Harry Potter's nothing like Lord of the Rings. It's not even much like the Narnia books. Everything I've seen about Rowling suggests she's a nice person - for instance, she's one of the few celebrities who is happy to pay her full share of tax and doesn't try to use tax avoidance schemes because she remembers being dependent on benefits back in the day as a single mother, and wants to support the State and help it help others in need. As for her seeming 'cold,' she probably just has an introverted personality - she is a writer after all, not Lady Gaga.

Indeed. She also gives a hell of a lot of money to charity.

It is pretty much the same premise as The Worst Witch though, probably why the first book was rejected by so many publishers.

Please, you could pick any book at random and there would be more similarities than between HP and WW.

Some people just really resent her success.

Every published who rejected it is kicking themselves daily over how much they screwed up.

I don't know how anybody who had read the Lord of The Rings Trilogy and the Narnia books could not see how JK Rowling has simply lifted characters out of both and given them different names. Same thing with plot devices.

I'm sure she is fully tax compliant - I never said she wasn't. I just said her books are derivative which is s fact and I find her cold which is an opinion.

I don't resent her success. I even enjoyed the first four Harry Potter Books - less so the last three. Her talent was to combine the symbolism and mythology of the LOTR and Narnia books with Enid Blyton style boarding school setting. It made for a winning formula.

Really?

Worst Witch- Girl goes to learn magic at a boarding school for Witches.

Harry Potter- Boy goes to learn magic at a boarding school for wizards.

I don't have an opinion on JK Rowling's personality, but many people have pointed out there absolutely are similarities between several Tolkien characters and HP characters. I believe JK Rowling has spoken about this before.

As for Chronicles of Narnia, Rowling has said herself that it was an influence on Harry Potter.

Definite similarities between HP and The Worst Witch series too, the basic premise is exactly the same and there are similarities between some characters.

Obviously similarities are just that - similarities, not plagiarism. To suggest that those similarities don't exist though is rather silly!

I'm down in Cornwall just now, not far from Charlestown where they film quite a bit of Poldark. I'm down here regularly and have quite a few local friends.

There's a lot of talk, from various people, that Aidan Turner has let fame go to his head. Evidently, he used to be quite friendly, happy to pose for photos and chat to people, but he's now gone right the other way - telling the production team to get the fans waiting after filming away (to quote 'I'm sick of these f****rs, get rid of them'). This has happened a few times, so I've heard. He's hardly being mobbed, just a few people wanting photos and to say hello.

I don't think I really agree with people visiting filming locations. It must be at least somewhat distracting for the actors even if the fans are respectful. I think productions should have the right to ask the fans to keep away if the actors aren't comfortable with it and fans should be mature enough to understand and respect the request. Not everything is meant to have an audience there and then.

TBF, Charlestown is a popular tourist location anyway, and part of the SW coastal path. My friend who lives in Charlestown says the actual harbour is closed off during filming but, for practical reasons (it's a place where people live and work, with cafe's/pubs etc) they can only close it to a point. No-one is hassling him, or trying to interfere with filming and there's no need to tell people to eff off.

I feel sorry for some of the celebs being slagged off on this thread.

Yes, some of them sound like they were rude and obnoxious. But a lot of them sound like they just wanted a bit of space and privacy while trying to go about ordinary everyday tasks like shopping, taking kids to the park etc.

Just because someone is well known doesn't mean people are entitled to barge up to them anytime and anyplace and demand photographs etc.

Also, all that guff about 'I've always had a feeling about JK Rowling' 'There's something about her eyes'. No wonder that person got short shrift with that attitude.

There was one story about someone being asked for an autograph in church!

I remember Paul Newman being interviewed and saying that he'd been asked for his autograph while he was standing at a urinal.

Imagine him turning round: 'Yeah sure. Got a pen...? Oops! Sorry! Never mind, half an hour by the hot-air blower'll fix that, pal!'

I remember that too. I think it was Pearse Brosnan. The poster was highly indignant that he didn't immediately stop praying to sign his autograph book.

Some fans are just rude, intrusive and ignorant and then unfairly slag off celebrities on internet forums because they didn't drop everything to give them an autograph or pose for a photo.

Yes; I'd agree with this. Or they shove their sweaty arms round them and push their faces into theirs.
Why do these idiots think that they own them?

I met Billie Piper (in 2006) and Isla Fisher (in the late 90s) who were both signing autographs in Swindon both were very nice.

That makes more sense, thanks Valentine.

Couldn't agree more.

Rose Leslie and Kit were having a drink in a well known Belfast pub yesterday 4/10/16 just of Castle Street , they had a couple of laughs with locals who left them alone .

Its what makes Belfast pubs great for actors in this town on location and a day of , you are left in peace.

Heres Peter behind the bar, he even pulled a few pints for locals
https://www.facebook.com/kellys.cell...type=3&theater

I think some celebrities do let fame go to their head and become thoroughly obnoxious. But mostly I agree with your opinion. The trouble is some people seem to have no sense of normal boundaries when it comes to celebrities. I don't believe the people who interrupt celebrities in inappropriate places and circumstances be it at urinals or in church would do that if they spotted someone they actually knew in those places. But with celebrities it seems people feel the normal social rules don't apply. It's like some fans don't see them as human beings with private lives but rather some sort of human version of Pokemon Go where you get to capture them wherever you spot them.

Don't forget Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic series of graphic novels. Harry Potter looks exactly like the boy in the comic.

This means that Billie was back in her home town for the event.

Yes she was and she was signing autographs in an Asda Walmart for her autobiography Growing Pains.

My parents have met Melinda Messanger (also from Swindon) years ago in the old hospital we had here and she was nice as well apparently.

Finally my cousins father in law is Don Rogers (ex Swindon Town player) and is nice as well.

Is she coming back from the dead as well? Or just there to be with Kit?

Does make the blind on the other thread seem unlikely.