Hair Dare Dukes Days: The cars, the cars, the cars ...

Ahhhhhh ... the cars .... You know, the Hair Dare Dukes Days event was a great one for raising money for a worthwhile cause, fighting cancer. But it was also a car show, and the selection of shining beauties on the lawn this past weekend was vast and varied. Today's post, the closer of a week's worth of coverage of the annual event in Ontario, Canada, is light on the words and heavy on the photos. Because, as you know, a picture is worth a thousand words, and all that!

Photos by BRB except for this one above, courtesy of John (thanks!) and the one of BRB and Derrick taken by Derrick's helper for the General Lee rides (thanks, Derrick, for the photo printouts and for the "lift," so to speak!)

Hair Dare Dukes Days: See My Lee, the Chick Edition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, we really did mean to add all those exclamation points, because BRBTV can't help but get excited about a Chick General Lee!

Everybody knows that for a lot of "Dukes" fans, it's all about the car. And collecting that blazin'-orange beauty known as the General Lee is a largely "male" sport. But once in a while, you might accidentally encounter a female who loves and appreciates this 1969 Dodge Charger just as much.

Andrea, avid "Dukes of Hazzard" fan, found her own General over the Internet in the first week of June. "I have been looking for a couple years for a car, and I've found total junk heaps that I myself wouldn't know how to work on," she says. "The scenario with this car was perfect."

A friend of Andrea's who lives just an hour away from the car's location, in Kentucky, picked up the car for her and took it to his place. Then Andrea, along with a friend, traveled with a U-Haul trailer from Michigan to Kentucky to spend some time working on the car.

The car was already orange, and it already had the horn and vectors. It did not have the decals, however. "Everything was factory on it," Andrea says. Nothing had to be done with the engine, she notes. "It was in excellent driving condition."

"We did entire restoration photos and everything. We worked for like 14 hours a day on the car, scrubbing and sanding. We did a heck of a lot."

Her friend had already sent her the broadcast sheet and the actual warranty sheet from the car, which she says is rare to have. Andrea is still in contact with the car's most recent (second) owner, whose name is Chris, who is still in contact with the original owner, who still has the original title for the car. "We're working on getting that. Chris had gone to the hall of records and searched around."

Andrea is actually putting together a scrapbook of the history of her treasured possession, which will include the broadcast sheet, warranty sheet, title, restoration photos and more. But there's still some work to be done, she says, beyond what folks saw on the lawn at the Hair Dare Dukes Days.

"When I brought the car to Paul's show, it still needed wet-sanding. I still have that to do. In turn, I didn't put any of the trim on the car for Paul's show. But that's it. Down the road I want to give the engine more power. Put a 383 in it."

A labor of love for this "Dukes" fan? You betcha! "I watched the show when it was brand-new every Friday night, and got into John Schneider's fan club, and have been a fan of his ever since," she says. "When I first saw the show, I fell in love with the car and had to find out the history of what kind of car it is. I loved it, I loved the style and the body, and everything about it."

What a fun journey it's been, no doubt. And did Andrea ever imagine that at the very first show she took her new Lee to, the car would actually be driven by none other than Coy Duke? Here he is below, Byron Cherry behind the wheel of Andrea's car, with Paul Casey at his side and us girls in the back, on our way to a restaurant during the Hair Dare weekend! Fun!

You can learn more about Andrea and her Lee at her website: http://www.katzcharger.com/. She's a huge cat lover, too, by the way! You can see that at her home. "I have cat things everywhere, sheets, blankets, calendars, trinkets. Anything and everything is cat-shaped."

And hey, while we're talking General Lees, we just can't help but add in these two photos sent along by Bruce and Carole. This is their lovable poochie Tucker, who made friends with BRB during the Hair Dare show. Tucker loves to ride in Bruce and Carole's own Lee, you can see by these photos. Thanks, you guys, for sending them along ...

Hair Dare Dukes Days: Don Pedro Colley

OK, so ... what do you do when you see the imposing, stern, lumbering Sheriff Little of "The Dukes of Hazzard" riding around on a kids' motor scooter, his legs hanging out all over the place? You laugh and take photos, that's what! And that's exactly what he was doing -- and we were doing -- at the fifth annual Hair Dare Dukes Days event in Ontario, Canada, this past weekend!

Don Pedro Colley, who told us on Saturday morning that he's 69, set up shop at the table next to BRB at the event and told all kinds of great "Dukes" stories, and other stories about the many roles he's had in Hollywood. But did you know that he also wrote an episode of "Little House on the Prairie"? Yessireee, he called the episode "The Celebration," and in it a young girl gets lost and is helped by Dr. Tain, the physician to the Indians, who is discriminated against because he is black. It's the only television Colley has written. "I got an inspiration," he said.

Colley spoke well about his "Dukes" days and his costars. Denver Pyle, for instance, was the first actor that he ever met when he began his career in 1966. Colley called Pyle a wonderful human being. He also shared some tidbits about the making of the show. Sheriff Little is remembered so well for yanking the doors off cars or kicking off the fenders. Colley explained how this was done, by taking off the nuts and bolts, then reattaching with piano wire. Someone off screen would be waiting for the cue to yank the fender off when Colley kicked. Fun!

Colley also told about a time when his Sheriff Little persona came in handy in real life. His home in Oregon was broken into by some neighborhood thugs that had been hitting a lot of houses. The police considered them longtime criminals and were trying to catch them. Colley took matters into his own hand, a la Sheriff Little. He actually got a double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun and went over to the thieves' house. "Sheriff Little went to work," he says with a smile. He asked them who their fence was. A bit of a shootout ensued. "I didn't shoot at anyone," Colley clarifies. "I did it to scare them. They were avoiding being brought out of the shadows."

Colley also talked about the creation of the Sheriff Little character on the show. "The producers said the reason they were developing Sheriff Little was as the antithesis of Boss Hogg," he says. The kind of sheriff who has a presence without saying a word, he adds. "That's the kind of presence that I tried to project into the character."

He says he sure had a lot of fun with the lumbering lawman. "Sheriff Little is based on a lot of people I've seen in my life. This head is like a card file -- I've got all kinds of stuff I can pull out if I need it."

The local TV news station interviewed Colley as he signed autographs at Hair Dare. In the midst of all his other roles on movies such as "THX 1138" and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," Colley sure didn't mind reminiscing to the TV audience, or the myriad fans at the event, about his co-starring role as the stern sheriff of Chickasaw County, Georgia. "You don't mess with him. He's a good guy, but he's a cop. ... He's a real person. I try to bring that into him."

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Hair Dare Dukes Days: Byron Cherry

When you meet Byron Cherry, our own Coy Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," in real life, there are plenty of descriptors that can come to mind ... boisterous, fun-loving, always smiling ... the life of the party! And we have to admit, looking back now on that 1982 season of the show where he and Christopher Mayer nobly took on the role of the "replacement Dukes" and spun it for all it was worth, that cute Coy sure was "boisterous" and "fun-loving," too, wasn't he?

At the Hair Dare Dukes Days, Byron Cherry could be counted on for injecting a big laugh into virtually any moment, all weekend long, from the second his plane landed to when he was taken back to the airport on Monday! He stuck with the fans, not just on the Colasanti's grounds, but at the hotel, at the Applebee's on Sunday night, everywhere! This is just a great guy, and because of that, and because every time BRBTV travels to a show like this we like to bestow an honorary "Most Congenial in Show" award to a celebrity, that goll-darn Coy gets the award this time around.

So ... when you're a celebrity, how do you take a role on a wildly popular show, a role where you step into some very hard shoes to fill, where you were essentially cast as a "bad" guy, and make it a good thing? With grace, if you're Byron Cherry -- even years later. He speaks well of those days, and of John Schneider, the guy whose blond hair and fun-loving demeanor he "replaced" for a time on the show. Cherry tells BRBTV that he actually auditioned for the role of Bo Duke at the same time that Schneider did, right there in Atlanta. Cherry is from Atlanta originally, and his family still lives there. He says that at the time, he and Schneider had the same agent in Atlanta. Schneider joked to him, at the time, that he, not Cherry, was going to get the role of Bo! And indeed, he did, and Cherry took it in stride.


Do you remember that episode "Comrade Duke," where Coy and Vance meet the defecting Russian gymnast Natasha? Coy flips for the girl, literally and figuratively, performing an aerial flip during the episode. Cherry tells BRBTV that he was into gymnastics, among other sports, in his younger years. When the producers considered hiring a stunt guy to do the flip, to the tune of $1,200, Cherry stepped up and offered to do it. That flip took 28 takes, he says, and one of those takes was right on his head! (He wouldn't do the flip again at the Hair Dare event -- we asked! And take note: This guy is a very nice-looking age 52 -- his IMDb year of birth is wrong.)

While BRBTV was chatting with fellow fans at the Hair Dare Dukes Days, the topic of the Mean Green Machine came up. The tanklike vehicle only appeared in two "Dukes" episodes, during the Coy and Vance season. Whatever happened to that? one fan wonders. And what exactly was it, anyway? At a show like this, where everything from the General Lee to Daisy's Jeep Dixie to the "00" Mustang, the "Carnival of Thrills" car and everything else shows up, you sure don't see a Mean Green Machine pull into position on the lawn, now do ya? Well, BRBTV posed the question to Cherry, who laughs that the Mean Green Machine was essentially "some plywood over a chassis." It was a car engine with a steering wheel sticking up, he says, and just a plywood casing that was painted the green color. Where did this contraption ever disappear to? Cherry has no idea. Hmmm ....

Don't look now, but it's BRB's three best new buds! With Byron Cherry is Kevin (middle) and "Zealand," as he's now so aptly called -- our fellow "Dukes" fan Andrew, who traveled to the event all the way from New Zealand!

(That Zealand -- he was just outta control! And it was our own Coy who penned that nickname, by the way!)

Here, Coy Duke, aka Byron Cherry, drives the one and only "Chick" General Lee in attendance, owned by Andrea of Kalamazoo, Michigan. You'll learn more about Andrea in the special chick version of our occasional "See My Lee!" feature on Thursday ...

