Spotted: A Martinez

He's got hair down to his shoulders and he's mighty young, but he has the kind of dark, ruggedly handsome looks that are identiable in any age. Mr. A Martinez, known by us fans of "Santa Barbara" as Cruz Castillo, starring in an April 1977 episode of "The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries."

As you know if you caught our post last week on this very blog, we've been enjoying the first season DVD set from the series (because our friend Tracy gets us the best DVDs -- seriously). And this particular episode, a Nancy Drew one called "Mystery of the Fallen Angels," is a bountiful feast of classic stars. Whereas you can't mistake Martinez, it's easy to miss Jamie Lee Curtis as a fast-talkin' carnie. And Robert Englund of "Nightmare on Elm Street" fame joins her in the scheming, his youthful blond hair just brimming with big curls.

We'll note, as well, that the mom of one of Martinez' "SB" costars is featured in the episode -- Beverly Garland, mother of Carrington, one our favorite Kellys (since there were so many to choose from, kinda like Santanas). She's Thelma in the episode. And Susan Pratt, longtime soaps star who also did a "Shazam!" episode back in the day, plays Ann. At the time she was married to George O'Hanlon, who played Ned Nickerson on these "Nancy Drew" episodes.

Martinez is a good guy in this episode, of course -- portraying a young man wrongly accused of theft who gets a little help from Nancy Drew to clear his name. He even gets to ride on the back of a motorbike she hijacks! Martinez, by the way, has a new show on A and E called "Longmire" -- have you seen it? He's joined by Lou Diamond Phillips, along with Katee Sackhoff of newer "Battlestar Galactica" and Cassidy Freeman, who was Tess Mercer on "Smallville."

And by the way ... Happy Independence Day to all of you in the U.S.!

BRBTV talks to Nicholas Walker

He was Trey Clegg on "Capitol." He was Jimmy O'Herlihy on "General Hospital," and Max Buchanan on "One Life to Live." He's appeared in "Nash Bridges," "Seinfeld," "Frasier" and numerous other TV series. But for us fans of the daytime soap "Santa Barbara," Nicholas Walker is the one who had the unenviable task of portraying the baddest of bad guys -- Frank Goodman, who had molested B.J. as a child. But Walker, a theatrically trained actor, dug below the surface and came up with something much more for Frank.

BRBTV had the pleasure to speak with Nicholas Walker and learn how he approached and grew this character – and what he’s growing these days! We'll run it for ya in two parts -- first half today and second half next week.

First of all, can I confirm what I found on the IMDb for you -- born in Bogota, Colombia? At what age did you come to the U.S.? 
"Yes. ... The first time we came to the States was when we were preteens. So 11-12."

Was it a culture shock?
"Yes it certainly was. I didn't speak a word of English. ... I'll always remember that everything was so big in scale and proportion in New York compared to the smaller scale of Europe. I was just so amazed at how big everything was. Skyscrapers, streets, the people, the cars, the buses. "

Your native language was French?
"I have two maternal languages, Spanish and French."

Your resume is a long one -- did you set out to be an actor when you were growing up?
"Not per se an actor. But I always knew I was an artist, and in Europe they identify you early and encourage you into your strength and put you in the applicable academic tracts. So very early on I knew I was an artist, so that's how I started. I think everything followed after that. The first time I got exposed to acting was in high school, when they wanted guys from the soccer team, which I was the captain of, to wear tights for the school play, and to me that was a no-brainer because all the pretty girls were in the theatre. I thought, I wear shorts, big deal if I wear tights! I thought if I can be near the pretty girls, I'll wear the tights. That's how it started. I saw the correlation between athletics and the theatre. I experienced the wonderful correlation of athletics and theatre. They dovetailed nicely into each other. They are performance-centric with an audience and an enfolding drama. And once I started, I thought, yea, I know and like this."

