NEWS FOR THE DAY 22.04.06

Yet More OotP Releases: France, then Germany, then US/UK/Ireland

(So far) France will be the first country to get to see the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film, as it is currently slated for release on July 11, 2007, says WB. They've also confirmed July 12 for Germany and July 13 for Ireland, both 2007. Yesterday WB confirmed Sept. 6, 2007, for Australia, and July 20, 2007, for Bulgaria. North America and the UK will get the movie together, as expected, on July 13, 2007.

Fiennes, Griffiths, and Dale Receive Drama League Noms

Three performers from the world of Harry Potter have received nominationsfor their work on the stage. Actor Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon), and audio book narrator Jim Dale were nominated with awards from the Drama League. All three men were nominated in the same category of "The Distinguished Performance Award. " Faith Healer, starring Ralph Fiennes, and currently previewing on Broadway, was nominated in the category of "Distinguished Revival of a Play. " Three Penny Opera, featuring Jim Dale, was nominated as Distinguished Revival of a Musical," and The History Boys, starring Richard Griffiths, is included in the "Distinguished Production of a Play" category. These awards will be presented on Friday, May 5, in New York. Congratulations Ralph, Richard and Jim!

New Sunday Times Rich List includes JKR, Dan Radcliffe

The Sunday Times newspaper is set to reveal their 18th annual Rich List, and this year includes Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and actor Dan Radcliffe. In a press releaseabout this list, the paper says :

"The magic of Harry Potter propels Joanne Rowling to the top of the list of millionaires in film and television and Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who plays him in the films into the top 10 of the young entertainers list at 8=. Aged 16, Radcliffe is also the youngest entrant in the list of 100 richest young people, where he is ranked 33= with his GBP14m fortune. Rowling, 40, is worth GBP520m off the back of six books and four films, three of which are among the top 10 grossing films worldwide of all time. "

This list is part of a special 104 page supplement due this weekend with the paper, and includes profiles of the 1,000 richest people and families in the U.K. The paper also notes that the list is based on "identifiable wealth (land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies), and excludes bank accounts (to which the paper has no access). This year, it takes a GBP60m fortune to make it into the top 1,000 in the Rich List, 20% higher than last year's GBP50m qualifying mark. "

2007 Harry Potter Calendars Due in July

A sneak peek of the new 2007 Harry Potter calendars are now online. These calendars, which will feature scenes from all four Harry Potter films, include new wallcalendars, a desk calendarand a day- to- day calendar. There are two new nice photos from the artwork included in the Mini-Wall calendar that you can see in our galleries; the cover here and inside, here. The mini-wall calendaris available for pre-order via ourCauldron shop; release date is July 1.

Rupert Grint Interview with "Alloy"

There is a new interview with actor Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) in "Alloy" where he discusses both the Harry Potter films, and his new movie Driving Lessons. Rupert discusses why he took on this new role, and how it was different making this film than the Potter films. Some excerpts:

Why did you decide to do a different type of movie now?
RG: The Harry Potter movies are so long, and as good as they are, it's nice to do something different. This came up, and I figured it would be a nice change. It's a much more grown up film -- there's a bit of swearing in it. Also, I was looking forward to the driving bit.

You had your first onscreen kiss in this flick. How was it?
RG: That was a bit different. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

In the Harry Potter movies, you did a lot of acting with a blue screen, where special effects were added in later. How did it feel to just do straight acting in a natural setting?
RG: It was different. [With] every Harry Potter, [there's] been blue screens -- we've had to act with nothing. It was much easier not having to do that this time. There are no special effects with this one; it's more straightforward, which made it more appealing to do because of the contrast.

To read the entire interview,click here. Driving Lessons will screen at the Tribeca Film Festivalon Sun. April 30th at 8:30pm . Thanks to HPFZ!

Galleries Update

Our galleries have been updated to include screengrab collections from all four films; some of you might recognize them from the popular Impervius site, which was unfortunately hacked recently. Mary Hamm, our image manager, has brought all that content in here for you all to enjoy - to the tune of some 26,000 images so far. Awesome work, Mary, and enjoy, everyone!