I’m not usually a fan of people dressing their animals up – and not because I think it’s all noble and kind to revere animals like PETA does, worshiping them and not, you know, wanting to embarrass them – but because it’s stupid. It’s flat-out stupid. If you want to go ahead and dress your dog or cat, I’m alright with that. Just don’t expect me to reciprocate or join in the fun by making my coonhound parade around in booties, sweaters, cell phone holders or watches. They’re animals, ffs.

Anyway, in case the headline wasn’t clear enough, the following photos are dogs dressed up like Harry Potter characters. It’s actually pretty amusing, on the whole, and I guess if I *did* decide to go nuts and dress my dog up, it might be in this kind of attire. I’d be Hermione, of course.

Images courtesy of the Daily Mail

Oh, please. Please, Academy, make it possible for me to see little Daniel Radcliffe say something insanely moving to all the Potter nerds again. Please give me another chance to see all those magical people together as they should be. And please give some acknowledgement to some of the best performances in film this year (Alan Rickman, right?).

But beyond my fangirl dreams, is it possible that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will win any Oscars? Actually, yes. E! points out a few reasons: the Academy considers up to ten nominations for the Best Picture award, which gives our beloved HP a better chance than it would have had in previous years. And The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won Best Picture in 2003, and anything Lord of the Rings can do, Harry Potter can do better*. Finally, if Deathly Hallows were to get nominated, the Oscars telecast would more than likely see a sizable increase in ratings, natch.

What do you guys think? What Oscars, if any, does Deathly Hallows deserve next year?

*Have we ever gotten into a LOTR vs. HP debate here? Should we start?

Just when I thought that I was finally getting over the anguish and despair that I felt this summer over Harry Potter’s last hurrah, it starts up all over again. Because she hasn’t done enough already, JK Rowling had a big long chat with Daniel Radcliffe for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Blu-ray in which she taunts us with horrible, awful things she almost did and one heartbreaking account of something beautiful that she cruelly decided could never be.

On killing Ron Weasley: “Funnily enough, I planned from the start that none of them would die. Then midway through, which I think is a reflection of the fact that I wasn’t in a very happy place, I started thinking I might polish one of them off. Out of sheer spite. ‘There, now you definitely can’t have him any more.’ But I think in my absolute heart of heart of hearts, although I did seriously consider killing Ron, [I wouldn't have done it].”

On killing Hagrid: Rowling reveals that from the start, she always knew that the final chapters of the last novel would include these beats: That Harry would walk willingly to his death; that he would be joined by the spirits of his parents and other loved ones during that death march; and that Hagrid would carry Harry’s (apparently) lifeless body out of The Forbidden Forest. Rowling tells Radcliffe that the image of Hagrid cradling “dead” Harry — a bookend to the beginning of the series, when Hagrid brought infant Harry to the Dursleys – stuck with her the entire time she wrote the books and she never let it go. If she had, Rowling says Hagrid would have been a “natural” target for elimination. “That image kept him safe,” she says.

On maybe not killing Remus: Rowling shares with Radcliffe that when she created Lupin’s character, she planned for him to survive the finale. While the author has said as much in other interviews, here, she elaborates, explaining that she changed her mind when she realized that her last Harry Potter story was really about war, and that “one of the most horrifying things about war is how it leaves children fatherless and motherless.” The most powerful way she could dramatize that idea, she says, was to kill a set of parents that were dear to readers. “I had no intention of killing [Lupin],” says Rowling. “But then it dawned on me he had to die.”

Well, that was exhausting. Can you imagine if Ron had died? There was a point when I thought that Hagrid would surely die, but Ron? No. No, I couldn’t do it. Could you? And Remus … after four years, I still get choked up when I think about Remus. Is that normal? Are any of you guys still torn up over anything Harry Potter related? This is the time to let everything go.

Here’s a video just for you! Though the dudes are quite annoying (accurate, yes, and efficient as well, but that doesn’t absolve them from almost giving me an epileptic fit with their rapid-fire speech), their information is spot-on. If you haven’t gotten the low down on what’s happened in the previous movies before seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, I strongly suggest you – try – to watch this.

Also, did any of you see the film last night? DID YOU LOVE IT?

So Harry Potter opens in just a few short hours. Did you really think I’d let the entire day fritter away without, at the very least, TWO Harry Potter-related posts? Come on. You know me better than this!

Ralph Fiennes (oh so hot), who plays Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, did a recent interview with Newsweek in which he defended his evil counterpart’s motives and talked about what goes on beneath Voldemort’s slit-nostriled facade.

Voldemort on Voldemort’s evilness:

“He’s a demonic spirit. He’s a satanic force.”

When Voldemort felt like Voldemort for the first time, even when Voldemort wasn’t sure that Voldemort wanted to play the role OF Voldemort:

“As it turned out, I very much had a part in the way he looked. I found little physicalities in the role, and something always happened when I put those long, flowing robes on. That’s when I felt Voldemort.”

On Voldemort’s … dentures:

“I don’t have the wand, but I did keep the very convincing dentures they made for me. They’re in a jar in my study.”

On his loneliness:

“As for his loneliness, I do understand it. I don’t think he’s ever had a love life. He doesn’t know what love is; it’s a language he doesn’t understand.”

On the evil that lurks in the hearts of those who play Voldemort:

“Sometimes kids would come to the set, and I could see them looking at me anxiously. I once walked past the young child of a script supervisor, and he burst into tears. I felt very good about myself.”

Wow. You know, I know he’s bad and stuff, but at the end of the day? I’d totally do Lord Voldemort. As long as he didn’t talk all that much: that raspy, high-pitched voice of his kind of turns me off.

It’s time, you guys. In just a few short hours, I’ll be getting in my Hogwarts uniform and going down to the Mexican restaurant for pre-Hallows margaritas (how else are we supposed to handle all the pain of a double feature, ok?). And you know what? It’s a big deal.

We’ve been talking about our Harry Potter emotions pretty consistently for the past couple of weeks around here, but on this very special day, words are not enough. No, we have to turn to music:

Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t realize I was nerd enough for wizard rock? Guess again, fools!

Ok, that one was a little harsh. Let’s brighten it up a little with a happy song about my favorite character, Remus!

And that wasn’t entirely happy either. I know that, ok? I’m aware. So, in closing, I’m going to stop with any pretenses and share with you my very favorite wizard rock song, the one that can make me break down in the most emotional fangirl fit you’ve ever seen. It’s called “Open at the Close,” so, uh, that should give you a little bit of a hint:

Are you now a sobbing, messy puddle of grief and tragedy like me? Excellent! Now pull yourself together, go get in your costume, and have a glorious time! We’ll meet back tomorrow to talk about our feelings!