Star Wars Celebration VI: Droids, Darths and other delights

Another Star Wars Celebration is over, and it was four days jam-packed with all kinds of intergalactic goodies at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. BRBTV offers another photographic glimpse to follow up Thursday's post.

Temuera Morrison, who portrayed Janga Fett (father of Boba Fett) in the prequel trilogy, spoke with fans during a Q&A session on Friday.

The English-born Anthony Daniels played protocol droid C-3PO throughout all six movies, as well as in other "Star Wars" incarnations such as video games and the "Clone Wars" animated TV show. Daniels spent time with fans on Friday afternoon, even inviting a few on-stage to answer audience questions about "Star Wars." He had a little extra fun with a fan named Danny in a C-3PO costume.

Steve Sansweet has an amazing collection of "Star Wars" memorabilia, a slice of which was part of a special display at Celebration VI. His Rancho Obi-Wan is open to tour.

A costume masquerade on Saturday afternoon featured Savage Opress, above, Mother Tousand, below, and a ton of other "SW" characters, all competing for awards and many whose costumes reflected months or even years of work.

BRB's friend Andrea Melchiori of Kalamazoo, Michigan, entered the contest as the Fem Vader! Look for video of the Fem Vader, as well as Anthony Daniels and other sights and sounds of the event, on the BRBTV YouTube channel soon.

 

Look out -- there's that Fem Vader again, this time menacing an AT-AT Imperial Walker. Andrea says it took about a year to piece her costume together. Her inspiration for it? "I wanted to do a Darth Vader costume, but I didn't have my costume tweaked enough that I could join the local garrison (501st Legion). A garrison member suggested I do a Fem Vader. That was about a month before last year's DragonCon in Atlanta." Celebration VI marks the second time she's worn the costume at an event, and she's got a few more tweaks she's going to make to it.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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The view from Star Wars Celebration IV

The sixth Star Wars Celebration is happening this weekend in Orlando, Florida, and BRBTV is there, media pass in hand (well, really, on neck) and happily drinking in the sights and sounds. How about some photo coverage of Day 1! Well, sure ...

R2-D2 and all his friends, R4 included, were out in full force, and one room at the Orange County Convention Center was even devoted to the astromech droids and those who build them.

Jedi training for "younglings" happens several times a day throughout the weekend!

We even got a glimpse of one of the stars of the TV shows covered by BRBTV ... well, at least an action figure of one! Check out the latest figure of Lando Calrissian, as played by Billy Dee Williams, our own Brady Lloyd of "Dynasty." Below, another slice of the memorabilia to be had on the vast convention floor, which you just can't cover in one day. Fans can even behold -- and purchase -- props used in the production of the six movies.

BRB's fave "Star Wars" characters are Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul, but her favorite "things" or creatures, if you will are the Boga lizard and the At-At Walker, above. Sheer delight!

Almost thawed out, she is, from that snowy encounter with the At-At. And below, another chance encounter, this time with her delicious Darth Maul ...

Actor Ian McDiarmid, whom "Star Wars" fans know so well as Senator Palpatine / the Emperor, appeared this evening to an immensely packed house in one of the venue's theaters. He talked about some of the scenes in the movies, such as the opera scene with Hayden Christensen (and what influenced the particular way he was talking in that scene!), and he told the story of first meeting George Lucas and how Lucas' compliment of "nice nose" came to mean so much!

On to Day 2 tomorrow! Look for video coverage of the event on the BRBTV YouTube channel soon.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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Steve Geppi talks with BRB about his business and his life's work on an upcoming episode of "Fantastic Forum"

BRBTV founder Billie Rae Bates continues her work for the Washington, D.C.-based "Fantastic Forum" TV show, and the show's producer, Ulysses Campbell, keeps giving her clips she can be proud of. Below is the latest of her interviews for the show, with Steve Geppi, owner of Diamond Distributors, an interview we gave you the heads-up on in our July 22 post.

In this interview, which will be featured in an upcoming episode of the show, Geppi talks about how he built up his companies, how he compiled that amazing pop-cultural memorabilia collection on display at Geppi's Entertainment Museum, and what fascinates him so much about his hometown of Baltimore.

