JK Rowling's official site has been updated with June's Wizard of the Month.

Daisy Hookum
1962 - present
Wrote bestseller 'My Life as a Muggle', after giving up magic for a year.
Married to celebrity gardener Tilden Toots.

Fortune magazine recently asked eight people - successful for making smart choices - what guides their decision-making. The founding publisher of Bloomsbury Children's Books, Barry Cunningham, spoke about the night he first read the Philosopher's Stone manuscript and discovered Harry Potter. He says that before Potter became a hit, children's books were all about serious and important issues and not for book huggers.

"I read it that night, and you'd expect the sky to part and thunderclaps to sound - but it didn't. I just knew it was a great book. I didn't know that a dozen publishers had turned it down or that the author, J.K. Rowling, had become utterly discouraged. I think everybody else passed on it for all the wrong reasons: It was long, the title was unusual, and the story is pretty dark. Rowling needed someone to see what it was, a story of bravery and danger and adventure but with great humor - as opposed to what it wasn't, a traditional children's book."

DanRadcliffe.com is organizing a very special project this year for Daniel's 17th birthday (July 23). The project will include the Demelza Drive 2006, a birthday edition of ACED Magazine, and the Greatest Fans Idol. If you are interested in participating or wish to find out more, click here.

A prominent US psychologist says popular fictional characters such as Hermione Granger could be contributing to an increase in violence among girls.

We'll add this to the list of other things Harry Potter has been held responsible for possibly causing: headaches from causing kids to read for extended lengths of time, back problems for forcing kids to lug around the monstrous fifth book, chauvinism, devil-worshiping, fatism (discrimination against obese people), "postPotter depression" (how we feel after we finish a book and settle down for the multi-year wait for the next installment), forced abortions in China, and global warming.

Okay, I made the last one up, but you get the idea - Harry is a popular scapegoat. Don't get your knickers in a twist over this one.

Join Andrew, Kevin, Eric, Micah and me as we celebrate the one year anniversary of when the MuggleCast idea was originally spawned. We also take the latest listener-submitted voicemails and go through our regular segments:

- Listener Rebuttals cover our listeners' thoughts on translations, cursing, and Christianity
- For the first time ever, we tell the story of how MuggleCast was born, how Micah made it on, and more
- Why does McGonagall hate Divination?
- Dumbledore returning the Invisibility Cloak
- This week's Give Me a Butterbeer calls out stereotypes and prejudice in Potter
- How did Fudge's opinion on Voldemort's being back change?
- Dumbledore would trust Hagrid with his life. Would he trust Hagrid with keeping his fake death a secret?
- Chapter by Chapter: Ch 15 of Sorcerer's Stone, "The Forbidden Forest"

If you're new to podcasting, head on over to iTunes and subscribe here. Or, you may direct download from our MuggleCast site.

'This is North Scotland' has published an Order of the Phoenix filming update this morning. According to the article, film crews have arrived in the West Highlands, Glenfinnan, Glencoe and Glen Etive:

And the first of the action saw a Harry Potter double on location at Glenfinnan, in front of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Monument, skimming flat stones across Loch Shiel. Film crews in boats recorded the action, as excited tourists visiting the monument looked on eagerly.

Local man Donald MacLean who was watching from the loch shore, said: "Once Harry's double got the hang of it he was able to send the stones quite a long way." Glenfinnan will figure prominently in Phoenix, with the famous train the Hogwart's Express crossing its famous railway viaduct.

The article goes on to say that filming for Hagrid's Hut has been done by filming with a computer-equipped helicopter to bring new light to the Hut.

Yesterday, Dan Radcliffe fansites DR.com and DR.co.uk received the following message from Dan concerning his 17th birthday this year:

As my 17th birthday approaches (!), I would like to appeal to my wonderful fans and ask that instead of sending me presents, they might like to make a donation, however small, to Demelza House. It really makes a huge difference to this remarkable place which I have supported for several years and I am very touched that so many fans have already taken such an active interest by donating or fund raising. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity. DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Dan turns 17 on July 23rd. You can read more information about the Demelza House here.

