Oscar Awards video taken down, soon to be replaced

We have taken down the Oscar Awards live video, and will soon
replace it with a special video on theVisual Effects ceremony,
in which Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One was participating.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One defeated in Oscar Awards!

We have just seen with our own eyes that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
has not achieved the Oscar Award for Visual Effects, but was defeated by "Inception".
We are among the first to announce this.

We saw this on ABC. This individual segment was hosted by
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, who both stared in the 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes".
Sorry to our our viewers and Harry Potter fans. Maybe next year we'll get an award for HP8!

Oscar Awards hosting announcement!

Thanks to ustream.com, we have a new, different, better LIVE video coverage
of the Oscar Awards, which you can watch LIVE, and watch the virtual countdown
from the comfort and safety of this blog.

As we've already announced, the whole thing will start at 8 PM. EST.

Enjoy the new LIVE video player!

We will be hosting the 2011 Academy Awards!

We are happy to say that, because of the fact that 
the seventh Harry Potter film was indeed nominated
in the 2011 Oscar Awards, and we will be hosting 
LIVE coverage of the event throughout today,
and we hope that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
will be awarded.

The actual event will begin at 8 PM. EST.
We will be hosting the event LIVE on our blog!
You can watch the event on our main page,
below the news posts!

I can't wait to post the results! Keep an eye out for more announcements!

PhoenixCast #6 just released!

We our happy to announce that the newest episode of
PhoenixCast, our unofficial Harry Potter podcast,
was just released over the Internet late last night.

We continue all the latest, biggest Harry Potter news stories,
continue our regular Harry Potter chapter discussions,
which we had skipped on our last, special, episode.



We also continue our "Chapter Quote" listener challenge,
where we quote a spoken sentence from one of the two book chapters
we summarized in our chapter discussions,
and briefly mention our plans for a special, upcoming episode.
For all this and more, take a listen to PhoenixCast #6- When sparks fly...in Wizard Duels!

To download episode, right-click the link below, then click
"Save target as..." , find where you want the file, download the episode,
then take a listen! http://traffic.libsyn.com/phoenixcast/PhoenixCast_6.mp3

(If you're left-handed, left-click episode link,
then find where you want the podcast file, download,
and then you can listen to the show!)

LEGO Harry Potter page closing down on March 5th!

Because of its somewhat lack of new, fresh content,
we will be closing down our LEGO Harry Potter page,
which has had a long run on this blog,
but it appears to have finally run out of steam.

So, on March 5th, we will be closing it down completely.
We are evaluating our current selection of site pages
to see which ones could continue to be updated with new,
improved content. We plan on replacing the LEGO Harry Potter page
with a new, different page soon afterward.

So, if you plan on visiting the LEGO Harry Potter mini-webpage,
be sure to do it by Saturday, March 5th! Thanks to all of our viewers,
for all of your continued views and support!

PhoenixCast #6 to be released on Monday!

As we announced previously on the official PhoenixCast blog,
http://phoenixcastpodcast.blogspot.com/ , we will be releasing
our newest podcast episode, PhoenixCast #6, this Monday, February 28th.

As our current listeners know, we produce all-new episodes about every 2 weeks,
depending partly on the supply of Harry Potter news stories available to us.

We continue our Harry Potter book discussions, news stories,
and our current plans for upcoming PhoenixCast episodes!

Check out the PhoenixCast blog for yourselves for more, specific, episode info!

Harry Potter special effects supervisor Tim Burke talks about HP8!

  A interview with Harry Potter special effects 
supervisor Tim Burke has surfaced online,
thanks to denofgeek.com, 
we have part of the interview here:
"For Part 2, we've done away with Hogwarts,",
said Burke. "It was such a major job to stage 
the battle of Hogwarts,  and we had to do it 
in different stages of production."


"We had shots with complex linking camera moves 
from wide overviews, to flying into windows and interior spaces. 
So, we took the plunge at the end of 2008, and started 
rebuilding the school digitally."

"It's certainly a bold move to rely on an entirely digital Hogwarts,
especially for such a key sequence, 
and it's clearly been a task with its challenges."

"It's taken two years - getting renders out, 
texturing every facet of the building, 
constructing interiors to see through windows, 
building a destruction version of the school."

Do you think a completely digital Hogwarts in the film is a good thing,
Or do you think the old method of combining location filming and digital effects was better?

J.K. Rowling releases new official statement on Twitter!

We just got the news that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling
has, finally, updated her Twitter page with a new statement.

This is the real me, but you won't be hearing from me
often, I'm afraid, as pen and paper are STILL my priority
at the moment.

What possible "pen and paper" project(s)
can she be talking about? Harry Potter 8,
the upcoming Harry Potter encyclopedia,
or something else entirely?

Details on Harry Potter ultimate editions 5 & 6 just announced online!

IGN.com has just released new information
on the upcoming Harry Potter Ultimate Editions,
which are slated for U.S. release on June 14th.

Here are the features for the fifth Ultimate Edition,
which will be one of the two ultimate editions
being released this year.


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ultimate Edition special features
___________________________________________________________               
- In-Movie Experience

- Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Behind the Magic
- Building the Magic: The Sets of Harry Potter
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Rebellion Begins
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Fulfilling a Prophecy
- Trailing Tonks: Natalia Tena leads a personal tour of the set
- Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing: Director David Yates and Editor Mark Day
_____________________________________________________________
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Ultimate Editions
______________________________________________________________
- Maximum Movie Mode
- Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 6: Magical Effects
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Behind the Magic
- Additional Scenes in Hi-Def
- J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life featurette
- Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter
- A sneek peek at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- What's on Your Mind?: Lightning-Round Q&A with Cast/Crew
- One-Minute Drills: Cast members sum up their characters
- Gallery of Five Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ABC Family Movie Promo Spots
- Theatrical Trailers
______________________________________________________________

Warner Bros. announces the release dates for two new Harry Potter Ultimate Editions!

