The Daily Deal for Thursday, October 9, 2008: is "The Two Towers" DVD, for 88% off retail price.

One film to rule them all. One film to bind them. One film to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

We all know what film we're talking about here. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Yes, it's a three-film series, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's immortal trilogy of the same name. And yes, today's Daily Deal involves only the second film, "The Two Towers."

Serious fans won't care. This DVD, filled with significant added footage and extras, including cut scenes that add 43 minutes to the original theater-length running time, is priced at the ridiculous sum of $3.49 (plus $4.99 shipping and handling). That's 88% off regular retail price, and so low even an Orc could afford it.

But pray thee hurry, ere this treasure most rare is sold out.

Today's Daily Deal is the Superman Returns DVD, priced at $4.92 with free shipping at DeepDiscount.com. Need I say more? Here's the description from the website:

For five years, Superman (Brandon Routh) has been away from Earth, coaxed into space by a belief that Krypton may still exist. Finding nothing, he comes back to a changed world--not only has terrorism become rampant, but Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has married, started a family, and won the Pulitzer for her piece "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." After a stop in Smallville to see his adopted mother (Eva Marie Saint), Superman is back in Metropolis, and Clark Kent has his old job back at the Daily Planet, with everyone still incredibly oblivious to his alter ego. But where there's Superman, there's Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), and he is likely to be planning something dastardly--in this case, using a piece of pilfered kryptonite to grow an entirely new continent that he will control.

Just a month after Geoff Williams reported that the economic stimulus package was stimulating more than just checking accounts, it turns out that the adult entertainment industry isn't able to keep it up. Wired reports that the porn industry is feeling the effects of increased oil prices as well as restricted consumer spending. These factors are further exaggerated by an onslaught of piracy and free amateur content. The economy is affecting everyone in the industry, from the producers to the front line retailers who are experiencing rental drops of up to 15% and DVD sales falling as well.

I think I've exhausted the number of play on words I can include in one article so I'll take a break to examine what limp porn sales mean for the economy (seriously I'm done now). While it can be argued that the industry is simply coming to grips with the same factors that have been affecting the music industry over the past 5 years that answer is simply the low hanging fruit. It's not like free and pirated porn has grown so much over the past year that the industry is tanking just because Joe Schmo is sharing pics of his ex girlfriend. Porn is actually a lagging indicator of the economy, much the way that online advertising is considered a lagging indicator.

If you're a documentary buff, SnagFilms is the most exciting website to come along in a long time.

Here's how it works: go to SnagFilms.com and watch full-length documentaries for free, without registering or downloading software. Then, you can embed the movies on your website, and the "commercials" that are embedded in the movies pay for site, with half of the revenue going to the filmmakers.

So far the project has lured in some big hits: Super Size Me, Paper Clips, and What Would Jesus Do, to name a few of my favorites. A word of warning: it just launched today, in beta, and has a lot of kinks to be worked out. But the concept is great and should provide filmmakers with a way to generate additional revenue in a niche market where hits often attain a tiny fraction of the revenue that conventional films do.

For more information on the site, check out this USA Today piece.

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

I've been predicting the death of the movie rental store since 1995, when I was a film critic and reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Back then, it was just at the dawn of DVD players and everything was changing. I used to rent my videos from the original Blockbuster location in Dallas, and the company was part of my beat and already struggling, so I reported on many of the troubles in the industry. That first store is still in operation -- albeit a few blocks down the road -- but for how much longer? I will eventually be right, and probably very soon.

While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, went into bankruptcy last year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already. In my current neighborhood in Brooklyn, the mom-and-pop shop made it about a year longer than the Blockbuster location, and we now have no rental location anywhere near us (although there is a Blockbuster across the street from my office in Manhattan). And does anyone mind? Not really.

