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Tag: Dan Aykroyd

  • Dan Aykroyd On a New Mission from God; Launches New Label

    He’s on a mission from God.

    Dan Aykroyd is not sitting still. Recently we talked about how Dan Aykroyd is involved with Ivan Reitman in the setup of Ghost Corps, the Sony Pictures division that will oversee a whole new franchise launch of Ghostbusters movies, including as many as four films already on the drawing board, television expansion, and merchandising. The project aims to do for the Ghostbusters brand what Marvel has accomplished with the Avengers-related series of films and shows.

    But Aykroys isn’t stopping there. On the heels of his appearance at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special, the man whose alter-ego is Elwood Blues has announced the launch of a new record label, Blues Brothers Records.

    The label is a partnership with John Belushi’s widow Judy and will be an arm of Blue Note Records. They aim to sign new and existing blues artists, perhaps even including some combos with popular artists of today. Aykroyd told Billboard:

    “And a lot has to do with crossover. Jack White and Aerosmith have done blues records. After I saw Miley Cyrus on Saturday Night Live, I could hear her doing Lightnin’ Hopkins with that growling voice. By working with a first-class producer in Don [Was] and using BluesMobile to help sell, there’s a good shot at getting some traction.”

    The BluesMobile that Aykroyd refers to is a syndicated radio show that he has hosted as Elwood Blues for 22 years. It is named after the “shitbox Dodge” decommissioned police car from the first Blues Brothers movie.

    If Aykroyd has his way, he could very well end up proving himself wrong. Back in 1978, on the seminal Blues Brothers live album Briefcase Full of Blues, Aykroyd predicted the future in a dark tone:

    “Well here it is, the late 1970s, going on 1985. You know so much of the music we hear today is pre-programmed, electronic disco. We never get a chance to hear master bluesmen practicing their craft anymore. By the year 2006 the music known today as the blues will exist only in the classical records department of your local public libraries.”

    As for the depth of his own involvement in the label, especially considering his new commitments to Ghostbusters, Aykroyd says he will “lay back and suggest things and let Don do what he does best for the first year or two. But who’s to say? I always want to find the next Gary Clark Jr.”

  • Dan Aykroyd Pledges to Donate to a Fund Set Up For Children of Slain Police Officer

    Dan Aykroyd Pledges to Donate to a Fund Set Up For Children of Slain Police Officer

    Dan Aykroyd has pledged to donate to a fund set up for slain Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson III.

    Dan Ackroyd made the announcement during an appearance at the Philadelphia Flower Show on Friday, where he was promoting his vodka, Crystal Head.

    Robert Wilson died Thursday following a shoot-out that occurred during an attempted robbery at a North Philadelphia GameStop store.

    Wilson, an eight-year veteran with the force assigned to the 22nd District, was randomly in the store performing a security check and was taking a moment to purchase a game for his eight-year-old son when the armed robbers entered the store.

    Wilson is being called a hero after he placed himself in harms way to protect store employees by drawing attention away from them. He allegedly continued to fight for their protection even after he was shot.

    Thirty-year-old Carlton Hipps and his brother, 26-year-old Ramone Williams, have been charged with the officer’s alleged murder.

    The Police and Fire Federal Credit Union set up the fund for Wilson’s sons, aged eight and one.

  • Dan Aykroyd Wants To Help Family Of Slain Police Officer

    Dan Aykroyd announced earlier this week that he wants to help the family of a police officer who was killed on Thursday in Philadelphia, and said he’ll be contributing to a trust fund set up for the man’s two children.

    Robert Wilson III was at a GameStop on Thursday afternoon buying a game for his 8-year old son when two men entered and attempted an armed robbery. Wilson reportedly intervened to pull the men away from store employees and was hit when they exchanged gunfire. According to NBC Philadelphia, more than 50 shots were fired inside the store in less than a minute. Brothers Carlton Hipps and Ramone Williams have been charged with Wilson’s murder; his peers are calling him a hero.

    “The officer was a hero and a warrior — he fought until the very, very end — firing at both of them,” Philadelphia Police Homicide Captain Darrell Clark said.

