The Casting Couch, Harry Potter, Tony Blair and Me

Hermione, Ron & Harry - note the top quality jumper on Ron

Yesterday I had my first ever screen test.  I was awful and yet still better than most of the cast in Harry Potter.  It was a strange, strange experience.  I’ve never been attacked by lots of cats at once but I’m fairly sure the feeling would be similar.   When I left the flat with my hands stuck in a claw like grip.

The film has been written and is being directed by Tim who plays music in Katerwaul and makes coffee in Kilau.  The part I was going for is a man who gets fucked over by a woman and goes proper mental.  There’s also a bit of time travel.  I’m fairly sure if I get the part I’ll probably humiliate myself.  And there’ll probably be nudity and I’ll have to get my cock out and show it to hunners of people.  Still, it was interesting to do something a bit different.  Good to push myself.

Went to see Harry Potter at about half eleven last night and got there as the trailers were starting.  Because there were four of us and not four empty seats anywhere in the proper cinema we had to sit in the special seats at the front.  Thankfully my eyes are quite far apart and I was able to take the whole thing in.  It was a really underwhelming film.  It looks beautiful, possibly the most beautiful of all the Potter films, the music is superb and Ron Weasley has some very good knitwear.  It doesn’t really run very smoothly and is annoyingly different from the book.  But it does set up the final two films.  Much the same way that the sixth book is a little underwhelming but sets up book seven.

The beginning of this book is where the Minister of Magic appears to the Prime Minister.  I remember when I used to work for Anne Begg MP and she came up in the draw for PMQs.  We were desperately trying to think a question and because Half Blood Prince had come out this week I suggested we ask about it.  So she did.  Here’s the Hansard of her question and Tony Blair’s reply.

Q8. [13349]

Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen, South)

(Lab): Now that the summer recess is almost upon us, will my right hon. Friend have time to do what millions of people did this weekend and read the new Harry Potter novel by Scotland’s most successful writer? What would he say to people who have been critical of those books, especially as they have done more to improve literacy and children’s enjoyment of reading than even this Government’s excellent education policies and everything that I did in 19 years as an English teacher?

The Prime Minister: The Harry Potter brief in my file is somewhat thin, which only shows that my officials’ sense of importance is not what it should be. I was told by someone, however, that in the first chapter of the new book the Minister of Magic comes out of a picture to confront the Prime Minister. I am still searching for the Minister.

That was actually asked in Parliament!  And I had something to do with it.  Oooh, the reaction was awful.  The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail and the Evening Express all had a go.  I think it was then that I knew I wasn’t going to be a West Wing style advisor for any senior politician.  The closest I ever got was writing jokes for Wendy Alexander for about two weeks.

Politics

My cousin Kez got selected for the Labour Party’s shortlist for the Glenrothes by-election which is expcetionally good going.  Unfortunately she wasn’t selected, although I’m sure the chap who was will do a good job.  Though whether people in Fife will be able to vote for a man called Lesley is uncertain.  Anyway seeing her on the front page of the BBC News website led me to go and read her blog and then have a wee look at some of the other Scottish political blogs. 

It’s been a while since I looked at any political blogs.  I used to have a wee job in politics and as a matter of course would look at several fairly often every day.  In fact I used to run a blog.  It was called Lost In Westminster and I went under the pseudonym of Hamishmac.  It used to get a fairly decent amount of hits and was featured in the Herald and the Scotsman a couple of times.  In fact (I think) it might have been of the very first Scottish political blogs. 

I used to write it from an insidery and gossipy style, and was not always very flattering about the party I was fighting the fight for.  So when my boss found out – I had hidden it from her thinking I could keep it secret, obviously I couldn’t- I had to take it down or be fired.  In fact even when I took it down I really should have been fired.  However my boss was far too forgiving and let me keep my job. 

In a way it was a shame losing the blog because it could have led on to other things and I really believe I could have made it a lot bigger.  But who knows, and there’s not much point putting too much though into it.

However, in the few years since I was regularly active in the Scottish Political Blogging Scene it seems to have exploded.  There’s hunners of them now.  Iain Dale has even compiled a list of the Top 40.  Which seems ridiculous.  Surely there can’t be that many?  Is it like the Scottish Baftas where you get the feeling it’s not so much about quality and relevance but how many times you can fit the word bawbag into something third rate?  And essentially anything that’s vaguely Scottish is nominated?  Maybe that’s a bit harsh.  I’m sure most Scottish political blogs are much better than the shite that gets nominated for a Bafta.

Looking at the Top 40 it was quite nice to see people like doctorvee and Freedom and Whisky who were around was I originally blogged are still here.  Maybe with a bit of effort, a bit more politics and a bit less whimsy I can get in the Top 40 for next year.

This is the sort of post I would have if I was running a political blog.  I’d probably mention this because it’s a lesson learned from politicians, and in my view they’re the best kind. 

You can tell Hurricane Gustav, and now it seems Hurricane Hannah, is serious because Bush, Mcain and Obama are all on tv without their ties on.

This is how politics works.  When some shit’s going down and the politicians needs to look like they’re actively doing something - get them to take off ties off and roll up sleeves.  It works.  Seriously.  If you’re in the office tomorrow and you regularly wear a tie.  Take it off and roll your sleeves up, suddenly all your colleagues will think you’re working extra hard.

Seeing as I’m mentioning New Orleans it gives me an excuse to add this youtube vid.  You might have heard me play it on last Sunday’s show.  After Katrina the Hot 8 Brass Band kind of became a bit special.  They seemed to capture what was so special about the city.  I hope the place is okay – Christ knows it’s had a hell of a time.