As most magic-loving Muggles know, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" -- the final installment in J.K. Rowling's seven book series -- will be split into two pieces for its upcoming movie adaptation. There have long been suggestions and assumptions about where that split might lie. Last we heard, director David Yates had "three or four different ideas" about where the break should be.

Now we have what looks to be confirmation, though it's important to remember the old adage that "looks can be deceiving" in this particular case. Joshua Herdman, who plays Slytherin crony Goyle in the films, broke the news in a Q&A held in the UK several weeks ago. "Potter" fansite MuggleNet is quick to point out that "the director and producers have made it clear that they could very well change" the split point, so take all of this for what it's worth. Be warned, there's also a moderate spoiler, unrelated to the split point, in Herdman's comments. Read more...

FROM MTV.COM: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is one of the darkest of the Potter books, so it's no surprise that the movie version is the darkest of the films to date. What is surprising — and I say this as someone who loves the books and has loved the movies up to this point — is how sluggish the new picture is. It gets underway with a limp scene set in a train-station café — a trivial flirtation between Harry, now 16, and an admiring waitress — and proceeds in surges and sags for the next two and a half hours. There are some marvelous scenes, beautiful images, wonderful moments — it isn't a "bad" movie by any reckoning. But it isn't up to the sweeping dynamic level of some of the pictures that preceded it.

Every fan knows the story: Darkness is descending on Hogwarts and all of the wizarding world. Voldemort's Death Eaters are on the attack, and have even crossed over into the unsuspecting Muggle domain. The Dark Lord has tasked Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton, newly prominent) with an especially evil mission. Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is in mortal danger, as, of course, is Harry (Daniel Radcliffe). And the deliciously creepy Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) appears to be up to even more in the way of no-good than usual. As if that weren't enough, there's suddenly a Horcrux crisis, too. (Need it be said that this isn't the place for first-timers to attempt to enter the Potter universe?)

Continue reading 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince': Snogwarts, By Kurt Loder

In the wizarding world of "Harry Potter," you can accomplish almost anything with the flick of a wand, a correctly spoken incantation and the rightly brewed potion: grant good luck, make people fall in love, clean up a messy room. Of course, you've got to be a talented witch or wizard to pull off one of these spells. No Muggle has a chance with such feats.

That hasn't stopped the cast of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" from wishing they could, like their characters, sometimes make the impossible possible.

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You regular readers may be getting tired of these daily reminders, but bear with us. It's not often we get face time with the collected Hogwarts superstars -- Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright and Tom Felton -- and their stalwart director, David Yates. MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz will have that opportunity this weekend though, and he wants to give you fans a shot at having your voices heard.

It's simple: plant yourself in front of a webcam and record yourself putting a question to one of the gathered "Potter" players. Upload the video to Your MTV and tag it with "Harry Potter." We'll handle the rest. Then you can look for video from the junket next week, when the "Harry Potter" hype train hits full speed in preparation for the July 14 release of "Half-Blood Prince."

All this week, MTV Movies Blog writer Brian Warmoth will be breaking down the past, present and future of the five principal Hogwarts students — and the actors who portray them — in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on MTV.com. So far this week we've looked at Draco Malfoy/Tom Felton, Ginny Weasley/Bonnie Wright and Ron Weasley/Rupert Grint. Today's subject is Ron's longtime friend and budding love interest Hermione Granger, and her real-life counterpart Emma Watson.

FROM MTV.COM: The Muggle-born daughter of dentists, Hermione Granger made it known early on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that she was a witch to be reckoned with. Even as she has continued to overcome prejudice and earn the respect of her instructors, including Hogwarts Headmistress Minerva McGonagall and the school's newly installed Potions Master Horace Slughorn, one subject has continued to confound her — the affection of Ron Weasley.

Continue reading 'Harry Potter' Overachiever Hermione Granger Still Can't Pin Down Love. Click on the image above for our "Hermione Granger Through The Years" flipbook! Also, remember to record your questions for the "Half-Blood Prince" cast and upload the video to Your MTV by Friday for a shot at having them answered at this weekend's "Potter" junket!

Michael Jackson's death dominated tweets two weeks ago, and his memorial service today was no different. Reactions were mixed in the Twitter-Wood feed, but dependable tweeter Tyrese Gibson returned to his account with a shot from the service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Paris Hilton, Andy Milonakis and producer Jeff Katz were also among those sharing their thoughts.

There was plenty of pep elswhere in the Hollywood Twitterverse though. Emma Watson showed up to Tweet about her thoughts going into the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" premiere and Rose McGowan shared a pic of her puppy, who is apparently celebrating a birthday today. Check out all of this and the questionable shake that Miley Cyrus swears is delicious in the Twitter-Wood report for July 7, 2009. Read more...

Hey "Harry Potter" fans! I'm pretty excited for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," I have to say. I hesitate to call it my favorite of the books, but it's definitely the tightest, most action-packed of the stories. Between the killer set pieces and shockingly downbeat conclusion, "Half-Blood Prince" is to the "Harry Potter" universe what "The Empire Strikes Back" is to "Star Wars." Anyone who's aware of my fanboy allegiances knows that there's no higher compliment I can offer.

SO! Next weekend, MTV's Josh Horowitz will be sitting down with members of the "Half-Blood" cast and crew. Namely director David Yates and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton and Bonnie Wright. That's Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley, for you Muggles out there. While all of us -- myself included -- are forced to sit jealously on the sidelines while Josh does his interviews, MTV wants to give you all an opportunity to participate.

It's simple. Head over to Your MTV and upload a video of yourself posing a single question to any of the gathered players. We'll cull the best of your queries and pass them along to the Potter-folk, then share their answers here the week of "Half-Blood"'s release!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final entry in superstar novelist J.K. Rowling's magical septology, is a long book. Like, really long. There's a treasure hunt, a road trip, a great big battle... crap happens, the major players deal with it, and then more crap happens. That's about as spoiler-free synopsis as I can offer.

There's a point here: in order to properly adapt the lengthy final volume into a movie, the Potters-that-be (get it?) have decided to split it into two. "Half-Blood Prince" and soon-to-be "Deathly Hallows" director David Yates had a little chat with the Los Angeles Times recently about his plans for splitting up the narrative. If you haven't read the book and want no spoilers, you can stop here knowing the following: the first movie will break at roughly the middle of the book. Read more...

Earlier this week, MTV's Jocelyn Vena challenged members of Team RPattz to choose a co-star for "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson's upcoming role in "Remember Me," which he's currently promoting out at Cannes. Well the results are now in. The verdict? You love yourselves almost as much as you love Emma Watson. Ya Pattinson-loving narcissists.

"Harry Potter" star Watson took the lion's share of the votes, with 41% favoring her. Trailing behind was the "joke vote" category -- I think I should be cast! -- which earned 30% of your clicks. The numbers take a sharp dip after that: Camilla Belle with 16% followed by Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox, with 7% and 5%, respectively. Read more...

Robert Pattinson just landed himself another leading man role, in "Bel Ami." The film begins shooting next year in Paris, the city of love. French author Guy de Maupassant's "Bel Ami," published in 1885, chronicles the rise of an ambitious young man from French soldier to powerful Parisian newspaper journalist. Although RPattz is all ready to begin work on the film as the soldier-turned-journo, he's also got "Remember Me" to worry about, which he's at Cannes to promote even though it has no leading lady attached.

RPattz has said of whoever gets the part that "the girl needs to be literally inspirational." With a resume that includes top-tier co-stars like Kristen Stewart, Rachel Weisz and Javier Beltrán (that was a joke, obviously), finding someone who fits Pattinson's bill is going to be hard. Read more...