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Saturday, July 4
Actress Emma Watson, famous for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series of films, recently revealed that she would be taking a break from acting to attend college and that she may never return to the craft. However, her co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, who plays "the boy who lived," doesn't feel the same need to hit the books:
I didn't want to go [to university], it's as simple as that. I think most people go to establish their identity and what they want to do career-wise. I know what I want to do, more or less. Other people go to meet people from different backgrounds and that happens naturally on a film set. That's not to say I'm going to stop learning. I read a lot. I still have English lessons once a week, without the pressure of exams or essays. I have my own teacher and we basically chat about books and poems. In an ideal world that should be the way everyone learns. I don't fancy university in truth. I know exactly what I want to do — touch wood anyway.
There are still three Harry Potter movies yet to come. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, originally scheduled to be released November '08, debuts July 15th, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I comes out in November 2010 with Part II following in July 2011. David Yates, who directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directs the remaining three films.
Posted 7/4/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Daniel Radcliffe | Emma Watson | David Yates | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Thursday, July 2
Even though David Yates, the newest director to bring the Harry Potter mythos to life, took the franchise on a dark journey in the previous installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the tone is much lighter in the next movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Apparently, the new tone did not necessarily sit well with all of the cast members. In a recent interview, Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the titular character, said:
My favourite stuff is always the dark stuff. When I read scripts for the first time that's what I always lean towards and it's what I want to see included – even more so in Harry Potter movies, because we need the films to appeal to adult audiences. In fact one of the things I was disappointed about with the sixth Harry Potter movie was that there wasn't so much of that element.
Radcliffe said that he had a conversation with Yates about this and was told that it was important to give the audience some comedy. Radcliffe said:
There are huge opportunities for comedy in the sixth film and we use all of them, even though my natural inclination is not towards that. I love watching comedy but doing it is something else.
Yates will also be on board as director on the follow-up to Half-Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be split into two movies.
Posted 7/2/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Daniel Radcliffe | David Yates | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Tuesday, June 30
Actress Emma Watson is just 19 years old, but she's earned an estimated £10 million from her recurring role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series. Surprised? Apparently, so is Ms. Watson. As a child actor, Watson's contracts and finances were out of her control and she preferred to pretend that the money didn't exist. It wasn't until she turned 18 that she discovered just how much money she had earned.
In a recent interview, Watson said:
My dad never told me how much money I was earning. Then, when I hit 18, he was like, "I want you to understand that your money isn't some kind of abstract concept. I want you to have a feel for what it's worth and what you can do with it."
Watson is currently promoting the sixth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but she plans on attending college in the fall. She called the start of her school life a "cut-off point" in her life.
It's going to sound dramatic, but I feel like it's going to be my life over as I know it. My whole life has been about Harry Potter and then all of that will shut down and I don't know what it will be like.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.
Next Showing: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens July 15
Posted 6/30/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Daniel Radcliffe | Emma Watson | Rupert Grint | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Monday, June 29
It seems like professional suicide to step away from a successful acting career to attend college, but that's exactly what Emma Watson plans to do following the conclusion of her Harry Potter duties. Watson hasn't revealed which university she plans on attending, but in an interview with Teen Vogue, she said:
There's not, like, a burning passion in me that I have to act and I don't care what I do. Until something comes along that I feel as strongly about as I did Hermione – like, I felt that it was life or death – I don't want to act again.
Watson said that she will study English Literature and that she wants to be just like every other student, even sharing a dorm room:
I probably sound like a paranoid nut, but I'm doing this because I want to be normal. I really want anonymity.
Watson is currently promoting the sixth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and is currently filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be split into two films. She reprises the role of Hermione Granger, which she has been playing for nearly half of her life, alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.
Next Showing: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince debuts July 15
Posted 6/29/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Daniel Radcliffe | Emma Watson | Rupert Grint | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Tuesday, May 5
Harry Potter fans everywhere were exasperated when Warner Bros. pushed back the release of the film adaptation of J.K. Rowlings' penultimate novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 2008 to July 2009. Outraged fans expressed their displeasure in letter-writing campaigns and viral videos, but the long wait is nearly over and the stars of the latest installment in the Potter franchise are out promoting the film in force.
