RIP John Hughes

I read in the paper today that Michael Jackson had been taking a testosterone suppressant called Depo-Provera, often given to sex offenders, aimed at curbing his attraction to young boys. So, whether or not you believe the man was an actual molestor, I think we should all be able to now agree that he exhibited extremely inappropriate behavior towards young boys, so much so that a close friend who happened to be a doctor (and a respected one at that, if you believe the report) felt it necessary to prescribe a "chemical castration" drug to control Jackson's proclivities. Here is a link to the article:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/08/09/michael-jackson-had-jab-to-curb-sex-urges-for-young-boys-115875-21583054/

Why do I bring this up, you may ask? Well, there was so much fuss was made over the death of this creepy, hit-making, little boy obsessed monster, that if you didn't know any better, you could have easily thought that we lost some kind of national treasure. Meanwhile, this weekend, John Hughes died, with a lot less fanfare and hubbub than Jackson received. In Mr. Hughes, we lost a true luminary. A man who had a hand (through, writing, directing, & producing) in a slew of the seminal comedy films of the 1980's. A man who is labeled a "recluse" by Hollywood because he lived on a ranch in Illinois to shelter his children from the evils and excesses of a Tinseltown upbringing. A man whose characters, while certainly not angelic, always seem to learn some sort of valuable, moral lesson by the end of the movie. Just look at the movies Mr. Hughes was responsible for in one way or another:

Mr. Mom
Vacation
European Vacation
Christmas Vacation
16 Candles
The Breakfast Club
Weird Science
Pretty in Pink
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Some Kind of Wonderful (my absolute favorite of all of his movies)
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
She's Having a Baby
The Great Outdoors
Uncle Buck
Home Alone
Home Alone 2: Lost in NY
Home Alone 3
Home Alone 4
Career Opportunities
Only The Lonely
Dutch
Curly Sue
Beethoven
Beethoven's 2nd
Beethoven's 3rd
Beethoven's 4th
Beethoven's 5th
Dennis the Menace
Miracle on 34th St.
Baby's Day Out
American Adventure
Just Visiting
Maid In Manhattan
Drillbit Taylor
101 Dalmations
Flubber

Like many of us, I grew up on his movies. Who can forget lines like "Those aren't pillows!!" in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, "Could you describe the ruckus, sir?" from The Breakfast Club, or Maccaulay Culkin's iconic scream after slapping himself with some aftershave in Home Alone. Though I'm sure you're in a better place, we'll miss you, Mr Hughes, and your talent for connecting with us and making us laugh. Rest In Peace.