All-American Girl - 3:32pm

The dream of every red-blooded, (heterosexual) American boy in suburbia, The Girl Next Door will hit DVD on August 24th from Fox Home Entertainment. Starring the sexy Elisha Cuthbert, the box office bomb is due for release in separate R-rated and Unrated edition, each is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1 surround and includes an audio commentary with director Luke Greenfield, a subtitle trivia track and theatrical trailers. The Unrated version also drops the optional 4:3 full screen version on the R-rated release in favor of an additional audio commentary with actors Emile Hirsch and Cuthbert, the "Eli XXXperience" and "A Look Next Door" featurettes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a still gallery, and uncut "dirty" theatrical trailers. Retail will be $27.95 whichever version you choose.

Magic Carpet Ride - 1:20pm

Walt Disney Home Video has just announced the full specs for two of their biggest releases of 2004, both already announced.

Debuting on October 5th for the first time ever is Aladdin, which will of course get the Disney Platinum Collection treatment. "A Whole New World of Picture and Sound!", the film will include the deleted song "Proud of Your Boy" reintegrated back into the feature (a la The Lion King and Beauty & the Beast) and a THX-certified, family-friendly 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 "Enhanced Home Theater" remix.

The extensive extras include two audio commentaries with the filmmakers (participants not specified), a pop-up Fun Facts Track, deleted scenes, "The Making of Aladdin" documentary that is accessible directly or via an extended branching version that allows you to delve off into areas of interest, an "Aladdin Art Review" with animators giving you key audio insight into the conceptualization and animation process; the Virtual DVD Ride: Aladdin's Magic Carpet" interactive game, additional "Bizarre Bazaar" game, the "Inside the Genie's Lamp" 3-D tour, also with an interactive game, "Genie's Magical Journey" short that expands upon the film's original end credit sequence, multiple music videos including a new version of "A Whole New World" by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, theatrical trailers and extensive still galleries with concept art, sketches, unused animation and advertising materials, and the usual Disney Song Selection access feature. List price will go for $29.95 rubies.

And diehard fans can also pick up the $79.95 Aladdin Special Edition Collector's DVD Gift Set, which includes the Platinum Edition release plus all-new sketches by the original animators, a highly collectible film frame from the movie and the exclusive DVD Companion Book.

Hit stores three weeks later on October 26th is a new two-disc reissue of Mulan. Also presented in THX-certified, family-friendly 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French, Spanish and Mandarin surround tracks, the extras are copious. Fans can feast upon the never-before-heard deleted song "Keep 'Em Guessing," an audio commentary with the filmmakers (participants not specified), deleted scenes including an alternate ending, the "Disney Pedia: Mulan's World" featurette, three music videos, "Mulan Fun Facts" trivia, and a whole second disc worth's of documentary material broken into multiple parts: "The Journey Begins," "Story Artists Journey," "Design," "Production," "Music" and "International Mulan." Other extras include early presentation reels, storyboard-to-film comparisons, extensive still galleries with concept art, pencil sketches, unused animations and advertising materials, and finally theatrical trailers. Retail will list for $29.95.

Gore Galore - 3:32pm

Oooh, scary! Paramount Home Entertainment has announced their September lineup of new thrillers and chillers, just in time for Halloween. Due on September 14th is the Agatha Christie classic Murder on the Orient Express, along with the horror-thrillers Bug, Body Parts, I Married a Monster from Outer Space and the hilarious Orca: The Killer Whale. All are remastered in anamorphic widescreen and feature no extras, and will retail for $14.95 a pop.

Alas, the news is not all good in September. Horror fans will have to wait one more week for the bloody exploits of Jason Voorhees, as Paramount has pushed back the release of the new Friday the 13th box set from September 28th to October 5th. Stay tuned for further details in the next couple of weeks.

Other September Paramount titles include Eddie Murphy: Raw and a new two-disc special edition of Star Trek: Generations on September 7th, as well as a Collector's Edition reissue of the Kevin Bacon 80's classic Footloose on September 28th. While the Murphy concert film will feature an anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, no extras and a $14.95 list price, the specs for Generations and Footloose have not yet been released, aside from a $19.95 retail price. Watch this space...

But wait, there's more from Paramount this summer. For you classic fans, Paramount will also unleash six romantic favorites on August 31st. Swoon to remastered transfers and no extras for The Black Orchid, Broadway Bill, Come Back Little Sheba, The Country Girl, Desire Under the Elms, The Rose Tattoo and The White Dawn. Retail will cost you $14.95 a pop.