A grand return to the Motor City Comic Con

I suppose I could have gotten back sooner, but in more recent years, I kept talking myself out of it at the last second. But yesterday, this author finally made her way back to the beautiful mayhem of the Motor City Comic Con for the first time since COVID. And a grand return it was. Rather exhilarating, to walk around that ginormous convention hall again -- to see even how much bigger the show has gotten in the past few years. I always cover all the shopping, and it took me a lot longer this time. I walked for hours straight. I caught a couple celeb panels. Got some video you'll see this week on the BRBTV YouTube channel. Saw friends. And, I saw lots of delicious TV-show-related toys ...

"Star Trek," "Battlestar Galactica," classic "Twilight Zone," "Starsky and Hutch," any kind of Batman and Scooby-Doo everywhere, the Power Rangers, Muppets and more ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Terrific TV Toys: Batgirl from "The New Adventures of Batman," McFarlane Toys, 2024

I won't blame you if you've never seen this 1977 cartoon series -- I have a feeling I have seen little or none of it myself. It's "The New Adventures of Batman," delivered up by Filmation, which was certainly riding high in the 1970s. I suspect it was a follow-up to their 1968 cartoon series "The Adventures of Batman," wouldn't ya say? In the 1977 series, though, you heard the familiar voices of Adam West and Burt Ward. It's surprising only 16 episodes were produced of this series. At any rate, McFarlane Toys has released a new line celebrating this cartoon, and the Batgirl of that set is rolling out in the latest episode of T3 ...

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Barbie carrying case and fashions, Mattel, 1968-1970s

Previously on the Terrific non-TV Toys series, you saw the '70s Malibu Barbie, Ken, P.J. and Skipper dolls of this author's childhood, for better or worse, for whatever weathering these treasures may have endured over the decades, even being simply stored in a box. Then there was the Quick Curl Francie doll on a more-recent episode. So consider the newest episode of the series a conclusion of that Mattel story arc, as we take an up-close-and-personal look at the Barbie-branded doll and fashion carrying case that went with it all -- along with some luscious fashions! This is truly a trip back in time ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

See the other Barbies that have been featured on the series.

Terrific TV Toys: Batgirl walkie-talkie prop replica by NECA, 2023

I love that this one is dropping in my birthday month, because it showcases a pure Batgirl item, so meaningful to this author. This was a gift from this past Christmas, aided by BRBTV's unofficial procurement chief Mike, and it's a replica of an actual screen-used item of the "Batman" 1960s TV series. See the photos at the end for Yvonne Craig as Batgirl holding this item in a scene. "Over and out, Batman!!!!"

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Let's Go Adventuring: Now we're off to Canada for the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In

I see from the website that Steve Plunkett no longer hosts these humungous car shows on his fabulous estate in London, Ontario, Canada, and it's a shame. But this yearly show raised a lot of money for charity over its 15-year span. Here, in the latest installment of this author's "Let's Go Adventuring" playlist on my secondary YouTube channel, you'll see a couple sights and sounds from the 2015 year of the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In car show. It was a "Dukes of Hazzard" theme that year, which was amazing, because I got to see some cast members again, as well as some treasured "Dukes" friends.

This week's clip is quick -- less than a minute -- but look for Part 2 next Friday, and Part 3 the following Friday.

See the other videos on the playlist, and please like and subscribe to help a sister out!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batmobile Hot Wheels by Mattel, 2021

Our good friend Jim has done it again. This talented Canadian artist has sent us more wonderful Batman-themed gifts all the way from the Great White North. In the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys we're showcasing three of them: all movie-themed Batmobiles. One is golden much like the golden '66 "Batman" TV series Batmobile you saw in an episode of Terrific TV Toys, and the other two are quite different. 

See Jim's amazing art at his Facebook page.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Here are the videos from last weekend's Great Lakes Comic Con

It was so great to get to a comic con again -- this author has really not been to many since COVID. And the last time I went to this particular show, the Great Lakes Comic Con at the Macomb Expo Center in Michigan, was actually right before the COVID lockdowns when two of the cast members of the classic "Shazam!" Saturday-morning TV series were appearing. What a good time that was, and this past Saturday at the show was just as bright. See Sunday's post for some photos from the event, and here are the BRBTV videos from Saturday:

Thanks again to the wonderful cast members for your love and care for the fans over the weekend, and thanks to Howard, Chris and everyone I spoke with on Saturday!

