• Here’s something we haven’t heard before — The trailer for a new CGI kid’s flick called “Doogal” touts none other than KEVIN SMITH as one of the many celebrity voices on board the pic! Check out the trailer HERE! It’s a Weinstein Company flick, so it certainly makes sense. Perhaps Kevin can shed some light on the character he’s voicing and the amount of screentime he’s expected to get.
• And in other Kevin Smith movie news — Sony Pictures website for “Catch And Release” is now showing a 2007 release date for the film! We haven’t seen any official announcement yet, but this looks to be true. So, unfortunately, it sounds as if we’re going to have to wait a while longer for Kevin’s big screen leading role debut (in a non View Askew production, anyway). If we learn more about the delay, or if the release date changes yet again, we’ll let you know.
• Newsarama reports that “Degrassi: The Next Generation” will be making its move into the world of comics. “Degrassi: Extra Credit” will fill in the gaps from the TV program, picking up where some plots leave off, or expanding other elements. The first issues are due in October 2006. Complete details over at Newsarama.
• Congratulations to “My Name Is Earl” for picking up the People’s Choice Award — Best New Comedy this year! Well deserved. Just shows you how many folks are watching the show and digging it. Also, you gotta love the fact that when Jason Lee picked up the award onstage, you could hear fans shouting “Brodie! Brodie!”, as he smiled and acknowledged them. Happy to see that both Lee and the fans haven’t forgotten the roots!
• Just weird — This kid’s made a film with his webcam that’s attempting to mimic the deleted finale of Clerks. Peep it HERE.

• We dig this ceiling tile painted for a Senior High School project from Joe Gross. He claims to have enjoyed the inside nature of the joke with his classmates. Nice work, Joe!

• More east coast love for ya’ll – Never say Kevin forgot about us folks here on the colder side of the country! Clerks 2 will yet again screen JUST FOR YOU, THE FANS in February, with a brand new, never-before-seen tight 92 minute cut. This cut was carefully crated based on results from the screening that we attended in Los Angeles. We’re hoping to make it up to NYC for this one, to take a look at what’s changed. So, what do you say? You wanna see Clerks 2 next month in New York City? Here’s Kevin:

Sign up NOT here in our talkbacks, but over at the View Askew Board for your chance to be one of the chosen few. If it’s anything like the last time, you DON’T want to miss this chance. You’re seeing the film before most everyone, at least 6 months early. Plus, Kevin’s focus group and Q&A after the flick in L.A. ran for around 4 hours — A true treat for the small group of us in attendance. Good luck, and we hope to see you there!

• Howdy folks — Just wanted to explain why the site’s been loading so slow, in case you didn’t already figure it out — In addition to having a very visible net presence for the Clerks 2 teaser trailer (it’s been the top story at the highly-trafficed “Aint It Cool News” today), we’re ALSO getting slammed particularly badly due to the streaming nature of the trailer. Since not many folks have figured out a way to download and save the teaser on their machine to watch over and over, every re-watch is also hitting the server. So, we expect these slower speeds for at least the next day or two, until the large amount of view requests calms down a bit.

E-mail is also controlled by the servers, so we haven’t been receiving email messages until the wee hours of the morning, when traffic finally dies down. If a message or scoop you’re trying to get to us is bouncing back, or you’re not getting a reply, please try sending it again.

Of course, the slowness is an inconvenience, but it makes us happy — Obviously there is a BIG following for this film, and a large web audience very into it. We’re pleased that you’re receving the teaser so well, and hope you continue to watch it as much as you’d like. It’s tough to comment on the teaser having already seen the film, and being able to put all of the scenes into context. It’s even more fun to watch knowing what’s happening during each and every colorful clip that’s appearing on your screen. So, if you like what you’re seeing NOW, wait until you hear some of that brilliant KS dialogue that comes along with it. We can’t wait for all of you to see this one.

• The voice of Jason Lee made a surprise appearance on a FOX animated show (nope, NOT NBC!) on Sunday. Lee read a few funny lines for the Family Guy clone “American Dad”. Here’s what Lee said about the bit in a recent interview:

• The musical “Sweeney Todd” seems to have been enjoying quite a resurgence since Kevin broadened access and knowledge to it in “Jersey Girl”. Now it’s even crossing a little closer to our world, with the guy who initially took away Kevin’s brilliant Superman script, Tim Burton, now reportedly working on a big screen version with star Johnny Depp. Fascinating! An official announcement is expected in the next few weeks.
• A quick “get well soon” to View Askew vet and comic genius George Carlin, who pent 8 days in the hospital over the holidays due to congestive heart failure. Kevin says:

• For more information on the song that Kevin recently posted this Mattt Potter video, or to download it, visit Keneteph Entertainment’s Myspace site. Don’t miss this one — A catchy, clever tune with some great video to back it up. Belated Snoogans Greetings!
• And your daily dose of “My Name Is Earl” news: Jason’s the subject of a New York Times article titled “Trust Me, I’m Funnier With The Moustache”. The article features new quotes from Lee, Suplee, and Kevin is featured prominently, of course:

In case you mised it, there’s also a nice interview with Earl creator Greg Garcia over at IGN Filmforce.

