Gordon Thomson adds a new soap to his resume -- this time a web soap

We just love how the web medium keeps expanding possibilities for our beloved stars of classic TV. The latest to make the jump to a web-based soap is Gordon Thomson, who's a BRBTV double-shot as Adam Carrington of "Dynasty" and the third and final Mason Capwell of "Santa Barbara." Thomson will take on "DeVanity," about to begin production on its third season.

The soap deals with the "saga of the crumbling DeVanity family and their desire to save their dying jewelry empire in downtown Los Angeles," the IMDb says. OK, fine. WeLoveSoaps has a little more, referring to his character as a "jewelry magnate." We would've assumed Thomson would be playing it wealthy and sophisticated and smart, as he did on "SB" and "Dynasty" (and even on "Ryan's Hope"). Great -- we'll tune in. Or click on over, as the case may be.

You can play catch-up with Seasons 1 and 2 like we're going to at the DeVanity site.

Terri Garber moves on to "Reign"

Classified as a soap opera and "dramady," Terri Garber's latest project is a web series called "Reign." The series follows "the intertwined lives of ruthless celebrity publicist Elizabeth Archer, her husband William (a famous author), their children William Jr. and Victoria, high-profile clients, plus her minions and rivals all tucked within her own elite PR firm – REIGN," the promotional materials say.

It's written by Frances Gilbert and, besides Garber, has Eric Martolf, Patrika Darbo, Jacee Jule, Trevor Nelson, Brett DelBuono, Michael Bolten and Jillian Clare on board. "Reign" is actually a spinoff of the web series "Miss Behave," also featuring our lovely former Leslie Carrington of "Dynasty" and Suzanne Collier of "Santa Barbara."

Read a little more about it all at Daytime Confidential and Soap Opera Digest, and keep up with the series at its Facebook page.

Catch BRB in her latest work for "Fantastic Forum"

BRB of BRBTV -- aka, Billie Rae Bates! -- takes a spin in the hosting chair on the latest episode of the award-winning TV show "Fantastic Forum." This time around, the topic is most unusual superpowers ... Superman's "superkiss"? Toad and that tongue? The Wonder Twins? ... Enjoy the lively discussion...

You've got lots of ways to catch "Fantastic Forum": Mondays at 9:30 p.m. on DCTV, local Comcast channel 95, RCN channel 10; Verizon FiOS channel 20, plus streaming globally via www.dctv.org.

TNT offers a yummy video tour of the new "Dallas"

Ooooh, it's so lush and wonderful, this new take on our beloved Ewings of "Dallas." And indeed, TNT's "next generation" approach of the show that originally aired from 1978 to 1991 is looking quite sophisticated and larger than life for the small screen! (Of course, so many of us have big screens nowadays, don't we?) The official site for the new series is serving up lots of fab photos and videos in anticipation of the Wednesday, June 13 premiere, so we give you a little slice ...




Another smart thing TNT has done is post a Facebook page from the perspective of J.R., and his posts on the timeline help bridge the gap between the first series' ending in 1991 and this new one's beginning more than two decades later. The fact that John Ross dropped off the radar for a while is interesting (and the idea of him wildcatting -- even more so!!!! thanks so much, TNT, for remaining true to the original!), as well as the setup for the love triangle of our two beautiful boys and Elena Ramos. We'll be updating our character guide in "Destination: Dallas," for sure, and we can't wait to see what happens in June!

Don Pedro Colley launches new website, as he and other "Dukes" cast are out and about

Complete with a video greeting, Don Pedro Colley, known to us fans of "The Dukes of Hazzard" as Sheriff Ed Little, has launched a new online home. On the home page, he lists upcoming appearances, such as the 12th Annual Orchard Beach Classic Car and Motorcycle Show in September. Check it out at DonPedroColley.net.

And of course, he's not the only "Dukes" cast member out and about. Here's the latest on upcoming appearances -- it's a busy year:

April 12 and 13
John ("Bo Duke") Schneider and Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat are in concert at Niagara Fallsview Casino in Ontario, Canada.
Tickets may be purchased at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/venue/131638?brand=fallsview 

April 14
John Schneider appears at the Bishop's Dinner for the Catholic Pro-Life Committee at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Texas.
For more information or to purchase tickets go to http://www.prolifedallas.org/dinner.

