Alternative rock band Hoobastank dawn neo-RGB (The Real Ghostbusters) costumes, packs and traps in this most excellent music video to their latest Ghostbusters cover.

If you follow @ghostbusters on Twitter, you may remember hearing about the band covering Ghostbusters at a series of concerts this August.

[source: Proton Charging]

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.]

Dan Aykroyd and his father, Peter, appeared on this morning’s TODAY show on NBC.  While discussing Peter Aykroyd’s new book entitled “A History of Ghosts: The True Story of Seances, Mediums, Ghosts, and Ghostbusters“, Al Roker asked Dan Aykroyd about the possibility of Ghostbusters 3.

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 Ghostbusters HQ 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!

Please post your comments on the Ghostbusters Message Board, just until the site re-launches with a proper commenting system.

If you weren’t already aware, the wonderful folks at Mattel (via MattyCollector.com) have brought every Ghostbusters fan’s dream to life by announcing a line of 6″ and 12″ Ghostbusters action figures bearing the respective likeness of Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray.

Although MattyCollector announced a limited edition 6″ “Slimed” Egon Spengler during San Diego Comic Con this year, the line officially begins with 12″ and 6″ versions of Ray Stantz.  There have been several reviews of the action figures including this Action Figure insider review of 12″ Ray Stanz which includes some great photos of the removable / light up Proton Pack. I leave you with video reviews of 6″ and 12″ Ray Stantz from TNTS, but not before mentioning that (during time of publication) there are only 2,869 12″ and 9,219 6″ Ray Stantz figures left and they are going fast.  Be sure to get yours before they are gone forever.

After trapping Slimer in Ghostbusters: The Video Game and witnessing Bill Murray’s excellent cameo in Zombieland, there is only one true Halloween costume option this year.  Lucky for you, and much like Peter Venkman’s multi-tired laundry system, there are a good number of options available for aspiring Ghostbusters this Halloween.

Super Casual: Ghostbusters “ROOKIE” Uniform Tee ($15)

This tee is available online @ Hot Topic for $15.  It is similar to the glow-in-the-dark Venkman uniform tee, which is also available.  Take note, the Venkman tee glows in the dark, but it doesn’t have the proton pack printed on the back.

Casual: Ghostbusters Uniform w/ Inflatable Proton Pack ($25 - $40)

The Ghostbusters costume with inflatable proton pack is the perfect option for fans who are willing to kick it up a notch and cross the streams.  Available in kids and adult sizes, you can find this costume in most retail stores including Target and Walmart.

DIY / Hardcore Fan: Ghostbusters Flightsuit /w “real” Proton Pack ($100 - $1000)

Last, but certainly not least, you can re-create the real thing with a little blood sweat and tears (and some cold hard cash as the offset).  You can go all in and download plans to assemble your own proton pack and Ghostbusters flight suit like Egon Spengler himself.  Alternatively you can gather patches, flight suits, proton packs, and other props on Ebay.

Big ups to Proton Charging for inspiring this updated version of the classic Ghostbusters costume - cheap and easy post from 2005.  Use your imagination and have a Happy Halloween!