WHAT'S NEW

The place to check for the newest stuff aboard Arabella Figg's Hogwarts Express! **The newest material is always at the top.**

What's New: 2001 Additions

22 JULY 2002

Alfonso Cuarón as director of The Prisoner of Azkaban is NO LONGER TENTATIVE! Official word came from Warner Bros. over the weekend that he will take the job.

Also shown here are pictures of Ed Tudorpole (top), a former rock singer who is playing Mr. Borgin, the Dark Arts merchant, and Robert Hardy, a veteran character actor tapped to play Cornelius Fudge, head of the Ministry of Magic. Their biographies are on the Chamber of Secrets Cast Page. (Renamed from "Casting Rumors & Certainties," because now the movie is in postproduction, and there are no more rumors about casting that I know of.)

12 JULY 2002

With Alfonso Cuarón (see below) looking strongly as if he will direct the third Harry Potter, I have added his biography to this site. I have marked it "TENTATIVE," because there is no official word from Warner Bros. yet.

DESKTOPS! A reader and Web and graphic designer, Israel "Izzy" Long, has created two desktops for your computer screen, personalized with this site's name and in the style of a Hogwarts admissions letter. Check them out in 800 X 600-pixel size here and 1024 X 768-pixel here under the Graphics section.

24 JUNE 2002

NEW DIRECTOR? It certainly looks that way. Alfonso Cuarón looks almost certain to be the man to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Cuarón, of Mexico, won acclaim this year for Y Tu Mama Tambien. He also has handled commercial Hollywood projects, including Great Expectations and A Little Princess, which was a family film like the Potter series. Chris Columbus will stick around the United Kingdom as an executive producer.

14 JUNE 2002

New stills have been added to the Chamber of Secrets section. They are from the Leaky Cauldron and Zweinstein Club, a Dutch HP site (Zweinstein is what Hogwarts is called in the Netherlands translations).

The photo at left is a first look at Hugh Mitchell, the neophyte actor who plays Harry-worshipper Colin Creevey in the movie.

A portion of the new trailer is posted at the official movie site. The COS trailer will be shown before the live action version of Scooby-Doo, starting today.

5 JUNE 2002

New production stills from The Chamber of Secrets came out in Entertainment Weekly for the 7 June 2002 issue. These pictures also can be seen here on this site on this page and on this page.

Also, be on the lookout for the first Chamber trailer. Harry Potter IRC managed to get a copy of the preview and make some screenshots and full audio. Dobby, Harry, Hagrid, Draco and Ron are among those who can be heard on the soundtrack. The Leaky Cauldron has early screenshots and the audio track here. Once the official trailer comes out from Warner Bros., I will make my own screenshots.

4 JUNE 2002

Now online -- the new Chamber of Secrets teaser poster #1! It gives us a first look at the computer generated Dobby the House Elf, strongly resembling Mary GrandPre's US illustration. A larger version can be accessed from the Chamber overview page.

Also, a bit on a young Englishman named Jack Ryder, whom the Web site Cinema Confidential claims is being considered for Cedric Diggory. There's a photo and bit about this star of the UK's EastEnders on the Goblet of Fire news page.

29 MAY 2002

About time there was something new! The Prisoner of Azkaban news page has information about possible replacements for Chris Columbus if he decides against a third time around with the wizards and witches of Hogwarts. Among the potential "lenspeople": Kenneth Branagh, who plays Gilderoy Lockhart in fall's The Chamber of Secrets.

26 APRIL 2002

Sorry for no updates in a while, but new developments have been few on the Harry Potter front. Who knows when Order of the Phoenix will be in bookstores??!!

There is some Chamber of Secrets casting news, however: the production now has a voice for Dobby. Toby Jones (right), recent Best Supporting Actor winner in the famed Laurence Olivier Awards, will speak for the house elf in the November release. Jones has been added to the Chamber Casting Rumors & Certainties page.

15 MARCH 2002

A happy 19th birthday to Sean Biggerstaff, the Scottish lad who plays Oliver Wood!

Go Down Under with Jo with another interview from the archives: Rowling speaks to a reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper of Australia.

