Issue #2 of IDW's Ghostbusters: The Other Side comic came out last week. If you don't already have a copy, go down to your local comic shop, or click over to Graham Crackers Comics and pick up a copy. You can view the cover and read the Previews blurb over at Proton Charging; and IDW published a 5 page preview (I don't know which five pages these are exactly) that's worth a look even though the images are way too small to be able to easily read the text in them. (Since you must have an Issuu account to download the PDF file of the preview pages, feel free to use one of these public accounts.)

I just got a response back from Noel Carr at TimeLife which, I hope, will clarify some of the confusion going around about the FREE FedEx Express shipping offer for pre-orders placed by this Saturday, November 15th. I've added the response to the previous blog post about the offer, but because that post is turning into a bit of a mess, I thought I'd summarize it here as briefly as possible.

The free FedEx Express shipping offer is an UPGRADE which is applied manually when your order is billed. It won't show up in the cart. Place your order as normal with standard shipping, for which you'll be billed appropriately, and it'll be upgraded to FedEx Express shipping at no additional cost.

With that in mind, I think I can safely say that using the AFPUMPKIN coupon code gives the best deal available. Place your order by this Saturday, November 15th; use coupon code AFPUMPKIN; select standard shipping which will become Express shipping later on; and save a whopping $46.49 off the regular price of the set and Express shipping!!!

That's the short version of the deal. Here's how it breaks down: Standard shipping is normally $17.99, and the upgrade to Express is normally $6.50. The AFPUMPKIN coupon makes the standard shipping $5.00, and the Express upgrade is free if you pre-order by this Saturday! That's a savings of $19.49 on the shipping alone! Plus the AFPUMPKIN code gives you $27 off the item price (that's 15% off). Which means you'll save a whopping $46.49 off the regular price of the set and Express shipping (assuming I didn't screw up the calculations).

By the way, Canadians can't use the AFPUMPKIN code. The best code available to you guys is SLIMER, which takes $15 off the item price.

Provided to me by my request are these front-on shots of the cover art to the individual volumes. The small images are linked to large 830x1107 (approximately) images that are about 1 megabyte each (or less). It should be noted that these images don't have the Steelbook's rounded corners, but since the individual volumes when sold at retail will be in standard boxes with square corners, these images can best represent the covers to both types of packaging. I'd like to give a big thanks to Meghan Ryan, Jeff Peisch, and Alex Trocker for getting me this artwork.

With The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection DVD box set set to ship in a mere 15 days, I thought this would be a great time to take a sneak peek at one of the most eagerly-anticipated items in the set: the original promo pilot. For the first time anywhere on the internet I present a dozen new images (click on the thumbnails for larger images) and a full text description of the legenday promo pilot. This description was written up by James Eatock, and the images were given to me by him. You can read about the history of the pilot and see more images in issue #4 of his magazine, Cereal:Geek. Of course, you can view the entire promo pilot on The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection DVD box set, which is available for pre-order and ships at the end of this month. And now without any further ado...

The ghost walks down the street, the Real Ghostbusters wake up and get into Ecto-1... Ecto-1 races down the streets with Winston driving, Egon looking at his PKE meter, Peter reading a magazine and Ray on top. The camera swoops under Ecto-1 and into the van driven by no one with Slimer eating marshmallows in the back. Ray fires his gun (falling off Ecto-1 with Peter grabbing him) and his blast destroys the van. The explosion of marshmallow covers the windsheild. When Winston and Egon wipe the windscreen Slimer is driving Ecto-1! Slimer drives them up the wires of a bridge and they soar into the air, crashing into a woman's apartment surrounded by ghosts. The car skids throwing Egon and Winston clear, but into the path of Slimer and his ghost buddies... Meanwhile Peter and Ray chase a small ghost bothering a guy in a phone booth. As they give chase a monster pops out of the sewer, then an even bigger monster lands behind that one cracking the floor and sending the pair into the subway. They are about to be a hit by a train when the Marshmallow Man "saves" them. Just as he holds them up a skeleton in a plane takes them and they swoop through the air. They are left hanging on a drainpipe... Meanwhile Egon and Winston are running through the corridors of the hotel chased by the ghosts. All four crash into each other, get up and see Stay Puft and the others looming over them. They draw their weapons and fire (like in the intro), Slimer zooms past Stay Puft, but they catch him and all the ghosts are captured. Very pose!

TimeLife just wrote in to inform me, and in turn inform you, that the release date for The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection DVD box set has been pushed back. The original release date was either November 15th or 20th, depending on whether you believed TimeLife.com or the press release. The new release date is November 25th. The credit or debit card you used to pre-order this set will be charged the week of November 25th when they package your collection to ship. To make it up to the fans who have been waiting so long, every order made prior to November 15th is being UPGRADED to free FedEx Express shipping. That means that if you haven't pre-ordered yet, you can get a free upgrade to FedEx Express shipping if you place your pre-order by THIS SATURDAY! Keep in mind, you still have to pay for standard shipping. It's just that you'll get a free upgrade to Express shipping. If you use the AFPUMPKIN coupon code, you'll save $27 (that's 15%) off the item price and pay only $5 for the standard shipping. So that's $27 off & $5 shipping (using AFPUMPKIN code), upgraded to FedEx Express at no additional cost, if you pre-order by THIS SATURDAY November 15th!

[UPDATED - 11/12/2008]
I just got a response back from Noel Carr at TimeLife which, I hope, will clarify some of the confusion going around about the free FedEx Express shipping upgrade offer.

1. Is the free FedEx Express shipping going to be applied manually when the orders are billed?

-Yes

2. Just to be clear, if people use either of these coupon codes with their orders by this Saturday, they can still get the free Express shipping, right?

-Yes

3. And just to be even clearer, even though the AFPUMPKIN coupon gives a $5 flat shipping rate, it would still be billed as FREE FedEx Express shipping for all orders made by the 15th, right?

-You still have to pay the $5 for standard shipping, but the upgrade to FedEx Express will be free.

So, in short, you still have to pay for standard shipping, but that'll be upgraded to FedEx Express shipping at no additional cost. Standard shipping is normally $17.99, and the upgrade to Express is normally $6.50. With that in mind, I think I can safely say that AFPUMPKIN is the best deal around. That would make the standard shipping $5.00, and the Express upgrade is free if you pre-order by this Saturday! That's a savings of $19.45 on the shipping alone - plus the AFPUMPKIN codes gives you $27 off the item price (that's 15% off). Which means you'll save a whopping $46.45 off the regular price of the set and Express shipping (assuming I didn't screw up the calculations).

Jeff Peisch from TimeLife told me that "normally shipping a DVD set takes 7-10 days, so if we shipped on Nov. 15 the package would arrive on about Nov. 25. We're now going to ship on Nov. 25 with packages arriving in a day or two." So the free upgrade in shipping means that you'll get your package about the same time, if not a bit sooner, then you were originally going to get it if the November 15th release date had stuck.

Chances are you'll probably get it the day before or the day after Thanksgiving. If you're having lots of family over to your place, with lots of little kids (brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews), that would be a great time to get them hooked on The Real Ghostbusters. Just make sure they keep their grubby little mitts off the DVDs and accessories.


I received an advanced copy of the firehouse box today (just the box itself, not the DVDs or anything else), and it looks great - though mighty small compared to the large mock-ups I've been privy to over the past month. I'm a little disappointed that the two lenticular panels are inside the box, shown through cut-outs on the side, instead of being glued on top. Maybe it was done that way because the panels might be prone to fall off from usage if glued to the outside - and probably to save money, too. In looking at the white brick sides, I can't help but think how cool it would be if those white bricks glowed in the dark. I wish I would have thought of that when I was consulting on the design as it might have been a good suggestion.

