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FEBRUARY 2002 NEWS HERE YOU WILL FIND NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2002.
28 February 2002 Harry Potter a Pop Icon? from The Washington Times, thanks to The Wizarding World Children's books, such as the Harry Potter series and J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," have become pop icons that increasingly will be snapped up by the American public, according to a recent book conference. Read the rest!
Internet Piracy Ringleader Pleads Guilty from the New York Times A Philadelphia man described as a ringleader of an international Internet piracy gang that involved students at some prestigious colleges and universities pleaded guilty today to a federal conspiracy charge. The man, John Sankus Jr., 28, was identified by prosecutors as one of the two leaders of a group that called itself DrinkOrDie, which is accused of pirating software and digital entertainment that could be worth billions of dollars. Mr. Sankus is the third DrinkOrDie member to plead guilty. Last month, two Los Angeles men, one of them a computer programmer at U.C.L.A., acknowledged their parts in the gang and pleaded guilty to criminal charges of copyright infringement. Under that plea agreement, both men — Kentaga Kartadinata and Mike Nguyen, the computer programmer — face 27 to 33 months in prison. After the raids in December, law enforcement officials said that the seized computers were found to contain thousands of copies of pirated business software, including some of the latest and most popular word- processing and spreadsheet programs, as well as the code for the Sony (news/quote) PlayStation and Nintendo (news/quote) games. They said they also found digitalized versions of several recent hit films, including "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Monsters Inc." Read the rest!
Harry Potter Soundtrack Helps Classical Musical Sales Soar from the Times THE themes to films such as Harry Potter and Gladiator have sent classical music sales soaring to more than £70 million last year. Figures released yesterday show classical music album sales up by 6 per cent as fans snapped up the soundtracks of their favourite films.
Three Harry Potter Books in Top Five from The Times 1 (-) The Woman Who LeftJosephine Cox (Headline, £5.99) 24,186 2 (-) Lone Eagle 3 (1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4 (3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 5 (4) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Bloomsbury, £5.99) 12,754
Who's Your Favorite Celeb? Vote Now! CBBC Newsround has their weekly voting poll, and last week Rupert Grint lost to S Club's Rachel. This week includes Tom Felton, JK Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Elijah Wood, just to name a few. So, HP Fans, who are you going to vote for?
JK Rowling Still Selling Well! from London Reuters Children's favourite Harry Potter captured third, fourth and fifth position, proving there's still plenty of magic left in Joanne Rowling's confection of witches, brooms and stink bombs. Harry's encounters with "The Goblet of Fire", "The "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Chamber of Secrets" together sold over 40,000 copies. Read the rest!
27 February 2002 News on Book V from Mugglenet Nick
sent me another e-mail following up on his last which said that the release date
for book 5 was to be determined, but Media Play stores were still taking
pre-orders for it.
Vote For the Book You Want Everyone To Read at the Same Time From the BBC It may seem like almost everyone on the train is clutching a copy of Zadie Smith's White Teeth, ploughing through a Harry Potter or bending the spine of The Lord of the Rings, but Britons are rank amateurs in the simultaneous reading stakes. Mayors across the US are pleading their citizens to synchronise their reading habits - and voters seem to be listening. In Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley asked the city's three million inhabitants to tackle Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Go here to vote! Read the rest of the article here!
David Heyman on Teaching the Children from Counting Down One of the biggest challenges David Heyman
faced when producing "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was
creating a magical place to matriculate little witches and wizards.
Location of The Burrow Revealed! from This is Hertfordshire, thanks to Mugglenet "...At
a meeting of Three Rivers District Council's development control committee on
Thursday, September 13, councillors got a sneak insight into the second film,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when they gave permission for a set on
private land in Gyspy Lane, Hunton Bridge.
Fiona Shaw With Larger-than-Life Portrait from This is London Award-winning actress Fiona Shaw finds a new audience today as a new and larger-than-life portrait of her is unveiled today at the National Portrait Gallery. Shaw, who was named best actress in last year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards, is most famous for playing a host of classical roles, from Electra to Richard II, in theatres across the capital. The triple Olivier winner stepped onto the global movie stage last year in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, playing the young wizard's wicked aunt Mrs Dursley. Read the rest!
Robin Hood Visiting JK Rowling's Neighborhood? from The Daily Record, thanks to iharrypotter A WEALTHY couple called in the police after mystery gifts were left on their doorstep. Bundles of cash, designer clothes and parcels of food were delivered to the couple's home four days in a row. And last night, baffled detectives admitted they did not know if they were hunting a mystery millionaire or a misguided Robin Hood. One police source said: "It could be a Robin Hood thief who has decided to give their ill- gotten goods to the rich and poor, and this is probably not the only house targeted.The wealthy couple, who live just doors away from Harry Potter author JK Rowling's pounds 500,000 home, were stunned to find the packages on their doorstep. Read the rest!
I would like to spend the day with . . . from the LA Times Elementary, Corona del Mar ... Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
because they acted in the Harry Potter movie. I would interview them and ask how
it felt to be screamed over and why they wanted to act in the movie. I would
also show how much I loved the movie and how much I want to see it again by
showing them all of my merchandise from the movie.
M&S Hopes to Have More Success Like Harry Potter from This is London HIGH STREET stores group Marks & Spencer's latest sales initiative involves an eight-foot furry monster and an eyeball-on-legs. Following the success of Harry Potter toys and clothes this Christmas, M&S hopes to cash in on popular kids movie Monsters Inc. Read the rest!
John Williams Still Not Confirmed for Chamber of Secrets from the John Williams Official Site, thanks to The Wizarding World Williams recorded the score for Attack of the Clones in January...he begins work on Minority Report soon...and plans to score Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can in the fall...the composer has also expressed an interest in scoring the next Harry Potter film but his involvement has not been officially confirmed.
Harry Potter in a Crowd of Other Oscar Busts from UPI thanks the The Leaky Cauldron "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the top U.S. box-office attraction of 2001 with $314.3 million and still counting, came up short when the Oscar nominations were announced -- but if the boy wizard wants to cry all the way to the bank, he has plenty of other commercially successful Oscar busts to keep him company. The movie version of the first of author J.K. Rowling's phenomenally successful series of books was released amid great fanfare last November and has become the second biggest box-office hit in the world, with grosses amounting to more than $922 million. Read the rest!
Fiona Shaw (Mrs. Dursley) To Give Theatre Masterclass from Ananova Fiona Shaw will give a masterclass at the National Theatre on March 8. Shaw has appeared at the National in the title roles of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, Machinal and The Good Person Of Sechuan. Her films include Jane Eyre, My Left Foot and Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. Two years ago she won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award for her performance in Medea in the West End.
26 February 2002 Harry Potter Owls Alarm Animal Advocates from National Geographic, thanks to affiliate Muggle Pride A bespectacled 11-year-old boy's name may be in the title of the movie, but British animal protection groups fear that Harry Potter's lovable messenger/pet will steal the show and lead to a surge of interest in keeping owls as pets. The concern has been an issue mainly in the United Kingdom, where it is legal to buy and keep owls. In the United States, keeping owls as pets is illegal under most circumstances due to their protection under various federal, state, and local laws, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. In the United Kingdom, a snowy owl like Hedwig, who serves as Harry's messenger/pet in the Harry Potter movie, can be bought for about 400 pounds (U.S. $576), said Thurston. Read the rest of the article here and see more photos!
