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The Daily Prophet!

Forget Azkaban!

Azkaban’s not out yet, and we’re already talking about GOF! Goblet Of Fire will be most expensive film ever made, with a $305M budget! The Sunday Mail is reporting that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be the most expensive film every made, according to director Mike Newell. Goblet of Fire will cost $305 million dollars, or £170 million, to make. Newell said: ''I think of myself as being really lucky. I'm going to make the most expensive film there has ever been. 'These things are not like ordinary films they are world events.'' Newell also said casting Madame Maxime has been difficult, saying: ''We are casting right now. I've been in Paris, looking for giant women and French schoolgirls.''

Dan Returns To Hogwarts For A 4th Year

Although it's been rumoured for a while he'll play the character in the fourth film, it's now definite. Daniel told the official Harry Potter film site that he was working on Prisoner of Azkaban and said: "I will certainly make Goblet of Fire." But he wasn't so sure about being involved in the Order of the Phoenix, adding: "After that? Who knows?" It's not been made clear if Rupert Grint and Emma Watson will be in the fourth film yet, but it seems Daniel is keen they return. "It always feels good working with Emma, Rupert, Tom and Matthew. We have become very good friends and as this is now the third film we have made together our relationships just get stronger," he said. Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom, is also returning for Potter four.

Rowling To Be Animated!

The Harry Potter author and the Prime Minister appear in the show,The Simpsons, when Homer comes to London. Homer apparently makes his mark in England when he crashes a Mini through the gates of Buckingham Palace. Mr Blair and JK are said to have recorded their real voices for the episode, which will be shown in the UK in January 2004.

Quidditch Champion!

10-year-old Ryan Quinn has won the UK's first Quidditch championship - on a games console rather than high above the crowd in a real stadium. He played against 21 other finalists on 29 November at a studio where the Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup game was created in Chertsey, Surrey. Over 100 friends and family dressed in costumes watched Ryan take the title. He will now play against twelve other champions from around the world at the Tower of London on 21 December.

IMAX For Potter!

The third Potter movie will be shown on the giant screens as well as normal ones when it's released on 4 June 2004. This comes after the huge success of films like The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions being shown on IMAX screens earlier this year. The Prisoner of Azkaban is guaranteed to be a huge hit after the first two movies smashed box office records.

Hogwarts Hedaches?

Dr Howard Bennett said three children have complained of headaches caused by the physical stress of reading the Order of the Phoenix.....Out of 250 million books, 3 readers have migranes. Hogwarts Hedaches? I think not!

Potter Ads

Now that almost everybody in the world owns the Potter books how are the publishers going to get anyone else to buy the books. The people who sell the books in the US, Scholastic, reckon their latest advert campaign will do the trick - but it's only for adults. The ads are in magazines for older people in the US, and use words and phrases from the books to try and get them interested in Harry Potter. One's got a big tattooed biker standing in it, alongside the words "Flying cars. Fire Whiskey. Death Eaters," followed by "We all have our reasons. What's yours?" Skaters and couch potatoes are also included in the ads, that are trying to convince people that there are things in the books that will interest them. A spokeswoman for Scholastic said they wanted to "reach out to readers who would not normally pick up a copy of Harry Potter". Click here for the ads!

Potter Knowledge

A 19-year-old student has put in an impressive performance on TV quiz show Mastermind thanks to her knowledge of the Harry Potter films. Jacqueline Brocklehurst got 13 out of 19 questions correct in the "specialist subject" section of the quick-fire quiz. Her specialist subject was the Potter movies. She was up against three middle-aged men in the quiz, but she knew her subject better than they knew theirs. The men scored between eight and 12 points, meaning Jacqueline was ahead at the halfway stage in the quiz. The second half of the quiz was made up of general knowledge questions. Jacqueline managed to increase her score to 15 points, but it wasn't good enough to beat her fellow contestants. Their final scores ranged from 17 to 24 points. Quizmaster John Humphrys seemed very impressed with how Jacqueline coped with the pressure. He said she was probably the youngest woman to have ever taken part in the show. be able to take part, with a special grand final happening in the UK on 21 December. In the game you'll be able to play in any of the seven positions, win the Quidditch Cup at Hogwarts and maybe even

