• If you’re anything like us, you dig showing off the latest View Askew merch at home, at work, on the road, etc. So, the latest batch of Clerks 2 swag should make you happy. We’ve got stuff that’s practical pretty much anywhere you go, lets the world know you’re a fan, and also puts you way ahead of the curve, showing you love for a flick that hasn’t even hit theaters yet. Here’s a rundown of the good stuff you can now order from our very own Secret Stash:

With prices like this, you can afford to stock up for you and your friends! Think Vulgarthon, think stocking stuffers (never hurts to start early)! All available now for immediate order and shipment, or in person at the Stash East and West!

• After taking two years off from the con, it looks like Kevin will be returning to the famous Wizard World Philadelphia convention, which is taking place the weekend AFTER Vulgarthon, June 2nd to the 4th. Kevin hasn’t officially announced his participation to us yet, but the con webpage lists him as a just-added guest, along with other big names Joe Quesada, Jim Lee, and Smallville hottie Erica Durance. Kevin normally does the Q&A on Saturday, with a signing early that day or on Sunday. As we learn more, we’ll let ya know. This is a great reason to extend your Vulgarthon trip into the weekend, and a chance to watch Kevin work his magic on the convention floor (and almost certainly show Clerks 2 footage). See you there!

“A Joke On Bobby Hill”

• Mike, the Set P.A., is the subject of the latest Train Wreck video, now available at Clerks 2. As you’ve seen, on set practical jokes are big with this crew, and an endless source of amusement to help pass the time on those long shooting days. This time, an important tin of contracts and other information gets “misplaced”, and Mike’s feeling the pressure as he searches the set. Watch the fun unspool over at the official Clerks 2 website, and look for more installments of this series soon.

• The widely read Entertainment Weekly features Clerks II as number 10 in their “10 Movies We Can’t Wait To See” feature this week. They say:

RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18

WHY WE CAN’T WAIT: After Jersey Girl, we want to see Kevin Smith get back to his roots: verbal wit, slacker angst, dense pop cultural allusions, and hilarious raunch.

THE PREMISE: Now in their 30s, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are still working dead-end service jobs. But maturity and adult responsibility loom, as Dante is about to move out of state to be with his fiancée.

SOURCE: Smith’s career-launching 1994 film

THE BACKSTORY: Having seen his last movie overshadowed by the tabloid frenzy surrounding stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Smith says: ”I thought, ‘The next movie I want to make, no famous people in it, just actors I love and people I want to work with.”’ However, Weinstein Co. co-chief Harvey Weinstein insisted that Smith hire at least one boldface name, so Rosario Dawson has a prominent role as the boys’ boss, a manager at a fast-food joint.

BURNING QUESTION: Is making a sequel to his signature film a sellout move for Smith or, conversely, a cultish in-joke that won’t be appreciated beyond his fan base?

COME FOR: Smith and his ragtag crew of Jersey smartalecks

STAY FOR: The Hollywood ringers Smith has rounded up, including Dawson and (in a cameo) Smith regular Affleck

• Kevin’s revealed that attendees of the Red Bank Vulgarthon will receive snazzy Mooby Restaurant Funployee name tags to identify themselves during the show. Very, very cool!

• Check out the hat on Emma in this screen shot from a Degrassi webisode.
• Congrats to Dogma/Jay & Bob FX guy Vincent Guastini on the recent kudos over at Aint It Cool for the work on his new flick, Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror.