Last week we told you about several new minor casting announcements, including a Death Eater played by Lord Johnpaul Castrianni.

Today, Blog Hogwarts conducted a small interview with him, and The Portkey has translated it. The most interesting thing that came out of the interview was word that a few important casting announcements haven't been made yet.

BH: Have you already shot scenes of Half-Blood Prince? In which scenes are you present?
LJC: My scenes were filmed several months ago and I finished in February (2008). I was in the scenes regarding Alan Rickman, Dan, Michael (Dumbledore) Tom (Malfoy) and several other cast who I believe have not been officially published by Warner Brothers yet, so unfortunately I cannot comment on that yet.

This week's episode of our Harry Potter podcast is now online for your listening pleasure! Another great episode of Potter discussion, including Chapter by Chapter, Make the Music Connection, What If, This Week in MC History, Voicemails, and much more! Plus:

- Matt kicks off the show with his tale of being questioned by the FBI.
- News: BBC tracks Leavesden, Tonks talks, new HBP roles, and HBP yarn.
- We wonder when WB will finally start spoiling us with HBP teasers.
- Chapter by Chapter: Chapter 29, The Lost Diadem.
- "What if..." we could make one choice for DH?
- First Place winner of the Create Your Own MC Segment contest!

All that and much more can be found on Episode 145! To download for free, we recommend subscribing through Apple iTunes. Just click here and then press "Subscribe" to the right of our album art. (Already subscribed? Refresh your feed!) No iPod or MP3 player needed! You can also visit the MuggleCast website to listen right within your browser. Enjoy!

Scholastic's official Harry Potter website has been updated with a few new games, including a timely one for Mother's Day.

- Magnificent Moms - test your knowledge of mothers in the Potter series.

- Polyjuice Pairs and Magical Matches - two simple memory games. Find all of the card pairs on the board in under one minute!

- Potter Swap - match up sets of Potter books to eliminate them. Similar to the game Bejewled.

Thanks to The Portkey for the tip. And Happy Mother's Day to all of you Potter-crazy Mom's out there!

Thanks to Kaci for letting us know that a TV spot from Order of the Phoenix has won "Best Animation/Family TV Spot" at the 2008 Golden Trailer Awards, which were held yesterday in Los Angeles. The spot, titled "Great Wizards", can be viewed here in QuickTime format.

Whimsic Alley, a Potter merchandise store located in Santa Monica, California, is one of the coolest places to shop for Potter in the world. So cool, in fact, that they are asking fans ages 8 to 14 to come out on May 18th to be interviewed on their love for the Potter books.

The interviews are being recorded for a special project that cannot be announced yet, but they can say JK Rowling herself will be watching some of the interviews at a later date. For more information, check out their website! Best of luck to all you kids who participate.

RupertGrint.net has spotted these new spools of yarn from German yarn company Opal. They have a new Half-Blood Prince collection with 8 color themes to be released Fall 2008. Each of the themes represents one character from the sixth Potter film and includes a picture.

Those characters include Harry, Ron, Malfoy, Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore, and Hedwig. Tonks most notably has a new, much shorter, haircut. Check 'em out in our gallery!

Casting Call Pro UK has several actors and actresses listed for roles in Half-Blood Prince, and one of them may suggest how the film opens up.

Teresa Mahoney, pictured left, has been cast as "Sofie" in "Boardroom - Opening Scene". This leads us to believe that Half-Blood Prince's opening may stay true to the book.

Other casting includes a Slytherin Student, a Death Eater, and a Slughorn Ball Graduate. Thanks to Ryan for the tip!

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, Chief Parenting has announced its inaugural Chief Mommy Officer Hall of Fame inductees, women they feel have "achieved greatness in their respective careers, while simultaneously maintaining their roles as exemplary mothers."

Jo Rowling is, of course, among them: "Unemployed, suffering from depression and solely raising her infant daughter on state benefits, Rowling wrote a little book titled Harry Potter."

Thanks to Shane for the tip.

A brief new interview with Jessie Cave, Lavendar Brown in the sixth Potter film, has surfaced where she comments on the kiss between her and Rupert Grint for the film.

"It was a bit embarrassing. Our first screen kiss was on my third day of shooting. It's been an amazing experience though. I've been completely immersed in the Harry Potter world since filming started last year."

Thanks to JCF for the scan!

In the midst of JK Rowling's US-based court trial, her court case in England (over a published photo of her son David taken in 2004) has gone in her favor. The BBC reports:

The agency photo - taken in November 2004 - showed Ms Rowling pushing David in a buggy on a street in Edinburgh.

The picture was published in the Sunday Express and the newspaper later settled the claim.

Judge Sir Anthony Clarke said: "If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent.

"In our opinion, it is at least arguable that a child of 'ordinary' parents could reasonably expect that the press would not target him and publish photographs of him."

Read the full story, including a statement from Jo and her husband Neil, right here. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed!

Nearly two months ago we told you about HP Quest, an online Potter scanvenger hunt brought to you by HP Fan Trips. Today, they announced the grand prize winner, who happens to have found out about the Quest through MuggleNet!

Lucy Adams of Australia has won a trip for two to the HP Fan Trips' School of Wizardry, July 23-27, 2008 at Ford’s Castle in England. Congrats to her! For a list of the weekly winners, click the Read More link below.

And lastly a reminder: HP Fan Trips' Equus and HP6 trip is selling out quick! For an all-in-one trip to see Equus on Broadway and Half-Blood Prince in the city, check out their site.

The kiss in Order of the Phoenix between Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung (Cho) has been nominated for this year's MTV Awards in the best kiss category.

You can vote at this link, until May 23rd. The site says "Juno may be super hip, but the hipster movie moment of the year was undoubtedly the kiss between nerdy Daniel 'Harry Potter' Radcliffe and foxy Katie 'Cho' Leung.

The Awards will air on June 1st. Thanks to everyone who emailed!

UPDATE: It looks like the video was removed from the BBC.

In lieu of Half-Blood Prince trailer news, BBC is feeding our craving by providing some interesting video shots of Leavesden Studios via helicopter. Leavesden has been used to film most interior and exterior Potter scenes since the beginning of the franchise.

The aerial shots provide a glimpse at several outdoor sets, including Privet Drive, Hagrid's Hut, the Hogwarts Express - Hogwarts station, an entrance to Hogwarts, and one end of a Quidditch pitch.

Additionally, there are several sets that cannot be identified from recognition in past Potter films. Possibilities include the Gaunt's House (CBBC's guess), a part of The Orphanage, and The Burrow.

Watch the video and sound off with your ideas in the comments! Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip.

About a month ago, Amazon announced a new contest giving a lucky winner the chance to read Tales of Beedle the Bard themselves. The semifinalists were announced today and voting has commenced for the two different age groups.

Click here to vote in the 13 - 17 age group and click here to vote for 18 and above. You must have a free Amazon account. Each group's winner will receive a $1,000 Amazon gift certificate. They will also move on to the final round of voting to determine the grand prize winner, which begins May 13th.

Voting in the current semifinalists round wraps up May 11th, so make sure to get your vote in soon! Thanks to Becky and Tessa for the tip.

SnitchSeeker.com was at Collectormania 13 in England and spoke with Natalia Tena, who plays Tonks in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. Tena revealed that she has completed filming for HBP:

The only scene Natalia has filmed for the movie, isn't actually in the book at all. She was only on set for the part where Death Eaters attack the Burrow at Christmas (where Harry & the Weasleys are present). She said that none of the angst of her character is there - indeed, she and Lupin are just suddenly a couple when they meet there.

Read more at Snitch Seeker. Thanks to Trish for the tip!