- The great RADIO ASKEW is back, and cooler than ever, with a brand new interview with the Sexy Stud himself, Zak Knutson of Chop Shop Entertainment. The interview ran so long that Will had to cut it into two parts — Part one of which is available now exclusively at Radio Askew. Part Two will be coming soon (in less than a week!). The interview’s a must-listen, as Zak’s very gracious and open with his answers, and Will as always provides some dynamic radio. It’s great to see Radio Askew back in action!
View Askew NewsBites™
- Congrats to Kevin on being named #83 on Pop Candy’s list of “Top 100 People of 2006” by Whitney Matheson. The blurb reads:
83. Kevin Smith. This year the director spared audiences dogma and J. Lo and simply gave them what they wanted: more Clerks. Surprisingly, the results weren’t bad, even if we were forced to believe that Rosario Dawson would actually fall for Dante.
- John Campea of TheMovieBlog.com is holding “Films For Food Festival” and one of the three films that will be screening there is Clerks II. It was voted by the public into the top 2 films they would like to see, along with the hilarious ‘Shaun of the Dead’.
The guys who do the Audio Edition are also big fans of Kevin. The event’s taking place on Saturday, January 20th, 2007 in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). ALL proceeds from the festial go right to helping struggling families. The Good Shepherd Centre in Hamilton not only runs a busy food bank, but also an emergency family shelter. Every dollar raised does something good! Three great flicks, and for a great cause. If you’re in the area, it sure sounds like a great way to spend what’s likely to be a cold Saturday indoors!
- Could this be a NEW Jeff Anderson fansite? The webmaster’s got video of the Clerks II DVD signing, photos, links, and more — It’s just getting started, but looks like a good groundwork is set for a nice spot to get your latest Anderson updates.
- Bloody-Disgusting reports that none other than “Dogma”’s Alan Rickman has joined the cast of Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, playing the role of Judge Turpin. Yet another strange connection with Jersey Girl’s main theme coming to movie form just a year or two after its release.
- Dark Horizons reports: “Donnie Darko” helmer Richard Kelly has posted in his MySpace blog that they have finally locked picture on “Southland Tales”.
Set in a near-future post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, the film follows the criss-crossed destinies of an action film actor (The Rock) stricken with amnesia, an ex-porn star (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in the midst of reconverting, and twin brothers (Seann William Scott) whose destinies becomes confused with that of all mankind.
The current runtime on ‘Tales’ now stands at 137 mins, a full 27 minutes shorter than the “work-in-progress” version shown at Cannes. No word on how this affects Kevin’s role.
Clerks II DVD Sales BOOMING!
- The Hollywood Reporter has the fantastic news that DVD sales for Clerks II are off to a HUGE start, holding their own against major players such as “Superman Returns”, “Ice Ace 2”, and “Cars”. Yep, number FOUR on both the sales AND rental charts against all those big-budgeters! Many thanks to all of you who rented or bought the film, continuing to show the amazing track record of Kevin and View Askew when it comes to home video and DVD. Here’s the blurb from the HR article:
“…The sleeper of the week, however, is the Weinstein Co.’s “Clerks II”, which came to video after earning only $24.2 million in theaters but bowed at No. 4 on both the sales and rental charts.”
And Kev’s two cents (and news on some display changes at the beautiful Secret Stash shops):
DVD sales for “Clerks II” were off to a brisk start, according to the Hollywood Reporter…
We’re up there with some pretty big hitters (”Supes”, “Ice Age”, and “Cars”), so many thanks, to all of you, whose purchases put that title at number four on both the sales AND rental charts. You guys rock.
Speaking of “Clerks II”, the BBC site for Film 2006 is asking for votes on the best films of the year. If you click on this link and vote us up, I’d really appreciate it.
At the Secret Stash East, we changed the costume display case recently. Themed to “Clerks II” (naturally), you can see Dante’s and Becky’s original costumes, as well as some props from the flick…
At the West Coast Stash, the display up front is of Randal and Elias’ costumes (I’ll get up some pics when I take ‘em).
That’s all for now.
