• We’ve got a really nice treat for you today, folks. Kevin’s interview with Tom Cruise which appeared in Areana magazine in the UK. This one’s now available right here for your reading pleasure, and boy, is it ever a fun one. These are the best scans we’ve got, and we realize they’re at an angle and a bit tricky to read, but we figured you’d enjoy it all the same. You’ll learn a lot, including the fact that Tom’s a View Askew fan (at least he knew who “Silent Bob” was), lived in Jersey a bit, and yes, even you, fine web readers, play into it in one question…So be ready for 5 full pages, in the way only Kevin and Arena can bring them to us. Enjoy!

• The web comic “Penny Arcade” must be one of the most popular out there, as we got near-record number scoop submissions on this one. Today’s edition is titled “Channeling Kevin Smith” and presents a Smith-esque bit of dialogue on monster hunter Van Helsing.
• In the new ‘Trivial Pirsuit DVD Pop Culture Edition’ there is a question in the movie category:

The obvious answer, of course? ‘Bluntman & Chronic.’

• And finally today, here’s an odd one for ya: The Ben Affleck Guide to Breakdancing. Listen to this clip and more from the Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show.

DOWNLOAD THE QUICKTIME TRAILER HERE!!!

• Kevin’s interview with Tom Cruise has been published in Arena magazine in the UK. We hear it’s a wonderful piece, so if anyone’s got a copy or a scan they can send us, we’d love to read it and share it with the rest of our loyal readers. Please let us know!
• DVD Answers reviews the Region 2 Mallrats DVD…Though the text seems awfully flattering, those final numbers seem a tad low…
• Clerks’ “Berserker” ranks as the #8 Singalong Song in movies according to the Film Frat website. Joey gets Honorable Mention for her “Alive” performance in “Chasing Amy”.
• And finally today, a few bits from The Looney Bin’s “New Year’s Resolutions” column, where comic book celebs were asked their 2004 vows.
  Here’s what Kevin said:

• Just spotted on Amazon today — Looks like Miramax Books will collect Kevin’s excellent “Just Another Opinionated Asshole” series of columns for the UK’s Arena magazine in a paperback novel due in August. First off, let’s suggest you wait to preorder this, as we can almost promise that the Stash will be selling signed copies. No more details at this time, though we can only imagine the book will contain never before seen and read stuff, and a new foreward. We’ll keep ya posted.

• View Askew Button Sets are now available at the Stash at incredible bargain prices, $5.99 or less for a COMPLETE SET! Grab yourself a set for each of the 5 films as well as a generic View Askew button set. These high-quality metal buttons come on themed cardboard backing and measure 1” inch each. Heavy duty metal pin backing makes these perfect for affixing to almost any pinable surface. Go get ‘em!
• Some more great news for you UK Askewers: Columbia Tristar apparently have “An Evening with Kevin Smith” on their Region 2 UK release schedule. The set is currently down for an April 5th 2004, release. This has not been officially confirmed but a very good possibility. We expect the disc will be the same as the Region 1 version, but, of course, playable on your UK Region 2 players. Thanks to UKAskew!
• The Anecdotaage website summarizes funny stories told by famous people from history. Kevin’s got a few of his summarized there, mostly from the “Evening With” disc…But you may wanna surf over and check them or the site out, anyway.
• Affleck was interviewed on BBC Radio 5Live to promote “Paycheck”, though the interviewer was obviously a fan of Ben’s View Askew work. The full interview can be heard right HERE.
• Want more Affleck? Sure ya do! Check out this clipping from an interview he did with Ocean Drive Magazine:

The full piece, mostly promoting “Paycheck”, runs in their January issue.

• Comics Continuum has a preview of Brian Lynch’s Spidey book, which hits shelves tomorrow. Check out the cover here, and read reviews from The Fourth Rail HERE. Lynch’s is the second story in the book. Here’s a sampling:

• A web comic called Theater Hopper is offering a sketch of two of the main characters done up like Brodie and Willam as an incentive for voting for their comic on buzzComix. Surf on over and have yourself a look!
• Check out a new Jason Lee interview at SBC Skateboard online. It’s mostly about skating stuff, but there’s a few bits about his upcoming movie projects and plans as well.

