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A bounty of Bootsy Collins tops this week’s pop-culture picks

By Michael Gallucci 

TOP PICK — Bootsy Collins CD reissues (Collectors' Choice)
Bootsy was P-Funk's bass-playing nucleus during its greatest period. As a solo artist recording under various monikers —including Bootsy's Rubber Band, Bootsy, and William Collins — he charted the mother ship on a similar funky course in the late '70s and early '80s. Four extras-free reissues — Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Boot Is Made for Fonk-N, Ultra Wave, and The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away — catch Bootsy at his most playfully expansive. Yeah, baby!

CD — Michael Jackson: Thriller — 25th Anniversary Edition (Epic/Legacy)
Thriller is more than just a terrific album; it's a cultural milestone. Seven of its nine songs were Top 10 singles. "Billie Jean" broke down MTV's color barrier. And a pre-freaky Jackson rightfully grabbed the King of Pop crown on his way to conquering the universe. The album still sounds great today. This reissue tags on a half-dozen bonus tracks — including Kanye- and Fergie-assisted remixes — and a DVD with all the classic videos, plus Jackson's showstopping, moonwalking performance on the Motown 25 TV special.

TV — Lewis Black's The Root of All Evil (Comedy Central)
Black likes to call himself a pissed-off optimist. We call him one of the shrewdest comedians working today. This new weekly series — which premieres at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday — features a panel of famous funny people debating the evilness of two disparate topics. Black issues final judgment at the end of each show. This week's battle: Oprah vs. the Catholic Church. Get ready to rumble.

VIDEO GAME — Twisted Metal Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition (Sony)
The PlayStation 2 lives on in the latest outing of this popular series, which features the most dangerous pimped-out rides you've ever seen. Gamers stock their cars, trucks, and, in one case, a big-ass tire with guns, grenades, and rocket launchers. Then they fight it out in the streets of Paris, an amusement park, and several other obstacle-strewn levels. Best of all, a bonus game comes complete with its own spooky backstory.

DVD — Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents: Academy Awards Animation Collection 15 Winners — 26 Nominees (Warner Bros.)
This three-disc collection of Oscar faves features some of the greatest cartoons ever made — including classics starring Bugs Bunny, Popeye, and Superman. (The set pulls together 'toons from a bunch of different studios — a first.) While head-spinning animation fuels brainy shorts like Dot, Line & Squiggle, we prefer ones like Yankee Doodle Mouse, where Jerry stuffs Tom with fireworks and lights him up like the Fourth of July.