JANUARY



Hot off another jam-packed DVD, full of personal attention from the director and stars, “Clerks II” was the first big news of 2007. The film and DVD appeared on many critic’s lists, citing it as one of the best of the year. “Clerks II” became the best-reviewed View Askew production of all time. Clerks II also became the first View Askew film to appear in the new HD-DVD format this month. By the end of 2007, HD-DVD would be a big news item, fighting competitor Blu-Ray for market share, in a battle many are likening to the famous VHS/Beta battles of the 1980’s.



Kevin continued his foray into broadcast journalism with show-length radio appearances on area radio stations in California, as well as sit-ins on XM satellite radio’s “Opie & Anthony”. Little did we know, this was a stepping stone into something much greater from the fan’s perspective. In other appearance news, Kevin’s appearance at the massive MacWorld conference would be one of the most talked-about of the show. Since as far back as we can recall, he’s been a longtime supporter of Apple’s products. Apple would go on to have potentially their most successful year so far.



Excitement grew as small details began to leak out regarding Kevin’s involvement in the big summer release “Live Free or Die Hard”. This would mark the largest-budgeted film in which he would appear in his career, so far. In other movie news, we saw photos of the Kevin-voiced character that would make a small appearance in the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” CGI film this year.



This month, the View Askew project being most buzzed about was an unititled horror film. Kevin started sharing a few hints at his plan, though revealed surprisingly little else. At this time, this was planned as the next theatrical release, though no deals had been inked.



January capped with the theatrical bow of “Catch and Release”, Kevin’s largest acting role to date. He would go on to steal every scene in which he appeared, and celebrate a great deal of screen time alongside stars Jennifer Garner and Tim Olyphant (who would also appear in “Live Free or Die Hard”). “Catch” got the coveted “Two Thumbs Up” score from At The Movies and celebrated universal praise for Kevin’s performance.
Two final footnotes for the month — We learned that RST Video, the video store made famous in “Clerks”, was forever shutting its doors to customers. Also, Kevin proclaimed his love for the footage he saw from “Manchild”, the pilot he acted in for Showtime television. The pilot would, sadly, never see the light of day, despite positive reviews from the lucky who saw it.

FEBRUARY

February kicked off with even more praise for “Clerks II”, as the biggest review site on the web, “Rotten Tomatoes” cited the film as the 9th best reviewed of the year (collecting web and press reviews). Given all the films that arrive in a calendar year, this was quite a big deal.



The biggest news of the month arrived with the culmination of Kevin’s broadcasting experiences — SModcast. The show would become the first ever podcast attempted by View Askew, consisting of hosts Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. Instead of taking the expected route and simply chatting about the business and self-promoting, the guys took an unexpected path with a freeform discussion on anything that was on their minds – Pop culture, current events, sex, their childhoods, and so much more. This uncensored, candid discussion would become a weekly event and quickly one of the most listened-to broadcasts on the internet.

Thinking we’d already seen and heard it all, we were thrown for yet another loop when more news broke — Kevin would be directing his first television episode. A pilot titled “Reaper” for the CW network, which would be a mix of suspense and comedy. This would mark the first time that he’d direct anything that wasn’t also written by his own hand.



In confirming “Reaper”, Kevin also dropped more big news — He was currently writing not one, but TWO new films which he would shoot in Fall/Winter of 2007/2008.



February capped with Kevin’s first public appearance in quite some time — The New York Comic Con. Not only did he host one of his lively Q&A sessions; He also acted as moderator for the Battlestar Galactica panel, a show which we think is the best on TV right now. Clips from these appearances are, thankfully, available if you missed them.

MARCH

With all of the major television and podcasting news, we’d almost forgotten that Kevin ALSO still had two films on his radar. As of early March, the plan remained the same — Film the horror film first, and the second film, a comedy (planned to star Rosario Dawson) to follow.



Due to high demand, Kevin returned to the college circuit this month, hosting yet another packed Q&A session — This time, in Akron, Ohio. This was one of the first shows conducted after the “Evening Harder” DVD release in 2006, so it marked the debut of some new tales. Hot on the heels of this announcement, a major one came for fans in the UK – Kevin would be making two rare appearances there next month. Both appearances would sell out in mere days.

We debuted a feature of our own here at News Askew in March – Special correspondant Chris Graves joined us with the first of what would turn out to be 20 exclusive interviews with voices from View Askew past and present.

Without a peep from Kevin, we also learned, via an Amazon.com preorder page, that Kevin had a new book planned — “My Boring-Ass Life” was set for a September 2007 release. We’d learn much more about this project as the year went on.

By the end of March, SModcast had celebrated seven episodes, and had become the #5 ranked podcast on the internet. Not too shabby for a program that had just started one month ago.

APRIL



April kicked off in an exciting way, as we were blessed with the first footage from “Live Free or Die Hard”, in a trailer that not only kicked major butt, but also showcased quite a few of Kevin’s funny quips from the film. Those that were worried about the film were immediately silenced, as there was no denying that the trailer was fun and very action-packed. We prayed for an R-rating, but would have to wait for the eventual DVD to see an uncut version of the film.