• Plans are starting to firm up for the opening of the west coast “Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash”. We imagine it’ll be the premier place to get your comics and toys, and of course feature a ton of one-of-a-kind props from View Askew history. Kevin’s recently stated the following: The aim is for the shop to open up in Westwood, around Fall of this year (2004). There would DEFINITELY be a Stash Bash held to celebrate the shop’s opening, perhaps even an early preview before they open to the public. We’ll keep you posted on this very exciting developing story!

• We’re happy to report that Bravo has indeed picked up Project Greenlight for a third season. This year, they’ll again be awarding both a director and a screenwriter with the prize. Good stuff. While it’ll be a shame to watch a censored and Chris Moore-less show on Bravo, we’ll still be there for every minute, and hope that this year’s project proves a little more fruitful at the box office. Visit the Greenlight website for all the info, and get some entries in there! We’d love nothing more than to see a loyal News Askew reader in the contest. Good luck!

• Matt Miller’s new book, “The Dueling Personas of Kevin Smith”, is the first book to be published directly by View Askew Books, and is now available at the Stash for just $9.95. This excellent book started out as a thesis paper by Matthew Miller written while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Film at Emory College. Today Matt teaches film at Oxford College and adds to his credits The Dueling Personas of Kevin Smith. Kev says, “This is an academic text. Pretty insightful, fascinating stuff. Not always flattering (or correct), but insanely original and well-thought-out. I recommend it. Big time.”
• You may have missed this unless you frequent the TalkBacks area, but Kevin posted a link to a newly updated preview of the Jay & Bob Strike Back documentary that’s going to appear on the Clerks anniversary DVD later this year. It looks like the doc, which will run around 3 hours in length, has a title as well: “Oh, What A Lovely Tea Party…” (which fans may remember was the capping line in the internet only trailer for the film from a couple years back). It’s a big file, so be patient, especially if you’re dialing in, and ENJOY! The file was edited by Mattt Potter, who’s currently putting the finishing touches on the product.
• They were on eBay in limited quantities a while back, but now you can get those wonderful Daredevil “Digital Comic Books” on DVD via a link on the creators’, Sock Puppet Studios, website. The disc features all 8 chapters of Kevin’s acclaimed “Guardian Devil” storyline for Marvel, character histories, and much more. It’s in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. A must for any fan, and a bargain at just $14.99.
• Shane West gives Mallrats a nod in a Cinecon article asking celebrities which super power they’d like most:

• The first season of IFC’s Dinner For Five (including the Joey Lauren Adams episode) are out on DVD. You can only get these DVDs if you’re a member of the Netflix rental service, they’re not in stores.
• Jay & Silent Bob show up as “Magic: The Gathering” cards in these custom-made samples. You may recall that Walt & Steve-Dave play the game in the cut opening scene of Chasing Amy.
• Kevin gets a mention in Variety’s review of the new “Down and Dirty Pictures” book:

• And finally today, sit tight, because Kevin’s BIG NEWS is coming in just under TWO WEEKS…

• At the end of Entertainment Tonight, they run an “ET Birthdays” segement with a trivia question surrounding the birthday of the moment. Earlier this week, they asked:

Joey was the answer, and revealed to be 33 years old earlier this week. Happy Birthday, Joey!

• Apparently, Columbia has decided to capitalize on the theatrical release of Kevin’s “Jersey Girl” by bringing their own 1992-named film of the same name to DVD. It streets on March 30th (coincidence? We think not). Interestingly enough, Columbia is the same studio that backed “Gigli”. We suppose they’re hoping that uninformed customers may mistakenly ask for the film at their local video store after seeing ads for Kevin’s version. We can’t help but have a feeling that folks who rent the 1992 film will be very disappointed.
• And finally today, Marvel Comics is now shipping “Spider-Man Unlimited #1”, which features a story from View Askew’s Brian Lynch. We’ve got some inside track on the Big Helium Dog DVD from Lynch, which we’re hoping to get the OK to reveal later this week. Until then!