• Attention, Facebook recruits! If you ran over to Facebook to join up with Kevin’s new site, you might need to move to his new location. The original account was a lower level that permitted only 5,000 friends, which of course Kevin had in no time. So, move your butt over to the new location with unlimited accounts, as the original one will be closing up shortly. We do apologize for any inconvenience.
• Kevin called into KROQ radio’s “Kevin and Bean” morning show on Monday to discuss the writers’ strike. Podbean now hosts podcast (MP3) versions of the program, so the call-in can be heard at their library. It’s the show dated November 6th, 2007. The site allows you to download or stream. Kevin’s appearance is mentioned in the loglines for that day.

• Stash West returns to California in mere days, as part of the great Laser Blazer DVD store in LA. Certainly sounds like a match made in heaven to us — Now, a one-stop shop for your comics, Askew goodies, and the latest DVD releases. Wow. Kevin says:

  
  We’re re-opening Nov. 19th at our new location!

  Anyone who’s read “My Boring-Ass Life” knows that I’m a big, fat DVD junkie, and that my pusher is Ron, who runs Laser Blazer – the best DVD store in Los Angeles (if not the world). As you might’ve read in the last big blog entry, rather than see us close up shop on the West Coast, someone offered the Secret Stash West a new home. That someone was Ron. That home is inside Laser Blazer.

  So for the last two weeks or so, Ron’s been pulling out all the stops, demolishing a large section of his store to make room for the Stash…

  
  We’re betting they’ll plan something very special for fans kind enough to attend the grand opening — Watch this site for details on what’s to come, in just a bit over 2 short weeks. It’ll be the perfect chance to pick up some Christmas gifts for you and yours. Congrats to Stash West on the new location!


More on Kevin’s week over at the Myspace blog. This week, he reveals he’ll once again (alas) miss the chance to direct an episode of the awesome “Battlestar Galactica” due to the “Zack and Miri Make A Porno” shooting schedule. The Pittsburgh production office is now officially open, so let the production talk begin! No confirmed casting yet, though we can bet the floodgates are going to open any day now — Not just with the two leads, but some nice supporting roles as well. The guys manage to do very well with the faces in the flicks, we’re expecting some pleasant surprises.

Myspace friends – Check out Kevin’s new Facebook account. Spread the word! For the uninitiated, Facebook is the new contender to Myspace — Pretty much the same services, just gaining popularity.

• SModcast returns with another new episode today — Writer’s strikes be damned! Kevin returns with special guest Jason Mewes for a Jay & Bob-cast, another near-hour of entertainment and musings. While it’s unsure on what the schedule will become when “Zack and Miri” kicks into full gear, it’s nice to see Kevin keeping with the scheduile, the best reason to look forward to Mondays every week. This edition:

  
  SModcast 36: I’ll Stop the World and Melt with Mewes –

  In which a pair of relics from mid-90’s pop culture talk about getting old and boring, examine the conditions under which sexual congress with the breathing challenged might be acceptable, discuss the alternative brances of a family tree, and take “Paper or plastic?”to a whole new level.

  
  Note – SModcasts that have started airing on XM during the weekends have, for some reason, had some or all of the music contained in them removed. We assume this may be a rights issue. Next episode brings us SModcast #37, which we can’t help but think will have some sort of significance and surprises.

• Props come in today from a fan who enjoyed Malc’s “Small Town, Gay Bar” via the new Netflix streaming media player — The quality’s as good as getting the DVD, but immediate and direct to your PC as a Netflix subscriber. Check out the technology, and Malcs acclaimed documentary, today!
• We’re big Jason Lee fans around here, so we’re always happy to report new film work for the guy — Especially this latest one, “The Other Side”, which looks to be a fantasy film for adults , a big change from all that kid-friendly fare he’s been doing lately. The loglines, cast, and fantasy nature have us intrigued. We’ll keep you posted on the latest updates.
• Speaking of stuff to watch DVD, check out the funny turn by our own Jason Mewes in “The Tripper”, now in stores for rental or purchase. The horror/comedy marks the directorial debut of David Arquette, and the first in a recent string of genre turns for Mewes.

• What’s Kevin have to say about the “Heroes: Origins” cancellation? This simple line:

  
  May be temporary, may be permanent. Either way, I’ve still got three quarters of a script done (we weren’t gonna be shooting ’til March), so if they decide game on at a later date, I’ll be ready.

  
  We’re betting the story will see the light of day, eventually, somehow. Even if it’s only in a NBC-funded comic form. We’ll keep you posted on the project, of course.


• If you’re missing the coolest new show of the season, now is the time to catch up! “Reaper” has now been made available for purchase and download this week on iTunes. All episodes so far are now up there, including Kevin’s and the 5 subsequent episodes. The show’s starting to run its larger arc now, with some interesting subplots carrying over each week. Now’s the time to get on board if you’re not already watching.
• A slight correction to our Alanis newsbite from last update — In regards to your recent post about Alanis. After J&SBSB and Dogma, she did appear in one more film. While dating Ryan Reynolds, she had a role in his movie “Just Friends”. Oddly enough, that movie takes place in Jersey. Enjoy your weekend. We’ll check back in with any breaking news.

• “Heroes: Origins”, the late Spring spinoff of “Heroes” that was scheduled for NBC, has been shelved. Kevin was set to write and direct the debut episode of the program. Speculation on the “why” is spreading — While still a hit, Season 2 of the program isn’t off to the boffo ratings they predicted. We’re betting the show will find its legs as the season goes on. Audiences are just impatient. Once the season’s main plot starts to materialize, we’re sure that those who were spouting the hate will recant. That being said, the bigger factor here may be the writing strikes, which went into effect today.

While studios have a lot of ducks in a row regarding film, as the article we ran yesterday shows, TV audiences are going to see a major effect of these strikes in just a few months. If the strike holds, most networks are going to run out of original scripted programming by January. Yep, that’s right, it will be a reality-filled back half of the season unless they work this stuff out. Writers are asking for a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to DVD sales of their product, among other concessions.

“Heroes” had originally planned to avoid the long break that hurt ratings last year by airing less reruns, and ending the season short. With this writing lull, they’ll likely need to take another extended break this Winter, thus the episodes will finish up in May, or even June. This doesn’t leave any room to run “Origins” in late Spring (April, and May sweeps) as they originally hoped. While a summer debut COULD have worked, something this big would be better saved for more certain times. We’re betting sometime in Season 3.

Check out these spots for more : Ain’t It Cool News, Variety, Yahoo/Hollywood Reporter, /film.

• More fuel to the speculation regarding a title change for the new flick came today, when Variety called it “Zach and Miri” in their article running down all the films that have been greenlit (some in very short order) to get them in the pipeline pre-strike. IMDB has been running a similar title. So what’s the deal? Here’s what we know and think.

  Kevin mentioned that he was “on it” when a board user recently pointed out the title change at IMDB. Could the word “Porno” be a bit too edgy in today’s film world? While we can see that it would raise eyebrows, this is a R-rated raunchy comedy we’re talking about here — Certainly not any more taboo than using the word “Virgin” in the title of a very recent blockbuster. Heck, around 20 years ago studios released a flick called “Whore”. So, we expect and hope that the title will stick. As for the whole Zack/Zach thing, with the double spelling, it could go either way. Kevin’s early drafts used the K version, though we noticed that both zackandmiri.com as well as zachandmiri.com were purchased for online use a few months back. So, we’ll see. We’re hoping for good news with the title, as just the names don’t sell it as well. At least, in our opinion. Sure, the movie will still be the same movie, but we think “Zack And Miri Make A Porno” immediately lends itself a lot of press and notice. Never a bad thing.

  So, the writer’s strike continues to make stuff interesting — With the news that a new X-Files movie will debut this Spring, this writing strike has all kinds of crazy stuff going on, doesn’t it? We’ll keep you posted on the View Askew world and what, if any, the strike will change. So far, business as usual.

