Comedy Central has released a brand new short film entitled Ears that stars Oliver Phelps, who we know best as George Weasley in the Harry Potter films.  The 3-minute short follows a young man with enormous ears who tries to disguise them to get a job interview. He fails, but is inspired by a girl with enormous feet to finally be himself.

This October, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will unveil a new section devoted to the Dark Arts, encompassing Horcruxes and other sinister wizarding artifacts, in what is the Studio Tour’s first permanent addition since opening. The press release may be viewed below.

This October, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will unveil a new section devoted to the Dark Arts, encompassing Horcruxes and other sinister wizarding artefacts, in what is the Studio Tour’s first permanent addition since opening.

The current Malfoy Manor fireplace will be expanded to showcase the full set which became the headquarters of Lord Voldemort’s followers, the Death Eaters, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Visitors will be able to peer into the drawing room that features ornate chandeliers, an imposing fireplace and the long, grand table around which Bellatrix Lestrange, the Malfoy family, the Death Eaters and Voldemort sat.

The mannequin of captured Muggle Studies teacher Charity Burbage will be suspended above the set, while a life-like model of Voldemort’s loyal 20-foot snake Nagini will sit on the mahogany table, which will be framed by the costumes of the rat-like Peter Pettigrew and Potions master Severus Snape.

Officially launching on Tuesday 14th October, the new section will also include a variety of never-before-seen artefacts and props from Borgin and Burkes, the Knockturn Alley shop Harry accidentally stumbles into in Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets. Visitors will be able to see these weird and wonderful props up close, including the mysterious Hand of Glory, the Vanishing Cabinet and the sarcophagus that hid Harry during a deleted scene from the second film.

A section of Dolores Umbridge’s Ministry of Magic office, including her garish kitten plates, perfectly putrid pink costumes and desk, will be on show as well as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin’s costumes, magical projector and gramophone.

Sarah Roots, Vice President of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, commented: “The Dark Arts feature will be our first new permanent addition since opening in March 2012 and we’re looking forward to unveiling it just in time for Hallowe’en. It will showcase the darkest parts of the films and include some props and costumes that have never been on public display before.”

To celebrate the launch of the new permanent additions, the Studio Tour will also offer extra Dark Arts activities throughout the October half-term. From Friday 17th October – Monday 3rd November, a section of the Hallowe’en feast from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be on display in Hogwarts’ Great Hall.

For these two weeks only, visitors will be able to walk down a darker Diagon Alley as the lights are dimmed, the music becomes more foreboding and the wizarding shopping street set is patrolled by Death Eaters. Those who choose to take part in an interactive wand combat lesson can practise their duelling techniques.

The new permanent Dark Arts section will be launched with a two-week event highlighting the Dark Arts from Friday 17th October – Monday 3rd November and all extra activities are included in the ticket price.

In a new video from The Telegraph, illustrator Jonny Duddle shows how he goes about creating his illustrations for book covers, using Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as an example. That video, as well as a snippet from the interview, may be viewed below:

“All I can really do, as an artist, is draw my vision of that scene,” Duddle says. His covers were shaped by feedback from Braithwaite, Rowling’s agent Neil Blair and Rowling herself. For each rough he submitted, Duddle would have a number of revisions suggested. He says he could never be sure which of them came from Rowling herself.

Duddle’s covers have been launched sequentially online, where Potter’s enormous fan base is active and vocal. He knows when Bloomsbury have released a new cover because his usually quiet Twitter account is suddenly inundated as the fans give 140-character verdicts.

The biggest complaint he receives, he says, is that Harry looks too young, especially on the cover for the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. “He’s only meant to be 17, and he’s always described as being quite slight. Ron is meant to be tall and skinny. The problem is in the film Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint are grown men by that point, and they’ve been working out.”

Alfie Enoch stars in the new ABC show, How To Get Away With Murder, Thursdays at 10pm starting September 25th. The show centers around the brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating and four law students from her class “How to Get Away with Murder.” Little do they know that they will have to apply what they learned to real life, in this masterful, sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller.   An extended preview of the show was released and may be watched below.

Alfie plays Wes Gibbons. A bio on his character is as follows:

a born leader… he just doesn’t know it yet. With his boy-next door charm, Wes comes to Middleton Law School as an outsider. But under the wing of Annalise Keating, Wes will quickly learn the dark truths of the criminal justice system while stumbling upon some of Annalise’s most personal secrets. The more time he spends with her, the less innocent Wes becomes.

In a new interview with Time Out, Rupert Grint talks his newest venture, It’s Only a Play. You can purchase tickets to the show via their website, the show runs 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission. Some snippets of the interview are below:

How did you end up in this production? Were you looking to come to Broadway?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since my first taste of theater last year in the West End, when I did Mojo. This just kind of came up. I was quite hesitant at first, but it’s such a fun play and a great cast that I had to do it.

You were hesitant?
Yeah, just because of the scale of it. I thought I might be a little bit out of my depth. Everyone in this cast is so experienced—people I’ve watched while I was growing up—it was quite overwhelming. I remember on the first day just looking around the table, thinking, Oh, my God, this is real. But it’s been a really good rehearsal process, and I feel comfortable. They all know comedy so well.

Your character, Frank Finger, is this wunderkind director who feels like his work is a sham. It’s nothing you relate to, I hope?
[Laughs] No, not quite. He’s not like other characters I’ve played before. He’s quite over-the-top and angry. He’s been praised since leaving RADA for everything he’s done, and he’s a bit sick of all the attention and the rave reviews. He’s already been knighted. He wants a bad review to kind of get him back on track. And he’s a kleptomaniac. It’s a fun character.

[…]

Do you read your reviews?
I avoid it whenever I can. It’s scary.

Is this your first time in New York for an extended period?
Yeah, it is. I used to come over almost every year for Harry Potter promotional things, one week here and there, but this is the longest I’ve been here. Sometimes I do feel quite far away from home, but it’s a great city, it’s got such energy. I’m really enjoying it.

Is it hard to be out and about here, or do you just blend in?
It depends on where you go. I have managed to kind of blend in. People want pictures, but nothing too crazy. It’s quite manageable. I wear a hat to cover my hair as much as I can.

[…]

Daniel said recently that he didn’t like looking at his work in the Harry Potter films. Do you have a similar response?
I don’t really look back on them. I don’t really watch them. Occasionally I catch glimpses when they’re playing on TV. It’s like watching high-quality home videos, watching me grow up. It’s quite strange. I’m really quite proud to be a part of them. They were a huge part of our lives.

It has been revealed today that Warwick Davis will be hosting a brand new series of Celebrity Squares! The show starts airing on 10th September at 8pm on ITV!

BREAKING: New series of @CelebSquares starring @WarwickADavis to air on @ITV on Weds @ 8 pm from Sep 10. #official pic.twitter.com/MwUcXsaTAd

— Celebrity Squares (@CelebSquares) August 27, 2014