TREK!! WEEDS!! ISIS!! GIANTS!! TRIFFIDS!! LOONEY!! SUPERPOWERS!! @QU@M@N!! HercVault!!

I am – Hercules!!

“Weeds” is my favorite show on Showtime and my favorite live-action sitcom that's not on NBC. It tells the tale of thirtysomething suburbanite and mother Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker). After her husband gets killed without a paid-up life insurance policy, Nancy maintains her upper-middle-class lifestyle in Agrestic, Calif., by selling doob to all her marijuana-loving neighbors. As with the first season, season two of this Showtime series , which streets today, indulges no exciting "Angels In America"-like Mary Louise nudity for us to enjoy. Still and all, Parker is never less than adorable, surely one of the milfiest MILFs in the history of filmed entertainment. “Weeds” creators finally acknowledge Parker’s supreme milfocity in the show’s second season, when no less a pot icon than Snoop Dogg christens Nancy’s new brand of dope “milfweed.” Season two was great for other reasons. I love protagonist Nancy Botwin’s grace under pressure, and how that grace has to evaporate as she falls into bed with an open-minded DEA agent and onto the radar of her violent Armenian competitors. I love Nancy’s horny, cowardly slacker brother-in-law Andy (stage vet Justin Kirk). I love Andy’s frank and solid mentoring of Shane “Strange” Botwin, Nancy’s preteen son. I loved the arrival of big-deal movie actress Zooey Deschanel (“Elf,” “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “The Happening”) as Kat, Andy’s sexy nutcase fugitive ex-girlfriend. I loved everything that happened with Shane and Kat and Andy. I also love self-absorbed busybody/cancer survivor Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) and pothead accountant Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon). Their storylines become firmly intertwined in season two when the widely feared Celia decides to run for popular Doug’s city council seat.

The new set is available in both standard-def DVD and Blu-ray. To anticipate the question, the third season of “Weeds” launches on Showtime Aug. 13.

Land of the Giants: The Complete Series, arriving today, is an experiment for Fox Home Entertainment, which has heretofore broken up all of Irwin Allen’s TV work (e.g. “Lost In Space,” “Time Tunnel,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”) into half-season sets. With “Giants,” Fox goes gigantic, initially issuing all 51 episodes from both its seasons with a lorryload of extras. The extra rundown from Amazon.com: GARY CONWAY INTERVIEWS: The Series' Lasting Effects The Influence of Gulliver's Travels on the Show Fight Scene in the Cage Humorous Moments A Couple Memorable Episodes Memories of Irwin DON MARSHALL INTERVIEWS: Acting and the Actors on the Show Memories of Kurt Kasznar Memories of Cast Members and the Director Popularity of the Show in England Presentation Reel Special Effects Shots (no audio) IRWIN ALLEN HOME VIDEOS (no audio): Meeting Irwing Directing Actors in Interior Sets Irwing Directing Actors in Exterior Sets Rope Climbing Escape Through the Tunnel Glass Prison Escape from the Giant Hand Irwin Directing Forest Scene STEFAN ARNGRIM INTERVIEWS: Irwin's Direction Dogs The Mechanical Hand Directors Harry Harris and Sobey Martin The Popularity of the Show The Tone of the Show The Concept of the Show The Second Season The Stunts and Effects The Ship's Name DON MATHESON INTERVIEWS: Perparation for Irwin's Shows What Attracted Him to the Show Imagination Climbing the Rope The Dog Saying the Dialogue DEANNA LUND INTERVIEWS: Her Appreciation of the Show Acting on the Show How She Got on the Show Ballet in a Bird Cage Her Friendship with Don Matheson The High Cost of the Show Where Did the Story Take Place? STILL GALLERIES: Merchandise Mad Magazine Parody Publicity Photos Episodic Photos Deanna Lund Gallery From the Fox press release:

The collectible DVD set also includes a full-color booklet with cast interviews and photos, a collectible Spindrift keychain, iron-on crew patch, reproduction of the first comic book, and trading cards. All of this is packaged is a collectible wooden cage themed directly from the show.

For those unfamiliar, “Giants” ran on ABC from 1968 to 1970. It was set during 1983, when spaceships ferried people from New York to London. One of these spaceships flew through a strange cloud and crashed on a planet where everything, including the girls, were of Brobdingnagian proportions. The English-speaking part of the giant planet the Earthers crash into is ruled by a Nazi-ish capitalist dictatorship which has set up a Special Investigations Department (SID) to deal with dissidents and little people (the series’ protagonists, it turns out, are not the first Earth people to have crashed there). In the second episode we learn at least some on the planet of giants (we never do learn its name) somehow know of Earth. We also come to learn that the giants have cloning and forcefields, but not the space flight that would allow the giants to conquer Earth. As a result, the Giants really want to get their hands on that Earth spaceship to see how it works.

