• Once again, Kevin took some time out of his busy day to head into cyberspace to answer a bunch more questions about the film, leading into some discussions on Banks’ new role, the next movie (“Red State”?), the possibilities of Z&M swag, and lots more. Also, he’s got some news regarding a new running time for the flick, thanks to some recent cuts :

  
  As of this writing, I was able to chop out an additional twelve minutes. Current running time is 1:48. I think that’ll be it ’til after the screening – which is now looking to be late April, as we wanna have Jim (Venable) do a few score cues (rather than temp-track in music from some other flick).

  We’re already looking forward to not only the movie, but seeing all this deleted stuff on the DVD! And now, today’s round of Q&A:

  
  ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO

  Any ounce of possibility that Z&M could feed into another flick (sequel or related “world” in the View Askewniverse vein)?

  Kevin said: “None.”

  I’m just wondering what it’s been like for you, as Jay’s friend, his director, and his co-star, to watch him progress from the energetic but nervous kid in Clerks to the scene-stealing dialogue-machine that is Jay in Dogma and J&SBSB?

  Kevin said: “It’s been great. I feel like a proud parent.”

  How do you feel he’s progressed from Clerks 2 to Z&M?

  Kevin said: “He’s a real, live actor now (contrary to what Neil Patrick Harris may feel). I don’t have to rehearse him to death to get his tone/inflection right anymore; he just gets it now.”

  Aside from Rogen and Banks, who gets the most screen time in Z&M?

  Kevin said: “Craig.”

  It’s pretty excellent news that Elizabeth has been cast as W’s wife isn’t it? Did you know during filming Z & M that she was up for the role?

  Kevin said: “The day I got back to L.A., she texted me to say she’d gotten the part. I’m ecstatic for her, as I (mostly) love Stone.”

  Do show your friends the entire movie every time you do edits, or just those certain scenes?

  Kevin said: “It depends. Mos is the only one who watches the flick with any regularity, but since he’s watched it from end-to-end recently, he’ll just look at stuff I cut down or re-cut now.”

  Have you approached any artists yet to put their music in the flick?

  Kevin said: “Not yet.”

  I was just wondering when we may see some Z&M merchandise available?

  Kevin said: “I dunno, but don’t expect a shit-ton.”

  Would there be any chance of footage being shown at ComiCon in Hall H?

  Kevin said: “Probably a scene or two.”

  Were you conciously not trying to include many actors from your previous films as this is a movie set outside the J&SB universe?

  Kevin said: “Yes.”

  How big of a part does Tom Savini have in the film? And how was it to work with him?

  Kevin said: “One scene. It was cool. He’s a nice guy.”

  Do you plan to show any other filmmakers the movie for outside professional feedback, like you did Rob Rod and Quentin?

  Kevin said: “Edgar [Wright] and Richard [Kelly] would probably be up first, I’d imagine.”

  Did you shoot alternate coverage for an alternative PG/non-cable version of the movie?

  Kevin said: “Nope.”

  Are all of the character names accurate on the IMDB page?

  Kevin said: “There is no “Mall Maniac.” And the guy listed as playing him isn’t familiar to me at all, either.”

  Is it significant that Jason’s and Traci’s are “unknown”?

  Kevin said: “Not really. They just haven’t gotten out yet, I guess.”

  Does this early buzz encourage you to step further away from the your past films and open you up to more possibilities for the future?

  Kevin said: “The Askewniverse films are done, sir. I’ve no choice at this point but to step away. Next flick’s a big, big step away.”

  RED STATE

  Did working on this movie give you any ideas for Red State? Maybe cast/crew members, locations, etc. that might work for that movie?

  Kevin said: “Kenny, our effects guy, told me that Iowa was instating a 50% tax rebate.”

  
  So, there ya have it! A View Askew production possibly coming to IOWA? Plus, a low swag count for the new flick seeming to go along with Kevin’s credo of taking a different road as far as promotions this time. We’ll be back with more news as it breaks — Kudos to the fans for their continued great questions, and to Kevin for the insightful, spoiler-free answers.

• As a follow-up to a role that’s sure to get her some nice notice, that of course of “Miri” in “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” Elizabeth Banks will assay the role of first lady Laura Bush in “W,” Oliver Stone’s biopic on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. Josh Brolin will have the lead role. The web is full of articles on the news, with all the press referencing her upcoming “Porno” turn, citing “Elizabeth Banks is going from the world of adult films to the White House.”

  Check out articles from The Hollywood Reporter, Video ETA, Coming Soon, and Empire Online for the evidence.

  Big congrats to Ms. Banks for this great achievement. After seeing her past success and hearing all the great buzz from the “Zack & Miri” camp, we’re sure she’ll knock this out out of the park. Banks sure is becoming an “It” girl in Hollywood these days, signing onto more projects all the time — Kevin and his colleagues sure can spot talent, can’t they?

• Kevin continues to answer some random queries from folks on the the new flick, dropping non-spoiler info on working relationships, promoting the movie, and character appearances this time ’round:

  
  Everybody is asking about Rogen and possible future roles, but what about Elizabeth Banks. Did you enjoy working with her?

  Kevin said: “She’s, hands-down, the best actress I’ve ever worked with.”

  Hey kevin how was it working with Seth?

  Kevin said: “Always a pleasure. Many days, I’d be on the verge of throwing out a suggestion from the monitor, and he’d suddenly do what I was thinking, without me uttering a word. Love that guy.”

  Would you say this is one of his best performances?

  Kevin said: “I would, yes.”

  Kevin said: “You start seeing him in the flick from about the half hour mark on. And yes – I wrote it with him in mind.”

  Kevin, do you also have a lot of say on the theatrical trailer and TV spots for “Zack and Miri”?

  
  Kevin said: “Sadly, not as much say as the test audiences. Yes – studios even test their trailers and TV spots.”

  
  The wait seems forever, but each each passing day, the latest View Askew feature from Kevin Smith gets closer. We’ll keep ya tuned in.

• TV Guide Channel paid a visit to our beloved Laser Blazer/Secret Stash for a piece on the TV show “Lost”, shooting inside the store and giving you a look at just how HUGE the place is — Also take note of the way cool looking Secret Stash logo on the wall for the Stash area. Check it out on the left nagivation of the Laser Blazer homepage. Man, look at the SIZE of that place!
• Bullz-Eye has a fun new interview with Tyler Labine, star of the CW network’s “Reaper”, and cameo-holder in the upcoming “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”. Some very kind words for Kevin are dropped, including these:
  “…I like the pilot, it’s shooting in Vancouver, I love Kevin Smith…just let me meet with him.” So I went there, we sat down, and we chain-smoked his bad menthol cigarettes, and he was, like, “I love you for it, man, as long as you don’t want to do a Jack Black impression.” And I was, like, “Dude, if I hear one more person say that to me in this town…” I said, “Look, me and you, we’re both fat and have beards. Does that mean we’re both Jack Black?” And he said, “I like you. Okay, let’s go.””

  “…Kevin was such an open, collaborative guy that he would just sit behind the monitors and yell stuff for you to say, and you’d be, like, “Screw you, I’m gonna try this!” And then you could just say whatever, and it was almost like…as long as you could get a laugh and people were digging it, it could fly. And I love a set environment like that, where we can collaborate and the writers aren’t getting their backs up about their words or whatever.”

  BE: Your Wikipedia entry mentions that you’re in “Zack and Miri Make A Porno.” I presume the “Reaper”/Kevin Smith connection is what got you into that.

  TL: Yeah, he just e-mailed me and was, like, “Would you like to come out and play, sir?” And I was, like, “Could you be a little more specific, sir?” (laughs) He said, “Come out to Pittsburgh, shoot a couple days on my new movie.” And I’m, like, “Yeah! I’ll fucking be there, man!” So I went out there and shot a really great cameo scene that he put together for me, and he told me it was because I play the best drunk he’d ever seen.

  The entire review is quite candid and good, so be sure to surf over to Bullz-Eye and check out the whole thing.

• Kevin is briefly quoted in this new L.A. Times article on the great John Hughes:

  
  “He’s our generation’s J.D. Salinger,” says Smith, whose film “Dogma” shows its heroes, Jay and Silent Bob, on a pilgrimage to Shermer, Ill., a mythical town that only exists in Hughes’ films. “He touched a generation and then the dude checked out. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I do. Basically my stuff is just John Hughes films with four-letter words.”

