It's time for another installment of "OMC Recommends," a periodic look at cool things that we like and think you should know about.
Use the Talkback feature to let us know what you think of our picks and if you'd like to add some of your own, e-mail them to omcrecommends@staff.onmilwaukee.com.
Season 4 of "Seinfeld" on DVD -- This four-disc box set was under the Christmas tree this year and I just got around to opening the package last weekend. Though I quote lines from the show virtually every day, I've never really been a Seinfeld scholarÖ until now.
Season 4 was when the show transformed from a quirky, funny, lightly-regarded show into a national obsession. The story arc begins to follow Seinfeld's "real" life, with him pitching a comedy "show about nothing" to executives at NBC. The behind-the-scenes interviews on the DVD's extras reveal that Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David were hesitant about following the path.
"Everything was just a wild guess," Seinfeld said. "And it takes a while to get confident that you're guessing pretty good. I think sometime in Season 4, we realized we were guessing pretty good."
Virtually every one of the 24 episodes in this installment is a classic, beginning with "The Trip," when Jerry heads to Los Angeles to appear on "The Tonight Show" and takes Geroge with him to look for Kramer, who is suspected as the "Smog Strangler." Other highlights include "The Contest," "The Bubble Boy," "The Pick," "The Outing" ("Not that there's anything wrong with that."), along with "The Opera," "The Junior Mint" and "The Smelly Car."
The DVD is full of extras and worth a rental, if not an outright purchase. --Drew Olson
Belleview Barber Shop -- I admit that Drew Olson's recommendation of SportsClips spurred me to write this recommendation of the independent Belleview Barber Shop, 2532 E. Belleview Pl., located above the CVS Pharmacy at Downer Avenue. I've been going there for haircuts since it was run by a previous owner -- probably about 15 years now. I get a good, fair-priced haircut ($15), that takes very little time and appointments are easy to make despite the fact that the shop does good business. The bonus, however, is John Szatkowski, a musician who loves to talk about rock and roll (and other styles). Chatting about the Alison Krauss, The Rascals, a new discovery or John's boyhood bands makes the time fly by and it takes surprisingly little to coax a tune out of him on his trusty accordion. Szatkowski also gave my son his first haircut and the 14-month-old didn't protest in the slightest! (414) 962-0817. --Bobby Tanzilo
The Tool Shed's Gift Registry -- I just got an email from the lovely ladies who operate The Tool Shed, Milwaukee's first woman-owned erotic boutique. Recently, they started a discreet "gift registry" so you can record all the nifty-to-slightly-naughty gadgets you want rolling around in your bedtable drawer. Of course, Tool Shed offers lots of stuff that doesn't require batteries, from smart books to cool crafts. But seriously, registering at The Tool Shed sounds like a good way to score fun items for your birthday or holidays of choice. Think I'll buzz in there this weekend. --Molly Snyder Edler
Santa Cruz Organic lemon-lime soda -- I gave up drinking soda nearly two years ago. Just can't be good for you to pour citric acid down the pipes. Even with this self-imposed ban, I still enjoy an occasional organic soda. Damn, that makes me sound granola. Any way, Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Lime is very tasty and refreshing. It contains 7 percent juice and only sparkling water; organic evaporated cane juice; organic lemon and lime juices; concentrated organic lemon and lime; organic lemon and lime flavors. So, it's soda without the acid. Mixes well with gin too. --Jeff Sherman
Jill Soloway -- I religiously watched "Six Feet Under" for its entire five-season run, but only recently did I finally Google the executive producer/co-writer of the show, Jill Soloway. Turns out, she immediately made it onto my short list of people I would love to meet (and have cocktails with) someday. Her Web site, jillsoloway.com, features a bunch of her writing, including the short story that landed her the job on "Six Feet" called "Courteney Cox's A**hole." Plus, it's a timely read since Ms. Cox (Arquette) returned to television earlier this month with "Dirt." --Molly Snyder Edler
Apples to Apples -- The beauty of this game lies within its simplicity. It's basically a rule-free bout of comparison, as the name metaphorically suggests, with a winner being subjectively chosen by the judge. Everyone's got a handful of pop culture nouns in their hand and there's one verb in the middle of the table. The only way to win is to think like the round's judge, and decide which of your nouns you think he or she would most associate with the given verb. The better you know your friends' sense of humor and/or logic, the higher the probability you have of winning and laughing hysterically. Viva word nerds! --Julie Lawrence
"Scene It!" -- I've begun duels with a friend on who really reigns supreme in movies and pop culture, this game -- which is played through your DVD player -- has helped make the battles more structured and fun. It's a fun family game and you don't need to be a movie buff to play. --Heather Leszczewicz
Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior -- I'm half way through Phil Jackson's "Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior." It's the second time I've read it, but this time it's 10 years later. Published in 1995, it's a great look into the coaching techniques of Jackson during his Chicago Bulls reign. More about management, spirituality and focus than basketball, it's a quick read and is full of helpful tips, drills and even Zen-like exercises. It's always good to sharpen the saw, "Sacred Hoops" helps. Buy the paper back cheap on Amazon. --Jeff Sherman
Newman's Own Organics Peanut Butter Cups -- It's amazing how these things just jump off the shelf and into my hands/shopping basket. You get three cups per 1.2-oz. package and they come in two varieties -- milk chocolate and dark chocolate. They melt-in-your-mouth cups are made from from organic cacao that comes from small farmers in the Talamanca region on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica and the Web site says the farms provide buffer zones for the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, a habitat for endangered mammal and bird species. Eat chocolate to help the environment. As for the extra expense, everything stamped "organic" costs more and Paul and Nell Newman have donated about $200 million to charity through the sale of their organic products, so you almost feel like you're doing a good dead when satisfying your sweet tooth craving. --Drew Olson
