And now, my recollections of this wonderful evening (Photos above by Jenn Camp):

Kevin Smith is no stranger to the one-man stage show, having taken over college auditoriums, iconic theaters such as Red Bank’s Count Basie, even international venues. However, when the man walked onstage last night at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous stages in the world, the crowd knew this was going to be a special moment, and a special evening.

Following a charming introduction by his daughter, Smith triumphantly took to the stage and immediately got up close and personal with it, by literally rolling around and then just taking it all in. The crowd roared with appreciation. Before speaking a word, Kevin revealed he was wearing a New York Yankees jersey under his trademark trench coat, and under that, one for the New Jersey devils. Both shirts were met with a mix of cheers and boos. This is the tough crowd of New York City, after all.

The show, clocking in at around 2 hours and 45 minutes, featured a perfect blend of ingredients that make an evening with the guy so unique. In the opening kickoff, where Kevin usually monologues a bit before turning the crowd mics on, he discussed the monumental occasion and history of Carnegie, as well as confirming the tone for the evening. Since so many of the family and friends he cared about in his life had made the journey to sit in the audience, he felt pressured to deliver material to a crowd that, more than likely, were intimately familiar with many aspects of his life before he even walked through the stage door. A true challenge.

The remaining 2 hours of the evening found a mix of stories old and new. Some questions that were asked led to classic tales being weaved once again, including his encounter with a wall mounted toilet (almost becoming a signature bit) that somehow manages to get better and more vivid every time I hear it. There was also a rarely heard story regarding his experiences acting in “Catch and Release”.

For the most part, the Carnegie show featured quite a few shorter, rapid fire answers, including several “Would you rather” type questions, along with a handful of new extended tales — A detailed recollection of his experiences writing (and seeing published) his piece on hockey for Time Magazine. Some back story on his friendship and first encounter with his pal Malcolm Ingram. When questioned about his dating past, Smith even called back to classic bits such as the story of his first sexual encounter with wife Jen, even going as far back as a high school relationship, a callback to a tale he told to Playboy Magazine over 10 years ago. Freshest of all, a new story from the set of “A Couple of Dicks”, whose crew was in attendance to enjoy.

Still, for this author, the best moments involve those one on one exchanges with the other “star” of the show – the audience. Easily this reviewer’s favorite moments are those unique to each show alone — the encounters with some of the wacky, weird characters who enjoy a few moments in the spotlight as they pose their own queries to Smith. Sometimes, he simply answers. Sometimes, it’s something completely unexpected.

Carnegie organized this in a way never seen before, but that seemed to work quite well. Audience members who wanted to contribute a question did so prior to the show, and then were selected and randomly pulled then escorted to one of 2 mics on the floor, just below stage right and stage left, by staff members. “Can you just follow me around everywhere?”, Kevin quipped to one of the staff, who wore bright yellow shirts that read “Ask Kevin A Question”.

Most audience members had well thought out queries, or at least things original enough to score an answer. Still, a couple took the opportunity to push their own agenda, always leading to wacky, unique moments. One fan fell in love with his own voice and found Kevin dimming the lights and having the spotlight follow him. A local female journalist took a serious tone when asking Kevin for dating tips, only to be led down a lurid path of sexual topics, including the aforementioned dating tale.

It was the very first questioner who was the most memorable – A strange little guy who nervously took to a paper of handwritten notes (including one to remind him to complement Smith’s work before he asked his question). Before it was over, Kevin had brought the kid onstage, sharing with him the feeling of being in front of the Carnegie crowd. It didn’t get quite that crazy for the rest of the evening, but perhaps that was a good thing.

Book-ending the show, the man of the hour left the stage near 11 PM as suddenly as he dove in, with a fantastic off the cuff one-liner too good to repeat here. As the loudest roar of the night filled the space of the auditorium, he was strolling through the stage right door, having done it once again. Kevin Smith had conquered Carnegie Hall.

In keeping with the strong hockey theme that’s been permeating his life lately, Carnegie Hall represents yet another shoot and score for Kevin Smith. He’d taken a crowd and a venue and found the perfect way to put together a show for everyone – friends, family, fans, and first-timers. During the performance, Smith joked that this would be his “first and only” appearance at Carnegie Hall, but I can only hope that this beautiful venue will have him back again someday, for another shot at witnessing a great stage presence taking on one of America’s greatest stages.

Special thanks go out to Ming and Robb for their assistance in getting me in and out of the city in quick order, allowing me to catch a few hours of sleep before having to catch a plane out of the country (hence the delay in this posting). Thanks again, guys. And of course, thanks to Kevin for having me up for the show.

Missed the show and want to get in on the fun? Kevin has just announced many more upcoming road appearances that may be closer to you. Do not miss your chance to see Kevin Smith live. An experience that’s never the same twice, and one you won’t soon forget.

State Theatre
Minneapolis, MN
Thu, 09/17/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (Codeword ‘bob’), HennepinTheatreTrust.org, charge by phone (800) 982-2787 or Visit the State Theatre Box Office

The Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL
Fri, 09/18/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (Codeword ‘bob’), Charge by phone (312) 902-1500, or Visit the Chicago Theatre Box Office

Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, MI
Sat, 09/19/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (Codeword ‘bob’), Charge by phone (734) 645-6666, or Visit the Michigan Union Ticket Office

Benaroya Hall – S. Mark Taper Auditorium
Seattle, WA
Sat, 10/17/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (On sale Friday, June 26th at 10am)

The Orpheum
Los Angeles, CA
Sat, 10/24/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (On sale Friday, June 26th at 10am)

The Warfield Theater
San Francisco, CA
Fri, 10/30/09
08:00 PM
Ticketmaster (On sale Friday, June 26th at 10am)

• Kevin made a quick appearance on the other other night’s NHL Awards show. Check out the video above!
• Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch ran THIS glowing review of Kevin’s Carnegie Hall appearance.
• We mentioned this a while back, but here’s CTV’s official premiere announcement for their upcoming Degrassi TV movie featuring Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes:

  PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD (Premiere)

  * Sunday, August 30 at 8 p.m. ET

  In the first ever DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION movie, the Degrassi students venture to L.A. via school bus with hopes to score parts in Mewesical High, a musical directed by Jason Mewes (Clerks) under the mentorship of Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma). Paige (Lauren Collins), personal assistant to THE SHORES reality television star Hailey Montel (Mary Ashton), understands that in life you work from the ground up, but when Hollywood hands Paige a shortcut to fame and fortune, she jumps at the opportunity and takes Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) and Ellie (Stacey Farber) along for the ride. Back in Toronto, Manny (Cassie Steele) has immersed herself in her university theatre program and is committed to becoming an actor of substance. The star of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?, Manny blows an opportunity to star in Mewes feature and then heads on a road trip to L.A. to win the role and realize her dream.

• In possibly the latest movie review ever, the New Orleans Examiner posted their review of JERSEY GIRL.

“A Couple of Cops” stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, and will be the first film Kevin directs a script he has not written. It’s also his first stint with Warner Brothers. Scouting locations in and around the NYC area should be just wrapping up about now, with on location filming set to start sometime next month (June). We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about the production, as well as regarding a confirmation or denial of the February 2010 release date.

Let’s kick it off with a great one. Here’s your two leads, Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, “courtesy Accidental Sexiness”, which looks to be from a car interior out in public. Note in a few of the extra shots of Willis that there’s quite a crowd of onlookers. You gotta love that first one with the Morgan wince and the stoic Willis in shades. That shot alone just OOZES character.

Next up, this hilarious shot courtesy Gizmodo featuring Tracy Morgan in character. The pic’s caption author humorously notes that he prefers to think this is the way Morgan gets around the city normally. Good stuff. We’ve seen this pic floating around with ComingSoon.Net logos on it as well, so the origin is not 100% verified.

You might also want to head over to the awesome /Film where they’ve also compiled some photos along with a look at a crew member’s T-Shirt, suspiciously missing the “A” from the start of the title.

And last, but certainly not least, some exclusives here from fan Nicole, who stumbled onto the diner set where she was lucky enough to get glimpses of the leads and some face time with Mr. Smith himself. Take a peek at some candid shots from around the set outside the diner.

It’s just getting underway, folks — With just three days into shooting, it’s looking like we’ll have a much more public look at this production, which always gives us lots of excitement plenty to do around here. More to come!

Help us sell out Carnegie Hall by spreading the word. If you’ve got a website, post up a link to us. If you’re on Twitter, tweet up a link or a promo. Do what you can to let folks know, especially here in the northeast, that the best show in town, the best place to be, will be Carnegie Hall, June 17th. You won’t be wrong.

Kevin Smith comes to Carnegie Hall, for an uncensored night of laughs & surprises. Do NOT miss it. Tickets are available, but we’re hoping for a sell-out, especially as the date draws closer and folks firm up their plans. Buy now for the best seats.

Now then, let’s summarize a few of the recent tweets that may be of a News Askew-type interest to you:

• “Did (nearly) full-cast read-thru of the script today. Funny, funny stuff. Lucky to be joined by two way-talented DICKS.” (referring to the new cast signings of Brody & Scott).
• Kevin linked up a Comic-Con piece from last year regarding the panel he sat on with Apatow, Miller, & Snyder.
• On Friday morning, Kev promoted an appearance on radio program “Scott & Todd” in NYC that we hadn’t known about. If anyone sees the podcast goes up or has audio, let us know.

