Reuters is reporting that, according to industry sales tracker Nielsen BookScan, more copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were sold the first day it was out than any other book sold in the country in all of 2005. According to sales figures released on Friday, 4.1 million copies of HBP were sold in …read more!

Earlier this week we told you about a poll on IMDb for the Best of 2005. Well, folks, the results are in and (once again) Harry and his fans have risen to the top! GoF was voted Best Picture (English Language), Best Family Movie and Best Popcorn (Most Entertaining) Movie. In second place were Daniel …read more!

PotterCast #20, our second and last installment of our call–in show, is now up and ready for download. Sorry for the delay, guys – bad internet connections strike again! Next week’s will be out on time, will be in regular PotterCast format and will feature – da da dum – the Muggle boys. For now, …read more!

Warner Home Video has announced that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be released on HD DVD on April 11, 2006. GoF is one of 24 confirmed titles WHV is releasing on HD DVD from March 28-May 16, 2006. The release is timed in conjunction with the initial deliveries of HD DVD players.

Reader Mariano has sent us what appears to be the Italian cover art for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; you can see the whole thing here He has also given us a loose translation of the back text, which is this quote from HBP (which is from the English editions, not a translated Italian …read more!

Entertainment Weekly has listed Cedric’s death in Goblet of Fire one of the top tearjerking moments of movies in 2005: 4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The murder of kind and decent Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson). It’s the darkest moment up to that point in the Potter saga, as Harry experiences the death …read more!

The Christian Science Monitor has an interesting article on Harry Potter, and the influence of J.K. Rowling’s books on millions of children all over the world. The piece alludes to the continuing debate over the morality of the novels, saying “Belief in magic is an old trait in myth and literature. Rowling . . . …read more!

The Los Angeles Times reports that Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) will be a presenter at the Golden Globe Awards on January 16. The category of the award Ms. Thompson will present has not been announced.

The cover story of this month’s M Magazine, a publication covering “Milwaukee Lifestyle,” features Theresa Corrao, Visual Effects Producer of the last three Harry Potter films. Ms. Corrao (who graduated from this editor’s alma mater, Nicolet High School) also contributed to the special effects on Jurassic Park III, October Sky, Sleepy Hollow, Mighty Joe Young, …read more!

As mentioned on a previous PotterCast, on Jan. 12 TLC will interview Arthur Levine, co-editor of the Harry Potter books and publisher of the Scholastic (American) edition, and we just can’t wait. Part of the interview will consist of fan questions, so if you have one, call (in the U.S.) 1.702.42.LEAKY (1.702.425.3259) or (in the …read more!