The Return of The Coolest Car Ever!

And, we are back...I have received so many emails about last week's premiere of the Bionic Woman (NBC). It appears the ratings were solid, thanks to you (Unfortunately, I had to drop out after the first 20 minutes).

With all of this good cheer and support, I think it is a good time to mention that friends over at NBC are busy working on the 're-imagination' of another classic for your imagination...

Ah yes, I am going to 're-imagine' the subject of the post - it's good fun and the networks love it when I write about their shows: Ladies and Gentleman please welcome back Knight Rider!

Knight Industries Two Thousand
NBC is bringing back the action show about a man and his high-tech computerized car companion (aka KITT), who together battle crime.

The network is hoping for a full series revival that will begin with a two-hour TV movie/pilot, which the network will air later this season. According to Variety, if successful, KITT and Co. will go into production for a 2008-09 debut. Although big screen plans were once at hand for the actioner, the TV series (Produced by Doug Liman, Bourne Identity) is more likely a possibility due to the success of this past summer's blockbuster TRANSFORMERS.

Again thanks to Ben Silverman, the revival - I mean 're-imagination' will feature 'bad' cars versus KITT (Final acronym TBD) story lines rather than focusing on lead agent for the Foundation for Law and Government, 'Michael Knight' (Played by David Hasselhoff in 1980's - Oh, and Germans love him for some reason).

A Sweet Ride!

When I was a kid, I occasionally watched Knight Rider and admittedly had a slight, yet unnoticeable crush on 'Michael Knight'. However, my real interest was KITT - a talking computer inside of a car - WONDROUS!

At the time, my friend's mother received a Trans Am as an anniversary present. We (kids in the neighborhood) thought it was THE COOLEST CAR EVER! It was just sitting there in the drive-way looking all shiny and 'awesome'. My friend's mother gave us a ride and we were literally on cloud 9 - it was fast and slick; Although we were not driving, we were important just to be seen IN the car.

More Bells & Whistles Than You Can Handle

Now, remember the original KITT car has long since been retired at Universal Studios.

In the series, KITT was an unbelievable car with a number of cool features including the ability to speak (in different languages and a variety of accents), turbo boost turbojet (Nitrous Oxide), the ability to handily drive himself better than any human (This could be something of use - American Inventors hear me!), molecular bonded exterior, silent/stealth mode (No engine noise), a parachute, surveillance tools, laser powerpack, a full-blown medical diagnostic test center, really cool red scanner, lots of unexplained buttons, and self-aware cybernetic logic (My favorite).

Wait, wait...Besides being a supercomputer on wheels with all of these great features - the only thing I did not like about KITT was his nasal (forgive me) whining voice - It was unbearable.

Even more, KITT would speak way too much for a car that appeared so well on camera. I was hoping just once Michael would say, "Hey KITT, put a sock in it" - personally, I have never said this before so not sure where it is coming from now (-?).

So, with all of this good cheer there is an assortment of other questions such as who will play Michael Knight? Who will be the annoying voice of KITT? Most important, which car maker will battle for the starring role? As with most shows on U.S. television, of course it would have to be a Ford (probably Mustang), or GM (Dodge Charger or Viper) or a Chevy something or other.

Quite frankly, I would LOVE to see KITT return as a high-end Mercedes Benz. Why not fight crime against the 'baddies' and look classy at the same time? Ooh, what if KITT came back as a big ol' HUMMER? Not a very environmentally conscious choice, but would certainly look tough...

Last I checked, Hasselhoff may be tied up with another project - he's a little busy. Who can play such a monumental role? I have a few suggestions perhaps Mathew Fox (Of course, he would need to leave Lost) or David Caruso (No, he would need to leave CSI and there are only so many one liners and sunglasses to go around)- too serious?

Then how about Donald Trump? - oh, the guy is too busy fielding calls from ambiguous celebrities for that other show, besides everyone would end up getting fired - including him! What about Rosie O'? - who said it needs to be a guy...oh, wait. How about Katie Couric? - heard she might be looking for a change of pace. Rupert? Ryan Seacrest? How about that one guy from the movie Torque? - Martin Henderson (he's hot and he's foreign!).

For the voice of KITT, you could have Simon Cowell, Kelsey Grammer, Fran Drescher or Jerry Seinfeld (- Could you imagine "What-is-the-deal?"). Think about it.

Ah, I just don't know there are just soo many choices....

*The above photos are from the original 1980's Knight Rider series, starring David Hasselhoff, and are provided courtesy of NBC/Universal.