For the month of August 2007

August 26th, 2007

Provided for you by Jonah Pritchett, Reporter

Phelps Twins Walk Among The Stars!

James and Oliver Phelps, who play Fred and George, are among the latest nominees for a place on their home town's Birmingham Walk of Stars. Their local paper, The Sutton Observer, reports the actors have been chosen to possibly "follow in the footsteps of other Brummie stars and take their place on the Broad Street strip." Nominees for this honor must have given a "significant contribution in the categories of music, television, film, radio, theatre, sport, business and literacy" and "be originally from the area or have prominent links with Birmingham and the Midlands." The Phelps twins now join previously announced nominees, such as fellow Harry Potter actress Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley), in online voting where fans can pick the next inductee on the Walk of Stars. Cast your vote here and score your chosen nominees on a scale from 1 to 10. Congratulations to James, Oliver, and Julie! Thanks to Leaky!

JKR In New York!

Scholastic has now updated their site with information that Jo will be reading from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the event in NYC and will answer questions about the entire series. Following the reading and Q&A session, Mrs. Rowling will be signing books for audience members, but only one per person in order to make sure she is able to sign a book for everyone. Each person will receive a copy of Deathly Hallows, but, if an audience member chooses to bring their favorite copy of another book in the series, Mrs. Rowling will sign that instead. You still have time to attend what is sure to be a wonderful event and enter the contest (ONE ENTRY PER PERSON ONLY) by printing out the entry form here and submitting your entry by mail to Scholastic, attn: J.K. Rowling and the Open Book Tour Sweepstakes, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. One thousand pairs of tickets will be given away to this event. Good luck everyone! Thanks to The Leaky Cauldron for this story!

Night Scenes For Half-Blood Prince To Be Filmed In October

With principal photography set to begin early next month on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film, there is word about some scenes that will be filmed in October at the cloisters of Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, England. The Wiltshire Times reports that villagers have given approval for crews from the 6th Harry Potter film to "return to Lacock with many of the main characters to capture a series of spooky night scenes for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Due to take place sometime in October, they will film for 4 days filming scenes between 5pm and 5am. The paper reports that "High Street and Church Street will be closed and the bus stop outside the George Inn looks set to be relocated for the duration." Readers will remember that the Cloisters of this Abbey were used in Chamber of Secrets for the famous "Dobby is Free" scene in which Dobby sent Lucius flying backwards. Actor Dan Radcliffe is reported to be among those who will be filming these sequences in October. We do not know the exact days of this filming for HBP and will update with more when we can.
Thanks again to TLC for this news story.

John Williams... Will He Score Deathly Hallows?

There are reports online recently stating that legendary composer John Williams would like to return to the Harry Potter films and hopes to provide the score for the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. These reports stem from a recent appearance at The Berkshire Museum where Mr. Williams gave a special lecture. Reports via FilmScore monthly and JWFan.com say Mr. Williams was asked about returning to the series for which he provided the first 3 scores and John Williams was quoted as saying with confidence that he thinks he will be back for the last and then added that he hopes he is. While not yet officially confirmed, Nicholas Hooper is widely rumored to be returning to score HBP, which is due to begin filming next month and is due in theatres November 2008. Previously, Potter producer David Heyman announced a 2010 release for the film of Deathly Hallows, however no director for this film has yet been announced, let alone a composer. Please note, while this may be exciting news for the many John Williams fans, please keep this as a rumor until official confirmation is provided. Thanks to TLC for this news story!

Rupert on Half-Blood Prince Script

Actor Rupert Grint has made a few public appearances lately, attending the popular V festival concert in the UK, as well as appearing on the Jo Whiley Radio Show. Thanks to Leaky's Order parter RupertGrint.net, we now know that during the radio interview, which was broadcast on BBC Radio, Rupert spoke about the upcoming 6th Harry Potter film, which is due to begin filming next month. Rupert is quoted as saying, "We sort of read the script through. We got all the cast to come around to read the script and we'll be filming it for another year so. Ron's got a girlfriend in this one. It's a little bit more intense for him! (laughs) So it should be fun!"

To listen to this interview, click here and select Monday under where it says "Listen Again". Also be sure to check out a very funny interview taped with Rupert at the V festival concert, where Rupert shows us a very cool jacket that has goggles (rather useful too for Quidditch). Enjoy! Our thanks to the Leaky Cauldron for this story.

