• Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier once again grace us with their vocal presence for another episode of SModcast, arriving only a day late (Yesterday, though we just finished listening, busy holidays). This one’s recorded direct from the home of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, Pittsburgh, PA. It’s amazing to see the guys keeping up with the broadcast and production despite being quite busy themselves due to holiday shopping and location scouting. The show hasn’t missed a beat despite the uprooting, of course. This week, the guys spend the first half discussing racism and race relations, then segue into some viewer mail, their excitement over the new Batman flick, and a few moments on this year’s Oscars. The official loglines:

SModcast 41: Honkey! -In which our heroes get into a discussion of the white man’s lack of reclaimed cultural terms of endearment before launching into an even more in-depth exploration of cultural terminology, try to come up with words to hurt each other, turn their sights on sites that feature comments that aim to be mean for mean’s sake, read a very special piece of listener mail, debate the history of the Christmas Tree in relation to self-mutilation, and wrap up with another dip into the SModcast mailbag, the best Oscar’s ever, and a Bat-Quickie.

As always, there’s one place you can get SMOdcast — And it’s FREE. Quick Stop Entertainemnt. Won’t cost you a dime, either. Not many deals like that in this world anymore. Enjoy SModcast, and continued thanks to Kevin and Scott for the continuing weeks of entertainment. Long live the ‘SMod!

• You need to have Apple’s iTunes installed for this link to work — But we’re very pleased to report that SModcast has made their list of “Best of 2007”, near the top of the “New This Year” category. Through the link, you can get to the ‘cast itself, but perhaps even cooler, read heaps of positive kudos (129 and counting) from listeners. Congrats to Kevin and Scott for this much-deserved honor. We’re loving SModcast week after week, and look forward to the 2008 editions, where we’re hoping some “Zack and Miri” tidbits may trickle in from time to time, as well. XM subscribers can catch new SMod epiodes on channel 202, The Virus, typically Saturday nights (but check programming guide for upcoming airtimes, which vary).

• The international fanbase of View Askew makes this site international as well, so we’re always pleased to bring you scannage from around the world — This time, the UK’s “Bizarre” magazine features a new two-page interview with Kevin. This one’s a bit different than your typical piece as they attempt to ask the more offbeat questions, such as “What’s the strangest thing you ever had in your mouth?”. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Click the scannage above for the super-sized, easily readable goodness.
• Kevin announced the winners of that Clerks II banner ad contest from a while back, which challenged Myspacers to promote Clerks II via various net locations. Prizes included screen-used items (like the stuff that sold for hundreds in the auctions) and the coolest of the cool – A walk-on role in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, which went to our pal Paul, aka Douglas Fir — Paul’s a great guy as well as a longtime fan and contributor to News Askew. Congrats to him and all the winners. We’ll be looking for you in the flick, Paul.
• Much like their recent praise for “Clers” in the movies they’d like to see as live-action series poll, the folks at Film-411 also site “Clerks: The Animated Series” among the best movie-based TV shows of all time.
• One of the earliest memories of our work here at News Askew was an early scoop where Kevin appeared on “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast”, long before Cartoon Network even called that late night animation block “Adult Swim”. We seem to recall a plaque in the View Askew offices that Kevin was given to thank him for the appearance, too. Now, the newest Space Ghost DVD is out, titled “Space Ghost Coast to Coast: The 1998 Episodes”. And yep, it features the episode “Rio Ghosto” where Kevin was featured as a guest. The $12 DVD is only available for purchase online http://www.williamsstreet.com/cat/Space-Ghost-Coast-to-Coast-The-1998-Episodes.html but a worthy addition to the View Askew completist’s library.
• And finally today, a fan discovers a Kevin mention in an archived letter to Roger Ebert regarding “The Usual Suspects”. Kevin had, in the past, called the film overrated and Ebert agreed. Check it out, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and we’ll be back soon. Thanks for making News Askew part of your web travels today.

• You gotta admire the heck outta Kevin and Scott for keeping up with SModcast during what has to be a very busy time for setting up “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”. The guys have uprooted all the equipment that they need to produce these shows to Pittsburgh, PA — Yep, SModcast has been hitting our beloved eastern US area quite a bit these days. For those of you that don’t know, we’re sort of sandwiched exactly in the middle of Red Bank, NJ and Pittsburgh, PA, so we’re stoked to have crew Askew back in our neck of the woods for a little while.

  That being said, Kevin and Scott are back with a milestone 40th episode of SModcast, still going just as strong, addictive as ever. 52+ minutes this week, and they just fly on by. Of particular interest for those of you that are into movie-related news itself, the guys kick the ‘cast off with discussion on casting for the new film. What else? Loglines ahead:

  

  
  SModcast 40: Ned Smitty –

  In which our heroes return in a role-playing adventure through porn by casting a late 80’s convenience store clerk named Kevin in an unlikely role of a lifetime, chat about the aging effects of time on late 80’s cinema goddesses, and debate the merits of size over foppishness.

  Hearing these guys talk is just the best, considering we’re children of the 80’s as well — So listening to them wax poetic on the likes of a “Night of the Comet” starlet or the “Weird Science”-era Kelly LeBrock is the best. You can only get SModcast one place, and it’s free – QUICK STOP ENTERTAINMENT. Don’t miss a single episode. Much thanks from us to Smith and Mosier for keeping us entertained and giving us a reason to wake up on Monday mornings, too (though we admittedly got to this one a day late due to the Christmas craziness).

  By the by, Kevin did indeed mention Mewes by name as cast in Z&M in a recent SModcast, so we’re gonna go ahead and put him in the “Definitlely Yes” column for the flick, putting us up to a total of 4 confirmed.

• For those of you looking for View Askew related YouTube videos online, we’ve found a site that’s doing the work to collect them all – Zonetrooper has over 10 pages of collected stuff from the video site from over the years. While still not the perfect multimedia outlet, it’ll do until we can replenish News Askew’s tube channel, which we lost a while back due to (we believe) having Tonight Show clips up there.
• Betty Aberlin, whose memorable turns as a nun in “Dogma” and a schoolteacher in “Jersey Girl” have earned her a lifetime pass for View Askew membership, has written a new book. It’s titled “The Diary of an Old Soul & The White Page Poems” and available at Amazon . Betty’s a kind woman and a loyal member of the crew here, so we of course wanted to let you know of her new work. Release date is currently set as January 1, 2008.
• And finally today, American lifestyle brand and company Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 5th store concept on the way into retail — The name? “Gilly Hicks”. No joke! Was someone watching “Mallrats” recently, ya think? Gilly Hicks will be an Australian theme lingerie store and will compete with Victoria’s Secret, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and American Eagle Outfitters’ in-house new concept, aerie.

• SModcast returns after a week off, where Smith and Mosier check in from the chilly city of Pittsburgh, PA for a new edition. This week, the guys entertain once again with the most unlikely mix of topics — Death, and what you’d do with the last moments of your life…Then jumping right into some more candid discussions involving sex and jellyfish. There’s no other podcast like it — And once again the 53 minutes fly on by like nobody’s business. Let’s give you the official loglines, like we always like to do:

  
  SModcast 39: Of Berries And Twigs –

  In which our heroes engage in a frank discussion of inebriation, find out what happens when the Italian Harold decides Maude is a bit too old, and touch on the horrors of Alzheimer’s, how to spend your last 48 hours, the passing of Evel, the vindictiveness of jellyfish, and a future after the unkindest cut of all.

  
  If your podcasting software of choice hasn’t already grabbed it, head over to the exclusive home of SModcast, Quick Stop Entertainment, for your FREE MP3 download. Enjoy the greatest podcast on the planet!

• Obvious View Askew fans housed at the Bank Hold Up Productions site where many of their online films feature mentions and references to the flicks of View Askew. No affiliation with us, but worth a look if you want to see what some fellow fans are doing with inspiration and a camera. Click the “past films” link to check out some of their work.
• Silent Bob’s cousin Olaf’s famous “Clerks” appearance puts him on this online list of the “Top 10 Awesome Fake Bands”. We applaud the editing which ensured that both “Berserker” moments made the clippage.

• Today’s edition of News Askew comes to you LIVE from downtown Pittsburgh, PA! Coincidentally, one of us had to head out here for the day job, NOT related to Zack & Miri — Still, it’s cool to be in the city soon to be home to the latest View Askew opus…
• Diamond Previews reveals what looks to be 2 new Clerks II tee designs , one titled “Disco Dancing” and the sure to be controversial “Goodbye Horses”. We’ll let you know as soon as stock arrives at the Stash, of course.
• Kevin was mentioned by ESPN’s Bill Simmons today via their website, citing that he’d love to do a podcast with him. Here’s how the transcript looks:

  
  Matthew (Columbus,OH): Hey Bill are you a fan of Kevin Smith? He just announced his new movie will star Seth Rogen (quickly becoming a huge comedy star) and Elizabeth Banks (a very underrated and good looking actress). The best part is the title “Zach and Miri Make a Porno.” Can this movie go wrong?

