• Hmmm, do we smell lawsuit? Very popular scoop today: A new recording program for computers called “Silent Bob” records all incoming music, streaming or otherwise, from the soundcard. “When the user decides to record and pushes the button, no problem. Silent-Bob has already started the recording 2 minutes earlier!” Doesn’t look that snazzy. Interesting name, though.
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back will make its premiere on the FX channel WEDNESDAY night at 8 PM EST. The flick’s previously run on Comedy Central, so we imagine it’s going to be the same bleeped cut.

• Comics Continuum ran a story over the weekend on the long awaited return of Spidey/Black Cat. Along with the usual talk about the delays, they’ve got SIX NEW PAGES from the book, complete with color and dialogue! Check out the story and every page at their site.

• Howdy there, west coasters! Bummed about the lack of Kevinage with the Red Bank signing coming up this weekend? Never fear! Wizard World Los Angeles has just announced that Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes will headline the event, which takes place from March 17th through the 19th. Expect to see some early looks at Clerks 2 if you’re lucky enough to attend. And of course View Askew will be there with the latest swag and maybe a few prototype gizmos to feast your eyes on. If the schedule stays as it usually is, expect Kevin to do a signing on Friday, and a Q&A session on Saturday. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

• Wow, when we make a contest easy, you folks sure come out of the woodwork with entries! We had an astounding amount of readers enter to nab that last Degrassi book we had, but sadly, only one could win. That winner is MIKE DONAHUE. Congrats, Mike. And thanks to everyone else who tried. More chances to win cool swag soon.
• Here’s a nice little review from a reader who attended the premiere screening of “F*ck”, the documentary in which Kevin appears for interview segments. Take it away, T.J.:

• We actually ran this one back on September 1st, but for some reason we’re getting 2 mails a day about it, so we’ll repost it. It’s cool news, anyway. Empire Online has named Clerks #4 on their list of the 50 Greatest Independent Movies of all time. It likely made front pages again somewhere, hence the resurgence.

• Our resident artist, who designed all the cool logos you see here, Matt Sullivan, has a brand new website. Check out his art and resume at candlephoenix.com.
• The entire panel of web comic “Sore Thumbs” is a big “My Name Is Earl” reference today.

• When Mallrats came out, who would have thought we’d be sitting here telling you that star Jason Lee would take over the entire Saturday lineup for one of the biggest networks in the world? Not us! But now, we’re here to tell you just that. And then some.

Tonight, NBC will air a “My Name Is Earl” marathon, TWO HOURS WORTH, from 9 to 11. It includes the 4 most recent episodes of the program this year. Then, in what we’re calling the CAN’T MISS SNL episode of this year, Jason Lee will host the live broadcast tonight with musical guests Foo Fighters. Let’s count the View Askew and Burt Reynolds references together, shall we?

After the big SNL show, Lee’s off to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday night, ALSO on NBC. He’ll likely be there to tout “Earl”. In related news, Rosario Dawson will appear on Conan this Wednesday to promote “Rent”. Perhaps she’ll work a Clerks 2 mention in there as well.

And, if you’ve been missing “My Name Is Earl”, you’re missing some classic stuff. In the most recent episode, Lee managed to get HUGE Smokey and the Bandit references in there, even worked a scene of him driving the car into the episode. Lee’s gotta be loving this gig!

• A familiar face takes #8 in JoBlo’s list of “Top Ten Fanboy Treats”:

Cocknocker – JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK (2001)

It always seemed unfair to me that of all the major characters in the original STAR WARS trilogy, the one who made out with the least star power was it’s hero, Mark Hamill. Kevin Smith felt my pain and cast him as a evil super villain with a light sabre thingy, dressed him up like an asshole, and named him Cocknocker. Probably not what Mark had in mind for an acting comeback but hey, he did get to deliver this solid bit of dialogue – “Don’t f*ck with a Jedi Master son.” If George Lucas was dead he would have rolled over. Since he’s not, he probably just sued someone.

Note: We’re pleased to see that Chainsaw and Dave made the list, as well. Rightly deserved.

