Since the 30 June 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (re-titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States), HGH Energizer the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According plaque attack to Rowling, the main theme is death, although it is primarily considered to be a work of children’s literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.

English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, slim ts and Raincoast Books in Canada. By 2010, the first six books had been made into films by Warner Bros. Pictures; it is the highest grossing film series of all time. The seventh book was split into two films: Part 1 was released on 19 November 2010 and the series finale on 15 July 2011. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth in excess of $15 billion.

Wizarding world

When the story of Harry Potter opens, it is clear that some remarkable event has taken place in the wizarding world, an event so very remarkable that even the Muggles notice signs of it. The full background to the stories and to the person of Harry Potter is only revealed gradually, through the series. In the first book Harry discovers that as a baby he witnessed his parents’ murder by the power-obsessed dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, who then attempted to kill him also. For reasons not immediately revealed, the spell with which Voldemort tried to kill Harry rebounded. Harry survives with only a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead as a memento of the attack, and Voldemort disappears. As its inadvertent saviour from Voldemort’s reign of terror, Harry becomes a living legend in the wizard world. However, at the orders of his patron, the venerable and well-known wizard Albus Dumbledore, the orphaned Harry is placed in the home of his unpleasant Muggle (non-wizard) relatives (The Dursleys), who keep him safe but hide his true heritage from him in hopes that he will grow up “normally”.

The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (changed in the U.S. to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), begins near Harry’s eleventh birthday. Half-giant Rubeus Hagrid reveals Harry’s history and introduces him to the wizarding world. The environment J. K. Rowling created is completely separate from reality yet intimately connected to it. While the fantasy land of Narnia is an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter contains magical elements right to bare legs similar to things in everyday life. Many of its institutions and locations are recognizable, such as London. It comprises a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the Muggle population.

With Hagrid’s help, Harry prepares for and undertakes his first year of study at Hogwarts. As Harry begins to explore the magical world, the reader is introduced to many of the primary locations used throughout the series. Harry meets most of the main characters and gains his two closest friends: Ron Weasley, a fun-loving member of an ancient, large, happy, but hard-up wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a gifted and hard working witch of non-magical parentage. Harry also encounters the school’s potions master, Severus Snape, who displays a deep and abiding dislike for him. The plot concludes with Harry’s second confrontation with Lord Voldemort, who in his quest for immortality, yearns to gain the power of the Philosopher’s Stone.

The series continues with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets describing Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends investigate a 50-year-old mystery that appears tied to recent sinister events at the school. Ron’s younger sister, Ginny Weasley, enrols in her first year at Hogwarts, and finds a notebook which turns out to be Voldemort’s school-time diary. Ginny becomes Atlanta bankruptcy attorney possessed by Voldemort through the diary and opens the “Chamber of Secrets”, unleashing an ancient monster within, which begins attacking students at Hogwarts. The novel delves into the history of Hogwarts and a legend revolving around the Chamber. Also, for the first time, Harry realises that racial prejudice exists in the wizarding world, and he learns that Voldemort’s reign of terror was often directed at wizards who were descended from Muggles. Harry is also shocked to learn that he can speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes; this rare ability is often equated with the dark arts. The novel ends after Harry saves the life of Ginny Weasley, by destroying a Basilisk and the diary, in which Voldemort saved a piece of his soul (although Harry does not realise this until later in the series). The concept of storing part of one’s soul inside of an object in order to prevent death is officially introduced in the sixth novel under the term “horcrux”.

The third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, follows Harry in his third year of magical education. It is the only book in the series which does not feature Voldemort. Instead, Harry must deal with the knowledge that he has been targeted by Sirius Black, an escaped murderer believed to have assisted in the deaths of Harry’s parents. As Harry struggles with his reaction to the dementors—dark creatures with the power to devour a human soul—which are ostensibly protecting the school, he reaches out to Remus Lupin, a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher with a dark secret. Lupin teaches Harry defensive measures which are well above the level of magic generally shown by people his age. Harry learns that both Lupin and Black were close friends of his father and that Black was framed by their fourth friend, Peter Pettigrew. In this book, another recurring theme throughout the series is emphasised—in every book there is a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, none of whom lasts more than one school year. In the sixth book, it is implied that the job has actually been jinxed.

Voldemort Returns

During Harry’s fourth year of school (detailed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) Harry is unwillingly entered as a participant in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous contest with witches and wizards of visiting schools. Harry attempts to discover who entered him in the tournament and, more importantly, why. Harry is guided through the tournament by Professor Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, who turns out to be an impostor — one of Voldemort’s supporters in disguise. The whole event turns out to be a plan to bring Voldemort back to power. The point at which the mystery is unraveled marks the series’ shift from foreboding and uncertainty into open conflict. The novel ends with the death of Cedric Diggory, one of Harry’s opponents in the tournament, and Voldemort’s resurgence.

In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry must confront the newly resurfaced Voldemort. In response to Voldemort’s reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society which works from Sirius Black’s dark family home to defeat Voldemort’s minions and protect Voldemort’s targets, especially Harry. The Order includes many of the adults Harry trusts, including Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and members of the Weasley family, but also some surprising members; the loyalties of some characters are not so obvious, such as Mundungus Fletcher. Despite Harry’s description of Voldemort’s recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.

In an attempt to counter and eventually discredit Dumbledore, who along with Harry is the most prominent voice in the Wizarding World attempting to warn of the Dark Lord’s return, the Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transforms the school into a dictatorial regime and refuses to allow www.wingfam.org the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic. Harry forms “Dumbledore’s Army”, a secret study group to teach his classmates the higher-level skills of Defence Against the Dark Arts that he has learned. The novel introduces Harry to Luna Lovegood, an airy young witch with a tendency to believe in oddball conspiracy theories. An important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort is revealed, and Harry discovers that he and Voldemort have a painful connection, allowing Harry to view some of Voldemort’s actions telepathically. In the novel’s climax, Harry and his school friends face off against Voldemort’s Death Eaters, who include the rich and arrogant Malfoy family. The timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children’s lives and allows many of the Death Eaters to be captured and imprisoned.

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the protagonists, who are in their sixth year, have passed their Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWL) exams and start on their specialist Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (NEWT) courses. Voldemort is leading another wizarding war, which has become so violent that even Muggles have noticed some of its effects. Although Harry and friends are relatively protected from that danger at Hogwarts, they are subject to all the difficulties of adolescence. At the beginning of the novel, Harry stumbles upon an old potions textbook filled with annotations and recommendations signed by a mysterious writer, the Half-Blood Prince. While the shortcuts written in the book help Harry to excel at potions, he eventually learns to mistrust the anonymous writer’s spells. Harry also takes private tutoring with Albus Dumbledore, who shows him various memories concerning the early life of Voldemort. These reveal that Voldemort’s soul is splintered into a series of horcruxes, evil enchanted items hidden in various locations. Harry’s snobbish adversary, Draco Malfoy, attempts to attack Dumbledore, and the book culminates in the killing of Dumbledore by Professor Snape.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book in the series, begins directly after the events of the sixth book. Voldemort has Smoke Assist completed his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school so that they can find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes. To ensure their own safety as well as that of their family and friends, they are forced to isolate themselves. As they search for the horcruxes, the Shake Weight trio learn details about Dumbledore’s past, as well as Snape’s true motives.

The book culminates in the www.baumannsafe.com Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in conjunction with members of the Order of the Phoenix and many of the teachers and students, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various magical creatures. affiliate marketing Several major characters are killed in the first wave of the battle and Voldemort resumes his intention to kill Harry. In an effort to save the survivors, Magic Mesh Harry surrenders himself but the battle resumes as the parents of many Hogwarts students, residents of the nearby village Hogsmeade and other magical creatures arrive to reinforce the Order of the Phoenix. After a while, Harry returns from the dead. With the last horcrux destroyed (Harry), Harry finally faces Voldemort. Harry offers the Dark Lord a chance at remorse, but Voldemort ignores this and attempts to kill Harry one final time; resulting in Voldemort’s death, again, by a rebounding spell (the complications of which are described in depth near the end of the novel). An epilogue describes the lives of the surviving characters and the effects on the wizarding world.

