John Hughes Oscar tribute expected
TORONTO – The Oscars are expected to pay tribute to beloved teen director John Hughes this weekend, a man former muse Molly Ringwald says remains “a very important part” of her life.
Ringwald says she’s unable to confirm if she’s participating in the Academy Award special – reportedly separate from the usual In Memoriam segment – nor could she divulge details of the tribute.
But the piece is apparently set to include appearances by old cast members of Hughes’ famous films.
Ringwald, who shot to stardom in the ’80s after starring in “Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty In Pink” and “The Breakfast Club,” notes that Hughes’ legacy has been embraced by a new generation of fans.
“The films are very meaningful for a lot of people and have been for many years,” the actress said Friday from Los Angeles.
Hughes died from a heart attack in August at age 59.
Ringwald says she lost touch with the private filmmaker after their famous partnerships.
“I didn’t have any contact with him later on but he’s still a very important part of my life,” said Ringwald, who now stars in the teen series, “Secret Life of The American Teenager.”
“He sort of became somewhat of a recluse and his focus was, from what I understand, was kind of on trees. He was very into trees and I think he kind of stepped away from the business somewhat.”
Hughes’ films include “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Uncle Buck,” “Weird Science” and “Home Alone.” They catapulted a raft of young stars to fame in the ’80s, among them Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez.
Ringwald says she hasn’t stayed close to her onscreen pals, which the media dubbed at the time as “The Brat Pack.”
“Anytime that we see each other it is a reunion of sorts. I don’t really get to see people that I worked with in those movies very often so it’s always nice to sort of catch up,” said Ringwald.
“We’re friendly but it was 25 years ago and we spent three months together doing movies. I think in everybody else’s mind it’s like we were actually a club but really we just did a movie together and we all have very different lives and different careers. We’re very happy to sort of catch up but that’s what it is.”
Oscar co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin both starred in Hughes films, with Martin appearing in 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and Baldwin in 1988’s “She’s Having A Baby.”
The Oscars air Sunday!!
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