Happy Monday Popsters! Yes, it’s true, I’m a little behind schedule this week but, as the procrastinators of the world are wont to say, better late than never!

To make up for my tardiness I’ve got lot’s of fun video and links for you today! So, without further yada, yada, yada…let’s get this party started!

• Lord of the Rings Extended Edition  Comes to Blu-Ray!

The Blu-Ray collection I think many of us have been waiting for is finally here! The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition is out this Tuesday! The colossal collection includes all three films in their extended formats and all of the documentaries and featurettes that were originally included in the previous DVD releases. In total it’s a jaw-dropping 15 discs and also includes digital copies, (if you actually have that kind of space available on your hard drive!) From what I can tell the prices are varying between $70.00 to 150.00. Your best bet, as always, is Amazon.com, they’re coming in at 69.99 and free shipping is included. Mine is already on the way!

Order yours today!

• The Art of David Rankin

David Rankin is one of the world’s top professional watercolor painters working today and, in the spirit of full disclosure, also happens to be my cousin. Am I bragging and name dropping again? You bet your beautiful behinds I am! We’ve always been extremely proud of the most talented and accomplished member of our family and, if you’re unfamiliar with Mr. Rankin’s work, you’re about to see why.

Check out David Rankin’s new virtual on-line gallery, but keep in mind, I’ve been my cousin’s biggest fan since I was six years old, the very long line forms behind me!

• Black Milk Swim Suit Collection

Summer just got a little hotter with the swim suits from Black Milk Clothing! Seriously, this company is so popular right now they had to close their website down for a week just to catch up with all of their orders, surf the site yourself and you’ll quickly see why. Super-geek that I am, I just want to meet a woman who thinks their clothing line rocks as much as I do (and, of course, wears it all often and well).

Check out Black Milk Clothing now!

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes  International Trailer!

A new International trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes hit the web this week and it looks AWESOME! As the Summer movie season was approaching this year I realized my “must-see” list was surprisingly short and I wasn’t really sure how I felt about another Planet of the Apes reboot, after watching this latest trailer however, I’m convinced, this movie is going to ROCK! For POTA fans this is the story we’ve been waiting for, it’s almost hard to believe it’s taken Hollywood 43 years to give us a proper origins film, let’s hope it was worth the wait, this latest trailer makes me believe it was!

Andy Serkis, the actor who has built a stellar resume playing CGI based characters, ( Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series, King Kong, etc.) plays Caesar, the lead ape. His work, as seen in the previous trailers, was hard to gauge. This preview finally shows us just what we can expect from Serkis and it really should go a long way in silencing all the doubters out there.

Check out the trailer now!

• LOGORAMA

I’ve had this animated short in my iPod for over a year now and it’s one of my all time favs. Logorama, from French filmmakers François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain took home the 2010 Academy Award© for Best Animated Short.

Logorama is a brilliant marriage of Pop Art and animation and I can’t help but think if Andy Warhol were alive today he would have been the one to make this film.

Watch it now!

*The short includes adult language and situations, this one isn’t for your kids!

• Sky Diving Elite

Here’s a super cool viral vid that’s been making the rounds lately, prepare to be wowed!

• The Kaiser Chiefs are Back!

The Future is Medieval, the latest release from the Brit-pop band, Kaiser Chiefs, is out this week and it’s already a personal favorite of mine and easily the best release of Summer 2011 so far.

On their website last month the band offered fans an opportunity to put together their own version of the album.

Here’s a fun video from last month, when they first introduced their innovative concept.

And here’s the first official music video from the new album, “Little Shocks“

• iPod Magic

Here’s another viral vid that I stumbled on recently, if you don’t believe this is a very interesting time in our history to be alive, you’re just not paying attention.

• Chinese Iron Man

Is it just me or does it feel like the People’s Republic of China has been kicking our asses on a daily basis lately? And yet, while it may “feel” that way, I doubt there’s a single person in the Western World that would want to trade places with any of them (and, if you do, you obviously flunked History and Government in high school).

If you’re going to the San Diego Comic-Con this year and you’re worried this guy is going to beat you in the Saturday Night Masquerade Competition, take heart, he’s in Communist China, I seriously doubt he’ll be attending this year.

A New Pop Bitez PopCast is Awaiting You!

In the event you’re not yet a subscriber to the Pop Bitez Bi-Weekly PopCast, I’ve got a new one on-line for you this week. It’s a special Summer edition, perfect for barbecues and tanning by the pool! Check it out!

And that’s a wrap for all the news that’s fit to POP for this week! Have a great week and hang in there, another extended holiday weekend is right around the corner! Cheers!- Scott