USA Today has published a new article highlighting the upcoming release of The Tales of the Beedle the Bard. It it, there's a brief quote from Scholastic editor Arthur Levine, who speaks highly of the book:

"They feel like folk tales or fairy tales that have been around forever," says Arthur Levine of Scholastic, Rowling's U.S. publisher. "They're as good as any Grimm tale that you might have read in your own childhood. But that's just Rowling's incredible skill."

Beedle the Bard will be released this Thursday, December 4th. We'll have much more on events surrounding the book throughout the week, so stay tuned!

Harry Potter Xperts now has online scans from the entire 2009 German Half-Blood Prince calendar (yesterday we showed you a couple images).

See all of the calendar scans in Xpert's gallery, right here.

The actor who plays Severus Snape recently spoke with Boston.com while promoting his new film Nobel Son. The reporter asked him a couple questions about his involvement with the Potter films:

Q. Do children recognize you as Harry Potter's Severus Snape? A. Not really, because I'm generally not walking around wearing a black wig.

Q. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" comes out in July, and later in the year, you'll begin filming the series' final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." How do you feel knowing that the end is in sight?

A. It means that I'll be able to do more theater as an actor. I couldn't really because I never know what my commitment could be.

Q. Would you ever do another film, knowing it could be six sequels?

A. Only if I was provided with a wheelchair and an oxygen tank.

Thanks to Scot for the tip.

Empire Online has released a list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters, and Harry Potter comes in at #36:

Why He's On The List: Five films down, two (well, three) to go, but clearly Harry Potter has already made an impression with you lot. It's not hard to see why: as played by an increasingly convincing Daniel Radcliffe, Harry has morphed before our very eyes from wide-eyed child to embattled, moody teenager and yet managed to remain likeable and sympathetic.

See the entire list right here. Thanks to Jayvee and Danielle for the tip!

For Harry Potter fans in Southern California, Whimsic Alley is the place to be Wednesday night when The Tales of Beedle the Bard is released.

The party starts on December 3rd around 10:00 p.m. PT with refreshments, games, contests, readings, and special guests. The book goes on sale at midnight.

Admission to the event is free to all who would like to attend and no purchase is necessary. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes.

WhimsicAlley.com is also offering all MuggleNet readers a 15% discount on your order this holiday season. Click below for complete information on this special offer as well as further details on the release party.

Besides the countless Half-Blood Prince calendars and spools of yarn, there hasn't been much else in the way of merchandise related to the sixth film.

Today though, MuggleCast co-host Matt and fellow roommate Bre spotted five items at Hot Topic with Half-Blood Prince tags on them (all of which are available on their website): a scarf (pic in store), a pair of gloves (pic in store), a tote bag, a second tote bag, and a beanie.

Hopefully there will be more merchandise from Hot Topic to come!

The Harry Potter star recently appeared on E! Daily Ten where he discussed his role in Equus on Broadway, what it'll be like to finish filming Deathly Hallows, and the mania surrounding the new Twilight film.

You can see video of the interview here on YouTube. There's also this clip from E! where Dan discusses the jeans he auctioned off recently. Thanks to DanRadcliffe.com and Ashley for the tip!

The Noble Collection's latest catalog includes an area for their Half-Blood Prince items, and it includes this picture of Regulus' note to the Dark Lord. To see everything the Noble Collection has to offer, click here.

On a related note, a new image from the German 2009 Half-Blood Prince calendar can be seen right here. It's a small image that depicts Slughorn and Harry in Potions class.

Thanks to Snitch Seeker and Laura for the tip!

The actress who plays Hermione in the Potter films will be appearing on the popular UK children's show Blue Peter.

Emma's interview will air on CBBC and BBC1 this Wednesday, December 3rd, at 4:35 PM GMT.

If anyone captures the video, be sure to send us a copy! Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip.

The official Harry Potter store, WBShop.com, is offering 25%-75% discounts on their most popular gifts during their four-day Black Friday/Cyber Monday holiday sale.

