By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 17 seconds ago

The ‘80s were filled with plenty of killer comedies, including iconic films like Spaceballs, Goonies, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. For my money, though, the funniest film of the decade was Ghostbusters, a sci-fi blockbuster with more quotable lines than New York City has spooky spirits.

Later movies tried and failed to bite this earlier film’s style, including future Ghostbusters installments. Ghostbusters II was a decidedly sophomoric sequel that came nowhere close to the original Ghostbusters’ brilliance. Ghostbusters (2016) tried to go all-in on comedic improv, and it became the worst remake in movie history. Meanwhile, Ghostbusters: Afterlife tried to reinvent the franchise as a Spielbergian nostalgia fest rather than a cynical comedy.

Why, though, has it been so impossible for any other film to capture the spirit (so to speak) of what made the first Ghostbusters so awesome? Simple: the chief creators of this movie all had wildly different goals.

Dan Akyroyd wanted to make a more serious horror film, Bill Murray wanted to make a snarky comedy, and director Ivan Reitman wanted to create a high-concept blockbuster. The result is a lightning-in-a-bottle movie whose magic has never and will never be captured onscreen, ever again.

It Started As A Horror Movie

Ghostbusters is arguably the funniest comedy ever made. It didn’t start out that way, though. Dan Akyroyd, who is a big believer in ghosts and the paranormal, wrote an early draft of the movie (then called Ghost Smashers) that was designed as a relatively serious sci-fi piece where our heroes busted ghosts across various planets. In Making Ghostbusters, director Ivan Reitman revealed that this draft didn’t exactly bring the laughs. “Although I could detect a comic attitude, the whole thing was written rather seriously.” On top of that, the movie was designed as a horror movie far more likely to make you scream than smile.

What happened? Reitman wisely encouraged Akyroyd to rewrite the film as a comedy about screwball scientists going into business for themselves, and he brought in Harold Ramis to help with the new draft. The two proved to be quite the team, as Akyroyd was better at coming up with off-the-wall concepts (he insisted on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man over Reitman’s objections), while Ramis was better at crafting funny dialogue. Meanwhile, Bill Murray had been brought in to replace the late John Belushi. Murray barely looked at the script, but, in a fun twist, technically ended up writing most of the film.

Embracing The Comedy Apocalypse

In 2020, Josh Gad got several original Ghostbusters stars (including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts) together on a Zoom call, and they revealed some startling secrets about the film. According to Akyroyd, 80 percent of what we see onscreen was a result of improv, and he credits that to one cast member in particular. “When you bring a master comedian and charismatic leading man like Bill Murray into a project, you know there’s gonna be contributions on the writing side.”

In the final film, you can see the obvious tug of war between Akyroyd and Murray’s very different visions for Ghostbusters. Most of the movie is, of course, filled with Murray’s unique brand of snarky, quotable humor. But many of the more serious scenes echo Akyroyd’s desire to create a genuinely scary movie. The librarian’s ghostly jumpscare and Dana Barrett being kidnapped by a monster inside her couch is the stuff of childhood nightmares. To scare the older audience members, the film also includes a somber scene where Ray and Winston speculate that the ever-increasing number of ghosts is a portent of the biblical apocalypse.

Time Tables And Slime Tables

The final ingredient in Ghostbusters’ success was, of course, Ivan Reitman. In addition to directing the film, he helped with writing duties and also bluffed his way through studio negotiations. While pitching, he made up a budget (somewhere between $25-$30 million), choosing a number that was about three times what it cost to make Stripes, his previous comedy starring Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. Columbia Pictures exec Frank Price agreed, but on one condition: no matter what, this film would come out in June, 1984. 

Reitman agreed, only realizing while walking out of Price’s office what a seemingly impossible task he had given himself. He had no idea if his arbitrary budget would be enough to bring Ghostbusters to life; he previously estimated that Akyroyd’s original script would have cost over $200 million to make. Furthermore, he had only 13 months to create a film that had no effects studio, no start date, and (most importantly) no finished script. Fortunately, he personally helped finish the script, keeping Akyroyd and Ramis on task by ensuring that the story had clearly defined goals, a memorable villain, and even mechanical explanations for why ghosts were suddenly haunting New York City.

