To all Christians,Happy Eatser which is in twenty-five minutes, and if your Jewish, then we also wish you Happy Passover.
Queen Elizabeith is Dead:
It's not exactly Harry Potter related, but it is indirectly. The 101 queen mother of England passed away in her sleep. Our hearts go out to the people of the U.K., and we are sorry for your lost.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jelly bean lovers beware: the Easter bunny might have some unusual treats stashed in your basket this year.
Today's jelly bean lovers are snacking on new-age flavors such as liver, booger, ear wax and sardines. These magical candies, popularized in the Harry Potter (news - web sites) book series and movie, are just some of the new flavors that have been introduced to keep the century-old product jumping off candy shelves.
"Flavor pretty much drives sales," said Dave Hoffmann, editor of Candy Business Magazine. "The lifeblood of the confectionery industry is innovation and new products."
Jelly bean flavors were much the same for more than 75 years until 1976 when Jelly Belly Candy Co., widely considered the gold standard of the industry, introduced eight "true to life" candies that used natural ingredients for flavoring.
The California-based company now offers 50 flavors including chocolate pudding, very cherry, licorice and the most popular bean -- buttered popcorn. Jelly Belly sells more than 14 billion of the chewy treats beans each year with only one-third of sales during the traditional Easter season.
And while these sweet flavors are a far cry from those eaten by Harry Potter, candy-loving aficionados aren't afraid to offer ideas for unconventional flavors.
"People write in all the time with flavor ideas, and some of those get pretty crazy," said Tomi Holt of Jelly Belly. "Sometimes they come up with really great flavors, but sometimes they are flavors we will never be able to pull off."
Among recent suggestions discarded, Holt said, were nacho, pickle and liver.
Offical Harry Potter Newsletter:
NEW HALLWAY CREATOR! Remember the Prefect's warning to first years, "Keep an eye on the staircases - they like to change!" Now YOU can customize your very own HALLWAY in Hogwarts Castle and change it as often as you like! Demonstrate your creativity, CLICK HERE
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"TM is now available on DVD and videocassette - order YOUR copy TODAY! Exclusive features include never-before-seen footage, Tour of Hogwarts, Quidditch Lessons and MORE. CLICK HERE
Friday, March 29, 2002
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Later This Year
The world of Harry Potter is beginning to heat up once again:
J.K. Rowling's fifth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "is being written and may be delivered later this year," according to Christopher Little, Rowling's literary agent in London.
Equally guarded is Scholastic, Rowling's U.S. publisher. "As soon as we have a publication date, we'll announce it," says Kris Moran.
A group of parents and teachers in Russell Springs, KY, wants about 30 titles dealing with witchcraft and ghosts removed from the Russell County High School library. The books include World's Most Famous Ghosts (Turtleback, 1994) by Daniel Cohen, Embraced by the Light (Penguin, 1978) by Betty J. Eadie, and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. A review of the proposal cannot begin until someone files a formal complaint, says the school's principal, Roger Cook.
Russia has become the latest country to succumb to the spell of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", with the fantasy movie grossing $US1.5 million ($A2.87 million) since it premiered here Thursday, an official with the film's distributor said today.
Over 415,000 Russian movie-goers have rushed to see the adventures of the trainee wizard created by British novelist JK Rowlings, according to the Karo-Premier company official.
Pottermania has also descended upon Moscow bookstores, which have for weeks been flooded with Harry Potter books.
The British Council, a organisation set up to promote British culture abroad, hopes to harness the boy-wizard's charm in its quest to unite Slav and Albanian children through the English language.
Winnipeg - The people who rehabilitate injured animals in Manitoba are worried about some strange behaviour by an owl. They believe it's proof that movies can blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
At least one person believes it was taken out of the wild because of the frenzy over Harry Potter. Lisa Trediak is the Rehabilitation Director with the Manitoba Wildlife Rehabilitation Organization. She says the movie makes it look like owls would make good pets.
A complete set of the Harry Potter collection, with each book hand-signed by author J.K. Rowling. Titles included: The Sorcerer's Stone, Goblet of Fire, Chamber of Secrets & The Prisoner of Azkaban. For each dollar raised from this item, Random House Children's Books will give a brand new book to First Book.
BRITAINS first-ever free phone line for lone parents was launched in Edinburgh and London today with the help of world-famous city author, and one-time single mum, JK Rowling. The helpline will offer advice on a range of topics including legal and financial worries.
The Edinburgh launch was supported by Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, who resigned a ministerial post in 1997 in protest at lone parent benefit cuts. The helpline brings together the work of three charities - One Parent Families Scotland and One Plus north of the Border and the National Council for One Parent Families in England and Wales.
Sue Robertson, director of One Parent Families Scotland, said: "Having a freephone will make it much easier for lone parents to ring us and use our services." John Findlay, director of One Plus, Europes largest single parent organisation, said its clients will also be involved. He said: "Lone parents will be trained to undertake the updating and maintenance of the information database and gain valuable work experience."
The Royal Bank of Scotland is giving £500,000 of backing for the helpline over the next three years. Ms Rowling, who is the ambassador for the National Council for One Parent Families, wrote her Harry Potter books while a lone parent in Edinburgh. Lone parents in search of advice can call the free helpline on 0800 018 5026.
The trade in pirated DVDs has reached Victorian schoolyards, with latest-release films being sold for as little as $5.
The movies vary in quality and come from a range of sources, with some taped from movie screens with digital cameras and others copied directly off the reel and imported.
Those that are taped off the reel can often be bought illegally in Australia months before they are officially released.
There's nothing Martin Kehoe likes doing more than kicking a ball around, except perhaps pretending to be James Bond or Harry Potter. But while Martin's life could be said to be that of an ordinary 15 year old, with the same dreams and aspirations as the rest, the past few years have set the brave boy apart during his unrelenting struggle against cancer.
Her new house in Kensington, London is from King George's time. There's six bedrooms, elevators, 24 hours security guarding, pool and a little yard. It costed almost 4.5 milllion pounds.
JK needs to visit often in London during her marketing business. It's nicer and easier to spend night in an own house rather than a hotel.
All these images originally appeared in the Finnish magazine Eeva.
"Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and ABC's "Alias" took top honors Wednesday for film and television publicity campaigns, respectively, at the 39th annual Publicists Guild Awards. "
The awards ceremony took place on Wed March 20th at the Beverly Hilton.
LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc said on Wednesday its prospects for 2002 were excellent, as it prepares to publish "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", the fifth book in the best-selling series. "The next huge surge in Harry Potter sales will drive the group's future success," chairman Nigel Newton told Reuters. "The whole world wants to read this book".
Newton would not give the date for publication of Order of the Phoenix, which author JK Rowling has yet to finish.
He would only say: "It will be released later this year" and that millions of copies will be ready for the launch date.
Bloomsbury will likely want to avoid clashing with the boy wizard's second film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", which will open on November 15.
A RESCUE drama unfolded in the garden of Harry Potter author JK Rowlings Edinburgh home after a workman was trapped under a JCB.
Ms Rowling was having a garage demolished in the front garden of her Merchiston villa when the accident happened.
The man was operating a mini-digger when it toppled over, trapping him underneath by the leg.
Firefighters rushed to the scene after responding to a 999 call.
They then used inflatable bags to lift the digger and free the trapped workman. He was taken by ambulance to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he received treatment for a broken leg.
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Russia Comes Under Spell
Russia has become the latest country to succumb to the spell of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", with the fantasy movie grossing $US1.5 million ($A2.87 million) since it premiered here Thursday, an official with the film's distributor said today.
Over 415,000 Russian movie-goers have rushed to see the adventures of the trainee wizard created by British novelist JK Rowlings, according to the Karo-Premier company official.
