Classic TV on DVD Makes A Personalized Holiday Gift
The TV-shows-on-DVD landscape is changing. The economy is down, stores have less shelf space, and producers are being more cautious about what, and how much, they release into the marketplace.
And year after year, there are some omissions that frustrate me to no end. Where, oh where, is The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd with Blair Brown? Where are all those missing seasons of St. Elsewhere?
But rather than complain, like Scrooge, about what’s not around this year, I’m here to celebrate what is. There are a few releases I didn’t ever expect to see on DVD, and some special complete sets that would make great personalized gifts for the right person. So here we go — a fast romp through my recommended DVD holiday list, starting with a very welcome voice from TV’s past: Charles Kuralt.
If that name isn’t familiar, you won’t be as excited about Acorn Media’s On the Road with Charles Kuralt set as you should be. Beginning in the late ’60s, Kuralt and his crew traveled across America in a motor home, stopping in small towns in search of small but uplifting stories. It’s the kind of TV they really, truly don’t make any more — and they’re as sweetly nostalgic now, after all these years, as an old Norman Rockwell painting.
Another new DVD set collects TV that’s even older. The Golden Age of Television was a PBS series that ran about 25 years ago, presenting a small but stellar collection of live TV dramas that had been broadcast, in prime time, some 25 years before that. So we’re talking old, in TV terms. But we’re also talking great: Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight by Rod Serling. Bang the Drum Slowly, with Paul Newman. The Days of Wine and Roses, with Jack Lemmon. And from 1953, the first Golden Age drama to realize the full potential of live TV, Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty.
Rod Steiger starred in that drama as a lonely, middle-aged butcher who goes to a local dance hall in search of a possible date. He meets a woman there, all right — another lonely outcast, whom he’s just watched being dumped by her date in favor of someone more attractive. Marty asks the woman to dance, and they slowly, quietly connect. It’s a great, intimate scene — made even greater when you realize the young woman playing opposite Rod Steiger is Nancy Marchand, who would end up playing Tony Soprano’s horrible mother, Livia, on The Sopranos.
This is the first time this retrospective has been released on DVD, and it comes from Criterion, so it’s the full treatment: beautiful transfers, beautiful packaging, even an informative booklet. For anyone who cares about TV’s salad days, it’s the perfect gift.
For slightly younger TV fans, though, there are other choices. BBC Video has just released remastered, complete-series editions of two fabulously funny British comedy classics, loaded with new interviews and other bonus material. One is Blackadder, with Rowan Atkinson, showing every series and movie incarnation of that bizarre character study. And the other is Fawlty Towers with John Cleese, which I still consider one of the funniest TV series ever made.
Another quirky comedy series, closer to home, is the complete set of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. This is the show Shandling did for cable before The Larry Sanders Show, and the entire conceit of the series was an ahead-of-its-time satire of reality television. Even the theme song was hyper-aware of itself.
Other new complete sets this year include the sci-fi series Farscape, from A&E — a terrifically inventive and entertaining series, finally collected in one place. And perhaps the year’s biggest treat of all, Fox Home Entertainment’s nicely packaged complete-series set of Ally McBeal. This is a set that not only holds up, but seems just as fresh as before. Fans of writer-producer David E. Kelley, or of Brothers and Sisters star Calista Flockhart, will be especially happy with this one.
And finally, there’s Time-Life Video’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum collection, which gathers induction speeches, performances and jams from the Hall of Fame’s entire history — including many that have never been televised anywhere. The DVDs are set up so you can watch them in their entirety, or just go straight from one song to another.
And Time Life gives you another valuable option as well: the set comes as a nine-disc mammoth offering on the Internet, or with the first three discs, loaded with great music, available as a smaller, more affordable set in stores. That’s where you’ll hear, among other things, Crosby, Stills and Nash, with Tom Petty, performing Buffalo Springfield’s classic, “For What It’s Worth.”
For what it’s worth, I recommend this set, and all the others I mentioned, as being eminently gift-worthy.
Fairlane Town Center has gifts for everyone this holiday season
DEARBORN — If you’re looking to make a gift more memorable this holiday season, look no further than Fairlane Town Center, where you will find thoughtful keepsakes that will make lasting memories for years to come. personalized gifts presents from Fairlane are priceless, unique, and guaranteed to make everyone’s holiday season merry and bright.
For the Men
Dog tags for $20 from Things Remembered are a delightful way to show a special male in your life how much he means to you. The stainless steel face makes a unique canvas for a personalized message for a father, grandfather, brother, husband or son.
A creative gift for the sporty fellow is a NCAA throw from Things Remembered for $29.99. With personalized embroidery and your imagination, you can craft a slogan that will make his blanket a thoughtful, one-of-a-kind holiday gift.
Lids makes it easy to add a personal touch to his favorite hat. For just $9 per side, the embroidering possibilities are endless. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “my team.”
For the Ladies
At JC Penney, you can find a reversible picture frame pendant for $27.50, a beautiful gift for all of the extraordinary women in your life. Whether it’s for your mother, grandmother, sister or wife, each pendant comes engraved with a meaningful message. Just add your favorite photo to make it even more personal.