14 MARCH 2002

Why is this woman laughing? Lindy Hemming is overjoyed, because she won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Topsy-Turvy (1999). It was a total surprise for her, and she could not conceal it. Hemming, a native of Wales, has succeeded Judianna Makovsky as costume designer for the Harry Potter movies. She is working on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. A biography of her is now posted, along with a gallery of her work for previous movies. Warning! The gallery page has 26 images and may take a long time to load on slow Internet connections!

6 MARCH 2002

A couple more J.K. Rowling interviews: on Yahooligans, from October 2000, and with Children's BBC (CBBC), in the UK, from July 2000.

5 MARCH 2002

A whole mess of J.K. Rowling interviews have been posted for you to peruse. Just follow the ol' links below.

--Boston Globe interview, January 1999
--American Library Association Book Links, July 1999
--America Online Chat, July 1999
--Barnes & Noble Web site (BN.com) chat, September 1999.
--BBC Radio 4 interview, August 1999.
--The New York Times interview, July 2000.
--NBC-TV Today Show interview, October 2000
--Cinescape magazine (USA) interview, November 2000.
--Reader's Digest UK edition interview, December 2000.
--Houston Chronicle interview, March 2001
--UK edition of InStyle magazine, May 2001.
--British Broadcasting Corp. Newsround show, November 2001

4 MARCH 2002

A belated Happy Birthday to that fictional wizard, Ron Weasley, whose day was the 2nd.

CASTING:The lady at left looks kind of nurse-like to me, and that is appropriate. British actress Gemma Jones is the latest confirmed casting for The Chamber of Secrets, taking the role of Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse. (This is also the second Gemma in the cast; see Padley below.) Another photo and biography of Jones have been added to the Casting Rumors and Certainties page. (Look under "Professors & Staff" heading.)

CREW: COS also has a new film editor, Peter Honess, who succeeds Richard Francis-Bruce, who held the job on The Sorcerer's Stone. Photos and a biography of Honess have been posted.

Products Gallery additions: new collectible "Sorting Hat" Hogwarts House watches from Fossil; jewelry by Starline Creations; addition of Vivid Imaginations' British market plushes on stuffed toy page; and a few more bags and duffels (see Jaclyn bags and Quidditch duffles); Mattel's first Chamber of Secrets dolls, the Wizard Sweets series (see second half of page).

26 FEBRUARY 2002

Here is a picture of Gemma Padley, who more than likely will portray Penelope Clearwater in The Chamber of Secrets. Her casting seems more likely because of news reports -- one in a Norfolk, England, Web site, EDP24, states that she plays the girlfriend of Chris Rankin (Percy). Anyway, this photo is of her in Casualty, a medical show on British TV in which she had a guest spot. The two people arguing in front of her were her TV parents. At present, this is the only photo I have of her.

A few additions to the Products Gallery: A kid's bedroom could be spiffed up with these Harry Potter sheets, fabrics and wall decor; eyes can be protected with Pan Oceanic's HP sunglasses (see middle of page).

25 FEBRUARY 2002

INTERESTING LINK OF THE DAY: Reader Colin Browell was kind enough to let me know that today, about 3 p.m. UK time, the Hogwarts Express will pass through Nuneaton Station in England, on its way back from King's Cross filming. He also sent along this link about its last stop on 17 February.

21 FEBRUARY 2002

Just a quick news item. Christian Coulson looks like a sure thing for the Tom Riddle role, so now he is listed as such on the Casting Rumors & Certainties page. His agent confirmed his casting, according to the Leaky Cauldron.

20 FEBRUARY 2002

Think spring. The Products Gallery, Clothing section's umbrellas page has been updated with new Totes umbrellas and rain ponchos.

Lots of new games from Mattel, two pages worth: Chamber of Secrets games and a "second wave" of Sorcerer's Stone items.

NEWS: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone is now the second highest grossing movie of all time, worldwide. Current global box office is $926.1 million U.S.

15 FEBRUARY 2002

Hope your Valentine's Day was sweet and filled with love, candy or whatever. Not much today, but there are two new Chamber of Secrets stills -- Harry and Fang in the Forbidden Forest, and Harry looking at Tom Riddle's diary. See the stills page.

A few items in the Products Gallery -- a chess set like the kind used in The Sorcerer's Stone; some lunchboxes and Hallmark cookies; and the British-made version of the Hogwarts Express train by Hornby.

12 FEBRUARY 2002

A couple of new photos that MAY BE from Chamber of Secrets filming have been added to the COS Filming Locations pages. The page also contains a map showing where Huskeiran Isle is located -- this location may be doubling for Azkaban Prison.