25 February 2002 Happy Birthday to James and Oliver Phelps!! James and Oliver turn 16 today. We wish them the happiest of birthdays, and many more to come! Visit their site here!
Critic, Walkabouter, Reflects on Harry Potter from Ain't it Cool I was excited by HARRY POTTER, and hold firm to the initial review. Know, however, that I saw an earlier version of the film that was a little longer (though it was far from the 3 hour-plus running time many people rumored it to be). When I saw the film in its final form, some things dazzled me beyond expectations: The Quiddich match, for one thing. That took my breath away. John Williams' score -- though several leading critics found it to be intrusive and overdone -- I myself really enjoyed. No, I have yet to see anything regarding CHAMBER OF SECRETS. The book I enjoyed, but it had its strengths and weaknesses. There's a lot more humor in this one, particularly with the uber-vain, narcissistic Professor Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh was a perfect choice for the role -- he's very good at comedy, as well as the best damn HENRY V I've ever seen). The ending of the book, though, felt really out of place to me, but oh well. I personally felt the third and fourth books -- Prizoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, respectively -- were the strongest of the series. Make sure to read the rest of this great article (there's much more!) here!
Special "Flying Cam" Being Used for CoS from Dark Horizons Garth, at Dark Horizons, reports shooting with the Hogwarts Express train took place in London's famous Kings Cross station on Sunday, whilst Belgian Emmanuel Prévinaire ("M:I-2", "A Beautiful Mind") has apparently been brought in to use his special "Flying Cam" camera technique to enhance the audience's movie experience.
No BAFTAs, But Plenty of Riches for Harry Potter from London Rueters And in the lead-up to Hollywood's big night, the Tolkien fantasy scooped a string of glittering prizes while rival Harry Potter was busy winning the battle of the box office. The big surprise at Sunday night's glittering British awards ceremony was the total eclipse of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The tale of the teenage wizard was nominated for eight awards -- but it came away with none. But Harry Potter is at least laughing all the way to the bank. The film has so far earned $926.1 million, making it the second-highest grossing film ever after the romantic blockbuster "Titanic." Read the rest!
24 February 2002 Harry Potter Doesn't Win Any BAFTAs Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone didn't win any of the eight BAFTA nominations. LOTR won for Best Film. Congratulations to them and all the others!! I think it is still a great honor to be nominated, of which I am very happy for! You can see the listing of nominees and winners on the BBC site here! There is also a poll on the BBC site that asks if you feel Harry Potter was snubbed by the BAFTAs. Want to vote? Go here!
Are Movie Critics in the Dark? from the Orlando Sentinel thanks to the Leaky Cauldron A quick comparison of the top-10 grossing
movies of 2001 to the top-10 lists of most critics tends to support what these
moviegoers are saying.
Have Your Chance to Watch the Filming!!! from Ananova Travellers arriving at Kings Cross have their last chance of seeing the new Harry Potter film being made. Platform four's signs have been changed to platform nine-and-three-quarters. The Hogwart's Express is in the station. Trunks and other props are at the end of the platform. It's the final day of filming at Kings Cross for Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Filming has been going on for the last few Sundays. The second Harry Potter film is due out later in the year.
Little Boy Who Would Be Harry Potter from Guardian Unlimited I pointed out that with each Harry Potter film taking two years to make, the boy that plays him would be nearing 30 by the time they started filming Bloodbath at Hogwarts . In short, they'd be needing a new Harry Potter. Fred checked my maths and then with a child's delicious ability to turn a possibility into a stone-cold certainty, announced, 'Great. I'll be the next Harry Potter. Won't I, Dad?' Read the rest here.
23 February 2002 Book V Release Date in September? Okay, Potter fans, another awesome HP Fan, named Luis Paolini, has stated that a reporter from A&E stated that the release date for Book V will be in September. *Sighs, blows bangs from eyes* Please say it isn't so!! I want The Order of the Phoenix, and I want it Now!!!!!! Oh, no, the Ooma Loompas are coming!! hehe Have more information on this? Please send me an owl!
New Picture of Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle) Thanks to fellow affiliate, Muggle Pride Here is a picture of Shirley Henderson who is portraying Moaning Myrtle. She does have some experience in acting. She has had parts in Topsy Turvy and Bridget Jones' Diary. We just have to imagine her very sad, and with coke-bottle glasses.
Cho Chang Casting - Rumor is false! I had posted the information below as a rumor, and another great HP fan was nice enough to inform me that it is a false rumor. So, for all of you girls out there who are still wishing to be Cho Chang, the part may still be open. Another great fan sent me information that has gone around before, but has not been confirmed (to my knowledge), so is still rumored. Sarah Lee may be portraying Cho Chang. She has a web page here. If anyone else has information on this, please let me know here!
Warner Bros Newsletter I just received the Warner Bros Newsletter!! Finally! It states that the VHS will have five minutes of extra footage, and the DVD will have ten minutes of extra footage. So, if you don't have a DVD player, you may want to purchase one. ;) They have a new picture on a link they've provided, and also includes links to some footage that we've had here before. Still go see it anyway! Here is the link!
JK Rowling 6/10 in Power Listing from This is London Power rating: 6/10 JK Rowling, author Why? Because do we really need to spell it out? Sales of her Harry Potter books (not to mention the film rights, the merchandising, the advances for the next books etc) have all gone to make JK, who lives in London, the highest-earning woman in Britain (her fortune was estimated to be £65 million at the end of last year).
28 May Midnight Release? from Grocerynetwork.com, thanks to affiliate Muggle Pride! One idea that parallels Harry Potter book releases is a midnight release of the video to anxiously waiting Potter fans. "A lot of our 24-hour retailers are thinking of this kind of thing," Martinoff says. "The idea is creating a rush to the stores on May 28." Well, I guess that would mean I could get in line during the day, instead of waiting all night. I think I like that idea better! ;) Read the rest here!
22 February 2002 Harry Potter Nominated for Young Artist Awards Thanks to The Leaky Cauldron • Best Family Feature Film - Drama
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Weasley and Professor Snape Julie Walters, who portrays Mrs. Weasley, turns a young 52 today! Alan Rickman just turned an even younger 56! Happy birthday to both of you, and may you have many more!
Many Reasons to Thank JK Rowling from Guardian Unlimited Who is tweaking the solemn ears of the college's bowler-hatted gents with a marvellous recall of Christ Church's 13 prime ministers and 11 governor generals of India? Why, young Harry, whose Hogwart's academy was filmed in the college. Read the rest here!
Harry Potter Generosity Helps Boy from The Citizen THE
crew filming the next Harry Potter wizarding blockbuster are magic as far as
Tewkesbury youngster Ben Wynn is concerned. They have promised to send his
mother Sally merchandise to sell in aid of the Ben Wynn Fund.
Four-year-old Ben (pictured left) was born with arthrogryposs, a crippling
condition affecting his hands and feet. Single mother Sally, of Margaret
Road, Prior's Park, has raised £3,700 towards the £5,000 she needs to take Ben
to swim with dolphins in California. Read the rest! Library Features Magical Creatures from the LA Times With the help of a little imagination and the appearance of a few friends of the feathered and scaly variety, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series came alive for children at the Grandview branch of the Glendale Public Library on Thursday. Representatives from Wildlife on Wheels, a nonprofit organization that rescues injured animals, brought a burrowing owl, an American bullfrog and a boa constrictor to the library and discussed what kind of roles these animals played in the magical books. Children also had a chance to pet the animals and learn about the different creatures habitats and abilities. The program was presented by the Friends of the Glendale Public Library.
