• Film critic and aficionado Jeffrey Wells has been a friend of the View Askew fold ever since an early meeting with Kevin. Since then, he’s contined to be a regular guest, working a column at our own Movie Poop Shoot website, and now runs an awesome website called Hollywood Elsewhere that’s got a staggering amount of information, including regular columns and a podcast from Wells himself (admittedly, this is the first we’ve seen this website, and we’re hooked, now — Wells is doing an amazing job). Kevin was the guest on that podcast on Sunday night. You can listen to Kevin’s telephone interivew in the archives of the “Elsewhere Live” show by clicking HERE. An archive of Well’s excellent podcasts can also be found, for iTunes users only, HERE. If you’re in a hurry (the interview runs around 30 minutes), here’s a summary of tidbits revealed by Kevin during the call:

• The 1st cut of Clerks 2 is done, with a running time of 1:49.
• Kevin is guessing after trimming a little more, the final cut will likely end up somewhere around 1:40.
• The goal is to debut the film at Cannes in May, though it will not be shown as part of the competition.
• The expected US theatrical release date for the film is August.
• Kevin confirmed the plan is still to release the film UNRATED (hooray!)

If you’re not already excited to see the film, wait until you hear this clip where Kevin discusses it. You’ll be stoked. After spending a few minutes chatting with him on the set in New Jersey last month, we could see the excitement first hand. This one’s going to please the fans, and surprise any nay-sayers out there as well. It’s not just about a bunch of one-liners, but rather, has a sweet, meaningful story and speaks a lot to the 30-something generation. August isn’t that long off, either — And just think about it — The first EVER unrated Kevin Smith flick? The tickets are as good as sold. And hey — Feel better, Kevin.