• It used to be against the norm to assume a lot of you had IFC, but these days, with digital cable and satellite ruling the world, we’re betting a lot more of you have that wonderful channel as you surf hyper-speed through the choices. So, the Independent Film Channel rocks — And tonight, KEVIN SMITH takes over hosting duties from Jonny Favs for the first time! You remember the guest list, don’t you?

J.J. Abrams, Jason Lee, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill and, of course, Kevin himself.

Quite possibly one of the best panels we’ve seen, at least since the Daredevil episode of the program. Tune into IFC TONIGHT at 10 PM to watch the above eat, drink, and chat. And remember, it’s all uncensored as well. Don’t miss it.

• Stash West continues its series of amazing signing opportunites, this time, with a signing session to celebrate the release of Season 2 of Degrassi: The Next Generation onto DVD (note, a lot of you who don’t know the show may be wondering, is this Kev’s season? — It’s not, Kevin’s episodes are in Season 4). This is your chance to get your hands on the set, meet some of the show’s talented cast, and get your box signed. Oh, and hey, Kevin and Jay will be there, too. Yep, Jay and Bob AT Jay & Bob’s Secret Stash. Don’t miss it. Here’s details:

LOVE DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION? LOVE SIGNED DVD’S?

Then, whatever it takes, make sure you get to JAY & SILENT BOB’S SECRET STASH on June 25th at 2:00pm:

Kevin Smith and The Kids from Degrassi Hit Los Angeles!

Degrassi: The Next Generation Stars to Appear at Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash

FUNimation Entertainment sponsors June 25 event to kick off the release of the Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 2 Ultimate Box Set

WHO:

She plays Ellie,the Goth cutie with the cutting issues! He’s plays Marco, the gay teen heartthrob of Degrassi! And they’re both coming to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash to take pics with fans and sign your copies of the Degrassi Season Two box-set!

Also in attendance will be those two glory whores Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes.

WHAT:

Degrassi autograph signing party where fans have the opportunity to meet the actors from the show. The party is the official west coast celebrity appearance for the release of the Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 2 Ultimate Box Set, available nationwide on Tuesday, June 21 from FUNimation Entertainment. For more information about the signing party, fans can log onto, and check the message boards for the latest event news and updates.

Degrassi: The Next Generation airs regularly on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on The N, the nighttime network for teens. A new summer season of Degrassi: The Next Generation premieres Friday, July 1.

WHEN: Saturday, June 25, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Jay and Silent Bob¹s Secret Stash
1045 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Funimation, who are sponsoring the event, have a TON of details on this signing as well as a non-Stash east coast event happening THIS Saturday (No Kevin or Jay at that one, folks). If you’re a fan, or you’re just looking for a good new show to check out during the summer TV doldrums, here’s your answer. View Askew’s event page, with similar info (with Ming’s beautiful graphical talents) is HERE.

• We’ve got another FIRST LOOK at live action footage for ya today, this time from the highly anticipated sitcom coming to NBC this Fall, “My Name is Earl”. As you know, our beloved Jason Lee stars in his first featured TV role as the title character, a down on his luck, criminal-type who wins the lottery and has an epiphany about his life.

CanWest Media Sales looks to be marketing the show to the Canadian audience as well for a Fall pickup, and thus have shared with the world (and YOU!) the first clip from the program. Having read the pilot script, Lee seems to capture the character perfectly, and it certainly seems like the show will have that offbeat “Raising Arizona”-like charm to it. We’re predicting a big winner in this.

CHECK OUT THE CLIP NOW!

Watch for a glimpse of fellow Askew alum Ethan Suplee in the role of Earl’s brother in the clip.

• Could some BIG news have leaked a bit early? Could Canada be slowly taking over Kevin as he films up there this month? Seems so! Toronto’s Epitome Pictures reports that they are developing a big screen feature based on CTV’s high school teen series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” (says the Hollywood North Report):

Toronto’s Epitome Pictures, with support from federal agency Telefilm Canada, are developing a big screen feature based on CTV’s high school teen series “Degrassi: The Next Generation”, with Kevin “Jersey Girl” Smith tapped to direct for a late August shoot in Toronto.

Smith recently appeared on the series alongside “Jay And Silent Bob” sidekick Jason Mewes.

Two “Degrassi: TNG” books and a TV doc are currently in the works, with the fifth season now prepping for Toronto production.

“Degrassi: TNG” airs on The ‘N’ network in the US, also broadcasting in the UK, Australia and France.

The series was removed from the broadcast schedule of publicly-funded PBS network, following complaints from citizen’s rights groups objecting to the series’ realistic portrayals of teens involved with drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll.

The show is filmed in a mock-up village/school south of Toronto’s Eglinton Avenue East, with daily usage of classrooms, training the next generation of Degrassi actors.

“Degrassi” is the name of an actual street in downtown Toronto’s east end.

Sneak Peek TV and Dark Horizons have already reported the story. Expect a quick denial or confirmation on this one, we’ve got no idea if it’s legit or just a rumor gone wild, though astute readers will note that Kevin DID recently meet with Degrassi’s Stacie Mistysyn.

