Thanks to the readers who have sent this in – there’s a commercial about the Jerry Paxman BBC interview circulating on television – here’s what it says: JP: There’s a death in the next book? JKR: Mmm-hmm JP: The death of a significant character? JKR : Yes (JKR holds up a copy of Book 5, …read more!

We’re here. 3 long years later and we’re finally down to the last 7 days. It’s been a fun ride though quite somber, as J.K. Rowling has told us it’s the end of an era for Harry and just the beginning of deaths. One thing that is sorely lacking from the launch of Goblet of …read more!

On Sunday, June 15th it appears CBS’ 60 Minutes will be replaying their September 12, 1999 interview with Rowling. This interview is particularly interesting because it shows some of her own drawings for the various characters in the book as well as her filing system which consists of lots and lots of boxes of notebooks. …read more!

According to the CBBC, famed teen singer Charlotte Church said she almost got the part of Hermione in the Harry Potter movies but it was decided she was too old.

We received the following press release this morning: Anne Jones, a Leicestershire schoolteacher who is the Mind Sports Olympiad World Champion at Speed Reading, will devour the new Harry Potter book starting at 12.01am BST on June 21st. She is expected to read the entire book in approximately 2 hours. When she has finished reading …read more!

Yet another Scholastic Winner profiled in their local paper. Thomas Pardee’s essay stood apart from the rest because it injected a bit of humor – which was needed to offset some of the other more serious and emotional essays.

Sudipta Bandyopadhyay, who won the Scholastic essay contest for his paragraph on “compelling a wicked man to experience the painful suffering of his victims and the tragic consequences of his actions”, was profiled in NJ.com today. Here’s an interesting quote: “I absolutely loved this kid’s essay,” said Arthur Levine editor of the Harry Potter books …read more!

An interesting article looking at how fans are anticipating the next book quoting Melissa Anelli from TLC.

(SPOILER ALERT) An article in this morning’s LA Times (Free registration required) looks at all the miscommunication surrounding yesterday’s release of an audio clip for Order of the Phoenix. Fans first stumbled across the audio excerpt Wednesday through America Online and the Leaky Cauldron site, then began posting comments on the clip, Anelli said. The …read more!

The St. Petersburg Times profiled Scholastic Contest Winner David Dawson, who wrote a heartwarming – and wrenching – essay about wishing he had the power to cure a broken heart after the death of his mother.