Hurry, the sale ends at 11:59pm eastern time Monday! These items will not be on sale again.

From the MuggleNet family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you have a day full of delicious turkey and good family.

Harry Potter fans have a lot to be thankful for this year. A new book by JK Rowling, three great trailers for Half-Blood Prince, and our great fandom.

There are more contest updates today regarding Beedle the Bard for you. First, Scholastic has announced the five winners of their national essay contest. These lucky Potter fans will each receive a trip to Edinburgh for JK Rowling's Beedle the Bard release event. Congratulations to them!

Also, Amazon France is now a part of the signed-Beedle the Bard giveaway. The contest is only open to residents of France, and there are ten signed copies up for grabs. Simply answer five questions and you'll be entered!

Don't forget, Amazon is hosting other Beedle-related contests: click HERE for American visitors, HERE for British visitors, and HERE for German visitors.

Thanks to Gazette Du Sorcier and Emily for the tips!

The jeans we told you Equus star Dan Radcliffe would be auctioning off at one of his performances ended up selling for $950. DanRadcliffe.com has this report:

It was hilarious: they started the bid at $50, and it kept going up and up and finally looked like it was going to stop at about $700ish but then it kept battling between these two guys and finally one guy was like "IF HE SIGNS THEM I'LL GIVE $800" and Daniel got really really excited and was like "YES I WILL SIGN THEM!!" and was jumping around on stage! It was so cute! But then the price kept jumping up and finally settled at $950. I have to say, it was adorable to see Daniel so genuinely excited, and he was so funny too! at one point as the bidding was going on he went, "come on now! you all know what happens in these jeans at the end of the first act!"

As with every December within the past few years, ABC Family is once again running the Potter films as part of their 25 Days of Christmas special. This year will be extra exciting because they've announced some cool sneak peeks at Half-Blood Prince:

To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks at the new film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (opening in theatres July 17, 2009), throughout the weekend’s three-day event. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Michael Gambon discuss the upcoming film’s exciting storylines, as well as revealing insider information. ABC Family’s first looks at the latest Harry Potter feature film also offer viewers a sneak peek of never-before-seen footage of love running rampant through Hogwarts, a look into Tom Riddle’s past and an introduction of Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn.

Below is the schedule for the films that weekend:
Friday, December 5th:
(7:30 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

Saturday, December 6th
(1:30 – 5:00 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
(5:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
(9:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

Sunday, December 7th
(12:30 – 4:30 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
(4:30 – 7:30 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
(7:30 – 11:00 PM ET/PT) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (extended edition with deleted scenes)

Our Beedle the Bard midnight release party at Waterstone's in the heart of London is quickly approaching! We've been informed that the tickets are running out, so if you want to get in on the fun, make sure you submit your information very soon.

For full details, click here. We hope to see you there!

“Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak,” the brand new University of Edinburgh chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, has made a grand entrance into the fandom by organizing a Wizard Rock charity compilation album as their first fundraising effort!

Scheduled for release in February 2009, the proceeds of this album will go directly toward the HP Alliance's efforts toward civilian protection in Darfur and Burma.

Bands are encouraged to contribute songs and others are encouraged to support the album and the chapter’s goals. Email HPAEdinburgh@gmail.com for more information or to submit music!

For our visitors in the United Kingdom, Amazon is now offering ten signed copies of the Beedle the Bard Collector's Edition. To enter, simply pre-order the Collector's Edition (if you've already pre-ordered, you're in!). Don't forget, there are also two contests for US and German customers.

Additionally, three more versions of the cover and a scan from the Bulgarian version have now made their way online:

- Bulgarian cover
- Scan from Bulgarian version, featuring sketch by JKR
- Spanish cover
- Japanese cover

Beedle the Bard is now 10 days away from release and will benefit The Children's High Level Group. Don't forget, MuggleCast will be hosting a live podcast at Waterstone's in London during their midnight release party. For more details, click here! Thanks to Harry Latino for the pictures!

