July 31, 2005
Happy Birthday Jo and Harry!
Let's give a big Happy Birthday shout for author J.K. Rowling and her literary hero Harry Potter! Today is an auspicious day for both - Rowling turns 40 and Harry, 25.
July 27, 2005
'Goblet of Fire' Set Report
The Leaky Cauldron has posted another chunk of their GoF set report - an interview with Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), Stan Ianevski (Viktor Krum) and Clemence Poesy (Fleur Delacour) which took place at Leavesden Studios in November.
Here's an excerpt:
Q: What is Mike Newell like to work as a director? Was he rather paternal to the younger actors?
Robert: Sort of. Everyone says that he's very much of an actors' director and he is quite hands-on. Nothing's kind of theoretical. He'll show you exactly what he wants to do. It's not sort of anything high-flung about it. He won't assume anything to any of the actors. He'll talk to you the same if you're Alan Rickman or if you're an extra. He's a really good director to work with.
Stan: He creates a really strong atmosphere when he's around, and I think it's also really motivating for the actors.
Click Here to view the rest of the interview.
July 23, 2005
Happy Birthday Daniel Radcliffe!
Daniel Radcliffe, who has portrayed Harry in all four of the Potter films produced to date, turns 16 today. From everyone at The Pensieve, we wish you a great day!
July 22, 2005
HP Piracy Alive and Well
According to world wide estimates, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold more than 8.9 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale.
It only took 12 hours however, for the first electronic versions of the new book to begin appearing on the internet. Legal warnings have been sent to websites hosting these unauthorized copies. But according to Rowling's agent Christopher Little no lawsuits have yet been filed.
Rowling has never made a deal to publish her books in a downloadable format. Fans are warned to be aware of frauds and viruses.
July 15, 2005
Reminder: Katie Couric Interview on Sunday
Dateline NBC will air the interview between Katie Couric and J K Rowling this Sunday at 7PM CST. If you miss that one, it will also air the morning of July 18 on the Today Show.
Happy viewing!
Last Minute Update at the FAQ
With not a minute to spare, JK Rowling has answered the FAQ poll question on JKRowling.com. The winning question with 54% of the vote is:
"So how DO the members of the Order of the Phoenix communicate with each other?"
To read the answer, click Here.
July 14, 2005
A Short Synopsis
Go here to see it in all its glory.
With under two days left until the book is released, Bloomsbury publishers have released the blurb for the back cover of the sixth book, detailing a few incidents occuring between the Dursleys and the start of the school year.
Saturday can't come soon enough!
July 13, 2005
Scholastic Reveals Full Deluxe Edition Cover
Scholastic released the full version of the Deluxe Cover Edition today.
The press release states:
"We are excited to release more artwork than ever before for this spectacular deluxe edition, where layers of suspense unfold as Harry and Dumbledore peer through wild branches, while a mysterious man creeps toward an unidentified home," said David Saylor, Vice President, Creative Director, Scholastic. "Once again, Mary GrandPre's mystifying artwork beautifully features scenes that entice readers with clues from the soon-to-be released, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
The Deluxe Edition includes a 32-page insert featuring near scale reproductions of Mary GrandPre's interior art, as well as never-before-seen full-color frontispiece art on special paper. The custom designed slipcase is foil-stamped and inside is a full-cloth case book, blind-stamped on front and back cover, foil stamped on spine. The book includes full-color endpapers with jacket art from the trade edition and a wraparound jacket featuring exclusive art from Mary GrandPre. The deluxe edition will be a total of 704 pages and have a retail value of $60.00; the print run will be 100,000 copies.
To view, click Here.
Boy Takes Quick Peak at HBP
An upstate NY pharmacy accidently put the Half-Blood Prince up for sale yesterday morning. Only one book was sold before the mistake was realized and the books pulled from the shelves.
Nine year old Sylum Mastropaolo is the lucky boy to have snagged the book four days early. But he won't be spilling any secrets and will be returning the book to the publishers.
In an interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal, Sylum's stepdad stated:
"We're going to do the right thing," said Mike Muldoon. "We don't want to ruin it for other kids and take away from the experience of everyone reading it together."
Slylum does admit to taking a peak though.
"I opened to the middle of the book and I read two pages maybe. I didn't want to start at the beginning because I didn't want to spoil the surprises."
When asked if he would take one more look before returning the book, Sylum replied:
"No way.
Good for you Sylum! You have more will power than us.
Read more Here.
July 12, 2005
HBP Accidentally Leaked Out in Canada
According to The-Leaky-Cauldron (and Yahoo! News), Raincoast, a Canadian distributor, has been reported to have prematurely sold copies of the next tome in Jo's collection of seven in Vancouver. Courts have forbidden recipients of HBP to say anything about the plot to anyone; they've also had to give back the book to the stores until the day of release comes upon us all.
Go to The-Leaky-Cauldron to read the story verbatim, or click this.
July 10, 2005
LUMOS CELEBRATES HALF-BLOOD PRINCE WITH SOME MIDNIGHT MAGIC!
Ready to make a little Midnight Magic for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
Lumos 2006: A Harry Potter Symposium officially invites HP fans across the country to join the gang in Las Vegas, the City of Lights, where Lumos staff and the local West Charleston Barnes & Noble are throwing a mega-Potter bash to honor the release of HBP!
Known as Midnight Magic, the party will begin at 8 PM and last until the final copy of HBP is sold.
Lumos representatives will be waiting for you with exciting prizes and giveaways (including brooms and wands from Alivans), tons of games and activities for folks waiting inside and outside, and the massive excitement only the fandom can provide.
Barnes & Noble also has a full slate of activities planned for the party, including:
- Costume Contest - prizes for Best Original Costume, Striking Resemblance,
and Magical Creature (for non-human costumes)
- Tri-Wizard Trivia Tournament - competitions in three different age
brackets: 7-12, 13-17, and 18+
- Indoor Quidditch
- Face Painting
- Fortune Telling with Professor Trelawney
- Craft and Game Stations
- Performance by Las Vegas magician/comedian, Mac King
So come to Vegas and light up the night with Lumos!
The West Charleston Barnes & Noble is located in the Crossroads Commons shopping complex:
8915 W. Charleston
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 242-1987
For more information on Lumos 2006: A Harry Potter Symposium, visit the official website at www.lumos2006.org.
July 09, 2005
Scholastic's Back Cover Revealed
After a blurry and nondescript photo of the Scholastic book jacket surfaced on the internet a few days ago - giving readers their first glimpse of the 'back cover' - Scholastic unveiled the real deal earlier today.
To see the cover in all it's swirling and misty glory click Here.
July 03, 2005
Choose your Question at The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet!
There are two polls going on right now that you don't want to miss. One is at The Leaky Cauldron and the other at Mugglenet.
The two polls each contain ten unique fan based questions narrowed down from approximately 8,000 posted on the two sites. The top three voted questions from each poll will be posed to J. K. Rowling. As previously reported, Melissa of TLC and Emerson of MN will be interviewing JKR in her home on July 16.
The poll will close at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 8, so get on over to vote!