Hey, everyone! Today's my birthday. I won't say how old I am, but if you do the math, you'll figure it out soon enough. As I been salvaging the home movie videotapes that Hurricane Sandy ruined, I've been finding long-forgotten family memories. One of the tapes contained my 20th birthday celebration. It was for this birthday that I received the Making Ghostbusters book from my aunt and uncle in California. Now you, too, can watch my elation as I opened up one of the best presents I ever received in my life. This video was recorded on June 26, 1997, the day after my birthday, when the package was received. That's my mother in the background, and my sister is seen briefly in the lower left corner. My father was operating the camera, so you only hear his voice.


Okay, so I didn't freak out like Brandon and Rachel Kuzma did when they received a Nintendo 64 for Christmas, but I'd say I was still rather "orgasmic" at receiving the holy book of Ghostbusters for my birthday.

Welcome to Spook Central's special Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration. Today we have a big PDF eBook update for the site.

On the Ghostbusters Books page, the following PDFs were added:
• Film Yearbook 1986 review
• Cinefantastique Jan. 1985 review
• Enterprise Incidents Aug. 1984 article
• Enterprise Incidents Sep. 1984 article
• Enterprise Incidents Oct. 1984 article
• Enterprise Incidents Nov. 1984 article
• Prevue Aug. 1984 article
• Starlog #85 article
• Starlog #86 article
• Starlog #87 article
• Starlog #88 article
• Starlog #98 article

On the Ghostbusters II Books page, the following PDFs were added:
• GB2 Poster Book
• Cinefantastique Jan. 1990 review
• Fangoria #150 article
• Starlog #140 article
• Starlog #145 article
• Starlog #148 article
• Starlog #164 article
• Starlog Platinum Vol. 2 article

On the The Real Ghostbusters Books page, the Starlog #111 article PDF was added.

There were lots of bits and bobs from various magazines that were not worthy of being made into one of the full-blown book and magazine PDFs, so I put those into the Magazine Scraps image gallery. There are a few things in here that aren't Ghostbusters related, but I thought they'd be fun to include.

Finally, because I didn't have any other place to put this on the site, here's a Bill Murray article that appeared in the December 24, 2004 edition of Life magazine - which was distributed in various newspapers across the United States. Click on the cover thumbnail to download the PDF. Thanks to Matthew Jordan for help with fixing up the page images.

GHOSTBUSTERS. 1984 "I guess I'm proudest of what we did for the world of fashion....Danny [Aykroyd] was going to write Ghostbusters for himself and John [Belushi], I'm sure. But after John died, he sent me a script that was 47 pages, and it was really funny. I was living in New York, and I remember finishing it at eleven at night. I called him the next day. The deal was put together so fast -- in about 90 minutes they had a director and a caterer."

Welcome to Spook Central's special Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration. This is the third "Shot On Site" article for the month, and today we'll be examining a quick Ecto-1A shot from the "We're Back" montage in Ghostbusters II. It was found and identified by myself.

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Welcome to Spook Central's special Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration. Today was a big multimedia update for the site. I added 65 still photos to the bottom of the Ghostbusters II Electronic Press Kit page. This should be more than enough to show what's on the EPK.

Pics of Dana in the courtroom before the trial were added to the Ghostbusters II Deleted Scenes page. I really thought I had these on the site already. I also updated/added some images on these Ghostbusters II deleted scenes pages: Ghost Jogger's Lap Time, Television Commercial, Possessed Ray Driving, Louis Is Proton Gun Crazy For Slimer, Louis' Cousin, Sherman Tully, and Sizing Up The Museum Situation.

On the Ghostbusters Deleted Scenes page I added a photo of Janine talking with Egon while he's working on some equipment, and I updated the second and seventh photos on the Pulling Up To Fort Detmerring deleted scene page.

Finally, I present to you the deleted ending to issue #3 of the Now Comics "Ghostbusters II" comic book adaptation, which represents the film's original ending. These four files are courtesy of the late, great Doreen Mulman who once had them on her now-defunct website, the Ghostbusters Fan Forum. According to the GBFF, these were sent to Doreen's RGB Fan Club in 1989. Doreen's friend Alex Newborn uploaded scans of his own copies to GBFans, along with a scan of the letter he received from comic writer James Van Hise. According to Mr. Van Hise, "Although my adaptation of GBII (part 3 enclosed) included the end sequence, Columbia made Now Comics cut it out at the last minute because it wasn't in the movie! Wonder where they were when we did part 2 with the Ectomobile crash scene? So although part 3 in the comic ends on page 26, the art was completely finished for the rest, which is included here in the form it was intended to be published in, although it never will be published, sad to say, so those last 4 pages will never see print." (Copies of Alex's files are also hosted at EctoContainment.)

