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.

…I did notice Brian O’Halloran was in the movie and thought you guys should know since I haven’t seen any reference to it anywhere on View Askew related sites.


He plays a Jeep driver and it’s like Clerks for a moment where he is acting through expressions on the rear view mirror to the other actors in the car. Needless to say none of them recited a story about their cousin Walter breaking his neck.


I won’t give away any plot details as the less you know the better.

The film has been getting mixed and negative reviews thus far. Judge it for yourself in theaters this weekend. Congrats to Brian on the role; always good to see the guy onscreen.

“…Other fans know the Garden State better as the home and stomping grounds of director and writer Kevin Smith.


Many of Smith’s films feature recurring New Jersey landmarks — including the Quick Stop Convenience Store in Leonardo where Smith worked as a teenager; Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash and Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank; and The Ice Rink in Brick Township.


Like Nobebosco in Blairstown, Smith’s rotating list of hot spots continues to draw picture-snapping fans from across the country. Lucky fans might even find Smith’s buddy and franchise alum Walt Flanagan working the register at the Stash.”

BRIAN [DANTE] O’HALLORAN TALKS KEVIN SMITH AND THE CLERKS ‘TOON


by John Delia

Actor Brian O’Halloran, best known to moviegoers for his character Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith’s Clerks, Clerks II, and the animated TV series with the same name appeared this past weekend at Super Con, a combination comic book and animation convention in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

O’Halloran first began working in film when he was cast in Kevin Smith’s debut film Clerks in 1994. The two became friends and O’Halloran subsequently appeared more of Smith’s films, includingMall Rats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, the Clerks animated series (2000-’01), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and of course most recently in a reprise of his Dante Hicks role in 2006’s Clerks II.

O’Halloran spent a few minutes chatting with Newsarama about being part of the Kevin Smith “ensemble”, the future of Dante Hicks, and his work outside the Kevin Smith school…

Newsarama: Brian, what is it like working with an icon in the genre community like Kevin Smith?

Brian O’Halloran: You now, working with Kevin Smith, he’s such a great writer and he is in tune with the Clerks type of comedy. He can think right off the top of his head. It is really awesome working with someone that has a likening for his comedic style.

NRAMA: Was Smith open to letting you develop your own character of Dante by the time you got to Clerk’s II?

BO’H: I think we all did by then. The first one was everybody’s first, so the first one was our first opportunity and chance to make a film. We were all newbies, as we would say, a bunch of newts making a film. And Clerks II was Kevin’s eight or ninth film at the time and it was a culmination of all he had learned in all those other films. In his growth and maturity as a person, as a father, and also just questioning where he was in his life now that he was in his 30’s.

I think it is one of his best and I can’t wait to see more of it. So, yes we personally able to do more with our characters.

NRAMA: On that note, do you think there is going to be a return by Smith to the franchise beyond Clerks II?

BO’H: I don’t doubt that there might be a return to the Clerks franchise, and in one of the ways there might be an animated version beyond the ‘toon one that we did for TV. We did the Clerks cartoon years ago and it’s an effective format that we totally enjoy using. So if we don’t do the live version of it, most likely it will be the animated version.

NRAMA: Recall for fans the events that led up to the TV animated series?

BO’H: The Clerks’ toon, the animated series was so great and was so much fun. Kevin was living out in LA and he had Dave Mandel who was one of the producers of Seinfeld come on board. It was to be episodic work. And these four characters Jay, Bob, Dante, and Randal were so great to write about because they could say and do anything. Animation was a way to bring these characters into an outlandish world, situations, and scenarios that only an animated format would allow.

So first they shopped the idea around to people, and UPN was interested immediately and wanted a full season. But the higher ups at Disney (they had distributed the original Clerks under their Miramax label) had found out about the idea and they counter offered, and said ‘look we will do 6 episodes, but on a bigger network.’ With all the coaxing and they gave us a Superbowl ad and everything, they went with that (Miramax Television).

NRAMA: So what’s it like doing a voice characterization for animation and how much different is it from live action?

BO’H: It was a great experience because #1 you go into a studio with a bunch of friends and you start running dialogue left and right. I got to work with some really great people like Michael McKean (as the Creepy Old Guy) and Alec Baldwin playing Leonardo, Leonardo. I mean some really great actors came in to do the voicing stuff, which was really a lot of fun. Each day was such a great day, you would get up, clear your throat … you don’t have to do your hair, don’t have to shower [smirks] … you just get to the studio and record the dialogue and boom you got a paycheck.

NRAMA: Do you see a future of you acting in more animation?

BO’H: I would love to do more animation; it’s a genre that is expanding more and more as we see with the success of Adult Swim for the Cartoon Network. And just the Cartoon Network in general and Comedy Central and you got channels like G4 that are starting to shop around for Anime and things like that. As for the future of animation, I think it will be more of the crossover of traditional anime with more Asian anime. It’s going to be a stronger influence on American entertainment.

NRAMA: Finally Brian, you’re in a new film (this one not connected with Kevin Smith) called Cluster a comedy/drama directed by Vincent Scordia. What is your role in the film?

BO’H: Cluster is a film featuring myself, Bronson Pinchot and Corey Feldman. I kind of compare it with an American Pie type of teenage sex romp. I actually play Dr. Jordan, the principal of the high school were a lot of the action takes place. We have the film over at Cannes film festival as we speak trying to get distribution.

Anchor Bay and VideoETA have announced a DVD release for “Brutal Massacre”, O’Halloran’s new horror-comedy. The flick hits home on July 22nd. Interestingly enough, the press release also reveals an O’Halloran appearance in the upcoming big summer horror release “The Happening” — Likely a small part, since this is the first we have heard of it, but still, great news. Perhaps Brian will drop us a line from some details if he’s able to break any of the secrecy on the M. Night Shyamalan project.

In support of his new film “Brutal Massacre”, Brian will be appearing live in Ft. Lauderdale and Pittsburgh, meeting and greeting fans, signing autographs, and the like. First up, Brian has JUST been added to the list of guests to appear at the Florida SuperCon in Weston Fla., just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, this weekend May 23rd – 25th. This is Brian’s FIRST EVER appearance in the state of Florida.

To promote the show, Brian will be on the air on 93 ROCK FM in the Ft. Lauderdale area, sometime between 9 and 10 AM this Friday.

Finally, don’t miss Brian, who will be appearing with Jay Mewes at the massive Pittsburgh Horrorhound in June from the 20th – 22nd. Watch News Askew for the latest appearances as Brian continues his tour to support the flick. We’ll have the latest news and dates right here, as well as in our events rundown on the right.

In support of his new film “Brutal Massacre”, Brian will be appearing live in Ft. Lauderdale and Pittsburgh, meeting and greeting fans, signing autographs, and the like. First up, Brian has JUST been added to the list of guests to appear at the Florida SuperCon in Weston Fla., just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, this weekend May 23rd – 25th. This is Brian’s FIRST EVER appearance in the state of Florida.

To promote the show, Brian will be on the air on 93 ROCK FM in the Ft. Lauderdale area, sometime between 9 and 10 AM this Friday.

Finally, don’t miss Brian, who will be appearing with Jay Mewes at the massive Pittsburgh Horrorhound in June from the 20th – 22nd. Watch News Askew for the latest appearances as Brian continues his tour to support the flick. We’ll have the latest news and dates right here, as well as in our events rundown on the right.

In support of his new film “Brutal Massacre”, Brian will be appearing live in Ft. Lauderdale and Pittsburgh, meeting and greeting fans, signing autographs, and the like. First up, Brian has JUST been added to the list of guests to appear at the Florida SuperCon in Weston Fla., just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, this weekend May 23rd – 25th. This is Brian’s FIRST EVER appearance in the state of Florida.

To promote the show, Brian will be on the air on 93 ROCK FM in the Ft. Lauderdale area, sometime between 9 and 10 AM this Friday.

Finally, don’t miss Brian, who will be appearing with Jay Mewes at the massive Pittsburgh Horrorhound in June from the 20th – 22nd. Watch News Askew for the latest appearances as Brian continues his tour to support the flick. We’ll have the latest news and dates right here, as well as in our events rundown on the right.

The panel started with a folksong version of “Baby Got Back”.


Announced the “Masters of SONG FU” music contest. Head to head contest. First challenge: 30-60 second sitcom theme song of your life. Entries open May 1 and close May 15th.


Short trailer for Bob and Doug McKenzies new animated show — Will air January 2009.


Showed the intro to the “Zack & Miri Make A Porno” webisodes titled ‘Money Shots’. No date other than “some point in the future” given for their web premiere.