You've done a lot of soaps work, from "Capitol" to "Y and R" to "GH" to "One Life to Live" ...
"I started my USA acting career landing roles both at the Circle in the Square and NBC’s 'The Doctors' in the same week. It was pretty heady. So I was doing Circle in the Square by night and 'The Doctors' by day. My first soap was with Kathleen Turner and Alec Baldwin. Ironically Alec and I both got our start at 30 Rockefeller. It was a pretty exciting time."

"Santa Barbara" was the last soap you did. Were you intending to get out of the soaps game, or is that just the way the roles fell?
"No, that was my intention. I thought no more soaps. After all, I had done six of them pretty sequentially. I just wanted to try something else and venture into primetime television and independent films."

Did you have any reservations about taking the role of Frank Goodman on "SB," given the subject matter?
"No. Because as an actor I learn from my roles. And I feel that if I get a role that is unexpected, then I see it as an opportunity to do some exploration, to go into waters I may not have known and dared not explore. You dream of a career as your career enfolds in front of you. I was a classically trained stage actor and I was told that there's no way you can do television. Well, I like to surprise and change people’s assumptions of me. There was a time when people thought, ‘he can only play a good guy.’ I played the good young doctor Brad Huntington, and I thought, next role I'm going to play has to be the bad guy. To me, Frank Goodman was a wounded, tortured soul. And most child molesters have been molested themselves. The way the writers originally wrote him was just as a bad guy. I wanted to show his hurt, his underbelly, his humanity. I wanted the audience to understand and experience what he was doing came from a deep wounding. ... That was a tall order, but that's the reason I wanted to take that role on."

What was the audition like?
"Actually, there was no audition. They offered me the role."

What preparation -- mental or physical -- did you do for this role?
"Well, I interviewed four child molesters. When you meet convicted child molesters, they look like regular Joes and Janes. They're like you and me. There's never a look. They don't look weird. They actually look normal and friendly. You never look at them and go, oh yuck, they're kinda creepy. The four child molesters I talked to, all of them, four out of four, were molested themselves. And not just molested -- two out of four were raped. It was violent. And what was interesting, most people think it's a male-dominated thing, but it's not. Out of the four people I talked to, one was a woman child molester.

"I found that it's kinda like this mixed feeling of hatred and familiarity, and they want to recreate it for their identity. And memory. That it actually did happen and no one will or can forget. It becomes an interject for them to say yes, it did happen to me, and the way they do this is to do it to someone else. People don't necessarily act out of maliciousness; they act out of woundedness. That's what I locked onto as an actor that he was really a tortured soul. He felt prisoner within his own actions and his own world. As an actor I like to work from the inside out, so I like to bring, if you will, my brokenness, my woundedness, to Frank Goodman."

Tune in next week for the second part of our talk with Nicholas Walker ...

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Walker; please do not copy without permission

New "Dallas" renewed for a second season

It's performing great, and the frenzy around it is pulsing -- TNT's reboot of "Dallas" has already been given a second season. News outlets like Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post and CBS are reporting that the cable network has just ordered another 15 episodes of the next-generation Ewing saga for 2013. So far, the show is averaging 6.9 million viewers for its first season.

Spotted: Monte Markham and Marj Dusay

BRBTV has been loving a rewatching of the first season of the '70s "Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries," courtesy of our friend Tracy. The DVD set has been a delightful trip back in time to these episodes we haven't seen since they originally aired. And seriously -- is that not one of the best TV theme songs ever?

Some great stars of classic television pop up in these episodes. We were intrigued to see Marj Dusay, the second Pamela Capwell of "Santa Barbara," in a smallish role in the Hardy Boys ep "The Disappearing Floor." Dusay is Dr. Janice Craddock, a polite, rather prim scientist seen by Frank and Joe Hardy in their investigation of the disappearance of another scientist. In March 1977, 11 years before she showed up on "SB," she's fresher of face and lovely in her clinician's stance, complete with lab coat.

