Spotlight on: "The Atlanta Child Murders"

The cast is simply dynamite: Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, Rip Torn, Jason Robards, Ruby Dee, Martin Sheen, Gary Graham, Bill Paxton, and more. It's "The Atlanta Child Murders" we're talking about, and we enjoyed it the other night, courtesy of our bud Tracy and that fab box of DVDs she mailed us this Christmas!

The 1985 miniseries did not disappoint for serving up some of our favorite classic TV stars. It, of course, chronicled the real-life case in Atlanta in the late 1970s, a serial killing of children and even a few adults. We love the true-life crime stories; it's why we have "48 Hours" and "Dateline" DVR'd right now. In this one, we delighted to see the aforementioned Graham (who we remember so fondly from "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Alien Nation") take the stand in the trial against Wayne Williams as a character named Ken Lawson, with a real fine Southern accent. Seriously, we would never have recognized his voice. Came so natural to him. Then there was Mark Arnold, in the midst of his role as the second Joe Perkins in "Santa Barbara," playing David Dingle here.

Kenneth Kimmins of "Dynasty" and "Dallas" (Thornton McLeish) was there, as well as Michael Alldredge of "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Arnold has a 2014 project going on, by the way, "The Gunrunner Billy Kane."

John Schneider set for second season of "The Haves and the Have Nots"

Thanks again to Phyllis for the heads-up that John ("Bo Duke") Schneider of "The Dukes of Hazzard" will again star as Judge Jim Cryer in the new season of Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots." This new season premieres on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Tuesday, January 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern. If you missed part of the first season or just want to watch it again, there is going to be a marathon of Season 1 episodes on OWN on December 30 and December 31 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Also, Schneider's production company is putting the final touches on the new movie "John Schneider's Smothered," a horror/comedy which will be in theaters in early 2014. Note that this is a horror movie and is not for the squeamish or for children. You can sign up to be kept updated on this movie here, and see the trailer here.

Me-TV brings on "Wonder Woman"

If you're one of the lucky ones who has Me-TV (we don't --wah!), you've got reason to celebrate this weekend. The cable network is rolling out the classic "Wonder Woman" episodes starring Lynda Carter, beginning with the pilot tomorrow night. The show will be part of its Sci-Fi Saturday Night lineup.

Read more about it at the channel's website, and see the complete Me-TV schedule there, too (it's classic TV nirvana). And thanks to Brian for the heads-up!

Merry Christmas from BRBTV!

BRBTV would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and all the best in the new year!

From our entire Scooby family to yours (from left): Candy-Doo, Rudy-Doo, Santa-Doo, Santa-Too, (above) Candy-Too, (in back) Dottie-Doo and Scooby-Boo, then Pinky-Doo, Apple-Doo, with Squirty-Doo and My Big Boy against the window, and finally Grampa-Doo on the far right. Not pictured: Antler-Doo, just rescued from a crane game and not quite arrived home yet!

CMT rolls out "The Dukes of Hazzard" in January

Some fans of "The Dukes of Hazzard" have been petitioning to get our beloved show back on the air on CMT in regular-like fashion, and the good news is that CMT is rolling out some "Dukes." See the schedule for January 5 and onward. Thanks to our buddy Jim in the Great White North for the heads-up!

Spotted: Ernie Hudson

He goes from one extreme to another in the two roles we saw him inadvertently on the same day (yesterday!). In his 1982 "Dukes of Hazzard" episode "Dear Diary," Ernie Hudson is a bad guy named Avery, irked because he's been double-crossed by Boss Hogg and drivin' up a storm after stealing Rosco P. Coltrane's diary with his cohort. He's lean and fairly mean.

In the new movie "Dear Secret Santa," airing last night on Lifetime, he's also Avery -- but Pastor Avery. Seems he's reformed after three decades! Pastor Avery encourages the lead character Jennifer, played by Tatyana Ali, because he knew her deceased mom and knows her ailing father well, too. He's a fatherly figure himself to Jennifer.

We tuned into the movie because we've joyfully been knee-deep in Christmas movies this season, taking basically whatever Lifetime or Hallmark will dole out! So we were delighted to see Ernie Hudson again, after reviewing said "Dukes" episode earlier in the evening for our update of the "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" guide to the show. Does he make a habit of playing characters named Avery? Well, no, that's just the way it worked out!

Ernie Hudson's resume is a mile long, and he has lots of new projects slated for 2014. We hope to talk to him in person sometime soon at one of the many comic cons he does.

