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As everyone not living in a cave knows by now, pop icon Michael Jackson died yesterday at the age of 50. Below is a roundup of some of the more prominent obituaries, including the headlines, the introductory paragraphs, and the most prominent photo.
Michael Jackson’s life was infused with fantasy and tragedy - LA Times
 Michael Jackson was fascinated by celebrity tragedy. He had a statue of Marilyn Monroe in his home and studied the sad Hollywood exile of Charlie Chaplin. He married the daughter of Elvis Presley.
Jackson met his own untimely death Thursday at age 50, and more than any of those past icons, he left a complicated legacy. As a child star, he was so talented he seemed lit from within; as a middle-aged man, he was viewed as something akin to a visiting alien who, like Tinkerbell, would cease to exist if the applause ever stopped.
It was impossible in the early 1980s to imagine the surreal final chapters of Jackson’s life. In that decade, he became the world’s most popular entertainer thanks to a series of hit records — “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” — and dazzling music videos. Perhaps the best dancer of his generation, he created his own iconography: the single shiny glove, the Moonwalk, the signature red jacket and the Neverland Ranch.
In recent years, he inspired fascination for reasons that had nothing to do with music. Years of plastic surgery had made his face a bizarre landscape. He was deeply in debt and had lost his way as a musician. He had not toured since 1997 or released new songs since 2001. Instead of music videos, the images of Jackson beamed around the world were tabloid reports about his strange personal behavior, including allegations of child molestation, or the latest failed relaunch of his career.
Shock and Grief Over Jackson’s Death - NYT
 For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow up. But on the verge of another attempted comeback, he is suddenly gone, this time for good.
Michael Jackson, whose quintessentially American tale of celebrity and excess took him from musical boy wonder to global pop superstar to sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and failed plastic surgery, was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at U.C.L.A. Medical Center after arriving in a coma, a city official said. Mr. Jackson was 50, having spent 40 of those years in the public eye he loved.
[...]
As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.
From his days as the youngest brother in the Jackson 5 to his solo career in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mr. Jackson was responsible for a string of hits like “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” “Billie Jean” and “Black or White” that exploited his high voice, infectious energy and ear for irresistible hooks.
As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product — not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. He became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament. His entertainment career hit high-water marks with the release of “Thriller,” from 1982, which has been certified 28 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and with the “Victory” world tour that reunited him with his brothers in 1984.
But soon afterward, his career started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2003, when he was indicted on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient claimed the singer had befriended him and then groped him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., but Mr. Jackson was acquitted on all charges.
Michael Jackson, King Of Pop, Dies - NPR
 Singer Michael Jackson, the man known as the King of Pop to legions of fans around the globe, who lived most of his extraordinary life in the public eye, died Thursday in Los Angeles after going into cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.
[...]
It used to be that Jackson’s talent was the most compelling thing about him, says music critic Jody Rosen. “I think ‘I Want You Back’ is one of the greatest pop singles I’ve ever heard,” Rosen says.
“I Want You Back” was the hit single that famously thrust a young Michael Jackson and four of his brothers from the Gary, Ind., talent show circuit to world fame. Their grimly focused father put Michael on stage at age 5. The child, says Rosen, somehow channeled the gifts of vastly more seasoned performers. “He had a very gritty voice at that time, which is strange, given that as he grew older, he started to sing more and more like a pre-pubescent little boy,” Rosen says. “And when he was a pre-pubescent little boy, he was singing like a soul elder statesman.”
Object of Acclaim, Curiosity, The ‘King of Pop’ Dies in L.A. - WaPo
 Michael Jackson, 50, died yesterday in Los Angeles as sensationally as he lived, as famous as a human being can get. He was a child Motown phenomenon who grew into a moonwalking megastar, the self-anointed King of Pop who sold 750 million records over his career and enjoyed worldwide adoration.
But with that came the world’s relentless curiosity, and Mr. Jackson was eventually regarded as one of show business’s legendary oddities, hopping from one public relations crisis to another.
In the end there were two sides to the record: The tabloid caricature and the provocative, genre-changing musical genius that his fans will always treasure. There were those whose devotion knew no bounds, who visited the gates of his private ranch north of Santa Barbara, Calif., arriving at Neverland on pilgrimages from Europe and Asia, and who were among the first to flock to UCLA Medical Center as news of his death spread yesterday afternoon. Those were the same kind of fans who camped out at the Santa Barbara Superior Courthouse, to show their support during his 2005 trial. They released doves and wept when he was acquitted.