We were also thoroughly entertained to see Monte Markham in "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove," the second episode of the series and the first one for Nancy Drew. Our former Clint Ogden of "Dallas" is gentlemanly and self-assured (and even called an "Adonis" by Nancy's friend George!) as a professor who travels from the West Coast to River Heights to purchase a spooky old lighthouse that seems to be inhabited by a ghost. He purports to be studying the paranormal phenomenon, but is there more to his story? Our former original Fallon Carrington of "Dynasty," Pamela Sue Martin, does some digging as the famous titian-haired amateur sleuth.

Reboot "Dallas," reboot some delicious "Dallas" merchandise

Ahhh ... we remember the days of researching "Dallas" for our BRBTV reference guide "Destination: Dallas." For the merchandise chapter, we combed eBay and other sites across the Internet to dredge up these precious pieces of the past ... "I Shot J.R." T-shirts, card games, jigsaw puzzles and glassware ... We remember thinking, "Oh, if we could only travel back in time and snatch up a bunch of that stuff when it first hit the shelves ..."

Well, the shelves are now measured in MB, and the time is now. TNT is celebrating its reboot of our classic beloved series with a yummy new array of goodies, and some even resemble playful throwbacks. T-shirts are the heavy, of course, because ya know, we can all keep like 350 of those around the house, but there's also some drinkware and the obligatory tote bag.

As the tagline says at the bottom of their online store, "Who says a reboot can't pack a punch?"

Shirley Jones headlines the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention

Shirley Jones of "The Partridge Family" and Sherry Jackson, one of the babes of the original "Star Trek" series, are two of the scheduled guests for this year's Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, set for August 9-11 at the Marriott Hotel in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

TV's "Dennis the Menace" Jay North and singer James Darren are two other classic stars included in the event, which will also feature a charity auction of signed memorabilia from stars such as Jane Fonda, Ann Blyth, Rhonda Fleming and Burt Reynolds. Proceeds benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Exploring TV's "deadbeat dads" -- who made the list?

Thanks to Corinne of OnlinePsychologyDegree.net for letting us know about a fun new list of "8 Deadbeat TV Dads We Love to Hate." Click on over and find out why Tony Soprano gets zero “Cool Dad” points and how the father of the "Gossip Girl" made the list.

The list extends as far back as "Married ... With Children," so it makes us wonder ... are there any deadbeat dads on the shows that BRBTV covers? Hmmm ...

Bits 'n' pieces: New movie projects, appearances and more

Richard Hatch, whom we know as Dean Caldwell on "Dynasty," will be hosting a panel discussion at Comic-Con in San Diego this year. The "Battlestar Galactica" star's panel, "So Say We All," is on Thursday, July 12 at 10:30 a.m.

Linda Evans of "Dynasty" notes on her official Facebook page, "I will miss my beautiful friend, Nolan Miller. He has been in my life since 'The Big Valley'.... 1965… and he’ll always be in my heart."

Lane Davies, our original Mason Capwell of "Santa Barbara," continues to shine in the online web soap "The Bay," getting some good screen time in the most recent webisode as Mackenzie Johnson.

Anthony De Longis, who was the evil Leo Mitchell on "SB," is working on a new movie project: "Cowboy Creed."

Richard Eden of "SB" (Brick Wallace) also has a new movie in the works. He wrote the script for "Retribution" and was shooting it earlier this year, collaborating with his wife, Shannon Hile. The film also features Brian Krause of "Charmed."

The Soap Series on BlogTalkRadio has caught up with a couple of our BRBTV stars lately:  Lesley Anne Down of "Dallas" and Tricia Cast of "SB."

Byron Cherry, Coy Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," has announced a tribute to "Dukes" castmate Christopher ("Vance Duke") Mayer at the Automania show in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the end of this month. Cherry also notes he will be retiring his own General Lee to a museum.