I was daydreaming at the office one recent afternoon when I started to notice all the “Star Wars” stuff I?ve got at my desk. Alongside representations of John McClane, Mal Reynolds and Kevin Costner as Robin Hood are: three Yodas (cute plush Yoda, figurine Yoda and Magic 8 Ball-type Yoda), one talking Yoda keychain, three flash drives (my favorite being the Han Solo which sleeps in a little ?carbonite? case), one Ewok action figure (Wicket, I think), two different types of lightsaber, one Darth Vader talking pen that neither talks nor writes anymore and a 2012 mini calendar. At home I have a set of Star Wars linens from Pottery Barn.

The way I see it, there are three types of people who buy Star Wars stuff nowadays: There?s the obliging parent whose kid drags her through the aisles of Toys R Us so they can pick out a trinket from “The Clone Wars,” the hardcore collector who spends most of his waking hours searching for That One Piece that might cost him much more than a week?s paycheck, and me ? just a regular Star Wars fan who fondly remembers all the cool toys Mom and Dad threw away ages ago.

The first group shows up in force when there?s a new movie release or another cable TV season starts. The second and third groups fill the gap in between. Together we?ve spent $20 billion on “Star Wars” related merchandise since the franchise began, and there are no signs of slowing down.

According to Philip Wise of Rebelscum.com, the “Star Wars” collecting news site is busier than it?s ever been. ?[The collectors] are all talking about what they got last week, what they?re getting today, what?s the value, what should I expect to pay for this,? Wise said. ?And I see these transactions people talk about ? tens of thousands of dollars.?

It all began back in 1977 with the release of the first film. ?People wanted stuff from that movie from the start,? said Daniel Pickett of ActionFigureInsider.com. Pickett related the merchandising origin story that has become a well-known part of Star Wars lore: ?The movie opened, every toy company had passed on it, with the exception of Kenner, which primarily had done a lot of board games and stuff.?

Kenner wasn?t prepared for the overwhelming demand. ?When kids went out looking for the figures, none existed,? Pickett explained. ?They literally sold a box with a certificate in it, saying, ?We?re going to make figures and when we do, we?ll mail them to you.? And so that?s what kids opened on Christmas morning in 1977.?

Thirty-five years later, Lucasfilm is still providing collectors new and exciting items to drool over. ?They keep releasing new stuff,? said Pickett. ?That one cantina band member or someone from Jabba?s palace or Imperial Soldier #13 — and then they keep improving on all the main cast too. So [a collection] just never feels complete.?

Those poor people, always searching, yearning, coveting, never getting a moment?s rest. I?m glad I?m not one of them. I?m happy with my desk ornaments and retro linens and comfy Darth Vader t-shirts and Wookiee cookie cookbooks.

OK, there is just one more thing I want…

In The Comlink, “Star Wars” fan and MTV News producer Tami Katzoff explores the glory days of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Whether you’re Team Jedi or Team Sith, friend of Wookiees or wanted by bounty hunters, any and all “Star Wars” fans are welcome along for the ride.

Tags star wars, The Comlink

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This was high praise, and not just because watches were, like, the iPhones of their day (minus “Angry Birds,” of course). No, there was a time when reliability was actually celebrated in this country, and everything unerring, unchanging or uninterrupted ? from Studebakers to Johnny Unitas’ haircut ? was thusly awarded watch-setting status.

Not surprisingly, that’s not exactly how things work anymore. Although, one could make the argument that Adele is doing her best to bring reliability off the back burner (back burners were also fairly common back then, both as a heating source and a simmering surface). Exactly one year ago today, she released her blockbuster 21 album in the U.S., and in the 52 weeks since, it’s not only broken records, won an armload of Grammys and singlehandedly revitalized the record industry, it’s also become the most dependable thing since Johnny U’s flattop.

To wit, 21 has spent a staggering 40 percent of the past year atop the Billboard albums chart, has never been lower than #7, and has held steady in the top three since December. It not only survived challenges from Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Rihanna, but sold more copies than all their records combined. Its songs have landed on the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, Alternative, Dance, R&B, Rock, Pop and Latin charts and have become so ubiquitous, they were a running gag in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch. It won so many Grammys they just might let Adele give Neil Portnow’s keynote speech during next year’s telecast.

In short, it has become the kind of thing you can set your watch to ? a permanent fixture in popular culture. And, really, when was the last time you could say that about anything, let alone an album?

