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…)

What do Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant do when they’re bored? They send the decidedly reticent Karl Pilkington on tour of the wonders of the world in An Idiot Abroad (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), in which every globe-spanning destination is geared to make poor Karl that much more uncomfortable. Quite fun to watch, though. Bonus materials include the preview show and deleted scenes.

I’m always interested in products that take up less room but still accomplish a job I need, which is why the Tiltpod ($14.99) is such a compact gem, as it’s a tiny ball-socketed magnetic “tripod” – really, a foot – for your digital camera. Nice, right?

It’s a new year, and waiting for us in the bright and shiny are a pair of new classic Doctor Who releases – the Jon Pertwee story Invasion Of The Dinosaurs (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) and the Tom Baker Android Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). That’s two invasion stories for you, both packed with audio commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, and much more supplemental material than you can shake a sonic at.

Want to know just how snowed under I’ve been for, oh, ages? I actually missed that a pair of new Rifftrax shorts collections AND a Rifftrax holiday special had been released on DVD. Rectifying that glaring oversight, I’m here to recommend you rush over and pick up your very own copies of Rifftrax Shorts: Old Tyme Shorts Roundup, Rifftrax Shorts: Shorts To-Go, & Rifftrax: Santa And The Ice Cream Bunny (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP each). Get them. Get them all. NOW!

I resent a sports film that makes me like it in spite of it being a sports film. Because I really do not like sports. So damn you, Moneyball (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), for being a film about baseball that kept me engaged throughout. Maybe it’s because it’s not really about the game, but the mechanics of the business behind the game. And it stars a totally engaging Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Yeah, that can’t hurt. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, and a blooper.

What does work, though, is HBO’s miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), starring Kate Winslet as the Depression-era single mother struggling to make a go in a time when the odds are stacked demonstrably against her. Just see it.

Want to be depressed this holiday season with a fearsome piece of plausible disaster? Then kick back with some egg nog and candy canes and watch Contagion (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), in which a killer virus runs amok and claims Gwyneth Paltrow. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes on the real world implications and possibilities of the premise.

You may not remember (though fans most certainly do), but there was a massive outcry a few years back when the first couple of seasons of both Roseanne & 3rd Rock From The Sun hit DVD. The trouble? Instead of the original broadcast versions of the episodes, the DVDs featured the edited syndication cuts. Yeah, so fans were not happy. Well, thanks to the fine folks at Mill Creek, you can now get Roseanne: Season 1, Roseanne: Season 2, 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 1, & 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 2 (Mill Creek Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each), all completely unedited and retaining all of the featurettes and interviews from the original sets. So, perfect world.

The kids will feel a seasonal chill from Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob’s Frozen Face-Off (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which pulls together 7 episodes, some of which have a decidedly icy setting. Bonus materials include episodes of Fanboy & Chum Chum & Tuff Puppy.

Though it’s produced by Martin Scorsese and one of the writers from The Sopranos, the period piece Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) has not become the destination viewing that it should be, considering its pedigree and star Steve Buscemi. Taking place in 1920 Atlantic City during the rise of Prohibition and spotlighting the corrupt society that grew up around it, I really should have liked it more. Perhaps viewing it again will soften my disappointment. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a clutch of featurettes.

It’s the end of the road for Steve McGarrett as we finally arrive at the 12th and final season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 5-disc set contains all 19 episodes plus a promo and a music video tribute.

Buoyed by still-powerful performances from Gary Oldman & Chloe Webb, Sid & Nancy (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) makes its way to high definition looking and sounding great, and sporting a pair of featurettes… Though a Johnny Rotten commentary track must remain an unfulfilled wish.

I have to be honest in saying I’m not much for the dimensional beastie hijinks of Primeval (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), but I know there are plenty of fans who will probably be wanting to pick up volume 3, and will enjoy its featurette and prequel webisodes. So enjoy!

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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