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Learning About Star Wars Rebels from Executive Producer Dave Filoni

Tessa Smith

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January 3, 2017

Learning About Star Wars Rebels from Executive Producer Dave Filoni

When I was in San Francisco for the Rogue One Event, I got to experience many amazing things. Everything was incredible, but one of my favorite things was watching two never-before-seen episodes of Star Wars Rebels. We found out that they loosely tied in to Rogue One and that Forest Whitaker himself was joining the cast voicing Saw Gerrera (who he plays in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).

We were some of the first people to see these episodes – and they blew me away! I am a fan of the show, so this was a big deal to me. (Insider tip – be ready for Klick Klack guys, you are going to love him!). After watching these, we got to chat with Executive Producer, Dave Filoni. This interview is probably one of my favorites to date – he was so personable and super fun to talk with!

Dave Filoni Star Wars Rebels — Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Being a Star Wars Nerd

I could tell right away that Dave Filoni was truly a Star Wars nerd. Just the way he talked about the franchise and getting to work on the TV show, which he clearly takes pride in. He walked in and immediately opened the floor to questions.

“I know with all these big movies coming out, we still have our TV series. But it’s neat when we can have things kind of coexist, which is really fun. And for me at least, it continues the adventure.“

Knowing that Rebels ties in with Rogue One in this episode, we asked how the process works to make sure that things stay consistent between the two.

“It’s not that difficult, it’s just all one big story. And you’d never really think in terms like, well this piece is a movie, and this piece is a book, and this piece is a TV series. I know these characters – I know Saw, because I helped introduced the character of Saw. So when they were doing stuff with him in the movie – my office is right next to Kiri Hart of the Story Group – we talk all the time, and ask questions. It’s really just like any good storytelling. It’s a bunch of people having discussions and talking about the things they like and things they don’t like. Getting different opinions, and then, I always feel strongly about them going off and making their choices. And I did Saw for the part that I had to do him. CLONE WARS set him up but I was excited that [fans] could see where that went. So if anything, you’re more involved and that has huge pluses – because you get to see it. But at the same time you’ve seen it and you’ve read it, and then you work on it. So, for me as a fan, you keep trying to find little pockets of STARS WARS that you don’t know. Which are almost treasured for me at this point, but I would be lying if I told you it’s not really fun, even 12 years later.“

Existing Story Lines

We wanted to know if Dave preferred creating his own story lines, or if he looks forward to the parts that he can tie in to existing story lines.

“I never really have a huge feeling about tying in. A good story doesn’t need me – they hunt me and my help. The STARS WARS universe was great before I got there, it’ll be great long after I’m gone – that’s just how I feel about this, it’s not my story. I’m privileged to be in a position where I get to add to it – I’m very grateful for that – but when I look at the work we’ve done, in animation especially, and the characters that we’ve added [like] Captain Rex, Chopper, Ezra, and Sabine. Adding those characters can give us dimension in ways that the franchise didn’t have before. Especially when you get to female characters from this explosion. I won’t even say explosions, the interest has always been there – I think it’s telling the stories that’s been long overdue. So we’ve been telling the stories and adding dimension to these characters. That’s the great part. It’s fun when you have a tie-in but I like it when it’s more of a wink. It’s not something that was ever missing, if it was important, they would have done it – I’ve always kinda looked at it that way. I learned a lot of that from my years of working with George [Lucas]. It’s fun to do, but you have to be careful that don’t overdo it, that your fandom doesn’t get in the way of telling a good story.“

Forest Whitaker Joining the Cast

We were all excited to hear (and see) that Forest Whitaker was signing on as Saw in Star Wars Rebels. We knew that Dave had to be just as excited, and asked him about bringing him on.

“It was a huge benefit to us. We have an attitude about the characters, which is, if the person that originates the role, the person – especially on screen, we want as much continuity for the audience as possible. [Forest] is a very big Star Wars fan and a lot of these actors do as much [as they can] because they love it. So when they say the character’s gonna continue, they absolutely would like to continue being the character – they don’t really care what form it’s in. It’s always exciting when we have people come and maintain their character. You have great continuity. They’re always incredibly gracious and super fun to work with. It might not be the last one you see in that regard, on Rebels – afraid of a spoiler, but I can say that. [Forest] was fantastic. When you have a really great actor – he doesn’t need a lot of advice. I just gotta put him into place and tell him what’s going on. It was great to work with him and it’s added to a long list of incredibly wonderful performances that we’ve had in Star Wars across the board, Not just on Rebels, but across the board. I just love that they want to do it, it’s my favorite thing.“

Balancing for Kids and Parents

One of my favorite things to do with my young girls (ages 4 and 5) is watch Star Wars Rebels together. My husband joins in the fun as well. This is a show that we have set to record and we watch together every single week. While talking with Dave, one of us pointed out that he really does a great job of creating an animated show that both parents and kids enjoy. We asked him how hard it is to create that balance.

“I appreciate that, because it is a goal of mine. When I talked to George, he would always say he created Star Wars for kids. When I was a kid it was a great thing because my parents liked it. It wasn’t talking down, and there were a lot of things to talk about, as a family, and characters that we could relate to. In the beginning, a lot of fans would come up to me and say, ‘Dave, why are you making Star Wars Rebels for kids?’ That’s such a perplexing question to me because I would say to them ‘when did you first watch Star Wars?’ My whole goal is never to take that experience away from kids – to involve everybody in it – to make it a place where the best compliment we can give for the series is that it’s something that the family watches together. There are some challenging things we get too, especially when you deal with the Jedi. Things get dark at times. But you always have to monitor that – fairy tales have frightening moments in them. Otherwise when you shine bright and things are good all the time, it doesn’t shine as well. Darth Vader is intimidating. I used to be a little kid and freak myself out just thinking of how he breathes. But that’s what you want – kids to be afraid of the bad guys, because they’re evil. I try to make something that’s not as much for myself but for my younger self. In today’s world, I see a danger in a lot of the fans that have grown up. You have a generation of filmmakers now [that are] all fans and they’re very vocal about being fans. Which is great because they have the understanding of why the material is important, but there’s a danger of trying to take the material and accidentally change it into being for their 40 year old self. You see that in a lot of different franchises out there, that things get darker, and you go – but that’s not what I remember I liked as a kid. You just always have to remember, Star Wars is a story [where] the original trailer says – A boy and a girl in a galaxy. So I just try to maintain that.“

Working with George Lucas

Dave has worked very closely with George Lucas and so we asked him what it was like working with him.

