Harry Potter Stars Turned Out At The Red Carpet Opening Of Studio Tour

Stars and hardcore fans of the "Harry Potter" movies turned up Saturday at the red carpet launch of a studio tour featuring the sets where the boy wizard's adventures were filmed. Rupert Grint, who played Potter's friend Ron Weasley, and Tom Felton, who played bully Draco Malfoy, were among the actors at Warner Bros.' Leavesden studios in Watford, northwest of London, for the grand opening.

Harry Potter fans and press descended on Leavesden, near Watford, Hertfordshire on Saturday for the grand opening of The Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making Of Harry Potter.

Potter stars Tom Felton, Rupert Grint and Bonnie Wright attended the red-carpet launch of the studio tours, which gives followers of the popular film series (and the J.K. Rowling books that inspired it) an up-close view of some of the costumes, props, scenery, special effects and animatronics that have fired their imaginations.

Features of the three-hour tour include such memorable sets as Dumbledore's office, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall of Hogwarts School.

Harry Potter stars turned out today at the red carpet opening of a studio tour which gives fans a spell-binding glimpse behind the scenes of the blockbuster film series.

Rupert Grint, Tom Felton and Bonnie Wright were among the actors at the grand opening of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter.

Hundreds of screaming Potter fans lined up outside the studios in Leavesden, near Watford, Hertfordshire, where all eight of the multimillion pound-grossing films inspired by JK Rowling's magical stories were shot.
Local boy Grint - Ron Weasley in the Potter films - said: 'This is the most glamorous I have ever seen Watford. It's exciting for everyone to see.

'There are so many memories from in there and to share them with everyone is great. There are so many highlights but the model of the castle is out of this world.'

"There are so many memories from in there and to share them with everyone is great," Grint told The Press Association. " There are so many highlights but the model of the castle is out of this world."

All eight of the movies based on J. K. Rowling's books were shot at Leavesden, which is hoping to keep the magic going with "The Making of Harry Potter" studio tour round the film sets.

Located in 14,000 square metres of hangar space adjoining the studios, the walking tour takes visitors through Hogwarts school and the Diagon Alley high street, offering a glimpse of how the adventures were created on the big screen.

"Every brick of this building is embedded with huge memory. It's really special that we can share this with everyone," Grint told AFP.

Felton added: "This place has always been a home to us and now that Warner Brothers have given it a kind of solid foundation on a permanent residence. I'm excited to be coming. I could become a weekly visitor, at this rate."

Warner Bros. hopes to entice 5,000 people through the door each day, with tickets costing £83 ($130, 100 euros) for a family of four, presenting it as a unique, behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's most popular characters.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, who took charge of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), the third instalment, said working on the movie had been an "amazing experience".

"As a life experience it was fantastic. All of this that you see and hear, and all the fans and stuff, that energy was present all the time on the set," he said.

"Whenever you do a film with a bunch of children, every body behaves differently, in the set, there's a completely different energy in the set. So that's my biggest memory, my fondest memory."

For the first time, the tour allows Muggles -- non-wizards -- the chance to walk down Diagon Alley, the bustling street where Harry and his fellow students go to buy their first magic wands.

Fans can experience the imposing dining hall at Hogwarts. From the soot-blackened chimney, the stone animals on the walls and the benches polished with use, everything is as it was on screen.

In the classroom where potions are taught, hundreds of bottles and flasks crammed onto dusty shelves line the walls, filled with mysterious substances -- in reality, baked animal bones from a local butchers, and dried herbs.

The tour also gives an insight into the special effects used.Tickets for every weekend day for the next three months have already sold out.

Martin Solveig Talks Madonna's Movie Taste

French producer Martin Solveig has been making smart, disco-inflected house music for over a decade. But in 2011, his track "Hello" with Canadian electro-pop group Dragonette exploded, peaking at No. 46 on the Hot 100 and selling 1.1 million downloads in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song landed a memorable sync in a Trident ad spot, and the accompanying music video has over 17 million YouTube views and counting.
Then, Madonna called: In July 2011, the pop diva invited Solveig to a writing session in London for the project that would become "MDNA." What started as an idea for one song became three (first single "Give Me All Your Luvin," "I Don't Give A," and "Turn Up The Radio"), entering Solveig into a exclusive brotherhood of dance producers who have helped keep the Material Girl sounding both current and progressive.

Billboard caught up with the producer on the eve of his set at the official "MDNA" release party at the Delano Hotel in Miami, sponsored by Smirnoff.

Billboard: William Orbit, Stuart Price, Mirwais. A lot of great EDM producers have worked with Madonna. Were you intimidated?

Martin Solveig: I tried to forget that very very fast because I would have been too intimidated to line up with all those legendary producers. At first I thought we were going to work on one song; that was the original plan. Let's try to work on one song and take it from there -- not spend too much time thinking about the legend, and do something that just makes sense.

We really got along very well. We had a lot in common in terms of music taste, perception of things, cinema taste, food taste, wine taste. And also, she has a very dry humor. More of her English side, perhaps - she has many sides of course. I'm a very good audience for that kind of humor. It makes me laugh a lot. We did one song and another song, and we were having fun making music. And actually it was a very privileged time. She wasn't under any kind of pressure, she had time to spend on it; it was the only thing she had to work on.

