• We continue our special feature on the View Askew issue of Variety today, with two more scanned articles from the magazine, available online here for the first time. First off, “The News on Mewes” catches up with Jay and asks him about what he’s been up to recently.

Next, we’ve got a really nice little clipping where Kevin gives a few sentences on each of his films so far, with some personal feelings on where the company was before and after each film. A very concise, well-spoken piece which covers Kevin’s film history quite nicely. Mandatory reading.

We’ll have more View Askew Variety for you soon!

• Wanna know everything about New Jersey in one book? The New Jersey Encyclopedia is the place! The entries
  page of the website lists a “Smith, Kevin” so we can only assume than the man himself scores an entry. If anyone’s got it, pass it on! Read more about
  the new book HERE.
• Jersey Girl scores a small mention in this New York Times article, “Bringing Up Baby, but Not Giving Up Movies”,
  which focuses on films that some mothers have been seen taking infants into theaters lately:

• And finally today, could a fellow Askew vet be giving Affleck a run for the money at
  the poker tables? Check out who finished 13th in the qualifying series round. Verrry interesting. By the way, Ben, let’s play some cards in Vegas next
  week!

• Due to popular demand, we’re proud to present a new feature here at News Askew tonight: Our UPCOMING EVENTS page tracks all those cool
  upcoming appearances, shows, screenings, and other stuff we thought you might be interested in. It’s a one-page quick snapshot view of all that stuff
  that you see in the ticker on your right. Get there anytime by clicking the “Upcoming Events” header in the ticker or on the new link in the left
  sidebar. Oh, and of course the page also debuts another brilliant work from artist Matt Sullivan! Enjoy.

• Sounds like our beloved Flyers goalie Robert Esche has earned himself a new nickname in the media : “Silent Bob”. GO FLYERS!!!!
• The “Quirky Trailer” for the new film “Burning Annie”, a humorous new indie about a college guy obsessed with the film “Annie Hall”, features quite a few references to the View Askew realm as 2 of the actors play video hockey throughout. Check it out.

• Mick sent us what we’ll make the last two pics from the Clerks Arclight show — Another look at how Kev & Jay appeared during the evening.
• Congrats to George Carlin, who has been named Comedy Central’s #2 stand-up comedian of all time!
• A View Askew reference shows up again in a web comic, this one’s from the “Action Datsun” folks over at the ‘Shoot. In their other comic, “Combustible Orange”, they had originally put a Chinese finger trap on a guy. It was changed to a Brodie inaction figure in the guys hands after they realized they used the previous device too much. Check it out HERE.

• From the latest Previews comes this blurb (and what looks to be the jacket photo) of Kevin’s new book, due this summer from Miramax Books.
• The Premiere Oaks 10 Theatre in Melbourne, Florida will be playing Clerks as the featured “Midnight Movie”, next Friday and Saturday night,
  4/30 and 5/1. This theatre is brand new and probably the nicest in Central Florida. See their site for more info.
• Today’s issue of web comic “Hayt -n- Auggie” makes a direct Mallrats reference. Check it out HERE.
• And finally today, it’s gotta be the ickiest job in the world, but this vocation,
  brought up in Clerks, seems to be alive and well in America. *Shudder*

• The always entertaining, never outspoken Michael Dequina attended the Clerks Q&A/reunion, and filed his own report (including some nice new photos) over at our own Movie Poop Shoot. Here’s a snippet:

Of course, you wanna head right over and read the whole shebang right HERE (just below the Hellboy report). Alright, read these newsbites first. Then go.

• Amazon seems to be tracking “Just Another Opinionated Asshole: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith”
  for an August 2004 release. We highly recommend you wait and see what the Stash has the book for, as we imagine the price will be low and include Kevin’s
  signature in the book. We’ll keep you posted. This is the book that will collect all of those excellent “Arena” columns that we’ve run here through
  the years.
• The stage version of Sweeney Todd (not the PBS in concert thing we previously mentioned) was released on DVD today, so anyone wanting to see the whole show
  after the excerpts in Jersey Girl can now do so. Ask your favorite rental store or pick yourself up a copy.
• Hollywood North Report has an intersting rumor going that Affleck may actually cameo in the upcoming
  “Elektra” film, which goes against what we’d been hearing before:

• Congrats to the main man in our corner, Harvey Weinstein, who has just been made an honorary CBE for his services to British film making. This means he is just one step down from a knighthood, a very nice honor indeed.
• This site’s got a nice photo of Kev and Jay on location at a signing. Looks like a recent one.
• A very astute scooper spotted a screen grab from the rarely seen “Jacker II” (1996) featuring Clerks alum Marilyn Ghigliotti at the bottom of
  this page. The reviewer says the film’s bad, but hey, the world needs fun bad flicks, too (it must at
  least have been fun enough to warrant this page to be created, anyway). Marilyn appears uncredited in the flick.
• Skater Billy Marks gives some props to Kevin & Jay in the “favorites” section of his online bio.
• And finally tonight, if you’re not reading this too late, catch a rerun of Kevin’s recent JERSEY GIRL promo appearance on Craig Kilborn’s late night program! See ya next time…

• Yet another chance to catch Kevin live for you lucky west-coasters (though it’s FINALLY warming up back east here, at least). This one’s areal honor, as Kevin will be speaking about his passion, writing. Actually, all 3 speakers they’ve got planned are excellent, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to buy for all 3. Here’s the full details:

We’re not sure if Kevin will sit down for an interview beforehand, but know he normally prefers to just jump right into a Q&A when he shows up, so we suggest you come planned for anything! Don’t miss it.

• Prince gets his overdue dig in on Kevin in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, on which his royal purpleness adorns the cover:

Later in the article, Kevin was able to rebuke with:

• In the liner notes of the new deluxe edition of rockin’ band Weezer’s Blue cd, there’s a mention of Mallrats under the description of
  ‘Susanne’:

• And finally, always the ones to love taking a rumor and twisting into solid fact, the current issue of UK magazine “Hot Dog” reports

Wow. While it’s PROBABLY a given, that’s a little poetic license with Affleck there. So chalk this one up as wishful thinking for the moment.

• Roger Ebert yet again proves what a stand-up guy he is in this recent “Movie Answer Man” column, by sticking up for his review decisions.

Ebert, by the way, has really been on the mark with films lately, at least, so it seems to these reviewers here. Just a quick one to kick off the day after a busy weekend. More updates later tonight! See ya then!