MSN Asks "Has Harry Potter Lost the Magic?"

The MSN Mom & Pop Culture Blog for Family Entertainment has an opinion piece today based on the question " 'Has Harry Potter Lost His Magic?.' " The article starts by mentioning the huge interest and media attention paid to the Twilight series, then discusses the delay of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, wondering if this would cause waning in the love of the series and films. The author notes that while some had been planning a boycott when the movie opens next month, the magic remains strong and firm for many of us, and mentions our own recent LeakyCon convention held last month in Boston. Quotage:

But on the other hand, there is reality. Harry Potter still has passionate fans. The Web site, TheLeakyCauldron.org reports more than 75,000 members in its online discussion community. These fans not only have no plans to boycott Warner Bros. for delaying the movie, some of them also traveled to Boston a couple of months ago for "LeakyCon," a convention that raised money for charities and featured the musical stylings of an astonishing number of Harry Potter tribute bands....

The event, put on by TheLeakyCauldron.org, wasn't just about bands, though. Two major names in young adult literature, Cheryl Klein and John Green, gave a keynote speech on the writing process. Klein was on the U.S. editing team for Harry Potter, and Green is author of "Looking for Alaska" and "An Abundance of Katherines" and "Paper Towns."

The author then goes on to note a feeling that is shared by so many of us:

As impressive as this is, conventions aren't proof that the boy wizard retains his magic. That lies in the stories themselves, where the magic remains in abundance...I picked up "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" again to get myself ready for the movie, and loved it more this time than I did the first. Once you know how the series ends, you can see the incredibly way Rowling structured the story, weaving little bits into the tapestry that would have great meaning later. All the while, she stayed true to her central theme: that a mother's love is the most powerful magic of all. And she keeps things refreshingly complex. Many secondary characters are a mix of good and evil -- sort of like how people are in the real world.

These books are good enough that they should be considered classics. The movies, for the most part, have been good, too. This is why I'll be at the theater the day "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens. For me, at least, the magic is as strong as ever.

Hear Hear! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens July 15th.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

New Set Report from 'Deathly Hallows' Filming

A new set report from the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince includes new interviews with producer David Heyman, director David Yates, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Tom Felton and Jim Broadbent.

Dan Radcliffe on Deathly Hallows:

The Half-Blood Prince is funnier than the previous books, which has given me the reins to be a bit more stupid. But I actually prefer doing the slightly darker side of stuff. I'm not so comfortable with being funny. One of David Yates's jobs on this film is to make me see that it's not always about the darkness in the scene; I have in my head that darkness in a character equals credibility and of course that's not the case.

David Yates on having fun filming:

Oh God, yes. I have too much... I have a lot of fun. And this one will feel tonally different. It will feel more playful, more magical, more emotional. We're very excited about this one. We feel as though we're moving it on again.

Jim Broadbent discusses being part of the franchise:

It was an extraordinary thing to be part of. The main sets feel so permanent, having been there since the start, which means it's very easy to get drawn into the world of Hogwarts. It was rather daunting turning up on set with all these young actors; it could so easily have been a nightmare, given that the five films have had such huge success. But the kids turned out to be terrific. There was no brattish behaviour or starry, Fame Academy behaviour; they just get on with it.

(SOURCE: HPANA)

DVD Slump Might Weaken 'Half-Blood Prince' Sales

Though the 'Harry Potter' films have been huge DVD sellers, each sequel has sold fewer units than its predecessor -- and raised the bar of profitability that much higher for Warner Bros.

Harry Potter, the teen wizard whose films have generated billions of dollars and become one of Hollywood's biggest franchises, is known for battling the evil Lord Voldemort. Now he's about to confront an even darker foe: A soft DVD market.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the Warner Bros. film series, will be released July 15, and expectations are that it will be one of the year's biggest blockbusters. The previous five "Potter" movies have generated $7.2 billion in worldwide box-office and DVD sales, reaping huge profits for the studio and Potter's creator, author J.K. Rowling.

But the movie world that "Half-Blood Prince" will enter is markedly different from the one that its predecessor, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," faced when it was released in 2007. Over the last two years, DVD sales, which have long propped up the movie business, have sharply declined. The slump in the DVD market has undermined Hollywood's business model and cast a shadow over what used to be the industry's bright spot.

