- The video bandwagon continues on! Though the quality is pretty poor, those of you interested to see footage from some of San Diego’s “Zack & Miri” panel can find it via this YouTube Channel. We hear there’s a few spoilers peppered into the discussions, so be wary when streaming it up. You’ll need to scroll through the videos list at the bottom to find the segments, which are brief and chopped up.
- A better video from the Con comes to us courtesy our beloved G4TV, where their correspondent caught up with some of the “Zack And Miri” cast, including the always hilarious Jason Mewes.
- You want MORE video? Okay, one more topic for the day – More from last week’s historical “Spaced” signing at Stash West last week. Check out Mahalo Daily’s segment on the event, along with Spaced Invasion’s own coverage. All feature looks at the celebs, the fans, the great store, and fun interviews. Don’t miss both. We’re hoping to soon have some high res photos from the event, as our pal Albert Ortega was on the scene doing his professional photo work. Stay tuned.
- Cracked Magazine employs a photo of Jay & Bob in their article on “The 8 Most Bizarre Patron Saints”.
- Marilyn Ghigloitti thanks all the fans who stopped by to see her short film screen in San Diego last Sunday. Also, check out a flick she keyed hair and makeup on, “The Adventures of Johnny Tao”, starring Jason London (yep, Jeremy’s brother). Unfortunately, she can’t make the signing for her new film “Dead and Gone” next Saturday, August 9th, but she wanted fans to know that she pre-signed some discs and that the rest of the cast and crew listed will be on hand in Burbank. See ya soon!
Author Archive
Watch Kevin Host The B-Star G Panel…
- Once again proving their Con-web synergy superiority, SciFi (an NBC company) has followed suit with their sister network and posted an outstanding quality, full length video of one of the hottest tickets in San Diego last weekend, the one hour panel featuring stars and creators of Battlestar Galactica, all hilariously moderated by superfan Kevin Smith himself.
Wanna watch? It’s all just a very simple click away.
With the show on hiatus, if you’re not watching, now is a fantastic time to pick up DVDs and catch up on easily one of the top 3, quite possibly the BEST show on television right now.
Jay & Bob’s Secret Stash Online – Now Paypal Friendly!
- You love shopping online, right? So do we. But sometimes you don’t wanna use that credit card, or heck, don’t even have one. But Paypal, now THAT you got. Heck, we all do. So, we’re now very proud to annouce that you can now use your Paypal account to make any and all purchases from the online stash — All the great merch, now just clicks away, simply by using that leftover cash sitting around in your Paypal account. Or, use your credit card and attach it to Paypal for even more convenience when placing an order.
It’s now a better time than ever to stop by the Online Stash and see what fantastic merch awaits you there. The Stash sells quality stuff and is the only place online to get officially signed stuff, too. Great for gifts, whether they’re to you or your family and friends.
Auctions Askew Gets Mooby-rific!
- Auctions Askew returns with new items this week, right on cue — And if you love Mooby, this is the week for you. This lovable mascot has been with us since “Dogma”, but appeared front and center for a good portion of “Clerks II” — Now, the online Stash features quite a bit of this mascot as well. But wouldn’t you love something that’s ONLY YOURS? Yes, these one-of-a-kind Mooby items appeared onscreen, and can’t be bought anywhere else. And man, would they look cool in your office, rec room, or just on display anywhere you put your ultra-cool collectibles.
So, this week, get your bidding fingers ready — You can own several Mooby props including our fave of the week – The actual letters from the first-ever “Mooby’s” created – From the “Dogma” location! Imagine how cool it’d be to put that up on a wall or above a door somewhere? Too cool. As always, this stuff comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from Kevin Smith, so if anyone questions the rareness of the stuff, you’ve got the proof.
Head on over to Auctions Askew and bid smart! Good luck to all our readers in this week’s round!
View Askew NewsBites
- In addition to the great Galactica clip above, we’ve got a ton of video for you in today’s edition of the ‘Bites. First up, one scooper has uncovered some never-before-seen footage from a Q&A that Kevin conducted in Melbourne, Australia a couple years back promoting the release of “Clerks II” . Thanks to Popcorn Taxi for the clippage.
