Thank You, Mr. Hughes

It is almost unbelievable how much death has struck Hollywood this summer. It seems endless at this point. Continuing this terrible trend is filmmaker John Hughes, who died of a heart attack yesterday when he was just strolling through New York.

I love John Hughes for many reasons. The obvious reason being his movies. The majority of what I think of as classic '80s movies are his: Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller, Pretty in Pink. They're all so wonderful and are movies that each generation will come to know as teens.

I also love Hughes because he grew up in the North Shore of Chicago, like me, and many of his films have very local ties. My high school English teacher's back is in Ferris Bueller because it was filmed at his high school in the suburb next to mine. A kid I went to camp with lives in the mansion that was the party scene in Sixteen Candles. The references to this area go on and on, and it really is a homage to the North Shore.

So, rest in peace, Mr. Hughes. Your movies will not be quickly forgotten.