Reminder: Harry Potter Weekend on ABC Family

A reminder of what we first told you several weeks ago that cable channel ABC Family will be broadcasting their special Harry Potter weekend beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tonight. Airing tonight at 7:30pm (ET), the channel will then broadcast "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on Saturday, December 1 at 7pm (ET), and then "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" on Sunday, December 2 at 6pm. "Prisoner of Azkaban" will also be re-broadcast on December 13 at 8pm (ET) as well.

Also as we reported previously, WB will be promoting the release of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD during this weekend, and we will update should any new footage be aired.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Sotheby's Selling "Tales of Beedle the Bard" Themed Catalogue

The Sotheby auction house will be auctioning off a handwritten edition of J.K. Rowling's latest book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" on December 13th. J.K. made 7 handwritten copies of the story. She gave 6 copies to friends and she is auctioning off the 7th for charity. Sotheby's has produced a commemorative catalogue to celebrate the auction. Here's Sotheby's announcement about the auction catalogue:

L07411 London, New Bond Street 13 Dec 07

'Tales of Beedle the Bard' Catalogue

The 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' manuscript will be offered as the final lot in the English Literature and Children's Books auction on 13th December 2007 (L07411).

A special commemorative catalogue for this unique item is being produced and is available to purchase from Sotheby's. The 48 page catalogue contains a message from the author about the creative inception of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' plus images from the manuscript itself. Profits from the sale of the catalogue will be donated to The Children's Voice.

The catalogue can be ordered online, click the 'Add to your shopping basket' link to place an order.

Catalogues are now available for shipping and to purchase in person at Sotheby's London Bond Street and New York salerooms.

The "Tales of Beedle the Bard" catalogue costs $16.00 US. So even if you can't bid for the book itself, the catalogue would be a very nice keepsake to add to your J.K. Rowling collection.

(SOURCE: SOTHEBY'S)

J.K.Rowling Donates Signed "Deathly Hallows" Book for Charity Raffle

Author J.K. Rowling has donated an autographed copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for a charity raffle. The Scotsman reports that Jo donated this book to Trefoil House, an organization in Edinburgh, Scotland to help "much-needed funds for its work with children who have special needs or disabilities." The raffle is due to be held as part of their 2007 Christmas Bonanza December 4 and 5 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, New Market Road, with organizers of the event noting:

"We are absolutely delighted by this generous gift. This is a chance for someone to win it without having to pay lots of money as it's not an auction and as it's only taking place over two days the odds are good."

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

"Room of Requirement" Clip Online from OotP DVD

IGN.com has a new behind the scenes clip online from the two-disc special edition of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD. Featuring the creating and filming of the Room of Requirement for the fifth Harry Potter film, this video features new interviews with actors Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter), as well as Director David Yates, Production Designer Stuart Craig and director of photography Slawomir Idziak. To watch this video, click here.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Harry Potter Producer David Heyman is One Smart Fellow

"Entertainment Weekly" has released a list of the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. Seeking to create a list of "of the people who are rocking the industry's world this year, the people with ideas – innovative, creative, dangerous, renegade ideas – who are changing the way movies are made," the magazine ranks Harry Potter producer David Heyman at the number nine spot. They write:

"He has expertly steered the highest-grossing global franchise in film history. Heyman secured the rights to the Harry Potterbooks in 1997 and has done just about everything right since, including bonding with author J.K. Rowling and wisely seeking her input. He helped find unexpected directors (e.g., Alfonso Cuarón, David Yates) who've kept things fresh. And he's kept the cast intact through five films, without any of his three teenage stars succumbing to a Lohanesque episode. While Warner Bros. president Alan Horn deserves credit for making the correct macro decisions, the franchise's success rests on a thousand micro choices Heyman made, including creating a world, on set and on screen, where people want to be."

Congrats David!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

"Half-Blood Prince" Filming Updates with Emma Watson, Alan Rickman News

Two pieces of news relating to filming for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Emma Watson's official website has been updated to state the actress will begin filming her role as Hermione Granger on December 18. Also, the BBC has posted a new feature about "Ballet Shoes," the new television film starring Emma Watson and Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon) that will air in the UK during the Christmas holidays. We will update you with the exact date and time the BBC will broadcast this movie when we can.

