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 turns 65 on August 2.
- Lauren Tom, who voiced Dana Tan on "Batman Beyond," turns 49 on August 4.
- Louise Sorel, unforgettable as Augusta Lockridge on "Santa Barbara," turns 70 on August 6.
- John Glover, who voiced Edward Nygma / Riddler on "Batman: The Animated Series," and more recently as the amazing Lionel Lockridge on the CW's "Smallville," turns 66 on August 7.
- Paul Dini, writer for "Batman: The Animated Series," turns 53 on August 7.
- Sydney Penny, who played B.J. Walker on "Santa Barbara," turns 39 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 78 on August 8.
- Richard Anderson, whom we loved as Oscar Goldman on "Bionic Woman" but who also played Buck Fallmont on "Dynasty," turns 84 on August 8.
- Kate O’Mara, the Jackie Collins-type character of Caress Morrell, causing trouble for sis Alexis on "Dynasty," turns 71 on August 10.
- Will Friedle, the Batman of the future, Terry McGinnis, on "Batman Beyond," turns 34 on August 11.
- George Hamilton, who had a mean gleam as Joel Abrigore on "Dynasty," turns 71 on August 12.
- Jeff Altman, the wholly obnoxious Hughie Hogg on "The Dukes," turns 59 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.
- Glenn Corbett, the hunky Paul Morgan on "Dallas," was born on August 17, 1930 and died on January 16, 1993.
- Diana Muldaur, voice of Dr. Leslie Thompkins on "Batman: The Animated Series," turns 72 on August 19.
- Ray Wise, who was Blair Sullivan, Lucy's contact in the modeling biz on "Dallas" and who more recently has starred as the devil on the CW's "Reaper," turns 63 on August 20.
- 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 76 on August 23.
- Frank Runyeon, who was Father Michael on "Santa Barbara," has a birthday on August 23, as well, turning 57.
- Mel Ferrer, who played Harrison Page on "Dallas," was born on August 25, 1917 and died on June 2, 2008.
- Wanda DeJesus, another "SB" star as one of the several Santana Andrades, turns 50 on August 26.
- John Allen Nelson, the original (and hottest) Warren Lockridge on "SB," turns 51 on August 28.
- Russell Curry, who was Lt. Victor Boswell on "SB," also has a birthday on August 28, turning 54.
- Emma Samms, the second Fallon on "Dynasty," turns 50 on August 28.
- Sonny Shroyer, our loving Enos Strate on "The Dukes of Hazzard," is our last BRBTV birthday for August 28, turning 75.
- 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 69 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 72 on August 30.
- Ben Jones, the reliable ole Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and venerable host of the yearly DukesFest, turns 69 on August 31.

Happy birthday to all!

TGIF Toys: A cuter Caped Crusader

OK, is it our imagination, or are those some bewitching eyes on our gal Barb here, otherwise so innocent and idealistic as she hops the streets of Gotham fighting crime as Batgirl? She does have the reputation of Batman to stand on, after all -- and here, she has a stuffed giant Bats to stand on, too! (Didya realize it?) This Batgirl figure is from the current line of DC Universe / Justice League Unlimited figure three-packs you'll find at your local Target. Our buddy Drew bought the threesome and let us lift just this one for a cool price (not that we have anything against Pengie). Her mold appears to be identical to the silver-clad (Walmart exclusive?) Batgirl we found a few years back (the hair is darker on that one -- auburn, shall we say?).


Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Comic-Con: Paul Dini talks about "Tower Prep"

BRBTV gives you another day of Comic-Con International coverage from San Diego-beautiful-California with the latest project of Paul Dini of our beloved "Batman: The Animated Series." Dini is writing for the live-action Cartoon Network series "Tower Prep," coming this fall.

During a Sunday panel at the con, Dini talked about how this show, set at a prep school, came from his desire to "create shows that were compelling and fantastic that spoke to an audience in a way that hasn't been addressed before."

