With Labine already joining the two stellar leads, the film’s already shaping up to be one of the best comedic cast that Kevin’s ever put together. We can’t wait for the rest.

First day of rehearsals was yesterday. Just Rogen and Banks. It was pretty tremendous. This afternoon, we add the rest of the gang into the mix.

Principal photography starts shooting a week from today.

More on the excitement straight ahead, via Kevin’s recent blog posts. News Askew will of course be your complete one stop coverage stop for everything that breaks about the flick.

The blog entires, in full, will be available exclusively at Kevin’s blog sites: Silent Bob Speaks and Myspace. If you haven’t already done so, bookmark ‘em up right now.

As always, we’ll alert you of new entires here, and run a couple interesting snippets to whet the appetite and break any big news from within. Let’s take a look:

Tuesday was day one of rehearsals, and lemme tell ya’: it was pretty awesome, hearing Zack and Miri come to life for the first time. Rogen and Banks are genius together (and apart - which, in the flick, is extremely rare): hilarious and rather sweet and touching when called for. The roles fit them like gloves. Shit, better than gloves: the roles fit them like condoms. Like custom-made condoms, even.

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I’ve got a guy whose inflections I wrote for/to reading the scenes and sounding like he’s not acting at all, as much as being the character. I’ve got a chick who could read the Bible aloud and make it seem charming. They’re naturals. They’re excellent.

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We start shooting our eighth film on Wednesday.

It’s nice to see Kevin going back to the roots with reports on this one, and staying relatively cold on the stars and the plot. We’re hoping for continued reports like this, which delve into the background process yet still leave a bunch of surprises to be had in the theater.

Read the entire “Making Porno, Part 1″, which reveals (for the first time in detail) Kevin’s rehearsal schedules for every film he’s made before, at his blog site.

3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Release Date: 2008
Talent: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith (Director)

Synopsis: Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) look to solve their respective cashflow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.

The Buzz: You didn’t think that this list would be all summer blockbusters did you? Zack and Miri will combine two of the most beloved comedic minds in all of Hollywood, director Kevin Smith and actor Seth Rogen, to make a movie about two people who want to start a porn company. And it stars the always gorgeous Elizabeth Banks. If you need to read that again to allow it to really sink in, we can wait.

This scene has so much going for it that I’m surprised it was never seen as an award-nominated clip. First, to satisfy Kevin’s critics, the camera isn’t in one place for too long. The actors are moving around the garage, as is the camera, so visually the scene doesn’t get stale in any way. Secondly, the script is so strong because it toes the line between being dialogue that keeps the action moving and Ben Affleck speaking Kevin’s problems with Christianity, and yet somehow keeps itself from falling over to the soapbox side.

And of course, you have Ben and Matt themselves, two old friends that are obviously very comfortable acting with each other. Here their chemistry takes center stage. Nobody else is in this scene with them, and as their voices get louder, they echo through the cold and empty garage.

Read it all over at 411.

CINEMABLEND - “Kevin Smith Wants You In His Next Movie”

“…It’s not clear exactly what sort of scene he’ll be using these extras in, or even how many he needs. He is pretty clear that those chosen aren’t getting more than minimum wage. He also asks that all photos included with your mail-in applications be fully clothed, so it’s probably safe to assume he doesn’t want you in the movie’s porno scenes, so… who cares why he wants you. It’s a new Kevin Smith movie, and you can be in it without showing your dick. Who the heck wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Seth Rogen wants to be in it. What, you’re better than Seth Rogen? I think not. “


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THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS - “Be In Kevin Smith’s Next Movie”


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JOBLO - “Be A Porno Extra”

Ed. note - Our pal JoBlo always comes through with the photos, this time with two very sexy shots of star Elizabeth Banks to further entice you!


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PASTE MAGAZINE - “Kevin Smith Wants You To Be In His Porno”

“…The job only pays minimum wage, but its spiritual dividends are virtually endless. Keep in mind that the filming takes place in Pittsburgh, so if you don’t live near there or have an extreme amount of free time on your hands, it’s probably not the job for you. Zack and Miri goes into production in January for a probable release in late 2008.”


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CINEMATICAL - “Who Wants To Be In A Kevin Smith Porno?”

“…Now, I’m pretty sure that they don’t need extras to be in the film’s porn, nor fluffers or anything of that sort, but if you’d like to be seen somewhere in the film, Smith is opening the floodgates. As the director says, it could be “just your shoulder, and only for a second,” but I’m sure that it would be a great experience.”

Kevin’s got the address and all the info you need at his blog. Yes, best of all, you even get PAID (our Dogma pay slips are still archived here on the site somewhere). We hope to see many a News Askew fan on the set come this January/February!

“I wish I could have made his version,” Smith said. “The parameters that we had in our version of ‘Green Hornet’ - he’s not suffering from the same parameters At the time they were like ‘We want to make a big straight-forward action movie” - the wrong approach for the character, Smith insisted.

“You can’t really compete with Spiderman and Batman and stuff like that with Green Hornet,” the director contended. “So it’s best to take a different approach to it all-together.”

Which, according to Smith, is what Rogen is finally getting a real chance to do.

“He’s Seth Rogan, the man of the moment. He can do anything he wants with that project,” Smith said. “It’s not a comedy what he’s doing, but he gets to do his with a better sense of humor than we would have been allowed to. He’s in a great free place to do something fresh with that material.”

Q: With its fascist interior design, we never think of the Death Star as having restaurants, happy hours, luxury flats and recreation areas.

A: We start from the point that not everyone on board was a villain. As Kevin Smith pointed out in Clerks, someone had to be the plumber. That’s where we’re coming from. There’s got to be bars, places to eat.

The book, which focuses on the life as an everyday worker on the space station, sounds like a fun read.

Jason Reitman, the 30-year-old director of “Juno,” added that the youth brigade was something of an old story. “I feel like I am just following in the footsteps of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Wes Anderson, the list goes on,” he said.

Kevin Smith’s uber-grungy Clerks captured the low-key, agreeable vibe of smartass go-nowhere buddies hanging out and talking shit. It was cinematic democracy in action, a triumph of proletariat ingenuity over technical wizards with film-school degrees and elaborate storyboards.

So, you want a chance to do this? Well, guess what? Kevin’s got it for ya. Once again, with crew Askew in Pittsburgh, PA, the call’s just been made to you, the loyal fans, for a chance to appear in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”. Almost 10 years and 4 films later, the gang is back in town and all you gotta do is send in a headshot and your desire to appear on screen for your chance at View Askew fame — Immortalized on celluloid and what’s sure to be the eventual special edition DVD. Trust us, it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Here’s the details from Kevin’s post today, which tell you all you need to know:

If you wanna be an extra in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, here’s how to do it…


1) Take two pictures of yourself: headshot and full body shot (clad, please).

2) List your personal details: age, contact info.

3) Mail that motherfucker to…

I Wanna Be in “Porno”!
Nancy Mosser Casting
attn: Katie Shenot
239 Fourth Ave
Suite 1217
Pittsburgh PA 15222

4) Wait for response.

Helps if you live near Pittsburgh, but if you’re willing to travel from other parts of the country, then you’ll definitely be considered (however, you’ve gotta spring for your own travel/hotel stay, naturally). And in case you’re thinking “I’m gonna get RICH off this mug!” lemme reality check you: the gig pays minimum wage (which breaks down to about $57.20 for 8 hours). But if you don’t care about the money and just want an experience you can tell people about for years, then send us your deets now!

Hope to see you on set.

With the shoot being just a few hours away, we’re hopeful to make a few trips in ourselves — If scheduling allows, we’ll make efforts to come in for one or more of the days with the extras, in the hopes we can meet some of you in person and talk to you about your experiences. If you’re selected, be sure and let us know — Good luck to all, and we hope to see you in Pittsburgh in 2008.

Can’t wait to reveal rest of cast. A key piece of the puzzle just fell into place yesterday, and it’s a genius bit of casting.

This is gonna be fun…

We’ll keep you informed as the cast takes shape!