There are a couple of Ballet Shoes reviews online now! You can read them HERE, HERE and HERE.

Emma Watson, in her first role outside of the Harry Potter series, is surprisingly good. All those prim elocutionary speeches as Hermione are gone, in favour of a natural, likeable portrayal of Pauline, the eldest, who veers between anxiety about her burgeoning acting career, slight smugness and the genuine wish, as they all have, to hold the strange family together.

Thanks SnitchSeeker!

The official site for the Harry Potter theme park has added a new poll to their site. It asks:

Where would you most like to get a refreshment in Hogsmeade?

The Hog’s Head, The Three Broomsticks or Honeydukes

Ralph Fiennes, who plays Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, celebrates his 45th birthday today!

Happy birthday Ralph!!!

Yahoo has released lists of the 10 most popular movies, celebrities and more. Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Order of the Phoenix are included.

10 MOST POPULAR STARS OF 2007

3. Emma Watson
Emma Watson had her fans on the edge of their seats when it looked like she might not return for the last two Harry Potter films, but thankfully, she decided to stick with the series until graduation.

10. Daniel Radcliffe
A teenage Harry Potter got angry in this summer’s The Order of the Phoenix, but it was news of his nude stage appearance in “Equus” that got Daniel Radcliffe the most attention this year.

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2007

5. Harry Potter and the  Order of the Phoenix
Total Gross: $292,004,738
Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts made the series one of the most-sucessful movie franchises of all time — second only to Star Wars.

JK Rowling updated her official site today with reflections on Beedle the Bard selling.

As you may already know, the seventh copy of ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ raised a staggering £1.95 million at auction, which will be donated to the Children’s Voice campaign (see Links).

It is fortunate that nobody was filming my reaction while the bids climbed higher and higher. Fiddy, Angela, Christine and I were sitting around Fiddy’s laptop in our office (the aforementioned being my PA and the invaluable assistants who deal with the postbag), watching a live link to Sotheby’s. Once the amount hit a million, I kept swearing loudly with every successive bid, and when we reached the final amount, the air turned a lovely shade of blue…

I am delighted that Amazon bought the book, and would like to thank them for their huge generosity, which will help the Children’s Voice reach many, many more institutionalised children. I am also thrilled to think that the moonstone Beedle will not be mouldering alone in a vault, but will be setting off on a tour of children’s libraries. Taken all in all, I could not have wished for a better outcome!

She has also chosen a new Fan Site winner: The HP Alliance!
And also a new FAQ: Why ‘The Scottish Book’?

The Telegraph has a new article on Ballet Shoes online now. I have quoted the parts where Emma speaks, click the link above to read the full article.

Emma Watson – famous as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films – is to star in BBC1’s new adaptation as Pauline, the eldest Fossil. She says she only took the role because Ballet Shoes is also a favourite of JK Rowling’s. “Jo said, ‘You have to take the part, just for my sake’,” says Watson.

Later, Watson talks about how resonant this moment was for her. “So much of what Pauline is experiencing is similar to what I went through when I auditioned for Harry Potter,” says Watson. “She becomes famous sort of overnight and I could relate to that. But I also relate to the experience that she goes through earlier. I got into acting because I loved reciting poetry. At my school you had to learn a poem a week and recite it.”

“I can relate to Pauline’s ambition,” says Watson. “She’d sell her soul to be an actress. And I did always want to be an actress and I think I do still; but there’s nothing reassuring about acting. School has become increasingly important to me. I find it quite grounding. That’s one of the reasons I’d like to go to university and study English literature.”