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Harry Potter's spell moves beyond 35 mm

The film lures US kids to nature centres and winter camps

Posted online: Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 0043 hours IST

Harry Potter and his wizard friends are leaping off eight-story-high IMAX screens this season in theatres across the US (as well as at regular cineplexes everywhere). Some of those screens are in science and technology museums where children will be ushered into workshops to mix solutions in flasks and cast spells on their friends. To the young audiences it will be magic, and to the educators, an opportunity to teach them chemistry.
Over the next few weeks, the Harry Potter books and films will also be the hook for luring children to nature centres and even to church.

At the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, which has held Potter-inspired day camps before, a one-day winter camp, with gooey concoctions to brew and magnets and vacuum cleaners to illustrate levitation, will precede the December 31 IMAX showing of the film.

At the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, 'Potter Potions' workshops follow each showing until January 2, featuring dry ice, colour-changing chemicals and bubble shooters. Jake Ashcraft, lead educator of the Oregon museum's chemistry lab, said he knew there was something going on when kids began asking about potions.

For nature centres, it's more about creatures than beakers. The National Aviary in Pittsburgh received so many inquiries about owning owls as pets, which is illegal and dangerous, that it responded with alarm as well as educational opportunism, mounting an educational offensive about Harry's beloved sidekick, Hedwig the snowy owl, and her kind.

Erin Estell, the aviary's bird trainer, takes well-trained owls to local bookstores and movie theaters for Potter film and book releases and holds Owl Encounters at the aviary to let children meet Hedwig's kin. The aviary also has a Eurasian eagle owl, the kind owned by Draco Malfoy.

On January 15, the New Canaan Nature Centre in Connecticut will showcase the animals that students can take to Hogwarts their first year — owls, rats, cats and toads. There will be tarantulas and a boa constrictor. The instructor, Lisa Monachelli, will play a Harry Potter trivia game with participants.

Taking a more comprehensive approach, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio, will transform itself for three days in February into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with children dressed in robes and conical hats making potions. This biannual event attracts 80 participants, who are given tasks like donating blankets to a homeless shelter.

Even musicians are latching onto Harry Potter. In April the Brockton Symphony Orchestra in Brockton will perform a medley of the John Williams score from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with narration, projected images from the movie and a pre-concert talk with musicians dressed in Potter costumes.

Children are encouraged to dress as their favourite characters. The orchestra is expecting an even bigger turnout than the record-setting crowd in 2002 for Star Wars.

—Johanna Jainchill / NY Times

Harry Potter's spell moves beyond 35 mm

The film lures US kids to nature centres and winter camps

Posted online: Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 0043 hours IST

Harry Potter and his wizard friends are leaping off eight-story-high IMAX screens this season in theatres across the US (as well as at regular cineplexes everywhere). Some of those screens are in science and technology museums where children will be ushered into workshops to mix solutions in flasks and cast spells on their friends. To the young audiences it will be magic, and to the educators, an opportunity to teach them chemistry.
Over the next few weeks, the Harry Potter books and films will also be the hook for luring children to nature centres and even to church.

At the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, which has held Potter-inspired day camps before, a one-day winter camp, with gooey concoctions to brew and magnets and vacuum cleaners to illustrate levitation, will precede the December 31 IMAX showing of the film.

At the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, 'Potter Potions' workshops follow each showing until January 2, featuring dry ice, colour-changing chemicals and bubble shooters. Jake Ashcraft, lead educator of the Oregon museum's chemistry lab, said he knew there was something going on when kids began asking about potions.

For nature centres, it's more about creatures than beakers. The National Aviary in Pittsburgh received so many inquiries about owning owls as pets, which is illegal and dangerous, that it responded with alarm as well as educational opportunism, mounting an educational offensive about Harry's beloved sidekick, Hedwig the snowy owl, and her kind.

Erin Estell, the aviary's bird trainer, takes well-trained owls to local bookstores and movie theaters for Potter film and book releases and holds Owl Encounters at the aviary to let children meet Hedwig's kin. The aviary also has a Eurasian eagle owl, the kind owned by Draco Malfoy.

