Community news, fan projects, screenings, television and animation, music, interviews, site updates, and other material outside the four subject timelines.
Archive coverage: 1999-04-04–2009-07-07 · 552 entries. Entries are ordered oldest first. Select a date and title to read the original text.
Historical archive: statements, prices, offers, and links reflect their original publication dates. Some linked websites, images, and media may no longer be available.
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Jump to year: 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009
1999 (3 entries)
— Aykroyd Recieves Order of Canada
Ghostbusters numero uno, Dan Aykroyd, was awarded the Order of Canada yesterday at a ceremony in Ottawa. The Order is Canada’s highest honour for lifetime achievement. Congratulations!
— And you call yourself a scientist!
A mad scientist takes a good, hard look at the mad scientists in Ghostbusters.
— Aykroyd – Men in Black not a GB rip
I recently stumbled upon this Quicktime clip wherein Dan Aykroyd explains how Men In Black isn’t simply a fusion of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.
2000 (1 entry)
— Ramis talks film with Las Vegas Weekly
I’m not sure how I missed this when it went up… exactly a full year ago. The Las Vegas Weekly had an interview with Harold Ramis. Mostly it was about Analyze This, but he talks a bit about the third GB movie (bear in mind that this was prior to Dan Aykroyd’s fall out with Columbia).
2001 (2 entries)
— And Ghostbusters begat Star Wars.
In my web wanderings I stumbled upon this great article on the history of movies made into role playing games. Written by RPG designer and writer S. John Ross, the brief history takes a considerable look at the Ghostbusters RPG, which Ross claims “all but reinvented RPG design”. Heck, I’m not going to argue with the man.
— AAF GB?
I don’t claim to be a big Alien Ant Farm fan (though I do dig their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”), but their recent decision to redo the music video for their song “Movies” has caught my eye as a GB fan.
As lead singer Dryden Mitchell put it, “Once we knew radio was going to back Movies, it was pretty obvious for us to go and do a real video for it. The one we did before was [made in] three hours [of] drunken behavior.”
So why is a remake of a music video of interest to you Ghostheads out there? The new video features the band jumping into a movie screen, a la Purple Rose of Cairo and spoofing a variety of movies – from Karate Kid to, you guessed it, Ghostbusters.
You can view the video online at MTV.com, but you will need RealPlayer.
2002 (2 entries)
— Now That's Hardcore
And I thought my model was pretty good. Check out this guy’s Ecto-1a (using the old AMT/ERTL kit) at CultTVMan.com. For a kit that included an on-board PC and cel-phone (anybody remember seeing those in the movie?) some obvious details were left out – like proton packs. Modeler Jim Davis decided to take care of that and in his version he added the packs, their holding rack, slime thrower, a ghost trap, ecto goggles, gloves, and even a copy of Time magazine, with the GB’s on the cover. How sweet is that?
For even more photos and a complete walk-through of the project, check out Jim’s walkthrough. He talks about what he added and how he added them. Of extra interest is the how he noticed how the model doesn’t include a part of the equipment on the roof, despite the fact that it appears in the movie and on the cover of the box, and that the license plate is in the wrong spot! Shame, shame ERTL and AMT. I look forward to seeing what he does with the new Polar Lights kit (see below).
— Patented DevilGuard.
Click here for the full-sized cartoon Penny Arcade cartoon that hints at possible uses of Ghostbuster technology.
2003 (5 entries)
— Gooth-buthterth.
Have you ever said to yourself, “Hey, I’m a Ghostbusters fan, and I want to show the world by getting my tongue pierced”? Well, now you can. Pierce-this.com is offering two varieties of stainless stell barbells (the metal thingies you sometimes see people sporting through their tongues), one in with the GB logo on white and one on classic black. Not to mention Spiderman, Scooby-Doo, Powerpuff Girls, and more keen pop culture icons. At ten bucks each, they’re actually a bit of a steal.
— Roastin' makes me feel good.
Ever wanted to learn how to make a roast? Ever wanted to do it while watching Ghostbusters? Well, now you can. The popular TBS cooking show, Dinner and a Movie will be airing our favorite flick Monday, March 3rd at 8pm EST (5pm PST), but don’t worry if you miss it the first time, as it reruns again at 10pm PST / 1am EST that same night. The dish of the night is I Ain’t Afraid of No Roast. Mmmmm. TBS airs censored movies, so if you’ve never seen the infamous “Wally Wick” version of the movie, then here’s your chance.
“Ghostbusters” I Ain’t Afraid of No Roast
When you need a meal, and you don’t cook good… Who you gonna call? Well, maybe you could be self-reliant for once, and make this dish yourself.
Ingredients:
* 1 whole beef tenderloin, approximately 5 lbs. (also known as beef filet)
* 2 tablespoons softened butter or olive oil
* 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 cup each: roughly chopped carrots, celery, and onions
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
* 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
* 1 cup low salt, beef or chicken stock
* 1 catchy tune to remind self of party to call in the event paranormal activity occurs in one’s neighborhoodDirections:
1. Adjust oven rack to upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Tuck the tapered end of the meat back under itself a few inches and tie the entire filet crosswise with butchers twine. (This step may be omitted, but helps insure even cooking throughout.)
3. Place filet on a large piece of plastic wrap or foil and rub all over with butter and season with salt and pepper. Wrap filet and bring to room temperature, 30-45 minutes.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine and toss together the carrots, celery, and onions with the olive oil, tomato paste, thyme, and flour. Scatter the mixture into a large roasting pan.
5. Transfer the filet to a roasting rack and place over the vegetable mixture. Roast about 30 minutes, turning the roast over halfway through cooking, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 125°F-130°F. Remove from oven and rest 15-20 minutes before carving.
6. While the roast rests, discard any excess fat (if there is any) from roasting pan and then place the roasting pan directly on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the red wine and beef stock and bring to a boil while scraping and loosening any cooked-on bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the mixture by half and strain into a bowl. Season to taste. Cut twine from roast, slice and serve.
7. After everyone is sufficiently sated, arrange to have the dirty dishes spirited away to an alternate universe.
Serves 10-12
— Vigo – Man of the Week.
It’s not like making GQ’s Man of the Year, but Vigo the Carpathian was made wasteoftechnology.com’s Man of the Week
. Keen!
— GB script by committee.
Tired of waiting, forever waiting, for a third Ghostbusters movie? Forget about it, make your own! Well, not entirely on your own.
Fanlibs is a
community driven script creation site, where people submit new scenes to an ongoing script – other members get to review and vote on your
scene and the winner gets added to the forever growing script.
And how do they know when to quit you might ask? I don’t know, it’s still too young a site – they haven’t finished a script yet, but the
test run is a Ghostbusters script – Ghostbusters: The Things that Ate Hollywood!.
“A former drive-in movie producer dreams of making one last great (well, LARGE) creature-feature. But now, Tinseltown is cruel to the old master (er, incessant hack). When a fatal accident delivers him to the ectoplasmic underworld, his monstrous celluloid creations go on a vengeful rampage among the living!”
The site is pretty feature filled, including a system
of automatically formatting your submission into proper script style. Nice!
At the very least it’s something new for GB fans to read and if you’ve always wanted to try your hand at writing,
why not contribute something?
— GBs file for Chapter 11 protection.
I can’t stop laughing. I’ll leave it to you to
read the article for yourself.
2004 (11 entries)
— Things to do in Denver…
Cool! A lot of fans want to make a fan film – hell, I want to make a fan film – but few actually make any head way.
Hank Braxtan and Co. is giving it all they’ve got. And the result, barring meteor strike, is
Freddy vs. Ghostbusters. The website shows that the crew has done an impressive amount of work, not only props wise and location shooting,
but special effects and make-up. The result should be veeeeery interesting and I’m certainly looking forward to it.
Some of you might think, say, why is a fan film bumping the kickass comic covers down? Well, what better post for a Valentines
Day than some ghosthead’s labour of love?
— Let's run some red lights…
Previously we’d only seen a concept sketch from the Joyride catalog, but now pictures have been post on the HobbyTalk message boards, showing off the production models of the “Hot Rods” style Ecto-1, along with other famous movie and TV cars, such as the General Lee, Mach 5, and Bandit’s Trans-Am from Smokey and the Bandit.
| credit River of Slime
— More Ben Dale art.
I met Ben at the San Deigo Comic Con last year where he was sharing a table with Gabe Bridwell. At the time he showed me some
sweet Ghostbusters art he was working on (I posted some of it here on the site back in August.) Recently while
dropping by his site I found he’d posted three pages for some
unnamed Ghostbusters comic story. He continues to produce some
kickass stuff. Go Ben, Go!
— GB2 actor passes away.
Born in Germany in 1940, Willem von Homberg had a small but colourful career, appearing
in everything from The Devil’s Brigade to TVs Wild Wild West. But most people recognize him for either
playing Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters 2 or the hapless terrorist James in Die Hard. He passed away on March 10th of
this year of cancer in Mexico.
While focused on work matters, this one totally passed me by, so a tip of the hat to Vigo fans, like Vego, who
flew their colours on various message boards until I finally clued in.
— Freddy vs. Ghostbusters new trailer.
While the finish fanfilm unfortunately got pushed back into sometime in May, there is good news. The first is that the final
film will be done May 13th according to maker Hank Braxtan (that’s a Thursday, in case you’re wondering). The second is that
the offical film site has posted a second trailer, which includes a familiar paranormal presence that’s NOT Freddy.
Be sure to check out the new peek and mark May 13th on your calendar.
— Ghostheads represent at Festival
Brian Fears, whom I got to meet last year at the San Diego Comicon, and crew made a point of showing up at the Newport Beach
Film Fest this past week, specifically for the 20th anniversary showing of Ghostbusters. Their costumed presence not only
made them a highlight for other attendees, it got them into the theater for free. As announced Laszlo Kovacs was in attendance,
meeting much applause from the appreciative crowd.
“It was a pleasure and an honor to be present for this, and on behalf of Ghostheads everywhere [we] thanked them for including Ghostbusters in their film festival.”
Thanks for the low-down, Brian! Nice work!
— Freddy versus The Ghostbusters premieres!
After months of hard work, Braxtan Films has completed their fan film, Freddy Versus The Ghostbusters! You can download the
complete movie from their website.
— Ghostbusters: TAS to launch
Dan Liberg dropped me a line to let me know that the fan created Ghostbusters: The Animated Series is about to post its
first episode. If you’d like to find out more about the initiative and watch their teaser trailer, you can
head to the website.
— Elmer Bernstein 1922-2004.
Elmer Bernstein, who composed more classic film scores than can be easily remembered,
passed away
Wednesday morning at the age of 82.
Even in a film like Ghostbusters, dominated by a pop theme song with endless air-play, Bernstein
made his mark, creating a film score that helped make the movie what it is. Bernstein created
music that drew the audience into the film and often left them humming the inspired songs as they left.
His work on National Geographic, The Magnificent Seven, and The Great Escape is instantly
recognized by film fans the world over.
He is survived by his wife, Eve; sons Peter and Gregory; daughters Emilie and Elizabeth; and five grandchildren.
| credit Ross May
— Sweet Baby Jesus…
…was born on December 25th. They have proof and everything.
Actually, that was a blasphemous exclamation. It’s 9:30 AM, and I’ve already had a Grande Mocha, a client meeting, and a art team mini-meeting. Sweet Baby Jesus indeed.
Well, it’s Christmas, and I’m not feeling it. Things are busy, so until I’m actually sitting in front of the tree, sipping tea and eating sugar cookies, whilst reading Nero Wolfe (if this sounds very particular, it’s because it is in fact my plan for the few days around Christmas), I don’t think the holidays will sink in. I also blame the lack of snow in Vancouver (which is fine – it is Vancouver, and the lead-up to snow is rain, and they ain’t fixed me roof yet) and that Christmas decorations went on sale at Canadian Tire the week before Halloween.
The. Week. Before. Halloween.
I have however dug out my Christmas music, which is helping some. And for you, I’d like to share a few favorites. (click to download, if you haven’t already figured that out.)
 Holiday on Skis |
 The 12 Days of Christmas |
|
 Deck the Halls |
 Wonderful Christmastime |
|
 Winter Weather |
 Little Saint Nick |
Holiday On Skis – Creating an instrumental song that evokes winter and Christmas is tough, so this one ranks high in my books. The fact that the song suggests sleigh rides without the use of jingle bells is awesome.
12 Days of Christmas – You’re not allowed to live in Canada if you don’t know the Bob and Doug version of this holiday classic. “Six packs of two-fours” always needs to be explained to non-Canadians.
Deck the Halls – An instrumental and highly synthesized version of the classic. There’s something slightly sinister about the song as the “fa la la la la” portion takes on a darker tone. Mostly my love of this song is because it used to play on my brother’s Omnibot, only adding to the feeling of a robot apocalypse for the holiday season. “DO. I. SOUND. LIKE. A. MUSICAL. ROBOT?”
Wonderful Christmastime – Toren hates this song. I love this song. Partially it’s because I have a soft spot for Wings. Partially because it’s a cheery counterpart to Lennon’s more demanding So This Is Christmas. And partially because it’s one of the few new Christmas Classics. Every year, a lot of old standards get covered. Every years a lot of crappy new songs get produced. Few remain, as Bing Crosby remains the King of Xmas. But Paul managed to slippy a catchy little number into the early 80s and I dig it the most of all the xmas tunes. And the b-side to this single was “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reggae”, so count your blessings and shut up.
Winter Weather – I know Katherine is married to Jim, but her voice is amazing. You can’t help but love it.
Little Saint Nick – Novelty songs rarely last, and let’s be honest, a surfin’ xmas tune is a little schticky. There were a handful actually, and while catchy, well, 60s surf culture doesn’t extend much into the 21st century. However if you have to listen to some surf xmas, you might as well listen to the Beach Boys. A corny song about a hot rod named after The Jolly Old Elf is elevated with their harmonic chorus of “Run run reindeer”
2005 (51 entries)
— Rescued from the Net.
I used to have a link to the above image, but the link died many a year ago. However, during a little cleaning
and organizing of old archive discs, I found it again and thought I’d
share it with you. The game it refers
to (Aliens Vs. Predator) is now long gone, but I’m sure you’ll get as big a laugh out of the card as I do. I bow to Ben Evans,
who created the card. Nice work Ben, wherever you are.
— Dancing Slimer goes on sale.
The latest issues of Previews magazine (used by comic retailers to order their stock) has NECA’s Dancing Slimer solicited. 12″ high, the little spud dances to the GB theme song at the push of a button or by motion sensors. The book lists him at a SRP of $20US.
— Universal closes Ghostbusters Spooktacular
I’ll let Bryan’s email cover the matter;
“As many fans have known, the Ghostbusters have always been an integral part of the Universal Studios Florida theme park. From 1990-1998, the GBs had there own attraction called the “Ghostbusters Spooktacular”. After it closed to make way for the Twister attraction, the boys performed in one of a few shows in front of the New York Metropolitan library facade. In the most recent incarnation of the show, the EGBS performed in a rock-n-roll/pop music revue featuring Beetlejuice.
Recently, thier last performance was on Febrary 19th, 2005. ‘Extreme Ghostbusters in The Great Fright Way’ closed its doors forever, and it may be the last sign of activity from the Ghostbusters we see in theme park form. I had the lucky opportunity to see these guys perform daily and watch them ride in the Ectomobile during the recent Macy’s Holiday Parade (which has come to Universal Studios Florida for the past 3 years) and have to say its sad the boys have moved on. Apparently, the rights expired and Universal passed up on renewing them, putting Logan, Zeddemore, and the rest out of business. The only thing that remains is the undecorated Ghostbusters firehouse near the New York street facade, which walls the queue for Twister.
Thought this might be appropriate.
– Bryan, a Universal employee”
Thanks Bryan. I’m disappointed I never had the chance to see the show myself.
| credit Bryan
— The Ghostbusters are hack
Since a lot of you don’t even remember when Ghostbusters first hit theaters, I’m not sure any of you would remember the old underground technical journals. But it warms the cockles of my heart to know they’re still out there. Makes me want to haul out my old BBS handle.
K-1ine magazine picks a theme every quarterly issue, and in #48 it’s Ghostbusters and PC got to be the link of the month! I get to be on an FBI watch-list! Again!
So while I take no responsibility for what you little monkeys can get up to after reading the zine, I can say you should at least check out the kick-ass ASCII rendering of Mr. Stay Puft.
Thanks to The Clone and the K-1ine gang for the nod!
— I didn't paint it, I'm just cleaning it.
Andrew Ellis contacted me to show me a painting he did that he’s looking to sell. While he could get instant attention on Ebay, he’s hoping to find it a home with a fan like himself. I’d buy it, but my GB art budget is gone for the year (and it’s not even April, I know.) So if you’re looking for a unique conversation piece for the living room, you should get in touch with Andrew (and be sure to check out his other art while you’re there.)
— Huh
Well, there’s something you don’t see every day.
— More Huh
For the 1989 Indy CART season, Duane “Pancho” Carter was sponsored by Hardee’s, which had the GB2 license that year. Accordingly, his car sported the Hardee’s logo, the Coke logo, and the GB2 logo. I never knew this – hip hip hooray for the Internet! As it happens, Indycals, makes an after market decal set of these signage for AMT/ERTL’s lola kits of an Indy CART machine. Now that’s a cool model.
— GB race backs
Crewmember on Honda’s Formula 1 pit team. The GB logo is easy to spot, but check out the name at the bottom. Spotted by badgermattuk, assist by The Joker.
— We're not using the "zed" word
Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, and Edgar Wright – Stars and creators of Shaun of the Dead, visit Hook and Ladder 8
— New GB Trivia – Ron Jeremy in GB
Greetings, Fark-types – Being a site about a movie that kids have been known to watch, I neglected to add links to the websites of the two gentlemen that helped confirm this story (doesn’t count if you don’t confirm it, right?) with Mr. Jeremy himself. However, given the temporary attention, I’d like to again thank Robin at cinemasewer.com (buy his zine, youse knuckleheads) and Dimitri at realboogienights.com (I don’t know what he’s sellin’ but buy it too!)
Be sure to enter our 25th Anniversary Prize give-away!
And if you’re into Ghostbusters, and RSS frightens you (though, how likely is that in the Fark crowd?), why not follow me on Twitter (@protoncharging). I’m slightly witty and a little amusing. Plus, y’know, the Ghostbusters news and all that.
—
| , |
After you read this, you’ll understand why I didn’t post this closer to April 1st. Here’s one that doesn’t appear in any making-of book or on the DVDs trivia subtitles;
Ron “The Hedgehog” Jeremy, king of contemporary male actors in adult films, was an extra in Ghostbusters. After being spotted by myself and eagle-eyed buddy Taylor at a recent theatrical screening of Ghostbusters, I set out to see if we could confirm if it was Mr. Jeremy or just someone that looked like him (though Ron Jeremy has a look all his own, so it’d be hard to imagine there being two of him out there.)
With a little help (from the Latin, meaning, “a lot”) from Robin Bougie (cinemasewer.com) and Dimitrios Otis (realboogienights.com), it has been confirmed by Ron himself – yes, he acted as an extra in Ghostbusters. In fact, he was a little surprised by the inquiry, as the part was as he described it, “unknown.”
Around the time Ghostbusters was being filmed, Ron was just getting started in the film industry (adult and otherwise.) In the documentary Pornstar: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, fellow actor Bill Margold mentions Ron trying to get him to join him as an extra on the Stallone actioner, Cobra. Given this and the fact that Ron is from and was living in New York at the time, it’s not that far-fetched. Just very odd.
To find Ron, go an hour and 15 minutes into the film, just after Peck has had the containment unit shut off. Standing around outside, Janine quips “it’s a sign alright – of going out of business”. The film cuts away to Ray and Winston pulling up behind a police barricade and crowd, and there, on the left, is Ron, trademark moustache and all. Sadly you can’t see him in full-screen versions, but with the DVD, you can clearly spot the man, circa 1984. Anyhow, I’m looking into further details, but I had to share. It doesn’t make me Don Shay, but it makes me happy.
| props to Robin and Dimitri
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— NIN v. Ray Parker Jr.
Recently Nine Inch Nails invited amateur producers to download elements from their song The Hand That Feeds, and remix it. One clever monkey, Nathan Chase, did an awesome mix using everybody’s Ray Parker Jr. track.
.
While we’re talking music, I accidentally stumbled upon this track by Canadian Hip-Hop artist, John Smith, entitled Dana Barrett – the song is about the crush he has on the older woman next door, whom he refers to as Dana Barrett or Sigourney Weaver. Not much Ghostbusters content otherwise, I just thought it was interesting.
— I didn't paint it, I'm just cleaning it – Pt. 2
Remember that keen painting Andrew Ellis did of Mr. Stay-Puft? Well, it’s up on eBay and after mere minutes his reserve has been met and the bidding war has begun. Now’s your chance to buy yourself a fine piece of GB art. Hurry!
— 'cuz sometimes the things in my head need to be let out…
— I ain't afraid of no d'oh!
Simpsons / Futurama artist Bill Morrison GB sketch for ghosthead Dr. J. You can check out the full version here.
— Power-Puft Girl
Thanks to my buddy Toren for the original sketch of a silly idea. Like I said, sometimes the ideas in my head need to be let out.
— Braxtanfilm looking for GB help
Hank Braxtan and the makers of Freddy vs Ghostbusters are looking for anyone interested in helping them on their next project, The Return of the Ghostbusters. If you’ve got some talent you’d like to lend, like acting, props, special FX, or music, let them know. There’s more information on the project on their website.
— Public showing of GB in Virginia
Movies Under The Moon is showing Ghostbusters, FREE, at George Mason University on Friday, July 22nd. All proceeds to benefit the children’s hospital. If you live in the Fairfax area and want more information, check out the event website.
| credit Jason Smolinski
— Saving the Old 23
Greg Justis, of GB Detroit, has been coordinating a letterwriting campaign to help the Corporation for History, Arts, and Culture renovate and maintain the Engine #23 firehall in LA (which, for those not familiar with it, was used as an interior location for movies such as Hitch, The Mask, Big Trouble in Little China, and Ghostbusters.) You can follow along here, or download the letter here, print it out, and mail it off to the CHAC to show your support. There will be a gathering at the firehall in August for anyone able to attend.
| credit Dr.J
— Post-Comic Con
Taking the GBs to the people, Bryan Fear and co returned to the San Diego Comic Con once more. And as with previous years, they wowwed the crowd. The last minute edition to the roster was a slimer thrower, which they didn’t have when I met up with them a couple of years ago. Awesome! Anyhow, I Bryan sent some pics and I wanted to share.
If anyone has the July 18th issue of variety, keep an eye out for Bryan and troupe (better yet, send me a scan) and this fall watch for them on HBO’s Entourage! This officially makes them the most visable Ghostbusters going!
| credit Bryan Fear
— Big Wheels keep on turning
John F. sent in this awesome scan from a ’87 Coleco catalogue. I didn’t
even know they made RGB Big Wheels!
— Oh Canada… why!? WHY!?
Those of you on my side of the border may have experienced trouble getting your hands on the DVD gift set. Well, it appears factors have conspired to delay it’s release. Rumours (or excuses, if you ask me) include a shipping strike here in the west, but I think the holiday Monday interfered with the Tuesday release. I checked Best Buy, Future Shop, and even London Drugs, and none had the DVD. Best Buy / Future Shop did say it reached their warehouse and it could be on shelves in a day or two. The UMD edition is in stores though.
— Ernie Hudson at GenCon
Maaan, the one week I don’t check my ICQ…
Ghosthead Eric Murphy dropped me a line that Ernie Hudson will be signing autographs at GenCon in Indianapolis this weekend. Actually, it started yesterday (hence my annoyance and missing Eric’s message until now), but it goes until Sunday, so if you live in the area or are attending, drop by, say hi! Get an autograph! Name drop Protoncharging.com!
| credit Eric Murphy
— Ernie Hudson has a posse… and a website.
I got a note last week from a webmaster – Ernie Hudson’s webmaster! And then I totally forgot about. Fortunately my loyal readers are there to compensate for my old age and failing mind (thanks Richard). Ernie Hudson has a website. It’s even got an email address you can email him at!
credit | Richard Roy
— Katrina relief
There’s a lot of bad information and even a couple of outright scams out there, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Anyone looking for a solid organization to contact regarding donations, etc. should check out this NPR website.
— GB rave in NYC
PC uber-reader, Guyver, stumbled upon this club card on the streets of NYC (flyer front, flyer back) – well, his girlfriend did. And we’re happier for it. Event promoters, Synergy Industries are having a Halloween bash and are using GB (specifically 88mph comic art) to advertise it. If you’re in the NYC area and want to see AFRIKA BAMBAATAA (why can’t I live in the NYC area, dammit?) this upcoming Halloween weekend, you should check out the promoter’s website.
credit | Guyver
— I ain't afraid of;
Here is the Ghostbusters theme song in list format.
Things I ain’t afraid of:
– no ghost
Things that make me feel good:
-bustin’
Strange things in the neighbourhood (partial list):
-seeing things running through head
-invisible man sleeping in bed
Pick up the phone and call when*
-(see strange things above)
– when it comes through your door
(response can be suspended if you actually want some more)
– you’ve had a dose of a freaky ghost
Who you gonna call (alternately, Who can ya call?, I think you’d better call):
-Ghostbusters
-I can’t hear you
-Louder
Things I have heard:
– It really likes the girls
Things I have not heard:
(see “Who you gonna call?” re. I can’t hear you)
*particularly if you are alone. if possible, don’t get caught alone, oh no.
[UPDATE] big credit to Peter Randall for pointing out that as clever as the idea is, the list is lacking, but only to Ghostbusters fans. (I didn’t make the list, I just reposted it from another guy’s site) I’m working to correct that.
— Venkman v.3.0 has a website and journal
Dave Coulier, who took over voicing Peter Venkmans on the Real Ghostbusters from Lorenzo Music, has website and a Live Journal account (of all things.)
— 1984 interview with Elmer Bernstein
In 1984, just as Ghostbusters was going into theaters, Randall D. Larson sat down to talk about movies and music with Elmer Bernstein, the lucky duck. And how luck for us that it just got reprinted today on Cinescape’s website.
Q: As a composer, what’s your feeling about scoring these kinds of way-out movies?
Bernstein: It’s a composer’s holiday, because it gives you such a wide range of things you can do and experiment with. For instance, in Ghostbusters I had an opportunity, because of the nature of the score, to employ an instrument that Yamaha makes, called the DX-7, which is a very useful synthesizer. and I used three of them. I also used a French instrument called the Ondes Martenot, which very few people play as a matter of fact I had to import a player from England to play the instrument. It gave me an opportunity to do things of that sort.
There’s some great info for anyone interested in movie scores and a LOT of information about Ghostbusters – Bernstein talks a lot about his dislike of Rock in soundtracks, which parts in the movie he didn’t like, and even comments on the similarity of Ray Parker Jr’s theme to Huey Lewis! For those who are curious, a Ondes Martenot is very similar to the Theremin and is what produces that eerie, ghostly noise throughout the soundtrack.
Read the whole interview here.
| credit The Liverstealer
— Actually, that explains a lot…
TV Guide has a new, if short, interview with Harold Ramis as he promotes his new movie, Ice Harvest (starring John Cusack). He talks a lot about Ghostbusters, mostly stuff you’d expect, there there is one jaw dropper…
…Harold Ramis and Bill Murray haven’t been in contact since they worked on Groundhog Day together (that’s 12 years, for those of you playing at home.)
Go here for the whole article.
| credit Maybe Friday
— Hudson hurricane relief
Ernie Hudson has posted a message on his website that will be of interest to fans looking to buy some Ernie swag;
“Dear Fans,
To help with Hurricane Relief, 100% of the funds from any photos sold in the month of September will go to the Red Cross.
Thank you,
Ernie Hudson”
A great opportunity to buy Ernie gear straight from the man himself AND help with the post-Katrina effort.
|credit Black Maria
— Upcoming GB screenings
Chad at Ghostbusters.net dropped me a line to let me know that Ghostbusters will be showing in a couple of places in the US this month.
Starting October 21st, anyone attending the Austin Film Festival will have a chance to see new films by Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, as well as screenings of Ghostbusters (one of which, Ramis and Hudson will attend for a Q and A session.) (more)
But before that, in Chicago, Ghostbusters will be showing. Anyone in the area interested in hooking up with other Ghostheads in the area should check out this thread at GB.net.
It’s a rare treat to see GB on the screen, so for those of you who never got to see it like that the first time ’round, now’s your chance.
— GB2 showing in New York
Loews theater is showing scary movies all October and starting today, Thursday the 13th, they will be showing Ghostbusters 2. That’s right, not 1, but 2. The second movie.
Better yet, you can enter to win free tickets – short notice, I know, but I’m not in New York.
credit | Ryan Risco
— Another GB screening
It’s October, so the theatrical screenings of Ghostbusters are increasing. I’ll let Chris Gates fill in the details;
“The Golden State Theater in downtown Monterey, California is doing screenings Monday, the 17th through Thursday the 20th. That’s four shows. 8:00 each night, admission is $8. More info at www.goldenstatetheatre.com.”
Don’t miss it – and keep an eye out for Bryan Fear and Co. Those guys tend to show up at all the California screenings. And if you’re quick enough, Young Frankenstein is playing tonight and tomorrow. The original The Haunting is later this month (another worthy viewing.)
— Teletoon RGB says they've got new episodes
After a huge delay, Teletoon got back to cartoon maven Toren about the episodes of RGB they’ll be showing, starting tomorrow. When they got back to me, they didn’t know much of anything. But now they say that they’re showing new episodes (new, as in compared to the episodes they’ve had for a long while now.)
Here’s the episode list, from their website;
The Man Who Never reached Home
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
Bustman’s Holiday
The Headless Motercyclist
The Thing in Mrs. Faversham’s Attic
Egon on a Rampage
Lights! Camera! Haunting!
The Bird of Kildarby
Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster
Apocalypse, What Now?
Lost and Foundry
Hark Knight’s Day
Cold Cash and Hot Water
The Scaring of the Green
They Call Me Mister Slimer
Last Train to Oblivion
Masquerade
Janine’s Day Off
The Devil in the Deep
Fright at the OK Corral
Ghostbusters of the Year
Deadcon
The Cabinet of Calamari
A Ghost Grows in Brooklyn
The Revenge of Murray the Mantis
That’s 25 episodes, but the Halloween run only has 16 episodes scheduled. So, who knows which ones are showing. Maybe they’ll run more in November.
— Aykroyd meets everybody but me
Dan Aykroyd was in Calgary this past week to participate in a charity bike rally, promote tequila, and shovel everyone’s drive-way. As a result, everyone but me got to meet Dan Aykroyd. Yes, I’m sulking about it. Two of my pals, Cory and Jody (above) stood in line to see him and word has it that he was “signing everything.” As usual, Ayrkoyd is a good sport with all his fans. Thanks for the pic, Cory.
— EGB to MP3
Since some of you asked, at long last, I’ve converted the EGB theme music from Real Audio to MP3.
— Aykroyd on Nights with Alice Cooper
This Wednesday, October 26th, as part of his 6 Nights of Fright, Alice Cooper will have Dan Ayrkoyd in the studio to chat a bit. I wasn’t aware that Cooper had a radio show, but there you have it. You can find out if Nights with Alice Cooper is playing on the radio in your area at the show’s official website. Don’t worry if you miss it though, as you can download the show later as a podcast – in fact, Dan was on the show the same time last year. Check it out! He talks a lot about his Grandfather, who was a spiritualist.
— Halloween weekend – what to watch?
OK, so, Halloween is on a Monday – that means there’s Friday, Saturday, and Sunday worth of Halloween fun. But you can’t watch Ghostbusters over and over (OK, you CAN, but why not try something a little different?) – so what else is out there to watch? Rotten Tomatoes has some suggestions for you, starting with Ghostbusters (‘natch.)
— Ghosthead Pioneer
It’s one thing to see Ghostbusters as a kid and grow up to make prop proton packs, run around in a jumpsuit, or try and make your own Ecto-1. But when you’re already a grown-up when the movie comes out, and you do the same things, thank makes you one special fan. Like David, and his ’84 attempt at an Ecto-1, prop pack, and costume. Because, what else are you going to do on Hawaii?
credit | Chad at GB.net
— "What did you do, Ray?"
Well, Halloween is here and ghostheads put on their best – this year, two geniuses thought to one-up the growing ranks of Ghostbusters in full gear, but moving up to the ghost catagory. Specifically, Mr. Stay-Puft. Well done to Dr. J of GB Detroit and Brian B!
Have a happy and safe Halloween and I expect to see pictures on Tuesday!
— Halloween 2005 – Roundup
I’m sure there are a tonne more pictures, so perhaps a second round-up will be required, but for now, here are some great pics of Ghostheads wearing their colours and getting down on Halloween.
As ever when there’s a showing in his area, Bryan Fear rounded up the crew and went – this time he bumped into a second group of eliminators.
Top – Lynn Perry, Jeff Teel, Eddie Davis, some guy, another guy, Eric Eseke Bottom – Bryan Fear, Matt Greenberg
When he sent me the pictures, Bryan says he regrets not catching the names of the two unknown gentlemen – perhaps if they or someone who knows them sees this, speak up!
Full points to Meredith and kids – in a Halloween that saw a tonne of ghostbusters, a handful of Stay-pufts, and even a Gozer, here we have possibly the only Slimer (complete with pint-sized Ghostbusting escort – his pack is almost as tall as he is.)
