Catch Signy Coleman in "River Ridge"

We have to say ... Signy Coleman, our own Celeste DiNapoli of "Santa Barbara," is looking just gorgeous in her new web series, "River Ridge." Coleman is executive-producing the soap, for which there is not yet a launch date but which has a trailer online for your viewing pleasure at its official site, RiverRidgeSeries.com.

Coleman portrays one of two rather-tensely-feuding sisters in this drama, which follows the lives of the residents of a fictional small town on the East Coast. And even while she's deeply agonizing in the trailer clip, she sure looks like she's having fun. It's also delightful to see among the cast Shannon Sturges, the blond part of the blond-brunette-redhead trio of the '90s primetime soap "Savannah."

We certainly love the trend of web-based soaps such as "River Ridge" and "The Bay," as it gets our beloved classic TV stars out there and working.

Next Hollywood Show includes Pamela Sue Martin, Monte Markham, Stella Stevens and more

Ooooh, we're a big fan of this show we haven't actually yet gotten a chance to go to! It's the Hollywood Show, and it happens several times a year, always brimming with great classic TV stars. The next one is July 15-17, in Burbank, and here's who's on the roster:

• Catherine Oxenberg, Amanda Carrington of "Dynasty"
• Ed Asner, voice of Roland Daggett in "Batman: The Animated Series"
• Herb Jefferson Jr., Walden in "The Dukes of Hazzard" two-parter "Undercover Dukes"
• Monte Markham, Clint Ogden of "Dallas" (a rare treat for "Dallas" fans!)
• Pamela Sue Martin, the original Fallon Carrington of "Dynasty"
• Ronnie Schell, Frank Armsted of "Santa Barbara," as well as Lester Starr in the "Daisy's Song" episode of "The Dukes"
• Stella Stevens, Phyllis Blake of "Santa Barbara" and Mama Joe Max in "The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!" movie

John Jakes' third Bicentennnial miniseries serves up a different feast of classic stars

In our March 15 and May 18 posts, we've been following the John Jakes Bicentennial novel series and the TV miniseries adaptations of the first three books in the series. Today we turn our attention to No. 3, "The Seekers," and the 1979 TV movie version of Jakes' 1975 book.

Andrew Stevens is not back as Philip Kent in this one. That's the bad news. BRBTV would have loved to see him, being such big fans of that continuity thing and all, but the producers evidently felt it wouldn't make sense to try to age him two decades for this third installment. Rats. OK, so bye-bye to Casey Denault of our beloved "Dallas."

But "Dallas" still gets some representation, wouldya believe. Enter Randolph Mantooth, who played Joe Don Ford, as the lead character in the first half or so of the four-hour drama, Abraham Kent, son of Philip. Then, as a special treat (and this is the "good news"!), there's Timothy Patrick Murphy, credited as "Timothy P. Murphy" in the opening credits. Our own Mickey Trotter, the troubled youth so wonderfully tamed by little Lucy Ewing. (Of course, we know it was a mutual taming!) Oh, how we loved Mickey Trotter! Cut down so soon, on the cusp of an upturned life, by the horrible boozing habits of Sue Ellen's!!!! Ugh. Anyhow ... Murphy takes on the role of Jared Kent, son of Abraham and the lead character of the second half of the miniseries. As Jared, Murphy is a polite and  honorable young man -- a kid, really, who is forced to grow up very quickly as he encounters some of the many catastrophes of this third, acutely depressing installment in the series. (And if you want to read more about how much of a veritable downer this third book was, read BRB's review on Amazon.) Murphy was just three years away from his stint on "Dallas," and an unfortunate nine years from dying at age 29.

But wait, there's more! Picture George Hamilton, our suave and cunning Joel Abrigore of "Dynasty," as a suave and cunning and just-as-evil Lt. Hamilton Stovall, who has it in for poor young Jared in more ways than one. He's arrogant, he's indignant, he's got a nasty pointed tongue. We just don't like him very much, do we???? And Hamilton shines in the part, years before he tormented Krystle Carrington with her "body double" of sorts on our beloved show.

Throw in other great stars like "Brady Bunch" dad Robert Reed as the heavily accented Daniel Clapper, who befriends Abraham, and Ross Martin of "Wild, Wild West," the exceedingly patient editor at the Kent and Son printing company. A fluffy, strawberry-blond-tressed Delta Burke -- fresh as a daisy -- is the fiesty Elizabeth Fletcher, wife (and stepsister -- don't ask) of Abraham and mother of Jared. She begins the miniseries promising the cunning evil of Ashton Main of Jakes' "North and South" trilogy, but she's cut off too quickly to do much damage. Alas and alack. Jakes himself, an aspiring actor at one time in his life, even shows up as the character Alex Elphinstone. All in all, though the events of the miniseries are gruesome, in terms of classic TV fare, it still gets BRBTV's stamp of approval.

