What the Harry Potter Cast is Doing in the New Year by Samantha Granger2012 is upon us! If, like me, you are wondering what your favorite Harry Potter cast members are up to in the new year, and what exciting new projects you can look forward to seeing them in, look no further!
***For the sake of space, this is obviously not an all-inclusive list of actors, so if your favorite is missing, I apologize, but there are a lot of people in Harry Potter, and this is a short list of the ones who have a lot going on in 2012. Also, I left out any films rated R.
Daniel Radcliffe- Daniel stars in a new film entitled The Woman in Black, which will begin being released in February. It is rated PG-13. Here is a link to the preview, but be warned, it is pretty creepy.
Link to previewHe will also be hosting Saturday Night Live on January 14th.
Emma Watson- Emma stars in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which has not yet been rated, and so far there is no release date, though it will be sometime in 2012. She also has a new line of lipsticks for Lancome coming out in February.
Rupert Grint- Rupert has quite a few film projects slated for 2012. Into the White, the trailer for which can be found here:
Link to trailer it will be released in Norway in March, and there are not yet any other release dates. He is also working on Postman Pat- The Movie, Eddie the Eagle, and Cross Country, though they are all scheduled for release in 2013.
Tom Felton- Tom stars in The Apparition, which is rated PG-13 and will be released in August. He is also currently filming a TV series called Labyrinth, that, so far, only has a scheduled release date for Germany. He also starred in From the Rough, which was supposed to release in 2011, but is actually releasing in February. The trailer can be found here:
Link to trailerRalph Fiennes- Ralph with reprise his role of Hades in Wrath of the Titans, which is a sequel to Clash of the Titans (also starring Bill Nighy). It will be released in March, and the trailer can be found here:
Link to trailer. He is also currently filming the newest Bond movie, entitled Skyfall (also starring Helen McCrory), which is scheduled to be released around November.
Helena Bonham Carter- Helena will be in Tim Burton’s new film Dark Shadows, which is set to release in May. She is also set to star in the film version of the stage musical Les Miserables, which is set to release in December. Her two other films are set to release in 2013.
Gary Oldman- Gary reprises his role as Jim Gordon in this July’s The Dark Knight Rises, whose trailer can be found here:
Link to trailer. Check out his profile on IMDB for his other projects:
Link to IMDBHE New Year's Resolutions by Samantha GrangerPeople all over the world have been greeting the new year by making promises to themselves about how they will make the next year better than the one passing since around 153 B.C. Ancient Romans looked to the two-faced mythical king Janus as a symbol of new resolutions and forgiveness, using the dawning of the new year to reflect on the passing year’s events and look forward to the future.
Though I don’t usually partake in this particular tradition, I can still appreciate how powerful these resolutions can be in a person’s life, and I like the idea of taking time to reflect and make new goals. I asked around the site to see what resolutions your fellow HEers have made for 2012. In no particular order, and keeping them anonymous:
To start seeing myself as important and not a shadow of anyone else.
I'm hoping to be much more involved in HE next year, cause I feel like I slacked off this year.
To actually get my three hours of cello in each day.
To save more money and to be the best girlfriend I can be.
To read (and review on my blog) 112 books in 2012.
To read the books that are sitting on my shelves that I haven't read yet.
To be better organized and prepared in 2012, since 2011 kicked my bum.
To work out more, eat less junk food, and find a way to really love vegetables.
To watch all the movies sitting on my shelves that I have purchased but not watched.
To spend more quality time on HE and restore Ravenclaw to our former glorious glory.
Things to look forward to in 2012 by Samantha GrangerWe have all heard the rumors flying around about how the world is going to end this year, but there are also some pretty cool things happening this year that we can look forward to.
Summer Olympics (27 July 2012 and 12 August 2012)
The 2012 Summer Olympic games will be held in London, England. It will be the third time London has hosted the Olympics, which makes them the only city to have hosted the modern games this many times.
Link to websiteLondon is also hosting the London 2012 Festival, which is the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, a four-year program of cultural events across the United Kingdom, leading up to the Olympic games.
