Order the Chamber of Secrets DVD Here!

ROBBIE Coltrane looked like Rumpole of the Belly yesterday as he donned legal gowns for his role in a new TV drama.

The Harry Potter star plays a corrupt barrister in the two-part The Plan Man, which is being filmed in Glasgow.

Heavyweight Robbie, 52, also produces the show in which his character becomes so fed- up with representing bungling bank robbers that he begins setting up their heists instead.  Read more!

Wishing a Happy Hanukkah from today until the December 7th to everyone around the world!  Eight days to celebrate The Festival of Lights!

Okay, I have been looking and looking for the 22 November Entertainment Weekly, but haven't been able to find one anywhere!  Errr!  But, the site now has some of the cover article online.  Here are some excerpts:

Newsround had a video web chat with Tom Felton, Christian Coulson, Bonnie Wright and Shirley Henderson yesterday.  If you're unable to see the video,  then you can go read some of their answers here.

The UK's consumer watchdog has fined U.S. toy maker Hasbro $7.68 million for breaking competition rules and fixing toy prices, it said on Friday.

The maker of Monopoly, Scrabble, Action Man, Harry Potter merchandise and Beyblades was originally fined nine million pounds by the Office of Fair Trading but the government body revealed it had reduced the penalty because Hasbro had cooperated fully with its investigation.  Read more!

THE phenomenal success of Harry Potter is rubbing off on wildlife artist Joannah May.

Among Marlborough-based Ms May's paintings are snowy owls and great owls like those that appear in the Harry Potter films.  Read more and see her work here!

In the new movie, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" the young wizard keeps a snowy owl named Hedwig in a birdcage in his room.

Though these images make the birds seem idyllic and attractive, experts warn against the idea of obtaining owls as pets.

"With the exposure that the (Harry Potter) movie is getting, we're concerned that ... some people may think owning an owl is a good idea -- it's not, in fact, it's illegal in the United States, but not in Britain," Karen Foerstel, spokeswoman for The Nature Conservancy in Washington, told United Press International's Animal Tales.  Read more!

British author JK Rowling is said to have based her best-selling character, Harry Potter, on a child who was at school with her.

What better candidate than serious Stephen Potter, by his own account the scrawniest kid at Rowling's school, Wyedean Comprehensive, who spent every spare moment peering into the school telescope?

Potter, now 33, could have turned out to be unremarkable, but he's so gratifyingly Harry Potter-ish that if Rowling is stuck for a future scenario for her creation, she need look no further.  Read more!

Access to the cloisters at historic Gloucester cathedral in southwest England is being restricted after vandals broke 24 valuable Victorian stained glass windows, officials said Thursday.

Always popular with tourists, the cathedral has drawn even more visitors since it was used as the setting for Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films.  Read more!

In November of this year, SPE and Phillips Electronics acquired the Digital Rights Management (DRM) portfolio of InterTrust Technologies, which develops and licenses intellectual property for DRM and secure computing. InterTrust assets include 26 patents and 85 pending patent applications for software and hardware that can be implemented in DRM products.

Amid reports of Harry Potter movie files being downloaded from the Internet prior to the films theatrical release, Warner Bros. remained confident that the movie studio had managed to outsmart a more widespread pirating effort of its intellectual property and that the files themselves were merely decoys.  Read more!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all those in the United States and to those who will be celebrating it abroad!  We send you good tidings and hope that you enjoy this joyful day of giving thanks for everything that has been given to us!

Newsround had a live web chat interview with some of HP's major stars, Tom Felton, Shirley Henderson, Christian Coulson, and Bonnie Wright.  You can see what they had to say here!

An interesting tidbit - it is mentioned that Moaning Myrtle is in Ravenclaw, not in Slytherin, as thought before.

Tom Felton doesn't mind that millions of kids the world over consider him one of the nastiest people on the planet.

When he's not attending regular classes, the 15-year-old British schoolboy plays the evil Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.  Read more!

Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School, is Harry Potter's mentor and a major presence in the Harry Potter novels, which are being turned into films by Warner Bros.

But Harris, the legendary screen actor and hellraiser, died last month, two movies into the franchise. Warners and third Potter film director Alfonso Cuaron (A Little Princess, Y Tu Mama Tambien) are faced with recasting one of the major roles in the lucrative series.

Whom do they hire to replace Harris? Do they rethink the role at all? Harris seemed sickly in the second Potter film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and disappointingly passive, mere wizard window-dressing in the first, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Read more!

There is a site out there called the Invisible Library where you can find not only the titles of your favorite books, but the titles to other books that are in your own very favorite books.  For instance, "Wanderings of Werewolves" by the one and only, Gilderoy Lockhart.  Go here to find your own invisible books!

AUTHOR JK Rowling's lawyers are being kept busy following the publication of a second Harry Potter spoof.

Following a controversial copy by a Russian author of the world-famous wizard in the form of Tanya Grotter, Belarussian writers have created a Porri Gatter novel.  Read more!

Thanksgiving may be one of the few holidays when the whole extended family comes together. But if Hollywood has its way, once the turkey is digested, the family will split apart, heading off to competing marquees at the multiplex. There, five new wide releases -- all aimed at different demographics -- will compete to grab a piece of the Thanksgiving weekend pie.

Warner Bros. Pictures' "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," which picked up $42.2 million during its second weekend, should continue to draw in its third outing. Again, it appears to be attracting the very young (kids under 18), accompanied by a good chunk of the 35-and-older crowd.

"Chamber," though, will face some stiff competition over the holiday from Buena Vista's release of the latest Walt Disney Co. animated adventure, the sci-fi-flavored "Treasure Planet."  Read more!

I don't know about all of you, but I'm going to see Chamber of Secrets again this weekend - it will be my, um, fourth time.  hehe.  Have to see it on the big screen at least five times! :)

Don't forget about the web chat today on CBBC Newsround.  It will happen at 5:35pm London time.  Not sure what time that is in your area, go to the Time Zone Converter (thanks to TLC).

Okay, folks, get ready for your head to spin from this one.  hehe.  Here are a few excerpts:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) – wussy wizkid rides again.

Emma Watson (Hermione) – snotty little witchipoo with an icy disposition.

Rupert Grint (Weasley) – wizkid's whiner sidekick.

Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy) – pretend prestidigitator.

Richard Harris (Dumbledore) – a prophetic part for Richard's last role.

Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) – if Barney was a biker.

Toby Jones (voice of Dobby) – the bastard child of Jar-Jar Binx.

John Cleese (Nearly Headless Nick) – insert your own joke here.

Shirley Henderson (Moaning Murtle) – perhaps she should help out Nearly Headless Nick – if ya know what I mean.

There are enough bells and whistles in HP2 to keep even the most angst-filled teenybopper's attention riveted to the screen. All the things that kids crave are flashed in front of their greedy li'l peepers; ghosts, monsters, giant spiders, magic, junk food, flying cars, scary bad guys, huge dreary castles, exploding toilets and most importantly bumbling, befuddled adults who don't have a clue (except for the Grampa-like Dumbledore). So grab a cauldron-sized tub-o-popcorn with blobs of buttery goop – what the heck, bring a whole lunch; you're gonna need it – because HP2 is 2 hours and 41 minutes long, not including the previews … how's that for scary, kids?

To begin with, Harry's adopted parents are total doofuses who live in all white suburbia, where every house is a clone of the next and people only care about their selfish personal needs. They are mean to Harry and attempt to keep him hidden away so as to stifle his magical gifts. They treat Harry like an outsider, because he is not like them.

Don't cast an evil spell on me yet, though, because overall, I think HP2 is a pretty good flick. It's a bit somber and moody at points, and sometimes these overly cutesy British pre-teeners are verbose, but HP2 has a lot to like about it. For instance, notice the motto on the front of their school: "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus," which means never tickle a sleeping dragon – good advice; just ask the Japanese in WW2.

There's much more where this came from right here!  Just remember, this is a politically incorrect article, so be warned, there may be some terms you may not agree with.

Here's what Newsround has to say about tomorrow's chat event:

Finally we've responded to all your requests and lined up a webchat with four of the stars from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

We've all heard Dan, Emma and Rupert speak - but this is your chance to get the goss from stars we hear from less often.

The four talking to us are:

• Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy
• Shirley Henderson - Moaning Myrtle
• Christian Coulson - Tom Riddle
• Bonnie Wright - Ginny Weasley

You can watch it LIVE on Thursday 28 November at the new time of 5.35pm - it's now later so more of you can see it.

Lizo will be talking to them on a video webstream, and he needs your questions to fire at them!

Remember, this is London time!  So, if you're in New York (EST), London is five hours ahead of you, and if you're in Los Angeles (PST), then London is eight hours ahead of you.

A town's mayor has been left disappointed after Warner Brothers banned a free Harry Potter themed event for local children.

Alnwick, in Northumberland, has provided a backdrop for both the Harry Potter films, with its castle been used as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The district council had planned a pre-Christmas Harry Potter Day for local people with magicians and a fancy dress parade.

But when officials approached Warners, which owns the intellectual copyright, they were turned down.  Read more.

Moriarty over at Aint it Cool News has done a review on Chamber of Secrets.  It's a mixed review, but also has some points to ponder.  You can go read it here!

Boy wizard Harry Potter has held off a challenge from special agent James Bond to retain his lead at the box office, Screen International say.

The magical schoolboy's second cinematic outing, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," beat Bond movie "Die Another Day" into second place over the weekend by just under half a million pounds.  Read more!