Dr. J cheated – besides his Stay-Puft costume, he busted out his gear for a second night of partying – as a result he won a bunch of prizes and his picture in the paper. The big gloryhound… (just kidding Doc)
Tim the Terror Dog (right) and a THIRD entry into the Stay-Puft field (this one is way more puft-y than the other two.)
Dan Elektro and band, Fasttimes 80s, put on the ritz, and even convinced their lead singer to dress up as Gozer the Hawt… I mean, Gozerian. Destructor. Pretty. (aw nuts)
Prop builder XxEctOxX decided the usual GB gear wasn’t going to cut it and went to work building himself a RGB proton pack. I would recommend this as a good opportunity to sign up at the GB Prop Archive forums and see all the great stuff people are working on.
And since Bryan asked, I didn’t fly the colours this year – too much to do, not enough time to prepare as much as going GB deserves. But I did wear my GB shirt (not shown – it was cold.) And I had special contribution to this years traditional fireworks fun (see below – they blowed up reaaal good.)
I hope everyone had a great Halloween!
— Reitman does a ghost comedy. Another one.
Currently he’s shotting Super Ex-Girlfriend with Uma Thurman, but after that Ivan Reitman is moving onto Over My Dead Body – details are scarce other than it being a comedic ghost story. Hopefully it differs from Just Like Heaven.
— Rick Moranis releases new country album – and it's hilarious!
While he hasn’t been on the big or small screen in awhile, Rick Moranis hasn’t been idle – somewhere along the line Rick cut a country album and The Agoraphobic Cowboy is now available.
Presented in more the western style (as in, “we have both kinds of music here; country AND western”), the songs have a wry, witty edge. For example, the Johnny Cash Hank Snow classic I’ve Been Everywhere – about a man who’s been, well, everywhere and lists the names of all those places – is reworked into I Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, about a guy who doesn’t want to leave his house, and lists all the reasons why not, including the internet and a kid getting mauled by a bear.
Those of you who are a fan of Moranis (and especially if you remember his musical work on You, Me, The Music, and Me and SCTV), you should check this out. Ask your local record store, but it may only be available to buy directly from his website (yes, his website – don’t get too excited, it’s geared entirely towards the album, via Artist Share.)
credit | General Taylor
— VABC – Venkman Always Be Closin'.
I never really thought about it, but business author Daniel Sitter uses the conversation Venkman and Co. have with the Mayor as an example of everything you should do when making a sale. Have a look for yourself, it’s mildly amusing.
— Ghostbusted – it's a long story
The roots of these fan films go back years and require some explaination – fortunately one of the creators, Garrett Gilchrist took a moment to lay it all out for you, and hopes you’ll check out some clips and maybe even buy their DVD. It’s better if he explains it.
— IGN offers exclusive Rick Moranis track
As mentioned earlier, Rick Moranis has a new album out, The Agoraphobic Cowboy. When you go to the album’s site (www.rickmoranis.com) you can listen to two of the tracks, but IGN is offering a third track, It’s The Champagne Talkin’, to kick off the first day of their Holiday Havok. Head on over and have a listen – then go buy the album!
— Moranis album nominated for Grammy award
The nominations are out for the Grammy Awards, part 48, and everybody’s favorite 2005 singing cowboy, Rick Moranis, has be nominated. The Agoraphobic Cowboy is up for an award in the comedy (spoken or musical) catagory. Nominations for albums not available through traditional retail distribution is very new. The Agoraphobic Cowboy, which is available only through online purchase (either CD or direct download), is the first comedy album distributed this way to get the Grammy nod. The winners will be announced in the new year – stay tuned.
— IGN names GB greatest comedy ever.
The gang at IGN have always had a thing for Ghostbusters, from their profile on the cartoon back when they had a Sci-Fi arm to their recent coverage of Rick Moranis and his new album. And to cap it all off, in their top 25 list of all-time greatest comedies, they gave top honours to Ghostbusters.
credit | SpyderDan
— Whose house? My house…
To Whom it May Concern;
You’re upset that 88mph Studios hasn’t shipped the Ghostbusters: Legion hardcover yet – I feel your pain. I don’t have my copy either.
You’re unhappy that your complaints on message boards haven’t produced a result, even on 88mph’s own message board. Maybe you even sent an email and heard nothing. I empathize, but what can I do?
You’ve decided that your indignation with them gives you a reason to abuse my comment system to continue your complaints.
You are wrong.
If you had made your comment in a news post that actually related to the comic, I’d have let it slide. But you wanted people to read your comments, so you put it in the latest news post, which has nothing to do with the comments. To me that says you have no respect for me and my site. It says you think you have special privilege over everyone who visits here and contributes to the discussion of news properly.
Well, I have a special privilege too – it got it by paying for the site every month and maintaining it every day for the better part of a decade.
It’s called IP banning.
And if you ever do that again, I’ll use it.
2006 (51 entries)
— Ghostbusters poetry
Well, someone was bound to, sooner or later;
“What are you doing?
I see you have a phone there.
Who ya gonna call?”
See more here. Haiku, limmericks, and a long ode to Winston.
— RGB starting up again on Teletoon
As part of their Dead of Winter programming block, Teletoon will begin airing RGB again (after a two month break since their Halloween run of the cartoon.)
Starting January 14th, RGB will air daily at 2pm, 2:30pm, and 7pm. No word yet on how long the programming block will run, but given the name, one can assume it’ll run until at least early March.
— Ghostbusters in 242k
The latest FoldsFive pixelmash project is… Ghostbusters! Essentially, it’s a tiny, animated gif of the entire movie. Hilarious!
So of you may be familiar with his earlier, infamous mashed version of the Star Wars movies. There’s certainly lots to see on the site – a good way to while away the last few hours of a Friday at work. At least, that’s what I’m going to do.
credit | Bryan Behrenshausen
— A little surprise
I’ve known this was coming together for awhile, but sat on it. Now that it’s done, it’s going to take me a few days to transcribe it and post as an article – but I can’t sit on it any more, so here’s a little surprise for you all (requires an mp3 player).
Please feel free to spread the word.
— Forget George Bush; Kanye West loves Bill Murray
thanks | Edward Hartman III
— NOW they tell me…
Sony has announced that they will be releasing video bundles of popular movies that exist both in DVD and UMD formats. The Ghostbusters DVD and it’s PSP format cousin will be available together for just over $28US, April 25th. Sony says this is to offer customers the freedom of choice. If it’s freedom, then why ain’t it free?
This would be great, if Sony wasn’t one of a number of studios fighting to create laws that stop people from copying their movies in one format onto portable devices – like the PSP.
Why now, you might ask. Well, Sony’s about to offer Blue-Ray discs this summer an their plan is to bundle both the DVD and Blue-Ray versions together, to offer consumers “flexibility”. Ghostbusters is not currently set to be released in the first wave of Blue-Ray discs (likely because older movies aren’t the best showcase for next level HD formats.)
credit | gbnj-david
— Busting makes her feel good.
I got a heads up that Toby, one of the world famous Suicide Girls, has submitted a new photo-set and the theme is something familiar. What? You thought all Ghostbusters fans worked inside an office 24-7, like me?
…and she sleeps above the covers. FOUR FEET above the covers.
Now, here’s the trick – this is a big kids link and by extention is NSFW. So, if you’re at your job or too young to know what a Suicide Girl is, you shouldn’t follow this link (or any link in this post, for that matter.) And if you happen to, it’s got nothing to do with me. I am not my reader’s keeper. That said, check this out…
“I’m Dr. Venkman, this is Dr. Stantz… and Toby“
credit | Auren
— GB Midnight movie in Kentucky
This past weekend The Kentucky Theater in Lexington showed Ghostbusters as a midnight movie. Adam Varney gathered the gang and attended in style. While Adam wouldn’t be the first guy to attend the movie in his GB gear, this is certainly the first time anyone thought to bring a Dana, a Louis / Vinz, and a Janine. Well done!
— I've seen this movie
What is at first reminicient of Ghostbusters 2 (the article even uses the phrase, “Slimer-like ooze”) this reminds me more of 1997’s Volcano. Run for the hills!
What makes it of particular interest to GB fans is that this is happening in the vicinity of the Engine 23 fire hall, where the interior shots of Ghostbusters were done. And by vicinity I mean practically right around the corner.
— Skating with Dave
Dave Coulier, voice of Pete Venkman on the later episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, is one of the 6 famous faces competing on Fox’s Skating with Celebrities. It’s like Battle of the Network Stars or Circus of the Stars all over again.
The concept isn’t a big leap – Dave’s an avid hockey player, so we know the guy can skate. I just never thought they’d make it into a show by pairing him up with Nancy Kerrigan.
The show is about to finish it’s run, I guess. I just found out about it. Go for gold, Dave!
[UPDATE] They have video clips on the website, for those of you not inclined to check out the show.
— And I thought they only knew Louie Louie
Starts off slow and quiet, but kicks in after a bit.
credit | back
— Ghostbusters 2 to show in SoCal
The La Jolla Village Cinemas will be holding a 7-week series of midnight movies in April, and the theme is sequels. While you can’t go wrong with Terminator 2 and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, Ghostbusters 2 will be showing April 8th, so mark your calendar.
Bryan Fear of the WestCoastBusters will be there, I’m sure in full gear – word has it that the theater is looking for a replica Ecto-1 to put in an appearance, so if you have one (I looked in all my coat pockets, I don’t have one), you should contact them. Free popcorn, easy.
And this is a really good time to mention that the WestCoastBusters (THE hardest working GB team I know – they show up EVERYWHERE!) have overhauled their website. Check it out!
credit | WestCoastBusters
— RGB on SNL
This past weekend, Saturday Night Live ran a TV Funhouse animated short in which Winston puts in an appearance. I missed it, but it was, I understand, a choice piece of social commentary in honor of Black History Month – I think.
Even though I missed it, Wheelhouse did me (and by extention, all of you) a service by sending me some screen grabs. Thanks!
credit | Wheelhouse
— RGB on SNL pt. 2
Big thanks to LukeVenk of the Ghostbuster Toy Archive for providing and streaming the video. Everybody say “Thank you, Luke”.
[UPDATE] I just noticed that Zoe posted a link to a file version of the clip that you can download through RapidShare – nice work Zoe.
— "I think it's one of the fettucini's"
Brandon Bird (if you don’t recognize the name, go here) recently organized a gallery showing entitled Boom and Bust. In short, he and a couple of other artists created a piece of art to accompany an audio story. The story, you’ll be interested to know, was The Ghostbusters Meet the Ghost Riders read-along book.
So, put on your art hat and enjoy – the results are pretty damn cool. You can download the Ghost Rider tracks, but they may have been edited, so don’t consider them a faithful reproduction of the read-along tape.
[UPDATE] While looking through his past work, I found this piece he did for The Believer. Did you know Aykroyd supposedly means Shining Hero in Chinese? I didn’t.
[UPDATE] I liked the show and said as much to Mr. Bird. When asked how the idea for the show came about, I got this reply;
“For nearly two decades, my younger brother and I had enjoyed the ‘Ghostbusters meet the Ghost Riders’ book on tape. Specifically, we enjoyed how completely unfaithful it was to any Ghostbusters canon before or since, and how its author obviously liked cowboys and mining more than ghosts. So a while ago I thought, ‘I will turn this into an art show, and use the tape as the guided audio tour.'”
credit | Chris and Lin (who’re way hipper than I am)
— Papercraft Ecto-1
Cadias has created a really excellent papercraft Ecto-1 model. Papercraft is a hobby of building models out of cut-out, folded and assembled paper. The Ecto-1 is certainly one of the more complex models I’ve seen.
If you’re interested in building the kit yourself, you can download it (as well as look at pictures of Cadias’ results) here.
— X-E Stay-puft tribute
X-Entertainment has posted “The Ultimate” tribute to everyone’s favourite cartoon pitchman.
credit | David @ GBNJ, and RPE.
— Gone to Hotel California
I will be away all next week on business, but I’ll still be checking my email.
Don’t touch my stuff while I’m gone – I know where everything’s supposed to be.
— Google Maps Guide to Ghostbusters
When Google Earth was released, I wondered how long it would take for someone to make a guide to Ghostbusters. The answer? Uh, about a year and a half? I guess.
Ironic Sans has put together a topological look at all the New York shooting locations for Ghostbusters. Not that it outdoes the highly informative NYGB Tourguide, but it’s still a nice visual look at all those famous NY locations.
— GB screening in Kansas City next Friday
Screenland in Kansas City is showing Ghostbusters on June 2nd as part of its First Friday’s series – six bucks to get in and the website says they’ll also be showing “vintage trailers.” Check their website for more information.
— Cleanin' up the Town music video found
Thanks to the magic of YouTube and everybody posting any and all video they have lying around, this video for Cleanin’ up the Town, by The Bus Boys, has surfaced. The video quality is harsh, but it’s still a fun watch.
Big nod to robert knippels for spotting this gem.
— Rock tha firehall
I don’t want to make a habit of filling the front page with YouTube players, but this has to be seen, so I’ll share the link
The sound is a little hot, but up and coming rock monsters – Ludo, Treaty Of Paris and Quiet Drive – wrapped up a gig in January with an incredible cover of the Ghostbusters theme. Enjoy!
credit | GBStantz
— Looking to try something new?
James Greene Jr. has one of the most unusual blogs ever. No, really. He basically takes albums and plays them while watching Star Wars. Most times the results are average, but thanks to the human brain’s insistance on matching patterns together, to manufacture meaning where sometimes there isn’t, sometimes the results are awesome.
Case in point is playing the Ghostbuster soundtrack CD (the first one, not the more recent CD with the extra tracks) – pressing play just after the second drum roll of the 20th Century Fox opener, there are apparently 20 solid match-ups of music to events.
I haven’t tried it, but it certainly sounds like fun.
— Mini-Stay Puft San! Awesome Power!
Originally designed by Hong Kong designers IT Rangers Lab, CiBoys have been incredibly popular in Asia (and amoungst Western collectors) – North American artist Stet One has joined with CiBoys distributor Red Magic Style to create a series based on Stet’s favourite 70s and 80s icons… including a Mr. Stay Puft.
Explaining them is a little hard, but boy, they sure look cool.
credit | DerGrundel
— Doctor Who — Army of Ghosts reference
Item 2 from “GB Misc”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
On an unrelated note, any fan of Dr. Who should keep an eye out for the second series episode, Army of Ghosts, which as you might expect, is ripe for a Ghostbusters reference – I don’t normally note GB references, but as a fan of Dr. Who, this one was nice. Thanks Gargoyle_223.
— Bill Murray on American Chopper
I remember watching a old episode of Saturday Night Live and at the final bow, Dan Aykroyd said the goodbyes for the cast, and then added in a personal call for anyone selling a particular motorcycle gastank to contact him. You’d think then, that if anyone was going to show up on American Chopper, it would be him.
But as it happens, it will be Bill Murray, when over a couple of episodes, the Teutle’s at Orange County Chopper build him a custom bike inspired by his Caddyshack character, Carl Spackler (and by extention, his favorite passtime, golf.) The show will air in the US Discovery channel on August 7th (I think it’s the same for Canada.) Check your listings for the repeat time that week.
credit | spengs
— Plugging Ghostbusters
Oooh, I love YouTube. Since it’s gone up, long-lost copies of The Bus Boy music video have turned up, amoung other priceless GB videos. But these few are particularly interesting, as they feature Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray promoting the movie on The Tonight Show and Letterman.
Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray on The Tonight Show
– Dan Aykroyd talks about psychic phenomenon with Johnny Carson
– Bill Murray joins Carson and Aykroyd
Dan talks about his favorite subject, the paranormal, and his grandfather, the crowd gets to watch the “successful test” clip, and better yet, we get to see a photo (one I’ve never seen before) of Aykroyd on the roof temple, getting hit with an aircannon. Awesome stuff.
Bill Murray on Letterman
– Bill Murray gives Dave some swag.
– Controversies! A naughty Zuul line!
And a supposedly false Murray/Aykroyd feud.
Man, I’d kill for that fly swatter. Plus listening to Murray talk about how they had to fight to keep a Zuul joke is top notch. And if that’s not enough, Dave, Bill, and an absent Dan become blood brothers.
[update] Paul at Spook Central has done a comprehensive scouring of YouTube for all things GB (including the above clips.) For the lazy amoung you, he also got a screengrab of Aykroyd getting hit by an air cannon.
— ComicCon – day one, there's Bryan
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Bryan Fear and crew are possibly THE most high profile GB crew on the planet. Once again… pictures of Bryan and co.
I’m sure there will be more, but this is IGN – that’s not a half-bad score. If memory serves, from left to right, Eric Eseke (?), Eddie Davis, Bryan, and.. I don’t know who that is. Bryan, help me out.
— Two more summer GB theatrical showings
If you’re in LA, you should check out the Arclight cinemas in Hollywood on Monday, August 28. And if you’re in the UK and near Hemel Hempstead (I’ll admit, I’m not sure where that is in relation to London, the city by which I orient myself in the UK), Empire Cinema’s is showing GB from August 25th to 31st. As a bonus, you’ll get passes to a nearby nightclub and “bubblyvouchers.” I’m assuming that’s booze.
Thanks to germz818 and badgermattuk
[update] I didn’t realize at first, but the LA showing is 21+ – no yoots allowed. Bummer.
— Aykroyd vinyard article in November
After getting tired of checking the EnRoute website every month, I just gave up and emailed the editor – word is, November’s special Food and Drink issue will be the one featuring Dan Ayrkoyd and his new vinyard venture (as seen on E! a couple of months back.)
And if you won’t be on an Air Canada flight in November, in order to nick a copy, here are a list of places in Canada and US where you can pick up a copy.
— Bill Murray: “I tell people I’m retired”
Item 1 from “News round-up”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
CNN has a great article on Bill Murray and his life today – “I tell people I’m retired.” Thanks Ryan!
— Mister FAB — Ghost Riding
Item 2 from “News round-up”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
Hip hop artist Mister FAB has a new track Ghost Riding, which, as you can guess, samples Ghostbusters heavily. For however long it stays up, or I can keep it up you can get it here – if you dig it, you might consider checking out his mix tape check out his website. I’m digging it – I’d crunk to it, but I’m old. And tired. Thanks to David-GBNJ
— Maurice Lamarche interview
While Ghostbusters never comes up, this is a great interview with Maurice Lamarche (Egon on RGB/EGB) – voice actors don’t talk much, and when they do, it’s always interesting to read.
Thanks Toren.
[updates] It turns out there’s a second page and Ghostbusters does come up – that’s why you should never read and post on four hours of sleep over two days kids – you’ll miss things. I thought it was wierd that RGB never came up, especially as Toren posted the link, you know, here. Thanks Steven
— GB2 Top 10
Proving that every cloud has a silver lining, check out this guy’s top 10 reasons for liking Ghostbusters 2. A must read for anyone who’s poo-poo’d the deux deux.
Thanks Jef!
— Buttons make me feel good
As threatened months ago, I continue to look for ways to mark the 10 year mark for PC – the last batch of stickers came and went, so I thought I’d try something new (see above.)
“And how can I get some?”, you might well ask. Easy!
IN CANADA
Send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
IN US
Send me a self-addressed envelope, and a dollar to cover postage.
ABROAD
Send me a self-addressed envelope, and two bucks. Or surprise me.
Email me for my mailing address, if you’re interested.
Limited supply, first come, first served and all that.
— Ray Parker Jr. on writing "Ghostbusters"
A short but very informative interview with Ray Parker Jr., wherein he talks about the making of the song in a hurry.
And then I thought, there’s no way you’re going to sing ‘Ghostbusters’ in a song and make it sound good, so instead of singing it, I’d have a crowd answer me.”
The article even lists the various equipment he used to make the song and reveals who shouted out “Ghostbusters!” in the recording.
credit | Guise
— Harold Ramis – Dad of the Month
iparenting.com (proof that there is a website covering everything) made Harold Ramis thier Father of the Month.
“A very powerful entertainment executive once said to me, ‘No matter how busy I get, I have dinner at least once a week with my kids,'” Ramis laughs. “In the real world, that’s a pathetic statement.”
credit | Mr. No-Ghost
— I feel so funky
There are a lot of covers of the Ghostbusters theme – I haven’t made a point of cataloging them all. Others have done a far better job (anyone have a link for that GB music site with all the versions listed – please send.) But in this case I own the 12″, so I’d be remiss not to bring it up. And as a bonus, some kind soul has already ripped it and made it available online.
Ghostbuster 2006 – Super Villains
Get it while you can – not a cover, not a mash-up. This is a straight up club style remix. Enjoy.
— Return of the Ghostbusters
Hank Braxton gave me the heads up on this over a month ago and I only now had a chance to watch it and post. How sad is that?
I loved Freddy Vs. The Ghostbusters, but this time Braxton and co. appear to have set the bar high. At 80 minutes, it’s a feature length undertaking! Return of The Ghostbusters – coming soon!
— 13 Days of Halloween 2006
It’s Halloween in Canada, which means it’s time for Teletoon’s 13 Days of Halloween line-up. As before, they show all the spooky cartoons, including a fine helping of Real Ghostbusters. Thanks Toren, I totally forgot!
— Halloween: Costume Time
Well, Halloween is nearly upon us – in nice (if too short) timing, Make Magazine has posted someone’s instructions to making a GB costume. The Make Magazine crowd tend to be a bit over-the-top, wiring gadgets into everything. I can’t contend as to how accurate the props are, thought they do look good – and bear in mind, they seem to have moved away from movie accuracy in a few areas to accomodate practical mechanisms. A cool read for anyone interested in GB props. (thanks Ken)
This is an excellent time to direct people to gbprops.com – THE place to chat with other GB prop builders, learn some tricks, find plans, etc.
However, a good GB costume takes time and patience, so both links are better suited to next year’s Halloween. But, as I tend to get a lot of emails about costumes, I’ll resurrect, for the umpteenth year in a row, my Cheap N’ Easy GB costume. It won’t win you any contests, but you can put it together in mere days.
— "Yes, have some."
Well, it’s Christmas Halloween time, and that means parties. Now, there’s a growing number of Ghostbuster related drinks out there, mostly for the adults, but a few wise-souls have put their minds to concocting GB drinks for tots and teetotallers.
Courage’s slime green drink*
1 scoop lime sherbert
1 scoop ice chips
1 can Buku Bite energy drink
Blend, then drop a citrus wedge on top for a smile and two Shocktarts for eyes. It’s soooooper sour, so be sure to yell “He slimed me!” after your first belt. Any green carbonated drink can be substituted, but Courage swears by the Buku Bite.
However, given that the people who first saw Ghostbusters are now all grown up, it should be no surprise that there’s a wealth of warm and fuzzy, booze GB drinks.
Non-kid options;
Ecto-cooler (complex)
Ecto-cooler #2 (easy)
Slimer #1 (vodka)
Slimer #2 (rum)
Ghostini
Bill Murray and the Ghostbusters**
Ghostbuster
Or straight-up, a Dan Aykroyd favorite.
Patron Tequila***
*Courage calls it a Slimer, which makes sense. But with two other drinks called a Slimer, I’m thinking it needs a name all its own.
** Basically a Boilermaker with brand name components.
*** He’s the Canadian distributor of the premium spirits.
— Halloween: Here come tha' pics!
Halloween is still just under a week away, but the costume pics have started rolling in – including Rob, who hits the skins at a party last night, and Keith sent in pics of his son, who was super-hyper from the arrival of his super-keen Proton Charging buttons (still a few left)!
Keep them coming!
— Halloween: Costume Time Part 2
The costume pics keep comin’ – hopefully you all had a great and safe Halloween and you’ve already begun planning for next year!
LLCoolB – Ladies love a man in uniform.
More after the jump;
Andrew Boeche reaches out to the religious and undead communities.
Chris Tomlinson and crew put the proton boots to a slimmed down Stay-puft. The best part? The costumes were pulled together for $30 – Niiiiice.
Un-named agent puts in an appearance at the LucasArts staff party (always a big deal, given the creative brains that work there.)
But the highlights of the year are the thematic matched party-hosts, Marcus and Amanda as Gatekeeper and Keymaster!
Yes, have some.
I don’t know what show the other guy’s from. Star Wars maybe?
It looked like a rockin’ party – check out some of the other great costumes in attendance.
— Ghostbusters: On Call
It’s been a bumper crop of fan films these past few years and the new kid on the block is Ghostbusters: On Call. The single sentance pitch goes something like, “Cops meets Troops meets Reno 911.” Sounds good to me. Check out their MySpace page for more info.
— Burn, Baby! Burn! Disco Inferno!
Somewhere in France – you can see close ups here. This in turn inspired me to add a link to all Flickr photos tagged “Ghostbusters.” You’ll notice it on the nav bar, left. Big thanks to Taylor for giving me the idea.
— I thought Oscar's Dad moved to England
Erik Mrock dropped me a line, after spotting the above credit card, in an ad, at a BP gas station – check the cardholder’s name. Cheeky!
Big thanks to Erik and his friend Rachel, who dug up the image from the Chase bank website. And I seem to recall this from before, but I vaguely recall that there wasn’t any picture proof, so I ignored it. So, to anyone else who may have spotted it months back, a big thumbs up to you, and you should dig harder, like Rachel. 😛
So, is this a BP thing, or a Visa thing? Spotted Dana on any other credit card ads? Lemme know.
[update] Big ups to Beezer, who technically got the first report of this in, back in June (!), but didn’t have the image to go with. Cheers.
[update] Paul at Spook Central has scoured and scrubbed and come up with a LOT more examples of Ms. Barrett and her massive credit card debt. Many images after the jump.
— Ghostbusters: Spook University
No no, it’s not a school for spies – I’m not sure what it is yet, but it’s a fan film, and it’s coming soon. Normally I don’t hype fan films much. In the past, they appeared very occasionally and they were complete when they did. And then for awhile, a lot of people wanted to do a fan film, but while they dreamed big, they accomplished little (which is primarily why I don’t hype these things until they’re rolling.) But lately the crop has been growing and when there is footage and cast and production photos, I’ll gamble that a film is going to get made.
So, while we wait for The Return of the Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters: On Call, check out Ohio’s finest, Ghostbusters: Spook University (currently in production.)
Don’t let me down, youse guys.
— THE LIST of remixes
Remember when I posted about that new Ghostbusters remix? And remember when I couldn’t remember the website that was collecting them all? Well, I found it. So, if you’ve ever wanted The List of Ghostbusters remixes, here it is, complete with the tracks for your listening pleasure.
— New year, new layout
I wasn’t particularly happy with the last system, so a little research, a little tinkering, and viola! Proton Charging, the 2007 model.
There are still a few things I need to tweak and a lot of old material to get posted, but you’re looking at about 85-90% final.
Please note the new end URL (for those of you that bookmarked protoncharging.com/ghostbusters);
www.protoncharging.com/gb
— Ho ho ho
I will be on holidays until the 27th, but I will be checking in from time to time. Happy holidays everyone.
2007 (127 entries)
— Is it Ghostbusters 2?
This makes me so happy. When I was in Germany, I discovered that it’s very popular to have a cable channel that just runs a call-in quiz show constantly. Well, apparently it’s in the UK as well, and regardless of the question, this one guy, Tony*, just keeps calling in with the answer, “Ghostbusters 2.” It never is and judging from the clips and the commentary of the video poster, they hate him, but he’s my new hero.
Nick Carr, cheers. Ta for the laugh.
[UPDATE] Fantastic! Two more!
Thanks Steve!
* Tony appears to be UK comedian and presenter, Iain Lee. Well played, you magnificent bastard.
— Aykroyd En Route article
Way back when, Dan Aykroyd was on TV talking GB3. The interview was conducted at the Ontario vinyard he owns a part of, for Air Canada’s En Route magazine. I then mentioned that the article would be out in November. Then I totally forgot about it. So, here you are. Better late than never, I reckon.
There is no GB content, it’s just an interesting read.
— Superfans!
I always like it when Ghostbuster fans get noticed – and I’ve got two doozies. The first is Detroit based Dr. J, Greg Justis, who got some ink for being the owner of some of the sickest GB memorabilia around.
The second is Kevin Henry, of Fort Collins, Colorado. Finding that a snow storm put him out of business for the day, he and his cohorts took to the streets in his Ecto-Subaru to help those in need (ie stranded motorists, etc.) The result was some excellent press for the community as a whole. Check out his ride here.
Big thanks to Netsolo for the heads up.
— Support a good cause.
If you look at the credits at the bottom of the site, you’ll see that the new PC is based on a WordPress template by Brian Gardner – I tinkered with it, layout wise, so anything you’re not happy with (ie the big grey space), that’s my call, not his design.
The one thing I wasn’t happy with was the big long list of archived months on the left side – given the lifespan of PC, that list was huge and only going to get huger. So, I went to the source, and asked Mr. Gardner for some advice. The result, as you can see, is a new Archives page. And it’s spiffy.
In return for his kind help, I donated to a run to raise money for breast cancer research – Brian and his wife have been doing it for several years. Personally, I’ve always made a point of supported breast cancer research, as it has hit close to home in my family.
PC has been running practically ad-free* for a long time, out of my own pocket. I’ve never needed donations or ads to maintain it – however, if any of you are so inclined, instead of supporting me (just reading regularly is all you need to do to support PC), please consider supporting Brian. All it takes is a measly five bucks to get involved.
I’ll sweeten the deal – anybody that contributes, I’ll send them some PC buttons at least (and maybe special swag, if I find any lying around). Just drop me a line when you’ve donated – either point me at your name in the scolling list of contributors or forward me a copy of your donation confirmation**.
And thanks to Brian for his help, thanks to you guys for hanging out, and thanks to everyone that pitches in.
* I ran ads once, for two months, way back when. It was a stupid system that netted me two bucks. So I dropped it.
** If you don’t have a credit card, or can’t use someone elses, like a parents (ask first kids) email me, maybe we can work out something manual, old-school, snail mail-y.
— Do you bust in a land down undah?
The steady stream of GB fanfilms continues with Ghostbusters: Oz. Still it the early stages (costumes and props, plus a couple of ghost concept sketches), but looking good so far.
Also, the producers of Ghostbusters: Generation have wrapped initial production, but are looking for a little funding to help wrap it up. If you’re intersted in contributing, you will not walk away empty handed. Various levels of donations get you various amounts of copies of the movie on DVD, plus a producer credit in the film! More info here.
— Various site stuff
Hi – time to bring people up to speed on a few things.
RSS
First off, when the site moved to its new state and format, anyone using the RSS feed link got left behind. I posted one last post, directing people to here, but it didn’t make it into the RSS feed, and as a result, a number of people thought I hadn’t updated the site since early December. I can understand this, as sometimes I really don’t update for a month. In any case, I’ve amended the old RSS feed (boy I hope it works now) and I’d like to direct anyone interested in the new feed to the RSS link on the sidebar.
Old News
If you’ll notice, the Old News page is gone, and a PC Features page now exists. This is because I’ve moved a large amount of that old news to the new format, including old features and interviews. There are still many more to go, but if you’ve never read the old material, please check it out – I even rescued some old materials from other, long dead websites (including a couple of keen GB RPG compaigns.)
Patrick
Every time I report on GB3, I get comments from Patrick. In particular, when I completely debunked the lazy, sensationalistic, and journalistically corrupt news wire story that made it sound like GB3 was being made and Ben Stiller would star, Patrick decided I was The Evil One. He continues to do so.
To All GB Fans!!!
Listen up!!! There will be a Ghostbusters 3 there are proof GB3 articles and Proof GB3 posters for 2008! GB3 is even on the news it said that Dan Aykroyd has written a new script and Ben Stiller WILL replace Bill Murray! Castewar is a jerk he has OLD GB3 news tell him straight there WILL be a GB3 in 2008! GB Fans had made some cool GB3 trailers too Check it out! PS. Why would someone makeup a false article about GB3 Castewar is a FRAUD about this not me or the GB Fans!
This seems like a good time to lay out a few facts.
PC isn’t here to report every scrap of information as fact. I report it at face value, and then in many cases I will apply my caveats – a simple example would be that I’ll never report that a GB game is in production until it’s actually in production. I will cover the attempt to get it into production however.
Similarly, I will not report every fan poster and off-handed remark about GB3 as proof that it is being made – it is not proof that it is being made, it is proof that there is still interest, either by the fans or certain filmmakers. And I’ve seen over ten years of this. I’ve seen a lot of stuff that really really really made it seem like a third movie was close – and it’s still not here. Even this last debacle, if you ignore my report that the news was bogus, it’s over a year old… and GB3 is not in production.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again one last time, for everyone to read, the minute someone credible says, “GB3 has been green-lit and begins filming next fall” I will report it, complete with “Woo-hoo!” in the headline. But until then, I will continue to report whatever comes along with a grain of salt.
Keep on keepin’ on, Patrick!
— Ghostbustour
I know I’ve seen this before, and I thought I posted about it, but when their new logo popped up on Flickr (on the nav bar on the left), and I couldn’t find it in the archives, I decided it was worth mentioning again. It was December, it was busy. Maybe I forgot. I dunno. Anyhow, here it is again.
Basically, this group is creating a walking video tour of New York – Ghostbustour. You load the video onto your iPod, PSP, cellphone, or what-have-you, and it guides you around New York, stopping from time to time to talk about various filming locations from the film. The last trailer I saw, I thought it even had them super imposing modern New York scenes over scenes from the movie, for comparison.
