Argo, a feature produced by George Clooney and directed by Ben Affleck, centers around a CIA specialist who develops a risky plan involving a major movie studio in order to free American diplomats captured during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Argo stars Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler.

The Muppets also called Warner Bros. home this year. The film centers around 3 fans played by Jason Segal, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper who help reunite the Muppets in order to save their old theatre from a greedy oil tycoon. With a slew of celebrity cameos ranging from Mila Kunis to Neil Patrick Harris, The Muppets is slated to hit theatres on November 23rd, 2011.

The summer of 2011 was a groundbraking and memorable one and so much more awaits us this fall!

Nick Giovacchini is a prop master at our prop house and has been with Warner Bros. for over 8 years. “Each day here is a completely new day.  It is the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects that would ordinarily stand alone.  When these props are all aligned in a specific way, you physically create a piece of art.”

While this is Nick’s job, a visit to the prop house is typically a first time experience for most tour guests.  It is that excitement and energy that guests bring with them that Nick loves. “These people are so interested, we [prop house employees] tend to get jaded and this is so new to them, it reawakens that spark, a realization of how special this job really is.”

Nick encourages questions by tour guides and guests alike.  So whether it is your first time in the prop house, or your 100^th, bring that energy and curiosity with you and ask away – after all, it’s not everyday you visit a place that is home to a $3,000,000 torcheer or Leonardo DiCaprio’s chair from Inception.  The list goes on and on – over 180,000 times.

 Nick’s Favorite Prop:

“There was a closet on the top floor that was locked for several years and no one had a key.  When the new boss came in he wanted all of the closets cleaned, and they discovered several colored skeletons from Mars Attacks.  You never know what you will find in here, it’s  like one giant treasure chest.”

 Nick’s most memorable prop:

“A Herder Bro’s chest from the 1800’s that was worth $80,000 (sold at an auction).  The piece was so unique and original that I got a tattoo of the design, a hand crafted dragon.”

The four Warner Brothers have inadvertently helped steer my life in a direction of entertainment, instilling a passion for film that has reigned for over 10 years of my life and remains a limitless force. Warner Bros. is not for those seeking an amusement park; it is for those who want to see how real magic is brought to life. Magic that continues to entertain billions of people. Alfred Hitchcock said, “Movies are life with the boring parts cut out”- I’d say Warner Bros. is life with the boring parts cut out. Come to WB and see for yourself. Relive history while looking ahead to the future of entertainment.

Seeing how the lot transforms throughout any given day is an impressive tour experience. Often on tour we pass sets being constructed and will see them look completely different between the start and end of tour. One day while “Torchwood” was shooting they repainted a backlot set, shot everything they needed, and painted it back to the original color on the same day. Tours always get to see how the lot is a living, changing place from day to day.

It was also amazing to see the backlot go back in time. Hennesy Street was turned into 1930′s Chicago and the lot was full of cars and props from the era. While on tour we would frequently run into swarms of background actors dressed in their period costumes and even had a few opportunities to watch filming!

Tickets will go on sale later this year and must be booked in advance via a dedicated website www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or through approved tour operators.

Featuring the authentic sets, costumes, animatronics, props and effects used in the production of all eight Harry Potter movies, the tour will showcase the British artistry, technology and talent that went into bringing this beloved film series to life.

Among a series of never-before-seen exhibits on the three hour long tour, visitors will be able to walk onto some of the most memorable sets from all of the films in the Harry Potter series including the iconic Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office and many others to be announced at a later date.

One of the first sets ever to be created for the series, the Great Hall was built in 2000 for the series’ first outing, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Designed by BAFTA-winning production designer Stuart Craig, it is 120ft long by 40ft wide with a solid stone floor and includes the tables and benches used in the films.

Dumbledore’s office, meanwhile, was built for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and is also the home of the Sorting Hat, The Sword of Gryffindor and Dumbledore’s desk which is surrounded by a library of ancient looking books. Adorning the office walls is a myriad of paintings commissioned specifically for the films, including two of Professor Dumbledore himself.

Tickets will go on sale at a date to be announced later this year, but interested guests are encouraged to visit www.wbstudiotour.co.uk and register to receive ongoing updates and information on Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

Dan Dark, SVP & Managing Director, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden said, “While the Harry Potter film series reaches its highly anticipated conclusion this summer, its incredible filmmaking story and its relationship with Leavesden is set to live on with the launch of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The tour promises to be one of the most exciting and memorable visitor attractions anywhere in Europe, delivering an experience never before seen by the general public.”

