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…)

The theatrical edition Blu-Ray release last year did little but make the wait for The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: Extended Edition (New Line, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$119.98 SRP) that much more interminable, but now the wait is over and the absolutely massive 15-disc set has finally arrived, and its everything fans were hoping for. The extended cuts have never looked or sounded better, and all of the bonus materials from just about every previous DVD release, including the Costa Botes documentaries, can be found here. The only thing missing – promised long, long, long ago – is the trilogy’s blooper reel. So where is it, Peter?

In a world of travel where there never seems to be enough USB ports on your laptop for all of the devices you have to charge, having something like the relatively compact Music Power 4-Port USB AC Charger ($14.99) is a definite positive, as you can plug in all of those items in need of juice without ever touching a laptop port.

While it would more rightly be a better fit for The Discovery Channel, the first season of Underwater Universe (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) is a fascinating look at the elaborate system of forces – both physical and living – that shape the ecosystem beneath the surface. It’s certainly a pleasant change from all of the spiritual, reality, and pseudo-science crap that History has been stocking up on in recent years.

You get a sense that the golden age of A&E and The History Channel is long past when you see that there’s anther Dog release – Dog The Bounty Hunter: This Family Means Business (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) and the even lower base Billy The Exterminator: Season Three (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP). If that weren’t enough, you have to wonder why the “History” Channel would give the time of day to bullshit-laden garbage like the series Ancient Aliens (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), whose second season sinks to all new levels of “Really?”

Watching the “Why Is It” extended cut of the ludicrously messy Sucker Punch (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), I fear for the future of the Superman film franchise now that director Zack Snyder has been given the keys. Just watch this bizarre, artless Quentin Tarantino/Guillermo del Toro/Robert Rodriguez mash-up and see. Bonus materials include Warners Maximum Movie Mode guided tour with Snyder, animated shorts, and a featurette on the soundtrack.

As a child of the 80’s, I was well-steeped in the music video culture of the day, which makes something like the behind-the-scenes Music Video Exposed series (e One, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) a delightful trip down memory lane packed with the tell-all gossip and craft discussions that went into making them. Give the series a spin – it looks at over 30 classics – and you’ll dig it, too.

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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