Harry Potter: Jo's Other Ending

By Jo (J.K.) Rowling as told to Greg Palast and the Palast twins
GregPalast.com
19 July 2011

Some of you may recall that, years ago, when I lived in England, writing for The Guardian, when I shared the bestseller list with Jo Rowling (she at the pinnacle, me in the valley), we became buds through my twins' love for her astonishing work.

But Jo knows that I found the conclusion of her series a sorry let-down, a second-rate "Show Down at the OK Corral" for Wizards. In my opinion (and she does not at all agree), Jo was too distracted by a concern for how the ending would play on film.

I bugged her about it until she told me the "other" endings. Every author has them - and we all look over our old drafts, after publication, and say, "Damn! I should have used that version" - then we lock it away before someone sees it and agrees.

No, Jo wouldn't show me typed copies, but she told me a couple of "I could have done this" endings.

One of them knocked me over, and I have to share it. (Sorry Jo, that's the danger of befriending an investigative reporter - if you forget to use the magical words, "This is off the record.") I can understand, though, why she would put aside this quieter, yet far more harrowing, conclusion.

I wrote it down that night in October 2007. I don't claim that this is exactly word-for-word as she told it to me (Jo: please edit!) and I left out all the side stuff about me telling my oblivious kids, "You really should listen to this; years from now you'll want to say you heard this," and the minor mishap with my coffee.

But I just have to put it out here and hope that Jo and her publisher don't slam me with an Avada Kedavra curse.

I'll assume you've read the books - and if you haven't, for shame! - so I won't introduce this at all except to say that this alternative (and quite troubling) ending veers away from the printed and film versions just before Harry's final confrontation with The Dark Lord, Voldemort.

And please: If you want to say that I didn't get her voice and story details exactly, keep in mind that I'm working from mental notes - and that I'm no J.K. Rowling. But then, no one is.


To the Forbidden Forest

Harry marched toward the field where Voldemort waited with his pack of Dementors. Harry's scar burned brutally, saving him the pain of thinking too deeply about his decision, likely to bring him nothing but death.

What special evil, what deadly and devious spell had the Dark Lord prepared for Harry's destruction? Voldemort had hunted after Harry for more than a decade; doubtless Voldemort would arm himself with a special curse far more powerful and final than the Avada Kedavra which had failed to kill Harry as a child.

Harry was terribly right. The Dark Lord, in his clearing in the Forbidden Forest, was preparing a charm as devastating as Harry feared, and far more horrific. As Harry marched to this fated meeting, Voldemort passed his wand among the icy Dementors, commanding each to lay their Kiss upon it.

Voldemort, in those pained, lonely nights of his exile and recovery, had conceived of a way to hurl a Dementor's kiss from his wand, the kiss that would take away the soul of its victim forever. And now he would blast Harry with hundreds of them. Voldemort's reward would be greater than watching Harry's burial. He would have Harry frozen in place, Harry's living being encased for eternity at the moment of Harry's ultimate humiliation and defeat, a terrifying monument to Voldemort's victory for all to see for all time. Voldemort's joy rose with every Dementor's kiss to his wand.

Harry could feel their grave-like cold as he approached and the pull of their despair. It was hopeless, and he was helpless in the face of it. And he knew it.

But then, Harry felt the presence of a young man and woman, though he could not see them. These two ghosts lovingly held his body up and raised his spirit. It was, he was certain, the last remaining life-force of his parents, making one last sacrifice by joining him on his final journey. He allowed himself a moment of peaceful happiness, feeling them so close.

Then he stopped. Harry shivered with a deep chill of recognition. They were not his parents. They were Voldemort's: the young Tom Riddle and his bride who, for this occasion, had taken back her beautiful maid's countenance. They said, using no words, "Our dearest son, we will not allow you to be harmed."

Were their words for him? Or for Voldemort? Somehow, it didn't seem to matter - they seemed so kind when he needed nothing more at this moment than a parent's love.

Harry, and the two warm spirits becoming more visible, approached the edge of the swirling crowd of Voldemort's followers, who parted, preparing to give the victim an easy corridor to his doom.

Voldemort's wand had returned to his white, skeletal hand. The Dark Lord pointed it confidently to where Harry would surely emerge from the crowd, not yet to destroy Potter but to hold him while he prepared to give Harry an oration on the eternal punishment about to strike him.

Voldemort laughed when Harry stumbled through. But when the Dark Lord saw the specters of his parents, he howled as if cut in half. With his furious heart in flames, Voldemort immediately unleashed the deadly Kisses, bellowing, "Oppugno Mortimbessios!" And all the vile terrors of the Dementors, in an unstoppable flash from his wand, rushed toward Harry and the spirits at his side.

It was only a hundredth of a second for Voldemort's curse to reach Harry. But somehow the world seemed to slow down, the Earth ceased to rotate; all on the planet held still, though Harry was aware he was free to move. Harry had planned every shield charm for his defense, but all now were clearly useless. Harry found himself unable to do more than calmly bend to one knee and bow his head, preparing to accept the force of the blow and his death and end.

As he kneeled, in that quiet moment outside time, the two shadows flew from him toward Voldemort. And Voldemort changed. The Dementors' chill wind, and Time, moved backward; and there was Voldemort, growing to his younger, more potent, frightening self.

The curse struck Harry's scar, obliterating it, then, in a loud roar, he felt the crushing pain of his skull opening, and then the shrieking curse rushing from his head - back toward the wand that sent it.

As the curse turned back toward him, Voldemort continued to grow younger still, until he was a little child again with his mother and father at his side. When they realized the full force of Voldemort's own spell was about to strike him, his parents put their reassuring arms around their son to protect him from this ultimate blow.

And then it struck. And now the three entwined souls, Tom Riddle, his wife and young child, would remain forever entombed in that one moment, never able to leave.

And never wanting to.


Hogwarts AD 2130

The headmaster, his stringy white beard uncombed and his wrinkled, bald head topped by a drooping wizard's cap, looked with wistful gratitude at the empty picture frame he'd convinced the Ministry to put up, despite their reluctance. He knew he'd soon be residing in that little square etched with the name, "Harry Potter," separated from Albus Dumbledore's only by the portraits of Headmistresses McGonagall and Chang.

The old wizard could hear below the school abuzz with preparations for his 150th birthday. He shifted Ginny, a bird of paradise, to a perch nearer his desk. His wife, rather than grow old, had turned herself into this beautiful bird, but still insisted on giving un-birdlike advice. "Harry, dearest, you can't miss your own birthday party. And it's so lovely outside."

Indeed, the summer day had brought out scores of picnickers who had come to set their baskets and blankets out near the warm light cast by the living statue of the happy family with the little child. No one but the old headmaster knew who was encased in that glowing sphere. When the Dementors were released from the spell of Voldemort, they, and indeed every wizard excepting Harry and the shade of Albus, were cleansed of all memory of the Dark Lord. Now, after more than a century, curiosity about the family in the statue had long ago ceased. Harry had simply ordered a plaque placed there. It said only, "Riddles."

"I will go," he told his feathered wife, "but I have to keep an eye on the boy for a bit." Harry's great, great grandson, not yet able to walk, silently played on the rug with his chocolate frog. Then suddenly, in inexplicable anger, little Tom crushed the candy animal. Harry watched this, and knew the whole world would soon darken again for generations to come.

THE END

Investigative journalist Greg Palast's reports can be seen on BBC Television Newsnight or at www.GregPalast.com. Your thoughts on this other ending for the HP series welcome at the Greg Palast Facebook page. Palast's new book, Vultures' Picnic, will be published by Penguin USA in November 2011.

Stoner Cooking: 5 Butterbeer Recipes

In honor of the Harry Potter franchise releasing the final film of the series to record-breaking opening weekend box office, here is a list from WizardingWorldPark.com of the five best (non-alcoholic, at least) recipes to making the popular Butterbeer drink found at the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando (including one already found at The Koformist blog last year.) Drink up, and feel free to sneak some beer in it!

http://wizardingworldpark.com/top-5-butterbeer-recipes/2010/08/20

There are a ton of Harry Potter Butterbeer copy-cat recipes online for you to enjoy when you get home from your Orlando Florida vacation or for a Harry Potter party. Only a few live up to the real thing at the Harry Potter theme park at Universal. It must be served chilled, preferably frozen (like a slush drink), it must have a frothy head, a buttery Scotch flavor, and non-alcoholic (at least to match the Harry Potter theme park version).

