- Want more Kevin interview goodness? Kevin talks briefly to IESB about Green Hornet, Jersey Girl, and small budgets.
- Chicago correction: The “small project” Kevin’s filming was originally going to begin shooting in November. Recently, though, it was
pushed back to January, due to the fact that Kevin will be shooting 3 episodes of Degrassi — playing himself — in November. - Decide for yourself: Some folks seem to think this new “Less Than Heroes” comic cover is a
reference to the Clerks one-sheet. - Attention UK bargain hunters: The full UK Chasing Amy DVD has been spotted for only £5.99 in Sainsburys supermarkets.
- And finally today, it’s not Askew, but every once in a while we find somethign really funny that we just wanna share. If you’re a fan of any era animation
OR reality TV, you’re bound to love “Drawn Together”, a new series coming from Comedy Central this fall. Check out a hilarous clip HERE. See ya next time!
Author Archive
News From Chicago!
- Surprisingly, not too many revelations made at Wizard World in Chicago last weekend, where Kevin and Jay were in attendance. We suppose Kevin’s saving
his BIG announcement for a couple more weeks. At any rate, Aint It Cool News mentioned a few tidbits in their own wrapup
of the festivities:
Kevin Smith Q & A: He is pulling back from directing Green Hornet, but is still writing it. He says he doesn’t think he can handle the scope of a big budget action movie like that. He said that a big announcement is coming about his next film, to shoot in November. He said it’s a small film. He promised to tell us if we bought all the “Big Ass” Jay Inaction Figures – but I guess we didn’t do it, cause he didn’t spill (hey, I bought one for the team!).
In other news, we practically walked by Jason Mewes (”Jay” from the Clerks series) who looks completely different and “regular” in that he was blended right in at some random booth in the convention hall. If someone hadn’t said “hey there’s Jason Mewes” and I hadn’t heard his voice I would have missed him. I didn’t bother him as he appeared to be speaking with friends and was already surrounded by some fans.
The big-ass exclusive Jay figures made it to the con, yet alas, big-ass Bob wasn’t ready quite in time. Look for him to arrive at another show or via the Stash
soon to complete your collection. Big Jay figures stand around 17 inches tall, and ran for around $30 at the show. They sold like hotcakes, we’re told.
If there’s any left, we’ll let you know how you can get yours as soon as possible.
View Askew NewsBites™
- In its first 4 days at the Australian box office, Jersey Girl took $484,425 on 145 screens with a screen average of $3,318. By comparison, Walking Tall (starring The Rock) opened to $1,069,464 on 192 screens. As a gauge, the Australian box office usually works out to be 10% of the US box.
- Ming shared an interesting little collectible with us via The Board at View Askew. It’s a Korean-made View Askew box set, which contains the first 5 Kevin Smith movies plus bonus features. Ming runs down the entire disc in his opening post, which includes a humorous screenshot of “Screen English” (a feature used to explain the “language” of Chasing Amy), and, interestingly enough, a DTS soundtrack on the Mallrats disc. They’re charging $53 plus shipping for the set. You completists may want to grab yourself one. Just because. As Ming points out, you need a region-free player to access any of the content.
- Eion Bailey, star of “A Better Place”, appears in a new DVD release, the collected TV show “Significant Others”. It’s a television show he did in the late 90’s that was cancelled after three episodes. All six are now collected on a two-disc set. For added incentive, hottie Jennifer Garner is on the show, as well. Bailey did fine work in A Better Place, Fight Club, and Band of Brothers, so it’s surely worth a look.
Dark Horizons reports that Ethan Suplee will continue work in a new film for United Artists:
Art School Confidential: “Ethan Suplee has joined the cast of United Artists’ “Art School Confidential.” Suplee, whose credits include “Without a Paddle,” “Cold Mountain” and “The Butterfly Effect,” will play the role of Vince, an aspiring filmmaker. Vince is roommates with the central character, Jerome (Max Minghella), an aspiring artist who achieves the fame he’s always dreamed of when he’s inadvertently arrested for being a murderer…”
- A website on Star Wars threw up a pic of Walt and Bryan from Wizard World in Chicago this past weekend.
- Fox Home Entertainment is targeting a November 30th release for the Daredevil Director’s Cut DVD.
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- And finally today, who can explain this apparel, spotted at a clothing store in Downtown Disney? Hmmm….
Kevin Coming Back To Comics?
- Popular writer Brian Bendis has revealed that he’s hoping to get Kevin back on board for a “What if…” Daredevil storyline that he’s got
planned:
I have wanted Marvel to bring back ‘What If…’ in any capacity for so long. So, I jumped all over it when it was finally approved. In the first issue I’m
doing a Daredevil story, ‘What if Karen Page had lived?’ In the great ‘What If…’ tradition we’re taking Daredevil down a path that only could only be
imagined in the regular title. It’s Alex Maleev and me with a cover by Joe Quesada. I believe Kevin Smith will be contributing on some level. He’s supposed
to co-write it with me, but if he doesn’t I’ll just write it. I wanted to drag his ass back to comics, whether he liked it or not! We’ll see if he can
squeeze it in.”
doing a Daredevil story, ‘What if Karen Page had lived?’ In the great ‘What If…’ tradition we’re taking Daredevil down a path that only could only be
imagined in the regular title. It’s Alex Maleev and me with a cover by Joe Quesada. I believe Kevin Smith will be contributing on some level. He’s supposed
to co-write it with me, but if he doesn’t I’ll just write it. I wanted to drag his ass back to comics, whether he liked it or not! We’ll see if he can
squeeze it in.”
That’s right, writer/director Kevin Smith will be making a return to comics after an extended absence.
“I thought it was one of those things that would be great to do together,” continued Bendis. “Basically, I want to mesh our two ‘Daredevil’ arcs. In other
words, where I took Daredevil versus where he had Daredevil. I thought it would be interesting and we’ll see what happens. If not, I’ll just do it. I’m not
making any promises, see what I’m doing here?”
Sounds GREAT to us! We’d love to see Kevin back in the writing fold, even co-writing with Bendis would be way cool and probably help with all of those
looming deadlines. We’ll keep you posted if we hear more.
Casting Rumors: “Fletch” & “Hornet”…
- A couple of rumors surrounding casting of 2 of Kevin’s on the bubble projects right now have popped up, and Moviehole has the scoop on them both. First off, a rumor that’s been long floating around here at News Askew regarding the new Fletch. That being that Ryan Reynolds is a frontrunner:
That comeback comedy could be the one to go after that though, he need a bit of a ‘push’ though. Rumour has it that Reynolds is one of the more popular names on Kevin Smith’s wish-list to wear the Irwin ‘Fletch’ Flether guise when “Fletch Won” gets off the ground. Talking on the Blade Trinity Message Boards today, Reynolds says he has had discussions about it but isn’t too keen on it at the moment. “..it’s been brought up a few times. I’ve loved this character my whole life – in the same way that i’d be intimidated to play Superman, the character would require far too much of a responsibility to the fans. i’d be too in my head trying to get it right instead of just letting it flow. not to mention, it’s been done.”
We assume that if Blade 3 puts Reynolds on the map, this is a strong possibility.
Next up, there’s that Jet Li as Kato in Green Hornet thing that’s been whispered about all the way back to the day the project was first announced. Again, Moviehole has the story. Here’s what Li had to say regarding the role:
“That’s a long time ago,” Li said. “Five or six years ago, I heard about it. Before, it was a Universal movie but right now it changed to the other [studio, Miramax/Dimension] and I heard everybody talk about it, but I’m not attached right now.”
If Kevin Smith asks him, he may consider it though.”It really depends on the script. Each director will change the story. Seven years ago, maybe it was still The Green Hornet but what kind of story? Right now, the market has changed, the audience changed, maybe they changed the script.”
