Happy Birthday Hermione!

JK Rowling's official website has been updated to wish everyone's favorite witch Hermione Granger a Happy Birthday!

Fic Recommendation - This Means War by Jeconais

Our fanfiction recommendation is a hilariously funny fic by the name of This Means War by Jeconais. The synopsis goes: When the Weasley Boys interfere in Ginny's relationship with Dean, they make the biggest mistake of their lives. The witch decides that revenge is in order, and her first point of call is a new boyfriend - Harry.

I can't say enough good things about this fic. It is a definite read. It is obviously Harry/Ginny so for you shippers out there this one's for you. Also it is rather short only 10 or so chapters so it is a fast read. It is based upon the premise of Wizarding email which I find hilariously funny. It can be located on Jeconais's author page here and it is also posted at PhoenixSong if you want to check it out there as well. Good luck and happy reading!

On a side note if you have read Anya's Naked Quidditch Match, which can be found at here, it is very similar in that it is also written in email format and it is so funny it will have you laughing all day. Check this one out also!

Half-Blood Prince filming begins today!

As Dan Radcliffe revealed in this interview with MTV, filming for Half-Blood Prince begins today! Stay with us in the coming months as we bring you the latest set reports and other filming news.

Half-Blood Prince will be in theaters November 21st, 2008.

Broadbent confirmed to play Horace Slughorn

In an upcoming exclusive interview for Dark Horizons, actor Jim Broadbent confirms not only that he has been cast as Horace Slughorn in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," but also talked a little about his role in the fourth "Indiana Jones" as well. Here's an excerpt from the interview which took place last week at the Toronto Film Festival:

Question: You must have a comfortable life which is hard to give up unless something comes up you want to do.

Broadbent: Yeah I had basically three months in Lincolnshire in the summer and suddenly now I'm back on the rollercoaster again and I've got to finish off Indiana Jones next month and I've got a bit on Young Victoria and it's all been sort of stacking up and then I'm doing Harry Potter.

Question: Who are you?

Broadbent: Who am I? He's called Horace Slughorn. He's a retired teacher ofmagic who's drawn back out of retirement because he's got some secrets they need in the battle against the Deatheaters and he's quite star struck as a teacher and he's drawn back into the fold because he likes to notch up celebrity students, and he's drawn back by Harry.

Question: Is he a comic character?

Broadbent: He is quite a comic character, yes. I haven't started yet. I've had endless costume fittings and makeup and ...

Question: What kind of costumes?

Broadbent: Tweedy sort of things with a bit of padding. He's an older man, I'm aging up again.

Question: Have you read the book?

Broadbent: Yep, yep, yep. I haven't read them all but I've read mine.

Question: And who are you in Indiana Jones?

Broadbent: I'm Indiana's academic colleague at Yale. I'm his friend and colleague - there's a couple of my scenes to go.

Question: What will you do next?

Broadbent: After that? Harry Potter goes 'til May. And that's enough to begin with. I've got something of my own I'm hoping to get going and I'm not talking about ...."

Source: Dark Horizons

Harry Potter Top Grossing Motion Picture Franchise

Warner Brothers has announced this evening that the Harry Potter series is the largest-grossing film franchise to date globally, surpassing Star Wars and and James Bond. Totaling $4.47 billion in ticket sales (with two films left to go, WB points out), several high-ups at Warner Brothers are quoted in the press release:

In making the announcement, Alan Horn [President & Chief Operating Officer] said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.

Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”

Of note, Variety has published an article comparing the Potter film franchise to the other big ones:

Bond, which dates back to 1962, has generated $4.44 billion worldwide and the "Star Wars" pics have pulled down $4.23 billion since the first release in 1977. None of the tallies account for inflation or rising ticket prices.

And domestically the "Star Wars" franchise still far outpaces the boy wizard. All told, the "Star Wars" pics have grossed $2.18 billion, while the "Harry Potter" franchise has grossed $1.41 billion. But then there are still two more "Potters" to go.

And all three have generated millions upon millions in downstream ancillary coin for their studios, once homevideo and TV revenue are added into the tallies.

Press release from Warner Brothers below

Press Release: WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ HARRY POTTER FILMS COMBINE TOBECOME THE BIGGEST FILM FRANCHISE IN HISTORY

Harry Potter Film Franchise Surpasses James Bond and Star Wars, With Two Films Yet to Come

BURBANK, CA, September 10, 2007 – With the success of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter films have now become, worldwide, the top-grossing motion picture franchise in history. The announcement was made today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and Alan Horn, President & Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

The combined worldwide box office gross for the five Harry Potter films to date is in excess of $4.47 billion, surpassing the box office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the six “Star Wars” movies.

