TheDailySnitcher

From Warner Bros Studio Tour London --

This summer, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter invites visitors to delve into the world of spell casting, potions and wizard duels as it hosts its first Summer Spells feature. Visitors will discover first-hand how spells such as Wingardium Leviosa came to life on screen and how the wand movements that accompanied them were developed.

Knowledgeable staff members will be on hand to teach wand battle choreography, aided by an interactive experience created by choreography expert Paul Harris. Paul composed the battle scene between Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and is the world’s only Wand Combat choreographer.

Those exploring Diagon Alley will be able to take part in a special effects demonstration created by BAFTA-winning Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson. By pointing a wand, visitors will be able to cast a spell that will make the sign above Potage’s Cauldron Shop bang and flash as if by magic.

In scenes where a character conjured his or her Patronus – a protective charm which usually takes the form of an animal and shields the wizard against Dementors – actors such as Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, whose Patronus was a stag) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger, who casts an otter Patronus) had to use their imagination; Patronuses were created post-filming using CGI. The cast were, however, aided by an Irish Wolfhound dressed in a specially-made costume which helped them visualise the glowing effect of a Patronus. This will be on display at the Studio Tour for the first time throughout the Summer Spells feature.

Spellbinding secrets:

- In the first and second films, the wands looked quite plain. This was drastically changed in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when the wands were given distinctive shapes and carvings, reflecting the owners’ personalities. For example, the wand of Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) is inlaid with silver slug trails and has a slug-shaped handle.
- Some of the cast of the Harry Potter film series had their own ideas about how their characters’ wands should look. Actor Ralph Fiennes said he wanted Voldemort’s wand to look like an evil finger pointing off into the distance; this influence can be seen in the wand he used on screen, which appears to be made of bone.
- Over the course of the films the Prop Team created thousands of wands. Rumour has it they never lost a single one — though Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, wore out over 60 wands during the making of the film series.
- Hundreds of potion jars line the walls of the Potions classroom, which can be seen at the Studio Tour. Among the ingredients kept in them are plastic animals from a zoo gift shop, baked animal bones from a local butcher shop and dried leaves and herbs.

Summer Spells will take place from Friday 26th July to Monday 2nd September. 

From Scholastic --

In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scholastic is inviting public libraries all across the country to enter to win a fabulous Harry Potter party pack for young readers in their communities. To enter, librarians should describe in 500 words or less the ultimate Harry Potter celebration they would throw to welcome a new generation of readers to the world of Harry Potter. Fifteen winning public libraries will be announced on Harry Potter's birthday, July 31^st, 2013. Celebrations will be held on August 27, 2013 – the date when new U.S. trade paperback editions of all seven Harry Potter books, with spectacular new covers illustrated by #1 New York Times bestselling author/artist Kazu Kibuishi, will arrive in communities nationwide.

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100907/SCHOLASTICLOGO ) 

The fifteen winning public libraries will receive:

• 100 copies of the new trade paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, with the new cover illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi, to give away at the celebration.
• One new paperback boxed set of all seven Harry Potter books signed by Kibuishi for the library.
• A $100 gift card towards the Harry Potter celebration.
• A Harry Potter event kit with sticker sheets, name tags, bookmarks, activities, and more.

"Throughout the past fifteen years, librarians have introduced millions of children to Harry Potter, and helped young readers discover the joy of reading," said Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade Publishing. "Today we celebrate librarians, the magic of Harry Potter and all the future readers who are getting ready to start their journey to Hogwarts."

Librarians can enter here. Deadline to enter is July 17, 2013. (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY). Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are public librarians and ages 18 and over entering on behalf of their public library.  Entrants must have permission from their public library to enter this contest.  Only one entry per public library. Void where prohibited. Complete rules can be found here. To learn more about Harry Potter and to view or download the new cover art by Kazu Kibuishi, visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/harrypotter.  

Fifteen years after the first U.S. publication of J.K. Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in September 1998, there are more than 150 million Harry Potter books in print in the United States alone and the series still hits bestseller lists regularly. The seven Harry Potter books are published in over 200 territories in 74 languages and have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide.

From Potted Potter --

New York – Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner of the hit off-Broadway show Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff have returned to New York City in appropriate Potter-fashion, by Pottering around town!

What’s Pottering you ask? Check out these fun photos to get a better idea: #PottedPottering.