- One of our favorite mash-ups of recent memory – A fan has taken the dour sountrack from that awesome “Watchmen” teaser (that we hope you’ve by now seen and drooled over) and mashed it up into a new “Mallrats” trailer. Gotta love it. First, check out the Watchmen trailer over at the Apple Quicktime site, then move onto this one. Major kudos to the author!
- The great JoBlo.com once again tosses up some View Askew coverage, with 2 brief interviews with stars Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen conducted at last weekend’s Comic-Con. Banks reveals some background on the Miri character, and Rogen chats up NC-17 and the ever-popular adlib question. Looks like it’s rough to get to these folks, good on JoBlo for hanging with the press masses.
- This week, the great “Reaper” finally premiered in South Africa – The Kevin Smith-directed pilot aired for the first time on TV there. If you’re in the country, be sure and tune on in.
- Yes folks, get ready for a site that will crack you up though you didn’t know existed — Ok maybe ya did, and if so, shame on you. But no, seriously, the “Mamarazzi” website, which is, you guessed it, dedicated to celebrity cleavage, cites Rosario Dawson’s famous rooftop “Clerks II” dance as #3 in their countdown of the “The 10 Hottest Celebrity Boob Jiggling Videos”. God bless the internet.
- And finally, a bit of News Askew Retro to end your day — Kevin and Joey Lauren Adams appeared on the MTV pick-up “Squirt TV” back in 1996 before they went off to make Chasing Amy. The gimmick was this was a public access type show that a young kid hosted in his actual bedroom. So, this dates back about 12 years now, and through the magic of YouTube, can now be watched online for the first time in News Askew history. Check out some retro, and enjoy. ‘Til next time…
More Coverage From The Con!
- As reporters get back to work and catch up on the flurry of weekend activity from the media in San Diego, articles continue to come across the news desk regarding Kevin’s many panels, interviews, and revelations at the show. While the big reveal this year revolved around his return to comics with a Batman book, Kevin also showed audiences the first footage from “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”, hinted on upcoming projects, and of course trades jokes and jabs with some of the best minds in the film and TV business today.
Reading it is one thing, but let’s first start out with some live video. The Movie Blog presents choice segments from the now mythical panel featuring Judd Apatow, Zach Snyder, Frank Miller and, of course, Kevin Smith.
Here’s a rundown and snips from more press from this year’s San Diego Comic Con:
“…”Going into it I wanted it to look better than the stuff we’d done in the past. It kind of looks like a real movie,” Smith said. “The most important thing was how do you shoot sex because I’ve never done that before. … I wanted the sex to look much better than my sex.”
“…Even though the Visionaries panel for filmmakers features heavyweights like Frank Miller and Zack Snyder, it’s pretty much the Kevin Smith show all the way, with a little comedic support from Judd Apatow.”
“Also at Comic-Con, the writer and director Kevin Smith (“Clerks”) presented some footage from his new film, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” The comedy, starring Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”) and Elizabeth Banks (“Meet Dave”), has been rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America, though Mr. Smith said he was hoping to have the rating changed to R. He told a crowd on Saturday that he edited and resubmitted the movie three times and that another hearing was scheduled for Aug. 4 to evaluate his latest cut.”
Cites that Kevin “received the biggest applause upon entering” the filmmakers’ panel, and that Zack & Miri “looks like it could be the funniest he’s ever made.”
The Comic-Con crowd certainly loves Smith, who has been to 15 straight comic-book conventions. Attendees kept him for almost an hour with questions, praise and the occasional stand-up routine.
“These are my people,” Smith says. “It almost doesn’t matter what kind of movie you bring here. If they feel you’re one of them – someone who loves comics, someone who really loves movies, they’ll get behind you.”
See The “Spaced” Invasion At Laser Blazer!
- For those of us not lucky enough to attend, Ron from Laser Blazer has taken video from last week’s huge “Spaced” DVD signing, placing 6 minutes of nicely edited footage of the event front and center on the site’s home page. Meet some of the fans who traveled from across the country to meet Edgar, Simon and Jessica, see the sprawling line, and of course, footage from inside the Secret Stash and Laser Blazer. As always, our man Ron’s got things nicely packaged with music, clips, montages, and more. Check out the inside of one of the coolest geek stores in all the land. Well worth your precious browser time. Enjoy.
Kevin @ Comic Con – All Your Coverage Right Here!
- Kevin once again took to the San Diego Comic Con this weekend, where he participated in serveral panels and revealed the very first footage from “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” on Saturday. The packed crowd were quit fortunate, as no footage from the movie has yet to be made available on the web. Kevin also appeared on a director’s panel and once again moderated the Battlestar Galactica panel, keeping quite busy at the biggest Con in all the land.
NBC Interviewed Kevin for a few minutes at the event, which we’ve got embedded above for your viewing pleasure. In it, he reveals they are looking to start shooting “Red State” early in 2009.
Here’s more coverage on Kevin’s antics from around the web:- AP: “Kevin Smith gets raunchier with his new film” (WARNING – MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)
…The “Zack and Miri” clip shown to the crowd of thousands featured a heated discussion between a gay couple played by Justin Long and Brandon Routh. Long’s character is a porn star who has appeared in various films with unprintable titles, and Zack (Seth Rogen) is fascinated.
Banks, who plays Miri, described the film as “a really sweet love story,” but Smith assured fans it was just as raunchy as any of his past flicks, including “Clerks,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
The film is a departure visually, though, he said.
“Going into it I wanted it to look better than the stuff we’d done in the past. It kind of looks like a real movie,” Smith said. “The most important thing was how do you shoot sex because I’ve never done that before. … I wanted the sex to look much better than my sex.”
“You’re like the Miley Cyrus of porn!”
— Kevin Smith, after finding out Traci Lords made her first porno when she was 15.
Lords just completed filming on Smith’s latest “Zack and Miri Make A Porno” which the the two are promoting at Comic-Con.
- EW Popwatch: “Judd Apatow and Kevin Smith bring the house down at EW’s “Visionaries Panel”
AUDIENCE QUESTION: As filmmakers, I wanted to ask who in the past or present as filmmakers have inspired you in your careers to get involved in this genre?
KEVIN SMITH: For me, it was likely Jim Jarmusch, Richard LInklater, Hal Hartley that made me want to get into indie film.
JUDD APATOW: Well, Kevin Smith laid down the track.
SMITH: Yes, b—-, yes. [Smith and Apatow hug.] Say that s— in print, motherf—er. I’m taking that into the studio, ‘You see what fucking Apatow said.’ Give me a job.
APATOW: But also Hal Ashby and Cameron Crowe…
SMITH: F— those guys.
HW: Kevin Smith likes to write long passages of dialogue about his favorite films, what did he choose for this one?
SR: There was a big chunk where I talk about Clerks for like three pages. [laughs] We make fun of a lot of movie titles. There is a Sleeping with the Enemy moment.
“This show is so good that it’ll get you pregnant.”
And that’s what “Clerks” director and fanboy icon Kevin Smith brought to the “Battlestar Galactica” panel that he moderated Saturday. A bit of raunch, a scattering of F-bombs. And I don’t mean “frak.”
…moderator Kevin Smith, who introduced himself with his trademark coarse wit: “I have nothing to do with this show, which is probably why it is so f—ing good.” (No fraks for Mr. Smith.)
“So what’s up next for Smith? It looks like he’s still trying to find a home for his horror movie, Red State, deeply anticipated by fans but without a studio as of yet. After that, Smith grew a little tight-lipped, but hinted that it might be a movie set in space.”
And there ya have it! Space, eh? We’re thinking that “Ranger Danger” may come to be after “Red State”, though right now, all eyes are on “Zack & Miri”, which is 3 months away from theaters. Whoohoo!
View Askew NewsBites
- The trailer for “W.”, the upcoming Oliver Stone George Bush flick, has leaked to YouTube. “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”‘s Elizabeth Banks stars as the female lead. Since the trailer is very George-centric, we only get a brief glimpse of her in the role.
- Those of you with On Demand service on your cable may notice that HBO currently has the great “Mallrats” as a choice. So, if you’re too lazy to get up and put in the DVD, there’s an even simpler way to check it out. Access HBO’s complete On Demand schedule at their website.
- Against tough competition from “Schindler’s List”, “Clerks” ranked second on a recent IMDB poll asking viewers their favorite contemporary Black And White flick.
- Co-creator Seth Green cites “Clerks” as the influence for one of the skits on the new “Robot Chicken: Star Wars” DVD. Find it on the “chicken nuggets” extra.
- And finally today, congrats to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who announced they’ve got another baby on the way – Kevin got quoted in the story, mentioning he recently had Affleck over to watch “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”.
Smith, Flanagan To Create New “Batman” Comic Series…
- San Diego always brings us big surprises, and this year’s already started off with a bang. Kevin Smith has announced his long-awaited return to the world of comics, where he, along with pal Walt Flanagan, will write and pencil respectively. Perhaps even bigger news is the return of Kevin’s personally-created villain for the book – Onomatopoeia, a villain who hunts and kills superheroes (we always loved that the first hero he was seen killing was from the News Askew home base town of Harrisburg, PA). Newsarama has the full story :

- SDCC ’08 – DiDio on Kevin Smith, Batman and Onomatopoeia
As was announced by special panel guest Kevin Smith himself at today’s DC Nation panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the filmmaker and occasional comic book writer will be coming to DC Comics starting in November.The three issue miniseries will re-introduce the unique villain (and flashback to English class), Onomatopoeia, who first saw life in a two-part story in Smith’s Green Arrow run (issues #12-#13). The character is largely a mystery, and has had only very minor appearances since Smith’s original story. What is known about Onomatopoeia could fill a thimble – he can perfectly imitate the sounds around him, may have some super-human abilities, rarely, if ever speaks, and is deadly with many kinds of weapons. He nearly killed Connor Hawke during his first appearance.
As for the character’s origins, Smith related the idea behind the character in a 2007 interview, saying: “When I did Green Arrow, I went with Onomatopoeia for a villain, just because I loved that word, and it kind of formed the character inasmuch as he would say sounds out loud. It only kind of works – I think – on a comic book page because if you have a gun going off, they usually write BLAM! and then you can have, you know, the character saying “BLAM!” in a word balloon, but like if you tried to do that cinematically you can’t really rock it. A gun in a film sounds completely different. It doesn’t read as BLAM! and so to have a dude say BLAM! after a true gunshot, all these people would be like ‘he’s just retarded’. I think it works great in print and on a comic book page. I don’t think that character would translate very well outside of that.”
While the announcement of the three issue miniseries due to start in November may have caused some in attendance to roll their eyes, given the notorious lateness (and unfinished nature) of some of Smith’s previous comic work, Didio told Newsarama: “The best part of it all – we have scripts in hand! The story’s already being drawn by Kevin’s feature collaborator, Walter.
“We never really used the character after Green Arrow, because we felt it was so unique to Kevin,” DiDio continued. “So when he called and said he wanted to do a story that featured Batman and Onomatopoeia, we couldn’t resist but to go ahead with this. It’s a really good Batman story, and will be coming out at a time when people’s attention will really be focused on the character.”
Last week, a vigilant scooper spotted Smith and Flanagan at the NYC premiere of “The Dark Knight” – This fits right in with the duo working together on the book. Adding a villain like this to such an iconic character is brilliant, and the perfect way to return to a medium that we’ve missed Kevin in for many years. With lifetime comic fan Walt Flanagan drawing from Kevin’s words, it’s going to be a real treat. Expect big things for this all too short 3 book series. IGN chimes in as well. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more on this and more from San Diego. What a way to start.






