Enjoy!
Poison

Ways Twilight is better than Harry Potter:

• Readers can relate much more easily to the characters. At least readers in the target audience, that is.
• This series seems as if if could really happen. Stephenie Meyer does a really good job of making all the fantastical creatures (vampires and werewolves) seem very human if it weren't for those little glitches that make them superhuman.
• The series isn't just one giant battle between good and evil. There are many more small battles along the way that are also good vs. evil, but they're varied.

Ways Harry Potter is better than Twilight:

• Everything in J.K. Rowling's world (mostly) is completely made up out of her head. Definitely a much more imaginative series on a whole.
• The relationships between the characters seem much more real. The kids get in fights, some of the characters vacillate between good and evil, they develop crushes which quickly fade.
• This is one HUGE mythology series. There's a whole backstory to everyone, no matter how small the character, and every player has a part in the battle. The same is not true for Twilight.

Ways both Harry Potter and Twilight are good:

• Both have gotten scores and scores of children and adults to read. Anything that promotes literacy is a plus.
• Both have encouraged increases in book sales. Again, a huge plus.
• Both are incredibly compelling to read. You pick them up and, before you know it, it's four hours later and you've finished a 500-page book.
• The fantastical elements of both promote a healthy imagination.

OK, my brain has turned to mush. I've been contemplating this entry for quite some time now, but didn't get around to it until now and seem to have lost a lot of steam

Do you have anything to add?

When I was very very young, it was my best friend's family. And although I spent a huge chunk of my life with them, they never seemed to return the same enthusiasm that I had for them. The older I got, the more that my "sister" started to ignore me...and it didn't bother her. And although my "adopted parents" would still make sure birthday cards were sent, things still never really felt the same. To this day, I'm still the one trying to reach out to them...only to feel really silly because I don't believe the time that I spent with them was as special to them as it was to me.

Then, there was my elementary/middle school. I went to a very tiny private school called Solano Christian Academy. It was so small, that from pre-k to 8th grade, you were pretty much in the same class with the same people (give or take a few...a lot of kids ditched SCA for public school). The school was...not a fantastic one. The teachers were not well qualified for their job. A lot of them were in the air force reserves and came to SCA expecting an easy job with perfect little Christian children. Once they came to the realization that we were not perfect little Christian children, they often lost their minds. To survive the insanity, us students formed an "us against them" mentality....and there it is. My new "family".

I didn't think it was possible for any of us to ever stray away from each other. We had spent every day for years and years with each other. Having to deal with crazy teachers and the general pains of turning into a teenager...I was wrong of course. You can't expect a group of teenagers to "stick together forever". The minute I left the school, friends started dropping off one by one. I still try to keep in contact with them, but again, it's a one-sided effort. I was crushed when I finally realized that none of them had any interest in me anymore. I don't understand how you can just forget about people that you spent such a huge chunk of your life with. There was one though....there was one.

There was one friend who still gave me a connection to my past. We were never really close in grade school, but as I morphed into my Harry Potter obsessed self, we started to get along better. She was always the Star Wars obsessed, straight-A student in our class (meaning I had nothing in common with her at the time). But she liked Harry Potter and understood the pains of loving a story more than anything on this planet. So, we connected on two levels. I don't see how you could get any closer than that. Here we go again. I honestly didn't see how we could ever drift apart. We had known each other too long and shared way too much. But something...happened.

I'm not going to go into here, because it's long and complicated. But I guess you could say we had a bit of a disagreement. Maybe even a crossroads in our lives? I welcomed the crossroad, she did not. I would have never welcomed it had I known that this meant the end of our friendship. Not only the end of our friendship, but the end of our friendliness. I'll take some responsibility for this. We went from talking for about 6 hours a day, to maybe an hour a day, if that. My life was changing. I was making friends in my area and ending my 3 years of staying in the house. I guess I wasn't talking to her enough, and I guess she took that personally. We continued to talk after our "disagreement" but things just kept going down hill to the point where I don't think she really wanted to talk to me at all.