What’s even more amazing is the fact that 21 has accomplished all this almost in spite of Adele herself. She battled vocal issues for most of the year and has played just 34 North American shows in support of the disc. In fact, besides a few television appearances, there’s a pretty good chance you haven’t actually seen her sing any of the songs off the album, though you’ve certainly heard them on innumerable radio stations. In that regard, 21 is not only a true crossover sensation, it’s a throwback to the glory days of the industry itself, when a handful of singles could push an album for months at a time and platinum plaques were handed out like bottles of water.

One year ago, did anyone think this was possible? Can anyone adequately explain everything that has happened since? The answers are probably “no” on both counts, though for one day, perhaps it’s best not to try and figure these things out. Because for 52 weeks, 21 has been so dependable, so dominant, that it has almost become more than just a mere album. It has become the rare zeitgeist-uniting sensation, a career-defining work, a constant in increasingly intermittent times. It is seemingly not of this era, only it has somehow come to define this era, and it shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

All those accomplishments not only merit genuine awe, but a well-deserved pause too. As remarkable for its massive sales as it is for its consistency, 21 has spent the past year proving everyone wrong and, in the process, might very well have established the new gold standard for reliability, circa 2012: You can set your iPhone to it. History in the making, people.

Where were you a year ago when Adele’s 21 was released? Let us know in the comments!

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I say troubling because, really, the Grammys have never been cool (and there is something like five decades of empirical evidence to back up that claim), and voters bestowing the night’s top award on an indie act ? instead of Eminem, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, each of whom were also nominated ? was a hip, hip move. So it stood to reason that, if one of the stuffiest of award shows could get with the times, then perhaps everyone could. Perhaps the Arcade Fire’s AOTY win fractured the space-time continuum itself, sort of like on “Lost,” when Benjamin Linus turned that wheel and the island started skipping through time and there were actually two islands, one existing in current time and one that was stuck in the 1970s, and that old woman had a pendulum and Jack ended up detonating a hydrogen bomb with a rock or something (“Lost” definitely got confusing for a while there).

What I am trying to say is that it is not entirely inconceivable that, post Arcade Fire, there now exist two Grammy Awards: the one where Led Zeppelin has zero wins (but Sheryl Crow has nine) and the one where cool bands take home the biggest awards. You know, the actual Grammys versus the bizarro Grammys.

It’s an insane theory, yes, and yet, it is also (sort of) backed up by this year’s Grammy nominations. In actuality ? given she had one of the best-selling albums of the past decade and almost single-handedly saved the industry in 2011 ? Adele is not only one of the night’s most-nominated artists, but she’ll probably end up walking away with the most golden gramophones, too. In fantasy, Bon Iver stuns the Dog the Bounty Hunters of the world and takes home three-quarters of the “Big Four” awards. In the grand cosmic scheme of things, I suppose either is probable.

Shoot, at the very least, the theory makes the Grammys a lot more interesting … and impossible to predict. Still, I’m going to try my best. So here are my theoretical picks for the 54th Grammy Awards, where I’ve weighed the actual against the bizarro in a misguided attempt to predict just who will triumph in the night’s biggest categories. Hey, it’s better than just saying “Adele is gonna win everything.” Even though she probably will. It is just a theory, after all.

Album of the Year
» Adele, 21
» Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
» Lady Gaga, Born This Way
» Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops & Hooligans
» Rihanna, Loud

“Actual” Grammys: Dude, come on, Adele wins this one by a mile.

“Bizarro” Grammys: The most bizarro winner would probably be Rihanna, who’s not exactly celebrated as an “album artist,” or maybe Bruno Mars, though, thanks to “F— You” (much-nominated at last-year’s Grammys) and his string of hits this year, he seems to be a favorite among voters.

Continuum-Uniting Winner: Remember in 2009, when Taylor Swift’s Fearless won AOTY and everyone got all upset? Well, it was the year’s best-selling album, too, and at the time, Swift was credited with keeping a sinking industry afloat. Adele’s 21 has sold nearly as many copies as Fearless … and has done so in less than a year. So, uh, yeah, she’ll win this.

Record of the Year
» Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
» Bon Iver, “Holocene”
» Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
» Mumford & Sons, “The Cave”
» Katy Perry, “Firework”

“Actual” Grammys: It’s Adele’s to lose, though she may face a tough challenge from Mumford & Sons, who not only landed nominations last year, but had 2011′s best-selling rock album based mainly on the strength of “The Cave.” Still, a win by them here would be an upset in every sense of the word.