Nowadays, Cherry lives on the West Coast, near Ventura, California, about an hour away from the home of his fellow Duke boy Mayer (who was scheduled for this show but couldn't make it). The two, bonded by a single "Dukes" season and "The Dukes" cartoon, still keep in touch.

It's been said, in the "Dukes" world, that Coy and Vance never really got their due. And we'd have to agree, especially after meeting the lively and extremely fun and kind Byron Cherry.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV
Email if you want higher-resolution copies!

Hair Dare Dukes Days: What a weekend!

Welcome to Monday, and welcome to the beginning of a full week of coverage of the weekend's Hair Dare Dukes Days in hot 'n' sunny Ontario, Canada!

We had 'em comin' in from all over the place for this celebration of all things orange 'n' "01" -- Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, even New Zealand! We had the boisterous Byron (Coy Duke) Cherry, the still-lumbering Don Pedro (Sheriff Little) Colley, the entertaining and highly personable Paul Casey, and silly little BRB herself. And amid the sea of beautiful, classic cars from the "Dukes of Hazzard" realm, from other corners of the pop-culture world, and from the just-plain-classic-car-world in general, we had all kinds of fun. We had Will Rodgers (yes, that's his name) doing fabbo imitations of all the "Dukes" characters, joined by Billy on stage, we had Sheriff Little outta control riding a kids' scooter around the grounds (look for that photo later this week!), we had an-attendee-who-will-remain-nameless grabbing our own Coy Duke's nicely preserved behind numerous times, and we had Lees, Lees and more Lees. What more can you ask for?!

But this event wasn't just a time to get together and get all crazy about the "Dukes." Paul Harrington of the Canadian Dukes of Hazzard Fan Club raised some good solid cash for the Canadian Cancer Society, shaving his head for the cause -- and even inspiring his little girl Sarah to cut her hair short for the very first time! She raised $2,100 just on her own. Check out the first two photos below, of Sarah getting her very long braid nipped off! She's joined by her dad Paul on the right, and mom Cheryl is on the left.

Very special thanks go out to Paul for all he does on the show. This is the fifth annual event, and he pays for a great deal of it out of his own pocket so that the Cancer Society can get as much as possible. He demonstrates what it means to be a Duke (and hey, just ask him about the criminal he caught in downtown Leamington on Saturday night!).

We're dishin' out the photos all week from the Hair Dare Dukes Days, so stay tuned! (Tomorrow: Byron Cherry, life of the party!)

Lots of folks took the "Hair Dare" over the weekend for a good cause.


It certainly was enough that Paul Casey, two-time entertainer of the year in Vegas, wore this cool black Johnny Cash shirt on Sunday, but then he went and sang "Folsom Prison Blues"!!! Meow!

So does having a name like Will Rodgers just automatically oblige you to a career in entertainment? Hmmm ... This Will Rodgers, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, shown here at the special celebrity dinner at Colasanti's Tropical Gardens on Friday night, wowed the crowd with dead-on imitations of "Dukes" characters like Rosco, Boss Hogg, Bo and Luke. An avid "Dallas" fan, as well, he opened up a big-ole geek vortex with BRB and fellow attendee Kevin, discussing Bobby, Pam, the shower scene, the Lee Raintree book and a whole lotta other Southfork stuff!

Doesn't the 501st just rock!?! They do a show like this just about every weekend, one member told BRBTV. And don't worry -- in the midst of the 90-degree heat they had fans inside those things to keep 'em cool!

Before we knew it, a song broke out ... and yes, they sure were some "Good Ole Boys" ... Paul Casey, with Byron Cherry and Don Pedro Colley, meeting and greeting at the Friday-night din-din.

We can have nothing but admiration for a shirt like this. Billy says he got it at a shop in Pigeon Forge. (That's Mark 16:15, by the way.)

Jason, the "Duke of Duke," as BRBTV likes to call him, checks under the hood of his Lee at the Comfort Inn in Leamington before the show on Saturday morning.



He was big and strong, that military man who took this shot of BRB in one of the several vehicles on display. (Good thing she jumped up there herself and didn't get his help, though, like when the kindly Derrick helped her through the window of his General Lee later that day -- yikes, that was embarrassing! Lots more slip showing than just the tiny sliver here! She'll leave that famous window hop to Bo and Luke!)



Colasanti's Tropical Gardens, the site of the Hair Dare Dukes Days, also featured some fun face painting for the kids.

All photos by BRB, except that one of BRB in the military vehicle. Share photos with credit if you like, and if you would like higher-resolution copies, just email us.

Wanna be a comic-book writer? Archie can help

From Archie Comics

Have you ever wanted to be a comic-book writer? Have you ever dreamed of breaking into comics? Here is your chance to become a published comic-book writer. Many legendary creators like Mark Waid, Neal Adams and Tom DeFalco got their start at Archie Comics. You could get your first break at Archie too ...

