Archive for February 27th, 2005

Interesting Tidbits From Kev…

February 27th @ 6:00 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • Kevin’s been around answering some questions lately, and we’ve taken some time to do a sweep and pull out what we think many of you might find interesting. So, we’ll clue you in on the conversation, if needed, otherwise, what you see ahead is directly from the typing fingers of Kevin Smith himself:
  • [On the CLIT inaction figures standing on their own given their tiny feet:] “Each CLIT figure comes with a letter (C, L, I, T) that aid them in standing. Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash and it’s parent company, View Askew Productions, however, highly recommend against standing on any clits yourself… unless you’re asked to, in the heat of the moment.”
  • [On the material for the EVENING 2 DVD from Toronto and the upcoming London Q&A:] “When all’s said and done, we’ll actually have almost as much material from these gigs (T.O. and U.K.) as we did from the five colleges (eight hours vs. ten), as we only taped two hours apiece at the colleges, and we’re doing the whole shows at the current gigs.”
  • A secret tidbit on his “Green Hornet” script: ” There is a third generation in the flick (well, second, since we can’t reference the first gen, the Lone Ranger).”
  • This post reveals that Zach Braff (he of “Scrubs” and “Garden State” fame) is the top choice to play “Fletch” in Kev’s adaptation of Fletch Won now. Not a bad choice at all.

And finally, for those of you attending Vulgarthon next month (yep, just one month away now!), Kevin reveals that no special seating is set aside — Simply first come, first-served. We’ll likely have some more tips for you as the event draws closer (anyone remember the “stand up and move left to fill in empty seats” trick from last time?). So we suggest that when you pick your seats, don’t leave those empty buffer seats around ya. Fill ‘em in. Every seat in the house is a good one: “Oddly enough, even in the Dome, you can sit in the front row and still go home sans neck trouble. The theater’s designed really well, and there’s plenty of space between the screen and the first row.” We look forward to meeting many of you there!

Additional Castings For Lee Sitcom…

February 27th @ 6:00 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Belinda Barber

  • The Futon Critic is reporting that more castings have been made in the new Jason Lee sitcom pilot, “My Name Is Earl”, and believe it or not, another familiar face has joined the fun:
EARL (NBC) – Ethan Suplee (”Without a Paddle”), Nadine Velazquez (”Entourage”) and Eddie Steeples (”Torque”) have all been cast in the Jason Lee-led comedy pilot, about a low-rent crook who, after winning the lottery, decides to use his limited yet oddly effective intelligence to right the wrongs he has made in his life. Suplee will play Earl’s brother, Randy, while Velazquez is set as hotel maid Tatiana with Steeples as Earl’s friend Darnell. Jaime Pressly also stars as Earl’s ex-wife. In addition, Marc Buckland (”Cracking Up”) has come aboard to direct and executive produce the pilot, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and creator Greg Garcia.

A capsule review of an early draft of the pilot episode is forthcoming. It’ll be a lot more interesting to re-read the script with these faces now in mind. A sitcom with TWO View Askew vets on board in regular roles? How ’bout that!

View Askew NewsBites™

February 27th @ 5:59 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Alan Blair, Alonso Duralde

“It’s a great choice that’s pretty critic-proof,” says Affleck’s pal Kevin Smith, who has directed him in four movies. “It’s not the lead, and he’s playing an actor whose career was in turmoil. Smells like Ben’s comeback to me.”
Kevin Smith, who directed Rock in Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, says he hopes his friend will spare no one — even if it means catching scowls like that thrown by Russell Crowe when host Steve Martin joked about his libido in 2001. (Related story: The hosts with the most — or least)

“Most people will be watching hoping that Rock brings some flavor, some spice to it,” Smith says. “The beauty of that guy is he leaves no stone unturned and a path of scorched earth in his wake. Luckily, Russell Crowe isn’t nominated this year, so Rock will be as safe as a kitten.”

On an outstanding commentary track accompanying the film, one such admirer, Clerks creator Kevin Smith, chats with Kelly about the new version’s fleshed-out comic-book underpinnings while admitting he’s not entirely convinced the additions are an improvement. Smith also gets Kelly to talk about the pros and cons of having your first film connect so strongly with audiences (Kelly, who was 26 when he made the movie, admits it’s a little scary to know he’ll never be able to top himself). They also talk about the chilly reception the picture received at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and its disastrous release in October of that year, when audiences were not in a frame of mind for dark fantasy.

Occasionally, their conversation takes some enjoyable detours, like a tangential analysis of the ”You’re such a super lady!” scene from Fargo, or a moment in which Smith reverts to Jay and Silent Bob mode and asks Kelly, in terms too crude to repeat here, if the success of the film has improved his romantic life.

  • You central-US type folks know the appearance is fast approaching, but the Northwest Herald has a bio of Kevin as they announce his April 3rd stint at the Raue Center For The Arts in Illinois. It’s selling FAST too, before they’ve even started to push tix, mostly due to this site and the board. If you haven’t bought yet, BUY NOW!