Harry Potter and LOTR Hold Top 6 in Audio Books From Guardian Unlimited 1 The Fellowship of
the Ring by J R R Tolkien (BBC, £16.99)
New Pictures of Daniel thanks to Counting Down IBL has some new pictures of Daniel Radcliffe on the set. There are two of them. You can see one here and the other here. Or click on here to see all of IBL's Harry Potter photos!
Harry Potter Causing Overweight Kids to be Picked On? from Ananova Harry Potter has been accused of being 'fattist'. The Weight Concern charity says JK Rowling's characters dismiss overweight pupils as stupid and greedy. The charity says Rowling's description of Harry's cousin Dudley has led to an increase of overweight children being bullied. According to www.record-mail.co.uk the Scottish Parent Teacher Council say the charity's claims are "political correctness gone mad".
14 Year Old Chinese Boy Most Famous for Harry Potter Voice from The Shanhai Star, thanks to MuggleNet Xu Gang, 14, has five years experience doing voice overs for nearly 100 plays and films, but it is the character of Harry Potter that made him famous overnight. "My classmates come to ask for my photograph and signature," Xu said. "More girls than boys do that," added his mother. Read the rest!
21 February 2002
See Sneak Peek of Hogwarts Virtual Tour! The Official Harry Potter site has provided
a sneak peek at the Hogwarts Virtual Tour!! See it here! JK Rowling Rules from The
Scotsman LARGELY overlooked when they
were doling out Oscar nominations, they can’t keep young Harry Potter down,
nor even his creator, JK Rowling. Hogwarts Express Arrives to Platform 9 3/4
from CBBC The bright red steam engine is hidden away in
Carnforth when not needed by the film crew, but has now arrived at platform nine
and three quarters. The train only just survived to become a film star. It
went out of service and was supposed to be sent for scrap. Read the rest! Vote for Internet Movie Awards (IMAs) thanks to HPN The IMAs has posted their nominees. You
can vote for who you would like to win here!
20 February 2002 Tom Riddle Actor Confirmed!! from
The Daily Telegraph, thanks to Counting
Down! Tom Riddle is set to be played by 20-something
Cambridge graduate Christian Coulson. "Yes, I can confirm that Christian
has been given the part," says his agent. "He's massively excited
about the role, but he's really not allowed to say anything more about the film
at this stage." You can see his picture here! Hogwart's Express on the Track Again from Manchester Online THE Hogwart's Express made a secret journey
from its base in Carnforth to London for filming of the second Harry Potter
movie. Read the rest! Animals of Harry Potter to Appear at Glendale Public Library
from LA Times The animals of Harry Potter will visit
Glendale Public Library's Grandview branch from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday. Read
the rest!
A New Rival for Harry Potter? from The Guardian Harry Potter now has a serious rival in the
form of Artemis Fowl - a 12-year-old master criminal. Artemis Fowl is the first
book by Eoin Colfer, a 35-year-old Irish teacher who has already earned over £700,000
in publishers' advances and has the book optioned by Miramax. Read the rest! All Four Harry Potter Books in Top Five!
from The Times Please Submit Your FanFic to The Discussion
Boards I am hoping to start a new page
for fan fic, so please post some of yours to the Discussion Boards here!! Australian Cartoonist Has Harry Potter Bumper Sticker Contest
Thanks to The
Wizarding World Sci-fi/Fantasy cartoonist, John Cook, is
having a very funny bumper sticker contest. It's a parody of Harry Potter.
He is flying on a broom stick with the bumper sticker attacked to the back of
his broomstick. Very funny! Check it out here!
19 February 2002
HP & SS Seventh in USA, but Second in World (Plus a blurb on Book
5) - Very Impressive! E!
Online Movies Box-office races are like a good Quidditch
match: Just leave it to Harry Potter and his trusty Nimbus 2000 to wipe up the
competition. The magical ride continues for Warner Bros.,
as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has earned a spellbinding $926.1
million in worldwide ticket sales, officially topping 20th Century Fox's Star
Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace to become the second-highest grossing
movie ever worldwide. Adding to its already massive pot of gold, Potter
officially surpassed Phantom Menace's $922.8 million global take in a
little less than three months. It's more than halfway to challenging Titanic,
whose seemingly unsinkable $1.8 billion gross leads the all-time international
box-office hits list. Despite its overseas success, however, Potter
still ranks only seventh domestically, based on its estimated $313.7
million haul as of last week. "While it's not number one or number two
domestically, on a worldwide basis, Harry Potter is still pretty
impressive," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracking firm
Exhibitor Relations. For those Muggles who have not yet seen Harry
catch a snitch, hang out with Hagrid in Diagon Alley and do battle with evil
wizards and the likes of You-Know-Who, DVD and VHS versions of Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone are set to hit stores May 28. The fifth book, meanwhile, is reportedly
due sometime between the end of summer and middle of fall. There's much more to this article! Read
it all here! Rare Interview with Dame Maggie Smith from National Post Online, thanks to Intayside At the moment she is, as she puts it,
"Harry Pottering" -- working on the next Harry Potter film, in which
she plays Professor Minerva McGonagall, a role she describes as "Jean
Brodie in a witch's hat." But she hopes to return to the stage soon with
Judi Dench in an as yet untitled David Hare play. Read the rest! Tevoit Knitwear to Produce Harry Potter Clothing for the Public from
IC Newscastle Schoolboy wizard Harry
Potter is poised to produce magical results for a small Hawick textile company. Teviot Knitwear has already
made a range of wardrobe clothing which appeared in the first Potter film, and
has now signed an exclusive contract to do the same for the next two boy wizard
movies. In addition, it is
negotiating with Warner Brothers for the right to produce Potter knitwear for
sale to the public in a deal that could eventually be worth millions. Read
the rest! JK Rowling's New Home thanks
to affiliate, MugglePride! See JK Rowling's new home here!
The inscription reads: The mom of Harry Potter is
sheltered in one mansion of fairy-tale John Williams to be Music Director at Oscars from
Rueters/CNN John Williams will return to the Oscar podium
for the first time since 1975 to serve as music director for the 74th Academy
Awards, Variety reports. He will co-conduct with first-timer Mark
Watters, with whom he appeared at this year's Winter Olympics Opening
Ceremonies. This will be the third time Williams has
conducted the Oscar orchestra; he was music director for the 45th and 48th
kudocasts. Williams received two original-score
nominations this year, for "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"; in all, he has nabbed five
Oscars and been nominated 41 times. The Academy Awards will be held March 24 at
the Kodak Theatre.
