Wizarding World

I'm a couple days behind on this, but I don't think it's ever too late to share theme park magic especially because the Wall Street Journal got in trouble for posting the information too early. Anyway, Harry Potter Land is coming to Universal Studios, Hollywood. I bet the first question you're asking yourself right now is where the hell are they going to put it. Well, they're working on that. Through the theme park grapevine, I've heard that they'll either carve out a mountain or get rid of some of their back lot elements and put it there. Either way, it's going to be small and there will have to be separate transportation to get there, but it will still be as authentic as the original. Definitely exciting news for Harry Potter fans. Plus, it will add some new elements to the LA theme park because it does kind of lack pizazz. This addition will definitely add an exciting element and of course bring in more money. That's all they care about anyway. I still want to go to Florida though. Their theme park is an actual theme park and has way better rides. It will be interesting to see what they come up with here. Guess we're waiting til 2013 to find out.

Hackers

Wow, people can be such assholes. The Pottermore site has been hacked and it’s not pretty. The hackers are setting up links in search engines that lead people to sites that carry major viruses and they’re sending out fake early access accounts. Some people are even selling fake early access accounts for $100 on eBay. That really sucks because I’m sure a lot of the people interested in the site are young adults and what do they know about viruses and which emails you shouldn’t open, etc? Way to target a weak audience. I never understood hackers and their mindsets. I guess these are just bored kids who don’t have anything better to do on their summer break. The site of course can’t do much other than delete accounts they deem unfit to be a part of the site. I hope there aren’t any other issues because this site looks like it can be super awesome for big or small fans. I consider myself to be a small fan and this site looks amazing. Here’s to hoping stupid hackers don’t ruin it for everyone.

Final Installment

Harry Potter opens tonight at midnight and I’m a little excited. I’m interested to see how Hollywood decides to end this 7th movie. I’ve read all the books and the movies have been pretty close to the books and this last movie looks awesome and dark. So in honor of Harry Potter’s final installment, I’d like to take a look back and see how much these actors have changed. It’s kind of insane to realize how long it’s been since the first movie was made.

Good Friday

The long awaited JK Rowling YouTube count down surprise has been revealed and it sounds very awesome. She and her team have created a website for the fans as a thank you called pottermore.com. It won’t be activated until October of this year, but the video tells you all about it and like I said, it sounds kind of amazing. Not only that, but there will finally be e-reader versions of the books. I think the website will have some very awesome things just by the way the video looks. The moving animation in the pages is very telling. JK also talks about how readers can interact with the stories.

First, you'll choose a magic username and then begin your experience. As you move through the chapters, you will read and share exclusive never before seen writing from JK and participate in Hogwarts just like the characters. You'll be able to visit Diagon Alley, get sorted into a house, cast spells and mix potions to help your house compete for the House Cup. The user experience is so interactive that you are actually sorted based on questions asked by the sorting hat. Same goes for the magic wand. Your wand is chosen out of 33,000 variations based on questions answered by you.

Like I said, the site isn't live until October of this year, but the first million people to register their email address with the site will gain early access. The first Harry Potter book will be the first interaction experience with the second book to follow in early 2012 and so on and so forth. I'm very excited to see how this site works. I have no doubt it's going to be amazing. Check out the video where JK talks about the site.

Summer Begins!

Today is officially July 1 and in my mind that means the beginning of summer. No more June gloom, it will officially start getting really hot. At least in Los Angeles. The beginning of July marks more than just hot days. It marks pool parties, fireworks, awesome movie releases, bbq's, vacations, etc. I love the summer. I love the hot weather and I love jumping in pools or sliding down water slides. This weekend kicks off the beginning of it all for me. The fireworks, although to celebrate independence, celebrates the beginning of all of these fun summer activities in my mind. So to kick off the summer, I would like to share a little movie trailer. Although this movie isn't released until November, it still reminds me of summer. I remember one summer I read books 1-4 and then watched the movies and it was just awesome. So, here's to a long weekend. I won't be writing here again until next Tuesday so this should tide you all over until then. Have a great holiday weekend and don't do anything crazy. I don't want to spend the weekend in the hospital with you. Happy 4th of July and happy birthday to my brother. He's turning 30!