There's a new interview out today with Chris Columbus, who Potter fans know for directing Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. His latest film, titled Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is due out this weekend in the United States.

Many have compared Percy Jackson to Harry Potter, noting several similarities (especially when you watch this Percy Jackson trailer). It's why we decided to post the below interview from ScreenStar, who specifically asks Columbus about making sure he wasn't copying his own work on Potter too much:

Q: How often did you catch yourself on the Percy Jackson set saying, "Nope, did that on Potter. Can't do it again."?

A: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. To a certain extent, if I felt there were any similarities -- because people always ask the question -- I really, really tried hard to remove them from the film. I didn't really want the comparisons, but the comparisons, when you're doing anything in the fantasy genre, are inevitable. Every time I saw a bit of a pitfall we'd move away from it.

Read the rest of the interview at this link, where Chris discusses advances in special effects since Potter and much more.

Since the very first Harry Potter film began filming at Leavesden Studios a decade ago, Harry Potter fans have hoped that one day they'd be able to visit the real Harry Potter sets themselves.

Lucky fans (and press) have received the opportunity, and now it looks like Warner Brothers may open it up to visitors in the future. From the Financial Times:

A person familiar with the plans said Warner Brothers wants to make Leavesden a European hub for post-production, including visual effects, animatronics and film editing in the UK, and believes that it will attract film business to the country.

The proposal also includes a plan to allow members of the public to visit, by appointment, the sets of films made at Leavesden, including the great hall from the Harry Potter series.

The Great Hall is one of very few sets that have remained in tact at Leavesden since Sorcerer's Stone filming. Other classic sets include Dumbledore's Office and the Gryffindor common room.

Official announcements likely won't be seen for a while, but as always, we'll keep you updated! Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip.

Empire Online has released their Review of the Decade and Harry Potter was mentioned in a number of categories.

- 5 Synopses That Make You Sound Insane In The Telling:

"Abused child is rescued from life in cupboard under the stairs by Robbie Coltrane who says he's a wizard and takes him off to a magical school."

- 50 Great Movie Posters: Order of the Phoenix "You Will Lose Everything" with Lord Voldemort.

- 10 People You'd Never Heard of Before 2000: Daniel Radcliffe.

"In 1999 he was: Making a name for himself as the young David Copperfield in the Beeb's adaptation of the Dickens classic, and preparing to go to the theatre for a night out, where he would be spotted and identified as a potential Potter."

- 10 Crimes Against Hair: Lucius Malfoy.

- 10 Biggest Box Office Hits of the Decade: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at No. 4, Order of the Phoenix at No. 6, Half-Blood Prince at No. 7 and Goblet of Fire at No. 9.

Thanks to Rebecca for the tip!

Warner Brothers has sent out the December edition of their HarryPotter.com newsletter. In it, subscribers get an exclusive clip from the Ultimate Edition DVDs, featuring Emma Watson and Rupert Grint goofing off and discussing their Potter reading habits on the Deathly Hallows set. You can view the clip right here.

Also of note is a new Twitter contest WB is running for a chance to win exclusive Harry Potter movie posters. All you have to do is follow @harrypotterfilm by going here. The contest begins January 4.

To get access to these special features and much more, click here to sign up for the official newsletter!

The story of the Harry Potter franchise now spans close to two decades. It is with that in mind that we've opened our new Harry Potter timeline, which encapsulates the biggest milestones and events since 1990 (when the story of Harry Potter first entered Jo's mind).

This timeline was originally known on MuggleNet as our Decade in Review, which was released in 2007 to celebrate 10 years of Potter books on store shelves.

Over the past couple of weeks we've worked on updating and expanding this area, and from now on the Timeline will be updated whenever big news strikes.

The Timeline is permanently accessible via its link in the Info section on the left side of this page. We hope you enjoy!

AOL Moviefone has released a list detailing what they believe are the best films of the decade, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban takes 10th place:

During his third year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) learns that Lord Voldemort's acolyte Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped Azkaban prison with an eye toward making Harry's "Boy That Lived" moniker an overstatement. No worries, Harry's friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) are on hand to help him sort out the shifting allegiances -- and shapes! -- in a tale where nothing is as it seems. Darker than the first two Potter films, to legions of fans the third installment of J.K. Rowlings' juggernaut may or may not be the best of the bunch; but, really, what Muggle wouldn't enjoy this.

Do you agree that out of all the Potter films, this is the best one? Personally, I'd put Order of the Phoenix or Half-Blood Prince on this list instead. Thanks to Rory for the tip!

