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Jenny Peters Mon Jul 9, 2:24 PM ET

Los Angeles - Hordes of shrieking fans jammed bleachers set up along Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday night, desperate to get a glimpse of Harry, Hermione, and Ron - Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in real life - as the fifth "Harry Potter" film premiered at the Mann Chinese Theater across the street.

The three just-about-grown-up stars didn't seem to mind that many of the fans both at the screening and after party and behind the barricades cannot differentiate between them and the characters they have been playing for the last seven years.

"You have to laugh against that because it is bizarre, but it's funny," Radcliffe grinned. "I mean, it is obviously a very strange experience, but I've also had loads of opportunities through this that have been extended to us and that's amazing."

Equally amazing was the film itself, as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is one of the best films of the franchise, smart, exciting, and very true to the J. K. Rowling novel (the seventh and final book arrives Saturday July 21); and the premiere's after party, held at Jim Henson Studios, was pretty awesome, too.

Groaning tables of sweets (just like in the movie), tons of carnival games with Potter prizes to be won, and an incredible re-creation of the Hogwarts great hall, complete with moving portraits and prophecy balls (if you don't know what we mean, see the movie or read the book!) made it a party to delight both young and old.

It was a night that drew scads of Hollywood's most famous faces, from "Hannah Montana" favorite Miley Cyrus, with her dad Billy Ray, and siblings Brandi and Braison; Seth Green, Eva LaRue, Andrea Bowen, Danny Nucci, AnnaSophia Robb, Ashley Tisdale, Emily Procter, and Masi Oka joined in the fun, too. We spotted Jeff Foxworthy, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Melissa Joan Hart, Jon Tenney, Hector Elizondo, Rick Fox, Valerie Bertinelli, and the film's evil protagonist Imelda Staunton, who deserves an Oscar nomination for her delicious portrayal of Professor Delores Umbridge.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" opens everywhere on Friday, July 13; that date is sure to be a lucky one for the franchise and everyone involved.