• Minor spoiler alert - Kevin’s hilarious animated cameo from the “Superman: Doomsday” DVD (in stores this week) is up at our new News Askew YouTube channel. Hopefully this one will last! If you plan to watch the full pic, you may wanna wait and enjoy the cameo as part of the picture, but we wanted to have this for the archives, anyway. Enjoy the inside-joke goodness.
• Crave online has a positive review of “Reaper”, calling it (once again) one to watch:
  “…There is a different rhythm here. There are no long monologues. It’s more the zingy rhythm of call and response. There aren’t Veronica Mars style references to pop culture, but comments do defy expectations and the timing is impeccable. The physical slapstick is expertly performed as well.”

  
  We’re less than a week away from the national premiere now!

• Ok, one more! Buzz Sugar puts “Reaper” in their Top 5 of the Fall’s new crop of programs:
  “Reaper,” a dude comedy from two women who earned their chops as writers on “Law & Order: SVU,” could become one of the CW’s first big breakout hits. Kevin Smith’s influence can be felt all over the pilot, which showcases leading man Bret Harrison and hilarious sidekick Tyler Labine as a couple of unlikely heroes who work as bounty hunters for the devil. It’s an unlikely premise, but it’s got smart execution and humor to spare. But maybe the greatest thing about “Reaper” is the casting of Ray Wise as Satan himself; one look at that creepy smile, and I was sold.
• Anyone think that kid in “Mallrats” was an early adopter of Crocs?
• And finally this update, if you’re buying or renting, don’t miss the absolutely AWESOME “Death Proof” extended cut now out on DVD. Kevin and Scott sang the praises of “Grindhouse” in an early SModcast, and we couldn’t agree more. Sadly, no other hidden extras which we bet they’re saving for a “Special Edition” of Grindhouse sometime next year once sales on the single packs have slowed up. “Planet Terror” hits next month in its own disc, which we’re betting will also be missing the trailers. The additional stuff in “Death Proof” is fantastic, adding more detail to another unique masterpiece from the great Tarantino.

• This one’s a bit old, but new to YouTube, we believe — Take a gander at this interview held with Kevin at Sundance, where the topic of the day was “Small Town, Gay Bar”. With the film now out on a Special Edition DVD, it’s a better time than ever to hear more about it, and definitely a worthy addition to your View Askew DVD collection.
• This one came into the mailbox today:
  This might take some investigation… I was at an American Eagle clithing store with my daughter today… On those large screens on the back wall they were playing a clip promoting an upcoming show (I believe it’s on MTV) about a group of kids who all work in a amll. The lead actress was being interviewed and she described the upcoming show as “it’s like a modern day MALLRATS”.

  We’ll clear this up right quick — MTV shows this “show” titled “It’s a Mall World” from time to time, usually during new “Real World” episodes. The new program is a mall-based webisode show that runs over at the American Eagle Outfitters site, exclusively. So, more of a promotional tool than a series. Other than taking place in a mall, and featuring young people, we don’t really see other similarities.

• Catch View Askew alum Carrie Fisher in the latest episode of Showtime’s brilliant “Weeds”, titled “The Brick Dance” (and what a dance it is, we gotta say). She plays a shark of a divorce lawyer. No word on her appearing in any future epsiodes this season, though we can highly recommend this program, well worth checking out and even subscribing to the service for (not to mention, “Dexter” will be back soon, another of the best shows on TV — Check out the first season on DVD if you don’t believe us). Go Showtime!

• Kevin and Scott’s weekly podcast, SModcast, made this week’s MUST LIST in Entertainment Weekly magazine. Make sure you subscribe today so you don’t miss any episodes!

• We love this ad for the Screen Actor’s Guild’s “Sagindie” branch, which appeared recently in MovieMaker Magazine. Click the pic for a closer look. Not only a funny ad, but we’re happy to see that Kevin and View Askew’s influence continues to promote the indie spirit. Yeah!
• AZCentral posts a short new interview with Kevin, the main topic of which is “Zack and Miri Make A Porno” — However, due to the Rosario involvement in the piece, it may have been conducted a few weeks back. Here’s a snippet or two:
  Q: You’ve taken supporting roles in other people’s films - “Catch and Release,” “Live Free or Die Hard.” Is that like a vacation for you?

  A: It is kind of a vacation. It’s fun to do. It’s certainly nothing that I would make my primary job. But if stuff comes along and I’ve got the time - and it doesn’t require heavy lifting, because I’m certainly nobody’s actor - I’m all game for it.

