Bless John Hughes and his infinitely quotable, excellently-soundtracked '80s gems—we're talking Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, etc. But for those who don't have time to watch them all in a row, a new musical has taken the liberty of curating the filmmaker's greatest musical moments, and putting them all together in the form of a live show, called, appropriately, For The Record: John Hughes. LAist loved it when they did a Baz Luhrmann edition a few weeks back, and the crew will be making their New York debut at City Winery on June 27th. Tickets and information available here. more ›

Principal Ernest Jackson runs a tight ship at the Chester Academy up there in Orange County. And when a parent calls in to say her two boys are "sick," he sees no reason to take the explanation at face value. So, just like fictional Principal Ed Rooney—the heroic, determined protagonist of the Hollywood epic Ferris Bueller's Day Off—Jackson saddled up and went to personally verify that Michael DiQuattro's two sons were indeed too sick to learn. For that, he may face criminal charges. more ›

Seven major sponsors have dropped out of the always awesome West Village Halloween Parade, and the event's artistic director, Jeanne Fleming, says she's working with half the budget she had last year, leaving a $4,000 deficit. Organizers count on major sponsors to donate $25,000 each to the event, and the tanking economy could make next year a Hollow-een parade. Eh? Fleming tells Craine's, "The Halloween parade is a folk event. We can't just say we won't do it this year. It's what the people need right now." Registration for the parade is higher than ever, and thankfully the decline in funding won't affect this year's most hotly anticipated float: The Ferris Bueller parade reenactment. And here are some stellar photos from last year's parade. more ›

While a Tropical Storm may have rained on the Deitch Art Parade this summer, one part is being saved: the Ferris Bueller parade reenactment! According to Urban Prankster, "provided there are no tornadoes, dust storms, or shifting tectonic plates," artists Mina Karimi and Kara Suhey are working on the reenactment for the Greenwich Village Halloween parade. And Project Bueller 2.0 will be bigger-- they are recruiting "2000 secret agents to capture the spirit of the scene along the parade’s 20 block path." If you want to join in, there are some (flexible) rules of course, mainly that you should dress in 80s business casual attire (more details at the project's blog). Fun fact: In the movie (filmed during the Von Steuben Day Parade in Chicago) some of the dancers you see were simply random onlookers caught up in the moment and filmed when John Hughes spotted them. more ›

We love stories about public school teachers and sick days: There was the guy who wanted some time off to serve a jail sentence, the principal who was actually conducting an orchestra, and, our favorite, the teacher who took sick days when performing as a wrestler for the WWE. But we would never have dreamed that Lynne Stewart, the controversial lawyer who was convicted of aiding terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman while he was in prison, would even be involved in one! more ›

THEATER: At the end of December 2003, with her daughter in an induced-coma brought on by septic shock from a fatal bout with pneumonia, Joan Didion’s husband John Gregory Dunne unexpectedly died during dinner. Her struggle to navigate the subsequent minefields of grief formed the basis for her best-selling memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking. She’s now adapted the book into a one-woman play of the same name, directed by David Hare and starring Vanessa Redgrave. (Photo of Didion and her late husband.) - John Del Signore more ›

Mario Stipinovich, Designer more ›

This week is rife with comedy possibilities, thanks in part to the 7th Annual Del Close Marathon at the UCB Theatre. The festival is named for the guru-junkie-genius who helped found Chicago’s ImprovOlympic. If you want to put a face with the name, Close was also the teacher in Ferris Bueller who wasn't Ben Stein. The fest has grown in size and stature over the last 7 years and to accommodate there will be a second stage at the Abingdon Theatre, which has been putting up additional shows all week with some big names from New York and Chicago. The Chicago based groups listed below tend to attract huge, loyal audiences that pack the house as they generally don’t perform in New York more than once a year. Gothamist recommends you check them out during the week to avoid having to stand in a packed, overheated theater with an obstructed view. more ›