Pop Culture Safari!

CD new releases Sept. 9, 2009: Beatles, Beatles, Beatles! And more!

New CDs of note this week. Click the links to order discounted titles from Amazon.

Here Comes Science (Amazon.com Exclusive) [CD/DVD] by They Might Be Giants

Abbey Road (Remastered) by The Beatles

Revolver (Remastered) by The Beatles

The White Album (Remastered) by The Beatles

Rubber Soul (Remastered) by The Beatles

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered) by The Beatles

Let It Be (Remastered) by The Beatles

Magical Mystery Tour (Remastered) by The Beatles

A Hard Day's Night (Remastered) by The Beatles

Past Masters (Remastered) by The Beatles

Help! (Remastered) by The Beatles

Please Please Me (Remastered) by The Beatles

With The Beatles (Remastered) by The Beatles

Beatles For Sale (Remastered) by The Beatles

Yellow Submarine (Remastered) by The Beatles

Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo

The Stone Roses 20th Anniversary (2CD/1 DVD Deluxe Edition) by Stone Roses

Heartbeat Radio by Sondre Lerche

Let's Change the World With Music by Prefab Sprout

A Strange Arrangement [CD + 4.5" LP] by Mayer Hawthorne

Theme Time Radio Hour: Season 2 - With Your Host Bob Dylan (2CD) by Various Artists

Haih Or Amortecedor by Os Mutantes

A Solitary Man: The Early Songs Of Neil Diamond by Various Artists

The Laurie Records Story, Vol. 3: Girls and Girls Groups by Various Artists

DVD new releases Sept. 8, 2009

New DVD releases of note this week. Click the title links to order discounted disks from Amazon.

The Office - Season Five

Fringe: The Complete First Season

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland

That Hamilton Woman- Criterion Collection

Groucho Marx Collection: You Bet Your Life

Bob Clampett's Beany And Cecil, Vol. 2

Vintage comic book ads: Eveready batteries

Pop links: Black Adder writers scripts Doctor Who! Wizard of Oz screens online! Batman Brave and the Bold figures! Beatles galore!

Richard Curtis, creator of "The Black Adder," is set to pen an episode of "Doctor Who."

Dad of three Richard confessed that he signed up for Doctor Who in a bid to impress his kids who are massive fans of the Time Lord.

He said: "It's tremendously good fun and a treat for my children.

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More Doctor Who: A bit of nice sharity.

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Netflix will stream the newly restored print of "The Wizard of Oz" online, for free Oct. 3.

The film, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and to be reissued later this month by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, can be instantly streamed for free for 24 hours, from 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, October 3 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern the following day, by visiting www.netflix.com/wizardofoz

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These are fun: "Batman: Brave and the Bold" Action League figures coming from Mattel.

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You may have heard: Long-awaited remasters of the complete Beatles catalog are out this week! Get all the latest news--and get video links to two new BBC TV documentaries about the Beatles--at our all-things-Fab sister site: Beatles Blog Daily!

Pulp Picture Parade: Science Fiction Adventures magazine covers

Robert E. McGinnis paperback covers

Pop links: Simon and Kirby! Beach Boys! Crime comics! Sergio Aragones! Frazetta! Tom Baker! Tintin!

Check out a vintage Simon and Kirby-produced crime story.

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Read a batch of Crime Does Not Pay stories with work by Dick Briefer,Fred Guardineer, Charles Biro and others.

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The Ventura County Star profiles Mad genius Sergio Aragones.

“Like pain,” Aragonés said in thick accent, “laughter is inside of a person. It’s as natural as hunger.

“I’m thinking and laughing all day long,” he continued. “Every time I think of a joke, I’m also telling myself a new joke. It’s a great way to live.”

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According to singer Mike Love, the surviving Beach Boys (I'm assuming that means Brian Wilson, Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnson) will do a 50th anniversary performance in 2011. PBS is also considering an "American Masters" show about the band.

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Speaking of Beach Boys, Times Online reviews his recent performance at the London Roundhouse.

Wilson was in a jokey mood, noting that it was unusual for him to be playing a venue in which the audience were not provided with seats. “If I don’t get a standing ovation for this one . . .” he said sternly, before playing Wouldn’t It Be Nice. He dedicated Girl Don’t Tell Me, an old Beach Boys B-side with a distinct Beatles influence, to John Lennon.

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More crime comics! Here's one illustrated by the great Frank Frazetta.

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Shirley Jones will appear as her real-life stepson David Cassidy's mom--just as she did on "The Partridge Family"--on an episodes of ABC Family's upcoming "Ruby and the Rockets" series Sept. 15.

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Tom Baker talks about his return to the role of Doctor Who for an upcoming BBC radio drama.

Playing the role is easier than putting on an old pair of boots. I said that I never stopped being Doctor Who — not when I walked off the set every day in the ’70s and not since I left the show. I said ‘never’ and I mean it. How could I stop? The Doctor was just Tom Baker. No acting. So, when it came time to record [Hornet's Nest], I just dropped into the studio and picked up the script and away we went. Just like the old days.

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Looks like Steven Spielberg is really getting into the spirit of things directing his upcoming Tintin film.