The New Zealand Herald recently had an interview with Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) - those lucky dogs!  here's an excerpt:

Q. It's quite a club you've joined being in that cast.

A. That is one of the great things about being in Harry Potter for a British actor. Just to get the call to go in and meet on it was exciting enough.

To sit in the make-up chair and look left and see Maggie Smith and look right and see Richard Harris ... I had to keep pinching myself and see if it was real.  Read more!

Sorry for the short notice, folks!  Hopefully you can make it!  Here's what the official site is saying:

Fans of the blockbuster-hit film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will recognize the importance of the gift of clothes to those in need after watching the harrowing story of house-elf Dobby. With the gift of a sock, Dobby won his freedom from indentured servitude to the Malfoy family and has become the poster elf in the Free Dobby! movement.

In the spirit of holiday gift giving, Free Dobby! the movement created to Free All House Elves, will be sponsoring a rally to collect new (and nearly new) clothes at "Socks Help Elves Live Free." The clothes and socks gathered will benefit the Salvation Army Christmas Drive. Kids and their families are encouraged to donate not only new socks, but also new or nearly new articles of clothing for children and adults alike.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 27th, 2002 at 10:30am

WHERE: Loews E-Walk, 42nd street and 8th Avenue

Okay I had this link yesterday, but they charge if you want some of the pics.  But, you can still go look at the thumbnails.  Go to Wireimage and check them out!

Thanks to The Snitch for these great pictures of Dan on stage.  These pictures are from the West End smash The Play What I Wrote, which is a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Dan With Superman Glasses
Dancing a waltz perhaps?
Dan, you naughty boy, you!
Can we focus?
So beautiful!
White men can jump!
In the limelight
What a pose - could he be a pirate or what?
Ahhh, the end

According to MuggleNet, these pics came from the Oracle.  (Interesting site, by the way - hmmmm)  hehe

It's not easy being called "a recluse," as several British tabloids have taken to characterizing Kenneth Branagh, especially when you're stealing what looks guaranteed to be one of this year's biggest films.  Read more!

Harry Potter has beaten his own record with Chamber of Secrets becoming the fastest grossing film in the UK. It took £30million by its second weekend.

This game is a shameless attempt to cash in on the success of the film, and almost certain to be the subject of endless nagging from would-be wizards. EA have actually done a pretty good job of this game: it is closer to the book than the film, and does not produce too many really contrived puzzles. The animation on Harry himself is rotten, and controlling the little fellow is irritating. But there is plenty of fun to be had at Hogwarts; and the game does not suffer from being on a smaller screen.

The second film of the Harry Potter series opened throughout Japan on Saturday at about 860 screens at 360 theaters.

It was the largest opening ever for a movie in Japan.

Nearly 400 people lined up at a theater in Tokyo's Yurakucho district to get into a 7:30 a.m. screening of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

Some movie houses were so packed people had to stand.

"Chamber," based on British author J.K. Rowling's best-selling book, is the sequel to last year's smash hit, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

The first film made a record 1.5 billion yen in the first two days of its Japan release. Its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, hopes to set a new record this weekend with the sequel.

"Sorcerer's Stone" grossed $970 million worldwide.

HARRY Potter star Daniel Radcliffe looked more Harry Daughter when he took to the stage in London.

The world's favourite boy wizard was barely recognisable in a flowing frock for his new role in the theatre.

Daniel is currently starring in the West End smash The Play What I Wrote, a tribute to Morecambe and Wise written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also appears in the latest Potter epic.

Daniel even managed a Morecambe and Wise-style pose as he enjoyed the limelight. And everyone agreed the schoolboy sorcerer's performance was truly magical.

On Friday night, pop princess Kylie Minogue appeared in the play dressed as Friar Tuck at the request of Prince Charles.

The Morecambe and Wise fan is also rumoured to be lined up for a cameo role.

Daniel Radcliffe, the schoolboy star of the Harry Potter films, made his debut on the West End stage at the weekend.

The 13-year-old actor, who has brought the Harry Potter character to life on screen since winning the role two years ago, was the surprise guest star in The Play What I Wrote, a celebration of the comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

Just a few days after the equally diminutive Kylie Minogue occupied the play's regular guest star role dressed as an overweight monk, Daniel performed his own version of the Bring me Sunshine dance at Wyndham's Theatre on Saturday in an oversized dress and glasses.

Repeatedly referred to as Harry Potty by Sean Foley, one of the actors, the audience greeted Daniel with applause and made sure that he left the stage to equally loud appreciation.

At one point, he was laughing so much - helped by jokes such as "Have you had them developed?" after saying he had made a few films - that he was told to calm down.

The audience did not know that Daniel, who is currently starring in the second film about the boy wizard, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was going to make an appearance.

The play tries to keep its regular guest star a secret. Ralph Fiennes was the first ("It's Rafe"; "Well, put some ointment on it").

Other guests have included Ewan McGregor, Denise Van Outen, Roger Moore, Joanna Lumley and Sting. Daniel is not the play's only link to the Harry Potter films. The Play What I Wrote is directed by Kenneth Branagh, the Shakespearean actor, who plays Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, the self-obsessed Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, in the latest film.

Before landing the Harry Potter role, Daniel's acting experience - something which he had wanted to do since the age of five - was a BBC adaptation and a John Boorman film.

Daniel played the young David Copperfield in the 1999 television adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, joining a cast which included Bob Hoskins, Dame Maggie Smith and Emilia Fox.

After that, he had a small part in the film The Tailor of Panama, starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. His only other work was to play himself in Comic Relief's Say Pants to Poverty and Short Pants.

The play, which has enjoyed rave reviews, was described as "a loving celebration of comic genius, which is itself touched with comic genius" by The Telegraph's theatre critic, Charles Spencer.

At the weekend, it was helped by a touch of Harry Potter magic.

Super-spy James Bond has outcharmed boy wizard Harry Potter.

"Die Another Day," the 20th Bond flick, took in US$47 million over opening weekend, the best debut ever for the franchise, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Bond movie bumped last weekend's top film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," to No. 2. In its second weekend, "Chamber of Secrets" grossed $42.4 million, pushing its 10-day total to $148.5 million.  Read more!

The official site has published a copy of the transcript of a live AOL chat with Chris Columbus a few weeks back.  Here's an excerpt:

Question: Chris, is it true that you and some of the other cast are some of the moving portraits in 'Chamber of Secrets'?

Chris Columbus: No, but some of our crew people are in those portraits. There are paintings of Stuart Craig, production designer; Mark Radcliffe, our producer and various other crew members.  Go read more!

For independent schools, the last few years have been rosy. The Harry Potter phenomenon is not, according to Dick Davidson, the Joint Director of the Independent Schools Council, to be underestimated.  Read more!

The main characters in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" exhibit many traits that allow them to solve this dark mystery. When they encounter new evidence, they fully accept it and use that knowledge to improve their defense for what they believe.

Challenging one's fears also becomes a factor; courage is the gateway to self-discovery of one's inner strengths. Courage and the use of their instincts is what enables Harry and his friends to enter the chamber and help with unlocking the secrecy.

Among the messages of the film is to follow your heart and believe in the impossible, even if only your close friends are there to support you.

This movie expresses so many important messages that everyone should be aware of, and invites one to fight for the unbelievable.  Read more!

Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint has revealed he was put on detention at school the day after attending the film's world premiere.

Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, says he hates going back to school in-between making the films.

The 14-year-old, who hasn't revealed which school he attends, says he was given the punishment for forgetting his gym kit three times.

"I had to clean out the sports cupboard" he said.

"The teachers either suck up to me or give me detention," Grint told Channel 4's RI:SE.

More Harry Potter magic will enchant Highland tourism bosses when filming of the third movie The Prisoner of Azkaban starts next year near Fort William.

You can find out more about Fort William here!

Can James Bond top Harry Potter at the box office? All the 007 hype aside, expect even a second-week ''Chamber of Secrets'' to have more multiplex mojo than a first-week ''Die Another Day."  Read more!

Vandals have smashed 24 Victorian stained glass windows in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral. Security at the cathedral - the setting for Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films - is to be reviewed after the attack, which caused damage estimated at £43,000.  Read more!

The Leaky Cauldron is going to try to win the card that has the may hints to book 5, but they need all of us HP Fans to do so.  Here's what they have to say:

Hey guys, just a quick update on the whole Sothebys, Book-5-card thing. We're talking to lawyers, but it looks like it could happen. Soon. TLC would incoporate as a non-profit charity corporation, and that can be done in a day (Monday, one hopes). If that happens, the rest is cake, and we could be looking at having everything set up this coming week, perhaps in time for Thanksgiving. So stick with us - because the Potter fans uniting for this would truly be a wonderful thing. We'll update you soon.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe reckons he is already thinking about retiring from acting, even though his new movie 'Chamber of Secrets' has broken box office records.  Read more!

After directing last year's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and the second film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," Columbus will step aside for No. 3 to spend more time with his wife and their children, aged 13, 10, 8 and 5.

"My daughter, Eleanor, was the person who forced me to read the books and told me it would make a great movie," the 44-year-old filmmaker said. "And then I realized after 2 1/2 years of not seeing them for dinner during the week that I wanted to take them to school in the morning and see them for dinner."  Read more!

How did "Harry Potter" author J. K. Rowling, respond to the performance?

"She said, `You were absolutely wonderful; you were absolutely loathsome.'"

That, to Branagh, was the supreme compliment: "Gilderoy is entertaining and completely irritating at the same time."  Read more!  

A POLICEMAN duped book dealers into paying large sums for first- edition Harry Potter stories which were worthless, a jury heard yesterday.  Read more!

The Hogwarts kids hogged box offices in the U.K., German-speaking territories and four Asian markets over the weekend, smashing numerous records.

Playing on 3,284 screens in eight countries, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" sold an estimated 6.3 million tickets for a take of $54 million, according to Warner Bros.' Sunday estimates.  Read more!

Okay, so I was drowning a bit, because my modem was out - AGAIN!!!  Sheesh!  That's why the lack of updates, but we all greatly hope that the problems have been fixed!

A card from JK Rowling that includes 93 random words from the new Harry Potter book will be sold at auction next month.

The card is being sold by Sotheby's in an auction that will raise money for Book Aid. The card is expected to raise at least £6000.

It contains 93 words taken from Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

Sotheby's has offered a short sample of what the autographed card contains: "Thirty-eight chapters ... might change ... longest volume ... Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new teacher ... dies ... sorry."

Okay, I say we all see how much we can gather together.  hehe.  I wish!  Oh, how I wish I were rich!  I would snap that card up in a second!  gimme, gimme!!!

oh, oh, oh, The Leaky Cauldron is gonna do it!  You can donate to try to get it.

Harry Potter has waved his magic wand over the British box office, breaking his own record to score the country's highest opening weekend of all time.  Read more!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second movie based on U.K. author J.K. Rowling's best-selling books about a boy wizard, grossed an estimated $87.7 million in its first three days of release across North America, Warner Bros. Pictures said Sunday.  Read more!

Harry Potter devotees would be advised to make the utmost of Chamber of Secrets as the third instalment in the adventures of JK Rowling's boy wizard could be a long time coming. Warner Bros president, Alan Horn, has admitted that the scheduling and shooting of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is already proving to be "a Herculean task".  Read more!

. . .there are several questions lingering about the long-term franchise, including: What to do when your young cast hits puberty, one of your older stars dies, your original director drops out and the next promised book is going on a year overdue?  Read more!

He's a terrible racist, he's a bigot, he wishes the world was free of Muggles," Isaacs says of Malfoy. "He believes in the pure blood of wizards and he's a really nasty dad as well. He's altogether a pretty unpleasant piece of work."

But a fantastic role to act, Isaacs assures. "The fun is playing a character that's well-written," he says. "You don't need to look very far in today's world to find modern parallels. Switch on the telly and there's people getting elected to governments all over Europe on the same kind of platform that Lucius is standing on.  Read more!

If you're a fan of Jason Isaacs, this article is a must read . . .

''I could do whatever I wanted to do to Dobby, and they could erase it on computer,'' Isaacs says. ''I could kick him and smack him. I bashed him on the head with my cane and tripped him up.''

The English actor generally managed a more contained cruelty as the elder Malfoy.

''When you stick a wig on and a giant wand and cape, it's pretty easy to get really Gothic,'' he says. ''If there's anything subtle about (my performance), it's due to (director) Chris Columbus reining me in, saying, 'Could you pull it back 80 or 90%?' Lucius is actually a volcano of resentment and rage.''  Read more!

Thousands of Harry Potter fans agree the boy wizard has lost none of his magic.

Over the past four days they have been pouring into North East cinemas to see the second instalment.

And the verdict was Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets kept them well and truly spellbound.  Read more!

So the wait is over and the second cinema outing for Harry Potter has finally opened.

You lot have had since Friday to go and see it, and loads of you have already told us what you think.  Read more!

Draco would never be this soft. Tom Fenton actually feels sorry for Harry Potter, who's hounded even more mercilessly by Draco Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

Fenton calls his character Draco "a real evil git."

"He gets a lot worse. Really, he is a lot worse in the second film than he is the first," Fenton said. "His dad comes into play. So he gets a lot worse in there, and poor old Harry has to get the blow."  Read more!

Zap2it has some fabulous interviews with Rupert, Emma and Daniel, and a great one with Chris Columbus!

Available on the street at just $3 (1.9 pounds), pirated DVD versions of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" went on sale in Malaysia the same weekend the movie made its worldwide debut.

The film earned $142 million at the box office in its first weekend in North America and eight international markets. It also opened at cinemas in Malaysia -- regarded by the entertainment industry as one of Asia's hotspots for piracy -- as well as Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore.

A woman selling the copy on the sidewalk of a shopping district in Kuala Lumpur said she was charging 50 cents extra for Harry Potter in case she was caught because the film was bound to attract more attention from the law.  Read more!

Now, within two days of the film's UK release, fans have so far detected 32 mistakes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. These range from visible wires towing a flying owl, a miraculous recovery from an arm fracture, and a cover-up job on Hermione's increasingly shapely leg.

They include a change in the London station from which the Hogwarts Express departs, an unscripted plaster cast, and an oversized basilisk.

The errors are being logged on moviemistakes.com, which posted 15 new reports of blunders yesterday, and on other fan websites.  Read more!

Claims that a Northumbrian castle is to be axed as a location for the next Harry Potter film in favour of a Scottish fort have been dismissed as a load of Hogwarts.

Sources north of the border say Stirling Castle is in the frame as a potential venue for filming for the third big-screen adaptation of the young wizard's adventures.

Author JK Rowling is said to have been impressed by the Scottish castle after attending a charity do there.

However, an insider at movie-makers Warner Brothers said: "This is pure speculation.  Read more!

One year after the first film about English boy wizard Harry Potter smashed box office records worldwide, its sequel enjoyed a magical bow in North America, Europe and Asia over the weekend.

All told, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," based on U.K. author J.K. Rowling's best-selling books, earned about $142 million in North America and eight international markets, said officials at its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The tally includes an $87.7 million launch in North America, where it ranks as the third best opening of all time, behind the May 2002 release "Spider-Man" ($114.8 million) and Potter's 2001 predecessor, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" ($90.3 million).  Read more!

In a special interview released this week by Warner Bros, JK Rowling said she was thrilled with the special effects.  Read more!

In a recent interview, Daniel speaks about what he does in his free time, how afraid Rupert was of the spiders, and meeting Cho Chang!  Go read it here!

Grint saw an evolution in the cast since the first film. "We were much more comfortable with doing it," Grint said. "The first one, we were a bit nervous because it was the hardest thing we ever did. it was all new to us."

Watson responded to comments concerning the film's darker tone. "It's not necessarily getting much scarier or darker," Watson said. "It's just getting more mature, I suppose. It really does depend on the kid. I took in a 5 year-old of my friend's, and I was the one cowering in my seat. It just depends on the kid, really."  Read more!

Harry Potter is working box-office magic again, though the boy wizard couldn't quite conjure up a revenue record.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second movie based on the fantasy book series by J.K. Rowling, took in $28.86 million domestically on opening day Friday, distributor Warner Bros. estimated Saturday.

That's about 11 percent behind the $32.3 million the first film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," grossed on its opening day last year.  Read more!

Just as a side note - I went opening night (of course).  But then I went again on Saturday night, and there were those who had come to the theatre I was at because it was sold out everywhere else.  Quite fascinating to think that, instead of giving up, people are driving all over town to see HP!  We'll see what the entire weekend brings!  :)  ~~Dijares

There we were nearly by ourselves (with the cleaners, that is), the credits rolling, after seeing one of the best movies ever!  The Chamber of Secrets - and for all those unlucky folks who left early - YOU MISSED OUT!  Make sure to stick around (no matter how badly you must use the restroom).  It's definitely worth it!  hehehahahahehehe!  ;)

Thanks to everyone who sent in more pictures!  I've updated many of my picture pages, including the set and background page, the magazine pages, movie shots, and the mixture of shots!

The second Harry Potter film has made its debut at cinemas in the UK and US - with early audiences calling it magic.

The Chamber of Secrets was shown on more than 1,000 screens in the UK alone - two-fifths of the country's movie capacity.

One of the UK's biggest cinema chains, Odeon, has sold nearly 350,000 advance tickets worth £1.7m.  Read more!

Harry and Gilderoy Lockhart will be on the cover of EW for the week of the 22nd!  Here's a pic!

''Potter''-mania could bring $75 million at the box office. The sequel, ''Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets,'' probably won't surpass the original, but it should earn big bucks all the same.  Read more!

Fantastic Daily has some video footage from the LA Premier that includes interviews with various stars, including Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.  Go see it here!

New products in the past year, including a Harry Potter Hogwarts Express train, the "Black 5" locomotive - Britain's last working steam engine - and a redesigned Scalextric track, have increased sales in both the child and adult markets.  Read more!

A new book about the Harry Potter phenomenon has had to be withdrawn from stores after JK Rowling's lawyers took exception to its cover.  Read more!

Alright, HP Fans!!  Today is it!  The day we've all been waiting for for a year now!  The release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  I will be sitting in the theatre in just 14 hours eating my popcorn and totally engrossed!  hehe!  I can't wait.  I will be posting my review as soon as I can!  Make sure to tell me what you think, too!

The producer of the Harry Potter films has exclusively revealed that new characters in The Prisoner of Azkaban have not yet been cast.

David Heyman told CBBC Newsround that film makers will be looking for actors to star in the third film - including the role of Cho Chang.

And he confirmed that keen kids are welcome to write into the casting agency if they're interested in the part.  Read more!

If you are interested . . .

You can only contact the casting office at the Studios. Send a short letter and a recent photograph to:

Casting Office
Leavesden Studios
P O Box 322
Watford
Hertfordshire
WD25 7XJ

If you fancy being an extra, there are some things you can do to get ready.

Register with a good casting agency - there are lots listed in the White Book (in your library) or The Stage newspaper.

Also, get involved in a local drama group as they'll have good contacts.

Don't forget to visit the Interview Page, where I've posted tons of links to different interviews of all the stars!

Coming Soon has the promised audio interview of Dan Radcliffe.  Go listen to it here!

Getting into character can be hard for any young actor, but even more so when you're playing Draco Malfoy - the most horrible kid at Hogwarts.

But Tom Felton has finally admitted why he makes such a good baddie.

"I used to think about things to get me angry," he said.

"I have three older brothers so I did a lot of thinking back to when I was younger. Also, I just think of Draco and he gets me in the right mood. He just keeps getting worse and worse."  Read more!

IGN has an audio interview with the Trio!  You can go listen to it here! Just a warning, it takes a while to download, but it is quite long and funny!  :)

What you get here is the movie, with you at the wheel, from the moment you pilot the flying car for a second term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to the final battle.  Read more!

Even the dimmest of muggles should be able to read the tea leaves: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," which opens in a commanding 3,682 theaters this weekend, is the preordained boxoffice champ.  Read more!

I've placed more reviews in the Critic's Corner.  Make sure to check it out!

Daniel Radcliffe says he really enjoyed filming the stunts in the new Harry Potter film.

He says his favourite part of making Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets was the action sequences.  Read more!

"It always surprises me, it always surprises me to be recognised. It's odd ... but nice, very nice," she told CNN as the second Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," prepared to hit screens in Britain and the United States.  Read more!

AP has an article with a guide on some of the HP characters.  You can read it here!

Sir Richard Attenborough has brushed off rumours he will star as Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter film.

Oscar-winner Sir Richard, 79, says his schedule is too busy to take the part played by Richard Harris, who died earlier this year.

But he did admit his grandchildren had attempted to persuade him into it.  Read more!

I received my post from WB, and here's what's new!

Art Director, Stuart Craig, interview!  Go read it here

Don't forget, they have new screensavers and AOL Buddy Icons!  Go check them out here!!

Counting Down received an audio of the interview of Daniel from Regis & Kelly.  Listen to it here!

In celebration of the second Harry Potter movie, Washington, DC radio station HOT
99.5's stuntman, Teapot Tim, dressed up as the goldensnitch this morning. He was
sent to stand on the side of the beltway carrying a sign that read: "Lick my Snitch"
For pictures and the full story, visit HOT995.com
Cheers,
Marina

Along with Emma's previous interview, Coming Soon now has an audio interview with Rupert!  Go listen to it here!

They'll have Daniel's later on today!

A slight change of pace today, for two reasons. One: this, I believe, marks the first time we're offering an interview not with an actor, director, or screenwriter, however, but with a novelist: J.K. Rowling. (She's written a few books you might be familiar with.) And two: instead of reading the text, you can listen to Ms. Rowling.  Go here for more!

Thank you Leaky Cauldron who has the transcript from the Live with Regis and Kelly show which Daniel was a guest on. Continuing the recent trend, they embarrass Daniel like they're his grandparents:

Regis: Do you have a girlfriend yet?
Daniel: Uh.. no. I wish.
Regis: Oh, like you didn't hear from any girls, eh?
Kelly: I bet they are swarming.
Regis: I bet you got a lot of fan mail.
Daniel: Yeah, that's actually one of the amazing things. Like, cause on my birthday I got loads of presents.. but the effort is just unbelievable. It's really cool.
Kelly: (leaning forward) What about the cute little girl who plays Hermione Granger?
Regis: (also leaning forward) What about her, eh?
Daniel: (laughs)
Regis: Huh, Daniel? Come on, let's hear it. Come clean. You'd like to put the cloak on her too, I bet. (everyone laughing)
Daniel: (still laughing) No, we're just friends.
Regis: Yeah, sure.
I didn't see it! Boo Hoo! :(
Cheers,
Marina

The director of the new Harry Potter film says he regrets leaving out one scene from the book.

He says he wishes he could have included the Deathday scene in the film version of Chamber Of Secrets.

"It was one of my favourite scenes in the book. But we just felt we would push it in terms of structure".  Read more!

The second Harry Potter movie isn't even officially out yet - but already the director has got us going about the DVD!

In an interview with CBBC Newsround's Lizo Mzimba, he revealed that the DVD will have about 18 minutes of extra footage.

That includes the completely-shot scene in Bourgin and Burks.

Chris Columbus told Lizo it was a "fun" scene, and that there will even be two versions on the DVD.  Read entire interview here!

A "pirated" copy of the latest Harry Potter film on the internet has turned out to be an empty decoy, according to the movie's film studio AOL Time Warner.  Read more!

VH1 Big in 2002 Awards has nominated Chamber of Secrets in the category of 'Play is Again Sam.'  In order to be nominated in this category, the movie must be a sequel or a prequel, it's the movie you were happy to have more of.  The other nominees are MIBII, Red Dragon, SWII:  Attack of the Clones, and Goldmember.  The award ceremony will be held on December 15!  Don't miss it!

To win the Harry Potter Boxed Set signed by Chris and the new biography of J.K. Rowling, just hop on your broomstick and fly through our quiz to find the codeword.

Once you've got the codeword, you can then enter complete the form below to enter the draw for the prize.  Read more!

I wondered if I would ever have a day — even if I live to be 90 — where I wouldn't think of Harry Potter," Columbus laughingly told reporters. "And I doubt it. I'm sure it's gonna ... because after three years of it, it's probably going to be in my mind every day. I'd be fascinated to see 10 years from now if I wake up and say, 'I didn't think of Harry Potter today. Oh, I just did.'"  Read more!

The Leaky Cauldron has that BBC2 will be broadcasting live worldwide from 2-5pm GMT.  Steve Wright will be broadcasting the interviews with the cast of CoS during the time slot mentioned.  You can listen during that time here.

If you do not know which time that would be in your area (Lord knows I didn't - LOL), they referred us to a very nifty site that can convert the time for you!

The One Ring recently spoke with Ian McKellen, and he denied having been approached by anyone to reprise the role of Dumbledore.  You can see the article here.

MSNBC has posted some excerpt from Teen Newsweek interviews with Daniel and Emma.  You can read it here!

You can also see video clippings of interviews on the Today Show by Daniel and Emma!

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” apparently isn’t such a secret any more. The sequel to last year’s record-setting blockbuster fantasy film, perhaps the year’s most-anticipated movie, is scheduled for U.S. release Friday. But Internet movie pirates have once again jumped the gun and illegal copies of the film started to make their way around the Net on Monday.  Read more!

A retired bishop says Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings have revealed a need for spiritual experience.

The Right Reverend Jim Thompson says the films show how much fantasies about "another dimension" appeal to the general public.  Read more!

Three days of previews of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets grossed £7,861,704 from 522 sites - taking more than the top 15 films in the British Isles put together.  Read more!

He told CBBC Newsround he's not looking forward to the Ron and Hermione storyline.

He said: "I hope it doesn't happen. I hope Ron gets killed off before they actually do something."  Read more!

Chuck, the Movieguys daily Audio, has a clip with Emma.  Go see it here!

A bahind-the-scenes look at CoS will be aired on E! this week.  Make sure to check your local listings, or visit tvguide!

Thanks again to Cheebaby for referring us to this site that Lydia Copak has been nice enough to make.  She has placed the shows, times and dates of the appearances of the HP stars.

I was lucky enough to be home when TRL was on MTV today.  Emma and Rupert were on there, but only for a very short time.  I guess Rupert was pretty nervous, though Emma said she wasn't too nervous.  The guy mentioned how nervous Dan was last year when first visiting TRL.  His eyes were 'butting out of his head.'  They showed a shot of Daniel, hunched over, breathing fast, and very nervous (poor thing!).  This was on the back area.  Once they came out onto the stage, Emma said she was a bit nervous then.  She kept having to be reminded to use her microphone.  Once they were out on the stage, the guy asked them what they're least favorite scene was.  Rupert said he hated doing the spiders.  For his favorite he loved the flying car.  He again mentioned that he liked the flying car because it was like a carnival ride.  He said he loves the special effects of the movie.  For his least favorite scene, he hated the spiders. "I hated doing that scene," he said.  When asking Emma what her least favorite scene was, the guy first said that he had heard that she hated the part when she had to hug Daniel.  When he asked why, he then said it was probably because Dan's a boy.  Emma said that no, it wasn't because he was a boy, it was just because she had to do it in front of so many people.  He didn't give her much time to talk, as time was up.  Emma, by the look on her face, wasn't too happy about it an did some very Hermione looks of exasperation.  That was it, though.  Not much, unfortunately.

Even though Emma Watson is now a huge movie star she says that her life hasn't actually changed that much.

But she did tell CBBC's Newsround that some people at her school give her stick about the film.

She said: "They walk past and go 'Wingardium Leviosa' for the billionth time that day, and I go aaagggghhhhhh!

"But apart from that most people are really nice about it."  Go read more!

You can also see the video here!

Just received my mail from WB, and they have a new game!  You must catch the Cornish Pixies that have escaped.  Go play it here!

Early Sunday morning, the faithful lined up for the second coming.

And it was good.

So said the mini Roger Eberts who got a sneak peek at "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" at the Mall of America. Like her first book, J.K. Rowling's second novel looks good on the big screen, said Denise Dirnberger of Blaine.

"We thought the movie was even better than the book — it was fun to see it live rather than in your imagination," said Dirnberger, who went to the screening with daughter Kelsey.

Kelsey, 11, said she was glad to see the movie because she is a big fan and also because it grants her some bragging rights.

We here at Harry Potter's Page would like to wish a Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Veterans, both former and active duty.  Those who have protected our shores, and others' shores, from tyranny and have help freedom reign. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  We support you in whatever you do!

