Hazzard Run 2014 -- Part 2, Gatlinburg!

Annnnnndddddd ... We follow up yesterday's post on the Hazzard Run with a glimpse at the rest of the event, namely the trip to Gatlinburg. This author was significantly wowed by this tourist town, which could easily strike one as a Vegas for the older set. Dinner theatres everywhere!!! Every one a different magnificent theme. We had the privilege of taking in one of those dinner theatres, as it was "Dukes of Hazzard" themed and just too tempting to resist. The actors, especially the gentleman who portrayed Rosco, shown in the photos below, were simply outstanding.

Danny drove his white Charger, a tribute to Cale Yarborough's Charger in "The Dukes." Danny even has a replica of Cale's suit, below.

Don Pedro Colley, aka Sheriff Ed Little, was there at Cooter's Place to sign autographs for fans, as was Catherine Bach, our own Daisy Duke.

So great to be with friends again at the local Steak and Shake!!!

All along the mini-golf path at Cooter's Place is a nice assortment of "Dukes" memorabilia as well as banners and signs from "Dukes" events of the past several years.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV except for the ones that include her!

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand.

Hazzard Run 2014 -- Part 1, Nashville!

OK, wow, we're coming up for air from an exciting weekend, the 2014 Hazzard Run from Nashville on Saturday morning to Gatlinburg on Saturday afternoon. And it was just great. A bunch of "Dukes of Hazzard"-related vehicles driving together on the open road, having a nice time hanging out at the Cooter's Place location at each end of the run. It was wonderful to see good friends again that we only get to see once or twice a year. And when we get together, it's as if no time has passed.

This author was rather overwhelmed at the collection of "Dukes" memorabilia at Cooter's Place, as well as some great stuff for sale (we snagged some Christmas gifts). Let's do this in two parts, shall we? Today we'll focus on Nashville, tomorrow on Gatlinburg ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV, except for the ones that include her!

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand.

Catch the discussion on "Misogyny in Comics" on the latest episode of "Fantastic Forum"

Of all the episodes of the Washington, D.C.-based "Fantastic Forum" TV show that Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV has done, this is the one she's the most geeked about. If the title of the episode isn't enough to grab you, the discussion definitely will.

Are females treated differently when they walk into a comic shop? Do girls in geek communities like online gaming arenas get rape threats? Are there fewer women in the comics industry because they don't have as much opportunity as men? Join BRB and Bria LaVorgna, El Anderson and Abigail Pritchard for a very thought-provoking discussion.

The episode originally aired on Sunday in the D.C. area and is now available online for global viewing! Join the discussion by sending in your comments!



If you're on the East Coast, here's where you can catch "Fantastic Forum," produced since 2007 by Ulysses E. Campbell:

• PhillyCam,  Philadelphia, PA; COMCAST channel 66/966; Verizon FiOS channel 29/30.
• MCM  Montgomery County, MD; COMCAST channel 21; RCN channel 21; Verizon FiOS channel 21.
• Arlington Independent Media (AIM), Arlington County, VA; COMCAST channel 69; Verizon FiOS channel 38.
• FPA-TV,  Fairfax County, VA; COX channel 10.
• DCTV, Washington, DC; COMCAST channel 95; RCN channel 10; Verizon FiOS channel 10.
• Prince George’s Community Television (CTV), Prince George’s County, MD; COMCAST channel 76; Verizon FiOS channel 42.
• Community Media of Baltimore City (CMBC), Baltimore, MD; COMCAST channel 75.
• Herndon Community Television, COX channel 23, Verizon FIOS channel 28.

Terrific TV Toys: Scooby-Doo kids' meal toys!

It's Halloween time, and that means Scooby-Doo, now doesn't it??? We love the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" television series that kicked off a pop-cultural sensation that is still going strong all these years later. In the latest episode of Terrific TV Toys (*of a vintage nature), Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV looks at a few Scooby-Doo toys from fast-food kids' meals.

J.R. Ewing bourbon is in the house!

Thanks to our buddy Mike we finally have in our hot little hands a bottle of the J.R. Ewing brand of bourbon announced so many months ago. Ironically, it arrives on the same day we hear that TNT's "Dallas" has been canceled, shortly after ending its third season. Rats. It was a great run for the new series, and we have to say, that little John Ross certainly earned our respect. Bummed that we won't be able to see his further adventures. The show met our expectations, which were pretty high.

