Universal on Ollivander's Shop
From the press release, we're given an idea of what we'll find at the upcoming Harry Potter World:
"With the assistance of a live actor, along with amazing special effects, guests of Ollivanders will get to experience the same type of magical moment Harry had in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” when a wand ”chooses them.”
"When guests visit Ollivanders, they will instantly feel like they’re in the shop from the films. It’s an intimate, single-windowed building, with the same signs, colors and other details read about in the books and seen in the films,” said Alan Gilmore, art director of the Harry Potter films and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. “But more importantly, visitors to Ollivanders will experience for themselves the magical moment that forever changed Harry’s life.”

In addition to the magic featured in Ollivanders, guests will experience many other magical happenings at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including a Howler featured in the Owl Post shop front window whose ranting can be heard by guests as they pass by; The Monster Book of Monsters in Dervish and Banges that will snarl and growl at anyone who tries to get too close, and the Hog’s Head which can be seen puffing his jowls at visitors who visit the Hogshead pub.

Pick Up Your Paper
Be sure to pick up your copy of USA Today today (28th of January issue). Why? Because in this issue, will be a 'Map' to give you a different look at the upcoming theme park dedicated to the Harry Potter World. It's called 'augmented reality experience. The following is written:

It'll let you "take a closer look at this 20-acre magnificently themed environment from all sides and angles. Hogwarts castle will appear before your eyes. Hold the map closer to your webcam and explore Hogsmeade and see the Hogwarts Express. Blow on your computer’s microphone and the banners on the map will wave."
All that's required to use this is a webcam and your map, through USA Today.
For info from USA Today (instructions), go HERE.
Enjoy!

WB To Purchase HP Studios
The Financial Times has reported that WB is heading up to purchase Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England, after finishing the HP films. As everyone knows, Leavesden has been used since the beginning for all the Harry Potter movies.

The following was reported as well:
"The proposal also includes a plan to allow members of the public to visit, by appointment, the sets of films made at Leavesden, including the Great Hall from the Harry Potter series."

Warner Brothers has also put out a statement including the following:
"Hey Potter Fans! WB is making a move to aquire and expand Leavesden Studios outside of London - the home of the "Harry Potter" films!"

Harry Potter: The Exhibition Extended in Boston
There is a new press release online stating that:

The Museum of Science, Boston is pleased to announce that it will extend its East Coast premiere run of Harry Potter: The Exhibition by one week. Due to its popularity, the exhibit, which was originally set to end its run on February 21, will now remain open until February 28, 2010. To meet demand for tickets during February school vacation weeks in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the Museum will also offer special extended exhibit hours:

• Saturday, February 13 through Saturday, February 20, Harry Potter: The Exhibition and Museum exhibit halls are open 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Sunday, February 21 through Thursday, February 25, hours are: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday, February 26: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Saturday, February 27 – Sunday, February 28: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The extended run will give New England fans their last chance to step inside the famous wizard’s magical world before the exhibition moves to its next location, the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, Canada. The Museum of Science is the only New England location on the exhibit’s tour.

Potter team back in town!

Calling all fans in the Berkshire area. Filming will be taking place once again very soon in Swinley Forest. If you're in the position to pop along and check out the progress of the sets then send us a quick note so we can direct and give you further info.
We'll have more news in the coming weeks but what we can confirm is the area will be prepared for a night shoot, kicking off towards the end of Feb for one week.

The only Actor we can confirm as yet to be filming is Matt Lewis (Neville) but of course there will be more and we'll also keep you posted what scenes are scheduled to be shot.

Half-Blood Prince Nominated for Many Awards
A few weeks ago it was revealed that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was long-listed for six BAFTA awards. The full list of nominees is now online and Half-Blood Prince has been nominated in the following 2 categories:

• Production Design (Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan)
• Special Visual Effects (John Richardson, Tim Burke, Tim Alexander, Nicolas Aithadi)

The movie was also nominated for a Visual Effects Society award in Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Feature Motion Picture for the 8th annual VES awards.

Next, the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack was nominated in the Classic FM Film Music of the Year Award and you can vote for it, here!

Lastly, Stuart Craig has been nominated by the The Art Directors Guild for his work on Half-Blood Prince. The award is for excellence in production design in the fantasy category.

Deathly Hallows Composer Revealed

Film Score Daily is reporting (and it has now been confirmed) that French composer Alexandre Desplat will be composing the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Alexandre is the 4th composer for the Harry Potter films, the others being John Williams, Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker!

Deathly Hallows Set Report

Hey everyone! My name is Megan, I'm a huge Potter fan and I will be helping out in posting news on the site. (You may have seen me around the web because of my sites: Magical-Menagerie and Lewis Lovers.) And now on to the real reason of this post:

Yahoo! Movies UK have posted a set report from Deathly Hallows where they talk to Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson about the film. Some snippets:

“The main thing is we’re not at Hogwarts. It makes a huge difference. It gives the film a totally different feel. It might take people a while to adjust to this one, “remarked Daniel Radcliffe. “Part One is a road movie. And the action is going to be pretty extraordinary.”

Emma Watson noted, “It was so nice to be outside, in the forest and out of the studio – running about. It was so much fun. Because it’s such an emotional, heavy film, it was nice to get out and do some action stuff. They were very fun scenes to film. Being out of Hogwarts just makes it really different. It just gives the audience a whole different experience. I’m so excited to see it together.”

