enjoy it because there’s something about the ride in Jeopardy!. There’s something about the peaks and the troughs that would give me pleasure. I’d probably sweat and fight for the buzzer. Maybe one day I will play Jeopardy!.

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    Can you give us an example of some of the great question-answers you’ve heard?
    There was a very good question where the answer could also be a sport. For example, what was the insect that stood on Pinocchio’s shoulder? And the answer to that was cricket, which is also a sport. The one I really love was about a typewriter key between escape and shift, or however it was described, it was more accurate than that, and I was completely flummoxed. And of course, it was F1 the function key, which is also Formula One, the sport. So our clue setters as we call them are really brilliant. I mean, they come up with the most imaginative clues.

    Tell us more about Jeopardy! and what makes this quiz show so iconic?
    It’s not just boards of all these sums of money and pick them, get it right and the first one to score the most at the end is the winner. It’s actually much cleverer than that. It’s called Jeopardy!, as a repeating, for a very good reason. There’s a lot of risk-taking involved. There are a lot of sudden surprises, and it brings out the very best in all contestants, not just their knowledge, but also their quick-wittedness, because it’s not always a knowledge question. Sometimes it’s word games and puzzles, and also these contestants are prepared to back their own knowledge and judgement, that makes it really what it is, the greatest quiz game ever devised.

    —

    ‘Jeopardy! UK’ premieres Wednesday, January 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on BBC First in Canada. New episodes will air every Wednesday.

    &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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  • UK TV Diversity Chief Defends Social Media Activity After “Antisemitism” Row Over Stephen Fry Speech

    UK TV Diversity Chief Defends Social Media Activity After “Antisemitism” Row Over Stephen Fry Speech

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    EXCLUSIVE: The chief executive of one of the UK’s top diversity bodies has denied ‘liking’ allegedly antisemitic LinkedIn posts about Stephen Fry‘s Christmas speech.

    Deborah Williams, who runs the Creative Diversity Network, said she did not endorse messages posted over the festive period by former Channel 4 commissioner Tamara Abood.

    Williams’ denial comes amid other questions about her social media activity, including re-posting a petition, shared by controversial politician Chris Williamson, calling on Israel’s ambassador to the UK to be expelled.

    Abood was accused of antisemitism by high-profile Jewish producers after she wrote that Fry’s rallying cry against rising discrimination was “disingenuous” and demonstrated “where the power lies” in UK media. Fry’s six-minute speech was produced by Fulwell 73 for Channel 4.

    Screenshots seen by Deadline show that Williams apparently ‘liked’ a message from Abood in which she said: “Unlike the disingenuous Fulwell Fry version, this is a Christmas Message I can get behind.”

    Abood linked to an Alexei Sayle Google search. Sayle, a Jewish comedian who has been vocal in his support of Palestine, recorded his own Christmas speech, in which he accused other Jews of “bloviating” over the Gaza conflict and parroting the narrative of the “ruling class establishment.” He also accused Israel of “genocide.”

    Williams denied liking Abood’s message. In a statement, Williams said that she did not follow Abood on LinkedIn and, instead, endorsed a post from an industry contact that was related to Abood’s original message about Sayle.

    Williams also made clear that she did not like other messages from Abood in which she made claims about “where the power lies” in British television and argued that antisemitism “is not happening in a vacuum.”

    A Creative Diversity Network spokesperson said: “Deborah ‘liked’ a post from an industry contact in a chain of posts relating back to Alexei Sayle’s alternative Christmas message as she’s a fan of the comedian.

    “She didn’t directly ‘like’ Tamara Abood’s post about the Christmas message itself, as she doesn’t follow Tamara Abood and she was therefore unaware of any of her other posts and the content of them, and in particular the post mentioning “where power lies”.

    “Deborah has fought racism and inequality in all its forms over the course of her career, including the past seven years running Creative Diversity Network where she has worked to make the television industry more inclusive for all.”

    Williams’ explanation raised eyebrows, particularly in the context of her other social media activity. In recent days on Twitter (now X), she reposted a message from ITV presenter Robert Peston in which he said the accusation of antisemitism was being used to “silence legitimate and important debate.”

    Last month, she retweeted a message from former Labour MP Chris Williamson calling on people to sign a petition regarding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to the UK. Williamson was thrown out of Labour in 2019 amid an antisemitism row and is under police investigation over a potential hate crime against Israel.

    A source close to Williams said she retweeted Williamson without properly engaging with the content of his message.

    Leo Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73, was critical of Abood’s LinkedIn posts and has been vocal in calling out alleged discrimination against Jewish people since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

    Commenting on Williams’ social media activity, he told Deadline: “Are we to honestly believe this nonsense from the CDN, that Ms Williams managed to endorse and amplify the appalling views of Chris Williamson, Tamara Abood, Alexei Sayle, etc without ever reading a single one of their posts or perhaps without any knowledge of their very publicly held views?

    “Ms Williams holds an integral role within our industry, she and the CDN purport to represent the interests of all minorities. Well this should be a wake-up call for her, the organization and the industry, that fighting racism and inequality in all its forms, but explicitly excluding Jews from that claim, doesn’t make you a hero of diversity, it makes you the very definition of an antisemite and not fit for purpose.”