Three Men, Three Visions

The rest is Hollywood history. Reitman met his deadline, and Ghostbusters became a blockbuster success, earning over $370 million at the box office. This success is even more impressive when you consider how everything about filming was rushed, that most of the dialogue was improvised, and that the final story (per Akyroyd and Murray’s competing visions) was a blend of silly and serious. On paper, these are all reasons why Ghostbusters should have been a disaster, but the opposite happened. With several creators trying to craft a completely different film (Akyroyd wanted serious horror, Murray wanted schlubby comedy, and Reitman wanted a high-concept blockbuster), they created a perfect movie.

Incredibly, they did so completely by accident. This is why there has never been a worthy follow-up to Ghostbusters: every subsequent movie has been trying to make a Ghostbusters film, but what made that first film special can’t be easily understood, much less copied. The people who made Ghostbusters were all trying to make different movies, resulting in a strange creative brew that can never truly be replicated. This is why Jason Reitman didn’t even try to recreate the magic of the original film and almost eschewed comedy entirely to transform Ghostbusters: Afterlife into Spielbergian schlock aimed squarely at nostalgic millennials.

While Afterlife has its charms, nothing beats the unflappable cool of the original Ghostbusters. If you’re ready to take a walk (Stay-Puft style) down memory lane, that ‘80s comedy classic is now streaming on Netflix. If you were disappointed by the Stranger Things final season, this is your chance to channel some nerdy nostalgia that actually delivers a satisfying third act. Just don’t try to watch them both at once; you never know what will happen to our dimension if you cross the streams!

Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla Vesia, are still grieving the death of their baby daughter.

“Here I am at the six-month mark since losing my daughter, Sterling,” Kayla, 30, said in a Friday, May 1, video shared via TikTok. “Honestly, it’s very hard to wrap my head around the fact that we are at the six-month mark. I’m very torn and in between, ‘How did we get here already?’ and ‘Seems about right since time is also flying by.’”

Kayla and Alex, also 30, announced in November 2025 that their “beautiful daughter went to heaven.”

“There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her,” the couple captioned a social media statement at the time. “Thank you to the Dodgers for their understanding and support during this time. Our baseball family showed up for us and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”

Related: What Alex Vesia and Wife Kayla Said About Grieving Their Baby’s Death

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla Vesia, have spoken openly about the devastating death of their newborn daughter, Sterling Sol, and the grief that they’ve endured. Alex and Kayla, who have been married since January 2024, announced the next year that they were expecting their first baby. They confirmed their daughter’s […]

Alex sat out the remainder of the MLB playoffs, including the 2025 World Series that the Dodgers eventually won. He returned for the next season earlier this year, wearing a tribute to Sterling on his new glove.

“I don’t know how to explain it. I have a mix of the longest days of my life … but now what really consumes my mind is thoughts of what life could be like right now with her here,” Kayla acknowledged in her Friday upload. “[I] wish she was here and I wish she was joining Alex and I in this life, all the things we do and planned for all of that. It’s really hard now to not have that.”

She continued, “Everything just seemed so dark, so heavy [at the time]. Now, where we are, it still [is] really f***ing heavy, but there are glimmers and flashes and times of happiness, a lot more, and I am so thankful for that ‘cause that’s helping move us forward.”

@babyy_vesia

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♬ original sound – Kayla Vesia

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Kayla further thanked her and Alex’s friends and family for their overwhelming support.

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“Without them, we would not be where we are right now,” she said. “Therapy has just been such a huge part [of the] healing journey for both of us. … Therapy has been a huge help since we got home. I’m a very big advocate for that, so when we were ready, [Alex] wanted to start. I’m thankful that he wanted to be a part of that and he also wanted to get help.”