So, this is a list of those that come the closest to meeting those requirements; worthy of serving at your next Harry Potter party. It's not the easiest ones (like mixing butterscotch syrup with cream soda), it's the ones that most closely match the version from the Harry Potter theme park at Universal. So many recipes add alcohol (the butterbeer from the Harry Potter books had a slight alcohol content), serve it hot (which was another option from the Harry Potter book series), and have no foamy head.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe #5

This is my own recipe, modified from another I found online. The original called for root beer (root beer?? There's not even a hint of root bear flavor in the Harry Potter butterbeer!).

Ingredients:

1 quart butter brickle or vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup butterscotch syrup
32 oz of your favorite cream soda

Directions:

1. Place 4 (16-ounce) glasses in freezer and chill for at least 20 minutes

2. Mix ice cream and cream soda in a blender until combined

3. Divide between the frosted glasses

4. Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired

5. Serve with spoons and straws

Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe #4

This one's from the Food Network. This one is served warm according to the recipe, but you could just as easily chill or freeze the drink before serving.

Ingredients

¦1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
¦1/4 cup butterscotch topping
¦2 tablespoons whipped butter, room temperature
¦1 1/2 cups vanilla cream soda
Directions

Combine condensed milk, butterscotch topping, and butter in a glass heatproof measuring cup. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until butter has melted and incorporated into mixture. Meanwhile heat cream soda in another heatproof measuring cup for 1 minute 30 seconds.

Divide butterscotch mixture between 2 (10 to 12-ounce) mugs. Fill mugs with heated cream soda and stir thoroughly. Serve garnished with an old-fashioned butterscotch candy stick.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe #3

I found this one on e-How. Again, hot and again, you could freeze or cool before serving. I liked how this one used butterscotch chips and the coffee creamer. Adds a real different dimension that still stays on track with the Harry Potter theme park version.

Ingredients

¦10 OZ of Cream Soda (1 & 1/4 cups)
¦1 Tbsp of Salted REAL Butter
¦1/2 Cup Butterscotch chips
¦1/4 Cup Original Coffee Mate Liquid Creamer
Directions

Put the Butterscotch Chips and Butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir and Heat for another 30 seconds. Now add your Creamer to the bowl.

Microwave in 30 Second increments again. Stirring each time. It usually takes about 4 times (2 minutes) to get the right consistency. Set your mixture aside. The chips and butter should be a thick stir-able paste.

Heat Cream soda in the microwave for 90 seconds. BE VERY CAREFUL! Microwaves times vary. Make sure not to over heat the Cream Soda or all of the fizz will be gone.

Pour Butterscotch mixture into heated Cream Soda.

Stir & Serve!

Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe #2

Again, one that I modified to fit the requirements of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter version. This one just sounds delicious!!

Ingredients:

1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bottle (24 oz.) vanilla cream soda (very cold)

Directions:

1. Allow ice cream to soften, about 30 minutes, and bring butter to room temperature, about 2 hours

2. Blend butter, sugar, and spices in large bowl

3. Add to ice cream and freeze

4. Heat cream soda in a pot until warm but still carbonated (at least 3 minutes). You could also just go with the very cold cream soda (my preference) and have a more frozen/slushy drink.

5. Fill each glass with a scoop of ice cream mixture and pour warmed or chilled cream soda over ice cream

6. Serve!

Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe #1

This was the recipe put out by AP, FoxNews, and just about every other site after the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened. Seems to be the most likely ingredients, but doesn't serve it cold or frozen, like the park. The final result does seem to be most like the park version, just needs to be frozen.

Servings: 4

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

Harry Potter next chapter?

Wizard website tells and sells all
JK Rowling shows off Pottermore site which will not only have new material, but will be only place selling digital downloads of novels
Alison Flood and Mark Brown
Thursday 23 June 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/23/harry-potter-website-pottermore

JK Rowling shocked and thrilled her fans and the publishing industry on Thursday by announcing details of Pottermore – an interactive website which will not only have new material, but will also be the only place selling the Harry Potter novels as digital downloads.

At a press conference in London, the author ruled out writing an eighth Potter novel but said she had written around 18,000 words for the website, with more to come, about the characters, places and objects. "I had more than half of the new material already written or in note form," she said. "I dug some out of boxes."

While the announcement of new stories excited her followers, it was Rowling's long-awaited ebook announcement that may be even more of a moment for the publishing industry as digital books grow in popularity.

No other retailer will be able to sell the Potter ebooks – including Amazon, which has been at the forefront of ebook sales. The books will only be available direct from the Pottermore website, which has been in development for two years. The books will be compatible with all ebook devices, including Amazon's Kindle.

The agent Jonny Geller, of Curtis Brown, said Rowling's move may be something of a gamechanger in terms of how bestselling authors engage with their readers. "This does feel like a significant moment," he said. "If I was a brand author I would be asking my publisher how to get to the online communities that JK Rowling is getting to. It might be a wakeup call to think of a new way of getting to readers."

But Geller said other authors could follow suit. The bar had been set extremely high, he said.

"It is not by any means the end of traditional publishing but it may be a gamechanger in how global brands, the authors, can reach their readers."

Books retailers including Waterstones and WH Smith expressed disappointment that the new Potter material would not be available in physical books.

Rowling admitted she was a late convert to ebooks. "Personally I love print and paper, [but] very recently for the first time I downloaded an ebook and it is miraculous, for travel and for children. I feel great about taking Harry Potter into this new medium."

Rowling, with 450m Potter books sold globally, is in a powerful position to carry out what may be the most audacious act of self-publishing yet.

She said: "It means we can guarantee people everywhere are getting the same experience ... [I am] lucky to have the resources to do it myself and ... do it right. It's a fantastic and unique experience."

Some of the new material will include how a young Professor Minerva McGonagall fell in love with a Muggle; how the Dursleys met (Petunia was working in an office); and new information about Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses.

The website will open to a million users who register first on 31 July – Harry's birthday. These users will help shape the site, with its full launch in October when the ebooks go on sale.

"We knew there was a big demand for ebooks but if it was going to be done we wanted it to be more than that ... I wanted to pull it back to reading, to the literary experience, the story experience, and this is what emerged," said Rowling.

Starting with the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Pottermore will allow its users to navigate their way through the story, with all-new illustrations and interactive "moments".

Users start out by choosing a magical username, and as they move through the chapters of the book they will be sorted into houses – Rowling herself has written a "vast pool" of questions to direct users to their correct home – choose wands, shop on Diagon Alley and experience life at Hogwarts, just like Harry.

Points can be won for houses by casting spells and mixing potions, users will be able to comment and add their own drawings and content – and Rowling herself will be dropping in "as a normal punter".

"If you are not sorted into Gryffindor, if you go into one of the other three houses, you will effectively get an extra quarter of a chapter. You will go off into your own common room, meet your own prefect and find the true nature of the house.

"In the main novel you only see the houses through the eyes of the heroes. So it's not a terrible thing to be in Slytherin," said Rowling, who admitted it was "a little frightening" how easily she slipped back into writing about Potter.

"It's like an ex-boyfriend ... I've never cried for a man as I cried for Harry Potter. Now we're casually dating and we have been for two years."

Rowling said that she still receives a "huge" amount of fanmail – "drawings, stories, ideas, suggestions I write prequels and sequels", so she felt the site was "a really great way to give back to the Harry Potter readership, who have obviously made the books such a huge success".

For the moment, Pottermore will be restricted to the world of the first book but all seven books will be added in due course, complete with new material from Rowling – including, she promised, a more detailed explanation of Quidditch.

"The number of geeky men who come up to me to argue about Quidditch – I'd be a lot richer if I got a quid for every one," she said. "They think it's illogical. I had a speech by Dumbledore in the first book explaining why it's not illogical, but it never made it in. It will at some point."

Can 'Harry Potter' ever capture Oscar magic?

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-en-fantasy-actors-20101202,0,2990305.story

Critic's Notebook: Can 'Harry Potter' ever capture Oscar magic?
The academy is notorious for thumbing its nose at the fantasy genre, but six films with no wins is an outrage. Maybe the penultimate 'Deathly Hallows' can cast its spell on voters.
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Television Critic
December 2, 2010

There is something touching about the fact that " Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1" opened in mid-November. It's the unofficial beginning of Oscar season, after all. Whether Warner Bros. is thumbing its nose at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or is still holding out hope for getting voters' attention, it's hard to imagine that this year will be any different from the previous six because Oscar just does not like Harry.

Think about it. Six films and no Oscars. None. Moving staircases, talking pictures, heart-stopping Quidditch games, villains that scare even adults and no Oscars. There have been nominations — for art direction, score and costume — but no wins, which, frankly, is hard to fathom. How could none of these films have won for costume? Screenwriter Steve Kloves, an Oscar nominee for "Wonder Boys," has adapted all but one of the books, a feat unprecedented in the annals of the Writers Guild, and he's never been nominated for them. Ditto any of the directors. Or actors.

