The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

As Vicki Dubcek gives birth to the Big Giant Head’s big alien baby, the absentee father (William Shatner) makes a return visit as the Solomons try and sort out exactly how to deal with their leader, the deadbeat dad. The 5th season of 3rd Rock From The Sun (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is a comedic cornucopia, and is one of those rare comedies that holds up tremendously well as the years go by, never betraying its age. I can watch John Lithgow mug all day long… And considering I had a marathon viewing of this box set in one sitting, I did. Sadly, all we get this go round is bloopers – hopefully the next set, the show’s final season, will pull out all the stops.

Amazing to think, but it’s been nearly 5 years since The Kids in the Hall began coming out on DVD, but with the release of the show’s 5th season (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP), it all comes to an end. Even though the Kids were beginning to drift apart, you can see very little of the stress in the episodes themselves. The 4-disc set contains the final 21 episodes, and a best-of compilation featuring an audio commentary from the Kids. You can purchase the set directly from www.kidsinthehall.com.

As much as I love most of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the 60’s and their classic theme songs, my absolute favorite is Hong Kong Phooey (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), the number one super guy who” getting his complete 31-episode on DVD, complete with a retrospective documentary, commentary on a trio of episodes, and a complete storyboard from the episode “The Batty Bank Gang.” Also getting the complete series treatment is Magilla Gorilla (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), which is packed with bonus material including rare footage of Hoyt Curtain and Bill Hanna performing the theme song, an interactive interview gallery, and the archival behind-the-scenes special Here Comes a Star. Sadly, though, no one in quality control thought to actually present the episodes uncut (they’re missing the classic opening and closing sequences) and the print quality is atrocious. Here’s hoping for a disc exchange in the very near future.

For me, the eighth season of The Simpsons (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) marks the end of the show’s golden period and the onset of its decline. It was the last season to feature truly classic episodes (in particular, the introduction of Homer’s archenemy, Frank Grimes). In the seasons after this, the writing staff would dip into the derivative well, and our favorite family would become merely walking jokes – as opposed to the surprisingly deep characters that had been developed in the early years. As usual, this latest set is packed with commentaries for every episode, deleted scenes, illustrated commentaries, promos, a featurette on the Simpsons house, an introduction from Matt Groening, and more.

Every generation has its own delightfully oddball kiddie show that appeals to both tykes and adults – the 50’s had Beany & Cecil, the 60’s has Soupy Sales, the 70’s had the Krofft’s, the 80’s had Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and the 90’s had The Weird Al Show (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). Hosted by Weird Al Yankovic, it definitely owes much of its whacked-out sensibility to its predecessors, but sadly lasted on 13 episodes –all of which are collected in this 3-disc et, featuring commentary from Weird Al, animated storyboards, galleries, a look at the development of the “Fatman” cartoon, and more guest stars (including Barenaked Ladies, Dick Clark, Patton Oswalt, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, just to name a few) than you can shake a stick at.

Much in the same historical vein as Deadwood, HBO’s Rome (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) dramatizes the rise of Caesar in pre-Empire Rome through the eyes of soldiers Lucious Vorenus and Titus Pullo, beginning with a victorious Rome post-the conquering of Gaul that is already beginning to show cracks in the firmament of the once-great Republic. A riveting story, I can only hope we get a second season. In addition to all 12 episodes, the 6-disc set features 8 audio commentaries, an interactive onscreen historical guide, a featurette on episode 11’s gladiator sequence, a featurette on episode 10’s triumphant arrival of Caesar, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at the culture of ancient Rome, a character guide, and more.

First off, let me say that I am very, very happy with the fact that we have finally gotten a comprehensive edition of Apocalypse Now, containing both the original cut as well as 2001’s Redux version. The 2-disc Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) also features an audio commentary on both cuts from Francis Coppola, the lost “Monkey Sampon” scene, deleted scenes, an outtake of Brando reading the entirety of T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men”, featurettes on the sound design and filmmaking, a cast member reunion, and more. What disappoints me, though, is we still do not get the wonderful documentary Heart of Darkness, shot during production by Coppola’s wife. A terrible loss to an otherwise great release.

