The Copenhagen Post is reporting that J.K. Rowling will be the recipient of the first H.C. Andersen Literature Prize, named after Hans Christian Anderson (famous Dutch author).  The prize is given to someone whose achievements are comparable to those of Hans Christian Andersen.  The article says the award will be presented next year.

Danish-Brazilian businessman Jens Olesen is a member of the H.C. Andersen Advisory Board, which is behind the award, and said that he was delighted Rowling would be able to accept the literature prize in person.

‘Next year might seem like a long way off, but we have to prepare well if we really want to get one of the biggest writers of our time to the city,’ said Olesen.

The Telegraph is reporting that author JK Rowling has said she is working on something that is not Potter related.

JK Rowling bid for three tickets to see Stella McCartney’s Paris show at a Gala Auction in London, in June, to raise funds for the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation, and bought along two friends. “I’m working on something, but it’s not Harry Potter,” she said. “I need a Harry break.” A Stella McCartney fan, she said she loved the designer’s clothes because “they’re so wearable.”

J.K. Rowling has been awarded the DQ Entertainment‘s Lifetime Achievement award!  This is the second time the award has been given out.  According to our source:

The award is presented to ‘artists who during their lifetime have made creative contribution of outstanding significance to entertainment that goes beyond cultural, linguistic and other boundaries’. The decision of who to award the honour to is made by ‘leading broadcasters, producers & senior journalists from the media & entertainment industry.’

The decision to award the prize this year to J.K. Rowling was said to be ‘almost unanimous’. A ceremony was held at Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France, yesterday, where Josh Berger, President and MD of Warner Brothers Entertainment UK, received the award on Jo’s behalf.

Hey guys! Some awesome news today, JK Rowling has her own Twitter account! It has been verified by Twitter so it’s really her!  You can follow her here, jk_rowling! Here are her first few tweets:

• I am told that people have been twittering on my behalf, so I thought a brief visit was in order just to prevent any more confusion!
• However, I should flag up now that although I could twitter endlessly, I’m afraid you won’t be hearing from me very often……….
• ………….as pen and paper is my priority at the moment

There are some additional details on the Half-Blood Prince BluRay including some fun news about the special features!

• WB Maximum Movie Mode with director David Yates, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, including Focus Points, picture-in-picture and image galleries (BD exclusive)
• Additional scenes (6’31”)
• Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter: hosts Matthew Lewis (“Neville Longbottom”) and Alfred Enoch (“Dean Thomas”) lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28’30”)
• J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: a fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (49’32”)
• One-minute Drills: the cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out (6’43”)
• What’s on Your Mind: hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes. (6’41”)

Thanks Lewis Lovers!

Today there is some more news on the Harry Potter Encyclopedia, also known as the Scottish Book 😉  If you remember a little while ago I posted about JKR working on the book, now the Sunday Mail has some information from JK Rowling’s attorney.

Neil Blair, a lawyer for Rowling’s agents Christopher Little, downplayed expectations of imminent publication.  He said: “The encyclopaedia simply remains something Ms Rowling would like to complete sometime in the future.”

But an insider said: “Everyone hopes it comes to fruition.  Even though the original Harry fans are now adults the obsession remains and this would be a huge seller. Obviously she is under no pressure and can pick and choose her projects but Harry is more than just another character for her.”

Rowling, 44, has said she has begun assembling all her old notes, including the histories of many characters who had only bit parts in Harry Potter’s larger drama. But at a court case in New York last July to stop publication of the unauthorised The Harry Potter Lexicon, she admitted her work had come to a halt because of the stress.

The timing of the books will be important as the final two Harry Potter films are due out in 2010 and 2011.