What was his inspiration? "I just looked back on my childhood and thought about incidences when I was a kid. I went to a prep school, and I went back to my feelings of what it was like at the time. For the first year, it was absolutely ghastly, and I thought, I'm going to use that someday."

Dini was joined by (from the right in the above photo, after moderator Harry Knowles and Dini) fellow series writer Glen Morgan for the panel, as well as actors Drew Van Acker (Ian Archer), Ryan Pinkston (Gabe Forrest), Elise Gatien (C.J.), and Dyana Liu (Suki Sato).

Do shows like "Tower Prep" mean Cartoon Network is moving away from cartoons, Dini was asked by a panel attendee. No, he said, the network is still buying lots of cartoons. They just discovered there's an audience for the live-action shows.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Comic-Con: James Tucker has some new Batwork lined up

BRBTV continues some special coverage of the weekend's Comic-Con International in San Diego with James Tucker, whom we know for his work on "The New Batman Adventures" and "Batman Beyond." In an interview for the "Comics Continuum" TV show and accompanying website, Tucker spoke to BRB on Friday about his current work on the animated series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and what's coming up for him.

With "The Brave and the Bold" in its final 13 episodes this coming year, Tucker named two big DC characters that will be featured: Wonder Woman and Superman.

Tucker is working on a new Batman show, though it's in the early planning stage.

"There's not much to tell because I haven't figured it out yet," Tucker said, "but all I can say is it's going to be radically different from 'Batman: Brave and the Bold.' Of course, it'll appeal to Batman fans, and all I can say, is again, I think people should be able to trust me with the character, so have no fear, and we're working on it as we speak. We're trying to figure out what it is in detail, and once I know, I'll let everyone else know."

He continued, "It will be coming in on the coat-tails of the new Green Lantern series, so expect similarities between that and our show. It will be technically in the same vein as Green Lantern, meaning Green Lantern is CGI, this will probably be CGI."

Watch the interview clips at ComicsContinuum.com.

Photo copyright Comic Continuum

Comic-Con: John O'Hurley to do a voice on "Super Hero Squad Show"

John O'Hurley, our own Stephen Slade of "Santa Barbara," will do some voicework for the popular animated series "The Super Hero Squad Show" in the show's second season this coming year. O'Hurley was among the celebrity voices announced for the show's new episodes at Comic-Con International in San Diego over the weekend.

O'Hurley will voice a game-show character called Game Master. Though the actor is well-known for hosting "Family Feud," it really was his soaps work that got him this new gig. Marvel Animation exec Cort Lane told BRB, as she interviewed him for the "Comics Continuum" TV show and accompanying website on Friday, that it really was O'Hurley's work on "The Young and the Restless" that made an impression on him.

"The Super Hero Squad Show" airs on Cartoon Network.

BONUS TGIF Toys: "Dynasty" Barbies!!!!

Ooooh, baby, we couldn't wait until next week's TGIF Toys feature for this one, because it's just too hot! They're delicious, they're delightful, they're our "Dynasty" dames -- a la Barbie! On display right now at the Mattel booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego are the Krystle Carrington and Alexis Colby Barbie dolls.

Dressed in "her signature white-sheath gown with bold shoulder pads," as the description says, Krystle Barbie surely shimmers. And, as her fine foil, the Alexis Barbie is fabulous in that familiar gold lame' gown with ruffled shoulders. Meow!!!

Can Pamela and Sue Ellen Ewing be far behind, Mattel?

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

TGIF Toys: Targeting "Dallas" fans ...

Here's a downright delicious collection: the "Dallas" card game we showed you a few weeks ago, a "Dallas" dart set (yea, he's the bulls-eye -- you woulda guessed it, wouldn'tcha?) and the prototypes of the 4-inch "Dallas" figures, sadly never released. All of this by our beloved Mego Corp., 1981. Can you believe buyers weren't interested in the figures, back then, during the show's heyday? Ooooooohhhhhhh ... we moan, we groan ... if they'd have only given us a chance ....