Tell me about a film that both you and Madonna like.That one is very easy: we have the French film "Le Samouraï." We talked a lot about movies; she has a very impressive knowledge of French film from the '60s. It's the story of a killer, a very solitary person; the cinematic of the whole movie is really special. We liked it very much, and talked about that for a little while. On the next day I had a draft of another song called "Beautiful Killer" referring to that. [The track is rumored to appear on the "MDNA" deluxe edition.]
Her other producers have said that once they got over the intimidation factor, she was a very giving and open collaborator.

That's very true. I came to the conclusion that none of the songs would have been the same without her. It's not like the songs were written before; she sings them, and it's done. It's definitely a collaboration; definitely a 50/50 collaboration. She really wants you to do stuff, and she really wants to explain her vision of the song. It's a tennis game.

How did "Hello" change your career?

This song changed it all, of course. It's actually one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me. It probably got me to work with Madonna, because she wouldn't have heard of my work if it wasn't for this song in the first place. That's the kind of magic that can come from a hit record. It's great to have one - or even a couple!

"Hello" is included on Solveig's album "Smash," released overseas in June 2011, and set to drop in the U.S. sometime this year.

Jermaine Jones Talks: "I Was Shocked"

It looks like we weren't the only ones surprised to see Jermaine Jones get the boot from American Idol for something totally unrelated to his singing ability.
The "Gentle Giant" was a guest on Showbiz Tonight where he gave his first interview after the dismissal, and shared that he had no idea what was going on when he met with show producers.

Jermaine Jones was called the gentle giant, but his criminal past (and four outstanding warrants) meant he couldn't remain part of this season's "American Idol" hopefuls.
In an awkward on-camera meeting on Wednesday night's show, "Idol" executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick told Jones he could no longer remain with the program. As Warwick said, "You've put us in a very delicate position, really."
So Jones was off the show and an otherwise ho-hum season of "Idol" was suddenly injected with a bit of drama.

"I thought they were bringing it to my attention," Jones said in reference to his criminal past. "Letting me know that now they are aware of, you know, this, that and the third. I didn't know what was going to happen, but..."

"Until they said it, I had no clue what was going to happen...I was shocked, but I can't really express what my emotions were at that time."

When asked about whether or not he feels Idol is "exploiting" this story for ratings, Jones right away tells viewers that he's not even trying to think about that or figure out why they did what they did. But he shared that he did complete all necessary protocol when applying to be on the show.

"I know that when I filled out my application, I circled 'yes' that I was previously arrested before. And, you know, they did a background check on me and there were some information that I had to get a lawyer to take care of before I could even be on the show."

 "There were a few minor, small infractions back when I was younger. Two of giving a false name and then there was an allegation of a fight, which was not true. It was not actually a fight. And then one for driving suspended and things like that..."

And are there really warrants out for his arrest?

Jones said, "Not to my knowledge. Everything that needs to be taken care of, as far as that's concerned, my team is handling it very well."

MORE: American Idol Insider: Who's Going Home Tonight and Who Is Safe?

But was it necessary for the show to tape Jones' conversation with producers and then air it during an episode?

Well, although that "disappointed" Jones because he trusted them, he still shares that it was a "humbling experience. I learned a lot," even though he would prefer that his business (some true and some false) was not televised to the world.
"Needless to say, I'm doing great and I'm ready to get back into my music full force, and I'm grateful for everybody who's supporting me and loving me, it's just amazing."

Emma Watson :Movie Star Look In Travel

The 21-year-old Emma Watson looked radiant, but perhaps her large sunglasses hid the tired and puffy eyes that usually go hand in hand with transatlantic travel. She wore little make-up, with only a slight slash of pink lipstick complementing her English rose complexion.

The petite star looked unfazed by the hoardes of waiting paparazzi, which isn't surprising since she made the move into modelling, where being under the unforgiving glare of a lens is part of the job description.

She was flanked by burly minders, and wore a dark coat over a grey T-shirt as she exited the terminal. Her serene expression, dark sunglasses and understated glamour were reminiscent of the glamour of Hollywood's golden era. However, Emma has previously spoken out about her reluctance to get sucked in to the tinseltown bubble.Speaking to Harper's Bazaar last year she said: 'LA scares the crap out of me.

Having jetted into LAX Airport from London, the "Harry Potter" actress was clad in black as she received an escort through the terminal before being greeted by an awaiting friend near the baggage claim area.

The travels come shortly after it was announced that Miss Watson has assumed the lead role in Sofia Coppola's new movie "The Bling Ring".

Set to shoot in Los Angeles this spring, the picture also stars Leslie Mann and Israel Broussard while being based on the true story of celebrity burglaries committed by a group of teens at the end of the last decade.

Emma Watson, who plays Harry Potter's mate Hermione in the upcoming film, has said she has some of the best lines in the film. Eleven-year-old Emma gave her first major interview to CBBC's Newsround. "We're going to get killed, or even worse, expelled!" was Emma's favourite line she had to deliver as goody-two-shoes Hermione. She also said one character was constantly on the receiving end of her sharp tongue: "Hermione always has some snooty lines for Ron. He gets the worst of it really."

Emma also told Newsround's Lizo Mzimba that she really enjoyed all the stunts the actors had to perform for the film: "In the troll scene there were lots of stunts. That's one of the reasons I enjoyed it, but it was hard as well. "I had to do lots of darting under sinks, running through legs. But they haven't used all the stunts I did and that's just not good enough!" Top secret filming is just getting underway for the second Harry Potter adventure - The Chamber of Secrets.

Emma says: "The thing I'm looking forward to most is how they're going to make me look like a cat. That'll be very interesting." The movie has its world premiere on Sunday and opens across the UK on 16 November.