As Potter fans, we know that the franchise has had a huge impact financially on various companies who own rights to the Harry Potter brand. Now, The Economist has an article online looking at the success of those companies.

Despite claiming that the series is "not great literature," the article is still a good read. A sample:

In fact the Harry Potter books were the iceberg. As each book appeared it drew new readers to the series and expanded sales of earlier books in a snowball effect. Thanks largely to the boy wizard, Bloomsbury’s turnover, which had gradually increased from 11m pounds in 1995 to 14m pounds in 1997, took off. In 1999 it stood at 21m pounds. Two years later it was 61m pounds. By the middle of this decade, with Bloomsbury’s revenues above 100m pounds, rival publishers were griping that there was no point bidding against the firm for a children’s title. So far the books, which are published in America by Scholastic, have sold more than 400m copies worldwide. Not all were read by the young. Central to the books’ success was a repackaging, with a darker cover, for adults embarrassed about being seen reading a children’s book.

There are also comments from Potter producer David Heyman, who says that filming for Deathly Hallows will wrap in May. This is in line with other recent comments targeting a late Spring/early Summer release. Thanks to Amanda for the tip!

Reflecting on the most-discussed items of 2009, Twitter has released a list of the top Trends of the year and sorted them into various categories. As most Twitter users know, "Trends" are keywords getting the most use at any given moment.

"Harry Potter" took the top spot in the Movies categories, followed by New Moon, District 9, and Paranormal Activity. View all the lists and categories at this link.

While we're on the subject... have you followed MuggleNet and all the Potter stars on Twitter yet?

Thanks to Pablo for the tip!

Warner Brothers has provided us with an extended clip from Sorcerer's Stone to share with our readers.

It's the scene where the teachers find Harry, Ron, and Hermione with the troll in the girls lavatory.

Watch it in your preferred format: Quicktime | Windows Media Player

Watch the entire extended film on the Sorcerer's Stone Ultimate Edition DVD!

Last night we told you a new clip from the Sorcerer's Stone Ultimate Edition DVD aired on ABC Family during their presentation of Sorcerer's Stone. The clip is now online!

The clip shows Sorcerer's Stone/Chamber of Secrets director Chris Columbus talking about the reasons why they cast Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. It also includes original screen test footage and a clip of Emma talking about the casting process.

At the end, we see a cute family shot of the Weasley family!

See it at this link. Thanks to Michael for sending it in!

REMEMBER: Chamber of Secrets airs today from 4 to 8 PM ET/PT, then Prisoner of Azkaban airs from 8 to 11 ET/PT. Both are on ABC Family. If anyone catches new Half-Blood Prince or Ultimate Edition DVD features airing during the commercials, please e-mail descriptions and/or video to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

Entertainment Weekly has released a new "Best of Decade" feature, which looks at the top entertainment people, books, films, etc of the past 10 years. Harry Potter took three spots in the various lists.

- Best Books - #8 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - The fourth Potter novel was the darkest yet, forcing poor Harry to contend with Death Eaters run amok and the loss of a major character. That it also encompasses some of the series' most purely fun moments of escapism is proof of Rowling's versatile gifts.

- Entertainer of the Year - #1 - Harry Potter - The Entertainer of the Decade is obviously Harry Potter — a franchise that covers all the cultural bases, selling books, movie tickets and merchandise. Fans whip up butterbeer batches, obsess over John Williams' iconic score, even listen to ''wizard rock.''

- Entertainers of the 2000s - JK Rowling - As 1999 came to a close, J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter were already household names — as long as those households contained literate children with a voracious appetite for fantasy fiction. In 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — the fourth book in the British author's seven-book cycle — ignited a global pop phenomenon that got the attention of all readers, young and young at heart.

Read more at the links! Do you agree with where Entertainment Weekly placed Potter?

As we move toward 2010, The Telegraph is taking a look back at the top 100 books of the past decade. Coming in at No. 1 is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The entry reads:

If you don’t know what a Muggle is by now, you’re either Rip van Winkle or enormously stubborn. This is the seventh and final instalment in Rowling’s record-breaking series about Harry Potter, the world’s most famous lightning-scarred boy wizard and his tribulations with Lord Voldemort. We’ve seen Harry grow from a spindly, messy-haired 11-year-old into a heroic young adult. Children have grown up with him, finding in his battles metaphors for their own. This volume alone sold 15 million copies in the first 24 hours after it was published. Whether wickedly skewering suburbia, or bringing Harry, Ron and Hermione into mortal danger, Rowling is never less than absorbing. Some may sneer at her books, but they are triumphant sagas about the defeat of evil that tap into our basic hunger for stories. Most importantly, she makes reading a 700-page book seem easy. This one even has a quotation from Aeschylus as its epigraph. It stands as a cornerstone of the decade, a melding of high and low culture that appeals to all ages and nations.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came in at No. 41 on the top 100 films of the past decade list. Do you think Deathly Hallows deserves the top spot?

