As promised, the MTV Movie Awards aired a new clip from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was of Dumbledore showing Harry his most important memory. We also get to see Young Riddle talk to Dumbledore about their abilities. Watch below:

UPDATE: YouTube already took our copy of the clip down. We'll update when another one is made available!

UPDATE 2: Back online right here...

UPDATE 3: MTV has released the clip online in high res. See it right here!

As we told you last week, MTV will be airing a new clip from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince tonight during the MTV Movie Awards.

The trio will be making a (likely pre-recorded) appearance to introduce the clip. We'll be sure to bring it to you when it makes its way online.

If you're able to record it, please send it in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

I have some very exciting news!

Everybody has heard of FMyLife.com, where people post stories ("FMLs") about the event that completely ruined their day. FML is one of the top 300 sites on the internet, and it has one million followers on Facebook.

FML is hilarious. But as fun as it can be hearing about people's misfortunes, it can be a downer.

So I, along with my like-minded HTML-literate lifemate Gaby Montero from DailyCute.net, decided to create the anti-FML: GMH - GivesMeHope.com

On GMH, people share with the world their most hopeful, uplifting moments and allow others to draw strength from their experiences.

Here are a few examples that tugged at my heartstrings and filled me up with hope for the future:

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Four years ago, I tried to kill myself by swallowing a bottle of painkillers. My online friend, who I'd never met, was the only person who knew. He called 911, they pumped my stomach to save my life. Today, I got my bachelor's degree in sociology. I'm starting grad school in August. GMH

Freshman year, there was a crippled girl bound to a wheelchair. For 4 years, she did physical therapy and progressed to crutches. When we graduated a few weeks ago, she handed her crutches to an officer and walked across the entire stage. The applause from the seniors was deafening. She cried the whole way. GMH

Two years ago, my husband and I were planning to get divorced. My mother was dying of ovarian cancer and didn't know we were separating. Her last wish was for us to work out our problems and not get divorced, so we agreed we had to at least try. I've never been happier. I've never looked back. GMH

For years, I have been donating $10/month to sponsor YMCA memberships for poor kids, but never seeing the results. Then during a basketball game I coached, one kid asked if he could play just the second half. I asked why. "Because my brother is wearing the shoes." His brother is on the on the other team. They share one pair of shoes. GMH

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I don't know how big GMH can get. But with all the suffering and misery in the world, I believe GMH has the potential to be a much-needed source of hope and inspiration. GMH is a breath of fresh air from the negativity of the mainstream media and dealing with life's hassles.

It's like Chicken Soup for the Soul - the 21st Century, Twitter-style version.

I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. GMH a cause I believe in strongly, and I will do whatever it takes to get the word out about this resource. I am going to donate every penny I receive from sales of MuggleNet's new book to raise awareness of GMH.

I need your help. If this is a cause you believe in, please take 17 seconds and click here to digg it! (You can now log in using your facebook account.) If enough people digg it, and we get it on the front page, it will get tons of exposure.

Props to Ben for the tech assistance. On a side note, now that I'm done with school, I'll have more time to work on MuggleNet!

Thanks, guys. If you enjoy GMH, please spread the word and tell all your friends and family! I really hope you find the stories as inspirational as I do!

UPDATE: News is spreading like WILDFIRE! It's now the #1 STORY on digg.com - ROCK ON, fellow optimists!!

We have more casting news for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! Chris Rankin has confirmed to Snitch Seeker that he will reprise his role as Percy Weasley in the final film.

Chase Armitage--an actor, dancer and stuntman--has also been cast in Deathly Hallows to play the role of an unnamed "Snatcher."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Thanks to Samantha and Snitch Seeker for the tip!

Earlier this week we told you that ABC Family will be airing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sneak peeks throughout tonight's broadcast of Prisoner of Azkaban. They will be doing the same for Goblet of Fire, which airs tomorrow.

If any new sneak peeks are aired, we'll be sure to bring them to you here!

On a related note, another reminder: tomorrow's MTV Movie Awards will include a special appearance by the trio, who will reveal a new clip from Half-Blood Prince. We'll have that posted here when it's available online as well!

MuggleNet readers Rachael, Jan, and Shannon have all been notified by Fandango that tickets for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince are now on sale!

You can see showtimes and purchase tickets at this link.

A week ago we showed you a brand new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince featurette, and today we have another one that is slightly different.

It includes most of the same scenes as last week's featurette, but it's rearranged with a couple short new clips to enjoy.

See it right here on YouTube. Thanks to Brandon for the tip!

In a new interview with the Press Association, Tom Felton reflects on his years with the Harry Potter film franchise. Interestingly enough, Felton--who plays Harry Potter's nemesis Draco Malfoy--originally auditioned for the role of Harry.

