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…

After the his first lackluster big screen outing 10 years ago, I was curious to see if lessons were learned with the second Mr. Bean feature, Mr. Bean’s Holiday (Universal, Rated G, DVD-$29.98 SRP). I’m happy to report that lessons were learned, and this flick captures nicely the naïve destructiveness of Rowan Atkinson’s beloved comedy creation, as Bean wins an all-expense-paid vacation to the French Riviera. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a trio of featurettes.

It’s bittersweet success that Waitress (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is such an enjoyable comedy, as it marks the final film of writer/director Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered shortly before its release. Starring Keri Russell as a small town waitress with big dreams and a talent for stellar pie-making who hatches a plan to win a contest and use the funds to leave her dead-end existence, it’s well worth a spin. Bonus features include an audio commentary, featurettes, and a tribute to Shelly.

If you’re still having withdrawal pangs from the sidelining of Real Time due to the writer’s strike, get your fix of the man himself with the DVD release of Bill Maher’s latest comedy special, Bill Maher: The Decider (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Can you guess who bears the brunt of the jokes this go round? The disc also includes a bonus featurette, “Bill Maher Finds A Purpose In Life”.

Ignore the over-the-top fawning of host James Lipton, and you get a decent interview with the enigmatic Johnny Depp in his Inside The Actors Studio (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) spotlight. The disc features additional footage not seen in the original airing, as well as a flashback featurette with Lipton.

With the success of the SNL digital shorts, it was inevitable that Andy Samberg would follow in the footsteps of Chris Kattan and Jimmy Fallon with a starring vehicle of his own, Hot Rod (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP), as stuntman Rod Kimble – a man with a dream. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, the theatrical trailer, and more.

Producer Garry Marshall’s accountant must be ecstatic, because third season sets of the legendary writer/director/producer’s TV legacy – Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, & Mork & Mindy (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP each) – have arrived. Each 4-disc set features the complete seasons, but there are still, sadly, no bonus features to be found. Not even that highly sought-after Anson Williams commentary.

For a very brief run in 1991, NBC combined two of their Nintendo animated series into a single half-hour time slot – Captain N And The New Super Mario World (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Shout! has collected all 10 episodes of this brief experiment into a 2-disc set, which also features storyboards of the open titles.

In the second half of Entourage‘s 3rd season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), the narrative cracks have begun to show, and the emasculation of a fired Ari Gold does nothing but make me feel like someone punctured the bubble that’s kept the rather thin-broth of this sometimes too-insider-for-it’s-own-good show afloat. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a trio of audio commentaries, and a Museum of Television & Radio panel.

The hyperkinetic style of Teen Titans is thrown into overdrive in the fourth season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). It would have to be, in a season which culminates in a 3-episode arc titled “The End”.

If you’d like to see a career self-destruct in real time, grab some Twizzlers and a soda and watch Lindsey Lohan flail about in the bizarre, sadistic flick I Know Who Killed Me (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$26.96 SRP), as a stripper who is abducted by a sadistic killer, only to have me lose interest after 15 minutes. Bonus features include an alternate opening, and alternate ending, an extended strip dance, and a blooper reel.

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

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