My dad loved family road trips. Whether it was a vacation or just a long weekend, he couldn't wait to strike out on the open road - with all us kids in tow. Did I mention my dad was pretty brave? He was. And plenty patient.

I don't think he ever told us to be quiet or settle down. Probably because he was the loudest person in the car. He'd sing songs like "King Of The Road" at the top of his lungs while Mom harmonized and we'd pretended to knew the words. We'd go along America's highways making noise and playing games until we'd see colorful signs beckoning to us from the road.

We loved seeing those signs. We knew that just beyond them lay promises of hot food, cold drinks, and tons of fun in a friendly town. We also knew Dad would have to stop. He couldn't resist the adventure of exploring new places, making new friends, and trying just about every specialty plate the town's diners had to offer.

I think Dad's love of road trips turned us into intrepid travelers. We all grew up to take our own families on raucous, unruly, wandering road trips. And every one of us turned out to be connoisseurs of roadside diversions and the homemade specialties of roadside diners.

I never missed an episode of Star Trek when I was growing up. I'd race home every Friday after school and park myself on the floor right in front of the TV so no one could come between me and my Trek. Unlike my friends, my favorite character wasn't Spock or Kirk or Uhura - it was Dr. McCoy, aka "Bones".

I think McCoy reminded me of our family doctor. He was one of those old-school "country doctors" who still made house calls. He was a bit grumpy, a bit funny, and totally serious about doctoring.

DeForest Kelley was originally tapped for the role of Spock, but he chose Bones instead. At first he called the character "High Noon" for his Wild West frontier style, but the nickname didn't stick. Later in life he told a Star Trek fan magazine, "But High Noon worked out just fine for me, wouldn’t you agree?"

Today would have been Kelley's 97th birthday. I can't help but picture him in front of a candle-laden birthday cake saying, "Blow them out? I'm a doctor, not a wind machine!"

Wonder Woman was a neighborhood hero when I was a kid. Especially to the girls. Not only could she take care of herself and take down bad guys twice her size, she could deflect bullets with her jewelry and she piloted an invisible plane! She was our hands-down favorite comic book and TV superhero.

In a few short months, the new Wonder Woman movie will be coming out and we're starting to get some hints about what to expect:

• The director is a woman. Patty Jenkins, who directed the chilling real-life tale Monster finally gets a shot at directing a superhero movie. (She was supposed to direct Thor: The Dark World a few years ago, but it didn't work out.)
• Greek mythology will play a big role in the story. Though it makes up much of the superhero's own mythology, the Amazon Princess' background has been lacking in other screen projects.  
• The film will be released before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - for good reason. I won't reveal any spoilers, but let's just say the two stories hook up in the end.

On January 8, Elvis Presley would have turned 82 years old. His untimely death at the tender age of 42 shocked the nation and the world, but as Los Angeles music blogger Randy Lewis is fond of saying, "Elvis still lives." The worldwide celebrations scheduled for this weekend seem to prove Lewis' point.

Elvis lives through his music and his movies, but he's most alive in our memories. My friends and I used to dance in our living rooms, singing along with Elvis' records until we (and the records) were completely worn out. We saw every movie and bought every song. Some of my fondest memories feature an Elvis "soundtrack".

Most of us remember the first time we heard our favorite Elvis song. Or the excitement of seeing a larger-than-life Elvis on the movie screen. The very lucky ones even got to see him in concert. Since then, whole new generations of people have discovered Elvis. They're making new memories set to the music of Elvis Presley.

Which is why Elvis still lives. And always will.