DanRadcliffe.com has a whole horde of photos from the premier.  You can see them here & here.

Here is one from their site!

Rex Features has tons of photos, too, of the premier.  You can check them out here!

I've updated the Critic's Corner and the Interviews Page.  I'll continue to update these pages as time goes along!  :)

Thanks to Cheebaby for letting us know that Emma will be on the Today Show (NBC)  on Tuesday, Chris Columbus on Wednesday, and Rupert on Friday.  Last year, Katie Kouric did a really great special on Sorcerer's Stone.  She went behind the scenes with the group in Hogwarts.  The interviews with those can be seen on our Interviews page.  

Cheebaby also let us know that all three will be on The View on Friday and on Charlotte Rhea on the 18th.  On Wednesday  Dan will be on Regis and Kelly.  Set your VCRs!  Have fun!

Weekend previews of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets look set to break UK box office records.

Warner Bros estimate the film made £7.8million over the weekend.

That compares to £6.6million made by Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone when it previewed last year.

The first film held the record for the film which made the most money in the UK during previews.

Analysts are now predicting the sequel will be a bigger box office hit than the first film which made over £58million in the UK alone reports www.variety.com.

Robbie Coltrane says he was envious of his young Harry Potter co-stars while they made the new film.

Coltrane reprises his role as Hagrid in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets.

He says he would have loved to have done some of the stunts performed by Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in the film.

"I always wanted to be able to fly and it's something I still wish I could do. In the scene with the car chasing the train, I had dreams like that. Being invisible would be cool as well," he said.  Read more!

1. Harry Potter. The boy wizard went straight in at No 1 over the weekend, in part due to the release of the new film. Detractors have pointed out that as a fictional character he doesn't qualify as a Great Briton, but Potter's champions insist that this does not matter because he really is really real really.  Read more!

The anticipated online movies-on-demand venture formed by five major Hollywood studios was launched Monday, marking the first time a large supply of recent, popular films are available legally on the Internet.

The effort, called Movielink, allows people to download films over a high-speed Internet connection. It is the industry's alternative to the distribution of pirated films over peer-to-peer computer networks -- services such as Napster that threatened the music industry.

Movielink has about 170 titles, ranging from the recent films ``A Beautiful Mind'' and ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' to library titles such as ``Blazing Saddles'' and ``Barbarella.''  Read more!

For his part, Radcliffe had a blast doing battle with all of the creepy crawlers. "The big snake in the book is 80 feet long, so they built a 25-foot one for the movie, which included this huge head," he says. "It was so great! Sometimes, it was hard to fight it. I kept knocking the big teeth out of the snake's mouth, and they had to spend endless hours repairing him."

Another highlight for Radcliffe was the quick hug he received from Watson. "At first, I was thinking, 'Ewwwww. Get off me,'" he teases. "Actually, I didn't mind it at all. Would you mind?"

Asked if he's encountered any screaming girls on his travels, Radcliffe laughs.

"Personally, I can't actually see this heartthrob stuff," he says. "If other people can, then, believe me, that's great. I do get recognized, which is really cool, but mostly it's people going, 'Wow, it's that Harry kid' or 'Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Harry Potter?' I don't wear glasses in real life, so I get that a lot."  Read more!

Several hundred Harry Potter enthusiasts turned out Sunday to greet the stars of the new movie at its United States premiere.  Read more!

Here are more photos from the NY premier:
Emma looking beautiful as ever
Rupert looking very handsome
The three

Potter's Dobby, who has a voice almost as grating as Jar Jar's, had to be a bit annoying because that's the way he is in the J.K. Rowling book. And it works, says Bucksbaum. "The character is interesting. When he's there, you can't take your eyes off the screen."  Read more!

According to The Leaky Cauldron, Chris Columbus will have a live chat event with Chris Columbus on AOL, 12 November, 7pm EST.  Make sure to check it out!

The LA premier will be on 14 November. The arrivals will begin at 530pm.  The following individuals will be there:

Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, producer David Heyman, executive producer Michael Barnathan and screenwriter Steve Kloves.

The BBC has more interviews!  Check them out!
Chris Columbus
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint
Daniel Radcliffe

Also make sure to check out their Harry Potter section.  They have quizzes and other fun stuff!

Counting Down has a virtual reality tour of the hospital wing.  They also state that other VR tours are on their way and where they're coming from:

• Bourgin & Burkes (official site)
• Burrows (official site)
• Dumbledores (official site)
• Dursleys (AOL)
• Greenhouse (Zap2it.com)
• Hagrid's Hut (Quicktime.com)
• Hospital (CountingDown.com)
• Lockharts (official site)

IGN has Snape's Chamber!  Go check it out!

Richard Harris, who once dismissed award ceremonies as "self-laudatory rubbish", is tipped to win his first Oscar six months after his death.

The charismatic Irish actor, who died of Hodgkin's disease a fortnight ago, is being lined up for the posthumous honour for his role in My Kingdom, a gritty thriller based on King Lear and set in the ganglands of modern-day Liverpool. The critically acclaimed movie stars Harris as Sandeman, an ageing and embittered gangster whose criminal empire begins to crumble after he bequeaths it to his feuding daughters.

Though Harris's return as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has been widely described as his last major role, it is My Kingdom that is being promoted as his swansong.  Read more!

Some preteen stars, the kind you want to avoid, are divas-in-training. Some are picture-perfect.

Well, practically perfect. Emma Watson, 12, and Rupert Grint, 14, who have major roles in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," didn't put a foot wrong as they chatted up the second Potter movie, which opens nationwide on Friday. During a recent visit to Manhattan, they were pleasant in the extreme. But then there were the doodles.  Read more!

Fans have already spotted some bloopers on Chamber of Secrets.  One of them is a cast that Emma had to wear because of a broken arm.  You can see it in the film.

Emma and Rupert will be on MTV TRL tomorrow!  Make sure to check your local listings!