Back in February, we reported that JK Rowling was to be in attendance at the Queen's 80th birthday party. In one part of the article, Jo was quoted as saying, "Harry and I are very much looking forward to attending." This led fans to believe that 'Harry' meant actor Dan Radcliffe.

Although this rumor had been squashed once before, mumblings were still heard that he would be there. Today, DanRadcliffe.com has confirmed (once and for all) that these rumors are false. Dan will not be in attendance at the event, as he will be studying for exams and taking a break from filming Order of the Phoenix.

The three winners from our Show Us Your Character Sweepstakes are now online! Below is a link to each winner, and the prize that they've won:

• Grand Prize: Katy Cartee, Music Video (Winning a video-capable iPod and the complete set of Harry Potter audio books)
  
• 1st Prize: Justin Foster, "The Boy Who Lived" (Winning a karaoke machine and the complete set of Harry Potter movie DVDs)
  
• 2nd Prize: Charlee Faulds, "The Killing Curse" (Winning an iPod Shuffle and the Goblet of Fire DVD)
  

Enjoy! To find more information on this contest, visit the Show Us Your Character Sweepstakes page. Thanks to everyone for their interest in this great competition spanning two months, and special thanks goes to the winners!

Miranda Richardson, Rita Skeeter in the fourth Harry Potter movie, recently did an interview with The Independent. In it she discusses how she portrayed the role and the fan reaction after her appearance in Goblet of Fire.

She loved playing the tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She combined elements of the Vivienne Westwood of yesteryear with "someone like Liz Smith", gossip columnist for the New York Post. "Kids are very generous. I got some really sweet letters saying: 'You were exactly how I thought you should be', so I was very relieved about that," she says.

Thanks to Tomarro for the tip!

An invisibility cloak similar to the one Harry inherited from his father in the first book may not be far off from reality. Researchers in the US and England are laying out a blue print and collecting the exotic materials needed to build such a cloak. John Pendry, a physicist at the Imperial College London said, "Such a cloak does not exist, but early versions that could mask microwaves and other forms of electromagnetic radiation could be as close as 18 months away.... We will have a cloak after not too long." Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

US Potter publisher Scholastic has updated their Fun Stuff section with downloads relating to Order of the Phoenix.

Additionally, the winners of the Scholastic contest held before the release of Half-Blood Prince have been posted.

While on her visit to India, Bloomsbury co-founder Liz Calder said in an interview that she suspects the final Harry Potter book will be released in 2007.

"One more 'Harry Potter' only but she [Rowling] said from the beginning that she would write seven. So she would not write another one after this. But Rowling would write other books for us. The next 'Harry Potter' book is likely to come out in 2007. I hope so."

In a move to ensure the company continues to generate steady profits post-Book 7, Bloomsbury, UK Harry Potter publisher, has purchased Methuen Drama Ltd. for £2.35 million ($4.4m). Methuen Drama has about 700 titles in print - including Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross and Michael Frayn's Copenhagen - and all will become part of Bloomsbury's A&C Black division. Bloomsbury Chairman Nigel Newton said:

"We have the sales and marketing expertise to exploit its list fully in the trade and educational markets and will be looking to add both practical theatre titles and new works which will become the classic plays of the future."

Helen McCrory will no longer play the part of Bellatrix Lestrange in the fifth Harry Potter movie as she is currently pregnant and will be heavily so by the time they film the Ministry scenes. She is set to be replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. Helena played the part of Charlie's mother in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Apple Brook, who's appeared in stage, TV and film productions for more than 25 years, will portray Care of Magical Creatures substitute teacher Professor Grubbly-Plank.

Finally, the younger versions of Sirius, Lupin, and Snape (who all appear in "Snape's Worst Memory") will be played by James Walters, James Utechin, and Alec Hopkins, respectively. Also, Jason Piper will "play" the part of Bane the Centaur. Whether or not he'll simply lend his voice for the role, we don't yet know.