Andrew Stevens takes to the battlefield in John Jakes' "The Rebels"

In our March 15 post, we told you about a pre-"Dallas" Andrew Stevens taking his star turn in the TV adaptation of the first novel in John Jakes Bicentennial series, "The Bastard." Well, BRBTV is blissfully making our way through all eight books of Jakes' fine series, along with the TV versions of the first three books, and we just plowed through the second of each, "The Rebels."

Reprising his role as Philip Kent, Stevens is gentle and distinguished in this 1979 small-screen version of the 1975 book. He does say "aye" a lot, which is annoying, but we can forgive him for that. He spends almost the entire story on the battlefield, fighting for his brand-new country. He's wiser than he was in the first movie, and at turns heartbroken and excited as prescribed by the writers of this screenplay. He has no problem in the role.

The disturbing thing, however, is that while the miniseries of Jakes' first book follows the printed page faithfully, this second TV adaptation takes the author's masterful plot and essentially tosses it out the window. Ugh. Missing in this mangling are a few key characters, along with too many events and twists to list here. Big among them is a different outcome for Philip's new wife Anne: We're not spoiling the miniseries by telling you she dies in childbirth early on. If you read the book, however, you'll be far more horrified at what Jakes does with her.

Plus, whereas the book presents the stories of the two leading men in a parallel but separate fashion until the very end of its 533 pages -- Philip Kent and the Virginia plantation son Judson Fletcher -- in the movie the two meet right away and remain fast friends (something like Jakes' "North and South" series portrayed the friendship of its own two leading men, we note). But this really spoils the fact that Jakes so handily pulls off the technique of making you wonder what the heck these guys have in common (or will have in common) until the very end of the book when he gracefully connects their lives. Still, though the miniseries disappoints anyone who has read the book, one redeeming fact is that both book and miniseries end up at the same place, so at least things are set up nicely and consistently for the third book.

We have to admit that after reading "The Rebels," we were very anxious to see who portrays Judson Fletcher in the miniseries. Judson steals the novel away from Philip, we feel, with his drinking, self-loathing, obnoxious-but-determined-to-do-better characterization. We couldn't get enough of the guy. So when we saw a pre-"Miami Vice" Don Johnson in the role, we were at least glad to see he played Judson's sober moments appropriately stern and self-assured. His character is smart and a bit arrogant despite his failings, and Johnson communicated that, though the direction the character was taken in just -- again -- so deviated from the book.

This second miniseries serves up the other classic TV stars, though not to the degree of the first. Tom Bosley of "Happy Days" returns as Benjamin Franklin. William Daniels, voice of K.I.T.T. in the original "Knight Rider," gets to show his face again as John Adams. And we were rather captivated by "Mission: Impossible"'s Peter Graves' portrayal of George Washington. We have never seen him look so much like his big bro James Arness (one of the hottest. Actors. EVER!!!!!!). He's tall and commanding, with such a similar voice and facial features below his powdery wig.

Country music star Tanya Tucker steps in as a frontierswoman who reluctantly takes in an ailing Philip. She's predictably atrocious, only redeemed a touch by the fact that she gets to sing a few lines from "Amazing Grace." And when her obligatorially sexy character throws herself at to Philip, you see how this poor girl was typecast, being the Lindsay Lohan of her generation and all. This character, which doesn't exist in the book, was clearly thrown in to amp up the sex quotient. Geesh.

All in all, if you take this TV miniseries, produced at a time when miniseries were far more valued than they are now, of course, independently of the book, then you'll be thoroughly entertained. Especially if you enjoy these classic TV stars (Anne Francis, Doug McClure, Kim Cattrall, Macdonald Carey also appear). And if you're curious, you can read BRB's review of the book on Amazon.

Coming up in a few days ... a look at the third movie, "The Seekers" ...

Make sure you catch Ian McShane this weekend, and read about Catherine Oxenberg's royal experiences in her blog

While his former "Dallas" castmates are shooting brand-new scenes for TNT's pilot project scheduled for release later this year, Ian McShane, who portrayed Don Lockwood on our beloved '80s classic, is doing just fine. That filmmaking love of Sue Ellen Ewing has gone from one good role to another over the years, notably on the series "Deadwood" and "Kings." Now, he's got the juicy role of Blackbeard in Disney's " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," opening this Friday. He gets some good star billing in the trailer, so it looks to be a nice thing.

Catherine Oxenberg, meanwhile, that sweet princess of "Dynasty," has got some royal reminiscing you won't want to miss on her blog. Our former Amanda Carrington who married a prince on the show, Oxenberg talks about meeting Lady Diana Spencer back in 1981, as well as her "almost royal wedding" to the guy that Fergie would nab just a few years later, Prince Andrew. Fun stuff.

Tom Wopat and his band perform live in N.Y. in June

Thanks very much to the web crew at Wopat.com for keeping us informed on the career of our own Luke Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard" ... This is their latest ...

Tom Wopat and his band will be performing live at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York City on Monday, June 20! Enjoy this intimate setting and hear Tom perform songs from his current album "Consider It Swung" and more. Order your tickets and get more information from this TicketFly page.

Tom appeared recently on "Good Day New York" to talk about his music and performing in "Catch Me If You Can" - watch the video below! And for even more, read this great interview he did recently with BroadwayWorld.com.

Tom Wopat: MyFoxNY.com

Announcing the BRBTV Report on "The Secrets of Isis"

Ahhh, we love to announce additions to the family. Some people have children -- well, our "kids" are of the published variety! This time around, BRBTV welcomes into its family of products a report on the classic '70s TV show, "The Secrets of Isis."

When Joanna Cameron stepped onto our Saturday-morning small screen in that smart white tennis dress with Egyptian touches, she made history as the first female superhero to have her own weekly live-action series. As Andrea Thomas, she was a kindly high school science teacher. But after discovering the amulet of the ancient goddess Isis on an archaelogical dig, Andrea was able to transform into the powerful heroine Isis with just three magic words, "Oh, mighty Isis!"

BRBTV celebrates this wonderful half-hour kids' series, which was a companion Filmation show for the popular live-action "Shazam!", with the seventh in its series of BRBTV Reports on Amazon's Kindle format. This report includes original feedback from all three of the series' leading stars: not just Cameron as Isis / Andrea Thomas, but also Brian Cutler as Rick Mason and Joanna Pang as Cindy Lee! We also got some great insight from Andy Mangels, the man behind the rather-incredible assortment of features on the DVD set, himself a lifelong fan of the show, and fervent fan Lisa Everetts, who had interesting insight into how this show represented a different era in Saturday-morning kids' television.

Like the other Kindle reports in this series, for a ridiculously low price you'll see a magazine-length feature story as well as detailed (original) episode synopses. Because we've found it's physically impossible for us to watch a classic TV show we love without writing episode synopses. Seriously. We've tried. (Why do you think that "Bionic Woman" first-season DVD set is sitting on our shelf unopened? Talk about a time commitment!)

We so much enjoyed doing this "Isis" BRBTV Report, because we absolutely adored the show back then more than words can express. Watching the episodes again on DVD in the past year or so -- the first time we'd seen them since they originally aired -- was like a sweet trip back in time! We hope you dig this look at the show as much as we did writing it.

A peek inside the "Archie's Weird Mysteries" trade paperback

We first told you in our December 9 post about the "Archie's Weird Mysteries" paperback coming this August, a compilation of stories from the comic book that accompanied our beloved animated DiC show originally airing on PAX-TV in 1999-2000. Today we're giving you a little look at a few of the stories you'll see in that 128-page book:

- "Shriek," from issue 2, a parody of the "Scream" movies, with script by Paul Castiglia, pencils by Fernando Ruiz and inking by Rich Kozlowski.
Alone in the house, Betty Cooper settles in for popcorn and a scary movie on cable. But her TV starts malfunctioning, and soon a dark, hooded, ghoulish face is talking to her from the screen, looking just like the spooky one in those "Shriek" movies. The next day at school, Archie is determined to investigate. But then the TV ghoul shows up running the halls at Riverdale High! Meanwhile, Archie wants to score an interview with a Hollywood costume designer who's visiting town -- who just happens to be the one who designed that long, ghoulish mask for the "Shriek" movies. The designer quickly becomes embroiled in the kids' investigation of this strange movie ghoul on the loose.

- "UFO Uh-Oh," from issue 7, with script by Paul Castiglia, pencils by Fernando Ruiz and inking by Rich Kozlowski.
In a galaxy kinda far away, a brawny race of aliens named the Brawnux challenge another race of aliens, the brainy Smelltoids, to a baseballl game. Trouble is, the Smelltoids don't even know what baseball is. They gaze into their satellite dish and spy, on Earth, Archie and the gang on the Riverdale High baseball team winning the playoffs. The Smelltoids head to Earth in their ship, finding a snoozing Mr. Weatherbee "guarding" the team equipment. Since the aliens just saw the 'Bee bragging to a reporter about his former glory days in baseball, the aliens nab him and the equipment and head back to their planet to learn the game. That doesn't go so well, since the 'Bee's bragging was just hot air. He talks the Smelltoids into returning to Earth to benefit from the "real" players, and a plan is hatched to put the brainy aliens on top of their game.