And finally, there’s this TV Guide Online piece on the programs bumping of NBC’s failing “Joey” off Thursday nights. In it, the article ponders why Kevin hasn’t made a guest appearance on “Earl” yet. We’re wondering the same thing…

• As promised, here it is! There’s plenty of mirrors up so you shouldn’t have a problem getting a speedy download of the clip from one of the many domain names we’ve purchased to promote the film. This one’s for you, folks, the fans — Enjoy a non-spoiler tease at what’s coming to a theater near you this August, 2006!

• Kevin reveals that the Clerks 2 teaser is ready to rock, and will be proliferating our servers by 10 AM EST TODAY. Due to our work day job work schedules interfering with the rollout time, we won’t be able to get a mirror up until around lunchtime at News Askew.

So, we urge you to watch the OFFICIAL CLERKS 2 SITE as by 10 AM, as Kevin promises:

• Yes folks, get ready to FLOOD the servers on Monday, as Kevin has announced that the first, web-only Clerks 2 teaser trailer will indeed become available via our websites EXCLUSIVELY sometime in that 24-hour period. The teasers cut for the fans are normally full of some great jokes, scenes, and hints that you won’t find anywhere else, and most likely, NOT in the theatrical trailer. So, get ready, for in 2 days, you’ll be watching the first live action footage from View Askew’s 2006 release: Clerks 2. We’ll of course have mirror copies all over the place, though we also expect some heavy traffic, so bear with us. Watch this space for your opportunity to see the Clerks 2 teaser, we’ll have it as soon as it’s available.

• Yes, the Thursday night move of “My Name Is Earl” will go down in infamy: The brilliant, hilarious show returned to NBC on its new night this week with a joke

Poopie Trim!

that was SO inside, ONLY fans of the Askewniverse could possibly understand it’s significance. Yes, Ethan Suplee (as Randy) muttered those hilarious words made so famous in Mallrats (and then revisited in Dogma) in a scene where he’s woken by Earl.

We’ve got the clippage for you here, if for some crazy reason you’re not watching one of the funniest shows on TV. Click the pic to enjoy it! It’s a joy to see such an obscure reference to our little culture here show up in NBC prime time television.

To learn more about the origins of this famous phrase, you can watch a recent entry from the Clerks 2 Video Diaries. Thanks to Ethan and Jason for an obvious and deliberate shout-out to all of us! Anyone know how closed-captioning handled it?

“Earthquake”

• Comedians Earthquake and Wanda Sykes have a hilarious cameo scene in Clerks 2, and this new video focuses on the former. Watch this hilarious guy pontificate on his first movie scene EVER, on and off set. The dude’s really funny — We’re sure you’ll be seeing him in other films soon. Be sure and catch his stand-up act if you can, as well. Thanks again to Zak and Joey for continually pumping out the vids we love and crave. Enjoy, via the usual Quicktime popups and iTunes availability, courtesy of Clerks2.com.

• Buena Vista has announced the 10 titles they expect to mark their entry into the Blu-ray market. While there was a question mark over Miramax titles being involved at first, the announced list actually included several of them. Most important: Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, which will be the first View Askew disc to debut on the high density, high definition format!
• Clerks 2 star Rosario Dawson will produce her own comic book series titled “Occult Crimes Taskforce”, Newsarama reports:

• The region 2 version of Clerks X is being spotted at UK HMV stores for the low price of £9.99 as part of their January sale. A good deal.

Freddy vs Jay & Silent Bob

• And finally today, here’s a strange one for ya — A fan-made video called “Freddy vs. Jay & Silent Bob”. It’s fan-made, though we don’t know the original source (it was tracked down on the very anonymous torrent network on the web), there’s certainly been some work put into it — Though we’re not quite sure what to make of it ourselves. This 90 meg MPEG download will take you some time to get, so be patient, and decide if you think it’s worth your download time. Talk Back with your own thoughts — We’re not…uh…really sure what else to say. As a warning, the clip does contain a bit of language and brief nudity. Got it? Alright then, see you next time!