Official photographs of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Universal Orlando Resort, together with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, has revealed first-ever details about the incredible scope of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal also announced that the highly anticipated land will open in spring 2010.
Inspired by JK Rowling’s compelling stories and characters – and faithful to the visual landscapes of the films – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure will provide visitors with a one-of-a-kind experience complete with multiple attractions, shops and a signature eating establishment. This completely immersive environment will transcend generations and bring the wonder and magic of the amazingly detailed Harry Potter books and films to life.
The expectations of Harry Potter fans are high and Universal Orlando Resort is collaborating closely with JK Rowling, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the Warner Bros. Harry Potter brand team to ensure that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be an experience of a lifetime. The Harry Potter films’ production designer, Stuart Craig and art director, Alan Gilmore, in cooperation with a corps of artisans from Universal Creative are working daily to construct the most authentic Harry Potter experience possible. Guests will be able to sip Butterbeer in Three Broomsticks, buy Extendable Ears at Zonko’s and experience a state-of-the-art attraction that brings the stories of Harry Potter to life in a way never before imagined.
“All of the action and adventures of Harry Potter’s world will come to life here at Universal Orlando Resort,” said Tom Williams, chairman and CEO, Universal Parks and Resorts. “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be unlike any other experience on earth and we can’t wait to see the looks on our guests’ faces as they enter this rich environment.”
“Harry Potter continues to spark the imaginations of fans of all ages and we really have seen the anticipation continue to build for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” added Brad Globe, President, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “We are excited to share with fans a first glimpse into the truly enchanted world we are bringing to life with all of our partners at Universal Orlando Resort.”
“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is yet another way that fans will be able to experience and enjoy Harry Potter for many years to come,” said Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment, who is also responsible for overseeing the Harry Potter brand team worldwide. “The power of this brand speaks for itself, as the enthusiasm of our dedicated fans around the world continues to grow even stronger as we move into the future.”
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park destination that places you and your family in the heart of pop culture’s most incredible and timeless stories – making you the superstar in a world-class adventure story and allowing you to discover your own inner hero. Guests experience two exciting theme parks – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure as well as Universal CityWalk, a 30-acre restaurant, shopping and nighttime entertainment complex; and three magnificently themed on-site hotels – the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Flagship experiences featured in the theme parks include “The Simpsons Ride,” “Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride,” “The Incredible Hulk Coaster” and “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.” More information is available at www.universalorlando.com.
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
Harry Potter continues to be a global phenomenon. The series of books by author JK Rowling has been translated into 67 languages with more than 400 million copies sold in over 200 territories around the world. The films, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, have grossed more than $5.3 billion at the box office worldwide, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.
Posted: February 11th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling
Fantasy news round-up – February 11, 2010
The Gruffalo announced as firm favourite of Irish mothers and their children
Two-thirds of Irish mothers begin reading to their child before he or she is a year old and more than a quarter read to their child from birth, according to a new survey. It found that 71 per cent of mothers read a bedtime story to their kids nearly every night. Some 28 per cent of mothers read to their children every night, 30 per cent do so most nights and 13 per cent read to their children every other night. Five per cent of mothers said they never read to their children. Of those, a fifth said they are too busy to do it. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson was the favourite children’s book of the mothers surveyed, followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Cat in the Hat. Roald Dahl was the most popular children’s author, followed by Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss. Eoin Colfer topped the poll of favourite Irish authors.
Fancy a cup of Hobbit tea?
Fans of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings might want to fire up the kettle and get out their map of Middle-earth. A tiny Wayne County village near Wooster is where seven young Mennonite and Amish workers are mixing and packaging teas, herbs and fruit into three new blends: Hobbiton Meadow Mint, Gandalf the Gray Tea and Bilbo Baggins Breakfast Blend.
Hobbit Teas, named for the peaceable diminutive characters in Tolkien’s books, went for sale exclusively online on www.hobbittea.com two weeks ago. The site got 300 hits from around the world within the first 24 hours.
Wizarding world of Harry Potter website launched
As the spring opening of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park gets closer and closer a new website has been launched to heighten the anticipation of Potter fans yet further. For more information, visit http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/.
