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  रजनीकांत के जोक्स पोकीमॉन गो और रजनीकांत -रजनीकांत की कबाली फिल्म रिलीज होने से पहले लीक हो गई तब सच मानिए मैं उचित शब्द खोजने लगी क्योकि लीक शब्द रजनीकांत के नाम के साथ सूट नही करता.उनके लिए  सुनामी टाईप  शब्द होना चाहिए.. पर शब्द नही मिला तो कार्टून भी नही बना. जब गूगल […]

The post रजनीकांत के जोक्स appeared first on Monica Gupta.

With the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie due to roll into theaters this November, first looks at film merchandise are beginning to surface.

LEGO website, Bricks Fans recently released images of the packaging of Fantastic Beasts LEGO sets. The new LEGO sets were advertised in the Argos catalogue in the U.K. The images show Newt Scamander, a LEGO Niffler, and MACUSA. The pictures can be seen below. Bricks Fans reports:

“The [LEGO Dimensions Story Pack based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them] will be available in November and will feature a Magical Congress of the United States of America-themed Gateway to add to the LEGO Toy Pad along with a Newt Scamander Minifigure and Niffler gadget. The book also reveals that [the] Story Packs will retail for £39.99 and will feature a 6 level story campaign to enjoyed based on their relevant movies.”

Warner Bros. recently released the first official Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them t-shirt. This is the first official piece of film merchandise added to the Harry Potter franchise. It is a simple black t-shirt sporting the official Fantastic Beasts logo fans have seen in the Fantastic Beasts trailers. Warner Bros. described the tshirt, saying:

“This is our very first printing of our very first official shirt for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the upcoming film based on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World! Orders placed by Friday, July 22nd will ship on Friday, July 29th. After this, the next batch will ship in mid-August.”

 

This t-shirt can be preordered here.

It is that time of year again! J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter’s birthday is just around the corner and more than 20 Harry Potter fansites are coming together in support of a cause to honor our beloved philanthropic author and her boy wizard that changed lives.

This year, Spread the Light is hosting a fundraiser–with a chance to win many magical prizes–to support J.K. Rowling’s charitable University of Edinburgh research facility (which focuses on wide range of neurological conditions, especially neurodegenerative diseases), The Anne Rowling Clinic.

Spread the Light details their mission on their website, saying:

“Spread The Light is organized and run by more than 20 “Harry Potter” fan sites and youtubers from around the world (for the full list, see below). The goal of this fundraiser is to help raise funds and awareness to the important work the Anne Rowling Clinic does. Founded in J.K. Rowling’s late mothers’ name, it provides out care for patients with multiple sclerosis and other Neurodegenerative diseases as well as cutting edge research and clinical trials. Despite MS, they treat conditions such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s among other life-threatening conditions which currently have no cure. With your donation, that could change!

“We are running a huge prize draw as part of the fundraiser with grand prizes that includes countless autographs from the “Harry Potter” cast/crew, a personalized thank you letter from “Fantastic Beasts” star Alison Sudol, signed books plus so much more! (For a full list, click here.)

The Guardian wrote an article featuring Spread the Light and their efforts, saying:

In addition to discovering the pleasure of reading, Potterheads have also learned the importance of love, friendship, tolerance and so many other values in their magical journey through the wizarding world. Now, as grown-ups, the children who waited for their Hogwarts letters during all those years are able to put it all into practice, lightning up the lives of those in need as JK Rowling once did for them.

Created by the American Michaella Katz (from Always J.K. Rowling) and Brazilian Pedro Martins (from Potterish), the fundraiser Spread the Light was warmly embraced by more than 20 Potter fansites and Youtubers and supported by writers, publishers and bookshops from all over the world. The idea is simple: it invites fans to be a Patronus as JK Rowling was to them.

“We’ve built a loyal group of followers throughout our years working with the Harry Potter fandom, so we wanted to transform this influence into something substantial that thanked Rowling and resignified our purpose as fans. We looked for institutions the author approves and departed from that to start spreading our light”, explains the 23-year-old Brazilian Igor Moretto (from Animagos), who works especially with the design part of the project.

The cool thing is that fans can double win Spreading the Light. Besides helping turn the world into a better place, when they make their donations through our Just Giving page, they automatically enter into a prize draw. Some of our incredible supporters donate perks for us to encourage fans taking part. This time, we have a number of prizes. Some of the Deathly Hallows Grand Prizes are: the complete Harry Potter Blu-ray collection donated and signed by David Yates, who directed the last four Potter movies and the upcoming Fantastic Beasts; a Harry Potter group photo signed by six cast members: Alan Rickman, Evanna Lynch, Daniel Radcliffe, David Yates, Matthew Lewis; and also signed books by Gayle Forman and Paula Pimenta, plus much more!

Read more from the Guardian here, and visit Spread the Light to make a donation and enter to win prizes!

A fellow Potter fan recently created a custom POP! Vinyl Figure in honor of Luis Vielma, a victim of the Pulse nightclub shooting and former employee at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando. The figurine is shown below, courtesy of Mugglenet.

The fan behind this creation–Brandon Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colorado–took advantage of Funko Pop’s custom vinyl figure creation feature on its website, which allows individuals to purchase blank figurines and customize however they wish.

In addition to this touching tribute, Potter fans raised their wands outside the Wizarding World attraction where Vielma worked, and J.K. Rowling personally sent a handwritten note and floral wreath to Vielma’s funeral.

I swear JK Rowling is the sweetest human on the planet. pic.twitter.com/OY455s2632

— Saint Mac Tonight (@Narlstrom) June 18, 2016

Our thoughts continue to be with the friends and family of Luis and others affected by this tragedy. Read more about the POP! figure at Huffington Post.

Monday night, two beautiful tributes were payed to those we lost in the tragedy that happened at a gay nightclub early sunday morning. One, on Shaftsberry Avenue in London, the other, thousands of miles away, at a theme park in Orlando.

#LoveIsLove #OrlandoLove pic.twitter.com/G3ox5RUbyv

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 13, 2016

Jo tweeted this photo of the screens outside the Cursed Child theater on Shaftsbury Avenue in London. I am thankful that this fandom is led by such a wonderful women like Jo. The powerful image of the gay flag being flown outside of the theater will surely inspire many to stand up and fight for what we have lost.

That same night, fans gathered and raised their wands outside the Wizarding World in Orlando, Florida, to pay tribute to our fellow wizard, Luis Vielma, who we lost in the shooting (see previous article here). A video was posted soon after the tribute took place, showing people mourning together, hugging each other, and helping each other through this terrible time. When there is no one else to turn to, be thankful we will always have our fellow Harry Potter fans to lean on.

See more about the London tribute here, and more about the Orlando tribute here.

LeakyCon recently posted an exciting – yet mysteriously vague – letter to Minerva McGonagall to their Facebook page. The letter came from Ana Rodriguez – Director of Magical Gatherings and Celebrations at the US Department of International Magical Cooperation all the way in New York City:

The letter hints at an exciting event being planned, and LeakyCon posted this letter with the caption “Magical things are happening…”:

“I personally reviewed your recent proposal and am happy to inform you on behalf of MACUSA and the Quahog Administration, that we are excited to work with Hogwarts and the British Ministry of Magic to make this exciting and historic event a reality.