Hello Fellow HP Fans!
Well, I stayed up the entire night revamping the site.  I will eventually be switching programs, but I felt a change was due until then.  Something to celebrate the release of "Chamber of Secrets".  Hope you like it!
~~~~Dijares, Webmaster

The flying car may be make-believe, but the viaduct is real and is located in the Highlands of Scotland, the heart of Hogwarts country in the new film. But while you can't actually travel on the Hogwarts Express, you can recreate the journey on the Jacobite Steam Train, which follows the same route.  Read more!

Daniel, son of Alan Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Gresham, a casting director, has shot up eight inches since last year's first film - he now stands 5ft 4in tall - and his insistence on doing his own climbing and sword-fighting in both Potter films has added muscle and tone to his previously skinny frame.  Read what Dan has to say here!

Okay, okay, sorry all you Alan Rickman and Jason Isaacs fans out there, but this poll is for the younger guys in the HP movies.  CBBC Newsround has a poll for which one you like best here!  As of right now, Sean Biggerstaff is in the lead, with Daniel a close second!  Come on Dan fans, go make your mark!

I just finished watching the sneak-peek of Chamber of Secrets on WB.  Here's what they showed:

Harry is coming up the (automatic?) stairway to Dumbledore's office.  The outstretched wings of a large phoenix bird statue nearly surrounds him.  He walked into the office, and sees Fawkes, and approaches him smiling.  You can almost read his mind, "Wow, this is like the coolest bird I've ever seen."  Fawkes looks at him, then bursts into flame.  During this part, you must pay attention to Harry's face, because he is, of course, quite shocked.  Then Dumbledore calls Harry's name from above him.  (Uh, oh, I'm in trouble now, I just killed his bird!)  "Professor," Harry says, "there was nothing I could do. He just burst into flames."
"Yes, and about time, too," Professor Dumbledore says.  Harry has a 'what the heck are you talking about?' look on his face. Professor Dumbledore then explains to him that this is the way phoenixes die, and then are reborn from the ashes.  By this time, Dumbledore is at the bottom of the stairway, and they both watch a little bird's head appear from the ashes.  Harry is in awe.  Dumbledore then explains that phoenixes are quit magnificent, as they can lift heavy loads and they shed tears with healing powers.
Of course, we all know that these words will prove true in other parts of the stories.

All in all, only about one minute long - was hoping for more - but am very happy with the little bit I got.  I just can't wait!  Exactly one week from today, I'll be in the theatre, munching my popcorn (which I won't even taste, because I'll be so into the movie), watching "The Chamber of Secrets"!!!!!!!!!  I can't wait!  :)  :)

The first movie was the biggest film of last year, so this one has a lot to live up to. So does it deliver? The answer's a definite yes.

Everything has moved up a step from Philosopher's Stone - the children's performances, the action and crucially the special effects.  Read more!

The first batch of reviews for Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets have given the film the thumbs-up.  Read more!

While "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" may slavishly adhere to its source novel nearly as much as its predecessor did, it is on every count a better movie than last year's first film installment in the telling of the story of a young wizard's startling education.

Oh, and what's this?

Near-epic running time, which filmmakers might rationalize as necessary to accommodate all the essential incidents of the novel, might prove wearying to some, but won't be a barrier; at 161 minutes, the picture is nine minutes longer than "Sorcerer's Stone," although final credits run a full 10 minutes. At the end of them is a very short filmed coda revealing the humorous fate of one of the principals.

Hmm, wonder what that could be??  Read more!

Posted by Marina

A rare Harry Potter book which could be worth £16,000 has been discovered by pupils at a West Yorkshire school.

Rastrick Preparatory School pupils have discovered one of the first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in their library.

Only 300 were printed in hardback in 1997 and 200 of those were sent to schools.  Read more here!

It seems someone from Muggle net has seen with their own eyes, yes . . . . a bootleg copy of CoS, already on the shelves!  If you really are obsessed, or wanna see the movie, you can guy it.  I wouldn't recommend it though :(  According to Emerson of mugglenet, he says this:

The pirated VCDs of CoS have his the shores here.  I stepped off the trian to find all the usual VCD vendors ALSO selling CoS VCDs.  I didn't get one.  There's no article about them.  I do know they were burnt from an original studio copy, somewhere in Malaysia, because the usual message "If you have rented or bought this movie, it is illegal . . ."  My friend got one and we watched it at his house.  Quite good quality.

That means it'll be appearing on file-sharing programs before you know it.  Not that it really makes a difference, as we'll all be seeing it in theaters in a matter of days.

Geez, the wonder of . . . the Black Market!  LOL.  Anyway, that's all!

Cheers,

Marina

Jason, 39, said: "When I arrived and we played the first scene, we went straight into it. I just grabbed him by the ear and then I rapped him on the knuckles and he looked up at me like it really hurt.

"I didn't know if it was Tom or Draco who was looking so hurt because I just thought that it was right that Lucius is a really horrible dad, a really abusive dad.

"I could see generations of Malfoy stretching back into time where the fathers had been brutal and hideous to their kids."  Read more!

Unfortunately, Jason will not be starring in the third Harry Potter film, having already committed himself to play the part of Captain Hook in Paul Hogan's Peter Hook.

But I am in the fourth one, touch broom," he says. "And then I hope that J. K. has decided to make five, six and seven all about Lucius Malfoy. It's her decision, but I've been sending her notes on the hour. But we'll see and that's why I can't wait for the book. We all can't wait to find out if we're still alive."  Read more!

The magic feats of Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl, are causing an unintended threat to the bird's real-life relations, according to conservationists besieged with inquiries about keeping owls as pets.  Read more!

The folks over at Apple have a both Lockhart's classroom and Hagrid's hut in Quicktime VR.  Woohoo!  Make sure to go check them out!

IGN FilmForce has hooked us up with some links to see a QuickTime VR of Professor Snape's Chamber!  Here are the links:

"Snape's Office" - QuickTime VR, Large
"Snape's Office" - QuickTime VR, Medium
"Snape's Office" - QuickTime VR, Small

And Here's a little picture for all those Snape fans out there!

Columbus would love to work with the HARRY POTTER stars again but doesn't want to ruin the franchise.

In a recent interview promoting the release of THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, Columbus had this to say about returning to helm HARRY POTTER.

“There are a lot of things that would have to fall into place,” explains Columbus. “I'd love to work with these kids again, but I don't know if they'll come back for the fourth because they might want to go off and lead their own lives.”

“Coming back to do the fourth would be an interesting prospect in terms of reinventing it all,” continues Columbus.  Read more!

Jason Isaacs did a recent interview with the Sunday Herald.  Here's an excerpt:

I don't need to see him in his costume, swathed in ermine and paisley, clouds of blond hair falling over his shoulders, looking for all the world like the actor Julian Sands. He doesn't need to mention that he has based his voice for Lucius Malfoy on 'one particularly noxious English art critic'. It's there in the way he twirls the thick wooden handle between his fingers, raps it on the table, swings it menacingly. It's there, also, in the knowledge that Isaacs excels at baddies: his Colonel Tavington in The Patriot had the UK press booing and hissing at the audacity of Hollywood in making its British characters so evil.

The stick, he explains, is a star in its own right. 'I said to Chris Columbus: 'I thought I'd have a stick.' Chris said: 'What? He's got a walking disorder?' I said: 'No, it's a kind of cropped thing with a snake's head.' He not only let me go with it; he let it steal every scene I'm in. I'm poking people. I'm hooking them. I'm rapping Draco about the head and the knuckles. In fact, the very first scene I was in I had to flounce out the door. Chris said: 'Don't forget to close the door behind you.' I went: 'Er, yeah, or I could just wave my stick and the door slams.' He said: 'Okay.' I thought: 'This film is going to be fun.''  Read more!

And here's an excerpt from Daniel's:

A self-confessed attention-seeker, he has been building on his reputation as a prankster. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, has fond memories of him dancing on the tables of the great hall with Coltrane . Meanwhile Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) describes him as the 'worst corpser' he's ever worked with. 'You have to be very, very careful not to do anything that might make him laugh,' says Isaacs. 'The twinkle in your eye can make him laugh.'  Read more!

Not satisfied with being the first place to see the trailer, The WB has decided to give fans a real post-Halloween treat, airing a whole scene from the next Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

Airing during its block of comedies on Friday (Nov. 8), the scene features Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as he enters Professor Dumbledore's (Richard Harris) office and sees the professor's pet phoenix burst into flames, then rise from its own ashes. Those who have read the book know that the bird will have a role to play later in the story.  Read more!

Harry, over at Ain't it Cool News, has some reviews from some lucky people who had the lucky chance to see the movie.  Go see them here!

Thousands of people have raced to buy advance tickets for the second Harry Potter film.

So far, more than £1 million worth of tickets have been sold in Odeon cinemas alone - and the film's not even out yet!  Read more!

Posted by Marina!

There's just two weeks to go before the release of the next film in the Harry Potter series - The Chamber of Secrets. JK Rowling's second book cemented her reputation for entertaining fiction that transcended age barriers, and first accounts of Chris Columbus' film version indicate that it has applied scare tactics to match the darker tone of the book.

EA Games is releasing versions of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets across all formats - that's PSOne, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color. Even more amazingly, versions of the game are being localized in up to 22 different languages - a tribute to the international acceptance of the character. We recently took some time out at EA's development studios in Surrey, England, to take a look at final code, and we also had a chat with one of the game's producers, Derek Proud...

Gamer.tv: First reports of the film maintain that it is darker, scarier than The Philosopher's Stone. Is that the case with the games?

Derek Proud: We've definitely followed the lead from the film when it comes to the tone of the content, and the second book certainly contains darker scenes, with students being attacked and frozen. I think people will certainly be surprised by the games.

Gamer.tv: The development emphasis behind EA's The Philosopher's Stone games seemed to be about making it accessible to a younger audience. Has anything changed in EA's outlook towards this?

Derek Proud: I don't think our objective was younger players, but certainly we knew that we would be attracting non-gamers, people who don't play games very much. This year we've expanded on that and the games have side quests that are more difficult, but are not necessary for the completion of the level or area. There is also an emphasis to make sure the games are suited to the platform, so the console games are a little harder and contain end-of-level bosses that those players are accustomed to.  Read more!

Here are some pics from the game:

Posted by Marina!

J.K. is only 2 weeks away from finishing the book! Already 38 chapters! It takes 5 months for publishing to go through? Could March April or May have the honor of Harry Potter under it's name?! Let it be March! March 2nd is my Bday!
Released by Ananova and BBC!

From the jagged, jumbled lettering of the title to the picture of a youngster flying through the air framed by pillars, the book looks fantastically familiar. But the figure on the front isn't Harry Potter — it's Tanya Grotter, heroine of a Russian series that has the boy wizard's backers crying plagiarism.  Read more!

During the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Emma Watson — who plays know-it-all Hermione Granger — faced many a challenge, including being turned into a cat and petrified. But the scene that caused her the greatest hardship was the one which required her to — yikes — hug a boy! And not just any boy: The 12-year-old actress had to wrap her arms around Harry Potter himself — fellow Brit Daniel Radcliffe.  

"It [made me] cringe," Watson squeamishly admits. "It's weird to hug somebody in front of 300 kids and everybody else in the whole entire world."  

Luckily, her 13-year-old co-star was a perfect gentleman. "He was really nice about it," she notes of Radcliffe. "You'd think he might be like, 'Eww, get off of me!' But he wasn't. It was very nice."

"I was thinking, 'Get off me!' actually," adds Radcliffe with a laugh. "No, I wasn't. I was cool with it. I didn't mind at all."

Well, now that Watson has revealed her least favorite sequence in Chamber of Secrets — opening Nov. 15 — which one did she like best? "My favorite bits in this movie [were] probably the Gilderoy Lockhart scenes," she smirks. "I thought [they were] pretty good." Sounds like someone would have rather hugged Kenneth Branagh! — Angel Cohn

Counting Down has the following information:

'Animagi85' tells us that a large selection of props from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are on display at Manchester's Filmworks cinema. The props included wands, some of Gilderoy Lockhart's books, other schoolbooks from Flourish and Blotts and some potted mandrakes. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out (and take some pictures while you're at it!).

Counting Down has a great, ten minute long, interview with Chamber of Secrets director, Chris Columbus.  Go see it here!

The global success of the Harry Potter books has been helped enormously by adult fans. This unexpected audience may be caught up in nostalgia, but now cynical publishers are pushing 'kid lit' as a crossover phenomenon. Will this new breed of novel captivate us all? Boyd Tonkin reads between the lines.  Read more!

Toy stores have been pushing Harry Potter products on Muggles, or nonmagical folk, since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" appeared in movie theaters last year, and licensed tie-in sales are bound to increase with the Nov. 15 release of the second film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." But you don't have to settle for Muggle merchandise. With a bit of effort, you can get the real stuff. Here are a few gift suggestions for the wizard in your life.

A WAND Woods can vary from ash to yew, but all wands have a core made of a powerful magical substance: a unicorn hair, a phoenix tail feather or the heartstring of a dragon. It's best to take the wizard shopping with you, since wands choose their wielders.

AN ANIMAL COMPANION Part pet, part study aid, a loyal companion can make all the difference to a lonely student. Most wizards prefer owls, which are useful for carrying letters. Other traditional choices include cats and toads. Rats are allowed but have been known to cause trouble. At all costs avoid werewolf pups, giant spiders and dragons, even when still in the egg.

A NEW BROOMSTICK That Nimbus 2000 is so three years ago! How can you expect a person to make the varsity Quidditch team flying around on that old thing? Harry Potter has a new one. Please, please, please?

SOMETHING TO WEAR A new robe, a conical hat or, for that very special lady, a cursed opal necklace.

BOOKS Witches go wild for Gilderoy Lockhart. Try his travel series — "Gadding With Ghouls," "Voyages With Vampires," "Year With the Yeti" — or get her a signed copy of his autobiography, "Magical Me."

STOCKING STUFFERS Candy is always appreciated. Try Chocolate Frogs (kids like to collect the cards of famous wizards), Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands or the perennial favorite, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. (Watch out for the cabbage ones.) New quills and parchment come in handy, as do Self-Shuffling cards. And playful spirits speak highly of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. Just don't light them around a phoenix.

MUGGLEWARES Exotic and mysterious, technologies like the telephone and the light bulb hold an irresistible allure for some wizards. They're tricky to operate, though, and their use by wizards is highly regulated by magical authorities, so check your local laws. If you're drawn to a fancier piece of equipment — a new laptop, perhaps — remember this advice, from an experienced Muggle-watcher and father: "Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain."  

A few reviews have been put out.

The Straights Times:  Harry with an edge - that's what Potter fans will find when their Hogwart heroes open upThe Chamber Of Secrets next week.  They also include 10 things you didn't know about the movie.  (thanks to MuggleNet)

The Guardian:  Children and adults around the country, breathe easy - the magic of Harry Potter is as potent as ever in film. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is darker, funnier and finer than its forerunner Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Ananova:  The new Harry Potter film is scarier, funnier and more action-packed than the last, said fans at the movie's premiere in London.

The Telegraph:  A game between Gryffindor and Slytherin houses, which turns into an aerial duel between Harry and Draco, contains more thrills than a roller coaster ride, and the flying car that takes Harry and Ron to Hogwarts proves much more hazardous for the riders than it was in the book. The Whomping Willow tree into which the car crashes and which subsequently exacts its revenge is a visual marvel.

The Independent:  And just as the Indiana Jones movies became debased by creepy-crawly shock tactics, the new chronicle of life at Hogwarts positively writhes with gross snake-and-spider special effects.  It's still watchable, though, because Chris Columbus's high-energy direction keeps the camera endlessly moving – tracking along walls that reveal horrible messages or nasty surprises, swooping through the sky around the Gothic towers of the wizardry school, zooming in on vivid faces full of threat and conspiracy.

Hurry, hurry, hurry - or Harry will be developing chin stubble. The makers of Britain's biggest movie export face a race against time, as their rosy-cheeked boy star transforms, before their very eyes, into a young man.

Meanwhile, at 13, it's clear that Daniel Radcliffe, alias school wizard Harry Potter, is thoroughly enjoying being the luckiest lad in the world.

But how long can it last?

Following the official release of Chamber of Secrets on November 15 - previews start this weekend at selected cinemas across the region - the UK's youngest movie star is signed up for a third opus, Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban.

And there's talk of a fourth and a fifth film.

"I'm just concentrating on the next one for now," says a diplomatic Daniel. "As you know, each movie takes 10 or 12 months, so I don't have to bother with that decision for quite a while."

But the female admirers are already on the march.

"I'm very flattered by all the fan mail I get," admits Daniel. "It's really amazing."

Then he answers the question which every young girl in the land wants to know: "No, I don't have a girlfriend or anything."  Read more!

If you're looking for movies that promote positive Christian values for children, you might take a look at recent films featuring magic rings and flying broomsticks.

Those films are "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter." The second Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" opens nationwide on Nov. 15.

"Lord" and the first "Potter" did such a good job of tapping the moral imagination that they were recognized on Oct. 17 in Los Angeles by the leading Catholic media organizations in the nation: Cine&Media, UNDA-USA, USCCB-Catholic Communications Campaign, Deeper Dimensions, and the Pauline Center for Media Studies.  Read more!

Thanks to MuggleNet for the heads up to a new site named Harry's Scrap Book.  They've managed to get a hold of a picture of the entire Weasley family, along with Harry, at the Burrow!  Go see it here!

I had the chance to watch HBO's Making of Chamber of Secrets.  They called it the year's most anticipated sequel.  One of the scenes they showed that I haven't seen before was on Platform 9 3/4, when Harry and Ron are trying to enter the platform, and they run into the wall, they totally fall over each other, their baskets falling over, and then on top of each other.  It was very funny.

Daniel speaks of a few characters.  On Lockhart he states that the boys are embarrassed by him.  He said, "He's cringe-worthy, he's just - - ewch!"  Lucius, he says, is a "Slimeball."  They also showed Lucius trying some type of spell.  Hmmm.

What they did show a lot of was the kids having a lot of fun with each other.  One time Daniel had accused Emma of trying her hardest to always embarrass him.  She denied this, of course.  They did seem to be having the time of their life, though.

If you missed this episode, it will be on again.  Make sure to check your local listings, or go to TVGuide's site.

I've placed a lot of new photos here.  Thanks to Hermione Saint sending in many of them!  The page may take a little bit to load, but be patient, it's worth it!  :)

THE hunt is on for hundreds of first edition Harry Potter books worth up to £20,000 each.

Publisher Bloomsbury sent 500 copies of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone to schools and reviewers in 1997.

Leo Harrison, of bookseller Biblion, said: "Signed copies can fetch up to £20,000."

Harry Potter has turned into Scary Potter - with parts of the new film deemed so frightening that parents are being warned to keep small kids away.

"I would strongly caution parents - anyone who has a 7-year-old or younger - to make sure they know what they're getting into," director Chris Columbus tells Time magazine.  Read more.

Chris Rankin's official site has photos from the premier and the party afterward.  Go see them here!

Rex Features also has some pictures from the premier.  Go see those here!

JUST in case you hadn’t noticed, in ten days’ time Britain’s favourite schoolboy wizard will launch himself into the cinematic skies for his second screen adventure.

Some cinemas will devote their entire auditoria to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a film widely predicted to be even more successful than the original.

The Harry Potter phenomenon, like the Hogwarts Express, shows no sign of running out of steam. The brand is immense, and its author, JK Rowling, has guarded it jealously.  Read more!

Harry Potter author J K Rowling has revealed for the first time that there's a major death in the next Potter adventure.

She also said that the almost finished fifth book is much darker in tone than the previous stories.

Speaking to Lizo at the world premiere of The Chamber of Secrets she described what was in store in The Order of the Phoenix.

"It is dark," she said. "There's a bad death in it that I haven't enjoyed writing."

J K also said that the book now looked like being even longer than Goblet of Fire.

She said: "At the moment it's 38 chapters."

That's a chapter longer than the last book!

She's now putting the finishing touches to the manuscript which she says is just "weeks away" from being delivered to her publishers.

"I'm really pleased with it," she said. '[I'm] just going to tweak it a tiny bit more, then the publishers will have it."

The book should be ready in the shops about five months after that.

Well, I guess that means we won't be getting it for Christmas.  Oh, well.  i am so excited knowing it's getting closer!  :)

Richard Harris was in everyone's thoughts at the Harry Potter premiere, and especially those of granddaughter Ella Harris.

She said members of her family were there "to celebrate the magic he brought to the screen.

She added: "It's been really hard for us all but everybody has been really nice, and no one will ever be able to replace him."  Read more.

Filmmaker Chris Columbus has a gift for directing children, and the earnest American delivers a magical ride full of special-effect thrills in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

But it hasn't all been child's play for the 44-year-old Columbus, who is leaving the helm of the movie series after transforming the first two books of J.K. Rowling's best-selling series about the wizarding world into cinematic gold.

"I was putting everything -- blood, sweat and tears -- into the movies. Physically, I couldn't do the third. I'll die of a heart attack if I do the third film," Columbus told Reuters after a recent screening of the new movie, which had its world premiere in London Sunday and opens worldwide Nov. 15.  Read more!

Fidelity has long been a touchy subject here in modern Babylon, but last year Hollywood had a very particular faithfulness issue. Could two worldly men, film directors at that, really understand the nature of devotion, constancy and commitment?

