In honor of the recent additions and changes to Pottermore, as well as its grand opening to the general public, I thought that a new blog post was in order! Finally something new is happening with Pottermore, and I for one am very excited about the direction that it is going!
First off, it's very exciting that Pottermore is now open to everyone. It was amazing to see the student numbers shoot up and skyrocket! I'm happy that now I can enjoy the site with all of my friends. I'm looking forward to seeing the looks on all their faces as they experience it for the first time, go through all the chapters of the first book, and get sorted!
Secondly, there have been many changes to Pottermore that have been taking place that are making me happy! The biggest one by far is the addition of sound effects and music! I went back through all the chapters to hear all the new sounds and it was great! :) Another change is that wizard duelling is now up! I know that has been up for a while, but seeing as I haven't posted in ages, I thought i'd mention it. I also saw Pottermore tweet that there is new exclusive content from JK Rowling, but I haven't read that yet. It should be awesome though, because I absolutely LOVE the written content of the site!
Thirdly, and by far the most exciting news, is that Pottermore recently tweeted that they are well on their way to finishing the Chamber of Secrets book! I am absolutely ecstatic to hear that they are finally moving forward with it! I think it's most exciting to the fans that have been with Pottermore since before it came out, and have been waiting since the minute they finished the first book! (like me). I just can't wait, and i'm sure we won't be disappointed when it finally comes out!
Lastly, I wanted to talk about the House Cup competition. In JK Rowling's video at the end of book one, she mentions that there will be a House Cup ceremony, and we will be notified when it will be taking place. I haven't heard anything about it since, and i'm very curious to learn more. It sounds awesome, and like a great chance to get tons of users online at the same time. I'm looking forward to hearing more!
Well, that about sums it up! Hope you enjoyed my quick catch-up blog post! :)
-Danielle
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Doctor Who: A New Obsession
*** WARNING: contains some spoilers! Be warned! ***
Hello all! It's been a while! There really wasn't much to discuss about Harry Potter this holiday season. The only news I have personally, is that for Christmas I got LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 for Wii, and the complete 8-disk collection of Harry Potter DVDs! I ordered them the DAY BEFORE they left store shelves. I still find it completely ridiculous that they did that, but what can you do?! Anyways, i'm here to talk to you today about sometime new in my life, that I now hold very dear, and that is Doctor Who.
I have pretty much known about Doctor Who for a few years now, but being in the U.S. I wasn't too educated about it, and I didn't think i'd ever be able to catch up to the current season. Over this past summer (2011) however, my sister and I started watching it from the beginning. That summer I watched pretty much all of seasons 1 and 2 and some of season 3 of the new series that started with Christopher Eccleston. I really liked it, but I wasn't obsessed with it yet, and I had a lot more to do that summer than just watch Doctor Who. Then I moved to college and kind of forgot about it. Over this Winter break, however, a Whovian party was hosted at my house, and I didn't know half of the characters there that people were dressed up as. At that moment I pledged to catch up and watch every episode of Doctor Who. So I finished season 3 and watched pretty much all of season 4 over break.
When I got back to school, I watched season 5 in its entirety in two days flat. All of this has been on Netflix up until now, by the way. Then I got to the most current season, season 6, that aired in 2011. That is not on Netflix yet, so I bought it on iTunes and watched it in another two days flat. I also watched the 2011 Christmas special at a friend's house over break. Needless to say, I've had my fair share of Doctor Who over these past two months, and I love it! It has filled my Harry Potter void, and I can't wait for the new season to come out in April I believe!
This brings me to discussion of the Doctors. I started with Christopher Eccleston, and he was alright, but not my favorite. He didn't last that long either, which was sad. Next was David Tennant, who lasted three entire seasons! He has been my favorite for so long because he is just so brilliant! I just love his acting, and his personality as the Doctor. He is so emotional about alien invasions and you can see the pure agony in his face when there are casualties because of him.
This leads me to the companions. First there's Rose, who was there for a long time. I liked her, a little better with Tennant than with Eccleston, but I'm still not sure how I feel about their romantic relationship. How she leaves is really sad, but I always felt that she got into too much trouble, and the Doctor was always saving her. Next is Martha. I always thought that Martha was too independent and strong willed to be a good companion, which is why she leaves so soon and gets that secret agent job or what not. Then there's Donna, who is my favorite companion of Tennant I think! At first I absolutely hated her, especially when she first appears in her wedding episode. After she comes back, though, I began to love her! She is so strong willed and matches the Doctor's attitude perfectly. Also, I freaking LOVE her grandpa! How she leaves is absolutely one of the most depressing moments in Doctor Who. Ever. Period. I literally cried.