Submit your story in the weekly story contest, and if you are the quarterly winner, your story will be featured in an Archie Digest!! Here are the rules:
http://archiecomicblogs.typepad.com/weekly_contest_rules

And if you're planning on making the trip to Wizard World Chicago this weekend, you'll see several Archie Comics creators: Rich Koslowski, Dan Parent and Andrew Pepoy will be there greeting fans. And, as an added BRBTV bonus, Richard Hatch, our own Dean Caldwell of "Dynasty" and (brief) Stephen Slade of "Santa Barbara," will be appearing at Wizard World Chicago. The event is at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, this weekend.

Elsewhere in Archie Comics ...

JUGHEAD’S DOUBLE DIGEST #133
It’s double-decker sandwiches and double-trouble as the irrepressible Jughead tilts the laugh-o-meter in this uproarious collection of new stories and classic tales! SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents. BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!
On sale newsstand August 21, 2007
Full-color digest format
$3.69

SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH #87
“A New Leaf”: To complete her Four Blades mission, Sabrina must get some dead leaves from the dying Mana tree… and that means a trip to the mysterious floating island of Sylphanari! Not wanting to go this perilous journey alone, Sabrina takes Harvey along. Getting alone time together does wonders for their relationship… until they run into Shinji’s girlfriend Hemlock, that is! On top of that, there are no fallen Mana leaves in sight… and the eerie fox-man Vosblanc is on hand as well! It’s more thrilling romantic intrigue as only Sabrina can deliver it! SCRIPT & ART: Tania Del Rio .
On sale newsstand August 21, 2007
32-page, full-color comic
$2.25

BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #177
Bright and brassy, bold and beautiful, blonde and brunette-- teen dream queens Betty & Veronica romp through this collection of new stories and classic tales! SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents. BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!
On sale newsstand August 21, 2007
Full-color digest format
$2.49

Harley Jane Kozak releases new book

Congratulations to our "Santa Barbara" babe Harley Jane Kozak, who has released the latest novel in her Wollie Shelley mystery series. The talented author, who is Mary Duvall McCormack to us, has garnered some attention -- and awards -- for her novels, such as "Dating is Murder."

Here's the synopsis from the press release for the new book, "Dead Ex":

"When David Zetrakis, a prominent television producer, is found dead in his home with a gunshot wound to the head, there’s bound to be a feeding frenzy in the media. But since David is an old boyfriend, Wollie finds the ripples are a little to close to home. To make matters worse, Wollie’s friend Joey also dated the producer – an often explosive relationship that the paparazzi remembers all to well. The fact that David had once fired Joey from the popular soap 'At the End of the Day,' on top of the discovery that upon his death she inherited a two-million dollar Klimt painting makes her the prime suspect in the eyes of the LAPD. Despite Joey’s recently erratic behavior, Wollie knows she didn’t kill David. So in her trademark gumshoeing style Wollie sets out to figure out who else had means and motive, which leads her to a host of oddball characters, any of whom could have pulled the trigger.

"And for Wollie, the fact that she’s also navigating a second murder; a disappearing suspect; a cop and a lover, both frustratingly dedicated to their work; and a very unhappy killer who’s focused on keeping the truth out of the tabloids, is just par for the course."

(A soap opera angle? How fun! And how close to home!)

Dead Ex
Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
Release date: August 7, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-385-51802-4
352 pages; $21.95

This saloon might be destined to be a "Dukes" fan destination

It's a place where the ladies really do wear dazyduks and the bartender'll serve you up a real order of moonshine ...

Sound like Hazzard County? Well, it's a little slice of Hazzard in ... Miami?

The Daisy Duke Saloon, as it's fondly called, has opened for business in Florida, and here amid the dozens of framed pictures on the wall of the lovely Catherine Bach, you can sit back, watch a game, and perchance dream that Bo, Luke and Uncle Jesse are going to walk through the door any second.

Wanna hear the drink specials? The Miami Herald will tell ya all about it:
http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/190187.html

(And hey -- if you go, email a photo to the BRBTV News Blog. We'd love to show everyone what the place looks like!)

BRBTV News Blog Blip: There's still time to bid on a fabbo "Dallas" collectible on eBay. The swimsuit that Lucy Ewing wore for her Inside Sports photo shoot (which Charlene Tilton herself will sign) is for sale on the auction site:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170136498864&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D170136498864%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1

Them Duke boys keep the roles a-comin' ...

OK, we're hitting a "Dukes of Hazzard" news spurt, so it's going to take us two days to cover it all.

Today, let's talk John Schneider. (And really, let's talk John Schneider every day, shall we?) The gals over at the All-John blog are always on-it when it comes to our boy Bo Duke.

Renee reports that the website for Schneider's new film "Sydney White" (opening next month) is up, with poster, stills, and trailer:
http://www.myspace.com/sydneywhite
Schneider plays Paul White in the film, which is a modern retelling of the "Snow White" tale, set in a college sorority system. Amanda Bynes has the title role.

And Carrie reports that the trailer for his upcoming film "Conjurer" is at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnIIBv-Xtew
This is a horror flick directed by Clint Hutchison and written by David Yarbrough.

