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Larry Flynt is back.

Not that he ever went away, but his book, Sex, Lies and Politics promises to be a rabble rousing attack on the hypocrisies of American politics in general and the cronyism and incompetence of Bush in particular. The book is also a lament for the betrayed ideals of the American political system.

Flynt is a great character - a tireless campaigner for freedom of speech and one that, because of his business, causes immense discomfort for the sort of glib liberals that would otherwise wholeheatedly support his cause.

Political hypocrites have been warned.

The Return of the King is the final chapter of Peter Jackson’s epic multi Oscar-winning Epic.

Sauron prepares to unleash his army on the city of Minas Tirith while Frodo, Sam and Gollum continue the treacherous journey to Mount Doom. Meanwhile, Aragorn faces up to his responsibilities as a leader as the opposing armies prepare do battle to decide the fate of Middle-Earth…

And the extended edition of the DVD is almost here…

manga /mon-gah/ noun A type of Japanese comic book published in anthologized series, vastly popular in Japan among adults and widely influential on advertising, visual arts, and particularly the Anime film genre.

The influence of manga—a central figure in Japanese mainstream culture for decades—has begun to spread outside of Japan, making waves in the West and influencing not only comic designers, but also advertisers, filmmakers, and creative professionals in general. But why is manga so insanely popular? Why do the Japanese obsess over it, pushing weekly distribution figures into the millions? Inside this mega-guide you’ll get the skinny on the manga phenomenon and its superstars—both human and fictional—via 140 A to Z listings of the most talented and influential manga artists, from classic maestros—like Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astroboy) and Katsuhiro Otomo (creator of Akira)—to the hottest newcomers such as Reiko Okano and world famous artists like Hayao Miyazaki (creator of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away). Each entry includes biographical and bibliographical information, descriptions of main characters, and of course plenty of examples of the artist’s finest manga spreads and covers.

Bonus DVD includes:
• 3 interviews with cutting-edge manga artists (1 underground, 1 traditional, and 1 top artist)
• Tokyo manga shop tour: inside Tokyo’s coolest and biggest (up to 150,000 titles in one shop!)
• 900 manga covers

Riot at the Garden, written by author, wrestling historian and contributor to Pulpmovies (among others), Dale Pierce, has been re-released.

This publication deals with the history of Phoenix, Arizona’s Madison Square Garden Arena and all the greats who wrestled there. Legends like Gorgeous George, Freddie Blassie, The Funks, Lou Thesz, and many others have appeared at “The Garden.”

This publication will also introduce you to some of the local greats who made Arizona Wrestling a real hotbed - Arizona legends like Tito Montez, Marcial Bovee, Cowboy Bob Yuma and more. They’re all here.

This 44 page booklet also tells the story of one of pro wrestling’s bloodiest and most violent feuds - Ben Justice & Pancho Pico versus “The Comancharos” (a.k.a. “Hells Angels” - Chris Colt and Ron Dupree). Let me tell you, this feud was wild, it was bloody and it was brutal. It was hardcore before ECW coined the phrase.

The book is also packed with vintage photos - many of which are previously unpublished. If you’re a fan of - or even interested in - old-school wrestling and the giants that dominated the sport, then this is the book for you.

Notoriously, and entirely appropriately, the original outline for Doug Naylor and Rob Grant’s comedy sci-fi series Red Dwarf was sketched on the back of a beer mat. When it finally appeared on our television screens in 1988 the show had clearly stayed true to its roots, mixing jokes about excessive curry consumption with affectionate parodies of classic SF. Indeed, one of the show’s most endearing and enduring features is its obvious respect for the conventions of SF, even as it gleefully subverts them. The scenario owes something to Douglas Adams’s satirical Hitch-Hiker’s Guide, something to The Odd Couple and a lot more to the slacker SF of John Carpenter’s Dark Star. Behind the crew’s constant bickering there lurks an impending sense that life, the universe and everything are all someone’s idea of a terrible joke.

