Ted
Directed by Seth MacFarlane
Written by Seth MacFarlane
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Stroup, Patrick Warburton, Joel McHale
Universal Pictures
Rated R | 106 Minutes
Release Date: June 29th, 2012

Ted might be the funniest film of the year. I’m actually kind of ashamed of how much I laughed during it. I’m talking about doubled-over, insane laughter that could be (and probably was) mistaken for a hysterical screaming fit – like I was being stabbed in the theater, Julius Caesar-style. Et tu, Seth?

From Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, Ted stars Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett who, as the result of a childhood wish, has a living, breathing teddy bear companion in Ted (voiced by MacFarlane). John’s girlfriend of four years, Lori (Mila Kunis), wants more from their relationship and John will be forced to choose between the love of his life and his plush, stuffed best friend.

MacFarlane’s live-action effort features seamless computer animation visual effects facilities Tippett Studio (as in Phil Tippet, a childhood hero of mine) and Iloura. MacFarlane wrote the screenplay with Family Guy colleagues Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The amazing thing is, Ted feels like a live-action extension of MacFarlane’s signature style of animated shenanigans. From the random, completely obscure pop culture references to the surprise cameos, Ted instantly made me dream of a photorealistic Family Guy movie in the stylings of The Adventures of Tintin.

The Gold Box deal of the day over at Amazon today is Family Guy Volumes 1-8 on DVD for only $12.99 each (that’s 68% off the list price of $39.98 each).

Note, this deal is valid only for today, Thursday, March 31, 2011, until midnight PST while supplies last.

You can select any or all of the individual DVDs and get them for the discounted price (the DVDs are NOT bundled together).

The TV and Blu-ray deal of the week over at Amazon this week is Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy, the three animated Star Wars parody specials.

The DVD is on sale for $16.49 (that’s 53% off the list price of $34.98), while the Blu-ray discounted to $19.49 (that’s 51% off the list price of $39.99).

Note, this deal is valid through the end of the week PST on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Both editions include Blue Harvest, (based on Star Wars: A New Hope), Something Something Something Dark Side (based on The Empire Strikes Back), and It’s A Trap, the final special, which spoofs Return Of The Jedi.

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at Teefury today is the Family Guy-inspired shirt called “Prehistoric Family Dude,” by artist herky.

The sale at Teefury began at midnight EST (Tuesday, February 22, 2011) and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it’s gone from the site for good.

Amazon is running a deal right now on Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy, the three animated Star Wars parody specials.

The DVD set is $18.99 (46% off the list price of $34.98), while the Blu-ray set is $22.99 (43% off the list price of $39.99).

Both editions include Blue Harvest, (based on Star Wars: A New Hope), Something Something Something Dark Side (based on The Empire Strikes Back), and It’s A Trap, the final special, which spoofs Return Of The Jedi.

Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy will be released on December 21, 2010, so pre-order this now to lock in the discounted price.

The standalone version of It’s A Trap will also be released on December 21, 2010, so if you already own the previous two specials, you can pre-order It’s A Trap on DVD for $12.99 (43% off the list price of $22.98) or Blu-ray for $17.99 (40% off the list price of $29.99).

If you want any of these items on release date, then select “One-Day Shipping” at checkout. For guaranteed delivery by December 24, 2010, choose “Two-Day Shipping” at checkout. (Visit Amazon’s Christmas Ordering Deadlines for more details.)