J.K. Rowling says there's no Granger danger: Hermione can be black

THE BATTLE over race has reared its ugly head across the pond, and at stake is whether Hermione

Granger must be white.

Granger, as most of you probably know, is a fictional character from the world of Harry Potter, so she really can be anything your imagination wants her to be.

The reason this is an issue now is because a new play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, starts previews Tuesday night at London's Palace Theatre.

The story picks up 19 years after the end of Deathly Hallows, and Entertainment Weekly reports the cast consists of Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley, Cherrelle Skeete as Hermione Granger's daughter Rose Granger-Weasley, Jamie Parker as Harry and Noma Dumezweni as Hermione.

Noma is black.

This is in contrast to movie Hermione Emma Watson, who is not.

Author J.K. Rowling is sticking up for black Hermione.

"I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione 'turned white' - that is, lost color from her face after a shock - that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with," Rowling told The Observer. "But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm."

"With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot," Rowling told The Observer. "But what can you say? That's the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job."

If there's one thing sequels have tortoise, it's to always be wary the second time around.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows won the box office, but its estimated $35.3 million debut is $30 million less than the 2014 reboot grossed.

TMNT 2 is just the latest in a string of underwhelming openings for summer sequels, including Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and even X-Men: Apocalypse, which fell a hefty 66 percent in its second weekend, earning $22.3 million for a second-place finish.

The tearjerker Me Before You stood out from the big-budget silliness and performed quite well, earning $18.3 million for a third-place finish.

The film, based on Jojo Moyes' bestseller, got mixed reviews from critics, but audiences, who were 81 percent female and 53 percent over the age of 35 gave the film a solid A CinemaScore.

* New Jersey newlyweds got an unexpected gift at their wedding reception: a performance by

Taylor Swift

.

Swift played a stripped down version of her song "Blank Space" at Max Singer and Kenya Smith's reception in Long Beach Township on Saturday as amazed guests sang along.

Swift agreed to attend after getting a letter in April from the groom's sister.

She wrote about how her brother was a huge fan and how he and their ailing mother had danced to Swift's song after the newlyweds were married in a hospital room. Singer's mother died shortly thereafter.

Swift and Singer's sister planned the surprise visit.

Swift also presented the couple a special card that stated: "So It's Gonna Be Forever," a lyric from "Blank Space."

* According to People mag, while performing in Berkeley, Calif., Friday night,

Paul Simon

paused during the final verse of "The Boxer" to announce the death of

Muhammad Ali

.

"I'm sorry to tell you this way, but Muhammad Ali has passed away," he said.

The crowd hushed. Simon segued into "The Sound of Silence."

* ICYMI1: Jack Black did not die yesterday. Just a hoax.

* ICYMI2: Demi Lovato has joined Gigi Hadid, Taylor Swift and Amber Heard as newly single women.

Gigi, BTW, was honored with the Our New Girlfriend award at Saturday's Guy's Choice Awards and said she's always been a good girlfriend. And Demi attended a UFC fight.

So, c'mon guys, if you can't find a girlfriend this summer you just aren't trying.

- Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.

gensleh@phillynews.com

215-854-5678 @DNTattle