  Bill Simmons: (3:36 PM ET ) On paper, I like everything in that paragraph. I do like Kevin Smith – his movies always have just enough going on in them that you never feel like you wasted 90 minutes of your life. He’s on my short list of “Podcast Guests I want To Get,” along with Larry David and Hank Steinbrenner.

• If you haven’t checked out the new Futurama DVD release, “Bender’s Big Score”, it’s well worth the watch, especially for fans. This is a true feature, and not just strung together episodes. Why the mention, you might ask? Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back’s Mark Hamill lends a voice during the film’s Christmas battle sequence. An instant, epic classic. We’re already looking forward to the next disc.
• An interesting “Die Hard” tidbit – The extras on the newly released disc actually reveal that the appearance of Kevin’s name in the opening credits, where letters fade in gradually to form star names, intentionally appears as “S ITH” for a brief moment as a tribute to his love for the 3rd installment in the new trilogy.
• Mallrats is briefly named dropped in the “Letters” area of the latest issue of Wizard when discussing sex and The Fantastic Four. Kevin’s mention of The Thing in ‘Rats is used as an example in the editor’s reply.
• What’s Kevin’s famous Tonight Show “The Flying Car” sound like when done by different actors…and in another dialect? Check out this YouTube video of “The Nasol Show – Episode 3” for the answer.
• And finally today, anyone notice the similarity to the beloved Buddy Christ in the DVD cover pose of “The Best Of The Colbert Report”? We’re just sayin’…See ya next time.

• Colin Murray announced on his BBC Radio 1 interview/documentary show that Kevin will be the subject of next week’s show. We’ll have links to listen to his show once they have been posted.
• Here’s a link to a great review of Kevin’s new book “My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith” (also still available from the Stash!).
• Look out Randal! Another flying car story hit the New York Times yesterday, check out the link here.
• And finaly we wanted to give you a reminder that this weekend Jason Mewes will be appearing at the Indianapolis HororHound Weeekend.

• In a move to help ease the strain on all of our servers, Quick Stop Entertainment will be releasing each week’s fresh new SModcast on their site first before adding the feed into iTunes about a week later. We would suggest subscribing to both feeds (FeedBurner and iTunes) because who doesn’t love seeing SModcat at the top of iTunes’ podcast rankings? Here’s the rundown of this week’s episode :

  

  
  SModcast 37: In A Row? –

  Our heroes go jumbo-length in celebration of an anniversary, using the time to explore a body-snatching scenario and the decision to pod or die, learn the boundaries of a hug, marvel at the cunning of a trapped deer, and plumb the depths of general ignorance.

• Kevin made a surprise guest appearance on XM’s “Opie And Anthony” show this morning, and our pal Will Wilkins was there to capture it for us. There’s a few drop-outs this time due to XM transmission problems, but otherwise, once again you can enjoy the Kevin goodness as he chats up the guys. MP3 format only available right HERE. Will also created and runs the brilliant Radio Askew podcast which has been showing up around once a month these days. Thanks to Will for the audio once again, and all he does to keep this stuff in our archives.
• Bullz-eye.com interviews the great Ray Wise, currently stealing the show on “Reaper” as one of the best turns as the devil in Hollywood history. Kevin’s shown some love in this interesting chat:

  Bullz-Eye: So “Reaper” probably received more positive press than any other show of the new season.

  Ray Wise: Yeah, I think so! We were very fortunate.

  BE: I’m sure you’ve done enough TV where you don’t get too excited about a project’s long-term chances right off the bat, but did you ever find yourself slipping and thinking, “We might be onto something here?”

  RW: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I did that from the get-go. It was a great pilot script and a great character, and I felt that, y’know, with Kevin Smith on board as our director for the pilot and as a consultant of the series, I thought we were really onto something.

  BE: Were you a fan of his work?

  RW: Oh, yes, of course! Tremendously, yeah. Of course, “Dogma” is a favorite Kevin Smith film of mine.

  
  “Reaper” is currently #9 in the site’s TV Power Rankings which list the best programming currently available on the tube.

• And finally today — This in from Vernon, NJ – Bear is driving car? How can that be? See ya next time.

• We made the correction, but in case you missed it — Kevin’s “Kevin and Bean” appearance was actually on the Tuesday, November 6th program. Hope we didn’t lead anyone on a wild goose chase, there. The link from yesterday is still valid.
• An immediate answer to our Clerks II inaction figures query from yesterday — Current targets have the new set showing up in late Spring, 2008. So, sorry, not in time for the holidays this year. We’re sure that the gang wants a quality product, so the wait will be worth it. These things actually go through a lot of testing and approvals with test molds before the final models are produced. We’ll keep you posted on the progress.