TVFan17

Hallmark does a lot of their casting kind of late in the game, especially when they are using their tried and true, longtime actors who already know the drill. It's not too common for them to cast way in advance. Sometimes their actors don't get called to do movies until just 2 or 3 weeks before they go to camera. It's probably different if they bring in new people -- especially bigger names. In the case of larger, more famous names, they probably have to get that set up way in advance. They can call someone like Andrew Walker just a couple of weeks before a movie goes to principal photography, and he is used to it. But if Hallmark is planning on knocking out a slew of Christmas movie shoots in September and October, I guarantee that not all of the movies are cast yet. Both the Kristin Chenoweth movie and "Holiday for Heroes" were filmed in January & February 2019. Filming Christmas movies that early in the year is something that Hallmark does once in a while, and I think they will have to do it more often if they want to make a lot of movies in future years. They always make a lot of progress on Christmas movie shoots in Sept-Oct-early Nov. As for the scripts being written, I think that where the movies are in the writing process differs from project to project. Some projects are at different stages of the writing process for a couple of years or more. Some scripts are already finished and ready to go. Some are tweaked and re-tweaked, even during production. Some are changed at the last minute to different themes -- for example, a non-Christmas movie could be changed to a Christmas movie on short notice, and vice versa. Some of the writers have talked about how sometimes they are called to do rewrites and make major changes on rather short notice. If the movie that Alicia Witt is going to do is the same one that she helped create, then she has been working on it and co-writing it for over 3 years. But there are other Christmas movies that get thrown together in a much speedier turnaround time. I've mentioned it here before, but no officially announced 2020 Hallmark Christmas movies were filmed other than Christmas in Vienna (w/ Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliott) prior to the shutdown. That movie was filmed in Vienna during the holiday season last year, and then finished up in Romania early this year. That's the only one that is confirmed to be a 2020 Hallmark Christmas movie that has actually been filmed. They still have their 2019 movie -- A New Year's Resolution -- that never aired, and I would imagine that they could show that one this year too. So that makes two official Hallmark holiday movies that can air this year, at this point. Nothing else that is officially theirs has been filmed. There are plenty of other Christmas movies that were filmed quite a while back, but they are either for other networks or they have not yet been claimed by any network. I'm sure Hallmark will end up acquiring at least 3 of them by the holiday season, but, for the time being, they've only got the two I mentioned above. Sadly, it's not just COVID-19 that slowed everything down for Hallmark. They had already slowed way, way down in their production after they faced all of the backlash from pulling the Zola ad late last year, which then led to their longtime leader and CEO stepping down..... which then led to Hallmark flat-out canceling their planned party at the Winter TCA in January, as well as not signing on for their annual appearance at the March Upfronts in New York. The Zola controversy led to their whole schedule of events and productions slowing down or being canceled. They were finally starting to pick up a little speed again and get certain projects scheduled to film, when along came the pandemic to shut down the world! So they have lost a lot of time in producing new content over the last 6 months. And now, apparently, Hallmark has a new sci-fi drama series in the works -- yes, you read that right. A sci-fi drama/soap opera sort of series... for Hallmark. lol I have no clue what it will be called or who will be in it, or how strong the sci-fi vibe will be, but Hallmark is venturing into sci-fi territory -- with a bigger budget as well -- and I wonder who at the company suggested that idea because it's so unlike Hallmark. It should be interesting to see how it pans out, IF it pans out or when it pans out!

I tend to avoid checking reddit for info and spoilers because I just don't like the look of that site, or the layout. For some reason, it bothers me whenever I try to look for anything on any subject I am interested in! lol But... tonight I ventured over to reddit, and stumbled upon some very detailed *supposed* spoilers for Season 2. They've been there before tonight, but I am just now seeing them for the first time. Needless to say, take all spoilers with a grain of salt unless the source is known to be accurate. Some of these details line up with other details that have come out, but that might not mean anything. Who knows? Also, I should point out that IF these spoilers turn out to be true, there are a LOT of details to chew on here. You might not want to read them, just in case they are accurate and you want to remain surprised. (If they are not accurate, then they were at least an entertaining read!) If these supposed spoilers are true, I can tell I am going to be very annoyed/angry with a couple of scenes. But I think I will be cheering loudly in another couple of scenes. This thread is titled "Spoilers for season 2 episodes 1-4." Right under the post about Episodes 1-4, MandoLEAKER continues on with the details of episodes 5-7. He can't post the info about episode 8, though, because a lot of things happen and it's too long to post (reddit won't accept it). So after you read the rundown of episodes 1-4, just scroll on to the rundown of episodes 5-7. I guess the info about #8 will have to come at another time. The thread can be found here -- https://www.reddit.com/r/Mandalorianleaks/comments/gw62cm/spoilers_for_season_2_episodes_14/ This post is titled "Details about the mandalorian season 2 from a leaker." It can be found here, and it includes some interesting details that were not mentioned in the above-linked thread -- https://www.reddit.com/r/Mandalorianleaks/comments/gr45oh/details_about_the_mandalorian_season_2_from_a/ Read those spoilers at your own risk! They might end up being true (or at least certain parts of them could be)! (Let me just add that if the rumored scene featuring Moff Gideon and Baby Yoda -- which Giancarlo Esposito teased early this year -- plays out in the way the leak describes it to play out... wow!) And today, on reddit, someone linked a new rumored list of Season 2 titles, posted on the 4chan site (though supposedly 4chan does not have a great track record for being accurate?). I think the previously leaked, rumored title list seemed more believable than this one, but who knows? This is the latest one -- https://boards.4channel.org/tv/thread/134925402#p134925509 Chapter 9. The Depths 10. Wasteland 11. The Reward 12. The Warrior 13. Exile 14. The Purge 15. Revenge 16. War