Did you miss out on the 2007 Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club subscription? Have no fear, for a brand new compilation album featuring the best of the best from last year’s lineup is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com for only $10!

All proceeds from this digital-only release will be donated to the Harry Potter Alliance. Check out the tracklist and more here!

Don’t forget, there are still a handful of subscriptions available for 2008, so make sure to subscribe now before the final shipment in mid-December!

The online retailer is currently running two Beedle the Bard-related contests:

- First, the Amazon Customers Vote promotion will be held again this year and Beedle the Bard is included in their discount sales for 50% off:

Of the 1,000 copies available for purchase through Amazon Customers Vote, the first 35 customers to place an order with a valid payment method will receive an extra special holiday surprise--a copy autographed by J.K. Rowling herself.

Read all of the details right here, as the process for being able to purchase the Collector's Edition for 50% off are pretty detailed.

- Second, Amazon Germany is holding a contest from now through December 2nd to win a signed Collector's Edition of Beedle the Bard. Simply answer the question on their site and submit the form. The contest is open to everyone outside of Germany as well.

Thanks to Elysa, Kevin and Koury for the tips!

The release of JK Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard is quickly approaching. With that in mind, MuggleNet and Alivan's, Master Wandmakers want to get everyone in the Beedle mood by opening a contest which asks for YOUR best Beedle-like tale!

How it Works: Write a tale that is of a similar style to the Tales of Beedle the Bard. You've read the Tale summaries on Amazon.com so you know what we're looking for: objects with feet, pixie dust, hairy hearts, cackling stumps, etc! Come up with a tale that is unique in its own way, but relates to the overall theme JK Rowling has created for Beedle.

For more details, as well as the fantastic prizes provided by Alivan's, Master Wandmakers, see this page. Good luck to all who enter

BroadwayWorld.com is reporting that the Equus star's jeans worn during his performances will be auctioned off to raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Following the 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturdays November 22, November 29 and December 6, audience members can bid for Mr. Radcliffe's costume jeans - autographed (live!) by Mr. Radcliffe - during a brief and merry onstage auction at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 W. 44 St.) where EQUUS is being performed through February 8, 2009.

Thanks to Snitch Seeker and DanRadcliffe.com for the tip!

Richardson Productions LLC, the creators of Lord of the Rings spoof The Dork of the Rings, have given MuggleNet visitors a great preview of their upcoming Potter-spoof Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise.

You can see their first trailer right here on YouTube! It provides a hilarious preview (including a cameo from MuggleNet webmaster Emerson Spartz) of their film, which is due for release in 2010. Great job, guys!

Attention 8- to 11-year-olds: The Sun is running a competition whereby the winners have an opportunity to attend JK Rowling's release of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The event will take place at the National Library of Scotland on the afternoon of the release day, December 4th.

To enter, visit this page, but hurry - the competition closes this Sunday!

It was August 4th, 2006 when we learned Half-Blood Prince's November 21st, 2008 release date. Looking back at the comments our visitors wrote, most were confused about why Warner Brothers set a release date so early. Especially since we didn't even know the director.

I decided to ask David Heyman about it when I visited the Order of the Phoenix set in September '06. He told us that the release date was set early for planning purposes - it was as simple as that.

Two years and ten days after the original release date was announced, Warner Brothers decided that the film would be delayed until July 17th, 2009. Fans were devastated, and WB stated that the delay was to ensure they had a big film in Summer '09. Many speculated that WB's The Dark Knight had done so well that the additional money made from HBP would not be needed this year.

So, here we are today with a somewhat surreal realization that all of us would be seeing Half-Blood Prince today if it weren't for the delay. Luckily, Warner Brothers has given us a cool little gift: today's opening of Twilight includes the latest (and in most people's opinion: greatest) Half-Blood Prince trailer. Only 237 days until Half-Blood Prince!

Update: E! Online released an article last night stating that despite Half-Blood Prince delayed release, Potter fans are still not over it.

