Last night was the big NY premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 2. As this incredible long-running franchise comes to an end, everyone is looking back at how these kids have grown over the ten years since we were first introduced to their magical world. (Have you seen this five minute look back video of all the HP movies?) I thought it would be fun to include photos of them from the first two movies, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). I remember the first time I saw Harry Potter in the movies, and how impressed I was at how intricate and engrossing the scenery was, and what great child actors they were. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye, but it seems like time to me. Especially when we see how these sweet kids have grown up into some really gorgeous men. It feels a little wrong though to notice.

Above we have star Daniel Radcliffe, who is just 21 yet possesses the grace and professionalism of a seasoned actor. I just love him.

Matthew Lewis, 22. (Neville Longbottom). This before photo is actually from 2007′s Order of the Phoenix. Can you believe how great he looks now?

Tom Felton, 23. (Draco Malfoy) Sniveling little Draco grew up to be quite a lovely young man. He recently said he might start some kind of career as a rapper, but some outlets are guessing that he was just joking about it. He also said he was flattered to hear that his co-star Emma Watson had a crush on him when they were 12.

Rupert Grint, 22. (Ron Weasley). Grint is in dire need of a haircut and styling – that suit looks a little too big for him. Still, I sense that he’s one of those guys who just doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Rupert has a new interview with Parade where he reminisces about his favorite scenes and talks about how hard it was to say goodbye after 12 years working on set. (And here’s a link to a segment of his interview with Regis & Kelly, where he talks about kissing Emma Watson. He’s adorable.)

We can’t forget Alan Rickman, 65. (Severus Snape) He didn’t grow up in the films like our other featured actors and Snape doesn’t really do it for me, but his voice is just incredible. I’m also surprised to read that he’s 65, because I would have put him at 15 years younger. He has a naughty glint in his eye, doesn’t he?

Photo credits: WENN, Fame and AllMoviePhoto

It’s difficult to think of Emma Watson without picturing Hermione Granger, even with her new Mia Farrow haircut.

We’ve seen Emma grow from an awkward girl to a confident young woman attending university while simultaneously being an international star and fashion icon over the past 10 years.

The release of the final Harry Potter film next year is bittersweet. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the films’ three young stars, especially if Emma is unable to find roles outside of Hermione, or if she even wants to.

Maybe it’s ignorance, naivete, but I really am not [afraid of always being seen as Hermione]. I don’t have this intense fear or a desire to separate myself from the role. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done. I’m a geeky Harry Potter fan myself, so it would be stupid to try and fight it….The difficulty for me is that I’m interested in so many different things. I could never really imagine myself doing one thing, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll end up doing four or five things. I want to be a Renaissance woman. I want to paint, and I want to write, and I want to act, and I want to just do everything.

[Time, print edition, November 29, 2010]

As much as she enjoyed playing Hermione, she was also ready to be free of her.

I love that she [Hermione] has an opinion, that she’s intelligent, that she also has a heart. Things I dislike about her: she’s a little bossy, a little mothering — which I’m sure could get very irritating….I’d had my hair long for 10 years while I was playing Hermione. When I finished filming, I needed something different. I think I [waited] two or three weeks. You really have to be in a good frame of mind to do something so drastic to your appearance. When I was feeling very confident, I was like, I’m going to cut it off.

[Time, print edition, November 29, 2010]

She played Irina in Chekhov’s play Three Sisters in a school production at Brown, yet had to make it through two rounds of auditions. The show played to packed houses and good reviews. At Brown, she also plays field hockey and shares a dorm suite with five other students, including Scout Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.

She took a supporting role as a wardrobe assistant in the film My Week with Marilyn.

Emma is anxious to dispel one rumor about her college days. No one yelled “10 points to Gryffindor” after she answered a question correctly in class at Brown, which I thought was sort of clever.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 is in theaters now. Part 2 will open July 15, 2011.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are all photos from the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. Jesus, isn’t this Calvin Klein dress beautiful on Emma Watson? Like, it’s just perfect. The cut is gorgeous, the color is great (perhaps a little too dark, but black looks wonderful on her), and the makeup, accessories and styling are fabulous. Emma Watson gets it right consistently, bless her heart. The simplicity of the cut works so well on her slender figure – a girl with a bigger bust (me) could not pull this off at all. Also: Emma’s date last night was her brother, Alex. Alex is rather hot. Okay, he’s really hot. But I don’t know how old he is, so I’m trying to tamp down the cougar.

Look at Emma’s bracelet thing – it’s fabulous.