Premiere of new "Dallas" deals up some great ratings

TNT's next-generation "Dallas" had no problem with luring in an audience, "striking it rich" as a couple online  news agencies have said. Nearly 7 million of us tuned in on Wednesday night, as the Hollywood Reporter notes. And temper that number with the fact that nowadays people know they can go online and watch it later, and you've got a pretty good figure.

Check out CNN's coverage, which features video of the cast members lookin' good as they're talking to Piers Morgan.

Didya miss it? Run right over to TNT's "Dallas" video site. See a guide to the core characters and lots of lush video interviews and clips and photos and such there, too. Dallas Fanzine also has a nice gallery of photos, as well as its own original interviews with cast members.

BRBTV absolutely loved the premiere of the new show, believing it showed the utmost respect for the original product, with, of course, some shinier production values and a captivating new cast. While we're purists and would've loved to have seen the originals in the roles of John Ross and Christopher, we're quite enamored with Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe after watching their debut. And we'll be updating the "Destination: Dallas" Kindle version soon to reflect the new show and its continuity!

Spotted: Christopher Cazenove and Stephanie Beacham

What happens when Ben Carrington and Sable Colby get together? Well, sparks do fly, but we're not talking about an episode of "Dynasty" or "The Colbys." This is the 1992 miniseries "To Be the Best," the third installment in the "Woman of Substance" series by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Lindsay Wagner takes the lead role of Paula O'Neill, but Christopher Cazenove and Stephanie Beacham get the juicy parts of plotting against her as Jonathan Ainsley and Arabella. What Jonathan doesn't know in the story, though, is that Arabella is plotting against him, too! Isn't that just like our Sable Colby?

The miniseries was made a few years after they each did their time on "Dynasty," but Cazenove is every bit as dashing as he was playing Ben Carrington. And just as nasty, too. Beacham plays it sweet and compliant as Arabella, who becomes Jonathan's wife, but she has an edge. Cazenove, who was 49 for the role, does some chest-baring and I'm-still-a-virile-man theatrics like a workout scene with a rowing machine. And for our lovely former Sable, the producers certainly make use of her natural feminine appeal and stately poise.

A recommended view, and we thank James for passing it along to us!

Nolan Miller dies at age 79

Nolan Miller, the mastermind behind the exquisite, glamorous fashions enjoyed by millions of viewers of "Dynasty" and "The Colbys," has passed away. The news arrived on his Facebook page earlier today from fellow designer Mark Zunino:

"It is with great sadness that I need to inform you of Nolan's passing last night. He fought a brave five-year battle against non-smokers lung cancer. Nolan truly loved and appreciated all of his fans. In lieu of flowers or cards, a donation can be made in his name to the American Cancer Society. Thank you all for your kind words and support over all the years."

The esteemed, Texas-born costume designer worked on the wardrobes of his "Dynasty" stars for other shows, too: Joan Collins for "Pacific Palisades" and Emma Samms for "Models Inc." He got his start clothing the stars in the '60s and worked on myriad shows over the years, such as "The Love Boat," "Hart to Hart," "Charlie's Angels" and many more. Our condolences to his family.

Mumy family has a couple "Santa Barbara" connections

One of the many fine stars of classic TV that Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV got to talk to during the Motor City Comic Con a week and a half ago was Bill Mumy of "Lost in Space," "Twilight Zone" and so many other shows. BRB interviewed him on camera for a special episode about the con from One Media Detroit, a TV show you'll be seeing more on soon.

Mumy talked about his time on "Twilight Zone" as a young child, as well as the other slightly macabre / suspense thriller, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" / "Alfred Hitchcock Hour." But a lot of what Mumy does nowadays involves music, and we learned that he scored some songs for our beloved daytime soap "Santa Barbara." Which songs, BRB asked? He couldn't recall exactly, but said one was a theme for the romance of Keith and Gina. He said he got the gig because his wife had worked on the show.

