JK Rowling has updated her official website to recognize a Wizard who we all know of:

Albus Dumbledore
1881 - 1996

Brilliant and often controversial headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore is most famous for his 1945 defeat of Grindelwald and his steadfast championing of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Dumbledore's self-proclaimed proudest achievement, however, was featuring on a Famous Wizards Chocolate Frog Card.

Emma Watson has updated her official site with a couple of new "old" photos of her prior to the Order of the Phoenix premieres. In the photographs, Emma is trying on various stylish outfits at Coco Chanel in Paris. Check out these photos here!

On related note, a few behind-the-scenes photos of the actress in her new non-Harry Potter role in Ballet Shoes have surfaced online.

Various details concerning the upcoming Order of the Phoenix DVD release are slowly starting to emerge.

The Movie Informer has received what looks to be the front and back cover the 2-disc Special Edition DVD. Check it out right here! The back lists several bonus features, including:

- Additional Scenes
- Conversations with the Cast
- Reflections on the Fifth Film
- The Noble House of Black
- A New Order
- Ministry Mysteries
- Flight of the Phoenix
- Theatrical Trailers
- EA Game Demo

While this picture of the front and back cover do look pretty promising, this is still not confirmed by Warner Brothers. We're working on confirming all of the aforementioned details.

Last month at the US premiere of the film, Emerson and I asked director David Yates how many deleted scenes we could expect on DVD. His answer falls in line with an update at the British Board of Film Classification's website, which lists 10 minutes worth of deleted and extended scenes to be included on the DVD. Thanks to Leaky for this.

As for a release date, rumors are currently circulating that we can expect to see it in mid-November (many sites report November 12th in the UK). We'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear more!

Complete outtakes from the July issue of Tatler magazine's photoshoot with Emma Watson have now emerged online. Check out these 29 photos here, featuring Emma with brown hair.

Thanks to IHW.net for the pics!

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.

Earlier tonight at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix walked away with the surfboard for Choice Summer Movie - Drama/Action Adventure. Other movies in the category included Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers and the Bourne Ultimatum.

Our final stop on the 2007 MuggleCast Road tour is now available! Join us for a birthday-themed show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Ben, Emerson, Jamie, Mikey and I. Also in this show, we continue our discussion on Deathly Hallows and how Harry Potter has changed through the series.

To download, we recommend subscribing for free via iTunes so your computer will automatically receive each show. Just click here to load iTunes then click "Subscribe" in the center of the page. You can also find alternate download links and more show details over at the MuggleCast website.

As this is the last live show from the tour, I'd like to take a paragraph to thank EVERYONE who turned out at any of the eight stops. We loved seeing and meeting huge turnouts at each event. We also want to thank Alex, Toby, Tyler, and Brandon of The Remus Lupins for letting us merge one leg of their tour with us. Without them, the shows we did would not be possible. We had a fantastic time with them out on the road and encourage everyone to take a listen to their albums.

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!

At a recent lecture in the US, John Williams, former composer of the Harry Potter movie soundtrack, was asked if he was hoping to score the last Harry Potter film. He said with confidence that he thinks he will be back for the last and then added that he hopes he is.

As previously reported, Nicholas Hooper will be scoring Half-Blood Prince.

Aside from our many Harry Potter related birthdays, MuggleNet's very own Ben Schoen turns 18 today! Many of you might recognize Ben as one of the leading voices on our weekly Potter podcast, MuggleCast. Ben devotes an endless amount of time and effort to Harry Potter fans everywhere, so it is without a doubt that the staff here on MuggleNet wishes him a very wonderful birthday.

Enjoy being 18, Ben!

The actor who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies is celebrating his birthday today! We hope that Rupert has a great 19th birthday!

EDIT: Stephen Fry, the voice behind the UK Potter audiobooks, also celebrates his big 50th birthday today!

