Rich Heldenfels, Pop Culture Wanderer

Viewing of late has included "The Assistant" (pictured above), "The Old Guard," "Black and Blue,," "The Morning Show" and "Athlete A" along with a rewatch of "Bombshell," a cumulative contemplation of what women must endure -- and the evil men do. And then there's "Greyhound," where a woman appears in the most token fashion imaginable. Especially disturbing is the documentary "Athlete A" on Netflix, an examination of the horror inflicted on women gymnasts and the myriad ways people in power tried to hush it up. Unflinching in its description of the sexual abuse, unblinking in noting how the authorities added to the abuse by trying to intimidate the truth-tellers, almost unbearably agonizing as the women tell their stories -- stunning, agonizing work. And, sadly, not the only production dealing with such horrors. The absorbing "The Assistant" (now on disc) is mercifully brief -- under 90 minute...

Here is what happens after months of varied degrees of isolation: there's never enough digital content. My streaming music library has expanded, now including Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify (the free version), Amazon Music (whatever comes with my Prime subscription) and the international channels I can reach with my Como Musica. My video streaming options include Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access and, most recently, Apple TV+. Getting that last service finally gave me a way to watch "The Morning Show," the drama with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. It is at times marvelous and other times just a drag, but it caught me up especially short when an episode found the morning-show team setting up in the Safari Inn, pictured above. "I stayed there," I said to my wife, and the memories came rolling back.  It was 1999. The Cleveland-set "Drew Carey Show" was making its 100th episode, and I had gone to L.A. to cover the event, appear as a back...