Back in May we told you that filming in the beautiful landscapes of Lochaber was expected to start late this year. Lochaber News is now reporting that filming scouts are observing the area and getting ready for b-roll shoots:

Film executives and location and special effects personnel have just completed an updating recce of the four picturesque glens which have featured in all the previous Harry Potter blockbusters.

They were researching the eventual making of not one but two movies out of JK Rowling's seventh and last best seller, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was published last year. Teams of cinematography experts and production designers visited Glenfinnan, Glen Etive, Glencoe and Glen Nevis, all Lochaber landmarks which have already become established in the series.

As we learned earlier this year, cast filming for Deathly Hallows will not begin until February.

The US Potter publisher's official website has been updated with a nice Q&A with the editor of the Potter series. Arthur Levine talks about his job at Scholastic, his book selection criteria, and much more.

Thanks to Sasha for the tip!

Emma Watson yesterday attended the VIP opening party for the Somerset House ice rink. The actress said she was "absolutely delighted" to be officially turning on the rink's Christmas tree lights.

"I've been coming here since I was about 13 and I absolutely love it. It's Christmassy and wonderful," she said.

Check out some photos of the actress at the event below:

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

UPDATE: Congrats to Liz S. and Mariya S.! They've both won tickets to Equus on Thursday night.

Our friends at Fan Trips Travel have a cool contest going on for our visitors right now: they're holding a quick sweepstakes for a pair of tickets to Thursday night's performance of Equus on Broadway!

Entering is simple: Click here and fill in your information! You'll be contacted tomorrow (Wednesday) night if you're the winner.

Good luck!

Check it out right here.

Thanks, BWO!

With the Christmas season fast approaching, the official WB Harry Potter store has lots of special offers. Among them is a terrific offer where you can save 75% off some of their Potter costumes, and free shipping on certain purchases.

Be sure to check them out! We'll keep you updated on any new offers over the coming weeks.

Yesterday we announced the semi-finalists in our Halloween Costume Contest, and today we have determined the winners! Below are the top three selections and the prizes they won:

1) Trelawney (Mattie) : she wins a Beedle the Bard Collector's Edition courtesy of Magical Tours!
2) Boggart Snape (Courtney) : she wins her choice of a Majestic or Regal School Robe from Alivan's
3) Dobby the House Elf (Tynan) : he wins his choice of any wand from The Classic Collection from Alivan's

BIG thanks to Alivan's and Magical Tours for the prizes and organizing the contest with us. We highly recommend checking out both sites; Alivan's for their excellent collection of wands, cloaks, and various other magical items, and Magical Tours for their great lineup of tours across England (don't forget about Thomas' exclusive reports from Half-Blood Prince filming locations!)

With this morning's big surprise from Warner Brothers, fans are reacting positively - and not just because of the out-of-the-blue surprise! We asked you all to tape your reactions as you watched the trailer, and the submissions so far have been great! Check out a few of them at these YouTube links:

savvypirategrl | buffyfan45 | LeaLunacy | xsaltshaker | thatsfreaky614

Additionally, MuggleCast hosted a live show via Ustream this morning 30 minutes after the trailer premiered online. That show can now be downloaded via the iTunes feed or direct download on the MuggleCast website. The show runs just over 90 minutes and is packed with fun trailer reactions from MuggleCast hosts and live callers!

DIGG this story | View screencaps | Listen to analysis

Exclusively for fan sites for the next week, Warner Brothers has just given Potter fans a great surprise: a brand new trailer for Half-Blood Prince!

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iPod: Click here

If you want to catch it on the big screen, you can see it with the upcoming film Twilight, which hits theaters on November 21st (the same day HBP was scheduled to be released prior to the delay - see the connection here?).

UPDATE: We finished recording our live MuggleCast - thanks to everyone who participated! You can now download the podcast by updating your iTunes feed or direct downloading from the MuggleCast website. If you can't get enough of MuggleCast and Half-Blood Prince, don't forget: We'll be hosting a live podcast at Azktraz 2009 in San Francisco this July! Make sure to register for Azktraz to participate in our live podcast right after the midnight release! When you do register, please put "MuggleCast" in the referral area.

Last week we kicked off our Halloween Costume Contest sponsored by Alivan's and Magical Tours. You voted, and we now have the 7 semi-finalists! The list is as follows:

1) Boggart Snape
2) Professor Sprout
3) Marietta Edgecomb
4) The Grey Lady
5) Dobby the House Elf
6) Professor Trelawney
7) Harry Potter

Congrats to the 7 finalists! Now it's up to the staff of MuggleNet and Magical Tours to determine the top three winners. Those three will be announced on Sunday.

The Harry Potter author has contributed to The Birthday Book; a special book created for Prince Charles' 60th birthday. An excerpt of Jo's contribution has been revealed by The Guardian. In it, she discusses Harry's final walk through The Forbidden Forest:

But when Harry takes his last, long walk into the heart of the Dark Forest, he is choosing to accept a burden that fell on him when still a tiny child, in spite of the fact that he never sought the role for which he has been cast, never wanted the scar with which he has been marked. As his mentor, Albus Dumbledore, has tried to make clear to Harry, he could have refused to follow the path marked out for him. In spite of the weight of opinion and expectation that singles him out as the "Chosen One", it is Harry's own will that takes him into the Forest to meet Voldemort, prepared to suffer the fate that he escaped sixteen years before.

The Birthday Book is available for order from Amazon at this link and benefits The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts. You can read the whole excerpt right here. Thanks to Twaleah for the tip!

Last year Harry Potter fans raised over $8,000 for civilian protection in Darfur through the Harry Potter Alliance and Standfast campaign. This year with your help we can raise even more money and help protect more civilians in Darfur.

The project works by participants giving up - or “fasting” from - one luxury item on December 3rd, and donating the money that they would have spent on this extra item to helping save and improve the lives of countless Darfuri in refugee camps.

STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network have worked tirelessly on a Civilian Protection Program on the ground in Darfur that will help families in the camps survive. Women there have to leave the safety of the camps to collect firewood so that they can feed their families, and are often attacked and raped by waiting militias. Their program ensures that as little as $3 can help one woman from having to leave the camps by funding firewood patrols and providing income-generating projects so that women can buy firewood instead of having to collect it.

The HPA is asking for your help to raise funds and organize events to raise awareness. Please join the Alliance and other organizations as we make a difference this December!

Fans may remember last summer when MuggleCast hosted a live podcast in the heart of London at Waterstone's Piccadilly.

Now, we're very excited to announce that Jamie, Matt, Elysa, Micah and I will be back at the same store for their Tales of Beedle the Bard release party! We'll be hosting a live podcast shortly before the midnight release, and Waterstone's will also play host to a variety of other entertainment throughout the night.

Tickets will cost 5 pounds for the event, which INCLUDES Beedle the Bard itself (the rest is for the live MuggleCast and other entertainment). Tickets will be available soon and we'll make another post as soon as they're ready for purchase. The event will be limited to 500 tickets, with a limit of 4 per person, so stay tuned to MuggleNet to make sure you grab your spots!

This page will stay updated with the latest details. We can't wait to see everyone there!

New photos from Half-Blood Prince have appeared online thanks to a new sticker book and Oclumencia:

- The Room of Requirement and the Vanishing Cabinet
- Ron playing Quidditch
- Ron in his Quidditch gear
- Hermione
- Dumbledore

Back in September, a New York judge ruled in favor of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. in their case against RDR Books over their proposed publication of a "Harry Potter Lexicon" book. The author and WB felt that the "Lexicon" took too much from the HP saga and gave too little in the way of legitimate commentary.

Sadly, however, RDR books has just filed a notice of appeal.

We'll keep you up-to-date on any developments. Thanks to Kat and Tristram for the tip.