18 February 2002 Harry Potter Now Second Grossing Film of All
Time! from
Reuters Warner Bros. said "Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone" has become the second-grossing movie worldwide of all
time, surpassing "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." The
boy-wizard film, known as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"
in most countries outside the United States, has grossed $926.1 million, beating
"Phantom Menace's $922.8 million mark. "Titanic" holds the record
with $1.8 billion. Read more! Finding Pirated DVD More Difficult Than Thought
from CNET HANOI, Vietnam--Contrary to popular belief,
you can't pick up a pirated DVD of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone" on this city's streets within 5 minutes. Read the rest! Westminster Education Hope to Recruit JK
Rowling from
The Scotsman Estelle Morris, the Education Secretary at
Westminster, intends to recruit Beckham, along with other celebrities such as
Harry Potter author J K Rowling, as "occasional teachers" in an
attempt to inspire the young. Read the rest! Aussie DVD Not to be Same Format as Other Countries
from Dark
Horizons Garth, at Dark Horizons, has learned that the
Australian Philospher's Stone DVD will only be Pan & Scan 4:3 format
rather than the choice of widescreen or pan & scan which all other regions
are getting. Argonaut has Major Profits Thanks to HP!! from
BBC Since its release in November, the PlayStation
game Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sent Argonaut Games' royalty
earnings soaring. The company's net royalty earnings during the
three months to 31 December reached £5.3m. That is about three-and-a-half times as much
as the £1.5m the company had expected for the full year to July 2002. "We always knew that Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone had the potential to be a major hit, but we have been
delighted by its success in such a short space of time," said the games
maker's chairman, Julian Paul. More here!
17 February 2002 Vote for Orange Film of the Year
thanks to The Shrieking Shack You can go here
and vote for your favorite film (Harry Potter!!) of the year here! The awards will be presented on 24
February on BBC1!
Harry Potter Tour Information
thanks to fellow affiliate Muggle
Pride From Trafalgar
Tours. Enjoy a 10 day fully escorted vacation through England
highlighting all the places Harry Potter explored. Visit places such as the
Kings Cross Station in London, the local train station in Goathland which was
used in the movie for the Hoagsmeade Station, where the Hogwarts Express
arrived, Alnwick Castle -where the broom flying classes were filmed, and much
more. By the end of this journey you will feel as if you were in the movie along
with Harry. Sean Biggerstaff in USA's Weekend Edition Thanks to the Leaky
Cauldron Here's a new article regarding an inquiry of
Sean Biggerstaff/Oliver Wood!! Please click here
to see it!
Matrix Bumped Back By Harry Potter and LOTR
from Zenentertainment AOL/TimeWarner have bumped back
THE MATRIX: RELOADED (sequel to the 1999 hit THE MATRIX) from Dec. 25 to a
summer 2003 release. Allegedly making room for HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF
SECRETS and LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS in late '02.
Lego's Hogwarts Castle Receives Best Activity
Toy of the Year from The
Leaky Cauldron Best Activity Toy of the Year, recognizing a
toy that inspires creative play through various forms of activity -- LEGO Harry
Potter Hogwarts Castle, LEGO Systems, Inc. See more! Save Your Harry Potter Valentine Cards - They May be Worth Something from
Reuters Would-be collectors can start by investing in
new cards with subjects that people are crazy about, Kreider said. "My
stock tips for the season are Harry Potter, Britney Spears, 'N Sync,
Dynasty's Child, Monster's Inc. Buy them, put them away in a box. Then wait for
them to appreciate in the next 10, 15, 20 years." Read more! Darn, now they tell me. My son used
all of his, and I just threw away the rest! errrr. ;) 16 February 2002 Angelica Houston as Professor Trelawny?? I received an e-mail today from
another great HP fan stating that Angelica Houston will be portraying Professor
Trelawny!! She would be just perfect for the part! I can just
imagine her gazing into the crystal ball. Though I have not been able, at
this time, to confirm this as of yet. As soon as I do, I will let you
know!! If you know of any information on this, please contact me here! DVD to Bring Hogwarts to Life!
from Scifi.com
Paul Hemstreet, vice president special
features/DVD for Warner Brothers, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone special-edition DVD will turn the extra
features into an experience that puts viewers in the world of Hogwarts.
For example, instead of just putting preproduction sketches in a menu, the
viewer will find those sketches in books at the Hogwarts library. Hemstreet said
in an interview that this was a logical way to present material in the context
of the Harry Potter movie. "Rather than coming right out and laying
it all out, it's still within the world of Harry, in that it's a book that would
be in Hogwarts' library," Hemstreet said. As another example, he said,
"you can go into each one of the professors' classrooms, and there are
different features in there. 'Harry Potter Throughout the World' features
listening to a scene in many different world languages. The Potions Game is
there, which features potions that are mentioned in the book or the film, and
it's a fun experience where you have to put the combinations together right or
your potion could explode and send you to the hospital." Other locations on the DVD include Diagon
Alley, Gringott's Bank and the Hogwarts Grounds, where Quidditch is played.
These features are on disc two of the two-disc set, which hits stores on May 28. It sounds sooooo awesome!!! I just
can not wait!!! Harry Potter's Original Costume on Display
from
the Scotsman A DRESS worn by screen icon
Marilyn Monroe, a Dalek from the Dr Who series and Harry Potter’s movie outfit
are to be displayed in Edinburgh. The British Film Institute will also be
putting on display Russell Crowe’s Gladiator costume, one of Fred Astaire’s
dance costumes and a Stormtrooper outfit from the original Star Wars film. "The exhibition goes right back to the
origins of film and television - we’ve got one of only 50 of the very first
cinema projectors that still exist - and to the present day with things like
Harry Potter’s original outfit and wand." Read the rest!
Per Oliver Phelps: Filming in Gloucester and Lackock
thanks to HPN This is from James and Oliver Phelps' website,
in the diary section: 15 February 2002 - During the last 2 weeks we
have been filming on location in Gloucester and Lacock. When we were going into
schooling some people from the local newspapers were taking photos of some
members of the cast. we were one of them. Our photo was printed in the local
newspaper. It was quite good because the paper, was a local newspaper from where
my dad use to live until he was about 12-13...
15 February 2002 HP and the Philosopher's Stone Cover for
Australia from
Ezdvd, thanks to Dark Horizons Here you will see a picture of the
Philosopher's Stone DVD. It is where Australians can get the DVD. It
is stating, however, that release is 28 May, instead of 11 May. Go
check it out!! Another link from Dark Horizons, here,
has a release date of 11 May for the UK!! Lucky you!! HP CoS to Escape British Actors Dispute
from Guardian Unlimited The actors' union Equity has dismissed claims
that the British film industry is set to go the same way as British coal mining
unless a dispute over royalties is settled. Both the twentieth James Bond movie and the
second film in the Harry Potter saga have escaped action after agreeing deals.
Read the rest! Another Lord Voldemort? from
AP A businessman who built an Oregon wood
products mill into an international conglomerate is offering a small public
technical college $75 million to slip off the golden handcuffs of state funding
and go private. Dick Wendt is not saying why he is so
interested in OIT — he did not attend the school — or exactly what he hopes
to accomplish. He has refused interviews. Ed Silling, a communications professor, said:
"I see him as a combination of John Calvin, the religious reformer, and
(Harry Potter villain) Lord Voldemort, `He Who Must Not Be Named.'" Here's
the rest! Want to Make Some Polyjuice? from
E Online Harry Potter has a new book due this year and
a big-screen sequel (The Chamber of Secrets) due in November. To mark the blitz,
Warner Bros. has licensed a new set of Harry Potter LEGOs (including a Quidditch
playset) and the all-important Polyjuice Potion Maker. Check out the
picture of the Polyjuice Potion Maker here!! HP Chamber of Secrets Game Cube Game Release Date
from Gamesdomain,
thanks to Intayside
A release date for the Gamecube exclusive
title Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets has been announced. British developer Eurocom, which also made
acclaimed Nintendo 64 game, The World Is Not Enough, will have the game ready
for release on November 15, which will be around the same time the movie comes
out. HP Popularity Leads to Magic Study Classes from Ananova Harry Potter's popularity has led Adelaide
University to launch a course in sorcery, witchcraft and shamanism. Students will study seances, exorcisms,
healings, ritual magic and African witchdoctors from March 20. Only two people have enrolled for the 12-week
course so far, but the university says there have been dozens of inquiries.
