Rob Knox, one of the actors in the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was murdered Saturday morning outside a bar in Southeast London. Knox plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby and also appeared in 2004’s King Aurthur. He was stabbed while trying to defend his younger brother Jamie from a 21-year-old man wielding two kitchen knives.

Robert Knox, an 18-year-old actor set to appear in the next Harry Potter film, was fatally stabbed outside a London pub on Saturday. According to British media reports, the actor was part of a brawl that sent five males to the hospital, including a 21-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of murder after being treated for facial injuries.

Knox, who appeared in the 2004 film King Arthur, plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the penultimate film in the series. The film is scheduled for release later this year. He had also been signed for the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others—he would always spend his last penny on other people instead of himself,” parents Sally and Colin Knox said in a statement Sunday.

“The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports, and would always strike up a conversation with people. He was respectful to others and adored by all his family and friends. He was [an] asset to the family.”

[From E! News]

Nicky Jonas, 19, was one of the other teenagers who was stabbed (through the hand) by the man. He described what happened to the Mirror.

“I saw the guy with two kitchen knives. He looked me straight in the eye before walking over to Rob to say ‘You’re lucky - it’s not your day.’ Then he went up to Jamie and said ‘I’m going to slit your throat’. That’s when Rob stepped in to stick up for his brother.

“Then the man started waving the knives like a madman, stabbing and slashing anyone who got in the way.” Dean Saunders, 21, who ran to Rob’s aid, was stabbed in the back and neck. He is in hospital.

Andrew Dorma, 16, was stabbed in the chest while Charlie Grimley, 17, was slashed across the arm and face.

As Rob lay bleeding on the ground Tom Hopkins, 18, bravely wrestled the knifeman to the floor, suffering a gash to the back of his head.

[From the Mirror]

According to TMZ, the fight started over a missing cell phone. Knox is the 14th teenager to die from knife violence in London since the start of the year. It’s brought a good deal of attention to the violent epidemic, and has caused his father Colin to issue a statement begging teenagers not to carry or use weapons. “If you are a person who carries a knife, think about the consequences. If you carry a knife there’s the intention to use it, so please don’t do that.”

Header image is an undated photo courtesy of Britain’s Metropolitan Police, of Robert Knox, right, with his mother Sally and 17-year old brother Jamie.

Author JK Rowling is suing a small publishing firm to try and block the publication of an unauthorized lexicon of her work, calling it “wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work,” and “a Harry Potter rip-off of the type I have spent years trying to prevent.”

Judge calls books hard to follow, urges parties to settle
The judge in NY federal court who will decide whether the Harry Potter encyclopedia can be published or whether it violates copyright has said that he read the first half of the first book to his grandchildren and that it was “hard to follow,” and “filled with strange names and words that would be gibberish in any other context.” The judge also urged parties to settle outside of court and said “I think this case, with imagination, could settle. It’s been brought home to me in the last 20 years that litigation is not always the best way to solve things.”

Authors break down on the stand
Both author JK Rowling and the author of the lexicon, 50 year-old Steven Vander Ark, have testified in court. In often emotional testimony Rowling talked about how the books saved her when she was a poverty-striken young mother. Vander Ark broke down crying during his testimony, saying that fans have attacked him for choosing to publish a book based on a popular Harry Potter fan website he maintained for years.

Rowling says she gave author several chances before suing
Rowling says that litigation was her absolute last choice, and that it’s not about money but about theft of ideas. She claims to have asked Vander Ark several times to add more personal commentary and to change her words so that they were not lifted and passed off as his own.

Lawyers for both sides still have plenty of motions and paperwork to submit and it will be weeks before the case is even close to being decided.

You can’t help but think that Rowling would have done better with a jury trial. If that judge got confused by the first book he never could have trudged through the others and is likely to look upon an encyclopedia favorably, even if it’s just a cut and paste of Rowling’s work.

[Details From Timesonline, BBC News, and MSNBC]

The “Harry Potter” books may be complete, but there are still three full length films coming, to make a whopping eight Harry Potter movies in total. The movie version of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will be in theaters at the end of this November. And the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was chock full of plot that sped by at a breakneck pace, is going to be split up into two films in order to cover all the stuff that happened. (Rowling has not definitively ruled out another book, saying “I will not say never, but I have no plans to write an eighth book.” She later clarified that if she did write another book it wouldn’t be for at least another 10 years.)