The only thing that can top Donna's departure is David Tennant's departure as the Doctor. "The End of Time" double feature episode left me sobbing! It was just so heartbreaking. So then we were left with goofy Matt Smith entering the picture. At first I didn't like him at all, but then I actually started watching him, and now I love him! The only down side to him is that I feel that he is less emotional than Tennant was, and is way more okay with killing aliens than any other Doctor has been. His goofy attitude goes too far sometimes. However, I do love his personality, and the quirkiness that he adds to the role. Just his outfit is absolutely ridiculous, but perfect at the same time! A tweed jacket, bow tie, and a fez? Seriously? Haha!
Now to talk about his companions. So far, Smith has only had Amy Pond and Rory Williams. I love Amy's story, and I think Rory is really cute and nerdy. The episodes were pretty good in season 5. I love the progression of Amy and Rory's relationship, and how at the end she has never ending devotion to him because of what has happened and what they have been through together. Young Amy is so cute! "The Eleventh Hour" is still one of my favorites of the season!
Then there's season 6, which also brings me to River Song. Let me just start by saying that season 6 was absolutely spectacular, and was a real roller coaster ride! Although there are many questions and problems I have with it, that is easily balanced out by the incredible writing of Steven Moffat! Anyways, so River Song is first introduced in season 4 in "Silence in the Library" with David Tennant. When I first saw her, I thought it was sad that she died, but I didn't really think much of it because we really didn't know anything about her besides the fact that she was supposedly really important to the Doctor in the future. Then she returns twice in season 5, and she's still really ambiguous, but now she's flaunting all this knowledge she has, can fly the TARDIS, and speaks to the Doctor like she's his wife (spoiler! ;) haha) and I started to not really like her. Then in season 6, her identity is finally revealed, and I pretty much like her now. I still can't quite see the romantic relationship between her and the Doctor, but what can you do? Also, all of my questions have still definitely not been answered yet. There are a bunch of parts in "A Good Man Goes to War" when she reveals who she is that I don't understand and have questions about. Perhaps they will be answered in season 7, but we won't know until it comes out. One last thing though, I think Alex Kingston is a brilliant actress, and plays the role very well! I'm just still coming to terms with that fact that she pretty much has the Doctor on a leash.
Overall, I am now obsessed with Doctor Who. That's pretty much the extent to what I was trying to portray in this blog post. Sorry if you hate Doctor Who or thought this was long or boring. I just wanted to write this. So, please comment and let me know if you watch and like Doctor Who, who your favorite Doctor and companion are! :)
-Danielle
Hello all! It's been a while! There really wasn't much to discuss about Harry Potter this holiday season. The only news I have personally, is that for Christmas I got LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 for Wii, and the complete 8-disk collection of Harry Potter DVDs! I ordered them the DAY BEFORE they left store shelves. I still find it completely ridiculous that they did that, but what can you do?! Anyways, i'm here to talk to you today about sometime new in my life, that I now hold very dear, and that is Doctor Who.
I have pretty much known about Doctor Who for a few years now, but being in the U.S. I wasn't too educated about it, and I didn't think i'd ever be able to catch up to the current season. Over this past summer (2011) however, my sister and I started watching it from the beginning. That summer I watched pretty much all of seasons 1 and 2 and some of season 3 of the new series that started with Christopher Eccleston. I really liked it, but I wasn't obsessed with it yet, and I had a lot more to do that summer than just watch Doctor Who. Then I moved to college and kind of forgot about it. Over this Winter break, however, a Whovian party was hosted at my house, and I didn't know half of the characters there that people were dressed up as. At that moment I pledged to catch up and watch every episode of Doctor Who. So I finished season 3 and watched pretty much all of season 4 over break.
When I got back to school, I watched season 5 in its entirety in two days flat. All of this has been on Netflix up until now, by the way. Then I got to the most current season, season 6, that aired in 2011. That is not on Netflix yet, so I bought it on iTunes and watched it in another two days flat. I also watched the 2011 Christmas special at a friend's house over break. Needless to say, I've had my fair share of Doctor Who over these past two months, and I love it! It has filled my Harry Potter void, and I can't wait for the new season to come out in April I believe!
This brings me to discussion of the Doctors. I started with Christopher Eccleston, and he was alright, but not my favorite. He didn't last that long either, which was sad. Next was David Tennant, who lasted three entire seasons! He has been my favorite for so long because he is just so brilliant! I just love his acting, and his personality as the Doctor. He is so emotional about alien invasions and you can see the pure agony in his face when there are casualties because of him.
This leads me to the companions. First there's Rose, who was there for a long time. I liked her, a little better with Tennant than with Eccleston, but I'm still not sure how I feel about their romantic relationship. How she leaves is really sad, but I always felt that she got into too much trouble, and the Doctor was always saving her. Next is Martha. I always thought that Martha was too independent and strong willed to be a good companion, which is why she leaves so soon and gets that secret agent job or what not. Then there's Donna, who is my favorite companion of Tennant I think! At first I absolutely hated her, especially when she first appears in her wedding episode. After she comes back, though, I began to love her! She is so strong willed and matches the Doctor's attitude perfectly. Also, I freaking LOVE her grandpa! How she leaves is absolutely one of the most depressing moments in Doctor Who. Ever. Period. I literally cried.
The only thing that can top Donna's departure is David Tennant's departure as the Doctor. "The End of Time" double feature episode left me sobbing! It was just so heartbreaking. So then we were left with goofy Matt Smith entering the picture. At first I didn't like him at all, but then I actually started watching him, and now I love him! The only down side to him is that I feel that he is less emotional than Tennant was, and is way more okay with killing aliens than any other Doctor has been. His goofy attitude goes too far sometimes. However, I do love his personality, and the quirkiness that he adds to the role. Just his outfit is absolutely ridiculous, but perfect at the same time! A tweed jacket, bow tie, and a fez? Seriously? Haha!
Now to talk about his companions. So far, Smith has only had Amy Pond and Rory Williams. I love Amy's story, and I think Rory is really cute and nerdy. The episodes were pretty good in season 5. I love the progression of Amy and Rory's relationship, and how at the end she has never ending devotion to him because of what has happened and what they have been through together. Young Amy is so cute! "The Eleventh Hour" is still one of my favorites of the season!
Then there's season 6, which also brings me to River Song. Let me just start by saying that season 6 was absolutely spectacular, and was a real roller coaster ride! Although there are many questions and problems I have with it, that is easily balanced out by the incredible writing of Steven Moffat! Anyways, so River Song is first introduced in season 4 in "Silence in the Library" with David Tennant. When I first saw her, I thought it was sad that she died, but I didn't really think much of it because we really didn't know anything about her besides the fact that she was supposedly really important to the Doctor in the future. Then she returns twice in season 5, and she's still really ambiguous, but now she's flaunting all this knowledge she has, can fly the TARDIS, and speaks to the Doctor like she's his wife (spoiler! ;) haha) and I started to not really like her. Then in season 6, her identity is finally revealed, and I pretty much like her now. I still can't quite see the romantic relationship between her and the Doctor, but what can you do? Also, all of my questions have still definitely not been answered yet. There are a bunch of parts in "A Good Man Goes to War" when she reveals who she is that I don't understand and have questions about. Perhaps they will be answered in season 7, but we won't know until it comes out. One last thing though, I think Alex Kingston is a brilliant actress, and plays the role very well! I'm just still coming to terms with that fact that she pretty much has the Doctor on a leash.
Overall, I am now obsessed with Doctor Who. That's pretty much the extent to what I was trying to portray in this blog post. Sorry if you hate Doctor Who or thought this was long or boring. I just wanted to write this. So, please comment and let me know if you watch and like Doctor Who, who your favorite Doctor and companion are! :)
-Danielle
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
10 Years Ago Today...
Wow. It's been a little over a month since I've blogged! Boy, how time flies! I'm sorry! I've been super busy with school lately. It's crazy. Thanksgiving holiday is coming up though, and then soon after that is Christmas, where i'll have plenty of time to blog! :) Yesterday (the 15th) was actually my birthday, so I was kind of offline for most of the day. I love my birthday because it's in Fall, the month of November, and close to Thanksgiving, but most of all because 4 of the 8 Harry Potter films were released on or around my birthday. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released on November 16th 2001, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released on November 15th 2002, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released on November 18th 2005, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released on November 19th 2010. You can't deny how completely awesome that is ;)
That brings me to my main topic for today: what today represents. Today is the anniversary of the release of the very first Harry Potter film. 10 years ago, on November 16th 2001, kids of all ages lined up at theaters everywhere to watch the boy wizard come to life in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I was eight years old, and this sparked the beginning of at least four Harry Potter movie premiere birthday parties for my twin sister and I. Granted, I had not read the books yet, but my brother had, and I liked the story line. Who wouldn't?! :)
In other Harry Potter birthday related news, my Mom got the "Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey" book for me!!! I am SO excited and cannot wait to hold it in my hands and look over every inch of it! (since i'm away at school, I won't get to see it until i'm home for Thanksgiving). You can purchase the book HERE and watch the advertisement HERE. Even though I have not read it yet, I know that I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend it completely!!! <3 :D
While some complain and question the casting director's judgement on the actors portraying our beloved characters on film, I personally love all the actors, and think that they were cast perfectly. Also, the fact that they have stuck together for ten years is also amazing, and really shows on film with how much chemistry they have together and how well they are able to bond and adapt with each other. It really added to the films, because the characters in the book grow up with each other as well. It's just perfect, in my opinion.
