Nickelodeon Magazine is offering U.S. residents the chance to win a trip to the Los Angeles premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The contest opens today and runs through May 1. Participants must be between the ages of 6 and 14. The sixth film will hit theaters on November 21.

We will update you on any further information regarding the movie premieres and their dates.

Thanks to HPANA for the tip!

Yesterday we showed you a pictured from Half-Blood Prince that appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine's April 2008 issue. Warner Brothers has now passed along the high-res version of this pic, and you can check it out here!

The April issue of Nick magazine will contain this new advertisement for the sixth Harry Potter movie as well as this new photo of the trio in the Gryffindor common room.

Thanks to RHS.com and everyone who emailed!

The Telegraph reported today that Dame Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall) is fighting a private battle with breast cancer. "She is dealing with it in her typically brave and understated way," says a friend of hers. "She has had a tumour removed and subsequently completed a course of chemotherapy. This was precautionary and the prognosis looks good. The last thing she wants to do is to make a fuss about it."

The article continues, stating that "the 73-year-old Oscar winner insisted on going ahead with filming her role as Minerva McGonagall in the latest installment of the Harry Potter series last month even as she was undergoing radiation therapy."

Our hearts go out to Maggie and her family. We wish her a speedy recovery.

On Saturday night we brought you the first part of MuggleCast and Portus' exclusive interview with Potter audiobook narrator Jim Dale. Today, Portus has the second half of the interview online! Just visit their podcast in iTunes and press "Subscribe" to grab their latest episode for March.

Don't forget both MuggleCast and Jim Dale will be giving presentations at Portus 2008 in Dallas, Texas. Visit their site for more details, including how to register!

HP Fan Trips, who hosts Potter-centric trips to the United Kingdom, has teamed up with Alivan's to create a new FREE virtual journey for everyone: HP Quest. From their website:

The object of the quest is simple - solve a series of weekly clues and you'll be able to register to win a variety of weekly wizarding prizes and a chance to win the School of Wizardry trip.

Each week a new series of clues will be released. Participants solve the clues to discover new "destinations"/new website addresses. Fans must play each week to be eligible for that week’s prize drawing. Each website address provides the next set of riddles/challenges that need to be solved. Total number of clues imbedded in your website will be determined by the number of participating partners and the level of participation of each partner.

The first weekly drawing was held today and will continue through April 25th. It all leads up to the Grand Prize drawing on that day: a trip for two to Ford's Castle in England. For more, be sure to check out their website, and don't forget about their special trip for MuggleNet fans as well!

Dave Legeno is set to play the part of Fenrir Greyback in Half-Blood Prince. The 44-year-old spoke to The Star saying, "Daniel will be taking his own 17 stone monster in this film - me."

The fighter, known as The Legend Killer for his giant-slaying ways, added: "He is a lovely guy but let's just say he will have his hands full when I get hold of him."

Check out a scan of this brief interview here, thanks to Snitch Seeker.

As promised, the latest episode of our Harry Potter podcast is here, featuring MuggleCast and Portus' interview with Jim Dale! As the narrator of the US and Canada Potter audiobooks, Jim is one of the most knowledgeable people in the Harry Potter industry. In the first part of our interview, he shares his views on the recently announced Deathly Hallows split, the process for recording the audiobooks, and MUCH more.

- One of his sons is actually a movie helicopter operator who has worked on the Potter films.
- What is his favorite Potter character voice? Which one is the hardest - or as he puts it - the most annoying to do?
- He discusses how he prepares to record the Potter books: some water and a green apple anyone?
- How long does it take him? More like how long is he given! The answer may surprise you.
- Does he ever read the books for enjoyment and what is his relationship with J.K. Rowling?
- Just what does he think about the HP fandom?

To download, we recommend subscribing for free through either Apple iTunes or the ZUNE Marketplace. If you are already subscribed, just refresh your feed. You can also find full shownotes and alternate download links at the MuggleCast website.

Part 2 of the interview will be available very soon on Portus Previews. You may remember that last week, we first told you Jim will be appearing at Portus to give several talks. Enjoy!

Author J.K. Rowling will attend the 2008 Galaxy British Books Awards in association with the Richard & Judy Show on April 9th. The announcement was made on the show this past Friday after a short piece officially announcing the awards.

