We are very happy to break the news that Jim Dale, narrator of the US Potter books, will be presenting at HPEF's Portus 2008 this July! Portus representative Aziza Aba Butain talks about how excited they are to be hosting him:

"We've just confirmed that Jim Dale, the amazing "reader" of all the HP audio books for the US , Broadway icon and the narrator of ABC's new hit series "Pushing Daisies", will be presenting at Portus in July. This will be Jim Dale's first HP conference. We're all very excited and honored to have a guest so involved with the series be apart of Portus's Programming. Mr. Dale is quite the dynamic, accomplished speaker and we can't wait for Portus to arrive.

Portus's monthly newsletter, The Portal, will be updating soon with the latest on Jim's programming. This will, undoubtedly, be a must-see conference for Harry Potter fans. We cannot wait to find out what Portus and Jim Dale have to offer!

If you're interested in attending Portus, you must register! Visit Portus2008.org for more information. Don't forget, MuggleCast will also be hosting a podcast at the conference as part of their Podcast Palooza. This is one conference that you definitely will not want to miss!

Yesterday we told you that the Food Network's Ace of Cakes would be doing a special last night on the Hogwarts Castle Cake from the LA Order of the Phoenix after party. DanRadcliffe.com now has the video online, and you can watch it over at their site. Thanks, Jenna!

Of note to MuggleNet visitors, when you get to 2:38 you'll see Ben and Emerson behind one of the cake designer's right shoulder. Unfortunately, we were too afraid to touch the cake because of how well it was designed.

The Food Network's Ace of Cakes will make its season premiere tonight (Thursday) at 10:30 PM EST. An uncountable amount of visitors have informed us that the premiere will feature a look at how a Hogwarts Castle cake was created for the July Order of the Phoenix LA after party.

Dan Radcliffe is expected to make a brief appearance on the program as well. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

If you don't celebrate Christmas, then we hope you have/had a Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid, or even if you worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster, we hope you have/had a wonderful time celebrating that, too!

Aaaaaaaand in the spirit of the holidays, here are Christmas layouts for you to feast upon! If, uh, you eat layouts... that is. Or even if you don't. We don't judge here.





On one final note...

The Pickle Pack Reindeer also wishes you and your family the best of holidays! The Pickle Pack Reindeer's long and storied history, for those of you who have asked, goes back many, um, seconds ago, when I found the image on Google and decided Pickle Pack could use its own reindeer. (My sense of humor has gone way downhill.)

LASTLY: Want some more holiday fun? A few of the MuggleCasters compiled this holiday greetings video. Enjoy!

Recently, Yahoo! released their list for the most searched farewells of 2007. With the release of the final book in the series earlier this year, Harry Potter dominated the countdown taking the top spot.

Not all send-offs in 2007 inspired mourning, although they may have been just as heartrending. We said goodbye to a number of favorite characters, both real and fictional. Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron, the creations of author J.K. Rowling, earned the most fare-thee-well searches with the final chapter of the young wizards' adventures. The online hysteria died down, only to be revived with the author's revelatory afterword about late schoolmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Gilmore Girls and The O.C. were among the contenders.

According to an article in USA Today, Quidditch is the latest sport being played in colleges across the US - the first intercollegiate match was held earlier this month. One student from Middlebury College, VT said:

"Quidditch is one of the most creative things that came out of the books. We were able to create that here, follow all the rules, except the ability to fly. It just caught on."

In order to make the game work, the Snitch is replaced by a young man, who runs around the pitch at "lightning speed" and, although the players obviously lack the ability to fly, brooms are still carried around for show; these in fact have been supplied by Alivan's, MuggleNet's primary sponsor.

This modified version of the sport has been described as a cross between rugby, dodge ball and soccer.

On last night's episode of Saturday Night Live, there were two big mentions of Albus Dumbledore's recent sexuality revelation. The first came during the weekly bit called "Weekend Update." One anchor reported the revelation, followed by the punchline "Even worse, he now has Hog Warts."

The second came in a segment where JK Rowling is being interviewed about Dumbledore on CNN's Larry King Live. She tells Larry that several scenes were cut from the movie which gave away his sexuality. Each of the scenes were then played, focusing around Dumbledore telling McGonagall about his man love problems.

UPDATE: Clip #1 from the Weekend Update segment | Clip #2 from the Larry King segment

London Theatre Guide is currently listing a show called "Potted Potter - The Unofficial Harry Experience" which is due to open at the Trafalgar Studios 2 Theatre in the West End on December 17th. The show promises "endless costumes, songs, ridiculous props and a little magic, with a special appearance from a very frightening fire-breathing dragon, and even a game of Quidditch involving the audience". It will use elements from all seven of the books and condense them into a sixty minute performace.

The production, which is performed entirely by two people, appears to be aimed at children aged six and above, and will run until January 5th 2008. Thanks for the tip, Steven!

On its spectacularly stunning fifth birthday, MuggleNet's premiere fan-interactive segment The Crazy Caption Contest is given a new title... 'version 2.0'!

First begun in 2002 by webmaster Emerson Spartz himself, this segment has since grown into the mighty MuggleNet's largest and most fan-interactive segment throughout these many years of Potter. To celebrate, the contest has been given a double dose of fan interactivity, as all visitors now have the opportunity to vote on each week's winners. Not only this, but voting has been made available on every one of the contest's 250-week lifespan, creating hours of hilarious fun to be had in reading and 'judging' the winners of the past!