Read the rest!
14 February 2002 Happy Valentines Day Fellow Potter Fans!!! May you receive lots of chocolate, flowers, a great dinner, and, of course, love!! ~~~Dijares
David Copperfield on BBC America on 19 and 20 February For all of the Daniel Radcliffe fans, David Copperfield will be on BBC America on 19 and 20 February. You can go here to check out the schedule. Here is a little article on the movie, including a very cute picture of Daniel.
Kansas Jayhawks' Hinrich aka Harry Potter from the LA Times The
talk about Kansas used to be all Drew Gooden and Nick Collison.
Harry Potter flying on skis instead of a broomstick? from the New York Times Simon Ammann discovered flight as a boy. It happened near the home village of the renowned ski jumper Walter Steiner, a Swiss woodcarver who won a silver medal in the 1972 Winter Games in Japan. On his winning run, Ammann — whose cherubic face makes him look more like Harry Potter than a world-class athlete — flew off the ramp in a silver suit and floated out toward the void, a spaceman launched into the stars. Read the rest! Bond Not Afraid to Go Up Against Potter from Ananova Spokeswoman Barbara Broccoli says the Bond team are not worried about going head to head with the second Harry Potter movie. Bond 20 is expected to be released at about the same time as Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Barbara Broccoli says having two major British movies out at the same time is good new for the film business. "We're proud of ours being a British film and there are so many other great British films out there that are so well regarded," she told Ananova. Read the rest!
Jason Carter as Sirius Black from The Leaky Cauldron TLC is stating that Babylon 5 actor, Jason Carter, has been cast as Sirius Black. You can visit one of his sites here, which is where I got the picture. I think he really looks the part. You can see his pic here!
13 February 2002 Dan, Emma and Rupert Confirmed for Prisoner of Azkaban from IMDb IMDb has listed Dan Radliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as signed up for Prisoner of Azkaban. This is not a big surprise, but some of us were a little worried. For more information, go here!
Sneak Peak at Deleted Scenes!! from Counting Down Warner Brothers has posted some really great sneak peaks at the Sorcerer's Stone movie! See them here!!
Shots of Deleted Scenes and Hogwarts 3D Tour!! from DVD IGN thanks to MuggleNet IGN has provided us with some great pics of the deleted scenes and a really awesome shot of Hogwarts 3D Tour!! They also have more details on the DVD. I can't wait to go on the tour!! Especially with my 60" TV - yahoo!! ;) Go see the shots here!
Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky in Shock After Oscar Nomination from the LA Times Academy members, however, held true to their voting record. All of Tuesday's nominees designed historic or fantasy clothes. Nominee Judianna Makovsky assumed she might not be a contender for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because the movie featured many modern costumes. "I was a little in shock this morning," she said when reached at her Los Angeles home. Makovsky, whose first nomination was for 1998's "Pleasantville," said contemporary clothes typically don't impress academy voters. She was thrilled to break the nomination news to her mentor in Italy, Milena Canonero, who also was picked for "The Affair of the Necklace." Read the rest!
Aspyr Media States HP Game is Done from MacCentral Aspyr Media reported today that two new games in its library are done and in production. In a brief e-mail to the media, the company reported that both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and 4x4 Evolution 2 are now in duplication and should be shipping by the end of the week. Read the rest!
Harry Potter Nominated for Best Sound Editing - Foreign Film thanks to Intayside Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has been nominated by the Motion Picture Sound Editors for Best Sound Editing - Foreign Film. Read more!
United Arab Emirates Ban Potter from Private Schools from the BBC The bestselling children's book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by JK Rowling has been banned from use in private schools in the United Arab Emirates. Read more!
Aztec the Owl major Attraction for Wonderful Wildlife Event from The Citizen A
SPECTACLE owl called Aztec has proved the major attraction at the National
Waterways Museum's half-term Wonderful Wildlife event.
12 February 2002 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Received Three Oscar Nominations!! from E! Online The Sorcerer's Stone received three Oscar nominations in the following categories:
The Oscars will be awarded on 24 March at 8pm ET, so mark your calendars now!!
Better Clipping of Sorcerer's Stone Unseen Footage Thanks to the Snitch Here is a better clipping of the unseen footage for the Sorcerer's Stone. It's very cute and funny!
Daniel Radcliffe Wins Best Newcomer Award for Variety Prize from BBC Oscar nominee Dame Judi Dench received another boost by winning the Variety Club's best film actress award. Ewan McGregor won the prize for best film actor at the awards, held by the entertainment industry's charity for disadvantaged children, and veteran performer Eric Sykes picked up an outstanding contribution prize. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe won best newcomer, while television impressionist Alistair McGowan collected the club's comedy award, shared with partner Ronni Ancona. Read the rest!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Surprisingly Nominated in Producer's Guild from the NYPost LEAPING wizards!"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" made a surprise appearance in awards nominations announced by the Producers Guild of America yesterday. Last year's top-grossing movie, the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's best seller, has mostly been ignored in the early awards season in this country - though it figured heavily in nominations for the British Academy awards. Read the rest! Webmaster's note: LOTR was not the top grossing movie of 2001 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone was. ;)
Vote For You Favorites At Moviefone's American Moviegoer Awards thanks the The Leaky Cauldron You've chosen the finalists, now choose the winners! The time has come for you, the moviegoer, to pick the best of 2001. The voting includes Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Dame Maggie Smith, and Sorcerer's Stone for Best Film. Go vote now!
Harry Potter First Ed. Book Sells for Nearly $14,000 from Reuters A first edition of J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book sold for almost $14,000 at a London auction on Tuesday. Read the rest!
More Harry Potter Toys from FilmForce The Harry Potter line will be expanded with toys inspired by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, such as the Gringott's Bank and with new kits straight from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In a scene from Chamber, Harry and Ron morph themselves into those nasty Sytherins, Crabbe and Goyle. Now we can do that with LEGOs and enter the Slytherin dorm for ourselves. After we're done, we can have a game of LEGO Quidditch with my favorite of the LEGO display, Madame Hooch.
Boy Who Can't Smile to Meet J.K. Rowling from Manchester Online DANIEL Turner is a happy, boy who relishes any challenge. But the one thing he cannot do is smile. And now his courage has been recognised by the judges in the Child of Achievement competition. He is one of 150 youngsters chosen from 10,000 nationwide to go to the awards in London where he will meet Harry Potter author J K Rowling and TV presenter Gaby Roslin. Read the rest here!
Oscar Nominations Seen Live Today on E! If you have cable or a satellite dish, you should have the E! channel. Here's what they'll have for you: E!
News Special: The 2002 Academy Award Nominations Here's the link!
