Archive for August 17th, 2001

J&SBSB Overseas Dates & Preview Info!

August 17th @ 5:53 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Ash Pocock, Jon Farthing, George Fling Jr., Philipp, Jerry Breig & Christian Jones

  • A few more overseas dates have been announced, but not confirmed. UK residents: The Internet Movie Database currently has the film listed as having a December 21st release date. This date has not been confirmed anywhere else, though. A recently aired program called Liquid News aired footage of the J&SBSB premiere, and mentioned a NOVEMBER UK release, so perhaps the German release (see below) will coincide.

The film will be also disturbed by the company Highlight Film in Germany under the Title: “Jay & Silent Bob Schlagen Zurück”. A release date of November 11, 2001 is set. More info can be found HERE.

It appears that most of the 1000+ theaters who’ve got the J&SBSB preview screening this Saturday night will show “The Others” afterwards. We’re hearing GREAT things about that flick, so there’s your chance to see two really cool flicks for one price. A fantastic deal. Check with your local theaters and ask them about the screening! We’re receiving reports of screenings selling out all over the country, so get those tickets TODAY! Yahoo! probobly has the best database for finding sneak preview locations for Saturday. Most seem to be showing between 7 and 7:30. Movietickets.com is another nice spot to look for such info. Hopefully you can all catch the flick early this week, and will go again to see all the jokes and references you missed again NEXT weekend.

Kevin Posts On Austin, New Spots…

August 17th @ 5:52 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Kevin Smith

  • Kevin’s here with a post from earlier this week to address the new televion spots, the Austin premiere, and more. And we hope folks will take our lead on this and listen to Kevin – Catch the movie in advance, see the sneak preview this Saturday, but DEFINITELY bring all your friends and pay to see the flick on opening weekend. Grab people off the street. Spread the word! Here’s Kevin:
I Now Officially Own Austin, Texas

Kidding.

But we did have a great show last night. Wonderful, packed house (over 1300, I’m told, with every seat sold). Great, responsive crowd. Terrific Q&A. T’was all good. Many thanks to Richard and the Austin Film Society for having us over.

So, yes – Bob’s decided to “sneak” the movie this weekend on a thousand screens (see post below for the math). I guess I should be happy about it, because it means he’s confident in the playability and word of mouth of the flick. But you’d better believe it was tough to give up what could be a million and a half in opening weekend bucks.

However, Bob’s the man, and he seems to always know what he’s doing, so I’m taking a leap of faith here.

So if there’s a “sneak” near you on Saturday, by all means go. It’s good for us. Really.

Especially if you go again the next weekend when we officially open.

And you bring a couple friends.

And then you go right into the next showing after the flick’s done.

In other news, I’ve been reading all the lamentation about the TV spots. Well you’ll be happy to hear there are about four new spots debuting between now and the opening. One’s called “Warning”, and can only be shown after 9:00pm. It’s pretty funny. The other’s called “Wanted”, and may be airing already today. Next week, we’ve got the spots that Jay and I shot at the Quick Stop on Friday, with Jay talking to the camera. They’re pretty funny as well.

See? You talk, I listen.

But remember – these spots aren’t aimed at the Askew fan. We’re kinda counting on you guys and gals going. These spots are aimed at folks who aren’t familiar with our weird little world, and tend to sell less Jay and Bob and more everyone else in the cast (and the broader humor as well). The tracking numbers show that the spots thus far are working, as the definite interest and the first choice numbers continue to rise weekly. With the new spots, we may just be able to break out by opening weekend.

Either way, those are just numbers. The important thing is that the audiences thus far who’ve seen it are digging it big time.

And that’s why we made the movie: to make motherfuckers laugh and laugh hard.

Keep your fingers crossed, folks.

New Interviews Over At AICN…

August 17th @ 5:52 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by MoonLad

  • Mysterio continues his J&SBSB interview series over at AICN with his extended interview with the Velma-esque character in the film, played by Jane Silva. He also sits down for a brief Q&A with God herself, Alanis Morissette. Here’s a quick snippet:
Mysterio: Explain what your casting process was like for this film?

Jane: It was right before Christmas and I got a call from the casting associate. My picture got to her through my sister who works for Miramax in New York.

Mysterio: Ah, so indeed nepotism is alive and well then.

Jane: A little bit, but that’s not why I got the part because Kevin didn’t know that. So the casting associate called and asked if I’d come in and read for “Beauty” and “Bookish”. I read for those parts and they put me on tape and then I didn’t hear anything other than they were possibly going to change the part and have it be a little more involved then it was. So that’s when they called and asked if I was ok with a kiss (with “Beauty”), which wound up being cut. So I auditioned in December and didn’t find out that I got the part until March; it was so long that I kindda blew it off thinking I didn’t get the part.

You can read the interviews and check out a few new photos from the set right HERE.

“Chasing Kevin” Now Available Online!

