A Nerdy Throwdown
Leading up to tonight's premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, it looked for a while like it was going to be all Twilight, all the time here at NewsFeed. But then a savior appeared on the horizon: the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which would premiere before the film! A hubbub arose: Would Potter fans flood the Twilight theaters, perhaps starting a nerd rumble? (No, because that would be stupid. Also, because you can watch the trailer online.)
However, the fortuitous timing has inspired NewsFeed to take a side in the blood feud that has run for generations between Twi-hards and Potter-maniacs. Presenting: the five reasons Harry Potter is better than Twilight.
1. A Better Universe
Like George Lucas, J.K. Rowling is so great at creating worlds that it more than makes up for whatever flaws her writing suffers from. Think about all the wonderful things we know about Rowling's wizarding world: where they shop, what they eat, what kind of prejudices their society has. Consider all the side characters she stacks the stories with: Neville Longbottom, Arthur Weasley, even Lee Jordan, the Quidditch announcer. We know them.
By contrast, what do we know about the world of Twilight? Three things: Good vampires don't bite people. Vampires and werewolves don't like each other. Vampires like baseball. That is all.
2. Better Acting
Let us examine the state of both franchises' werewolves. The werewolf in Twilight is played by human action figure Taylor Lautner. He is undoubtedly a nice boy, but no one would disagree with the assertion that he is more famous for his workout regimen than anything he's done onscreen.
The werewolf in Harry Potter is played by acclaimed British thespian David Thewlis. Have you even seen Thewlis' gripping performance in Mike Leigh's Naked, Twi-hards? No, of course, you haven't.
3. Better Villains
It might not be fair to compare Harry Potter and Twilight on this issue; after all, Lord Voldemort is one of the greatest villains in recent pop-culture history. (He made it into the Final Four in Techland's super-scientific March Madness villains bracket.) Voldemort is a genocidal dictator who scares people so much, they won't even say his name. He wants immortality and will do anything (even drink unicorn blood!) to get it. He killed Harry's parents -- and tried to kill Harry -- when our hero was just a defenseless baby. Shoot, just writing this is making NewsFeed glad he's not real.
But even without being compared to Voldemort, the bad guys in Twilight are weak. A villain played by Cam Gigandet (what is this, The O.C.?), Michael Sheen (oh no, it's Tony Blair!) or Bryce Dallas Howard (come off it, I saw Lady in the Water) just isn't scary enough for me. You could make the case that Bella's inevitable aging is the real villain of Twilight, but come on! This isn't Star Trek -- invisible, intangible villains aren't going to cut it.
4. It's Lasted Longer
The members of NewsFeed's generation have grown up with Harry Potter. We got Sorcerer's Stone from the library in elementary school, waited in line for Order of the Phoenix in high school and dressed up for the Goblet of Fire movie with our freshman dorm in college. The years-long gap between films and movies filled us with anticipation. Each new release -- as numerous trend pieces show -- is an event.
Twilight is much more ephemeral. The books have been out only since 2005 (which, if you're counting, is when the second-to-last Potter book was released). The films, rushed into production in case the trend should dissipate, are even worse: the first movie came out barely a year and a half ago. There's no waiting around, but there's also no growing old with the characters. Twilight is undoubtedly a commercial enterprise -- more than $1 billion internationally for just the first two films -- but it's simply not a lasting cultural one.
Leading up to tonight's premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, it looked for a while like it was going to be all Twilight, all the time here at NewsFeed. But then a savior appeared on the horizon: the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which would premiere before the film! A hubbub arose: Would Potter fans flood the Twilight theaters, perhaps starting a nerd rumble? (No, because that would be stupid. Also, because you can watch the trailer online.)
However, the fortuitous timing has inspired NewsFeed to take a side in the blood feud that has run for generations between Twi-hards and Potter-maniacs. Presenting: the five reasons Harry Potter is better than Twilight.
1. A Better Universe
Like George Lucas, J.K. Rowling is so great at creating worlds that it more than makes up for whatever flaws her writing suffers from. Think about all the wonderful things we know about Rowling's wizarding world: where they shop, what they eat, what kind of prejudices their society has. Consider all the side characters she stacks the stories with: Neville Longbottom, Arthur Weasley, even Lee Jordan, the Quidditch announcer. We know them.