[UPDATE - 11/11/2008]
Chad over at Ghostbusters.net just posted a video to YouTube which shows the different sides of the box, but more importantly, shows off in full motion the lenticular panels. Go check it out!

I have recently become aware that MTV updated the copies of the four music videos below that they had on their site and on iFilm/Spike. The old copies were 240x180 with MP3 44100Hz stereo 64Kbps audio. The new copies are 320x240 with MP3 44100Hz stereo 96Kbps audio. Since I was hosting the old copies on my site, I have just updated them to the new copies. Although they're not leaps and bounds better than the old ones, at least they're at the standard 320x240 size, which makes them fit in better with the other videos I have on this site.

* "Ghostbusters" -- Ray Parker Jr.
* "Cleanin' Up The Town" -- The Bus Boys
* "Magic" -- Mick Smiley
* "Disco Inferno" -- The Trammps (Studio Version updated)

A few sites are just now discovering these videos on YouTube and MTV.com, and are not aware of the fact that they've been here on Spook Central since June 25, 2007 (my birthday, so it's kinda hard to forget that date). For the record, here's the full list of known music videos, all of which can be found here on Spook Central.

GHOSTBUSTERS
* "Ghostbusters" -- Ray Parker Jr.
* "Cleanin' Up The Town" -- The Bus Boys
* "Hot Night" -- Laura Branigan
* "Magic" -- Mick Smiley
* "Disco Inferno" -- The Trammps

GHOSTBUSTERS II
* "Higher And Higher" -- Jackie Wilson
* "On Our Own" -- Bobby Brown
* "Ghostbusters" -- RUN-D.M.C.

If anyone finds any music videos NOT on the list above, be all means let me know :-)

The only thing left is to find a way to remove DRM from the old Windows Media files I downloaded from MTV.com a year and a half ago. These files, judging by their file names, are probably 416x312, which would make them the best quality copies available from MTV. Yes I know there are a few programs out there, but they all require me to have a valid license for the files, which I don't have.

Almost a year to the day that we got the official press release from Sierra we get one from Atari officially confirming that they are the new publishers of the video game, now set to be released in 2009 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first film.

I have updated the info box at the top of the main video game page with new Publisher, Developer, and Official Documents information/links (this includes the complete version of the new press release from Atari). For the record, the Sierra mini-site and FTP links in the info box will stay as long as they are valid. When they're gone and new pages are created at Atari.com, then I'll update them. I also added links in the Images: Inflatable Stay Puft Appearances area to the pics of him at Knotts Berry Farm last month.

In addition to the new press release, Atari has released two new screen shots, though they're not wildly different from what we've already seen. GameSpot has the best quality copies, so get them there.

Oh yeah, just above the press release on the news page is an article from MTV that explains why Activision chose to drop Ghostbusters and several other games. In short, it's because they can't run them into the ground by constantly exploiting them every year with endless sequels and downloadable content. What's interesting is that almost a year earlier Penny Arcade had a comic about an Activision exec using the word "exploit" to describe the plans they have for their game properties each year, and a public relations guy trying to come up with non-offensive alternatives. I guess Activision has had this exploitive mentality for quite some time now. In other news...

Master Replicas' Ghostbusters site is now active. There's not much there, except for a giant Flash applet. When you click on it, many Slimers keep coming at you. Click on them to take a four question quiz about ghosts (unrelated to the movie's ghosts). For the answers, highlight the hidden text below.

1. Anne Boleyn
2. The Haunted
3. A Great Dane
4. The Crying Old Baby

Sadly, the prize for getting all four correct isn't so great. It's simply the press release that Master Replicas posted on their site on Halloween.

Initial Product Announcement

-Ghost Trap Limited Edition 1:1 scale with lights, sounds and other features. ETA: Spring 2009

-Proton Pack Limited Edition 1:1 scale with lights, sounds and other features. ETA: Fall 2009

Other products will be announced shortly. This is only the beginning!

