In the spirit of the weekend (in that it is a weekend), I thought I’d share a little tidbit I just ran across in the LA Times.

As of August 13,  Ghostbusters is viewable for free, in its entirety, on YouTube. In a deal with Sony, YouTube is displaying the movie in the Sony Crackle player. The move is to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original movie.  You can view the film through August 20. As they put it on the YouTube blog,

But don’t take this opportunity for granted. You only have seven days to watch the movie before it ceases any and all supernatural activity and returns forthwith to its place of origin — or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension. So we’re challenging you, the YouTube community, to get out there and watch it, comment on it, and share it with your friends.

And in case you’re too young to have seen the original, or just need a refresher, here’s a trailer for your enjoyment:

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Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

by Brian Solis

One of the most discussed “viral” videos to hit the Web since #baconman was introduced to the world recently and it has much of the nation, at the very least, viewing, sharing, and discussing it at length.

If you take the video at face value, Dan Aykroyd appears as the front man and co-founder of Crystal Head Vodka, a new line of supposedly exquisite vodka bottled in glass skulls as testament to the legendary Crystal Skulls.

It is how he stages the introduction of the vodka that has everyone buzzing about whether or not Dan Aykroyd has lost his mind or whether it’s a clever promotion for either the greenlighted Ghostbusters 3 movie or the upcoming DVD release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

He spends the first half of the eight-minute video making the case for the existence of paranormal phenomena as well as alien life forms…or does he?

Before he officially introduces what’s inside the glass skulls that serve as the backdrop to the video, he prolithically connects the reasons for a glass skull bottle and why it should be filled with liquid joy, “We now have a touchstone in replica, which allows us if we wish, to connect to the message to the Crystal Head’s purpose on earth, the enlightenment of humankind and the spiritual awakening which can occur in allof us and the acceptance that there’s more to life than mere material reality. Hopefully this acceptance will lead to a less violent and more harmonious world as we respect the idea of higher power sources.”

So is it real or fake?

After further research, I’m still not sure.

Dan introduces Phil Powers of Newfoundland Liquor Corporation to discuss the process for making the new vodka. There is indeed a Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation, although I could not find mention of Phil Powers.

Aykroyd also credits Bruni Glass with the creation of the Crystal Head bottles. There just so happens to be such a facility in Europe.

The design of the glass skull is attributed to John Alexander a famous and highly regarded portaitist and landscape artist. Guess what, he’s real too.

Last, but not least, if you look at BevMo, there’s also a placeholder for Crystal Head Vodka.

Thousands of years ago, thirteen crystal heads were scattered across the earth and they are greater and more powerful than anything we have the ability to manufacture today. Their workmanship is perfect: they contain no tool marks and have been cut against the natural axis of the crystal, defying the laws of physics. Some say they are artifacts from the lost civilization of Atlantis, some say they date back to the Mayans, still others say they were created by a higher intelligence.

Brought together, the Crystal Heads are said to contain vast knowledge and enlightenment capable of unlocking our most enigmatic ancient mysteries. Alone, each is believed to house radiant psychic energy, which has magical powers and healing properties.

Dan Aykroyd has been very open about his belief in UFOs and supernatural phenomena and he’s no stranger to the business of another form of spirits. So, it could indeed be very real.

UPDATE: Thanks to our man Geoff who points us to a price list on the Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation site, Crystal Head Vodka is indeed on the sheet with an MSRP of $49.99. I guess I’ll be getting that new wine decanter after all!

Update #2: Mystery solved. It’s 100% real. Our good friend Jean sent us pics and decided to write a post about it to share the unboxing experience.

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