sci-fi – Topical Fruit

Wait, Roddy Piper Didn’t Invent the Bubblegum Line from “They Live”???

I hate to disparage a legend, and make no mistake, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was and forever will be a legend.

He was one of the most indelible personalities in the history of professional wrestling, and arguably its single greatest villain.

Roddy was the most despicable “heel” in the business at a time when it was literally dangerous to be the bad guy. A lot of people still believed wrestling was real back then, and to those folks, Roddy’s words and actions weren’t just antisocial, they were criminal.

These fans wanted to see Roddy get hurt in the ring, but they also wanted to hurt him themselves. And when they managed to get close enough to him they tried. Sometimes they succeeded. It took real grit and guts to be the heavy in those days, and Roddy was the heaviest of them all.

To conclude this point, if a Mt. Rushmore of wrestling is ever carved, Piper’s leering mug better be up there. I’ll let the rest of you argue about the other three.

That being said, one of Roddy’s greatest pop culture achievements might not have been solely his. I’m talking about his famous line from the 1988 sci-fi classic “They Live”:

“I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all outta bubblegum.”

Full credit for that line has always gone to Piper. Even writer-director John Carpenter concedes it, saying it came from a notebook Piper kept of ideas for his wrestling promos.

But it turns out he’s not the first person to use that line . . . or at least a variation of it . . . on film.

In 1973, amid a wave of “blaxploitation” films like “Superfly”, “Coffy”, and “The Mack”, there came a little movie called “Five on the Black Hand Side”; a good-natured comedy that celebrated black culture in a way that those violent, drug-and-pimp flicks did not.

The film spends a good amount of time in a barbershop, and in one scene, a character named Fun Loving, having just received a haircut, launches into a rap that includes this little adage:

“I ain’t givin’ up nothin’ but bubblegum and hard times, and I’m fresh outta bubblegum.”

Not exactly the same, but way too similar to ignore.

Roddy may have come up with the exact wording he used in “They Live”, but the fact that a similar iteration existed at least 15 earlier suggests that it didn’t travel directly from God’s lips to his ears. I have to conclude that Roddy heard the expression . . . or something like it . . . somewhere in his travels and borrowed it.

That’s not to say he gets no credit. After all, he’s the one who turned it into a pop culture phenomenon, which is a feat in and of itself.

The fact is, Roddy knew a great line when he heard it, whether it sprang from someone else’s imagination or his own.

Yet another reason why his legend lives on.

Sigourney Weaver Teases Possible “Alien” Comeback

Ellen Ripley’s death in “Alien 3” seemed like the end of the story . . . or so fans thought.

But according to Sigourney Weaver herself, there may be a path for Ripley’s return. (Or her clone, Ripley 8, from “Alien Resurrection?) Speaking at New York Comic Con, Weaver revealed that longtime “Alien” producer Walter Hill has written 50 pages outlining how her character could come back to the franchise.

Weaver said she’s already met with Disney (which now owns 20th Century Studios) to talk about the idea.

“[Walter] wrote 50 pages where Ripley would be now, and they are quite extraordinary,” she told the crowd. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I have had a meeting with Fox, Disney, or whoever it is now.”

She admitted she never really felt the need to revisit Ripley’s story, saying, “I was always like, ‘Let her rest, let her recover.’” But Hill’s new take, she said, feels true to both Ripley and today’s world. “It’s very much about the society that would incarcerate someone who has tried to help mankind. She’s a problem to them, so she’s sort of tucked away.”

Weaver added that the new story begins in a powerful way and that she’s considering working with Hill to develop it further.

“It’s a very strong first 50 pages,” she said. “I’m thinking about working with Walter to see what the rest of the story would be.”

If this project moves forward, it would mark the first time Weaver has played Ripley in over two decades. But for fans, the idea of Weaver returning to the role that made her a sci-fi legend is enough to reignite the hope of seeing Ripley, battle-scarred, brilliant, and still fighting . . . one more time.

Why Yoda Talks Like That: George Lucas Finally Explains

After nearly five decades of fan theories and linguistic breakdowns, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas has finally revealed the real reason behind Yoda’s famously odd speech pattern. The answer came during a special 45th anniversary screening of “The Empire Strikes Back”—and it turns out, it was all about getting kids to pay attention.

According to Lucas, the unique syntax wasn’t just for style or mystery. “Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much,” he said during the event. “But if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying.”

In short, the strange grammar was a deliberate creative decision aimed at making audiences, especially younger viewers, tune in more closely to Yoda’s dialogue.

Lucas described Yoda as the film’s philosopher figure—essentially, the wise mentor whose words carried deeper meaning. And for kids in particular, that meant the delivery had to feel different enough to demand their attention.

“He was basically the philosopher of the movie,” Lucas explained. “I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen, especially 12-year-olds.”

Yoda’s backward speech—technically a form of object-subject-verb word order—isn’t just a quirk that fans have come to love; it’s a subtle tool designed to emphasize meaning over ease of comprehension.

And clearly, it worked. The Jedi Master’s peculiar way of speaking is still quoted, parodied, and referenced decades after “The Empire Strikes Back” hit theaters in 1980.

While many fans over the years speculated that Yoda’s grammar was inspired by ancient languages or meant to signal his alien origins, Lucas’s comments clarify that it was less about authenticity and more about psychology.

And now that we finally know the reason behind it, one thing’s for sure: listen more closely, we must.