The girls (Shannon, Eliza, Ali & Jen) all sit bundled up in coats and shielded by propane heaters that Kev dubs “The Fortress of Heat”. They’re coming in handy tonight, as temperatures are to dip into the low-‘30’s, with cold winds throughout.

The scene calls for the girls to simply hop out of a van, and strike sexy, camp-like poses together in their tight, body-hugging suits.

To motivate the girls performance and hoping to get the shot off in one or two takes, Kev offers up this little piece of advice:

“The sexier the pose you make, the faster we move on to the next shot. The van you will be jumping out of does have heat, but the other van waiting directly behind you is “the heat van”; it’s MUCH warmer.”

The shot is set and the girls drop out of their coats, revealing their skimpy outfits, and head off to the van.

The scene rolls, but isn’t quite what Kev and Scott want. Scott would like them to exit the van a bit quicker, so he offers up this direction to the girls:

“Maintain the sexiness, but make it faster.”

After a few more takes, the scene moves into a 2-shot of each set of girls, striking those same sexy poses. What looks great on film looks even better in person, but you’ll just have to take my word for it (or not).

The Pokemon spoof. Holy cow, this is hilarious. The last third of an episode is done in Pokemon style complete with pointless dance numbers, animals there for no reason, and transforming robots (including the one I picture at the bottom where a robot transforms from a car back into a robot, KILLING THE PASSENGERS). Funny.

The “Outbreak” episode, with a great job by James Woods and no shortage of laughs.

Randall’s tenure as the bride of a mail order husband.

Judge Reinhold!

The little league game with the rescued slaves (from the Indy 4 spoof). How did they get away with this?

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY great stuff and fans and non-fans of Kevin Smith can dig it. Buy this DVD or I will send out a puncher.

Courtney Compliment, Tipp City, Ohio

Dear Courtney: The plot to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back has been kept under wraps, but Matt Damon has told me he and Affleck are just doing cameos in the film. As the story goes, Jay and Silent Bob catch the two making Good Will Hunting II.

Smith and sidekick Jason Mewes will be reprising their roles as überslackers Silent Bob and Jay, and the film costars Chris Rock, George Carlin, Shannen Doherty, Will Ferrell, Shannon Elizabeth, Seann William Scott and Alanis Morissette.

There’s been lots of talk in the last year that screenwriter/director Kevin Smith wanted Jason Lee to play the new Irwin Fletch in the upcoming “Fletch Won” movie which was supposed to be a prequel of sorts, following a younger Fletch solving his first case.

Now comes word from ‘TheRagingBull’ who heard at a card show in Pennsylvania, from a person who worked on the first Fletch film, that the new Fletch movie will not be the rumored “Fletch Won,” but will be based on the book “Son of Fletch” from 1993 and his son will now be the main character.

Our source says that this would give Chevy Chase more time on camera, as he would play his father, making the two a father and son team.

Amazon.com’s listing for the book includes a synopsis:

A young escaped convict shows up at Fletch’s door–claiming to be his son. Problem is, Fletch never knew he had a son. In all his years of solving crimes, the wise-cracking reporter has never come upon a case he couldn’t handle. But now Fletch faces the greatest challenge of his career: fatherhood.

Will Chevy Chase return in the role as Irwin Fletch? Has Kevin Smith changed his thinking? Only time will tell – take this as a rumor for now.

The term “movie set” is just a little bit of a misnomer. “Movie sets” would be a lot more accurate.

Sure, the bulk of Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is happening on a studio in appropriately named Studio City, California, but it ain’t like that’s the only place the magic happens. Sets all around L.A. have come into play, including a hotel, a movie theater, and even a school in nearby Canoga Park. As production (L.A. production, at least — the crew will wrap things up in Red Bank, New Jersey) has passed the halfway point, most of the remaining scenes will be at the main studio, including some featuring….

Mark Hamill. That’s a-right. The beloved thespian made famous by the timeless flick “Corvette Summer” and his ongoing role as the voice of the Joker in the “Batman Adventures” cartoons will be taking part.

And a certain comic-booky celeb has made an appearance, too. Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada just padded his résumé with a “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” appearance. “It was fun — a real blast,” Quesada says. “I’ve got a cool part, a couple lines, and it’s a very romantic scene.”

Well, Quesada says it’s romantic. Kevin Smith says something similar…but still different. “He turned in what could be termed a very ‘hard’ performance,” Smith says. “You’re going to see Joe Q as only [his wife] Nanci Q has seen him before.”

And Smith is pretty sure he’s found an acting diamond in the rough. “People remember the first time they really got to see Nicholson ply his trade on the big screen in the Roger Corman, non-musical version of ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’” Smith says. “Joe’s appearance in ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ will be as mythical and memorable as that. As the Marvel head honcho, many people have said Joe’s the luckiest man alive, because he’s paid to be the lunatic that runs the asylum. But when the movie comes out, the fanboys will proclaim Joe the luckiest man alive for an entirely different, and far more valid reason.”

Quesada is under strict orders from Smith not to disclose just what his role is. But any sordid rumors to the contrary, he did remain clothed. In fact, he was fitted for a special and specific costume.

But even though he liked Joe’s performance, Kev will be angling elsewhere for the future. “I’ve now cast two high-profile and talented Marvel muckity-mucks in View Askew flicks — Joe in ‘Strike Back’ and Stan Lee in ‘Mallrats,’” Smith says. “Next up, I’ll be casting from the DC talent pool.”