News Letter from WB I received a Harry Potter Newsletter from WB today. It went over the same details about the DVD that has been gone over before. Here's some of the information it gave: Add
the enchanting Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™ two-disc DVD or
Videocassette to your video library! This amazing DVD takes you inside Harry
Potter's world with 10 minutes of thrilling NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN footage, NEW
interviews with director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman, PLUS a unique
journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Take a tour of the
grounds, learn to play Quidditch, meet the ghosts of Hogwarts and MUCH more!
Enjoy the full, interactive HARRY POTTER EXPERIENCE! They also provided a link to the WB Harry Potter site, that has all the information and a countdown.
Harry Potter Just $9m Short of Episode I from TheForce.net, thanks to Counting Down After 12 weeks on release, Harry Potter is just $9m
short of Episode I's worldwide gross of $925m. Screendaily reports:
Harry Potter Coin Collector Fair in Gloucester from The Citizen If you are one of the thousands of people who have
been collecting the Potter coins over the past few months, there is an event
tomorrow you cannot miss.
The Weasley Twins are Back Home from The Citizen WHEN
red-headed Harry Potter twins Oliver and James Phelps filmed The Chamber of
Secrets in Gloucester, they were returning to their roots.
Boys Who Beat the Odds Meet With J.K. Rowling from The Citizen THREE
brave youngsters from the West had a magical meeting with J K Rowling yesterday
as winners of Children of Achievement Awards. Read the rest!
11 February 2002 Philosopher's Stone to Have Earlier Release Date in UK? from the R2 Project, thanks to Dark Horizons We can reveal that the date for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in the UK will be ..... Saturday, May 11th 2002 This is two weeks before the U.S release! Obviously we do not have details of the release but expect it to be similar to the U.S version. More details to come! Link here!
Come and See the New Harry Potter Toys!! from Film Force Film Force has some great pictures of the new Harry Potter toys! Harry Potter again appeared as part of Mattel's line-up. Two products in particular caught my eye here: The Whomping Willow Game and a rather handsome-looking chess set based on the animated characters from the movie. In the Whomping Willow Game, players must retrieve their luggage and belongings from the mean and nasty willow tree, as Harry and Ron have to in The Chamber of Secrets. The the pics here!
Sorcerer's Stone Reaches over $600m Overseas Sydney Variety Also noteworthy: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" scaled $600 million overseas and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" soared past $400 million. Read the rest!
Warner Bros Bask in Light of Harry Potter's Success from the New York Times But most significantly, the Warner executives could bask in the golden light of the $905 million worldwide box office so far from the studio's November release, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" — a franchise film with a sequel set for this fall and another in the works for 2004. Read the rest!
10 February 2002 What's Going on With Book V??? Thanks to another awesome HP Fan, Baty, for this information. This is in response to an inquiry to Amazon UK about book V. Doesn't look good . . . Thank
you for writing to us at Amazon.co.uk regarding the item "Harry Potter
5". Child of Achievement Awards Honor Inspirational Youngsters from Ananova More than 100 inspirational youngsters have been honoured at the 21st annual Child of Achievement Awards. The 150 children aged up to 16 received the accolade for helping others through everyday tasks or dealing with their own illness or disability. They were joined at the Hilton Hotel in London by celebrities including Harry Potter author J K Rowling. Read the rest!
Movie Toys are Back, Thanks to HP! Reuters Watch out for Spiderman: movie-backed toys are making a comeback, experts said. After languishing for a few years, manufacturers are placing their bets on movie-linked merchandise following the recent success of "Harry Potter" and "Monster's Inc." franchises to bolster the fortunes of a slew of new film-related goods. Read the rest!
Great Behind The Scenes of Sorcerer's Stones Footage!! The Leaky Cauldron has a link to some great footage from the WB promotional video. This link has about 15 minutes of unbelievable footage! See the Windows Media file here!
NBC's Today Show Weekend Edition Features Best Upcoming Toys for 2002, Including Two Chamber of Secrets Toys This morning, while watching NBC's Today Show Weekend Edition, I was very excited to see that, of the five best upcoming toys for 2002, two of them belonged to Harry Potter! They featured the Oozing Snake from the Chamber of Secrets, in which they poured ooze onto Harry. They also featured a brand new toy in which I've never seen!! Here's their information on it: Harry
Potter Whomping Willow Game It looks really cool. Objects (like suitcases, etc) are hooked onto the limbs, and you have to try and get them off with the Ford Anglia while the entire tree is moving. Try not to get whomped by the Whomping Wilow!! See the link here!
A Slow News Day So Far . . . Hey Fellow Potter Fans!! Well, this morning I haven't found anything too new on the news front. What I did find yesterday, while at WalMart, were $6.00 Harry Potter t-shirts. They were in the teenage boys section. I didn't check the girls section (as I have two boys), though they may have some there, too. I got myself three size 18 HP t-shirts!! Hopefully they'll fit after I've washed them. LOL! ;) They had a really cool gray shirt, that said Gryffindor with a lion on it. It looked like a true university shirt. Hopefully it'll warm up some so I can show it off! Thanks for visiting, and if you know of any current news, please send it my way by writing here! Thanks, and have a Powerful Wizarding Day! ~~~ Dijares, webmaster
9 February 2002 The WB Newsletter from the official HP site Well, I finally received the WB Newsletter, which links you to the official site. The Daily Prophet has been updated, and it goes over a lot of the information that we have already been told. But, just in case you've been on holiday, and haven't seen the news yet, you can see a copy of the information here, or go to the official site!
Tevoit Knitwear Wins HP Contract for Next Two Movies from The Scotsman Hawick-based Teviot Knitwear has won the contract to make all the knitwear which will be featured in the next two Harry Potter films, following the success of its sweaters, socks and stockings from the blockbusting film Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone.
Sweaters for the films must be specially made to accommodate for growth in the young actors and also the production’s setting. Read the rest!
Harry
Potter and Sorcerer's Stone Nominated for Another Award from The
Leaky Cauldron The Sorcerer's Stone has been nominated for the Golden Reel award in the Best Foreign Feature Film category by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. This is to recognize excellence in sound editing.
Fantasy Can Help Lead to the Truth from the Citizen THE Cathedral we have enjoyed having the
second lot of filming for the next Harry Potter film. Okay, so there were a lot
of lorries around and unexpected thumps, bumps and engine noises outside, as
expensive equipment was unloaded and moved, and fans waiting for autographs. Seeing how a modern film set is constructed, I now know that a lot of what we see on the cinema screen is a glorious mixture of make-believe and reality, with an emphasis on the make-believe or fantasy. Perhaps
for too long we've been ruled by a judgemental attitude to life and need to get
back a balance where perception is used for our understanding, using our hearts
more, instead of forever being in the head and rational. We need to get back and
to see life as it really is - perhaps to look at spring flowers again!
Read the rest!
Harry Potter and Crew Packed Up and Ready to Go from The Citizen THE Harry Potter
bandwagon is on its way out of Gloucester now that filming for the second movie
at the cathedral is coming to a close.
8 February 2002 Adult Interest In Harry Potter Causes Changes from CNN Adults are invading the world of children's literature, forcing a change in the business of selling books. It started with the Harry Potter phenomenon and spread. Now, UK children's authors are hot property -- particularly where film companies are concerned. Read the rest!
