• It used to be against the norm to assume a lot of you had IFC, but these days, with digital cable and satellite ruling the world, we’re betting a lot more of you have that wonderful channel as you surf hyper-speed through the choices. So, the Independent Film Channel rocks — And tonight, KEVIN SMITH takes over hosting duties from Jonny Favs for the first time! You remember the guest list, don’t you?

J.J. Abrams, Jason Lee, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill and, of course, Kevin himself.

Quite possibly one of the best panels we’ve seen, at least since the Daredevil episode of the program. Tune into IFC TONIGHT at 10 PM to watch the above eat, drink, and chat. And remember, it’s all uncensored as well. Don’t miss it.

• Stash West continues its series of amazing signing opportunites, this time, with a signing session to celebrate the release of Season 2 of Degrassi: The Next Generation onto DVD (note, a lot of you who don’t know the show may be wondering, is this Kev’s season? — It’s not, Kevin’s episodes are in Season 4). This is your chance to get your hands on the set, meet some of the show’s talented cast, and get your box signed. Oh, and hey, Kevin and Jay will be there, too. Yep, Jay and Bob AT Jay & Bob’s Secret Stash. Don’t miss it. Here’s details:

LOVE DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION? LOVE SIGNED DVD’S?

Then, whatever it takes, make sure you get to JAY & SILENT BOB’S SECRET STASH on June 25th at 2:00pm:

Kevin Smith and The Kids from Degrassi Hit Los Angeles!

Degrassi: The Next Generation Stars to Appear at Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash

FUNimation Entertainment sponsors June 25 event to kick off the release of the Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 2 Ultimate Box Set

WHO:

She plays Ellie,the Goth cutie with the cutting issues! He’s plays Marco, the gay teen heartthrob of Degrassi! And they’re both coming to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash to take pics with fans and sign your copies of the Degrassi Season Two box-set!

Also in attendance will be those two glory whores Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes.

WHAT:

Degrassi autograph signing party where fans have the opportunity to meet the actors from the show. The party is the official west coast celebrity appearance for the release of the Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 2 Ultimate Box Set, available nationwide on Tuesday, June 21 from FUNimation Entertainment. For more information about the signing party, fans can log onto, and check the message boards for the latest event news and updates.

Degrassi: The Next Generation airs regularly on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on The N, the nighttime network for teens. A new summer season of Degrassi: The Next Generation premieres Friday, July 1.

WHEN: Saturday, June 25, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Jay and Silent Bob¹s Secret Stash
1045 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Funimation, who are sponsoring the event, have a TON of details on this signing as well as a non-Stash east coast event happening THIS Saturday (No Kevin or Jay at that one, folks). If you’re a fan, or you’re just looking for a good new show to check out during the summer TV doldrums, here’s your answer. View Askew’s event page, with similar info (with Ming’s beautiful graphical talents) is HERE.

• The interview was conducted back in March, but this is NEW, FRESH stuff from Kevin as he sat down for a one on one with with the UK’s “Uncut” magazine. In it, Kevin hits topics such as the birth of Miramax, Tarantino, working with Affleck, discovering talent, and heaps more. Here’s a taste:

You can read every word in full at the Uncut website!

• Ah yes, you left-province types, you’ve been screaming and kicking, now you’ve got your wish! We’ve got a CONFIRMED DATE for Kevin’s first-ever appearance in VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA! July 9th, 2005. Kevin rocks the mic starting at 7:00 PM local time, and for just $50 CDN, a historical seat can be yours.

Kevin’s appearances practically sell themselves these days, so we can’t stress enough that you MUST BUY TICKETS NOW THROUGH THE STASH! This event WILL sell out, and at the rate Kevin’s been running, we bet he’ll fill HOURS upon HOURS of stage time with tales new and old. 600 lucky View Askew fans will get a seat, which are given on a first come, first serve basis the night of the event. We’re predicting a nice line outside the Vogue Theatre that day.

Needless to say, this is BIG news, and we wish all of you luck in getting a seat, if there’s even any left by the time you’ve read this. Have fun, come armed with some new questions, and we hope to hear from many of you upon your triumphant return. Kevin in British Columbia!

• We’ve got another FIRST LOOK at live action footage for ya today, this time from the highly anticipated sitcom coming to NBC this Fall, “My Name is Earl”. As you know, our beloved Jason Lee stars in his first featured TV role as the title character, a down on his luck, criminal-type who wins the lottery and has an epiphany about his life.

CanWest Media Sales looks to be marketing the show to the Canadian audience as well for a Fall pickup, and thus have shared with the world (and YOU!) the first clip from the program. Having read the pilot script, Lee seems to capture the character perfectly, and it certainly seems like the show will have that offbeat “Raising Arizona”-like charm to it. We’re predicting a big winner in this.

CHECK OUT THE CLIP NOW!

Watch for a glimpse of fellow Askew alum Ethan Suplee in the role of Earl’s brother in the clip.

• Here we go again, folks — Another Sunday edition of Retro, featuring an audio clip never heard on the web anywhere before. Ever. This one’s the first of two parts, and easily the lengthiest bit of Retro so far. What you’re about to listen to is a case study of “Clerks”, conducted by a group of film students. They consider the film an excellent example due to the small budget and, obviously, huge success.

Kevin, Mosier, Pierson, Hawk, and Sloss are in attendance to share stories of the experience of making Clerks with the audience. Check out the youth in Kev’s voice, in what’s likely to be one of the first lengthy Q&A sessions ever recorded on audio. Part One today, you gotta wait 7 stinkin’ days for Part 2. We’re very proud to present this one. It’s a true View Askew time capsule. Enjoy.

• If you noticed, we had a glitch in the news search (found on your left sidebar there, towards the top) that we’re happy to report has now been repaired.

News Search will scan each and every story ever posted by News Askew from the day it started. Try putting in some terms and see what you get back. We gotta say, it’s pretty nifty. It’s a great way to see if that questionable scoop has already been mentioned, catch up on your View Askew history, or even just randomly read some blasts from the past.

We’re also finding it amusing to see the top search terms, which will be kept on weekly, monthly, and even yearly lists, viewable with every search.

Sorry for the downtime. Enjoy. We’re putting together a few stories for you later today, so please stop back again real soon!

• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson will feature our beloved JASON LEE on Monday’s late night program. Yes, THIS Monday. We assume he’ll be there to talk up the new sitcom for the Fall, but with Lee, you never know — We expect some View Askew chit-chat might even happen.

So, ya wanna go? OCATV is offering FREE tickets to the taping! Looks like it’s happening at 3:30 on Monday, June 13th. The program tapes in CBS Television City right in Hollywood. Easy to find, right on Beverly. Let’s fill that audience up with Lee fans! Were we west-coasters, it’d certianly be worth calling off work to attend. Half day, anyone? If you’re going, and wanna meet up with some fellow fans, use the TalkBack — We’re sure you can put a nice crew together. Send us some early photos and reports, too. Enjoy.

• Kevin mentioned the Vancouver Q&A in his diary, and it seems that the show WILL go on — However, NO DATE IS YET FINALIZED. There’s been one floating around, but that’s definitely changing (July 16th). We do have a nice post from “TheKiwi” with useful info if you DO plan to attend. We promise to get you a date here at the site as soon as it’s announced.

• What did it sound like when Dogma’s ad campaign took to the FM airwaves? We’ve got it for you in this week’s Retro — Not quite as dated as some of the gems we pulled up, though it’s not on the DVD nor heard anywhere else since aired. Listen air hear what clips we used to entice those in their cars to the theaters, circa 1999, the year of Dogma! Back with more Retro next and every Sunday.