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The Daily Prophet |
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March 2002
Russian muggles see Potter flick at last
Harry Potter to conjure up Balkan unity LONDON (Reuters) - He has tamed three-headed dogs; tangled with the Dark Lord Voldemort, and now Harry Potter is heading for the Balkans to bring peace and unity to future generations. The British Council, an organisation set up to promote British culture abroad, hopes to harness the boy-wizard's charm in its quest to unite Slav and Albanian children through the English language. "The institution playing 'Hogwarts' in this instance is the British Council in Skopje and Pristina, which is using the fascination Harry exerts on kids worldwide to encourage Slav and Albanian children to learn to read and speak in English, the neutral -- yet empowering -- language of mankind," said a Council statement on Tuesday. Council director David Green is currently on a tour of Macedonia and Kosovo to promote the project to officials and politicians. The Council's European director Robin Baker told Reuters that Slavs and Albanians had no problem communicating in Serbian. "But there is sense (among Albanians) that it is an oppressor language," he said. "English doesn't carry any baggage emotionally or politically." Baker said that children in the Balkans were particularly keen on English because it gave them access to global popular culture and to the Internet. "It gives them a sense they are a world citizen and are not just boxed in." But forget his British escorts, Harry Potter is already well established, with his own local connections in Eastern Europe. "Romania is where they go to study dragons," explains Baker. Tuesday 26th March 2002 Harry Potter draws a blank at the Oscars Ananova: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone failed to win any awards at this year's Oscars. It was nominated for three awards: Best Music (Score), Costume Design and Art Direction. However, Daniel Radcliffe did appear in a pre-recorded film talking about his favourite film. He chose 12 Angry Men, which he described as "really inspirational". Monday 25th March 2002 I’m the Ghost of Harry Potter icScotland: SCOTS actress Shirley Henderson didn't think she stood a ghost of a chance of landing the role of lonely spook Moaning Myrtle in the new Harry Potter movie. After all the brunette beauty is 35 and Myrtle is a teenage witch who haunts the school toilets. But the petite star impressed the movie-makers and will start shooting Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in the next few weeks. Shirley, who is barely 5ft tall, is a self-confessed Potter fan. She's read all four of JK Rowling's books about the schoolboy wizard - and reckons she's struck lucky by appearing in the hotter Potter. "I think the second book is much better than the first - and the script we've got is spot on" said Shirley. "At this point I think people will see Harry Potter start to hit its stride." In the new film, Harry is again played by Daniel Radcliffe with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his pals Ron and Hermione. Robbie Coltrane is also back as Hagrid, the lovable giant who is gamekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Richard Harris returns as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore along with Alan Rickman as the sinister Professor Snape Joining the all-star cast is Kenneth Branagh, who plays Gilderoy Lockhart, the super-vain defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Like the rest of the cast, Shirley's sworn to secrecy about the twists and turns of the new picture but she's looking forward to her first experience of working with special effects to make Myrtle glide effortlessly round the cubicles and cisterns of Hogwarts. And she joked that the crew's biggest task will be turning a 35-year-old into a believable teenage spook. "I don't know how they're going to magic up that one," she admitted. The Potter film is the latest in a string of movie roles for Shirley, still best known for BBC drama Hamish Macbeth, where she starred alongside Robert Carlyle. She teams up with Carlyle again in Once Upon A Time In The Midlands and stars opposite ER hunk Goran Visnjic in Dr Sleep. The Fife-born actress has also recently completed 24 Hour Party People, a film based on the life of music impresario Tony Wilson, who discovered Joy Division, James and the Happy Mondays. Shirley plays Wilson's bohemian wife Lindsay, with Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan as Tony. "I have nothing but good things to say about Steve," said Shirley. "He's a lovely, lovely man." However the real Tony Wilson was rather more abrasive and ignored her during filming. The film gave Shirley a crash course on Wilson's 'Mad-chester' scene, and a kind of music that passed her by first time round. "I was into different music - the Jacksons and Neil Diamond," she said. "I'd never even heard of the Manchester club the Hacienda when I was growing up." Being chosen to play Goran Visnjic's love interest was another surprise. "When I got the part, I was amazed, '' she confessed. "I thought, 'You're joking, he's 6ft 4in and I'm 5ft nothing! "Goran's devastatingly handsome, but not in the least bit starry. We'd just sit around all day singing songs and playing hangman together." Over the years Shirley has been in some of landmark movies. She had a small role in Trainspotting and starred alongside Rene Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones's Diary. She played Bridget's mate Jude but, unfortunately, many of her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. But she's still most recognised from Hamish Macbeth, where she played journalist Isobel who falls for low-key Highland PC Hamish. "When we started the job it was only a couple of episodes," she said. "We didn't know it would become a big series. "All that love stuff between me and Robert Carlyle wasn't really there. All that gradually happened as it was being written, as we were filming it. "Working with Bobby was the best thing. He freed me up as an actress by showing me how to play around and improvise. "When he started doing it I was horrified because I thought you just did your lines and that was that. He really taught me a lot and I love him for it." Although the series ended more than seven years ago, it's still being shown around the world. "Only last week I got stopped in Buchanan Street and asked for directions by a Canadian lady who then did a double take when she recognised me," laughed Shirley. "She said her street had a last episode party for Hamish Macbeth - we didn't even do that!" 24 Hour Party People opens nationwide on April 5. Sunday 24th March 2002 Worker Injured in JK's Garden A WORKMAN was trapped under a JCB in the garden of Harry Potter author JK Rowling. The 31-year-old was helping demolish a garage at her £500,000 home when the mini-digger he was operating toppled over, trapping his leg underneath. Colleagues of the injured man called firecrews who used cutting equipment and air bags to free him. He was treated for a broken leg in hospital. Rowling was not at home during the drama in Merchiston, Edinburgh, on Monday. But last night, her spokeswoman said: "JK was made fully aware of what happened and was very upset and concerned for the workman. "Emergency services were quick to arrive and all the relevant authorities, including police and health and safety, were informed. "She was later relieved to hear the man was doing well." Edinburgh-based firm Inscape had been employed to carry out the demolition and building work. A colleague of the injured worker said: "His leg was trapped under the digger and he was obviously in a lot of pain. But he's doing fine. "We had no contact with JK Rowling while we were working at the house." Rowling, who has a daughter Jessica, eight, recently bought a country house in Perthshire where she spends much of her time. Wednesday 20th March 2002 Wiz Potter's a Wrecker icScotland: FILM chiefs wrote off 14 classic cars making Harry Potter's latest adventure. The Ford Anglias were destroyed during filming of the Chamber Of Secrets. They were used in a scene when the schoolboy wizard crashes a magical flying car. The second Potter movie is currently being filmed at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. Wedneday 20th March 2002 New Potter book delayed till Autumn BBC: After an already agonisingly long wait, it looks like the new Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix, won't be out till autumn 2002. That will be a huge disappointment after rumours the fifth instalment of the wizarding adventures might be out in the summer. All the other Potter books have come out in the summer. Bloomsbury, which publishes the books, says on its website the ideal release date now will be "early autumn 2002." 'The world is waiting' And the company's boss, Nigel Newton, confirmed that it "will be released later this year". He added: "The whole world wants to read this book" - which probably isn't far from the truth. But there'll be no release date till JK Rowling has finished writing the book. Bloomsbury will probably want to avoid clashing with the boy wizard's second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which opens on 15 November. Wednesday 20th March 2002 We're not dependent on Harry Potter, says Bloomsbury boss Bloomsbury says the Harry Potter phenomenon is behind a sharp jump in profits but denies the company is dependent on the schoolboy wizard. Pre-tax profits for 2001 surged to £9.3 million, 62% up on the year, while sales rose 21% to £61million. But chief executive Nigel Newton has told Ananova that Harry Potter's success has been the high point of a strong all-round performance. He says: "Of course Harry Potter