Pottermania has also descended upon Moscow bookstores, which have for weeks been flooded with Harry Potter books.
The British Council, a organisation set up to promote British culture abroad, hopes to harness the boy-wizard's charm in its quest to unite Slav and Albanian children through the English language.
Winnipeg - The people who rehabilitate injured animals in Manitoba are worried about some strange behaviour by an owl. They believe it's proof that movies can blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
At least one person believes it was taken out of the wild because of the frenzy over Harry Potter. Lisa Trediak is the Rehabilitation Director with the Manitoba Wildlife Rehabilitation Organization. She says the movie makes it look like owls would make good pets.
A complete set of the Harry Potter collection, with each book hand-signed by author J.K. Rowling. Titles included: The Sorcerer's Stone, Goblet of Fire, Chamber of Secrets & The Prisoner of Azkaban. For each dollar raised from this item, Random House Children's Books will give a brand new book to First Book.
BRITAINS first-ever free phone line for lone parents was launched in Edinburgh and London today with the help of world-famous city author, and one-time single mum, JK Rowling. The helpline will offer advice on a range of topics including legal and financial worries.
The Edinburgh launch was supported by Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, who resigned a ministerial post in 1997 in protest at lone parent benefit cuts. The helpline brings together the work of three charities - One Parent Families Scotland and One Plus north of the Border and the National Council for One Parent Families in England and Wales.
Sue Robertson, director of One Parent Families Scotland, said: "Having a freephone will make it much easier for lone parents to ring us and use our services." John Findlay, director of One Plus, Europes largest single parent organisation, said its clients will also be involved. He said: "Lone parents will be trained to undertake the updating and maintenance of the information database and gain valuable work experience."
The Royal Bank of Scotland is giving £500,000 of backing for the helpline over the next three years. Ms Rowling, who is the ambassador for the National Council for One Parent Families, wrote her Harry Potter books while a lone parent in Edinburgh. Lone parents in search of advice can call the free helpline on 0800 018 5026.
The trade in pirated DVDs has reached Victorian schoolyards, with latest-release films being sold for as little as $5.
The movies vary in quality and come from a range of sources, with some taped from movie screens with digital cameras and others copied directly off the reel and imported.
Those that are taped off the reel can often be bought illegally in Australia months before they are officially released.
There's nothing Martin Kehoe likes doing more than kicking a ball around, except perhaps pretending to be James Bond or Harry Potter. But while Martin's life could be said to be that of an ordinary 15 year old, with the same dreams and aspirations as the rest, the past few years have set the brave boy apart during his unrelenting struggle against cancer.
Her new house in Kensington, London is from King George's time. There's six bedrooms, elevators, 24 hours security guarding, pool and a little yard. It costed almost 4.5 milllion pounds.
JK needs to visit often in London during her marketing business. It's nicer and easier to spend night in an own house rather than a hotel.
All these images originally appeared in the Finnish magazine Eeva.
"Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and ABC's "Alias" took top honors Wednesday for film and television publicity campaigns, respectively, at the 39th annual Publicists Guild Awards. "
The awards ceremony took place on Wed March 20th at the Beverly Hilton.
LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc said on Wednesday its prospects for 2002 were excellent, as it prepares to publish "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", the fifth book in the best-selling series. "The next huge surge in Harry Potter sales will drive the group's future success," chairman Nigel Newton told Reuters. "The whole world wants to read this book".
Newton would not give the date for publication of Order of the Phoenix, which author JK Rowling has yet to finish.
He would only say: "It will be released later this year" and that millions of copies will be ready for the launch date.
Bloomsbury will likely want to avoid clashing with the boy wizard's second film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", which will open on November 15.
A RESCUE drama unfolded in the garden of Harry Potter author JK Rowlings Edinburgh home after a workman was trapped under a JCB.
Ms Rowling was having a garage demolished in the front garden of her Merchiston villa when the accident happened.
The man was operating a mini-digger when it toppled over, trapping him underneath by the leg.
