A quick note today for those looking for extra Cyber Monday sales today: Fan documentary "Finding Hogwarts" is offering their DVD and Blu-rays for 30% off this Cyber Monday at FindingHogwarts.com.  The film ships worldwide and is encoded for all regions.

"Finding Hogwarts" is a documentary to explore what makes Harry Potter and his fandom so special through the stories of seven of his biggest fans, and the journey they took together to find Hogwarts - the heart of Harry's magical world.  It was made by Harry Potter fans for their fellow fans, and has no affiliation with any official Harry Potter entities, including Warner Bros and JK Rowling.

For those of you unfamiliar with the film, we've embedded the trailer below.



Happy shopping!

Charlie Redmayne, the CEO of J.K. Rowling's Pottermore, sat down for an interview with Bookseller. Mr. Redmayne is going to be a keynote speaker for The FutureBook Conference. Charlie Redmayne talks about all the work that has gone into Pottermore this past year, the Wonderbook: Book of Spells, and more. FurtureBook.net reports:

“I don’t think people always understand the scale of what we have done in the past 12 months. The level of work has been very intense,” says Redmayne. “What we’ve done with Pottermore is harness a fanbase of millions of the biggest Harry Potter fans. In terms of producing value to all of the rights holders—be it J K Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros, or indeed our sponsor Sony—that’s an immensely valuable thing as any new books, content or products come out. For any launch we have a direct relationship with those fans already, who we can then engage with.”<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" ?>

Registration for the limited beta release of Pottermore opened on 31st July 2011 (Harry’s birthday) with the site then opened to all this April. Redmayne says his job now is to “take what we’ve done with the browser experience to other platforms, be it YouTube, app stores, the gaming world.” He explains: “What we built initially was for hardcore fans, but what we will be shaping out now is how to engage with new fans. There are X million new eight-year-olds in the world who are discovering Harry Potter every year—how do we engage with them? How do we make sure Pottermore is an important part of that discovery of Harry Potter? “So there will be more interactivity, more community elements—this is critical for us if we are to engage with these new fans. You’re going to see stuff being developed on other platforms and you might also see things happening in the app and enhanced e-book space.”

From all of us to all of you, here at Leaky we would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Today, and every day, we are thankful for all of you--you make The Leaky Cauldron, THE Leaky Cauldron. This site wouldn't be what it is without you. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sky Arts has released a clip from an upcoming episode of "A Young Doctor's Notebook," which will star Dan Radcliffe and Jon Hamm. You can watch the clip here or below, where Radcliffe's character panics over not knowing what to do for a hernia. "A Young Doctor's Notebook" will premiere on Sky Arts on December 6th.

J.K. Rowling has been covering a lot of press events and book festivals to promote her new adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. Her seemingly last event was in her home town of Edinburgh, Scotland earlier this month. Now, according to Southwest Business, J.K. Rowling will be attending Bath's Literature Festival, which is taking place March 1-10. Southwest Business reports:

The festival, sponsored by the Independent newspaper, will also bring Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel to the city.

Rowling will talk about her debut piece of adult fiction, The Casual Vacancy.

Other writers lined up for the March 1 to 10 festival include Sandi Toksvig, Helen Dunmore, PD James, and Kate Mosse, as well former ballerina and now Strictly judge Darcey Bussell.

Thanks to Hypable for the tip!

 Pottermore has been very active recently. First, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is now available in eBook format from the Pottermore shop. (All proceeds from eBook sales with still benefit Lumos). Information, and a video message from J.K. Rowling (which can be seen below), can be found here. The Pottermore Shop has also set up a digital Gifting Service, to make it easier to digitally send eBooks (with a personal message) as a gift over the Holidays. Second, the Wonderbook: Book of Spells is now available for purchase! As it is linked to Pottermore, Book of Spells Pottermore Badge can be found in the Library moment on Pottermore. And last, but certainly not least, according to Pottermore's twitter feed, Pottermore members can now view the Great Hall and the House Cup Award Ceremony! Congratulations to Gryffindor for winning the House Cup with over 48 million points (WOW)! (Slytherin placed 2nd, Hufflepuff 3rd, and Ravenclaw 4th).

There are three new promotional videos for "A Young Doctor's Notebook," a mini-series which will star Dan Radcliffe and Jon Hamm. The clips which you can watch below show a few short moments from the series, which will begin on December 6th on Sky Arts. Sky Arts has also released a synopsis of the first episode:

On November 15th, 2002, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was released in theatres across the US and UK. The "Chamber of Secrets" film came nearly a year to the day after "Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone" was released in 2001. "Chamber of Secrets" introduced us to Mr. Weasley (Mark Williams), Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), and remains the longest of the Harry Potter films with a runtime of 161 minutes.

Daniel Radcliffe voiced a few characters for a recent episode of the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken. You can watch him in Robot Chicken here or below. 

Along with a new and improved online Harry Potter Shop, Warner Bros. has announced improvements to their Harry Potter Wish List. Now fans can create a wish list for Harry Potter merchandise that their friends and family can view.

Emma Watson is taking part in promoting Lancôme's new makeup collection, In Love. Photo shoots and filming are underway for the spring 2013 promotions for this new line. A few photos from these shoots have been released online, and can be seen here. SnitchSeeker reported:

Emma’s favourites from the collection include: Lips enhanced with a hint of Baume In Love in fuchsia, “Rose Macaron”, contrasted with eyes framed by Ombre In Love, “Sugar Rose”, before being finished with a graphic line of Khôl In Love in turquoise, “Jade Crush”. Cheeks are pretty as a picture in vibrant Blush In Love, “Pommettes d’Amour”.

