- We were waiting a while for this one…And happy to see the series back. Lee Stranahan’s awesome interview with Kevin Smith returns with Part 7, titled “Talking to People He Wrote”. This 8-minute clip focuses on the new script he picked up, pleasing his Dad, and his body of work. Miss a clip? They’re all over at the Stranahan page — We’ll likely put up a nice neat story with every clip once the interview concludes, as well.
- Kevin sat in for the duration of the Opie & Anthony show on Friday last week, and our buddy Will’s got the edited audio of the entire broadcast for your listening pleasure. Gotta love it. Download your size/quality MP3 of
choice:The 64 Kbps stereo copy. (2:02 runtime, 56 MB file size, right-click to save). Or…
Here’s the 24 Kbps mono copy. (2:02 runtime, 21 MB file size, right-click to save).
As always, thanks to Will for his encoding skills — Following this show, Opie went on to attend the New Jersey Devils playoff game at The Rock with Kevin — A game I was lucky enough to be invited to as well, with thanks to Kevin and Ming. What a place!
- In the Nashville area? Check out the “Full Moon Tattoo & Horror Festival” this weekend, where Jason Mewes is scheduled to appear. The fest runs from April 24-26th at the Nashville Airport Marriott Hotel. No details on Mewes’ appearance schedule, though if we hear anything concrete, we’ll let ya know. Assuming he’ll be in town for all 3 days, Fridays are traditionally the best days to meet celebs at these events (lesser crowds).
- The students demanded it, so it’s BACK! For a second time, “The Films of Kevin Smith: will be presented at Central Michigan University (courtesy of the School of Broadcast & Cinematic Arts), Mount Pleasant, Michigan. When, you ask? June 1st to June 4th, from 3:30 – 6:50 p.m. each day. Films to be featured this year: “Clerks”, “Jersey Girl”, “Clerks II”, and “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”. Instructor Jeffrey Smith tells us:
“Films will be viewed through the lens of auteur theory, since that seems the most appropriate to the director/writer.
This is the second time the course will be taught, and there are, as of this writing, still seats available for this course, although not many.”
We’re awaiting some further details on how one can register for the class – Though we’re guessing a call to the University for more info couldn’t hurt. Sounds like a fun weeklong course, that’s for sure.
- “Dogma”‘s Linda Fiorentino and appear in the lineup of MSN Movies’ “Where are They Now?” file. “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” star appears in the first slot as well. In the write-up for Fiorentino, they cite evidence of her behavior on the “Dogma” set as a possible catalyst in her career slowdown.
- We ran just a piece of Kevin’s video meet-up with Malcolm Ingram last week. Via the SModcaster user, you can see a bunch more — We’re also betting that this will be the spot to go to catch any future video snippets that accompany SModcast. With episode #100 on the approach, perhaps we’re closer to VidSmod than we think…
- One for the archives – Paste Magazine ran a nicely positive review of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” back in the Fall around release time — Since we were following their other coverage for the film, we wanted to make sure this nice review was linked up in the archives as well.
- For the second time in a week, the icky term “bromance” is being used with Jay & Bob – This time, Empire Magazine lists the duo as one of their “10 Greatest Movie Bromances” :
Like Pegg and Frost, Jay and Silent Bob refer to each other – well, one of them does – as ‘my hetero-life-mate’. Their double act developed over the course of four previous Smith films, but it was here, in his broadest and most outrageous comedy to date, where they took central stage, showcasing a relationship that was as fucked-up as it was tender. They’re the perfect duo.
Most Bromantic Moment: The whole thing. Theirs isn’t a relationship where an excuse must be contrived for them to have an argument, just so they can reconcile later in an emotional scene with soaring strings. These guys stick with each other through thick, thin and really, awfully, very stupidly thick.
Who’s The Beard? After a fashion, jewel thief Justice (Shannon Elizabeth), who pines after Jay, for some reason we still can’t entirely fathom.
You are at the archive for the J&SBSB category &rarr
View Askew NewsBites™
- The great Cinemablend gives “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” the full rundown as part of their Fall Preview, scoring the flick a perfect 5 out of 5 on their patented “Excite Meter”. Way cool.
