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Dana Carvey, arguably the most utilized player during his six-plus-year run on “Saturday Night Live” between 1986 and 1993, starred in three truly awful 1994 big screen failures – “Clean Slate,” “The Road To Wellville” and “Trapped in Paradise” – before launching his 1996 TV “comeback” with ABC’s SNL-inspired primetime sketch half-hour “The Dana Carvey Show.” 
The great writer-producer Robert Smigel had just launched “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” as head writer, producer and the voice inside Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, had worked closely with Carvey during the performer’s long SNL stint, and signed on as showrunner and co-star on Carvey’s show.
Smigel’s participation, as well as that of future filmmaker Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Synecdoche, New York”), future “30 Rock” showrunner Robert Carlock, and future stars Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Bob Odenkirk, Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle and the Ambiguously Gay Duo, no doubt motivated Shout Factory to issue all eight produced episodes (including the one that never aired) of this forgotten relic of March and April 1996.
There’s a LOT of funny here, and a lot of TV Funhouse in the show’s DNA, offering as it does rare glimpses of Smigel as a non-puppeteering performer. (Smigel employs the Triumph voice as a bald, bathing world leader at one point.)
The “Skinheads From Maine” sketch with Carvey and Colbert kills. Carell plays the host of an “Entertainment Tonight”-like show who could be the brother of “Anchorman” weathermand Brick Tamland.
And get this. Three years before the release of “Cruel Intentions,” a stunning blonde Selma Blair turns up for five seconds as a contestant in an “MTV Singled Out” parody.
The set comes with two extras:
* Deleted scenes reel (12:18). These include “Leftover Beatle Memories” with Carvey as Paul McCartney and Colbert as George Harrison; an animal-testing lab sketch with Colbert; a mad-cow hamburger sketch; Colbert as a half-naked Carl Sagan searching for a piece of chicken between his couch cushions; “World Leaders And Their Baths” with Stephen Colbert; Carell’s look at an automated Twister game of the future ; “Celebrity Bloopers and Dark Sides” with Carell as Dick Clark, Bill Chott as Ed McMahon, Smigel as Yakov Smirnoff threatening his manager with a baseball bat, and Carell as Richard Dawson blubbering drunkenly about how unhappy he is; “Profiles in Bravery” with Carvey as Adrian Zmed and Carell as an unhappy new father; and “Germans Who Say Nice Things” with Carvey and Carell as Hitleresque figures in turtlenecks.
* A new side-by-side interview with Smigel and Carvey (21:18). Learn that Smigel and Conan O’Brien were to serve as “Late Night With Dana Carvey” writers before Carvey decided against taking over David Letterman’s show. Learn that both Carell and Colbert were cast out of Second City, and that Smigel considered Carell’s the real “home run” out of all the show’s auditions. Learn that Smigel was impressed with Colbert’s impressions, particularly his Geraldo Rivera and Peter Jennings. Learn that voicing the Ambiguously Gay Duo was the first thing Colbert did subsequent to hiring onto the show. Learn that Bill Chott (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) was cast from an SNL audition tape. Learn that Colbert would bait the dour Kaufman with an outrageously cheerful demeanor. Learn that Carell committed so fiercely to his idiot prankster character than he would give himself migraines. Learn that Smigel lobbied for a “mature audiences” warning at the top of the show, but ABC rejected the idea, citing the difficulty of selling a show so labeled to sponsors. Learn that Smigel was not a fan of “Home Improvement,” the Carvey show’s lead-in. Learn that Colbert used “Carvey” clips to get his spot on “The Daily Show,” then used the “nauseated waiters” sketch to get Carell hired there as well.
Bullshit! is always funny, but its targets are looking more and more like straw men. New age medicine and dolphin healing are nonsense, you say?
In the half-hour on sleep, we learn the Slate Consumer reporter who examined mattress sets (some selling for north of $5,000) sleeps on a $60 inflatable bed.
