Whoops: We bet the crew over at EW wishes they had a Time Turner right about now. Hot on the heels of Warner Bros.' announcement that they'll be spiriting Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to summer 2009, EW has released its fall 2008 movie preview featuring... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Let's all agree to a Confundus Charm and pretend this never happened. [EW]
Warner Bros. sent surprising word today that it has bumped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from a release this November all the way back to July 17, 2009 — a savvy numerological strategy landing Potter exactly one year's worth of Fridays from its opening day for The Dark Knight. Studio boss Alan Horn officially attributed the move to more practical considerations, however, namely the fact that Warners' vibrant content chain is missing a few links next summer thanks to the writer's strike. But don't get any ideas about Jonze-esque hold-ups or other snags, added Jeff Robinov:
There's money in them thar tweens, and Forbes knows it. The magazine has just published its Rich Tween list, a ranked list of moneymakers who appeal to the elusive eight-to-14 demographic that is like, so over Spongebob. Coming in at #1 with $25 million is Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who had middle school playgrounds abuzz with his daring take on Equus (coming to Broadway this fall!). But wait! Could a precocious teen starlet have tied him for the pole position? Where are the Olsens? The Jonases? The High School Musical-ites?
When last we left Harry Potter, the post-pubescent sorceror was learning to control a host of newly acquired wand-wielding tricks, while grappling with the stunning news that trusted headmaster Dumbledore enjoyed the company of fellow wizards. After the blustery torment of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, star Daniel Radcliffe hinted that even darker things were to come, noting Half-Blood Prince would incorporate "a fair amount of sexual energy and drug parallels. We have a couple of Trainspotting moments." Now comes our first glimpse of the movie's trailer:
Harry Potter film series star Emma Watson appeared to be the life of the afterparty in Windsor over the weekend. With the aid of what Watson referred to as her "Hermione Juice," Watson bounced around the party, serving as a makeshift hostess looking for an afterparty after the original afterparty. After searching for a few minutes, Watson discovered an after-after party in a dorm room at a nearby university.
Like it or not, it's time to let go of any qualms you may have about welcoming a successor to Harry Potter's tween-bewitching throne and embrace what will surely become the zeitgeisty-est franchise of the decade. Twilight is here, it's a little bit queer, and don't even try ignoring it. The dewy, sexy, hickey-adorned film version of the hugely successful books centered around hot teenage vampires has begun garnering its first feature stories in the glossies, and the millions of "fan girls" obsessed with the tales are mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. The new issue of EW features the film's two newbie stars on its cover, and the odd photo is setting message boards and fan sites ablaze with criticism from the series' longtime devotees. And angry fans aren't the only obstacle Twilight faces — too-cool-for-school Alan Ball has a vampire show premiering on HBO later this year and, unlike "powdered donut" Edward and "plain" Bella, his blood-suckers sit at the cool kids' table...
Daniel Radcliffe has got to be sick of playing Harry Potter already because he's starting to talk all kinds of crazy talk about the upcoming 6th installment (feels more like the 100th) of the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, to make it sound more exciting. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Radcliffe went so far as to say, "There's a fair amount of sexual energy and drug parallels. We have a couple of Trainspotting moments."
Sometimes we feel the need to get down on our knees and bow down to Mother of the Century Dina Lohan. Not only did she produce the neverending carnival ride that is Lindsay Lohan, but she has managed to do the impossible: get Ali Lohan a job. Sure, Ali was supposed to be a rap star or white hip hop lyricist or something, but a gig is a gig. Proving that one should always be careful of what they wish for, Ali’s desire to “be just like Lindsay” has manifested in the form of a potential starring role in the remake of a 1980s cult not-so-classic. But before congratulating the 15-year old by sending over a giant supply of cokepants and nail polish to Casa Lohan, we’re forced to rain on this pitiful parade by informing you which movie Ali’s Big Break will be in: the remake of Troll. Why this is quite possibly the worst idea in the history of ideas, after the jump.
