Owlcast Episode 48: Rated Diabolical

This week me and Amu talk about chapter 35 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, among other things.

- More extra interviews.
- Bellatrix's marriage.
- King's Cross.
- I need clothes, lots of clothes.
- Not dead, he is.
- Wands.
- Did Dumbledore wait?
- Ghosts?
- Dumbledore deceived by the Marauders.
- More on uniting the Hallows.
- Adult Actors.
- Posters.

You can download this episode via iTune or directly (Right Click..., Save As).

Fake HBP Still of Slughorn

Earlier today, a supposed still of Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace with the Warner Brothers logo surface online. However, the photo was a fake. The image was really two images of Jim Broadbent, from his other films, put together on photoshop.

Happy Birthday, Jason Isaacs

Jason Isaacs who magnificently portrays Lucius Malfoy in the Potter films turns 45 today. Happy Birthday, Jason!

Full Text and Video of JKR Commencement Speech

Full text and video of yesterday's commencement speech given by J.K. Rowling at Harvard is now online and can be viewed here.

Happy Birthday, Draco Malfoy

J.K. Rowling's official website has been updated to wish Draco Malfoy a happy birthday. Happy Birthday, Draco!

Live Feed of JKR Harvard Commencement Speech on June 5

A couple of months back, we told you that J.K. Rowling would be this year's Harvard Commencement speaker on Thursday, June 5th. There is news today that the ceremonies will be broadcast live via this link, allowing fans everywhere to watch our favorite author. Jo will be speaking sometime between 2:15 and 4:00pm. Afterwards, full test and video of the speech will be available here for all those who can't catch the live feed.

On a related note, "Hedwig's Theme," has been being played on the Lowell House bells at Harvard in anticipation of Jo's visit. Jeremy Lin, a Harvard senior and resident bell-ringer states:

"We do a ring every year for Halloween, and one of the things that started after Halloween is that somebody figured out how to play the Harry Potter theme. That person has since graduated, but we knew that it was possible, so we kind of worked up our own version and we thought that it would be nice to play for her."

The bells will ring one last time after this year's commencement, upon which they will be dismantled and returned to their original owner's, the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, which is the residence of the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

You can hear the bells play "Hedwig's Theme" here.

Thanks, TLC.

Owlcast Episode 47: Page 5

It's one of our sorter episodes, but Me, Mary, and Amber are back for another week of OwlCast, in which we talk about chapter 34 of Deathly Hallows.

- 800 word prequel.
- Snape and Draco dance.
- Lord Dawlish.
- To the Forest Again.
- Neville's instructions.
- The resurrection stone.
- The Marauders as they should have been.
- Poor Hagrid.
- A flash of green light and everything was gone.

You can download this episode via iTune or directly (Right Click..., Save As).

New Interview With Tom Riddle Classmate

The BlogHogwarts has an exclusive new interview with actor Guy Mannerings, who has been cast as one of Tom Riddle's classmate's and member of the Slug Club.

BH: Have you already shot scenes of Half-Blood Prince? In which scenes are you present?
GM: I have shot some scenes in Half-Blood Prince, all of which were a joy to do. Each scene in Harry Potter is very different to film; some take days, some take only hours, but they are all always fun to do, and it's great to see how a big-budget film is put together. I play a character from the 1940s/1950s in a young Tom Riddle era, and did scenes surrounding this.

...

BH: Which members of the cast did you met?
GM: I was lucky enough to work with Jim Broadbent, which included doing a small improvisation with him and some other actors. He was fantastic, and his voice could be heard on the other side of the studio! I have met a number of actos and actresses on the Harry Potter sets, for example, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Jim Boradbent, Shefali Chowdhury, etc. They were all very different characters in themselves, but all charming and great to work with. I was also lucky enough to work with some of my close friends, who are great actors, such as Tommy Chambers and Jon Overton.

Radcliffe and Griffiths to PResent at 2008 Tony Awards

Actors Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths, who both appeared in "Equus" together, will be among the presenters at the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, according to Playbill.com. The Tony Awards will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 15th at 8 p.m. EST on CBS in the US.

Helen McCrory Talks Narcissa Malfoy

Helen McCrory recently appeared on BBC Radio's "Woman Hour" where she briefly discussed her role as Narcissa Malfoy in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although she does state in the interview that she can say "practically nothing" about the film she does talk about Narcissa's wand:

"I get a wand. And somebody comes up to you on the set with a wand in a box. You literally use the wand and then it’s put back into the box and it’s taken away… and put in a safe. So, using a wand is no light thing.”

McCrory goes on to discuss her character's wardrobe:

"There is a fantastic designer called Jany who is Parisian and, of course, has more style in her little finger than most of us will have in our entire life. And she has designed… it’s very high couture, what I am wearing, which is wonderful. It’s all 50s and very hourglass and pencil skirts and very, very chic.”

New Trio and Snape & Draco HBP Stills

A handful of new, and a bit bigger, Half-Blood Prince stills are online this morning. The Portkey has posted four stills from the film, one being a larger version of one we've already seen (Harry next to file cabinet). The other three stills show a different angle of the Walnut shot, the trio in Ron's bedroom, and Draco and Snape in a corridor.

It should be noted that all of these news stills feature the Warner Brothers and Half-Blood Prince logos, as opposed to the previously unmarked stills.

JKR Hosts MS Charity Ball

Last night, J.K. Rowling hosted a MS (Multiple Sclerosis) charity ball at Harburn House, West Lothian. According to the Sunday Mail, the event earned £320,436 for Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland, which Jo is patron over. Of interest, one item included in the featured charity auction " was the chance to be immortalised as a wizard or witch in a portrait at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Florida."