Also on tap for Schneider, we'll just warn ya (because we can hardly keep up!) are:
Terminal Trap
Shark Swarm
(And can we help but detect the faint scent of a Saturday-night Sci Fi Channel creature-feature with that second one? Schneider's in great company with Daryl Hannah and Armand Assante on board, too.)

Major meow on that! But we couldn't leave this post just at the John-John news, now could we? Bo's cuz Luke is in the news now, too, for the latest role in his longtime, successful Broadway career. Tom Wopat is returning to "Chicago" tomorrow, August 7:
http://www.broadway.com/Gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=551272&WT.mc_id=Rss2

BRBTV birthdays for August

- Joanna Cassidy, who played the smart and seductive Sally Bullock on "Dallas," voiced Maggie Sawyer in the animated "Superman" series, and even did a guest shot on the "Dukes of Hazzard" spinoff "Enos," starts off this round of birthdays -- she turned 62 yesterday, August 2.
- Louise Sorel, unforgettable as Augusta Lockridge on "Santa Barbara," turns 67 on August 6.
- John Glover, who voiced Edward Nygma / Riddler on "Batman: The Animated Series," and is the amazing Lionel Lockridge on the CW's "Smallville" these days, turns 63 on August 7.
- Paul Dini, writer for "Batman: The Animated Series," turns the big 5-0 on August 7.
- Sydney Penny, who played B.J. Walker on "Santa Barbara" and has been doing Hallmark movie fare more recently, turns 36 on August 7.
- Mel Tillis, who played Burl Tolliver on an episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard," and also performed as himself on a different episode, turns 75 on August 8.
- Richard Anderson, whom we loved as Oscar Goldman on "Bionic Woman" but who also played Buck Fallmont on "Dynasty," turns 81 on August 8.
- Kate O’Mara, the Jackie Collins-type character of Caress Morrell, causing trouble for sis Alexis on "Dynasty," turns 68 on August 10.
- George Hamilton, who had a mean gleam as Joel Abrigore on "Dynasty" but just can't get enough of those Old Navy and snack-chip commercials lately, also turns 68 on August 12.
- Jeff Altman, the wholly obnoxious Hughie Hogg on "The Dukes," turns 56 on August 13.
- E.J. André, co-star to Joanna Cassidy as the wizened Mr. Eugene Bullock on "Dallas," was born on August 14, 1908 and died on September 6, 1984.
- Diana Muldaur, voice of Dr. Leslie Thompkins on "Batman: The Animated Series," turns 69 on August 19.
- Barbara Eden, the delightful J.R. Ewing adversary of LeeAnn de la Vega on "Dallas," as well as Larry Hagman's previous costar on "I Dream of Jeannie," turns 73 on August 23.
- Frank Runyeon, who was Father Michael on "Santa Barbara," has a birthday on August 23, as well, turning 54.
- Mel Ferrer, who played Harrison Page on "Dallas," turns 90 on August 25.
- Wanda DeJesus, another "SB" star as one of the several Santana Andrades, turns 47 on August 26.
- John Allen Nelson, the original (and hottest) Warren Lockridge on "SB," turns 48 on August 28.
- Russell Curry, who was Lt. Victor Boswell on "SB," also has a birthday on August 28, turning 51.
- Emma Samms, the second Fallon on "Dynasty" who returned to her role as Holly Sutton Scorpio on ABC's "General Hospital" last year, turns 47 on August 28.
- Sonny Shroyer, our loving Enos Strate on "The Dukes of Hazzard," is our last BRBTV birthday for August 28, turning 72.
- Jim Davis, the legendary Jock Ewing of "Dallas," was born on August 29, 1909 and died on April 26, 1981.
- Ellen Geer, who is a BRBTV tripleshot as Dr. Anita Krane on "Dallas," Dorothy on "SB" and a brief stint in the pilot episode of "Dynasty," turns 66 on August 29 (and yes, she is the daughter of "Waltons" actor Will Geer).
- Don Pedro Colley, the stern Sheriff Little of "The Dukes of Hazzard," turns 69 on August 30. You'll see him at the Hair Dare Dukes Days later this month in Ontario, Canada!
- Ben Jones, the reliable ole Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and venerable host of the yearly DukesFest, turns 66 on August 31.

Happy birthday to all!

Archie reports on the San Diego Comic-Con

From Archie Comics

At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, Archie’s George Gladir was the subject of a Spotlight panel, moderated by fellow Archie alumni Batton Lash. Gladir has entertained readers with almost 50 years of stories for Archie Comics. He detailed his life and career from his first cartoon sale to his time in the service, including his time as a P.O.W. He talked in detail about his time at Crack and Archie Comics.

At the Archie Comics panel, fans were treated to slides of coming attractions mixed with classic Archie moments. Three hundred copies of Archie Digest #236 were giving away at the door.

