Even celebrities -- and magic, spell-casting wizard celebs at that -- aren't immune to swine flu, which has been spreading the globe since April. Harry Potter's faithful friend Ron Weasley, aka Rupert Grint, missed a few days of filming "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" after coming down with the swine flu, also known as novel A/H1N1.

"It has just been confirmed that Rupert Grint has taken a few days out of filming due to a mild bout of swine flu," says the actor's spokesman in a statement. "He has now recovered and is looking forward to joining his fellow cast members at the junket and premieres this week, and he will then return to filming."

That premiere, this Tuesday in London, is for the eagerly anticipated "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Swine flu cases in the UK have tripled in the last week, rising to 6,929 cases At 20 years old, Grint and his cast mates are the swine flu's prime targets -- young adults. Luckily, like most cases, Grint's appears to have been uncomplicated.

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Pregnancy has some strange side effects, that's for sure. Expecting first time mom, Jane, shares 35 surprising things she's learned about pregnancy ... so far. -- His Boys Can Swim

Pacifier use is one of those parenting topics that tends to separate people into camps. If your child uses one, when and how did you wean her off a pacifier? -- Strollerderby

Gadget of the week: A cake pan that easily adjusts to be any letter or number. Baking birthday cakes has never been so easy. -- LilSugar

Clocks spring forward this coming Sunday, when Daylight Savings Time comes round again. It's a good opportunity for a lesson in time-telling, and these crafts can help. -- Alpha Mom

Actress, inventor, director ... no matter what hat she's wearing at the time, Melanie Mayron's kids still call her Mom. Mommy Track'd spoke with this accomplished mom. Find out what she has to say.

Here's a money-saving solution in a poor economy: Share a sitter with a friend or neighbor. She'll charge more per hour, but probably not double. Plus, it's a built-in play date! -- The Consumerist

Save the date -- July 15, 2011. That's the day Harry Potter's last movie hits theaters. -- People

Lying is a natural part of both parenthood and childhood. Sometimes it's useful, sometimes it's dangerous. The trick is knowing the difference. -- Motherlode

I could never bring myself to put my babies on their bellies (unless they were sleeping on me), but plenty of parents ignore the advice to put babes on their backs to sleep. And when they talk about -- like this discussion at On Parenting -- things often get heated.

Your post-baby body -- love it or refuse to accept it? The moms at Momversation dish about those inevitable changes that pregnancy and birth bring.

The Scholastic Book Fair has stood the test of time. Just about every school has one -- not to mention those monthly Scholastic Book Club brochures you find crumpled in your child's backpack. Some things have changed, though. Over the past year there's been quite a lot of other stuff for sale along with the books.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a consumer watchdog group, wants Scholastic to stick with Harry Potter books and leave out the action figures and wands. The group says that the venerable educational publisher is "using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars."

The most irritating item we've seen for sale was some Pokemon package that included a monthly subscription. Without reading the fine print, you buy it and your kid is signed up for a lifetime membership in something that seems only slightly less weird than being a Raëlian.

But maybe Scholastic is just doing what other toy makers have been doing for years -- sneaking commercial stuff into your house under the guise that said toy is "educational." Here are some examples (special thanks to some of my fellow parents for their input):

LeapFrog. Educational? Kinda. But a product that reminds you exactly what product you are using every time you turn it off? ("Thanks for learning with Leap Frog!") Can you say, corporate branding?

Ads that appear before videos. Why are kids forced to sit through ads for the Purple Dinosaur Whose Name We Do Not Speak before an Elmo DVD? Speaking of The Purple Dinosaur Whose Name We Do Not Speak, what exactly is so educational about him? The costume looks like something you could pick up at Wal-Mart, the voice is vaguely disturbing, and neither he nor his compatriot Baby Bop are really teaching anything. Somewhere, Mister Rogers weeps.

Baby Einstein. Once your kids are older than 18 months or so, memories of this series fade. But you know what stays? The logo. And the ending of every video: "Hi, I'm Julie Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Company." Then she reads what sounds like a corporate mission statement. Clearly it worked. Clark sold her company to Disney in 2001 for an untold amount (millions). The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood doesn't like Baby Einstein either; although former President George W. Bush does -- he mentioned the products in a State of the Union speech in 2007.

Are there any toys your kids play with that you think are less educational than they appear? Send in your suggestions and we'll publish a list with your choices.

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How cute is this: Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the title character in the Harry Potter film franchise, has invited President Obama's daughters to visit Hogwarts! In an interview with the Daily Beast website, Daniel has offered to give Sasha, seven and Malia, 10, a grand tour, saying he would be honored to take on the duty of showing them the Harry Potter set, which no doubt includes Hogwarts, the school where young wizards learn and hone their craft.



The Harry Potter star understands, though, if the girls might be more interested in Robert Pattinson showing them around. Says Daniel, "[Pattinson] is much prettier and can be much more charming," admitting that rather than smolder like the new teen idol and star of the vampire flick Twilight, Radcliffe is "a natural fidget." Somehow I don't think Sasha and Malia would mind!