As reported yesterday, Alan Rickman has been giving interviews to promote his new film "Sweeney Todd," and a transcript from one of the press roundtables is now online. In this interview, Mr. Rickman confirms he will begin filming his pivotal role as Professor Snape in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in late January, 2008.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

J.K. Rowling Wins Writer's Guild Award

The Writer's Guild of Great Britain recently honored Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling with a special award. The List.co.uk reports that actress Joan Collins presented the award to KR, which celebrated her Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Writing. Congratulations Jo!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Jason Isaacs Appearances,Casting News

Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) has been cast in a new BBC film based on one of the first British sitcoms. The Guardian reports that Jason will appear in "The Curse of Steptoe," playing Harry H Corbett. This film is based on "interviews with colleagues, friends and family "of the two actors of the Steptoe and Son series , as well as the "Steptoe writers, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson."

On a related note, Jason Isaacs has made a few public appearances of late. Tonight he attended the British Independent Film Awards, where Mr. Isaacs is a member of the advisory committee. You can see new photos of the actor here.Additional photos are available here via Getty Images, and WENN. Jason and his family also attended the film premiere of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium a few days ago in London, England as well, with photos available here in our galleries.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Collegiate Quidditch Takes Off - Figuratively, at Least

The USA Today featured a story on their frontpage about how Quidditch has taken off on college campuses. Here's an excerpt:

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The broomsticks they hold between their legs can't help them fly. The Snitch is not a winged golden ball but a young man who sprints across the field at lightning speed. And at times, the game looks like the mongrel offspring of rugby, dodge ball and soccer. But somehow it all works.

The first intercollegiate Quidditch match was held here this month, and though this version of the game is earthbound, it's taking off. Originally played by wizards darting about on broomsticks in the Harry Potter novels, the game is now taking root on college campuses.

Wow! Not only did J.K. create a literary icon, but she also created a new sport in the Muggle world! Thanks to our Hogwarts mate Sylvia for the heads up on the article which can be read in its entirety here.

(SOURCE: USA TODAY)

'Harry Potter' Included in 'Details' Magazine 'Power & Influence' Issue

The December issue of Details magazine, titled the 'Power and Influence' issue, includes a list of the year’s top 50 most influential men under 45 and at number 41 is fictional character Harry Potter.

According to the article:

41 // Harry Potter
Wizard; Age: 17

Nine years after her fictional boy wizard first cast his spell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling is the wealthiest author in history. On July 21, fans who had camped out in front of bookstores overnight finally got hold of the seventh and final installment of the series. Across the United States, 8.3 million copies (worth a total of nearly of $170 million) sold within 24 hours. Warner Bros., which has grossed $.47 billion worldwide on the first five film versions, has two more movies in production. And while there's speculation that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows represents the book industry's last gasp, Potter himself will live on - through a theme park in Orlando, Florida, and a musical in London's West End. This wizard will continue to work his financial magic for some time.

Editor's Note: Contrary to what is mentioned above there are currently no plans for a musical version of the book in production.

Additional mentions are Zac Efron, Shia LaBoeuf, Google and YouTube founders and the Disney Kids. This issue will hit newsstands on December 4th.

(SOURCE:

HPANA)

Video Preview of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' Book

We previously told you that Sotheby's will auction off one copy of JK Rowling's newest book The Tales of Beedle the Bard for charity on December 13th.

Earlier this morning U.S. morning show Good Morning America previewed the soon to be auctioned copy and read a few pages to the delight of Harry Potter fans. All proceeds from the auction will benefit The Children's Voice charity.

You can watch the video below:



(SOURCE: HPANA)

Dan, Rupert, and Emma Talk "Half-Blood Prince" and Beyond in New Interviews

Canada's Edmonton Sun Newspaper has two new interviews online where they sit down with Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), along with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" director David Yates and its producer David Heyman, to discuss many different topics related to the sixth film. These interviews focus on the casts' thoughts and experiences on the sixth Harry Potter film, which is currently in production, and their expectations of the seventh film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," set for release in 2010. Having grown up in these roles, Dan, Rupert, and Emma speak on this in the first of the interviews, which go into detail about acting, their passion for it, and their future prospects. Director David Yates begins this article simply by saying the casting of the young trio is "a remarkable thing."