Stocks of several educational publishers rose on Wednesday after a report released by Drew Crum stated that they had long-term investment opportunities. Consequently, investors quickly snapped up shares in three major publishing companies and Crum was particularly bullish about Scholastic, the American publisher of the Harry Potter books:

"We are compelled by the potential upside in the shares given the impending publication of 'Harry Potter' number seven, when considering the stock's history of advancing and peaking ahead of a book release."

Italian Harry Potter fans can now enter a competition to win a trip to the Order of the Phoenix movie set on August 1-3. To enter, simply visit the Italian version of WB's site. Now that OOTP set competitions are running for French and Italian fans, we could probably assume that another European country will be next.

Thanks to Kershia and Elisa for the heads-up!

Warner Bros. is holding a small contest for French fans of the series. All you have to do is visit this promotional site and answer what creature battled Harry in the First Task.

The trip will be held from August 1st to the 4th. If you win the contest, be sure to e-mail us with details after the trip! Thanks to Elijah for the tip!

On behalf of MuggleNet, I'd like to wish staff member Andrew "YEAH! YEAH? ALRIGHT!" Sims a wonderful 17th birthday today. Andrew has proven himself invaluable to the MuggleNet team. The poor guy has spent the last several hours (and days...) stressing over his driving test that he is taking today. Best of luck to him.

Andrew's accomplishments don't stop with MuggleNet and MuggleCast. Several months ago he was the Student of the Month at his local high school. He's also picked up a few broadcasting awards lately, which have become so near and dear to his TV tech heart. Happy birthday, buddy!

Edit: New Jersey drivers beware! Andrew somehow managed to pass his driving test.

Michael Gambon has donated a signed photo of himself as Dumbledore to the World Cancer Research Fund. WCRF is a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of cancer through the promotion of healthy diet and nutrition, physical activity and weight management. They are spreading the news that 30-40% of cancers could be prevented by taking simple steps to improve lifestyle. You can bid for the photo here. Thanks to Catherine!

The other day we reported that a newly discovered dinosaur was to be named after Hogwarts. Today we have additional information on Dracorex hogwartsia, including a picture.

The dinosaur received its name thanks to its dragon-like features found on the skull discovered two years ago. It is a member of the pachycephalosaur family, and its name comes from the Latin words draco (dragon) and rex (king).

Jo was asked to comment on the species' name and was thrilled:

The naming . . . is easily the most unexpected honour to have come my way since the publication of the Harry Potter books.

The fossil is now on display at The Children's Museum in Indianapolis, IN. You can find more information on the restoration process in in this IndyStar news article.

UPDATE: View a picture of Dracorex right here.

Join Andrew, Kevin, Laura, new co-host Jess, and me on Episode 40 of MuggleCast, our weekly Harry Potter podcast. This week we discuss Draco's evil father Lucius, HP vs. Christianity, and we analyze Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

If you're new to MuggleCast or podcasting in general, you can subscribe to the show by using Apple's popular (and free) iTunes program. Once you have the program installed, you can subscribe to us by clicking here. You can also download the show by visiting our MuggleCast site.

Liz Calder, co-founder of UK Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, recently spoke about her knack for spotting potentially successful authors like Salman Rushdie (Midnight's Children) and JK Rowling. She also discussed one of the reasons for Jo's enormous success:

"It was partly a matter of timing. Rowling's wonderful, imaginative, and original. I think also it hit a moment in a generation of children who were ready to read but were not in the habit of reading and were watching TV. My grandson - two years old - sat there watching TV with his thumb in his mouth. Suddenly, this word of mouth which sprung out and he found books could be as exciting and more so."

Thanks to Karen for the tip!

Sony Pictures Classics has purchased the North American film rights to Rupert Grint's new film Driving Lessons. No release date has been set.

UPDATE: The film will be distributed by Paris Films in Brazil, according to RupertGrint.com.br. Thanks to Bia for the tip!

