NEWS FOR THE DAY 27.05.06

Dan Radcliffe NOT Attending Queen's Birthday Party

Previously, it has been reported that actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) would be taking place in a special live show as part of the Queen's 80th birthday party on June 25. Tonight, both DanRadcliffe.comand DanRadcliffe.co.ukare reporting that they have confirmed with Dan's reps that he would in fact NOT be attending this party. Author J.K. Rowling is still confirmed to attend and she will be reading from Half-Blood Prince at this event that will be broadcast on the BBC. Dan will be sitting for his AS-Level exams during this time period in June, and will also be going on holiday. Production for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is going on hiatus now to let the younger actors study for exams and have a break, before resuming filming in mid-July. Thanks to Jenna and Page for the clarification!

Happy Birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!

Happy Birthday to Helena Bonham Carter, who just joined the cast of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the role of Bellatrix Lestrange!

Scholastic.com Updates with Book Five Downloads

Scholastic.com has updated their Harry Potter websitewith new downloads for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which include wallpaper and a printable poster. Also the winners for the contest leading up to the release of HBP in paperback are now on the site. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released in paperback here in the US on July 25; Bloomsbury will release the paperback of the UK edition next month on June 23.

Website Opens for Queen's Birthday Party

Back in March, we first told youthat author J.K. Rowling would be attending a special party being held on June 25 in honor of the Queen's 80th birthday, and now the official website for the event has been launched. The Children's Party at the Palacewebsite contains new information about the schedule of the day, and confirms that Jo will read from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at 5:30pm. There will also be a live show following after this reading featuring "a unique extravaganza which will be broadcast on the BBC for 75 minutes at 6pm with an amazing cast of actors who will be portraying some of Britian's best-loved children's characters." Previously it had been reported that actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Emma Watson (Hermione) would be participating in this event, but that has yet to be confirmed. The Children's Party website also indicates that a full update, with lots of announcements about the actors participating and more, will be made on June 12. Stay tuned!