Harry Potter film producer David Heyman gives much of the credit to Chris Columbus, who chose and directed the young actors in the first two films "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." He says:

"Chris Columbus deserves huge credit in casting who he cast... They were obviously not the only choices he had. These were the choices he made and I am forever grateful to him for that."

Speaking to the subject of making the "Harry Potter" films with a sense of professionalism and dedication, even at a young age, Dan Radcliffe is quoted as saying:

"I don't think the franchise, in a way, needs any justification because it is such a leviathan of a thing anyway. Things don't get that big without merit.

"But, I suppose, it (extra work on the DVDs) is almost to prove to people that we are, in fact, taking this very seriously. More seriously than people would probably assume. I took it very seriously when I was 11 and (growing up in the Harry Potter role) I've taken it more and more seriously.

"So, to me, it's just about letting people know that I'm incredibly serious and passionate about this - this series of films - and how much they mean to me. If you've been involved in something for more than seven years now, you want to be able to talk about it articulately and explain why you love it, explain why you loved being involved in it so much."

The Harry Potter films are not the only things on the young actor's minds, as Emma Watson also relates in this article, working on future projects will determine whether this is the true career path for her. She says of this decision:

"I did a film for the BBC, called Ballet Shoes, in the summer. Having an experience outside of Harry Potter really helped me. I think it convinced me that this is where I am meant to be and this is what I'm meant to be doing: That I do want to be an actress.

"But I think I needed to have an experience outside of Harry Potter because, in a way, I was really plucked out of obscurity and given this role. I mean, I really wanted it but it never felt like a decision that I made. It just happened to me. I felt that I won the lottery. So I've always kind of slightly questioned it."

Dan, Rupert, and Emma also spend more time talking of the "Half-Blood Prince" film in the second interview, where Dan comments on the 'tonal shift from the brooding atmosphere of The Order of the Phoenix' by noting his his personal preference for the "morbid" undertones verses the lighter aspects of the story. He explains this by saying:

"I think the script's great and I think it's going to be a really great film. But I'm just one of those people that, in what I'm doing, I always lean toward the dark side and I really enjoy doing the dark stuff.

"I know Emma and Rupert really, really like the lighter stories and all that. And Rupert particularly is really going to have a field day on this, because he's got fantastic comic timing and he'll be able to use all of that to great effect on this film with his relationship with Lavender Brown.

"(But) I'm actually going to miss doing all the morbid stuff, I think."

Dan describes his eagerness for the seventh film by calling it "the one last hurrah, that film. That's going to be great. I really am very, very excited about the whole thing. It's going to be epic, I hope." While Rupert Grint speaks to the new production by noting, like each of the films, its "own sort of atmosphere," and goes on to say:

"It's got sort of a dark undertone to it because Voldemort is back and that is quite a scary time for them. But there are some really cool bits in it. Ron gets a girlfriend in it, so that's going to be quite cool."

Continuing on this subject of romance in the film, producer David Heyman is also quoted as saying of the balancing of these emotions:

"It's much more comedy and the awkwardness of romance. And the romance goes beyond Harry into Hermione and Ron and other characters. I also think it's about characters growing apart as well as realizing the importance of one another."

The article concludes to describe a certain 'awkward reference' to the wand of Albus Dumbledore in an original draft of the "Half-Blood Prince" script, which had to be revised in light of the publication of author J. K. Rowling's seventh novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" this past July. Heyman says of this revision: "For obvious reasons (if you've read the seventh book) it had to be changed."

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be released in theaters November 2008.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

JKR EW's 'Entertainer of the Year'

With 2007 ending entertainment magazines and outlets will start to announce awards from the reflective fields. To start the onslaught, Entertainment Weekly has dubbed Harry Potter author JK Rowling their Entertainer of the Year, with her image gracing the cover of this week's issue, currently on newsstands.