The films have made around $4.5 billion at the box office, and that’s not counting the books and merchandise, which are said to make the franchise worth $15 billion. So you can’t blame them for wanting to milk this for all it’s worth, but it’s also supposedly to be true to the plot of Deathly Hallows:

Warner Bros. Pictures and the producers behind the $4.5-billion film franchise featuring the beloved boy wizard will split the seventh and final novel in the J.K. Rowling series into two films.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I” will hit theaters in November 2010, followed by “Part II” in May 2011, a decision that is being met around the world with fans’ cheers but also plenty of cynical smirks. The publishing industry is learning to live without new “Potter” releases, but Hollywood just pulled off a trick that will keep its profitable hero on his broom into the next decade.

Any twist in the “Potter” universe is the stuff of global news bulletins. The books were a publishing sensation. And to an entire generation, the film saga has become a heartfelt touchstone on the level of “The Wizard of Oz” and as culturally and commercially ubiquitous as the “Star Wars” series. For all those reasons, everyone involved in the franchise is jumping forward to say an eighth film would be to serve the story, not the bottom line.

Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the franchise, said it was the dense action of the final novel that made the decision, not any executive or ledger.

“I think it’s the only way you can do it, without cutting out a huge portion of the book,” Radcliffe said. “There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut — although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans — but the seventh book doesn’t really have any subplots. It’s one driving, pounding story from the word go.”

The same could be said about the relentless “Potter” franchise, which hit screens for the first time in 2001. The five “Potter” films to date have averaged $282 million in U.S. grosses, but the overall receipts go well beyond that. The faces of the stars stare out from DVDs, video games, tie-in books, toys, clothing, candy wrappers and a staggering array of other items. By some estimates, the brand represents a $20-billion enterprise, and that’s without the planned “Potter”-themed complex opening next year at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.

[From The LA Times]

I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and have seen all of the films, in most cases right when they came out. At first I was a big fan, but by the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire, I thought that the tone changed and that Rowling was trying to cram too much in. This didn’t stop me from devouring the rest of the books and films, so it’s not like the quality dropped that much, and maybe it was inevitable that they evolved and grew along with the characters.

The last book was disappointing to me, and I know a lot of you will disagree. I will admit that I read it quickly and could not put it down and that it was very entertaining. It just didn’t get into the characters enough for me and it seemed like too much was happening on a surface level. I also was kind of baffled by the afterlife subplot, and thought that part was totally unnecessary. You could almost tell that Rowling was harried when she wrote it, and that she was trying to tie up all the loose ends instead of get into the motivations and psychology of the characters. The end part where everyone was married and happy bugged the shit out of me, too. (I know this is said to have been written well ahead of the final book, and that Rowling was supposedly doing everyone a favor by letting us know. She should have saved it, IMO.)

I’ll see these movies, and they’re going to be blockbusters that are entertaining and engaging, like all the other Harry Potter films. Even though I thought Deathly Hallows was the “worst” Harry Potter book, that’s definitely relative. It was still fun to read and full of compelling scenes, and the films are sure to be the same. The last Lord of The Rings movie, The Return of The King, could have easily been broken up into two films too, but it kept my interest until the end. And I would have paid $20 to see it.

Images are stills from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, thanks to Allmoviephoto.

I have an embarrassing confession to make: I’ve never read a single Harry Potter book. I’ll wait while you throw heavy objects at me. Yes I know they’re wonderful, and I hate that kids spend so much time with their faces plastered to televisions, video games, and computers. Anything that gets kids reading is great to me. I’m just not into the fantasy/magical genre, and yes I get yelled at whenever it comes up. I know the general premise and have been forced to a few of the movies. I’ll just admit to all that now, in case I accidentally say something that’s just totally dumb, Harry Potter-wise.

J.K. Rowling gave a reading of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at Carnegie Hall the other day, during which a reader asked her if Dumbledore would ever find love. She responded that Dumbledore was gay. That’s interesting, but it doesn’t really answer the question, does it?

Although suspected for some time by avid readers of her famously popular fantasy novels, J.K. Rowling has officially noted that master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts is a homosexual. The remarks came as Rowling spoke to a packed audience at Carnegie Hall, where she did a reading of parts of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” A fan asked if Albus Dumbledore would find love some day, to which Rowling replied: “Dumbledore is gay.”