Eileen Mumy is a childbirth instructor, and she played a nurse on a few episodes of "SB." BRB asked for more specifics on that, and the most she and Bill can recall is that it was in the first few years of the show. Robin Wright was on at the time, Eileen remembered. The couple became fans of the show after that point. Yea, Bill and Eileen, it was a good show ...

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Justin Deas takes the stage for "God of Carnage"

Justin Deas, our own Keith Timmons of "Santa Barbara," is one of the soap stars featured in a New Jersey production of the 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Play: "God of Carnage."

The play opens on Thursday, June 21 at 8 p.m. from Cape May Stage, South Jersey's premier professional Equity theatre. Directed by Roy Steinberg ("Guiding Light," "Days of Our Lives"), the play also stars John Viscardi, Michelle Eugene, and Emmy nominee Fiona Hutchison ("Guiding Light").

The Robert Shackleton Playhouse is on Bank and Lafayette streets. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $15 for students. Call (609) 884-1341 for reservations and information, or visit the theatre's website at www.capemaystage.org.

Motor City Comic Con: Billy Dee Williams

Just how did our own Brady Lloyd of "Dynasty" get that role of Lando Calrissian in "Star Wars"? And where can you see this artist's work nowadays? Billy Dee Williams answered those questions and more in a panel discussion at the Motor City Comic Con last Sunday afternoon, and we've got part of the panel on tape. So if you weren't there, or if you just want to relive the moments, take a stroll with BRBTV ...

Motor City Comic Con: Some sights and sounds

Didya miss last weekend's Motor City Comic Con? Didya attend and just wanna go back? The BRBTV YouTube channel is your place to take a stroll through the event. Hop alongside our video camera as we spy all sorts of TV stars from the great shows we love of decades ago, or just a few years ago. You'll catch a glimpse of Loni Anderson and Howard Hesseman of "WKRP in Cincinnati" (loved that show! watched it faithfully every week!), Butch Patrick of "The Munsters" (and you'll see the Dragula car, too!), Dawn Wells of "Gilligan's Island," Dean Cain of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," Christopher Knight of "The Brady Bunch," Yvonne Craig of "Batman," Alaina Huffman of "Smallville," Bill Mumy of "Lost in Space" and "The Twilight Zone," and more! Take our quick jaunt below ...

During the weekend (on Sunday morning, actually), Dwight Schultz of "The A-Team" was kind enough to step on over just before the show started to pose for a few pics with the A-Team van. The owners of the van, Tara and Jeremy of Canada, are there, along with Mel, Mike, Megan and Krista. Such fun! Schultz was also Lt. Barclay on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Voyager," and Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV got to chat with him on camera on Saturday about his roles over the years, his political beliefs and more. We'll post more info soon on this and other interviews by BRB from the con, which will be airing on Metro Detroit TV, produced by One Media Detroit.

Stay tuned; we've got one more video from the event to show ya, and it features one of the cast members of our beloved "Dynasty" ...

Motor City Comic Con: A testament to the growth of the comic con

It was a weekend jam-packed with comics, costumes, crowds, cool stars of classic TV, rockin' star cars, and chance encounters with friends and more-than-friends and assorted others old and new. That about sums it up. But amid the scantily clad, tattoo'ed Harley Quinn and legions of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" characters, we also saw a powerful demonstration of something else: The rise of the comic con.

The Motor City Comic Con at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, over this past weekend sparkled with excitement and nothing short of pure magic all day Saturday -- and Friday and Sunday weren't bad, either. In fact, on Saturday it was so jam-packed of people itself that we wondered if the joint was going to be shut down for fire code. Maybe we were just thinking of that 2008 Dukesfest in Nashville, where far more showed up to the party than anticipated and that fire code thing did factor in, but heck, we'd never seen a line around the building to get tickets hours into the Motor City show's Saturday opening.