Ben (“Cooter Davenport”) Jones and Cooter’s Garage Band appear The Theatre at Washington, Virginia.
Learn more at Cooter's Place.

May 18-19
John Schneider,  Don Pedro Colley and Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry appear at the Las Vegas Car Stars/Knight Rider Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
More info at LasVegasCarStars.com.

May 19
Ben Jones hosts the third annual Cooter’s Barbecue in Nashville, Tennessee.
See the details at Cooter's Place.

June 2
John Schneider, James ("Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane") Best, Sonny ("Enos Strate") Shroyer, Ben Jones and Rick ("Cletus Hogg") Hurst appear at the Hazzard Comes to Galax event in Galax, Virginia.
See our February 28 post.

June 9
Ben Jones appears at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland.
See the details at Cooter's Place.

July 6-8
Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach and Ben Jones appear at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
See the details at Cooter's Place.

July 22
Ben Jones appears at the Fauquier County Fair in Warrrenton, Virginia.
Read more at Cooter's Place.

August 2
Ben Jones and Cooter’s Garage Band appear at the Garrett County Fair in McHenry, Maryland.
See the details at Cooter's Place.

August 11-12
Ben Jones and Alma Viator host the second Hazzard Homecoming in Sperryville, Virgina. Also appearing: Catherine Bach, James Best, Sonny Shroyer, Rick Hurst; possibly John Schneider and Tom Wopat.
See Cooter's Place for info.

September 29
John Schneider, Catherine Bach, James Best, Sonny Shroyer, Ben Jones, and Rick Hurst appear at the Dukes of Hazzard Reunion and Car Show in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.
Info at http://www.halandal.com/Dukes_Press_Release3.pdf.

Wesley Eure talks to BRBTV about his role on "Land of the Lost"

Earlier this week, we showed you our interview with "Land of the Lost" star Kathleen Coleman at the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh. Well, we also got the fab opportunity to talk with Coleman's on-screen bro, Wesley Eure, also appearing at the event. Among other stuff, Eure chatted a bit about his Shakespearean training before he got the role on "LotL," as well as the projects he has going on right now ...

And be sure to check out the other fun stuff at the BRBTV YouTube channel.

Kathleen Coleman talks to BRBTV about life on the set of "Land of the Lost"

She was just a little gal -- a sweet, ponytailed blonde named Holly -- on the classic Saturday-morning TV show "Land of the Lost." This was the glorious '70s, and this was live-action kids' TV, which we absolutely loved at the time, including other Krofft shows like "H.R. Pufnstuff" and great Filmation stuff like "The Secrets of Isis" and "Shazam!" Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV got a chance to talk to one of the stars of "Land of the Lost," Kathleen Coleman, at the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh the weekend before last. Check out what she had to say about her work leading up to that fun role, as well as her time on the set, and just what she thought of the recent big-screen remake ...

And be sure to check out the other fun stuff at the BRBTV YouTube channel.

Gena Lee Nolin talks to BRBTV about "Sheena," "Baywatch," and what she has going on now

She has a new book coming out early next year, on a subject she feels strongly about. She's not just another "Baywatch" beauty. In fact, after Gena Lee Nolin hit the California beach for that longtime megahit series, she spent some time in the jungle, too, as the star of the 2000 show "Sheena." Nolin chatted with BRBTV about both roles at the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh a little over a week ago, and we're happy to share this clip with you ...

Check out our other video interviews from the Steel City Con, which we'll be previewing on this very blog later on this week; the hit to click is http://www.youtube.com/user/BRBTVcom. 

Eric Close on tap for a new fall TV show

Now that's what we love to see -- the stars of our beloved BRBTV shows popping up during pilot season. Yahoo TV has the full rundown of this year's plans and offerings, and among them is "Nashville," a soap from ABC starring Eric Close, our former Sawyer Walker of "Santa Barbara" who's had quite a successful career since then. Close joins "Heroes" alum Hayden Panettiere, as well as Powers Boothe, the voice of Gorilla Grodd in "Justice League" (the subject of an upcoming BRBTV Report!). Read a little more at the Hollywood Reporter. Close is looking good!

