HossC

I knew this anniversary was coming up, but had a busy weekend and forgot. I could've sworn I'd posted the listing below already on HNet, but couldn't find it. It's from British TV guide the Radio Times, and shows details of the debut of 'One Armed Bandits' (NB. I've rearranged the original layout to make it more screen-friendly). I've just noticed that they misspelled Gy's names as Guy near the bottom.

chips (the kind we have over here!)

Jumping frog (see the video below for my explanation )

Morgan Woodward also appeared as Dempsey in 'Mason Dixon's Girls'. The story of his death is covered on many sites - I randomly picked MSN.

surfin'

inches

The new series of 'Top Gear' premiered tonight, and this week's studio guest, actor James Marsden, sang "Just the good ol' boys" and mentioned the Duke Boys while doing his lap of the track. The show's only just finished, so nothing's made it to YouTube yet, but I'll post anything I find.

Robinson

Does this mean that the Dukes invented "Orange Is the New Black"?

Did you see that the taillights are now the exhausts?

I missed this story at the end of last year, but luckily it was mentioned on the new series of 'The Grand Tour'. Here's a '68 Dodge Charger fitted with the 426 Hemi Hellephant crate motor similar to the one found in the Hellcat. As well as the 1,000-hp engine, there's a six-speed manual transmission, six-piston Brembo brakes and Hellcat wheels measuring 20 inches in front and 21 inches in back. More info here. There are several videos about the car, including this one:

School I've never taken the test, but I doubt I'd pass it anyway

Test A club for clever people that charges for an entrance exam and then $70.95/year to be a member - it's certainly run by clever people . Don't forget that a similar club featured in the 'Columbo' episode 'The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case', which starred Sorrell Booke and also included Carlene Watkins in an uncredited role. I posted a screengrab here.

I'm just watching an old episode of 'Wheeler Dealers' where Mike bought a 1970 Dodge Charger and shipped it back to the UK for Edd to fix up. Edd has a bit of a reputation for the occasional wild color scheme, so when Mike paid his middle progress visit and saw that car was still black, he commented that he thought Edd would've welded the doors shut, painted it orange and put a Confederate flag on the roof. The car stayed black, but Edd did fit a Dixie horn.

A 78-year-old in a red bikini? You have some strange fantasies, Roger.

Viking (as in the comic strip Hägar the Horrible)

I saw this the other day. In accordance with the no politics rule, I'll post it without comment.

Treasure (I thought I'd better keep it clean )

Or as I've heard over here - "It's better to be looking at it than looking for it".

I don't think it's unusual to carry jump leads here, but it's a long way from standard. Each country has its own rules and practices. Many European countries require drivers to carry a warning triangle in their car, but in the UK and Ireland they're only recommended (along with a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and spare bulb kit). The spare bulb set is a little dubious as many bulbs are difficult to change by the roadside nowadays. I had to remove my rear light cluster recently to replace a brake light, and my brother's old car needed several bits of trim removed to access the headlights (all with breakable clips!). Of course, the most well-known European car accessory of the moment must be the yellow hi-vis vests which are mandatory in France. They have been used by the gilet jaune protest movement since the end of last year in a bid to get a better deal for motorists on various issues (the protesters have also destroyed about 2/3 of the speed cameras in France).

Are you talking -7°C or -7°F? (I'm used to Americans still working in Fahrenheit, but I didn't know you had it that cold where you are). The footage of the burning railroad tracks in Chicago looked pretty impressive on the news.

Ever since I had a dodgy battery a few years ago, I keep jump leads in my trunk. I don't think I've needed them since (famous last words), but I've used them to jump start a couple of other cars. It's not a purchase you'll regret.

Sorry, I'm sure it's not one of the first words you learn in a foreign language.

Organ (a lot of old churches have large pipe organs) I think Hobie meant the Beaudrys, who appeared in 'Boss Behind Bars' and 'Daisy's Shotgun Wedding'. That's why I said "Wedding".

I must've missed my vocation in life. Hot on the heels of last year's singing with a choir, I went to an acting audition last night. To give you some context, a local charity is organizing a fund-raiser where several 10-minute mini movies are filmed and then shown at an awards night dinner event. As a newbie, it was quite daunting reading a famous Jack Nicholson speech in front of a group of strangers after only a few minutes of preparation. I've only put myself down for a minor speaking role (I have no desire to be a lead). The auditions were appraised by an actor from a long-running Irish soap opera, and he'll be giving his verdicts and assigning parts next week. Are there any real thespians out there?