Last night’s Broadway performance of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was canceled after a stagehand overdosed backstage and died, according to the New York Times. Police told the paper that the 29-year-old man — whose name is being withheld until his family can be notified — was found unconscious backstage just before the 8 p.m. show and pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. The cast and crew ultimately decided they couldn’t perform, and stars Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette apologized to the audience from the stage.
Tag: Harry Potter (1-9 of 9)
Apr 24
2011
12:38 PM ET
Emma Watson transferring from Brown University
Actress Emma Watson, 21, will be transferring from Brown University to another university this fall, according to the Associated Press. Watson, who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter films, has recently taken time out of her studies to focus on her movie career.
Mar 21
2011
11:16 AM ET
Daniel Radcliffe to be given the Trevor Project's Hero Award
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who has been an advocate for suicide prevention group The Trevor Project since 2009, will be honored with that organization’s Hero Award. The Associated Press writes that Radcliffe is due to receive the award in June; past recipients include Vanessa Williams, Nathan Lane, and Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. “The people that are doing the heroic things are the people answering phones 24 hours a day in the Trevor call centers,” Radcliffe told the AP. “Out of everything that I’ve done so far in my career, I think this is absolutely one of the most important, if not the most important, thing that I’m associated with.”
Read more:
Daniel Radcliffe shoots commercial for gay suicide-prevention organization
Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen DeGeneres, Dan Savage speak out about gay-youth suicide
Jan 21
2011
12:35 PM ET
Brother of 'Harry Potter' actress jailed for six months
Ashraf Azad, the 28-year-old brother of 22-year-old Harry Potter actress Afshan Azad, has checked into jail for six months for assaulting his sister last May, according to Reuters. In December, Ashraf pleaded guilty to charges of assault, stemming from the incident at their home in Longsight Manchester, where he attacked Afshan for dating a non-Muslim. Afshan — who played Padma Patil in the films — had requested that the court not send Ashraf to jail. “The persistent attack was accompanied by serious and very hurtful abuse and threats,” Judge Roger Thomas said during the sentencing. “The background to this offense lies in the concern that you, and perhaps other family members, had about Afshan’s relationship with a young man who was not of the Islamic faith.”
Read more:
Brother of ‘Harry Potter’ actress pleads guilty to attacking her
‘Harry Potter’ actress escapes murder attempt
Jan 7
2011
09:57 AM ET
'Harry Potter' plagiarism suit dismissed
A lawsuit claiming that J.K. Rowling had copied another author’s work to write Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was dismissed this morning in New York, according to Reuters. The estate of the late writer Adrian Jacobs had claimed that Rowling’s work was oddly similar to his 1987 book, Willy the Wizard, especially parts describing train travel and a wizarding contest. Scholastic, Potter‘s U.S. publisher, said in a statement: “The Court’s swift dismissal supports our position that the case was completely without merit and that comparing Willy the Wizard to the Harry Potter series was absurd.”
Dec 21
2010
12:16 PM ET
Brother of 'Harry Potter' actress pleads guilty to attacking her
Ashraf Azad, the 28-year-old brother of 22-year-old Harry Potter actress Afshan Azad, has pleaded guilty of assaulting her last May, the BBC reports. Ashraf allegedly was upset that Afshan — known for playing Padma Patil in the Harry Potter movies — was dating a man who was not Muslim. Though Ashraf and father Abdul Azad were cleared of charges of attempted murder, Ashraf is facing jail time. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21.
Oct 14
2010
12:56 PM ET
Judge allows plagiarism suit against J.K. Rowling
A British lawsuit claiming that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling copied a 1987 book will be allowed to proceed, according to the AP. The estate of the late author Adrian Jacobs believes that Rowling plagiarized elements of Jacobs’ The Adventures of Willy the Wizard — No. 1 Livid Land. Rowling asked the court to dismiss the charge, calling the claims unfounded and absurd. However, Justice David Kitchin ruled that the plaintiff’s had the right to move forward, though he described their chances of success as “improbable.”
Mar 25
2010
10:51 AM ET
Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open June 18
Universal Orlando has announced that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park will have its grand opening on June 18. More details about the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction have also been released.
Mar 22
2010
07:36 PM ET
'Harry Potter': Fire at Hogwarts, reports exaggerated
A fire broke out on an exterior set of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at Leavesden Studios outside London Friday night, but early reports of the size of the fire and the resulting damage have been exaggerated, according to a source familiar with the incident. During filming for a scene in the final Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a small fire ignited and was quickly extinguished. No actors were present at the time, no one was injured, and no significant damage was caused to the set or to the studio lot in Watford, where all of the Potter movies have been filmed. A fire truck was called to the studio as a precaution, but the fire was out by the time firefighters arrived. The studio, Warner Bros., declined to comment. Hallows, the final book of the Potter series, is being made into two films. The first will be released this fall, on Nov. 19. The second will be released next summer, on July 15, 2011. So far the franchise has grossed more than $5.4 billion worldwide.
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