Harry Potter vs. Twilight: the video

"The Great Debate: Harry Potter vs. Twilight" took place at Seattle's Central Library this weekend. Every seat was full, with many fans showing up as much as an hour in advance to claim places. E-mail also swarmed in from as far away as the Netherlands, Britain, and South Africa.

And now the results: Harry Potter fans won the debate, with the audience voting 120 to 40 for the seven-book series about the boy wizard by J.K. Rowling, outpolling Stephenie Meyer's four-book teen vampire series.

But enthusiasm was not lacking on either side, as debaters (who mostly seemed to be female) discussed themes in the books, including the concept of villains and the way women were represented. A video of the debate filmed by the Seattle Times can be viewed here.