What a great time it was getting "Lost" at the Great Lakes Comic Con

The folks at the Great Lakes Comic Con, which is taking place this weekend at the Macomb Expo Center / Macomb Community College in Michigan, offer a really nice opportunity to get "Lost" with the cast members of the classic 1970s TV show "Land of the Lost": Will and Holly -- Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman -- as well as Cha-Ka, aka Phillip Paley. And wow, a whole jungle scene of wonderful atmospherics provided by super-fans Howard and his wife Marsha: Dopey and his cart, oversized strawberries, the "Beware of Sleestak" sign, a Pylon, and more. Plus, fellow fan Chris made an amazing matrix table replica that actually lights up. Here are a few pics from yesterday, and look for video coverage of the event this week on the BRBTV YouTube channel, including the full panel discussion. You can also see photos from the event at the "LOTL" Facebook group.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying is OK

Announcing the audio versions of "Tonda Sky" and "Enie"

Amazon did an amazing thing recently -- they made it super-easy to publish audio versions of books on their Kindle Direct Publishing platform, which is where this author has a bunch of her own books. I've always had an interest over the years in doing an audio version of one or more of my novels, but I just didn't know how to go about it. And I always had so many projects going on at once, anyway, so I never had much time for that particular learning curve. Now, with the advancements in artificial intelligence, Amazon is beta-testing automaticagically generated audiobooks in the KDP, and I just published my first two. The first was the recently released "Tonda Sky" science-fiction novel -- my very first book, written in college, as you'll see in this November 15, 2023 post. The second is "Enie: A Story of Redemption," which will always be my favorite novel for various important reasons.

These audio books are available on both Amazon and Audible. The KDP platform gives you a choice of several different virtual voices, so I chose voices that I felt fit the tone and message of these books. These unabridged audiobooks are both priced low, and you can even get them free with a membership trial. "Tonda Sky" is a shorter novel -- actually geared toward younger readers -- and it clocks in at 8 hours of listening time. "Enie," though, is a whopping 19 hours. Wow, that's a nice long time to get involved in the story while you're driving or working a jigsaw puzzle or whatever. I love that Amazon has done this! So check them out and let me know what you think.

Terrific TV Toys: "Dallas" truck by Greenlight Hollywood, 2013

So if you're picturing a set of toy miniature vehicles a la Hot Wheels celebrating the great classic primetime soap "Dallas," what do you think of? Bobby Ewing's hot little red Mercedes convertible? Jock Ewing's stately Lincoln? J.R.'s Cadillac or Lincoln? That's not quite what you're getting with this set from Greenlight Hollywood released about a decade ago. In fact, BRBTV must admit that when we snagged this blue Chevy pickup truck, we racked our brains a bit on where on earth it appeared in the episodes. The answer -- along with a glimpse of the website where you can look up this fun fact and so much more -- is in the latest episode of the T3 series ...

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Camel ride, anyone? Let's travel to Egypt next ...

We made it to Friday, thank the Lord, and another travel video has dropped on this author's secondary YouTube channel. This time it's quite an exotic locale, a trip to another continent, and a tour of ancient holy sites. Back in 1996, I traveled with my mom on a Holy Land pilgrimage, I guess they call them. We just called it a two-week tour of holy sites. We spent a lot of time in Israel, and we also spent a couple days in Jordan that were fabulous (now there is a surprisingly lovely country, and a peaceful one, at least at the time -- we stayed in Aqaba). But then the tail end of the trip was spent in the amazing Egypt. We saw the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo, stepped inside one of the pyramids at Giza, had dinner aboard a boat on the Nile. It was all quite astonishing, and I've always wanted to go back. I was using a regular film camera back then, so I have no video of my own from the trip. But a member of the party named Terri was kind enough to make a copy of her own extensive video for my mom and I, and that's what you'll see here in two parts.

Terri did the hike up Mt. Sinai at sunrise, which my mom and I did not do. It was way too early in the morning for me to get up, and there has always been the question as to whether or not this truly is the real Mt. Sinai (read Howard Blum's "The Gold of Exodus" and you'll get a whole different view). So that time at the top of the "accepted" site of Mt. Sinai is what you see at the beginning of this video. 