    Aykroyd said he will be donating to the trust fund that has been set up for Wilson’s children; his son turns nine years old on Monday. Police say Wilson was buying him the video game as a reward for doing so well in school. Donations can be made at:

    The Robert Wilson III Family Memorial Trust Fund
    Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
    901 Arch Street
    Philadelphia PA, 19107

    Aykroyd previously made headlines last year with the news of Ghostbusters 3 and said that if he gets his way, the franchise will spread beyond even that film.

    “It’s beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I’m thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony? The franchise has the potential to be not just another movie or another TV show, but what’s the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.

  • Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, More Star in All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’

    Kristen Wiig will join will fellow actresses Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in comprising the all-female cast of the upcoming remake of Ghostbusters. Sony Pictures is set to release the film in July of 2016.

    Director Paul Feig announced his stars by posting their photos on Twitter on Tuesday. The new film will update the original Ghostbusters from 1984, as well as the sequel from 1989.

    Kristen Wiig is, of course, a Saturday Night Live alumni, and both Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are part of the current SNL cast. Wiig and McCarthy starred together in the hilarious blockbuster hit Bridesmaids–also directed by Paul Feig.

    The reboot of Ghostbusters has long been in the works, with the initial plan of having the original cast–Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray. Aykroyd, Ramis, and Hudson had agreed to reprise their characters, but Bill Murray proved elusive, eventually saying he loved the idea of an all-female cast instead. Harold Ramis passed away last year.

    Ghostbusters has certainly capitalized on some of the funniest women in comedy by casting Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. The broad expanse of personalities alone suggests that while humor will prevail, these won’t be cookie cutter roles.

    Filming is expected to begin on Ghostbusters this coming summer in New York City. So if there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who are you going to call?

    You can start with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones.

    Will you be counting the months until July 2016?

  • Dan Aykroyd Believes in Aliens, But Says They Are Disgusted With Us

    Dan Aykroyd believes.

    In 2012, David Sereda sat down with Dan Aykroyd and recorded a video interview about UFOs. That interview formed the basis of what is now Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs. The entire documentary is available on YouTube, and you can see it at the bottom of this article.

    Aykroyd says he’s been interested in UFOs since he was a kid. His interest was piqued by both real life and fictional events, including a Life Magazine article about UFO sightings over Washington, DC in 1952, as well as the film The Day the Earth Stood Still.

    He believes aliens do visit Earth, and he thinks he knows why.

    “If you look at the way mankind in the last 100 years has basically started to turn this planet into a cinder — three or four holes in the ozone layer because of industrial production around the world, nuclear testing, wars — I’m sure that, just in theory, if there were another species in the universe monitoring us or near us, they would be very interested in what we were doing to this planet, to this planet’s atmosphere, and to possibly neighboring bodies. And I think, in terms of the extraterrestrial machines that are coming and going, that may be part of a motivation.”

    Back in the late 1970s, when Aykroyd and fellow Saturday Night Live cast mate John Belushi came up with their now-famous Blues Brothers sketches, they modeled their look partly from a John Lee Hooker album cover. But Aykroyd would also tell interviewers the outfit based on the “men in black” that would reportedly show up at UFO sightings and warn people to keep quiet. This was long before the Men in Black films.

    Aykroyd also told documentary makers that he had an experience with “men in black” himself while filming a series for SyFy called Out There, about alien encounters. He said he saw these men in black very briefly before the show was shut down and went on to remain unreleased.

    Recently, Aykroyd told The Sunday Times Magazine that aliens do visit Earth, but they do not make contact with the general population for a good reason.

    “(It’s) because we are a violent species. They don’t want anything to do with us. They watch us. There were two white orbs over (New) Jersey when the second tower went down on 9/11. They were on CNN for about two minutes… They never showed it again.

    “Can you imagine what was going through their advanced minds when they saw what happened on 9/11? These humans crashing our highest evolution in aviation into our highest evolution in architecture and metallurgy, like kids wrecking toys in the sandbox. They are disgusted with us. And rightly so. Because we are a depraved, disgusting species.”

