!#$@%! Osbournes!

They're back! On September 30th, the world's most foul-mouthed dysfunctional family returns in The Osbournes: The Second Season. All 15 episodes will come in full screen and Dolby 2.0 surround, with both censored and uncensored audio options. Buena Vista Home Entertainment will also be loading this two-disc set with plenty of extras, including audio commentaries with Sharon and Kelly, another "Ozzy Translator," never before seen bonus footage, the "What the $%#@ Did He Say" and "Dookie's Revenge" set-top games and Osbournes trivia. Retail is $29.95.

Out of 'Africa' - 6:18pm

Just in from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is the studio's September 30th lineup of new and catalog releases. Leading the pack is the 2002 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, Nowhere in Africa, which will get the two-disc deluxe treatment. Presented in anamorphic widescreen and German 5.1 Dolby with optional English subtitles, extras include a filmmaker's commentary, 2 featurettes, deleted scenes, additional cast interviews and trailers. Retail is an odd $28.95. Also making its DVD debut is the little-seen thriller Scenes of the Crime, starring Jeff Bridges. Presented in anamorphic widescreen with English, French and Spanish Dolby tracks, the only extras are trailers and talent files. Retail is $24.95.

Receiving their first-ever DVD releases are a clutch of library favorites. An underrated sleeper, the feel-good sports drama Rudy at last gets the special edition treatment. Starring Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin, this two-disc set includes the film's original soundtrack CD as the bonus disc, along with a remastered version of the film in anamorphic widescreen, a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, audio commentary by director David Anspaugh and members of the cast and crew, deleted scenes, a featurette, talent files and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Also new to DVD are classics of two entirely different kinds, the film noir favorite Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round and the camp-tastic Lambada: The Forbidden Dance, starring Mulholland Drive's Laura Herring. Each is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and mono and 2.0 surround, respectively, with only bonus trailers as extras. Retail is $24.95 a pop. From the TV vaults comes The Tick: The Complete Series, a two-disc set featuring every episode of the cult favorite, plus the farewell movie Dawson's Creek: The Series Finale. Each is presented in 4:3 full screen and Dolby 2.0 surround. Retail is $24.95 for Dawson's Creek and only $19.95 for The Tick.

Animation blues - 6:18pm

Rounding out today's news is another batch of new catalog announcements from Paramount Home Entertainment. Streeting on November 18th are The Last Tycoon, Richard Gere's interpretation of King David, the cult favorite Cool World and the drama Joseph Andrews. Each is newly remastered in anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby 5.1 surround tracks on all but The Last Tycoon and Joseph Andrews. There are no extras, and retail is $14.95 a pop.

And at last getting the special edition treatment is Once Upon a Time in the West, which has been fully restored in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 as well. Extras have yet to be announced, and retail will set you back a mere $19.95. Watch this space for details...