The first big summer blockbuster has been announced for DVD release, and it is the Roland Emmerich eco-friendly epic The Day After Tomorrow. Due for release on October 5th from Fox Home Entertainment, this $180-mllion grossing hit will get separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen special editions, each with two audio commentary tracks by Emmerich and the effects team, deleted scenes, trailers, and a ROM exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette and more. The release will also come housed in a limited edition lenticular cover, and retail will list for $29.95.

C-C-Changes - 11:37am

What would a day be without some Star Wars news? As fan anticipation for the upcoming DVD box set, due on September 21st, begins to reach near-fever pitch, the Lucasfilm PR machine is beginning to kick into overdrive. Fans will recall seeing the recent DVD trailer, but a new French DVD trailer has also been unveiled, which has mouths watering due to what have been described as noticeable CGI "enhancements" that were not in the 1997 Special Edition versions.

How much will Lucas really change this time around? We'll have to wait until September 21st to find out. But fans will recall that this is not the first time the digital pioneer has tinkered with his films, resulting in different video versions. (Check out our 2000 Cut List video comparison between short frame snippets of violence from the original Star wars for an example.)

As clips of the two trailers have been making the rounds on the Internet, we've added a link to a domestic-versus-French DVD trailer comparison to our Drive-In. Check it out here (http://www.dvdfile.com/interactive/drive_in/index.html) and see if you think all of the brouhaha is justified. Have your still-step button handy, and may the Force be with you.

Idiot Box - 11:37am
 
Following the recent high profile merger of Universal and NBC, Universal Studios Home Video has announced to the trades that the deal will make way for the studios most extensive TV on DVD offerings in the format's history.

At last due for release on DVD, beginning this fall, is a very aggressive slate of some of the biggest TV hits of the past two decades. Titles due to in time for the holidays include first season sets of Miami Vice, The Munsters, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery and Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories.

More recent TV programming also set to make its debut this year include Donald Trumps' mid-season smash The Apprentice, plus Las Vegas, starring James Caan, more Law & Order, the all-new version of Battlestar Galactica, and the telefilms Traffic and Spartacus. Street dates, specs and pricing have not yet been announced, but watch this space in the coming weeks for further details.