If true, we’ll find out the impact on the Clerks 2 shoot, of course, and get you all the latest. If false, we’ll let you know that as well. Stay tuned, folks. We certainly were surprised to see this one come across the desk today. In a way, it seems like fanboy speculation, especially due to Kevin’s recent appearances on the program (prom ninjas!), though with his open fandom of the program, and a possibly low production cost for such a film, we’re not totally calling this out of the question just yet.

• We originally had announce dthat the episode of “Dinner for 5″ hosted by Kevin would air this past Friday, May 27th. It didn’t. According to the IFC website, the Favreau-free episode with ?Lost? creator J.J. Abrams, Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, Stan Lee and Mark Hamill won?t be cablecast until the show gets back from a three-week hiatus on June 17th. Thanks also to Aint It Cool for the alert. Now that the major series have all wrapped for the season, this is a gem to look forward to in an otherwise TV-wasteland.

And hey, not only is Kevin doing special hosting gigs for IFC, but it seems he’s been given the honor to be one of the advisers for their new cinema center. AP reports:

This certainly sounds like a neat honor, and we’re excited to see Kevin will be involved. Of course, we’ll let you know if he’s attending any public events there, and hope this leads to more east coast screenings and events in the Big Apple.

• Some wonderful news comes to us today as networks begin to announce their schedule for new and renewed programs for the Fall of 2005. “My Name is Earl”, starring Jason Lee, is the only new sitcom to make it to NBC’s fall premeire schedule (others come midseason). The show will air at 9:00 PM on NBC Tuesdays, which also indicates it’ll be on the edgier side of things (the pilot’s script certainly reads that way). We’re excited to have a dude who got his acting start in a View Askew production starring in a prime time show for the very first time. Some blurbs and article links on the show and NBC’s schedule:

NEW YORK TIMES

“…They were watching a seven-minute clip assembled from the pilot “My Name Is Earl,” a half-hour comedy starring Jason Lee about a ne’er-do-well who wins a lottery and vows to make amends to everyone he’s ever offended.

Had the producers of the program been there, they would surely have been elated that the three people gathered around an editing console – Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment; Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group, and John D. Miller, chief marketing officer of the television group – were laughing, heartily and continuously.”

CNN

“NBC said Monday that it will introduce six new series in September, including only one comedy: “My Name is Earl,” featuring Jason Lee (”Chasing Amy”) as a downtrodden lottery winner.”

ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH

“…The comedy addition is “My Name Is Earl,” with Jason Lee as a loser who decides to right all his life’s wrongs after winning a fortune in the lottery. Jamie Pressly plays Earl’s wife in the sitcom from Greg Garcia (”Yes, Dear”).”

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

The press release states: “At 9:00 p.m., “My Name Is Earl” is an innovative, irreverent, single-camera comedy that should work well as a lead-in to the critically hailed “The Office” (television’s most upscale comedy).”

Congratulations to Jason Lee on what’s sure to be an exciting, talked-about program this Fall. And don’t forget, Lee’s Mallrats co-star Ethan Suplee has also joined the cast. For information on all shows expected to debut or return next year, see The Futon Critic.

• 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!

• The second half of Kevin’s appearance on Jay Leno (from last Friday) where he presented the second half of the New Jersey “Roadside Attractions” segment is now available at the View Askew site in both Quicktime and Windows Media formats. This is the one that spends a great deal of time at the Stash, so if you were there, download it and check yourself out! That’s you on TV! See Kevin talk to Walt! See props from the films in living color! See the Quick Stop! And see Kevin visit an area attraction that’s been here as long as we can remember, the safari at Six Flags Great Adventure. Enjoy.

• Ming’s done it again, for those of you who are TV-challenged (or at least, VCR or Tivo-challenged) and missed Kevin’s latest hilarious edition of Roadside Attractions on Leno last Friday night. The View Askew Roadside Attractions Archive now has the latest installment, New Jersey: Part One, available in both Windows Media and Quicktime .MOV formats. As you recall, the Jersey segment proved so plentiful that it had to be split into two parts, so check back soon for details on the airdate for Part 2, where Kevin visits the Stash.
  So, check this one out, either for the first time, or again, and enjoy. It never really does get old watching Kev walk out and shake Jay’s hand — And this time he even gets a fun little burn in on Jay, too. More great fun this time around, including a giant clown, twin lighthouses, circus freaks, and more. Kevin’s in top form yet again, these things just get funnier all the time. Don’t miss it. Even if you’re still on one of those scary slow dialup connections.

• Set your VCRs and Tivos or cancel your plans…This Friday, August 1st, Kevin will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to introduce the piece he recently taped at the San Diego ComicCon. We’ve heard great things.
  Also, the question on many of your minds — When will the New Jersey/Red Bank segment of Roadside Attractions air? No date has yet to be set, but due to Jay’s upcoming vacation, Kevin is guessing somewhere around mid to late September (though it’s still very much up in the air). As soon as an air date for that one is set, you’ll read it here.