A look inside Hollywood and the movies : SING-ALONG TIME : Thank You, Mr. Thorogood, for Not Making It ‘Good to the Bone’

Who’s badder--the cyborg from the future or the kids from hell?

Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator 2” and the demon tykes in “Problem Child 2” may not have much in common, but they are announced in identical fashion--with the by-now easily identifiable opening slide-guitar strains of the George Thorogood song “Bad to the Bone,” a sort of instant film shorthand for don’t-mess-with- me characters.

The first villainous character to have Thorogood’s bluesy celebration of pure evil as its theme was “Christine.” Meanwhile, it’s not just the original Thorogood recording that’s showed up on celluloid over the years; little Fred Savage performed it himself in ’88 in a talent-show scene in “Vice Versa.” Even when producers don’t actually spring for the rights to use the song, nearly identical riffs regularly show up in movies and TV commercials to signify baaaad ness.

Reached on the road, Thorogood (who plays at the Universal Amphitheatre with his band, the Destroyers, on Monday) admitted that his wittily posturing ditty may be reaching celluloid oversaturation.

“I’ve got a really excellent attorney in L.A. and he feeds these offers to me,” said Thorogood. “We try to be careful with the use of the song because we don’t want to overdo it to the point that it becomes just a joke.

“This time (“Terminator 2”) will probably be the last one. Arnold is the heaviest cat going; once he uses it, that’s it, man, nobody’s gonna touch that song now. They’ll have to deal with him. I got a phone call and he said to me (affecting the Schwarzenegger accent) ‘ Your song--give it to me now .’ I said ‘Yes, sir.’ That’s why my body’s still working. I didn’t put my cigar out on his chest or nothing.”

Explaining the song’s appeal, Thorogood said: “It’s very tongue-in-cheek. You can apply it to your car, your motorcycle, your guitar, your bat, your shoes--anything that has to do with an extension of your own ego.”