Quidditch World Cup

Soon you could be playing Quidditch with kids all around the world, perhaps even competing in a special World Cup event. But you won't actually be climbing on a broomstick to battle for the quaffle or golden snitch, because it's all a computer game. Electronic Arts have made a new Potter game called Quidditch World Cup, and they've decided to have a global tournament to make it popular. Kids from Europe, the US, Australia and Asia will all be able to take part, with a special grand final happening in the UK on 21 December. In the game you'll be able to play in any of the seven positions, win the Quidditch Cup at Hogwarts and maybe e ven play in the Quidditch World Cup. Details on how to take part aren't available just yet, but when they are, we'll let you know about them.

6th & 7th Book Title's Revealed?

Harry Potter And The Mudblood Revolt and Harry Potter And The Quest of the Centaur are the titles of the final two books in the series according to reports. A number of newspapers and Potter websites have been running stories that those two titles have been legally protected by lawyers acting for JK Rowling. A company called Seabottom Productions registered the titles on 24 July, just days after the company was created. And their address is the same as the lawyers for film production company Warner Brothers, who are making the massively successful Harry Potter films. Hermione is a mudblood in the Potter books As most Potter fans know, a Mudblood is a nasty word used to describe a witch or wizard whose parents aren't magical, and the centaurs roam in the Forbidden Forest in the grounds of Hogwarts. Last year three rumoured Potter titles came out, and there were even rumours that an eighth book was being written. But JK said that wasn't true, and added that no-one knows what the titles of the remaining books are, except for her of course! Newsround's tried to find out what's going on, but at the moment Warners and JK's people aren't making any comments about it.

Rowling's Award

JK Rowling has been given an important prize in Spain for inspiring children to read. The Harry Potter author's won Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Prize "for having helped children of all races and cultures to discover the joy of reading." She was also praised for having encouraged kids to use their imagination and be creative. As well as £35,000, JK gets a sculpture by famous Spanish artist Joan Miro from Prince Felipe of Asturias. People can win the Concord for all sorts of reasons; previous winners include King Hussein of Jordan and famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. JK Rowling has sold more than 200 million books, which have been translated into 50 languages.

JK Rowling earned more money than any woman in the UK in 2002, it's been revealed. She made £48 million from the Harry Potter phenomenon. She even earned more than the Queen, Madonna and Kylie!

Prisoner Of Azkaban

Director Alfonso Curon brings Harry to life once again in The Prisoner Of Azkaban. Release date is scheduled for June 4th 2004.

Some filming locations for Prisoner Of Azkaban: Some of the key opening shots were completed in March 2003 in London's Borough Market. They show Harry being dropped off outside the Leaky Cauldron, having arrived there on the three-storey purple Knight Bus. This allows him to enter Diagon Alley, and kick-starts the third round of his adventures Prisoner of Azkaban will be released on June 4, 2004. And producer David Heyman says he is optimistic about Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint staying on past Goblet of Fire Cornelius Fudge reminds Cuaron of Tony Blair. "He’s the ultimate politician. He’s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handled affairs in book four." Daniel Radcliffe has been listening to the Sex Pistols, the Strokes and the Dandy Warhols to prepare for Azkaban. He has also been watching Francois Truffaut and Vittorio De Sica to understand Harry’s "feelings of hopelessness." Emma Watson says "all those lovely, lovely hormones start coming out," in Azkaban. Director Alfonso Cuaron on the cast's emergance into adolesence: "You just have to let it flow. You don’t need to encourage it. You allow it to be. And believe me, they have a lot of it." A sign on Emma Watson's dressing room door reads: "BEWARE: BABE INSIDE"

Goblet Movie Dilemma?

The next movie Goblet Of Fire will begin filming immeadealy after Azkaban finsihes, and will have a new director, Mike Newell. Many people reckoned the hefty 636-page book would be split into two films, so Potter fans wouldn't be disappointed by losing their favourite scenes. But sources say Steve Kloves, who adapted the first three books, has been asked to make a single two-and-a-half-hour film. Warner Bros has also said it would like to keep the present cast. But Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are getting on a bit, making some people question if they will return for the fourth film. The film-makers have said they will make a definite announcement about who will play Harry, Hermione and Ron soon. Casting for Goblet of Fire does not begin until January 2004, and Prisoner of Azkaban will be released in June of that year.