Ambitious, but keen as hell. Here’s hoping they get it finalized soon.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ghost Ride It
When a community knows the guy loaning out his Ecto-1 replica to a music video, it’s always a long wait until the final results hit the airwaves. In this case, Hip Hop artist Mistah F.A.B. has been working on a new video for his hit, Ghost Ride It, and it’s finally made its premiere on MTV.
Keep an eye out at 58 seconds for community member Craig Chen (secrecyguy), who got a walk-on, and scope Sean Bishop’s sweet sweet ride – word has it the video antics resulted in some damage to the vehicle, but the production team paid for repairs.
Besides the blurry YouTube version, you can check it out at MTV’s website.
By the way, don’t try this at home kids. Jackass is so 2002.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Zombiewalk 2006
I missed out on ZW2K6, but my buddy Taylor went – and found one of Vancouvers busters, in this case PeteVenkman_Jedi, who sent along this photo. Cooool.
— Profile on Paul Rudoff
The Scribble King blog has posted a large interview with Spook Central webmaster, Paul Rudhoff Rudoff. It’s a great talk with one of the longest running Ghostbuster webmasters around – it’s doubly interesting to myself, as I started PC at roughly the same time, so my view of GB online was similar, but slightly different. And of course neither of us was familiar with the other for the first while.
I only recall there being four Ghostbusters fan sites when I ventured out into the vast unknown of this thing called The Internet. There was a general fan site created by Bill Emkow, a Real Ghostbusters artwork site by Adrian “Burning Knight Raven” Adams, a Real Ghostbusters fan fiction site by Sheila Paulson, and a site that started to do an image-enhanced version of the Ghostbusters film script.
For me, I only recall Bill’s, Shiela’s, and Mr. Stay-puft’s World O Sounds. Important history lesson for you kids out there – search engines sucked back then and messageboards were rare at the time. Finding other sites was hit and miss or word of mouth. You kids have it easy! And get off my lawn!
— "OK. So? She's a dog."
The New York Daily news listed their 100 most romantic New York movies – Ghostbusters, with its sweet tale of parapsychologist meet girl meets extra-dimensional entity, made the cut. Beat out by obvious mushy giants such as When Harry Met Sally, West Side Story, and even The Muppets Take Manhattan, Ghostbusters put on Bill Murray’s cheap moves to take #71.
Thanks to Matt R., hopeless romantic.
— "OK. So? She's a dog."
The New York Daily news listed their 100 most romantic New York movies – Ghostbusters, with its sweet tale of parapsychologist meet girl meets extra-dimensional entity, made the cut. Beat out by obvious mushy giants such as When Harry Met Sally, West Side Story, and even The Muppets Take Manhattan, Ghostbusters put on Bill Murray’s cheap moves to take #71.
Thanks to Matt R., hopeless romantic.
— GB art challenge
Chad Kerychuk forwarded me a link to this Ghostbusters themed art challenge at BlueSky Studios – BlueSky are the team behind Ice Age and all its spin-offs (including those hilarious Scrat shorts.) The best part is that the artists at Rockstar San Diego often take up the challenge as well, and in this case produced two really sweet GB pieces.
This seems like the perfect time to resurrect this Proton Charging classic from ten years back (!) by my buddy Chad Montgomery (what’s with all the Chads?) – consider it Proton Charging’s entry for the challenge, entitled “A day in the life of Egon.”
— Colorado GBs get some more press
Remember awhile back there was a newspaper article on those Fort Collins boys in grey and their Ecto Subaru? Well, they’ve gotten even more coverage, this time a full spread in the Rocky Mountain Chronicle. And check out those sweet pictures. I hope they got copies. Nice work, Gentlemen.
— Who ya gonna call? Bell Canada!
My buddy Taylor just forwarded me this billboard he spotted here in Vancouver – for the last month, Bell Canada has been pushing its new movie feature, which allows you to view a full length, honest to gosh movie on your Bell cell phone. Which never made sense to me, since the battery life of your phone is barely enough for two hours of movie… plus you might want to make a phonecall at some point. And cell phone screens are small.
HOWEVER! That was before they started offering Ghostbusters. Now I have all the same reservations, but at least it’s a movie I’d watch. The service costs $5.99CDN a movie, plus you have to have a particular phone, and subscribe to an unlimited browser package deal. Pricey, but I guess if you really really really have to watch Ghostbusters and your trapped in a well or something…
— GB Remix project looking for help.
With 80+ remixes of our favourite theme, over 50 of which are available to download online, the GB Remix Project is looking for help as they work to improve the site. Check it out here! You know you’ll be using it (if you haven’t already) so help however you can.
— Roast Rescue
TBS is long dead, and so is their web page, so I decided (after talking about roast beef sandwiches all this week) to rescue the recipe. Accordingly, I’ve updated the old post about the TBS Dinner and Movie recipe, with the actual recipe. Enjoy.
— Ernie Hudson podcast interview
Scott Kurtz (of PvP fame, source of many a GB reference… which reminds me of a reference I’ve been meaning to post. More on that later) has a regular podcast on TalkShoe, as does his pal Tim Bradstreet – the two appear on one another’s podcasts fairly frequently. In this case, on Bradstreet’s Bigfanboy podcast episode 14.1, he chats with Ernie Hudson. I haven’t got a clue what they talk about, I’m still listening – I’ll get back to you with details, but I’m sure it’s good for a listen. What, you think podcasts with GB cast are a dime dozen? Download it already!
Thanks to Dino Neill!
— That's a Digg Twinkie.
Ha ha. The later it is, the stupider my headlines.
If you’ve been trying to access the site this evening and had no luck, that’s because a few thousand other people were trying to get through the same “door” as you. It seems someone posted my Ron Jeremy article at Digg, and the response has been both enthusiastic and catty (“I spotted him ages ago!” Yeah? Well, I got him to confirm that it was actually him. MC Chris FTW!)
It’s quiet now, but it may flare up again, in which case welcome to all who have managed to get this far. I expect it will die down in time. I hope. My server is smoking.
— Columbia files cease and desist against rapper.
After a couple of months of airplay on MTV, Mister F.A.B.’s Ghost Ride It video (featuring a replica Ecto-1) has caught the attention of Columbia Pictures, who don’t want their IP associating with the West Coast fad of getting out and climbing around on a moving car. Columbia has threatened legal action if the video isn’t pulled from airplay and Internet video outlets. The video nearly found F.A.B. banned from MTV, and required 52 editting changes to make it on MTV Jams (possibly why the premiere was originally delayed by a week.)
BallerStatus.com: Your video is about ghost riding, it’s teaching people how to do it. Are you getting flack for that?
Mistah FAB: I’m getting flack for it. People are saying what they wanna say, but it is what it is. Like for my video, I had to edit hella stuff. I edited the video like crazy. People always gonna stop something. When you infiltrate pop culture and cross over to other areas and other demographics, they like, “Woah.” The reason why a lot of people are trying to stop it is because they kids is doing it now. It ain’t no longer the black kids in the community doing it, it’s the white kids, the Filipinos, the Chinese… everybody’s doing it.
It’s a cultural shock right now. If you not a part of it, you’re trying to stop it. That’s what you call a movement, and I’m just happy to be at the forefront of it. People just gotta be responsible for what they doing and how they do it. It’s not safe, so you gotta be responsible.
Still, F.A.B. is sticking to a “any publicity is good publicity” philosophy.
“Publicity in the music industry, good or bad, is great. My momma always say, ‘When they stop talking about you is when you get worried,'” FAB confessed.
More on the story at GB Props, Ballerstatus.com, and PCs previous article on Mister F.A.B. (plus the offending video, at least until it gets yanked from YouTube) can be found here.
— Marshmallow Man and The Noid!
Maybe if I hurry, I can still make it in time… oh, wait. It was in 1989.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Aw, I thought it was going to be He-Man.
In case anyone is interested, the Ghostbusters bedecked Guitar Hero controller that has popped up in the Flickr sidebar is mine – for my birthday, a pal made me a custom applique. Not being me, they just thought it was a cool image. I recognize it from the boards – I just can’t remember who made it. If someone knows, drop me a line. Big thanks to Duncan for snapping the pic.
— Busting makes me feel… [roll roll roll] …good.
When the d20 system, made famous in Dungeons and Dragons, was made available to game developers under a broad, open license, I wondered how long it would take for someone to apply it to Ghostbusters. Well, now I can stop the clock – Octavirate Entertainment is releasing ExorSystems, Inc™. While not a licensed Ghostbusters product – not a Ghostbusters product period – it’s clearly close to the hearts of the designers.
I’m still looking it over, but why wait for me? Go check out the free preview at RPGNow.com.
— Ghostbusters in 5 seconds… er… 16 seconds
The title is misleading, but it’s still funny – thanks J.P.!
— GB2 Video Press Kit
For years now, I’ve had a copy of the GB2 video press kit – a video tape of material for TV stations to us in promoting the movie. And now, FINALLY, someone has put it on YouTube for everyone to see (no, not me. I’m not that high-tech.)
Thanks to GozerJr for spotting them.
[UPDATE] AJ at GBProps found a fourth part, and it’s still missing a bunch of stuff from the press kit.
— Back off man, I'm a musicalalogical-scientist.
Take a pair of Tesla coils, hook them up to a MIDI controller, and play the Ghostbusters MIDI file from the NES version of the game – the result? High energy EM fields buzzing out the theme to Ghostbusters. Now that’s a science project I can get behind!
— It must drive Huey Lewis nuts some days…
The Japanese love Ghostbusters, or at least, they love the theme song, as it seems to end up on a lot of their rhythm games – case in point above, where someone posted the video that runs in the background when you dance dance your butt butt off off in the Japan-only PS2 title, Stepping Selection (video game reviewers love the song too.) Another example would be Beatmania IIDX Gold, a Japanese arcade drumming game. At least, I think it’s drumming.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— The Scourge of Carpathia, The Sorrow of Moldavia…
…The Decorations of the Lucasfilm Ranch.
Jas (aka Venkman9993592. That’s a lot) sent me this link to a behind-the-scenes video from Conan O’Brien’s visit to the Lucasfilm Ranch. A number of boss items from Ghostbusters 2 were known to reside there, including a full body Slimer rig, but it was nice to confirm once and for all where the Vigo painting ended up. Go about two thirds of the way in to find the part with Vigo. I wonder if they have a copy of the transformed painting as well?
Speaking of The Scourge of Carpathia.
[UPDATE] Whoops. AJ Quick points out something I skimmed over – a Scoleri brother (I’m at work, leave me alone.)
“I tried them for murder!”
— Grind-haunted-house
Something Awful’s most recent photoshop binge was taking movies and making them a Grindhouse-style poster – of course, Ghostbusters got the treatment.
Thanks to Vego for bringing it up. Click here for a larger version.
— UCLA Photo Archive
UCLA has put a new photo archive online, which contains every photo published in the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News from 1920 to 1990. So, what do you get when you type in “Ghostbusters”? A photo of the new chart topper for the year, Ray Parker Jr. at home, commenting on getting the Ghostbusters gig and Ivan Reitman posing in the Ghostbusters production offices.
Click for the full sized photo.
Click for the full sized photo.
Copyright Los Angeles Times photographic archive, UCLA Library. Copyright Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
— VES dubs Ghostbusters #41
The Visual Effects Society has released the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time and Ghostbusters clocks in at #41. The press release doesn’t mention specifics, but at the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects, which will take place the weekend of June 7-10 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, there will be a panel discussing the 50 films. The panel includes Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 effects wizards, Richard Edlund and Dennis Muren.
Mr. Martinez, thanks for the heads-up.
— Calling all Jersey busters
GBI is putting the word out for a Ghosthead gathering at some upcoming showings of Ghostbusters at the Succasunna Cinemas (say that five times fast) – that’s in Succasunna, New Jersey, I’m assuming. For more information and discussion about which showings at which the gathering will be occurring, go to this thread at the GBI message boards. Thanks Spengs – let us know how it goes.
UPDATE
We’re hoping to have a franchise/ghosthead gathering on Friday, June 15, 2007. The screening is at 10:00 PM and costs only $5.00 USD. – Spengs
— 24 years. Beauty, eh?
The CBC will be showing Strange Brew on its 24th anniversary, this Sunday. And afterwards there will be a one-hour special, with Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas reprising their infamous roles as Bob and Doug McKenzie. Check local listings, or, like, your favorite torrent site, if you’re not, like, in Canada.
— Surf, sand, and Ghostbusters
The Jacksonville Beach in Jacksonville, Florida, will be showing Ghostbusters on Friday, May 25th. Admission is free (it’s a beach!), but you might want to arrive early for a primo parcel of sand. Thanks to Slimer, for the heads up.
— He is Norbert! You are like the buzzing of flies to him.
Nearly sixty-seven years ago, Norbert Grupe was born to a Germany at war. Three years ago, with little to his name other than his dog and van, he died of cancer in Mexico. Between those two points he was Der Boxprinz (The Boxing Prince.)
We’re more familiar with him as Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters 2 (or, for us older folks, a hapless terrorist in Die Hard), but the man was also an infamous boxer in the 60s and 70s. Not only was he a notable pugalist, he was also a bit of a party animal, leading to some minor scandal involving drugs and prostitution. All of this is covered in this 2002 documentary on the man we know as Wilhelm von Homburg.
If anyone is in Germany or any other European country were you may be able to find this DVD, please contact me.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— "The door swings both ways…"
Modeled and molded by Boss Studios, this is one of the miniature doors designed for the scale-sized rooftop temple in Ghostbusters. And I love staring at it (need to make it a stand.) Click here for a closer look at the door details.
— Fun with Google Street View
Google Maps has added a new feature, allowing you to not only stare at a city location from space, but have a look at street level. How neat for those of you who haven’t been to New York (one of a handful of cities that have been fully documented for the feature)!
The Firehall
Lincoln Center
Library
Campus
Church and Shandor Building (stupid bus)
— Be Kind, Rewind gets release date
Michel Gondry’s (The Science of Sleep, various music videos) next film, Be Kind, Rewind, has a clever premise – having destroyed every tape in a friend’s video store, Jack Black and co must reenact every movie to keep a little old lady happy. I know – definitely qualifies as unique.
It’s been known for awhile now that amoung such classic video-store fare as Robocop and Driving Miss Daisy, Ghostbusters gets a “remake.” How much screen time that equals isn’t clear, but the first official picture (click to see full sized image – way bigger than above) from the film is, according to Director’s File, from the GB sequence – hopefully that means it won’t be lost in a montage or something. Better yet is that the site reports that the film will have a limited release on December 21st. Oddly, this is usually a move so a film can get in on some hot, Oscar Award action. Given Gondry’s extremely clever and artistic resume, it makes a certain amount of sense.
Looking at the few pictures released thus far, it doesn’t look like Black’s character wears glasses – does that make him Egon in his hasty redux?
— Coming soon to a theater near you.
Mr. Geoff Jones dropped me a line about his new blog, which is keeping track of all theatrical showings of Ghostbusters. If you’re looking to catch it on the big screen, check it out. And even if you’re not, if you know of a screening, you should let him know, so he can add it to his list.
At almost the exact same time, Ecto Ernie dropped me a line to let me know that the Sunshine Cinema in New York City is showing Ghostbusters at midnight, from now until Saturday, July 7th. Lots of chances to catch it there.
— Geek Love
Proton Charging got some sweet sweet luv from Geek magazine in the latest, fifth issue. Specifically, they picked up our little story on Ron Jeremy being an extra in Ghostbusters. Click here to read the article.
They even used my screen grab! Cheeky!
— "Everybody can relax, I found the car…"
I love stuff like this – some enterprising and talented fan has customized two car toys from Pixar’s Cars, giving them that GB touch. You can bid on them, if you’d like, here and here.
— Mobile
After all these years, mobile surfing has finally come of age – it’s cheap and most every cellphone has it (and more coming all the time.) So, I decided to set up a mobile URL, that streamlines the posts – but now those who like to surf on the go can get some GB goodness much faster.
— Tranformers guru pays lip service to Ghostbusters
In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, Michael Bay opens their interview with him by claiming Ghostbusters as his special effects measuring stick;
I can see why — the machinery is incredibly intricate. Why did you want to go in that route and not more —
Simple? Like a cartoon? Basically it’s the equivalent of, like, the Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters. It’s got to withstand, you know, a 40-foot screen — you just need a lot of detail and a lot of things moving just to keep your eye dazzled by these complex machines. It wasn’t always peaches and cream. The robots kind of sucked in the beginning. My whole thing is lighting with [visual] effects. We all know something in our brain is telling us it’s not lit right — that’s what makes you say it looks like a cartoon. You figure out how it’s all going to reflect different pieces of light — different materials reflect differently.
Thanks Hayden!
— New banner
Just for the next few weeks, as we get closer to the Simpsons movie – I’m starting to get somewhat excited. And seeing as the website has a character generator, I thought a temporary homage in the PC banner would be funny.
— Karaoke Bobby Brown
Actually, one small comment – What’s more interesting? The live performance version of On Our Own or that his parents keep wandering around in the background. Not a lot of family space in a Shanghai apartment I guess.
— We Are Legion – Michael Cera
I think I’m going to start organizing all instances of GB fandom under this listing – “We Are Legion.” It seems that every day, new fans pop up, including celebrities. In this case, it’s Michael Cera, star of various shows, including Arrested Development, and the upcoming Seth Rogan film, Superbad. Of course, he wasn’t even born when the film came out – which I think speaks well for the shelf-life of the film… and just how very, very old I am.
Before he was in preschool, Mr. Cera says, he knew he’d be an actor. He was obsessed with becoming Bill Murray, the star of “Ghostbusters,” and he watched that 1984 film over and over when he was 4. Mr. Cera still carries a “Ghostbusters” wallet, trivia he has not shared with the the film’s writer, Harold Ramis, who wrote and will direct Mr. Cera’s next feature film, “Year One” with Jack Black. “I’m not going to show it to him,” Mr. Cera said. “I’m afraid it’ll change the whole dynamic.”
— C*H*U*D on Murray in Ghostbusters
Everyone’s favorite Cinematic Happenings Under Development has recently posted a filmtastic ed-op piece on Bill Murray in Ghostbusters.
I don’t think that Ghostbusters would have worked at all without him. I watched the film twice over this past weekend, and both times it was Murray’s presence on the screen that anchored the experience. It really is his vehicle; everyone else plays the straight man, albeit humorously clueless now and then.
— UK rally Busters raise cash in Crumball 2007
Brothers Richard, Mike and Paul Walsh and their friend Dave Heaton recently participated in the Crumball 2007 rally race, using a used Volvo Estate they decorated up as the Ectomobile. You can read the first part of the story here – the end of the story is that the Ecto-Crum died in Nice, France, on the last day – the car was then sold to a scrapper. The team (#95 – The Ghost Busters) had a great time, raised a lot of money for their chosen charity, and are looking forward to the next rally.
— László Kovács 1933-2007
László Kovács, cinematographer for Ghostbusters (amoung many many other films) died Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 74.
Kovács lead a very full life, having escaped from Hungary a political refugee (he and a friend had filmed the anti-Communist uprising, which put them in danger) and ultimately becoming one of Hollywood’s most accomplished directors of photography.
— Relax. You only have 75 more to go.
Seventy-five days until Ghostbusters: The Video Game drops into stores. If you haven’t made note of that yet, you probably should now.
— Ghostbuster song roots found?
Typically when asked to put Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters theme into a genre, people put it in “80s”, “novelty”, or simply Rock. Which are all correct, but in a very general (and slightly derogatory way.) The similarity of the baselines in Ghostbusters and Huey Lewis’ I Want A New Drug was enough to take the matter to court, and inevitably that helped cement Ghostbusters as an 80s rock track.
But what if Ghostbusters had much older, better established roots? What if Huey Lewis had his day in court when in actuality Parker’s inspiration was, at least in part, much older?
Amateur musicologist Dane dropped me a line and a link to a 1969 recording of Save Me, by Ghana musical group, E T Mensah and his Tempos. The similarities in the overall structure of the song, not simply the base (which alternates between eerily Ghostbusters like, and more African) are very striking. Even the lyrical shape is familiar. And as Dane puts it, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine a young Parker (who would formally start his career in music five years after the Save Me recording) having heard the track. And even more likely that he was familiar with the American/African fusion called Highlife (a musical form started in the 20s.)
This isn’t to say Parker Jr. ripped off another track – music is filled with reinterpreting styles that have come before, and it’s easy to hear all the ways Ghostbusters is different. But it puts a little bit of shine back into the world’s most famous movie theme, to think that it was the 80s child of a 60 year-old excuse to get up and boogie.
Have a listen for yourself and tell us what YOU think.
Cheers Dane – good ears!
— Smith directs supernatural pilot, Reaper.
Every time a favorite show rides off into the sunset, I think, “Now what the hell am I going to watch?” But then someone decides to make a show I’ve been dying to see for, like, ever – I just didn’t know it. The new kid on that particular block is Reaper, stepping up on September 25th on The CW (which we can actually get in Canada!) Check out the extended trailer for the show pilot (directed by Kevin Smith), and tell me it doesn’t say, “Ghostheads stop here.”
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Sony Ectos getting some TLC?
Jason (aka Star Car Detective) sent in some pictures of some familiar faces – dropping in at a Movie and TV car restoration company he knows, he was surprised to find a dusty Ecto-1 and Ecto-1a there. Details are limited (not a chatty bunch, those restorers), but the cars are Sony’s and once cleaned up will be on display for “walking-tours” (which suggests a home on the Sony lot, than at someplace like Universal Studios. Nice to see them get some care and attention – thanks Jason!
Click any of the sample images to go see the entire set;
www.flickr.com
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Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Project Ectoplasm
Looking to create a protective system for first responders to potential biological attacks, a company in Australia has produced a substance they’re calling Ectoplasm (after the goop in Ghostbusters.) Essentially, the gel is infused with anti-bodies, which when combined with the gel’s ability to coat a wide surface area, help contain and limit suspected bio-agents. Boy, I hope the applicator looks something like a slime thrower.
— "Bass Masters. It's a fishing show."
Actor Walter P. Flanagan (not to be confused with the Kevin Smith compatriot) passed away on July 25th in his home state of Texas. He was 78.
Ghostbusters fans will remember Walter for his short, but memorable role in Ghostbusters 2 as the museum guard that recognizes Dr. Venkman for his World of the Psychic cable program.
— Hudson speaks on the Democratic prez candidates
While attending the recent Democratic/YouTube debates at The Citidel military college in South Carolina on behalf of The Creative Coalition, Ernie Hudson spoke to some net bloggers about his thoughts on the Democratic hopefuls – Hudson was diplomatic on all of them, but expressed an extra level of support for Senator Joe Biden. Click here to see the clip.
— "When you're walkin' down the street…"
A trailer for Be Kind, Rewind was shown at the San Diego ComicCon and it wasted no time making every geek in building howl with laughter, starting with a look at a terrible, amateur remake of a familiar supernatural comedy. And just to make things even better, the official web release of the trailer is now online, including HD versions (ignore the YouTube version – this is much better quality picture and sound.)
— We Are Legion – Seth Rogan
Awhile back I mentioned an interview with Michael Cera, one of the stars of Superbad, wherein he mentions a love of Ghostbusters. He’s still dropping props to the GBs in fact.
But the film isn’t just popular with Cera it seems, as Seth Rogen – the writer/director of Superbad – also mentions a past history with Ghostbusters. Though, it’s a little convoluted. And naughty.
In an interview with Rogen, a scene was described, wherein one of the movie’s characters (called, not coincidentally, Seth) admits to a secret shame, involving a Real Ghostbusters lunchbox. I debated posting about it, but it seemed pointless if you hadn’t seen the movie. Well, thanks YouTube (and Jack Story for sending me the link), now you can.
Totally Not Safe For Work (but funny)
— Cera keeps talkin' Ghostbusters, ghosts… oh and Superbad
If I were in a hit movie and got to go on national TV to promote it… I’d talk Ghostbusters too. Michael Cera cited Ghostbusters as his inspiration for going into acting on Jimmy Kimmel and then talked about his own run in with the supernatural on Conan O’Brien.
Michael also talks about meeting Ernie Hudson at ComicCon and that he’s working with Harold Ramis. This is in addition to also working with Jason Reitman (Ivan Reitman’s son) on the dark comedy, Juno. A salute to Mr. Cera for being the highest profile Ghostbusters fan in the world right now.
There should be, like, an award for that. Or something. Maybe just go see Superbad instead.
— Vancouver Zombie Walk 2007
Calling all GVA GBs – this is an informal call to all area GBs interested in participating in a GBI presence at this year’s Zombie Walk (Saturday August 25th, apparently.) Just reply in the comments or email me directly and we’ll see just how many people are interested in going.
— "Let's run some red lights!"
Well, this beats the time he crashed a University party in Scotland. Bill Murray was pulled over for being intoxicated while driving a golf cart. Shrug.
— ZombieWalk07 – who, what, wha?
OK, it looks like there’s going to be a bunch of us – appropriately enough, we will be horribly outnumbered by the undead. Not a concern, as they’re generally harmless and we will have taken our anti-human mortis shots (or Zom-B-Gone, as Dr. Venkman likes to call it.)
Here are the particulars from the Facebook listing;
Time and PlaceDate: Saturday, August 25, 2007
Time: 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery
Street: 750 Hornby Street
City/Town: Vancouver, BC
map
Some will be humans, some will be zombies – your choice. The GBs may likely proceed the parade, or skip to the end. We’ll be playing it be ear. In any case, dead or not, you’ll all get some PC pins and there will be GBI zombie pamphlets to help hand out. And we’re going to make the pins available for a donation, which will be given the BC Children’s Hospital.
Final details, if any, tomorrow.
— "Send… more… Ghostbusters…"
Well, it started in a quick downpour and ended in high spirits – with 200 undead shambling three miles around downtown Vancouver, Zombie Walk 2007 is now over.
The Ghostbusters were vastly outnumbered (above, left to right – Brendan, yours truely, and Colin), but it was enough fun that we’re planning on expanding it next year – a large number of pamphlets were handed out to amused bystanders (and one police officer), and we sold $50 in I ♥ Zombies pins which will be going to the Vancouver Children’s Hospital* (it might not sound like a lot, but it was very spur of the moment, plus with 200 zombies and 100 pins, that’s a good percentage sold.)
Anyone wanting to have a look a the pamphlet can see side one and side two online. (full sized versions for those without Flickr accounts here and here.)
* Want a pin? Same deal as last time PC made buttons – send a self-addressed envelope and a buck to cover postage (or two, if you want to add to the Children’s Hospital pot.) to me. Email me for further details.
— Ghostbustours premieres September 13th at ConFlux
Remember when we previously mentioned that New York group that was putting together multi-media walking tours of the city, starting with Ghostbusters? If you’re shaking your head “no”, then go read here.
For those of you that do remember, well awesome news – they’re going to be premiering the tour at the Brooklyn ConFlux this year. The gang will be hanging around for the entire event, but the tour will be on September 13th. If you have a video ipod or PSP, bring it – if not they will have a few devices on hand for you to sign out. And if you’re really clever, bring headphone splitters, and share with someone.
Hopefully some NY area ghostheads will be able to attend and give us a report.
— Yer too late!
I go to all the trouble of finding one of these, and then they put a copy up online. Sigh.
— Extreme Ghostbusters turns 10
Egads.
Thanks to the steel trap mind of Paul over at Spook Central, I’ve been reminded that Extreme Ghostbusters hit the air ten years ago – this means I moved to Vancouver ten years ago, as I recall the show starting about six months after I settled into my first apartment.
In Canada, we watched the show on YTV, at thanks to some Canadian channels being Toronto-centric, it was on at an ungodly hour (7AM, every weekday morning) – this is awesome if you’re nine years old, not so much when you’re a working adult. But still, VCRs were invented for a reason and I put mine to work.
In the US however, the show hit the air on the Bohbot network, September 1st.
So, happy birthday to the new kids.
And I don’t care what you hip, cyber-yoots say, the abbreviation is EGB, not XGB. 😛
— Ghostcaps
To start a blog is one thing, but to start a blog where you post an illustration a day of only ghosts, that’s something else entirely.
Click here to see everything tagged “Ghostbusters” (there are some awesome ones.)
— NY Government TV promotes Tribeca, Ghostbusters
I wasn’t aware of this, but the duly elected representatives of New York (city, county, or state, I do not know) have a TV channel. And on that TV channel, they have a show called Secrets of New York. The new, third season has started, and the episode looks at Tribeca as a filming location, which of course includes the good ol’ Hook and Ladder 8 building (the host of the show can be seen posing in front of it, the GB2 sign clearly visible in the background.)
The show aired on Tuesday, but will air again this Sunday at 8:30 (5:30 PST) – those of us not in New York can watch online via streaming video.
TriBeCa: Mysteries of New York’s Backlot Revealed
…As a neighborhood, TriBeCa has evolved and re-defined itself many times throughout the centuries. Today, its iconic buildings and cobblestone streets serve as backdrops for some of Hollywood’s biggest features. And its annual film festival draws thousands of filmgoers from around the world. TriBeCa has truly emerged as one of New York City’s premier neighborhoods.
Cheers to Wheelhouse for the heads up.
— We Are Legion: Tyson Ritter and Daniel Matteo
I’m not sure how serious the man is, so I’m not sure if I’d call this a “We Are Legion”, but regardless, All American Rejects singer Tyson Ritter recently spoke to MTV and cracked about the name for their next album.
“I want to call the record Zuul from ‘Ghostbusters’ because that was like the king of Gozer, and that was like the top of what you can get,” he snickered. “So, I don’t know, maybe, like, Ghostbusters? Or All-American Rejects: Ghostbusters: The Album. That would be badass. I don’t know, it’ll probably be called Remember Us? because it’ll probably take another year before we make it.”
Actually, Zuul was the minion of Gozer, not king. Oh, nevermind.
Similarly, Halifax-based crooner Daniel Matteo listed Ghostbusters as a favourite in a recent festival bio. Smoooooth.
— Ray Parker Jr. to appear on TV for Halloween!
NBC’s Singing Bee, hosted by Joey Fatone has some killer guests this fall. Of particular interest to us Ghostheads is that Ray Parker Jr. will be appearing on the Oct. 30th Halloween episode. No word if he’ll perform, as the show is all about amateur singers trying to remember words to songs, but we can always hope.
— Squidbusters
It’s not uncommon for the photoshop phreaks at Something Awful to include Ghostbusters in their fun – this time the theme is repurposing vehicles, and the Ecto-1 got a little bit of an upgrade, as you can see above. For the full sized picture (and to enjoy the other entries), go check out SA.
The name is Stantz… Ray Stantz.
Thanks to Boomerjinks for the heads up.
— RGB promo Frankensteined back together
Before RGB hit the air, a promotional commercial started making the rounds – this promo exists mostly as bits and pieces here and there, but Ectofiend took it upon himself to try and put this PR Humpty-Dumpty back together again. The results are a bit shaky, but not bad. Until we can find a complete, clean version, this will do nicely.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Everyone can relax, I found the house…
“How much?”
Only $30,000 a month.
Dan Aykroyd has been offering his LA home for rent for a running total of a year and change – no takers so for, possibly because of that hefty rental cost, but it is a certified celebrity home, having been owned by Ringo Starr and Mama Cass in the past. Plus, it has a ghost or two, according to Aykroyd and his paranormal researcher brother (and sometimes actor) Peter.
Thanks to Troy at GBHQ for spotting this one.
— Secrets of New York online
The previously mentioned Secrets of New York show is online! Now those of us who don’t live in New York (and thus don’t get the broadcast) can watch the episode (you’ll have to select the segment from the right – about three or so down) on the Hook and Ladder 8 firehall. (note, they’ve changed their player and it doesn’t seem to work in Firefox.)
It’s a great segment – did you know Hook and Ladder used to be twice as wide? And there’s more!
Thanks to Wheelhouse for the tip.
— 2% Milk 100% Murray
Hard to explain, but if you’re looking for comedy, Bill Murray, and a single Ghostbusters reference, this is for you. Thanks Brandon!
— Take the Ghostbustour
I know I got an email on this and then I seem to have neglected to post it – gah, the brain, she is getting old.
Regardless, anyone interested in checking out the Ghostbustour mobile tourguide can download it from the tour website. It sounds like the unveiling went super-well in September, and those files are now available to download for your PSP, iPod, or mobile phone! I’m downloading my PSP version, as I type this.
[UPDATE] The files, they are massive! And the PSP seems to have some archive troubles, but I’m still trying and I’ll let you all know how it goes.
— Bobby Brown suffers heart attack – is doing well
He’s only 38, but Bobby Brown (who wrote the hit On Our Own specifically for Ghostbusters 2) was admitted to hospital last night after suffering a mild heart attack. The full story is here, but the short version is that he’s alright and is thanking his fans for their well wishes.
Heart and soul, dih-dih-dance!
— Ray Parker Jr., where have you been?
It’s amazing the things you’ll find on YouTube – take for example, this video of Ray Parker Jr. lip syncing to Ghostbusters on German television. He’s looking alright, but it’s not 1984 anymore – we’ve become so used to seeing him forever young in the GB video, it’s a bit of a surprise to see him now (or in this case, 2005.)
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ray Parker Jr., THERE have you been.
Yes, yes, terrible grammar, but it’s my joke.
Jstin F pointed out that RPjr. (which is how I will type his name from now on) recently performed at Chiller Theatre 2007, and that is also up on YouTube. It is also, not lip synced. He also looks different somehow. Maybe the German show had a fake (kidding. Unless it’s true.)
