Avatar fans are still in the midst of blinking several times and pinching themselves out of a collective dream as the announcement came to a shocked, stunned, relieved, beleaguered, embattled, and weary fandom as to when Season 3 of our beloved animated saga will be shown to television audiences.

No, we still don't have a Season 3 airdate.

We have the next best thing. A DVD release of OCTOBER 30TH of Season 3: Fire for the first five episodes.

As with all things Avatar, this begs more questions than it answers. Why so early? Why announce this before a Season 3 airdate? Surely the reasons are more than just for being obnoxious and wanting fans to wait patiently as the carrot dangles in front of us just out of reach.

What kind of marketing ploy is this? Is this to get a jump on piracy? Is this Paramount's answer to the lawsuit against YouTube and Google? Is it because next-gen DVDs (Blu-rays and HD DVDs) are coming and the "old" DVDs will become fossil fuel?

If I had more free time and if I cared for more than just Avatar, I would do more research on OTHER Paramount (i.e. CBS) television shows to see how fast they come out with DVDs.

For right now, I will bask in the glow of Avatar. But not without a head scratch or two.