Producers have also announced that fans are invited to join the craze by taking photos of themselves Pottering and posting them to Twitter with the hashtag #PottedPottering, or e-mail them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit the Little Shubert Theatre where a Pottering station will be set up for photo opportunities.

Pottering has become quite the popular activity. Check out 22 examples of Pottering, the latest meme flying around the Internet,

The fan with the best photo will receive four tickets to bring the family to Potted Potter off-Broadway and dinner at a local restaurant. Entries must be posted by Tuesday, June 25th at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 28th. Please note that photos submitted will be visible to the public. Your submission is your permission for your photo being in the public domain.

Potted Potter returns to the Little Shubert Theatre for a 13-week engagement following a hugely successful North American tour. The limited engagement officially opened on Tuesday, June 4th and runs through Sunday, September 1st, 2013.

Potted Potter is written and performed by Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner with direction by Richard Hurst.  The creative team includes Simon Scullion (Sets), Tim Mascall (Lighting), Phil Innes (Music), Richard Hurst (additional material) and Hanna Berrigan (Associate Director).

From the Bodleian library, University of Oxford --

A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the latest addition to the Bodleian’s exhibition Magical books: from the Middle Ages to Middle-earth which opened to the public on 23 May. The book is on display in the Bodleian exhibition room until 10 June.

The volume, which includes annotations and drawings by author J.K. Rowling, was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for the record price of £150,000 last Tuesday, 21 May in aid of English PEN and J.K. Rowling’s own charity Lumos.  Due to the great generosity of the new owner who is a friend of the Bodleian, the volume made it from the saleroom to the Bodleian exhibition room in less than 24 hours, just in time for the public opening. It now complements perfectly a stellar line-up of illustrious authors of children’s fantasy literature featured in the exhibition: C.S. LEWIS, J.R.R. TOLKIEN, SUSAN COOPER, ALAN GARNER and PHILIP PULLMAN.

Rowling's personal annotations cover forty-three pages and include references to the Harry Potter series as a whole and also the film adaptations. In the Bodleian exhibition, the book is open at the title page where J.K. Rowling noted below the title that this book ‘changed my life forever’.

This rare edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sits alongside a selection of Tolkien’s original artwork for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and his manuscript of a previously unknown poem, ‘The Fall of Arthur’; C.S. Lewis’s ‘Lefay notebook’ and his map of Narnia, and manuscripts of novels and poems by Alan Garner, Philip Pullman and Susan Cooper, many of which are exhibited here for the first time.

Richard Ovenden, Deputy to Bodley’s Librarian, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford said: ‘An exhibition on children’s fantasy literature could not have been complete without Harry Potter, the series which has captivated the imagination of the latest generation of children.  The Bodleian Libraries are extremely grateful to the new owner of this rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for the opportunity to display the book for the first time for thousands of visitors to view over the next couple of weeks. ’

The volume was sold at auction together with other annotated first edition books by 50 UK and Commonwealth writers to raise funds for English PEN, the founding centre of a global literary network which campaigns for freedom of expression.

From The Hollywood Museum:

Harry Potter’s legendary wizardry lives on at The Hollywood Museum, the official museum of Hollywood, located in the Historic Max Factor Building. The Museum’s new collection of sorcery includes acquisitions from the Harry Potter film franchise, considered among the highest-grossing films of all-time.

Spotlighted are new items from noted Harry Potter historian Christopher Knoll, President of Ovation Productions. The ultimate broom used by Harry Potter in the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and his quill and inkbottle used while at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry enhance the exhibit.

Potter’s wands are also part of the permanent procurement.  A black wand box signed by Maggie Smith and a series of wand boxes with their coordinating wands are displayed, highlighted by Harry’s black handle instruction wand and Dumbledore’s purple handle wand, both in their ‘dragon skin’ boxes.  Other items also on exhibit are Harry’s robe, costumes, signed blueprints of rooms at Hogwarts School, photos, posters, and more.  In addition, Daniel Radcliffe’s tennis shoes are displayed, as well as Rupert Grint’s and Emma Watson’s shoes and the writing stylus’ used by all three when they were honored with foot and hand prints at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

“We salute the thrilling Harry Potter movies as a part of Hollywood legendary history,“ says Museum Founder and President Donelle Dadigan. “We are excited to present these famous items for fans to experience up close and personal!“