Well, our Holiday Guides were so effective and so popular, that we figured we should do some more of these things. Therefore, welcome to the first of our Extreme Non-Holiday Shopping Guides. Because, let's face it, you have to buy stuff for people all the year round. And just like coffee, we'll always be there for you.

So above and beyond simple Recommendations comes...The Extreme Shopping Guide. Go to, go to.

The people at Joyride Studios bring you these two kickass diecast cars from everybody's favorite goofball anime, Speed Racer. And when I say bring them...they really are. The Mach 5, for example: it's a 1:18 scale car that comes with all of the nifty Mach 5 gadgets. You get the periscope, the "ion jacks," the hood flips forward to open with a replica of the car's engine inside, the rotating saw blades pop out from under the front, the doors actually open and more. Plus: a Chim Chim figure. There's also the Shooting Star, car of Racer X. Also diecast and 1:18, it comes with a spring-loaded periscope, telescopic arm with claw, and opening doors. Rock.

Okay, so I'm a bit biased about this series. And yes, when I'm watching the DVDs here at headquarters and people walk by, they generally listen to about two minutes of dialogue, shake their heads and walk off. But you have to understand the historical significance of Robotech, at least from my perspective: it was the first animated show I had ever seen in which people died and stayed dead. It was the first to have an interracial relationship. It was the first to treat the characters with any real depth. It was a far cry from Superfriends, okay? Well, ADV is releasing boxed sets that are exactly what the titles say: remastered with pretty sweet new video and audio. And even the Widgeman with his embarrasingly non-home-theatre setup at home could tell the difference between these and the previous Legacy collections. For the fan of the series, like myself, you could really treat them to something with this. And bonus, the second and third sets come with three-inch tall toys that actually change modes from fighter to robot. It's no substitute for the bonus stuff that came with the Legacy sets, but hey--toys, man!

Well, at DreamCon we depressed everybody by talking about the death of the Muppets. And I'm not here to tell you it's not so. However, lots of people have cool things to remember our friends by, and any Henson fan will want to grab a bunch of them. Take, for instance, the Series 5 busts from Sideshow Collectibles. Since their names are on each pedastel, there's no need for me to introduce them--like they need any introduction regardless. But I will point your attention to the positively kickass sculpts on these things. Sideshow is no stranger to nailing sculpts and they do so again here. From the little details like Dr. Teeth's rings and garb to the big details like Crazy Harry's plunger (my personal favorite bust of the lot, go figure), they're winners. Grab them individually by clicking on the pics, or surprise the hell out of your giftee by grabbing the lot. There's only three thousand of each bust made, so act now or weep in your coffee forever.

Amazingly, there are some of these things left. So snag them now, for yourself and your friends. I'm serious as a heart attack. We should all thank the gods for Leonard Maltin. He's the guy who went to Disney and said, "Hey, stop wrecking your company for a minute and let me into your vaults. You're sitting on a gold mine of animation history." Okay, well, he didn't say those exact words. I might be embellishing a bit. But regardless of what he said, he got results, okay? Here we have the third series of Walt Disney Treasures, each a limited, numbered edition and each served up in a collectible tin. Here, you get the first volume of Donald, featuring thirty-six shorts from 1934-41, and you can watch Donald with subtitles! Sweet! Plenty of commentary by Maltin to put politically incorrect stuff into the proper historical context. You also have the second volume of Mickey, with eighteen shorts, plus "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (with some deleted animation), "Mickey and the Beanstalk," "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (finally on DVD and intact), "The Prince and the Pauper," and "Runaway Brain." Not to mention a slew of extras. The On the Front Lines collection contains all of the work Diz did during World War II, including the feature-length Victory Through Air Power and "Der Fuhrer's Face." This is all the stuff you've heard about but probably only seen glimpses of, if anything. Finally, the Tomorrowland set contains all the Ward Kimball space bits along with other shorts, along with a Bradbury interview and more. All the video in these sets is amazingly crisp and clear and...did I mention they're limited edition? I'm serious, they will be gone. Go now.

Well, the Aliens vs. Predator movie is incoming and that's still up in the air. But if you've got fans of the contenders in that contest, then McFarlane Toys has some suggestions for you. From the original flicks, they've taken the figures they initially released as part of their Movie Maniacs line and revamped them with new paint, accessories and parts. So here come these four figures out of that, and they're pretty damn sweet. First up, there's the original Alien from the film of the same name. Comes complete with a new facehugger base and cute little facehuggers as well. Then you've got the Warrior Alien figure, from Aliens. This one comes with brand new paint job from previous figures as well as everything new but the torso. You've got the Predator from the original flick as well, and this comes with my favorite accessory of this lot: the skull and spine of one of his victims. Nice, eh? We're linked up to a regular version up top, but specialty versions have a bloody spine and skull so watch for those. Lastly, it's the Predator from the sequel, and he's got a detachable hand, medical kit, skull trophy, flintlock pistol and more.

Fans of these shows may not have picked up the boxed sets for a number of reasons. Maybe they don't have the coin handy. Maybe they don't know the sets are out. Whatever the reason, help them out. Take Cheers, for example: all twenty-five third season episodes are here, including the introduction of Dr. Frasier Crane. It's also the last set with Nicholas Colasanto as "Coach," for he passed away after this season. You also get some clip montages and a tour of the set with the art director. Speaking of Frasier, his third season is here, complete with all twenty-four episodes, interviews with Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce, a convo with the art director, and a featurette on all the celebrity caller voices--plus more. Lastly, even though CSI: Miami started out a bit shaky, there are folks who will swear by it. Throw them the first season. They'll be pleased with having all twenty-five episodes, along with some audio commentaries and featurettes.