Rich Heldenfels, Pop Culture Wanderer

Tim Conway, it's been reported, has dementia , That diagnosis would be a blow to anyone, but it's especially awful for people prized for their intelligence and wit. Tim had both of those, especially when it came to improvisation. When he did the improvisation-laden TV series "On the Spot" in 2003, working with people like Michael Hitchcock who were adept in the field, there was still a clear sense that Tim was the grand master, and once he got going, watch out. The stories of Tim cracking up the folks he worked with are legend. He became the perfect guest star, juicing up shows for decades, Look at the clip from the old "Hollywood Palace" TV show, above, where Tim pretty much reduces David Janssen to laughing tears. Or the way this monologue cracks up Johnny Carson: Those are hardly rare moments; on "The Carol Burnett Show," there was no shortage of footage of Tim taking flight, and taking apart Harvey Korman's attempts at keeping ...

The latest seasons of “NCIS” and “Blue Bloods” come to DVD on Aug. 21, and with them comes still more reason to talk about eventful developments on both those shows. “NCIS: The Fifteenth Season” (24 episodes, six discs) includes the departure of Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), for many the most-loved character on the drama, as well as the killing off of Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry), a relatively new series regular. “Blue Bloods: The Eighth Season” (22 episodes, six discs) begins with references to the between-seasons death of Danny Reagan’s wife Linda (Amy Carlson). Perrette’s leaving “NCIS,” though announced well in advance, still feels shrouded in mystery. She said at one point that, after being part of the show from the beginning, it was just time to move on; but after she left, she tweeted about “Multiple Physical Assaults” and an unspecified “ machine” “keeping me silent, and feeding FALSE stories about me .” Viewers in addition noticed that Abby and Gibbs (Mark Harmon), ...

In 1974, Aretha Franklin performed at the Hampton Jazz Festival, and I was in the audience. She was radiant, powerful, beautiful, commanding -- all the things we had known her to be for years by that point. Although she would later acquire a reputation as a diva (even recording a collection of covers of others' "great diva classics"), she was also gracious in her success; a reporter covering that Hampton performance was surprised not long after to receive a postcard from Lady Soul thanking her for the review. Of course, that reporter (and no, I wasn't the one) was thankful for having seen Aretha in concert. So was I. She was a transcendent figure not merely in soul music but in music generally, and one of my favorite artists; I've been hearing and feeling Aretha's songs for 50 years and have about 200 in my iPod. What made her the Queen? The voice, especially in her '60s heyday, was not only powerful but melodic, steeped in her church  background b...

Although it is set in the '70s, Spike Lee's brilliant "BlacKkKlansman" is no period piece. It is as fresh as Donald Trump calling Omarosa a "dog." As terrifying as a Missouri state House candidate saying "Hitler was right" -- and still winning his primary  As chilling as hearing a commentator with Trump's ear complain that "the America we know and love doesn't exist anymore" because of "massive demographic changes." It's a movie that wants us to think about our own identity even if some forces in this country think that racial, religious and political roles are unambigous -- and if you are not one of "us" (whoever us may be) then you are to be wiped out. It asks us to consider, no matter how stupid we think some extremists are, they are nonetheless dangerous. And one of them is in the White House. Based on the memoir by Ron Stallworth, "BlacKkKlansman" follows the infiltration of a Ku Klux K...

                          Do the Oscars think films like "Shape of Water" are sinking their TV ratings? Various reports that the Oscars are going to change their annual telecast, dumping some lesser categories during commercial breaks to keep the show a tight three hours, moving the awards earlier in the year so they don't trail the zillion other awards shows, and adding a category for "achievement in popular film." As Variety put it: The group did not provide details on what movies would be eligible and when the award will first be handed out, but its intent is clear. At one point in its history, Oscar voters routinely named blockbusters such as “Titanic” or “Gladiator” as the year’s best. That’s changed. Recent best picture victors such as “Moonlight,” “Spotlight,” and the 2018 winner “The Shape of Water” have been firmly ensconced in the arthouse world, whereas well-reviewed hit films such as “Guardians of t...

The series, which has so far been available only on subscription-streaming service CBS All Access, comes to DVD and Blu-ray in November. With extras, including Klingon subtitles. Here's the official word: HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (August 6, 2016)  – Marking the return of one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises in history, the debut season of  STAR TREK: DISCOVERY: SEASON ONE  arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 13 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The four-disc Blu-ray and DVD collections will feature all 15 Season One episodes of the CBS All Access original series, along with a trove of compelling featurettes and other special features.  From VFX to set design, composing the series’ score to make-up and prosthetics, the special features will provide an unprecedented look at the making of  STAR TREK: DISCOVERY .  Featurettes include: DISCOVERING DISCOVERY: THE CONCEPTS AND CASTING OF STAR TR...

Last week I was at a local video store. Yes, I still go to video stores. Yes, I know this is an ancient quest, and that Blockbuster has died. Even with movies available for streaming and download, and on various services, I like the physicality of browsing among the disks, looking at the back covers, checking out the prices. While I could scroll through on-demand options and Netflix lists, I prefer strolling to scrolling. And I get to witness scenes like the one that day, where a man with what appeared to be his two grandsons was renting "Ready Player One" and letting the kids look around. "Pop-Pop," the younger one, who looked to be about 7, said, "which is the best Michael Myers movie?" How the kid knew the "Halloween" epics is beyond me. But his older brother eventually said, "They're all the same." I think Pop-Pop declined to do any renting for comparison. As for my own shopping, whether solo or with the wife I have my ph...