Aside from new age medicine, dolphin healing and sleep, topics for season six include NASA (which the boys clearly don’t think is bullshit), being green, sensitivity training, world peace and nostalgia.
CBS didn’t forward the first six “Star Trek” movies on Blu-ray, so I can’t speak to the set’s extras, if any.
But this offers an excellent excuse to repost the franchise’s cinematic track record:
BOX OFFICE
(domestic grosses in millions)
$43.2 Nemesis (2002)
$52.2 The Final Frontier (1989)
$70.1 Insurrection (1998)
$74.8 The Undiscovered Country (1991)
$75.6 Generations (1994)
$76.4 The Search For Spock (1984)
$79.9 The Wrath of Khan (1982)
$82.2 The Motion Picture (1979)
$86.7 Star Trek* (2009)
$92.0 First Contact (1996)
$109.7 The Voyage Home (1986)
*first five days only!
CRITICS
(per Rotten Tomatoes)
21% The Final Frontier (1989)
36% Nemesis (2002)
49% Generations (1994)
50% The Motion Picture (1979)
55% Insurrection (1998)
76% The Search For Spock (1984)
82% The Undiscovered Country (1991)
84% The Voyage Home (1986)
90% The Wrath of Khan (1982)
91% First Contact (1996)
96% Star Trek (2009)
The old “odd-number/even-number” theory has been thoroughly disproven by the horrible 10th movie (“Nemesis”) and this week's fantastic new J.J. Abrams installment.
I think “Final Frontier” takes too much guff (largely because it followed the superb “Voyage Home”) while “Nemesis” (a horrible “Star Trek” film and the only one I can say I thoroughly dislike) gets too much credit because expectations were so low following the mediocre “Insurrection.”
Also out today: a set with just “Wrath of Khan,” “Search For Spock” and “Voyage Home.” A reminder of all Spock has been through, even before he was flung back a century.
For $9.99 (one crappy deal!), The Best of Star Trek comes with four excellent 1960s episodes (SPOILERS):
* “The City on the Edge of Forever”: Jim Kirk has to choose between the woman he loves and an Earth ruled by Hitler. (Indisputably “Trek’s” finest hour.)
* “Balance of Terror”: Spock learns the vile Romulans are actually a race of renegade Vulcans.
* “Amok Time”: Spock discovers he’s so hot for Vulcan temptress T’Pring he’s willing to sacrifice Jim Kirk’s life to bone her.
* “The Trouble With Tribbles”: Breedy, self-boning furballs expose Klingon misdeeds.
CBS didn’t send review copies, so I can’t tell you whether or not these feature original or remastered special effects. I’d certainly assume the latter.
Also for $9.99 (a similarly crappy deal) The Best of Star Trek The Next Generation offers (SPOILERS):
* “The Best of Both Worlds” (parts one and two): The fearsome Borg decide to plug a lot of their invasive hardware into Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard.
* “Yesterday’s Enterprise”: The Federation becomes a much darker place when a Starfleet vessel is sucked forward several decades into Picard’s era.
* “The Measure of a Man”: Data must fight for his rights in court when he refuses an egotistical Starfleet cyberneticist who wants to dissect him and learn how he ticks.
Penn & Teller should do an episode on this set, because the inclusion of “Measure of a Man” over “The Inner Light” (the series’ best episode, an amazing, moving and mind-bending tale in which Picard finds himself living a whole extra lifetime) is bullshit.
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
$38.99 Next Generation!!
(which works out to $1.50 an episode instead of the $2.50 per episode charged on those best-of sets!)
$18.99 Complete Animated Trek!!
DS9, Voyager & Enterprise: $37.99 Or Less!!
From David Milch, creator of “Deadwood” and “John From Cincinnati”!!
NYPD Blue:$14.99/Season
In The Spring TV Event!!
X-Files At $19.49/Season in the SciFi Sale!!
