Harry Potter Story

Zeci de mii de fani "Harry Potter" s-au inghesuit vineri la deschiderea oficiala a parcului de distractii "Wizarding World of Harry Potter", ce a avut loc in Orlando, Florida.

Actorii Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton si Michael Gambon au participat la ceremonia de inaugurare a parcului si au incercat toate masinariile inainte de deschiderea portilor pentru marele public.

Urmatorul parc tematic Harry Potter va fi construit la Londra.

Labels: News, Romana

Posted by Admin at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

Următoarele două filme "Harry Potter" vor fi lansate de Warner Bros. în format 3D, mişcare ce promite să aducă şi un succes de box-office pe măsură, aşa cum s-a întâmplat cu "Avatar".

Warner Bros. a testat conversia în 3D a peliculei "Clash of the Titans", realizată de un distribuitor extern, şi a decis să lanseze filmul în acest format, dar şi următoarele două părţi ale ecranizării "Harry Potter şi Talismanele Morţii". "Clash of the Titans" se va lansa pe 2 aprilie.

Singurul film din franciza "Harry Potter" care a mai rulat în 3D a fost "Harry Potter şi Prinţul Semipur", anul trecut, însă numai o scurtă parte a putut fi vizionată în 3D în cinematografele Imax. Nu era clar dacă autoarea cărţilor "Harry Potter", J.K. Rowling trebuia să îşi dea acordul pentru ecranizarea 3D.

Labels: Movie, Romana

Posted by Admin at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Daniel Radcliffe, the actor behind the boy wizard Harry Potter, is hunting for a mystery Australian girl who cast a spell on him at a film awards party, local media reported on Monday.

Radcliffe, who started playing Potter in the popular Harry Potter movies when he was 11, has often spoken about not being able to find a girlfriend.

But Sydney's Daily Telegraph Newspaper said Radcliffe, 18, now wanted help to track down a woman he met briefly at a film event in Australia.

"She stared at me all night and I was going to get her number and then I couldn't find her," Radcliffe told the newspaper.

"I must have walked around that party for an hour trying to look for this girl, like some sad pathetic dweeb, but it would have been worth it."

The Daily Telegraph has started its own search for the mystery beauty, asking the young woman to contact the newspaper.

Reuters/Nielsen

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

Labels: English, News

Posted by Admin at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

A Harry Potter fan who wants to publish an encyclopedic guide to the wildly popular fantasy novels broke down and cried on the witness stand Tuesday as he faced off in federal court against his idol J.K. Rowling.

The British author sued Steven Vander Ark's publisher RDR Books last year, claiming that their "Harry Potter Lexicon" — based on Vander Ark's fan Web site — infringed on her copyright.

Vander Ark wiped away tears when he was asked to reflect on what the case has done to his relationship with the community of Harry Potter fans. The former middle school librarian, who fell in love with the books in the late 1990s and has devoted years to studying them and indexing their content online, could barely speak.

"It's been ... it's been," he stammered, choking on his words. "It's been difficult because there has been a lot of criticism, obviously, and that was never the intention. ... This has been an important part of my life for the last nine years or so."

Vander Ark testified on the second day of a trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, pitting his publishing company, RDR Books, against Rowling and Warner Bros., the maker of the Harry Potter films and owner of all the intellectual property related to the Potter books and movies.

Rowling and the media company are trying to prevent publication of the "Harry Potter Lexicon," which Vander Ark and Michigan-based RDR had sought to publish last fall. Its release was delayed pending the outcome of the suit; Rowling has argued that the book borrows too heavily from her novels.

During his testimony on Tuesday, Vander Ark acknowledged that he, too, had substantial concerns all along about whether publishing an encyclopedia based on Rowling's Potter universe would constitute copyright infringement. He said he was talked into doing it by the publishing company.

Rowling (her name rhymes with bowling, rather than howling), testified Monday that the Harry Potter characters she created are as dear as her children, too precious to allow an inferior Potter encyclopedia to be published without letting the world know the ordeal is draining her of her will to write.

"I believe that it is sloppy, lazy and that it takes my work wholesale, verbatim. This book constitutes wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work," she said of Vander Ark's effort.

She also said she recently started work on her own encyclopedia but does not expect to complete it for two to three years. If Vander Ark's lexicon is published, "I'm not at all convinced that I would have the will or the heart to continue with my encyclopedia," she said.

The case caused her to stop working on a new novel, as well, she told the packed courtroom.

"It's really decimated my creative work over the last month," she said. "Again, it's very hard to describe to someone who's not engaged in creative writing, but you lose the threads, you worry if you will be able to pick them up again in exactly the same way."

In his opening statement, RDR lawyer Anthony Falzone defended the lexicon as a reference guide, calling it a legitimate effort "to organize and discuss the complicated and very elaborate world of Harry Potter." The small publisher is not contesting that the lexicon infringes upon Rowling's copyright but argues that it is a fair use allowable by law for reference books.

The nonjury trial will be decided by U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson Jr., who must determine whether the use of the material is legal because Vander Ark added his own interpretation, creativity and analysis. The testimony and arguments could last most of the week.

The trial comes eight months after the publication of Rowling's final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." The seven books have been published in 64 languages, sold more than 400 million copies and produced a film franchise that has pulled in $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

Labels: Autor, English

Posted by Admin at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling told a Manhattan federal court today that a bid by a fan to print an unofficial encyclopedic companion to the boy wizard series left her unsure if she had 'the heart' to publish her own version.

Steve Vander Ark has written "The Harry Potter Lexicon," a 400-page reference book based on his popular fan Web site (www.hp-lexicon.org).

Rowling and Warner Bros. are suing RDR Books, which planned to publish the volume last November.


Rowling, 42, has said she plans to write her own Harry Potter encyclopedia, which would include material that did not make it into the novels, and donate the proceeds to charity. The novels have sold more than 400million copies.

"Mr Vander Ark has gutted that book," Rowling, who wrote seven Harry Potter novels, told a New York court.

"He has simply taken it and copied it ... It is sloppy, lazy and it takes my work wholesale."

"He's taken my creation ... I did feel an act of betrayal," said Rowling. She said she was not sure if she had "the will or the heart" to now publish her own encyclopedia.

She said the possibility that parents would part with their well earned cash to buy Vander Ark's book was "a travesty."

The lawsuit filed in October names independent U.S. publisher RDR Books and unidentified persons. It seeks to stop publication and requests damages for copyright and federal trademark infringement and any profits to be gained.

Warner Bros is a unit of Time Warner Inc, which owns the copyright and trademark rights to the Potter books.

"This is a case about the massive wholesale copying," Dale Cendali, a lawyer for Rowling and Warner Bros, told U.S. District Court Judge Robert Patterson in opening arguments.

"The lexicon is drawn almost entirely from Ms Rowling's work."

"This is not a case about money," she said, adding "the Harry Potter books encourage reading" and the lexicon "does not reflect well on the Harry Potter series."

Cendali said it was not a research guide as it lacked original material.

RDR Books has said Vander Ark, a librarian, had spoken at Harry Potter academic conferences in Britain, Canada and the United States and that a timeline he created was used by Warner Bros. in DVD releases of the Harry Potter films.

The company and Vander Ark have said the book would only promote the sale of Rowling's work and that Vander Ark's Web site, used by 25 million visitors, had been called "a great site" by Rowling herself.

"The lexicon is not a plausible substitute for any of the Harry Potter novels," said Anthony Falzone, a lawyer for RDR Books. "It's simply not plausible to argue that Ms Rowling's sales will be hurt in any meaningful way."

He said Vander Ark's Harry Potter interest began "as a labor of love" and his expertise was so sought after that Warner Bros flew him to the set of the fifth Harry Potter movie and used his lexicon everyday during production.

"It is, above all else, a reference guide," Falzone said. "Profit was never the point."

Via: dailymail.co.uk

Labels: Autor

Posted by Admin at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

LONDON: Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has proven his astuteness by earning 13 million pounds in just one year.

The 18-year-old has proven to be not only a laudable actor but also a good business entrepreneur, having invested millions from his earnings in property and businesses.

The English actor's assets is said to have risen by 3 million pounds since last year, excluding the 8 million pounds he made from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Gilmore Jacobs, a company that is owned by his parents Alan and Marcia, even though they have stipulated that all the riches belong to him, is said to have made a good profit.

According to the figures for Gilmore Jacobs, it shows that in 12 months he put 4 million in cash in the bank, had investments of 7 million pounds and was owed 2 million pounds in outstanding payments.

The figures have just been lodged at Companies House and cover the year to August 2007, reports The Sun.

In December 2007, with his fortune being estimated at 25 million pounds, Radcliffe paid 2.2 million pounds for a pad in Manhattan, which he plans to rent out at 10,000 pounds a month.

Another venture of his is the Almada Productions, which had been set up to develop scripts, and which made a 67,000 pounds profit last year.