    Aykroyd claims to have had an unsettling personal experience with alien contact.

    “I woke up in the middle of the night, and I said to my wife, ’They’re calling me. They’re calling me. I wanna go outside. They want me to go outside and see,’ She said, ‘Who?’ [I replied,]’Something outside wants me to go outside and see.’”

    Aykroyd did not go outside. He went back to bed.

    “But the next day in the media, in newspapers, in radio, all over upstate New York, and in Ontario, Quebec, and Vermont, people spoke about this urge they had to go out of their houses at 3:00 in the morning and look up at the sky. And 12,000 people shared this urge. And they went out and it was a big, big news story. And of course, the Air Force said that a Chinese rocket had exploded over New York state. But what people saw was a massive, miles-high pink spiral in the sky above the Great Lakes.”

    Aykroyd related another such happening in Canada a few years later. He believes there are going to be more of these shared experiences.

  • Dan Aykroyd Looks to Expand Ghostbusters Franchise, With or Without Bill Murray

    While Bill Murray has made it clear that he will not be appearing in a Ghostbusters sequal, Dan Aykroyd is wanting to expand the universe surrounding the popular 1984 film to a new level.

    “It’s beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I’m thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony? What does Pixar and Star Wars mean to Disney? What does Marvel mean to Fox?” he said last week in London, adding that the goal should be, “not just another movie or another TV show, but what’s the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school.”

    After the second Ghostbusters film in 1989, other outlets have been made for fans including a pair of animated television series: The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters.

    There is even talk of a third (and fourth) film with an all-female cast. “We need to write it,” Aykroyd said.

    But Aykroyd said that the entire Ghostbusters team, including director Ivan Reitman, were now looking at the next ten years, comparing their progress to Ecto, the recognizable Ghostbusters vehicle.

    “It’s up on blocks, it needs new electronics, new everything,” he said. “That’s what we have to do. The whole vehicle of Ghostbusters has to be rebuilt. That’s the ambitious thinking that’s going on now. Taking on the model of Marvel where we take all of the elements that are in this movie and we put them out there as different ideas.”

    On top of the newly revamped interest in the Ghostbusters, Aykroyd has his hands full with other ventures such as Crystal Head vodka, a sugar-free brand that he co-founded in 2007. Last week he promoted Use Your Head, a series of three-litre skull-shaped vodka bottles designed by London artists.

    “Artists around the world have embraced the head, zipping it in leather, casing it in brass, tiles, rhinestones, gold,” said Aykroyd. “We thought, why not do a project where we recognise the artists and see what people come up with? Of course ‘use your head’ works in another sense, in terms of the moderate consumption of our product. We are very focused on that in the United States. I’m fortunate. I don’t have a problem with alcohol so I can consume it.”

    Crystal Head is the official vodka of The Rolling Stones.

    As far as Ghostbusters goes, Aykroyd wishes Murray would come around to the revamping.

    “I wish he were a better partner in the property,” sighed Aykroyd. “It’s kind of like having a piece of real estate with a partner who doesn’t want to develop it. I don’t think it’s fair to the other partners. But that’s his choice. He will always be my friend.”

    As for Murray’s suggestion of an all-female cast including Kirsten Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, Aykroyd disagrees.

    “If we were going to do it female” he said, “I’d say they’ve gotta be young, in their 20s. And unknowns.”

    Aykroyd has been married to actress Donna Dixon (Spies Like Us) for over 30 years. The couple have three daughters together.

  • Dan Aykroyd Wants To Create Ghostbusters Universe

    Dan Aykroyd recently revealed that he wants to extend the Ghostbusters franchise beyond another sequel.

    Aykroyd, one of the brains behind the third installation of the series, said that he hopes to branch out the series, possibly even taking the ghost fighting men back to their younger years.

    “It’s beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I’m thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony?” he told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. “[The franchise has the potential to be] not just another movie or another TV show, but what’s the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school.”

    There is currently no talk about the Ghostbusters universe that Aykroyd is suggesting, however the third movie is moving forward.

    Ivan Reitman, the director of the first two films and the producer of the third, recently revealed in an interview for Toronto Life that the writers are currently working on the script.

    “The studio is in, and we have writers working on it as we speak,” Reitman said when he was asked about the much anticipated sequel. “We’re ­hoping to film at the beginning of next year. Dan Aykroyd and I meet about once a month to talk about it.”

    Bill Murray has so far refused to commit to reprising his role, however Reitman says that he believes Murray will come around. “He’s [Murray] publicly said no, but Bill and I have done six movies together, and he never says yes until literally just before the shoot,” Reitman said of Murray.

    “Two TIFFs ago, we had a late dinner at Sotto Sotto, and we ate and talked until 4:30 in the morning. I told him, ‘I don’t care if you do ­Ghostbusters—I mean, I’d love it if you did—but why aren’t you doing leading parts for big studio films?’ He said he didn’t want that responsibility. He wanted to be a character actor.”

  • Bill Murray Talks All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Cast

    Bill Murray starred in Ghostbusters thirty years ago, and he doesn’t want to star in any future Ghostbusters productions. However, that hasn’t stopped the funny man and actor from discussing the possibility of a remake with an all-female cast. And what an amazing cast that would be.

    “I’m fine with it; I’d go to that movie,” he said during an interview with The Toronto Star at the Toronto International Film Festival, where his drama/comedy with Melissa McCarthy, St. Vincent, premiered. “They’d probably have better outfits, too.”

    Bill Murray even shared the names that immediately came to mind when he imagined that Ghostbusters all-female cast.

    “Melissa (McCarthy) would be a spectacular Ghostbuster,” Murray said, mentioning his latest co-star first. “And Kristen Wiig is so funny. God, she’s funny!”

    Word spread quickly, it seems, throughout those present at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    That’s not all, however.

    “I like this (Mad Men’s) Linda Cardellini a lot. And Emma Stone is funny. There are some funny girls out there,” he added.

    Kristen Wiig even replied.

    Do you suppose Sony will heed Bill Murray’s suggestions and produce a new Ghostbusters with his all-female list of characters? It would likely have a box office draw, but probably nothing compared to the original.

    Ghostbusters was a supernatural comedy film, first released in 1984. It was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and in addition to Bill Murray, starred Dan Akyroyd, and Harold Ramis. The film was originally scripted to include parts for John Belushi and John Candy. John Belushi’s death and Candy not opting in forced some re-writing. A huge box office success, Ghostbusters was nominated for two Oscars, but didn’t win.

    Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy will appear in theaters next month in St. Vincent, where Murray plays the role of a retired, drunken war veteran–who also likes to gamble. McCarthy’s character–his new neighbor–recruits him to watch over her 12-year-old son. Murray’s character’s ideas of after-school entertainment are vastly different from those of McCarthy’s.

    While fans might be a bit disappointed to learn Bill Murray won’t appear on the big screen in a new Ghostbusters, they will no doubt enjoy seeing him alongside Melissa McCarthy. St. Vincent opens in U.S. theaters on October 10th, and looks to be perfect vintage Murray–almost akin to his What About Bob? persona.

  • Ghostbusters 3 Is Currently In The Works

    Ghostbusters 3 Is Currently In The Works

    In an article published in the Toronto Life, director Ivan Reitman revealed that the film Ghost Busters 3 is currently in the works.

    Reitman directed the first two Ghostbusters films with actors Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, but explained that he would only be producing the third.

    “The studio is in, and we have writers working on it as we speak,” Reitman said when he was asked about the much anticipated sequel. “We’re ­hoping to film at the beginning of next year. Dan Aykroyd and I meet about once a month to talk about it.”

    After Ramis’ untimely death, and Murray publicly saying that he would not reprise his role, fans are wondering if the third installment of the series would meet expectations.

