It's the best of times and it's the worst of times for "Harry Potter" fans all across the globe. On one hand, we're right on the cusp of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," a film that's guaranteed to bring beautiful closure to one of the single greatest fantasy franchises of all time. On the other hand, there's that dirty word… closure.

Well, the doors haven't closed yet. Indeed, from where we're sitting, they're wide open — so wide, in fact, that a very important question still lingers: who is the greatest "Harry Potter" character of all time?

We're about to get to the bottom of that question right here at MTV News with the Harry Potter World Cup, a month-long tournament that will have you, the fans, voting to make your voice heard and determine who really is the greatest character in the entire Potterverse. 64 different competitors from all corners of J.K. Rowling's expansive series will enter the ring, but in the end, only one will emerge as the wizarding world's greatest champion.

As announced by James and Oliver Phelps, the real-life counterparts of the prank-happy Weasley Twins, the Harry Potter World Cup launches with first round voting opening on June 20. From there, it'll be round after round of single elimination duels between your favorite wizards and the villains you love to hate, and you'll be there every step of the way voting on which competitor deserves the grand title. The two finalists will be revealed on Monday, July 11, kicking off an intense final duel that'll play out just days before the theatrical release of "Deathly Hallows Part 2" — and the winning wizard will be revealed during MTV News' livestream coverage of the film's red carpet premiere in New York City.

So, what are you waiting for? Get to know the contestants by studying the bracket, start spreading the word on Twitter using the #mtvpottercup hashtag, and get those wands at the ready — only one wizard can be named the champion, and it's all up to you.

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In just over a month, it all ends — and in some ways, that ending has already begun.

The first full clip from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" aired during the MTV Movie Awards over the weekend, and in case you missed it, you can check it out right here. It's a powerful scene ripped straight out of the climax of not just "Deathly Hallows," but of the entire "Potter" series; indeed, in many respects, this encounter between Harry and Voldemort represents the entire message of J.K. Rowling's epic tale of witchcraft and wizardry.

Frankly, we were kind of surprised to see this "Potter" clip in full, given the fact that it's such a monumental moment and very, very spoilery, especially taken out of context. To get a better read on how the HP fan community is reacting to the full scene, we reached out to some "Potter" experts for their take on the clip.

"What WB has been promoting a lot is that 'it ends here,'" explained Andrew Sims of Muggle Net. "And I think that this is that moment they're talking about. It does end here."

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The "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" trailer caused quite the stir when it roared its way online back in April. And if you're suddenly finding yourself craving bananas again… well, there's a very good reason why.

A brand new trailer for the "Planet of the Apes" prequel-reboot hybrid has hit the 'net courtesy of Yahoo, bringing all of the ferocious intensity that the first bit of footage had to offer while upping the ante on the character and story development fronts.

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If you had any doubts that this year's Movie Awards were going to be anything other than awesome, allow host Jason Sudeikis to put those fears to bed with one of the funniest "Twilight" explanations I've ever seen.

As far as I'm concerned, Sudeikis sold himself 100% during his appearance at last night's Sneak Peek Week presentation of "Horrible Bosses," his new comedy co-starring Jason Bateman. The topic of "Twilight" came up, as it inevitably does around this time of year, and Bateman confessed that he wasn't too familiar with the supernatural romance saga. Thankfully, Sudeikis was around to explain the series in a beautifully simple, astonishingly spot-on and wildly hilarious analogy: "Twilight" is just like "Star Wars."

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Killing your boss isn't easy work. Just ask Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and MTV Movie Awards host Jason Sudeikis — those guys are stepping up to the challenge of offing their employers in the upcoming comedy "Horrible Bosses," the latest subject of our Sneak Peek Week.

We're currently LIVE with Bateman and director Seth Gordon (and it isn't too late to tweet your questions @MTVNews using the #spw hash tag!), but to add some extra spice to the mix, we've also got an EXCLUSIVE clip from "Horrible Bosses" showing you exactly what goes into murdering the dudes who pay you money. Needless to say, it's not the most glamorous scheme in the world. Lots of surveillance. Lots of napping. Lots of junk food. Lots of rolling underneath garage doors, sometimes straight into them. Yeah… can't say we really recommend this line of work, honestly. But it sure is hilarious to watch!

