• With the theatrical release of a View Askew flick, which normally results in the culmination of over a year’s of work and News Askew updates, many fans wonder what’s to come now that the movie has hit theaters. So, let’s take a look at what we’re expecting as we roll into 2009, and what’s ahead for Kevin Smith and View Askew Productions.

  
  During his Red Bank appearance last week, Kevin revealed that he’ll be taking a bit of a break of the next six months — While we’ll certainly see him online in various areas, overall appearances and events will be kept at a minimum, as he takes a post-Zack & Miri break. However, the term “break” is really all relative when you look at what’s coming up.

  “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” will continue to play North American theaters and then expand worldwide over various release dates. We’ll keep you posted on those dates, and of course an eventual DVD release date, here. As always, the gang put in a TON of work pre-movie to ensure a jam packed DVD, so when that thing eventually shows up next year, there will be a massive documentary and tons more.

  “Batman: Cacophony” features three issues, #1 of which is now available. Issues 2 and 3 are “in the can” per se and will arrive on schedule for the remainder of this year. No other comic-related announcements from Kevin at this time.

  Watch the News Askew events sidebar on your right, as we’re posting up information on when Kevin and your other favorite View Askew personalities are coming to your town.

  Online, Kevin and Scott Mosier will continue to produce weekly editions of SModcast. The popular podcast shows no signs of slowing down, as Kevin recently revealed it’s an excellent time to just hang out with his good friend Scott and spend an hour yakking. We’re just lucky enough to listen in.

  Funding for “Red State” will happen though is not yet 100% complete. Production is planned to start in mid-2009 but nothing official as of yet. Kevin feels strongly that this should be his next project, a 180 degree turn from anything that’s come from him before.

  Online updates via the WWWBoard, Kevin’s blog site and Myspace/Facebook pages will likely continue as well. These, along with News Askew, will be your sources for the latest announcements from View Askew Productions. Stay tuned, things will be calm for a bit, but we speak from experience: It never stays that way for long.

• High-Def Digest confirms that “Clerks II” will arrive on Bluray on February 10, 2009. The title was previously available in the now dead HD-DVD format. During a recent Q&A, Kevin joked that the orignal “Clerks” would look “even worse” on Bluray, so from what we’re seeing no plans for that one to show up in a high definition format just yet. Thanks to High Def Digest for the story, which does not speculate on any extras (though we’re guessing the same extras on previous releases of the film, but nothing new).
• Concidentally, DVD Talk is speculating on a February 10th DVD bow for “Zack And Miri” as well, though we think that is just due to the Clerks II Bluray. Chalk it up only as a rumor for now, until we can get something more official for ya.

• We’re not sure where this poster is being used in print (as this Canman article implies), but Kevin is now using this wonderful one-sheet for “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” on his Myspace profile as well. We love it. And we certainly do agree that confusion over the title and marketing hurt things for the film — Though it’s great to see everyone has a good sense of humor over all the troubles. Like we always say, a View Askew film isn’t a View Askew film without controversial stuff happening at release time.

• As we’ve now passed the release date, we’re going back to the archives to dig up some stuff we couldn’t show you until after the flick hit screens – These are some early shots from the “Bean N Gone” taken from exteriors in Pittsburgh, spotted by a curious fan last winter. Click in for a closer look at another transformed business from View Askew.
• Finally today, seems IMDB‘s folks at “Truly Trivial” must read News Askew, as a rumor we speculated on has made it to their trivia question today:

  
  Truly Trivial

  This actor was considered for the male lead in Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

  The answer links to the great Jason Bateman, whom Kevin confirmed was NEVER in the running for the role (so the question is incorrect), though Kevin did in the same answer to us reveal that he’d love to work with Bateman in the future. Let’s hope it happens. We think the dude would be a fantastic fit for Kevin’s words. Catch ya back here soon!

We’ve arrived in our row S seats, just below the balcony. There’s a couch onstage and the lights just went down, kevin has taken the stage!

Kevin is going to run a shorter show than usual tonight, 3 to 4 hours.

So far, questions have been about Zack and Miri. Kevin is now telling his tale from the ratings board.

iPhone battery is at 20 percent, and the ATT signal in the Basie is rotten, so we’ll check in if any major revelations are dropped. Thanks for checking in.

Our favorite question of the night so far – an enthusiastic costumed guy from Philly in the balcony just proposed a “View Askew Zombies” comic book series to Kevin.

Different from many sessions, Kevin has been moving more quickly through questions and there haven’t been many extended tales. It’s a fun format and allowing Kevin to get to more folks.

