ABC NEWS SPECIAL: J.K. ROWLING: A YEAR IN THE LIFE (TV)
Summary
This documentary special, edited from the original British broadcast, follows author Joanne "J.K." Rowling over twelve months as she completes, released and promotes the seventh and final book in her popular "Harry Potter" series. Host Elizabeth Vargas explains that the film adaptation of the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," opened the previous week to great financial success. In November 2006, Rowling works on the climactic chapters of the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," in an Edinburgh hotel room and talks to writer James Runcie about her difficult childhood just outside of Bristol, England, explaining that she was inspired in her writing by the tranquility of a nearby forest and was baptized at age eleven, though continually struggles with her religious views. Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Rowling was fifteen, and she found little solace in her father, whom she feared. Rowling notes that the need for a loving father figure is a strong theme in the Potter books, adding that the series' themes of grief and parental loss "deepened and darkened" after her mother's death in 1990.
Rowling then moved to Portugal to teach English and was briefly married, during which time she gave birth to her daughter, Jessica. She moved back to Britain after the divorce and struggled with financial trouble as well as depression, explaining that she was constantly fearful for her baby's well-being. In 2006, she puts the finishing touches on "Deathly Hallows" and reflects that some fans will "loathe" it, but concludes that she herself is pleased with the conclusion. The wildly-anticipated manuscript is given to her agent and then to her editor Sarah Beal through highly secure means, and actor Stephen Fry soon records the audiobook, though all are forbidden from revealing any of the plot's secrets. As Rowling comments on the ups and downs of extreme fame, explaining that she enjoys interactions with fans but dislikes the self-promoting business angle, the book is finally printed in Suffolk. Rowling's second husband, Neil Murray, with whom she has two children, comments on her habit of "detaching" under stress and attempting to handle challenge matters on her own.
Fans selected by lottery excitedly gather at London's Natural History Museum on the night of July 20, 2007, and Rowling reads the first chapter at midnight and spends the early hours of the 21st signing 1,700 books. She admits that it would have been "neater" to kill off the titular hero, but instead decided to explore the challenge of rebuilding one's life after serious trauma, as Harry does in the book's epilogue. Despite her firm decision to end the series at seven books, she admits that she has many ideas about the characters' lives beyond the scope of the books, including the fact that she always believed enigmatic headmaster Albus Dumbledore to be gay. Later, she makes a cake for her son's fourth birthday, explaining that her mother was a good cook, and notes that middle age has brought her the greatest happiness so far. As plans for a Potter amusement park get underway, Runcie questions Rowling about money, though Rowling declines to reveal her exact fortune, saying only that she has "loads" and has established a charitable trust to support multiple sclerosis research and children's programs, among other things. Later, she visits the small apartment outside Edinburgh where she lived with Jessica after her divorce, and she grows emotional as she explores the place where she "turned her life around" and observes that the new owners, ironically enough, have the Potter books on their shelves. She reveals that she is working on a new book, a "political fairy tale," though is enjoying her lack of a deadline for it, and concludes by telling Runcie about her happiest moments and biggest regrets. Vargas notes that "Deathly Hallows" will be split into two films, the first of which will hit theatres in late 2010. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: July 17, 2009 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:52
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 104277
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Talk/Interview
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 2009
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Fame" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "G-Force" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Abilify depression medication
- TV - Commercials - Aveeno Positively Radiant skin cream
- TV - Commercials - Centrum Ultra Men's vitamins
- TV - Commercials - Chevrolet automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Chili's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Dannon Activia yogurt
- TV - Commercials - Federal Student Aid financial services
- TV - Commercials - Habitat For Humanity
- TV - Commercials - Heinz ketchup
- TV - Commercials - Hotwire travel website
- TV - Commercials - Hyundai automobiles
- TV - Commercials - MasterCard credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Maybelline Pulse Perfection vibrating mascara
- TV - Commercials - Netflix DVD rental service
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Ore-Ida french fries
- TV - Commercials - Pizza Hut restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Schick Quattro women's razors
- TV - Commercials - Sprint cellular phones
- TV - Commercials - Stayfree sanitary pads
- TV - Commercials - Verizon Wireless cellular services
- TV - Commercials - Yoplait Light yogurt
- TV - PSA - SupportYourVet.org site
- TV - Promos - "20/20: Live to Tell"
- TV - Promos - "Dating in the Dark"
- TV - Promos - "Defying Gravity"
- TV - Promos - "FlashForward"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Over a Barrel: The Truth About Oil"
- TV - Promos - "Primetime: Family Secrets"
- TV - Promos - "Shark Tank"
- TV - Promos - "The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All"
- TV - Promos - "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
CREDITS
- Hamish Barbour … Executive Producer
- Rudy Bednar … Executive Producer, Director
- Terri Lichstein … Senior Producer
- Ann Reynolds … Senior Producer
- James Runcie … Producer, Director
- Lee Hoffman … Producer, Writer
- Danielle A. Baum … Broadcast Producer
- Pat Dauer … Writer
- Paul Leonard Morgan … Music by
- Elizabeth Vargas … Host
- J.K. Rowling (see also: Joanne Rowling) … Interviewee
- Sarah Beal … Interviewee
- Neil Murray … Interviewee
- Stephen Fry