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Here's a roundup of new additions that have been loaded aboard the Hogwarts Express!
19 DECEMBER 2001
 Glover |
 Henderson |
 Fiennes |
A Chamber extra wrote to The Leaky Cauldron that she saw actor Ralph Fiennes with dyed blond hair or a wig playing Lucius Malfoy. This was in the scene in Flourish & Blotts, where Lockhart drags Harry Potter into a photo with himself. Fiennes joins two other rumored Brits, Bill Nighy and Richard E. Grant, in the Lucius race. But then from Warner Bros. refuted this extra's claims, adding that Lucius Malfoy has not even been cast yet!
The extra did have something interesting to add -- she met Katharine Nicholson (Pansy Parkinson), whose four lines were cut from The Sorcerer's Stone but will have dialogue in HP 2. Parkinson is a native of Australia and has dual citizenship with that country and the UK. For further information on Fiennes, Glover and Henderson, see the Casting Rumors & Certainties page.
 Kevin Eldon and Mark Williams in High Heels and Low Lifes. |
17 DECEMBER 2001
More grist for the rumor mill, Chamber of Secrets Department. Over the weekend, The Leaky Cauldron reported that British comic Mark Williams may be tapped to play Arthur Weasley. He's the guy on the right in this still from High Heels and Low Lifes, a 2001 UK comedy. More on him on the COS Casting Rumors & Certainties page.
13 DECEMBER 2001
Why on earth wait to read the Production Notes on the official Harry Potter Web site, when you can read all of them here? The WB site is putting the notes out in little installments, but I have the whole thing on this site.
12 DECEMBER 2001
Added a profile of Sorcerer's Stone casting directors Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins, as well as the flap that occurred in the search for Harry Potter.
10 DECEMBER 2001
Young wizards and witches, don't let your Hogwarts library books get overdue, or you'll have to face this lady! Sally Mortemore announced in a Manchester, England, newspaper that she will play Madam Irma Pince, the stern and strict Hogwarts librarian, in The Chamber of Secrets. This is the first film role for this English stage vet. Read about her on the Chamber Casting Rumors & Certainties Page.
Also, a London girl is saying she has the role of Moaning Myrtle the bathroom ghost. See the same page for details.
5 DECEMBER 2001
THEIR REAL NAMES? It seems that the Internet Movie Database may know something that HP fans don't. Mugglenet carried a very interesting bit about the Sorcerer's Stone cast listing on IMDB, which is showing listings for "Professor Slatero Quirrell" and "Madam Xiomara Hooch." Now, J.K. Rowling has never mentioned their first names in the books, but that doesn't mean they don't have 'em. I have no idea where IMDB got these listings, which also include Professor Filius Flitwick, a name that also appears in the Harry Potter Trading Card Game.
Others have complete name listings we know for sure, such as "Harry James Potter" and "Petunia Evans Dursley." If the Xiomara/Slatero names are correct, screenwriter Steve Kloves may have received them from Rowling, and they appear in his script. Ultimately it is Rowling who must confirm these are really their names.
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3 DECEMBER 2001
More casting rumors, but for The Prisoner of Azkaban this time. Ewan McGregor (right), best known for wielding a lightsaber as young Obi-Wan Kenobi, is apparently wanted for the Remus Lupin role by Chris Columbus. Robson Green, a famous face on British TV but nearly unknown in the U.S., is rumored for Sirius Black. All this, according to Countingdown.com. Biographies of Green and McGregor are on the Prisoner of Azkaban News & Casting page.
29 NOVEMBER 2001
Chamber of Secrets casting news: it's a minor role, but still this is new news, at least! Alfred Burke, best known for his role as a sourpuss private investigator in a 1960s British TV show, will play Armando Dippet, headmaster of Hogwarts in the days of Tom Riddle and the downfall of Rubeus Hagrid. For more information, see the Chamber Casting Rumors & Certainties page.
19 NOVEMBER 2001
I have seen The Sorcerer's Stone and have posted a review.
The movie review list is expanded.
9 NOVEMBER 2001
Photographs from the world premiere of The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone in London are posted.
More movie review excerpts (from British papers) are on the reviews page, as well as Rowling's opinion on the movie adaptation.
A photo and biography are posted on Sorcerer's Stone assistant stunt coordinator Marc Cass.
Screenshots from the scene where Harry is looking for Platform 9 3/4 are posted. The second of the "compare the book to the movie" scenes.
8 NOVEMBER 2001
The first "compare the movie to the book" feature. A page of screenshots from the scene where tons of Hogwarts letters come down the Dursley fireplace has been posted. This clip was shown in the world premiere on 4 November. The excerpt from J.K. Rowling's book is also printed to compare to the movie.