I went for Harry for about five times and then Ron for a couple more and ended up dying my hair blond for Draco. I had my hair dyed brown, ginger and then blond and finally they got it right.

Thanks to Mallika for the tip!

For all of you who experienced malware warnings on MuggleNet by Google: they should be all gone now.

Darn Peeves. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Variety is reporting that WB and Apple will collaborate to release a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince iPhone application. WB is "positioning itself as a major distributor of applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch" with apps tied to Sherlock Homes and "Terminator Salvation" among others.

No official word on a release date for the Half-Blood Prince app yet, but we'll keep you updated!

HPEF has made some updated and announcements about Azkatraz 2009, and cleared up a rumor that could have impacted Infinitus 2010. The rumor stated that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would not be opening until late 2010. However, Infinitus 2010 chair Jenn Clack confirmed with Universal this week that it will be open in time for Infinitus in July of 2010.

But before that, we'll be at Azkatraz, and we hope to see you there! At Azkatraz, the main feature of each day (other than Friday - more about that below) will be their formal programming. The schedules for each day have been uploaded to their website - click here for the details!

Friday, there's no formal programming - instead, you can explore San Francisco, recuperate from the HBP showing and Leaky Mug and/or head down to Golden Gate Park on the Official Azkatraz Bus for a day of fantastic Quidditch play. The Quidditch Tournament details are up right here. There are still spaces on all eight teams, so sign up soon!

Tickets are still available for Wrock Around the Rock, and if you have friends who'd like to go without registering for Azkatraz, tickets are now available to the general public right here. If you've already registered, you can add tickets by modifying your registration at this link.

When you register or modify your registration, don't forget to put MUGGLENET as the site that referred you to Azkatraz. More news will be out in early June about a special MuggleNet meet-up, as well as special activities with Emerson and Ben as they promote their new book: Harry Potter Should Have Died.

See you in a few weeks!

A poster book published by Scholastic includes several new interviews with the cast of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Snitch Seeker snagged a copy of it and scanned all the interviews, which you can see at this link.

Many people are interviewed, including Dan Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, the Phelps twins, Evanna Lynch, Emma Watson, Jessie Cave, and Rupert Grint! You can order the book from Amazon right here.

There is a new behind-the-scenes look at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from Empire Magazine's July issue, and scans are now online right here thanks to DanRadcliffe.com.

Additionally, Empire is hosting a contest to win a signed copy of a picture that they took of the trio for the magazine's 20th anniversary. For details on how to enter, click here! Thanks to Heather for the tip.

EDIT: A Twilight fansite didn't actually cause the damage. I was joking as much as I was about Peeves infiltrating.

As many of you know, over the past 24 hours we were considered a 'malicious attack site' by Google and your browsers warned you before visiting.

After investigating the incident, we discovered that Peeves the Poltergeist was hired by a Twilight fansite to infiltrate our banner ads and trip some of Google's alarms to make it look like we were up to no good.

We're in the process of fixing the problem and appreciate your patience as we investigate. We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you that the pesky poltergeist won't be back again! (Emerson will set him straight with the help of the Pickle Pack reindeer)

There's a brand new trailer out for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game, and it sheds light on the game's stunning visuals.

Watch it here and experience some really cool action packed scenes! The game will be available June 30th worldwide for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.

Thanks to IGN and Cody for the tip!

The Harry Potter DVDs are set to be re-released on June 15th in standard and Blu-Ray formats in the UK, and Warner Brothers is hosting a very cool contest to celebrate the occasion:

To mark the re-release of the first five Potter films - starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - on Blu-Ray and DVD this summer, Warner Home Video has hidden a token inside one of the discs, offering a fan the chance to visit the set of the seventh and final instalment, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

The winner will spend a week on the set at Leavesden Studios, Hertfordshire, working with members of various production departments including set decoration, hair and make-up and the prop department.

A whole week on set! The press release goes on to explain that you'll have the chance to meet several cast and crew members. There are also three runner-up prizes that include box sets and goody bags.

At a press conference the other day for his new film Fugitive Pieces, Croatian actor Rade Serbedzija revealed that he'd be playing "a small but interesting role" in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He also described the role as "a wizard who makes swords with special power."

From this, we can only assume he'll be playing Gregorovich. He will be filming the role in November and will be headed to London soon too be fitted for a costume. Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip!

Last week we reported that crews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had been preparing an area in Swinley Forest for filming.

Now, Snitch Seeker has photos of the latest preparations which include a green screen crane.

At this time, we're unaware of what scenes these are for, (any ideas?) but we'll keep you updated!