Star Trek: Captain's Log has one episode that appeared on a previous fan collection, Harlan Ellison’s amazing “City on the Edge Of Forever,” but it comes with a new 13-minute introduction by William Shatner and Joan Collins, so it’s hard to begrudge. The $29.19 set streeting today contains at least three episodes from each of the five “Star Trek” TV series. Two from each series were episodes that prevailed in a fan vote, and the third was chosen by that series’ lead actor. New interviews and introductions with Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula are included. Somebody posted a breakdown of the extra material on Amazon.com:

00:12:55:07 STAR TREK - CAPTAIN'S LOG - WILLIAM SHATNER - THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER 00:03:29:09 WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? - BALANCE OF TERROR & THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT 00:01:35:15 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE "CAPTAIN'S LOG" 00:02:19:03 CAPTAIN KIRK'S LEGACY 00:02:39:09 STAR TREK - CAPTAIN'S LOG - PATRICK STEWART - IN THEORY 00:01:12:08 CHAIN OF COMMAND 00:01:11:21 DARMOK 00:01:01:14 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE "CAPTAIN'S LOG" 00:01:27:02 PLAYING A CAPTAIN 00:02:08:03 LOOKING BACK 00:01:59:07 STAR TREK AND THE STAGE 00:00:46:23 PICARD'S FUTURE 00:01:39:22 STAR TREK - CAPTAIN'S LOG - AVERY BROOKS - FAR BEYOND THE STARS 00:01:00:13 A CAPTAIN AND A FATHER 00:01:06:00 SISKO AS EMISSARY 00:01:16:10 DIRECTING 00:00:41:19 IMAGINING THE FUTURE 00:01:00:02 SOCIAL COMMENTARY 00:00:54:06 ASPIRATIONS 00:01:52:15 STAR TREK'S IMPACT 00:01:52:18 STAR TREK - CAPTAIN'S LOG - KATE MULGREW - COUNTERPOINT 00:00:44:06 THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE 00:00:55:08 FLASHBACK 00:01:08:20 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE "CAPTAIN'S LOG" 00:01:40:19 CAPTAIN JANEWAY'S BEST QUALITIES 00:01:29:24 WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? 00:01:07:00 JANEWAY'S FUTURE 00:00:42:19 LOOKING BACK 00:02:38:12 STAR TREK - CAPTAIN'S LOG - SCOTT BAKULA - JUDGEMENT 00:01:34:03 THESE ARE THE VOYAGES... 00:03:16:11 WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? 00:01:30:23 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE "CAPTAIN'S LOG" 00:03:19:21 CAPTAIN ARCHER'S BEST QUALITIES 00:03:06:04 LOOKING BACK 00:00:35:21 ("CLOSING STATEMENT TO CAPTAIN'S LOG FAN COLLECTIVE WITH SCOTT BAKULA")

Episodes included in the set are: 1.29 "The City on the Edge of Forever" 3.2 "The Enterprise Incident" 1.15 "Balance of Terror" 4.25 "In Theory" 6.10/6.11 "Chain of Command" 5.2 "Darmok" 6.13 "Far Beyond the Stars" 7.25/7.26 "What You Leave Behind" 6.19 "In the Pale Moonlight" 5.10 "Counterpoint" 4.21 "The Omega Directive" 3.2 "Flashback" 2.19 "Judgment" 4.22 "These Are the Voyages … " 2.24 "First Flight"

The superheroine Isis is now part of the DC comic-book universe, and played a huge role as Black Adam’s girlfriend in DC’s recently concluded “52” title, but she was originally introduced in “Isis,” the distaff half of the CBS’s live-action Saturday morning “Shazam!/Isis” hour. The new “The Secret of Isis: The Complete Series,” hitting shelves today, collects all 22 episodes shot between 1975 and 1977: the 15 half-hours created for the “Shazam!/Isis” hour, and the seven half-hours produced for its stand-alone spinoff “The Secret of Isis.” Isis in the 1970s was secretly a hot American science teacher named Andrea Thomas who found a magical amulet that once belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen. When Andrea spoke the magic words “Oh Mighty Isis,” she became Isis, and could do pretty much everything her pal Captain Marvel could: fly, run really fast and lift heavy things. Isis was integrated into the DC universe via her crossover appearances in the “Shazam!” half-hour and via DC’s “Shazam!” and “Isis” comic-book series of the late 1970s.