Kevin Now Filming “Manchild” Pilot…
- Kevin’s exciting new TV project for Showtime, “Manchild”, is now filming its pilot episode. You may recall Kevin laughed out loud many times when reading the script, and plays a key role in the show’s ensemble cast of players. We’re expecting Showtime to pick this one up for sure. Here’s Kevin’s first words from the set of this project, where he’s now more than halfway finished with the pilot shoot:
We’re on day four of the eight day “Manchild” pilot shoot, and lemme tell ya’: it’s gonna be a really fucking funny show, if Showtime opts to pick it up. Performances, across the board, have been top-notch, and the director, Stephen Gyllenhaal (yes – Jake’s Dad) is shooting a pilot that looks more like a feature. We spent all of Tuesday in the ocean (off Marina Del Ray), riding surf boards while trying to spit out four pages of dialogue, and wrapped the day with some gorgeous shots of our foursome (James Purefoy, John Corbett, Paul Hipp and I) heading into the surf, backed by a setting sun.
Yes – my fat ass was squeezed into a wetsuit. Thank God I’m married: ’cause after one look at my pear-on-an-all-lard-diet-shaped figure trying to bust free of that neoprene prison and no woman would give me so much as a paid-for handjob.
Kevin also goes on to chat up his thoughts on some recent flicks (citing love for “The Prestige” and “The Departed”) at his MySpace blog. We’ll keep on top of the “Manchild” project, and of course have all the latest news from the set as well as any news regarding the status of the pilot. Could we soon see Kevin as a regular player on a TV series? Let’s hope so!
Canada Loves Kevin!
- A nice new article put together from a new phone interview with Kevin hit Canadian news websites today via the Toronto Sun. Of particular note is some good convo about Kevin’s attempt to always make DVD releases the “definitive” ones, preventing all the buys and re-buys that seem to occur in the DVD world with movies these days. Here’s the article/interview:
Clerking with Kevin Smith
By BRUCE KIRKLAND – Toronto Sun
Kevin Smith talks about reviewer Bruce Kirkland and the five best decisions Smith ever made.
Kevin Smith is on the phone from Los Angeles, where he lives now with his wife and daughter after buying his pal Ben Affleck’s old Hollywood house.
He is friendly but feisty, still stung a little by my original so-so review of Clerks II (and he reads everything written everywhere about every one of his movies).
“I have too much love for you,” Smith offers, “but I’m befuddled by your confusion. It’s my best film in years. For me, I love it best out of everything I’ve ever done. I thought it was the one that totally nailed it. It kind of supplanted Chasing Amy as my all-time favourite.
“It was the absolute right flick to make at the absolute right time and, boy, it was like one of the five best decisions I ever made.”
Top five? “Wife (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith), kid (Harley Quinn Smith), the first Clerks — I’ve gotta give those things priority,” Smith says. “The other in the top five? A wild-card slot. I’ve got to have room for something I perhaps have forgotten.”
So it goes in another instalment of a delightful and dynamic on-going conversation not-so-silent Smith and I have been having for 12 years, ever since he dropped into the Toronto Sun offices during the breakout of his original Clerks in 1994. The New Jersey-born Smith speaks his truth, no reservations, no worries about political correctness and with plenty of salty profanity (excised here to save delicate readers).
Our latest session is prompted by the fresh release of two separate DVDs, both of them fully loaded two-disc sets. One, of course, is the arrival of Clerks II in separate full or widescreen versions; the other is the widescreen-only release of An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder.
The second set is director J.M Kenny’s record of two of Smith’s famous stand-up Q&A shows, during which he fields questions from the audience and riffs on politics, sex, filmmaking, Dora the Explorer, shooting his wife for Playboy and the unique possibilities of turning into a beast that is half-man, half-sausage. One show was taped in Toronto, the other in London, England.
Both the Clerks II DVD and Evening Harder are definitive releases. “As always!” Smith says. He tries to avoid the common DVD practice of successive releases which oblige fans to buy, re-buy and buy again.
“I overcompensate,” Smith says of doing DVDs right the first time. “I grew up fat, so of course I overcompensate. It’s like giving way too much so they don’t notice your shortcomings. So that extends into every aspect of my life, even the home video. I tend to go above and beyond because this is the final record of my movie.”