- "Bigfoot on Campus," from issue 10, with script by Paul Castiglia, pencils by Fernando Ruiz and inking by Rich Kozlowski.

A new student shows up at Riverdale High, and he has all the girls swooning. He's Sam Squatch, a mammoth of a guy with mounds of wavy hair. The other guys like Arch and Reggie decide if they can't beat 'im, they're going to join 'im -- they borrow some of Sam's magic shampoo to grow their own long, luxurious locks and beards. But then those beards won't shave off, and all of a sudden the girls at school have hairy backs! Yowza! Sam Squatch explains the woodsy encounter that's behind this shampoo -- as well as his own motivations.

The book will also feature Scarlet, the vivacious redheaded vampire who charms Archie, introduced in the TV episode "Scarlet Night" and debuting as a side story in issue 10 of the comics, then moving on to the spotlight in issue 12. She's featured on the cover of the book.

Chat with Tom Wopat live on Thursday

Tom Wopat, our own Luke Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," will engage with fans up-close and online this Thursday. Here's the word from the crew at Wopat.com:

"That's right - Tom will be chatting LIVE online with his Twitter followers next Thursday, 4/28! To join in the conversation, just 'follow' Tom on his Twitter page. He will be logging in right after he gets off stage from 'Catch Me If You Can' to answer your questions. Make sure to mark your calendar for 4/28 at 11 p.m. EST / 10 p.m. CST / 8 p.m. PST.

And don't forget to download a free song from Tom here!"

BRBTV Reports on Kindle get an update

Amazon's Kindle just keeps evolving, and we're evolving with it. The six BRBTV Reports, which have all been released in Kindle format, have now been updated to include photos, and in color where available! These updated versions are now at the links below, and all of the Reports received a once-over update of text, as well. For instance, we've got some fun photos of "The Dukes" cartoon star Byron Cherry in that Report, as well as quotes from James Best on the making of the series in an interview from the DVD release a few months back.

And look for two new BRBTV Reports this year, one of which will be released in the next couple weeks and examines a wonderful classic Saturday morning show that hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention over the years!

Spotted: Leigh J. McCloskey

Sporting Martin Sheen-like hair, all swept back and dapper, Leigh J. McCloskey wasn't hard to spot in this week's episode of Fox's "Bones." Our BRBTV double-shot -- the former Mitch Cooper of "Dallas" as well as Zach Kelton and Ethan Asher of "Santa Barbara" (guess that makes him a triple-shot!) -- was quite smashing as the body in this episode, the set of "bones," if you will.

Leigh played Lee -- Coleman, that is -- the host of a "Mythbusters"-type TV show. Coleman was the one who killed the myth, until the myth apparently killed him! When his body shows up, it appears to have fallen victim to a mythical creature of the woods, the Chupacabra, which he was there to disprove.

The episode features McCloskey in TV clip flashbacks and shifty camera playbacks, so delightful as he stands next to a goat as bait ("Chupacabra" means goat-sucker, didn't you know?) in the dark, creepy woods, looking up at his camera set in a tree and complaining that the creature didn't show. He's obnoxious and arrogant -- so much more Zach than Ethan, "SB" fans will note!

Watch the episode, "The Truth in the Myth," for yourself at the IMDb.

Fundraiser launched for Castiglia's Mecha Manga Bible Heroes

Paul Castiglia, writer for our beloved "Archie's Weird Mysteries" comic book series as well as the accompanying upcoming trade paperback (look for more on that soon!), keeps us updated on his projects. What going on right now sounds fun -- a campaign for the legendary story of King David transported to a sci-fi world of robots, aliens and advanced technology!

***********************

Flanders, NJ – Paul Castiglia and Thomas Hall, co-creators of the Mecha Manga Bible Heroes comic book series and their publisher, John-Marc Grob of JMG Studio, announce the launch of a Kickstarter fundraiser to continue publishing the series as digital comics and apps offerings for computer and Smartphone platforms.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes presents a "new twist" to the Old Testament with legendary Bible tales re-imagined through a sci-fi lens of robots, aliens and advanced technology. Issue #1 depicted the story of David, the shepherd boy who took down the giant, Goliath. The comic’s creators seek to further the tale beyond the initial "David vs. Goliath" story by offering the complete story of "The Rise of King David."

“The journey to David's kingship is packed with action, adventure and intrigue as David becomes a fugitive from the deadly King Saul, jealous over the adoration David has received since slaying the giant (robot) Goliath,” Castiglia explains.

Castiglia, a veteran writer, editor and public relations pro who has worked for companies ranging from Archie to DC to Dark Horse teamed with Hall, writer and co-creator of the award winning R-13, the most downloaded independent comic of all time to create the series that depicts famed Bible heroes in manga (Japanese comics) style. Grob, creator of the FriendFish animated series and the popular “Noah A-Z” digital download came aboard as publisher. The first issue of Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is currently available as a free digital download at the iTunes store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/david-vs-goliath/id419801543?ls=1.

