• Wizard Universe reports that Kevin will appear as a headlining guest at this year’s Wizard World convention in Chicago:

We all know Kevin’s events are huge, sold-out standing room only affairs at these shows, and we’re sure this will be no exception. Get to Chi-town to see Kevin spinning the latest tales, and certainly chatting about the recent release of Clerks II, which will still be showing in theaters. The show runs August 3rd through the 6th. We’re guessing the Q&A will take place on that Saturday, though we’ll post the exact schedule for you once we’ve got it.

• Here’s just a catch-up on a few other comments from Kevin’s recent blog posts. We’ll update you on his schedule each morning this week, as there may be some chances to catch him live (though most of the press is being pre-taped or written up for release closer to July 21st). Mr. Smith says:

• iTunes users: If you search out WRIF in iTunes podcasts, you’ll find that recent Kevin and Trevor appearance under the “Drew & Mike Show”. As of right now, that seems to be the only way to stream it. The broadcast was taped late last week as part of the Clerks II promo tour.

• Scooper “Billy” took this shot of him at the Union Square theater in New York City late last week – How’s that for a HUGE promo, eh? Gotta love the exposure we’re seeing for Clerks II so far — Here’s hoping for the biggest opening yet! Keep those fingers crossed.

• On the recent season two premiere of Cartoon Network Adult Swim’s “Venture Brothers” there was a Kevin Smith reference. At one point two former henchmen for the The Monarch are talking; surprised at how they look out of their costumes, one describes the other as all Seinfeld with a unibrow, he retorts with….”and you looking all Kevin Smith like.” The henchman is even wearing the Silent Bob trench. You can peep the premier on-line at adultswim.com, on the Fix section.
• A very small reference from the “Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm Street Killer Trivia” game from Spencer Gifts. While going through the trivia cards, our scooper caught the following question:

Clerks may have been mentioned due to many View Askew fans complaining that the Freeburg character was a blatant “Jay” rip-off.

• DVDActive posts the official box art for “My Name Is Earl” today. The four-disc set streets on September 26th, and should retail around $50 (much less at the discount outlets). Tons of extras and just a great show make this a worthy purchase for any View Askew fan.
• Seems that the virtual recreation of the Brodie fave Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is coming along well. You need Quicktime video to navigate it. The project comes from a group of enthusiasts upset about Disney’s closing of the classic attraction.
• A podcast called “Subject: Cinema” plans to devote their July 15th podcast to Kevin Smith. Their website is cryptic, but they reveal their selection around 38 minutes into their most recent cast. We’ll remind you when this goes live. Their episodes usually run around 80 minutes, so expect a fairly in-depth discussion.

• And finally today, as we always save the silly for last…Here’s a fun photo misprint from the Boston Herald with a blurb on Kevin and Affleck. Scary huh? Kevin sure looks MEAN in that photo eh? Catch ya next time!

• We’ll be here all week updating you on Kevin’s press appearances. This looks like a very busy week, in fact, we don’t recall Kevin ever fitting this much press into a week, and that’s saying something. With Clerks II still a few weeks away, it’s also very ambitious of the press to start so soon, though hopes are of course that word gets out far and wide, so awareness for the flick is high by the time of its July 21st release. You can read the entire schedule via Kevin’s MySpace blog, though for now, here’s what’s on tap for today:

Hey, the Harrisburg Patriot is our local paper! Very cool. We wonder if they’re aware that News Askew home base is close to their own offices? Perhaps it’ll come up in the conversation today…At any rate, don’t forget to look into that 2 PM online chat today, and we’ll of course have media of any of this stuff as it becomes available. We’ll be back later with heaps more news.