We mastered the A BETTER PLACE soundtrack CD yesterday, and it should bepressed and ready for sale by the Vulgarthon (courtesy of Gig Records,www.gigrecords.com). If you don’t mind me saying, this is going to bethe best View Askew soundtrack album any of you have seen – westructured it like a concept album, with tracks bleeding into eachother, and dialogue clips intersperced in between some of the songs, andwe close it with an intrumental piece that we laid dialogue from thefilm under. I’m really happy with how it all turned out.

Here is the final information regarding phone orders for the tickets forthe Kevin Smith Bloomsburg show. Phone orders will be taken starting MondayOct 9 from 8am-4:30pm. The number is (570) 389-4346, which is the studentactivities office. There will be a $2 charge for processing the credit cardinformation, total ticket cost will be $12.00. Tickets will also beavailable at other local schools, the only which is confirmed is Bucknell.

Here’s my big announcement for the week…

As of Friday, October 13th, I become a columnist.

I’ll be doing a weekly column for the folks at Psycomic.com about… well, comics (though I’ll probably wind up talking about much more than that). If you’re a comics fan, check out the site (Joe and Gabe, the guys in charge, are doing a great job with it). If you’re not, then at least pop in to make fun of grown men who’re obsessed with funny books that are neither funny nor books.

I’ve been in Hell-A since Sunday, meeting and greeting potential cast for ‘VA5′ (God, we’ve got to announce the real title soon; I always feel like I’m shilling for Alberto hair-care products when I say ‘VA5′). That’s right – aside from the usual gang of idiots, there will be some new faces in the picture. I’ve met all manner of actors you’re familiar with from other flicks, and a few cats you’ve probably never heard of yet. Don’t ask for names; I’m not saying shit until we lock the whole cast.

Yesterday, we recorded the commentary tracks for the ‘Clerks’ Cartoon DVD. Jeff, Brian, Mewes, Mandel, Bailey, Scooter, and I took our places behind the microphones and cracked jokes, told stories, and basically didn’t bitch as much as I thought we would. It’s all water under the bridge at this point, and we were all more interested in trading inside info on the making of than dishing further on the Alphabet net (though there’s some of that in the mix too). And the Miramax cats putting together the DVD are doing a phenomenal job (props to Shannon and Lydia), packing it with tons of extras and goodies (including Jay and Bob intros to each episode that me and Mewes shoot next week). It’s shaping up to be another View Askew DVD that can’t be missed.

Just like that ‘Dogma’ Special Edition DVD. Fuck, are they making a keeper with that. Mike Stratford, Frank Rodriguez, and Gretchen at Col/Tristar (and our own Vincent Pereira in the home office) have put together an incredible piece of Askeworibilia you can’t live without (alright – you COULD; but why would you want to, really?). Wait’ll you see the sweet-ass packaging and the menus. They’re true Askew.

That’s about it for now. I know it may seem a little slow around here (though with Lee lighting the board on fire, how can it, really? Fuck if my man doesn’t POST his heart out, God bless him), but don’t be deceived. It’s just the calm before the storm. Soon, there’ll be all manner of ‘VA5′ news clogging this site, and other eyebrow-raising revelations (like I’m gay; but then, who didn’t know that already), such as this one…

Because you demanded it!

We broke down and built you a box set. That’s right – now you’ve got something to stick your Jersey Trilogy DVD’s in, regardless of what distributor put out which flick. It should be up in the next few weeks, and I think you’re gonna be impressed when you see it. Sweet-ass art and a well-designed layout of same, all slapped on a sturdy-ass box that’ll look so good on your shelf, you just might finally get laid. I’ll let you know when they’re coming, but it should be just in time for Christmas.

Short of that, there’s not much else to say. Remember – Friday, October 13th. Hit the site often and much (or at least once a week on Friday). I’m signed on for half a year, but who knows? If the feedback’s good, maybe I’ll become a permanent fixture on PsyComic.

Today, I finished the script for issue six to the new ‘Green Arrow’ (and I’ve gotta say – it’s pretty darn sweet). This means that DC can now start soliciting for the book.

Depending on how quickly the good folks in marketing can pull together the necessary material to make the Diamond catalogue deadline, it’ll be in either the January or February solicitations.

I’ve also seen all the art to issue one and most of the art to issue two, and it’s great. The boys are doing a fantastic job.

Add to that the beautiful cover sketches I’ve seen thus far (courtesy of Master Wagner), and I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed in this relaunch (well, at least not in the art, anyway).