Before Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr and Jason Segal teamed up for “Knocked Up,” they all collaborated on “Undeclared”! Last week the complete series was $36.99; at the moment: $28.99!!
Pee Wee At $4/Season!!
Based on the book by “The Wire” mastermind David Simon!!
Homicide at $16.41/Season!!
(Individual seasons sell for %57.99 each!!!!)
If you want to own LOST in HD, you can save big by clicking on the Blu-ray Lost Sale!!
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
The Adventures of Black Beauty 1.x
Bleak House: The Complete Miniseries - Special Edition
Bleak House: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
Boston Legal 5.x
Bump: Lesbian Favorites
Chris & John's Road Trip
Crusoe: The Complete Series
Dexter 2.x (Blu-ray)
Doctor Who: Battlefield
Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy
The Donna Reed Show 2.x
Earth: Final Conflict 1.x
The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin: The Complete Series
Gavin & Stacey 1.x
Gigantor Vol. 1
Ivanhoe (1982): The Complete Miniseries
Jake and the Fatman 2.x
Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht 4.x
The Last Templar: The Complete Miniseries
Lipstick Jungle 2.x
McLeod's Daughters 8.x
Mythbusters Vol. 4
October Road 2.x
Saddle Club 2.x
Scooby Doo Where Are You 1.x Vol. 2
That Girl 5.x
Will & Grace: Best of Friends & Foes
Will & Grace: Best of Love & Marriage
This Week
Bullshit! 6.x
CSI 1.x (Blu-ray)
Curious George Goes Green
The Dana Carvey Show: The Complete Series
A Haunting: The Anguished
A Haunting: Spirits From The Past
A Haunting: Twilight of Evil
The Jeff Foxworthy Show 2.x
Kingdom: The Complete Series
Lovejoy 5.x
Pie In The Sky 1.x
Red Green Is Special
Speed Racer The Next Generation: Comet Run
Spin City 2.x
Star Trek: Best Of
Star Trek The Next Generation: Best Of
Star Trek: Wrath/Search/Voyage (Blu-ray)
Star Trek: MP, WOK, SFS, VH, FF, UC (Blu-ray)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7.x Vol.1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7.x Vol.2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7.x Vol.3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7.x Vol.4
Two and a Half Men 5.x
Next Week
Battlestar Galactica 2.x
Classic TV Western Collection
8 Simple Rules 2.x
Extreme Engineering Vol. 2
Friday Night Lights 3.x
Ghost Hunters International 1.x
The New Detectives 3.x
Peyton Place Vol. 1
Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Vol. 1
Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 1
Sister Sister 2.x
Suspense: The Lost Episodes Vols. 1-3
Taggart: Death Without Dishonor
Taggart: Hellfire
Taggart: Hitman
Taggart: Ring of Deceit
True Blood 1.x
True Blood 1.x (Blu-ray)
24 7.x
24 7.x (Blu-ray)
May 26
Action Packed: Paramount Hourlongs
Cities of the Underworld 3.x
The Closer 4.x
The Closer 1.x-4.x
Designing Women 1.x
Forever Funny: Paramount Sitcoms
Gangland 3.x
Gunsmoke 3.x Vol. 2
Ice Road Truckers: Most Dangerous Episodes
The Invisibles 1.x
Land of the Lost: The Complete Series
Land of the Lost: The Complete Series (Limited Edition)
Law & Order: SVU 9.x
Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force 1.x
The Mod Squad 2.x Vol. 2
The Mod Squad: Two-Season Pack
Murder Most English: The Complete Series
The Universe 3.x
The Universe: Our Solar System
World War II: Behind Closed Doors
June 2
The Adventure of English: The Complete Miniseries
Army Wives 2.x
Blood Ties 1.x
Cannon 2.x Vol. 1
Every Picture Tells A Story
FBI Files 3.x
The Hunger 1.x
Highlander: The Animated Series
The Jetsons 2.x Vol. 1
Life After People (Blu-ray) <--- NEW!!