I have already alerted my counterpart at the California DOIMC office as well as our embedded contact within the Consulate General in Los Angeles to begin coordinating the logistics. Representatives from Ilvermorny are also excited to help in whatever way possible.

…

We are thrilled to have a hand in making this celebration a truly international affair”

The exciting integration of new knowledge of North American magical institutions – thanks to Fantastic Beasts – and the incorporation of our beloved Professor McGonagall (maybe hinting at Cursed Child links?). Who knows! We’re glad to hear that Harry’s legacy is still going strong in the wizarding world!

LeakyCon is also now looking for programming proposals for presentations on magical subjects:

“We are looking for a select number of knowledgeable witches and wizards to present on their favorite magical topics at LeakyCon 2016. If you have a burning desire to share your ideas and research on the Harry Potter universe, this is the place to tell us about it so we can help you make it happen!”

What do you think it all means? Find out more and buy tickets at the LeakyCon website, here!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Dallas Comic Con. James and Oliver Phelps, or sometimes more well known as Fred and George Weasley, have attended Dallas Cons quite frequently in the past few years. Two years ago, I was actually fortunate enough to meet them. This year, however, I only got to see them from afar as they took the stage for a Q&A session. Along with their Q&A session, they had a couple photo ops and were out on the floor for autographs in their down time.

When I met James and Oliver, they were both very kind and inviting. I got a photo op and an autograph with them both. As the line in front of me progressed and I finally made it into the photo op room, I was struck by how happy they both looked. It was one of the very first times I got to meet people at Comic Con, back when I was still treating them like gods instead of humans and acted like the human disaster I am when I met them. Despite my awkwardness, they greeted me with grins and didn’t force me to be too sociable as they placed their arms around me and we took the photo. The autograph was much the same except I had a little more time to greet them and ask them how they liked Texas.

Here’s the aforementioned photo from two years ago:

This Con’s Q&A was particularly entertaining. The Phelps Twins are always entertaining. I was quite impressed by the fact that they chose to stand the entire time, I definitely do not have the energy to stand for 40 minutes while being interrogated by fans of varying degrees of craziness. No offense, I do believe I have quite a high degree of craziness myself.

They ran onstage after the interviewer announced them, greeting the cheering crowd, but then ran off again with a quick “hang on.” They came back a few seconds later, James wearing a Texas Rangers baseball cap and Oliver in a ridiculous cowboy hat. The crowd loved it.

As I mentioned before, James and Oliver are very polite people. Right off the bat, they thanked everyone for being so kind to them and pointed out how glad they were that no one had collapsed at their signing table yet.

Just to clarify for the crowd, the interviewer tried to name which twin was which, but he ended up getting them wrong the first time! To be honest, the only way I could tell is I knew that James was standing on the left and Oliver on the right…

Now, since it was a forty-minute long panel, I’m not going to write about the entire thing. I will, however, put the video that a friend of mine took at the end!

To start, I’d like to kill a rumor that circulates through the fandom quite a bit. “I heard that y’all would sometimes switch roles, sometimes, on set. I was wondering, what is the longest stretch of time that y’all went without getting caught.” This question has come up at both of their panels that I’ve been too. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they never switched roles. They knew that, if they had done, it would have taken a lot of time and money to refilm those scenes and they didn’t want to be a nuisance to the other people working on the film. They did admit to doing it during rehearsal though.

Fan questions at Q&A panels aren’t always the most entertaining. They can be very repetitive and, sometimes, a bit stupid. But occasionally you get that fan who has thought long and hard about their question before asking it, making sure it was unique and interesting.

“If you could do anything besides acting in the film industry, what would it be?” This is a question I had never heard before! And since I am a film student I was very curious to hear their answers. There are hundreds of people with hundreds of different jobs that work on a single movie. Cameramen, video editors, sound editors, directors and assistant directors, producers, etc. You have an encyclopedia of options for working in the film industry. James said that he’d want to be “Grip”, or a person who mounts and moves the camera on a track. Oliver, on the other hand, seemed quite content with acting, but did say he was interested in the makeup department.

“What one scene from the books do you wish they would have put in the movies?” As fans, we all have several different scenes from the books that we were quite upset weren’t put in the movies. Not only scenes, but characters as well. The actors had to put up with the differences without complaint but they must have had opinions too, right? Well, James and Oliver both agreed that they wanted the swamp scene from the fourth book to appear in the movie, but they knew there was a chance it wouldn’t show up.

“What was your favorite book and movie?” I always feel that a persons favorite Harry Potter installment can tell you a lot about their personality. That and I am a very nosy person and just like to know these things about people. James knew immediately that his favorite book was the Prisoner of Azkaban. He informed the crowd that it was the book he was reading when they were cast as the twins. He seemed to add as an after thought that his favorite film was the Goblet of Fire and Oliver picked it up there saying that was his favorite book. James and Oliver like to tease each other quite a bit, which is evident when Oliver informs the crowd that his favorite film is The Deathly Hallows Part 2.

I guess I should stop boring you with my perspective on their panel. But watch the video of the full thing below! You don’t want to miss any of their bickering or stories of pranks they pulled on and off set!

GeekyCon 2016 has just announced that it is creating a large-scale, old-school, Harry Potter release party to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The book comes out on July 31, 2016, the last day of the convention, which means that it will be the site of one of the biggest midnight parties in the country.

And this party is just one of all the cool and amazing events and activities scheduled for the weekend long festivity that is GeekyCon. As GeekyCon was once a Harry Potter-only convention and is planned by the same crew that brought us LeakyCon, it is backed by and attended by some of the biggest Harry Potter fans on the planet. As many of the people who run GeekyCon are still the biggest Potterheads, and have attended more than their fair share of Harry Potter book parties from 2004-2007, they decided to recreate the Harry Potter Book Midnight Release Party experience!

The party will be hosted by classic Potter podcast MuggleCast and PotterCast, and many others with experience and knowledge of Pottermania. The fun will start at 7 PM with the convention’s traditional Esther Earl Rocking Charity Ball. Starting at 10:00 PM, festivities will convert themselves into a huge Harry Potter and the Cursed Child midnight book release . In tried and true Harry Potter Book Midnight Release party fashion, there will be a set of games, activities, and events to take part of–including, but not limited to:

• Costume Contests
• Sorting
• Trivia and other games
• Wizard Chess
• Quidditch
• Wizard Rock performances
• Face painting and other crafts
• Video retrospectives
• Appearances from special guests
• Put your name in the Goblet of Fire! (Submit your predictions, and we’ll go through them together at Sunday’s programming!)
• Share in the Pensieve: Submit memories about Harry Potter and your experiences; we’ll be sharing them throughout the night.
• And a lot more!

At midnight, everyone will begin to receive their book copy of the Cursed Child script! You must reserve a copy, and purchase will happen on site. Full, detailed instructions will shortly follow this announcement.

Fans in the Florida area, and maybe those who want to apparate further, can choose to come to just the party (which includes the ball) for $20, to enjoy the night’s festivities. If you are a full registered GeekyCon attendee, you can join us for the whole weekend — during which there will be a lot of Harry Potter related festivities and programming. Sunday we’ll be discussing Cursed Child almost nonstop!

