Niki N. Phaser

John Hughes died yesterday, August 6, of a heart attack. He was 59. For those of you who are not paying attention during movie’s opening titles, you should know that Hughes wrote, produced or/and directed the best teen movies of the 80′s, to which you can add some other great stuff in the 90′s (you know that deep inside you crave to see Home Alone once more). He pretty muched shaped the teen comedy genre and created the matrix on which teen comedies are built and which indie filmmakers resent. It was the mind of John Hughes that spawned such teen classics like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink (he wanted a different ending), 16 Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and what have you. You can almost bet that half of the comedies which marked your childhood are John Hughes products. Some of these movies, like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, are full-on masterpieces, managing to deal with more serious issues regarding teen life, without becoming Larry Clark. It’s fun for the whole family, but food for though for each member individually. John Hughes, we will never forget about you.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB TRAILER PRETTY IN PINK TRAILER HOME ALONE TRAILER

You probably all know by now that Michael Jackson has died yesterday, June 25 2009. He would have been 51 this August. The cause of death, at least for now, is a cardiac arrest, but there has been speculation of prescription drug abuse, as a possible trigger of that heart failure. Hearing Wolf Blitzer saying “this just came in…” certainly took its toll on me, as some of my first life memories are related to the album cover of Dangerous. This might be insensitive, but we all have to admit that there is also a feeling of peace when you think about it. Michael’s last years were just a string of scandals and trials and everything that has nothing to do with his music. The 50 dates London O2 tour, that was to span from this July to next year’s March, was just another controversy in the making. It started with the first delay, apparently because of Michael’s need for live perfection, but it was clear even from then where this was going. All sorts of rumours about his health followed, but were denied instantly by his camp. Obviously, those were not just rumours. The truth is there was no comeback to follow, not a successful one anyway. The whole thing would have been a fiasco, one way or another. A legal and physical nightmare for Michael Jackson and a disappointment nightmare for all those fans. Now or at least after some time, when the speculations of death causes and suicide possibilities will fade, maybe people will once again focus on the man’s great music, more than on his troubled life. Finally R.I.P. Michael Jackson…

Actress Farrah Fawcett died today, June 25 2009, with the cause of death being cancer. There is no point in listing all her life here, all the scandals that surrounded her name. One thing is sure, her name will live on, not just as an actress, but as pop culture idol. She was the first to adopt the whole “I’m hot as hell, but still cool to just hang out” thing… Kinda like a Cameron Diaz of the seventies. Probably, that’s why Diaz played Natalie in the Charlie’s Angels movies. Another way Farrah Fawcett left her mark on the world was the hairstyle she was sporting back in day. It’s the wavy long do (like in the image), generally known as The Farrah Fawcett Hairstyle, which became an universal symbol of the 1970′s. Just think of all recent comedies set in that decade and you’ll always find that the hot-chick character(s) has a similar hairstyle. All of that started with her, so we have to grant her that much (and her stylist, too, of course). She also made us laugh on that classic Letterman episode, but it would be a little insensitive to bring that up. Anyway… it seems the Big C, the ”big chunky charlie” just woun’t stop…