Clancy Brown, the voice of Lex Luthor in "Superman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League," is part of the cast for "The Frontier," NBC's Western set in the 1840s. Shaun Cassidy is producing that one. Read more at the Hollywood Reporter.

We're also glad to spot some of our other faves slated for pilots: Julia Stiles (NBC's "Midnight Sun"), Zachary Levi (Fox's "Let it Go"), John Stamos (Fox's "Little Brother"), Robert Knepper (CW's "Cult"), Tyler Labine (NBC's "Animal Kingdom") -- he's such a cute kid!, Brandon Routh (CBS' "Partners") -- whom we had the pleasure of interviewing a year or two back, Jami Gertz (ABC's untitled Dan Fogelman project) -- wow, how long it's been since "Square Pegs"!

And we're certainly looking forward to the reboot of "Scruples," especially given the fact that it will be set in the '70s. And we probably couldn't resist the Roseanne Barr / John Goodman re-pairing of "Downwardly Mobile" -- for the latter more than the former.

Steel City Con presents a nice assortment of stars of classic TV

As we mentioned on Monday, we visited the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh for the first time this past weekend. We got to sink our teeth into a wonderful assortment of toys -- emphasis on the action figures, certainly. Whenever BRBTV visits a con, we love the shopping, and it's the toy booths we love best! So to see a whole show full of them was a treat. (We still didn't nab that elusive Volcana figure for our buddy Will, though -- rats! She's so rare!)

Beyond that, though, we beheld a nice collection of actors from the TV shows we love ... Christopher ("Peter") Knight and Susan ("Cindy") Olsen of "The Brady Bunch." Butch ("Eddie Munster") Patrick of "The Munsters," whom we got to chat with a bit about his recent Detroit appearance, complete with the Dragula (see our October 29, 2011 post). Billy Dee Williams, whom the rest of the world knows as Lando Calrissian, but whom we "Dynasty" fans will always remember as the suavo Brady Lloyd. He was there with his son, Corey Dee Williams, who has also done some "Star Wars" work. Ian Ziering of "Beverly Hills 90210" and more recently "Dancing with the Stars." Johnny Whitaker from "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" and "Family Affair."

 

But there were a couple other stars we were really looking forward to meeting and chatting with: Wesley Eure and Kathleen Coleman from "The Land of the Lost." Man, did we love that show! We especially loved that trend of live-action Saturday morning kids' shows back then, in the '70s, such as the Krofft shows but also "Shazam!" and "The Secrets of Isis." BRBTV got to chat on camera with these two "Land of the Lost" stars, so look for that video on our YouTube channel early next week. Our buddy James also talked with Gena Lee Nolin of "Baywatch" and "Sheena" for a minute -- you'll see that, too. Fun, fun, fun.

They've already got Dean Cain signed on for the next show in July. Meow! Thanks so much to the folks at the Steel City Con for presenting a nice show!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

We love a little "Dallas" with our toy shows

Ahhhh, it was great fun this past Saturday tripping through the Steel City Con in Pittsburgh. Not only was it a delicious mecca for shoppers and seekers of toys both vintage and modern, but there were some cool TV stars there, as well. (More on that latter later, when BRBTV gets a chance to upload our new video interviews with three of those stars!)

We were armed with a list of stuff to find (classic Incredible Hulk figure for him, Volcana and the last wave of World's Greatest Super Heroes repro figures for him, a little of this and that for us ...) but we were absolutely delighted when we saw packs of "Dallas" trading cards for only a buck each at one booth. Fab.

These guys were made by Donruss Co. back in the day. Each pack has seven color photos from our beloved show, plus one very petrified piece of gum. On the reverse side of each is part of an image that you have to collect all the cards to put together.

THEN ... as if a sign ... there was J.R. Ewing himself -- in the form of Larry Hagman, of course! -- smiling down on us during our lunch at the TGI Friday's across the street from the convention center. Sweet!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Read Joan Collins' latest interview in Glamour, and vote for her fashion sense at TV Guide!

