Ok, Pott-heads, grab some popcorn and cozy up on the couch. It's time for a Harry Potter weekend — complete with a sneak peek of the next magical flick.
As part of its "25 Days of Christmas," ABC Family will air the first four movies of the Harry Potter franchise Dec. 5-7. The world television premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will also feature ...
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How much are 800 handwritten words worth? When they're in the form of an ersatz prequel to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, nearly $50,000. On Tuesday night at a London auction house, a bid of 25,000 pounds (or $48,855) claimed someone a two-sided page on which Rowling wrote a preface to the mega-hit series of books and movies. The auction's proceeds will benefit a dyslexia charity and the writer's organization PEN. Twelve other authors and illustrators, including Nobel winner Doris Lessing and novelist Nick Hornby, offered similar short-form items for auction. Lest anyone hope that Rowling's charitible scribblings might lead to something bigger (and bound), it should be noted that the document's final 12 words were: "From the prequel I am not working on — but it was fun!" — Anna Dimond Related:• 20/20 Special Will Bewitch Harry Potter Fans• Judge Urges Rowling to Make Lawsuit Disappear
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ABC News and RDF Media Group, who recently partnered to bring 20/20 a high-rated profile of the royal family, are reteaming for a behind-the-scenes look at the life of Harry Potter auteur J.K. Rowling.An RDF crew tailed Rowling for more than a year for a piece that includes interviews, the Deathly Hallows book tour and a look at locations that inspired Potter characters and events. The 20/20 special also will offer a hint as to what's next for the beloved franchise (besides, that is, a mound of legal bills). According to the Reporter, a November sweeps airing is planned. — MWM
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At a Friday-night appearance at Carnegie Hall, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling confirmed that which many fans had suspected: Albus' wand leans the other way. According to the AP, during a question-and-answer following a brief Deathly Hallows reading, Rowling responded to a query about Hogwarts' headmaster finding true love by saying, "Dumbledore is gay." The writer proceeded to elaborate that Dumbledore was smitten with Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle. Upon seeing his good friend go bad, she says, Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."My Dumbledore/Uncle Arthur-from-Bewitched slash fiction just got a lot more interesting.UPDATE: I went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway Saturday, not long after this story hit the AP, and they worked a Professor Dumbledore joke into the script. Ha.
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Bookmakers in London ("bumbershoots," I believe they are called) have stopped accepting bets on Harry Potter's mortality as decided by the final book, Deathly Hallows, saying the teen wizard's death appears to be a sure thing. "Every penny [wagered] was on Harry dying, and it became untenable," a rep for the betting house William Hill tells the New York Daily News. Instead, Hill is accepting bets on Potter's killer, with HWMNBN paying 2-to-1, Snape at 5-to-2 and a PMSing Hermione at 10-to-1. (Oh, yes, here come the e-mails.... )POLL: Do you think Harry will die in Deathly Hallows? Vote here (bottom right).
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