Chappelle's DVD is big

By RANDY A. SALAS
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL STAR TRIBUNE
In February, "Chappelle's Show: Season One Uncensored" belly-flopped amid the usual array of films floating on the lazy river of top-selling DVDs. A whopping 18 weeks later, the two-disc set is still splashing around in the top 10.
Dave Chappelle's irreverent Comedy Central show not only has had the longest tenure of any top-10 DVD so far this year, but it also has quietly become one of the biggest TV DVDs ever.
"Chappelle has carved a niche as the king of anti-P.C. humor," said Judith McCourt, research director of Video Store Magazine. "His delivery is fresh and funny, and that's why sales of the series are hot."
Through June 30, "Chappelle's Show" sold 1.6 million copies, McCourt estimated. According to her research, "Chappelle's Show" is now the No. 4 TV DVD so far. It needs to sell only 100,000 more copies to hit No. 2 on the list.
TV DVDs still have a long way to go, though. The first season of "The Simpsons" would have barely cracked the list of the 50 top-selling overall DVDs for 2003.
The biggest DVD ever is "Finding Nemo," which has sold 21.5 million copies.