The delicious Dean Cain of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" might have seemed a bit big for a con, still, but perhaps that's just the nature of this show and others like it around the country these days. Cons used to be "up" for some and "down" for others, but now they're just plain big business. And with the San Diego event going so mainstream and pop-culture phenomena like "The Big Bang Theory," we all know that geeky has been far more cool in recent years.

Take the stunning Audrey Horne of "Twin Peaks," a character we fairly worshiped, and Sherilyn Fenn's career since David Lynch's masterpiece was on the air has not been shabby. But there she was, chatting at her table, more than approachable in her skinny jeans and high-heeled wedgies, and it wasn't "down" for her, either -- just the nature of how our entertainment world changes over time.

And, of course, you had the con's regular natural assets, like the lovely Dawn Wells of "Gilligan's Island," posing in one of the two original screen-used Monkeemobiles, which is owned by Mel of Metro Detroit (and featured in previous posts on this blog). Wells is wonderfully vibrant and full of life. We've seen her at these cons for so many years, and she seems to thrive in this environment, continually cracking jokes and finding a rapport with everyone who approaches her table. She was the last of the celebs to leave on Sunday evening.

Photo ops could be found in all sorts of places, even with celebs hunting down their own ops, like Felix Silla of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and "The Addams Family." Below, Dwight Schultz of "The A-Team" and Nichelle Nichols of "Star Trek" sign for fans.

Billy Dee Williams, whom we know, of course, as Brady Lloyd on "Dynasty," did a panel discussion on Sunday with his son, Corey Dee Williams, and fellow "Star Wars" alum Stephen Costantino. Watch for some video of that on the BRBTV YouTube channel.

BRB got to chat again with the amazing Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl. She interviewed Craig a decade ago for The Detroit News in advance of her Motor Show appearance, and at the time Craig was just finishing up her book, "From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond." This time around, in this new age of the con, the appearance of Craig and others of her classic TV fame was splashed across both of Detroit's dailies and other local print media. TV cams of all varieties were at the show all weekend.

Peter Tork of the Monkees prepares for an interview with local TV, above, and talks to the owner of this amazing original car, Mel.

And speaking of interviews and TV cams, Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV was part of the action, too, doing some interviews with con guests for local Detroit television. Stay tuned for more on that, and where you'll be able to watch 'em ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

with the exception of photo of BRB and Yvonne Craig, by Meridel

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Them Duke boys set a stage date for 2013

Whew, they're just barely off the stage in Niagara Falls, and they're already making plans for next year?! Guess singing together again is just too much fun!

John ("Bo Duke") Schneider and Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat of "The Dukes of Hazzard" will perform at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Chandler, Arizona, on Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Tickets go on sale in June via Ticketmaster.

The view from Free Comic Book Day with "Fantastic Forum"

It was a fabulous time for Free Comic Book Day yesterday, as Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV was out and about doing all kinds of interviews for the "Fantastic Forum" TV show.

Many thanks to Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown (shown in these photos) and Alliance Comics of Silver Spring, both Maryland shops, for their wonderful hospitality. The two stores were gloriously packed for the afternoon, and it was great to see so many people enjoying the event.

As one would expect from this weekend, the Avengers were out in full force, and BRB got to get both of the above guys on-camera to talk a bit about their costumes and these characters. We also chatted with Marc Nathan, owner of Cards, Comics and Collectibles and the organizer of the massively popular Baltimore Comic-Con, as well as Filip Sablik of Top Cow (below left), John Gallagher of "Roboy Red" and "BuzzBoy" (middle) and Steve Conley of "Bloop" (right).

