MuggleNet

Bonnie Wright to make stage debut in 'The Moment of Truth'

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

Bonnie Wright - who portrayed Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise - will be making her stage debut as she is set to star as The Girl in Peter Ustinov's The Moment of Truth at London's Southwark Playhouse beginning next month.

According to Playbill, the play is a revival of Ustinov's play that has not been on stage since 1951 and deals with the mechanics of toppling governments, the pretences of war and the power of propaganda.

Bonnie Wright announced her debut on Twitter earlier today with the following tweet:

Very excited to announce my next project will be @swkplay in Ustinov's The Moment of Truth with @newactorsco tinyurl.com/o7jd5l7
— Bonnie Wright (@thisisbwright) May 23, 2013

The play will run starting on June 26th, but officially open June 28th and go until July 20th. The play is directed by Robert Laycock, co-founder of The New Actors Company, who has previously directed JB Priestley's They Came to a City at Southwark Playhouse in 2011. It is designed by Alex Marker.

To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7407 0234, or visit www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk.

Rare 'Potter' book with Rowling illustrations fetches record price at Sotheby's auction house

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

According to BBC News, an extremely rare Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book receives amazingly high bid at auction.

A first edition print of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that had 43 pages covered with illustrations from author J.K. Rowling sold at Sotheby's for 150,000 GBP (or close to $300,000 USD). It was a bidding war between two buyers as the auction raised a total of 439,200 GBP for English PEN, which campaigns for freedom of expression.

A sleeping baby Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep is
one of 22 original illustrations by JK Rowling

Rowling's 22 original illustrations include drawings of an Albus Dumbledore chocolate frog card, an image of Severus Snape brooding about, Norbert, and Quirreldemort. There are also annotations that include references to the entire series as a whole and the film adaptations.

Is this a book that you would love to have in your collection if you could afford it? Let us know in the comments below.

How Does Lord Voldemort’s Possession Work?

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

Lord Voldemort is the second most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, and that entails being able to do a lot of impressive things, the most terrifying of which is his ability to possess.

We’re first introduced to this concept in the very first novel, in the form of poor Professor Quirrell. Failing to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone on his own, the Dark Lord possesses him. At this time, Voldemort is what the fandom loves to call “Vapormort” or as Voldy himself describes it: “less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost” (GOF, p. 566, UK). What we can glean from this is that he was an incorporeal or nonphysical being. One might go so far as to say he was purely a soul confined to the physical realm.

Here, his ability to possess Quirrell or any other living thing is easily understood; as a soul or pseudo-spirit, he would merely enter a body and take over it. This fits the stereotypical understanding of possession found in media.

Next let us look at Chamber of Secrets, and Ginny Weasley’s possession:

This example of possession is much more interesting, because we have a fragment of Voldemort’s soul in a horcrux (the diary). This soul fragment, however, is still very powerful and clearly has his power of possession…but is it the same? Remember, Riddle was only able to possess Ginny once she had poured her heart out to him and become emotionally attached to the diary, whereas Quirrell and the animals mentioned in Goblet of Fire are easily possessed. Furthermore, Quirrell was conscious of the possession, while Ginny was not.

The last example of possession is when Voldemort possesses Harry in the Ministry of Magic. What makes this case curious is that Voldemort is no longer an incorporeal being; his soul has been restored to his body. This means his soul has been ‘re-chained’ to a body, so to speak, and so does not have the freedom of his disembodied state to possess people. How then was Voldemort able to transfer his soul to Harry, and again why was this a conscious possession?

Having laid out the groundwork, it’s your turn fans. How do you think possession works? What is the difference between possessing someone as a spirit and when one’s soul is still attached to a body? Why are some victims conscious, while others have no recollection?

The Signature Shop announces signing with Evanna Lynch

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

As MuggleNet previously reported, Potter actor Warwick Davis has established The Signature Shop and recently included Matt Lewis among their signatures available for purchase. Now, it has been announced on The Signature Shop’s website that the shop will have a signing with Evanna Lynch on June 6^th!

The Signature Shop, which sells licensed signed photographs at affordable prices, is taking pre-orders for signed photos, including personal dedications from Evanna Lynch, up until June 5^th, and can ship worldwide.

Be sure to check out The Signature Shop’s Facebook page for more information! Will you be ordering any of their available signed items?

J.K. Rowling shares handwritten annotations in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

What a week for Harry Potter fans! After MuggleNet posted about J.K. Rowling’s handwritten spreadsheet, we now have yet more handwritten material from J.K. Rowling, this time in the form of annotations in a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as featured in The Guardian.

Occurring on the title page, one annotation includes an original drawing of one draft of the Hogwarts crest. This drawing depicts Hufflepuff house as being represented by a bear instead of a badger, and J.K. Rowling writes:

“Perhaps Hufflepuff house would have the respect it deserves from the fans if I'd stayed with my original idea of a bear to represent it?”

The annotation in chapter eleven, Quidditch, tells of the circumstances under which Quidditch was created, reading:

“[beneath 'Quidditch'] '-was invented in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend.”

We have certainly enjoyed reading these annotations, as well as the previously released spreadsheet, and hopefully there will be more to come.

Let us know what you think of these annotations in the comments below.

Caption Contest: The Trio's Last Stand

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

What if the trio had decided to train a little bit more for their role in The Final Battle against Voldemort? What if they enlisted the help of someone like, say... Arnold Schwarzenegger? What would Arnie have to say about our Wizarding friends' plight? Well, you tell us! YOU write the caption!