Anyways, I just thought I'd stop by and chat, and let you guys know that i'm still alive ;) I'll be blogging and tweeting much more over the holiday season. For now, unfortunately, I must get back to studying. Until next time.
-Danielle.
That brings me to my main topic for today: what today represents. Today is the anniversary of the release of the very first Harry Potter film. 10 years ago, on November 16th 2001, kids of all ages lined up at theaters everywhere to watch the boy wizard come to life in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I was eight years old, and this sparked the beginning of at least four Harry Potter movie premiere birthday parties for my twin sister and I. Granted, I had not read the books yet, but my brother had, and I liked the story line. Who wouldn't?! :)
In other Harry Potter birthday related news, my Mom got the "Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey" book for me!!! I am SO excited and cannot wait to hold it in my hands and look over every inch of it! (since i'm away at school, I won't get to see it until i'm home for Thanksgiving). You can purchase the book HERE and watch the advertisement HERE. Even though I have not read it yet, I know that I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend it completely!!! <3 :D
While some complain and question the casting director's judgement on the actors portraying our beloved characters on film, I personally love all the actors, and think that they were cast perfectly. Also, the fact that they have stuck together for ten years is also amazing, and really shows on film with how much chemistry they have together and how well they are able to bond and adapt with each other. It really added to the films, because the characters in the book grow up with each other as well. It's just perfect, in my opinion.
Anyways, I just thought I'd stop by and chat, and let you guys know that i'm still alive ;) I'll be blogging and tweeting much more over the holiday season. For now, unfortunately, I must get back to studying. Until next time.
-Danielle.
Monday, October 10, 2011
I'm a Ravenclaw?!
So, it's been a while. I've spent the last few weeks kind of taking a break from Harry Potter and my Pottermore twitter. I moved into my dorm at college, so I haven't had much time, although I am checking my twitter almost daily. Anyways, this post is about me getting my second Pottermore account activated, and getting re-sorted. As you can tell from the title, I got sorted into Ravenclaw!!! :D While I am ecstatic, I feel a bit guilty for re-sorting. I also have almost no desire to even go on Pottermore anymore. I haven't even gone through all the chapters with my new account yet. I just stopped once I was sorted and let it sit there. I will eventually, because I am going to be using my new account once the new books come out, but still, I feel bad.
I am definitely keeping it though, because I am SO MUCH happier in Ravenclaw than I ever was in Slytherin! I was still a faithful Slytherin and earned them as many house points as I could, but I now consider myself a Ravenclaw. Until recently however, I would never even imagine myself as a Ravenclaw, though. Ravenclaw was the house that I longed to be in, but knew I would never fit in. I am not very smart or clever. However, this year I have become insanely into reading and writing and am a Literature major. I spend almost a third of my day reading and writing. I realize now that I have sort of become a Ravenclaw in a small way, and perhaps that's the reason why I was sorted there. Back at home, I didn't care much, and just got good grades and had fun; a Slytherin sort of lifestyle. Here in college though, I have become so studious and academic based, that I have somewhat transformed into a Ravenclaw.
I have always loved reading in general, so I know I had a few Ravenclaw qualities in me to begin with, but college brought them to the surface. I am happy for that. Being placed in Ravenclaw has increased my drive to succeed in school, and be as smart and knowledgeable as I can be. So that is how I am justifying being re-sorted into Ravenclaw. Let me know what you think in the comments! :)
[PS: I was also placed in Ravenclaw on snitchseeker.com so.... coincidence? I think not! ;) ]
-Danielle
I am definitely keeping it though, because I am SO MUCH happier in Ravenclaw than I ever was in Slytherin! I was still a faithful Slytherin and earned them as many house points as I could, but I now consider myself a Ravenclaw. Until recently however, I would never even imagine myself as a Ravenclaw, though. Ravenclaw was the house that I longed to be in, but knew I would never fit in. I am not very smart or clever. However, this year I have become insanely into reading and writing and am a Literature major. I spend almost a third of my day reading and writing. I realize now that I have sort of become a Ravenclaw in a small way, and perhaps that's the reason why I was sorted there. Back at home, I didn't care much, and just got good grades and had fun; a Slytherin sort of lifestyle. Here in college though, I have become so studious and academic based, that I have somewhat transformed into a Ravenclaw.