According to the Wiltshire Times, filming for Half-Blood Prince will take place in the village and in the cloisters at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, England. This location will be used for multiple night scenes from the sixth Potter book. Shooting will last four days in October between 5 PM and 5 AM. A sum of £30,000 will be given to the village in exchange and in addition, each resident will receive a sum of £200 and a secure parking service.

The author of the Harry Potter novels and the actress that brings Hermione to life on the movie screen have been selected as two of 100 women Premiere has chosen because of their impact on the film industry in 2007.

WORD WIZARD
J.K. Rowling
The author behind the second highest-grossing film franchise in history (after James Bond) cast a powerful spell with the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which broke Spider-Man 2's record for the best Wednesday opening in history. One week later, the final book in the series was released to riotous crowds who bought 8.3 million copies on the first day in the U.S. alone — and Warner Brothers acknowledged that movie ticket sales for Phoenix actually fell because fans were too busy reading. What a novel idea!

HOGWARTS HOTTIE
Emma Watson
Whether or not the young actress can and will play anyone besides the Harry Potter film franchise's Hermione is irrelevant until 2010, when the series will reach its grand finale. Until then, she'll amass more and more fans while putting away $4 million per film into her college fund.

JK Rowling's official website has been updated to wish one of the Weasley brothers a happy birthday!

Last winter, we published a book making predictions about what we thought would happen in Book 7. MuggleNet.com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 spent 26 weeks on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List, at its peak reaching the #2 spot. So, now that Deathly Hallows has been out for over a month, it's time to look back and see how we did! This should go without saying, but BEWARE OF SPOILERS.

In other book-related news, signed copies of the book are now available for sale by our partner Alivan's.

Earlier this week, we told you about a Scottish novelist's comment stating that JK Rowling was writing a crime novel. In a new interview with the author Ian Rankin, he describes the rumors as a "joke that got out of hand. There were 600 people in the audience, and only one person didn't laugh."

Emma Schlesinger, speaking for Rowling's literary agent, has commented on the theories concerning Jo and her next book.

"JK Rowling is taking a well-earned break following the English language publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and there are no firm plans as yet as to what her next book may be."

In our second to final episode from the MuggleCast '07 Summer Tour, our weekly Harry Potter podcast comes from Canton, Ohio. In this show, we continue our discussion on Deathly Hallows in our first outdoor podcast and much more!

To download, we recommend subscribing for free via iTunes so your computer will automatically receive each show. Just click here to load iTunes then click "Subscribe" in the center of the page. You can also find alternate download links and more show details over at the MuggleCast website. Enjoy!

The Associated Press is reporting that our favorite author may be working on a crime novel. The information comes from novel writer Ian Rankin, who is a neighbor of Jo's.

"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper, which was available late Saturday, quoted Rankin as saying.

Rankin, famous for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city, said he had not discussed the project with Rowling personally, and declined to reveal how he had learned about her plans.

"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," Rankin said.

As the article mentions, Jo has said she will work on new stories in the future (and confirmed that a young children's book is halfway complete at a charity reading back in August 2006). We'll keep you updated as we know more, but consider this a big rumor for now. If she were to release a new book, it likely won't be for a while. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

According to her official website, Emma Watson has been nominated for an award for her part in OOTP at the National Movie Awards. The ceremony will be aired on ITV1 on August 29th, the day after it occurs.

In other news, you may remember Emma Watson received all As on her GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) last year. Emma has now scored all As again in her AS-levels (advanced subsidiary) in the subjects of English, Geography, History of Art, and Art. Congratulations!

According to a new press release, for the first time ever, hundreds of pictures taken on the set of the Harry Potter movies are now available to buy, via MoviePrints.co.uk.

These pictures, known as "Unit Photography," have never previously been available to buy. Now, as a result of a deal between Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Comprints Ltd, a company specialising in Print on Demand (PoD) services, Harry Potter fans will be able to choose from over 300 pictures on-line and order them as prints and canvases in a variety of sizes.

Yesterday, actresses Bonnie Wright (Ginny) and Katie Leung (Cho) attended the premiere of Bourne Ultimatum in London. Check out some pics of the pair here.

