Taylor Lautner packed a killer six-pack to play Jacob in New Moon. From Jack Nicholson to Anna Paquin to Michael J. Fox, VIEW OUR GALLERY of the hottest howlers.
Newsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute video, highlighting the good, the bad and the unforgettable. From Bush V. Gore, to 9/11, to the iPod, to Borat, to the Iraq war, to Twitter and much, much more. Watch and marvel at this busy decade.
It really makes you remember about all that has changed about that last 10 years around the worldNewsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute... more
Harry potter star Daniel Radcliffe was photographed smoking what appeared to be a very nice joint at a recent party, now lets just see how much guts he's got, will he deny it? or come streight out and admit that he loves smoking the weed and be a weed advocate like a few other celebs, he'll definatly have my respect if he does the latter
The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent, ‘Paranormal Activity’ tops the chart this week followed by Pixar’s ‘Up’. ‘The Tournament’ completes the top three.
hpThis week there are four newcomers in the top 10, including this week’s most downloaded movie ‘Paranormal Activity’.
The data for our weekly download chart is collected by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are DVDrips unless stated otherwise.
RSS feed for the weekly movie download chart.The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent, ‘Paranormal Activity’ tops the... more
You thought Hogwarts was magic. That Harry Potter and gang were amazing wizards. Well you ain’t seen nothing yet -- that is if you have a BD-Live enabled Blue-ray of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and an Internet connected Blue-ray player.
Hold on to your wands, folks, because what comes next is really cool.
Your comments welcome on filmsoundoff.comYou thought Hogwarts was magic. That Harry Potter and gang were amazing wizards.... more
20 year old Harry Potter from Portsmouth has endured 12 years of mockery over his name, and he's had enough. A football ref nearly sent him off for giving a false name, his girlfriend needed to see his passport to believe him when they first met, and a bus company wouldn't issue him a pass because they thought he was lying to them.
So should you encounter Harry Potter in the street, at the bank (where he works, Lloyds TSB) or at a party, do not under any circumstances tell him he's a wizard, ask where his owl is or look for a scar.20 year old Harry Potter from Portsmouth has endured 12 years of mockery over his... more
Take it from us, your London-based sleuths, when anything sells faster than Harry Potter books or DVDs in the UK, it's scorching hot. Case in point is Microsoft's Vista successor, which has sold so well that it has beaten the Amazon UK pre-order record previously held by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In fact, Windows 7 was able to tally up more sales in the first 8 hours of pre-order availability than Vista was able to collect altogether. Now that's what we call an upgrade.Take it from us, your London-based sleuths, when anything sells faster than Harry... more
The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent, ‘Public Enemies’ tops the chart this week followed by ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’. ‘The Taking of Pelham’ completes the top three.
hpThis week there are four newcomers in the top 10, including this week’s most downloaded movie ‘Public Enemies’.
The data for our weekly download chart is collected by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are DVDrips unless stated otherwise.
RSS feed for the weekly movie download chart.The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent, ‘Public Enemies’ tops the chart... more
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has purchased a $5.65 million home on West 12th Street in Manhattan’s West Village.Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has purchased a $5.65 million home on West 12th... more
This is an opinion piece about "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the sixth installment in a series of films based on best-selling novels written by J.K. Rowling.This is an opinion piece about "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the sixth... more
According to a book written by Mr. Matt Latimer, former speech writer for George W. Bush, the White House officials in the administration, objected to give JK Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom, because they thought that her books "encouraged witchcraft."
Even more the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, a champion of the Healthcare Debate, was also denied the honor because the officials thought he was too liberal.According to a book written by Mr. Matt Latimer, former speech writer for George W.... more
A memoir by George W Bush's former speechwriter claims that Bush administration officials objected to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal of freedom on the grounds that her Harry Potter books "encouraged witchcraft".
According to the liberal American blog Think Progress, Matt Latimer's Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor reveals how politicised the medal, which is America's highest civilian honour, became during the Bush administration.
Latimer, whose memoir was published last week by Crown in the US, says that the "narrow thinking" of "people in the White House" led them "to actually object to giving the author JK Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft".A memoir by George W Bush's former speechwriter claims that Bush administration... more
You wouldn't really go out of your way to "discourage" something that wasn't real, would you?You wouldn't really go out of your way to "discourage" something that wasn't real,... more
MIAMI — It sounds like a new book in the Harry Potter series, but "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" will be a high-tech ride and the marquee attraction at the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a new theme park area opening in spring 2010 at Universal Orlando Resort.
The "Forbidden Journey" ride was named by author J.K. Rowling and described Tuesday by Universal officials in a Web cast revealing details of what the Potter park will look like.
The ride will takes guests through scenes and rooms from the blockbuster movies inside a richly detailed remake of Hogwarts Castle made to look 700 feet tall. Hogwarts is where Harry attends a boarding school for witches and wizards.MIAMI — It sounds like a new book in the Harry Potter series, but "Harry Potter and... more
MIAMI — It sounds like a new book in the Harry Potter series, but "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" will be a high-tech ride and the marquee attraction at the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a new theme park area opening in spring 2010 at Universal Orlando Resort.
The "Forbidden Journey" ride was named by author J.K. Rowling and described Tuesday by Universal officials in a Web cast revealing details of what the Potter park will look like.
The ride will takes guests through scenes and rooms from the blockbuster movies inside a richly detailed remake of Hogwarts Castle made to look 700 feet tall. Hogwarts is where Harry attends a boarding school for witches and wizards.
Guests will enter the "Wizarding World" through a station archway named for Hogsmeade, the magical village near Hogwarts. A plume of steam and a train whistle will sound the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. The goal is to make the experience immersive, so nothing outside is visible after guests pass the Hogsmeade station archway.
Rowling, known for carefully guarding the Potter franchise, hasn't yet journeyed to Orlando, but the design team has made several trips to London to consult with her.
Other rides include the "Dragon Challenge," a twin high-speed roller coaster themed after the "Triwizard Tournament" and the family roller coaster "Flight of the Hippogriff," named for a creature with an eagle's head and a horse's body.
"Along those journeys they're going to be swept up into the greatest parts of the movies and the books. We've pushed every technology available to us to give guests a theme park experience unlike any they've had before," said Paul Daurio, producer of the Potter area.
The Harry Potter park will be part of Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Art and set directors from the films, including Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig and art director Alan Gilmore, were hired to translate the movies into the park.
Every shop and eatery is Potter-themed. Honeydukes sells chocolate frogs and "Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans," Ollivander's peddles magic wands, Zonko's joke shop has Sneakoscopes, and the British restaurant Three Broomsticks pours Butterbeer.
At The Owl Post, guests can send letters with a certified Hogsmeade postmark. Magical instruments and equipment are available at Dervish and Banges, including everything needed to play Quidditch — a game like soccer played on flying broomsticks.MIAMI — It sounds like a new book in the Harry Potter series, but "Harry Potter and... more
I was at a bar in Brick Lane yesterday, and saw this Brazilian guy dressed as Harry Potter dancing to the music, so it's ironic that I've come across this magical piece of technology -- The Kymera Magic Wand.
The traditional remote control format is completely spun on its head with the Kymera Magic Wand, as this remote does away with buttons and instead changes the TV channel and the volume with wizard-like wrist movements.
To turn the volume up, just rotate the Kymera in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Moving it up and down will turn the television station -- its that simple, thanks to the accelerometer inside the remote.
It will cost you $84 (£50) and is available to pre-order, for its release on 1st October. The sooner you order, the sooner you can have an excuse to dress-up in a robe with a school tie.I was at a bar in Brick Lane yesterday, and saw this Brazilian guy dressed as Harry... more
Muggles are catching on to quidditch across college campuses.
Watch a real-life Quidditch match played by Muggles from Princeton and Middlebury.Muggles are catching on to quidditch across college campuses.
Watch a real-life... more
"Harry Potter rules. The unflagging energy of his creator, J.K. Rowling, writing volume after volume, sustains this phenomenon. The success of the latest movie version, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, confirms it.
On the whole, Potter’s seems a benign rule. Educators, publishers, literati are reassured by the success of the Potter books that young people, even in their media-saturated, video-game-enhanced existences, can still read if they feel like it. Critics have generally been respectful of Rowling’s literary achievement. Perhaps the only fervent objectors have been religious fundamentalists who take wizardry and magic seriously, as the handiwork of the Evil One.
You don’t have to be a fundamentalist, however, to wonder what this triumph of fantasy in our popular culture portends. An atheist such as W.P. Kinsella ignores his own core beliefs and practically makes a living out of a sub-genre of fantasy, i.e. baseball fantasy. He has never lacked for a readership.
One effect of this triumph seems to be the increasing presence of fantasy, or elements of fantasy, in works of science fiction, a genre traditionally opposed to magic and even to such folk-scientific phenomena as UFOs. In a way, the trend to fantasy is not due simply to its superior commercial appeal, as demonstrated by the Potter books, and by Kinsella, but also to developments in science itself. “We have reached the point where contemporary science is so far out, to most people it is indistinguishable from magic,” comments well-known Canadian science fiction novelist Robert J. Sawyer. “The notion, for example, that black holes might provide not only links between space but links to time is grounded in current theoretical thinking.”
The recent movie Star Trek is a case in point. The latest movie version is much more space opera than science fiction. It even features a sword fight between the good guys and the Romulans. What really marks the movie as more fantasy than science fiction, however, is its use of our old friend time travel. As Sawyer admits, it’s very hard to avoid using the device these days — he has used time travel, although with gritted teeth, and with a certain scrupulosity. “We pay attention to what physicists actually know,” he says of himself and his sci-fi colleagues. “We don’t wield it like a magic wand.”
A striking example is the 1985 novel Contact by the late astronomer Carl Sagan. There was no more dedicated anti-supernaturalist than Carl Sagan. The fervour with which he speculated about black holes, however, left the suspicion that these phenomena were, to him, the equivalent of magic doors in fantasyland. The suspicion was confirmed by the novel and the movie made from it, in which the heroine, played by Jodie Foster, voyages into space and ends up, literally, in another realm, where her deceased father apparently resides.
It was a striking example of the kind of wish-fulfillment Sawyer maintains is characteristic of fantasy and magic, as opposed to the devices of science fiction. (Ray Kinsella playing catch with his dead father at the end of Field of Dreams is classic wish-fulfillment.) It is hard, evidently, to avoid such wish-fulfillment. Somebody like Sagan throws traditional, religious otherworldliness out the front door, and it comes knocking at the back window.""Harry Potter rules. The unflagging energy of his creator, J.K. Rowling, writing... more