Production on "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is scheduled to begin in England in April, 2004. David Heyman will produce and Steve Kloves will write the screenplay for the film, which is slated for release worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures in late 2005. Newell will be the first British director to helm a Harry Potter movie; the films are based on the best-selling series of books by J.K. Rowling and are set in the U.K. The first two movies in the Harry Potter series broke worldwide records with a combined box-office gross of nearly $1.9 billion. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the third film in the series, is currently being filmed under the direction of Alfonso Cuarón at Leavesden Studios and on location in England and Scotland. However, since the production schedules for that picture and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" will overlap, it became infeasible for the same director to oversee both projects. "We're really happy to bring Mike on board to direct this movie," said Robinov. "He has the ability to get tremendous performances from his actors, and handles drama and comedy equally well. We've been lucky to have worked with excellent filmmakers on the first three Harry Potter movies and we are looking forward to continuing that tradition as we start on this next movie with Mike." Agreed Heyman, "When Alfonso made the decision to focus on completing 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,' we were faced with the daunting task of finding a director to handle the complex challenges of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' and to follow in the footsteps of Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuarón. Mike's rich and diverse body of work show him to be the perfect choice. He has worked with children, made us laugh, and had us sitting on the edge of our seats. He is great with actors and imbues all his characters, all his films, with great humanity. I'm thrilled." "I'm very excited about directing 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,'" said Newell. "As audiences have become more familiar with both the books and the movies, there has been an increasing challenge to continue to develop each of these characters and to make their world real on the screen. It is a pleasure to follow directors Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuarón, who have done so much to establish the tradition of Harry Potter on film, and to work with David Heyman and Steve Kloves, whose love and respect for this material have been central to the success of this enormous undertaking."

Can 'Order Of The Phoenix' Really Become A Movie?

With the new book releashed this summer, the movie industry has trained an eye on whether the films about the British boy wizard can continue casting their lucrative spell over box offices and merchandise sales. The stars, Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Potter, and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who portray his sidekicks Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, are aging beyond the range of their characters, and the series' loyal fans are growing older, too. The movies have been major moneymakers for AOL Time Warner (NYSE: AOL - news) Inc.'s Warner Bros., which produced them and has an option to make movies of all of the seven planned books in the series by J.K. Rowling. Combined, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and last year's "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have raked in over $1.8 billion in global ticket sales and rank in the No. 2 -- behind "Titanic" -- and No. 6 spots, respectively, on box office charts.

Dan's Last Movie?

an Australian newspaper is claiming that young Daniel Radcliffe has decided to retire from the role that has secured him worldwide fame. The Sunday Telegraph has run a story claiming that Radcliffe will hang up his invisibility cloak once filming on Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets has been completed and that Warner Bros. are in the early stages of informal casting session to find a replacement lead. Radcliffe, along with his two teenage co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, are only contracted for the first three films in the series and a 'source' is claiming that he wants to ditch his film career to concentrate on his studies, saying "[Daniel] really just wants to get back to his ordinary life - he doesn't like the attention and just wants to concentrate on his exams."

Emma And Dan?

Does he have a girlfriend? This question was asked to Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe again and again. And his answer was again and again: "For that I am still too young!" As Bravo visited "Harry Potter 3" briefly after he turned 14, Daniel surprised us at the set with a new answer to this question: "It is a private matter!", it's still a secret. Is it because of the rumors? That Dan and Emma Watson (in the films as Hermione Granger) were a couple? Emma admits openly: "I have fallen in love - with someone, who works here!" We therefore think it could be Daniel... For the new "Harry Potter" film, Daniel gives clearer answers. "The Prisoner of Azkaban" is the darkest of the series so far. Dan: "One knows from the book that the Dementors are violent. I saw none however, as they are all developed on the computer." Emma adds: "I saw a few designs of the Dementors - the purest horror. Under its black hood one does not recognize at times their face. I am glad that those are really not here." In the end Daniel reveals more: "I will fly also in the fourth film on the 'Nimbus 2000' - and Emma participates again also!" The two will thus get to know each other even better...