Keep your eye on the "Fantastic Forum" website for more goodies, and remember you can catch the show in all kinds 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
• And the episodes are now even featured on Daily Motion!

Hazzard Homecoming finishes well

The dust has settled, and it's back to the reality of the workweek for most of us. But we've got some fond memories of this past weekend's Hazzard Homecoming at the Ben Venue Racecourse in Washington, Virginia (or Amissville, depending on how ya look at it!). The event, hosted by Ben Jones of "The Dukes of Hazzard" and his wife, Alma Viator, featured the core cast, as we showed you on Saturday, as well as a heapin' helpin' of live country and bluegrass music, games for the kids, fattening festival food (ask us about the deep-fried Oreos that were rather divine despite about a 45-minute wait to get 'em!), BMX stunts, General Lee jumps, a car display, live pro wrestling in the ring, and more.

Here are a few additional images to remember the weekend by, including a real money shot of the cast posing for some photos behind the stage after performing on Sunday evening (they were still looking for Sonny Shroyer, though) ...

From left: Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones, Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat, Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach, John ("Bo Duke") Schneider, James ("Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane") Best, Rick ("Deputy Cletus Hogg") Hurst.

We've got a whole big mess of video we shot from the weekend with the new BRBTV HD camera; watch this blog and our YouTube channel for that ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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Hazzard Homecoming: How about a yeeeeee-haaaaaa for Day 1

It was certainly sunny. And it was hot -- though there was a cool breeze blowing through now and then and not a drop of rain all day. But more than that, at the Ben Venue Racecourse in Washington, Virginia, it was a testament to the fact that when Ben and Miss Alma throw a party, people show up. Just as many as the jam-packed first Hazzard Homecoming in 2011, by our accounts.

The second Hazzard Homecoming, moving its location from last year's venue a few miles down the road, boasted a rousing success for its first day today, as thousands of fans flowed in from all over, waiting in looooooonnnng lines for items signed by the cast members, listening to good ole country music on the stage, eating a funnel cake or two, beholding a bunch of General Lees and other beautiful cars, and just all-around taking in the awesome sights.

BRBTV was there, as you see here! Billie Rae Bates and Will ("The Voice Man") Rodgers strolled the grounds (and Will even made it up to the stage for a minute to do a "Dukes" voice or two) and had a fab time. Will was particularly impressed at the dedication of the cast, who made sure fans knew they were appreciated. Indeed, BRB witnessed Tom Wopat's particularly tender spirit with the kids of all varieties who made the trek through his line, and Will saw Catherine Bach wait until every fan was served, even while the stunt show was going on across the field.

"I don't know of many stars who will do that," Will says. "They were willing to stay and make sure that every fan that waited in  line to see them was taken care of, regardless of how tired they were at the end."

The event, hosted by Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones and his wife Alma Viator, was a grand reunion of the core cast, with this first half of the weekend punctuated in the evening by their appearance on-stage, performing (you guessed it) the "Dukes of Hazzard" theme song and other faves. Look for video of all that great stuff on the BRBTV YouTube channel soon.

Besides the star power, the event showed some muscle in its cars, the stage acts it served up, and other fun stuff you just have to walk around to see (we wanted to get those Civil War guys shooting off the muskets -- maybe tomorrow!).

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV 

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Byron Cherry has some movie projects in the works

Our buddy Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry has got his star shining brightly lately, out and about at events like the Louisiana "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion we mentioned earlier this week, and being featured in places like PowerBlock TV / magazine and Mopar Muscle magazine. Now he's got some screen stuff going on, too.

According to his official website, Cherry will be appearing in the movie "Ring of the Fallen," starring Anthony Hopkins, Bruce Willis, Danny Glover, and The Rock! Byron is cast as Deputy Ralley. Also look for Byron in a new film called "Dragon Child," which was scheduled to shoot this year.

By the way, Cherry is donating his personal General Lee to the Tim Welborne Muscle Car Museum; see the video at CoyDuke.com.