Photo courtesy of the Mego Museum; copy at your own risk

Spotted: Roddy McDowall

Sans that "Apes" thing, Roddy McDowall tended to like those brainy roles. (Well, OK, Cornelius was a pretty smart ape.) And just as he was the highly intelligent and misunderstood Jervis Tetch, aka the Mad Hatter, on "Batman: The Animated Series," he was the highly intelligent and misunderstood physicist Arthur Chapman on the second-season "Wonder Woman" episode, "The Man Who Made Volcanoes."

With his white lab coat and big-ole glasses, McDowall is geeky before geeky was cool. He thinks he's working for world peace as he wields a weapon that wreaks destructive volcanoes across the globe. McDowall is composed and well-spoken, if a bit mad (!) in this 1977 role, 15 years before he voiced the Hatter.

See it for yourself at the WB, and enjoy a full BRBTV synopsis for this and the other "WW" episodes at the IMDb.

The BRBTV Reports are now available on Kindle

A few years back, BRBTV hatched this hairbrained idea for a new product in its line, a shorter, snappier reference guide, something nice and quick and fun with basically a feature story and an episode guide, costing only a buck and taking a whole lot less time to put together than those blessed fact books.

Thus was born the BRBTV Report, and really the impetus for this new product was the invitation from Amazon to join its then-brand-new Amazon Shorts program. Published electronically only, and designed for the shorter form, the Amazon Shorts were the perfect vehicle for BRBTV guides to various animated series that might not warrant a whole book full of info. The Shorts program launched the first five BRBTV Reports, one by one, beginning with a guide to the 1999-2000 animated series "Archie's Weird Mysteries" in July 2006. Following six months of exclusivity, we released full-color, graphic-intense, PDF versions of each Short on BRBTV.com.

In May, Amazon discontinued its Shorts program, so BRBTV has converted the text of each BRBTV Report into a Kindle version, now available on Amazon. These text-only versions sell for a cool, low price -- that same buck! Alongside them, the same colorful PDF versions are still available at Reports.BRBTV.com.

We hope you enjoy them! And look for more BRBTV Reports and fact books on the horizon.

TGIF Toys: Betting on a beautiful Betty

Ever go fishing in one of those arcade crane machines and pull out something as cute as this? Well, our friend Rob did a couple months ago. It's Betty Cooper of Archie Comics, part of a crane-toy set by KellyToy from 2005. She's quite a quality gal, with real denim jeans, canvas shoes (with cardboard inserts to give them their shape), a leatherlike belt with metallic belt buckle, and even "furry" hair that can just about be brushed! She surfaced in Metro Detroit, but no sign yet of her compatriots! We're anxiously awaiting, as our resident crane-machine champion digs in ...


Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Larry Hagman trades the oil wells for solar panels in new ad campaign

He's not a bad testament for solar energy -- he owns one of the largest U.S. residential solar panel systems, which has reduced his annual energy bill from five figures to two. Yes, this is oil baron J.R. Ewing of "Dallas" we're talking about, Mr. Larry Hagman, who now espouses the value of a renewable energy in a new TV ad for SolarWorld, maker of solar panels.

See Hagman's Ojai, Calif., solar-powered estate, Heaven, at his official website in a video narrated by the man himself.

Read more at OnTheRedCarpet.com, and catch some comments at OregonLive.com.

Stunt show videos posted at BRBTV YouTube channel

Didya miss Tom Sarmento of the Hazzard County Stunt Team jumping an A-Team van at the Professional Stuntman Invitational last summer? The BRBTV video of the stunt will put you right there in the stands, on the edge of your seat (well, OK, at least a little apprehensive -- though we all know Tom survived!).

BRBTV is going through the video archive and turning up some good stuff. Keep checking the YouTube channel ... we'll be adding more! Next up is a series of videos from the first-ever Knight Rider Fest in Las Vegas!

"Dallas" stars have all kinds of 2010 projects going on

We're halfway through 2010, and the cast of our beloved "Dallas" is busy, busy, busy, lighting up our screens both big and small. Here's a rundown of who's doing what, and sometimes even when!