At the National Press Club's Audie Awards in Washington DC last night, Half-Blood Prince was entered into the Audio Publishers Association's brand-new Hall of Fame. HBP is the very first book to have been awarded with this prestigious honor. The book was narrated by Jim Dale for Listening Library.

The film interpretation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, has overtaken Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the most searched-for film in the UK. The last film to accomplish this feat was Star Wars Episode III, shortly before its release last May. The Da Vinci Code hit theaters yesterday.

Netribution has an interesting interview with David Hartley, who has been the video operator on all of the Harry Potter films to date. Hartley had the following to say about his role with the movies:

On Potter I'm a video operator. The job essentially requires acting as an intermediary between camera and director. I take a video feed from the camera record it and play it out onto the directors monitors. I also do a lot of editing on the floor using final cut pro so that the director can see whether the sequence is working straight away. I do see what we shoot as we shoot it and can often be the first person to make creative decisions about how to cut it, even if my cut isn't followed by the editor.

He discusses HP more indepth in the full interview, which you can read here. Thanks to Heather for sending this in!

A new species of dinosaur has been discovered. The species is named 'Dracorex hogwartsia' after Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A replica of the dino skull is on exhibit at the Pennsylvania State Museum. On May 22, the Pennsylvania Satellite News Service will have a special live video feed to the Pennsylvania Historical Museum where paleontologist Robert Sullivan will describe the naming of the species.

Thanks to Kenny and Alisha for sending this in.

According to a report released by the Book Industry Study Group, publishers generated $34.6 billion in 2005, up 5.9 percent from the previous year. 3.1 billion books were sold last year, up 3.8 percent from 2004. The strongest growth occurred in juvenile books, which sold $3.34 billion in 2005. The release of the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, accounted for the majority of the boon. Today's New York Times writes:

The children's book segment was driven largely by the publication last year of the sixth volume in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which, according to its publisher, Scholastic, sold 11 million copies in the United States during its first nine weeks in bookstores alone.

Several of the stars from Harry Potter films have been named to Netscape's list of 15 of the UK's finest. Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) came in at #8 and Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were as one ranked ninth on the list. Clive Owen and Keira Knightley took the top two spots. Thanks, Jessica.

Last October, the flying Ford Anglia used in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was mysteriously stolen from Southwest Film Studios in St. Agnes. On Wednesday the stolen car turned up at Carn Brea Castle, a 14th-century stone twin-towered fortress near Falmouth, Cornwall.

Dan Radcliffe has made Teen People Magazine's watch list for one of the "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" for 2007. The page includes a small note about Dan's new film December Boys and the fifth HP film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed.

Yesterday, we posted a letter a MuggleNet visitor had received from JK Rowling. The letter contained numerous bits of information concerning rumors and the title of Book 7. JK Rowling's agent confirmed for us that the letter was genuine, but they requested that we take it down to maintain the privacy of its contents.

We thank Ryan for providing us with the letter, and we apologize that we could not release it.

Reader Hollie wrote to us this morning saying that for the past four days, filming for the Order of the Phoenix movie has taken place at Butler's Wharf, near Tower Bridge in London. This makes sense because OOTP director David Yates said this in an interview last May: "So far, we have spent a lot of time on boats on the Thames. I want to do a great big wizard chase past the London landmarks and it is going to be very exciting, but it has not been easy to set up."

We'll let you know what WB has to say on this shortly.

As part of her 80th birthday celebration, the Queen of Britain will hold a massive party at Buckingham Palace on June 25th to celebrate children's literature, both new and old. JK Rowling, along with several characters from renowned children's novels, will be in attendance. Jo will read from the sixth Harry Potter book before a show featuring dozens of the best-loved children's characters. The Daily Telegraph has opened an exciting competition in which you could win a ticket to the party, but you must be British and aged 4-14 to enter. For more information, click here.

Reuters reports today that The Chronicles of Narnia DVD has sold 11 million copies, beating Goblet of Fire which holds just under 10 million sales. Of interest, Narnia was released on DVD nearly a month after GOF went on sale. Don't forget: You can find complete details on the fourth film's digital video disc on our GOF DVD page.