I am certainly no Star Wars expert either!! lol I honestly had no clue who some of the names on that supposed list of Funko Pop figures were! lol I assumed they must be totally new characters and places (like, for example, where is Lakora? Has that been mentioned before anywhere?), or that they were obscure characters/places pulled from lesser-known regions of Star Wars content that I would be unaware of. Or maybe they are just random Clone Wars/Rebels characters that I wouldn't know because I didn't follow those series regularly. lol But... maybe they won't turn out to actually be on the show anyway -- at least not in this season!

Yes, and she does not always film in Canada, so she could end up filming in a few different places (although Canada is about ready to get back to filming too, just as California and other states are,, but the Canadian border is not open yet). Alicia usually doesn't even film her movies until the fall, but... hey, why wait? Might as well jump into that production before another wave of COVID-19 comes along and shuts things down again. And as far as I know -- unless plans have changed (and they change often at Hallmark!) -- this is, at long last, the movie that Alicia has had in development with Hallmark since before January 2017. It is or was partially based on her own idea, and she had a hand in writing it (along with other people, I'm sure), and it will feature her own music (whereas her last Christmas movie featured songs written by someone else). Again, this is assuming that it hasn't been delayed again, as it has been for the last couple of years. I love Alicia and think she is delightful -- full of positive energy and quirky charm! I couldn't be happier that she will be leading the charge of the Hallmark ladies to get the Christmas snowball rolling!

I'm thinking... this list has got to be bogus, right? I am not posting this in the Media thread, even though it lists off some of the characters we already know are supposed to be appearing in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. It also lists other characters, and there have not been any articles about them yet. When there are actual articles reporting on them being on the show, then I will post those in the Media thread. For now, these are spoilers -- probably bogus spoilers, though! I know that Pedro Pascal said that Season 2 would be "Star Wars on steroids" or some such thing, and this list would fit that description -- but this list seems like TOO much of a spoiler. It's got to be fake. Maybe? lol Anyway, Pilot Ace tweeted a list of what appears to be Mandalorian Season 2-related Funko Pop figures, from what I can tell. I am assuming that's what the "Pop" next to each one refers to. In case the tweet vanishes, the list of Mandalorian Pop figures shown above (whether true or not) is this: Hondo Ohnaka Ahsoka Tano Fenn Rau Sabine Wren Commander Wolffe Commander Rex Jaken Roff Senan Goil The Sorcerer of Lakora New Republic Soldier New Republic Pilot Nala Se Bo-Katan Kryze Mon Mothma ULF Imperial Riot Trooper General Tarfful Kos Deshan Boba Fett Cobb Vanth Ezra Bridger Thrawn General Cody Chiss Armor Variant General Cody Clone Trooper Armor Variant Hmm... I don't quite know what to think about it. But this is a spoiler thread, so I am posting it here anyway. Could some of these characters be appearing in Season 3, perhaps? Maybe they filmed scenes that will be saved for S3? And why are there no Mayfeld or Fennec Shand figures? Were there figures for them in the Season 1 batch? _______________________________________________ Now, if you recall, in the Media thread a while back I posted a list of the supposed/rumored episode titles for Season 2. One of those titles was "The Sorcerer." Here is the article about the title list, from April -- "The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode Titles Revealed" And here are rumored titles: I didn't fully believe that title list either. But it IS interesting that the list of titles has a Sorcerer in it, and that one of the supposed Pop figures is a Sorcerer. _______________________________________________ Also, a post from this account "Mandalorian Information" just randomly appeared on my news feed today, lumped in with other Mando tweets, and he/she seems to be dropping bits of info in the tweets -- some of which would be spoilers if they are true. He/she says he/she worked on both Season 1 and Season 2 -- I typed up the tidbits from the tweets, to make it easier to find them. Mandalorian Information says this: 1) He/she worked on Seasons 1 & 2 of Mando, and Season 2 was a "rather unpleasant experience." 2) There are lots of fake casting rumors, and the only ones that are true are Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Biehn and Rosario Dawson. Everything else is fake. 3) The episode title leak [which I posted above] is false. The titles do not match up with the plots, with the possible exceptions of Chapters 2, 3 & 8. 4) Baby Yoda is twice as cute in Season 2. 5) Someone asked if an image of Ahsoka holding Baby Yoda is going to happen. Mandalorian Information said "Sort of I guess." 6) We can expect some cool visual effects for Season 2 -- like Season 1 times 10. 7) We'll see Paz Vizla [played by Jon Favreau] again in Season 2. 8 ) Baby Yoda learns to levitate himself. He uses the Force more frequently, although there are bumps along the way. 9) Moff Gideon slices/chops up an X-wing. He also kills some people "Rogue One Vader style." Gideon has a very brief, 10-second scuffle with Ahsoka. Gideon also deflects blaster fire and cuts up some things. 10) Mando returns to Tatooine. 11) The Razor Crest "sees a LOT more space action." 12) Season 2 does not tie into "The Rise of Skywalker," and Kathleen Kennedy is "NOT ruining it." 13) Season 2 will have 8 episodes, just like Season 1 did. Chapter 8 is almost one hour long. 14) Expect the Mandalorian Season 2 trailer to drop at Star Wars Celebration in August, and probably no sooner than that. However, Celebration might possibly switch to a virtual format, or just get delayed to another date. 15) There is a rumor that Boba Fett dies and that Sabine takes his place in the armor. It is absolutely false. 16) Boba Fett is not being played by Temuera Morrison. Boba will be seen in a brief non-speaking cameo at the end of an episode. 17) The list of Mandalorian Pop figures (shown above) is apparently not valid. Half the names are made up. 18) Cara Dune has a fairly large role in Season 2. 19) Ahsoka fans will not be disappointed. 20) There are more original and prequel trilogy creatures in Season 2 as well. It will be interesting to see how many -- if any -- of these bits of info, titles, tidbits, etc., actually pan out. I know that things can change and evolve between the end of filming and when the show finally airs.

