What's Next?

Pins ward off spoilers

2007-07-25T16:34:01Z

On July 21, at 12:01 AM, many Harry Potter fans embarked on a speed-reading marathon to finish ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,’ but less than a week after its release, there are still fans who haven’t finished the book and are not ready to talk about what happens to Harry and his friends. One teen found a creative way to keep spoilers at bay—buttons that say either "I'm not finished, no spoilers please!" or "I'm finished, let's discuss."

]]> SPOILER ALERT: On Wednesday, J.K. Rowling talked on the TODAY show about the character in DH that she initially was going to kill off but that got a reprieve. She also said she will write an encyclopedia about the Harry Potter characters.

Rowling ‘hard to live with’ after finishing DH

2007-07-24T19:17:21Z

Just days after the successful release of DG, J.K. Rowling tells the TODAY show that once she finished the last book, she cried and was devastated about ending her 17-year relationship with Harry and his world. “And that was just hard to deal with for about a week, “she said. She added that she was not fun to be around during those few days. More of the interview can be seen on TODAY, Thursday and Friday.

Speed reading and Happy Birthday, Dan!

2007-07-23T23:10:33Z

Harry Potter fans had 39 hours to read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" before the first Web cast discussion of the book, hosted by popular Web site The Leaky Cauldron. Some fans took less than that.

]]> Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry in the Harry Potter movies celebrated his 18th b-day today. Rumors abound that he will now have access to tons of moolah. Not so, says his publicist. In an earlier interview, Daniel did say that on his birthday he will not be going wild, getting drunk or doing anything else of the sort.

What next after the Party Harry?

2007-07-22T09:00:00Z

The country’s biggest Harry Potter bash was in Naperville, Ill. Friday night counting down to the release of DH. The Party that Shall Not Be Named brought thousands of people from around the Chicago area and other states as well.

]]> Now that DH is finally out, what will happen to Harry Potter fans? Will the Web sites, groups, conferences disappear? Not so, says The Leaky Cauldron here and here.

The wait is over

2007-07-21T09:00:00Z

Were you one of the thousands of kids and adults queuing up in line all over the Chicago area at 12:01 AM Saturday to get your copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,’ the last book in J.K. Rowling’s series? Did you stay up late reading the book? The reviews so far are very positive. Here’s a review from the Associated Press. It has spoilers so beware! Here’s another review from England, Harry’s home.

]]> Concerns about children’s reactions to the deaths in the just released book, have prompted telephone counseling services in England to add personnel to handle an anticipated increase in calls from grieving fans.

Bereavement

2007-07-20T19:11:53Z

In a few short hours, we will know the fate of Harry, Hermione, Ron and all the other Harry Potter characters that have been part of our lives the last few years. In an interview, J.K. Rowling says that writing the final words in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ was “like a bereavement.” Rowling says the book is definitely the end for Harry’s story but what about her plans for other books?

]]> Rowling has also posted a thank-you note to fans on her Web site. To get to her letter, click on the eraser on her desk. A door will open. Click on the handle to open the door and then click on the note you will see.
See you all at the bookstore at 12:01!

It which shall not be named

2007-07-19T19:04:31Z

Well, a well-respected U.S. newspaper (aka: ‘it which shall not be named’) has already posted an early review of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ complete with spoilers. Arggh! What idiots! A Harry Potter fan site, www.the-leaky-cauldron.org, is asking Potter fans to write letters to the editor to ‘it which shall not be named’ taking them to task for this bone-headed move. Maybe Fred and George Weasley can come up with a nice present for them as well. The Leaky site is experiencing tons of traffic so keep trying!

Potter madness brackets and Hermione and Ron

2007-07-19T09:00:00Z

In a few hours we will know the fate of Harry and his friends. In the meantime, we can amuse ourselves with other Potter mania. You’ve heard of March Madness; how about the Potter Madness brackets? If the characters in the Potter books were to meet other fantasy heroes, who would rule? Would Captain Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” outwit the dreaded Lord Voldemort?

]]> Will Hermione and Ron finally get together in ‘Deathly Hallows?’ Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) think they will, but Rupert may prefer to die than kiss Emma.

Scholastic takes legal action

2007-07-18T19:22:24Z

The U.S. publisher of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ is taking legal action today against two companies which they say are the source of leaks hitting the Internet. DeepDiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment are accused of breaching the on-sale agreement by sending the books through the mail early so that some people received them before July 21.

