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Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we have reviews of CSI: NY - The Final (Ninth) Season and The FBI - The Fifth Season. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

One of the most anticipated upcoming DVD releases (at least for us, anyway) is StarVista's big release of Mama's Family - The Complete Series. Now, it isn't just something being talked about... it is truly happening! Set to be shipped the week of September 2, you can pre-order the 24 disc set for $199.99 (you can pay in installments if that works better for you). The set will come with a collectible book, "Mama's Photo Album," and will include two entire discs worth of bonus features, with interviews from the entire cast (well, at least from the syndicated seasons), bloopers, and more. We can't wait for this release!

We have talked a bit about Warner Archive's streaming service Warner Archive Instant over the past few months, and they're very slowly getting new content added to the service... but they're working on it. This week, they added episodes from the first season of of Medical Center to their TV offerings. Speaking of Medical Center, more episodes of that were released on DVD from Warner Archive this week as well, with their release of Medical Center - The Complete Third Season. We hope to have a review of this set soon.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 2) has Shout! Factory's release of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - The Complete Series. This is an excellent release, and you can read our review of it here. Also, Image has The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray). Finally, Sony has Last Resort - The Complete Series.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

DVD Review: CSI: NY - The Final (Ninth) Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $64.99)
by Todd Fuller

In this final season of CSI: NY, the rush for justice never ends. Still reeling from a shooting incident that nearly took his life, lead detective Mac Taylor (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Gary Sinise) defies the odds to get back on the streets. His second-in command Det. Jo Danville (Emmy winner Sela Ward) never misses a clue, including warning signs hinting that her boss's mind suffers from the aftermath. But in spite of personal challenges, this team of relentless crime-fighters, Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo), Lindsay (Anna Belknap), Sid (Robert Joy), Adam (A.J. Buckley), Sheldon (Hill Harper) and Flack (Eddie Cahill) crack the most impossible cases. From an arsonist with a personal grudge to a twisted serial killer who patterns his murders after a popular board game, no perpetrator can outrun the clues they leave behind. But when the woman Mac loves is victimized in a complex kidnapping, they'll need the additional assistance of D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation).

Take a closer look at the evidence in all seventeen thrilling episodes collected in this five-disc set from the ninth and final season (2012-13) of the gritty crime drama. The attractive packaging has a photo of the stunning Sela Ward and her co-star Gary Sinise. There's an embossed CSI: NY logo in the center of the box. The Final Season is noted in the top left of the cover. As with the previous three seasons, it comes in a clear plastic Viva snapcase inside a cardboard box. Both the case and packaging have the same design, which uses the familiar black and blue color scheme. On the back of the case, there is a montage of photos of the nine main cast members with the New York City skyline at night in the background. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are provided. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator which lists the episodes and the special features by disc on the inside cover. A less-cropped version of the New York City skyline photo is used in the background. Discs 1-4 are held in a flip holder in the center of the case. Disc 5 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs have just a plain silver background with the CSI: NY logo on them. Each disc has the episode titles printed on them.

Moving on to the menus, they are stylish and easy to navigate. There are no previews on this release, so it jumps right to the main menus. A montage of video clips from the show is played on the main menu. There are a couple of nice music cues from Bill Brown used in the background. Options for Episode Selection, Set Up and Special Features are available at the bottom of the screen in blue bars with neon blue light borders. When you choose Episode Selection, there is a brief transition scene with Anna Belknap. The episode titles are listed vertically in the same blue bars. Deleted scenes for the four selected episodes can be played from this screen. The Set Up menu has a nice night photo of the New York City skyline. You can choose English 5.1, English Stereo or Español audio. English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are available on all of the episodes. Various images are used on the Special Features menus. The special features are not rated any may not be subtitled. Chapters are placed at the appropriate places within the episodes.

As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Surround and Spanish Stereo audio available. CSI: NY has the darkest and grittiest look of the CSI franchise shows. All of the original music appears to be intact. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. The broadcast and production order were the same this season. The CSI crossover episode, "In Vino Veritas," is presented on Disc 4. Running times are between 41-44 minutes in length. The set has a total running time of approximately 12 hours, 17 minutes. Hopefully we'll see some seasons released on Blu-Ray in the U.S. at some point.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 901 "Reignited" (44:17)
Episode 902 "Where There's Smoke..." (41:54)
Episode 903 "2,918 Miles" (41:33)
Episode 904 "Unspoken" (44:11)

Disc 2
Episode 905 "Misconceptions" (44:18)
Episode 905 "The Lady in the Lake" (44:13)
Episode 907 "Clue: SI" (43:05)
Episode 908 "Late Admissions" (44:12)

Disc 3
Episode 909 "Blood Out" (43:33)
Episode 910 "The Real McCoy" (44:10)
Episode 911 "Command + P" (42:38)
Episode 912 "Civilized Lies" (44:14)

Disc 4
Episode 913 "Nine Thirteen" (44:17)
Episode 914 "White Gold" (41:54)
Episode 1313 "In Vino Veritas" (CSI crossover episode) (43:23)
Episode 915 "Seth and Apep" (41:57)

Disc 5
Episode 916 "Blood Actually" (44:09)
Episode 917 "Today Is Life" (42:53)

Over 50 minutes of special features are included. Five featurettes are included. Two focus on the season premiere, "Reignited." Two deal with two other episodes of the season There is also one on the crossover episode with CSI. Deleted scenes are included for four episodes. Once again, a gag reel is included for the season. Unfortunately, there are no audio commentaries included for the third consecutive season.

Disc 1
Deleted Scene for "Where There's Smoke" (2:32) - A montage scene of Danny at the lab. He is later joined by Lindsay and Adam to discuss the evidence. I dig the music cue by composer Bill Brown used in the montage scene.

On Thin Ice (4:13) - Join CSI: NY favorites Eddie Cahill, Carmine Giovinazzo and A.J. Buckley as they show off their ice hockey skills for the season opener, "Reignited." Interviews include Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Co-Executive Producer John Dove, Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway. The episode begins with the annual FDNY vs. NYPD charity hockey game, which is a real event. Some behind-the-scenes footage is shown. It's always nice to see hockey worked into television series.

Fireworks (3:29) - Season nine opens with a bang - literally. Go behind-the-scenes and learn what it took to create the explosive beginning to a memorable season. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Special Effects Supervisor David Kelsey, Special Effects Jeffrey Knott and Eddie Cahill. This was a very cool shot. It's great to see they are still doing practical special effects and not just CGI all the time.

Disc 2
Deleted Scene for "Misconceptions" (:46) - Lindsay, Mac and Jamie talk about Nathan being interrogated. There are two dubbed voiceovers here.

NYPD Clue (8:45) - In the ninth season episode "Clue: SI," the investigators go after a serial killer who chooses his victims based on the popular board game 'Clue.' The cast and crew discuss what it took to translate the classic detective game into an inspired storyline. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Supervising Producer Steven Lilien, Supervising Producer Bryan Wynbrandt, Director Oz Scott and Property Master Leonard Hancock. They talk about the inspiration for the episode, the various locations where the episode was shot, and the weapons the props department recreated.