This impressive record comes even as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is still going strong in theatres around the globe, and with two more highly anticipated Harry Potter films—“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”—still in the offing.

In addition to holding the franchise box office record, all five of the Harry Potter films have the distinction of being among the 20 top-grossing box office hits of all time.

In making the announcement, Alan Horn said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.

Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”

The next Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” will open on November 21, 2008. The seventh and final film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is planned for a 2010 release.

Source: Mugglenet

Daniel discusses 'HBP' & 'Deathly Hallows' movies

In two new interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Dan discusses upcoming filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which starts shooting on Monday, September 17 and the soon to be released December Boys.

Dan talks about Rupert's kissing scenes in Half-Blood Prince:
I'm going to be on set pointing at him every time. It's going to be funny. And I'm looking forward to [the seventh movie] when he has to kiss Emma [Watson]!

Dan on condensing book 7 for a movie:

"It's going to be a hell of a challenge for the writer. There's other bits [in other books] you can cut, but I don't see anything in Deathly Hallows you can cut. [Author] Jo [Rowling] always talks about the chapter she had written in her head before anything, when Harry's going to face Voldemort, and I'm really looking forward to doing that. It should be powerful - if I don't screw it up. Of course, I'm saying all this hoping it won't be cut. I don't think it can be, it's so vital."

You can also see video of Dan answering a question in which he talks about what JKR told him about his character in the last book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

In another interview Dan talks about the Horace Slughorn character in the sixth movie, while not mentioning who will be portraying the character and says:

"Most of the time he's gonna be very funny. But then you will really see the dark side of him.
I don't know if I can say. I don't know if it's been announced, and I don't want to spoil any of our surprises."

Fic Recommendation - "Taking Control" by Fake A Smile

Our fic for this week is "Taking Control" by Fake A Smile. This is a work in progress but it is so fabulous that I have to recommend it. I normally don't like to start or recommend WIP but this one is a really thriller and the author is very dedicated to the fic and you can also be added to his yahoo groups page for information about updates. He is not just going to leave this fic unfinished.

"Taking Control" covers Harry's summer at the Dursleys after Sirius's death in the 5th book and also into his 6th year. The 6 & 7th books will be irrelevant in this fic. It follows its own path. What I love most about this fic is that Harry grows so much in this story and trains really hard for the upcoming battle with Voldemort. He realizes Dumbledore and the Order are not training him themselves so he trains and learns magic in secret. It also has a Harry/Ginny romance thrown in the story but it is gradual, not immediate like in some fics. It has some arguments between the trio so they are not the best of friends in this fic but the reasons for the arguments are valid and in my opinion it is just Harry standing up for himself and his beliefs while he doesn't do that in cannon.

It is definitely worth a read as it has Harry magically stronger and more developed than in cannon and he is training and fighting in battles with Death Eaters right under the Order's nose. It is funny watching Dumbledore be stuck in a corner. The fic can be found at SIYE here. I highly recommend you stop by and take a look!

OOTP Nominated for SCREAM Awards

The fifth Harry Potter movie has received numerous nominations for this year's Scream awards, honoring the newest and hottest in horror, sci-fi, fantasy and comic genres.

Order of the Phoenix is nominated under the following categories: the ultimate scream, best fantasy movie, fantasy hero (Daniel Radcliffe), most vile villain (Ralph Fiennes), best sequel, and best f/x. Beginning tomorrow, you can vote online until October 19th. The awards will be aired on Spike TV on October 23rd.

In other "Phoenix" news, the movie has become the highest grossing IMAX 3D live-action film release ever.

Dan on his upcoming movies and 'Equus'

Earlier today, Daniel Radcliffe made an appearance on NBC's TODAY show. In this interview, Dan discusses his new movie December Boys and that filming for Half-Blood Prince will begin in "two weeks time." He also says that Equus coming to Broadway is a definite possibility and if it does come to the US next spring, he will reprise his role. You can watch this interview here.

September Wizard of the Month

Albus Dumbledore
1881 - 1996

Brilliant and often controversial headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore is most famous for his 1945 defeat of Grindelwald and his steadfast championing of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Dumbledore's self-proclaimed proudest achievement, however, was featuring on a Famous Wizards Chocolate Frog Card.

Source: JKRowling