You'll also get a quick glimpse of an Egyptian wedding ceremony taking place at our hotel. It was loud and grand, and as I was watching part of the procession in the hotel lobby, a kid who was attending, maybe about 12 or 13 years old, was sitting nearby with friends and asked me if I would go into the reception with him for a couple minutes. I said sure, so we went inside and sat down, and all the adults at the reception who knew him starting laughing and clapping for him, that he brought a young American female to the party. It was a very funny moment, not shown on this video but just going on behind the scenes.

At the end of this first part, as our tour bus arrives at the Pyramids, you can get a feel for a phenomenon that I was very struck by -- the bursting metro region of Cairo (we were told the city and its surrounding areas had a population of 16 million at the time) comes up to the Pyramids and just stops, and there's nothing but desert beyond, on the other side of the Pyramids.

But wow, as I watch this video, I can hear my mother talking in the background in parts, and I can feel like I'm right back there, all those years ago, as I see our group sitting on the floor of the Muhammad Ali Mosque. I remember how it felt, what temperature that cavernous room was, how it all looked with the bright lights above us everywhere, how the carpet felt. So thankful to Terri for capturing this video.

See the other videos on the "Let's Go Adventuring" playlist -- another one is dropped each Friday, at least for the next few months.

When is being a narcissist OK? On TV, of course!

This author has delved into the psychology of narcissism lately for reasons I won't go into (!). The more I analyze, and the more I think about it, the more I realize we have had a lot of narcissists on the television shows we have known and loved over the years. In fact, narcissists  have really made the world go 'round, when it comes to TV. They make for interesting -- albeit compelling -- characters. If you'd like a primer on just what narcissism is, from a psychological standpoint, you can do an online search, or I can recommend this playlist from MedCircle. In the meantime, why don't we have some fun with a little look at TV characters we could probably peg as narcissists? It happens to be that these are all female, but hey, that's just how it worked out, since this author has a chick perspective!!!

Blair Warner, "The Facts of Life"

From her love affair with the mirror to the continual catty exchanges with her no-nonsense schoolmate Jo, Blair was always a treat (or an ordeal) to watch. Lisa Whelchel portrayed her with such ease, acting circles around most of the other cast members in the 1979 first season (and she was a teen) before the show winnowed the girls down to a core of four the following year.

Hilary Banks, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

BRBTV always considered her the Veronica Lodge of the "Fresh Prince" show, and she did it with such style. Oooh, la-la, those '90s fashions -- we loved them. We always admired her flair and her confident air, as portrayed by Karyn Parsons.

Ginger, "Gilligan's Island"

This author is a redhead, so how could I not admire Ginger? Always my fave "Gilligan" character, hands down. Her slinky golden dress (which I actually tried to find online one time, when I was considering cosplaying the show at a con with a couple buddies), her soft, lilting voice, her coo-ing ... her self-absorption. Wow, what a package. In the eternal question of Mary Ann vs. Ginger, BRBTV highly recommends Ginger!

Alexis Carrington, "Dynasty"

Oh, boy, now here's a good one. You couldn't get any more fiercely, beautifully, shrewdly, intelligently and very highly female-ly (?) narcissistic than the queen antagonist of the classic '80s soap "Dynasty." We have to qualify this by saying this is the Alexis of the original "Dynasty" series, not the CW remake, as beloved as it is by BRBTV (such wonderful eye candy, for one thing). The latter Alexis had far less bite, far fewer smarts. The original Alexis as portrayed by Joan Collins was always a force to be reckoned with, someone you admired without wanting to.

Miss Piggy, "The Muppets"

That beautiful porker with such amore for her co-star Kermit the Frog will always be dear to our hearts. She's fashionable, she's really quite dazzling, and she never has a hair out of place. Even if pigs don't really have that kind of hair. OK, whatever.

Veronica Lodge, various Archies series in animation and live action

We can't mention Veronica Lodge above without including her, too! And she's been portrayed in several TV Archies incarnations over the years. We especially love the quite whiny version in the animated "Archie's Weird Mysteries" series of 1999, in which there was, appropriately enough, a Veronica-focused episode called "Me! Me! Me!" Voiced by Camille Schmidt, she was so true to the comics version of the character. Also the case for Alyson Court's voicework on "The New Archies" of a few years earlier. Not so true to the comics version is the Veronica of the live-action "Riverdale." In fact, as portrayed by Camila Mendes, she is intelligent, savvy and often kind. She thinks about others in her actions. Hmmm ... that just doesn't work, ya know??? Anyway, take heart, another live-action incarnation, the TV movie "Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again," featured Karen Kopins as a Veronica in high Veronica style.

