Also, check out HPEF’s latest episode of their podcast HPEF Presents!

We also talk a bit about some of the stuff we’ve been reading lately.  What are you reading? Let us know!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or  download it directly as an mp3.

Also, registration is officially open for Infinitus 2010!! You can get your early bird registration rate now so make sure to head on over to infinitus2010.org and make sure to write “hpprogs” in the referral box!

Also, make sure to keep an ear out for Travis Prinzi’s latest pubcast where he interviews US! Also, listen for Travis’ new spot on PotterCast as  a PotterCast Pundit!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an MP3

In this week’s episode we reviewed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince….sure took long enough for this movie to come out! We were joined by our friend and special guest Greg in Toronto who had some great insights into the movie. We talked about our overall impressions, the acting, the theme of the movie, the rating and many other very interesting subjects!

We also gushed about Azkatraz 2009, the Harry Potter conference we attended last week in San Francisco, CA. If you like what you heard and are interested in Infinitus 2010, check out the Infinitus website and get on their mailing list ASAP!

We also briefly discussed the move of the Harry Potter Exhibition to Boston, come October 25, 2009. The exhibition will be held at the Museum of Science in Boston.

Listen to Greg’s guest spot on the live Hogs Head PubCast from Azkatraz. They talked about Harry Potter as Legitimate Lit.

Also, check out the newest article about our Hitler Video that Greg was quoted in.

Make sure to let us know what you thought of the Half Blood Prince!

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.

We look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts. Enjoy!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

The Museum of Science and Industry is excited to announce that it will play host to the newest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at the Omnimax®, Chicago’s only five-story, domed theater. The Museum is the only large-format theater in Chicago to show the film on its world premiere date, and one of only three in the nation.

To kick off the film’s run at the Museum, there will be four midnight screenings of the film, beginning at 12:01 on Wednesday, July 15 (Tuesday night), with the final screening on 12:01 on Sunday, July 19 (Saturday night). The film will also be shown multiple times daily through Sunday, Sept. 27, to coincide with the run of Harry Potter™: The Exhibition.

For more information, visit the Museum’s Web site at www.msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414

WHEN:Thursday, July 9, 2009
WHERE:
Ziegfeld Theatre
Crew Arrivals: 4:45 pm
141 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
Celebrity Arrivals: 6:00 pm
Screening: 7:00 pm

Celebrities in attendance will be: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, director David Yates and producers David Heyman and David Barron.

So we dedicate this episode to you, our listeners. Thanks for being the best!

In this week’s episode we decided to take a stroll down memory lane and visit the prognostications of the past. You will be surprised at how many predictions we made that were spot on. You will be even more surprised at the few which were way off.

We hope you enjoy this episode, we had a great time making it!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

This is a VERY SPECIAL episode of HPProgs though. Join me (Penny) and my son, Ezra, as we bond over Harry Potter. It is definitely different than every other episode of HPProgs to date, yet no less special, in my humble opinion.

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts and Ezra is ready to correspond with you all

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

We also briefly (notice how the word is both bold and italicized) spoke about the new Harry Potter Exhibition….well mostly about our failure to take anyone up on the offer of preview tickets. And we asked for some advice and help in planning a special party!

So please enjoy this episode and as usual we look forward to hearing your comments, thoughts, and suggestions!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

The episode is short and sweet, but full of content and info.

We can’t wait to hear what you think of the trailer, so please make sure to leave your comments below!

ou can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

Hey everyone! Remember the video we made back in August about Hitler’s reaction to the Half Blood Prince Delay? Well it turns out that the folks at Entertainment Weekly magazine found out about it and mentioned it in the FIRST paragraph of their article about Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in their Summer Movie Preview!

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Let’s sum this up in one word: finally. Warner Bros.’ adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s penultimate Potter novel was originally scheduled to be released last fall, but the studio moved the flick to this summer for strategic financial reasons. Furious fans protested with petitions- and pranksters mocked their ourtrage with viral videos, including one that cast Hitler, in his bunker scene from Downfall, going apoplectic over Potter’s delay. But at last the wait will soon be over.

We don’t know yet if this article will be in the online version (this is from the print copy), but we will get you a link to the full article as soon as we can!

Hat tip to Greg in Toronto for being the first to let us know about this!

Erc box office and comingsoon.net are  both unofficially  reporting that  Warner brothers has moved up  the release date for the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie to July 15, 2009, bringing it to theaters two days earlier than scheduled.

No reasons for the move have been given yet and WB has not confirmed the move either.  However, it should be noted that Order of the Phoenix had a mid-week release as well, which allowed WB to make a significantly higher amount of money in opening week sales than it would have if it had opened on a Friday.

We don’t have any information on how this will affect the Azkatraz movie screening yet. We will keep you posted.