So the question is, will he perform for his upcoming Halloween appearance?
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Musical GB fanboys to appear in UK ghost show
McFly, who delight UK crowds with their rendition of the Ghostbusters theme (complete with a video the Ecto-1 careening around playing with them on tour) will be appearing on ITV2’s Ghost Hunting With…
Tom Fletcher commented: “If you wanna see four wimps completely s***ting themselves and running around in the dark for an hour whilst having ghosts throw rocks at them, then this is the show for you. Ghostbusters eat your hearts out!”
Give ’em heck, guys.
— A "personal containment unit", so to speak…
Amazon.com (and various other online retailers) is selling Ghostbusters boxers. They range from $10-$15US.
I kid you not.
If anyone finds them in a meat-space store, please let me know. Thanks to Chogrin, who apparently scours Amazon for under garments (I’m just joshin’), for letting me know.
[UPDATE]
They also sell these boxes at Gordmans, I have like 5 pairs:) – Kris
— Ecto-3? Geer team enters mini-ecto into soapbox derby.
The full article goes into far more detail, but the short version is that engineering students in Hanover, New Hampshire entered their Ghostbusters-themed soapbox racer into the Red Bull Soapbox Derby (Providence, RI.) They didn’t win, but they had fun. In an article filled with great quotes, this one is my favorite;
“We had two sevens. We got a seven from Miss Rhode Island,” Hanley said. “But the dude from The Fugees gave us a nine!”
— Return of the Ghostbusters
The secret to a good fan film is patience – and where most fan films seem cheap and rushed, Return of the Ghostbusters looks to raise the bar to a point few have or ever will be able to match, if its trailer is any indication.
Clocking in and 85 minutes and sporting some sweet special effects, the film will premiere to a sold out crowd, two days from now in Denver. The movie will then be released to the masses on Halloween (but of course.) Those of you not lucky enough to be attending the Colorado premiere have a second chance to see the film, with the filmmakers and cast, in New York at the BigAppleCon on November 17th. And if you’re not in New York, you’re SOL – you’ll have to get it from the BraxtanFilm website.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— GB FX artist to receive ASC award
Richard Edlund, who produced visual effects for Ghostbusters (amoung dozens of hit films), will receive the American Society of Cinematographers’ Presidents Award this coming January. Edlund as previously been nominated for 10 Academy Awards (winning 4), won three of the Academy’s science and technology awards, and the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation.
— Reitman on Schwarzenegger and Ghostbusters
Recently, Ivan Reitman returned to his old hometown (Toronto) to get his star on the Canada Walk of Fame, and while up here, he sat down on CBC’s The Hour. As well as a great talk with one of the highest grossing director/producers of all time, he drops a cool anecdote about the Californian Governor and Ghostbusters.
— Confirmed: RPjr to sing GB theme next week
You’ll recall our mentioning that Ray Parker Jr. would be a guest on the Halloween episode of Singing Bee (Tuesday, October 30th, the day before the big day.) – well, promo spots airing now have confirmed what we’d hoped. Ray Parker Jr. will be performing his eponymous hit!
Thanks to the honorary Minister of Justis for spotting the promos.
— More on the Roots of GB theme
Paul over at Spook Central has some thoughts to add to the various, potential “root” songs for Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters. Not as evidence of more nicking, but more examples that perhaps the Huey Lewis’s I Want A New Drug bassline isn’t as unique as he thought.
— Halloween GB screenings
It’s that time of year again.
In Arizona;
“Ghostbusters” with The Arizona Ghostbusters Live — Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway. Screening of the 1984 comedy classic with a pre-show performance by The Arizona Ghostbusters leading the theme song singalong. 7 p.m. Oct. 27. $5. 795-0844.
You can’t miss the Arizona GBs – one of them is eleventy feet tall – s’true.
In the San Fancisco area (Berkley – I think);
Friday, the 26th! More details here (plus, maybe for those of you who know the area, some idea of exactly where it’s playing.)
Any others? Lemme know.
— Ghostbusters attend UK wedding
Not THE Ghostbusters, but serious ghostheads nevertheless.
When 26 years old Toby and Laura Ryder planned their wedding, they opted for a unique dress code – fancy costumes only. The couple tied the knot this past Saturday in front of 83 decked out guests, including Optimus Prime, various Thundercats and superheros, one can of spam, and two Ghostbusters.
Congratulations to the couple and if anybody knows who the two busters are, please let us know! (there’s a full crowd, large sized version of the image shown above.)
— Reminder: Ray Parker Jr. on Singing Bee tonight
Check your local listings to find out when Singing Bee airs on your local NBC station.
— Warning: Zombies
Just in time for Halloween, Cracked Magazine (or rather, it’s slightly less goofy website counterpart) has posted a great article on the scientific possibility of a Zombie apocalypse. Their best guess? More possible than we’d like to think.
— Return of the Ghostbusters – see it now!
After its premiere on the weekend, The Return of the Ghostbusters has had it’s official Halloween release.
Go to the RotGB website for your download options – a DVD version will be made available soon.
— RPjr on Singing Bee – video (finally)
Too short and obviously edited down for time, but still, it’s awesome to see Ray Parker Jr. singing Ghostbusters live.
Thanks to Andreas for the heads up and AJ at GBProps.com for putting the clip up.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— NY Ghostheads take second on national TV
A quartet of GBs won second (drat!) on the Today Show’s Halloween costume contest – they look the part pretty well, with quick and simple (by their own admission, made of odds and ends), but sweet looking packs and a menacing Slimer.
Nice work guys! And nice work finding the clip online, Theresa!
— Halloween Round-up 2007
Well, Halloween is over, mostly (I’ll allow that there may be some delayed Halloween parties this weekend) and the photos have started showing up. This year saw a marked rise in Busters, lady busters, another Stay Puft, Dana and Louis, and the excellent arrival of a Janine (finally.)
A Ghostbusters 2 Janine no less!
Kurt and his best gal put in an excellent Vinz and Zuul duo.
The Vancouver GBs at the Parade of Souls
There are more – and if you have some more you’d like to share, send them my way.
I opted for the same thing as previous years – trying not to blow myself up with the best fireworks ever.
Best Ghostbuster pose of the year.
Another look at the NY GBs that won on the Today Show, including a closer look at that awesome Slimer.
The only appearance I’ve seen of the Sexy Ghostbuster outfit that was sold this year. The pair further up appear to have made their own outfits.
This is from a couple years ago, but I only just now found it. How cool is that?
— Salem GBs lead H'ween parade
Kevin “Balboa” dropped me a line to share his run in with the parade marshalls at this year’s Halloween parade in Salem, MA. The local Ghostbusters team, with their Ecto-1, got to lead the parade of costumed revelers – and as you can see in the video, they went over very well. Nice work gang, and thanks for the pics and clip, Kevin (you can’t miss him – he’s the one that opted to go half-nekkid in October)!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— How to see Return of the Ghostbusters
Since its release into the Internet wilds, Return of the Ghostbusters can be found in more and more locations, including a mirror of the DivX file here at Proton Charging. I’m working on a PSP version, which should be ready soon. In the meantime, you can try one of the options below.
Demonoid (to sign up)
The Pirate Bay (to sign up)
You will need a bittorrent client such as µTorrent. If you’re unsure how to use torrents, click here.
Download High Res DivX via HTTP
Stage6
Proton Charging
Download for Zune
(click here)
Download for iPod
(click here)
Download for PSP
(click here)
Watch at iFilm
(click here)
[UPDATE] I forgot to mention (thankfully someone reminded me) that Demonoid has been filtering out Canadians. So, if you’re in Canada, you might want to consider the Pirate Bay torrent. All I know is I was/am a member, and a fan-edit of GB I’m seeding is still being downloaded from my machine. I can give, I just can’t take – jerks.
Also, while people are welcome to download off of PC, currently torrents are the fastest method of download. Just so you know.
— Understandable, but unfortunate name.
While it’s perfectly reasonable to make every effort to protect kids at Halloween, this Florida police program is kind of a headscratcher.
— Speaking of Florida – GB screening tonight
Kinda last minute, but Ghostbusters is showing today, Wednesday, at the University of Miami Cosford Cinema. Show starts at 8pm and UofM students get in free! Lucky ducks.
— We Are Legion – The Mars Volta
Just inside the new year, American prog-rock group The Mars Volta will be releasing their new album, The Bedlam and Goliath. What’s interesting is that the album is inspired by the bands dabbles with a souvenir divining (or ouija) board. Fascinated by the stories the board told, but convinced it had brought bad luck, the band had lead-guitar Omar Rodríguez-López bury the board and swear never to tell where.
Even more interesting is their explanation of what came next;
“The album is basically a sort of … it’s like the ‘Ghostbusters’ when they want to catch a ghost, they throw out this little trap on the floor, and they open it.
“(The) record serves as a bunch of little traps, so when the record comes out, people will have those traps, and they can play the game and try to reverse the bad luck we’ve had come from it. It’s our way of creating a little infernal machine, but we’ve reversed it, for good luck.”
Rock on!
— Alice, the Librarian
I wasn’t aware IGN even had an Obscure Character of the Day feature, but they do – and this week’s OCD is none other than Alice, the hapless librarian menaced at the very beginning of Ghostbusters.
The OCD feature is part of their new Stars content channel, which includes a massive database of characters – strangely, Dr. Peter Venkman is there, but no one else (excepting Alice.) Venkman has no pictures or ratings, which is added by IGN members – here’s hoping he gets some content added, and they decide to add the rest of the team. Along with Alice.
— Impact site of "biggest interdimensional crossrip" believed found.
Only marginally related to Ghostbusters, but of interest to anyone interested in the Tunguska blast in Siberia (many of whom may have first heard about it from watching Ghostbusters.) To everyone else, it’s just a dry read.
— Mr. Stay-Puft. Jakarta style.
PC reader Stlkid send me an excellent story – in 1984, while living with his family in Jakarta, Indonesia, he didn’t have the opportunity to catch GB in theaters, but that didn’t mean he didn’t catch the bug.
From November 83 to January 86, my family and I lived overseas. The majority of this time was spent in Jakarta, Indonesia. Now during this time, dozens of stateside fads passed by without us knowing they even existed. For example, the whole ‘Wheel of Fortune’ craze? Yeah, we only caught the tail end of that. However, there was one thing that our friends in the States told us we absolutely needed to check out at our earliest convenience, ‘Ghostbusters’.
Fortunately for us, a bootleg VHS tape made its way into our third-world VCR in the fall of 84 (amazingly less than a few months after the movie premiered in US theaters).
Now, we lived in a small house, surrounded by a cement wall that had broken glass at the top of it. There wasn’t much opportunity to trek around downtown Jakarta making friends. So, when I wasn’t at Cub Scouts or tee ball, I planted myself in front of the television and watched ‘Ghostbusters’ or ‘The Sound of Music’ (insert joke here).
Halloween was fast approaching, and when my mother asked what I wanted to be the answer was obvious. I wanted to be the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Note: Geography enthusiasts will point out that Jakarta is about 100 miles away from the Equator. That means it’s around 90 degrees there all year. As if that’s not enough, the upperbody and head of this costume are roughly the equivalent of a thick pillow.
So, it was off to the annual American Club/American Embassy Halloween Parade, where at the end of the parade, a 5,000 Rupia (roughly $5) gift certificate would be given out to the kid with the best costume in his or her age group.
I was hopeful that my tribute to Mr. Stay Puft would bring in the prize, but understood that I was up against some rather tough competition. When they announced the winner of the five-to-eight year old bracket as the Pillsbury Dough Boy, my hopes were dashed. ‘Oh well,’ I though, ‘We’ll get ’em next year.’
It was at this point that I was being herded on-stage by a couple of adults. What the hell were they doing? Clearly the youngster in the Pillsbury Dough Boy costume would be furious.
The jerk emcee asked, ‘What made you decide to be the Pillsbury Dough Boy?’ With tears rolling down my cheeks I sobbed, ‘I’m the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!’
Oh well, screw him. I still got the gift certificate.
— "He's a sailor, he's in New York…"
A larger image from Variety – click here for the full size, jaw dropping, image. Kotaku says the Variety reporter is claiming multiplayer and co-op features for the game, but a) I can’t find that reference and b) I think players would riot if it didn’t, so file it under no-brainer news.
— Ghostbusters playing in LA this weekend
Those of you in the LA area that can’t wait a year for the new Ghostbusters video game can at least go hang out with some like minded individuals and see Ghostbusters on the big screen.
Starting this Sunday, November 18th, through to the 21st, The New Beverly Cinema will be showing the film, starting at 7:30.
— Interview with RotGB creators
Class-B.net has conducted an interview with Hank Braxtan and company, about their Return of the Ghostbusters fan film. Some interesting behind-the-scenes stuff. And for a chaser, the website has posted their review of the film.
— The Making of The Real Ghostbusters
Paul at Spook Central emailed me about this documentary on the making of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series, all the way through story writing, sound recording, and final animation in Japan. The 20 minute short includes interviews with Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Joe Medjuck, and more, including some of the Japanese producers, like Shigeru Akagawa at K.K.C&D;, and featuring Rolf Harris as narrator.
It’s a good look at the process of getting the show made, though it sadly doesn’t feature J. Michael Straczynski. With all the Ghostbusters 2 materials lying around, it’s pretty clear this was done after his initial run on the show.
There’s even a nice shot of the DIC building in California, which I got stare at for three days when working at a Disney building across the street.
For the time being, you can download the show here.
[UPDATE] The short is now available in two parts on YouTube, both of which you can watch below.
The clip was originally uploaded (the megaupload link above) by maskedshuuyu at the GB Messageboard – so big ups to M for sharing with the world. Sorry it went unnoticed for so long. And more thanks to Matthew at the same boards, for providing some additional details. He confirmed that the segment was presented in 1989 as a special Rolf’s Cartoon Club segment, entitled Slimer Won’t Do That (something masked had mentioned as well.)
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— The Proton Pack – 14th greatest fictional weapon
Wizard has compiled their list of the 50 greatest fictional weapons… evar! And the trusty proton pack comes in at #14. I’m dubious on a few of the choices, pleased with some others, and overall, pretty happy with the pack coming in just shy of the top ten. Cheers to Adam Green for the link!
— We Are Legion: Jamal Igle
Having worked in comics since he was 17, Jamal Igle is a growing presence at DC comics, having provided art for everything from Countdown to Teen Titans, as well as co-creating Venture at Image Comics.
As a volunteer at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, he instantly earns my respect, but a recent tour of his studio reveals he’s even more of a like mind – there amongst his lightbox, drafting table, and piles of paper is one of the die-cast Ecto-1 cars.
— More Be Kind, Rewind Ghostbusters footage
Which you could see more of Mike and Jerry’s hilarious, no-budget remake of Ghostbusters. The little bits we’ve seen in the Be Kind, Rewind trailer is not enough? Well, now there’s more! Thanks to Fernand for the link.
— Dave Coulier interview
New Ghostbusters blog, Real Ghostbusters Online, has a great interview with Dave Coulier on his experience as the second voice of Peter Venkman on the cartoon series. You can read it here.
— Who's the biggest jerk ever? "My name… is Peck."
Jason sent in a link to Empire Magazine’s top ten film jerks – and against some fantastic jerks, Ghostbusters’ own Walter Peck takes the top spot. No kidding, see for yourself.
— Another fictional weapons list?
Yup. SciFi Now Magazine in the UK has made their own list of greatest fictional weapons, and once again the Proton Pack is listed (I sense a resurgence on interest, don’t you?) However, as a top 10 (instead of Wizard’s top 50) list, being number nine isn’t quite as good. Then again, it did make it onto a much smaller, less inclusive list, so… (shrug)
Thanks John.
— Ghostburners
Somewhere in Denver, there is the awesomest wall ever (be sure to look backwards in the photoset for about six or so photos – the one above is only part of a massive mural.) I wish the graffiti artists in my town would do something like this.
— Now Hiring part 2
The now hiring site at ghostbustersgame.com (click the Now Hiring poster on the left, once the site loads) has gone live – you basically sign up all over again to get… banners. An underwhelming start, but it makes a certain amount of sense to make the hardcore fans seed-promote to a broader audience, before all the big goodies go live.
How many hardcore fans can there be, you may ask – enough that the site is sloooooow to load. If you’ve visited previously, you may need to clear your browser cache (F5 in most browsers) in order to see the new materials – a messageboard banner, Slimer wallpaper, and an AIM icon.
[UPDATE] – Odd. The messageboard banner on the website is one image, but in practice is another.
— GB Chat returns
Chad at Ghostbusters.net has revived GB Chat, which as you can guess, is a place for fans of Ghostbusters to gather and… chat. And, as the year progresses, I’m sure there will be a lot to chat about.
However – a caution from me. It may not always be busy, so best to drop in at times you might expect people to be around, like evenings and weekends. Better yet, you could always consider taking matters into your own hand and arranging times to meet, through the various Ghostbuster messageboards around.
— Ghostbusters v. Hellboy
Or more accurately, Mr. Stay-Puft (the world’s awesomest elder god) duking it out with one of the Ogdru Jahad (the world’s second scariest elder god.)
Big thanks to Taylor for making my morning, and thanks to lastscionz for jamming up some hot art (click to see larger image at Deviantart.)
— "Needs some suspension work…"
…and shocks, and brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear end.
A secret squirrel sent in an update on the restoration of the Ecto-1 and Ecto-1a, currently underway. As you can see, the Ecto is in paint, and the Ecto-1a will follow shortly. So what’s it all mean? Well, it means, if I understand correctly, that they’ll both be done in January/February – the team working on the cars have picked January/February as their completion target.
And with the Ghostbusters video game announcement, I guess we know why they were getting restored.
Ecto-1, in paint.
Ecto-1a waiting for its turn.
Big thanks to the Hollywood Detective for sending us updates!
— We Are Legion: Please Raise Your Hand
Finishing his cross-Canada tour to promote his line of wines and favorite tequila, Dan Aykroyd commented on the fans that turn out at his various events.
“One guy in Vancouver showed up in full Ghostbusters regalia,” he said. “He had a Proton Pack and a wand, everything. He was about 30.
“Ghostbusters was his life.”
Colin? Brendan? Who was it? Fess up.
— Dear Police: Pick another movie
Similar to a recent Halloween police operation in Florida, Missouri just wrapped up a 9 year drug sting operation given the name “Ghostbusters” by officials.
To law enforcement every where, please return to the video store. There are many many fine 80s movies available to choose from.
— Don't leave your l'il Ghostbuster unattended
The ghostheaded goons at Something Awful continue their growing tradition of including Ghostbusters into their weekly Photoshop Phriday competition – this week’s topic; Shopping cart safety.
Thanks Boomerjinks – that made me laugh.
— I can let go any time I want, honest.
Dan Aykroyd is wrapping up his cross-Canada tour promoting his various spirits, which normally wouldn’t be notable except for two things from this newspaper article (it’s the paper thing your Dad gets from the front steps every morning) from Newfoundland. One is his mention of opening a new facility in Beamsville, Ontario, which will feature paraphernalia from his various movies (leading to the obvious question of what Ghostbusters goods are left to show off between 15 years of Planet Hollywood and various online prop auctions?) The other is the strange, backhanded, off-topic wrap-up to the article;
Wine connoisseurs exist in hoards, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador in recent years (just look at the insanity that gathers over the annual NLC Wine Fest). But there are those who just can’t let go of Dr. Ray Stantz, and what they’re really interested in is that ‘Ghostbusters’ video game for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360; it is currently in production, slated for release in 2008. The whole gang is back providing vocals – including Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Egon Spengler (Harold Rami), Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson), and even Rick Moranis’ Louis Tully.
Five stars to Heidi for talking to The Man and helping to promote the game to those on the East Coast who don’t scour the web for Ghostbusters news – half star deduction for the awkward segue.
— "Marley was dead. Who ya gonna call?"
Missed this last year, and then had to wait until now to share it. But it’s worth a chuckle. Done all your, I dunno… shopping? Baking? Fasting? If I don’t get to talk to you before the New Year, happy holidays.
— We Are Legion: Jason Reitman
Oh sure, it was probably a given, but when the man wears a Ghostbusters t-shirt to press interviews for his own Oscar-bound film, you don’t have to take it for granted anymore. It’s now fact – Jason Reitman is a Ghostbusters fan.
— Be Kind Rewind director invites like reply from Ivan Reitman
With only a matter of days until Be Kind Rewind hits theaters, the already eclectic marketing campaign turns it up a notch. For starters, the movie website takes the movie premise and expands it to the internet – Jerry (Jack Black) has erased the internet and they must now rebuild it as best they can, termed “sweding” by the makers of the film. This web sweding includes a replacement imdb.com listing for Ghostbusters and some swell Swede Ghostbusters wallpaper. The site also contains a replacement YouTube site, complete with the trailer for the sweded films, as we’ve seen before.
But even more interesting is the news that the director of the film, Michel Gondry, is hoping to give the directors of the films lovingly rebuilt in Be Kind Rewind a chance to do the same back.
“I can’t tell you what will or won’t come to pass,” Sugarman said. “But we think it’s as much fun for Ivan Reitman to play with ‘Be Kind Rewind’ as it is for us to play with ‘Ghostbusters.’ A lot of people in the film industry have a great sense of humor about this stuff.”
— GBfans.com launches online calendar
Remember the pre-buzz on a fan generated Ghostbusters calendar mentioned awhile back? Well, it’s first month is now available online – say hello to Miss January. Yes, Miss January. The big surprise turns out to be that the calendar is a bit on the spicy side. Kind of like those calendars you see at the autoshop, only these are for the HQ firehall.
Head on over to GBfans.com to check it out.
2008 (163 entries)
— Cleaning up the town.
Or at least, my small part of it.
Having recently moved, it became pressing that I sort my stuff, particularly some Ghostbusters items that need some careful storage. I found a couple I thought I’d post. The first is a Slimer puppet – a very small amount were produced by Kenner and they occasionally show up on eBay for about $30-$50US. Mine’s a bit more unique, as it’s the example puppet sent overseas to the manufacturing plant. It’s dated 1986, so it was intended as part of the second wave of Real Ghostbuster toys, presumably. Note the little plastic no-ghost logo – the same is found on the production run (and similar toys, like the plush Stay-Puft Kenner produced around the same time.)
With that demented look, you can see why they only made a limited run. The one on the chair is a photo from eBay – mine is the one in the corner. Even from the pictures, it’s easy to tell the fabrics used were similar but different in the production run.
The other items I was pleased to dig up were a set of mock-up Real Ghostbuster watches (and one Ghostbusters 2 watch, so these would have been made late 1988 to late 1989 – I wasn’t able to find out.) I particularly like the guys standing at the fire house, flip-up watches, as the Peter figure looks very similar to the little mold used in the pencil topper snow-globes. Oddly, there’s no Ray watch in the flat faced line. Dunno why. Anyhow, Real Ghostbusters digital watches did get made, similar to the flat-faced line, but sadly I don’t think the figure watches went into production.
— We Are Legion: Danny Wallace
If you don’t live in the UK, you probably don’t know who Danny Wallace is, but over there, he’s an author and TV personality (actually, he’s an author over here too, really) – soon, you’ll see Jim Carrey in a movie based on one of his books (Yes Man.) But for now, that doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that he’s Ghostbusters fan. How big a fan?
Well, in the UK they have a trivia show, Mastermind, where the players get to pick their area of expertise – Wallace picked Ghostbusters. And then proceeded to rock the category.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Toronto to get Reitman Square
The Reitman family, including Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman and his sisters, along with another prominent Toronto family, are working with the Toronto Film Fest to develop a new film studies building, which will include a number of theaters, learning centers, an archive, and so on. The Toronto Film Festival has announced that a nearby city square will be named Reitman Square, in honor of Ivan’s parents (who were more than just mom and dad to the filmmaker, but important local business owners.)
Ivan Reitman and his sisters say Reitman Square will honour their parents and “give back to the city and to the country” that took them in as immigrants.
Thanks to Joe for the heads-up.
— Ghostbusters freeze for charity
Five hundred people, including the intrepid pack of Ghostbusters (and Slimer) above, took to the frigid waters of White Bear Lake, Minneapolis, to raise money for the Special Olympics. Wisely, they wore the inflatable packs that double as flotation devices.
— Yes, it's true. UK Housing officials have no dick.
When a British man explained to the representative of his local housing council that his family was afraid to move into their new townhouse because they felt it was haunted, the “woman housing official told me to contact a priest or call Ghostbusters.” True, it’s up for debate whether there are ghosts, etc., but c’mon. A little human compassion, please.
Housing officer Rita Nabakka apologised to Mr Hussain for her Ghostbusters joke when they met at the house on Tuesday afternoon.
A People 1st spokeswoman said: “When people first move into a house it can take a while to get used to the building’s noises and we hope that Mr Hussain and his family can start to relax in their new home.”
— Field Trip!
Boomerjinks and some Rocky Mountain compadres hit the road in his Ecto and went looking for that Ghostbusters mural we mentioned last year. And they found it! And took pictures!
UPDATE: For those in the Denver area.
East on 6th Avenue from I-25. Left (north) on Santa Fe, left (west) on 7th, then left (south) on Lipan. It’s right next to a smallish office building, and about a quarter of a block north of the overpass.
— Ecto-1 nears completion
The Hollywood Detective has sent along some recent snaps of the Ecto-twins restoration. The Ecto-1 looks pretty much done, though the bad news is that the Ecto-1a is still in rough shape. However, words is it will be up and roaring for March.
— Database hiccup – comments offline
Something has hiccupped on my server, and it thinks the date is yesterday… or tomorrow, I’m still sorting it out. As a result, you can’t comment (you’ll get a message that you’re posting too fast and that you have to wait 15 seconds – wait all you want, you probably won’t be able to post for awhile.)
Sorry for the hassle – I know you’ve likely got some doozies. Just be patient – if it’s not working by the time you read this, it will soon.
— I think you have the wrong number.
I’ve been meaning to bring this up for awhile, after spotting this on my new Rockford Files DVDs. Note the phone numbers (Ghostbusters on top, obviously, and a close-up of Jim’s phone from the opening credits of the show.)
There’s no evidence that this is anything more than coincidence (or at least not that I’m aware of), but statistically, it would be a one in ten thousand chance that two prop masters, then years apart, would pick the same number. Plus, you have to take into account that while the commercial footage for that Ghostbusters TV spot was done in New York at the Hook and Ladder 8 firehall, the final video may very likely have been done in LA (which would be back on Rockford turf.) For the moment, I’m going to assume it’s a nod, mostly because it’s a better story than plain old chance. However, if anyone knows more, speak now.
[UPDATE] Ah ha! It turns out it’s a highly recycled number for film and television. That same number has been used as the phone number for;
– Baretta
– The Guiler residence in Close Encounters of the Third Kind
– Det. Sgt. Rick Hunter’s number in Hunter
– Kojak
– Jaime “The Bionic Woman” Sommers
And so on. Nobody knows where the number started, but that many 70s and 80s TV/movies suggests either shared props or shared set decorators, which could then lead to continuing references (the number was recently used it Memento, for example.) It appears, with some cursory checking, that the number is one of (if not the) most recycled fictional phone numbers (not counting the easy to pick repeats or thousands – ie 555-2222 or 555-1000)
— Well, you asked for another Ghostbusters film
After 25 years, Bollywood (note the B) is giving the world what it wants. This is possibly the oddest news I’ve heard all day;
The first of the three [films] will be directed by Sujoy Ghosh and will have three heroes. According to our sources, apart from Dutt who plays one of the leads, the other two may be Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh. It is remake of Hollywood blockbuster Ghost Busters. The film is expected to go on the floors once Ghosh wraps up Alladdin, which has Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Riteish Deshmukh.
Given the budget and production values of a contemporary Indian blockbuster (high – don’t let those scratchy old films on community cable fool you. Bollywood is big bucks and these guys are huge stars), this should be a spectacle, regardless of if you’re into Bollywood films or not – doubly so if they keep the song and dance numbers (95% likelihood.) And really, given that Dutt (producer and star) got his start in a remake of Rocky… c’mon. Tell me you’re not totally curious.
No word yet on when the film goes into production or when it is slated to be finished, but I don’t recall Bollywood being slow about finishing a product.
Thanks to Roshangar for the tip – I never would have found that one on my own.
— Ghostbusters IN ice.
As opposed to Ghostbusters On Ice, which now that I think about it, would be awesome.
MTU (Michigan Technological University) is having some sort of winter carnival and the whole Ghostbusters gang is there – the boys, Slimer, Stay Puft, the Firehall, and a really excellent Ecto. A number of people have taken some pics on Flickr, like here and here and here.
— The birthplace of Ghostbusters
Well, here’s a neat bit of trivia – as Jason Reitman’s Juno heads into Oscar season, a recent interview with him and his father, Ivan, revealed that Art’s Deli (just outside of LA in Studio City) is apparently the birthplace of Ghostbusters.
Young Jason grew up steeped in Hollywood history. For example, Art’s Deli in Studio City was the place Ivan and Dan Aykroyd first met to work on “Ghostbusters.”
“And we basically decided to start the movie right here,” Ivan remembered. “I think it was this booth right behind me.”
“The first set I remember was ‘Ghostbusters,’ Jason Reitman told Braver. “It was a scene in which the street erupted. I remember even at seven years old thinking, ‘Wow, if you direct a movie, you can break the streets of New York.'”
— FX pioneer picks up tech Oscar
You know how you can see cabs through buildings in some shots of Ghostbusters? Well, it could have been worse if it weren’t for this man.
In the 1970s Grafton also began consulting in the motion picture industry, where the highly specialized lenses he designed for optical effects printers enabled the seamless blending of multiple images from different sources. Working with such special effects companies as Industrial Light & Magic and Boss Film Studios, he contributed to the production of numerous feature films including “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Blade Runner.”
Congratulations to Mr. Grafton for his win (which is one of only two actual Oscar statues handed out at the tech ceremonies – everyone else gets a certificate, or something.) We proudly, and vicariously, count it as a win for Ghostbusters!
— "Oh, Dana, it's you."
Another cast member for that Bollywood Ghostbusters remake has been semi-announced – meet Ameesha (Amisha) Patel. Don’t let the post title fool you – we don’t even know if there is a character named Dana in the movie, let alone if Patel is playing her part, but it’s certainly not hard to see her as the ghost-threatened musician.
The Patel girl is currently working on Shree Ashtavinayak’s Do Lucky in which she will star opposite Govinda and another film that is Sanjay Dutt’s home production and is reported as a remake of the Hollywood flick, Ghostbusters. Sanjay and Saif will star with Amisha while the rest of the cast is yet to be finalized…
Strange that the article mentions Saif Ali Khan as a co-star, as he wasn’t previously mentioned in the first article – he could be an additional ‘buster, or the others weren’t locked into the roles. Bollywood is so confusing!
But she’s hot, so that’s ok.
— China bans Ghostbusters, et al.
My other headline choice was “They ARE afraid of no ghosts!” But them my grammar alarm went off and I had to skip it.
Long story short, the Chinese government has banned all movies with ghosts, monsters, aliens, and pretty much anything they broadly categorize as being designed to “terrorize the senses.”
While there is no specific list of movies (the government has ordered filmmakers, video store owners, and local party members to self-regulate), by definition, Ghostbusters is out – after all, the film’s title there is “Fearless Ghost Catching Team That Doesn’t Fear Death.”
— Behind the scenes of Ghostbusters 2
Doreen at the Ghostbusters Fan Forum has spent many years cultivating close ties to a lot of our favorite Ghostbusters voice actors / actors, and she sent a heads up to this fantastic making-of clip for Ghostbusters 2. Get the whole story and watch the video after the jump.
This rare behind the scenes footage shows Robin Shelby (aka Robin Navlyt) getting prepped to play “Slimer” in “Ghostbusters 2.” We see director Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray, and creature & makeup designer Tim Lawrence discussing ways to approach the action for Slimer.
This home video is from William Forsche’s (aka Foertsch) personal video collection. This is not your average studio made movie press release. This comes from a time before DVD’s, high def TV, and reality based television shows. This is a rare look of what it was like to be behind the scenes in the summer of 1989 for “Ghostbusters 2.” The camera work is somewhat crude and so is the language at times but it is all very real.
Appearing as Robin’s manicurist is Mark Siegel. Mark is an actor in his own right and he also sculpted Slimer for GB II.
Besides being generally awesome, it’s also unique to see just how involved Bill Murray was behind the scenes. Double awesome is that we get to hear a deleted scene where Louis tries to lure Slimer out of hiding by pretending a pizza has been delivered. Thanks Doreen!
UPDATE: The awesome just keeps coming;
– parts of the Statue of Liberty costume can be seen
– some sort of crew (wrap?) party with everyone dancing to Fine Young Cannibals (oh, those were the days.)
– Robin’s performance blocking in the Slimer outfit.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Slime is Popular
The talented and telegenic folks at Popular Science.com have posted a video demonstrating the time honored, home recipe for slime. It’s not transparent, as in the movies (that’s a different, SFX recipe), but it is slimey.
— "This is Ted and Annette Fleming…"
Remember how Alice the Librarian (from the very start of Ghostbusters) was featured on IGN as their Obscure Character of the Day? Well, more Ghostbusters peripheral characters have arrived – this time it’s Ted the hapless Dry Cleaner and his wife, Annette.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the small business Jack Sprat and his no-lean wife, specifically because of their awkward blocking during their big entrance – watch it again, you’ll see what I mean. Their sole performance is to greet the crowd and take off their coats – Louis directs them as such, with “Everybody, this is…” and “C’mon in, gimme your coats”, but they’re two steps ahead of him smiling to all, and peeling off their coats, then zoom straight out the far end of the frame. Functional, but obviously, deliberately hurried to move the scene along.