“Bizarro” Grammys: Got to be “Holocene,” which on the surface, doesn’t stand much of a chance. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that Bon Iver wins something on Sunday, and so, much like Arcade Fire’s Album of the Year win last year …

Continuum-Uniting Winner: … I’m going with the bearded dude from Wisconsin. Look, voters aren’t going to give Adele everything, most likely because they don’t want to deal with the backlash. There’s also the Arcade Fire momentum from last year, not to mention the fact that since this award goes to not only the artist, but the producer, recording engineer and mixer, too, it tends to go to classically constructed tunes (Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” Alison Krauss’ and Robert Plant’s “Please Read the Letter”) as opposed to songs with massive commercial appeal. So I’m taking “Holocene” for the upset.

Song of the Year
» Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
» Bon Iver, “Holocene”
» Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
» Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie, “All of the Lights”
» Mumford & Sons, “The Cave”

“Actual” Grammys: Again, Adele.

“Bizarro” Grammys: “Holocene,” though how amazing would it be if “All of the Lights” actually won here? Would Kanye even let anyone else talk during his acceptance speech?

Continuum-Uniting Winner: “Rolling in the Deep.” It was 2011′s biggest song, and one look at previous SOTY winners ? massive hits like “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Rehab,” “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” ? well, you can see which way this one tends to go.

Best New Artist
» The Band Perry
» Bon Iver
» J. Cole
» Nicki Minaj
» Skrillex

“Actual” Grammys: Adele. Oh, wait, this is the only category she’s not nominated in (though she did win it in 2009). OK, well, then how about the Band Perry? They’re a country act, and over the past decade, when nominated, country acts tend to win BNA (Shelby Lynne in 2001, Carrie Underwood in 2007, the Zac Brown Band in 2010). Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that their “If I Die Young” was a certified crossover smash, either.

“Bizarro” Grammys: It actually wouldn’t be all that odd if Bon Iver wins here (since, even though I picked him to take Song of the Year, there’s a pretty good shot this is the “Big Four” award he wins), so, can I interest you in some Skrillex?

Continuum-Uniting Winner: Barbz rejoice, I’m taking Nicki Minaj! Why? Well, after a massive year, she was ignored everywhere else in the “Big Four,” so a BNA win would be a nice olive branch extended by Grammy voters. Also, no hip-hop artist (male or female) has won this award since Lauryn Hill in 1999, and how bizarro is that?!? So fittingly, Best New Artist is hers.

Make your predictions for the Grammy Awards in the comments section below!

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High school bullies are one thing. But high school bullies and slasher movie serial killers? It’s hard enough to survive high school as it is! Check out more in this exclusive clip from “Detention,” hitting theaters on April 13 from Samuel Goldwyn Films.

“Detention” is billed as a horror/comedy about a slasher movie serial killer that wreaks havoc on a group of students in their senior year of high school. Josh Hutcherson stars as Clapton Davis, an outspoken athlete with the hots for one of the more popular cheerleaders. But that all takes a backseat when it is discovered that students are being systematically killed off one by one by a mysterious masked madman.

To make matters worse, Clapton and a handful of students are given detention on prom night while all the other seniors are undoubtedly being stabbed to death on the dancefloor. Talk about sitting ducks!

From the looks of the above clip, “Detention” will be having a lot of fun playing with genre conventions. And judging from past experiences, horror movies with a sense of humor are always the best types of horror movies.

“Detention,” from Samuel Goldwyn Films, creeps its way into theaters on April 13th. For more information, you can visit the official “Detention” website.

Tags Detention

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A-list artists brought both subdued, glamorous looks and the typical over-the-top statement-making Grammy styles.

The lady of the night, Adele, sparkled from head to toe on the red carpet in a black Armani gown, showing off a lighter hair color in her first performance since having vocal-cord surgery.

MTV Style picks their best-dressed at the Grammys.

Fellow British artist Jessie J shined on her first Grammy red carpet, turning heads in a gray Julien Macdonald gown. “I just wanted to wear something that I don’t usually wear, which is silver, something long and very heavy,” Jessie told MTV News. “I feel like a disco ball at the event.”