Related: Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Alex Vesia Vows to Make Late Daughter ‘Proud’

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia is working hard this season for the sake of his late daughter. “Same goals … different perspectives … new motivations,” Vesia, 29, captioned Instagram photos of himself on the field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, March 26. “Thankful for everyone who has stuck by me. Dodger Nation gonna bring […]

Even while trying to cope with Sterling’s death, Kayla still “thinks about her every minute.”

“I’m slowly finding peace and healing,” she said. “Every day is, obviously, still so different and it’s still dark and heavy. With time, therapy, family, friends, it’s getting lighter. It will never be the same [and] moving forward, always carrying her in my heart, in my body [and] mind.”

Jeff Bezos‘ immense wealth has once again opened exclusive doors for him and his wife Lauren Sanchez!

When Vogue announced the power couple’s involvement in this year’s Met Gala, the tone around the event shifted almost instantly. 

Since then, online reactions have increased, with many questioning how much their wealth influenced their elevated position. Now, insiders are revealing the eye-watering price reportedly tied to their high-profile role.

A source recently revealed that the tech billionaire contributed at least $10 million to sponsor the event, while another suggested the figure could reach $20 million.

While their expensive involvement has planted them firmly in Wintour’s “good graces,” it has also sparked mixed reactions.

Some critics argue it clashes with what fashion’s biggest night stands for, while others see it as a natural extension of influence and status.

Former Vogue editor William Norwich weighed in, describing the couple as a modern symbol of American success and having Wintour’s backing.

“The Bezoses are where the American dream is at right now for status, wealth, and style,” Norwich told Page Six. “They display conspicuous consumption [and] they have the ‘AWOK’ — the Anna Wintour OK.”

One frequent Met Gala guest and fashion insider expressed disappointment. “I’m heartbroken,” the guest said. “It’s being able to buy yourself into [the good graces of] Anna and the Met.”

Anna Wintour Previously Gushed About Lauren Sanchez’s Role Ahead Of The Fashion Event

Before sources revealed the high price the Amazon founder and his wife paid for the ball, their second position in the event was quietly announced in March. 

According to The Blast, the couple was named co-chairs of the event, joining heavyweights like Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Wintour herself. This added to their previously confirmed status as primary donors, revealed late last year.

At the time, Wintour spoke warmly about Sánchez’s involvement, saying she believed she would be “a wonderful asset” to both the museum and the gala.

Her statement earned her backlash as some claimed she was bought with money. 

Secret Plans To Disgrace Jeff Bezos At The May 4 Event Exposed

Amid talks about Wintour’s perceived favoritism towards Bezos because of his financial standing, the 62-year-old is reportedly facing another challenge tied to his presence at the costume ball.

As reported by The Blast, an activist group known as “Everyone Hates Elon” is planning a protest aimed at publicly embarrassing Bezos and Sanchez during the event.

A spokesperson for the group said the movement is already gaining traction, citing $13,500 raised within a week, posters circulating widely, and rising public frustration. 

While specific details of the plan remain under wraps, the group hinted at its history of attention-grabbing stunts, including trolling Elon Musk with Tesla-themed campaigns.

How Bezos And Sánchez Are Shifting The Met Gala’s Image

With protests looming and online criticism intensifying, insiders say the tension surrounding the Costume Institute Benefit runs deeper. Insiders say that there has been a big shift in the way the event is received. 

Rather than being viewed as a celebration of exclusivity and artistry, the event is increasingly seen as a showcase of influence and wealth, something that is not sitting well with many.

One insider called it “hurtful and disturbing,” for the Bezoses to be the face of the occasion, per The Blast.

“It feels like a real slap in the face to a lot of people,” the source added. The controversy has already begun to affect participation, with Hollywood figures stepping away from involvement due to the couple’s prominent role.

Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sanchez’s Marriage Allegedly Having Cracks 

Aside from the pair’s controversial role in the Met Gala, their personal lives have been under scrutiny. As The Blast reported, those close to them revealed that their relationship reportedly shifted quickly after the wedding. 