In a matter of a few weeks, those fears were assuaged. The many devoted readers of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring" showered directors Chris Columbus and Peter Jackson with fistfuls of ticket stubs in gratitude for the respect they showed in their film adaptations of these works. Indeed, the criticism most often leveled at "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was that it was too faithful to the book.  Read more!

Make sure to check your local listings, or go to TV Guide and search for 'Harry Potter' to see when "The Making of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is on in your area.

Also, when I did this, I noticed that the "Oprah" show will be re-airing, so if you missed it, you may be able to catch it again!

Some other listings to be aware of:

13 November:  Biography of JK Rowling, "Harry and Me" on A&E.  I have a transcript of this here.

15 November:  The View will have the Trio

16 November:  

1)  E! will have a behind-the-scenes look at Chamber of Secrets.

2)  Sorcerer's Stone will be on HBO.

15, 17 & 18 November:  CNN reports on the popularity of Harry Potter

A lot of dates to remember, so make sure to mark it all down!  :)

The new Harry Potter film is scarier, funnier and more action-packed than the last, said fans at the movie's premiere in London.

For the lucky ones invited to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the verdict was a resounding thumbs-up.

Magic was the order of the day outside the Odeon cinema as 5,000 Harry Potter die-hards descended on Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of their favourite members of the cast.  Read more!

CountingDown: We hear that your next project is doing preproduction art for the third Harry Potter movie – are you at liberty to talk about your work on that project so far?

Wayne Barlowe: No. (laughs) It’s an ongoing process, I’m enjoying working with the people in the UK, this is a new experience for me. I was over there two weeks back about... I met with the director and the production designer, they were both terrific guys. The guys that were already there, the two artists, are also extremely talented guys and I got along real well, and that was very pleasant. And now I’m back here, scanning my artwork in, feeling somewhat removed from the progress of it, but I think doing some very different work from what I did on Hellboy. But it’s satisfying and it’s a lot of fun, and I have to admit I hadn’t read any of the Harry Potter stuff up until I worked on this, and it’s a challenge, it’s fun.

THE magic of the Harry Potter movies is down to a triple Oscar winner who most of the film’s fans will never have heard of.

Production designer Stuart Craig is the technical wizard who brings the character’s world to life for the blockbusters — marshalling his team of artists, construction workers and computer boffins.  Read more!

PREGNANT JK Rowling showed off her bump yesterday at the premiere of the new Harry Potter film Chamber of Secrets.

JK, who has been named Scotland's top earner with a £220 million fortune, said she was feeling great about her pregnancy, but admitted her thoughts were with the late Richard Harris who played Professor Dumbledore in the first film. The actor died last week after a brave fight against cancer.

She added: "I knew Richard was ill, but it was a shock. I think tonight's performance is going to be dedicated to him. He'll be difficult to replace."

Robbie Coltrane, who plays friendly giant Hagrid, said he thought Kenneth Branagh was the highlight of the film as the self-obsessed teacher Gilderoy Lockheart. He joked: "Kenneth Branagh is so so untalented, he knows nothing about Shakespeare, nothing about directing. He stole the show."

The crowd roared with excitement as Daniel Radcliffe, who plays hero Harry, arrived at the star-studded premiere dressed in a black suit, black shirt and a purple and black tie,

The 13 year old said: "Its amazing so many people have actually come. It's completely overwhelming, but it's great."

There were worries earlier in the year that Daniel was maturing too fast for the Harry role.

But when questioned on his physical stature, he said: "I think because we have grown up at the same time it makes it easier as we have developed at the same rate. I am definitely doing the third film and after that I don't know."  Read more!

And then the true stars of the whole magical shebang appeared to send the awaiting masses into hysterical orbit. Adorned in a supremely glamorous frock, Emma Watson appeared transformed from the school-uniform clad Hermione. When asked if she hoped to wear sexier dresses in the next Potter films, she exclaimed, "Oh yes! I hope I have better fashion sense than Hermione does!" Behaving just as professionally as this new femme fatale was Rupert Grint, who let slip about his favourite scenes playing Ron, "I got to do the slug scene and they flavoured the slime. It was peppermint, orange, strawberry – all really nice flavours." But when questioned on any possible romance between Ron and Hermione, Rupert grimaced and said, "I’m hoping that they’re not going to go and get off with each other. I hope J.K. Rowling kills Ron off before that happens!"  Read more!

Warner Bros has posted the webcast to the premier.  Go see it here!  

Here are some photos from today's premier in London:

Alright, then, here are the new pictures I promised.  There are so many, and many more I want to find again.  If you have any that I don't, please send them my way!  :)

For these photos, a special thank you goes out to The Leaky Cauldron, MuggleNet, The Snitch, Empire Online, and all my fellow Potter fans for sending them in!

Harry & Ron in Snape's office	Quidditch
Harry & Ron in Dark Forest	Petrified Justin
Hermione outside	Oh, boy, we're in for it now
Ginny not too happy	The Hermione we all know and love
Talking w/Colin at the table	We shall miss you, Mr. Harris
In Prof. McGonagall's class	Harry in Dumbledore's office
Snape	Percy in pajamas
Hagrid in Knockturn Alley	Platform 9 3/4
Dobby snapping up some magic	Herbology Class
Lucius in Dumbledore's office	Ron & Harry
Sick Fawkes	The Basilisk
Flying car and train	Mr. Riddle, I presume
Getting chewed out by Snape	Columbus & Others

Scores of youngsters flocked to the Odeon cinema, Leicester Square in London on Sunday to see their favourite stars arriving for the first official screening of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

The film is being released in the across the UK and the U.S. on November 15.

Dressed in wizards' hats and wearing Harry Potter scarves, the Potter-mad crowd screamed and chanted as they waited for the celebrity guests to turn up.

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," chanted a host of teenage girls, as Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who plays the boy wizard, arrived.

"It is really strange, but very exciting," Radcliffe told Sky News when asked about the adulation.

'Harry' said of the film: "It's a lot scarier, a lot darker -- but it's a lot funnier.

"There's a god balance with Kenneth Branagh as Professor Lockhart. It's a really good film."

The crowd also screamed wildy when they saw Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's ginger haired friend Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson, who stars as Hermione Granger.

Emma said: "It's absolutely amazing. I just can't believe it."

"Today we're at the centre of the world and it's very exciting," Miriam Margoyles. who plays Professor Sprout, added.

Many had queued for several hours, braving rain earlier in the day in the hope of getting autographs from the film's cast.  Read more!

Christopher Lee is dismissing rumours he will replace the late Richard Harris in forthcoming Harry Potter films.

He says he is upset at being linked with the role so soon after Harris died.  Read more.

A charity ball organised by Harry Potter author JK Rowling has raised £275,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland.

The charity said that the financial windfall from the Halloween banquet at Stirling Castle was "beyond our wildest dreams".  Read more!

Coming Soon has tons of clips for your eager eyes!  Go check them out here!

The new Harry Potter movie will be premiered to a host of A-list celebrities at a star-studded premiere in London tomorrow. The film has been shrouded in secrecy, but today I can reveal its Chamber of Secrets.

As Harry mania looks set to sweep the country again, the good news is the second movie offering in the Potter series is even better than the first.

Last year, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone broke box office records world-wide, until the release of The Lord of the Rings. But the second installment in the Rings trilogy will have to be that little bit extra special to knock this latest Harry off its perch.  Read more!

Warner Bros has some new screensavers, including one interactive one!  You can check them out here and here!

Jason Isaacs—who plays Lucius Malfoy in the upcoming sequel film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets—told SCI FI Wire that doing a Potter film is unlike any other experience in front of the camera. "My first day [on set] was going to Quidditch," Isaacs said in a phone interview from Australia, where he's filming a live-action Peter Pan (playing Captain Hook and Mr. Darling). "I was sitting in the Quidditch stands with Alan Rickman and Miriam Margolyes and Warwick Davis, and various extras who were all playing witches and wizards. And the assistant director was saying, 'Right, OK, Harry's nearly got the snitch, Harry's nearer.'... And you were doing kind of Wimbledon acting with your head." Isaacs mimics the assistant director's tone: "'But Draco comes in ... and the snitch!' ... And one of the witches turned to one of the other witches and said, 'What's a bloody snitch?'"  Read more!

Counting Down has a new interview with Rupert!  Go see it here!

Bringing the world premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to fans around the globe, Warner Bros. Online will present a live streaming webcast of the highly-anticipated gala event taking place on November 3 at London's Cineplex Odeon in Leicester Square.

Beginning at 2:30 p.m. London time (9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) on November 3, www.HarryPotter.com and www.HarryPotter.co.uk will stream live coverage of the premiere, highlighting the red carpet arrivals of the stellar ensemble cast, director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman, as well as "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and a host of spectacular celebrity guests from the worlds of film, theatre, television, music and sport.

AOL users can link to the live webcast via AOL Keyword: Harry Potter.

For those who cannot view the world premiere of "Chamber of Secrets" live, footage from the event will be available on demand at the two above sites and all of the international Harry Potter local sites

The Dukes of Northumberland have known it for 700 years, but it is now official -- the small Northumberland town of Alnwick is the best place to live in Britain.  Read more!

Director Chris Columbus is happy.

Happy that his Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second installment in the outrageously popular series, is opening Nov. 15. And happy that the film is ''darker, edgier and more exciting.''

Those three characteristics come together winningly in the form of a hybrid plant/animal known as a mandrake. From its leaves sprout lumpy, turniplike roots that take the form of creepy, ultra-blubbery infants. Worse, they emit terrible shrieks that can kill.

The camera is trained on a set known as ''the Burrow,'' the ramshackle but cozy home of the Weasleys, a wizard family whose domicile is pure magic.

Though veteran actress Julie Walters ' Mrs. Weasley seems harried fixing breakfast for six children, she doesn't need hired help. In the burrow, plates wash themselves, and a grandfather clock shows the various whereabouts and activities of the Weasley clan.

Suddenly, 11-year-old Ginny Weasley, played by Bonnie Wright, runs down the crooked stairs in her bathrobe and asks if anyone has seen her jumper (that's sweater to non-Brits). Her mother replies calmly, ''Yes, dear, it's on the cat.''  Read more!

BBC had an interview with Jason Isaacs, who is portraying Lucius Malfoy.  Here's an excerpt:

Having seen you shaven-headed in Somalia in your last picture, "Black Hawk Down", do blonds have more fun?
I think just about anything would be more fun than making "Black Hawk Down", and having this beautiful long blond hair, people treated me a little better. Of course, when you're carrying an M16 people are pretty nice about that.  Read more!

There are tons of pictures showing up, so I'll be posting them all tomorrow!  Make sure to check back.  :)

The Weasley children (Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, Chris Rankin and twins, James & Oliver Phelps) will be on SM:TV Live on the 2nd of November (tomorrow!).  Go here for more info!