• Kevin and the gang are headed back from their Japan promotional tour soon, but Kevin caught wind of this Jay & Silent Bob page that a comic store he attended is running. Scroll down to the bottom to check out the merchandise they sell and see it done up all Japanese-like.
• We’ve only heard this from one source so far, so you may want to verify if you’re in the area: Jason Mewes is scheduled to appear at Outer Limits comics in Nashville, TN this Saturday from 2 PM to 4 PM CST. If you’re in the area, could be a great chance to have Jay sign some of your VA comics and stuff.
• Clerks: The Cartoon will start screening on The Comedy Channel in Australia, 8:30 PM, Friday nights.
• And speaking of the Clerks cartoon: Current rumored guest voices that we’re hearing thrown around for Clerks: Sell Out, the animated movie: Bob Odenkirk, Gilbert Gottfried, Mitch Hedburg, Brian Posehn, Kevin Nealon, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, and Kyle Gass. All just rumors, of course, but an interesting list. We hope that they can pack the flick will all-celeb voices once it gets off the ground. Last we’d heard, it’s still next on the slate for View Askew Productions.
• The current (March 2003) issue of MAD Magazine includes a satirical pre-nuptial agreement between Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. No one is safe from their onslaught, not even Kevin! Check it out, on newsstands now.
• And in more satirical news, The Onion attacks poor Bennifer yet again today.
• More UK Askew airings – Monday night, Sky Premier began airing Project Greenlight’s first season with the first 2 episodes. A double bill will take place every Monday night for the entire season.
• Kevin’s work on the Daredevil comic gets a kind mention in the capsule review of the DD movie over at Penny-Arcade.com:

• Request magazine’s March/April issue has a few Kevin mentions. First, in a review for Daredevil, the sidebar factoid says:

Another mention is on a list of twisted love movies you might want to check out with your significant other on Valentine’s week:

And that’s all for now, folks! Catch ya next time. Thanks for stoppin’ on by today.

• Alright, here’s the latest on Kevin’s upcoming appearance at the University of Minnesota! Kevin has verbally agreed to speak there on Mar 25th, for the opening of the refurbished Student Union and Student Appreciation Week, but until the Student Activites Office gets the official contract in their hands, they won’t release tickets. Traditionally they invite the entire U of Minnesota community to events, but if they see huge clamor for tickets, the tickets will go first to students than to the rest of the community, faculty, staff, alumni, etc. Ticket information may come out around February 24th. We’ll keep you posted.

• Daredevil is on track to bring in around $40 million this weekend and the #1 spot — A very, very impressive opening which will almost surely greenlight a sequel very soon. We’ll have final numbers for you next update.
• And speaking of Daredevil, Movie Poop Shoot’s Michael Dequina was lucky enough to attend the premiere http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/nightout/index.html and meet the likes of Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ben Affleck, and even Kevin. Read the full exntensive report of his entire experience over at MPS!
• In the February 25th issue of The Star Magazine (yes, the one often found by the supermarket checkout stand), there’s a page devoted to Ben, Jen, & Jersey Girl. The article appears on page 28 and, from what we hear, claims to have spoilers, so read at your own risk!
• Chasing Amy and Ben Affleck get a mention today (Feb 16) in a Chicago Sun-Times column by Richard Roeper detailing several film “Ton 10-ish Lists”. Top 10 Signs a Movie Character Is Doomed, Top Songs In Permanent Rotation On The Movie Soundtrack Jukebox, etc:

• Kevin appears in another of those online comic strips this week. He and both “Willams” appear in this weeks “Skatey-Eight” comic. Skatey-Eight is a band from Michigan, and their drummer creates the comic for the site weekly.
• PVP Online features an “Open Letter to Ben Affleck” on their front page today, apologizing for thinking that Ben would make a bad Daredevil (after seeing the film and enjoying his performance).
• Derek Burgan, a reviewer for a professional wrestling site, wrote up a nice recommendation of the “An Evening with Kevin Smith” DVD for his DVD of the Week at the bottom of his Smackdown review this week.
• The short film SHADOWPLAY, scored by Ryan Shore (who scored “Vulgar”) won First Place at the Student Emmy Awards and also won a Student Academy Award last June. For more information on this composer, go to his website at www.ryanshore.com.
• Here’s a custom made Affleck as Daredevil figure that’s now up for bids on eBay. The likeness is actually pretty good!
• Mallrats will air in the UK, Monday night, 12.50 on BBC1.
• We’re not quite sure how dated this is, but we’ve never mentioned it (at least, not that we can recall). The Misanthophic Humorist takes a look back at Kevin’s films with some short opinions on all of ‘em.

• In a rare live appearance this year, Kevin has just been officially booked to do his famous Q&A thing live at the University of Minnesota on March 25th. We’ll have more details as the date approaches, but in the meantime, there’s a huge audience there that has yet to have a chance to see Kevin in person…So get out there and get some tickets as soon as ya can! We’re sure it’ll sell out fast. If anyone from that school has any more details, or can dig up some more info for us, be sure and let us know.