Take these Tweets with a grain of salt, but in the wake of the release of the new TV & film production guidelines in California (some things can start shooting again as soon as June 12th, but some might not get going until much later), I just spotted these two --

Another interesting installment! The previs process is really fascinating, because it's almost like the scenes or episodes are shot before they're actually shot. The directors have the good fortune of using animation and/or working with the stunt actors or other stand-ins to flesh out their ideas in advance, and capture their movements. It's sort of like a test run to see what works and what doesn't before eventually going to camera with the actors in costumes and full sets or backdrops in The Volume or whatever. So this means that each director really puts in a lot of work and time. (I think that Deborah Chow said she was working on Chapter 3 in previs for 2 months before going to camera on it.) They don't just breeze onto the sets to yell "Action" or "Cut" and tell Carl Weathers or Gina Carano where to stand. They have essentially already shot the episode or certain scenes before, during previs, and then they have to do it again with the main actors, putting them in place of the stunt actors and what not. By the time principal photography begins, the directors have a very clear idea of how the scenes will look, and exactly what they want from the actors. There are so many moving parts to getting this series made, and so many different people involved in bringing the scenes and characters to life, and so many different phases of putting it all together, that I can understand how certain people working on it never crossed paths, or never actually worked together. For example, I'm still not clear on whether or not Rick Famuyiwa and Deborah Chow ever actually worked with Nick Nolte, or if they only worked with the Kuiil motion capture actress/double, with Nick going into the studio to record his dialogue for his 3 episodes under the guidance of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni instead of Rick and Deborah. When I watched the episode this morning, I was wondering why the title had appeared to change from what it was originally going to be. It was not originally called "Process," but somehow changed. Also, I was annoyed that this episode was only about 19 or 20 minutes long -- way too short. I almost wondered if the segments used in it had been part of a larger episode but were then pulled and edited into their own episode just to make the season a bit longer. Unless I am forgetting someone, it was curious to me that this was the first Gallery episode in which we didn't see any segments with the cast talking -- no short Pedro Pascal comments, no Gina Carano comments, no cast-at-the-round-table segments, etc. I guess there was no point in them being part of it. I watched this just a few minutes after it appeared on Disney+, so I was tired and had to watch it again to be sure I was not imagining this -- at one point Rick Famuyiwa referred to Chapter 6 (the prison ship episode) as the one where Mando had to break Xi'an out. (However... it was actually Qin who needed to be broken out.) Could the original plan for the episode have been to have Xi'an in prison, needing to be rescued? Maybe she was the one who was supposed to be there, and then Jon Favreau/Dave Filoni changed it to Qin needing to be rescued? Maybe they filmed two versions -- one with Xi'an needing to be broken out, and one with Qin, and Rick was thinking of the version with Xi'an? Either that, or Rick accidentally mixed up the names. Only 2 more episodes to go, and then Gallery is sadly over.

I was just watching "The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera" directors panel stream from the "ATX TV...from the Couch" festival on YouTube. It appears to have been recorded over one week ago, so there was no discussion of this past week's events. Right now ATX TV is doing one long live stream for the entire festival, comprised of many panels. So I won't link that stream here. However, they will eventually save each panel as its own video. When they put the Mandalorian panel video up, I will link it here. So all 5 directors from Season 1, as well as Jon Favreau, were part of the panel. Jon had The Child next to him, and he showed him to the camera so that the baby could make a guest appearance. They all mostly talked about Season 1 only. However, Jon Favreau DID say outright, in no uncertain terms, that Season 2 is coming in October! Not November. Not December. It is on track for October! Straight from the horse's mouth! They have not missed a beat. He said that they were lucky to have wrapped up S2 production before the lockdown, and everything was set up for them to do all of their other work while locked down! (Good thinking, Lucasfilm, ILM, Disney and whoever else made it possible for these people to continue working on the post-production during the pandemic!) So we have maybe 4 months or 4-1/2 months to wait, and S2 will be here!!!! From the Hollywood Reporter -- "Jon Favreau Offers 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Update" On the ATX panel, Jon F. also said something, which was confusing and interesting. He claims that they started filming Season 2 maybe the day after Season 1 premiered in November. However, the S2 filming start date I saw was October 14th, and I have seen other sources mention October as well. Maybe they were doing table reads, costume fittings and rehearsals in October, but didn't actually go to camera until November? I'm not sure. In any case, whether they technically went into principal photography in October or November, the important thing is that S2 is airing in 4-ish months! As for when Season 3 films... who knows? At the ATX panel, Rick Famuyiwa talked about how he was essentially the first of the directors to do an episode to start building the Child's personality (I am paraphrasing). When we see the Child at the end of episode 1, he is only onscreen for a few seconds and that's it. So, Rick's first episode was Chapter 2, and he had to start developing the bond between Mando and the Child, without any dialogue. The script was only about 14 pages! lol Rick said that the Child's face was really the only face he had to work with (that could show different expressions). So he had to look at the puppet as though it was an actual living actor, and he had to use what he could of the Child's facial expressions to sort of bounce off of Mando, or reflect what Mando was doing. Taika Waititi talked about making it believable that Mando cares about the Child. Bryce Dallas Howard talked about how she got her kids to keep quiet about Baby Yoda and not tell any of their school friends about him. Jon Favreau commented on how remarkable it was that all of the kids who were on the set of Chapter 4 of Mando were able to keep quiet and not tell anyone about "Baby"!! If I recall correctly, I think Jon also suggested/implied that Season 1 essentially picks right up from Season 2, so the cast and crew never felt like they were filming a separate second season. Instead, it felt like they were just continuing on with filming one long Season 1. lol So that kind of supports what has been suspected -- which is that Seasons 1 and 2 were already mapped out, but Season 3 might be starting anew. So whatever happens in Season 2 is probably directly connected to what happened in Season 1, whereas whatever happens in Season 3 might be a whole new ballgame with new settings, new stories, new supporting characters, etc. Anyway, the ATX event was an interesting panel. I wish that all of the canceled festivals and conventions had switched to a virtual format this year, just this one time. (Star Wars Celebration has still not been canceled, even though it is supposed to happen in 2-1/2 months. So I certainly hope the organizers are trying to set up virtual panels, complete with a world premiere of the Mandalorian, Season 2 trailer!) I still want to see a panel with the actors from the show talking about their experiences since Mando, Season 1 premiered and became a huge hit that continues to stay in the news on a regular basis. In other words, when Pedro Pascal is at the grocery store, do people walk up behind him and say "This is the way" in a creepy manner? lol Does Pedro get asked about The Mandalorian more than he was asked about Game of Thrones? Do people call him Mando? Do random people approach Gina Carano and try to get her to fight with them? Do people see Carl Weathers out in the street and bombard him with questions about Baby Yoda trying to eat him? Do people see Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally and curse them out for punching Baby Yoda? Do people see Giancarlo Esposito and demand to know how he got the Darksaber? And... do people see Nick Nolte (who has avoided ALL press and media related to The Mandalorian) and say "I have spoken" on a daily basis? I need to know these things.

I loved it too! I even liked that it was a fall season and not smack dab in the middle of summer, for a nice change of pace. It's nice to mix it up every once in a blue moon. I wanted them to do another OTT season even before the pandemic rolled around, but now it seems like it might present them with an opportunity to have fewer people milling about on the set (a good thing right now) while still offering up a dose of Big Brother for the fans (even if it is a shorter season). It just seems like it it would be a good 'better than nothing at all' option. But they might be trying to figure out a way to do a 'regular' season with all of the pointless production and editing and all of that.

Have I missed something, or has CBS still not made an announcement one way or the other about BB for this year? I mean, l woudl assume that whatever kind of season they could cobble together would not begin until at least next month, at the earliest, and it might end up being a much shorter season than usual when and if it did premiere, or it could run longer into the fall instead of wrapping up in September. I guess I expected that there would be an announcement about BB this week or next week, because the new production guidelines for TV and movies were just released this past Monday. That means that networks and production companies can now proceed to get set up under the new rules and figure out how, when, where or IF their work can commence. I wonder if it would be advantageous at all for BB to go back to the stripped down Over the Top format (online only) they used a few years ago -- just for this year only? There is less production involved, less editing, no live audiences to deal with, etc. They still had competitions and sets that needed to be built, but I don't think the crew working on the shorter OTT was as large as the crew that works on the usual 3-month summer seasons.

