Premium tickets, which get you into a gala screening such as this one, cost $37.38 and are well worth it — They can be ordered online, by phone at 416-968-FILM or toll-free at 1-877-968-FILM or in person at the TIFFG Box Office at Manulife Centre right now.

We expect this screening to sell out, quite possibly even by the time some of you have read this (it pays to be a weekend News Askew reader or feed subscriber, see?). Good luck — We’re hoping a lot of News Askew fans can end up in the audience for what is sure to be a fantastic screening. Get those tix right now, don’t delay! More news coming up later today. We just wanted to get this out there ASAP.

You can click here and cast your vote for OPTION 1 directly!

For the full story of what this is all about and a look at Ming’s beautiful logo, click here.

So where do you come in? Well, the winner is being decided via an online vote. To vote, head to http://www.milb.com. Then, look to the bottom right for the voting form. You want to vote for OPTION 1! It looks like the logo we’ve tossed above.

Take a second and cast your vote – We’d love to see Ming win this one. He’s already doing great, and hardly needs our help anyway since the logo’s our favorite anyway — But hey, let’s make it a landslide! Show your support and help Ming out with a vote for his logo today.

Ben Affleck has now joined the ranks. Ben spent time over the last year traveling to the Democratic Repulic of Congo in the hopes to bring notice to the plight in this region. Tonight, ABC’s “Nightline” will feature a segment with Ben that we hope you’ll all tune in for.

We’ve got the details straight ahead direct off the AP wire. Ben’s also penned an essay which is the first link you’ll see below, followed by several other links to video which you can watch right now.

NEW YORK (AP) — “Nightline” will focus on the humanitarian crisis in the Congo with the help of an unusual correspondent — Ben Affleck.

The 35-year-old actor took a “Nightline” crew on his recent fact-finding mission to Africa with the goal of spreading the word on a story that gets relatively little notice in the United States. His essay airs 11:35 p.m. Thursday on ABC.

He’s been to the Congo three times in the past year. He said his motive was to learn about the war and hunger that have killed thousands of people per month in the past decade in hopes that the outside world would be moved to help, and his celebrity opened some doors.

“It’s fairly clear that in the modern age that there is a currency to celebrity, or celebrity is a currency, really,” Affleck told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I’ve discovered that you can spend it in a lot of ways, or you can squander it. You can be taxed, as well. I really started thinking long and hard about how to use that currency as long as I had it.”

His representatives approached “Nightline” with the idea of reporting on his journey. Affleck said he was impressed by “Nightline” stories in 2005 where “Hotel Rwanda” actor Don Cheadle visited that country.

“Nightline” executive producer James Goldston admitted to skepticism. ABC News took heat a decade ago for letting Leonardo DiCaprio interview President Clinton, and the idea of a concerned celebrity taking on a world problem has become a news staple.

“I was quite persuaded by how candid he was about the cliche of it, or the potential cliche,” Goldston said.

Affleck deals with that issue in the opening of his essay: “I want to try to bring people along to learn and if they might not tune into this unless there was some celebrity involved in it, either because they’re interested in the celebrity or because they want to see the celebrity kind of make a fool of himself, then so be it,” he says.

He doesn’t act as a reporter, Goldston said. The idea was to present the story as a personal journey, following Affleck as he met with survivors of the conflict, relief officials and even some warlords.

“Nightline” hasn’t done its own story on the Congo since 2002, although Cynthia McFadden recently took a trip to Africa to report on several issues there.

Affleck said one “Nightline” piece isn’t likely to change much, but the goal is to spread the word and hope that people in the United States can identify with some people who are suffering.

Perhaps then they could be moved to help, he said. Affleck hasn’t identified himself with any particular relief organization that is helping the Congo.

He believes people will respond to this approach.

“I don’t think people respond particularly well to being hectored, or being made to feel guilty, or being made to feel as though they’re kind of callow or insensitive for the life they’ve been leading up until then,” he said.

Turning World’s Eyes and Ears to Congo: More Than Four Million Lives Lost in African Country in the Last Decade (GUEST ESSAY by BEN AFFLECK)

PHOTOS: Ben Affleck’s African Journey

Ben Affleck: “Share What I’ve Seen” (On third trip to the Congo, Affleck hopes to “bring people along” the journey.)

“They’re in a Living Hell”: Affleck discusses the devastation

Major kudos to Mr. Affleck for taking the time and effort to bring this dire situation to light here in the USA. Our country needs more like you, sir. Please tune into ABC Nightline at 11:30 PM tonight, and if you have the means, see what you can do to help the cause.

