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Welcome to MTV's Harry Potter World Cup! We've selected 64 of the best "Harry Potter" characters and matched them up in a series of duels for a chance at magical glory, but it's up to YOU to decide who the greatest "Potter" character of all time is in this pool of wizards and witches. Will the Death Eaters destroy Hogwarts, or will good triumph over evil? In the end, the choice is yours, so keep voting at MTV Movies Blog and make your voice heard!

The Boy Who Lived better watch his back, because You Know Who has just entered the Harry Potter World Cup.

The final first round duel introduces the Dark Lord into the tournament, and given the fact that he already killed his current opponent once before, he's bound to add another body to his considerable pile of victims. But even as the very spirit of evil comes to Diagon Alley, a champion of the light steps in as well. All of the players are on the board now, and first round voting remains in your hands until midnight on Sunday (June 27).

(7) James Potter vs. (10) Kreacher the House Elf
Though we never met him firsthand, it often feels like we've known James Potter our entire lives. Harry's father and Lily's husband died at the hands of the Dark Lord, but for the Cup's purposes, the Potter patriarch is alive and kicking. And he's likely to keep kicking well into the next round, too, as I don't think the conniving Kreacher will see much fan support. Then again, despite being something of an anti-Dobby, the dark-minded house elf is nothing if not misunderstood. Perhaps he'll advance by way of the sympathy vote.

(2) Lord Voldemort vs. (15) Moaning Myrtle
Sorry Moaning Myrtle, but it looks like a double-dose of death is in your future. The sorcerer formerly known as Tom Riddle is as dangerous as they come in this tournament, and by all accounts, it appears that his murderous reign of terror will begin with the Hogwarts ghost's head. Myrtle isn't without her fans, though, and her gentle (if fragile) spirit could win her some points. Still, from my vantage point, it looks more likely that Myrtle's about to be flushed down the drain, this time for good.

Having trouble deciding? Consult our Harry Potter World Cup experts from MuggleNet, The Leaky Cauldron and MTV News for their insight!

Tags Harry Potter, Harry Potter World Cup

Many skeptics have been asking how the "Potter" series can possibly live on now that the final movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," is less than a month away from its release... and J.K. Rowling has provided one heck of an answer in the form of her new online social experience, Pottermore. We explained all the exciting details in an earlier post, but the announcement got us wondering what other series that we love could use the "Pottermore makeover."

Call us selfish, call us greedy, but we'd love to see these other properties get the same type of expansive treatment that Rowling gave "Harry Potter."

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Tags Game of Thrones, lost, Pottermore, steven spielberg, the lord of the rings, the matrix

One of the most famous crime stories in recent history is coming to a close: James J. "Whitey" Bulger has been caught after 16 years on the run.

As movie trivia junkies already know, Whitey was the inspiration behind the villain of Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." The freshly caught gangster's history laid the groundwork for an Oscar-nominated turn from Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, mirroring Whitey's days as the head of a South Boston crime ring with all the terror and ruthlessness that Hollywood bad guys typically bring to the table.

It's not a surprise that the two look pretty similar on the surface, but once you start looking at the details, it's no contest: when compared to Frank Costello, Whitey Bulger was the more terrifying dude by miles. Get all the evidence you need to back that statement past the jump!

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Tags the departed, Whitey Bulger

Welcome to MTV's Harry Potter World Cup! We've selected 64 of the best "Harry Potter" characters and matched them up in a series of duels for a chance at magical glory, but it's up to YOU to decide who the greatest "Potter" character of all time is in this pool of wizards and witches. Will the Death Eaters destroy Hogwarts, or will good triumph over evil? In the end, the choice is yours, so keep voting at MTV Movies Blog and make your voice heard!

Given my blatant bias towards Remus Lupin, it should come as little surprise that I'm equally enamored (close enough, anyway) with the good professor's longtime pal, Sirius Black.

Black, the wrongfully accused fugitive and Harry's caring god-father, goes up against Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, a former Auror who was once the Javert to Black's Jean Valjean, in his first Harry Potter World Cup match — and while I'm rooting for the erstwhile prisoner of Azkaban, there's no guarantee for victory. Across the battlefield, meanwhile, Sirius' ally Nymphadora Tonks tangles with Nagini, a deadly serpent with closer ties to the Dark Lord than most wizards and witches realize. The outcome of these Diagon Alley duels will be determined at midnight on Sunday (June 27), when first round voting comes to a close.