I was trying to decide if there were any advantages to that twist in the story. Well, first I was trying to figure out how none of the other media outlets or Star Wars news sites/channels picked up on that major detail. What usually happens is that someone reports something, and then all of the other places/sites/channels that report on Star Wars news pick up on it and then write their own articles. So we can end up with 20 different articles all reporting the same thing, cascading down the Twitter feed! lol But in this case, since the article that mentions Mando possibly being Force-sensitive apparently came out 3 weeks ago, I can't believe that no one saw it and wrote their own article. Then again, I didn't see it either until today. It really flew under the radar. I tend to think it's not true at all. How would Mando go his whole life and not realize that he had some sort of power, even if he didn't know what it was? He'd have to detect something, wouldn't he? I think that if it were credible at all, one of the other sites/channels would have jumped on it right away. IF this were true -- and as you said, it's a big IF -- I wonder if someone else who appears in Season 2 somehow picks up on Mando being Force-sensitive and tells him about it. For example, maybe Ahsoka will pick up on it, or maybe somehow the Original Yoda appears as a Force ghost to tell Mando to take care of The Child, and then he tells Mando that he has the Force within him. Or can someone pass on their Force powers to Mando? Maybe Ahsoka will train Mando and The Child at the same time? (I'm just running scenarios around to somehow figure out how it could make sense for Mando to suddenly find out he has powers when he didn't know it before! lol) I guess the one good thing about it is that it could mean that Ahsoka (or someone else) teaches Mando how to harness and use his abilities, which he can then help Baby Yoda with. In other words, maybe Baby Yoda would not have to leave with Ahsoka or be dropped off with "his own kind" if Daddy Mando has powers too? They can stay together as a Force-wielding, father-son duo! lol But yes, I agree that it's nice that Mando is a regular guy in many ways, and not a "sorcerer," as he calls the Jedi. lol Not everyone has to have powers. But if it comes down to a matter of Mando being Force-sensitive and keeping The Child with him, or Mando not being Force-sensitive and leaving The Child with someone else, then I'd have to say..... May the Force be with you, Mando!! lol Just keep space daddy and his little green child together! __________________________________________________________ Here is the link to the one article that seems to mention Mando possibly being Force-sensitive, for anyone who didn't see it -- "The Mandalorian Season 2 Will Reportedly Hint That [SPOILERS] Is Force-Sensitive" Excerpt...

Yes, that's got to be it. Either that, or Hallmark is letting the W Network in Canada air it first, before it premieres on the Hallmark Channel later. It's no less frustrating and maddening that this one particular movie keeps getting bumped from its schedule, though (and at the last minute too!! But... I am thinking that, as the new COVID-19-inspired filming guidelines have now been set forth for various states in the U.S., and no one from Hallmark is filming in Canada this month, Hallmark is probably assessing the situation and trying to figure out exactly what they can manage to get on the air for the remainder of this year. So, Hallmark is probably realizing that trying to get several Summer Nights movies filmed is not going to be possible, leaving them to air something that's acquired, which might possibly be Love on Harbor Island AKA Take Off to Love AKA Love at First Flight (w/ Morgan Kohan and Marchus Rosner). Then they could put Country at Heart back into Fall Harvest, because they probably won't have time to film several Fall Harvest movies either so that is at least one guaranteed movie for the theme. Christmas is the real question -- while they won't be able to premiere as many Christmas movies as they did last year or the year before (even with acquisitions), will they actually be able to get a chunk of them filmed in Sept-Oct, as they usually do? Or will they not even be able to pull off the usual cluster of Christmas shoots then? If we at least saw that Home & Family was going back to shooting in a studio every day, then we'd know that Hallmark was starting to rev up the ol' engine and get moving again, which would eventually lead to movie shoots and series such as Chesapeake Shores and When Calls the Heart beginning production (albeit, in Canada). So far, though, I don't think there is any word as to when or if Home & Family might return to shooting on a set again (unless I missed it). That show is Hallmark's most constant, regular bit of content and it's shot in L.A., so they don't even have to worry about expenses related to travel. If H&F can be restored, then I think the other movies and series will fall in line shortly thereafter.