  Q: “Clerks II” proved there’s still juice left in Jay and Silent Bob (characters played by Jason Mewes and Smith, respectively). Do you think these guys could do a movie in their 50s?

  A: I dunno, man. That’d be tough. I always thought it’d interesting somewhere down the road to see how they aged. But I think I’ll just kind of reserve that for if we ever do another “Clerks” look-in on Dante and Randal. Like, people have asked, “Are you going to do ‘Clerks III’?” I’m like, “Maybe not until I’m in my 40s.” Because it would be nice to peek in on those two characters every decade and see how they progress. “Clerks” was in my 20s and “Clerks II” was in my 30s, so maybe “Clerks III” would be in my 40s. Even then, I’m like, “How do you handle Jay and Bob in their 40s?”

• Big news for you Hollywood Stock Exchange addicts: The stock for “Zack and Miri Make A Porno” went IPO today at a price of $20. Happy trading!
• Don’t forget, DVD completists and Kevin fans, TMNT is now available for purchase and rental on DVD, featuring a fun cameo from the voice of Kevin Smith himself. Check your local shelves, rental shop, or NetflixM type joint to snag yourself a copy.

• Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy, have released their RiffTrax for The Bourne Identity! Rifftrax continue the MST3K tradition of mocking movies as you watch, through the use of MP3 downloadable files that you sync up with a film’s DVD. Watch a hilarious sample HERE. With the Damon Askew connection and all these MSTie alums on board, this one’s sure to be an instant classic.
• A scooper caught the brand new, recut Mallrats X verison airing on pay channel “IndiePlex”, one of those ancillary Encore networks you get when you subscribe to premium services. Pretty cool stuff! A quick search over at the Encore site did confirm many upcoming airings of Mallrats on their various stations, but none confirm the version. If anyone knows more, let us know — For those of you who were silly enough to skip buying the extended disc, this could be a great chance to preview all that you’re missing. We’ll let you know if we hear of Mallrats Extended airing anywhere, though encourage you to buy the amazing DVD from the Stash — One of the greatest that View Askew ever produced.

• For the interested or intrigued, here’s those lego version of Jay and Bob that were spotted on Facebook earlier this week. For some added weekend fun, make your own Lego creations for free online! See ya — Thanks for stopping by News Askew today.

• Congrats to Matt Damon who was just honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ah, we still remember the days of his brief appearances in the MTV shorts and “Chasing Amy”. Good on ya, Matt, you’ve come a long way. Here’s hoping we see Damon back in a future View Askew project some day, too. In the meantime, catch his critically-acclaimed turn in The Bourne Ultimatum in theaters this weekend.
• A brief “Dogma” mention comes up in AOL’s list of “The 77 Most Unforgettable Movie Songs” :
  75. Alanis Morissette, ‘Uninvited’ (’City of Angels,’ 1998) One year after Alanis penned this heavenly, Oscar-worthy song for a syrupy film about angels, she was cast as God in Kevin Smith’s brilliantly blasphemous ‘Dogma.’ Coincidence? — M. Tye Comer
• Moviehole gives “The Shark Is Still Working” (Kevin has a “narrated by” credit) four out of five stars in this DVD review.

• Kevin gets a mention in the July 29th Austin American-Statesman in a question about Askew alum Claire Forlani. This scan comes from that newspaper.
• CBS sportsline.com has this article about Prince’s love of basketball, with an alternate history if he had become a basketball player. It quotes Kevin telling the story of filming in Paisly Park from “Evening”:
  Kevin “Silent Bob” Smith spends a half-hour of his An Evening With Kevin Smith DVD spilling some of the secret life of Prince he learned while filming a documentary at Paisley Park. The chunky filmmaker was obsessed with the funky hitmaker’s fashion sense. Why all the Shakespearean getups and high heels?

  One of Prince’s assistants assured Smith that Prince wears warm-ups and sneakers when he plays basketball. Nothing hand-made. Typical store-bought stuff. From Nordstrom’s.

  Norstrom’s sells stuff in Prince’s size? Smith asks. Yes, the assistant explains — in the boys department. “That is so (effin’) cute!” Smith marvels.

• Jason Lee gets a bit of vindication for his Emmy snub in EW’s “Yay Emmys, Boo Emmys” list :
  BOO, EMMYS!

  Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) doesn’t make the cut

  Where’s Jason Lee? I understand there are only [a few] nominees per category, but [Lee and Lauren Graham] are the leads of long-running shows who consistently do GREAT jobs. —Dio_K

  The nominations stink this year…. Jason Lee is about a 100 times funnier than [Charlie] Sheen. No wonder the ratings for the Emmys has been dropping, they have no clue as to what is good TV. —Tisa

• We’ve got a FIRST for you here at News Askew — Not only do we have an EXCLUSIVE new interview from Chris Graves for you today, with composer Ira Newborn, BUT…We have an exclusive RESPONSE - From Kevin Smith himself! Newborn’s association with View Askew involves his work on “Mallrats”. Read on for this new interview, and straight after, check out Kevin’s direct reply, which reveals interesting sidenotes about the opening Mallrats cues and the work done for the 10th anniversary disc. Without further delay, here’s Chris, Ira, and Kevin:
  
  AN INTERVIEW WITH IRA NEWBORN

  BY CHRIS GRAVES

  CHRIS GRAVES: For those who do not know, what is your background and how were you introduced to the world of View Askew and Kevin Smith?

  IRA NEWBORN: I was a studio guitarist in N.Y. and then L.A. who, after doing “American Hot Wax “ and then “The Blues Brothers,”decided to become a full-time film composer. I was asked to do the music for “Mallrats” by Sean Daniel, who was a producer at Universal and was acting for Kevin Smith.

  CG: When did music become a part of your life? Were you in any rock bands during your youth?

  IN: I started playing flute at 9, trombone at 10 and guitar at 12. My mother played piano, studied opera and was a coloratura soprano. My father played piano and trombone. I was in numerous R&R and jazz bands from the early 60’s on.

  CG: How did you get the job of conductor / music supervisor on The Blues Brothers? Did you ever visit the set?

  IN: I was known to producer Joel Silver as the musical director of “The Manhattan Transfer” as well as a studio guitarist and arranger. When Paul Schaeffer could not go to Chicago to be musical director of “The Blues Brothers”, Joel suggested me to Sean Daniel. It just so happened I knew everyone in the Blues Brothers Band. I visited many of the sets of the movie.

  CG: Can you tell me about your professional relationship with director John Hughes? How did this begin and do you have a favorite film from this collaboration?

  IN: I was recommended to John Hughes by Joel Silver while I was doing “Into The Night” for John Landis. I suppose I like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” the best although seeing Kelly LeBrock in her underwear in “Weird Science” was quite a thrill.

  CG: The music you created for the Naked Gun trilogy, like most of your film scores, have gone on to become iconic in the world of cinema. What was the inspiration for the Naked Gun prequel tv series Police Squad?

  IN: The inspiration was the mid-50’s TV cop show, “M-Squad” with Lee Marvin.

  CG: Being that the score to Mallrats was basically a character in the film itself, did Mr. Smith or the studio give you any specific directions or notes in terms of the musical themes created for Mallrats?

  IN: I really don’t remember but I suppose we talked generally about the tenor of the score and the character of the individual players.

  CG: Did you ever visit the set of the film? Have you in the past, ever visited the set to a film you scored and if so are there any interesting anecdotes from these experiences?

  IN: I think I visited the set. The most interesting anecdote is meeting Kelly LeBrock in her underwear on the set of “Weird Science”. I will treasure that memory always.

  CG: Do you like how Mallrats turned out? And what was your reaction to the film’s poor theatrical box office?

  IN: I think there were many good things in it and it certainly didn’t deserve the beating it took from many critics.

  CG: Besides film scoring, you also have appeared in the films Junior, The Cowboy Way, and the 1970’s television series Manhattan Transfer. Is acting a field you’ve tried to branch off and explore as a possible second career?

  IN: I was performing when I was 2 years old. I had the lead in every school play from 1st through 6th grade and always considered acting my first and true love, however, it’s even more disgusting a business than the music business so after a while I had to recognize that acting and acting professionally were 2 different things and I decided to be a professional musician. I love to act and have occasionally but not if I have to do cattle calls and the like.

  CG: What did you think of the other View Askew movies and do you have favorite Kevin Smith / View Askew flick (Mallrats excluded)?

  IN: I liked “Chasing Amy” very much. I thought that “Clerks” was a movie about an everyday bunch of people laboring under an enormous blow-job joke. I didn’t go to see “Dogma” because after having Kevin and Scott offer me the movie to score, I never was able to get either of them on the phone again to discuss it.

  CG: Any new projects coming up?

  IN: At this point? Who knows? Who cares? Maybe I’ll be surprised.

  CG: And finally, do you still keep in contact with anyone related to the world of View Askew and would you like to work with Kevin again?