(6) Nymphadora Tonks vs. (11) Nagini
Remus Lupin's wife has one of the rarest and most useful skills in the whole wide wizarding world: as a Metamorphmagus, Tonks can change her appearance at will. (Polyjuice Potion? Puh-lease!) Her abilities could prove especially useful against the snake Nagini should Tonks choose to take on Lord Voldemort's likeness. Then again, Nagini's direct link (no spoilers!) to Voldemort would likely bust a hole in her plan. However this one shakes out, the winner won't emerge without their fair share of war wounds.

(3) Sirius Black vs. (14) Rufus Scrimgeour
Who would ever be so bold as to go wand-to-wand against Sirius Black, the man who allegedly — emphasis on allegedly — murdered James and Lily Potter? It seems that Rufus Scrimgeour, currently leading the Ministry of Magic and formerly the Head of the Auror Office, is one such man. Their battle is bound to be epic, but just as I always do in the casino, I'm betting on Black — if his skills as a wizard don't secure him the win, his formidable facial hair should do the trick.

Having trouble deciding? Consult our Harry Potter World Cup experts from MuggleNet, The Leaky Cauldron and MTV News for their insight!

Tags Harry Potter, Harry Potter World Cup

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead, and now you know what the greatest adventurers are going to look like.

Your very first looks at Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey and several other cast members from "The Hobbit" have arrived online. We already saw some tantalizing photos of Peter Jackson on the set of the two-part "Lord of the Rings" prequel just a few weeks ago, but if you're a Middle-Earth maniac like me, your brain is almost certainly bubbling over with awesome overload from this latest batch of images.

Check out our rundown of the latest "Hobbit" photos, which debuted at Entertainment Weekly, past the jump!

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Tags Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, peter jackson, Richard Armitage, the-hobbit

Welcome to MTV's Harry Potter World Cup! We've selected 64 of the best "Harry Potter" characters and matched them up in a series of duels for a chance at magical glory, but it's up to YOU to decide who the greatest "Potter" character of all time is in this pool of wizards and witches. Will the Death Eaters destroy Hogwarts, or will good triumph over evil? In the end, the choice is yours, so keep voting at MTV Movies Blog and make your voice heard!

That mad howl you hear lingering in the air? It's not coming from werewolves Fenrir Greyback and Remus Lupin — it's the cantankerous cackle of the deliciously deranged Bellatrix Lestrange, who's just stepped inside the Harry Potter World Cup arena.

The highest ranked Diagon Alley witch is no stranger to bloodshed — indeed, she thrives on the free-flow of cruel intentions — but it's not her first round match-up that has her curiosity piqued. That distinction belongs to another nearby competitor who's also launching into the World Cup today. Whether or not these bitter foes get the chance to square off in the next round depends entirely on you, of course, as first round voting comes to a close on Sunday (June 27) at midnight.

(5) Molly Weasley vs. (12) Aragog
The Weasley matriarch is headed into the Forbidden Forest to draw the Acromantula out from his lair and into the open. If Aragog faces Molly with his army of spiders at his side, he could make short work of the witch. But Molly has something he lacks: motivation. Not only does she want to beat Aragog for the fear he drove into Ron's heart during their run-in in "Chamber of Secrets," she also wants the chance to advance to the next round and settle a score with a certain someone...

(4) Bellatrix Lestrange vs. (13) Cho Chang
The black-hearted Bellatrix is barely batting an eyelash at her first round competitor, Cho Chang. Not that the Ravenclaw witch is someone to take lightly — she proved her strength as a member of Dumbledore's Army and had enough inner-spirit to command Harry's heart for a time — but the Hogwarts student lacks the same ruthlessness that Bellatrix relishes… a loathsome quality, yes, but a very useful quality in a tournament such as this. Blood is about to spill, and it isn't likely to be Bellatrix's.

Having trouble deciding? Consult our Harry Potter World Cup experts from MuggleNet, The Leaky Cauldron and MTV News for their insight!

Tags Harry Potter, Harry Potter World Cup

"Django Unchained" has finally found its leading man, and it isn't Will Smith.

Jamie Foxx has landed the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Western, Deadline reports, joining a cast that (supposedly) includes Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. It's Foxx's first Tarantino film, and judging by his ability to poke fun at himself in recent years (we're looking at you, "Horrible Bosses"), it actually sounds like a really good match.