• For those of you overseas fans still using locally-coded DVD players, this may be of interest: HMV in Ireland is currently selling “An Evening With Kevin Smith” for €9.99, a good deal since it would generally be around €25. It’s a Region 2 disc but it’s encoded as NTSC so a compatible DVD player and TV would be needed.
• And finally today, we just couldn’t resist: Apparently, Michigan is having Escalator problems and needs to educate people on how not to hurt themselves. They’re sponsoring an “Elevator / Escaltor Awareness Week”. One can’t help but wonder if letting your kids sit on it will be among the covered topics. Brodie would be so proud…

• We ended up with one spare copy of the book “Degrassi: Generations” leftover from our last contest, so we thought, hey, let’s give that last copy to a loyal reader! So, welcome to the world’s easiest, fastest contest! Send an e-mail to scoops@newsaskew.com with the subject “DEGRASSI SECOND CHANCE” along with your return email address, and we’ll pick a random winner. You have JUST A DAY to do so, the box closes at 11:59:59 EST on Wednesday night (tomorrow). The book will make an OUSTANDING companion piece to the just-released “Jay & Silent Bob Do Degrassi” DVD, now shipping from the Stash (and being signed in Red Bank on November 20th by Kevin and Jay!). One entry per person, please, or risk disqualification. Good luck!

• Kevin makes a cameo in the latest “Captain Capitalism” cartoon, “Piggy Bank Pinko” which you can watch HERE or over on our own Movie Poop Shoot.
• One of the minor Starz pay channels (for those of you with good satellite or digital cable systems) will be airing “An Evening With Kevin Smith” in its entirety at 11 PM TONIGHT, CST. Check your local listings. Sure, you’ve seen it and you own the DVD, but if you’re like us, there’s always something convenient and compelling about a flick that’s already on the tube, just a remote click away.

• Thanks to our wonderful readers, we’ve got a couple nice copies of that Alternative Press article featuring Degrassi (and Jay & Bob) that we mentioned last time. Click the tiny ones for a closer look at the article as it appears in the issue.

• And finally today, a couple lost pumpkins (Jay & Bob) from the last batch of photos we ran. Nice carvings, Phil! See you folks again soon. As always, thanks for shopping with us today.

• The swag just continues to get cooler and cooler, and the first three official Clerks 2 items are no exception — As always, this apparel is made from the finest materials and will have you looking cooler than all of your pals. Promise.

RANDAL’S ‘RANGER DANGER’ T-SHIRT

Featuring a screenprinted image of a rumored upcoming Kevin Smith movie. As seen in Clerks 2 and as worn by Randal in the movie.

RANDAL’S ‘LEONARDO REAPERS’ HAT

Show your spirit for the New Jersey based hockey team that always manages to murder their opponent. The Leonardo Reapers hat is fully adjustable and features the Reapers logo prominently on the front and the words, “Stick it between the pipes’ on the back. As worn by Randal in “Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks.”

JAY’S ‘GOT CHRIST?’ TANK TOP

As seen in ‘Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks’ and as worn by Jay in the movie, this white tank top features a familiar smiling Christ image along with the words, “Got Christ?” A simple question with an simple answer.

THE T-SHIRT VERSION

All items NOW AVAILABLE from the Stash. Yes, you can order them and we’ll ship them to you in plenty of time for the holidays. Get some early shopping done now. Look no further than the Stash for the ultimate gifts for the View Askew fan in your life.

• Kevin has the distinction of being a part of Wikipedia’s definition of Degrassi. The resource is a user-run, web-based encyclopedia, getting more impressive by the minute. We also hear there’s a small plug for next week’s new Jay and Bob do Degrassi DVD in Alternative Press — If anyone’s got a scan, or a transcription, let us know.
• AMC theatres are running a piece on “My Name is Earl” during their Moviewatcher Countdown preshow entertainment. It is the latest in their “Beyond the Script” segments. Show up early at your local AMC to check it out.
• Mallrats’ Jeremy London will appear as part of the new season of Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown. His table plays this Thursday night at 9:00 PM EST.

• Mewes takes front and center this week in two more hilarious editions of the “Train Wreck” Clerks 2 video diary series. First up, a classic moment that fans of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back can certainly appreciate. Watch Mewes and special guest star Jason Lee talk through the particulars and the origin of “The Tongue Song”. Next up, Mewes continues to spread merriment across the set with another $1000 bet: “A Pickle in your Ass”. Yes, folks, you read it right. Don’t miss two of the most hilarious Vlog entires yet.

As you can see, View Askew sets continue to be some of the most fun, interesting sets to work on in the industry. More updates soon!