According to an MTV blog report, Emma Thompson will not reprise the role of Professor Trelawney in the two-part Potter finale. Forced to choose between Deathly Hallows and the sequel to Nanny McPhee, Thompson said the choice was obvious.

"The Harry Potters are great big franchises that are something I’m not emotionally attached to or necessarily particularly creatively attached to. That’s more like doing a turn, whereas the Nanny McPhees are something I’ve written. The art is in those films, they’re very handmade, they’re something that’s very close to me. Those are the ones I really care about."

Here's something this news poster has been looking forward to: the Harry Potter BluRay set hit store shelves today. The set includes all five Potter films in the BluRay format as well as the bonus features that came on each original DVD.

Amazon has a nice deal on it too: $87.95 for the set (that's just under $18 for each film and its bonus features).

The actor who plays Draco Malfoy in the Potter films has been busy speaking to the fans. You may remember last week we told you about a very big interview with Felton-fansite Feltbeats.com. The fourth and final part of that interview is now online right here.

Additionally, Tom spoke with Heat Radio the other day and discussed Potter and music. When it came to a question about Half-Blood Prince Tom didn't hesitate to reveal how big of a film he thinks it is:

BD: And, tell us about “The Half Blood Prince” movie, what can we expect?

TF: A lot, a lot, I mean obviously I’m restricted, I haven’t seen much, I limit myself to how much I actually watch whilst we’re shooting it. It was an seven month shoot and I was there throughout, and for what I’ve seen and done, it’s gunna be a… it’s gunna be an epic film.

Thanks to Mish and Feltbeats for the tips!

E! and People Magazine have teamed up for a special award at E!'s 35th Annual People's Choice Awards: 'Favorite Star Under 35'.

Harry Potter actor Dan Radcliffe is nominated in this special category, and you can vote for him right here between now and December 7th.

Thanks to Allison for the tip!

ScarPotter has received a new photo of Professor McGonagall in Half-Blood Prince.

The photo shows the Transfiguration teacher checking out some sort of object - any ideas what it could be?

Potter spin-off book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which is set to be released on December 4th of this year, will have an initial print-run by Scholastic of 3.5 million. Publishers Weekly notes that this figure is small compared to Deathly Hallows' hefty 12 million, but still far greater than those of other books coming out this winter.

It continues to say that "in [Deathly Hallows'] case, though, the bulk of the sales occurred the first week out of the gate. The trick for booksellers will be to keep the Beedle magic going throughout the holidays and beyond.

"Financially pinched booksellers may also be hoping that some of the Rowling magic will rub off on the rest of their holiday season. 'Everyone knows someone who loves Harry Potter. It's a great stocking stuffer and a wonderful addition to a Harry Potter library,” says Diane Mangan, director of children's merchandising at Borders Book Group. Already Beedle is getting strong preorders at both Borders and Borders.com. And Mangan is hoping to keep up the momentum by highlighting the book on Borders's homepage and giving it front-of-store treatment in its stores on publication.'"

Thanks to everyone who emailed.

We're a little late on this, but at the end of October USA Today compiled a list of the best-selling books in the past 15 years.

Unsurprisingly, the Harry Potter books took 7 of the top 10 spots. Here's how they ranked:

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2) Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
3) The Da Vinci Code
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
8) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10) Who Moved My Cheese?

Read the full list right here. Thanks to Emily for the tip!

Earlier this evening, the 2008 Podcast Awards were announced via the web and we are excited to report that MuggleCast has won the award in the category of Entertainment. The Awards Ceremony will be held online in early December, with the date yet to be determined.

Thank you to everybody who voted as this honor means a lot to all of us at MuggleCast!

The MuggleNet, Magical Tours, and Alivan's Halloween Costume Contest Semi-Finalists are ready for your voting! MuggleNet fans were challenged to create their best Harry Potter-themed Halloween costume. We were very impressed with the enthusiasm and creativeness of all our amazing entrants. Good job everyone! The problem for us is that there are too many great choices, but we’ve narrowed it down to the top 25. Vote NOW for your favorite between now and November 11th. The top 7 Finalists will be announced on Friday, November 14th. These are the great prizes:

- 1st Place: The Collector's Edition of Beedle the Bard from Magical Tours

- 2nd Place: Your choice of a Majestic or Regal School Robe from Alivan's

- 3rd Place: Your choice of any wand from The Classic Collection from Alivan's

Good luck to the 25 semi-finalists!

