Published: November 02, 2009 07:42 am      

Entertainment Picks (November 6, 2009)

3 Things to check out this weekend

Ally McBeal—The Complete Series

DVD ($199.98)

Amazon B002DYJ520



Calista Flockhart’s award-winning portrayal of an eccentric, neurotic young New York attorney was a TV smash during its five-season run from 1997 to 2002, with hilariously quirky characters, a swingin’ pop soundtrack and—lest we forget—a computer-generated dancing baby that recurred as a hallucination to represent the ticking of Ally’s biological clock. This lavish 32-DVD set includes every episode plus several bonus features, including a retrospective with the outstanding cast, which also featured Robert Downey Jr., Lucy Liu and Jane Krakowski.

—Neil Pond, American Profile



Otis Redding—The Best See + Hear

CD / DVD ($19.98)

Amazon B002MJM7ZS



Ready for some tuneful, tasty ’60s R&B? Hear the greatest hits of the late, great Otis Redding, who died in a 1967 plane crash just before the song that would become his signature, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” was released. Groove along to “Try a Little Tenderness,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and the original version of “Respect,” which would go on to become a career-maker for Aretha Franklin. Then pop in the DVD, which documents two roof-raising concert appearances by Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, and Sam & Dave. It’s easy to see and hear why, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes, Redding’s name “is synonymous with the term ‘soul.’”

—Neil Pond, American Profile



Fawlty Towers Remastered

DVD ($49.98)

Amazon B002LFPAUC



Originally airing on the BBC and finding an adoring American audience—and TV immortality—through near-continuous PBS syndication, this British comedy of manners starred Monty Python’s John Cleese as a hotel owner with a continuous cavalcade of comedic problems. About the only thing missing from this deluxe set, with every episode from the show’s 1975-79 run, commentary from Cleese, cast interviews and other bonus features, is a room-service order of tea and crumpets.

—Neil Pond, American Profile