Bless you, Harry Potter. Thanks to Pope John Paul II, Harry will soon have a patron saint to turn to when spells threaten to go horribly wrong. The Pope is planning to name Saint Don Bosco, a 19th-century Italian priest with a passion for magic, as the patron saint of conjurers, magicians and wizards. Harry’s …read more!

Thanks to reader Sandy for these links: Richard Harris has recently been on BBC as King Arthur. His list of film credits should make him the envy of many an A-grade celebrity. But diminutive actor Warwick Davis is hardly recognisable in most of his roles due to the elaborate costumes and make-up he wears. Busy …read more!

Thanks to The Snitch for the link to this interesting article on how to play Quidditch on a unicycle! According to the Sunday Times, Richard Harris thinks that only “scandalous American bias” stopped Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from winning an Academy award for best picture last week.

Thanks to TWW for the link to this new DVD screenshot — supposedly the main menu from disc 2 — originally posted on Buy.com.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. The Queen Mother has died this afternoon at Windsor Castle in England. From everyone here our condolences go out to everyone in the UK as well as the Royal Family. Here is the New York Times‘ article.

Thank’s to Siobhan for the following: “Harry Potter and Me” is going to be shown on Hong Kong TV channel Pearl for the first time on April 6th (Saturday).

Jelly bean lovers beware: the Easter bunny might have some unusual treats stashed in your basket this year. Today’s jelly bean lovers are snacking on new-age flavors such as liver, booger, ear wax and sardines. These magical candies, popularized in the Harry Potter book series and movie, are just some of the new flavors that …read more!

Be sure to mark your Harry Potter calendar. The world of Harry Potter is beginning to heat up once again. J.K. Rowling’s fifth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, “is being written and may be delivered later this year,” according to Christopher Little, Rowling’s literary agent in London. Equally …read more!

From Tesco: “Win a visit to Hogwarts School, Laycock Abbey, Chippenham, and visit the Owl Sanctuary in Devon! To enter this competition, tell us, in no more than 20 words, why you should be the winner of this fantastic prize. The prize will be for a family of six, in June 2002 and will include, …read more!

Whether you are a Middle Earther or a devoted fan of quidditch, there is no getting away from the fact that the young upstart wizard Harry Potter is knocking Gandalf off his literary pedestal in the auction houses. (Thanks to IHP for the link; registration may be required to view the article.)