• Daredevil is on track to bring in around $40 million this weekend and the #1 spot — A very, very impressive opening which will almost surely greenlight a sequel very soon. We’ll have final numbers for you next update.
• And speaking of Daredevil, Movie Poop Shoot’s Michael Dequina was lucky enough to attend the premiere http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/nightout/index.html and meet the likes of Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ben Affleck, and even Kevin. Read the full exntensive report of his entire experience over at MPS!
• In the February 25th issue of The Star Magazine (yes, the one often found by the supermarket checkout stand), there’s a page devoted to Ben, Jen, & Jersey Girl. The article appears on page 28 and, from what we hear, claims to have spoilers, so read at your own risk!
• Chasing Amy and Ben Affleck get a mention today (Feb 16) in a Chicago Sun-Times column by Richard Roeper detailing several film “Ton 10-ish Lists”. Top 10 Signs a Movie Character Is Doomed, Top Songs In Permanent Rotation On The Movie Soundtrack Jukebox, etc:

• Kevin appears in another of those online comic strips this week. He and both “Willams” appear in this weeks “Skatey-Eight” comic. Skatey-Eight is a band from Michigan, and their drummer creates the comic for the site weekly.
• PVP Online features an “Open Letter to Ben Affleck” on their front page today, apologizing for thinking that Ben would make a bad Daredevil (after seeing the film and enjoying his performance).
• Derek Burgan, a reviewer for a professional wrestling site, wrote up a nice recommendation of the “An Evening with Kevin Smith” DVD for his DVD of the Week at the bottom of his Smackdown review this week.
• The short film SHADOWPLAY, scored by Ryan Shore (who scored “Vulgar”) won First Place at the Student Emmy Awards and also won a Student Academy Award last June. For more information on this composer, go to his website at www.ryanshore.com.
• Here’s a custom made Affleck as Daredevil figure that’s now up for bids on eBay. The likeness is actually pretty good!
• Mallrats will air in the UK, Monday night, 12.50 on BBC1.
• We’re not quite sure how dated this is, but we’ve never mentioned it (at least, not that we can recall). The Misanthophic Humorist takes a look back at Kevin’s films with some short opinions on all of ‘em.

• In a rare live appearance this year, Kevin has just been officially booked to do his famous Q&A thing live at the University of Minnesota on March 25th. We’ll have more details as the date approaches, but in the meantime, there’s a huge audience there that has yet to have a chance to see Kevin in person…So get out there and get some tickets as soon as ya can! We’re sure it’ll sell out fast. If anyone from that school has any more details, or can dig up some more info for us, be sure and let us know.

Kevin and the crew head to Tokyo, Japan tomorrow to promote the release of “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” there. Wish them luck and a great trip, it’ll sure be interesting to hear how the film translates to their culture.

• We’re receiving a TON of advance word from News Askew readers, unanimously enjoying the flick a great deal. Some more than others, but across the board, opinions have been excellent regarding the film. Here’s some blurbs from those who’ve seen the flick already…

No more reviews please, by the way…We’re gonna defer to the other review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and such now and let them take over with their better review coverage. Go out and enjoy the film tomorrow, we’re sure it’ll come in at #1, the only question is, how big will the box office be? DVD Talk’s “Aisle View” sums it up best: “Finally, they got it right”.

• The latest episode of VH-1’s “All Access” features a ton of Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez stuff, including a ton of footage of them working on the Jersey Girl set. Live footage from the fabled “Jen Saves Ben” videogame is also shown during the program. Check VH-1 for re-air times this week.
• The web comic strip “Theater Hopper” features Ben today in a cameo role. A line from JSBSB is also the title of the post. Check it out HERE.
• Any Kevin Smith fans in Maine looking for something to do on a snowy Sunday morning? One obsessed Kevin Smith fan has rented out a theatre in Brunswick, Maine on February 23rd to show CLERKS (it’s her BIRTHDAY!). It’s a private party so admission is free, but it is by invitation only so if anyone would like to come please e-mail funnygirl_3475@hotmail.com for details.
• Some auction items of interest — First off, this auction has a bunch of Daredevil props up for sale. Lots of amazing stuff there, but ya gotta have some deep pockets. As far as eBay goes, there’s some promotional items up from the “Evening With Kevin Smith” DVD. Check them out HERE. Could be something cool to bid on while Auctions Askew is on hiatus.
• And finally today, the quote of the day:

Hey, wait a second here…Kevin doesn’t rate?

• Daredevil promotions are reaching a fever pitch around here — One of the coolest bits we’ve seen is a new “countdown” Daredevil TV spot which has Kevin’s character in the lab saying, “Get ready to see something cool”. Bring it on!

• DD had its world premiere on Sunday at the Mann Village in Los Angeles. Kevin was of course there, and Wireimage has tons of pics of Kevin and Jen, Affleck, Lopez, and Damon. You can view the thumnails from the event HERE but as always, will need a WI subscription for the full size shots. We also have a couple photos of our own that came into the site courtesy of a fan (Kevin and Jen) and Variety (Kevin with Affleck).
• Daredevil (or rather, Affleck) is ALSO the subject of ridicule in this online web comic.
• And more Affleck: The March 2003 Vanity Fair features Ben on the cover and a HUGE new article. We’ll run a scan as soon as we can get our hands on one or a copy of the issue.
• And hey, how about we end today on a NON-Daredevil note, huh? This Christianity site HAILS Dogma as one of the most entertaining films ever made about religion! Now that’s more like it! Here’s the full text:

You can also read the site’s review of Dogma HERE.