The 2010 Cape and Island Quidditch Cup
Fans of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books will flock to the Cape in March to compete in his favourite game quidditch, the fictional ballgame the wizards played on flying broomsticks, where players perform acrobatic aerial manoeuvres, dodge damaging blows from opponents and, ultimately, seek out the snitch.
The 2010 Cape and Island Quidditch Cup on March 27 and 28 started as an unusual senior fundraiser and may be growing into a New England event that could help boost the local economy in the off-season.
For more information, visit http://sites.google.com/site/2010capeislandsquidditchcup, www.collegequidditch.com and http://sites.google.com/site/savannahquidditchleague/IQARulebook
JK Rowling’s message to donators
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has passed on a message to all those donated to Partners in Health through in the Helping Haiti Heal project which is a multi-fandom effort currently underway to raise funds for the ravaged nation of Haiti. To date, Helping Haiti Heal has raised $112,000.
"To everyone who has helped raise such an incredible amount for the earthquake survivors in Haiti: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.”
Posted: February 11th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Julia Donaldson
Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy to open this month
This month will see the launch of the new Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, a project which will explore the importance of fairy takes in literary and culture.
Professor Bill Gray, an English lecturer at the University of Chichester, is the brainchild behind the centre that will discuss and celebrate the folktales, fairy tales and fantastic imagination from across the world that has led to bestselling fantasy works by writers as diverse as JRR Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, JK Rowling, Angela Carter, Philip Pullman and CS Lewis.
“The heart of this project is a focus on the importance of fairy tales as a creative force both in literature and culture. Literary fairy tales can be seen, in terms of genre, to mediate between, on the one hand, folktales, from which they often derive both form and content; and on the other, the more elaborate narratives of full-blown fantasy novels. The Centre will provide a forum where writers and scholars from various disciplines can discuss folk narratives, fairy tales and fantasy works, both as independent ‘genres’ (the literary fantastic, for example, may not always have obvious folk- or fairy-tale motifs), and also in terms of the resonances and dissonances between them, and other cultural forms.”
For more information, visit http://sussexfolktalecentre.org.
Posted: February 9th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: CS Lewis, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett
It’s almost opening time for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is Universal Orlando’s upcoming addition to their Islands of Adventure. The new island is set to open officially in Spring 2010 and is being billed as Universal’s ultimate rival to Disney World. Featuring several themed attractions, shops and a restaurant the park, which is built just as the landscapes appear in the films, will attract millions of Potter-loving fans.
Construction of Hogwarts Castle is almost finished and ride experts are also talking about a new, state-of-the-art attraction called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Visitors can take a stroll through a realistic version of Hogsmeade Village and order a JK Rowling-approved recipe for Butterbeer. In Diagon Alley, take your chances inside Ollivander’s Wand Shop, where the wand chooses you.
Universal has bought a Superbowl XLIV commercial spot advertising the new $265 million project.
In a statement, author JK Rowling said “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.”
JK Rowling was born in the town of Yate, South Gloucestershire in 1965. She is the most successful literary author of all time and her world-famous Harry Potter series has sold in excess of 400,000,000 copies worldwide and has been translated into over sixty five different languages.
Posted: February 5th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling
The ins and outs of the Google Book Settlement
The families of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie have decided to opt in to the revised Google Book Search settlement. Gail Steinbeck, who initially opposed the settlement and Arlo Guthrie, said they would not bring a separate lawsuit against Google. Ms. Steinbeck is the wife of the late John Steinbeck’s son, Thomas, also a novelist.
Meanwhile, opposition to the settlement continues. Author Ursula Le Guin, who resigned as a member of the Authors Guild for “selling authors down the river,” has submitted to the Court an online petition signed by 367 authors against the settlement. In her petition, Le Guin states: “The Google Settlement was negotiated by the Authors Guild, without consultation with any other group of authors or American authors as a whole. The Guild cannot and does not speak for all American writers. Its settlement cannot be seen as reflecting the will or interest of any group but the Guild.