Are you pumped up yet? We are so excited!

For more information about GeekyCon, visit the GeekyCon website. For tickets to this absolutely fantastic geeky convention, please visit this link.

As many fans may know, Hot Topic has been a Harry Potter partner for eons. Okay, maybe not eons, but they have been a place for fans to purchase official Harry Potter merchandise since Harry Potter became a “hot topic” many years ago.

Recently, Hot Topic has started a new brand and initiative called BoxLunch. With only a handful of stores around California and Texas (though, more are coming soon!), Hot Topic’s new brand caters to a slightly different audience than their normal Hot Topic stores. BoxLunch sells similar pop culture merchandise as their Hot Topic parent, but through a partnership with Feeding America, with every $10 a customer spends, BoxLunch helps provide a meal to a person in need.

If there isn’t a store near you, visit the BoxLunch website and “get some–give some.” BoxLunch sells men and women’s apparel, accessories, home decorations, Funko Pop! figures, and more.

To support HotTopic with their new initiative, Leaky is taking part in a BoxLunch give away! Hot Topic and BoxLunch has generously donated a Marauder’s Map trow pillow, Deathly Hallows mini bag, and a $50 gift card! To be put in the running to win one of these fantastic Harry Potter prizes, be the first to answer the following questions correctly. Honesty Policy: try to answer all the questions without cheating–like googling the answers all the questions. Email your answers to [email protected].

1. Who causes the most mischief at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry?

2. Not completely without loyalty, to which two students did [Answer to Question 1] show respect for during Dolores Umbridge’s attempt to control Hogwarts? (“Give her hell from us…”)

3. What is a Skiving Snackbox? What four types of candies are included?

4. What trick did the Weasley Twins play on their Auntie Muriel that got them written out of her will?

5. What product does the following slogan belong to? “Ruin a gentleman’s day by making his hat fly away!”

6. What is the “Dungbom Rule” that Ron wrote? In which of Harry’s textbooks did he write it?

7. What candy did the Weasley Twins drop for Dudley to eat, and what was the affect?

8. What trick did Harry, Ron, and Hermione play on Crab and Goyle in their quest for Polyjuice Potion ingredients?

9. What spell did Draco use to capture Harry when the Inquisitorial Squad captured members of Dumbledore’s Army?

10. What did Peeves chase Dolores Umbridge with as she fled Hogwarts?

In the meantime! Miss tasting that yummy Butterbeer at the Harry Potter parks? Or can’t go to the parks because they are too far away? Check out BoxLunches new, and available for a limited time only, Butterbeer kit!

More information on purchasing a Butterbeer kit can be found here, on the BoxLunch website.

There is another Harry Potter publishing and merchandising partner coming to brick and mortar stores across the country!

BoxLunch is here to “get some” and “give some”. With only a handful of stores around California and Texas (though, more are coming soon!), the new store caters to a slightly different audience than other Harry Potter merchandise retailers. BoxLunch sells similar pop culture merchandise as seen in other stores, but also, through a partnership with Feeding America, with every $10 a customer spends, BoxLunch helps provide a meal to a person in need.

If there isn’t a store near you, visit the BoxLunch website and “get some–give some.” BoxLunch sells men and women’s apparel, accessories, home decorations, Funko Pop! figures, and more.

To support BoxLunch and their new initiative, Leaky is taking part in a BoxLunch give away! BoxLunch has generously donated a Marauder’s Map trow pillow, Deathly Hallows mini bag, and a $50 gift card! To be put in the running to win one of these fantastic Harry Potter prizes, be the first to answer the following questions correctly. Honesty Policy: try to answer all the questions without cheating–like googling the answers all the questions. Also, please retweet or repost BoxLunch’s post about their new Butterbeer kit (see below)! Email your answers and links to your retweets/reposts to [email protected].

1. Who causes the most mischief at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry?

2. Not completely without loyalty, to which two students did [Answer to Question 1] show respect for during Dolores Umbridge’s attempt to control Hogwarts? (“Give her hell from us…”)

3. What is a Skiving Snackbox? What four types of candies are included?

4. What trick did the Weasley Twins play on their Auntie Muriel that got them written out of her will?

5. What product does the following slogan belong to? “Ruin a gentleman’s day by making his hat fly away!”

6. What is the “Dungbom Rule” that Ron wrote? In which of Harry’s textbooks did he write it?

7. What candy did the Weasley Twins drop for Dudley to eat, and what was the affect?

8. What trick did Harry, Ron, and Hermione play on Crab and Goyle in their quest for Polyjuice Potion ingredients?

9. What spell did Draco use to capture Harry when the Inquisitorial Squad captured members of Dumbledore’s Army?

10. What did Peeves chase Dolores Umbridge with as she fled Hogwarts?

In the meantime! Miss tasting that yummy Butterbeer at the Harry Potter parks? Or can’t go to the parks because they are too far away? Check out BoxLunches new, and available for a limited time only, Butterbeer kit!

More information on purchasing a Butterbeer kit can be found here, on the BoxLunch website.

The final live stream from Universal Orlando’s A Celebration of Harry Potter was broadcast today. The live Q&A featured a panel of members from Universal Orlando’s creative team, who were there to talk about bringing the magic and wonder of the films to life in the theme park. The live stream itself was quite short, and can be watched below.

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1YqGozLMBWlKv

Today’s Q&A related to yesterday’s prop discussion in that many of the props used in the films were recreated for the theme park. A few fascinating tidbits were revealed, including that there are 106,000 props in the theme park version of Diagon Alley, and 29-30,000 in Hogsmeade. Universal Orlando’s official Twitter account also posted a few interesting pieces of information during and after the live stream:

This panel discussion marked the final official event of A Celebration of Harry Potter, but if you’d like to relive some of the glorious details from this magical weekend, take a peek at Pottermore’s highlights.

Leaky was honored to earn a seat at the press table at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London’s Dinner in the Great Hall. Seated with MuggleNet, SnitchSeeker, Time Magazine, and the Pottermore Correspondent (yes, the mysterious PMC…who will remain a mystery by gag order), the dinner was everything a Potter fan could dream: good company, good food, and endless magical moments.

The evening started off with being whisked off to the studios on a Harry-Potter decked out double decker bus. (*Click on all pictures to enlarge*)

Dinner guests were shuttled to the door of Warner Bros. Studio Tour, where each guest was checked in, given a souvenir tickets, and free drink and professional photo passes. The check in desk was decorated in wizardly fashion, with quills, antique type writers, and guests names in large Gringotts-like registers.

After check in, guests enjoyed complimentary hors ‘derves,  champaign, and juices, as they congregated in the lobby and got to know one another. In addition to the usual profile shots and Mr. Weasley’s flying car suspended above, the lobby was decorated for Christmas, with a large tree as a center piece. The first sign that the Studio Tour was still decorated for Christmas from it’s Hogwarts  in the Snow event.

Not knowing his new girlfriend was one of those crazy fans who would queue for hours for the midnight release of a book, this young gentleman, was fully converted to be one of us. They are now married and enjoying a special dinner together in the Great Hall!