is an extremely important part of our growth, but there are other important components such as the integration of A&C Black. "We have had a sparkling list of major best-selling books, and huge public successes like Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. "It's important to remember that our good 2001 figures didn't contain any contributions from new Harry Potter books." Harry Potter books have already sold 130 million copies worldwide, and surged up the bestseller lists again after the Harry Potter film was released in late 2001. Bloomsbury struck gold with the schoolboy wizard after JK Rowling's manuscript was rejected by 9 other UK publishers. Divorced and living in a tiny Edinburgh flat with her baby daughter, JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at a table in a café during her daughter's naps. Wednesday 20th March 2002 Harry Potter publisher sees profits up 62% Bloomsbury Publishing has seen its pre-tax profits rise by 62.5% with Harry Potter's help. But it's remaining silent over the publication date of JK Rowling's next book, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. Bloomsbury's annual pre-tax profit - before goodwill and amortisation - was £9.35 million. The group's turnover was £61.4 million, an increase of 20.6%. Shareholders will receive an annual dividend of 6.3p per share, a rise of 26%. Wednesday 20th March 2002 "Harry Potter" wins costumes award LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-nominated movies "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" have won best movie costume awards from the Costume Designers Guild. The guild gave its award for best costumes in a contemporary film to Karen Patch for "The Royal Tenenbaums" and in a period or fantasy film to Judianna Makovsky for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in a weekend ceremony in Beverly Hills. Makovsky and "Harry Potter" also are Oscar nominees for best costume design at next Sunday's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ceremony in Hollywood -- one of two nominations for the movie adaptation of the best-selling book about the schoolboy wizard. "The Royal Tenenbaums," an offbeat comedy about a dysfunctional family, has an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Honours from Hollywood's trade associations sometimes give a pointer to Oscar winners because the Motion Picture Academy members often are also members of the trade groups. The 500-member Costume Designers Guild, founded in 1953, gave its television category awards for contemporary costume design to Juliet Polcsa of HBO mafia drama "The Sopranos," and for period or fantasy shows to Dona Granata for "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." Monday 18th March 2002 Potter prop makes over £17,000 at auction BBC: A massive 19th century globe which featured in film favourite Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold for £17,750 at an auction. It was expected to sell for around £12,000, but it turned out to be the fifth biggest seller of the whole auction at Sotheby's on Friday. How many galleons? The spinning globe, which was made in Edinburgh out of papier mache, was among loads of other cool props on sale from films like Tomb Raider and 101 Dalmatians. You may have seen the globe in the movie's library scenes where Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to find out who Nicholas Flamel is. It's also popped up in other films like The Secret Garden in 1993. And the scales which you would have spotted at Gringott's Bank in Diagon Alley fetched £108. A crystal ball from Harry Potter also sold for £1,320 We just wonder how much that is in galleons, sickles and knuts! Monday 18th March 2002 Mouse from Italy ready to challenge Potter BBC: A mouse from Italy named after a piece of cheese is the latest hopeful trying to steal the success of Harry Potter. Geronimo Stilton is a mouse who is a journalist and a private eye, and his adventures are almost as popular in Italy as JK Rowling's heroic wizard. More than 1.6m Geronimo Stilton books have been sold in Italy, 1.1m behind the four Harry Potter books published so far. Like Harry in this country, Geronimo has inspired many Italian children to read more often, and the green-suited mouse is also set to leap from the book to the screen in a cartoon. Ready to take on the world No one knows who really writes the books with Geronimo's name on the cover, but they've been busy over the last two years, because 34 books about the mouse have been published! And having taken Italy by storm, Geronimo is ready to take on the rest of the world, with his books ready to go on sale in Brazil, Belgium, France, Japan, Turkey, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal and Spain. Monday 18th March 2002 JK Rowling included in encyclopaedia Ananova: Madonna and JK Rowling have joined the ranks of Einstein and Freud with an entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. They are among the leading modern names who make it into the 2002 edition of the reference book. Subjects which are given their first entries in the new version of the £995 tome include lesbianism, ecstasy and hip-hop. Others who find they way in include actors Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dame Judi Dench and Peter Sellers as well as writers such as Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and novelist Martin Amis. Sections of the encyclopedia were also revised to take account of the catastrophic events of the September 11 terror attacks. The pages were on the presses and in the process of being printed at the time of the twin tower disaster, but work was halted to allow an update on entries for New York City, Terrorism, The World Trade Centre and The Pentagon. Leading academics from many fields have worked on revisions to the articles which now number 8,000. The database has 350 new entries. The encyclopedia is the oldest continuously published reference work in the English language. Christine Hodgson of Encyclopedia Britannica says the work "remains entirely in tune with the world today". "For example, the growing interest in popular culture among scholars has prompted us to devote more coverage than ever to the modern day icons of pop. At the same time, we continue to cover traditional subjects with the same scholarly excellence for which Britannica has long been known." Sunday 17th March 2002 Computer whiz casts a spell on celluloid Times Online: The first Harry Potter film relied heavily on special effects. The second will go even further, not least because it will be using a faster, better computer designed by BlueArc. Few have heard of this computer force but already it has been said that BlueArc is the New Cisco. It is the leader in the next generation of computer hardware. These revolutionary computers reduce the time and effort in creating special effects and processing them into film. It is but one of many uses which include simulating nuclear explosions. The man behind the company is the outrageously modest Norfolk-born Geoff Barrall. As a child, this son of a primary school headteacher "was forever making his own toys" and was transfixed by robots, not least the Daleks. Nondescript A levels led to the promised land of studying cybernetics at Reading University. A first led to a PhD and one or two software inventions and a successful career in consultancy. "I got thoroughly cheesed off with the UK venture capitalists. All they were interested in (in l995) was profit and revenue. They had no concept or interest in the technology and what it could do and, how it could change its users’ business." Saturday 16th March 2002 Analysts hope for fifth Harry Potter book release date Analysts are hoping Bloomsbury will announce a release date for the fifth book in the Harry Potter septet next Wednesday. They've predicted a mid-summer arrival for the latest instalment of the schoolboy wizard's adventures. Full-year pre-tax profits are expected to hit £9.25million, up from £5.46 million last time. Interim figures showed a pre-tax profit - before one-off costs - of £2.85 million, on sales of £22.7 million. In January, the company said its full-year profits would exceed analysts' expectations following strong sales of Harry Potter, The Flaneur, The Fourth Hand, Recorder Magic and Raptors of the World. But Harry Potter will remain the focus of analysts' interest, says Jonathan Barrett, media analyst at Teather & Greenwood. He said: "The market is hoping for news on Harry 5. We are expecting a mid-summer release date, and we hope for confirmation from the results that this will be the case. "Bloomsbury depend on Harry, but they are building the business and it's developing strongly. What Harry has allowed them to do is invest a lot of cash into books elsewhere. "They now have about 18 months of books lined up and they have a lot more clout in the market. Harry has opened the door for them." Saturday 16th March 2002 Kids Told to Potter Sock in it icScotland: Young extras on the new Harry Potter film have been banned from talking to their mums and dads about the movie. Around 50 children have been told to sign a strict confidentiality agreement or risk losing their walk-on roles as pupils of the wizard school Hogwarts. Warner Bros says they must not talk to "press, media, friends, family and acquaintances" about the film version of JK Rowling's second bestselling book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. One angry parent said: "They are stripping the fun away from this by making big demands from little kids to keep quiet. Quite frankly, I can't see how they can enforce it." Warner Bros also says extras must be checked for head lice before filming starts at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, on Monday. A mum whose child was in the first