Thanks to Leaky!

For those of you who own an iPhone or iTouch and have the new Harry Potter Spells App, Warner Bros. has recently released a new instructional video on how to cast spells.

To listen to the app's creator, Nathan Feldman, teach you how to hold your wand, the correct speed, and proper casting motion, click here.

The app is available in the iTunes store and can be purchased for $4.99.

Last week, we told you about a new Harry Potter: Spells app that would be released for iPhone/iPod touch customers.

Thanks to Michael, we've learned that the app is now available in the iTunes store! It can be purchased for $4.99 and features the ability to turn your iPhone/iPod touch into a wand! You can duel your friends, learn spells, and a lot more. Visit the website for the app at this link.

If you get the app, let us know what you think in the comments!

MY MINI REVIEW: At best, this app is very difficult to use. The app requires a very specific movement for each spell. I failed 30 - 40 times before I passed each one (these include the very first spells you learn where you just have to move your phone left or right).

To perform a spell, you must put your thumb on the screen, make the physical movement, and remove your thumb. Apparently you need perfect timing, orders, and physical motion to be successful.

The app would repeatedly say to me "Too fast", "Too slow", or "Try again". I can't believe how difficult it is to successfully cast just one. Maybe I'm just a bad wizard?

Don't buy the app unless you have a lot of patience and a strong arm.

In a new interview with The Sunday Express, actor David Bradley, who plays Argus Filch in the Potter movies disputed recent reports that some of the younger stars on set have let fame go to their heads.

"You wouldn't even know that they had made the money they have. Their parents and the people looking after them keep them grounded. They don't disappear off to their trailers in between bits, they hang around and chat like the rest of us. Those kids work really hard. I really admire them."

"Nobody's pulling rank on this one. We all have nice trailers and they all look about the same size."

Bradley notes, just like everyone else, he is sad to see the series come to a close. Thanks to Snitch Seeker!

iPhone and iPod touch users: get your new wand at the ready! Warner Brothers has just let us know about a new Harry Potter application exclusively available for the iPhone/iPod touch:

"We wanted you to be one of the first to know that Harry Potter Spells - the only official Harry Potter game in the App Store - will be available starting November 16, 2009!

The app, based on the Harry Potter films, will transform Muggles everywhere into fledgling wizards, casting spells at their opponents to stun them with Stupefy! or disarm them with Expelliarmus!"

View a trailer for the site and learn a LOT more about the app right here on its official website. The site has lots of images from the app, a FAQ page, and a features list.

Back in July, we learned that Ultimate Editions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were in the works.

Now, MuggleNet has opened a brand-new section for all your Ultimate Edition DVD needs: the most-recent news, current DVD and Blu-ray prices, special features, trailer, official website and more.

With additional information to come and plans for the remainder of films to be released in this format, be sure check back on a regular basis. You can find this new section located in the left-hand navigation under "Movies."

Both Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets Ultimate Editions will be released on December 8.

The Press Association is reporting that Hedwigs Theme, originally composed by John Williams for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, tops Classic FM's 'Children's Hall of Fame':

Smith, 14, who was co-hosting the show with Anne-Marie Minhall, said: "I'm thrilled that Classic FM has decided to create such a platform for their younger listeners. The Harry Potter theme is definitely one of my favourites."

Classic FM has almost half a million listeners under the age of 18 and is releasing an album of Children's Classics to tie in with the countdown on November 23.

This year's People Choice Awards are now open, and Harry Potter has been nominated in a few categories:

- Favorite Franchise: Harry Potter
- Favorite Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Favorite On Scream Team: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson

Get over there and vote! Thanks to Maggie for the tip.

MTV has an interesting article looking at how the creators of the upcoming film X-Men: First Class are using Potter as an example of what they want to do:

"Harry Potter is a bit of a role model for us, absolutely," she said. "But we want it to be like the recent, darker Potters. It should not be a kiddie movie—we're in the 'X-Men' world so you can't suddenly change the tone."

Even the film's cast of characters will follow Potter's footsteps insofar as getting into mischievous adventures that Xavier wouldn't approve of.

"There's nothing more interesting than a bad kid, and this is full of naughty children," said Donner. "Cyclops, for example—he's a tough kid that bobbed from foster home to foster home, until he ends up at the school and becomes the leader."

Are they copy cats or coming up with an original idea?