The news on the show's official Facebook page said: "TNT has decided not to renew 'Dallas.' We are extremely proud of the series, which defied expectations by standing as a worthy continuation of the Ewing saga. We want to thank everyone involved with the show, from the extraordinary cast to the impeccable production team, led by the show's creative forces, Cynthia Cidre and Mike Robin. We especially want to thank the people of Dallas for their warm and generous hospitality during the production of the series." Nice. Again, we're bummed.

But on to the sauce! The bottle is square and regal and solid, all 750 mL of it. It's 80 proof. It's four years old and from Kentucky. And you can see an image of Southfork Ranch through its front ...

Sweet. Note the Southfork logo on the front, which is also replicated on the sticker across the cap.

The bourbon was featured a few times on the new "Dallas" series, including a scene in what is now the very last episode. (Sob!)

But hey, what about the matching J.R. monogrammed glasses? OK, guess we can't be too greedy.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

We're continually amazed at who pops up on daytime soaps

Don't sound the death knell just yet. Daytime soaps aren't dead. Actually, they're not only still kicking around, they're providing some new life to the careers of some .... seasoned actors, shall we say?

Here we are, minding our own business today, doing our usual work, when up pops Fred Willard on CBS' "The Bold and the Beautiful." Geez-Louise, there's a guy with a resume. As the brother of one of the lead characters, Willard was as boisterous as ever, playing to his strengths, for sure.

Just the opposite was Donna Mills in a stint on ABC's "General Hospital" a few weeks ago. Cold, calculating, still lovely -- yup, that was her. She was also of the sibling vein, providing sisterly venom to Britt Westbourne's just-as-calculating mom. The whole thing dropped a bombshell on poor Nathan West, who discovered the mom he thought he had wasn't the one he had. Then he went and discovered the dad he had was even worse -- Victor Cassadine (our "Santa Barbara" veteran Thaao Penglis). Or so it seemed. Good ole mom still has a big reveal up her sleeve.

Then Meredith Baxter showing up as Stitch's mom on CBS' "The Young and the Restless"? Seems she's got a thought or two about undermining mainstay Nikki Newman.

Not that we're watching these things, mind you. Just background noise. Really.

"The Judge" features a couple stars of classic TV

They had us at Vincent D'Onofrio, because we looooooooves us some Vincent D'Onofrio, but the rest of the cast of the upcoming "The Judge" is quite a lot to crow about, too!

Besides Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role (yea, a plus), and Vera Farmiga, whom we love on "Bates Motel" (yes, BRB watches it faithfully! not afraid of the name!), there's Ken Howard popping up, whom we know, of course, as Garrett Boydston on "Dynasty." Then there's Grace Zabriskie, not only Laura Palmer's mom on "Twin Peaks" but also the mom of another troubled teen, Christy Duvall, as Theda Bassett on "Santa Barbara." Love that. Zabriskie is Mrs. Blackwell, while Howard portrays Judge Warren.

The movie is due October 10. 

Baltimore Comic Con serves up TV-related delights

One thing we really liked about this year's Baltimore Comic Con (this author's sixth in a row), besides hanging with friends and having a lot of fun, was the great shopping. The shopping was just really good this year at the event, held the weekend before last at the Baltimore Convention Center downtown. We found lots of stuff related to the TV shows we love. Plus, the con was held in a different area of the convention center this year, causing many guests we talked with to remark that there was more elbow room. Sure enough, that con had been beyond packed in recent years. Here's a little photo glimpse of some of the sights and sounds of this year's event.

 

Above, wrestler Jerry ("The King") Lawler and Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca of "Star Wars," were among the guests. 

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" gets new life with animated web series, live-action movie

The only reason we knew what the heck a mongoose was in our formative years was because of the animated TV special, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." The 1975 cartoon, narrated by Orson Welles and based on Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books," was a fixture on network television for quite a few years. This author watched it faithfully every time it aired, always newly enthralled by the heroic mongoose who dispatched two evil, plotting cobras with such skill -- and a fervent love for his adopted family.

So imagine our delight when we happened upon a table for Rikki-Tikki-Tavi at the Baltimore Comic Con a week or so ago. Yes, this is a seemingly forgotten property that is now being revisited. There will be a new animated web series in the next year or two, along with a live-action movie. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in live action!??? Yes, we said it. Look for our interview with the mongoose's PR rep on an upcoming episode of the Washington, D.C.-based "Fantastic Forum" TV show.

And hop over to Rikki-Tikki-Tavi-tm.com for more info. You can download an app on GooglePlay or the Apple App Store and see the premiere video.

Now this is a classic worth revising -- we can't wait! Meantime, catch the original below. June Foray provided voices, and Les Tremayne of our beloved "Shazam!" and "The Dukes of Hazzard" voiced the father!