    “He’s [Murray] publicly said no, but Bill and I have done six movies together, and he never says yes until literally just before the shoot,” Reitman said of Murray. “Two TIFFs ago, we had a late dinner at Sotto Sotto, and we ate and talked until 4:30 in the morning. I told him, ‘I don’t care if you do ­Ghostbusters—I mean, I’d love it if you did—but why aren’t you doing leading parts for big studio films?’ He said he didn’t want that responsibility. He wanted to be a character actor.”

    Aykroyd, the film’s creator, announced in July 2014 that production on the film would start in 2015. “It looks like we’ll be in pre-production in the spring now, from what I’m hearing,” he said at the time.

  • Ghostbusters 3: Dan Aykroyd Announces Filming Date

    Ghostbusters 3 is finally going to happen, according to Dan Aykroyd. He says pre-production on the long-awaited sequel will begin in the spring. Dan Aykroyd wrote the first two Ghostbuster films and starred in them as Dr. Raymond Stantz.

    The wait has been a long one for fans of the iconic 80’s movies that also starred Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and others. It seemed that plans for a third installment might be forgotten forever when original ghostbuster Harold Ramis died early this year at the age of 69 due to complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. He was a favorite personality for many in the first two Ghostbusters, and it would be hard to picture Ghostbusters 3 without him.

    Ernie Hudson, who is excited to reprise his role as Winston Zeddemore, said of the Ghostbusters 3 production,

    “It’s unfortunate, you know, Harold is not here. Harold was the glue…he was amazing. He was an icon. So you’re going to get a Ghostbusters, but obviously it’s going to be a Ghostbusters without Harold,” said Hudson at the Niagara Falls Comic Con, “It’s going to be different. So it [Ghostbusters 3] has to be original and it has to be something that is worth all the 30 years of waiting.”

    I wonder if the production of Ghostbusters 3 will be as fun as the production of the first Ghostbusters film sounds.

    Dan Aykroyd says of the filming of the first Ghostbusters movie, “We owned the city here for a while. The first day we went out and were stealing shots all over Manhattan. No permits, nothing.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8CtLhrExE

    That was until the general public caught sight of the strange creatures in their ghostbuster suits.

    “It was pandemonium because people didn’t know what we were yet. And here we are with the packs and the tube, that green tube that we have there. You know what that’s for? When you see a ghost, you get scared, sometimes you lose it….”

    If the rumors are to be believed, we could possibly see Ghostbusters 3 in theaters early in 2016.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ghostbusters 3: Dan Aykroyd Says Pre-Production Will Start Spring 2015

    The third installment of Ghostbusters has been in the works for a long time now, and fans will be happy to know that filming will begin next year. The great news was revealed by a ghostbuster himself, Dan Aykroyd.

    Aykroyd visited TODAY on Monday morning and said, “It looks like we’ll be in pre-production in the spring now, from what I’m hearing. It should be good.”

    The news of a third installment started two years ago when Aykroyd said that he wanted to make a third Ghostbusters film. However, with Harold Ramis’ passing this year, fans feared that the third installment would be tossed.

    Aykroyd also talked about making the first film in New York City. “The first day we went out and were stealing shots all over Manhattan. No permits, nothing.”

    Dan Aykroyd makes announcement about Ghostbusters 3 on ‘TODAY’

    A few weeks ago, Sigourney Weaver, who played Dana Barrett in the first two films, revealed plot details. She said that she would only reprise her role if her on-screen son Oscar would be a Ghostbuster in the new film. Oscar was only two years old in the second Ghostbusters movie.

    Former Ghostbusters actors will also be featured in the upcoming film including Ernie Hudson and Rick Moranis.

    Hudson talked about the upcoming film and said that Ramis was the glue of the group. “He was an icon. So you’re going to get a Ghostbusters, but obviously it’s going to be a Ghostbusters without Harold. It’s going to be different. So it has to be original and it has to be something that is worth all the 30 years of waiting,” he said.

    Ivan Reitman will not be directing the third Ghostbusters film, but he is working closely with writer Etan Cohen and Aykroyd.

    With the film taking place 30 years from the original film, Ghostbusters fans are expecting something fresh from the spirit exterminators.