Disc 3
Deleted Scenes for "Civilzed Lies" (2:43) - Lindsay talks to Jason. Mac, Jo and Jamie take a photo of Adam in a dead man's clothes.

Disc 4
Deleted Scene for "Nine Thirteen" (:52) - Jamie confronts Calvin when he tries to get into a cab. Danny and some police officers take in for questioning.

Vegas/New York Crossover (2:53) - Catch a glimpse and go behind-the-scenes into the Vegas/NY crossover episode featurette which includes key cast and crew interviews. Interviews include Executive Producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Don McGill, Ted Danson, Gary Sinise, Elisabeth Shue, Eddie Cahill and Sela Ward. This featurette is just way too short for a major crossover episode. It could have easily been 20-30 minutes and been the highlight of the special features. Maybe there will be a more in-depth featurette on the CSI DVD release.

Disc 5
A Day Off With... (23:31) - Join the cast and Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway as they recount the episodes that showcased each character's 'day off' from the New York crime lab. Interviews include Gary Sinise, Co-Executive Producer John Dove, Eddie Cahill, Kathleen Munroe, Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Staff Writer Sarah Byrd, A.J. Buckley, Robert Joy and Sela Ward. They show Flack's day off, shooting at Yankees Stadium, Linday's day off, Adam's day off and seeing his father with Alzheimer's, the identity of the guardian angel, Jo's day off and her follower, Mac's day off and the CSI crossover in Las Vegas.

Gag Reel (3:40) - I like their music choices for these gag reels.

That's a wrap for CSI: NY. Although it was my least favorite series in the CSI franchise, they put together 9 solid and enjoyable seasons. I liked Melina Kanakaredes, but it would have been interesting to see Sela Ward in all 9 seasons. I think the show probably could have been canceled a season or two ago, but it's nice that CBS kept it going even though seasons 8 and 9 had a reduced amount of episodes. The show still was doing well on Friday nights. A milestone tenth season would have been great to watch.

Season nine began with a bang. Some of my favorite episodes this season included "Misconceptions," "The Lady in the Lake," "Clue: SI," "Nine Thirteen," "White Gold," and "Today Is Life." The only disappointment with the season is that there was no real series finale to wrap everything up. With a reduced amount of episodes and the uncertainty of whether it would be back or not, there probably was just no time.

The special features are pretty decent. I miss the audio commentaries. They dropped them for the final three seasons. Since these special features were likely produced before learning they wouldn't be back for a tenth season, there's no mention that this was the final season of the series. Overall, it was a good run for CSI: NY. It didn't get the attention of the other two CSI series, but it's worth checking out if you enjoy forensics and crime shows in general. It will continue to live on DVD and in syndication for years to come.

(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Main Reviews Page
CSI: NY CBS.com Official Site
CSI: NY TV.com Page

 

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
 


Blog DVD Review: The FBI - The Fifth Season (Warner Archive, $49.95)
by skees53

Warner Archive has returned once again with more of the "most wanted" in The FBI - The Fifth Season. The Quinn Martin series (one of his most successful) featured a story each week about a most wanted criminal whom had been caught by the FBI. Of course, as is most convenient in a series like this, we have a regular character, Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) who happens to be the agent on every case, along with his assistants Tom Colby (William Reynolds) and Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott). The cases were based upon real cases, and the series was even produced with the support of then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. The Fifth Season DVD set, which can only be purchased from Warner Archive, includes all 26 episodes of the 1969-1970 season of the series.

The season begins with "Target of Interest," where Erskine is investigating a case that may have blackmailed a diplomat to suicide. Jeff Bridges guest stars in "Boomerang," where he plays a man who fakes his own kidnapping… except things take a turn for the worse in his plans. A man is willing to do anything to clear his imprisoned brother of murder in "Gamble with Death." In "Blood Tie," we learn brothers will do anything for one another, but it can be frustrating when you give your brother shelter not knowing that he is on the run from the FBI. In "The Sanctuary," the search is on for an ex-football star wanted for murder and robbery (not who it sounds like, this was almost 30 years before that).

An escaped federal prisoner kidnaps his son in "Journey Into Night," but if he loves his son, he'll need to give him up. In "The Doll Courier," the hunt is on for communists using a porcelain doll to transport top secret microfilm. A widow and her son are taken hostage in "Fatal Imposter." In "Summer Terror," a kidnapping victim has little hope that the FBI will find her, so can she hope that one of the abductors will grow fond of her? Erskine goes undercover driving big rigs in "The Dealer." The season ends with "The Quest," where a man (Earl Holliman) who allegedly murdered his wife escapes from a mental hospital and is convinced that she is still alive… and eventually, even Erskine begins to believe that as well!

The episodes are unedited, with a few even including the original Ford sponsorship in the opening credits. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "Target of Interest" (51:56)
2. "Nightmare Road" (51:37)
3. "The Swindler" (51:44)
4. "Boomerang" (49:41)

Disc 2:
5. "Silent Partners" (51:37)
6. "Gamble with Death" (51:39)
7. "Flight" (51:28)
8. "The Challenge" (50:37)

Disc 3:
9. "Blood Tie" (51:22)
10. "The Sanctuary" (50:37)
11. "Scapegoat" (51:39)
12. "The Inside Man" (50:38)

Disc 4:
13. "The Prey" (51:39)
14. "Journey Into Night" (51:08)
15. "The Doll Courier" (51:39)
16. "Tug-of-War" (50:39)

Disc 5:
17. "Fatal Impostor" (50:40)
18. "Conspiracy of Corruption" (50:40)
19. "The Diamond Milestone" (50:38)
20. "Deadly Reunion" (50:42)

Disc 6:
21. "Pressure Point" (51:40)
22. "Summer Terror" (51:29)
23. "Return to Power" (51:39)
24. "The Dealer" (50:37)

Disc 7:
25. "Deadfall" (51:30)
26. "The Quest" (51:40)

Like most recent Warner Archive releases of large multi-disc sets, this set comes packaged as two parts in individual Viva cases... but you can only buy both parts together, and they have the same artwork. The cover art features a large photo of Erskine, along with smaller photos of other cast members. The back of each case features the same description of the season (for both cases), and has a few episode snapshots. Inside the case, each disc has the series title, along with a listing of episodes on the disc.

The menus on the set are very basic. The main menu has artwork similar to the cover art, with a Play All option and a listing of all of the episodes on the disc right below that. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

The video and audio quality of the episodes on this set is simply outstanding. In fact, it is far better than I could have ever imagined it being. While there is some grain and debris on the episodes, it isn't out of control, and the colors are very bright and vivid. Granted, the quality isn't quite as good as The Streets of San Francisco on DVD (which was Quinn Martin's project right after this), but there is little to complain about. The audio is a very nice sounding track, although nothing fancy. The episodes are neither closed-captioned nor subtitled.

The set contains no special features.

Of the Quinn Martin shows, this was certainly the longest running one... and, ironically, probably the one that is seen the least in syndication. Admittedly, it is somewhat dated when it comes to some of the stories about stopping the communists and such, as it was about real criminals from over 40 years ago, but it is still fun to watch today. The series reminds me a lot of something like Dragnet, except here, we see more of the story from the side of the person on the run and not just the law enforcement. Fans of crime dramas of the era are sure to enjoy this, just as they would with most other Quinn Martin series. I'm impressed with the quality of what Warner Archive gave us, and I am hopeful that we'll see the rest of the series sooner rather than later.