“It’s fantastic. It’s the greatest education I could have asked for, in what I do. It was like going to film school on a daily basis with George Lucas. And he is incredibly knowledgeable, he’s incredibly patient. It was a great experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Everything that he taught me I wrote down and I keep teaching that to people today, no matter who it is, that I come across in the Star Wars saga. Obviously I’ve added my own ingredients to what I do, but I always try to approach it from that perspective. That’s why I’m not trying to make my version of Star Wars. Though as the years go on, I suppose that’s inevitable, but I’m trying to remain true to the point of view that he had, that he wanted for these characters.“

We wanted to know the most important thing that George taught him but it was hard for Dave to pinpoint just one, saying that there are so many things. He finally let us know that it was mainly editorial stuff – how the look at the story and how to cut the story.

Klick Klack!

One of the most interesting things that I learned from Dave is that they work seasons ahead. For example, he let us know that at the time of the interview, they are about two seasons ahead in Star Wars Rebels (great news fans!). As I mentioned before, Klick Klack is a standout character in the episodes we watched – we all fell in love with him! So we asked Dave if we would see him again. His response?

“If you want me to be honest, highly unlikely.“

We all groaned, quite loudly, and Dave seemed surprised.

“It’s good to know you liked him. The actors hated saying Klick Klack. It is a rough thing to say.“

I for one am hoping that Dave changes his mind and somehow works Klick Klack back in to the story line – or at least that we get some fun products featuring him! Just wait until you watch the episodes, I know you will agree with me!

Star Wars Rebels airs Saturday nights at 8:30pm EST on Disney XD and returns January 7th!

Like STAR WARS REBELS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwarsrebels
Follow DISNEY CHANNEL PR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyChannelPR
Follow STAR WARS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/starwars
Follow STAR WARS REBELS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starwars/
Visit the official STAR WARS REBELS website: http://disneyxd.disney.com/star-wars-rebels
#StarWarsRebels | #StarWarsRebelsEvent

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous Hits DVD 1/10

Tessa Smith

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January 2, 2017

18

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous Hits DVD 1/10

This post contains affiliate links.

My girls LOVE Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. In fact, this Christmas, under the tree was filled with Miraculous toys, clothes, and of course, the latest DVD. Now, my 5 year old knows her Miraculous, so she knew this DVD was not supposed to be out yet. The look on her face was incredible – because she was not expecting it at all. Sometimes I really do feel blessed because of “job perks” that I get – and seeing her open this up was one of the best of the year!

The third volume of the action-packed CGI animated TV series is titled Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous and will be available on DVD January 10, 2017, from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with ZAG. The release includes seven amazing episodes as seen on Nickelodeon.

Synopsis
The time is now. The city is Paris. And two amazing heroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, stand to protect its citizens against evildoers. But can this uncanny duo continue to keep their city safe from these dastardly ne’er-do-wells… and get their homework in on time?! That’s right. The superheroes known as Ladybug and Cat Noir are actually Marinette and Adrien, two young students with super-secret lives filled with super-awesome excitement!

A top show on Nickelodeon, Miraculous™ is quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Be Miraculous is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com and ShoutKids.

Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous episodes include:

Ladybug & Cat Noir (Origins, Part 1)
Stone Heart (Origins, Part 2)
Animan
Simon Says
Pixelator
Guitar Villain
Kung Food

This is probably my girls’ favorite DVD yet. They have been watching it over and over – and when I asked what their favorite episode was, they just couldn’t decide! I think Kung Food is a solid bet though because they usually watch that one over a few times each time the DVD is on.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com

Enter to win Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous on DVD using the Gleam form below. Be sure to check out my other giveaways while you are here. GOOD LUCK!

Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Be Miraculous

Why You Need XNSPY If Your Child Is Getting a Smartphone

Technology

Tessa Smith

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January 1, 2017

8

Why You Need XNSPY If Your Child Is Getting a Smartphone

It’s 2017 already, and we are certainly just there with reaching the epitome of technological aggrandizement. Internet is faster than ever, while gadgets are getting more portable. Your child doesn’t need a family computer to connect to the internet anymore, nor do they have to take permission from you before making a phone call, because they can do all that using their personal smartphone.

In fact, you don’t eve have to wait for the sweet sixteen of your child to get them something big for their birthday, because as soon as they hit their tween years, they automatically become eligible to get a smartphone; at least, that’s how most kids believe & love nowadays.

Why You Need XNSPY?

Have you ever come across a nasty popup while surfing the internet with a hot girl or guy telling you that they are single and within your area? Or did you ever receive a cheesy text on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Online scamming, anonymous interactions, and online predating is on a surge and that too at an appalling rate. If your child is browsing internet or social media without your assistance, they could be catfished by pedophiles or bullied by their own peers.

If you are thinking about wrapping a cell phone for your child on Christmas, do consider getting an iPhone parental control software.

How XNSPY Can Help?

XNSPY is a parental monitoring software for iPhones, iPads and iPods that can help you get along with your child’s newly-acquired cell phone-related activities. When your child goes online, there is a lot that could go wrong as aforementioned. Using XNSPY, you can:

Monitor your kids’ texts and photos from favorite social networking apps (WhatsApp, Instagram, iMessage, Facebook, Viber, Line, Skype, Kik and even Tinder). With this, you can save your kids from online abuse as most of these risks soar up when your children show willingness to talk to strangers.
Track their text messages and calls logs, because why not? Texts and carrier calls are still a frequently used service even amongst kids.
Record their surroundings when aren’t around to ensure they are safe and sound.
Record their phone calls to know if their late night convos aren’t getting too personal.
Access multimedia (photos and videos) saved on their device to ensure they aren’t sharing pornographic or adult content, such as Discover new HD sex videos every single day.
Track all of their emails to know they who and what they are subscribing to.
Control device activity with XNSPY’s remote commands if your kids overuse or abuse their cell phones. You can lock/unlock their devices at night or whenever they tend to go a little too aboard with their cell phone obsession.