The only reason that it has taken this long for the demise of these stores is that Hollywood hasn't been willing to sign over its digital future yet. The entertainment companies are worried about people stealing downloads and even DVDs still make them nervous. So they've made it difficult for download and on-demand services to get a foot hold. Video rentals still bring in over $8 billion, although there hasn't been growth in some time. (Online subscription services like Netflix and Blockbuster's own mail rental business are up to 25% of the market.)

But now the future has arrived and the movie studios are finally opening up to the prospect of HD transmission of their wares. And that goes to show that video rental stores never really had a sustainable business model, and the overbuilding in the late 1980s and early 1990s only compounded the problems as the industry contracted. The VCR was doomed from the start, as most technologies of the kind are. At least the industry did not make the same mistake with DVDs by building out even more stores, and is letting the digital marketplace take over with download and mail-order options for the moment, waiting out the next technological advance.

Read the entire series

The Daily Deal for July 15

The Wire First Season on DVD, Tower.com, list $59.98, is on sale for $40.99 (32% off) with free shipping.

In case you haven't noticed, the television doldrums have arrived, and if I have to watch one more 'reality' show, I'm going to scream like William Hung (and trust me, you don't want that). Fortunately, my fallback plan is to kick back and enjoy the first season of the ground-breaking HBO series, The Wire. At $40.99 for 13 hours of entertainment, I can even afford to enjoy a cold one as I watch.

I avoid watching serial dramas as they are released because, inevitably, I miss a crucial hour of 24 or the episode of The Sopranos where some key character whacks some other key character. Besides, I enjoy watching these at any pace I damn well please.

This series especially intrigues me. Friends whose judgment I trust are in agreement with many critics that this is one of the most powerful television series ever. So if the thermometer is creeping up toward 100 degrees, don't look for me outside. I'll be on the mean streets of Baltimore, dodging bullets with my boys.

Here's a great gift for any aspiring he-man. For $24.49, Amazon.com is offering Rocky: The Complete Saga Collection on 6 DVDs. You get Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa for 59% off the list price. If you really have no life, you can add the Rambo Trilogy (Ultimate Edition DVD Collection) for another $17.99.

If you're just buying the Rocky collection, you'll need to spend another 51 cents to qualify for free shipping. This Wagner 53 G-3 1/2 Bulb 7/16 will do the trick, bring you to an even $25 and free shipping at the lowest possible price.

Does your dad know the identities of both of the actors who played Vito Corleone?

Does he know all the words to the MASH theme song?

Does he ever complain that movie trivia questions are "too easy?"

Has he ever gotten into an argument about whether an Imperial Star Cruiser could beat a Klingon Bird of Prey?

Is there an indent in the couch in the shape of his butt?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, I might have the perfect Father's day gift for you. Netflix recently unveiled its new Roku player. Basically, this $99 box connects your computer to your television, enabling you to watch streaming movies right on your TV. While this isn't the first TV/internet connector, the Roku is far cheaper than previous options. Netflix is promising full DVD quality, and it will currently allow you to stream any of its 10,000 movies and TV programs for free, as long as you're a member.

Admittedly, there are limitations to streaming movies. They don't tend to have all the wonderful DVD extras and are, currently, a little unwieldy to work with. That having been said, Netflix's streaming movies are, essentially, free, and they are insanely convenient. Besides, as more and more content becomes available online, these sorts of interfaces are going to become really common. With a little help from you, your dad could become the coolest kid on the block!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He still gets a little teary when he remembers his family's first VCR. It was a cute little Zenith, and it just worked its little heart out...

The Daily Deal for Wednesday, May 21st is a set of 10 kids DVDs for $9.99 -- nearly 90% off the list price of $98. Shipping will set you back nother $5.95 but you can order multiple sets as gifts and combine the shipping. According to the site, the set may include: Cinderella, Return Treasure Island Swiss Family, Gabby and Gullible Friends, Bionic Clown, Little Princess Royal Wedding, Sinbad/Musketeers/Cristo, Brothers Grimm Boots, Return Treasure Island, Phantom of the Doodio,
Oliver/Copperfield, Aladdin/Hunchback/Hercules.