The Mecha Manga team proposes to complete the David epic with three additional installments offered as digital downloads with the potential of all four issues ultimately being collected into a printed paperback edition.

“Taking stock of limited financial backing and distribution of our printed comic book and the current economic situation it became apparent that digital distribution is the way to go,” Hall adds.

In addition to publisher Grob, Castiglia, who edits, and Hall, who co-writes the series, are joined by co-writer Joey Endres, cover artist Jeff Slemons and interior artists Josh Alves and Eric Merced. Funding goes toward production and programming costs. Those wishing to donate to the project will be able to do so until Sunday, May 22 at 8:37 p.m.

Details on how to donate to the project are available at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/805513803/mecha-manga-bible-heroes-the-rise-of-king-david.

Patrick Duffy talks about new "Dallas" project

Patrick Duffy, our own Bobby Ewing of "Dallas" chats with KOBI NBC 5 of Oregon and California in this recent interview, reminding us of just why we like him so much. He's frank, he's honest, he's lighthearted. He acknowledges just why he and the other two of the Big Three are involved in this project, along with the fact that it's the younger set that will do the "heavy lifting." We like. Enjoy:

http://www.localnewscomesfirst.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=431&task=videodirectlink&id=8114

Some classic TV sights and sounds from WonderCon

Ahhhh ... BRBTV had a great time at this year's WonderCon in San Francisco last weekend. In BRB's off-time from her on-camera work for ComicsContinuum.com and its accompanying Detroit TV show, she had a blast wandering and chatting with some classic TV stars, armed with BRBTV's own (still) camera. Here's a little of what she saw ...

You can hardly attend a con in recent years without seeing the Hulk, Mr. Lou Ferrigno, star of "The Incredible Hulk" show of the '70s. Here, he is, still so solid, getting an interview in, between greeting fans on the con floor early on Friday.

Being fervent fans of the original "Star Trek" series, we surely remember Malachi Throne, so captivating as the commanding commodore in the two-part episode "The Menagerie." Throne also did the voice of Fingers the Gorilla in the "Batman Beyond" episode "Speak No Evil," and was the judge in the "Judgment Day" episode of "The New Batman Adventures."

Who could forget Miss Beadle of "Little House on the Prairie"? We loved her! She was always the sweet, gentle voice of reason, and sometimes the protector -- at least when class was in session -- of poor Laura Ingalls from that viper Nellie Olsen! Imagine our delight when we happened upon Charlotte Stewart, who portrayed Miss Beadle, at WonderCon! Stewart also played Betty Briggs in one of our other fave shows, "Twin Peaks." BRB asked if we'll see her return to acting, and she said no, not really. She's happy where she is right now. Here, she's all smiling and sunny against a tapestry of her "Little House" character. Beyond cool!

It's always great to chat with our "Dukes of Hazzard" compatriot Don Pedro Colley, with whom BRB has done a show or three over the past few years. He's doing great.

BRB made a new friend in Camden Toy, star of not only the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but also this year's "The Bay" online soap. In the latter, he's the evil Igor Chambers. What a charming actor, who has such a misfortune to play such ghoulish beasts! He looks and behaves so much nicer in person, trust us!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand!

Bruce Timm talks to BRB about new "Year One" animated project

The folks that brought us "Batman: The Animated Series," "The New Batman Adventures," "Batman Beyond" and so many other animated goodies over the years are at it again. "Batman: Year One" is a new DC animated project that we'll see direct-to-DVD soon, and as part of her work for ComicsContinuum.com and its accompanying Detroit TV show, BRB got a chance to chat with a few of the creative folks behind that project, at last weekend's WonderCon event in San Francisco.

Today we'll share with you the first interview from that, with Mr. Bruce Timm, the mastermind behind this wildly popular Batman incarnation from the early '90s. Here he tells BRB and the Continuum a little more about "Year One," in the midst of an interview about the more imminent "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" animated movie, also from Warner Home Video.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

John Schneider talks to BRB about last few episodes of "Smallville"

Last weekend we told you about BRB's interview with John Schneider, our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," at Orlando's MegaCon event. Now we're posting it for you to watch! This was part of BRB's on-camera work for the Comics Continuum website and TV show, work which continues this weekend at WonderCon in Orlando. Look for some fun BRBTV-related photos from WonderCon in the next few days ...




BRB tried to coax a little info out of John about the two-part series finale of "Smallville." "C'mon, John, just a little tidbit????"