• Kevin calls into NPR program “The Bryant Park Project” for a very positive interview to talk up the new book. They say:

  
  The writer, director, actor and comics lover talks up his best-selling new book, My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith.

  “Believe me, there are people who don’t enjoy me or the minutiae of my life,” says the creative force behind Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy. “I’ve dealt with them on the Internet quite a lot.”

  Listen to Smith’s interview here, then check out his site at Viewaskew.com.

  
  The link’s a bit hard to see, so just look for the “Listen” icon at the top of the NPR page. The interview is all book-focused and runs around 9 minutes in total. The interviewer even reads right from the book, which we loved. You’ll also learn where the “uncomfortably candid” came from. Part II is on the way tomorrow – We’ll let you know when and where to find it.

• Our resident man on the street comes in with a new interview with another of the ancillary Crew Askew today — Film composer Ryan Shore did the score for “Vulgar”, as well as orchestrating the music in “Dogma” for his legendary uncle, Howard Shore. He’s also worked on “Cop Land”, “Analyze This”, “Harvard Man”, and the upcoming horror film, “The Girl Next Door” based on the novel by Jack Ketchum and “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer”, starring Robert Englund. While it’s a fairly small involvement with the works of Askew, it’s interesting to hear the backstory of his involvement with those two flicks.

  
  AN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN SHORE

  BY CHRIS GRAVES

  Chris Graves: For those who do not know, what is your background? When did you first get involved in music?

  Ryan Shore: I was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to Florida when I was 3 years old. I starting learning music and the saxophone when I was 11 years old in middle school, and then in high school I also took up the piano, clarinet and flute. In addition to playing, I also had a great interest in all aspects of music — composing, arranging, orchestrating, conducting, music theory, etc. — and so I pursued private lessons and summer studies for all aspects throughout high school. After graduating high school, I moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music where I majored in film composing. When I graduated, I moved to New York City to begin my career.

  CG: Did your uncle, composer Howard Shore, play a significant role in your early career plans?

  RS: When I was growing up and getting into music, I was definitely aware of and inspired by my uncle Howard. He gave me a keyboard for my 13th birthday, and then later suggested going to Berklee for college. After graduating, he offered me one day of employment, which turned into four years, and I worked with him on all of his projects during that period. He definitely played a significant role in my early career plans.

  CG: How were you introduced to the world of View Askew and Kevin Smith?

  RS: My first introduction to View Askew was around 1997. A friend of mine was making a movie, and he set up a meeting with Scott Mosier to ask for advice. My friend asked if I would come to the meeting as well, so that was my first introduction to View Askew. A few years later, in 1999, I co-orchestrated Howard’s score for “Dogma”, which is where I met Scott again and Kevin.

  CG: You attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. What was the Boston experience like for you?

  RS: I loved Boston, and it was a great place to go to for college. Berklee is an amazing and unique place. There are so many talented students and teachers that I learned from, and being submersed in a music environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week was an incredible time. To me, geographically speaking, the fact that Berklee is located in the city of Boston was almost a side note, since I spent almost all of my time inside the school — in the rehearsal rooms, classrooms, studios, performance halls, dorms, etc. It’s almost as though those few city blocks that Berklee is on could have been on an island in the middle of the ocean, and I would have had a pretty similar experience. I loved it.

  CG: How did you become involved with Dogma? What were your thoughts on the controversy surrounding the film?

  RS: Prior to working on “Dogma”, I had been working with Howard on all his projects for about three years (“CopLand”, “The Game”, “Gloria”, “eXistenZ”, “Analyze This”, and others.). I became involved with “Dogma” when Howard asked me if I would co-orchestrate his score with him. I was aware of the controversy, but was mostly watching from the sidelines. I was really happy to see it have the proper release that it had.

  CG: You produced the music for the Saturday Night Live Studios theatrical logo. How did this come about?

  RS: Howard composed the music for it and asked me if I would produce the recordings. In addition to producing, I also performed most of the instruments on it. It first premiered on the film “Superstar”.