Tom Wopat has a busy performance schedule for December through April

The latest from the Web crew of Tom Wopat of "The Dukes of Hazzard" ....

Tom has a lot to be thankful for this year! You may have heard that he recently underwent vocal chord surgery, and we're happy to report that his singing voice is back and stronger than ever! He's having a blast singing again, and is excited to record more music and schedule even more shows around the country next year. Please make sure to check out the list of upcoming shows below, and spread the word! 

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:

Dec. 11 - World Cafe Live - Wilmington, DE
Dec. 29 - The Rrazz Room - New Hope, PA
Jan. 7 - 54 Below - New York, NY (ticket link will be posted soon!)
Jan. 9 - Feinstein's at Hotel Nikko - San Francisco, CA
Jan. 17 - Charlotte Performing Arts Center - Charlotte, MI
Jan. 18 - River Raisin Centre - Monroe, MI
Mar. 8 - Mar 22 - The Colony at Palm Beach - Palm Beach, FL
Apr. 12 - Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts - Orange Park, FL
Apr. 19 - Curtis Theatre - Brea, CA 

Meet Bo Hopkins at the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In

Because that's what we plan to do, frankly. We've spoken to Mr. Hopkins through email before, when we interviewed him for the "Dynasty High" guide. But heck, we'd like to meet him, too. We loved him as Matthew Blaisdel. Well, the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In, an event in Ontario, Canada, is going to afford all of us that opportunity.

This custom car show held each summer at the Plunkett Estate just west of London, Ontario, will also feature longtime TV and film star Candy Clark and car star great George Barris, among others. The dates are June 7-8, 2014.

Keep your eye on the event website and Facebook page for more info as the time gets closer.

Many thanks to our "Dukes" buddy up north, Jim, for sending this info, along with his photo of the newspaper ad! :)

Happy Cyber Monday from BRBTV!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and were able to spend some time with family and/or friends before getting out there and keeping the economy alive! BRBTV had a great four-day stretch with a very full and fun Thanksgiving, then three wonderfully geeky days spent with friends that included a huge toy show, plenty of heart-pounding Scattergories (seriously), and the cosplay above. So in honor of Cyber Monday and in honor of the 1960s "Batman" TV series that BRB's fab Batgirl outfit refers to, here's a photo to start off your workweek!

"Dukes of Hazzard" history inspires this artist and avid fan

We showed you in our March 29 post the talent of Canadian artist Jim Wilson, who paints up very nice "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed scenes. Well, consider today's post "part 2" of that, as we take a look at another talented artist out of Ontario. His medium is quite a bit more three-dimensional than the painted canvas. He's put together a beautiful diorama that chronicles an important event in "Dukes" history -- the recovery of the very first General Lee used for a jump in the TV series, from a home in Georgia many years after its 1979 debut. What's more, this artist, Jason Darling, is friends with Jim Wilson, and it's really their artistic collaboration that you see in the first photo below, with Jim's painting in the background.

If you recall the story, this famous Dodge Charger was found still wearing its blue, roughed-up "71" paint job from its appearance in the fourth episode of the show, "Repo Men," when it doubled as a Richard Petty car. It changed hands a few times after the recovery and has most recently been fully restored to the way it appeared as blazin'-orange, jumpin' "Lee 1" in the pilot episode.

"The idea for the diorama came when Jim and I were talking about it and he had started painting again," Jason says. "I, of course, had many spare Charger model kits so I started my project! I have always followed the 71 story and I was present when it was unveiled at Oxford College (near Covington, Georgia) at the 25th anniversary event by Mr. Bell and helped push it on and off the trailer."

He continues, "I have about 13-14 hours in building the model and have researched it for years. The gentleman who bought it from Travis even contacted me for facts about it before its restoration. I am strongly against 71 ever being restored; I think that was an atrocity."

"Jim Wilson and I pride ourselves in recreating 'Dukes' facts and pieces for each other's collections such as our HOGGOCO oil cans and my and Jim's gas pumps, to name a couple," Jason says. "If Jim and I put our collections together, we would have a very nice 'Dukes of Hazzard' museum."

As with a lot of "Dukes" fans out there, the show made a big impression on this creative fan that goes way beyond art. "My favorite character on the 'Dukes' while it aired will always be Bo Duke, and then Uncle Jesse. I live my life with Bo Duke in my back pocket, with Uncle Jesse's values."

That's part of Jason's collection below. "My favourite episode," he says, "is a tie with 'Happy Birthday, General Lee' and 'The Ghost of General Lee.' I loved the history behind the birthday episode and the emotion behind the ghost episode."

"Jim and I go every day finding new 'Dukes' things and keeping the show alive and honest; we are 'Dukes' cousins for sure," Jason says. "We have helped one another with our collections, and I've even gotten Jim started on some General Lee parts! LOL."

Jason, of course, has his own General. "I'm in the process of building my own second-unit version General Lee, going on five years now, but I'm proud of it. I have been extremely fortunate to attend many 'Dukes' events, and I've gotten to meet every living cast member, something I never would have thought I'd ever get to do four years ago, being that I live down in Canada. The cast of the show are amazing and friendly people."

Jason continues, "I met Jim through an ad on Kijiji looking for General Lee parts -- now we're best friends. Funny how 'Dukes' fans find each other."

Thanks to Jason for sharing his story and his fabulous art!

Photos courtesy of Jason Darling; please do not copy without permission.

Catch book signings with Gavin MacLeod, Stacy Keach and more

Thanks to James for passing along this listing of upcoming book signings and appearances with the stars, including some TV greats ...

J.J. Abrams, director of "Star Trek" and creator of "Lost", signing copies of S: A Novel  

• 11/23/13 6:00 PM at Symphony Space - Braodway & 95th. New York, NY. 

Buzz Aldrin, 2nd man to walk on the Moon, signing copies of Mission To Mars

• 12/2/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Edinger Avenue. Huntington Beach, CA.

Frank Beamer, head coach at Virgina Tech, signing copies of Let Me Be Frank

• 11/19/13 7:00 PM at Gourmet Pantry - South Main Street. Blacksburg, VA.
• 12/8/13 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Conston Avenue. Christianburg, VA.

LeRoy Butler, former Green Bay Packers star, signing copies of Packers Pride

• 12/5/13 11:00 AM at Shopko - Bay Park Square. Green Bay, WI.
• 12/12/13 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - South Oneida Street. Green Bay, WI. 

Bryan Cranston, Dean Norris, & Bob Odenkirk, stars of "Breaking Bad", will be signing copies of Breaking Bad: The Final Season

• 11/25/13 9:30 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Ken Dryden, former Montreal Canadiens star, signing copies of The Game

• 12/1/13 3:00 PM at Bookends – East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.

David Ellefson, founder of Megadeth, signing copies of My Life With Deth

• 11/29/13 Noon at Bookends – East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.

Julius "Dr. J, Erving, NBA Hall of Famer, signing copies of Dr. J

• 12/19/13 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA. 

Peter Facinelli, star of "Twilight" and "Nurse Jackie", signing copies of Protocol Orphans

• 11/20/13 7:30 PM at Midtown Comics - Fulton Street. New York, NY.

Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgandy), signing copies of Let Me Off at the Top! My Classy Life

• 11/20/13 6:30 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA. 

Fannie Flagg, former "Match Game" regular, signing copies of The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

• 12/4/13 Noon at Costco - Palomar Airport Road. Carlsbad, CA.
• 12/5/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Edinger Avenue. Huntington Beach, CA.

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, signing copies of Breakout

• 11/30/13 Noon at Barnes & Noble – Tamiami Trail. Naples, FL.
• 12/17/13 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY. 

Bud Grant, former Minnesota Vikings head coach, signing copies of I Did It My Way

• 12/14/13 1:00 PM in the Rotunda - Mall of America. Bloomington, MN.

Dallas Green, former Phillies, Yankees, and Mets manager, signing copies of The Mouth That Roared 

• 11/23/13 11:00 AM at Barnes & Noble – Christiana Mall. Newark, DE.
• 11/24/13 Noon at Barnes & Noble – Neshaminy Mall. Bensalem, PA.
• 11/30/13 Noon at Barnes & Noble – Main Street. Exton, PA. 

Chris Hadfield, shuttle astronaut, signing copies of An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

• 11/23/13 1:00 PM at Degroots Nurseries Greenhouse - London Line. Sarnia, Ontario.
• 11/27/13 7:00 PM at Indigo Books - McGill College Avenue. Montreal, Quebec.
• 11/29/13 7:00 PM at Chapters Books - Chain Lake Drive. Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

John Hannah, NFL Hall of Famer, signing copies of Offensive Conduct

• 12/7/13 3:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Providence Highway. Walpole, MA.

Mark Howe, former NHL star, signing copies of Gordie Howe's Son

• 11/20/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Commerce Blvd. Fairless Hills, PA. 
• 12/1/13 1:00 PM at Bookends – East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.
• 12/9/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - West Route 70. Marlton, NJ. 