Photo courtesy of ComicsContinuum.com

Orlando's MegaCon features a nice "Dukes" presence

BRB is having a great time at MegaCon in Orlando right now, interviewing comic book industry professionals for the Comics Continuum website and accompanying Detroit TV show. What excitement 'twas just a few hours ago, when she got to chat with John Schneider, our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard" about his role on three of the remaining four episodes of the CW's "Smallville" in the coming weeks.

Look for a link to that interview soon, but for now, we'll share a shot from Friday at the event:

And while we're at it, how about a fresh shot of Mr. James Hampton, who played Sheriff Buster Moon on "The Dukes." We got to chat with Hampton a bit off camera about his time on our beloved classic show.

The Oklahoma City-born actor, who filled in as sheriff in Hazzard while Rosco P. Coltrane was out in 1980, has a long list of screen credits that include "F Troop," "The Doris Day Show" and "Gunsmoke," as well as a new project called "The Association."

Herb Jefferson Jr., who starred in the "Dukes" 1984 two-parter "Undercover Dukes," also is doing a meet-and-greet of fans at MegaCon this weekend.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

TGIF: A little vintage Archie

We all know the characters of our beloved "Archie's Weird Mysteries" go back decades before this animated series ever debuted on PAX TV. Well, to add a smile to your Friday, BRBTV offers these shots of a collectible figure series from Dark Horse, snapped as we were browsing last week's C2E2 event in Chicago.

So beautiful, right? The figures were part of Dark Horse Comics' display at the convention. They sell for $49.95 each and are limited to 950 per character and are packaged in the tin box shown, with button and character booklet thrown in for good measure. They begin releasing in April with, of course, Arch himself.



Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV



John Schneider shooting "The Duke of Diesel" for CMT

John Schneider, our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard" updated fans via email this week that he was  in Texas shooting a show for CMT called "The Duke of Diesel." "And having a blast!" the actor added. "We are celebrating folks who work with heavy equipment and risk their lives for a living. Good stuff."


Schneider also said, "Next week I go back to Vancouver to finish up with the 10th season of 'Smallville.' Sad times but that's a good run no matter how you slice it." Indeed. BRBTV will be sad to see "Smallville" go.

Schneider also reminded fans, "Remember that 'Doonby' will be out in a few months and may be coming for a test screening near you. Check doonbythemovie.com!"

Movie version of John Jakes' "The Bastard" offers a dynamite classic cast

BRBTV likes to play this little game, when viewing a movie that is new to us, though it may be new, old, or older! We like to guess the year the movie was released based on fashions alone, and heck, we tend to get within a year or two, if we don't get it right on the button! (We are fashion mavens, after all -- just see BRB's My Mother's Clothing project!) John Jakes, however, throws us off a little, particularly with the movie adaptation of the first book in his Bicentennial series, "The Bastard." The costumes, of course, are period. Period!

Still, we just had to make a guess, as we lounged over it this past Sunday night (special thanks to BRBTV bud Tracy for the DVD!). We factored in the cherublike Andrew Stevens, the darker haired, pre-"Mannequin" Kim Catrall, the chunkiness of the production quality. We had to go with 1975 for this one, and really we hinged that mainly on William Shatner -- he seemed much more pre-"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" to us. Plus, we remember how big the country's 1976 Bicentennial was back then -- a hot-hot-hot topic for a juicy book series. We had to surmise this movie would be placed squarely in the midst of that heat.

But alas ... the year, it was ... 1978. And what a grand year it was for TV stars. Just as in Jakes' mid-'80s "North and South" miniseries, "The Bastard" makes no disappointment with its megawatt cast. Shatner, Catrall, Tom Bosley, Lorne Greene, Buddy Ebsen, Harry Morgan ... holy cow, is there anybody in there that's not a name, at least now if not then?! And most of all, the stars from the BRBTV shows are out in full force for this one.

Front and center is the aforementioned Stevens, a decade before he would take on J.R. Ewing's tutelage -- then rattle his cage a bit -- as Casey Denault on "Dallas." In this outing, he's oh-so young, so boyish and fluffy of hair, and he surely manages a certain degree of evenly progressing maturity through the four hours. We finished the 600-plus page book just days before watching the movie (see BRB's Amazon review), and Stevens filled the shoes of Phillipe Charboneau / Philip Kent believably and in keeping with Jakes' original prose, written just four years before the movie was released. You could even argue that Stevens resembles the artist's rendering of Philip on the original book cover above.

Joining Stevens is his fellow "Dallas" cast member Keenan Wynn as Johnny Malcolm, every bit as feisty as ole Digger Barnes was. Russell Johnson, also a "Dallas" refugee as Sheriff Mansfield, in addition to Roger Wainwright on "Santa Barbara" and Earl Thompson on "Dynasty," is Col. James Barrett, fighting valiantly for the rights of the American colonies. And how surprising to find Clint Ritchie -- known to us as Bud Morgan on "Dallas" but to the rest of the world as Clint Buchanan on "One Life to Live" -- as Dawes.