  CG: Can you tell me about your relationship with Elmer Bernstein and the Elmer Bernstein Scoring Award?

  RS: Elmer was a great supporter of mine and it was truly an honor to have known him before he passed. I first met him at the 2001 Woodstock Film Festival where a film I scored called “Cadaverous” was premiering. I knew that Elmer had an award in his name at the festival, and he was also going to be giving a masterclass as well. The masterclass and the award ceremony were both on the last day of the festival. On that day in the afternoon, I attended the masterclass and I introduced myself to him. He was very nice and cordial, but he didn’t give any indication that he had heard of the film I scored or recollected my name from the submissions. So after meeting him, I was a hundred percent certain that there was no way I would be winning the award later that night. Then during the ceremony, after he stated what his criteria was for his judging, and just before he gave the award he said “…and the winner is going to know I can keep a secret”, and then he gave the award to me. It was one of the biggest honors I have ever received — being recognized by one of the greats in the industry, and by someone for whom I have so much respect. I will always remember and appreciate it because in a business which is filled with so much rejection and one which can have all it’s ups and downs, it’s very inspiring to have the support of someone for whom I have so much admiration and from whom I’ve learned so much. We kept in touch until his passing, and he used to tell me, “…if you are ever up for a job, and you need a recommendation, feel free to have them call me”. He was a true inspiration for me.

  CG: How did you become involved with Vulgar? What was your first reaction to the film’s content?

  RS: After completing “Dogma”, Kevin, Scott and Monica Hampton told me about the film “Vulgar”, which they were making, and asked me if I would be interested in scoring it. Bryan Johnson, Scott, Monica and I sat down at their offices to watch the film together and talk about the music. My first reaction to the film was that it felt like the antagonists (the Fanelli family) were legitimately intimidating, however, Bryan, Scott and Monica were really laughing at everything. So I knew from that moment that although things seemed frightening on camera, the reaction that they wanted was for people to ultimately laugh, but in a very dark comedic way. We approached the music with a jazz score, which would provide a license to laugh, but a dark jazz score in order to tailor to the arc of the film and of Brian O’Halloran’s character.

  CG: What were your experiences like on the movies Cop Land, Ransom, and Analyze This?

  RS: Copland was the first studio film which I worked on, so it was very exciting to be part of it and see a score progress from the beginning of the process to the end. Howard wrote great music for Ransom and it was fantastic to hear the orchestra play it during all the recording sessions. I had a great time on Analyze This. Orchestrating music while watching Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal work together on the screen was inspiring. That was also the first studio film which I orchestrated for, so it was especially exciting to be a part of it.

  CG: Have you ever been in any bands or musical groups?

  RS: I played saxophone with Matchbox Twenty in their horn section on tour for the “Mad Season” album. We played on David Letterman for a special street performance, which was a lot of fun. I’ve also performed with Natalie Cole, Oleta Adams, Clark Terry, Gerry Muligan, The Uptown Horns, Bob Brookmeyer’s Big Band, and some other artists.

  CG: Do you have any new projects coming up?

  RS: I have 5 films coming up: “Numb”, a romantic comedy starring Matthew Perry and Mary Steenburgen; “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer”, a horror/comedy starring Robert Englund, which I recorded and conducted with the 91-piece Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; “Shadows”, a supernatural drama written and directed by Milcho Manchevski (Milcho’s prior film “Before the Rain” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film); “The Girl Next Door” based on the best selling period novel by Jack Ketchum; and “Made for Each Other”, a comedy starring Bijou Phillips, Danny Masterson and Patrick Warburton.

  CG: What is your favorite View Askew / Kevin Smith flick (Dogma / Vulgar excluded)?

  RS: “Chasing Amy”

  CG: And finally, do you still keep in contact with anyone from View Askew?

  RS: I speak to Scott Mosier and Monica Hampton on occasion, and I bumped into Kevin and Bryan (Johnson) not too long ago.

  
  As always, a fine job by Chris with the Q and of course, much thanks to Ryan for the A. More Graves interviews coming soon!