Hey there Popsters, how about this heat? Many of you had a torturous winter and now you’re stuck in what seems like a never-ending heatwave! You won’t be forgetting 2011 anytime soon, that’s for damn sure! The good news is, I’ve got all the news that’s fit to POP for you this week and it’s all very, very cool! So, without further yada, yada, yada, let’s get this party started!

Exporting Raymond Comes to DVD Tuesday 8/2

One of the funniest films I’ve seen this year is- without a doubt- the documentary Exporting Raymond and, this Tuesday, it’s finally available for rental and purchase in all of the usual places.

Producer-writer-director Phil Rosenthal had an inspired idea when he was invited to adapt his long-running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond for the Russian market: take a camera crew along. In the hilarious Exporting Raymond, a genuine fish-out-of-water comedy that could only exist in real life, Phil travels to Russia to help adapt his beloved sitcom for Russian television. The Russians don’t share his tastes. They don’t share his sense of humor. But what Phil did discover was a real comedy, filled with unique characters and situations that have to be seen to be believed.

For those that missed my interview with Phil in February, I’m including a link for you once more today, Enjoy!

Are You Ready for Batman Live?!

Batman Live recently began it’s U.K. tour and will be heading to the U.S. next summer. Unlike the current comic book disaster desperately trying to recoup it’s investment on Broadway, Batman Live is NOT a musical! I have to admit, as cheesy as it all looks, I’m sure to be seeing this one when I have the chance. From the footage I’ve already seen it looks pretty spectacular and has me wondering; why’d it take so long to come up with this concept? You can get all the info you need at Batmanlive.com

And here’s the commercial currently playing on English tellys across the pond!

The Saddest Movie Moment of All Time?

The Smithsonian reports that back in 1988, a psychology professor from the University of California-Berkeley, Robert Levenson, and a grad student, James Gross (who’s since become a professor at Stanford), set out to find short movie clips that could prompt strong emotional reactions from test subjects in psychological experiments. After years of wading through hundreds of recommendations, then testing them on undergraduate students, the researchers were finally able to select 16 clips from movies that consistently sparked key emotions (sad, as well as disgust, contentment, anger and others) in viewers, with The Champ scene taking the top spot for eliciting sad emotions. The clip has since been used in experiments that range from testing the tearful responses of depressed people, elderly people and people with eating disorders to tracing the spending habits of sad people. [Source: Time.com]

Bambi was long considered a top contender, but The Champ, according to the scientists, has officially TKO’ed the Disney classic.

To elicit other emotions, Meg Ryan’s orgasm scene in When Harry met Sally is tops for amusement, The Shining and The Silence of the Lambs deliver the solid scares and John Waters‘ Pink Flamingos rules when it comes to disgust. If I were adding anything to their list, I’d say-at least this year- Cars 2 has to win for making people feel most ripped off.

Here’s the clip from The Champ, grab a hanky!

Knights of Badassdom

A trailer for the new dork-comedy Knight of Badassdom hit the web this week and it’s pretty hilarious, check it out!

How About a Pair of 2D Glasses?

Tired of the headache and eye strain that comes from taking your kids to the latest 3-D assault at the multi-plex? I think these glasses may just be what your doctor ordered! They’re available at Think Geek for only 8.99! In a word, brilliant!

A Brand New PopCast!

I’ve got a brand new PopCast for you this week Popsters and, as usual, it’s chock full of my favorite new releases! This week we’ve got some new music from Bodeans, Ewert and the Two Dragons, Hugo, Boy & Bear, Hooray for Earth, The Horrors, Marissa Nadler, Thurston Moore, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and many more! Remember you can subscribe to the Pop Bitez Bi-Weekly Popcast by way of iTunes for FREE and, as usual, you can hear it streaming now on Podbean.com          

That’s going to do it for this week Popsters! Thanks for stopping by and please bookmark us now and be sure to check back next week for all the news that’s fit to POP! Cheers- Scott