Among the Authors Guild members supporting the settlement are Wally Lamb, Simon Winchester, Beverly Cleary, Amy Tan, Scott Turow, Garrison Keillor and Elmore Leonard.
The objection corner has recently obtained heavyweight support in online retail giant Amazon, Consumer Watchdog, half-a-dozen French publishing houses and the Open Book Alliance. Amazon said the revised agreement violates anti-trust and copyright law and urged the judge to reject it.
British authors have also snubbed Google Books, with JK Rowling and Philip Pullman turning their backs on Google’s new digital library.
Caradoc King, Mr Pullman’s agent, said: “Why should we have to do this because Google decided to set something up which is clearly for the benefit of Google? Google can’t afford to do it without the support of major authors — they have to come back with a better deal.”
Ms Rowling’s lawyer at the Christopher Little agency said that the settlement “purport[s] to change US and international copyright rules”.
Other British authors including Helen Oyeyemi, Kamila Shamsie and Nick Harkaway have signed a petition headed by the children’s fantasy author Ursula le Guin, which argues the settlement “render[s] copyright essentially meaningless”.
The Justice Department has until February 4 to make its views known but the revised deal does not appear to have placated some of its original opponents.
The Google Book Search settlement agreement is the 303-page agreement reached between the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and Google in October 2008 and recently revised after intervention from the Justice Department. The agreement settles a lawsuit filed against Google for “massive copyright infringement” related to the Google Books Library Project in which hundreds of thousands of titles were illegally scanned by Google. The settlement seeks to develop revenue models to compensate authors and publishers for Google’s digital use of copyrighted books. A fairness hearing is scheduled February 18, 2010.
Posted: February 5th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Latest News, Philip Pullman, Ursula Le Guin
Fantasy news round-up – January/February 2010
Fantasy authors donate towards the Haiti appeal
Harry Potter author JK Rowling donated a full UK edition set of her books, as well as a handwritten card, to Helping Haiti Heal. These rare items join more than 100 special gifts, including a signed book by author Neil Gaiman, five dedicated books by Sir Terry Pratchett, and original conception art from the film Where the Wild Things Are.
And… The Daily Mail “newspaper” grudgingly apologises to JK Rowling
”On January 17 we reported the recent purchase of a property by author J. K. Rowling. We wrongly alleged that she offered an extra £300,000 for the seller to leave within two weeks so she could hold a Christmas party and that she viewed only two rooms before deciding to buy the property. We apologise to Ms Rowling for any embarrassment caused.” announced the sulky press release.
Graveyard Book movie is dead for now
Neil Gaiman’s young adult novel, The Graveyard Book, which won a Newbery Medal and a Hugo award looks set to remain solely in the written word for the foreseeable future. The film adaptation that was to be written and directed by Neil Jordan (The Brave One, The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire) has fallen apart on the financing front.
Harry Potter fans bid for Quidditch league
Students at the University of Nottingham want to establish a British Quidditch league based on the JK Rowling stories. The sport is already popular in universities in the United States but has yet to be taken seriously in this country. In the Harry Potter books the trainee wizards fly on broomsticks. In reality the Nottingham students hold a broom between their legs and throw a ball with their free arm.
Fantasy authors battle it out on live online role-playing game
Fantasy authors Peter V. Brett, Ari Marmell, and Diana Rowland go head-to-head in a live online role-playing game session. The two-hour session, hosted by Suvudu.com, features a real-time adventure illustrated with artwork, and featuring characters from the King of RPGs graphic novel series.
New Line Cinema push back Hobbit release date
New Line’s efforts to get “The Hobbit” on the big screen have been hobbled again. Studio officials confirm that the film, which had been slated to premiere in December 2011, won’t hit theatres until the end of 2012 at the earliest. The two-part prequel to New Line’s mega-successful “Lord of the Rings” franchise has Peter Jackson signed on to produce and Guillermo del Toro enlisted to direct. Production had previously been delayed by haggling between author J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate and New Line over “Lord of the Rings” profits. This latest delay, however, has to do with financing for “The Hobbit,” which unlike “LOTR,” will not be paid for via foreign pre-sales. Rather, for “The Hobbit,” New Line shares financing rights with MGM/UA, which purchased its rights back in 1969 and could sell them soon as part of a larger restructuring. In short, “The Hobbit’s” production financing situation probably won’t become clear until MGM’s situation is sorted out later this year.
