Sometimes, timing is unavoidable. On the week when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had its opening-weekend box-office record smashed by a spider, its studio launched the Prince of Hogwarts on DVD, aiming at a whole new record. It was splendid to see this group of youngsters oozing theatrical talent. Even though none of them …read more!

Aint It Cool News has a report on the DVD. (Says Harry Knowles: “Harry Potter is this new fangled flash in the pan generation’s deally. (Note: FLAME BAIT) Hehehehe… ” – heheheh indeed, hehehe indeed.)

Yeah, okay, I need to say this: Everyone in the media, please calm down about HP5. Ever since the NYTimes article came out we’ve been bombarded with down-in-the-mouth articles about how fans are going to mope about all summer without it, how kids will stop reading, how the book won’t be released this year, how …read more!

CBBC Newsround has posted a gallery of pictures from the “Harry Potter” DVD launch. The long-awaited fifth Harry Potter book could be even further away than first thought. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had been widely expected to hit bookshelves this summer. And now it might not even appear this year. More …read more!

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Alan Rickman in the role for which he was nominated for a Tony Award: Elyot in Noel Coward’s Private Lives. He is hands down the best thing about the show – and I don’t just say that as an AR fan. He takes what would look like …read more!

From CBBC Newsround: Harry Potter director Chris Columbus has admitted that the trailer for the next film isn’t quite ready. … Columbus said he wasn’t quite happy with the trailer for Secrets just yet and wants to make sure he gets it perfect before releasing it. Young readers are facing a second barren summer without …read more!

Hoover’s Online has posted a copy of the press release for the launch of the OwlSightings site. (The “digital rewards” offered appear to be limited to screensavers, unfortunately.) The worldwide release dates for the DVD are also listed. (Thanks to iHP for the link.) Stars of the blockbuster film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone …read more!

An interesting point from the IMDB: There has been some debate in the fandom about Ginny’s name, and whether or not it’s fully Virginia. It’s listed in the IMDB as “Virginia ‘Ginny’ Weasley.” This is by no means confirmation, as the IMDB has been wrong before, but it does suggest it’s been listed this way …read more!

Hamilton’s Catholic school board [Ontario, Canada] is considering whether the wildly popular Harry Potter series of books should continue to be available in school libraries.

If Hagrid, the Dursleys, Malfoy and Fluffy are not already household names tripping off East Lancashire tongues, they soon will be. For pre-sale figures in WH Smith of the illustrious Harry Potter video are highest in Blackburn than anywhere else in the North West. Harry Potter fans are being targeted by organised crime gangs in …read more!