TVSquad

Battlestar Galactica has spoiled us all.

I say that because, since the excellent "re-imagining" of the craptastic '70s scifi series hit the air, we expect the remakes of our favorite shows to be darker, more layered, and more complicated than the originals. But sometimes, going darker doesn't always work: take a look at the failure pile that passed for the Bionic Woman remake as the best example of that. So, when a "25 years later" return of Knight Rider was announced, I half wondered if they were going to go the BSG route and make it all serious. But I equally wondered if they would go the other way and make it a modern camp classic, sort of the way the original, Hoff-injected series was.

Turns out, the answer was "none of the above." Mostly the movie / backdoor pilot that aired last night was dull, with a few fleeting moments of camp thrown in. But it never made me clamor for the show to return as a series.

In the movie Batman Forever, Val Kilmer as Batman said "Chicks love the car." There he was talking about the Batmobile, but maybe he was being prophetic, too. Kilmer has just signed to replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT in the forthcoming NBC Knight Rider telefilm/back-door pilot. I want you to note that in the original link, they've been very generous in picture selection for Mr. Kilmer, as his waist size and age have apparently been running neck and neck the last several years. This article chose a more recent picture, and right now we're all thankful he's only doing voice work on the film.

Knight Rider premieres in 10 days (02-17-2008) and Arnett had completed all of the voice work already. Apparently, as our own Kristin witnessed first-hand, the new KITT is a Ford Mustang and Arnett had done some GM commercial work before so it would be blasphemy to let him voice a Ford car. BLASPHEMY!!

I know, you woke up in the middle of the night last night in a cold sweat and wondered, why is the new Knight Rider car a Mustang?

Davis Bartis, who is the executive producer on the new NBC remake of the 80s show, says that there is no Trans Am available like the original, so they went with the Ford Mustang, which he thinks is "the coolest car out there." So now, not only will K.I.T.T. have a new voice (Arrested Development's Will Arnett, taking over for William Daniels), the car itself will be completely new.

Back in April we told you about the sale of one of the four original Trans-Ams used in the filming of the original Knight Rider series. Now, another original KITT car has been put up for sale, and this time it's on eBay.

The black 1984 Pontiac has been put up for sale to satisfy a large amount of debts incurred by a slain real estate developer whose murder last year was unsolved. According to creditors, Andrew Kissel owed somewhere along the lines of $30 million dollars. Wow.

Today I went to NBC studios for the unveiling of the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) for the upcoming two-hour television movie Knight Rider set to air on February 17 at 9 p.m. ET. This modern-day sequel to the iconic 1980's show stars Justin Bruening (Cold Case), Deanna Russo (The Young and the Restless), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Veronica Mars), and Bruce Davison (Breach). Will Arnett (Arrested Development) will play the voice of KITT. And don't worry, the Hoff will make a guest appearance as Michael Knight.

Reuters Canada is reporting that David Hasselhoff is in talks to reprise his role as the titular character Michael Knight in the updating of the classic series Knight Rider. In the new telefilm / back-door-pilot, Justin Bruening (All My Children) has already been cast as Mike Tracer, the estranged son of Hasselhoff's Knight, who never knew his father.

Just added is fellow soap-star Deanna Russo of The Young and the Restless. She'll play Tracer's former girlfriend Sarah Kamen. In the film, she sets out with KITT (that's the talking car) to find her father, recruiting Tracer along the way. Does she know he's the son of Michael Knight? Does Kitt? Maybe KITT is vampiric now and needs Knight blood to survive; Hasselhoff will be trapped in the engine block, barely alive. "FEED ME, MICHAEL!"

Well, the upfronts have come and gone and everyone is asking the question that gets asked every year at this time, "How could they cancel my favorite show?"

No one understands how difficult this is better than I. I have been watching TV for a long time and I've seen many of my favorite shows get cut down in their prime. Arrested Development, Firefly, Bosom Buddies; I loved all of these shows and I was sad to see them go. Here's what's important to remember: With every great show that gets canceled, a deserving show goes with it. For every Jericho that gets cut down, there is a George Lopez Show that is put out of it's misery. For every Veronica Mars that is stopped short there is a Reba that we no longer have to deal with.

Besides, in a few months, the new fall season will be here and there will be a whole new batch of shows to worry about.

Now on to this week's question...

On the classic show Knight Rider, Kitt had an evil twin. What was his name and what did his name stand for?

This should be an easy one for all you true TV fans. Good luck!

Congratulations to NPC who set a new time record with his correct answer of KARR (Knight Automated Roving Robot).

I thought there was something fishy about this David Hasselhoff drunk tape nonsense. It smelled of publicity to me, though why anyone would want to be filmed drunk and slobbering over a cheeseburger and potentially hurt his relations with his family is a mystery.

But guess what? The Hoff has an autobiography coming out May 15! I'm sure it's just a coincidence though.

The title, by the way, is Don't HassleThe Hoff. Jeez, it's one thing for others to call you "The Hoff," but calling yourself that? The book has a lot of (supposedly) juicy details, including Hasselhoff's revelation that he knows that Baywatch was a sexist show. The above link includes an excerpt from the book.

KITT, the sleek black sports car that helped David Hasselhoff solve crimes (on Knight Rider, not in real life, that I know of) is for sale. You can buy it for only $149,995. If you spend another $5 and make it an even $150,000, I'm sure he'll throw in the cup holder.

Now, this is one of four cars that were used on the show for interior shots and other close up camera work. And that light in front actually does work and it also hums. Inside the car you get a bunch of cool buttons and stuff.

Note to potential buyers: the car doesn't go real fast and there aren't any weapons on board. But oddly enough, the winner will get the use of William Daniels for an entire year.

I wish I was bored patient skilled enough to create an awesome pumpkin like the one the guys over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories created. They have a step-by-step guide to carving your very own Cylon-O-Lantern, a la Battlestar Galactica. The actual carving part is easy, but, of course, there are also electronics involved. The evil geniuses recommend fashioning a KITT (as in Knight Rider) scanning circuit to create your Cylon pumpkin. And be sure to use a giant pumpkin for better results. I wonder if they're also sporting blonde wigs and tight red dresses this Halloween?

[Thanks, Justin!]

The will they or won't they saga of making a Knight Rider movie continues. Ain't it Cool has a collection of rumors about the latest goings on with the project. Here's the short version. The pics recently floating around that were touted to be the new K.I.T.T., shown here, aren't real. However, one tipster suggests that the concept Camaro from recent auto shows is a possibility.

The involvement of Orlando Bloom as Michael's son also seems to be false. It is explained as the result of a conversation between Bloom and Hasselhoff at an awards show. According to the tipster Hasselhoff has no official involvement in the movie and there is currently no part in it for him.

Paul Goebel mentioned this David Hasselhoff video on his podcast, and I must say it really continues the singer's long-standing tradition of pushing greenscreen effects to their very limits. The song is called "Get In My Car" and it uses the same "let's cram an entire conversation into a song rather than write lyrics" approach to songwriting that earlier brought us such gems as Meatloaf's "Paradise By the Dashboard Light." Hasselhoff has never been above a bit of self-deprecation, and this video makes references to both Knigt Rider (he drives KITT throughout the video) and Baywatch. Also, his backup singers call him "gay," a rumor I wasn't aware of, but apparently he wants that spread around, so you know, everybody get on that. The song really does sound like it's being made up as they go along. I'm guessing it could have been a ten-minute epic if they allowed, eventually devolving into Hasselhoff and his passenger talking about mundane things like air freshneners and unopened packets of ketchup in the ashtray. Watch the video after the jump.

If you're like me, and I know I am, you grew up watching Knight Rider on TV. Or, if you're a bit older, you probably listened to the old Knight Rider radio program featuring Orson Welles.* Anyway, if you enjoyed the adventures of Michael and his car pal KITT but always wished that KITT were much smaller and much, much slower, I invite you to check out an old toy commercial for the "Knight Rider Impossibles" race set. Between this, America's Got Talent, and reruns of Baywatch, I think your Hasselhoff quota should be met for the day. That's why I'm here, to make those things happen. Check out the video after the jump.

*(said radio program may not have actually existed)

Apparently the "car gene" never quite took hold in me, because while both my father and younger brother are pretty big gear heads, looking at a car just doesn't stir up any interest in me. I might as well be studying a paper bag full of cotton balls, I simply have no interest in automobiles of any kind. However, if we're talking TV cars, well that's a different story. I loves me some TV cars, and here's five I really like. Got some you want to add to my list? Slap 'em down in the comments. Now let's ride:

The General Lee: There were actually several "General Lees" used throughout the Dukes of Hazzard's run, which makes sense, considering how often the Duke boys crashed it, jumped it over hay bales, and used it to thwart the schemes of Boss Hog. Also, sliding across the hood like that can't be good for the paint job. A fun show, sure, but also a lesson in how not to treat your car. Unless you happen to be fightin' the system like two modern day Robin Hoods, then I guess it's okay.

After the release of Dukes of Hazzard and the big-screen adaptations of Dallas and Miami Vice already in the works, perhaps you started thinking to yourself, "They should make Knight Rider a full-length feature." If so, you should probably start watching some television that isn't pushing 20 years. But still, you're in luck 'cause the Weinsteins have picked it up for some sweet ex-cop/talking Trans-Am action. Unfortunately for David Hasselhoff fans, this is yet another no-show (he's not included in the upcoming Baywatch movie either). As long as they bring Mr. Feeny back to voice KITT, I'll keep my protesting to a minimum.