Kevin and the crew head to Tokyo, Japan tomorrow to promote the release of “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” there. Wish them luck and a great trip, it’ll sure be interesting to hear how the film translates to their culture.

• We’re receiving a TON of advance word from News Askew readers, unanimously enjoying the flick a great deal. Some more than others, but across the board, opinions have been excellent regarding the film. Here’s some blurbs from those who’ve seen the flick already…

No more reviews please, by the way…We’re gonna defer to the other review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and such now and let them take over with their better review coverage. Go out and enjoy the film tomorrow, we’re sure it’ll come in at #1, the only question is, how big will the box office be? DVD Talk’s “Aisle View” sums it up best: “Finally, they got it right”.

• The latest episode of VH-1’s “All Access” features a ton of Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez stuff, including a ton of footage of them working on the Jersey Girl set. Live footage from the fabled “Jen Saves Ben” videogame is also shown during the program. Check VH-1 for re-air times this week.
• The web comic strip “Theater Hopper” features Ben today in a cameo role. A line from JSBSB is also the title of the post. Check it out HERE.
• Any Kevin Smith fans in Maine looking for something to do on a snowy Sunday morning? One obsessed Kevin Smith fan has rented out a theatre in Brunswick, Maine on February 23rd to show CLERKS (it’s her BIRTHDAY!). It’s a private party so admission is free, but it is by invitation only so if anyone would like to come please e-mail funnygirl_3475@hotmail.com for details.
• Some auction items of interest — First off, this auction has a bunch of Daredevil props up for sale. Lots of amazing stuff there, but ya gotta have some deep pockets. As far as eBay goes, there’s some promotional items up from the “Evening With Kevin Smith” DVD. Check them out HERE. Could be something cool to bid on while Auctions Askew is on hiatus.
• And finally today, the quote of the day:

Hey, wait a second here…Kevin doesn’t rate?

• Daredevil promotions are reaching a fever pitch around here — One of the coolest bits we’ve seen is a new “countdown” Daredevil TV spot which has Kevin’s character in the lab saying, “Get ready to see something cool”. Bring it on!

• DD had its world premiere on Sunday at the Mann Village in Los Angeles. Kevin was of course there, and Wireimage has tons of pics of Kevin and Jen, Affleck, Lopez, and Damon. You can view the thumnails from the event HERE but as always, will need a WI subscription for the full size shots. We also have a couple photos of our own that came into the site courtesy of a fan (Kevin and Jen) and Variety (Kevin with Affleck).
• Daredevil (or rather, Affleck) is ALSO the subject of ridicule in this online web comic.
• And more Affleck: The March 2003 Vanity Fair features Ben on the cover and a HUGE new article. We’ll run a scan as soon as we can get our hands on one or a copy of the issue.
• And hey, how about we end today on a NON-Daredevil note, huh? This Christianity site HAILS Dogma as one of the most entertaining films ever made about religion! Now that’s more like it! Here’s the full text:

You can also read the site’s review of Dogma HERE.

• There’s a couple of rare View Askew items up at eBay that we thought may interest some: An actual used J&SBSB shooting script and one of those hard to find Mallrats books.
• We’re hearing that a lot of theaters are holding MIDNIGHT showings of Daredevil this Thursday night. So, if ya wanna see the flick early, be sure to call your local multiplex and ask! We can confirm that the Cocoaplex in nearby Hershey, PA is going to be selling passes this week. The film is getting some great advance buzz, so be sure to catch it theatrically.
• Apparently, the Mallrats showing at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, VA last night went swimmingly. Here’s a report:

• And finally today, the IMDB takes their Quote of the Day from J&SBSB:

• This really is some way cool news, and a great honor for everyone who worked on the Green Arrow book. As we announced earlier this week, Kevin’s “Quiver” arc with Green Arrow has been recognized by the 2003 Best Books for Young Adults Committee:

You can read the entire article and see the full list of those who made it in HERE. Green Arrow is listed alphabetically under “Smith”. Be sure to stop by your local library soon, we expect many of them should be stocking copies of “Quiver” due to this honor.

• We’re starting to hear that Jersey Girl has been screened for some small test audiences, most likely they’re trying to flesh out some edits and the like, and tighten up the running time just a bit more. One reviewer supposedly says that the first 15 minutes weren’t that good, but after that it picks up and gets outstanding. We haven’t seen a frame of this flick yet, so we really can’t comment on anything for ourselves, but we can tell you that the advanced word from those that have seen it so far as been very, very positive. We’ll let you know if we hear more of this, chances are that these test screenings are very private, and very secretive, but if that changes, or if anyone’s lucky enough to catch one, be sure and let us know how you liked the film.