Several actors and actresses from the Harry Potter films have been nominated for the 60th annual Tony Awards. Nominees include:

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), for Faith Healer

Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley), for The History Boys

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime), for The History Boys

Zoe Wanamaker (Madam Hooch), for Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Jim Dale (Narrator of US HP books), for The Threepenny Opera

The winners will be announced on June 11th on CBS. Thanks to all of those who e-mailed!

JK Rowling, Stephen King and John Irving will be holding a press conference on August 1st in New York City, a few hours prior to the first benefit performance of their charity reading event. The conference will take place on August 1st at 10 AM at Radio City Music Hall.

As so many listeners said on yesterday's delay post: better late than never! This week's show features Ben, Eric, Laura, Micah, and me as hosts. We discuss Chapter 13 of Sorcerer's Stone, answer some Book 7 questions in a new monthly segment, and Ben makes his voice heard with his new spin-off of ABC's "Gimme a Break."

You can listen to our weekly Harry Potter radio show by downloading episodes from our website. You can also subscribe via iTunes to get it delivered to your computer as soon as it is released. Enjoy!

JK Rowling is among 150 authors who have pledged their support for public libraries and their growing image problem. A recent study demonstrates that 42% of adults haven't visited their local library in the past two years. Jo compared libraries to the worlds of CS Lewis' Narnia series:

Where visitors could enter a thousand different worlds by jumping into different pools. When I got my eldest daughter a library card I felt as though I had bought her citizenship of that same fabulous world.

Thanks to Veritaserum for the link.

A recent poll conducted by Australia's largest bookseller Angus & Robertson asked over 23,000 Australian kids, aged 5-17, what their favorite books are. Harry Potter (of course) made the #1 spot. Of the top 50 most-voted-for books, 23 were by Australian writers. The poll coordinators were stunned to discover classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice were among the favorites.

Thanks to Damon, Book Basilisk and Joseph for the tip!

JK Rowling's official site has been updated to wish the Hogwarts Herbology teacher a happy birthday!

Now is your chance to purchase several items autographed by Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). DebRA, an organization that provides nursing and social care for those with Epidermolysis Bullosa (a condition which causes the skin to blister at the slightest touch), is holding an auction with the proceeds going to benefit those with EB. Items up for auction include Rickman's "LoveActually" hat and a photograph of himself, both signed by him. You can place your bid over at eBay right now.

Thanks to Tunnza for the tip.

The British Board of Film Classification has given Rupert Grint's second non-Potter film, Driving Lessons, a 15 rating in the UK as it contains strong language. The running time for the flick is 98 minutes and 8 seconds. As was previously reported, Tartan Films will be the distributor of the film. It hasn't been decided yet whether or not the film will be released in the US. Thanks to RG.net for the tip!

Robert Pattinson, who portrayed Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, turns 20 today. Happy birthday, Robert!

Jo Rowling's recent response to the criticism she received from the media about her "For girls only, probably..." article has been covered today by several British newspapers. Although many newspapers criticised her piece, the media are only focusing on The Mail on Sunday's article, which we highlighted. The story has been covered by The London Times, The Daily Mail, Sky News and more.

Surprise! The LeakyMuggers have returned, with a big announcement about the week of Jo Rowlng's visit to New York. We're celebrating with another live podcast - it's four days after our Vegas live podcast but there was no way we could let this momentous event go by without some celebrating with you all - not when almost the entire staffs of both Leaky and MuggleNet will be in town. Listen to the show on your iTunes feed if you subscribe, or direct download it here. Enjoy!

HPANA recently reported that Nicholas Hooper will be composing the soundtrack for the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Warner Bros. confirmed yesterday to Film Music Radio that he will indeed be scoring the soundtrack for the fifth film.

In 2004, Hooper won the BAFTA for Best Original Score and was nominated several other times for prestigious awards.

Thanks to Bun Bun for sending this in!

