A couple "Dukes" cousins are comin' to a very familiar mid-Michigan speedway in July

This author never would've dreamed, growing up in mid-Michigan, that the stars of such a favorite show, "The Dukes of Hazzard," could actually be dropping by for a visit a mile down the road from home. But yea, it's happening -- the very racetrack from which I could once hear the vroom-vroom sounds off in distance every Saturday night in the '70s and '80s summers at the farm, will shine with "Dukes" stars next month: Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat and Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry will be featured at the Hazzard County Cars and Stars Concert at the Owosso Speedway (which at one time was called the Ovid Speedway). Wowzers. How crazy is that????

This event, also featuring country singer Whey Jennings — grandson of “Dukes” balladeer Waylon Jennings — comes to us from Pastor Steve Rau, who also brought us the wonderful Hazzard County Christmas several months back. Learn more at the Facebook event (or this one) and buy tickets at Eventbrite. Yeeee-haaaa!!!! See ya there!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Betty and Veronica dolls by Playing Mantis, Part 1: Veronica

These girls know everything about fashion -- that girl-next-door Betty Cooper and the fabulously wealthy Veronica Lodge. And though they are rivals when it comes to both Archie and the latest fashion trend, they are friends through and through. That spirit is captured in a set of 11.5-inch fashion dolls released by Playing Mantis in 2000. There are three different versions for Betty and three for Veronica, and their delightful duds certainly do reflect the time period, as do all the wonderful outfits B&V wear in Archie Comics throughout the decades.

In part 1 of a two-parter on non-T3, we take a look at two of the Veronica versions (one was given away from BRB's collection -- she'll explain). Then, next month, you'll see the second part examining the three Betty dolls.

From the Six Feet Under Blog: KHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!

We know him as the dashing Zach Powers on "Dynasty" spinoff "The Colbys," his amor for the sultry Sable so evident and appealing ... but Ricardo Montalban was so many other things, not the least of which, so well-known as Mr. Roarke on classic "Fantasy Island." Did you know he was the first Hispanic actor to be featured on the cover of Life magazine? His career spanned many decades and included a wonderful number of other credits. Learn more about the life -- and interment -- of the great Ricardo Montalban in this post by Brian Lombard ...

Six Feet Under: KHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!: Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino was born on November 25, 1920 in Mexico City.  He was raised in a large Roman Catholic family, a...

Terrific TV Toys: Black & White Batgirl statue by DC Collectibles

We're making our way through 2019, just about to the halfway point, and this time on the Terrific TV Toys web series, we're looking at a collectible statue that takes us back to "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The New Batman Adventures." It's our beautiful Barbara Gordon Batgirl, all set to pounce, or maybe she's even in mid-pounce, in this brand-new statue from DC Collectibles. Do not adjust your TV -- or computer -- because this one is part of DC's Black & White series. It's lush in its shades of gray, actually ...

Tom Wopat has a Grumpy Cat Car Show and more on his agenda

Special thanks to Kimberly for putting the word out about these several appearances of Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat of "The Dukes of Hazzard" coming up this summer. Click on the links to the Facebook event pages for more info.

June 1
Murphysboro Illinois Cruise Nights
South 12th Street and Walnut, Murphysboro, IL62966

June 7
Beach Cafe
1326 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10021

June 16
Grumpy Cat Car Show
175 Danielson Pike, Foster, RI 02825-1385, United States

July 14
Cooter's Place

2613 Mcgavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37214

July 27
Hazzardfest
Rogersville City Park, 331 Park Boulevard, Rogersville, TN 37857 

August 15
Larryfest
S2096 24 Valley Rd, La Farge, WI 54639

Six Feet Under Blog: Read about the Lost Grave of Captain Kangaroo

Pockets full of interesting items? We never knew! Read about the life of Captain Kangaroo, a childhood hero for many ...

Six Feet Under: The Lost Grave of Captain Kangaroo: Unlike many of my Generation X peers, I was not a huge fan of Captain Kangaroo .  Quite frankly, I didn't get it.  I still don't....