"I only regret a couple of my marriages." Hmmm ... that's a mighty intriguing headline Glamour magazine slapped on its interview with our delightful "Dynasty" dame Joan Collins for its April 2012 issue, reportedly on sale now. Catch that dishy thing at the Joan Collins Archive blog if you can't get to the newsstand. Thanks, Glamour, for appreciating one of our beautiful classic-TV stars.

And speaking of appreciation, whoever at TV Guide remembered Alexis Colby's fashion sense needs a kudos, too -- in these days of reality TV overrunning any of the good TV we remember, it's nice to know our faves still haven't faded into obscurity. Hop on over to TV Guide's Facebook page (scroll down -- it's a busy page) to vote for Alexis / Joan as "Who is the most fashionable TV character of all time?". Now, we do like Carrie Bradshaw; we certainly do (her shoes more than her clothing, actually), but pleezzzzz ... this is a no-brainer. C'mon, Alexis, you can do it!!!!

Hazzard comes to Galax, for the second year, even

Billed as "a very laid-back, relaxed and personal event," the Hazzard Comes to Galax show is set for this June in Virginia, and it's chock-full of cast from our beloved "The Dukes of Hazzard." So far, John ("Bo Duke") Schneider, Sonny ("Enos Strate") Shroyer, James ("Rosco P. Coltrane") Best and Rick ("Cletus Hogg") Hurst are all signed on. Tickets are only $10 for adults and available at the gate.

The event is founded by Greg and Miranda Richardson of Greg's Core Supply in Woodlawn, Virginia, who both grew up watching "The Dukes of Hazzard" during the early 1980s. (Two "Dukes" fans marrying each other -- we love it when that happens.)

Learn more about the event at its website, HazzardComesToGalax.com, and keep up on Facebook, too.

By the way, have you seen our sweet little Daisy in her new role on CBS' daytime soap "The Young and the Restless"? Ahhh ... we remember watching "Y&R" back in the '90s ... with Victor and Victoria and Nikki and Nicholas ... Bach just started as Chelsea Lawson's (Melissa Claire Egan) mother, Anita. And like all wise TV networks these days, CBS has loaded whole episodes onto its website. So click on over to CBS' "Young and the Restless" page and check it out! You can also get the lowdown (or the up-high) at Yahoo or via this interview with "ET."

Memorial service set for "Dukes" stunt driver Al Wyatt Jr.

In the wake of the passing of Al Wyatt Jr., a well-loved member of the stunt team of "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Dukes" cast members such as John Schneider have spoken out with their words of remembrance. A special memorial service is planned to honor Wyatt, and both Schneider and James ("Rosco P. Coltrane") Best have issued this invite through their email communications to fans:

Ben Jones speaks out on NASCAR decision, issues statement

Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones of "The Dukes of Hazzard" sent this statement to fans early this morning. He asks them to read the related ESPN story first: ESPN Story.

Former Georgia Congressman Ben Jones, who starred as ace mechanic “Cooter” Davenport on the hit television series “The Dukes of Hazzard,” has condemned the decision by NASCAR to prevent the use of the popular “General Lee” 1969 Dodge Charger at the Phoenix Sprint Cup race in March. In a statement Friday, NASCAR said, "The image of the Confederate flag is not something that should plan an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive.” The General Lee has a Confederate Battle Flag on its roof.

Jones said in response: “At a time when tens of millions of Americans are honoring their Union and Confederate ancestors during this Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, NASCAR has chosen to dishonor those Southerners who fought and died in that terrible conflict by caving to 'political correctness' and the uninformed concerns of corporate sponsors."

He continues, "This is also an extraordinary insult to rural Southerners, who are NASCAR’s oldest and most fervent fan base, and it sends a message against inclusion and against the need for diversity. Many of us who are descended from ancestors who fought for the South see this as a crude dishonoring of our kinfolks and our heritage. Our ancestors were proud Americans who had fought for our nation before the Civil War and have served honorably in every conflict since then."

Jones says, "The Confederate Battle Flag is on display at many National Battlefields and is displayed by countless historical and heritage groups who are descendants of those who fought in that crucible of the American experience."

