STUDIO: A&E Home Video
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2008
STARRING: Gene Simmons, Shannon Tweed, Nick Simmons, and Sophie Simmons
DIRECTED BY: Adam Reed, Adam Freeman

Over a year and a half ago it was time for me to take a break from the 24/7 pace of the web, so I pried myself away from the computer and headed out of the city to recharge my batteries. At the time Gene Simmons Family Jewels was about to make its debut and I knew there was a possibility that I might be doing an interview with the famous KISS rock legend himself for another outlet. Nothing was set in stone and it was near the end of the week on a Thursday so I figured it was safe to take a quick three-day weekend and get back to business the following Monday.

After making my way to the coast of Vancouver Island up north in beautiful British Columbia, I spent a day lazily poking around a popular surfing hot spot before winding up at a seaside spa for the very first time in my life. After one of the best sleeps I’ve had in years, my cell phone rang at 7:45am on Saturday morning. Although I made a promise to leave work at home, I couldn’t resist and I just had to check my voicemail. I figured the call was work related but my eyes went wide like I’d just seen the Phantom of the Park when I heard a familiar voice on the other end, "Hello, this is Gene Simmons calling. I’m calling to set up our interview." Needless to say my vacation ended soon afterward and I bolted back to the city to talk to one of my favorite childhood idols about his new reality series.

The interview went great and now it’s over a year and a half later and two full seasons of Gene Simmons Family Jewels have come and gone on A&E. In fact, Family Jewels became one of the highest rated and most popular shows in the network’s history and Gene and family are still going strong with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It’s hard to imagine that Gene, Shannon, Nick, and Sophie will be doing the show for too many more years since family life in the public eye undoubtedly has a lifespan. However, given Gene’s savvy marketing genius, you never know; Family Jewels might be around for at least another season or two. Although A&E has already released the complete first and second seasons on DVD, they’ve also released a compilation "Best Of" DVD for fans that who’d rather see the major highlights across both seasons. If you already have the "Best Of" discs from Dog the Bounty Hunter, this one follows the same format.

The first season of Family Jewels was filled with several highlights, namely the introduction to Gene’s "Happily Unmarried" life with Newfoundland born model and former Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed and their two well-adjusted kids, son Nick and daughter Sophie. As the season progressed, more highlights included Nick’s up and coming band and his first rock gig in "Next Generation Rock Star" plus Nick and Gene learning to drive before their driving tests in "She Drives Me Crazy". The golden gem of the "Best Of" is the episode "The Demon Lives" where Gene prepares for KISS to be honored at the VH1 Rock Honors where we get an inside look at classic KISS memorabilia and footage from the older days of the band. Before that, however, Gene gets stopped at the gate of a TV studio for an appearance on a show and both security guards don’t know who he is and won't let him inside. Doesn’t everyone know who Gene Simmons is? Well, after three seasons of Family Jewels, they do now.

The highlights of the second season focus mainly on Gene’s much talked about cosmetic surgery and the facelift he received after the show’s first season. The four episodes - "Under the Knife?", "A Bun in the Oven", "Nice Day for a Facelift", and "Face Off" - follow Gene’s decision through to surgery and the eventual final product. If you didn’t see what Gene looked like after he went under the knife, it was truly mind-blowing. Imagine allowing A-Rod to swing away on your face during batting practice and that's "almost" what he looked like.

Rounding out the single disc "Best Of" is a bonus episode of "Under The Knife" that features several outtakes of the family and offers a more fun and candid alternate inside look at each family member while they film the episode. Overall, if you love the series and don’t have the time to plug yourself into the full season sets, "The Best of Seasons 1 & 2" is your best bang for your Family Jewels buck on DVD. Say what you will about Gene and his marketing genius, Family Jewels proves he has a great family and a fun life. It’s the way life should be lived if you’re on top of the rock and reality worlds.