Busy year for me at the Con this time; I’m doing four different panels, including my usual gig (Friday night, 6:30 to 8:00pm).

No details on the Con’s official site just yet, but we will have the full schedule right here as soon as it’s revealed. We can only assume one of the other panels may be as moderator (perhaps a Heroes or Galactica panel?), and perhaps a few other surprises. The San Diego Comic Con runs July 24-27 and is arguably the best Con in the world. A MAJOR media event for not just comics, but now the latest in film and television as well.

‘A God Who Cussed’

Director Kevin Smith remembers George Carlin

They say you should never meet your heroes. I’ve found this a good rule to live by, but as with any rule, there’s always an exception.

My first exposure to George Carlin was in 1982, when HBO aired his “Carlin at Carnegie” stand-up special. When I saw the advert—featuring a clip of Carlin talking about the clichéd criminal warning of “Don’t try anything funny,” and then adding, “When they’re not looking, I like to go …,” followed by a brief explosion of goofy expressions and pantomime—I immediately asked my parents if I could tape it on our new BetaMax video recorder.

That was a hilarious bit. But when I finally watched the special, Carlin blew my doors off. Whether he was spinning a yarn about Tippy, his farting dog, or analyzing the contents of his fridge, Carlin expressed himself not only humorously, but amazingly eloquently as well. I was, as they say, in stitches.

And that was before he got to the Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television.

I was 12 years old, watching a man many years my senior curse a blue streak while exposing the hypocrisy of a medium (and a society) that couldn’t deal with the public usage of terms they probably employed regularly in their private lives. And while he seemed to revel in being a rebel, here was a man who also clearly loved the English language, warts and all—even the so-called “bad words” (although, as George would say, there are no such things as “bad words”). I wouldn’t say George Carlin taught me obscenities, but I would definitely say he taught me that the casual use of obscenities wasn’t reserved just for drunken sailors, as the old chestnut goes; even intelligent people were allowed to incorporate them into their everyday conversations (because George was nothing if not intelligent).

From that moment forward, I was an instant Carlin disciple. I bought every album, watched every HBO special, and even sat through “The Prince of Tides” just because he played a small role in the film. I spent years turning friends on to the Cult of Carlin, the World According to George, and even made pilgrimages to see him perform live (the first occasion being a gig at Farleigh Dickinson University in 1988). Carlin influenced my speech and my writing. Carlin replaced Catholicism as my religion.

Sixteen years later, I sat across from the star of “Carlin at Carnegie” in the dining room of the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. It was a meeting I’d dreamed of and dreaded simultaneously. George Carlin was the type of social observer/critic I most wanted to emulate … but he was a celebrity, too. What if he turned out to be a true prick?

What I quickly discovered was that, in real life, George was, well, George. Far from a self-obsessed jerk, he was mild-mannered enough to be my Dad. He was as interested as he was interesting, well-read and polite to a fault—all while casually dropping F-bombs. But most impressive, he didn’t treat me like an audience member, eschewing actual conversation, electing instead to simply perform the whole meeting, more “on” than real. He talked to me like one of my friends would talk to me: familiar, unguarded, authentic.

I made three films with George over the course of the next six years, starting with “Dogma” and his portrayal of Cardinal Glick, the pontiff-publicist responsible for the Catholic Church’s recall of the standard crucifix in favor of the more congenial, bubbly “Buddy Christ.” A few years later, I wrote him a lead role in “Jersey Girl”—as Bart Trinke (or “Pop”), the father of Ben Affleck’s character. It called for a more dramatic performance than George was used to giving, but the man pulled it off happily and beautifully. (Something most folks probably don’t know about George: He took acting very seriously. The man was almost a Method actor.) Sadly, I consider that “Jersey Girl” part my one failing on George’s behalf, and not for the reasons most would assume (the movie was not reviewed kindly, to say the least). No, I failed because George had asked me to write a different role for him.

In 2001, George did me a solid when he accepted the part of the orally fixated hitchhiker who knew exactly how to get a ride in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” When he wrapped his scene in that flick, I thanked him for making the time, and he said, “Just do me a favor: Write me my dream role one day.” When I inquired what that’d be, he offered, “I wanna play a priest who strangles children.”


It was a classic Carlin thing to say: a little naughty and a lot honest. I always figured there’d be time to give George what he asked for. Unfortunately, he left too soon.

He was, and will likely remain, the smartest person I’ve ever met. But really, he was much more than just a person. Without a hint of hyperbole, I can say he was a god, a god who cussed.

Some have asked us if Kevin may have had Mr. Carlin in mind for a part in “Red State” given his desire to take evil turns on film. Sure would have been interesting. From two fellow Carlin disciples to Kevin and the rest of his fans, we sure wish we could have seen him back here in the Askewniverse once again.

I just attended Horror Hound Weekend in Pittsburgh last weekend. Jason Mewes and Brian O’ Halloran were in attendance. Two of my buddies and I went Friday evening. Brian was one of the first people we met. He’s just an awesome guy. He’s so laid back and friendly. He even took three pictures with us. One with me and then one with each of my friends. Jason was there but stepped out for a moment. We chatted a bit with Brian and made our way through the convention room.