I still try to talk to her. I tried to talk to her a few weeks ago, actually. She responded coldly, as usually. When I try to talk to her, she will give me minimal responses to my questions and nothing else. She makes it very clear that she wants nothing to do with me. It still hurts my feelings, because I would still like to know what's going on with her. I spent a HUGE chunk of my life with her (try ages 8 to 17?) and I'm just the kind of person who's really sentimental about that kind of shit. But no. She's not gonna fucking have it. One day I'll actually approach her on it, but for right now I'll just hope she reads this.

Anyway, here's the point of my entry. I latch on to people hardcore, weather they realize it or not. I am usually in this shit through thick and thin...but I feel like it's never mutual. I'm beginning to get the feeling that this could be the case with the fandom. I knew that things wouldn't immediately change after book 7 because everyone was still going to be in it. But now, I'm starting to feel changes in the atmosphere. I am TERRIFIED for what's going to happen after Terminus. I feel like you all are going to drop your wands and start running in the other direction. I don't know what I'm going to do if this happens. I've invested a lot in this shit. You are my family. I would like to think that we have something special. I would like to think that you guys would never just turn around and forget about it. I don't know though. I mean, everyone has the right to move on with their lives. No one said you have to love Potter forever. But I'm just really, really hoping that our friendships will last past Potter. My life has felt like a fairytale since I met all of you. Even though I used to have friends (as talked about above), I have NEVER experienced this kind of love before. I don't want to lose it.

I don't guys. Just...try to stay connected?

(...I'm so dramatic.)

Click here to download the enhanced version (will open in iTunes).

• For those of you who don’t know, an enhanced podcast is a format that allows images to be displayed in time with audio.

Summary: This is our “test” episode in which we lay down the foundations for our podcast and briefly discuss Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and Star Trek.

• Warning: Contains spoilers for Doctor Who season four (at 9:50).

I also joined a Harry Potter and Twilight role playing games.  I get sad when no one has responded to my posts in a while.  Is that because I want attention?  Why do we do the things we do?  Are we all longing for something?  The problem is I don't know what I want.

Just something for thought.

Matthias Oreklein's Blog by Matthias Oreklein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Source

Veja o teaser de Harry Potter e o Príncipe Misterioso, assim como duas novas fotos da antepenúltima aventura cinematográfica do famoso feiticeiro.

Teaser Trailer:

Devo dizer que, enquanto escritor do Hotvnews já vi mais de uma centena de teasers e este é sem dúvida o mais absurdo de todos os que vi. É tão absurdo, que ao lado dele o nosso post de encher chouriços parece bom!

E vocês, fãs de Harry Potter, gostaram do teaser?

HP Prognostications: Of course, I'm picking up this show after the release of book 7, so there's not necessarily a lot of prognosticating going on. But the hosts, Brad(?) and Penny still analyze and discuss themes of the books. I think what initially attracted me to the show is because I met them at Portus, and I thought they were very nice. Their podcast is not disappointing. It's insightful and informative, and entertaining too.

The Hog's Head Pubcast: This is the podcast of Travis Prinzi, who also presented at Portus. He falls in the category of "Harry Potter theorists who tickle my shadow." I often have inner debates between myself and anyone who discusses Christian symbolism in Harry Potter, mostly because I don't really see it, and I have yet to have an in-depth discussion with those who see that view. It's hard to get enough fodder with which to agree from a 1 hour presentation. Perhaps I should e-mail Travis... anyway, what I like most about this podcast is that Travis discusses themes common to fantasy literature that I researched for my massive project (btw, I'm trying to figure out how to get said massive project published. I'd appreciate any leads/pointers/suggestions/etc.). I have kind of moved away from a central focus that ties Harry Potter with LOTR or Narnia, but I am refreshed by the reminders that Travis gives me. Plus, he has some awesome contests.

