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DVD Reviews | Why does this nonsense seem so sensible on TV?

hcohen@MiamiHerald.com

There's plenty of talk about baby mamas these days but this Baby Mama (Universal; $29.98; PG-13) is the movie comedy with 30 Rock's Tina Fey and Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler. Both actresses worked on the latter show and are easy comedians. There are some laughs to be had in this brisk comedy about a career woman (Fey) who wants a baby but has had little success landing Mr. Right and even less grace from Mother Nature. She's told by her doctor that she has a T-shaped uterus so conception would be nearly impossible.

Enter Poehler as a surrogate. The women are thrown together in a contrived Odd Couple manner that makes no sense but would be easier to overlook with a better script.

Ah, but this is why DVDs were created. What can seem excruciating in a theater full of irksome strangers sometimes seems more agreeable on the sofa. Baby Mama, thanks to Poehler and Fey, qualifies.

Don't miss the DVD's deleted scenes, especially one with a birthing coach with a speech impediment and a thirsty kid. It's crude, to be sure, but inserted properly into the movie it might have improved the finished product.

Technical details -- visual transfer, audio -- are fine.

`UGLY BETTY II'

The high concept Ugly Betty, like many first-season phenoms, struggled in its second year with some iffy episodes -- Wilhelmina's stolen frozen sperm ordeal and Betty's tiresome love triangle have got to go. A writer's strike didn't help matters.

Ugly Betty -- The Complete Second Season (ABC Studios/Buena Vista; $59.99), subtitled the ''Brighter. Bolder. Bettyer.'' DVD edition, might not be brighter, bolder or even Bettyer, but it finds the ABC show still capable of greatness. For instance, a Thanksgiving episode about the Suarez patriarch's immigration problems might be the warmest Ugly Betty yet. Some of the odder plot devices -- guest star Gene Simmons as a possible daddy for vain Amanda and a Wicked moment onstage for Betty and her nerdy beau Henry -- also delivered laughs.

The DVD extras are similarly hit-and-miss. Tours of the sets by several of the costars are cute but frivolous. If we're into the second season we don't need tutorials on why we ''love to hate'' the Wilhelmina Slater character (Vanessa Williams) or the ''I (heart) Betty'' supplement. Mock telenovelas in Spanish, Las Pasiones de Telenovelas, are better, Bettyer additions. We especially (heart) the Betty Bloops, a collection of cast mishaps that seem to suggest this set is one fun and friendly place to work -- Wilhelmina, aside.

`SMALLVILLE VII'

Some thought Smallville would wrap its telling of the Superman clan's origins in seven seasons, but its eighth season kicks off on The CW on Sept. 18 (minus some regular cast members). Smallville -- The Complete Seventh Season (Warner Bros.; $59.98) took a darker turn and shifted the focus too much to the nefarious Lex Luthor villain at the expense of Clark Kent (Tom Welling). We'll find out soon if this has a payoff.

The DVD has a couple fanboy extras like the continuing Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Mobisodes Gallery and a digital Smallville comic book that can be viewed on TV or in closer detail on a computer.

Two smashing supplements: Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton details how the character evolved from her subordinate role in the 1950s to the modern, assured Supergirl reborn five years ago in DC's comic book and introduced on Smallville this season.

Jimmy on Jimmy brings together the actors behind Jimmy Olsens past (Jack Larson from the '50s TV serial The Adventures of Superman and the Christopher Reeve movie-era Olsen, Marc McClure) and present (Smallville's Aaron Ashmore and Superman Returns' Sam Huntington).

The actors reflect on playing the beloved sidekick. The supplement's friendly, breezy tone makes this one of the most likable featurettes to grace a Smallville DVD package yet.

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