Link to websiteU.S. Presidential ElectionTuesday, November 6, 2012 will mark the 57th quadrennial presidential election in the United States. For many members of HE, it will mark the first time they are old enough to vote in a presidential election. On going information about candidates can be found at
Link to websiteCuriosity Mars RoverOn November 26, 2011, NASA launched the Mars Rover Curiosity, which is five times bigger than the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It is scheduled to land on Mars on August 6, 2012. Curiosity’s primary mission is to analyze whether or not Mars is capable, or has ever been capable of supporting life. More information, including a count down clock to Curiosity’s landing, can be found at
Link to websiteTransit of VenusThe transit of Venus is what it is called when Venus passes between Earth and the Sun. It happens in pairs eight years apart from one another, and then doesn’t happen again for over one hundred years. When this happens, you can see Venus move across the face of the Sun, as a small black dot. It is one of the rarest astronomical events, and has only happened six times since the invention of the telescope. The first portion of this current pair happened in 2004, and the next pair isn’t supposed to happen until 2117, and 2125, so this is the last time to see this event in our lifetime. It will happen June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on where you live. While this will be an amazing this to witness, everyone must remember to use the proper equipment, and not look directly at it, or you will be blinded. More information can be found at
Link to websiteWii UScheduled to be released sometime in 2012, the Wii U is a new controller for the Wii. It looks more like a tablet, and has a motion sensor just like the Wii remotes, but it also has a touch pad, and you can play Wii games on it even with your television turned off. It is going to be backwards compatible with the Wii, and will also work with all of the Wii’s peripherals, such as Motion Plus and the Balance Board. More information, including videos to show you what it looks like, can be found at
Link to websiteA Christmas Poem (a tweaked version of A Visit from St. Nick by Clement Clarke Moore) by Samantha Granger
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the castle
Not a creature was stirring, not even the headmaster.
The stockings were hung in the dormitories with care,
In hopes that Father Christmas soon would be there.
The students were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Christmas fairies danced in their heads.
And Amber in her office, and Katie in her room,
Were settling down for the night in a castle silent as a tomb.
When out on the Quidditch pitch there arose such a clatter,
Rai sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he took to flight,
Tore open the shutters and stuck his head into the night.
The moon on the surface of the new-fallen snow
Gave the illusion of daylight to objects below.
When, what to Rai’s sleepy eyes should appear,
But a monstrously huge sleigh, and eight enormous reindeer.
With an old wizard driver, so energetic and quick,
Rai knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than hippogriffs his reindeer they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the castle! to the top of the towers!
Now fly on! Fly on! With all your power!"
As small house elves that before angry giants do fly,
The reindeer began their decent, from the star filled night sky.
So up to the tower-tops the reindeer they flew,
With the sleigh full of gifts, and the old wizard too.
And then, in a twinkling, Rai heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each enormous hoof.
As Rai drew in his head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney, St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed in Graphorn hide, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of gifts he had flung on his back,
(And as Rai made a mental note to punish the house elves for not cleaning the chimneys) Santa opened his sack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were red as a howler, his nose like a cherry!
His silly little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
The smoke, colored with magic, encircled his head like a Phoenix.
He had a nice face and a really big belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a quaffle sized ball of jelly.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled Rai’s stocking, then turned with a jerk.
And from a small sack some powder was drawn,
And giving a nod, with a pinch of floo powder he was gone!
He sprang to each tower, leaving stuff for the whole castle,
Then went back to his sleigh, on to Hogwart’s sister school in Brazil.
But Rai heard him exclaim, as he flew out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
Some Parting Nonsense by Samantha GrangerUsually, I never make new year’s resolutions. Mostly because I’m really terrible at keeping them. I’m only bad at keeping them because you are always on the spot when someone asks for yours, and I can never think of anything good. Being on the spot also means I probably won’t remember anything I said. 2012 is a special year for me, however, as it marks the last year I will be in my 20s (yes, I know… I’m old… shut up, besides, acceptance is the first step
). I can’t really wrap my mind around this because I still feel 19. Plus, people still think I am 19 when they meet me. Which I love. Anywho, looking back over the past year has made me realize that I really need to kick things up a notch, so I decided to make myself some promises this time; things to make sure I accomplish before I turn 30 (ugh). Here goes:
- I will not be living in this town by the end of the year
- I will figure out what I want to be when I grow up
- I will figure out a way to make that happen
- I will be braver when it comes to love
- I will figure out what the heck tattoo I want, and actually get it
- I will get rid of all the useless clutter that I possess
- And most importantly, I will no longer let fear get in the way of life
I hope you enjoyed our Christmas/New Year’s edition, and that 2012 is awesome for everyone!
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Subject: Sam's Secret Library 
but all who figure out how to enter my secret library are welcome XD
