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August 27th @ 11:35 am | No Comments » | Scooped by John Mollard, Alonso Duralde, Ryan Maxwell, Nelly, Ted Gootee

  • The podcast for Kevin’s interview with Richard Stubbs that we recently mentioned is now available online. The show features other guests, as well, so if you want to get to Kevin’s segment, forward yourself around 30 minutes and 30 seconds in. Enjoy!
  • Jason Lee appears on quite a few DVDs in the coming months. Here’s the release slate:
9/18 – My Name Is Earl, Season One
9/26 – Drop Dead Sexy
10/24 – Monster House
12/5 – Clerks II

“My Name Is Earl” Season One now also has a UK DVD release date : September 25th, 2006.

  • Looks like we have just one one piece of Australian press wrapping up Kevin’s tour of the area last week. A couple snippets:
“…When we first talked about doing a Clerks sequel, a bunch of people went, ‘Oh no dude, don’t do it cause that movie rocks and what if you make a sequel that sucks?’.

“But I love the movie.”

Smith wouldn’t rule out a third Clerks instalment but said it would be unlikely in the next few years.

“Clerks was a movie about what it felt like to be in my 20s and Clerks II is what it felt like to be in my 30s,” he said.

“So somewhere mid-40s or even mid 50s might be a nice time to check back in after I have had a bit of living experience.

  • In the September issue of Stuff Magazine Clerks II is mentioned as the movie of the month. There’s a pretty sizable picture of Jay and Bob leafing through the Bible with a small inset picture of Dante and Randall at Moby’s. An interview with Mewes follows, which is trascribed below:
CLERKS II

As director Kevin Smith returns to the convenience-store classic, Jason Mewes explains how he’s grown up over time.

“The first Clerks was pretty much how I acted when I was younger, I never sold weed—that part’s fiction. But I did smoke a lot of weed back then. I would say that the character of Jay, then and now, is the younger me to a tee. I still act all obnoxious and stuff, but I sort of know boundaries. I’m not going around saying, ‘Hey, sluts!’ you know what I mean? Uh, its not that I don’t think it, but now I might keep it to myself. Being sober, I’m more clear and connected. I live a little more. Because of drugs, I was so much worse. It wasn’t good. I’m sure you know what drugs I was doing. I would be concentrating on getting through a take and wanting to do more drugs, because my only concern was finding some so that I didn’t fell so bad, so that I wasn’t physically sick. Or if I was doing coke, I would want the scene to end so I could go back to my trailer and do more. It only makes it better now that I’m clean, because now I can do six takes and not be concentrating on getting back to my trailer. I can concentrate on more important things like ,’well would it be funnier if I said this here?’”

Filed in: News

More Horror Project News…

August 24th @ 10:55 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Moviehole, Kevin Spellman, Belinda

  • Moviehole got most of the same stuff we’ve heard already, but a few more tidbits from Kevin on his plans for the new horror project he’s planning for his next feature. Sounds quite interesting indeed. Here’s their story:
Filmmaker Kevin Smith touched down in Australia this week to promote the bejesus out of his comedy “Clerks 2”. Moviehole’s Mark Bennett – an out and out horror buff – was so keen to find out about Smith’s upcoming horror film (announced it a couple of weeks back), that he decided to tie him to a chair, and threatened to play his scenes from “Vulgar” on loop, if he didn’t give up the goods.

“Next up I want to do a horror movie. I just think it would be kinda interesting – for me at least – to go left. I’ve made seven comedies, or variation thereof, and some people would argue that none of them are funny. But it would be nice to make a horror movie. An intentional horror movie, not like Jersey Girl. [much laughter]. It’s a genre that I grew up watching on VHS and on cable when I was a kid”, said Smith.

“No jokes and stuff, not like Scary Movie 4. There are people that do that really well, like Edgar Wright with Shaun of the Dead, but I don’t want to make a comedic one, I want to make a straight-forward horror movie.

“It’ll be a bit of slasher, but I’m kinda looking more at … you remember that movie Race With The Devil? It’s more kind of in that vein. Or Wicker Man. Something in that vein where it’s creepy and unsettling more than gore.”

Smith says some of his favourite horror movies include “The Shining, Halloween. I’ll pretty much for anything that I came of age watching. You know, the ’70s-’80s slasher genre. The current crop of horror movies not nearly as much. There seems to be a lot of remakes and whatnot. A lot of “Let’s do Texas Chainsaw. Again. And let’s do The Hills Have Eyes again.” I’m sure there’s probably ripe material out there. A lot of things are more horrible than a dude in a mask trying to stab you. [inaudible – something like, You can look it up in the newspaper and pull it out of there]. So I’m kinda going for that. The one thing I’m happy about is the idea that I have, I haven’t seen it done before.”

