RAB revealed? Following the release of the sixth Harry Potter book, rumors have been abuzz concerning the identity of RAB, the mysterious character who left a note in the cave in the novel's closing chapters. So far, JK has remained relatively tight-lipped on the subject, although she said Regulus Black, Sirius' brother, was a "fine guess" in the MN/TLC interview last summer. Subsequently, (highlight)-->"Arcturus"<-- was suggested by fans as the late Death Eater's middle name after the name of a certain star. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, the Portuguese HP translator, Isabel Nunes, has reportedly confirmed this in an interview with a Portuguese fan site. Apparently, before Book 6 hit shelves, she contacted Jo about the character's gender, and was told the full name as well as the gender. Her reason for shedding light on the topic at this point is to "keep awake" the excitement for the seventh book. In the past, Nunes also clarified that Blaise Zabini is a man and Professor Sinistra is a woman. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I know that the filmmakers have a problem with each new film because the books are getting longer - there's so much to include in them," Jones remarked. While Dobby's absence will not shock fans who have been following the films closely, it does open up some plot questions. In the book, it is Dobby who both divulges to Harry the secret of the Room of Requirement (where Harry and the other members of "Dumbledore's Army" meet to practice forbidden defensive spells), and materializes to warn Harry that his secret hideout is no longer safe from the prowling eyes of the increasingly powerful Ministry of Magic informant (and new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher), Dolores Umbridge. With Dobby's absence, it is unclear how these matters will be handled in the film. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WOMBAT results delivered! JK Rowling's official website has been updated with everyone's test results from last week's second round of WOMBATs. Just click the WOMBAT card on Jo's desk and enter your student ID to see how well you did. Missed out on the fun? Click here for the questions asked on WOMBAT grade two. We reported previously on the Georgian mother, Laura Mallory, who campaigned for the Harry Potter books to be removed from Gwinnett County school libraries because, fundamentally, they "promote and glorify witchcraft." Following a public hearing to discuss the matter in April - in which the support for the novels staying put was predictably strong - the Gwinnett Board of Education ruled the books would remain on shelves. Mallory, unsatisfied with the outcome, appealed the decision and a second hearing was held yesterday. Mallory rehashed her previous points regarding why the books should go, saying "Witchcraft is being mainstreamed to our kids today but people are not aware of it. They think these books are fantasies but Wicca is a real recognized religion." Gwinnett County Schools attorney Victoria Sweeny says that under Mallory's reasoning, school bookshelves could become virtually empty, as she began to list many other stories with witches as characters, including Macbeth and Sleeping Beauty. Read more... The website for upcoming movie The History Boys includes a piece on Daniel Radcliffe (in the History section) where he discusses how his tutor for the Potter movies inspired him and helped boost his confidence over the past six years. "Before I started playing Harry Potter I attended a London prep school which was not a happy experience. I left it to play Harry with my confidence at rock bottom and the belief in my ability at absolute zero. However, on HP I was tutored by an astonishing woman called Lina Wright. Over a period of six years she (with the support of City of London School) has built my confidence and given me a love of learning which I am certain will never leave me..." Thanks to DR.com for the tip! Door on JKR.com closed once again The mysterious door in the Room of Requirement has once again closed on JKRowling.com. Additionally, the clock in the WOMBAT room now says that tests are in the process of being graded. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed! As part of Banned Books Week (held last week to raise awareness of books that have been challenged in communities across the US), the American Library Association asked 5,000 people what their favorite banned book was. Unsurprisingly, the Potter series came out on top. To Kill A Mockingbird and James and the Giant Peach came in second and third place, respectively. Thanks to Janie for the tip! Goblet of Fire to premiere on HBO in November Cable channel HBO will begin running Goblet of Fire on November 19th at 7 PM EST. It will then air numerous times through the end of the month. A "making of" special will also air on HBO through the entire month of November, starting on the 7th at 6:45 AM EST. Thanks to Loria and Robert for the tip! Posted by Andrew on Oct 3rd | 42 Comments | Submit News | Categories: Movie 4 Potter category featured on Jeopardy On today's episode of the hit American game show Jeopardy, a Potter-themed category appeared as part of their "Back to School" week. One of the questions asked was, "In this sport, Harry plays the Seeker." Thanks to Laurin and everyone else who e-mailed with the info! If anyone knows the other questions that were asked by show host Alex Trebek, send 'em in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com. UPDATE: We now have all the questions and answers that were asked yesterday. Check them out at the link below. Thanks to everyone who sent them in! Read more... Happy Birthday Professor McGonagall JK Rowling's official website has been updated for October 4th to wish our favorite Transfiguration teacher a happy birthday. MuggleCast wins Peoples Choice Award We're proud to announce that MuggleCast won the top prize at the 2006 Podcast Awards last Friday. The Peoples Choice category was awarded to our Harry Potter podcast after receiving over 100,000 votes from listeners and fans. Thanks to everyone who provided their support through the entire voting process, including our friends at PotterCast who we teamed up with! We'll talk more about the win on episode 58 of MuggleCast. In other news, the live Leaky Mug from California is now available for download! Join the MuggleCasters, along with our friends at PotterCast, for some Potter podcasting fun. You can subscribe right here in iTunes or direct download at this link. The show was recorded at the Borders of Westwood in Los Angeles, California on September 28th. Special thanks goes to our audio guy Chris who provided a flawless setup, and Borders for a fantastic job handling the event! In a new interview, the Mrs. Weasley actress discusses HP 5's director and explains how he captures the emotional depth of the book, and the atmosphere he creates on-set. "He's very unassuming; they were in a way, Alfonso was, but he's fantastic. [David] is very into the emotional truth of it, the kids absolutely love it; he's very sweet and kind, and very, very into the story like a child is. And he's really into the emotional depths, and he's really fantastic, he's a lovely man." Thanks to those who sent this in. Harry Potter triumphant at SyFy awards The winners of this year's SyFy Genre Awards have been announced. The fourth Harry Potter movie won the Best Movie award, Emma Watson won Best Actress and Best Young Actor, and Dan Radcliffe won Best Actor and runner-up Best Young Actor. New Wizard of the Month at JKR.com Ms. Figg is sure to know of this month's featured witch over at JKRowling.com: Idris Oakby 1872 - 1985 Founder of the S.S.S. (Society for the Support of Squibs) > Sample Heading 1