This line is still very much in development and our "scientists" are currently hard at work on the actual processes involved in bringing these screen icons to life. We have already had direct access to original artifacts in the Sony archive and as always with Master Replicas, authenticity and accuracy are paramount and it's important that we get the detail just right. Make sure to come to this site often for exclusive updates, development pictures/videos and much more! You can also follow current conversations and keep up with fellow Ghostbusters fans on our forum at www.masterreplicas.com

Finally, the Internet Movie Database has, yet again, put up a page for Ghostbusters 3, this time proclaiming a release date of 2010. I've lost count as to how many times they've had a Ghostbusters 3 page over the past 10 years. It's because of their page that (from what I heard) the original DVD release of Blues Brothers 2000 lists Dan Aykroyd as starring in "Ghostbusters 3" in 1998! Anyone want to take bets as to how long it stays up this time?

Well, in just 14 short days The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection set finally comes out. If you have not yet pre-ordered it, do so now! If you're still not yet convinced that you NEED to buy this set, maybe the new packaging images and the complete set breakdown will help to change your mind. I am posting the breakdown without permission, and really hope that I don't get in trouble for doing so. Please do me a favor and DON'T repost the breakdown anywhere. Thanks. (Andy and Jeff, I will gladly take it down if you want me to, but since it will all become public knowledge in 14 days, I don't see the harm in giving out that information. If anything, it'll help to hype up the set and elicit more sales.)

Effective immediately I am no longer linking to any pages on the Wikipedia website. The reason why is very simple: certain power users there feel that Wikipedia should not link to fan sites (such as Spook Central, Proton Charging, Ghostbusters Headquarters, Ghostbusters.net, etc.), even if they are more comprehensive about a certain subject than Wikipedia could ever dream to be - and more factually correct, too. As such, if they're not going to link to us, I'm not going to link to them. What's fair is fair. If you run a Ghostbusters fansite, feel free to join the ban by removing all links you have to Wikipedia and not adding any new ones.

This isn't a new issue, but it was recently reignited by Wikipedia user "Ckatz" who in July 2008 decided to remove all of the fan site links from many of the Ghostbusters articles. Currently only two out of about six main Ghostbusters articles still have external links to fansites - the "Ghostbusters II" and "Ghostbusters (franchise)" articles - though now that I've mentioned it, I'm sure someone will go over there and delete them too.

As I said, this isn't a new issue. Back in October 2006 I've dealt with this before, only it was Wikipedia user "Mushroom" who thought he knew best. Fellow Ghosthead and then-active Wikipedia user Ben King stepped in and helped restore the fansite links. He even posted a message on the discussion/talk pages of the various articles (headlined "Extrenal Links" and dated October 20, 2006) to state the case of why the fansite links should be there. Apparently that worked for a while, but was largely ignored by Wikipedia users who think they know better. Since then even Ben has gotten fed up with the elitist attitude of some Wikipedia users and doesn't actively edit pages anymore.

I'm not saying that I won't use Wikipedia for personal interests, though I always take anything posted there with a grain of salt and try to confirm information with more legitimate sources, it's just that I'm not going to publically link to Wikipedia anymore.

Oh, and if you'd like the full details on the October 2006 incident, go to page 2 of this post.

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Brought to you by The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection, available on DVD exclusively from TimeLife
Take Two

The Ghostbusters go to California to see their movie being made. But someone frees a silence-loving ghost and their proton packs have been replaced by props!

How cool is it that not only is the movie referenced, but it's actually one-upped! You gotta love how JMS flipped the script and made The Real Ghostbusters truly the REAL Ghostbusters, and the movie Ghostbusters turned into Hollywood fiction. I wish Dan Aykroyd would adopt that idea so that Ghostbusters II can be written out of the canon as "Hollywood fiction". And who here DIDN'T get a charge out of seeing the actual movie footage IN the episode itself?!? Winston gets my favorite line of the episode: Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis?!? What's that, a law firm?