Nature's Most Amazing Events <--- NEW!!
Nature's Most Amazing Events (Blu-ray) <--- NEW!!
The People's Republic of Capitalism
The People's Republic of Capitalism (Blu-ray)
Playing Shakespeare: The Complete Miniseries
Prison Break 4.x
Quincy, M.E. 3.x
Raising The Bar 1.x
Weeds 4.x
ZeroMan: The Complete Series
June 9
The Cleaner 1.x
Father Knows Best 3.x
Get Smart 3.x
Last of the Summer Wine 1979
Mistresses Vol. 1
My Family 3.x
My Family 4.x
My Family 3.x/4.x
The Norman Lear TV Collection
Open All Hours: The Complete Series
Perry Mason 4.x Vol. 1
Reaper 2.x
Shaun The Sheep Vol. 3
The Shield 7.x
Survivorman 3.x
Time Warp: The Complete Series
Time Warp: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Waiting For God 4.x
Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Best Of
Zane Grey Theater 1.x
Z Rock 1.x
June 16
Burn Notice 2.x
Burn Notice 2.x (Blu-ray)
Everwood 2.x
Family Guy Vol. 7
FBI Files 3.x
Generation Kill (Blu-ray)
House of Payne Vol. 4
I Can't Believe I'm Still Single 1.x
John Adams: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
Lost 1.x (Blu-ray)
Lost 2.x (Blu-ray)
Murdoch Mysteries 1.x
Nature's Most Amazing Events
Nature's Most Amazing Events (Blu-ray)
Saving Grace 2.x
The Secret Life Of An American Teenager 2.x
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon 2.x
Snoop Dogg's Father Hood: Best Of Vol. 1
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
Tom & Jerry's Greatest Chases Vol. 2
Transformers 1.x
World's Toughest Fixes
June 23
Bizarre Foods Vol. 3
Ghost Hunters: Fans' Favorite Investigations The Girls Next Door 5.x
Monster Squad: The Complete Collection
Reba 6.x
Reba 1.x-6.x
Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection
June 30
Blue Murder Vol. 4
Dog The Bounty Hunter: Best Of 5.x
Eastbound & Down 1.x
Entourage 5.x
Eureka 3.x
Hi-5 2.x <--- NEW!!
The IT Crowd 2.x
Kong: Collector's Box Set
Number 10: The Complete Miniseries
Parker Lewis Can't Lose 1.x
Peanuts 1960s Collection
Prison Break 4.x
Route 66 3.x Vol. 1
Secret Diary of a Call Girl 2.x
Stargate Atlantis 5.x
Swiss Family Robinson (1976): The Complete Series
July 7
Callan Vol. 1
Chris Ryan's Elite Police
Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen
Doctor Who: The Rescue/The Romans
Kath & Kim 1.x
Matlock 3.x
Matlock 1.x-3.x
Moon Machines
Murder She Wrote 10.x
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. 15
Petticoat Junction 2.x
Poirot Vol. 4 <--- NEW!!
Power Rangers RPM Vol. 1
Reno 911! 6.x
Ruby: A Journey to Lose the First 100 Lbs. <--- NEW!!
Third Watch 2.x
Torchwood 2.x (Blu-ray)
The Universe 3.x (Blu-ray)
July 14
American Gladiators Vol. 1
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Vol. 4
Bewitched 8.x
The Color of Magic
Crime Scene University
ER 11.x
Mad Men 2.x
Mad Men 2.x (Blu-ray)
Peyton Place Vol. 2
The State: The Complete Series
Tracey Takes On 3.x/4.x
Wire in the Blood 6.x
Zorro: Generation Z Vol. 1
July 21
The Donna Reed Show 2.x
G.I. Joe (1983) 1.1
Hotel 1.x
Jon and Kate Plus Ei8ht 4.x Vol. 2
The Lucy Show 1.x
The Mighty Boosh 1.x
Monk 7.x
Prison Break: Final Break
Prison Break: Final Break (Blu-ray)
Psych 3.x
Pushing Daisies 2.x
Pushing Daisies 2.x (Blu-ray)
Robot Chicken: Star Wars II
The Secret Saturdays Vol. 1
SpongeBob SquarePants: To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants
This American Life 2.x
Voltron Vol. 8
Wolverine and the X-Men Vol. 2 <--- NEW!!