XNSPY—More Room for Negotiation

Many parents opt for a smartphone contract; it’s a document that has no legal value, but still works as a reminder of all the promises that the child makes with their parents before grabbing onto their first cell phone. Unfortunately, kids’ abuse of their personal devices could escalate quite quickly and they can totally forget to abide by the preconditions that they once agreed to.

XNSPY iPhone monitoring software is a great way to remind your child that you still own the iPhone or iPad that they use, and also that you are still their guardian. You can control their screen time and even decide who they can talk to.

XNSPY—Digital Safety or Privacy Breach?

It’s important to note that your child could sense that their privacy has been breached due to monitoring. They might also feel that you are intruding into their lives. But the reality is: Young kids are highly vulnerable to online risks and this is something that even the U.S. statute has acknowledged by allowing parents to monitor their minors’ digital devices without their consent (digital surveillance rules may vary across U.S. states).

Is XNSPY Easy to Use?

You don’t need to be a tech-savvy for monitoring your children’s cell phones. The installation process is minimalist and takes only a minute or two for the setting up the service on the target device. In fact, you can use this iPhone parental monitoring software without even touching your kids’ devices, remotely. Once the services are activated, XNSPY will start uploading all the phone logs automatically which you can access anytime using your web account.

Pricing

XNSPY is a valuable digital tool for parents who want to secure their kids’ digital space surrounding their smartphones. The better part is that it’s cheap. For $8.33/month, you can protect your kids against cyberbullies, online harassers and online predators by keeping right schedules and regularly keeping checks on their cell-phone-related activity.

Where to Get It?

You can subscribe to XNSPY using their website www.xnspy.com. The signup process is easy and perfectly designed for parents. If you get stuck somewhere, you could always ask for help from XNSPY’s customer support team.

Got any parental epiphanies or questions? Let us know about your musings in the comments.

Perks You Get at Disney World with Your Chase Disney Visa Credit Card

Tessa Smith

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December 28, 2016

1

I have been to Disney World many times, but this last trip was my first one being a Chase Disney Vise Credit Card holder. I had no idea all of the perks that I would be getting! I should have become a card holder a long time ago since I am such a huge Disney girl.

10% OFF MERCHANDISE PURCHASES OVER $50 & DINING

Receive 10% off select merchandise purchases of $50 or more at select locations at Walt Disney World® Resort. Your discount is available at select Walt Disney World® Resort locations and pin cart locations throughout the Resort. Simply use your valid Disney Visa® Debit Card and mention this offer. Even though you might have your Disney Visa Debit Card linked to a MagicBand or RF-enabled card, you will still need to present your Disney Visa Debit Card and use it for purchases to receive your Cardmember perks throughout your stay. Also receive 10% off at select dining locations most days.

EXCLUSIVE MEET & GREET AREAS

Stop by the private location reserved just for Cardmembers to meet and pose with some of your favorite Disney Characters. You’ll receive free downloads of your photos, too! Offered daily, 1PM to 7PM at the Disney Visa Photo Spot at Epcot® at Walt Disney World® Resort located in Future World next to Journey Into Imagination With Figment. Also, a special Star Wars Photo Spot at Hollywood Studios. We were able to meet Kylo Ren here after waiting just minutes when his line was over a 40 minute wait!

15% OFF SELECT GUIDED TOURS

Receive 15% off the non-discounted price of select guided tours at Walt Disney World® Resort. Guided tours include:

Magic Kingdom® Park

Disney’s Family Magic Tour
Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour
Disney’s The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour
Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom® Tour

Epcot®

Gardens of the World (offered seasonally)
The UnDISCOVERed Future World
Epcot® Seas Adventures – Dolphins in Depth
Epcot® Seas Adventures – Aqua Tours
Epcot® Seas Adventures – DiveQuest
Behind the Seeds
World Showcase: DestiNations Discovered

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park

Backstage Tales

Multiple Theme Parks, Backstage Areas and Resort Hotels

Ultimate Day of Thrills VIP Tour
Ultimate Day for Young Families VIP Tour
Ultimate Day at Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival
Backstage Magic
Disney’s Holiday D-Lights Tour (offered seasonally)
Disney’s Yuletide Fantasy (offered seasonally)
Wilderness Back Trail Adventure
Discounts are not available on the following tours at Walt Disney World® Resort: Premium VIP tours, programs exclusive to groups, group team building programs.

REWARD REDEMPTION GIFT CARD

One of the best perks that you get with the Disney Chase card is the reward points that you earn. They can be added to a reward redemption card that you can use to purchase merchandise, dining, and more during your stay at Disney World. You can even use it at the Disney Store or on a Disney Cruise. We were excited to have so much extra money to spend during our trip – and to earn more to spend aboard our cruise while we were there. You earn 1 Disney Dream Reward Dollar for every $100 spent on purchases.

0% APR WHEN BOOKING YOUR TRIP

As an ongoing card perk, you get a promotional APR of 0% for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages, Disney cruises, Adventures by Disney® packages and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai’i vacation packages from the date of purchase with your Disney Visa® Card through the Walt Disney Travel Company, your travel agent or online at Disney sites. You can also get 0% APR financing for 6 months on the purchase of a real estate interest, including a Member Add On, in a Disney Vacation Club® Resort. After your promotional APR expires, your standard purchase APR will apply.

If you wish to receive an offer to earn a $200 Disney Gift Card after you spend $500 on purchases with your card in the first three months from account opening, send me your email address. You can email me at [email protected] and I will send you an invite right away!