She then explained that the wizard had been in love with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. “Falling in love can blind us to an extent,” Rowling said of Dumbledore’s feelings, adding that Dumbledore was “horribly, terribly let down.” Speculation on Dumbledore’s sexual orientation has been debated among fans for years. Rowling added that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about the character.

[From the Daily News]

Is this going to cause the religious fundamentalists to boycott Harry Potter? I’m a little concerned. I didn’t realize there were so many levels and such subtlety to the books. Apparently when Rowling said Dumbledore was gay, there were gasps and applause. So you know, pretty much like most people’s coming out. Just on a slightly grander scale.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s J.K. Rowling at the “Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix” premiere on July 3, 2007 in London. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Daniel Radcliffe turns 18, and gets the $40 million he earned and had put in trust released to him. He had this to say about his fortune.

“I don’t plan to be one of those people who, as soon as they turn 18, suddenly buy themselves a massive sports car collection or something similar,” he said earlier this month. “I don’t think I’ll be particularly extravagant.

“The things I like buying are things that cost about 10 pounds - books and CDs and DVDs.”

TVNZ

Why not spend it on race cars, yachts and holidays? I would. I wonder how long it will be until he changes his tune. Suddenly he says “I have a licence, I need a car. A car is an investment. I’ll spend up and get this Ferrari.” I hope he gets a red one. My first car was red. It wasn’t a Ferrari.

Harry potter sold 8.3 million copies in 24 hours, in the United States alone. In Britain the figure was 2.65 million copies. At my local bookshop it was crazy (I forgot, I was going to buy a magazine, couldn’t get in the door) while at K-Mart there was just a guy in a wizard suit standing next to a very full table of Harry Potter books. He was a really big guy, turned out he was actually a security officer. In a wizard costume. Which was pretty funny, but was I going to laugh at him? Not likely. He was really big.

Tab, The Calgary Sun, caglecartoons.com

Barack Obama, US Senator from Illinois and the man many celebrities are backing for US President, has read all six books in the Harry Potter series, according to his wife, Michelle. America’s hope read all of the books out loud with his nine-year old daughter Malia, and just saw Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix with her last weekend.

Michelle Obama says she’s not sure how her husband will have time to read the final book in the Harry Potter series in between his busy campaign schedule, but she’s sure he’ll find a way:

In an interview with The Associated Press, Michelle Obama said her husband has read the books aloud with 9-year-old Malia and saw the latest movie, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” with her last Sunday.

Both are awaiting the release of J.K. Rowling’s seventh and final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” this weekend, but finding time to read won’t be easy, she said.

“The challenge will be scheduling Harry Potter reading time in between Iowa and New Hampshire and fundraising, but I guarantee you they will figure out a way to do it,” Michelle Obama told the AP. “Harry Potter is huge in our house.”

She wasn’t sure how the family would get their copy of the book.

“He handles all of that. That’s one of those things, I’m like ‘You are the Harry Potter parent,’” she said.

[AP article from EWoss News]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is out at 12:01 am Saturday, and fans have been lining up outside some bookstores for a days. Spoilers have been leaked online, and I saw a video over at Oh No They Didn’t of two guys who worked at Barnes and Noble revealing spoilers after they broke into the storeroom and read the book. I was afraid to post it here for fear of backlash. I’m one of those people who is too curious not to find out what happens first, but I’ll still read the book as all the fun is in getting there. Most people would rather not have the end ruined for them though.

In other Obama news, Oprah is going to hold a fundraiser for the candidate on September 8th at her estate in California. She is quoted as saying he’s her “favorite guy” and “choice” for the US Presidency.

The 45 year-old Obama has been married to his wife Michelle for 15 years. She is also a lawyer and they met when they both worked together at a firm in Chicago in 1988. They have two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6.

Header image is from the Obama family’s 2006 Holiday card and was found at Abovethelaw.com

Rupert Grint, Danielle Radcliffe and Emma Watson, the young stars of the wildly popular Harry Potter movies, were immortalized in a foot, hand and wandprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood yesterday.

In a recent interview in Details magazine, Radcliffe said he has no desire to date an actress and that he thinks that displays of immense wealth are obnoxious:

“I think it would be very hard to go out with an actress, because they’re mad. Some actresses are just insane. I’ve never worked with a nasty actress—they’re all absolutely delightful. But completely barking…”

“Even when I was very young and before any of this had happened, I remember being repulsed by ostentatious displays of wealth,” he says.

“People who have car collections—I never understood that. I always thought that was unnecessary. It’s not beautiful, it’s not creative. It’s just showing how much money you’ve got.”

[From Details.com]

In the interview, Radcliffe says he had a “brief heart attack” when he heard via text message that JK Rowling was planning an eighth Harry Potter book. He was relieved to find that she just planned to contribute to a charity book on magic. He will receive $50 million for playing Harry in the screen versions of the next two installments of the series, but fears being typecast and wants to step away from the role at some point.

The fear of being Harry Potter forever might explain his naked turn on the stage as a mentally disturbed stable hand in Equus. It might also provide motivation for the rather odd pictures of Radcliffe that accompanied his Details interview, in which he wears in a leather vest and blue contact lenses. The Daily Mail published this picture of his costar Emma Watson reacting as she saw the pictures for the first time. It’s going to take a lot more than a wardrobe change - or disrobing - for Radcliffe to escape Harry. With that kind of cash attached to the role, he may as well accept his fate. And next weekend we will learn what that fate will be.

Thanks to WENN for these pictures.

Harry Potter mania is about to hit. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is out in US theaters on Wednesday while the last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is out next Saturday, July 21.

Advance reviews for the film are overwhelmingly positive, with a current 87% aggregate critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Several critics have written that it’s the best Harry Potter film yet, and that it’s darker and scarier than its four predecessors.

As for the book, I have to admit I’ve read all the other Harry Potter titles and although I won’t be waiting in line for it I’ll be sure to snatch up a copy within a few days of its release.

Diehard Harry Potter fans are planning a media blackout next weekend so that the end is not spoiled for them. JK Rowling has said that two characters will die at the end of the series, and a lot of speculation has surrounded her claims. She said she was crying while writing the end of the book and that she was devastated to end it. Fans want to know who dies, but not until they get a chance to read the whole book first.

Now, as the July 21 release of the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, approaches, fans who have waited the better part of a decade to find out the ultimate fate of Harry, his friends and his nemeses are taking no chances.

But how far do they have to go? Must they close their eyes, cover their ears and scream, “LALALALA?”

Pretty much. In fact, if you want to get in touch with a rabid Harry Potter fan on the weekend of July 21-22, you might be out of luck.

Readers are planning media blackouts — no computers, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. And if that’s not enough, they’re threatening to get physical.

“I’ll beat the crap out of the person who spoils it for me,” Pritthish Chakraborty wrote in an e-mail. Chakraborty, 17, who runs a fan Web site, Harry Potter Beyond, in his native Bangladesh, was spoiled two years ago when a “friend” sent a picture message to his cell phone of the page describing Dumbledore’s death.

Many fans don’t want to give up the excitement and camaraderie of a midnight release party, but they know they’re putting themselves at risk.

“We advise people — I know this is terrible — to bring headphones to the book release and put them on as they leave the store so they’re not subject to the idiot across the street screaming the end to them,” said Melissa Anelli, a webmaster of the Leaky Cauldron, a prominent Harry Potter fan site.

[AP Article from the Houston Chronicle thanks to Viv for e-mailing it.]

In 2005 some fans were upset to have the end of the last book yelled out at them as they left bookstores early in the morning of the release.

I’m the kind of person that can’t resist looking up spoilers, but that wouldn’t keep me from reading the book as all the fun is getting there.

Here are pictures from the LA premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix including Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Watson with brother, Alex, Rupert Grint, Imelda Staunton, Melissa Joan Hart, and Masi Oka. Rupert Grint is wearing a cute shirt with a picture of Harry on it.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pics.

A much better version of the trailer for the new Harry Potter film, Order of the Phoenix, is out. The film is set for release July 17th of next year. Why the wait?

You can also see a clearer MOV file version of this trailer on the Warner Brothers website.

I’ve read all the Harry Potter books. Yes, I’m a geek I know it. I love them, even the long one that rambled and crammed too much into one story. (That was “Goblet of Fire” I think.) So I understandably got all excited when I saw these screencaps from the upcoming Harry Potter movie, “Order of the Phoenix,” which is coming out next summer. (I didn’t get excited in that way, although you have to admit that 17 year-old Daniel Radcliffe has grown into his looks.)

Here’s a trailer for “Order of the Phoenix” that someone taped while in the movie theater.

There’s also a clearer teaser trailer available that’s just ten seconds.

And here are screencaps, courtesy of Just Jared and All Movie Photo. Harry gets his first snog from Cho Chang.