• Yep, we saw the Affleck/Garner news in the New York Post today. We’re always a bit worried to post this stuff, especially since no one seems to want to confirm it. So, take it with a grain of salt, but here’s what ran in today’s Page Six:

SECOND time’s the charm for Ben Affleck. The star proposed to his girlfriend of over a year, Jennifer Garner, after her 33rd birthday party Saturday at her Brentwood home, according to Star magazine. Affleck bought Garner a $500,000, 4.5-carat Harry Winston engagement ring – as compared to the 6.1-carat pink diamond ring from Winston which Affleck got for his former fiancée Jennifer Lopez. Affleck’s rep had no comment.

At the moment we remain a bit skeptical, though if it’s indeed true, we’d like to offer much luck and congrats to our boy ben and his lovely bride-to-be. If it gets confirmed (or denied), we’ll let ya’ll know. We just hate this “not confirmed” stuff and almost didn’t even run it. But we’ve had a lot of folks asking us about it, so figured we’d at least comment.

• Seems that Zach Braff is becoming more vocal about being a View Askew fan, these days – Certainly does bode well for him stepping into that Fletch role this Fall. This report just in:

Zach Braff, an alumnus of Northwestern University’s radio-television-film department, came to speak to us today. One of his closing remarks was how when he was an undergrad Kevin Smith came to speak at NU and he went, and one of the things Smith mentioned was not liking and not ever wanting to take the “a film by” credit, because he felt the film was made by lots of people and not just the director. Braff has vowed to be the same way and encouraged us to follow.

• And finally today, some interesting reading for you Star Wars fans — An editorial that discusses the possible update of the Star Tours ride in Disney parks, and also some reasoning behind the possible Star Wars TV series for ABC in 2006-2007. See you next time, and we thank you for your patronage!

• We didn’t want anyone forgetting that Kevin will be on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno tonight at 11:30 pm EST, promoting his hit new book of essays, SILENT BOB SPEAKS. Make sure you order a copy if you haven’t already, as it’s gone to a second printing within days of release. The essays are a fun, honest read.

UPDATE: If for some reason you missed the show last night, we have the entire interview right here for you! Just click one of the stills below…

• Don’t say we didn’t warn you. This one sold FAST! The Mallrats X screening and live Q&A reunion have SOLD OUT! If you’re among the lucky souls who managed to get yourself a seat, cherish it, have a blast, and don’t forget send us photos and reports. It’s certain to yet again be a once-in-a-lifetime event where one of the most beloved films in the View Askew series is celebrated.

And if you missed out on tix, next time, remember when we tell ya — They sell fast! Enjoy the show.

• This SATURDAY (April the 23rd) at 4 PM, Kevin will be speaking on his book until 5pm for FREE (it’s outside, so no tix required). The event will be held at the “ETC.Stage” on the UCLA Campus, near the Student Activities Center, and just mere steps from Stash West!

Here’s the link which provides further info, including the full guest list for the event being held both Saturday & Sunday (although Kevin is only SATURDAY). Lets hope the pretty weather continues for this very cool outdoor event, this weekend. Enjoy!

• Yep, things do indeed happen FAST in Hollywood. “Catch And Release”, the film in which Kevin was JUST cast, has just started principal photography with Jennifer Garner. The Columbia Pictures romantic comedy was written and is being directed by Susannah Grant. Garner plays a woman facing the sudden death of her husband and the secrets he kept from her. Timothy Olyphant stars along with Jen and Kevin. Coming Soon reports:

• The complete video clips from Kevin’s CNN Showbiz Tonight appearance last week are now available in one tidy little 26 megabyte MPEG file. Watch Kevin rap about the Britney pregnancy, chat with Ryan Reynolds, cause network havoc with the term “golden showers” (has to be a CNN first)…oh…and pimp the new book, too. Another instant classic. Don’t leave the site today without peeping it for yourself.

• Fantastic news on Kevin’s latest published work, “Silent Bob Speaks”. The book has sold out almost immediately upon release, and Miramax has gone back to press for another printing. Kevin’s here with the news (and to thank all of you loyal fans who nabbed copies from the site):

• MTV.com reports:

• Jersey Girl’s Raquel Castro has been cast in an upcoming epsiode of the popular NBC drama “Law and Order: SVU”. Filming starts tomorrow. She’s the main character in a heavy duty storyline, and will get second billing as guest star for the episode. We hear she’ll don a wig for the role.
• Kevin is featured (and quoted!) in this Jam! article discussing the popularity of comics in Hollywood these days. Some clippage ahead:

The article features quite the list of films on the way with comic influences at its tail end. Check ‘er out at the Canoe site.

• Two small tidbits from movie supersite Dark Horizons today. First off, a small rehash of the “Catch and Release” news from Kevin (nothing new there). The site also reveals that Affleck’s looking for 2 actors to cast in “Gone Baby Gone”, his upcoming directorial debut.
• Cinematical ran a small promo for our big Mallrats screening later this month. Yes, it’s going to have a huge cast reunion. If you don’t have a seat yet, click the link at the top of this page. You can’t miss this one. It only happens once.

• Yes, yes you do. Not only is it for an EXCELLENT cause (School’s Fine Arts Program), but check out the amazingly impressive lineup of readers. You can be assured that if these two webmasters were on the west coast, 2 of these 5 tickets would already be spoken for. Heck, we’d pay it just to see if McShane might utter the c-word. Here’s Kevin:

They may already be gone, so we suggest HIGHLY that you email with your WWWBoard name immediately should you have any interest in attending.

• Bold Films is producing the directorial debut of “Chasing Amy”’s Joey Lauren Adams, entitled “Come Early Morning.” The film, which will star Ashley Judd, is set to start production April 26 in Little Rock,Arkansas. That reminds me, Joey made a great point during the Amy Q&A about just how much an impact the film has had on her life and career, considering it’s always the film she is remembered for in print. Cool.
• JoBlo has their say on the “Catch And Release” news HERE. Moviehole has also run a blurb.
• Small, but on topic: On the radio station Classic Rock 96.9 FM in Fredericksburg, VA one of their DJs, Dr. Henley Smythe, does a game every night around 6:30 called the “Mystery Voice” where he plays a sound clip from a movie or TV show and gives a prize to the first caller who correctly identifies the actor speaking in the clip. Last night the clip he played was Affleck saying “I’m just having a little girl trouble” in “Chasing Amy”.