Gift Ideas from A & E Networks ~ The Review Stew

From top-rated programs and collections from A&E, HISTORY® and Lifetime to fan-tastic offerings from Major League Baseball Productions, there’s something for everyone on your gift giving list this holiday season from A+E Networks Home Entertainment. Whether the format be DVD, Blu-ray or 3D BD, A+E offers a wide range of award-winning entertainment and documentaries sure to give every gift recipient countless hours of viewing pleasure! For more information or to request screeners of any of the following 2012 holiday gift giving suggestions, please contact Suzanne Dobson at sdobson@foundrycomm.com.

THE BEST OF HISTORY®

Prepare for an adrenaline-infused tale about the rise of civilization across the globe. From the producers of AMERICA THE STORY OF US™, MANKIND, a 12-hour series on HISTORY®, spans the first flourishing of civilization in Mesopotamia all the way to the discovery of America. Groundbreaking production and CGI bring to life the greatest landmarks and milestones of human achievement by rebuilding lost worlds and creating large-scale reenactments of critical battles. Interactive maps dynamically illustrate the key factors that contributed to the birth and evolution of human endeavors. Focusing on the simultaneity of human experience -- how ancient Egypt thrived while Stonehenge was being built, how China was at its zenith while Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages -- this landmark series captures all the action, struggle and heroism of our shared journey. (AVAILABLE 12/11; BLU-RAY/3 DISCS/$39.95SRP; DVD/3 DISCS/$34.95 SRP)

WWII in HD and VIETNAM IN HD are HISTORY’s highest-rated war events of all time, seen by over 40 million viewers. Featuring the voice talents of celebrities such as LL Cool J, Steve Zahn, Ron Livingston, Rob Lowe and Josh Brolin, the programs also offer spectacular visuals presented in High Definition with absolutely no colorization and immersive 5.1 sound -- the only people to see the wars like this were the soldiers themselves. WAR IN HD is a 6-disc collector’s set perfect for the armchair historian or military aficionado and is specially priced for the holidays!

WWII in HD is the first documentary to show World War II from the perspective of both sides in full, immersive HD color. Culled from 3,000 hours of recently excavated color footage, and utilizing the diaries of soldiers who fought in the war’s biggest battles, this comprehensive presentation creates a personal, introspective and detailed look at life on and off the front lines. It’s truly a picture of World War II that has never been seen before. VIETNAM IN HD represents a story that is in danger of being lost to history. Using color footage never seen by the public from private collections, museums, the U.S. government, and veteran’s organizations, as well as sources from Vietnam, veterans of America’s most controversial war tell their stories and relive their struggles, courage and fears. This six-hour miniseries spans the massive initial troop build-up in 1965 to the fall of Saigon a decade later. (AVAILABLE NOW; DVD/6 DISCS/$69.95SRP)

From its unification in approximately 3100 B.C. to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C., ancient Egypt was the preeminent civilization in the Mediterranean world. This special 6-disc collectible set headlined by HISTORY’s best-selling programs; including the acclaimed Egypt-focused episode of the Emmy®-winning series ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE, and the highly-rated mini-series PLANET EGYPT, THE ANCIENT EGYPT ANTHOLOGY pays homage to this rich and complex culture and explores it from its very beginnings as a land of disparate peoples, through its dynastic zenith and to its ultimate decline. This compendium, featuring over 12 hours of fascinating content and cutting edge footage (including brand new bonus features available for the first time) in one collection, explores the technology, religion, culture, wars and peace that unified this civilization for over 3,000 years, offering an intriguing in-depth exploration into the heart of Egypt never before captured on film. (AVAILABLE NOW; DVD/6 DISCS/$49.95SRP)

THE ANCIENT ROME ANTHOLOGY presents a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most powerful and advanced civilizations. Depicting the city and its inhabitants from the beginning, the 6-disc set containing over 12 hours of best-selling HISTORY® highlights the role of the most significant actors, documents the physical growth of the empire, and lays out the ceaseless internal and external struggles for power. In a world of frequent invasions and competition among warring tribes, Roman cities provided a secure structure in which diverse traditions could flourish. In this stunning collection, Roman influence is visible from every perspective. (AVAILABLE NOW; DVD/6 DISCS/$49.95SRP)

And my personal favorites are the LIFETIME FAVORITES

This holiday season, nothing will warm the hearts of loved ones more than LIFETIME PRESENTS: 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. The specially-priced 12-disc collection features a dozen Lifetime Original Movies -- over 17 hours of some of the most-popular, holiday-themed dramas and comedies to ever air on the Network! Starring an array of today's most notaable film and TV stars including Luke Perry ("Goodnight Justice, "90120"), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Joanna Garcia ("Reba"), Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty"), Colin Ferguson ("Eureka") and many more, the films include:

· A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride
· A Christmas Wedding
· Under the Mistletoe
· Holiday Wishes
· Home by Christmas
· Holiday Switch
· The Road to Christmas
· Recipe for a Perfect Christmas
· His and Her Christmas
· Will You Merry Me
· Christmas in Paradise
· Deck the Halls

Arriving just in time for the holiday season, the LIFETIME GOLD COLLECTION features four of Lifetime’s most popular Original Movies in one specially-priced DVD set. Kathy Bates (Misery, “Harry’s Law”), Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents series), Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) and Thora Birch (American Beauty) star in these four inspiring films about people overcoming great odds – and the first three are based on true stories.

If you love this review and my site...