Daniel, who has been the Quidditch-playing hero since 2001, took full control of his earnings when he turned 18 last July.

Labels: English, News

Posted by Admin at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments

Her necklines have been plunging lower and lower with each recent red carpet appearance.

And each time the likelihood that JK Rowling would suffer an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction has increased.

This week, however, after an evening where her decolletage frequently threatened to pop out, the situation was made worse by a rather hands-on aide.

As these pictures show, the publicist of the Harry Potter author launched himself forward to prevent photographers capturing the moment when the front of her purple gown slipped perilously south.

But amid the hubbub and with flashbulbs popping at the British Book Awards, Mark Hutchinson ended up with more of a handful than he planned for.

Asked last night about the incident, Mr Hutchinson, who has worked with Miss Rowling for more than five years, seemed confused about how he ended up in such a position.

Saying he did not clearly remember trying to protect Miss Rowling's modesty, he then gave two different accounts of how he might have ended up in such a position.

"Oh no, oh gosh!" remarked Mr Hutchinson, director of PR agency Colman Getty, when he heard of the unfortunate pictures.

"I think there was a point where there was a strap coming loose, and that was where my hands were going - on the top.

"To my knowledge I did not have my hand actually on her breast. Maybe it's the angle of the photograph."

The slip marked an embarrassing end to an evening when Miss Rowling had picked up a lifetime achievement award - but even so, observers were stunned by just how much she's transformed herself in the past decade.

The evening was a curious event where the worlds of literature and showbusiness met, with the likes of the Harry Potter author on one side and glamour-model turned children's author Jordan on the other.

Sir Richard Attenborough was seen giving Spice Girl Geri Halliwell a kiss on the cheek.

Elsewhere were model Marie Helvin, Dame Edna Comedian Barry Humphries and chef Gordon Ramsay, glamour girl Abi Titmuss and Strictly Come Dancing champ Alesha Dixon.

Jordan's outfit was a typically revealing bejewelled maxi-dress, complete with plunging neckline.

She may have expected her flesh-flashing outfit to steal the show. However, she had reckoned without the unexpected intervention of Miss Rowling.

Other winners at the "British Book Oscars" included Ian McEwan who won Book of the Year and Author of the Year for On Chesil Beach.

Khaled Hosseini took home the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year for A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Russell Brand received a best biography Nibbie for his tell-all tome My Booky Wook.

A Nibbie for the best piece of non-fiction writing went to film star Ewan McGregor and acting pal Charley Boorman for Long Way Down, the account of their journey through Africa.

Spice author: Geri Halliwell has followed idol Madonna into the world of writing children's books

Labels: Autor

Posted by Admin at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

Warner Bros. has conjured up some Hollywood magic for the final installment of the wildly popular "Harry Potter" movies, splitting the seventh and final book into two films.

Part one of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will debut in late 2010 and be followed months later by part two.

"We feel that the best way to do the book, and its many fans, justice is to expand the screen adaptation of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' and release the film in two parts," Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement.

The first five films in the series have been huge hits with a total global box office nearing $4.5 billion. The sixth movie is now being filmed.

The movies are based on British author J.K. Rowling's best-selling fantasy novels about the adventures of boy wizard Harry Potter and his friends as they grow from kids into teenagers at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in Rowling's series, was published last July to huge fanfare, selling some 11.5 million copies in its first 10 days in the United States.

But the final volume is a long saga at more than 750 pages, and it is filled with many twists and turns as Harry and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley wrap up their story lines. Harry faces -- once and for all times -- the dark Lord Voldemort who murdered his parents.

Because of the many adventures in "Deathly Hallows," Rowling, the movies' producers and Warner Bros. all agreed that two movies were necessary to truly tell the end story.

"'The Deathly Hallows' is so rich, the story so dense and there is so much that is resolved that after discussing it with Jo, we came to the conclusion that the two parts were needed to do it justice," said producer David Heyman, who first took the project to Warner Bros. in 1997.

The books and movies also have been a huge money maker beyond theater box offices and DVDs. They have spawned products from toys to T-shirts to a planned theme park.

By some estimates, "Harry Potter" represents a $20 billion business, so an eighth film will likely only expand the enterprise.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, and his co-stars Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron) are now filming the sixth movie -- "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." All three have said they would appear in "Deathly Hallows."

Warner Bros. is a unit of media giant Time Warner Inc.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and John O'Callaghan)

Labels: English, Movie, News

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