Harry Potter Takes New York

New York – For anyone that thinks that Harry Potter is getting to be old news, the excitement at the New York premiere on Thursday night, July 9, proves that he's one wizard that is still beloved by fans, even after all these years. It was the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth film in the series based on J. K. Rowling's phenomenally successful novels, and the screaming devotees and star-studded red carpet showed the world that Harry's appeal has not waned one bit.

Of course, the three main "Harry Potter" stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, were on hand to celebrate. The trio began the series as children in 2001 with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and like their characters in the films they have grown up over the past nine years. Now poised adults aged 19, 20, and 19, the three have spent most of their lives working on the epic story of Harry and his magical destiny.

When asked earlier in the day at a press conference about the end of the franchise, with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" coming in 2010, Emma Watson spoke for the group.

"I think we all feel as if Harry Potter is never really going to die. I think it's so big and so loved. We have a theme park coming out in 2010 and I think that kids are going to keep reading the books and new generations of the kids are going to keep watching the films and I don't really ever feel like it's going to really go away. I think it's got longevity," she said.

Other stars on hand for the film's premiere included Bonnie Wright, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Warwick Davis and Freddie Stroma, as well as director David Yates.

If the celebrity fan turnout is any indication, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will join its predecessors in raking in huge amounts of cash at the box office. Denis Leary, Diane Sawyer, Marcia Gay Harden, Ashanti, Lance Bass, Michelle Trachtenberg, Eric Mabius, Gina Gershon, and Vanessa Williams all came out to be among the first to see the latest thrilling installment in the battle between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.

And as for the final chapter in the series, Daniel Radcliffe spoke for the group when he admitted, "I'm so excited about the seventh film. Seeing the sixth film again, we are doing something very, very different in the last one. We're not at Hogwarts. The difference that makes is extraordinary."

Source : news.yahoo.com

Perry Mason and the case of the other Franken

WASHINGTON – Sen. Al Franken got some chuckles at Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing with a cheeky observation about the classic TV show "Perry Mason": "It amazes me that you wanted to become a prosecutor based on the show, because in 'Perry Mason' the prosecutor on that show lost every week" except for one episode.

Grilled further, Sotomayor couldn't remember which episode the famed defense attorney came up short — and neither could Franken.

We used our crack investigative skills to find the culprit, "The Case of the Deadly Verdict," which aired in 1963. And there's a twist: It stars an actor named Franken.

Who is this other Franken? We called up Stephen Franken, a working actor who most recently starred in "Angels & Demons," to find out.

His bombshell?

"I can tell you Al Franken is my cousin. His father and my father were first cousins."

If we were Perry Mason, we might say that Al Franken should have been more familiar with the episode in question.

But cousin Steve doesn't remember it too well, either. "All I can remember is that I had to wear high heeled shoes and I'm a small man — I wound up wearing the same high-heeled shoes Jack Lemmon wore in 'Some Like It Hot.'"

The other Franken played the villain and made his escape because he was wearing a raincoat and only seen from behind.

Does the actor think the Senator can take any lessons from Perry Mason?

"Live a long life and stay in the Senate for a very long time. 'Perry Mason' had a long run and I hope he does, too."

Oh, and one more thing: "Can you please tell Al that I'm in seventh heaven about his being seated in the Senate? We haven't talked in a couple of years, but I'm absolutely thrilled and excited by his election."

Although "Deadly Verdict" is popularly known as the only time Perry Mason "lost" — he did ultimately clear his client — fans will recall a first-season episode called "The Case of the Terrified Typist" in which Mason's client was found guilty, and for good reason, too — because he was.

Source : news.yahoo.com

Montana Can't Move Michael, Maxwell on Charts

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Michael Jackson is still King, but Maxwell and Hannah Montana make for a nice royal court.

Despite big bows from the Brooklyn crooner and the Disney queen, the late King of Pop had the top-selling album in the country for the third straight week, as Number Ones moved another 349,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan, making for a 1.1 million-copy tally for all his titles. This is Jackson's best week so far, both for an individual title and collectively, thanks largely to last week's memorial service coverage and retailers finally getting completely stocked up.

The music legend, who also had the week's third best-seller in Thriller (264,000 copies), dominated the catalog charts so thoroughly that he set yet another record. This time, Jackson-related titles took up the top 12 spots, a feat never before accomplished. (In previous weeks, he set records by taking 9 of the Top 10 and then the entire Top 10.)

Because they are catalog titles, Jackson's albums are not eligible for the Billboard 200 charts, which gave Maxwell the opportunity to score his second career chart-topper with BLACKsummers'night. The R&B crooner, who previously hit No. 1 eight years ago with Now, sold 316,000 copies of his new disc.

The Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack followed at No. 2, selling 137,00 copies. While prior Hannah Montana discs seemed to top the charts like Groundhog Day, both of her 2009 soundtracks placed in the runner-up spot. Hannah Montana: The Movie did so earlier this year with a similar tally of 139,000 discs.

