Newsday’s Stan Issacs prints his 39th Isaacs Ratings of Esoteric Distinction (IRED), a spoof of boxing ratings of the past. Included are “guest ratings” favorite characters from the Harry Potter series by Danny Basch: Danny Basch’s Guest Rating of the Characters in Harry Potter: (1) Harry Potter; (2) Ron Weasley; (3) Sirius Black; (4) Hermione; …read more!

I didn’t realize that Brits and Scots alike had been waiting for the UK book-on-tape version of Goblet of Fire, read by Stephen Fry. According to the Scottish Daily Record, it gets released today costing pounds 49.99. Not-so-suprisingly, the book-on-tape has already earned pounds 1 million in pre-sales.

Potter publisher Bloomsbury Press is doing phenomenally well due to the boy-wizard according to the Financial Times — no surprise there.

According to Counting Down, Warwick Davis (playing a Goblin Bank Teller and Professor Flitwick) will be appearing at AlphaCon. This sci-fi convention runs May 4-6, 2001 at the Omaha Civic Center in Omaha, NE.

A reader emailed us this article from the Daily Express: Reclusive author JK Rowling, creator of the phenomenally successful boy wizard Harry Potter books, is to be the subject of an unauthorised biography. JK, by former gossip columnist Sean Smith, will be published in the autumn by Michael O’Mara books. Smith, 45, who has written …read more!

The Daily Telegraph updates us on Book 5’s delay until sometime in 2002. Not surprising and not much new info since the Glasgow Herald reported it on Feb. 15th.

Entertainment Rewired has some excellent updates on the “Chamber of Secrets” movie. Not much on new casting for people like Dobby (or Dobby’s voice), Gilderoy Lockhart, Marge Dursley, or Mr. Weasley. We’ll keep you posted as news comes out.

I had all sorts of good news today until a Blogger crash ate it up. Check out the Sylvan Lane Shoppe for all sorts of “Coming Soon” Harry Potter merchandise including interactive figures of Harry and Draco based on the movie characters.

Unbelievable. Nancy Stouffer makes it into the Washington Post who actually tried to play this off as the big corporation against the small author. They don’t realize that Muggles has been used hundreds of times for various different meanings. If they do, they didn’t say so in their article. Look at the picture of her …read more!

Linwood Barclay’s Toronto Star column amusingly pokes fun at Nancy Stouffer’s attempts to sue J.K. Rowling.