No Stress Holiday Travel Tips for Families with Kids

Travel

Tessa Smith

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December 21, 2016

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Family holidays are supposed to be about fun and relaxation. Most people don’t get much time off from work, making it important to have as little stress as possible when heading to their favourite destinations for the holidays. Unfortunately, traveling with children often makes it very hard to avoid stress, panic and emergencies all through the trip. Nobody wants to spend their holiday up to their eyeballs in stress. What are some good ways to prevent this from happening? We’ll lay out a few simple travel tips that can keep stress at bay when you’re traveling this holiday season with kids.

Lock Down Your Parking Ahead of Time

Let’s be honest: the act of getting from point A to point B with kids in tow – especially when driving – can be an absolute nightmare. Whether you’re arriving at the airport or you’re driving around in an unfamiliar city, looking for parking isn’t something that you want to be spending tons of time doing. Before you leave the house, look into parking services such as www.yourparkingspace.co.uk, which allows you to quickly book parking by the hour, by the day or even by the month. Whether you’re needing a space on the street or a place to store your car while on holiday, taking care of this part of the holiday travel process will save you from a lot of stress.

Organise Your Bags

Anybody who has travelled before knows that their items don’t fit back into the luggage as well on the way back as they did before departing. One way to ensure that a) you have everything you need before you go and b) can easily fit everything in your allotted space is to organise accordingly. Separate each item you’re taking with you into groups. From here, use Ziploc or plastic bags to carefully group each set of items together, where they’ll store neatly in your travel bags. This not only will make it easy to find everything once you arrive, but it keeps anything from spilling all over your travel luggage, helps you to avoid losing anything while on holiday and makes it easy to organise/repack for the trip back.

Search for Family Friendly Events and Places

When traveling with kids, all sorts of mishaps and shenanigans can take place. Whether you’re visiting family or simply taking a well-deserved holiday, it’s important that you try to incorporate family friendly activities into the holiday. By visiting an indoor playground, eating at a kid-friendly restaurant or attending select public events, you’ll be in the company of fellow families and business employees who know how to deal with children. While kids should always be on their best behaviour, you won’t be stressed out about your kids’ actions like you might at a formal restaurant setting or a concert.

Take It Slow

When you first arrive, you may be jetlagged, sleep-deprived or stressed from travel. Your kids will likely be affected by this as well, which is why it is a good idea to relax as much as possible during the first day of the trip. For each one-hour difference in time zone, it can take a full day to adjust. As you’ll probably be more active on a family-friendly holiday with kids present, expect them to become tired more easily and take this into account. If you can rest during the first bit of your holiday and make sure to end days relatively early, you’ll avoid worn-out nerves and cranky, tired children.

There are of course a million different things you should consider when traveling with kids at least be sure to take care of parking/transit ahead of time, organise your luggage, seek out family friendly activities and rest as much as possible when necessary.

American Tourister Goes Rogue with New Rebel Alliance & Galactic Empire Luggage

Travel

Tessa Smith

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December 20, 2016

3

American Tourister Goes Rogue with New Rebel Alliance & Galactic Empire Luggage

This post contains affiliate links.

I have started traveling a lot more over the last year and I have begun to rely heavily on my luggage. Lucky for me, every piece of luggage we own is American Tourister. I used to have other luggage brands but slowly got rid of them as I received more and more American Tourister bags. These bags are not only really well made, they are also super snazzy. I cannot walk through an airport with one without getting stopped at leave five times to be complimented on it. My Darth Vader one used to be the biggest hit, but I have a feeling my new limited edition Rogue One Galactic Empire bag is going to leave it in the dust.

If you have not seen Rogue One yet, I suggest you get your butt to the theater – it is incredible. Whether you are a fan of the originals or not, you will enjoy the movie, I can promise you that. It is a total stand alone and you don’t need to have seen the others to enjoy it. But back on the subject of these amazing American Tourister bags – I chose the Galactic Empire bag, but there is also a Rebellion bag. Both are equally cool. I love the designs and the fact that the bags have the names of some of the characters. Krennic is one of the best villains I have seen in a film, so I thoroughly enjoy the fact that his name is on my new luggage.

The inside print on this luggage is perfect considering Rogue One is a war film. It is camouflage with the words Star Wars every so often. I personally love the double straps they have now because I often cram a lot into these bags and I know that these straps will keep it all in. I was recently on a press trip to San Francisco to go to Skywalker Ranch, LucasFilm Headquarters, and interview the cast of Rogue One (I know – amazing! Check out all my coverage here.) I purchased way too many souvenirs and thought there was no way I would be able to make it home with everything – but Darth Vader saved the day! American Tourister bags have an extra zipper that will expand their bags and thanks to that, I was able to fit everything in my Darth Vader luggage, quite impressively I might add. These Rogue One bags have that feature as well.

So no matter whether you are a part of the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire, an American Tourister bag is something that you need in your life. Their hard exterior will keep all of your possessions safe, while looking pretty bada*s at the same time.

Grab these LIMITED EDITION Rogue One bags (& search other Star Wars bags) here!

Connect with American Tourister on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTourister
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amtourister
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amtourister/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ATouristerUS/
Shop: http://shop.americantourister.com/

A Disney on Ice Experience I Will Never Forget

Tessa Smith

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December 17, 2016

0

Tickets were provided to me by Feld Entertainment.

We have been to Disney on Ice many times. We are a Disney family and love all things about it. Disney shows transport us to a magical place where we can forget the stress of real life the second it starts. Our experience was not different last night – however, there was one part that will always stay in my mind, and I will remember it forever.

My 5 year old had been asking us if Daisy would be there because for some reason, she tends to not be in these shows (it is usually Mickey, Minnie, Donald, & Goofy) but she is one of my daughter’s favorite characters. We had amazing seats and the show started. All the characters were skating out and here comes Daisy. We all naturally screamed “Daisy!!”. What does my 5 year old do? Reaches her hand out and leans back in her seat as tears filled her eyes and she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. Yup, my girl cried happy tears that Daisy was at Disney on Ice last night. Naturally, I teared up right away too. My love for Disney has clearly rubbed off on the girls, and I couldn’t be any prouder.