In other chart action, rockers All Time Low scored an all-time career high at No. 4, shifting 63,000 copies of Nothing Personal.

Thanks to Jackson's sales spike and big releases from Maxwell and Hannah Montana, overall album sales were up 5 percent over last week and nearly equal to the same week last year.

To recap, the Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 were as follows:

• BLACKsummers'night, Maxwell • Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack, Hannah Montana • Now That's What I Call Music! 31, various • Nothing Personal, All Time Low • The E.N.D., Black Eyed Peas • American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley • Cradlesong, Rob Thomas • Fearless, Taylor Swift • Relapse, Eminem • Lines, Vines and Trying Times,

Source : news.yahoo.com

Joey McIntyre Expecting a New Kid on the Block

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Joey McIntyre's got the dad stuff again.

The New Kids on the Block crooner—who, despite his 36 years, will always remain the baby-faced member of the erstwhile '80s teen supergroup—has confirmed he and his wife, Barrett, are expecting their second child in December, a friend tells E! News.

No doubt he'll be loving them forever.

"I still can't get over it," McIntyre tells People. "We feel so blessed."

The happy couple, who are the proud parents of 20-month-old son Griffin, are takin' it step by step after learning unexpectedly they were going to be adding another boy to their brood.

"We were shocked," the singer said, adding that he and the missus had a girl's name all ready to go. "It's going to be a trip to have a couple of boys around."

McIntyre, who's the youngest of nine, is currently on the road in the middle of the New Kids on the Block's successful reunion tour, which stops in Englewood, Colo., tonight and Dallas on Friday.

Source : news.yahoo.com

LA mayor at center of Jackson donation flap

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was not in the country on the day of Michael Jackson's memorial service, but his grinning face popped up on his Twitter site with a message urging fans to help the financially desperate city pay the tab for police and services.

"Help LA give Michael the safe and orderly send-off he deserves," said a tweet in his name.

But when Villaraigosa returned from his nine-day getaway in South Africa, he changed his message. He ridiculed the fundraising drive and said the city will pick up the estimated $1.4 million bill for the Jackson event, even though he helped enlist billionaires and corporations to bankroll a public celebration for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers last month.

The abrupt reversal has yet to be fully explained as City Hall fields complaints that it bowed to political or corporate pressure while sticking taxpayers with an unjustified bill for a lavish celebrity tribute in a privately owned arena.

At a City Council meeting Tuesday, a string of residents grumbled about the taxpayer expense at a time when the city is slashing spending and facing possible layoffs to close a projected $530 million deficit.

In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times said: "City Hall bumbling makes Los Angeles look laughably low-tech, shamefully disorganized, simultaneously an easy mark and a swindler, and cheap and pathetic besides."

A week ago, Villaraigosa seemed firmly behind the fundraising effort to recoup the cost of putting 3,200 police on the streets for crowd and traffic control, including spending $48,000 on sandwiches to feed them.

A press release issued from Villaraigosa's office last week quoted him asking for donations. But he told reporters Monday it was "ridiculous" to set up a Web site to collect money from the King of Pop's fans.

Questions of the mayor's role surfaced almost as soon as his Twitter page lit up with messages urging donations the day of the memorial. When asked how the mayor was tweeting from Africa, spokesman Matt Szabo told the LA Observed blog that Villaraigosa either writes his own messages or "I approve with direct authorization."

Szabo said in a statement Monday that the mayor first learned of the plan to collect donations on the Fourth of July weekend. The statement then jumps to the following week, saying Villaraigosa "did not support" an online Web site for credit card donations but "allowed the site to remain online" until he returned from Africa. It's not clear what will happen with the $35,000 that was collected.

Acting Mayor Jan Perry, who was sitting in for the vacationing Villaraigosa, issued a statement saying she directed city employees to set up a site to collect donations, but the mayor's staff removed it after creating a link to Villaraigosa's personal Web page.

The mayor's office did not respond to questions submitted Tuesday asking, among other things, why a statement was issued in the mayor's name asking for donations if he never supported the idea.

"At a time of great fiscal strain, it's hard to explain why the mayor would decline voluntary donations," said Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. With mixed signals coming out of City Hall about the Jackson donations "that's not a sign of a mayor in control."

The Council plans to consider a motion to determine if anything can be recouped from Jackson's family or AEG, which owns the Staples Center where the memorial was held.

City Councilman Dennis Zine said the full cost of the event could far surpass the estimate, and he said there was confusion in the chain of command at City Hall in the mayor's absence.

The issue is sticky for Villaraigosa, whose political committees have banked at least $29,000 in contributions from AEG employees. The company donated money toward the Lakers' celebration at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last month. AEG Live was the promoter behind Jackson's planned comeback concerts in London.

The confusion underscored the fact the city doesn't have a policy for how to finance and organize large, impromptu events like the Jackson memorial.

Source : news.yahoo.com