Tania del Rio talked about plans for Sabrina’s 45th anniversary, including the storyline that sees Sabrina turn into an evil witch. Bill Galvan, a fan who was discovered at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, talked about how he became an Archie artist. He was still wearing a homemade Jughead shirt. George Gladir explained how he keeps stories up to date. He talked about finding stories in everyday life and the research he does before he prepares his stories for the editor and artists. Rich Koslowski, who has inked virtually every character at Archie Comics in his 14-year career, talked about Archie’s 65 years of success. Dan Parent, who is celebrating his 20th year at Archie Comics, talked about plans for Betty & Veronica Spectacular, how he selects clothing for the girls, the inspiration he takes from his own daughter and how he works current pop culture into his stories. Andrew Pepoy talked about the upcoming Katy Keene graphic novel and the need for fans to send in more clothing designs for Katy. Victor Gorelick fielded questions on everything from Jughead’s Time Police to the MLJ Heroes. He answered questions about Sonic and received praise from a parent who said that Archie Comics are what encouraged her daughter to read. Fred Mausser talked about sales and the successes the company has had.

At the conclusion of the panel, the Archie creators went into the hallway to talk to the fans one-on-one, draw sketches against the wall and review fans' portfolios.

In other Archie news ...

65 years ago, history was made

MAMARONECK, NY – Archie Comics #1 changed the course of comic book publishing. Archie Andrews debuted in Pep Comics #22 and was an instant success. The following year, Archie was given his own title with Archie Comics #1 and history was made. Archie Comics has been continuously published for 65 years, and it is the only humorous comic book that can make that claim.

As a special treat for our fans. Archie Publishing is reprinting every story in Archie Comics #1, as well as the very first Archie story ever, from Pep Comics #22 and delivering a brand new story featuring Archie as he was in 1942 in a trip down memory lane as Archie of today runs into Archie of yesteryear. All of this is contained in ARCHIE DIGEST #236 at our regular digest price of $2.49. It is an outstanding price for a chance to relive comic book history.

See the first appearance of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica as they were 65 years ago. In addition to the new and classic stories featuring Archie there are stories with Chubby the Bear, Bumbie the Bee-tective, Squoimy the Woim, and Judge Owl’s Fables. Stories that most fans have never seen.

Stella Parton appears in "Ghost Town"

The indie film "Ghost Town: The Movie," which premiered in June in Maggie Valley, North Carolina (where it was filmed at the Ghost Town amusement park) has a couple "Dukes of Hazzard" connections. Terence Knox, who portrays Mayor Emerson Rogers in the film, was Rafe Logan in the "Dukes" episode "New Deputy in Town." And Stella Parton, such a DukesFest fave and portraying Betsy Mae in the movie, was cute little Mary Beth Malone in the "Dukes" episode "Deputy Dukes."

"Ghost Town: The Movie" also includes the Parton-penned song, "Up in the Holler." The film's plotline from the IMDb: "Appalacian folklore and legend tells the story of a man in 1856, who came out of the mountain wilderness of Cold Springs, North Carolina, to avenge his father's death. In his wake he left a ghost town. Today, 20 years later, he returns to avenge his daughter's honor." The film also features Renee O'Connor of "Xena: Warrior Princess" fame. The movie is slated for release later this year.

But that's not all Stella's got going on these days. She keeps her fans updated pretty well through her email newsletter. Later this year, she'll release her CD "Testimony," as well as a new cookbook. Earlier this year, her website auctioned off the painting of her "Appalachian Blues" CD cover by Lois Virginia Babb, and Parton donated the proceeds to the New Opportunity School for Women in Berea, Kentucky. Go, girl!

Pamela Sue Martin speaks out about hair loss

Did you have any idea that Fallon's beautiful, flowing hair was a wig? Pamela Sue Martin, who originated the role of Fallon Carrington on "Dynasty," right from the bite of the wedding-cake sugar couple in the pilot episode, is now speaking openly about her hair loss.

"My hair was always thin, but at some points in my life, such as when I was working on 'Dynasty,' it got more severe," she told the U.K.'s Daily Mail. "What made things worse was that it was the era of big hair. The 'Dynasty' producers insisted I wear a wig when I started the show in 1981."

But that wasn't the only stress-aggravated symptom the actress struggled with. "During 'Dynasty,' I was washed out and developed pneumonia," she said. "I had a fever and a chesty cough. I had to go to hospital and take antibiotics. I recovered, but whenever I am stressed, I now get pneumonia. I developed it shortly after I left the show in 1984 and again when my son was two."

You can read the whole candid story of the 54-year-old actress here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/womenfamily.html?in_article_id=471915&in_page_id=1799

Dana Delaney joins fellow Lois Lane on "Desperate Housewives"

Dana Delaney has one of those nice, familiar voices. To us fans of "Batman: The Animated Series" and its companion "Superman" and "Justice League" series, she's known as Lois Lane. She also voiced Andrea Beaumont on "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm."

Her interpretation of Lois is bold and brassy, confident and attractive, and so very brunette. It's not unlike the interpretation Teri Hatcher gave on the '90s "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman."

How ironic, then, that Hatcher and Delaney will soon be working on the same hit TV show. Delaney is scheduled to join the cast of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" this fall. Read more about the Lois Lane connections on the Superman Homepage.

