The countdown to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince continues today, as the Los Angeles Times released its interview with Daniel Radcliffe. In this new interview, Radcliffe talks about his life playing the character he is so known for:

"I would like to think I haven’t been influenced by [Harry] too much just by playing him for so long,” Radcliffe said. “I am thrilled to have this in my life, but it is separate from my life, you know? It’s nice to be called Dan. And actually I started correcting people now. You do feel like a bit of an idiot doing that, but at the same time, in the long run it is better for us. I know it’s better for me."

There's a great new review for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince online this evening courtesy of The Sun:

The problem with the previous Harry Potter movies, though, is that every important twist and turn has been slavishly crowbarred in.

It has made for some uneven storytelling - the worst offender being the last instalment, The Order Of The Phoenix.

Thankfully, director David Yates has learned from his mistakes and here he turns in the most confident, stylish, individual, warm-hearted and witty Harry Potter yet.

He's also turned up the heat by focusing on raging hormones rather than rampaging beasts, with the main characters more interested in mixing love potions than aceing their exams.

Instead of "going darker" again (yawn), Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, inset, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) go lighter.

You can read much more right here. Thanks to Kevin for the tip!

Just a reminder to all the U.K. fans that Emma Watson will be on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on BBC 1 tonight.

Also, as many Australian fans have let us know, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint will be on Rove this Sunday.

Thanks to all who emailed!

An interview with Tom Felton, the actor who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, was today published in the Mexican magazine Selecciones. Amongst other things, Tom discusses his portrayal of Draco, his other film projects, his music and his thoughts on the films coming to an end.

A full translation of this interview is now online thanks to our friends at HarryPotterLa. Scans from the magazine can be seen in our gallery.

It's now Emma Watson's turn to be interviewed by The Los Angeles Times (Dan's interview is coming tomorrow). In it, she speaks about Half-Blood Prince and her relationship with author JK Rowling:

“I must admit I still feel quite intimidated by her,” Watson said. “Not because she is actually intimidating, but because I admire her so much, and we have all been such mad fans of the books and her and everything.”

The author Rowling has said that Watson’s character, the sweet but swotty Hermione Granger, is based in part on her own persona as a child. That has led to a mutual fascination society between the actress and the writer who, together, have shaped the character. In “Half-Blood Prince,” Hermione is the wounded heart of the film, dealing with her stirring feelings for childhood chum Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) as well as the dark threats gathering at Hogwarts.

The LA Times also promises a special Potter section in this weekend's edition of the paper.

The Sydney Morning Herald has a wonderful new interview with Daniel Radcliffe about Harry's role in the latest film as well as Radcliffe's thoughts on the series as a whole.

Here's some note-worthy quotage:
"Most people seem to see these books as being about good and evil," Radcliffe says. "There is that but I see them more as the story of loss of innocence. It's about a kid who's gone into this world and thinks everything is magical, wonderful and amazing and then realises that this world is darker and more dangerous than the world he has come from. That is his journey.

There's a new interview this morning with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince director David Yates. He talks about how he realized that this franchise is huge:

“It’s funny how things change,” he offers. “I felt really self-conscious making this last film. The first time, I didn’t realise how big it was until I got to the premiere and then got to America and saw how massive the release was, and how huge the reaction was. That was when the penny dropped, when I realised that this was such a big thing for so many people.

“Oddly, that meant that when I started this one, I was a little bit warier of everything rather than being more confident. The first time round you just do it; you just go for it. But I have settled in and this one’s quite different from the last one. It’s a little bit more grown up and a bit wittier. It’s a different vibe.”

Recently, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint sat down MTV.com to discuss the ups and downs of filming the Wizarding world game of Quidditch. In Order of the Phoenix, Rupert was "really gutted last year" when Ron didn't get his big Quidditch moment but that filming for Half-Blood Prince was "anticlimax because it's really hard work."

"You're on a broom for a long time, like a few hours at a go," Grint grinned. "You're literally sitting on a broom and it gets a little bit sore down under a bit. It's been fun, but it's quite hard work."

A slew of great new photos from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have surfaced online.

The pics span across the entire film - see them all right here thanks to Snitch Seeker!

Are you excited for the film yet?!

