The Construction of Shell Cottage

The Western Telegraph reported today on construction, which began this weekend on 'Shell Cottage', with the set location being on the stunning Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire. As filming for the Deathly Hallows is scheduled to take place between May 11th and May 15th, work is well underway on building the Cottage which will play home to newlyweds Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

......the location of the cottage is protected by the Fidelius Charm with the secret keeper being none other than Remus Lupin. As you may remember from the book, Shell Cottage is the setting for some rather poignant moments in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and from these pictures you can imagine just how beautiful and befitting Shell Cottage will be.

Half-Blood Prince Sweepstakes!!

For those of you eagerly awaiting the next Harry Potter installment, just imagine attending the London World Premiere! Well, those thoroughly decent chaps at Warner Bros are running a sweepstake that will give one extremely lucky fan and their guest the opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars and be amongst the first to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on the Tuesday 7th July 2009 in London. The sweepstake is only applicable for US residents..... so don't forget to enter and the best of luck from hp4u!!!

Bloomsbury's Rowling Reissue!

Bloomsbury Publishing have announced that they will be reissuing the popular Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages. The books, scheduled for release on 31st July 2009, will feature striking new cover artwork and once again will be raising money for the Comic Relief Charity.

Originally published in March 2001, the two companion books will be returning to our stores bigger and better with additional pages featuring the original illustrations. A Bloomsbury Spokesman explained the decision to reissue the books was based on the fact that, "....there are always new Harry Potter readers coming to the series each year who will be looking for other exciting things to read", (Bookseller.com).

Slew of New Potter Related Articles on the Web

Harry Potter related articles have recently sprung up all over the web, and you can read some of them by clicking on the links below:

MTV on HBP, IGN on DH, Telegraph Emma Watson interview, Daily Record Dan Radcliffe interview, USA Today

Enjoy!

A Few Pics
Just a few pictures captured from yesterday's jaunt.
Enjoy!

London Piccadilly filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A rare chance for the public to see live filming of Daniel, Rupert and Emma took place last night in the heart of London's piccadilly.The huge operation to close down several streets involved hundreds of cast, crew, security and Police teams. Action took place at several locations, including Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Circus, Flitcroft street and Great Windmill Street. The action being filmed was that of Summer night scenes, with the trio running through London towards a cafe and exiting the underground, including:

Scene No. 41 part EXT PICCADILLY / SHAFTESBURY AVENUE
Scene No. 44 EXT LONDON STREET
Scene No. 42 EXT ALLEYWAY – OFF SHAFTESBURY AVENUE

Some great shots were being filmed with David Yates present to take in famous London landmarks and a total of 558 extras where drafted to add to the buzzing atmosphere as the trio ran from the ever present threat of the Deatheater's, with Hermione clutching her magical beaded handbag. Extras included: 2 x Rickshaw peddlers, 2 x Cycle couriers, 2 x Party Girls, 1 x Lipstick Lady, 1 x Drunken man, 1 x Teddy Bear man, 493 x mixed Passers by, 35 x mixed Passing car drivers, 15 x mixed London Taxi drivers, 5 x men London Bus Drivers, 1 x man Limo Driver.

As one of the assistant Directors commented 'scenes like these are worth the planning and effort on everyone's behalf as they capture much more than filming in a studio ever could'. Quite a lot of action vehicles were used to create a perfect backdrop as the trio hurried along the streets to keep special effects to a minimum, including:35 x passing cars, 15 x London taxis, 5 x London buses (3 with identical signage), 1 x Police stunt car, 6 x Passing stunt cars, 1 x Limo, 2 x Rickshaws.

Lets hope the scenes were worth all the effort!!

HQ Versions of HBP Action Banners

Warner Bros. has released some lovely HQ action banners from Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince, and you can see them here:

DH Epilogue to Feature Original Actors

Potter Producer David Heyman has confirmed during an interview with MTV News that the epilogue for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be filmed using the movie's original actors rather than replacing them with older lookalikes. I don't know about you, but I'm rather relieved to hear this! To read the full article, click here.

HBP Trailer Screencaps Online

MTV has posted a collection of screencaps from the new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer, and you can see them by clicking here.

New HBP Trailer Now Online

Warner Bros. new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has now been released, and you can watch it here, courtesy of HPANA. Enjoy!

USA Today Features HBP Article with Slideshow

While waiting for the release of the new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer later this evening, you can have a look at a few new images from the movie on USA Today's website. Simply click here to see their slideshow. Enjoy!

HBP to be Released Two Days Early

Warner Bros. has just confirmed that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released in movie theatres in the USA on Wednesday July 15th, rather than Friday July 17th 2009 as previously announced.

New HBP Trailer Scheduled for Release on Thursday

Here is something good to look forward to: according to this official announcement from Warner Brothers, a brand new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled to be released this coming Thursday. Bring it on!

Behind the Scenes Doc.
Ben Shepard (GMTV) has announced that he's been collaborating on a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince behind the scenes documentary. The piece is going to be aired later in the year on ITV.
"I've done documentaries for the last three films and got to know everybody really well, and they finally said: 'Come on and give it a go'."

HBP Article in Total Film Magazine

There is a great new article on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in the May issue of Total Film Magazine, containing interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, David Yates and David Heyman, and you can read it online by clicking here.

Enjoy!