Huzzah for all of us long-suffering ‘Arrow’ fans (and sorry for causing some of the suffering myself). Our day is now dawning.

In all honesty, I don’t think what we’re doing on ‘Green Arrow’ is sensationalistic crap. Ollie is the Ollie most have known for years, and will become even more so as the series progresses. I never wanted to re-create or re-invision the character; I just wanted to tell a good Green Arrow story. Don’t fix what’s not broken, I say (except, of course, that we’re bringing a character that was considered dead back to life; and as mentioned by someone above, I don’t think DC ever really considered the character dead; Ollie was always meant to come back, sooner or later; at least, that’s what I was told by higher-ups at DC, long before I was ever involved with ‘Green Arrow’ as a writer).

And in terms of the ‘Daredevil’ arc…

I think if we’d thrown DD into a new costume, or gave him the ability to fly, or cut off his legs, or gave him a few more limbs – THAT would’ve been sensationalistic crap. As it stands, I don’t think we tried to re-invent the character; just tell another DD story – one that we thought was good. Killing off characters in the process of telling said story is far from sensationalistic crap, as neither was crassly marketed as “BUY THIS ISSUE, BECAUSE WE’RE KILLING SOMEONE!!! HURRY!!!” And there’s a long history of supporting characters and villains getting killed in comics. If I remember correctly, Gwen Stacey (Stacy?) was killed in a comic. Kraven was killed in a comic too. Both are considered great stories, not sensationalistic crap. Having a character die in a book, I think, is bound to happen, sooner or later, and is also healthy for the title. We all love comics, and we all love their episodic nature, but come on – these characters are usually always embroiled in life-or-death battles with their antitheses(is that the plural of ‘antithesis’), and the reader is usually rewarded for their fervent interest in such a story with seeing the villain jailed by story’s end. And nine times out of ten, that’s just fine; it’s something we all accept and justify to ourselves as readers of serial adventures. But every once in awhile, isn’t nice to see something that reflects what the reality of the situation might be? A guy who dresses up like a Goblin and is obsessed with defeating his arch-nemesis (who dresses up like something that doesn’t remotely resemble a spider) – even if he won’t kill him because, for some comic-y bullsh*t reason, it’s more satisfying to humiliate or best him – must eventually cross the line and do SOMETHING to hurt his enemy in some heinous and irreversible fashion, if for no other reason than to feel like he’s getting somewhere in their imagined chess game.

In our ‘DD’ storyline, Bullseye – a long-time bitter foe of DD’s – hurled a club to potentially slay said nemesis. DD’s long-time, on-again/off-again girlfriend (who most long-time readers HATED, as per internet sites and letter columns I’d read and re-read, prior to my story arc) jumps in front of the projectile, in an effort to save her love, and is slain in the process for her trouble. I, and many, many others, felt it was a poignant death – hardly sensationalistic. And the writers that followed me have been able to use Karen’s (the character in question) death in their stories (some unpublished, as of yet) for their benefit, as DD’s loss gives them something new to play with while writing his character.

As for Mysterio – come on. Here was a character nobody but me and JM DeMatteis appeared to give a sh*t about anymore, UNTIL he was dead. Suddenly, because some older and more established writers felt my editorially-approved killing off (and, for the record, the character took his own life, and was dying anyway), I was made the whipping boy. “Who does this newbie think he is, killing of our beloved Mysterio? *F* him!” (and for the record, it was worked out with then-editorial that while Quentin Beck was, indeed, dead, Mysterio didn’t have to be; let’s be honest – Mysterio’s really the suit; how many readers even really knew his name was Quentin Beck?). And the fact that the character’s BACK in the Marvel Universe (albeit, a little too soon, for my tastes) should take the heat off me for that move, as I didn’t actually kill of two characters, ultimately; just one.

But enough of that. If you want to consider the ‘DD’ run as hypocritical nonesuch – and my condemnation of the ‘Aquaman’ revamp as a case of the pot calling the kettle black – that’s okay. At least you read both the ‘DD’ run and that ‘Preacher’ trade paperback (in which that comment was made), as well as, presumably, ‘Aquaman’ – so that means the comics industry, contrary to popular belief, isn’t dead.

And even if you didn’t like what we did on ‘DD’, then maybe you’ll read the ‘Green Arrow’ run – if for no other reason than just to see if I’m a total hacky hypocrite. And that, too, will be good for the comics industry. Because, at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want – the longevity and vitality of this pocket of the literary arts that we all love and support?

And on a side note: that metagene stuff? I got nothing to do with that, and it’s not addressed in our run at all. So I’m not taking a bullet for that.