Sue Debate?

An American newspaper is being sued for a reported $100m after allegedly publishing unauthorised extracts of the eagerly-awaited new Harry Potter book. Author J.K. Rowling and her US publishers have filed a lawsuit against the Daily News in New York.The paper is accused of printing two pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, before it went on sale.

Buying Beforehand

A Canadian woman purchased a copy of the fifth Harry Potter book at a Montreal store 10 days before its official release, a newspaper reported. "I think it's pure luck," Melissa, 23, told the Montreal Gazette on condition that her full name not be used. She came across "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" on a Wal-Mart shelf and paid the store's discount price at the cash register -- no questions asked. The woman told a friend who went there the next day and bought two copies, before the pile of books was withdrawn, according to the report.

Harry In The History Books

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Pheniox made history. Being the most guarded book before release. And Being the most anticipated and pre-ordered book. With so many pre-orders for one specific book, delivery of Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was the largest distribution of any single item in e-commerce history! Aprox. 2.8 Million Order Of The Pheniox books sold to date!

The Death Of A Favorite

British author J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, said she was moved to tears as she killed off one of her key characters in her latest book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"In an interview for BBC television. Rowling, 37, told how her husband Neil Murray found her in tears at their home after she had sealed the fate of the character."I had re-written the death, re-written it and that was it. And the person was definitely dead," Rowling told BBC's Newsnight programme.Rowling said that her husband -- also unaware of the identity of the doomed character -- had suggested that she should not kill off the character if it made her that upset. Obviously, she didn't feel it necessary to change her view. She said she had to in order to keep the story plot going. People besides Rowling have also been upset and deeply moved by this unexpected killing. All over chat and message boards you can always find an R.I.P. sign.

Harry's Moral Contrubution

Certain critics have accused JK Rowling of using her Harry Potter books to glorify and legitimize the occult, and that by making Harry's magic so real and tangible, Rowling is somehow putting her stamp of approval upon the satanic realm. But in some people's view, nothing could be further from the truth.

In 1999, J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series topped the list of the most frequently banned books. Some parents, teachers and church leaders were concerned that Potter encouraged a ``fascination with the occult,'' according to the American Library Association. However, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent has found a creative way to use Harry Potter to teach kids moral values such as compassion, love, loyalty and bravery.this church program has been around for almost two years. The program is offered three times a year and includes many Potter-themed activities, like Defense Against the Dark Arts, the History of Magic and Herbology. ``This is not about witchcraft,'' said Becky Haines, creator of the program. ``This is about morality and developing qualities that help children deal with hate and discrimination.'' Haines developed the program as a reaction to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. She wanted to find an innovative way to help her community confront issues of hate and violence, and looked to the themes of Rowling's novels for inspiration. ``I teach a class on how to help kids respond to questions concerning Harry Potter as un-Christian,'' said Mac Goekler of Tallmadge, who is known to his Potter pupils as Professor Remus Dumbledore, a play on wizard Albus Dumbledore's name. ``The books don't even deal with religion. They deal with moral values. The book is like a morality play, where children can learn the differences between good and evil and how to deal with them.'' The church's main meeting room has been converted into the main hall of Hogwarts, the wizardry school Potter attends in the books. Sixty children between the ages of 3 and 16 are gathered there, wide-eyed and robed in wizard costumes. Each room has been resourcefully decorated by the volunteer staff out of scrounged materials. As a volunteer walks in, dressed as an evil entity, all the kids rise, chanting their spells. When the monster is banished, they scream with joy. Haines, who is known to her pupils as Professor Dazzleswift, describes the hectic and joyful atmosphere as ``organized pandemonium.'' In this make-believe world of wizards and spells, noise is allowed, but fighting is not. All of the kids appear deeply involved in the magic of make-believe, as they speak in British accents and use proper Potter lingo. ``It's amazing how some of these kids go in and out of believing that they are actually in Hogwarts,'' said Trish McLoughlin of Brady Lake, known to her students as Professor Charming Trish. Though the classes all revolve around themes of magic, spells and the Potter lexicon, each class has a focus on specific moral values. The Blacklight Magic Class is a magical room of glow-in-the-dark stars, where students receive their third eye, or wizard vision, so they can see the inner beauty of everyday people and objects. In Herbology, students make paving stones for the church garden, while in Potions, they learn the magic of science as they make invisible ink. ``My favorite class is Bike Flying,'' said Elsa Heiner, 10, of Hudson. ``We attach brooms to bikes, ride on the nature path, and have butterbeer, which is a root beer float.'' The church will have a Harry Potter book release party at 9:30 p.m. Friday, ending at the Heartland Bookstore in downtown Kent at midnight, when everyone can snatch up a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Theresa Shedleski, who heard about the program from her sister, drove her son Christopher all the way from Maryland to take part. At age 6, Christopher reads the books all on his own. ``I've been counting down the days for the new book to come out,'' Christopher said. ``This is so fun. I get to learn all these new things. There's real magic. It's totally real.''