I recall getting HBO as a kid, when the channel was still in its infancy, excited to finally have uncut movies at home. What I’d soon learn is that HBO wasn’t just about movies, though — Their “One Night Stand” and similar programming were among the first to bring the art of stand-up comedy to the masses. Keep in mind, this is years before the concept of “Comedy Central” was thought up. So whose would be the first stand-up routine I’d ever see? None other than George Carlin. I believe it was the “stuff” routine that got me hooked, though his most famous, the “Seven Dirty Words”, also rose to fame in that era, and remains cited and quoted even today. I became a stand-up junkie, and Carlin was a big reason.

Carlin became a member of the View Askew family back in 1998 during the filming of Dogma — 10 years ago. Following his role as Cardinal Glick, one of the largest of his film career, he re-appeared for a hilarious cameo in “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”. While he went on to do voice work in a few movies afterward, his final big screen live appearance was in 2004’s “Jersey Girl”, where he played Bart Trinke, father to Ben Affleck’s character, in another substantial role.

It’s hard to imagine that we’ll ever see another comedian as brilliant and groundbreaking as George Carlin in our time, quite possibly ever again. What he did transcended just taking the stage and spouting one-liners. His routines managed to be topical, poignant, insightful, controversial, and absolutely hilarious — all at the same time. The man was a pioneer and a genius, a master of his trade, and will be missed by all who have had the pleasure of knowing him or his work. Our deepest condolences to the friends, family, and fans of this legendary talent. Rest in peace, George. You will be missed.

Thanks to all who wrote in with the scoop and condolences, the list is way too long to list you all. The talkbacks are a great place to express your thoughts on this brilliant man.

Wanna get teased?

Tonight’s the night.

At midnight west coast time, we take the “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” teaser live, only at www.quickstopentertainment.com.

Don’t call it a trailer, ’cause it’s not a trailer; it’s a teaser. There ain’t a frame of footage in this puppy that’s in the actual flick, so feel free to watch it without fear of “spoilers”. This is just a little something to give you a bit of a feel for the flick.

To celebrate, the entire front page of Quick Stop Entertainment has been transformed. This is where you’ll want to go tonight to grab the trailer immediately. We’re also working towards having our own mirrors up here for our loyal fans, in case QSE gets clogged or you just like coming here for your daily dosage (thanks again to Ming for the hookup).

While you’re there, check out the preorder page for what we think may very well be the coolest item ever offered in swag history – Monroeville Zombies Hockey Jerseys. Get an order in and reserve yours. WE MUST HAVE.

See you back here in just a few short hours (after what’s sure to be another amazing 2 hour season finale of “Lost” on ABC tonight).

Over the years, we’ve had the good fortune to meet quite a few of the View Askew cast, and we can certainly vouch that Brian’s one of the friendliest, most down to earth dudes you’ll ever meet, and he loves the fans. If you’ve got the means, take a trip into Indianapolis, Indiana this weekend, meet the guy who’s been there from the beginning, and support Brian and “Brutal Massacre”. Be sure and tell him News Askew sent you — he reads the site just like you do (Thanks, Brian!).

So, the GOOD news is that it’s back. The BAD news is that the show might get lost in the shuffle due to this long hiatus, and thus NOT RENEWED for another year. The Hollywood Reporter says that the program is among those that may possibly not return this year (along with the hilarious “Aliens In America” and the underrated “Jericho”, which actually had a fantastic episode this week). Sadly, “Lost” is now competing against “Reaper” in this time slot, so now is a more important time than ever to get folks watching the show. Tell them to WATCH “Reaper” live, record “Lost”, and catch up later. We don’t want to see this show be replaced by another “Gossip Girl” or something along those lines. We want MORE “REAPER”!

“Reaper” is unlike anything on television at the moment, with that perfect blend of humor, drama, action, romance, and horror. We’re urging all of you to watch tonight’s episode, and to spread the word among your friends, family, and, if you’re got a website or blog, across the web as well. Let’s let the CW know that we want to see this show continue on for another year, with a full, uninterrupted season, where story arcs can be born and characters can grow. Please, CW, don’t kill off this critically-acclaimed program prematurely, let’s bring it back for another year! “Reaper”, tonight at 9 PM EST on the CW.

The video is streaming now EXCLUSIVELY over at Quick Stop Entertainment and bringing our poor server to its knees, so we apologize for the slowness (we share a computer, us and them, we’re cool like that). Watch here for stills and more, once our bandwidth comes back.

Best of all, the clip reveals, at the end, that it will indeed be the first of many clips to come from the site, another behind-the-scenes from Zack and Joey, the geniuses behind Chop Shop Entertainment. We can’t wait to see what these guys have pulled together this time. Waiting for the end of the shoot means more time to edit, so an even more slick, planned out series. How cool is that? The title? “Money Shots”. Oh yeah.

For now, sit back, and enjoy, “I’m F***ing Seth Rogen”, from the cast and crew of the Pittsburgh set.