To follow Kevin on twitter, it’s simple, just hit twitter.com/ThatKevinSmith. You’ll enjoy his regularly changing background images there as well. You can also follow News Askew on twitter, where we post a tweet and direct link to each new story on the site as it goes live.

“It’s been roughly two years since Mr. Kevin (“the Clerks. guy”) Smith and his other hetero life-mate (and producing partner), Mr. Scott Mosier, launched their own podcast series, entitled SModcast. Since then they’ve posted seventy-six pieces of what I can only describe as some of the most absurd, silly, raunchy, and down-right brilliantly funny audio bliss ever! And since that time I’ve been a devout listener, always waiting patiently each week for their next new posting — sometimes even having to wait up until a month or so for a new one to show up (I dare not complain, Smith’s a busy man).

For those of you unfamiliar with SModcast, the premise is as follows. Each week Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier find time amongst themselves to sit down and, well, shoot the shit for lack of a better term. In the beginning each show lasted roughly fifty-two minutes, plus or minus, with only a few notable exceptions. Once the series began to reach double digits, however, the show began to change up. SModcast was created partially as an attempt by Smith for he and Mosier to get together each week and catch up on things, but as the show progressed it became apparent that such a notion wasn’t always feasible. And so with it’s thirteenth episode, “SFodcast (or SWodcast),” SModcast found itself with an absent Scott Mosier and special guest, sitting in, Walt Flanagan (“Fanboy,” to the fanboys), one of Smith’s best friends from his youth. And while there is not, and probably never will be, a SModcast without Smith himself, we found that from time to time there will be one without Mosier, at which time we will be treated to a special guest…”

Read the whole article over at Lockergnome.

“…These filmmakers such as Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino and M. Night Shyamalan proved that you didn’t need computers or big bangs to be able to reach the audience. These filmmakers brought a real renaissance to independent film and set up a nice dichotomy in the decade between the decadence of special effects-driven event movies and personal talkies of smaller films.”

First up, check out a video clip featuring Kevin’s advice to Andy Samberg on hosting this weekend’s MTV movie awards. Kevin gives his thoughts on Samberg, a few tips, and discusses his own past appearances on the show.

Next up, Kevin proclaims he may perform a one night only bodily function with the mic on the night of the Carnegie Hall show in this video clip. Here’s a snippet from the text:

MTV Shows

…In that sense, Smith pointed out that his Carnegie audience might feel similarly out of place. “Part of the reason they enjoy going is the aspect of, ‘We’re not supposed to be here,'” he said. “There’s a naughty element going in. If I’m not the guy farting into the mic, someone in the audience will do it.”

It’s the audience, Smith explained, not the setting, which ultimately decides the content and character of the evening. “The beauty of what happens at these shows is it changes from venue to venue,” he said. “It’s all about that particular audience. Granted there are a bunch of questions I’ve been asked a zillion times, so of course I’ve got a long story answer prepared for it, not by virtue that I’ve rehearsed it but by virtue that I’ve told it a zillion times.”

At a recent performance in Vancouver, Smith invited a man on stage so he could fulfill a lifelong wish to strip naked in front of thousands of people. “I don’t know if we could get away with that at Carnegie,” Smith mused. “I could see security–boom!–tackle the naked guy.”

Once again, do NOT miss this show — Tickets can be purchased online direct from the venue. If you’re reading this article, and can get to NYC for a summer visit, plan it around this event.

Seann William Scott and Adam Brody are joining Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in Warner Bros.’ “A Couple of Dicks,” a buddy action comedy being directed by Kevin Smith.

The script, by Robb and Mark Cullen, follows a maverick cop (Willis) and his partner (Morgan) who, while tracking a valuable stolen baseball card, tangle with a memorabilia-obsessed gangster and rescue a Mexican beauty who holds the key to millions in laundered drug money.

Scott plays a thief known as the Shit Bandit for the souvenirs he leaves at his robberies. Brody is an abrasive detective not happy to be working with Willis and Morgan.

Shooting begins Monday in New York.

Marc Platt and Polly Johnsen are producing. Sarah Schechter and Matthew Milam are overseeing for the studio.

This marks the first time that Brody will work with Kevin on a film. Scott as you may recall, was thrilled to be a part of “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back” for a memorable cameo. Joblo confirms the story as well.

And yep, shooting starts THIS MONDAY! We’ll be ramping up coverage here at News Askew, with the hopes that a New York location shoot might get us some more visible scoopage that Zack & Miri’s more subtle Pittsburgh-area stuff. Stick around. It’s gonna get good.