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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, November 27, 2020 4 By Rachel Jones TV Media J oin in on the adventure of a lifetime as the HBO adapta- tion of Philip Pullman's well-loved trilogy, "His Dark Materials," continues with an all-new episode airing Mon- day, Nov. 30. Now in its second season, the series started off strong and continues to im- press fans who are all looking forward to the twists and turns to come. If you've read the books (or saw the 2007 film "The Golden Compass") you'll already be looped in on the show's char- acter lineup and the uniquely magical world created by Pull- man. The series follows a young girl, Lyra Belacqua (Daf- ne Keen, "Logan," 2015) — also known by the name of Lyra Silvertongue — who is believed to be destined to lib- erate her world from the grip of the Magisterium — a med- dlesome and ultraconservative organization that tries to re- press any human connection to magic and sentient animal spirits, known as daemons. The first book in Pullman's series was released in 1995 and was titled "Northern Lights," although it was pub- lished as "The Golden Com- pass" in North America. "The Subtle Knife" was released in 1997, and "The Amber Spy- glass" soon followed in 2000. When "The Golden Compass" movie came out in 2007, many of the book's readers were ex- tremely disappointed in the film as they felt the book's in- tegrity was not accurately rep- resented. Luckily, the series ad- aptation, "His Dark Materials," has had a much warmer recep- tion, with the first season go- ing on to receive 10 BAFTA Award nominations and win- ning two. Also, while "The Golden Compass" featured a rather high-profile cast, it's possible that the cast of "His Dark Materials" could be con- sidered even more studded with stars. Starring alongside Keen to make up the core cast are Lin- Manuel Miranda ("Hamilton," 2020) as "aëronaut" balloon- ist Lee Scoresby; Ruth Wilson ("The Affair") as the stern and menacing Mrs. Coulter; James McAvoy ("X Men: Dark Phoe- nix," 2019) as the powerful and aristocratic Lord Asriel; Anne-Marie Duff ("Sex Educa- tion") as grounded matriarch Ma Costa; Lucian Msamati ("Gangs of London") as John Faa, King of the Gypsies; and Andrew Scott ("Victor Fran- kenstein," 2015) as renowned scholar and mystic healer Col. John Parry. Like most everything right now, the series was struck hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, though, fortunate- ly, it wasn't as severely affected as most other shows. Season 2 is scheduled to consist of seven episodes, which were all (quite fortuitously) filmed before the current pandemic struck. Hav- ing just begun to film its eighth Season 2 episode, "His Dark Materials" was forced to cease all production due to health dangers caused by the virus. Given that the first season was only eight episodes long itself, the cut down to a seven-epi- sode second season is hardly noticeable. That unfinished epi- sode, however, was intended to have been a standalone fea- ture about the mysterious Lord Asriel, so fans of the show will hopefully have that to look for- ward to sometime in the future when the episode has been completed as planned. While Season 1 focused pri- marily on the events of the first book in the series, this season's episodes are based on Pullman's second book, "The Subtle Knife." The Sea- son 2 storyline is expected to show what happens after Lord Asriel opens a bridge to a new world. Meanwhile, mourning the loss of her best friend, Lyra heads off into the unknown, searching for her father and continuing to in- vestigate Dust — an elemen- tary particle that bestows con- sciousness upon certain spe- cies — using the rare alethi- ometer, a magical compass- like device. The compass also has another unique quality: provided its user knows how to read it, it will provide the truth to any question it is asked (like a much more accu- rate version of the real-world Magic 8-Ball). coverstory Dafne Keen stars in "His Dark Materials" A '(Dark) Material' world: Pullman's trilogy continues on the small screen By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: How did Jimmy Durante end up doing the "Frosty the Snowman" special? He wasn't really known for that sort of thing. A: There are a couple of reasons that seem to be at play here. The biggest is that his association with the song predates the special. But so does his soft spot for kids. The song "Frosty the Snowman" was written by Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950, allegedly an attempt to re- capture the magic of the earlier novelty Christmas song "Ru- dolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." "Frosty" was first recorded by Gene Autry, who had a hit with "Rudolph" the previous year, but later in 1950, beloved vaudeville comedian Jimmy Durante recorded "Frosty" as well. His version reached No. 7 on the U.S. pop singles chart. So when, in 1969, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. were looking for a narrator and singer to appear in their "Frosty the Snowman" animated special, Jimmy's association with the song made him a natural choice. As for why he accepted when, as you point out, he wasn't a big voice actor (indeed, "Frosty" is his only voice role), it seems that has more to do with his sideline as a genuinely good guy. Durante was a supporter of children's charities, including, most notably, the work done by the Fraternal Order of Eagles to support children with disabilities. In 1961, he was invited to appear at an Eagles convention but refused to be paid for it. When asked what the organizers could do for him instead, Durante said (and you can just hear him saying it), "Help da kids." Q: Where did Rashida Jones get her start? She seems to suddenly be everywhere. A: The simple, more literal answer to your question — that she got started by doing small, often uncredited roles, mostly in films — misses the point, which is that she's something close to entertainment royalty. Rashida Jones, best known, perhaps, for her long-running role as Ann on "Parks and Recreation," is the daughter of leg- endary music producer Quincy Jones and former "Mod Squad" star Peggy Lipton (or, "Twin Peaks" star Peggy Lipton, if you're a little younger). More interesting still, Jones is proof that it's not just nepo- tism that leads to these sorts of showbiz dynasties. Apart from being a successful actress with a few awards and a lot of hits on her resume, she's also a successful producer, director and writer. You might have heard of her most recent writing project — a little billion-dollar film called "Toy Story 4" (2019) — one of several behind-the-camera credits she's amassed over the years. (Another notable one: she co-wrote and co-directed "Quincy," the 2018 biopic about her famous father.) The success of her various projects, on- and off-screen, sug- gests she didn't just luck into the work, she's well suited to it. Is there really something to the idea of "show business in the blood," or is this just the product of hearing showbiz talk at the dinner table from birth? That's a science question, and this isn't a science column. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Towne Floring 3 x 2

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