Another Press Mention of Possible Book Seven in 07

Today there was another mention of a possible Book Seven release date coming in 2007. Bloomsbury, the UK publishers of the Harry Potter books, issued an early statement about the outlook of the company ahead of their annual stockholder meeting today, and wire reports are again including mentions of Book Seven coming out next year. Reuters reports:

"Harry Potter fans will have to wait until next year for the latest instalment of the boy wizard's antics to come out in hardback. The paperback version of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has gone to number one since its launch, the company said."

Please Note: This is most likely the reporters comment and not a direct quote from Bloomsbury. It is most certainly NOT an official announcement that the book is coming out next year either. While '07 is our best bet for Book Seven so far, nothing has changed as Jo specficially said earlier this week she is still writing the book. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in paperback in the UK last week; the US paperback edition from Scholastic comes out next month on July 25.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

OotP Tie-In Products to "Skew a Little Older"

In a recent article for Retailing Today, Warners Brothers spoke about their plans for the tie-in products with the release of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They said they are moving away from some of the earlier types of traditional toys and will be making some changes in merchandising with this new film.

"Over at Warner Bros., Batman is in between films but that's not the case for Harry Potter. The fifth film in the series--"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"--is due out in 2007 and will feature a revamped licensing program.

"We signed the same partners for the first two movies and did the same for the third and fourth so we're starting anew again," said Karen McTier, evp of domestic licensing and worldwide marketing for Warner Consumer Products. "Harry is getting older so we're going to skew a little older with this program. Instead of traditional toys we're going to focus on collectable toys and we'll skew older in apparel, as well."

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released next year on July 13, 2007.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Kids Think Harry Potter Will Die

Lots of kids have become convinced Harry Potter won't survive his final adventure after author JK Rowling said she was killing off two characters.

JK made the announcement on a TV show on Monday, and it's sparked discussion on the Newsround message boards.

The most popular choice is the ultimate baddie Lord Voldemort, but Harry is close behind him in second.

On the boards, regular user Remus Lupin said: "If Harry does die it'll be taking down Voldemort with him!"

But Harry and the Dark Lord weren't the only choices. Hyperactiveginnyfan said: "Maybe the Weasley twins or Fleur and Bill. I hope Ron and Hermione and Harry don't die, else JK won't be able to do a special charity book in a few years!"

And Suzie Q said: "Pettigrew HAS to die sometime! He owes Harry his life!"

On Channel Four's Richard and Judy Show, JK said "One character got a reprieve, but I have to say that two die that I didn't intend to die."

Some people have pointed out that this means we still don't know how many characters will die, just that JK changed her mind about the fates of three people.

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

The Odds on Harry Deaths, According to Webmasters

USA Today asked me and Emerson of MuggleNet yesterday our odds on specific characters dying in book seven. We were asked on separate phone calls, not that you can tell from the results, which are nearly identical. Voldemort? 100 percent chance of death. Hermione and Ron, at most 12 percent. Enjoy!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

SyFy Genre Award Noms for Dan, Emma, and GoF

The SyFy Genre Award nominations were announced today, and Goblet of Fire received several nominations. Dan Radcliffe (Harry) was nominated as "Best Actor," while Emma Watson (Hermione) was recognized in the "Best Actress" category. Both Emma and Dan were nominated in the "Best Young Actor" category as well. Finally, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was included in the nominations for "Best Movie." Voting is open to the public and will begin on July 10, with voting ongoing for the following 30 days. Thanks to everyone who let us know!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Hi-Res WMV and iPod Videos of Jo on "Richard and Judy"

Huge thanks to Roonwit and Chris for getting us these high-quality videos of J.K. Rowling on "The Richard and Judy Show" today. We've got videos ready for you in WMV and MP4 format.

J.K. Rowling on Richard and Judy, part 1 (WMV, 118 MB)
J.K. Rowling on Richard and Judy, part 1 (mp4, iPod friendly, 78 MB)

J.K. Rowling on Richard and Judy, part 2 (WMV, 54 MB)
J.K. Rowling on Richard and Judy, part 2 (mp4, iPod friendly, 36 MB)

Watch this post for more!

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)