DVDs, CDs and Books – Aug. 2, 2011

A look at some of the DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week:

DVDS

"Rio" (G): In this colorful animated carnival, birds of different feathers flock together when a domesticated Minnesota macaw (voiced by "The Social Network's" Jesse Eisenberg) hits the road to Rio de Janeiro, where he's supposed to preserve the species with a feisty female counterpart (Anne Hathaway).

Two fact-based, sports-themed dramas round out the recent-release lineup. "Soul Surfer" (PG-13) focuses on teen surfer Bethany Hamilton (Annasophia Robb), who finds the courage to return to the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack. And in "The Perfect Game" (PG), a ragtag team from Monterrey, Mexico, scores an unlikely triumph at the 1957 Little League World Series; Clifton Collins Jr. and Cheech Marin lead the cast.

"Cowboys & Aliens" fans can catch up on some classic Westerns with new Blu-ray Disc releases of "The Magnificent Seven" (not rated), "A Fistful of Dollars" (R) and "For a Few Dollars More" (R). And while you're waiting for the new "Conan the Barbarian," Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles his way onto Blu-ray in the R-rated 1982 original.

Topping today's TV-to-DVD transfers (all unrated): Tom Selleck in "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost" and Rufus Sewell in "Zen: Vendetta/Cabal/Ratking," plus "Eastbound & Down: The Complete Second Season," "United States of Tara: The Third Season," "Everwood: The Complete Fourth Season" and "Hell's Kitchen: Season Five -- Raw & Uncensored."

CDS

Kanye West & Jay-Z, "Watch the Throne": Some may see Kanye West as a royal pain, but he's earned his "Throne" by teaming up with fellow hip-hop prime mover Jay-Z.

A pairing of two of the biggest acts in any genre is rare, so this is an event that lives up to its hyperbolic handle.

This has been a somewhat sleepy year for mainstream hip-hop, but the slumber is most assuredly over.

Also in stores: Trace Adkins, "Proud to Be Here"; Antigone Rising, "23 Red"; Boston Spaceships, "Let It Beard"; Rick Braun, "Rick Braun Sings With Strings"; Buffalo Killers, "3"; Bury Your Dead, "Mosh N' Roll"; Dir En Grey, "Dum Spiro Spero"; Fountains of Wayne, "Sky Full of Holes"; John Hiatt, "Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns"; Hot Water Music, "The Fire, The Steel, The Tread/Adds Up To Nothing"; Keb' Mo', "The Reflection"; Manraze, "punkfunkrootsrock"; and Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, "How I Go."

BOOKS

"Cold Vengeance" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: Special Agent Pendergast is out for revenge after his wife's murder, and as he hunts for her killer, he discovers she had her own secrets and that everything he ever knew may be a lie.

Author Sherrilyn Kenyon continues her popular series this week with "Retribution," in which hired gunslinger Jess Brady is brought back to life to join the Dark-Hunters and protect the humans he once thought of as prey.

Also hitting shelves this week: "Back of Beyond" by C.J. Box; "Circle of Fire" by Michelle Zink; "Eternal" by Gillian Shields; "Home Improvement: Undead Edition" by Charlaine Harris; "I'm Just Sayin'!: Three Deaths, Seven Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva" by Kim Zimmer; "InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives" by Joe Ehrmann; "Never Have I Ever" by Sara Shepard; "This Beautiful Life" by Helen Schulman; "Thunder Dog" by Michael Hingson; "Unsaid" by Neil Abramson; "White Heat" by M.J. McGrath; and "The Wild Rose" by Jennifer Donnelly.