I love that Rupert Grint went with a three-piece suit. He looks good in a vest! So cute.

Guess who else was at the NYC premiere? My love, Ralph Fiennes. And he brought Liam Neeson along as his date! I love that Liam and Ralph are so incredibly tight, I really do. They show up to each other’s premieres all the time, they go on vacations together, and they just seem like they’re really close, really “real” friends. Also: I could eat Ralph off a cracker. THIS MAN.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are photos from the premiere event in London for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Emma Watson and the rest of the cast were there, of course, and the whole thing is some kind of major, massive spectacle. Sure. All I care about is this dress, though – from what I can see, it’s vintage. And really short. And in certain angles, the bodice is completely see-through, although there is some kind of bra-like devise in front. I love the dress, and it’s completely appropriate for a young (albeit adult) starlet. But is it appropriate for the premiere of a kids’ movie? Eh. I’m not going to bitch about that, because Emma really does look wonderful – even her styling is amazing, great hair and makeup. To see the dress in 360, go here to The Mail.

Also walking the red carpet: Daniel Radcliffe and everyone’s ginger crush, Rupert Grint. Dan looks cute as hell, as usual, but I wish Rupert didn’t look so dirty all the time. Not a good dirty, either. “Dirty” like he doesn’t wash his ginger locks.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Did you know that Bill Nighy is in the last two Harry Potter films, The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2? Yep. I was startled by it as well. Also, there seems to be quite a bit of Ralph Fiennes, doing his villainy best as Voldemort. Above is the second trailer for Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which comes out in November. Personally, I’ve never read the books or seen any of the movies (I know, I know), so I’m not even going to try to act like I know what’s going on. CB just told me she’s totally over it, which brings me to a question: has Potter exhaustion set in? Thoughts…

Actors who are in this film, beyond the three young leads of Daniel Radcliffe (love), Rupert Grint (dirt-lip) and Emma Watson (looking gorgeous): Jason Isaacs, Ralph, Billy Nighy, Helena Bonham-Carter, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman (love), John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Ciaran Hinds (love him), Brendan Gleeson (love), Maggie Smith, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters and Imelda Staunton. Basically, every British actor. Basically.

Anyway, this is going to be huge. This will probably dominate all of November and beyond. Just FYI, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you if you have kids. It’s epic and intense. Happy hunting!

Another trailer:

This made me laugh so hard that I have to repeat it. Warner Brothers, the studio that puts out the popular Harry Potter franchise, is suing a Swiss condom maker for a brand of protection named… wait for it (although it’s already in the title so I don’t know why I’m bothering) Harry Popper. The little condom on the package wears Harry Potter’s trademark round glasses along with brandishing a wand and a devilish look.

You’d think it would be a major mojo boost for Daniel Radcliffe to get a condom company named after his Harry Potter character, but sadly Warner Bros. disagrees.

The Swiss condom brand “Harry Popper” is reportedly being sued for copyright infringement by the studio.

Gawker.com details the hubbub with a broken-English quote from the Swiss newspaper Bote: “For Warner Bros. is obvious: The sorcerer Harry Potter have a ‘very positive image.’ Condoms have no business there. Especially not now. According to Warner Bros. in November to plan the launch of the new Potter movie. Also a new video game is in preparation. The lawyer for Warner Bros. bluntly: ‘The image of my client is in danger.’ ”

There is no denying the correlation between the latex protectors and the ever-so-popular wizard movie. If the name didn’t do it for you, the illustration of a condom swinging a wand and wearing round-frame glasses will.

But more importantly, is it smart to market condoms with “popper” in the name, anyway?

[From E! Online]

I’m also reminded of an inappropriate but hilarious caption that our friends at The Blemish gave to a promotional image of Emma Watson in the upcoming Dealthy Hallows movie. (Part one of the two final Harry Potter films coming our way.)

The kids are all grown up now and Daniel Radcliffe has even shown the full monty on stage. He surely finds things like “Harry Popper” condoms and erotic fan fiction amusing, but Warner Brothers has a teen-oriented franchise to protect and they’re going to go after infringers. I can’t blame them, although it will make these “Harry Popper” condoms a collector’s item. I know I’d like to get my hands on some.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is out in November, with the final installment out in the summer of 2011. I’ve read all the books but am not eagerly anticipating the movies. The series lost its luster for me with the last film, Half Blood Prince, which I wasn’t able to sit through in the theater. I still haven’t seen the whole movie. You can yell at me now.

Harry Popper image thanks to Gawker. Other images are promotional stills via AllMoviePhoto and The Blemish

I was warned that the last Harry Potter movie was really boring, but I went to see it anyway and ended up leaving about half way through. I’ve read all the books and have seen all the movies up to that point, but the film was pure drudgery and I stopped watching during a particularly tiresome party scene. That was last year’s two and half hour lonh Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth film installment in an otherwise solidly entertaining young adult fantasy series.

The last book in the seven part series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be made into two 3D films for maximum profit story-telling ability. The first installment in the finale will premiere this October and the final is out in July of next year. The trailer recently came out (above) and it looks action-packed, but it just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me. The anticipation is gone and I’m kind of over HP. I think that the mediocrity of the last film, the rise of Twillight (which is much more mediocre but kind of steals HP’s thunder), along with too much time between sequels, helped kill it for me.

I still enjoy Harry Potter though and I’ll probably go see this. I’m in my late 30s and I have a son who isn’t old enough to watch the much darker and scarier Harry Potter. The series just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me as it did a few years ago and I still can’t enjoy it with my son.

Lainey loves Harry Potter and is massively excited for this film. What about the rest of you – do you care? Are you particularly invested in Harry’s fate? I vaguely remember what happens in the book, along with my incredible disappointment at the lackluster epilogue by Rowling. I like Harry Potter and the books and movies have lasted longer than most. The public has been sold six movies so far over ten years, though, and there are plenty of us who won’t be running out to see the last two. My mind could be changed, though, if advance reviews are good.

Digital Spy has a frame-by-frame picture analysis of the video if you’re interested. (Warning: spoilers in that link.)

In case you ever wondered if former president George W. Bush had any deep thoughts on literature, here’s the answer to your question: he took it very, very literally. Apparently there’s no room for fantasy in the former president’s view, especially when it comes to children’s lit. Former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer revealed that the president refused to give Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her books “encouraged” witchcraft. The same argument given by close minded pro-censorship folks everywhere.

Noted Muggle/compassionate conservative George W. Bush was apparently a devout Harry Potter hater.

The former commander in chief wasn’t about to honor J.K. Rowling, the talent behind the book series, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom…and for quite the logical reason.

“People in the White House…actually object[ed] to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft,” writes former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer in his book, Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor.

That’s right. Good ol’ Dubya and his administration dissed the mega-selling British author, refusing to let her join the ranks of James A. Michener, Harper Lee and John Steinbeck. (Guess he figured the Secret Service could handle any Avada Kedavra curse flung his way.)

Bush distributed 81 medals during his time in office, mostly to war-related allies.

[From E! Online]

While I am not personally a reader of the Harry Potter books, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: anything that gets kids that excited about reading is a great and wonderful thing. Most kids read here and there because they have to for school. But the Harry Potter books don’t encourage witchcraft so much as they encourage a lifetime love of reading. The kind of love that gets devotees to stand in line for hours to get their hands on a book. How often do kids really do that sort of thing anymore? Sure, they’ll stand in line for hours to get their hands on the hottest video game or newest pair of “it” shoes.

How great is it that there’s a writer so inventive that she’s brought back an extreme devotion to reading – against all odds. Kids have so many other things to keep them entertained and over stimulated. It’s so close-minded and ignorant to say that J.K. Rowling wasn’t deserving of the medal of freedom because her books talked about magic. It’s fantasy. Would the former president refuse to let children watch a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat if he were given the option? Because Harry Potter has about that much reality. It’s fun and entertaining, and should be honored for it.

In Touch is obsessed with running Brad and Angelina “Separated!” covers and stories. I’ve lost count of how many they’ve done, but it’s getting pretty old. I’m covering this one because of the hilarious twist to the tired “Separated!” story – according to In Touch, their “separation” consists of occupying two different parts of the large chateau in the South of France. It’s like In Touch knows that they can’t declare them “Separated!” for real, so they just throw up a picture of the chateau, and draw in some arrows on the east wing and write “Brad” and put arrows on the west wing and write “Angelina”. Do you get it? They’re “Separated!” by a hallway!

Anyway, the main story is called “A House Divided”, which, outside of Tabloidville, is a reference to Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech two years before becoming president. In the speech, Lincoln was referencing scripture when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” He was talking about slavery, and the coming Civil War. In Touch throws this casual reference in relation to Brad and Angelina’s “constant bickering”.

The In Touch references Brad and Angelina’s recent outing to shop for gerbils of doom, and they smugly declare, “Gone are the days when Brad and Angelina could muster up smiles for the cameras.” Dude… how much do you smile when you’re shopping for gerbils of doom? Anyway, their family vacation has “backfired” because now they’re staying not in separate beds or even separate bedrooms… but “on opposite ends of the property.” The best part about this story is the discussion about how Brad and Angelina are putting on brave faces for the kids – they’re playing dress up games!