July 28
Armchair Thriller Vol. 1 <--- NEW!!
Battlestar Galactica 4.11-4.20
Battlestar Galactica 4.11-4.20 (Blu-ray)
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
Criss Angel Mindfreak: The Most Dangerous Escapes <--- NEW!!
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Doc Martin 2.x
Dollhouse 1.x
Dollhouse 1.x (Blu-ray)
Early Edition 2.x <--- NEW!!
Life On Mars (UK): Season One
The Middleman: The Complete Series
Voltron: Fleet of Doom
August 4
Days That Shook The World 2.x
Flight of the Conchords 2.x
Love Boat 2.x Vol. 2 <--- NEW!!
Love Boat: The First Two Seasons <--- NEW!!
Marple 4.x <--- NEW!!
Tim & Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job!
August 11
Adam 12 3.x <--- NEW!!
Designing Women 2.x <--- NEW!!
Life & Times of Vivienne Vyle <--- NEW!!
Life With Derek 2.x <--- NEW!!
New Detectives 4.x
Scooby Doo: Batman/Globetrotters <--- NEW!!
Super Friends: The Lost Episodes
August 18
Smurfs Vol. 2
Sons of Anarchy 1.x <--- NEW!!
Sons of Anarchy 1.x (Blu-ray) <--- NEW!!
Total Drama Island: The Complete Series <--- NEW!!
August 25
Crash 1.x
A Haunting: Twilight of Evil (Blu-ray) <--- NEW!!
How The Earth Was Made: The Complete Series
MonsterQuest 3.x Vol. 1
New Tricks 1.x
Samantha Who? 2.x
Scrubs 8.x
Simon & Simon 3.x <--- NEW!!
thirtysomething 1.x
The Universe 3.x (Blu-ray)
September 1
Ben 10 Alien Force Vol. 4 <--- NEW!!
Brothers And Sisters 3.x
Desperate Housewives 5.x
Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin <--- NEW!!
Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl <--- NEW!!
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares 2.x
Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1
Scooby Doo Where Are You Vol. 3 <--- NEW!!
Stephen Fry in America
September 15
Affairs Of The Heart 2.x
Grey's Anatomy 5.x
Grey's Anatomy 5.x (Blu-ray)
Private Practice 2.x
Taggart Vol. 2
September 22
Castle 1.x
Ugly Betty 3.x
September 29
Ax Men 2.x
Foyle's War: From Dunkirk to VE-Day 1-5
Life On Mars: The Complete Series
Midsomer Murders Vol. 13
Paranormal State 3.x <--- NEW!!
Traffik: The Complete Miniseries
Warriors 1.x
October 6
Ghost Hunters: Absolute Best (Blu-ray)
October 27
Life After People: The Series <--- NEW!!
November 3
Pie In The Sky 2.x
December 8
Lost 5.x
Lost 5.x (Blu-ray)
Lost: The Complete Fifth Season Dharma Initiation Kit
Lost: The Complete Fifth Season Dharma Initiation Kit (Blu-ray)
Lost 1.x-5.x
Lost 1.x-5.x (Blu-ray)
December 15
Ice Road Truckers 3.x <--- NEW!!
Selected season-sets containing
some of Herc’s all-time favorite TV!!