By contrast, what do we know about the world of Twilight? Three things: Good vampires don't bite people. Vampires and werewolves don't like each other. Vampires like baseball. That is all.
2. Better Acting
Let us examine the state of both franchises' werewolves. The werewolf in Twilight is played by human action figure Taylor Lautner. He is undoubtedly a nice boy, but no one would disagree with the assertion that he is more famous for his workout regimen than anything he's done onscreen.
The werewolf in Harry Potter is played by acclaimed British thespian David Thewlis. Have you even seen Thewlis' gripping performance in Mike Leigh's Naked, Twi-hards? No, of course, you haven't.
3. Better Villains
It might not be fair to compare Harry Potter and Twilight on this issue; after all, Lord Voldemort is one of the greatest villains in recent pop-culture history. (He made it into the Final Four in Techland's super-scientific March Madness villains bracket.) Voldemort is a genocidal dictator who scares people so much, they won't even say his name. He wants immortality and will do anything (even drink unicorn blood!) to get it. He killed Harry's parents -- and tried to kill Harry -- when our hero was just a defenseless baby. Shoot, just writing this is making NewsFeed glad he's not real.
But even without being compared to Voldemort, the bad guys in Twilight are weak. A villain played by Cam Gigandet (what is this, The O.C.?), Michael Sheen (oh no, it's Tony Blair!) or Bryce Dallas Howard (come off it, I saw Lady in the Water) just isn't scary enough for me. You could make the case that Bella's inevitable aging is the real villain of Twilight, but come on! This isn't Star Trek -- invisible, intangible villains aren't going to cut it.
4. It's Lasted Longer
The members of NewsFeed's generation have grown up with Harry Potter. We got Sorcerer's Stone from the library in elementary school, waited in line for Order of the Phoenix in high school and dressed up for the Goblet of Fire movie with our freshman dorm in college. The years-long gap between films and movies filled us with anticipation. Each new release -- as numerous trend pieces show -- is an event.
Twilight is much more ephemeral. The books have been out only since 2005 (which, if you're counting, is when the second-to-last Potter book was released). The films, rushed into production in case the trend should dissipate, are even worse: the first movie came out barely a year and a half ago. There's no waiting around, but there's also no growing old with the characters. Twilight is undoubtedly a commercial enterprise -- more than $1 billion internationally for just the first two films -- but it's simply not a lasting cultural one.
As I sit on the rough steps in this cold winters day waiting for my father to tell me to come inside. I know he will eventually but I want to stay alone, facing him time and time again is torture! Around me is the black mansion which is where I live in and surrounding it is snow and naked branches as the leaves has fallen out in comparison to its season. With a flick of my cold black wand a heart appears in the snow, I don’t care about the rules of magic anymore. Then the thought of her face appears in my head and affection rises in my chest, my eyes are feeling hot and my face is turning red. I feel a tear run down my face but it’s not cooling my face down in any way. With another flick of my wand the heart turns black and a crack through the middle breaks it apart and I’m running.
The following is from The Whimsic Alley Book of Spells. Any irony present is not intended by me.
A Commanding Spell and Potion
by Dan "Rad" Cliffe
INCANTATION
Impero homo
DESCRIPTION
This is a spell and potion to make people do as you say.
Potion ingredients:
Five grams of salt from the Dead Sea
Ten spoons of honey
One full ink cartridge (any color)
A drink the victim likes
50 ml. of your sweat
SPELL
First make the potion in the following way:
You need to take a glass,
Add salt from the sea of the dead,
Add the 50 ml. of sweat,
And stir with a spoon of lead.
Take the honey in a bowl,
Add it to the ink,
Stir the mixture 'round and 'round,
Then you're ready to add the drink.
Thirdly, add the favorite drink.
The potion wil need to wait a year.
After that the potion is ready,
And tell the victim to drink a beer.
Wave your wand over the ingredients and say, "Impero homo." Now they will bed yours to command.
A Commanding Spell and Potion
by Dan "Rad" Cliffe
INCANTATION
Impero homo
DESCRIPTION
This is a spell and potion to make people do as you say.
