RIP Rowdy Roddy Piper!
TMZ Sports is reporting that Wrestler turned Actor has died at the age of 61…here is their report:
Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61… TMZ Sports has learned.
Piper — born Roderick George Toombs — died from cardiac arrest at a home in Hollywood at around noon Friday.
Piper was a wrestling icon — one of the biggest stars in the WWE back in the ’80s, and even wrestled in “Wrestlemania I” back in 1985 … squaring off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.
Roddy’s rep tells us, “I am devastated at this news.”
“Rod was a good friend as well as a client and one of the most generous, sincere and authentic people I have ever known. This is a true loss to us all.”
Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006, but last November he said he was cancer free.
Roddy was admitted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2005 and was one of the top 50 villains in the history of the WWE .
Read more here:
http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz3hVg6DglN
What better way to remember him than by looking at his greatest screen achievement!
If you know the line, then you certainly know one of the most iconic cult films of the 80’s!
“I Have Come Here To Kick Ass And Chew Bubblegum…And I’m All Out Of Bubblegum!”
Time to celebrate Director John Carpenter’s prescient horror action classic:
THE CULT OF “THEY LIVE!”
The plot says it straight out: A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that show him that aliens have taken over the Earth.
Here is the original trailer:
That’s right, Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper is a drifter who realizes that aliens are underneath the skin of regular people – and he sees it through his special sunglasses!
And yes, let’s take a moment to note a current advertising campaign that bears an eerie similarity to the film:
Google Glasses Indeed!
Yep, Rowdy Roddy might as well have been sporting the new google glasses…I wonder if current users will see this too:
A box office flop when released, John Carpenter’s “They Live!” has grown in stature over the years – like many of his films, such as these classics:
Director John Carpenter’s Brilliant Career!
Yes, John Carpenter directed the original classic horror film “Halloween”, the forgotten 80’s masterpiece “The Thing” and the action classic “Escape From New York” – what a career!
In the case of “They Live”, the Director really tapped into the paranoia of our times…unfortunately, that paranoia is more widespread now than ever, and this movie was clearly ahead of its time…
But it’s a great 80’s action movie, and Carpenter keeps things moving, just as he does in all of his movies – tight, economical, and action driven!
A Fan Favorite!
A huge cult has grown up around this film, to the point that there are dozens of fan-created alternate movie posters – check them out, beginning with this Shepard Fairey version of “They Live”:
Here are a couple more fan-created posters – all creatively done and completely in sync with the themes of Director John Carpenter’s vision:
A Re-discovered Masterpiece!
And thanks to home video, “They Live!” has built up a whole new generation of fans…
Here is great trivia, courtesy of IMDB:
“The line “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum” was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper. According to director John Carpenter, Piper had taken the line from a list of ideas he had for his pro wrestling interviews!”
So kudos to John Carpenter for “knowing” that the google glasses were on their way and were going to change our lives forever – especially if we find out that aliens do indeed walk among us!
If that’s the case, time to call on Rowdy Roddy Piper to kick some ass again!
RIP Rowdy Roddy Piper – you will be missed!
Categories: Action Films, Awards, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Great Films, Grindhouse, Hollywood, Horror films, Independent Cinema, Los Angeles, Movies, Obscure Movies, Politics, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities, Technology, Uncategorized
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I thought Roddy Piper was dead – Never listen to idiots on internet? Here is Roddy Piper on Jesse Ventura podcast very much alive 🙂 http://www.podcastone.com/embed?progID=662&pid=428780
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