“Everything changed the moment they got married,” a source said. “The honeymoon phase is over.”

Despite continuing to present a strong, united image in public, there are claims that behind the scenes, they’re already experiencing tension and misalignment.

Those close to them have also voiced concerns about the stability of their union, with some predicting it’s only a matter of time before tensions escalate further.

“People close to them are giving this marriage a year — at most,” one source said. 

Unemployment in the haiku industry is still undefeated.

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 6 seconds ago

Ever wonder what happened to the raunchy college comedy? Animal House (1978). Road Trip (2000). Van Wilder (2002). The list goes on and on, but then drops off hard around the mid-aughts. As we approached the 2010s, we stopped getting raunchy college party movies, and instead got a wave of films like The Hangover (2009) and its sequels, which are about grown adults acting like college kids in places like Las Vegas. So what happened? The answer is simple. The illusion of carefree college life was shattered during the 2008 recession, and it never recovered.

Starting with Millennials, the idea that college automatically improves your adult life started to fall apart. Unless you’re in a hyper-specialized field that requires formal education, a lot of people on the wrong side of their 30s will tell you the same thing. They’re not working in their field of study, they’re earning far less than a livable wage from a single full-time job, they’ve had to lean on gig work to close the gap, and they’re all thinking some version of, “I could have done this without being buried in debt.”

The Top Gun Parallel

Before getting further into why the raunchy college comedy disappeared, it helps to look at a genre that still works as a measuring stick: military porn.

Films like Top Gun (1986), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), Act of Valor (2012), and Lone Survivor (2013) all share something in common. They glorify military life. Yes, they show the horrors of war, but they’re framed through a hero’s journey. Even if you enlist knowing your life is on the line, there’s still a clear upside for people who are built for that lifestyle.

You can be trained in fields like IT or logistics during your service and transition into stable work afterward. There were even reports of U.S. Navy representatives appearing at Top Gun: Maverick (2022) screenings, which coincided with a spike in recruitment interest tied to the film’s portrayal of the lifestyle.

Here’s the difference. Compared to raunchy college comedies, movies like Top Gun are not necessarily selling a lie. Most people understand the risks of military service. But the infrastructure being sold is real. If you complete your service honorably, there is a clear path forward. You can stay within the system or move into the private sector with experience that translates.

You can’t say the same thing about a feminist studies and basket weaving degree from even the most prestigious private university. Last time I checked, unemployment in the haiku industry is still undefeated.

The Lie That Was Sold 

Melanie Hanson’s “Average Cost of College & Tuition,” published in February 2026, breaks down tuition across public and private universities, both in-state and out-of-state. The takeaway is straightforward. Many graduates walk away from a bachelor’s program with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and in some cases much more depending on the school and living situation.

That means kids who can’t legally rent a car, drink alcohol, get a tattoo, or purchase a lottery ticket are encouraged to take on long-term predatory loans and pause their lives for four years. The opportunity cost alone “can ultimately cost upwards of $500,000.”

Most people my age were part of the last wave of kids who were told that a degree guaranteed a better life. We were told it didn’t matter what we studied, as long as we got the degree. We were told that without it, we’d be stuck in menial, low-paying service jobs, as if honest hard work in any industry isn’t just that: honest, hard work. Now, in 2026, I’ve lost count of how many people I know with advanced degrees who are bartending because it pays more than their chosen field of study.

I can’t speak for everyone, but from kindergarten through 12th grade, the messaging was constant. We all remember authority figures pointing to the school janitor or someone wearing a hard hat and saying, “If you don’t go to college, this could be you.” Meanwhile, a lot of blue-collar workers I know who skipped college and went straight into the workforce or military are now in a position to retire early or pivot careers without experiencing total financial collapse.

And we all remember the Education Connection ads. The waitress sings about how a degree would lead to a bigger salary (that’s the rhyme). We also remember decades of raunchy college comedies selling the same dream. Party for four years, then walk into a stable white-collar life.

