Bloomsbury Publishing has revealed new covers for The Tales of Beedle the Bard and Quidditch Through the Ages. The jackets, which are illustrated by Harry Potter cover artist Jonny Duddle, show new images from both books. Both new editions are published on 12th January 2017 in hardback and paperback formats.
The front cover of The Tales of Beedle the Bard shows a wizard being chased by the hopping pot, and the front cover of Quidditch Through the Ages features Roderick Plumpton who famously caught the Golden Snitch within three and a half seconds in 1921.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard and Quidditch Through the Ages are based on books from the Harry Potter series, and were written by J.K. Rowling in aid of charity: Quidditch Through the Ages in aid of Comic Relief, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard in aid of J.K. Rowling’s children’s charity Lumos.
This winter, Hogwarts in the Snow will be returning to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London due to popular demand! Across the festive season Saturday 19th November – Sunday 29th January 2017 – fans are invited to experience Christmas time at Hogwarts and discover how film-makers created fire, ice and snow that never melts as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London undergoes a magical makeover. Christmas trees will line the Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room will be dressed for the season and a blanket of filmmaking snow will be meticulously applied to the majestic Hogwarts castle model – all for the Hogwarts in the Snow feature. As always, tickets must be pre-booked and all extra features are included in the ticket price.
Christmas feature will run from Saturday 19th November – Sunday 29th January 2017
This festive season, Harry Potter fans are invited to experience Christmas time at Hogwarts and discover how film-makers created fire, ice and snow that never melts as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London undergoes a magical makeover for Hogwarts in the Snow.
From 19th November – 29th January, visitors will have the opportunity to see the Harry Potter film series’ most iconic sets decorated for festive scenes. Christmas trees will line the Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room will be dressed for the season and a blanket of filmmaking snow will be meticulously applied to the majestic Hogwarts castle model.
After stepping onto the original stone floor of the iconic Great Hall, visitors will spot wreaths, garlands and trees decked with golden baubles that are topped with witches on miniature broomsticks. The long dining tables will be dressed as they were for seasonal feasts at Hogwarts with prop versions of roast turkeys, hams studded with cherries and even flaming Christmas puddings.
The Gryffindor Common Room and Boys’ Dormitory will be decorated with the original props including handmade Christmas cards, some of which were made by the cast members during production.
Fireplaces throughout the Studio Tour (including those in the Leaky Cauldron and Great Hall) will be ‘lit’ with special effects fire, created by John Richardson and the SFX team using a combination of water vapour and lighting effects. Visitors will also see the hand-knitted jumpers that Molly Weasley gave Ron and Harry for Christmas in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Other costumes on display will include one of the first Christmas presents Harry ever received at Hogwarts, his Invisibility Cloak and, for the first time, Madame Maxime’s costume from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The Hogwarts castle model will be transformed for the occasion by a team led by Model Effects Supervisor José Granell, who worked on the Harry Potter film series. During filming, a member of the crew climbed aboard an elevated work platform and sprinkled the ‘snow’ mixture of granulated paper and grains of salt onto the model by hand with a sieve – like dusting sugar onto a cake. The same process will be used at the Studio Tour this November. Visitors will even be able to touch samples of the different types of ‘snow’ used during production, each selected for its ability to float like falling snow, crunch under foot or glisten in the light like ice.
Hogwarts in the Snow will run from Saturday 19th November – Sunday 29th January 2017. Tickets must be pre-booked and all extra features are included in the ticket price.
Last week our correspondent Alyssa was able to attend Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic in New York City. PUFFStakes a second look at everyone’s favorite world of wizards through the eyes of the Puffs, a lovable group of magical misfits. The full company features Langston Belton, Madeleine Bundy, Jessie Cannizzaro, Nick Carrillo, A.J. Ditty, Julie Ann Earls, James Fouhey, Andy Miller, Zac Moon, Eleanor Philips and Stephen Stout.
Puffs is playing now through the end of the year at The Elektra Theater (300 W. 43rd Street, second floor); Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30pm. http://www. puffstheplay.com/
Warning: some mild spoilers within. Disclaimer: the reviewer is a Hufflepuff herself, and may be liable for some bias.
Since the advent of Pottermore, Hufflepuffs have had a surge in popularity. Originally framed as the ‘leftover’ house by the author and Potter fans alike, Hufflepuffs have recently been recognized and lifted up for their unglamorous but very worthy identifying traits.
