A Patio Boat first: a correction!

Well, whaddya know. Somebody wrote in to correct my mistake in incorrectly identifying the owner/creator of an extremely cool Gremlin in my post about the Gremlins I saw at this winter's Detroit Autorama.

I believe this to be the first correction I've had to make in more than 600 posts. Sadly, I suspect that is more a comment on my lack of readership than the razor-sharp accuracy of my writing. (Admittedly, Monique has complained loudly about me calling Katie the Beagle a "fat beagle" in these parts But since a photo of that pudgy little bucket of furry love shows up at #35 on the list of images Google brings back for the phrase "fat beagle", who am I to argue with the geniuses at Google?)

In any event, I made the correction and threw a little Edit box down at the bottom of the post, as such:

[Edit: This post was corrected to show that Ray Lewis, Jr., was the actual owner/creator of the burgundy Gremlin. My apologies to Mr. Lewis and his inexplicably awesome Gremlin for the misattribution.]

I also reckoned I'd make an actual post with the correction included because ... well, I hate corrections that slink in the back door at the bottom of a post. So here it is, loudly proclaimed to my ever-dwindling blog readership. What you should really all do is click on the link to the post and check out that car. It's awesome.

Ahhh, if only all my mistakes were that easy to correct.

SYTYCD Season 11: Jaimie Goodwin & Nick Lazzarini

We can never predict what a guest is going to be like the first time they come into the studio. What a great pair we got with Jaimie Goodwin and Nick Lazzarini. I have really wanted more of the earlier season contestants on our show because SYTYCD Season 1 is far different from SYTYCD Season 11.  Nick received a penthouse rental as a prize, but he took the money and ran…and invested it. Very smart!

I also asked Jaimie about working on Derek Hough's Emmy Award-winning piece "Walking on Air" and we got the answer of a lifetime. Glad she has recovered. Ouch!

This was Jake DuPree's last episode of the season with us, but he will be returning to DWTS in October. We will have a fill-in guest until he returns on DWTS.

Next week's guest is a longtime friend to our AfterBuzz TV show, Courtney Galiano. See you all next week!

Before the Summer Winds Down, Hit the Beach Or Beverly Hills For Fun And Fashion

Summer is winding down, but there's still time to enjoy the fun fashions and getaways that the lazy days of August offer. Here are a few fun finds for the last vacation days of the season.

For a fresh look at the beach...head to the Vilebrequin line which has been around since 1971, but has focused mainly on menswear. Celebrities from George Clooney to Brad Pitt have been seen wearing their classic trunks. The company is now "turning [their] attention to the female form by reinventing its iconic looks for mother and daughter." The looks are a throwback to the 1970s with a modern twist from shorts to lounge-wear. Vilebrequin can be found globally at their retail shops including the newest location at the Malibu Lumber Yard in Malibu, California or online.

For those needing relief from summer sandals rubbing against your hot, tired feet...check out the Foot Petals line. They offer multiple "sole-lutions" to your footwear needs. For Dancing With the Stars fans, you can even check out the line by pro dancer Karina Smirnoff. It's a limited edition product line for every high-heeled need on or off the dance floor.

Smirnoff said, "I'm passionate about fashion — beautiful shoes are a must and Foot Petals is my secret to making everything more comfortable while staying stylish."

For a unique summer getaway…head to Beverly Hills, California for the city's centennial celebration called "Suite 100." Five luxury hotels have created suites that celebrate a different decade that will take you back in time. The event runs through Sept. 30, 2014.

The Montage Beverly Hills heads back to the 1940s in a film noir suite designed by Nina Petronzio. The Beverly Hills Hotel has the perfect room for any Marilyn Monroe fan with a  1950s theme designed by Adam Tihany. Mad Men aficionados will be shaking their martinis to check out the Beverly Hilton's '60s-inspired suite with some of the best food from the decade at prices guests haven't seen in decades.

For those wanting a bit of Studio 54 glam, L'Ermitage's 1970s suite is the perfect room for the Halston fan designed by Ken Fulk. The Peninsula's suite caters to the modern-day fan who wants Hollywood glamour and a private cabana by the pool. This is the most expensive room of the lot, but Cynthia Forchielli and Helen Glen's designs will keep you styled in comfort during your stay.


Photo Credits: Jen Lowery, Murphy O'Brien

2014 Concours of America, Part 3 -- Pickups

Another batch o'cars from the Concours of America, this time an assortment of classic pickup trucks featured in an exhibit called "High-Style Haulers: Pickups of the Jet Age."

1957 Ford Styleside Pickup (owners, James and Linda Costa of Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania) -- The Styleside was one of the first pickups to move away from the step-side pickup truck bed to the square box style that carried through today's pickups.

1957 Ford Ranchero Pickup (owner, Joseph M. Conlon, Sr., of Taunton, Massachusetts) -- Okay, a confession. The next few photos aren't really quite what I would consider to be pickups, even if they were in the "Pickups of the Jet Age" display. They're the half-car, half-pickup vehicles that had a great run from the late 1950s through the 1980s, when compact pickups bumped them out of automaker lineups. The Ranchero was an instant hit when it was launched in 1957 and Ford produced them all the way until 1979. Chevrolet followed up quickly with its own car-based pickup, the Chevy El Camino in 1959:

1959 Chevrolet El Camino Pickup (owner, Jane Argenendt of Jefferson City, Missouri) -- The El Camino was launched in 1959 by Chevrolet and immediately attracted a strong following of its own. This initial style ran from 1959-60. The El Camino was relaunched in 1964 and ran all the way until 1987.

1959 Pontiac Safari El Catalina Pickup (owner, Wm. "Tom" Gerrard of Manalapan, Florida) -- Pontiac considered trying to capitalize on the success of the Ranchero with its own car-based pickup for 1960. But after building this 1959 prototype they decided not to proceed.

1965 Dodge Deora Custom Pickup by the Alexander Brothers (owner, Tom Abrams of Canton, Michigan) -- Today's final truck is a custom-built hot rod that won the Ridler Trophy as Best in Show at the 1967 Autorama show in Detroit, Michigan. It started life as an A100 forward-control pickup. One of the neatest things about it is that the front opens to let in passengers kind of like a BMW Isetta, but on a much larger scale. The Deora was so popular that it gained its name as part of a model kit company contest and it was featured in the original 1968 lineup of Hot Wheels toy cars:

I think it still would've done quite nicely had it shown up at this year's Autorama. It's a great-looking truck.

National Dance Day: Mark Ballas

I was lucky enough to interview DWTS pro Mark Ballas on National Dance Day at Universal CityWalk. He talked not only about "Get My Name" being the official song of the event, he shared his thoughts on his new single, "Miss Incredible."

Listen to the unedited audio below. If you missed my interview with Mark at the Young Hollywood Awards, click here.

SYTYCD Season 11: Mandy Moore

This might be my favorite show all season. It was such an honor to have the Emmy-nominated Mandy Moore in our studios. She gave us a candid look at the contestants and what goes on in those rehearsal rooms. For my DWTS fans, we will try and have her on in the fall since she brings so much to the table. 

A couple of fun things we learned:

--They are not asking the choreographers' opinions on the contestants this year.

--Music clearance is challenging. Sometimes contestants find out the night before that their solo music cannot be used. Stressful!

--Mandy choreographs DWTS much differently than SYTYCD because she isn't ballroom trained. She said she relies upon Sasha, Emma, Jenna and Val to help her out in the studio.

--She also gives her thoughts on Shania Twain possibly joining the show…remember, Mandy choreographed her Vegas show!

Next week's guests are Nick Lazzarini, Season 1, and Jaimie Goodwin, Season 3.

2014 Concours of America, Part 2 -- Postwar American Cars

In Part 2 of our look at the 2014 Concours of America in Plymouth, Michigan, let's look at a few more American post-war cars:

Rather than try to write something coherent, I'm just going to run through a few of my favorites in increasing year of release.

1951 Studebaker Commander Convertible (owner: Ed Reynolds of Greenfield, Indiana) -- Nothing splits a household like the bullet nose of a 1950-51 Studebaker. I think they're cool as heck. Monique ... eh, not so much.

1957 Dual-Ghia Convertible (owners: David and Doreen Salzman of Jupiter, Florida) -- Dual Motors was a small independent that sourced Dodge chassis, shipped them to Italy for Ghia coachwork, shipped them back to the US to have a 215 hp Dodge V8 installed, and then sold the stylish convertibles for a hefty price ($7,646 in 1957 dollars = $64,853 in 2014 dollars) to try to pay for it all. They were beautiful cars, but Dual only made 115 of them before the owner's failing health and the difficult finances brought an end to it all. Celebrity owners included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Lucy's red hair would've looked great in this green one.

1958 DeSoto Firedome Convertible (owner: Wm. "Tom" Girard of Manalapan, Florida) -- This year's Concours featured an exhibit of cars designed by Virgil Exner, one of the designers who really pushed car design in the 50s and 60s. These DeSotos were among the cars that really pushed the tailfin craze, but you can already see the front of this '58 DeSoto starting to spread out as cars would get wider and lower in the 60s.

1961 Imperial Crown Convertible -- Another Virgil Exner design. The top photo shows a line of 1957-61 Imperial Crown Convertibles, with each year demonstrating the changes and updates in design over the previous years. All five are owned by Roberta Hosken of Largo, Florida. It was a great exhibit for fans of design.

Next up, more from Virgil Exner, a couple of concept cars owned by Linda and Paul Gould of New York, NY:

1956 Chrysler Diablo Roadster prototype -- Based on a 1956 Chrysler 300 chassis and built by Carrozzeria Ghia in Italy, this prototype went through a few design changes before reaching its current configuration in 1957. It's sleek aerodynamic lines were inspired by jets and rockets, and gave it the lowest coefficient of drag ever recorded for a car up until then. I don't know its top speed, but since it held a 375 hp, 392 cu-in Hemi V8 under the hood, there must've been a lot of go to go with this show.

1960 Plymouth XNR Roadster prototype -- This was based on the Plymouth Valiant frame, built by Carrozzeria Ghia in Italy, and somehow managed to crank a top speed of 150 mph out of a slant-six engine. After its time on the 1960 auto show circuit it returned to Italy and eventually ended up in the car collection of the Shah of Iran.

1969 Chrysler 300 Convertible (red, owner: Jezebel of Pinson, Alabama) and 1967 Chevrolet SS 427 (blue, owner: Werner, Meier of Channahon, Illinois) -- For today's final cars we jump ahead a few years to show you a couple of great convertible American boats. You can really see how the lines from the late 50s and early 60s cars got smoother, wider, and lower. I really love the look of these late sixties and early seventies convertibles. They just look like summertime to me.

That's it for today. In the next post we'll look at a few pickups, including the start of an automotive style that Monique objects to even more than bullet-nose Studebakers. What could it be? Stay tuned to find out!