Military vehicles will roll into "Dukes" event -- for a good cause!

Have you made your pledge yet for this year's Hair Dare Dukes Days? See last Friday's post of the BRBTV News Blog for links to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society on behalf of the hair-daring feats of Paul Harrington and his daughter, Sarah, who's cutting 10 inches of her hair off to give to Wigs for Kids! Sarah's goal is $2,500 to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, and she's raised $1,200 so far!

A display of seven real military vehicles of the Canadian armed forces is the latest feature being added to the weekend event, which happens August 10-12 in Ruthven, Ontario, Canada. Coy and Vance Duke (Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer) will be there, along with Sheriff Little, Mr. Don Pedro Colley, entertainer Paul Casey, and BRB herself signing copies of "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" It's not just a great "Dukes of Hazzard" event -- it's a great "Dukes of Hazzard" event for a great cause, fighting cancer! Admission is a nice, low three bucks.

Bring an extra memory card for your camera, because the photo ops are going to be robust, to say the least! Take this little beauty below, for instance ... You guessed it, that's the ride of the aforementioned Sheriff Little, the Chickasaw County Sheriff's car from "The Dukes." It's just one of the many fun cars (along with tons and tons of General Lees!) you'll see at the show.

Photo courtesy of Paul Harrington

Steve Kanaly does a live chat on Monday

Last week it was Susan Howard; next week it's her on-screen hubby, Steve Kanaly ...

The Ultimate Dallas site will feature another live chat with the "Dallas" stars, and this time it's the rugged, handsome Southfork foreman and long-lost Ewing son, Ray Krebbs. Kanaly will be online to answer your questions at 7 p.m. EST this coming Monday, July 30.

Here's the link:
http://www.ultimatedallas.com/livechat/

And thanks to the folks at UltimateDallas.com -- it's not always easy to track down these busy stars and get their time!

"Batman: The Animated Series" crew does it again with "Justice League" DVD movie

We've been reporting here on the BRBTV News Blog about not only the appearances of "Batman: The Animated Series" creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, but also the screening of the fabbo new animated Superman flick, "Doomsday." Well, Batfans -- and fans of the '90s animated smash shows like "B: TAS" -- have even more to look forward to at the con: A new "Justice League" straight-to-DVD movie will also be previewed there.

"The New Frontier" is based on a 2004 six-issue miniseries comic, and it follows Supes and the gang from the end of World War II through the Cold War. The DVD will be released in February of next year, but it's just another item that adds value to the rockin'-biggest comic con of the year. And the "B: TAS" presence is definitely there: Timm is producing, while Stan Berkowitz worked on the script.

And the cast of "The New Frontier"? It has to be described, quite frankly, as out of this world ... David Boreanaz of "Bones" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern, Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris, Neil Patrick Harris as Barry Allen / Flash, Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman (holy-heckin'-cow, who had THAT great idea? give 'em a gold star!), Kyle MacLachlan as Clark Kent / Superman, and Phil Morris, who portrayed Martian Manhunter this past season on the CW's "Smallville," as King Faraday. We're signed on, for sure!

And, just to ensure that this is a continuation of the "B: TAS" legacy, Shirley Walker is doing the music and Andrea Romano the casting. Read more about the DVD and its San Diego run here:
http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=20463
http://www.talesfromthelongbox.com/2007/07/23/the-nyts-speaks-with-darwyn-cooke-about-the-direct-to-dvd-film-justice-league-the-new-frontier/

BRBTV News Blog Blip: Speaking of "B: TAS" (and we don't mind speaking about it at all!), remember that episode "Showdown," with Ra's Al Ghul in a western setting, along with a slightly more obscure DC character by the name of Jonah Hex? Well, Hex is getting his turn in the spotlight -- Warner Bros. has just announced a film project for the disfigured bounty hunter, from the crew that brought us the movie "Crank."

Archie makes AOL's list of cartoon band faves

Archie Comics has a presence in AOL's top 10 list of the "Coolest Cartoon Rockers," with The Archies coming in at No. 3 and Josie and the Pussycats coming it at No. 4.

Here's what the press info says about Arch and the band ...

Coolest Cartoon Rockers: No. 3
The Archies
When They Rocked: 1968-69
The Archies were the Beatles of virtual bands -- innovators whose sugary hooks and catchy choruses spawned a legion of inferior imitators (The Bedrock Rockers, Jabberjaw). The Riverdale High quintet scored several hits in the late '60s, but 'Sugar, Sugar'-- the No. 1 song of 1969 -- remains the band's claim to fame.

Coolest Cartoon Rockers: No. 4

Josie & the Pussycats
When They Rocked: 1970-74
The Go-Go's, L7 and every other female rock group in history has Josie & the Pussycats to thank for leading the charge. The feline power trio looked adorable, rocked hard and still had time to solve crimes between gigs. A limited-edition CD of the group's songs was released in 2001, shortly after Rachel Leigh Cook donned Josie's ears for a live-action big-screen adaptation.

