Dear John

Dear John may refer to:

Film and television

Literature

Music

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels and one play written by British author J. K. Rowling. The series chronicles the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who aims to become immortal, overthrow the Ministry of Magic, subjugate non-magic people and destroy anyone who stands in his way.

Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, on 30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. They attracted a wide adult audience, and have remained one of the preeminent cornerstones of young adult literature. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern about the increasingly dark tone as the series progressed, as well as the often gruesome and graphic violence depicted in the series. As of July 2013, the books have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, making the series the best-selling book series in history, and have been translated into 73 languages. The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final instalment selling roughly 11 million copies in the United States within the first 24 hours of its release.

Dear John letter

A "Dear John letter" is a letter written, originally to a soldier overseas, by his wife or girlfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover.

Origin and etymology

While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided to begin a relationship with a new man rather than to wait for the original one to return.

As letters to servicemen from wives or girlfriends back home would typically contain affectionate language (such as "Dear Johnny", "My dearest John", or simply "Darling"), a serviceman receiving a note beginning with a curt "Dear John" would instantly be aware of the letter's purpose.

A writer in the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, New York, summed it up in August 1945:

An early reference to Dear John letters was made in a United Press article of March 21, 1944.

Screen Junkies

Screen Junkies is an online movie magazine and YouTube channel, owned and operated by Defy Media, that focuses on movies and television. It produces three main shows: The Screen Junkies Show, hosted by Hal Rudnick, consists mostly of interviews and film discussions; Honest Trailers is a series of trailers, narrated previously by Ptolemy Slocum and Gannon Nickell, and currently by Jon Bailey, that satirizes and parodies various films and television programs; and Movie Fights is a competition series, hosted by Andy Signore, where guests debate various issues related to film.

As of December 2015, Screen Junkies has over 5 million subscribers and over one billion video views.

Videos

Honest Trailers

Honest Trailers is a series of parody trailers of films, and occasionally TV shows, that are made to satirize the film. The videos are narrated by Jon Bailey.

Created by Andy Signore and Brett Weiner and shepherded by Break Media's Head of Programming Mitch Rotter, Honest Trailers debuted in February 2012 and by June 2014 had become the source of over 300 million views on the Screen Junkies YouTube channel. The series started when the creators saw that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was being re-released in 3D and decided to make a parody trailer for it, continuing the series as a result of the positive reception the videos received.

A Dear John Letter

"A Dear John Letter", or "Dear John" is the name of a popular country music song. It was popularized by Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard, and was a crossover country-pop hit in 1953.

The song played on the concept of a Dear John letter while referencing the United States' involvement in the Korean War. Here, a young woman, whose boyfriend John was stationed in Korea, writes stating that she is breaking off the relationship. To add to the heartbreak: She is marrying John's brother, Don, and wants her photograph back (because — according to the lyrics — Don wants it now).

Chart success

"A Dear John Letter" was performed as duet by the two performers, with Husky speaking his part while Shepard sang hers. "Dear John" was released in 1953 and was a big success. The song topped the Billboard magazine country charts and reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop charts; in addition, it turned the unknown singers into star performers in the United States.

When "A Dear John Letter" topped the Billboard country charts, Shepard — at 19 years, nine months — became the youngest artist to that point to have a no. 1 country single. She kept that record for nearly 20 years, when 14-year-old Tanya Tucker topped the Hot Country Singles chart with "What's Your Mama's Name."