After meeting several celebrities such as Doug Bradley (Pinhead), and Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, 5, and Rob Zombie’s remake) we headed back to Brian and Jason’s table. We knew Jason was back because of the huge crowd gathered around the table. When we finally met him, he was just as nice and cool as Brian. We talked about the Zack and Miri wrap-up party I attended at the Pittsburgh Improv a couple of months ago. I didn’t get to meet him then because he had to leave early. I’m just glad I got a second chance to meet him.


The general consensus from everyone that attended is that Brian and Jason were a great addition to the con. Apparently, one attendee brought the DVD covers of every movie Jason has done.


And apparently Brian did some mad karaoke at the hotel during the weekend.

Like we always say, when you have a chance to meet these guys, take it — They’re great with the fans, always. Thanks to our scooper for filling us in on his time in western PA, home of “Dogma” and “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”.

The good news – they launched their first full episode a few months ago. It was profiled in ‘Viral on Veoh,’ and the show got one million hits. YouTube chose it as a ‘Featured Video’ and it became the #1 YouTube video in 19 countries, including the US. Congrats, guys. The second full episode premieres this Monday, 6/30 @ 9 pm EST at www.oceans711.com.

“Writer-director Kevin Smith is a practicing Catholic who, like a lot of religious filmmakers, tends to work out issues of faith on film. But some of the faithful, spurred on by the Catholic League, weren’t amused by Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma, a profanity-rich satire of contemporary religion that went through two release dates and two distributors before debuting in a hailstorm of protests, including one group of New Jersey picketers joined by an incognito Smith himself. The film was released to considerable success, and the Catholic Church somehow survived.”

“…I like the pilot, it’s shooting in Vancouver, I love Kevin Smith…just let me meet with him.” So I went there, we sat down, and we chain-smoked his bad menthol cigarettes, and he was, like, “I love you for it, man, as long as you don’t want to do a Jack Black impression.” And I was, like, “Dude, if I hear one more person say that to me in this town…” I said, “Look, me and you, we’re both fat and have beards. Does that mean we’re both Jack Black?” And he said, “I like you. Okay, let’s go.””

“…Kevin was such an open, collaborative guy that he would just sit behind the monitors and yell stuff for you to say, and you’d be, like, “Screw you, I’m gonna try this!” And then you could just say whatever, and it was almost like…as long as you could get a laugh and people were digging it, it could fly. And I love a set environment like that, where we can collaborate and the writers aren’t getting their backs up about their words or whatever.”

BE: Your Wikipedia entry mentions that you’re in “Zack and Miri Make A Porno.” I presume the “Reaper”/Kevin Smith connection is what got you into that.

TL: Yeah, he just e-mailed me and was, like, “Would you like to come out and play, sir?” And I was, like, “Could you be a little more specific, sir?” (laughs) He said, “Come out to Pittsburgh, shoot a couple days on my new movie.” And I’m, like, “Yeah! I’ll fucking be there, man!” So I went out there and shot a really great cameo scene that he put together for me, and he told me it was because I play the best drunk he’d ever seen.

The entire review is quite candid and good, so be sure to surf over to Bullz-Eye and check out the whole thing.

“He’s our generation’s J.D. Salinger,” says Smith, whose film “Dogma” shows its heroes, Jay and Silent Bob, on a pilgrimage to Shermer, Ill., a mythical town that only exists in Hughes’ films. “He touched a generation and then the dude checked out. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I do. Basically my stuff is just John Hughes films with four-letter words.”

Josh recommends making reservations, especially for the Pittsburgh club, as the place is small and they’ll sell out. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the upcoming shows:

WED 3/26 10:00 PM – New York, NY – Under St. Marks Theatre – $10 plus free booze!
FRI 3/28 10:00 PM – Meadville, PA – Allegheny College, FREE SHOW!
SAT 3/29 8:00 PM – Pittsburgh, PA – Slapsticks Comedy Loft – $10/$12/$25
SUN 3/30 7:15 PM – Belle Vernon, PA – Rostraver Ice Garden – $10/$20
SAT 4/5 7:00 PM – Philadelphia, PA – The Urban Saloon – $15 plus free drink & food!

Stop up, say hi to Josh, wish him luck with “Zack & Miri” and tell him that News Askew sent ya!

“Perhaps the most playful and stylish version of the Almighty we’ve ever seen, pop-rocker Alanis Morissette’s God, decked out in a flouncy white skirt and silver jacket, stops to smell the flowers and kick up into a handstand in a church garden. This after her mostly mute character lets out a destructive roar that blows the head off of vengeful angel Bartleby (Ben Affleck).”

* 2.40:1 Widescreen Transfer (1080p)
* Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1
* Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
* Cast and Crew Commentary
* Technical Commentary
* Deleted Scenes
* Cast and Crew Outtakes
* Jay and Bob’s Secret Stash Commercial
* Storyboards from Three Major Scenes