Creators of the theme park said on Tuesday there would be three major attractions, including a “Forbidden Journey” ride set in the iconic Hogwart’s Castle.

“(It is) brand new, extremely exciting, never been done, never been seen before. I can’t say big enough words. It’s going to be absolutely mind-blowing,” said Alan Gilmore, the project’s supervising art director and art director on two Harry Potter films.

Major attractions include the Dragon Challenge, a high-speed ride described as “definitely for the brave.” It is based on the Triwizard Tournament, a fictional 13th century contest between students of the three most prestigious magical schools of Europe.

Another is Flight of the Hippogriff, a coaster based on Rowlings’ magical creature with the head, wings and front legs of a giant eagle and body, hind legs and tail of a horse.

The stars of the box-office franchise Harry Potter – Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – are on the cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine.

JULY 2

Ice Age 3 (Click here to watch trailer)

Public Enemies (Click here to watch trailer)

JULY 3

I Hate Valentines Day (Click here to watch trailer)

JULY 10

Bruno (Click here to watch trailer)

JULY 15

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Click here to watch trailer)

JULY 24

I Love You, Beth Cooper (Click here to watch trailer)

G-Force (Click here to watch trailer)

The Ugly Truth (Click here to watch trailer)

Orphan (Click here to watch trailer)

JULY 31

Funny People (Click here to watch trailer)

They Came From Upstairs (Click here to watch trailer)

Please take note that these opening dates are based from US screening schedules. Some movies may have a later opening date in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealousy but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Video Link: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Final Trailer HD

Although rainy season seems to start early in the Philippines, summer is just beginning in the US and ’tis the time of year when the biggest and awesome movies are being shown. Check out our guide.

Click on the title of the movie for a preview (synopsis, production photos and trailer). Please take note that the schedules below are based on the officail release dates of these movies in USA theaters. Some have similar dates of release locally and some are slightly delayed.

May 1

* X-Men Origins: Wolverine
* Battle for Terra
* Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

May 7

* Star Trek

May 8

* Next Day Air

May 15

* Angels & Demons

May 21

* Terminator Salvation

May 22

* Night at the Museum II: Escape from the Smithsonian
* Dance Flick

May 29

* Up
* The Brothers Bloom
* Drag Me to Hell

June 5

* Land of the Lost
* My Life in Ruins
* The Hangover

June 12

* The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
* Imagine That

June 19

* Year One
* The Proposal

June 24

* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 26

* My Sister’s Keeper

July 1

* Public Enemies
* Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

July 10

* Bruno
* I Love You Beth Cooper

July 15

* Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

July 24

* All Good Things
* G-Force
* The Orphan
* The Ugly Truth

July 31

* Funny People
* They Came from Upstairs

August 7

* G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
* Julie & Julia
* Shorts

August 14

* District 9
* Bandslam
* Post Grad

August 21

* Goose on the Loose!
* Inglourious Basterds

August 28

* Halloween 2
* Final Destination: Death Trip 3D
* The Boat That Rocked

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Top 150 books of the last 15 years
(Rank. Title, Author)

