Home Video

JACK PAAR: AS I WAS SAYING . . .
White Star Home Video
180 minutes, $49.95
This pastiche of onscreen gems featuring one of TV's great innovators is a keepsake for those who remember the days in the late '50s when Paar and "talk television" were synonymous. The three-tape boxed set superbly captures just about all the golden moments a fan could ask for. The first two videos contain Paar's PBS special, and the third contains 60 minutes of original programming, including favorite moments handpicked by the former "Tonight Show" host. The archival footage includes interview snippets with a slew of celeb guests ranging from John F. Kennedy to Judy Garland to Woody Allen. Paar also does some reminiscing about his career, including his infamous walk off "The Tonight Show" set when he thought his material would be censored.

VOICES! AMERICA'S GREAT CHORUSES
Goldhil Home Media
84 minutes, $19.95
Among the many musical styles that originated in the U.S. are barbershop and close-harmony choruses. This program gets inside these distinctly American art forms, which began in the late 19th century when singers gathered on street corners to croon and have grown into the splashy, sophisticated stage productions of today. This tape focuses on the 150-man Vocal Majority, the renowned Dallas-based chorus, as it prepares to compete for the vaunted International Gold Medal. Just as the choir is made up of a patchwork of individual voices, interviews with some of its singers reveal a rainbow of stories and philosophies regarding membership in the ensemble. An interesting peek into a truly harmonious world. Contact: 800-250-8760.

GRIND WORKOUT: DANCE CLUB AEROBICS
Sony Music Video
50 minutes, $12.98
Sony Music Video heralds the fall with another installment in its Eric Nies-hosted workout series, and this one is even more hip and hoppin' than its predecessors. Rather than working up a sweat in the great outdoors as they have on previous tapes, Nies and "The Grind" dancers slide behind closed doors at the New York club System, where they smoke up the dancefloor with new moves set to DJ Romain's throbbing beats. If this sounds more like a warm-up for a Saturday night on the town than an exercise tape, you're not too far off track. What makes "The Grind" such a good fit for the MTV generation is that it provides an excellent aerobic workout without really seeming like a workout. The dance portion is followed by a training session designed to tone hips and thighs.

THE GRAND JURY TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
MPI Home Video
220 minutes, $14.98
The big question here is, Why? After it was shown in its complete, cumbersome form on CNN and recapped to death on TV and radio stations too numerous to mention, the uncut, unedited four-hour grand jury testimony of President Clinton comes to video with a big question mark. Even at the attractive, under-$15 price point, why would anyone want to relive it? Those who do want to own a copy of the most controversial, overanalyzed slice of recent American history‹and there's no arguing it is a juicy one‹will be extremely happy they have the fast-forward and rewind buttons at their disposal.

MY SO-CALLED LIFE
BMG Video
90 minutes each, $14.98 each
Though it had a relatively short network run when it debuted on ABC in 1994, this series about growing up and all the angst that goes along with it actually reached more of its target audience during a successful syndicated run on MTV. That run ended this summer, but BMG is releasing two tapes containing two uncut episodes each of the critically acclaimed show that launched the career of Claire Danes. The first includes the episodes "Dancing In The Dark" and "Guns And Gossip." The second contains "Father Figure" and "The Zit." In an interesting cross-promotion, each episode includes a music video from a BMG artist geared toward the teen audience, including Natalie Imbruglia, Eve 6, Addict, and Ultrababyfat. Additionally, BMG Video is selling the tapes individually or as part of a $39.98 boxed set that contains a bonus third video with two additional episodes.

ANIMAL ALPHABET
Time-Life Video
44 minutes, $12.99
This wild and woolly romp through the alphabet is a terrific way to introduce preschoolers to letters using film footage of something they already love‹animals. From armadillos to zebras, creatures from North America to Africa to Australia are shown in the wild doing what they do best. Each segment is accompanied by a catchy original song and an animated pop-up of the capital and lower-case letter that is the first letter of the featured animal's name. In addition, the selection of animals here is not your run-of-the mill children's fodder. In this treatment, for example, C stands for chameleon, not cat, and D stands for dolphin, not dog. Time-Life also has a $9.99 companion audiocassette.

CASPER SAVES HALLOWEEN
Warner Home Video
25 minutes, $9.95
This animated Casper Halloween special has lost little of its charm over the years. Excited at the chance to go trick-or-treating just like all the real boys and girls, the friendly guy decides to "dress up" as a ghost and hits the streets. But he manages to fool only a couple of people before his fun is tempered by his three ghostly brethren, a mean-spirited bunch who are concocting a plan to ruin Halloween. It's up to Casper and his new friends‹a group of kids from the neighborhood orphanage‹to save Halloween. Also new from the "Casper" vaults are "Stars And Frights" and "The Boo-Zoo."

JERRY SPRINGER "I REFUSE TO WEAR CLOTHES" UNCENSORED!
Real Entertainment
53 minutes; $19.99
This new edition to the popular line of Jerry Springer home videos lives up to the raunchy, rowdy, and ridiculously silly reputation set by its predecessors. As opposed to the confusing clip job done in "Too Hot For TV," this is a complete uncensored episode about a stripper named Adara, who likes to be naked offstage as well, and the family turmoil her lifestyle choice causes. Both Adara and her sex-show partner Amanda appear on Springer's stage in their surgically enhanced birthday suits throughout the entire show. Adara's mother and sister cry, the girls' boyfriends brawl, an audience member strips, everyone throws around profanity for adjectives, and Springer pokes fun at it all while trying to make sense of his wild guests. This novelty video is an excellent icebreaker at a party and a natural choice for bachelor parties for years to come.