Welcome to Spook Central's special Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration. Today is the second "Shot On Site" article for the month. This Ghostbusters II location, which was found by Carl Ross, is unique in that the identification was done not through anything seen in the film, but rather through personal recollection and visual reference to the building across the street.

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DISCLAIMER: The following article is about the official Ghostbusters Fan Club that was in operation back in the 1980s. I didn't think it needed to be said, but since I actually get e-mails about this... THE OFFICIAL GHOSTBUSTERS FAN CLUB IS NO LONGER IN OPERATION!!!!!

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Welcome to Spook Central's special Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration. Today is the second event of the celebration and we have the first "Shot On Site" article since September of 2012 (and also the first written by someone other than Paul). This article was written by Matthew Jordan, so let's turn it over to him...

Today it is a Ghostbusters II location I had found, however Paul provided the key screen cap to get the ball rolling. This one really came down to having the right information and screen caps to know you are in the right place. Another thing, using more than one online map provider helps.

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As part of Spook Central's Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Celebration, I am please to announce that the new Ghostbusters 1 & 2 30th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray box set is scheduled to be released on September 16, 2014, a few weeks after the first film returns to over 700 theaters in the United States and Canada for a limited engagement starting August 29th.

The "Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray and the "Ghostbusters II 25th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray will be available in three configurations (click on each to pre-order at Amazon):

• Individually: Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.
• Anniversary Edition Set: two-disc Digibook.
• Limited Edition Gift Set: two-disc Digibook & Slimer figurine.

The Limited Edition Gift Set will only be available for a very limited time, with the collectible Slimer figurine being a true must-have for fans. Both films have been fully restored and remastered in 4K and will be presented in high definition on Blu-ray from those 4K sources. Both the Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II Blu-rays come loaded with exclusive bonus materials, including revealing conversations with director Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd, as well as never-before-seen deleted scenes from Ghostbusters II and more. The Ghostbusters anniversary edition features the original music video of the Oscar nominated song "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr., while Ghostbusters II includes the original music video for "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown. In addition, Ghostbusters will contain all previously released legacy content, commentary and an interactive Slimer Mode, offering fans a picture-in-picture graphical viewing experience.

GHOSTBUSTERS Blu-ray Special Features:
• NEW! Who You Gonna Call: A Ghostbusters Retrospective - Roundtable Discussion with Director Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd (Part 1)
• NEW! Poster Art Gallery - Gallery 1988 artwork
• NEW! "Ghostbusters" Music Video - Ray Parker, Jr.
• Legacy Content:
    • Slimer Mode - Picture in Picture and Trivia Track
    • Commentary w/ Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis & Joe Medjuck
    • 10 Deleted Scenes
    • 1984 Featurette
    • Cast and Crew Featurette
    • SFX Team Featurette
    • Multi-Angles
    • Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car
    • Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery Storyboard Comparisons

GHOSTBUSTERS II Blu-ray Special Features:
• NEW! Time Is But A Window: Ghostbusters II and Beyond - Roundtable Discussion with Director Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd (Part 2)
• NEW! Deleted Scenes
• NEW! "On Our Own" Music Video - Bobby Brown

[##### UPDATE - 6/6/2014 #####]
Thanks to the Sony-Approved GhostbustersStore.com (operated by MyPlay Direct), we now have better looks at the two-film Digibook by itself, as well as the covers for the two single-film individual releases. We also now have the MSRP's for the two-film Digibook ($26.99) and the two single-film individual releases ($19.99 each). Even cooler than that, if their information is correct, GB1 will include one more new bonus feature: Alternate Takes from TV Edited Version. Well, ain't that a knockabout of pure fun! As more information slowly comes in, stay tuned to the following Spook Central pages for updates: the page your reading now, Ghostbusters 2014 Blu-ray page, Ghostbusters II 2014 Blu-ray page.

Today also marks the premiere of the new Ghostbusters.com website, where fans can access new franchise offerings, including collectible merchandise, music, and more. Fans can register for updates, unique video content, as well as Ghostbusters news. There will also be a slew of new merchandise from Sony Pictures Consumer Products to be released. Collaborations include Lego, Mattel, Funko, Mad Engine and other select items to help celebrate the occasion. In addition, SPCP partnered with Gallery 1988 to create a once-in a lifetime experience, displaying original paintings, limited edition prints, and sculptures inspired by the film. Finally, Legacy Recordings / Sony Music Entertainment, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic Ghostbusters soundtrack with multiple collectible vinyl LP releases this year.

Fans can follow the action on social media with the hashtag #GB30 or visiting the following official sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Spook Central will be giving away several copies of the new Blu-ray directly from Sony Entertainment, so be sure to stay tuned for details at a later date.

Thanks to Kerry and Kelli from Sony's PR firm for sending along the images and press release (which can be read in full here).

June 7th, 1984, "Ghostbusters" had its Hollywood premiere in front of a star-studded audience. The next night, the world got to see it too.

Saturday, June 7th, 2014, join Ghostheads around the world as we all watch the classic together!

Noon West Coast
3PM East Coast
8PM London

How to participate? At 12 noon PST on June 7th, fire up a copy of "Ghostbusters" and join the community online via Social Media!

For further information, visit the following sites:
• https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/12284-ghostbusters-30th-anniversary
• https://www.facebook.com/events/610169702384925

30 years ago, on June 8, 1984, Ghostbusters premiered in movie theaters across the United States. To make the occasion, we here at Spook Central have a whole series of events and updates planned for the entire month. This article marks the first of these special 30th anniversary updates.

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OFFICIAL GHOSTBUSTERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY LOGO
The "30th Anniversary" logo you see at the top of this article is the official logo created by Sony to celebrate the occasion. I have two copies of it available for you to download.
• White Background (2790x1900)
• Black Background (3300x2550) (provided by Salazar Orlando)

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MY GHOSTBUSTERS AUTOGRAPHS
One of the things I used to collect was autographs. In 2000 and 2001, I had a renewed interest in my autograph collecting hobby. I wrote to anybody and everybody that I had an interest in in the hope of adding a signed photo of them to my collection. Naturally, this included a lot of Ghostbusters cast and crew members. I recently sold out the majority of my collection - probably 1,000 photos and items - but still kept a small amount that are the most personal to me. I just scanned/re-scanned in all of the Ghostbusters autographs in my "new" collection, along with all of my non-Ghostbusters autographs. Except for a few script covers that I didn't bother to rescan, all of the new scans are nice and large, and completely watermark-free.

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CAST AND CREW TRIVIA
One of the side benefits to being so passionate about Ghostbusters and autograph collecting (in 2000 and 2001) is that a lot of folks were kind enough to send me copies (and sometimes originals) of episode scripts, art materials, production photos, and other assorted goodies that I have yet to share with all of you on this here website. A lot of the cast and crew wrote me notes and letters answering my questions and providing some insider information about their part in our beloved franchise. On my autographs page is not only scans of signed photos and script cover pages, but also scans of the notes and letters from these various cast and crew members. Below are text transcriptions of the tidbits of knowledge learned from these notes and letters.

Brooks Wachtel (Writer of EGB "The Luck Of The Irish" and "Back In The Saddle - Part 2")
May 9, 2001 - "Ghostbusters was a joy for me to work on. The story editor, Dean Stefan, is one of my favorites. His sense of humor and professionalism helped make it a real labor of love. Frank Squillace, the director, is also an old pal and - very unusually - I was able to keep informed (and give some input) on character design and storyboards. Not that an artist like Frank needs much input. Another unusual aspect of this production is that the writers were invited to the voice-over recording session (and allowed to give comments). All these things have the effect of producing some very happy memories."

Clyde Kusatsu (Guest voice in EGB "Eyes Of A Dragon" and "Fallout")
Circa 2001 - "In 'Extreme Ghostbusters' - 'Eyes Of A Dragon' episode I voiced two parts. The father/uncle (if I remember) and the dragon or whomever the main bad guy morphed from the uncle/father."

Joe Alaskey (Guest voice in EGB "Slimer's Sacrifice", "Bird of Prey", and "Deadliners")
Circa 2001 - "I did a few 'monster' voices for 'Ex' Ghostbusters'. Most had no names as I recall."

