Perhaps the past fall's biggest theatrical wild card, Eminem hit it big with his first foray on the silver screen, 8 Mile. Universal Studios Home Entertainment will premiere the rap drama March 18th in separate full screen and anamorphic widescreen versions. Stay tuned for specs...

Jenny from the block - 12:00am

That's right, she's real. Just in from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment are specs and street dates for a few of their upcoming winter releases. J.Lo returns in Maid in Manhattan, streeting on March 25th. This one comes generally devoid of extras, featuring anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English and French 5.1 Dolby surround tracks, a blooper reel, and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Also just announced are four new titles all streeting on April 8th: The new releases First Shot and For Da Love of Money, and the new-to-DVD catalog "favorites" Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation and Dream for an Insomniac. Stay tuned for details...

War and peace - 12:00am

Just in from Warner Home Video is another spate of new announcements, all hitting DVD this spring. First up for history buffs are three acclaimed telepics, due on June 3rd. From the late director John Frankenheimer comes the Emmy-winning Andersonville. This one is presented in its original full screen aspect ratio, English 2.0 Dolby surround, with production notes and filmographies as extras. Also due is the documentary The Congress, also in full screen and 2.0 stereo with no extras. Retail is $19.95 apiece. Up next is Chicago: City Of The Century, a 4-disc box set featuring the entire miniseries presented in full screen and 2.0 surround, with featurettes and production and historical notes as extras. Retail is $79.95.

Fans of westerns and John Wayne have a trio of new catalog releases to look forward to on June 3rd, the Wayne starrers Cahill: U.S. Marshall and Chisum, and Paul Newman in The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean. All feature newly-remastered 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers and trailers as extras. More favorites for Wayne fans include Operation Pacific and , both debuting a month earlier on May 13th. Each is presented in their original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratios and mono, with trailers as extras. Retail is $19.95 a pop.

Yikes! In decidedly more scary fare, Mary-Kate and Ashley are back in Mary-Kate and Ashley In Action, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Each is presented in full screen and 2.0 Dolby surround, with extras including a making-of featurette and, of course, lots of Mary-Kate and Ashley promo spots. Retail is also $19.95 each.

Last but not least from Warner and BBC is Yes, Minister: The Complete Collection. This four-disc set is presented in full frame and mono, although no specs are yet available on what, if any, extras will be included. Retail is $79.95 and street date May 20th.