EXTRAS & MI-5!!Herc's Super-Embritished Season-Box DVD Vault!!

I am – Hercules!!

So many people I admire – J.J. Abrams, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Christopher Guest among them – so revere “Extras” mastermind Ricky Gervais I feel kinda like an idiot for not having the chromosome for finding him hilarious. Mind you, I’ve somehow managed to catch only one episode of Gervais’ BBC version of “The Office,” so that could have a lot to do with it. (I’m much keener to check it out now, since I’ve grown into such a fan of the NBC version.) I did watch all six episodes of the first season of “Extras,” a BBC/HBO sitcom about struggling actors trying to eke out a living in the margins of British showbiz, and I don’t recall laughing much at it. For the record, if you like the way the series uses real celebrities to play exaggerated versions of themselves, I strongly recommend looking at an older HBO project, “The Larry Sanders Show,” which handled similar material with what I guage to be greater aplomb. (In point of fact, “Extras” marks at least the third time Ben Stiller has played himself in an HBO showbiz sitcom, following similar turns in “Sanders” and Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”) Guest stars in the first six episodes include Stiller, Vinnie Jones, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart. Guest stars I really didn’t know were celebrities included Ross Kemp, Francesca Martinez and Les Dennis. Extras on the the $20.99 “Extras” set includes deleted scenes, outtakes, and two featurettes: “Finding Leo” and “The Difficult Second Album: Behind the Scenes of Extras."

I’m not certain why the box says MI-5 Volume 4, since it actually contains season four (or “series four” back in the U.K.) of the series. No matter. Volume four contains the season that began with a terrorist bombing of central London – aired only two months after central London really was bombed by terrorists on July 7, 2005. It was also the first season to make do without the series’ original core trio of Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes and David Oyelowo. At $55.99 for just 10 episodes , you’d think MI-5 Volume 4 would be the costliest show, per minute, of this week’s arrivals. But the spy-drama set is in a virtual tie with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Vol. 5, which offers four half-hour episodes for $11.19.

Compare to SpongeBob SquarePants Season Four Vol. 2, which offers 20 half-hours for just $27.69. The “MI-5” set may have the best extras among this week’s four newbies, with feature commentary on every episode, a doc on the fourth season, and interviews with series producer Andrew Woodland and director Julian Simpson. The SpongeBob set offers "Best Day Ever" shorts, a "Best Day Ever" Karaoke Music Video, and a behind-the-scenes peek with Pick Boy and the title character. The Scooby set appears to be extra-free.

A little addendum to last week’s report on The Venture Bros.: The Complete Second Season, which hits shelves April 17. If you like the cover art (as do most right-thinking Americans), you’ll want to have a gander at the similar interior graphics, which depict Dean, Hank, Rusty, Brock, The Monarch, The Phantom Limb, Dr. Fiancée and Molotov Cocktease in much the same manner. Find it on series mastermind Jackson Publik’s website, which also contains news of the set’s extras:

• Commentary by Doc and Me on all episodes, plus special appearances by James Urbaniak or Mike Sinterniklaas on a few) • Deleted Scenes (some from animatics, some from finished animation) • "Deep Inside AstroBase Go!" informative super-documentary about the inner workings of the fabled space station/animation studio, as narrated by Master Billy Quizboy and Pete White • Surround Sound

Those away from their computers since the holidays should note that the “Angel” season-box prices fell below $20 for the first time ever about a week ago, just as they did about a year ago with the “Buffy” sets. Remember that the “Buffy” sets did not stay under $20 long, so if you share the love for Cordy, Fred, Darla, Dru, Krevlornswath, the Senior Partners, Skip and the Pee-Pee Demon, ORDER THESE NOW. Stick them in your closet for future gifting or donations to libraries. One of the greatest TV shows in the history of history!! $19.97 Angel Season Two $19.97 Angel Season Three $19.97 Angel Season Four $19.97 Angel Season Five