After the jump, find out the latest actress contemplating starring in "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies," who is joining the cast of "Lone Ranger" and the role Warren Beatty will be playing in his return to film.

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Tags Django Unchained, emma stone, Jamie Foxx, lone ranger, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, quentin tarantino, ray winstone, Snow White and The Huntsman, Tom Wilkinson, Warren Beatty

MTV Movies Managing Editor Josh Horowitz is currently traveling in Moscow, but this isn't any ordinary excursion—it's more than meets the eye, as he braves cultural confusion and borscht by the bowlful in an effort to cover the world premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in Russia. These are his stories.

Being in Moscow for a press junket like this should be all gravy, right? What an insane opportunity! Who even goes to Moscow? I don't know anyone!

And yet I've been filled with anxiety since I got here, not over work (well a little bit), not for my safety (though I have heard talk of "rape tunnels"), but more for all I'm missing. I mean, let's be real. I'm probably never coming back here, right? So I should be getting my (er, the studio's) money's worth. Unfortunately between my perpetual sleep fog (aka jet lag) and the work that's kept me sitting in a hotel hallway, I haven't really taken in the sights a ton.

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Tags transformers dark of the moon

Welcome to MTV's Harry Potter World Cup! We've selected 64 of the best "Harry Potter" characters and matched them up in a series of duels for a chance at magical glory, but it's up to YOU to decide who the greatest "Potter" character of all time is in this pool of wizards and witches. Will the Death Eaters destroy Hogwarts, or will good triumph over evil? In the end, the choice is yours, so keep voting at MTV Movies Blog and make your voice heard!

Do you smell that? Smells like... villainy! That's because it's Day Four of the Harry Potter World Cup and duels are now underway in Diagon Alley, the division that hosts some of the tournament's most wicked witches and sadistic sorcerers.

The day kicks off with the number one seed, Draco Malfoy, a villain so notorious that he's been honored with the Best Villain award at the MTV Movie Awards for two years straight. One might assume that he'll easily cut through his first round opponent, but the road ahead could be tougher than both he and you imagine. At the same time, a duel between two old rivals rounds out today's first set of polls, which close at midnight on Sunday (June 27).

(1) Draco Malfoy vs. (16) Peeves the Poltergeist
He's been Harry Potter's numero uno rival (in the same peer group, at least) since they both arrived at Hogwarts oh so many years ago. Since then, the tension between Draco and Harry has only thickened — which is exactly why the son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy is so eager to beat the snot out of Peeves: so he can advance far enough to squash the Boy Who Lived all on his own. Can Peeves, a poltergeist who never appeared in the "Potter" films despite his popularity amongst the book-reading crowd, stand a chance against Malfoy's malice? Or will Draco's signature arrogance cost him the big game before he's barely even started?

(8) Viktor Krum vs. (9) Fleur Delacour
Though they lost the Triwizard Tournament years ago, they're both getting another shot at a different cup today. But only one of these two "Goblet of Fire" veterans can move on to the next round. Will it be Bulgarian wizard Viktor Krum, the Quidditch World Cup favorite and pride of Durmstrang? Or will Fleur Delacour, the swoon-worthy Beauxbatons babe and eventual Weasley-in-law, win the day? More so than many of the other first round match-ups, the outcome of this battle between Viktor and Fleur is truly up in the air.

Having trouble deciding? Consult our Harry Potter World Cup experts from MuggleNet, The Leaky Cauldron and MTV News for their insight!

Tags Harry Potter, Harry Potter World Cup

The speculation is over, muggles: Pottermore has arrived, and as we guessed, it's an online experience featuring brand new "Harry Potter" material.

That's right — brand new. They aren't calling this Pottermore without a reason (even if we're already giving you more Potter with the Harry Potter World Cup)!

J.K. Rowling finally unveiled the full extent of her newest project in a press announcement today, revealing Pottermore as a free-to-use website that will feature "extensive new material about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories," all written by Rowling. It sounds like the vast majority, if not all of this material, is intended to supplement the "Potter" stories as they already exist, rather than create brand new stories all unto themselves. In other words, this appears to be Rowling's long awaited "Potter" encyclopedia, but in an online and interactive form.

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Tags Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Pottermore