Harry Potter and the Lost Diary - 06/10/09

Welcome to the first edition of our new column, Harry Potter and the Daily Prophet! Every day, we will be bringing you the latest news, pictures, video clips, interviews, and more from the Harry Potter franchise. We have been meaning to do this for some time now!

As many of you know, we maintain a daily column for Twilight but we did not want the Harry Potter fans to feel left out by any means. I'm a big fan of the series and I have read all of the books, unlike my counterpart who has read all of Twilight and writes most of our Twilight news. We hope you enjoy this new column; let us know what you think in the comments section!

IMAX Date Changed for HP:HBP

Recently, it was announced that the release date for the IMAX version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed back by a full two weeks. We have all been eagerly awaiting for July 14 (or the following day for those in the UK) ever since the release date was pushed back from last year, but now we'll have to wait until July 29 to see get the full IMAX experience of the film. The IMAX version has twelve minutes in 3-D and if it is anything like the 3-D battle between Voldemort and Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it will be well worth waiting for! The move was made because it conflicts with committments the theaters have with Shia LaBeouf's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Rumor: Obama Girls Visit Harry Potter Set in London

The First Lady, Michelle Obama, and her two lovely girls, Sasha and Malia, had a visit to London recently. They were in Paris with their father, President Barack Obama, before he left to return to America, and the girls jetted off to London, where they saw Big Ben and were rumored to visit Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is being filmed. The girls were hoping to meet Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint during their visit. Unfortunately, the story may not be true. Vanessa Davies, a publicist for Harry Potter, told ABC, "There is no Obama visit, not as far as I know. I feel I would be in the loop if there was such a visit." This, however, does not mean it did not happen. The White House has refused to confirm the widespread rumor. If it weren't true, wouldn't they just say so?

Harry Potter Co-Stars in Paris

Bonnie Wright, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, and Tom Felton were in Paris for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Train Launch. The train is on an eleven-city promotional tour that offers fans the chance to see some of the Harry Potter universe up close. This is certainly a unique event, and one worth seeing if you are in Europe; we'll be bringing you more information on this event soon. If, however, you are in the United States, you can still get your Harry Potter fix in Chicago at the Harry Potter Exhibition.

Daniel Radcliffe, Director/Producer?

Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, was quoted as saying, "Daniel will potentially be a great director or producer. He's very interested in behind-the-camera work. Remember, they have spent more hours in front of the camera in the last decade than most people have in their entire career." What do you think about this news? It's certainly true that Daniel has become a household name portraying Harry Potter since we was just a boy; not everyone is aware of his role in December Boys or the stage play, Equus. Would you like to see Dan direct a movie? And if so, what would it be about?

Trio to Appear in London and New York City Premieres

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint will be attending the premieres for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in both London and New York City. There is a rumor going around that due to the busy schedule of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that they would not be coming to America. This rumor has been confirmed to be false and we will be on hand at the red carpet event for exclusive photos and interviews.

LEGO Harry Potter

The first four years of Harry Potter will be available as a LEGO game, as I'm sure many of you already know! Amazon already has it up for pre-order! You can see the trailer for the game below! Looks like great fun, and we'll have more to share with you on this new game as it develops.