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 FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

It’s been a quite a few years, but fans of moose & squirrel can now get all 59 hours of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends (Classic Media, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP) in one massive box set, featuring all 163 episodes, bonus clips, a nice book, and even a special “Loyal Viewer” award. That’s right – you can spend the next couple of days watching all 163 episodes. In one sitting. You must. Boris & Natasha command it.

Those geek-friendly folks at Underground Toys have expanded their electronic Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver line to include the spirally sonic employed by the 3rd Doctor, Jon Pertwee. You can get your very own electronic 3rd Doctor Sonic Screwdriver ($26.99) from our good friends at Thinkgeek.

There have been plenty of films exploring the early days of The Beatles, but what sets Nowhere Boy (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$28.95 SRP) apart is Aaron Johnson’s performance as the teenage Lennon, in a story about John’s confused home life and, of course, the formation of the band. Bonus materials includes deleted scenes and a pair of featurettes.

Some may dismiss it, and it certainly falls on the cusp of the age of lesser Spielberg, but I’ve always been a fan of The Color Purple (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), so I was looking forward to seeing it in this new high definition release. The picture and sound are superb, while the bonus features carry over from the DVD special edition of a few years back, with a retrospective documentary, featurettes, and a look at the musical.

It’s not the classic Disney series, but there are still plenty of fans who came back for the much more recent television exploits of Don Diego de la Vega’s masked exploits, now available in Zorro: The Complete Series (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$99.95 SRP)which collects all 5 seasons from the early 90’s, plus a bonus disc w/ Douglas Fairbanks in the silent Mark Of Zorro, chapter 1 of the 1939 theatrical serial, trailers, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

If you have the high-end technology, you can watch The Universe: 7 Wonders Of The Solar System (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP) in 3-D. If you don’t, you can watch in regular high definition, sans all of the cool celestial objects floating in front of your face.

I love Criterion for its consistent release of quirky little cult films – You know, films like Byron Haskin’s Robinson Crusoe On Mars (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), which has been given a full high definition remastering. Added to this tale of a US astronaut stranded on Mars with nothing but a pet monkey to keep him company comes a ton of bonus features, including an audio commentary, a featurette, a music video, a stills gallery, and the theatrical trailer.

I think we both know that the title is a lie, and in no way will Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) be the end of this lucrative gorefest, so dip into this 3D edition (you know, for those of you who love body parts flying out from your expensive TV in the privacy of your own living room) safe in the knowledge there will be more to come. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes.

We’ve reached the halfway point of the season, which means those marketing mavens looking for a quick buck at Fox are leasing Glee: Season 2 Volume 1 (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), containing the first half of the current season, plus a jukebox, a making of the awful Rocky Horror episode, the Comic-Con panel, and more.

It seems Disney has carved out a niche for soft-focus inspirational sports movies in recent years, and you can add the tale of the legendary racehorse Secretariat (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) to that list, starring John Malkovich and Diane Lane. Sadly, at no point does Secretariat dance. There are, however, featurettes, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary.

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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