J.K. Rowling On A Street Sign?!

JK Rowling is set to receive an official honour from the city, with the possibility of a street being named after her. Former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds is leading calls for the council to recognize the contribution the Harry Potter writer has made to promoting Edinburgh on a global scale. A civic reception is expected to be held in her honour, in addition to the creation of a more permanent tribute. Among the ideas under consideration are naming a street or building after the Merchiston-based author and setting up a young writers contest in her name. Mrs. Rowling is to be contacted and asked what she feels would be appropriate. The only public sign of her connection with Edinburgh at present is a small plaque outside the former Nicolson's cafe, on Nicolson Street, where she wrote part of her first book. To read more of this story please visit Edinburgh News.
Story written by Brian Ferguson.

J.K.'s Crime Novel Was A Joke!

Speculation that the Edinburgh book festival may have resolved one of the burning questions of modern publishing - what JK Rowling will write next - have been dashed this afternoon when the Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin diagnosed a case of festival fever. A report that his wife, Miranda, had seen J.K. Rowling "scribbling away" in an Edinburgh cafe, supposedly hard at work on a detective novel set in the Scottish capital, was dismissed as a classic silly season story when the Guardian contacted him by telephone earlier today.
"This is a joke that got out of hand," said Rankin, describing how the remark was made on stage during the course of a festival event. "There were 600 people in the audience and only one person didn't laugh," he added.
Rankin, who announced the title of his latest Inspector Rebus mystery at the festival last week, offered no further clues as to what the creator of Harry Potter might get up to next, despite living in the same Merchiston area of Edinburgh as JK Rowling. Read the full article at Guardian Unlimited Books.
Story written by a reporter for 'Guardian Unlimited Books' and was edited.

Dell Offers HP Studio CD

Dell Computers offered a FREE Harry Potter Print Studio CD with the purchase of a Dell All-in-one Printer 926. This was featured in an ad in USA Weekend. The offer was good through 8/22/07 or while supplies last. You can, as the ad says, "click" here or call 1-800-847-4118 or visit a Dell Direct Store (for locations go here).
This sounds like a cool offer and if you are in need of a printer... well, here's one!
Article written by Jonah.

A Message From Jonah... New Article Labeling

In order to follow the piracy laws of the US, I will be labeling where my articles came from. Some articles will be labeled with my name, but others that I only edited will be labeled with the original writer's name. I just wanted to make this clear so you guys know what to expect. Thanks!

August 19th, 2007

Provided for you by Jonah Pritchett, Reporter

Attorneys Continue To Battle Piracy In China

Scotland on Sunday reports that piracy of the Harry Potter novels continues to be a high priority issue for attorneys representing author J.K. Rowling as major efforts are under way to attempt to stop many fake and illegal copies of the Harry Potter novels in the country of China. The paper details just how widespread the problem is in China, noting how a group of students "working 'round the clock and eating nothing but instant noodles managed to get Deathly Hallows translated and online within hours of the English-language edition appearing in the shops." Another concern are the many various versions being sold illegally on the streets, such as Harry Potter And The Chinese Empire. The novel blends Hogwarts characters, a bit of JRR Tolkien, and sheer imagination to create the impression it is a genuine Potter novel. Read more on this story at Leaky.

Ginny And Cho Attend Movie Premiere

Harry Potter actresses Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and Katie Leung (Cho Chang) were in attendance at the Bourne Ultimatum film premiere which took place earlier in the week in London. Photos of the actresses on arriving at the event are now available courtesy of Snitchseeker

Turkish Fans Finally Get Deathly Hallows Release Date

Harry Potter fans in Turkey will soon be able to get their hands on the 7th and final book in the series. It was recently announced that the translated edition of the book will hit shelves in that country on October 9th. The Turkish publishers also noted that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was translated by Sevin Okyay and Kutlukhan Kutlu and will be available for purchase in Turkey at 10:00am local time.