Then there was the other kind of fan, who preferred to keep memories of the singer locked firmly in his 1980s prime: Today’s young adults all have memories of being toddlers and grade-schoolers who moonwalked across their mother’s just mopped kitchen floors. Even the hardest rockers will easily confess to the first album they ever bought: “Thriller.”
These are fair accounts, I think, balancing Jackson’s undeniable status as a music icon as well as the bizarre spectacle of his life offstage.
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Locals Mashup linked with Song of the Summer Commemorates MJ, Ushers In Young Money …
It has come to my attention that “Maria Belen Chapur Photos” is among the hottest searches on the Internets today. Maria Belen Chapur apparently being the woman that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford flew down to Buenos Aires (via the Appalachian Trial) to see.
Well, let no one say Gone Hollywood is not a full service resource for salacious gossip:
  
Emily Zanotti tweets, “Dear men, why would you cheat on your wife with a woman who…um…isn’t as hot as your wife?”
I don’t have an answer for you. Nor do I render any judgment on the hotness of Maria Belen Chapur. Let alone Sanford’s wife, Jenny Sanford.
 
You can make that call on your own.
Source: The News Bizarre, “María Belén Chapur Photo Mark Stanford Lover Named”
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Moralia - Isn’t it romantic
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Wide Trends linked with Maria Belen Chapur Pictures:Governor Mark Sanford mistress Maria Belen Chapur pictures
Huffington Post is catching some grief over a post by Anya Strzemien titled “Sarah Palin’s Toenails: What’s Painted On Them? (PHOTOS, POLL).” Apparently, the Alaska governor and former Republican vice presidential nominee had some manner of decorative adornment on her nails which were in display in some orange strappy sandals:
While some are taking HuffPo to task for journalistic silliness and questioning whether they have a foot fetish, the most prevalent theme of the critics is whether it’s sexist to comment on how a female public figure looks.
We’ve said many times that focus on a woman’s body parts instead of her ideas and actions is sexist, and that such belittling is aimed at women on both the left and right by both men and women. In this case, some will argue that HuffPo is just having a little fun. However the comments posted after the stroy are classist, sexist, and hateful, which can’t be a surprise to Huffpo. So what about encouraging comments that you know are going to be a mysogyny fest? Is that sexist, too?
Teresa Kopec, who tipped me to the story via Twitter, observes, “There is a lot of anti-woman BS that is going around lately against Palin, Sotomayor, the women targeted by Playboy, etc.”
While perhaps it’s splitting hairs, I would distinguish between sexism and double standards. There’s not much doubt that the way women look is more commented upon than the way men look. That doesn’t necessarily translate into thinking women’s intellects or skills are less important than those of men.
I don’t think, for example, that Hillary Clinton or Sonia Sotomayor have been viewed as silly sex objects. It’s certainly true that Clinton’s appearance has been at issue as long as I can recall her being in public life (which is to say, since 1991 or so). When she was First Lady, her hairdo was especially commented on, as was her choice of pantsuits vice dresses. And WaPo’s Robin Givhan devoted a whole story on C1 to Hillary Clinton’s cleavage. And then there was the case of Condoleezza Rice’s commanding clothes which, according to a C1 story in WaPo, spoke of “sex and power,” also from Givhan.
Do we comment like that on how male public officials dress? No, we don’t.
To be sure, there’s the occasional story on John Bolton’s hair or Dick Cheney’s Auschwitz outfit or John McCain’s $520 Ferragamo loafers. But they’re decidedly less common.
Still, Clinton is almost universally perceived as an extraordinarily bright and competent woman. She catapulted to the United States Senate despite no real record of her own and was considered the hands-down frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination six years later. And Sotomayor’s words and judicial record, not her toenails or fashion sense, are what we’re focusing on.
 Palin is almost a separate case. She was a virtual unknown on the national scene when McCain tabbed her, so her national image was forged by instant impression. By vice presidential standards, she’s extraordinarily attractive. She’s young and a former beauty queen. Further, she dresses in a way that plays up her sexuality. Why, a recent scientifical study found that Palin’s sexiness hurt the ticket. Naturally, the news of said study sparked a round of blogospheric discussion about Palin’s hotness and a backlash against bloggers talking about Palin’s hotness.
Still, while the focus on her appearance goes well beyond what would be normal for a male candidate, it’s not like there wasn’t plenty of commentary on her preparation for the job. Indeed, I’m sure she’d rather we spent more time talking about her legs.