Herb Jefferson Jr., whom we remember fondly from "The Dukes of Hazzard," portrays Lucas, a man of color but not a slave -- he stands, gun in hand, as a free worker for a farm where the lead character takes refuge, and before that, he helps Philip dispatch some evil highwaymen. And omigoodness -- peeking out of a doorway in Colonial attire, that's Miss Peggy Rea, our beloved Lulu Hogg of "The Dukes"!

Added to all of that, we were enthralled by Ike Eisenmann of Disney's "Witch Mountain" movies -- his boyish, confident, privileged but right-thinking Gil, the Marquis, is captivating. And John De Lancie of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is delightfully dastardly as a Redcoat lieutenant.

We can't wait to move on to the movie adaptations of "The Rebels" and "The Seekers," the next two books in the series.

Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy star in pre-"Dallas" TV flick

Special thanks to Will "the Voice Man" Rodgers, our collaborator in BRBTV, for uncovering this sweet little gem. Imagine a TV movie starring Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy, and it's not a "Dallas" reunion! In fact, it was filmed a few years before they saddled up to the "Dallas" train!

It's 1974's "Hurricane," and you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube. Jessica Walter, Will Geer and Michael Learned are also in the movie. The plotline, from the IMDb: "A relaxing weekend by the sea becomes a battle for survival when a killer hurricane strikes. Tidal waves over 30 feet high and thunderous, destructive winds batter the coastline." Enjoy!

Spotted: Lesley-Anne Down, Terri Garber and more

The "North and South" miniseries of the '80s, based on John Jakes' juicy novels of the Civil War era, had a dynamite cast. When Book 1 hit the airwaves in 1985, it certainly mined the vast talent of that classic decade, featuring many stars of the BRBTV shows.

It was a time in TV history when miniseries were king. Ahhhhhh ... do we miss the mighty miniseries! So it was with great pleasure that we indulged ourselves last month with a re-viewing of the 12 hours of Book 1, which we remember so fondly from when it originally aired as six two-hour parts. Among the star-spottin' bounty:

- Lesley-Anne Down, our own Stephanie Rogers of "Dallas," playing it sweet and so soft-spoken as Creole Southern belle Madeline Fabray.
- Terri Garber, that sly Leslie Carrington of "Dynasty" and Suzanne Collier of "Santa Barbara," in the amazing role that launched her career, the evil Miss Ashton Main. (We talked with Garber about her "North and South" work; see our BRBTV interview with the star in the current edition of "Send Me to Santa Barbara," as well as a coming update to "Dynasty High.")
- Morgan Fairchild, one of the three Jenna Wades on "Dallas," who gets just a smidgen of airtime as Burdetta Halloran in Book 1 but is back for more action in Book 2.
- Jonathan Frakes, our own Jamie Lee Hogg of "The Dukes of Hazzard," in a key part as Stanley Hazard (yes, only one "z"!), co-owner with his bro in the northern Hazard Iron.
- Bill Conti, composer of the strains of "Dynasty" and "The Colbys," who also did the music for "North and South."

Now on to Book 2 ...

TGIF Toys: Boss Hogg falls to pieces ... and back again

Spotted at the Gaithersburg Antiques Fest in Maryland last weekend, right next to a Penguin Mego (and a Riddler Mego, if you really must know! only $22 each, such a steal!):

A fun jigsaw puzzle featuring our own Boss J.D. Hogg -- Mr. Sorrell Booke -- of "The Dukes of Hazzard." This beauty was complete, no missing pieces, and $12.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer talk about their "Dukes" days

Christopher "Chip" Mayer, who is a BRBTV double-shot as Vance Duke on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and T.J. Daniels on "Santa Barbara," was back in action this past weekend at the Hollywood Show in Burbank. BRBTV couldn't be more pleased, as this marks the actor's return to the spotlight after many years away. Mayer appeared with his Duke cousin, Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry, at the event, and the two also got with Retro Radio Live for a fresh interview on the show floor. BRBTV has some highlights of the interview for you:

- Mayer on acting: "For so many people, it becomes like a rhetoric. Like we're standing here right now, you know, acting becomes listening. People think it's just like bawk-bawk-bawk-bawk, and I spit out my lines. Even Spencer Tracy says, 'Look them in the eyes, tell them the truth and don't bump into the furniture.' It's really acting like life. And acting like life is being in the moment. Be here right now. ... To listen, and then to respond. To take your moments, and not just regurgitate."

- Cherry told the story of originally auditioning for the role of Bo Duke back in 1979, when John Schneider was actually thought to be too young and was put on the "no-see" list. Schneider showed up later, essentially crashing the auditions, six-pack in hand and "introducing" himself as Bo Duke. "Sometimes as an actor you really have to go the extra mile," Cherry said.