Emma Awarded

According to a posting on actress Emma Watson's website, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been nominated at a new National Movie Award in the UK in the category of "Best Family Movie". Emma has also been nominated for her role as Hermione Granger in the film. The website says these new awards will be shown on UK channel ITV September 29th and the winners are chosen via a nationwide poll with voting forms to be "available in every cinema outlet throughout the UK and published in national newspapers, magazines, and online." Congratulations to the whole Order of the Phoenix team! Other congratulations are also in store for Emma Watson, who received marks that Hermione would no doubt be very happy to obtain with all A grades in her A/S levels. Congratulations Emma!

A Fake Persian Potter?

A Persian translation of the internet counterfeit version of Deathly Hallows has appeared in Iran's bookstores. An internet hacker put a fake version of the latest book in the Harry Potter series on the internet a few days before the book's worldwide release, claiming it to be the original. Sakineh (Mehri) Kharrazi translated it into Persian off the website and it has been published by Neyestan-e Jam Publications in a 560-page book, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance's book and book reading office, the book was published with the ministry's permission. At the top corner of the back of the book, the label "internet version" has been printed. Head of the office Majid Hamidzadeh explained that the ministry had not observed any problem in the contents of the book and, therefore, permission for publication had been issued. He says, "The book bears the label 'internet version' on its cover and we are not concerned whether or not its contents are fake."

Harry Potter, The Russian Top Secret

To publish the bestseller Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows in Russian, the publishing house is to provide top secure measures. The printing-office in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia is to avoid the leak of the 7th Harry Potter content. The electronic files will only be stored in the printing-office chief's safe and any work with the electronic version will be possible only with local net and USB-ports turned off. Up to 10 or 15 additional security guards are to convoy the books on every stage of production. On August 15th, the printing-office started printing the book-covers and by the September 1st 1,800,000 books is to be issued. The whole volume of sales is expected to exceed $20 million.

Harry Potter Photos Available For First Time

For the first time ever, hundreds of pictures taken on the set of the Harry Potter movies are now available to buy, via a new website Movie Prints. These pictures, known as 'Unit Photography', have never previously been available to buy. Now, as a result of a deal between Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Comprints Ltd., a company specializing in Print on Demand services, Harry Potter fans will be able to choose from over 300 pictures on-line and order them as prints and canvases in a variety of sizes. Each image is available in 6 different sizes of photographic print (in gloss or satin finish or on art paper) and 6 different sizes of canvas. It will also be possible to buy postcards. Each product is made to order and dispatched directly to the purchaser, typically within 2-3 days. All the Harry Potter characters, from the well known to the more obscure, are available in over 45,000 unique product combinations. Sizes range from 8x6 inch prints to canvases of 1.25m. The Harry Potter collection will feature great character and action shots from the new film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as well as pictures from all 4 previous movies.

Harry Potter and the Half-Butter Prince

That's right Potterholics, Harry Potter is now immortalized in butter! The boy wizard stands tall and proud as a butter sculpture at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa. He has his trademark glasses and his wand, of course, and was seen standing next to the famous butter cow, a crowd pleaser at the fair since the early 90's.

Follow Up: No Azkaban Sentence For Teen Charged With Illegal Translation

A follow up regarding the case of a teen Harry Potter fan who posted online an unofficial French translation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes by way of the BBC, who reported that French Harry Potter publishers Gallimard, along with author J.K. Rowling, have decided not to sue a young fan from Aix-en-Provence, France for posting online his own translation of the final Harry Potter book in French. Earlier, the youth was arrested for this translation, which was discovered as part of a probe into "organized networks that post pirated book translations online," then the 16 year-old boy was later released. Police had commented previously on the "near-professional" quality of the boy's work, however, upon further investigation it was discovered the youth was not seeking financial gain by posting this translation. The official French translation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be available on October 26th.

Harry Potter and the Power List

Several actors from the Harry Potter films are on a list from the UK Film Council of the "most powerful British film stars and movie-makers in Hollywood today." The Telegraph reports that the trio, better known as Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), are ranked joint 4th on this list with $3.46 billion. This number is reflective of the first 4 films and "reveals the country's most successful actors in terms of box office earnings over the course of the past five years."
Also on the list is acclaimed actor Ralph Fiennes, who portrays Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. He is listed at number 10 with $1.4 billion, including his performance in GoF as well as such films as Red Dragon, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Maid in Manhattan.
Finally, film directors are included on this power list as well, mentioning Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell, who is ranked at the top spot with $8.7 million.