On January 15, the New Canaan Nature Centre in Connecticut will showcase the animals that students can take to Hogwarts their first year — owls, rats, cats and toads. There will be tarantulas and a boa constrictor. The instructor, Lisa Monachelli, will play a Harry Potter trivia game with participants.

Taking a more comprehensive approach, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio, will transform itself for three days in February into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with children dressed in robes and conical hats making potions. This biannual event attracts 80 participants, who are given tasks like donating blankets to a homeless shelter.

Even musicians are latching onto Harry Potter. In April the Brockton Symphony Orchestra in Brockton will perform a medley of the John Williams score from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with narration, projected images from the movie and a pre-concert talk with musicians dressed in Potter costumes.

Children are encouraged to dress as their favourite characters. The orchestra is expecting an even bigger turnout than the record-setting crowd in 2002 for Star Wars.

—Johanna Jainchill / NY Times

Who's who in fantasy

Harry Potter and the Chronicles of the Rings -- sorting it all out

By Lisa Heyamoto / Sacramento Bee

Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived ... with his brother and two sisters in The Shire. But it was wartime, and the boy was sent to a wizarding school, where he was given a ring of great power.

Hmm. Wait. That's not quite right. But who can keep track of all the fantasy-novels-turned-blockbusters flying around these days? Just to be sweethearts, we've taken a moment to do a three-way comparison of the box-office-topping "Chronicles of Narnia," "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" movies.

"Chronicles of Narnia"

Many-initialed author: C.S. Lewis

Protagonist and signature hiding spot: Lucy Pevensie, wardrobe

Relative who won't be getting a kidney: Edmund Pevensie, a prat of an older brother

Requisite orphan story: Father is away at war, mother sent the children away to the British countryside to escape the bombing of London during World War II.

Requisite prophecy: When leader of the free world Aslan returns, he will overthrow the villainous White Witch with the help of four humans, who will go on to rule Narnia.

The thing that saves them all: Love

"Harry Potter"

Many-initialed author: J.K. Rowling

Protagonist and signature hiding spot: Harry Potter, cupboard under the stairs

Relative who won't be getting a kidney: Dudley Dursley, piggish, spoiled cousin with a penchant for bullying

Requisite orphan story: Mum and Dad were killed by evil wizard Voldemort when Harry was just a year old, but Harry was somehow spared.

Requisite prophecy: Since he was the only one to ever survive an attack from Voldemort, Harry is the only one who can destroy him.

The thing that saves them all: Love

"Lord of the Rings"

Many-initialed author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Protagonist and signature hiding spot: Frodo Baggins, hobbit hole

Relative who won't be getting a kidney: Any of the Sackville-Bagginses, money-grubbing cousins

Requisite orphan story: Though he is the favorite nephew of father-figure Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's parents are never mentioned.

Requisite prophecy: The Ring of Power, capable of corrupting even the most pure-hearted, must be thrown into the fire from which it was forged or else Middle-Earth will sink into evil.

The thing that saves them all: Love

R World captures boy wizard Harry Potter


Saturday, 17 December , 2005, 08:31

Lucknow: Indian children in over 4,000 Indian towns will now be able to watch clips of Harry Potter, the Hollywood blockbuster that commands a huge fan following internationally.


India Games, the sole distributor of the Harry Potter mobile content in India, has tied up with Reliance Infocomm to offer this on R World, the data application suite of Reliance India Mobile (RIM).

Watch Video of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter Zone has been developed on R World that allows RIM users to download Harry Potter video clips, wallpapers and play two specially designed Harry Potter mobile games, priced at Rs 10 and Rs 15 per session.

The game is simple and easy to access, but challenging enough to get you engrossed. One can play as Harry Potter and ride on one's broom avoiding the creatures. Touching any of them could set one back to start.

There is another contest on the Harry Potter zone where users get to answer questions related to Harry Potter and win Harry Potter CDs, books and other goodies.

Harry Potter boy set for drama Equus

Asian News International

London, December 17, 2005

Harry Potter may soon be seen doing something different. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard on screen, may appear in playwright Peter Shaffer's drama <i>Equus</i>.