If you're worried about quality, it's worth noting that Gaiam has a pretty good reputation -- it's known for some of the best yoga and fitness related DVDs in the market. So I would say that these DVDs are likely to be of better quality than the dollar-DVDs you find at stores like Wal-Mart.

I can't find reviews for the set online though -- if you own this set, please leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Every day, WalletPop will be bringing you information about a fantastic freebie. Like what you see? Check back tomorrow for more!

OK, so you probably wouldn't rush to your Netflix account to add a DVD about "the world of rice" to your queue. Still, a DVD about the many different kinds of American rice -- featuring 11 recipes! -- is a pretty solid Fantastic Freebie. It's offered by the USA rice Federation. From the site:

'Exploring the World of U.S. Rice' is an informative view of all things rice from paddy to plate. You'll learn about the types of rice grown in the U.S., how to prepare and use each variety and follow top chefs as they create some of today's hottest rice dishes.

If cooking is your thing, order a copy by filling out the very brief form here.

Every day, WalletPop will be bringing you information about a fantastic freebie. Like what you see? Check back tomorrow for more!

I've never heard of Planet Heroes but hey: it's a free DVD from Fisher-Price. They even pay the shipping!

Give it to your toddler when you pick him up from preschool. Fill out the form on this page to request your copy.

A word of warning: the site says to allow 12-14 weeks for delivery, so let this one be a surprise for Junior.

The storm season is rapidly approaching for my part of the country, and that got me thinking. Because our locality seems to be rather prone to lightening strikes, we had better make sure we have proper insurance coverage on our computers.

I've already had one modem fried by lightening. Luckily enough the manufacturer's warranty covered that one occurrence. But now, we have two rather expensive computers which are each used for generating income. You can bet that I'll be making sure they're protected by proper insurance before storm season hits.

Generally, homeowner or renter's insurance will provide adequate coverage for the average personal computer in the event of damage or theft. However, it's a good idea to check to see if the policy covers actual value or replacement value. Computers depreciate very quickly once we put them into service. In my own case, I'll gladly pay the modest up-front charge for a policy which provides replacement of my machine at current market prices for new equipment, if something unsavory should happen.

To me, the best Daily Deal is a free Daily Deal -- That's why I most recently wrote about Wal-Mart's free samples.

Standing in line at a RedBox DVD rental kiosk on Thursday night, a wonderful lady told me that when I went to pay for the DVD, I should enter the promotional code "SHOP" to get the DVD for free. Sure enough, it worked.

Curious about this, I got on Google and found insideredbox.com, which has loads of codes for each state. My suggestion: write down a few in case the first one doesn't work, and you should be able to get your DVD for free. Of course, if you keep it more than a day, you'll have to pay $1extra.

But if you have the discipline, you should be able to get free DVD rentals for as long as Redbox runs these promotions.

Now that's a daily deal.

Here at WalletPop, we're always on the lookout for signs that the American consumer isn't a complete moron.

Every few months, we find evidence of intelligent life in America's malls. Today, the New York Times reports that the next-generation DVD formats -- Blu-Ray and HD-DVD -- aren't selling real well, and neither side is emerging as a clear winner either:

The two camps are victims of their own earlier success with DVD. The standard DVDs offered a quantum leap in quality from the picture and sound of VHS videotape, and for many that was more than adequate.

In addition, DVD players that can convert images to near high-definition quality can be found for under $100, hundreds less than a true high-definition DVD player, further reducing the urgency to upgrade to one of the new formats.

That's exactly right. DVDs offer pretty good technology. Unless your retirement is fully funded, you have no debt, own your home free and clear, and have 6-figures stashed away for your childrens' college tuition, you should not even be contemplating thinking about thinking getting one of these high definition DVD players.

Perhaps the soft economy will force people to behave as more responsible stewards of their personal finances. If so, it could be a tough stretch for gadget-makers.