You know, even the lackluster episodes of The Jeffersons still make me laugh heartily, which I think owes more to growing up with reruns of the show on my local DC station than the quality of some of the scripts in later seasons, particularly the show’s fifth (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). With The Jeffersons, though, you had a cast that could spin comedy gold out of any line, and that went for everyone from Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford to Marla Gibbs and Roxie Roker… and Franklin Cover and Paul Benedict, too). The 3-disc set features all 24 episodes, but still no bonus features to be had.

Warner’s fast and furious catalogue releases are getting to the point of being overwhelming, but there’s no denying that their level of quality has remained consistently good, featuring nice transfers and an unbelievable amount of bonus materials, including commentaries, vintage shorts, classic Warner cartoons, and more. The two latest screen icons to get their own “Signature Collection” are James Stewart and Ronald Reagan (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP each). The Reagan collection features Kings Row, The Hasty Heart, Storm warning, The Winning Team, and Knute Rockne All American (which gave America Reagan’s nickname, “The Gipper”). The Stewart set packs six flicks in, including The Spirit of St. Louis, The FBI Story, The Naked Spur, The Stratton Story, The Cheyenne Social Club, and Firecreek.

I’m a sucker for documentaries about obscure events in American history, and I definitely think the subject of The March of The Bonus Army (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) qualifies as such, as it focuses on the march of over 45,000 World War I veterans on Washington in 1932, who sought the “bonus” promised them for their military service, and set up a shanty-town near the Capitol. Eventually refusing their demand, they were driven out of Washington at sword point by General Douglas MacArthur and his officers Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, and their camp was literally burned to the ground. In 1936, Congress finally paid the bonus – but not after a sad chapter in U.S. history worth knowing about.

Is it PC? Not in the least, but I still love Hogan’s Heroes, the fourth season of which has hit those little shiny spinny things (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). Colonel Hogan and his ragtag band of POWs continue to fight the good fight behind enemy lines and under the monocled eye of Colonel Klink (the always wonderful Werner Klemperer). The 4-disc set features all 26 episodes.

Featuring amazing archival performances, rare interviews, obscure footage, and critical analysis of their early years, Origin of the Species: Led Zeppelin – A Critical Review (Sexy Intellectual, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is a must have for Zep fans.

Although never a huge hit, Grounded For Life (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) was a quirky, dependable sitcom that deserved more attention and a longer run, as it managed to meld the sensibilities of both Roseanne and 3rd Rock From The Sun into a beautiful amalgam that rarely disappointed (and Donal Logue was a great lead as the patriarch of the family Finnerty). The 2-disc 3rd season set features all 13 episodes (including 2 that never aired on The WB), plus audio commentaries on 6 episodes.

Okay, is it odd that, while checking out the complete fourth season of Full House (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), I couldn’t take my eyes off Dave Coulier’s mullet? It’s almost like it had a life of its own. Didn’t anyone ever tell him that he wasn’t a man who could pull off a mullet (few can, save for Swayze in Road House. Creepy… And I feel dirty for being mesmerized by its tacky power.

One by one, all of the shows attempting to capitalize on Lost‘s sci-fi mystery niche met a similar fate last season, including Surface (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Lake Bell stars as oceanographer Laura Daugherty, whose discovery of a massive creature lurking in the ocean depths leads her on a worldwide chase that may have deeper ramifications than just uncovering a new species… Or it would have, if the show had lasted longer than 15 episodes – all of which are featured on this 4-disc set, which includes deleted scene and a look at the special effects.

Remington Steele‘s adventures come to a close with the release of the complete 4th and 5th seasons (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), featuring all 27 episodes plus select episode commentaries and four featurettes. Even though it began to wane towards the end, I still loved the show.

So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

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