JoBlo also covers these stories as well as teases a few of the other things we’ve been talking about lately, including of course the Clerks X DVD (which we’re knee-deep in going through today, it’s an INCREDIBLE amount of material), and of course that “small project” that we’re expecting to hear an official announcement about any day now. Stay tuned! It’s gonna be exciting…
View Askew NewsBites™
- With its release this week, there’s quite a bit of “Jersey Girl” press happening in Australia and New Zealand. So, we figured we’d run
down a few of the articles and reviews for you. First up, Australian website Moviehole gives the film 3 and a half stars in their review. Here’s a snippet:
Affleck is the best he’s ever been as the empathetic, but slightly lost Ollie, giving the most adult performance of his career. He absolutely shines in the scenes with his on-screen daughter, giving it his all when the script calls for a wallop of emotion. But the best thing about the film is Director Smith. This is perceptibly his most personal film to date. From the topic of raising a daughter, to the differences between living in a small town and a big city – he clearly knows what he’s talking about. Best of all, he injects a sense of level-headedness and kindness into proceedings here, which is about as welcome as it is surprising.
This article from an Australian news site covers Affleck’s
crazy life in the press over the past year, and his feelings towards Jersey Girl today. About the film, he says:
“I felt like both of us wanted to do something different to what we’d been doing. I’d been doing a series of action movies and Kevin had done a pretty broad comedy in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and I said to Kevin ‘Let’s do something like Chasing Amy that’s like a smaller, more contained story about people’ and so I really felt that this movie for Kevin was, in a weird way, a return to what both of us had done before,” he says.
“His life is in a different place so a personal story from him now is not going to be about endlessly wondering about the mysteries of female sexuality, which is where his head was then. And the script still has Kevin’s irreverent, somewhat subversive, tone.”
And finally, Melbourne newspaper “The Age” gives the film a very kind review. Click the image to read it.
- Rerun alert: The episode of MADtv featuring Kevin will be repeating on Fox stations on 9/4. The normal airtime is 11 PM EST, but you
should check your local listings to be safe. - There was an IFC scheduling error with Clerks last week, so it didn’t air. The new schedule indicates it’ll air this Saturday at 12:00
EST and the following Sunday at 6:00 AM EST.
View Askew NewsBites™
- People.com has just published a new article regarding Kevin and Jen’s recent re-nuptuals, which features some new quotes and information
that wasn’t in the AP release from last week. Here ya go:
I Do, Again
Jersey Girl writer-director Kevin Smith got a big birthday surprise while in Las Vegas to tape a “Roadside Attractions” segment for the Tonight Show:
His usually low-key wife, Jen, gathered about 20 of his closest friends at the Little White Chapel to share in a surprise vow-renewal ceremony. “The good
Catholic in me is ashamed to confess that there was no wearing of the white,” Smith tells us. He happened to wear one of his custom basketball shooters,
with his wife’s maiden name (Schwalbach) across the back and embroidered with his nickname, “Jen’s Bitch.” During the ceremony, the couple’s 5-year-old
daughter, Harley, stood between them – much as she did during their first wedding, since Jen was 8 months pregnant at the time. And afterward, actor Jason
Mewes (who plays Jay to Smith’s character Silent Bob) “almost broke his neck trying to get out of the way of catching the bouquet,” Smith says. Pal Ben
Affleck couldn’t make the party, but he did take the time to send treats: Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries for the bride, brownies and skim
milk for the groom.
- Netflix, the popular online DVD rental service, is currently calling Dogma its “Featured Comedy”.
- We received another report that international Continental (yeah, that makes sense) flights are also showing “Jersey Girl”.
- This Saturday, on German TV channel PRO7, they’ll show Dogma at 22:40. We assume it’ll be dubbed over. Hopefully all of our German
friends and fans will be tuning in. - And finally, in the goofy news of the day, someone’s done up this funny fake screenshot trying to start a rumor that Clerks X features a badly colorized version of the film.
Commentary…
- We’ve had a busy past few days, but now it’s time to get caught up on all that’s happening in the world of View Askew! In case you missed
the recent updates, scroll down, as Kevin dropped a TON of news of interest to west-coasters, including the fact that, while the new West Coast stash IS
scheduled to open doors this month, no official BASH will be held. However, you can still get DVDs and stuff signed at the new store, which is great, since
most folks spent the last Bash doing mostly that, anyway. So there ya go. And of course, there’s that little news of that show we like to call VULGARTHON
hitting the West Coast for the FIRST TIME this Fall. Yep. It’s a good time to be a Californian. Damn you, east coast!
