• A fresh week means a shiny new edition of Radio Askew with Will & Scott — The eighth edition is celebrated with a HUGE phone interview with the elusive and quippy Brian Lynch, some words about Kevin’s recent Clerks 2 bloggage, and more. As always, available for free download to your ipod or MP3 conveyance of choice at Radio Askew.

• We’re not sure of the origin, but we were sent this shot of Jay & Bob as cuddly little stuffed bears, as well as some other amusing film characters in that same format. Funny stuff.
• A very unique honor for “Clerks” — It’s being included in a new 11-disc Sundance Film Festival collection.
• Anyone by some crazy chance picked up the new Elektra director’s cut DVD today? Wondering if Affleck’s lost scene as Matt Murdock made it back into the cut.
• ABC News has picked up on the Degrassi trend even briefly citing Kevin’s appearance on the program as evidence of its popularity.

• Let’s start the scan parade! First up, some fun tibits on “My Name Is Earl” from TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. As always, click ‘em to read ‘em.
• Film Threat gives a quick nod to the Clerks 2 video diary in this article, which details the advent of the Video Ipod and the possibilities for the VIDEO PODCAST. Boy, we’d love to see these Clerks 2 clips hit the Video Podcast…Oh wait, guess we’d need to SCORE us some Video Ipods first…Drat!

• We originally expected just one or two video entries a week on the Clerks 2 site, but now, with a bit of budget, time and talent behind the project, it looks like we’re gonna get a whole lot more. Yahoo!

“Day One” gives us just that — A look at the events on DAY ONE of the Clerks 2 shoot. We see the set unveiling, Dante and Randal in (and out of) character, a peek at one of the newest members of the Askewniverse behind the counter, and even a quick look at one of the latest ads of brilliance to come out of Ratface’s shop: The original “Cow Tipper” at just $3.95. Man, ya gotta love it.

There’s a new spot there for a flick called “The Boards” too, which by the looks of the preview, appears it’s going to introduce us to some of the flick’s storyboards (always a personal favorite of ours). However, at presstime, these links are broken at the Clerks 2 site. We’re guessing they’ll be fixed shortly, and when they are, we’ll update this story right here.

As always, the Clerks 2 site is the place to go to watch these in various shapes and sizes. And the quality and download speed have never been better. Kudos to everyone involved. We’re really digging these.

• Kevin’s guest shot on UPN’s “Veronica Mars” gets some cyber-ink in this MSN TV article on the show. Here’s the cyber-clippage:

…The personal connections continued in the episode “Drivers Ed,” in which Veronica returns to the convenience store and meets clerk Duane Anders, played by writer/director Kevin Smith (”Clerks,” “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma”).

Smith comes to “Mars” because of his friendship with producer Dan Etheridge, who has acted in three of Smith’s films: “Dogma,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (with Smith as Silent Bob) and “Jersey Girl.”

“We were talking about the show,” Smith says, “and I said, ‘Hey, dude, I’ll be happy to go on any time you want me to come on.’ He said, ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ A week later, he’s going, ‘OK, how about the second episode?’

“When you meet me, I’m a guy who works at a convenience store that was the last stop for the driver before he went off the cliff. I’m capitalizing on the disaster. It’s not that I’m a mean guy, but I’m kind of a capitalist.”

After filming, Smith found time to actually watch season one of “Veronica Mars.” Calling in after seeing six episodes, he says, “It’s awesome.

“It’s proof that TV can be way better than movies. It’s phenomenal. Kristen’s a great actress, cast is really tight, great writing, crisp plotting. I think it’s the best show on TV right now.”

• In celebration of their 14th anniversary, the IMDb is recalling the movie history of the past 14 years. Kevin scores mentions in both 1994 and 1997.
• Other IMDB news: Their gossip area is fishing for a story again. We’re running it for posterity, but can tell you, with all he’s got on the slate now, Affleck’s not leaving Hollywood anytime soon:

• Here’s a site we’re linking up with the first time here at News Askew – Relgious-themed site “Beliefnet” runs an article citing “My Name Is Earl” and the concept of karma on the program:

• Don’t forget, Kevin’s March 2004 appearance on “MAD TV” reruns on Comedy Central this Tuesday (October 18) at 6:00pm and Wednesday (October 19) at 1:00pm.