$4.39 Dinner For Five 1.x (10 episodes)
$14.99 The Bob Newhart Show 1.x (24 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$14.99 The Tick: The Complete Series (nine episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$15.99 Rocky & Bullwinkle 1.x (26 episodes)
$17.16 Moonlighting 1.x/2.x (25 episodes)
$17.99 South Park 1.x (13 episodes)
$18.99 Pushing Daisies 1.x (nine episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.49 Cheers 1.x (23 episodes)
$19.99 Newsradio 1.x/2.x (29 episodes)
$19.99 The OC 1.x (27 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 Soap 1.x (25 episodes)
$19.99 The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1.x (24 episodes)
$19.99 Hill Street Blues 1.x (17 episodes)
$19.99 The Larry Sanders Show 1.x (13 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 Wonder Showzen 1.x (eight episodes)
$20.49 Oz 1.x (eight episodes)
$20.99 Carnivale 1.x (12 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$21.99 ER 1.x (26 episodes)
$22.99 The Andy Griffith Show 5.x (32 episodes)
$23.99 Gilmore Girls 4.x (22 episodes)
$23.99 Taxi 1.x (22 episodes)
$23.99 Veronica Mars 1.x (22 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$24.49 TV Funhouse: The Complete Series (eight episodes)
$24.99 Friends 1.x (24 episodes)
$24.99 Futurama Vol. 2 (19 episodes)
$24.99 From The Earth To The Moon (12 episodes)
$24.99 The Venture Bros. 1.x (13 Episodes)
$25.99 The Tick Versus 1.x (12 episodes)
$26.99 Six Feet Under 1.x (13 episodes)
$28.99 Mission: Impossible 1.x (28 episodes)
$28.99 Undeclared: The Complete Series (17 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$28.99 The Wild Wild West (28 episodes)
$28.99 Columbo 1.x (nine TV-movies)
$29.98 Wonderfalls: The Complete Series (13 episodes)
$29.99 Alias 1.x (22 episodes)
$29.99 The Simpsons 2.x (22 episodes)
$30.99 Kung Fu 2.x (23 episodes)
$31.99 Seinfeld 3.x (23 episodes)
$31.99 Angel 5.x (22 episodes)
$31.99 Murder One 1.x (23 episodes)
$31.99 Buffy The Vampire Slayer 4.x (22 episodes)
$31.99 St. Elsewhere 1.x (22 episodes)
$32.99 Firefly: The Complete Series (14 episodes)
$33.99 Mad Men 1.x (13 episodes)
$34.99 Battlestar Galactica 1.x (13 episodes plus miniseries)
$34.99 Aeon Flux: The Complete Series (10 episodes)
$34.99 Curb Your Enthusiasm 1.x (10 episodes)
$34.99 SCTV Network 90 Vol. 1 (Nine 90-minute episodes)
$36.99 The Office 3.x (24 episodes)
$36.99 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 3.x (26 episodes)
$37.99 My So-Called Life: The Complete Series (17 Episodes)
$37.99 The West Wing 1.x (22 episodes)
$38.99 Star Trek: The Next Generation 3.x (26 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$39.49 Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series (18 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$39.49 Rome 1.x (12 episodes)
$39.99 The Dick Van Dyke Show 1.x (31 episodes)
$39.99 Lost 1.x (24 episodes)
$39.99 24 1.x (24 episodes)
$40.99 Northern Exposure 3.x (23 episodes)
$41.99 Saturday Night Live 1.x (24 episodes)
$44.99 Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series (12 episodes)
$49.99 Star Trek 2.x (26 episodes)
$49.99 The Wire 1.x (13 episodes)
$49.99 Brideshead Revisited (11 hours)
$50.99 The Sopranos 1.x (13 episodes)
$54.99 Deadwood 1.x (12 episodes)
$57.99 Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Complete Series (45 episodes)
$57.99 The Prisoner: The Complete Series (17 episodes)
$59.99 Twin Peaks: The Complete Series (30 episodes) <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$69.99 The Twilight Zone 1.x (36 episodes)
$118.59 Once and Again 1.x (22 episodes)
$3 Cocoon!!
Sci-Fi Sale!!
What’s The Rent On Vulcan??
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