The complete list, from http://music.aol.com/:

AOL's 10 Coolest Cartoon Rockers

1) The Chipmunks
2) Gorillaz
3) The Archies
4) Josie & the Pussycats
5) Bart Simpson
6) Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang
7) Dethklok
8) Jem & the Holograms
9) Crazy Frog
10) Faith + 1

Elsewhere in Archie Comics ...

BETTY & VERONICA #229
“Caved In”: Veronica is mortified when Betty takes her cave exploring – until she sees the hunky tour guide! Surprises and dangers await in this thrilling tale!
“Childish Pursuits”: The boys give Betty and Veronica a hard time over their fondness for the hot new anime series, “Fairy Princess Bluebell.”
“Really Gifted”: In this touching tale, the girls learn about a catalog where they can purchase clean water, food and other needs for those living in impoverished countries. SCRIPTS: Kathleen Webb. ART: Jeff Shultz.
On sale newsstand August 14, 2007
32-page, full-color comic
$2.25

JUGHEAD & FRIENDS DIGEST #22
“Mission Improbable”: With Jughead helping his mother man their booth at the bake sale, do the delicious desserts stand a chance? That’s a chance Jughead’s Mom would rather not take, so when she has to leave her post, its maximum security lockdown for the cake Jug’s had his eyes on. But with a little help from one of Dilton’s inventions, Jughead just may take the cake… literally! SCRIPT: George Gladir. ART: Bill Galvan. PLUS: Other new and classic tales! SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents. BONUS: Puzzles, games and your chance to “Find Your Name in Print!”
On sale newsstand August 14, 2007
Full-color digest format
$2.49

VERONICA #182
“The Dream Job(?)”: Veronica gets a job interning at Trend Magazine for a very demanding boss reminiscent of a certain Prada-wearing film fatale! SCRIPT AND ART: Dan Parent.
“Madame President”: Veronica dreams about becoming President… until Betty fills her in on the facts behind her fantasy! SCRIPT: Barbara and Samantha Slate. ART: Dan Parent.
On sale newsstand August 14, 2007
32-page, full-color comic
$2.25

Christopher Atkins has new movie projects

Ah ... so many classic TV stars, so little time ... The four core shows of the BRBTV fact-book series, as well as the assorted animated series added in through the BRBTV Reports, allow for lots of checking in and catching up with great classic stars of the small screen. Case in point: Mr. Christopher Atkins, who, still fresh out of the attention-getting "Blue Lagoon," providing a hunky hand to the seventh season of "Dallas" as poolboy to Sue Ellen -- er, we mean, camp counselor to little John Ross. Nowadays, Atkins, who has kept up pretty steady acting work over the years, has a couple new projects in the works. We reported on them earlier this year, and now we check in with a little more info ...

"The Hard Ride" is a western that just began production earlier this year. Atkins has the juicy role of George Custer (he can't be that old!) in this tale, which has this plotline from the IMDb: "Action and death follow a legendary gunfighter and his close friends to 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory." Thadd Turner directs, writes and stars in the flick. Filming locations include Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where lots of good westerns have been filmed. The movie has a scheduled release date in May of next year. It comes from Talmarc Productions. Turner himself has written a nice synopsis of the film at OldWestAlive.com.

The character name of Wild Bill may make Atkins' other project, "Blind Ambition," sound like a western, too, but it's actually classified as a romance / teen comedy. Atkins doesn't have much big-star company in this one, either, which is listed as in post-production and scheduled for release this year. It's directed by Bala Rajasekharuni and written by Alpesh Patel. I-Run.com reports more on the film.

Also this year, Atkins appears in "Chinaman's Chance," and here he gets some great co-stars: Ernest Borgnine, Olivia Hussey, fellow primetime sudser Lorenzo Lamas, Coolio, Theresa Russell.

Get your pledges in for these Hair Dares ...

Paul Harrington's annual Hair Dare Dukes Days event is not just about "The Dukes of Hazzard" -- it's about cancer, too. Specifically, it's about his mom's cancer, but it's also about cancer anywhere, and the event raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society and their efforts to stop this deadly disease, which BRB's own mother died of earlier this year.

"After finding out that my mom has cancer, I decided to cut my 15" ponytail off for Wigs for Kids, and raise money at the same time for the Canadian Cancer Society," Harrington says. "That was back in July 2003. This August 2007, marks our fifth annual HAIR DARE DUKES DAY WEEKEND CAR SHOW & SWAP MEET & HAIRCUTTING EVENT."

Harrington found a way to combine one of his favorite things in this world, "The Dukes of Hazzard," with a cause that means a great deal to him. This year's event is August 10-12 in Ontario, and BRB will be there signing copies of "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" See the event poster, with all the crucial details, in the July 3 post of this blog.

You can make a pledge at this site, and Paul has set a goal of $25,000:

http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?px=1102042&pg=fund&fr_id=1300

To make this truly a family affair, though, Paul's daughter Sarah is also in on the act. She's got some really long hair that she's willing to cut for the cause. Her own goal is $2,500, and she's been working hard to get pledges and has already brought in some good ones:

http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?px=1102082&pg=fund&fr_id=1300