The Wall Street Journal does a little comparative study of the two franchises' marketing strategies, focusing mainly on the about-to-drop (squee!) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. See, there's a little romance in that book, and Twilight is all about romance, so is that vampire story's mega success responsible for the HP posters that front-and-center tout hot, hot teen wizard love? The producers say no!

"With all due respect to "Twilight," the longevity and world-wide success of the Harry Potter franchise speaks for itself," a studio representative said.

Ha. As it should be. Twilight is a blip on the cultural radar compared to the Harry Potter phenomenon—the provenance of chastely horny teenage girls and lonely, approaching middle age hobby LARPers, whereas Harry and Co. have the mass and broad appeal of a Da Vinci Code (only they're much, much better.) Though, if we're honest with our Potter-obsessed selves, it's hard to believe that the smoldering and yearning of Twilight—such catnip!—had nothing to do with the smoldering and yearning poster shown here.

The Twilight producers, for their part, are respectably cognizant of their big brother's long shadow:

"It's the only franchise that we ever pay attention to," says Rob Friedman, chief executive and co-chairman of Summit Entertainment. "We are very cognizant of where they are, and we've always been wary of being in too close proximity to ‘Harry Potter' because we know our fans cross over so much, and we definitely don't want to compete with ‘Harry' for attention."

Damn right. Wizard beats vampire, every time.

Jean Fink, a 51-year-old Los Angeles artist who also works as an administrative assistant, was so distraught after a night of fitful sleep that she dashed off a scathing message to the man who'd betrayed her. "I can't breath amymore [sic] because you just ripped out my heart," she wrote in an Aug. 15 email. ...

Kerry McGee, a 24-year-old office administratoPhase of r from Townsville, Australia, says Mr. Horn's attempt to create a positive spin on the delay "put fuel on the fire." In response to Mr. Horn's apology she sent 30 angry letters to Warner Bros. in bright red envelopes — an allusion to "howlers," a magical kind of hate mail in the Potter world that screams loudly at the recipient and explodes violently if left unopened.

The Journal features a fine collection of other strongly and/or wrongly worded e-mails, as well as a referral to some of the fan reaction videos that have arrived on YouTube. We've sampled a selection below for your review, but be advised that the raw frustration and geekery on display may be disturbing to some viewers. All we need now to close this particular circle of hell is a reaction video from Horn — let's hope he survives long enough to deliver.

[YouTube video courtesy of Tristian Crider, lorinjj, tomasdacorta, xxToxicInsanity, snapiekins, lovesallbooks]

• Voldemort Hath No Fury Like Angry Harry Potter Fans [WSJ via Hero Complex]

I ask him about other dream parts: Super-villain? Terrorist? Sex fiend? "I think part of me would love to play a drag queen," Radcliffe says, "just because it would be an excuse to wear loads of eye makeup."

Perhaps he could borrow some mascara from the cougar he lost his virginity to? Oh yes, read on:

Ever since Equus added a kinky twist to the end of one of the most well-attended puberties of the decade, Radcliffe's passage into adulthood has been the stuff of feverish speculation. For the record, Master Radcliffe does drink—in moderation and in private. Vodka and Diet Coke is his cocktail of choice, he says, "'cause I'm a pansy-ass civilian." Also for the record, he celebrated reaching Britain's age of consent, 16, almost three years ago, in the customary manner, with an older girlfriend. The age difference "wasn't ridiculous," he says. "But it would freak some people out."

Daniel, Daniel... if we can weather Sharon Stone's new "May/Surgically-Altered December" romance, surely there's no age gap too terrifying for a Potter fan to withstand. Really, we're encouraged by your progress: after all, what better way to develop motor skills needed for untying shoelaces than to practice unhooking a bra?

• DANIEL RADCLIFFE [Details]

Daniel Radcliffe often has trouble tying his shoelaces thanks to a brain disorder, the "Harry Potter" star has revealed.

The actor, 19, has dyspraxia, a condition that can cause problems with coordination.

"I sometimes think, 'Why, oh why, has Velcro not taken off?' " he joked to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.

Radcliffe also revealed that he decided to become an actor partly because he had trouble in school due to dyspraxia.

His frightening battle with shoelaces (heretofore known as "That Which Must Not Be Named") aside, at least Radcliffe can console himself with his piles and piles of cold, hard, tween cash. Sure, Zac Efron may be able to lace up his own Jordans, but Radcliffe can afford to actually buy the basketball player (with enough money left over to take Hermione on a Hogsmeade shopping spree).

• 'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe has dyspraxia, a brain disorder [NY Daily News]

“The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on Half-Blood Prince was completed on time, and the studio’s release plans for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Indeed, ecstatic Potter fans around the world rejoiced at having to wait another 11 months for the series' next installment — particularly those at MuggleNet, where glowing reactions ranged from "I AM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 2008 is officially the "WORST YEAR EVER" to creatively spelled calls for a Warner Bros. boycott. And of course, feel free to sign the inevitable angry petition for an earlier release date.

Now Variety reports that Disney is moving its own animated fall tentpole Bolt — which would have opened opposite Potter on Nov. 28 — back to July 17 as well. Universal and Will Ferrell, meanwhile, which previously had that day to itself for Land of the Lost, were last spotted scouting downtown window ledges at lunch. Send our apologies if you see them.

• 'Half-Blood Prince' moves to July [Variety]

If only I had read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies without falling asleep, this would be the perfect opportunity to make some joke about quidditch and muggles and heroin and dead babies on the ceiling, but alas you'll have to make your own (and you're encouraged to do so in the comments).

Instead, I'll just say that if the movie really is as dark as Radcliffe claims, parents in that audience will have a lot of explaining to do. "Mommy, what does 'tie me off' mean?" Get your answers ready now.

• Radcliffe: New "Potter" Movie Like "Trainspotting" [HuffPo]