(4/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Warner Archive

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
The FBI on TV.com


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Kathy Najimy (Twitter), "actress, activist, writer, mom, wife & 2 time winning wimbleton pro golfer."
Claim to Fame: Her name may not be one that you immediately recognize, but you know who she is. Before she had a career as a "celebrity," she made a few game show appearances (including one with her family in a 1981 episode of Family Feud), but she became best known with her roles in Veronica's Closet and her voice role as Peggy Hill on King of the Hill.
Why You Should Follow Her: I never knew a whole lot about Najimy outside of her TV and movie roles, but Twitter introduced me to a side of her that I never knew... particularly, she is a very outspoken person with a lot of strong opinions. While this would normally not seem out of the ordinary, it is a very deep and stark contrast to Peggy Hill, who was the housewife and substitute teacher that she played on King of the Hill. But she is nonetheless a funny person who seems to enjoy her fans, and always ends the day with a very nice tribute to a dessert (see her feed to see what I mean).
Pick of the Tweets: "i am just sick and tired of day after day people mistaking me for Eva Longoria. I'm taller than her dang it." (May 24, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Welcome to Digital Digest! The fall TV season is now in full swing, but we didn't get summer reruns and now we're continuing with even more news and reviews for you, just as we've done all summer. This week, we've got reviews of CSI: Miami - The Tenth and Final Season and CSI: NY - The Eighth Season. Let's get going!

DVD Review: CSI: NY - The Eighth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $55.98)
by Todd Fuller

In the eighth season of CSI: NY, the team is rocked by a whirlwind of cases that strike all too close to home. Det. Mac Taylor (Oscar nominated and Emmy winning Gary Sinise) grapples with the memory of a personal tragedy. Det. Jo Danville (two-time Emmy winner Sela Ward) has one more chance to bring down a serial rapist who escaped justice. Recently promoted Sgt. Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) finds himself caught in a shooting incident that could end his career. Yet even as the crimes strike with unrelenting intensity, the brilliant work of Det. Lindsay Monroe-Messer (Anna Belknap), Dr. Sid Hammerback (Robert Joy), lab tech Adam Ross (A.J. Buckley), Det. Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper), and Det. Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), ensures that the evidence will surface... and the guilty will pay.

The 5-disc set contains all 18 action-packed episodes from the eighth (2011-12) season of the gritty crime drama. The attractive packaging has a photo of the stunning Sela Ward and her co-star Gary Sinise. There's an embossed CSI: NY logo in the center of the box. As with the last few seasons, it comes in a clear plastic (Viva) snapcase inside a cardboard box. Both the case and packaging have the same design, which uses the usual black and blue color scheme. There's a montage of nine small episode snapshots on the back of the box and case. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are provided. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator which lists the episodes and the special features by disc on the inside cover. A blue-tinted photo of a New York City street is used in the background. Discs 1-4 are held in a flip holder in the center of the case. Disc 5 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs have just a plain silver background with the CSI: NY logo on them. Each disc has the episode titles printed on them.

Moving on to the menus, they are stylish and easy to navigate. There are no previews on this release, so it jumps right to the main menus. The main menu opens up with shot of the New York City skyline that leads to a montage of video clips from the show. A nice piano and jazz instrumental cue plays in the background before the sequence loops after about 65 seconds. Options for Episode Selection, Set Up, and the special features are available at the bottom of the screen. Episode titles are listed vertically in blue box on the Episode Selection menu. Deleted scenes for select episodes can be played from this screen. The Set Up menu has a photo of Sheldon holding a flashlight under a bed or couch. You can choose English 5.1, English Stereo or Español audio. English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are available on all of the episodes. Some special features may not be subtitled. Anna Belknap is featured on the Special Features menu on Disc 5. Chapters are placed at the appropriate places within the episodes.

As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Surround and Spanish Stereo audio available. CSI: NY has the darkest and grittiest look of the CSI franchise shows. All of the original music appears to be intact. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. The broadcast and production order were the same this season, except "Kill Screen" was produced before "Flash Pop." Running times are between 40-44 minutes in length. The set has a total running time of approximately 13 hours, 3 minutes. Hopefully we'll see some seasons released on Blu-Ray in the U.S. at some point.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 801 "Indelible" (44:11)
Episode 802 "Keep It Real" (44:05)
Episode 803 "Cavallino Rampante" (42:14)
Episode 804 "Officer Involved" (44:25)

Disc 2
Episode 805 "Air Apparent" (42:20)
Episode 806 "Get Me Out of Here" (41:02)
Episode 807 "Crushed" (44:14)
Episode 808 "Crossroads" (43:58)

Disc 3
Episode 809 "Means to an End" (44:13)
Episode 810 "Clean Sweep" (44:32)
Episode 811 "Who's There? (43:07)
Episode 812 "Brooklyn 'Til I Die" (43:14)

Disc 4
Episode 813 "The Ripple Effect" (41:43)
Episode 815 "Flash Pop" (44:27)
Episode 814 "Kill Screen" (43:18)

Disc 5
Episode 816 "Sláinte" (44:10)
Episode 817 "Unwrapped" (40:15)
Episode 818 "Near Death" (44:33)

Over 60 minutes of special are included. Four featurettes are included: three on specific episodes and the final one on the entire season. Deleted scenes are available for three episodes. Once again, a gag reel is included for the season. Unfortunately, there are no audio commentaries included for the second consecutive season.

Disc 1
Deleted Scene for "Officer Down" (:53) - Danny and Lindsay make dinner plans.

Honoring Our Heroes (10:43) - The cast and crew reflects on what went into creating flashbacks of the unthinkable tragedy of 9/11 and what it meant to them to film the episode. The focus of this featurette is the season premiere episode, "Indelible." Jamie Ray Newman played Mac's wife in the flashback scenes of 9/11. They show how the flashback shots were done. What a moving speech by Gary Sinise at the end of the episode. Interviews include Sela Ward, Gary Sinise, Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Supervising Producer John Dove, Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Special Effects Supervisor David Kelsey, Eddie Cahill, Carmine Giovinazzo, Robert Joy, Hill Harper, A.J. Buckley and Anna Belknap.

Disc 2
Deleted Scene for "Air Apparent" (2:16) - Flack talks to the coach about Riley and his brother. Riley and his mother talk to Flack after basketball practice.

A New York Halloween (7:28) - Follow the action and get a 'behind-the-grave' view of all of the ghostly preparations as the cast and crew take on the terrifying task of creating a spook-tacular Halloween episode. The episode was shot on location at the Marble Cemetery and Grant's Tomb in New York. The crypt set is shown. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Eddie Cahill, Carmine Giovinazzo, Hill Harper, Production Designer Vaughan Edwards and Special Effects Supervisor David Kelsey.

Disc 3
Deleted Scenes for "Means to an End" (1:45) - Lindsay talks to Sheldon at the lab. Danny and Jo walk and talk about Amanda Tanner.