Publicists Name Feature Nominees from Hollywood Variety Hollywood union publicists have nominated Universal's "American Pie 2," Warner's "Harry Potter," MGM's "Legally Blonde," Fox's "Moulin Rouge" and DreamWorks' "Shrek" for its Maxwell Weinberg Award for top feature publicity campaign. The winner will be announced at the 39th annual Publicist Awards luncheon on March 20 at the Beverly Hilton. (link)
New York Times Childrens Books Top 10 Listings
7 February 2002 Sorcerer's Stone to give Sneak Previews of Chamber of Secrets!! from the CBBC And if you can't wait for the next film - The
Chamber of Secrets - to come out in November, director Chris Columbus will give
you some special sneak previews. Read the rest here,
or listen here!
Brits Hope to Take the Cake This Oscar Year from This is London - thanks to HPIntayinside Two films expected to dominate the 24 March ceremony are Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter - which is where the Brits come in. We could harvest a bumper crop this year. Hopes are high in the Best Supporting categories, with Robbie Coltrane strongly tipped for his shaggy Hagrid in HP, Hogwart School's giant groundsman and Keeper of Weird Beasts. The the rest here!
Record Sales for Barnes and Noble from CNBC - Thanks to the Leaky Cauldron Barnes & Noble.com offered pre-orders of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone beginning on Tuesday, February 5th. In the first 24 hours, customers ordered thousands of copies of the blockbuster film. Read the rest!
A Better Picture of Harry with Riddles Diary thanks to the Leaky Cauldron You can see the picture here, along with many others!! What Does Britain's Head Prefect Have in common with Harry Potter? from The Guardian Britain's three leading cultural exports of the last year - I refer, of course, to Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins and Tony Blair - all have something in common. Inside a very modern, hi-tech, movie packaging, you discover a remarkably traditional Englishness. The case is even stranger with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Stripped of the wizardry, here is a quite old-fashioned yarn of English public school life. The book, and the film, dwell lovingly on all the obscure details of school uniform, rules, privileges, house colours and so on. The values are loyalty, courage, comradeship and, above all, house spirit, when Harry's wizard performance as scrum half - sorry, Seeker in Quidditch - brings glory to Gryffindor against the perfidious Slytherin. (In case you think JK Rowling's names for school boarding houses are a tad fanciful, note that two rival houses at Fettes College, the public school attended by Tony Blair, are called Moredun and Kimmerghame.) Read the rest!
See an Extra Clipping from Sorcerer's Stone IHP.net has a link to some footage that will be on the DVD. It's a bit hard to see, but you'll get the idea. It's the scene with Neville and the Leg Locker curse. See it here! The link has been fixed!!
Sorcerer's Stone Nominated for Maxwell Weinberg Award from Hollywood Variety Hollywood union publicists have nominated Universal's "American Pie 2," Warner's "Harry Potter," MGM's "Legally Blonde," Fox's "Moulin Rouge" and DreamWorks' "Shrek" for its Maxwell Weinberg Award for top feature publicity campaign. The winner will be announced at the 39th annual Publicist Awards luncheon on March 20 at the Beverly Hilton. The publicists also announced nominees in the TV category: ABC's "Alias," CBS's "CSI," CBS' "53rd Emmy Awards," ABC's "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" and the WB's "Smallville."
6 February 2002 Jason Isaacs Plays Bad Guy from Empire Online Obviously Isaacs himself isn't afraid of being typecast, as he's just signed on the dotted line to play two utterly villainous roles - Lucius Malfoy in The Chamber of Secrets and Captain Hook in the new live-action Peter Pan. Of his Potter role, Isaacs cheerfully admits that Malfoy is 'as odious a character as I've ever read and so this year I'll be despised by children the globe over.' So has he been on set yet? 'No. They're filming, but I don't think I'm allowed to go there until I've signed my secrecy agreement in blood.' Read the rest!
Philosopher's Stone Nominated for Best Movie on NME Awards thanks to iharrypotter.net Philosopher's Stone has been nominated for Best Movie on the NME Awards!! You can see the site here and vote for your favs!
Largest Marketing of DVD/VHS Ever Planned for The Sorcerer's Stone from The Hollywood Reporter In what is being touted as an unprecedented $25 million media marketing campaign, Warner Home Video said Tuesday that it will release its blockbuster hit "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on VHS and DVD on May 28. "This is by far the largest media spending campaign in the history of Warner Home Video," said Mike Saksa, vp U.S. marketing at WHV. Read the rest!
A Cute Story of an Actor Who Portrayed Dumbledore from The Guardian Richard Harris had it easy when he played Dumbledore. He never had to wear a nylon wig in front of 300 overexcited schoolchildren. I got a call recently from a mate asking if I fancied playing Dumbledore. As one of the three people in the country who have not yet read the novels of JK Rowling, I assumed Dumbledore to be a small touring venue in the West Country, the sort that stages poetry evenings and is always on the point of closure. It turned out that a leading multinational company was providing 300 kids with what it described as a "Harry Potter day" at its headquarters in leafy Surrey, including transport, themed activities and fireworks. Read the rest of this cute story!
Potter-Mania Won't Die Out Anytime Soon (Includes some Book V release info, too!) from E! Online The film has already raked in $313 million, making it the highest-grossing film released in 2001 and ranking it eighth among the all-time domestic moneymakers. Its worldwide box office is approaching $1 billion. "I think it could be the biggest title ever," says Peter Bracke, editor of dvdfile.com. "It's pretty much a slam dunk. I don't see Pottermania waning anytime soon. This will be a good release for kids in terms of the features, the packaging, the pricing and the release date." About the only thing more formidable than the forthcoming disc is the marketing push behind it. The video release is the first part of a carefully plotted Potter campaign that will promote the whole franchise. Not only will Warners be pumping the video, but the video will also be used to hype the next novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is due this summer. The momentum will continue to build as the next film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, opens in November. Read the entire article here!
Sorcerer's Stone Hoped to be Biggest Video/DVD Release Ever from Variety (Hollywood) ``We believe we can make this the biggest video release ever,'' he said of last year's top-grossing film ($294 million in 2001 alone). The videocassette ($24.99 suggested retail price) will feature five minutes of extra footage, and the two-disc DVD ($26.99) will offer hours of extra material. Among the deleted scenes is one in which the young wizards and witches have trouble with a spell that causes one of their classmates' legs to lock together. Read the rest!
A Sneak-Peak at the new DVD!! from the Dark Mark "What I saw was a pre-release widescreen VHS; it was the film, yes, but
I don't know about anything else that may be on the tape nor yet anything
absolutely
definite for the DVD.
More Sneak-Peak info on the DVD from The Leaky Cauldron More on the DVD! Access Hollywood showed very brief flashes of the unseen
footage - Neville in Leg-Lock curse (perhaps now we'll get to see all the stuff
from the book they cut for time? For instance, in the scene where Petunia is
taking a picture of Dudley, he's by the fireplace and in his Smeltings uniform -
we certainly didn't get all that Smeltings business in the movie) - and also a
clip of Seamus informing all his smug, laughing housemates that his eyebrows DID
grow back after his latest explosion (then he turns around and has a bald
spot...).
