So much for the mini-Harry Potter mystery. This week, the American and British publishers of J. K. Rowling’s series of books about the young magician-in-training acknowledged what a London newspaper had already reported: that the title of the latest installment, to be released in both countries at midnight July 8, is “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” The title of the rabidly anticipated fourth book from Rowling had been kept under close wraps by Bloomsbury in the U.K. and Scholastic in the U.S.
Officially, the reason was that the author wanted all of the millions of her readers to discover the story at the same time, rather than hearing about it from the news media. Of course, suspense over the title also helped to ratchet up interest in a 752-page book that certainly needed no additional publicity. The first three Harry Potter titles have already sold 28 million copies worldwide. “Goblet of Fire” has an initial press run of nearly 5 million copies, an unprecedented number. Colin Midson, a Bloomsbury spokesman, said his firm is planning a first printing of 1 million copies, believed to be the largest ever by a British publisher. Scholastic is doing an initial run of 3.8 million, which is thought to be an American record.
“Goblet of Fire” won out, Midson said, over the working title of the book, “Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament.”
— Patrick T. Reardon
HUBBARD SEASON
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, moving to a new theater with a new artistic director, has lined up the company premiere of a work by the artistic director of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company.
For its Oct. 3-8 visit to the Cadillac Palace Theatre, its first downtown autumn engagement in more than 10 years, and its first run under the guidance of Tim Vincent, the company will dance Ohad Naharin’s “Minus 16,” a 1999 piece for 14 dancers set to music ranging from Dean Martin to traditional Israeli music. Also set for the autumn repertoire is the return of Jiri Kylian’s “Petite Mort.” Meanwhile, American choreographer Trey McIntyre and company member Ron De Jesus are working on new pieces.
— Richard Christiansen
ANOTHER HELPING OF `PIE’
It looks like the twisted minds behind “American Pie” will be serving up another helping. Most of the young actors who appeared in last year’s hit comedy are contractually bound to return for a sequel, and Universal has also lined up the original scriptwriter, Adam Herz, as well as directors Chris and Paul Wietz, according to E! on-line.
CLEAN SWEEP
BUCHAREST — Romanian prostitutes, their business hit by economic recession, are trying to lure clients by offering to do household chores for them after having sex, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The daily National quoted a “sexual agent” in Bucharest as saying that many women in the sex business had added cooking and housecleaning to the repertoire of the world’s oldest profession.
“We had to invent something because people don’t have money and clients are rare,” he said. “Men are happy because many of them live alone and the girls help them get rid of the three things which torment their lives: sex, cleaning and cooking.”
— Tribune wire services contributed to this report.