• There’s a couple of rare View Askew items up at eBay that we thought may interest some: An actual used J&SBSB shooting script and one of those hard to find Mallrats books.
• We’re hearing that a lot of theaters are holding MIDNIGHT showings of Daredevil this Thursday night. So, if ya wanna see the flick early, be sure to call your local multiplex and ask! We can confirm that the Cocoaplex in nearby Hershey, PA is going to be selling passes this week. The film is getting some great advance buzz, so be sure to catch it theatrically.
• Apparently, the Mallrats showing at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, VA last night went swimmingly. Here’s a report:

• And finally today, the IMDB takes their Quote of the Day from J&SBSB:

• This really is some way cool news, and a great honor for everyone who worked on the Green Arrow book. As we announced earlier this week, Kevin’s “Quiver” arc with Green Arrow has been recognized by the 2003 Best Books for Young Adults Committee:

You can read the entire article and see the full list of those who made it in HERE. Green Arrow is listed alphabetically under “Smith”. Be sure to stop by your local library soon, we expect many of them should be stocking copies of “Quiver” due to this honor.

• We’re starting to hear that Jersey Girl has been screened for some small test audiences, most likely they’re trying to flesh out some edits and the like, and tighten up the running time just a bit more. One reviewer supposedly says that the first 15 minutes weren’t that good, but after that it picks up and gets outstanding. We haven’t seen a frame of this flick yet, so we really can’t comment on anything for ourselves, but we can tell you that the advanced word from those that have seen it so far as been very, very positive. We’ll let you know if we hear more of this, chances are that these test screenings are very private, and very secretive, but if that changes, or if anyone’s lucky enough to catch one, be sure and let us know how you liked the film.

• On his official site today, Moby mentioned the fact that a mistype of his name (an extra “o”) takes you to the official Dogma site, due to the Mooby reference from the film. He’s got some nice things to say about Kevin and his films:

• Brian O’Halloran is featured in an article in today’s Asbury Park Press regarding a recent appearance he made. Here’s a snippet:

You can read the entire article and see a nice new photo of Brian at the event at the APP’s site.

• The historic Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia will be showing Mallrats on the big screen at midnight this coming Saturday, February 8. Surf HERE for details.
• ESPN.COM ran a fictional humor piece that creates a mock conversation between Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez on Superbowl Sunday. Hopefully they’ve both got a good sense of humor.
• We got a lot of mail regarding the HMV deal on Jay & Bob we ran last update. Anyway, we’re not really up on what UK prices should be on DVDs, so we’re sorry if that wasn’t a good deal after all. We actually got it wrong, though, the deal was for Jay & Bob and another DVD for that price. So around £10 for Jay & Bob, the same place the rest of the online vendors sell it for. Thanks for all the concern.
• Affleck takes his first superhero turn as Daredevil just one week from today in theaters. Advanced buzz on the film has been HIGHLY positive, which will hopefully translate to some big box office. Word has it that Affleck puts in quite a convincing, reserved performance as the dude in red. Good stuff. Check out a new DD featurette and 4 new DD commercials at the Apple website.

• Great news for the Smith/Hester/Parks Green Arrow story arc “Quiver”: The American Library Association has named the GREEN ARROW: QUIVER Hardcover (STAR15337) as one of its Best Books for Young Adults in 2003! We’re looking for more detail on this, but that’s an award to be proud of, for sure. We’ll elaborate as we get the chance to track more info down.
• A couple of Stan Lee tidbits today — First off, TechTV’s “Screensavers” had Lee on to talk about Daredevil today. Leo, the host, told Lee that he recently rewatched Mallrats and loved his cameo. Stan said that he felt like a bad luck charm because it was Kevin Smith’s only flick that flopped at the box office.

Stan was also at a comic convention in Pasadena, California on Saturday. During one of his Q&A panels, someone asked if he liked being in Mallrats, and he said he loved it, but his only problem was that Kevin hadn’t asked him to be in any of his other films! He then asked anyone who had nothing to do to bug Kevin to put him in more of his projects.

• Here’s a bargain for you UK’ers — Jay & Bob on DVD, in region 2, for £20! HMV‘s got the deal going on right now, both online and in their stores.
• Affleck the politician? This Boston Herald article reports that he tells Vanity Fair he “entertains the thought of someday running for Congress.”
• Once a month, the ‘York (PA) Daily Record’ does what they call the “Teen Takeover.” Basically, they get high schoolers to write articles, reviews, etc., and then it gets published in the ‘Living’ section of the newspaper. Today’s edition featured an out-of-the-blue video review and recommendation for “Mallrats.”

Read the story HERE as well!

• And, finally today, a detailed thought process on, yes, that “bear who drive car”.