Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008 - (Page 12)

TV DVD Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com COM I NG UP I ACORN MEDIA June 24 (prebook May 27) has The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Set 3 (three-DVD set $49.99) and Wide Sargasso Sea (DVD $24.99). Due July 1 (prebook June 3) are Rebus: Set 3 (four-DVD set $49.99) and Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (two-DVD set $39.99). I ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT July 29 (prebook June 26) releases Masters of Horror: Season Two (13-DVD set $86.97) in special skull packaging with a limited run of 15,000 copies. I BCI July 1 (prebook May 27) has John Waters’ look at marriage, ’Til Death Do Us Part (three-DVD set $29.98). I GENIUS PRODUCTS May 20 has The Jeff Corwin Experience: Season Two (three-DVD set $24.95). Streeting May 27 from ESPN is Ringside Rivalries: Slugfest Edition (twoDVD set $27.95), highlighting some of boxing’s greatest feuds. Arriving June 3 is Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins (DVD $19.97), a prequel to the Animal Planet series. Meerkat Manor: Season 3 (two-DVD set $24.95) streets June 17. I IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT Aug. 26 (prebook July 29) releases Dirty Jobs: ‘Sports Night’ Redux Shout! Factory readies anniversary edition of Sorkin dramedy series By John Latchem hout! Factory is priming another cult-favorite TV series for a special-edition re-release. In the wake of its successful “My So-Called Life” DVD set last year, the indie distributor will release Sports Night: The Complete Series — 10th Anniversary Edition, a new eight-DVD collection of the Emmy-winning 1998-2000 comedydrama series created by Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter of the recent Charlie Wilson’s War). The set is slated to hit shelves Sept. 30 (prebook Sept. 2) at $69.99. “The show got short shrift before, and we wanted to make it right,” said Lorrie Shapiro, VP of DVD production for Shout! Factory. “It’s a great show many people may not remember, and it deserves to be seen.” All 45 episodes of “Sports Night” previously were released on DVD by Disney in 2002, but without special features. The release was so low-key, Shapiro said, that one of the show’s executive producers, frequent Sorkin collaborator Thomas Schlamme, told her he didn’t realize a DVD version was already available. Driven by Sorkin’s trademark dialogue, “Sports Night” looks at the personal lives of a group of people working at a sports news show not unlike ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” The cast included Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”), Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under,” “Dirty Sexy Money”), Josh Charles (“In Treatment”), Robert Guillaume (“Benson”), Sabrina Lloyd (“Sliders”) and Joshua Malina (“The West Wing”). “It’s Aaron Sorkin’s first show,” Shapiro said. “It’s his first pairing with Tommy Schlamme. It was so heavily layered and ground-breaking in the way it combined comedy and drama.” While the show quickly found a dedicated fan base, Shapiro said, its hybrid style may not have been fully embraced by ABC, which imposed a laugh track on early episodes and finally canceled the show after two seasons. Many of the real-life struggles with the network became storylines for the show within a show. “In his commentary, Tommy talks about how they dialed Collection 3 (two-DVD set $19.98). I INFINITY ENTERTAINMENT May 20 has Dangerous Assignment: The Complete Television Collection (five-DVD set $39.98). I KOCH ENTERTAINMENT Aug. 5 has Terminal City (three-DVD set $39.98). S down the laugh track in the first season, so it became less noticeable, and by the second season it was gone,” Shapiro said. “It didn’t fit with Aaron’s rhythm. The humor comes from these tangled conversations that are flawless on one level but very candid. These are characters who tell the truth.” Unfortunately, Shapiro said, Shout! Factory was unable to remaster the audio to remove the laugh track. Sorkin and Schlamme, who also directed several episodes, have recorded commentaries for the first and last episodes, and Shapiro is gathering new interviews with them and several cast members for a retrospective featurette. The set will include two DVDs of bonus material that is still being finalized but will likely have a gag reel and, if they can be found, deleted scenes. Also included will be a 10th anniversary booklet with material written by Sorkin. Another extra Shapiro would like to add is a look at how the fictional “Sports Night” compares with the real “SportsCenter.” “We’d show clips from the show to the real sportscasters and have them tell us how realistic it is,” Shapiro said. Sorkin went on to do “The West Wing” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” both of which explored similar themes to “Sports Night,” Shapiro notes. “These are shows about a really smart group of people who are perfect at what they do, but their personal lives are flawed,” Shapiro said. “These are people who work hard and are so busy that they really form a kind of family. Their personal relationships take place within the work environment.” Shout! Factory had worked with Disney on the new “My So-Called Life” set, which proved a hit with fans — the 2007 edition has already outsold Alpha Video’s bare-bones 2002 release, according to Nielsen VideoScan data. So it wasn’t a stretch for Disney to similarly grant a license for Shout! Factory to produce the “Sports Night” set, according to Shapiro. “People who found this show are so happy just to have it,” Shapiro said. “We’re taking a chance on something that’s been out before. But this version is so much more insightful.” I PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT May 20 releases JAG: The Sixth Season (six-DVD set $64.99), Gomer Pyle USMC: The Fourth Season (fiveDVD set $42.99), Penn and Teller: Bullshit! — Season Five (two-DVD set $29.99) and Logo Network’s Exes & Ohs: The Complete First Season (DVD $19.99). I VEI June 24 (prebook May 20) releases That’s My Boy (five-DVD set $49.95), featuring all 37 episodes from the British sitcom. I WARNER HOME VIDEO May 20 has The Bill Engvall Show: Season One (two-DVD set $19.98), The New Maverick (DVD $14.97) and The Tom Selleck Western Collection (three-DVD set $19.97), including Monte Walsh, Last Stand at Saber River and Crossfire Trail. Also due May 20 is The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series Vol. One (two-DVD set $26.99). Due Sept. 2 (prebook July 29) is It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition (DVD $19.98). Arriving Sept. 16 (prebook Aug. 12) is Chuck: The Complete First Season (four-DVD — John Latchem set $39.98). SHOUT TO RELEASE ‘DINOSAUR KING’ DVDS By John Latchem hout! Factory has signed a multiyear agreement with 4Kids Entertainment to become the exclusive U.S. home video distributor for the “Dinosaur King” brand. “Dinosaur King” debuted on Fox’s 4Kids TV Saturday morning line-up in September 2007 and earns solid ratings among children ages 6 to 11. Based on a line of Sega games, the series combines anime-style cel animation with CG dinosaurs to chronicle the adventures of various groups racing around the world S to bring dinosaurs back to life. “‘Dinosaur King’ has become one of the most distinctive animated series on television, with a highly successful presence in many countries across the world,” said Shout! Factory president Garson Foos. Dinosaur King: The Adventure Begins, a DVD of the first five episodes, streets Sept. 23 (prebook Aug. 26) at $14.99. “We have high hopes,” said Lorrie Shapiro, VP of DVD production for Shout! Factory. “It’s a brand that is about to break out in a very big way.” 12 Home Media Magazine May 18–24, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008

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