Not to say that there’s not still a bunch of stuff for us ALL to look forward to. We just received the first anywhere copies of Clerks X and Jersey Girl
to review. These puppies are gonna take a while to get through (goodbye, weekend!) but we promise you a BUNCH of coverage, screenshots, and tons of
exlusive info from these releases. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!
Don’t forget about all the toys and other swag. With Chicago happening this weekend, we still haven’t seen definite confirmation on the arrival of those
HUGE Jay and Bob inaction figs, though we figure (ha ha, pun intended) they’ll show up sooner or later SOMEWHERE. And with all those variations of the
Kevin figure slated for future cons, wow…Time to rent out a room to store all of this stuff somewhere.
Alright, so, let’s throw some newsbites at ya’ll and get all these little tidbits out in the open for ya! Whaddiya say? Cool? Let’s go!
Jersey Girl in Australia: TOMORROW!
- Yes, our mates over there in the southern part of the world are finally getting to glimpse JERSEY GIRL on the big screen, starting
tomorrow (Thursday, August 12th). Purchase tickets for their largest chain, Hoyts, online HERE. We’ll let you know how the film fares.
There’s also a bit of press for the film’s release, including an interview with Affleck and some other reviews and tidbits
HERE as well as a review from (you’ll love this)
The Catholic Church of Australia!!! Of course, if you’re IN Australia, we know you’ll see
the flick in the coming days…Be sure to TALK BACK and let us know what ya think!
View Askew NewsBites™
- Today’s installment of web comic “The Devil’s Panties” contains a very obvious “Jay & Silent Bob
Strike Back” reference. - On Sunday, September 5th, there will be a midnight screening of Mallrats at the Paramount theatre on 261 Bernard Ave., Kelowna, B.C.
Canada. All seats are 5 bucks. Don’t miss this rare chance to catch a View Askew classic up on the big screen if you’re in the area! - We’re receiving reports of JERSEY GIRL playing on some international flights (one from Air Jamaica, at least). So, if you can’t wait
another month to see the flick again, fly somewhere. Maybe you’ll catch it (plane-friendly edited, of course!).
- Here’s a good article that appeared in the last issue of Cinescape Magazine featuring Dogma’s makeup effects artist Vincent Guastini. It sure sounds like Singer’s version of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA would have been a ton cooler than that other remake.
- CLERKS will be airing on IFC this Thursday (8/12) at 11:30 pm EST. Sure, we know ya already got the DVD – But watch it anyway one last time before Clerks X next month!
- More on Kevin’s involvement in Richard Kelly’s upcoming SOUTHLAND TALES can be found HERE on romanticmovies.com.
- Looks like VA’s own Raquel Castro is hard at work on her next film, “Little Fugitive”. She plays a supporting character named Destiny. Look for the film later this year. We hear she just wrapped shooting her role this week.
- The next Project Greenlight has begun and here’s an article about what you can expect on Bravo next February. There’s spoilers there for those of you not wanting to know the script chosen, but it’s safe to say that this year they’re going for a larger audience over an artful pic. Sounds like a cool change. We just wish Bravo would air the series uncensored like HBO did.
- Here’s a couple interesting excerpts from Matt Damon’s recent PLAYBOY interview:
Playboy: How did watching Affleck’s relationship with Jennifer Lopez affect you?
Damon: Ben got killed because he was in a high-profile relationship and the press fucking teed off on him. They believed, cynically enough, that he was trying to get publicity. What they never understood was that Ben is far too smart not to know that being in that relationship was the worst thing for his career. It was absolutely destroying his career. He stayed in it because he loved her. The cynical perception was that he was courting the attention, when he was actually embarrassed by the attention.
Playboy: Where’s the Good Will Hunting follow-up project from you and Affleck that we’ve been hearing about?
Damon: It’s in the same place it’s been for the past seven years, which is that we both want to do it. We saw each other a couple weeks ago in L.A., and we could feel the horse pulling on the reins because we really miss the experience of starting a small kernel of an idea and seeing it go all the way to being a movie. Like on Good Will Hunting, the motto for this one is “Let it write itself.”
- We’ll all be watching Kevin’s famous short again next month on DVD, but who wants to know what’s up with flying cars these days? Curious.
- And FINALLY today…….All we have for you is a link and a promise you should STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT MORE! Muhahahah…