Patrick Duffy
That Bobby Ewing gets to reunite with his "Step By Step" castmate Christine Lakin in "You Again," due in September. Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, and hot-girl-of-the-year Betty White are also in the cast.

Linda Gray
Our former Sue Ellen Ewing plays the title character's mother in "The Flight of the Swan," filming in Athens and scheduled for release in October.

Charlene Tilton
- "Cheerleader Camp" makes sense for our Lucy Ewing, since we seem to remember that whole cheerleader thing early on in the series. Tilton plays herself in this one.
- "Mean Parents Suck" has been kicking around for a while. In this one, Tilton plays a "drunken lush," according to the film's site.

Sheree J. Wilson
The former April Ewing takes on "The Gundown," along with William Shockley, we might add, whom we greatly miss since "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" went off the air.

Audrey Landers
Our own Afton Cooper is a nurse in "A Fonder Heart." The megawatt cast includes Daryl Hannah, Stockard Channing, James Brolin, Shelley Long, Louis Gossett Jr. and Rachel Hunter.

George Kennedy
That George Kennedy -- we're so glad he's still out there, making his way with the best of 'em. He stars in "Six Days in Paradise" with David Carradine.

Andrew Stevens
Our own Casey Denault is in producing mode these days, with "Unearthed" and "Breaking the Press."

Mary Crosby
That poor gal who'll always be remembered for shooting J.R. joins Noah Wyle in "Queen of the Lot."

Frederic Lehne
Our own Eddie Cronin stars in "Surviving Me."

Derek McGrath
The former Ozwald Valentine is featured in "Planting Season."

And the record for new work certainly goes to ...

Christopher Atkins ... wowzers ...

1. The Hard Ride .... George Custer
2. Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords .... Garrik Grayraven
3. Amy .... Chris
4. Serpent Rising .... Daniel Dodd
5. Stained Glass Windows .... Detective Marshall
6. Exodus Fall .... Wayne Minor

Atkins recently announced on the Facebook page for his film "The Man With the Child in His Eyes" that a $50 donation will get your name in the credits. Atkins says he dedicates the film to war vets and a children's hospital.

TGIF Toys: Going green is her game

She's no meanie; she's just a sweet beanie ... That luscious Poison Ivy relaxes here among her "pets" after a long, hard day of eluding Batman. She was part of the bean-bag toy collection that surfaced at the Warner Bros. Studio Store of your local mall about a decade ago. Hard-core fans of "Batman: The Animated Series" will recognize that she reflects the redesign the show underwent to launch off into "The New Batman Adventures" (the Catwoman of the collection has a really blue face -- ack!). Whatever. She's delightful. And she takes good care of the plants at BRBTV headquarters.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Catch the new "Scooby-Doo" series on Monday

Cartoon Network is rolling out some brand-new Scooby-Doo, preceding it with all kinds of vintage Doo, too. This coming Monday, July 12, marks the premiere of the new series "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," following the gang as they unravel the haunted history of their hometown, Crystal Cove. The show debuts at 7 p.m. Eastern, and you can see a preview at Cartoon Network's site.

The series will draw on voices very familiar to Scooby fans: Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Matthew Lillard, Frank Welker. Vivica A. Fox, Gary Cole and Patrick Warburton are also part of the cast.

The first episode of the new show, "Beware the Beast From Below," will repeat several times all next week; check the Cartoon Network schedule for showtimes. Before the Monday premiere, catch a big block of the show "What's New Scooby-Doo" on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. The channel is also featuring episodes of the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" on Sunday beginning at 10:30 a.m.  Then, all afternoon on Monday, you'll see all kinds of juicy Scooby movies before the news series premiere.

See James Best in a one-man show in Indianapolis in September

Tickets might go fast, so hop onto the Eventbrite page to reserve your seat for a special evening with our own Rosco P. Coltrane, Mr. James Best. There will be film clips and tales of the classic Hollywood that Best was once a part of, years before he chased down them Duke boys.