As excited as we are for borderline troublemaker Emma Watson and her rumored new deal to become the "face of Chanel" at 18, the $6 million contract comes with a curse or two. The French cosmetics giant has been airbrushing celebrity visages in ad campaigns for years, but its most recent short-term star partnerships haven't always ended amicably, nor have they resulted in the kind of chaste and glossy reputation sources predict for Watson. Though a friend insists that "She's not going to end up like these other Hollywood train wrecks, she just isn't...No one is going to be saying, ‘I never wanted to see Hermione in that light,'" we took a look back at her quilted bag-carrying predecessors to shine a light on the kind of controversy this same wallet-fattening gig has earned its celebrity reps in the past.
"Rob Knox, 18, was stabbed after he got caught up in a fight outside a bar in southwest London early Saturday, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Knox plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in the upcoming film 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince,' the sixth installment of the popular series set for release in November." [AP] Very sad news video after the jump.
After only three days, the teaser trailer for Twilight — that highly anticipated franchise initially classified as the "new Harry Potter" — racked up more than two million views on the film's MySpace page. As industry insiders have noted, the vampire flick may break the record of 4.1 million first week views set by Indy 4 earlier this year. But after viewing Twilight's trailer for ourselves, we couldn't care less about records or the fate of Indiana What's His Name. Why? The folks at Summit Entertainment managed to create excitement (and widespread teen titillation) not by appealing to HP dorks or Narnia obsessives, but rather by going the Gossip Girl route and putting together an ensemble cast comprised of barely known and ridiculously hot actors. Take a gander at what appears to be a fantastical and surprisingly romantic Tim Burton-esque world after the jump.
Another day, another star parties in London and lets their hair down. Or in Emma Watson's case, flashes her Britney to the paparazzi. Joining the very exclusive peek-a-boo sorority helmed by Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, recently legal Hermione Granger celebrated her 18th birthday by partying across the pond with co-stars in a very demure little black dress, but made the all-too-common mistake of failing to exit her chauffered car in the proper manner. Though it appears the potential bad girl was wearing some kind of thong-ish type thing, her lacey underwear left little to the imagination. And though it's not our place, we do recommend Watson consider heading to the nearest waxer before flashing her nether regions again. A closer look after the jump.
Rupert Grint, in my estimation the real dreamboat of the Harry Potter movies, says he won't move to Los Angeles because of all the mental girls there. Well, two in particular. On bedraggled cocaine enthusiast Lindsay Lohan: "I met Lindsay last summer and she talked about herself a lot. She said she was going to win an Oscar before she turns 25. I just kept thinking, 'But you can't act'." Hah! On wan puddle of Alfredo sauce Paris HIlton: "I haven't met Paris and don't want to either. She and Lindsay are the type of girls you need to stay away from." Hah again! Mrs. Weasley would be so proud. [Showbiz Spy]
How does J.K. Rowling do this to people? The beloved author convinced an American court to hear her complaints of factual errors about an imaginary world, in a proposed encyclopedia of her Harry Potter series. Then, testifying in New York yesterday, she somehow got her attorney to apologize for uttering the words "Lord Voldemort" in court, since the Potter character is "he who must not be named," you see. "Forgive me for speaking the name," said the attorney, Dale Cendali.
Finally, a good reason to shell out for tickets to a Broadway show: People reports this morning that Daniel Radcliffe and his treasure trail are set to make their stateside debut when Equus arrives in New York this September. Unlike all those rumors claiming tabloid favorites like Kevin Federline and Nicole Richie were ready to high-kick and lip sync their way through musicals, Radcliffe's smash hit in London was a far cry from stunt casting. But Harry Potter sounds a bit more nervous than he is excited:
Alohomora! Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe's naked bits, on stage in Peter Shaffer's Equus ( a great play for youngsters), will be coming to you in September! Broadway previews begin on the 5th. There will only be twenty-two weeks of the ten minute nude scene, so there's probably some math to be done there about something or other. Oh and there's also something about this being one of the best plays of the 20th century blah blah. I'm sorry I can't really think right now. [People] (Please also give this a better headline.)