Our friends at HPANA have learned that the running time for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is 153 minutes (or 2 hours and 33 minutes). This would make the film the second longest to date, coming behind Chamber of Secrets by a few minutes.

This upcoming weekend, May 30 and 31, ABC Family will be broadcasting Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during its "Harry Potter Weekend." As it has done in the past with previous movies, ABC Family will also be airing sneak peeks at the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Thanks to everyone who emailed!

Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton is set to play the part of "Luke" in "In Between the Waves," a new movie described as a "European road trip and buddy movie." A short synopsis can be read below:

After winning their first foreign surf heat in France a massive, accidental explosion propels best of friends Guy and Luke on a wild escape journey. Chance encounters and surprises around every corner they hit the road down Europe’s Atlantic coast with their new mysterious companion Spanish beauty Charlie. But all is not what it seems and Guy and Luke are pulled in different directions by Charlie who gradually lures them onto a new path, to a magical coastal region in Morocco.

Thanks to Ali, Emma, and Joshua for letting us know.

Our very own Andrew Sims is celebrating his 20th birthday today! On behalf of the MuggleNet staff, we'd like to wish him a very happy birthday. Thanks for all you do!

Send Andrew your birthday wishes in the comments! WE LOVE YOU, ANDREW!!

On an unrelated note, we've put up a new job opening (graphics), and MuggleNet's new book is now shipping!

Regular theatergoers have awarded Daniel Radcliffe two Broadway.com Audience Award .

Another double winner is Harry Potter film star Daniel Radcliffe, winning Favorite Actor and Breakthrough performance for his acclaimed turn in last fall's Equus revival, which was named the audience's Favorite Broadway Play Revival.

Congratulations to Dan and everyone involved in the play!

Warner Brothers has just sent us the one-sheet for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which we originally showed you yesterday on MSN.

Check it out in glorious high-res right here!

If case you didn't have enough Half-Blood Prince news today, here's one more thing to keep you held over through the weekend! Warner Brother has just released download links to their latest Half-Blood Prince featurette, which includes a ton of new clips and interviews with the stars. We originally showed you this featurette in lower quality yesterday. Enjoy!

Windows HD: Low, High
Windows Standard: Small, Medium, Large
Flash: Small, Large
QuickTime HD: Small, Medium, Large
QuickTime Standard: Small, Medium, Kinda Large, Large
iPod: Click here

Warner Brothers has provided us with high-res download links to the Half-Blood Prince clip which aired on Ellen yesterday. This also includes the extended version that ran on Sky News, which we first showed you this morning.

Windows HD: Small, Medium, Large
Windows Standard: Small, Medium, Large
Flash: Small, Large
QuickTime HD: Small, Medium, Large
QuickTime Standard: Small, Medium, Large, Very Large
iPod: Click here

More great Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince news today - MSN Movies has revealed a brand new poster for the film.

It depicts Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione and Ron with London buildings in the background. See it RIGHT HERE!

Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip.

The other day we showed you the first clip released from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which appeared on Ellen.

Thanks to MuggleNet reader Zahra, we now have an extended version of this scene that appeared on Sky News in the UK. See it right here on YouTube!

On a related note, during her opening monologue on the show with the Half-Blood Prince clip, Ellen had some fun with the size of the book. You can see a clip of that on Ellen's site. Thanks to Cara for the link!

The Movie Box has captured the eighth television commercial for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Most of the footage has already been seen, but it's still exciting to watch!

See it right here on YouTube.

To see seven other Half-Blood Prince TV spots, click here.

As we all know by now, over the past couple weeks we have seen several televison commercials for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Here now is a list of ALL the spots to date, including a few (numbers 4 - 7) that appeared over the past 24 hours with no new clips we hadn't seen before:

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

Additionally, our Half-Blood Prince trailers and TV spots pages have both been updated with everything we've seen thus far. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this news post - there were a ton of you!

Wow, get ready for another GREAT Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sneak peek! Kinepolis.com has a brand new behind-the-scenes featurette that includes a boatload of new clips and interviews from the cast.

New scenes include Harry and Dumbledore talking atop the Astronomy Tower, Slughorn transforming from a chair to a human, and some bittersweet words from Dumbledore about how Harry has grown.

To watch it, click here, then select the featurette! Thanks to Colleen for the tip.

It was announced today on MTV's website that a new clip from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will air during this year's MTV Awards on May 31st. Moreover, the clip will be introduced by the trio:

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will present (via telecast from England) a never-before-seen clip from "Half-Blood Prince," the sixth movie adaptation of the J.K. Rowling boy-wizard book series. Megan Fox and director Michael Bay will be on-hand to show off a fresh clip from "Revenge of the Fallen," the sequel to the 2007 box office smash about shape-shifting robots.

