And The Winner Is

It’s awards season, and that means there’s plenty to blog about so let’s get right to it!

Outstanding

Sunday night saw the BAFTAs, and as I mentioned in my previous blog post, the Harry Potter films were to be recognised for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema. As the day of the ceremony approached, it was announced that several of the stars of the films would attend, and watching the red carpet coverage on the BBC News channel brought great excitement as Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) along with partner Jamie Campbell-Bower (who also stars in the latest instalment of the film franchise as young Gellert Grindlewald) and Emma Watson (who was immaculately dressed as usual) arrived for the show. Producers David Heyman and David Barron were there along with directors from across the series, David Yates, Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuaron. Then there were also the actors who were there to represent other films but will always be associated with their roles in the Potter films, Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) and Miranda Richardson (Reeta Skeeta).

But the most important guest in my eyes, who was attending these awards as part of the Potter party, was the one and only J. K. Rowling. And she didn’t disappoint, revealing that she was currently “writing hard” working on several projects. As the end of the Harry Potter era approaches, the thought of future books, new characters and stories on the horizon makes the future seem that little bit brighter! (Insert joke about Orange sponsoring the BAFTAs and the future being bright here.)

So to the BAFTA ceremony itself! Wins for Alexandre Desplat, composer of the Deathly Hallows part 1 score for his work on The King’s Speech, and for Helena Bonham Carter for the same film (and possible the best acceptance speech of the night) Emma Watson presented the award for Best British Film (any guesses on the winner anyone?!) and then Stephen Fry took to the stage to present the award, he himself a part of the Potter family for his amazing work on the UK audio books (which I’m a huge fan of, the only thing that can make Harry Potter better is having it read to you by Stephen Fry, fact.)

David Heyman took to the stage and gave a wonderful speech about the films. He is somebody that always speaks so passionately about them and makes you appreciate the hard work that goes in to the films behind the scenes. Joined on the stage by Rupert, Emma, J. K. Rowling herself and the gaggle of directors it made for a wonderful sight, and the highlight of the evening.

Royalty

But the BAFTAs wasn’t a night all about Potter, there was of course success for the British film everybody’s talking about – The King’s Speech. Until November I hadn’t been to the cinema in 5 years due to health reasons, cinemas not being the most M.E friendly places! But after 2 trips to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I made my first non-Potter related cinema visit to see The King’s Speech last weekend. So might as well share my thoughts!

I loved it. Plain and simple. The film was brilliant. Normally historical films or films about royalty would not be my cup of tea, but the thing that struck me about this film was the fact it was approachable. There was nothing snobbish or intimidating about the film, its language or the story it was telling. It truly is a film for everyone. The acting was spot on, and the awards well deserved. The characters were wonderful to watch and the story beautifully played out.

Plus, look out for Bellatrix, Dumbledore and Wormtail ;) oh and the little girl who plays Karen from Outnumbered who is just as adorable in this!

Loud

And finally this week saw the Brit awards take place and for the first time in the O2 arena. And what a show it was! Highlights for me were the Adele performance which was simply beautiful, as well as the Rihanna mash upfor the fun factor. Props to James Corden for putting on such a brilliant show too, the pressure that comes with presenting something like that must be huge but boy did he do a good job!

And now for my "thing worth sharing" this week! I came across a wonderful website recently where people share their stories of what Harry Potter means to them, the best of which are currently being compiled in to a book, the profits from which will go towards helping youth literacy. So please take a look at Dear Mr Potter. Thank you.

Until next time!

Sarah x