According to a few websites starting to
spread the news, Warner Bros. has announced
that on Tuesday, June 14th, they will be
releasing two new Harry Potter ultimate editions,
packed with all-new content, including things like:
Documentaries, a 44-page photo book,
Limited edition character cards, and a Digital Copy.



You can pre-order the two Ultimate Editions starting on May 10th.
The retail price for the DVD set version is $39.92,
and the Blu-Ray version is $49.99 .

We'll post again when more details about the two sets are announced!

"Harry potter" film Production Designer discusses his work in the HP film series

On February 16th, the Harry Potter film
art director, Stuart Craig, was interviewed
by artinsightmagazine.com, and parts of
this interview focused heavily on his work
for the Harry Potter movie series as the
Production Designer.




Stuart Craig speaking:
"The promise was made by the producer David Heyman
to JK Rowling was that we would be faithful to the spirit of the books."

"She understood that we could never include everything,
That there would have to be huge omissions,
And think she was very brave in allowing the films to be their own,
Separate entities. She quite accepted from the beginning that books and movies
could be separate and so we consulted her initially. "

HP flashback moment of the week

Starting this week, we will be looking back at
some  of the most memorable moments
in Harry Potter history.

This week, we have one of the original
Harry Potter movie posters, released before
the premire of the first Harry Potter film.
It even includes the USA release date
for the film: November 19th, 2001.

Keep an eye out for our next flashback moment!

Amazon.com posts a movie review online for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One!

We have just noticed that amazon.com has,
recently, put a review of the
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
movie on their site. We have the review here:






"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I is a much more brooding,
slower-paced film than its predecessors, the result of being just one half of the final story.

 Because the film is all buildup for the final showdown between Harry Potter and the evil
Voldemort (which does not occur until Part II),  Part I is a road-trip movie, a heist film,
a lot of exposition, and more weight on its three young leads, who up until now
were sufficiently supported by a revolving cast of famous British actors throughout the series.

David Heyman talks about Harry Potter with BBC News!

Earlier today, Harry Potter producer David Heyman
talked with BBC News in a video that appeared on
the BBC website.

Aside from the very interesting interview,
the video also showed some behind-the scenes
footage from the making of Harry Potter 7,
and some clips from the first Harry Potter movie,
as well as a few clips from one of the
Harry Potter 7 movie trailers.

To see the video for yourself, double-click this link to BBC's website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12403698

Harry Potter 7 can now be pre-ordered online!

We have found out, thanks to amazon.com,
that the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
can be pre-ordered as of today.

According to amazon.com, you can order
the single-disk DVD for $16.99, and the
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital copy combo pack
for $24.99! They also have a regular Blu-Ray version
without the digital copy for $19.99 .


Check out the prices and shipping rates for the DVD using this link:

To see the Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy, go to:


I highly reccomend the Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy version,
because even if you just want the DVD and digital copy,
you'd be able to use both without needing to get a blu-ray player!

PhoenixCast #4 released after slight delay!

We are happy to announce that, at long last,
PhoenixCast #4 has been released,
and can be downloaded!

We discuss the latest Harry Potter news,
and continue our chapter discussions, and we make
a special announcement about our next episode.

Download it for yourself, right-click link below!
http://traffic.libsyn.com/phoenixcast/PhoenixCast_4.mp3

The Order of the Phoenix News Network now included in list of popular Harry Potter fansites on wikia.com!

 We are very proud to announce that this blog, as well as our
separate PhoenixCast podcast blog, have been included in a list
of popular Harry Potter themed fansites on wikia.com!

 We have a link to the page here. If you want, you can click it
and see for yourself! We are under two categories: Fansites, and podcasts!
The Order of the Phoenix News Network is under Fansites,
and the official PhoenixCast blog is on that list under Podcasts.
Thanks to wikia.com for showing us we're not that small after all!

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Harry_Potter_fan_websites

PhoenixCast #4 will be released this Saturday! Show details here!

We are happy to announce that PhoenixCast #4 will be released
online tomorrow evening, maybe about 9:00 PM for those of you
on the U.S. east coast.

We discuss the newly released official HP7
DVD & Blu-Ray covers, Debate whether LEGO's new
$150 Harry Potter based building toy is worth such a high price,
and preview our next episode, coming February 14th, which
will be a Harry Potter based Valentine's Day show.

All this coming tomorrow to an computer or MP3 near (or on) you!

Harry Potter 7 DVD release date officially confirmed!

According to one of our fellow Harry Potter fansites,
mugglenet.com, the Harry Potter 7 DVDs and Blu-Rays
will be released across the USA on April 15th,
which seems like an odd day to pick for a release date,
considering it's a Friday, and normally in the US,
DVDs and Blu-Ray disks are almost always released
on Tuesdays.


 Why the changer in day?




I can't think of why Warner Bros. would pick April 15th, of all possible days,
but I'm still not positive this is the actual release date, because when I checked
on amazon.com, which is usually up to date on release dates, their website said
the release date info had not yet been announced.

So although the release date has been "officially" confirmed,
so was the original release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,
which opened in theaters six months after the "official" release date.
Keep an eye out, HP fans, and let's hope Warner Bros. won't postpone this DVD!