10.5/Category 6: Day of Destruction (DVD, 2007, 2-Disc Set)

10.5: First appearing as an NBC original miniseries, 10.5 stars Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner Kim Delaney (NYPD BLUE) as Dr. Samantha Hill, an academic earthquake research scientist from a university in Washington State. When an earthquake strikes California, breaking all records and surpassing measurement on the Richter scale, it is up to Hill to apply her contested theories to reality, saving the West Coast from imminent destruction. While her controversial ideas and efficient take-charge attitude cause infighting among her fellow scientists, President Paul Hollister (Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner Beau Bridges) and his team scramble to evacuate the coast before it is effectively shattered by the natural disaster. The rest of the star-powered cast includes Ivan Sergei (CROSSING JORDAN), Dulé Hill (THE WEST WING), John Schneider (SMALLVILLE), Kaley Cuoco (8 SIMPLE RULES...FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER), and Fred Ward (SWEET HOME ALABAMA).CATEGORY 6: DAY OF DESTRUCTION: An extravagant CBS miniseries that serves as a vehicle for some spectacular special effects, the DAY OF DESTRUCTION is fast approaching Chicago in the form of three separate weather systems set to collide there: a tornado cluster that has already laid waste to Las Vegas, an Arctic front from the north, and a warm storm front from the south. A subplot involving a national energy crisis, during which the national power grid fails, is navigated by a heroic Mitch Benson (Thomas Gibson); he battles the capitalist superstructure to restore power to the city, so that people can be warned in time. The series follows the major players in this natural disaster melodrama, including Andy Goodman (Brian Dennehy, SHE HATE ME), a meteorologist about to retire who discovers the imminent disaster. Amy Harkins (Nancy McKeon) is a local TV journalist who is reporting on the crippling drought that has dragged on for weeks. She chafes under bureaucratic strictures, which forbid her to present the truth about who's really behind the power grid failure. Finally there's Tornado Tommy (Randy Quaid, INDEPENDENCE DAY), a thrill-seeker who chases storms in his tricked-out SUV. This latest in a string of television disaster films is an exciting, breathtaking nightmare scenario that is sure to keep audiences on their toes.