I think President and Michelle Obama would mind if, say he gave them front row seats to his latest theatrical endeavor, Equus, in which he can be seen bum and all. But the Harry Potter film set? Not so much. The girls have already been issued invitations of entertainment from the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

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J. K. Rowling's latest effort, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, goes on sale today, just in time for all the Harry Potter fans on your holiday shopping list, the ones who are still mourning the end of the stupendously successful series about the kid with the scar on his head. And while this new book is not actually about Harry Potter, it's a J. K. Rowling book, so we know it will be good, right? According to Wired.com's Matt Blum, "The new book contains illustrations by the author herself, and is meant to be a translation -- by Hermione Granger, of course -- of a 'Wizarding classic' mentioned in the seventh book, along with commentary by Prof. Albus Dumbledore." Cool.

I love the idea of this book. A couple of years back, I bought my son the other "companion" books to the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Quidditch Through the Ages (they come as a boxed set). My son loved them, primarily because they purport to be owned by Harry Potter, and have doodles and notes in them written by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. One of the reasons so many readers -- especially young readers -- got so caught up in the Harry Potter series was the fact that Harry was so much like them, despite all his differences. So owning his books is one more way to engage with the original story, and this new book offers readers that chance.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard comes in a nice hardback edition, which retails for $12.99 -- a good price in itself, but I'll bet if you look around in the next day or so, you can snatch it up for less. I'll be getting it for my son for his stocking -- shh, don't tell!

I never really thought much about J. K. Rowling. Sure, she is a woman and a mom. She's a writer and a celebrity, now, too. She's tackled lawsuits--that's how you know when you've really made it, eh? But I never thought about her personally. Until now.

The Harry Potter author is keen to help orphans, a cause close to almost every parent's heart, and she's putting some serious money into it, too. Rowling's newest title, The Tales Of Beedle The Bard, which is a spin-off from the Harry Potter series, is sure to make a ton of money. Rowling is counting on it, as she hopes to earn $30 million in sales from the book to fund a charity close to her heart--The Children's High Level Group, which provides for children orphaned in Europe.

Rowling, who co-founded the charity, made her decision after seeing the squalid conditions orphans in the Czech Republic lived in. Reading about Rowling's efforts makes me want to run out and buy every copy of the new novel to help her get to that $30 million! Someone will have to explain to me a "Beedle Bard" is though....

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What would your kids buy if they came into a little money? Candy? A record album? Toys? Well, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies, spent a litte more than that. After turning eighteen and gaining access to the millions she'd earned over the years, the child star went out and spent some of her hard earned cash.

So what did she get? How does a house sound? Actually, it was a million-pound ski chalet in the French Alps. According to a friend, "The house is Emma's way of celebrating her recent straight As at A-level and finally getting her hands on some of her hard-earned cash. She worked really hard this year and didn't have much of a birthday party so this was her present to herself."

Watson is a big skier, so this seems like a reasonable purchase for a young woman with $17 million dollars in the bank. I know if I found myself with that kind of money, I'd be picking up some real estate too.

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In a week when teen sex is on everyone's mind come these two stories: Daniel Radcliffe (you know, Harry Potter) tells Details magazine that he lost his virginity at 16 to an older woman (the age difference, he says, "would freak some people out"), while Britney Spears' mother dishes on Britney's deflowering at 14, not by Justin Timberlake but by a hometown football stud.

Well okay then.

The sex lives of celebrities -- even child celebrities -- are always fascinating, but here's what's so interesting about these two stories: while Radcliffe has only good things to say about his family ("I've got a great family. We're a very tight-knit group-we work very well as a team and as a tribe"), Britney's story of childhood lost is being marketed by her mother, Lynne, in a new book, one which appears to cash in on the fact that Spears and her siblings had little in the way of good parental guidance. According to the New York Daily News' Page Six, "Lynne Spears, 53, confesses her regret of losing control of Britney's career to handlers who promoted her as a sex object and put her in raunchy videos."

I suppose that what strikes me the most about these stories is not that Spears and Radcliffe both had sex young (after all, teens are curious and kids who work in show business are tossed into a very adult world) but that their stories are being told in such different ways. Radcliffe, who is never in the tabloids and is universally regarded as a good kid, gets to tell his own story of losing his virginity, while Britney's saga is being recounted by her mother, in an attempt to make Lynne Spears look like less of a horrible parent.

At the same time, though, I wonder if stories like these -- especially Radcliffe's, which has a kind of romantic nerdy-guy-gets-older-girl twist -- encourages kids to have sex young. You know, because Harry Potter did it and look where he is now. And Britney, well, she wouldn't be such a mess if it weren't for her mom.

What say you -- should we be hearing about the sex lives of teen stars? Or no thanks?

Who should decide whether a book is age appropriate for your child? Is it you? Is it her teacher? How about the librarian? What about the entire education system? Or, perhaps the publisher? In a move that is sure to gain controversy, publishers are attempting to put age-appropriate information on the covers of their books.

The guidelines would be much those of the movies, which determine what may or may not be appropriate for someone of a given age. Authors among others are vehemently against such guidelines. Among them is none other than J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books (the movies of which naturally are advertised with such guidelines). Also among them is Philip Pullman, the author of the His Dark Materials books on which the movie the Golden Compass was based.