If anyone is able to capture the clip when it airs, be sure to send it in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com! We'll remind you about it again on the day of the awards. Thanks to Nicholas and Stephanie for the tip!

The NBC television show Ellen has revealed the first clip from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on their website!

In it, we see Harry and Ron in the Gryffindor commonroom where Ron professes his love for Romilda.

See it at this link! Thanks to Sam for the tip.

This is Bristol reports on a recent shopowner's experience working with the crew of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

Movie makers have been to a second hand furniture shop in Knowle West to buy old tables and wardrobes for the latest Harry Potter film.

Set designers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows heard about Re:store in Filwood Broadway through the Furniture Reuse Network.

Vicky Beckwith, 39, of King William Road, Bedminster, who runs the store said: "The set designers contacted us and said they needed old wooden furniture that was a bit battered.

"They bought a wardrobe and tables and chairs Thirties.

"It was ideal for us. Furniture from that period is a bit too big and heavy for use in modern homes. Nobody buys it.

CBBC recently posted a report from filming of the "Shell Cottage" scenes for Deathly Hallows in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Check out an excerpt below:

The most exciting bit of the day was when we got to go down to the set. They had built a beautiful house made of shells called Shell Cottage.

It looked like it was really old and had 1600 shells on the roof that had all been put on by hand. There were people called set dressers working on the set and they were raking the sand and using blowers to make it look like no one had walked around the house.

Thanks to Sandra and Jacob for the tip.

In a new interview, Devon Murray, who plays Seamus Finnigan in the Harry Potter films, revealed that film chiefs have moved the Deathly Hallows script to a safe house after "several break-in attempts from thieves hoping to steal the storylines from his family home in Kildare." Murray also discusses his fame, admits he "hasn't read a single one" of the books and reveals that Daniel Radcliffe is not as innocent as he seems:

He's totally wired. He's a great man to go for a night out with as he loves partying and is up for anything. He's great craic.

The actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Potter films updated her official website today with an update on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows filming:

Just got back from the nicest week in Wales. Pembrokeshire is so beautiful. It was such a nice change from the studio and the weather was AMAZING. I think I actually got sun tanned! Doing night shoots this week, tried to stay up late this weekend to get used to it. I realised that in 2 weeks time I will be half way through filming my part in Deathly Hallows.

Read the rest of her update on her official site. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

HIGH QUALITY VIDEO: Right here... enjoy!

During Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC and The Simpsons on FOX this evening, a third TV spot for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aired.

In the new commercial, MuggleNet reader Maggie tells us they "showed some new clips with Draco and Bellatrix. It was pretty short, but there was one really cool part were Bellatrix whispers into Draco's ear 'Finish the deed'." MuggleNet reader Danny saw the same commercial, and he said it included new shots of Draco running down a hall.

Two other MuggleNet readers, Babbity Rabbity and Joel, tell us they saw presumably the same commercial during The Simpsons.

If anyone is able to capture the spot, please send it in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

London Taxi Tours, a reputable source for Potter filming information over the past few years, is reporting that crews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are preparing sets in the Swinley Forest area in Bracknell, England.

You can see photos of the new sets right here, and a video right here. As of this time, we do not know what these sets are for but we'll keep you updated!

Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip.

A new photo of the trio from Empire Magazine will be on display at the Empire Exhibition in London on May 21st, according to Emma Watson's official site.

We first saw this photo a few weeks ago when it appeared in Empire Magazine's 20th Birthday Issue.

UPDATE: Video of the TV spot can now be seen at this link. Thanks to Peyton, Brianna, and Joel for the tip!

MuggleNet reader Ziggy has let us know that a new TV commercial for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aired during the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. While there were no new clips, Ziggy provided us with this description:

It started off with the announcer guy all "On July 15th" and then a quick shot of Dumbledore and Harry on the rocks. It transitioned to Dumbledore landing in the Memory. Then it showed Katie Bell flying into the air and Harry and Hermione staring. Following that was Snape saying "It's Over." Then, the Death Eaters went flying through the house and the Burrow exploded. The screen goes blank and then it shoots back with Harry yelling "Fight back, you coward! fight!" and then Snape throws a spell at Harry, the bridge collapses, Death Eaters flying through the air, and then a quick shot of a window exploding.

Readers may remember that the first TV spot aired last week with new clips. As more TV commercials for the film appear (and you eagle-eyed MuggleNetters spot them), we'll let you know of 'em!

UniversHarryPotter is reporting this evening that Jamie Campbell-Bower will indeed play Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The information was confirmed by Jamie's manager, who spoke to UniversHarryPotter at the Cannes Film Festival.