The Harry Potter star will appear on NBC's Today Show this Monday (November 10th) in the 9 AM EST hour. Playbill reports that he'll sit down with Ann Curry to discuss his role in Equus on Broadway.

Thanks to Liza and DanRadcliffe.com for the tip!

The actor who plays Remus Lupin in the Potter films spoke with KTLA5 in Los Angeles a couple days ago, and his interview is now online thanks to YouTube. Thewlis talks about the Half-Blood Prince delay, the feel of the Potter sets, and his upcoming film "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas".

See it right here. Thanks to Alex for the tip!

MuggleNet reader Maggie has informed us of a Mary GrandPre exhibition on display at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. What's more, Maggie attended the gallery walk on November 2nd where GrandPre talked about the art for all who attended:

The show is fantastic!!! 96 items on display and 38 of them are HP. On display: 20 pencil sketches she did for Warner Brothers in '04 and '05 and various scenes from books 1-5. These alone are worth going for! They also had one color picture of the trio playing the chess game (from book 1), cover sketches for books 1, 6, 7 (not just the final cover published but covers that weren't chosen). The sketches for Book 1 had the original title (Harry Potter and the School of Magic) instead of Sorcerer's Stone. Also, there were pencil sketches for Beedle the Bard and some future Collector Editions.

Admission to the gallery is $5 for adults and free for children and runs through February 5th. If you check it out, be sure to send us in a report!

As mentioned earlier in the week, Hermione Granger of the Wizocrat party won the Ministry of Magic election with 64% of the vote. Today, we have some demographic results of the election based on the information you the voters filled out.

Among the notables, 74% of those who voted were female. The largest percentage of voters were between the ages of 12-18 at 51%; 19-24 was the second highest bracket with 27%. Of all the locations, North America accounted for 83% of the vote with Europe next at 11%. In terms of party affiliation, every major part of the world voted at least 61% in favor of the Wizocrat candidate, with the exception of Antarctica. Those seals and penguins were the only ones who had a favorable majority for the Hogican candidate.

Thanks again to everyone who participated as just about 10,000 people voted in the final election!

The actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Potter films has made a small update to her official site. In it, she reveals what she has been up to lately:

I'm currently trying to apply for uni, so reading lots and lots at home and starting to get very excited about the release of The Tale of Despereaux which is coming up in December. ALTHOUGH... I keep getting distracted as I have started re reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in preparation for the start of filming in February and can't put it down. Reading it for a second time has made it no less addictive.

Thanks to HPANA and everyone who e-mailed for the tip!

The United States election is a hot topic in the news this week, and the latest episode of our Harry Potter podcast is now available with Potter politics discussion! Given that this was the first US election that MuggleCast exists for, we compare the political aspects of the Wizarding World to the Muggle World.

- Micah updates us on the latest news stories.
- David Heyman's thoughts on the film delay.
- Jo's Beedle the Bard plans and our Beedle the Bard plans.
- Main Discussion: Potter politics.
- We draw several comparisons between the politics of the real world and the wizarding world. Racism, Ethnic Cleansing, Nazism, Evils, Corruption, Biased Media, Education Reform, oh my!

To download for free, we recommend subscribing through Apple iTunes. Just CLICK HERE and then press "Subscribe" to the right of our album art. (Already subscribed? Refresh your feed!) No iPod or MP3 player needed! You can also visit the MuggleCast website to listen right within your browser, or to download the MP3 file to your desktop. Enjoy!

