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…

Few people know that Jim Henson’s first national primetime television show wasn’t The Muppet Show, and that the first Muppet star was not Kermit the Frog. No, the first Muppet star was Rowlf the Dog, who was the folksy, funny sidekick of the country superstar (and soon-to-be sausage tycoon) Jimmy Dean. If you don’t believe me, Time Life has released two one-hour compilations of The Best Of The Jimmy Dean Show (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP each), which are full of clips featuring America’s beloved gravelly-voiced canine. Thank goodness these Muppet rarities are no longer sitting on a shelf, and I hope there are plenty more releases to come.

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already reached a dozen of Twomorrows Publishing’s fantastically in-depth celebrations of comic book art luminaries, Modern Masters. Volume 12 turns the spotlight on Michael Golden (Twomorrows, $14.95), and is filled cover-to-cover with dozens of rarely seen and unseen art, plus a career-spanning interview with the man himself. Twomorrows has also launched a new line of books spotlighting indie talent with the same depth as their Modern Masters series, and it kicks off with Comics Introspective Volume One: Peter Bagge (Twomorrows, $16.95 SRP).

Though initial impressions might mark The Amazing Jonathan as a magician, I think a more accurate term is “gonzo magician.” There’s no better way to describe him as a performer and his act – an act captured on DVD courtesy of his Comedy Central special Wrong On Every Level (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), The disc also features his original Comedy Central special, deleted scenes, and an appearance on Premium Blend.

As the good Doctor’s 29th, post-relaunch season hits the US, so too comes the next round of classic Doctor Who adventures on DVD – Tom Baker’s Robot (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) and Sylvester McCoy’s Survival (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). Both releases feature a ton of bonus materials, including commentaries, interviews, featurettes, documentaries, and more.

People have been clamoring for years for Paramount to open the vaults and begin releasing the cross-country journeys of Dr. Richard Kimble in his quest to locate the one-armed killer of his wife – a crime for which he was framed and sent to prison for, only to escape and become The Fugitive (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). This 4-disc set contains the first 15 episodes of that premiere season, straight from the original negatives and looking mighty fine.

I can’t begin to express how odd it is to have a featurette remembering the late Kurt Vonnegut on – of all things – the new special edition of the Rodney Dangerfield classic Back To School (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP). In addition to that oddity, the new edition features a behind-the-scenes featurette, a dissection of the Triple Lindy, a remembrance of Rodney, original news & sports wraps, a photo gallery, and TV spots.

The great documentaries are those that illuminate subject matter and stories you never considered, but are revealed to be fascinating when told through the deft lens of the filmmaker. Such is the case with filmmaker Malcolm Ingram’s Small Town Gay Bar (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), which illuminates the lives and challenges of the homosexual communities located within the “Bible Belt” of the United States. Bonus features include an introduction from Ingram and exec producer Kevin Smith, audio commentary, interviews, a deleted scene, and more.

The eternal, cattish, privileged struggle amongst the Carrington family continues in the complete second season of Dynasty (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), featuring 6-discs packed with all 22 episodes of the loveable smackdowns and hair-pulling delights, with the season that introduced Joan Collins. Lets get ready to rumble!

Once upon a time, long ago, I was a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I thought it was quite funny, and the characters themselves even more so. Then, the show began to fall into a rut, relying far too much on bloody gross-out gags and surreal storytelling. And it stopped being funny. Sadly, the big screen Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is crafted like those latter-day episodes, and so left me largely cold and wishing for the halcyon days of a once-favorite show. However, I still love Master Shake. The 2-disc DVD set of the film features not only the film itself, but a full-length alternate version of the flick – plus deleted scenes, commentary, interviews, promos, featurettes, TV spots, videos… and much more. I just wish it was funny.

51 Birch Street (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is one of those documentaries that makes you squirm and feel a bit voyeuristic as you see the raw emotion of people’s private lives, but that you ultimately can’t turn off. Filmmaker Doug Block assumed that his parents’ 54-year marriage was a happy one, but when his mother dies unexpectedly and his father quickly marries his former secretary, Block decides that something is not right, and begins a journey filled with difficult discoveries.

Even if I were just judging it on its appealing design sensibility, and not its equally fun storytelling, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender would be worth checking out. Give it a spin and see if you agree, with the fourth volume of the show’s second season, Book 2: Earth (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). Bonus materials include audio commentary from the creators and cast on the 5 episodes featured in this volume.

As far as comedies go, you can’t get more middle-of-the-road than the baby boomer road flick Wild Hogs (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as a quartet of suburban schlubs who embark on a cross-country Harley misadventure. It’s non-offensive, amiable, and suburban in its comedy, and is exactly the type of flick that my mother exclaims, “It was so funny!” about. She loved Norbit, too. Bonus features include an audio commentary, an alternate ending, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.

Only the BBC could turn a long-running show out of the concept of a country vet, and you can experience the complete 7-season run – all 28 discs of it – courtesy of All Creatures Great & Small: The Complete Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$399.98 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries, interviews, a documentary on author James Herriott, and more.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why Marvel has produced an animated direct-to-video feature of Doctor Strange (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and turned his appearance from the classic visuals of the master of the mystic arts into some emo goth goofball. Bah and feh on a shit redesign for the sake of redesign.

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…

-Ken Plume

##

Comments: None