    Williams has led the Creative Diversity Network for seven years. It is funded by the UK’s major broadcasters and monitors diversity in television shows. Paul Moore, ITV’s group corporate affairs and communications director, chairs the organization.

    Abood, who now works as a psychotherapist but maintains links to the TV industry, has deleted her LinkedIn account, meaning her messages are no longer in the public domain. She has been contacted for comment.

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    Jake Kanter

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  • ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’: The 6 Biggest Changes From Book to Movie

    ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’: The 6 Biggest Changes From Book to Movie

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    This post contains spoilers for Red, White & Royal Blue.

    “It’s absolutely undeniable that the fans love the book for the same reasons that I do, so I think of myself as one of them,” Red, White & Royal Blue director and co-writer Matthew López told Vanity Fair of how he approached Casey McQuiston’s New York Times best-selling novel. His adaptation of the book is now streaming on Prime Video. “You could argue that I’m such a rabid, passionate fan that I made the most expensive bit of fan fiction ever. I hope the fans take solace from the fact that one of them has made this movie.”

    Given López’s reverence for the source material, much of the original enemies-to-lovers story between British prince Henry (Cinderella’s Nicholas Galitzine) and American first son Alex Claremont-Diaz (The Kissing Booth’s Taylor Zakhar Perez) remains the same. They still connect over a royal wedding gone wrong, quote Sense & Sensibility via text, and consider a polo match as foreplay. But the film isn’t completely beholden to the book on which it’s based. Ahead, a look at the biggest differences between RW&RB book and movie, from missing characters to a completely changed coming-out scene.

    Alex and Henry’s Siblings

    With any adaptation, inevitably a few characters’ arcs will be scaled back or downright stripped from the narrative. The victim in this book-to-film transfer is June Claremont-Diaz, Alex’s unfiltered but supportive sister, who pretends to date Henry when rumors about her brother’s relationship start to circulate. In the novel, she’s Alex’s closest confidant, along with his friend Nora (played by Rachel Hilson), granddaughter of the Vice President. And it’s in the pages of her teen magazine that a 12-year-old Alex first spots a photo of Henry. In the film, she’s completely absent.

    While both of Henry’s siblings—Prince Philip (Thomas Flynn) and Princess Bea (Ellie Bamber)—remain in the film, their roles have been largely reduced. Gone is Bea’s cocaine addiction—in the book, tabloids call her “Powder Princess”—and most scenes involving Prince Philip, who publicly shames Henry for not finding a proper wife while he and Alex attend Wimbledon.

    The Political Intrigue Ratio

    The political machinations surrounding both men, but particularly Alex, go far deeper in the book than the film. Many of them surround the character of Raphael Luna, a gay US senator and family friend of the Claremont-Diaz clan who shocks everyone when he joins the campaign for Republican presidential candidate Jeffrey Richards—the opponent of Alex’s mother, Ellen (played by Uma Thurman). We eventually learn that Rafael only jumped ship to expose Richards’ sexual misconduct—but more on that below. Rafael is missing from the movie, seemingly replaced by Miguel Ramos (Juan Castano). Miguel is a Politico journalist and Alex’s former lover who pulls a similar betrayal later in the film.

    Alex’s Romantic History

    Alex’s journey to acknowledging his bisexual identity is truncated to fit within the span of a two-hour film. In the film, he’s had some more experience and is less rattled by the fact that he kissed a man than by the fact that said man was his sworn enemy.:“I can wrap my head around being low-level into guys, but what I’m really confused about is being into Henry,” Alex says. In the novel, his kiss with Henry catapults Alex into a more in-depth internal struggle over his sexuality, and even a Google search on the presidential views of bisexuality.

    The Details of Alex’s Coming Out

    There’s cheeky acknowledgment of one book-to-movie difference in the film. After Alex comes out to his mother Ellen, she quips, “I mean, if I’d had more warning, I could’ve made you a Powerpoint presentation.” That is, in fact, exactly what happens in the book. The president creates a PowerPoint and schedules an official debriefing to cover the threats Alex’s romance with Henry could pose to her re-election. She also yanks her son from the campaign trail. In the movie, Ellen’s reaction to Alex’s reveal is far more positive. She urges him to use protection both actual— anyone who’s been yearning to hear Uma Thurman say “Truvada,” you’re welcome—and metaphorical. “You need to figure out if you feel forever about him if you take this any further,” Thurman warns in a Southern drawl. “A relationship like this will define your life.”

    How Alex and Henry’s Relationship Is Leaked

    With the character of Rafael Luna axed, there’s no subplot involving him exposing Ellen’s opponent as a sexual predator or evidence that the Richards campaign leaked our couple’s private correspondence. Instead, it’s that pesky Politico journalist who catches on to Alex and Henry and breaks the story of their relationship.

    The Ending (Sort Of)

    The final moments from the book, where the couple returns to Alex’s childhood home in Austin with the key he gifted Henry, remain intact. But a few tweaks have been made in setting up their fairytale ending. First off, Henry’s grandfather King James III (played by Stephen Fry) is his grandmother, Queen Catherine, in the book. Alex and Henry’s connection over Star Wars has been nixed from the film, meaning the mural painted of them as Han and Leia by the public is also gone. And it appears Anderson Cooper wasn’t available—so instead, it’s Rachel Maddow who declares Ellen’s presidential victory.

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    Savannah Walsh

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