Big thanks to Liverstealer (dude, ew) for the heads up.
— Big News! But What?
Unavoidably, and depressingly missing one another by mere moments, I left San Francisco just as Troy (of GBHQ fame) was arriving – I having just attended the Game Developers Conference (with nothing I can talk about) and Troy just about to attend the pre-ComicCon con, WonderCon (also with nothing he can talk about.) He did however spot the Ghostbusters ad above in the con guide.
So! What it’s all mean. Who can truly say for sure, or at least without fear of getting stomped by an immaculately dressed Sony lawyer? But it sounds more and more like we all need to be in San Diego this Summer.
Thanks Troy!
— Boxing makes him feel good.
Well, at least it did, until he got his clock cleaned. Still, it’s always interesting to find new ghostheads in unusual places.
— Operation Ghostbuster closes
The previously mentioned police sting, with the unfortunate code name, has come to a close, with several drug dealers going to jail for some measure of years. So, at least it wasn’t in vain.
I’ve got a bunch of emails from people with some cool stuff – I will get to them soon, I promise, however I’m still playing catch-up after being out of the country for the week.
— RGB Storyboards
I’ve sifted through so much Ghostbusters stuff in my time, that I often lose track of what’s been reported here and what I just saw once. This is one of those things – I know I’ve seen this site before (you never forget the manic Peter Venkman illustration), but a quick double-check shows I never shared. Sorry about that.
The site, for those of you wondering, contains the storyboards for the Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters opening titles, by storyboard artist Will Meugniot. Thanks to Joe Talledo for reminding me!
— Ghostbusters is a gateway movie…
Hey, not every mega-fan builds a prop proton pack – some go looking for real ghosts. And some of those fans get some sweet press. Check out this page three (3! I thought that was for the swimsuit girls) of the New York Daily News for March 4th (big ups to Peter Nardo for scanning it.) The article is a little garbled on the side (which is a shame, as I’d love to know more about the one guy’s power), but it’s magnificent in its full-pageness.
Click here for the full sized scan.
— "It's the old pneumatic transit system!"
John and bro Seeker spotted this article on the real New York pneumatic people-mover system that partly inspired the Slime tunnels in Ghostbusters 2. Don’t laugh – at one point, New York was pneumatic everything, it seemed. Even a network of inter and intra-building pneumatic tubes for firing around parcels and letters – a sort of primitive Internet. One wacky forward-thinker was convinced that apartments wouldn’t have kitchens and that people would order their meals from massive city-wide meal factories that would send the food via tubes.
— Rocky Mountain Ecto needs your votes
Remember the Ecto-1K (a GB-suped Subaru)? Well, the Denver Fox channel has included it in their Coolest Car in Colorado contest… and thus far, it’s kicking ass. With a 4.5 average out of 5 (the other’s haven’t broken 3) it’s the clear leader. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a moment to vote for it.
Boomer, if you win, I demand you post the video for us to see!
— Do you believe in zombies…?
I mention the release of this miniatures game, Red Ops 5, for only a few reasons;
1) I like zombies
2) I like miniature games
3) My friend did the cover
4) I’m on the cover (hint: I’m not alive)
— You're next, Andrew Lloyd Webber!
Big thanks to Kevin for sending in this excellent Monday morning chuckle from the online comic, Truck Bearing Kibble.
— "Come in… Ray…"
Sorry for the slow posting the last couple of weeks – March was exceptionally hectic. However, I’m working to catch up, starting with the two below. Also, just for kicks, anyone that likes a good Avenger’s read should pick up this week’s New Avengers. Skrulls and mc chris. ’nuff said. And thanks to Dustin – it’s not every day you see a Ghostbusters 2 reference.
— Spanish fans, your help please
On the off chance that someone reading this knows anything about Valencia, Spain, a little help please – what is this store? Stay-puft on the sign, Ghostbusters graffiti on the shutters… awesome!
[update] “Ochentas” means “80s” in Spanish, so one would imagine a store selling retro tees, maybe collectibles, etc. Thanks Pat!
— For brainy caffine fiends.
I need one. Now. And I even like coffee, so that’s a plus.
— Puftcraft?
Did you all check out the mc chris nod in this last week’s issue of The New Avengers, like I told you? And why not? Nevermind, it was cool and you can see it here.
A fan of mc (and fellow “chris”) dropped us a line, asking us to check out his website. Why? Two reasons;
COooooool. Papercraft even MY stupid fingers can handle! All free to download, print out and go nuts with. I know what I’m doing for the weekend!
— Sony and AT&T mobile movie channel
Item 3 from “Still playing catch-up…”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
AT&T; has announced they will be working with Sony Pictures to create the world’s first cell-phone based movie channel. Unlike on-demand services, this channel will be linear – presumably meaning you tune in and something is playing. So, their plan is that you will want to watch a tiny movie AND not care which one it is. The first crop of films include Bugsy, The Karate Kid, and Ghostbusters.
— Haunted Pennsylvania police station
Item 4 from “Still playing catch-up…”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
A Pennsylvania police station is apparently haunted, which is neat. The local news covers it, which is what they do – local colour, y’know? But the last question the reporter asks, at the end of this video, is awesome. Thanks Brendan!
And there are more – I’m getting to them, I swear!
— Geeks of Doom
The Geeks of Doom have put the Return of the Ghostbusters in their indie film spotlight – and to sum up, they dig it. Read more here.
— GB exec Guy McElwaine dies, age 71
Ex-CEO of Columbia Pictures and old-school Hollywood insider Guy McElwaine passed away Wednesday morning, April 2nd. McElwaine lead a long and varied career in Hollywood, including acting as head of Columbia Pictures when Ghostbusters was made. For more on his colourful life, read here.
— "How is Joe Franklin… and have you seen him lately?"
One of the briefest and most obscure cameos in Ghostbusters was NY TV legend, Joe Franklin – he’s the one that hits Ray up for information about the whereabouts of Elvis. I will be honest, he was an older gentleman in the movie, so after a quarter century, I assumed he likely had passed on, but it turns out old legend don’t die, they celebrate being awesome by hosting a special cable access special. If you live in the New York area and want a chance to get the one autograph NO other Ghostbusters fan has, guaranteed, then you might consider a Sunday trip to go see Joe (check the link for more info.)
— Ghostbusters radio spots
I’ve been meaning to update the audio playback options here at Proton Charging, and what better way to give it a whirl that with these typical-Aykroyd radio spots. Many of you won’t remember, but in 1984, we had to listen to things called “radios” that would play sound, generated by little men inside the machine.
See if you recognize the backup artists. I’ve figured out one and a half.
Ad #1
[audio:Ghostbustersad1.mp3]
Ad #2
[audio:Ghostbustersad2.mp3]
(yes, the PC bumper is quite old and crappy sounding – it needs to be updated and I can’t find the source files. Bah!)
— Who ya gonna cast?
Decidedly girly entertainment site, Buzzsugar, held their regular recast challenge, wherein readers are asked to pick their updated casting choices for older movies. This week was… Ghostbusters! And the winner has just been announced – some interesting, very now, picks, let’s say.
Since you’re going to anyhow (if you haven’t already), why not think about who you would pick… BUT DON’T SAY ANYTHING! I’ve been planning on having a little contest, and I think I’m going to do it by ripping off their idea. So, think it over, keep checking in for the contest announcement, and be ready to pounce.
— Ecto-Con seeking attendees
I keep meaning to post this! Stupid real life!
The Real Ghostbusters Online and the Long Island Ghostbusters are looking to put together Ecto-Con 2008, a gathering of Ghostheads at the next Big Apple Con in Manhattan – a con within a con, so to speak. What they need are people who would be interested in attending, in order to demonstrate in their application to the BAC that it’d be a humdinger of an event.
So, go check them out. Now! (because I was slow)
— Contest! Win a fan ID card!
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I’ve been gearing up for a contest and now we’re ready to go – GBFans is offering ID cards to site members, which feature a fans photo, name, location, etc. etc. Very cool stuff – just dig mine above. And PC is giving you a shot at winning one. They’d sure look handy on your jumpsuit. Or heck, just wear it around.
There are five cards to be won, featuring all your details and the ever spiffy Proton Charging logo – how can you win, you ask? Simple…
…Recast the greatest comedy ever.
Oh, I know. You can’t beat the original cast, but you’re going to have to try – if you were in charge of remaking Ghostbusters tomorrow, who would you cast in the roles of Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston and Louis Tully (ah ha! You thought it would be Dana, didn’t you?)
Start sending in your answers to castewar (at) gmail.com, and the contest will end in one week, with a winner announced on Friday, April 25th.
— Ecto-1 hauled across country
As you’d expect with a rare and expensive to maintain car like the Ecto-1, it appears Sony and Vivendi are hauling it around from stop to stop – Flickr member HeyRocker caught the above picture a week ago in California, a week before the same car appeared out of thin air in Minnesota.
— Win a fan ID card! 2 days left
The response to the ID card contest has been huuuuge, and there are still two days left to get your Ghostbusters re-cast list in. The response has been enough that I think I’m going to send out the last of last year’s batch of Proton Charging buttons to everyone who entered (while supplies last – right now, there’s just enough for all, I think, so… first come, first served, etc.)
Anyone wishing to have a look at the cards (or anyone wishing to just go ahead and buy their own) can check out the GBFans ID card generator. The five winners will get the supa-cool PC cards (and maybe buttons – we’ll see.)
— Ghostbusters extra to interview Ghostbusters director
As part of the Montreal Just For Laughs comedy festival (or more specifically, for the Just Comedy business portion of the festival), Jason Reitman will be interviewing his father, Ivan Reitman. I suspect that Ghostbusters will likely come up at least once. The interview will take place on July 17th (giving Ivan more than enough time to travel to, ooooh, I dunno, the San Diego Comic Con, if he so choose.)
— ID card contest – CLOSED!
OK, you’ve all got until midnight PST to get your entries in for the contest. Don’t send any after midnight, it will only make me cranky, and I’ll make you send ME a button.
[UPDATE] Contest Closed! And there were a lot of you. A lot. So, it may take awhile to get the winners up. Don’t be emailing me or anything – I haven’t forgotten. Good luck, and remember, there’s a button in it for you, regardless.
— Ecto-1 back on the Sony lot
No word yet where if it’s going to hit the road anytime soon, but for the moment it appears the restored Ecto-1 is resting in the shade on the Sony lot.
— Contest Winners!
OK, I’m done! It took awhile to go through all the entries – everyone had some inspired picks, which makes me even happier that I opted to send consolation buttons to everyone who entered. There were a lot of like-minded thinking as well, which I’m going to play with in the coming days, just out of curiosity (which actor was named the most? Which actor was offered the most parts? etc.) And for fun, I’m going to mash-up the picks of the five winners – the results are odd, yet compelling. But right now, here are the winners of the Proton Charging / GBFans.com ID card contest – each of whom will get their very own PC/GBFans ID card.
Tony Marchetti
Peter Mangels
Jason Rhind
John Wright
Adam Green
Congrats to you, I’ll be contacting you shortly with what you need to do to get your card. The rest of you, I will be emailing shortly to find out where to send your buttons!
Remember, if you didn’t win, you can still get your own ID Card through GBFans.com – click here for the card generator/store!
— Ecto-1a restoration pushed back
The Hollywood Detective has check-in with PC, saying that due to an increased workload for active TV and movies, the restoration company that restored the Ecto-1 has had to put work on the Ecto-1a aside until mid-May or June. The HD also confirms that the Ecto-1 is currently on the Sony lot, and it only has two confirmed events in the future – namely appearing at the San Diego Comic Con and a game launch event on the Sony lot.
— Kansas City proppers needed!
Have you built yourself some fancy GB props? Want to help encourage people, particularly children, to be more hands on and make things? Live in and around Kansas City, MO? Then read this.
— Nice thinking, Niko.
Ever wonder what happens when you go to far in GTA 4 (assuming you can actually go too far, and aren’t bogged down in their date simulation system) – well, wonder no more. Click here to find out.
Big thanks to JP at PC’s spiritual webby cousin, Gremlinsonline.com for the heads up.
— Sneak peek at a sneak peek.
Can’t wait until Friday? How about a quick taste of GameTrailer TV’s first look at Ghostbusters. A first look at the newbie ghostbuster, more combat, more minions, and more Stay Puft!
— PC on the radio!
S’true – some time int the nest hour on the Big Dumb Fun Show. It remains to be seen which of those I am.
I know it’s last minute, but there will be a podcast version up tomorrow and I think I should be able to get a copy for here, but if you’re reading this and get a chance to listen in live, go to their website and tune in.
[UPDATE]
It’s all done! It was just a quick 10 minutes – I still recommend you listening in, it sounds like there will be an intra-station lecture on the awesomeness of Ernie Hudson later in the show. Hopefully it was of interest to their listeners – it sounds like I might be back on in the coming months or post-game to talk a bit more. Hopefully less about my underwear (I’m wearing clean ones mom, no worries.)
I’ll have a clip up soon, and a link to the whole show podcast tomorrow.
[UPDATE]
The podcast is up – it’s a lot of talk and a lot of rock, so I haven’t heard it all, but there was a lot of GB chatter going on. Some of which I pulled out for the clip below, but you should check out the whole show. And other episodes as well. And next week’s. I don’t think I sounded too bad. Damn I say “uh” a lot though – got to break that happen. Stupid thinking noise!
Check me out!
[audio:BDFS-05-12-2008-MOD.mp3]
— PC on the radio! Pre-podcasting!
This has sat in the vaults for awhile, it’s original post long lost – but not the file. But now seemed as good a time as any to bring it back. Around the time the first Ghostbusters DVD was about to come out, I can’t remember exactly… actually, I probably put it on the file, hang on.
OK, way back in March of 1999, I was invited to call in to the Wayne Resnick show to ask Ernie Hudson and William Atherton a question. Time was short and no pissing off the guests, so it’s a bit of a softball (and by “soft” I mean “fluffy” and “ball” I mean “pillow”) question, but I was still happy to talk to them. Maybe I’ll get to follow up with them one day.
I’ve left the whole show on, so you can hear the entire interview with them – how old is this interview? They sent me a copy of it… on tape.
Check it out!
[audio:WayneResnick_070399.mp3]
— Tweet!
So, you on Twitter? Want to start getting Proton Charging via tweets? Well alright then, go for it!
— GBFan ID cards – check the calendar
So, those of you who didn’t win a one of a kind PC/GBFans ID card, time for some linear time math. We’re just over two months from San Diego Comic Con (and there are lots of smaller cons in between), so If you’re thinking of getting one, better act soon before time and the first batch of cards run out!
Get a card now! Show the world you’re ready to believe them!
— Columbia-TriStar rattles sabre at Bollywood
It was really only a matter of time before Hollywood realized that one way to stop pirate or derivative works in foreign markets, like India and China, is to set up shop themselves.
In a recent magazine interview, Columbia-TriStar India honcho, Uday Singh, warned filmmakers that there would be “dire consequences” if they intended to be “inspired” by Columbia-TriStar films such as Ghostbusters and Jerry Maguire (yes, Jerry Maguire.)
This tough talk comes on the heels of a recent court case in which a composer who had written music for Sony-Ericsson sued another composer for re-using the track in a movie score – and won. The court ruling awarded a huge money settlement, and left the Indian film industry in an uproar, with some saying it’s time to clean up. And it certain looks like it shuts the Bollywood Ghostbusters down cold. Time will tell.
— Reitman Jr. hopes for big budget future and Ecto-1 takes #6,
In a recent interview about what his future holds, Jason Reitman (son of Ivan) said he has his “Ghostbusters idea”, meaning a big-budget sci-fi comedy. As long as he doesn’t have an Evolution idea. Thanks to Adam for spotting that one.
And a million and one of you emailed me about the Rotten Tomatoes classic movie car top 50 – everyone was pretty excited by Ecto-1 taking #6 (that means it’s been steadily moving up in the ranks of various top lists over the years).
— "I feel so funky…"
I saw this t-shirt once, very tiny, in a picture – now, thanks to Mike, I’ve got a clear look. This was made by the same people that produced the various Ghostbusters tees for Target and Wal-Mart. What it lacks in simplicity, it makes up for with complexity, right?
[UPDATE] Paul at GB.net found the Venkman tee at 80stees.com! Hooray! Mind you, it’s pricey, but given the amount of screening involved, plus the fact that the slime stains are glow-in-the-dark…
— Who ya gonna call? Wastebusters!
Matthew keeps the video hits comin’ with this clip from ABC’s Earth Day Special in 1990 (one year after Ghostbusters 2) – if you get to 5:15, you’ll get to hear from Elon Spengler, “brother” to Egon, and founder of Wastebusters. You have to see it to believe it, trust me.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Siskel and Ebert on Ghostbusters
You’ll recall that Disney put their Siskel and Ebert reviews online, the only downside being that they only have the rights to the shows from 1986 on, not their earlier show. Well, worry no more – the Internet did what it always does, and has provided us with their review of the first Ghostbusters movie!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— I can mark #34 off the before-I-die list…
(I can also cross off #47, Swim With the Dolphins, because it costs $250.)
Ever since I first discovered that Ghostbuster fans at Valve Software had found a way to hide a piece of their favorite movie in their game, I’ve always wanted to do the same. I’ve succeeded a few times in a few small ways – familiar names tend to appear as characters here at there. My most recent game, Sword of the Stars (that’s my day job, by the way, for those of you that don’t know – and why would you. It’s rarely relevant) I gave some planets some most excellent names, but I’m most proud of the player avatar above – I didn’t draw it, rather it was at my request. The ever so familiar, but I can’t put a name to the face, (no really, I can’t) SolForce officer is my avatar of choice when I play – as you might expect. I’m sure I’ll have ample opportunities to fly my GB flag again, but seeing as the Collector’s Edition of the game just hit shelves, I thought it was a good time to share.
— PC/GBFans ID cards on their way
For those of you that won yourself a PC stamped, GBFans.com ID card, you should be getting them in the mail shortly – have a look at those things above. Sweet! Some buttons will be arriving shortly thereafter – and I’ve emailed everyone else that didn’t win with details about how to get yourself a consolation button. Those of you that replied already, I’ll be mailing them out as soon as possible.
And again, for those of you that would still like an ID card, you can order one here.
— PC on Mad World Radio
I’m going to be shooting the breeze with self-confessed ghosthead Odd on Mad Word Radio today, Tuesday, May 20th. The show starts at 8PM EST, but I’m not on until 9PM EST, so bear that in mind. Also, bear in mind that the host is called Odd, so I can’t promise exactly how much we’ll be talking about Ghostbusters specifically… but then, when you get two ghostheads together, they have to compare notes, so, statistically speaking…
I believe there might be a real-time chat or number to call, so you’re always welcome to listen in and see if you can’t steer things. Also, I may, possibly, try and slip in a code word – first person to email me about it, I’ll send them a button. Not just a PC button, but a replica of an old school 1984 button I made a limited amount of (that reads “I’m a Ghostbuster” around the GB logo.) And if I can do it, you’ll know what the code word is, because I’ll actually say, “the code word is…” first. See, secret agent stuff is easy.
— PC on Mad World Radio now online
If you didn’t catch my rambling about the philosophy of Ghostbusters yesterday, you can catch the entire show, from here. I had a great time – I can talk about Ghostbusters for hours. I have talked about Ghostbusters for hours. I’m looking forward to talking to Odd again once the game comes out.
— Softie Ecto
Oooh, I love me the crafty stuff – check out this handcrafted stuffed little Buster (appropriately named Ecto – or maybe that’s just because it’s easy to embroider on the tiny l’il guy.) Be sure to check out the whole set to get a look at the teensy pack and trap.
— Return of the Ghostbusters cracks 3K on PC
By the time you read this, the most ambitious Ghostbusters fan film to date, Return of the Ghostbusters, will have been downloaded off the PC host servers 3000 times (imagine then how many times it’s been downloaded from all the other host servers and BitTorrent.)
And that’s not even the amazing part – the biggest downloading periods up until now were the movie’s initial month of release and December (which one would assume is because a lot of people are home for the holidays and have the time to watch) – but May has seen more downloads than those two earlier month combined. Which means that as the hype for the video game grows, and interest in Ghostbusters grows, more and more people will see RotGB! Congrats to Hank and the cast and crew – golf clap!
— ID card contest – just the facts, M'am.
Everybody has been pretty keen to hear more about the submissions to the contest – as promised, I’ve put together two teams – the “dream team” based on the actors that were suggested the most, and the “hybrid team”, which is made up of my favorite actors from the five winning submissions. The dream team would be a pretty good team, and at the same time, the hybrid team would be interesting. Remember; Columbia that Eddie Murphy and John Candy were THE guys to play Winston and Louis, so scoff not at what seems like an odd combination. The original team was just as odd, and look how that turned out.
The OGBs
Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, and Rick Moranis.
The Dream Team
Seth Rogan as Ray, Stephen Colbert as Egon, Mos Def as Winston, Ryan Reynold as Peter (I did say on the radio that Odd’s pick of Raynolds was popular), and Seth Green as Louis – because any movie with two Seth’s has got to be good.
The Hybrid Team
Jon Favreau as Ray, Alexis Denisof as Egon, Jay “Beerfest” Chandrasekhar as Winston, John C. McGinley as Peter, and Alyson Hannigan as Louis… or possibly Louise. Given Denisof and Hannigan are married, maybe the love interest isn’t between Egon and Janine this time around.
It boggles the mind, doesn’t it?
— Summer showings of Ghostbusters in Duluth
Every year, both Ghostbusters films tend to be shown a least a couple of times around the United States, most often as favorites of outdoor film showings – this June 27th, Ghostbusters will be showing at the Leif Erikson Park in Duluth. For more information (like what else is showing when – Young Frankenstein!), check here. If anyone hears of any other Summer showings, let us know.
— If I'd only known…
Make no mistake, Ernie Hudson’s “Winston Rules” t-shirt is not only accurate, it is also wicked and cool. However it’s the Ghostbusters posters he’s signing I’m more interested in – given there are a couple of them at the table, they are folded, and they are brand spanking new, I’m assuming they were something handed out at the show.
If I’d only known, I would have asked someone to get me one. Oh well.
So, those who attended, how did it go? It appears Stay Puft turned out for the event.
— Ghostbusters midnight showings in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh-atonians, take note! Friday July 18th, at midnight (so, technically Saturday the 19th, but you know what I mean – wake up Friday, do your thing, then go see the movie at midnight), Saturday July 19th at midnight, and Sunday July 20th at 10PM, The Oaks Theater will be showing Ghostbusters as part of their 6th Annual Moonlight Matinees. Thanks to Eric for the tip. For more information on the showings, check here.
— Ghostbusters showing in Simi Valley, CA
Yay! More Summer showings of Ghostbusters! July 9th at the Edwards Simi Plaza 10, make a note and check local listings.
— Ghostbusters and the midnight movie phenomenon
While digging around, I found this short, but informative article on the history of the Midnight Movie, and while brief, it cements Ghostbusters place as a legitimate Midnight Movie – the reason? Us.
— Busting makes you feel… check as applies
I’ve recently become addicted to GraphJam, which is in the same vein as LoLcats, only using graphs and flowcharts. You know, like this;
I did that one. The thing is, that makes exactly three Ghostbusters jokes on GraphJam, mine isn’t even technically “on” the site, as it’s still in the submissions pile, and one is the easy joke and the other I’m still scratching my head over. So, why not try your hand – GraphJam has an explanation/tutorial on making them. Then submit them to GraphJam – let’s see if we can’t get some more GB love on their site. Also, if you’ve got a zinger, send them my way – we’ll start a thread at GBFans or something.
— Just FYI…
Please stop sending me links to the Bill Murray story – it’s not going on PC, because there’s no point to it being on PC. PC isn’t Defamer, after all, and frankly, it’s none of their business either (only, you know, it’s their business to make it their business.)
— Ghostheads – the Ghostbusters podcast launches
Two longtime members of the Ghostbusters community, Jason Hughes and Ron Daniels, have undertaken Ghostheads, a Ghostbusters podcast. They’ve recorded and released their first episode, which you can listen to here. Give it a whirl and let them know that you want some more.
— Well, that's one way of looking at it…
Paul over at Ghostbusters.net spotted this UK Volkswagen short, intended to promote independent cinemas. It’s proof positive that a good sense of humour and a keen mind will let you interpret anything as meaning anything you want. In this case, Ghostbusters is a harsh commentary on a growing health problem in America.
I always thought the message of the movie was “Don’t take a cab in New York.”
— RSS feed – problems?
A show of hands, those of you using the Proton Charging RSS feed to get PC updates – anybody having any problems? What feed app are you using?
— The best 1min 27sec in cinema
There’s a new blog at CHUD, and the author’s opening salvo is outlining what he considers the best 1 minute and twenty-seven seconds in cinema history – I won’t tell you what it is, you can read that for yourself, but suffice to say that it exists in the middle of the best motion picture in cinema history (or at least, I think so. You’re likely to agree as well, if you’re here reading this.)
— Ecto-1 busts out some wings in London
The 2nd Annual Red Bull Flugtag London took place this passed weekend (there are other events around the world, but this is the second in London) as dozens of teams attempted to catch air with their homemade flying machines – few are aerodynamic, instead focusing on being more fun than functional. This year, a team launched what was essentially a fantastic looking cardboard Ecto-1 with a hang-glider on top – results were mixed, but hilarious. For a better look at the craft, click here.
— Outdoor Ghostbusters showing in Fort Worth, June 19th
There will be a outdoors showing of Ghostbusters on June 19th in Fort Worth Texas as part of the second annual Stars under the Stars event at Sundance Square – click here for more information.
— Ghostbusters – 24 years young
Ghostbusters premiered 24 years ago, yesterday, in Westwood, California – click here for some crazy old pictures of some of the celebs who attended (Sly Stallone, Rob Lowe, Melissa Gilbert… man, we had weird celebs back then.) The rest of the world got to see it 24 years ago today. Twenty-four years. Geeeeez.
— This Week In Geek: Ghostbusters
Once more the airwaves and the internets are subject to my nasal Canadian twang as I’m invited on This Week In Geek to shoot the Shineola with Mike The Birdman Dodd about all things Ghostbusters. This was an interesting discussion, because Mike is without question a geek, but not a hardcore Ghostbusters geek, so he had a lot of questions about stuff that gets taken for granted when you eat, breath, and live this stuff day in and day out.
I had a blast, and it’s probably the closest I’ll come to ever meeting Wil Wheaton (he was on two shows ago – it practically makes us brothers.)
You can download directly or listen online here. You can also subscribe to the show via iTunes or your preferred podgrabber. I’d recommend subscribing, as their other shows only get better and better when I’m not gabbing.
— Illinois Ghostbusters screening on July 27th
The Marcus Theatre in Orland Park, Il. will be screening Ghostbusters this July 27th at 9:30PM – tickets are 5 bucks. Tip of the hat to Peeps420 for spotting the showing.
— More outdoors Ghostbusters in Indianapolis & Cali
Two more outdoor screenings of Ghostbusters are on the summer schedule with one in Indianapolis, on August 29th, as part of The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s 33rd annual outdoor film series (33 years!) and the other in Agoura Hills, California, August 30th, as part of the Reyes Adobe Park’s Movies in the Park.
— More ILE reports – Hudson got scanned
To wrap up their time at the International Licensing Expo, Sony threw an after party, which was attended by Ernie Hudson, with music by Ray Parker Jr. and his band. CNET’s Crave was there and got a chance to talk to Ernie. It turns out, Ernie had changed so little over the years, the developers scanned his head – the only one of the OGBs that had that done, apparently. While Ray Parker Jr. and company pulled off a 15 minute Ghostbusters theme jam (maaaaaan. Tell me someone had a recorder), Hudson confirmed that the game is being pitched as a true sequel to the first two movies, making it officially Ghostbusters 3.
— Oklahoma GBs launch GBTV
The Oklahoma Ghostbusters have a video camera and too much time on their hands, but instead of turning to perversity or blackmail, they’ve opted to launch GBTV – All Ghostbusters, all the time. Thus far they have a selection of highly hilarious commercial shorts as well as some other footage, and they promise to be adding more, so don’t forget to subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Official Ghostbusters MySpace up and running
Thanks to Ecto Freak! What appears to be the official MySpace page for all things Ghostbusters (both movies and the video game) is up and running. If you’re on MySpace, check it out.
— Return of the Ghostbusters on TheStream.tv
I missed this one, but then I barely have time to watch regular TV, let alone all the online channels – but, better late than never, and any day is a good day to promote Return of the Ghostbusters.
Hank Braxton and Drew Adams joined the boisterous cast and crew of Guide To Getting A Life to talk about the making of their film, Return of the Ghostbusters (which, if you’ll look on the sidebar, you can download from Proton Charging. Download it twice. I’m just that nice. Also, I rhyme.)
Thanks to GBFans.com – I’m borrowing their flashplayer. It’s too late to set up my own – me am tired.
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— Ghostbusters midnight screening in Chicago, August
The Music Box Theatre will be showing Ghotbusters at four midnight showings in August – 15th-16th and 22nd-23rd. Interestingly, on the 15th and 16th, Ghostbusters will be showing on one screen and The Rocky Horror Picture Show on another. I think it’s up to area Ghostheads to do their best to out camp the Rocky Horror fans – they’ve got costumes, you’ve got costumes (if nothing else, a pair of glasses, messed hair, and a steel strainer on your head turns you into Louis). And you look cooler. And I say that as someone who’s been to a lot of Rocky Horror screenings.
— The Ghostbusters Horror Picture Show
You know, it’s time. Long overdue, even.
As Ghostbusters becomes more and more popular at summer screenings, and particularly midnight screenings, as more and more people put together a variety of Ghostbusters costumes, each and every screening of Ghostbusters becomes and event. People in jumpsuits and packs get stopped for photos, everybody cheering…
…so why not turn Ghostbusters into a full-blown Midnight Movie? Meaning, why not come up with some audience participation call backs?
I believe it can work – the movie always has a high energy crowd. The movie is a mix of dry humour and supernatural, with a lot of strange things happening. It’s begging to be turned into an audience participation movie.
I’m going to sort out some guidelines and add them here – in the meantime, if you’re familiar with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the kinds of ways the audience participates, start brainstorming.
For those of you not familiar with that kind of midnight movie, imagine the movie starting. We get to the point where Peter goes “You’re right Ray, no human being could stack books like this.” and the audience yells out “Sarcasm!” or “Zing!” Later, when the Ghostbusters logo fades in, everyone yells “Who Ya Gonna Call?”
The one rule, right off the bat, is that the audience participation should be kept within PG-13 limits. Rocky Horror was bawdy enough that the audience could be counted on to be cool with bad bad words, etc. Ghostbusters can have kids watching. BUT… that doesn’t mean it can’t be clever with the double entendres.
Also, rule two (maybe this should be rule one), whatever system we come up with, if it looks worthwhile, only gets applied to Midnight showings, not evening or outdoor showings. Midnight movies are the big parties.
Deal? OK, start thinking.
— Just because, you know…
…I’m pretty proud of this. Just in case you missed it with all the other things that happened today.
— I heart Gary Owens
Big thanks to Lanny D. Crepit for spotting this YouTube vid of the commercial ABC used back in the 80s to promote their showing of Ghostbusters. The narration by 80s stalwart, Gary Owens, is priceless.
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— Born in 2000. Livin' like it's 1987.
I don’t know where this kid got his RGB sweatshirt, but it’s the mullet that makes the ensemble.
— Ghostheads podcast episode 2 (with 100% more Proton Charging)
Episode two for the Ghostheads podcast is complete and online – there’s a small hiccup via iTunes, but there are multiple options for checking it out, which you should. A great show, plus myself and Chad Paulson (who runs Ghostbusters.net) join them for a roundtable gab.
— Ghostbusters screening in Bexley, Ohio
As part of Drexel Theatres Summer Kids Film Festival, Ghostbusters will be screened six times total over the following dates – July 17, July 19, July 20, July 23. Click here for more information.
— GBHQ shutters message board
In the relatively short period time between me leaving the office and getting home today, something had gone terribly wrong at Ghostbusters Headquarters – it turns out the messageboard had taken up all the space it possibly could, interfering with its own operation and the operation of Troy’s other sites.
Having marched West ages ago, Troy announced that he’s shutting down the board and leaving the domain in placeholder mode – sad news to see one of the oldest GB sites and messageboards calling it a day, but as Troy himself puts it, it’s time for GB to be less job-like, and these days his web space priorities lie elsewhere (check it out and buy double copies), making it necessary to reclaim space from the HQ. You can’t fault a guy for wanting to kick back and relax after more than a decade of dedicated IT service to GB fans everywhere.
To the guy who always had a cooler computer than me, a glum salute from Proton Charging. Everybody feel free to show your love in the comments.
— Ghostbusters screening – bring a boat!
Ed Krebes sent a little heads up for the July 18th screening of Ghostbusters on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. Not near, or by, but ON Lake Minnetonka! The event is being called a Boat-In Theater – works exactly the same as a drive-in, only the big screen is inflatable. The audio will be broadcast on a low power FM station, so bring a radio. The screen will be anchored in line with the shore, and the audio will transmit over a quarter mile, so presumably people on the beach will be able to watch and hear as well as the people in boats (but I can’t swear to that – details are a little sparse.) The screen can be found at the Cruisers Cove area of Big Island.