I love that Disney on Ice: Passport to Adventure had a few stories that we are not used to seeing often. Many of the Disney Live and Disney on Ice shows feature classics like Cinderella and Snow White – and don’t get me wrong, I love these stories – but it is always fun to throw in one we don’t see much. This show features The Lion King and Peter Pan. What they featured was incredible. Simba and Nala gliding across the ice was magical – they were amazing! Tick Tock Crock chasing Captain Hook, the Lost Boys frolicking around, and having to clap to show Tinkerbell we believed in here brought me back to my childhood. I watched Peter Pan over and over – and each time I clapped my hands as hard as I could to bring Tink back. It was amazing seeing my girls just as excited to help her.

The second half of Passport to Adventure showcases The Little Mermaid and Frozen – two of my favorite Disney stories. Ursula was great and we all gasped as a HUGE Ursula came out on the ice and Prince Eric fought her. We all loved singing along with Sebastian and Flounder and the rest of the crew. This was a really fun and colorful part of the show, and one of our favorites.

During Frozen, they featured all of the hit songs – and even made it snow (several times) inside the arena. I always tear up when I see the love between Anna and Elsa, which likely has a lot to do with the fact that I have two young girls. The entire Frozen part was fantastic and told a lot of the story, while strategically cutting parts out (they have Frozen on Ice to tell the whole story, but naturally cannot fit the whole thing in to a show that is being shared with 3 other stories). My girls didn’t even seem to notice that Sven never made an appearance.

Overall I would have to say this was my favorite Disney on Ice show so far. They are always very interactive, but this one really made my girls happy. We truly loved watching all of these stories – what a great selection by Feld Entertainment.

Disney On Ice presents Passport to Adventure features an international team of award-winning figure skaters, high-energy choreography and a colorful set that captures all four unique worlds. Upbeat music, lovable characters and unforgettable moments make this an experience families will cherish forever! Celebrate the most memorable Disney tales with all your favorite characters in one fun-filled ice production visiting Syracuse from Dec. 14-18 for seven performances at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena. Tickets are on sale now at The Solvay Bank Box Office at The Oncenter or through Ticketmaster.

Remaining Syracuse Show Times: Dec. 17 at 1 and 5 p.m.; and Dec. 18 at 12 and 4 p.m.
If you are not local to me, check to see when Disney on Ice: Passport to Adventure is coming to you HERE – you don’t want to miss this one!

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Gareth Edwards Felt Like A Rebel Himself While Directing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Tessa Smith

-

December 16, 2016

2

I knew that our interview with Gareth Edwards, the director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, would be great from the first sentence he spoke when he walked in, “I just passed Riz and he said they are all so nice!“. Gareth had introduced the 28 minutes of the film that we saw the night before, and I had been really looking forward to speaking with him. The interview did not disappoint.

Preparing to Direct Star Wars

The first thing we talked about with Gareth was if there was anything he would have done to prepare for this film had he known he was going to direct it his whole life.

“I probably would have spent every single day been a nervous wreck. Not do any homework or schoolwork and I probably would never have had a job. I would have sat and prepared it for 30 odd years and then the day it began, I think I would have brought in everything saying okay, I know exactly what to do and then realize I would have wasted my entire life. There’s something about the organic process of making a film. If you are a dictatorship, like the Empire, and you say it’s gonna be this, this, and this, I think you limit how great the film can become. Even though it was a massive movie, and there’s all this pressure to have a specific plan, we were gonna keep it incredibly fluid. So we had 360 degree sets where we could film in any direction. I remember on day 1 in this set called Jedha, which is one of the cities that we go through where the force believers are, we started filming, and the actors could do what they want. I just happened to pan left and there suddenly was all these crew members in shot that suddenly ran out of frame. Then the next day we came and the same sort of thing happened where I pan left, and the crew were there, but this time they’re all wearing Star Wars costumes. They’d all learned to put robes on and that way, wherever the camera went, they could be in it if they had to be.“

gareth-edwards-rogue-one — Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

A Rabid Fan Base

Star Wars fans love the franchise so much that I can only imagine taking on this film must have been intimidating for Gareth. We asked him how he overcame knowing the rabid fan base will scrutinize every word and action – but no pressure.

“There’s a line in the original where Luke Skywalker is doing the attack run on the Death Star through the trench. He’s got the computer and he turns it off. Someone goes, ‘Luke! You’ve turned off your computer!’ And he goes, ‘It’s okay, I’m all right.’ It’s kinda like that. He trusts the force. So, just turn off your computer, not look at the internet, and just believe you can bulls eye this. Everyone’s shooting at you but just believe in yourself, and go for it. To me, that’s the takeaway from the original film – if you believe you can do something, and you never give up, then you can achieve anything.“

Casting Rogue One

We asked Gareth if he had any specific people in mind when choosing his cast. The story he told about selecting Ben Medelsohn to play Krennic was one of the highlights of the interview.

“You try not to think of anyone to start with, and then it gets really difficult to keep talking about someone, and not being able to visually picture them. Inevitably you end up [thinking of so-and-so] – sometimes they’re a character from a film – like so and so from that movie. I loved Animal Kingdom. I thought it was one of the best films in a long time – and then forgot about it. Then [I] watched a film called Startup. I came away that night going we’ve got to call this guy. This guy is Krennic – we’ve got to try and get him. As I came into work, I [thought] I’m gonna pitch this to the producer. I walked into the office [and] Simon, one of the producers, [asked to] stop [me] a second to talk about Krennic. He’d watched a totally different film – and he said Ben Mendelson. I was about to say Ben Mendelson – it was really weird. From that point on, we were not gonna take no for an answer – and thank god Ben’s a massive Star Wars fan.”

He told us how he came to sign Ben on to Rogue One.

“I met him on a rooftop in LA, which sounds really glamorous, but it was raining. We wanted to be [somewhere] no one could hear [us] so [we] could talk. I would get really paranoid about waiters because once you say the word Darth Vader, they’re gonna pay attention. As soon as I talked about Star Wars [to Ben], he was just giggling and going ‘hehehehehe’. I was, like, you’re a fan? He’s, like, I love it! I watched it all the time as a kid. So I was thinking, okay, we might be all right.“

Getting Hired as Director

We asked just how Gareth got to direct Rogue One.