Anjelica Huston, Oscar winning actress, will be signing copies of A Story Lately Told

• 11/19/13 7:30 PM at Symphony Space - Braodway & 95th. New York, NY.
• 11/21/13 Noon at the Philadekphia Free Library - Vine Street. Philadelphia, PA.
• 11/25/13 7:30 at the Nourse Theater - Hayes Street. San Francisco, CA.   

Il Volo, Italian musical trio, signing copies of Buon Natale

• 11/29/13 2:00 PM in the Rotunda - Mall of America. Bloomington, MN

Stacy Keach, star of "Mike Hammer" and "Up In Smoke", signing copies of All In All

• 11/22/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Commons Way. Calabasas, CA. 

Artie Lange, fomer Howard Stern sidekick, signing copies of Crash and Burn

• 11/19/13 7:00 PM at the Apple Store - Prince Street. New York, NY.
• 11/21/13 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
• 11/29/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Eton Chagrin Blvd. Woodmere, PA.
• 12/7/13 1:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Settlers Ridge Center Drive. Pittsburgh, PA.

Kenny Loggins, rock & roller, signing copies of Frosty the Snowman

• 11/19/13 6:30 PM at Books & Greetings – Livingston Street. Northvale, NJ.
• 11/20/13 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
• 11/25/13 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica, CA.

Demi Lovato, singer and actress, signing copies of Staying Strong

• 11/19/13 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Gavin MacLeod, star of "The Love Boat", signing copies of This Is Your Captain Speaking

• 11/22/13 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Rosencrans Avenue. Manhattan Beach, CA.

Darren McCarty, former Detroit Red Wings star, signing copies of My Last Fight

• 12/3/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Fairlane Drive. Allen Park, MI.
• 12/4/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Washtenaw Avenue. Ann Arbor, MI.
• 12/5/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Haggerty Road. Northville, MI.
• 12/14/13 1:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - John R. Road. Troy, MI.

Joe Manganiello, star of "True Blood", signing copies of Evolution

• 12/2/13 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
• 12/3/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Union Square. New York, NY.
• 12/6/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Old Orchard Center. Skokie, IL.
• 12/7/13 4:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Settlers Ridge Center Drive, Pittsburgh, PA.

Peter Max, Pop Art icon, signing copies of The Universe of Peter Max

• 11/19/13 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
• 12/3/13 7:00 PM at Bookends – East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.

Stevie Nicks, member of Fleetwood Mac, signing copies of In Your Dreams    

• 12/4/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

B.J. Novak, star of "The Office", signing copies of One More Thing

• 2/7/14 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Union Square. New York, NY.

Bobby Orr, hockey legend, signing copies of Orr: My Story

• 11/20/13 6:00 PM at the Harvard Coop - Massachusetts Avenue. Cambridge, MA.
• 11/22/13 12:30 PM at Barnes & Noble - Northshore Mall. Peabody, MA.

Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, signing copies of Good Tidings and Great Joy

• 11/19/13 10:30 AM at Costco - Dallas Parkway. Plano, TX.
• 11/20/13 10:00 AM at Sam's Club - SW Loop 323. Tyler, TX.
• 11/20/13 6:00 PM at Mardel Christian - South Boulevard Street. Edmond, OK.
• 11/21/13 10:00 AM at Sam's Club - North Highway 112. Fayetteville, AR.
• 11/21/13 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Oak Park Mall. Overland Park, KS.
• 11/22/13 10:30 AM at Costco - West Dodge Road. Omaha, NE.
• 11/22/13 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Mall of America. Bloomington, MN. 

Jane Pauley, former host of "Today", signing copies of Your Life Calling

• 1/7/14 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.

Jerry Ross, space shuttle astronaut, signing copies of Spacewalker 

• 12/6/13 11:00 AM at Annette's Emporium - East Main Street. League City, TX.  

John Stockton, NBA Hall of Famer, signing copies of Assisted

• 12/8/13 Noon at Auntie's Bookstore - West Main Street. Spokane, WA

Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champion, siging copies of Undisputed Truth

• 11/26/13 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Jesse Ventura, former wrestler and Governor, signing copies of They Killed Our President

• 11/22/13 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Rob Zombie, rocker and director, signing copies of The Lords of Salem

• 11/22/13 Noon at Barnes & Noble – Woodland Mall. Grand Rapids, MI.
• 11/24/13 Noon at Barnes & Noble – Mallory Lane. Brentwood, TN.