The new Basie is nicely renovated, but very hot and seats are a bit tight – The packed house can’t be helping. Note to self, t-shirt next time!

Red State: Kevin speaks confidently about it being made, but financing is still not final. They are eyeing a Spring start, and may do a multi-way finance to get it done.

It’s 9:50 PM, lines are long but the 4 mics have all been having their say, with am average of 5 to 10 minutes spent per person. Questions have been generally good and Kevin has continued to answer them and move on.

The audience has just confirmed via cheers how hot it is in here, and Kevin has just jokingly left the stage for a quick shirt change due to the heat.

10:45 and going strong! Kevin is fielding a question about future plans, and reveals we won’t see much of him in public for six months.

Lots of topics covered so far tonight, with questions ranging from Jersey Girl to Zack & Miri, as well as some words on doing these Q&As and if a question has ever offended him (so far, none have).

While there are no Vulgarthon plans, Kevin expects that Big Helium Dog will arrive on DVD within the next year.

Kevin won the best wingman ever award by hooking up to fans who came in all the way from Ohio. A true highlight!

The show ended at 11:15 – After a brief chat with faithful fans Karla and Robb in the lobby we’re hitting the road home.

• Later this afternoon, we’ll start the 3 hour trek into beautiful downtown Red Bank, New Jersey for Kevin’s Q&A appearance at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank tonight. We hope to see many of you there. Stop and say hello if you catch us, of course.

  
  Unlike the last show filmed here for “Threevening”, tonight’s show has no set agenda or time limit, and the Basie is known to let Kevin riff as long as he’d like, so we’re prepared for anything tonight.

  If you line up to ask a question, please do your best to not ask something you know the answer to or to elicit a story that’s been told on a previous DVD – Kevin’s not known for repeating tales told on the previous discs, so expect new content tonight. Who knows, maybe your good question might result in a new classic tale being formed before your very eyes.

  If signals and battery strength allows, we’re going to attempt some live blogging via iPhone tonight, so it’s possible you’ll see any big news or interesting tidbits dropping live, as they happen, on News Askew this evening.

  We hope to see you in Red Bank tonight, and look forward to another historical show at the Basie.

• Kevin has revealed the first full color, full size pages of his long-awaited return to the comics world, “Batman: Cacophony”. This three-part miniseries features the art of longtime pal and Askew star in his own right, Walt Flanagan, and a new story/script by Kevin himself, featuring the return of a villain of his own creation. Several other stars of the Batman universe will appear (as evidenced in the pages above). Issue #1 arrives in comic stores EVERYWHERE next week, and now’s the time to reserve your copies.

  
  The books arrive in several variant covers as well, though what you see above are the cover and pages from the mainstream issue #1, courtesy of Kevin Smith. Enjoy. On Saturday, Kevin and Walt will be holding a limited signing session in Red Bank, NJ where you can be the first to own the book, meet the creators, and get it signed. If you’re anywhere within driving distance, you’ll wanna be there.

  Click above for super-sized shots of exclusive pages from the book, which will hopefully appease you as you wait for what’s sure to be the hottest comic hitting shelves in a long, long time. Grab your first run copies before they’re gone, via the online Stash, in person this Saturday, or your favorite local comic shop. We’re sure we speak for everyone as we congratulate Kevin and Walt, and welcome them back to the world of comics this week.

• We’re betting that a bunch of you are heading into Red Bank, NJ this Friday night for Kevin’s big return to the Count Basie for a good ‘ol fashioned Q&A — No cameras or agenda this time, like the 37th birthday Threevening Q&A, just a BIG sold out evening with Kevin Smith taking the stage, telling a bunch of brand new tales, and taking your questions. We’ll see you there.

  
  Now, with this new announcement, we’ve got a reason for you all to buy up hotel rooms in and around the town — You’ll wanna stick around until Saturday, as Kevin Smith, along with artist Walt Flanagan, will be signing copies of their highly anticipated new comic “Batman: Cacophony” at the historic Secret Stash East in downtown Red Bank!

  For those of you who have never been to the Stash, this is your perfect opportunity to see the place, the props, and of course, meet the man himself in person. DO NOT MISS IT.

  A few things to know – First up, the event runs from 2 PM til 5 PM. The line WILL BE CAPPED. The guys gotta stop at 5, so GET THERE EARLY (in other words, way before 2 PM) to secure your spot. If you get there too late, you risk missing you chance to get your book signed. If you want to buy anything else there and get it signed, OR bring something along, YOU CAN GET ONLY UP TO TWO OTHER ITEMS SIGNED. This is not to give you a hard time, but rather, to allow everyone in line the time and a chance to get their stuff signed, too. You MUST buy a copy of the Batman comic as well – But the price is, of course, very affordable.