Daphne Blake, various Scooby-Doo series

We can't say that Daphne has always been depicted as a narcissist, but she sometimes has. The late '80s "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" comes to mind, where the lovely Kellie Martin's voicework lit up Daph in some nice full-color, self-involved splendor. What a surprise, knowing Martin so well from "Life Goes On" and the later "Mystery Woman" series. But anyone will tell you (I'm looking at you, Wendy!) that Daphne Blake is very smart, too. And she's so often kind and considerate. Even if she is a bit of a klutz.

Any others? Who have I left out? How about some male examples? Feel free to comment below!

Feel like doing a little adventuring? Hop along on this new playlist

Traveling is the spice of life, right, kinda like variety? Going to new places, if only for a week or even a day, broadens one's horizons, gives a glimpse of another kind of life or another culture. This author believes that we are truly blessed any time we have the opportunity to travel, and I've been blessed to do my fair share of it over the years. I was digging through some video recently (see previous posts!) and realized I have a lot of great little clips from various places I've been. I really need to share that, I was thinking. But when would I find the time? Oh, maybe here and there, in-between other projects. Anyway, I'm starting to load some of these video clips onto my secondary YouTube channel, and I'll be dropping them on Friday mornings. Not every Friday -- maybe once or twice a month? With the exception of one (the 1996 trip to Egypt, dropping next month) they will all be my own original video. The first one, a soldier reenactment from a visit to the Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit, is here:

The playlist is called "Let's Go Adventuring!" and it will be all raw video, right out of the camera -- no fancy tricks or gadgets or theme music or whatever. Just clips, to help you feel as if you are the one walking through the locale yourself. It's a vicarious sort of thing, ya know? 

So please go like and subscribe, and come along adventuring with me! 

Terrific non-TV Toys: Catwoman, Vinyl Vixens by Funko, 2015

They are vixens cast in vinyl -- and sometimes they wear vinyl, too! What we're looking at in the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys (the first episode of the new season!) is a Catwoman figure from Funko's Vinyl Vixens series. You'll see she has some elements of Julie Newmar / Eartha Kitt of the 1960s "Batman" series, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer of "Batman Returns." She's slinky fun!

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Happy New Year! How's-about an updated episode guide to the collectibles series of BRBTV

We continue to get better, not so much older, so let's embrace that thought as we plunge into another year in this thing we call life.

Here is your recap of the year's episodes of our two web series, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys. Have you checked out the T3 Facebook page? If not, head on over there and share the love of these toys related to our beloved classic TV shows. And remember that you can catch other great videos on the BRBTV YouTube channel, plus subscribe to this author's secondary YouTube channel to see interviews, acting clips, and crazy stuff like 1990s episodes of local TV shows!

Terrific TV Toys

Season 10

177. Golden Hot Wheels Batmobile by Mattel, 2021

178. A look at Jim's awesome "Magnum, PI" collection

179. "Dukes of Hazzard" calculator by Unisonic, 1981

180. Scooby-Doo toothbrush set, Meijer, 2020ish

181. Batman Beyond figure by Hasbro, 1999

182. "Dukes of Hazzard" watch by Unisonic, 1981

Season 9
Season 8

Season 7

Season 6
Season 5
Season 4
Season 3
Season 1 and 2  

Terrific non-TV Toys

Season 6

59. Malibu PJ by Mattel, early 1970s

60. Archie ReAction figures by Super7, 2019

61. Queen by Funko Pop!, 2022

62. Malibu Skipper, Mattel, 1970s

63. Superman Red and Superman Blue figures, Hasbro / Kenner, 1998-99

64. Quick Curl Francie by Mattel, 1970s

Season 5
Season 4

Season 3

Season 2

Season 1

May 2024 be blessed for you and your family!

