Potter, Perry big People's Choice winners

Harry Potter has cast a spell at the People's Choice awards on a night that also saw big wins for singer Katy Perry at the start of the Hollywood awards season.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - the last instalment of the hit movie franchise about the British boy wizard - won four awards, including best movie and favourite ensemble cast.

Perry won five trophies, including best female music artist and favourite song for ET.

But the perky pop star pulled out of the live TV ceremony following her split with British comedian Russell Brand two weeks ago.

Bridesmaids won best comedy movie, while Water For Elephants, starring Twilight heart-throb Robert Pattinson, won best movie drama.

Emma Stone took the trophies for both movie actress and favourite comedy actress for her roles in civil rights-era film The Help and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato, 19, was voted favourite pop artist, beating the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce, while Maroon 5 won best band.

Television honours went to Glee star Lea Michele and Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother, which also won favourite TV comedy show.

The People's Choice is the earliest of Hollywood's glittering annual awards shows, but unlike the Oscars or the Golden Globes, it is totally fan-driven and provides few clues to the likely winners of the movie industry's highest honours.

The People's Choice hands out awards in more than 40 categories covering film, music and television.

Organisers said the winners were decided by more than 230 million public votes online, via text and through social media websites.

The popular Twilight vampire romance franchise, which has dominated People's Choice for the past two years, was not eligible to compete this year because of the timing of the Breaking Dawn-Part 1 release in November.

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