— Shot on Site: Stay fit, keep sharp, make good decisions!
A quick one this time (and a request, no less) – some of the larger sequences are big undertakings! But this one is pretty straight forward.
Our favorite wannabe, Louis, is running to catch a bus, which is just located off the corner of East 75th and 1st Ave (practically around the corner from Dana’s apartment and carriage chase.)
In one single shot, we can make out a restaurant name on a blue awning, “The Wicked Wolf.” We can also see a street sign with “E. 75th” on it. And sure enough, there is a Wicked Wolf on East 75th street. The awning is now red, painted over the restaurant name, but we can still see the end of a second sign, above the awning, that is still there – we can make out the words “Bar and Restaurant” – Also, the neon rimmed clock can also still be seen.
And as a bonus treat, in the background, you can see the Slimer driven bus Louis will soon board. It’s not powered up, but rather parked where it was assumed you wouldn’t see it as the camera focuses on Louis running along!
— "Where you from, Johnny?"
For your long weekend musical pleasure, the Latvian Music League [via Fark].
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— You know what you need? Wallpaper
Doodle Vandal has put together a sweet suite of Ghostbusters wallpapers – they’re classy, simple, and to the point, with a touch of hawt thrown in. You can grab the set here (with every screen resolution you’re likely to have.) Thanks to Chris and enjoy everyone!
— Ghostbusters #1 4th of July blockbuster ever?
According to the St. Petersburg Times (Florida), yes. Which is odd, because it wasn’t released on the 4th of July long weekend. And it’s overall box office take doesn’t rival, say, Independence Day. But what makes it #1 is that it dominated the 4th of July weekend in 1984, as well as the weeks leading up to it, and the weeks following. Ghostbusters was THE blockbuster movie of 1984.
In its fifth week of release, Bill Murray’s comedy still sold $11.1-million in holiday weekend tickets (around $25-million at today’s prices). Ghostbusters stayed on top for seven consecutive weeks, was bumped aside by Purple Rain for a week, then reclaimed No. 1 in August.
Six weeks later Ghostbusters was rereleased and again topped the chart, heading toward a final tally of $238.6-million — a whopping $486-million at today’s ticket prices. We’ll probably never again witness such box office longevity in an era attuned to opening weekend bonanzas.
— Americans! Ghostbusters on Hulu today!
Thanks to Teresa and Anthony for mailing this one in on the weekend – I must admit I know little about Hulu, but everyone seems very very excited about it. And, to their credit, each day this Summer, they are revealing a new movie for viewers to watch (free, if I understand correctly.) And today, July 8th, it’s Ghostbusters!
There is a catch however – the movie cannot be viewed outside the US. So, if you’re in the continental United States, you’re laughing. If you’re not (but what about the Hawaiians and Puerto Rico?), like, oh, say, a popular Ghostbusters news site based in Canada, you’re out of luck. (sulk)
— Arizona Ghostbusters on Fox
The Arizona Ghostbusters got some TV time today on the local Fox affiliate! It’s really great they got a chance to talk a bit about their charity work – hopefully they, and other groups (like the West Coast Busters) will inspire even more groups to give back to the community. Bravo guys!
— Ghostbusters: A Libertarian primer?
You know, I’ve never thought of it as such, but an arguement can be (and indeed has been) made – I’ve always preferred thinking of it as an old-school tale of science heroes versus the unknown, but hey, if you’ve got a hammer, I guess everything is a nail, right?
— USAF group adopts Ghostbusters in service patch
Apparently, as seen by the photo, the USAF AFSOC 4th SOS (United States Air Force – Air Force Special Operations Command, 4th Special Operations Squadron, in longhand) have adopted the Ghostbusters no-ghost logo into their squadron patch – while I’m not sure the official reason, it could possibly have something to do with their vehicle of choice, the AC-130U Spectre gunship. Or maybe because they ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
— Aykroyd and Hudson confirmed for Comic Con
I wasn’t in a rush to post this, as the weekend is sold out – might was well wait to see if anybody else pops up into the mix, I figured. However, my email is getting crushed… CRUSHED I tell you! So, lest I get a bill from Gmail, here’s some ginchy news for anybody headed to San Diego.
1:45-2:45 Ghostbusters: The Video Game— Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and panelists from Sierra Entertainment and Sony Pictures Consumer Products discuss the eagerly anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game, due out this October. The panel focuses on what it takes to bring fans the next chapter in the Ghostbusters universe, including working with the original cast members and Sony Pictures Consumer Products to create a completely true and faithful interactive ghostbusting experience. Room 6B
Thanks to everyone that mailed me about it – I’d list you all, but there are a lot of you. You know who you are, you diligent bastards, you.
— Bustin mak me feel gud ^.^
Well, just because my Ghostbusters graph didn’t take off, it doesn’t mean that Ghostbusters doesn’t still pop up in the LOL world. Submitted for your approval, one tiny but evil lolcat and Senator Vigo Thompson. Thanks to pkNRG (where you been?) for the heads up!
— Adobe media player signs deal with Sony
A bit of an underdog in the digital media race, Adobe’s media player got a bit of a boost today, when it was announced that Sony had signed a deal to provide them with content, including Ghostbusters, and a whole bunch of CBS shows. For more info on the deal, read here.
— Envy the booth nerds
There’s a much nicer shot of the Sony booth (full size pic here) – the game is obviously getting some high visibility. The booth has a lot of attendants in black tees with the logo, like the two playing the game here – I’m wondering if the public is getting any hands on time.
— Oui, le club Ghostbusters c'est tres enorme!
It’s a ghosthead rollcall at the Sony booth today – I see Arizona GBs, West Coast GBs, and many many more! Everybody in the picture, sound off – tell us you were there. Tell us how many showed up for the picture. Someone send me a copy of that group shot! Note the Real Ghostbusters DVD trailer running in the background!
— Och aye, bustin' makes me feel good
The trend to steampunk Ghostbusters that started last year at SDCC, continues this year! A slightly different style than last year, but still pretty hilarious.
— Ghostbusters – universal pop culture
I’ve been listen to a lot of British radio comedy, and I was amused to hear how often Ghostbusters is referenced by the current vanguard of UK yuks – In this case, Bill Bailey (Black Books, Spaced) sucker-punches the audience with a slow burner of some word play on the 99p Challenge (a radio panel game, kind of a half-written, half-improved comedy quiz show) and Peter Serafinowicz (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead) gets a series of bizarre references off in The Two Danny’s (a radio spoof of British comedy/variety TV shows.) In case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you are, Egon Ronay was a famous food guide writer in the 50s. I’ve left in a minute or so of the 99p challenge, as lead-in and context.
[audio:99pdannys.mp3]— We Are Legion: The Middleman writer Hans Beimler
It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that a show – in this case, ABC’s The Middleman – which is based on a comic book, about an artist conscripted by a nameless secret agent to help defend the world from the bizarre, would have Ghostbusters references. What is surprising is the sheer number of them!
My only real introduction to the show was when Sci-Fi magazine gave it a big thumbs up – which is to say it’s 8 episodes in and I haven’t seen a single episode. But I tripped over a Zap2It review of last night’s episode; The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation.
I didn’t read the synopsis too much (I’m reluctant to link to it – it’s spoiler-tastic), but a Ghostbuster fan would be in heaven from all the nods. Let’s just say familiar names abound. I’m off to find a copy.
Anybody here actually watch this show? Is it worth watching?
— GBTV: Interview with Tom Morga (GB stuntman)
Are you still watching GBTV? You should be – they left the gate strong and they’re still givin’er, having just posted their interview with Tom Morga, who was Harold Ramis’ stunt double on the first film (that’s Tom above, about to fall into the fake New York street outside the fake Dana’s apartment.) Check it out!
— "I don't think he's human"
I don’t normally like my pop culture mixed with politics – it leaves a bit a sour taste. But, given some of the shenanigans lately, it was a given someone was going to poke a little fun. I’m always happy when people can inject humour into the mix. It means all is not lost, yet. I’m not going to leave the comments open – you can discuss at the other site. Thanks to Lucas for the link.
— Ghostbusters on iTunes
Why, yes, technically I’m perfectly capable of creating my own iPhone/iPod ready version of Ghostbusters. But if I weren’t, I could, at this very moment, buy it on iTunes. So far, I can only confirm it’s available in the US/Canadian iTunes store.
Oh, who am I kidding. I’m buying a copy. Be warned though – it’s relatively cheap at $9.99 a copy ($3.99 to rent – but why?), but massive in size, at 1.17Gigs. Yeesh! Thanks to pkNRG for the heads up – I actually went looking for it when I first got my player, but it wasn’t there. And they say wishes don’t come true…
— Bernie Brillstein 1931-2008
You’ve probably seen the name – from all the times you’ve watched Ghostbusters (and many many other movies and TV shows as well), the name keeps popping up again and again, until it’s stuck in your mind. Bernie Brillstein was a one of the Hollywood old-guard, and executive producer on both Ghostbusters films. He often worked with Dan Aykroyd, having produced both The Blues Brothers and Dragnet. He also served as an executive consultant on a few episodes of The Real Ghostbusters.
Mr. Brillstein passed away tonight after a prolonged illness at the age of 77. We can only hope he was able to see some of the the year’s revived public interest in the comedies he helped make happen.
— Middleman ep now online
Anybody wanting to catch that Ghostbuster reference heavy episode of The Middleman from last week, can see the entire show over on the ABC Family website! Cheers to Ryan for letting everyone know.
— Ghostbusters to show outdoors in BC – and I can't go
Nuts.
The Prospera Great Outdoor Film Festival will be showing Ghostbusters, weather permitting (Environment Canada gives it a thumbs up, so far), on a two story screen at approx. 8:45 this Friday, August 15th. For more information (like where it’s at – I can’t explain) check their website.
Those of you attending, have a blast – I’ll be on a plane.
— Tom Culnan – mechanical effects
Stateofmain recently posted some photos of her father Tom Culnan, who worked on both Ghostbusters films and the Universal Studios Spooktacular, tinkering on a Slimer mechanism. There’s also a picture of her as a young girl with a skinned, but unpainted Onion Head. She’s not sure if it’s a prototype or not, though she does say it’s a possibility. Sadly her use of the past tense suggests Mr. Culnan is no longer with us – but given her pictures of attending the recent midnight showing of Ghostbusters in her area, she’s very proud of the role he played in the biggest comedy goin’. I’m sure we all appreciate her sharing those memories with us.
— If only all Jazz fests were like this…
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— "…and I had to make the whole time."
You truly can use anything to sell anything;
Thanks (?) to Ecto Ernie for the ends up. 😉
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— Speaking of St. Louis…
…Tully.
I’m sorry, it just pops in there every time.
Matt Rude had a cool bit of news – while fans in Indiana and California get to see Ghostbusters on the big screen this weekend, fans in St. Louis will get to see it, August 29th and 30th, at the Moolah Theatre and Lounge. Which means big comfy couch seating, food, and drinks – they are calling it the Midnight Brew & View for good reason. So, St. Louis Tully (DAMN!) area fans should check the link for details, and raise a glass for Proton Charging, eh?
— Don LaFontaine 1940-2008
You’re heard the voice. Maybe not on the Ghostbusters trailer in a theater, but it’s on the DVD. And THAT voice has been in hundreds of trailers. And then there were the commercials!
Don LaFontaine was THE movie trailer voice over king. If it started with “In a world…” it was probably Don. His menacing set-up in the Ghostbusters trailer gave just the right spooky edge to the comedy clips to follow – because of him, people went into the theater knowing that it was going to be more than just laughs.
Sadly, Don had been, by his own accounts, battling complications from surgery last year, and it looks like it caught up with him. Don passed away last night from a collapsed lung. That he (this is unconfirmed, mind you) got to narrate the game trailer makes us incredibly fortunate, while the world of cinema has lost one of its major contributors. Watching the trailers before the movie just won’t be as much fun any more.
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— Ghostbusters ranked #10 and #1
Entertainment Weekly has deemd Ghostbusters the funniest comedy in the last quarter century, while Sci-Fi.com thinks the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is the tenth most awesome way to level New York. Thanks to Ed et al. for the links.
— Real Ghostbusters writer's bible posted!
Paul at Spook Central has been posting some awesome stuff lately, including his collection of RGB scripts (some with handwritten notes) and a copy of the Real Ghostbusters writers bible (season two, revised for season three.) I’ve been wanted to check out the RGB bible for awhile, and you might want to check it out yourself!
— Before you go…
It’s an ambitious project – 1001 Movies You Should See Before You Die. And good old Ghostbusters clocks in at #716. I don’t think there’s any real rank involved, rather the numbering is purely organizational. Each entry is something like a trailer meets a music video, and in their own way, nicely capture the films they promote.
Thanks to Travis for the heads-up!
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— Ghostheads episode #3 hits the air
The one and only Ghostheads podcast has just released its third episode – Check it out, subscribe, and let Ron and Jason you dig what they’re doing!
— In a parallel universe, Ernie Hudson is the biggest name in Hollywood.
Whatup, Chizzy.
[UPDATE – July 2, 2009] Apparently they took a second crack at that video – the old one is pulled and this one is now making the rounds.
Thanks to T16skyhopp and Chris Slater for the replacement!
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— AZ GBs spread the happy – as should all g-heads.
I always like showing off the various GB teams that are out there luggin’ packs for charity and general good-will. The Arizona Ghostbusters made a recent visit to a Children’s Hospital and they have pics!
I’m going to use this opportunity to give a shout-out to The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets – big Ghostbusters fans and now Rock Band gods. Their exclusive track on the PAX Pack got released a couple of weeks back, and sales of the pack help raise money for children’s hospitals around the world.
— Chat with Ghostheads podcast!
GBFans, with their brand spankin’ new chat system, and the Ghostheads podcast, have arranged to hold a chat today, September 17th, at 7PM EST (so, 4PM PST.) Everyone is invited to join the fun, talk to the masters of ceremony, and essentially take part in the next podcast. Check it out – you’ll need a GBFans account to chat, just FYI.
— Extra! Extra! EPA close down Ghostbusters!
The Onion’s print version (bet you didn’t know they had one) has a very keen article today – see the full-sized scan here. Thanks to Nick for sending it in.
— ILM Ghostbusters 2 screening – 1989
Back in 1989, June 17th, the day after Ghostbusters 2 hit theaters, The Marin Arts Council held a special screening of the film. For $35 (in 1989 money – ouch), people were treated to the movie, and some talks from members of the Industrial Light and Magic team that helped bring Ghostbusters 2 to life. The show even featured some of the models, maquettes, and matte paintings used.
Keith was lucky enough to attend and has kindly scanned some of his photos of that day – and the Slimer costume it helped inspire! Thanks Keith! Awesome stuff.
Picture intensive after the jump
Click here to see larger version.
Click here to see larger version.
— It's a unique fixer-upper opportunity
So, server woes continue to be a pain here at PC, and we’ve officially reached the point where downtime exceeds the time it would take to deliberately pull the site down, undertake serious maintenance, and fire it back up again. SO! Enjoy the site for now, while I get prepped, but later tonight, possibly tomorrow night, PC is coming down for a temporary pit-stop, and should be back up no later than a few hours later.
Thanks for your patience, everyone!
— Original RGB Promo
While we wait for the clean copy to come out with the RGB DVD set, staypuft428 has delivered his old VHS copy, as promised. As as a bonus, RetroJunk posted their alternate copy as well!
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— About 90%
So, yes, after a few days of looking goofy, the site backend overhaul is mostly done, and has left the layout at about 90% done. You’ll note some stuff from the sidebar is missing or looks askew – I’m working on that. But in the meantime, it’s business as usual. Thanks for your patience!
— Ecto and Stay-Puft do Knott's Halloween
Well, that… blows. It blows. And sucks. It both, paradoxically, blows and sucks at the same time.
Actually, it’s a good thing, I’m just cranky because, having been dropped from its appearance at PAX, because the game’s limbo status made promoting the game questionable (or because it broke down, depending on which story you prefer), the newly restored Ecto-1 still made it’s scheduled appearance at Knott’s Berry Farm’s Halloween festivities, along with giant, inflatable, marshmallow cohort in tow. I so wanted to see the car at PAX – PAX was my best shot at seeing the car. (sigh). It’s probably pretty safe to say that the Ecto will finish it’s non-game related dates, which are;
Oct. 15 – Nov. 1 – Knott’s Scary Farm
(Knott’s Berry Farm; Buena Park, CA)
Nov. 19-30 – L.A. Auto Show
(L.A. Conv. Ctr; Los Angeles, CA)
So, Cali ghostheads, you’ve got ample opportunity to check out the swish new Ecto – don’t miss out!
— Weekend Fun: Is that Dave Coulier?
I’m very subjective with my Ghostbuster references, and normally this one probably wouldn’t rate in my books, except that it’s funny, it references Dave Coulier, and if it stuck in my head, I’m not going crazy alone… you’re all coming with me.
[UPDATE] Oh, two things I forgot to mention. 1:20 is the place to pay attention and no, no it’s not really Dave Coulier.
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— "Fine! It's cutting fine now."
OK, the site is working again – you can comment again. But the sidebar will take some reconstructing. Most of the important stuff is still there. Again, thanks for you patience everyone. The recent problems PC has had is due to increased traffic, and that, as they say, is a good problem to have!
— "You're gonna shake my monkey tree?"
So, all that and I’m back to square one, and the site is throwing back 404s for anything that’s not the front page. Faaaaantastic. It’s too late for this crap and I’ve got to help someone move in three hours, so be good, for goodness sake…. whoaaa-ooohhhhh.
— Dont. Breathe.
OK, after a relatively painless round three (aided by some solid suggestions and sideline cheering by Chad at ghostbusters.net), I think I’ve beaten this thing into shape. For those curious, the problem was mostly due to the continuous upswing in Ghostbusters fans finding their way online. The increase in traffic increased demands on my database and that tended to seize things up. But, hopefully no more – you can’t tell, but we’re in a tentative test period. So far so good.
Once more, thanks for your patience, and let’s get back to the important things…
— Monster Kinetic Energy
Never one to pass up an opportunity to mine our collective childhoods, Scott Kurtz at PvP has started an excellent Halloween story arc, which features a certain piece of Real Ghostbusters equipment. Here’s the start of the storyline. Though for some reason he’s using code – in this case, it’s called an MKE meter, or Monster Kinetic Energy meter. Which is alright, but I’m pretty sure detecting monster kinetic energy is either a motion sensor or getting punched in the face by a werewolf.
— Family Channel showing Ghostbusters 1 and 2 Halloween night
Family Channel will be showing both Ghostbusters movies, one after the other – perfect for post-trick-or-treat viewing! Check local listings!
[NOTE:} This is for the Canadian Family Channel, not the US Family Channel.
— Ghostbusters screening tonight, AZ
If you’re in the Scottsdale, Arizona area, you might want to hit the UA Pavillions 11 for the 7PM showing of Ghostbusters. The AZGBs will be in attendance, and there will be a trivia contest before hand, apparently. Go here for more info.
— Ghostbusters at Halloween drive-in, Derry, UK
Man, that’d be a blast – getting to watch Ghostbusters at a drive-in. I can’t go (I have plans. And I’m really far away. And my car isn’t water-proof. Also, I don’t have a car), but if you live close-by, maybe all you UK readers can go!
— Ghostbusters on big screen in Fargo area
Bill commented a heads up; “For those of you in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area, the local discount theater in Moorhead is showing Ghostbusters for $4 tonight and tomorrow at 9:30.”
At the Marcus Safari Theater – I’m assuming if you live in the area, you’ll know what I mean. Thanks, Bill.
— 72 hours, no explosions
So far, seemingly, so good – the site overhaul has been running for nearly three days straight, and while I’ve personally had a page load stall a couple of times, a reload always got it back. So, my question to you, dear readers, is how’s it been going for you? I can’t tell if something is broken unless I bump into it myself, or you tell me, so feel free to make a comment or drop me a line (snazzy new button, top left.)
Cheers!
— We Are Legion – Seth Rogan Part 2
There’s no question that Seth Rogan is a died-in-the-wool ghosthead, but it’s always nice to hear more. In this case, Rogan was asked for his top five movies, and Ghostbusters got the nod.
That was just good ol’ high-concept fun. Evan and I always like to take ridiculous situations and handle them as though they were real. That’s kind of where the idea of Pineapple Express came from. These ridiculous action movie situations and you handle it just how two idiots would handle it. And that’s kind of what Ghostbusters did. It’s a ridiculous concept but it was handled very much, “How would four dudes do that, you know?” And it’s great. I love that movie.
— Ghostbusters as propaganda
Man, Ghostbusters continues to show up on British radio programs. I think they drop references to it at least as much as North America.
In this case, it’s in the pilot episode of Undone (2006), which is about a woman that moves to London, only to discover she has the unique talent of being able to move between the real worlds and the similar, but stranger flip-side version, Undone. In this particular bit, her mentor, and Undone border cop, Tankerton Slopes, reveals a little something about the efforts to keep the two worlds apart.
[audio:undone.mp3]— Fxguide.com podcasts on Ghostbuster effects
Special Effects news web magazine, FX Guide, has a regular podcast, looking at specific movies and their special effects. While looking at a lot of new films, they do occasionally look backwards, and in this week’s episode they look at the Ghostbusters, as the two perfectly straddle the pre- and post-digital effects era.
You can grab the podcast off their website or subscribe via iTunes.
Thanks to Ewoud for the tip!
— MTV posts Ghostbuster rare gems online
These videos have popped up before, particularly The Busboys, who most recently on YouTube (via Ghostbusters.net), which was preceded, I think, by a very degraded VHS copy, which was at the time the only copy anywhere (and I think Paul at Spook Central was to thank for that – I’ll get corrected for it, I know it.)
Regardless, MTV has started putting it’s old library online, and for Ghostbuster’s enthusiasts this means we now have much higher quality copies of Cleaning Up The Town by The Bus Boys and (even rarer) Magic, by Mick Smiley.
Surprising picks, as there is no copy, yet, of Ray Parker Jr’s theme video, nor any videos from Ghostbusters 2, but those may come in time, as MTV goes through its library. We can only hope.
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— Friday Fun
As a regular watcher of the UK’s pop music panel game, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, I was pleasantly surprised by this week’s show, when regular Phill Jupitus and guest L’il Chris were given a familiar tune to hum during the intros round (when the panel performs the non-verbal opening to familiar tunes.) I suspect this one was way too easy, as it’s pretty apparently that everybody knew what it was, and Phil and Chris just wanted to have fun with it.
Don’t forget that issue two of IDW’s Ghostbusters: The Other Side hit stores Wednesday (or Thursday, if Remembrance Day delayed shipping to your store, like it did mine.) Two issues down, two to go!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Reitman family flees Santa Barbara fire
While talking to Oprah Winfrey yesterday, Rob Lowe mentioned seeing Ivan Reitman and his family packing up and fleeing the recent fire tearing through the hills around Santa Barbara. Oprah later confirmed speaking to Reitman, who said the house and their belongings are insured and the family is safe and that’s all that matters.
No word on GB produer Joe Medjuck and family, who also live in Santa Barbara (but may or may not be in the path of the fire.)
— Archives working again
The archived posts for Proton Charging were always there, accessible through the drop-down menu on the sidebar, but the bar didn’t want to play nice in the layout, and the links to past posts at the bottom of the page were rendered inoperable – but not no more – the archives are back (and very slick), and as they use a different interface system, I was able to take out the ugly drop down menu.
The archives can be accessed on the sidebar (I’ll likely put in a better link button at some point) and at the bottom of the main page’s posts. Yay!
— Sony and Microsoft kiss and make up for Netflix sake
With the recent update of the Xbox 360 dashboard, which now allows Xbox users to stream Netflix films to their gaming system, a small hitch arose. Netflix had a distribution agreement with Sony and their Columbia-Tristar film catalog and now those films would be available to consumers who bought the competitor to Sony’s PS3 system.
Well, money talks, and as fast as it began, the issue is mostly resolved – older Sony titles, including Ghostbusters, are now available to Xbox users, while newer titles, such as Superbad, are not. Which, if you read between the lines and take a good guess, means Sony wants to hold their newer, hotter titles for their own potential PS3 use (or want people to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD), but older titles, particularly one that will soon have a game one EVERY gaming system (and thus creates more revenue for Sony), are there for the taking.
— Antoo Fighters – the Malaysian Ghostbusters
This is what happens with a Malay director (hilariously nicknamed “Chunk”) gets a special effects budget and a hankering to make a supernatural comedy – demons, semi-magical proton-pack-type weapons, and martial arts. Yay!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— They said I was mad! Bwah-ha-ha!
[Argh – this post was lost when the site was migrated to another server. So, I’ll see if I can reproduce it, but it may be a little truncated. Still, a small price to pay, as the connection errors have ceased and the site is faster than it’s been in months.]
Awhile back when I was suffering a combination of whimsy and extroversion, I suggested that Ghostbusters would be a fun, audience participation movie, similar to The Rocky Horror Picture show – fans dress up already, so why not?
The response was mostly positive, while a few thought the idea was in its own way worse than nuclear war and cancer combined, and those that didn’t shout it down immediately should be chemically castrated.
Well, imagine my pleasant surprise that another group had a similar thought – Secret Cinema held it’s London meeting on November 28th, turning the Royal Horticultural Hall into a series of Ghostbusters related installations, complete with actors manning them, while the audience was encouraged to dress 80s and laugh along to the film.
Better yet, the Nokia sponsored event drew an attendance record for the Secret Cinema – 1100 people came out to interact with a highly interactive film.
— Folding makes me feel good
Dan dropped me a note that Foldschool Heroes has a Ghostbuster! I love the demented, hunchbacked little guys! Check out all the Foldschool projects (and grab their print-outs yourself) here. Thanks, Dan!
— Secret Cinema – Ghostbusters video coverage
Big thanks to Matt Jackson for sending in this clip – it’s a nice look at the event, particularly the live-action dioramas that took place before hand.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ghostbusters 1 practical effects test footage
Matthew spotted these sweet clips on YouTube, featuring test footage of the Slimer puppet and builder/actor Billy Bryan testing out the Stay-Puft head. Awesome stuff.
As a bonus, pop a minute or so into this clip to see Mr. Bryan today, as he signs a Stay Puft figure for a fan.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— I'm warning you, friend; don't shut it off
So, it’s been a couple of weeks now without any of the loading pain that plagued the site on and off for the last six months. And a big part of that is thanks to Chad at Ghostbusters.net for taking my old, legacy-code-filled theme, and properly updating it. There are still a couple of things that bug me, and we’re working to tweak those into shape, but for all intents and purposes, the site’s running like a top (knock on wood.) Heck, archives are, once again, up and running! Just in time for 2009!
— Don't cross ANY streams
Some good office safety advice from XKCD. Thanks Neil!
— Ho ho ho!
Happy holidays and an awesome New Year, everyone!
(check out the film scout blog that the image came from, here. And thanks to Aaron for the heads up!)
It’s been a busy 2008, with some big steps forward and then a couple of steps back, and then some big steps forward again – both for Ghostbusters and for Proton Charging (Ghostbusters the video game had to do some last minute publisher hunting and PC’s code was starting to show its age – but the game has a new home at Atari and PC is humming away happily, thanks to a WordPress template overhaul by Chad at Ghostbusters.net!)
I will be online from time to time – I haven’t had an xmas holiday yet that didn’t have at least one thing to post – but for the most part I will be laying low. So, stay warm everyone, and enjoy the break!
2009 (136 entries)
— On your marks… get set…
GO!
Entertainment Weekly has called Ghostbusters THE funniest comedy in the last 25 years;
In the summer of 1984, the only pop-culture question more common than ”Where’s the beef?” was ”Who you gonna call?” The dream trio of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis was the epitome of sarcastic comedy cool, battling slimy ghosts, the nosy Environmental Protection Agency, and a giant Stay-Puft marshmallow man.
The commenting pedants don’t agree – haters. Thanks to Nevil for the spot.
Ray Parker Jr. performed Ghostbusters on Japanese TV, backed by a Japanese boy-band… I think.
The man looks good – it has to be said. Thanks to Andreas and mp3j0ker for that one.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— GhostSpy = elaborate viral hoax
Since you guys won’t stop sending me links on this (and posting them in the comments in unrelated posts – have you noticed I take those down? So, maybe, you know – email me next time), let me address it directly. This is not something I’m inclined to post about just for the heck of it – this is something that makes me want to dig and dig and dig.
For those not in the know (and I’m sure, thanks to crap news outlets everywhere, you’ll hear about it soon), someone calling himself GhostSpy is posting what he claims is behind the scenes video and pics from the filming of Ghostbusters 3. And I’m here to tell you that I don’t believe anything until I hear something official, or I’ve uncovered enough details that I’m comfortable commenting. In this case, I’m comfortable commenting that we’re being played.
1) There is no listing for Ghostbusters 3 being filmed in New York. Horizon’s could be a cover title, but it could be a cover title for anything, including other sci-fi blockbusters filming in New York.
2) The end of the clip where the spy “is uncovered” smacks of staged. Since it doesn’t reveal anything, why would that shot even be left in? It’s great for selling the idea that the spy is taking a risk, and awful at selling what he’s risking it for.
3) How can he NOT be found out? Particularly given the above mentioned near-miss, how exactly is he going to keep his job the minute (which started at dinner time last night) word of his site gets out? Any production that finds it has a spy on set will hunt them down, and when a member of the crew can go “Hey, I remember that bit, when I was asking that guy what he was doing and he said nothing – it’s Bob, the junior PA over there.” And thus ends someone’s career in film – over Ghostbusters 3.
4) Really? Third movie and we get another giant monster crushing another car? Sounds like a great third film. I’m glad the franchise has moved forward.
5) The equipment of Ghostbusters is iconic – it’s such a specific look that it’s been highly detailed in the upcoming video game. Whatever those packs are, it’s pretty Men In Black looking to me, rather than ghost-busting.
6) YES! I knew I was forgetting one – Where did the screenshots of the effects come from? That’s not spying on the set, that’s breaking into the effects house. Or, asking the effects team from some screens, as this is a viral campaign. It’s just too much to be real.
Thanks Spooky, who pointed out that it’s really weird that someone has a laptop on set running nearly finished FX footage.
So, I’m sure more details and pics will roll in, but I’m not buying in until I see more. I’m assuming it’s a viral campaign for something else, and the only reason I mention it here, is the creators have hit the nail on the head – yell Ghostbusters 3, and everyone will pay attention. And the speculation will run wild. And they get what they want, attention. But if they’re going to be the boys crying Ghostbusters, then we’re just going to have to keep asking, “Really? Where?”
— MegaGB MegaParty at MegaCon
The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters dropped us a short line to let us know that they’re holding a massive Ghostbusters party at this year’s Florida MegaCon! Anybody looking to join in can contact them through their MySpace page.
— Vancouver screening – calling all Vancouver Ghostheads
Well, hello.
So, the Empire Granville 7 Theatres is showing Ghostbusters, this Sunday (the 18th) at 7PM, and I’m going. And I’d like to see as many others there as possible.
And if you’ve got a costume, even better.
So, if you’re in Vancouver and attending, please speak up in the comments or contact me at castewar at gmail dot com.
— We Are Legion: MGMT
From a recent year-in-review article on MGMT comes this bit about their early, college gig days;
They played shows at college in front of a small group of the student body, but gained experience while in the process. One show contained an hour-long jam of the “Ghostbusters” theme song.
Oh, if only someone had taped it.
— We Are Legion: Sincerely, The Management
Heeeey. I guess there’s a plus to a band forming and taking off during the rise of YouTube – all your early shows are out there for all to see.
Thanks to everyone that sent the link.
[UPDATE] It turns out, MGMT used to call themselves Management in their early days, and are not the band featured in this clip. Sincerely, The Management (as seen in the YouTube clip) not only have a slightly better name, are a Boston band of excellent taste. Check em out! Our apologies for the confusion!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Vancouver screening round-up
So, last night The Empire Granville 7 Cinema showed Ghostbusters and to call it a success would be an understatement.
Announced only one month ago (and I only got involved with a week ago), the event sold out the early show, requiring a 9:30 show (which managed to half-fill the theater – an exceptional feat for a Sunday night screening that wasn’t advertised, at all.) That means 400 fans, the bulk of whom had never seen the film on the big screen before, turned out to party. And it was awesome.
Kyle Storey, who set up a Facebook event, turned up in uniform, much to the delight of attendees and the managers. The theater held a draw for passes, some awesome shirts Kyle donated, and a selection of old-school swag courtesy of Proton Charging. As well, everyone got to watch the Atari game trailer, plus my 35mm trailers for Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 (sadly, we found out the hard way that the GB2 trailer was missing its last fifth – I’ve had it 15 years. Had no idea.)
I forgot to give a shout-out to the Rainmaker crew, who were in attendance – I’ve known for awhile that Rainmaker was working on something Ghostbusters related, and it turns out, it’s the trailers! Good work, gang!
Also, a big thanks to Fright-Rags.com for providing a There Is No Dana shirt – it was a big hit in the prize draw.
But the best news is that the event went so well that the cinema wants to have a proper 25th anniversary screening in the Summer. And with that as a goal, we’re going to make it huge! Stay tuned.