As to this particular controversy, it’s a silly blog post and some of the commentary it drew was particularly unattractive. Palin is a polarizing figure, which doesn’t help. Then again, one can scarcely imagine, say, Tim Pawlenty appearing at a public event in jean shorts and sandals, the male analog to what Palin was photographed in.
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Allie Is Wired! linked with Allie’s Wired HOT Links - #208
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mr tabloid linked with Allie’s Wired HOT Links - #208
Angelina Jolie has topped Oprah Winfrey to become the World’s Most Powerful Celebrity, according Forbes magazine. The methodology is, shall we say, unclear. But here’s what they say about Jolie:
 Eclectic actress and gossip-column favorite dethrones media maven Oprah Winfrey atop this year’s Celebrity 100. Jolie has always been able to attract tabloid attention and Oscar nods, but this year, she’s finally figured out a way to make serious money. Her most recent blockbuster, Wanted, proved this mother of six’s sweet spot is action films; the movie earned $340 million at the box office. Up next: Salt, in which Jolie plays a CIA officer accused of being a spy.
Oddly, Oprah earned a whole order of magnitude more money — $275 millionto Jolie’s paltry $27 — but, since they don’t tell us what factors were used or how they were weighed, who’s to criticize. And, certainly, Jolie’s hotter. (Were I employed by Playboy magazine, I would compile a list. As it is, I shall pass.)
But here’s an odd one for you:
About halfway down the list sits a very familiar face: President Barack Obama. At No. 49, Obama’s the first sitting head of state to appear on this Forbes fixture because of his worldwide fame, his historic election and his career as a best-selling author.
On what planet is Angelina Jolie more powerful than Barack Obama?
This was inevitable:
Singing sensation Susan Boyle — whose dowdy image contrasted so greatly with her angelic voice that she became an instant Internet celebrity — has gone in for a makeover.
Boyle, 47, had her graying, frizzy hair dyed chestnut brown and styled in what The Sun tabloid says was a 35-pound ($50) makeover. And instead of the old-fashioned dress she wore on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent,” the Scottish singer was photographed wearing a stylish black leather jacket with what looked to be a Burberry scarf.
Asked if she would change her looks on CNN’s Larry King Live, Boyle replied “Why should I change?”
Because she looked dreadful and is now going to be continually seen by millions?
The problem, of course, is that her fame was largely sparked precisely because of how un-starlike she looked. People were prepared to laugh at her, presuming that she was one of the pathetic figures these shows trot out in the opening weeks of new seasons for comedic effect, only to be shocked at how amazing her voice was.
Then again, that surprise was a one-shot deal.
 Hugh Laurie, right, and Kal Penn are shown in a scene from the Fox series "House" (AP Photo/Fox - Adam Taylor) Lawrence Kutner, the Indian guy on “House,” killed himself in last night’s episode. Now, Kal Penn, the actor who plays him, will get a job in the White House.
White House spokesman Shin Inouye said Tuesday that the actor who had a recurring role on Fox’s TV show “House” and has starred in several movies would join the staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison. His role will be to connect Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts groups.
Penn starred as Kumar in the movie, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”
Does John Cho get a job, too? It could be another sequel: “Harold and Kumar Go to the White House?”
 Actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, Alan Rosenberg, poses for a portrait in this March 17, 2003, file photo taken in Los Angeles. The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday Nov. 22, 2008 that contract talks with Hollywood studios has failed despite the help of a federal mediator and it will now ask its members to authorize a strike. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File) In what seems an inauspicious time, what with a down economy, the Screen Actors Guild is threatening a strike.
“We have already made difficult decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to reach agreement,” the statement said. “Now it’s time for SAG members to stand united and empower the national negotiating committee to bargain with the strength of a possible work stoppage behind them.”
The statement did not specify what led to the impasse, saying only that “management continues to insist on terms we cannot responsibly accept.” A SAG spokeswoman said she would not comment further. A call to the movie producers group, known as the AMPTP, was not immediately returned.
It’s difficult to imagine a less sympathetic labor class — or one less in need of collective bargaining — than Hollywood actors. The horrible working conditions that could lead to the strike?
SAG is seeking union coverage for all Internet-only productions regardless of budget and residual payments for Internet productions replayed online, as well as continued actor protections during work stoppages. But the AMPTP said it was untenable for SAG to demand a better deal than what writers, directors and another actors union accepted earlier in the year, especially now that the economy has worsened.
Indeed.
BREAKING: Legendary actor Paul Newman has died of cancer at the age of 83. His philanthropic foundation has issued a statement:
Paul Newman’s craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all.
Paul had an abiding belief in the role that luck plays in one’s life, and its randomness. He was quick to acknowledge the good fortune he had in his own life, beginning with being born in America, and was acutely aware of how unlucky so many others were. True to his character, he quietly devoted himself to helping offset this imbalance.
An exceptional example is the legacy of Newman’s Own. What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million dollar a year food company. And true to form, he shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million.
AP:
A spokeswoman for screen legend Paul Newman says the actor has died at age 83. Spokeswoman Marni Tomljanovic says Newman died Friday of cancer. No other details were immediately available.
Newman was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning a regular Oscar in 1987 for “The Color of Money” and two honorary ones. He was equally at home in comedies such as “The Sting” and dramas such as “Hud.” He sometimes teamed with his wife, Joanne Woodward, also an Oscar winner for the 1957 film “Three Faces of Eve.”
Jenny Percival, The Guardian:
 Newman initially tried to play down concerns about his health after reports that he was undergoing cancer treatment in New York. But AE Hotchner, who helped create the successful Newman’s Own food company in 1982, confirmed in June that the actor had been ill for 18 months. “It’s a form of cancer, and he’s dealing with it. Paul is a fighter,” Hotchner told the Associated Press.
All proceeds from Newman’s Own salad dressings and snacks go to charity, and the actor has become a leading advocate for corporate philanthropy. Fox news reported this week that Newman gave away $120m during 2005 and 2006.
Newman is best known for his leading roles in The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which he played opposite longtime friend Robert Redford.
The hit TV drama “Dallas” began thirty years ago and its stars are getting together for a reunion at the ranch.
 Bobby, Sue Ellen and other members of the Ewing clan are getting back together for a “Dallas” reunion party.
Cast members of the popular prime-time soap opera that ran from 1978-91 will return to the Southfork Ranch north of Dallas on Nov. 8 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show. Several key actors, including Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy, have confirmed they will attend.
Hagman, who played central character J.R. Ewing, a scheming oil baron and cattle rancher, said he is looking forward to the event. “I may not be able to do the 40th,” said Hagman, 76, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “Thirty years is pretty good, and the show is still very popular.”
The reunion at the ranch in suburban Parker, north of Dallas, is open to the public. Tickets go on sale Aug. 22 and will cost between $100 and $1,000. The event will include fireworks, a country music concert, a question-and-answer session with the cast and tours of the mansion.
The show is perhaps best known for the “who shot J.R.?” cliffhanger that concluded the 1979-1980 season in which Hagman’s character was blasted within an inch of his life. (The shooter turned out to be J.R. Ewing’s sister-in-law, Kristin.)
“Dallas” featured the antics of a wealthy Texas clan that punched, slapped, drank, cavorted and schemed to gain control of the family fortune. The reunion promises to be tamer.
“Larry and I will have a bowl of Mueslix and a small shot of prune juice and be in bed by 9 o’clock,” Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing, told the newspaper. “We’ll let people file by the bed and watch us go to sleep. I think we can hang with the best of them until midnight.”
It’s amazing that it was that long ago. Below is an undated photo from a recent reunion:
They’re even older now. So are we.
Source: Cast members returning for 30th `Dallas’ reunion [AP]
Dark Knight is about to pass Star Wars — which had two independent releases of what were arguably two different movies — to become the number two grossing movie of all time. It still has a ways to go, though, to pass Titanic:
| Rank |
Title(click to view) |
Studio |
Lifetime Gross |
Year |
| 1 |
Titanic |
Par. |
$600,788,188 |
1997 |
| 2 |
Star Wars |
Fox |
$460,998,007 |
1977^ |
| 3 |
The Dark Knight |
WB |
$441,628,497 |
2008 |
| 4 |
Shrek 2 |
DW |
$441,226,247 |
2004 |
| 5 |
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial |
Uni. |
$435,110,554 |
1982^ |
| 6 |
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace |
Fox |
$431,088,301 |
1999 |
| 7 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest |
BV |
$423,315,812 |
2006 |
| 8 |
Spider-Man |
Sony |
$403,706,375 |
2002 |
| 9 |
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith |
Fox |
$380,270,577 |
2005 |
| 10 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
NL |
$377,027,325 |
2003 |
| 11 |
Spider-Man 2 |
Sony |
$373,585,825 |
2004 |
| 12 |
The Passion of the Christ |
NM |
$370,782,930 |
2004^ |
| 13 |
Jurassic Park |
Uni. |
$357,067,947 |
1993 |
| 14 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
NL |
$341,786,758 |
2002^ |
| 15 |
Finding Nemo |
BV |
$339,714,978 |
2003 |
| 16 |
Spider-Man 3 |
Sony |
$336,530,303 |
2007 |
| 17 |
Forrest Gump |
Par. |
$329,694,499 |
1994 |
| 18 |
The Lion King |
BV |
$328,541,776 |
1994^ |
| 19 |
Shrek the Third |
P/DW |
$322,719,944 |
2007 |
| 20 |
Transformers |
P/DW |
$319,246,193 |
2007 |
| 21 |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone |
WB |
$317,575,550 |
2001 |
| 22 |
Iron Man |
Par. |
$316,468,817 |
2008 |
| 23 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
NL |
$314,776,170 |
2001^ |
| 24 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
Par. |
$314,749,809 |
2008 |
| 25 |
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones |
Fox |
$310,676,740 |
2002^ |
To be sure, “unadjusted gross” is a rather silly metric. After all, ticket prices have skyrocketed in recent years. That’s offset somewhat, however, by the fact that new movies are released to DVD within months (or available for download from various Torrent sites much sooner) and many of us chose to wait to watch them in the comfort of our own homes.