The rumor first appeared last month when The Daily Mail reported that he was in final negotiations for the part. Jamie recently had a lead role in Sweeney Todd and will appear as Caius in New Moon this November. Thanks to The Twilight Lexicon for the tip!

UPDATE: EA has announced that the game will be available July 3rd in the UK. Additionally, they have released this new poster for the game which depicts Harry casting a cool spell!

In a press release today, EA Games confirmed that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game will be released worldwide on June 30.

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

The game will be released for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.

The third day of filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 'Shell Cottage' scenes continued today and fans got to see many new things from the film, most notably a first look at Domhall Gleeson playing Bill Weasley. Oclumencia has a number of great photos from both yesterday's filming and today where you can see a crew member holding a figure of Dobby.

Additionally, MuggleNet reader Bexybat visited the set today and provided us with this report:

"Speaking to a security guard at the filming he told me that today was going to be the last day they were filming there. They filmed the scene just after apparating from Malfoy Manor, appearing on the beach with Harry, Griphook, Ron and Hermione all lying on the floor, Harry checking on Hermione before seeing Dobby staggering towards him. Dobby then collapses and Luna runs over to comfort Harry."

The Hogwarts Express will be traveling on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for eight days later this month, according to a new report coming out of Gloucestershire.

Fans will be able to ride the train while it makes an appearance at the Cotswold Festival of Steam, and later when it takes passengers between Cheltenham Racecourse and Toddington stations.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park's official site has been updated with a new poll. It asks, "Which one of these would scare you the most?"

The choices are The Whomping Willow, a Hungarian Horntail, an Acromantula, a Dementor, and a Basilisk.

To vote, just click here and then click on the current poll link. Thanks to Emily for the tip!

UPDATE: Many more photos right here on ISIFA.com!

Another day of filming on-location scenes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is complete, and photos are beginning to surface online from Pembrokeshire.

Snitch Seeker has found several photos which you can see right here. In these pics we see Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, and David Yates. A couple of the photos include new looks at Dobby's tragic burial scene.

You can keep up with all the latest Deathly Hallows filming news at this link. We'll update with more pics when they become available!

We've seen several photos from Shell Cottage over the past 24 hours, but these new ones from Wales Online and Daily Mail take the cake. Both news agencies reported on the filming and included these new photos:

- Harry digging Dobby's grave. Aw, how sad!
- Hermione laying Dobby in his grave. Aw, how more sad!

For many more photos from yesterday's filming, click here! We expect another new photos throughout the week as they continue to shoot Shell Cottage scenes. If you'll be in Pembrokeshire to watch filming, please do send in photos/reports to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

Celebrity-Gossip.net has some more great photos from today's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Shell Cottage filming in Pembrokeshire.

There are new shots of Emma waving to the fans, Dan Radcliffe shooting scenes with Helena Bonham Carter, and many more. See them all right here!

If you'll be in Pembrokeshire to catch filming, please do send in your pics and reports to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!.

A few weeks ago, Warner Brothers moved the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from July 17th to July 15th in the United States. This left many UK fans (including MuggleNet readers Nick and Natalie) upset that Americans would see it two days early.

But today, we have some good news to share: Warner Brothers has just confirmed first to MuggleNet that Half-Blood Prince will indeed be released on July 15th in the UK as well!

UPDATE: One more photo from Alexandra right here! It's of Dan and several crew members getting ready to film a scene. Also see a video of the area, once again by Alexandra, right here!

Today is the first day of filming Shell Cottage scenes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and one MuggleNet visitor was there to take in the action.

Alexandra tells us she got there as Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Griphook (Warwick Davis) were shooting a scene where they're both laying on the ground, and on action they stand up and walk towards the camera. You can see a photo of them filming this scene right here.

Further, Alexandra learned that the trio came down to meet the fans who were watching. She also spoke with security around the set who told her they have the beach until June 5th, but expect to wrap at least a week beforehand (the extra allotted time is just in case of bad weather, etc).

You can see two more photos at these links: one of the crowd around Shell Cottage, and one of the crew getting ready to shoot a new scene in front of the Cottage.

Big thanks again to Alexandra! If YOU are going to be watching them film sometime this week, be sure to send pics and a report to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

UPDATE 2: Oclumencia has some great close-up photos of the cast doing their scenes right here! Actors spotted include Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Warwick Davis, and Dobby's voice actor Toby Jones.

UPDATE 1: BBC now has video up of filming at this link!

This week, the cast and crew of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be in Pembrokeshire to film Shell Cottage scenes. We've been updating you on the construction of Shell Cottage for several weeks now, and today we're getting details concerning their arrival.

Wales Online has details of how Helena Bonham Carter arrived in Pembrokeshire. Fans saw her at a rest stop prior to arriving and felt she looked "out of place" with her attire. Leaky reports that the trio, Evanna Lynch, Domhall Gleeson, and Warwick Davis have arrived on set as well.