Terrific non-TV Toys: SuperSize Barbie by Mattel

Barbie is making quite a few appearances on the two BRBTV web series, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys. You've already seen a Catwoman Barbie (and Batman Ken), a couple Batgirl Barbies, a Wonder Woman Barbie, the Pretty Changes Barbie. You will see a "Star Trek" Barbie and Ken, vintage Malibu Barbie, Ken, Skipper and P.J., Quick Curl Francie. Another Wonder Woman Barbie, a Poison Ivy Barbie. Even a Snoopy Barbie. But for this episode of Terrific non-TV Toys, we turn our attention to a glamorous Barbie from the 1970s.

She was the biggest Barbie you could get back then, the SuperSize Barbie, all clad in white satin and released around 1976 by Mattel. She was one of the first Barbies to feature bent arms for a different kind of posability. And she was really, as you'll see in this episode, an offshoot of the pink-satin-clad SuperStar Barbie.

Texas Monthly’s 40th anniversary “Dallas” issue makes this author’s day!

Special thanks to my friend Brian Smith, who traveled from Ohio this past weekend to attend the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan, for the saaawwweeettt gift of this issue of Texas Monthly mag for both myself and my buddy Andrea. This October 2018 issue celebrates the 40th anniversary of our beloved classic “Dallas” series and features a lengthy story and nice photos of the show and its stars. Brian is a diehard “Dallas” fan who snagged these online. Can’t wait to read it!!! Having traveled Route 66 last fall, where I enjoyed a marvelous Frito Pie in Amarillo, Texas, I’m going to read the rest of the friggin’ magazine, too!

— BRB

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con serves up a great roster of classic stars for September show

It's a fall timeframe once again for the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con that happens in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and some names that you don't often see on a con roster are popping up ... Richard Thomas of "The Waltons," Tatum O'Neal, Dinah Manoff ... More names will be added, we're sure, and BRBTV has enjoyed this show several times (and has provided some video coverage -- see the BRBTV YouTube channel). Mark your calendar and keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for more.

Terrific TV Toys: Mego "Charlie's Angels" figure Kris

Cheryl Ladd had the unenviable task of being the first replacement Angel in what they didn't yet realize would be a string of replacement Angels on TV's classic "Charlie's Angels." The relaunched Mego Corp. pays tribute to Ladd just as Hasbro did in the 1970s -- with a lovely action figure (OK, doll). This one fits the same mold as Mego's other females, and you can decide if this bears the proper likeness of the lovely Ms. Ladd. It's part 3, really, in a three-part series on the "Angels" Megos, following Kelly and Sabrina.



Our fellow author Brian Lombard got to meet the real Ms. Ladd, up close and in person, at an event in New Jersey last month. Behold ... 

Photo courtesy of Brian Lombard; please do not copy without permission.

TGIF! How about some action figure goodness with the Super Friends!

Will Rodgers, author of "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion" books in the BRBTV line, has done it again. The avid action figure collector and diehard Super Friends fan has at last put together a collection he's been working on for years, to celebrate his fave series, and has snapped this fresh pic. Inspired by Mego's line of superheroes, both vintage and newly launched last year, as well as Figures Toy Company's take on the beloved comic book characters, he has assembled his own Justice League, for sure. Can you guess which figures are vintage and which are new? Which are Mego and which FTC?

"I finally have the 12-inch Super Friends, unofficially of course," Will says. "Joining the Christopher Reeve Superman is the Mego 12-inch Wonder Woman. The seller I bought her from custom-painted her to further resemble Lynda Carter. I finally managed to re-buy the 12-inch Magnetic Batman and Robin!!! And then it's Figures Toy Company's 12-inch Aquaman, I've been wanting to take this pic for years."

Magnetic? Yes, you heard right. These Batman and Robin figures have magnetic hands and feet, and were released by Mego in 1978. Here's a commercial for them ...



Check out "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion" at Amazon and other booksellers. Volume 1 at 530 pages covers the 1970s run of the show, and Volume 2 at 448 pages covers the 1980s. Will also manages the Facebook group DC Comics Classic Animation: The Saturday Morning Era Fan Page.

