While some of you were marveling at Radcliffe's hottness, I was laughing to myself at the fact that all of the young cast have gotten taller than him. By film seven he will be wee Harry Potter the-little-wizard-that-could!

I was laughing at the same thing. Ron, Fred and George, Neville...they all towered over Harry. I kept hoping during one of the training montages one of them would hold Harry at arm's length with a hand on his forehead while Harry would swing his wand ineffectually, not touching them and screaming "Stupefy! Stupefy! Gerroff me, you wanker!"

Hell, I think Hermione was taller than Harry.

Man. First the Weasely report:

Yes, they were there. They may still be there. I know that they are probably getting a giant fee for doing this but I can't imagine spending at least 4 days standing in the lobby of a movie theatre signing stuff and getting you picture taken with strangers. And they seem so nice about it too.

The theatre was the Hollywood Boulevard theatre in Woodridge IL. Apparently, they do theme weekends with movie actor guests all the time. (There is an annual Wizard of Oz fest there with the remaining original munchkins, for example.) The theatre has a Chinese theme and the other gimmick is that it is also a restaurant/bar. You must buy food or drink while you're there.

We had tickets to the 7 pm show - the doors open at 6:30 and I cannot recall what time we got there. Plan A was to arrive at 4 pm but workstuff didn't allow that to happen. There was a line running outside the theatre to see the Twins so we stood in line and sent a representative inside to scope things out. The boys were supposed to be going on a dinner break at 6 but they had taken it early and weren't there when we arrived. We stood in line long enough that we went and got icecream while we waited. (There is a Coldstone Creamery conveniently located next door.)

In the end, we didn't get to meet the Twins but we saw them. They were doing their Meet and Greet in this corner of the Lobby next to the entrance to the theatres. I can report that they seem like very nice boys - and that their natural haircolor is brown. Also, reports received yesterday morning from an outside source are that they enjoy golf and were seen at a golf/tennis shop in the 'burbs sometime during the week. (Golfsmith, I think.)

I was at the movie with three other adults and three girls ranging in age from 15-20. (The 15 year old took copious pictures of the boys from our place in line -- the line for the theatre was right next to where the Phelps' Meet and Greet was.

Having dinner with the movie is fun EXCEPT when you're server comes up, stands in front of you and starts talking in the MIDDLE of the climactic battle scene of the film!!!! I was appalled -- just as Sirious died -- I am so not kidding. I wanted to kill her.

I love that Sirious called Harry, "James" in the heat of battle and if all the students getting tortured by the Umbridge woman is a departure from the book (I think of it more as a taking the idea and running with it) at least it gives us that sweet scene of Fred and George comforting the tiny first year who'd just been punished.

I absolutely need to see that movie again -- you know -- at a place where servers don't interrupt at inopportune moments.

See, I think that sort of role is the best possible thing for him if he wants people not to see him as Harry Potter.

Agreed. Plus, the "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!1!" people that went ballistic over him taking that role were not the type who'd be buying tickets for West End plays with dark adult themes in the first place, allowing him to break with his kid actor image without financially hamstringing the effort used to do so.

Radcliffe has another movie coming out soon, too. December Boys, right?

Granola...

I saw HP last night with Kathy A and a friend of hers (whom I have met before and is a wonderful human). I think we all really enjoyed the movie, I know I did. I think it's probably my fav of the HPs thus far.

I agree with a lot of what people said above. Couldn't have loved Gary Oldman more. When I read the book, I didn't care that Sirius died. I just didn't have an emotional investment in him beyond him being important to Harry. GO's performance actually made me have a little twinge when he kicked it.

Even though it's a departure from the book, I like that they had Cho be the snitch. She was under the veritas stuff (as Snape tells us later), but it upped the dramatic tension for it to be Cho.

I also agree with sumi about the quills hurting everyone. More a running with the idea and that scene with the Twins comforting the wee one was wonderful. The Twins were great and their exit from Hogwarts was brilliant!

I wanted more of Lupin, TONKS!, and Luna .

I also have to say that the producers lucked out big time with Daniel Radcliffe -- of the three kids, he's the only one I can really see having an acting career after this is over.

Emma Watson signed a $4 million deal to be the new face of Chanel. She probably won't have to act much.

I was going to say -- I can see Emma Watson having a career after this is over, but not because she can act.

I haven't turned my TV over after Medium, and there's a movie on called "Lost", which stars Dean Cain. He appears to be doing an impression of Tom-Cruise-doing-promotion the entire time.

Emma Watson signed a $4 million deal to be the new face of Chanel. She probably won't have to act much.

This could explain a lot. I've been reading snippets here and there about her being quite the baby diva. Given her range of emotion so far, modeling might just be a better gig for her.

Hey, David! That's great news about your book!

Hey, David! That's great news about your book!

It's cool and it's also weird. I'm realizing how different the internet critical culture has changed even since we put out Lost in the Grooves. It's not like you wait for the paper reviews to come in anymore. The blogosphere (are we still calling it that?) generates its own momentum and expectations.

Anyway, I posted in the forum and people were nice. Though my appearance may have also stifled some negative reactions.

In some ways it's good, though. I didn't write this book to please everybody and I knew that it would be, if not polarizing at least, an acquired taste.

I'm trying to finish it now and had to step away because I was breaking my rule about being Adjectival. It's exhausting trying to find twenty five different ways to write about music without standard tropes and cliches. It really is like dancing about architecture. Which I have to defend. If Balanchine wants to do a ballet about the Chrysler Building then you know it'd be interesting.