Notes From The Underground: Time To Redecorate

In Billy's latest Notes From The Underground he talks about his latest challenge: to "spruce up" the office.

Following is Billy's list of the things he's decided he needs to get:

1. Couches
"I know Knight Industries got us all 'orthopedically designed and scientifically tested desk chairs for optimal efficiency over prolonged stationary activity,' but, c'mon... I just want something, you know... COMFORTABLE. (and I think 'stationary activity' is a total oxymoron)

2. New Foosball Table
"Obviously. Yeah, I know we already have one. But for complete foosiness, you should replace your foosball table every 16 to 18 months. It's a fact."

3. Liquid Nitrogen
"In a subterranean lair that has everything, it's the one thing we never had enough of. At least, we never had enough to make ice cream with it. The key to making good ice cream is in the crystallization process. The faster you can get the ingredients to crystallize, the more flavorful and smoother the ice cream will taste. If I use liquid nitrogen as the coolant, it'll crystallize almost instantly, creating... perfect ice cream."

4. Fireman's Pole
"Why? 'Cause it's that fastest way to get from point A to point B. And because I hate stairs. Ever since my football injury back in the day, stairs have been a bit of a pain for me. Yes, I said football injury. I was playing Madden '98 on the original Playstation when I slammed my knee into a coffee table during a victory celebration gone horribly awry. Just one question: where does a non-firefighter buy one?"

If you can think of any other essentials that Billy might have missed, get over there and tell him at:

Notes From the Underground: Time To Redecorate

Knight Writers Blog on Exit Light, Enter Knight

Over at NBC's Official Knight Writers Blog, Eric Buchman offers some behind-the-scenes photos and trivia about Wednesday night's show, Exit Light, Enter Knight.

"This episode wasn't originally supposed to air in this slot," Buchman says of Exit Light, the last episode to be filmed before the series was put on hiatus, "but by getting moved up, I actually think it helped add some tension that might not have been there had this episode aired later in the season.

"It's hard to put the main character of any show into serious 'will he/she make it?' jeopardy, let alone a character named Michael Knight on a show called Knight Rider, but after the last three weeks, hopefully this is at least one time where Mike's life might actually feel truly threatened. Could even Michael Knight be the next character to go?

"For the danger to be credible in the episode, the threat of violence had to feel real," Buchman continues. "The bank robbers had to feel like a real threat. So we show more people getting shot (by the bad guys) than we typically do. Every shot fired, especially a shot in the direction of another human being, is carefully monitored by numerous crew members. Safety is essential, as even working with blanks can be dangerous. (even the air that is shot of out of a gun firing a blank can critically injure a person at close range)."

During the filming of the siege, Buchman reveals that over 4000 bullet shells were expended (and each and every one was picked up when the shoot was completed)!

Buchman also gives a few teasers for next week's episode: Fight Knight! Head over there and check them out:

Knight Writers Blog: Exit Light, Enter Knight

New Behind-The-Scenes Video: Meet the VFX Masters

The Official Knight Rider Website has posted a new behind-the-scenes video. There is a team behind every VFX shot in Knight Rider... in this clip you meet the two that lead the army!

Tonight... Knight Rider: Exit Light, Enter Knight

Don't miss the latest shadowy flight into the dangerous world of the Knight Rider at 8/7c on NBC!

"Bait and switch -- Mike (Justin Bruening) jumps into the thick of a bank heist and tries to stop it, but instead becomes one of the robbers' hostages. Oddly, the robbers do not seem interested in the bank's money. Apparently, they have a specific plan that includes the safe deposit boxes and the husband of one of their hostages. Unable to communication with K.I.T.T. (voiced by Val Kilmer) and his team, Mike tries to enlist the help of the other hostages to stop the robbers from escaping. Unfortunately, one of the so-called hostages is one of the robbers, which makes Mike's job even more difficult."

Be there!

New Behind-The-Scenes Video: VFX

The Official Knight Rider Website has posted a new behind-the-scenes video. This one is a comprehensive reel of some of the best VFX shots from Season 1.