UPDATE: E! News now has a piece with new behind-the-scenes clip from the film at this link. While the new clip described below doesn't appear, you do get to see some new (hilarious) stuff! Thanks to Joao for the tip.

MuggleNet reader Taylor tells us that a new scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aired tonight during E! News. It was of Quidditch practice when Harry is talking to the team. Ron stands in the middle of the group looking worried about his new venture.

We can confirm that this report is legitimate - I saw Half-Blood Prince at a screening earlier today and this scene was in the film. If anyone has captured the clip please let us know!

Continuing with its Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince countdown, the LA Times has posted a new interview with Rupert Grint where he talks about love, Quidditch and the end of the series.

I think it’s going to be sad when this, all of it, when it’s all over. Reading the last book, there was so much talk about who was going to die. So I was half-expecting, I mean, me, Dan and Emma to not survive. Or our characters, I mean. I was pleasantly surprised, though. I’m glad that it ended the way it did. We all make it.

They'll also have interviews with Dan Radcliffe and Emma Watson later this week!

If you've ever envied a reporter for interviewing your favorite actors, here's your chance to ask the cast of the Harry Potter movies your questions! MTV Movies Blog will be interviewing Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright and David Yates next weekend and is giving fans the opportunity to ask them video questions. Go to YourMTV to upload your video. Good luck everyone!

The critiques are rolling in and so far so good! Pink News has a positive review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

While the special effects, comical interludes and smiles are all present, the Half Blood Prince shows us a darker side of Hogwarts in the run up to the final piece of J.K. Rowling's modern classic. Young adults will no doubt find the cleverly woven character relationships somewhat closer to their hearts than most, but not to the detriment of the overall story. The Half Blood Prince can be seen not only as part of a seven-strong series of books, but as a prologue to the Deathly Hallows. Obviously a must see for the fans, and one which, if you were disappointed by the lengthy delays last year, nothing will keep you from enjoying.

Thanks to Jose for the tip!

Hot on the heels of AOL Moviefone's exclusive Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince clip, we've now learned of another new clip available on MySpace.

The scene is the attack on The Burrow and Greyback's initial appearance. Watch it at this link!

Thanks to Paige for the tip.

Here are a couple of competitions related to the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince if you're feeling lucky:

- MuchMusic.com: win a screening of Half-Blood Prince for you and 100 friends.
- LA Times: win tickets to the NYC premiere
- NY Daily News: win tickets to the NYC premiere

Good luck to anyone who enters!

There's a new clip online from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince courtesy of AOL Moviefone. It's of the trio sitting in the common room discussing who the Half-Blood Prince could be.

See it right here!

Barnes & Noble's website now has 30 second samples of each song on the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack!

You can check them out at this link. Are you liking how this soundtrack is sounding?

Thanks to Brandon for the tip.

The Los Angeles Times has a new interview with Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In it, he discusses how the films have gotten progressively darker among other things:

JP: You're filming or about to film 'Deathly Hallows,' and Stuart Craig said the films have always been dark, but how do you feel about the films' increasing darkness?

ML: There has been an element of darkness all the way through. You have this evil element in Voldemort, a sort of ultimate evil all the way through. But the previous films have always had a sort of happy ending and they all develop friendship and love, and it started to get -- towards 5 and now 6 -- where the happy endings were not so easy. And especially here in the "Half-Blood Prince," it's not a 'nice' story. It's very dramatic, very dark, and it's really got this sense of foreboding throughout the film that just keeps getting worse because Voldemort's getting away with it every year. Harry's not saving the day anymore. In that respect, it's definitely getting darker.

A new TV advertisment for the Half-Blood Prince movie has been broadcast showing new dialogue between Harry and Dumbledore, the Weasly shop, and more. Check it out right here.

Thanks to SS via Shabaz!

Will you be in New York City to attend the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Then be sure to join us at 3 PM on July 10th as Emerson, Ben, Micah and I host a live podcast at the Columbus Circle Borders!

We'll be talking about the Half-Blood Prince premiere held the previous night, and Emerson and Ben will be promoting their new book MuggleNet.com's Harry Potter Should Have Died.

If you attend the premiere, we expect to hear your crazy stories of how you met the stars. It's gonna be a really fun premiere event and we hope to see you there!

Please let us know if you plan on joining us by e-mailing mcasthbppremiere at gmail dot com so we can plan accordingly.