Lockdown Day 15, yes unbelievably we’ve managed 2 weeks. Just another 2 weeks to the next cut off date which is April the 12th. Will we be free to go about our business then? Who knows but let’s be honest whilst it’s tough we are doing the right thing for our own families, friends, neighbours and the whole population. We’re all in it together, so let’s do it right the first time otherwise we’ll be back to square one.
We’ve all been doing things we wouldn’t normally do in these times and last weekend my youngest Son Jude and I decided we’d try and get through all the Harry Potter movies. Playing all 8 movies back to back is 19 hours and 39 minutes so we’ve had to space it out a bit. We’re on to the sixth film right now and should finish this weekend. Whilst it made global superstars of the main characters, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, the franchise is studded with veritable legends of acting, with Oscar winners, legends of stage and screen and industry heroes throughout.
Notably RIchard Harris who played Dumbledore in the first two films and after his sad death was replaced by Michael Gambon. Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney. My list could go on and on. I have been lucky enough to have met Rupert Grint and Tom Felton at Pirates in the past. Tom came to one of our Premieres and I even gave him a lift in the back of my car back to his hotel. Rupert Grint went to my old school, Richard Hale in Hertford. He came to one of the shows on a recommendation from Tom. We decided to leave it to the last minute before we sat him at the table to watch the show. I asked him if he wanted a baseball cap to cover up his very recognisable red hair. He declined and said he’d be fine. As the lights for the start of the show went down, in we went to sit at our seats. I kid you not but not one person recognised he was there. Maybe they did and didn’t believe it was actually him or maybe he used his wizardry on them!
Back to the films and there’s also the little cameos that you may not catch. Lesley Phillips whose catchphrases you may remember from the Carry On movies like “I say, ding dong” and “hello” he voices the sorting hat in the first film the Philosopher’s Stone. In the third film of the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, Lenny Henry was hired to voice a talking shrunken head called Dre Head aboard the Knight Bus. The €˜character€™ doesn€™’t appear in the books but in the film serves as a source of comic relief and directions for the bus€™ driver, Ernie, who is mute in the film but not in the books. Henry€™s wife of twenty-five years, Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French, also appeared in a more significant role within the film, playing the Fat Lady portrait that covers the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
Lead singer of legendary British indie rock band The Stone Roses – Ian Brown – turns up in Prisoner Of Azkaban too for a very brief cameo.
When Harry gets to the Leaky Cauldron after blowing his Uncle’s sister up in a rage, he walks past a wizard reading A Brief History Of Time and absent-mindedly stirring a drink wordlessly. That wizard, is played by Brown.
He’s not the only musician to get a cameo. Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker turns up as frontman Myron Wagtail of The Weird Sisters in Goblet of Fire along with another member of Pulp and two members of Radiohead.
Hopefully we’ll get finished this weekend and move onto something else.
Great news for kids this week as Disney Plus was launched and is designed to be the exclusive home to stream theatrical blockbusters from Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney’s own studio and National Geographic. It’s about 6.99€ a month here in Spain so I would imagine the equivalent in the UK.
Amazon Prime has made all episodes of Peppa Pig free to stream for bored families in coronavirus self-isolation. In The Night Garden and Fireman Sam will also be available at no cost to families.
Anyone wishing to stream the content doesn’t need an Amazon Prime account, they just need a regular Amazon one, which is free to create.
My Wife is watching The Crown which she didn’t see when it first came out.
Unsurprisingly I’m on BT Sport who have re-launched their film series so I’ve been watching football from back in the day. There’s a brilliant documentary on Jimmy Greaves who in his lifetime was an amazing footballer who battled alcoholism and then reinvented himself as a TV pundit. I used to love watching the Saint & Greavsie every Saturday lunchtime. Another one is Golazzo, a documentary looking back on early 90’s Channel 4 show with James Richardson. which was on every Saturday morning. Then every Sunday afternoon they showed a live game. A great watch. There’s loads more on there and worth a look.
Take care everyone and enjoy your weekend!
Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com
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