What can you tell us about the power you plan to give your character?


It’s one that every comic book fan is very familiar with, but one that I consider to be the lamest of all the superpowers.

Care to speculate, anyone? Kevin’s not usually the repeating type, so we can’t see flying, invisibility, mind reading, invincibility…And it’s known that it’s a girl. Super strength perhaps? Hmmm. Rumor has it that the fan favorite hero of “Origins” will become a full-fledged cast member for season 3…Let’s hope it’s this one!

KEVIN SMITH: Let’s give props to Lost. How brilliant was this season finale? I mean, it’s cruel because they’re not coming back until like January, but hats off for taking a foolproof formula and spinning it to make it even better. You’re like, ”Oh my God, so now they’re all flash-forwards?! How genius is that?” … We [had] all settled into ”Okay, this is what they do, they flashback and we learn a lot about the characters.” But that whole episode, you’re sitting there going, like, ”Wait a second — is that Jack’s father’s body [in the coffin]? But wasn’t the body on the plane? Who was this person in the casket that he’s going to see?” And then the moment where Kate f—ing walks up from the car and you’re like, ”Wait — they knew each other before?” And then all of a sudden, it becomes f—ing clear, you’re like, ”Oh my God, that s—‘s insanely brilliant!” You can only do that in TV, though. You can’t do that in a feature. You know what I’m saying? Like, you get a moment like that in a feature like The Sixth Sense, where you’re like, ”Holy s—, he’s been dead the whole time!?” But to do two seasons and then suddenly throw a massive curveball is just so dramatically satisfying, you just take your hats off to the writers in a big, bad way.

Lost’s season three end was one of the most memorable TV finales of all time — We’re in definite agreement that February is just too far away.

Want more in-depth coverage of the event and the festivities afterwards? Our pal Will at Radio Askew has you covered. For the first time in Radio Askew’s 54 episodes, Kevin Smith himself is a guest, a major guest on this on-location episode, live from Stash Westwood. The show, taped live and uncut at 1 AM in the morning, captures the party atmosphere at the store and features 38 minutes of Will and Kevin discussing a variety of topics. The loglines, direct from Radio Askew themselves:

| LIVE show from the West Coast Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash!
| Kevin Smith and Bryan Johnson in the hizzy!
| Kevin talks SModcast.
| SModcast, mixed at Skywalker Ranch?
| Kevin tells us why he does the VA Poker Games.
| Kevin Smith almost chose Dexter over signing books.
| Kevin’s top 4 TV shows on air right now.
| Another retelling of what happened with BSG.
| Where’s Mewes’ iPhone?
| How did Kevin get his iPhone?
| Will comes off as a homophobe (way to go Will)
| Brief Poker Tournament recap.
| About ‘My Boring-Ass Life’
| Kevin on his Letterman Experience
| Kevin vs. Radio Askew?
| Kevin a Master of All Media?
| Will incorrectly credits Malcolm Ingrim with Ethan Suplee’s alternative Mallrats title.
| Will owes Kevin a handy.
| RUN MING!

Kevin does indeed confirm that pre-production on Zack and Miri happens in November, and filming in January. With cold, snowy temps in Pittsburgh, could THAT be our shooting locale? We’d sure love it as it’s just a 3 hour drive into set for us if that’s the case. Also, we second the nomination for “Dexter” as one of last year’s best shows — The first season was indeed fantastic. Check out season 2, airing now on Showtime. But there’s so much more.

Visit the official Radio Askew site to check out this episode and all of Will’s great work over the years. Like SModcast, it’s a free MP3 podcast that’s done purely for the joy of it, as a gift to all the fans out there. Kudos to Will on the ultimate “get” – A live Kevin Smith exclusive interview!

Tonight, Malc’s in Columbus, with the show starting at 7 PM. The Thursday show, in Lima, is FREE. So hey, all Ohio area residents, get out there, support Malc and the flick. Tell him News Askew sent ya.

It’s a poster/sign-heavy week this time, but don’t miss the top item (whose picture link is broken at presstime, just go to the auction to see it). The actual track suit worn by Kev’s mom that wraps up Clerks II. Not only a memorable moment, but a true Askew icon in what it represents from the first Clerks as well.