"There's been a fairly substantial shrinkage in the overall DVD market since the last 'Harry Potter' film came out," said Tom Adams, a home video industry analyst. According to Adams, DVD sales were down 9% in 2008 and he's projecting that they will fall an additional 8% in 2009.

"That puts much more performance pressure on these big franchise titles to succeed," he said.

Though the "Potter" movies have historically been huge DVD sellers, each successive sequel has sold far fewer units than its predecessor. Sales of the last release were off 15% in the first eight weeks compared with sales of the first film during the same time span. Even a small decline in DVD sales is a challenge for expensive movies because it raises the bar to profitability that much higher.

And the bar for Harry Potter is higher than ever. Warner Bros. spent $250 million to produce "Half-Blood Prince" and will invest $155 million to market and distribute the movie, according to people familiar with the situation.

Compared with other big-budget sequels, the incremental costs for each "Potter" film have been moderate, mostly because of salary increases for cast members and unfavorable foreign exchange rates. For example, when Warner Bros. began shooting "Half-Blood Prince" outside London in September 2007, the dollar was so weak against the British pound that it added roughly $15 million to the production cost...

The rest of the article can be read at the source link below.

(SOURCE: LA TIMES)

Harry Potter spill secrets about Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter fans can expect a dark and funny rollercoaster ride when they watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, according to the film's stars.

Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis and James and Oliver Phelps spoke to Newsround hours after seeing the film for the first time and reckon we're in for a treat.

Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton said the new film is definitely much funnier.

"There's lots to look forward to," he said. "I was laughing through the whole two hours."

Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the film series, said fans will see his character getting more strong-willed and starting to change in the Half-Blood Prince.

And it's probably no surprise to fans of the Harry Potter books that Matthew thinks the story of the Half-Blood Prince isn't that nice, in terms of what happens in it.

"Every year, we always say 'it's much darker, this one', but this one really is. It gets pretty heavy in parts," he said.

"But the balance they've achieved with the comedy... the timing is wonderful.

"Jim Broadbent [Professor Slughorn] is superb, Rupert Grint [Ron Weasley] is on top form and it is very very funny."

Weasley twins

Meanwhile, away from Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley have opened their own joke shop, but what was it like filming away from the famous school?

"It was really cool because we got to work in probably the best set there," said Oliver.

"The set Fred and George have is so insane we weren't disappointed to be away from Hogwarts at the time," added James.

"But when we saw the film I realised how much I missed the shoots in the Great Hall and on the quidditch pitch."

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

Fans' chance to try Potter tour

Harry Potter fans could be in for a treat on Saturday as a special live tour opens its doors.

The live experience will be open to ANYONE on Saturday 20 June and Sunday 21 June in London's Leicester Square, but fans will need to get there early.

Tickets will be available on a first-come first-served basis.

The tour has been up and running in the cities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham since Monday, but only to competition winners.

Other competition winners will take the tour in London on Thursday and Friday, before everyone gets their chance for the rest of the weekend.

Visitors will be able to see sets from the films, look at costumes worn by the stars and get up close to props that have featured in the films.

(SOURCE: CBBC NEWSROUND)

Emma Watson is the New Face of Burberry

Emma Watson, who stars as the clever witch Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, has whipped up some fashion magic of her own by becoming the next actress to become the face of Burberry. Burberry, the British fashion house started in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, made the announcement yesterday.

Emma will be the face of Burberry’s Fall 2009 ad campaign. Creative Director Christopher Bailey spoke about the decision to pick Emma for the ad campaign.

"Having known and admired the lovely Emma Watson for quite some time, she was the obvious choice for this campaign, who like the images she fronts, has a classic beauty, a great character and a modern edge."

The 19 year old Watson is quite the fashionista herself. She is regularly spotted on the local fashion scene and attends Fashion Week events around Europe. She has also appeared in a number of fashion magazines.

The famed fashion photographer MarioTestino shot the photos for the new campaign in the heart of jolly old London town. One of the photos proudly sports the Thames river in the background.

Burberry is looking to present a more modern image to the shopping public. Christopher Bailey stated, “I wanted the images to represent the rich history and the modernity of the Burberry brand whilst at the same time reflecting a quiet beauty, timelessness and strength that is particularly significant today.”

The new ad campaign featuring Emma Watson will appear in numerous print publications beginning in August of this year.

Headmistress Note: Thanks so much to our Hogwarts Mate Sylvia for the heads up on this article.

(SOURCE: HULIQ)