August 17th @ 5:51 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Antony

  • Scott Kramer’s short film, “Chasing Kevin”, which was the center of the whole “Employees” fiasco from a while back (check the archives), is now available online for the first time. The short has screened in several small venues, including last year’s Vulgarthon, but has otherwise been rarely seen. It’s a very clever and witty tale of one man’s quest to track down Kevin Smith. Cool stuff. Be sure and check it out, exclusively at the Countingdown.Com website, right HERE.

Positive J&SBSB Reviews Continue Rolling In…

August 17th @ 5:50 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Jason

  • Just a reminder, our review database over at the News Askew Forums continues to grow at a HUGE rate. There are, at presstime, 94 fan and critic reviews over there, of all shapes and sizes. Remember, if you spot a critic review or have your own review of the film you’d like to share, that’s the place to do it. If you want a website that’s got a really nice system, www.rottentomates.com also has started a database of critic only reviews, and the flick’s doing quite well over there. Be sure and check out our Forums area. We don’t think you’ll find a larger collection of reviews in one place. Remember, the user that posts the most LEGIT reviews in that area is going to win two videocassettes, containing the uncut Stroke 9 and Afroman videos directly from the studio. Cool stuff.

“A Better Place” DVDs Ship!

August 17th @ 5:50 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Vincent Pereira

  • We’re happy to report that Vincent Periera’s “A Better Place” is on the way to many of your doors around the world as we speak! Both US and international orders are shipping this week, including Vincent’s signed copies from the Stash. In fact, Vincent posted this announcement yesterday, which mean those of you who ordered the signed copies with frame clips should be happily receiving your disks starting TODAY:
I just got back from several hours spent signing the DVD inserts at the office and inserting the frame clippings, and they’re ready to go! I have to say, it was quite a thrill to see several hundred finished copies of the DVD in front of me. They should be shipped tomorrow, so everybody be on the lookout, and remember my comments re: Brian Lynch’s autograph. If you want Brian to autograph the DVD insert, mail back the insert with a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) and Brian will sign them and we’ll send them back to you when he returns from Los Angeles. Send the inserts to:

Brian Lynch ABP Autograph
3 Harding Road
Red Bank, NJ
07701

Remember to send the insert back in a sturdy envelope so it doesn’t get bent or otherwise mangled, and remeber to enclose an equally sturdy return envelope with the appropriate postage!

I hope you all love this DVD as much as I do. Too bad we couldn’t have a premiere party for it’s release!

View Askew NewsBites™

August 17th @ 5:49 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Norman Emery, Gary Wong, Alonso Duralde, Chris Clark, Ian Medza, Ari Becker, Daniel Zelter, Becky Dodd, Paul Lowrey, Paul Lowrey, Randi Kaufman, Patrick McCarron, Ben Burgraff, Gilly Rudolf, Graham Spector, Mike Finnell, Chris Ritter, MoonDoogie, Inspector 81, Ash Skywatcher, Sixpack, Allan Sears, Jamie B, AgentOinge, Lucky, Jaemeel Robinson

  • The Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back soundtrack debuted at #92 on the Billboard album chart. It will likely climb quite a bit higher than that as well. The Top Soundtracks chart in today’s Hollywood Reporter, however, shows the J&SBSB soundtrack debuting at #10, with 16,125 units sold. (For comparison, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” is at #1, with 71,125 sold last week.) VH-1 also gave props to the soundtrack and showed a minute or so montage about it during their “Rock Accross America” show. We’ll keep tabs on it for ya here.
  • Don’t forget, Jay & Silent Bob take over the FX network on August 21st! The full press release, complete with a full schedule, can be located HERE.
  • We’d like to thank the New York Post for this plug for the Scooping The Monkey website. Our J&SBSB sometimes official site has been referenced in this piece they ran earlier in the week:
“Director Kevin Smith’s new comedy “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (due Aug 24), starts out much like a typical road movie. Our heroes set out from New Jersey for Hollywood to prevent the production of a movie based on their lives and encounter an amorous hitchhike (George Carlin), a quartet of female jewel thieves and an orangutan. Typical. But the film’s “nonstop crude and sexual humor,” in the MPAA’s phrase, is guaranteed to offend various segments of society. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has already protested alleged homophobia in the film. Smith, no stranger to controversy, reached a truce with GLAAD by donating $10,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, but refused to apologize because, he says, the film’s objectionable characters are “Idiots.” The movie’s Web site, www.newsaskew.com/va5, has a rundown of the entire brouhaha, with links to various commentaries and articles by opinion makers. It also contains interviews with Smith about filmmaking and links to discussions with co-stars Chris Rock and Mark Hamill.”
  • A recent E! News Daily aired a bit on cameos in J&SBSB which revealed some footage and Kevin talking a bit about hosts Jules and Steve’s appearances in the flick. If anyone has it captured, let us know, as we missed this one.
  • A recent Countingdown.com article on American Pie 2 has some of the actors, (Seann, Shannon, and Jason), mentioning their roles in J&SBSB:
What else do you guys have coming up?