“'The Dukes of Hazzard' remains a beloved classic television show which is watched by Americans of all races and regions and is watched internationally as an upbeat reflection of the American spirit. It is also watched by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world.

"While it is true that the Confederate Battle Flag has been desecrated by bigots and racists, these groups also misuse the American flag and the Christian cross in their shameless rituals. The vast majority of the display of the St. Andrews Cross Flag is in a benign spirit of remembrance and reverence.

"I am a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, a Life Member of the NAACP, and a proud member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. As a cast member of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' and the owner of several 'General Lees,' I can attest that the car and our show reflect the very best of American values, and that Hazzard County was a place where racism was not tolerated.

"This action by NASCAR is a provocative and unnecessary over-reaction to a problem that doesn’t exist. It is a disgraceful and gratuitous insult to a lot of very decent people. It is prejudicial toward those good-hearted folks who, like Uncle Jesse Duke, are in fact 'never meanin’ no harm.'"

Jones closes this message to fans with: 

Please read this and contact NASCAR at fanfeedback@NASCAR.COM with your feelings. Please be respectful in your comments.

Thanks, Ben aka "Cooter"

BRB discusses the smartest comic book characters on TV's "Fantastic Forum"

Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV is loving her time on the "Fantastic Forum" TV show, a truly fab weekly series that is Washington, D.C.-based but oh-so global. In episode 33, she participates in a panel discussion about who in the comics world has the brains (and yes, she did say Oracle -- don't hate, now!). Check it out ...

Watch the latest "Fantastic Forum" episodes at the NCC1727 channel on YouTube.

John Schneider launches new blog

Dubbing himself "The Performer," our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," Mr. John Schneider, has started up a new blog. He says, "I am here to offer points of view on most any subject related to entertainment, performing, movies, television, writing, magic, music or juggling. Been in the business of all that for over four decades and may surprise you." And these posts so far are pretty real.

Check it out:
http://iconicobservations.blogspot.com

Catch BRB's new Chic Geek blog column

She's geekin' out, that's for sure. And actually, she's always been quite the chic geek -- and proud of it! (Remember that one entry in the yearly My Mother's Clothing project?) One of the great new 2012 activities for Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV is the Chic Geek column on the Ooh Lifestyle blog. It's a look at how technology enhances our lives.

Check out the first post at http://oohlifestyle.com/2012/02/meet-the-chic-geek/. BRB will be posting twice a month -- the regular Chic Geek column on the second Wednesday and a "Top Rated" gadget profile on the second Tuesday. So geek out in a very chic way along with her!

If things seem a little quiet around here ...

... well, they're supposed to be that way.

The BRBTV News Blog is running a little lighter these days by design. Sort of a readjustment-of-priorities thing, if you will.

Don't worry, though -- all of the current content will stay right where it is, right where you can find it, because it's been a great ride over the past five years since this blog was created. Launched in January 2006, the BRBTV News Blog featured daily posts for its first few years -- that's a whole lot more posting than many blogs. It's added up to more than 1,000 posts! In that time, we've accumulated some great original content from attending shows and various events and yakking with the stars of these classic TV shows. So we want to leave that content up and available for y'all.

We can't guarantee we'll stay away from posting for long, because frankly, we love this thing. We just wish there were a few more hours in the day!

Latest episode of "Fantastic Forum" explores the rogues galleries of superheroes

In the December 2 post of this blog we told you all about "Fantastic Forum," an award-winning TV show based in Washington, D.C., for which Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV has done a tad interviewing and other on-camera stuff. The comic book, sci fi and fantasy-themed show, which is a delightful mix of discussion forum, interviews of comics industry pros, and other fun features, just won the the 2011 Monty Award for Best Arts and Humanities Program, and Ulysses Campbell won as best program host.

Well, check out the latest episode of this long-running program, which airs on several different stations around D.C., at various (great!) timeslots. It's linked from YouTube below, and this ep includes BRB as a panelist in a discussion about the various rogues gallery villains that heroes like Superman and Batman are so vexed to contend with ...