WZRD: This is a periodical hour long show focused on Wizard Rock. They play some songs, have interviews or information about Wizard Rock. In case you don't know, Wizard Rock is a (dare-I-say) genre of indy music with songs inspired by the Harry Potter books. It's like the new punk rock.

Let's get my shadow criticism out of the way: I worry that the constant energy placed into Wizard Rock or other creative fan outlets are essentially archetypal recycling. Rather than using the energies inspire by Harry Potter to create something beautiful, they create within the paradigm of canon/fanon. Someone ask me, "So what?"

What I like about Wizard Rock is that it has the power to unite and it's being used to promote the messages of Harry Potter of tolerance, love, peace, etc. Plus, some of it is kind of fun. I find it interesting how much of Wizard Rock sounds more like show tunes than straight up punk rock, though the range of style also spans some grunge, emo, screamo.

All of this has inspired me to launch my own podcast, called "Mything in Action." It's still in the planning stages, but it's probably going to ressemble the love child of the Hog's Head Pubcast and Insytworks. It's still in the planning stages. If you think you might be interested in helping out, send an e-mail to mythinginaction at gmail dot com and we'll chat.

Uma nova foto de Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), reunindo Harry e o professor Slughorn, caiu na rede. (...) A WB brasileira confirmou que o teaser trailer do sexto filme da série - a primeira prévia com imagens, e não o vídeo de 15 segundos do IMAX - chegará aos EUA com A Múmia no dia 1º de agosto e no Brasil com Star Wars: Clone Wars no dia 15 de agosto.

Leia mais clicando aqui.

Veja a nova foto clicando na figura acima.

Veja uma galeria de fotos já publicadas no post "Novas Fotos de Harry Potter 6".

1. Sirius dog i Harry Potter och Fenixordern
2. de sista 30 sidorna av Harry Potter och Dödsrelikerna

Att ge sig på att skildra riktigt känslomässiga stunder i noveller/romaner är ganska riskfyllt. Läsaren kan bli förvirrad, tyngd eller frustrerad. JK Rowling hade vid dessa två tillfällen en rejält övertag. Detta var från den femte och sjunde boken i serien vilket innebär att jag redan var nära karaktärerna i fråga. För mig hade de redan blivit mänskliga och jag hade lärt känna dem och jag kunde känna igen mig själv när jag läste om deras liv, rutiner och dylikt. Hypotetiskt så krävs det alltså en igenkänningsfaktor för att en för mig okänd författare skall kunna beröra mig tillräckligt mycket att jag brister ut i gråt. I en chiclit-bok fungerar det inte. Jag känner inte igen mig i huvudkaraktärens sökande efter kärlek för jag är, som sagt, gjord av sten.

Jag har spånat lite kring en story i mitt huvud på den senaste tiden men fick ett brsykt uppvaknande när min kompis tipsade om en bok. Det var en chiclit men hon insisterade att den var annorlunda från de andra. I denna bok sker kärleksutvecklingen naturligt och står inte i centrum för handlingen. "Den bara händer sådär i bakgrunden" sade min vän. Hennes argument att boken var den bästa hon läst på länge, byggdes på ännu mer när hon drog referenser till andra chiclit-böcker. I dem handlar det enbart om huvudpersonens känslor för en enda person (alltid romantiska). Det blir frustrerande för kallblodiga häxor som vi.

Jag har skrivit flera utkast för min berättelse mentalt men jag suddade ut flera efter denna diskussion. Det blir för känslomässigt och därav inte naturligt för mig. Hur kan jag skriva om en persons utveckling och utvecklingen är helt främmande för mig?

Mitt skräckexempel för det här stora misstaget är Anders Jacobsson och Sörens Olssons bok Tuva-Lisa och Vindens Son. I den ger de sig på att skildra tolvåriga Tuva-Lisas liv och önskningar om att få mens så snart som möjligt. Stort misstag av två vuxna karlar att försöka beskriva hur mycket en tolvåring vill ha mens och sedan hur det känns för henne när hon väl får den. Inte nog med att reflektionerna kring hur de fysiska känslorna är då det sker är helt felaktiga, jag fann det väldigt svårt att känna igen Tuva-Lisas inre monolog (och ibalnd dialog). En tolvåring tänker inte såhär, tänkte jag när jag var tolv och läste den.