Posted: February 5th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Latest News, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
Book Trade gave away £3.7bn in discounts over the last decade
The book trade gave away £3.7bn in discounts in the Noughties, according to an analysis of Nielsen BookScan data. 1.88 billion books, with a total recommended retail price of £18.1bn, were actually sold for £14.4bn.
These discounts were driven partly by the highly competitive pricing of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, which saw adult fiction sales grow from £331.4m in 2001 to £475.6m last year, with books sold at an average discount of 25.5% over the decade.
Children’s books also experienced heavy discounting, in part thanks to the success of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The decade had an explosion in children’s sales, outstripping the growth of adult fiction and non-fiction. Sales grew from £193.6m to £328.4m between 2001 and 2009.
Posted: January 28th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Latest News
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to arrive in 3D
Warner Bros have confirmed that the two film adaptations covering JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book will be converted into the 3D format. The work involved in converting the two films is likely to cost in excess of $10m with Warner Bros also having to factor in the added cost of providing distributors with 3D glasses.
This news has been expected following the recent success of James Cameron’s 3D-blockbuster Avatar.
The previous two Harry Potter movies had included scenes in 3D but this would be the first time an entire Harry Potter movie was released in 3D.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I hits cinemas on November 19, 2010 with Part II expected on July 15, 2011.
Warner Bros also announced that the Clash of the Titans release date has been delayed until April 2, 2010 so that it too can be converted into 3D.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer:
Posted: January 28th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling
Round-up: JA Rowling, Bath-time for Pullman and Le Guin not finished yet
A round-up of fantasy news around the world.
A rare JK Rowling uncorrected proof sells for £1,600
An uncorrected proof edition of JK Rowling’s very first Harry Potter book has been sold for £1600 at auction.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, attributed to JA Rowling was bought by a collector at Edinburgh’s Lyon & Turnbull auction house. The copy was sent to critics and booksellers around the UK by Bloomsbury shortly after taking Rowling on.
The book, which also contains spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, was famously written on an old manual typewriter in coffee shops around Edinburgh.
Twilight seeps top spots in USA TODAYS’s best-selling books of 2009
For the second year in a row, Stephenie Meyer has swept the top four spots in USA TODAY’s lists of the best-selling books of 2009. Not even JK Rowling achieved this.
Books for children and teenagers accounted for 29% of sales recorded in 2009. Altogether, last year the Meyer books added up to £29.3m in sales – 10% of the total children’s book sales, according to Nielson BookScan, which compiles the best-seller lists for several national newspapers.
Philip Pullman’s Bath-time
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, thriller writer Robert Goddard and celebrated cult writer Philip Pullman are just three of the internationally acclaimed writers who will be visiting Bath over the coming weeks.
Philip Pullman comes to Bath on April 1. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is his spellbinding retelling of the life of Jesus. Philip comes to Bath to discuss his new work, which is part novel, part history and part fairytale. He will discuss the tensions inherent in the dual nature of Jesus Christ and explore some of the myths and mysteries of the gospels that have helped shape human history in the last two millennia. The event is at the Guildhall at 8pm. Tickets £9 with £9 off the book. Tickets £7 when booked in person at the bookshop.
Random House to raise funds for new new television, toys, video games, and film projects
Random House Children’s Screen Entertainment will be looking to raise $100 million in order to create new television, toys, video games and film projects. The group was created when Random House Children’s Books struck a partnership with the UK production company, Komixx Entertainment.
A number of authors and illustrators could see more properties developed with Philip Pullman and Terry Pratchett having already been mentioned. Komixx intends to go out into the market for RHCSE in March. It may yet approach an existing film and television financier such as Aramid Capital to help it raise the money. The $100 million will be used to develop cartoons and live-action films and television series based on RHCB properties, as well as video games and toys.