According to the article:

So we'll keep it simple: J.K. Rowling is our Entertainer of the Year because she did something very, very hard, and she did it very, very well, thus pleasing hundreds of millions of children and adults very, very much. In an era of videogame consoles, online multiplayer 'environments,' and tinier-is-better mobisodes, minisodes, and webisodes, she got people to tote around her big, fat old-fashioned printed-on-paper books as if they were the hottest new entertainment devices on the planet.

You can read the entire article here.

(SOURCE: HPANA)

J. K. Rowling on Forbes List of UK Billionaires

Forbes Magazine has released a new list detailing the growing number of billionaires from the UK, and have included Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling among the individuals on this year's list. In addition to being the only woman on the list, Jo Rowling is also the only author. Forbes goes into more detail about our favorite author in a profile, which states:

Rowling is the only author on our list. The seventh (and last) installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hit bookstores in July and worldwide sales of the first six topped 325 million copies. The film series, from which Rowling enjoys a cut of royalties and merchandising has grossed $3.5 billion, and there's no doubt three more movies to come.

On a related note, Jo has also received the honor of being chosen, via a poll, as America's top pick for a celebrity substitute teacher for a day. Sponsored by the The National Education Association in the lead up to Substitute Educators Day, people voted for their choice of celebrity they would most like to see as a substitute teacher. With 25% of the vote, Jo Rowling topped such celebrities as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, athlete Tiger Woods, and actress America Ferrera from the TV show "Ugly Betty" for the distinction.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Followup: More on Download Version of "Order of the Phoenix"

Previously we reported that Warner Brothers would be releasing a two versions of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix " for download when you purchase the DVD due to be released here in the US on December 11. PCWorld now has more on this, saying these versions will only be available on the "Special Edition" DVDs, with one version for the PC, one for a portable media device. The magazine reports that to take advantage of the downloads users must have Windows Media Player 10 or above. Noting that other DVDs made the download option available by using a link on the internet, this will not be the case with the OotP DVD. Quotage:

"Jim Wuthrich, senior vice president of electronic sell-through for Warner Brothers, says that the studio chose to put the movie on the disc instead. "It's because of the superior consumer experience; you don't have to wait for the bits to be downloaded," he says. "The transfer time is dependent only on how fast your DVD-ROM drive is. It's not tied to your broadband speed."

Indicating that there is only "one transfer each of the PC and portable versions" the magazine says that it should prove relatively easy to use the download options as "the portable version transfers to your PC hard drive first and then moves to your portable unit." Finally " Wuthrich says the portable version will work on any device that supports Windows Media digital rights management, including media players and some mobile phones."

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Rumor Alert: Halloween and Holiday Plans Afoot for Harry Potter Theme Park?

As announced earlier this year, there is to be a new Harry Potter attraction as part of the Universal Orlando theme park in Florida. While this park is not set to open until late 2009 or early 2010, there have been many rumors regarding this park for sometime, with another new rumor surfacing today at Jim Hill media. The long time Disney and theme park blogger has some interesting comments about possible Halloween and "Holidays at Hogwarts" events being planned in the future, as well the marketing campaign to promote the Harry Potter name with Universal. Mr. Hill writes today that "many of Universal's TV commercials for 2008 to be peppered with brief clips from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Of greater interest perhaps Mr. Hill's additional reports regarding possible seasonal events in the works for the Harry Potter park. He notes that plans may be afoot to hold "a yearly "Holidays at Hogwarts" type of event at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. With carolers strolling through the streets of Hogsmeade and a traditional English Christmas feast being served nightly in the Great Hall at Hogwarts Castle."

Mr. Hill also says that Universal is hoping to take on the very popular "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" at Disney world. He writes:

As the story goes, once Phase One of "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" opens in 2009 (FYI: That phase of the project will probably only include Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village. Phase Two -- featuring the Forbidden Forest and that Weasley-family-flying-car attraction -- isn't expected to come on line 'til sometime in early 2010), this new "land" will then allow Universal to offer yet another after-hours seasonal event, " Halloween at Hogwarts." So while Mom & Dad are next door at Universal Studios Florida getting the snot scared out of them at Halloween Horror Nights, their youngsters can be trick-or-treating in a deliberately scare-free environment over at IOA."