As mentioned previously, MuggleCast was nominated at the 2008 Podcast Awards in the category of Entertainment. There is only a short time left to cast your ballot as voting ends tomorrow (Thursday, November 6). You can only vote once in a 24-hour period and make sure to check your e-mail to verify your vote.

MuggleCast is opposed by nine other great podcasts and we need your help to pull out the victory. Once again, thanks to everybody who nominated us and as always we appreciate your support!

UPDATE: The tallies are in, and Hermione Granger of the Wizocrat party won with 64% of the vote. MuggleNet and Kingsley Shacklebolt welcome Hermione into the Minstry and congratulate her on the win!

As most of you know, MuggleNet has been hosting a Ministry of Magic Election to determine who should be the next Minister of Magic in the Wizarding World. The final vote is today, as YOU have narrowed it down to two candidates: Hermione Granger from the Wizocrat Party and Kingsley Shacklebolt from the Hogican Party.

Voting has now opened, and you can get in the Voting Booth right here! Be sure to read the candidate's stances and check out early polls from The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler to help determine who to vote for. In the Voting Booth, you'll notice that there are a couple demographic questions (age, location, and gender). These are only collected so we can learn how different groups of people vote.

And lastly, a reminder: the United States is having their Presidential election today. We encourage EVERYONE who is registered to vote to please go out and support your candidate, as this is a very important election. Google has this nice election center map to help you find your nearest voting location and more. And thanks to the Harry Potter fandom, Wizard Rock the Vote registered over 900 new voters.

Fan site FeltBeats.com has scored a very nice interview with the actor who plays Draco Malfoy in the Potter films. In it, he discusses Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows, and a whole lot more. In the HBP portion of the interview, he was asked if he was excited about having a more prominent role in the film:

Tom: Yeah, sure. When David Yates dragged me [aside] at the beginning of it and said, “I have full faith in you,” yadda yadda, and I hope that you’re going to embrace the role and so forth. And I was fairly terrified. We did a read-through with Michael Gambon, and I was petrified at the thought of the final scene.

But after that, I guess I sort of learned a lot on the set, and David Yates was really my motivation. He was very, very, complimentary of everything he saw and very good with direction. He knew exactly what to say to get the results he wanted. And what the producers saw, they were very, very happy as well. And that sort of spurred me on even further. And, it was great fun. I really, really enjoyed it more than any other film, without a doubt. Sort of, embracing the role, if you will, and making the most of it.

You can see the entire interview at these links: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. A fourth part to the interview will be online in a few days. Thanks to HPANA for the tip!

The attorney for JK Rowling during her case against RDR Books will be speaking at Harvard University this Thursday (November 6th) at 12:15. The discussion about the case will run for 45 minutes in Pound 201.

Thanks to Christina for the tip!

The weekend box office tallies are in, and the latest Bond flick Quantam of Solace has broken Goblet of Fire's UK opening-day box office record. Quantum brought in 4.9 million pounds on Friday, beating out Goblet's opening day of 4 million.

Thanks to Johnathan T for the tip!

Our friend Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron is about to have her very first book released on Tuesday, November 4th. Harry, a History is a testament to the Harry Potter fandom, as Melissa details the series from the very beginning to the Deathly Hallows release.

On her book's website, Melissa has posted numerous bits of an interview she conducted with JK Rowling for the book. The latest part is Jo's reactions to the Order of the Phoenix field incident where guns were involved:

"I remember there was a journalist, a TV journalist, who said at the time, very flippantly, 'Ha, ha, it's all publicity, isn't it?" It just felt so out of control at that point, just felt so out of control that the manuscript had suspiciously turned up in a field, that this guy who had supposedly found it just thought, 'Oh, well, the best thing I can do here is phone some newspaper. ... And then of course we hit book six and we think we've seen the most out-there attempt to get a Harry Potter manuscript early, and of course we haven't come close because the we get the guy with the gun. That was pretty serious, that really was not funny. Fiddy told me and I thought it was a joke. I thought she was making a joke.

You can read the rest of Jo's thoughts on spoilers here, and other bits from Jo here, here, and here.