After a revolving door of directors, the franchise finally got some consistency in David Yates, who directed the previous installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and is currently working on the follow-up to Half-Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In a recent interview with Wizard Magazine, Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, was asked about the challenges of working with different directors and had this to say:
It was a lot of fun having new directors because there was more energy and you knew there would be something new every time. But David is a very good director and I think he's done a really good job with it. When you get to know someone, you can trust them and it gave him more a chance to try different things out.
Watson was only nine years old when she was cast in the role of Hermione and has been portraying the character for the past decade. When asked about portraying such a popular character in such a monumental franchise, Watson said:
The funny thing is I never realized that I was going to be famous. It never really occurred to me. When you're doing a movie you're kind of in a bubble and you don't really realize the impact it's having on the rest of the world.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore.
Next Showing: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince debuts July 15
Posted 5/5/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Daniel Radcliffe | Emma Watson | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Tuesday, December 11
It's Daniel Radcliffe Day in DVD-land, with the lanky lad's two latest releases, summer blockbuster Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and charming indie December Boys, debuting on DVD today. Also arriving on DVD shelves are The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon in his (presumably) final turn as the amnesiac rogue agent, Interview, starring Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi, and High School Musical 2, starring non-threatening Zac Efron and internet star Vanessa Hudgens.
Posted 12/11/2007 by reelz
Related: The Bourne Identity | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | December Boys | Interview | High School Musical 2
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Saturday, October 20
In her first US tour in seven years, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling addressed an audience at Carnegie Hall and informed them that the character of Albus Dumbledore was gay.
Although the character's sexuality was never explicitly addressed in any of the books or movies, Rowling revealed that she had always envisioned his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald--who is discussed in the final book of the series--as a romantic one.
Maybe that's why he is always dressed so well.
Source: Reuters
Posted 10/20/2007 by reelz
Related: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Sunday, July 22
The winner of this weekend's box office war is the Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, about two firemen who pose as a gay couple so they can get domestic partnership health benefits.
Chuck & Larry took in $34.8 million in ticket receipts this weekend, displacing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on just its second weekend in theaters. There has been some speculation that the release of the final book in the Harry Potter series this weekend may have eaten into the movie's earnings, with fans ostensibly staying home to read the long awaited conclusion to Harry's adventures in lieu of seeing the fifth book depicted in the theater.
At $32.2 million for the weekend, Potter did outpace Hairspray, Friday's other big open. Still, Hairspray fared quite well, coming in third at the box office with $27.8 million--making it the biggest box office open for a musical ever.
Source: Yahoo.
Posted 7/22/2007 by reelz
Related: Adam Sandler | Kevin James | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Hairspray | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
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Wednesday, July 18
Despite Fort Knox-like security measures, the final installment of the Harry Potter series has been leaked to the internet--mere days before the book is scheduled to hit shelves this Saturday, reports The Boston Globe.
At the Los Angeles press junket for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just over a week ago, filmmakers and talent (including Daniel Radcliffe-The Boy Who Lived himself) on the remarkably lucrative series professed that only 10 people in the world had seen the final book--and they weren't part of that lucky number.
Nonetheless, images of every page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows appeared on file sharing websites yesterday. The publishers are quickly moving on finding the person(s) responsible, but in the meantime copies of the images are now circulating throughout the internet.
Lord Voldemort simply must be behind this.
Next Showing: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits shelves Saturday.
Posted 7/18/2007 by reelz
Related: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Sunday, July 15
As predicted, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix swept the box offie this weekend, taking in $140 million in domestic recepts (since Weds), and $190.3 million overseas. That brings its grand total to $330 million worldwide, Variety reports.
Transformers, Ratatouille, and Live Free or Die Hard took second, third, and fourth place at the box office, earning $36 million, $18 million, and $10.9 million respectively.
The torture-porn horror flick with the flashy advertising campaign Captivity had an especially weak open--taking in only $1.5 million and coming in twelfth. Michael Moore's health care documentary, Sicko, did well, on the other hand-holding its position at number nine and taking in $2.6 million.
Posted 7/15/2007 by reelz
Related: Captivity | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Ratatouille | Transformers | Live Free or Die Hard | Sicko