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“Family Guy lives! That's great news for the devoted fans who watched in record numbers the reruns on Cartoon Network and made the Family Guy DVDs bestsellers. It's bad news for Mel Gibson, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, Rob Schneider, Skeet Ulrich, Corey Haim, My Two Dads, and other pop-culture detritus this show's writers take infinite delight in kicking when they're down (or up, for that matter). The long, long, awaited fourth season begins with a bravado broadside at Fox, which canceled Family Guy in 2002. Peter Griffin (voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane) recites a litany of 29 doomed replacement shows beginning with Dark Angel and ending with Greg the Bunny. From there, it's like the Griffins never left. The 13 episodes are just as dense with bodily function jokes, surreal nonsense, gratuitous pop-culture references (the more obscure, the better), and edgier gags that recklessly cross the line on any number of levels ("Maybe I was wrong about you," Jodie Foster says to John Hinckley in the episode, "Model Misbehavior." "Maybe I was wrong about all men.").

The new season rewards longtime viewers with appearances by such series icons as the Greased-Up Deaf Guy and the Evil Monkey in Chris's closet, and makes no concessions to newcomers to the show (who will no doubt be scratching their heads over the more than two-and-a-half-minute digression in "Blind Ambition," in which Peter's nemesis, the Giant Chicken, returns to continue the smackdown that started in the season 2 episode "Da Boom." In "World Domination: The Family Guy Phenomenon," one of the bonus features included on this three-disc set, MacFarlane proclaims these new shows to be "the best we've done." A bold claim, but often enough, one is laughing too hard to prove otherwise. One minute, Family Guy dazzles with inspired animation (In "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do," Chris reaches for a carton of milk at the supermarket and finds himself pulled in to A-ha's classic music video, "Take on Me"). The next, it's wallowing in vomit ("8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter"). In addition to the freewheeling episode commentaries, this set also includes a great bonus, excerpts of cast "table reads" of two episodes. Back to the "World Domination" featurette. MacFarlane states, "It's the first time since we've been doing (the show) that I think it's safe to say that we're here to stay for awhile." Are you listening, Fox? --Donald Liebenson”

“When an evil shadow stretches from the heart of Hyrule to its peaceful borderlands, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero within and stand tall in defense of his village. Lead Link and his beloved steed into battle against hordes of foul creatures with an incredible horseback combat system. The last ray of hope for a dying realm, Link finds himself on an epic journey that will challenge him endlessly and transform him in ways unimaginable.”

“It's armored action at its best as Iron Man faces Ultimo; the Mandarin; the Titanium Man, the ever-popular communist menace; and more! Guest-starring S.H.I.E.L.D., the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk! Includes the first run of Iron Man's solo series! Collecting Tales of Suspense #73-99, Tales to Astonish #82, Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1 and Iron Man #1-11.”

“From the Sentinels and the Savage Land Mutates to Loki, Dormammu and Thanos, the Avengers prove the universe's worst is no match for their best! Magnetic mayhem and nuclear nostalgia! Featuring Golden Age guest-stars, mythic menaces and more! Plus: the Avengers-Defenders War and Hawkeye vs. Daredevil! Includes rare Marvel work by best-selling author Harlan Ellison! Collects Avengers (Vol. 1) #98-126, Daredevil (Vol. 1) #99, Defenders (Vol. 1) #8-11, Captain Marvel #33 & Giant-Size Avengers #1”

“The Avengers continues to be one of the hottest selling titles in the comics industry. In thanks, we`ve given readers the opportunity to catch up on more of the classic stories that made them legends in The Essential Avengers Volume 3, with over two years worth of some of the greatest comic stories ever told at one of the best values ever! See the Avengers fight their greatest adversaries: the Grim Reaper, Ultron and the new Masters of Evil! Thrill to the exploits of Earth`s Mightiest Heroes as they welcome the Black Knight, Yellowjacket and the Vision into their midst! Each Essential volume provides a hefty 500 page-plus page count at an affordable price!”

“The Avengers continues to be one of the hottest selling titles in the comics industry. In thanks, we`ve given readers the opportunity to catch up on more of the classic stories that made them legends in The Essential Avengers Volume 3, with over two years worth of some of the greatest comic stories ever told at one of the best values ever! See the Avengers fight their greatest adversaries: the Grim Reaper, Ultron and the new Masters of Evil! Thrill to the exploits of Earth`s Mightiest Heroes as they welcome the Black Knight, Yellowjacket and the Vision into their midst! Each Essential volume provides a hefty 500 page-plus page count at an affordable price!”

“There came a day, unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born -- to fight the foes no single hero could withstand. Featuring the formation of the Avengers, the revival of Captain America, and enemies such as the Sub-Mariner and Kang the Conqueror! Collects Avengers #1-24.”

“Experience the armored Avenger's earliest adventures - including classic confrontations with arch-foes Crimson Dynamo, the Mandarin, and the Titanium Man. Guest-starring the X-Men, Captain America, and the Black Widow.”

“The great inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is one of the best-known and most controversial advocates for the role of machines in the future of humanity. In his latest book, he envisions an event—the "singularity"—in which technological change becomes so rapid and so profound that our bodies and brains will merge with our machines. The Singularity Is Near portrays what life will be like after this event— a human- machine civilization where our experiences shift from real reality to virtual reality and where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful. In practical terms, this means that human aging and pollution will be reversed; world hunger will be solved; our bodies and environment transformed by nanotechnology to overcome the limitations of biology, including death; and virtually any physical product can be created from information alone. The Singularity Is Near also considers the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes, and is certain to be one of the most widely discussed and provocative books of 2005.”