Best, an Indiana native, will appear at a small, restored historic theatre in Greenfield -- a small town just 15 miles east of Indianapolis:

Ricks Centre for the Arts

122 W. Main Street
Greenfield, IN 46140

It's one night only, September 11, and the tickets are well worth it, just $15.

Cruisin' with some great classic star cars

It's summer, and it's cruisetime in the good ole U.S. of A. Who doesn't love an old-fashioned car cruise? And isn't it even better when there are some recognizable star cars involved? BRBTV got these shots from our buddy Mike, who participated (with a couple of his own cars, shown here) in the downriver Detroit cruise a couple weekends back. All in all, there was "Starsky and Hutch," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "The Monkees," "Ghostbusters," "Herbie"-whatever and more, represented in such classic style. Plus, Mike reports, "We smashed the 'most famous cars in one spot' Hooters record. Got six, and ran outta lawn."

By the way, speaking of "The Dukes of Hazzard," have ya heard that our buddy John Schneider, Bo Duke to us, will be returning to the CW's "Smallville" at the beginning of the series' 10th season, on September 24? Meow on that! The episode is called "Lazarus." Read the IGN story that broke the news.

TGIF Toys: Peek-a-boo, I see you, Doo!!!

You know how it is -- every time there's some spooky ghoul chasin' you down, you've got to find the nearest coffin to hide in. At least that's what Burger King figured, when it crafted its set of "Scooby-Doo" Kids’ Meal toys in 1996. This clever little coffin moves on tiny wheels, with the heads of Velma, Scoob and Daphne bobbing up and down as it goes. Scooberific, man.




Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

BRBTV birthdays for July

- Brock Peters, who voiced Lucius Fox on "Batman: The Animated Series," was born on July 2, 1927 and died on August 23, 2005.
- Signy Coleman, our Celeste DiNapoli of "Santa Barbara," who also did an 1987 episode of "Dallas," turns 50 on Independence Day.
- Rosemary Forsyth, the original Sophia Capwell (and Dominic) of "SB," and Anne McFadden on "Dallas," turns 67 on July 6.
- Grant Goodeve, who was Chris Deegan on "Dynasty," also has a birthday on July 6, turning 58.
- Deborah Tranelli, our own Phyllis Wapner of "Dallas," turns 55 on July 6.
- Kimberly Foster, who portrayed Michelle Stevens on "Dallas," is our fourth July 6 birthday, turning 49.
- Cree Summer, Terry's buddy Max on "Batman Beyond," turns 41 on July 7.
- William Smithers, who was Jeremy Wendell on "Dallas," turns 83 on July 10.
- Michael Rosenbaum, who voiced several characters in "Batman Beyond" (Ollie, Carl, Wendell), "Justice League" (the Flash) and the like, and whom BRBTV misses very much on the CW's "Smallville," turns 38 on July 11.
- Sandy Ward, who played Jeb Ames on "Dallas," was born on July 12, 1926, and died on March 6, 2005.
- Dale Robertson, who was Walter Lankershim on "Dynasty" and Frank Crutcher on "Dallas," turns 87 on July 14.
- Ken Kercheval, our unforgettable Cliff Barnes of "Dallas," turns 75 on July 15.
- Derek McGrath, who was the eccentric Oswald Valentine on "Dallas," turns 61 on July 15.
- Barbara Stanwyck, the legendary film star who was Constance Colby on "The Colbys," was born on July 16, 1907 and died on January 20, 1990.
- Diahann Carroll, the songstress who vexed Alexis as Dominique Devereaux on "Dynasty," turns 75 on July 17.
- Audrey Landers, who was Afton Cooper on "Dallas" and a couple roles on "The Dukes of Hazzard," turns 51 on July 18.
- George Dzundza, the voice of the Ventriloquist on "Batman: The Animated Series," turns 65 on July 19.
- Paul Burke, the second C.C. Capwell of "Santa Barbara," who also did a memorable turn on "Dynasty" as Neal McVane, was born on July 21, 1926, and died on September 13, 2009.
- Art Hindle, who brokered babies as Jeff Farraday on "Dallas," turns 62 on July 21.
- Lenore Kasdorf, the lovely Caroline Wilson on "SB," turns 62 on July 23.
- James Best, our own Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane of "The Dukes of Hazzard," turns 84 on July 26.
- Dierdre Imershein, who was the caught-in-the-middle Jory Taylor on "Dallas," turns 47 on July 26.
- Keenan Wynn, the second Digger Barnes on "Dallas," was born on July 27, 1916 and died on October 14, 1986.
- Sasha Mitchell, another "Dallas" alum as long-lost Ewing son James Beaumont, turns 43 on July 27.
- Lloyd Bochner, who was Cecil Colby on "Dynasty," was born on July 29, 1924 and died on October 29, 2005.
- David Warner, who was the commanding and ghoulish Ra's al Ghul on "Batman: The Animated Series," turns 69 on July 29.
- Ben Piazza, our own Walt Driscoll of "Dallas," was born on July 30, 1934, and died on September 7, 1991.
- Susan Flannery, who played Leslie Stewart on "Dallas," turns 71 on July 31.
- Lane Davies, the unforgettable original Mason Capwell on "Santa Barbara," who showed up on "Dallas" as Craig Gurney, also has a birthday on July 31, turning 60.


