• There are SO many screening reports coming in, both from the new California test screenings to all of the press screenings happening all over the place…We’re starting to feel like the only people left who HAVEN’T seen the flick yet! Anyway, lots of fans of the site have been lucky enough to catch “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”, so naturally we’re getting a ton of reports and info on upcoming screenings. One report stated that about 80% of the audience at the last screening must have been View Askew fans, as inside jokes and references to the other films got some big laughs. Definitely seems like a lot of you on the west coast are finding your way into these things! In fact, rumor has it that the Century City screening got overrun with so many fans outside wanting to get in, at least 100 folks were left outside, some of them even ticket holders (though they ARE always distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, as they are free of charge).

We welcome your reviews of the film, and will be posting some viewpoints on the film, likely over at the Scooping The Monkey website. We’ve also got a HUGE cast list update from Joe above, which has been posted over at STM. TONS of character names can now be revealed, though if you want to avoid spoilers, you may want to skip it. It’s up to you. If you want to know details about characters played by the likes of Shannen Doherty, Judd Nelson, and others, this is the place to go. Even Harley Quinn’s role is revealed (though it IS a spoiler in itself). Also, it’s again been confirmed that Alanis Morissette and Adam Corolla are not in the film anywhere (though did anyone get a chance to see if we could be spotted shopping around in the background of the Quick Stop? Anyone anyone?).

Even MORE reviews (2 new POSITIVE ones, one with spoilers, one without) appear at the excellent Dark Horizons today (as part of the Thursday update). Check those out as well. One of the most interesting things there is the fact that there were no introductions or scorecards to fill out. It seems these screenings were mainly for the purposes of the press but the public is also getting in to fill the seats. It may also be possible that Dimension is judging how much promotion to do, and how to work a release strategy. Guess we’ll know soon enough.

Anyway, surf over to Scooping The Money for the latest updates on J&SBSB. It’s already HUGE in size and information and the movie is still two months off. Wow. Certainly not a dull moment around here these days.

• We’ve got a bunch of scans regarding all the stuff we mentioned yesterday, especially important for those of you undecided on items you might want to purchase. The visual always helps. First, we’ve got that scan touting “Kevin Smith’s Next Comics” with the big Spiderman/Daredevil crossover announcement! Here’s the text:

There’s also a pic about next month’s Kevin Special Edition, finally showing the fabled “Kevin Smith Bumper Sticker” that we’ve been hearing about (it comes free in the issue). Finally, two scans of the “Berseker” shirt that Jay wears in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, soon available for sale everywhere! For those of you that mocked my spelling in the talkbacks yesterday, take note of the spelling on the shirt (which I consider to be correct) and the mistaken spelling in the ad itself! A-ha! Anyway, these scans give you a nice look at all the way cool stuff that Wizard, Previews, and the Stash have arriving this summer. It’s a Jay & Bob media blitz, folks! Gonna be a busy summer…

Finally, from their Wizard #141 preview:

Sounds like that one’s not to be missed! Surf HERE for the full preview and look at the Spiderman/Daredevil cover art or click above.

• Alright folks, we’ve kept them a secret long enough…Plus the solution is making the rounds on the web and the WWWBoard, so swipe below if you’d like to know exactly how to access 2 fun hidden scenes located on the Dogma Special Edition DVDs:

Those are definitely confirmed as the only two easter eggs on the disc…Most everything else (including the “Don’t Play Movie” stuff and the Stash Spot) are intended as available features. Thanks also to DVD Review for running the story today.

• Well, looks like schedules got changed, sorry we didn’t have this news for ya sooner – Brian O’Halloran ended up being on Edge 102 in Toronto today. Dean (the morning show host) mentioned Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. Brian plugged Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and said it was to be out on August 24th. He also mentioned Vulgar’s upcoming release. The good news is that we’ll have an online version of the appearance encoded for ya soon. Watch for it.
• A recently discovered online video created by actor Seth Green features an appearance by the Jay and Silent Bob action figures. The film is the first in a new web series that’s gonna start this fall. You can view it at www.screenblast.com. The menu screen doesn’t load until after a short Flash movie though, so give it a few moments.
• Finally today, and this is a big one – Ande Parks is auctioning off a VERY unqiue collector’s item on Ebay – The only remaining original spread from Green Arrow #1! Kevin owns ALL the other original pages from this issue, so this one’s really rare. Here’s what Ande had to say about it:

A great two-page spread from what may be the hottest comic of the year, Green Arrow #1, written by Kevin Smith. This issue sold out before it even shipped, and is now on its third printing. Kevin Smith owns every page of this issue, except for this spread… so do not expect to ever see other published pages for sale. This is a truly unique item.

As you can see below, the pages depict Green arrow laid out at his own gravesite. This spread differs from what actually saw print. After this artwork was produced, an editorial change was made, and the image was reduced a single page spread by DC’s production department using stat. While the single page stat was used to print the book, THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK. It is being offered here with NO RESERVE!

The pages are in excellent condition. They are taped together on the back. Together, they measure about 16×20.

We usually don’t mention ebay auctions, but this one’s a special one, AND the artists are donating ten percent of the proceeds of this sale to The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Good luck, and happy bidding.