“I’m not really sure how that happened, but I think the big break for me – there was two. I went to film school – I wanted to make films, that’s all I ever wanted to do as a kid – and graduated. I’d read the Steven Spielberg story of how you make a short film and then Hollywood calls, and then you go off directing movies. I worked in a supermarket [after I graduated]. I tried to earn some money to buy a computer so I could learn software because it felt like this was gonna be the future of film-making. It was all developed here with George and ILM.”

“I thought you could make a film from home, on a home computer. I [thought I] just needed six months and I could learn the software to go make one. It took me more like ten years to be any good. I had spent that time doing visual effects for things like the BBC and discovery channel. Then one day I just thought, I’ve had enough. I can’t live with myself, being an old man, having never tried to do what I really wanted to do, which was become a director. So I quit my job and went and made a film where there was just five of us traveling around Central America.”

“I did all the visual effects myself, and shot it. We showed it at South by Southwest – the projection broke down – and then at the end of the thing, this guy comes up to me and he gives me a business card. He says I’d love to talk to you whenever you’ve got a moment. The next day, as if by magic, he turned up, he just found me somehow. He said, I’m from an agency in Hollywood, and I represent directors, and I’d like to represent you. I’m with Quinton Tarantino and Tim Burton, and from that day on, my life changed.“

Linking to Original Star Wars Movies

We noticed several details in Rogue One that were pulled from the original movies. For example, the blue milk and the set up of Jyn’s home. We asked if Gareth got to use any actual props from the first trilogy.

“They never anticipated that Star Wars would become this when they made it so there’s not a record of what an object is. I can’t talk about some things because they’re spoilers, but there was definitely some. On Yavin, which is the rebel planet, there’s a guy that, as the Millennium Falcon comes in, he follows it with this speed gun. We were calling the art department [but they] have no record of what that object he’s holding is. So we called the guy that [was holding it in the original film] and asked do you remember what that was? He said [they] grabbed a light meter for the camera and something else and taped it together.“

Gareth confessed that they pulled up the scene in high resolution and recreated it best they could.

Leaving his Mark on Star Wars

Gareth also told us a story about how he, literally, left his mark on Star Wars.

“For my 30th birthday, I went to Tunisia, and woke up on the day I turned 30 in Luke Skywalker’s house. I took some blue dye with me because I wanted to drink blue milk at the very table where he does. I actually made a blue milk glass drink and drank it – and then dropped it. It went all over the floor and there’s this big blue stain now. I felt really bad because this is cinema history.“

A Very Important Story

I asked Gareth how it felt to be telling a part of the story that is arguably one of the most, if not the most, important events in the Star Wars canon. Without those plans, the Death Star just destroys everything.

“It’s feels like what the characters feel like in that it was an impossible mission. It was like something you’re not supposed to succeed at, or survive. Trying to make a good, or great Star Wars film – or something that lives up to those masterpieces I grew up with – is nearly impossible. It was very much like we became a band of rebels making the film – and we were rebellious! We did things we weren’t supposed to do – there’s a set way of making these big movies [but] we would try things. Say the shoot was 10 hours long – the last hour was like a playground. We’d get what we needed for the scene, and for the last hour, [we would say to the actors] do whatever you want. A lot of the stuff that was in the trailer came from things like that. The picture of Krennic in the white cape with the big blue sphere behind him – that was just messing around. And Felicity going in the tunnel [and it] lights up around her, as she turns around. That was the same sort of thing. As she walks into the tunnel, someone just turned the lights on – I saw the lights go on around her, and I was, like, ‘oh my god! That looks really good!’“

Gareth then explained that they filmed that for about 40 minutes and got some great shots. I love when directors let things naturally happen on set – I think it makes for a great film. I cannot wait to see the full Rouge One: A Star Wars Story this weekend!

Be sure you see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – in theaters now!

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Golden Globe Nominee Riz Ahmed Says Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is about Redemption

Tessa Smith

-

December 15, 2016

2

I feel so lucky that I got to sit down and chat with Riz Ahmed about his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story while at the LucasFilm Headquarters earlier this month. In case you missed it, he is a Golden Globe Nominee, guys! That means he is super good at what he does – so I was thrilled that he joined the cast of Star Wars. His interview was one of my favorites of the day.

riz-ahmed-rogue-one — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story..Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed)..Ph: Jonathan Olley..©Lucasfilm LFL 2016.

Tell Us About Bodhi

When asked to talk about his character, Riz explained,

“My character is called Bodhi Rook and he actually works in the Empire. He’s a cargo pilot and he’s from this planet called Jedha, which is occupied by the Empire. He’s just trying to earn a living [with] the main employer in town – the only show in town, really, is working for the Empire. The name Bodhi means awakening [and] he goes through a kind of awakening, and realizes that that’s not the way. He’s got to try and stand up for what he believes in to make a difference. So he takes a big risk and he defects from the Empire to try and help the rebels.“

This is not a spoiler, don’t worry. If you have watched pretty much any of the trailers or read anything about Rogue One, you know this.

Having Fun on Set

Riz arrived for his interview a tad early (or perhaps our interview with Diego Luna (Cassian) ran late), but either way, we got to see them interact a bit and could tell that they had a lot of fun together. This led us to ask about the relationship of the cast on set.

“We ended up spending a lot of time together because it’s quite an ensemble [in the] film and story. It’s really about this gang. It’s about myself, K-2SO, Cassian, Jyn, Baze, and Chirrut. We’re this troop and so we spent a lot of time together closed off in sweaty space ships. We got to keep each other alive, and awake, and we cracked a lot of jokes. We definitely had to make each other laugh and keep each other’s energy up. We bonded, definitely.“

Being a Part of Star Wars

Being a part of Star Wars is a big deal – a BIG deal. We asked Riz what it was like to be a part of something so huge – and if there were any difficulties associated with it.