  IN: As I said, after being offered “Dogma” (while I was scoring “Mallrats”), receiving the script and then never again being able to talk to Kevin or Scott, my down and dirty, non-Hollywood, real-life East Coast buddies, I probably didn’t see any use in “keeping in touch.” As far as working with Kevin again is concerned, you should ask him if he would like to work with me. Considering the typical Hollywood treatment I received with “Dogma”, I don’t imagine he does.

  And now, in the spirit of fairness, Kevin’s reply and comments in response to this interview:

  
  KEVIN SMITH: So weird: I don’t even remember offering Ira “Dogma” to score. Maybe it was something we talked about during the two or three days I ever worked with the man - a guy whose body of work I truly respected (”Sixteen Candles”, “Weird Science”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) - but how do you “offer” someone a movie to score when the movie wasn’t even shot, and wouldn’t be for another three years?

  If it was, indeed, however, something we’d mused about during that three day stretch on the “Rats” scoring stage, he put a bullet in it by being a total rag during the session: aside from addressing both Scott and I with dripping condescension, the guy went out of his way to mock a small request I made in front of his entire orchestra.

  Y’know that “Pink Panther”-like orchestral fall-off during the Gramercy logo, right before Brodie starts his Cousin Walter narration story? I’d asked for that without using the proper terminology (”fall-off”). I tried to describe it to Ira for about two minutes before the dude’s blank stare morphed into an expression of abject disgust. First, he scoffed at me for not knowing what I was asking for was called, and then he turned to his orchestra and blasted me - like I wasn’t there - for having shit taste in music. Ultimately, he made the massive concession of giving the director something simple and small that he (politely and with the respect due a guy of Ira’s musical stature) asked for - but you’d have thought I’d grabbed a pen, spread out his cue sheets, and rewrote his entire score. I mean, it was a slight musical sting during the fucking studio logo, for Christ’s sake.

  But even though he finally gave me what I wanted, he made it painfully clear how much he disagreed with it: Ira conducts his orchestra during the recording of that particular cue… how does one put this… sarcastically - complete with rolling eyes, over the top gestures and faux-yawning. It’s such an obnoxious display, it prompts a woman in the session to giggle aloud at his antics. That giggle can be heard in the cue (right before the fall-off, I believe); I opted to leave it in to remind me of what working with Ira Newborn was like.

  So, I ask you: would you wanna work with a guy like that more than once?

  Well I’m stupid, so I tried to work with him again, a decade later.

  Scott and I were working on the tenth anniversary “Mallrats” DVD, creating the extended cut of the flick. Since there was all new material, we needed new score bits. The studio said they could just do an in-house cut-and-paste job with the score, but Scott and I pushed for them to go back to Ira - so that the man who scored the picture in the first place could add on to his own compositions.

  Normally, when you work on the bonus features of a DVD, you do it for nothing. I’ve never gotten paid for any of the commentary tracks, deleted scenes compilation, intro recording, or doc-making I’ve done for any of the DVDs: it’s just something you do for the love (and to make a kick-ass DVD for anyone who’s interested in your bullshit). For the, roughly, twelve minutes of new score we were needed, rather than simply doing some loops of what already existed or doing a quick jam of new stuff that’d complement the picture, Ira quoted the studio a price way beyond their comfort level for a re-issued DVD. When Ira priced himself out of what was gonna be an easy gig, we, instead, sought the aid of our guy Jim Venable to pinch-hit.

  It’s all a shame, really. While there weren’t many score cues in “Mallrats” (it was largely driven by soundtrack), I dug ‘em all; just wasn’t too crazy about the attitude of the guy who crafted them. He was the first composer I’d ever worked with and he made it the worst experience I’ve ever had scoring a movie.

  I find it strange that he called Scott and I “Hollywood” - when the next flick we made had a budget of $250,000 and was shot in the Jersey ‘burbs.

  And there ya have it, folks. Thanks to everyone involved. Just goes to show you, there’s always some Askew stories to tell from the world of Hollywood, even things stretching back as far as ten years ago. And for the record, that “fall-off” is memorable, isn’t it? Crazy that there was such a fuss made about Kev’s requesting it. Huh.

  We’ve got plans for a page here at the new News Askew that will house ALL of these wonderful inteviews in one place. Watch for that, coming soon, right here. And as always, we thank Chris for the excellent work he’s continuing to deliver.