The more we read, the more intrigued we get. We’re sure Kevin has something neat up his sleeve, and being horror fans ourselves, we’re excited to cover the project.

Filed in: News, Red State

Austalian Press Blitz Continues!

August 24th @ 10:54 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Belinda, Alonso Duralde, EJ

  • Kevin continues to get quite a bit of press in Australia for his visit this week. Here’s a summary of the latest ink that’s showing up in print and online:
Yahoo/AP: “American cult director praises Thalluri”

“…That movie carries a pretty powerful and meaningful message,” said Smith, in town to promote his new film, Clerks II. “It is a really good-looking flick and very assured for a dude who hasn’t made a bunch.”

Sydney Morning Herald: “Silent Bob Strikes Back”

“…Dante and Randal are the characters that I love best,” he says. “They’re the ones that put me on the map, they’re the ones that are closest to my personality, like my id and my super-ego. I’m not sure what that means, but I read it in a review once and it sounded very smart.”

Herald Sun: “Silent Bob Speaks”

“…And if there’s ever gonna be a Clerks 3, it would be somewhere down the road in my 40s or 50s, when it might be interesting to check back in on Dante and Randal. But I don’t know about Jay and Bob so much, ‘cos at 45, leaning on a wall in front of a convenience store might be a little sad.”

The Age: “Off-kilter universe”

“…The sequel to the no-budget Sundance discovery that started his career a dozen years ago, Clerks II sounds like a desperate retreat after Jersey Girl. But it turns out to be a shrewd career move, in which he takes his characters into the present and even ratchets up his own marketing skills.”

Herald Sun: “Silent Bob Speaks”

“…And if there’s ever gonna be a Clerks 3, it would be somewhere down the road in my 40s or 50s, when it might be interesting to check back in on Dante and Randal. But I don’t know about Jay and Bob so much, ‘cos at 45, leaning on a wall in front of a convenience store might be a little sad.”

Herald Sun: “Kevin Rolls With the Hollywood Hits”

“…Smith described a similar event in Sydney on Tuesday as “religious”, with dedicated fans turning out for a reunion with characters they have now followed through six films over a decade.”

Kevin is going to appear on radio 774 ABC in Melbourne tomorrow, the 25th, sometime between 1pm – 3pm. The program is called Richard Stubbs Good Conversation. You can listen on line HERE. We hear they do podcasts as well, so it should be available at their website if you miss it.

You can also check out some new press photos of Kevin and Jen at the Sydney Premiere of Clerks II over at WireImage.

Filed in: News

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August 24th @ 10:49 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Matt Finkelstein, David A. Nightingale Jr, Gaving Schmitt, Matt Booker, Brian Caylor, Josh Gilmore

  • We’ve received inside word that the Clerks II trailer is arriving at UK cinemas, and should start screening this weekend. Watch for it!
  • Clerks II is so buzzworthy that it’s recently hit the IMDB’s list of Top Rated Indie Titles.

  • Even though the flick didn’t do the best business, the “Snakes on a Plane” spoofs are still happening – Check out this fan made poster for “Baked On A Plane”.
  • Some fans at the View Askew WWWBoard are working on a keepsake book to present to Kevin for his 37th birthday — You can learn more and contribute to this project HERE. Suggest a title, send letters, and more. Sounds like a very thoughtful idea. Brainstorm away!
  • A fan writes his own essay regarding that age-old Brodie debate from Mallrats discussing a pregnant Lois Lane.

  • Here’s a scan from a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly (Iss. Number 891/892 for the week of Aug. 18th) This issue gives details on the upcoming movies for the fall season. On page 87, there are a few brief previews of some smaller movies that are coming out for the month of November, and one of them is “Come Early Morning” from the talented mind of Chasing Amy’s Joey Lauren Adams. It hits theaters in limited release on November 17th.

  • And finally today, looks like the crew travelling with the standees promoting Clerks II caught up with photographer Albert Ortega at a Rock Star: Supernova party this week – For once, he’s on the OTHER side of the camera! We’ll see ya next time…Thanks for dropping by.

Filed in: News

Kevin Goes Global: Edinburgh & Australia Coverage!

August 22nd @ 8:45 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Jon Darren, Ross Maclean, Greg Andrew, Richard Ross


Photo Gallery #1
Photo Gallery #2
Photo Gallery #3
  • While the excitement over here may be calming down after most of us have had the pleasure of screening Clerks II, we have to remember that the fun is just starting up for our faithful fans in Australia and Scotland. Kevin’s touring that part of the world now, and folks are loving the flick. Here’s a first-hand report of a fan who was lucky enough to attend the premiere screening in Australia last night:
I attended the Premiere of Clerks II at the State Theatre in Australia last night and I was totally blown away by the whole event. Kevin took to the stage before the flick started and welcomed everyone. He was wearing his Silent Bob coat and trademark shorts. He seemed totally relaxed and very happy to be in Australia, raving about how nice it was here, even calling it ‘Toronto Nice.’ After a quick intro, the movie began to massive rapture and applause.