The second page of the "sequential" stills also has been posted. These pages show all stills in their proper order. See Harry's awful life vs. spoiled Dudley's. Compare to the first page.
There are a couple more United Kingdom promotional articles posted: A story from Radio Times, which is like TV GUIDE with radio and movie stuff added, and a rather blah story from Hello! magazine.
6 NOVEMBER 2001
New casting rumors have emerged for The Chamber of Secrets. A 12-year-old boy from Winchester, England, named Hugh Mitchell may play Colin Creevey. Mitchell is a newcomer. Also, Miriam Margolyes, whom I added to Casting Certainties & Rumors page a while back, may be playing Professor Sprout. (Mitchell and Margolyes are at the bottom of the page.) Though Warner Bros. has made no official announcement about Kenneth Branagh playing Lockhart, he is now listed for this role, since so many major media -- TIME magazine, the BBC, etc. -- are reporting this as a fact.
See the final United Kingdom poster for what they call Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (with a blue-eyed Harry).
See the first two stills from The Chamber of Secrets.
To mark the fast-approaching opening of The Sorcerer's Stone, I am completely rearranging all movie stills on this site to be in their proper sequence, based on the plot. See the first page. And there also is the old set, if you want to look.
1 NOVEMBER 2001
Screenshots from the third U.S. theatrical trailer are posted, along with the script.
31 OCTOBER 2001
Happy Halloween, everyone! May there be magic and mystery in your lives today and into the night!
I bought the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack and had a listen. I'm not much of a critic, but a wrote a review that is at the bottom of the John Williams page.
COMING SOON:
Screenshots from the new third theatrical trailer, plus a script.
Even more movie stills.
Additions to the Products Gallery.
29 OCTOBER 2001
Movie reviews on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone are starting to come in, and it looks very, very good so far. There's a new page of excerpts from the reviews, along with links to the full versions.
There is a book review of David Colbert's The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter now posted.
It's a bit early, but you can see the movie version of Christmas at Hogwarts. Hmmm ... maybe it's not that early ... in the U.S., Christmas stuff is already appearing in stores.
26 OCTOBER 2001
The current issue of TV GUIDE (27 October-2 November 2001) has four different Harry Potter covers and a cover story. Read the story and see the covers.
A little addition to the Products Gallery -- three Enesco cookie jars (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page).
25 OCTOBER 2001
Has The Chamber of Secrets finally found a Gilderoy Lockhart? Variety showbiz newspaper of Hollywood reported that Kenneth Branagh (left) has signed a contract with Warner Bros. for the stuck-up, fake monster hunter. Read a biography of Branagh on my Chamber of Secrets Casting Rumors & Certainties page. The article also confirmed Chris Columbus' announced date for filming to start -- 18 November.
I have posted more assorted graphics I have picked up that are more or less suitable for Harry Potter sites, and free for the taking. Begin with the soundtrack poster page mentioned yesterday, and then see the second page.
24 OCTOBER 2001
Five press interviews with J.K. Rowling have been added. Three are "vintage," dating back to 1998-99, before the Harry frenzy really began.
Daily Telegraph of London #1, 25 July 1998.
Daily Telegraph of London #2, 9 July 1999.
Family Education.com (USA), 1999.
Manchester Guardian (UK), 8 July 2000.
January Magazine (Internet), October 2000.
Some new additions to the Harry Potter Products Gallery:
Department 56's Secret Boxes, Series 2
The Bachman "HO" scale Hogwarts Express train
Schylling Toy Co. kaleidoscopes and Flight Zone's kites
More movie-related images ana graphics are to be added to the Graphics section, as we are now just over three weeks from opening day in USA, Canada and UK. See the nifty Harry and Hedwig poster that will be shipped with Sorcerer's Stone CDs ordered directly from Atlantic Records.
22 OCTOBER 2001
More promotional stuff -- an interview with Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) from Entertainment Weekly, 26 October 2001.
In the Products Gallery, more info on Coca-Cola's Harry campaign and a look at some sweets from CAP Candy.
All four of the Premiere Harry Potter magazine covers by photographer Nigel Parry are posted.
19 OCTOBER 2001
Read interviews with the three kid leads of The Sorcerers' Stone, from the October 2001 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine.
Warner Bros. has released the final poster for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer' Stone, and it looks just like the soundtrack cover. See it very large, and read about Drew Struzan, the great artist who created it.
In the ol' Products Gallery ... It's getting pretty cold around where I live, enough that snow soon will fly. But hey, maybe it isn't where you live, or even cold zone dwellers might want to stock up on spring supplies. See the page of Harry Potter umbrellas by Totes.
18 OCTOBER 2001
The synopsis of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is now posted.
It's been a while since I added to the Products Gallery, so now there's a page of Hasbro electronic items and even more Mattel.