Emma, Dan and Rupert’s hand prints have been commemoratively frozen in cement, on display in the lobby of the studios in which they spent ten years of their lives.

Though the Dinner was advertised as a black tie event, WB gave the all clear for some very dedicated fans to come in cosplay–and those who did were fabulously costumed. Above, Fenrir Greyback takes Bellatrix to dinner rather than having her for dinner.

Others chose to adorn beautiful Gryffindor embroidered tuxes, and bring a Slytherin as their date.

Before entering the Great Hall, guests were immersed in the usual Studio Tour process; first held in a small theater/holding room (Theater J), where Harry Potter film posters from around the world and an introduction video from the producers were displayed, and then ushered in a larger theater (Theater K…see what they did there?) to watch a welcoming video from the Trio. When the movie was finished, the screen raised to reveal the magnificent doors to the Great Hall.

Beyond the lobby is a vestibule where lines form to enter the two theaters that begin the tour. In the vestibule, fans are able to see the set used for Harry’s cupboard under the stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive and learn how the franchise came to be. Below, an excited fan poses in front of Harry’s first “bedroom.”

Examples of the Harry Potter film posters from around the world that are shown in holding room (small theater, J). An introduction video by David Heyman, telling of how the movies came about, is shown across these small screens before fans are ushered into the auditorium (theater K).

When the introduction movie ends, the auditorium’s screen rolls up to reveal a red carpet leading to the glowing Great Hall doors, adorned with wreaths for Christmas. A guide invites guests to gather in front of the doors.

In honor of those celebrating special occasions with this very special dinner, those who were celebrating birthdays had the chance to place their hands on the Great Hall doors, and push it open to reveal the splendor within.

The Great Hall was decked with more than just balls of holly (fa la la la la). Guests were seated at tables of ten, that were set with floral candle center pieces, Christmas crackers, menu cards, and place tags. Red wine, white wine, sparkling and still water were provided for the table to share throughout dinner (and if tables ran out, wait staff were happily to oblige your goblets of wine with a good top-up!).

Leaky was seated at the press table alongside MuggleNet, SnitchSeeker, Pottermore, Time Magazine, and the winners of the WB Dinner in the Great Hall Contest. (The Pottermore Correspondent’s identity shall not be revealed, and there for their face shall remain obscured from the images.) With the love Harry Potter, and journalistic experiences in common, it wasn’t long before the press table became the most fun, most excited, most vocal and loudest-cheering table in the Hall.

From left to right (front row): SnitchSeeker, PMC, MuggleNet, Time Magazine. The winning couple are pictured behind the news correspondents.

The adorable couple who won tickets to Dinner in the Great Hall were celebrating their two-month wedding anniversary, still beaming like newly weds!

Time Magazine snapped a shot of the Harry Potter fan sites united as one, including Pottermore.

Before the arrival of a truly fabulous dinner, the Great Hall doors suddenly burst open. Special affects smoke and fog streamed through as a trio of Death Eaters made their entrance. They never broke character as they mingled with and terrified the guests. No amount of provocation could force them from their silent and frightening presence.

One brave fan stood and tempted a Death Eater in a duel.

Before dinner concluded, the props and costumes around the hall were given explanations and back stories. All costumes on display throughout the Tour were worn by the actors in the films. Guests whipped out their cameras to snap a photo as the Christmas Pudding props briefly burst into flames.

The Christmas Puddings burst into (fake) flames.

Daniel Radcliffe’s last set of robes and Neville’s Battle of Hogwarts outfit are among the costumes that represent Gryffindor House.

Robert Patterson’s Tri-Wizard Tournament stands among the robes and costumes representing Hufflepuff House.

Included in the Ravenclaw House collection is Moaning Myrtle’s ghostly robes, worn by Shirley Henderson.

As Draco Malfoy is the ultimate representative for Slytherin students, Tom Felton’s robes, featuring an Inquisitors Badge given to him by Umbridge,  from Order of the Phoenix are displayed for Slytherin House. 

Tables of guests were dismissed from the Great Hall to explore the rest of the Studio Tour at their own pace (or until set-up for the dance had been completed at 11:00, and guests re-congregated to give their best Luna Lovegood interpretive dances). The Studio Tour is full of amazing props and costumes. It is exhilarating to be so close to the authentic Harry Potter materials, and it would be impossible to include in this article coverage all 433 photos that were taken.

One of the main first features of the Studio tour is the gates of Hogwarts, currently guarded by Death Eaters.

Across from the Hogwarts gates is the one and only Leaky Cauldron–a place where people of all characters are free to kick back, and hangout.

Decorated for the Hogwarts in the Snow feature, which runs until January 31, the sets were garnished with Christmas decorations.

The Hogwarts in the Snow feature also included new prop displays, such as the Goblet of Fire. The outer casing around the Goblet is intricately carved wood, with inset beads and ruins etched in, and mechanically enhanced to melt away and reveal the Goblet. The Goblet itself, also made of wood, spews blue steam, that turns red before shooting out a piece of burnt paper with Harry’s name on it.

With a focus on snow, the Tour also set up a demonstration booth where fans were able to come see (and feel!) how fake snow and fire were created for the films. Buckets of four different types of snow materials were available to finger (salt for snow that crunches, and shredded paper for making good snow balls were two examples). Fire effects were simply created with steam and LED lights.

The Studio Tour begins and ends with displays that were originally apart of the tour when it opened its doors in 2012. In the middle of the tour, three editions have been added throughout the years–a room specifically dedicated to the Dark Arts, a room with booths that allow fans to ride a broomstick or drive the Weasley car in front of a green screen, and the Hogwarts Express, which was revealed earlier this year.

The hall leading to the grand Hogwarts Express exhibit are adorned with high-def images of important scenes that involved the scarlet steam engine–beginning with a tour part image of Harry’s first visit to Platform 9 3/4 in Philosopher’s Stone, and an image of Harry’s last film appearance on the platform, dropping off his son, Albus Severus.

Here, guests are able to take photos of pushing a cart through the wall, similar to King’s Cross Station, shop for Platform 9 3/4 related merchandise at the Railway Shop, or pick up a treat in the sweet shop next door. Dinner guests were treated to complimentary desserts and beverages on the Platform, half way through the tour.

The Hogwarts Express exhibit was designed to be viewed from the inside as well as the out, allowing fans to feel like Hogwarts Students boarding the train. Seven of the train compartments (one representing each film) were set up as if they had just been vacated by our favorite Hogwarts characters, who would be back to collect their personal items off the seats.

Departing Platform 9 3/4 and the Hogwarts Express, dinner guests were able to collect a complimentary mug of delicious Butterbeer, only available at the Studio Tour and Harry Potter theme parks.

A portion of the Studio Tour is outside, to accommodate large props, sets of important buildings and allow fans to touch and interact with them first hand. Leaky and MuggleNet decided to make a quick escape down the Hogwarts wooden bridge, and to our get-a-way vehicle, Sirius’s bike and sidecar.

Other interactive features included building fronts of Privet Drive, Godrick’s Hallow, the Knight Bus, the Weasley car, and larger-than-life stone wizarding chess pieces.