     Scene form Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroyd

    Image via YouTube

  • “Ghostbusters 3”: Aykroyd Brings Good News

    “Ghostbusters 3”: Aykroyd Brings Good News

    Ghostbusters 3 has been mostly in rumor mode for years now, and after the tragic loss of Harold Ramis earlier this year, it looked like the film might be shelved forever. Now, however, during an interview on Today, original Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd said the third movie in the series would begin production in 2015.

    “It looks like we’ll be in pre-production in the spring now, from what I’m hearing. It should be good,” he said.

    While Bill Murray has been firm on his stance about not participating in the movie, Aykroyd says he still has fond memories of shooting the original film.

    “The first day we went out and were stealing shots all over Manhattan. No permits, nothing. It was pandemonium. Because people didn’t know what we were yet,” he said.

    Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the first two films, says that details surrounding the movie are few and far between. Indeed, there have been no announcements regarding the cast or what changes have been made to the script, which has changed hands a couple of times.

    “I think we’re going to start shooting in the fall, or maybe the spring…once again, it kind of changes a bit…and I’m always reluctant to say anything because they tell me one thing and then it doesn’t happen. It’s unfortunate, you know, Harold is not here. Harold was the glue…he was amazing. He was an icon. So you’re going to get a “Ghostbusters”, but obviously it’s going to be a “Ghostbusters” without Harold. It’s going to be different. So it has to be original and it has to be something that is worth all the 30 years of waiting,” Hudson said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Melissa McCarthy Hilarious in ‘Tammy’ Trailer

    Melissa McCarthy is a hoot in the new trailer for her upcoming comedy Tammy, which costars Susan Sarandon as her alcohol-imbibing grandmother.

    The trailer showcases McCarthy’s unique comedic style and propensity for playing lovable losers. It opens with a classic dance routine by McCarthy to Coolio’s Ganster’s Paradise as she moves in to rob a fast food joint at the end of a very bad day.

    The Mike and Molly star plays a woman who succumbs to desperate measures after totaling her clunker car, getting fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint and finding her husband doing the nasty with a neighbor.

    McCarthy, 43, co-wrote Tammy with her real-life husband of nine years, Ben Falcone, who also directed the movie.

    The couple met as members of L.A.’s Groundlings comedy troupe in the late 1990s and have worked together on Bridesmaids, in which Falcone played an air marshal dealing with McCarthy’s antics.

    Tammy also stars Allison Janney, Kathy Bates, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd and Toni Collette.

    Tammy will hit theaters July 2.

    Image via YouTube

  • Harold Ramis Remembered In Making Of GB3

    Harold Ramis Remembered In Making Of GB3

    Legendary film director and actor Harold Ramis helped bring the world the 1980’s classic Ghostbusters as well as the well-known Groundhog Day. Though the talented performer was recognized for his contributions during the 2014 Oscars, Ramis continues to inspire. The President of the United States even took the time to remember the works created by the talented one-of-a-kind Hollywood icon. Barack Obama released the following statement eulogizing Ramis.

    “When we watched his movies – from Animal House and Caddyshack to Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day – we didn’t just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings. Our thoughts and prayers are with Harold’s wife, Erica, his children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him, who quote his work with abandon, and who hope that he received total consciousness,” the statement read.

    With news swirling about the potential Ghostbusters 3, many linked to the project have continued to offer lingering praise for Ramis. According to Ernie Hudson, who is more popularly known as the fourth Ghostbuster, the script for the upcoming project is something to encourage excitement. “Script is really good and we’ve got a lot of interest from a lot of directors to do it. We’re just literally starting the search right now. We got a lot of incoming calls so we’re gonna go through it and see. The fans have been waiting very, very patiently,” Hudson said.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy of Justin Hoch

  • ‘Ghostbusters 3’ to Film in 2015 with Different Director

    News broke Wednesday that Ivan Reitman dropped out of directing Ghostbusters 3 in the wake of the recent death of original Ghostbuster Harold Remis, but filming of the Sony-produced sequel is still scheduled for early 2015.

    Reitman will instead help Amy Pacal of Sony Pictures Entertainment find a replacement director, saying that he was pleased with Etan Cohen’s script. Reitman agreed to work on the film as a producer, but expressed he is not up for helming the project after the loss of Remis last month.

    “Harold got sick about three years ago, and we kept hoping he would get better. I kept pushing forward on the Etan Cohen and we now have a draft that is very good, that the studio is very excited about,” Reitman said.

    “When I came back from Harold’s funeral, it was really moving and it made me think about a lot of things. I just finally met with Amy and Doug Belgrad when I got back. I said I’d been thinking about it for weeks, that I’d rather just produce this Ghostbusters. I told them I thought I could help but let’s find a really good director and make it with him. So that’s what we’ve agreed will happen. I didn’t want all kinds of speculation about what happened with me, that is the real story,” continued Reitman.

    Ramis died at the age of 69 in his home in Chicago on Feb. 24 from complications related to auto-immune inflammatory vasculitis, which he had battled for four years.

    Ramis’ Ghostbusters 1 and 2 co-writer and co-star Dan Aykroyd previously said that the third film in the franchise sees the original Ghostbusters team recruit a gang of younger scientists, in order to restart the poltergeist-catching business and keep it going for the future.

    Reitman noted that Aykroyd is on board with the project, but it is not clear whether or not Bill Murray has agreed to appear in the third installment in Ghostbusters 3.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Dan Aykroyd Sworn In As Sheriff’s Deputy

    Dan Aykroyd Sworn In As Sheriff’s Deputy

    Dan Aykroyd has played a lot of roles over the years, but one of his most important roles is yet to come: that of sheriff’s deputy in Hinds County, Mississippi.

    The 61-year old actor was sworn in to the reserves on Friday and said that he’ll not only take the job very seriously, he’ll also help with fundraising efforts to help the department stay effective.

    “It’s an honor to join these ranks today,” he said during the ceremony. “I understand the challenges that law enforcement face in today’s world…If there’s some raid and I have to go in and do some negotiation, or I have to do something that requires me to be on the front line, my experience there is obviously very limited — I’ve acted in this reserve capacity in some departments before and I know what that entails — but of course I now stand shoulder to shoulder and arm in arm with all the great young women than I’ve met here.”

    Aykroyd has almost sixteen years worth of experience after serving in law enforcement in Louisiana, and although he enjoyed his time there, he fell in love with Mississippi while filming on location. He says he plans to help with raising money for his new department to help boost their resources. He also said that his job affords him the luxury of travel, which may come in handy for the sheriff’s department.

    “A lot of departments can’t even afford ammunition for practice,” he told the Clarion Ledger. “It’s that kind of tiny little challenge that you never think of. We’re going to be aware of that and aware of maybe doing some programs and some fundraisers to supplement the resources of the department here…I am able to go all over the world now and talk up this county, talk up this state and talk up the people of the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department. It’s a great honor, and I hope I can uphold my duties professionally and with integrity and honesty, and I hope to do that.”

    WLOX.com – The News for South Mississippi

    Image via YouTube

  • Dan Aykroyd Talks Business and We Talk About Him

    It’s the 30th anniversary of one of America’s favorite Christmas movies, Trading Places. Entrepreneurs are eating up Dan Aykroyd’s assertion in a Bloomberg interview that if Trading Places isn’t the Best Movie of All Time, it is at least the Best Business Movie of All Time. While co-star Eddie Murphy’s personal life might be a little more known that Dan Aykroyd, Aykroyd is no slouch in the Interesting Facts Department himself.

    Some Dan Aykroyd fun facts gathered from wikipedia and elsewhere:

    -Dan Aykroyd is from Canada.

    -Dan Aykroyd’s first career goal was to become a priest.

    -Aykroyd told the Daily Mail earlier this month that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in the 1980s, way before it was cool to have Asperger’s.

    -Dan Aykroyd has webbed toes. Some believe that this is a sign that he is a Mer Person.