“The difficult thing wasn’t so much of ‘Oh my god, I’m in Star Wars’, because in a way, that was a joyous thing. That was something that was exciting and makes you want to work really hard. If you love a job, that’s not a bad thing. The thing that was difficult is when I’m playing a character, I like to try and interview people who are close to that character. [For example,] when I was doing The Night Of, I went to visit Riker’s Island prison [and] I interviewed lots of people that [have] been to prison. But you can’t interview anyone who’s an Imperial cargo pilot – none of them wanted to speak to me. You don’t really know where the reference points are, where starting points are. In the end I realized that the reference point is the world that is around you. When you turn up on set and they’ve built these mountains and space ships, and there’s alien creatures walking past you – the preparation doesn’t have to be in your head – it’s right there in front of you. You just have to soak it up. So that was quite a big exercise in letting go when I can be a bit of a preparation freak.“

How He Relates to Bodhi

Since we were already talking a bit about Bodhi, we asked Riz what character traits, if any, the two of them share.

“I’d like to think that he’s quite a relatable character for a lot of people. He’s just an everyman – an average Joe. He finds himself in a crazy situation. He’s not like Cassian, who is a rebel spy. He’s not like Baze, who is a hardened assassin, or Jyn, who is a criminal rebel. He’s just a truck driver, basically, and he finds himself in the middle of this crazy intergalactic heist movie. He freaks out a little bit! I think I’d freak out in that kind of situation. I think most of us would.“

Physical Training

Riz was a lot of fun to talk to and he kept us laughing. For example, when we asked him about his physical training for this role, his immediate response was

“I was so muscly, I had to lose weight so that Diego didn’t look too bad. That was the main issue for me. No, my character isn’t a soldier. So he’s not super physically fit. He needs to look like when he’s running through a war zone with a 50 kilo backpack on him, he’s out of breath, and it’s difficult. My preparation was to get really out of shape and just kick back.“

Describe Bodhi in Three Words

My absolute favorite part of the interview was when Riz was asked to describe his character, Bodhi, in just three words. The response he came up with? FULL OF REGRET. He then explained,

“That was deep! I think it’s true for a lot of the people in this film. A lot of the people in this film have got quite a dark history. Or have got a past that they’re not proud of. And they’re trying to make things right. And that’s what drives them to take big risks and to link up with other people, who they’ve got nothing in common with, to try and fight a cause that’s bigger than any one of them. It’s about redemption – people trying to make things right for themselves and for people around them.“

The Name Rogue One

When you watch the trailer, you will notice that Bodhi essentially names the team “Rogue One”. We asked him to give us the spoiler free version of how that went down, and what it meant to his character. We ended up finding out something really interesting – that it wasn’t even in the script!

“It was the last day of shooting – in the reshoots. So this is the very, very, very last day of shooting. John Swords, one of the producers [said] ‘Can you do a take when you say this?’ So it was a very last minute thing they threw in. It wasn’t like I read the script and I was, like ‘yes! I get to name the team!’ It just happened. It’s really interesting, a lot of the film took shape like that – it evolved. My character started out as a totally different character with a different name and a different job – and with a different relationship to the other characters. I think that’s kind of cool. When you do these big movies, there’s a lot of people think that it’s quite stiff and everything has to be planned out beforehand. Actually, it is kind of the opposite, at least with these guys. They’re willing to move around as much as they have to to make things work and make them as good as they can be.“

How He Got the Part

Another really interesting story that Riz told us was about how he got the part. He had been in the same circles as Gareth Edwards (the director) for a while since they both worked in the Independent British Film industry. Gareth had seen some of Riz’s previous work and had contacted him to audition for Rogue One. Riz laughed as he said that Gareth made the mistake of giving him his email address.

“I emailed him one version of the scene – and then a few hours later, I had another idea, and I sent him another version. Then I did that again. The next morning I didn’t have a reply, so I thought, oh! I should maybe send him some more. In four days I sent him 12 takes.“

Gareth then emailed him back letting him know he got the auditions and to please not send any more. Riz was worried that he had screwed up his chance, but about a month later Gareth called him to tell him he got the part – and that it was the first audition that got it for him.

The Differences of a Big Budget Film

Since Riz had worked on many independent films, we asked him what the differences were between those and a big budget film, like Rogue One.

“It’s a lot of differences in terms of scale. I remember turning up on the first day of shooting and cranes were carrying palm trees and inserting them into the ground. We were in a field in Buckinghamshire in England. Two hundred storm troopers stood around, taking a break with their helmets off, just talking to each other – and everything about that is surreal. But it’s remarkable how much is the same – in terms of being surrounded by a bunch of people who really care about their work, and they’re working really hard. I’ve heard a lot of stories that on these bigger blockbuster movies, people are there just for the money. They don’t care. Maybe that is true for some of these films, but for this movie, almost all the crew have grown up watching Star Wars, so this is their childhood dream to be doing this. If you pick up any random prop that’s on set, you’ll see they’ve got alien writing on it, and touch screen things, and buttons, and dials – [and it isn’t] even gonna be on camera. You realize people just love their job and they loved being a part of this world and helping create this world.“

The Takeaway

We closed the interview by talking about what Riz wants people to take away from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

“Even normal people can make big contributions. You might think that someone else is gonna stand up for what you believe in. But at some point, it’s on you to stand up for what you believe in, and make a contribution for what you think is right.“

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16th!

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Ben Mendelsohn Is So Good At Being Bad as Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Tessa Smith

-

December 14, 2016

5

I love a good villain. They are usually my favorite characters in films – especially in Star Wars. Darth Maul, Kylo Ren, & Darth Vader are some of the best villains out there – and I have a feeling Krennic is going to join that list. From the footage we saw of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story already, Ben Mendelsohn, who plays Krennic, is a fantastic bad guy. He is so good at being bad – someone the audience is going to love to hate. I was really excited to sit down and talk with Ben about his role in the new Star Wars.

ben-mendelsohn-rogue-one — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story..Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn)..Ph: Jonathan Olley..©Lucasfilm LFL 2016.

Telling Us About Krennic

The first thing we asked Ben was for him to tell us a little bit about his character.

“I play Director Orson Krennic. He is the director of military intelligence and operations. And for the purposes of our film it means he’s the dude that built the Death Star and is bringing it to its final brilliance.“

We knew that Ben grew up a Star Wars fan, and so we asked if he ever imagined himself on the side of the Empire. He basically answered as Krennic, and right then, his interview became my favorite of the day.

“No, but that’s the folly of youth, isn’t it? No one imagines that they’re going to end up on the side of the Empire. But you get older. You come to realize that peace and stability in the galaxy is worth fighting for and that all these airy, fairy ideals of the rebellion are very well and good but what happens when they get into power?” He then answered as himself, “I didn’t but I wish I could have told myself at various points through life, ‘Don’t worry, one day you’ll be in Star Wars.’ That would have been good.“

Being the Bad Guy

Ben has played some pretty awesome bad guys in his career, and it was pointed out that a quote online called them “unlikable sociopaths”. We asked Ben what he thought about that,

“That’s my recent body of work. You might call it my unlikable sociopath phase. I do think there’s a certain palette of emotions that you get to work with more if you’re playing the bad guys – like the angry, resentful, enraged sort of stuff. I consider it a real honor to be playing bad guys, but I’ve had a long and varied career so I don’t associate myself with my characters.“

Getting the Part

When we talked with Gareth Edwards (the director) about hiring Ben for the role of Krennic, he told us a story about meeting on a rooftop in LA. I will have more about it in my interview with him (check it out on 12/16) but we asked Ben for his side of the story.

“I got summoned to go and meet [Gareth]. He basically told me the story and then he told me who he wanted me to play. I was just a little concerned. I thought ‘Are you sure?’ but I was incredibly flattered. It was one of those things that got a little bit foggy because I started to get a little bit overwhelmed by it. I was pretty sure by the end of it that he had offered it to me.“

I loved hearing how much of a fan Ben was, just like me.

How Dangerous is Krennic?

One of my favorite questions (and answers) of the interview was when someone asked Ben if he thought his character, Krennic, or Darth Vader was more dangerous.

“I don’t think there’s any competition you know in a one-on-one. I think the Empire being what it is – Darth’s pretty good but I’d hate to see him go up against a couple of squadrons. I’d hate to see him go one-on-one against the Death Star. So really [it’s] about influences – where you sit. I think [Krennic] regards Darth as the emperor’s pet – he’s all fascinated with him. He’s a very impressive dude but what does he do? He’s a very important figurehead but in terms of the strategies and what we actually have to get done – he’s a great car but someone’s got to drive it.“

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Darth Vader Photo credit: Lucasfilm/ILM ©2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Darth Vader Photo credit: Lucasfilm/ILM
©2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Is the Empire a Family?

With the cast members of the Rebel Alliance, we heard a lot about the concept of family. We asked Ben if he felt that the cast members of the Empire was that way as well.

“I think those guys did form that because they went through a lot. And you know obviously in this sort of balance of shooting those guys are spending a lot of time together. The Empire’s a bit more of a solitary place in that way. But I had a good group, a good little cadre with me. I had the dude that’s my second in command and the death troopers with me. But the atmosphere onset changes but you can’t have a bad day. You look up and you see storm troopers around. You really can’t have a terribly bad day.“

Being Cold-hearted

There is a certain part in the film where Krennic refers to a child as “IT”. I refuse to give anything away, but it was a really powerful scene, and it made me hate him. We asked him about that scene and asked him how he prepared for the role.

“When we were going into this, the main thing that I looked at was just the officers in the original film. You sort of have to do a bit of a rewind and think about what it was like when they were making it in ‘77 because they were all very British. I wanted Krennic to sound enough like one of those guys. But I put that costume on and I’ve got those boots on and that cape and all of a sudden I just feel that power.“

Did He Steal from the Set?

We asked Ben if there was anything he took from the set, possibly the waterproof cape, and his response had us all laughing.

“That would be the thing to keep. Look, they’re very, very, very good at not letting you keep stuff from the film. Let me tell you what’s fantastic about this country. And I do love this. You can take the fifth here. What a beautiful country.“

His Favorite Scene

The interview ended with Ben talking about his favorite scene (that he could speak about of course).

“That scene you saw with Mads, that’s amongst my favorites. That was an incredibly brutally, brutally difficult day. We were in Iceland. It was absolutely prohibitively freezing and the weather changed greatly. There’s a scene with Darth Vader that is pretty special. And there’s also another scene which you guys haven’t seen – it’s in the Imperial territories – that was wonderful to do as well.“

See just how incredibly bad Krennic is when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

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#RogueOne | #RogueOneEvent

MAMA'S GEEKYAll Things Entertainment For Movie, TV, & Music Geeks

MAMA'S GEEKYAll Things Entertainment For Movie, TV, & Music Geeks

Being a Star Wars Nerd

Existing Story Lines

Forest Whitaker Joining the Cast

Balancing for Kids and Parents

Working with George Lucas

Klick Klack!

Star Wars Rebels airs Saturday nights at 8:30pm EST on Disney XD and returns January 7th!

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Lock Down Your Parking Ahead of Time

Organise Your Bags

Search for Family Friendly Events and Places

Take It Slow

Preparing to Direct Star Wars

A Rabid Fan Base

Casting Rogue One

Getting Hired as Director

Linking to Original Star Wars Movies

Leaving his Mark on Star Wars

A Very Important Story

Be sure you see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – in theaters now!

Tell Us About Bodhi

Having Fun on Set

Being a Part of Star Wars

How He Relates to Bodhi

Physical Training

Describe Bodhi in Three Words

The Name Rogue One

How He Got the Part

The Differences of a Big Budget Film

The Takeaway

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16th!

Telling Us About Krennic

Being the Bad Guy

Getting the Part

How Dangerous is Krennic?

Is the Empire a Family?

Being Cold-hearted

Did He Steal from the Set?

His Favorite Scene

See just how incredibly bad Krennic is when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

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