So we wrapped the Coke commercial on Tuesday morn, and I’ve gotta say – the whole experience was a lot of fun. It’s probably the most visually interesting thing I’ve done, and it was great practice for ‘Dogma’. Dave did a hell of a job, and the talent turned in great performances. I really enjoyed the whole thing, and in the end, there was a sense of authorship to the spots. I’m glad I did them.

The plan is to premiere them during the Superbowl, but if that doesn’t pan out, then they’ll debut during the winter Olympics. I’ll let you know when they’re going to run.

My last thought on the spots concerns Mike Starr. It’s a name you’re probably not that familiar with, but he’s a guy you’ve definitely seen before (Bill Murray’s muscle in ‘Mad Dog and Glory’, the idea-man in the Lufthansa heist in ‘Goodfellas’, the guy trapped in a car with a singing Jim Carrey in ‘Dumb and Dumber’).

The man was beyond terrific; one of the most insightful actors I’ve ever worked with, who made choices that just blew me away (and remember: these are only thirty second spots). I can’t say enough great things about this man. Suffice to say, he’s going to turn up in one of my flicks somewhere along the line.

I saw all the footage for the Mtv Jay and Silent Bob spots. It all looks great, and man is it funny. Scott and I start cutting them on the 29th, and they should start airing around Feb/March (at which time, look for the catchphrase “Give me some puppet brown!” to sweep the nation).

We’ve only a little over a week until V-day. Ironically enough, one of the flicks we’re booting out of the theatre for a day is ‘Good Will Hunting’ (which is now out on about four hundred or so screens; if you haven’t already been blown-away by it, I implore you to seek it out this weekend).

If anyone happened to tape the Charlie Rose with the Quentin praise of ‘Amy’, could you send it to the office?

And finally, I think we’ve located a church for ‘Dogma’, which would then dictate where the shoot will wind up (or at least, a large part of it). Ready for irony number two?

It’s in Metropolis.

So to speak.

‘Good Will Hunting’ got nominations galore. Ben and Matt for screenplay, Matt for peformance, Robin for performance, the flick itself for best picture.

But the BIG news is a certain squeaky-voiced actress…

Joey got nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.

I feel very proud.

It’s a nice way to end the Year of Askew.

Sorry I haven’t been around much, but it’s been busy around here.

Last weekend, we shot eight Jay and Silent Bob shorts for Mtv. We had fun (except Scott, who’s always stuck with getting this silliness organized), and captured what we all felt was some funny-ass shit on film. There’s a great Steve-Dave and Walt appearance, as well as the introduction of Jay’s (Askewniverse) sister, and an answer for anybody who ever wondered what happened to Mister Svenning’s assistant, Roddy.

Props to good Will Hunting himself (our boy Matty) who made the trek to Jersey last weekend to turn in yet another Oscar-worthy performance.

They won’t air until Feb/March, but we may have some early stuff for you guys to see up here in late January.

Straight from that, I’ve been knee-deep in the Coke ad. We shoot this weekend, at the Central Park Zoo, of all places.

I’m told ‘Amy’ was the first runner-up in both the LA and Boston Critics Cirlce Awards, and the second or third runner-up in New York. To me, this meant little (I don’t think runner-ups get certificates of any kind), but it seems to mean a great deal to Miramax – they feel it bodes well for the flick in terms of the Golden Globes (which are announced Thursday) and the Oscars (which are announced in Feb).

Rumor has it that Joey’s got a strong chance of getting nominated for a Golden Globe (the Hollywood Foreign PressAssociation – the folks who sponsor the Golden Globes – was absolutely in love with her).

Miramax ran its first-ever ‘For Your Consideration’ ad on our behalf last week in Variety. Needless to say, it’s being framed.

Meanwhile, Vulgarthon confirmation cards went out this week. Most – if not all – of you good people who secured tickets should be seeing them in your mailbox pretty soon.

To confirm suspicions aired here last week, Holden McNeil is indeed involved with Emma… so to speak.

And I’m happy to report that the ‘Good Will Hunting’ screenplay is available from Miramax books. Pick it up – it is – hands-down – the best screenplay of the year.

I probably won’t be around much over the next few days, so please try to behave in my absence.

Just think – in a little over two weeks, this board’s going to be more devoid of posts than perhaps even the first day on its inception.