Tag Archives: harry potter

Pop Culture Potpourri: Hired, Fired, and Very Much Desired

HIRED! What do Australian actress Naomi Watts and Harry Potter have in common? Read on. Watts hasn’t even given birth yet (though she’s reportedly due to pop any hour now) and she has already booked her next post-pregnancy acting gig. Forget about being a stay-at-home mom, Watts has reportedly signed on to star in the big screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s sixth book in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.” According to Mugglenet.com, Watts will play Narcissa Malfoy, mother to school bully Draco Malfoy. Shooting is scheduled to begin in September. So by my calculations she … Continue reading →

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

It’s been waited for expectantly all year long, ever since the date was announced back at the first of the year that the seventh and final Harry Potter book would be released on July 21st. I meant to get this review written and posted on Monday and for those of you, who might have been waiting, please accept my apologies. I received my copy at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 21st and I didn’t get to sit down and read it until about 12. I finished the book around 7:30 pm. It is 759 pages – but it’s ten … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Updates: Harry, Sampson and “The Simpsons”

JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY We all know by now that Harry Potter, the fictional boy wizard, is a pop culture icon. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” smashed all sales records this weekend (8.3 million copies of the book were sold in the first 24 hours). But, there’s another record the book has earned that you may not have heard about. According to the National Braille Press, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was made available to the blind at the same time sighted readers could purchase their print versions. The Boston-based publisher says that is an extremely rare occurrence … Continue reading →

Legends Making News—Elvis and Harry Potter

What do “The King” and a fictional boy wizard have in common? Both are getting a lot of attention these days for being legends in their own rights. Many loyal Elvis fans are just a few short weeks away from marking the 30th anniversary of the singer’s death, but that’s not why the singing legend is generating a buzz outside of Graceland. Fans waiting for their state-issued Elvis Presley license plate are getting a gift thanks to an anonymous donor in New Jersey who dug deep to show off her Elvis pride. According to news reports, the Elvis plate (which … Continue reading →

Do You Have IT?

If you are a die-hard Harry Potter fan I’m sure you have better things to read than this blog right now. If you were one of the loyal fans that stood in line and got your hot little hands on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” shortly after midnight—congratulations! You now have the answers you were looking for. So, was all the hype worth it? I don’t have the latest book (or any of them for that matter) so I wouldn’t know. What I do know is that the allure of the boy wizard far exceeded my expectations. Here’s why. … Continue reading →

Last Minute Harry Potter Party Costumes

This afternoon we stopped by our local bookstore to find out the schedule for the Harry Potter party tonight. Already, the front window was lined with at least 70 boxes of the book. The boxes were all taped several times around with security tape. While we have been planning to attend the party, we hadn’t actually planned on wearing costumes. But by the time we got home the boys decided that they were going to need to dress up. Here are some ideas we’ve come up with for last minute costumes: Rob your Halloween box for witches hats, black robes, … Continue reading →

Good Health in the Deathly Hallows

Has Harry Potter fever hit your household? With the final book in the amazing series due on Saturday, there will be a lot of people around the world spending the weekend reading. I must confess… I’ll be one of them. Aside from (maybe) a nasty paper cut, reading isn’t generally a dangerous hobby. However, if you’re planning to curl up on the couch and read all weekend, there are a few health tips to keep in mind: Think of your read-a-thon like it’s a long car ride or flight. Sitting still for long periods of time can affect your circulation. … Continue reading →

Harry Potter Mania

My daughter doesn’t know how to read yet, but even she knows who Harry Potter is. Not because we have any of the books. (We don’t.) Not because we’ve seen any of the movies (We haven’t.) It’s simply because it is virtually impossible to go anywhere these days without running into the boy wizard’s mug. Commercials for the latest Harry Potter movie are constantly on TV. Photos of the final book are all over the Internet. And stories regarding “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” leaks and lawsuits are saturating the evening news. Copies of the seventh and likely final … Continue reading →

Waiting for Harry Potter

I am seeing more and more countdowns to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on blog sites, it newspapers, and even on the screen saver of one of our computers. Here are some fun things to do while you are waiting: Guess the last word of the last book. And no, it’s not scar. J.K. Rowling said she changed it in “the eleventh hour”. You can hold your own contest among your family and friends. Even if you don’t have prizes, it’s still fun to guess. Besides, true Harry fans will love debating the last word. Go shopping for some … Continue reading →

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (2007)

It’s official, Harry Potter is back. At 12:01 a.m. last night, we sat down in a theater to preview Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix. Normally, I wouldn’t go see a movie so late, but my daughter is so eager to see the film, I wanted to preview it first. She’s a huge fan of Harry Potter, both the books and the films. Please note that this review will contain major spoilers if you have not read the books first. Background At the end of Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire Harry came face to face with … Continue reading →