• Both Fox News and MTV are reporting that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have broken off their engagement. Like the quote in the article says, we also like to respect the private lives of those we track here at this site as much as possible. So, we’ll relegate this to a brief mention, though recall that we’ve been through this before and we’re just reporting the story. We wish both Ben and Jen nothing but the best and hope that the press will finally give them each the breathing room they’ve both undoubtedly been longing for throughout their relationship.
• Next week’s Previews magazine is offering a moviepoopshoot.com t-shirt, to ship in April, in all sizes. We don’t have a photo at this time, but stay tuned.
• Star Wars supersite theforce.net is running a QuickTime clip of Kevin from Mark Hamill’s “Comic Book: The Movie” (which arrives on DVD this Tuesday. Check it out HERE. Moviepoopshoot also has a preview of the disc at the site.
• IGN’s got a piece up about Kevin’s work advertising Panasonic’s new digital recording products. Hey Panasonic, if you ever need a couple of guys to uh, “test” out these things, we think we know some…
• Catch the amusing Kev appearance towards the end of this Playboy TV video from the premiere of Kill Bill: Volume 1. Speaking of which, the recently announced extra month’s wait for Volume 2 is KILLING US!!!!
• And finally today, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” will be shown on German free TV this Friday during Prime Time. It’s airing on PRO7, so (almost) every View Askew Fan in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (and possibly also in other countries, since this channel is on ASTRA, which should be can be received in most of Europe) should be able to catch it. Showtimes: 23.01.04 20:15 – 22:15 and Sa 24.01 00:45 – 02:25 (All times central european). There, it’s called “Jay und Silent Bob schlagen zurück” and will be shown fully dubbed in German (at least very likely). The flick got a thumb up by German TV mag “TV Spielfilm” and they quote (or warn?) that a famous f-word is said 228 times in the flick.

• Not only can you catch the JG trailer in Quicktime now at the Apple site, one of the most popular out there, but the other big sites have also picked up the trailer for your enjoyment. If you’re having trouble with the main site, there’s plenty more places you can currently view it. Here’s a few:

The trailer will also be up on MSN and Hollywood.com sometime later this week. Look for more promotional material to start showing up at additional sites very, very soon. We’ll keep ya posted!

• We’ve got a really nice treat for you today, folks. Kevin’s interview with Tom Cruise which appeared in Areana magazine in the UK. This one’s now available right here for your reading pleasure, and boy, is it ever a fun one. These are the best scans we’ve got, and we realize they’re at an angle and a bit tricky to read, but we figured you’d enjoy it all the same. You’ll learn a lot, including the fact that Tom’s a View Askew fan (at least he knew who “Silent Bob” was), lived in Jersey a bit, and yes, even you, fine web readers, play into it in one question…So be ready for 5 full pages, in the way only Kevin and Arena can bring them to us. Enjoy!

• The web comic “Penny Arcade” must be one of the most popular out there, as we got near-record number scoop submissions on this one. Today’s edition is titled “Channeling Kevin Smith” and presents a Smith-esque bit of dialogue on monster hunter Van Helsing.
• In the new ‘Trivial Pirsuit DVD Pop Culture Edition’ there is a question in the movie category:

The obvious answer, of course? ‘Bluntman & Chronic.’

• And finally today, here’s an odd one for ya: The Ben Affleck Guide to Breakdancing. Listen to this clip and more from the Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show.

DOWNLOAD THE QUICKTIME TRAILER HERE!!!

• Kevin’s interview with Tom Cruise has been published in Arena magazine in the UK. We hear it’s a wonderful piece, so if anyone’s got a copy or a scan they can send us, we’d love to read it and share it with the rest of our loyal readers. Please let us know!
• DVD Answers reviews the Region 2 Mallrats DVD…Though the text seems awfully flattering, those final numbers seem a tad low…
• Clerks’ “Berserker” ranks as the #8 Singalong Song in movies according to the Film Frat website. Joey gets Honorable Mention for her “Alive” performance in “Chasing Amy”.
• And finally today, a few bits from The Looney Bin’s “New Year’s Resolutions” column, where comic book celebs were asked their 2004 vows.
  Here’s what Kevin said:

• Just spotted on Amazon today — Looks like Miramax Books will collect Kevin’s excellent “Just Another Opinionated Asshole” series of columns for the UK’s Arena magazine in a paperback novel due in August. First off, let’s suggest you wait to preorder this, as we can almost promise that the Stash will be selling signed copies. No more details at this time, though we can only imagine the book will contain never before seen and read stuff, and a new foreward. We’ll keep ya posted.

• View Askew Button Sets are now available at the Stash at incredible bargain prices, $5.99 or less for a COMPLETE SET! Grab yourself a set for each of the 5 films as well as a generic View Askew button set. These high-quality metal buttons come on themed cardboard backing and measure 1” inch each. Heavy duty metal pin backing makes these perfect for affixing to almost any pinable surface. Go get ‘em!
• Some more great news for you UK Askewers: Columbia Tristar apparently have “An Evening with Kevin Smith” on their Region 2 UK release schedule. The set is currently down for an April 5th 2004, release. This has not been officially confirmed but a very good possibility. We expect the disc will be the same as the Region 1 version, but, of course, playable on your UK Region 2 players. Thanks to UKAskew!
• The Anecdotaage website summarizes funny stories told by famous people from history. Kevin’s got a few of his summarized there, mostly from the “Evening With” disc…But you may wanna surf over and check them or the site out, anyway.
• Affleck was interviewed on BBC Radio 5Live to promote “Paycheck”, though the interviewer was obviously a fan of Ben’s View Askew work. The full interview can be heard right HERE.
• Want more Affleck? Sure ya do! Check out this clipping from an interview he did with Ocean Drive Magazine:

The full piece, mostly promoting “Paycheck”, runs in their January issue.

• Comics Continuum has a preview of Brian Lynch’s Spidey book, which hits shelves tomorrow. Check out the cover here, and read reviews from The Fourth Rail HERE. Lynch’s is the second story in the book. Here’s a sampling:

• A web comic called Theater Hopper is offering a sketch of two of the main characters done up like Brodie and Willam as an incentive for voting for their comic on buzzComix. Surf on over and have yourself a look!
• Check out a new Jason Lee interview at SBC Skateboard online. It’s mostly about skating stuff, but there’s a few bits about his upcoming movie projects and plans as well.

• Plans are starting to firm up for the opening of the west coast “Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash”. We imagine it’ll be the premier place to get your comics and toys, and of course feature a ton of one-of-a-kind props from View Askew history. Kevin’s recently stated the following: The aim is for the shop to open up in Westwood, around Fall of this year (2004). There would DEFINITELY be a Stash Bash held to celebrate the shop’s opening, perhaps even an early preview before they open to the public. We’ll keep you posted on this very exciting developing story!

• We’re happy to report that Bravo has indeed picked up Project Greenlight for a third season. This year, they’ll again be awarding both a director and a screenwriter with the prize. Good stuff. While it’ll be a shame to watch a censored and Chris Moore-less show on Bravo, we’ll still be there for every minute, and hope that this year’s project proves a little more fruitful at the box office. Visit the Greenlight website for all the info, and get some entries in there! We’d love nothing more than to see a loyal News Askew reader in the contest. Good luck!