Thanks to the many readers who sent us this bit of news from IMDB: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is to make an appearance in an episode of The Simpsons. The famous author will feature in a special London episode of the series, where Lisa Simpson bumps into the publicity-shy writer outside a bookshop, and …read more!

Happy birthday to James and Oliver Phelps (25 February), and belated wishes to Julie Walters, who celebrated her birthday on the 22nd!

iHP got a great scoop on some info, from an unidentified source, about the extras being used for the Hogwarts Express sequence: Stuff you might not already know about the harry potter filming. There were 40 extras, all from local schools, paid £35 a day. They were all in normal clothes. The windows of the …read more!

The first day of filming Prisoner of Azkaban at Leavesden Studios as reported (a bit tongue-in-cheek) by CBBC Newsround. Click here for more. (Thanks to Bridget for the link.)

The Washington Post’s kid section today had a neat little article on Mary GrandPré and a short interview. They are also holding a contest on a cover design (the link doesn’t have the address but I’ll find my copy and post it for you guys later). Here’s an excerpt: Look at her drawings of Harry …read more!

And more about the Hogwarts Express fire on Entertainment Weekly’s website. The article notes that “t’s not clear what started the fire, though investigators speculate that sparks from the train’s smokestack or its wheels on the track may have been to blame.”

This article in the Scotsman details how a fire sparked from the Hogwarts Express used in PoA destroyed ‘up to 50 acres of heather moorland and tress in a Highland hillside.” Filming has been delayed for a short while. Looks like no one was hurt. (Thanks Scott.)

Alright! We’ve got it! Check it out. Nothing new – same exact thing ComingSoon posted, but at least now we’ve got it in our hands. It looks like the PR hit the wires a second early. Click here for a Hi-Res of the first officially released PoA pic Click here for pictures of Michael Gambon …read more!

Happy birthday to Alan Rickman, who turns 57 today!

Thank you to everyone who sent us the link to this article from the BBC on how Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral will not be used as shooting locations for PoA. It also mentions, about halfway down, the rumour that “Chris [Columbus] is returning for the fourth instalment.”