Hat tip to Jonathan Last, who has some other interesting movie ranking trivia.
Matthew McConaughey has decided to follow aborignal custom — even though he’s of Irish ancestry — and planted the placenta of his son Levi under a tree.
 Matthew McConaughey says the birth of his son will help bring a little joy to others in the world someday. The actor kept the placenta from the July birth of his son and plans to plant it in an orchard, he tells CNN’s “House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta” in interview scheduled to air in two parts Aug. 9 and Aug 16.
McConaughey says he hopes it will fertilize the land, a ritual long followed in several cultures. “It’s going to be in the orchards and it’s going to bear some wonderful fruit,” he says, according to an interview transcript. “When I was in Australia, they had a placenta tree that was on the river … and all the placentas of all that tribe, all that clan, whatever aboriginal tribe that was, all the placentas went under that one tree and it was this huge behemoth of just health and strength. This tree was just growing taller and stronger above the rest of Mother Nature around it. It was gorgeous.”
McConaughey also says he and his girlfriend Camila Alves have enjoyed integrating their new baby, Levi Alves McConaughey, into their lives. Already they’ve started introducing him to the “sights and the sounds” of the world — including a John Mellencamp concert.
Dude, that’s just weird.
Source: McConaughey to plant son’s placenta in orchard [AP]
I noted that when Morgan Freeman’s car accident took place, he was riding with a female “friend.”
Now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story:
Days after he was involved in a serious car accident, a friend of “Dark Knight” star Morgan Freeman confirmed to Access Hollywood that the actor is getting a divorce. Freeman and his wife of 24-years, costumer Myrna Colley-Lee, “are involved in a divorce action,” the actor’s Mississippi-based attorney and business partner Bill Luckett told Access Hollywood. “And for legal and practical purposes, (Freeman and Colley-Lee) have been separated since December of 2007.”
Freeman was involved in an accident late Sunday night, during which the car he was driving flipped end-over-end. The actor and his female passenger, identified as Demaris Meyer, were driving on Mississippi Highway 32 in a rural area of Tallahatchie County at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, when Freeman’s car went off the right side of the road and flipped over. Freeman and Meyer, who has been described as the actor’s friend, were on the way to Freeman’s home when the accident occurred.
A shame. But that’s Hollywood, I guess.
Source: Morgan Freeman, wife divorcing after 24 years [MSNBC/Access Hollywood]
I am assured by the folks at National Enquirer that these are THE PHOTOS EVERYONE’S BEEN WAITING FOR!
The NATIONAL ENQUIRER is releasing the photograph that the world has been waiting for – the first-ever picture of John Edwards and his love child!
The stunning “spy photo” shows the former presidential contender holding his infant daughter Frances Quinn Hunter at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles – where the ENQUIRER caught him visiting the baby’s mother, his mistress Rielle Hunter.
Edwards is holding his love child while standing in front of a distinctive striped curtain. The same window covering hangs in each one of the hotel’s guest rooms – and is clearly visible in photos of guest rooms on the hotel’s Web site.
“These photos are damning proof,” said a source close to the situation. “He’s been caught lying about his affair with Rielle and their love child for many months – and now the proof against him is piling up. His elaborate coverup is unraveling at the seams.”
TO SEE THE EXCLUSIVE SPY PHOTOS AND LEARN ALL THE SHOCKING DETAILS pick up The ENQUIRER– on sale now!