Ursula Le Guin plans next move after resigning over Google Book Settlement
Ursula Le Guin says she wants to do more than simply resign in protest. On the Book View Cafe Blog, she says she’s heard from many writers who agree with her and wants to start marshalling that collective sentiment.
“How, where, can I ask writers who are unhappy with the Settlement to speak up – to stand up and be counted? We don’t have to agree on every detail, but I think there are a lot of us who see it as urgently important to let it be known that writers support the principle of copyright, and want the Copyright Office, the judges, the publishers, and the libraries to know that we intend to keep control of our work, in print or out, printed or electronic, believing that the people who do the work, rather than any corporation, should have the major voice in how it’s used and who profits from it.”
Oscar nominated Keisha Castle-Hughes to appear in Legend Of The Seeker
Keisha Castle-Hughes, the youngest woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award will be a guest star on an episode of Legend of the Seeker.
Castle-Hughes, who originally rose to prominence in 2002 for her role in the New Zealand film Whale Rider. The actress recently starred in projects such as Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger and Piece of My Heart. She also portrayed the Virgin Mary in The Nativity Story and had a small role in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
In Legend of the Seeker, Castle-Hughes will play a mysterious young woman who claims to be the Creator, the incarnation of God.
Posted: January 16th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Philip Pullman, Stephenie Meyer, Terry Goodkind, Terry Pratchett, Ursula Le Guin
News round-up: The search for the next JK Rowling continues…
Are you the next JK Rowling?
Writers who fancy themselves as the next JK Rowling are being invited to submit entries to a national children’s book writing competition. The competition, which is open to previously unpublished authors over the age of eighteen, carries a first prize of £2,000, with second and third prizes of £300 and £200 respectively.
The competition is run by The Academy of Children’s Writers and a spokesperson said competition is fierce.
"This is the most prestigious competition for unpublished authors of children’s books in the UK. With over two thousand entries received in 2009 it proved that writers everywhere are on the alert to hear the announcement that the competition is up and running every year."
Independent judges will read the entries and they will be looking for qualities such as originality, imagination, and how the story will appeal to children.
The closing date for receipt of entries is 31st March 2010. Details of winners will be sent to all entrants.
Entry forms, along with competition rules, are available on receipt of a stamped addressed envelope from The Academy of Children’s Writers. PO Box 95, Huntingdon, Cambridge, PR28 5RL.
Alternatively download the information from the website at: www.childrens-writers.co.uk
Source: Bexhill Observer
Steven Erikson versus R. Scott Bakker
ED Kain compares the virtues of Canada’s leading fantasy writers in a very interesting article on The League of Ordinary Gentlemen website. Read the piece in full here.
“And that’s my take on the Erikson vs. Bakker question. Read both authors, but only read Bakker if you want something really, really painfully dark. Erikson’s work is violent and dark, too, but it’s palatable. There’s some comic relief, and you (mostly) like the characters, which is always nice. That’s also one of Martin’s strengths. Even his anti-heroes have a good side, or at least a side we can relate to.“
Source: The League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Post-Christmas book sales down on last year
January sales have had book-buyers flocking to the high street but post-Christmas sales are down on last year. In total, £28.2m was spent at UK book retailers, including online, last week – down 26.6% on the previous week and 9.7% year on year.
The high street performed slightly better, with sales through Nielsen BookScan’s General Retail Market, a strong indicator of high street bookshop performance, down a shallower 7%, to £18.6m year on year.
Source: The Bookseller
Jonathan Stroud’s The Amulet of Samarkand is The Telegraph’s January book choice
Once upon a time, in children’s literature, the young protagonist’s best friend would be a faithful hound or well-groomed horse. Since Harry Potter, though, all that’s changed. In our January book choice, The Amulet of Samarkand, our hero’s constant companion is not a lovable, furry animal, but a smoke-emitting, wisecracking demon called Bartimaeus, who not only doesn’t like children, but absolutely can’t stand being summoned and bossed around by them.
Read this article in full here.
Posted: January 6th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Steven Erikson
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
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Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