An animated version of Isis was a component of 1980’s “Freedom Force,” itself a component of CBS’ then-ongoing “Tarzan and the Super 7” series. In 2006, the DC funnybooks introduced a new post-Crisis Isis who begins life as Adrianna Tomaz, a hot and helpful slave from Egpyt who is given Hatshepsut’s amulet by Captain Marvel’s old frienemy Black Adam. In the comic we learn Hatshepsut, like Marvel and Adam, was a champion of the ancient wizard Shazam. Cool.

Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry

IFC’s Dinner For Five , not to be confused with the exciting Neve Campbell/Matthew Fox family drama, is the best talk show ever, and one every filmmaker or aspiring filmmaker must and will enjoy. All 49 episodes for $42 is one premium deal. “Elf”/“Iron Man” director Jon Favreau chats up (usually) four drunken filmmaker friends in a pricey Los Angeles restaurant, then cuts out all the small talk in the editing room. It’s IFC, so no “fuck” is bleeped. Here’s who participated: 1.1 Joey Lauren Adams, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Peter Berg, Kevin James 1.2 Vince Vaughn, Garry Shandling, Peter Falk, Cheri Oteri 1.3 Jeff Goldblum, Fred Willard, Illeana Douglas, Christian Slater 1.4 Sarah Silverman, Ron Livingston, Kevin Pollak, Rod Steiger 1.5 Andy Dick, Daryl Hannah, Marilyn Manson 1.6 Bonnie Hunt, Sean Astin, Kevin James, Ray Romano 1.7 Sarah Silverman, Saffron Burrows, Faizon Love, Michael Rapaport 1.8 Adam Goldberg, Seth Green, Jennifer Beals, Dwight Yoakam 1.9 David Cross, Famke Janssen, Denis Leary, Martha Plimpton 1.10 Juliette Lewis, Vincent Pastore, Sean Combs, John Leguizamo 2.1 Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Smith 2.2 Richard Lewis, Peter Falk, Dom Deluise, John Herzfeld 2.3 Peter Bogdanovich, Larry Miller, Penelope Ann Miller, Liev Schreiber 2.4 Carrie Fisher, Ed Asner, Ed Begley, Jr., Blair Underwood 2.5 Janeane Garofalo, David Byrne, Dave Eggers, Joe Pantoliano 2.6 Will Ferrell, Louis C.K., Illeana Douglas, Eddie Izzard 2.7 Vince Vaughn, Brian Cox, Cole Hauser, Rory Cochrane, 2.8 John Landis, Fran Drescher, Leland Orser, David Alan Grier 2.9 Beverly D'Angelo, Rosie Perez, Cathy Moriarty, Catherine Kellner 2.10 Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen 2.11 Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson, Sean Hayes 2.12 Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd, Famke Janssen, Peter Berg 2.13 Maggie Gyllenhaal, John Sayles, Lili Taylor, Vanessa Martinez 3.1 Gina Gershon, Ron Livingston, Dennis Farina, Faizon Love 3.2 Burt Reynolds, Richard Lewis, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin James 3.3 Kevin Smith, Jason Biggs, George Carlin, Stephen Root 3.4 Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean, Jeff Garlin, Joe Mantegna 3.5 Laura Kightlinger, Kevin Pollak, Hector Elizando, Jeff Ross 3.6 Ted Danson, Laura Dern, Mary Steenburgen, Ernie Hudson 3.7 Jennifer Esposito, Barry Pepper, Luis Guzman, Stephen Dorff 3.8 Alec Baldwin, Carrie Fisher, Peter Dinklage, Tracey Ullman 3.9 Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning, Dom DeLuise, Charles Nelson Reilly 3.10 John Waters, Colin Quinn, Danny Aiello, Delroy Lindo 3.11 Alan Cumming, Amy Irving, Isaac Mizrahi, Faizon Love 3.12 David Cross, George Hickenlooper, Molly Shannon, Phillip Baker Hall 3.13 Richard Donner, Michael Madsen, Ray Romano, Ron Eldard 3.14 Neve Campbell, Dave Foley, Henry Winkler, Jeff Garlin 3.15 Billy Bob Thornton, Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, H.G Bissinger 3.16 Martin Scorsese 4.1 David Milch, Tim Olyphant, Michael Rapaport, Jay Mohr 4.2 Jeffrey Tambor, Bonnie Hunt, Jason Bateman, Tracy Morgan 4.3 Bruce Campbell, Roger Corman, Rob Zombie, Faizon Love 4.4 Luis Guzman, Michael Chiklis, Henry Rollins, Michael De Luca 4.5 Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Root, David Duchovny, Dax Shepard 4.6 Bill Maher, Bob Odenkirk, Alanis Morissette, Rosanna Arquette 4.7 Frank Darabont, Alan Cumming, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard 4.8 Jon Heder, Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, Seth MacFarlane 4.9 J.J. Abrams, Jason Lee, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill, Kevin Smith 4.10 Christina Ricci, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Steven Drozd

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