For a lady who has everything, Things Remembered offers a princess carriage water globe that plays “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella, the ultimate princess film. For $39.99, this ornately designed gift with pink trim has a place within the globe to display your favorite photo memory.
Icing by Claire’s makes it simple to find a personalized gift for that special girl in your life. For $16, a metallic leather wallet with a bejeweled initial zipper pull sets her apart from the crowd with this one-of-a-kind accessory. A coordinating handy handbag holder attaches to any table to keep her purse off the floor. The dangling initial decoration makes it fashionable as well as functional.
For the Home or Family
For $29.95, Hallmark offers a recordable version of the beloved holiday classic, The Night Before Christmas, which allows you to give the gift of your voice to loved ones near or far. The prerecorded prompts guide you through the recording process from start to finish, making it simple to read to your loved ones, even if you can’t be there in person.
Hallmark helps you personalize Christmas ornaments by adding a photo and a recorded message for only $18.95. A beautifully constructed monogrammed music box from Hallmark plays “What a Wonderful World” and is a timeless keepsake for the home. Available for $19.95, the glass casing on the top reveals a spot to display a photo or message, and the sizeable interior makes it perfect to store jewelry or mementos.
A sliding door oil burner from The Body Shop is $18.50 and allows you to scent the home to your liking. A split dish means you can burn two different oils simultaneously to customize your own fragrance. Add a handful of the store’s home fragrance oils, available for $7.50 each, and you have an aromatic gift for everyone to enjoy.
If you want to give a one-of-a-kind experience your loved one will never forget, stop by Ticketmaster, located at the Main Information Desk, to purchase tickets to a favorite show, concert or sporting event. This is one present that is certain to create lasting memories.
Fairlane Town Center is your destination for one-stop holiday shopping. With more than 160 stores, from Aeropostale and Coach to Foot Locker and Wet Seal, there is something for everyone on your list. When in doubt, a Fairlane Town Center gift card makes the perfect gift for people of all ages.
Business Christmas Ideas
Many of the businesses I know of have already send out the Christmas gifts to their clients and business partners. However, there are also some of those who take the “last minute” approach. We have compiled a list of ten sites that can deliver a Christmas greeting, and even a Christmas gift, in time for them.
Virtual Greetings: Not long ago, we reviewed Animoto for our readers. Animoto is an electronic greetings service – ideal for online based companies with a large user database (like StumbleUpon, Digg, etc). These companies could use Animoto’s Holiday Package to send branded virtual greetings to all their users. Since they are already Internet based, the approach would make sense, and it would also receive a high level of appreciation from their community. In addition, Animoto has apps for both iPhone and Facebook – an even broader choice spectrum for the smart marketer.
Business Gifts: There is a tremendously large offer of business gifts online. Among the most popular sites, Gifts.com has an extensive selection of office gifts. With only 19 days to Christmas, some of these are probably no longer available, or will not arrive in time. However, there are some candidates for “last minute” delivery among them, including wine of the month club packages, holiday baskets, personalized gifts, levitating globes and more.
Chocolate: Godiva is probably the most elegant candidate for a sweet Christmas present. Personalized messages are also available. Godiva presents are also available on Amazon, and the best way to ensure “in time” delivery is to send Godiva Gift Card Certificates
Wine: at The California Wine Club, Holiday gifts ordered now will be scheduled to arrive right before the holidays. The offer four club gift options: Premiere Club, Signature Series, International Selections and Aged Cabernet series. The club states that every wine featured in their collection is 100% guaranteed and comes from an authentic winery (no bulk wine, ever). A genuine gift that can’t be found in local stores, affordable and classy.
Gift baskets: The GourmetGiftBaskets.com sell their stunning handmade gift baskets made with award-winning, critically acclaimed gourmet foods at Amazon and on their site. This is by far the most reliable gift baskets retailer, and they still have products available for last minute delivery.
Trophies and awards: an interesting and unforgeable business gift idea, is to send a personalized award, medal or plaque. These can be ordered at Dinn Brothers Trophy. For orders placed online, Dinn Bros offer 48 hour (2 business days – not including the day the order is placed) rush service processing Monday-Friday. However, they exclude from this service custom products, so call 1-800-628-9657 before ordering if you want your gifts in time for Christmas.
Music: Aside the free MP3s available at Amazon, the popular online retailer offers a large selection of holiday music, including season classics like Andrea Bocelli, Bob Dylan, Jackson 5, etc.
Gift cards: again, the winner is Amazon. Businesses can use Amazon gift cards for corporate gifts, sales promotions, employee incentives, survey compensation, or customer acquisition, retention and loyalty programs. With an Amazon Corporate Account businesses can buy products in bulk, authorize multiple buyers, and download order history reports.
Cash: still a method preferred by many givers and receivers, although a bit “impersonal.” The gift of cash is at least a time saver for the giver, and it allows the receiver to purchase something she really likes. Western Union is the best, and fastest way to send instant cash premiums to those worthy employees. Unlike other forms of instant payment (like PayPal), Western Union delivers the money “in hand” – instant access.