UHP has several photos of the cast and crew on the set grounds, which you can see in their gallery starting right here.

We'll continue to update you throughout the week with the latest filming details! If you can make it down to Pembrokeshire, please do send in photos and reports to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

The Evening Times is reporting today that The Braendam House, a charity home allowing poor families to vacation, was saved by JK Rowling's Volant Charitable Trust, among others. It had been nearing closure after running out of money:

The size of the donation has not been revealed.

As well as the cheque from Volant, other trusts have contributed to a rescue package for Braen dam House, including the Cattanach Trust, Robertson Trust, Endrick Trust, Mugdock Children's Trust, and the Balmore Coach House Trust.

Cath Morrison, chief executive of the Lilias Graham Trust, said the new money would keep the charity going until at least next March.

She said: "It is fantastic news. It was like TV's The Secret Millionaire."

In a follow up to what we reported last night, the first Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince television commercial has now made its way online!

You can see it right here on YouTube. Thanks to honouraryweasley, Peyton, Diana, and Chris for the tip!

Our friends at Whimsic Alley have let us know that they're holding a special sale on Hogwarts House Dress Up Kits especially for the big Potter movie release and fan symposiums this summer.

For $149.99, you can get a Robe, Sweater, Tie, Wand and Pin from your favorite House. You can also get huge discounts on Skirts, Scarves, Patches, etc. to complete your School Uniform.

See all the details right here!

MuggleNet reader Yajush wrote in to let us know that the first television commercial for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has aired on US television on the CW channel (owned by WB, ironically enough). The spot went by in a flash so she didn't have time to catch details, but one of Snitch Seeker's readers did:

Dumbledore and Harry are talking and Harry mentions a girl and says "she's just a friend...." and then they show Harry and Ginny leaning in for a kiss. Next we have Hermione smacking Harry in the library. Then it switches to a scene in a hospital (Ron's poisoning) and Lavender leans over the hospital bed and says "I happen to be his girlfriend". Then it shows a shot of Hermione looking up at the Quidditch stands, smiling really big at Ron (new shot of Ron during Quidditch shown). Next shot that I remember is back at the hospital wing and Hermione responds to Lavender with "I happen to be his friend". You see Harry, Dumbledore, Ginny, Hermione, Lavender, Ron and Snape in this scene. Maybe McGonagall too. Then Dumbledore says "Ah, to be young again..." and then you see Harry smiling really big in the common room.

If any readers record video, or see other TV spots, please let us know by e-mailing us!

The latest episode of our Harry Potter podcast has arrived! There's a lot of news to discuss, and long-time host Jamie Lawrence makes his triumphant return to the show! In this episode:

- Eric visited the Harry Potter Exhibition and he provides a review.
- Deathly Hallows is filming on location and Jamie wonders if blocking off an entire street is arrogant.
- Premiere dates are set, why are they three days in a row?
- New segment: Twitter Question Mailbag!
- We take your questions about all Potter subjects as submitted through Twitter and answer 'em.
- Another new segment: AudioFic!
- ... where MuggleNet FanFiction provides you with a reading of their best Fan Fiction.
- Jamie's British Joke of the Day is back with three jokes!

To download for free, we recommend subscribing through 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.

ComingSoon.net has posted a couple of great new photos of the Shell Cottage set built in Pembrokeshire. Filming for these scenes is set to begin on May 11th and continue on until the 15th.

Take a look at the photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Some Italian fans will get to see the highly-anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie three days earlier than the scheduled release date. On July 12th at the 39th annual Festival of the Giffoni, the sixth movie will open the festival, in which the "audience [of] children and youth will have the opportunity to take part in [the] huge event," according to the artistic director Claudio Gubitosi. The festival runs from July 12th to July 25th with the theme of "taboos."

The rest of Italy as well as most of the world will have to wait until July 15th to see the sixth movie.

The Telegraph has a new report up from Pembrokeshire, where crews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are putting the finishing touches on Shell Cottage:

It is a bizarre sight for beachcombers - the front is old stone while the roof is made up entirely of large scallop shells.

The building on the Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire will feature in the final instalment of the seven hit wizarding films.

Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - who play the Harry, Ron and Hermioine - will spend several days filming at the cottage later this month.

The article is accompanied by a photo of the nearly completed Shell Cottage and some reactions from Potter fans.

Our friends at Alivans, Master Wandmakers have informed us of a charity drive their running to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Any time a customer purchases a Holly/Ebony wand (original Hermione design), Alivans will donate 100% of the profits to Ronald McDonald House Charities. After the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Alivans hosted a similar charity drive and earned over $9,000 for victims. They hope to have the same successful run Ronald McDonald!

