Brian Coltrane

Eh, I think fans the world over - and even some that have never been Dukes fans before - will see this movie just for the stunts. WB did not make the movie to appeal to the die hards. They made it to appeal to an audience that would have otherwise nevah went to a Dukes of Hazzard movie. They figured us die hards would see it anyway, no matter what they did. This way, they double the box office take from the measily millions the existing fandom alone would have brought. This thought occurred to me as I re-read about the new CMT VP of DOH. Despite original advertisements, they were never looking for a "dedicated fan" with "a passion for the Dukes of Hazzard." No, not at all. In fact, a CMT bigwig, James Hitchcock, was quoted in a CNN article as follows: "More important than rabid fanaticism, (said Hitchcock,) was an ability to bring enjoyment and understanding of "Dukes" to those who were not, themselves, fans of the show." In other words, not to represent the Dukes fandom that exists. Rather, to bring in those who ain't already fans, to the fold...and appealing to them by whatever means necessary. WB and CMT figure there's no ditching the original fans. What they want is a bigger audience. And they are willing to repackage the DOH image in order to get it. Smarmy bastards. Brian

Depends on the reporter. Would you want La Bamamedia interviewing YOU more than once?! Man, I'd disclaim anything to avoid that. Brian

Bamamediaschmedia, that remark is offensive. We have a several HazzardNet folk who have "sheep" as a part of their handle. Why not pick on yer own species, once it's properly identified, quarantined, tagged, and we're all inoculated against it? Any of ewe that think sheep jokes are funny are just plain ba-a-a-a-a-ad. Brian -------------------- Friend of Sheep Everywhere Defender of small domestic animals

Nobody needs to start their own forum someplace else, just 'cause they don't agree with the majority. ( whatever the majority happens to be.) And look at the bright side; we only got about 2 more months of movie anticipation before it hits theaters. Afterwards, people can get even more specific about what they can't stand. Or , they can get specific about why the movie is the best thing that ever happened to them. We ain't seen nothin' yet....literally! Brian

Tom, the Anti-Duke, appears on the Season 3 DVD extra. So much fer 'dat. Brian

While MaryAnne and Chet rode back to town, BlackJack and his gang were sizing up Alex. The gunslinger had listened to Alex's questions with a scowl, and then debated a moment on whether to explain things to the drifter, or simply kill him outright. Fortunately for Alex, BlackJack needed the extra help for his backup plan. "I've got a job for you, blondie," BlackJack replied. "One that won't even get your hands dirty." The gang chuckled at this, and BlackJack gave an evil smile to Alex. "All I want you to do, is drive a covered wagon into town tonight. Me and the boys will be riding inside of it. Our horses will be tethered behind it. You'll be wearing the clothes of the settler we killed this morning, so nobody will recognize you. " BlackJack paused to let this much sink in, then continued. "Once me and the boys are done with our social call upon the Hazzard law, we'll be on our horses and gone. If you do exactly as you're told....you'll live." BlackJack didn't bother to explain what would happen if Alex messed up. It didn't really matter, as BlackJack intended to kill the blonde drifter when he was done with him anyway. (Cue Alex)

I'll cut him some slack on the fictional character approach. Even though I didn't care for the character. The "Slick" character got him noticed online, and gave him a degree of notoriety. Even if you didn't like "Slick" you managed to remember him. From what I hear tell, it was the application itself with some promotional suggestions that made him the winner. Not the character or the webpage. Both were dismantled rapidly. ( But if they had to be dismantled, how could this represent the "winning entry" if it was that objectionable? I'll never understand the media as long as I live.) Personally, I'm a little disappointed that they only interviewed 3 people out of 2000. And I don't recall anything in the application looking for "ideas." They were looking for a dedicated fan, was the impression I had. If any of us had known they were looking for ideas, the other 1999 of us would have approached the application a little differently. If it's any comfort, the winner was strolling around DukesFest in his CMT baseball cap and over-large sunglasses, and from the brief observation I had....was being largely ignored by everyone. I also saw him gawkin' around in the hotel lobby, and despite the number of Dukes fans that were staying in the same digs, nobody rushed him there, either. Ah, fickle fame. Maybe after he's had his face on a few more CMT promos, he'll be better recognized. On the positive side, this guy really is a Dukes fan, and he has some creativity. He might do a good job, so we'll have to wait and see. Brian

The General Lee jump and the patrol car jump on Sunday could only be described with one word: Wild. The General hit the ramp damn fast, launched up like a rocket, and tilted nose-down in mid-air abruptly. It landed hard on the nose with a savage crunch, flipped end over end, landed on the roof and skated across the grass upside-down...then caught on fire. Everybody in the crowd gasped for breath because it looked pretty bad. The emergency crew put out the fire in seconds, but nobody in the crowd moved until Corey got out of that car and stood up. Talk about relief! The patrol car jump was amazing, too. The car leapt from the ramp at an odd angle, did a barrel-roll in mid-air, and crashed through a parked panel truck while it was upside down in mid-flight. Craziest thing I've ever seen. It was, as Rosco would put it, a "horrendous crash." Spectacular, though! MeadowMufn caught a part of both jumps on video, which has been posted on DukesFest.com. ( viewable with QuickTime player.) More soon!

Great pics and a good blog there. I noticed on Sunday that John kept letting in a few more fans at a time for autographs, long after he was supposed to be done for the day. Not only that, but when the General Lee jump was scheduled to start, John waved away his support staff, and told them, "Go watch the jump!" He sent away his own help. How cool is that? John seemed to be enjoying the heck outta himself at DukesFest. The weather was brutally hot, the lines were insane, and I'm sure he could have took off whenever he felt like saying "enough" and hid inside some air conditioning. Instead, he stayed and signed autographs, and he was as pleasant and cordial as could be. Terrific guy.

Per the Bristol Herald-Courier newspaper, attendance at DukesFest for Saturday numbered over 25,000 people. I believe it, after taking a good look at the parking lot yesterday. The good news is, the Bristol Motor Speedway is set up for huge crowds. There's two seperate tracks and grandstands - one for the NASCAR half-mile, and one for the dragstrip. Plenty of open space in the middle. I got some decent pics of some of the cars n' such, which I'll upload soon. Unfortunately, I haven't been doing as well with getting cast pictures. No matter where I am on the grounds, there's stuff going on someplace else that I manage to miss. One of the coolest things about being here, is being surrounded by like-minded folk who love the Dukes of Hazzard and openly display that passion. It's great to see General Lees crusing the hotel parking lot, entire families running around in orange t-shirts and Hazzard gear. The little kids, most of all, are what make it special. What's amazing is the number of brand new fans that surfaced from the CMT airing. A lot of "first timers" are here this weekend. For some of us, this is DukesFest number three, four, or five. Then there's the folks who have never had a chance to see Rosco, or see a General Lee up close. These shindigs are a lot of work for Ben and the crew, and for all the General Lee owners, ect, but it's worth it to see that smile on a kid's face. Awright....I have to get away from the laptop and get back to the shindig. More later! Brian

Ya know, maybe Hollywood is freaking out for nothing with this whole rebel flag thing. Somehow, the thousands at DukeFest this weekend don't seem too squeamish about a confederate flag. It's true that the flag has been misused by hate groups and therefore has negative connotations for many people. But in this day and age, the rebel flag seems to represent the "spirit of the south" ala Dukes of Hazzard. It's a matter of perception, of course, and I'm not suggesting that anyone turns a blind eye to history. But given the worldwide recognition of the Dukes of Hazzard, if anyone was going to have a material fit about the flag, there has been more than ample opportunity since 1979. They might as well remove the "Dixie" horn from the General Lee if they're that dang worried. Brian

All I can say is...holy cow, what a crowd! Huge turnout. CMT has been filming and interviewing all over the place. As far as the biggest draw, it's hard to say whether the autograph opportunites with John and Cathy were the prime interest - or, if the "Ride in a General Lee" opportunity is what brought 'em in. The "Ride in a General Lee" attraction had lines that ran between 4 and 5 hours long. And this was with a fleet of General Lees running on the track. But the once-in-a-lifetime chance seemed worth the wait to those I spoke to. There's no doubt that "Bo Duke" hasn't lost a thing in charisma. The tickets for autographs went pretty quick - I'd say within an hour of the gates opening. Same thing with Cathy. Between the number of General Lee's on the grounds, and the number of people wearing " 01 " shirts, Bristol Motor Speedway has been a sea of orange. And the continual blare of "Dixie" horns is unforgettable. Weather has been hot. I'm sunburned so much that I could use a marker and put an "01" on my forehead, just to take advantage of the color. This is kinda short, for as much that is going on - just thought I'd fire off a quick postcard, of sorts. I'm fortunate enough to have a hotel room with high-speed internet. Yeehaaa! Brian

Congratulations to "Slick ", a/k/a Christopher Nelson, who was awarded the CMT VP gig. Formal announcement to be made at DukesFest, but CNN hit the wire with it this morning, so what the hell. There were 2000 fans who applied for the position. The creative, "Slick for VP" campaign stood Christopher Nelson out from the crowd. Sal-ute! Brian

Well, I had to pick up the latest copy of "US" since it's in the line of my official HNet duties. There are several bikini pictures of Jessica washing the General Lee. I think the upcoming music video will be of interest to a few of y'all, based in the following passage in the article: " What's the difference between Jessica Simpson, and the brazen sexpot she plays in the upcoming comedy Dukes of Hazzard? Judging by her behavior at the May 19 shoot for her soundtrack video, the answer is.... nothing." "Wearing a Harley-Davidson t-shirt cut right below her breasts, and short, tight, denim cutoffs, red boots and a hat, the buxom singer gamely jumped on top of a bar and danced sexily in full view of the adoring video crew and cowboy extras. This, just a day after she donned a tiny pink bikini and got drenched while washing the famed General Lee." I figure Playboy is already callin' her for a centerfold shoot. Of course, if she's posing on the General, a good number of copies will sell just onconna the car. Brian

Sounds like another dirty trick by ol' Boss Hogg

Miss Dixie, this arguement is never moot, because both cars are outrageous cheats. KITT is a little more fantastic in the options package, I'll grant ya....but how many "real" Dodge Chargers can jump over a river, or a barn, and land intact without missing a beat of the chase? I guess it comes down to which one suspends disbelief ( not to mention itself, in mid-air ) better. I'd have to say the General is more believable of the two. We only have to buy the landing. We don't have to get into the molecular bonded shell or the microwave jammer or any of that other crap. Meanwhile, back in reality, I have a car with talents like invisible oil leaks ( undetectable by any mechanic, but nonetheless splattering my driveway) and the magic gas tank, which is always on " E. " Brian

To take the opposite position, we woulda been better off, had WB reconciled with Tom and John promptly. Rather than replacing them with bumpkin wanna-be's. In retrospect, I suppose both sides could have handled it better. Brian

Yes I am.

Somebody else answered this same question on another thread...but just to answer, the episode is "Granny Annie." Brian

Everything goes better with cheddar!! Far as the new Bo and Luke vs. the originals - the new Dukes seem like they've had a few too many rough landings in the General. Heheheh. Brian

Authenticity of the promotion has been verified. Side note to BamaM...hello, it's posted on a bar site, so we shoulda took it as gospel? Dude, I thought you were more jaded than that. HEH! But in all seriousness, we just do our best to make sure our friends and neighbors are getting accurate info. Didn't want somebody to drive to NY and then be disappointed, ya know. Like me, 'cause I just might enter! I can sing with the worst of 'em..... Brian

Cooter did not have a dog on the show. However, one of his baseball caps said "DOG" on it. Also, Ben Jones has some promo photos of him and Flash, so maybe that lends itself to the confusion. I think Flash was everybody's dog in Hazzard, even though she belonged to Rosco. Heh! Brian

Boss Hogg wears a deputy uniform in the episode, "Ten Million Dollar Sheriff." It was a two-part episode in season.....gaaaah, I don't know, I gotta look it up.... Season Four! There ya go. Brian

Beauregard, that's just a little harsh, ain't it ? Down boy!! Brian

Editor's note - while the above information appears legit, we were unable to cross-verify the event on Tom Wopat's own website. We are attempting to confirm. fyi, Brian