- Video ETA gives the Askewniverse a respectable #4 spot in their list of movie back stories that would make a good standalone film:
Clerks/Mallrats – Actually, you can probably insert any and all of Kevin Smith’s view askewniverse movies. The fact that the dude has created an entire universe upon which his two main characters Jay and Silent Bob and countless others mingle makes Kevin Smith like the creator of Sims, but for funny movies. Whether it’s a chance encounter in a bedroom leading to an alternative lifestyle or watching Smokey finally “give it” to the Bandit, John K throws the best parties and we desperately want an invite. - And finally to cap off the week: Timeout.com lists their “Inglorious Bastards” cast wishlist. Coming up as one of the choices for the “Tech Guy” is non other than Kevin Smith himself. And heck, who knows, with Kevin’s past association with Quentin, maybe we’ll see this happen? Mr. Tarantino, are you listening? With Smith and Tarantino being our faves in the biz, it sure would be a dream casting for us to see. See ya next time!
ViewAskew Newsbites
- We’ve been talking a lot about that Best Buy Mooby Clerks II box set that’s showing up in a few select locations — We’ve just learned that Stash West/Laser Blazer has some in stock in the store! Pick them up while ya can, as this is a fantastic item to bring with you for Kevin to autograph at the big signing event later this month.
- Kevin once again made insanely popular quiz show “Jeopardy!” late this week, as an $800 answer in a category called ‘Mere Smiths’:
This director of “Clerks” played Warlock in “Live Free or Die Hard”.
Returning champ Aaron got it right, answering of course, “Who is Kevin Smith?”. - Rotten Tomatoes list a familiar duo in their list of “The 10 Best Superhero Hookups” :
10. Bluntman & Chronic
As seen in: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Like their “real-life” counterparts Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), these superhero buddies live by their own version of the force: a shared love for Mary Jane. Wielding their bluntsabers side by side, Bluntman and his loyal sidekick Chronic spring from the pages of Banky and Holden’s comic in Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy, then get the Hollywood treatment in their film-within-a-film in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. With A-list schmucks Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek set to ruin the duo’s good name, Jay and Silent Bob arrive just in time to film a pivotal fight against the evil Cocknocker (Mark Hamill) with a cry of “Snootchie bootchies!” Just remember, they’re not gay; they’re (super) hetero life partners. Man love can be a beautiful thing. - Just a bit more info on that Spike panel in San Diego later this month — We mentioned the time change of 4:45 to 5:45 on Thursday the 24th, but not the bigger room. That’s gonna be Ballroom 20. As always, check with the Con when you arrive to be certain. Kevin will be a participant in Spike TV’s “Scream Like a Girl” panel.
- Finally today, blogger James Hibbard expresses his jealousy over Kevin’s hosting the upcoming “Battlestar Galactica” panel at the San Diego Con, writing: “This could push the typically packed venue into fire marshal-shutdown level of geek engagement.”. You’re not kidding. Between an in-person stint with “Spaced” geniuses Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Hynes, followed by a sit-down panel with stars and creators of the best show on televsion right now, we’re insanely jealous ourselves. It’s gonna be some July. If you’re on the west coast, or plan to be there soon, the end of a July sure is a good time to be there. More on Kevin’s stint for “Galactica” via Galactica Sitrep
View Askew NewsBites™
- Ed Power, New Jersey native and writer of the King Features Syndicate comic “My Cage”, is once again featuring his Kevin Smith alter-ego character “Kevin Sloth” for a mini-storyline, starting Thursday (the 29th). Get the comic in your local paper or online at the official site.
In the storyline, the comic’s lead character, Norman Platypus, again fails to meet his hero, Mr. Sloth. The Thursday and Saturday strip will both briefly feature the three-toed director. A little over a year ago, they ran a strip which mentioned Norm’s favorite film director ‘Kevin Sloth’ and mentioned a few of his movies (‘Clucks’ and ‘Chasing Ape-y’). Learn more about “My Cage” at their Myspace site or their blog. And watch for the new storyline this Thursday through Sunday! With permission, we’ll reprint some images here as well.
- Jeopardy Askew alert! On last night’s episode of the insanely popular game show “Jeopardy!”, one of the answers on board was “Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes attempt to “strike back” in this 2001 movie.” The correct question was, of course, “What is Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.” The reigning champ got the answer right, as well, so they’re a-ok in our book. Truly a worthy champion, and always great to see View Askew references on such a widely watched show. As always, if anyone for any reason has video they can send, we’d love to add it to the archives. The category, by the way? “Oh Jay”.
- Kevin was scheduled to call into LA’s KROQ radio this morning on the “Kevin & Bean” show for “a lively discussion on Indiana Jones vs. Han Solo”. You can listen to the entire clip right HERE. Kevin appears about 9:50 into the clip.
View Askew NewsBites™
- This just in! Our pal Will Wilkins comes through again with another great MP3 audio capture of a recent surprise Smith appearance – Kevin called into the Opie & Anthony show to chat with the guys earlier this week. Due to a slow connection at work today, we’ve yet to listen to the audio, but will be soon – So we can’t for sure say what’s discussed and newsworthy, but we’ll be back with a full report of any breaking news from inside this audio clip. ‘Til then, listen for yourself and enjoy.