Thanks to Fi for sending this in!

ComingSoon.net reports that, in a conference call on Friday, IMAX Corporation revealed Half-Blood Prince will indeed be playing on the big BIG screen. It will be simultaneously released on the same day it hits regular theaters, which is November 21st.

You may remember that Prisoner of Azkaban through Order of the Phoenix have also been released in IMAX, so this should come as no surprise!

E! has just released a new interview with Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton where they discuss the sixth Potter film and some of the cuts that have been made. Also in the clip is footage of the crew filming a corridor scene with Dan and Rupert at Gloucester Cathedral.

Thanks to The Daily Snitcher for the tip!

Thanks to Todd for pointing out that Empire Magazine has a brand new interview with Potter producer David Heyman, who reveals lots of new information regarding Wednesday's announcement:

The extended shooting time means there’ll be nearly two years between the release of Half-Blood Prince and the first part of Deathly Hallows in 2010. Are there any concerns about that?

Actually, we would have been in a very similar place if we’d done one film, because it would have been four and a half hours long. The shoot would not have been considerably shorter, so it would have been on similar lines.

And when do you expect to start shooting Deathly Hallows?

Early next year. Most of 2009 will be filming. We’ll be anticipating shooting in February. We’re all really excited about the possibilities and the challenges of seven. It’s going to be a cracker.

Read the full interview here. See more quotes from Heyman in the original announcement, and screenwriter Steve Kloves' thoughts here. Thanks again, Todd!

Our special LIVE episode of MuggleCast, recorded Thursday evening with over 1,300 people listening, is now available! Join us for over two hours of Deathly Hallows film discussion as we take your calls, bring back old co-hosts, and much more!

- Ben and Kevin return to co-host the show!
- Was the split done to make more money?
- Is the 6 month wait between part one and two THAT bad?
- Where should the split be made?
- We give Jamie a quick call and Ben messes with his head.
- We take YOUR calls about the split!

Our regular weekend show, to include an interview with Jim Dale, will still be released Sunday evening... so get listening! To download, we recommend subscribing for free through either Apple iTunes or the ZUNE Marketplace. If you are already subscribed, just refresh your feed. You can also find full shownotes and alternate download links at the MuggleCast website. Enjoy!

Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves today sent an email to the Baltimore Sun, shedding light on his thoughts of the Deathly Hallows split announced yesterday:

"Years ago," he writes, "we briefly — and seriously — considered doing Goblet of Fire as two films. So this concept is not altogether new. As for Deathly Hallows, I intuited — almost from the first moments I began reading it and certainly once I’d finished — that to realize the story in a single film was going to be a tall order. Others in 'the group' felt similarly. So the idea of two films began to get kicked around as early as late summer of 2007. We didn’t take it lightly. But ultimately everyone felt that despite the challenges it would present, it was the most sound creative decision. I’m sure some will think we’re crazy.

Read the full interview here! Thanks to SnitchSeeker for the tip.

UPDATE: As expected, this morning Warner Brothers issued a press released about the split. No new information is revealed.

Story highlights (Digg this story!):
- Part 1 to be released November 2010, Part 2 May 2011.
- JK Rowling was "cool" with the idea, according to Heyman.
- Warner Brothers to make official announcement tomorrow at ShoWest.

It's official! The LA Times has confirmed that Deathly Hallows will be split into two films AND will be directed by OOTP and HBP director David Yates. Read the full article HERE. Quotage from the article:

Producer David Heyman said the decision was made with some anxiety and only after considerable deliberations. The producer joked that "while my wife and Warner Brothers were pleased" to hear that the Potter movie magic will continue into the next decade, he himself fretted that the cynical observers would see the decision as a purely mercenary move.

"I swear to you it was born out of purely creative reasons," Heyman said during an interview in a converted airplane factory outside London that has been home base to all of the "Potter" productions. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book. You can remove scenes of Ron playing quidditch from the fifth book, and you can remove Hermione and S.P.E.W. [Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare] and those subplots . . . but with the seventh, that can't be done."

Heyman said he approached Rowling with some trepidation about the strategy but found that she signed off on its logic rather quickly. "I went to Jo and she was cool with it," Heyman said, "and that was quite a relief."