Deathly Hallows: Part 2 among the top 10 most-pirated films of 2011!

Here are the 10 most pirated movies of 2011, along with the number of times each was illegally downloaded, according to valid information provided by TorrentFreak:

"Pirating", as it is widely called by now,
is simply the act of illegally downloading
 something, such as a movie, song, TV show,
through the internet, or a website which specializes in pirating music or video.

 This year, in 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 made the list.
This list shows the top 10 most-pirated movies this year,
as well as the number of times they were pirated and illegally downloaded.

1. "Fast Five" (Universal): 9.3 million
2. "The Hangover Part II" (Warner Bros. / Legendary): 8.8 million
3. "Thor" (Marvel/Paramount): 8.3 million
4. "Source Code" (Summit / Vendome): 7.9 million
5. "I Am Number Four" (DreamWorks / Disney): 7.7 million
6. "Sucker Punch" (Warner Bros. / Legendary): 7.2 million
7. "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight): 6.9 million
8. "Rango" (Paramount): 6.5 million
9. "The King's Speech" (Weinstein Co.): 6.3 million
10. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" (Warner Bros.): 6 million

This is interesting, because the Blu-Ray and DVD versions of Deathly Hallows: Part 2
sold so well, it caused an overall rise in DVD and Blu-Ray sales.

If this is indeed true, why have there been over 6 million illegal downloads of the film?

Harry Potter DVDs to no longer be available in stores starting today!

As of today, December 29, 2011,
all eight of the Harry Potter films
will be discontinued by Warner Bros.

This means that, starting today,
Warner Bros. will no longer produce
copies of the films for stores to sell.

W.B. will no longer produce more DVDs
and Blu-Ray disks for people to buy.

If you wish to buy the films before all copies are sold out,
please do so quickly, for it is uncertain how long the films will be available.

It is possible that, in years to come, the Harry Potter films will re-appear
in some sort of special collector's edition, like the upcoming box set titled:
"Harry Potter: The Definitive Edition" which is due out sometime in 2012.

And any and all digital retailers selling or renting the film online
will not be affected by this sudden marketing change.
All legal online retailers selling or renting the Harry Potter films will not be affected.

But for now, the future of the Harry Potter films is uncertain.

Quidditch coming to London 2012 Olympic Games!

For those of you who enjoy the rapidly
growing sport of quidditch, here is news
that you do not want to miss.

According to an announcement by Alex Benepe,
who is the CEO and President of the  
International Quidditch Association,
Quidditch is coming to the 2012 Olympic Games!

This Quidditch is a real-life adaption of the
Harry Potter based sport, and it will apparently be
appearing at the Olympic Games next year.


Here's mostly what we know so far, thanks to Benepe's announcement:
“In summer 2012 the IQA will organize an expo match in London during the Olympics.
The IQA is currently assessing venues, working with media contacts, and reaching out
to local teams,” said Alex Benepe. “At minimum, the IQA will organize a UK vs. US match,
and may bring additional European teams.”

New Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Oscar marketing poster released!

Just yesterday, a new poster of
Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was released,
as a means of promoting the film for
the upcoming Oscar Awards in February.

Warner Bros. is now trying to have the film
nominated in at least four categories:

*Best Picture
*Best Director
*Best Adapted Screenplay
*Best Cinematography

Although it may indeed be unlikely that
the film will win in all four categories,
Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will likely walk out
with at least one Oscar Award.

Now it's time for some speculation as to what WILL happen at the Oscars.
  

Here's my guess:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Adapted Screenplay (Win)
• Best Cinematography (Win)

In just weeks, we'll see the shortened list of nominated films in all the categories,
which will give us all a better idea as to what competition Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will face.

Pottermore.com recieves updates, comments now allowed!

We have received good information that
Pottermore.com, the much-anticipated
Harry Potter themed virtual experience
designed by author J.K. Rowling,
has just underwent significant updates,
which future Pottermore visitors will
benefit from.


Here is the description by Pottermore Insider, the official Pottermore blog.

"We have been working on a number of site enhancements during this time.
Once again, you may not immediately notice the differences,
as some of the important work we have just completed focuses on site performance.

However, you’ll now see some changes in the way notifications work,
including a more streamlined dashboard and a refined owl messaging system.

Help us test our changes by brewing potions, uploading drawings, adding comments,
and interacting with the Moments and features, so that we can monitor the changes
and observe how the site performs."

So, to summarize this post, here is a list of the confirmed additions/changes:

• Pottermore members can now comment from inside Pottermore itself.
• Improved messaging system.
• Pottermore users will now be able to upload fan art.
• Better interaction with Book Moments and features.

