THE LIST: DVDs, CDs and books for week of Dec. 30

DVDS
  “Towelhead” (R): A sexually blossoming Arab-American 13-year-old (Summer Bishil) struggles to deal with an overprotective father (Peter Macdissi), racist classmates — and a flag-waving neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) with an inappropriate interest in her. Toni Collette and Maria Bello co-star.
  And political season may be over, but “An American Carol” (PG-13) serves up a “Christmas Carol”-meets-Michael Moore spoof about a rabble-rousing filmmaker (Kevin P. Farley) who wants to abolish the Fourth of July — until the ghosts of George Washington (Jon Voight) and George S. Patton (Kelsey Grammer) try to change his mind.
  “Towelhead” and “An American Carol” didn’t stay long at local theaters, but at least they made it here. That’s more than we can say for “Surfer, Dude” (R), with Matthew McConaughey as a Malibu surfer trying to catch a wave, in and out of the water. Woody Harrelson, Scott Glenn and Willie Nelson co-star. Katt Williams, meanwhile, tries out “Internet Dating” (not rated) in a comedy that explores online and in-your-face reality.
  Speaking of real vs. reel, Korea’s acclaimed “Woman on the Beach” (unrated) focuses on a blocked filmmaker who tries to re-create a real-life romance onscreen. Another acclaimed foreign title, “Live and Become” (not rated), which played Las Vegas’ Jewish Film Festival, explores the plight of Ethiopia’s Falasha Jews — and a Christian refugee who pretends her son is Jewish so he’ll be airlifted to a new life in Israel.
  For those who’ve seen the new World War II thriller “Valkyrie” and are curious about the history behind it, a National Geographic documentary focuses on “43 Ways to Kill Hitler” (not rated).
  In other TV transfers, the “Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget: Uncensored” (not rated) features former “Full House” co-star John Stamos as roastmaster, with Greg Giraldo, Jeff Garlin and Jeffrey Ross among those hurling insults and insights.
  Several made-for-TV Harlequin romances (all unrated) also hit DVD, including “A Change of Place” (featuring Rick Springfield), “Another Woman” (with Justine Bateman), “Broken Lullaby” (with Mel Harris) and “Treacherous Beauties” (starring Bruce Greenwood and Catherine Oxenberg).
  Other unrated titles arriving: “Nip/Tuck, Season 5, Part 1”; “Kyle Xy: The Complete Second Season”; “Greek: Chapter Two”; “The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season 1”; and “PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal — Season Three.”
  And if you need to work off all those pounds you gained over the holidays, Richard Simmons returns “Supersweatin’: Party Off the Pounds” (not rated).

CDS
  There are NO NEW CD RELEASES this week, so instead, why don’t you go out and grab these overlooked discs that you might have missed in the past year.
  George Jones, “Burn Your Playhouse Down”: An album of duets that never made it onto any of his official CDs over the last couple of decades, this disc proves that Jones is such a badass, even his castoffs are better than 95 percent of what passes for country these days. Hey Kenny Chesney fans, bust out your crayons and take notes: This is what real country sounds like.
  Sahg, “II”: Amp-melting Sabbath worship from Norway, this is hairy-chested riff rock with melody and groove to spare that will add at least 2 inches to your mane.
  Delicious Vinyl All-Stars, “Rmmxology Deluxe Edition”: Maybe the most straight-up fun record of the year, with Peaches, Eminem, Hot Chip and others refurbishing hip-hop classics by the likes of Tone Loc, Young MC and Masta Ace with propulsive beats and more ‘tude than a busload of third-graders.
  The Faceless, “Planetary Duality”: Impossibly teched-out deathcore from L.A. with dizzying guitar work that will leave your wrists sore by osmosis. This disc will in fact remove your face. 

BOOKS
   “Black Ops (Presidential Agent Series No. 5)” by W.E.B. Griffin: Delta Force Lt. Col. Charley Castillo is both infuriated and fascinated after receiving back-channel messages regarding covert U.S. intelligence agents all over the world being found dying or dead. Castillo figures it’s only a matter of time before he and his Office of Organizational Analysis are put on the case.
  Presidential Agent Castillo has made many enemies, both overseas and on U.S. soil. As he deals with the fallout from recent missions involving South American drug runners and the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal, he receives another back-channel message, this one from a Russian arms dealer who eludes to something big coming out of the Kremlin, perhaps big enough to start another Cold War.
    Also hitting shelves: “Fire and Ice” by Julie Garwood; “Best Life Diet Cookbook: More than 100 Delicious, Convenient, Family-Friendly Recipes” by Bob Greene; “The Big Idea: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, from the Aha Moment to Your First Million” by Donny Deutsch; “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes” by Mark Bittman; “I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People” by Paul McKenna; “Running Hot” by Jayne Ann Krentz; and “The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First” by M.D. Mark Hyman.