• Wow, check this out. Two BIG new items (especially the hardcover, which sounds like a MUST HAVE ITEM) in the latest issue of Previews this week. Check out the details, and get those credit cards ready…

BLUNTMAN & CHRONIC LTD. ED. HARDCOVER BOOK

By Kevin Smith, Michael Avon Oeming & Mike Allred

Jay & Silent Bob hit the big time with both a movie and the new Bluntman & Chronic Limited Edition Hardcover Book. Written by Kevin Smith with art by Michael Avon Oeming with Pat Garrahy, this 96 page book features a new sixty-six page adventure of the Somnobulic Duo. Also included for the first time ever in color, is the 16 page dynamic adventure by Mike Allred from Oni Double Feature #12. All in color and perfect for the discriminating library. Limited to an edition size of 2500, each book will feature a sequentially numbered signature page signed by Oeming and Allred. Features a full color dustjacket, smyth-sewn hardcover binding with debossed cover, special endpages and lots of heroic hijinks. It’s no wonder Hollywood signed these boys up for a long-term deal. Quantities are limited with orders subject to allocations based upon orders received. $59.95

The second item is yet another shirt worn in the flick, as has become customary with View Askew:

Also, there’s a small blurb for the next issue of Wizard (with a Joe Quesada drawn pic of Daredevil & Green Arrow for the cover) that says “Kevin Smith’s Next Books” over a pic of SPIDERMAN! Look for a scan soon!

• Sounds like Kevin and Jay were back in character yesterday for the Stroke 9 “Kick Some Ass” video shoot in New Jersey! Greg from the band posted this diary entry and also checked in with us here at the site today. He hopes to have some pics from the shoot online soon. Here’s Greg:

Like “Can’t Even Tell” and “Build Me Up, Buttercup” before them, this one will complete the View Askew video trilogy. We’re looking forward to seeing it all over the music channels.

• Sure, the DVD is arriving next month, but there’s nothing like catching a flick on the big screen. Vincent Pereira is booked to screen his flick, “A Better Place”, and do the usual Q&A and autograph session (so bring those DVDs!) at theUniversity of North Carolina, Charlotte, on September 27th. It’s free for UNCC students and $3 for the general public. Can’t beat that price! The fun happens at 7 PM in Mcknight Hall, on the 3rd floor of the Cone University Center. Surf HERE (704)687-2450 if you have any more questions. Mark those calendars!

• JoBlo has added a new unofficial Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back screensaver. We’re adding the file to our Files Askew area if you’d like to give it a try. Kevin Karstens is the dude who created this one.
• For those in the UK who are importing the Dogma SE and disappointed that the trailer is not the original one with the original score, a DVD magazine (Total Movie) this month has a free DVD on the front which has the Dogma trailer with the original music on it. Because Film Four released the film, the start of the trailer has Matt Damon’s voice over a black screen (where the Lions Gate logo appeared) and the end credits also have a black background where you can still hear the triplets “slash” reality. Sounds a bit closer to what was originally out there.
• Comic Book Galaxy has a new interview with Michael Avon Oeming, Bluntman & Chronic artist, where he talks a bit about his upcoming projects including that very book…Including the fact that he drew tons of penises for the book. Scary. Consider yourself officially warned! Oemig also appears in an article posted HERE at Brian Michael Bendis’ Comics Community message board.
• Jay and Silent Bob make the poll at MyVideoStore running through next Tuesday. Stop by and cast your vote!

• Well, suddenly that counter’s past 6 MILLION already! The site is going nuts lately, thanks to lots of plugs from other sites, word of mouth, and of course the trailers and the new film arriving this August. Over the past 4 years, we’ve been growing at a geometric rate, and we’d again like to say thanks to everyone for sticking with us, for passing the word on about the site to others, for the constant support, for sending in the scoops, and for continung the tradition of proving that View Askew fans are some of the best in the movie biz. Thanks again, everyone, for keeping the site going. We’re happy to have spent another million hits with ya, and look forward to the next bunch.

Today we’re also implementing some bugfixes in the Talkback system, with MUCH thanks to Dave Moore for his help. Hopefully, these changes will keep the Talkbacks from acting funny and crashing under heavy posts and large numbers. We’ll be attempting to squash some bugs here at the site to make your stay more pleasurable. If anything seems majorly wrong, let us know and we’ll get to it ASAP.

Finally, (and I recall someone offering these services, though I lost your mail), we’re looking for some experts out there in the latest Quicktime compression (and otherwise)…It would be nice to post some compressed MPEGs or MOV files of all the video that’s been coming our way lately. So, if you know the tricks on this, drop Chris a line with some tips. We’re looking for info and tips, not for someone to do the encoding for us. Just a way to present some smaller clips that those of you with slower modems can download without much hassle.

Alright then, let’s get on with today’s chunk ‘o news…

• Well here’s some interesting news…We’re receiving reports that Buena Vista is moving their film “Bubble Boy” to a release date of August 24th. With Disney running BV and Dimension, who are of course releasing Jay & Silent Bob Strike back on that date, this is a bit of a confusing move. We’re not sure if that’s just a tentative move, but with the Eliza Dushku thriller Soul Survivors moving into September, before this move, Jay & Silent Bob OWNED August 24th. Hopefully this change doesn’t mean another date switch.

Our advice? Two comedies on one weekend don’t mix well, even though the subject matter is different. Move Bubble Boy to early Fall, give Jay & Bob their own weekend, plug the hell out of it with theatrical one-sheets, a wide released trailer, and some major network commercial time. With that cast, it just can’t lose. Good luck, everyone! Here’s hoping we’ll see a BIG marketing push from Dimension real soon.