Katy Perry was feeling blue at the Grammys, matching her blue hairstyle to a light-blue, long-sleeved Elie Saab gown. “One of my absolute favorites of the night was Katy Perry,” Celebuzz producer Rachel Maresca told MTV News. “She paired her bold, blue hair with a very light-blue Elie Saab lace gown. She looked stunning, and it’s a more subdued look for her. We don’t always see that out of her, but it is very glamorous.”

Another statement dress belonged to Fergie, who called her Jean Paul Gaultier couture gown her “safe choice,” which it was far from. The vibrant orange lace gown allowed her black bra and panties to see through, but according to Fergie, when Gaultier gives you a custom look, you have to wear it.

“When Jean Paul Gaultier couture gown comes and it’s shipped to you and it fits, you wear it,” Fergie told our own Sway Calloway.

Yet, out of all these amazing artists, it seems the fashion night belonged to Rihanna. Jaws dropped as she worked the carpet in a one-of-a-kind Armani dress that she helped design. With a plunging neckline and a deep halter, this dress hugged every curve to perfection.

Stick with MTV News for all the news on Whitney Houston’s tribute, the Grammy red-carpet fashion, Grammy winners and more until the hangover wears off!

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The singer and former talk-show host will be joined by Mother Monster’s own mother, Cynthia Germanotta, at the Harvard University event to kick off the foundation, which aims to inspire young people. The affair will be captured for a future episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on her OWN network.

“My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation,” Gaga said in a statement last November about the foundation, which takes its name from her hit single and album. “Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment.”

The foundation will work with a number of partners, including the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. According to the statement, the foundation will focus on “youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilize digital mobilization as one of the means to create positive change.”

“My daughter’s foundation was born out of her passion to create a better world where people are kinder and nicer to one another and are accepted for who they are, regardless of how different they may be,” Mama Germanotta said. “She has experienced many of the struggles that our youth encounter today, and identifies with the lasting effects they can have without proper support. Together, we look forward to creating a new movement that will engage and empower youth and accept them as valuable members of our society.”

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I was daydreaming at the office one recent afternoon when I started to notice all the “Star Wars” stuff I?ve got at my desk. Alongside representations of John McClane, Mal Reynolds and Kevin Costner as Robin Hood are: three Yodas (cute plush Yoda, figurine Yoda and Magic 8 Ball-type Yoda), one talking Yoda keychain, three flash drives (my favorite being the Han Solo which sleeps in a little ?carbonite? case), one Ewok action figure (Wicket, I think), two different types of lightsaber, one Darth Vader talking pen that neither talks nor writes anymore and a 2012 mini calendar. At home I have a set of Star Wars linens from Pottery Barn.

The way I see it, there are three types of people who buy Star Wars stuff nowadays: There?s the obliging parent whose kid drags her through the aisles of Toys R Us so they can pick out a trinket from “The Clone Wars,” the hardcore collector who spends most of his waking hours searching for That One Piece that might cost him much more than a week?s paycheck, and me ? just a regular Star Wars fan who fondly remembers all the cool toys Mom and Dad threw away ages ago.

The first group shows up in force when there?s a new movie release or another cable TV season starts. The second and third groups fill the gap in between. Together we?ve spent $20 billion on “Star Wars” related merchandise since the franchise began, and there are no signs of slowing down.

According to Philip Wise of Rebelscum.com, the “Star Wars” collecting news site is busier than it?s ever been. ?[The collectors] are all talking about what they got last week, what they?re getting today, what?s the value, what should I expect to pay for this,? Wise said. ?And I see these transactions people talk about ? tens of thousands of dollars.?

It all began back in 1977 with the release of the first film. ?People wanted stuff from that movie from the start,? said Daniel Pickett of ActionFigureInsider.com. Pickett related the merchandising origin story that has become a well-known part of Star Wars lore: ?The movie opened, every toy company had passed on it, with the exception of Kenner, which primarily had done a lot of board games and stuff.?

Kenner wasn?t prepared for the overwhelming demand. ?When kids went out looking for the figures, none existed,? Pickett explained. ?They literally sold a box with a certificate in it, saying, ?We?re going to make figures and when we do, we?ll mail them to you.? And so that?s what kids opened on Christmas morning in 1977.?

Thirty-five years later, Lucasfilm is still providing collectors new and exciting items to drool over. ?They keep releasing new stuff,? said Pickett. ?That one cantina band member or someone from Jabba?s palace or Imperial Soldier #13 — and then they keep improving on all the main cast too. So [a collection] just never feels complete.?