There has never been a better time than now to check out this cool segment on MuggleNet, and become hooked! We are VERY proud to bring such a cool renovation to the section that has been loved increasingly for the past five years, and which may very well continue for a few more.

According to a new report released by several British film and tourism bodies, the location of scenes shot in the Harry Potter movies are among several recent films responsible for the boost in UK tourism.

"British films and television programs play a powerful role in showcasing the UK to the rest of the world and boosting tourism," said John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council.

"There are countless examples of visitors flocking to locations they've seen in films or on TV and the effect can last for years."

The report also listed several other non-Potter films, including The Da Vinci Code, Gosford Park and Pride and Prejudice.

The Sunday Mirror is reporting this morning that a Harry Potter-themed musical is currently in the works. To open in London's West End, the article says producers are working on several script ideas and believe it has huge potential:

"The difficulty is condensing the seven books into a manageable show. They are exploring various ideas. One possibility is to tell the whole story. Another is to just take a single plot."

While very interesting, the Sunday Mirror says that producers hope to have the show open next year. Unless this musical has been in the works for some time, there is very little chance that it could open in only 1 - 2 years time. So with that, put this in the "very very big rumor" category for now until more whispers start floating around. Thanks to those who e-mailed with the link!

The JKR's Army contest we told you about earlier will end on Tuesday, July 31st. More than 7,000 fans have already entered, and you can be among these people for a chance to win great prizes. You can find out more about this contest on their webpage.

In addition, as always after a book signing, there are loads of forgeries on eBay. Please be aware that legitimate signed copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows all have holographic stickers in them. These stickers are now being used by J.K. Rowling's camp to help us all be able to identify authentic signed books. Remember to keep safe when purchasing items off internet auction sites.

JKR's Army is sponsoring a contest this month to help heighten awareness of possible fraud and forgery in Harry Potter collectibles. It will run from July 16th through July 31st. Three winners will be chosen and each will receive a nice prize package which includes one or more GREAT items. One of the prizes is a copy of What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 signed by Emerson and Ben for the contest.

Entrants have to answer one simple question (there is no wrong answer) and will have the option to enter a message for J.K. Rowling. At the conclusion of the contest, select messages will be assembled into a scrap book and sent to Jo as a "thank you" for giving us her wonderful stories.

You can find more information about this contest on their main page.

The Canadian publisher Raincoast has announced their winner for the "JK Rowling and the Moonlight Signing" event. Congratulations to nine-year-old Matthew Pincin who will fly out to London to meet the author of the Harry Potter series. Matthew was quoted as saying, "I love reading Harry Potter because I enjoy all his adventures and wish that I had a pet owl and could go to a school like Hogwarts."

The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix UK website will have a live webcast of the London premiere on Tuesday, July 3rd at 17.00 BST. You can find out what time that will be in your area at this website.

MuggleNet will be attending and covering this event.

The British cinema chain, ODEON theaters, has a new contest for the residents of the United Kingdom. One lucky fan will win a trip to the set of the Harry Potter films, Leavesden Studios. Moviegoers will be automatically entered once they book their tickets between June 30th and July 22nd. One winner and a guest will be able to see how the magic is made as well as meet the cast members of the movie! Good luck!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens on July 12, 2007 in the UK.

PC World is reporting a Harry Potter virus that has surfaced online. Security companies have found emails that contain an attachment suggesting to be Book 7, when in fact it infects the receiver's computer when opened. The worm creates new users on Windows such as "Harry Potter," "Hermione Granger," and "Ron Weasley." Then once Internet Explorer is opened, it redirects users to an Amazon page for "Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes."

There are no spoilers contained in this article, as the attachment is fake.

We advise you to be safe on the internet and not to open any suspicious email from an unknown source that claims to have information on Deathly Hallows.

Continuing her support for the campaign to find Madeleine McCann, JK Rowling has added an appropriate page in the Links section of her official site. An extract from the page:

"Jerry and Kate McCann released this last photograph of their daughter before her abduction in the Algarve three weeks ago. The picture is of Madeleine sitting by the swimming pool on the day she was snatched from her bed. Kate took the photo of Madeleine at 2.29pm on May 3 - Mrs McCann's camera clock is one hour out so the display reads 1.29pm. Less than eight hours later, before 10pm that night, Madeleine disappeared. Mr and Mrs McCann, backed by an army of friends and family, remain convinced that four year old Madeleine is alive and are praying, along with people around the world, for her safe return."

We ask that you are respectful in the comments, whether or not you agree with this cause.

In a press release yesterday, Wal-Mart announced its plans regarding the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All of Wal-Mart's 24-hour stores will be holding celebrations on July 20, which will include trivia challenges and giveaways.

Senior Vice President Andy Barron commented on the release:
"Harry Potter book release weekends are very exciting for fans and we expect the July 20 weekend to make literary history.... We are committed to the best price and plenty of copies, and want to create a purchase experience our customers will enjoy and remember that weekend."

Wal-Mart also announced "Make the Pledge," a campaign to keep their stores spoiler-free. More than 1 million Wal-Mart associates will be asked to take the pledge. For those of you who want to preserve the magic and not spoil the story for others, please show your support at this link.

Thanks to Emma for the tip.

We briefly interrupt our regular news to express our shock, disgust, and sorrow at the events that unfolded today at Virginia Tech. After fatally shooting 32 people in a senseless, murderous rampage, the lone gunman turned the gun on himself. This, for many, was the sole source of consolation from today's atrocities.

We wish to offer our deepest condolences to the friends and families of the victims. They will most certainly be in our thoughts and prayers.