I rarely try to sell you guys things, but I have to put in a plug for Graphiti Designs’ ‘Chasing Dogma’ hardcover. It’s one of the sweetest View Askew-related items ever produced. The color pages are nice, but it’s the design of this fine item and the fact that it’s a hardcover that make it a must-have (at least in my book). For those of you who’ve already pre-ordered it: you’re in for a treat and a half. I got mine today, and boy do I feel like the luckiest boy in the world.

And the Mooby dolls are done as well. They look cool. Look for them in the mail within the next few weeks.

The other item Graphiti mastermind Bob Chapman shared with me today was the Buddy Christ miniature statue. The detail is amazing. Wait’ll you see them.

Hawking shit aside, yesterday was ABC’s mid-season press tour. Dave, Jay, Brian, Scott and myself held a press conference at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena, and then I spent the day doing one-on-one interviews with E!, ET, Access Hollywood, CNN – stuff like that. Look for it in the next few weeks if you’re so inclined, but there’s not much new info there you guys aren’t already up on.

And that’d be about it for the time being. Thanks, as always, for the interest.

SMITH ANIMATES QUIRKY CLERKSLOS ANGELES (UltimateTV.com) – Filmmaker Kevin Smith met critics Saturday during the annual TCA press tour to discuss the conversion of his independent hit “Clerks” to the small screen — as an animated series for ABC.

“ABC first approached us about doing a game show,” Smith joked, before explaining that his natural love of comics has always made him interested in doing an animated show.

The series is centered around characters introduced in the 1994 film, and is set in the same locale: the Quick Stop in Leonardo, New Jersey. Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith lend their voices to the series, which follows slacker Dante Hicks (O’Halloran) and his friend Randal (Anderson) as they work at their respective stores. Mewes and Smith voice Jay and Silent Bob, characters Smith has carried through his films “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy” and last year’s “Dogma.”

The original film’s dirty humor was a major stumbling block, Smith admitted, explaining they are, “trying to be funny without being crude.”

When asked about the show’s similar theme to the twentysomething animated show “Mission Hill,” which briefly appeared on The WB earlier this season, Smith admitted a link.

“We wanted to model ourselves after the least successful animated show,” he joked. “‘Mission Hill’ was a no-brainer.”

Smith managed to get in a few digs at his own network, at one point pretending to read a statement by the net describing the show. “It’s a family show,” he read, “…featuring a lot of ethnic diversity.”

He also discussed the advantage of working with animated characters instead of live actors, explaining it was easier to direct them and get usable takes.

“We’re trying to get to a place where you don’t need actors at all… Like ‘The Practice.’”

The show is expected to launch in March, and if successful, may return next December. Smith is optimistic about the future, even thinking about a possible follow-up if “Clerks” is a hit.

“If this takes off, believe me — there will be a ‘Mallrats’ half-hour.”