The 16-year-old is reportedly in talks to appear in the play about a young man who blinds six horses in a torrid ritual. The classic, which caused a sensation when it was first staged more than three decades ago, explores what happens when the boy is sent to a psychiatrist.

Kenneth Branagh will direct the play in the West End around January 2007, when he completes his film of the opera The Magic Flute.

According to the Daily Mail, Radcliffe, who had worked with Branagh in the comedy show The Play What I Wrote, plays a major role in Equus, and at one point will be required to reach the height of sexual pleasure while riding naked on his horse.

A spokesman for Equus producer David Pugh said it was too early to comment on the production, while Radcliffe's representatives said that there were always rumours about their client.

Sense of center is missing in Harry Potter stories
December 17,2005
BY REV. MIKE TURNER

With the release of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Americans have once again fallen in love with the work of a British children's author. Like its cousins "The Lord of the Rings" in the Harry Potter series, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" immediately zoomed to the top of the box office.Taken from the first of C.S. Lewis' seven-volume series, "The Chronicles of Narnia," the movie revolves around the adventures of four children who are transported through a magical wardrobe into the land of Narnia. Their task is to release Narnia from the curse of an evil witch.

The story is engaging and Narnia itself is a triumph of imagination, complete with its own history, geography and unique inhabitants (including mythical creatures and talking animals). But the most compelling feature of all is Aslan the lion.

Aslan dominates all seven books in the series. Much more than just another talking animal, he is the most powerful force in the land, the one who controls the outcome off all events. He is the son of the Emperor-over-the-Sea who created Narnia in the distant past. And, in the central part of the story, Aslan is the one who offers his life to the evil witch in order that Narnia might be redeemed.

He is, in short, a Christ figure. Indeed, the entire series is an allegory portraying the core convictions of the Christian faith.

Lewis' colleague and friend. J.R.R. Tolkien, was also a writer of children's literature. His trilogy of books, "The Lord of the Rings," while a compelling story of war, hope and the nature of the conflict between good and evil, is somehow much more. The books actually create an entire world, one that Tolkien called "Middle Earth." As Peter Berger points out, Middle Earth has always been there; Tolkien was just the one who discovered it.

The books were converted to film and became some of the most popular movies of all time. Although not overtly a Christian story, Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" does include the great Christian themes of the seductive nature of evil, the power of good and the value of personal sacrifice.

J.K. Rowling seems at first glance to fall into the same category. Her "Harry Potter" books, also written for children, tell the story of a young boy who, along with his friends, grows toward adulthood through a variety of adventures.

The Harry Potter books have caught on like wildfire and sold millions of copies. The on-going movies made from each successive book have likewise done well, with the latest installment, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" earning not only huge box office receipts but also admiration as a fine film in its own right.

Like Tolkien and Lewis, Rowling has been widely praised for creating a world all her own.

The world of Harry Potter, while not exactly like our own, is consistent within itself. A place of magic, of memorable characters and of fabulous beasts it is, within the bounds of the story, a believable location, which is in many respects the highest literary achievement.

But after their obvious literary skill and the superficial similarities in their stories, the resemblance between these three authors diminishes very quickly.

Rowling is in fact a much inferior writer to her two British colleagues. The reason for that is religious: she has no understanding of holiness.

Holiness is a hard concept to grasp, especially in our secular world. Rudolph Otto, in his classical book on the subject, "The Idea of the Holy," said that behind all religious experience is the sense of awe and majesty that he called the numinous. This sense isn't an ordinary feeling that's simply intensified; rather, it's something that stands alone and is experienced only when we encounter the divine. We realize we're in the presence of something larger than ourselves.

That sense of the holy permeates both Narnia and Middle Earth and is the source of the wonder and delight we feel when visiting both places. In Narnia, Aslan is obviously holy as a Christ figure and, because of that holiness, stands out as the central figure in the story. The other figures in Narnia respond to that holiness either in reverence or in fear.

For Tolkien, that quality of holiness is contained especially in the wizard Gandalf and the elves. Both have about them a purity and light that is only partially glimpsed but lies at the heart of their characters. That characteristic sets them apart from the other characters in Middle Earth, especially the evil enemy Sauron.