Terrific TV Toys: "Dukes of Hazzard" watch, 1981

Need to make sure you get to the Boar's Nest before last call? Timing the General's 0 to 60? Try this nifty "Dukes of Hazzard" watch. It was another gift from this author's friends at The Detroit News, along with the "Dukes" calculator you saw on the series a few months back. And for this episode, a bonus item: the box from the calculator, which I could not find when I shot that previous episode!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Announcing "Tonda Sky," a 1980s sci-fi novel

Have you ever thought about what would be the ideal society? Ever tried to design that, so to speak, in your head? I did, back when I was in college in the late 1980s. And I knew I always wanted to write -- I had been writing various stuff (a lot of poetry, actually, and some short stories) since I was a little girl. So I decided to write something longer. I decided to write a novel. 

By that time I had been an affirmed fan of science fiction. I think I have been a sci-fi fan all my life, watching shows like the Saturday-morning "Land of the Lost" in the 1970s without even realizing they were science fiction. When I was a teenager I discovered the original "Star Trek" in reruns and absolutely loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. At the same time I discovered classic "Twilight Zone" airing on one of our independent stations in mid-Michigan. Loved that show even more. And the science fiction I consumed was an inspiration for me as I set out to actually write a book for the first time.

The ideal society I pictured had some many facets. What would the people look like? What would they act like? What would be their values? Their beliefs? Even, what would they wear? What would their vehicles be like? Their sources of entertainment? What would they do all day? Remember, when I wrote this sci-fi novel it was still the 1980s -- it was a different world than we have today. For one thing, that thing called the Internet had not hit yet.

I moved to a different town a little over a year ago, and in the midst of sorting through the zillions of boxes of accumulated stuff, I discovered one with that '80s sci-fi novel in it. Back then, I had taken the time to register it with the Library of Congress, but I had not published it. Just finished it, stored it on floppy disks (yes) and stored the printouts and files. Literally did not give it another thought. For years. Seriously. But discovering that box, I just had to dig out the final printout of the book and read it. I would crawl into bed with it at night and get a tad absorbed. When I finished reading it, I felt like it needed a chance. Like it was different. Maybe a bit crazy. But hey, there's all kinds of crazy stuff out there, right?

After quite a bit of effort I was able to retrieve the text. I couldn't read anything off those old floppy disks, even though I had tracked down a floppy drive at a local library. The disks were dead. So I did an OCR on the final printout. And that was a bit tedious, page by page. Then the text had to be carefully checked, due to occasional character substitution. So I edited. And I smoothed over some rough edges. And I tweaked some stuff. But I decided to leave the action set back in the 1980s. It's quaint, that time, right? It has its own value.

The tone of "Tonda Sky" is a bit formal by design. Perhaps over-explanatory. Polite. Like a conversation on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, it's respectful. Intelligent. Complete sentences here (unlike in this blog post, LOL). No contractions. Like a whole society full of Mr. Spocks. It's meant to reflect that "ideal" society it depicts. But you can be the judge as to how ideal it is. And I decided, with this slightly formal and explanatory tone, along with the family-friendly nature of the book, that I could consider this novel geared more toward the age I was when I wrote it -- college age or late teen. Younger readers. Though I really hope it will be enjoyed by all ages.

So without saying any more ... I give you my very first novel, "Tonda Sky," dredged up from the 1980s to see the light of day. I hope you like it. I really do (and you can feel free to email me your thoughts!). This one is dedicated to my friend Jason -- Jason, I'll get you a print copy!

Print edition first, then Kindle edition coming soon ...

.............................

Marcus is heading to the bus stop after a visit to his aunt's house. But as he walks along a remote road and his mind wanders to his life back in Denver, something unthinkable happens: He's whisked away to another world. And just what kind of world is this? A strange fantasy land of exceedingly polite, intelligent, peace-loving, jumpsuited people who all look the same? Marcus has been unwittingly forced through a portal, the victim of an experiment gone wrong by this undiscovered society he does not understand. He realizes these people don’t want him here, despite their many kindnesses, and he's unable to return.
 
In her very first novel — written while she was in college and set in the 1980s — longtime author Billie Rae Bates challenges the idea of the perfect society, inspired by her love for science fiction. "Tonda Sky" is family-friendly and appropriate for younger readers, though it carries a message that resonates with all ages.