Mark your calendar for August 10-11 for Good Ol' Boys Fest

Never say never, they say! After years of hosting blockbuster events for "Dukes of Hazzard" fans, Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones and his wife Miss Alma were thinking that Cooter's Last Stand a couple summers ago would really be Cooter's last stand. But nope, they've got another one planned for August! Below is what they sent out to their "Dukes" followers last week ....

Hey Ya'll!

Hope you and your family are well and looking forward to a lovely spring. 
Ben and I have just returned from a Good Ol' Boys appearance in Bakersfield, California . What a great time was had by all. And we have good news!!
We are going to bring the tour right here to Virginia! Cooter's is partnering with The Good Ol'Boys Tour to bring you another Dukes of Hazzard Family Festival in the tradition of DukesFest, Hazzard Homecoming and Cooter's Last Stand. Ben said we couldn't manage another one, but fan demand and the appearance of great new partners has made it possible! As Ben says , "the flesh is weak" , and we enjoy these festivals as much as you do!
Our friends, Catherine Bach, "Daisy Duke", Tom Wopat" Luke Duke", Sonny Shroyer"Deputy Enos", Rick Hurst"Deputy Cletus" and a special surprise guest are all planning on joining us.
As much as we enjoyed  "Last Stand " at Cooter's we think we have found an even better spot, The Shenanndoah Speedway. It is just 12 miles from Cooter's and will have plenty of parking on site. We will also have plenty of room for music of course, but even a much better set up for our Stunt Show! In fact we are bringing in two stunt teams to really "knock it out of the park."
Speaking of music, our new partners are involved in the business in Nashville and will be able to help us put together an exciting lineup of talent. We will be announcing this great lineup soon. We are also committed to bringing you our traditional Family Fun with special activities for the kids( of all ages) 
Do mark your calendar and I also encourage you to buy tickets now because prices are going up May 1st. The Early Bird tickets are only $20 for 1day, $35 for 2days and $10 for kids 2-12. If Course Hazzard County Cars can register and get 2 free tickets. 
We hope you are as excited as we are!!
Love, Miss Alma and Ben aka " Cooter"

To reserve tickets or more info go to: www.goodolboysfest.com

Miss Alma & Ben Jones aka "Cooter"

⟱ GET TICKETS NOW!

So sad to hear of Ken Kercheval's passing -- and yes, it really is true (apparently)

Accusations of fake news have abounded this week in regards to Ken Kercheval, our dear Cliff Barnes of "Dallas." It was reported the 83-year-old actor had died, then it was asserted that this wasn't true on his own official Facebook page. But alas, we seem to have really lost the talented actor who portrayed J.R. Ewing's nemesis, though we thankfully had him for quite a few more years than lung cancer typically allows.

Not Fake News: 'Dallas' Actor Ken Kercheval Is Dead At 83, Contrary To Denial On His Own FaceBook Page

The latest from Brian Lombard's Six Feet Under blog: Farrah Fawcett

Six Feet Under: Farrah Fawcett: Six Feet Under: June 25, 2009 was a day I'll never forget.  Farrah Fawcett, a true 70s icon, lost her battle with cancer.  The world was in shock........

TGIF! Check out BRB's latest film project, "A Taste of Honey"

Here are two words for you on a Friday ... Pig dance. Have no idea what that means? Well, you will when you watch this fabulous short film just released by talented new filmmaker Nikoleta Vatiqi.

She describes the film this way: "An experimental narrative exposing the different perspectives of identity issues through the relationship between thirteen year old Amelia and her mother Louise as they undergo deep breaking points as well as personal growth."

This author had the privilege of playing Louise, directed by Nikoleta to conjure up something along the lines of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest." It was wonderful fun, a very interesting bad-mom role to dig into. Just what is going on inside this woman's head? You'll hear the thoughts of her daughter Amelia, as the action progresses in their home, but Louise's psychoses remain a bit of a mystery, informed by a very unusual dance and a few other clues dropped along the way, amid a delightfully eerie tone and "Twin Peaks"-ian atmospherics ...


