ITEM #1: I really wish this column didn’t so often become an obituary, but it seems one of the sad realities of pop culture – as with life in general – is that we often lose things we care deeply about, and that loss is at least an opportunity to reflect on why they mattered and what they left behind.

This week, character actor and comedian Dom DeLuise died at the age of 75. For anyone around my age, he was one of those recurring personalities that turned up frequently in so many childhood TV shows and movies until he became a comforting presence, a welcome dose of good humor in everything from Mel Brooks movies like Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie to Burt Reynolds vehicles like Smokey and the Bandit Part II and Cannonball Run. He was an old-school comic actor, often incorporating the fact of his weight into his character in a way that was never self-conscious but good-natured. And in DeLuise, stars like Reynolds found the perfect “best friend” foil. For me, nothing quiet captured the charm of DeLuise than those memorable outtakes that would appear at the end of his movies with Burt. Their mistakes during production revealed a warm friendship and easy professional collaboration that perfectly matched the shy, heartfelt character DeLuise usually portrayed.

Farewell, Captain Chaos. Dun-dun-DAH!

ITEM #2: I’m going to see Star Trek in an IMAX showing on Thursday evening and will hopefully be bringing you my review shortly after that. But as someone who spent most of his life as a dedicated Trekkie – until Voyager came along, I’m interested to see what I will think and feel when those end credits roll. Stay tuned…

ITEM #3: GEM Coffee with the Curator: Reinventing Star Trek: Boldly Going Where We’ve Been Before

Wednesday, May 20 6-7:30pm

GEM relaunches its lecture series with a more casual, conversational mood that invites collectors to join us on the third Wednesday every month at 6pm for coffee and pop culture chat with Curator Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. This month, we talk about the relaunch ofStar Trek, with a look at the new movie as well as the 40+ year history that brought us to this bold new vision of Gene Roddenberry’s “Wagon Train to the Stars.”

In the months ahead, “Coffee with the Curator” will cover the reimagining of the Star Trek universe, the world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz, the magical saga of Harry Potter in books and films, and the many incarnations of G.I. Joe.