The Japan Times has an interview with Yuko Matsuoka – the woman who both brought Harry Potter to Japan and also translated the series into her native language.

MuggleNet had a live chat yesterday with Matthew Lewis AKA Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter movies. Some of the more interesting items including listing Physical Education as a favorite school subject (which partially explains the weight loss between films) and his insight on Neville in future books: “I think that it would be really …read more!

Sue sent us this link from ToyWiz giving previews of all the Prisoner of Azkaban lego sets. While the likeness of the figurines aren’t really detailed they can give us some idea of what to expect in the coming movie. Here’s a list of what they have that is Azkaban-oriented: Draco’s Encounter with Buckbeak Harry …read more!

According to The Sun, Harry Potter fan Prince Charles has built a mystical temple on the grounds of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire that visitors have dubbed “Hagrid’s Royal House”. Thanks dutchqmomma.

According to a Film Production Chart from Variety, funny man Rowan Atkinson may show up in the movie Goblet of Fire. If I’m reading the chart right, production is scheduled to begin in April 2004, 2 months before Prisoner of Azkaban is released in theatres. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert …read more!

The Age takes a look at all walks of fan fiction from books to movies and television leading off with a look into the world of Harry Potter fic. In the marketing milli-second that parts the latest Harry Potter book from an impending Harry Potter movie, lunch box or confectionery range, J. K. Rowling’s mass …read more!

This editor has always thought that Harry Potter for Grown Ups referred to this YahooGroups list. But according to The Western Mail, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is in another review that compares the trilogy to that-which-was-authored-by-Rowling. It make one wonder if this is the message coming from the Pullman camp though the author claimed …read more!

CNN says that in this year’s Google Zeitgeist search-ranking list, the boy wizard is second only to those searching for pop singer Britney Spears in over 55 billion searches. You can find the full lists on Google’s Zeitgeist pages.

According to the BBC, IMAX theatres in the UK are confident that it will be a big movie-going year despite the recent closing of their Birmingham screen. Potter fans may remember it was announced that PoA would be available simultaneously in IMAX format upon release.

From the same paper that brought us some Pullman vs Potter discord is an excellent look at the career of Timothy Spall, set to play Peter Pettigrew in the next instalment of the boy wizard to hit the movies – Prisoner of Azkaban.