I have no idea how this specific SPOILER RUMOR slipped past me, as it appears to be from 3 weeks ago! I try to only link the articles here that have some new or interesting bit of info in them, and I try to avoid the ones that just recycle and regurgitate what we've already heard about. So maybe I saw the title and assumed it was just recycling info -- I am not sure. But this one has a rumor (which would be a spoiler if it turned out to be true) in it that I had not seen elsewhere, and I have to wonder if the reason it didn't gain much momentum on social media is because the source/website is not that reliable? I'm not sure. Anyway, here it is, from We Got This Covered -- read at your own risk! "The Mandalorian Season 2 Will Reportedly Hint That [SPOILERS] Is Force-Sensitive" And then We Got This Covered put out a new article today, about something new... which also references the spoiler in the previous article, so read this one at your own risk too! "The Inquisitors Will Reportedly Feature In The Mandalorian"

Net at It's a Wonderful Movie just discovered that Country at Heart -- the movie with Jessy Schram and Niall Matter, which was supposed to premiere during Fall Harvest last year, but was pulled and was then rescheduled to air this month as part of the "A Little Romance" event -- is no longer scheduled to air this month!! It was pulled from the schedule again. Sigh. So, the only new movies on the Hallmark Channel this month are: Sat., June 13th -- Love in the Forecast AKA When it Rains It Pours (w/ Cindy Busby and Christopher Russell) Sat., June 20th -- Love Under the Olive Tree (w/ Tori Anderson and Benjamin Hollingsworth; produced by Antonio Cupo -- also postponed from its originally planned premiere during Fall Harvest 2019) Over on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel are the two non-mystery movies that are not Hallmark originals (they acquired them for filler content, it seems): Sun., June 14th -- Timeless Love (w/ Rachel Skarsten and Brant Daugherty) Fri., June 26th -- Midway to Love (w/ Rachel Hendrix and Daniel Stine)

This is very true! I keep thinking that Mando will eventually end up on an ocean-based planet, where he would have to fight bad guys in or on the water. We saw him on the icy planet at the beginning of Chapter 1/Season 1, and Lord knows he has traversed across enough deserts, through valleys and similar terrain. Could there come a time when Mando ends up having to jump into an ocean and swim for some reason? Pedro Pascal is a swimmer, so maybe his aquatic skills will come in handy on this show!

You're right -- Brendan appears to be very lean and lanky, although I can't get a sense of how tall he is without googling his height. He's got to be taller than Pedro, right? But if Pedro is just being filmed from the shoulders up, then the height difference wouldn't be as obvious, I suppose. Hmm.... Exactly. It would be very strange, but also a whole new dynamic, if we saw a helmet-free Pedro interacting with the Child! lol He once said something about how the puppet reacted to something he said, and even referred to him as a "scene partner" or some such thing, but he has to be so vague and non-specific about what he says that sometimes it's hard to tell if he is talking specifically about Season 1 or Season 2, or if he is referring to what he has observed on the set when he watched others in the Mando suit interacting with the baby. Brendan posted something on Instagram at the beginning of November, when he was just leaving the hospital. Season 2 started production in mid-October, so he couldn't have been working very long before the appendectomy. And then, at the very end of December -- when the cast and crew would have been on a holiday break anyway -- Brendan posted something about finally being back in the gym and getting back to normal, or something similar to that. So it *seems* like he might have been out of commission for the bulk of November and into December, unless he was doing some non-action-based work on the set, which is also entirely possible. But, if it was not fully planned out in advance, it could be a matter of Favreau or Filoni asking Pedro if he wanted to be in the suit, sitting in the cockpit or in some scene where he didn't have to do intense stunts, during the time that Brendan was recovering in November/early December. And then Brendan could have stepped back into the suit, back to normal, in January. Well, it's all very mysterious, and all we have to go on in a 'straight from the horse's mouth' sort of way is what Pedro said about how there was more that he did in Season 2, although that "more" doesn't necessarily mean what Bespin Bulletin thinks it means. It could be more, but not much more. Or it could be a lot more! lol

I'm always reluctant to post things like this, where the person or page that announces something does not cite their source and seems to mostly be speculating. I mean... I have no problem with people speculating (I do it myself!), but it always bothers me when these established sources of supposedly credible news post info as if it news, but then, when you read further, it's clear that the news is not really news (yet), and it's mostly rumors and speculation. I honestly think that a lot of the Star Wars "news" sources follow forums like this one (maybe lurking in the shadows), as well as follow various Star Wars-related channels on YouTube. They see the comments and discussions; they read the rumors and speculation made by other people; and then they take it and announce it as "news" on their own platform. So, on that note.... Keep in mind that Pedro Pascal already hinted (without revealing any details) that 'there is more that he did' in Season 2. He said that in the interview with Ken Jeong and Joel McHale that I recently linked here (complete with the quotes I typed up from it). But that "more" that he is doing could just mean that he has two scenes instead of one scene in which he is taking off the helmet through the course of the season -- it could be one time early on and then again later on in the season. I don't think it's going to just be a free-for-all with Mando's face being revealed left and right in Season 2. Now I have noted before that Pedro was in Los Angeles a lot more often during the Season 2 production, as he didn't have other jobs in New York, London or wherever else this time around. So my guess is that he was probably on the Mando set much more often than he was for the Season 1 production, even just to observe what was going on from the sidelines, and that it might mean an extra scene or two with the helmet coming off. Add that to the fact that Brendan Wayne seemed to be out of commission for a portion of the production, and it *might* mean that Pedro had a bit more time in the actual armor -- maybe sitting behind a console or talking to someone such as Bo-Katan. Who knows? It's all pure guessing and speculating. Anyway, Bespin Bulletin, which some people view as a credible source of Star Wars info, posted this... But when you go to Bespin Bulletin's Instagram page, -- https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-kuDRA6b2/?igshid=1to2gija40k6w -- and read what they say, it sounds like it's mostly speculation and rumors, not based on any actual confirmed info. They didn't even mention Pedro's comment to Ken and Joel about how there is 'more that he did' in Season 2, and I would think that Bespin would jump on that because it actually came directly from Pedro, although it was very non-revealing. And then other media outlets pick up on what Bespin Bulletin posts, so it makes it seem even more credible and plausible, even if it is all still just speculation -- https://thedirect.com/article/the-mandalorians-pedro-pascal-to-wear-costume-more-in-season-2 Anyway, I'm still thinking that Pedro was likely on the set much more often for Season 2, and that it probably means an extra scene or two sans the helmet. But I don't yet see any credible info or confirmation to indicate that he "will wear The Mandalorian costume a lot more in Season 2," as Bespin reported. That seems to be a stretch to say "a lot more." I mean.. I hope it's true. It's not that I want Brendan Wayne to have less work, but I'd like for Pedro to have more work, if that makes sense. If you've got someone like Pedro -- an actor who's been on the stage, in movies and on TV, and who actually trained to do certain stunts or action work for some of his previous roles -- voicing the character and showing his face one time, you might as well put him to use and show him more often, especially since he was available more often during Season 2's production. But until Pedro or someone involved with the production actually says that Pedro was in the Mando armor a lot more this time, then all we have to go on is his vague comment about how there is 'more that he did in Season 2.'

