Today I atteneded a pair of press conferences in New York with the on- and off-screen talent of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which opens July 15. (I also had a separate interview with actor Rupert Grint, about which I will be writing in Sunday’s paper.)  Here are some highlights:

The final “Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will become two separate movies. The first, which Yates described as a verite-style road movie set far beyond Hogwarts, will be released in autumn of 2010.  The second, an operatic struggle between good and evil,  is slated for summer of 2011. When the story flashes forward to show us the adult Harry, Hermione and Ron, the same three young actors will play the parts. Yates said he hasn’t decided whether to use makeup or “Benjamin Button”-style special effects to age them.

Emma Watson starts college in the fall but hopes to continue acting during summer breaks. she would not say where she was going to school, but reportedly it is either Columbia in NYC or brown University in Providence, R.I. She did say she expects to be assigned a roommate at random. Daniel Radcliffe hoped it would be a rabid “Harry Potter” fan with Emma’s picture on her pillow.

Emma and Rupert both confessed they were uptight about the scene in “Deathly Hallows” where they finally kiss. They filmed it two weeks ago.  Emma said there was too much pressure after ten years of simmering chemistry between the two mismatched characters, and they both just wanted to get it over with.

Daniel said that when he watched the scene in “Half-Blood Prince” where he kisses Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), he was horrified. “My god! My lips are like the lips of a horse!”

Michael Gambon, who plays the ill-fatd Dumbledore, said he will miss wearing the character’s lightweight silk robes–in which he was able to stash a pack of cigarettes. He added that he tried to steal a souvenir from the set–a magic wand–but the props department was vigilant. “The only one who’s been able to steal anything has been Alan Rickman” (the sinister Prof. Snape).