Celestina Warbeck Gets The Pottermore Spotlight

J.K. Rowling has added more new content to the Harry Potter universe via the Pottermore website. This one is also directly connected to Universal Studios Orlando and the new Diagon Alley section that was added to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Celestina Warbeck was a character mentioned in the books as one of the most popular singers in the wizarding world, and Molly Weasley's favorite singer. It's one of numerous new backgrounds given on a Harry Potter subject which is mentioned but not delved deeply into.

The character is portrayed in Diagon Alley, performing shows at different hours of the day, so it was only fitting to add some background to the character, with a full biography written about her from Rowling. It's located in the Chamber of Secrets area of Pottermore in the "Floo Powder" section. It also allows you to listen to a song which is performed at Universal Orlando called You Stole My Cauldron But You Can't Have My Heart. Can't get to Orlando? You can watch the entire Universal Orlando performance by Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees below:

Is Another Harry Potter Short Story on the Way?

J.K. Rowling made headlines when she wrote a short story in the style of a Rita Skeeter gossip column about Harry Potter and the rest of Dumbledore's Army on the Pottermore website early in July, following with more information courtesy of Skeeter at the Quidditch World Cup. These were released around the time that Diagon Alley opened to much fanfare (and 5 hour waits for the new ride) at Universal Studios Orlando. Skeeter mentions during the gossip column that she has a book called Dumbledore's Army: The Dark Side of the Demob coming out on July 31st at Flourish and Blotts. Does this mean Rowling could post more from Skeeter to the Pottermore website?

Some fans found the updates on Harry, Ron, Hermione and friends, the first since the Deathly Hallows book came out in 2007, too negative. The whole point of Rita Skeeter is to poke fun at tabloids and the embellished information contained in them, as half the stuff Skeeter says are lies anyway. It was meant to be fun, and came across that way just fine.

The live updates on the Quidditch World Cup final, with dueling posts from Ginny Weasley (now Potter, of course) and Skeeter, ended in comical fashion. Ginny got tired of Skeeter making up stories about Dumbledore's Army and put a jinx on her. Some nice tidbits about our favorite characters were included as well. Harry has a new scar on his face, possibly from a battle during his time as an auror. He also remains friends with Viktor Krum. Krum won the Quidditch World Cup with Bulgaria for the first time. Ron now co-runs the Weasley Wizard Wheezes joke shop. I for one hope we do get another Pottermore update from Rita Skeeter on July 31, and I'm sure many people will be logging onto the site to see if this will be an actual story. There is a Flourish and Blotts section of the site, which lends some hope for fans.

Diagon Alley Nearing Completion at Universal Studios Florida

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, which has been in the works since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade first opened at Islands of Adventure in 2010, is taking shape quickly ahead of its opening this Summer 2014 at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando.

Guests who have park-to-park admission will be able to take the Hogwarts Express between the two parks. The Hogwarts Express has windows that are made of screens, so instead of seeing some Orlando roads as you take the train between parks, you will see the English countryside as well as magical creatures from Harry Potter. Everyone's dream to take a ride to Hogwarts can finally come true. 

The London waterfront is what you'll see first, which hides the new section of the park like in the films. You'll see Leicester Square, the Knight Bus, and Grimmauld Place before entering Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron, which will be massive in size. New shops besides The Leaky Cauldron that are featured will be places like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a larger Ollivanders Wand Shop, Madame Malkins Robes, Magical Menagerie, and Quality Quidditch Supplies to name a few. Knockturn Alley will also be included, for all muggles to get their fix of the dark arts. 

The star attraction will be Gringotts Bank, which houses the new ride "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts". Likely a roller coaster with brand new technology, its unknown exactly how the ride works, only that it will be like the escape seen in the Deathly Hallows. A fire breathing dragon will be perched on top of Gringotts, and will actually breathe fire. 

JK Rowling has been involved in the process, and helped introduce brand new shops and characters that weren't featured in the books or films. Take a look at a teaser video of the expansion: