Roger
and Stan battle it out a la Star Wars |
Stan
stands proud over a defeated Chris |
Animation
Wars
The satirically funny television cartoons American Dad and Family
Guy come face to face in an online ultimate grudge match. American
Dad vs. Family Guy: Kung Fu captures the humour behind these
two hit shows, both from creator Seth MacFarlane. The Street
Fighteresque fighting game puts players in a no-holds-barred
fight to the death. Each character (whether you choose to be
Stan, Hayley, or Roger from American Dad, or Peter, Lois, or
crowd-favourite Stewie from Family Guy) comes equipped with
four special moves and a final death move. You’ll have
hours of online entertainment to add some action to your summer.
www.americandadvsfamilyguy.com $55. — Melissa Loomans,
18
Average Joes
Regular guys prove they’ve got what it takes to entertain.
Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White
take centre stage in what’s rumoured to be their funniest
Blue Collar Comedy venture yet. Blue Collar Comedy Tour—One
For The Road includes their last live comedy performance together
(filmed in Washington D.C. at the historic Warner Theater),
fan interviews, and, of course, behind-the-scenes extras.
Couch
Antics
Flash back to the ’90s with MTV’s original cartoon,
Beavis And Butt-Head, in the newly released Beavis And Butt-Head:
The Mike Judge Collection, Volume 2. Follow the inseparable
duo through their high school experiences as they poke fun at
pop culture from their couch. Relive the dawning of nasal laughs,
lewd jokes, and fart noises alongside the idiotic couple. The
box set comes with a slew of extras and includes the funniest
episodes, guest appearances, and music videos, all chosen by
Mike Judge, the show’s original creator. The humorous
plots and hilarious characters are sure to bring a dull summer
to life. $55.
— Melissa Loomans, 18
Hot
Rods
If you’re into high velocity and hot bodywork, then
The Fast And The Furious Franchise Collection is your next must-have
DVD. This three-disc set is the ultimate package: it includes
both movies, The Fast And The Furious (Tricked Out Edition)
and 2 Fast 2 Furious, and 
it’s
fully loaded with bonus features. Bonus disc materials include:
“Tricking Out a Hot Import Car”; exclusives on the
cars driven by Brian (Paul Walker), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and
Suki (Devon Aoki); “Making Music with Ludacris”;
deleted and extended scenes from both movies; and a never-before-seen
alternate ending for the first movie. If this isn’t enough
to make you race out to buy the collection, just think of how
enjoyable three DVDs worth of screen time with Paul Walker will
be to watch. $27.
— Amanda Greener
Idol
Karaoke
Think you have what it takes to be on American Idol? How does
the American Idol All-Star Challenge DVD gamesound? Brought
to you by the 
creators
of Scene It?, the game transforms your living room into a pop
central,interactive, and entertaining atmosphere. American Idol
All-Star Challenge offers music fans and wannabe stars the opportunity
to relive the past four seasons of the show and put their knowledge
into action. The DVD includes realshow clips, questions, and
performance challenges, sending players on a quest for stardom
by having them belt it out karaoke-style, simulating an authentic
performance. Of course, you are at the mercy of Paula, Randy,
and Simon, and players can be eliminated or kept on for another
round. Become a rock star in your own living room. $45.
— Shenieka Russell-Metcalf, 17
Stuntmen
Four crazy cats from rural Finland (Jarppi “The Daredevil,”
Jukka “The Showman,”
HP “The Bonebreaker,” and Jarno “The Mastermind”)
began filming themselves
performing wild stunts and pranks in 1995. The Dudesons was
an immediate hit locally and eventually became the template
for an MTV show you may have heard of: Jackass. Now you can
catch these troublemakers on DVD, along with their transsexual
pet pig, Britney, and Jackass’ Steve-O and Bam Margera,
who make guest appearances. We’ll bet there’s a
clear don’t-try-this-at-home warning before the outrageous
adventures.
Living
Slow
Sloth by Gilbert Hernandez (DC Comics)
Gilbert Hernandez, co-creator of the noted comic series Love
and Rockets, introduces his first original graphic novel: Sloth.
Tormented teen Miguel Serra wills himself into a coma, and wakes
one year later to an uncontrollably slothful way of living.
Life in suburbia is coloured with a haunted lemon orchard, a
goat man, and murder in this black and white eye-catching tale.
Speed
Racer
One Gear, No Breaks: Lori-Ann Muenzer’s Ride to
Belief, Belonging and a Gold Medal
by Lori-Ann Muenzer with Karl R. Wilberg (KeyPorter)
At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, 38-year-old Edmontonian Lori-Ann
Muenzer became the first Canadian to bring home a gold medal
in cycling. Her road to gold was paved with doubt (she was considered
a major underdog because of her age) and injuries (in addition
to a broken collarbone, Muenzer had tendonitis in her knee and
a severe injury that kept her from training for eight months).
This engaging memoir is motivating and encouraging—you’ll
be inspired by the determination that Muenzer demonstrates.
PJ
Party
Girls' Night Out edited by Carole
Matthews and Sarah Mlynowski
(Penguin Group Canada)
Take a summer breather with this collection of
short stories by some of the hottest female
writers, including Candace Bushnell (Sex And
The City and Lipstick Jungle), Meg Cabot (Queen
of Babble: A Novel), and Sophie Kinsella(Confessions
of a Shopaholic and The Undomestic Goddess). Not only is it
good to read, Girls’ Night Out is good to
the community: this book supports War Child Canada,
a nonprofit organization that helps children around
the world who are affected by war.
High
Life
Street Pharm by
Allison van Diepen
(Simon & Schuster)
Ottawa resident Allison van Diepen drew on her experiences as
a social studies teacher at one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous
public high schools. What resulted is her first novel, Street
Pharm, a gripping story about a teen drug dealer, Ty Johnson,
with a serious reputation on the streets. “If a brother
wanna get ahead, he gotta use every minute to better himself.
Everything I did made me better—tougher, stronger, richer,
smarter—or I didn't do it.” The book’s message
is strong and its story is captivating.
