“Logistics”

• In the latest entry in the Clerks 2 “Train Wreck” series, learn a bit about the logistics behind making the flick. You’ll see Jeff Anderson and Kevin Smith discussing the new challenges of extra camera movements in the flick. You’ll see a mid-clip interview with the hilarious Wanda Sykes in between takes of her cameo. And, niftiest of all, you can see some of the actual equipment moving around and everything that’s happening outside of picture range when this stuff’s being shot. Trust us, you have a new appreciation for the complexity of movie-making once you see all the work that goes into these things first hand.

Be sure and remember Zak and Joey in your prayers tonight and thank them for keeping the flicks a-comin’!

• Clippage ahoy! With the Sundance Film Festival kicking off in just 3 short days, director and longtime View Askew associate Malcolm Ingram is eagerly awaiting his chance to showcase his new documentary feature, “Small Town, Gay Bar”. You can surf to this website then click over to the right 6 times to see Malcolm and his bio/clip page. In this extended 4 minute clip, you can see him talk about his inspiration for the film, and provide a little background on what to expect. Congratulations again to Malc and the best of luck at Sundance!
• Some details on that “Doogal” flick trailer we ran the other day, a CGI film for which Kevin provides a voice — Seems that it’s a re-dub of a UK flick. Our scooper reports:

There ya have it, folks!

• The Weinstein Co. is off to an excellent start, with their first animated flick “Hoodwinked” celebrating a surprising $12.2 million gross this weekend, putting it at #3. Great news!
• Alanis Morissette was on Loveline last week, the 11th of January to be exact. In the episode, a caller asked about how she got the role of God in Dogma. She talks about how she ended up as God, then talks about Kevin, and how much she liked him. You can download the episode at the Loveline Download Center.
• Comic and TV writer Mark Evanier mentions Kevin in an article on his blog titled “The Comic Book As A Selling Tool”:

• And finally today, on this morning’s Sirius Howard Stern show, during the introduction, they played the entire segment from “Clerks” where Randall orders porno videos from the distributor, thus showcasing the power of Howard’s new medium. Catch ya next time!

• We received this report from the sketch comedy group Slightly Known People who decided, for some crazy reason, to attempt taking on ALL of our View Askew drinking games (from Clerks all the way up to J&SBSB — We question their playing style and bending of the rules, sure, but it seems like they certainly got into the spirit of things and had themselves a good, safe time. Here’s an excerpt:

You can check out their full account of the experience, complete with photos. And of course, check out the stuff that got us started at News Askew: Our Official View Askew Drinking Games, exclusively at News Askew! Thanks for trying the games, SKP!

• Here’s something we haven’t heard before — The trailer for a new CGI kid’s flick called “Doogal” touts none other than KEVIN SMITH as one of the many celebrity voices on board the pic! Check out the trailer HERE! It’s a Weinstein Company flick, so it certainly makes sense. Perhaps Kevin can shed some light on the character he’s voicing and the amount of screentime he’s expected to get.
• And in other Kevin Smith movie news — Sony Pictures website for “Catch And Release” is now showing a 2007 release date for the film! We haven’t seen any official announcement yet, but this looks to be true. So, unfortunately, it sounds as if we’re going to have to wait a while longer for Kevin’s big screen leading role debut (in a non View Askew production, anyway). If we learn more about the delay, or if the release date changes yet again, we’ll let you know.
• Newsarama reports that “Degrassi: The Next Generation” will be making its move into the world of comics. “Degrassi: Extra Credit” will fill in the gaps from the TV program, picking up where some plots leave off, or expanding other elements. The first issues are due in October 2006. Complete details over at Newsarama.
• Congratulations to “My Name Is Earl” for picking up the People’s Choice Award — Best New Comedy this year! Well deserved. Just shows you how many folks are watching the show and digging it. Also, you gotta love the fact that when Jason Lee picked up the award onstage, you could hear fans shouting “Brodie! Brodie!”, as he smiled and acknowledged them. Happy to see that both Lee and the fans haven’t forgotten the roots!
• Just weird — This kid’s made a film with his webcam that’s attempting to mimic the deleted finale of Clerks. Peep it HERE.

• We dig this ceiling tile painted for a Senior High School project from Joe Gross. He claims to have enjoyed the inside nature of the joke with his classmates. Nice work, Joe!

• More east coast love for ya’ll – Never say Kevin forgot about us folks here on the colder side of the country! Clerks 2 will yet again screen JUST FOR YOU, THE FANS in February, with a brand new, never-before-seen tight 92 minute cut. This cut was carefully crated based on results from the screening that we attended in Los Angeles. We’re hoping to make it up to NYC for this one, to take a look at what’s changed. So, what do you say? You wanna see Clerks 2 next month in New York City? Here’s Kevin:

Sign up NOT here in our talkbacks, but over at the View Askew Board for your chance to be one of the chosen few. If it’s anything like the last time, you DON’T want to miss this chance. You’re seeing the film before most everyone, at least 6 months early. Plus, Kevin’s focus group and Q&A after the flick in L.A. ran for around 4 hours — A true treat for the small group of us in attendance. Good luck, and we hope to see you there!

• Howdy folks — Just wanted to explain why the site’s been loading so slow, in case you didn’t already figure it out — In addition to having a very visible net presence for the Clerks 2 teaser trailer (it’s been the top story at the highly-trafficed “Aint It Cool News” today), we’re ALSO getting slammed particularly badly due to the streaming nature of the trailer. Since not many folks have figured out a way to download and save the teaser on their machine to watch over and over, every re-watch is also hitting the server. So, we expect these slower speeds for at least the next day or two, until the large amount of view requests calms down a bit.

E-mail is also controlled by the servers, so we haven’t been receiving email messages until the wee hours of the morning, when traffic finally dies down. If a message or scoop you’re trying to get to us is bouncing back, or you’re not getting a reply, please try sending it again.

Of course, the slowness is an inconvenience, but it makes us happy — Obviously there is a BIG following for this film, and a large web audience very into it. We’re pleased that you’re receving the teaser so well, and hope you continue to watch it as much as you’d like. It’s tough to comment on the teaser having already seen the film, and being able to put all of the scenes into context. It’s even more fun to watch knowing what’s happening during each and every colorful clip that’s appearing on your screen. So, if you like what you’re seeing NOW, wait until you hear some of that brilliant KS dialogue that comes along with it. We can’t wait for all of you to see this one.

• The voice of Jason Lee made a surprise appearance on a FOX animated show (nope, NOT NBC!) on Sunday. Lee read a few funny lines for the Family Guy clone “American Dad”. Here’s what Lee said about the bit in a recent interview:

• The musical “Sweeney Todd” seems to have been enjoying quite a resurgence since Kevin broadened access and knowledge to it in “Jersey Girl”. Now it’s even crossing a little closer to our world, with the guy who initially took away Kevin’s brilliant Superman script, Tim Burton, now reportedly working on a big screen version with star Johnny Depp. Fascinating! An official announcement is expected in the next few weeks.
• A quick “get well soon” to View Askew vet and comic genius George Carlin, who pent 8 days in the hospital over the holidays due to congestive heart failure. Kevin says:

• For more information on the song that Kevin recently posted this Mattt Potter video, or to download it, visit Keneteph Entertainment’s Myspace site. Don’t miss this one — A catchy, clever tune with some great video to back it up. Belated Snoogans Greetings!
• And your daily dose of “My Name Is Earl” news: Jason’s the subject of a New York Times article titled “Trust Me, I’m Funnier With The Moustache”. The article features new quotes from Lee, Suplee, and Kevin is featured prominently, of course:

In case you mised it, there’s also a nice interview with Earl creator Greg Garcia over at IGN Filmforce.

And finally, there’s this TV Guide Online piece on the programs bumping of NBC’s failing “Joey” off Thursday nights. In it, the article ponders why Kevin hasn’t made a guest appearance on “Earl” yet. We’re wondering the same thing…

• As promised, here it is! There’s plenty of mirrors up so you shouldn’t have a problem getting a speedy download of the clip from one of the many domain names we’ve purchased to promote the film. This one’s for you, folks, the fans — Enjoy a non-spoiler tease at what’s coming to a theater near you this August, 2006!

• Kevin reveals that the Clerks 2 teaser is ready to rock, and will be proliferating our servers by 10 AM EST TODAY. Due to our work day job work schedules interfering with the rollout time, we won’t be able to get a mirror up until around lunchtime at News Askew.

So, we urge you to watch the OFFICIAL CLERKS 2 SITE as by 10 AM, as Kevin promises:

• Yes folks, get ready to FLOOD the servers on Monday, as Kevin has announced that the first, web-only Clerks 2 teaser trailer will indeed become available via our websites EXCLUSIVELY sometime in that 24-hour period. The teasers cut for the fans are normally full of some great jokes, scenes, and hints that you won’t find anywhere else, and most likely, NOT in the theatrical trailer. So, get ready, for in 2 days, you’ll be watching the first live action footage from View Askew’s 2006 release: Clerks 2. We’ll of course have mirror copies all over the place, though we also expect some heavy traffic, so bear with us. Watch this space for your opportunity to see the Clerks 2 teaser, we’ll have it as soon as it’s available.