Happy birthday to all!


BRBTV News Blog Blip: She played a rather disliked character on "Santa Barbara," but Constance Marie has done OK for herself over the years, hasn't she? And she sure hasn't aged a bit since her days as Nikki Alvarez. Marie popped up yesterday on the People magazine site, blogging about her "Sick, Sad, Snotty Baby!"

Nicolas Coster's character will be the mayor on "The Bay"

Here at BRBTV, we've been eagerly awaiting the debut of "The Bay," partly because we're curious, from a historical television perspective, as to how this whole web soap thing is going to fly, but mostly because of the three "Santa Barbara" stars who will be featured on the series, as we reported recently. (And there's a possibility of more "SB" stars popping up, but we can't tell ya just yet what our roving reporter Tracy has learned!)

The series premieres on Wednesday, September 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern on the LANYFilms YouTube channel, and will repeat that evening in higher-res on Blip TV.

The production company released some info this morning, including the formal intro to our beloved former Lionel Lockridge, correcting previously released info on the name of Coster's character:

"We are proud to announce two additional stars who will be guest appearing on the first season of 'The Bay.' Seasoned film and television icon and 9x soap opera veteran Nicolas Coster (best known to the daytime world as Lionel Lockridge, 'Santa Barbara') will make a special guest appearance in Chapter 6 of the series as Mayor Jack Madison, alongside soap stud Brody Hutzler (Patrick Lockhart, 'Days of Our Lives,' Cody Dixon, 'The Young and the Restless') in the role of Press Secretary Kenneth Allen. Additional soap stars will also be joining Coster and Hutzler in Chapter 6 to introduce a potential spin-off of 'The Bay,' tentatively scheduled for an early 2011 premiere."

It's certainly an ambitious endeavor that producer Gregori J. Martin is embarking on, and we can't wait.

TGIF Toys: Watch that table talk, J.R.

The object: Be the first to accumulate $20 million in holdings of assets and / or cash.
The method: Relentlessly steal from your opponents and deviously protect your own holdings.
The inspiration: J.R. Ewing, of course.

From Mego Corp., maker of those fine 8-inch dolls from the '70s and '80s (and a set of prototype 4" figures from "Dallas," by the way) comes this card game, snagged on eBay several years ago. For two to four players age 8 and up (isn't that a little young?!), the game features cash cards and asset cards for "wheeling, dealing and stealing." Great, deal us in.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Spotted: David Hedison

BRBTV has been powering through the classic "Wonder Woman" episodes on DVD in order to provide synopses at the IMDb (and in order, of course, to indulge our love of classic TV!), and whom do we spot the other day but a star from our beloved "Dynasty" spinoff, "The Colbys." David Hedison portrayed the dashing Roger Langdon, a lord by title and the onetime commander of Francesca Colby's heart.

