Thursday, July 31st, marks the birthday of much beloved, occasionally demonized, fictional character Harry Potter. This auspicious occasion will be celebrated by throngs of booknerds, who, tearing themselves away from MMORPGs and LARPGs (if you don’t know what these acronyms stand for count yourself among the lucky) will assemble in various theatres across North America and Europe, to witness full screenings of Wizard People, Dear Readers, a version of the first Harry Potter movie, The Sorcerer’s Stone with the original sound turned off and replaced with a recording of a narration by Brad Neely. We’re hosting a screening here in Chico at the Blue Room Theatre on Friday night (8 PM doors, 9 PM show), and if you are in the area you should probably attend. Here’s a sample of what is to come:

Yes, it’s true. The venerable What Would Tyler Durden Do has posted 8 upskirt photos of Emma Watson, aka Hermione from the Harry Potter movies. That sound you hear is 3453429485 /b/-tards throwing a batch all over their computer screens. In other news, doesn’t Emma Watson know that if you’re gonna show your box on the internet you should shave first? Just ask Vannessa Hudgens.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling may have created the most lovable fantasy characters since The Fraggles (well, I thought they were lovable anyway), but DO NOT FUCK WITH HER. Rowling testified today in a New York City court against a fan who she said committed “wholesale theft” of her intellectual — and extremely profitable — property.

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling said that Stephen Vander Ark, the author of the Lexicon fan site and a companion book, had, in a way that was “lazy” and “sloppy,” taken from her creations.

“I believe that the book contains wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work,” she said. “It desecrates what I worked so hard to create.”

Vander Ark is 50 years old, and used to work as a teacher and librarian in Byron Center, MI, before moving to London recently to pursue a career in writing (writing other people’s characters, apparently). Vander Ark even has a fan site dedicated to him. The Web site, Lexicon, was started as a hobby. Vander Ark said that he’d never been contacted regarding the site in the past and had even declined previous offers to turn the Web site into an encyclopedia because he believed it was copyright infringement.

Rowling filed a lawsuit against Vander Ark and his publisher a year ago, and the court battle is expected to last through the week. Sucks to be that guy, I guess. Well, anyway, here are the Fraggles.

Hundred of millions of us have shared seven years worth of adventures with Harry Potter and the question remains: Will there be an 8th? Is that it for Harry Potter? Can the highest earning novelist in history really have that kind of will-power to say goodbye to the beloved characters forever?

Says J.K. Rowling:

“There have been times since finishing, weak moments, when I’ve said ‘Yeah, all right’ to the eighth novel.

“If - and it’s a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I’ve already told his story.

“But these are big ifs. Let’s give it ten years.”

TEN YEARS? Is that in real-time or Hogwarts-time? I guess it’s “meantime” as J.K. Rowling is currently working on a political fairytale and an adult novel. I can’t wait for any of it. As a side note, does anyone else think Harry Potter looks sorta like Stephen Colbert?

hmmm…