HORDE OF THE RINGS - "I know that some people may think that it's a crass marketing move to double-dip by releasing two DVDs a few months from each other, but I really believe that we have very different products, this one that's available now is what you saw on screen."

That's New Line's Gordon Paddison trying to justify this week's DVD release of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, even though a Special Extended Edition set is scheduled to hit stores November 12. As Paddison said, the current 2-disc set -- which includes three in-depth documentaries, 15 featurettes, and a 10-minute behind-the-scenes look at the series' second installment, The Two Towers -- contains the original theatrical cut of the Oscar-nominated picture.

The 4-disc November release will feature 30 minutes of extra footage, boosting the running time to around three hours-35 minutes. According to IGN, two discs contain the film and the remaining two discs will provide more than six hours of additional content, including Peter Jackson commentary. The rub, of course, is that this edition will only contain the extended cut. So if you want the shorter theatrical version, you have to buy both.

I enjoyed Fellowship and will likely purchase the DVD - but both sets? Not a chance. Fortunately for New Line, I'm the exception. I imagine the 2-disc set is flying off shelves as I type, even though most buyers are probably aware of the more extensive edition coming out in a few months. Hell, I'm still kicking myself for purchasing Memento, The Usual Suspects, Blue Velvet, and a handful of other DVDs, only to shell out the cash again later to buy the special editions. I suppose die-hard Rings fans won't have a problem paying $30 now and $40 later for a more loaded disc, but I won't knowingly buy a disc that will essentially be obsolete in a few months.

[Update 3:04 PM: A friend informs me Wal-Mart and Best Buy are both selling the Rings disc for around $15, not the retail price of $30 mentioned above. I'm still going to hold off, but it certainly makes purchasing the disc now a little more justifiable.]

Some other notable DVD releases this week: The 50s street gang flop Deuces Wild. The disc includes audio commentary by director Scott Kalvert and the original theatrical trailer. I avoided Deuces and still have no desire to see it, but the opportunity to hear Kalvert wax poetic about one of the most viciously maligned movies of last year could score a perfect 100 on Bill Simmons' Unintentional Comedy Rating.

Also new on DVD, Ethan Hawke's directing debut, Chelsea Walls, with cast and crew interviews and bonus footage. If ever a disc screamed for director's commentary, it's this one. Did you catch Hawke's interview in the "Newsmakers" section of last week's Newsweek? I swear I'm not making this up.

Q: This book is all about fatherhood. How has being a father changed you?

A: Fatherhood hasn’t changed me. It’s changing me. I was driven to write this book because it was asking me to change in all these ways, and I didn’t know if I could do it. I was dealing with all those questions that ... questions ... I’m sorry. My brain just completely downshifted

Q: How do you find time to act and direct and write?

A: They’re so interconnected. I met my wife acting. It’s taken me around the world. I come at writing as an actor. What am I talking about?

In all fairness to Hawke, he admitted to being pretty hung over from a reading of his new book in Central Park the night before. I caught him on Inside The Actors Studio with Jimmy Lipton a few months ago and I thought he was one of the more instructive guests I've seen on the show. Seriously. Some actors, like Meryl Streep, have enormous talent but have trouble explaining their "craft"; while others, like Hawke, are mostly mediocre and yet very good at articulating what they do.

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