- Just two quick bites for you today — First up, Kevin’s updated his online blog/diary, “My Boring Ass Life” with another week of updates. We’re not cliff-noting it for you this time around, since it consists mostly of personal, family type stuff, and the day to day that comes with, well, being a human being. That’s what we dig about the diary, though — It doesn’t have to be news, sometimes a day is just a day. The entries are interesting as always, and do again confirm that a lead actress for the Clerks flick has been acquired. No name dropped or even a hint though (dang it!), so continue to speculate away. Read all the latest at the official site, and comment at the View Askew Forums as always.
- For those of you keeping up with the ever-expanding cast of Richard Kelly’s intriguing “Southland Tales” (of which Kevin has been a part of for quite some time), Aint It Cool confirmed some more who are joining in. Coming Soon ran a similar story. The film has an interestring, mysterious air around it now, and we’re hoping it stays that way. Keep the spoilers away from us!
Archive for August, 2005
View Askew NewsBites™
- Anyone wanna smell like Ben Affleck? IMDB reports:
Hollywood hunk Ben Affleck has signed a $1.8 million deal to be the face of popular British deodorant Lynx. The Jersey Girl star, whose new wife Jennifer Garner is expecting their first child this year, will appear in TV advertisements directed by Danny Klienman. Affleck has previously starred in ads for Burger King as a child actor and L’Oreal Elvive hair products in 2003.
- We’ve been looking for a scan of this to run for a while, now — Premiere magazine ran a blurb citing Clerks as an overrated flick, which we of course strongly disagree with — But what we love is the “Defense” bit at the bottom which we feel hits the nail right on the head. For posterity’s sake, the scan is right here, so click away.
- Jason Lee presents his “12 CDs you Gotta Get” in the supplemental “Listen 2 This” section of September 2nd’s Entertainment Weekly magazine. Since the list seems to be tough to come by online, here’s the rundown in case you wanna school yourself on Lee’s tastes:
1) Cocteau Twins: Blue Bell Knoll (1988)
“When I was 18 (1988) my girlfriend gave me this CD for my birthday. She was way ahead of the curve when it came to music. I wasn’t. It’s still my favorite album of all time.”
“When I was 18 (1988) my girlfriend gave me this CD for my birthday. She was way ahead of the curve when it came to music. I wasn’t. It’s still my favorite album of all time.”
2) Midlake: Bamnan and Silvercork (2004)
“A five-piece band from Denton, Texas, that makes incredibly amazing music. There hasn’t been a week since I’ve had the CD that I haven’t listened to it, and I got over a year ago.”
3) Nick Drake: Bryter Layter (1970)
“A genius, a real genius. It’s sad to think that with how good he was, and for so long, it would take a VW commercial, of all things, to bring him to the public eye.”
4) Miles Davis: A Kind of Blue (1959)
“Like a great, classic film. And as with great, classic films, all you want to do is watch them over & over.”
5) Explosions In The Sky: The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)
“Another Texas band. Triumphant, classical-like compositions that would make the likes of Beethoven proud.”
6) Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)
“When this came out, being the skeptical dude that I am when it comes to ‘what’s hot.” I didn’t bite. A long time later, I bought it. Am I happy that I did? Absolutely.”
7) Beck: Sea Change (2002)
“I don’t want to label this one as just a great road-trip album, but it has that quality, especially ” ‘ The Golden Age.’ ”
8) Bob Dylan: Desire (1976)
“Speaking of great road-trip albums, this is a great piece of music to listen to while driving somewhere through the desert on a hot summer day…with the windows rolled down.”
9) Radiohead: Kid A (2000)
“As much as I like OK Computer, Kid A grew on me the way no other Radiohead album had.”
10) Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump (2000)
“The opening track, ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot,’ absolutely blew my mind when I first heard it. It was from this track that my wife, Beth, came up with the name Pilot for our son.”
11) Sigur Ros: Agaetis Byrjun (2001)
“The singer plays the guitar with a bow & sings in a way that you’d think he was female. A beautiful & very unique sound.”
12) Bjork: Vespertine (2001)
“It’s very simply a perfect album from start to finish, and one that somehow makes me envious. I mean, how can one be that good?”
- Here’s an interesting new concept — A site called “What Was That Movie?” that lets you find a movie you might enjoy but forget the title of…Hey, do you remember that movie with that guy from last year? The site’s just getting started but View Askew’s films are already all there and among the most popular searches.
- And finally today, you just gotta love the birthday cake that reader Richie’s girlfriend made for him. Now that’s a keeper, right there. Catch ya next time.
EXCLUSIVE – Mallrats X: The DVD Review!
- Special thanks to Universal for hooking us up with a hot of the press Mallrats 10th Anniversary Etended Edition DVD — Literally seconds after they came in, one was overnighted coast-to-coast for review. So, it’s now our pleasure to review this jam-packed edition for you here, with tons of never before seen screenshots from the film’s additional scenes (in glorious anamorphic full screen, full color transfers), what to expect from the extra goodies, and maybe even an easter egg hint or two. Make it your first order of business to read our exclusive Mallrats 10th Anniversary Extended Edition DVD Review immediately!
