Harry Potter and the trafficwhoring link roundup

Fair disclosure: I've not read even one of the HP books. And I've not paid to see an HP movie in a theatre. The extent of my involvement with the HP universe has been to watch the movies on HBO. That said, I read Olbermann's guess as to what he thinks will happen (because spoilers and speculation, in this case, do not matter to me), and I agree that it makes a heck of a lot of sense. JKR has a BIG problem, to whit: Even though Book 7 comes out this weekend, Movies 6 and 7 haven't even been filmed yet... so if she does something that pisses off too many people, or if she does something that just doesn't make any sense, the last two movies may come off as anticlimactic. Of course, she (and the publisher) will make far more money off of the books than off of the movies, so they don't need to be TOO concerned about pissing off Warner Brothers... but you know that some WB execs are gonna be biting their nails this weekend as people find out how it all ends.

Keith Olbermann shares what he thinks will happen to Harry in Book 7. And I think he’s got it. His may be the most dramatically satisfying resolution possible. This would seem to be at odds with the "you can't go home again" aspect of the hero's journey. Then again, "home" is usually a place where the hero finds happiness, if not excitement.

I like the Dickens analogy. Now if there were only docks in Tucson (or even A dock) that people could gather upon and cry out for the news... This is the second or third time I've heard the Olbermann speculation. It seems to make sense.

This would seem to be at odds with the "you can't go home again" aspect of the hero's journey.

No, it fits in perfectly with the hero's journey. The hero is changed by his journey, so even if he does physically return home, he is so changed by his experience that he cannot fit in. (Like what happened to Frodo, who could not find rest back in the Shire after the ring was destroyed.) Which would be precisely the case if Olbermann's speculation turns out to be accurate.