Så förutom riskerna att skriva om enbart/för mycket om känslor eller att skriva dem helt felaktiga, så finns risken att man inte blir berörd. Symboliken är för svårförstådd och trots att det berör karaktären du själv skildrar så reagerar dina läsare inte alls och blir förvirrade över varför din karaktär gör som den gör.

Jag läste igår ett kapitel ur boken Smuts av Katarina Wennstam från Bonnier, 2007, som jag tycker hade bra balans mellan igännkänningsfaktorn, antalet känslor och sedan hur hon skildrade dem. Jag ger ingen beskrivning över handlingen för jag tror att situationen framgår rätt tydligt i alla fall.

Oliver hör dörren från altanen stängas. Mammas lätta steg som tassar över parketten på bottenvåningen. Han hör så mycket bättre än de tror, han ser så mycket mer än de förstår.

Mamma går runt där nere mellan rummen. Släcker lamporna. Belysningen i korridoren på övervåningen kastar en lång kil av gult ljus över golvet i hans rum. Han vill alltid ha dörren lite på glänt.

Han har också hört att pappa inte kommit hem än. Ingen bil som stannat framför huset, ingen ytterdörr som öppnats, ingen mörk röst som fortplantar sig genom golvet.

Oliver vrider och vänder på sig i sängen där han ligger. Klockan är snart tolv, han borde sova. Han är väldigt trött. Ögonen kliar av sömnigt grus. Han vill att pappa ska vara hemma så att han får somna.

Han har hört så mycket mer än de vet. Han förstår, han är ingen barnunge. Han har hört mammas gråt från sovrummet, han har hört när de gör det där hemliga också. Han har legat vaken och lyssnat på de dova ljuden från bottenvåningen när diskussioner avslutas med plötslig stiltje. Det arga slamret med porslinet när mamma har dragit sig undan till köket. Pappas bil som startat och kört iväg. Han har lystrat till då nyckeln satts i låset i nattens sena timmar och hört pappas tunga steg uppför trappan.

Och han hör tystnaden. Den bedövande tystnaden mellan två människor som inte talar längre. Avsaknaden av ljud skriker i det stilla huset, bristen på skratt och stoj, på högljudda samtal som inte slutar i hårda ord.

Han tycker tystnaden är värst.

Oliver blundar hårt när han ser mammas skugga närma sig hans rum. Hon tittar in till honom och drar igen dörren så mycket det går utan att stänga den. Sedan det svaga ljudet av mamma i sängen, han hör henne andas, vända blad i boken, sucka till. Han är så van vid ljuden att han till slut somnar.

Hur uppfattar ni utdraget? Vad skildrar det?

Mit dieser Initiative setzt sich der Verein für den Schutz der Jugendlichen und Kinder gegen den Einfluß auf Kinder und Jugendliche von Gewalt, Sex und Pornographie im Fernsehen ein und gegen die Zersetzung der moralischen Werte in Familie und Gesellschaft.
Die Deutsche Vereinigung für eine Christliche Kultur (DVCK) e.V. ist eine private Initiative ohne offizielle Bindung an Kirchen oder politischen Parteien.
Die Orientierung ist katholisch, der Tätigkeitsbereich überkonfessionell.
Die DVCK e.V. wurde 1983 gegründet. Hintergrund ist der selbstlose Schutz der geistigen, sozialen und kulturellen Werte der christlich-abendländischen Kultur und Zivilisation die von einer seit mehr als fünf Jahrhunderte anhaltenden zersetzenden Revolution nach und nach zerstört werden soll.

