Comments | rattlesnakeroot: An American Tune ~ April Come She Will

rattlesnakeroot

An American Tune ~ April Come She Will

Apr 11, 2008 19:44

I'm feeling a bit patriotic these days with the election and all, but it makes me sad that so many people are having bad times right now, so I was thinking about all the best things about the U.S. and New York City, and thought of a song that says it all:

Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park

Click to view

And because this song is so beautiful:

( April Come She Will )

spring, songs, new york, music, hope

Comments 5

lunas_ceiling April 12 2008, 08:07:05 UTC

Well, it appears the publicity machine has been set in motion to announce the testimony of JK Rowling in the trial on Monday. A Deadline Hollywood Report is the first to confirm the scheduled trip from Scotland to Stop Publication Of "Harry Potter Rip-Off"

Selected highlights from this "unbiased" report include:
Ms. Rowling also believes that if this book is published, it may detract from sales of her own planned encyclopedia, the proceeds from which will go to charity, just as the proceeds from her other companion books have already been donated to charity.

Cease and Desist letters have now been redefined as:
Repeated, cordial efforts have been made to persuade RDR Books not to go ahead with publishing the Lexicon. Although it has agreed to remove J. K. Rowling’s name from the back cover, RDR Books has refused to stop publication, leading to the present legal action being taken.

An unnamed source provides insight into the author's purpose in fighting the publication of the book:
"It's very important to her," an insider told me ( ... )

rattlesnakeroot April 12 2008, 14:50:07 UTC

That word "Rip-Off" really offends me. She never called the Lexicon a Rip-Off before this lawsuit. Does she look at all books about her series that way? If so, that is really sad.

That "unnamed source" is probably a public relations person. It's like the Madeleine McCann case if you are following that one - people use PR to get these stories in the media and that way they can control the "spin". The PR people go to the reporters and not the other way around. That is why the language in these stories is so similar - "rip off" and "detract from her sales" are two phrases we see over and over.

Propaganda.

potionsmistres April 12 2008, 17:04:31 UTC

They forgot to mention that Steve and RDR "ripped off" JKR's work, while the many similarities to folklore and other authors (such as Tolkien) in the HP series were just her paying homage to these tales and people.

You're right, rattlesnake--propaganda, pure and simple.

rattlesnakeroot April 13 2008, 02:44:16 UTC

Wasn't Dumbledore just a "rip-off" of Merlin and Gandalf?

Or aren't those the archetypal "wise old men" that human beings always imagine have the answers to everything?

Is Steve's book a "rip-off"? Or isn't it just an homage to a series of books that everyone loves?

I saw a quote in an article today:

http://www.filmdetail.com/archives/2008/04/12/harry-potter-and-the-lexicon-lawsuit/

"This is a tricky one - although Rowling and Warner Bros may indeed have a case, this could easily backfire.

Even if they win and protect the ‘Potter brand’, the danger is that they’ll look like they are punishing the fan culture that has helped make the books and films so popular.

Or are the Potter books too successful and ingrained in pop culture to be damaged by any fall out from this?"

lunas_ceiling April 13 2008, 07:39:42 UTC

That article links the Deadline Hollywood Report which has been updated here:
Deadline Hollywood article with RDR response. I left a comment on there, the anonymous at 11:29 is mine. Look who agrees with me, none other than Lord Voldemort himself with a conspiracy theory to boot. Oh well, at least I didn't get the AK.