Published: September 15, 2009 05:43 pm      

Entertainment Picks (September 11, 2009)

3 Things to check out this weekend

Obsessed With Football

Hardcover ($29.98)

Amazon 0811868834



What football position is most represented in the Football Hall of Fame? Which NFL franchise dates back to the 19th century? Who was the first player to score four “Monday Night Football” touchdowns in the same game? If you think you know football—or even if you don’t—you’ll find hours of challenging fun with these 2,500 trivia questions, presented with a unique battery-operated interactive “scoring module” that lets you test yourself or play along with a partner.

—Neil Pond, American Profile



The Beast: The Complete First Season

DVD ($39.99)

Amazon B00000F8KW



It aired for only one season before A&E pulled the plug. But this gritty cloak-and-dagger crime drama, now packaged with all 13 episodes, will forever remain a testament to Patrick Swayze, terrific in his starring “comeback” role as a get-the-job-done FBI agent all the while—it was later revealed—undergoing aggressive treatments for pancreatic cancer. Even though he’s lately shown signs of improvement, Swayze’s fate is still far from certain. Watch “The Beast” to see an actor valiantly hiding the pain so that the show could go on—at least until season’s end.

—Neil Pond, American Profile





The Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics

Selected and edited by Art Spiegelman & Françoise Mouly

Hardcover, 352 pages ($40)

Amazon 0810957302



Kids of all ages—and grownups of just about any generation—will love this wonderful roundup of 60 full-length tales culled from comic books from the 1930s into the early 1960s. In addition getting re-acquainted with such classic characters as Dennis the Menace, Donald Duck, Little Lulu and Captain Marvel, you’ll also enjoy discovering lesser-known gems like Egghead Doodle, Burp the Twerp and Patsy Pancake. A splendid introduction traces the ascension of humble “funny books,” once regarded as junk, to eventual recognition atop the world of pop culture.

—Neil Pond, American Profile