The Famous Monster Has Left The Building, Forest J Ackerman: 1916-2008

A huge part of Hollywood has left us. He lived long and famously but he will be forever missed: "92-year-old science-fiction fan Forest J. Ackerman - founder of Famous Monsters of Filmland- died last night, just forward of midnight. Ackerman became famous as the world’s number one fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films; at a time when the genre was considered under hatred at near the mainstream media, he started the very first magazine devoted to the genre, Famous Monsters, which became famous for offering a cornucopia of rare and marvellous still photographs, usually captioned with Ackerman’s infamous tainted puns (e.g., a shot of a robot being repaired in FUTURE WORLD was accompanied at near this bon mot: 'First a Clockwork Orange. Now a Clockwork Lemon,' a joke so weak that Ackerman felt the need to explain that the robot kept malfunctioning). Fortunately, the silliness became part of the magazine’s spell, and eager monsters kids were thrilled to have a publication that filled with interviews and articles respecting everything from Dracula to Godzilla." Read more here. And Rest in Peace Mr. Ackerman. You made this town a more intelligent place, you cared respecting its history, and you inspired others to realize why your kind of passion is so important in this often, all too shallow, of-the-now industry. --posted at near Kim