That's right, none of the actors in six of the most popular films of all time has been nominated for an Oscar for their "Potter" roles. It's not surprising that the young leads — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint — have been passed over; the academy prefers to nominate children in supporting roles and even then only in such scrappy emo-heavy indies as "The Piano" or "Little Miss Sunshine."

But the supporting adult characters have consistently been played by some of the best actors around from Britain and Ireland. Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Brendan Gleeson, Kenneth Branagh, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent and now Bill Nighy — the list borders on the absurd. All of these performers are, or have been, brilliant in roles that so easily could be over-played or phoned in or made ridiculous. Consider the trappings — Rickman has pitch-black hair and a cape; Ralph Fiennes looks like a snake; Coltrane is a hairy half-giant; Brendan Gleeson has a revolving fake eye. These are not easy things to work around. And yet, they do.

No doubt some academy members regret not nominating Harris for his final role before his death, but Gambon has been consistently passed over too. As Albus Dumbledore, the two actors wore a ZZ Top beard, sometimes with little charms hung in it, and funny hats, and yet in both cases created a fully believable headmaster who is not just the wisest and most humble of men, but also the kindest, projecting a sorrowful optimism up until the moment of his death.

Granted, none of the adults have a lot of screen time, but if Judi Dench can win supporting actress for uttering five lines and wearing an enormous side-bustle as Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love," then Gambon's death scene, Broadbent's combination of hubris and shame, or Rickman's pained fury deserve at least a nomination.

Unfortunately, while the academy loves a good high-brow costume drama, it has never been too fond of fantasy, especially in the acting category. "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" may have cleaned up in 2004, but none of its actors were even nominated. Imagine, a best picture and none of the actors nominated. Ian McKellen got a nod for the first installment, "The Fellowship of the Ring," but after that, nothing. Three of these films and nothing for Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood or Bernard Hill, who's King Theoden still brings tears to my eyes. "Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn" — these are lines that require professional courage and an ability to transcend place and time in a way that most modern drama, no matter how good, simply doesn't have to do.

It's ironic, or infuriating, depending on what side of the screen you're on, because the key to great fantasy is characters who are both extraordinary and utterly human. It's one thing to play a serial killer or a corrupt company gal; it's another when that character also has to be believable as an evil wizard or officious witch. Putting real meaning into an actual curse is way tougher than uttering an expletive, and waving a deadly wand in all seriousness takes more guts — and more acting finesse — than firing a gun.

Perhaps the academy is waiting until the final " Harry Potter," just as it waited for the third "Lord of the Rings." Or maybe now with 10 best picture nominees there will be room not only for animated films but for fantasy as well. Either way, there must be some acknowledgment not just of the success of this film franchise but also of the brilliance and effort it has required of so many.

Accio, Oscar.

mary.mcnamara@latimes.com

Top 10 Movie Plot Holes You Probably Never Noticed Before

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/11/top-10-movie-plot-holes-you-probably-never-noticed-before/
Top 10 Movie Plot Holes You Probably Never Noticed Before
Matt Blum
November 16, 2010

It’s a rare movie that has no plot holes at all. Even movies nearly everyone likes, like Star Wars (I speak of Episode IV, in case that’s unclear), are occasionally rife with them. Of course, for many geeks — myself included — part of the fun of seeing a movie is identifying and discussing its plot holes afterward.

Here, then, are ten plot holes from geeky movies that, in my judgment, are ones that are easy to miss — even though some of them seem pretty obvious once you think about them. Please feel free to add your own favorite plot holes in the comments, and check out the first and second lists of plot holes (AKA “unanswered questions”) we’ve published on GeekDad before. (Note: The list below contains spoilers for the movies listed, out of necessity.)

10. The Matrix - The machines are keeping humans alive for their body heat, right? But they also have nuclear fusion reactors, and (while I haven’t run the numbers) I’d be willing to bet that a single fusion reactor would generate more net energy in an hour than all the humans on today’s Earth would in a day. Plus, fusion reactors are considerably less likely to try to escape, so it’s pretty clear the only reason the humans are still around is so the movie can exist. Oh, and while we’re at it, how come the simulated world everyone’s living in still has computers? Wouldn’t it be much smarter to remove the computers, thus significantly reducing the likelihood of someone like Neo making an appearance?

9. Jurassic Park – The scientists clone dinosaurs from the DNA in the blood in a preserved prehistoric mosquito. The problem is that blood cells in many animals (humans included) don’t carry DNA, and when they do they don’t carry nearly enough that the frog DNA they use to fill in the gaps wouldn’t dominate the bits of dinosaur DNA. Plus, of course, they would have no way to determine which DNA strands came from which dinosaur — and which from the mosquito itself!

8. Spider-Man 2 - Doctor Octavius is trying to find Spider-Man, and Harry suggests he talk to his good buddy Peter Parker, because Pete is always taking photos of Spider-Man. Doc Ock promptly finds Peter and Mary Jane at a coffee shop, and introduces himself by throwing a car at them through the window, which would certainly have killed them if Peter hadn’t been Spider-Man, sensed the danger, and pulled himself and MJ to the floor. But Doc Ock has no idea that Peter is Spider-Man, so why would he try to kill the person he wants help from?

7. Superman & Superman II – It’s just astonishing how Superman conveniently acquires new powers whenever his already-impressive selection of powers is inadequate to the task. In the first film, Lois Lane dies in the massive earthquake caused by the nuclear missile hitting the San Andreas fault. Superman, understandably distraught, suddenly and miraculously not only has the ability to turn back time by flying around the Earth really fast a lot of times, but somehow knows that he has that ability, despite it never having been mentioned previously. Then, at the end of the second film, the same thing happens again — only this time it’s an amnesia kiss. How exactly is he supposed to be able to remove the memory that Clark Kent is Superman, while leaving other memories intact? It’s never explained at all.

6. Star Trek II & Star Trek III - At the end of STII, the Genesis device creates a planet out of the Mutara nebula and the USS Reliant, right? And that’s fine as far as it goes, because scientists do in fact think that planets form out of nebulae. There’s just one tiny little question, though: Where did the sun for the planet to orbit come from? It sure wasn’t there before the device detonated, and if the device could create a star from a nebula, you’d think Carol Marcus would’ve mentioned it.

5. Batman Begins – Ra’s al Ghul (AKA Ducard) and the Scarecrow use the microwave emitter they stole from Wayne Enterprises to vaporize all the water in Gotham City, thus making people inhale the toxin contained therein. A creative idea, to be sure, except that human beings are 60-75% water (depending on age and other factors). So everybody in Gotham should be boiled to death in their own tissues.

4. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – The final, climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin rages all over and around the river of lava on Mustafar. Then it ends when Obi-Wan leaps onto the bank and tells Anakin he’s lost because Obi-Wan has the high ground. He turns out to be right, as Anakin leaps into Obi-Wans flashing lightsaber. Seriously, though, how does being on high ground matter when you’re both wizards who can levitate objects with your minds, leap incredibly high, and move astonishingly fast?

3. The Princess Bride – When the Brute Squad is cleaning up the Thieves’ Forest, Fezzik finds Inigo and nurses him back to sobriety. He tells him about Vizzini’s death and, more importantly, about “the existence of Count Rugen, the six-fingered man.” That’s great, except… how does Fezzik know Rugen is the six-fingered man? We see Westley notice Rugen’s extra digit, but he’s knocked out and taken directly to the Pit of Despair, so he clearly had no chance to tell Fezzik. And even if Fezzik had seen Rugen, is it really likely he’d have noticed? Fezzik isn’t that bright or that observant. (Incidentally, I looked this bit up in the book, and it doesn’t explain how Fezzik knew, either.)

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - This is a problem in the book as well, but it’s in the movie so it counts. Barty Crouch, Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, arranges for the Triwizard Cup to be a portkey to take Harry to the graveyard in Little Hangleton so that he can be used to bring Voldemort back to life and then killed. He’s in the guise of a teacher at the school, so he had any number of opportunities to make a portkey out of, well, pretty much anything that he could be sure Harry would touch — Harry’s schoolbooks, his shoes, whatever. It’s been argued that Voldemort wanted to keep his existence a secret and make it look like Harry perished during the task, but really, having Harry just disappear without a trace wouldn’t be any more suspicious. And, incidentally, why did he make the cup a two-way portkey? It’s been established that most portkeys are one-use, one-way only. Why not make this portkey one of those, so that Harry had no way to escape?

1. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – Once Luke starts to figure out that the silly-acting, funny-looking little creature he’s with is in fact Yoda, Yoda’s mood changes. He criticizes Luke (legitimately, it must be said) and argues that Luke shouldn’t be trained to be a Jedi. Obi-Wan has to argue with him to get him to change his mind. Really, though, what choice does Yoda have? He either trains Luke or… what? The Empire wins? Good plan, Jedi Master.

'Harry Potter' poised to pass 'Star Wars' as biggest franchise

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-11-17-potterboxoffice17_ST_N.htm

'Harry Potter' poised to pass 'Star Wars' as biggest franchise
11-17-10
Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter is near the end of his cinematic journey, but not before he casts more magic on the box office.

With the two-part Potter farewell —Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 opens Friday, with Part 2 following July 15 — almost here, analysts expect the boy wizard to anchor the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

And Part 2 doesn't even open until next summer.

"This is one of the greatest box office franchises in movie history," says Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo. "It's phenomenal they could maintain this level of business six movies in. That's nearly unheard of."

Analysts expect that Part 1 not only will enjoy the biggest debut in the series' history, but also propel the planned eight-film odyssey past Star Wars to become the highest-grossing franchise ever.

The George Lucas saga is king of the series heap, having raked in $1.9 billion domestically over six movies. But most observers say that by the end of Hallows' first-half run, the franchise — already at $1.7 billion — will force Star Wars down a peg.

"What's amazing to see is how consistent each film has been," says Jeff Bock of industry tracker Exhibitor Relations. "That's not just in quality, but also in terms of ticket sales."

Indeed, each series installment has averaged $285 million — steadiness matched only by Star Wars. According to Box Office Mojo, even James Bond is no match: Over 23 movies, 007 has earned $1.6 billion. Star Trek's 11 multiplex installments have beamed up $1 billion.

Analysts also expect Hallows to shatter the franchise's opening weekend record, which belongs to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which bowed to $103 million in 2005. Projections this weekend range from a $115 million to $125 million debut.

And that should come with less marketing muscle than other franchises require, Bock says.

"The books were so huge, you really don't have to tell people another Potter movie is coming," he says.

"Typically, when is book is off-the-charts successful — I think Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be huge — you get a big series along with it, because the fan base is going to turn out for both."

Gray says distributor Warner Bros. and filmmakers have relied on more than just the bespectacled wizard's name to lure fans.

"You have to credit them for not just riding the wave of the books," Gray says. "If people didn't like the movies, people wouldn't be standing in line overnight to get in."

This Fantasy League Gets a Stage in New York, for Real

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704300604575554492567311412.html
OCTOBER 25, 2010
This Fantasy League Gets a Stage in New York, for Real
Harry Potter's 'Quidditch' Game Grows Up; Making Do With Brooms That Don't Fly
JILIAN MINCER

Like freshman everywhere, Xander Manshel and his Middlebury College classmates found themselves in their first year of college pondering some of life's biggest mysteries—like how to play Quidditch if you can't, like Harry Potter, fly?

The solution: race around in capes and goggles with broomsticks between your legs, while shooting balls through mounted hula hoops. Their version of the game, first played in 2005, was modeled on matches described in J.K. Rowling's novels.

"Quidditch was this bridge between the fantasy world of the books and the more concrete world of college," says Mr. Manshel, who has graduated and now teaches English. "For us [playing] was a way to have both."

But now Harry has grown-up—and so has the sport. There are tournaments, new rules and special brooms for competitive play. The "Quidditch World Cup" is moving this year to the Big Apple from Middlebury's idyllic campus. More than 60 college and high school teams have registered to compete Nov. 13 and 14—up from 20 last year—at a park in Manhattan.

"Our hope is that it will be a real coming out party for the league," says Alex Benepe—one of the sport's founders and president of the newly formed nonprofit International Quidditch Association. It's now played at hundreds of schools, he says.

But just as Harry experienced growing pains, so has the "muggle" version of the game. (Muggle is the books' term for nonmagical people.) Some players want it to become more serious—with coaches, training and cuts to make the team. Others prefer to retain its innocence and inclusiveness, even for the un-athletic.

The game is "organized, but has a free spirit," says Kate Olen, a senior at Middlebury and its Quidditch commissioner. Initially, the game was more popular with Potter fanatics, but now, "more athletes are coming up," she says.

Valerie Fischman, who plays Quidditch at the University of Maryland, would like to see it go much further. She's been finding out what needs to be done to get the sport NCAA status. That, she says, could "be a stepping stone" to becoming an Olympic sport.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association says typically 40 to 50 schools need to sponsor a varsity sport for it to consider sponsoring a national championship. The most recent sport to gain such status: women's bowling.

Calls to Ms. Rowling's literary agent in London weren't returned. The Quidditch group doesn't have a licensing agreement with the author but has invited her to this year's and previous World Cup championships.

Kristen Howarth, 23, who founded a Quidditch team with her twin sister at Texas A&M, says initially there were snide comments from other organizations on campus. But they say it's gaining acceptance. "Some people still think it's a joke, but when they watch it, they're shocked at how physical it is," says Aimee Howarth.

She worries that if it gets too intense, it might lose some of its whimsical roots. "It's good to be competitive, but we need to keep in some of our original values," she says.

The co-ed game isn't for the timid—pushing, tripping and some tackling is allowed. New rules are designed to prevent some of the broken bones that occurred at last year's World Cup.

Ziang Chen, a sophomore at Purdue University, started a team there last year after seeing videos of the sport. "When I saw how brutal the sport is, I thought I would like to try it," says the former high school football player.

Some see a niche business. A company called Alivan's sells brooms including the "Scarlet Falcon" for $59 and the "Sienna Storm" for $79. Its website says the company "is proud to provide the official broomsticks of Intercollegiate Quidditch." It also notes its brooms "do not fly."

With the World Cup moving to Manhattan, says Will Bellaimey, 22, a former Middlebury player, "We're bringing the championship to the biggest stage in the world."

President of the sport's association, Alex Benepe, says he hopes the World Cup will be a 'coming out party' for the league.
Indeed, Brant Herman, waiting recently to play baseball at Manhattan's DeWitt Clinton Park, wondered why the tournament was going to be held there rather than "closer to Times Square"—the theater district.

His teammate John Hamilton didn't mind that the tournament would be taking place there, "as long as there are no broken brooms left on the field."

At this year's event, there will be owls and wizards on the sidelines, as in previous years, but also entertainers, some more used to performing in subways. Teams registered range from Ivy League Yale to football powerhouse Ohio State. Some get school funding, while others are unofficial squads, scrambling to find equipment.

When New York University sophomore Sarah Landis heard the championship was coming to New York, she decided it was time to get a team going. More than 60 students attended the first meeting, she says.

"We all secretly wanted to play this sport since we read about it" in the books, says Ms. Landis, who found $3 brooms at a Halloween store near the campus.

On a recent Sunday, more than 50 students, one in a cape, lined up for Middlebury's weekly Quidditch practice. A few dressed all in yellow because they played the role of the "Golden Snitch"—which in the books is a winged ball that usually needs to be caught to end the game.

There's nostalgia on campus about the World Cup, which drew about 2,000 people last year. "It's like being an empty nester," says Anika James, 21, a Middlebury player. "We've seen it grow beyond our borders, but it's sad too."

Soon, Mr. Benepe, of the Quidditch organization, will get the spray-painted plastic trophy cup out of a Middlebury storage closet. (The winning team gets its name written on the cup with a Sharpie pen.)

The group is selling T-shirts and collecting team-entrance fees and donations to raise the roughly $20,000 it says is needed for the tournament. Long term, Mr. Benepe wants to focus on getting students of all ages to play.

But could popularity make the Quidditch magic disappear? Mr. Benepe doesn't think so.

"A lot of sports" he says, have "become more like work. Quidditch is just about playing a game. It's just about having fun."

Write to Jilian Mincer at jilian.mincer@dowjones.com

Harry Potter's Butterbeer Recipe Uncovered?

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/07/02/harry-potters-butterbeer-recipe-uncovered/

Harry Potter's Butterbeer Recipe Uncovered?
July 02, 2010

Got butterbeer?

Harry Potter fans are all abuzz about butterbeer, and they've got the foamy mustaches to prove it.

The cold and creamy, frothy drink is the most popular food item at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, according to Universal spokesman Tom Schroder, with visitors lining up to try it.

"Then they would walk around and have this mustache on," said Sabrina Sampson, 11, of Richmond, Va., who described the drink as tasting "like cream soda. It was somewhat thick, and it was really sweet, and then it got salty as you swallowed it, like butterscotch."

Schroder said that about half the visitors to The Wizarding World sample butterbeer.

"There may be no bigger product launch smash this year than butterbeer," WalletPop.com said.

"It's interesting that one small thing they can sell for a few dollars is getting as much attention as the rides," said Gabe Travers, who reviewed the park for WESH.com, the NBC affiliate in the Orlando area.

Immediately after The Wizarding World's June 18 opening, butterbeer was one of the most searched-for terms on the Internet. A butterbeer recipe on MuggleNet.com got 3,445 hits when the park opened, up from an average 350 daily views before the opening, according to MuggleNet.com spokesman Andrew Sims. Now the recipe is averaging 1,200 daily views.

Even DISboards.com, a site for fans of Disney World, has a separate thread for comments related to Universal's butterbeer.

Universal would not release its butterbeer recipe, but press materials describe the drink as "reminiscent of shortbread and butterscotch."

In the Harry Potter books, butterbeer appears to have an inebriating effect, and some older online recipes include butterscotch schnapps, but the Universal version is nonalcoholic. In Bon Appetit's January 2002 issue, author J.K. Rowling was asked what butterbeer tastes like, and she said: "I made it up. I imagine it to taste a little bit like less sickly butterscotch."

The version sold at The Wizarding World was tasted and approved by Rowling herself.

"Everyone knows butterbeer was approved by J.K. Rowling, so people want to taste it and see if their tastebuds match up," said Travers.

Visitors to the park see a large wooden barrel that bears the word "BUTTERBEER" as soon as they enter, and they can buy it from a street cart and inside The Three Broomsticks restaurant and Hog's Head pub.

Butterbeer is sold in two varieties, regular and frozen, but many people buy both. "There are some two-fisted butterbeer moments happening," said Schroder. The consensus among online fans appears to be that the frozen version is more delicious.

The drink is drawn from a tap, like a beer, and the dense, whipped topping is added from a separate tap. It's served in cups, about $3 ($4 for frozen) for a disposable cup and about $10 ($11 for frozen) for a hard plastic souvenir stein.

Travers said if he were trying to make the drink at home, he'd "start with a good cream soda." The hard part, he said, would be the topping: "It tastes like a Werther's caramel candy but the foam had the consistency of a dairy or latte type of foam. It's pretty dense; it floats on top."

Robert Lima of Warwick, R.I., who says he still loves "all that is Harry Potter" even though he's 24 years old, tried butterbeer a week after the park opened and described it as "frosty magical goodness!"

But Sabrina Sampson had one small reservation: "It was too sweet to chug down, but it was good for the first five sips or so."
----------
No need to travel to Hogsmeade (or to Universal Orlando) to get a taste of Harry Potter's butterbeer. Universal isn't giving out its recipe, but we've created an easy version of the formerly fictional drink made famous by the young wizard.

BUTTERBEER

Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)

Servings: 4

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

'Harry Potter' movie stars help christen Wizarding World

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-06-17-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter_N.htm

'Harry Potter' movie stars help christen Wizarding World
6-17-10
Magical: The stars of the Harry Potter movies were among the hundreds in attendance at Hogwarts Castle for Wednesday's fireworks show to kick off the theme park's grand opening celebration.
Jennifer Sangalang, Special for USA TODAY

ORLANDO — When you enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, you really do enter the world of Harry Potter.

"Bloody hell!" says Matthew Lewis when asked to describe it.

Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, was at Islands of Adventure this week for opening festivities; the attraction officially opens today.

He was joined by castmates including Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore).

"I did actually love the Dragon Challenge," Radcliffe said Thursday during a news conference. "The technology they're using in this is really quite amazing."

The Dragon Challenge features a Chinese Fireball coaster and a Hungarian Horntail coaster. It includes twists, upside-down loops and a free-fall that probably is just a second, but feels like 10.

Radcliffe and the other Harry Potter actors are featured via video in parts of the attraction.

Grint's favorite part?

"The castle. I just can't stop looking at it."

Neither could most of the guests. Stepping into the castle is like stepping onto a movie set — or into the actual Hogwarts. And the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, though not an actual roller coaster, feels like one. The visual effects are stunning and a little scary. (Ever been breathed on by a Dementor?)

Bob Sehlinger, theme park enthusiast and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011, offers insight into what makes the ride so realistic.

The cutting-edge technology Universal used for the ride includes the Kuka Arm, a high-tech robotic device, and Musion Eyeliner, a high-definition video-projection system that creates 3-D holograms. The Kuka Arm, says Sehlinger, swoops and moves in any direction. The arm usually is a fixed platform. Universal, however, made it mobile.

"In Forbidden Journey, these things are mounted on track vehicles — little trains, so to speak. (They) move you from scene to scene. It's never been attempted" at a theme park, Sehlinger says.

The Musion Eyeliner's life-size holograms are used in the chambers where the story is introduced. It brings the characters to life, Sehlinger adds.

Sehlinger says J.K. Rowling, the best-selling author who created Harry Potter, signed off on everything at the attraction, from the food served in the restaurants to the drinks and merchandise.

"She vetoed serving any kind of Coke product," Sehlinger says. "So Wizarding World has its own special Harry Potter-themed foods and beverages."

Like butterbeer, which comes in frozen and fountain varieties. It tastes like a light cola with whipped cream on top.

Visitor Katie Cross of Flagstaff, Ariz., was especially taken with the food. "I'm a big candy freak, so I love Honeydukes."

For theme park guests unfamiliar with the Potter hoopla, Sehlinger suggests brushing up on the topic before you go.

"There's just so much iconography from the films," he said. "It's just more meaningful if you know a bit about Harry Potter."

But even if you don't, "if you're going just to ride a roller coaster, you won't be disappointed," he says. "It's a great coaster."

Sangalang reports for Florida Today.

Read the books and seen the films? Now visit Harry Potter’s world

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7132521.ece

The Times May 21, 2010
Read the books and seen the films? Now visit Harry Potter’s world
Jane Knight

Professor Dumbledore is speaking to me in his study, the Hogwarts headmaster’s holographic projection so real that I feel I can touch it. The corridors of the school for wizards are lined with talking portraits, the final chamber filled with floating candles, and Harry Potter himself appears, urging me to follow him on a magical journey.

I am on a preview of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the latest attraction at Universal Orlando Resort, in Florida, which opens its gates to muggles, or those of us with no magical powers, on June 18. And from the minute that this particular muggle strolls through the village of Hogsmeade, I feel as if I am walking through J.K. Rowling’s imagination.

Although Rowling has not yet visited the Wizarding World she has been consulted on the finest details. With her input, people who created the films, including the production designer Stuart Craig and the art director Alan Gilmore, have spent three years translating them into an extraordinary experience. “Authenticity is paramount for us,” says Gilmore, pointing out that with the use of perspective, they have been able to make Hogwarts castle look even more imposing than its height of “several hundred” feet.

Although there are, perhaps disappointingly, only three rides in the 20acre park, the queueing system has been imaginatively designed to make it part of the enjoyment. It is a long journey through, and makes you wonder just how long the queues will be, although Universal says that they should be no longer than an hour.

So on the way to Dragon Challenge, a revamped ride previously called Duelling Dragons, I walk past both the original crashed Ford Anglia from the film and the Nimbus 2000 broomstick flown by Daniel Radcliffe and into the world of the Triwizards Cup tournament. Then I take my place on one of two intertwining rollercoasters where, at speeds approaching 60mph, we seem to come close to crashing before being flipped into mid-air.

The only part of the Wizarding World that I am not allowed to see is the final part of the signature ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which starts with the Hogwarts tour. Universal is keen to keep this under wraps for now because it uses a novel sequence of animatronics, robotics and the latest technology as riders fly over Hogwarts to a Quidditch match and an encounter with the happiness-sucking Dementors.

The ride and the park are due to open from May 28 — for the first three weeks exclusively to those booked with the Wizarding World’s official travel company, Virgin Holidays, which has also secured complimentary breakfast in the Three Broomsticks. It is in this atmospheric pub that I sip my first Butterbeer, the wizards’ brew that magically retains its froth until the last mouthful.

“It is a secret recipe; the formula is locked in a safe,” says Ric Florell, Universal’s senior vice-president, who is proud of the theme-park fare. At Honeydukes sweet shop, I sample a particularly nasty onion variety of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean.

Down the street, at Ollivanders (Hogsmeade branch), where wands are stacked higgledy-piggledy up to the ceiling, the wandmaker picks someone from the audience to help to enact the scene in which Harry Potter is chosen by his wand. The shop, though, can only hold about 30 people and you can imagine how devastated children will be if they are not the one singled out by the wandmaker.

