GADuke01

For any and all of you 'Dukes' fans in or near the North Georgia area, please make it a point to come to the first ever "Hazzard in the Hills" event being held in Helen, Georgia on 08/16/08. The event will be very similar to the some of the original 'Dukes' gatherings of the late 1990s. It should be a lot of fun!!! GADuke01

Yes sir.

For those of you here wondering how Adam West was received at 'Dukesfest', well, let's just say that folks were a lot more eager to get a glimpse of the Batmobile than they were Mr. West. I had dinner on Saturday with some people that had spoken with Adam West on Saturday morning. They said that West told them that he "would rather be at home." They said that he went on to say that "there was nothing going on there at 'DukesFest'." They said that he came across as a very arrogant man. West was charging $40 for an autograph and $20.00 for a photo. Needless to say, his autograph/photograph line was pretty much non-existent on both Saturday and Sunday. gaduke01

I believe all of the talk about 'DukesFest' 2008 being the last one was brought on by ticket sales, or rather, lack thereof. When my parents purchased their tickets at the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket-office on Monday, June 23, track employees said that advance ticket sales had been very slow for the event. They said that they were hoping that "walk-up" ticket sales on the day of the event would boost the numbers up. However, after being there on both Saturday and Sunday, I just don't know if the "walk-up" ticket buyers made that big of a difference. gaduke01

Hello. I just thought that I would post this link that was pssed on to me today via an email message. Be sure to vote "Duke"!!! http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/TGDTNW-Finals-The-Bandit-vs-Bo-Duke?urn=nascar,81387 GADuke01

The band you're wondering about is ~Harmonic Tribe~. The band has strong ties to Wille Nelson being that the band was founded by his sons, Lukas and Micah Nelson. If I'm not mistaken, the band released their first album a few months ago. GADuke01

Hey everybody, check out this review I found for "The Beginning" at www.joblo.com. Be sure to post your opinions. ********************************************************** This movie taught me a profound lesson: always be grateful with what you get. In 2005, the TV-adapted movie DUKES OF HAZZARD came out, and despite a decent box office intake, a lot of people came to hate it. Personally, I thought it was a pretty horrible movie, but at least made for some dumb fun. And now in 2007, here comes the straight-to-DVD prequel, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD: THE BEGINNING. Oh, how I long for the mere awfulness of the first film in comparison to this. Wandering around making idiotic comments and trying to score with hot chicks, the Duke boys never come across as particularly likable (or remotely bright). The leads seem better suited as Abercrombie & Fitch models than comedic actors. Daisy doesn't fare much better, with her story arc consisting of nothing more than the realization she can make guys eye-f**k her by dressing like a slut. Thing is though, she's not even remotely attractive. Her face is as fake-looking as her tits, and she's skinny to the point that I could no longer tell the difference between her and Skeletor. That's not beauty, that's just... gross. Not even the sequences with the General Lee are any fun. They're lackluster and low-budget in exactly the way you'd expect from a straight-to-DVD production. The filmmakers seemed to want to make up for this by having a chase scene where, for no reason whatsoever, the boys drive a go-kart through a girl's locker room (with nudity abound). And of course, the girls don't just try to hide and cover themselves up - that'd be much too logical. Instead, they chase after those crazy Duke boys as they drive on through the school. Yeeha! Ain't them some hilarious hijinx?! Nothing quite like watching a mob of half-naked women as they moronically run through a hallway chasing after two guys in a go-kart. Such brilliance knows no bounds. THE BEGINNING actually feels a lot more like another straight-to-DVD AMERICAN PIE sequel than a DUKES prequel, except more cartoonish and filled with an abundance of redneck humor. I've never seen the original TV show, so for all I know this movie captures its essence perfectly (although I really hope not). At any rate, it's definitely worse than the first film, and if that's doesn't scare you off I don't know what will. It's stupid, obnoxious, plot-less, laugh-less, and features more godawful acting by Willie Nelson. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, then venture away. Personally, I hope these good ol' boys crash the General Lee going 100+ MPH and never see the light of day again. ********************************************************** GADuke01

Let me get this straight here. It sounds as if a couple of you guys are saying that having the General Lee replicas, Hazzard County Sheriff car replicas, and any other "Hazzard" replicas in attendance is not an important factor in the overall success of 'DukesFest'. If that is what you're saying, you guys are dead wrong. Just ask Ben Jones if you don't believe me. Sure, fans come out to see the original cast members, but they also come expecting to see a lot of General Lee replicas, as well as other replicas from the series. Does owning a General Lee replica or any other "Hazzard" replicas make a person a bigger or a more dedicated fan than a person that doesn't own a replica? Absolutely not. Still, I feel that replica owners should have "special privileges" at 'DukesFest'. Afterall, they are part of the event. GADuke01

Personally, I feel that "TimDuke" is a getting a bad wrap here. I have met Tim on a couple of different occasions in the past and not once has he ever presented himself as anything but a nice guy. Tim isn't bashing anyone here for liking the 2005 'The Dukes of Hazzard' movie or being interested in 2007's 'The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning', he's simply passing along info he's heard about the film and posting his own opinion. He shouldn't be bashed or ridiculed for that. GADuke01

Actually, there were (2) different dogs used as Flash. You can definitely tell the two dogs apart from episode to episode as one of the dogs had a lot more gray and was much older than the other dog. The older dog is the one that I believe "Jamanda" was speaking of in her post. GADuke01

At first, I was really skeptical about the casting of Christopher McDonald as J.D. Hogg. I just couldn't figure out why the would once again have a thin/average-sized actor portraying a character that's supposed to be a little on the chubby side. However, after seeing McDonald in the trailer, he looks like he does a pretty decent job. He's leaps and bounds better than Burt Reynolds was in that role. Then again, just about anybody would have been better than 'ol Burt was in that role. Too bad this newest 'Dukes' adventure went straight to dvd. It would have been nice seeing it on the big-screen. GADuke01

"Capt.", I know that you guys have been debating 'The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning', but it just seems as if it's more of the same stuff going around that was debated about the 2005 film. Judging from the things that "TimDuke" has mentioned, he basically seems appalled by the fact that certain aspects of the characters, as well as the backstory, were changed unnecessarily. Like I said, I think it all goes back to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. I can see where "TimDuke" is coming from in that aspect. Rather than change the "character" of the characters or any of the backstories, they should have built upon and broadened them. Then, fans would have had familiar stories and characters that referenced those from the original series. Regarding this new project, I spoke with a fellow fan and friend from Mooresville, N.C. last night. He is in contact with former 'Dukes'/WB mechanic Tom Sarmento quite often and told me a little of what Sarmento relayed to him about "The Beginning" movie. He said that Tom told him that this new "straight-to-dvd" movie is going to be far better than the 2005 big-screen film even though it was made on a very small budget. He went on to say that newest film's budget wouldn't allow any huge stunts like we saw in the 2005 film. Therefore, big stunts from the original series will be edited in. The thing that's pretty cool about that will be the fact that all of the original stunt guys will be credited for the stunts. Anyways, I'm somewhat cautiously excited about the film. It looks as if the did far better this time around with the casting of the the Dukes. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. GADuke01

Wow. It seems as the more things change, the more they stay the same. It seems like only yesterday 'ol "Capt. Redneck" and I were going round and round about the 2005 'Dukes' big-screen movie. I made my point and it was valid. Now, I see the debate is still going strong, only now it's between "Capt. Redneck" and "TimDuke". "TimDuke", like you, I'm a fan of the original series and I see what you are saying and know where you coming from. "Capt. Redneck" on the other hand, I'm quite aware that you enjoyed the 2005 'Dukes' movie and I'm cool with that as well. Nobody can tell you what to like and what not to like. The debate is, and always has been that the only thing that the '05 movie had in common with the original series was 'The Dukes of Hazzard' title and the General Lee. They changed way too much for it appease fans of the original show. 'The Dukes of Hazzard' was a show with established characters and back-stories that didn't need changing. The even changed the General Lee a little. As to why, I have no idea. Afterall, the show did run on network television for 7 seasons. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if it isn't broke, it doesn't need fixing. I'm sure that people who didn't care for the '05 movie would have liked it better had it not been called 'The Dukes of Hazzard'. I also feel that the film would have done better had it had a different title. People who paid their money to see the film expected to see something very close to what they watched as a child growing up in the eighties or the re-runs of that of that original show. Instead they saw a product that was titled 'The Dukes of Hazzard', but was very different. GADuke01

Maybe if the movie had anything remotely to do with the show, besides the name, we wouldn't nit pick. To me the movie was the complete opposite of what the Dukes was and if thats the kind of movies they want to keep making then I'll continue with my "nitpickin' and bellyachin''. ************************************************************* Your right, "georgiagal1". I sat down one on one with James Best a couple of weeks ago and one of the things that we discussed was the '05 'Dukes' movie. Best described the movie as a "big pile of crap" and said that there was nothing about that was even remotely close to their original series. He said that he actually asked the '05 film's director, Jay Chadransekhar, to not make a film that would disgrace the original series and all of the work that the original cast had put into the show for 7 seasons. Best said that Chandrasekhar replied, "Don't worry. I would never do that." Best said that he, as well as other original cast members offered advice, but we're never listened to, nor asked to particpate. He then said that the fans and the original series got the last laugh when the '05 "Dukes' tanked at the box-office. GADuke01

What was wrong with the cast of the 2005 movie? I guess people are still going to bash a good movie. Can't wait for this Direct-To-DVD movie to come out adn then let the that movie be trashed more... I'm gone Darrell ************************************************************* When I first got word that another 'Dukes' film was going to be made, my understanding was that a lesson had been learned with the '05 box-office bomb and Warner Bros. planned on redeeming themselves by making a film that closer resembled 'The Dukes of Hazzard' television series. When I heard that they wanted the new movie to made as if the '05 film never existed and were going to go with an all-new cast, I thought, "Maybe, just maybe we'll get a decent 'Dukes' movie movie." Then, a few days later when I saw Bill Gerber listed as a producer for the film, all of my hopes for a good 'Dukes' movie dwindled as I remembered that Gerber was also a producer for the '05 'Dukes' fiasco. Really, I don't think this "prequel" that's currently in production will be "trashed more" than the '05 big-screen film was when it is released. With the film going straight-to-dvd, there won't be as much hype and media attention associated with it like the '05 big-screen version had. Plus, the "prequel" has virtually unknowns in it with the exception of Willie Nelson. Still, it will be interesting to see how the viewing audience feels about the "prequel". So far, everything I've read in print and have seen on television entertainment shows doesn't lead me to believe that this "prequel" is going to be any better than the '05 film was. One thing, however, that does seem to be somewhat better is the casting approach for the "prequel". April Scott, from what I seen and read, is a far better choice as a "young" Daisy Duke than Jessica Simpson was. She's actually acknowledged the fact that Daisy Duke was a brunette in the series and she's glad to bringing that back to the character. Also, something else that is going to work for Scott is the fact that unlike Simpson, she is a virtual "unknown" in the entertainment world and therefore, the viewing audience won't already have made judgement on her prior to seeing her on-screen. I really feel that they should have cast unknowns in the '05 film. Think about it. In the '05 film, you had a cute blonde pop-star who "played" dumb on her own reality show as Daisy Duke, a guy that gained his celebrity status by doing really stupid stunts and gags on a show called 'Jackass' as Luke Duke, and a guy who built his career portraying a goofy-jerk, who happened to be a sidekick of a guy who tried getting his kicks with a an apple pie in the 'American Pie' films as Bo Duke. Even if the script had have been good for the '05 'Dukes' film, I don't think that it would have mattered. I feel that people would have judgement on the '05 'Dukes' film prior to even seeing the film simply based on the cast chosen. As for the let-downs that I've seen and read about so far with the "prequel", there's a few. First, if they're not wanting this new film to have any ties to the '05 film, well, why in the world did they cast Willie Nelson as Jesse Duke again? That's a direct tie-in. Then, there's the character descriptions that I read. If those descriptions hold to be true, they've once again really "slapped" the original series in the face onc e again. With this "prequel", I was really hoping that we would see a short, fat, and bald Boss Hogg and an equally chubby Lulu Hogg. I just can't understand why they can't get it right? It's not rocket-science. Also, I really feel like they're once again messing things up with the General Lee. If this film is a "prequel" and they're wanting to give the origin of the General Lee, they should have the Dukes driving around an old, less than pristine, black or primered gray Charger that is restored/partially restored at some time in the film to the icon we all know as the General Lee. In the 'Extra' television piece from the set, the General Lee looked to be nothing more than an orange Charger wearing 01s on each door. There was no Confederate flag present at all. Hopefully, the flag will appear at some point in the film and all of that "political correctness" crap won't factor in to the film. Anyways, all of y'all have a nice weekend! ~GADuke01