This is an abridged column this week because of the holiday, but I wanted to share a brief fuzzy memory with you all.

Thanksgiving has always been synonymous with “The Revenge of Murray the Mantis.” Sure, it’s a Thanksgiving Day themed episode of Real Ghostbusters, so it makes sense, but for the longest time it was the only Real Ghostbusters VHS that was available at the local (and now long-gone) Franktown Video.

I must have begged my parents to rent that tape a thousand times. Probably enough times that would have paid for the incredible Time Life box set two or three times over.

So enjoy the Turkey Day from both myself and all the webmasters gracious enough to host this column. Watch out for demonically possessed parade floats.

(The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on GB Fans, Proton Charging, and Ghostbusters.net as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise. Learn more about Troy at www.troybenjamin.com)

Before I dive into this week’s column, I just want to take a moment to address a particular reader who felt slighted by “Giving Props Where Due”…

Mr. Cyland Props – I’m sure your contribution was and continues to be a great asset to the fan community, but the purpose of the 11/4 column was to give thanks (like the holiday tie-in? Hallmark sends me a cutback, it’s part of the whole selling out persona) to ALL of the propmakers in the community. The handful of names I mentioned were the guys that personally let me into their workshops, fed me beer, sent me parts, and lovingly handed me safety goggles and a mask and told me to man up for being afraid to use power tools I hadn’t touched since junior high woodshop. That particular segment of the column was intended to be indicative of the generous nature of the prop folks to teach and share the love as a handful of people had done for me. If you’d have bought me a beer and yelled at me for spray-painting your curb black (as I did to Mr. Sean Bishop’s, for which I continue to apologize), your name would have made it into that sentence. But instead you now get a whole paragraph at the top of a column. Plus I’ve asked everyone on all the message boards to hug you uncomfortably long and incredibly awkwardly the next time they see you in person. I hope it makes up for it.

Now, onto business at hand and the reason they pay me the big bucks to write this column.

I used to scare the bejeezus out of my parents every night that they came home from work. I’d come home from school and set Kenner Ghost Traps throughout the house, in an effort to eradicate any pararnormal activity before my parents would return. Traps would be hanging from the open-backed stairs leading up from our garage, “ghost bombs” (read: Nerf balls) would line the front door to protect the perimeter, and I would sit in the darkness clutching Kenner’s obnoxiously loud Ghost Zapper at the ready, itching to send loud shrieks of the toy’s “aah aah aah aah” wail echoing throughout the house. You can imagine the turmoil that ensued the moment an unsuspecting and exhausted parent entered the house. My parents have high-blood pressure now and yet I wonder why.

The funny thing is that before this hard Ghostbusting preparation would begin, I would change out of my school clothes and into Winnie the Pooh footed pajamas that were long since about three sizes too small for me.

Why? Because you were a Ghostbuster. You needed the jumpsuit to complete the ensemble.

There was something that didn’t make the imaginative transition from Troy Benjamin, five year old kid who still can’t even spell Ghostbusters correctly, into full-fledged, afraid of no-ghosts, paranormal investigator and eliminator complete without putting on the uniform. And since I wasn’t cool enough to own anything resembling screen accurate Air Force coveralls back in the day, Winnie the Pooh had to do.

I’ve noticed that I’m not alone when waxing nostalgic with fans about when they were kids, mainly because a jumpsuit costume wasn’t easily available until the release of Ghostbusters II well into 1989. I’ve seen everything from racecar driver suits (co-host of Ghostheads Luke, I’m looking at you) to wearing Osh Kosh overalls. Whether you were fortunate enough to own Kenner’s Proton Pack toy, or had made your own from a backpack and a flashlight (as I did until my parents sprung for the real deal one Christmas), it was equally important to a lot of us as kids to sport the uniform and to feel like we were wearing the Ghostbusters jumpsuit. No matter what color gray it was.

