I just wanted to make a quick post to honor The Real Ghostbusters 20th birthday. Yes, it was 20 years ago today (on September 13, 1986) that the first episode "Ghosts R Us" premiered on ABC.

I didn't have time to put anything together to celebrate the occasion, but Ben King did. As part of his Ghostbusters.Net series he made an AWESOME comic strip piece that has to be seen to be believed... so click on the link below and see it already! What are you waiting for?


Next year, RGB, we'll celebrate with a round of beers, as you'll be of legal age then.

If you're into Filmation's Ghostbusters, I have a some news that is going to make you very happy. It has been officially announced that both the animated AND live-action series are going to be released on DVD through BCI's Ink & Paint label.

• Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume One DVD Set (November 7, 2006)
• Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume Two DVD Set (Spring 2007)
• The Ghost Busters: Live Action - The Complete Series DVD Set (Summer 2007)

I've known about this for a few months now, but I had to wait until the announcement was made official at the San Diego Comic-Con 2006 (thanks to Andy Mangels).

The live-action series contains a total of 15 episodes. No longer will you have to pay high prices for the few episodes that were released on videotape in the late 1980s.

The animated series contains a total of 65 episodes (including a five-part episode, which counts as five episodes). UPDATE (7/25/2006): I just received word back from Andy that the entire series will be on these two volumes (33 and 32 episodes on each - or vice versa), with extras!

I just received the three Real Ghostbusters DVDs in the mail today that I ordered last week. If you don't already have them, and you can't find them in your local stores, pick them up right now from Amazon.com: Creatures of the Night, Spooky Spirits and Slimefighters.

I took a quick look at them, as I do with all of my DVDs when I get them. I like to ensure that they play well and have no immediately noticeable defects. Plus I wanted to check out a few things in particular with these DVDs. I haven't had a chance to watch them completely, but I saw enough to make some notes. Read on to find out more...

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE





Culver City, Calif. - If you're bothered by ghosts and goblins or simply looking to enjoy hours of fun and laughter, you know who to call – The Ghostbusters. Evil spirits don't stand a ghost of a chance once our intrepid heroes are on the case! And on February 28, 2006 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release three volumes of the animated series "The Real Ghostbusters" on DVD. Each volume contains three episodes and a special bonus episode. Value priced at $9.95 SLP, these DVDs can be enjoyed by children and fans of all ages!

"The Real Ghostbusters" is based on the two hit motion pictures that helped define the '80s and features the voice talents of Arsenio Hall ("The Arsenio Hall Show" Coming to America), Dave Coulier ("Full House," "America's Funniest People") and Lorenzo Music ("Garfield," "Darkwing Duck"). In these latest episodes, the Ghostbusters -- Winston, Egon, Peter and Ray -– and their sidekick, Slimer, encounter an array of otherworldly creatures, including goblins, The Sandman and the famous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man – all of which adds up to hours of fun for longtime fans and newcomers as well.

Originally airing on ABC and later in syndication, "The Real Ghostbusters" had a five-year run (Sept. 1986 to Jan. 1991) during which time it gathered a loyal fan base. Among other honors, "The Real Ghostbusters" received a Young Artist Award for the "Best Animation Series" in 1989.

Episode Synopsis

Creatures of the Night

"Night Game"
Play ball! Rather grab a bat than a proton gun when an old Indian legend involves Winston in a baseball game of good vs. evil for the fate of one human soul? Question is, which human's soul are they fighting for?

"Bird of Kildarby"
The Ghostbusters try to bust some ghosts in a castle in Manhattan, but the ghosts send a giant and deadly bird after them.

"Lost and Foundry"
A ghost becomes a part of a new steel, leading to abnormal experiences throughout the city.

"Killerwatt" (Bonus episode)
A ghost named Killerwatt has taken over the power plant, leaving New York City powerless.

Spooky Spirits

"Ghostbuster of the Year"
The guys are in a state of competition for the title of Ghostbuster of the Year and getting on the Spooks Illustrated cover.