“Harry is like a Roman Emperor in his last days and everyone is turning on him,” moaned Radcliffe. “Harry is completely paranoid about what Ron and Hermione are saying about him. He thinks they’re doubting his leadership, but while he is asking people that, he himself is doubting his leadership. He has no plan, so he is pretty useless.”

Watson adds, “It’s challenging in every way – physically, emotionally. They’re away from home. They’re isolated, they don’t have any news. They don’t know what they’re doing. They’re pulling at shreds. Dumbledore had hardly left them anything to go on.”

Walk Throught The Computer Generated Harry Potter Theme Park
Hear what Emma, Rupert & Dan have to say about the HP Theme Park and enter a CG representation of the theme park to see what awaits the visitors!

HBP Nominated for ShoWest Fan Choice Award

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been nominated for a ShoWest 2009 Fan Choice Award, and you can cast your vote by clicking here. The winner will be announced during the ShoWest awards ceremony in Las Vegas in March.

Extended Deathly HallowsTrailer Online

An extended trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has surfaced online, and you can watch it by clicking here. No new DH footage is included, unfortunately, but the flashbacks to the previous Potter movies are fun to watch and the trailer is well put together. Enjoy!

More on the Harry Potter World in Universal Studios
Screamscape.com had a previous posting, but has recently had to take it down due to 'technical' problems (lawyers) that was of some interest recently.
"The ride system inside Hogwarts Castle is installed and functional, however all of the scenery and special effects still need to be installed, programmed and tested extensively before we’ll see the ride open."
It continued to say that "The ride experience will begin & end with an interesting little effect that will transport you through the use of the Floo Network, a giant fireplace and green flames."
They go on to reveal that "your ride experience will begin and end with an interesting little effect that will transport you through the use of the Floo Network, a giant fireplace and green flames."
As was discovered through a Zigmont posting at their site previously (also now gone), this is probably to do with the snow effect/machine.

For plenty of images, there are two galleries to check out:
Orlando Park News, and Amusement Insider.

Phelps Twins Interviewed
This one through Scholastic. Not too much new in there, but for any Phelps fan, another must read of course.
A small excerpt:
Q: Would you like to keep acting?
Oliver: I'd like to yeah. I'd like to definitely give it a go for a while any way. We kind of learned from a who's-who of British TV and film.
James: As Robbie Coltrane said to us on the first movie, “This is like having a Rolls Royce for your first car.” So you're never gonna get better than this.
Be sure to check it out here.

Radcliffe Speaks With The Daily Record
HARRY Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed how the boy wizard takes the high road to Scotland in his next movie.

Campsite scenes showing Harry and his mates on the run from evil enemy Voldemort were shot on the shores of Loch Etive, near Oban.
The 20-year-old actor spoke to the Sunday Mail last week when we were given exclusive access to the set of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part One.

Daniel said: "We were only in Scotland for one night to do the camping scenes but it was magic.
"The mountains up there looked kind of blue and the weather was great. It was fun but I am not sure how well I would cope if I really went camping.
"I'm sure I would enjoy it as long as there was someone to cook for me.
I have done caravan holidays and they were great.
"It was when we were in a caravan in Devon that I experienced my first thunderstorm. I was terrified." Daniel and the regular Harry Potter cast - including Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as best friends Ron and Hermione - are currently filming the two-part finale at Leavesden Studios near Watford.

And even though the deep freeze had gripped the area - surrounding the studios with ice and snow - the Potter team managed to avoid falling victim to the Arctic weather.
Producer David Barron made a snap decision not to write snow scenes into the plot.

He said: "If we had the likelihood is that by the time we filmed them, the snow would have gone. We have only lost half a day's filming because of the snow." Instead of shooting the scheduled outdoor sequences last week, the team moved back inside the studios and completed scenes on the giant Hogwarts Great Hall set.
As he prepared to act out a dramatic scene in the battle against Voldemort, Daniel revealed that audiences can expect a change of scene when the first part of the finale is released later this year.
He said: "Part I is a road movie.
We are not in Hogwarts at all and it's going to look very different, And the action is going to be pretty extraordinary."
**This from The Daily Record.

Awards
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was recently awarded the 2009 Gouden Flip for best film. Daniel Radcliffe also got an award for best actor.
The Daily Snitcher also reported the following conversation between the reporter giving the award to Radcliffe.
Daniel was a bit cold, but he cheered up quickly. "Fantastic! And it's even a double prize, because we also won the best film category," he said.

"Every time it's unexpected, because the competition was great. So, to everyone who voted, I want to say, on behalf of myself and the entire Harry Potter team, thank you very much. We still have a few months of work ahead for the final scenes in the seventh film to shoot, but I can't promise that all fans will be disappointed. The last two Harry Potter films will be great!"

Empire Magazine's February issue will have a bit of the Potter world in it. Below you will find some scans from the magazine.
Thanks to ScarPotter on the tip.

Happy New Year to all HP4U visitors.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and a magical start to 2010.

To kick us off after our mega-extended holiday :-) our first exclusive photos of the year.

The Bride and Groom during a break in rehersals for the Wedding scenes, in which you can see in glorious detail THE much talked about Jenny Packham dress, possibly glimpsed recently in the 'behind the scenes' footage on the Half Blood Prince DVD; and also in all its glory Bill Weasley's purple suit!



Arriving in style! THE entrance to the Weasley wedding marquee.



and finally, a close up look at a few of the smaller cakes for all the wedding guests to tuck into! Sadly, as they are made of resin by the special effects dept. they wouldn't get very far.



Enjoy! and in case you missed them first time around be sure to check out the 20 or so behind the scenes Weasley house photos posted during December 2009 in our archives.