I’m curious as to what forms of jumpsuits fellow fans out there had, where they’re imagination filled in the missing nametag and no-ghost patch on the shoulder? Or were your parents kind enough to sew together something for you? Or were you lucky enough to own one of the official released jumpsuits? Let’s hear it in the columns ladies, gentlemen, and Houses… and if you’re even daring, link to a picture or two.

Really quick to wrap up this abundantly lengthy entry in The Private Sector, a reader question… Rodie (any relation to the dude that used to submit fan art to Ghostbusters HQ?) asks:

“I've been following GB3 ‘news’ for about 10 years now. Besides now, the closest it ever was to happening was probably around 1999. My worry is that perhaps it is too late for a Ghostbusters 3. Maybe 1999 would have been a better time for it. Knowing what you know now and everything that has happened between 1999 and now would you rather have seen Ghostbusters 3 made then or now?”

Wow, that’s a great question. I think I’m personally of the mindset that would have loved to see what the original iteration of Ghostbusters III (then set to star Chris Farley) would have been like. Though the argument has been made that the cast originally being considered might have been too broad for the “Ghostbusters-style” of humor, I still would have loved to have seen a vehicle with the old and new SNL alumni teamed up while both somewhat in their prime.

But that said, especially with the rumors that the “new cast” is going to be a group of relative unknowns, I think I’m more excited at the prospect of going into Ghostbusters just as I did J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek film. I think the new Star Trek is a great model for how a reboot can keep things fresh, but still embody the spirit and life that made the original so great and so popular. And I hope that a new Ghostbusters film would follow in such footsteps. No matter when it’s released.

(The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on GB Fans, Proton Charging, and Ghostbusters.net as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise. Learn more about Troy at www.troybenjamin.com)

The Private Sector – Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

I’m going to start off this column with a little disclaimer from a guy that works out here in this crazy “industry”: all we want to do is make the fans happy, but we have to feed our creativity too by keeping things fresh and interesting.

It’s a fine line and a tough one to navigate especially in this Internet-socially-networked-Twittering day in age. Fanboys are averse to change, but the filmmakers don’t enjoy doing the same things over and over (unless money is involved in which case, like a certain familiar face, we’ll do anything you say). On one side of the coin: the formula sells. Things that are familiar are embraced and generally are a sure bet for the studios (why do you think we’re about to see A-Team, Battleship, and countless other remakes and reimaginings in the next few years?). But on the other side of the coin: the formula can backfire and if something is played out and overwrought, you have another Batman and Robin or Home Alone 3 on your hands.

Troy, why are you bringing this up? Didn’t you lash out about nitpicking people last week? What are you a one-trick pony? Yes, I did talk about nitpicking last week and no, I like to think of myself as a half trick pony. But the reason that I bring it up is to spawn a bit of a discussion among the fans about something that’s always confused me (and to provide a little bit of a forewarning).

Here’s what confuses me, and what I was hoping might be the topic of discussion amongst the various comments and message boards that this article is fortunate enough to reach… the general temperature that I’ve been taking from the Ghostheads on the message boards is that nobody wants things to change, especially when it comes to Ghostbusters III conversation. Ranging from responses like “My God, if Will Ferrell is in this movie I swear I will boycott it”, to one of my personal favorites, “If that pot smoker Judd Apatow is involved in this movie, it’ll be awful.”

First of all, new actors are inevitable, but in regards to the second comment, you know how much self-medicating the lead stars of Ghostbusters partook in back in the day (and might still), right? That argument against poor Apatow and only a small part of the humor in his films always cracks me up. But in all seriousness, the confusing thing to me is why the majority of responses and concerns always seem to revolve around a fear of things changing when it comes to the new movie…

…but for all that fear of change, one of the biggest criticisms against Ghostbusters II is that it followed the formula of the first film too closely.

In fact, drilling down even more specifically, there’s someone (and I won’t mention names) in the community that doesn’t care for the second film because it was a “rehash of the first film.” But in the same breath, he says that he also didn’t care for the fact that they changed the Ectomobile from the first film. This certain fan was so outraged that there wasn’t an all-new story the branched out from the formula where a 50-foot giant walks the streets of New York (play on words somewhat intended to elicit visuals of Stay Puft and Lady Liberty selling themselves), but yet was also outraged when the creators of the film took some creative license and changed things up within that formulaic structure.

So where does the real fear exist as a fan? That things will change? Or do you fear things will be the exact same thing that you’ve already seen? I’m curious to hear what your concerns as a Ghosthead are with the things to come in the next couple years.

As a point of reference, and maybe even a discussion point – let me point out something else that I’ve found intriguing. Without diving into the ugly history of it all, I remember when the 88MPH “Legion” comics first came out; there was quite an outcry that the series essentially dismissed that the second film ever happened. But in playing the new Ghostbusters Video Game (which I cannot stress how amazing this game is, if you’re still holding out – run, don’t walk to pick it up especially now that the price has dropped) – nobody has mentioned the fact that it essentially dismissed a good chunk of the second film as well. And (gasp) they changed the proton packs. And all of the changes seemed to be seamless. In fact, I can’t imagine a Ghostbusters pack without a slime tether now (and it seems that such additions have carried over to the IDW Comics).

I have to forewarn you, there will be things in the third Ghostbusters film that will be different. How will you react? Will you enjoy the fact that something fresh and new is being presented to you, or will you be nostalgic for a 50-foot prostitute, I mean, Marshmallow Man…?

Speaking of discussions let me quickly answer a question from the old reader mail pile. This one was actually posted over on GBFans by good friend, Dan AKA:

“Can I have you khaki Hot Topic Ghostbusters work shirt?”

Yup -- send me your address and it’s yours. If I can find it.

Wow, that one was way too easy – you guys have to send me some tougher questions for next week. Drop me a line at netsolo@aol.com - no question is too big, unless you want me to come help you move your apartment or something in which case I might have to reconsider my offer.


(The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on Ghostbusters.net, GB Fans, and Proton Charging as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise. Learn more about Troy at www.troybenjamin.com)

“The Cake Pan Part” and “The Film Canister Part”… what was life like before we could look at a section of a proton pack and not identify it as the cyclotron and the Clippard valves?

We’ve come a long way from the days that Norm Gagnon and a band of few scratch built proton packs out of things that you could find lying around your house and at the Dollar Store. Everything has a name now. Everything has been accurately researched and precisely documented right down to the finest of details. The passion and determination is so rabid to a point that some fan prop Proton Packs are more screen-accurate than the ones that currently reside in Sony’s archives.

Why do I bring this up? Especially considering that if it weren’t for the kindness and generosity of Sean Bishop, Brian Fear, AJ Quick, and several others – I still wouldn’t know a damn thing about propping (so why should I be talking about it as if I’m some authority)? Well, funny that you should ask…

We all owe these prop masters a tremendous amount of thanks.

Let me explain. Every fan who is most likely reading this article, regardless if you are a prop builder or not, has benefitted from the hours, research, and money spent by the prop building community.

While most modern era film productions document every detail, the Ghostbusters props had to be reverse engineered by the fans. Starting from the photos of one of the Planet Hollywood packs right down to Volguus and crew purchasing a screen used pack – then dissecting it. It’s for this reason that when companies like Mattel, IDW, and others are in need of reference material for their most recent products, the first place they turn is to the fans.

Considering in the Kenner days, Ghostbusters proton packs used to be a single-colored mass of petroleum with as much detail as you could get with a cookie cutter (and how many of your out there cut off the proton streams? Be honest…), it’s been pretty funny to me to hear the complaints of some of the newer fans. Compared to those toys that we had in 1986, the amount of detail in the Mattel figures is staggering. My guess is that a good amount of the detail is owed to the wealth of reference material available on the prop sites. The packs on the Mattel figures could have just as easily once again been a hunk of black plastic that was somewhat in the shape of the packs that we’ve all come to know and love, but the fact that even the six inch figures have the details we’ve all come to know, love, and scrutinize right down to the ribbon cables – is owed to those few people that decided one day to start studying the art of the positron collider all those years ago.

Fan communities are like no other, especially in the internet and social networking era. Now that everything is instantly at our fingertips, things seem to be taken for granted. Had Mattel have sculpted a toy line back in 1996, I have the feeling the packs wouldn’t be anywhere near as intricate and beautiful as they are today. Not just because the materials and technology for toy design have changed so drastically in the past few years, but because the fans hadn’t scrutinized, discussed, researched, and documented the props of the film as extensively as it exists today.

So if you find yourself looking at the new toys or at the IDW comic art and catch yourself being aggravated that the Dale PH-25 Resistor is missing: just think, you owe the knowledge of such a part (and the fact that you know the name of it) to a hard working and devoted bunch. Take some pride in the fact that you know this information, but also show some sympathy to the people that haven’t had the ten plus years of research time that we have had that are just stepping into the franchise and doing what they can under the many constraints corporations have to make fans happy.

And also take pride in the fact that such knowledge has probably made the job of a future art production staff member on a certain third film that much easier…



How about a question? This one comes from an email from friend and fellow old-timer, Ryan LeClair:

“I have a quick question or two for your new column.

First being...the official Extreme Ghostbusters DVD release. When it was
announced, I was very excited to see and hear of it. I still see (the PAL versions) all-over
Australian and European DVD sites...as well as eBay. But I am so jealous of it
still only being a PAL release. Will North America EVER see a release of these
episodes on DVD? Not fair, I tell you!

Also...if there are any news or gossip items on Sony possibly
considering another GB game to follow the one that was recently released. I'm
really crossing my fingers on that one!”

Ryan, first off – I’m of the mindset that Extreme Ghostbusters is grossly underrated. I think that it gets a bad rap for reflecting the time period in which it was released but the characters, writing, and production value was top notch. I’d love to see it on an official DVD release in North America. Something to keep in mind is that Domestic (read: US and Canada) and International (read: everywhere not US/Canada) are operated independently of each other by the studios. Just because Sony Pictures Home Entertainment International releases something, doesn’t necessarily mean that their American counterpart will do the same. Nine times out of ten, it’s based upon the particular markets. Extreme Ghostbusters didn’t do so well on the air here in the US and Canada, but did extremely well and ran in reruns elsewhere. Take a look at a show like ALF. DVD sales here probably weren’t so hot, but other markets like Germany and Japan have had several releases that aren’t available in the US and Canada because the demand was there.

I think Extreme Ghostbusters will hit DVD eventually, especially if the fans can rally and show support for a release. But if I had to step up to the counter at Vegas and put money on it, I would think it would be more likely to see this type of release from a third party like Shout or Time Life, just as the Real Ghostbusters DVDs were released. That way it can be released in a more limited run and directed particularly to the fans that are clamoring for it.

To my knowledge, nothing is in the works – so it wouldn’t hurt to let a few people know that you want your MTV… er… EGB… by writing SPHE, Shout, and Time Life to let them know. What’s the worst that could happen, someone might listen?

As for another Ghostbusters Video Game… video games are long, time-consuming processes. After several years in production, testing, hiatus, promotion, release, and bug fixes, I’m sure the majority of the folks that worked on the first game are still sipping drinks beachside to unwind and, while another game might have a germ of an idea somewhere, they haven’t quite started on something yet.

But that said, the game did well and was well received so I’d be shocked if a sequel wasn’t explored. I’m crossing my fingers and toes too… but not my eyes. It would be bad.

Okay, I’ve far overstayed my welcome yet again – but if you have questions or comments, or you just want to know what address to spam if you’re a bot, drop me a line at netsolo@aol.com or here in the comments section of one of the great sites where you’re reading this article. See you next week!


[The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on GB Fans, Ghostbusters.net, and Proton Charging as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise.]

Hot Topic was our hero. I know those aren’t words that are uttered all that frequently, but let me take you in Doc Brown’s DeLorean for a moment. Circa 2000 or 2001 when Ghostbusters was almost completely off the radar, we considered ourselves lucky the moment that official merchandise was being released through Hot Topic in the form of a red “ringer” t-shirt and a hoodie. It was the most we had been enticed with since Extreme Ghostbusters, and we loved every minute of it (you’ll also recall that there was a cell phone cover for the candy bar Nokia phone of choice released at the same time). That red ringer shirt was a big deal, and the message boards were lit up with fans trying to track one down (long before the internet Hot Topic site made things accessible).

Here’s the scary part… I still have that t-shirt. In fact, in complete contrast to 2001, I now have enough Ghostbusters t-shirts that I could probably wear a different one every day for two weeks straight. That’s a lot of damn Ghostbusters t-shirts, and many of them (especially the older ones including the aforementioned “red ringer”) are ugly as sin. I never wear 80% of them.

Why does this come up? Why is Troy waxing semantics about t-shirts? I moved for what seems like the fiftieth time out here in Los Angeles last June and I sat, looking at the stack of Ghostbusters t-shirts in front of me and actually faced a dilemma that “Me of 2001” would never have dreamed of… should I give a few of these to Goodwill?

Aside from my GB Video Game promo shirt and my 25th Anniversary Logo shirt, I never wear them. In fact a few of them were only purchased because of the excitement that I finally had the ability to buy Ghostbusters shirts again. So why am I hanging on to several of these shirts? Nostalgia? Not really, unless I was nostalgic for the “I’ve Been Slimed” shirt that I had as a kid (that, coincidentally you can now buy again from the GBFans.com store). I’m telling you, I could donate a handful of these and before you knew it, you’d see an army of homeless dudes in Santa Monica rocking the No-Ghost logo.

Maybe that’s indicative of how readily available the shirts are now; I can buy a variety of shirts from a variety of places. And, that being the case, maybe the allure of holding onto the shirts from nearing ten years ago had lost its luster. As B.B. once famously said, maybe the thrill is gone? I’m curious if anyone else out there has gone through this transition or faced a similar dilemma?

As an aside, I’d like to thank everyone for their comments and questions following what was just the introductory column of The Private Sector. I figured 9/10ths of folks would be scratching their heads saying, “Net who? That’s a lame name for a lame guy.” (It is, and I am). I’m going to run one question per week with a short answer that hopefully everyone will benefit from… this week’s question comes from “Bennythegeek”, who – in a great letter asks:

“We all know that everyone involved in getting the project running have all said ‘maybe, possibly, it will happen, 2010 start date, 2011 release date & need a production number.’ How can we all sit here and just accept what we're being told about Sony Pictures not greenlighting the project? Truth be told, ever since the first hints of a new GB video game the GB merch business (ie. figures, RGB box set, ect.) has been booming! But why would they approve it all if Sony had no intentions of doing a third film? Think about it, man! What's the best way to get a huge fanbase for your film BEFORE it hits the screen?”