August 12th, 2007

Provided for you by Jonah Pritchett, Reporter

Emma Watson Confirms New Role In Movie For BBC One

Word has come via her official website emmawatson.net confirming the news that actress Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) will take on a new role in a television movie called "Ballet Shoes". The film, which will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK around Christmas this year, will feature Emma in the role of "Pauline, the eldest of 3 orphaned sisters who lead a sheltered life until they begin at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training." This movie will co-star fellow Potter actors Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon) and Robert Hardy (Cornelius Fudge), and is based upon the novel by Noel Streatfeild. Production on the film is set to begin this month.

Stephen King On The Importance Of J.K.Rowling

In a new and lengthy piece, author Stephen King has written a column for Entertainment Weekly, reflecting on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and in particular what J.K. Rowling has brought to children and reading. This article, which does contain spoilers for the final Harry Potter novel, first starts with a discussion of the spoilers and the early reviews which caused such a fury. To read the full article go to The Leaky Cauldron.

Katie Leung And The Phelps Twins Attend Turkish Order of the Phoenix Premiere

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix actors Katie Leung (Cho Chang) and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) arrived in Istanbul, Turkey recently to attend the Turkish premiere of the 5th Harry Potter film. The event, which took place this past week, was attended by many fans who turned out to see the actors walk the red carpet and talk with fans. Photos of the actors arriving in Istanbul as well as attending the premiere can be seen on Phelps-Twins.com.

Teen Arrested For Posting Illegal French Translation Of Deathly Hallows

A young teen fan of the Harry Potter series was arrested after it was discovered he had posted online a complete, yet unofficial, translation in French of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Guardian reported that a 16 year-old boy from Aix-en-Provence, France was too impatient to wait for the official French translation of the novel. The high school boy then set about making one himself after the English versions were released on July 21st and soon the "first chapters were available for download a few days after the book came out in July and the complete text was online within days. Police said they were "particularly surprised" by the quality of the pirate version, which they said was "semi-professional". The teen was kept in custody overnight and has since been released pending further investigation. It is believed he was not thought to have sought any commercial profit from the unauthorized work. The official French translation of the book, "Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort", is still being formally translated and will not be available until October.

Dumbledore's Army Stars Answer Fan Questions

Katie Leung, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch answered fan-emailed questions about Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, including what was it like for Katie when she had to kiss Dan Radcliffe and how Matthew felt playing the underdog in all the movies. The email-question interview was hosted by CBBC newsround and you can read the full article here.

J.K. Rowling Funds Fire Engine Gift

A town in Zambia, which has been left without fire cover after their 1960s engine broke down, is a step closer to getting a new fire engine, thanks J.K. Rowling. She sent them a $15,300 check, which will pay for the fire engine to be shipped over to Africa.

August 5th, 2007

Submitted by Jonah Pritchett

Calling The Real Harry Potter...

As profiled in Wednesday's Herald and the Sun, a 78-year-old man in Bradenton, FL, has been inundated by media outlets hither and yon. "But that's not the best part," said Harry Potter's amused wife Jan. He got a phone call this week from none other than J.K. Rowling herself. "When she identified herself, I went, 'Oh, suuure,'" Jan Potter said. "But it was her. She was calling from England." Jo said she wants to host a gathering for all of the real-life Harry Potters. It is tentatively set for December in either New York City or London, and Jo will pick up the tab for everything. Looks like our Harry Potter now needs to renew his passport, which ought to be fun. "I can see it now," he said. "I go to the courthouse, tell them I would like a new passport, and my name is Harry Potter."

Deathly Hallows Nominated For Kid's Choice Awards UK

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is nominated in the Best Book category at the first Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards UK, set to take place in London this October. Daniel Radcliffe is also nominated in the Best Movie Actor category.

Deathly Hallows Continues To Break Sales Records

Deathly Hallows continues to break sales records around the world. About 2.65 million copies of the book were sold in the UK in the first 24 hours on July 23rd, representing an increase of 32%. In Germany, 398,271 copies were sold and 573,845 copies were sold in Australia in the first 24 hours. Scholastic said Thursday that US sales reached 11.5 million, setting a new record for the number of books sold in first 10 days. It sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale, which broke a record set by Half-Blood Prince, which sold 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours.