Potion ingredients:
Five grams of salt from the Dead Sea
Ten spoons of honey
One full ink cartridge (any color)
A drink the victim likes
50 ml. of your sweat
SPELL
First make the potion in the following way:
You need to take a glass,
Add salt from the sea of the dead,
Add the 50 ml. of sweat,
And stir with a spoon of lead.
Take the honey in a bowl,
Add it to the ink,
Stir the mixture 'round and 'round,
Then you're ready to add the drink.
Thirdly, add the favorite drink.
The potion wil need to wait a year.
After that the potion is ready,
And tell the victim to drink a beer.
Wave your wand over the ingredients and say, "Impero homo." Now they will bed yours to command.
Okay I am a Harry and Hermione shipper. I like them together. I still love the author and i still like Ginny. I never really cared for Ron because of the way he treated Harry. Anyways... I concluded she could put anyone (minus Cho) with Harry and he is a good match with them. Harry is just one of those guys. He has a great heart. If Harry couldn't be with Hermione i wish it was with Luna. But in the books i can see that he is good for Ginny. I dont hate her. I dont mind her. I just dont like that fangirl kinda love. well my friend and me had a argument over this and i wouldn't budge. But i do think it is crazy to hate an amazing author for a pairing.
Ingredients
2 cups self-rising flour, or plain flour sifted with 2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt (optional)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 cup mixed dried fruit (such as a mixture of moist packs of dried apricots, raisins and cranberries)
Finely grated rind of small orange
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp milk
Juice of 1/2 small orange
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 ºF.
Lightly grease baking tray.
Sift flour and salt together.
Using pastry blender, cut margarine or butter into the flour.
Add sugar, dried fruit and orange rind.
Stir in egg.
Add milk and just enough juice to make a stiff, sticky consistency that will stand in peaks when stirred with a knife.
Put walnut-sized heaps of mixture on baking tray.
Allow them to keep a rough, rocky shape.
Do not flatten or smooth them.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and firm.
Cool completely on rack for flavor to develop.
2 cups self-rising flour, or plain flour sifted with 2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt (optional)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 cup mixed dried fruit (such as a mixture of moist packs of dried apricots, raisins and cranberries)
Finely grated rind of small orange
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp milk
Juice of 1/2 small orange
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 ºF.
Lightly grease baking tray.
Sift flour and salt together.
Using pastry blender, cut margarine or butter into the flour.
Add sugar, dried fruit and orange rind.
Stir in egg.
Add milk and just enough juice to make a stiff, sticky consistency that will stand in peaks when stirred with a knife.
Put walnut-sized heaps of mixture on baking tray.
Allow them to keep a rough, rocky shape.
Do not flatten or smooth them.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and firm.
Cool completely on rack for flavor to develop.
Its going to be called "The magical realms collection" For Harry Potter fans there is going to be: Voldemort and Dumbledore ones!!
There is also gonna be Aslan and the White witch from Narnia and Nanny Ogg and Rincewald ones from Terry Pratchett's book Discworld.
There are also going to be Arthurian Legends ones of Morgan le Faye and Merlin !
I have also found out that the UK is getting a Harry Potter atraction (about time too, right?)
however it won't have rides, Hogwarts ect like the one in Florida !*sigh* (And there hasn't been alot of information relesed about it !)
Just a bit of News some of you might like to read!And i realize it isn't completely HP related!
(so please no rude or offensive comments please,thank you xxx)
Well this is my 1st ever fan fiction. Hope you'll enjoy...
This is a very very short and sad story with a really happy ending if you know what i mean....:D
So here goes......
Once upon a time. a boy named Harry Potter fell in love with a girl named Cho Chang "at first sight" coz he knew it'll all over as soon as she opens her mouth*wink*.....
Anyways...they spent some time together and too soon(for Cho at least) Harry asked her:"will you marry me?"
Cho said:"no!!"
And that's how Harry began to live in peace and happiness!!!....
This is a very very short and sad story with a really happy ending if you know what i mean....:D
So here goes......
Once upon a time. a boy named Harry Potter fell in love with a girl named Cho Chang "at first sight" coz he knew it'll all over as soon as she opens her mouth*wink*.....
Anyways...they spent some time together and too soon(for Cho at least) Harry asked her:"will you marry me?"
Cho said:"no!!"
And that's how Harry began to live in peace and happiness!!!....
