• A scooper writes us to let us know that the “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” DVD and Bluray release is listed at February 10th in the internal Blockbuster computers, and that he’s never seen them get a release date wrong. So, pretty strong evidence that we’ll see the disc on that day, even though we have yet to see a final confirmation.

  
  Meanwhile, check out a look at this DVD cover for “Porno” that was discovered on the Amazon.com servers. This likely means we’ll see a confirmed date and some real specs on the disc’s contents soon. The cover looks like a newly composed shot to feature the entire cast, and doesn’t match any of the previous poster artwork that we’ve seen. We like it, though.

  The only item giving us pause is the news that the Bluray release of “Clerks 2” has been bumped up a week to February 3rd:

  The Weinstein Company has officially announced the Blu-ray release of Kevin Smith’s ‘Clerks II’, which is due to hit store shelves on February 3rd. Originally scheduled for a February 10th release, this two disc set will feature all the extras from the previous HD DVD release. No technical specs have been announced at this time.

  Typically, studios like to release similar titles on the same day, so if you’re going to the store to pick up one, you’ll get both — So PERHAPS “Porno” will also bump up a week. We’ll let ya know as soon as we know.

• Toronto, Canada welcomes Kevin Smith for another sure to be sold-out evening on Saturday, February 7th, 2009. The fans in Canada (and the ones from the northern U.S. who trek across the border) are some of the most die-hard in the country, so you can expect a fantastic show, memorable questions, and, a SELL OUT — So we’re pleased to alert you all of your first chance to grab tickets for the show before anyone else.

  
  The Ticketmaster presale will begin WEDNESDAY (tomorrow or today, depending on when you are reading this), December 3rd at 10:00 AM. The sale will run through Friday, December 5th at 10 PM OR until 500 tickets have been sold. Yes, only 500 advanced tickets are available. The cost is the same: Prices ranging from CA $49.50 to CA $59.50 (American dollar is about the same, but there will be some small conversion for our U.S. customers).

  The password you need to enter to make your purchase is “CLERKS” (without the quotes).

  You need use this tomorrow at 10 AM or later along with that password to reserve your seats before anyone else.

  Here’s the full details on the event that will go out in the press release, but keep in mind, that December 6th date is just for everyone else, we’ve got your exclusive presale chance on WEDNESDAY, 3 days early:

  AN EVENING WITH KEVIN SMITH

  SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2009

  Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe St. Toronto ON)

  Show 7 PM – Reserved Seating

  All tickets on sale SATURDAY DECEMBER 6, 2008 at 10 AM

  Regular Tickets $59.50 and $49.50 + SC at Unionevents.com, Ticketmaster.ca, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone (416) 870-8000, and the Roy Thomson and Massey Hall Box Offices

  Special Student Tickets $54.50 + SC, available in limited quantities only at Ticketmaster outlets, Roy Thomson and Massey Hall Box Offices

  We strongly urge you to reserve your seats NOW as part of the presale, to get the best spots as well as to ensure you’re going to go – Toronto events sell out, usually quickly, so don’t delay. Happy hunting and we hope to see many a News Askew fan populating the hall on February 7th.

–> The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Website

• What’s the next best thing from being at Kevin’s 37th birthday Q&A session in Red Bank? Being at the Stash/Laser Blazer viewing party of the new DVD full of fans and the producers!

  
  Yep, that’s right, to celebrate the release of this 2-disc set, the Secret Stash and Laser Blazer will premiere the disc at 7:00 PM, at a FREE VIEWING PARTY!!! The store is located at 10587 West Pico Blvd in Los Angeles. You’ll want to show early to take advantage of the limited parking behind the store and on Pico, as the disc runs a LONG TIME!

  
  Even cooler, you’ll have the chance to win a bunch of free stuff, including some RARE ITEMS, enjoy a 10% discount on pretty much everthing in the store, and be the first to see brand new props from “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” which will call The Stash their new home. Spend $25 or more and you can also purchase a special SIGNED copy of the DVD. The full details:

  
  Join us at Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash/Laser Blazer for a night of hilarity, giveaways, discounts and fun as we hold The Ultimate “Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith” viewing party!