Live Webchat with J.K.

Last Monday, J.K. Rowling participated in a live 90-minute webchat hosted by Bloomsbury in which she fielded some of the approximately 120,000 questions submitted by devotees.
*SPOILER WARNING* - DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BOOK!

In the webchat, she reveals that the hallows were in part inspired by "The Pardoner's Tale", one of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" about greed and death. She went on to say that the world was a sunnier, happier place after the 7th book and the death of Voldemort; Harry was named head of the Auror Department under the new Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt; Harry's wife Ginny stuck with her athletic career, playing for the all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies, but Ginny eventually left the team to raise their 3 children, James, Albus, and Lily, while writing as the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet; Ron joined his brother George as a partner in his successful joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes; Ron's wife Hermione furthered the rights of subjugated creatures, such as house elves, in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures before joining the Magical Law Enforcement squad; Hermione and Ron had 2 children, Rose and Hugo; and Luna Lovegood becomes a famous wizarding naturalist who eventually marries the grandson of Newt Scamander.
You can read the full transcript of the webchat at Bloomsbury's site here.

The Last of J.K.'s 3-Part Television Interview on Dateline

Last Sunday marked the hour long special interview Meredith Viera conducted with author J.K. Rowling at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland to discuss the final book of the Harry Potter series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

*SPOILER WARNING* - DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BOOK!

As to the question of who were the 2 who died who weren't originally intended to and who was the reprieve, J.K. answered that Lupin, who became a father, and Tonks took the place of Arthur Weasley who she just couldn't bear to kill since he is the only truly good father in the books. Lupin and Tonks' death served to echo Harry's loss of parents and show just how heartless Voldemort is by leaving a child parent-less. She further revealed that her most favorite made up word she's used is Quidditch, that she will very much miss being able to make up new words, and the death that was hardest for her, other than book 7, was Dumbledore. As to the life and death choice between Fred and George, "I always knew it was going to be Fred. I suppose looking back from it, I think that most people would have expected it to be George because he's the ringleader." If you wondered what the main reason of that epilogue was, wonder no more. J.K. says that it was for Teddy, to show that Teddy Lupin is obviously okay and that he has an ongoing relationship with Harry. "He must be quite happy and he's got a very good-looking girlfriend because I think he's kissing in the epilogue his -- Bill and Fleur's eldest daughter." J.K. also tells that the house she would hope to be in is Gryffindor since she values courage most. And what is her most satisfying part of the entire Harry Potter phenomenon? "Talking to people like you about the books definitely. I mean, I loved the writing. But aside of the writing-- it staggers me that so many people have loved them and what's better than that? Nothing's better than that."
You can read the full transcript of the hour-long interview here or view the video of the interview courtesy of the Leaky Cauldron.

How Could You?!

The Daily Mail recently reported of a headmistress who would definitely not make Dumbledore proud. Deathly Hallows is the book millions of children have been desperately waiting to read over the school holidays, but for 400 furious pupils at St John's C of E School in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, finding out what happens in the 7th and final book of the series came sooner than expected At the final assembly of the term, headmistress Carolyn Banfield picked up the book and read from the last page to her astonished captive audience. Louie Swift, 9 years old, said, "I don't know why she read it. She's not usually a spoilsport. She didn't even mention she had the book. She just picked it up and started reading it to us." Parents were furious over the incident. Les Martindale, church warden of St John's Church in Midsomer Norton, said, "I'd imagine that if this did happen it was done in all innocence - an error of judgment." However, Margaret Morrissey of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations points out, "It was unforgivable. It's one of the cruellest things she could have done, even if she didn't mean it. Whether you approve of the Harry Potter phenomenon or not, it has encouraged children to read. This act will probably stop all those children from reading the book." Mrs. Banfield was away on holiday and unavailable for comment.

And The Spoiling Continues...

The Herald Sun reports Australian TV host Jonathan Coleman was immediately suspended from the air by Channel 7's Sunrise after devastating young viewers by revealing the ending of the final Harry Potter book. The former comedian's unfunny joke caused a Sunrise email meltdown with viewers jamming the station's switchboard describing him as "pathetic", "unprofessional", "incompetent", "selfish" and "a twit".