Thursday’s issue of Australia’s Herald Sun talked about a tour of the Leavesden Studios lot that the Sun went on during Half-Blood Prince filming last year. Here is some thanks to SS:

Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) aren’t among that team today — they’ve headed north for an outdoor location shoot — but the boy wizard himself, Daniel Radcliffe, is present for duty in the place he’s called his second home since before he was even a teenager (he turns 20 next month).

Radcliffe’s not in this scene, but he’s happily watching what Jim Broadbent, who makes his Potter debut in the Half-Blood Prince as Horace Slughorn, does with his several go-throughs.

Slughorn is greeting guests, including Luna Lovegood (played by the wonderfully eccentric Evanna Lynch) dressed up like a silver Christmas tree, and with each take Broadbent mixes it up — easy stuff for a veteran of his status.

‘‘I wasn’t in the first shot this morning but I went down to watch it just ’cos . . . I’m just interested in it and I want to see how other people act together. It’s about learning, for me,’’ Radcliffe says.

‘‘I like wandering round. Sometimes I go and play table tennis or I’ll read or I’ll play a computer game. But most of the time here I’m on set, so there is not a huge amount of down time.’’

See the scan here thanks to SS!

Belgium’s Jommeke newspaper visited the Half-Blood Prince set early last year, where they spoke to Jim Broadbent (Slughorn) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), and watched a scene being filmed for the sixth movie.   You can see scans here.

• The Belgium premiere for Half-Blood Prince will take place on Saturday, July 11, which Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch will be attending.

• Although not confirmed yet, it appears that Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson will only attend the UK premiere for the sixth movie (on July 7th), and no other because of their busy Deathly Hallows film schedule. [THIS IS FALSE, all three will be at the NYC premiere, thanks Jo]

• Jim Broadbent talks about how pleased his grandchildren are that he has taken a role in the Harry Potter films, playing Slughorn. He discusses his character, stating that he is not really bad, just a weak person. Slughorn has a wall of photos with himself and celebrated students; the Potions professor also finds it a treat to teach the famous Harry Potter.

• Robbie Coltrane jokes about his three young co-stars, Dan, Rupert and Emma, where he proudly states that fame and fortune has not go to their head, and that they don’t believe they are any better than anyone else on set.

• The tour guide, Amy, explains how Quidditch in the sixth film will be bigger than it previously has been; she also shows the reporters around Dumbledore’s office and tells them that the famed Astronomy Tower scene took place a week before their arrival.

• The reporters describe the scene they are privileged to watch, which includes Dan, Rupert and Emma, heavily layered in clothing as they walk down a snowy path to Hagrid. Emma and Dan point out the mistakes they make during their takes, of which there are nine before the scene is complete. Between takes, however, Dan and Rupert are noted to throw off their coats as the set is hot, and are eager to go back to Rupert’s dressing room and play a game of ping pong. A comment from Dan is published at the end, where he says that filming can get tiring, and that it will be strange to no longer play Harry after Deathly Hallows has completed.

Thanks SS!

MSN UK recently did interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and director David Yates.  Here are some segments:

QUESTION: Back to the world of Harry Potter. Will Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince show another side of Harry?

DANIEL RADCLIFFE: There’s friction in this film it’s much more to do with Ron and Hermione than it is to do with Harry. Harry is unhappy for a lot of this film, mainly because people keep trying to kill him. And his love life is awful, too. That’s what Jo [JK Rowling] does so well: combining everyday, mundane problems with this incredible other world.

QUESTION: How tough was it to have your character start a romance onscreen with Ron, especially since he’s played by an old friend?

EMMA WATSON: I don’t know that it’s tough. Rupert’s a really laid back guy but I’m really looking forward to it because I quite like the romantic comedy side of it. Rupert and I end up providing light relief, as the films get darker. It’s funny seeing Rupert struggling in the romantic stakes. Hermione and Rupert are so different yet they have this chemistry, so it’s interesting. It’ll be awkward doing those love scenes; there’s no other way to put it, but its all part of the job.

QUESTION: Was there ever any remote chance that you wouldn’t come back for this sixth Harry Potter film?

RUPERT GRINT: For me, there was no doubt. So long as they wanted me, I was coming back to do it. I really enjoy doing this and it’s really cool.

QUESTION: Have you noticed a difference in the cast who have been off to do big projects in the past year?DAVID YATES: Yeah, I have. They are getting better and better and Emma seems much more confident this time and much more at ease generally. And Dan, having done Equus, he’s just finding moments and beats that are really surprising and lovely. So, they’re all getting better and more sophisticated.

New interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, Jessie Cave, Tom Felton, James and Oliver Phelps, Matthew Lewis and Evanna Lynch from the Half-Blood Prince set have been published in a poster book for the movie!  You can see them all HERE!

There are also 2 new Hermione promos in the book that you can see HERE!

Thanks SS and Rose!

Thanks to Oclumencia we have a bunch of new behind the scenes photos from the Shell Cottage filming taking place this week.  In the photos we see Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Warwick Davis, Evanna Lynch, Toby Jones, Helena Bonham Carter and a bunch of crew members.

View the photos HERE!

You can also view a video of the filming over here at BBC News.

Dan, Emma and Rupert have made it on to Empire magazine‘s 20 Stars Who Weren’t Even Born When Empire Started list.

Daniel Radcliffe – #1
You know him from: A little series called Harry Potter; December Boys.
Why’s he good? Because he brought one of the world’s most popular characters to life over five movies (to date) and has largely been acclaimed for his efforts.
Will he have an adult career? Well, if he doesn’t he’ll still never have to worry about money, which is something, but the endlessly curious Radcliffe has barely gotten started on an adult career. His decisions outside of Potter – TV drama like My Boy Jack, his stage turn in Equus – suggest that he’s not one to be typecast, and will be pushing boundaries for some time to come.

Rupert Grint – #10
You know him from: Driving Lessons. And there was that little role in Harry Potter.
Why’s he good? He’s supported Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter through thick and thin, and has a likable everyman quality which should allow him to avoid typecasting.
Will he have an adult career? Well, so far out of the HP triumvirate Grint has the most solo-projects under his belt. That said, he is ginger, and anti-redhead sentiment remains the last socially acceptable prejudice, so he’ll have to keep working at it.

Emma Watson – #19
You know her from: HP Alumnus, Ballet Shoes.
Why’s she good? Having grown up on the big screen as struggling muggle-born Hermione Granger, Watson has shouldered immense pressure to come out smelling of roses. Now she has started to make a niche for herself outside of the franchise with a leaning towards costume dramas and a rumoured leading role in Napoleon and Betsy.
Will she have an adult career? Will she want one? Judging by her sickeningly good exam results and place at Cambridge, she may crave something a bit more challenging.