Disc 4
Flash to the Past (10:30) - Travel back in time with the cast and crew of CSI: New York as they prepare to film flashback scenes from the 1950s in the episode "Flash Pop." They discuss the idea of the episode. Lee Majors guest stars. Other topics covered include how they did the fake snow, the vintage cars, the morgue set from 1957, the murder weapons and book props, the furnishings of the police department, and the costumes. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Gary Sinise, Anna Belknap, Special Effects Supervisor David Kelsey, Transportation Coordinator Donald Casella, Robert Hartwig, Production Designer Vaughan Edwards, Property Master Leonard Hancock, Set Decorator Cindy Coburn and Costume Designer Elizabeth Palmer.

Disc 5
The Magic 8 (22:44) - Join Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, and the cast and crew as they explore their latest season. This is the most comprehensive featurette in the set. Some of the season highlights are mentioned. Megan Dodds plays Mac's love interest. Jo's character and her storylines are discussed. Danny becomes a Sgt. this season. Sid sells a patent and becomes a rich man. Adam gets to go out of the lab more and his past is revisited. Sheldon and Flack's characters are discussed. The dramatic season finale is talked about. Other interviews include Supervising Producer John Dove, Gary Sinise, Sela Ward, Hill Harper, Carmine Giovinazzo, Anna Belknap, Robert Joy, A.J. Buckley and Eddie Cahill.

Gag Reel (3:36) - Some funky music is played in the background while the clips roll.

The eight seasons have really flown by. The series has never really reached the level of popularity as their predecessors in the CSI franchise, but they keep on ticking. They will quietly reach 200 episodes next spring. I wasn't sure how they would do on Friday nights, but they've found a home there. Only 18 episodes were produced this season. Some of the memorable episodes included "Indelible," "Keep It Real," "Cavallino Rampante," "Officer Involved," "Air Apparent," and "Means to an End."

This is another solid release. It seems like CSI and CSI: Miami always have more special features for some reason. They could definitely benefit by adding audio commentaries and more deleted scenes. The Under the Microscope behind-the-scenes video blogs they had for season eight were definitely missed this season. It appears they still did a few for season eight online, but they weren't included on the DVD for some reason.

(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Main Reviews Page
CSI: NY CBS.com Official Site
CSI: NY TV.com Page

Welcome to another week of Digital Digest! It's another slow autumn week here, but we are here nonetheless with your news and everything else. This week, we have a Blu-ray review of V - The Complete Second Season (DVD/Blu-ray), along with another review from the CSI franchise, with CSI: NY - The Seventh Season. Let's go!

As has been the case almost every week lately, we start with even more Netflix news... once again, they are going to be adding new content! This time, it isn't about any older series or sitcoms (sadly), but the new content this time will be coming from current and future series airing on The CW! According to the press release, "(p)revious seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and Nikita will be available to watch instantly on October 15, with previous seasons of Supernatural and 90210 beginning in January 2012." But that's not all. Beginning in the fall 2012 season, EVERY scripted series from the 2011-2012 season on the network will be available on the Netflix, with the deal continuing through the 2014-2015 season!

DVD news has been light this week, but the news that we do have is all good. Some very interesting revelations were given about Shout! Factory and some series from the Sony library on TVShowsOnDVD.com. It appears that Shout! Factory will be releasing the second season of several stalled Sony series sometime next year, including SWAT, Police Woman, The Rookies, and Here Come the Brides. But will this be all? We just don't know yet, but hopefully there will be some sitcoms among future announcements.

The only other DVD newsworthy item is about a show that seemed to be stalled from Universal, that being Alfred Hitchcock Presents! Recently, the series began airing on Antenna TV, but Universal isn't done with DVDs of the series, with a planned release of the fifth season for January 3. It is too bad that they didn't do a pre-Halloween release this time (as they typically do), but it is nice to see another release in any event.

REVIEWS

by Pavan

V - The Complete Second Season (Warner Home Video, $49.99 Blu-ray/$39.98 DVD) brings us all 10 episodes of the exciting and fun second season of this sci-fi thriller on Blu-ray disc and DVD! They seem almost godlike among us. They are the alien Visitors who, led by mysterious queen Anna, base their operations out of 29 motherships hovering over 29 global sites. But why 29? The answer lies in the Vs' secret plan – just one of the extraordinary revelations in Season 2 of V. As that astonishing plan draws closer to fulfillment, a resourceful underground unit of resistance fighters called the Fifth Column redoubles its efforts to undermine it. And throughout are the amazing visuals that are hallmarks of the series: looming spaceships, advanced medical technologies and the fear-inducing morphing of Vs into their reptilian forms. Our world...their rules?
V stars Elizabeth Mitchell as FBI Agent Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

All 10 season two episodes are needed to be watched in order of course. I just love this show and am saddened it will not return for a third season. It is just good TV. This season the ten episodes aired in a block rather than a split season. The series moved to the 9pm anchor position from Jan. 4 to March 15, as in the first season the series aired at 8pm its first block and returned in the spring to 10pm. Ratings were down for season two but DVR usage of the series was still solid and I thought that merited another short season or perhaps a mini-series event. Among my favorite of the 10 are the season premiere "Red Rain," with Red Sky and now Red Rain unleashed on the planet, the world is on the brink of war and there is chaos all around. In "Concordia," Anna reveals plans for her latest gift to humanity, 'Concordia,' citadel-like structures that will be built by humanity but will include a wealth of Visitor technology that humans will be trained to use. In "Siege," Ryan is captured by Cohn and his men after he is sent by Anna to infiltrate the Fifth Column and kill Cohn with a shocking ending to the episode. In "Uneasy Lies the Head," Erica, now in command of the Fifth Column worldwide, spearheads a hazardous attack against Anna by planting virus "bombs" into certain candidates of the Visitor's live-aboard program. And on the thrilling season finale, "Mother's Day," Erica and the Fifth Column pretend to kidnap Lisa, and Anna is told to give herself up for Lisa's freedom in an action-packed episode.
Recurring are Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Roark Critchlow as Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Nicholas Lea as Joe Evans, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Oded Fehr as Eli Cohn, Jay Karnes as Chris Bolling, Martin Cummins as Thomas, Ona Grauer as Kerry Eltoff, Bret Harrison as Sidney Miller, and Jane Badler as Diana. Guest stars include Marc Singer as Lars Tremont.