Today the US audiobook narrator Jim Dale celebrates his 72nd birthday! We would also like to wish our favorite actress Evanna Lynch a happy birthday as she turns 16 tomorrow. Happy birthday Jim and Evanna!

A recent SEC filing reported by the Orlando Sentinel reveals that Warner Brothers and Universal have an agreement for a targeted release date between December 15th, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

While we're all hoping for a mid-December release, various construction issues could delay the opening all the way until late June. The broad window may be just for safety in case of some unexpected hold ups. We'll keep you updated! Thanks to John for the tip.

NEW PAGE: We have a new area on MuggleNet to hold all of the latest theme park developments. Check it out here!

The actress who plays Hermione in the Potter films has updated her blog with more information on her upcoming role in Ballet Shoes:

I really thought I was going to take this summer off and then... I fell in love with Ballet Shoes. I couldn't let such an amazing project go. I think the books are really really special.

Read more at the link above. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

Continuing our '07 Summer Tour, our weekly Harry Potter podcast comes from Novi, Michigan, this week. In this show, we continue our discussion on Deathly Hallows, discuss what Jo had to say in her webchat, and much more!

To download, we recommend subscribing for free via iTunes so your computer will automatically receive each show. Just click here to load iTunes then click "Subscribe" in the center of the page. You can also find alternate download links and more show details over at the MuggleCast website. Enjoy!

JK Rowling has updated her site to wish Ginny Weasley a happy birthday!

The actress who plays Hermione in the Potter films announced on her official website that she'll be playing a lead role in the upcoming film "Ballet Shoes" for BBC 1:

Emma will play the part of "Pauline", the eldest of 3 orphaned sisters who lead a sheltered life until they begin at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. Only then do they begin to discover their special talents and extraordinary ambitions.

The film will also star Richard Griffiths and Robert Hardy (who play Vernon Dursley and Fudge in the Potter films, respectively). Look for it on the BBC around Christmas time!

In a new article written by King for Entertainment Weekly, the author reveals his thoughts about Deathly Hallows and explains why a critic's review of the book simply isn't worth reading:

When you have only four days to read a 750-page book, then write an 1,100-word review on it, how much time do you have to really enjoy the book? To think about the book? Jo Rowling set out a sumptuous seven-course meal, carefully prepared, beautifully cooked, and lovingly served out. The kids and adults who fell in love with the series (I among them) savored every mouthful, from the appetizer (Sorcerer's Stone) to the dessert (the gorgeous epilogue of Deathly Hallows).

You may remember that Stephen hosted a charity reading with JK Rowling and John Irving a year ago this month in New York City. He has said on numerous occasions that he's a huge fan of the Potter series.

Every year in March, millions of Americans sharpen their No. 2 pencils and fill out brackets picking the college basketball teams they think most likely to win the NCAA Tournament. Now, Harry Potter fans across the globe all did the same thing - but instead of predicting basketball game outcomes, we made predictions about how the series would end. For us Potter prognosticators, we weren't suffering from March Madness, but Deathly Hallows Madness.

Similar to how college hoops fans attempt to select the winner from a pool of 65 teams, we had MuggleNet visitors choose their best answers to 65 Deathly Hallows-related questions! The fan whose predictions most closely matched the events that unfold in Book 7 on the 21st would win the opportunity to be a guest host on MuggleNet's Award-Winning Harry Potter Podcast, MuggleCast! In addition, 1st - 5th places would win a MuggleNet shirt and their choice of Alivan's wand.

BUT... we had a problem. Someone leaked Book 7 early, and there was a suspiciously high number of fans who guessed every question correctly, or nearly every question. Since we cannot ensure the legitimacy of the results, we had no choice but to select 5 random participants. So, congratulations to Raganarok, rainbowlaces, BigD, VGokub, and thewritewroute!

Click here to see the results in poll form, and here to see what the MuggleNet staff thought Book 7 would hold in store.