movie said: "Last time it was a lot of good fun, but this time it's like we're sending our kids to a prison camp." Saturday 16th March 2002 UK Casting for The Prisoner of Azkaban Comingsoon.net: "Casting for the "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban": If you want additional information on casting and auditions, you can try to contact casting director Karen Lindsay Stewart: Address: Karen Lindsay-Stewart - Harry Potter Production P.O. Box 2301 - London W1A 1PT - United Kingdom. Telephone (Office): 020 7439 0544, Fax: 020 7439 0548. " Character Parts are: Remus Lupin (Hogwarts Teacher) Sirius Black (Harry's Godfather) Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) Sibyll Trelawney (Hogwarts Teacher) Cho Chang (Ravenclaw Student) Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff Student) Madam Rosmerta (Three Broomsticks Innkeeper) Walden Macnair (Executioneer) Marjorie Dursley (Dudley's Aunt Marge) Sir Cadogan (Hogwarts Frameguy) Stan Shunpike (Knight Bus) Ernie Prang (Knight Bus) Madam Marsh (Knight Bus) Unfortunatly for our American cousins, you have to be a UK residents. Some rumours that are spreading here include the rumour that Ewan McGregor has been approached for Lupin: "Producers have approached the actor - who made his name playing a heroin addict in 'Trainspotting' - for the role of Remus Lupin, a misunderstood wizard with werewolf tendencies." Robson Green has also been mentioned as a candidate for young Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Thursday 14th March 2002 Magic moment for Man U's goalie More than 1,000 schoolchildren were given a magical surprise when they received a message from Harry Potter's pet owl, Hedwig. And Manchester United goalkeeper Raymond van der Gouw needed to show a safe pair of hands when the schoolboy wizard's pet cast a spell over his club's home of Old Trafford. Children from across Manchester gathered at the Theatre of Dreams to launch a charity book of poems based on the Beautiful Game. But they had a surprise when Hedwig, the owl seen in the Harry Potter film, flew in to inspire them. The pupils are now being urged to write special poems about football for an anthology to raise money for Unicef. At the launch of the competition, organised by the Premiership champions with Manchester Libraries, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he is "delighted" to be involved. He said: "Many of the players have young children and we know the enjoyment they get from books. "To also be able to help children who have nothing, through United with Unicef, makes it even more important," he added. Thursday 14th March 2002 Potter props for sale BBC: Props used in the first Harry Potter film are up for auction - if you've got the cash! Items up for grabs include a crystal ball, a wild boar's head, a spinning globe of the world and the scales used in Diagon Alley. And if you're a film fan in general you might be interested in props from Tomb Raider, Titanic, The Mummy Returns, 101 and 102 Dalmatians, and a load of James Bond stuff. They're amongst items you can offer a price for in sale at Sotheby's. The world famous auction house is known for selling off expensive antiques and paintings, but its latest auction, called Prop Art, will sell off props used in feature films But none of the props are likely to be sold cheaply - the Harry Potter globe is expected sell for about £12,000 in the sale which starts on Wednesday. Tuesday 12th March 2002 Harry Potter works his spell for Argonaut Ananova: Harry Potter has worked his magic for Argonaut Games, allowing the company to report an interim profit. Sales of a game featuring the schoolboy wizard helped it record a £4 million pre-tax profit. This compares with a £1.6 million loss previously. Turnover increased five-fold to £9.3 million. The company has increased its workforce to 215 from 132. Tuesday 12th March 2002 Fantasy films bring best box office sales in three decades Ananova: Cinema audiences in the UK have hit a 30-year high. Moviegoers clocked up 141 million visits to cinemas during 2001, the largest number since 1972, the Office for National Statistics said today. Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings are among the most successful films of all time just three months after their release. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone is only bettered by Titanic in the all-time box office top 10. Cinemas have seen a major resurgence over the past few years as they recover from the impact of video on an already declining market. The audience figures hit a low in 1984 but have improved almost every year since then. They are four million up on 2000 admissions. The final quarter of 2001, when both Potter and Rings were released, saw the number of admissions increase by 17% compared with the same period a year earlier. However, admissions are nowhere near the levels achieved in the early 1950s which were nearly 10 times greater. The increased ownership of TV sets was partly to blame for the drop in attendance. The highest figure prior to 2001 was 157 million in 1972. Friday 8th March 2002 JK Rowling's successor aims to beguile LONDON (Reuters) - Philip Pullman is Britain's most acclaimed children's writer since Harry Potter author JK Rowling taught the children of the world to read again. Rowling may have sold millions of books around the globe but it is Pullman who is now winning all the prizes. "It's an enormous pleasure and a great thrill and I'm delighted about it," Pullman told Reuters after being named author of the year at the British Book Awards earlier this week. The 55-year-old former teacher is on a roll. He won the prestigious Whitbread Book of the Year Award in January with "The Amber Spyglass" and last year made the long list for the UK's top literary gong, The Booker Prize. "The effect I hope it will have on the world of books is that children gain some respect as readers because here is a book that is supposedly good enough to beat a lot of adult books in the judgment of the panel. But it was discovered first by children," Pullman said of his Whitbread-winning fantasy novel. It's testament to his appeal that you can see adults on London buses and trains following the battle between good and evil that is central to "The Amber Spyglass". Pullman says the same principles apply to children's literature as adult writing. "I put story first, second, third and all the way down to 100 because when you're addressing an audience that includes children, the only way you can keep their attention is by beguiling them," he said. "I've never believed this nonsense largely put about by television people that children have a very short attention span. In my 12 or so years as a teacher I know that's not so." He blames the pressures of budget and ratings for leading the film and television industry's search for formulaic success. "They're saying 'What do people want? What did they like last time? Harry Potter. Let's find the next Harry Potter.' "What people like that always forget is that nobody went around six years ago saying I wish somebody would write the first Harry Potter," Pullman said. He's generous in praise of Rowling. "In every generation there's one writer who can do something magical in the way of getting children to read." Rowling has it as Roald Dahl did before her, Pullman says. Pullman is now working on a short book which he describes as a fairy story. Friday 8th March 2002 Rowling 'bans Swedish radio readings of Harry Potter' Ananova: JK Rowling has banned Swedish radio from reading excerpts from the Harry Potter books on air. She was apparently upset that a children's programme had featured passages from the books without her permission. Under Swedish law, radio and television stations can broadcast readings of published works without approval from the author, as long as they pay royalty fees. However, if authors explicitly state they don't want their books read on the air, the broadcasters must abide, Swedish radio lawyer Gunhild Frylen said. The conflict started when radio officials contacted Rowling's agent with questions on where to send the royalty money, she said. Ms Frylen added: "They were very upset and said, 'what do you mean you've read our books?' It was very hard for them to understand that this is the law here." Officials with Tiden, the publisher of Harry Potter books in Sweden, said they weren't involved in the radio dispute. Spokeswoman Annika Seward Jensen said the series, due to its popularity, presented copyright challenges around the world with film rights and translations in 40 languages in 100 countries. Ms Frylen said in her 35 years as a lawyer for Swedish radio, she remembered only a handful of books being prohibited from on-air delivery by their authors or publishers. Those included works by Ernest Hemingway and Swedish writer Vilhelm Moberg. Thursday 7th March 2002 Potter Loses out to Love LONDON (Reuters) - Love and drama from romantic authors Josephine Cox and Danielle Steel continue to top the bestseller list, keeping schoolboy wizard Harry Potter down in third place. "The Woman Who Left", Cox's account of a disputed inheritance, held on to pole position, selling just more than 22,000 copies last week, according to data on Wednesday from Whitaker Booktrack, which monitors book sales. American writer Steel's "Lone Eagle", set in post-war New York high society, remained the week's second most popular buy, shifting a little under 16,000 copies. J.K. Rowling's fantastical cast of magical schoolchildren retained third place with "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Her bespectacled hero's adventures with "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Chamber of Secrets" also sold enough to make sixth and seventh place. The three Harry Potter books sold a combined