Last week I had the opportunity of a lifetime! I was invited out to the the Sony Pictures Studios Lot with a group of “Mommy Bloggers” to hang out with Ivan Reitman, you know, the director of the Ghostbusters movies? Oh my goodness, what an honor! 
As I approached the lot, I could see the giant rainbow! If you’ve ever driven by the area, you may have seen it because it’s larger than life and visible from the street. Did you know that this rainbow was built as a tribute to Wizard of Oz? When you walk under it you almost feel like Dorothy.
Our group was headed to meet Mr. Reitman at Ghost Corps, which is like the Ghostbusters “creative headquarters”. If you’re a fan of the film(s), it’s pretty much like nostalgia heaven! As we approached the area, I know more than one of us was giddy to find the original Ecto-1, parked right outside. Never pass up a photo opportunity like that! 
Shortly after we took 1000s of photos with Ecto-1, because that’s what women do, we walked through the doors of Ghost Corps to find Ivan Reitman standing with coffee in hand. He was so welcoming and genuinely wanted to chat with us about the Ghostbusters of yesterday, as well as the new kick-butt reboot of the film. (Yes, I’m a fan of the new one.)
You could feel how much his heart was into the entire project as he shared about his vision for the original and all that went into it. He also shared about his desire to put out more sequels and talked about how and why that never continued to happen.
When Mr. Reitman spoke about the loss of the great Harold Ramis, you could feel a true sadness in his voice and he shared that after such a loss, he didn’t visualize himself directing any more Ghostbuster films. 
You could also see his face light up talking about how the new film finally came to life! I don’t think he ever thought another Ghostbusters would happen. It’s a Ghostbusters for a new generation! With a power cast of mainly females, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones really show us how modern-day ghost catching is done! 
Ivan was surprised when we shared how much our own kids loved the film, since we’d screened just the night before. I think it surprised him because he told us that the original was never created with an audience of children in mind, even though many children saw it. (I know I did!) My own daughter already asked when we’d see it again after the screening! 
Mr. Reitman asked us to share all of our thoughts about the new film with him. He was really listening to us and truly wanted the feedback. I can’t imagine he’s getting much sleep these days, anticipating the film’s release on July 15! 
I’m a huge fan of the original Ghostbusters, which came out in 1984. It was a special part of my childhood and has remained part of the nostalgia of my generation. When I stood in the conference room of Ghost Corps, I almost felt like I was part of the brainstorming process! (Ok not really, but it was still exciting!)
It was fun to see some of the original toys in a collectors’ case, inside of Ghost Corps. The case also had some of the new toys in it. As Mr. Reitman said, “Here are some of the new Ghostbusters toys that your kids are going to be begging you for!”. Yeah, I’m sure he’s right. And if not our kids, our husbands!
Some other cool things inside Ghost Corps were actually things that scared me as a kid. I was able to conquer some of my childhood Ghostbusters fears like standing in front of Terror Dog and looking at Stay Puft right in the eye! 
As soon as I heard about a new Ghostbusters being made, one that is going to belong to today’s generation, I couldn’t wait for its release! Seriously, my daughter will have “her own version” with a cast full of females! That’s amazing! By the way, If you’re one of the 5 people who still haven’t watched the trailer for Ghostbusters, here it is:
It was an amazing day to be on the Sony Lot and have this unique experience. We also got a guided tour of the entire lot and among other things, saw such grand attractions as the Barbara Streisand Scoring Stage, where countless famous artists have recorded, and the Wheel of Fortune Studio. The most magical part of the day for me though, was meeting Ivan Reitman! 
Connect with Ghostbusters on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Stay tuned for more of my own Ghostbusters related posts later this week.