• It seems that no stone will go unturned as far as the Clerks 2 production, given this diary post from Kevin. By the sound of it, you can expect to see a LOT of the film in words and pictures on this site and other sites as the months go by. Here’s Kevin:

We appreciate the graciousness of the information exchange, yet also realize that some of you like going into Kevin’s films without knowing a ton about the plot. We’ll do our best to let you know when potential big plot spoilers are coming through this process, so feel free to read here and remain spoiler-free (if you choose to). However, smaller stuff, such as the location, guest appearances, and such WILL be discussed. We’ll do our best to not cross that line from informative to spoilage.

• Kevin’s “My Boring-Ass Life” blog kicked into high gear today, with over two weeks of updates, including the first week of filming on Clerks 2. While Kevin’s self-effacing title may work in some rare instances, it’s certainly not the case now. We’re learning a ton about the film and its process with these updates. Clerks 2 has taken center stage in Kevin’s life, and naturally, the blog’s going to reflect that for the next couple of months.

As always, we’re sure that you’re going to read it all, and to do so, suggest you start with the September 28th entry and move forward. Missing days will be filled in later, and we’ll let you know when that happens. Most of them seem to be complete now.

In case you’re in a hurry and just want our usual “Cliffs Notes” version of the latest batch, look no further than just below:

• Kevin hopes that the “Train Wreck” site and project will run for an entire year (full story below) and will culminate in a large documentary for the eventual Clerks 2 DVD.
• More comments and thoughts on the Aint It Cool talkback tirades.
• Wardrobe tidbits on Randal and Jay, which seem to indicate a short timeframe for the film. We’re now guessing that Clerks 2 will be another “day in the life” flick similar to the original. We’re betting a less than 24 hour period will be covered (more than likely, a single shift).
• Kevin says he’ll be getting to Ranger Danger “in the next two years”.
• Wanda Sykes and the comedian Earthquake have both filmed cameos for the flick.
• Kevin’s already started cutting the film together roughly. Scenes referred to so far: The ATM Scene, The Office Scene, The Back exterior scene, and a conversation between Rosario and Brian that’s got 10 set-ups, a huge contrast from the single angle often used in Clerks.

If you’re just a diary skimmer, we highly recommend the insightful October 9th entry. While Kevin takes a lot of time to give us all the details of his day, it’s these reflective moments that we always enjoy the most. We think you will, too. And as always, we thank Kevin for putting fingers to keyboard to share with the world.

• With the Clerks 2 videos THIS good before we’ve even reached the set, imagine how cool stuff’s gonna be when we get there, huh? Yep, we’ve got TWO MORE pre-shoot vids for ya today courtesy of the Clerks 2 blog/vlog site. The first one again takes us back to the Cast & Crew kickoff party, where the infamous Brian Johnson documents the festivities through the eyes of his videocam. This is part of a multi-part affair, full of fun and frivolity. If you weren’t there, we imagine this is the next best thing.

The second video is a REAL treat for fans of director David Lynch. Being that your webmasters here are Lynch freaks, this one is extra enjoyable. Imagine if the surrealistic director took on Clerks to recut it — Would this be what it looked like? The clip borrows heavily from Lynch “Fire Walk With Me” Twin peaks prequel film, in both score and occasional scenes. It’s a freaky mind trip of a clip that will make Lynch fans say “Oooo!” and the rest of you say “Huh?”. Dig it.

• Yes, folks, Kevin HIMSELF has let the biggest cat out of the bag, possibly EVER, regarding the plot of Clerks 2. This is no kitty, this one’s a GIANT TIGER. We’ve blurred the thumnail, but click away and you’ll see undeniably the biggest spoiler regarding the plot of Clerks 2 so far. Ok, sure, it doesn’t let you in on what happens in the flick itself, and we’re guessing that this reveal will take place in the trailers that will be ALL over the place, so checking it out isn’t ALL bad. But wow, this is one image that’s gonna have your head spinning at the possibilites for the flick.

Why post it? Kevin explains himself below, basically, that there’s just too many photo snipers out there when you shoot on location, so rather than let someone else spoil his fun, he’s gonna create the fun for us. So you, the fans, benefit. Here’s Kevin (minor spoilers in the next passage as well):

Can you say “exciting”? We knew that you could. More news later!