Also this week, posters that we wish could be hanging on our own walls – One of a kind promotional posters for the phony “Bluntman & Chronic” film, “Sailboat: The Movie” and a Mooby promo. All this stuff appeared in that big theater sequence from J&SBSB, and can be clearly seen on screen. And finally, we LOVE any Chasing Amy prop as the film remains our fave of the bunch. This is your chance to own a sign seen during the hilarious train station scene.

As always, more photos and longer descriptions right over at Auctions Askew. Kevin signs COA’s (that’s certificates of authenticity) for all this stuff, so you can prove it’s genuine when you show it off. Bid carefully, as this stuff only shows up once — Then it’s yours forever. Good luck!

When we land in La Guardia, I get phone call from Weinstein Company exec Michael Cole who tells me about a meeting he and Harvey took with our potential Zack’s agent. He also drops the bomb, which doesn’t really explode so much as lay there, as Scott and I were pretty much expecting it…

Harvey and Bob are passing on “Red State.”

It’s the first time Harvey and Bob have passed on anything I’ve wanted to do, but if they were gonna pass on anything, this’d be the one to do it on. The only explanation Michael gives me is “Harvey thought it was more of a Bob flick and then Bob didn’t get it. They’d rather just concentrate on ‘Zack and Miri’ at the moment, which we’re all pumped about.”

Naturally, this makes me wanna make “Red State” even more than I did just prior to that phone call. I get excited thinking about having to raise financing for our hot potato of a flick. This represents a turning point of sorts for Scott and I, inasmuch as everything (with the exception of “Mallrats”) has been made with the Weinsteins. It might be nice to see if we can get something done without them. Whether it’ll be nice or not, however, it’s what’s in the cards, as they don’t feel the flick is very commercial. And, in truth, on the surface, it may not be – unless we get the buzz I think we’ll get off the festival circuit. Regardless, it’s not something we’ll have to think about ’til after we’re done with “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

Other sites such as The Movie Blog and /film have picked up on the story as well, offering up their own thoughts. What do we think? Kevin’s determined to do it, and he’s got a LOT of friends and exposure out there. With the Weinstein’s passing, and Kevin’s penchant for doing flicks on the cheap like no one else, we’re betting that the crew finds a way to do this on a really small budget with a new distributor. We’ll keep you posted with news on “Red State”, though it seems the main focus will remain on “Zack and Miri Make A Porno” for now. With a possible biz strike hitting at the end of June 2008, if “Red State” does happen, it will likely do so immediately after Z&M, we’re figuring on a late winter or early Spring lensing. So, expect Kevin and Scott to continue their search for a way to make the movie happen.

“Please note that Kevin Smith will ONLY be signing copies of My Boring Ass Life and no other books, comics, or film related items.”

As far as we know, this is not a decision Kevin is in control of, rather, Forbidden Planet is anticipating a big turnout. Due to the time it takes when adding extra items into the mix, they may have decided to keep it to just the books to ensure all those in line have the chance to get a signed copy. However, if anyone speaks to the folks at the Planet at learns more, let us know. However, at this point you may want to keep any extra stuff you were planning to bring home with you, and save it for another appearance. If we hear anything different regarding extra items at the signing, we’ll let you know.

• 9.26.07 – Kevin appears on Canadian talk show “The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos” and chats uncensored about blogging, anal fissures, Zack & Miri, and more.
• 10.3.07 – Kevin appears on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and discusses high tea, blogging, and canines.

Did anyone notice that George mentioned “Pittsburgh” in passing when talking about filming “Zack & Miri”? Hmmmm…

Got more Kevin appearances? Let us know. While all this international press is tough to track down on cable, the magic of the internet seems to allow us to archive most of this stuff for posterity.

“Clerks” (1994)


Writer-director Kevin Smith didn’t know how to end his low-budget comedy, so he had a gunman enter the convenience store and shoot the main character, Dante (Brian O’Halloran), during a robbery. Then, a man (played by Smith) enters the store and steals cigarettes. The ending made it through only one public screening before Smith was persuaded to give the film a more upbeat ending, which no doubt helped it become a smash hit but prevented “Clerks II” from being a zombie movie.