  
  This special event will feature the following:

  
  – A special big screen presentation of Kevin Smith’s newest DVD “Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith” inside the store.
  – The unveiling of select props from Kevin’s newest feature film “Zack & Miri Make a Porno.”
  – 10% off ALL MERCHANDISE in the store including all View Askew related items, t-shirts, apparel, action figures and all of Laser Blazer’s DVD’s and Blu-Ray DVD discs (excluding this week’s new releases which are already 20% off)
  – Guests who spend $25.00 or more in Secret Stash items will have the chance to purchase a copy of “SOLD OUT” signed by KEVIN SMITH!
  – Giveaways and raffles of rare items and merchandise, some of which may be signed (must be present in store to win).
  – In attendance will be directors and producers Zak Knutson & Joey Figueroa (aka Kinky Kelly and the Mexican Mooby’s lover from “Clerks II”)

  
  Be sure and tell Zak and Joey how much you enjoy their work, and get them to sign your DVD as well. This event reminds us of the big Stash re-open and Red Bank tour from years ago and should be a fantastic free time for all fans in the area. Clear you calendars and be there a week from tonight. Visit the offical View Askew page for a map and more.

• “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” was filmed in and around the Pittsburgh, PA area (yay, home state!), mostly in Monroeville, so it’s nice to see today’ news, revealing that Kevin will return to the area for a special screening of the film on October 25th, a full week before its nationwide release. For the price of $50, you get the movie, the intro and Q&A by Kevin, and an after-party! At that price, this will sell out, and FAST, so we suggest you look ahead and get ready to orders those tix. The Post-Gazette has all the details:

  
  Kevin Smith at Oaks for screening of ‘Porno’

  Kevin Smith made “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” in the Pittsburgh area, and he’s coming back for its first screening here. The filmmaker will answer questions at the film’s debut Oct. 25 at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont.

  The Pittsburgh Film Office is host to the 7 p.m. event (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at 310 Allegheny River Blvd. Tickets are $50 — they include the film, an introduction by Smith and a Q&A afterward, with an after-party at the Alto Lounge, Shadyside — and are available at www.pghfilm.org or by calling the Pittsburgh Film Office at 412-261-2744.

  A reminder: The R rating for the adult romantic comedy is to be taken seriously.

  For more on the movie, read PG movie editor Barbara Vancheri’s story, “Monroeville-filmed ‘Zack and Miri’ gets warm reception in Toronto.”

• For those of you in a haze after that crazy Edmonton delay due to the flight issues Kevin had over the weekend, we’ve got all the details you need to clear things up.

  
  The October 8th reschedule date has been confirmed. If you want to attend on that date, hang onto your original tickets, they will still get you in just as they would have before. Doors open at 7:00 PM with an 8:00 PM start to the show. Expect Kev to put on a great one due to the delay.

  Can’t make the show due to the new date and need a refund? Call the Winspear Centre Box Office at 780-425-1414. You can also return your tickets in person. This offer is good up until October 4th, so act fast (this week!). Due to the change, a few tickets are now open for purchase, so if you wanna go, you still have time. Show up at the Winspear Centre or give them a call and they’ll hook ya up with some seats.

  The Calary show, scheduled for tomorrow, the 30th, will still go on as planned.

  Hope that clears it up, Canada. Enjoy the upcoming events.

• This is the first we’ve heard of this news, but the schedule for Hatchfest indicates that there will be not one, but TWO showings of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” at the festival this year. Hatch is a non-profit organization that specializes in developing young, creative minds.

  
  The site’s not full of details at this point, but we CAN tell you that Hatch is based in Bozeman, Montana — So if you’re in that area of the country, you’re in luck!

  
  Tickets for the fest should now be on sale this week. The website asks that you call 406.600.6195 for details. There’s a chance for some fans in Montata to see the flick early! No word on Kevin’s involvement or appearing at the event, but you can at least count on the film being there, from the sound of it. Screenings happen at 7 and 9:30 PM this Friday, October 3rd.

