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…)

Episodes have been teased on prior DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Tim Burton’s original feature, but it took the fine folks at Shout Factory to deliver the complete four season run of the animated Saturday morning spin-off of Beetlejuice (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP). What surprising is that the adventures of the titular ghoul and sidekick Lydia Deetz actually work a charm, as it’s a fun romp that’s a precursor to the kind of manic cartoons that would come to define the likes of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in the 90’s.

In a gadget-filled life, things break. What makes repairing them awkward is that many companies have gone with proprietary fastening solutions for their gadgets and gizmos. However, Thinkgeek has got that covered with the ultimate gadget-fixer’s dream – the iFixit 54 Bit Driver Kit ($29.99). With hex, pentalobe, square, torx, tri-wing, and more, it’s got the bits you need to make your repairs.

If you’re too impatient to wait for the complete season set later in the year (and really, who isn’t?), then you can get up to date on the adventures of the Doctor with Doctor Who: The Snowmen (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) and Doctor Who: Series Seven Part Two (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP). Both releases sport bonus shorts that fill out the stories, and will help keep the DTs away until the 50th anniversary special on November 23rd.

Comedy releases this week? How about the CD/DVD combos Kevin Nealon: Whelmed… But Not Overly and Josh Blue: Sticky Change (Comedy Central, Not Rated, CD/DVD-$11.99 SRP each). Get them. Both.

Fans of historical trivia will have a lot to get exited about in The Ultimate Guide To The Presidents (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which journeys through the US Chief Executives and tells the untold stories of all 43, From Washington to Obama.

I’m actually quite delighted that major studios have begun licensing some of their catalogue titles to other companies, including Fox’s recent pact with Anchor Bay that brings high definition releases of Airheads, The Newton Boys, Bedazzled, and My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Anchor Bay, Blu-Ray-$17.99 SRP each). But of all the titles they’re releasing in this bare bone format, the one I unashamedly like the most and was most looking forward to is Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$17.99 SRP)… Yes, the Whoopi Goldberg espionage comedy from the mid-80’s.

Robert Taylor stars as the titular mystery-solving western sheriff in Longmire (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Aided by a new deputy (Katee Sackhoff) and an old friend (Lou Diamond Phillips), he runs up against dark secrets and murky relationships. Bonus materials include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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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