news stories (no, not *that* kind, these are ON topic!) & a movie casting though

[heidi tandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 5728

New Dictionary to Demystify English Phrase, Fable 

LONDON (Reuters) - Blair babes, spin doctor, canteen culture, Harry 
Potter (news - web sites) and Hogwarts, cash for questions, 
netiquette, London Eye and the Dome -- all part of Britain's cultural 
landscape alongside Buckingham Palace.

But the allusions, references and hidden meanings pose a veritable 
minefield to the uninitiated.

The new Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable published on Thursday 
aims to demystify and decode the language.


Also, JKR is in the 2000 Vanity Fair Hall of Fame, which comes out 
this week

Now, my movie casting thought (yes, it involves AMERICANS!) - I was 
out to dinner last night with, among others, 2 friends who read all 
the HP books this summer, and we had an interesting, brief, 
discussion on who should cameo as the other house ghosts - as you all 
know, John Cleese has been signed for Nearly Headless Nick - we 
talked about casting the following roles:
The Grey Lady: Jamie Lee Curtis
The Fat Friar: Michael Palin
The Bloddy Baron: Kevin Klein

yes, I know 2 of them are americans, but they're nonspeaking roles, 
so it *could* work (plus kevin klein does a fine british accent (at 
least in a spoofy sense...))