An Open Letter To Bill Murray

Dear Bill Murray,

I've been a fan of yours for years. Your deadpan delivery, wise guy attitude and the sense of confidence instilled in me the traits that I still use today. I learned a lot from you and your movies. I'd have to say that the movie I always came back to was, or course, Ghostbusters. It was something new, exciting and original. Everything worked in that movie; the score, the story, the costumes. It was one of the only tapes in our movie library that we watched constantly.

Basically, I can quote the entire movie by heart, as I'm sure some of your other fans have boasted, too. Ghostbusters 2 was even better. It still held the same promise of the original while bringing back all of the characters. It taught me that so long as a sequel did the same stuff as the original, it would prevail. You may have said that you didn't like the overall outcome of the movie, but you can't deny that you had fun making it as all of us did watching it. Your rifs and one liners in that movie are the stuff of comedy gold.

I've watched your other movies, as well. Stripes taught me how to be tough yet silly. Scrooged taught me how to be a little more compassionate around the holidays. Groundhog Day taught me to make the most of each day, no matter how bad it got. Larger Than Life taught me to take the unexpected journey. The Man Who Knew Too Little taught me that all the world's a stage. I even love the cameos. Even if your screen time is under five minutes, it means the world to me.

So, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, this letter is turning into something of a plea. I've been following the news of your involvement of the newest project, Ghostbusters 3. I know you've been hesitant about joining because you wanted the script to be perfect. To be honest, I was a bit surprised myself when they announced the first writers who would take a crack at the script.

The writers from The Office??? How did they work that one out? Still, I remained hopeful, ready to read the latest news of the film's progression. I was glad to hear that Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis were taking a couple passes at the script as well. Everything seemed to be going perfectly. Then, I read this article, Bill Murray Drops Out, and my heart just sank.

Now, understand, I'm not implying that you owe the fans anything. You don't. But I am a bit nostalgic for a new ghost busters where all of the primary characters are involved.

Why?

Because you are the key ingredient.

And because I know it's possible. And here are some examples.

Along the way, everybody has been dropping hints that a sequel would get made. But you have been the biggest voice in this matter.

Imagine my surprise and glee when I saw Zombieland and you popped up. Not only did you have a cameo but to me it was the best ten minutes of the entire movie.

Then at the scream awards, you popped up again, giving a fantastic speech in full garb.

Then, the grand finale, a Ghostbusters video game. That was the only game I bought for Xbox. All other games were meaningless to me. I was so impressed by the depth and story of the game, that all of a sudden it seemed possible for Ghostbusters 3 to be a smash hit.

Ghostbusters 3 became the dog whistle in which I had to respond. The, forgive the pun, spirit of ghostbusters has evolved and still thriving today. It has become ingrained in Pop Culture and a go-to storage locker of iconic lines to describe daily life.

Many people have created hundreds, if not thousands of Ghostbuster fan films.

It has been something we all grew up with, Bill Murray.

It's also become something everyone was hoping for. And to have Ghostbusters without Dr. Peter Venkman? It just wouldn't be the same.

I think the reason why I feel so tied to this character is because of what happened to me in late 2010. While working for this one company, I participated in a costume contest. I had only been working at the company for six months and I thought it would be awesome to dress up as Dr. Peter Venkman. I had worked tirelessly on that costume. That same day I was laid off while wearing the costume. It was the most surreal experience of my life.

But that didn't diminish my hope for another Ghostbusters movie. If anything, it propelled it further.

Even the low-budget revisits to the same story kept me going. Like in Be Kind Rewind.

So, you see, Bill Murray, I may not know you personally, but I have walked in your shoes. We're both Chicago boys who have worn the suit and kept on going. I've been diligently waiting for you to tackle this role again. All I ask is that if you don't like the way the character is written, write him yourself. At the very least, please make a cameo in the newest movie. Even if it is only five or ten minutes, you'd be doing so much for all the die hard fans of this franchise.

I implore you to reconsider and give this movie another chance.

Meanwhile, I'll still keep reading the updates and hope that Ghostbusters 3 will become the best movie to overshadow all the blockbusters before it.

If you wish to respond to this letter, please email me at:

robertoscarlato@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

:)

Signed,

A Fellow Ghostbuster

Tales From My Desk #2

Thought I'd share some info with everyone who has been following me so far. I figure I owe all of you some explanation of what I've been up to.

For some time now, I've been trying to track down that elusive muse.

The first book I uploaded to Kindle, Mr. Dead Eyes, has been selling steadily since its publication in January of 2010. I used to sell 10 copies a month. Now that number has been going down but it still remains my best seller out of all three books.

So why haven't I published anything in the last year and a half?

Many reasons.

Most pressing are the edits I'm currently working on for my second collection of short stories. Originally, I had hoped to have it ready by the end of 2011, staying true to my quota of one book a year. However, the edits are more extensive than I had planned. But they are crucial. And I've just been a bit lazy with it.

It takes me forever to edit a manuscript sometimes.

But I'm glad when I do.

I'm down to the last three stories that need reworking and a little TLC.

In between my long breaks of editing, I've been working on a number of projects. I recently finished another novella, started a dozen short stories and I'm also working on three separate novels. None are even near completion but I take a lot of joy in creating new stories.

Aside from publishing the collection as a whole, I've been thinking of publishing four stories by themselves on the Kindle for 99 cents each, an introductory offer for new readers.

Also, I'm planning on tweaking a few story points in Mr. Dead Eyes that just don't make sense. If I'm going to be writing the second book, I want to make sure I have all the important key elements that will be reintroduced in the sequel.

Also, I've been getting a couple of bad reviews on Wearing Donnie Torr while its been on the Kindle. This is largely due to its formatting. So, in an effort to correct it, I'm going to tweak the original PDF and try a re-upload. People have noted that the size of the font changes with each page.

How annoying is that for someone who wears glasses?

Put em on, take em off, put em on, take em off. Over and over again.

Meanwhile, I've been working on a collection of essays about my life. Included are a bunch of bizarre stories that my wife has told me I should write about. Like the time I got fired while wearing a Ghostbusters costume, or how I nearly got a role as an extra in The Dark Knight, or how I nearly lost my life while taking Driver's Ed in High School. So far there are 18 essays in all. Right now I'm working on one in which I got the part of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the school play. Hopefully this collection will come out sooner than the others. I've been getting a real kick out of writing non-fiction.

When I have time, I'd like to narrate an audiobook of both Wearing Donnie Torr and For What It's Worth and release them as podcasts on iTunes. I've also been looking for voice over work, eyeing four companies in particular.

To help encourage my daily writing, I've turned to the expert himself. I've been reading Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing. It's a really good read. Just the thing I needed.

So...yeah. I've been quite busy.

I don't want to promise anything but I will say that before the year is up the new collection will make an appearance on Kindle.

I also have 613 days to write Mr. Dead Eyes 2.

I haven't even started the research yet.

Plus I've gotten thirty plus emails on book reviews. I've wanted to give back for a long time. So I have to do 100 book reviews on Amazon for the rest of the year. I asked for it. But I'm happy about.

So I should have something for you guys soon.

Just hang in there.

:)