I was one of those devastated Harry Potter fans who vowed revenge on Warner Bros. back in November of 2007 for delaying the release of Half-Blood Prince some nine months.

Did I follow through on any of my threats to: a) boycott the movie; b) send some rather disturbing hate mail to the movie execs; or c) upload a crazed and teary YouTube video, ala Chris Crocker? No, I did not.

What I did do was haunt the various Harry Potter fansites for the smallest glimpse of anything that could be deemed as Half-Blood Prince news. I downloaded all of the trailers (and there was a bunch of them), I stared at all the press shots and movie stills for longer than was probably healthy – I basically stalked the movie, ok.

So what was my mood like on July 15 when I finally walked into that movie theatre, box of popcorn and jumbo Pepsi in hand, knowing that Half-Blood Prince, the film I’d dreamed about since its postponement was announced, was going to be rolling in just a few minutes?

Well, if I squealed like a fangirl every time I saw the Half-Blood Prince trailer, you can imagine my delight – scratch that, euphoria overload.

I was practically floating on cinematic-induced cloud 9.

Having read the book (more than once) I was more than a little familiar with the plot, so I was gasping and giggling and – yes – squealing well before the moments that garnered such responses had even appeared on screen.

Some of the funniest moments came, not from the film’s leading man, Daniel Radcliffe, but from lesser-known characters and actors, some of which were making their debut appearance in the sixth installment. Freddie Stroma’s Cormac McLaggen provided some stellar comedic moments, not in the least of which was his slightly stalkerish finger-suck-and-wink over a bowl of ice cream at Slughorn’s party.

I have to admit, I was a tad concerned at David Heyman’s decision to pair high doses of humour and teenage romance with the level of darkness and angst the sixth novel held. I was even more fearful of what the movie would entail when producer Heyman described the film as “fun” and all about “romance and relationships.”

Where’s the darkness, I wanted to scream; where’s the dramatic depth of the Sectumsempra scene?

Thankfully, and surprisingly, I guess I should say, the balance between darkness and the lightness of humour and romance really worked, and I wasn’t left under-whelmed in any way. In particular, the aforementioned Sectumsempra scene was another highlight, albeit an ominous one.

The movie’s only real downfall was the portrayal of Harry’s budding relationship with Ginny Weasley. Throughout their scenes together, Radcliffe seemed stiff and awkward, while on-screen partner Bonnie Wright appeared monotonic and downright bland.

The big kissing scene was actually uncomfortable to watch, and despite the fact that I wasn’t thrilled about Harry and Ginny as a pairing to start with, I was left feeling pretty disappointed by the end of the two-second smooch. All I can say is, thank God it was only two seconds long, and not a full on pash, or I might have gagged into my box of popcorn.

The stand-out of the entire film was definitely Draco Malfoy.

The actor behind Harry Potter’s arch nemesis, Tom Felton, did a brilliant job in capturing the right level of emotion required to really makes fans of the series feel sorry for a character they have previously never sympathized with.

His journey from schoolboy to a soldier of Lord Voldemort’s was a key theme in the movie, and Felton’s acting was spot-on where it should be, over-the-top where it should be, and other times utterly heartbreaking in its authenticity.

Truly, Felton really stepped it up a notch or two in this film, leaving me feeling that he – and not Radcliffe or Grint or Watson – is the shining light at the end of this very long Potter tunnel. I think I can safely predict that the 21-year-old has a bright and lucrative career ahead of him.

That being said, I can’t leave off without admitting how adorable I found Rupert Grint (who plays Ron Weasley) in his Quidditch uniform. If it was up to me, Grint would appear in every single scene, and he would be decked out in tight, yet totally adorkable, Quidditch garb the entire time.

Hot.

And with that emission of fangirlish hormones, I think I’ve come full circle.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is in cinemas worldwide from July 15.

Rupert Grint might have a little bit of a crush on his Harry Potter co-star, Emma Watson, but the feeling is definitely not mutual, with the University-bound 19-year-old admitting that kissing Grint “felt like incest”.

Watson and Grint had to pucker up for the final Harry Potter film, Deathly Hallows, when their respective characters Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley finally hook up – a scene which has only just been filmed two weeks ago.

When asked if she enjoyed the kiss, Watson said it was the most “horrible thing” she’d ever had to do in her life.

“We did the kiss two weeks ago and it was the most horrible thing I’ve ever had to do,” she said. “Not because Rupert isn’t lovely and there are millions of girls out there who would probably chop their arm off to kiss him, but it just felt like incest. That is the only way I can describe it.”

Watson’s confession over their romantic scene comes less than a week after Grint admitted to his and co-star Daniel Radcliffe’s crush on the young actress.

Bad luck, Rupert. I guess Daniel’s still in with a shot, though.

[Source]

Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint has finally admitted that he has a crush on his wizarding co-star, Emma Watson.

The 20-year-old said he found it easy to see why Watson was so popular with male Potter fans, because she’s a “pretty girl” who everyone on set simply adores. He also put fellow co-star Daniel Radcliffe in the firing line, stating that both Potter leading men have a thing for the 19-year-old, who plays Hermione Granger in the hit Warner Bros. franchise.

“A lot of people think there’s something going on [between me and Emma Watson] because I have to kiss her on film soon,” Grint said. “I’ll be honest with you, it’s not something I’d say I’m dreading.”

Grint added: “Emma’s a pretty girl. Have Daniel or I ever hit on Emma? Well, she’s quite popular with the cast. As for who has the worst crush on her – me or Radcliffe – I’d rather not say.”

The sixth installment in the Harry Potter series, Half-Blood Prince, opens in cinemas this week. The last film – to be split in two because of its size – will begin production later this month.

[Source]

Rupert Grint, the actor who portrays Ron Weasley in the Potter series, has just finished fimling a steamy sex scene for his new movie, Cherry Bomb, set to hit theatres in January 2009.

Just like his co-star Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the title role of Harry Potter, Grint decided that getting his kit off was the best way to move on and distance himself from the stereotypical role of a boyhood wizard.

“I really loved the script and having done Harry Potter, I wanted to do something different. It was quite a challenge,” Grint told BBC Newsline.

In the film, Grint plays Malachy, one of the three main characters in a dangerous love triangle with bad girl Michelle (Kimberley Nixon). Nixon’s character manages to catch the eye of both Malachy and his best friend Luke (Robert Sheehan), and coaxes them into doing terrible things for her affections.

Now that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been delayed eight months, it means we’ll get to see both Radcliffe and Grint in the nuddie, before we see their latest Potter foray.

[Source]

My opinion of Rupert Grint just went up.

Rupert doesn’t like airheads actresses like Lindsay Lohan and thinks it is best to avoid them at all costs. He met Lindsay while in the US last year and said that she bored him by talking about herself all the time.

Rupert has no desire to meet Paris Hilton because she was the sort of girl you should “stay away from”.

On Lohan, Rupert says:

“I met Lindsay last summer and she talked about herself a lot.

“She said she was going to win an Oscar before she turns 25. I just kept thinking, ‘But you can’t act’.

“I haven’t met Paris and don’t want to either. She and Lindsay are the type of girls you need to stay away from.”

This guy is wise beyond his years.