Almost nine years after his death, the debate continues: Who (if anyone) can step into the Master’s shoes? Could it be Jonathan Levine? Or how about Hecht (of Ice Age fame)?
Finally, with this year’s Oscars just relegated to the rearview mirror, who can forget the stirring Academy tribute for Hughes a few years back?
Hope to see you soon. Until the next time, though, remember the immortal words of Ferris: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
This past Monday marked the three-year anniversary of the untimely death of 80s film director John Hughes. And, while many of us who grew up with his movies learned a lot about our personal lives, there are lessons that can translate to our professional efforts as well. Some of those include:
Cover via Amazon
Don’t put anything in writing you wouldn’t want read by anyone and everyone. (Sixteen Candles)
As Samantha found out when she filled out the quiz that fell into the wrong (read: Mr. Right’s) hands, everything is on the record — and that is even more clear when you put something in writing (or post something online). Sure, things turned out great for her (complete with birthday cake and happy ending) but most of us mere mortals need to be cognizant that everything we say, write and post can and will be used against us. In speaking engagements and workshops for Be Your Own Best Publicist, my co-author Jessica Kleiman and I remind people not to put anything in writing you wouldn’t want your grandmother, boss or rabbi/priest/shaman/spiritual guide to read.
Help can come from the least likely of sources. (The Breakfast Club) A criminal…a princess…a brain…a jock…a basketcase….What started as a group of strangers turned into the ultimate powerful network by the end of the film. And what they learned as their detention day rolled on is that, despite their surface differences, they could rely on one another for advice (Claire gives Allison makeup tips), to help dodge a bullet (Bender distracts while the others get back to the library), for attention (Andy listens to Allison) and to communicate the message (Brian writes the pithy note that summarizes the film). In work, too, support can come from anywhere. Don’t dismiss the people who seem less powerful than you (i.e. security, mailroom workers, secretaries) because sometimes they’re the ones who can help you most. Be nice, lend a helping hand to others and be open to making connections wherever you go. Continue reading →
Catching up on what’s been going on in the #stupidteenagemovie realm, here’s a comprehensive look of Hughes News for the month of April. This is a collection of all the news about John Hughes and his continued influence on pop culture:
Everything we needed to know, we learned from 80s movies — including how to make a horror film, I guess.
This past week, we learned even more from Miss Molly herself about secrets from the filming “The Breakfast Club” among other insider info.
Catching up on what’s been going on in the #stupidteenagemovie realm, here’s a comprehensive look of Hughes News for the month of July. As a reminder, this is a collection of all the news about John Hughes and his continued influence on pop culture.
“So, it’s sorta social. Demented and sad, but social.”– John Bender, “The Breakfast Club”
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that there are actually people who have formed a Muggle Quidditch League. It turns out these little Quidditch clubs are popping up in the best schools across the country. A friend of mine even said that a family member CHOSE a college based on the availability of said sports team. For those of you who don’t know (i.e. have been living under a rock for many, many years), Quidditch is a kind of football-meets-hockey on brooms played by Harry Potter and his cohorts in the various J.K. Rowling books.
Think about it: Harry Potter is to many kids today what the Brat Pack films were to those in the 80s. As it turns out, some brilliant minds made that same leap and ended up laying the dialogue and music from the seminal work over the images from the Harry Potter series.
HOGWARTS BREAKFAST CLUB
THE BREAKFAST CLUB HARRY POTTER STYLE
Though there will (likely) never be sports inspired by The Breakfast Club (Intramural No-Hand Lipstick application scrimmage team, anyone?), I can just picture Brian (aka the Brain) leading the charge as Seeker (the esteemed position of The Boy Who Lived himself) had the timing been right. (We know that Anthony Michael Hall’s character wasn’t a “snitch” given the fact that he hid Bender’s pot in his pants for the bulk of their Saturday in detention.)
One more point about the WSJ story: It shared the struggles of the recently-formed NYU team in getting recognized by their school — and that’s even with the official Quidditch championships slated to be held in New York City this November. In fact, in light of the significant HP/TBC overlap — as well as the fact that many of the muggle Quidditch players are sure to be, in John Bender’s words “Neo Maxi Zoom Dweebies” — I imagine the NYU team’s plea to be recognized as an official club at their alma mater went something like this:
Dear NYU:
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in Central Park for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. (We thought we could play a sport that was written about in a children’s novel.)
You may think we’re crazy (that’s okay – lots of people do.) But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are.
You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a Seeker..and a Beater…and a Keeper…a Chaser…Does that answer your question?
Has been a while since I posted, so thought I’d share some key stories that speak to John Hughes and his lasting legacy.
A round up of the Hughes News you can use:
