Top picks: TV series 'Slings and Arrows' on DVD, Charles Schulz's 'The Peanuts Collection,' Rock Band 3, and more
Shakespearean dramedy
All three seasons of the award-winning Canadian "Slings and Arrows" television series will be available on Blu-ray Oct. 26 as a 14-hour, six-disc set. The "dramedy" unfolds as the backstage hysteria of a Shakespearean troupe mounting "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "King Lear" mirrors the onstage drama.
The mind of a musician
In 1994, veteran music journalist Anil Prasad established www.innerviews.org as a way to collect his interviews with world-class, genre-bending musicians, mostly from the worlds of jazz, progressive rock, and world music. In the book "Innerviews: Music Without Borders," he showcases 23 of his favorite subjects, such as Björk, McCoy Tyner, John McLaughlin, Jon Anderson, Ani DiFranco, and more. Prasad has a unique ability to get these thoughtful artists to share their deepest thoughts and feelings about a wide range of topics, from spiritual inspiration and motives to compositional methods. The result is a fascinating look at the thinking of contemporary artists.
Good grief!
How would you like Snoopy's recipe for "cookie bones"? Or a Schulz charcoal sketch of Charlie Brown on yellowed newsprint? These and much more can be found in "The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip," by Charles Schulz and Peanuts authority Nat Gertler (Oct. 25). Follow Peanuts as it exploded from the comics section into TV shows, movies, theater productions, sports, toys, even outer space. It is a gold mine of Peanuts memorabilia and removable inserts, including a reproduction of "The Peanuts Book of Pumpkin Carols" from 1967.
Rock On, for real
Guitar Hero and Rock Band have attracted millions with their blend of karaoke showmanship and fun-yet-simple plastic instruments. Rock Band 3 now introduces the grown-up Fender Squier Stratocaster, a full-sized, fully functional electric guitar that also works as a video-game controller. Rock Band 3, due Oct. 26, also features a two-octave keyboard and digital lessons to carry players from the den to the stage.
From the classics archive
Sony Masterworks has released classic recordings that have not been available since the LP era, two by the Juilliard String Quartet in particular stand out: "Bartók: The Complete String Quartets – the 1963 Stereo Recordings", and "Ives: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2." Both are available for the first time on CD from Arkiv Music.
Your Ad Here
Is advertising an art or a poison gas? "Art & Copy," on PBS's "Independent Lens" series, airing Oct. 26 at 10 p.m., tackles this question. Hear from some of the greats (including Lee Clow, at right, responsible for most of Apple's ads since 1984), and see why real advertising types are even more fascinating than the fictional ones on "Mad Men."