Coordinates for feed are as follows:

Thursday, April 16, 2009
9:00 PM – 9:15 PM EDT (6:00 PM 6:15 PM PDT)
Galaxy 3C, Transponder 21, C-Band Analog
Downlink Frequency: 4120 H

We can’t wait to see the trailer and hear what you have to say about it!

(yes we are still alive)

HPEF is excited to announce that Chris Rankin (a.k.a. Percy Weasley of the Harry Potter films) will be joining us at Azktraz! Mr. Rankin will be at Azkatraz throughout the weekend and will be presenting us with a Q&A session at A Dessert with Chris Rankin.  This will take place on either Saturday or Sunday (exact date and time to be announced in April). Tickets can be purchased by anyone holding a full registration, a Merlin’s Circle registration or a single-day registration, and only 125 tickets are available! Enjoy a chocolate fountain and mounds of other sweets, plus coffee, tea and lemonade, while participating in a Q&A with Chris. After he speaks, he’ll visit all the tables as well.  Tickets are $65 through April 1, and go up to $75 through June 30. If tickets are available at the door, they will cost $100 each.

In addition, Mr. Rankin will be participating in many more events at Azkatraz, including autograph and photograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday. More details will be announced in the near future.

Be sure to register! Remember, the $145 rate for basic registration to Azkatraz is only until April 15th, so don’t delay! If you already have an Azkatraz registration, you can add the Dessert With Chris by modifying your registration. Email info @ hp2009.org (without the spaces) if you have any questions.

You can still register for Azkatraz and remember to write that hpprogs referred you!

Enjoy and make sure to let us know what you think of it!

Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Website (http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/?__source=email.hp.2009.02.24) for more details!

(Hat Tip: The HogsHead)

In other news, please remember to enter “The Next Biggest Podcast Idol Survivor” contest for Azkatraz 2009. It is going to be great!

Also, please check out our listener and friend, Michal’s youtube channel. She did a phenomenal job narrating “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” in a fantastaic British accent. We now know that we should have hired her to play JK Rowling in our re-enactment of the JKR/SVA trial.

As we mentioned, you can now check out the Smart Mouth’s Podcast, which is our new podcast endeavor with some of the Mugglecast Crew.  This is a general news/entertainment/politics podcast and we hope you will enjoy it!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp.

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments, thoughts, and suggestions about this latest episode of HPProgs.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.

Anyway, we have just released our Pilot Episode- we don’t even have a name yet. Do us a favor and check it out and please send in your feedback to us at pilotpodcast@gmail.com.  Remember, it is just a pilot so we haven’t tweeked it completely yet.

I also must stress that this is an explicit podcast. Meaning if language and mature content offends you, please don’t listen.

You can find the podcast at: http://tinyurl.com/bjpqgj  You will need to hit subscribe and then the feed for the episode will show up on your own iTunes podcast page.

Thank you so much for your continued support! Happy listening!

-Penny and Greg

p.s. We have guests lined up for the next HP Progs and we couldn’t be happier to interview them on a great topic!  That will hopefully recorded soon.

The Next Biggest Podcast Idol Survivor

Do you have what it takes to be the next Potter Podcast Idol? Have you ever listened to your favorite podcast and thought, “I can do that!” – Well here’s your chance! HPEF and MuggleCast are proud to present The Next Biggest Podcast Idol Survivor – a contest and endeavor to make the next great Harry Potter podcast. Individuals will audition on YouTube for our panel of judges by March 15, 2009, and the top 5 will be chosen to make the new podcast. Guided by our judges, the winners will go through all the steps necessary to make a successful podcast, like giving it a name, making the website, defining roles for each host, editing the podcast, finding theme music, and much more. The entire process will be documented on HPEF Presents (the official podcast of HPEF), MuggleCast, and YouTube. The winners will get the chance to podcast live from AZKATRAZ this July in San Francisco at the Podcast Palooza on Monday, July 20, and a Libsyn account to host your podcast, courtesy of MuggleCast. Here are all the details:

Part 1: Auditions:

If you think you have what it takes to be the next Potter podcasting star, then you’ve got to audition of course! Post your audition reel to YouTube with the title HPEF The Next Biggest Podcast Idol Contest – (insert your name here ) by March 15, 2009, to be eligible for the contest. You MUST be registered for AZKATRAZ to enter the contest (otherwise, you couldn’t be at the Palooza!). You must be at least 14 years of age to enter. Those under the age of 18 as of July 18, 2009, must email us a copy of the notarized chaperone form you must submit when registering. After posting your YouTube video, email us at pr@hp2009.org with a link to your video. You must also include the following information: Real Name (not your fandom name), age, email, and phone.

Part 2: Announcing the winners:

A panel of judges (consisting of hosts from the podcasts HPEF Presents and MuggleCast) will choose the top 5 audition tapes and announce the winners on a special edition of HPEF Presents.

Part 3: Making the Podcast

Once the winners are chosen, the work begins! At this point, the hosts will work with our judges to name the podcast, define their individual roles, make a website, come up with a theme song, design the format of the show, come up with new and exciting content, record & edit a first show, promote their show, and much more!

Part 4: The Big Tamale

Finally our new podcasters will have the chance to get their feet wet; there’s no time to waste, so they’ll jump right in! The culmination of this contest will, of course, be recording a live podcast at AZKATRAZ’s Podcast Palooza event this summer. Having worked with the judges for months in preparation for this event, the Podcasters will put on a live podcast by themselves in front of the entire AZKATRAZ conference. We will see if this podcast can become the next great Harry Potter podcast! For questions, please email us at pr@hp2009.org.

Tell us what you think of the posters!

(Hat tip: A.S. of MN)

Interestingly, this is the first movie in the Potter franchise since Prisoner of Azkaban that is receiving a rating under PG-13.

It is very possible that this is only a rumor, but usually these rumors end up being true.

What are your thoughts?

(Thanks to BlogHogwarts for the tip)

Also, check out the links we mentioned on this week’s episode:

• Candy Bar Lab : A blog exclusively about candy bars. They track down candy bars from around the world and write thoughtful, in-depth reviews with pictures.
• collativelearning.com: An incredible film review website. Make sure to check it out, it is brilliant!!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at http://audiblepodcast.com/hp.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3

Things have been pretty busy around here. Greg and I are both dealing with some job related stuff and between that and regular life, we haven’t had a chance to sit down together to come up with and record Episode 96 yet. We hope to record within the next few days or so, but in the meantime, I wanted you all to know that we are still around, still reading comments, and still interrupting each other any chance we can.

If for some reason you are REALLY missing your HPProgs, I recommend going back and listening to some old episodes, that is always fun. And if you want something different, I joined the folks over at Mugglecast again for their latest episode, 166. We had a really interesting discussion and the episode should be up over the next couple of days. I am going to be a semi-regular contributor over there so you can now get a double dose of me! (How lucky for you. *Insert Sarcasm Here*)

Like I said before, we hope to record sometime over the next few days. Talk to you soon and in the meantime, Keep On Prognosticating! Oh, and Happy Holidays to all!!

-Penny:)

In conjunction with HP Alliance, HPEF is taking wizard rock into San Francisco Bay on Friday, July 17, 2009 with WROCK AROUND THE ROCK, a four-hour cruise featuring wrock, games, and a Magical/Muggle tour of Alcatraz from the water.

There will be food, an open bar (three hour open bar with alcohol available for a small additional fee), and music from Brian from the Draco Malfoys, The Remus Lupins, The Whomping Willows, The House of Black, Ministry of Magic and more!

Also, we’ll have one deck on the yacht that’s music-free, with space for games, conversation and, of course, food!

If you want to see all of the information about the cruise, go to the Azkatraz 2009 website for the details.

You can register for Azkatraz 2009 here. (Remember to write hpprogs in the referral section.)

We can’t wait to meet you at Azkatraz. And in the meantime, keep on wrocking (and prognosticating)!

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.

I can’t help but compare this to the lesson taught in the Beedle the Bard Story, “The Hairy Heart.” The Moral of the story is that if you don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable you will never truly live. The wizard in the story specifically closed his heart away and he was never able to love or live properly and his heart ended up becoming something of a beast- killing his one chance at love.  As I mentioned on the last podcast, I think that the moral of this story can be compared to the song, “The Rose” by Bette Midler. After hearing JK Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech again I can only be even *more* certain of this.

Here are the lyrics that sum up this story best in my opinion:

It’s the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taken…
who cannot seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live

Failure and vulnerability are hard lessons to deal with.  However, I agree with JK Rowling (and Bette Midler) that unless you try, and even if you open yourself up to the possibility of failure, you will never truly live.

Warner Brothers has released  a press release to officially announce the premiere of the international tour of  Harry Potter: the Exhibition.  It will be opening in Chicago on April 30th, 2009 at the Museum of Science and Industry:

“We are proud to present this unique exhibition, which captures the magic of Harry Potter and will give fans of all ages a front row seat to some of the most iconic artifacts and scenic elements from the beloved films,” said Brad Globe, President, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “We are pleased to debut this very special exhibit in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry.”

“Since 2000, when we began production on the adaptation of the first of Jo Rowling’s remarkable books, we have had the great privilege of working with some of the most talented artists and craftsman in the world,” said David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter films. “We are delighted that fans will finally have the opportunity to see, in person, some of their favorite props and costumes. We are looking forward to audiences enjoying the care, creativity and attention to detail involved in their making, just as we do each and every day on set.”

Tickets are on sale now at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s website.

(Thanks to HPANA for the “Breaking” Tip!)

UPDATE: Here is a link to the video from the announcement in Chicago. (HT: Questionswork)

The movies will be playing at different times throughout the 5 days and tickets can be purchased now!

I will be in NY then to see several HP Actors in a certain play….I might have to check this out!!

(hat tip to Fandom Fashionista)