The Studio Tour contains more than props and sets. It is also home to special affects departments, who helped bring magical creatures to life on screen.

Interactive parts of the special affects room included repotting a Mandrake and watching a fetal Voldemort breath, and raise its head to new life, with the simple touch of a button.

Of course, every detail of the Harry Potter films took a lot of brainstorming, planning, drawing, painting, model building, and more before the sets and props were physically constructed. Much of this process adorns many walls of the next few rooms, allowing fans to immerse themselves in the creative process.

The tour comes to an emotional close, as fans walk up the set of the real Diagon Alley, turn the corner, and lay eyes upon a breath-taking model of Hogwarts, snow-covered and sparkling in the special-affects and lighting produced “evening starlight”.

Dinner guests exited through the gift shop as tour guests do everyday, and found themselves in a re-decorated lobby and vestibule. A chess-board dance floor had been laid, and lights hung, for guests to dance the night away into the wee hours of the morning.

This was Warner Bros. Studio Tour London’s first Dinner in the Great Hall event. There have been whispers of making such a magical experience an annual event, allowing the chance for more fans to have an enchanting night. With the success of their first attempt at giving fans such an experience, we do hope the Studio Tour is inspired to make this an annual tradition, and we encourage fans to attend. There is nothing like becoming a Hogwarts student, just for one night, and enjoying a great dinner in the Great Hall.

We would like to thank Warner Bros. Studio Tour and all the House Elves involved in making this night truly special, and providing this opportunity for us and for fans.

Over the past weekend (10th October), the Harry Potter Alliance celebrated its tenth birthday.

Their celebrations included a party at GeekyCon in August, and a month-long Indiegogo campaign (HPA10), through which they raised total of $106,545, well-surpassing their initial goal of $77,777.

NerdCon: Stories provided the venue for HPA’s birthday party, which featured important special guests such as Leaky’s own Melissa Anelli, (President of the Board), Paul DeGeorge (Co-Founder and Board member) and Hank Green and Maureen Johnson (long-term supporters of HPA), along with many more!

The event itself was full-Potter style (though the HPA itself now encompasses all manner of fandom). Harry and the Potters were the Wrock band for the night, and Hank Green played Accio Deathly Hallows, along with his other Harry Potter songs.

The NerdCon event page stated:

‘ On October 10th, 2005, the Harry Potter Alliance held its first-ever event in Somerville, Massachusetts. Now, ten years later – and with the support of many people in the NerdCon: Stories community – the HPA has grown to a global organization with accomplishments under its belt such as sending five cargo planes of disaster relief supplies to Haiti, donating over 250,000 books around the world, and getting Warner Bros. to make all Harry Potter chocolate ethically sourced.

Come celebrate ten years of the HPA using fandom to make the world a better place and learn how to get involved for the next ten. Recommended attire: dress robes and/or party hats.’

Geeky News reports:

‘Over the years, the Harry Potter Alliance amassed a strong base of supporters and many volunteers. For a long time, that was entirely how the organization was run – by volunteers taking time away from their evenings and weekends, away from day jobs and school, to help make a little non-profit make a difference. I was one of those volunteers for several years. And the HPA highlighted a couple of hundreds  of them during the party. Some, like Claudia Morales and Jack Bird, are now paid employees. Morales, on talking about her reaction to becoming a staff member of the organization she had come to love: “It was like getting my Hogwarts letter.”’

‘Their success is a testament to the power of fandom to change the world for the better. The HPA is the true illustration of what powerful communities united around the passion for a common love of story can do in the world. And it was abundantly clear as several hundred people gathered in the Minneapolis Convention Center, to celebrate the organization that had brought them together.’

The Harry Potter Alliance is a non-profit organisation with the slogan ‘The Weapon We Have is Love’, and its website states:

‘The Harry Potter Alliance turns fans into heroes. We’re changing the world by making activism accessible through the power of story. Since 2005, we’ve engaged millions of fans through our work for equality, human rights, and literacy.’

You can read more on the event and see more photos here.

Join Leaky in wishing the Harry Potter Alliance a very happy 10th birthday, and a huge congratulations on their success so far!

Menahem Asher Silva Vargas, the Guinness World Record holder for largest collection of Harry Potter memorabilia, didn’t want to pack his over 4,000 items away in boxes somewhere.  So this week, after a previous exhibition at Mexico City’s Museum of the Antique Toy, Silva Vargas opened his own museum.

According to an Associated Press article published by El Daily Post, “The House of Asher Potter” museum (a literary name if we ever saw one) opened in Mexico City earlier this month.  Silva Vargas, or “Asher Potter,” started his collection in 2001 and has been building it for the past 15 years.

“I had the good fortune to be able to register it and make the Guinness record a year ago,” Silva Vargas, 38, said. “I’m very proud of it because the record belongs to Mexico. Mexico is now an authority on Harry Potter fandom.”

The collection is expansive.  There are nearly 4,000 official items counted toward the record, but Silva Vargas also has nearly 400 paper items, including magazine articles, clippings, and autographs that weren’t counted.  Rather than store it all away in a Gringotts vault where these things would never be seen, Silva Vargas opened his interactive museum in a family residence in Mexico City.

 It recreates a number of passages from the novels, including the Potter home… There’s a themed cafeteria, a terrace, a small gift shop and a movie room… The museum also has the contribution of El Callejón D, a themed café located in the south of Mexico City, which offers museum visitors such Potteresque fare as veritaserum and butterbeer.

Visitors can also interact with two birds that Potter fans know well — a crow and a snowy owl…“We want to create a consciousness about birds of prey,” said Javier Illescas, a falconer and museum collaborator. “These two birds in the museum were rescued from logging areas.”

From what we’ve read of it so far, the House of Asher Potter may need to be added to a list of unofficial Harry Potter sites to see.

To read more, see the Associated Press article, here.

Today, October 6, Bloomsbury is publishing the first illustrated edition of the Harry Potter books–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is hitting shelves in stores near you. As a part of publication celebrations, illustrator Jim Kay agreed to participate in Q&A sessions with major Harry Potter news sites, calling it The Great Big Harry Potter Fansite Interview. The Leaky Cauldron was honored with the opportunity to be apart of this event.

The Leaky staff came together to create and ask Kay four specific questions that we thought fans might like answered, and questions that Kay had not yet answered in previous interviews or Q&As. Jim Kay took the time, between drawing illustrations for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, to answer two of each site’s questions, and send never-before-seen images from Philosopher’s Stone. Please see the images and the interview below!

The Great Big Harry Potter Fansite Interview

Were you influenced by previous Harry Potter illustrators/the films or did you veer away from both?(Alwaysjkrowling.com)

I’m a huge fan of both the books and the films. I thought the screen adaptations were a wonderful showcase of the best set design, product design, costume, casting, directing and acting their disciplines had to offer. I knew from the start that I’m competing to some degree with the hundreds of people involved in the visuals of the film. I remember watching the extras that come with the movie DVDs a few years back, and wondering how on earth you’d get to be lucky enough to work on the visuals for such a great project. To be offered the opportunity to design the whole world again from scratch was fantastic, but very daunting. I’d like to think that over the years lots of illustrators will have a crack at Potter, in the same way that Alice in Wonderland has seen generations of artists offer their own take on Lewis Carroll’s novel. I had to make it my version though, and so from the start I needed to set it apart from the films. I’ll be honest I’ve only seen a few illustrations from other Potter books, so that’s not been so much of a problem. I love Jonny Duddle’s covers, and everyone should see Andrew Davidson’s engravings – they are incredible!