17 OCTOBER 2001
A page of new movie stills, from British sources: SFX magazine and the excellent Snitch movie site.
NEW FEATURE #1: I received a fan owl -- all the way from Australia! A reader sent me a fan's artwork concept for the cover of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Do you have any fan art you've made or would like to share? Send it via "electonic owl"!!
NEW FEATURE #2: I have decided to start doing book reviews. These are about books related to Harry Potter, his world and J.K. Rowling. My first three reviews are posted...
J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter, by Marc Shapiro
Conversations with J.K. Rowling by Lindsey Fraser.
J.K. Rowling, A Biography, by Sean Smith.
12 OCTOBER 2001
My wrists and hands are aching again. I typed up Premiere magazine's November 2001 cover story on The Sorcerer's Stone and added it to the site. Take a broomstick to the story here.
In addition to posting the article above, I also include my scans of photo portraits by Nigel Parry of HP characters that accompanied the article.
And even more stills! Two more pages of them! See a collage of Rubeus Hagrid's life and a tribute to three Gryffindor friends.
11 OCTOBER 2001
Can't sit still! (Sorry, bad pun.) More Sorcerer's Stone stills from the endless stream coming out the gates of Warner Bros. Pictures. Also, see the cover featured with the Sunday Times Magazine articles listed under 10 October.
10 OCTOBER 2001
See what the British and American press are saying about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with article reprints on this site.
Entertainment Weekly (USA), 14 September 2001. Very long story ... completely hand-typed by your Webmaster, because it was never posted online! Oww ... my wrists.
Vanity Fair (USA), October 2001.
Sunday Times Magazine (UK), 7 October 2001, main story of an entire package.
Times on makeup and costuming.
Times Robbie Coltrane interview.
Times interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson.
Times talk with animal trainer Gary Gero on his work days and preparing critters for the film. (This story appears directly under my biography of Gero.)
5 OCTOBER 2001
See some new HP movie character portraits and a whole page of new Sorcerer's Stone stills.
4 OCTOBER 2001
There are two pages of shirts in the Products Gallery.
A page of mini keychain booklets and diaries also has been added to the paper products section of the Products Gallery.
The site redesign is finally complete.
1 OCTOBER 2001
Another person is rumored for the cast of The Chamber of Secrets: Miriam Margolyes, veteran British character actress and voiceover artist. Read her biography and see her photo on the Chamber news page. Look at the bottom of the page for Margolyes.
Six motion-activated flashlight keychains are in the Products Gallery. Also, the Harry Potter LEGO pages have been updated to show all 11 sets and their United States prices.
The biography of John Williams, movie soundtrack composer, now shows the newly released cover art for the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack. Some fans on other sites said this cover resembled the one from The Phantom Menace, and that's accurate.
27 SEPTEMBER 2001
Another addition to the Sorcerer's Stone movie crew info: a page on the animal trainers, Birds & Animals Unlimited, and owner Gary Gero.
Is your watch broken, or just plain boring? Maybe it's time to get a Harry Potter timepiece! See all the HP wristwatches released by SII Marketing International, Inc., a distributor owned by Fossil and Seiko. Also, see the Fossil HP collector watches.
26 SEPTEMBER 2001
Reading the latest HP news, I learned about a 30-second TV trailer for The Sorcerer's Stone that first aired on a private network for kids. I have found it and made 24 screenshots and copied down the accompanying script.
Need some frames for some favorite pics? The Harry Potter Products Gallery now features frames from Fetco International and one from the Warners Studio Store.
25 SEPTEMBER 2001
I've added to the movie section: first, the "stunt department," with biographies of stunt coordinator Gregory Powell and stuntman Theo Kypri (bottom of page). Second, the production crew list has been brought up to date.
There is a Harry Potter version of a classic toy, the View-Master, on view (so to speak) in the Products Gallery.
21 SEPTEMBER 2001
I have added a whole mess of new J.K. Rowling interviews. These are not brand new, but they are new to the site. Rowling spoke to Amazon UK; Canadian Broadcasting Corp.; Newsweek; Salon magazine; and The Daily Telegraph of London.
There is a new set of new Sorcerer's Stone movie stills from miscellaneous locations.
A new page in the Housewares section of the Harry Potter Products Gallery shows overpriced furniture by P.J. Kids.
18 SEPTEMBER 2001
I'm back. The Hogwarts Express sat in the station for a week, so to speak. After a week with the stomach flu, occurring at the same time as the shocking attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, I have returned to adding to this site.
Like other Americans -- and other citizens of the world -- I spent much of last week watching the history of the worst attack on U.S. soil unfold. In response, I added the "Support Freedom" ribbon logo provided by Lycos. I also have set up a separate Web site about these events called September Terror. It has nothing to do with Harry Potter, and just shows how murderous Muggles can get without the use of magic.
