Fair warning, this comedy is much shorter than I was originally led to believe. The cover of this disc gives the deceitful impression that you audience will be treated to at least three performances and one host; however, as it turns out you must read the fine print, as this disc is merely Part 1. I am usually an advocate of the saying leave the people wanting more; however, that saying only applies when you have sufficiently hooked the audience, which this stand-up special fails to do, making the possibility of engaging in Part 2 very unlikely.

The first downfall for this special comes from the format, as the performances of the host as well as the comedian (the host is also a comedian; however, evidence of that remains unseen) are intercut between a recurring skit as well as what appears to be a tutorial in slang. The skit does prove to be entertaining in the first and last incarnation; however, its placement between comedy sets at first make it more of a nuisance than anything else. It would have likely been better received as a preshow or an aftershow addition rather than chopped up and injected throughout the runtime.

by Dustin P. Anderson

In case you are unfamiliar with the over all Transformers mythos, allow me to regale you for a spell. The Transformers are an alien race of sentient, transforming robots that have crash-landed on earth. After a long war with their bitter enemies the Decepticons on their home world of Cybertron, they find a new home here with human companions. Unfortunately, the Decepticons follow our intrepid heroes and bring the war from their home planet here to Earth as they search for the fuel of their race called Energon. In this collection of episodes, we are treated to the biggest, meanest enemies the Decepticons have ever created, and they prove to be some of the toughest battles for our heroes.

The Nanny ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1999, originally aired on CBS. It is just issuing season 4, which is kind of odd, but what can you do. The first three seasons were released from 2005 to 2009, and it looks like the entire series will soon be available. I'm not sure why they did it in such a staggered manner, but those people who are not satisfied until their collections are complete will finally be able to rest easy. The Nanny was known for celebrity stunt casting, so in Season 4 you can look for the likes of Donald Trump (circa 1996), Celine Dion, Jason Alexander, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Rosie O'Donnell (at the height of her talk show fame), Donald O'Connor, Robert Vaughn, Joan Collins, Rich Little, Monty Hall, John Astin, Sally Kirkland, Eartha Kitt, Nora Dunn, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart (as a boyfriend), Peter Scolari, Bette Midler, Ed Begley, Jr., Pamela Anderson (at the height of her infamy), Lainie Kazan, the cast of The Young and the Restless, Ivana Millicevic, and in multiple episodes as a therapist, the late Spalding Gray.

In case you are not familiar with show, it is best known for Fran Drescher, her raspy voice and adenoidal honk of a laugh as the the titular nanny. The theme song probably tells the story best. “She was working in a bridal shop in Flushing Queens / Till her boyfriend kicked her out in one of those crushing scenes. / What was she to do? Where was she to go? She was out on her fanny. / So over the bridge from Flushing, to the Sheffields' door. / She was there to sell makeup, but the father saw more. / She had style, she had flair, she was there. / That's how she became the Nanny!”

by Dustin P. Anderson

We join the residents of a small mountain town four years after they are stunned by the deaths of an entire class of children. One of these children has returned from the dead and shocks her family with a sudden appearance. She has no memory of the events that led to her death, nor does she remember anything about the afterlife. To her it’s just another day, and she is just waking up after a prolonged blackout. The family soon realizes that their daughter is not the only person to have returned from an alleged death, and questions soon arise as to how these people are suddenly coming back to life. Why is this happening? Why them? What are they here for?

Pop Life is a documentary concerning the role that drugs play in the world of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Clocking in at about 55 minutes, the documentary really doesn’t take up that much time, and it does have quite a bit of information it sifts through. The documentary is a great introduction to the idea that drugs are, and really always have been, something that closely intertwines with popular music culture (not just EDM).

The most intriguing thing about this documentary is the talking heads it uses. There are a lot of DJ’s, T-pain, concertgoers who use and don’t use, celebrity liaisons, as well as a string of doctors and a former DEA agent. This really brings out a lot of really great information from all sides of the drug use surrounding EDM, but as a result, it begins to lack direction. It is really hard to pin down exactly what the overarching message behind the documentary is, unless it is purely informational. If the only point of the documentary is to provide information about how closely drug and music culture can be intertwined, then it is really nothing new being said. However, the venue of EDM will aid in bringing the rather neutral awareness to a younger audience.