• A recent interview with the great Simon Pegg over at Aint It Cool reveals that Kevin Smith has recorded at least one commentary track along with him for the upcoming Region 1 release of the series “Spaced” on DVD. If you’ve yet to see the program, seek it out now or when the new discs arrive this July. It’s a brilliant show which ran for an all-too-short 2 brief UK seasons. Once we learn more details regarding Kevin’s involvement, we’ll be sure to let you know.
• Seth Rogen has a cameo in the upcoming Weinstein Co. flick “Fanboys”, which has a HUGE internet following. Check our Rogen’s scene in the trailer at this page which announces that we’ll see two very different versions of the film on the eventual DVD.
• Here’s a fun one to end the update today, courtesty of our News Askew YouTube Channel – Beowulf gets the Rifftrax treatment, and with it, a reference to “Jay & Silent Bob”. Enjoy!
• Ever since Will Ferrell, after playing “Marshal Willenholly” in “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” joined the cast of the new “Land of the Lost” movie, we’ve been intrigued. Now, JFXOnline has the first photos of Will in the lead role. Ferrell’s character name in J&SBSB, for the uninitiated, is a combination of the three lead characters on the original classic TV series (Marshall, Will, and Holly).

• Congrats to “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” star Seth Rogen, who recently won ShoWest’s “2008 Comedy Star of the Year” award. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, you can now watch his entire acceptance speech. As always, Seth remains humble, takes control of the room, and gives a very funny speech.
• The always on top of it /film, FirstShowing and Cinematical have caught up with blurbs on the latest news on “Zack And Miri”, Kevin’s release date announcement and a few details. Nothing new there, but we always think it’s cool to see what the other sites are saying out there.
• Last night, the LOGO channel ran Malcolm Ingram’s documentary “Small Town, Gay Bar”, which we missed mentioning here. We certainly do apologize for that. While we believe the channel censors content and runs ads, this was the first time the film will have aired on non-premium cable, as far as we know. Sorry if you missed it, though hopefully you’ve all checked out the DVD by now of this View Askew-produced gem. Most cable and satellite companies are carrying the LOGO channel now, geared towards the gay and lesbian community. If we see the flick show up in the local listings again, we’ll let you know.

• And finally today, a little late, but EASTER EGG ALERT! In the latest issue of “Angel: After the Fall” (#5), the new Angel comic book series being written by Brian Lynch, page 2’s top panel features a demon Jay and Silent Bob hanging around a block of stores. This is the first known View Askew easter egg to show up in the Buffyverse anywhere, so kudos to Lynch for having them work it in! Check out the shot above. Catch ya back here soon.

• Kevin has indeed confirmed that the October 31st release date that’s been posted is, as of right now, the current official release date for “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”. Here’s that confirmation from the director himself:

  
  Q: Not sure if this is true, but I just heard that the release date has been announced as Oct. 31. Good Lord, that is a long way away!

  Kevin Smith: “I know I’m late on this, but as of this writing, that’s true. Now that the Bond movie has moved up, who knows?

  If it’s gonna move, it’s only because Bond just moved up. ’til the squeamish tell me differently, it’s 10/31.”

  And so, there ya have it. With the starpower and the pleasure we’ve seen coming from the cast and crew in the final product, we feel this is the big box office hit that we’ve been waiting for. We’ll of course stay on top of the release plans, and let you know if anything changes.

News Askew Z&M site…

• You had questions, and once again, Kevin had a bunch of answers. With the running time now down to around 2 hours, it’s time to start making some of the less obvious cuts to get the flick slightly more lean and mean. Here’s the latest from the “Zack & Miri” thread, and some specualation from us just afterwards:

  
  Kevin opens with:

  “At one a.m. this morning, I finally got the flick down to an even two hours (there is, however, and additional four minute epilogue that runs during the credits, but that doesn’t count at the moment). Two hours is the length I was gunning for for the boardie screening. This is not to say the theatrical running time will be two hours or anything close to it. But two hours is a good starting mark in advance of the standard test screening process. The aim is to use said boardie screening to look for other cuts – because right now, the fat’s trimmed away; any further cuts are all about story and jokes, and I’d rather a mass audience reaction let me know how much is needed/what can go.

  Screening date will be chose soon.”

  And now, the Q&A…

  Now you have the film down to 2 hours, will that be it for editing untill the View Askew screening, or do you still feel there is more you can lose?

  Kevin said: “There’s always more to lose. I’m sure I’ll cut into it again before the screening.”

  Would you consider releasing at 2 hours? Or do you feel that is too long?

  Kevin said: “Maybe… maybe… two hours with credits.”

  How long would the film be if you left all the deleted scenes in?

  Kevin said: “Over two and a half, I believe.”

  All this talk about running time leads me to wonder when you wrote the initial script for Z&M, how long did you think it was going to be using the 1 page = 1 minute rule (if such rule actually applies)?”