Degrassi 3-Episode Arc Ends On Noggin TONIGHT!
- Don’t forget, dear Stateside readers, tonight is Kevin and Jay’s LAST Degrassi appearance, in the season ender, marking the conclusion of the 3 episode arc. Kevin and Jay WILL return next year, in fact, we were told that, contrary to the newsbite we ran yesterday, Kevin and Jay WERE on set in Canada where the marquee was spotted, and the girlfriend of a reader of ours, Avi, had the pleasure meeting the duo after production wrapped.
Happy Friday, and enjoy the final Degrassi!
View Askew NewsBites™
- Regrettably, Kevin and Jay will be cancelling their Wizard World Boston appearance this year. We’ve just learned that the intense preproduction duties for Clerks 2 will keep the guys wrapped up in work. We’re sure Kev will make up for it, and believe us when we say the Clerks 2 product will definitely be worth the sacrifices.
- We love love LOVE this cover for the fourth issue of Spidey/Black Cat, and we thank Kevin for bringing it to us. It’s great to see some beautiful new Dodson artwork, exciting as hell to see that familiar face in the background, and our anticipation to see Kevin’s words again committed to comic is at an all time high. This one can’t show up fast enough.
- View Askew historically hits a NEW entertainment medium! The Sony PSP (that cool little portable playstation thing that we so covet) will introduce Clerks to their movie lineup on November 15th, 2005. How cool is that?
- Jay & Bob spotted in Canada! The marquee of the Englinton Theatre event hall in Toronto, formerly the greatest movie house in the city, advertised “Tonight: Jay & Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?” earlier this week. No sign of their real life counterparts in the streets, so we’re guessing it was just an establishing shot for their appearances next season on Degrassi.
- Joe Holleman, entertainment reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has listed his “Best 10 Films of the 90’s”. Chasing Amy and Clerks get a shout out in the “Honorable Mention” category. The top ten are some heavy-hitters, so it’s nice to see View Askew’s films in such good company.
- “My Name Is Earl” continues to get nice press and publicity as the premiere draws near. We’re getting reports that a loop on Walmart TV airing clips and cast interviews from the show in a 2-minute spot. Check your local Walamrt’s TV department and stand around a while to catch it. And while you’re there, pick us up some bargains.
- Also, a very detailed piece shows up in the Buffalo News, reviewing the series and giving both high marks to it and star Jason Lee. Here’s a snippet:
…It’s a filmed comedy, with each episode looking like a little movie. But it isn’t a movie, which is one reason why Lee had trouble committing to the series.
All the attention he is getting is a new experience for the extremely likable Lee, who hasn’t learned how to act like a star yet. At a loud NBC party in Los Angeles last month, he graciously accommodated several critics who asked him to walk to a quiet spot so he could be interviewed about everything from how he began acting to how he manages to keep Earl’s four-day-facial hair growth (hair clippers).
I immediately asked him how many times he said no to doing “Earl.” “Maybe four times,” said Lee. “I kept going “no, yeah, no, yeah.’ I’m not sure. What should I do?’”
…
He became an actor because the mother of a girlfriend was an acting manager. She got him a meeting with the casting director of “Mallrats,” the film directed by Kevin Smith.
“He said, “He’s not an actor, he seems like a nice kid, I’ll have him come back and read for Kevin,’ and it went from there,” said Lee. “I didn’t know him. I came in like any one of the dozen actor kids. He had no idea about the skateboarding or anything.”
A few years before “Mallrats,” he had taken acting lessons for about six months.
“I thought it as just an opportunity for me to get on stage and make the audience laugh,” said Lee. “I didn’t understand how it all worked. So I didn’t get that much out of it.”
…
He hopes Kevin Smith, the director who started his acting journey, will direct an episode of “Earl” and some of his actor friends will guest star.
Kevin directing an episode? We’d dig that! Spread the word about Earl, let’s help make this a breakout hit for Lee! Read the full article HERE. We thank you for stopping in, and hope to see you again soon.
Commentary…
- Our apologies for being so late with this edition today, as we were busy being enthralled by the glory that is the Mallrats X disc that arrived at the News Askew offices today. We’ll have a MASSIVE review for you this weekend, which we’ll be spending the next few days prepping. That being said, there’s some bits and bites to cover today, and some interesting and important ones and that, so read on, dear friends…
View Askew NewsBites™
- Kevin continues to score a spot in the top 25 list of Tivo’ed directors which you can view at Tivo’s official site. He’s ranked as high as 5 at some stages. Quite good company, and a neat honor, as we consider Tivo stats to be more accurate than those dang Neilsen ratings these days. According to the public, Kevin’s tops.
- “My Name Is Earl” does have a small bit running in that channel 101 DirecTV NBC special, here’s a description. Sounds similar to the ads NBC’s got running already:
The “My Name is Earl” promo runs I guess around 90-120 seconds. With Jason Lee voice over as he’s in a convenience store, walking out lighting a smoke and winning 100k in the lottery. then, he gets slammed by a car losing the ticket. This goes into his “list” of wrongs, I believe the total was around 250 and his first project, a kid he’d picked on in High School and finding him a woman.. errr.. but, he likes GUYS.. after they find out, Lee and his buddy running out like hell followed by the voice over “I don’t think the running was necessary” was priceless. But Earl sincerely wanting to clear his karma tries to help everyone he has wronged in the past.