- The boys were asked if they felt their time on the "Dukes" set was limited. Cherry said, "We met at the screen test, and I figured if we did one, or maybe got one or two shows in, it would be really good. So we ended up doing a whole season." Mayer added, "When we went to the screen test, they put like five brunet guys and five blond guys in a van, and they take us out to Valencia where they do the exterior shots, then you're doing your screen test with Cathy Bach, with Daisy, while these other #$%^& are sitting there watching you do your work. And eventually they made the call, and we got on the show. But you also had a feeling like, in a way, we're keeping like 35 families in life, because they're like text editors, sound guys. ... There was a tenuousness to it. ... We had a lot of guys that were very cool and a lot of other people that felt they couldn't really align themselves because it would kind of be betraying their allegiance to the original guys."

- Cherry remarked how he has witnessed the fan sentiment changing in recent years toward these "replacement Dukes." Now people come up to them and tell them they saved the show, etc. Mayer said, "It's like in football, if somebody goes down, the star quarterback goes down. And I come off the bench, and I win the Super Bowl, but he's still No. 1. And so those guys came back, and it was like the two girls at the prom with the same dress on. So, they were cool, and the environment, and the executive producers were cool. ... It was fun just being something that was such an icon, culturally. Like 'Gilligan's Island' or whatever. And yet, like right before Christmas break, Paul Picard called us into his office with pink slips and he goes, 'You guys are doing a great job,' and this and that, 'The boys are coming back, merry Christmas.' ... But dude, I'm in L.A., and I'm an actor, and I'm in the land of lost dreams, and for me to come out here and get my feelings hurt, and be in show business is a paradox. That's an oxymoron."

- "Whoever drove the car got more fan mail," Cherry mused, quite seriously! "That was the thing, so they made it 50-50. We split the driving."

- Mayer commented on his overall time on the show, "We came in there with good attitudes. We were humble. We worked hard. ... We had people cutting attitude on us, but we didn't give the attitude back. ... 'He who humbles himself will be exulted.'" Amen!

- When Cherry was about to get the role of Coy Duke, he explained, John Schneider actually advised him not to tell the producers that he knew him, so it wouldn't hurt his chances, as Schneider and costar Tom Wopat were out on their contract dispute.

- Cherry's favorite NFL team: Atlanta Falcons. Mayer's: Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.



Cherry is booking appearances for these two good ole Duke boys. He might even give you a ride in his General Lee. Contact him at coyduke@myway.com.

Look for BRBTV's own interview with Christopher Mayer soon here on the BRBTV News Blog ...

Charlene Tilton chats about new TNT "Dallas" project and more

Charlene Tilton, our own Lucy Ewing Cooper of "Dallas," just chatted live with fans this evening at UltimateDallas.com, and BRBTV has a few highlights for ya:

- She has not been asked to participate in TNT's "Dallas" pilot project, which begins filming in the spring and which just cast Julie Gonzalo and Jesse Metcalfe as Rebecca Sutter and Christopher Ewing. "As of now, unfortunately I have not. I am hoping to be," the star said. "I know that Larry (Hagman) and Patrick (Duffy) are in it. I only know two of the names of the young people. I'm sure they'll be wonderful." 

- She does have an idea or two for the project's treatment of Lucy, however, should she be signed on. "When we last saw Lucy she had 25 percent of Ewing oil stock. So I think Lucy to be a force to be reckoned with. John Ross and Christopher would have to listen to her. I think Lucy should also come back with a daughter. With my actual daughter actually. Lucy should come back with her daughter played by Cherish."


She continues, "I read the script for the pilot. I personally thought it was wonderful. I think the fans will love it if they keep up the quality of writing...they will love it."


- She just filmed a new show for Comedy Central (which was where she was just before arriving for the chat, which began at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.


- If she had her choice of shows, Tilton says, she would love to appear in ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

- What was happiest time and darkest moment she remembers on "Dallas" and in life? "Happiest time on 'Dallas,' I have to say, was the whole experience in general," Tilton says. "We worked hard, but we had a lot of fun. Larry was the ringleader. He brought us all together from the very first day. Everyone was extremely professional and worked very hard. The darkest time on the set was when Jim Davis passed away. I was very close to him. And his wife Blanche passed away last year just after her 90th birthday."

- A boo-boo corrected? Tilton noted how she recently watched the first episodes of "Dallas" on CMT and saw that the scene with Lucy and Ray in the hayloft was edited out. Of course, this early-days storyline presented a bit of a problem for the writers later, when Ray was revealed to be Lucy's half-uncle. "Such an iconic scene," Tilton laments. "It was great, so hot. I was really upset they edited it out."