Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be making it’s television debut during ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas. It will air on Sunday December 4th during their traditional Harry Potter weekend.

“25 Days of Christmas” also brings the basic cable premiere of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Sunday, December 4, 8:30 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT), which headlines the network’s annual “Harry Potter” movie marathon running on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4. The marathon also includes the first five installments of the “Harry Potter” film franchise.

A video of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter web chat that took place today is now available to watch on youtube.  You can watch below, questions by yours truly can be seen at 12:55 and 21:59.
[if anyone wants to type up a transcript feel free to do so and send it in! I would make one but I’m at work]

Today we have a brand new exceprt from Harry Potter: Page to Screen, on sale October 25 [the first preview may be seen here] as sent to us by HarperCollins. It is from the “Making of” section, which reflects on each individual movie and includes insights from the creative team, including directors, screenwriters, and production/design. You can pre-order the book over at Barnes and Noble. Use the widget below to scroll through the available pages; you can also zoom in and out to get a better view of the pages.

Harry Potter Page to Screen excerpt 2

Also, HarperCollins will be at New York Comic Con this weekend, at booth #944 where they will be giving away Harry Potter bookmarks, and copies of PAGE TO SCREEN will be on display and for sale. If you purchase a book from the booth, you can get a free PAGE TO SCREEN tote bag, seen below!

We will have more news on the books release soon, so stay tuned!

The Powerhouse Museum has released a new press release for Harry Potter: The Exhibition which will be in Sydney from November 19th to March 18th!

There are less than six weeks to go until the highly anticipated Harry Potter™: The Exhibition opens in Sydney for its exclusive Australian run at the Powerhouse Museum, beginning on 19 November 2011.

Tickets are selling fast as fans across Australia book their opportunity to step inside Harry Potter’s world where hundreds of props and costumes from the world-famous films will be showcased.

For the first time in Australia, the exhibition enables fans to see authentic film artefacts displayed in elaborate settings inspired by the film’s sets and locations in Hogwarts™School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the Gryffindor™ common room, Hagrid’s hut, the Great Hall and much more.

Objects large and small will be on display, from Harry’s and Ron’s four-poster beds to the wardrobe in which the Boggart™ was kept and took the shape of one’s greatest fear; to items from Professor Slughorn’s potions classroom including vials used to hold Felix Felicis; and a portrait gallery featuring some of the original paintings seen in the films.

The incredible artistry and craftsmanship that went into making the props, costumes, and creatures that appear in Harry Potter’s world can now be fully appreciated in this one-of-a-kind exhibition.

To avoid waiting in ticket queues, purchase tickets online now for Harry Potter: The Exhibition at www.powerhousemuseum.com or www.ticketek.com.au

Dates: 19 November 2011 – 18 March 2012
Address: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street Ultimo, Sydney
Telephone: (02) 9217 0111 or infoline (02) 9217 0444
Hours: 9.30am to 5pm (open at 9am during school holidays only for Harry Potter: The Exhibition)
Admission: 
Peak sessions (Fri & Sat 5pm-9pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-5pm, school holidays 9am-5pm)
Families $95, Adults $32, Children (4 – 15 yrs.) $22, Student card holders, pensioner and concession $32, Groups $32, Schools $22 per person. Members peak sessions: Families $71, Adult $24, Child $16.50

Off-peak sessions (Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5pm) Families $79.50, Adults $28, Children (4 – 15 yrs) $19, Student card holders, pensioner and concession $25, Groups $23.50, Schools $19 per person. Members off-peak sessions: Families $60, Adult $21, Child $14.25

The WB Studio Tour Web chat has just finished up and the Official YouTube has been updated with the official trailer for the Warner Bros Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter.  The video of the webchat should be available soon at http://www.youtube.com/wbstudiotour, I will post it once it is online.

As Harry Potter comes to an end we finally say goodbye to our favourite characters and as the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows DVD is released lovers of the young wizard can relive the magic in Blu-ray. No one can deny that the cinematography in the final instalment is stunning, especially on the Blu-ray edition, with the special effects enhancing the excellent acting and helping the story flow through the jam packed plot lines.

Whether you have read the book or not you are able to follow the story, which is a miracle if you think about the number of pages they have crammed into the film. Whenever a book is made into a movie there are people who claim that the new version has not stayed true to the original, quite clearly the film has done a very good job as the film has rave reviews.

From the very beginning of the film the action comes through and the viewer is left routing for Harry as he progresses in his quest to bring down the evil Lord Voldermort. As Harry, Hermione and Ron strive to uncover the final Horcruxes and battle for their freedom the audience watch in awe.

The story starts with the image of Lord Voldermort holding the elder wand, the image of evil and the main reason all the characters are in this situation. The director seems to be bringing the story back to the beginning; Voldermort created Harry’s mission and without that first curse this story would never have existed.

Throughout the film the story unfolds and we are brought right into the story, and the entire picture unravels before us. We discover all of the secrets kept from both Harry and the audience throughout the rest of the films and books. These revelations are displayed beautifully in front of us and the entire picture is given to the audience.

The only part of the films which sticks is the end and although the film ending reflects the book, which shows Harry and Ginny helping their children onto the Hogwarts train, the characters do not reflect the older counterparts they are supposed to be portraying.

The tales are now part of our culture and the films are some of the best in British history. They should be watched simply for the cinematography and the new Blu-ray edition gives you the perfect excuse to relive the magic.