James Foley RIP

The movie director James Foley has died at the age of 71. You might not have heard of him but he made the movies At Plain Sight, Glengarry Glen Ross, as well as the last two 50 Shades movies. Born in Bayridge, raised on Staten Island, he was a New York boy who made his mark as a journeyman Hollywood director. He also directed several of Madonna's music videos at the height of her fame in the late 1980s -- including the famous, groundbreaking "Papa Don't Preach" video.

RIP.

Interesting sidenote: I was recently talking to a family friend who was in high school in the late 1980s. She liked to sneak away from school during free periods to smoke -- and one day she left school to light up and stumbled upon the production of the movie Who's That Girl? (also directed by James Foley). Long story short: my friend gave Madonna a light for her cigarette. And then, the next day, another one, and so on for a few more days. Small town.