The episodes on this set are all unedited, obviously, with the episodes around 43 minutes. The pilot episode runs 47 minutes. Here are the runtimes for this set:

Disc 1
1. "Red Rain" - 43:07
2. "Serpent's Tooth" - 42:46
3. "Laid Bare" - 43:05
4. "Unholy Alliance" - 43:09
5. "Concordia" - 40:13

Disc 2
6. "Siege" - 43:09
7. "Birth Pangs" - 43:08
8. "Uneasy Lies the Head" - 43:16
9. "Devil in a Blue Dress" - 42:47
10. "Mother's Day" - 43:11

Let's now move on to the packaging. For season one we reviewed the DVD, but this season we have the Blu-ray set! We have a thin outer box holding a case, this is similar to the DVD for season one. The cover art for both has the scary red V logo with full body shots of Erica and Anna and the dark city skyline. There is a mention of The Complete Season Season on the top and the tagline "They Said They Came In Peace. They Lied." on the bottom. The back of the outer box has shots of the entire cast of eight regulars. We also have info on the series and set as well, with a special features list. The back of the case has the famous Erica and Anna face shot, with it looking like they are one face with the V spaceship looming. Inside the Blu-ray case we go, we have an episode booklet on the left. The front of that has the V logo again with a different shot of the city skyline and also Anna & Erica. This booklet is very detailed and handy as we have episode details, all broken down disc-by-disc, with the episode number, title, writers/director, original airdate, and synopsis. We also have nice episodic artwork. There is also two pages with a cast photo and credits. And a page has a shot of the spaceship and Erica & Anna again. As far as the discs itself go, the two discs are on the left and right panels itself. The disc art is the same for each disc, with a V logo scooted to the right. Disc one has episodes 1-5 and disc two has 5-10. There is no artwork on the panels, as we get the Blu-ray blue.

The menu screen is very cool. Blu-ray menus are so much different I think and it is better than regular DVDs. Background music from the show is playing in the background, as we have the V logo once again and the same artwork as the cover art. We have options for Play, Episodes, Features, Languages and BD Live. Play of course plays them all at once for that disc. When we select Episodes, on Blu-ray there are no sub-menus, so a pop-up box pops up and you choose the episode with the titles listed and if they have a scissor icon, that means we have deleted scenes available for that episode. Actually each episode have deleted scenes, so that is very cool. Features options pops-up all the extras on that disc, even the deleted scenes again. And Languages pop-up have the option for Spoken Languages and Subtitles, with audio in English, French and Castellano and subtitles in English, French, Castellano, Nederlands, Espanol, Dansk, Suomi, Nork, and Svensta.

The video is great, as it should be in full HD! This is the Blu-ray version so it is flawless. Everyone should own a Blu-ray player as the video quality is just superb and you feel like you are right inside the show. I have watched all 10 episodes on ABC in HD and it looks even better in Blu-ray! The audio is very good in DTS-HD Master Audio. That is the best you can get so you know it will be clear and crisp. Each episode has 7 or 8 chapter stops.

As for special features, we have a WHOLE lot here. Both discs have special features. We have deleted scenes on every episode. For disc one: "Red Rain" (3 scenes, 3:46 total), "Serpent's Tooth" (2 scenes, 1:14 total), "Laid Bare" (3 scenes, 3:37 total), "Unholy Alliance" (1 scenes, 1:42 total), and "Concordia" (2 scenes, 1:30 total). For disc two: "Siege" (1 scene, 0:12 total), "Birth Pangs" (4 scenes, 3:04 total), "Uneasy Lies the Head" (2 scenes, 1:54 total), "Devil in a Blue Dress" (2 scenes, 1:06 total), and "Mother's Day" (7 scenes, 8:50 total). That is a lot of deleted scenes and it is great to see so many for the finals! As for featurettes, disc one has "A Visual Masterpiece For the Small Screen" (21:13). This features the very cool visual effects on the series and the show has more effects than any other show on TV right now. Interviewed are Andrew Orloff (VFX Supervisor), Steve Pearlman (executive producer), James David Haffin (composing supervisor) and Nathan Matsuda (2D Supervisor). We also are given a tour of the studio so you meet more people on the way. This is very good and interesting to see and it is cool to have a follow-up feature as they covered this for season one, too.

The next featurette is on disc two. But first I have to say that we do not have any audio commentaries this time, which is a bummer. Anyway, we have a very nice featurette called "The Arc of Story: Mining the Human Emotion" (25:13). We hear about season two and how they were firing on all cylinders. We get cool storyline tidbits as well. So get your soul ready for this one! Interviewed are Scott Rosenbaum (executive producer/writer), Cameron Litvack (co-producer/writer), Gregg Hurtwitz (consulting producer), Steve Pearlman (executive producer), Scott Wolf, Morris Chestnut, Morena Baccarin, Laura Vandervoort and Elizabeth Mitchell.

I highly do recommend this Blu-ray set for any V fan of both the original series and this series. This is really a good show and I hope you all buy this Blu-ray disc (or DVD). There aren't as many special features as season one, but what we have here is still great. The quality of Blu-ray sets is just superb. I'm heartbroken that we won't have another season and I hope in the future ABC and Warner Bros. develop a mini-series to continue where we left off. That would work and fans would be pleased to see it. The second season stepped up its game and the series was firing on all cylinders with action-packed episodes from start to finish. Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin played their characters perfectly. The humans think their building their future, but they are actually digging their own graves as Anna says, but the only way you'll be digging your own grave is if you don't buy this set! It is a must see TV show and should be in all homes! We don't lie like to Vs, so please add this to your collections!

(4.5/5 stars)

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DVD Review: CSI: NY - The Seventh Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $62.99)
by Todd Fuller

In this game-changing seventh season of CSI: NY, the city that never sleeps has a string of wake-up calls. From the gangs of Spanish Harlem to a woman who is literally scared to death, Detective Mac Taylor (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Gary Sinise) leads his team on the never-ending hunt for the truth. Emmy Award winner Sela Ward joins the cast as a former FBI-Agent-turned-CSI, and is immediately initiated into the CSI world with a dead body found in the NYPD Crime Lab. Along with team members Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo), Sheldon (Hill Harper), Lindsay (Anna Belknap) and Flack (Eddie Cahill), Season 7 gives you an ever grittier look into the scene of the crime.

This 6-disc set contains all 22 deadly episodes from the seventh (2010-11) season of the gritty crime drama. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Surround and Spanish Stereo audio available. It has a total running time of approximately 16 hours. The attractive packaging has a photo of the always gorgeous Sela Ward and Gary Sinise. There is an embossed CSI: NY logo in the bottom center of the box. As with Season 6, they use a cardboard box that holds a clear plastic (Viva) snapcase. There's a photo of Ward, Giovinazzo, Cahill, Belknap, Harper and Sinise at a crime scene on the back of the box. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are provided. There is a clear plastic snapcase that slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The snapcase has the same cover art, photo and information as the cardboard box. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator which lists the episodes and the special features by disc on the inside cover. A blue-tinted drawing/photo of the New York City skyline is at the bottom. Discs 1 and 6 are held in embedded holders in the front and back of the case, while Discs 2-5 are held in back-to-back plastic tryays. The discs have just a plain silver background with the CSI: NY logo on them. Episode titles are listed on the discs.