Sir Kenneth Branagh (Professor Gilderoy Lockhart) officially received his Knighthood medal from Queen Elizabeth II on Friday. The investiture ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace. The announcement of Mr. Branagh's knighting was released last June; the actor spoke very graciously upon receiving the honor. Pictures of Mr. Branagh, his family, and the medal can be seen here. 

Many thanks to SnitchSeeker for the heads up.

The trailer for Daniel Radcliffe's upcoming mini-series, "A Young Doctor's Notebook" can now be seen here or below. "A Young Doctor's Notebook" will start to air on Sky on December 6th.

Pottermore Insider has announced that the second Pottermore House Cup will be awarded Wednesday, November 21st:

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) was in attendance from the premier of his post-Potter film, Wasteland. (Pictures can be seen below) The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 13. Wasteland was also previously shown at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year. Examiner reports:

"Wasteland" is a bold take on a much-loved genre. A heist film, an underdog story and a thriller delivered with unexpected originality.
 There is not a published date for a wide release into the U.S. According to imdb.com it is slated for a wide release in 2012. 56th BFI London Film Festival runs from October 10 through October 21.

It has been reported that Rupert Grint will be narrating We Are Aliens, a new Fulldome show that asks the question "are we alone in the universe?". The 25-minute show will premiere at The National Space Center this October before it is released across the UK. A picture of Mr. Grint and the creators of the show can be see below. The creators of the show released a statement, saying:

Yes, Mr Rupert Grint is the narrator of We Are Aliens! Deep in the heart of London Max, Paul and one of our 3.0s met Rupert to record the soundtrack to our new Fulldome show that asks, are we alone in the Universe?
Rupert’s young and charming tone is perfect for the show and we’re very excited that he’s been involved.

In a recent, brief interview, Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) commented on her role in Harry Potter. The actress told reporters of her dream to play a witch, and of the advice she liked to give younger actors on set (Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson). TV3 reports:

She said: ''That was my dream come true, playing a witch. My daughter asks me, 'Why do you always play baddies mama?'''

Playing the role made Helena known to many young girls and she thinks she sets a good example - because she enjoys her food.

She said: ''Am I a good example? Well, at least I'm not too thin. I eat.''

The actress is also a source of advice for her young 'Harry Potter' co-stars, recently advising Daniel Radcliffe during a discussion for Interview magazine, though he isn't the only star to come to her for help.

She said: ''I've had lots of conversations with Emma Watson too. She is very, very bright.''

The Guardian has a new interview up with Daniel Radcliffe, where he talks a bit about his upcoming series, "A Young Doctor's Notebook." Radcliffe discussed the amount of gore that will be present in the series:

The newest Harry Potter related video game, Harry Potter for Kinect, is now available for purchase! Earlier this summer a contest was held inviting all musically inclined Harry Potter fans to submit their own track for the Harry Potter for Kinect trailer. Sam Dillard of Texas was chosen as the winner and you can hear Sam's music in the trailer below.

The Ultimate Editions for "Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2" will be available for purchase on November 13th. The two movies will be sold in a single package. You can buy this Ultimate Edition now at Target, but it is available in store only. 

During a speech at the Frankfurt Book Festival, Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne revealed that the final chapters of "Chamber of Secrets" will open on Pottermore sometime this month. You can see slides from his presentation, where he discusses further aspects of Pottermore, here or below. Furthermore, Redmayne has discussed how Pottermore aims to expand the world of Harry Potter:

We're pleased to announce the winners of our September contest, which was to write an entry as a King's Cross station guard. First place went to Winnie Weasley! Second place went to ZonkoLtd, third place to KATANDCON, and our honorable mentions are Chris B. and H. T. You can see all our winning entries here. Congratulations everyone!

The first movie poster of The F Word has been released. Daniel Radcliffe's new dramatic comedy currently has no release date, but the release of the movie poster brings about a new hope that the movie will be a film to look forward to next year. HeyUGuys also posted a discription of a scene from The F Word, and a plot synopsis, along with the movie poster:

“Wallace and Chantry meet at a party while reading refrigerator magnet poetry and find that they have great chemistry…. as friends. Wallace, who has the appeal of a puppy dog and a very dry wit, falls for Chantry, smart, funny and just a bit funky. They form a relationship in which they talk about everything from movies to illnesses to disappointing Christmas presents. Their relationship grows as they email each other, go for dinners, and chat via instant messaging. It’s heavy interest at first sight but there is a problem; Chantry has a serious boyfriend.

The audience watches while Wallace falls harder for Chantry and Chantry must deal with her growing feelings for Wallace. Should friendship be squashed due to budding romantic influences or can men and women control their desire to simply enjoy the benefits of a platonic relationship?

With Chantry’s boyfriend, Paul, offered a job in Europe, and Wallace’s exceptionally attractive boss making serious overtures, will their relationship continue status quo or evolve?”

The New York Times has a very interesting interview up with J. K. Rowling where she answers a lot of book related questions. She names her favorite literary heroine (Jo March from Little Women) as well as what literary character she would most like the be (Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice). Rowling also discusses what writers she would like to meet and what books she would take with her to a desert island:

As reported previously, J.K. Rowling gave an interview that was streamed live. A video of this interview is now available at Scholastic.com. J.K. Rowling answered questions about the success of Harry Potter, the encouragement she received to write, and many questions on Harry Potter cannon (such as her favorite moments in the books, the first/last sentence she wrote, and the question posed to her by Pottermore).