  For full details on this event, visit the official site . Hope to see a bunch of you there. PLEASE HEED OUR WARNING, LINE UP EARLY! We don’t want you to miss your chance to get a book signed, and Red Bank events are always insanely popular.

• Folks in the Los Angeles area, or even those of you who PLAN on being there sometime in the future, have we got a cool offer for you!

  
  If you have seen, or plan to see, “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”, HOLD ONTO YOUR TICKET STUB! Ron, owner of Laser Blazer, home of Secret Stash west, will take 10 PERCENT OFF EVERYTHING IN THE STORE if you bring in your ticket stub from the flick. Yep, EVERYTHING – The only exclusion would be the week’s new DVD releases, which are already discounted 20% off the top.

  The coolest thing? This promo NEVER ENDS. If you see the movie three times, you can use the discount three times (they’ll take your ticket stub). But you can use it this week. You can use it next year. You can use it five years from now. You just gotta see the movie, save your stub, and bring it with you to Laser Blazer. Simple, right?

  If you’re a Laser Blazer shopper, or plan to shop there on a trip into town, this makes seeing the movie again and again an even better prospect. Heck, depending on theater prices, if you’re planning on dropping money on a few things at the store, seeing the movie again will also be free (or better than free) after your discount. Laser Blazer already has the best prices in town, so this 10% makes it even sweeter. Ron is fully stocked up on all the DVDs in the land, plus Stash swag such as those Monroeville Zombie Jerseys and T-shirts as well as the new Bean and Gone T-Shirts and stickers. And yep, the discount of course works on them, too.

  See “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” and shop Laser Blazer/Stash West — This is one of the best swag promotions we’ve ever seen in View Askew history.

• A new (but recorded pre-“Zack and Miri” release) SModcast dropped over at QSE this week, in case ya missed it. Naturally, the film is a big opening topic, including the guy’s thoughts on the ad bannings that took place in Philly and other parts of the country, and on to parenting kids when exposed to R-rated movies. And then, of course, the guys continue to go anywhere the conversation takes them in their own unique way. Here’s the logline:

  

  
  In which our heroes confront the civic perils of making a porno, debate the innocence of youth, discuss the responsibilities of parenthood, witness the genesis of a northern superhero team, and try to unravel the mystery of one boy’s vestigal gills.

  You’ll find SModcast at just one place on the web – FREE at Quick Stop Entertainemnt. With Kevin’s busy schedule back east this week, we might have to wait a while longer for the next episode, so enjoy taking this one in. And of course, we’ll let ya know when the next one arrives.


• Check out a shot of a BIG promo image for “Zack and Miri” featuring Smith, Banks, and Rogen as it appeared on last week’s Boston Metro – Pretty cool to see, and thanks to our scooper for snapping the photo.

• Catch a quick glimpse of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in the newly released trailer for “Fanboys” — Alas, no Kristen Bell in Slave Leia gear.

• Showtime unfortunately didn’t pick up the show “Manchild” for series, but the pilot was indeed filmed and edited — So, it’s nice to see that the show, starring Kevin Smith, will at least air its pilot episode very late TONIGHT (or, rather, very early Wednesday morning) at 4:15 AM according to their official website:
  The popular BBC series becomes this American movie version about four male buddies in their forties, each facing a different sort of mid-life crisis. Kevin Smith, Paul Hipp and John Corbett star with Paula Marshall, Marika Dominczyk and Laura Ford.

  Keep in mind, this isn’t a sign the show has been picked up, though it IS interesting to see a pilot getting aired with no further episodes out there. Rare, but very cool of Showtime to be doing this. They’re on quite a rollwith some good original programming, perhaps “Manchild” will be revisited at some point? We’re excited to have the chance to finally see it, especially after hearing Kevin’s tale of his time in the water while filming this episode. Tune in or set that DVR for some late night recording, Showtime subscribers.

• He’s a busy dude these days, so we apologize for the slight lateness of these — But we are now happy to present, better late than never, the high resolution photos from the Hollywood premiere of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” late last month. These are the same images that usually cost you some coin to view at the WireImage type sites. As always, we thank Mr. Albert Ortega for his kindness in sharing his work with the fans here at News Askew.

  
  What we have here are ALL the head shots from the press line of the guests in attendance, as well as exterior shots from the historic Mann’s Chinese Theater where the flick unspooled. Click for super-big versions and enjoy the high resolution goodness.

  EFluxMedia has more shots, though not in quite as crisp or large of versions. Thanks to Albert Ortega for his generosity!