217 pages

$9.50 print (5.5" by 8.5" paperback)

$3.50 e-book

ISBN-13: 979-8862209822

 

Terrific non-TV Toys: Quick Curl Francie, 1970s

Care for a quick curl at the BRBTV Salon? How about a Farrah-do, so popular in the 1970s? 

Another beloved doll from this author's childhood is the star of the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys, and she joins the ranks of the '70s Barbie-branded dolls. She's Francie, Barbie's cousin. Never heard of her? Not surprising, since the Francie character largely went away for some years. But she was a thing back then, actually introduced in the '60s. This Francie is all decked out in a delightful yellow dotted dress. Let's get her ready for the party, shall we?

"The Facts of Life" are even more glorious with Gloria Vanderbilt jeans

When this author rewatched the "Three's Company" series a few years back (Suzanne Somers, rest in peace), I was tickled pink to see Janet and Chrissy so often arrayed in the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans I have loved all my life. Oh, joy! Not only the standard GV blue jeans with orange stitching that everyone knew so well back then, but an array of other colors, as well. I was so tickled, actually, that I had no choice but to catalog all the GV jeans appearances in "Three's Company," being the highly geeky girl that I am. This resulted in the January 2, 2018 blog post. 

Now, I just started rewatching "The Facts of Life." As with "Three's Company," it's the first time I've seen this series since it originally aired. I loved the show so much when I was a little girl. Just ate it up and never missed an episode. And now in the rewatching, what do I see? An array, once again, of glorious Gloria Vanderbilt jeans! I don't have quite enough hours in the day right now to catalog them in the same granular fashion I did with "Three's," but I'm glad to give an overview!!!! It won't even be considered a labor of love! Because it's totally not a labor -- I love every minute of it. In fact, the appearances are so robust I have to wonder if Murjani was a wardrobe contributor on purpose. You know, kinda like Mercedes-Benz supplying cars to the "Wonder Woman" series and receiving a line in the credits. Who knows? 

I'm going to start with the first season, as of the end of October 2023, then come back to this blog post and add to it as I move through the episodes in the coming months:

Season 1 -- 1979-1980

• Blair:
• Standard blue jeans with orange stitching
• Black with white stitching (could be fine corduroys -- hard to tell)
• Possibly: Tan pants shown in the clip in the show's intro as she's jokingly spanking Mrs. Garrett (although it's hard to tell in that scene if they're GVs)
• Tootie: 
• Pink with white stitching
• Green with white stitching
• Sue Ann:
• Blue jeans that are definitely GVs, as she stands next to Blair with her own standard blue jeans on, but it's hard to tell if Sue Ann's jeans have the standard orange stitching or a lighter color like white or beige
• Molly: 
• Standard blue jeans with orange stitching
• Natalie: 
• Blue sheeting pants with orange-ish stitching

Season 2 -- 1980-1981

• Blair:
• Standard blue jeans with orange stitching
• Tootie:
• Turquoise blue with white stitching

I will note, as well, that the girls were seen in other designer jeans. Blair wore a pair of Sasson jeans in Season 1, and the other girls wore some Jordache a time or two, including Blair's cousin Geri in Season 4.

There's our beautiful Blair Warner, as portrayed by the equally beautiful Lisa Whelchel, admiring herself in the mirror and sporting the standard GV jeans with orange stitching -- the most widely known and popular version of GV jeans back then in the late 1970s. This is a shot from the final episode of Season 1 of "The Facts of Life," when the cast of girl students at Eastland School was larger and even included a very young Molly Ringwald (just 11 years old). In the second season, the show zeroed in on four girls, including Blair, and remained that way through the rest of the seasons.

Tootie, as played by Kim Fields, wears green GV jeans with the white trademark swan over the front right coin pocket (when GVs were in colors like this, they were considered jeans, basically, but they tended to be more like sheeting pants than denim material). Below, she's got her pink pair on -- she wore the pink pair multiple times in the first season, cuffed up to her knees since she was in roller skates through the whole season. Also in the photo below, Blair's got her standard GV jeans on.

And one more note: There are at least four episodes of "The Facts of Life" that reference Gloria Vanderbilt the person, at least through the beginning of Season 4. One such example is an episode in Season 3 that served as a "backdoor pilot" that never materialized, set at a boys' military academy. In the storyline, one of the boys, who has a date with Blair, pretends to have dated "Gloria Vanderbilt's daughter," and Blair remembers (rightly!) later on in the episode that GV did not have a daughter.