My sympathies go out to all Americans and other citizens of the Earth who lost loved ones in the attacks.
Also added to this site:
Annie Leibovitz's Harry Potter set photos from Vanity Fair October 2001 issue have been scanned and added. These are large images capturing the mood of the movie adaptation.
The Gund plush page has been updated to show the new Ron plush character and five new HP animal beanies.
Read my new synopses of The Prisoner of Azkaban and Quidditch Through The Ages.
8-10 SEPTEMBER 2001
Every single Harry Potter coffee mug by Xpres has been added to the Housewares section of the Products Gallery: Part 1; Part 2; and Part 3.
Doll collectors might be interested in the Gryffindor Friends rag dolls.
The Action Figures Page now has a closeup photo of Quidditch Harry.
Urban Station's Harry Potter wall clocks are posted.
The redesign continues. Please excuse the sudden switches you may experience between white background and purple star background pages.
6-7 SEPTEMBER 2001
For the first time, see a picture of J.K. Rowling's daughter, Jessica, and her boyfriend, Dr. Neil Murray. Beach vacation photos and article from Britain's OK! magazine have been added. The only place on the Net where you'll see these photos!
Several additions to the Products Gallery: Harry Potter Isle of Man coins; Harry Potter glues and craft stuff from Elmer's; desk clocks from Urban Station.
A new photo from the Vanity Fair spread, showing that ol' Slytherin vs. Gryffindor rivalry.
A picture of the Mountain Troll, Hagrid and Fluffy characters has been added to the action figures page.
My synopsis of The Chamber of Secrets is now posted.
3-5 SEPTEMBER 2001
The action figures page has been updated once again, with closeups of many of the figures.
Some of the mini Mattel playsets, as well as the entire Hogwarts and grounds setup, are posted.
A page of doll versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione has been added.
I've finally posted a synopsis of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
A preview of Annie Leibovitz's photos of characters an settings in The Sorcerer's Stone, from the October 2001 issue of Vanity Fair.
Some filming has already begun on The Chamber of Secrets.
The redesign continues.
1 SEPTEMBER 2001
The redesign continues. I also have the Harry Potter LEGO sets now posted.
29 AUGUST 2001
***REDESIGN ... I have started a whole redesign of the site's appearance. I felt it was time. At this point, the site will look strange because some pages are still the old style, and some are the new look. However, I am working fast to change that.
28 AUGUST 2001
New entries in the Products Gallery -- Harry Potter puzzles and potion sets. The action figures page also was updated with an image of the new figures.
20-24 AUGUST 2001
The beginning of a character guide finally is here. I also added a compilation of mistakes that readers have spotted in the books.
13-17 AUGUST 2001
A fourth page of Sorcerer's Stone stills, including a big one from Entertainment Weekly, and a newer entity called Guerrilla-Film.
See stars -- literally. Casting, news and rumors pages for The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban have photos and biographies of potential sequel actors.
6-10 AUGUST 2001
Finally, some updates. Lots of new stuff after a busy summer.
Collection of 76 screen shots with descriptive captions from the second trailer.
Check the Movies Page. New sections have been started on The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban.
Sorcerer's Stone overview page includes the second teaser poster and as complete a cast list as is currently available.
A third set of movie stills, mostly from America Online and Premiere magazine, have been posted.
14-18 MAY 2001
The Harry Potter Licensed Products Gallery is now open for viewing. I also did a site redesign with a new font, Burton's Nightmare, and the Books section (guides to the books will appear ASAP!) I added free font downloads to the Miscellaneous Multimedia page. A listing of Book 5-7 rumors and comparison of Book 4 rumors with the actual novel have been posted.
24-25 APRIL 2001
Special essays on the Ford Anglia, King's Cross Station, owls in culture and history, owl species, and alchemy, Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone.
23 APRIL 2001
The spell list is finally up!
17-18 APRIL 2001
Different artists' pictures of Harry Potter;
Harry Potter title in alphabets of the world;
Movie crew list for The Sorcerer's Stone.
16 APRIL 2001
Scanned and posted brand-new Sorcerer's Stone movie stills published in Premiere magazine.
2 APRIL 2001
Posted the Mary GrandPré Harry Potter Covers and GrandPré's non-Harry Potter works.
26 MARCH 2001
Put up the biography of J.K. Rowling.
20 MARCH 2001
Finalized and opened up the gallery of location photographs for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.
17 MARCH 2001
Posted the movie stills from Sorcerer's Stone
Updated the information on the first trailer (added British screen shots).
Created and posted the main Movies Page, along with large and small versions of the movie poster.
Updated and added links to the cast photo and biographies page.
13 MARCH 2001
Screen shots from the movie trailer were posted.
Miscellaneous screen savers from official sites added.
Dictionary of British English was activated.
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