VIDEOGAME -- Black: There's really no mistaking the intent when one of a game's five rules declares that "guns are the stars" and another suggests, "Get creative with your kills." Players aren't rewarded for their stealth on this controversy-magnet (for the PS2 and Xbox); they're pretty much expected to blast through anything that gets in their way. Critics have already decried Black's game play as "gun porn." Which is yet another reason to love this first-person shooter.
DVD -- Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered: Hot on the lips of last year's Inside Deep Throat comes this probing look at the 1978 porn classic about a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader's off-field exploits. Boogie Nights fans will recognize the usual cast of characters: drug fiends, performers after a quick buck, and Mafia moneymen. But the real story here is that of star Bambi Woods, who had only one scene in the movie and mysteriously disappeared afterward. Talk about in and out . . .
BOOK -- The L Word: Welcome to Our Planet: This companion volume to pay cable's best hour-long series about impossibly gorgeous Los Angeles lesbians includes interviews with the show's cast and creators. It also features a complete episode guide to the Showtime program's two seasons (and a look at the upcoming third one). Best, however, are more than 250 behind-the-scenes pics of the show's stars (like Jennifer Beals and Erin Daniels). Being a gay woman has never been so enticing.
CD -- Singles and Sessions 1979-81: Forgotten U.K. band Delta 5 emerged from the same jagged art-rock scene as Gang of Four and the Mekons, and its music is similarly serrated and danceworthy. This collection of 16 tracks (including a John Peel BBC session) from the band's too-short career serves as a solid primer. It's only a matter of time before the next Franz Ferdinand rips them off.
DVD -- The Zen of Screaming: Think all that rock-star vocal shredding comes naturally? No way. N.Y.C. instructor Melissa Cross shows metalheads and emo kids alike how to make some noise. This hilarious disc profiles Cross at work, teaching folks like Andrew WK how to scream in tune. Now you too can shout at the devil, thanks to Cross' detailed lessons.
COURTESY FLUSH, PLEASE -- Undiscovered: While it's not nearly as embarrassing as that jig she did on Saturday Night Live a couple years back, Ashlee Simpson's first feature role in this rote entertainment-industry drama (now out on DVD) does her no favors. Then again, the entire faceless cast suffers from a weak script and even more puny staging. It makes The Dukes of Hazzard, sis Jessica's movie vehicle from last year, look like The French Connection.