You can see the product right here, and browse the rest of their site at this link.

Earlier today The New York Times published an interesting article looking at how fans have been threatening to boycott films after movie studios upset the diehard fans. One of the films noted was of course Half-Blood Prince, after Warner Brothers pushed it from November 2008 to July 2009. They briefly spoke to our own Emerson Spartz who commented on the situation:

“It’s completely tapered off,” Emerson Spartz, the founder of the mugglenet.com Harry Potter fan site, said of the outburst.

Mr. Spartz, who spoke from Indiana, where he had just finished his final class at the University of Notre Dame, said he was confident that fans would show up for the “Harry Potter” opening. But, he added, Warner could have avoided trouble by giving an early warning about a possible delay.

“We were so close we could almost taste the movie,” Mr. Spartz said.

As we all remember, it was back in late January when Harry Potter stuntman David Holmes was critically injured on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows while rehearsing.

An investigation quickly followed, and The Telegraph is reporting today that the Health and Safety Executive told the Potter production team to improve the safety of its sets by the end of June:

A spokesman said: "The investigation is still ongoing. As a remedial act we have issued an improvement notice to the company asking them to improve the way they do stunt rehearsals using wires.

"They have got two months to look at that."

DDD Co Ltd has 21 days to appeal against the notice, the spokesman added.

UPDATE 3: Eagle-eyed MuggleNet visitor Kaity points out that Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, New York, and Miami are the only cities listed in the official rules. With that said, it must be these 6 cities only!

UPDATE 2: Also for NBC Chicago... thanks Samantha! Will all the NBC stations participate?

UPDATE: NBC Miami and NBC New York are also participating. Thanks to Auror Proudfoot and Lili11 for the tip!

Yesterday we first told you about a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sweepstakes open to Los Angeles and San Francisco residents. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to the Half-Blood Prince premiere in London, and there are also daily Potter-related prizes.

We've now learned, thanks to MuggleNet reader Brandy, that the San Francisco NBC affiliate is also participating in the sweepstakes. If you're a resident of San Francisco, Dallas, or Los Angeles, click here for more information on how to enter, and good luck!

By the way: If your local station tells you about the sweepstakes, and it's not one of the cities above, send it in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Thanks!

** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES AND CHARITY INFO!



Read the back of the book for more info. Look for it in bookstores June 1st!

Click here to pre-order at Amazon!

And yes... this means Ben and I are going BACK ON TOUR this summer! Stay tuned for tour dates and locations!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

WE DON'T ACTUALLY THINK Harry should have died. Well, I don't, anyway. Ben does. But Ben is evil.

This is ONE VIEW that people hold. In the book, we reach the conclusion that Harry should have lived!

The title is a double entendre - it references the view some people hold, that Harry Potter (the character) should have died. It also speaks to those who thought Harry Potter (the buzz) should have died.

But Harry Potter didn't die. It didn't go away when DH came out. In coffee shops and on message boards, we're all still fiercely debating the most controversial issues.

We thought putting our extensive analysis in to book form was the best way to reach out to Harry Potter fans who haven't yet found their way onto MuggleNet (and don't listen to MuggleCast!).

So in this book, we discuss about what really happened, what could have happened, and what maybe should have happened.


----------------------------


UPDATE (June 11): IT'S IN STORES!!! You can pick it up at your local bookstore or you can order it on Amazon here! Go - do it!!

In related news, earlier this week, Gaby and I launched GivesMeHope.com (GMH) - "Like FMyLife, but for optimists!" It's a website where people share their most hopeful, uplifting moments. Or another way of saying it - it's a collection of "Bite-sized, Chicken Soup Stories for the Twitter Generation."

The response has been incredible. You guys did an AMAZING job spreading our message of hope - the website received 185,000 hits in its first 24 hours! Wow! We were voted the #1 story on Digg.com, ranked one of the "Top 10 Hottest Urls" of May 31st, and also got written up in several newspapers and magazines, including Esquire.com.

As I mentioned in my last post, GMH is a cause that I believe in so strongly, I'm going to donate every penny I receive in proceeds from the sale of our new book to promoting GMH.

I'm proud to announce today we have selected a charity to align the website with: GivesMeHope will be used exclusively to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. It is consistently rated as one of the most efficient and effective charities, and I've seen the impact my local Boys and Girls Club has made in my community. It's definitely an organization whose mission is aligned with ours.

So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to everybody for all your support. I have read over 1000 of your stories, and I'm just brimming with hope and optimism for our future. As you can tell, I can't even contain my excitement. I hope you'll continue to visit the website, and help Gaby and I spread our message of hope! THANK YOU!!