Shannon – I have Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and then around Halloween I have 13 Ghosts. JSBSB is really cute, I really liked it and I am not usually a big fan of my films. I was surprised how much I liked it. And Kevin Smith is the best.

Sean – I was in it in a scene too… it was fun… then I did STARK RAVING MAD. My first dramatic movie. There were some funny moments in it. I am really excited about it. The producers are from “From Dusk Till Dawn”, “Pulp Fiction”, and “Reservoir Dogs”. It’s a bank heist movie that takes place at a rave. It comes out early spring.

Read the full article HERE.

  • Chicago’s Rock station Q101 is giving out tickets to the Chicago Premiere of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which takes placeon next Monday the 20th. You’ll find details HERE.
  • Stroke 9 was caught playing “Kick Some Ass” during the X-Games inline skating events on ESPN2. They were live and did a slightly different version of the song from the video. No mention of the flick, though.
  • This recent Cinescape article discusses Kevin’s refusal to do a Green Arrow movie, because of the high fan expectations. He cites the uproar over Spiderman’s organic web-shooters as an example. He also states that the Preacher film adaptation-to which he’s attached-is still stuck in limbo. Another Cinescape piece re-iterates Kevin’s determination to stay close to the book regarding Fletch Won.

  • The creator of that drawing we mentioned of Jay & Bob that appears in Roxy’s deli in NYC’s Times Square got in touch with us and sent us a scan. It’s some pretty fine work. Check it out above.

  • There’s always a lot of fan art that comes from Kevin’s stuff, but this one is certainly one of the cooler things we’ve seen done lately. Here’s his vision of an alternate one-sheet for Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, a nice composite job of some of the pics we’ve released here at the site.
  • Today’s IMDB poll asks you what your favorite Kevin Smith movie is.
  • Here’s the finalized ratings for J&SBSB in Canada: (1) AA in Ontario (This means Adult Accompaniment (AA) Viewing should be restricted to persons 14 years of age or older or to persons younger than 14 who are accompanied by an adult), (2) BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan has an 18a rating (Anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult), (3) Martimes (14A), and (4) NWT/Yukon/Numuvet (Fallow Albert and BC guidlines).
  • Jason Lee is the subject of a story in the September edition of Talk magazine. Here ya go:
Will the real Jason Lee please step forward?

10 things you need to know about Hollywood’s hottest everyman.

1. Yes, you have seen him before: He was the LSD-licking lead singer in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous.”

2. Next up: Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back;” Barry Sonnenfeld’s “Big Trouble;” and “Stealing U.,” a Tom Green comedy. This December he’ll also appear in Crowe’s “Vanilla Sky” with Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz.

3. A 31-year old high school droopout and former skateboarding pro, he peppers his speech with words like “awesome,” “dude,” and “cool.”

4. He doesn’t really do soft drinks at all, but if you must know, he prefers Pepsi to Coke.

5. He considers himself a businessman. “I look at acting as a job, ” he says “It’s a profession. You get paid. That’s it.”

6. Did we mention that he’s real? Instead of running into L.A.’s Vicodin-spiked young actors’ scene, he keeps company with his wife, actress and photographer Carmen Llywellyn, and a group of aspiring young artists whose canvases he hopes to hang on Hollywood Boulevard. “I want to create something like New York’s art scene here in L.A.,” he says.

7. When he’s not acting, he performs with his electro-experimental band Chiaroscuro.

8. When we ask him what he would do if he weren’t acting, he says, “I’d act.”

9. Even though he has brought to life countless toking, dosing characters, he claims he doesn’t drink or smoke.

10. He had never before met the action here and donkey-eared girls pictured here–they were simply walking down Hollywood Boulevard on the afternoon of the shoot. “There was Jason in this Gucci suit, and in walks Superman, wanting to rub elbows with him,” reports one observer. “But he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t have to be the only star in the shot.”

  • A young man has written an article for his school newspaper about Kevin’s work and placed it online. You can check it out online HERE.
  • A Philly DJ for radio station Y100 recently did an interesting stunt…As part of their Top 25 countdown, he played Afroman’s “Because I Got High” as EVERY slot, 25 times in a row! At the end of the show, the DJ offered Tickets to a screening of J&SBSB for the first caller to name all 25 songs in order.

We’re Back – Big Update On The Way!

August 17th @ 11:14 am | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • One 5 hour plane flight and a lotta jet lag later, it’s Friday and things are finally starting to unblur and come back to the reality of east coast living. We’ll have a HUGE update on the way catching up on all the news that happened while we were gone. It looks like there’s at least 400 e-mails in the inbox, so it’ll take some time to get through it all, but it WILL be done. The film and the premiere were of course was a blast! The wrapup on that trip and a ton of pics are on the way. It seems like the web’s got some better photos than we were able to capture, so check around and you’ll probably get a look at the celebs and the scene before we even have all that stuff online.

Thanks again to Kevin for flying us out there and to Scott for driving us around town for a few days! We know you’re all waiting for the big update, so it’s time to get back to work on that. Catch ya back here a bit later this afternoon with some real news.