Die Seite ist voll von allerhand Absurditäten. Schildkröte verweist ja auf die Aktion gegen die Bravo. Laut der Aktion Kinder in Gefahr ist die Bravo ein jugendgefährdendes Medium, weil dort sexuelle Praktiken erklärt, Jugendliche nackt gezeigt und Promi Skandale verharmlost werden.

Auch zu Harry Potter fällt der Aktion etwas sehr lustiges ein:

Die Horrorliteratur bzw. die Horrorverfilmungen, ohne sie verteidigen zu wollen, gehen nicht so weit. Es wird keine alternative, „bessere“ Welt angeboten. Das leisten nur die sog. Fantasie-Romane oder Science Fiction. Harry Potter kann man aus diesen Gründen nicht zur Horrorgattung zählen, sehr wohl aber zur Fantasieliteratur. Während die Horrorproduktionen die Aufklärung als Deutungsmuster der Ordnung akzeptieren, überwinden die Fantasieproduktionen diese und schaffen Welten, die jenseits unserer Vernunft liegen. Beim Harry Potter geschieht das in einem extremen Maße, wobei verstärkend wirkt, daß die „normale Welt“, die Welt der Muggels, unsere Welt also, ständig mit der Welt der Zauberei verglichen wird.

So gesehen sind die Fantasieproduktionen die eigentlichen Schöpfungen der 68er Revolution. Ende der 60er Jahre haben die sog. Hippies in der Tat mit Hilfe von Drogen und psychedelische Musik versucht, neue Bewußtseinsebenen zu erschließen. Viele Musiker nahmen Drogen wie LSD, die den Menschen in einen Traumzustand versetzen, um eine andere Wahrnehmung der Dinge zu bekommen. Die normale Welt, die bürgerliche Welt, empfand man als beschränkend und anhand von Drogen meinte man sich, von ihr befreien zu können.

Zu behaupten, daß die Autorin von Harry Potter, Joanne K. Rowling, den jungen Lesern eine imaginäre Welt, wie sie sich die Hippies erträumt haben, präsentieren wollte, würde wahrscheinlich zu weit gehen. Aber die scharfe Kritik an der bürgerlichen Welt und die Überwindung dieser durch eine parallele, erträumte Welt, sind zweifelsohne vorhanden. Die Romane von Harry Potter bieten den Lesern eine Fantasiereise in die Welt der Hexerei.

Wer hat hier Drogen genommen? Ich finde: die Aktion Kinder in Gefahr ist jugendgefährdend. Vielleicht mache ich auch eine Protestmailaktion an Bundesfamilienministerin von der Leyen.

Harry Potter and Twilight have one thing in common: They both have loyal and ardent fans. With every news coming out regarding both books (and movie) franchises, fans go crazy and spend hours in the net, searching and blogging away regarding the books. And, with both franchises releasing movies this year (HBP comes out November 21st and Twilight on December 12th), Potter and Twilight mania will reach an all time high. Thus, MSN put up a 'Potter vs Twilight' on its A-List corner. They chronicle the mania behind Potter and Twilight, and is measuring up the number of searches regarding the two franchises.

Click on the link above to be taken to their website.

***thanks to MSN.com***

jeidyoda

Free Agents: 2009 and 2010

Those who have been observing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks, among others, maneuver to create salary-cap space already have heard about "the Summer of LeBron." That's 2010, the year that LeBron James can opt out of his contract with the Cavs.

But the offseason of 2010 is not just the Summer of LeBron: It's also the Summer of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd, each of whom can become an unrestricted free agent in 2010.

And in 2009, the list is illustrious, too: Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Richard Hamilton, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom and Rasheed Wallace can become unrestricted free agents next year.

And that's not to mention all the restricted free agents, as you can see below.

Of course, not all of these players will reach free agency. But some will, which is why we're already hearing buzz about the summers of 2009 and 2010.

Take a look and see whom your team could lose … or which players it might ink in '09 and '10.

