There’s no doubt that people love Harry Potter. Similarly, people love their iPods. So why was I so surprised at the size of the crowd when I went to Barnes and Noble, Union Square for a live joint taping of PotterCast/MuggleCast on Saturday night?

Five hundred fans were there, and almost all of them were teenage girls. One of them had been given the choice of going to Disneyland or the taping, and she chose the taping. One girl came from Kentucky, another from California, still another from South Africa. They all lined up to watch Emerson, Andrew, Ben, Kevin, John, Melissa and Sue - the new heroes of Hogwarts. The seven of them had been given something every fan dreams of, a chance to see the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and they were there to tell us what they saw.

From L to R: Sue, Emerson, Kevin, Ben, John, Melissa and Andrew

While many of the attendees had been standing on the red carpet hours before, screaming for their favorite movie stars, some had chosen to stake out their spot at Barnes and Noble. Most of the seats were taken by those who had shown up hours before the taping was scheduled to begin, some even arriving before the store was open.

Fans fill the store to catch a glimpse of the PodCasters

When the staff of PotterCast and MuggleCast entered the room, I thought N’Sync had reunited and was in the building. Above the screams and the squeals I heard shouts of “I love you”, a girl even jumped up and hugged one of the guys as he walked by. And once they sat down, I could see why my first thought was ‘boy band’; there was ‘the rebel’, ‘the funny one’, ‘the shy one’, ‘the older brother’, ‘the sweet one’ and. . .well, and the girls.

I won’t rehash what they talked about, you can listen to that for yourself.

Melissa takes a call from The Goblet of Fire afterparty and talks with Emma Watson

PotterCast and MuggleCast and both fun to listen to if you’re a Harry Potter fan. They talk about details you may have missed and theories for the next book. But after the attending this event I can’t help but wonder, in this age of reality TV, are we creating another type of celebrity? Are PodCasters becoming the new heartthrobs?

The live PotterCast/MuggleCast had some technical difficulty, but should be available for download by Tuesday morning.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is in theaters this Friday