The menus are stylish and easy to navigate. There are no previews on this release, so it jumps right to the main menus. The main menu opens with a shot of a top of a building and the Statue of Liberty that leads to a montage of video clips from the show. An instrumental cue plays in the background before the sequence loops after about 40 seconds. Options for Episode Selection, Set Up and Special Features are available at the bottom of the screen. Episode titles are listed vertically in blue/teal boxes on the Episode Selection menu. The Set Up menu has a shot of a taxi cab on a New York City street. You can choose English 5.1 or Español audio. English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are available. Some options and special featuers are not rated any may not be subtitled. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. CSI: NY has the darkest and grittiest look of the CSI franchise shows. All of the original music appears to be intact. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. The broadcast and production order was the same this season. Running times are between 42-44 minutes in length. Hopefully we'll see some seasons released on Blu-Ray in the U.S. at some point.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 701 "The 34th Floor" (44:10)
Episode 702 "Unfriendly Chat" (42:07)
Episode 703 "Damned If You Do" (44:33)

Disc 2
Episode 704 "Sangre Por Sangre" (44:19)
Episode 705 "Out of the Sky" (44:33)
Episode 706 "Do Not Pass Go" (44:30)
Episode 707 "Hide Sight" (43:09)

Disc 3
Episode 708 "Scared Stiff" (44:36)
Episode 709 "Justified" (44:11)
Episode 710 "Shop Till You Drop" (42:06)

Disc 4
Episode 711 "To What End?" (44:28)
Episode 712 "Holding Cell" (44:12)
Episode 713 "Party Down" (42:49)
Episode 714 "Smooth Criminal" (42:59)

Disc 5
Episode 715 "Vigilante" (43:32)
Episode 716 "The Untouchable" (43:00)
Episode 717 "Do or Die" (44:15)
Episode 718 "Identity Crisis" (44:32)

Disc 6
Episode 719 "Food For Thought" (42:38)
Episode 720 "Nothing For Something" (42:44)
Episode 721 "Life Sentence" (42:57)
Episode 722 "Exit Strategy" (44:28)

A nice amount and mixture of special features are spread out over the 6 discs. They include four featurettes, four deleted scenes, a gag reel, and video blogs for most of the episodes. Unlike the other recent CSI franchise releases, there are no audio commentaries on this set.

Disc 1
Under the Microscope Blog for "The 34th Floor" (2:47) - Adam Scott Weissman (Writer's P.A.) and Matt Levine (Executive Assistant) do an exclusive weekly video blog on the set of CSI: NY. These were originally produced for the CBS.com site. They give a brief tour of the trace lab, the ballistics room, EDNA and Detective Mac Taylor's office.

Deleted Scene for "The 34th Floor" (1:09) - A scene of Jo hailing a cab.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Unfriendly Chat" (1:34) - A behind-the-scenes look at a rooftop scene with A.J. Buckley.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Damned If You Do" (1:40) - They give a look at some make-up being applied by SPFX Make-up Brian Kinney to some actors.

Seventh Deadly Season (22:23) - This featurette provides a general overview of the seventh season. They talk about the newness of the season, the new night and time, and new cast member Sela Ward. The storylines and highlights of the various characters are discussed. The cast talk about their favorite episodes. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Co-Executive Producer Vikki Williams, Gary Sinise, Sela Ward, A.J. Buckley, Producer John Dover, Carmine Giovinazzo, Anna Belknap, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill and Robert Joy.

New in Town: Jo Danville (11:50) - This featurette talks about the introduction of the Jo Danville character, her background and the humor that she brought to the show. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Sela Ward, Producer John Dove, Anna Belknap, A.J. Buckley, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill, Robert Joy, Gary Sinise, Carmine Giovinazzo and Co-Executive Producer Vikki Williams.

Disc 2
Under the Microscope Blog for "Sangre Por Sangre" (2:18) - Guest Star Edward James Olmos is interviewed.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Out of the Sky" (3:07) - This video blog takes a closer look at the visual effects. Visual Effects Supervisor Brad Powell, Visual Effects Coordinator Jeff Crocker and Effects Artist Chris Hagerthy are interviewed.

Under the Microsope Blog for "Do Not Pass Go" (2:04) - A disclaimer is played at the beginning about disturbing images. SPFX Technician Brad Palmer SPFX Technician Erin Draney are interviewed talk about the process of getting the decomposed bodies ready.

Disc 3
Under the Microscope Blog for "Justified" (2:11) - Writer/Producer John Dove, a retired NYPD Detective Liutenant, is interviewed.

Deleted Scene for "Justified" (2:27) - A scene of Flack and Messer at Mitch Barry's apartment.

An Extended Visit: John Larroquette Comes to CSI: NY (8:11) - This featurette focuses on the character of Chief Ted Carver played by John Larroquette. He appears in a three episode arc. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Supervising Producer Kim Clements, John Larroquette, Producer John Dove and Gary Sinise.

Under the Microscope: Gary's Band (2:00) - Gary Sinise is interviewed about his band: Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band.

Under the Microscope: Celebrating the Show's 150th Episode (2:30) - Showrunner/Executive Producer Pam Veasey and Co-Executive Producer Zach Reiter are interviewed.

Disc 4
Under the Microscope Blog for "To What End?" (1:23) - SPFX Makeup Artist Brian Kinney and Hair Department Head Bruce Samia talk about getting the clowns ready.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Party Down" (2:23) - Underwater Director of Photography/Underwater Camera Operator Christopher Lee Warden and Actor Carter Macintyre (plays Chris Boyle), Marla Sokoloff (Abigail West), VFX Specialist/Water Tank Owner Gene Warren Jr. are interviewed about filming the scenes at a water tank.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Smooth Criminal" (2:23) - Costume Designer Libby Palmer talks about the wardrobe for Ne-Yo in this episode.

Disc 5
Under the Microscope Blog for "Vigilante" (2:50) - Anna Belknap is interviewed about the episode.

Under the Microscope Blog for "The Untouchable" (2:15) - Production Designer Vaughan Edwards talks about the elaborate set used in this episode.

Deleted Scenes for "The Untouchable" (1:53) - Jo and Linday are at the lab in the first scene. Mac, Jo, Flack and Lindsay talk about a suspect in the second scene.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Do or Die" (2:43) - Writer Matthew Levine talks about the process of writing this episode.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Identity Crisis" (5:39) - Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway answers some fan questions.

Disc 6
Under the Microscope Blog for "Food For Thought" (4:05) - 1st Assistant Director Bruce Humphrey and SPFX Coordinator Dave Kelsey are interviewed about blowing up the food truck in this episode.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Nothing for Something" (4:08) - Eddie Cahill talks about his Flack character.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Life Sentence" (3:48) - Supervising Producer Christopher Silber and Co-Producer Adam Targum talk about the pre-production process of working on a script.

Under the Microscope Blog for "Exit Strategy" (2:32) - This is a compilation of the highlights of this season's video blogs.

Wild Ride: On the Set with Peter Fonda (7:33) - This featurette focuses on guest star Peter Fonda, who plays a grizzled ex-cop named William Hunt in the final two episodes of the season. Interviews include Producer John Dove, Co-Executive Producer Trey Callaway, Peter Fonda, Gary Sinise and Hill Harper.

Gag Reel (2:38) - A montage of bloopers from this season, including a few bleeped out words.

This was a season of change for CSI: NY. They were moved a new day and time of Fridays at 9pm. Melina Kanakaredes left the show after six seasons and was replaced by Sela Ward. Sela Ward's character brought a new dimension and more humor to the show. I think a new character always helps re-energize the writers and cast. They celebrated their 150th episode this season. Memorable episodes included "Unfriendly Chat," "Damned If You Do," "Identity Crisis," "Life Sentence," and "Exit Strategy." Peter Fonda was a great guest star in the final two episodes of the season.

