Here goes…

Smalls (yes, this board’s very own Smalls) has been hired to work at View Askew.

Alright, that’s not the big news. Sadly, there will be no big news today. Thought it would be alright to talk about by today, but it’s not. Sorry. I’m hoping I can bust it by Friday, but no promises. I’m at the mercy of the parent company on this one, so cut a brother some slack. This is not me toying with your hearts and minds, because I assure you, if I’d had my way, I’d have told you a month ago. But some shit’s out of my control, and this announcement is one of those things.

To assuage this cyber pull-out of sorts, what follows is a list of OTHER news – various little tidbits to hold ya’ll over ’til the bomb drops.

– Variety, the film trade magazine of record, is doing an issue celebrating View Askew’s Tenth Anniversary. It’s a very cool honor. They’ll be talking about our little secret club-house website as well, so keep an eye out for the issue. It hits stands in March, I believe.

– Today I’m shooting a guest spot on the CBS sitcom “Yes, Dear”, in which I play… well, me. Already shot a little bit on Monday (an exterior at the front gate of CBS Radford; ironically, the same gate Jay and I snuck past in “Strike Back”) and had a good time. Not sure when it’s gonna air yet.

– We started press screening “Jersey Girl” last week (in NY and LA) and it’s going very well.

– The “Jersey Girl” screening to benefit the Kenny Gordon Foundation will be held March 4th in NYC, five days before the premiere. Ben, Liv, and I will be at the benefit, and tickets are gonna be open to the public (heads-up: the prices will be a little steep, as it’s a benefit). I’ll let you know where you can buy tix next week.

– There’s also gonna be a screening up at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, on March 10th or 11th, I think. The beloved Janet Maslin will do some Q&A with me following the show. Tix will be open to the public.

– I’ll be in Toronto on March 12th doing a college Q&A (for Ryerson, I think) at the Roy Thomson Hall. Tickets are open to the public. No “JG” screening beforehand or anything. This is straight up Q&A.

– Ya’ll have already read about the South By Southwest/Austin Film Society Screening of “JG”. The “Strike Back” Austin screening was about the best public screening of the flick I’d ever attended, so hopefully, this’ll at least match it. Q&A will follow.

– The L.A. Secret Stash’s opening has been pushed back to June 1st now. There will be a Bash for that Stash, rest assured.

– Saw the completed 3D-animated View Askew Productions card that Chris Bailey made for the front of “Jersey Girl”, and it’s fucking awesome. It’s based on the new Jay and Bob logo that some of you have spotted at the bottom of the “Jersey Girl” poster. Imagine the InAction figures having come to life, and you’ll get an idea of how it looks. Would be cool to do a whole movie with them…

– I am finally… FINALLY… finishing both “Spider-Man and the Black Cat” and “Daredevil: Target” for Marvel. Big apologies on the delays, but I’ll try to make it worth it.

– Along those lines, I’m also finally… FINALLY… getting all the free “Strike Back” posters signed and out next week, with the help of the mighty Smalls (who’s been too modest to admit here that he’s now a View Askew employee).

And that’s about it for now. Keep checking back for the biggie tomorrow and Friday.

For the record, though – the big news has nothing to do with Tom Cruise.

20 – Tonight Show for Roadside Attractions Appearance

March:

4 – Jersey Girl benefit screening for Kenny Gordon Foundation, NYC (open to public)

9 – Jersey Girl Premiere, New York City

10 or 11 – Jersey Girl benefit screening, Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, NY (open to public)

12 – Ryerson University, Toronto (Q&A Only)

14 – SxSW Jersey Girl Screening, Austin, Texas (tentative), Probably at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Ave.

16 – Guest on the Tonight Show

20/21 – Kevin and Jason will be attending the Los Angeles Wizard Con being held in Long Beach. Kevin will be doing a two hour panel on Saturday the 20th and a signing on Sunday the 21st. This is a preliminary schedule.

31 – University of California, Berkeley

April

5 – East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

RRFH: Right now, the scene that we’re looking at is actually set in 2003. JERSEY GIRL starts in 1994, and then moves forward to [the present].

AT: Is it easier to do period research on an older period like the 1970’s, than it is to do something more recent, like 1994?

RRFH: Right now, it’s really about removing things. We look at the models of cars for street scenes. The seasons themselves have been pretty tough. Putting leaves on trees or taking the leaves off of trees has been tough…that’s a lot of work. Making snow, making it look like it’s cold…those things take a lot of time.

…

RRFH If you look at JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, we decided to use every recognizable thing I could find in prop houses and locations. There were old STAR TREK props, and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA props, and PLANET OF THE APES props. I was going crazy going, “I know this control panel!” We found the ROCKETEER jetpack in the Disney prop house, sitting under a dusty blanket. Most of this stuff is just sitting there, but it’s used again and again in television. Some of it’s just so in the background you don’t notice it.

MH: No, but I asked him about that. I had dinner with him in the end of Sept, and anything that he wants me to do, of course I’d do it, because we really are on the same wavelengths.

Q: How hard did you punch Jay in Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back?

MH: Well, of course, all of those things are done so you don’t actually hurt the actor, but of course with a fist like that…by the way, Kevin Smith promised me that, but he changed his mind. That alone should get me a part in his next film.