Still riding the wave of joy from seeing Kevin trade jabs with Bruce Willis in the trailer, more big news broke just days after — The until-then untitled horror project now had a name: “Red State”. Quite a few more details leaked on the film as well, centering on the fact that this would be a BLEAK u-turn from Kevin’s previous work. The film was planned for a late 2007 shoot.

Rumors began to trickle down that the then untitled comedy, known only as the “Untitled Kevin Smith Minnesota Project”, might film first.

Mid-month, fans around the world were excited to learn that Kevin would celebrate his upcoming 37th birthday in a special way — An authentic “prom” would take place this summer, where couples could attend alongside of Kevin and Jen to celebrate this major event. It would mark 20 years from the age which Kevin boycotted his actual senior prom.

News of new projects for actor and longtime Askew favorite Jason Mewes began to spread across the web — Two horror themed flicks took top billing – David Arquette’s “The Tripper”, and a vampire flick called “Netherbeast, Inc.”. Another “Clerks” vet, Brian O’Halloran, announced an indie horror project of his own – “Brutal Massarce”, which was filming and in search of extras late in the month.

For the first time, Kevin writes that following “Red State” and the new comedy, which will be films 8 and 9 for him, that he and producer Scott Mosier have a special, non-Askewniverse 10th film in mind.



On the month’s final day, News Askew celebrated the 10th anniverary of our first ever post – The debut of “Drinks Askew”, when this very site featured nothing but a few drinking games for Kevin’s films (all of which remain here, now and always).

MAY



Possibly the most anticipated bit of merchandise for us remains the upcoming inaction figures based on Clerks II. May brought us the first look at the unpainted prototypes of these items, which featured a dancing Dante & Becky and a great pose of Elias. Long delayed, these items are still on the schedule for sometime in the first half of 2008.

Making the pilgrimage to Red Bank in August even a MORE must-do, Kevin announced that he would appear for a one-night-only show the day of his birthday, the same week that his View Askew Prom would happen. This event, at the huge Count Basie theater, would be recorded for an eventual DVD release in 2008, titled “Kevin Smith: Sold Out”.

Just over a week into the month, Kevin announced that the first draft of the upcoming comedy film was completed, at a hefty 146 pages. It would quickly be pared down to 120 pages, roughly a 2 hour running time onscreen. The “Red State” script would come next.

As the month rolled on, the script made its way into the hands of friends, agents, and co-workers. Loved by all, it began to seem even more likely that this film would be put on the fast track, moving “Red State” to the proverbial back burner.

The good news didn’t stop there, though. While many pilots filmed never air, it was revealed that the CW loved the “Reaper” pilot so much that they placed an order for 12 episodes, due in the Fall. As this was Kevin’s first-ever stint directing someone else’s material, and for television no less, “Reaper” was a highlight. Kevin would remain on a series consultant for the series, though did not return to write, direct, or appear in 2007.

JUNE

With “Reaper” and the comedy script creating quite a bit of buzz in the industry, it wasn’t long before the title of said comedy was revealed — But exclusively to the Los Angeles Times.

While fans eagerly awaited, more teasing began, as word of screener copies of the “Reaper” pilot began hitting the web — The show began that of industry legend, one of those programs so good that folks were passing it around to their friends, writing highly positive reviews, and, eventually, leaking the pilot onto many of the net’s underground bittorrent file sharing websites.

On June 6th, the LA Times story broke, and we finally had a title. And boy, WHAT a title. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”. Easily, the most telling and controversial title in View Askew history. A title, we’re told, which had Harvey Weinstein onboard with financing even before the script was finished. “It’s…dirty, with nudity,” said Kevin. “But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity.”

In a further board post, Kevin wrote: “If you were gonna do that movie-description thing, I’d say it’s like Chasing Amy meets Clerks II, with a dash each of Boogie Nights and Bowfinger tossed in.”



WIth “Zack and Miri” fever now taking over, it was hard to believe that Kevin was about to appear onscreen in a major film. Due for worldwide release on June 27th, “Live Free or Die Hard” would feature him as “The Warlock”, a hacker who lived in his mom’s basement. Prior to the film’s release, footage of a backlot conversation/interview between star Bruce Willis and Smith appeared online. The full version of this casual sit-down would become a part of the eventual DVD.



Just before the big “Die Hard” debut, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” scored its most visible and famous press yet — Entertainment Weekly Magazine ran an actual (censored) page of dialogue from Kevin’s script.

The first half of 2007 ended with both Smith and Willis celebrating favorable critic reviews for “Live Free or Die Hard”. Kevin also confirmed that, due to all of the positive buzz surrounding “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, that it was official — This one would come BEFORE “Red State”.

But wait…The year is only HALF OVER! Watch this space for Part II, the conclusion of 2007: The Year In Askew.