More on John Hughes

As a follow-up, here's a great editorial/eulogy if you care to read it.

(It's worth the read)

John Hughes: More Influential than Jacko

Weird and sad news broke yesterday, John Hughes died at 59 of a heart attack. This should be sad for most of us here at 2o2p, since his movies were relevant while we were growing-up.

There has been a slew of celebrity deaths this summer, most notably that of the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. The news coverage of his death places his demise as wildly important culturally. The "most important" person to die since <fill in the blank>.

Well, Jacko's passing has been upstaged. John Hughes was more important than Michael Jackson. His movies provided countless hours of entertainment for us. His insight in developing characters is unmatched. They weren't terribly complex, but they were real. They were real because he drew on his own experiences to create them. Regardless of one's personality type, there is a Hughes character with whom each of us can identify.

It's not just the characters, though, that made Hughes so important. It was the scope of his work. Look at this partial list of movies to which he is credited in some way:

1. Mr. Mom
2. Vacation
3. Sixteen Candles
4. Breakfast Club
5. European Vacation
6. Weird Science
7. Pretty in Pink
8. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
9. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
10. She's Having a Baby
11. Uncle Buck
12. Christmas Vacation
13. Beethoven (1, 2, 3, 4, & 5)
14. Home Alone (1, 2, & 3)
15. Miracle on 34th St
16. 101 Dalmations
17. Flubber
18. Maid in Manhattan

Between me, my wife & my daughter, there are hundreds of laughs and quotable lines in these movies.

Hughes' stories and dialogues have woven their way into our culture, our language, and in some respects our personalities. He broke free of the simplistic and somewhat carnal view of American youth (like that portrayed in the classic Animal House or Porkies). Instead he presented teenagers as complex actors and diverse beings; some dark, some naive, some self-obsessed. He presented the plight of holiday travel, families, annoying salesmen, nerds, and horny kids like noone before him.

Michael Jackson sang and danced. He gave us lots to watch, from his incomperable talent to his wheels-off lifestyle.

John Hughes drew us in. He pulled back the curtain, ever so slightly, to his reclusive world. He made it OK to be a dork freshman at a senior party. He made characters with whom almost all of us can relate.

I'm proud to say I am a John Hughes fan, and the world is a little sadder without him.

Seeking Wealthy Benefactor

To buy me this:

2o2p Gears of War Rules

A little 2o2p good will, here:

Last night we played our first 2o2p GEARS OF WAR 2 TOURNAMENT. Well, at least the bulk of it. The finals are yet to be played since most teams were still rolling at around 3am Eastern. It was an absolute blast. By my count, pretty much every GOW player of significance was in attendance last night.

I think it important, though, to send a little love to FUNKNSTIEN (AKA FUNKN GNASHTY). He spent a ton of time and effort putting that thing together. Having seen a couple of attempts to get this done go down in flames, I am personally very appreciative of his efforts. He did a great job of being available for the entire night, and overall the thing went really well.

FUNK, I owe you a beer.

Sound Swine Flu Advice

Interesting perspective from Ron Paul