Did you know that today is Harry Potter’s birthday? Author of the bestselling series, J.K. Rowling has mentioned July 31^st as the date of Harry’s birthday in her novels (which, in no small coincidence, happens to her birthday as well!). We hope that the birthday of this wizard is a magical one!

In case you haven’t seen it yet, check out the trailer for part 1 of the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released on November 19^th of this year.

It’s summertime and we figure that a lot of you will be heading to the beach at some point! But what about those of us who won’t be able to make it down to the shore? Our suggestion for this Theme Thursday is to create your own seaside getaway by throwing an ocean-themed birthday party!

Amazingmoms.com has some great suggestions to make it feel like you’re celebrating under the sea. Take a look:

Decorations:

• Your guests will feel like scuba divers when they arrive at the under-the-sea adventure you’ve created. Hang several strips of party streamers vertically from the ceiling. Cut streamers in varying lengths and shades of blue. We use “sticky-tak” to avoid making holes in your ceiling.
• Add paper fish intermittently with the streamers.
• Cover the party table with a light blue or white sheet.
• Make a festive party centerpiece by attaching a bouquet of balloons to an ocean-themed toy, such as a heavy plastic whale. Add other plastic toys as well. Use butcher paper or poster board to decorate the front door with an underwater scene.
• For added effect, switch out some of your standard light bulbs to colored blue and/or green bulbs.

Party Games:

• Shark or Whale Tag: The birthday child begins as a “shark” in the middle of a large playing area. All other players are “fish,” who must try to run past the shark to the other side of the playing area. If a fish is tagged, he or she holds hands with shark to build a bigger shark and help tag more fish. The last fish left wins!
• Minnow, Minnow, Shark: Children will play this game just as they would “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Replace the fox player with a shark.
• Fishing for Treasure: Explain to the children that an old sunken ship is rumored to hold valuable treasure. Their job is to find clues that lead to the treasure, which is a box filled with their party bags. Before the party write and hide your clues. Attach the clues to items you would find on a ship… silverware, candlesticks, teacup, personal items, etc.

Today we’re celebrating the birthday of beloved children’s author and storyteller, Beatrix Potter.

Beatrix grew up in London but spent her summers in the English Lake District and Scottish Highlands exploring the countryside with her brother. These explorations developed her deep appreciation of nature and her fascination with plants and animals.

Years later, Beatrix began writing short stories and greeting cards that reflected her love of nature for the children of her governesses. One such story would become the basis of her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The book was a huge success and Beatrix soon acquired a publishing deal with Warne & Co. Beatrix went on to release 22 more books before retiring to a life devoted to looking after her farms.

Her writing style has proven to withstand the test of time and her books continue to be read by children throughout the world. Happy birthday, Beatrix Potter!

Today is birthday of Academy Award-winning actress, Sandra Bullock. This versatile megastar is celebrating her 46th birthday today.

We found a biography on Who2.com that gives us more information about this talented celebrity. Take a look:

Bullock had been a Hollywood favorite since starring as Keanu Reeves’s plucky love interest in the 1994 bus-gone-crazy film Speed. The film’s success made her one of Hollywood’s go-to actresses. The honeymoon was brief, but Bullock moved into making light comedies and romances as a solid lead, usually playing klutzy girl-next-door types. Her films in the era included While You Were Sleeping (1995), Forces of Nature (1999, with Ben Affleck), Miss Congeniality (2000) and Two Weeks Notice (2002, with Hugh Grant).

After a few years away from the screen, Bullock married Jesse James, the star of the reality TV show Monster Garage, on July 16, 2005 and settled in Texas. After her big hit with Miss Congeniality, Bullock stayed busy appearing in The Lake House (2006), Infamous (2006, as author Harper Lee), Premonition (2007), The Proposal (2009, with Ryan Reynolds) and All About Steve (2009, with Bradley Cooper). Her 2009 film The Blind Side cast her as an upscale interior designer who adopts a struggling black high school football player; it was a huge hit and won her the Oscar.

However, her marriage to James fell apart at almost the same time…. Bullock filed for divorce in April of 2010, while announcing that she would complete as a single parent the adoption of a son, Louis Bardo Bullock, begun before her break with James.

Have a happy 46th, Sandra!

We would like to wish a very, very happy birthday to everyone’s favorite sandwich-loving, soap opera-starring, lady-chasing “Friend,” Matt LeBlanc. Matt is best known for his role as Joey on the long-running and extremely popular TV series, Friends.

We found more information about Matt’s rise to stardom on Starpulse.com. Take a look:

LeBlanc dreamed of a career as a professional racer after receiving a motorbike at the age of eight. His mother’s vocal objections voiced concern over the youngster’s safety on the track, and the aspiring king-of-the-course and momma’s boy soon began training to become a professional carpenter.

Later graduating from high school and finding money in short supply, LeBlanc took his friends’ suggestion of becoming a model to heart and, after selling his truck to pay the way, he headed for New York and began appearing in print and, later, commercials.

A role in a Heinz ketchup commercial, which won the prestigious Gold Lion Award at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, brought the aspiring star more recognition, and it wasn’t long before he began proper thespian training.

Scoring a role on the television series TV 101 found the fresh-faced actor relocating to sunny Los Angeles, and although the show was quickly canceled, LeBlanc continued with appearances in television’s Married With Children and in such short-lived series as Top of the Heap and Vinny and Bobby in the early ‘90s.