Notes From The Underground: Change You Can Believe In

Billy talks about the huge changes that have rocked the Knight Rider world over at Notes From The Underground.

"A week ago, I worked at a company with hundreds of employees, a massive government contract, and the combined resources of the FBI, CIA, and even NASA at our disposal," he writes. "Today I work with three other people. That's it. No government contract. No unlimited resources. They say it only takes one man to make a difference... I hope they're right, whoever they are, because that's pretty much what we are now. But you know what? I think we can totally do it."

And he signs of with something that will bring smiles to fans of the Original Series:



Read more from Billy at:

Notes From the Underground: Change You Can Believe In

Knight Writers on Knight To King's Pawn

Eric Buchman fills in for writers Patrick Massett and John Zinman in the latest installment of NBC's Knight Writers Blog. The duo also write for Friday Night Lights, and were unable to contibute to Knight Writers.

"[Knight To King's Pawn] hopefully answered a few questions for you," Buchman writes: "What Mike had 'forgotten' in Iraq and why, what has Torres been secretly up to, and even what happened to one of the trademarks of the original series (F.L.A.G.). For those of you who are new to the Knight Rider universe, The Foundation for Law and Government is the organization that operated the original K.I.T.T. in the 80s series.

"Our effects guys worked around the clock these last few months on the showdown between K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R. I'm writing this right now at 7:30pm on the west coast, and I can't wait to watch it all in high definition when it airs a half hour from now over here. Our effects are done by a company called Master Key Films that formed to do this show. They started as just two people last spring, and they've grown into a small army today. In the video section of this site, you can see highlights of their work from season 1, and you can go to MKVFX.com to see even more."

On the subject of visual effects, Buchman also reveals a few trade secrets: how they shoot the satellite images, and how they achieve the effect that K.I.T.T. is driving by himself. "The original series had a variety of tricks they used," he says. "We added one more trick. If you look in this photo, you'll see a driver wearing all black. In the final shot, we'll use computers to simply erase him, a luxury they didn't have back then. This works for distance shots, but for close-ups of the seat, well... we still have to use some of the old tricks."

Buchman also pays tribute to departing actor Yancey Arias, who is pictured with writers Rachel Mellon and Teresa Huang (I Wanna Rock & Roll All Knight).

Next week sees another change to the running order -- Exit Light, Enter Knight the last episode filmed for Season 1, preempts I Love The Knight Life.

Knight Writers Blog: Knight To King's Pawn

Knight To King's Pawn Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted highlights from Wednesday night's episode, Knight To King's Pawn. In this clip, you can see the shutting down of the SSC! It's only available to Knight Rider fans in the US, but if you can, check them out!



NBC.com: Knight To King's Pawn Highlights

Tonight... K.A.R.R.!

K.A.R.R.!

It's the one that we've all been waiting for... Knight To King's Pawn!

"Time to fight back -- Sarah is not coping well with her father's death and decides to leave town. Concerned, Mike goes looking for her and in return gets the answers he has been searching for about his past. Meanwhile, the NSA has decided to dismantle the SSC now that Dr. Graiman is dead and they can then move forward with K.I.T.T.'s nemesis K.A.R.R. With Torres' permission they take out K.I.T.T.'s chip that contains his personality and memories and place it in K.A.R.R. Upset by what has happened, Mike, Sarah, Billy and Zoe devise a plan to find where K.I.T.T. has been taken and get him up and running and destroy the evil K.A.R.R. once and for all."

It's on NBC at 8/7c, and you do not want to miss this one!

Knight Rider Guest Star Passes Away...

Actor Don Galloway, who guest-starred on two episodes of Knight Rider: The Original Series, passed away in a Reno, Nevada hospital on January 8th following a stroke. He was 71.

He was best-known for his co-starring role as Detective Sergeant Ed Brown in the popular crime drama Ironside, and also appeared on Marcus Welby, M.D., Love, American Style, Fantasy Island, Hotel, Charlie's Angels, Dallas, MacGyver and Murder, She Wrote.

Galloway will be familiar to Knight Rider fans as Gilbert Cole -- the corrupt lawyer who frames Stefanie Mason (Catherine Hickland) in Season One's White Bird, and Harley Freeman -- a mentor of Bonnie who is used in a plot to steal a missile guidance system in Season Three's Knight In Retreat.

Galloway is survived by his wife, Linda Marie, two daughters from his first marriage, Tracy and Jennifer, two stepchildren, Sheila and Robert, and three grandchildren.

Next Week: K.A.R.R. Returns!

Knight Rider Online caught the teaser for next week's epic battle between K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R.! The episode -- Knight to King's Pawn -- airs next Wednesday night, 8/7c! Don't miss it!

Magazine Watch: SFX on the Reboot

The UK's SFX magazine has a new interview with Gary Scott Thompson regarding the current "reboot" we're seeing, and the new direction that Knight Rider is taking. It's a situation the network has forced on the showrunner, he reveals.

"When we spoke, NBC were still leading me to believe we were going in a certain direction," Thompson tells the magazine. "We had written scripts and shot episodes that detailed Mike's past and had flashbacks to what happened, and these were things we were forced to take out -- kicking and screaming, by the way. They just felt it was too dark. But it wasn't; it was just telling what happened and him trying to piece together his memory. It gave a sense of mystery that's missing and made it stand out more than just being a fluffy show.

"We had pitched NBC on the first 13 episodes and his backstory was a big part of that, so that by the time we got to episode 13 we had pieced together the puzzle, and from 13 to 22 we'd sort of solve what was left to solve about it. Once the network saw the cut of [A Hard Day's Knight], they had us rip all of it out and it's been a scramble to replace it. This is really the network's reboot. They don't like when I say that, but these are marching orders coming down."

It's been reported that the format the show will take is a lot more reminiscent of the Original Series: a modern-day Lone Ranger concept, with Mike and K.I.T.T. driving across the country and helping the common man. The seeds of this were sown in last night's episode, Day Turns Into Knight: "The dying wish of one of the characters is that they go back to what they had originally started with, before they got too involved with the government," Thompson says. "Mike is told to go back to the idea that one man can make a difference; that he should go out and help people who need help and not take on the terrorist of the week. As a result, they've kind of gone rogue and will be operating outside of the law. So the government shuts them down and what they do from there is the show's new direction."

What does Thompson think of the new direction? "I think the drama's good, especially in those episodes. We're just starting on the ones after that -- the reboot. Now it's like, 'what do we do?' and they actually ask that question. They go forward from there and fulfil someone's dying wish. It'll work, touch wood."

It's SFX, issue 179, February 2009, out now!

Notes From The Underground: One of a Kind

Billy has a tribute to Dr. Charles Graiman in his latest blog.

"Charles Graiman was a leader in many fields. The science mags liked to talk about his work in robotics and artificial intelligence, but there wasn't an area of science he didn't have a firm grasp on. Dr. G was far more than a scientist. He was a teacher. He was a father. He was my boss. He was my friend.

"I've been working for Dr. G for quite some time at Knight Industries, in their research division. Thanks to him though, we did far more than just research. Under Dr. G's guidance, we worked around the clock to preserve the balance between good and evil in this world. We made a difference."

In the Knight Rider world, that's the most important thing.

Read more from Billy at:

Notes From the Underground: One of a Kind

Knight Writers Blog on Day Turns Into Knight!

Dave Andron has chipped in with his thoughts about last night's episode over at NBC's Knight Writers Blog! Andron took over the writing duties from Rob Wright, who scripted the first part of the story that left the characters "in as dire a situation as he could conjure: the warehouse blown up and Carrie down; Mike and Kitt forced to act as the couriers of a nuclear bomb; and a madman vanished with one African Ambassador. Sounds great, right? It was. Except that then it became my job to figure out how to fix everything."

The task was complicated on a number of levels, since Andron -- who scripted last year's 2-hour pilot movie -- also had to create a "graceful and meaningful exit" for two main characters that he created and helped cast in the show.

The story also provided the team with some other challenges: "The opening sequence with 'Speeded Kitt' our stunt unit shot over two days on a freeway we shut down in Long Beach," he continues. "I think it’s some of the best practical stunt work we’ve seen on this show yet. We didn’t actually land a plane on a highway (land a what on a what?! you'll see) but we didn’t have to, because our VFX team came up huge in a timeframe that is basically asking the impossible. All of our actors turned in stellar performances (for further examples see Smith hold her own with Richard Roundtree; John Briddell as the stern yet caring ‘Dr. Yost’ [a tip-of-the-hat to the movie Speed, which was written by Graham Yost - KRA]; and Rick Hoffman being, well, Rick Hoffman) but especially the ones we were saying goodbye to, which made their departures all that much more difficult.

"Isn’t there some old saying, about how the things in life that are the most difficult end up being the most rewarding? I’d say that sums up this episode for me. Made me proud to be part of this show, to see what it’s capable of. And I think you’ll understand what I mean when you watch it," he says.

Knight Writers Blog: Day Turns Into Knight

Day Turns Into Knight - Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted highlights from last night's episode, Day Turns Into Knight... where speeding it fun -- but not like this! It's only available to Knight Rider fans in the US, but if you can, check them out!



NBC.com: Day Turns Into Knight Highlights

There is also a clip of DOND model Anya from the previous week's show, Don't Stop the Knight:

NBC.com: DOND Model Anya on Knight Rider

Tonight... Knight Rider: Day Turns Into Knight

Tonight we have Part Two of Knight Rider's big "reboot"!

"Mike and K.I.T.T. continue on their quest to stop a terrorist from detonating a nuclear weapon and killing the ambassador -- Mike (Justin Bruening) and K.I.T.T. (voiced by Val Kilmer) are now transporting a bomb in the trunk of the car, but in order for it not to explode they must stay above 100 miles-per-hour. Trying to come up with a plan to disable the bomb, they load K.I.T.T. onto the plane to buy some time and keep up their speed. Clinging to life, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) manages to give a clue to find where the terrorist is hiding. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) receives some upsetting news about her dad. Bruce Davison, Yancey Arias and Paul Campbell star. Smith Cho recurs and Rick Hoffman and Richard Roundtree guest star."

Watch as Day Turns Into Knight at 8/7c on NBC!

On This Day: 14th January, 1983

26 years ago today was the original airdate of a pivotal episode of Knight Rider: The Original Series, and Knight Rider mythology. Hearts of Stone was the first show of the 1982-83 season's "back nine" block of episodes, and the first that was written and produced by Robert Foster.

It's not the most popular of all the shows, but it remains one of the most important. Foster's approach to the material was vastly different to the earlier episodes; there was still humour, but the overall tone was less light-hearted. Suddenly, Michael Knight found himself in situations where he was really threatened, and faced fights that he might not be able to win -- whether it's driving into the middle of a hi-tech gang war or being roughed-up by arms dealers.

The show that Foster inherited was on shaky ground. The show was actually on the verge of cancellation until the extremely popular November '82 episode Trust Doesn't Rust. It was Foster's approach that saw the show successfully ride out three more seasons on NBC.

It's a situation that is being repeated for the most part right now. The current Knight Rider production team dared to try something different for a new audience; some of it worked, a lot of it didn't. And now that we are entering the business-end of the season -- that will see the series either cancelled or renewed -- Knight Rider is finally returning to its original premise: a lone crusader championing the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Knight Rider (Classic) on iTunes

UK iTunes customers are now able to purchase every episode of David Hasselhoff's original Knight Rider series, after the online store added seasons 3 and 4 to the service.

Season 1 is available for £16.99, while Season 4 can be purchased in its entirety for £31.29. The middle two seasons are available by episode only, and all individual shows cost £1.49 each -- including the feature-length adventures Knight of the Drones and Knight of the Juggernaut, which haven't been split into two parts like the earlier TV movies!

No sign of any of the sequels, or a UK release of the current series (which is available in iTunes' US store). Stay tuned.

On This Day: 10th January, 1986

23 years ago we had one of the last great Knight Rider: Original Series episodes. Killer K.I.T.T. pitted Michael Knight and the F.L.A.G. team against K.I.T.T., who has been re-programmed and, in true Exorcist-style, has become evil.

Happy Birthday, Michael Knight (Sr.)

Today is the "official" birthday of Michael Long, who became the first Michael Knight.



Born on January 9th, 1949, he turns 60 years old today.

Will we see him again? Time will tell...

New Behind-the-Scenes Video

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has a new "making-of" video focusing on the series' green screen process, used for special effects and driving sequences. This one takes us behind-the-scenes on an upcoming sequence with K.A.R.R.! Unfortunately it's only available to Stateside audiences, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Green Screen Action

Notes From The Underground: Tell Me Something Good

Billy has taken the unusual step of updating his blog from work. Something shocking has just happened... something "too unreal to believe. And then there are some sights that are so real, you don’t want to believe them. I really, really hope that my eyes are lying to me. I hope didn’t just see what I thought I saw."

Get on over there to find out what Billy has just seen. But, if you haven't seen last night's show, you might want to check that out first -- there are big spoilers.

Notes From the Underground: Tell Me Something Good

Knight Writers Blog on Don't Stop The Knight!

Rob Wright is this week's contributor to NBC's Knight Writers Blog, and he talks about Don't Stop the Knight! It was the first of a two-parter that will have huge ramifications in the new Knight Rider universe, and to reflect that they tasked Mike and K.I.T.T. with a series of Herculean labours. Wright thinks that they delivered, and talks about the various elements that made this particular show work.

"We had the good luck of casting master evil do-er Rick Hoffman in the role of the show's main villain, 'Chris Stevens,'" he says. "Rick is a great actor, who not only nailed the character, but was able to improvise within the framework of his scenes to make Stevens more than a bad guy...he’s a bad guy you’ll love to hate.

"For the central 'insurmountable obstacle' we tasked Mike with rescuing African Ambassador 'Olara Kumali' played by Vanessa Williams. As you’ll see, Vanessa spends most of the episode in a pretty tight space, but she was still able to bring depth and humanity to her character -– plus some mighty fight. Thank you, Vanessa!"

With regard to Mike's 'Herculean labours', Wright says: "In this show we have four of them -– each once crazier the last. First is a prison break, which we shot at a real prison... Next comes the theft of the x-ray machine, where Mike gets tasered in the butt... After this comes the exchange with the three Russian agents, affectionately known to the crew as 'The Hotskies'... Finally, there’s the face-off between Stevens and Mike at the abandoned sugar mill."

Follow the link to read more about those tasks -- Wright shares a lot of behind-the-scenes trivia (including how the Attack K.I.T.T. was damaged during filming!) But, if you haven't seen the episode yet, beware! There are spoilers...

Knight Writers Blog: Don't Stop The Knight

Don't Stop The Knight - Highlights

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has highlights from last night's episode, Don't Stop The Knight! It's only available to Knight Rider fans in the US, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Don't Stop The Knight Highlights

Tonight... Knight Rider: Don't Stop The Knight

Tonight it's all change for Knight Rider.

"Mike and K.I.T.T. try to rescue a kidnapped foreign ambassador from a terrorist in time for peace talks -- Mike and K.I.T.T. are sent on an endless string of mini-missions by a crazy terrorist in exchange to keep Ambassador Olara Kumali (guest star Vanessa Williams) alive, but they soon realize that they are part of a bigger plan. Trying to outsmart the terrorist, Rivai and a team of FBI agents find themselves in an explosive situation. Meanwhile, Sarah and Dr. Graiman try to fix a sick robot. Yancey Arias and Paul Campbell star. Smith Cho recurs and Rick Hoffman guest stars."

This is Part One of the pivotal story arc that sends the show back to its roots, and the beginning of the end for three of the series' co-stars.

Don't Stop The Knight, NBC, 8/7c. Don't miss it!

Notes From The Underground: Y2K + 9?

Billy updated his Notes From The Underground last night, and he talks about the events of Knight Fever. He apologises for the lack of regular updates lately; they've been having 'technical difficulties' in the office.

"You can blame it on the new year. You can blame it on an increased workload. Or you can blame it on an experimental nano-virus that's deadlier to tech than Ebola is to people. Your pick. But if you pick the first two, you're wrong.

"Anyways, I got A LOT of work to do this week. We almost lost every system we have running. Be thankful that when things get ugly in your workplace, your boss doesn't have a self-destruct button at his or her disposal. (I'm assuming you don't work on a nuclear-powered submarine, a starship, or in a secret underground lair full of super-classified technology).

"Okay, I'm off to enjoy the rest of 2008 a bit before I have to buckle back down to work in 2009. See ya in the year of the Ox."

He also responds to reader questions about the blonde ponytail in the picture from the Christmas party (see left). "Let's just say there's a reason why her face had to be cut out of the pic. And that reason might have something to do with an ex-boyfriend of hers who's extremely jealous of me and my studliness. Or it could just be that the photographer messed up. Your pick. (but I prefer that you think it's the first one)"

Notes From the Underground: Y2K + 9?

Knight Writers Updated

Knight Rider writer and co-executive producer Matt Pyken is this week's contributor to NBC's Knight Writers Blog. The focus is last night's episode Knight Fever, which he describes as "easily the most frustrating episode of the season"... which goes some way to explain why the second episode filmed -- originally scheduled to air in early October -- has been delayed and delayed until it finally saw the light of day on New Year's Eve.

"The idea was to have Kitt contract a tech-eating virus (think Ebola for machines) and nearly die," Pyken says. "Well, that’s what we shot and planned to put on screen -– the special effects were another matter entirely. Turns out it's harder to make a virus look cool on screen than we ever expected. Two special effects teams and seven months later, we sort of realized that less is more. The virus you see now is the result."

The original series had its share of episodes that were filmed early on and delayed until later in their respective seasons (Inside Out, A Plush Ride, Big Iron, Out of the Woods), but episodic TV in the mid-1980s didn't develop characters from episode to episode in the same way as shows do today. How would this episode, written and filmed when the production team -- and actors -- were new to the characters slot in to the present continuity? It turns out that this was one of the major obstacles they had to overcome, and it involved extensive rewriting.

"We shot this episode way back in July, well before Kitt developed his current 'personality,'" Pyken explains. "He was supposed to be a little more robotic and so Mike's and Sarah's responses to him in the original script were more like that of a big brother or big sister talking to their much younger, far less experienced sibling. But now the episode airs as number ten, and Kitt's AI is much more developed. The solution? Re-write all of Kitt's dialogue to fit. Easy, right? Think again. Imagine you were having a conversation with your seven year-old brother, then you have exactly the same conversation six months later –- except the seven year-old is now eighteen. I doubt the answers would be the same, (though I gotta admit, I'm still kinda the same dude I was when I was seven). Anyway, we’ve already shot both Mike's and Sarah's sides of the conversations -– way back in July. But now we have to change Kitt's entire attitude -- his point of view, his 'feelings' about what's taking place. All new dialogue. It took some doing."

The question is, did it work?

"In the end, I think turning episode 2 into episode 10 ended up falling under the banner of the 'law of unintended consequences' -- meaning it turns out it makes more sense in the new slot than the old," Pyken says. "We know Kitt really well by now, and we understand how much he means to Mike and Sarah and vice-versa. And despite Mike and Sarah’s relative coolness toward one another lately, it's clear their love and friendship is still rock solid."

If you missed last (K)night's show because of New Year commitments, be sure to check it out at NBC.com. Big changes next week as the series moves into the business-end of the season and hits the highly-publicised 'reboot' button.

Knight Writers Blog: Knight Fever

Knight Fever Highlights

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has updated with video highlights from last night's episode, Knight Fever. In this one, "Mike puts the 'man' in 'manual.'" It's only available Stateside, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Knight Fever Highlights