Look for these Free Comic Book Day segments on upcoming episodes of "Fantastic Forum," the award-winning show that you can find in a whole lot of places:

• Washington, D.C., on DCTV Comcast channels 95 and 96 and RCN channels 10 and 11 and Verizon FIOS 10.
• Montgomery County, MD, on Montgomery Community Media (MCM-TV) Comcast channel 21.
• Fairfax County, VA, on Fairfax Cable Access (FPA-TV) Cox channel 10.
• Arlington County, VA, on Arlington Independent Media (AIM) on Comcast channel 69 and Verizon FIOS 38.
• Prince George's County, MD, on Prince George's Community Television (CTV) Comcast channel 76 and Verizon FIOS 42.
• Baltimore City, MD, on Community Media of Baltimore (CMBC) Comcast channel 75. 
• YouTube, NCC1727 channel
• Vimeo, Ulysses Campbell's channel

BRB is so thankful to be working with producer Ulysses Campbell -- he knows his stuff!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

A "Dukes" reboot? Maybe ...

Holy heckin' cow -- another remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard"? Well, it's JUST a rumor right now (read the bold and ital and caps on that, pleez!), but the clues are ... "untitled action project set in the American South for Warner Bros." ... "set in the 1970s South and involves an outlaw duo" ... Hmmmm ....

The news comes from the Hollywood Reporter, noting that Jody Hill has been attached to direct, with Billy Gerber producing. Gerber produced the 2005 "Dukes" movie that fans so dislike.

So let's just see what happens with this ... Maybe WB has taken note of the massive surge of support for the "Dallas" reboot, which takes the very smart approach of mixing the old and new generations and for the most part keeping continuity with the characters. Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones told us in our interview with him for our "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" reference guide that he pitched a "next generation" approach to Warner Bros. years ago. Given that this is set in the 1970s, OK, maybe not "next generation," but we can only hope it will be a better approach to our beloved "Dukes" franchise than we've seen in recent years.

And thanks to our buddy Big Dee in Deeee-troit for looking out for us on this one ...

Catherine Bach has a new movie project in "Chapman"; we talk to the producer, Doug Weiser

As she's been enjoying her gig on CBS' "The Young and the Restless," our own Daisy Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard" has had another project in the works.

"Chapman" is a movie being supported by donations and investments, and sounds like it's for a great cause. The project is in partnership with a Colorado-based nonprofit called Mpower, which has been providing positive youth development programs for high school students. Mpower students have been crewing on the film, too.

We talked to producer Doug Weiser, who told us about the film and Bach's part in it.

"Basically, it's two best friends in love with the same girl in high school," Weiser tells BRBTV. "Tragedy ensues because of this love triangle. Years later, one of these young men comes back to the town he'd left trying to bring closure to what had happened. We understand how these people's lives were forever changed by that event."

He says, "The director-writer, Justin Owensby, was a high school student in this area about 11 years ago, and he was having some challenges and found this organization, Mpower. He got involved in that and felt it really changed his life and ultimately sent him on a track that led him to Hollywood where he is having success as a filmmaker. His family's still in this area, so he wanted to do something for this organization."

Thus, "Chapman" was born. So how did Catherine Bach come to be involved?

"This is a fairly serious dramatic piece with a few pieces of comic relief in it," Weiser says. "We were looking for good, recognizable talent for some of these supporting roles. Catherine is a close friend of a my stepmother-in-law. She liked the chance to get away in the summertime with her daughters. Even though it was a very small role she was happy to come and help."

Joining Bach in her scene is Dennis Haskins, whom fans may recall as Principal Richard Belding on "Saved by the Bell."

"He plays opposite her, as a middle-aged husband-and-wife couple," Weiser explains. "They're sort of ex-hippies going through a water birth in a hotel room. Catherine Bach is giving birth in a little kiddie pool. She was lovely to work with and to do it. It's not an X-rated scene, or R-rated for that matter. But it lent a little humor to the story."

He says about the scene, "Our lead character played by Jesse Johnson, who's a bit of a con man, he's also a locksmith. So he picks a lock, and he hears the commotion going on in this room and figures he's going to walk in on a lurid sex scene, and he's literally befuddled by what he sees."

Bach filmed her scene for the movie last July and August, Weiser says, and though he wasn't actually on set when Bach was taping, he heard rave reviews afterward.