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
2. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Robert C. Atkins
3. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
10. Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson
11. The South Beach Diet, Arthur Agatston
12. Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
13. Angels & Demons, Dan Brown
14. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway
15. The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren
16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom
17. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
18. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
19. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, John Gray
20. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne
21. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
22. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
23. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… And It’s All Small Stuff, Richard Carlson
24. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
25. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
26. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
27. The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks
28. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Kim Edwards
29. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
30. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
31. A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle
32. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss
33. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
34. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
35. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
36. Body-for-Life, Bill Phillips, Michael D’Orso
37. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
38. Night, Elie Wiesel
39. Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
40. The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw
41. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
42. The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
43. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
44. Good to Great, Jim Collins
45. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
46. Eragon, Christopher Paolini
47. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
48. Your Best Life Now, Joel Osteen
49. In the Kitchen With Rosie, Rosie Daley
50. Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach
51. A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer
52. A Million Little Pieces, James Frey
53. The Testament, John Grisham
54. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger
55. Deception Point, Dan Brown
56. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
57. Marley & Me, John Grogan
58. Dr. Atkins’ New Carbohydrate Gram Counter, Robert C. Atkins
59. Life of Pi, Yann Martel
60. The Brethren, John Grisham
61. The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide, Arthur Agatston
62. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, John Grisham
63. For One More Day, Mitch Albom
64. The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg
65. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
66. The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
67. What to Expect the First Year, Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway
68. Love You Forever, Robert Munsch, art by Sheila McGraw
69. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
70. A Painted House, John Grisham
71. The Rainmaker, John Grisham
72. Skipping Christmas, John Grisham
73. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
74. The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
75. Life Strategies, Phillip C. McGraw
76. Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
77. The Summons, John Grisham
78. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
79. The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
80. The Runaway Jury, John Grisham
81. Goodnight Moon Board Book, Margaret Wise Brown
82. The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
83. Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
84. The Giver, Lois Lowry
85. Embraced by the Light, Betty J. Eadie
86. The Chamber, John Grisham
87. You: On A Diet, Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz
88. The Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson
89. Holes, Louis Sachar
90. Digital Fortress, Dan Brown
91. The Shack, William P. Young
92. The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
93. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
94. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
95. The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav
96. Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, Marci Shimoff
97. The Partner, John Grisham
98. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
99. Eldest: Inheritance, Book II, Christopher Paolini
100. The Broker, John Grisham
101. The Street Lawyer, John Grisham
102. A Series of Unfortunate Events No. 1: The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket
103. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
104. Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
105. The King of Torts, John Grisham
106. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
107. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
108. Hannibal, Thomas Harris
109. The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
110. Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs
111. The Glass Castle: A Memoir, Jeannette Walls
112. My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
113. The Last Juror, John Grisham
114. The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
115. Left Behind, Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins
116. America (The Book), Jon Stewart and The Writers of The Daily Show
117. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
118. John Adams, David McCullough
119. The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans
120. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
121. Sugar Busters!, H. Leighton Steward, Sam S. Andrews, Morrison C. Bethea, Luis A. Balart
122. Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
123. The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
124. 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life, Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
125. The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
126. 1776, David McCullough
127. The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller
128. Where the Heart Is, Billie Letts
129. The Ultimate Weight Solution, Phillip C. McGraw
130. Protein Power, Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades
131. Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, Marci Shimoff
132. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
133. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
134. Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
135. You: The Owner’s Manual, Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz
136. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List Patricia Schultz
137. Self Matters, Phillip C. McGraw
138. She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb
139. 1984, George Orwell
140. The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
141. The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko
142. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
143. The Zone, Barry Sears, Bill Lawren
144. The Pilot’s Wife, Anita Shreve
145. The Lost World, Michael Crichton
146. Atonement, Ian McEwan
147. He’s Just Not That Into You, Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo
148. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
149. The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman
150. Cross, James Patterson

USA TODAY’s list is based on sales at 4,700 chain, independent, discount and online booksellers. Unlike other national lists, it combines fiction, non-fiction, hardcover, paperback or other categories on a single list.

Source: USA Today

And here’s the very first poster released last year:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is again directed by British filmmaker David Yates, of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix previously, and written by Steve Kloves, who also wrote the adaptations of the other sequels except Order of the Phoenix. This is the sixth book in J.K. Rowling’s immensely popular series. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters worldwide on July 17th, 2009.

Since it was released on December 4, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” has also topped the USA Today and Daily Telegraph charts raising 6.5 million U.S. Dollars for charity.

Proceeds from sales of the book, with 8 million copies in print worldwide, will go to the Children’s High Level Group (CHLG), a charity for vulnerable children in Eastern Europe co-founded by Rowling.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of five fairy tales as mentioned in the final Potter book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” According to the story, the said book was left to Hermione by Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts school.

Last year, the fastest selling book was “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” which is also authored by J.K. Rowling. The book has sold 8.3 million copies during the first 24 hours or release in U.S. alone.

Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based producer/distributor Mirchi Movies related to the title of its upcoming film “Hari Puttar — A Comedy of Terrors,” which Warners feels is a tad too similar to its franchise about a certain young wizard.

The case is being heard in the Bombay High Court and comes up for hearing Monday (August 25). “Hari Puttar,” a comedy that centers on a 10-year-old Indian boy whose family moves to England, is slated for a September 12 release.

“We have recently commenced proceedings against parties involved in the production and distribution of a movie entitled ‘Hari Puttar,”‘ London-based Warners spokeswoman Deborah Lincoln said. “Warner Bros. values and protects intellectual property rights. However, it is our policy not to discuss publicly the details of any ongoing litigation.”

The Hari Puttar name began making the rounds here as a comic gag when the first “Harry Potter” film was released. Hari is a popular Indian name, and “puttar” means “son” in the Punjabi language.

“Since the case is sub-judice, we can’t comment as of now,” Mirchi Movies CEO Munish Purii said. “However, we registered the ‘Hari Puttar’ title in 2005, and it’s unfortunate that Warner has chosen to file a case so close to our film’s release. In my opinion, I don’t think our title has any similarity or links with ‘Harry Potter.”‘

“Hari Puttar” is directed by Rajesh Bajaj and Lucky Kohli and stars Jackie Shroff, Saurabh Shukla and Sarika.

Warners’ next “Harry Potter” installment, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” is slated for release worldwide in July.

Source: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter