TOP PICK – VIDEO GAME
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
(LucasArts)
These games always score because they combine Legos and Star Wars — two of our all-time favorite obsessions. They snag bonus points because they're so much fun to play. The third game in the series (for all major platforms) centers on The Clone Wars, with tons of collectibles and cool new playing modes. Plus, it's a really funny game — especially if you're a Star Wars nerd.
CD
Cornershop & the Double 'O' Groove Of
(Ample Play)
The latest album by these funky, artsy Brits features vocals (all in Punjabi) by Bubbley Kaur. It makes sense, since Cornershop are best known for "Brimful of Asha," a tribute to another Indian singer. The record is a typically mixed work, bouncing between electronic club beats and skittering global music. Kaur nimbly glides on top of it all with her soft, fragile voice.
DVD
Mad Men Season Four
(Lionsgate)
One of television's best shows (and the No. 1 reason we'd start smoking again) intentionally skidded into the mid-'60s in its excellent fourth season, throwing the ad agency at the center of it into a tailspin. This four-disc set includes all 13 episodes, plus a bunch of cool bonus features — on divorce, the 1964 election, and the Ford Mustang — that put the era in perspective.
DVD
Roger Corman's Cult Classics Double Feature
(Shout! Factory)
Jackson County Jail, a 1976 exploitation flick about an ad exec who ends up in small-town hell, isn't bad. But it's the second feature, Caged Heat, that you gotta see. The 1974 movie — about bad girls, a crappy prison, a sadistic female warden, and electroshock experiments — marks The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme's debut. He even offers commentary.
CD
Simon and Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water 40th Anniversary
(Columbia/Legacy)
The duo's last, and best, album celebrates its 40th anniversary with a two-disc set. You should know the classic album by now, so head straight to the DVD, which includes The Harmony Game, a new feature-length documentary about the album. It also includes Songs of America, a revealing 1969 TV special that pissed off sponsors because of its anti-war message.