More COS toys: Mattel's Whomping Willow playset (see second half of page) and previews of LEGO's second series of playsets.

OSCAR FEVER! The Sorcerer's Stone awards page is updated with Academy Award nominations for Warner Bros. box office smash. The Oscar noms were announced this morning; the movie got three.

6 FEBRUARY 2002

Updates to the Products Gallery: enough socks to make Dobby happy, and Accessory Network bags and totes. New stuff: Harry Potter eyeglasses and his scarf in the UK market.

4 FEBRUARY 2002

If you've read "A Wizard with Words," a biography of J.K. Rowling on this site, check it again. If you've never seen it, you must now! In the words of TV commercials, it is "new and improved." The biography is updated to the present. There are also many new images of Rowling that are Internet exclusives. They show her family and herself as a child. There are also new photos of her and her first husband, and some of the places she lived before she got famous.

In a little bit of "housekeeping," I added a bit on tawny owls on the Owls in Harry Potter page, and a short biography of Martin Bayfield, who was Robbie Coltrane's body double in The Sorcerer's Stone (go to bottom of page).

Some news: The Leaky Cauldron reports that Gemma Padley may have been cast as Penelope Clearwater (see also the Casting Rumors & Certainties page), and that John Williams will compose the soundtracks for The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Interesting Link of the Day: Photos from Chamber of Secrets filming at Gloucester Cathedral in the last days of January 2002. The site is in Swedish, but the photo captions are in English.

31 JANUARY 2002

This may be the face of Tom Riddle for The Chamber of Secrets movie. A fan reported to The Leaky Cauldron that actor Christian Coulson (right) is rumored for the role of the deceitful teen version of Lord Voldemort. A small biography of Coulson has been added to the Casting Rumors & Certainties page (look under Casting Rumors).

Interesting Link of the Day: "For Your Consideration" ads placed by Warner Bros., appealing to voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to give the movie some Oscar nominations. See at the Harry Potter Galleries.

30 JANUARY 2002

I dipped into my archives and found a couple of J.K. Rowling interviews that weren't on this site. Her second chat with Scholastic is interesting, as it reveals biographical info about Harry and family that is not in the books. The Comic Relief interview from March 2001 serves as an introduction to her two wizard reference books: Quidditch Through The Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

28 JANUARY 2002

The Leaky Cauldron says that Warner Bros. dropped them a line that Jason Isaacs will play Lucius Malfoy in The Chamber of Secrets. The Casting Rumors & Certainties page has been updated to reflect this.

22 JANUARY 2002

The two newest Chamber of Secrets stills are posted, including the first image of Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. Look at the bottom of the page.

A discussion of the treat that Dudley ate in The Sorcerer's Stone, the knickerbocker glory, is posted, along with a recipe to try yourself. Part of the Dictionaries section.

In the Products Gallery: Wilton's Harry Potter baking and cake supplies; Mattel's Magical Minis Collection (see bottom of page); Arthur Price of England's expensive pewter figurines; more calendars from 2001 and United Kingdom 2002 editions.

21 JANUARY 2002

In the Products Gallery, there are Harry Potter journals; and planners, organizers and photo albums. Also, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, a brief mention of HP Valentines.

18 JANUARY 2002

There's still time to get a 2002 Harry Potter calendar -- see the U.S. versions in the Products Gallery Paper Goods Section

Rub a dub dub. Johnson & Johnson made toothpaste, toothbrushes, bath products and its popular Band-Aids with a Harry Potter theme. They're in the Products Gallery now.

There is a new Chamber of Secrets still of Ron and Harry by a lion statue (go to bottom of page).

16 JANUARY 2002

There is now a fourth actor rumored for Lucius Malfoy for The Chamber of Secrets, reported by CNN, Variety and Ananova. Jason Isaacs, who played the cruel British colonel in The Patriot, was reported to be in talks with Warner Bros. A biography and photo of him have been added to the Cast Rumors & Certainties page.

I have produced my own version of the popular feature, the meaning of Harry Potter character names.

14 JANUARY 2002

New additions to the Products Gallery: LEGO's three new Sorcerer's Stone playsets (go to bottom of page); Mattel's Slime Chamber playset and action figures.