From The Times Top 10 Fiction Paperback Listings 1 (1) A Painted HouseJohn Grisham (Arrow, £6.99) 20,891 2 (3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 3 (6) Blood Hunt 4 (4) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 5 (2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 6 (5) The Fellowship of the Ring (combined) 7 (9) Tell No One 8 (7) Five Quarters of the Orange 9 (8) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 10 (-) The Two Towers (combined)
5 February 2002 OFFICIAL DVD/VHS RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT (See Cover Pics Here!) Thanks to Countingdown for the following information on the Warner Brothers' DVD announcement: The official announcement about the release date of and features on the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has finally been made. It is due to be released on May 28 and should retail somewhere between $19.95 and $26.99. The announcement included an impressive listing of special features:
Melissa A. from The
Leaky Cauldron adds:
Want some HP skins for your game? from The Sims Public Archive, through Countingdown The
Sims Public Archives has just updated with a few new skins from the wizarding
world. At the site, you'll find skins of Hagrid, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape,
and Quirrel. **Reminder** Warner Brothers will be giving out some big news today, so make sure to keep checking back for all the latest!!!!
Thunderpants Release Date from Ananova See the picture here! Rupert Grint's new film Thunderpants will be released in the UK in May. Grint is best known for playing Ron Weasley in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. In Thunderpants he plays a child genius who invents a special pair of trousers to help his friend, who can't stop breaking wind, become an astronaut. Grint plays Allan A Allen, and Bruce Cook is his friend Patrick Smash. Stephen Fry and Simon Callow also appear in Thunderpants.
Gloucester Fans Aren't Having Too Much Luck from The Citizen Whenever a fan gets close enough to take a
picture of Daniel, their view is blocked by the hands of security staff.
Sorcerer's Stone DVD/VHS Information From Amazon You can preorder The Sorcerer's Stone DVD or VHS from Amazon Here!! Just click on the Amazon link on the left!! Here are some of the awesome extra features on the DVD: Widescreen
anamorphic - 2.35:1 I can't wait!!!!
Sorcerer's Stone Making it Big Overseas Sydney Variety Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone levitated to $592.5 million on the back of an $8.3 million weekend in 52 countries. The Hogwarts Express mustered $580,000 in Turkey (the third-best industry premiere) and an estimated $2 million in China. Read more! And . . . SHANGHAI (Variety) - ``Ha-li Bo Te'' mania has hit the Chinese mainland. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is working unprecedented magic at local wickets. Warner Bros. estimates the picture grossed $2 million on 200 prints over the first five days of official release (Jan. 30-Feb. 3), an impressive sum for a foreign movie in China.
4 February 2002 **Reminder** Tomorrow WB will be giving out some updated information, so make sure to check back here for all the information!!
AOL Time Warner's Unfinished Revolution from Technology Special Report POTTER-MANIA. America Online helped Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema deliver movie hits -- 10 of their films ranked No 1. at the box office when they opened. Warner Bros. and New Line combined were No. 1 in box-office receipts for 2001 with a 22% market share, bolstered by Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Pittman says online promos for Harry Potter created 2.5 billion Web-page impressions on the AOL service last year. Total sales from Harry Potter so far have topped $880 million, the company says. Read it all here!
Richard Harris (Porf. Snape) Talks HP Sequels from Coming Soon Cindy Pearlman got
talking to "The Count of Monte Cristo" star Richard Harris, who is
filming "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in London. In fact,
Harris has signed on for the next few Potter films, which doesn't make him
entirely happy.
Harry Potter and SS Wins Best Technical Achievement for Evening Standard British Awards from Empire Online Harry Potter scored with the Best Technical Achievement Award.
The Wizarding World Has a Link to New Pics They're from the New York City premier. See them here!
Hornby Has Good Year Thanks To Harry Potter from Ananova Hornby says Christmas trading was boosted by sales of Harry Potter trains. It says the Hogwarts Express range will be strengthened in the current quarter. The schoolboy wizard is expected to push Hornby's full-year profits above market expectations. Read more!
No Super Bowl Overseas to keep the Movie Goers at Bay from Sydney Variety ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' is closing in on $600 million overseas after minting an estimated $6.6 million over the weekend, hoisting its foreign total to $590 million. The weekend tally includes Turkey's estimated $625,000 premiere, but not its opening in China, which WB expects will be at least $2 million.
Harry Potter Still No 1 Grossing Film from LA AP With a $267.1 million total so far domestically, ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' will pass ``Shrek'' this week to become the second-highest-grossing film released in 2001. ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' was No. 1 at $312.9 million and counting.
Book Tapes are the Best from New York Times A cute letter to the NYT Editor: To the Editor: The best books on tape are the Harry Potter books, read by Jim Dale (Making
Books column, Jan. 31). They're better than the movie. Listening with your
grandchildren is only an excuse.
Is Harry Potter Promoting Witchcraft? Children Don't Think So - Don't Underestimate them from ABC news So who could object to kids reading Harry Potter? Well, some people do. The Potter books have now been banned at several schools, and others have forbidden teachers to hold classroom readings. According to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, the Harry Potter series are the most challenged books in the past two years. Jeremiah Films, a company that calls itself "a notable and powerful voice in today's Christian World" has produced a 60-minute video titled Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged Making Evil Look Innocent. It's part of a crusade to warn parents about the dangers of Harry Potter, like the broomsticks the kids ride. Why all the fear? Kids know the difference between reality and fantasy. "People cannot become witches and wizards," said one girl. "I'm not going to want to cast a spell on my best friend at school," said one young boy. "Just because you read a book, it's not going to make you turn people into witches and frogs," said another. There's much more to this article of kids' common sense, so read more!!
3 February 2002 **Reminder** CBS's 60 Minutes to Have Profile on JK Rowling Up Next: Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. ET/PT (TODAY)
New CoS Pictures!! from Bildarkiv - Sokresultat Thanks to Countingdown.com for the link on these new behind-the-scenes CoS pictures and some pictures from SS premier! See them all here! **More CoS pictures can be found on the Second Movie link**
Find Out Where Harry Potter Films! from CBBC Newsround CBBC Newsround has a link in which they've posted places where the HP filming has taken place. You can go to the links on the map and get more information! Go see it here!
2 February 2002 Two Articles on CoS Filming from The citizen THE
film set of secrets is up and running at Gloucester Cathedral for the shooting
of the second Harry Potter movie. Stars
braved the rain as they moved about the ultra-secretive Warner Bros set, and
some even stopped to pose for the cameras.
Pigwidgeon
Will be Animated from MuggleNet
1 February 2002 Potty About Potter Empire Magazine Harry Potter returned to Gloucester this week and children are flocking to the site in an attempt to catch a glimpse of their pint-sized hero. Read the rest!
Booksellers Know the Value of Books LA Times Among the "ins," not surprisingly, is J.K. Rowling, with her phenomenally successful Harry Potter books. If you happen to have one of the 300 first editions of the first volume as it was originally published in England, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," and it's in A-1 shape and with its dust jacket, think $20,000. Read the rest!
Penelope Clearwater Cast! Thanks to Countingdown.com This article, from EDP24, is actually about Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley), but it mentions this: Chris is now working with new arrival Gemma
Padley, who plays his girlfriend, and has just completed his part in the
action-packed duelling club sequence, when new Hogwarts tutor Professor
Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh, instructs pupils to hone their
spell-casting skills on each other. Stagehands at the Pub Instead of Working on Sets Thanks to Hogwarts from The Sun SEVEN carpenters working on the set of the second Harry Potter film have been sacked for going on a booze bender. The axing is said to have followed complaints from other crew members that the lives of child actors, including Daniel “Harry” Radcliffe, were put at risk by long boozy breaks taken by construction workers. Read the rest!
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