As exciting as this all sounds, please keep this in the rumor category until we can obtain official confirmation. If you missed the announcement of this Harry Potter attraction coming to Universal Studios in Orlando, you can see the wonderful concept art here in our galleries, as well as sign up for additional emails via the Universal site promoting Harry Potter, via this link.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Emma Watson Adds Photos from "Hand, Wand, and Foot" Ceremony to Her Website

The official Emma Watson website has been updated with some very clear photos of the "Hand, Foot and Wand" ceremony in LA earlier this summer. At this ceremony the trio of Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson had their foot and hand prints added to the cement outside of the landmark Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California. You can also see a map of where their print is on the walk, right beneath another trio of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. As we showed you earlier this summer, additional photos from this ceremony held after the LA premiere of "Order of the Phoenix," are available here in our galleries.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Warner Brothers Revamps "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" Website

Warner Brothers has given the official US "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" website a complete makeover today. The site is now revamped to highlight the OotP DVD, with a special countdown clock that you can embed on your blogs websites and more, ticking off the days hours and minutes until the release here on December 11.

Also new are links to the Sweepstakes entry form that we told about recently to win a trip to the set of the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" movie. The trailer for the OotP DVD is now featured on this redesigned website, using many of the backgrounds first seen on the UK version of the Harry Potter site. If you click on the spinning "Join the DA" logo button, you will find the Defense Against the Dark Arts training website has also been revamped with a special banner you can also embed on your site, promoting the DVD and game.

Finally, there is link to a new Harry Potter DVD website, that has a preview of the interactive Harry Potter DVD game we told you about previously, and lets you play a demo of the game. Other new tidbits there include an animated feature on the upcoming special trunk set collection of all five of the Harry Potter DVDs, links to the popular magical trading cards, and links to the WB DVD shop, where you can watch some of the old trailers to the earlier film.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Voldemort's Nephew Cast in Potter

Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes's nine-year-old nephew has been cast in the role of the young Voldemort in the sixth Harry Potter movie.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin will play the 11-year-old Tom Riddle. And Frank Dillane will play teenage Voldemort.

Earlier this month, Newsround exclusively revealed that Jessie Cave would play Lavender Brown and Helen McCrory would play Narcissa Malfoy.

Both pieces of casting have now been officially confirmed by Warner Bros.

The film company have also said that actor Jim Broadbent will play Potions Master Professor Slughorn.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince follows Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts school.

And the story shows him being prepared for the battle with Lord Voldemort that he knows must come.

The film will be released on 21 November 2008.

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

EXCLUSIVE: Lavender Cast in Potter

Newsround can exclusively reveal that actress Jessie Cave has been cast as Lavender Brown in the next Potter film.

She beat off competition from thousands of other girls who were all desperate to spend much of the Half-Blood Prince snogging Rupert Grint.

Jessie is 20 years old. Your first chance to see Jessie on screen though will be in CBBC drama Summerhill going out early next year.

It's not known if Jessie attended the open auditions for Lavender.

They were were held earlier this year. Or she may have auditioned separately for the part.

Lavender Brown becomes Ron Weasley's first girlfriend in the sixth Potter book, and the pair get on everyone's nerves because they can't stop kissing!

You can see more pictures of Jessie here.

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

EXCLUSIVE: Narcissa Cast in Potter 6

With filming under way on the sixth Harry Potter film, Newsround can exclusively reveal that actress Helen McCrory will play Narcissa Malfoy.

The Potter team have been after her for a while.

She was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in the fifth Potter movie, but couldn't play the part because she was expecting a baby.

Now she's set to play Draco's mother and Bellatrix Lestrange's sister, who's played by Helena Bonham Carter.

Now the two will end up playing sisters in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Other casting includes Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn.

An announcement on who will play young Tom Riddle and Lavender Brown is expected very soon.

Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince is due to hit cinemas towards the end of 2008.

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)