A TASTE OF HONEY from Nikoleta Vatiqi on Vimeo.

Thanks so much to Nikoleta for this opportunity! I loved every minute of this project.

-- Billie Rae

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl 14" figure by Mego

There's another amazon in the house at BRBTV, and it's not the same Amazon you saw on an earlier episode of Terrific non-TV Toys. This time it's the 14-inch Batgirl figure by the resurrected Mego, still relatively fresh on the shelves at your local Target store (heck, maybe it hasn't even gotten there yet; availability varies around the country). We're so excited to show this brand-new Batgirl, and she comes out of the box in the latest episode of the series ...

See the latest episode of "Fantastic Forum," including BRB's interview with Billy Tucci

It's a Billie interviewing a Billy in the middle segment of the latest episode of the Washington, D.C.-based "Fantastic Forum" TV series, shot at the thoroughly awesome Awesome Con in downtown D.C. Longtime comics artist and creator Billy Tucci talks to this author about his projects, including Roll Hard, Sgt. Rock and his very-well-done Christmas story, "A Child is Born."

This is one of many episodes of "FF" featuring footage from the con -- panel discussions and all kinds of great interviews. Sherin Nicole hosts this one, dropping this week on the "FF" YouTube channel after airing on all kinds of stations on the East Coast (this is real TV, mind you!). Great job to all involved in this one, especially our kind producer, Ulysses Campbell ...



As always, if you're on the East Coast you've got many ways to catch this great geeky TV show:

• Manhattan Neighborhood Network, New York, NY; Time Warner Cable MNN Lifestyle channel 2
• PhillyCam,  Philadelphia, PA; Comcast channel 66/966; Verizon FiOS channel 29/30.
• MCM  Montgomery County, MD; Comcast channel 21; RCN channel 21; Verizon FiOS channel 21.
• Arlington Independent Media (AIM), Arlington County, VA; Comcast channel 69; Verizon FiOS channel 38.
• FPA-TV,  Fairfax County, VA; Cox channel 10.
• DCTV, Washington, DC; Comcast channel 95; RCN channel 10; Verizon FiOS channel 10.
• Prince George’s Community Television (CTV), Prince George’s County, MD; COMCAST channel 76; Verizon FiOS channel 42.
• Community Media of Baltimore City (CMBC), Baltimore, MD; Comcast channel 75.
• Herndon Community Television, Cox channel 23, Verizon FIOS channel 28.

Terrific TV Toys: "B:TAS" Batgirl figurine by Eaglemoss

We're doing a Batgirl double-header this month on BRBTV -- a figurine from "Batman: The Animated Series" by Eaglemoss first up, for Terrific TV Toys, then the 14-inch new Mego Batgirl figure, just arriving on toy shelves, on Terrific non-TV Toys. It's an exciting April!

So first up, you'll see this figurine come out of the box, along with the booklet that details a little more about it ...



In a couple weeks, you'll see that Mego 14-incher!

Some great "Dukes of Hazzard" events are on the horizon

Wow, the gang's all there -- really, the whole surviving cast of "The Dukes of Hazzard" --  at the Good ol' Boys Tour in Bakersfield, California, next month. Even Coy Duke and Jeb Duke! What a great idea! And thrown in is a *real* screen-used General Lee, the No. 17 from the series. It all happens April 13 at the Kern County Raceway, then moves on to Irwindale, California, on June 15, then travels to Monroe, Washington, on August 26.

But first, stunt sensation Corey Eubanks will be telling his "Stunt Stories" at Cooter's in Nashville later this month. Proceeds will benefit Final Salute Inc., which provides homeless women veteran and their children with safe and suitable housing.

Images from Cooter's Place

Terrific non-TV Toys: Penguin and Joker figures by Hasbro

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hasbro created a line of action figures for the DC Comics characters that were rather Mego-esque. They wore cloth outfits like the Megos we knew and loved from the 1970s and '80s (and hadn't seen in years, unlike right now), and they were comparable in size to Megos, maybe 9 or 10 inches rather than 8 inches high. But still not big like a 12-inch action figure. They were different.