• We ran this back on the 16th, in case you’re feeling Deja Vu here — Kevin’s got some words (and a scan) in his blog today, chatting about the blog’s selection as one of the 20 best celebrity blogs on the web. Be sure and check the post, though, for details about his Q&A this Friday, a nice look at the cover of his new book, links to glowing “Reaper” reviews, and a reveal that some of the show’s cast MIGHT make it to the screening.
• Dean Winkelspecht of DVD Town reviews the HD-DVD release of “Mallrats”, giving it high marks and an 8/10 overall. Read the full review at his website. Keep in mind, this is a release of the Mallrats Special Edition version, not the Mallrats X disc with two copies of the film onboard. It seems more of a hybrid learning towards the original Special Edition. In particular, check out page two for details on all the extras.

• Playback posts a review of “Chuck and Larry” (yet again trashing it, though it did front the box office stats this weekend). In this one, Kevin is brought up twice. The first inexplicably compares him to the “frat pack”:
  “Chuck and Larry is attempting to cash in on the new trend of movies coming from Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, Judd Apatow, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Smith and others that have raised the median age of the stars but still attract the 18 to 24-year-old demographic.”

  The second condemns the movie for allowing gay rights groups to have a say in the editing:

  “In fact, Sandler and James screened the film for gay rights organizations before the film’s opening to help dissuade any protests. Was Borat shown to the people of Kazakhstan prior to opening? Did Smith get an okay from Catholics before premiering Dogma? Did Apatow seek a stamp of approval while doing final edits on Knocked Up ? The answer to all of these is “no.” ”

• CHUD calls Mallrats #40 in their list of 50 cinematic “guilty pleasures” with a fairly extensive write-up. Here’s a few tidbits:
  Instead of pushing off from the critical success of Clerks, Kevin Smith made a film that proved he might actually be the voice of a generation, if Generation X was the lazy, unmotivated bunch of bums some claimed it to be. The characters in Mallrats occupy some neutral zone between junior high and college, and instead of the relatively accurate, if exaggerated dialogue of his debut, they all spew the verbose fantasties and monologues which would later be proven as Smith’s de facto m.o. The only time the dialogue works this time is during the game show finale, where I have to admit it’s actually funny as hell, even if Jason Lee’s jabs at Brian O’Halloran amount to shooting fish in a barrel. “I should know — we can smell our own,” gets me every time.

• How ’bout some more Rats news? Mallrats hit HD-DVD on June 26th, and High Def Digest has the first review that we’ve seen (we don’t have the high def equipment setup to review these puppies just yet). In short, the reviewer does give high marks to the film and the disc, which contains everything in the Mallrats 10th Anniversary package from a couple years back. Sounds like the picture and sound both offer some small step ups in quality.
• Shock Till You Drop and Cinematical have more San Diego ComicCon details realeased today. As we mentioned, Kevin will be speaking on Friday July 27th - STYD calls it a Q&A, while Cinematical just refers to it as a talk. Expect the usual format there, we’re betting on some new stories, too — A preamble to the big August 2nd event in Red Bank!
• Check out a new View Askew themed podcast called Salsashark. Looks like he’s got some more episodes on the way, too.

• The beautiful and famous Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas will host a midnight screening of the awesome “Mallrats” this weekend, August 4th and 5th! It’s a very cool theater — A dinner and a movie kind of place where you can order all kinds of food and have a waiter, but get to see a flick on a full sized screen. Here’s the blurb straight from The Alamo Drafthouse newsletter:

Here’s a direct link to the information, showtimes, and ticket purchase online for the Mallrats showings. Another reason to hate not living in Austin, for sure. This sounds like an event we wouldn’t miss if we were in the area. So if you are, be there!

• In the latest episode of DVD Talk Radio, DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman sits down at talks with Kevin about the DVD Release for the Mallrats 10th Anniversary Edition. In addition to talking about the Mallrats DVD, Kevin also chats about Clerks 2, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2, his role in Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales, his DVD colelction, and much much more. 40 minutes of audio bliss. They’ve even got their own very cool in-browser player that you can access HERE. Kevin is currently the top episode.

For the actual press release announcing the interview, click HERE. For the ultra lazy or the archivers, grab a direct link to the MP3 feed HERE.

Of particualr interest: Kevin reveals early plans for a Dogma 10th Anniversary DVD, where they might shoot a new sequence showing HELL (we imagine during the Lee monologue, the spot where we years ago saw “Event Horizon” footage as a placeholder in the AVID cut).

More updates tomorrow, we do have some newsbites for ya, it’s just been a loooong day. Come on back tho!

• Whist it may first seem as this article from the Houston Chronicle devotes itself to Clerks 2, a lot of time is spent on the Mallrats DVD, though there’s some bits for everyone in this one, that they like to call: