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…

I’ve waited years for Fox to begin releasing St. Elsewhere (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) on DVD, and the first season is finally here. In addition to all 22 episodes of the groundbreaking dramedy’s inaugural season, the 4-disc set features an audio commentary on the episode “Cora and Arnie” and a clutch of retrospective featurettes. My only beef? I wish Fox would stop releasing their TV shows on the damned double-sided discs that every other studio has abandoned.

No one will say that this was the Man of Steel’s finest hour, – and after an hour, things tend to get a bit repetitive – but there’s an undeniable camp charm and enthusiasm in the fully restored Superman: The Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which features the original 15-part 1948 Superman, as well as 1950’s 15-part Atom Man Vs. Superman – both of which star Kirk Alyn as the last son of Krypton. Bonus materials include the retrospective featurette “Saturdays With Superman” (featuring historians and the original Lois Lane herself, Noel Neill), as well as an excerpt from the documentary Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (the full version of which is available via its own DVD).

Maligned as an inferior post-Walt offering, I’ve always loved Disney’s Robin Hood (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP), and am thrilled that it’s finally gotten a much-needed remastering for DVD, featuring a brand-new 5.1 mix (the better to hear narrator Roger Miller’s tunes). It also contains an alternate ending, and the black & white Mickey Mouse short Ye Olden Days.

I hold out hope that the actual film is as fun and funny as the tie in book Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (Titan Books, $14.95 SRP). From the history of the “D” to excerpts from the script for the film, this is your guide to Jack Black and Kyle Gass’s acoustic metal phenom.

To some, the “singer/songwriter” appellation is a stigma (after John Mayer, I can sympathize), but Cat Stevens was a standout even at a time when his peers included Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson, James Taylor, and Joni Mitchell (just to name a very limited few). Introspective, questioning, but mostly upbeat (a rare commodity in the s/s set), Stevens’ music is there to be rediscovered, especially as Yusuf Islam (the name he took after converting to Islam) has just released a brand new pop album years after abandoning the music industry that had thoroughly burnt him out. Listen to the tunes that made him a star with the excellent 4-disc Cat Stevens box set (A&M, $59.98 SRP). If you don’t have the funds to pick up his complete catalogue (which has recently been fully remastered, with particular recommendation going to the Tea for the Tillerman album), this set provides a nice overview of his career.

Kenny Vs. Spenny (VSC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is a truly guilty pleasure, in that it unfortunately reveals – in stark reality – the sad, pathetic competitive nature that makes idiots of even the brightest men. In this series, best friends Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice engage in the most inane of head-to-head competitions – from who can stay naked the longest to who can drink more beer. It’s madness, but so very accurate. The 2-disc set features all 15 second season episodes, plus audio commentary on a pair of episodes, deleted scenes, a season two promo, and a season three preview.

Ever since its premature cancellation and the release of first season set a few years back, fans have been wondering wen the second (and final) season of Joan of Arcadia (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) would gets its release. Well, the wait is over, and the 6-disc set contains all 22 remaining episodes, plus audio commentaries on 4 episodes, a making-of, table read footage, a season 2 overview, and a tour of Joan’s high school.

With digital downloads and piracy nipping at their heels, record companies are really beginning to go all out in making CD releases a real event, particularly with catalogue releases. Not only do the first two Pretenders albums – Pretenders & Pretenders II (Rhino, $24.98 SRP each) – get fully remastered, but they both feature a second disc loaded with demos, rarities, b-sides, and more… and by loaded, I mean the discs are packed to the gills.

Kudos to David Boreanaz for finding another vehicle that has achieved the mainstream success that sadly eluded Angel during its entire 5-season run. In Bones (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), Boreanaz is FBI agent Seeley Booth, who’s partnered with forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) to solve crimes that are the oddest of the odd. Think of it as a cross between CSI and The X-Files, with all of the charm and chemistry of the latter and the procedural of the former. The 4-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, plus audio commentary on the pilot, character profiles, interviews with the cast, a look at the real inspiration for “Bones,” and a guide to forensic terminology.

Thundercats: Season Two Volume Two (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$64.98 SRP) brings the original adventures of Lion-O and the Thundercats to a close, as they finally vanquish Mumm-Ra and establish New Thundera. However, just when all seems won, Mumm-Ra returns for the expected final battle, with the fate of New Thundera and the Thundercats themselves in the balance. I admit… I cried a little to see it end.

I’ve heard some incredible things about the film (and the play that spawned it), and if the movie itself is halfway as enjoyable as the soundtrack disc, I think the praise for The History Boys (Rhino, $18.98 SRP) is well-earned. Featuring tracks from Echo & The Bunnymen, The Clash, Rufus Wainwright, the Pretenders, and The Smiths, it’s like an alt-punk parade.

Setting aside the soap opera his life has become, listening to the career-spanning 3-disc set David Crosby: Voyage (Rhino, $49.98 SRP) – from his time with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to his recent solo and group work with CPR – is to marvel and just what an incredible voice Crosby had, whether in group harmony or just his pipes alone. The set includes rarities and demos in addition to the remastered tracks themselves.

I’m still not entirely sure why Van Wilder (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) has achieved such cult status by being Animal House-lite, but there you go – it is, and it’s now got a 2-disc unrated special edition, which just amounts to more boobies.

I’m still trying to figure out who exactly thought Ant Bully (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) was a good idea. While the premise is interesting – a kid who tortures ants is shrunk down via a magic ant serum and learns empathy for the tiny natural world – the design and execution of the film is just atrocious. Besides ripping of the ant designs from Dreamworks’ Antz, it’s just a lackluster affair that proves the CG fad has become a glut. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette, 7 animated shorts, and additional scenes.

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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