I have always loved reading in general, so I know I had a few Ravenclaw qualities in me to begin with, but college brought them to the surface. I am happy for that. Being placed in Ravenclaw has increased my drive to succeed in school, and be as smart and knowledgeable as I can be. So that is how I am justifying being re-sorted into Ravenclaw. Let me know what you think in the comments! :)
[PS: I was also placed in Ravenclaw on snitchseeker.com so.... coincidence? I think not! ;) ]
-Danielle
Friday, September 2, 2011
Pottermore Speaks Out!
Today we finally received the long awaited Q&A blog post that Pottermore promised. While it definitely was not what I expected, it certainly did give a little information, and I was grateful for something new from them! As always though, it was very vague and short. Along with the new blog post, they also tweeted that they sent out more welcome emails. Needless to say, I was excited about it, but also confused as to why all of this couldn't have come just one day earlier!
My favorite piece of new information given in the blog post is that they are reconsidering the brewing times for potions. This is really exciting, because they are listening to us fans, and will most likely respond in a way that will please us! Another thing I liked was that they would be sending us a survey with space to type actual comments. This is what I have been waiting for, seeing as the form they have now is just filling in the dots. I am really glad they acknowledged that and are doing something about it!
One other thing I was glad too see mentioned (although it was very vague) was the wizard duelling. I have been looking forward to that since I first heard about it! Unfortunately, by the time my account was activated, wizard duelling was down, an has been since then. I am excited for something new to be introduced to Pottermore to keep me interested until the Chamber of Secrets book comes out! So, no matter how late or vague it was, I was pretty pleased with the Pottermore Insider blog post. What are your thoughts on it, and have you received your welcome email yet?! Let me know in the comments! :)
-Danielle
My favorite piece of new information given in the blog post is that they are reconsidering the brewing times for potions. This is really exciting, because they are listening to us fans, and will most likely respond in a way that will please us! Another thing I liked was that they would be sending us a survey with space to type actual comments. This is what I have been waiting for, seeing as the form they have now is just filling in the dots. I am really glad they acknowledged that and are doing something about it!
One other thing I was glad too see mentioned (although it was very vague) was the wizard duelling. I have been looking forward to that since I first heard about it! Unfortunately, by the time my account was activated, wizard duelling was down, an has been since then. I am excited for something new to be introduced to Pottermore to keep me interested until the Chamber of Secrets book comes out! So, no matter how late or vague it was, I was pretty pleased with the Pottermore Insider blog post. What are your thoughts on it, and have you received your welcome email yet?! Let me know in the comments! :)
-Danielle
Thursday, September 1, 2011
September 1st Arrives!
Today is a very special day. The day that young witches and wizards pack their trunks, gather their school books, pocket their wands, and head off to King's Cross station. From there they travel to platform 9 & 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express that will take them to the magical school of Hogwarts. Everyone was talking about it today. It was even a trending topic on twitter! Only one problem. One very important group of people completely disregarded what today is: Pottermore. There were no tweets, no blog updates, no owls, no emails, not a single word from them about today. I find it utterly ridiculous that they choose today of all days to ignore!
They have been using other important Harry Potter dates thus far, such as Harry's birthday. So why on earth would they ignore one of the most important ones?! Especially since there are still thousands of people waiting for their welcome emails! It absolutely blew my mind, and still does! I really, truly expected at least some comment from them, of all people! However, they were silent. I do hope this silence ends soon. Especially since they promised a new blog entry this week answering a bunch of our questions! Where is that?! I've been looking forward to that since they first blogged about it!
So until then, we sit waiting, wondering when or if they will ever contact us again. Let's hope it's soon!
-Danielle
They have been using other important Harry Potter dates thus far, such as Harry's birthday. So why on earth would they ignore one of the most important ones?! Especially since there are still thousands of people waiting for their welcome emails! It absolutely blew my mind, and still does! I really, truly expected at least some comment from them, of all people! However, they were silent. I do hope this silence ends soon. Especially since they promised a new blog entry this week answering a bunch of our questions! Where is that?! I've been looking forward to that since they first blogged about it!
So until then, we sit waiting, wondering when or if they will ever contact us again. Let's hope it's soon!
-Danielle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)