Posted on Sun, Mar. 28, 2004

The A-list

What’s hot in DVD stores, rock music, TV, R&B and the self-made celebrity circuit this week.

Splish-’Splash’

Remember when Daryl Hannah was hot? Never more so than in "Splash," the offbeat romantic comedy just out on DVD in a special 20th anniversary edition. As the mermaid Madison — inspiring generations of boy-named little girls — Hannah dazzled the Tom Hanks character with her adorable flips and flops. The disc comes with audition tapes for both actors, audio commentary by director Ron Howard, and a commemorative beach towel (OK, we made that up). $29.99/Buena Vista Home Video/in stores now.

Who is this dude?

First time we saw Farnsworth Bentley, he was P. Diddy’s manservant, holding an umbrella aloft over the rap impresario’s head to protect it from the sun’s harsh rays. Now he’s popping up solo at celeb functions such as the recent Soul Train Music Awards, his presence has invigorated P. Diddy’s "Making the Band 2" on MTV and his incredible dancing skills have made him the hot cameo star in music videos such as OutKast’s "The Way You Move" and Usher’s latest, "Yeah." And get this: He’s gonna have his own line of umbrellas, priced at $150 ... each. Take it while you can get it, right? As he said with a shrug on a recent episode of VH1’s "Best Week Ever": "Hey, it’s a check!"

Must-see, anew

Who can make social plans on Thursday nights anymore? As it is you need a VCR and a friend with a VCR to keep up with all the fun TV on Thursdays. Not only do we have NBC’s lineup of "Friends," "Will & Grace," "The Apprentice" and (for you die-hard fans still hangin’ in there) "ER"; CBS has a can’t-miss collection of its own with "Survivor: All-Stars," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Without a Trace." Then there’s the addictive car candy of MTV’s "Pimp My Ride," or the "wanna be so spooky so bad" semi-charm of "Tru Calling" on Fox, or the campy collection of "Alts" in Sci-Fi Channel’s "Mad, Mad House" (including Art, the modern primitive, pictured). And not that we watch or anything, but "WWE SmackDown!" is always an option, too. If you must be social, our favorite option: Viewing parties! Pass the pizza, please.

They’re baaack!

It’s the toast of alternative rock: The Pixies, the surf-pop/Latin/arty-feedback-blaring/astronomy-lovin’ band credited with influencing Nirvana, Radiohead and a host of other heavyweights, is back together. The band is currently on a "warm-up" tour of tiny U.S. nightclubs, gearing up for a slot on the star-studded Coachella Valley Music Festival outside of L.A. on May 1. After that, the band is off to Europe for a concert, and then ... and then ...? Well, no U.S. tour is slated yet, but keep your fingers crossed.

Her, again

You know every music critic and pop-culture commentator — not to mention millions of Janet Jackson fans and just plain old curious folk — will be spinning "Damita Jo" this week. It’s Jackson’s new album, and its release was presumably the underlying reason for all the JJ-inspired mischief that’s transpired recently. For her sake, it better be darned good.

$18.98/Virgin Records/in stores Tuesday.