total of more than 37,000 in the week. Legal scribe John Grisham's "A Painted House" climbed to fourth from seven on sales of around 12,500, while television cook Delia Smith saw her "Delia's How to Cook: Book 3" rise to number five from eleventh. French wartime drama "Five Quarters of Orange", by "Chocolat" author Joanne Harris, was a steady seller at eighth, with volume one of JRR Tolkien's epic "Lord of the Rings", "The Fellowship of the Ring", climbing to ninth from number 12. Psychological thriller "The Red Room", by husband and wife duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, writing as Nicci French, slipped to tenth place from sixth. The behind-the-scenes story of the television selection of instant pop star Will Young propped up the top ten. "Pop Idol: The Inside Story of TV's Biggest Ever Search for a Superstar", by Sian Pattenden, entered the chart at number 11 in its first week on sale. Wednesday 6th March 2002 JK Rowling joins academic elite JK Rowling has been elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The organisation comprises some of Scotland's foremost experts in science, technology, medicine, the humanities, arts and business. A spokesman for the society said Ms Rowling's election was "significant," but said there was no questioning her credentials. He told The Scotsman: "She is of outstanding distinction and has had an international impact in her own field. She had an impact in reversing the worldwide trend in decreasing literacy. "Her writing has attracted a huge number of children who previously perhaps had difficulties in beginning to read, and the society sees that her work has dispelled the myth that children lack the attention span to engage with longer books." Lord Stewart Sutherland, one of Scotland's most distinguished thinkers, has been chosen as the new RSE president. Tuesday 5th March 2002 Daniel Radcliffe's first TV role to get another screening The TV drama which helped Daniel Radcliffe land his role in the Harry Potter film is to get another airing. Radcliffe appeared in David Copperfield in 1999. It will be shown on UK Drama from March 15. The serial also features Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith and Bob Hoskins. Tuesday 5th March 2002 JK Rowling up against Philip Pullman at literary awards JK Rowling will go head to head with Philip Pullman at the British Book Awards. They are among the nominees for Author Of The Year at tonight's ceremony in London. Also shortlisted are Joanne Harris, Ian McEwan, Ian Rankin and Jacqueline Wilson. McEwan is also in the running for Book Of The Year for Atonement. The other contenders include Beryl Bainbridge for According To Queeney. Among those shortlisted for Children's Book Of The Year are Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer; Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning and Ug: Boy Genius Of The Stone Age by Raymond Briggs. Other nominees include The Blue Planet and How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods for Illustrated Book Of The Year. The Amber Spyglass, written and read by Philip Pullman, is up against Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling and read by Stephen Fry for the Audiobook Of The Year award. Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson is in the running for the Design and Production Award. Tuesday 5th March 2002 Fast Show star joins Harry Potter cast Ananova: The Fast Show's Mark Williams is to play Ron Weasley's dad in the new Harry Potter film. Williams will play Arthur Weasley in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Miriam Margolyes will play Madam Sprout in the movie. Gemma Jones, who played Bridget's mum in Bridget Jones's Diary, will be Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron. The film is due to be released later in the year. Monday 4th March 2002 Chamber of Secrets' Tom Riddle actor named BBC: More details about who's playing the new baddies in the next Harry Potter film, The Chamber of Secrets, have been confirmed by Warner Bros. Christian Coulson, 23, will be one of the most hated young men in the country when he appears on the screen as Tom Riddle. DASTARDLY Christian is said to be over the moon about landing such a dastardly role. He's only just graduated from University and his first proper acting job was in a BBC war drama last year. The equally evil Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco, is to be played by Black Hawk Down actor Jason Isaacs. MR WEASLEY And Ron's dad, Ministry of Magic's Mr Weasley, is taken on by Mark Williams. He's well known for playing various odd characters in TV comedy The Fast Show. The Chamber of Secrets is released exactly a year on from the first Potter film on the 15 November 2002. Monday 4th March 2002 Boy wizard's transformation THE new Harry Potter movie has hit problems - because the star, Daniel Radcliffe, is growing up too fast. His