Thank goodness the earlier versions of Baby Yoda were not used, and that Jon Favreau agreed on the version we ultimately got! These people who collaborate to create Baby Yoda are geniuses, and they deserve whatever kind of award they are eligible for (maybe a Saturn Award?) for their work. All of the time, effort, attention to detail, technology, the combo of puppetry & CGI and manpower that went into making Baby Yoda the character we know now is really quite amazing. Everything from the hairs on his head, to his ears, to his puffy cheeks, to his sad little pout and happy giggles, to his big eyes, to the assorted animal/baby sounds he makes, to his oversized robe, and, of course, the famous waddle -- all of these individual things mesh together to give him a sweet, curious, endearing personality, although he is not talking or having full conversations -- at least not in a language we can decipher. Baby Yoda always seems alternately innocent and very smart at the same time. We can see there are some things he clearly doesn't understand or interpret correctly, but then he also seems to understand much more than we expect him to. He is very perceptive. Even the sounds the Child makes are interesting in that they are very specific to certain situations. You can almost understand what he is trying to convey. For example, the Child giggles when IG-11 shoots down Troopers, and after Mando blows up another ship in Chapter 5. But when he was scared and in distress later in Chapter 5 (because Mando shot Toro, and Toro fell to the ground while holding the Child), he was nervously babbling and seemed very chatty, like he was trying to tell Peli (the mechanic) how scared he was. And then, in Chapter 4, when Mando was asking the Child if he was ready to stretch his legs for a while on Sorgan, Baby Yoda let out a happy squeal of sorts -- the tone of it sounded liked he was answering with a "Yeah!!! I wanna stretch my legs!" Likewise, in Chapter 5, when Peli was scolding Mando and she mentioned that she knew he had another mouth to feed, Baby Yoda turned his head towards Mando and let out a squeal again -- this time it was a bit more sassy -- as if he was agreeing with Peli and saying "Yeah, dad! I'm the other mouth you have to feed! Don't forget it!" lol So his little squeals seem to be the equivalent of "Yeah!" Of course, when the Armorer is telling Mando that Baby Yoda is in his care, and that he is his father until the Child is reunited with his own kind, the Child makes little sounds as though he understands what she is saying and agrees with that decision. lol And then, needless to say, when he purrs at Mando as he hugs his leg and also purrs in Mando's ear as they fly away, it's very loving -- like he is saying "I love you, daddy. Thank you for taking care of me." So whoever chooses which sounds to give the Child for each situation is a genius too, as those sounds do so much to capture the Child's personality and make him irresistible. Hal Hickel (who has popped up in the Gallery series more than once) said this back in December -- On another note, though, I also appreciated learning about how the Kuiil character was brought to life, between Nick Nolte's dialogue and the motion capture work of Misty Rosas. Very fascinating!