Rowling, on the other hand, has no such sensibility in her books.

There is no numinous, no sense of the holy. There is instead a curious flatness to her good characters; they exist on the same moral level as we do. The good witches and wizards are like everyone else, just a little better.

Dumbledore, the leader of the Hogwarts School and a good wizard, is basically like Harry himself, only older and more experienced.

Rowling's bad characters, though, especially the arch-enemy Voldemort, have true depth. We can't comprehend the extent of his evil; it lies beyond the experience of normal people. The Death Eaters who follow him do so out of reasons that we cannot comprehend.

Despite the fact that the hero wins in the end, we're confronted, in Rowling's world, with the disconcerting moral situation that evil is more interesting than good. For a children's book, that's particularly troubling.

Both Lewis and Tolkien were devout Christians. Their stories of Narnia and Middle Earth, while obviously different from our own lives in many particulars (horses don't talk in the real world!), got the basics right: the world is a fundamentally moral place where the presence of the divine can be experienced.

Rowling has no such faith. She is a story-teller, an imaginative author, and a very rich woman. But her world is finally a place that is bleak and empty. A place with no hint of the divine and no place for God.


Mike Turner is pastor of First Baptist Church on Gum Branch Road.

295,000 Copies of 6th Harry Potter Book Sold in Bulgaria in A Week


Lifestyle: 17 December 2005, Saturday.

A total of 295,000 copies of sixth Harry Potter novel "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" have been sold in Bulgaria in just one week.

The news was broken by the publishers of the book Egmont Bulgaria at a special premiere of the book organized within the 25th edition of the International Book Fair in Sofia.

The publishing housed proudly said that the fact that nearly 300,000 copies of the book have been sold in Bulgaria is unique.

Bulgarian children have stormed the bookstores and stands after the release of the sixth Harry Potter novel in their native language on December 13. Those fans in Bulgaria, who do not understand English, had reason enough to be so impatient, as the original of the book was published July 16 and it took six months for the translation to come out.

The book has been published in hardcover and costs BGN 25. For those following the series it becomes more and more clear that each book in the series is more and more horrifying.

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Author J. K. Rowling gives her readers the darkest novel of her wizard series yet. Though deaths at the end of the book have already become a tradition, the character that she chooses to kill off this time leaves many wondering just how bad it could get in book number 7.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Available for DVD
Posted Dec 16, 2005, 11:38 AM ET
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be available on DVD April 4, 2006.


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film franchise, will be released onto DVD

April 4, 2006. No news on the details as of yet, but we will let you know as soon as it anything arrives.

The pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys.

He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard.

Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal, even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' ignites worldwide appeal
Movie Review

Bob O'Reilly Entertainment Writer

Fans of the phenomenally-successful series of novels about Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling have now enjoyed seeing four of the series become blockbuster hits for the silver screen.

The latest to premiere for moviegoers is "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," which quickly became number one at the box office nationwide, a coveted position the engaging film has held for at least three or four consecutive weeks.

When "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" opened internationally, the amazing film outpaced all other motion pictures at theaters in over 19 countries.

In the United States alone, the Warner Bros. Pictures' release took in over $101.4 million during its opening weekend after a dazzling premiere at New York's historic Ziegfeid Theatre where Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were accorded rock star-like greeting by thousands of screaming fans positioned along the red carpet. Not surprisingly, the film's director Mike Newell ("Mona Lisa Smile," "Four Weddings and a Funeral") was given an enthusiastic red-carpet greeting by Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Within a few days, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" soared to the record-setting position of achieving the fourth biggest non-holiday opening in box-office history. Collecting over $100 million on an opening weekend clearly sets the film apart from others currently showing in theatres. The Warner Bros. Pictures' entry now takes its place among the other record setting blockbuster films, including "Spider Man," "Spider Man 2," "Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith" and "Shrek 2."

The fourth in the cinematic series of the J.K. Rowling novels has been preceded by "Sorcerer's Stone" (2001), "Chamber of Secrets" (2002) and "Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004). The studio points out that the fifth motion picture in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is already in the planning stages and will be released on June 1, 2007. The trio of favorites, Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, will again appear in the starring roles that have captivated worldwide attention and acclaim.

