Well well seems that the veil is slowly being lifted on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What promises to be one of the mega hyped publishing release dates of the century now has cover art for the books. Both Scholastic and Bloomsbury released the covers for all to see. Bloomsbury has two versions for their British books, one for the kids and one for the adults. The American version, released by Scholastic, features wraparound artwork by illustrator Mary GrandPré.

From Reuters:

The Bloomsbury children’s cover, drawn by Jason Cockcroft, depicts the fictional boy wizard and his friends Ron and Hermione in their cloaks, looking shocked and surrounded by what seems to be a magnificent treasure. The Bloomsbury editions will sell in Britain and elsewhere outside the United States.

The adult version of the Bloomsbury book cover is a photograph of a silver pendant inlaid with a snake-like green S, which could be a reference to a locket discovered by Harry and linked to his nemesis Voldemort.

Scholastic’s U.S. edition was created by Mary GrandPré, the acclaimed illustrator of all six previous U.S. editions of the Harry Potter books.

“The front cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows features a dramatic sky of oranges and golds. It depicts 17-year-old Harry with arm outstretched, reaching upward. The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people,” said David Saylor, Scholastic’s Vice President and Creative Director on the company’s Web site.

The books hit store shelves on July 21. Get ready for the ground swell. The deafening buzz will be almost too much to handle once Memorial Day goes away. And though we won’t be dressed up, we’ll more than likely be there at midnight blogging and buying a book.

Cover art after the jump.

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Gotta love the ninja.  Ask a Ninja got a little sit down time with Will Ferrell and Jon Heder during their junket for Blades of Glory.  Part of me thinks this one is scripted but part of me really doesn’t care.  Love the ending when Ferrell goes, “I look forward to coming to your dojo.”  And the ninja replies, “I look forward to killing you.”  Anyway watch until the end for a sweet cameo.  And no it’s not Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Vince Vaughn or Jack Black.

So let’s pretend you’re buying some tunes from the iTunes store. You know you buy a track or two off an album and then decide, shit maybe I’ll just drop another seven bucks to get the entire thing. I know, I know, this doesn’t happen often, since most albums aren’t worth buying the entire thing. But let’s keep pretending.

So you don’t want to spend the extra few dollars on the tracks you already own. Right, it’s not that you’re a cheap bastard, it’s just the principal of it. Sure you could head over to emusic, or All of Mp3 and get that album for super duper cheap, but you’re an Apple loyalist.

Well now Apple has unveiled the latest top notch feature for iTunes. According to Business Weekly, “Complete My Album” announced today, will allow customers to duh, do just that.

The feature, called “Complete My Album”, will allow customers who may have already bought individual tracks for 99 cents per song to receive credits for those tracks if they opt to buy the full album.

Typically it costs less to buy a whole album on iTunes than it would to purchase each individual track on an album.

For example, if a customer has already bought three tracks for 99 cents apiece, he or she can buy the remaining songs on the $9.99 album for $7.02.

The offer is good for the 180 days after the individual tracks are first purchased.

Yawn. Steve Jobs does it again.  Okay, okay, this policy actually makes sense for the consumer.  It’s very friendly.  I’m guessing ole Billy Gates wouldn’t let this happen at his Zune store.  Wait, what?  Oh.  Really?  No one owns a Zune?  Huh.

Sen. Hillary Clinton will make a campaign rally stop to South Park, Colo. tonight for “The Snuke.” Though Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s satire, parody, absurdity, celebrity killing show has long ago stopped being appointment tv for us, we think we’ll put this one on the TIVO. Afterall if it’s half as funny as the Tom Cruise Scientology episode then it’ll be the funniest thing you’ll see this year.

Word.

Plot details haven’t been released but Cartman suspects an Islamic student is a terrorist plotting to assassinate Ms. Clinton. Just wish the actual Hillary lended her voice for the episode. She woulda scored mad points with the young kids, which you know are the same folks who vote and are coveted by advertisers. Just kidding we are the young folks and even if the real Hillary was in the episode it wouldn’t make us want to vote for her more. Afterall we still don’t know what she stands for.

In other news does anyone know what any of the candidates stand for, except for the fact that Obama is catching up to Hillary in this horserace? Last I checked the primaries and election didn’t happen until next year.

South Park airs at 10 p.m. tonight on Comedy Central. 

Senate Democrats pulled a rabbit out of their hate yesterday, passing the War Funding Bill by the slimmest of margins, 50-48. Though the bill still has to pass a final vote before going to the President for his eventual veto, it marks a clear sign that their is a pulse inside the other branches of government. Seriously.

According to the Washington Post, the bill maintained language to determine a timetable pullout of March 31, 2008. The pullout provision, which neither President Bush nor Tom Brady seem capable of doing, is tied directly to the $122 billion dollar funding for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In other words if Bush vetos the bill it looks like he doesn’t want to pullout or he doesn’t support the troops. I’d still give Karl Rove the upper hand in shaping which one, but kudos to Democrats for finally drawing a line in the sand. And kudos to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for crossing the aisle and doing the right thing.