On the second-season "Wonder Woman" episode "The Queen and the Thief," Hedison is every bit as charming and every bit as indicative of that international verve'. Cloaked in the cover of a secret agent, he quickly wins the trust of an enchantingly-blue-eyed Juliet Mills as Queen Kathryn, American-born monarch of the exotic Malachar (is that where they mine malachite? OK, sorry). But Hedison's character, Evan Robley, is really a suave thief after the queen's jewels! He sure makes Wonder Woman work hard to convince the queen he's a phony! Ooooh-la-la!

A decade before he returned to Colbyland to try to win back Francesca, Hedison is young, refined, cultured, and all classy-crook in this role. See the October 1977 ep for yourself at the WB, and read the full BRBTV synopsis at the IMDb.

John Callahan, Nicolas Coster and Lane Davies join cast of web soap

Oooh, we love such a fine round-up of news on a Monday morning ... It's a mini-"Santa Barbara" reunion. Lane Davies, our own original Mason Capwell, along with Nicolas Coster (Lionel Lockridge) and John Callahan (Craig Hunt), are part of the cast of a new web soap premiering this fall.

"Following the life of socialite Sara Garrett and the people around her, 'The Bay' is a new independent soap opera in the vein of Aaron Spelling's 1980's classic primetime hit, 'Dynasty,'" says the description on the show's home page, which includes buttons for donations.

Callahan will start out on the show, which began shooting this month, then Davies and Coster will join in subsequent chapters. Coster's character name is Frank Perkins, while Callahan is portraying Mackenzie Johnson. Davies is to-be-determined (can we offer suggestions????).

Interesting concept, this whole web soap thing. And we're detecting a rather "classic" touch on this one, complete with '80s/'90s music and '80s/'90s stars. We'll be sure to check it out.

And that's not all! Catch Callahan in this weekend's creature feature on Syfy, "Dinocroc vs. Supergator." It's 9 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. Callahan also just appeared in this month's "The A-Team."

"SB" castmate Terri Garber, meanwhile (Suzanne Collier), will return to her character Iris Dumbrowski on "As the World Turns" in mid-July.

BRBTV News Blog Blip: Patrick Duffy, our beloved Bobby Ewing of "Dallas," will appear on this Friday's episode of "Price is Right" with host Drew Carey. Catch a little more at Soaps.com.

TGIF Toys: Not just another boy next door!

Isn't he such a little sweetie-pie? He really is such a little sweetie-pie! (We tell him that as often as we can, you know.) He's our guy Arch, and he's actually not that little. He's about 18" high and crafted by Presents from 1987. He was one of our great finds back when the (Internet) world was young and we were so deeply infatuated with eBay, long before we had to curb our addiction and any search on "Archie Comics" would yield such yummy, varied results of odds and ends we'd never before laid eyes on! Oh, to be that young again!!!!

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Spotted: Ted Shackelford

He has the nice distinction of being about the only man on the 1970s show "Wonder Woman" to actually call poor Diana Prince pretty. He's the young taxi driver, Pete, who meets Diana when she arrives in Los Angeles on a mission to find Steve Trevor. He's also Ted Shackelford, known to us as the second, and permanent, Gary Ewing of "Dallas" and its spinoff, "Knots Landing."

Pete doesn't shy away from adventure in this second-season episode, "Knockout," which originally aired in October 1977, not long before Shackelford saddled up on "Dallas." When Diana warns him that their cab is being followed and he may be in danger, he not only hangs onto his fare -- he punches the bad guys for her! Wonder Woman then steps in to help, and he's appropriately stunned by the Amazon beauty.

Shackelford is friendly, noble and street-smart in the role, as well as California-blond handsome and an ex-Marine. Ironically, his young son in the episode is named Ted. Watch it yourself at the WB, and find BRBTV synopses of this and the other "Wonder Woman" episodes at the IMDb.

By the way, Shackelford worked in one more episode of the "WW" series before heading off to Texas.