For the record, "Sorcerer's Stone" took in over $317 million, while "Chamber of Secrets" and "Prisoner of Azkaban" took in $262 million and $249.4 million respectively.

A favorite of ours, Dame Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall), has starred in all four of the motion pictures recounting Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his classmates and teachers, including Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) and Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman). Also among the stars of the four films are 15 year-old Matthew Lewis as Neville, and 18 year-old Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Harry's arch-enemy from the House of Slytherin at Hogwarts and Robbie Coltrane as the beloved Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' caretaker and Care of Magical Creatures teacher and close friend of Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson).

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" marks several firsts, including the fact that this film opened in more theatres initially than did the three predecessors and in this, the fourth installment, the villainous and much talked-about Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) makes his first visual appearance. He is a credit to the make-up artists in visual effects.

Among the new characters enjoyed in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" are Stanislav Ianevski, who competes in the Triwizard Tournament as Viktor Krum; Clemence Poesy as Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons Acadmey of Magic, who will also compete in the Triwizard Tournament, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Pedja Bjalac as Igor Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute; Frances De La Tour as Madame Maxime, the giant Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic; and Roger Lloyd Pack as Barty Crouch, the father of Barty Crouch, Jr., played in the film by David Tennant.

As the film also marks the maturation of the characters of Harry and his classmates, 18 year-old Katie Leung (Cho Chang) is introduced as a young lady at Hogwarts who catches the romantic eye of Harry. Part of the school year events is a formal dance.

Cedric Diggory, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, joins the cast as Head Boy and Hogwarts' official representative in the Triwizard Tournament. The Goblet of Fire, however, spews forth a surprise entry for the tournament. The question is who entered Harry's name and why?

Also returning in the fourth film is Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, the odious Death Eater. Emmy Award-nominee Gary Oldman returns as Sirius Black.

Certainly not to be overlooked is the character of Wormtail, Voldemort's loyal servant and betrayer of Harry Potter's parents, played by Timothy Spall. For comic relief, the film presents the inquisitive, nosey "Daily Prophet" reporter, Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson).

Personally, we couldn't help but miss the appearances of the Dursleys.

A major highlight of the film itself is the Triwizard Tournament in which each contestant faces a fire-breathing dragon, plunges into the depths of a great lake and attempts to navigate a dangerous maze.

Rated PG-13, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is now showing in area theaters. It is a must-see for film buffs and for all the fans of J.K. Rowling's novels.

Harry Potter Conference for scholars to be held in Copenhagen this summer
Copenhagen, Denmark -- December 14, 2005 -- Patronus 2006, a Harry Potter Conference for scholars will be held in Copenhagen this summer. It will take place July 7th-9th 2006 at the University of Copenhagen. The Patronus 2006 conference is hosted by the independent organisation Patronus in cooperation with the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at the University of Copenhagen and Danish Harry Potter Society.

The purpose of the conference is to bring together fans and academics from all over the world to discuss aspects of the Harry Potter books, their author and fans. Patronus is open to interested parties over the age of eighteen. The conference language is English.

The conference is the second in Europe and is following the successful Accio 2005 conference in Reading, England.

Registration is necessary and the registration form is available on the website for Patronus 2006, along with additional information, at www.patronus.dk/2006.

For the fast fan there is the option for an early-bird discount if you register before February 1st 2006.

In the days leading up to the conference, Patronus also offers a residential course aimed at a more in-depth examination of some aspects of the world of Harry Potter. The theme for the residential course is "Gender and Relationship in Harry Potter", but the discussions will not necessarily be limited to this subject.

Registration is also required for the residential course, which has a limited number of attendees. As for the conference, further information as well as the registration form is found on the website.

We accept papers in the form of written abstracts with the deadline being February 15. Abstracts may be submitted after this date and will be considered if there are still slots available.


The University of Copenhagen, the Danish Harry Potter Society, and the Patronus 2006 conference are not endorsed, sanctioned or any other way supported, directly or indirectly, by Warner Brothers, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and her representatives. The conference fully respects that Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's property.