Later series broadened the show’s horizons until at last its premise was so diluted as to be unrecognisable, but in the earlier episodes contained in this box set the comedy is witty and intimate, focusing on characters and not special effects. Slob Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is the last human alive after a radiation leak wipes out the crew of the vast mining vessel Red Dwarf (episode 1, “The End”). He bums around the spaceship with the perpetually uptight and annoyed hologram of his dead bunkmate, Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie, the show’s greatest comedy asset) and a creature evolved from a cat (dapper Danny John Jules). They are guided rather haphazardly by Holly, the worryingly thick ship’s computer (lugubrious Norman Lovett).

Red Dwarf - especially the early series - was an unparalleled comic SF series. And now the first four series are available as a single set. This set has no frills - just enjoy the comedy.

Remember Transvision Vamp - The pop-punk band fronted by Wendy James that burst onto the music scene in 1988 with the boisterously catchy I Want Your Love?

And - of course - their first album, Pop Art, included the song Hanging out with Halo Jones which made hem an instant favourote of mine, for some reason.

Well, now Wendy James is back.

Following the bands split in 1991, James moved from London to New York, learned to play every instrument she could lay her hands on and started recording as Racine - which is the name of a drag strip in Chicago and also means “roots” in French.

And Racine’s first album, Number 1 is now available.

“Weasels ripped my flesh!”

Battling dangerous beasts such as ferocious lions, venomous snakes, or swarms of man-eating weasels, the hunky heroes of men’s adventure magazines were frequently depicted struggling to protect themselves and especially their buxom female companions from the gruesome tragic ends that threatened their every waking moment. Whether stranded on desert islands, clashing with motorcycle gangs, or shackled in prison camps, the magazines’ male and female protagonists were perpetually fighting their ways out of dangerous predicaments.

To pay homage to the American periodicals of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s that “documented” such outrageous exploits, Taschen brings you this hefty, comprehensive guide packed full of colorful cover art, sumptuous sample spreads, and enlightening essays. With an in-depth introductory essay describing the history, culture, and artistry of men’s adventure—a.k.a. “sweat”—magazines, as well as chapter-by-chapter exploration of various subjects including the role of women and the portrayal of Nazis and Communists, this definitive study of the genre examines not only the popular appeal of the magazines but also their social and political implications. Also included are publisher listings and profiles of artists and writers, as well as an interview with Norm Eastman, one of the genre’s most important artists.

I loved Ed Wood when I first saw it - so much so that I saw it again.

I also read the book and watched the films. So when I heard that there was a special edition DVD on the way and that I could get a free copy by giving it a plug, I was more than happy to sell out.

So click away!

Now on its second, critically acclaimed series (Mondays 10pm BBC2), Early Doors is set in The Grapes, a small pub in Manchester where daily life is bound up in the issues of love, loneliness, and blocked urinals.

Craig Cash and co-writer Phil Mealey appear as Joe and Duffy, pub lads who command centre table and most of the conversation, largely at the expenses of landlord Ken’s less acute regulars, such as Eddie, for whom a change in the town’s traffic flow can become a preoccupation.

… and that doesn’t begin to describe how funny this series - one of the very few TV programmes that I still bother to watch - can be. If you’ve ever spent any time in a pub, I guarantee that you will love this show.

Take a journey round Little Britain and meet all your favourite characters including juvenile delinquent Vicky Pollard (”No but yeah but no”), Daffyd Thomas, who claims to be the only gay in his village, Sebastian Love, the government aide with a mad crush on the Prime Minister, evil FatFighters course leader Marjorie Dawes, rubbish transvestite Emily Howard (”I’m a lady!”) and, of course, put-upon helper Lou and his wheelchair-bound friend Andy - but does he really need the wheelchair at all?

Little Britain is an often bizarre, but fantastically funny look at Britain at the start of the 21st Century. And now (almost - it’s released on October 11th) it’s available to own on DVD, you lucky people.