HOT DVDs, CDs THIS HOLIDAY SEASON They're great in and of themselves, and are great possibilities if you're stumped for last-minute gifts. Joe Levy Editor in Chief of Blender magazine, discussed music and Dalton Ross, Assistant Managing Editor of Entertainment Weekly, talked about DVDs. DVDs: Blockbusters: These cost between $15-$25 depending where you buy them The Dark Knight - The biggest movie of the year has taken in over $570 million dollars at the US boxoffice. Is also the number 2 movie of all time (after Titanic). Main appeal is to men. Heath Ledger's last film is getting him Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actor Mama Mia - Surprise Summer hit, took in over $570 million worldwide. Based on the Broadway hit featuring Abba music. Meryl Streep sings the hits and got a Golden Globe nomination. Family: Wall*E - Huge critical and financial Disney/Pixar hit from the Summer. Considered by many to be one of the best films of the year. Available in 1-Disc DVD: $29.99 or 3-Disc DVD: $39.99 DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO Cast: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen and Jesse McCartney Synopsis: An imaginative elephant named Horton hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck. Despite a surrounding community of doubters, he is determined to save the tiny particle. From the creators of Ice Age comes one of Dr. Seuss' most beloved characters in the $150 million+ box office blockbuster hit! Mr. Bean- The Ultimate Collection Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English, Blackadder) stars as the iconic Mr. Bean, who never fails to leave a trail of merry mayhem and side-splitting laughter in his wake. His exploits have earned MR. BEAN a slew of awards and an international cult following, and now every one of his live adventures is conveniently packed up in one tidy box. Included in this collectors set are all 14 episodes of the landmark original series that introduced Mr. Bean to an adoring, if confused, world, as well as his two feature films Mr. Bean: The Movie and Mr. Bean s Holiday. And if that s not enough, a bonus helping of Mr. Bean: The Animated Series features him in the role he was drawn to play. It all adds up to the ultimate serving of Bean, so pull up a chair and dig right in. Costs about $50 TV: The Sopranos: The Complete Series gift set features all six seasons and is loaded with over 3 ½ hours of never-before-seen bonus material including: Supper with The Sopranos, two sit-down dinners with cast and crew full of insider trivia like what was the one condition Stevie Van Zandt made in order to play Silvio and what did Edie Falco as Carmella forget to wear during the final diner scene; as well as a separate, exclusive two-part interview of creator David Chase by actor Alec Baldwin (a huge fan who tried to get Chase to cast him in an episode) where Chase shares his personal views including his first impression of James Gandolfini during his audition and who was his inspiration for Lidia in the show. Suggested price is $399.99 Freak And Geeks Yearbook edition: Set in 1980 at the fictional McKinley High in Detroit, Freaks and Geeks focused on two groups of outsiders: the stoners, tough kids and bad girls; and the brains, nerds and squares. The series quickly became legendary as a funny and authentic testimonial to the (few) highs and (many more) horrors of high school for the kids who don't seem to fit in anywhere. Many of the cast and creators of Freaks and Geeks are currently enjoying major Hollywood careers - including Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad), Paul Feig (The Office, Arrested Development), Seth Rogan (Knocked Up, Kung Fu Panda), James Franco (Spider-Man, Pineapple Express), Linda Cardellini (ER), and Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) - ensuring this show's continuing appeal to film and TV fans. Freaks & Geeks Yearbook Edition contains: - All the episodes and extras of the phenomenal The Complete Series 6-DVD set - 2 Bonus DVDs with six hours of additional extras - An 80-page yearbook packed with essays, rare photos and memorabilia Amazon is selling for $130, but suggested price is $169 Boxed Sets Columbia Best Pictures Collection The marquee films in the set are It Happened One Night, All The King's Men, From Here To Eternity, Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver!, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Bridge On The River Kwai, A Man For All Seasons, On The Waterfront, You Can't Take It With You, and Gandhi. which have collectively garnered 57 Oscars. The suggested price on a 14-disc DVD is $136. Casablanca Ultimate Collector's Edition (UCE) The classic 1942 film stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and winner of three Academy Awards® including Best Picture The Casablanca Ultimate Collector's Edition giftset is elegantly boxed in an intricate laser-cut Moroccan design and will include such collectibles as replicas of actual props (Victor Laszlo's "Letter of Transit") as well as a number of Warner studio documents (an executive's letter commanding a new PR image for Bogart from gangster to romantic lead; a note from producer Hal Wallis re-titling the film to Casablanca; and a memo from Wallis to Jack Warner strongly urging casting Bogart over George Raft). The DVD set will also contain a branded passport holder, luggage tag, photo book and a mail-in offer for a reproduction of the original movie poster. Additionally, with more than seven hours of bonus features. Suggested price is $60 CDs: One thing that is hot is old school vinyl albums. People love the way they look and feel. Not only do you have old groups being re-issued ones you loved in the 70's and 80's But new groups pressing records on vinl, It's the only growth area in the record industry. A lot of artists make a small run of vinyl , if you have a family member who still has a turntable this is the perfect gift. Vinyl is experiencing a resurgence in popularity and makes a great gift. The ones below are all great classic and contemporary rock albums, reintroduced on vinyl: The Who "Quadrophenia" (Vinyl LP) Metallica "Death Magnetic (Vinyl LP) Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction (Vinyl LP) Motley Crue Vinyl Box Set (all five Crue albums on vinyl) Box sets. One reason you want to get a box set. A lot of them are beautifully packaged. The price range is about $80-$90. Typically $40-$50. Box Sets also make great holiday gifts, not only do they look impressive, they often come with great extras like limited edition books, dvds, etc. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue 5Oth Anniversary box set ( 2 CDs, blue Vinyl, DVD documentary and 6O page collectible book, old publicity photos). ******* about $100.00. It's like a record and a coffee table book Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia, from Gamble & Huff- ******* (all the great songs from the 70's, classic 70's soul, O'Jays. 4 CD's).. Revolutions in Sound: Warner Bros. Records - The First Fifty Years [box set] " (10 CDs) Reba McIntyre Box Set...***** $40 for three CD's ...24 years of music , 50 greatest hits.... In terms of a live box set...we have: Cheap Trick, Budokan! Epic/Legacy, 3 CDs/1 DVD, $50 The 30th anniversary edition touts the newly remastered concert and four bonus songs, plus a DVD of the 1978 show, broadcast only once on Japanese TV. Bonuses include a fresh interview with the band and two new songs recorded at the 2008 anniversary show. There are also some great new releases this season for the kids: Taylor Swift 'fearless"- Appeals to the country fan. AC/DC "Black Ice" Fall Out Boy "Folie A Deux"- A young rock record,- He's married to Jessica Simpson's younger sister Ashley, they just had a baby boy, Bronx. Britney Spears "Circus"- a big comeback record. It's a good and solid record. Beyonce "I Am...Sasha Fierce"...Sasha Fierce is her alter ego....2 CD set, one from Beyonce and Sasha Fierce David Cook/David Archuleta albums- Really young fans,and their parents who love "American Idol" will love this one. The two have debut albums out. .