Firefighters rushed to the scene after responding to a 999 call.
They then used inflatable bags to lift the digger and free the trapped workman. He was taken by ambulance to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he received treatment for a broken leg.
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Harry Potter Video, DVD, and DVD-ROm includes
Video includes:
-Five Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage
DVD includes: - Thrilling, new scenes completed specifically for the home video release. - An in-depth, interactive tour that allows fans to experience Hogwarts as a first year student including the Great Hall, The Gryffindor Common Room and more. - Visits to Snape's, McGonagall's and Flitwick's classrooms which allow viewers to discover the "secret" at the heart of the DVD. - Captivating interviews with producer David Heyman and director Christopher Columbus providing insights into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. - A visit to Diagon Alley (that provides access to Gringott's Bank), Ollivanders Wands (fans can be "chosen" by a wand) and Eeylops Owl Emporium. - A lesson in Quidditch that allows viewers to catch a Snitch with their remotes. - An opportunity to cast a spell over Harry and his friends that will let viewers watch them perform a scene in eight different languages. - A visit to Hogwarts' library which allows users to open a screaming book, catch a clue to the Mirror of Erised, choose video bios of favorite characters and meet the ghosts of Hogwarts.
DVD-ROM includes
- An enhanced, personalized tour in real-time of Hogwarts, including Hagrid's Hut, the Great Hall and Harry's room, which allows users to experience the magic of Hogwarts firsthand! Viewers can look in all directions as well as view a split screen of forward and reverse views simultaneously. - Unique and exclusive electronic trading cards that allow users to collect and trade online. - Magical Harry Potter game demonstrations that will put users in the spotlight as they allow players to take on the role of Harry and to navigate through Hogwarts. An additional game demonstration offers users an "activity center" in which they can create their own version of Harry's world. - Personalized owl emails that will allow users to receive Harry Potter updates and information. - A sorting by the Sorting Hat that gives users the opportunity to be assigned to one of Hogwarts' houses. - Video biographies that will allow viewers to become better acquainted with the Hogwarts faculty. - Downloadable screensavers and remembralls.
A massive 19th century globe which featured in film favourite Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold for £17,750 at an auction.
It was expected to sell for around £12,000, but it turned out to be the fifth biggest seller of the whole auction at Sotheby's on Friday.
The spinning globe, which was made in Edinburgh out of papier mache, was among loads of other cool props on sale from films like Tomb Raider and 101 Dalmatians.
Harry Potter and the flying Ford Anglia
The lid on Harry Potter's Chamber of Secrets can be lifted just a little bit today as a Northumberland castle is magically transformed for the big-screen.
I was among a handful of Muggles - that's non-magical folk to people who don't know JK Rowling's smash-hit books - given an exclusive tour behind the walls of Alnwick Castle, chosen by Warner Bros to become Hogwarts School of Wizardry in the second Potter movie.
Among the amazing secrets revealed is the need for no less than 14 classic cars for an incredible flying scene.
On the Bloomsbury web site (the FAQ, more specifically) it says book 5 may not be released until early autumn, whereas it previously had said summer.
"We are not going to set a publication date for the fifth book until the book has been finished. In a perfect world the date would be early autumn 2002, but we will wait until the book is written before making a decision. We will let you know more information as soon as we can."
The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC is showing Snow White. As I type this actually but you westerners in the USA will still be able to catch it because Warwick Davis (Flitwick) is a dwarf, he's the purple one.
WHY IT'S NOW OKAY FOR PARENTS TO ENJOY READING KIDS' BOOKS From Counting Down:
THE days when the heroes of children's books were Topsy and Tim or Peter Rabbit are fading. These days, kids yearn for something more sophisticated that even adults will enjoy. And it's all thanks to Harry Potter.
JK Rowling's series has brought the world of children's books to adults and made it okay for people to read the books that their kids can't get enough of.