“With this arrangement, they get their own space,” the insider says, adding Brad is renovating his area to modernize it. While Angelina stays in a building behind the main house, “Brad stays in his private area and plays his guitar and watches DVDs there by himself.”

Brad used to be happy, gregarious and social, but Angelina’s constant nit-picking and insults appear to have destroyed his confidence. “She still calls the shots and deep down, Brad realizes there’s not much he can do to change that if he wants to stay with the children. So he pts up with it,” says the friend.

“Brad is actually really shy and has low self-esteem now – and he drinks before social events because he can’t cope without using booze as a crutch,” the insider reveals.

A friend adds that soon after returning to their French home, Brad had a local liquor store deliver cases of Heineken beer, as well as vodka, assorted mixers and various French and Italian red, white and rose wines.

“He never gets drunk in front of the kids, but when they are asleep or he is away from the house, he seems to indulge.”

While Brad might be a shell of his former self, his living arrangement with Angelina seems to be working out for their children. According to the insider, because they feel guilty about their crumbling relationship, the two are spoiling the kids with attention and activities.

They’ve been organizing theme days, where the nannies and the kids and either Brad or Angelina dress up as characters from books or movies, like James Bond or Harry Potter, says the insider.

“They had a wizard day with magic potion punch to drink, and they had to solve clues to go to wizard college. The kids have so much fun, they don’t even notice their parents’ separate lives.”

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition, September 14 2009]

I would pay a lot of money to see Brad Pitt dressed up like Harry Potter. I bet he would like really cute. Hell, I’d pay to see any of the Jolie-Pitt kids dressed up like Harry Potter. Especially Zahara, because I think she would rock the hell out of those glasses. My second favorite part of the story is the stuff about all of the liquor Brad ordered as soon as he got to France. It’s like he’s hosting a one-man kegger. Oh, Brad. Poor, shy, drunk Brad. Does anyone really buy this?

Brad and Angelina are shown at the Inglourious Basterds premiere on 8/11/09. Credit: WENN.com

It ended up raining buckets at last night’s premiere of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince in London, but fans didn’t seem to mind. Fans in costume and with faces painted to support the Gryffindor quidditch team weren’t about to let the sudden downpour keep them from seeing the stars of the wildly popular series.

I love everyone’s outfits – Emma Watson’s wrap dress is so elegant while Daniel Radcliffe went whimsical and bold in a bright pink shirt and old-fashioned suit. Rupert Grint is hopefully over his swine flu because he got all wet in his cute suit with a cool skinny tie. The three lead stars of the Harry Potter series are everything that young celebrities should be – friendly to fans, gracious to the press, smart, and forthcoming. They’ve also avoided scandal and we haven’t heard that much gossip about their personal lives:

Emma Watson’s wardrobe malfunction’s may have been the star of the London premiere of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” but there was plenty to see besides Hermione Granger’s eminently sensible nude-colored knickers. Whoops!

Daniel Radcliffe, wearing a slightly odd suit (a frog closure? Really?) and bold salmon-colored shirt, and Rupert Grint, who’s apparently on the mend from swine flu, got soaked during the downpour in Leicester Square.

Helena Bonham Carter walked the red carpet in character as Bellatrix LeStrange, if LeStrange had decided to do her major-event shopping at Joyce Leslie. Back in 1986. J.K. Rowling looked smashing in a low-cut electric blue gown.

Some of the actors wore white ribbons around the wrists in memory of actor Rob Knox, who played Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby, and who was stabbed to death outside a bar last year.

[From The NJ Star Ledger]

I think the wardrobe malfunction they’re referring to is that Watson had to re-tie her wrap dress, but it didn’t look like more than just a minor embarrassment to her.

The Half Blood Prince is more adult than we’re used to and as a movie geared for teens it has some romantic moments as well as some funny bits. It’s also darker and scarier than the previous Harry Potter films, according to interviews stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe gave to CNN’s Myleene Klass.

It looks as incredible as the last Harry Potter films. I’m a real fan of the series and love the way that the movie bring the books to life and transport you to another world. You’re really taken to a place with it’s own set of magical rules and characters, and the best part is that you don’t have to check your brain at the door. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince opens in the US and many countries next Wednesday, 7/15. It will be released around the world by July 24.

Also shown at yesterday’s premiere are Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and Michael Gambon (Professor Dumbledore). Credit: WENN.com