What was the most important detail for you to get right with your illustrations? (Magical Menagerie)

To try and stay faithful to the book. It’s very easy when you are scribbling away to start wandering off in different directions, so you must remind yourself to keep reading Jo’s text. Technically speaking though, I think composition is important –the way the movement and characters arrange themselves on the page – this dictates the feel of the book.

What medium do you use to create your illustrations? (Snitchseeker)

I use anything that makes a mark –I am not fussy. So I don’t rely on expensive watercolour or paints, although I do occasionally use them – I like to mix them up with cheap house paint, or wax crayons. Sometimes in a local DIY store I’ll see those small tester pots of wall paint going cheap in a clear-out sale, and I’ll buy stacks of them, and experiment with painting in layers and sanding the paint back to get nice textures. The line is almost always pencil, 4B or darker, but the colour can be a mixture of any old paint, watercolour, acrylic, and oil. Diagon Alley was unusual in that I digitally coloured the whole illustration in order to preserve the pencil line drawing. I’d recommend experimenting; there is no right or wrong way to make an illustration, just do what works for you!

Because each book is so rich in detail, what is your personal process when choosing specific images?(The Daily Snitcher)

I read the book, then read it again and again, making notes. You start off with lots of little ideas, and draw a tiny thumbnail illustration, about the size of a postage stamp, to remind you of the idea for an illustration you had while reading the book. I then start to draw them a little bigger, about postcard size, and show them to Bloomsbury. We then think about how many illustrations will appear in each chapter, and try to get the balance of the book right by moving pictures around, dropping or adding these rough drawings as we go. With Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Bloomsbury were great in that they let me try all sorts of things out, different styles, concepts. Some I didn’t think would get into the final book, but everyone was very open to new ideas. There was no definite plan with regards to how the book would look; we just experimented and let it evolve.

(McGonagall is from Telegraph’s photos)

Given the distinct split of younger vs. more mature readers of the series, how do you construct your illustrations so that they can appeal to both audiences at once? (Mugglenet)

The simple answer is I don’t try. I think only about the author and myself. You can’t please everyone, particularly when you know how many people have read the book. I don’t think good books are made by trying to appeal to a wide audience. You just try to do the best work you can in the time given, and respect the author’s work. Most illustrators are never happy with their own work. You always feel you want to try more combinations or alternative compositions. You are forever in search of that golden illustration that just ‘works’, but of course it’s impossible to achieve –there will always be another way of representing the text. Effectively you chase rainbows until you run out of time! You get a gut feeling if an image is working. I remember what I liked as a child (Richard Scarry books!). Detail and humour grabbed me as a nipper, and it’s the same now I’m in my forties.

Did you base any characters or items in the book on real people or things? (Leaky Cauldron)

Lots of the book is based on real places, people and experiences. It helps to make the book personal to me, and therefore important. The main characters of the books are based on real people, partly for practical reasons, because I need to see how the pupils age over seven years. In Diagon Alley in particular, some of the shop names are personal to me. As a child we had a toad in the garden called Bufo (from the latin Bufo bufo), Noltie’s Botanical Novelties is named after a very clever friend of mine who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. The shop called ‘Tut’s Nuts’ is a little joke from my days working at Kew Gardens; they had in their collections some seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamun, which were affectionately known as ‘Tut’s Nuts’. The imprisoned boy reaching for an apple in Brigg’s Brooms is from a drawing my friend did when we were about 9 years old –that’s thirty two years ago!

Which character was the most difficult to draw? (Harry Potter’s Page)

Harry, without a doubt. Children are difficult to draw because you can’t use too many lines around the eyes and face, otherwise they look old. One misplaced pencil line can age a child by years, so you have to get it just right. Also Harry’s glasses are supposed to look repaired and bent out of shape, which I’ve found tricky to get right.

What is your favourite scene you have illustrated? (Alwaysjkrowling.com)

That’s a difficult one. I’m fond of the ghosts. I paint them in reverse (almost like a photographic negative) and layer several paintings to make them translucent. I enjoyed Nearly Headless Nick. I really enjoyed illustrating the trolls too. Your favourite illustrations tend to be the ones that gave you the least amount of difficulties and I think Diagon Alley was nice for this reason. It was more like a brainstorming exercise, slowly working from left to right. My favourite character to illustrate is Hagrid – I love big things!

Are there any hidden messages/items in your drawings for the Harry Potter series? (Magical Menagerie)

There are, but they are little things that relate to my life, so I’m not sure how much sense they’d make to other people. I like to include my dog in illustrations if I can (he’s in Diagon Alley). I also put a hare in my work, for good luck. There’s a hare in A Monster Calls, and in Harry Potter. My friends appear as models for the characters in book one, and some of their names too can be seen carved on a door, and on Diagon Alley. There are little references to later books too, such as on the wrought-iron sign of the Leaky Cauldron. I do it to keep things interesting for me while I’m drawing.

How did you approach illustrating the Hogwarts Castle and grounds? (Harry Potter Fan Zone)

I really enjoyed doing this. You have to go through all seven books looking for mentions of the individual rooms, turrets, doors and walls of the castle, and make lots of notes. Then you check for mentions of its position, for example if you can see the sun set from a certain window, to find out which way the castle is facing. I then built a small model out of scrap card and Plasticine and tried lighting it from different directions. It was important to see how it would look in full light, or as a silhouette. Then it was a long process of designing the Great Hall, and individual towers. I have a huge number of drawings just experimenting with different doorways, roofs. Some early compositions were quite radical, then I hit upon the idea of trees growing under, through and over the whole castle, as if the castle had grown out of the landscape. This also gives me the opportunity to show trees growing through the inside of some rooms in future illustrations.

What illustrations in the book are you most proud of? (Leaky Cauldron)

Usually it’s the ones that took the least amount of effort! It takes me so many attempts to get an illustration to work, that if one works on the second or third attempt, it’s a big relief. There is one illustration in the book that worked first time (a chapter opener of Hogwarts architecture, with birds nesting on the chimney pots). It kind of felt wrong that the illustration was done without agonising over it for days, it didn’t feel real somehow, so I’m proud of that one because it’s so rare that I get an image to work first time! The only other illustration that was relatively straightforward was the Sorting Hat. Illustrations that come a little easier tend to have a freshness about them, and I think those two feel a little bit looser than others in the book.

Which book do you think will be the most challenging one to illustrate? (Harry Potter’s Page)

At the minute it’s book two! I think book one I was full of adrenaline, driven by sheer terror! Book two I want to have a different feel, and that makes it challenging to start again and rethink the process.

Is there a particular scene in the future Harry Potter books you’re excited to illustrate? (Harry Potter Fan Zone)

I’m really looking forward to painting Aragog in book two. I’m really fond of spiders – there are lots in my studio – so it’s great having reference close to hand! I’m hoping that by the Deathly Hallows we will be fully into a darker and more adult style of illustration, to reflect the perils facing Potter!

How many illustrations did you initially do for the book, and how many of those appeared in the final edition? (Snitchseeker)

There are stacks of concept drawings that no one will ever see, such as the Hogwarts sketches, which I needed to do in order to get my head around the book. Then there are rough drawings, then rough drawings that are worked up a little more, and then it might take five or six attempts for each illustration to get it right.

What house do you think you may have been placed in, aged 11, and would it be the same now? (Mugglenet)

I’d like to think it was Ravenclaw as a child. I was much more confident back then, and creative, plus they have an interesting house ghost in the form of the Grey Lady. These days I work hard and am loyal, so probably Hufflepuff.

Illustrating aside, what is one thing that you love doing to express your creativity? (The Daily Snitcher)

It’s difficult to say because for the past 5 years I have worked on illustration seven days a week, every hour of the day. A few years back I started to write, and I really enjoyed that, it’s far more intimate than illustrating, and I love going over the same line and trying to hone it down to the core of what you are trying to express. My partner makes hats, and I’m very envious. It looks like wonderful fun. We have lots of designs for hats in sketchbooks. I really want to get some time to make some. I’ve always been slightly torn that I didn’t go into fashion, but my sewing is terrible. I used to play guitar a lot and write little bits of music, but that’s difficult now because my hand gets very stiff from drawing all day! The funny thing is, if I did ever get a day off, I’d just want to draw!

This morning, J.K. Rowling invited all to check out the book and “see Harry Potter through Jim Kay’s extraordinary eyes,” and Pottermore also released their exclusive interview.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone–Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay, is now available from any book retailer near you (or online)! Happy reading and please let us know your impressions of the new version of the Harry Potter books–our favorite books!

Fan Expo Canada 2015 took place over the weekend, and details of each panel are slowly being revealed.

Saturday marked the day of the Hogwarts Reunion panel – featuring Tom Felton, Rupert Grint and James and Oliver Phelps – and on Sunday the Harry Potter cast members took part in autograph and photo sessions. The convention was the first fan event that Rupert Grint had attended.

In his own panel on Friday, Tom spoke of his visit to Universal Studios in Japan. Tribute Canada‘s article reported:

‘He mentioned that he did try the butter beer and found it very sweet and felt like he was drinking a thousand calories. He told fans he enjoyed playing Draco, saying, “There’s something about playing a slimy little git that’s fun.”

He said that Rupert Grint (Ron) often got a case of the giggles while filming. He spoke of the transition from Richard Harris to Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, saying it was a smooth one. While Harris had a powerful voice, Gambon had everyone laughing and trying to keep the mood light. Fishing is still a big hobby for Felton, and he has fished by the St. Lawrence River and even in Vancouver. He expressed his love for Canada.’

You can read more about the various panels in Tribute’s article here.

SnitchSeeker also attended the Hogwarts Reunion panel event on Saturday.

Their article reported that the actors talked about various topics, such as their best and worst memories and characters, and Tom Felton spoke about a conversation with J.K. Rowling regarding Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:

‘Tom Felton revealed that he spoke to J.K. Rowling about two months ago and tried to get information about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and while she wouldn’t tell him much, she joked that he and other Harry Potter actors would have background roles.’

SnitchSeeker also gave a list detailing main points from the Hogwarts Reunion panel, which can be read at the end of their article here.  The panel sounded brilliant, and one of our favourite moments to read about in SnitchSeeker’s article was:

‘Oliver said his least favourite dead character was Hedwig because on set of the second movie there was a evil owl in the car’.

Videos of the panels will reportedly be released by SnitchSeeker soon, so keep posted at their website here!

Ice Cream Man (infamous Rupert Grint news source) were also reporting on the event based on visitor experiences, and gave a list of quotes from the panel in their article:

‘“We grew up on those sets. We kind of became the people we are today on those sets.”

“My Little Pony. A Brony. The Brony thing.” – On what Rupert would cosplay

“Yeah, I’d never get rid of that. It’s my prize possession.” – Rupert on his ice cream van. He also mentioned he doesn’t drive it around any more because ice cream men can be territorial and he doesn’t want to start a turf war

“I always say Rupert as the next Bond. The world is ready for a ginger Bond.” – From Tom’

Ice Cream Man also published a gallery of photos from the event, featuring the four cast members with various fans. The gallery can be seen here.

Fan Expo Canada’s Twitter has been flooded over the weekend with photos, videos and live tweets from panels,  you can read the ones on the Hogwarts Reunion panel below (click to expand):

They retweeted some great photos from the event:

Tom, James and Oliver also tweeted their farewells and thanks to the Expo:

It certainly sounded like an amazing weekend, and we hope those of you who were lucky enough to attend had a great time!

Fan Expo Canada has confirmed that Tom Felton, Rupert Grint and the Phelps twins will be attending their convention this weekend, and taking part in a ‘Hogwarts Reunion’ panel running this Saturday (September 5th). This will mark the first fan convention that Grint has attended.

The actors will also be participating in autograph and photobooth sessions, and SnitchSeeker has confirmed that they will be attending and reporting on the actors panels.

The convention has a great guest list, with Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), Jenna Coleman and Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) and Amy Acker (Angel) among the dozens of great names set to appear. Bonnie Wright was also in the line-up, but unfortunately will no longer be attending.

Fan Expo Canada will be taking place from the 3rd-6th September, in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. There is an on-site box office, and tickets can be purchased here until 16:00 EST today.

Thanks for the tip, Snitchseeker!

Pottermore, J.K. Rowling’s official website for all things Harry Potter books, made a startling announcement on Facebook.  The final House Cup for Pottermore members will be awarded on September 9.

This is the latest in a series of changes to the Pottermore website that began in April 2015, with the closure of Pottermore Insider and the end of chat, status updates, and drawings. While some of these changes were made for child safety reasons, the end of the House Cup is completely unexpected.

Many fans of Pottermore are understandably upset and venting their frustration in Facebook comments.  They are concerned that the end of the House Cup will mean the end of the friendly competition and house rivalry in Pottermore.  They don’t understand why Pottermore is encouraging anyone to compete for the final House Cup, when it isn’t going to continue.  Others think Pottermore has done nothing but improve, and there is something good coming soon. (Is there finally going to be a Pottermore app?)

So, we will keep watching the Pottermore Facebook page, and we will wait for September 9.

Today, thousands of girls aged 8-12 years flocked to the Excel Centre in London to audition for the role of ‘Modesty’ in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, due for release in November 2016.

J.K. Rowling also tweeted about her excitement to find the girl perfect girl to play the ‘haunted young girl with an inner strength and stillness’:

Various Potter stars also gave their best wishes to the girls in the queue, including Evanna Lynch, who posted an encouraging message on her Facebook earlier this week, urging people to audition:

Here’s a first-hand breakdown of the day:

9:00am: Word around the HUGE queue was that people started to gather at around 5am, so by the time 9:00am hit (the time the queues opened), 4000 people were already raring to go.