"Revenge of Murray and the Mantis"
He was thought to have been destroyed during the Gozer incident, but now.... the mascot of Stay Puft Marshmallows returns from the dead to battle Murray the Mantis!

"Drool, the Dog Faced Goblin"
The Ghostbusters are ready to catch a harmless goblin at a circus at the Poconos, but there is something else to worry about.

"Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream" (Bonus)
The Sandman arrives in New York and attempts to put everyone to sleep for five hundred years. And with every person put to sleep, their dreams become real. Can the Ghostbusters stop the Sandman or will they fall asleep with the rest of the city?

Slimefighters

"Adventures in Slime and Space"
One of Egon's contraptions has a bad effect on Slimer, making millions of little versions of the green ghost.

"They Call Me Mister Slimer"
Slimer tries to earn money by becoming a bodyguard for a kid that gets pushed around by bullies.

"Victor the Happy Ghost"
The Ghostbusters come across a seemingly harmless ghost and decide against locking him away in the containment unit. However, Slimer finds out this ghost turns into a nasty demon behind the Ghostbusters' backs.

"Slimer, Come Home" (Bonus)
After Peter yells at Slimer for eating Winston's birthday cake, Slimer runs away and gets mixed up with some very mean Poltergeists.

DVD SPECS
* Digitally Mastered Audio & Video
* Full Screen Presentation
* QuickStart Continuous "Play" Feature

PRODUCT SPECS

Creatures of the Night
Not Rated
Color / Closed-Captioned
DVD Order Date: 1/26/06
DVD Catalog # 13797
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD SLP: $9.98

Spooky Spirits
Not Rated
Color / Closed-Captioned
DVD Order Date: 1/26/06
DVD Catalog # 13798
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD SLP: $9.98

Slimefighters
Not Rated
Color / Closed-Captioned
DVD Order Date: 1/26/06
DVD Catalog # 13799
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD SLP: $9.98

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a division of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television production and distribution, worldwide channel investments, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment products, services and technologies, and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.spe.sony.com.

With the news of official Real Ghostbusters DVDs from Sony coming soon, I thought I'd write a little review of a non-official DVD that has just hit the marketplace. It's called The Real Ghostbusters: Manhattan Madness and was released by OS Films (UPC Code: 545618314678). You can buy it at Amazon here, here, or here. Read on to find out more about it...

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First the Casper folks sue the Ghostbusters folks because they claim that the ghost in the No Ghost logo is a rip-off of their characters. Now they're ripping off Ghostbusters by creating a Casper figurine entitled "Heart Chocolates" that is a subliminal rip-off of the No Ghost logo. Such nerve!

Many thanks to Doreen Mulman for telling me about this.

The guys who brought you Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters are back with a sequel of sorts: Return of the Ghostbusters. The movie is in pre-production and is slated for a 2006 release.

However, the filmmakers need your help. If you live in the Denver area, you can be in the movie: "Although most of the film is cast, and we have a slew of actors in Denver, anyone who would like to participate in this film will be found a place in the movie." They also need help with Visual Effects, Props, and Music.

If you can't help in any of those ways, you can still lend your support and be a part of the project by donating money to the budget. At the bottom of the film's webpage is a PayPal donation button. "Donations of $25.00 or more will receive credit in the film as a Producer! Donations of $5.00 or more will receive credit as...a donator!" Think about how cool it would be to be a producer on a GB film... even if it's not an official one.

At the beginning of December 2004 I asked my friends in California, Doreen Mulman and Nora Salisbury for help with something. Unfortunately, they had so much on their plate at the time (and still do) that they were unable to help me out.

I forgot about the matter until I was going though my e-mail today looking for things to delete, and came across my e-mail to them. Since it's now almost five months since the item in question was published, it is probably too late to get any help, but I thought I'd try publically.

Below is my message to them dated 12/5/2004. If you can help me out, feel free to e-mail me.