Joe Landon (Writer of RGB "Three Men And An Egon")
May 31, 2001 - "You probably realize that Chuck Menville and his partner, Len Janson were responsible for the contents of 'The Real Ghostbusters' series. Chuck died many years ago, and even though we didn't know each other well, I considered him my friend. He was a very modest person, who was extremely generous in the way he worked with other people. The script of the show credited to me was largely rewritten, I presume by Chuck, so any credit should rightfully be given to him and Len."

Joseph Kuhr (Writer of EGB "Eyes Of A Dragon")
July 10, 2001 - "I'm glad you enjoyed the 'Eyes of a Dragon' episode of Extreme Ghostbuslers. I did quite a bit of research into Chinese languages, culture, and mythology for that episode and I think the entire cast and crew did a bang-up job. It's one of my favorites."

Jules Dennis (Writer of RGB "20,000 Leagues Under the Street", "Attack of the B-Movie Monsters", "The Treasure of Sierra Tamale", "Guess What's Coming to Dinner", and "Mean Green Teen Machine")
Circa 2001 - "Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters was the first cartoon I worked on and certainly one of my favorites. (I loved writing dialogue for Egon!) All the episodes I did were co-written with Richard Mueller - there was some misunderstanding between Richard and DIC that resulted in his name being omitted. They were supposed to correct that, but I guess they never did. Richard and I also wrote a Married with Children episode together, then spoofed the Bundy family in the Ghostbusters episode 'Guess What's Coming to Dinner?'"

Mark Amato (Writer of EGB "The Ghostmakers")
May 19, 2001 - "Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the original script to send you. Believe it or not, I wrote both of these episodes from the comfort of my home -- and emailed the finished scripts into the producer. I did manage to go to the recording session, which was quite a trip! To hear the words read aloud by the performers. All you can imagine is their celluloid counterparts."

Marty Isenberg (Writer of EGB "True Face Of A Monster")
July 1, 2002 - "It's funny, I was going through old script files recently and thinking how Extreme Ghostbusters was the greatest show that nobody ever saw. It's nice to know there are still some fans out there. [...] It may also interest you to know (if you don't know already) that Bob Skir and I served as story editors on the series, overseeing eleven additional episodes ('Sonic Youth', 'Ghost-Apocalyptic Future', 'Slimer's Sacrifice', 'Seeds of Destruction', 'In Your Dreams', 'The Jersey Devil Made Me Do It', 'Rage', 'Witchy Women', 'Eyes of a Dragon', 'Temporary Insanity', and 'Glutton for Punishment')."

Michael P. Moran (Frank the building superintendent in GB2)
April 26, 2001 - "I wanted to respond to you much sooner and since you are particularly interested in Ghostbusters I wanted to include some photographic material the film had sent me at the end of production. I had unfortunately lost track of where this material was, but I have most recently found it. (See enclosed photographs) I don't know if you have the studio photo of the gang, but here's a copy. Also this is the official cast and crew photo of 'Ghostbusters II' I'm not in this picture, as I was not in California at the end of filming, but did my part in New York early in the production. These are laser copies of the originals sent to me."

Pat Fraley (Guest voice in EGB "The Unseen" and "Back In The Saddle - Part 2", voice of Jake Kong Jr. in Filmation's GB)
Circa 2001 - Q: I know that you were in the Extreme Ghostbusters episodes "The Unseen" and "Back In The Saddle - Part 2," though I can't figure out which characters you provided the voices for. If you can tell me, I'd be most appreciative.
A: Paul, I was covering 'Ray', usually done by Frank Welker, who was unavailable for the two sessions. Regards, P.F."

Rino Romano (Eduardo Rivera in EGB)
November 20, 2000 - "So nice to hear from you - I've seen your name online many times - the GHOSTBUSTERS website rocks! That show was, quite frankly, my favorite. Eduardo was indeed a goof - but a very lovable one with his heart in the right place. I only wish they'd 've done more episodes - then we'd finally see what was to become of him & the elusive Kylie. (I have my suspicions as to the outcome...)"

While most of the cast and crew sent me short letters or notes, three actors sent me very detailed multi-page letters. These have been archived on the autographs page as PDFs. Text transcriptions are below.

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