Announcing the BRBTV Reports of interviews from the "Batman" and "Superman" animated series

Fresh on the heels of the BRBTV Report on "Superman: The Animated Series" (see our post just a few inches down!) comes two new additions to the series, "Superman: The Animated Series, The BRBTV Interviews" and "Batman: The Animated Series, The BRBTV Interviews."

Both of these great 1990s kids' TV shows (for kids of all ages, you understand!) reflected the work of a whole lot of writers, artists, directors, producers and voice actors. Beyond the core names that so many people recognize, such as Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami, Jean MacCurdy, Paul Dini, Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly, there were many others who contributed to the groundbreaking animated series’ massive success at creating a unique take on DC Comics’ beloved heroes Batman and Superman.

So now BRBTV brings you two sets of original interviews with several folks whose talent has touched the series:

• Joe R. Lansdale, the “Mojo storyteller” who loved the Dark Knight as a kid.
• Randy Rogel, an Emmy-Award-winning writer who is no stranger to ‘toons.
• Scott Beatty, author of “Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight,” who addresses the influence of the series on the overall Bat-realm.
• Ty Templeton, artist of the popular comic books accompanying the series.
• Robert N. Skir, a writer who has taken on several other small-screen favorites, too.
• Michael Horse, the “Twin Peaks” veteran who voiced Ubu.
• Dorian Harewood, the actor with a heart for music who did a variety of voices here.
• Corey Burton, a voice artist with a diverse resume, including several of these interesting characters. 
• Mark Evanier, a writer with a varied resume who tackled the Darkseid storylines.

As a special bonus, in the "Superman" interview report, author Will Rodgers gives you a peek at his collection of action figures associated with the show. As with the other volumes in this BRBTV Reports series, it's all in a convenient, portable, Kindle format with photos appearing in color where available. And the price for these is our lowest -- $1.50 -- so you can read the thoughts of these cool guys for such a minor investment.

Stay tuned: We've got more BRBTV Reports coming up in 2012, as well as a rather intriguing new installment in the BRBTV (print!) fact book series ...

Happy holidays to all!!!!

With his latest Broadway show now over, Tom Wopat heads back to the screen -- big and small

Tom Wopat offers a special message to his fans in his latest email newsletter ...

"It's been awhile since I've written you personally – I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Over the past few months, I have been keeping busy! After the daily commitment of 'Catch Me If You Can' ended in September, it's been really great to get back into some film and tv roles, plus focus more on live singing appearances.

"In the film and TV world, you may have seen my recent appearance on the CBS show 'A Gifted Man,' but if not, the whole episode is streaming online here. I also filmed a musical for ABC called 'Elixir,' with an incredibly talented cast including Jane Seymour, Chelsea Kane, Sara Paxton, Drew Seeley and more. 'Elixir' will be out in early 2012; we will be posting a lot more information about that. And today, as you read this, I am on the set of the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film 'DJANGO UNCHAINED,' which will be in theaters in December 2012.

"As you know, I have booked a lot more live shows over the next year, and am really looking forward to seeing many of you there. If you don't see your city on the list yet, stay tuned as we will be adding more!

"I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

- Tom"

John Wesley Shipp takes another fatherly turn, this time on "Teen Wolf"

John Wesley Shipp is announcing it from his own Facebook page, and you can get the story at ZAP2it: Shipp will appear in the second season of the series "Teen Wolf."

Our former Martin Ellis of "Santa Barbara" will portray Isaac's "not-so-nice dad -- and the owner of Beacon Hills Cemetery," ZAP2it says. "He sees a whole new side of his son after Derek brings Isaac into the wolf pack, and a few 'mysterious incidents' plague him in particular. Shipp is headed to Atlanta to begin shooting the intense role next week. MTV confirms that we can expect to see him in two episodes."

Shipp says he's heading over to the set on Tuesday.

In other JWS news (!), the actor will return to "One Life to Live" during its finale week. This former dad from "Dawson's Creek" played a rather interesting dad on this soap. Read about it at Michael Fairman's soaps site.

It's a "Fantastic Forum" -- and a fantastic thing for comics fans!

