One of our own recently had a wonderful essay published in the Time Argus about having grown up along side Harry Potter. (There are no spoilers in this article.)
Kudos, Caroline!
Harry Potter Week: Morning newsblast
Jim Dale, who reads the Harry audiobooks, knows how it all ends, and he can’t even tell his grandkids. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the NYT, a look at the directors of the HP films. Or simply keep up with their Harry Potter index. (Thanks, Liz!)
Meanwhile, no one has any business being surprised that Order of the Phoenix is tops at the box office, making about twice as the nearest competition, Transformers.
Also…
- The leak is out there. Spoilers at every turn!
- No Potter for ASDA supermarket chain. ASDA is the second largest retailer in the UK – and a subsidiary of Wal-Mart. Ha-ha.
- Deathly Hallows is as green as an almost 800 page book could possibly be.
- Booksellers gird their loins.
- Books still under warehouse guard.
- HP release sure to effect workplace productivity. Hey, we’ve all been there.
Harry Potter Week: The Marauders
Be sure to click through to see the whole thing!
We’re kicking off our weeklong HP fandomfest with a quick look back at the beginning – the Marauders by pro fantasy artist Jenny Dolfen. Be sure to thumb through her DeviantArt gallery for more artwork based on HP and a few other fandoms we’re rather fond of.
HP spoilers have been sighted
Now might be a good time to leave the internet, spoilerphobes! There’s a scanned copy of most of the book circulating… Yes, it could be fake, but why take the chance?
Harry Potter and the Fear of Spoilers
Wal-Mart recently announced its Harry Potter spoiler policy with a rather amusingly-written poem:
Wal-Mart’s Pledge to Harry Potter Fans
There’s plenty of excitement brewing,
As the final chapter draws near;
But hearing the story’s end from others,
Is what magicals and muggles all fear;
So at Wal-Mart worldwide we’ve decided,
To make a pledge to our customers that’s clear,
We’ll keep silent on what we discover July 21,
So you buy without fear of reveal here.
JK Rowling they aren’t, but it’s a great sentiment. Some stores are even handing out earplugs for the even more nervous.
Club Jade will also make all attempts to keep the spoilage off of our pages (if any of us can even stand to look for fear of getting spoiled ourselves) with plenty of warnings and links.
The day in Potter
Ron writes prize-winning fanfic! Harry gets pregnant by Salazar Slytherin! Gerbils!
Get your own Harry Potter Spoiler of DOOOOMMMM!!!!
Harry Potter and the Hype of Ages
Security on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows isn’t being taken lightly. Printing plants hired extra guards, the printed books are kept in locked boxes, but nothing beats this:
Bloomsbury refused to send the manuscript to Scholastic electronically because it feared that it would be intercepted. Instead, Mark Seidenfeld, the American publisher’s lawyer, travelled to Britain to pick it up and, on his return journey, protected it from prying eyes by sitting on it.
Sounds like a lousy way to spent a transatlantic flight…
The Potterdämmerung approaches!
- Rowling tells BBC: “Scar is quite near the end, but it’s not the last word.”
- Stephen King on the end of Harry Potter
- New York Times: Five Ways to End Harry Potter
- ABC: Two characters die. Just two?
Order of the Pheonix
Middle Earth Found in Switzerland
The Swiss village of Saint-Ursanne has hired Lord of the Rings artist John Howe to add some fantastical touches to its town for the Saint-Ursanne La Fantastique festival.
Perhaps a fun side trip after Celebration Europe?
Harry Potter worm on the loose
Hackers have created a Harry Potter worm that latches onto portable USB drives. The Hairy-A worm then gives the infected a message to ‘repent’ when the computer reboots.
On a more positive note, HBO is running a 13-minute first look at the upcoming Order of the Phoenix movie.