Or, it could be John Edwards with some random baby and all PhotoShopped. Who knows these days?
But the Enquirer is certainly right that a whole lot of people are interested in this story, even if its coverage has been almost exclusively limited to the tabloids and blogs.
Via memeorandum, where the discussion will soon heat up.
Related at OTB:
Wouldn’t you prefer a nice game of chess?
A quarter century ago, that was the tagline of a little teen movie that launched the careers of Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.
Director John Badham recalls the experience:
“The best thing in the world, character,” Badham recalled. “You fall in love with a boy, 15-6 years old, who is over his head and you know it. Even he doesn’t realize how deep he’s in. I got caught up in his adventure. I couldn’t help but be charmed and fall in love with him. That’s what attracted me to it. Our hero could have been in many other kinds of dilemmas.
“The whole thing about hacking and computers, to me, was what Hitchcock used to call the McGuffin. I didn’t know much about them at the time. In fact, virtually nothing. I was spending a lot of time scrambling just to understand what a lot of our tech guys were doing. It got to the point where I almost knew too much about computers.”
Another interesting thing about the movie was Badham wasn’t even the original director on the project.
“If you look into it, you’d learn I replaced another wonderful director, Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop, Scent of a Woman, Meet Joe Black). He had actually shot for a couple of weeks. He just got into huge fights with the producers. They didn’t like the tact he was taking with it. They wanted something that was lighter and funnier while he was pushing towards the dark side. I think that’s the difference between what Marty envisioned and what I and the producers envisioned.”
There were other considerations as well, Broderick and Sheedy were already on the film, and some scenes were already in the can. If that wasn’t enough, Broderick was having some very difficult problems of his own.
“He was a really nice kid. He was so confident for a guy his age,” says Badham. “He was funny, but never arrogant. Now I’ve worked with 20 year-olds who thought they were God’s gift. Matthew was a kid who was the son of a famous and respected actor, James Broderick, who was dying during the course of our movie. Matthew spent as much time in New York by his father’s bedside as he did on location with us. Every day he had off from us, he was flying back to New York. Then he’d come back. I’d say he had inherited the discipline and work ethic of his dad. It made him a true pleasure to work with.”
In spite of these obstacles, when Badham completed the film even the studio knew it had something real good in its hands. “I always thought it would do very good,” said Badham. “The good thing was MGM/United Artists always believed in it. They actually spent a lot of money to fly us out to Cannes. We were actually the last movie on the schedule that year. That was a very expensive deal for them. I wasn’t complaining. I was going to Cannes!”
The end result was for an investment of $14 million, MGM/UA got a return of $84 million at the box office. Yes, that seems like chump change compared to the likes of Dark Knight or Spidey III, but in 1983 a film making back six times its investment and nearly hitting $100 million was nothing to sneeze at.
“[Wargames talked about a subject] which nobody believed at that time, except for kids,” says Badham. “The attitude at the studio was this is a kids’ movie. They thought of it as a huge cartoon. Nowadays it’s just the opposite. What the studios also didn’t know is these kids were all over the place, and they didn’t know it. Computer crime was still in bedrooms and things like that. Even the FBI and organizations like that were only starting to get into the damage that could be done.”
I was starting my senior year in high school at the time and, like 99 percent of the kids of that time, had never used a computer.
Playgirl magazine is no more, Noah at Media Bistro reports:
 Nicole Caldwell, Playgirl’s editor-in-chief, just emailed confirmation that the magazine is indeed shuttering its print operation.
“Playgirl is going all-Web. The last print issue will be the Jan/Feb 2009 magazine, which comes out Nov. 18,” Caldwell writes.
Details of the site’s look are scarce, but it will feature more videos and pictorials and less editorial content. In other words, just like Playboy’s site.
Abiola Lapite isn’t surprised:
As it is rather well known that the vast majority of the publication’s readers were not of the female gender, one is tempted to say that the gay men of America will be in mourning - except that they’re the very ones whose waning interest has caused the magazine to close up shop. With the advent of the web and the sheer ubiquity of much more extreme material - an ubiquity so far-reaching that it seems one can’t escape running into gay viewing matter even when it is the last thing one would wish to lay eyes upon - publications like Playgirl which pretended to target female readers no longer serve any purpose, and unlike Playboy, gay men have no female companions to worry about pacifying with excuses like “I’m only reading it for the articles!”
I’m amazed that any of these publications have survived the Internet, to be honest.
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Trip Hop Clan linked with hidden gems #308
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