Again – I’m not reinventing the wheel on this title (just like I didn’t try to do on ‘DD’); I’m just adding another spoke. I have tons of respect for continuity (just ask Scott McCullar), and I’m not going to disrupt any of it – trust me. Even with bringing Ollie back from what many presumed (and rightly so) was his death, I’m STILL not disrupting continuity. It’ll all come together by the end of the twelve issue arc.

And if you don’t like it then, well jeez – you guys are f*cking tough.

(Please excuse the * stuff; I’m not sure if you can hurl even mild obscenities in this Warner Bros.-financed forum).>>>>>

JASON LEE: A REAL PERSON IN HOLLYWOOD
BY: ADAM PERRY
FRESNO STATE COLLEGIAN

You probably know Jason Lee as Brodie in Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats” and Banky in Smith’s “Chasing Amy”. This month, Lee appears in the new Cameron Crowe movie “Almost Famous”. Lee recently gave me the opportunity to talk with him.

In “Almost Famous”, Lee’s character, lead singer Jeff Bebe of the band Stillwater, is complex; a role much different from his previous roles. Lee strips away the layers of a rock star to show a conflicted character. It was a character Lee related to because Jeff Bebe “cared so much about his music and craft”.

“[Almost Famous] is not strictly a comedy, even though I love those types of movies,” Lee said. Looking for the strong communication vibe in his films, Lee states that he decided to do the film after talking extensively with director Crowe.

From the movies I’ve seen Lee in, I always get the impression he is an approachable guy. Talking to him on the phone for almost an hour, I realized he is a really cool guy who is in the acting buisness because he loves it. I also learned that he is a versatile guy. He was once a professional skateboarder. I asked him if he missed it. “Every once in a while, but I got burnt out on the scene,” he said. It was nice to play a character that skateboarded but that “had no ties to a skater scene” in “Mumford”.

The coolest thing about Lee is his down-to-earth attitude. When asked if he gets disappointed if a film he’s in doesn’t do well at the box office, his response was: “No, though there is an intital shock. Look at ‘Raging Bull’. It’s one of the best films and a favorite of mine. I don’t know how much it made opening weekend. Those things don’t determine if a film is good or bad,” he said.

Lee’s theory is that if you keep doing good film work, you’ll be rewarded with future roles. He also believes it’s about the acting and not the notoriety or fame. “It’s more satisfying to be immediately identified with work than to have people responding to your name,” Lee said. “It’s validating”.

When asked if he thought his stock as an actor was rising, he said “A little bit, but I think it is because of the work. I stick to my guns and hold my position and then I get work out of the work I do. I’m not getting work because I’m an A-list actor, because I’m not. And I’m not getting work because of publicity. I’m getting i because of the work I do. I never wanted to be on the cover of every magazine because I would burn out. It is much more rewarding to be offered work or an audition from a director because they like your work”.

We talked about his upcoming projects, which includes the new Gene Hackman and Sigourney Weaver movie “Breakers”. He is also reprising earlier Kevin Smith characters in the new Smith film tentatively titled, “View Askew 5”, which Lee said “will be really cool”. He is currently working on a Barry Sonnefield movie, “Big Trouble”.

On the new Sonnefield movie: “It’s your typical chaotic comedy with 15 lead actors. Its similar to ‘Get Shorty’ with wide angle shots. I play a simple vagrant.”

On MTV: “It’s an entity that is capitalizing on what is more and more popular with kids. [MTV] is making it cool to manufacture music and letting people think certain music is cool because MTV thinks so. I feel that there are bands out there that are not getting their due respect”.

On rumors of a Fletch role: “I would love to do it. It would be really cool because Kevin [Smith] would adapt it from the novel, and I would be working with him”.

When asked if there was anything in his life he wanted to change: “Nothing. I’m absolutely having fun; I think I’m setting an example in that I like to think I’m a decent person who has a conscious and I care about what I’m doing. I have a degree of integrity and I hope that I’m showing some people that all young actors aren’t fuck ups”.

I’m a movie enthusiast. I have loved movies my whole life and I look up to many actors like Jason Lee. Being able to talk with Lee made me realize that anything is possible with hard work and the right attitude. He could have been too busy for a college kid and could have just blown me off. But as he said in closing the interview: “You can’t fuck with your fans’ trust because if you do, they’ll turn their backs on you”.

Our favorite? Highlight the robot on the bonus menu of Mallrats: Collector’s Edition and get treated to a video of director Kevin Smith calling you a loser for looking for Easter Eggs.”