To launch their "Summer Reading Buzz!" program which encourages children to read at least six books over the summer, Scholastic, publisher of the US Harry Potter books, has invited a panel of authors, book professionals, and aspiring writers to their headquarters to discuss the children's book publishing industry. The panel includes the editor of the American HP series, Arthur Levine, and in a segment called "The JK Rowling Phenomenon," he discusses how Jo became successful. You can watch the video here - use the box on the left to select clip you want to watch.

Thanks to Alison and Jason for the tip!

Over the past few weeks, a woman in Gwinnett County, Georgia has been fighting her child's school district to remove Potter books from the schools within the district. Tonight we've learned that her attempt has failed, and the books will indeed remain in libraries. One board member commented on why the books should stay:

At the very heart of this issue is censorship," Boyce said. "Our students do understand the difference between fact and fiction. Let's let those who want to read the Harry Potter books have the opportunity to do so."

You can read the entire report here at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution's website. Thanks to Heather for the tip!

Somehow we missed this one earlier today. Among the updates JK Rowling published on her site this morning included an update to the Rubbish Bin. An article that MuggleNet Encyclopedia manager Andy wrote up, supporting Jo's article on teenage girls, has caught the attention of Jo:

I thought of listing all the many characters in the Harry Potter books who are on the plumper side, to demonstrate what a very diverse group of personalities they are, how they include several of my most important, admirable and lovable characters, and how 'overweight' in no way equates to 'bad' in my fictional world... but Andy from Mugglenet has done it for me. Andy, I really owe you, because I've used the time you saved me to type up half a chapter instead!

What an honor for Andy to have helped save Jo some time in writing Book 7! You can check out more of his great work over at the MuggleNet Encyclopedia.

Jo also updated her diary regarding her complaint about not being able to find writing paper in Edinburgh, and the hilarious results.

Jenna from DanRadcliffe.com has informed us that the Goblet of Fire DVD has placed in the Guinness World Records for being the fastest selling DVD ever.

The DVD sold five million copies on release day alone. A certificate to recognize this special honor was presented to Dan Radcliffe on set of Order of the Phoenix last month. Comments from the Potter actor, including a photo, will be in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records.

We now have additional ticket information this morning thanks to Scholastic and Jo's official website:

• Tickets go on sale Friday, May 12th at 10 AM via Ticketmaster
• Tickets are limited to a maximum of 8 per person
• Jo will be reading on the nights of August 1st and August 2nd

There is also a variety of new information on Jo's site, including updates to the Rumors section and the FAQs.

More information concerning the live reading will come as new details emerge. Staff members of MuggleNet plan to be at the event to cover it for the website.

The New York Times reports today that JK Rowling will be in New York City this August for a charity book reading. Jo will be at Radio City Music Hall in company of authors Stephen King and John Irving. King explained why he had invited our favorite author:

"I loved the stuff that she does, and I thought if we had her, we could actually make a huge amount of money for charities," Mr. King said in an interview. "I thought that we could actually fill a really, really large venue."

On receiving the invitation, Jo had no problem joining the effort:

"Stephen pretended to be in suspense about my answer, but frankly, this was easily one of the most enticing propositions ever put to me in an envelope."

Money raised through tickets (ranging from $12.50 - $100) will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and the Haven Foundation, which benefits "artists who suffered from illness or accidents." There will also be family packages costing $1,000 that include four orchestra seats and a signed book from each author.

NOTE: At this time we do not have any further ticket information, so please do not e-mail us asking. Once we find out more information, we will post it here!

Thanks to Sarah for the tip!

We are proud to introduce to you our brand new news system, MuggleNet Axial. Here are some of the changes and features:

• Comment registration. Now you have your own personalized account to comment on each news item. Sign up today! Remember, you only have to register once.
• Categorized news items. Now you can browse through our news based off of the specific category, whether it be Emma Watson or Movie 5 info.
• Full news items. What if the information in the news item is too much for one post? Now you can see individual pages for each news item. News posts with more information to offer will have the headline linked to another page.
• RSS Feed. You can now easily make MuggleNet's news come right to you by using our new RSS feed.
• Improved backend. No more mysteriously deleted news posts or strange formatting errors. Our new system was coded from scratch, which makes it easier for us to improve its functionality and add new features.
• Speaking of new features, we have many ideas planned that will improve the way MuggleNet does news. We'll let you know.