Since 2007, fans of the comic book and sci-fi / fantasy genres in the Washington, D.C., area have enjoyed a special treat -- the weekly "Fantastic Forum" TV show created and produced by Ulysses Campbell. The show, which airs on several different outlets in D.C., even recently won the 2011 Monty Award for Best Arts and Humanities Program, and Ulysses won as best program host!

But the show isn't just local -- it's global, with episodes posted on YouTube and Vimeo, and at the show's official site, as well, so that fans everywhere can enjoy the topics Ulysses and his crew explore: Everything from profiles of characters like Batman to an examination of the treatment of female characters in comics, to the "Superpower of Love," to discussions of crossovers and the portrayal of politics in comics. Besides the panel segments featuring a variety of guests, over the years the show has also featured original interviews with a ton of folks in the comics industry: Neal Adams, Jim Shooter, Matt Wagner, Frank Cho, Jo Chen, Howard Chaykin and more.

We've told you on this blog before about the video correspondent and hosting work of Billie Rae Bates on the Comics Continuum website and accompanying TV show based in Metro Detroit. Well, now BRB is honored to have been asked by Ulysses to help out with some interviews, panel discussion and hosting duties for "Fantastic Forum."

It's a testament to Ulysses that he doesn't do this all by himself -- he has an army of people helping him out, both behind and in front of the camera (just check out the credits on the episode guide page of the show's site!). Besides the recent Monty Awards, "Fantastic Forum" also won a 2010 Accolade Competition Award of Merit and a 2010 DCTV Viewer’s Choice Award for Best Program in the News and Public Affairs category.

BRB is thrilled to be able to participate in the show! Catch her interview with "Walking Dead" artist Charlie Adlard in Episode 31 below, shot at this year's Baltimore Comic Con, and watch future episodes to see her as a panelist and host.

Announcing the BRBTV Report on "Superman: The Animated Series"

A couple weeks ago, we introduced you to the voice prowess of our buddy Will Rodgers, who's known among his friends as "The Voice Man." We've seen him demonstrate his talent for voice impersonation at various events over the years, so we put him on tape for you to enjoy, too!

Now, while Will can do a great verbal take on many of the characters of our beloved "Dallas," "The Dukes of Hazzard" and more,  he has a talent for capturing these characters in the printed word, as well! He's the creator of the site, "Will's Ultimate Guide Super Friends Episode Guide!" for one thing, and it's really a comprehensive look at a beloved classic superhero show. As a writer, Will  has a keen grasp of detail, and he has a love for the same shows BRB loves. Thus, a reference guide collaboration was born!

The first one out of the gate from this collaboration is a tribute to the late-'90s show "Superman: The Animated Series." BRBTV is delighted to announce this new addition to our Reports series, focusing on what was basically a spinoff of the wildly popular "Batman: The Animated Series" of the earlier '90s by Bruce Timm and Co. of Warner Bros. Animation.

“Superman: TAS” proved faithful to the famous Superman mythos originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and so well-explored in many pop culture media over the decades, from other animated series to live-action TV series and theatrical movies, to newspaper and radio and of course, the printed comic-book page. This new series took Superman / Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Perry White and many, many more of the well-known characters and gave them a fresh look and fresh appeal, all keeping to the style of “B:TAS.” The half-hour animated series encompassed three seasons on the Kids WB! from 1996 to 2000, contributing a few of its own unique elements to the enduring Superman mythos along the way.

Like the others in the series, this BRBTV Report delivers up a magazine-length feature story examining the history and impact of this TV show. In addition to the feature story, you’ll see Will's own fun, original episode synopses, along with a cast list for the show. It's all in a convenient, portable, Kindle format with photos appearing in color where available.

It's the meatiest BRBTV Report so far -- the equivalent of 87 letter-sized pages (the episode synopses Will writes are much heftier and more robust than BRB's, actually)! AND ... like the rest of the BRBTV Reports, the price is low: this time a cool $2.99. Less than a comic book, less than a magazine, and yours to keep fo-ever and ever ...

We hope you enjoy this latest Report. And stay tuned to this channel, we've got two more Reports coming close on the heels of this one ...