By now, these new, or improved, features will have gone live on Pottermore.com .
Pottermore does not yet have a public release date.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 game cutscenes now online!

Looking for a holiday gift for a Harry Potter fan?

One of the top recommended Harry Potter gift ideas this year is
the latest, (and one of the greatest,) Harry Potter video game,
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7.

This is a video containing cutscenes from the game,
all from year 7 of the game, the game containing years 5-7.

LEGO split the movies into "Years", hence, years 5-7 here,
which is a continuation of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.

This video really is a good representation of the game,
and if the game is half as good as the cutscenes in it,
then LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 will be well worth the money spent.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rank it as an 8.
A good gift for a true Harry Potter fan, or a gamer in general.

Enjoy the video!
(I sure did.)

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 nominated for a Visual Effects Oscar award!

It was just announced online that
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
has been nominated for the Visual Effects Oscar
award, along with 14 other films.

Here is a list of the announced competition
that it will have to defeat in order to win:


Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Hugo,
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,
Real Steel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Sucker Punch, Super 8, Thor,
The Tree of Life, and X-Men: First Class.

Next month, the list will be shortened to just the top 10.
Two weeks later, it will be shortened again to the top 5.

If Deathly Hallows: Part 2 makes it into the top 5,
it will make it into the official Oscar Awards ceremony,
where the winning film will be presented with the Visual Effects award.

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is likely to be nominated in several categories,
in response to the aggressive marketing campaign Warner Bros. will likely set up,
in order for Deathly Hallows: Part 2 to win at least one award.

Next February, we will all see if their attempt proves to be successful.

Universal to add L.A. Harry Potter theme park, expand HP theme park in Orlando!

It has now been officially confirmed that

Warner Bros. and Universal will be continuing

their partnership, and will be adding new things

for all Harry Potter fans to enjoy, such as another

"Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park

in L.A., as well as expanding the Orlando, Florida

"Wizarding World of Harry Potter" location.

This was the press release issued yesterday:



"Warner Bros. Entertainment and Universal Parks and Resorts today
announced a partnership to bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
– the enormously popular themed entertainment environment which debuted
in Orlando in June 2010 – to Universal Studios Hollywood.
The two companies also announced their plans to significantly expand
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood
will be as impressive as what has been created in Orlando
– and is expected to transform tourism in Los Angeles for decades to come.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be created
with the same commitment to authenticity and the same level of talent and resources
as its Orlando counterpart. 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort opened in June 2010
Specific details of its expansion will be announced over time.

"The announcement of our partnership with Universal to bring
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood and expand
what already exists in Orlando is probably the best holiday gift
we could give to the legions of Harry Potter fans worldwide,"
said Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros.

"Everyone involved with these projects is committed to continuing the enchantment
of J.K. Rowling’s masterful books as they were brought to life on screen in our eight films
and dedicated to extending the magic of the experience for generations of fans to come."

This announcement may indeed "bring back the old crowd", as the phrase is,
and may bring both new and old Harry Potter fans back to the WWoHP theme park.
Which is the bigger newstory? The Orlando WWoHP expansion,
or the newly announced L.A. addition? You decide!

Universal Studios to announce L.A. Harry Potter theme park on Tuesday!

 The Los Angeles Times has just reported that:

 "Executives from Universal Studios and
Warner Bros. will unveil, and, for the first time,
publicly discuss their plans to build the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction
at Universal Studios Hollywood,
during a late-morning news conference."


"Universal announced the event, stating in an email that it would be
"hosting a Butterbeer toast to celebrate a very special announcement."

Could this be, in fact, a release date for the unconfirmed L.A. HP theme park?
We'll report on this story again when the official announcement is made on Tuesday.

Harry Potter theme park set to be constructed in Universal Studios Hollywood?

 According to a post by the Washington Post,
 plans are currently underway for a second
 Harry Potter theme park to be built sometime
in the near future, and an official announcement
is expected to be made soon.

 According to the article:
 "The owner of Universal Studios will announce
before year’s end that it will build a version
of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its
Universal Studios Hollywood theme park."

So for all you U.S. west coast Harry Potter fans, you won't have to travel
all the way to Orlando, Florida in order to experience the magic.

If an announcement is to be made by December 31st this year,
it can probably be likely that the park won't open until at least summer 2013.

As of now, as usual, this has not been officially confirmed,
but if major websites such as the Washington Post is covering the story,
then rest assured that, unless plans go wrong, a second HP theme park
will be on its way to California within the next few years.