And it didn’t stop there. Every gag was met with a flurry of belly laughter and clapping, so much so that sometimes you had to struggle to catch the next gag. But it didn’t matter, because this was one hell of a movie, probably Kevin’s best. It took you up and down, left and right, made you laugh and stirred your emotions. Just brilliant.

As the flick finished, there was a buzz in the theatre as everyone chatted about it. After a short interval, Kevin took to the stage for the Q&A, and again he received a standing ovation. Then the questions began, and Kevin talked straight for over 2hrs! At no point did the audience ever seem bored. He held the stage and kept everyone laughing with great stores about working on the movie, behind the scenes, Jason Mewes and his new bill of health, his family and the general topics of upcoming projects. I was able to ask Kevin a question myself, regarding the Train wreck videos, especially one where Jeff and Brian played a prank on Kevin as they pretended Jeff had cut his hand. It was an honour to talk to the man, face to face.

It was a fantastic event and I for one will be straight to the movies to see it again come opening day next week. Thanks for making the effort to get to Australia Kevin, come back anytime!

Thanks for that report, Jon.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has photos from Kevin’s time in Edinburgh over the weekend as well. You can view the full slideshows at the links below. We also have select photos right here with this story. Fan Ross says, “It was great to see Kevin at the Fest and gave his Scottish fans a rare opportunity to see him. I’m all the more delighted that photo 7/7 on the Clerks II Premiere gallery is of Kevin writing ‘Fuck Tim Burton’ across my Superman Lives script.”

Clerks II has done really well with audiences at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It’s currently top of the audience rankings http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/articles/standard_life_audience_award_update_day_6.

Filed in: News

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August 22nd @ 8:45 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Leigh Webb, Dan Salet, Nathan Peebles, Greg Trawinski, Movidude74, Richard Ross, Greg Sorkin, Brooklyn Roach Multimedia, Colin Glider

  • As Kevin’s doing the Austalian thing this week, we’ll be posting all the latest from that part of the world as we can dig it up – We’ve just gotten word that Australian radio show Tony Martin’s Get this has announced they will have Kevin on Friday morning at 9am, they have been told he will only be there for two segments but will try to get him to stay for the whole show.
  • With the Australian premiere, local website Moviehole runs a new interview with Kevin today. A few select passages:
…Granted, Ben Affleck does have a role in “Clerks II” – but it’s very small, and initially, it was going to be even smaller.

“He wanted to be part of it, so he asked if he could be a background extra, but he wanted to get paid for it. I told him Gigli must have tanked harder than I thought”, Smith, who constantly takes the piss out of his friend Affleck, laughs. “I told him to come on out, but I knew he would want some dialogue. He came out and shot his scene, which was just him reacting in the background and we shot it twice and got it right and then he came up to me and said it felt like he should say something. I said, “Of course you do, here’s a line of dialogue for you.”

Smith, who says Matt Damon was also asked to appear in the film but had to decline the offer to do a role in a De Niro film he was doing, explains that the film would only have made sense if it were again headlined by the original stars, Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson as the slacker cashiers of the original film.

“I thought since Clerks is a story about what it’s like to be in my twenties, why not use Dante and Randall as the way-in again? It’s nice. There is a built-in poignancy of showing those guys 10 years later, especially if you open up your head, why not use the dudes who helped you the first time around, the characters particularly.

  • Seems UK fans will have to wait a bit longer for “Evening Harder”. Sony Pictures has announced a release date of the 15th January 2007 for the UK, which may coincide with Clerks II on DVD there as well.
  • Kevin joins the BBC’s Mark Kermode for his podcast this week. Oddly, Kermode is in Los Angeles this week, though Kevin called in from Edinburgh to conduct the interview.
  • Don’t forget, Kevin makes an appearance as clerk Duane Anders on the outstanding second season of “Veronica Mars” — Out on DVD today. You’ll catch his obviously ad-libbed turn in Episode Two, “Driver Ed”. We can’t recommend this show enough, by the way, especially after the stellar season finale. The show returns on the new CW in the Fall.
  • A new website’s been spotted, designed by web guru Ming Chen, for Zak and Joey, the genius behind the “Train Wreck” series. Check out their new production home on the web, “Chop Shop Entertainment”.
  • With Kevin currently off the project, we’re not following this too much, but it’s interesting to see that Zach Braff has still not officially signed on for the new Fletch flick.
  • This story claims a thief “dressed like Silent Bob” was responsible for the vandalization of a cool billboard for Showtime’s “Weeds” (a decent show, worth checking out, by the way, now just starting up season two).

