DVDS
  “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (PG-13): Those nasty Decepticons are back, kidnapping hero Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and setting the stage for another epic, duel-to-the-death battle with the good-guy Autobots to determine Earth’s fate. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro reprise their roles in this follow-up to the 2007 smash.
  And for something completely different, “Cheri” (R) reunites Michelle Pfeiffer with “Dangerous Liaisons” director Stephen Frears for a Colette tale set in belle epoque Paris, about an aging courtesan who educates a colleague’s son (Rupert Friend) in the ways of love.
  Turning to movies that never played locally, Ian Somerhalder, Ving Rhames and Robert Carlyle play assassins out to win “The Tournament” (R). “The Elephant King” (R) stars Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn as a domineering mother whose sons (Tate Ellington, Jonno Roberts) find themselves in exotic Thailand. Famke Janssen and Bobby Cannavale headline the horror entry “100 Feet” (R), while Sean Young and Rhea Perlman share “Painful Secrets” (not rated).
  And a hometown favorite tops the TV-transfer list: “Vega$: The First Season, Vol. One” (not rated), stars Robert Urich as detective Dan Tanna, Tony Curtis as casino boss Roth — and the dearly departed Desert Inn as their Glitter City hangout. Other TV titles (all unrated) arriving on DVD today include: “The Judy Garland Holiday Show,” “ The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season Two,” “Route 66: Season Three, Vol. Two,” “Top Chef: New York — Season Five,” “Numb3rs: The Complete Fifth Season,” “Hawaii Five-O: The Seventh Season,” “The L Word: Final Season” and “Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler.”

CDS
  Joss Stone, “Colour Me Free”: If you tried to connect the dots between ace guitarist Jeff Beck, pop diva Sheila E. and firebrand rapper Nas, you’d get some pretty wild scribbling, to say the least. 
  And yet this is precisely what Brit soul siren Joss Stone has done on her latest disc, working with all the aforementioned artists — along with David Sanborn, Raphael Saadiq and more — resulting in one head-spinning album.
  Sexy, sweeping and thoroughly uninhibited, “Free” certainly sounds every bit as liberated as its title suggests.
  Also in stores: Brett Anderson, “Slow Attack”; Cartel, “Cycles”; Terri Clark, “The Long Way Home”; Electric Six, “Kill”; Flight of the Conchords, “I Told You I Was Freaky”; Kings of Convenience, “Declaration of Dependence”; Lyle Lovett, “Natural Forces”; Tim McGraw, “Southern Voice”; and Various Artists, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Film soundtrack).”

BOOKS
  “The Scarpetta Factor” by Patricia Cornwell: In the 17th thriller featuring Kay Scarpetta, the CNN forensic analyst becomes more of a television personality, appearing on-air to discuss sensational cases. Her increased visibility leads to a bizarre series of events, including a threat to her life, so when her producer wants her to launch her own television show, Scarpetta fears the cost of her growing fame.
  Also expected out this week is “What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures” by Malcolm Gladwell. This collection of some of the journalist’s most famous New Yorker pieces includes his investigation into why there are a variety of mustards but only one kind of ketchup, a profile of inventor Ron Popeil, and a look at the employers’ love of personality tests, as well as other topics.
  Also hitting shelves: “The Absolute Death” graphic novel by Neil Gaiman; “American Civil War: A Military History” by John Keegan; "Blood Game” by Iris Johansen; “The Christmas Cookie Club” by Ann Pearlman; “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters” by Timothy Keller; “The Day of the Pelican” by Katherine Paterson; “Eating the Dinosaur” by Chuck Klosterman; “Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through the Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (And Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between” by Thomas Cathcart; “I Am the New Black” by Tracy Morgan; “Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes” by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich; “Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction” by Kurt Vonnegut; “The Museum of Innocence” by Orhan Pamuk; “Shades of Blue” by Karen Kingsbury; “Southern Lights” by Danielle Steel; “SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance” by Steven D. Levitt; and “Vintage Caper” by Peter Mayle.