You can buy a wand, a broomstick or a Sneakoscope to test for dark magic among an array of merchandise — though it will cost you a fortune — or just stare at the mesmerising shop window displays. You can also send letters with a Hogsmeade cancellation in the Owl Post.

In this magical land, even the toilets have been given a touch of imagination: echoing through them is the plaintive wail of the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, who haunts the Hogwarts girls’ lavatory.

Homer Simpson Named the Top Pop Culture Character of the Last 20 Years

http://www.b2cmarketinginsider.com/trends-news/homer-simpson-named-the-top-pop-culture-character-of-the-last-20-years-0283

June 1, 2010
Homer Simpson Named the Top Pop Culture Character of the Last 20 Years

In a recent double issue, Homer Simpson beat out Harry Potter and was named the top TV and movie character of the last twenty years by Entertainment Magazine. This should come as no surprise as since The Simpsons debuted on Fox in 1989, the show has generated over $2.5 billion in revenue making it one of the top TV brands of all-time. The Simpsons has been merchandized on everything from clothing to video games to even toothpaste yet their popularity has not suffered from overexposure.

Not only has The Simpsons been entertaining fans for over 20 years but it has also changed our culture. In 2001, “Doh” which was made famous by Homer Simpson, was added to the dictionary. In 2007, the Simpsons clan made their big screen debut with “The Simpsons Movie”, which drew in over $527 million in box office receipts worldwide. In 2008, Universal Studios Theme Parks opened a new 3D attraction based on the loveable family from Springfield.

The strength of The Simpsons’ brand also carries over into the web as online advertising rates for episodes of The Simpsons on Hulu demand a higher rate than its television counterpart.

The Top 10 TV and Movie Characters of the Last 20 Years:

1.Homer Simpson
2.Harry Potter
3.Buffy the Vampire Slayer (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar)
4.Tony Soprano
5.The Joker (played by Heath Ledger)
6.Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston on Friends)
7.Edward Scissorhands
8.Hannibal Lecter
9.Carrie Bradshaw
10.Spongebob Squarepants

Harry Potter: 'invisibility cloak' prototype created by scientists

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7477954/Harry-Potter-invisibility-cloak-prototype-created-by-scientists.html

Harry Potter: 'invisibility cloak' prototype created by scientists
A prototype "invisibility cloak", similar to those worn by fictional wizard Harry Potter, has been developed by European scientists.
Andrew Hough
19 Mar 2010

An invisibility cloak, as worn by Harry Potter, could soon become a reality. British and German researchers have created the three-dimensional that can hide objects by bending light waves, which could pave the way for larger objects to be made invisible.

While the cloak of invisibility has played a major role in fiction and movies, it appears that scientists have taken a small, but important new step, toward making it reality.

In their study, researchers from the German Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Imperial College London used the cloak, made using photonic crystals with a structure resembling piles of wood, to conceal a small bump on a gold surface.

In their study, published Thursday in the American journal Science, they rendered almost entirely invisible the bump that measured 0.00004 inches high by 0.00005 inches across, by "cloaking" it in a new material.

Invisibility cloaks have already been developed but they only worked on two dimensions.

In other words, the objects that were supposed to be made invisible were immediately visible from the third dimension, the study said.

The "cloak" invented by the European team is the first to work on three dimensions.

It is composed of special lenses that bend light waves to suppress light as it scattered from the tiny bump the researchers were trying to make disappear, the study says.

"For now these ... cloaking devices are just a beautiful and exciting benchmark to show what transformation optics can do," said Tolga Ergin, who led the research.

“This is very exciting, because mankind has always thought about being invisible or having invisibility cloaks.

"This is the first proof of principle. It shows that the technique works.

He added: "The value of the finding is that we learn more about the concepts of transformation optics, and that we have made a first step in producing 3-D structures in that field.”

He cautioned that it likely be years before anything as large as a person, car or tank could be made to disappear with this technique.

"There have been proposals in the field of transformation optics for different devices like beam concentrators, beam shifters, super antennas which concentrate light into one point from all directions, and much, much more," he said.

"It is really hard to say what the future will bring, but the field is definitely very broad and the possibilities are very large."

J.K. Rowling Writing A 'Political Fairy Tale'

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1616461/20090717/index.jhtml

Jul 17 2009
'Harry Potter' Author J.K. Rowling Writing A 'Political Fairy Tale'
'No one knows anything about it,' writer happily reports, following years of high expectations.
By Eric Ditzian

With its big-budget CGI effects, high-powered celebrity stars and massive appeal, it can be easy to forget that the "Harry Potter" film franchise owes its existence to the mind — and the typewriter — of a formerly unemployed single mother and first-time author named J.K. Rowling.

With the sixth film in the series, "Half-Blood Prince," crossing the $100 million worldwide-box-office mark after only one day in theaters, ABC News aired a special look into a year in Rowling's life, during which she finished work on the final "Potter" installment, "Deathly Hallows," and began to think about her future writing career in a post-Harry world.

"I've helpfully made the note for myself, 'This will need very serious planning,' " she laughed while sitting down to finish — on a laptop, this time — the seventh book in a hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, in November 2006.

This would prove to be the final stretch of 17 years of writing the books, and after tapping away and scrolling through some last electronic pages, she said with just a hint of a smile, "Yeah, I think I've finished."

"Some people will loathe it," she added. "They'll absolutely loathe it. But the thing is, that's as it should be, because for some people to love it, others must loathe it. That's just in the nature of the plot. Some people won't be happy because what they wanted to happen hasn't happened. And to an extent, there's so much expectation from the hardcore fans, I'm not sure I could ever match up to it. I'm actually really, really happy with it."

Rowling then played Lily Allen's song "Smile," added page numbers and eventually printed the manuscript and hand-delivered it to her publisher at London's Heathrow Airport on January 12, 2007.

After an extensive editing process and a meticulous marketing campaign, "Deathly Hallows" was released across the world on July 21. In 24 hours, 8 million copies were sold in the United States alone — 7,000 books a minute, as ABC News noted. The film version will be split into two separate movies, the first part appearing in November 2010 and the second in July 2011.

But Rowling has already moved on to another writing project, she said, "a story that I describe as a political fairy tale. And it's for slightly younger children. So I think that will probably be the next thing that I finish. I'm not in a mad hurry to publish. I would like to take my time."

"I've lived with deadlines for 10 years," Rowling continued. "And I'm currently able to luxuriate in the fact that no one's really expecting it, no one knows anything about it. I feel I've gone right back to the beginning where I was on [first 'Potter' book] 'Philosopher's Stone,' when it was my private world, and I'd really like to enjoy that sole possession for a while."

Science closing in on cloak of invisibility

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huUN2I3aClTUvnGsNgxKL0hBR4HAD95NPNO82

Science closing in on cloak of invisibility
1-15-9

WASHINGTON (AP) — They can't match Harry Potter yet, but scientists are moving closer to creating a real cloak of invisibility.

Researchers at Duke University, who developed a material that can "cloak" an item from detection by microwaves, report that they have expanded the number of wavelengths they can block.

In 2006 the team reported they had developed so-called metamaterials that could deflect microwaves around a three-dimensional object, essentially making it invisible to the waves.

The system works like a mirage, where heat causes the bending of light rays and cloaks the road ahead behind an image of the sky.

The researchers report in Thursday's edition of the journal Science that they have developed a series of mathematical commands to guide the development of more types of metamaterials to cloak objects from an increasing range of electromagnetic waves.

"The new device can cloak a much wider spectrum of waves — nearly limitless — and will scale far more easily to infrared and visible light. The approach we used should help us expand and improve our abilities to cloak different types of waves," senior researcher David R. Smith said in a statement.

The new cloak is made up of more than 10,000 individual pieces of fiberglass arranged in parallel rows. The mathematical formulas are used to determine the shape and placement of each piece to deflect the electromagnetic waves.

The research was supported by Raytheon Missile Systems, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, InnovateHan Technology, the National Science Foundation of China, the National Basic Research Program of China and National Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China.

On the Net:

Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

Bible is America's favorite book

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080408/lf_nm_life/reading_survey_dc

Bible is America's favorite book: poll
Tue Apr 8, 2008

When it comes to literary pursuits in the United States most people agree on at least one thing -- the most popular book is the Bible, according to a new survey.

It came in first in a Harris Poll of nearly 2,513 adults but the second choice in the survey was not as clear cut.

"While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a large difference in the number two favorite book," Harris said in a statement announcing the results.

Men chose J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and women selected Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book, according to the online poll.