— Joe the Coder
I’d like to give a quick, heartfelt thanks to Joe “The Man” Fulgham, who stepped in to help me make some small tweaks to Chad’s PC WordPress theme overhaul. Finally! Those stupid nav links don’t bug me no more! Thanks, Joe.
— GBs out and about
A couple of notable sightings in the last month, as the Central Georgia Ghostbusters and their Ecto-Magnum put in an appearance at a young fan’s birthday party!
Also, the hard working AZ busters put in some walkin’ at the Pheonix Fiesta Bowl Parade! Check at GBFans for some great video and pics!
2009 is going to be a big year for GB franchises – be sure to get lots of pictures everyone.
— GBTV On Location: The Biltmore Hotel
GBTV have just released the video cousin to PC’s Shot On Site, wherein they cover the history of The Biltmore Hotel, better known as the Ghostbuster’s first bust location, The Sedgewick.
Fantastic work – be sure to watch in HD on the YouTube page (click video screen for link to YouTube page) if you have the time, as the historical stills they use are much clearer.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Greetings MeFi!
Please be gentle – we barely survived the Great Ron Jeremy Digg of 2005.
Please have a look around – there’s lots of good stuff in the archives, but if I had to pick the key pieces of Ghostbusters information right now, they would be the following;
1 – Ghostbusters: The Video Game is set to be released by Atari on June 16th in North America (possibly a couple of days later in Europe) on every system but the PSP… and they’ve never ruled it out entirely. Which is great news all round, as it’s been a long time coming. Watch the trailer.
2 – At the exact same time, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 will be released on Blu-Ray. No question, this will be the highest level of detail for the film, short of watching it in a theater. There will be a kick-ass collector’s set.
3 – Time-Life put every episode of The Real Ghostbusters out on DVD. All of them. And extras. And it’s inexpensive, all things considered.
4 – They’re not, currently, making Ghostbusters 3 (though two of Harold “Egon” Ramis’ favorite scriptwriters are apparently working on a script – no word if it retains anything of Ramis and Dan Aykroyd’s original GB3 script.) Nobody gets excited about a third movie until someone yells, “roll film!” It protects us from broken hearts.
[update] Oh, and if you dig Saturday morning cartoons, you should check out Cereal Geek. Their RGB love aside, it’s a great magazine. Oh, and props to Geek Monthly for recognizing me as one of them. Now, if I can only get them to make me their god.
— IGN places RGB 22 out of top 100 animated shows ever.
The title, I feel, says it all. Check out the list yourself, if you like. #22 is a pretty solid spot for the show.
Thanks to Matt for the heads up.
— Qui allez-vous appeler? S.O.S. Fantomes!
When French TV advertises for Ghostbusters, they go all out! Thanks to Matthew for the spot.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— "What did you do, Ray?" Part 2
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Kyle sent in this look at his Stay-Puft costume, completed with months to go before Halloween. That’s forward planning!
Check out the site he put together for a lot more photos. And to have a look at the growing numbers of Stay-Pufts out there, check out this old post.
— Spook Central Ustream.tv event – Jan. 29th
[UPDATE] Paul has let the cat out of the bag – the event is a Ustream screening of Ghostbusters, as it aired on ABC 20 years ago today. The screening will include the original commercials (retro!), but more importantly, this is one of the fews times since the original airing that most people will get to see the alternate takes used to remove the bad words (ie Mr. Pecker becomes Wally Wick.) The links to the streaming will be up on Spook Central, about a half-hour to 20 minutes before showtime.
Without going into details just now (maybe tomorrow – I’ve been asked to keep shush), try and clear a couple of hours starting at 8PM EST (5PM PST) for a special event. You should have the latest Flash version installed and if you’d like to chat with GBFans members directly, you should make sure you have an account. Check back here tomorrow, or go to Spook Central, for an important link.
I will hopefully be able to attend, but 5PM PST isn’t when I’m at home, typically.
From Spook Central – come join us! Password is “Ghostbusters”
SPOOK CENTRAL LIVE ONLINE VIDEO EVENT
Ghostbusters, as originally broadcast on ABC on Sunday January 29, 1989
(presumably at either 8:00 or 9:00 PM EST)* When: Thursday January 29, 2009 at 8:00 PM EST (20th anniversary)
* Viewing Options: (in order of preference, video password = ghostbusters)
1. With GBFans Chat on Side (req. 1024×768 screen res. or larger)
2. Video By Itself (click here to launch GBFans chat separately in a new window)
3. Video By Itself on UStream (launches in a new window)
* Requirements: Flash plugin installed in your browser (chances are you have it already), and a Ghostbusters Fans account for the live chat.
* Note: This is a one-time-only live internet re-broadcast.Many thanks to AJ Quick of GBFans for his help, and for loaning me his chat room.
— "Dropping off or picking up?"
Meet Joe Schmieg.
Theresa sent in this link to the Star-Gazette, based in Elmira, NY, which features Mr. Schmieg, whom you’ve seen before. Joe is the cop that hands off Louis to Egon and Janine at the Firehall. How awesome is that!
Originally auditioning for the part of a bum (which later went to Bill Murray, and then, later, was wisely dropped all together), Joe was brought in to play a cop. His part, with a nice amount of lines, only took a few takes, but gave Rick Moranis a bump, after Schmieg and another actor accidentally dropped Moranis lifting him out of a paddy wagon. Moranis, as Joe revealed, wasn’t hurt or even mad.
Hats off to Joe Schmieg, one of the best parts of the movie. Read the whole article here.
— NYCC March to the Firehall – AZ GBs at Phoenix Con
Are you in New York? Going to the Comic Con? Want to meet up with other fans and trek on over to Hook and Ladder 8? Then go here! (and if you go, bring a camera.)
On a similar note, the Arizona Ghostbusters were out in full force at the Phoenix Comic Convention this past weekend – check out what they were up to (including rocking out on Rock Band with Wil Wheaton) here. Nice work guys!
— Ray Parker Jr. for 118118
UK directory assistance company, 118118, has a new ad campaign that uses the Ghostbusters theme and its creator to help people find the services they are seeking. The jingle-nee-theme features modified lyrics, spoofing the various things you can do with the service, as well as featuring the number of the service (“Who ya gonna call? One! One! Eight!”)
Honestly, it was only a matter of time. No video is online yet, but the site does sport a cartoon, featuring Ray Parker Jr. himself. Thanks to Matthew and Dominic for the spot.
[UPDATE] It didn’t take long for it to appear on YouTube (wasn’t there this morning!) And there he is, Ray Parker Jr., looking ready to rock. Enjoy.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Friend pimping – Speedway Squad
Recently I got to sit in a comedy podcast hosted by friends of mine – It wasn’t terribly Ghostbusters specific, though I did outright taunt them with the offer of exposure here on PC if they’d talk GB for a moment. Which lead to a baudy debate about the hotness of Ghostbusters Sigourney Weaver compared to Alien Sigourney Weaver. Which is to say, I did that, that was my fault.
Seriously, if you’re the kind of person looking for a good, hour-long comedy podcast in the style of SModcast or Never Not Funny, you can’t go wrong with Chris, Bob, and Jordan. And, like I said, the last episode has my nasal twang getting in the way. Bonus!
Speedway Squad! NSFW! (but darn funny)
— NYCC: fan photos and videos
Item 3 from “NYCC Day Two!”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
– The Flickr photos have started rolling in (finally!)
– And the YouTubin’ has begun;
Thanks to Paul and Andreas for their help herding cats.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— NYCC: Slimer ice sculpture and fan walk
Item 1 from “NYCC Day Three!”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
That’s it! New York Comic Con is now over – news wasn’t as fast and furious as it was on Friday and Saturday, as most news had been announced be then, but still, some good stuff rolls in, such as the above photo by Kevin (that’s him on the right), wherein we get to see the Slimer ice sculpture Atari had promised would be on hand.
Still waiting to hear about the fan walk to the firehall – anybody go?
— Oh St. Louis, how could you?
Good heavens – the 80s fashions! They’re blinding!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ectospy = car ad
Thanks for the heads up, Clark.
— More cheesy ad spoofs (Ghostbusters 2 this time)
It’s one thing to spoof Ray Parker Jr. – but spoofing the Run DMC Ghostbusters theme? That’s bonus points!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ghostbusters, silver screen, West LA, Friday
To anyone in the LA area, the Nuart Theater is showing Ghostbusters as their midnight movie, this Friday, February 20th. Be there! Take pics!
— Art break!
I looooove finding cool new Ghostbusters art – check out this nice group shot by Pascal. See the full sized image (and the steps leading up to the finished product) here!
— New Hampshire fans – Dan is coming
Dan Aykroyd will be in Nashua, New Hampshire, on February 24th, to promote his line of wines – if you ever wanted to get the man to sign something, this is as good as it gets. And if you’re of age, try the wine – it’s nice.
Also, tell him Proton Charging would like to know when we’ll be able to get his Crystal Skull vodka in British Columbia!
— Manhatten Spirit vid
For those of you without Burnout Paradise, or not interested in downloading the Legendary Cars DLC pack that just came out, an official video looking at their Ecto-Mock car is now online;
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Tastey tunes for the weekend – EGB, Run-DMC, and Tahiti
The awesome blog, Bargain Bin Beats has posted a selection of Ghostbuster MP3s, including the entire Tahiti Real Ghostbusters soundtrack, Run-DMC’s title single from Ghostbusters 2, and Jim Latham’s Extreme Ghostbusters theme. The site editor says he has the entire Extreme Ghostbusters soundtrack to upload in the future – I’m wary, but intrigued. Stay tuned! Thanks Andreas!
— Playing in an alternate universe near you
You’ll want to check out this list of top 20 moments that would have made movies better, but in particular you’ll want to see what took the #1 spot. Thanks John!
— Ghostbustin' 911 launches
After a couple of years of hard work, the madmen behind Ghostbustin’ 911 (a Ghostbusters fan series in the vein of Reno 911 or Troops) have finally launched their first episode. Check out their website and watch their first show!
— Ghostbusters 10th best Conservative film ever?
When someone decided Ghostbusters was a Libertarian film, it was only a matter of time before someone declared it a Conservative film – Overzealous government (Walter Peck of the EPA) interferes with small business.
This comedy might not get Russell Kirk’s endorsement as a worthy treatment of the supernatural, but you have to like a movie in which the bad guy (William Atherton at his loathsome best) is a regulation-happy buffoon from the EPA, and the solution to a public menace comes from the private sector. This last fact is the other reason to love Ghostbusters: When Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) gets kicked out of the university lab and ponders pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities, a nervous Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) replies: “I don’t know about that. I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results!”
Frankly, if you watch Ghostbusters and THAT’S what you walk away with, I’m betting you walk funny. Because of the stick. And where the stick is. If you know what I mean.
And I think you do. Thanks to Mr. Hough for the link.
— Ghostbusters 7th best Liberal movie ever?
While one can’t help but frown at the use of nuclear power, there’s a lot to like about Ghostbusters, the tale of how strict scientists (“Every ancient religion has its own myth about the end of the world.”) take it upon themselves to save the world after losing their jobs to stodgy, rigid-in-their-beliefs, administrators. The non-discriminating team pursues a humane agenda of trapping and incarcerating pesky spirits, instead of vaporizing them, and when confronted with the extra-powerful being Gozer, the boys in gray attempt to open up a dialogue before having to resort to the non-capital punishment of trapping Gozer in its own dimension, saving the day. And hey, when you think about it, four 1000 year nuclear power sources are better than thousands of industrial batteries year after year, right? -Russell Jones
— Ray Parker Jr. talks Ghostbusters and future with UK TV
Ray Parker Jr. is currently in the UK, as part of his promotional work for the 118 118 information directory service, as well as to put in an appearance at the MCV awards later in the week apparently. Parker took a moment to talk about Ghostbusters with ITN. Mostly he jokes about getting a part in the third movie and confirming that he has not been contacted about providing any music.
Confusingly, Yahoo UK has more of ITN’s footage than ITN does on their site, featuring Parker performing Ghostbusters along with some amazing beatboxers (best cover I’ve heard in awhile.) Also, it appears one of the UK based Ghostheads was on hand. Speak up! Who are you?
Thanks to Mark of the UK Ghostbusters for the heads up (whom I’m assuming isn’t the gentleman in the video – or at least if he is, he didn’t cop to it.)
[UPDATE] Thanks Carl! Nice work!
Hey,
yes im the guy in the vid.
Ray Parker jr, was awesome to meet, a really friendly guy aswell.the beatbox version, is addictive, the more i hear it, the more i like it.
obvisously, you would call 118 118, and ask for the ghostbusters phone number 🙂
— More on the Ghostbuster Beatboxers from 118 118 promo
For those looking for more information on the Beatboxers that performed with Ray Parker Jr. in London, here you are;
Featured in the film are Neil Thomas, Bellatrix, and MC Zani, all members of The Beatbox Choir, though Thomas was replaced by Testament to perform with Ray Parker Jr for reasons unknown. We’re trying to find out if there’s a place to get a copy of their cover.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ohio Ghostbusters on NBC
The Dayton NBC affiliate just ran their Ghostbusters video game report from the New York Comic Con, complete with a look at the game, a chat with the devs on hand, and some screentime for The Ohio GBs. Check it out.
— The Beatbox Choir – Ghostbusters mp3
Everybody can thank Keith for taking the time to pull the ITN performance by The Beatbox Choir and turning it into something iPod friendly – until someone releases an official recording, this is as good as it gets.
[audio:TheBeatboxChoirGhostbusters(RayParkerJrCover).mp3]— You may now bust the bride
J. Draimer spotted this awesome page where a guy with an ecto replica of decent quality was hired to shuttle a wedding party around – the groom was a major fan. I gather, from what little info there is on the site, that the guy normally chauffeured people around on spooky tours around town. However due to personal reason has shuttered the business.
— More Ray Parker Jr. on Brit TV
Mr. Parker was a recent guest on Loose Women (a British equivalent to The View) where he got to talk more about the game, the theme, and the beatbox cover version.
— Universal's cheeky GB nod
Ivan sent this pic from the pre-boarding area of the Simpson’s Ride at Universal Studios Florida – the slides show some of the fun rides to be found at the Krustyland Theme Park. With a single Matt Groening-style image, the ride creators manage to take a swipe at their main rival (Disney) and give a wink to the old Spooktacular show.
— iGizmo devotes issue to Ghostbusters – exclusive concept art!
iGizmo’s 26th issue of their digital magazine is online now, and starting with the cover and moving inwards, it’s all about the love for the Ghostbusters videogame for this gadget zine – being a digital mag, they’ve got an excellent, interactive format that includes factoids, video clips, and some really, really sweet concept art. You have to see this! (Don’t be too hard on them for calling this the 20th anniversary)
Also, iGizmo sat down with Ray Parker Jr. on his UK tour, so check that out as well.
[UPDATE] The magazine has a nice Did You Know sub-feature. Did you know Ron Jeremy was in Ghostbusters? I wonder where they found that out?
— Wimpy's GB2 UK commercial from 1989
Cheers to Ectofiend for the YouTube heads up.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— iGizmo – we have more exclusive art
Why they didn’t include it in the issue, I’ll never know, but they posted a small piece of a third exclusive image.
— We Are Legion: Gary Sheffield
Detroit Tigers Gary Sheffield got spotted with a Ghostbusters tee shirt on, which Yahoo parlayed into a convoluted Ghostbusters themed feature.
Sheffield was 15 years old when the original spirit trappers first worked their ectoplasmic magic in the summer of ’84, and he was an everyday player in the majors by the time its sequel came out in ’89. Twenty years after that, another sequel is in the works and it obviously has Sheff in a tizzy. How excited would he be to attend a “Ghost Busters III” premiere?
“Meh, not really that much,” said Sheffield (and, yes, he really used ‘meh’). “I think I’m just going to have to be happy with my t-shirt.”
He sounds like he’s fine with the first two movies. Thanks to Doug for the pop fly.
— I ain't afraid of no goats… and you can not be too.
118 118 have put up a flash toy where you can make yourself one of the 118 118 runners and then you get to dance with Ray Parker Jr. If you’ve got ten minutes to kill, why not? Thanks Simon and everyone that sent in the URL over the last couple of weeks – I finally got a chance to play with it.
— Ghostbusters documentary in the works!
Every wondered why no one has ever made a major documentary about Ghostbusters? I have, mostly because I’ve often thought, “Hey, I should make a documentary”, then I realize my life is stupid busy. And I don’t own a camera. Or have any spare budget. At which point I go, “Hey, why has no one ever made a major documentary about Ghostbusters?”
Well, wonder no more. Someone is! And they’re taking it very, very seriously.
It’s still mid-production (and may not be completed before the 25th anniversary year is over), but already they’ve spoken to a lot of the people involved in the production of both films, including Ernie Hudson and large chunks of the effects team. And they will be interviewing Dan Aykroyd himself soon. So, yeah. How serious is that?
Titled Cleaning Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters, the film has just started gearing up their promotions (the team has, until recently, been focused on their first documentary, Beware the Moon: Remembering An American Werewolf In London, due out on DVD this Summer), but you can hop aboard early by joining their Facebook group!
— Twitter makes me feel good!
Just a quick admin note – information is coming fast and furious lately, and it’s mostly video game news! The big news roll for all the other Ghostbusters products coming down the pipe haven’t even started yet! So, I wanted to take this time to remind everyone that PC is on Twitter, and I’m beginning to suspect that a lot of incidental information and links (like all the hundreds of video game previews that are coming out) are going to be Twitter only, unless something in them is unique or new. Or they might be on Twitter first and appear on PC later, once I’ve had time to do a proper post.
So! If you want all the big Ghostbusters news, make sure to bookmark Proton Charging – If you want all the Ghostbusters new, every scrap, pumped directly into your brain, unfiltered, you might want to consider following Proton Charging on Twitter, if you’re not already. And be sure to pass it along to all your Twitter-savvy Ghostbuster friends – it’s going to be a wild and wooly Summer!
— Wherein the first party feels, but is not limited to feeling, good about busting, forthwith.
Not only is Ghostbusters a pop phenomenon, it has weedled its way into legal history as well (and not just in Parker v. Lewis)
Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254 (NY App. Div. 1991), is a notable New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division case that held that a house, which the owner had previously advertised to the public as haunted by ghosts, was legally haunted for the purpose of an action for rescission brought by a subsequent purchaser of the house. It is sometimes called the “Ghostbusters case”, a reference to the author rhetorically asking “who you gonna call” to resolve a haunting. Because of the case’s unique holding, it has been regularly printed in textbooks on the subjects of contracts and property law and widely taught in U.S. law school classes, if not often cited or followed by other courts.
Thanks to Mr. Leto for the heads up and we’re rooting for you, whenever it is you actually take the bar.
This contract is binding and time is of the essence.
— Goobusters
— Weekend homework: GB Documentary and Twitter
Things are going fast and furious in the Ghostbusters world lately – which means that stuff posted on Monday is buried by Friday. I’ve upped the number of posts on front page, but if you’re the kind of person that only comes every few days, make sure to read back and get everything. I’m getting a lot of email tips for stuff covered the week prior.
Cleaning Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters. Make a note – that’s the title of an upcoming Ghostbusters documentary, and judging by the people who have been interviewed thus far, this is going to be THE Ghostbusters documentary. Show your support by joining their Facebook group.
And speaking of things moving fast, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you’re on Twitter, follow Proton Charging. In the coming days, it will be the best way to stay in the loop. I linked to GBFans’ post about the Game Trailer video this morning as I wasn’t going to be able to post until later in the day. That’s just an example of how I expect things to go for the rest of the year – wild and wooly, so if you’ve just gotta know, plug yourself in.
I don’t think I mentioned it, but you’ll likely have noticed the Share buttons at the bottom of the posts – this is a new feature I’m trying out, so that you can share PC articles you like with friends. You can email them, post them to Twitter, Digg, Facebook, MySpace, everything – 47 different options! – automatically. Mousing the button will bring up my six favs – I’ll be watching my metrics and will adjust accordingly – but clicking the button will bring up all 47 options!
— Thunder Busters
What can I say – Ghostbusters mashed-up with AC/DC. If you weren’t looking for this track all your life, maybe you should have. Created and offered for download by Mashopolos, the track merges our favorite theme with Angus and co. rocking out Thunderstruck. For a non-download listen;
— In Defence of Ghostbusters
A well argued piece that I happen to agree with – it’s a weak-willed attempt by studio execs to trap lightning in a bottle a second time by doing the exact same thing, but it still filled with the same things we loved about its predecessor. Besides, everyone knows Highlander 2 is the epitome of crappy sequels, and Ghostbusters 2 is nowhere near that bad.
— What's the point of Winston?
As a follow up to his argument in favour of Ghostbusters 2, Steve McCutchen is arguing the lack-of-point to having Winston in both film. This I disagree with – there are very specific purposes to Winston (less so in the second movie compared to the first.) Anyhow, it’s still an interesting read.
— Remembering Ghostbusters Clip!
For those of you that saw our posts about the in-production Ghostbusters documentary – Cleaning Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters – and you didn’t join their Facebook group, you might want to think twice. This isn’t just some guy and a camera… well, actually it is some guy and a camera. But it isn’t MERELY a guy and a camera – he’s got a team and they’ve pulled together some amazing interview footage, like this Ernie Hudson clip. I might be more excited about this documentary than I am about the Blu-ray editions. But not more than I am about the game. The game is still exciting thing numero uno.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— More Ghostbusters music awesomeness
Remember the Bargain Bin Beats blog we mentioned last month? The one that put up some sweet Ghostbuster mp3s? And promised to put up more later? It’s later. And that’s all I’ll say. You should drop in on their site.
— Ghostbusters (Don Rimini Ectoplasm Edit)
It was a given that Ghostbusters, already a popular cover tune, would become very very popular this year. Particularly on the dancefloor, where Ray Parker Jr’s funky theme translates well to four-on-the-floor. This edit, which I actually quite like (I find many of the dance covers out there are very literal or simplistic), recently landed in my lap. And someone has made it available for a limited time.
[UPDATE] The remix is freely available online. Nods to Yehome for the link.
[UPDATE] It doesn’t sound like the version in the Citroen commercial, but it is being offered by Citroen as a special mix, related to the commercial. Filling out their form gets you the link above.)
Ghostbusters (Don Rimini Ectoplasm Edit)
[audio:RayParkerJr-Ghostbusters(DonRiminiEctoplasmEdit).mp3]
[UPDATE] The free download link now provides the track heard in the commericals. No explanation as to why that is.
Ghostbusters (Streetlife DJs)
[audio:Ghostbusters_streelifeDJs.mp3]
— Sigh – OK, let's talk about the Citroën commercial
I wasn’t paying much attention to the Citroën ad that recently came out, due largely to their blatant attempt to create a viral marketing campaign by calling “leaked” footage GB3 production clips.
But now, finally, it’s gotten interesting – recently we’ve found that Citroën is offering a free Ghostbusters remix in conjunction with the commercial, but it is not the track used in the commercial. And to make things weirder, there are two different remixes used in the commerical!
C’mon Citroën! Release those tracks!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— iGizmo – new cover and a contest (UK only)
iGizmo has updated, as they promised, the cover of their latest, Ghostbsuters packed issue. Plus, if you’re in the United Kingdom (and I know a great many of you are), they’re having a contest to win some GB swag, signed by Ray Parker Jr. – unfortunately, it’s for people with a UK address only (so, I dunno, buddy up to a Brit or something.) There are DVDs and we can’t play them easily anyhow (though, being signed is pretty cool.) So, contest info!
— Twitter contest? Yeah! Let's!
So, here’s my thinking;
– Follow me at @protoncharging, on Twitter (pre-exist followers count, you’re just more awesome because you came to the party early)
– If following me was recommended to you by another follower, tell me who that is, they get an extra chance. (so, more recommendations means more chances)
– The 300th and 400th followers (I doubt 400, but you know, just in case), they automatically win something cool. And if they tell me who recommended it to them, that person automatically wins something too.
That’s it.
Will this result in some fast follower deflation, post contest? Yes. But a) I’m hoping I’m vaguely interesting enough to continue following and b) who says this will be the only Twitter contest I have? Sticking around could pay off.
Will I get rid of a bunch of stuff? YES! And really, that’s what this is all about – me selfishly unloading cool Ghostbusters stuff, randomly, on strangers. On the plus side, this is going to be an insane year for Ghostbusters news, and from what I can see, there are a lot of lost, ill informed souls out there. PC is here to help – and if it wins you and them some stuff, even better.
So, this Sunday, 6PM PST – ready, set, go!
— New Documentary clip
The Cleaning Up The Town Facebook group has another short clip from the upcoming DVD – this time it’s from their interview with producer (and shadowy commentary contributor on the DVD) Joe Medjuck! I want his Slimer pillow/bag.
— You know what you need? Phone wallpaper!
Last Summer, the Doodle Vandal created a fantastic set of wallpaper images for everyone, which I quickly adapted for my own, iPhoney use. At the time, iPhones were popular and on the rise, but not exactly common. Now it seems like they’re everywhere – which means Vandal’s set needs to be updated!
So, for all you iPhone owner, I’m posting for your downloading my iPhone format wallpaper from Chris’s art, as well as a second using the videogame’s logo – either way, the world will know who ya gonna call…
…on your iPhone
(comedy gold, right there. I deserve a cookie.)
Click the images to see the full sized file for download.
[UPDATE] It’s been confirmed that these image files can be used as wallpaper on most cell phones, not just iPhones – they are specifically formatted for the iPhone screensize, but you can use it on whatever your phone might be, most likely.
— Proper Citroen track and more wallpaper!
For reasons I don’t fully understand, but the free Ghostbusters mp3 Citroen is giving out now reflects the music heard in the commercials – it is a catchy hash of music, which is to say it quickly wanders all over the place, allowing the commercial editors lots of variety of segments to choose from. Still, catchy. Thanks to the Doodle Vandal for noticing (I certainly didn’t have any reason to check the link later, so I’m glad he did.)
Ghostbusters (Streetlife DJs)
[audio:Ghostbusters_streelifeDJs.mp3]
Speaking of Vandal, his wallpaper has been a hit, and the wallpaper doesn’t end there. Lucas sent in the iPhone wallpaper he uses and by demand, I’m putting up a Proton Charging wallpaper. The text logo will be covered by the iPhone menu controls, so it shouldn’t look as redundant as it does when not in use.
— Screening of GB in Orlando, Florida – April 10th
The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters are hooking up with Regal Cinemas in Pointe Orlando, to show Ghostbusters as their midnight flashback feature on April 10th. Tickets are 5 bucks!
I’ve noticed a lot of screening every week – please check your local listings carefully for the next few month and if you see a screening, send it in!
— GB fan meets hero, forgets own name, remembers PC.
I don’t know what to say; long-time reader Nevil trekked out to meet Dan Aykroyd at a recent signing in Winnipeg, and after surviving the line, can barely contain his excitement – but somehow, loss of words aside, Nev somehow managed to plug Proton Charging to The Man himself. I suspect Dan hears a lot of names and suggestions at every signing, but it’s the thought that counts. Thanks Nev!
— Ghostheads podcast #5 hits the web!
Finally! It’s been awhile since they posted episode #4, but the shop talkers at Ghostheads have just posted episode #5!
* GB: The Video Game new trailer and training level footage
* Bio World Producing GB Merch for Gamestop
* Moranis still not in video game compared to rumors
* Guy forgets name but remembers Proton Charging
* GB shirts.com
* Remembering Ghostbusters
* GB III rumors
(Proton Charging is a proud sponsor and file host for Ghostheads – keep going, dudes!)
— AZ GBs profiled in Phoenix New Times
The article title says it all – The Arizona Ghostbusters, one of a handful of highly active GB teams out there helping with charity work, got a little bit of love from the Phoenix New Times. Check it out!
— Attention UK GB fans! Help needed for Ghostbusters screening.
Matt dropped me an email saying that he has started organizing a Ghostbusters screening with a local cinema in the UK, but before the theater owner will commit, he wants to make sure there will be an audience.
Since the local Vancouver screening in January sold out one show and packed a second, unadvertised screening, I don’t think there will be a problem, but they need convincing.
If you live in the UK and would be able/interested in attending, please read more from Matt about what you can do to help turn a maybe screening in a rockin’ good time.
— Ghostheads podcast #6 goes live!
Hot on the heels of episode 5, Ghostheads episode 6 is now live! And Ron’s back!
* Rule #3 trailer is out
* Hallmark to release Ecto-1 ornament
* Minimate and Mattel SDCC exclusives
* GB Blu-ray will have full feature about game and shows off full art
* Amazon to sell exclusive Slimer versions of Wii/PS3/360 versions
* Sony confirms GB 3 development
* Time Life cuts price of Real Ghostbusters till April 30
* PKE Surge 2009 at Dragon Con
(Proton Charging is a proud sponsor and file host for Ghostheads – Way to dig in guys! It’s going to be a crazy year!)
— Klaus Wunderlich – Moogbuster
Matt sent in a link to a YouTube post of a Klaus Wunderlich moog medley – I’ve taken steps to save you from the Chess Theme opener, and cut right to the synthy meat.
Klaus Wunderlich – Ghostbusters
[audio:klaus_wunderlich_ghostbusters.mp3]
— Sony and YouTube cut deal to show Ghostbusters
Calm down, it’s not as cool as it sounds. Google announced earlier in the month that it had struck a deal with Sony and a host of other big networks to show their content on YouTube. However, in the case of Sony, viewers are redirected to Sony’s Crackle.com, which features ad-supported viewing of films and TV shows – which is awesome for Sony, they get eyeballs. It’s awesome for YouTube, as they get 50% of the ad revenue on each redirect viewing, plus they don’t have to pay for the bandwidth. It sucks for anybody outside the US, as Crackle filters by IP geolocation.
So… (shrug)
— Going to DragonCon? Want a good reason?
The spirits are right this year with the up coming Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Mattel Toys, Minimates and more being released for the 25th Anniversary of the movie that started it all. To celebrate this birthmark of the franchise we are proud to present PKE Surge 2009 hosted at Dragon Con this September in Atlanta, Georgia! Proudly sponsored by your friends at Ghostbusters Fans, PKE Surge promises to be the most exciting real life Ghostbusters event to date; with awards, giveaways, and tons of ectoplasmic fun!
As we speak Ghostheads from across the country are putting their names down to participate in the event. Some of the fun activities we have in store for the first annual PKE Surge meet in Dragon Con include: Parade, Community Dinner, Crunch Awards, GBFans Table, Live Ghostheads Podcast Recording, GBTV, PKE Surge Merchandise, Free Giveaways and more!
So what better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of your favorite film than by meeting up with fellow Ghostheads? Don’t wait another minute, pick up the phone and book your hotel today, space is limited!
–Attendance List
–Hotel List
–DragonCon Website
It’s unlikely Proton Charging will be able to attend, but we’re going to try and send swag down for attendees. And you have got to see the Crunch Awards – those things are amazing!
— Comcast OnDemand showing Real Ghostbusters?
Apparently – Venkman9993592 (yeah, I can see there being that many online by now) wrote in to say that it’s not well advertised, but if you have the service and go;
on demand menu > kids > kaballion > ghostbusters
You’ll find them. Neat!
— Bust the vote! Vote Ghostbusters!
Peachtree TV is holding a Summer series of outdoor films – Screen on the Green – starting in mid-May, and the June 25th slot is open to public vote.
Now, the other two are pretty good picks – Big and Princess Bride. But c’mon. It’s the 25th Anniversary for Ghostbusters. The fan gathering, PKE Surge 2009 is happening a month later. It MUST be shown!
So VOTE!
Oh yes, Fatgator. If there’s any justice in this world, it will be shown.
— Tribeca Fest oversight
It seems like, if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gets screened at the Tribeca Film Festival because it’s the 25th anniversary of the turtles (the franchise, not the film mind you), then wouldn’t Ghostbusters be a given? And yet…
— Ghostbusters at 56% for Atlanta screening – vote daily!
I forgot to mention two things regarding Peachtree TV’s public vote for their final outdoor screening this Summer – the voting ends May 9th, and you can vote daily. Ghostbusters is at a strong 56%, but let’s show them how we do things downtown, and vote daily. Big doesn’t have a fandom. Princess Bride sort of has a fandom. So, we shouldn’t just win this one… we should dominate this one.
— Ghostbusters screening at The Ritz in Philadelphia, June 6th
What the subject line says – a handful of local Ghostheads are hoping to get as many out as possible, so mark your calendar. Cheers to Nate and Delfin for the heads up.
— Time Magazine video feature at NY press junket
Time magazine was at the NY press junket for the Ghostbusters video game, and they’ve posted their video report to YouTube. The piece includes a look at the game as well as an interview with Dan Aykroyd – bonus points for explaining, to some degree, the return of Stay-Puft, and points penalized for making Ghostbusters the video game look good by whitewashing the industry and being full of “murder simulators”. Ghostbusters the video game is Jack Thompson free zone! Thanks, Clay.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— A real awkward conversation
.
— Ghostbusters pixel art
Joey Ellis had become a Friday full of awesome, as he’s posted his early, Ghostbusterific experiments with pixel art! (lots more and much bigger if you follow the link.)
— Escapist Magazine looking for Ghostheads with gear, May 2nd.
FishPaste Productions, who produce A World of Her Pwn for The Escapist Magazine, are looking for Ghostheads who own gear to dress up and be on camera. The filming is 10AM on May 2nd, Manhattan, and should only take a couple of hours. If you’re interested, you need to contact them.