- Several View Askew references appear in Entertainment Weekly’s gallery of “Perfect Casting: 23 Stars as Themselves”. Surf through the gallery to find Stan Lee’s turn in “Mallrats” and of course, the unforgettable appearance of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”. The entire gallery’s great, and well worth your time to click through.
View Askew NewsBites™
- While we visited the Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back Bluntcave set and had a blast, we couldn’t help but wishing we’d got to hang out for the days shooting the jewel heist by Chrissy, Sissy, Missy, and Justice. Entertainment Weekly seems to share our thoughts this week, including the lovely ladies in a new photo gallery titled Kiss Me Deadly: 25 Best Big-Screen Bad Girls:
CHRISSY, SISSY, MISSY, AND JUSTICE
Ali Larter, Eliza Dushku, Jennifer Schwalbach, Shannon Elizabeth
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Hot jewel thieves pretending to be animal rights activists? Who may or may not be lesbians? Yes, please. - TBS Superstation reports that “Jersey Girl” will soon come to their network. This will be the basic cable premiere of the flick, in what we assume will be a new, edited for TV format. No showtimes or dates yet, but we’ll let ya know when we hear more.
- Clerks II rightfully hits Cinematical’s list of “Deliberately Offensive (But Fun) Comedies”, with the following write-up:
3. Clerks 2
How could I not include a film that caused a well-known critic to storm out in mid-screening because of possible interspecies erotica? A film that includes a character trying to “take back” a certain racial slur? During a plane ride last week, I decided to forego the in-flight movie selection (Juno) in favor of this movie … for some inexplicable reason the Kevin Smith DVD was in my laptop bag. When the flight attendant interrupted me and I paused the movie, it froze on a screenshot of Randal with that slur visible on the back of his Mooby’s shirt. I realized that the image would be terrific to post as the photo at the top of this list, but unfortunately it proves my point a little too well. - And finally today, perhaps another comic creator sneaking a “Clerks” reference in there — In the latest issue of “She-Hulk” (#28), She Hulk asks her Skrull friend Jaz how many partners she’s been with, her response, 5 simultaneously, but 37 in all. Huh. Have a weekend, folks.
View Askew NewsBites™
- As we mentioned last update, here’s the actual scan from Empire Magazine where “Chasing Amy” is mentioned among the best “get you laid” flicks. Click and enjoy.
- Ever wonder what “Clerks” might have looked like as a horror flick? A cool contest being held over at our favorite horror genre site, “Bloody-Disgusting”, asked their users to turn movie posters from non-horror into horror. The results are great, including one reader’s take on “Clerks” (see scan above). You can view the entire crop of entries over at their site.
- The website “Monsters & Critics” reports that View Askew alum hottie Shannon Elizabeth will be one of the newest celebrities to take on the challenge of “Dancing with the Stars”. Shannon will appear as part of season six of the program, which returns to ABC on Monday, March 17th. Shannon is also an avid poker player. We wish her the very best of luck.
- Composer Ira Newborn talks briefly about working on “Mallrats” with Kevin in this new interview from “The Den of Geek”:
Moving more recently, how was working with Kevin Smith? He seems to be a very big fan of your work?Working with Kevin was very nice. He did seem to appreciate my previous work and he did seem to like what I wrote for him for Mallrats.
I’ve read an interview when you seemed to really appreciate that level of detail Kevin went in to regarding your work. Do you find that most directors don’t have that level of respect or understanding for the scoring process?
Most directors don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground about music. If they’re regular guys and somewhat modest people who are interested in having a fruitful relationship with the composer, they don’t puff themselves up and they speak frankly with their composer, who is almost always ready to bend over backwards to help them get what they want and need… just like an intelligent homeowner who wants to get a great paint job and listens to the expert painter that he hires.
View Askew NewsBites™
- By way of the WWWBoard, Kevin reports that the next “Evening With” DVD (which may not actually have that title, but the one that was taped on Kev’s 37th birthday) may be set for an APRIL 2008 release date. We were there live for this one, and can tell you with all certainty that the DVD will be a must-have for the collection, if even for the Bruce Willis story ALONE. We’ll keep you posted on the status on what’s sure to be View Askew’s first big DVD release of 2008.
- Kevin makes Maxim Magazine’s list of of the Top 10 Movie Sidekicks, standing in the #6 spot:
6. Silent Bob
Sidekick to: Jay
Even though Bob is usually overshadowed by the nonsensical shit-talking of his weed-dealing counterpart, he has the uncanny ability to dole out sage advice that Confucius would quote on his MySpace page. Plus, he has that sweet utility belt and is friends with a monkey. Snoochey boochey. - Congrats to longtime View Askewer JASON LEE for a fantastic opening weekend for “Alvin & The Chipmunks”, 45 million dollars! Lee plays the Dave Seville to the CGI-generated chipmunks, and celebrates a much larger than expected take at the ticket windows this weekend. We’re happy for Lee, and look forward to future films stemming from his “My Name is Earl” acclaim.
- And finally today, in happy (or to some of us, sad) news — Ali Larter (“Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”) has gotten engaged — And not to either of us! Seriously, congrats to Ali on her engagement to longtime boyfriend, actor Hayes MacArthur.
Graves Mini-Interview: Luke Esterkyn
AN INTERVIEW WITH LUKE ESTERKYN (FROM THE BAND STROKE 9)
BY CHRIS GRAVES
Chris Graves: Can you give me a little background on the band Stroke 9 and yourself?
Luke Esterkyn: Stroke 9 was born out of a great assignment back in high school in Northern California. The idea was tocreate a band and write a few tunes in order to learn another side of the creative process. It was alot offun and because of it I found out what I wanted to do with my life. The class ended but a few of us kept theband going pretty much all through college and as time went on the band was pretty happening in the San Fran scene. We had some great times back then. San Francisco was rife with rock, all kinds of bands and I guess there was somewhat of a S.F.”sound” developing and it was great being a part of that. Lots of fun…
CG: Is there a special meaning behind the band’s name?
LE: The name Stroke 9 comes from T.S. Eliot poem called “The Wasteland”. It just seemed like a cool name. Since it came from something literary it was kinda like we weren’t your average everyday rock and rollers. We figured, “Hey,we quoted T.S. Eliot dude” so we must know what’s up. Oh, to be young and naive again.
CG: How did Stroke 9 get involved with both the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and the film’s soundtrack?
LE: The Jay and Silent Bob deal came through cuz I guess Kevin Smith had been looking for a “theme” type song for that particular scene in the movie. Apparently he heard the song and that was it for him. The song had an apt title as well. “Kick Some Ass” doesn’t really leave that much to the imagination. It’s right in your face, no? The “Kick Some Ass” sequence is one of the more memorable parts in the film so we hit on the idea to have them in the video we shot for the song as well. They were such cool guys and we had a blast working with them.
CG: What was your experience like on set with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith during the filming of the “Kick Some Ass” music video?
LE: Well like I said before, working with those two was so much fun. Stroke 9 has always had that tongue in cheek element to the band, so we all got along famously. It’s good to see professionals who take their craft seriously but not themselves so much. We worked very hard but it was all worth it.
CG: Did the placement of the song “Kick Some Ass” in the film’s ending bring a smile to your face?
LE: We had somewhat of an idea what he was using the song for in the movie but when we saw it, you couldn’t help but smile. Classic scene. It’s amazing how many people have that movie on their personal favs list. It’s very gratifying to have been a part of it.
CG: Do you have a favorite View Askew/Kevin Smith film (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back excluded)?
LE: Hmmm that’s tough. Besides the obvious choice cuz we were a part of it, I would have to go o.g. and say Clerks. That scene between Jay, Silent Bob and Olaf the Russian cousin singing “Berserker” is all time.
CG: What is Stroke 9 up to these days?
LE: Stroke 9 has just released a new album called “The Last of the International Playboys”. Among fans it’s really becoming a favorite. The album has such a cool vibe about it. Everyone seems to be responding to this album in the most positive way. Every review of “Playboys” has been stellar so far and we are just so proud of it. Recording it took a while but the band really stuck it out and we produced a wonderful record. Go check it out. You will NOT be disappointed! Stroke 9 has also started recording the follow-up so hopefully that won’t be as long in the making. On top of that, we will be touring this year and next in support of “Playboys” so come check us out! It’s a helluva good time!
Once again, thanks to the boys on both sides for another good sit-down. More to come.
View Askew NewsBites™
- After “Die Hard” took top honors in a recent action flick list from Entertainment Weekly, they are now also naming the star, Bruce Willis (as John McClane), as the #1 action hero of all time, according to a new photo gallery at their site. Matt Damon (as Jason Bourne) comes in at 12.
- And last, but certainly not least today, you dug the Jay & Silent Bob Short F#cking Version — Now, behold the Dogma counterpart. Once again, a hearty laugh packed in 51 crazy seconds. Have a weekend, we’ll see ya back here soon.