I haven't finished it yet, I'm on Chapter 32 right now. These past few days have not permitted me to be able to read. Yesterday we had to spend the day cleaning out the gerage because our A/C went out and today I spent 4 hours at the Dentist with the kids getting teeth filled. I am off to finish it right now. I LOVE THIS BOOK!! See ya at WK online soon. 
We are heading to Austin tomorrow and will be back on the 5th. Everyone be safe! 
I'll try later 
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!
The Mantry has graduated college, gotten a job, and moved out of Mom and Dad's house. We are excited to announce our new and improved blog, These Lovelies. Come by and peruse our new home! You can find the same up-to-date information on our favorite 'lovelies'.
Hope to see you there!!
Liz and Kathleen
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johnny Depp, take a bow. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star who turns menacing in his new role as murderous barber Sweeney Todd, has been named the best celebrity autograph signer for the third year running.
Depp, 44, and "The Bourne Ultimatum" star Matt Damon were rated as the best Hollywood signers in the 15th annual survey of who's cool -- and who's cruel -- to autograph collectors by Autograph magazine.
And the worst? Comedian Will Ferrell and Tobey Maguire.
"It's the third consecutive year Depp has topped the list of the 10 best signers. Whether at a premiere, in a restaurant or on location, Depp may just be the best Hollywood autograph signer of all time," Steve Cyrkin, the magazine's editor and publisher, said in a statement.
The list does change from year to year as stars mellow and start to make time for their fans.
For example, actor Russell Crowe, who has made newspaper headlines for his bad-boy behavior including pleading guilty in 2005 for throwing a faulty telephone at a hotel concierge moved from number 10 on the 2006 worst list to number 10 on the 2007 best list.
Crowe got married in 2003 and now has two young sons.
"He may still be a bit grumpy at times, but now he signs pretty much anytime someone asks," said Cyrkin.
"What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors, and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph."
Here is the list of Autograph magazine's 10 Best and 10 Worst Hollywood Signers of 2007 which is based on the observations of judges in Europe, New York and California and appears in the magazine's December issue:
The Best
1. Johnny Depp
2. Matt Damon
3. George Clooney
4. Jack Nicholson
5. Rosario Dawson
6. John Travolta
7. Katherine Heigl
8. Jay Leno
9. Dakota Fanning
10. Russell Crowe
The Worst
1. Will Ferrell
2. Tobey Maguire
3. Joaquin Phoenix
4. William Shatner
5. Renee Zellweger
6. John Malkovich
7. Julie Andrews
8. Bruce Willis
9. Teri Hatcher
10. Scarlett Johansson
The Biography Channel will be airing a special documentary called "The Harry Potter Kids" which profiles actors Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). The cable channel website describes this program as:
They were virtually unknown when they were cast in the first Harry Potter movie in 2000, but Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have since become worldwide stars. When Radcliffe won the coveted role as Harry in The Sorcerer's Stone, he was plucked from almost compete obscurity. Grint was a fan of the books and wanted a part in the films so much that he sent a video of himself rapping about how much he wanted the role. Watson was just 11 and had almost no acting experience when the film was released. Today, all the Potter kids are grown, especially Watson, who has been named one of the world's sexiest women by the magazine "FHM".
George Beahm, who wrote several unofficial books on the Harry Potter series , is among those interviewed for the program which will be broadcast on the Biography Channel December 19 at 9:00pm (ET) then again on December 20 at 1:00 am (ET). Anyone who can capture video, please send it in! Thanks George! ~ Source.
“The atmosphere in Hollywood in general is very anti-conservative, very anti-Christian. The liberal segment of Hollywood, which is 80 percent of it if not more, they look at Christians as hypocrites that are false and fake. The tough part is that in many cases I can’t argue with them. My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, ‘What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents?’ And I can turn to them and say without blinking, ‘Jesus Christ.’”–Actor Zachary Levi as interviewed in Relevant Magazine
It can’t be easy being a Christian in Hollywood, but Zachary Levi seems to have a good handle on it. The actor is the star of the new NBC series, “Chuck,” which is already getting some good reviews. The show premieres tonight at 8 PM Central.
Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe writes, “The success of ‘Chuck’ belongs mostly to Levi, who brings an appealingly unassuming tone to all of his scenes, both comic and action-based.”
Kristin of E’s Watch With Kristin writes:
Perhaps it’s that the leading man is so darn lovable. Perhaps it’s that the show sets itself apart as an action-thriller-comedy. Or perhaps it’s that you might laugh so hard watching it that the woman sitting next to you on the plane will ask if you need your medication (true story from this viewer). Whatever reason you find to fall in love with Chuck, I wholeheartedly believe that many of you will.
(Source)
SUPERNATURAL fans, this is for you. Supernatural’s first official magazine hits the stores this coming Tuesday November 27th. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the first issue.
The Supernatural magazine includes plenty of pictures and articles about the show. It’s the perfect companion to fulfill your Supernatural addiction. And the best part, it has pictures, and pictures, and even more pictures of Jensen Ackles (Dean) and Jared Padalecki (Sam). You know you can never get enough of them!
So if you are a big Supernatural lover, you might want to check out their magazine.
You can view the Supernatural Magazine website here, where you can also subscribe.
The Official Press Release:
The Official Supernatural Magazine is jam-packed with exclusive interviews and brilliant behind-the-scenes features. In Issue #1 we’ll be speaking to stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles about their dalliances with the dark side, as well as Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, who talks exclusively about season three – he even reveals
a secret or two about the coming season.And that’s not all. We’ll also be chatting to newcomer Katie Cassidy, who plays the mysterious Ruby, as well as getting behind the wheel of the Metallicar, and bringing you up to date with Sam and Dean’s
story so far. We’ve even got some exclusive Supernatural artwork – designed especially for you.
Sir Ian McKellen is the subject of a new profile in The Guardian, where the actor talks two famous wizards; Gandalf and Albus Dumbledore. In this candid interview, the actor who was nominated for an Oscar for his turn as Gandalf in the widely successful Lord of the Rings film trilogy, is asked if he ever gives any pointers or discusses the finer art of playing a wizard with his friend Michael Gambon, who currently portrays Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. His answer: “Funnily enough, we never have.” He grins.” The article then continues, dispelling again the rumors that Ian McKellen was to take on the part of the beloved Hogwarts Headmaster after Richard Harris, who originated the role as Professor Dumbledore in the first two films, died in 2002.
“People say to me, don’t you wish you’d played Dumbledore? I say no! I played Gandalf! The original. There was a question as to whether I might take over from Richard Harris [Gambon’s predecessor in the Dumbledore role], but seeing as one of the last things he did publicly was say what a dreadful actor he thought I was, it would not have been appropriate for me to take over his part.” He smiles icily. “It would have been unfair.”
Finally, Mr. McKellen answers a question long debated in this and the LotR fandom: Who would win if there was a battle between Gandalf and Dumbledore. “McKellen puffs out his chest. “Gandalf. Of course.”
LEAVESDEN, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND -- The Harry Potter series will lighten up on the darkness and turn into a romantic comedy for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
That is the word on set at Leavesden Studios, where the Potter franchise has established its own world, and its permanent sets, for the decade-long production of all seven movies.
Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, are delighted about the comic touch on Half-Blood.
Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry Potter himself, is not as keen. Instead, he is eager to skip to the dark finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, due in 2010.
"We've got a long haul ahead of us!" the charming yet eternally serious Radcliffe says when Sun Media wishes him luck on the current shoot. When I mention that "everyone's delighted" to have a tonal shift from the brooding atmosphere of The Order of the Phoenix, Radcliffe smiles and says: "Everyone's 'not' delighted to be on this!" He is referring to himself.
"I think the script's great and I think it's going to be a really great film. But I'm just one of those people that, in what I'm doing, I always lean toward the dark side and I really enjoy doing the dark stuff.
"I know Emma and Rupert really, really like the lighter stories and all that. And Rupert particularly is really going to have a field day on this, because he's got fantastic comic timing and he'll be able to use all of that to great effect on this film with his relationship with Lavender Brown.
"(But) I'm actually going to miss doing all the morbid stuff, I think." So he is eager for film seven. "That's the one last hurrah, that film. That's going to be great. I really am very, very excited about the whole thing. It's going to be epic, I hope."
Watson likes Hermione going forward. "I think Hermione has a massive part to play in Harry's success. She teaches him that the only way of defeating Voldemort is through trusting his friends and having his friends (at his side). Cutting himself off from them makes him vulnerable because he has more to lose but less (vulnerable) because he has more to fight for and they can help him through it."
While Half-Blood does have dark passages it will emphasize the romantic entanglements.
"Every film has its own sort of atmosphere," says Grint. "This one, it's really, really cool. I'm looking forward to this one.
"It's got sort of a dark undertone to it because Voldemort is back and that is quite a scary time for them. But there are some really cool bits in it. Ron gets a girlfriend in it, so that's going to be quite cool."
Producer David Hayman says the humour in Half-Blood will be "slightly warmer" than seen in Potter before.
"It's much more comedy and the awkwardness of romance. And the romance goes beyond Harry into Hermione and Ron and other characters. I also think it's about characters growing apart as well as realizing the importance of one another."
As for the Half-Blood script, written before J.K. Rowling released the final book, only one change had to be made once Deathly Hallows went public. There was an awkward reference to Dumbledore's wand, Hayman says. "For obvious reasons (if you've read the seventh book) it had to be changed."
In a new lengthy interview with Harry Potter director David Yates, producer David Heyman, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson during the UK press junket for the release of the Order of the Phoenix DVD in London each discuss the franchise as well as the upcoming movies.
David Heyman speaks admirably of first director Chris Columbus and says:
Chris Columbus deserves huge credit in casting who he cast.
They were obviously not the only choices he had. These were the choices he made and I am forever grateful to him for that.
While current director David Yates adds:
They are remarkable children, really. They are very down-to-earth. They are very gifted. They are lovely kids. So it is a very special talent to be able to choose them. That's why I'm going to buy him (Columbus) a pint ... or two.
Additionally, each of the actors give their thoughts on the series:
According to Daniel Radcliffe:
I don't think the franchise, in a way, needs any justification because it is such a leviathan of a thing anyway. Things don't get that big without merit.
But, I suppose, it (extra work on the DVDs) is almost to prove to people that we are, in fact, taking this very seriously. More seriously than people would probably assume. I took it very seriously when I was 11 and (growing up in the Harry Potter role) I've taken it more and more seriously.
So, to me, it's just about letting people know that I'm incredibly serious and passionate about this -- this series of films -- and how much they mean to me. If you've been involved in something for more than seven years now, you want to be able to talk about it articulately and explain why you love it, explain why you loved being involved in it so much.
While Emma Watson adds her thoughts on growing up on screen as Hermione Granger:
It's funny because it happened to me when I was so young. You barely notice yourself growing up when it's happening, but I guess that's what has happened, really. It's very peculiar looking back on them and seeing how much I've changed and how much I've grown and what I looked like before all this happened.
But, in a way, that's what people really identify with. It makes it a real journey -- a very real journey -- because we literally are growing up with the characters.
Finally, Rupert Grint tells of his experience doing the movies:
It's just been an amazing experience. I've enjoyed sort of every moment of it. It's been wicked. It's sad, really, because it does feel that it is coming to an end now with the seventh (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, due in 2010) on the way. It is nearly all over. I think I'm going to miss it. But I'll just sort of move on after that.
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