The page on Chamber of Secrets visual effects supervisors Jim Mitchell and Bill George now has examples of the work done on previous movies they've supervised.

11 JANUARY 2002

If you've visited this site before, you might have noticed it jumps right into the welcoming front page. Now the first page is a title page with a new logo. You can go directly to the front page or view a new introductory Shockwave Flash movie I created.

A few revisions and updates to the Products Gallery pages: the action figures page has images of all the currently available figures; the Tiger Electronics page features the Fat Lady Talking Portrait Alarm; the Trading Card Game page now has the Quidditch Cup Booster Packs displayed and discussed; and the CAP Candy page now has Gringotts gum and the U.S. market Chocolate Frogs.

Since all kinds of groups are announcing and bestowing awards on movies, there is now a page of nominations and awards for The Sorcerer's Stone.

Biographies have been added about Chamber of Secrets visual effects supervisors Jim Mitchell and Bill George of Industrial Light & Magic.

9 JANUARY 2002

New additions to the Clothing section of the Harry Potter Products Gallery: (1) Put your best foot foward with Harry shoes. (2) A Scottish company that supplied sweaters and a Hermione beret to The Sorcerer's Stone wardrobe department now is selling items to the public.

8 JANUARY 2002

A new thing for the Dictionaries section -- a page all about the United Kingdom, home to Harry Potter and Hogwarts.

4 JANUARY 2002

Wowee, now I've gone trendy. If you have "Microslop" Internet Explorer Version 5.5 and up, and you look at this site, your scrollbars will be a lovely purple that ties in with the rest of the Hogwarts Express color scheme. This works only in the IE browser; sorry, "Nutscape" users, you only get gray. Maybe someday Netscape Communications (division of AOL Time Warner) will include this feature in Navigator as well.

It's been a long, LONG, LOOONNNG time since I added anything new to the Products Gallery (since October!!!). So there is now a page in Collectibles about Mattel's diecast and plastic figurine series.

The Sorcerer's Stone's filming locations pages have been revised and updated, and entries for the London Zoo, King's Cross Station and King's School of Gloucester have been added.

A news page on Harry Potter products under development and release has been added to the Products Gallery section. Not much stuff now, but expect lots of new Chamber of Secrets products to appear as 2002 progresses.

3 JANUARY 2002

The first page of photos from filming locations for The Chamber of Secrets is posted. Pictures are from the Forbidden Forest set for scenes with Aragog and the Ford Anglia. With some shifting of material, the second-unit train filming from August 2001 will soon be the second page.

With a few more reports about Goblet of Fire movies due in the mid-2000s, I decided to create a GOF film news page and overview page. Very sketchy, as this is long-term Harry Potter filming.

2 JANUARY 2002

Over the holidays I mostly took it easy, but I did do some updates on the site. Biographies of the Sorcerer's Stone cast members (most of whom will be in the sequels) have been beefed up, updated and revised. Photos were updated where possible to the latest professional headshots. The movie's USA and UK box office totals are updated every week during the theatrical run (see the main movies page).

For The Chamber of Secrets, the latest cast info has been posted since December. Now listed as confirmed are Alfred Burke (Headmaster Dippet), Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle), Miriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout), Hugh Mitchell (Colin Creevey) and Julian Glover (voice of Aragog). The news page has been updated a little.

The book rumors page now includes J.K. Rowling's recent quotes on wizards and witches entering puberty under The Order of the Phoenix heading.

Rowling's biography now lists her as married to Dr. Neil Murray.

There's now an experimental animated graphic on the main page. It was taken from the scene in The Sorcerer's Stone movie where Harry is chosen by his wand and seems to light up. I'm don't really like animated GIFs, but I thought a film effect might be interesting. This was not even an original idea: I first saw a "film clip" type graphic at the Spellbinder site, set in Diagon Alley and decided to try making one myself.

BRAND NEW: J.K. Rowling shows an artistic flair with her own drawings from the Harry Potter books. Adapted from screenshots taken from a BBC-TV program.

1 JANUARY 2002

Happy New Year! The Hogwarts Express is back from vacation for another year: the fifth Harry Potter book and the movie version of The Chamber of Secrets are due for 2002. And J.K. Rowling is a newlywed this year, having married her boyfriend, Neil Murray, on 26 December 2001.

The year starts with a biography of The Chamber of Secrets' new cinematographer, Roger Pratt.