- Jason Mewes has become the most recent guest added to the Chiller Theater convention in Parsippany, New Jersey, taking place from May 2nd to the 4th this year. There’s an extensive guest list that seems to keep getting better. Seems like a good con to attend, especially for those in the region. We have no further info on Jay’s dates of appearance or a signing schedule, but will let you know if we hear any more definite details.
- The always entertaining JoBlo site picks a scene from “Clerks” in their “Money Shots” series, a new column highlighting some of the best scenes in film history. Click over and see the hilarious segment that they chose. I fondly recall reaching this early scene for the first time and knowing that “Clerks” was something a cut above everything else. A fantastic choice, and still funny to this day.
- On a recent episode of MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann”, the host mentioned Elizabeth Banks’ upcoming role in Oliver Stone’s “Bush” biopic, and described her as “coming off her recent role as an amateur pornographer”. Cool to see that folks are already predictin “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” is what she’ll be known from, as we think it’ll be her most visible role yet.
- Finally today, a little “Clerks” love via this political blurb over at ESPN.com:
FUNNIEST POLITICAL STORY OF THE WEEKBarack Obama bowled a 37 last week. Where’s Dante from “Clerks” when we need him? Thirty-seven???? Thirty-seven??????
Author Archive
SModcast Has Returned!!
- All rejoice, as the sting of Monday morning hurts a little less this morning, as the great SModcast has returned. For our new viewers, SModcast is an entertaining, free-flowing unscripted podcast from Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. This episode is the first since completing filming on “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”. After recording a show early on after the first week on the set, the guys got so swamped with work (typically putting in around 20 hour) days, so recording the show became impossible. Now, that downtime is over, and the guys are back to form with another hilarious episode:
SModcast 45: The End of the SMod-fastIn which our heroes finally appease the hunger with chatter about where they’ve been, what they’d do if they were “Lost”, and how they ride their mellow.
Don’t miss the return of SModcast, available for immediate, free download exclusively at Quick Stop Entertainment.Also, a sidenote – For those of you who traditionally got the feed automatically via iTunes, that feed will no longer update until Friday. This is to allow faster downloading for those of you who want the show right away, and less slowage on Monday mornings when everyone was doing a direct download AND an iTunes download at the same time. Makes sense, right? Welcome back, Scott & Kevin!
View Askew NewsBites™
- Remember when Kevin wrote a script for “Superman Lives”? Remember when Tim Burton was attached to direct and they were planning to use Kevin’s script as a basis? Well, comic site “Bam! Kapow!” has some concept artwork up from the project — Looks like it’s been there a while, we’ve just never seen it before. If you’re interested in seeing their takes on Supes, Doomsday, and Brainiac, click yourself on over.
- Wanna see that quick Patton Oswalt mention of Kevin from “The Tonight Show” that we brought up last update? We’ve got it now courtesy of the News Askew YouTube channel. Enjoy.
- And finally today, we’re not advocating the use of spray paint in public places, of course, but it does look like Clerks II has inspired one budding “artist” to make a mark — This photo comes to us from a couple walking in Lakeview Park in Oshawa, Ontario. Both were fans and couldn’t resist snapping a photo (NSFW). See ya next time…
New York Comic-Con To Present Exclusive “Zack And Miri” Preview!
- Looks like a group of lucky fans in the New York area will get their exclusive first look at footage from “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” — Quick Stop Entertainment has just announced that, during their panel at this year’s New York Comic-Con, they’ll present an exclusive look at the movie. Will this be the first public footage anyone sees? It all depends on Kevin’s plans for deploying his internet-only trailers. The panel will run on Saturday, April 19th, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM in room 1E16. Full details in this post:
Quick Stop Entertainment will have its very own panel at this year’s NEW YORK COMIC-CON, packed with plenty of surprises, prizes, reveals, and even a live performance from cyber-troubadors Jonathan Coulton and Paul & Storm.Join us for an exclusive preview of Kevin Smith’s upcoming ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO,starring Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks, as well as a few additional surprises sure to wow you, straight from the fine folks at QuickStopEntertainment.com.
Be there…
Where? New York Comic-Con, at the Javits Center
Room: 1E16When? Saturday, April 19
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
New York Comic-Con To Present Exclusive “Zack And Miri” Preview!
- Looks like a group of lucky fans in the New York area will get their exclusive first look at footage from “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” — Quick Stop Entertainment has just announced that, during their panel at this year’s New York Comic-Con, they’ll present an exclusive look at the movie. Will this be the first public footage anyone sees? It all depends on Kevin’s plans for deploying his internet-only trailers. The panel will run on Saturday, April 19th, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM in room 1E16. Full details in this post:
Quick Stop Entertainment will have its very own panel at this year’s NEW YORK COMIC-CON, packed with plenty of surprises, prizes, reveals, and even a live performance from cyber-troubadors Jonathan Coulton and Paul & Storm.Join us for an exclusive preview of Kevin Smith’s upcoming ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO,starring Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks, as well as a few additional surprises sure to wow you, straight from the fine folks at QuickStopEntertainment.com.
Be there…
Where? New York Comic-Con, at the Javits Center
Room: 1E16When? Saturday, April 19
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
View Askew NewsBites™
- The Underground Operations Booking Agency, who handles gigs in Canada, has added Kevin to their booking availability list on the web. If you’re looking to have Mr. Smith show up for an event in Canada, hit up the site for more details and to get a hold of the man (who they list may also be available in conjuction with Jason Mewes for some events). Plus, Kevin always delivers a fantastic, memorable, unique performance everywhere he goes — A true crowd pleaser. We’re betting he’ll be traveling with exclusive new movie footage over the next few months, too.
- Comedian Patton Oswalt dropped the Kevin Smith name last night on “The Tonight Show”, when joking about delivering votes to Hilary Clinton through the “nerd vote” (which we assume means us as well, though we’re sure it’s meant in a GOOD way). If anyone’s got the clip, let us know.
- Don’t forget — The best show on television returns to Sci Fi TONIGHT. Battlestar Galactica will begin running its 4th season at 10 PM EST. If you can’t wait, you can even stream the show live on the Sci Fi website right now, though we’re waiting to watch in HD as it airs tonight. There’s never been a better reason to stay home on Friday (though the girlfriend may not necessarily agree with ya). If you’re not watching, get caught up, and get on board — We’ve watched a lot of TV in our day, and this is the medium at its best. And, of course, Kevin agrees. New Galactica at 10 PM TONIGHT! Whoohoo!
Kev Q&A: The Latest Round…
- Today, Kevin fields queries regarding Zack & Miri’s promotional plans, release date, budget, trailer status, and more. And check that final question for some sad news regarding the current state of the Chasing Amy X project:
Will you personally do a lot of interviews and so on to promote this film or will it be more the actors for interviews etc?
Kevin said: “I imagine I’ll be out there doing interviews to promote the flick, as per usual.”
When do you have to have the movie ‘locked’?
Kevin said: “Like, the day before it hits theaters (some folks make changes right up until then). But we’re scheduled to be done by second week of September.”
Any talk on Z&M being part of any of the film festivals this year?
Kevin said: “The only fest it’d be eligible for, schedule-wise, would be Toronto. But there’s been no talk about doing any fest screenings, really.”
Are you working on Z&M daily right now? What I mean is there something that needs doing every day?
Kevin said: “Today, we broke the film down into reels to send to the composer so he can get to work on some cues, then laid in some CG shots. Earlier this morning, I was cutting the ‘net teasers.”
Any chance if the test screenings go well that the release date might be bumped up to late summer/early fall?
Kevin said: “Nope. Too crowded there.”
Will you publish the script? No, I’m not looking to read it before it comes out, I mean “eventually”.
Kevin said:: “I’m game to do so.”
How did the Weinstein co. set your budget? Did you say “I need $25 Million” or did they just toss a briefcase at you full of cash?
Kevin said: “Scott and Laura budgeted the flick based on five day work weeks and salary projections, and we arrived at $25mil (which is actually kinda cheap).”
Why is this budget set so much higher than your previous films (excluding Jersey Girl)? Did the Weinstein Co. like the script more, or did you know you would need more money than on previous films?
Kevin said: “To be fair, it’s only five mil more than “Jay and Silent Bob” (and ten million less than “Jersey Girl”). And most of that price difference, as you might imagine, has more to do with salaries than anything else.
“Clerks II” cost five million largely because a) we were in one location the whole time, with limited movement, and b) nobody really got paid (I did the movie for free, when all was said and done). This flick’s a bit more complicated than that flick, and it stars a guy who gets more than scale at this point, so the budget’s bound to be bigger.”
What ever happened to the Chasing Amy 10th Anniversary DVD?
Kevin said: “The Disney/Weinstein rift happened. We were game, but the folks at Disney Home Video slowed it all to a stand-still. Jerks.”
So, Kevin’s got the internet teasers for the film cut, which is exciting — We bet those drop on us sometime in April, as it’s going to be tough to keep them from the world, we’re guessing.
As for the Chasing Amy 10th Anniversary DVD project, we’re still hopeful that Kevin finds a way to release just the supplemental DVD to go with the original Criterion disc, as once planned. The reuinion Q&A is something we know you’d all enjoy, along with enough other new stuff to make what many argue is the best View Askewniverse film of the bunch even sweeter for home viewing. We’ll keep our eyes open on that project, and of course be back with you as more news on “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” breaks.
View Askew NewsBites™
- Here’s a neat treat to kick off the ‘Bites today — Our source in Pittsburgh hooks us up with some never-before-seen concept work done for “Dogma” almost 10 years ago. This comes to us courtesy of an artist named Frank Ferraro, who was involved with Scott and Kevin during the early concept stages for the film, where they discussed what they wanted to do as far as creating Mooby and the Golgothan. We’re not sure of the exact background of each photo or drawing here, but we’re told these were combined concept works done by Kevin, his crew, and Ferraro. So, if you’re interested, click to take a closer look at the first-ever drawings and photos of Mooby and that famous brown demon, never before seen anywhere before! A great addition to the News Askew archives today. Enjoy.
- Mahalo lists some of their favorite fictitious movie and TV brands, and Mooby’s makes the cut amongst many other great fake companies in multimedia history. Check out the full piece complete with write-ups and video evidence from the chosen brands.
New Z&M Photos, Logo & Website Update!
- Looks like that sneaky Ming and Kevin have quietly done some subtle, but quite cool updates to the web over the weekend. First up, if you take a look at the gateway page of the official View Askew site, http://www.viewaskew.com, you’ll notice the Clerks II-centric images have been replaced by an elegant slideshow of new images from “Zack And Mire Make a Porno”, with 2 shots we’ve already seen, but also including an outdoor shot with most of the main cast, some of whom we’re seeing for the first time. These same images also appear on the film’s official website, http://zackandmiri.com, along with a retro-cool production logo for the film itself, done in the style of old school MPAA ratings. We think it’s brilliant, though as you’ll see in our next story, won’t make it into the marketing for the movie itself.
Visit the official View Askew and Zack & Miri sites to see for yourself. We’ve also added copies of these images here, and to the Multimedia area of our production site for the film.
Z&M Q&A: Cast, Cuts, Screens & More…
- A bunch more of those Q&A’s are in today, direct from the writer/director’s keyboard to your screen. Let’s take a look at what kind of stuff you had to ask Kevin Smith about “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” today:
Q: At this point when you are making cuts? Is it a case of a second here and 2 seconds there? Or is it more about cutting lines of dialogue?Kevin said: “A little of both.”
Q: Do you think it would be likely at some point to add cut footage back in or can you only imagine the film getting shorter from here?
Kevin said: “Nah. In this process, the clock supposed to go one way only: down.”
Q: So, who has seen it so far? Who’s next?
Kevin said: From end-to-end, in the last two weeks: Scott, Carla (our exec), Seth, Jeff, Jon (our old exec), Phil (agent), The guys working on the poster (from the marketing firm).”
Q: You think you’ll stop at 1:45 for now?Kevin said: “I do. This is what we’ll test at.”
Q: I heard a little while back that Regal theaters was going to start showing Redband trailers before all their (R rated?) flicks. If so, will you be shooting for a redband before Pineapple Express, or will you still save it for the ‘net?
Kevin said: “We’ll be shooting for a redband trailer, for sure. Where it winds up is anybody’s guess (although, it’ll be before an R rated flick, to be sure).”
Q: I wonder if you felt that by stopping Seth ad-libbing it would harm his performance, it would, in a way, constrain him?
Kevin said: “Nah. I just always figured “It can’t hurt, and if it does, I can just cut it out.” Dude’s amazing at it, though, so it was never a tough decision.”
Q: Now that your nearing your final cut, has much of the ad-libbed material remained in the flick?
Kevin said: “About five/ten percent. The cut flick stays pretty true to the script.”
Q: Knowing that Z&M will be a sex comedy with heart like your previous flicks, how much further do you feel Z&M will push the limits than your previous movies have done?
Kevin said: “Remember the donkey show? Child’s play, in comparison.”
Q: Gerry Bednob is listed in the cast list on the IMDb page. How big is his part in the film – just a cameo or a more significant role?
Kevin said: “He’s in three scenes, in varying degrees of screen time.”
Q: Did you write the character with him in mind?
Kevin said: “Yes.”Q: How did you come to cast him?
Kevin said: “Role called for an Indian. Not only was he the only Indian I knew of who was age-appropriate, but he’s also insanely funny (as a stand-up, he used to go by the stage name of “The Turban Cowboy”).”
Q: Did you cast Tom Savini in the flick because of the story’s location or did it have anything to do with his visit to the Dogma set ten years ago?
Kevin said: “We were in Pittsburgh, he was in Pittsburgh. It just worked out.”
Q: Was special make up effects a field you were interested in before writing/directing?
Kevin said: “When I was twelve/thirteen, yeah. I was a big splatter fan.”
Q: So while you were working with Tom Savini on Zack and Miri, did you happen to mention “Red State” to him?Kevin said: “Never occurred to me to do so.”
Q: Any chance that Bob Hawk will preview the movie?Kevin said: “Very good chance, actually.”
Q: Any idea yet about how wide of a release (How many screens) Z+M will get?
Kevin said: “I’m thinking a bunch.”
Q: Do you think this movie would’ve turned out the same, had you not made Clerks II?
Kevin said: “Good question. No – not at all. The “Clerks II” and “Reaper” shoots really informed the look of this new flick.”
Q: Is Miri short for anything?
Kevin said: “Miriam.”
Q: Is the “rated X” logo as seen on the website going to be the official film logo or is it just something knocked up to use in the interim?
Kevin said: “It was the production logo: on all the stationary, the chair-backs, the slate. Doubt it’ll be used for the poster or anything.”