Need More Potter?

Do we REALLY need more? YES!

By Staff Writer Aileen Cacayorin.

Beta testing for the new Pottermore website opened for a select few last Monday and Potterheads around the world were asking:

“Where is my Hogwarts Pottermore letter?!?!”

Pottermore, a new venture by J.K. Rowling, is an interactive website that will allow users to experience the Harry Potter series in a new and immersive way. Content and background details that never made it to the published books will be part of the experience. The site opens to the public in October, but a lucky few (and by few, I mean a million) will get early access to the site between now and the official opening.

Being one of those few was no easy feat. Registration opened earlier this month, but for a chance to register, fans had to complete the Magical Quill challenge. For seven days, one clue was given each day (sometimes in the wee hours of the night/morning for those of us not in th U.K.). The answer to the clue, when added to the end of the url, http://quill.pottermore.com/, would redirect to a site where fans would have to find the Magic Quill. Once located, fans were granted access to the registration page, given usernames, and sent validation emails to solidify their eligibility for early access. Registration was limited and often closed within an hour.

That’s a lot of hoops to jump through: WORTH IT!

Beta testing has been open for a week and many (myself included) are still waiting for their welcome emails. Entry into the beta site is being staggered, but more and more early access users will be allowed in the next few weeks. (See Pottermore Insider for updates).

Once I get my email, I’ll be blogging updates on the site’s features, so check back later here on BabbleOn 5. If you’re on Pottermore (or will be soon) look for me, MarauderSun195!

You can also  follow Aileen  @A1L33N

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Special thanks to guest Babbler Julie Schwind for her fan review:

 

Like most Harry Potter fans, my kids and I have been counting the days until the premiere of Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1.  I think it is possible that I have been more excited than my kids, having read the book 3 times.  I consider this book to be the best in the series, so I had high hopes.

These hopes, however, were tempered with the reality of previous movies and their difficulty in living up to the high standards the novels set.  So, I went to the midnight showing of The Deathly Hallows, ready to be entertained, and yet having my expectations set on medium-low.

I have to say, I was very pleased with what I saw for the most part.  Despite the expected lack of detail in comparison to the book, this movie was action-packed, creative and mostly true to the original story.  So much so that I never noticed when the movie got “slow” in the middle, as many critics have said it does.  It was at this point of the movie that I felt the most comfortable and familiar with the story because it was so true to the original.  The action slowed down because in the original story, action was not the focus at that time.  It felt anything but slow to me.  Truthfully, when the movie was over, my response was, “Already?  How did it go by so fast?”

I would love to give this movie a 5 out of 5, but I simply cannot.  As a parent of kids who love Harry Potter, and as someone who wishes the movie could really hold to the book, the gratuitous sexuality in this movie really turned me off.  It took it so far off course from the original story that it seemed to scream “I am only here to boost ticket sales and compete with Twilight!!!”  I have no problem with how dark and sometimes frightening this movie was, because this book was often dark and frightening.  But when you invent part of the story line in order to sexualize the movie, it is just unnecessary, and therefore out-of-place.

The Deathly Hallows is a feast for the eyes, and certainly captures the spirit of the novel, but falls short of fantastic for me with these unnecessary elements.  I did enjoy it greatly, though, and will be seeing it again on Sunday.

I give this movie a 4 out of 5 Babbles. 

Create Your Own ‘Undesirable No.1′ Poster

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MTV’s Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Trailer

Japanese Fan Interviews Harry Potter Cast

Daniel Radcliffe

Rupert Grint

Emma Watson

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Yesterday, Midnight I braved the madness at the Arclight in Sherman oaks to watch Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince. As my buddies and I approached the theatre we catch sight of several hand drawn Harry Potter scars, Gryffindor scarves, and many other diehard fans dressed for the occasion of opening night. There was definitely excitement in the air.

As the opening scene began, you can already distinguish a significant difference in quality from the previous films. It introduces appropriate flashbacks to the previous film helping the audiences to familiarize themselves with the continuing story. There are also added scenes to help the flow and cohesiveness of the film. Sitting at a 2hr and 33min run time, the ‘Half-Blood Prince’ was exceedingly well paced.

I have to say that everything about ‘Half-blood Prince’ screams maturation and evolution. The characters are constantly growing, the score is grandeur, and it’s because everyone is strongly familiar with the universe. It’s like the presentation became better with each adaptation. It has aged quite nicely.

One thing that is obvious is that this film is BEAUTIFUL. It is the result of incredible cinematography. Many times the camera will linger on a hand or an object emphasizing the beautiful detail of this universe. The look of this movie is distinctive; it’s more artistic and creative in presentation. We take glimpses of what it looks like to dive into the ‘Pensive’, visit to ‘Weasley’s’ joke shop, and to play ‘Quidditch’ again. The effects are amazing.

You will be pleasantly surprised by how far some of the cast members have come in this film. ‘Harry potter’ played by Daniel Radcliffe demonstrates his comedic talent that most of us didn’t know he had, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) really stretches himself and plays someone with true honesty that isn’t just a villain and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) brings a strong emotional performance to her character as well. And the list goes on: Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and Jim Broadbent (Proffessor Slughorn) all brought spectacular performances to this movie.

David Yates has truly done this series justice. Don’t expect a lot of action because the story itself is setting up for the final confrontation between Harry Potter and Voldemort. I believe that ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ was brilliantly made and deserves 4 out of 5 babbles. Go see this one on the big screen.

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The History of Harry Potter

On the eve of  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we thought it would be good to trace the history of this billion dollar empire from books, to movies, and pop culture. (This informationis brought to you by Entertainment Weekly) 

1990

1990
During the most lucrative train commute ever, J.K. Rowling dreams up Harry’s character while traveling from Manchester to London. 1998

SEPT. 1, 1998
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone hits the U.S. — over a year after the book’s U.K. release. Scholastic tweaks the original title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, for non-Anglophiles.

1999

JUNE 2, 1999
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hits U.S. stores. The film version (2002) goes on to earn $876 million worldwide.

SEPT. 8, 1999
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban lands, and Rowling owns the top three spots on the New York Times best-seller list. Other publishers grumble. The paper caves 10 months later, scooting Potter books to a new list just for children’s lit.

2000

JAN. 18, 2000
The American Library Association reports the Potter novels top 1999′s list of the most challenged books, with 472 complaints about the series’ supposed occult themes.

MARCH 6, 2000
Nancy K. Stouffer sues Rowling for copyright and trademark infringement. Stouffer claims she authored a series of kids’ books in the 1980s, including The Legend of Rah and the Muggles. In 2002, a U.S. judge rules against Stouffer and fines her $50,000, citing fraud.

JULY 8, 2000
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire debuts with a then-record-breaking 5 million copies.

2001

FEB. 21, 2001
Broadway star Jim Dale takes home a Grammy for voicing 127 different characters in the audiobook version of Goblet of Fire.

MARCH 12, 2001
Two faux histories of the Potterverse appear: Newt Scamander’s Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Kennilworthy Whisp’s Quidditch Through the Ages — both actually penned by Rowling.

NOV. 16, 2001
The first Potter movie premieres. Under Chris Columbus’ direction, it conjures $976 million worldwide.

2002

SEPT. 24, 2002
On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wiccan wunderkind Willow realizes that former Watcher Giles has gone ”all Dumbledore on me” when he teaches her to use responsible magic.

2003

MARCH 7, 2003
Two years before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger writes a letter suggesting that the Potter books are ”subtle seductions” that could ”deeply distort Christianity in the soul” of young people.

MAY 15, 2003
On Friends, Joey announces his plans to get frisky under a blanket during a flight to Barbados, until Ross notes: ”It’s a blanket, Joey, not a cloak of invisibility.”

JUNE 21, 2003
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix sets a new record for a first printing with 8.5 million copies.

NOV. 23, 2003
The Simpsons clan visits London, where a huffy Rowling answers Lisa’s query about Harry’s fate: ”He grows up and marries you. Is that what you want to hear?”

2004

MAY 1, 2004
Lindsay Lohan is more like Hormone-y Granger in a Saturday Night Live sketch that imagines Hogwarts’ best student has blossomed voluptuously over the summer to the delight of her randy schoolmates, including Rachel Dratch’s nerdy Harry Potter.

2005

JULY 16, 2005
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince breaks sales records.

2006

APRIL 25, 2006
Luke, the gruff and hirsute diner owner in Gilmore Girls, earns the nickname Hagrid.

JUNE 30, 2006
And we thought Voldemort was a tough boss. In The Devil Wears Prada, Runway‘s demanding editor in chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), tasks her harried assistant (Anne Hathaway) with the impossible job of finding a manuscript of the new, still-unpublished Harry Potter book.

2007

MAY 31, 2007
Who says Disney has a monopoly on magic kingdoms? Universal Orlando Resort announces plans to open a Harry Potter theme park in 2009, complete with Hogwarts castle and Hogsmeade.

JULY 14, 2007
Kaza Kingsley’s Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye is the umpteenth post-Potter kids’ fantasy novel whose look is not remotely similar to the best-selling behemoth.

JULY 21, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows wraps it all up.

JULY 15, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood opens in theaters.

New Half-Blood Prince Posters

New Harry Potter Posters:

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