But the second choice for 18- to 31-year-olds was J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, while 32- to 43-year-olds named Stephen King's "The Stand" and Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons."

Picks for second-favorite book also varied according to region. "Gone With the Wind" was number two in the southern and midwestern United States while easterners chose "The Lord of the Rings" and westerners opted for "The Stand."

Whites and Hispanics picked "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book after the Bible, while African-Americans preferred "Angels and Demons."

"Finally, they may not agree on candidates, but one thing that brings together partisans is their favorite book. For Republicans, Democrats and Independents, the top two books are the same -- the Bible followed by "Gone With the Wind."

Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger rounded out the top 10 favorites.

(Reporting by Julie Mollins; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Last 'Harry Potter' Film To Be Released in 2 Parts

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120541636975433351.html

Last 'Harry Potter' Film To Be Released in 2 Parts
By JOHN FLOWERS
March 13, 2008

Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Pictures will release its film adaption of the final "Harry Potter" book in two parts, saying doing so is necessary to stay true to the tome.

Part one of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will open during the holiday season of 2010, with part two to be released the following summer. The first five films in the series have grossed $4.5 billion globally. The sixth movie, based on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is due to be released in the U.S. on Nov. 21.

Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov said "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is "packed with vital plot points" and that "the best way to do the book, and its many fans, justice is to expand the screen adaptation."

David Yates, who directed last summer's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and currently helming "Half-Blood Prince" will direct both "Deathly Hallows" films.

The series, which first hit bookshelves in 1997, has hold some 400 million copies worldwide. "Deathly Hallows" was released last year and sold at a record-breaking initial rate.

Write to John Flowers at john.flowers@dowjones.com

Rowling Hints at Eighth Harry Potter Book

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2007/12/rowling-hints-a.html

Rowling Hints at Eighth Harry Potter Book
By Lewis Wallace
December 30, 2007

We already know J.K. Rowling can craft a franchise. Now the writer who turned the seven-book Harry Potter series into a money-minting machine reminds us that she's a master at generating publicity. Just two months after cranking up the PR machine with the revelation that Potter wizard Dumbledore was gay, she tells the Daily Mail she's considered revisiting the supposedly finished franchise.

"There have been times since finishing, weak moments, when I've said, 'Yeah, all right' to the eighth novel," she told the British publication. "If -- and it's a big if -- I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story. But these are big ifs. Let's give it 10 years."

Oh, and in the meantime, she's working on a "political fairy tale" and a novel for adults (in between superproductive brainstorming sessions with her publicity team).

'Harry Potter' prevails, wands down

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2007-12-26-year-in-review-potter_N.htm?csp=34

Book of the year: 'Harry Potter' prevails, wands down
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

This year's choice had to be the final Harry Potter book. The reasons are as varied as the different wizards' wands found in Diagon Alley. There were the numbers: Hallows sold a record-breaking 11.5 million copies in the USA during its first 10 days on sale in July. Then there was the pre-publication hysteria: Would Harry die? Could the world's children — and a lot of adults — handle it? Was an early version posted on the Web the real thing? (Yes.) Months after the book's publication, Rowling triggered controversy by revealing that Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore was gay. The blogosphere went wild. But none of that matters. Hallows is the book of the year because Rowling gave her story an ending that was as graceful, unpredictable and satisfying as the series itself. She reaffirmed that magic can exist when someone opens a great book and enters a world created from words on paper. She made us believe that the imagination — like her own little wizard, now all grown up — still lives.

Colbert chosen AP Celebrity of the Year

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_en_ot/ye_celebrity_of_the_year

Colbert chosen AP Celebrity of the Year
By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer
Thu Dec 20, 2007

While most TV characters remain boxed inside the frames of our sets, Stephen Colbert has routinely injected his on-screen persona into everything from the presidential race to ice cream.

In 2007, the mock pundit on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" exceeded the influence of most real pundits, orchestrating an ill-fated (and Doritos-sponsored) run for president and topping the best-seller lists with his book "I Am America (And So Can You!)."

Colbert failed to get onto the primary ballot in his home state of South Carolina, dooming his hopes for the White House. And his show went 0-for-4 at the Emmy Awards, including an especially painful loss to Barry Manilow.

But Colbert did win one honor: He was voted AP Celebrity of the Year by newspaper editors and broadcast producers who said Colbert had the biggest impact on pop culture in 2007.

He finished just a nudge above J.K. Rowling, who authored the final book in her enormously popular "Harry Potter" series. Finishing third was Al Gore, whose year included an Oscar, an Emmy, a Nobel Peace Prize and the global concert Live Earth.

Voting was otherwise spread out across many entertainers, including pop star Britney Spears, "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus, rapper Kanye West, comedy director and producer Judd Apatow and country singer Kenny Chesney.

But it was the slight, bespectacled Colbert — his hair never ruffled, suits forever pressed — who dominated the year. Even from the relatively small stage of late-night cable TV, his satire spread into all corners of media and society — and for a few weeks made a mockery of the democratic system.

Colbert has declined interviews during the writers strike that has shuttered his show, but he told The Associated Press by e-mail:

"In receiving this award, I am pleased that I was chosen over two great spinners of fantasy — J.K. Rowling and Al Gore. It is truly an honor to be named the Associated Press' Celebrity of the Year. Best of all, this makes me the official front-runner for next year's Drug-Fueled Downward Spiral of the year. P.S. Look for my baby bump this spring!"

Julio Diaz, entertainment editor for the Pensacola News Journal, explained his vote for the faux newsman:

"Colbert is more than an entertainer, he's a force of nature," said Diaz. "He's influenced the way we look at the news and even the way we speak. Whenever a major news story breaks, one of my first thoughts is what Colbert's spin on the story will be."

Colbert began his year by facing off against his inspiration, Bill O'Reilly. In one afternoon, Colbert and the Fox News commentator traded guest appearances on each other's shows in an exchange Colbert called "a meeting of the guts."

The meeting had been anticipated since Colbert's 2005 debut of "The Report," a deadpan fun-house mirror held up to "The O'Reilly Factor" and other conservative news programs.

In early 2007, Colbert became the namesake of the new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor "Americone Dream." This followed in a tradition of naming things after Colbert, like the mascot for the Saginaw Spirit, an Ontario Hockey League team, "Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle."

While taping an episode on June 27, Colbert fell and broke his wrist — a minor event for most, but weeks of fodder for Colbert. The following month, he unveiled a "wrist awareness" campaign in which he urged anyone famous to wear a "WristStrong" bracelet (similar to Lance Armstrong's "LiveStrong" bands).

Showcasing his extremely detail-centric sense of humor, Colbert said on a September show: "If (Alan) Greenspan can do for my bracelets what he did for secured short-term lending through federal repurchasing agreements — can you imagine how great that would be?"

But Colbert's main act would be the run-up to his White House campaign and his ensuing bid for the nation's highest office. While promoting his new book, Colbert appeared on news programs and wrote a guest column for The New York Times mocking the dance many candidates go through before officially declaring their candidacy.

Colbert eventually announced on his program on Oct. 16, where he made it clear he aimed to parody everything about image-sensitive political campaigns. He appeared beforehand on "The Daily Show" sitting on a bale of hay and drinking a beer to show that he was an Average Joe.

The 43-year-old comedian jokingly suggested his ticket could read "Colbert-Huckabee," referring to former Arkansas governor Republican Mike Huckabee. Huckabee had made several appearances on "The Report" (making him a "friend of the show"). Huckabee's candidacy was then something of a joke; now he has zoomed to the top of the polls.

Colbert's announcement set off dialogue across the political landscape about the legitimacy of his candidacy and how he might impact the primaries.

Wrote New York Times columnist David Carr: "It is Mr. Colbert's ability to both mimic and amplify the tics of political convention and play them back with just a little more topspin that makes his satire so discomfiting."

Colbert said he would run only in his native South Carolina, but after he applied to get his name on the state's Democratic primary ballot (the Republican fee was too high), party officials voted 13-3 to keep Colbert off, claiming he "serves to detract from the serious candidates."

Soon thereafter, Colbert announced that he was withdrawing: "Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history — only 10 votes — I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle. It is time for this nation to heal."

Colbert's withdrawal may have been hastened by the Hollywood writers strike, which shut down production on "The Report" in early November. Comedy Central, which is owned by Viacom Inc., announced Thursday that both "The Report" and "The Daily Show" will return to the air on Jan. 7, with or without their writing staffs.

On his last episode of the year, Colbert said: "As you know, except for my 13 writers and production crew, I do this show single-handedly four nights a week. I'm also raising a family, promoting a book and, hey, two weeks ago I said, `Let's run for president.' I haven't gotten a wink since I blacked out talking to Tim Russert."

