harry potter

August 10–12 of 2018, The Hyatt Regency in Dallas, TX will be transformed into a Diagon Alley-esque scene straight from the pages of JK Rowling's worldwide blockbuster series.

The very first Harry Potter movie opened 15 years ago next month. Fifteen years. A lot has changed in blockbuster movies over the past decade and a half – superheroes are now front and center, CG has advanced to remarkable degrees, and remakes, prequels and spin-offs are filling the movie theaters. But J.K. Rowling’s magical world was one of the most original series of its time. Before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone opened on November 18, 2001, the only major movies for kids born in the ‘80s and ‘90s were animated films from Disney and Dreamworks. The 21st Century also brought with it the Star Wars prequels and the Lord of the Rings series, but Harry Potter introduced a whole new era of fantasy blockbusters for kids (Chronicles of Narnia, The Golden Compass, Twilight, etc.). It gave millennials the first major family franchise of their generation.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set to make its debut on London’s West End this summer, offering a new sequel of sorts in the franchise, but one that will only be performed as a play. However, there’s some good news for all the devoted Harry Potter fans who won’t be able to attend the stage production: the script for the play will be published as a book in July — July 31, to be precise, which just happens to be one Mr. Potter’s birthday.

In case you needed a bit of a cry today, J.K. Rowling has taken to Twitter to share the one little piece of secret information she shared with the late, great actor Alan Rickman to help him better portray Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. As Rickman previously revealed a few years back, Rowling gave him a piece of advice to help him better understand the complexities of his character, who is far more than the shrewd, dodgy potions master he first appears to be.

Well, this ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video is definitely different than the rest. Instead of the normal dumping a bucket of ice on your head and then calling out someone or multiple people to do the same thing, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson had a twist in his video posted on Instagram. He called out boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and insulted him at the same time.