Those poor people, always searching, yearning, coveting, never getting a moment?s rest. I?m glad I?m not one of them. I?m happy with my desk ornaments and retro linens and comfy Darth Vader t-shirts and Wookiee cookie cookbooks.

OK, there is just one more thing I want…

In The Comlink, “Star Wars” fan and MTV News producer Tami Katzoff explores the glory days of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Whether you’re Team Jedi or Team Sith, friend of Wookiees or wanted by bounty hunters, any and all “Star Wars” fans are welcome along for the ride.

Tags star wars, The Comlink

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It’s anyone’s guess what this year’s attendees will be wearing on Sunday night at the 54th annual awards show, but MTV News will be camped out on the carpet for a full three hours before the festivities kick off and we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for all the outrageous looks and fashions.

Click for photos of our most-shocking Grammy red carpet moments!

In the meantime, we thought it was worth a look back at some of the legendary entrances from Grammys past:

Lady Gaga egg: Sure, Justin Bieber toted his pet snake to last year’s show, but it was, of course, Lady Gaga who turned the most heads by getting carried down the carpet in a giant, see-through egg that she incubated in before emerging later in the night for her performance of “Born This Way.”

Britney gets bodied: Britney Spears has long prided herself on wearing what she wants, when she wants. But someone should have pulled her aside in 2010 before she exited the car in an oddball Dolce & Gabbana bodysuit overlaid with a lace dress that turned heads for all the wrong reasons.

M.I.A.’s pregnancy chic: With her middle finger firmly tucked into place, the rapper/singer made her way into the 2009 show while nine-months pregnant in a cartoony, ruffled blue maternity dress and matching sneakers.

Coldplay play dress up: It was kind of cool when Coldplay stuck with their bold Sgt. Pepper’s-style suits for the whole Viva La Vida tour. But when they wore them to the 2009 show, it just felt … silly.

OK Go … back to the drawing board: Viral icons OK Go are experts at drawing attention to their music with trippy, how-did-they-do-that videos. They drew mostly sniggers, though, when they donned matching brocade curtain-looking red-and-gold suits to the 2007 show. Their smartest move may have been to cover their faces with red cloth.

R. Kelly, man of mystery: Kels has made a career out of being inscrutable , but his bold sartorial choice at the 2004 Grammys was, well, weird. From the neck down he wore an elegant three-button black suit and tie, but the matching Robin mask? Who knows?

Alicia Keys gets funky: Nobody really knows what Keys was thinking in 2002 when she walked the carpet wearing embroidered jeans, sandals, a white tank and a sheer green sari-like shift with a built in, bedazzled headdress.

Toni Braxton lets it all hang out: Sometimes it’s what you don’t wear that gets attention. In 2001, singer Braxton sported a barely-there white “dress” that hardly covered her assets with strips of material that dangled in the front and back.

Jennifer Lopez’s plunging neckline: Way before she was an “American Idol” judge, Lopez sent hearts racing in 2000 with her instantly infamous plunging neckline Versace gown.

Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss our Grammy red-carpet live stream this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered for all the Grammy red-carpet fashion, Grammy winners and Grammy news until the hangover wears off!

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High school bullies are one thing. But high school bullies and slasher movie serial killers? It’s hard enough to survive high school as it is! Check out more in this exclusive clip from “Detention,” hitting theaters on April 13 from Samuel Goldwyn Films.

“Detention” is billed as a horror/comedy about a slasher movie serial killer that wreaks havoc on a group of students in their senior year of high school. Josh Hutcherson stars as Clapton Davis, an outspoken athlete with the hots for one of the more popular cheerleaders. But that all takes a backseat when it is discovered that students are being systematically killed off one by one by a mysterious masked madman.

To make matters worse, Clapton and a handful of students are given detention on prom night while all the other seniors are undoubtedly being stabbed to death on the dancefloor. Talk about sitting ducks!

From the looks of the above clip, “Detention” will be having a lot of fun playing with genre conventions. And judging from past experiences, horror movies with a sense of humor are always the best types of horror movies.

“Detention,” from Samuel Goldwyn Films, creeps its way into theaters on April 13th. For more information, you can visit the official “Detention” website.

Tags Detention

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