Josh Berger, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland & Spain, added, “We’re incredibly excited about next year’s opening of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. It will celebrate the exceptional British creativity and craftsmanship that goes into making major movies here in the UK.”

Currently under construction, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is set to be one of the largest studio production facilities in Europe when it opens next year. A quarter of a million square feet of dedicated soundstages, and the largest back-lot in Europe, will accommodate major film, TV and advertising productions within its secure 200 acre state of the art site in Hertfordshire.

Warner Bros.’ relationship with the site stretches back over ten years, and has seen the production of all eight Harry Potter films as well as many other recent Warner Bros. films including Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and the forthcoming sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

“We are very excited to be expanding our operating hours to the weekend,” said Danny Kahn, Executive Director of the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour Department. “Over the past several years, the tour has become a very popular attraction in Southern California, and our weekend hours will allow us to broaden availability to accommodate our guests’ schedules.”

The Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour takes guests on a two hour and 25 minute journey that offers a rare and intimate glimpse into real Hollywood at work. Surrounded by actual filming and production, tours visit the most famous sound stages and backlot sets from some of today’s and yesterday’s most popular films and television series—such as “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Mentalist” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”—as well as crafts shops, where artisans create sets, props, costumes and more. Because every day at the 110-acre studio is different, no two VIP Tours are alike.

Tour guests will marvel at Stage 16, the tallest sound stage in North America, standing 10 stories high. Having been home to a pirate ship in “The Goonies,” a raging ocean for “The Perfect Storm” and even a Las Vegas hotel and casino for “Ocean’s Thirteen,” Stage 16 has housed sets for countless Warner Bros. classic films since its construction in 1935.

Traveling through the Studio’s myriad backlot sets, visitors will be transported through Midwest Street’s quaint town square, Hennesy Street’s urban city exteriors and the Jungle’s forested
lagoon. Guests may recognize New York Street from “Blade Runner” or “A Star Is Born,” Midwest Street from “Gilmore Girls” or “Pretty Little Liars,” or French Street from “Casablanca,” while fans of HBO’s “True Blood” may have a chance to spot Merlotte’s Bar & Grill nestled in the Jungle.

Inside the Studio’s Property building, groups may peruse items from the department’s more than 10 million props. From antique and modern furnishings, to vases, paintings, suits of armor and chandeliers, this is where set decorators acquire items to create any and every set imaginable. Before leaving the Property department, “Friends” fans won’t want to miss a chance to see the iconic Central Perk coffee house set, recreated as it once was during the show’s 10-season run.

Guests will also have the opportunity to see the 6,300-square-foot Picture Car Museum, which houses some of film’s and television’s favorite vehicles, including the Batmobile, the flying car from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and the General Lee from “The Dukes of Hazzard.” No trip to the Studio would be complete, however, without a visit to the Warner Bros. Museum. As Hollywood’s only studio museum, guests will enjoy a rare look at a collection of exclusive costumes, props, sets, scripts and more spanning the Studio’s rich history.

Tours conclude at the Warner Bros. Tour Center store, which features exclusive merchandise from some of the most popular films and television series as well as Warner Bros.-branded merchandise and DC Comics products.

The Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour is open Monday through Friday, 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m.—and Saturdays starting March 26—with tours departing regularly. Children eight years of age and older are welcome. Tickets are $48 per person and can be purchased online at www.wbstudiotour.com or by calling 818-972-TOUR (8687).

“The TMZ Hollywood Tour — Secrets and Celebrity Hot Spots” will offer more than the run-of-the-mill driveby of stars’ homes. The adventure on a custom-designed Starline bus will swing by such infamous spots as the department store where Winona Ryder was caught shoplifting and the Laugh Factory, where “Seinfeld” star Michael Richards went on his famed racist rant.

During the tour, members of the TMZ staff will appear in video clips providing an inside look at selected Hollywood hot spots, according to TMZ and Starline. Guests will also be shown “shocking and never-before-seen” video clips from the TMZ library.

Tour guides on the Starline buses will also be armed with cameras — just in case any TMZ-worthy news breaks, officials said.

The TMZ tour will begin operating May 1. Tickets will be available beginning March 28 at www.starlinetours.com and www.tmz.com.