Harry Potter isn't just for children and their parents.  It has officially made it into the hall of academia as well.  CNN correspondent Patrick Lee describes how the Potter-verse is being integrated into college classrooms across the country.  It seems there's no spell that J.K. Rowling can't conjure.  Read the complete story see CNN's site at:
<http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/25/cnnu.potter/index.html>.

 
 

The second of the Narnia films is set to release on May 16, 2008.  The official site has a great synopsis of the plot, as well as a number of fun activities and downloads.  Also, if you're into a little inside "dirt" there is some talk that Disney is considering ditching the Narnia series after the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Check out FirstShowing.net's post for all the details.

 
 

The entertainment world is all a-buzz with the announcement that the final Harry Potter book Deathly Hallows will be split into 2 films.  If you haven't heard, then the LA Times and CNN both have stories. But  "The Leaky Cauldron" blog offers a follow-up entry with producer David Heyman about the 2 films' plans.  And for you die-hard Daniel Radcliff fans, here's a quick video of him talking about the split.

 
 

Just in case you haven't heard, Universal in cooperation from J.K. Rowling is planning "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure.  The park is scheduled to open in late 2009 or early 2010.  Wow! 

We should be able to walk inside Hogwarts castle and down the streets of Hogsmeade, as well as venture into the Forbidden Forest.  Early reports say that there will not be any characters out and about in contrast to the Marvel Islands of Adventure, where Hulk, Spiderman and theX-men are visible.  We're also not sure about any of the rides that may be part of the park.  This is awesome!  For email updates or to review the FAQ, checkout Universal's site.  MuggleNet, the best place on the Web to catch any HP gossip, also has an updated gallery of construction photos.  I highly recommend the podcasts.

 
 

The second installment of The Chronicles of Narnia is set to release May 16, 2008.  Here's the first official trailer for C.S. Lewis' classic.

 
 

Nickelodeon brings us the motion picture adaptation of the The Spiderwick Chronicles open in theatres February 14, 2008.  Here's the trailer courtesy of YouTube.  I think because of the relatively short stories, the movie adaptation may be very good at following the storyline.  We'll see.