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4A Daily News – Thursday, July 14, 2011 Pastimes (MCT) — Friday marks the end of an era. Some, like Warner Bros. executive Dan Fellman, compare its finality to the breakup of the Beatles. When "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the eighth and presumably final film based on the phe- nom that has sold 450 million books and close to a billion movie tickets, opens this week in theaters from Lahore to Los Angeles, it will be twilight in the Potterverse. No more pajama-clad kids lining up at midnight to buy the new "Harry" volume. No more getting out the crimson- and-gold Gryffindor garb for the 12:01 a.m. premiere of the latest "Harry" movie. No more convoys of FedEx trucks delivering the one about Azk- aban straight to readers' doors. "It's a little melancholy," observes Johanna Winant, a doctoral student in literature at the University of Chicago. Winant grew up in Mount Airy, Pa., inhaling the seven books that vividly detail seven years in the life of the orphaned wizard who acquires the skills and courage to avenge his parents' deaths. Not only the fans of J.K. Rowling's hero are experienc- ing symptoms of withdrawal. For film execs and book pub- lishers, educators and costume merchants, e-tailers and neigh- borhood booksellers, the pangs are likewise acute. Nearly as universal as Harry's appeal is admiration for his cultural impact. "Harry Potter has broken publishing and box-office records, boost- ed adolescent reading habits, erased the line between young-adult and adult fiction, and had a steroidal impact on the profits of Amazon.com. "It's the highest-grossing franchise in the history of the motion-picture industry," says Fellman, president of theatri- cal distribution for Warner. "Usually, the law of dimin- ishing returns applies to movie franchises," says Paul Der- garabedian, analyst at Holly- wood.com, who notes that from the first "Harry" film, in 2001, to the seventh, in 2010, box office has been consistent- ly strong. "No other series has had a trajectory like this." The series made million- aires of its young stars. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), 21, pocketed $20 million for each of the last two "Harry" films, while Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), 21, and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), 22, earned $15 million apiece. "I don't think it's possible to overstate the effects of 'Harry achieve ring MCT photo Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adven- ture "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2." Potter' on reading and on pub- lishing," says Diane Roback, children's book editor at Pub- lishers Weekly. "In terms of number of books sold, antici- pation for new volumes in the series, getting children to read, getting adults to read books for children, and creating a cultur- al phenomenon, it is unmatched." "It reminded Hollywood that blockbusters don't need to be male-oriented action films," says Jeanine Basinger, chair of film studies at Wes- leyan University. "And that a movie could appeal at once to kids, teens on dates, parents, and grandparents. It had a real unifying effect on audiences." Don't discount "the 'Harry Potter' factor" for the uptick in young-adult reading between 2002 and 2008, says Sunil Iyengar, a researcher at the National Endowment for the Arts. "I wouldn't be surprised if the 'Harry Potter' books played a role in the resurgence of young-adult reading." In other words, not only did "Harry" strike gold, but he also struck a chord felt around the world. There are other, measur- able, "Harry Potter" effects. The New York Times cre- ated a children's best-seller list because "Harry" titles were crowding the fiction roster. Nearly everyone agrees that Rowling, the welfare mom who wrote the first "Harry Potter" book in an unheated apartment in Edin- burgh, Scotland, while caring for her infant daughter, created characters and settings more notable for their emotional than their economic impact. Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron grew up, it seemed, in real time, mirroring the readers' and moviegoers' own developmental stages. "The early 'Potter' books were written at an easier devel- opmental level than the later ones," says Joel Nichols of the Free Library in Philadelphia. "So readers who are Harry's age in each given book see reflections of themselves developing friendships, rela- tionships with teachers and parents." Says Jesse Dougherty, a onetime English teacher and now head of the upper school at Friends Select, "The school setting is important. It is a uni- versal feeling to wonder about your place in school that (Rowling) captures well." "The 'Harry Potter' books and movies have an empower- ment effect," says Basinger. "They're about kids having power and adults being wary. They offer a taste of freedom and an escape from childhood, but they present serious chal- lenges." Winant reflects, "For my younger brother's micro-gen- eration, who were 10 when the first book came out, the cosmology of 'Harry Potter' is the most important thing. And that's because in 2001, our country went to war against a shadowy evil." "I wonder if 'Harry Potter' would have been quite so important without al-Qaida, which, like Voldemort, smeared itself