The Mandalorian films in California (mostly in different parts of L.A.), so hopefully, with these new guidelines established, they will be able to start filming Season 3 in a few months (assuming they try to keep the same basic production schedule that they've kept for Seasons 1 & 2, which, of course, is not guaranteed). It's a step in the right direction, in any case. From Variety.... "Unions, Studios Release Back-to-Work Guidelines Amid COVID-19 Pandemic" __________________________________ Also... this is new!! ATX TV... from the Couch, will feature a Star Wars panel called "The Mandalorian: Behind the Camera," "Upcoming The Mandalorian Event To Feature Taika Waititi and Other Directors" Excerpt... And... More info about the ATX event here -- http://atxfestival.com/attend/atxtvfromthecouch/ It's free to view the panel, but you can register here to get streaming details -- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atx-tvfrom-the-couch-a-virtual-festival-registration-102908058774 And here is the ATX YouTube Channel, where you can also subscribe to see the panel (if it doesn't get canceled/postponed) -- https://www.youtube.com/atxfestival

Ditto to all you said! This newest episode of the Gallery show (where he got that footage from) was quite good. I will comment more on it when there is a thread for it. I saw some funny comments in various places online, about those early versions of Baby Yoda that I linked in the post above -- things like "Mando wouldn't have gone back for that child," and "We dodged a bullet with that one," and "It looks like Baby Yoda ate Jabba the Hutt." 🤣 I suppose it's true, though -- despite Jon Favreau not wanting him to be too cute, they had to make Baby Yoda/The Child cute enough and endearing enough to make us believe that Mando would fall for him right away and instantly want to protect him. If The Child just came out of his floating crib, snarling and acting obnoxious and Force-choking people left and right, or if he had not been quite as precious, he might not have won Mando's heart and brought out his fatherly instincts right away. He had to be cute and he had to have a sweet, endearing little personality. There has been a huge protest going on in my neck of the woods here in L.A. today, and I saw that Pedro posted photos from it. He was there! One of the photos he posted was a selfie of Pedro with Ismael Cruz Cordova (who played Qin in Chapter 6 of Season 1 of The Mandalorian). They were both wearing masks, as were most people. Now this protest is a serious situation, obviously, but I couldn't help but wonder if any of the news people on the scene realized that Din Djarin was walking around. You just know that some of the news folks would love to get hold of a well-known person to ask their opinion on everything. And Pedro has a lot of opinions on many things he is passionate about. Pedro's hair is a bit longer now due to everything being shut down for the last couple of months, I guess, so, between the hair and the mask they might not recognize him anyway, even if they heard he was there.

Jon Favreau said that there were early versions of Baby Yoda that were too cute or too ugly, or with wrong proportions or whatever. Have a look at some of the earlier versions of Baby Yoda here, in this article from Nerdist... "MANDALORIAN Docuseries Shows Alternate Baby Yoda Designs" Thank goodness Jon and company went with the version of The Child that we know and love! lol

The fix is in! lol

Interesting! Click on links to read articles-- From Variety -- "Masked ‘Mandalorian’ Actor Spurs Golden Globes Rules Change" Excerpt... From The Direct -- "The Mandalorian's Helmet Impacted a Unique Golden Globes Rule Change" Excerpt...

Just in case you want to see/record a young Pedro in his Touched by an Angel episode from 20 years ago, it is airing on the Hallmark Drama Channel (which is different from the regular Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel) very early on Thursday, May 28th -- at 5 A.M.! https://www.hallmarkdrama.com/schedule?mode=&day=2&week=0&tz=PST The TBAA episode is called "Stealing Hope." Pedro plays a mechanic who is also a poet lacking faith in himself, and he is from a troubled home (although his mom and brother love him). It's actually kind of sad, but, as expected, the angels share wisdom and words of encouragement and there is a happy ending for Pedro's character and his family. I accidentally stumbled upon Stealing Hope on Hallmark Drama about 3 or 4 months ago, and was waiting for it to circle back around on the channel so I could record it. I then watched it on YouTube, but the video is just so-so quality -- homemade as opposed to being an official copy released by the distributor or production company -- and you can never count on those kinds of YouTube videos being there forever. Sometimes they disappear out of nowhere. But if you want to see the YouTube video, I think it's still there. If you do not have the Hallmark Drama channel via your regular provider and want to watch or record the episode that way, never fear -- you can sign up for a totally free trial of a streaming service such as Frndly TV, Philo or Sling TV -- and they each offer cloud DVRs too (you can include that option as part of your trial). All of those services have Hallmark Drama, and you can easily cancel at the end of the trial (I've done it myself in the past). I would guess that the episode probably won't air on Hallmark Drama again until maybe September, assuming they stick with the same rotation and sequence of repeats. But that's not even guaranteed, as Hallmark changes the schedules on their channels quite often.

These titles below are misleading, as it sounds like Pedro is hinting or giving clues about Baby Yoda, which he is not really doing. If anything, he is being extra, extra careful about what he says and does not say -- both in these articles and in that video chat with Joel and Ken that I posted a couple of days ago. Click on links for full articles -- From TechRadar -- "Pedro Pascal talks The Mandalorian season 2 and Baby Yoda's secret" From FanSided -- "Pedro Pascal teases Baby Yoda’s role in The Mandalorian season 2" Excerpts of note include... and... They also talk about the possibility of Mando/Din appearing in a Star Wars movie and other things. BUT... unless Pedro wants to leave the series, or unless he only wanted to commit to 2 seasons and not continue beyond that, they'd better not kill off Din Djarin and put some other Mandalorian in his place, or make the show a Clone Wars sequel or whatever! They'd also better not try to get someone else in place to do the voice work for Mando/Din.