A weaselly admission
Breaking the hearts of nerds everywhere, J.K. Rowling now says that she regrets putting Hermione and Ron together at the end of the "Harry Potter" series, calling it "a form of wish fulfillment. … it was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility." The interview for Britain's Wonderland magazine was conducted by none other than Emma Watson, who added, "I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy."
They'll always have 'Ithaca'
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, together again! Only not on-screen. He'll produce "Ithaca," her directorial debut. … George Clooney is happy about "The Monuments Men" moving out of awards season, really! "Looking back, it was a really tough December, so I'm really happy we have some breathing room," he says. … Jonah Hill will play wronged Olympic bombing suspect Richard Jewell, with "Wall Street" buddy Leonardo DiCaprio as his lawyer. … B.J. Novak is Alistair Smythe, one of four, count 'em, four villains in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."
Taking the 'Abbey' road
David O. Russell is tackling an "upstairs/downstairs soap" set at a private country club for ABC. "Erin Brockovich" writer Susannah Grant is on board. Are Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence? … Lindsay Weir and Coach Taylor (that is, Linda Cardellini and Kyle Chandler) will play siblings on a family drama being developed for Netflix. The streaming service also has renewed "House of Cards" for a third season; the complete Season 2 debuts Friday. … Starz will team with NBA star/producer LeBron James on the basketball-themed comedy "Survivor's Remorse."
Royal wisdom
"I don't look back." — Prince, on the upcoming 30th anniversary of "Purple Rain." … Clay Aiken has announced that he's running for Congress in North Carolina's Second District. This just in: Ruben Studdard has moved to North Carolina's Second District.
CYNTHIA DICKISON