  Kevin said: “Shooting draft was 110 pages.”

  Will you show it to anyone prior to the screening? If so, who and would you edit it further based on their comments?

  Kevin said: “Sure. Carla and Scott will watch it today. Marketing people watch it Monday (though more for their print campaign than to offer cut suggestions).”

  In regards to Mewes, did you write the character specifically for him, or did he have to “earn” it?

  Kevin said: “I wrote it for Mewes. It was actually the role Mewes was born to play, in a weird way. Even moreso than Jay.”

  Any idea when a poster may be lurking its way around display cases in movie theaters?

  Kevin said: “Poster shoot for Rogen and Banks in mid-April (everyone else has been shot already, while we were still in production). I imagine the poster will be up by June/July.”

  Who’s doing the FX?

  Kevin said: “Joe Grossberg – the guy who did our CG on “Jay and Silent Bob” and “Clerks II”.”

  
  How dependent on the success of “Pineapple Express are you as far as marketing budget, screen count, etc.?”

  Kevin said: “Obviously, it’s good for us if that flick does well. But as for being dependent on it, as regards marketing budget/screen count? Not at all. Those figures will have been decided on long before “Express” hits theaters.”

  I wonder if Katie Morgan will get some more mainstream films because of Z&M?

  Kevin said: “I’d be surprised if she didn’t. She’s pretty funny in the flick. When Harvey watched the first few cut scenes and met Katie, he said “Holy shit, she’s Judy Holliday.””

  When do commentary tracks usually get recorded? Before release? Who’s your ideal team for this commentary track (or which teams if you plan more than one)?

  Kevin said: “All involved would be nice.”

  Will you have the Commentary Video recorded like with Clerks X? That was one of my favorite parts.

  Kevin said: “Maybe. Depends if I’m feeling too fat that day.”

  
  More tidbits from the man as they come in.

• “Dogma” is featured among Rolling Stone magazine’s list in their video gallery of Chris Rock. They give him kudos for his scene-stealing performance in the film.
• Pennsylvania comedian Joshua Sankey has a small speaking role in “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”, and wants to invite all the area View Askew fans to come and see him at his upcoming area gigs. You can get all the details on these shows at his official website.

  Josh recommends making reservations, especially for the Pittsburgh club, as the place is small and they’ll sell out. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the upcoming shows:

  WED 3/26 10:00 PM – New York, NY – Under St. Marks Theatre – $10 plus free booze!
  FRI 3/28 10:00 PM – Meadville, PA – Allegheny College, FREE SHOW!
  SAT 3/29 8:00 PM – Pittsburgh, PA – Slapsticks Comedy Loft – $10/$12/$25
  SUN 3/30 7:15 PM – Belle Vernon, PA – Rostraver Ice Garden – $10/$20
  SAT 4/5 7:00 PM – Philadelphia, PA – The Urban Saloon – $15 plus free drink & food!

  
  Stop up, say hi to Josh, wish him luck with “Zack & Miri” and tell him that News Askew sent ya!

• E! Online conducts a new interview with Reaper’s Tyler Labine (who also, as we know, cameos in “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”). Labine confirms a good chance for a second season, if the network likes the remaining shows they’ve got planned. The show will move back into its more natural Tuesday timeslot starting on April 22nd.

• Just a few more tidbits from Kevin today, as he took on a few more fan questions and gave back some non-spoiler answers regarding “Zack And Miri Make a Porno”, including screening locations, a small reshoot, and a cameo.

  
  Any chance you’d do Q&A’s at the Arclight like you did with C2 the first day(s) of release?

  Kevin says: “Sure.”

  But do you think after this, you’d be more willing to work with unfamilar actors as your leads? Or do you think that this movie has created a new family of people you’d want to put in movies in the future?

  Kevin says: “Yes and yes.”

  Will there be a San Diego Screening like the C2 Q&A and screening there was a couple years back?

  Kevin says: “Doubtful that we’ll have a whole screening there.”

  About the footage you spoke about on smodcast, (the one that had a mark on it) did you ever decide what to do about it?

  Kevin says: “Fixing it digitally was gonna be too expensive, so we found a little time during the last two weeks and just re-shot it.”

  I remember listening to O & A on 92.3 while you were shooting the movie and you were supposed to call in and talk about Jim Nortons performance…may I ask How Mr. Norton did?

  Kevin says: “It’s only a cameo, but he knocked it out of the park.”

  
  And there ya have it! More direct answers from Kevin Smith as they arrive.