Key: ETO = Early Termination Option; P = Player Option; T = Team Option

FREE AGENTS: 2009 AND 2010
	2009	2010
Atlanta	RESTRICTED Solomon Jones Marvin Williams UNRESTRICTED Zaza Pachulia Mike Bibby	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Speedy Claxton Joe Johnson
	2009	2010
Boston	RESTRICTED Glen Davis Leon Powe UNRESTRICTED None	RESTRICTED Gabe Pruitt Rajon Rondo UNRESTRICTED Ray Allen Patrick O'Bryant Brian Scalabrine
	2009	2010
Charlotte	RESTRICTED Raymond Felton Sean May Jermareo Davidson UNRESTRICTED None	RESTRICTED Adam Morrison UNRESTRICTED None
	2009	2010
Chicago	RESTRICTED JamesOn Curry Aaron Gray UNRESTRICTED Drew Gooden	RESTRICTED Thabo Sefolosha Cedric Simmons Tyrus Thomas UNRESTRICTED Larry Hughes
	2009	2010
Cleveland	RESTRICTED Lance Allred UNRESTRICTED Damon Jones Joe Smith Eric Snow Wally Szczerbiak Billy Thomas Anderson Varejao (P)	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Zydrunas Ilgauskas LeBron James (P) Sasha Pavlovic Ben Wallace
	2009	2010
Dallas	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Brandon Bass Gerald Green Eddie Jones Jason Kidd Keith McLeod James Singleton	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Josh Howard (T) Dirk Nowitzki (ETO) Jerry Stackhouse Antoine Wright
	2009	2010
Denver	RESTRICTED Taurean Green Bobby Jones Linas Kleiza UNRESTRICTED Anthony Carter Steven Hunter (ETO) Allen Iverson	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Chucky Atkins Kenyon Martin (ETO)
	2009	2010
Detroit	RESTRICTED Jason Maxiell Cheick Samb UNRESTRICTED Richard Hamilton (ETO) Rasheed Wallace	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Amir Johnson Antonio McDyess
	2009	2010
Golden State	RESTRICTED C.J. Watson UNRESTRICTED Al Harrington (P)	RESTRICTED Kosta Perovic UNRESTRICTED Stephen Jackson
	2009	2010
Houston	RESTRICTED Mike Harris Steve Novak Luther Head UNRESTRICTED Steve Francis Bobby Jackson	RESTRICTED Luis Scola UNRESTRICTED Rafer Alston Brent Barry Chuck Hayes (T) Tracy McGrady Yao Ming (ETO)
	2009	2010
Indiana	RESTRICTED Danny Granger Jarrett Jack Josh McRoberts UNRESTRICTED Maceo Baston Marquis Daniels (T) Travis Diener (P) Jeff Foster Stephen Graham Rasho Nesterovic	RESTRICTED Shawne Williams UNRESTRICTED T.J. Ford (P)
	2009	2010
L.A. Clippers	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Brevin Knight	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Marcus Camby Cuttino Mobley Josh Powell Tim Thomas
	2009	2010
L.A. Lakers	RESTRICTED Coby Karl UNRESTRICTED Trevor Ariza Kobe Bryant (ETO) Chris Mihm Lamar Odom	RESTRICTED Jordan Farmar UNRESTRICTED Derek Fisher Vladimir Radmanovic (ETO)
	2009	2010
Memphis	RESTRICTED Hakim Warrick UNRESTRICTED Antoine Walker (ETO)	RESTRICTED Rudy Gay Kyle Lowry UNRESTRICTED Greg Buckner (P) Darko Milicic
	2009	2010
Miami	RESTRICTED Stephane Lasme Joel Anthony UNRESTRICTED Mark Blount (ETO) Shawn Marion	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Udonis Haslem Dwyane Wade (P)
	2009	2010