Spoilers and stamps

2007-07-18T09:00:00Z

Spoilers for ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ are spreading on the Internet. Some purport to show the final chapter and others the entire book. The U.S. publisher has filed legal action against some, but as Leaky Cauldron Web Master Melissa Anelli says, "This is exceedingly wrong and mean-spirited. Let people enjoy their book, for Pete's sake.”

]]> If you don’t have an owl handy to send mail to your kin and friends, how about snail-mailing them instead with the new Harry Potter stamps? Unfortunately, you’ll have to go to England to get them. The stamps depict the covers of the seven books and the crests of the five Hogwarts houses.

Supermarket chain apologizes

2007-07-17T19:42:24Z

Harry Potter fans across the ocean are breathing a sigh of relief Tuesday after the second largest supermarket chain in Britain, ASDA, apologized to the publisher of the Harry Potter books, ending a dispute that had threatened to keep ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ off the stores’ shelves. The tiff centered on the price for the last book in J.K. Rowling’s series of the boy wizard.

]]> Back in our neck of the woods, how about sporting a nice Gryffindor scarf to the next Potter bash? Fans are knitting their own scarves, sweaters and other Potter-related items. You can even make one of Mrs. Weasley’s creations.

Guard dogs for ‘Deathly Hallows’

2007-07-16T17:29:52Z

The release of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ is being subjected to intense security—at a pretty hefty price tag . Among the measures being taken to prevent anyone from leaking its contents before July 21 are guard dogs and satellite tracking systems. In Britain, some print factory employees ‘reportedly had to work in near-darkness to prevent them reading the book.’

]]> Potter fans will be going to extremes to avoid spoilers this Saturday. Some are steering clear of all communications devices and others say they will wear headphones when they go to the bookstore to pick up their book. "I'll beat the crap out of the person who spoils it for me," said one fan.

First sentences of ‘Deathly Hallows?’

2007-07-15T09:00:00Z

MuggleNet posted on their site what they say may be the opening of the first chapter of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’ The excerpt originally appeared in the newspaper, ‘The Guardian’ in an article they published about an upcoming documentary on J.K. Rowling.

]]> That same ‘Guardian’ article provides some more details on Christopher Little, the literary agent who represents Rowling. He’s a multi-millionaire himself now thanks to Harry. And to think that the manuscript Rowling sent him originally landed in the reject file! Just so you know, the supposed opening of ‘Deathly Hallows’ is at the end of the article, so stop before that if you don’t want to know.

When Harry met Davey

2007-07-13T09:00:00Z

We’re all talking about how we think ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ will end, and many sites have fans submitting their own ideas—anywhere from the last chapter to the last few paragraphs. Some people are also wondering what will happen to Harry and the gang AFTER ‘Deathly Hallows’ – assuming they are not killed off in the final book. One of the funniest stories I’ve read is written by Meg Cabot, writer of the Princess Diaries.

]]> Her story has Harry being interviewed by talk show host David Letterman.
“HARRY Right. After Voldemort was defeated, everyone he foully murdered came alive again, including my classmates, my godfather and my parents.

DAVE Well, that’s a swell trick. And what’s this I hear about Voldemort turning out to be your grandpa?

HARRY Um ... Yeah. Well....

DAVE Boy, that must have been embarrassing for you, down at the wizard bar.”

Here’s the complete story.

Where did you get those eyes?

2007-07-12T09:00:00Z

Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter movies, told Conan O’Brien on the talk show late Wednesday night that he’s not planning any wild parties to celebrate his 18th birthday, two days after ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ comes out. ‘That doesn’t appeal to me,’ he said. Conan also seemed to be intrigued by Dan’s eyes—calling them hypnotic and ‘luminous.’ The audience got a kick out of Dan’s response, ‘I could hypnotize the whole nation.’ Another Potter star also hit the talk-show circuit.

]]> Emma Watson (Hermione) said to David Letterman that even though she’s looking forward to getting her driver’s license, good driving does not run in her family. And when Dave suggested that everybody gets killed off in ‘Deathly Hallows,’ laughter erupted and Emma said she would be ‘devastated.’ Emma, Daniel and Rupert Grint (Ron) talk more here about what they think the future holds for their characters.