We know that registering for comments may be a hassle, but due to the volume of comments we get, this makes it easier for our staff to manage. It's a short, one-time registration that only takes a few seconds.

We can't thank our coder Matt enough for the time and effort he put into programming this!

Warner Bros. has let us know that Emma Thompson will indeed return for the Order of the Phoenix movie as Professor Sybil Trelawney. She shot some of her scenes just last week. Also, we've been told that as the Knight Bus is "in bits," it won't be making an appearance in this film.

Warner Bros. is once again trying to tackle Internet movie piracy by signing a deal with BitTorrent which will allow consumers to download hundreds of WB productions legally. TV shows will start off at a price of around $1 with full-length movies costing roughly the same as a DVD rental.

The president of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group stated: "We've been struggling with peer-to-peer technology and trying to figure out a way to harness the good in all that the technology allows us to do. If we can convert 5, 10 or 15 percent of the illegal downloaders into consumers of our product, that is significant."

BitTorrent software disables the user from copying downloaded files by using two clever mechanisms: a password must be entered to view the file and the file can only be opened on the computer on which it was downloaded.

DanRadcliffe.com has some new screencaps from Dan's upcoming film titled December Boys. The pictures came from an Australian television show that previewed the movie. Check the pictures out here over at DR.com!

UPDATE: Unfortunately these pictures have had to be removed. We'll have to wait a little bit longer for a better look!

Dan Radcliffe and Emma Watson both received top awards at the 2006 German Bravo Otto Awards. Dan won the Male Moviestar category and Emma took home top honors in the Female Moviestar category. Thanks to DR.co.uk for the tip.

On this week's episode of our Harry Potter podcast, we bring back our character discussions, discuss Chapter 12 of Sorcerer's Stone, introduce a new contest, and more:

- What does the name Alastor mean?
- Where did Moody get his magical eye from?
- Why did imposter Moody suggest that Harry become an Auror?
- More Horcrux talk
- Does Filch know Snape is onto Quirrell?
- Will Harry run across the mirror once again?
- Invisibility discussion
- Dueling club: Hippogriff vs Thestral
- What is Dumbledore's Boggart?
- What would Hermione see in the Mirror of Erised?

Read a complete list of shownotes over at the MuggleCast website. You can also download the show from our site, or click this link to head over to iTunes (then press "Subscribe"). Enjoy!

The Clark County Library, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, has informed us that punk rock Potter band Harry & the Potters will be playing at their library. Special guests Draco and the Malfoys will be opening both shows.

The concert will be held on July 26th starting at 6:30 PM. Tickets will be served on a first-come, first-served basis (one ticket per person at no cost) starting 5 PM earlier that day. More information can be found here.

Lumos 2006 attendees will be in for a treat as both bands will be playing at Lumos the following night. You'll find Ben and me in the front row wearing our "It's Okay, I'm with the Band" T-shirts.

Alan Rickman (Professor Snape) attended the Tribeca Film Festival last night for the premiere of his new movie Snow Cake. Thanks to HPANA, we have a few pictures from the event:

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Rickman was also in New York City to find a new theatre venue for his play, My Name Is Rachel Corrie.

UPDATE: You can watch the film's trailer right here in either low or high bandwidth. Thanks to Elizabeth for the link!

Nintendo Power, the official magazine of the video game giant Nintendo, revealed in its most recent issue that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the topselling game for GameBoy Advance in April.

This surprisingly high ranking comes as the Goblet video games turn six months old on May 10th. Thanks to Lucas for the tip!

