A Worldwide Salute to 10+ Years of Harry Potter

Harry Potter has been a fandom that people of all ages can enjoy and grow with. As the release of the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, is upon us, let all fans join together for a salute to the writer, J.K. Rowling, the directors, producers, screenwriters, and actors.

Swing over to your facebook pages and change your profile pictures to a picture of your favorite Harry Potter character. RSVP to the following event listed below and invite all your friends to do the same. Let's see if we can make this salute worldwide and give a big thank you to everyone involved for bringing these stories to life and entertaining us for over a decade.

FACEBOOK EVENT INVITE

Also make sure to tune in on Monday, July 11th, for our Harry Potter: Countdown to the End 2 hour special. Trivia, talking about the movies and books, a review of what we hope to see in the movie, and of course, GIVEAWAYS of Deathly Hallows merchandise and more. See you there! 

Harry Potter Countdown to the End: The EPIC Contests

Hey Everyone,

I hope that you all are doing amazing.

We just got done recording the June Edition of our Countdown show. At the end of the show I made an announcement about how to enter a competition to be put on air to battle it out with another Harry Potter fan to see who knows the most Potter trivia. What do you get?

• Two TICKETS to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
• 1 Giant Movie Poster from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" (the one shown below)
  
  

Here is how you enter:

Send an e-mail to megan@artistsondemandonline.com explaining why you think you know the most about Harry Potter. Also declare a house! (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw). Send that e-mail to me by Friday July 1, 2011. Then I will pick two people to come on the show on Monday July 11 7PMPST/10EST time to compete against each other on Potter trivia. The one who wins will get the TWO tickets to see Deathly Hallows Part 2 and the movie poster.

On our last show we will be talking about Lord Voldemort, reflecting on the Potter years, and will host this epic fan trivia contest. Making no promises but there may be more prizes in store for you guys. So definitely tune in.

We will also have a Review Show talking about the movie aka therapy session on Monday July 18 7PM PST/10EST.

SECOND CONTEST:

Is the keyword contest. The winner of the keyword contest will get the Film Wizardry book and Harry Potter and Philosophy as well. If you haven't already give a listen to all the previous countdown shows. Write down the keyword I say at the end of each episode and after I announce the last word on our July 11th show send it to megan@artistsondemandonline.com. The first one to do so will win the prize!

So many things going on in the name of Potter. So definitely enter...these are insane prizes!

In Potter,
Megan Anderson

Two More Harry Potter Posters Released

Empire Reveals Harry Potter Cover

Empire magazine has revealed their brand new Harry Potter special edition issue cover and we can say that it does not disappoint. Check them out here and make sure to get a copy on Thursday!

SOURCE

NEW Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Trailer

Everyone has been waiting for it... and it is finally here. A brand new trailer was released by Warner Brothers today during a screening of Happy Gilmore on ABC Family for the upcoming EPIC finale of the Harry Potter franchise. This movie looks amazing. Tell us what you think!






Some key scenes... Harry and Voldemort face off...

 Fred dies... (Saddest part)

A very angry looking Dark Lord.

SOURCE

Harry Potter hits Australian shores...

The Harry Potter convention “Hubwarts” hosted by Hub Productions on Sunday 27^th March in Melbourne Australia was a hoot! The special guests included Stanislav Ianevski (Victor Krum), Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks) and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley, respectively). 

The day started with everyone being sorted by none other than the Sorting Hat, who actually talked! Awesome!!! The house names were the invention of the Hub Productions crew.

It was interesting to hear each of the guests stories about their audition and casting process, all except Natalia (Tonks) had not done any professional acting previously and all had no idea what Harry Potter was, or what they were getting themselves into. 

Stan (Krum) had been studying business at university when one of the casting agents spotted him while he was late for class (playing footy).  Stan’s mother actually did not believe he had a part in a movie until he showed her his flight information for the first filming session.

The Phelps twins got their role as the Weasley twins because their mother heard about the auditions from a friend who had read about it in a local news paper. They drove a few hours for the auditions and arrived to see a line of over 100 people, they would have gone home if they hadn’t have driven so far already.  James favourite Weasley product is Nose Bleed Nougat.

Natalia (Tonks) had done some acting previously, however had no idea what the Harry Potter series was about when she went for her first audition, in which she tripped over something (picture perfect for Tonks).  It was not until her later auditions that she felt she needed to read the books because she wasn’t quite getting the character. She started with Order of the Phoenix which is where the charter of Tonks is first introduced, and then started from the beginning of the series.  Natalia also mentioned that if she could have played any other role it would have been Professor Snape, if she was a man.