Benny, good point – here’s the scoop. The term “greenlight” is thrown around outside of Hollywood quite a bit as the term for “go ahead”. Makes sense – “I just got the greenlight from the wife to play poker tonight”, right? But in reality, here in LaLa Land, it’s a little different. The greenlight isn’t as informal as a “blessing” or “permission.” The greenlight is the term for the official moment that all pieces are in place for the actual physical production of a film to start (that’s also when the majority of the funding is provided by the studio or by the financial backer to start spending money, hence Dan Aykroyd’s quip several weeks ago). Sony is well aware that a third Ghostbusters movie is in pre-production, in fact – they’re the ones that put in the order and approved the new screenwriters to be commissioned to write the film. They have every intention of making another film – as long as all of the proverbial ducks and in a row (and committed to marching in step). So there’s no deception or curtain pulling involved. Once all parties (including the studio) are happy with the screenplay, once agreements are put into place for key roles including the directors, lead actors, etc., and (without going too far into the business side of things) a very specific line-itemized budget has been submitted and approved, a movie receives the greenlight and (generally) principal photography starts very quickly after that. Sometimes productions WILL have all the pieces in place, but the studio doesn’t want to commit to the financial obligation – and the movie will sit in a purgatory state, infinitely waiting for “the greenlight.”

That said, it’s a pretty safe bet that licensing and merchandising is working very closely with the marketing departments at Sony on a very specific strategy to increase awareness. None of these home video releases, toy releases, etc. is coincidence. These things are planned years in advance… I pause for dramatic tension on this ominous note because I want to tease that there’s someone, wearing a very nice suit, sitting in a very nice desk chair, that knows exactly what’s in store for us all over the course of the next couple years. Think about that…

Whew. That’s all the space the guys are kind enough to give me this week, as always keep your thoughts and questions coming to me at netsolo@aol.com and here in the comments sections of the respective sites. See you next week!

(The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on Proton Charging, GB Fans, and Ghostbusters.net as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise.)

Welcome to The Private Sector, where results are expected and patent clerks still continue to earn next to nothing… This is a bit of a unique experiment as, for the first-time ever; we’re simulcasting an op-ed article across three Ghostbusters fan sites at the same time. Syndication comes to Ghostheadom, you might say.

I know what you’re thinking right about now… So what exactly is this all about, and who the hell is this guy? Is he really that narcissistic to want an article on three websites? First of all, the answer is yes. But here’s the lowdown on what The Private Sector is and who I am.

The Private Sector is going to be an editorial column on recent goings on, a bit of nostalgia, and a whole lot of gibberish spewing from my crazy mind about the crazy community we have. Every Wednesday, Proton Charging, GBFans, and Ghostbusters.net will syndicate the column to each of their sites for your reading pleasure (or displeasure, if you can’t stand me).

Which brings us to the next question that I thought I was affectively going to dodge: who am I? Well, I’m the old man around these parts that grumbles and shouts at people to get off his lawn. Posing under the super-chick-magnet handle NetSolo for close to almost fifteen years, I was the maniac behind the wheel at GhostbustesHQ.com for what seems like an entire lifetime. If you haven’t heard of me, I can’t blame you; I had taken a bit of a backseat in recent years when it came to community goings on. During that time Ghostbusters, as the little franchise that could, exploded and left me behind. I’m actually working in the entertainment industry now and have signed so much of my life away to non-disclosure agreements that make discussing anything that isn’t my opinion increasingly difficult. If you’re interested in my credentials, you’re more than welcome to stalk me on the interwebs over at stillplayingwithtoys.com. Or you can do a Google search for Troy Benjamin – I’m the one that’s not a football player or porn star. Okay, well maybe I aspire to be the latter. But that’s beside the point.

The Private Sector isn’t just an outlet for me to pull a Michael Corleone and come back to the family and get back involved; it’s also very interactive as well. Especially with Ghostbusters III on the horizon, there can be a whole lot of confusion as to how the development and pre-production process for a feature film works. When is a project greenlit? What is needed for that greenlight from the studio? What’s going on behind closed doors now? If you have any questions, no matter how great or small, film related or not, or if you just want to send rampant hate mail - feel free to fire away to netsolo@aol.com (yes, I’m still on AOL – if that’s any indication as to what a fossil I am around these parts).

All right, so with the pleasantries out of the way – we now resume you to your regularly scheduled GB site programming. Tune in next Wednesday for the first REAL column of The Private Sector!