Do you know what T.V. is missing? The advice and snappy dialogue of an educator and elder. Not a young hip teacher like Mr. Kotter (Welcome Back Kotter), Doug Stevens (Swingtown), or even Mr. Matthews (90210). What T.V. needs is a new Mr. Feeny.

Mr. Feeny was arguably the best part of ABC’s Boy Meets World and now he has disappeared completely. William Daniels was the man behind the grey mustache.

Daniels had a stellar pre-Boy career. He has co-starred in some of the most influential pieces of pop-culture; he was Dustin Hoffman’s father in The Graduate (1967), as John Adams in 1776 (1972) and as the voice of KITT in the original Night Rider.

Good news, Daniels is still alive and ready for a Boy Meets World Reunion. Currently he has no new projects, although a KITT GPS voice is rumored.

William, I miss your large eternally present mustache, your various neutral colored sweaters and your frank lectures.

William Daniels, I miss your face.

American V8 Muscle Car with Onboard AI Provides Generous Tax Incentive

Michael Knight, A Shadowy Figure on a Lone Crusade to buy a new car.  What with those crazy gas prices last year, he probably can’t afford to drive a V8 gas-guzzler…enter the government’s Cash For Clunkers program.  You can trade in your ancient petro-gulping behemouth of a TransAm for some inconsequential little conveyance like a Cooper Mini or Honda Civic Hybrid.  The leather jacket might be a bit of a stretch, then, Mr. Knight.  And please button up your pink shirt just a few more buttons…I can’t stand the sight of all that greying chest hair in that perpetual sunset you always seem to be driving around in.  And if you see those Dukes of Hazzard boys with that bright orange monstrosity of theirs, the General Lee, please send it our way.

BTW, in case you hadn’t noticed, they’re re-making Knight Rider again.  This time it’s supposed to be Michael Knight’s son.  Last time, it was “Team Knight Rider”, with five different AI vehicles, and before that, “Knight Rider 2000″.  You just aren’t going to capture the success of the original show.  And most cars have computers in them now anyways, it’s not such a big deal anymore.  (Still no video-capable wrist watches, though, I’ll give Glenn Larson that much.) It’s the Knight Industries Three Thousand this time, which sounds cool except that KR2K used the Knight Industries Four Thousand.  But “KIFT” sounds dorky, and reminds us of Amy’s boyfriend from Futurama.  No one ever listens to me about how to make a proper sequel, but here goes: resurrect KITT’s twice-kilt brother KARR (the Knight Automated Roving Robot), and let George Takai drive it.  Nuff said.

The inspiration for our plastic pal who's fun to be with. (© iStockphoto.com, 18percentgrey)

It’s been another busy week in the TechStuff labs here at HowStuffWorks.com. Chris and I are working on the preliminary design of our TechStuff Automaton. After much debate, we decided the name “Killbot 2000″ had a slightly negative connotation. The current working title of the project is now “Sir Hugs-A-Lot.” I’m not certain that we’ve added quite as many spikes and lasers as we’ll need, but it’s still early in the project.

Between our plans for world domination and eating lunch at the local pizzeria, we managed to record and publish some episodes of TechStuff this week. On Monday, we talked about our podcasting process. We’ve had several listeners ask us how we go about creating our show. This episode will give you an idea of our process. We also give some tips to people interested in starting their own podcasts. Surprisingly, the most important things to remember aren’t technical — they’re procedural.

On Wednesday, we responded to listener mail from Alexandra about artificial intelligence (AI). Chris and I give our own interpretations of what the term means. We also give examples of some early examples of AI. Alexandra said that she enjoyed the show Knight Rider with the artificially intelligent car called KITT. I posed a puzzle to our listeners by making an odd reference about driving to Congress. We received a message from Frank G. that identified the reference correctly: William Daniels, who provided the voice for KITT, starred in the musical “1776″ as John Adams. And because a promise is a promise: Kudos to Frank!

And for your enjoyment, here’s a short clip from the classic Knight Rider:

And another from 1776:

Learn more about podcasting and artificial intelligence at HowStuffWorks.com:

How Podcasting Works
Are we 10 years away from artificial life?
Will artificial intelligence invade Second Life?

Dude…you better show up in something better than the new KITT, if your gonna roll through. The General Lee or Magnum P.I.’s Ferrari would get more street cred that Hasselhoff’s whip. A whiskey truck would be best, but we can’t all be Superman.

If KITT is self-aware, then who fills the car with petrol? (That’s assuming that KITT runs on petrol. In the episode I watched yesterday KITT stated that he doesn’t have sparkplugs, which begs the question ‘What type of fuel does KITT run on?’) Just imagine the arguments that must go on between car and driver?

 ’Please Michael, can you fill me up?’ KITT may ask, to which Michael replies ‘Sorry KITT, I have no cash’. What would happen then? Would KITT just stop  t the nearest/next petrol station and refuse to move until he is pacified? Would Michael Knight be able to put KITT on ‘manual’ in order to move him? Who has authority over the situation, Micheal Knight, or the Knight Industries Two/Three Thousand? An intresting, but irrelievant thought to say the least.

Non so quanti di voi, fedelissimi lettori, ricordino il post su quel tizio italiano che ha ricostruito K.I.T.T. (la macchina di supercar, per intenderci).
Se non lo ricordate, rinfrescatevi la memoria.
Mi ero chiesta se davvero fosse a comando vocale o meno… ora un articolo del corriere della sera mi ha permesso di trovare il sito che ripercorre tutte le fasi della costruzione.
Il sito è QUESTO, e se prima ero impressionata adesso sono completamente a corto di parole (si lo so, non sembrerebbe visto che vi sto rompendo di nuovo le scatole con i miei deliri).
Ad ogni modo, c’è una bella galleria di foto (oltre che di video) che rivelano tutto il lavoro che è stato fatto… ed è impressionante davvero. Quest’uomo è un genio e chiunque viva con lui deve essere molto, molto, molto, molto paziente

PS: alla fine, a quanto pare è vero, funziona anche con i comandi vocali!!

Today I was having a problem.  I have been trying to decide which car from the 80’s was the best.  I kept racking my brain to find proper candidates, but the choices are truly obvious.  In one corner we have a car made famous for traveling through time and flying through the air.  In the other corner is a car that has virtually every feature conceived by man and it talks to you.  Obviously I am referring to the DeLorean of the Back to the Future movies and KITT from Knight Rider.  Hey, I never said the cars weren’t fictional!  Now let’s try and decide which one is best!

KITT

Our first contestant is KITT.  This car would definitely be classified under the category of “Special Edition.”  Where to begin?  First, KITT can drive itself.  What better feature on a car could a person ask for?  I can’t tell you how many numerous road trips I have been on where the only thought running through my mind was leaning back and having the car take over for me.  So that is a big plus.  Another advantage would be KITT is practically indestructible.  In case you run into a lot of gun fire or explosions, KITT is the car for you.  One of my favorite features that KITT has to offer is ejection seats.  I would much rather be shot out of the car a split second before an accident, than slamming my face into an airbag.  But, undoubtedly, KITT is most famous for its voice.  I don’t know about you, but being able to have a conversation with my car sounds awesome.  And more importantly, the voice of KITT is none other than everyone’s favorite teacher, Mr. George Feeny (actor William Daniels).  How amazing would that be?  Not only can you talk to your car, but the voice talking back is Mr. Feeny.  And if my last name happened to be Matthews, I might never get out of the car!  So here is what KITT has to offer:  drives itself, indestructible, ejection seats and the car’s voice is Mr. Feeny.  Those options make KITT a tough competitor.  Let’s see what the DeLorean has to offer.

The DeLorean

“If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re gonna see some serious s**t.”  I would think anyone who is a fan of the Back to the Future movies has quoted this line at least 20 times in their life.  The DeLorean is probably one of the most recognizable cars in the world.  Now let’s cover the important stuff.  First, the DeLorean comes equipped with the Flux Capacitor.  Whether or not the Flux Capacitor works, lights up or is even real, I know I would love to have one in my car.  That’s an automatic conversation starter.  You might be considered a geek, but we are all geeks at one point so who cares?  Next, the Delorean can fly.  Think about it for a second.  You are late, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.  Before you lose your mind, all you have to do is flip a switch and watch as the cars disappear beneath you.  Soaring over traffic, avoiding tedious stop signs and not having a car around you sounds pretty good to me.  But, the most obvious advantage is that the DeLorean can travel through time.  Being able to see a past or future destination by simply speeding is a quality that cannot be beat.  Not only does the car look cool, but it can go back in time and prevent you from missing that homework assignment or saying that stupid thing to your girlfriend or boyfriend.  A capability like that would put any car on the cover of Car and Driver magazine.  So to recap, the DeLorean:  has the Flux Capacitor, can fly and can travel through time.  This is a tough decision!

In my personal opinion I think KITT is the winner.  It drives for you and you get to talk to Mr. Feeny every day.  I would rather be safe in an indestructible car than have the DeLorean run out of fuel in the clouds and plummet to the ground.  And I think movies, books and television have taught us by now that messing with the past and future are not good ideas.  Now, just to be clear, I understand that these cars exist and their abilities are fictional.  I’m not a moron.  We should all take a step back from reality every once in a while.  And if you are trying to decide which car from the 80’s is the best, and the choices are KITT and the DeLorean, you have to use your imagination!  My choice as I said before is KITT.  But I want to know what you think.  Which car would you pick?  Put yourself in the driver’s seat and see which one would be the best to have in the garage.  Choose wisely!

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Kara Şimşek (Knight Rider)

Akıllı bir araba fantezisi bizleri sürekli birlikte yaşadığımız bu araçlarla yakınlaştırsa da araba her şeyi yapıyor diye başını sıklıkla belaya sokmaktan çekinmeyen bir sürücü bir süre sonra sinir bozucu olmaya başlıyor. Mike maceradan maceraya koşup dursun “Şunu yap KITT, bunu yap KITT” derken Tarkan’ın kurdundan daha fazla çile çekmiştir bizim araba robotumuz. Bir dönem boyunca arabalara sağdan sola kayan ışık taktırmamıza, “Koçum Murat, koş iki ekmek bir paket de sigara kap gel!” esprileri yapmamıza sebep olan Kara Şimşek, Amerika’da 1982’den itibaren dört sezon boyunca yayınlanmış olsa da ülkemizde sanki yıllarca yayınlandı. Ancak sanayi sitelerini ve araba parçacılarını az çok zengin etmeye yarayan bu macera dizisi ülkemizde bir ayrı sevildi onu da unutmamak gerek. Hayır Mike ondan sonra Baywatch dizisine geçip de Pamela ve bilumum güzel hatunla ayrı ayrı maceralara girdi bir ayrı kıskandık o apayrı. Önce akıllı arabalar, sonra güzel hatunlar… Ah ulan Mike ahh… (Bu arada Kara Şimşek dediğimiz araba Pontiac Trans Am imiş.)

Dip Not: Daha sonra bir kaç televizyon filmi olarak arzı endam eden Kara Şimşek geçen sene Amerika’da yeni bir kadro ve yepyeni bir araba olarak ekrana geri döndü. Bu sefer görünmez olabilme ya da şekil değiştirebilme yetilerine sahip olduğunu gördük. Ancak dizi bir süre yayınlanıp durduruldu. Tutmadı mı yoksa pat diye ara mı verdiler, net bir açıklama yok…

Another Tony Report right here and hopefully this will be a short one but it probably won’t.

Look like we have another reason to not respect tony, we all know why he doesn’t have respect for our community and if you don’t know it’s nearly about steal other people ideas, tunes and you can really tell who make what when comparing to a tune he really did in his Adobe or Macromedia Fireworks program (depends on the version) or even if he tried doing it in paint on his computer unless he download a version of photoshop without any bad stuff like trojans or download adult movies by “accident” etc. We are talking about crediting here because even if Tony get asked to credit via a IM (instant messaging)  the real maker or tuner of a pixel car he willing  won’t credit that probably why Tony (yes i’m talking to you when you read this) you always get a hard looking at when you join a pixel car forum or game and you can’t blame anyone even me because you took it out on yourself by doing all this things.

And before you say i don’t have any proof, I DO thanks to one reader/follower who want you to suffer in heaven hell (probably) don’t count on the suffer in hell part that one won’t become true plus i might be joking or not.

Congrats Tony on keeping your Max Power user name on your site you an admin for a longer time for once i don’t need to edit your aliases’s page.

Oh Gott, was haben die nur aus K.I.T.T. gemacht?? Der sieht ja richtig scheiße aus! Welcher Irre ist denn auf die Idee gekommen, für die neue Serie einen Ford Mustang zu nehmen? Und damit nicht genug – was soll denn dieser “Modifizierungs”-Firlefanz??

Nichts gegen die Nano-Technologie (den Farbwechsel würde ich sogar noch schlucken [siehe die heutige Mehrfarblackierung]; Nano kann ja ne ganze Menge), aber das da z.B. ein Spoiler wächst, ist horrender Blödsinn.
Die Originalserie hat auch nur im Rahmen des damaligen technischen Standes gearbeitet; alle Sachen, die darin vorkamen, waren halbwegs glaubhaft – einfach weil sie theoretisch möglich gewesen wären.

Das haben die ordentlich versaut. Wie gut, das es von dem Kram nur eine Staffel gibt.

Michael Moorstedt hat heute in der Süddeutschen Zeitung der Neuauflage von Michael Knight und Kitt ein eher mittelmäßiges Zeugnis erteilt. Der Pilotfilm zur Sendung lief am Abend auf RTL und bestätigt in meinen Augen Moorstedts Meinung in einigen Punkten. Dessen schöner Vergleich des neuen Kitts mit einem getunten Auto der MTV-Show Pimp my Ride stimmt genauso wie die Tatsache, dass der neue Kitt  nerviger, klugscheißender und uncooler ist als der alte. Aber der rote Streifen an der Nase des Wagens ist glücklicherweise geblieben, Kitts Stimme hingegen nicht. David Hasselhoff wurde indes durch JUSTIN BRUENING ersetzt.

Kitt ist außerdem moderner geworden, aus einem Pontiac Trans Am wurde ein Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Dieser kann sich verwandeln, er kann sich dank nanotechnologischer Fortschritte im Handumdrehen selbst reparieren und somit auch – wie im Pilotfilm mehrfach gezeigt – vor Kugeln schützen und bei Crashs unzerstörbar sein. Aber leider ist Kitt viel weniger Kult, genauso wie die Serie nicht mehr so kultig wirkt. Das liegt wahrscheinlich aber auch daran, dass die Helden der Jugend in einem Revival nicht mehr den früheren Kultcharakter erreichen können. Immerhin hatte David Hasselhoff noch seinen Auftritt im Film. Er stellte sich seinem Sohn, dem neuen Michael Knight, vor, sagte ihm ein paar pathetische Worte und verschwand. Zum Ende gibt’s dann auch wieder den Original-Soundtrack, wenn auch etwas gepimpt, und die fahrende Truckgarage.

Insgesamt wirkt die Neuauflage der früheren Pflichtserie – zumindest für die Coolen – softer, emotionaler und pathetischer als der Ursprüngling. Superman und Parker Lewis schweben irgendwie mit. Kitt und sein Herrchen haben sich angepasst – an die Herausforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts und an die Zielgruppe, die zwar gleich alt aber ganz anders sozialisiert ist. Gleich zu Beginn wird der neue Held Bruening mit zwei Frauen im Bett gezeigt und knutscht am Ende auch noch mit seiner alten Jugendliebe. Romantik der Moderne eben. Zudem ist die ermittelnde Polizistin lesbisch.

Das Grundprinzip ist hingegen geblieben, aber die Serie ist eben mehr Show, dafür weniger kultig geworden. Kult kann sich jedoch natürlich noch entwickeln. Dank des Sounds und des roten Streifens bei Kitt kann man auch jetzt noch in den alten Lederjacken-Zeiten schwelgen. Wer das möchte, muss sich entweder Samstagnachmittag vor die Glotze hocken oder das Netz durchforsten. Suchwort: Knight Rider

Isn’t it ironic that nowadays the only one remembered fondly is the
car?

(Gary Coleman and David Hasselhoff)

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: loganoneil via Advanced Lol Builder

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Another great gathering of star cars from movie and TV were on display for the 2009 crusing for a cure car show last weekend.
To support Prostate Cancer research, and to get lots of guys tested (including a few from our group this time!) we all got in our star cars and drove to the Orange County fairgrounds for the USA’s largest one day car show event.
http://www.cruisinforacure.com/

Charger Steve came from San Diego with his first time BTTF Delorian conversion patterened after the first movie,

and Steve brought a long a few new SD pals, Lee – who bought his General Lee,

Mike with his “Tow Mater” tow truck,

and then a nice pile of the Hollywood Star cars fron StarCarCentral.com!

Alex was kind enough to go the extra miles and drop “hoff” his KITT right next to Brian’s Horace the Hate bug! Back in Black, BABY!
We all kept an eye on Jennifer who was well behaved with the remote controls, and polished KITT properly all day! See Alex? That’s me videotaping her from the other side, so you can review her polishing style later and give her a report on how she did!


Brian upped his display with a new dvd loop of Horace in the movie, and a cool targeting scanner and pistol grip for shooting a certain white VW!


Jerry brought his Herbie for a nice set of “marshmellows” one fresh, one burnt!

Lou and Lynda got V.I.P. parking in a solo spot across from the rest of us….

and rounding out the star cars is the NOT a Barris Batmobile – world famous Fireball Run afterburning Natemobile!

I resurected the sign from the world con, (after finding it behind some stuff in my garage….) OK so I guess I could work on my display….

As usual, lots of people and fans were happy to see their favorite cars!

As it was a LOT COOLER this year, we actually did take a lap, but without Jennifer’s puppydog urging, we might not have! We finally got in our cars, fired them up and took off!!!!… at zero to 2 miles an hour!

To keep up the tradition, we drove past Barris’ booth again, and he wasn’t there, but we got a fun shout out from the Barris workers and Joji!

The Bat and Towmater moved over to the other side with Lou and let the world cool down a bit (and the cars!)

Our little “herd of cats” wandered too and fro, I had lunch with Lou and Lynda and Jason (Free refils! Next year I am there early!)
Jerry and his pal and Brian talked Herbies, then Brian smiled ear to ear when he got to trigger KITT for a while, until Alex’s internal sensors picked up that Jennifer and Brian were playing with the remotes too much, and an Automated text was sent to get them in line!

BULLIT owner Dave Kunz parked with us for a spell, but he’s got too many car shows to cover as a reporter, so he popped in and it was great hearing his stories and then he was off to the next event!
As long as we get these parking spots, I think there will be some cool star cars at Crusin for a cure 2010 and beyond!

The early 80’s saw a plethora of action shows that my younger brother and I watched regularly, and it seems that many of them were centered around a really cool vehicle.  The A-Team had that van that Mr. T and that Hannibal (who was wanted for a crime he did not commit) always doctored up.  240 Robert (remember that one?) had those cool GMC Jimmies with all the gear.  Airwolf had a futuristic helicopter that was hidden in “the Lair”.  And The Dukes of Hazzard had the General Lee.

But few shows were as defined by a vehicle as was one show…Knight Rider.  When I write the title, just one thing comes to your mind, and it’s probably not David Hasselhoff.

KITT.  The Knight Industries Two Thousand.

KITT was a fortress of missile-defying, gunfire-deflecting, radar-absorbing exotic materials shaped to look suspiciously like the new-generation Pontiac Firebird that had hit the market that year.  The car had those futuristic lights that ran across the front bumper, a talking computer (which turned out to be pretty close to the best actor in the show), a console for video games, and was a platform for awesome stunts that featured 80’s-style special effects…cool when I saw them as a young teen, but not that great in retrospect.

Knight Rider, which was introduced to television audiences on September 26, 1982, was about a guy named Michael who was shot in the face but rescued by a billionaire who ran Knight Industries.  Michael was given a new last name, a new face, and a new job…playing second-fiddle as an assistant to a crime-fighting car.

For Hasselhoff, it may have been akin to all those people that were in the Lassie movies:  you’re on the screen, but your name is listed in the credits after the star, which isn’t even human.  Still, Hasselhoff became a household name, and probably made a bundle of money from the show.

Knight Rider was a “sort of” show (like so many in the 80’s).  It had actors and actresses besides Hasselhoff (sort of), a plot (sort of), good continuity (sort of), and plenty of special effects (sort of).

But who cared about any of that?!?  It was all about the Firebird, which could travel at outrageous speeds, leap deep canyons, and listen in on private phone conversations.  Once the synthesized intro music faded and KITT rolled down the ramp of that huge moving semi and then spun around to begin its missions, the rest really didn’t matter anyways.

Recommended Viewing:  Knight Rider – Of course.  Start with Season One and, once you’ve gotten acclimated, move on to subsequent seasons.

I miss my childhood……

I know it’s gone, but I miss it nonetheless…

Was it the lack of real responsibility?

The innocence?

The simplistic view of the world I once held?

The dreams?

Adventures?

I used to have a recurring dream way back when I was 5-ish.  In the dream I was in this huge desert lot that used to be across the street from our house. The lot was about 2 square miles, but at 5yrs old it might as well been 10sq. miles. As the dream would begin I was riding along in Kitt, the talking car from Knight Rider.  We would drive at top speed straight through the cacti and past angry rattlesnakes. A pack of wild coyotes would chase us when we came too close to their lair. After a short time we would come upon the rim of a huge crater.  Kitt would drive right in, and we would do donuts around a giant house sized Humpty Dumpty, who lay helplessly in the middle.  As Kitt drove me around Humpty I can always remember that giant egg screaming and yelling at us to get out of there. We would circle around him a few times, and then using Kitt’s “turbo boost” go straight through Humpty’s head.  There would be a huge explosion, and that’s how the dream ended. What did it mean?

I remember when kids thought snap bracelets were cool.

I remember the first time I played Super Mario Bros. when my friend got a Nintendo for Christmas (I was soooo jealous)

I remember my first bike without training wheels, A red and white checkered BMX.

Mask, the cartoon, and all the mask toys I had. Not to mention G.I. Joe and all of their toys too.

I used to have giant plastic tinker toys.

I remember finding a squished rattlesnake in the road and putting it in a plastic bag, to take to school for show and tell, but I was too afraid to put it in my backpack, because I thought the fangs would poke through and kill me.

What do you miss?

Thanks to Officer Richard Lee of the So. Pasadena Police, the StarCarCentral.com gang showed up in force for the South Pasadena police and fire open house and car show Sunday Sept 20th!

It’s a different line up at evert star car show, and this one was no different! As Officer Lee has shown us great hospitality in years past, the guys were eager to shine up their famous movie and TV cars to sponsor this event.

No it’s not a decepticon transformer (that got sold to some collector in Texas) just the new cool police cars that opened the event!

PULL OVER!! Not quite as intimidating, but I want one of these for the back lot! They look like a lot of fun, and a step in the right direction for those personal hovercrafts I was promised in Popular Science like they had on Johnny Quest!
But I digress….

From left to right, here’s who was there! These two just have to be parked together! Lou and Lynda with her lemon squares (and the stripped tomato, from Starsky and Hutch!) were first in line, and next we were so happy to have Dave with his General show up with his family and support the police and fire dept. His car was cleaner than I ever saw the dukes car on TV!
Charger Steve and Dave got to swap General Lee trivia…. I mean important details on their cars!

Sue brought her Get Smart Sunbeam. Her “Max” didn’t seem to mind the sun, and posed for photos all day in a three piece suit!

Brian brought his Bond car complete with a new poster featuring his car! He got to talk obscure star car with a few of our fans, including one who is working on the CHiP’s Gold Firebird (Paunch’s car) and he may find a Simon and Simon Power Wagon….

Jerry’s Herbie is always well loved and photographed, and this was no exception. He had some sort of double cheeseburger creation that looked amazing for lunch, thanks again to the SPPD for feeding all of us so well!
Jerry had a special visitor, the star of Herbie goes to Monte Carlo Joaquin Garay III showed up and posed for a photo!


Next was Paul’s Back to the Future Delorian, and thanks to the electrical hook up, the center section of our display of famous movie and TV cars came alive! Paul put on a great show with lights, sounds and smoke, but this time he had competition!

Oscar plugged in his cd player, and had the theme to Magnum P.I. coming from under his Ferrari!
Next to him Alex and his pristine Knight Rider KITT was chatting with the crowd. “Where are your pants?” is still fun to hear KITT say randomly to someone!  Alex decided to take the day off from working on Knight Rider stuff and spend the day with us!   

Continuing the crime fighter line up, the batmobile quietly refrained from showing off, and let Batman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Robin do all the showboating for the happy photographers and fans!


Only at StarCarCentral.com events can you get this photograph! Nate Truman having a chat with batgirl, wonderwoman, Jason “Buckaroo” Red ranger, with a few unusual cars in the foreground!


A special treat just for the police theme was Brandy’s Mayberry RFD patrol car, and it was great to spend some time with Charger Steve! It’s been a while, as he heads up the San Diego Chapter of Star Car Central, heck, he practically IS the whole chapter with all his cars!
The excitement is growing for his Del Mar show in just a few weeks!
Click the link to sign up your car, spaces are limited, and Charger Steve always puts on a great party!
Finishing off our line up in the prime spot infront of the police HQ was Vic and Dana, and their great Blues Brother’s police car!

(Cool) Hats off to them, for staying in the sun with black Suits and ties on all day, working the crowd! Note to self: Once you give Dana a Microphone, don’t expect to get it back any time soon! He’s a crack up, and he’s got a million one liners! Not sure how they did on tips, but I know they got fed well!


Jason stopped by with his Herbie to take some photos and head out, and in his travels he found this “sort of” A-Team van, hey at this point, I will consider it…..

Of course Jason always on the lookout for a photo op, convinced all the super heroes to mosey over to HIS car for a quick shot!

Thanks to Scott and Vicky and their two “wards” batgirl and Robin for taking their day to amaze little kids and pose for lots of photos in the hot sun! I don’t know how they do it! Also special award for being a trooper to Batgirl, who “played injured” with a hurt toe!
(I am not sure if I am allowed to expose their secret identities….)

So starts the busy season for StarCarCentral.com! Next week the biggest one day car show on the west coast, Crusin for a Cure at the orange county fair grounds, so stop by and say “HI!” we will be under shade between two of the front buildings! Charger Steve is bringing his BTTF Delorian (first movie style) to debut at the cruise this coming Saturday, Sept 26th 2009 but all of our other delorian pals will be gull winging their way to Vegas for a big Back to the Future convention!
Our own Paul Nigh will be showing his personal original props from the movie!

Zu den Challenges, siehe hier. Heute: Mitten in der Nacht den Wecker mit “Hol mich hier raus, KITT” anschreien.

Das Drumset hat überhaupt nichts mit der Aufnahme zu tun. Hatte nur keine Lust, es wegzuschieben.
Und dass ich absolut nicht danach aussehe, als ob ich diesen Satz sagen würde, ist mir auch total egal ò.ó

(Die Zeit ist auf der Uhr nicht gut genug zu erkennen gewesen, daher hier ein Bild, wo sie etwas besser zu sehen ist: 4:14 – Ich kann nix dafür, die Kamera ist halt von 2003 oder so.)

„Er kommt – Knight Rider – Ein Auto, ein Computer, ein Mann. Knight Rider – Ein Mann und sein Auto kämpfen gegen das Unrecht.“

So kennen wir jeden Anfang der von 1982 bis 1986 produzierten erfolgfreichen US-Serie. Michael Knight gespielt von David Hasselhof und sein sprechendes Auto K.I.T.T kämpfen gemeinsam mit der Foundation für Recht und Verfassung gegen das Verbrechen.

Seine wahre ehemalige Identität wird vor der Öffentlichkeit geheimgehalten. Dennoch gelingt es in einigen Folgen das seine Feinde seine frühere Identität als Michael Long herausfinden. Unvergessen ist das Duell Michael Knight gegen Goliath, wo der wiedersacher Garthe (Sohn des vertorbenen Gründers der Foundation) als exakter Zwilling gegen Michael Knight kämpft.

Unvergessen ist auch sein sprechendes Auto K.I.T.T. Der Traum meiner Jugend! Wer wollte damals nicht diesen schwarzen “Pontiac Firebird Trans Am” besitzen. Legendär sind seine super Funktionen wie der “Turbo Boost und Super Pursuit Mode“ womit Michael eine Geschwindigkeit jenseits der 300 Meilen erreichte.

Leider hat es David Hasselhof wohl nicht geschafft seine erfolge weiterzuführen was man in der heutigen Klatschpresse immer wieder erfährt. Trotzdem eine Serie mit der ich aufgewachsen bin und auch immer gerne geschaut wurde.

   Hay veces en que te sorprendes de los intrincados mecanismos con los que los productores de las nuevas series americanas intentan abducir tu cerebro. El caso más rocambolesco es el de la última versión del injustamente denostado KITT. Vista en retrospectiva, aquella serie de protagonista socarrón (y me refiero al coche, por supuesto) que lanzó a la fama al único personaje de toda la historia de la televisión que aparecía en todas las escenas de todos los capítulos con la misma ropa (ese Hasselhoff de pelo sobresaliente), era una obra de arte. La nueva versión ofrece todo lo necesario para hacer brillar el recuerdo de aquel Trans Am de voz emocionada como una joya familiar.

   La serie adolece de tal cantidad de errores básicos que yo, personalmente, creo que todo es una estrategia para que el boca a boca haga de la serie un fenómeno (algo similar, salvando las distancias,  a lo que sucedió con Tómbola y sus peleas en el barro de la ignorancia y el mal gusto) Demasiado tarde, por lo que tengo entendido según los rumores que tiñen el aire de luto…

   Lo único bueno es la elección del nuevo modelo de automóvil, pues el Mustang es un auténtico coloso en la pantalla. Pero todo se acaba ahí, como si a los desarrolladores se les hubiera acabado la gasolina mental tras ver la estampa del coche e hincharse de satisfacción. Para comenzar, la voz del nuevo KITT es la más insustancial que yo recuerdo en un doblaje (al nivel de Verónica Forqué en El Resplandor), haciendo que el Mustang parezca más una caja de zapatos pintada de negro que una supermáquina a la que se intenta dotar de cualidades humanas a través, precisamente, de la voz. Si al menos hubiesen puesto como doblador al genial Constantino Romero…

   Por otro lado, la elección del reparto es dudosa, pero teniendo en cuenta los diálogos y las situaciones que se suceden capítulo tras capítulo, podrían haber interpretado la serie Al Pacino y Scarlett Johansson y seguiría siendo un bodrio de primera categoría. Dos parejas de chicos guapos (cada uno en su estilo…) y chicas de tetas siliconadas soltando topicazos y frases del estilo de “se nota que ya os conocéis de antes, ¿a qué esperáis para ir a echar un polvo (con perdón, es textual)?”. De aquí no podría salir nada bueno…

   Y, de hecho, ¡es que no hay más reparto! Al resto de actores que no cumplían estos requisitos simplemente se les eliminó… ¡A todos en el mismo capítulo! Incluída a la joven policía de color a la que por lo visto no le habían encontrado pareja en la serie, por lo que ya no les debía servir para nada… ¿He oído recorte de presupuesto por baja audiencia?

   El caso es que, obviamente, la serie ha sido un fiasco y probablemente sea eliminada, pero así, a lo tonto, yo he acabado viéndola todos los jueves por la noche para escuchar la última sandez, reírme a gusto, librarme del stress, y tener algo gracioso que comentar con los compañeros de trabajo al día siguiente (lo que implica que ellos también han acabado viéndola)

   ¡¡¡KITT, te necesitamos!!! ¡Aunque sea en una nueva versión española con un Ford Fiesta sin turbo impulso lateral, con Antonio Resines y Jorge Sanz haciendo de Michael Knight!