During the Global Fan Event for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, fans at IMAX theaters across the globe were able to see a special featurette on the film. Watch below: Before Harry Potter. Across an ocean. A new world of magic awaits!
It was also revealed, by J.K. Rowling, that the Fantastic Beasts series will be made up of FIVE films. Many are speculating that the main theme of the films will be the rise and fall of Grindlewald. Watch the feature below and see if you agree.
The Fantastic Beats and Where To Find Them Global Fan event has begun. Join the cast from Fantastic Beasts for a live Q&A and be the first to see exciting new footage from Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
As many fans will remember, there is a special Lumos screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them being held on November 12th at Carnegie Hall in New York. Now Lumos is offering fans worldwide a chance to win flights and tickets to the screening for donating at least $10 to Lumos’ efforts. You can also donate at least $100 to win a signed copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Grand prize-winner from sweepstakes to win
Two tickets to Carnegie Hall for an advance screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on November 12th and see a conversation with J.K. Rowling and Eddie Redmayne on stage
Round trip air transportation to New York for two provided by American Airlines
Hotel accommodation at New York Marriott East Side
An invitation to the post-screening reception with members of the film’s cast
Two signed copies of the Original Screenplay of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The full press release may be read below:
LUMOS FOUNDATION USA — author J.K. Rowling’s international non-profit children’s organization announces today that movie lovers worldwide will have the chance to win a pair of tickets for the special advance screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on November 12, 2016. The winners also will receive invitations to an exclusive reception with members of the film’s cast following the screening.
Every $10 donation at www.crowdrise.com/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them will count as one entry to the global sweepstakes run through the online fundraising platform CrowdRise to raise money to reunite children and families in Haiti and increase understanding of the harm caused by orphanages. Funds will also be used to support Lumos’ relief efforts in Haiti and help children and families in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Entrants are eligible from almost all countries around the world and flight costs up to $2,500 will be covered for eligible entrants anywhere in the world. Free entry and terms and conditions available here.
Georgette Mulheir, CEO said “With over 30,000 children in 760 orphanages in Haiti, many of which have extremely poor conditions and are linked to incidences of child trafficking, the need to get these children back to families has been acute for some time. Now in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, our teams are coordinating with other aid agencies to get emergency relief to children and families in the south of the country hardest hit by this disaster. We are re-directing funds to help with these efforts.
“Through the generosity of our partners and every one supporting this Crowdrise campaign, we will help some of the country’s most vulnerable of children at this critical time in providing them with food, water and medical support, helping to prevent those separated from families being placed into harmful orphanages, and safeguarding them from traffickers who would seek to exploit them.”
The much-anticipated screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to benefit Lumos Foundation USA, will start at 6:00pm EST with a conversation between the film’s screenwriter, J.K. Rowling, and Academy Award® winning actor Eddie Redmayne, followed by a screening of the film.
The special advance screening by Warner Bros. Entertainment in partnership with Harry Potter US publisher Scholastic Inc., will follow the film’s worldwide premiere earlier that week in New York, prior to the worldwide release on November 18, 2016. On November 18th, Scholastic will publish the Original Screenplay of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling in the United States and Canada.
With more than 2,000 tickets sold – the event is part of a comprehensive campaign We Are Lumos Worldwide, supporting programs to help 8 million institutionalized children across the globe return to families and raise awareness of the harm caused by orphanages. Other events have included an interview with J.K. Rowling streamed live on Facebook, September 17th, which drew over 2 million viewers worldwide, a gala performance of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London’s Palace Theatre, on September 18th, and the sale of over 19,800 limited edition T-shirts featuring a quote from J.K. Rowling from her Very Good Lives Harvard commencement speech in 2008.
Thanks to the generosity of Warner Bros., Scholastic and Lumos’ 100% Pledge, all funds raised by the Carnegie Hall event will go directly to Lumos’ Families Not Orphanages Fund. The Fund will help children in the countries where Lumos works to leave harmful orphanages and return to a family life. No portion of any donation will go to administration, fundraising or overhead costs of the organization.
Over the past decade, Lumos has helped thousands of children who were abused and neglected in orphanages return to family life in Central and Eastern Europe, and more recently in Haiti. Now in its second decade, Lumos is expanding its work in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions around the world with the aim to ensure that by 2050 no child are left in harmful orphanages and all children live in safe, loving families.
