Harry Potter grips New York. We call the cops.

The anticipation…nay, collective hysteria surrounding the release of the final Harry Potter book took over the world this past weekend, but New York City (where Scholastic, Potter’s publishers, are headquartered) was the center of it all.

Thanks to some connections I have on the inside, I was able to be in the building when the book was released at midnight last Friday. Now I have an idea what it was like when the Beatles landed in the U.S.! (Note to those under the age of 45: Look it up.) The building’s second floor featured a library, which was filled with fully costumed kids running around. They seemed oblivious to the armed guards shuffling in downstairs, surrounding the stash, er, new Potter books.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait in line like commoners; we were in the VIP line with about 300 kids (let’s assume these were the offspring of employees and important people). And speaking of important people, standing behind me was Salmon Rushdie with his son, and standing behind him was Keith Olbermann of MSNBC fame. Olbermann also didn’t seem to have a kid with him. Maybe he was there for his own pleasure? Note: The sports coat with jeans was a nice touch.

You have to wonder what Rushdie was thinking as the kids counted down to midnight like it was New Years Eve. It was probably along the lines of, “I have written some of the most important books of the century, and have a fatwa on me from Iran, and this woman has made a billion dollars writing about a boy wizard.” I, for one, was thinking of his ex-wife, Padma Lakshmi. I’d play Quidditch with her! Seriously. I hear she's good. 

 -- Ron Bishow