"I've met her personally a couple times," Weiser tells BRBTV, "and I had to leave at that particular time -- my father passed away. I was in Miami that whole week. When I came back, she'd finished her scene already. Sadly, in this instance, I wasn't able to spend any time with her. My experience was through the others who were there. She was gracious to everybody. She was a professional. Everyone said how sweet she was. When I got back I couldn't believe what I'd heard."

"Chapman" marks a return to the business for Weiser, who has a cameo role in the film in addition to his work producing it. "Years ago I co-produced and co-wrote a movie called 'Midnight Crossing,'" he tells BRBTV. "That was in '88. Faye Dunaway and Kim Cattrall were in it. Daniel J. Travanti of 'Hill Street Blues' -- remember that show? The movie still shows now and then. For many years after 'Midnight Crossing,' I became involved in real estate. I left L.A. in '89, and moved to Aspen, Colorado, where I started a real estate company, met my wife, then went back in Florida to build a hotel, then moved back to Colorado in 2002. I've been writing screenplays and trying to get back into the production business."

And the movie certainly appears to be a labor of love for the Mpower organization. Weiser says about 20 percent of their budget has come from donations so far, with the remainder from investments. If the movie makes a profit, he says, the first half of a million dollars will go to Mpower. "That's how we were able to use the Mpower students as crew and support people for the shoot, so they had the experience of working on a feature film."

"Chapman" is in post-production right now. "We don't have a distributor yet," Weiser says. "We just began showing screener copies to a sales agent and one distributor who expressed an interest just by hearing about it. It's a very low-budget feature, and I don't know if it will receive a theatrical release. I'm learning my way aournd it again, since I've been away from it for so long."

You can view the teaser for "Chapman" at the movie's official site, and check out the IMDb page for more info, as well. BRBTV wishes Weiser and the crew the best -- it will be great to see Catherine on-screen in this one.

James Best films Hallmark movie this summer

James ("Rosco P. Coltrane") Best of "The Dukes of Hazzard" lets his fans know through his latest e-newsletter of a new movie project he has coming up:

"Jimmie and Dorothy are excited about plans to travel to Romania in June," the newsletter says. "The trip is a movie shoot for the Hallmark Channel. In the movie, Jimmie will be playing an Irish/American baker!"

Best will be working again with his daughter Janeen and her husband, Michael Damian. The two wrote the script together, with Janeen will be producing and Michael directing.

"Watching Jimmie through some dough around sounds like a hoot -- but we can't wait to see all his antics and improvisations that come with that. Hopefully we get to see outtakes!"

The film is scheduled to air next summer.

Sheree J. Wilson appears at White Bridle Society Luncheon

She's a horsewoman and a founding board member of the White Bridle Society, and she'll be serving as the celebrity hostess at the society's luncheon in May. Ms. Sheree J. Wilson, whom we know as April Stevens on "Dallas," won't be venturing far when she appears at the event, held at the Fellowship Bible Church Dallas in -- you guessed it -- Dallas.

The mission of the 501(c)3 group is "to serve our community through equine programs that enable people to live happier, more productive and rewarding lives." The luncheon is at noon on May 5. Read more at the Society's site.

Richard Hatch cohosts dating event

He is known to us as Dean Caldwell on "Dynasty," that hunky temptation to Claudia Blaisdel, though the rest of the world knows him best from his time on "Battlestar Galactica." Mr. Richard Hatch is helping matchmaking pro Lisa Cohen host a one-day seminar and singles mixer designed to teach you "the secrets to creating more rewarding, romantic and long-lasting relationships."

"She's a very gifted matchmaker and an amazing lady, MOM and dynamic actress to boot!!" Hatch says of Cohen at his Facebook page. Dating Designer's event happens on Sunday, May 20 at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center in Calabasas, California. Learn more at the Dating Designer site.

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.