Stay tuned all week long for more from MTV Sneak Peek Week!

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Alan RickmanSaying goodbye isn't easy. Every "Harry Potter" fan around the world is about to learn that lesson the hard way, if they haven't already.

But it's not just "Harry Potter" fans that are struggling through mixed emotions as the series barrels towards its conclusion this summer: it's the actors as well. Alan Rickman, who stars in the franchise as the chronically misunderstood potions master Severus Snape, had quite a lot to say about the ending of "Potter" in a new issue of Empire Magazine (via BuzzFeed), addressing author J.K. Rowling specifically in a letter crafted for her (and the public's) eyes.

Read the full letter past the jump.

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Daniel Radcliffe is fast becoming a New Yorker.

The "Harry Potter" superstar is currently living it up (and working extremely hard) in the Big Apple through his stage work headlining the Broadway revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Because of that project, Dan is getting to experience all of the unique wonders that New York has to offer — from top-notch pizza to easily enraged taxi cab drivers (and the even more frustrating issue of people traffic) and everything in between.

But even as Dan gets more and more acquainted with New York City, does that make him a New York City expert? We're not so sure — at least, we weren't so sure, not until MTV After Hours host Josh Horowitz sat down with the MTV Movie Awards nominee to quiz him on all things New York.

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Dawn of the DeadSo, depending on who and what you believe, the world is ending tomorrow. That's right: Judgment Day arrives on May 21, 2011, so if you've got anything left on your bucket list that you're really hoping to scratch off, well… now's the time to do it.

Of course, the world isn't really ending tomorrow. I hope not, at least. But if it does, you better start praying to your deity of choice that you've seen enough post-apocalyptic movies to get you through whatever horrible bloodbath is coming our way if you want to stand a chance at survival.

In case you haven't seen many world-ending films, click past the jump and get the lowdown on the five essential movies you need to see to survive Doomsday. After all, it's still Friday — you've got all day to brush up on your post-apocalyptic movie know-how before the real thing comes your way tomorrow!

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Scientifically proven fact: a heaping dose of Kristen Wiig heals all wounds. And, as evidenced by “Bridesmaids” – in theaters today (May 13) – Wiig’s performance seems especially therapeutic to counteract the residual traumas of our “always a bridesmaid” contingent.

“Bridesmaids” promises to fill an as-yet-unworn set o’ uncomfortably tight stilettos, bringing a much-needed female perspective to the “bro comedy” genre. The story follows the pitfall-laden plight of maid of honor Annie (Wiig) as she attempts to wrangle plans for the revelry surrounding her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) wedding. Along with suffering a slew of personal problems, Annie must contend with the rest of the bridal party – disgruntled mom Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), naïve newlywed Becca (Ellie Kemper), aggressive and tomboyish Megan (Melissa McCarthy) and privileged, wanna-be BFF Helen (Rose Byrne).

The misadventures of this motley crew prove stomach-ache-inducing hilarious, but also touch upon some very current struggles for all those “of age” ladies out there. Which got us thinking – does real life imitate art? According to some former brides and bridesmaids, the answer is a resounding YES. Check out some real life wedding horror stories after the jump!

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As soon as trailers for the new comedy "Bridesmaids" (in theaters this Friday) hit, the first thing you heard -- well, after the bouts of laughter had subsided -- was talk about how it looked like "the female version of 'The Hangover.'"

Sure, on the surface, there are similar elements (a group of oddballs get together in preparation for a wedding, Vegas is involved, things go terribly awry), but there's way more to "Bridesmaids" than meets the eye -- and don't let those previews with the Pink song fool you, this is no run-of-the-mill chick flick! Walk down the aisle with us as we compare and contrast the two gut-busting comedies.

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