Entertainment Picks (June 19, 2009)

Entertainment

Discussion

June 23, 2009

4 Things to check out this weekend

Tornado Hunter

By Stefan Bechtel with Tim Samaras

Hardcover, 272 pages ($24)

Amazon 1426203020

While most people take shelter from a storm, a handful of others try to get as close as possible—especially when it involves the most violent, freakish windstorms on Earth. The United States has more tornadoes than any place in the world, and “tornado hunters” are passionate in their quest to learn more about them. Come along for the windy ride with these wild tales of close encounters with funnel clouds, a look at the men who chase them and an explanation of what makes tornadoes so destructive, deadly…and fascinating.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

Live at the

Meadowlands Frank SinatraCD

($18.98)Amazon B001RTCOZ2

One of Ol’ Blue Eye’s most sought-after live recordings, never commercially available until now, has finally been re-discovered, re-mastered and released by his estate. Taped in 1986 in front of a revved-up “homecoming” crowd inside New Jersey’s legendary Meadowlands arena, it’s a tuxedo-smooth, jazzy-snazzy swagger through “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “New York, New York,” “For Once in My Life,” and 16 other tunes spanning a career that by then had stretched across four decades—a Sinatra smorgasbord!

—Neil Pond, American Profile

American Originals

DVD ($99.95)

Amazon B001IB2ZB2

They’re part of a new breed of hero—men whose “extreme,” dangerous jobs have made them stars on reality TV. This muscular box practically oozes testosterone with 14 DVDs featuring the entire first seasons of the History Channel’s “Ice Road Truckers,” “Ax Men” and “Tougher in Alaska,” plus eight episodes of “Dangerous Missions,” which profiles rescue swimmers, hostage negotiators, U.S Marine Raiders and others who put their lives on the line for the greater good. As the tag line says, America’s frontier never closed—it just got tougher.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

The Norman Lear Collection

DVD ($159.95)

Amazon B00227A7V6

What do “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude,” “One Day at a Time,” “Sanford and Son” and “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” have in common? They were all created by legendary producer Norman Lear, whose master’s touch broke new prime-time ground with controversial subjects, unforgettable characters and some of TV’s most memorable moments of the ’70s. This television treasure trove includes all first-season episodes of all seven of those Emmy-winning shows, plus six hours of interviews and featurettes, and the never-released “All in the Family” pilot. Those were the days, indeed.

—Neil Pond, American Profile

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GAMETIME - Battlefield: Bad Company 2
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Anyone who has ever seen any of the Alien or Predator films is well aware of how violent and graphic they tend to be. This trend is continued in Rebellion's "Aliens vs Predator" for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC -- a "reboot" of the video game series of the same name. Being a big sci-fi and horror fan myself, I can stomach most of the carnage, but I highly recommend that anyone who has a weak stomach or is too young to stay far away from this game.

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