    -Dan Aykroyd’s right eye is green and his left is brown, which means, as Professor Xavier tells us, that Dan Aykroyd is pretty much a mutant. Aykroyd’s mutant power is apparently being a great actor and comedian in highly successful movies.

    -Yes, Dan Aykroyd has had a major hand in some of the Best Movies of All Time, but some critics really think Nothing But Trouble was horrible.

    -Aykroyd is one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. Aykroyd met Belushi here which sparked a little skit involving two dancing men in suits and black sunglasses, and the rest is history.

    -Aykroyd once joked that “Slimer” the green ghost of Ghostbusters in which he wrote and starred in, was the ghost of departed friend John Belushi

    Now you know a bit more about the co-star of The Greatest Business Movie of all Time. Hope you paid attention; some of these questions might end up on the GRE.

    Image via Youtube

  • Dan Aykroyd Drops F-Bomb After Leaving Interview

    Dan Aykroyd was not too happy during an interview with Ellen Fanning from The Observer Effect. Dan was reportedly overheard on the streets outside the studio where the interview took place saying, “f…ing hosebag” about Fanning. What had the interviewer done to enrage the wrath of the popular actor?

    Ellen Fanning apparently would not let Dan Aykroyd discuss his new business venture, which is the marketing of the Crystal Head vodka. The SBS talk show host had already partially conducted the interview which consisted of Dan Aykroyd discussing his childhood and career; however, the interview turned sour quickly.

    According to a SBS representative, “(Aykroyd) was welcome to mention his vodka, but advertorials are not part of the show’s format.”

    Present reports claim that Dan Aykroyd had intended to have the vodka market line discussed, which Ellen Fanning was not openly encouraging. Dan apparently ripped off his sunglasses and proceeded to mention the full line of products included within the Crystal Head vodka brand before storming out of the interview.

    Shine Australia and SBS are joint producers of The Observer Effect where both reached out to the Executive Producer of the show, Paul Steindl, and requested that an official apology be publicly sent to the famous actor. However, both Paul Steindl and Ellen Fanning refused to issue the requested apology. Though the exact circumstances surrounding this infamous situation have yet to be released it appears that Steindl and Fanning think that the apology should come from Dan Aykroyd instead of from them.

    While this outburst may seem bad for business, Dan Aykroyd is a beloved Hollywood icon and his fans are vocally supporting him through Twitter.

    Though the interview with Ellen Fanning from The Observer Effect is not available, the following interview shows Larry King discussing the vodka line with Dan Aykroyd.

    [Image Via YouTube]

  • Dan Aykroyd, From Ghostbuster To Vodka-Seller

    After making a name for himself fighting ghosts on the big screen, Dan Aykroyd is now making headlines for creating vodka that is sold inside large crystal, skull heads.

    The vodka, which is appropriately named Crystal Head Vodka, has been the focus of his most recent public appearance. The actor was spotted in East Windsor at the Bottle King liquor store to talk about the product.

    “This (vodka) is something that excels to be the best. We are the best vodka, a luxury, premium spirit and that is what I wanted to create,” Dan said.

    Many people showed up to meet the famous actor.

    Nick Twist explained his reason for coming to East Windsor. ”We are out here to meet him. I loved him in Sneakers. I just love Dan Aykroyd.”

    Husband, Brett Lawrence, and wife, Emily Lawrence, were also eager to meet Dan Aykroyd.

    “When we found out about it, I freaked out,” said Emily Lawrence.

    ”It’s great to (be able to) meet him,” Brett Lawrence said.

    Dan Aykroyd has been successful in many iconic movies spanning his career such as Ghostbusters, The Blues Brothers, and Driving Miss Daisy as well as television shows such as Saturday Night Live. After making a name for himself through these avenues, he has decided to lend his hand to the liquor world as well.

    “I’ve tried to do the best I can. I’ve had the number one movie, number one television show, number one record, I want to have the number one vodka,” Aykroyd said.

    The vodka is made from Newfoundland water where the brewing process uses peaches and cream corn to create the flavor.

    Fans have taken to Twitter to voice their enjoyment of the new premium spirit.

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy Of Tonyshek]