• We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to enter our Degrassi Generations book giveaway. In this contest, we asked you to send in the actual date that Kevin’s first episode of Degrassi aired on CTV in Canada. The correct answer, as many of you guessed, is January 31, 2005. However, quite a few entries came in claiming February 1st was the date. So, we looked back for ourselves, and noticed that there was some confusing wording in our archives. The kind of stuff that happens when you post stuff after midnight but to you it’s really the same day type of stuff. Like, even though it’s officially Friday, it still feels like a Thursday, if you’re reading this at 1 AM. Get it? That being said, we decided to be fair, we’re giving credit to anyone who sent in EITHER of those dates as an answer.

That being said, here are our five lucky winners. You’ll be receiving a brand new copy of “The Official 411: Degrassi Generations”, direct from our pals at Simon & Schuster.

Jonathan Searcy Anthony Schaefer Jenea Paterno Angie Martinez Blake Matthews

If you didn’t win a book, it’s available via Amazon and pretty much everywhere else they sell books. Kevin’s got a new, exclusive introduction in there, and the book itself is packed to the brim with tons of photos and info from the world of Degrassi. A worthy purchase. Thanks again to all who entered, and to Simon & Schuster for providing the swag! Enjoy your books.

• Here’s the two newest clips from Kevin’s video blog over at Clerks2.com. The first one is a glimpse inside the official kickoff party at Kevin’s house (titled $11,500). Meet the lucky, rich dude who made his way to Kevin’s house for the BBQ (which turned out to be this very party, Suh-weet!). Watch Kev deal some cards on the brand new Hold’em McNeil table. Next time we’re in town, we GOTTA get in one of those poker games.

The second is an interivew with the film’s director of photgraphy Dave Klein and his crew. Man, it’s great to see Dave back in action for a View Askew flick. We’re looking forward to the look that he’s got planned for this one. Did you know it takes FOUR FULL DAYS to prep all the camera equipment for a film shoot? Now ya do. Watch and learn lots, lots more.

As always, check them out by clicking the images above. With both the pop-up and new window quicktime formats, these are easier to watch than ever, and stream really, really fast. Unless you’re still on dialup. Bloody savage.

• On Tuesday night’s “My Name is Earl,” Jason Lee talks about number 203 on his list – stole various snacks and drinks from a local QUICK STOP. We gotta figure either the writers or Lee himself worked in that fine little reference to the Askewniverse. Love that show.
• JoBlo scores their first of two mentions on News Askew today, first with this editorial, titled “C’mon Hollywood, Take It Easy On Silent Bob!”. This article addresses not so much Hollywood, but all the folks that seem to find it fun to bash on the web. Check out the editorial HERE.
• Comics2Film reports that Kevin will appear in interviews included in 2 segments of the upcoming Batman Special Edition DVD. Kevin has always been a fan of the Bat, and cites Burton’s first flick as one of the best comic book films EVER. So, it’s cool to see that the discmakers decided to include Kevin in the process of making the SE.
• Dennis Przywara’s “Starwoids” documentary – about U.S. Star Wars fans and the 6-week line for Phantom Menace opending-day tickets – receives its UK DVD debut on October 31st. This feature length documentary, which has been endorsed by and includes a bonus interview with confessed “Star Wars dork” Kevin Smith, has been completely repackaged for the UK market. The 5000 limited edition slipcase version also includes a booklet containing Kevin’s essay “Married To The Force” (under licence from Alison & Busby, UK publishers of “A Galaxy Not So Far Away.) Starwoids is released day and date in the UK with Fox’s “Revenge Of The Sith” DVD and will be avilable from all major high street and online retailers. Thanks to Rebelscum.
• The Project Greenlight flick “Feast” (which Kevin saw a VERY early cut of when he appeared on the program) is starting to play festivals to positive reviews. JoBlo has some nice remarks in their review. Horror supersite Bloody Disgusting reports you can see it early at a film festival:

• If you’ve yet to check out VH-1’s weekly, “Best Week Ever”, it’s a fun way to catch up on the week’s events in pop culture, and they rerun it enough that you’ll find it if you seek it out most days. Kevin scores a mention in their online blog for his tirade on the Aint It Cool talkbackers, complete with a link to the View Askew web board.
• And finally today, another shout-out shows up in audio, this time by a band called Dangerdoom, which is linked to the popular Adult Swim series that airs on Cartoon Network. A lyric excerpt from the track “Space Ho’s”:

Uh…genius. See ya next time!