My aunt sent me a Los Angeles Times article from the Thursday, October 28, 2004 edition about a record snowfall received in California recently. On the BACK of the article was part of map with surrounding pictures of (I guess) famous pop culture spots in Los Angeles. One of these picture notations was this: Greystone Mansion's first owner, oil heir Ned Doheny, was murdered here. Scene from "Ghostbusters" and other movies and TV shows were filmed at the estate. This was accompanied with a photo of the mansion and the left half of the no ghost logo.

There were a few other places included in the part of the map, and just from reading them, I'm interested in viewing and owning the entire map. I was wondering if maybe you can help me out by either having the 10/28/2004 issue of the paper or by calling up the LA Times (it's gotta be a local call for you) and seeing if they could send you the page or something. I don't have a page number to give you, but maybe they can figure it out by the articles that are printed on the reverse (the ones about the snowfall and waterfalls).

As for the GB thing ... I looked it up and some websites say GB1 and others say GB2, so I don't know which to believe. I had no idea that either of the movies was filmed at that mansion. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single scene in either film that could have been filmed there. There aren't any mansions or extravagant places in either film.

The book "Shot On This Site" confirms GB1, but who knows how accurate it is. This site says: "the Greystone Mansion, which has two long tunnels underneath and where they filmed part of Ghostbusters and The Witches of Eastwick."

So, I have two ideas (off the top of my head) of what was filmed at the mansion.

* GB1: The deleted Fort Detmerring scene. (the arch in the LA Times pic suggests this)

* GB2: The subway scene(s). (the long tunnel underneath suggests this)

The best pages I could find for the site are:

http://www.seeing-stars.com/Live/Greystone.shtml

Official Site (I think)

If you find out anything, let me know. The mansion is open to the public for free, so maybe one day when you're feeling up to it, you and Nora can check it out, take photos, and see if you can figure this out (or if any of the park staff [it's considered a park] might know).

This information is two weeks old, but I've been away on a mini-vacation so I haven't been able to post it sooner. Here are the details straight from 88MPH's e-mail newsletter.

Now is your chance to own a very special, hard cover edition of "Legion". This collector's edition is packed with material, including; all four issues of the "Legion" mini-series, the twelve page San Diego Comic-Con 2004 Exclusive "The Zeddemore Factor" short story, in color for the first time, never before seen characters case studies, and a preface by Ghostbusters co-creator Dan Aykroyd!

This hard cover edition is a Diamond Comics Distributor "Previews" exclusive, and may very well be the only time 88MPH collects the "Legion" mini-series in a single volume. So if you're a Ghostbusters fan, make sure you pre-order a copy at your nearest comic shop today!

Please use this item number when ordering at your local comic book store: # FEB05 2818

You can find your nearest comic store calling: 1-888-COMIC BOOK (1-888-266-4226)

Or log on to: http://csls.diamondcomics.com

Or pre-order it online from the nice folks at Graham Cracker Comics.

On another topic, I'd like to invite all Ghostheads to help us making sure the Hard Cover is as perfect as it can be. Some of you may have notice color errors, typos or other types of errors in the course of the 4 issues. We'd like you to report us all errors by using our contact form and using the "Ghostbusters Bloopers" subject line. We will compile all data sent to us and make the proper corrections. Your help is greatly appreciated.

The final issue of the GB Legion comic book mini-series is finally in stores. If you haven't bought/ordered a copy, go to Graham Crackers Comics right away. It should come as no surprise that 88MPH has decided to milk more money from us fans by releasing YET ANOTHER VARIANT COVER. There is now a THIRD version of Legion #4, with a cover of Egon and a large green dog ghost (image on far right above) released exclusively by Bulldog Collectibles. In case you're not keeping track, for a 4 part story, there are a total of 13 different issues:

1. Legion #1 - regular cover - 1st Printing (all 4 GBs)
2. Legion #1 - regular cover - 2nd Printing (Ecto-1)
3. Legion #1 - variant cover (Peter)
4. Legion #1 - exclusive cover - Graham Crackers Comics (GB fighting Stay-Puft)
5. Legion #1 - exclusive cover - Toyzz (Terror Dog)
6. Legion #1 - UV Incentive cover (No Ghost logo)
7. Legion #2 - regular cover (all four GBs and blue ghosts)
8. Legion #2 - variant cover (Winston)
9. Legion #3 - regular cover (equipment close-up)
10. Legion #3 - variant cover (Ray)
11. Legion #4 - regular cover (Ecto-1 driving away from large green ghost)
12. Legion #4 - variant cover (Egon)
13. Legion #4 - exclusive cover - Bulldog Collectibles (Egon and a large green dog ghost)

If you have no interest in collecting the comics, and just want to read the Legion story, GBHQ reports that all four parts will be released in one hardcover book.:


Since my Legion #4 issues arrived in the mail today, I finally read the entire Legion story/mini-series (all four issues), plus "The Zeddemore Factor" Comic-Con exclusive (I read it first, since story chronologically that comes first). I've been receiving the comics as they've been released, but always intended to read the entire Legion story in one sitting instead of waiting months for each segment of the story.

I was thinking about writing a full-blown review, but the story didn't impress me enough (good or bad) to actually do it. Instead I jotted down a bunch of notes, which I'll present to you in order from issue #1 to #4.

• I wish pages were numbered.


• New character designs are ok. They take a while to get used to. Janine is actually a bit better looking than she was in the first film (no offense, Annie).


• I'm kinda turned off by the whole "famous Louis" stuff. It seems a bit out of character for the nebbish Louis, and it totally doesn't seem to follow anything established in the movie. Sure Louis wanted attention ("Doesn't anyone want to interview me? I was an eyewitness."), but he didn't make an indication that he wanted fame and fortune. Quite frankly, I see no reason to include him in the comics as a main/side character, just like there was no reason for him to be in GB2 and RGB. Although he had a big part in the events of GB1, he's nothing more than Dana's neighbor, so why can't people just leave him at that... a cameo at best.


• #1 was pretty much a "what are they doing now" (six months after the Gozer incident). The new "Legion" storyline was only briefly mentioned at the beginning and end. The story actually starts to show itself in #2.


• I love the Egon RGB hair reference in #2.


• I liked the running gag of Janine doing everything she can to get Egon's attention, though I thought the part where she threatened to put a false breast (a "falsie") "so far down [Peter's] throat that [he'll] be crappin' plastic for a week" was a bit out of character.


• Someone remind me one day to start a nudeghouls.com website.


• The GB2 museum building can be seen in the New York City shot at the end of #3. This is a nice touch, since this is exactly where the building is in real life.


• Onionhead/Slimer appears briefly in #3 & #4 in a very satisfying way (hint: he's not playing nice).


• The World Trade Center (Twin Towers) is seen in Dravenhaven's slimy rendition of Manhattan in #4. Since he had newspaper articles on his room's walls in the psychiatric institution, he would obviously be aware of the towers demise. So, does this mean that the story takes place prior to September 2001 or is this just a goof?


• Peter calls Ray in #4, but Ray can't answer his cell phone because he's all tied up (literally). Peter presumably "hangs up" as he, Winston, and Egon go out on a bust. Cut back to Ray a little later and his phone is still ringing, which he is barely able to answer, and the signal is received by the guys in Ecto-1. Either we didn't see Peter call a second time after the bust or this is a goof? If it's the former, it would have been less disconcerting if a panel or two would have been added to show Pater calling again.


• The final battle against Dravenhaven ended too quickly and without any real big finale. The end of the world was at stake, but it sure didn't feel like it. After such a long 2-3 issue build-up, it was very disheartening to have it end so quickly.


• The conclusion to the Egon/Janine storyline was very satisfying.


• For some reason Dravenhaven looks 50 years old at the end in the hospital bed than he did earlier.