Milwaukee	RESTRICTED Andrew Bogut Ramon Sessions Charlie Villanueva UNRESTRICTED Desmond Mason	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Richard Jefferson (ETO) Michael Redd (ETO)
	2009	2010
Minnesota	RESTRICTED Rashad McCants UNRESTRICTED Calvin Booth Jason Collins	RESTRICTED Rodney Carney Randy Foye UNRESTRICTED Mike Miller Brian Cardinal Mark Madsen
	2009	2010
New Jersey	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Trenton Hassell (ETO) Jarvis Hayes (T) Stromile Swift	RESTRICTED Maurice Ager Josh Boone Chris Douglas-Roberts (T) Marcus Williams UNRESTRICTED Bobby Simmons Keith Van Horn
	2009	2010
New Orleans	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Melvin Ely Mike James (P)	RESTRICTED Hilton Armstrong UNRESTRICTED Rasual Butler Tyson Chandler (ETO) Peja Stojakovic (ETO)
	2009	2010
New York	RESTRICTED David Lee Nate Robinson UNRESTRICTED Jamal Crawford (ETO) Eddy Curry (ETO) Jerome James (P) Stephon Marbury Quentin Richardson (ETO) Malik Rose	RESTRICTED Renaldo Balkman Mardy Collins UNRESTRICTED Chris Duhon Jared Jeffries (ETO)
	2009	2010
Oklahoma City	RESTRICTED Johan Petro UNRESTRICTED Adrian Griffin Chris Wilcox Damien Wilkins (ETO) Donyell Marshall	RESTRICTED Mouhamed Sene UNRESTRICTED Luke Ridnour Earl Watson
	2009	2010
Orlando	RESTRICTED Marcin Gortat UNRESTRICTED Keith Bogans Brian Cook (P) Hedo Turkoglu (ETO)	RESTRICTED J.J. Redick UNRESTRICTED Tony Battie Anthony Johnson
	2009	2010
Philadelphia	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Andre Miller	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Willie Green (ETO)
	2009	2010
Phoenix	RESTRICTED D.J. Strawberry UNRESTRICTED Grant Hill	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Raja Bell Steve Nash Shaquille O'Neal Amare Stoudemire (ETO)
	2009	2010
Portland	RESTRICTED Ike Diogu Channing Frye Martell Webster UNRESTRICTED Raef LaFrentz Joel Przybilla (ETO)	RESTRICTED LaMarcus Aldridge Sergio Rodriguez Brandon Roy UNRESTRICTED Steve Blake Travis Outlaw
	2009	2010
Sacramento	RESTRICTED Francisco Garcia UNRESTRICTED Shareef Abdur-Rahim (ETO) Ron Artest	RESTRICTED Quincy Douby Shelden Williams UNRESTRICTED Brad Miller Mikki Moore John Salmons (ETO) Kenny Thomas
	2009	2010
San Antonio	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Ime Udoka Jacque Vaughn	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Matt Bonner Bruce Bowen Manu Ginobili Fabricio Oberto
	2009	2010
Toronto	RESTRICTED Hassan Adams (T) Joey Graham Jamario Moon UNRESTRICTED Jermaine O'Neal (P) Anthony Parker	RESTRICTED Andrea Bargnani UNRESTRICTED Chris Bosh (P) Kris Humphries (P) Jason Kapono
	2009	2010
Utah	RESTRICTED Paul Millsap Deron Williams Kyrylo Fesenko (T) UNRESTRICTED Carlos Boozer (P) Jarron Collins Jason Hart Kyle Korver (ETO) Mehmet Okur (ETO) Ronnie Price	RESTRICTED Ronnie Brewer UNRESTRICTED Matt Harpring
	2009	2010
Washington	RESTRICTED None UNRESTRICTED Etan Thomas (ETO)	RESTRICTED Dominic McGuire UNRESTRICTED Antonio Daniels Brendan Haywood Darius Songaila (ETO) DeShawn Stevenson (P)

