Swing Vote

DVD (retail $29.99)Amazon



In this election-year political parody from 2008, Kevin Costner plays a beer-swilling, good-ol’-boy single dad who’s surprised (and who wouldn’t be?) to find out that a contentious race for the U.S presidency comes down to a single vote—his. DVD extras include commentary, bonus scenes and a documentary on the making of the movie in scenic New Mexico.

—Neil Pond, American Profile





Born Country

By Randy Owen

Hardcover, 275 pages

(retail $25.95)Amazon



You don’t have to be a fan of the group Alabama to enjoy lead singer Owens’ inspiring, rags-to-riches autobiography and his account of growing up a dirt-poor country boy, falling in love, confronting the temptations of success and holding on to his down-home roots no matter what—and, of course, leading three musical mates to become the most successful country music act of all time.

—Neil Pond, American Profile





This American Life: The Second Season

DVD (retail $19.99)Amazon



If you don’t subscribe to cable TV’s Showtime, you may not know the delightfully peculiar charms of this reality series based on the award-winning Chicago Public Radio show of the same name. In its second season, host Ira Glass and his crew profile a colorful variety of Americans and their off-the-beaten-track stories, including a group of high school students whose yearbook-photo smiles mask a world of emotional upheaval and an entire show devoted to people across the country named John Smith.

—Neil Pond, American Profile