#GloriaVanderbilt #designerjeans #1970s #classictelevision

Dropping today: The continuation of the American Enterprise Speech Contest

When this author worked in the publications area of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan quite a few moons ago in the delightful (really!) downtown Detroit, I was a member of the National Management Association. My boss Diane, also a member, asked me to coordinate the BCBSM chapter's American Enterprise Speech Contest, an activity of the NMA that I see from a quick web search still exists today, though under a slightly different name, the Leadership Speech Contest. The event challenges high-schoolers to write and deliver a speech on our country's free enterprise system. 

Back in 2002, when I coordinated the contest and hosted the competition event at BCBSM headquarters near Greektown in Detroit, there was an array of bright young minds who offered their thoughts. These kids are inspiring even a couple decades later. I'm glad to have been a part of the event. The winner of that 2002 contest has gone on to become a successful author. As you watch the three parts of this series on my secondary YouTube channel, can you guess which speaker it is? The second part has just dropped, and the final part is coming next Friday ...

The videos I've been loading onto my secondary channel (please like and subscribe and help a sister out! and as always, the celeb interviews and collectibles series are still over at the BRBTV channel!) are the result of my digging around in the VHS archives, as I mentioned in the August 25 post. Such fun! More to come, I guess, when I am daring enough ...

Check out this new playlist of all of Boss Hogg's speed-trapped celebs

It was quite a collection of talented folks who were snagged in Boss Hogg's celebrity speed trap on our beloved "Dukes of Hazzard." Some are easy to remember -- Loretta Lynn, the Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Orbison. But did you remember that Freddy Fender got snared, as well? (He was one of my mom's absolute faves!) How about Buck Owens? Well, now our fellow author Brian has made it easy for you -- he's compiled all of the artists and their songs in a fun new "Dukes"-themed playlist!

Six Feet Under Hollywood Blog: George Peppard

He's a hometown hero, I guess you would say, for this author here in Metro Detroit. It's Mr. George Peppard, who once was suited up to play Blake Carrington on classic "Dynasty" but eventually relinquished the helm of Denver Carrington to the legendary John Forsythe. But Peppard still made his own mark on shows like "The A-Team" and much more, as profiled by our fellow author Brian Lombard, who traveled here to Michigan to visit the actor's grave ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: George Peppard: "If you look at my movie list, you'll see some really good movies and then the start of ones that were not so good.  But I was maki...

Hazzard Fest: Another look inside Cooter's Garage!

There was so much cool stuff to see inside Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones' scale replica of Cooter's Garage from "The Dukes of Hazzard" at his Cooter's Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, that we just had to hit you with some more great photos from our roving reporter Jason.

Photos by Jason; please do  not copy without permission.

Thanks, Byron, for the kind hello!

I love it!!!! Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry of "The Dukes of Hazzard" sends his sweet greetings from last weekend's Hazzard Fest in Newport, Tennessee. Special thanks to Jason for recording this!

Hazzard Fest: A look inside Cooter's Garage

Ben Jones, who portrayed Cooter Davenport on "The Dukes of Hazzard," has a mind-blowing collection of "Dukes" memorabilia, and he's always willing to share it with fans at his Cooter's Place locations in Virginia and Tennessee. Our roving reporter Jason got to stop by the Cooter's Place at Pigeon Forge to behold the to-scale garage recreation. 

"I was really impressed by the garage set and the amount of detail they did," Jason says. "I recognized some of the posters and testing equipment they had on the show. ...  If you look at the desk you see a pic of Cooter's daughter, and that car pic on the wall I recognize." Fantastic photos! Thanks, Jason!

Photos by Jason; please do not copy without permission.

Hazzard Fest: Jeff Altman, Byron Cherry and more

Jeff Altman, who portrayed Hughie Hogg, Boss Hogg's nephew on "The Dukes of Hazzard," was there at Hazzard Fest this past weekend, complete with a convertible white Volkswagen Bug just like on the series. So cool. He was kind enough to pose with our roving reporter Jason, who offers us these additional photos from the event (see our earlier posts for more!). And there's our friend Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry! Miss you, Byron!!!!

Photos by Jason; please do not copy without permission.