  • Here’s a good one – A fan who took his new Sidekick 3 and used MyTego to make a Clerks:TAS skin to cover it, complete with Bear who Drive Car. Nice work.
  • And finally today, the “What If Steven Seagal Was In…” series takes on Clerks. Enjoy. We’ll see ya next time!

Filed in: News

Clerks II Soundtrack: Full Track Listing!

August 20th @ 10:51 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Kyle Greenham

  • Bullet Proof Entertainment confirms an August 22nd release date for the Clerks II CD sountrack! We’re pleased to debut the full track listing of the disc now, which includes the never-before-sceen dialogue tracks that will mix in with the tunes. You can likely figure out the segments that will be used by the titles, but speculate away:
1. Anne Frank vs. Helen Keller
2. Talking Heads – (Nothing But) Flowers
3. Regret
4. King Diamond – Welcome Home
5. Of Parts Enlarged
6. James L. Venable – Neckin’ On The Swing
7. The First Of The Fallen
8. King Diamond – The Invisible Guests
9. The Unholiest Act
10. Q Lazzarus – Goodbye, Horses
11. On Knowing Pickles
12. B.J. Thomas – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
13. Twelve Step
14. Jackson Five – ABC
15. The Perfect Gift
16. All Too Much – Think Fast
17. Party Planning
18. James L. Venable – Goin’ Away Party
19. I’m Gonna Miss You, Man
20. Samantha Fox – Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)
21. Abstinence
22. Alanis Morissette – Everything
23. Semantics
24. Soul Asylum – Misery
25. Battle Of The Mega-Geeks

Order your SIGNED copy of this must-have disc from the Stash today for $17.99. We expect they’ll be shipping late this week or early next week.

Filed in: News

Win Stuff With Your Clerks II Ticket Stub!

August 20th @ 10:51 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Brad & Chris

  • Still hanging onto your Clerks II ticket stub? Send us a scan of it! We just got an e-mail from our good friends at Buena Vista Home Entertainment, offering us up 5 copies of the hilarious new DVD, “The Tick Vs. Season One” — It’s a funny cartoon, and for the first time anywhere on DVD. We figure many fans of View Askew have the same sense of humor as the show, so why not offer up these goodies to folks who were good enough to see Clerks II theatrically? So, email your scanned ticket to us here at scoops@newsaskew.com, and we’ll draw five random winners. The set, which involves 2 discs of 12 episodes from the show’s first season, streets everywhere on August 29, 2006. Good luck!

Filed in: News

More High Res San Diego Photos!

August 20th @ 10:50 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Albert Ortega

  • Kevin & Jennifer arrived a bit late in San Diego for the con this year, due to traffic – But our favorite faithful photographer, Albert Ortega, didn’t miss a beat — Check out this new bath of Kevin, Jennifer, and a couple leftovers of Rosario and the Richard Kelley panel, too. As always, click these for large, beautiful high resolution versions, and thanks very much to Mr. Ortega for sharing his wonderful work with us. Enjoy.

Filed in: News

View Askew NewsBites™

August 20th @ 10:50 pm | No Comments » | Scooped by Hagai Jacobson, Chris Benka, Phil Villarreal, Judymack, Sroelofs, EJ

  • Here’s a look at the press release that’s going around confirming that October 25th overseas release of a 3-disc “Evening With Kevin Smith” which collects the original set along with the second installment. If the release date sticks, it does indeed look like some areas abroad will get “Evening 2” a couple weeks before the U.S.
  • Kevin gets mentioned by the ailing Roger Ebert in a recent e-mail sent out to his fans:
“…I am going to watch “Half Nelson” and I hope Kevin Smith was right. “

We send our best wishes to Mr. Ebert for a speedy recovery.

  • With the horrors of war happening in the middle east, it’s hard to imagine things do continue to move business as usual as well — Check out this scanned newspaper ad for Clerks II, which also promises free tickets to whoever lines up on September 1st in the Rev-hen Theater in Tel-Aviv. The film starts in Israel on Aug 24th.

  • That famous “Kevin Smith Way” gets mentioned (along with a photo) in a recent article in Paulsboro’s Gloucester County Times. See the scan here.
  • Here’s some fresh press from Australia regarding Clerks II. The film opens there on August 31st. Kevin hosts a screening of Clerks II on Tuesday, 7pm, State Theatre, 136 100, for $35.

Filed in: News