The special features on this set are entertaining and informative. It's great to see all of the main cast members participate in them. This is a rare set in the CSI franchise that doesn't have any audio commentaries, but they made up for it with the additional featurettes. I think the Under the Microscope behind-the-scenes video blogs were particularly interesting. They are bite-sized featurettes and interviews that last only a few minutes, but they get the job done. It's nice that they've continued to post them on the CBS.com Official Site for the current season.

(4/5 stars)

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As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are certain to be in for a period of no/slow news weeks. And this week, unfortunately, is one of those. But nonetheless, we are here for you with the news that we do have, including some special deals for bargain hunters out there, and reviews of CSI NY - The Sixth Season and Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

As we mentioned, it has been a very slow news week, perhaps one of our slowest ever here at Digital Digest. The only real news that we have for this week is a date for the fourth season of Spin City from Shout! Factory. Spin City - Season Four (Michael J. Fox's final season) is set for release on February 11 at a $39.97 MSRP. No other details are known at this time, but it doesn't seem that there will be any special features on the set. We'll let you know if that changes.

One last little tidbit about Shout! Factory... Brian Ward has hinted that some 50s/60s TV series have recently been acquired by Shout! Factory on their forum on the website. He won't say which ones (as they have not been officially announced yet), but we are, of course, waiting in anticipation!

We always like to do a little something to make up for slow news weeks here, so if you want to catch up on some older releases that you may not have picked, we're going to tell you where you can get them... cheaply! In the past week, many CBS Home Entertainment products have been making an appearance in the clearance shelves of Big Lots, at $6 a set! Not all stores seem to have these in stock (yet), but shoppers from all parts of the country have been reporting in various online forums finding series such as C.S.I., C.S.I. NY, C.S.I. Miami, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, 90210 (The CW reprisal), Cheers, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Bosom Buddies, The Brady Bunch and literally countless other series for just $6 a season! If you can find these deals, you'll want to jump in on them, for sure! You can check out our thread from the message boards on these deals here.

It is also worth noting that another retailer, Target, will be selling Scrubs - The Complete Ninth and Final Season, for $9.99 beginning on Sunday. But if you own one of the many other recent releases from ABC Studios, you may be able to own this DVD set for free! How, you ask? Many of the ABC Studios releases from August and September include a coupon for $10 off select other DVD sets, and Scrubs is among those! So, if you own the most recent releases of Desperate Housewives or Ugly Betty, check to see if you have that coupon, so that you can pick up your free copy of Scrubs - The Complete Ninth and Final Season!

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (November 16) has a decent slate of DVD sets, beginning with Shout! Factory's release of Mister Ed - The Complete Fourth Season. This set will only be available as a Shout! Factory exclusive, and will not be a general retail release. We'll also be seeing the highly anticipated Warner Archive Classic TV Christmas Collection, containing episodes from classic TV series that have not yet been released on DVD. CBS Home Entertainment will be releasing Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2, which we will review today in Digital Digest. For those of you who are Blu-ray fanatics, The Twilight Zone - Season Two will be coming out in Blu-ray on Tuesday, and if you thought the DVDs of the series were great, the Blu-ray sets are even more amazing. And finally, for fans of The Office, there is Universal's The Office - Overtime Digital Shorts Collection, which contains all of the online digital shorts from the hit series that have been online (so far, anyway).


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



DVD Review: CSI: NY - The Sixth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $62.99)
by Todd Fuller

In this riveting collection episodes from the explosive sixth season of CSI: NY, the shadowy streets of New York have never been darker -- or the crimes bloodier. Detective Mac Taylor (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Gary Sinise) and his forensics crew match wits with sinister new serial killer Hollis Eckhart (Skeet Ulrich), who leaves behind compasses as his deadly calling card. The team joins forces with the Las Vegas and Miami divisions to crack a terrifying, sadistic crime network. And team members Stella (Melina Kanakaredes), Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo), Sheldon (Hill Harper), Lindsay (Anna Belknap) and Flack (Eddie Cahill) come to terms with their own lives, loves, and dark secrets.

This 7-disc set contains all 23 episodes (plus 2 crossover CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami episodes) from the sixth (2009-10) season of the long-running crime drama. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo audio (Spanish Stereo is also available). It has a total running time of approximately 16 hours, 17 minutes. The attractive packaging has a photo of Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes on the cover, with part of New York City in the background. There is an embossed CSI: NY logo at the top of the box. After using Digipak packaging for previous seasons, they've switched to a cardboard box that holds a clear plastic snapcase. Eddie Cahill, Hill Harper, Melina Kanakaredes, Gary Sinise, Anna Belknap and Carmine Giovinazzo are pictured on the back of the box. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are given. There is a clear plastic snapcase that slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The snapcase has the same cover art, photos and information as the cardboard box. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator in the back panel which lists the episodes and the special features on the inside cover. Discs 1-6 are held back-to-back in plastic trays, while Disc 7 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs are just silver, with the CSI: NY logo on them. As an added nice touch, they included the Crime Scene: Do Not Cross tape around the packaging.

The menus are stylish and easy to navigate. There is a series of previews for some other CBS DVD/Paramount TV DVD releases and the CSI: Fatal Conspiracy game which you can play or skip. The main menu opens with some aerial views of New York City that lead to a montage of video clips from the show. A great instrumental cue by composer Bill Brown plays in the background and then the sequence loops. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1) and the various special features by disc. You can choose either English 5.1 Surround or Español audio on the Set Up Menu. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes, but some of the special features are not rated any may not be closed captioned. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. They do a lot of nighttime shooting and make the show look dark and like a theatrical film. There is no disclaimer on the back of the box about any of the episodes possibly being edited. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. Running times are between 40-43 minutes in length.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 601 "Epilogue" (42:08)
Episode 602 "Blacklist" (Featuring "Gravedigger") (43:35)
Episode 603 "Lat 40 Degrees 47' N / Long 73 Degrees 58' W" (41:58)

Disc 2
Episode 604 "Dead Reckoning" (42:39)
Episode 605 "Battle Scars" (42:33)
Episode 606 "It Happened To Me" (43:02)

Disc 3
CSI: Miami - Episode 807 "Bone Voyage" (43:50)
Episode 607 "Hammer Down" (41:44)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Episode 1008 "The Lost Girls" (44:13)
Episode 608 "Cuckoo's Nest" (43:40)

Disc 4
Episode 609 "Manhattanhenge" (40:19)
Episode 610 "Death House" (43:37)
Episode 611 "Second Chances" (43:26)
Episode 612 "Criminal Justice" (42:10)

Disc 5
Episode 613 "Flag on the Play" (42:45)
Episode 614 "Sanguine Love" (40:44)
Episode 615 "The Formula" (41:43)
Episode 616 "Uncertainty Rules" (43:42)

Disc 6
Episode 617 "Pot of Gold" (41:44)
Episode 618 "Rest in Peace, Marina Garito" (43:41)
Episode 619 "Redemptio" (42:17)
Episode 621 "Tales from the Undercard" (43:40)

Disc 7
Episode 620 "Unusual Suspects" (41:35)
Episode 622 "Point of View" (43:31)
Episode 623 "Vacation Getaway" (41:48)

A decent number of special features are spread out over the 7 discs. Once again, there are only 2 audio commentaries on this set like last season. They have really cut back on the number of them from previous seasons for all of the CSI franchise shows. No deleted scenes are included on this release. The 7 featurettes run about 70 minutes total in length. Here is the breakdown by disc:

Disc 1
Better Than Botox (3:57) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Peter M. Lenkov, Visual Effects Supervisor (Lola Visual Effects) Edson Williams and Visual Effects Artist (Lola Visual Effects) Brian Nugent. They talk about the idea for this episode, the flashback scenes and how they made Gary Sinise look younger. Some original and final composite shots are shown for comparison.