As with last week's contest, this month we are mashing up Harry Potter with other popular media in our caption contest images, and will continue to do so through the duration of Maniacal May. This monthly feature is not a new thing - in fact, there are 14 entire "maniacal" months archived in our caption contest archive! This week, we have placed the trio into the latest Schwarzenegger flick, 'The Last Stand.'

Head on over to the Caption Contest Main Page and click on "Entry Form" to submit your entry for this week's contest. Alternately you can view FAQ's, read last week's winners, and check out past winners (of all time) through the archive. Happy captioning!

Alohomora! Episode 31: 'The Many Motivations of Severus Snape' - Now Available!

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

Alohomora! continues its global re-read of the Harry Potter series led by fans and MuggleNet staff. Last week we held our first live audience show at MISTI-Con 2013, and now we're back on the airwaves! Listen in as hosts Noah, Caleb, Laura, and Eric break down Chapter 19 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - "The Servant of Lord Voldemort."

On Episode 31 you can expect...

→ Episode 29 Recap: James from 'beyond,' Peter crying by the windowsill, the Marauders save their skins, Crookshanks the protector
→ Special Feature Recap: The Beast Inquisition, Animagi
→ PQOTW Responses
→ Battle Snape commences
→ Lily? Eh, 5 or 6
→ The chords are not alive
→ What if the rat was just a rat? Awkward..
→ Flaws in the 'Secret Keeper' plans
→ Sirius goes ALL CAPS on us
→ Question of the Week
→ Check out the Alohomora! Store

To listen to the show, merely click the player above. You can also subscribe to us on iTunes. For more information about the podcast and to find out how to be on the show, check out our Podcast page.

Don't forget to leave us a voicemail at our phone number: 1-206-GO-ALBUS (462-5287)! Skype users can also send us a message to username AlohomoraMN.

Emma Watson graces the cover of 'W' magazine

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

The June/July 2013 issue of W magazine has just been released with a stunning photograph of Emma Watson on the cover. More images from the W shoot can be found inside, and you can view them in the magazine's online gallery. The magazine also features an interview with Emma, where she discusses her new film The Bling Ring, her recent move to American, and the trials of growing up in the spotlight.

Among other topics Emma discusses her stubborn denial of fame and her surprising celebrity crush:

When did you realize you were famous?

I lived in denial for as long as I possibly could. Until the age of 18, I would take the Oxford Tube, which is a public bus. Then it got to the point where the fact that I was on the bus would spread from one end to the other. I’d think, Why am I doing this to myself? Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things. It probably wasn’t advisable to go to college in America and room with a complete stranger. And it probably wasn’t wise to share a bathroom with eight other people in a coed dorm. Looking back, that was crazy.

Do you have a Hollywood crush?

My cinematic crush has been pretty much the same since I was 12: Kevin Costner. I met him in an elevator the other day, and I couldn’t even speak. He said hello, because he is lovely like that, and I couldn’t say anything back.

Be sure and read the full interview with Emma here!

Pottermore is ‘blazing their own trail’ in eBook sales strategies

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

Pottermore may not exactly be under constant praise from the Harry Potter fan community, but according to The Bookseller Industry awards, the website came out on top, taking the win for Digital Strategy of the Year Award in the UK. Goodereader.com reports that Pottermore triumphed over industry bigwigs Kobo, Random House, Penguin, Bloomsbury, and Harlequin.

The article commends Pottermore for certain aspects of their unique approach to selling eBooks, including J.K. Rowling’s high level of control and involvement on the website, the company’s ability to have complete say over prices, and the fact that eBooks are compatible with all of the major e-readers and tablets.

One of the chief reasons Pottermore has been as successful as it has in terms of sales is because of the nature of the website and that:

“They made an online world to live out the Harry Potter adventures. Every few months, new content is implemented and young folk can join in picking their House, engaging in wizard duels, making potions, visiting Diagon Alley, and getting up to all sorts of other hijinx.”

We congratulate the Pottermore team on this award and look forward to new installments! Have you bought any eBooks from the Pottermore shop? What has been your favourite moment so far on Pottermore?

Review: 'The Hothouse' starring Harry Melling

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:50 -0400

Arriving second in Jamie Lloyd's highly anticipated Trafalgar Transformed season at the Trafalgar Studios, The Hothouse doesn't relax the intensity set by its predecessor, the apocalyptic Macbeth starring James McAvoy. Shocking and at times, offensive, The Hothouse depicts the sinister workings inside an undefined mental institution. Yet despite the outrageously immoral practices and some utterly unforgiving characters, this revival of one of Pinter’s early plays is unrelenting in its comic intentions.

In shedding the pauses and other habits of Pinter plays, Lloyd’s production breathes new life into a script that can often encroach into the realms of the too sinister. Absent of any actual patients, the stage time is entirely dominated by a team of staff who have little interest of those in their care.

Holding the fort of this unpleasant institute is Roote, the self-obsessed ex-colonel who is both grappling to retain control of this establishment and struggling to retain his last vestiages of sanity as his mind is slowly failing him. Fresh from this BAFTA win the night before, Simon Russell Beale is brilliantly funny and an utter joy to watch as he fumbles around oblivious to his manipulation by his colleagues, John Simm’s manic, power hungry Gibbs and the deranged nurse, Miss Cutts played by Indira Varma. These powerhouse performances are perfectly pitched alongside the suspiciously affable Lush (John Heffernan) and Harry Melling’s endearingly naive Lamb. The latter’s performance was often among the hardest to watch as the well-meaning Lamb falls fowl of some Gibb’s more alarming experiments; indeed these moments certainly confirmed Melling’s status as among some of Britain’s most exciting new stage talent.

Both entertaining and alarming, The Hothouse is certainly an experience to behold.

The Hothouse runs until 3rd August at the Trafalgar Studios, London. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website.