LeBlanc attempted to solidify a cinematic career with roles in such features as Ed (1996), Lost in Space (1998), and Charlie’s Angels (2000). Though hobbies such as parachute jumping and car racing suggest that his thrill-seeking habits didn’t die with the end of his motorbike racing aspirations, LeBlanc opted out of performing his own stunts after his double was injured during the filming of All the Queen’s Men in 2001.

Have a safe and happy birthday, Matt!

Today we wish actress, singer, and dancer, Jennifer Lopez, a very happy 41st birthday. Who2.com provides us with some information that tells how Jennifer went from being “Jenny from the Block” to a bona fide superstar. Take a look:

Jennifer Lopez was a dancer (or “fly girl”) on TV’s comedy sketch show In Living Color before landing the title role in a 1997 biopic of the singer Selena. Appearances in the films Blood and Wine (with Jack Nicholson, 1997) and Out of Sight (with George Clooney, 1998) made her a bona fide movie star and the highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood.

Lopez also launched a music career, and her albums include On the Six (1999), J.Lo (2001), Brave (2007) and Como Ama una Mujer (2007). Her engagement to actor Ben Affleck in 2002 resulted in the of-the-moment combined moniker “Bennifer.” The pair never married, and ended their relationship in January 2004. A few months later, on June 5, 2004, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony.

Her movies include Anaconda (1997, with Ice Cube); the animated feature Antz (1998, with the voice of Woody Allen); The Wedding Planner (2001, with Matthew McConaughey); Angel Eyes (2001, co-starring Jim Caviezel); Maid in Manhattan (2002); Gigli (2003, co-starring Affleck); Shall We Dance (2004); Monster-in-Law (2005, with Jane Fonda); and The Back-up Plan (2010).

Have a great one, Jennifer!

Today we’d like to wish a very happy 18th birthday to actress Selena Gomez!

Selena made her onscreen debut when she was just nine years old—appearing on the popular kids TV show, Barney and Friends. Her talent was recognized by Disney and she was offered small roles on Disney Channel shows such as Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody soon after.

However, it wasn’t until a few years later that Selena reached her current full-blown celebrity status. In 2007, Disney gave her own show, Wizards of Waverly Place. The show about young wizards proved to be a hit and skyrocketed Selena to superstardom.

Selena has a number of projects lined up. She’ll be staring in the movie Monte Carlo in 2011 and is currently assisting in the development of Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie Sequel.

Have a great day, Selena!

Today we would like to wish a very happy 62nd birthday to cartoonist Garry Trudeau. Garry is the man behind the popular Doonesbury comic strip, which first appeared in papers 40 years ago.

In 1975, Doonesbury brought Gary critical acclaim when he became the first comic strip artist ever to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. More accolades poured in a couple of years later when he released his animated film, A Doonesbury Special, for NBC in 1977. This film earned him an Academy Award Nomination and won him the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The creative Garry went on to write a Grammy-nominated musical (Doonesbury), create numerous TV specials, co-produce a TV series (Tanner on Tanner), launch a presidential campaign website, and contribute to publications such as Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.

Wow—that’s an impressive list of accomplishments! Have a great one, Garry!

Today is the birthday of Edward Degas, a founder of the Impressionist movement in France and arguably one of the most influential artists of all time.

Degas began painting at a very young age and, by the time he was 18, he had turned his bedroom into a studio. When he was 21, he decided to enroll in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to pursue his passion for painting.

Degas concentrated primarily on classical historical works during the early stages of his career until he met Eduoard Manet. Manet introduced him to the world of Impressionism and changed how Degas viewed painting forever.

Degas threw aside traditional painting methods and adopted the Impressionistic style of swift, small brush strokes. He also changed his subject matter, choosing to paint things that expressed more movement such as theatrical scenes and ballet performances.

Degas is considered to be one of the most innovative painters of his generation and has millions of admirers worldwide. His work has been credited for influencing artists from Picasso to Matisse.

Join us in wishing Matthew Fox a very happy birthday! This award-winning actor is celebrating his 44th birthday today.

Matthew is recognized by most for his roles as Dr. Jack Shephard on ABC’s award-winning drama, Lost and Charlie Salinger on Party of Five. However, did you know that Matthew almost didn’t go into acting? After studying economics at Columbia, Matthew was planning on working on Wall Street!

Starpulse.com has more information about why he decided to pursue a career in show business instead. Have a look:

All arrows pointed to a prosperous future career on Wall Street, but when Fox was convinced to try his hand at modeling, the chips seemed to fall into place, and he was soon appearing on television commercials and essaying guest appearances on such popular sitcoms as Wings.

In 1992, Fox went back to college for a role in the short-lived TV comedy Freshman Dorm, and though that show itself was decidedly short-lived, it helped his career by leading to roles in the film My Boyfriend’s Back, the made-for-television feature If I Die Before I Wake, and, eventually, Party of Five. After his wining performance in Party of Five made Fox a familiar face to television viewers, it seemed only a matter of time before he struck out on his own.

Following a touching turn opposite Donald Sutherland in the made-for-television drama Behind the Mask, Fox took the role of an ex-policeman-turned-private investigator whose near-death experience bridges a gap to the spirit world in the supernaturally charged series Haunted, which was quickly canceled despite the fact that it was beginning to see a dedicated fan base.

If Fox’s career seemed to be floundering somewhat in the wake of Party of Five, that would certainly change when Lost debuted on ABC to impressive ratings in late 2004. With his role as the reluctant leader proving once and for all that Fox had what it took to be a leading man, long-time fans could rest assured that they would likely be seeing much more of him in the future.

Have a good one, Matthew!