The trend hasn't stopped at Harry Potter. Children's author Philip Pullman has been experiencing the same sort of crossover appeal with his trilogy His Dark Materials. So much so that the third in the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, recently won him the esteemed Whitbread Book Of The Year title.
''A lot of parents read Harry Potter to their children at bedtime and discovered that they actually quite enjoyed the book,'' says Caroline Horn, children's books editor at trade magazine The Bookseller. ''They started looking at other children's books as a result of that.''
MTV was just showing Celebrity Death Match, but I missed it. My dad informed me that J.K. Rowling (this is clay animation by the way) was fighting horror author Stephen King. She flew around on a broomsticks and, naturally for Death Match, there was alot of blood.
Madonna and JK Rowling have joined the ranks of Einstein and Freud with an entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The encyclopedia is the oldest continuously published reference work in the English language.
Christine Hodgson of Encyclopedia Britannica says the work "remains entirely in tune with the world today".
"For example, the growing interest in popular culture among scholars has prompted us to devote more coverage than ever to the modern day icons of pop. At the same time, we continue to cover traditional subjects with the same scholarly excellence for which Britannica has long been known."
OSLO, Norway -- A Swedish supermarket is offering money to customers named Harry as part of a shopping spat with neighbouring Norway.
While Harry has been popularised as a name in some countries, partly thanks to literary wizard Harry Potter and the UK's Royal Prince Harry, it is a term of insult in some Scandinavian countries.
Norway's agriculture minister attempted to shame people into not shopping in cheaper, neighbouring Sweden by calling those who did 'Harrys' -- which conjures up images of furry dice in cars and overweight men in cowboy boots standing by caravans.
Now the Swedish supermarket Kjothallen, is to reward those called Harry with 1,000 crowns ($96.48) to tempt them to cross the border.
Kjetil Dahlby, owner of the supermarket in Tocksfors, Sweden, told Reuters news agency: "I'll give away 1,000 crowns ($96.48) to each of the first 10 clients on Saturday called 'Harry.'
"The one who looks the most 'Harry' will get 10,000."
The Norwegian Agriculture Minister Lars Sponheim has dubbed anyone shopping in Sweden as a 'Harry' -- someone vulgar, cheap-minded and daft.
Analysts hope for fifth Harry Potter book release date
Children acting as extras on the set of the new Harry Potter movie have been asked to sign up to tight security conditions forbidding them from discussing the film with their parents.
Parents in Alnwick were amazed when their children were handed a list of demands in a bid to keep the tale of wizardry cloaked in secrecy.
Crews from Warner Bros are due to start shooting Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at Alnwick Castle shortly and have enlisted the help of around 50 schoolchildren from the historic town to star in the film as pupils of Hogwarts School of Wizardry.
But parents were stunned when a letter arrived from the world-famous company's Leavesden Studio demanding that all youngsters sign stringent confidentiality agreements before being allowed on set.
Casting for the "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban": If you want additional information on casting and auditions, you can try to contact casting director Karen Lindsay Stewart:
Address: Karen Lindsay-Stewart - Harry Potter Production P.O. Box 2301 - London W1A 1PT - United Kingdom. Telephone (Office): 020 7439 0544, Fax: 020 7439 0548. "
Character Parts are, Remus Lupin (Hogwarts Teacher) Sirius Black (Harry's Godfather) Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) Sibyll Trelawney (Hogwarts Teacher) Cho Chang (Ravenclaw Student) Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff Student) Madam Rosmerta (Three Broomsticks Innkeeper) Walden Macnair (Executioneer) Marjorie Dursley (Dudley's Aunt Marge) Sir Cadogan (Hogwarts Frameguy) Stan Shunpike (Knight Bus) Ernie Prang (Knight Bus) Madam Marsh (Knight Bus)
Unfortunatly for our American cousins, you have to be a UK residents.
What HP character are you most like? Mugglenet.com has found a cool new site: SmartSelect.com has a new game which tells you which HP character you resemble most personality-wise just by taking a short quiz about yourself.