Pullman perhaps put it best when he said that by adding age limits it would exclude a group of readers and that he doesn't want to do that. I would imagine the last thing an author would want is to have fewer readers of his books! Look, I read Clan of the Cave Bear when perhaps I was a little too young to fully understand it--but I turned out all right. I think books are different than movies, somehow, but I can't put my finger on it. I don't know how I feel about age guidelines for movies--those don't mean anything anymore as the studios use them to get more viewers--but I can't say I champion the idea of putting restrictions on books. Henry Miller will spin in his grave!

Pic by Nils Geylen.

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Actor Gary Oldman has come clean about his preference for work. According to the actor, who was once married to Uma Thurman, he'd rather take on projects that let him spend more time with his children.

Oldman, star of the recent Batman films but normally known as the bad guy (True Romance, anyone?) sees like a tough guy in real life. Not so, at least not anymore. Maybe it was all those Harry Potter films. Although he alleges his ambition isn't what it once was, and that he'd rather spend quality time with his kids, starring in such huge hits as Batman Returns and the aforementioned Potter flicks is no small feat! Most actors would be lucky to even be considered for such roles.

So, looks like Oldman will get to have his proverbial cake and eat it too--only with his kids at the table! His main reason for signing on to Batman 2--director Chris Nolan lets him get home in time to put his kids to bed. That's a far cry from the man who was accused by Thurman of being,er, not so nice to her!

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I'll admit I haven't kept up on the whole Harry Potter thing -- I made it through the third book and have seen the first two movies, but that's as far as I've gotten -- so I have no idea who Marcus Belby is, really. Apparently, he shows up in book six, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If you've got kids who are more into Harry than I am, then I have some bad news for you. Marcus Belby is dead.

Actually, the actor who played Belby in the movie version of the sixth book, eighteen-year-old Rob Knox, was caught up in a brawl at a London bar and stabbed. He was taken to a hospital but did not survive his wounds. According to his parents, "Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others. He was respectful to others and adored by all his family and friends."

The fight broke out when a man entered the bar armed with two knives and began waving them about. Reports say that Knox and his brother Jamie were trying to protect each other when Rob was stabbed. The twenty-one-year-old suspect is being held on suspicion of murder. It is always a tragedy when a young man or woman dies; perhaps especially so when they have so much going for them and such a bright future ahead of them. My sympathies go out to his family and friends.

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Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but it can also get you sued. Steven Vander Ark, who runs the Harry Potter Lexicon website, recently published an encyclopedia-type book based on the website. He's being sued by J.K. Rowling for copyright infringement.

Vander Ark, a former teacher, was talked into publishing the book by RDR Publishing after the last Harry Potter book was released. Smart man that he is, he included a clause in his contract that should a lawsuit occur, RDR would pay all legal fees and damages.

Rowling herself is a fan of the lexicon website, but says the book is tantamount to "stealing" 17 years of her work. Should RDR win this lawsuit, she says, authors will have to limit fans' creativity on the web.

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After reading the final word of the final Harry Potter book (and catching your breath from screaming "OHMYGOSH, I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!) did you wonder how in the world all that could possible be squeezed into a movie?

Apparently, someone did. Thankfully, that final action packed and information laden tome will be split into two films instead of trying to cram everything into one what we call a "two-tripper" (that is how many times our kids need to visit the restroom. PER KID!) The first of the Harry Potter finale is slated for release in November 2010, with part two available in May 2011.

"It was born out of purely creative reasons," producer David Heyman told the Los Angeles Times. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book."

Harry Potter fans gratefully applaud your wise choice, Mr. Heyman. THANK YOU.

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Could there have been a light left on over at Hogwarts?! J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has hinted she might be considering adding an 8th book to the popular line-up. I

In an interview with Time magazine (who gave Rowling a #3 ranking on their Person Of The Year list) the author said: "There have been times since finishing, weak moments, when I've said 'Yeah, all right' to the eighth novel."

But before you get your Amazon pre-order hopes up, Rowling quickly squelches the flames adding, "If - and it's a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story. But these are big ifs. Let's give it ten years."

TEN YEARS?! I'll be REALLY old and gray by then!

If you can't wait that long, I have good news for you. Remember that limited edition Rowling book that sold to an unnamed buyer for $4 million? We now know who the buyer was: Amazon.com. And while the online book store isn't allowed to sell copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, they are allowed to review the stories it contains and have set up a discussion board where muggles can ask questions and discuss the second-hand-yet-still-magical addition to the Pottermania.

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A J.K. Rowling fan purchased the ultimate stocking stuffer at a Sotheby's auction: a leather bound, handwritten and illustrated book of fairy tales created by the famed Harry Potter author.

But the buyer didn't wait it to go on sale. Estimated to sell for $100,000, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" sold for four million dollars. The money will go to The Children's Voice, a charity co-founded by Rowling and Baroness Nicholson, a member of Britain's House of Lords.

"This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help," she said in a statement. "It means Christmas has come early to me 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said.

Note to J.K. Rowling: I know an easy way to raise even more money for your charity, make this book available to the rest of us!

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