The Pottermore Insider blog has been updated with some information on what is coming next for the Chamber of Secrets. It lets fans know there is a sneak peak of Chapter 8, Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party.

Many of our Pottermore fans have been keen to see the next chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, so this week we’re taking a sneak peek at one of the upcoming Moments – the Deathday Party.

In Chapter Eight, Harry, Ron and Hermione are invited to Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party, as the Gryffindor ghost celebrates his five hundredth deathday. Various ghosts gather at Hogwarts to attend the party, including Hogwarts residents the Fat Friar and the Bloody Baron, as well as ghosts from further afield, like the Wailing Widow from Kent.

In this atmospheric Moment, you’ll be able to explore the Deathday Party and see some of the ghostly, spectral sights. Through the curtains, new objects and characters are waiting to be found; look out for a glimpse of Moaning Myrtle and listen to the quavering sound of the musical saws.

You will also be able to unlock brand new, exclusive content from J.K. Rowling about Peeves the mischievous poltergeist in this Moment.

We have just received word that starting this Friday fans visiting Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will have the opportunity to walk across the Hogwarts Bridge.  The bridge is located in the outside area of the tour along with the Knight Bus, Ford Anglia, Privet Drive and Godrics Hollow set pieces. They will also have some more brooms available in the broomstick experience.

This summer the iconic Hogwarts bridge from the Harry Potter film series will be opened up for the public to cross for the very first time. From Friday 31 August 2012 visitors to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will be able to walk over the actual bridge that cast members used whilst making one of the best loved film series of all time.

The Hogwarts bridge is one of the few sets used in the films which is not mentioned in the books.  It first appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ when the director, Alfonso Cuarón, wanted something to connect the Hogwarts set with Hagrid’s hut.  It appeared in the later films and a separate section was built for the explosion in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2.

The bridge was constructed from wood – with fibreglass used for some of the more intricate portions. This section was the only part of the bridge built to scale.  The rest was either built in miniature as part of the Hogwarts model or recreated through CGI (Computer Generated Imagery).

Sarah Roots, Vice President Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, explains: “We are constantly looking at ways to enhance our visitors’ enjoyment of the Studio Tour. There was an incredible demand to be able to cross the iconic Hogwarts Bridge so we are delighted to make this possible.”

In addition to this new development, three extra broom rigs will be added to the hugely popular broomstick experience at the attraction. Visitors get the chance to ride on a broom rig, much like the stars would have done, and using green screen technology they are able to recreate some of the iconic flying sequences from the film series.

It has been announced today that Harry Potter: The Exhibition will be returning to the Discovery Times Square in New York City at the end of this year. It was previously at DTS in April of 2011 and Magical-Menagerie was there for the opening, view our post here. No dates have been set for the exhibition but we will of course post them as soon as they are released.

Harry Potter fans in New York City can rejoice, as they will soon have the chance to step inside the famous wizard’s magical world with Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which returns to Discovery Times Square this holiday season. Since its hugely successful run in New York City in 2011, Harry Potter: The Exhibition has been significantly updated with artifacts from the series including the final film, and will include a few select holiday themed surprises. Back by popular demand, this new stop in New York City will serve as the exhibition’s return to North America after a year-long international tour. Opening date and ticketing information will be released in the upcoming weeks.

In partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Global Experience Specialists, Inc. (GES) created the 14,000-square-foot experiential exhibition, where visitors will be able to visit dramatic displays inspired by the Hogwarts™ film sets and see the amazing craftsmanship behind authentic costumes and props from the films. Original artifacts from the series finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2, will be on display for the first time along with hundreds of original props and costumes from all of the previous Harry Potter films.

“From the moment visitors step inside Harry Potter: The Exhibition, they are immersed in the incredible world depicted in the blockbuster films,” said Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Returning to New York, the exhibition will give the legions of fans and visitors from around the world yet another special opportunity to experience the magic of Harry Potter this holiday season in Times Square.”

Harry Potter: The Exhibition offers fans a firsthand view of hundreds of authentic artifacts displayed in settings inspired by the film sets—including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s hut, the Gryffindor™ common room—and more.

“We are pleased to offer East coast fans a second opportunity to experience this exhibition, all housed within the perfect venue during the ideal time of year, the holiday season,” said Eddie Newquist, chief creative officer for GES. “There is no better way to celebrate the imagination and creativity of the Harry Potter film series than to actually walk among the iconic costumes and props that helped bring the world of the films to life.”

“We are excited to present New York residents and visitors with this special presentation of Harry Potter: The Exhibition designed specifically for a venue of this magnitude, especially during the holiday season,” said James Sanna, president of Discovery Times Square.

The exhibition made its world premiere in Chicago in April 2009 before traveling on to Boston, Toronto, Seattle, New York, Sydney, and now experiencing a successful run at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands through September 30, 2012. Harry Potter: The Exhibition tours major cultural and entertainment venues, museums and institutions in the U.S. and internationally.

This morning we have been sent another new clip from the Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection (out September 7th in the US and 10th in the UK.) This new clip shows how they got Hagrid to look so much bigger when he was with the children.

They also sent over a couple clips we had previously posted, but we will post them again in case you missed them. First up, Secrets Revealed: Quidditch

The Harry Potter’s You’ve Never Met

A new special entitled J.K Rowling: Life After Potter .is set to air on ABC1 in Australia at 8pm on September 27th, the day her new book The Casual Vacancy is released. Jennifer Byrne will be interviewing Jo as one of the few in her press tour.

“This key interview will be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about J K Rowling’s creative process,” said Matt Hoy, Hachette sales and marketing director. “The evolution of her new novel will be all the more exciting in Jennifer’s hands, given her well-known passion for books and reading.”

Katrina Sedgwick, ABC TV head of arts, said the interview will explore the author’s new novel, as well as her past success. “We are thrilled that Jennifer has been invited to do this interview and has the opportunity talk to J K in depth,” she said.

“This is J K’s first venture into the world of adult fiction and Jennifer will explore what new challenges she has faced in talking to this new audiences. The influence and impact of J K Rowling has been profound in bringing millions of children into the world of literature.”

MTV has released a brand new clip from Emma Watson’s upcoming film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  The film, out September 21st, stars Watson as a senior named Sam who befriends a new boy in school, played by Logan Lerman.  They also posted an interview with author and director Stephen Chbosky where he briefly talks about Emma.

MTV: What were the first days like on set? When did you start to see the actors gel?
Chbosky: In the way movie schedules work now, there wasn’t a lot of rehearsal period. The auditions become the rehearsal, and I just tried to create an atmosphere, maybe not so much on set because that was all about the work, but off set, where — for example, I’ll never forget the first day I brought Emma, Logan and Ezra and myself together. We had a beautiful dinner over the city, then I took them for the first time to the tunnel, I took them through playing this song called “Happiness” by Riceboy Sleeps and that was our bonding experience. Ezra and Emma bonded by learning all the dance moves to Rocky Horror for the homecoming dance. And then, as we introduced each castmember came to Pittsburgh to start doing their work, the kids just found each other and they made the Crowne Plaza hotel — which was literally 150 yards from the mall where I used to shop as a kid — they made it like a dorm, and they got in a lot of trouble.

MTV: What were the original meetings like with the castmembers?
Chbosky: I met them through the audition process — Emma was an offer. I knew she was Sam. That was easy. […]

MTV: In taking on this project, from writing the book, then the screenplay and then making your feature film directorial debut, did you have any hesitations? What were the conversations like with the studio in getting things off the ground?
Chbosky: I had no hesitations; I just had to wait to be ready. The book was so personal to me and I needed the time to get the distance, to work on my craft and learn from others. And then once I was ready, there was no hesitations I knew I was going to make this movie and I didn’t develop the script I just wrote it on my own on spec and then from the script I got the producers, from the producers we got Emma [Watson] and then we auditioned Logan and then we went to Summit. By the time we reached the studio, there was no hesitation, they were really excited about the project and they gave us the green light.