Hasbro's line featured Batman and Superman in different incarnations, along with their Justice League brethren like Green Arrow and Aquaman. But there also were villains, and that's what you'll see on the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys, the 2001 Joker and 2002 Penguin from this set.

This one comes by special request -- thanks, YouTuber Chema Ramos.

A new demo reel for BRB's acting work!

Now that the third episode of the "Reanimated" web series by Evil Genius Entertainment has been released publicly, this new acting demo reel for Billie Rae Bates can be made public rather than unlisted ... Catch BRB in some fun stuff here, not only "Reanimated," but also "Surprise" by Chedda Boys and "Crystal" from director Michael Sneed. There's a longer version and shorter version ...

Catch BRB in the "Reanimated" web series

In the November 16, 2018 post of this blog, you saw the first episode of the new "Reanimated" web series by Evil Genius Entertainment. Well, now the second and third episodes have been released publicly, so it's easy to enjoy this new zombie saga shot in the great state of Michigan. I had a lot of fun with this, playing a zombie in the second and third episodes, and the military interrogator Blanche Lancaster in the third, titled "27,000 Hours." This is such a great group to work with! Check out their website, buy some swag, support independent film! -- BRB

No worries -- that Bandit car will jump after all!

Well, you've no doubt heard the news by now of the canceled jump of the "Smokey and the Bandit" Trans Am at the Detroit Autorama, a stunt that was supposed to happen last Friday. So great to hear that Raymond Kohn and the Northeast Ohio Dukes will get to jump that car for fans after all -- at John Schneider's Bo's Extravaganza event in Louisiana next month!

Congrats to the NEOD on finding a levelheaded host at last -- our own Bo Duke, of course! -- for this fun stunt!

Terrific TV Toys: Nightwing figure by Hasbro, 1997

OK, you know how they sometimes film a very important TV show episode with multiple endings? Well, this week's episode of Terrific TV Toys is not necessarily any more important than any other episode of the series, but we did shoot it with two different endings. We shot it with the ending you see here, below, and we shot it with an alternate ending that was a bit more ... overt, shall we say, about the characteristic of this particular action figure that's unique and perhaps a conversation-starter. When it came right down to it, this author just could not go with the more-overt ending, just had no peace about it. For one thing, there was the fear that the video might go viral for all the wrong reasons and then this channel and series would be known for that  highly weird episode!!! Ugh ...

Anyhow! Maybe it's a case of overthinking it (and yes, this author could be accused of that!!!), but can you possibly guess, after viewing the video, what the characteristic is? Yep, that's it. Maybe it's obvious. And who knows if this is unusual for action figures, or if it's not. There aren't that many 12-inch (OK, that's an inadvertent innuendo) male action figures in the BRBTV collection. And seriously, you just know a Ken doll ain't got this!!!

But enough about all that! This figure is part of a set by Hasbro from the latter 1990s celebrating "The New Batman Adventures," released while the animated series was airing. It's a fun set, and in this episode you get a glimpse of the two figures previously seen on the series (Batgirl and Harley Quinn), as well as the one to come (Supergirl).

(Thanks for the request, River Vixens!)

Snagged this weekend: An assortment of "Dallas" cars

Who knows if any of these vehicles were ever seen in the original "Dallas" TV series; they don't seem to have been. But maybe they are a bit "reminiscent" of some actual "Dallas" vehicles, like Bobby's little Mercedes convertible, or Jock's Lincoln, or Ray's pickup truck. Whatever. They've got the "Dallas" name on them, and they were purchased this weekend by our buddy Mike.

These diecast Matchbox-sized cars are by Majorette and are from 1981.There are even more in the series than what's pictured here. There's a Ewing Oil helicopter, extra-long Ewing Oil tanker truck, tractor with trailer and more. This is not the same line as what Greenlight Hollywood released a couple years ago, from which BRBTV has a blue pickup truck.

Photo courtesy of Mike; please do not copy without permission.