One of my fondest memories growing up was seeing my first R rated movie, Animal House, when it was the hottest thing since sliced bread in 1978.
A lot of it definitely flew over my head at that age, but since seeing it that night with my father, I became a lifelong fan of John Belushi, who is still, if not my favorite comedian, definitely in the top three, or even two.
I can still remember the day I heard the news that Belushi died like it was yesterday, and with Belushi being such a hero to the counter culture, his generation took a tough hit as well.
It’s a shame to think how much funnier Ghostbusters would have been if he’d lived to make it, but now Belushi’s spirit is coming back in an interesting modern day way.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Games is developing Retro World for social networking sites – which it hopes will appeal to social gamers in the 40 + age range. And wouldn’t you know it? Belushi’s avatar will appear alongside other Hollywood icons, including the King himself, Elvis Presley.
The President of Entertainment Games, Gene Mauro, told the Reporter, “Everyone remembers the comic genius of John Belushi. He brought laughter to the world, and it’s truly exciting to cast him in new roles and feature him on virtual goods in our new social game. We’re honored to be associated with CMG Worldwide and John Bleushi and look forward to announcing more of our game’s celebrity cast members as we approach our product launch.”
It’s amazing that Belushi’s still remembered after all this time, though it would also be great if he was still here, making us laugh like crazy.
I’ll never forget the story in the controversial Belushi biography Wired, where Treat Williams, his co-star in 1941, visited his grave the summer after he died. A fan left a note behind: “He could have given us a lot more laughs, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…”