Speaking to reporters, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) was conciliatory, but only to a point: “We ought to reach out to the president and say, ‘Mr. President, this is not a unilateral government. It is a separation of powers, and the Congress of the United States . . . has taken some action. You obviously disagree with that. Where are the areas of compromise?’ ”

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) said he was skeptical about proceeding too quickly. “Of course, we should reach out to the White House, and I’m happy to do that,” he said. But, he added: “They have been very uncooperative to this point. Hopefully, they will cooperate with us.” Referring to the president, he said, “I would like to have a bill that he wouldn’t veto.”

Some republicans are convinced the Democrats will eventually cave and give the President exactly what he wants. If they do that then they are merely stabbing all the voters from the last election in the back. Remember those voters who sent a signal that they didn’t approve of the direction of this administration? Yeah, those voters. If the blinders haven’t come off yet, they certainly should. President Bush and his cronies are going down with the Titanic, since after all they created the iceberg and then blamed it on other people.

Under the Senate bill, which is slated for a vote on final passage as early as today, certain U.S. troops would remain in Iraq after the March 31, 2008, target date in order to conduct counterterrorism training and security operations. But troop withdrawals would begin within four months of enactment.

The White House has strongly protested both the House and Senate bills, issuing a series of veto threats. “This bill assumes and forces the failure of the new strategy even before American commanders in the field are able to fully implement their plans,” the administration said in a statement yesterday, referring to the Senate measure.

They just don’t get it do they? Their entire strategy has failed from the beginning and the only ones who are paying for it are 3,240 soldiers with their lives and another 25,000 or so with severe injuries. More than anything though we hope this gets our government talking about how best to proceed in Iraq. Maybe a pullout isn’t the best strategy, I dunno. I just know something has to change. Maybe this will be the catalyst.

I’m surprised Bob Barker didn’t just put up his Tommy Dukes and deliver a few haymakers to this stoner’s head.  Not only does the guy get booed when spinning the wheel, but man I love the Showcase Showdown when Bobby Barker tries to decifer just how much his bid is.

Courtesy of the Best Week Ever.

Got this from a PR person from Wager Web a few days ago. Can’t say I’m surprised but it’s got to suck if you’re an online Casino and you can’t operate in the United States. Which is to say that they’re opening bets for the Seven Wonders of the World contest. I guess you can bet on just about anything these days.

Alhambra in Spain

Their odds are as follows (if you couldn’t tell the favorites are top to bottom):

• Pyramids of Egypt | 1:40 | Risk $4,000 to win $100
• Great Wall of China | 1:33 | Risk $3,300 to win $100
• Taj Mahal | 1:4 | Risk $400 to win $100
• Acropolis | 2:5 | Risk $250 to win $100
• Easter Island Statues | 2:5 | Risk $250 to win $100
• Roman Colesseum | 7:16 | Risk $225 to win $100
• Machu Picchu | 7:16 | Risk $225 to win $100
• Stonehedge | 5:6 | Risk $120 to win $100
• Christ theRedeemer | 11:10 | Risk $100 to win $110
• Petra | 7:5 | Risk $100 to win $140
• Pyramids of Chichen Itza | 8:5 | Risk $100 to win $160
• Statue of Liberty | 17:9 | Risk $100 to win $190
• Angkor Wat | 12:5 | Risk $100 to win $240
• Hagia Sophia | 9:2 | Risk $100 to win $450
• Alhambra in Spain | 9:2 | Risk $100 to win $450
• Kremlin and Red Square | 5:1 | Risk $100 to win $500
• Eiffel Tower | 11:2 | Risk $100 to win $550
• KiyomizuTemple | 6:1 | Risk $100 to win $600
• Neuschwanstein Castle | 13:2 | Risk $100 to win $650
• Timbuktu | 7:1 | Risk $100 to win $700
• Sydney Opera House | 15:2 | Risk $100 to win $750

Hagia Sophia in Turkey

So there you have it. Head on over to Wager Web and start placing some bets. If I were setting the lines I guess my list would look very similar to theirs, although I’d have the Statue of Liberty much much lower. They’ve got some heavy favorites, but don’t be surprised by upsets in the making from Alhambra, Hagia Sophia, Neuschwanstein Castle and maybe the Sydney Opera House. When has anyone who voted ever voted for the right ones? Cough, cough American citizens cough cough who voted for President Bush cough cough.

Taj Mahal

Anyone who was anyone can recall exactly where there were the day the OJ Simpson verdict was read back in ‘95. Me? I was in sixth period Spanish class my Junior year of high school. And yes, I’m proud that while my parents generation remembers the day Kennedy got shot, my generation will always remember the day The Juice was let loose.