Another Battle Over Harry.

The BBC's plans to screen the first Harry Potter film and other blockbuster movies are under a cloud because of a potentially damaging row with the big Hollywood studios. Warner Bros, Universal and 20th Century Fox have called in their lawyers to sort out a dispute that has arisen from the BBC's decision to broadcast its channels unencrypted: the studios are concerned that their films can now be picked up in countries around Europe in which the corporation does not own the relevant rights. Relations between the BBC and some of the studios are said to have broken down because of the row, which could also hit the negotiations over the third series of 24. Earlier this year, the BBC ended its conditional access deal with BSkyB, which ensured that its output could only be seen by holders of viewing cards in Britain. The BBC moved its channels to a new satellite, which it claimed had a more accurate "footprint" over Britain, meaning it no longer needed to scramble its signals to stop them from leaking to mainland Europe. But the studios fear BBC channels can now be seen all around Europe, and some want the corporation to re-encrypt its services. At the least, contracts will have to be redrawn and the studios placated. If the row is not resolved, the studios could - in theory - stop the BBC showing their films: the corporation wants to make Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the centrepiece of a ratings-busting Christmas schedule. One executive at a rival broadcaster said: "The BBC are up against the wall on this one. I really don't see any way out of it for them, other than going back to some sort of conditional-access deal. It's not just films; it's right across the board: sport, drama, imports, the lot." A Warner source said: "The BBC came to us and told us they were going to do this. We are waiting to assess the impact." The source said that Warner, which makes the Harry Potter movies, had not yet threatened to pull the films. In March the BBC director general, Greg Dyke, trumpeted his split from BSkyB's encryption service as a triumph that would save the BBC £85m over five years; since then, the move has been dogged with problems. ITV, Channel 4 and Five are now unavailable to satellite viewers who do not have a subscription to BSkyB; the corporation has also been forced to sign a new agreement with BSkyB to carry all of its regional services, meaning the move may not save as much as originally envisaged. Now, some Hollywood studios are said to have suspended relations with the BBC, and are talking only through lawyers. The Motion Picture Association, Hollywood's lobbying arm, has also taken up the studios' case. A BBC spokeswoman said: "Some negotiations are on hold. But it would be untrue to say that nothing is moving forward. It's more difficult with some than others. They are concerned about overspill from the new satellite; we are confident that the overspill is a lot less than it was before."

Xpose Special #23:Top 25 Fantasy Faces of 2003

Who made the list from Harry Potter?

#19 - Alan Rickman (Snape)

#13 - Emma Watson (Hermionie)

#4 - Daniel Radcliffe (Harry)

Talking about the Director Alfonso Cuaron

He's just enchanting. He's great and the children get on very well with him. He has a very thick accent but they're all very, very fond of him and he's like a kid himself. He's a great joy on the set and Chris Columbus is still there to keep a continuity with the children, because they would have been very lost without him. Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall)

JK Rowling is a huge fan of Cuaron's 1995 adaptation of "A Little Princess"

Emma Watson of Cuaron: "Alfonso is much more gritty than Chris ever was. He’s really into the idea that [shooting] should be fluid and natural. People can be eating an apple during a take."

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