If this book was not so short i would have put it down and forgot about it.  The story centers around a widow dealing with the death of her husband. I am sitting trying to figure what to say about this book and I have nothing. This is the first of Delillo's works that i am reading, now that i suffered through this I am going to tackle The Names. Delillo seems to have some interesting reads from what i read, i just hope there not all written in the style that this book was.

Artemis Fowl (Book 2): The Arctic Incident - Ed Colfer

The continuing tales of Artemis Fowl (and Butler). This time around Holly and Artemis work together. We also get more information on the other family members. I don't want to write any details about these books. I can't stand it when people give to much information. Just start reading the series. It might be listed as a young adult book but I am well past young adult and i still enjoyed it. And it is still better then Potter.

Warning: SPOILER ALERT

Rick Riordan is an author of both adult and teen-oriented books. He has series targeted at teens that focuses on one boy, Perseus (Percy) Jackson.  Percy is the son of Sally Jackson, a mortal woman, and the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea from ancient mythology.  In the series, the Greek gods are not myths at all, but a vibrant and lively part of Western Civilization.  Along with Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Hephaestus and the rest of the crew come a host of monsters and mayhem including (but not limited to) the Minotaur, Medusa, the Furies, prophecies, quests, adventure, sword fighting, revenge and true love.  Sounds like the Princess Bride as described by Peter Falk.  :)

In any case, I am not here to review the books themselves.  I love them, I think they're grand.  They fall into a similar genre as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, and Chris Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, also books I enjoy thoroughly and unequivocally.  I'm a geek boy for sci-fi, fantasy, mythology, and the "weird."

No, in this review, I am getting specific.  In fact, it would be more accurate to say that I am making a prediction, a prediction about Percy's mom, Sally Jackson (as you might have guessed from the title of this post).  That prediction is: I think she is a half-blood (half god and half human) herself.  That would, in fact, make Percy 3/4 god, instead of the normal half god, or demigod.  Here's my thinking:

• Her eyes change color depending on the light
• She can see through mist (something that keeps most mortals from seeing monsters, gods, and the rest of the weirdness)
• In Book 1, The Lightning Thief, Sally isn't killed when the Minotaur picks her up by the neck, but is captured and spirited away by Hades in a shower of golden light.  Maybe Hades could do that to a mortal, but still...
• I think we need something to make Percy even more special, and that would do it
• plus, it would make an interesting plot twist.  I don't remember reading any myths about humans who had a god for a grandparent and a parent

I know this post is probably uninteresting to those who haven't read these books.  Even if you have, maybe this degree of analysis seems like a waste of time.  Don't care.  I think it's neat, and I am calling it now.  Maybe in the end I'll be proven wrong.  But I think Sally Jackson is herself a half-blood.  You heard it here first.  I'll let you know the results when the series ends.

Oh, and by the way.  The reason I gave this review a 5 has nothing to do with how much I like the books.  I think they're great.  I gave it a 5 because I'm making a WAG (wild ass guess) and I figure I have a 50/50 chance.  Twisted logic, but if you read this far, you're probably right there with me.  :)

Yahoo Movies has listed its top movie villains and no surprise, Lord Voldemort is once again included in the list. Lord Voldemort plays #2 this time, coming in after Darth Vader. To view the complete list, click on the link above.

***thanks to Yahoo Movie!***

jediyoda

Parade Magazine conducted an interview with Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) on where he talked about his new movie, choosing roles and his past as an alcoholic. To read the whole interview, click here.

***thanks to Parade.com***

jediyoda

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) has been nominated for an Emmy for his role as Bernard Lafferty in HBO's Bernard and Doris. He is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series of Movie. For a complete list of all nominations, you may view it here at the Emmy Site. Catch the winners when the Emmy's will air on ABC on September 21st.

***thanks to harrypotterspage.com***

jediyoda

Entertainment Weekly has published a new photo from the upcoming Potter film, The Half-Blood Prince. The picture shows Professor Slughorn showing Harry some kind of potion, probably the Felix Felicis potion. This was posted at their First Looks Gallery, where they give you previews of the upcoming movies, albums and many more.

***thanks to harrypotterspage.com***

jediyoda