character is supposed to be 11 years old at the start of new movie, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. But Daniel, who will turn 13 in July, is fast becoming an adolescent. Executive producer Michael Barnathan admitted there had been a few hitches. He said: "In the last shot of the first movie, he is just like a little boy but now it's quite amazing, the change is very dramatic. "We look at him and he's rapidly approaching a man. He sounds so much huskier now his voice has broken." Daniel was just 10 when he was cast in the first Harry Potter movie. Barnathan said: "We had an incredible book and we could not let the fans down. Finding Dan was the biggest thing." He admitted the new film - which will feature Shakespearian guru Kenneth Branagh as well as most of the cast from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - has a lot to live up to. The first movie has become the second most successful film of all time. Daniel has already made some celebrity pals on set - including comedian and actor Robin Williams. Barnathan said: "Robin is a good friend of director Chris Columbus and so Chris brought him on the set, which he loved. "He was just like a little kid. Dan and Robin were, like, in awe of each other. "When they get together the pair of them like playing Nintendo together, it was really fun." Sunday 3rd March 2002 Harry Potter globe goes under the hammer A 19TH-CENTURY globe that was made in Edinburgh and starred in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is expected to fetch up to £12,000 when it is auctioned in London later this month. Renowned city globe makers Andrew, Keith and William Johnston constructed the globe from papier mâché and marked it with the main steamship routes. Measuring 30 inches in diameter, it is one of the biggest the brothers made. As well as featuring in the library scene in Harry Potter, the globe has been used as a prop in the films The Secret Garden in 1993 and Restoration in 1995. A similar globe which was also made by the brothers won a number of awards at the Great Exhibition of 1851. A spokeswoman for Sotherbys said: "The globe is a nice large size and is very attractive, no doubt that is why it has proved so popular with film makers. "We are expecting a high level of interest in the globe when it goes under the hammer." The globe will be auctioned at Sotherbys in Bond Street, London, on March 15. Saturday 2nd March 2002 Bulgarian Church slams Harry Potter SOFIA (Reuters) - The hugely popular Harry Potter books are "spiritual AIDS" for readers, diminishing their immune system against black magic and making them more open to evil, a priest backed by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has said. Father Stefan Stefanov from the Saint Nicholas Christian Orthodox church in Bulgaria's northern city of Rousse said his service on Sunday would denounce British author J.K.Rowling's best-selling novels about the young wizard. "Those books make children believe witchcraft is something innocent, existing only in literature, which is not the case. They diminish readers' force to react against black magic and make them interested in evil deeds," Father Stefan told Reuters. An official from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's ruling Synod said it fully backed father Stefan's position. Stefanov, a former member of parliament, plans to lecture in schools against the books about Harry, an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard. But in Bulgaria, too, the books are best-sellers and the movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a smash hit since it opened three weeks ago. Harry Potter has also come under fire in a few communities in the United States for supposedly encouraging devilish thoughts among the young. Rowling dismisses such criticism as absurd, saying that not a single child in her experience has expressed the desire to become a witch after reading the books. Friday 1st March 2002 Where's the new Potter trailer? BBC: It's exactly a year ago since we had our first glimpse of Harry Potter on the big screen. 1 March, last year, was the day that the first movie trailer was released. The second movie is due to come exactly a year after the first on 15 Nov, so when will we see a trailer for that? LONGER WAIT Plenty of footage has already been filmed including sequences with The Flying Car, The Spiders in the Forbidden Forest and Gilderoy Lockhart's Defence Against The Dark Arts classes. But, we're going to have to wait a bit longer this time around - there are no plans to release a trailer for Chamber of Secrets for quite a while. So when will we see one? Well, Warner Bros. are the only people who know for sure. But a trailer might be included on the DVD release of Philosopher's Stone on 11 May, or we might even have to wait until the summer. Friday 1st March 2002 |
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