EDIT: Thank you for all of the positive feedback on the book. We're so glad you guys enjoy it - we had a blast writing it!

New photos have emerged showing the construction of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Florida. The photos show the entrance arch, Hogwarts castle, Hogsmeade and some other interesting shots.

Thanks to Brian, the site's owner, for the tip!

Back in February, we first told you about Regal's "Firstlook" at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

We've now learned that AMC theaters have started playing a Half-Blood Prince sneak peek of their own, and MuggleNet visitor Ellie wrote in to tell us all about it. This feature was seen during a showing of the new Disney documentary Earth, before the trailers.

New footage included a shot of Slughorn's head popping out of his armchair disguise. The armchair then unfolded and shrunk into Slughorn. There was also a conversation between Harry and Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower, a group of Hogwarts students in the Quidditch stands looking up at the sky (maybe at the Dark Mark?), some funny shots of Lavender hitting on Ron, and new interviews with director David Yates and producer David Heyman.

If you're interested in checking out the first look yourself, please call your local AMC theater ahead of time and ask them which films to see it with. Big thanks to Ellie for all the info!

Over 48,000 bricks were used to create a lego mosaic of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling at the Legoland Windsor theme park. Rowling won the honor after landing first place in a poll looking for the "ultimate hero" of the past ten years. Local children were an integral part of putting the mosaic together.

"At Legoland, we actively encourage imagination and creativity and believe in making the children the heroes – just as Rowling does in her stories."

Other notable Potter stars who made top 10 in the poll were Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter) at No. 8 and David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr.) at No. 9.

Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip!

Last week we reported the Los Angeles Times had a new article on the upcoming Half-Blood Prince film and it contained a new picture of Harry and Dumbledore at Professor Slughorn's house. Warner Bros. has now passed along a high-res version of the photo, which you can see right here.

UPDATE: A NBC station in Dallas is running a similar competition as well. If you live in that area, click here!

If you're in the Los Angeles area, you'll want to know that NBC LA is holding a contest where you can win a trip to the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Entering is simple. Just watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and/or Extra all this week and wait for the secret word. You can then enter it on this site, at which time you'll be entered into the grand prize contest and the daily contests. Daily contest prizes include Order of the Phoenix video games, Blu-Ray Potter movies, and more.

For full details, click here! Thanks to Austin for the tip.

Those who requested to know the release date for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince score have been told by Amazon that it will be released July 7th. This is the same day as Deathly Hallows is released in paperback, and just a week before the 6th film's release.

You can pre-order it on Amazon right here. As we all know, Nicholas Hooper is scoring Half-Blood Prince. Thanks to Gina for the tip!

The LA Times has a new article on the upcoming Half-Blood Prince movie. It contains a new picture of Harry and Dumbledore at, what seems to be, Slughorn's house. The article points out that despite the previous five movies, the films are not getting old for the actors.

"You would think that, but truly every film is different, and this time around the refreshing aspect was the adolescent romantic core of this film, which should be absolutely charming and very funny," Radcliffe said during a break from shooting. "So from that point of view, it is quite a different film, because we haven't had anything that has had this sort of light and warm and funny a core before."

TIME magazine has released its list of the world's 100 most influential people, and UK prime minister Gordon Brown came in at #2. JK Rowling, a strong supporter of Brown, wrote a piece about him for the magazine:

"Back in the mid-1990s, when he was new labour's brooding, intellectual heavyweight, I was a lone parent struggling to get by. He said he was not interested in stigmatizing the poor but in finding solutions for their predicament. I was tired of hearing government ministers lambaste the likes of me as irresponsible scroungers. I wanted Gordon Brown in charge..."

Thanks to Allie for the tip.

The same site that released interviews with Dan Radcliffe and Emma Watson now has posted their interview with Rupert Grint. In it, Rupert talks about the funniest moments filming the movie:

Getting my bum cast. They were making a chair for the broomstick to make it more comfortable and have my shape. I was wearing these skinny trousers and I had to sit on this chair and they managed the exact shape of my bum. They turned it into a really comfortable chair.

Also The Weasley house when we burned that down. That was an exciting part. We were standing quite close to it, a burning building, and it was quite scary and I think it got a bit out of control. That was a lot of fun.

Thanks to Brandon for the tip!

Last week, we updated you on construction in Pembrokeshire, where crews are building Shell Cottage for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Today, the BBC posted video of the construction and interviews with locals which you can see right here.

In addition to Eric's exhibition review, there are now several pictures online courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

Included are characters and scenes familiar to Potter fans from the first five films, as well as a Death Eater 'Wanted' poster and box of bezoars from the upcoming Half-Blood Prince.

Thanks to Allie and Scarlett for the tip!