Smith’s only exceptions to “double dipping” involved the original Clerks — the first DVD was what he calls a laserdisc dump and the Clerks X: 10th Anniversary Edition became the definitive one — and then the second Mallrats DVD, which was forced on him by the studio, so he made do as best he could. “If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t have done another Mallrats because I thought we put everything we possibly could on the first one.”
The Clerks II DVD has tons of Smith-like fun, from a peek behind the scenes of donkey love to bloopers, deleted scenes and a 90-minute documentary on why and how the sequel even exists.
“I want this to be the only version of the DVD we ever do, so let’s put everything we possibly can on it!”
As for the Evening Harder DVD, Smith was intrigued by the contrast between the wild, over-the-top Toronto show at Roy Thomson Hall and the more restrained, yet surreal London show at the Criterion.
“Toronto audiences are legendary by how much they embrace everything,” he says in admiration. Smith did Arty Hall twice, one of them recorded for this DVD. “They’re two of my all-time favourites, further proof that I really was born in the wrong country.”
View Askew NewsBites™
- Askew vet and “My Name Is Earl” star Ethan Suplee will be appear in the NBC-produced “The Year Without a Santa Claus”, a re-make of the 1970’s stop-motion Christmas special. He will playing an elf. The show airs Monday at 9 EST on NBC.
- One scooper heard a birthday wish go out over the loadspeaker to a “Mr. P. Pants” during a recent Kings game. You jokesters, you…
- And finally today, you gotta love it when folks do this — The front window at the Nashville nightclub Exit/In was accidentally broken the other day, so of course their natural solution was this sign. Enjoy your weekend, folks — Just a couple left until Christmas! Remember, any domestic orders placed via the Stash online by December 17th are going to arrive in time for Christmas — So gift up for you and yours!!!
High Res Signing Pics!
- As promised, our favorite photographer Albert Ortega delivers us some exclusive high resolution photos from the DVD signing event at Stash Westwood to celebrate the release of Clerks II, Now You Know, and Evening Harder. We’re happy to bring you some shots that you won’t see anywhere else on the web, exclusively from Ortega’s camera to your screen. There’s some great candid and group shots here, along with the usual close-up poses that only he can offer. As always, we thank him for the hookup, and hope you enjoy.
Thursdays Still “Suck Less”!
- Kevin informs us that Episode 5 of “Sucks Less with Kevin Smith” is now available in the usual places, the most popular being mtvU.com. There, you can see Episode 5 of the Kevin-hosted, UCLA student-filmed and edited program of fun and odd stuff college kids can do on their weekends. After this week, just one more episode before the semester (and first season) end! By Kevin’s wording, we’re assuming this course/program will return to us in the Spring, with a new crop of young filmmakers getting their feet wet. Fantastic news, as Sucks Less continues to being a fun few minutes to look forward to every week. It’ll certainly be missed over the holiday break.
This week’s episode takes us into the Sucks Less mail bag with Kevin, along with segments on a late night bike riding tradition in LA (and across the country) called the “Midnight Riders”, getting your first tattoo, and last, but certainly not least, how to train your kitty to use your toilet as a litterbox.
And hey, best of all, all 3 segments were journaled by chicks this week. Boo-yah. Enjoy it at the official Sucks Less website!
View Askew NewsBites™
- Big news for HD-DVD fans — Davis DVD reports that the Clerks II HD-DVD edition, due January 16, 2007, will be a TWO DISC SET. This means that you won’t lose out on any of the special features in purchasing this over the regular definition edition. This isn’t official yet, and we’re unsure if EVERY extra is on there, but we’re assuming that will be the case, judging by the box art. See the box over in their cover art gallery.
- A couple of Clerks references show up in this article on the recent play of the Phoenix Suns basketball team.
A Home For Your Inactions!
- Our scooper Andrew has designed a beautiful new accessory for those of you (like us) who just love having all of our View Askew inaction figures out on a shelf in their full display, out-of-package glory. He’s built a SCALE MODEL backdrop of the famous block of stores in Leonardo, and included a vectorized PDF file that should allow you to print it with any format of software or printer (be creative or take it to a print shop, even!). When printed out in full scale, it measures 39 inches wide, and 15 inches high! We’re anxious to make copies and give it a try.
Grab a local copy HERE or also visit our awesome Files Askew area for our always-expanding library of goodies for you PC.