across the sky in smoke," says Winant. The first of the movies was released two months after the twin tow- ers fell, and the last comes out two months after Osama bin Laden was slain. Predictably, not everyone is wild about "Harry." "The impact of 'Harry Pot- ter' is overrated," says Lark Hall, an English teacher at Central High School in Philadelphia. "Our kids are still reading 'Lord of the Rings' on their own and the old clas- sics such as 'Beowulf' that con- tain supernatural beings and mortal family conflict." Still, she concedes, "Pro- moting reading in any way is our job. And 'Potter' on iPad is certainly reading." It's useful to make a dis- tinction between the "Harry" books and the "Harry Potter" "entertainment-industrial complex," says Robert Thompson, Syracuse Univer- sity professor of popular cul- ture. "I am convinced that the Rowling books will join J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as classics," he says. Of the "Potter" empire, which includes an Orlando theme- park attraction, Bertie Bott's puke-flavored candies, and what costume saleswoman Jen Simms calls the "slutty Hermione" minidresses flying off shelves at Masquerade in South Philadelphia, Thomp- son audibly shrugs. He does note the near- magical synergy between the "Harry" books and movies, staggered like time-released pleasure givers. "The 'Harry Potter' movies are a perfect storm of great story, great special-effects technology hitting the cultural zeitgeist at a moment when people were looking for some- thing magical," says Holly- wood.com's Dergarabedian. While she doesn't think that the movies are "cinemati- cally groundbreaking," Basinger says she is impressed with their visual distinction and consistency. "'Harry Pot- ter' does not fall off in quality, like 'Star Wars.' "I didn't think the movies would count," says Julian Bennett Holmes, a music stu- dent at Mannes College in Manhattan. "But somehow the movies became an integral part of the experience. The book doesn't feel complete without the movie." He has already bought his ticket to the midnight Friday screening of "Deathly Hallows: Part 2." Harry Potter is ending, but is it the end of Harry Potter? C. Neville Longbot- tom's Rememberall D. Salazar Slytherin's locket 2. In the films, Ralph Fiennes plays Voldemort. How do you pronounce the actor's name? A. Ralf Feens B. Rafe Fines C. Rolf Fie-ness D. Real Fiend 3. Voldemort may have created Horcruxes from objects tied to the founders of Hogwarts. Who was NOT one of the founders? A. Rowena Ravenclaw B. Godric Gryffindor C. Newton Scamander D. Helga Hufflepuff 4. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are only too happy to cast Unforgiv- able Curses. Which of these is NOT one of them? A. Avada Kedavra B. Crucio C. Imperio D. Confundo 5. Which creatures drain peace, hope and happiness from the air around them? A. Boggarts Arts & entertainment For 'Harry Potter' fans, an era is ending How well do you know Harry? (MCT) — The eighth and final "Harry Potter" film, "The Deathly Hal- lows: Part 2," opens Fri- day. Are you ready? Check your preparedness with this eight-question quiz: 1. In his vile effort to immortality, Voldemort created Hor- cruxes containing pieces of his soul. Which of these objects is NOT a Horcrux? A. Tom Riddle's diary B. Marvolo Gaunt's B. Dementors C. Grindylows D. Your in-laws 6. Legend has it that the three Deathly Hallows combined make their owner "the master of death." Which of these is NOT a Hallow? A. Deluminator B. Cloak of Invisibility C. Elder Wand D. Resurrection Stone 7. What village was once home to the Potters and may hold secrets to Dumbledore's past? A. Little Hangleton B. Ottery St. Catchpole C. Prairie Village D. Godric's Hollow 8. Who betrayed Harry's parents? A. Peter Pettigrew B. Stan Shunpike C. Phineus Nigellus Black D. Sirius Black w8. A. Peter Pettigre ut Sirius Blackdid it, b as blamed for it.w 7. D. It's also the birth- artsplace of Hogw ind-ffounder Godric Gryf .or vie.ealed in the last movre 2. B. "Rafe w theFines"_that's ho Brits say it. wton Scaman-3. C. Ne antasticalder wrote "F Beasts & Where to Find Them" (with the help of wling).author J.K. Ro 4. D. Confundo simply causes confusion. 5. B. Dementors. 6. A. In his will, Dum- bledore bequeathed his Deluminator to Ron .yeasleW 1. C. And more will be UIZTTER QPO ANSWERS Shasta REDDING - Shasta College announces a percussion concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, in the Shasta College Theatre. Percussion Concert The concert will feature guest artists Terry Long- shore, Dwayne Corbin, and Caryn Corbin. Several student percussion ensembles will also per- form as the culmination of the weeklong Shasta Per- cussion Workshop. A wide variety of percussion music will be featured, from solo works to pieces including up to 20 musicians playing everything from marimbas to drums, to tin cans and buckets. Admission is $8 general admission and $6 student/senior. Tickets will be available at the Shasta College Theatre Box Office, which opens one hour before the performance. This concert and the workshop are underwritten, in part, through grants from the Shasta College Founda- tion and the Shasta Regional Community Foundation. For more information contact Dr. Dwayne Corbin at (530) 226-4175 or dcorbin@simpsonu.edu. www.rollinghillscasino.com