"Collector's Call" comes to Metro Detroit to profile an amazing collection of star cars

Coming up on the next episode of "Collector's Call" ... an eye-popping assortment of star cars! And that's what it will be, this weekend on the half-hour original MeTV series on collectibles of all sorts. Who could have guessed that after all kinds of episodes about Coca-Cola goods, comic books, and "Wizard of Oz" memorabilia and the like, that host Lisa Whelchel, whom this author loved so much on "Facts of Life" back in the day, would come to Michigan and shoot so close to home ... in both geographic location (just down the road) and in friendly relations, featuring two of my friends, Mike and Mel (second from right and far right below) ...

Whelchel and the "Collector's Call" crew were in this expansive car room to examine cars from classic TV shows and movies like "The Monkees," "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!", "Knight Rider," "The Blues Brothers," "National Lampoon's Vacation" and much more. (No, that's not actually Chevy Chase standing behind Lisa below, but it sure heckin' looks like it!) There is one vehicle featured here that is screen-used; can you guess which one? If you are a regular viewer of the Barrett-Jackson auto auction, then you can probably answer that question. The rest of these cars are loving replicas. This is the collection you'll see with Motor City Reel Rides.

Each star car in this room has its own corner of memorabilia, and that is another amazing part of this collection. Just a handful of cars are featured in this "Collector's Call" episode, but the collection goes way beyond that, as you can get an idea of in the photos at the Motor City Reel Rides Facebook page. Other star-car owners join in when Mel and Mike go to car shows like the Woodward Dream Cruise and  Cruisin' Hines, so this goes way beyond Metro Detroit. Some travel from other parts of Michigan. And, many of these cars are available to appear at special events like weddings.

The episode airs this Sunday, August 2 on MeTV.

Photos courtesy of Motor City Reel Rides

Please do not copy without permission

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl statue from DC Core line

This snazzy 2018 Batgirl statue from the DC Core line by DC Collectibles sits on a snazzy cell-phone base. That's because it's the Batgirl of Burnside, known in the newer DC Comics as fighting crime from a very modern, high-tech and socially connected perspective. We're making our way through our "backlog of Batgirls" with this next installment of the Terrific non-TV Toys series ...

Maximum "Magnum": A look at one fan's collection

Yesterday you saw the highly creative "Magnum, P.I." helicopter scene diorama by Canadian artist Jim Wilson. Today, he shares photos of his collection of "Magnum" memorabilia. The classic TV series starring Tom Selleck was one of Jim's favorite shows back in the '80s.

Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson; please do not copy without permission.

"Magnum, P.I." soars again in this clever diorama

You've seen the artistry of Jim Wilson of Canada on this blog before, as he has painted images inspired by "The Dukes of Hazzard." See the November 26, 2013 and March 27, 2017 posts. Well, Jim is a fan of other great classic TV shows -- for instance, "Magnum, P.I." This incredibly creative artist most recently set about creating a diorama inspired by Tom Selleck's 1980s TV show, more specifically, T.C.'s helicopter.

Nice:

"Believe it or not, the water is plaster of Paris I made ridgey and painted with white caps," Jim says.

"I watched 'Magnum' three times a day after school on three different channels," he says. "I so wanted to live that life."

(And Jim's not the only inspired "Magnum" fan -- check out this blog post.)

Tomorrow: Part 2, with a look at Jim's "Magnum" memorabilia collection!

Images by Jim Wilson;

Please do not copy without permission.

Embrace your inner Batgirl with new BRBTV playlist

All roads lead back to Batgirl, it seems, here at BRBTV. In our two collectible series, Terrific non-TV Toys and Terrific TV Toys, we do try to be diverse in the items profiled. A wide variety of TV shows, movies, characters -- that's what we aim for. Something to please everybody. But the thing this author has the most of, and the thing we keep returning to, is that redheaded, cycle-riding crimefighter Batgirl. Just can't help it. Cuz, really, there are quite a few of them downstairs in the BRBTV Batcave ...

The current count, as of presstime, is 84 figures, dolls and statues. Many of these items (dare we say most? not sure) have been profiled on the two collectibles series on YouTube, with several of them on the schedule for the next few months. So I decided to create a separate playlist for all the Batgirls in my life:



The playlist begins with last week's installment, though I might reorder that to start with the oldest, which was the very first episode of the T3 series back in 2014, the Mego Batgirl. Anyway, for the convenience of the Batgirl fans out there, hope you enjoy.

Brace yourself: It's a backlog of Batgirls

We've all been through a lot the past few months, right? If you're reading this, you've survived thus far, so let's just continue doing that, shall we? In the interest of the usual fun diversion we like to specialize in here at BRBTV, we are rolling out a backlog of Batgirls from the BRBTV Batcave in the coming months, beginning today, in our two collectibles series on YouTube. We're dealing with this backlog because we have to, frankly, since stuff has piled up in recent months while the COVID-19 thing has been raging about, and while the new rules of YouTube regarding content for kids has been rolled out and we've been adopting a wait-and-see approach on that. Well, we've waited and we've seen. For the most part. And it's time to come out again and do some stuff. So let the backlog of Batgirls commence ...

You're going to see statues, you're going to see figures, you're going to see beautiful Batgirls from the comics, from TV and from only the imaginations of folks at DC (beginning with this first one, since she's from a sort of "alternate take" series of DC Collectibles.There are eight in total right now in backlog, and who knows, once we get rolling full-force, others may even come along. But as it is, this is going to take us through the next few months, on both the Terrific non-TV Toys and Terrific TV Toys series.



Coming in a couple weeks: Another statue with a much different look!

Spotted out 'n' about: Some "Trek," always something Batty, and even "The Lone Ranger"

This author loves spotting TV-related toys while out and about, and today and last Sunday, there was some awesome stuff around the neighborhood. A lot of these items are on store shelves near you right now, but a couple things were snapped at garage sales.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV, except photo of Lynda Carter Wonder Woman ornament by Motor City Reel Rides

Another season of new "Dynasty," another update to the Kindle edition of "Dynasty High"

This author is not terribly keen on updating books once they're published -- when it's done it's done, is the ideal paradigm. But sometimes it's warranted, such as when a new version of the TV show in question continues to charge on through the seasons. It was true for "Dallas," and now the past couple years it's been true for "Dynasty." And the CW's new version of the "Dynasty" series has really been rockin' it, even if this third season was cut short in production due to the coronavirus quarantines.

A sixth edition of BRBTV's "Dynasty High" has just been released on Kindle (not in print, however) to incorporate the third season, 2019-2020, of the CW's show. I hope you'll enjoy reading about the continuing trials and tribulations of the Carringtons and Colbys in their modern setting, and I always welcome feedback at brb@brbtv.com.

Six Feet Under Blog: Florida in Florida

In the February 24, 2016 post of this blog, you read the sad story of the condition of the burial place of a beloved TV star, Esther Rolle, who portrayed Florida Evans on "Good Times." Now the blog post's author, Brian, expands on the story of this longtime, successful actress and her career in the latest post on the Six Feet Under blog ...

Six Feet Under: Florida in Florida:  Esther Rolle (pronounced Roll) was born to Bahamian immigrants on November 8, 1920 in Pompano Beach, Florida. She was the tenth of 18 children in her family, which included two sisters who were also actresses and ...