movies

In all of my excitement over Twilight and this weekend's release of Breaking Dawn, I have been slightly distracted from my previous literary obsession: Harry Potter!

Half-Blood Prince movie trailer

I got a super reminder of why I'm such a Potterhead yesterday when I watched the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which comes to theaters November 21, 2008. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it here. It is thrilling! I loved getting a glimpse of Tom Riddle as a young boy. Here's a bit of trivia for you: Apparently, the boy playing young Tom Riddle is the real-life nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the grown-up dark lord Voldemort.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie! When I finish Breaking Dawn, I think I'll re-read Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows to get ready for the HBP movie!

Birthdays

Also, today, July 31, is JK Rowling's birthday, which she also shares with Harry Potter! Happy, Happy, Happy Birthdays! I raise my butterbeer to you! Cheers!

New Book by JK Rowling! (pre-order now; available December 4, 2008)

Hooray! JK Rowling's book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, is a companion to the Harry Potter series. The book was referenced in the last volume of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It contains five original fairy tales, which have been compared to Aesop's fables and the stories of the Brothers Grimm.

The Collector's Edition (pictured) of Beedle has some sweet special features, such as extra illustrations, a reproduction of Rowling's handwritten introduction, metal and gemstone details on the cover, and extensive and insightful commentary and footnotes by Albus Dumbledore!

I can't resist stories with names like these:

• The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
• The Fountain of Fair Fortune
• The Warlock's Hairy Heart
• Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump
• The Tale of the Three Brothers

Any other Potterheads out there? Will you buy The Tales of Beedle the Bard? What do you think of the Half-Blood Prince trailer?

I watched the second Twilight trailer today, and it is much better than the first one! It's quite a bit more exciting, and makes it even harder to wait until the movie comes out in December! If you're not already a fan of the Twilight books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse), you might decide to check them out after you watch the trailer. The last book of the series, Breaking Dawn, will be released in less than two weeks, and my pre-ordered copy will be delivered by my dashing Man In Brown on August 2!

Here is the movie trailer!

To keep myself busy in the meantime...

I searched several online sources for silver charms representing important things and events in the Twilight books. I came up with seven that are especially significant, and made this Twilight charm bracelet. I started out just making one for myself, but I thought there might be other crazy-obsessed fans out there who would love it, too. So here it is!

I must say, I just love the way it turned out. It is fun and whimsical, and it just screams "TWILIGHT!" You can read all the details and order your own at my Twilight Charm Bracelet page, if you're interested. :-)

I love this brilliant photo by Don Solo, who took it as part of a 52 week series. Other shots in the collection feature little Lego Indiana Jones outdoors, at an amusement park, and interacting with a confused Princess Leia. Who knows what little Indy will do next week? I can hardly wait to find out! You can follow the Indy 52 series by Don Solo on flickr, and you can even download the high-res files to use as desktop wallpaper.