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Buzz's Gift Guide: Box Set Bonanza!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:30:21 -0800

Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I came up with some ideas for your coworkers, and today, I'm focusing on some splurge gifts for someone special: DVD box sets. These sets, whether a whole TV series or a collection of films, are pricier than the average gift, so they're definitely meant for that superfan who you know will cherish these DVDs forever.

I know many a Sopranos fan that would covet this giant box set that includes the complete series of the HBO show plus tons of special features - including creator David Chase and the cast talking about one of the alternate endings.

Fans of Freaks and Geeks will forever love anyone who gifts them this special "Yearbook Edition" box set. Also, the acclaimed series The Wire is available in its entirety now just in time for the holidays.

Finally, I personally would kill for this collection of films directed by Pedro Almodovar with eight movies including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, The Flower of My Secret, and Bad Education.

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection ($105.99)	The Sopranos - The Complete Series ($199.49)
The Wire: The Complete Series ($134.99)	Freaks & Geeks: Yearbook Edition ($129.99)	Amazon.com: Deadwood ($104.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

Do You Wait For Special Edition DVDs?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:30:32 -0700

This week's release of the 10th anniversary Sports Night DVD collection got me thinking about DVD sets and how I choose to add to my own collection. I was excited to get my hands on the new Sports Night set - but first, I had to get rid of my old one, which had all the episodes but no bonus features.

At least as far as TV on DVD is concerned, it's practically a given these days that a bigger and better DVD set will come along eventually to replace the one you already own. For example, I had to offload a bunch of my old Six Feet Under sets when I finally decided to upgrade to the complete series. The same can happen for movies: I was thrilled to see that a Criterion Collection edition of Bottle Rocket was in the works, except I already own the movie minus the best of the special features.

Do you hold out for complete series or special edition DVDs? And if you already own the basic version, do you upgrade when something new and shiny comes along?

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Buzz In: Which TV Series Do You Want to Catch Up On This Summer?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:00:21 -0700

Friday marked the first official day of Summer, though many of us have been feeling the pain of the sparse Summertime TV schedule for several weeks now. It's barely just begun! Sigh.

The upside is that the Summer months provide more free time to catch up on those shows you missed during regular TV seasons. Certain shows like Heroes are nice, easy ones because the episodes go fast, and you'll be able to move right along to the second season's DVDs when they come out later this year.

My parents just started watching the DVDs of last Summer's FX hit Damages, starring Glenn Close, which I fully support. And I've convinced several friends to rent the Friday Night Lights DVDs. I just know they'll like the show if they give it a chance to hook 'em.

And though I know it's a Summer show anyway, you'll have almost four weeks to catch up on the first season of Mad Men when it comes out on DVD July 1 - the second season starts up July 27. Or, for something a little lighter, the first "chapter" of Greek is a lot of fun to put on when you just need to crank the air conditioning and relax.

And if you've never seen an episode of Lost in your life and you're feeling ambitious, you have from now until January 2009 to watch every episode!

Will you catch up on any TV on DVD this Summer?

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Would You Buy a Reality Show on DVD?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:30:19 -0700

While I was checking out this week's new DVD releases, another little news item caught my eye: TLC will be selling a DVD set of Jon and Kate Plus 8, its reality show about the parents of eight young children. Now, admittedly, I've been caught up in my share of Jon and Kate episodes - but I can't say I've ever had the hankering to rewatch one once I know what happens. Will people really want to rehash their favorite Gosselin family moments?

I've wondered similar things about other reality shows that are released on DVD, especially competitions like The Amazing Race or Project Runway. Sure, there are bonus features, and they can be great for people who didn't watch the show on TV. But if you're already a fan, you . . . know who won, right? So why watch again?

Would you ever fork over your money for a reality show on DVD?

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Love "Friday Night Lights" - Or Your Money Back

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:33:35 -0700

I've already done a lot of raving about "Friday Night Lights," but you don't have to take my word for it. If you don't love the first-season DVD, which comes out a week from today, you can get your money back.

Seriously.

If you aren't hooked by the end of the first season, you just have to mail in the DVD with a receipt and a special form, and in six to eight weeks, you'll get a refund from Universal Home Entertainment.

I think that's a pretty bold move for a show that might be depending on strong DVD sales to whip up a fan base for its second season. It definitely shows how confident the producers are in their product, though. And besides, nobody is going to take advantage of this offer, because after just a few episodes, they'll see how perfectly written, beautifully acted and stunningly composed the show is. Right? Right?

via TV Tattle
DVD photo Source

New Details about "My So-Called Life" DVDs

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 04:25:10 -0700

The Web site TV on DVD reported a while back that a new "My So-Called Life" DVD set was in the works, thanks to Shout! Factory, the company responsible for the fantastic "Freaks and Geeks" collection. Now, the site has tipped me off to some awesome new details about the set, which is to be released Oct. 30. Here are some highlights:

The six-disc set will be packaged in a keepsake box and priced at $69.99 - so much better than the first DVD release in 2002, which cost about $100 with no extra features.
The set will come with a booklet including fan testimonials from entertainment personalities such as Joss Whedon and Janeane Garofalo.
The heavy-hitters are lined up for interviews and commentaries: Creator Winnie Holzman and executive producers Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz all will be talking about the show. Claire Danes and Jared Leto are also being approached about commentaries, though neither is a sure thing.
Four featurettes covering character profiles and behind-the-scenes insights are in production.
One of the bonus features will incorporate Holzman's ideas for what "MSCL" might have done in its second season.

Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on this!

Big Sale on Fox DVDs at Best Buy!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Need to stock up on past seasons of "The Simpsons" or finally own all of "Arrested Development" on DVD? Now's your chance to do it on the cheap. Best Buy has all of its Fox-produced series on sale for just $19.99 this week - regardless of how much the sets normally cost.

Already, the "X-Files" seventh and ninth season sets have sold out (and it's no wonder, considering that Best Buy typically prices them at $99.98), but there are tons of goodies left. Among them: the complete first season of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the first five seasons of "The Shield," several "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" sets, and the complete "Wonderfalls."

Seriously, with this sale, it would be cheaper to buy one of the longer series (say, the six-disc first season of "24") than to rent it at Blockbuster. I'm not sure how long the sale is going on, so check it out soon if you're interested.

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.

Star Trek

This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.

It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).

The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
95%

See two more movies releasing today when you read more.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary follow up to 2006's wildly successful Borat, Bruno is more of the same: cringe-worthy setups that make for laughs. This time, though, the envelope that was pushed in the former is torn to pieces in the latter. It's not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you like Baron Cohen's humor, you'll appreciate the awkward-beyond-words situations.

I was torn - I wanted to laugh as hard as I did at Borat, but most of the time I was just wincing.

DVD extras include alternate and deleted scenes, as well as enhanced commentary.

67%

My Sister's Keeper

Need a good cry? Rent the tearjerker My Sister's Keeper. The drama stars Cameron Diaz as a mother presiding over her Leukemia-stricken daughter Kate, and the child they had in order to provide a kidney donor for Kate, Anna - who's played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin. When Anna sues her own parents for the rights to decide what to do with her own body, Diaz and her husband Jason Patric try to figure out what's really going with her.

I was definitely moved by the film, but you'd have to be made of stone not to, considering the subject matter. If you read the book, take heed: the ending in the film isn't exactly the same.

47%

Link Time! Lauren Bacall Walks Away With an Honorary Oscar

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:30:10 -0800

Lauren Bacall was among the winners at the Honorary Oscars over the weekend - HitFix
You go, Uncle Jesse: John Stamos gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - Vulture
The woman's identity behind Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl is not so secret anymore - TV Squad
Bob Dylan wears a wig in his Christmas video for "Must Be Santa." Too weird. - Pitchfork
New Moon is already beating advanced ticket sales records - Deadline
Miss The Wire? Re-live the series with these top 100 quotes - Warming Glow
Oasis is getting back together - minus Noel - Rock & Roll Daily
Sci-fi fanboys are getting a new TV series on NBC - ComingSoon
Vote for the kraziest characters on TV (yes, "crazy" with a "k") - TV.com
Go inside Private Practice star Kate Walsh's house - CasaSugar
New Moon's stars interview each other with fan questions - Moviefone
Here's a brilliant idea: Adult Swim is allowing fans to customize their own DVD - Collider

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:32 -0800

New DVD and music releases are the perk of Tuesdays, and today's album picks are fresh, fun, and guaranteed to liven up your iPod. I've checked out today's new music and have some advice for what's worth the download.

Don't stop partying: I'll resist doing a full-on album review for Weezer's Raditude; it's tempting, because I've always been a fan and have much to say about the band's transformation over the last 15 years. That said, if I forget about how lyrically deep Weezer used to be, I can enjoy the band for what it is now: a group of guys who write catchy, rocking party songs. I'm definitely enjoying this album way more than the last two simply for the fun factor; first single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is permanently stuck in my head and I don't mind. "Let It All Hang Out," with lyrics written by Jermaine Dupri, is exactly what you should blast at your next party when you're worried no one's having a good time; and continuing with the obvious theme here is "Can't Stop Partying" with Lil Wayne guest-rapping.

Ultimate TV karaoke If you're obsessed with Glee already, you may want to get your hands on the show's first soundtrack, Glee - The Music, Vol. 1. The offerings on the album are songs that have been on the season so far, plus a few from the next episode. "Don't Stop Believin'," the first song that captured the country's attention, is worth having (especially to remind you that for every awkward Mr. Schu rap, there's a gem like this). There's also the goosebump-inducing "Somebody to Love." Finally, there's one I'm especially excited about that has yet to air: Artie's slowed-down version of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself," where the oft-overlooked glee club member finally gets his own episode and electrifying solo.

Hear one more new release when you read more.
America's country idol: Country cutie Carrie Underwood is back with another disc of songs, Play On, that utilize her sweet voice to tell you she's not a doormat. Her first single, "Cowboy Casanova," warns ladies of players in 10-gallon hats; this infectious tune will probably be dominating the radio the rest of the year. Another catchy tale of heartbreak you're sure to hear a lot of is "Quitter," but I prefer the more uplifting title track "Play On," which showcases Underwood's pipes rather than her sassy attitude.