Our live Leaky Mug podcast (a joint show produced between MuggleCast and PotterCast) from Prophecy 2007 in Toronto is now available! Join us for over an hour of Deathly Hallows discussion, pajama contests, and much more!

To download, subscribe to the Leaky Mug feed available right here in iTunes. If you can't subscribe, here is a direct download link (just right-click and select "Save Target As..."). Enjoy!

Amazon.com has released its final numbers of pre-orders for the last Harry Potter novel. By midnight on July 20, more than 2.2 million Deathly Hallows books were ordered beforehand throughout the world on Amazon, exceeding the previous record of 1.5 million, formerly held by Half-Blood Prince. 1.75 books per second were being sold on its busiest advanced order day. In the United States alone, they took in over 1.4 million pre-orders, "making the book the company's largest new product release ever."

A photo of JK Rowling's son, David, was previously published by The Sunday Express alongside an article about Jo's approach to motherhood. JK later sued the paper and the agency which supplied the photo, seeking damages and an injunction banning further publication of the photograph or any other picture taken of him without his consent. Unfortunately, she has lost this case but plans to appeal.

Jo and husband Neil stated, "We see no legitimate reason why, as in this case, David, who was less than two years of age at the time, should have his photograph taken and then published in the press. We take his, and that of his siblings, privacy and safety very seriously."

The judge remarked that he has "considerable sympathy for the claimant's parents and anyone else who wishes to shield their children from intrusive media attention. [But] an area of routine activity which, when conducted in a public place, carries no guarantee of privacy."

We wish Jo luck in her appeal.

The latest episode from the MuggleCast summer tour is now online! Listen in as Ben, Jamie, Mikey, Emerson and I discuss Deathly Hallows with the audience.

To download, we recommend subscribing for free via iTunes so your computer will automatically receive each show. Just click here to load iTunes then click "Subscribe" in the center of the page. You can also find alternate download links and more show details over at the MuggleCast website.

More live events will be posted in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

TWO YEARS OLD: As a side note, MuggleCast celebrates its second full year of broadcasting tomorrow (August 7th). We'd like to thank everyone who has been with us for all this time and hope you continue to listen!

LIVE CALL-IN: Starting at 7:30 PM EST today (Tuesday), we want to take your questions about Deathly Hallows! Here's your chance if you weren't able to attend one of our stops on the MuggleCast road tour. Visit the MuggleCast website for more details!

According to Ganmag.com, Scholastic, the US HP publisher, plans to print 2 million additional copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the US, the book sold a staggering 11.5 million copies of those 14 million printed in just 10 days.

Sales for the novel elsewhere are currently quite vague, but we hope to have details soon.

The fifth movie in the Potter series has now grossed an impressive $708 million worldwide. Its US takings of $254 million have also just surpassed those of Prisoner of Azkaban's ($250 million). OOTP is currently just $8 million from COS's domestic gross.

The "Constant Vigilance" contest presented by JKR's Army received almost 16,000 entries! A huge congratulations goes to the winners:

First - Katie from North Carolina, USA
Second - Allison from Arizona, USA
Third - Caitlyn from South Carolina, USA

A random number generator was used to select the winners, who were then notified. This announcement is being made after all three winners have responded. Prizes will be shipped via priority mail on Monday, August 6th. Thanks to everyone who entered and helped raise awareness of unscrupulous HP merchandisers and the web site.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been nominated for a Teen Choice award in the category of "Choice Summer Movie - Drama/Action Adventure." The other nominees include Transformers and The Bourne Ultimatum. You can cast your vote here. The results will air on August 26 at 8:00 PM EST on FOX.

Scholastic announced today the record breaking sales of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, selling 11.5 million copies in 10 days. Scholastic was printing copies of DH up until the final hours of the release, and in total printed 14 million books.

To date, all seven books in the series have sold a total of 350 million copies worldwide.

Click the link below to read the press release.

Emma Watson has updated her official site with her thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, along with a recap of her experiences over the past month, including the US and UK premieres.