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…

It’s a bit depressing, but The Three Stooges Collection – Volume Five: 1946-1948 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP) marks the final batch of shorts featuring Curly Howard, as it was during production of Half-Wits Holiday that he suffered a debilitating stroke that made production impossible. He was replaced by another Howard brother, who actually preceded Curly as a Stooge – Shemp. The second half of this set features the long-haired Stooge. So long, Curly.

Thinkgeek is a wonderful source for things that, at first glance, just seem like a cool knick knack with no practical purpose, but actually hide a nicely practical application. If you caught the recent Comic Relief fundraising event I co-hosted at www.rednosenet.com, you’ll know that I closed the 24-hour marathon by switching on and depressing the button on a nifty USB Doomsday Device Hub ($49.99). Not only does this have a 3-step process (two toggles and a key turn) that allows the red button activation of your doomsday device (in reality, a nice explosion sound), but the practical side is fulfilled by it also being a 4-port USB hub. How cool is that?

Growing up in Quantico, Virginia, many a school trip was taken to the Smithsonian’s massive and uber-cool Air & Space Museum, which is given the spotlight in the documentary America’s Hangar (Smithsonian Networks, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). Not only do you get to see all of the nifty stuff on public display, but all of the stuff that goes on behind-the-scenes (including the seemingly endless amount of material there’s no room to display).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s a shame that Gordon Ramsay is mostly known for the over-produced Hell’s Kitchen and US Kitchen Nightmares when his UK output is so wonderfully engaging. Case in point – and well worth checking out – is the second series of his celebration of food, The F Word (BFS, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which finds Ramsay tackling a different menu item each week in his F Word restaurant, which also includes a celebrity component and trips into the field. Also, as a way of showing the viewers and his kids where the food on the dinner table comes from and give them more of an appreciation, a different animal each season is raised by the Gordon clan, and then served at the end of the run. This season found them raising pigs. The 3-disc set features 8 episodes, but sadly no bonus features, but ridiculously omits the entirety of episode 2 for clearance issues. What the hell?

There are no fava beans, but the Blu-Ray edition of The Silence Of The Lambs (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is just as creepy in high definition, and wipes away the memory of the unfortunate sequels. Bonus features ported over from the DVD special edition include retrospective featurettes, deleted scenes, TV spots, outtakes, trailers, and more.

After a bit of a release gap (a few years), the officers of the 12th Precinct return in Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Any season that features guest stars like Billy Barty, James Cromwell, and Doric Roberts deserves a spin. The 3-disc set contains all 22 episodes.

The next two volumes – two and three, to be specific – of the new animated adventures of ol’ webhead himself, The Spectacular Spider-Man (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP), arrive on DVD. While featureless, each disc contains a trio of episodes featuring – you know – villains.

The story is clunky and the acting is broad, but there’s no denying that Quo Vadis (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP) was made during the golden age of the spectacle picture, which is the main reason for taking in every nook and cranny in fully restored high definition. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a new featurette, and the theatrical trailers.

Slowly but surely, we’re winding our way towards the end, and the release of the tenth and penultimate season of Married With Children (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) brings us right up to the brink of the Bundy clan’s exploits. The 3-disc set features all 26 episodes, but nary a bonus feature.

I can’t really speak personally on how fun puppet bunnies are, but my nephews really enjoyed Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies! (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), the show’s first DVD release. The disc contains 4 episodes, plus a bunny dance featurette.

Wake your dogs up with a dose of Fran Drescher in the complete third season of The Nanny (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The 3-disc set contains all 26 episodes, plus the animated holiday special “Oy To The World”.

Let’s wrap things up this week with a really cool collectible that has no practical purpose other than to be cool. What is it, exactly? Well, it’s a replica of the winged helmet worn by The Mighty Thor – Thunder God, Asgardian, and Marvel Comics hero. The Thor Helmet Replica ($369.99) is constructed of steel and plated in chrome, with hand-painted fiberglass wings and an adjustable leather liner. The edition is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, so be sure to pick yours up as soon as possible – or you’ll regret it.

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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