EW'S 2007 ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20152943_20153269_20161218_25,00.html

EW'S 2007 ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: J.K. ROWLING

It would be so easy to explain why J.K. Rowling is 2007's Entertainer of the Year with numbers, not words. The numbers, after all, are so much fun to tally and goggle at: $15 billion (the estimated total revenue generated by the Harry Potter industry); nearly 400 million (the number of Potter books sold worldwide); $4.49 billion (the total worldwide box office gross of the five Harry Potter films, allowing the series to zip past Star Wars and the James Bond films this summer to become the most lucrative movie franchise in history). And let's not forget 1, 2, 3, and 4: the places Rowling holds on the list of the fastest-selling books in the not-very-long history of measuring fast-selling books.

But Rowling never relied on mathematics to gun the motor of the 4,100-page narrative she brought across the finish line this year. So we suspect that she would dismiss the foregoing account as rather dull: Mugglish rather than magical. And although we now know that she is fond of uplifting, even sentimental endings (as long as the joy is qualified by the memory of sorrow and the sentimentality is honestly earned), at this point even she might find her own biography a bit too happily-ever-after; you know, the one that begins in the early 1990s with a young single mother banging away at a manuscript in Scottish cafés, wondering if she could turn her idea into something.

So we'll keep it simple: J.K. Rowling is our Entertainer of the Year because she did something very, very hard, and she did it very, very well, thus pleasing hundreds of millions of children and adults very, very much. In an era of videogame consoles, online multiplayer ''environments,'' and tinier-is-better mobisodes, minisodes, and webisodes, she got people to tote around her big, fat old-fashioned printed-on-paper books as if they were the hottest new entertainment devices on the planet. Let's also credit her for one more thing.

What she spent the last 17 years creating turned out to be completely original. Several years ago, when Rowling's series started to get popular enough to attract attention from the kind of critics who don't usually grapple with popular fiction, she was practically smothered in faint praise that evolved into a low drone of condescension as time went on. Of course, the books are skillful, went the murmurs, but really, isn't this woman merely an adept pickpocket, someone who's synthesized a little bit of Tolkien and a dash of C.S. Lewis and some Lloyd Alexander and a wealth of British-boarding-school stories into a marketable but derivative new package?

No. As it turns out, the Harry Potter books are much richer than their progression from lightness to darkness, from childhood to adulthood, from the episodic simplicity of chapter-books to the heft and sweep of epic novels, and in their constant, book-by-book recalibration of what their readers were prepared to absorb, they've proven unlike anything else in a century of children's literature. Can there be any remaining doubt that Rowling meant every word when she said, some time back, that she planned every aspect of her story ''so carefully I sometimes feel as though my brain is going to explode''? The planning clearly paid off, not only in the blossoming of the books into a worldwide cross-cultural phenomenon but in the widespread declarations that greeted the July publication of volume 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, that Rowling had created something timeless, a tale that children would read 25 and 50 years from now.

Timelessness is nice, as far as it goes (although it's an awfully hard assertion to prove before any actual time has passed). But as a compliment, it fails to give Rowling her due for something just as tricky: timeliness. The most enduring works of fantasy fiction have always begun by being firmly rooted in their own moment, not by shooting for immortality. A century ago, when L. Frank Baum was writing his books about Dorothy Gale and the land of Oz, the contrast between a windblown, uneventful, monochromatic world of middle American farmland and the exoticism and magic and horror and danger of cities that seemed impossibly far away didn't require a leap of imagination for his readers; they were living it. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia were both forged in the fire of World War II; the notion that the fate of the world was at stake in an epic battle between good and evil, and the explicit connection between wickedness and a deranging lust for power, was as alive in the newspapers as it was in the stories they told. And George Lucas' first Star Wars trilogy dovetailed so neatly with the rhetoric that marked the final years of the Cold War that politicians of every stripe continue to appropriate it. Not only has Hillary Clinton referred to Dick Cheney as Darth Vader, but President Bush has suggested that the vice president doesn't even require a costume for the impersonation.

To see how apt a product of our era the Harry Potter books are, you have to take the series apart a little before putting it back together. Now that the long-awaited last words (''All was well'') are official, Harry's saga seems like one 7-volume novel (especially since it's been repackaged in a mammoth faux-Hogwarts-trunk cardboard box; look for a sudden spike in parental lower-back injuries around Christmastime). But the Potter books really read as two distinct trilogies — the first one episodic, light-spirited, and aimed largely at children, and the second, much longer and darker one designed for a general fantasy audience that includes both adults and kids and demands a more sustained attention span and a willingness to grapple with the kind of horror that can't be wanded away by spells and charms. Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is the sinew that connects the first trio of books to the second; it's the one that starts with a long, larky trip to the Quidditch World Cup that turns nightmarish, and concludes with a chapter tellingly entitled ''The Beginning,'' a road sign letting readers know that they are about to be taken into a tougher, grimmer, more frightening place.

The first four Harry Potter volumes arrived in U.S. bookstores at a breakneck pace between September 1998 and July 2000. And then, after ''The Beginning,'' came a wait that tested legions of faithful readers: three years. Rowling keeps most details of her plotting process in her own chamber of secrets, unveiling the occasional tantalizing nugget about her decision-making on her website or during an interview or public appearance, but rarely getting specific. Like any terrific storyteller, she knows the value of leaving certain things untold. So unless she decides to spill the many-flavored beans herself, all we can do is guess what happened. Three years bisected by 9/11; three years during which Rowling remarried and had an actual, nonfictional son of her own; three years spent toiling on an installment of her saga so long that she admitted it drained her energy.

The result was a book that ushered readers, even her youngest ones, into a sadder, bleaker fantasy world to match the real one in which they were by then already living. The final three books are bloodier, more wrenching, and more explicit in their parallels to and reflections of the Bush/Blair landscape (book 6 even begins with the Muggle prime minister brooding while England sleeps), and more intense in their depiction of the cost of war. Given Rowling's outspoken progressivism (of which the outing of Dumbledore is only the most recent manifestation), that shift in emphasis can't have been an accident. While cultural commentators of all varieties were busy arguing about the definition of the ''post-9/11 novel,'' Rowling was putting them right under our noses. Six years on, the first generation of kids to grow up with 9/11 as just another bewildering fact of life is now entering high school. It's not a stretch to say that their ideas about war, about leadership, about the dangers of consolidation of power and of dictatorship, about the importance of dissent, and about heroism and sacrifice, have been shaped at least in part by Rowling. Not to mention their concept of freedom of speech. When her novels make their annual appearances on lists of the most frequently banned books in America, she calls it a great honor and tells the kids who visit her website of Ralph Waldo Emerson's credo ''Every burned book enlightens the world.''

None of which would be as much of an accomplishment if the books weren't also such enthralling fun. Rowling's writing is distinguished by its great and sustained generosity — toward her readers and her characters — and the books she spent so long creating are entertaining enough to satisfy anybody who reads them in order to flee the cares of the everyday world, even if what looks like a chance to disapparate ultimately lands us in a universe very much like the one we were trying to escape. As odd as it may sound, Rowling is a realist. Even when the incantations are flying (not to mention the people), she stays focused on the humanness of what she's writing about: the cost of pride and stubbornness and vanity, the toll of living in fear, the ache of loss, the search for home, the pain of holding a lifelong secret, the need to be loved, the quest to find out who you truly are. Maybe timelessness isn't such a bad word after all.

We'd be remiss if we didn't credit some supporting players in this the ultimate year of Potter, notably audiobook master Jim Dale, the only man in the world whose claim to have read every word of all seven books is factually provable; producer David Heyman, who has managed the rare feat of making a movie series that has improved with time (director David Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg's distillation of the gargantuan Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix this year was particularly adroit); and Daniel Radcliffe, who has turned out to be as creditable an embodiment of Harry as anyone could wish. But we're sure they'd admit they owe it all to Jo Rowling. ''J.K.,'' by the way, is the remnant of her British publisher's fear that boys might not want to read an adventure book by a woman, an idea that truly does seem to belong to a previous century.

And now, perhaps we'll leave her alone for a while. Rowling has said that she's working on a couple of new ideas — one for children, one not. ''The idea of just wandering off to a café with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for a while is just bliss,'' she remarked in July. So if you happen to be walking by a coffeehouse in Scotland anytime soon and you spot a 42-year-old blond woman with a pen, a pad, and an expression of intense concentration, do her a favor and don't interrupt her. She knows what she's doing. All is well. —Mark Harris