[UPDATE]
Direct from FishPaste Productions;
Hey guys! We’re shooting in Tribecca on Saturday morning. We’re watching the weather closely to make sure it won’t rain on us, the last thing we want is for all that awesome gear to get wet! We only ask that you email fishpasteproductions[at]gmail.com for details on exactly where and when so that we can get an approximate count of attendees and plan the shoot accordingly. Give us a shout if you’re interested! Thanks!
— Ghostbusters Atlanta screening – keep voting!
Ghostbusters has been holding at 59%, and the Princess Bride is climbing. Their 25th anniversary is 2012! This is our year! Keep voting, you can vote daily!
— In an alternate universe, Ghostbusters was made in 1962
And design madman Spacesick has worked out what the novelization would look like.
Make sure you check out all his I Can Read Movies covers. I can totally appreciate this, as I did something a little similar once myself. Making fake old books is hard!
— Ghostheads podcast #7 is now online!
The podcasts keep coming fast and furious as the guys at Ghostheads have just released episode 7!
* Gametrailers shows opening Ghostbusters cinematic
* Gamespot posts Wal-Mart trailer with Aykroyd intro
* Playstation Home Ghostbusters content confirmed
* TWiG exclusive look at game and new cinematic
* Vote for Ghostbusters for PeachTree summer screening
And an interview tour of Dan Aykroyd’s winery.
(Proton Charging is a proud sponsor and file host for Ghostheads – Keep it goin’, keep it goin’!)
— Weekend super-nerdery
Growing up and attending university in Calgary, cars were critical, but in Vancouver, a pair of feet work just fine. Most everything I need to get to is within walking distance. But a bike gives you an extra area of operations, which is nice. So, having recently rescued an old Iverson in fantastic shape, I’m ready to join the cycle-set.
One problem. Bike helmets look ridiculous. And Vancouver has a helmet by-law, which is modestly enforced, but getting caught is a giant, inconvenient pain in the ass.
The only people that don’t look stupid wearing a bike helmet are either cyclists in a pro cycle race, or those that aren’t in a pro-cycle race, but look like they’re training for it. The rest of us look stupid.
So I figure, if you’re going to look stupid anyhow, it might as well be on your own terms. Hence, this weekends art project.
One white Predator helmet, masked with painting tape, fantastically awesome x-acto knife skills, and several layers of spray paint. I’ll be honest, I thought I was rolling the dice, and might likely ruin a $50 helmet, but I figured worse comes to worse, slap stickers all over it. Fortunately, the results are nice, clean lines. A couple touch ups and a couple coats of protective coat, and it’s ready to go.
Next up? I put a strip of red on the back, like the fins on the Ecto-1, so I’m tempted to put “We’re Ready To Believe You!” on the back as well. Or the phone-number. Haven’t decided.
— Ghostbusters, Atlanta, outdoors, June 25th
The public vote is closed and Ghostbusters won – so, for all the Ghostheads in the area and Ron Daniels, enjoy Ghostbusters on the big screen! Nice work, to everyone that voted over and over.
— iTunes puts Ghostbusters movie on sale. Ghostbusters 2 available!
If you’ve ever thought, hey, I wish I had Ghostbusters on my video iPod or iPhone, well, now is the time to act – iTunes is offering the complete movie for $4.99 (that’s 5$ cheaper than normal.) And at some point since I picked up Ghostbusters for my iPhone last year, Apple added Ghostbusters 2 (No sale here – it’s the full $9.99.) Thanks, Dan! I nearly forgot about your email!
[UPDATE] Sale is now over – hopefully everyone who would be interested got a chance to grab it.
— Cross The Streams podcast launches
There’s a new Ghostbusters podcast out today – a little saltier and a little shorter (this might be a first episode thing) than Ghostheads, Cross The Streams has posted their pilot episode. So if you can’t get enough Ghostbusters chatter (and if you’re reading this, you probably can’t), check it out!
— Cleanin' Up the Town documentary – post-USA pics!
Anthony Bueno, mastermind behind the Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters documentary, has returned from his travels around the US, and apparently it went well! New poster, interviews with The Bus Boys (who are going to contribute a little music to the venture), and a sit-down with Harold Ramis!
If you haven’t joined the film’s Facebook page, you should, because you’re not going to want to miss the final product!
And now, I’m off to sit by a lake and drink beer, in honor or Her Majesty!
— Krazy cover of Ghostbusters theme
Check out this catchy cover of the Ghostbusters theme by Krazy Baldhead, published by Ed Banger Records! Thanks to Ash Moses and Dalziel_86.
[UPDATE]
hey
Krazy Baldhead here…
just a quick explanation: this was done for an advertisement, the agency asked me for a hiphop cover of the Ghostbuster theme.
Thanks, Krazy!
— Ray Parker Jr. talkSPORT interview
It’s heavy on the Ghostbusters flavour, light on the Ghostbusters questions, but man, some of the other stuff they ask Ray… saucy. Thanks, Matt!
— Down In Front DVD commentary
The gang at Down in Front have posted their Ghostbusters DVD commentary track, something I expect there will be more and more of as the year moves along. As before, the idea behind fan commentaries is that you download them, sync it up with your DVD at home, and listen along. Thanks, JP!
— Ghostbusters TV spot online
Kotaku has a video of what appears to be a TV spot (or in-store promo) for the videogame – the catch-line is perfect. “When the world gets haunted, you get hired.” Nice.
Does the cut-and-paste extention of the theme make your eye twitch a little, or is that my obsessive compulsive ghostbusters disorder acting up again?
— Proton Charging V.5 beta – time for an overhaul
Yes, I realize some awesome pals helped me update my old WP theme so it didn’t break everything. But over the last few months I’ve had to come to grips with the idea that Ghostbusters news is coming too fast and too furious – news items posted in the morning are buried by the end of the day. People send me links to news items posted weeks previous. All of it a clear indication that Proton Charging needs a way to feature certain stories, to keep them in plain sight while the news trundles on. So, time for an overhaul.
And overhaul means I’ve got lots of tinkering left to do before I’m happy, and hopefully you’re all happy. But right now, the news continues to flow, so that’s uninterrupted – only the peripheral bits are still under heavy construction.
Hang in there gang!
— Interview: Slimer cartoon designer Keith Baxter at GBCollector.com
GBCollector.com has a great interview with Keith Baxter, artist and designer on The Real Ghostbusters and Slimer & The Real Ghostbusters. A short but interesting read.
— Ghostheads podcast #8 is live! Bill Emkow!
The podcasts keep coming fast and furious as the guys at Ghostheads have just released episode 8!
* IDW Preview
* Ghostbusters in Atlanta Update
* Annie Potts Interview
* Ghostbusters The Video Game Multiplayer Trailer
* Sigourney GB3
* Toys-R-Us
And an interview with Bill Emkow, webmaster of The Ghostbusters Homepage – it’s well before the time of a lot of you younger ghostheads, having ran for three years and then stopping in 1999, but it remains a founding touchstone in online Ghostbusters fandom.
Ghostheads is hosted by Ronald Daniels, Jason Hughs, and Luke Crisalli. Episode Eight is a landmark episode, as a result of listener suggestions we have cut some segments down and added others. This show features the premiere of two segments; “Zap it! or Trap it!” and “Ask a Ghosthead.” As the name implies, “Ask a Ghosthead” features a fan member answering user submitted questions – this episode features Teliwhy!
Email your questions and suggestions to ghostheads@gmail.com or just catch one of the hosts in the GBFans Chatroom!
(Proton Charging is a proud sponsor and file host for Ghostheads – Suck it, NPR!)
— UK GBs hit the MCM Expo
The annual London MCM Expo was this past weekend, and pictures have started popping up of the local spectral constabulary who attended. You can check them out here.
— GhostbustersIsHiring.com
Why try and explain, when the press release says it all?
Enter a Sweepstakes to Win a Trip for Two to Comic-Con 2010 and Have a Puft-load of Fun Submitting “Job Applications” to Become Part of the Ghostbusters Team …
CULVER CITY, CALIF. (May 27, 2009) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has created a new interactive Web site for Ghostbusters fans worldwide. GhostbustersIsHiring.com, launching today, offers fans the opportunity to be a part of the Ghostbusters 25th anniversary frenzy this summer, including the Blu-ray release of Ghostbusters on June 16.
Visitors to the site will be greeted by Harold Ramis, the movie’s co-writer/star, who invites them to participate in a number of activities. First, GhostbustersIsHiring.com is offering fans the chance to win a trip next year to the ultimate comic book convention, Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego, by simply filling out an online sweepstakes application. (No purchase is required for any aspect of the site.)
Fans can also submit their own personalized video for a chance to be featured on BD Live and GhostbustersIsHiring.com. “Candidates” are asked to submit a “job application” by showing that they have what it takes to be a part of the Ghostbusters team. Fans can post their content to a video site and submit their link to GhostbustersIsHiring.com for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to select its favorites to be featured.
Fans can also check out what they look like as part of the Ghostbusters team by participating in the photo upload option. Additionally, fans will receive a $5 “trainee discount” towards the purchase of Ghostbusters on Blu-ray.
Ghostbusters arrives on Blu-ray on June 16, 2009. Directed by Ivan Reitman, the sci-fi comedy stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis and Ernie Hudson. The high-def set oozes with special features and interactivity, among them, the Slimer Mode, a picture-in-picture graphical viewing experience; and a featurette on the refurbishing of Ecto-1.
[UPDATE]
FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT, SONY PICTURES, SCREENING SERVICES GROUP, and ATARI are calling YOU to a GHOSTBUSTERS 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Premiere!
Fans will be among the first (and possibly only) to experience the high-def version of this timeless classic on the big screen at this EXCLUSIVE (and FREE) GHOSTBUSTERS Blu-ray Premiere. We’ll be screening the high-def movie in its entirety, along with all of the Blu-ray bonus features – all in the company of SURPRISE CELEBRITY GUESTS!While waiting in line, a SONY video crew will be available for fans to record their “job applications” for www.GhostbustersIsHiring.com and FANGORIA readers will be able to be among the first to play Atari’s GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME!
WHEN: Wednesday, June 3 @ Midnight (line up starts at 9PM)
WHERE: Ticket PICK UP at 8760 Wilshire (Press check in and line start at 9 PM) – Corner of Wilshire and Willaman
COST: FREE!FANGORIA’s MIDNITE MADNESS SCREENING AT THE FINE ARTS THEATRE
8556 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, 90211
Phone: (310) 360-0455
One block west of La Cienega
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Fangoria posts new clip from Cleanin' Up The Town documentary!
Besides the Blu-ray screening, and surprise guests (not to mention Fangoria camera minions helping people in line record their GhostbustersIsHiring.com job application video), they’ve just posted a new clip from Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters!
Here’s the clip below, with Ray Parker Jr. For more clips and information about THE best and only Ghostbusters documentary, check out its Facebook page!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Crossing the Streams podcast #2 goes live
After their initial test run, the Crossing the Streams podcast is back with their sophomore effort;
Just finished recording a new episode (like 2 hours ago) of Cross the Streams,it is the second episode, and since it is our second episode, we do tackle the subject of sequels. I am actually calling this the premiere episode as the last one was meant to be a test run. So here is Episode 2 of – Cross The Streams Radio Show. However, we stepped it up and made it more professional. Hope you listen and enjoy.
— Proton Charging exclusive: Ghostbusters.com heavily overhauled. Heck. Yeah.
Continuing to demonstrate a strong investment in the past history, present anniversary, and future prospects of the Ghostbusters franchise, Sony has revealed a new, completely overhauled, and highly interactive new website to go with their Ghostbusters.com domain.
A billboard site for the first release of Ghostbusters on DVD (for a decade!) and recently a billboard for the Ghostbusters mobile game and Blu-ray edition of the film, the new site promises things even the hardest core, longest term Ghostbusters fan has never seen. And as Sony explained to Proton Charging, they will continue to release materials every month for the foreseeable future.
And yes, it’s pretty much what you think – while there remains no firm plan for a third movie and details still to be worked out before it’s even possible, this site overhaul was conducted not only to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the first film, but with the intention that it help promote a third film, provided that pans out. Like us, Sony is looking upon 2009 as the closest we’ve seen to a franchise revival in years.
Why are you still here? Ghostbusters.com.
[UPDATE] The site contains, so far;
– A messageboard
– a video vault that currently shows videos for the video releases
– a products page that features all the current licensed products, and where to buy them
– signing up for updates
– a link to the video game website (I’m assuming I just haven’t found or they will soon add a link to GhostbustersIsHiring.com)
– a massive photos collection (as hinted at in the post)
– a lot of little in jokes and easter egg surprises, which will hopefully do something at some point.
PS Try clicking and holding a non-hot spot.
— Ecto-1 and Stay-Puft to appear at E3 [UPDATE]
Next week, from Tuesday the 2nd to Thursday the 4th, word has it that Sony’s refurbished and shiny Ecto-1, along with the giant inflatable Stay-Puft we’ve seen wandering the globe, will be hanging out at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Even if Atari has reduced its visibility inside, Ghostbusters the video game will have a sizable visual impact outside. No details on placement, though it would most likely have to be at one of the plazas outside the major entrances, like at W. Pico and S. Figueroa.
Anybody attending, please take pictures!
[UPDATE] The location of the car and confection golem has been confirmed; In front of the Concourse, at Gilbert Lindsay Drive (Close to the West Hall and Staples Center area)
— June is for Ghostbusters
The list of things happening in June are piling up – some I’ve already touched on, like Wednesday’s screening of the Blu-ray disc or the various events Proton Charging is hosting around Vancouver.
Others I haven’t posted yet, as I wanted the site overhaul in place, and June to be closer before posting them, so they wouldn’t get buried on the news list. And I’m comfortable that we’re at that point, finally, so I’m putting that list together now, with the post ready to go up later tomorrow, probably.
If there’s something going on in your neighbourhood (strange or otherwise), please let us know so we can help promote it. If you’ve emailed us before, feel free to do so again – better safe than sorry. And in the meantime, please enjoy this sneak peak (and NON-FINAL) look at the Vancouver events poster.
— Ghostbusters Summer: AMC and E4 showing both films
Big thanks to everyone that mailed in about AMC (TV channel, not theater chain) showing both Ghostbusters films this month, starting tonight – and if you’re thinking, hey, Ghostbusters on TV, big whoop. Well, it’s being broadcast in HD (check local listings.)
Also, E4 in the UK will be showing Ghostbusters tomorrow night (Wednesday, June 3rd). E4 has put a lot of energy into advertising the showing, but the commercial hasn’t yet popped up online.
[UPDATE] Here are AMC’s times, from their website (which you should check out, as there are a couple of Ghostbuster quizzes and a Baddest Monster Hunter showdown (Ghostbusters won their slot in round one.)
Ghostbusters
Tue., Jun. 2 @ 8PM | 7C
Wed., Jun. 3 @ 3PM | 2C
Sun., Jun. 21 @ 10:30AM | 9:30C
Sun., Jun. 21 @ 8PM | 7C
Ghostbusters II
Tue., Jun. 2 @ 10:30PM | 7C
Wed., Jun. 3 @ 5:30PM | 4:30C
Sun., Jun. 21 @ 1PM | 12C
Sun., Jun. 21 @ 10:30PM | 9:30C
— Ghostbusters massive, come now! Rewind!
Much respect to Matt for this YouTube find (and a bigger thanks to Red Apple Reggae on Wax for sharing) – a true rarity and a big indication of just how much impact Ghostbusters had in 1984, here is a cover, from that same year, by Prince Pampidoo. It will not be everyone’s cup – most covers aren’t, and reggae doubly so. So please, don’t waste time commenting on how you don’t like it. Nobody’s asked you to. For those who dig a bit of Jamaican riddim now and then…
Prince Pampidoo – Ghostbusters
[audio:Ghostbusters(Reggaecover).mp3]
(download the mp3)
— PvP dips into Ghostbusters again
The webcomic PvP, who is never ever afraid to drop a Ghostbusters reference, is at it again, check it out.
— Brave New Worlds 80s art show this Friday in Philadelphia! [UPDATE]
You’ll recall we previously mentioned that Brave New Worlds Comics and The Autumn Society are holding an 80s Pop Art Show (and the wicked Ghostbusters illustration by Dave Perillo they sent to go with it – if you missed it, you should go look) – well, it’s that time. The show is this Friday at 6PM!
The show is at “Brave New Worlds Old City”, but I have no idea which of their two stores that is, so I’m assuming those people that live in Philadelphia will know, or will contact the stores to find out.
[UPDATE] That would be 45 North 2nd Street (just north of Market Street) and close to the Second and Market stop on the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line.
And just to get you pumped, PC reader and tipster Chogrin sent in one of his pieces for the show! Sweeeet.
— GhostbustersIsHiring.com now taking video applications
GhostbustersIsHiring.com has opened up more of the site and they’re now taking video applications!
— Voting makes me feel good part 2
Entertainment Weekly has a poll for the most anticipated video game of the Summer, and Ghostbusters is very nearly at the top. So take a moment, three clicks, easy, and see if we can’t bump Batman out of the way. That guy’s had a tonne of videogames already. Thanks, Clay.
— Just because it's Friday
I saw this fictional Ghostbusters 3 poster over at the Ghostbusters.com messageboard, by gh0st, and felt it deserved a shout out. Because as gh0st puts it, maybe we don’t really need a new team. And looking at this poster, I tend to wonder the same thing myself.
— Ghostbusters Summer: The Screenings [UPDATE June 8th]
I think the next couple of months will be the most theatrical screenings, at once, that Ghostbusters has had since it first came out, starting with the special Blu-ray screening tonight in LA.
[UPDATE] Screenings in New York, Colorado, and Grand Rapids have popped up! Keep sending them in! Thanks to Kevin Henry, Jef Leppard (ha!), and Chris Gates for the heads up.
[UPDATE] San Diego! Thanks, Kuzeh.
Fri, Jun 19th – Broxton Avenue Cinema
8:30PM – Free
Broxton Ave, Los Angeles CA
Saturday, June 20th – The Rio Theatre
10AM to 4:30PM – $16 in advance
Ghostbusters 1&2 Plus Real Ghostbusters
Broadway and Commercial, Vancouver, BC
More information here.
Saturday, June 19th and 20th – Studio 35
11:30PM – $5
Columbus, Ohio
Come early and register to win some great prizes, Ghostbusters 1 and 2 on DVD, Ghostbusters on Bluray DVD, Ghostbusters The Video Game, hats t-shirts and more!!!!!! All raffle money and donations raised will go toward Horror Host Legend Dr. Creep’s medical expenses.
Thursday, June 25th – Screen on the Green
6PM to 11PM – Free (outdoors)
265 Centennial Olympic Park Drive N.W., Atlanta GA
Friday, June 26th – Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
More info to come
June 30th – Wealthy Theatre
1130 Wealthy Street, Grand rapids MI.
Saturday July 18th – Landmark’s Ken Cinema
11:59 – $7.25
4061 Adams Avenue, San Diego CA
July 24 – Pier 45
8:30 PM – Free (outdoors)
Pier 46, New York, NY
August 4th – Film on the Rocks
$10 – natural outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheater
Know of more? There are more. I know there are more – send them in! Comment below!
— Ghostheads #9 goes live – special syndication on Radio Gotham.
The podcasts keeps getting larger as the guys at Ghostheads have just released episode 9!
* Ivan Reitman SciFi wire interview
* Intec wii accessory
* Dan Aykroyd interview with NY Times
* Ghostbusters.com revamp / Ghostbustersishiring.com
* Blu-Ray Review
* E3 GB:TVG trailer for 360 and Wii
* Ghostbusters goods on Playstation Home
Ghostheads is hosted by Ronald Daniels, Jason Hughs, and Luke Crisalli. Email your questions and suggestions to ghostheads@gmail.com or just catch one of the hosts in the GBFans Chatroom!
Also, for the next few weeks, Radio Gotham has syndicated Ghostheads, in order to add some Ghostbusters content to their June broadcasts! Congrats to the guys at Ghostheads for that. Here are some bumpers that Radio Gotham will be running;
(remember, the PC opener is part of the website playback, not the Radio Gotham bumper.)
Bumper #1
[audio:bumper_1.mp3]
Bumper #2
[audio:bumper_2.mp3]
Bumper #3
[audio:bumper_3.mp3]
Bumper #4
[audio:bumper_4.mp3]
(Proton Charging is a proud sponsor and file host for Ghostheads – Suck it, NPR!)
— ESPN loves Harold Ramis. No foolin'
Ray Carsillo, at EPSN Radio 1050AM, is a bit of a Ghosthead as it turns out. For reasons I’m not entirely sure of, other than the fact that Ghostbusters is awesome, Carsillo interviewed Harold Ramis on all this Ghostbusters 2009 – you can hear that interview here! Thanks, Clay!
— Fangoria posts video of Ghostbusters Blu-ray premiere
Fangoria magazine online has posted their video footage from last week’s LA premiere of the Ghostbusters Blu-ray disc, which included a special appearance by director Ivan Reitman. Full video and some pics here.
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— Crossing the Streams episode 3 is up
The third episode of the Crossing the Streams podcast is up – of particular note is that they interview Anthony Bueno, director/producer of the documentary, Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters. Check it out!
— Press at Philly screening
The New Jersey Star Ledger followed the NJ Ghostbusters to the recent Philadelphia screening of Ghostbusters and gave them a solid chunk of coverage, culminating in this nice piece of video. Nice work all round. Thanks to Naparo01 for the heads up.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— NY Daily News does a Ghostbusters where-are-they-now feature [UPDATE]
The NY Daily News has posted a full run-down of the major players in Ghostbusters, and where they are now. It’s not deep, but it’s informative. And a nice confirmation that they’re all still around.
Minus 5 points for not thinking to mention that they’re all doing voices in the video game (well, most of them.) Another minus 5 points for not including Rick Moranis. Thanks for helping perpetuate the myth that Rick sits at home, thumbing his nose at the world all day, dressed in a suit made of money.
[UPDATE] The Daily News has just posted a second where-are-they-now article, this time including Rick Moranis as well as Hook and Ladder 8. Thanks to whoiseyevan for the link.
— NY Post does a Ghostbusters where-are-they-now feature
Whoa. Deja vu.
The NY Post has posted their own where-are-they-now article on Ghostbusters, but unlike the Daily News, they talk to Michael C. Gross etc. – a much more eclectic mix of those involved in the movie.
— The Ghostbusters are horrible people
As their site name suggests, OverthinkingIt.com takes a look at various things we take for granted and then, comically, thinks the heck out of them. Then thinks at them some more. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ghostbusters, while sticking to their mandate, OTI.com took at look at the end of Ghostbusters and asks – just how irresponsible were the Ghostbusters?
A few of you might feel a tingle of incensed rage – perhaps relax, and enjoy the spirit of the article. Thanks to Matthew for the link.
— What, they couldn't find Danny Wallace?
A UK screening of the Ghostbustes Blu-ray attracted… stars? I guess. Big nod to Sexy Sadie on the GBFans.com messageboards.
— Sleep is when the Ecto-1 is a viking
I wrote an article seven years back for a pop culture website, and having long since died, I figured I’d give that article a home here. I shared the link with my Twitter followers, and then forgot to tell everyone here. So, please, share in my dream of an Ecto-1 monster truck.
Interesting follow-up to the article – after posting it, a couple of months later I got a call from a monster truck team in the States, hoping I could hook them up with Sony to seriously persue the idea. Sadly, I had no good contacts back then. Maybe I’ll get another opportunity one day.
— More contest opportunities at Spook Central and GBFans
It’s a big Summer all around, and besides the Super Duper Extra Giant Give-away Contest here at Proton Charging, other Ghostbuster fanssites are also having contests – so, why not triple your chances at winning something and enter their sweepstakes as well?
[VIA Spook Central]
For the past week, Spook Central has been running a Ghostbusters 25th Anniversary Prize Giveaway, which ends this Monday, June 22nd.
And there is Ghostbusters Fans’ Twitter Contest. For this contest, which ends on July 1st, you need to (1) Follow @gbfans on Twitter, (2) Post this on your Twitter: Follow @gbfans for the Latest Ghostbusters News, Trivia, Quotes and More!, and (3) Participate in #ghostbustersfriday by posting your favorite GB quote with: #ghostbustersfriday @gbfans
For more information on these contests, please inquire with those sites.
— Ghostbusters plus Muppets equals Grossbusters!
There are few things that are as awesome, and in some unique way more awesome, than Ghostbusters. Muppet Ghostbusters is one of those things.
Branded in the 80s magazine/blog posted scans from Muppet magazine last Halloween, featuring a Muppety spoof of Ghostbusters, entitled Grossbusters. Head to my favorite new pop culture site for a look at the entire story! Thanks to Ivan for the link!
— The Happy Hamsters go Ghostbustin'
Released as a response to the popularity of Alvin and The Chipmunks, The Happy Hamsters were a high-pitched group of singing rodents that covered popular songs, and in some cases, like the Star Wars Imperial March, they’ll just riff over them. Their second album is a collection of spooky themed songs, starting with, and titled in honor of, Ghostbusters.
Keith has had this rare little gem in his collection for awhile, and with the 25th Anniversary, has opted to share the album with everyone – go here to check it out! Thanks Keith!
— Ghostbusters alternate ending (it didn't test well in Sherman Oaks)
Nice going, Egon.
Thanks to @clubberlange for the link!
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— Playing catch-up – AZ GBs and GBTV!
I think it’s official – I’m swimming in GB news. So as to not leave some notables behind, time for one of those news wrap-up posts.
If you weren’t in Arizona for the game release party, you can check out video of the event here;
Also, there is a thread at GBFans that reports on the event and has pictures! And the press was out to cover the party, which raised funds for the Salvation Army as well! Nice work guys!
It’s been awhile since we last mentioned GBTV, but they’ve been busy. A particular favorite is this Bob Ross spoof – I don’t know how many kids out there no Bob Ross, but to the rest of us, comedy gold! Make a point of checking out all their sweet video!
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— Ghostbusters Week continues at OverthinkingIt.com
Following up their awesome look at the irresponsibility of the Ghostbusters, OverthinkingIt.com has continued with their Ghostbusters week;
The Ghostbusters have a terrible business plan
Ghostbusters and the 1980s AIDS crisis
The EPA as an ’80s movie villain
The Secular nature of Ghostbusters
A literary history of busting ghosts.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! Thanks to Tyler for the links!
[VIA 4 Color Rebellion]
— Sextoplasm – PvP nods to GB, again
I’m wondering if I shouldn’t just do a webcomic round up – put your favorite webcomic GB references in the comments for all to enjoy, and if I am not a broken man at the end of June, I’ll compile them.
But, to kick things off, Player Versus Player gives their thumbs up to The Ghostbusters video game. Thanks to J for the reminder!
— Ghostbusters Summer: Proton Charging Prize Give-away! ENTRIES CLOSED!
CONTEST ENTRY IS NOW CLOSED! A few people have continued to send it entries and sadly I can’t count them, but over seven hundred of you got your entries in on time and now it’s time to draw!
I will be spending the weekend drawing names and will announce/contact the winners shortly!
For those who can’t see the email link, send your entry (remember the subject line) to;
castewar at gmail dot com
Well, it’s time!
As previously announced, Proton Charging has gathered some sweet swag, with the full intention of giving it away to Ghostheads everywhere!
Pictures and details on the prizes will be up shortly, but in order to get certain things moving, an official contest post with official contest rules has to be made now. So stay tuned to find out what you can win!
CONTEST OPENS JUNE 16TH
(for those of you that didn’t read the rules)
HOW TO ENTER WILL BE POSTED at 12:01AM THAT DAY
A Partial List of Prizes;
– As Yet unknown awesomeness, provided by Intel
– Ghostbusters the Video Game t-shirts (logo on black, not the box cover)
– GB:TVG swag from Atari, including inflatable Slimers, squishee Stay-Pufts (the same as some stores are giving out as pre-orders), pop-up Slimer, Slime, Slime anti-bacterial gel, and more.
– Slimer and Stay-Puft console skins (all systems), plus decal sets from Gamer Graffix.
– GB art prints from Dan Schoening.
– Prima strategy guides for the Ghostbusters game
– Some copies of the Blu-ray and games (not certain what systems yet)
– And some cool rarities from the Proton Charging collection (to be announced.)
More photos coming! More prizes coming!
—
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The “Proton Charging – Ghostbusters 25th Anniversary Prize Giveaway” starts on 6/16/2009 and ends on 6/26/2009. The contest is open to individuals 18 years of age or older at time of entry, from around the world. A vaild e-mail address is required for entry. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Limit one entry per person and/or e-mail address. Any additional entries will be discarded. All information provided by entrants will not be sold, given away, or used for any other purpose than for this contest – though a winners list will be posted after the contest has ended. Winners will be chosen at random prior to the 30th of June, 2009. Winners will be notified via e-mail at the address provided in their entry, and will be required to reply to that e-mail and provide their shipping information before the prize will be sent to them. If a winner does not reply within three business days, they will forfeit the prize and it will be given to someone else via another random selection.
No prize substitution or cash redemption allowed by a prize winner. Prizes will be awarded without any warranty of any kind. Odds of winning a prize depends on the total number of eligible Entries received for the Sweepstakes.
All federal, state and local tax liabilities, if any, are the responsibility of the winners. Proton Charging/Chris Stewart shall not be responsible or liable for entries that are made by non-human or mechanical means (such as by an automated computer program or any non-human mechanism, entity, or device), in excess of the stated limit, or for entries that are late, forged, destroyed, lost, misplaced, stolen, misdirected, tampered with, incomplete, deleted, damaged, garbled, or otherwise not in compliance with the official rules, and all such entries will be disqualified.
By entering the Sweepstakes, each entrant agrees: (i) to be bound by these official rules and by all applicable laws and the decisions of Proton Charging/Chris Stewart which shall be binding and final; (ii) to waive all of his/her rights to bring any claim, action, or proceeding against Proton Charging/Chris Stewart in connection with the Giveaway.
— Geek Night Out – arrrgh
Well, I screwed that one up.
For awhile now I’d been aware of Paul Gannon’s Geek Night Out, and in particular an upcoming, Ghostbusters-themed show. Not wanting the news to get lost in the torrent of Ghostbusters news this month, I held off… and held off… and held off on posting it, until finally the big week was here.
And I didn’t remember to post it.
I hope those of you in the UK that follow Geek Night Out at its website, heard about it on facebook, or heard about it via Anthony Bueno, got a chance to go check out a funny night of Ghostbusters-tinged comedy. And if you didn’t, well, there will be more and you should go, so I don’t feel like a complete crumb. And for those of you with time-machines, I know the energy requirements are high, but c’mon… Ghostbusters comedy. And it was just last night. You can barely call it time-travel.
I will endeavor to mitigate my cock-up by keeping an eye on the Geek Night Out podcast, where hopefully they will be posting some clips from the show in the coming weeks.
Again, my apologies to Paul, who put a lot of work into a great night of comedy.
— Times Online: Ghostbusters better than Star Wars
It’s not often someone dares defy common wisdom and declare Ghostbusters a better movie than Star Wars, but this article by Caitlin Moran gives is a solid, and slightly tongue-in-cheek, go. Honestly, would you rather wear a cowl over a jumpsuit? Wield a laser sword over a nuclear accelerator?
The one major surprise in the article is that iTunes offered Ghostbusters, in the UK at least, for a special anniversary price of a pound. That deal, sadly, is over now.
— Busting makes me feel… D'OH!
Springfield Punx, a website devoted to converting everyone in the universe into Simpsons characters, devoted last week to Ghostbusters. Each day a new character was added. And while a few that would have been awesome to see, like Walter Peck or some major phenomenon other than Stay-Puft and Slimer, were not covered, the fact that we got both ’84 and ’89 Janine goes a long way to making up for it! Thanks to Odd for the heads up.
— Where my prizes at?
Just to let everyone know, the contest, which closed last Friday, is still on and winners will be hearing from me shortly.
The delay has been a prize sponsor that has gone silent – everyone else I either have their prizes, or expect them shortly, so I know I can pull names for those items. The last one, they haven’t confirmed sending them.
I thought about drawing without them, but then they show up and everyone that won is all choked that they could have won this other thing. So, I gave them a little extra time, and that’s about out.
So, sit tight, winners to be announced shortly, and if extra stuff does show up later, we’ll have a second, distinct contest. Just to be fair.
A big thanks to everyone that entered – nearly 800 of you! That’s an awesome turn-out.
— Ghostbusters screening in Washington, DC
Tuesday, July 7th, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will be showing Ghostbusters at 9PM. Check local listings or their website for more information.
— Cleaning Up The Town exclusive GB2 interview clip
Anthony Bueno, producer/director of Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters, kindly sent us a clip from the documentary for the 25th anniversary screening here in Vancouver a couple of weekends back. And even more awesome, he let us post it up to share with those of you that couldn’t be there. It’s nice to see, as you find out in the clip, that Bill Murray learned for William Atherton’s harsh lesson.
Archived media references; playback may be unavailable.
— The Ghost Exterminator
Take the fact that spiritualism was very popular around the end of the 18th century and the start of the 19th century, plus the fact that steam-punk likes to pretend the Victorians could build anything, steam-powered Ghostbusters have always been a popular idea.
In this case, artist Felipe Sobreiro has created a whimsical take, reminiscent of Luigi’s Mansion equipment.
[VIA Super Punch] Thanks to Grim Santos for the link!
— Hey kids! Who ya gonna call?
Thanks to my buddy Tay, compulsive Deviantart scourer, for this image by ninjaink. I love it!