JK Rowling has emerged victorious in a privacy suit against the Daily Express. Jo and her husband Neil recently sued over the publication of their son David's picture. Regarding the case, Jo said, "I am delighted that my children's right to privacy has been recognised by the Daily Express. Neil and I will continue to protect that right, on our children's behalf, as vigorously as possible."

British newspapers are now forbidden "from photographing the children of celebrities in many situations." Rowling has previously succeeded in privacy complaints over publication of photographs of her daughter.

Thanks to those who e-mailed!

AOL Moviefone has revealed a brand-new interview with Rupert Grint and Driving Lessons director Jeremy Brock. In addition, Variety.com has posted the second part of their interview with the duo. Thanks to everyone who emailed!

The Internet Movie Database is reporting that Terry Gilliam will be directing the sixth HP movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Please regard this as rumor until we receive further confirmation. Gilliam is most commonly known for his work with the Monty Python series. Thanks to those who e-mailed!

UPDATE: IMDb has now removed this information from their HBP movie page, indicating that nothing has been confirmed.

UPDATE #2: Thanks to WB for letting us know that no one has been signed to direct Half-Blood Prince.

Variety.com has posted a new interview (conducted at the Tribeca Film Festival) with Rupert Grint and Jeremy Brock, director of Driving Lessons. Check out the interesting video interview here. Thanks to R-G.us via HPFZ!

At Collectormania 9 yesterday, James and Oliver Phelps spoke a little to CBBC Newsround. With regard to filming the Order of the Phoenix movie, James commented: "We can't say too much, but filming is going really well - it's really good fun."

Oliver added: "We've met a few of the new actors to join the cast and they seem really cool and we're looking forward to working with them."

They also discussed the fan attention they receive because of the Harry Potter films. "It's still weird when there's loads of people coming to meet you, but at the same time quite nice as well," said James. Oliver elaborated: "And it's all part of the filming process - it's nice to get feedback from everyone who's seen and appreciates the film."

Thanks to everyone who emailed!

MuggleNet is proud to present its newest affiliate in the actors site network - TomFelton.ws. Headed by staffers Jess, Elysa, Rachel and me, we will be bringing you the latest news and updates on everyone's favorite Slytherin as well as Order of the Phoenix filming. Please feel free to browse the site, and we hope that Felton fans everywhere will find this to be their number one source for everything Tom.

Please enjoy!

Rupert Grint, alongside his Driving Lessons on-screen mother (Laura Linney) and director Jeremy Brock, attended the premiere of the movie last night at the Tribeca Film Festival. Getty Images has a number of photos from the event online, some of which can be seen below:

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

If you were at the premiere and happened to take some photos, please send them in.

UPDATE: Thanks to reader Stephanie, we have a summary of the questions asked and answers given at the movie screening:

Question: Do you relate to Ben (Rupert's character)?
Rupert: In some ways I do (laughs) - the bad dancing!

Question: How was your first on-screen kiss?
Rupert (totally blushing): Fifteen takes, that took! (Audience laughter) The girl was really helpful - I'll stop there. (More audience laughs).

Jeremy Brock (writer, director) said that Rupert is also like Ben, because he is intensely modest. Brock also said that he chose Rupert to play Ben (a character based on himself) because having seen Rupert in the Harry Potter movies, he thought that Rupert was extremely talented and under-used. Brock said that it took real talent for Rupert to play a character who bears witness to the events of his own life throughout the first half of the film and becomes someone who learns to express himself. He said that Rupert far exceeded his expectations.

Laura Linney said that she and Rupert were constantly cracking up during the filming and that there most be tons of unusable footage!

Rupert was also asked if he would like to do any other independent films, and he said that he would and enjoys doing different things. He also said that he couldn't say whether he enjoyed filming Driving Lessons or the HP films more because they are so different, especially because Driving Lessons was shot in about six weeks, whereas each HP movie takes nearly a year.

Also, Stephanie sent us the following pictures from the theater:

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

VIDEO: YouTube.com has a short video of Rupert arriving at Tribeca. Thanks, Matt!