Needless to say, we’re sure you’ll all support the show and spread the word. We’d love to see this become a huge hit for Lee.
- And it OTHER “Earl” news, if you want to catch an early look at the pilot, The Museum of Television and Radio in New York and Los Angeles is featuring the pilot episode as part of their “In The Prime” series. Admission is first-come, first-served. Earl runs on the NBC night, Friday September 16th. Sounds like a good event (the intriguing “Surface” pilot will also screen that same night). Hope some of you can make it.
- The sidebar of a Detriot News article on Generation X cites Kevin as one of the idols of said age grouping. Hey, we can’t deny it.
- We’re not sure we get the joke (or, why it’s funny) but apparently there’s a running joke surrounding wishing Opie & Anthony regular Jim Norton a happy birthday. Here’s video of Bryan Johnson doing just that from Wizard World’s View Askew booth recently (Note: seems you need the latest windows media player and internet explorer to see the video).
- How Mattt Potter keeps finding the time to churn out the genius videos, we’ll never know. His latest, “Catching Amy”, may be the funniest yet. It’s his take on what a lot of the Movies Askew contest entries he’s watched have felt like. See for yourself but only if you’ve got a high speed line, as it’s a 46 meg download in Quicktime format. Watch the 5 minutes, then imagine hours and hours of such stuff. Yipes.
- The band Maroon 5 continues to show their View Askew love. In the October 2005 issue of GuitarOne, there’s an article and pictures on their guitar effects equipment. One of the pics shows a Buddy Christ holding a guitar pick. If anyone’s got a scan, feel free to pass it on for the archives.
- See a new short from Scott Kramer (he of “Chasing Kevin” fame) titled “The Futurist” at the LA Short Film Festial, at the famous Arclight Cinemas, Wednesday, September 7th at 9:45pm, theater 12.
Kevin ComiCon Videos!
- Thanks to IFC news, we’re happy to offer up some colorful clippage from Kevin’s recent appearance at the San Diego ComiCon. The first, a few of the countless funny bits from his live Q&A at the big show. And second, a very historical moment, where Kevin has the honor of introducing the greatest band in the world, Tenacious D. Watch them both in Quicktime by clicking the pretty pictures above you there.
Ira Newborn on Mallrats: Part Two
- That “lost” piece with composer Ira Newborn continues today, and in a very timely manner as we’ve just enjoyed listening to the Mallrats score in Dolby Digital 5.1 on the new disc this evening. Here’s some choice passages from Daniel Schweiger’s interview with Newborn circa the release of Rats:
DS: What’s it like trying to compose music that has to work with all of the rock songs in Mall Rats?
IN: Unpleasant. After Saturday Night Fever, someone noticed that a movie was an incredible vehicle to sell records with. Now, films aimed at teenagers have become long-form music videos. A tune will be put in every few seconds so it can trumpeted as a “hit song.” There are places in films I’ve composed that could have really benefited from some good, intelligent scoring — and instead a song was shoved in. Tunes don’t have any emotional ups or downs. They only work in sequences with one dramatic level, like a love scene or a montage, not parts where there are a lot of emotional changes. But because Kevin Smith is a real director, his first concern was to make Mall Rats work as a film before he put the songs into it.
DS: In spite of that problem, you’ve done a good job of matching your score to Mall Rats’ metal and alternative songs.
IN: I can play anything from the Bach to the blues, yet few people know what I can do. When I was a studio arranger and guitar player, there were people who would only hire me for the classical guitar. They wouldn’t let me near an electric one. At the same time, there were people who would only hire me to play rhythm and blues. They never dreamt I could handle an acoustic guitar. That shows how much anybody can ever know about your talents. Hollywood sees what it wants to. All they know is that I’m a good comedic composer, and that’s it. I can’t get a dramatic film because they fear that audiences will start cracking up the minute they hear my music.
Read the entire Part 2 at Film Score Monthly. Also, check out the author’s new website Film Music Radio at filmmusicradio.com.
View Askew NewsBites™
- Kevin scores a nifty little quote and name drop in the new issue of Details (pages 153-154). In an article discussing profanity, the text reads:
“Thirty and under, profanity is credibility,” the filmmaker Kevin Smith has said; Smith’s movie Clerks originally got an NC-17 rating despite having no nudity, no sex, no violence – just naughty words. “It’s like,’ Hey, you’re speaking my language!’ “
- Here’s a handful of new pics from Kevin’s recent Wizard World appearance in Texas, courtesy Fire House Comics.
- DirecTV subscribers — Channel 101 started showing NBC’s Fall Schedule preview in regular rotation this morning. There’s likely to be a “My Name Is Earl” bit in there, so watch for it.
- Ex-Askewers Liv Tyler and Casey Affleck star in the new Steve Buscemi-directed film “Lonesome Jim”, for which the trailer has just become available for HERE.