So now that he’s had his one shot at the big time, does Quesada think he’ll be getting groupies? “In addition to the ones I already have?” he laughs. “Hey, a guy with my charisma on screen for the first time — you never know.”

Take my word for it — Mrs. Quesada need not worry.

Filmmaker Kevin Smith’s pen has found a new mark off the big screen.

Smith — the director and writer of Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma — is resurrecting the DC Comic Green Arrow, about a modern-day, crime-fighting Robin Hood who’s a whiz with a bow and arrow.

“Comic books have grown up, so it was a great time to get back in, not only because it appeals to the kid in me but because the writing has grown so much stronger,” says Smith from the set of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, out Aug. 10. The film follows the adventures of Jay (Jason Mewes ) and Silent Bob (played by Smith), the dimwitted dudes who have appeared in Smith’s earlier movies, and reunites the usual players, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joey Lauren Adams and Chris Rock.

Smith’s first major foray as a comic-book writer came in 1998 with Marvel’s Daredevil, which features a blind superhero. Now he has signed on to revive superhero Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen. The comic book dates to 1941, but the character was killed off in ‘95 and replaced by his son, Connor Hawke. Smith, 30, committed himself to 12 issues; the first is due out Feb. 28.

“Green Arrow is a second-tier, maybe even third-tier character,” Smith says. “I guess it’s just the underdog influence why I always root for the guy whose not necessarily the guy on top.”

He’s not the only one. Longtime fan Jayme Blaschke, 31, of Temple, Texas, who runs a Web site devoted to Green Arrow, says: “This isn’t some guy from another planet. He doesn’t get his powers from a magic ring or the bite from a radioactive spider. He’s a normal man, just like you or I. He likes his chili hot and his jazz cool.”

In August, Smith will launch Bluntman and Chronic, a comic book tied to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Fans of Smith’s films may recognize Bluntman and Chronic as the comic created by Ben Affleck’s character in Chasing Amy. And his published handiwork can be found at his own comic-book store, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, in his hometown of Red Bank, N.J.

Smith says: “Comic books are one of the only true American art forms. They’re powerful icons that are consistently published, even in the age of the Internet.”

After years of filmmaking, director Kevin Smith will see you in the funny pages.

With the success of indie flicks such as Clerks and Dogma under his belt, director Kevin Smith finally has the clout to do what he’s always wanted: write comic books. While working on preproduction for his next film, the once and future Silent Bob broke his vow and talked about his upcoming stint as a writer of DC Comics’ superhero series Green Arrow.

Maxim: Do you think it’s a step down to go from films to comic books?

Kevin: I think it’s viewed that way. Most people are, like, “Are you hurting for cash?” I have to explain that it’s not about paying the rent. It’s fun, and something I wanted to do. I see writing comics as the fulfillment of a dream and as good practice. It lets me flex muscles I don’t normally get to flex. There isn’t a dick joke every five minutes.

M: But why Green Arrow? He doesn’t even have any superpowers.

K: It’s the same appeal as Batman, who also doesn’t have superpowers. He’s a dude in a suit. There’s an identification factor. You could never picture yourself being Superman; he’s a god. But Green Arrow is just an exceptional archer, and if you tried really hard – or were Geena Davis – you could be an exceptional archer.

M: You were tapped to write a new Superman movie, but the project couldn’t, um, get off the ground. What happened?

K: I wrote a script that was very conventional. It was classic Superman, and based on that Nicolas Cage and Tim Burton signed on. But once Burton joined, he said, “I want to bring my own writers.” Who knows if the studio ever said, “What about Kevin?” I doubt it. “We’ve got Tim Burton. Fuck the Clerks guy.” At that point I was history.

M: Nicolas Cage as Superman: What the hell were they thinking?

K: Not my call. I was just the writer. One day they told me he was interested, and I was, like, “Ohh, as Brainiac, the villain” – but they said, “No, as Superman.” And that was it. But I like Nic Cage. Nic Cage can do shitty movies for the rest of his life if he wants, ’cause he was in Raising Arizona.

M: People are already salivating over the Spider-Man film. What’s your take on it?

K: I think it’ll be great. Sam Raimi is a really great action director. I mean, this is the guy who made Evil Dead 2 -how could he possibly fuck up Spider-Man? Of course he won’t. Tobey Maguire is a fine casting choice as Peter Parker, and Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin is even better. I mean this is the guy who played Jesus.

M: Your Daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, is named after a Batman villain. How’d you talk the wife into that?

K: She just loves that character, so when she got pregnant I suggested the name. Then we had the kid, and in the hospital room I said, “Giving her that name is the worst thing we could do to this child.” But my wife said, “I don’t care what people call her. I think it’s a great name.”-Interview by Paul Semel

Also there was a side panel:

Hero Worship

Kevin Picks his top four all-time favorite comics you probably never heard of.:

Grimjack by John Ostrander

“Grimjack was a marshal doomed to live forever in this weird city that would slip in and out of phase with reality. Great comic, wonderful writing. I’m not doing it justice.”

JLA by Grant Morrison

“Some writers take on a character and say, ‘Everything you knew was a lie. And he has a new costume.’ Morrison took the Justice League characters and just told a really good story.”

Mage by Matt Wagner

“It’s the story of a simple man in a world without heroes who discovers he is something of a hero himself. It’s a precursor to Unbreakable in many ways.”

Sandman by Neil Gaiman

“This was the first time literature and comics melded so perfectly. Even if you took out all the pictures, you’d be left with one of the best works of fantasy literature”