Disc 3
Leaving Las Vegas: Langston Heads East (23:29) - This featurette was also available on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami releases. It details the triple crossover event. They started out in Miami, moved to New York and finished in Las Vegas. Inteviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fishburne, Co-Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Mark Dube, Director/Producer (CSI: Miami) Sam Hill, David Caruso, Omar Benson Miller, Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Barry O'Brien, Christian Clemenson, Emily Procter, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise.

East Coast Heroes (3:53) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Executive Producer Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fisburne and Gary Sinise. They discuss the first meeting between Ray Langston (Laurence Fisburne) and Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), filming in New York at the Statue of Liberty and the East Coast War Memorial, and the character's backgrounds.

Disc 4
Audio Commentary by Director Norberto Barba & Production Designer Vaughan Edwards on "Death House"

A Killer House (8:55) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Special Effects Coordinator David Kelsey, Production Designer Vaughan Edwards, Set Decorator Cindy Coburn, Technical Advisor Bill Haynes, Hill Harper and Melina Kanakaredes. They talk about the idea for the episode, the special effects, the booby traps, and the production design of the various rooms.

Disc 6
Audio Commentary by Executive Producer and Writer Pam Veasey and Director Allison Liddi-Brown on "Rest in Peace, Marina Garito"

Disc 7
Creation of a Crime Scene (7:20) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes, Techical Advisor Bill Haynes, Gary Sinise, Co-Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Special Effects Coordinator David Kelsey and Hill Harper. They talk about how they create the crime scenes, how the blood is splattered, and the various kinds of blood they use depending on the scene.

Seeing Stars (11:41) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Vanessa Minnillo, Kim Kardashian, Nelly, Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Eddie Cahill, Pat Monahan, Hill Harper and Danica Patrick. This highlights some of the celebrity guest stars for this season.

A Closer Examination: Dr. Sid Hammerback (9:06) - This featurette includes interviews with Robert Joy, Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Hill Harper, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise. They discuss how Robert Joy got the role of the medical examiner, working with Robert Joy, the character of Sid and the challenges hs faced this season.

The show has slipped a bit in the ratings the last few seasons, but it still is enjoyable and they are always coming up with fresh and interesting storylines. Some of my favorite episodes this season were "Epilogue," "Hammer Down," "Death House," "Criminal Justice," and "Uncertainty Rules." It was sad this was the last season of Melina Kankaredes. She was in many of the special features for this release, so her departure from the show seemed like it was a bit unexpected. Sela Ward has been a fine addition to the cast as Det. Jo Danville. CBS moved the show to Friday nights at 10pm ET/PT, so check out seventh season on the new day.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller

(4/5 stars)

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If you've been charged with murder, you need an attorney, and a good one at that. And who better to defend you than the master himself, Perry Mason? The classic legal drama is back on DVD with the second installment of the fifth season with Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2.

DVD Review: Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2
by skees53

Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2 (CBS DVD, $49.99) shows how the justice system works for fifteen more wrongfully accused defendants who have been accused of the most serious crimes. In every single case, a defendant is brought before the criminal justice system in a case where all of the evidence clearly points to the defendant being guilty as charged. But enter Perry Mason, who knows that his client is innocent, and always has a way to prove it. And in this four disc set, Mason successfully defends all of his clients.

The set begins with "The Case of the Shapely Shadow," where a secretary is accused of killing her boss over a briefcase full of money. A furniture maker is accused of killing a con artist who promised to build a children's hospital in "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark." A mine foreman ends up dead when the mine runs dry in "The Case of the Mystified Miner." A case of entrapment ends with murder in "The Case of the Crippled Cougar." A comic strip artist is killed in the midst of a romantic breakup in "The Case of the Absent Artist."
A husband suspects that his new wife has killed his first wife and contemplates revenge (which, of course, backfires) in "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman." In "The Case of the Angry Astronaut," a military general is murdered, and a fired astronaut is the prime suspect. Burt Reynolds guest stars in "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank." One of Perry's friend's is accused of murder in "The Case of the Ancient Romeo." A sleazy TV producer is killed and a budding TV writer is accused of the murder in "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox."

Each episode is unedited once again, without any of the typical CBS Home Entertainment disclaimers. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "The Case of the Shapely Shadow" (50:52)
2. "The Case of the Captain's Coins" (50:51)
3. "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark" (50:51)
4. "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost" (50:53)

Disc 2:
5. "The Case of the Poison Pen-Pal" (50:53)
6. "The Case of the Mystified Miner" (50:51)
7. "The Case of the Crippled Cougar" (50:55)
8. "The Case of the Absent Artist" (50:52)

Disc 3:
9. "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman" (50:53)
10. "The Case of the Angry Astronaut" (50:53)
11. "The Case of the Borrowed Baby" (50:54)
12. "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (50:54)

Disc 4:
13. "The Case of the Ancient Romeo" (50:55)
14. "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox" (50:51)
15. "The Case of the Lonely Eloper" (50:55)

The case is packaged in a standard Viva pack, with yet another photo of Perry Mason on the front with some still photos above him. Inside the case, there are the four discs, along with a listing of all of the episodes on each disc, with a description and original airdate for each episode. The disc artwork itself contains the series logo and a listing of all of the episodes on each disc. Each disc contains four episodes, except for Disc 4, which contains only three episodes.

There really aren't any issues with the video or audio, aside from some standard grain and debris here and there. This series always tends to shine on DVD, and that is great. As mentioned previously, there appear to be no edits either. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital mono, and the episodes contain English subtitles. This is a change from previous sets, which contained closed-captions, but no subtitles.

Sadly, there aren't any special features included on the set. I wouldn't expect any future sets to include any either. With all of the fans of the series out there (after all, there must be a lot, with this being the tenth release at a $50 MSRP), you would think that they could do something.

All in all, this is another great standard set of episodes, but as always, the half season model of releasing this series is getting frustrating! I am very anxious to see the remainder of the series, including the one where Perry actually loses a case, and the one color episode (although both have been released on the 50th Anniversary set), and it would be nice to see CBS Home Entertainment follow up with the Perry Mason movies that were made through the 80s and 90s. But for now, this set does justice for fans of Perry Mason, and is definitely worth owning.


(4/5 stars)

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LOOKING AHEAD

This hasn't been an exciting news week, and that is unfortunate, but we hope that you enjoyed our reviews, and we also hope that you can take advantage of the bargains that we mentioned today--good luck if you try to find them (your mileage may vary!). In the meantime, we'll be back next week with more news and reviews in Digital Digest. So until then, keep it digital!