By the way, we're heading to the Hazzard Homecoming this weekend, so look for our standard fun-filled coverage of the event on this blog next week!

Louisiana "Dukes" event plans to serve up the full surviving cast

Any year with a big "Dukes of Hazzard" event like this weekend's Hazzard Homecoming is a good "Dukes" year, we know. And we do have the benefit of the episodes currently being on the air again, on CMT, after all. But throw in the Galax event a few weeks back, plus another blockbuster event with cast members showing up, and it's a really big "Dukes" year.

In fact, the Dukes of Hazzard Family Reunion and Car Show in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, in September has a whole lot of reason to boast. They're not just featuring cast members -- they're offering up the complete surviving cast. BRBTV has nothing but a robust round of applause for show organizers who have the respect to invite all of the cast (as, we might add, John Schneider was gracious enough to do with his Dukesfest in Atlanta a few years back). So here it is, the glorious roundup:
John Schneider (Bo Duke)
Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke)
Tom Wopat (Luke Duke)
Byron Cherry (Coy Duke)
James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane)
Sonny Shroyer (Deputy Enos Strate)
Don Pedro Colley (Sheriff Ed Little)
Ben Jones (Cooter Davenport)
Rick Hurst (Deputy Cletus Hogg)

And it's a free event? Wow. This truly is Hazzard County. And if that wasn't enough to convince you, one of the show organizers is Jim Hogg.

The event takes place on Saturday, September 29, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Henderson Auctions on Highway190 west of Livingston, Louisiana. Keep an eye on it at this Facebook page.

Announcing the BRBTV Report on "Justice League"

We did a report on "Batman: The Animated Series." Then we did a report on "The New Batman Adventures." Then it was "Batman Beyond," then even "Superman: The Animated Series." Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami, James Tucker and crew didn't stop making these shows, so you didn't expect us to stop watching 'em and reporting on 'em, now didya?

Brand new from BRBTV is the "Justice League" report, covering all five seasons of this fabulous animated series, from its 2001 debut through its evolution to "Justice League Unlimited." Talented writer Will Rodgers steps in again for this one, bringing his keen grasp of detail and offering comprehensive analysis and commentary you won't find anywhere else. Rodgers has the credentials: Take his "Ultimate Super Friends" site, for instance. He lends that expertise on these various assembled DC superheroes to the new "JL" Report, giving a full background of the creation of the show as well as a (long!) synopsis and commentary on each and every episode. This Kindle document is a whopper -- the equivalent of 300 letter-sized pages, and our biggest in the BRBTV Reports series so far!!!!

"Justice League: A BRBTV Report (BRBTV Reports)" is No. 12 in our series of BRBTV Reports, and it's part of a four-product-release year. So stay tuned ... the other three aren't too far behind ... and one's even going to be a new installment in our print book series ...

Latest episode of "Fantastic Forum" discusses the comics-based animated series we love

"Batman: The Animated Series" came up in conversation the other day. So did "Batman Beyond." And "Justice League," with its fab Hawkgirl-Green Lantern romance. Add in a little Scrooge McDuck -- even Darkwing Duck. A touch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What's the context here, you say? The latest episode of the Washington, D.C.-based TV show "Fantastic Forum," produced by Ulysses Campbell. Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV continues her work for Campbell's award-winning TV series, hosting this one from Victory Comics in Falls Church, Virginia, with fun 'n' lively panelists Abby Pritchard, Bryan Lyles and Roberto Ortiz ...

Remember, you've got all kinds of ways to catch this great show:

• 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
• And the episodes are now even featured on Daily Motion!

Steve Geppi talks with BRB for "Fantastic Forum"

He's a very accomplished businessman, born and raised and still based in Baltimore, and he's a titan in the world of comic books. He's Steve Geppi, one of the owners of the Baltimore Orioles and owner of Diamond Distributors, Gemstone Publishing and the Geppi's Entertainment Museum, most notably. He's a true rags-to-riches success story, and in a new interview with BRBTV's Billie Rae Bates as part of her continuing work for the "Fantastic Forum" TV show, you'll learn more about that.

BRB talked at length with Geppi about his approach to business, what he values most, what comics he loved as a kid, and even just how he went about acquiring the amazing collection of pop-cultural entertainment memorabilia on display at the museum, where the interview was conducted, along with "Fantastic Forum" producer Ulysses Campbell. Read a little more at the "Fantastic Forum" blog, and watch for clips from the interview on the show, which you can catch in all kinds 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
• And the episodes are now even featured on Daily Motion!

Photo by Ulysses Campbell / Fantastic Forum

Spotted: Powers Boothe

We know his calm, authoritative voice as villain Gorilla Grodd on the "Justice League" animated series, lending far more intelligence to that crafty character than his animal nature would afford. He also voiced Lex Luthor in the "Superman: Brainiac Attacks" animated movie. But Powers Boothe has had a big career in front of the cameras, too, starring as the vice president on "24" and in many other roles over the years (and even just appearing the "Avengers" movie).

We got to see his handsome face in the 1996 movie "Dalva," starring Farrah Fawcett. Here, he plays it rough-hewn and edgy, but somehow poetic, as Sam, the love interest for Farrah's lead character. In the story, Dalva had a child at age 17 and was forced to give him up for adoption, only to seek him out later, on his 21st birthday. Sam, the polite-talking rancher type, helps the process.

While Farrah plays it much younger, about 37 to her real-life 49, Boothe acts more his age, which was 48 at the time. And while Farrah pulls off her young-switch by acting flighty, girlish, quite out-there, Boothe is straight, logical and tough, despite the womanizing he does in the film. A bit of a Marlboro man, he is, and he wears it well, though you can't help but think he's better suited to a suit -- and the more crafty indulgences of Gorilla Grodd, who's a study in contrasts.

Special thanks to Tracy for passing the movie along to us!

Are we in the "Golden Age of Geeks"? Tune in to the discussion on "Fantastic Forum"

Is geekiness now in style? It sure seems to be, with the popularity of shows like "The Big Bang Theory" and the immense mainstreaming of comic cons in recent years. It's the topic tackled in the latest episode of the Washington, D.C.-based TV series "Fantastic Forum." Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV continues to be blessed by her work on this show, serving as a panelist in this episode and also featured in the special segment on Free Comic Book Day, which we showed to you last weekend ...

We taped this episode at Victory Comics in Falls Church, Virginia, and it really turned out nice! And remember, "Fantastic Forum" is a show you can catch 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
• And the episodes are now even featured on Daily Motion!

"Shazam!" set for September 18 DVD release

At long last, the big-bro show to our beloved "Secrets of Isis" is getting its due. "Shazam!", the half-hour, live-action Saturday-morning TV show of the '70s, is scheduled to be released on DVD on September 18.

The DVD set will contain the full series, all 28 episodes airing across three seasons from 1974 to 1976. It will retail for $34.95. Fans have been asking about this one for a long time, even before the 2007 DVD release of "Isis." Warner Bros. will release "Shazam!" via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, according to TVShowsonDVD, available exclusively in the U.S. and only through Warner's online store.

We're glad to see Jackson Bostwick was chosen for the cover! BRBTV got a chance to interview Bostwick, who portrayed Captain Marvel in the first season and a half of the show, at last year's GMX event in Nashville, Tennessee. Catch the interview on our BRBTV YouTube channel as you prepare for this fall's release of the series!

Also, BRBTV has been working on an installment of the popular BRBTV Reports series focusing on "Shazam!" so look for that soon!

DVD image from TVShowsonDVD.

Nicholas Walker, Part 2: Beyond Frank Goodman

In the first part of our interview with Nicholas Walker last week, we discussed his approach to the role of Frank Goodman on "Santa Barbara" -- and it couldn't have been an easy task, we know. Walker lent a certain amount of humanity to Frank's persona -- a marked woundedness -- that provided much more depth to a character that could have just come off as flat. In the second half of our interview, Walker talks a bit more about that, but also about what he has going on these days -- and if there's a chance we'll see him on the small screen again soon ...

Is there anything you would've done differently with the Frank Goodman character, if you were one of the show's writers?
"As a soap it's really interesting, because the writers write what I call a skeleton script, and because the medium is so fast, the main core of the ensemble of actors take the skeleton script and infuse their own personalities and sentence structuring during the rehearsal process. I've experienced it in different ways. You might see Frank going ape in the situation, and it was written as just anger, but I, as an actor, I love surprising and showing that behind the rage there's this hidden pain that fuels the rage. So the written anger in the scene is infused with real pain as depicted with real tears. We have a symbiotic relationship with the writers. Hopefully they would say we didn't write the scene anticipating the wounded part but the actor brought an interesting contribution.

"It's so fast. In an hour show like 'Santa Barbara,' it's just shy of 100 pages. They crank it out day in and day out. In the blocking rehearsal, the ensemble of the show, say, make the script come alive as we are standing and talking the script. All of a sudden, the script gets lifted off the page very quickly. It's so quick. ... My theatrical training did not serve me in soaps. I had to find a different approach. When I was rehearsing George Bernard Shaw, every comma, every word, must be said exactly as written. So coming into the soap world, and one hears actors saying no, I'm not going to say that, it's like, wow, I am in the Twilight Zone ... I realized there was no point in memorizing word for word before blocking rehearsal and the breakdown of the script. Then you memorize it, rehearse and you do it live. It’s more of a controlled scripted improvisation.”

How about hate mail -- did you get any of that? (I have to ask because I know Terri Garber got hate mail just for her character daring to pursue Cruz Castillo!)
"Yes. It was interesting that I received more hate mail when I played the role of Jimmy O'Herlihy on 'General Hospital.' I actually had death threats so the FBI was brought in. The person / persons who wrote to me knew too much personal information, and I was in possible danger. That's the other side of celebrity that people don't take in or believe. There is lack of boundaries and privacy. It's pretty amazing what people will do."

Who was the best to work with, among the "SB" cast?
"A Martinez. He was a very generous, kind actor. He's rare, because he's not ego-driven. And it was a great homecoming for me because Kim Zimmer was also a cast member with me on 'The Doctors.'"

Do you have any keepsakes from the "SB" set? Did you keep any of your scripts?
"No. To be what I call current and present as an actor, as an artist, once the role is done, it's done. I just let go of everything so I can be open for the new characters to emerge. If you lock onto things and hold onto things; it gets in the way of the work."

Your last credited role is in 2003 -- do you have any plans to return to screen acting?
'I do, actually. I took a long sabbatical for my most important life’s work. Fathering my four wonderful children. The time is a comin’ for a re-entry into the world of acting."

What role do you feel like you're best known for?
"Well, it's interesting. If I'm in Europe and specifically Italy, 'Capitol' was the number-one primetime show for five years. So I'm a rock star in Italy. And even today, if you look at my Facebook page, you'll see there's a big 'Capitol' fan page out of Italy. You'll see that they've basically resurrected the show. I've done interviews. They want to bring back 'Capitol' via the Internet or on another format, that's quite amazing after all these years. I would say in New York, it's Max Holden of ABC’s ‘OLTL.’ As you know each network has different demographics."

How would you characterize the demographic for "Santa Barbara"?
"That's a good question. I was part of the last cast for that show, so I never really experienced the demographic. The show got canceled, so it was hard to get a read on the demographic. I think 'Santa Barbara' was big in New York, as well, because I remember going to a church where there was a meltdown of fans for Marcy Walker and company."

What's the craziest thing you've ever read about yourself in the press?
"Here's the real truth. I don't read my press good or bad. I get irritated because I make the effort to be accurate, and then later I read nonsense that I didn't say. I was misinterpreted purposely or innocently. People hear what they want to hear, or they're motivated by their own agendas. ... As an actor I really try to come from a pure place. And if I'm aware of what previous critics have said good or bad. As a human, I will always shy away from where I am hurt, and then I'm not true as an actor. My job is to be true to the character, whether the public / critics like it or not. Because otherwise you have an internal editor and are therefore disconnected in the scene. All of a sudden, as you're trying to be in the creative process of bringing a life alive, you're editing and double-guessing yourself all along because of previous criticisms that have maligned you in some way. I think criticism is a necessary component of what I do, and once I enter the public arena, I become public property.”

I know you talked about being a father. What occupies your time these days?
"I love being outside. I've been blessed that I can make a living doing what I love to do. As a kid I always loved to be in the plant world, building things. So I'm a designer / builder in the landscape architectural world. That's my day job. My other job is I work as a design ambassador for Kathy Ireland Worldwide. She asked me to join her team and brand in 2001 where we launched Jardin at the San Francisco Garden and Flower Show."

"While I was doing soap operas all those years, I simultaneously ran my landscape business. I would start my landscape day from 7 to 12 and then go to the studio. I have naturally lots of energy (and you kinda have to when you have four kids, by the way), so I did two jobs. ... Thank God that Kathy Ireland came to me in 2001 and said, I want you to develop an outdoor division for my brand. She has a business that's worth two billion dollars and growing. You can check it out on KathyIreland.com. You'll see my work there. I represent the green aspect of the brand, it’s about bringing the outdoors in. ... The mission statement is celebrating gardens and the outdoor experience.

"And raising my four children is my favorite and most important job. I really love it. I've had a career where I've been blessed to portray a variety of roles.”

Have you seen any of the recent web soaps, such as "The Bay," and what do you think of the trend toward Internet-based soaps?
"I have not seen them. Conceptually, I think it's great. This soap opera medium is not dead and thankfully has a new life on the Internet. Perhaps once the fad of reality TV has gone its course maybe the audience will reclaim their soaps. Thank-you for this interview; I enjoyed it.”

And BRBTV extends heartfelt thanks to Nicholas Walker for his time!

Billy Campbell takes on the role of Abraham Lincoln next

Billy Campbell has enjoyed a prolific career in the years since he played Luke Fuller as a young'un on "Dynasty." With roles on "The 4400," "The O.C.," "Law and Order: SVU" and a whole lot more, he's kept his star shining. Lately he's been playing Darren Richmond, troubled political candidate, on AMC's "The Killing."

His next role will keep him in both politics and killing, as Deadline TV is reporting: "Killing Lincoln" begins shooting in Virginia this month and will feature Campbell in the title role. It's based on a book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard and will air on the National Geographic Channel.

Stroll through Free Comic Book Day with BRB and "Fantastic Forum"

In our May 6 post, we showed you a glimpse of Billie Rae Bates' work for the Washington, D.C.-based "Fantastic Forum" TV show on Free Comic Book Day. A segment of that video work has been posted online, and you'll also see segments in upcoming episodes of the show, airing on several TV channels in the D.C. area.

This one really turned out nice! Thanks to producer / director / writer Ulysses Campbell, as well as Steve Conley, John Gallagher, Marc Nathan and all the folks we talked to!

Bits 'n' Pieces: New movie projects for Richard Hatch, Vincent Irizarry, and some "Dukes"

Richard Hatch, our own Dean Caldwell of "Dynasty," has a new movie in the works. It's called "Dead by Friday," and it comes from Ric LaMonte. See more at DeadbyFriday.com.

Vincent Irizarry, who was Scott Clark on "Santa Barbara," has been posting photos to his Facebook page about filming "Worth" with Eric Roberts. Irizarry also stars in "Fall in Love Again" at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in New York this October; get tickets at TicketMaster.

We've reported on this blog before about the sequel of the 1950s "Killer Shrews" movie starring James ("Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane) Best of "The Dukes of Hazzard." For that sequel, "Return of the Killer Shrews," Best pulled in his "Dukes" costars John Schneider and Rick Hurst. The movie has its world premiere in Bristol, Tennessee, on Saturday, July 28. The Foundation Event Facility is the place, and it's a fundraiser for the Bristol Speedway Children's Charities. The "Dukes" stars might even accidentally be there. Get tickets at Xorbia.com.

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.