The Reality, And The Genre’s Downfall

By the early 2000s, most of us knew college wasn’t just toga parties and running from the dean after filling the campus pool with instant mashed potatoes. What we believed was that if we worked hard early, we could relax later.

Even then, college comedies still leaned into feel-good endings. Road Trip wraps with everyone’s lives improving. Accepted (2006) ends with personal growth and forward momentum. The illusion was still there, just softened. Expectations were already shifting, and the tone reflected that.

Then the 2008 recession hit.

Speaking from experience, the economy collapsed while I was deciding whether to matriculate as a Junior. I doubled down and finished my degree. I lived at home, worked full-time, and commuted to a state university. I still ended up over $80,000 in debt, with payments starting before my diploma even arrived in the mail. 

Six months after graduating, I was paying $700 a month and still making $12.50 an hour flipping burgers.

This situation wasn’t unique to me, and it felt like it was becoming the new expectation. I eventually landed a corporate job, but it required a three-hour round-trip commute that cost about $10,000 a year in gas and maintenance. The job paid $30,000, before taxes. This was considered by many to be gainful, post-grad, white-collar work. Meanwhile, my bartending friends made more money, had nicer things, and zero debt. They could afford to live alone.

Since then, the raunchy college comedy didn’t disappear overnight. It mutated. The behavior is still there, but it shifted to older characters. Neighbors (2014) is technically college adjacent, but the frat house is framed as a nuisance. The main character isn’t aspiring to that lifestyle. He’s disgusted by it.

Movies like The Package (2018) picked up some of the slack, but the setting changed. The antics happen at home during spring break for a bunch of college-bound teenagers, not on campus. Everybody still lives with their parents. It feels like Hollywood recognized that the traditional college fantasy no longer landed the same way, even though some of the humor from those films still did.

When the audience stops believing in the premise, the genre has to adapt.

Lower Your Expectations, And You’ll Never Be Disappointed

So is college worth it? Maybe. That’s a personal decision you have to figure out for yourself.

As a parent with two kids under eight, I think about this constantly. I don’t want to set them up for failure or lock them into decades of loan payments that limit their options to live a meaningful life. There are other paths. Starting a business. Taking a risk on a startup. Learning a trade.

Right now, I’m neck deep in gig work because most job listings, according to LinkedIn, require a Master’s degree for entry-level roles, pay what my first corporate job paid 16 years ago, offer no benefits, and still expect you to show up on site and play dressup. I’ve told recruitors that if I ended up working for them, it would set me back, while simultaneously destroying my work/life balance. In so many words, they agreed with me.

Imagine spending eight years in higher education just to land there.

At that point, movies like Van Wilder stop feeling aspirational and start feeling like a joke, while something like Top Gun suddenly looks like a more honest pitch.

Not Spirit Airlines shutting down like this… whew! The budget airline that had folks choosing chaos for a $39 flight is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons. And let’s just say—this one hit a little different for travelers who knew exactly what they were signing up for. Between the memes, the yellow planes, and the “you get what you pay for” experiences, Spirit Airlines carved out a lane. Unfortunately, it’s now coming to an unexpected stop.

RELATED: Final Boarding? Spirit Airlines CEO Addresses Possible Shutdown Amid Company’s Struggles (VIDEO)

Spirit Airlines Cancels All Flights & Announces Shutdown

According to the company, Spirit Airlines has officially canceled all flights effective immediately and announced an “orderly wind-down” of operations, impacting thousands of flights and employees. In a statement, the airline notified customers that all flights are canceled and customer service is no longer available. Furthermore, the move comes after ongoing financial struggles, including multiple bankruptcy filings and challenges recovering post-pandemic. Executives say rising fuel costs and a lack of funding ultimately pushed the airline to this point, with leadership admitting the company needed hundreds and millions in additional support to stay afloat but couldn’t secure it.

“To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available,” the company revealed in a statement. “Despite the Company’s efforts, the recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit’s financial outlook,” it continued. “With no additional funding available to the company, Spirit had no choice but to begin this wind-down.”

Thousands Stranded As Spirit Flights Vanish Overnight

White House Efforts Couldn’t Save Spirit Airlines

Whew—because not too long ago, it really looked like Spirit Airlines might get a lifeline from the White House. President Donald Trump even hinted that a rescue deal was on the table. He also claimed that officials were exploring options to step in if the numbers made sense. Behind the scenes, reports say officials were discussing a $500 million bailout proposal.

Additionally, there were talks involving creditors and even other airlines preparing to step in if things went left. But after disagreements and stalled negotiations, that potential save never fully came together. Now, it’s leaving Spirit to move forward with shutting things down. Ultimately, folks are wondering what could’ve been if that deal actually went through.

RELATED: Uh-Oh! Spirit Airlines Is Reportedly Preparing To File For Bankruptcy

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By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 25 seconds ago

The Insidious franchise has followed psychic heroine Elise (played by horror and comedy classic Lin Shaye) as she helps other psychics learn to cope with or even suppress their powers, as she did for the Lambert family through much of the series. For many of the people she helped, the problem was that they could visit a world she calls The Further, a place of demons and ghosts. The most recent Insidious movie, The Red Door, shows Elise, who was trapped in The Further in the previous movie, observing a college-aged Dalton Lambert as he escapes from the other dimension.

Insidious: Out of the Further introduces a new family in the form of single mom Gemma (Amelia Eve) and her daughter Maya (Island Austin), who live together on what looks like a quiet little block in a neat suburban neighborhood. Gemma works in dentistry, and lives a happy, peaceful life with Maya until horrific nightmares begin invading her sleep and causing her to see what she thinks are hallucinations. Somehow, she is led to a psychic (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) who, after a brutal preparation process, channels Elise from The Further.

Elise explains, as viewers are treated to a montage of warped, otherworldly human-looking demons that seem to be stalking Gemma, that Gemma’s psychic abilities not only consist of the typical ability to cross into The Further, but also the potential to bring things back with her. This makes her a huge target for the malevolent demons that lurk beyond the Red Door.

The trailer’s highlights are its numerous jump scares and a cringy moment involving a Novocain needle, but director Jacob Chase seems heavily guided by the producer and the original film’s director, James Wan. Wan’s signature is all over the eerie faces and shadowy places that lurk around Gemma, Maya, and their home. Chase also co-wrote the script, indicating that his vision was already aligning well with the franchise’s premise; the other writers are Davis Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Leigh Whannell.

It also expresses some interesting potential for lore geeks who have followed the series. Elise has been the expert on The Further all along, aiding families who’ve had brushes with it at great risk to her material and mental health. Her character is the thread that has tied the rest of the movies together, even after she herself was lost. The hint from The Red Door that she has been sneaking around The Further all along, keeping an eye on things from the other side and aiding the escape of anyone unfortunate enough to find their way there, has been confirmed with this trailer.

The obvious question is, if the demons can get through from The Further, will Elise be able to come through, too? Or will she decide she should stay behind and continue to defend humanity by guiding lost souls back home? In the delicate interaction between The Further and our world, this is even more central of a question than whether or not the demons make it through. Whatever side Elise stays on will have an impact on how much damage the demons can do to our world. This glaring question almost overtakes the premise and becomes more important than whether anything else passes through.

How powerful will Elise be from beyond The Further? What will happen if humanity is overrun by demonic entities? Have Gemma’s gifts been inherited by her innocent pre-teen daughter? Insidious: Out of the Further releases the demons in theaters sometime in August.

Each movie in the Insidious storyline has seemed more like a chapter from a book as they have added to the lore behind Elise. She even started the series almost like a rock star, with two paranormal investigators flanking her and filming her adventures with the beyond. While The Red Door did follow the Lambert family whose tribulations started the series, I know I for one was looking for Elise’s more competent experience with The Further. And now, she has been residing there for an indeterminate amount of time and have probed even more of its secrets.