So it’s something of pleasant experience that in the ensuing decade since the trial and the chase and not to mention the double homicide, O.J.’s become a pariah. Just wish we could have that Fox interview for his book, “If I did It.” And while some people thought it was tactless I say it was brilliant. Who wouldn’t want to read a confession for the greatest circus trial in the last fifty years? Everybody that’s who! And if someone tells you they weren’t interested in seeing that interview or reading that book, then they’re just flat out lying to you.

All of this has absolutely nothing to do with The O.J. Simpsons. It’s just sprinkling some pixie dust and setting the stage for the funny that’s about to follow. Anyone know who created these short animation parodies? Drop us a line if you do. Be sure to follow the link, since there’s a few episodes to watch besides the one below.

Best line of the entire series is when fake Bart asks his dad O.J., “do they pay you to bang white chicks and play golf?”

He’s getting up there in age, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at Sylvestor Stallone. Thanks to the miracles of HGH a sixty year old dude can still play action hero. And though we loved the fitting end to the Rocky epic with the recent Rocky Balboa, we still have our doubts if we want another go round with one Mr. John Rambo.

Anyway the Sly Stallone action movie is lensing now over in Thailand and Flynet Online has a first look at Sly as Rambo. Though plot details are being kept underwraps for now, we’re sure that Sly will play nice with the internet folks. Afterall, he was everywhere and everyone’s best friend while out promoting Rocky Balboa. This time around John Rambo is recruited by some Christian missionaries to defend them from evil pirates. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue ensuring the audience that Rambo will blow a lotof shit up and kill a lot of people.

In a way, we hope the scandals blow over and he knocks this one out of the park. He seems like too nice of a guy to not be working and we much preferred him to the Guhvanator. Sure he made some questionable movies, um, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, anyone remember that turd? Regardless we just hope this movie bookends First Blood nicely.

Um… we’re really not sure what to make of this. But according to the Los Angeles Daily News and reported on several other places, Kumar’s not going to White Castle anymore. Now he’s going to the University of Pennsylvania - as a guest professor.

Yeah. Exactly. Actor Kal Penn, best known for his doofy supporting roles in movies like Van Wilder, Epic Movie and Superman Returns (we haven’t seen his dramatic turn in The Namesake so we’re just pretending it doesn’t exist) is going to teach two classes in the 2008 Spring Semester: “Images of Asian-Americans in the Media” and “Contemporary American Teen Films.”

Wonder who you have to sleep with to get these classes. Now it’s not that Penn doesn’t have any merits to teach these classes. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology and a minor in theater arts. Plus he’s getting an advanced degree from Standford in International Security.

“The Asian-American Studies Program is delighted that Kalpen Modi, aka Kal Penn, chose our program to host his teaching engagement at Penn,” program director Grace Kao said. “Mr. Modi is one of the leading Asian-American actors of his generation and is particularly aware of how his racial and ethnic identification has affected his professional experiences.”

Anyway I guess the big question will be if he’s lenient or not to all the pot smokers?

On second thought, this is the greatest idea UPenn ever had!

So we’ll get to Mr. Wilson in a moment. But while we think of it, did anyone catch “24″ last night? Me thinks Jack’s gone soft. For a moment I thought he was gonna torture the retarded brother and then when he was all nice and caring towards him, there was part of me that was upset, disappointed, and felt a little betrayed that Jack did not torture him. Consider this the moment that Jack Bauer has officially gone soft and the great show jumping the shark or whatever the young kids call it these days.

So the reason for this post. Seems that Rainn Wilson, AKA Dwight Shrute, from NBC’s hit comedy “The Office” has been getting all kinds of offers to appear in movies now that he is, arguably mind you, the best aspect of the workplace sitcom. We’ll forgive him for cashing a paycheck on “The Last Mimzy” but his other projects he has lined up sound pretty darn awesome.

From an interview with the AP, he has a bunch of stuff lined up. Including a surreal comedy from Bob Odenkirk in the vain of Ace Ventura? Done. We’re there. Or how about Bonzai Shadowhands, a comedy about an alcoholic ninja trying to regain his ninjaness? Done and done. Consider our ticket already bought.

“Kanan Rhodes” … is a really funny, kind of over-the-top comedy from Bob Odenkirk. It’s like a surreal “Ace Ventura.” It’s about a man who serves subpoenas and takes himself way too seriously. “Bonzai Shadowhands” I’m writing. It’s about a down-and-out alcoholic ninja, a once-great ninja trying to put his life back together. I’m doing that with Jason Reitman who directed “Thank You for Smoking.” And I have a couple other projects I’m working on and things I’m developing. You strike when the iron’s hot and I spent long years slogging by, doing New York theater and spending months and months out of the year unemployed, doing odd jobs to get by. Now I’m going to just take a couple years and work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Long live Dwight! Even if we first loved you as Arthur the creepy mortician in Six Feet Under. We know he can fight werewolves and possibly vampires. Why not ninjas?

You wouldn’t know it from the sou