10:00am-12:30pm: Temperatures were running high, and patience among the young hopefuls running thin. Security guards passed round water, suncream and umbrellas, with water tanks, an ice cream van and a snack bar nearer the front of the outside portion of the queue.

News reporters and various camera crew members were circling the crowds from all angles, and interviewing those in line – as in this video from BBC’s Newsround, and this video from Sky News. Others tweeted their photos of the queues:

13:00pm: 9:00am arrivals reached the section (inside and air-conditioned!) portion of the queue. An absolute blessing. Casting Information Forms were handed out and filled in.

14:30pm-15:00pm: After around six hours of queueing, 9:00am arrivals were finally taken in for their audition, which went as follows:

Staff took groups of ten children aside at a time, telling them not to be nervous. Girls were then broken into smaller groups to have their photos taken.

For their head-shots, girls were lined up in front of whiteboard and told what face to pull (e.g: straight face, smiley face, ‘eyes shut’ face). A casting crew member then took the groups aside to stand in a circle and take it in turns to tell the others their name, age and birthday. They were then asked a few questions (e.g: ‘If you had one superpower, what would it be?’)

Children then handed in their Casting Information Forms, and received a certificate to say they had taken part.

The audition was a 30-50 minute process on average. RadioTimes said that an estimated 14,000 children queued up outside the Excel Exhibition Centre.

We are all very excited at The Leaky Cauldron to see who’s going to be cast as Modesty. Join us in wishing good luck to those who auditioned!

Over 18, live in Western Australia, and free on 27th June?

Enter Brisbane Times’ competition to win tickets to Supanova – a VIP event in a secret location in Perth, Australia. Members of the Harry Potter cast such as Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) will be there, along side many others, as Brisbane Times reports:

‘Reminisce with Brady Bunch stars Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland, flex your Futurama knowledge with Billy West and John DiMaggio or have a pint of butterbeer with Harry Potter’s Jason Isaacs… or any other star you can find.’

The full list of stars attending is here and features many exciting names, such as Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Dr Horrible, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), the people behind Mad Max: Fury Road and so many others! Brisbane Times’ detailing of the competition are as follows:

‘If you could ask any of the Supanova guest stars (the full list is here) any question you like, what would it be?

Email your answer, along with your name, age, address and contact number to [email protected]. Please include the word PARTY in the subject line.

Competition closes at 4pm Thursday 25 June 2015 and terms and conditions apply.’

Definitely worth a try if you meet the entry requirements!

J.K. Rowling has taken to Pottermore to release new content about the Dursleys in celebration of Dudley’s 35th birthday today. This was in line with the reveal of new content in Deathly Hallows chapters on the interactive reading website. Time reports:

‘Rowling gave insight into the backstory of Vernon and Petunia, including the origin of their names, both first and last, and their relationship to Harry’s parents James and Lily.’

Time also includes information on how to get to the new content:

‘In order to access the latest information on Pottermore, fans must first head to the Cupboard Under the Stairs, where the Dursleys kept Harry at number four, Privet Drive. As alohamora won’t work to unlock the new text, fans might want to look at the side table outside the cupboard first.’

Rowling comments on Petunia’s parting words to Harry:

‘Although some readers wanted more from Aunt Petunia during this farewell, I still think that I have her behave in a way that is most consistent with her thoughts and feelings throughout the previous seven books … Nobody ever seemed to expect any better from Uncle Vernon, so they were not disappointed.’

These are very exciting additions to Pottermore, which still continues to expand. If you don’t fancy the hunt, read in more detail about the additions in SnitchSeeker’s article here.

Hiding behind the tower of mini prints.

This has been on my mind for awhile and on the long road trip I had more time to think about it. The business has grown so much in the past couple of years and the direction I want to take it has altered slightly too. The upcoming year there will be some changes, expanding products offered, a book in the works (Shawn get back to writing!), plus some creative, weird stuff from Shawn (I said get back to writing!), along with first and foremost a change in the name of the business.

There are many reasons for the name change, some minor, but  the major one has been growth. I use to share a six foot table with my friend Koko Candles and now I can barely contain everything on an eight foot table, much less a six foot table (which is why I am exploring having booths at certain cons next year). This rapid rate of growth could not have happened without someone very special in my life, Shawn. He has been supportive of me through all of this; he has given me creative ideas, does a lot of grunt work for me, and as he says his official title is, Lifter of Heavy Things. He is very much my partner in this business and I am appreciative of his contributions to the growth of it.

Shawn thinks he is in the new Mad Max movie.

So on a long trip through the desert night of Arizona, Shawn and I started kicking around different names… some good, some hilariously bad. During the banter we had going back and forth it got me thinking; I love the darker side of things and Shawn loves horror (he always disappears from the booth during horror cons to spend money), and we always seem to be on the road lately. The name crystallized in my mind and it just seemed so appropriate. Without further ado I present the new name of the business…

Gypsy Ghouls

This will not be an immediate transition, so Diana Levin Art will still exist. I will still be creating new art and jewelry to have at the shows as these will be the cornerstone of the business as it expands.

More dark things to come…

And finally lest I forget to thank the people who also have made this growth possible, the fans of my art. Thank you so much for your support and love, I could not do it without all of you.

Keep dreaming and creating…

–Diana

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It finally happened. After two years of construction, months of guessing at dates, and weeks of false positives, Universal Orlando has finally given us an official opening date. The Today Show aired the announcement this morning, ahead of the red carpet event happening tonight. It's finally official: Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express will open their doors on July 8th. The Today Show is broadcasting live from Diagon Alley with guests like Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane in town for the red carpet event. Universal will be streaming the event here. To tide you over, here are three new photos of Diagon Alley, Borgin and Burkes, and the Leaky Cauldron from Inside the Magic: And, thanks to this user on Instagram, here's a look at how Universal has turned the concept art we've all been drooling over into a reality: We'll be bringing you all the Diagon Alley developments as they happen. You can find our previous WWoHP coverage here.

Pottermore has posted the result for June 8th Quidditch World Cup quarter finals between the United States and Liechtenstein. Mrs. Ginny Potter also reported breaking news on a kidnapping as apart of the celebration by the victors of this match. Take a look at the Daily Profit on Pottermore to read more.

Universal Orlando Theme Parks has released more information about entertainment experiences that will be hosted at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley. Two shows will be exclusively featured in the park. The first is a puppeteer performance of two stories from the Tales of Beedle the Bard: "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" and "The Tale of the Three Brothers". The second show will be a musical performance by Molly Weasley's favorite "wizard rock" singer: Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. Molly Weasley's favorite tunes, “A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love,” “You Stole My Cauldron But You Can’t Have My Heart,” and “You Charmed the Heart Right Out Of Me,” are to be performed. Thanks to LeakyNews for the heads up, pictures of the incredibly detailed puppets may be seen here at LeakyNews. LeakyNews also reported interactive experiences with a Knight Bus conductor that greets visitors upon entering Diagon Alley, much like the Hogsmeade Hogwarts Express Conductor, and exchanging Muggle money for Wizard Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, at Gringotts to be used around both parks. Details on how currency exchange works with Wizarding money, and how it will be used, are still being worked out.