I WANT TO EAT A NUT OF LAERMA!

WE'LL GET THE KNIGHT BUS BUT THE KNIGHT BUS NEVER CAME!

Well, back in February, I linked to this (British) Sun article with cool pics of the triple-decker Knight Bus (the pics are still there too) from the upcoming third Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban which is now shooting in Britain, to be released next summer. Well, there's now Newsweek article, on MSNBC.com, with a couple of cool pics of the now-pubescent Harry and Hermione, and, for a change, they're not in their Hogwarts robes, they're in normal street clothes. I don't think the "half-tracksuit" look is too fashionable in America these days, but these films are set in Britain, and, as someone that has spent many a July in Britain, I can tell you that the sort of clothing you see Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson wearing in those photos is the exact sort of clothing you see kids wearing on every High Street or "shopping arcade" in England; that look never went out of style there.

I have to say that, while I did enjoy the first two films a fair bit, I do have to say that the medieval-with-only-a-few-token-modern-conveniences atmosphere of Hogwarts does get mighty claustrophobic after a while, so it is really nice to see the kids in a different setting. So after seeing these pics, the pics of the Knight Bus, and the pics of Gary Oldman as "Sirius Black", I am mighty pumped to see this. At this point, I can't think of any summer film next year I'm more excited to see, except for maybe Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles, or, outside chance, Dreamworks' Sharkslayer.

However, this Newsweek article also added a big-ass fly to my fucking sweet custard. ("Fly in the ointment" doesn't really make much sense; what do I care if a fly landed in there, as long as I'm not taking it internally?) Even though this is an interview about a silly-but-fun kids' fantasy movie that takes place an ocean and an alternate plane away from the Muggle United States of America, director Alfonso Cuaron had to open his big fat mouth and tell us what he thinks of President Bush:

Cuaron�s outspokenness is also new to the franchise. Does the evil wizard Voldemort still remind him of George W. Bush, as he said recently? �In combination with Saddam,� he says. �They both have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people. I read books four and five, and Fudge��Rowling�s slippery Minister of Magic��is similar to Tony Blair. He�s the ultimate politician. He�s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handled affairs in book four.� Cuaron�s scrappiness is either refreshing or worrying, depending on your stock portfolio.

Shut up! This is an interview about a silly kids' movie. It is neither the time nor the place to be speaking such things. You want to rant about Bush, go do it in some left-wing rag, preferably in Mexico, where I don't have to read it.

Well, I'm still hoping to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakban on opening day late next spring, but now I'm also hoping to see Alfonso Cuaron on the Celebrity Liberal Blacklist Whine List... I'm surprised that Celiberal.com hasn't added him yet, actually.

posted by Steve Brandon @ 6:05 AM