• Kevin Smith does his famous Q&A thing at the University of South Carolina next Wednesday, September 17, 2008. The event’s been in the books for a while, but the BIG news is that they have just made the event PUBLIC, meaning a limited supply of tickets (500, to be exact), are now available for purchase by ANYONE.

  
  Tickets for university students, faculty and staff are a mere $5 with a valid USC ID and available at the Russell House Information Desk. Tickets for the public are $15 per person plus service charges and are available at the Carolina Coliseum, all Capitol Tickets outlets, online at www.capitoltickets.com or via phone at 803-251-2222. Yes, you read that right. FIVE or FIFTEEN BUCKS. That’s IT!!!!

  
  Basically USC students can ONLY get them at the student union and the general public can ONLY get them at the locations mentioned above. As the number released is VERY limited, you should buy your tix immediately, as we know they will sell out. There’s no way they’ll last at that price or amount. Have a blast at the show, the first time we can remember Kevin visiting the state in a while, if ever.

• The street date for the highly-anticipated third live Q&A DVD with Kevin Smith, titled “Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith”, has been announced. You’ll be able to own and enjoy the disc a full 10 days before “Zack and Miri” hits theaters. The DVD, which arrives as a TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION, will come with a suggested retail price of $19.97. Official running time is listed at 222 minutes (that’s 3 hours, 42 minutes!!!!)

  
  While some web outlets will start taking pre-orders now, as always, we suggest waiting for The Stash to get copies made available for order. Typically, Kevin will sign your DVD FOR FREE in person or for mail orders, highly increasing the value of the DVD and making it another valued item in your View Askew collection.

  
  We were there for the show, where Kevin celebrated his 37th birthday in Red Bank, New Jersey. The disc will be packed with all new material, stories we had never heard before (many which have not been told since), and HUGE laughs. There’s a Die Hard 4 story you just must see/hear, quite possibly the best tale Kevin has ever told over the years. We’ll keep you posted on how to order your own copy of this set from The Stash. Just really pleased to finally see that official release date!

  
  As always special thanks to VideoETA for getting that release date sent right over to us.

• It’s an exciting time for View Askew, with “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” set to take theaters by storm this Fall, Kevin’s return to comics with “Batman” and a familiar villain, a new live Q&A DVD on the way, and more. So, it’s fantastic to see the recognition that Kevin’s seeing this year, given his numerous contributions to a variety of entertainment venues over the years. New York’s Woodstock Film Festival announces today that Kevin will be honored with their Maverick Award this October.

  
  Some tidbits from the press release:

  “I can’t imagine a single person in the entertainment industry who embodies the spirit of the Woodstock Mavericks more than Kevin Smith” said John Sloss, head of Cinetic Media, member of the Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board and a long time colleague of Mr. Smith. “From “Clerks” to “Dogma” to the upcoming “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” he has tweaked the noses of the Establishment and expanded the bounds of propriety in a singularly brilliant and irreverent way. More remarkably, all the while imbuing his work with an uncommon humanism, a quality also historically attributed to the Woodstock community.”

  …

  “Woodstock embodies the Maverick spirit as a symbol of creative, risk-taking, independent thought,” said Meira Blaustein, WFF Executive Director and Co-Founder. “This year’s honorary Maverick Award recipient, Kevin Smith, personifies all of these qualities. His films perceptively pursue humanity with a satiric and fiercely independent eye. He’s an outstanding choice for this award.”

  
  “I don’t know about the ‘Maverick’ part, but I’m delighted to be getting an award from Woodstock, as I’ve been a Peanuts fan for years,” Smith said. “Truly, it’s an honor.”

  Find more info on the festival, which runs from October 1-5, at their official site. The date the award will be presented, in person, to Kevin has not yet been disclosed. However, our press release states that “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” will CLOSE the festival, which has us guessing Kevin may be there on the 5th at the very least to screen the film. Catch the full press release HERE. Congratulations to Kevin on another well-deserved honor.