Each cast member was asked the following questions and pretty much gave the same answer:

What is something you would have liked to keep from the Harry Potter sets?  My Wand (these were carefully and greedily guarded by the prop crew so that they wouldn’t go missing. Who knows they may eventually get them as a present?)

Which cast member do you wish you could have spent more time with?     Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

Which cast member do you most admire (either before filming Harry Potter, or now)? Julie Walters (Mrs Molly Weasley)

These are some interesting stories that Stan (Krum) told us:

Once upon a time he actually had a crush on Emma Watson!!!!!  So he decided to get a Lilly and place it in her shoe box on the step of her trailer.  Romantic right?  Emma thought that it was the security guys that put it there and didn’t find out it was Stan until much later.

When asked about pranks on set Stan (Krum) told us about someone (most likely the Phelps/Weasley Twins) put vinegar in his dessert and stirred it all up so he couldn’t tell.  Stan (Krum) raved to them that they should go and get some dessert because it was really yum (he couldn’t taste the vinegar), to which they were baffled and said “um…  do you know that we put half a cup of vinegar in that?” PRANK FAIL!

When asked what actor Stan (Krum) would like to work with in the future, and/or that he really admires he responded “Jonny Deep”  which of course encouraged a lot of wolf whistling and the like. I really hope he gets his wish!

These are some interesting things that Natalia is now doing:

Being married to Harry Potter cast member David Legeno  (Fenrir Greyback), whom she says is the funniest guy in the world!

Playing in her band Molotov Jukebox, which she describes as “Gypstep” a new genre that the band are trying to carve.  Basically her new mission in life is to make people feel happy and dance!  Check them out here www.molotovjukebox.co.uk they are pretty awesome!

Some cool things about the Phelps Twins:

Oliver is the “big brother”, as he entered the world 13 minutes before James did.  It just seems natural that therefore Oliver (George) is the more organised twin.  Apart from their hair at the moment (Oliver’s (George) is a bit longer than James’ (Fred)) you can tell them apart because Oliver (George) has two moles on the right side of his neck.  The twins had to have their hair dyed orange (they called it Ginger) for 10 whole years!  They were not allowed to play contact sport during the whole time they were filming the potter series, so instead have a keen interest in Golf, as this was pretty much the only sport they were allowed to play.  Most of the time when they get a chance to catch up with Rupert (Ron Weasley) and Daniel (Harry Potter) they play Golf.  Whilst filming the Harry Potter series they never swapped places as a joke, they would have gotten into a lot of trouble and had to reshoot!  However they did say that they played a lot of other pranks on set, most of which they could not tell us about ‘sad face’. 

They also mentioned that they are currently working on some new projects, mostly separately.  They were a bit excited when they mentioned something coming out very soon to do with them and a social media project, but that’s all they would say.  “All will reveal its self soon” they said.  I will definitely be keeping my eyes open.

All of the guests commented that the Harry Potter cast is just like a big family!  They have all spent so much time together on set for the past 10 years that they are really great friends.  They all enjoyed learning new skills from each other and having a really fun time together.  They also commented that the fans of Harry Potter, compared with fans of some other “franchises” are really nice, no one does anything really strange or rude that has made them feel uncomfortable.  However in saying that, just after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one came out Natalia (Tonks) received some baby clothes in the post from a fan (lateral thinking I suppose).

It was a really cool opportunity to hear the stories of some really lucky and really brilliant people! Happy Pottering!

Story contributed by Sweet_As_Spice. She also took all the pictures.

March Harry Potter: Countdown to the End

Hey Everyone,

We have just ended our March Harry Potter: Countdown to the End show. It was tons of fun.

I have to say thank you to Maggie who came on to talk about her experiences in the Harry Potter world. It was great to hear from a fan about everything. She was wonderful.

We mainly discussed Hogwarts, the Houses, and Hermione Granger. You can download the show pretty soon on ITUNES for free.

In this show we also introduced a new contest to get Hermione Granger's hat replica of the one she wore in the Half-Blood Prince. The new contest is to send in a fan fiction (one shot), fan art, fan video, fan poetry, or fan graphic to megan@artistsondemandonline.com and we will pick the winner. The deadline for this contest is April 11 2PM PST/5PM EST and we will announce the winner on the April 11th Countdown show.

I also announced what you will win for the keyword contest. After each show I say a keyword and at the end of all the countdown shows the first person to e-mail me all the keywords will win a really cool Gryffindor T-Shirt (pictured below) and a copy of "Harry Potter and Philosophy: a guide for Muggles." So definitely listen to the shows and write down these keywords in order for you to to win!

We ran out of time to discuss Ginny Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks, but have no fear we will finish talking about these wonderful and powerful ladies on the April show as well as talking about Government and Media in the books. How it is portrayed the different types and so on.

Get to creating some awesome Potter art!

In Potter,
Megan

Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End Contest

Hey Harry Potter Dorks,

I am here to re-announce one of our Harry Potter contests.

First Contest: Is an ongoing contest that you must listen to the HP countdown shows to be entered into. So take a listen to the shows and write down the keywords in order to win an awesome prize.

Second Contest: I can announce to you. This contest is really simple the only thing you need to do is declare your favorite character and write a little bit about why he/she is so important to you. Please send your contest entry to megan@artistsondemandonline.com before Monday March 14, 2011 at 2PM PST/5PM EST time. We will announce the winner on that night's countdown show.

The winner will get a replica Quibbler including the awesome glasses that saved Harry from a free ride home back to London in the Half-Blood Prince movie.
Totally awesome. Also, you can also get a chance to help host one of the countdown shows in April (if schedule/logistics work out).

So send in your entries you have nothing to lose and a chance to be just as cool and breezy as Luna Lovegood.

Again all entries go to megan@artistsondemandonline.com

Also, if you know of any Harry Potter forums, chat rooms, or sites please pass along this message about the contest and our Harry Potter shows. We really want to reward amazing Harry Potter fans for being such great, dedicated, and amazing people.

Have a wonderful week!

In Potter,
Megan Anderson

Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End Episode 2

We just finished recording our second installment of Artists on Demand 's Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End. Tonight we discussed love in the Harry Potter series. How important it is to the plot of the story, how it was written on love, and of course we talked about the different relationships and friendships in Harry Potter. Including my history with the shipping wars and all the amazing relationships and friendships in the books.

I also announced the winner of our contest from last show. I am proud to say it is a follower of Honestly Ronald! Very excited. The winner is getting an official replica of a Time Turner. I am very excited about this! I got some great responses and really wish I could give them all prizes I have to say.

I also continued a contest I started that you must listen to the program to be a part of to win an epic prize. You can download the show for free via ITUNES podcasts. Just search ArtistsonDemandRadio and it should show up!

I will be able to announce the second contest though. The winner of this contest will receive a replica of the Quibbler including those snazzy awesome glasses that Luna rocks when she finds Harry on the floor of the train after getting stepped on by Malfoy. It is really cool. The contest is quite simple and fun. There is no word limit just send an e-mail explaining who your favorite Harry Potter character is and why they are your favorite. Send it to megan@artistsondemandonline.com . The DEADLINE is 2pmPST/5EST March 14, 2011. I will announce the winner on that evening's show which will air at 7PMPST/10EST you can listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistsondemandradio or listen in at (347) 884-9941. Or you can download it free on ITUNES as a podcast. The March show we will discuss Hogwarts/The Houses, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Nympadora Tonks.


I look forward to your answers and I am stoked to give amazing Harry Potter fans some great prizes. Have any questions/comments feel free to reply and I will do my best to answer. Also there is no limit to you winning so if you win one contest you can enter all the others if you wish. No guarantee you will win but you are definitely welcome to re-enter.

I also wanted to say thank you to Dani for being an awesome co-host. I know that I come across as quite nerdy when it comes to Harry Potter. I do think that these are intellectual books for Adults to play around with. One of the greatest themes in Harry Potter is the power of love. It saves Harry in the beginning and it destroys Voldemort in the end. A wonderful trio of true friendship and love helps destroy the souls of death. Good will always conquer evil as long as we are pure of heart and we know exactly what we are fighting for. This is what the Harry Potter books show us and this is what I get from them. Love and choices conquer hate and abilities.

Thank you and until next time..make sure those you love know it and don't be afraid to show it. It is Valentine's Day after all.

Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End - Contest/Show Update

I am posting to remind you all about our second Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End that will air on Monday 7PST/10EST you can listen to it LIVE at at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistsondemandradio or call in to listen at (347) 884-9941. Or you can just download it for free on ITUNES an hour after the show airs.

On our first show we announced two contests. The first contest is something that you should find by listening to the show if you haven't listened to it yet... Dani and I discussed Feminism in HP, Ron Weasley, and Sirius Black.

The second contest where the winner will win an Official Time Turner replica is to write about how you got into Harry Potter and why you love it so much. Send this to my e-mail address megan@artistsondemandonline.com by Monday February 14, 2011 at 2PM PST/5PMEST and have a chance to win.

The winner will be announced on this coming Monday's Harry Potter show. Plus a new contest will be announced on that show as well. We are talking about the importance of Love to the series plus all the relationships/friendships that exist in the stories. Plus the latest HP Deathly Hallows Part 2 News. You can listen to it live at 7PST/10EST time at the link and phone number above. Or if you can't make it be sure to download it on ITUNES for free an hour after the show ends.

Send in those entries I really want an awesome HP Fan to win!

- Megan