LOS ANGELES – Just as author J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” stories unmask hidden magical secrets, Universal Studios’ new “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” opening Thursday, has also concealed little magical mysteries for fans to uncover.

MAIL FROM HOGSMEADE

Blurring the lines of reality, The Owl Post is an actual post office where visitors can have their mail branded with the Hogsmeade stamp if they buy Hogwarts stationery. Be like Hermione and stack up on parchment paper and quills, or watch a Howler scream and then shred itself in the window display.

Pro tip: Watch out for “The Monster Book of Monsters” lurking in a cage, and recall Hagrid’s advice for opening it.

CAST SPELLS – AND REMEMBER, IT’S “WING-GAR-DIUM LEVI-O-SA’

With the aid of an interactive wand, purchased at Ollivanders wand store for about $50, attendees can perform spells at 11 windows throughout Hogsmeade. Just as Hermione corrects Ron’s “Wingardium Leviosa” levitating spell, make sure to point the wand directly at the windows with a flick of the wrist, which will activate a reaction in the window display, such as spinning cake stands. The windows can be identified by little markers embedded in the cobblestone streets.

Pro tip: When picking a wand at Ollivanders, check out Rowling’s scroll of notes by the checkout desk on what attributes each type of wand wood has.

INDULGE YOUR SWEET TOOTH … CAUTIOUSLY

Remember when Ron warned Harry to be careful about Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans, which range from chocolate to boogers? Watch out for the earwax and vomit-flavored beans at Honeydukes sweet shop, which provides an assortment of treats from pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs and the precarious jelly beans in detailed packaging, just like the films.

Pro tip: In the back of Honeydukes is Zonko’s Joke Shop, where you can buy Extendable Ears, a favorite of the mischievous Weasley twins.

FIND HIDDEN SET PIECES

Props from the eight “Harry Potter” films are embedded throughout Hogsmeade. Step behind the Hogwarts Express train station and there’s the interior of a train compartment featuring luggage racks and seat fabric from the set. In Gladrags Wizardwear, Hermione’s Yule Ball gown stands in a display cabinet. Those waiting in line for the Forbidden Journey ride will go through the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, featuring the actual desks that Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at during the films.

Pro tip: Ladies, watch out for Moaning Myrtle in the girls’ bathroom.

Becoming wizards in Poland

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AFP, Reuters

“American Idol,” the TV show that searched for a pop star and itself became the biggest force in US television, took a trip down memory lane on Tuesday as it prepares to bring down the curtain after 14 years on the air.

Original judges Simon “Mr. Nasty” Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, along with winners including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery looked back on the highs and lows of the talent show credited with harnessing people power to turn ordinary Americans into superstars.

” ‘Idol’ was made for people like me that just needed a door,” said Underwood, who was raised on a farm in Oklahoma and who went on to become a Grammy-winning force in country music.

“I still hear on a daily basis, ‘I voted for you’,” added Underwood, who won in 2005.

The 90-minute retrospective “American Idol: American Dream,” was broadcast as the TV series prepares to crown its last Idol later this week before ending production.

Old clips recalled how Fox television took a chance in 2002 on unknown Britons Cowell and series creator Simon Fuller and a format that turned atrocious auditions into mass entertainment, brought an acerbic tone to critiques of amateurs, and handed TV audiences the power to choose the winner.

Between 2005-2007, “American Idol” was watched by some 30 million Americans, crushing shows on rival networks. Audiences have now dropped to around nine million.

Along the way, stars like Clarkson were born, Americans were introduced to “guyliner” courtesy of 2009 runner-up Adam Lambert, and others, like Jennifer Hudson, were booted off only to triumph a few years later.

“When I was winning the Oscar (for ‘Dreamgirls’) at the Kodak Theatre, I was thinking, oh, the ‘American Idol’ final was here. That was the first thing that came to my mind,” said Hudson, who won the supporting actress Academy Award in 2007.

Over the years, the “Idol” judges hugged (Abdul), fought (Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey), cursed (Steven Tyler) and wept (Jennifer Lopez), and, after the departure of Cowell in 2010, became kinder.

“Working with Mariah and Nicki was exceptionally challenging,” recalled executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. “Nothing would stop them once they got going, which I don’t think the public enjoyed. We certainly didn’t.”

Although “American Idol” comes to an end this week, Fuller held out the hope that it may return one day.

“I do believe there is an opportunity to do things differently and see what a revamped next generation ‘American Idol’ might look like,” he said.

NEW YORK – In her 2008 smash hit “Single Ladies,” Beyonce sang of telling a jealous ex-boyfriend that if he had wanted to commit to their relationship, he should have “put a ring on it.”

Now Beyonce is telling a Texas company selling stuff online bearing the name “Feyonce” to put a lid on it.

Beyonce, one of the world’s most famous and influential pop stars, on Tuesday sued to stop the sale of dozens of shirts, sweaters, tank tops, hoodies and even coffee mugs bearing the “Feyonce” name, which she calls too close to her own trademarked name.

In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Beyonce accused Feyonce Inc and three individuals, all from San Antonio, of “brazenly” selling infringing “Feyonce” merchandise at their website.

Among the items is a $14.95 mug with the phrase “he put a ring on it,” which Beyonce said was intended to call to mind the lyrics of “Single Ladies.”

Beyonce, 34, who is married to rapper Jay Z and has won Grammy awards as a solo artist and with Destiny’s Child, said the sale of Feyonce knockoffs confuses consumers and causes her irreparable harm, and that the defendants have ignored her requests to stop.

She also said one defendant, Andre Maurice, has gone so far as to file two US trademark applications for “Feyonce,” with and without the accent over the “e.”

“Defendants adopted the Feyonce mark to call to mind Beyonce and her famous song,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants’ conduct described herein is intentional, fraudulent, malicious, willful and wanton.”

Beyonce’s lawsuit also seeks unspecified damages.

It is unclear whether the defendants have lawyers. Maurice, speaking by phone, declined to comment, saying he had yet to review the lawsuit.

Beyonce’s law firm, Pryor Cashman, declined further comment.

The case is Knowles-Carter et al v. Maurice et al, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-02532.

Music superstars Beyonce and Jay Z spotted at Changi Airport

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