An editorial in the Columbus Dispatch fears the inevitable Harry overkill, including such tomes as Chicken Soup for Harry Potter’s Soul and the Seven Highly Effective Habits of Harry Potter.

Finished Goblet, and I thought it read very quickly and held up surprisingly well. Definite future spoiler in the last couple of chapters, though…

Lord Voldemort, meet Jar Jar Binks. The following FX tidbit appeared in today’s Hollywood Reporter: “Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Rob Legato has been selected as the visual effects supervisor for Warner Bros.’ much-anticipated “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” film based on the best-selling book by J.K. Rowling. Legato, whose credits include “Titanic” for Digital Domain …read more!

According to this scooper at AICN, J.K. Rowling herself dismissed rumors of Aiken’s casting. Let’s hope so.

Harry Potter takes drugs? (via The Blorg)

HARRY POTTER RUMORED TO BE CAST, and it’s Liam Aiken, an American from Stepmom and I Dreamed of Africa. He may look the part, but I have severe reservations. Can’t they find a British lad?

Harry Potter’s America, from Intellectual Capital.

The American Prospect dissects Conservative reaction to Harry Potter.

A Burden of Proof interview with Nancy Stouffer, the woman who claims to have copyrighted the term “Muggle” in 1984. (Slate notes that the word was also used by Lewis Carroll 100 years ago.)

Washington kids talk about Harry hype.