In the case of Jason Bateman, we were sent a scoop via a thoughtful reader who swore he had the casting verified. However, since it seemed so out of left field, we first wanted to see if we were on to something, then, wanted to see if it was going to hurt anything by posting it if we WERE. We can assure you, were the rumor true that Bateman was cast in “Zack and Miri”, Kevin would absolutely have told us when we could break the scoop - When the time was right, papers were signed, deal done, etc. We run the risk of hurting a great film, and possibly even losing our jobs (and this site) in the process when we run stuff that isn’t finalized yet.

Ok, that out of the way, here’s a few bits and pieces from Kevin’s recounting of the Jason Bateman casting rumor, which started with that little e-mail from us and eventually ended up, well, all over the place:

…I never thought to simply say “It’s not true” to anyone but Brad at News Askew. Jason, however, was asked and did have an answer for Peter Sciretta over at SlashFilm. Then, over at Mtv’s Movies Blog, Shawn Adler threw up a link to the SlashFilm article, but it kind of insinuated that Bateman had passed on “Zack and Miri.” So I called Shawn to clear it up and asked him to adjust it on their site.


However, in case folks are still unclear, I’ll second what Bateman said: no, he’s not Zack in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” We never asked him and he never read it. He was a great idea for Zack, as Bateman’s a genius who drops performance clinics in even small roles (”Smokin’ Aces”, the upcoming-but-gonna-be-retitled “Quebec”), but like I said: I wrote the role for someone specifically, and that specific someone’s the only guy I’ve ever sent the script to.

As always, see the full blog for more detail on this. Just another tale of how one little rumor can get blown way outta control.

“But in the age of iPods, there’s really no reason why audio commentary has to be relegated to DVD. That’s why Ryan Reynolds and I recorded one last week for The Nines which is now yours to download. (47MB, right-click to save to disk)


This isn’t an original idea, by the way. Kevin Smith recorded an in-theater commentary for Clerks II, though I can’t find confirmation he released it into the wild. (Someone in the comments section will know.)”

It’s another barely-leave-the-house kinda day, as I spend the morning checking email, IMing and blogging. My brother calls to talk about “Red State” (I forwarded him a copy as well), and we wind up chatting and bullshitting for three hours. He’s a good guy, my brother.


After that, I spend a majority of the day working on the “Heroes” script in my bedroom office while Harley has another play-date and Jen runs errands.


…


Wake up to the following email, from Brian Lynch, who I’d sent the “Red State” script the night before.





That was bold. And a great read. Seeing the movie would be a completely different matter, as I think I would watch most of it through my fingers. It would scare the living shit out of me. What a tense, shocking and insanely downbeat time at the movies that would be.

Sounds like those of you on the fence won’t want to miss the next chance to attend a View Askew prom! We’ll of course let you know if this becomes an annual event.

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?”

The Green Hornet property was under Kevin Smith’s banner for a long time: the ultimate comic fanboy wrote a script but decided not to direct it. Rogen will not take the opportunity to read Smith’s draft.


“I’m actually friends with Kevin Smith and he said I probably could read it if I wanted. I don’t want to. I have no interest right now in reading it I would say. At some point.”

This pretty much has Josh Holloway written all over it,” wrote IceTruckDexter on cinematical.com, while others suggested Matthew McConaughey, Jason Mewes (must be a hair thing), New Zealand-born actor Karl Urban (lately an assassin in The Bourne Supremacy) and, of course, Vincent D’Onofrio, who memorably played a beefy mechanic who was mistaken for Thor in Adventures in Babysitting in 1987.

According to Smith, Zack and Miri is currently scheduled to begin shooting in January, with pre-production gearing up somewhere around early November. That leaves plenty of time to find a new female lead, and while I adore Dawson just as much as the next guy (I swear, I have dreams about that dance in Clerks 2), there are plenty of other fish in the sea. God, I feel like I’m giving my friend advice after his prom date ditched him at the last minute for a bottle of tequila and a dude with a trust fund. And speaking of proms, Smith also posted a ton of photos from his 37th birthday bash — including pics of his MILF, er, wife, daughter and tons of other partygoers. Happy B-Day Kev, and here’s hoping your belated gift comes in the form of an actress that will totally kill in the role.

Naturally, we LOVE the idea of the guy being involved in this film or any View Askew project, so that’s not to say this could change — We just wanted to set the record straight as far as what we knew as fact, at the present time. We’ll keep on top of all the latest casting news for you, right here.

Legendary independent filmmaker, writer, actor and cultural commentator, Kevin Smith has an international reputation for his hilarious take on the world. Now, he’s ready to share more than ever before, in MY BORING-ASS LIFE: THE UNCOMFORTABLY CANDID DIARY OF KEVIN SMITH.

Lewd, crude and hilariously rude, Kevin Smith pulls no punches in this hard-hitting, in-your-face exposé of, er, his rather dull and uneventful life well, not always dull. In between watching his TiVo, he manages to make and release Clerks II, relate the story of his partner-in-crime Jason Mewes’ heroin addiction, get a tattoo, serve on a jury and get caught stealing donuts from Burt Reynolds.

The book hits everywhere this Fall — Our signed copies from the Stash will be a must-buy, no doubt.

Fortunately, however, I did manage to get at least one photo with a very, very awesome celebrity that wasn’t taken at a TCA-sponsored event, so let’s close with that, shall we…?

Right before I departed for Los Angeles, I read online that Gallery 1988, a small but kick-ass gallery on Melrose Avenue, was to be opening their latest exhibit – “Crazy 4 Cult,” dedicated to artwork inspired by various cult films – while I was in California for the press tour.

TCA Televesion Critics Association 2007 Press TourCool enough, right? Even better, though, was that one of the hosts of the event was to be none other than…wait for it…Kevin Smith (right).

I’d done a phoner with Smith for Bullz-Eye a few months prior, but realizing that this would be a perfect chance to meet him in person, I headed down to the gallery, along with Bullz-Eye’s mighty President and CEO, Gerardo Orlando. (Thanks for the cab fare, G!) Although a TCA function had resulted in us getting to the opening rather late, Smith was indeed still in attendance, so I approached him, introduced myself, and reminded him of our earlier conversation. I really have no idea if he actually remembered me or not, but, hey, he was pleasant in his assurances that he was glad to meet me, and that was enough for me…almost.

Before departing, I figured, what the hell, why not ask the guy if I can get a picture with him? I mean, I’ve got an actual Kevin Smith “inaction figure” in my office at home, and whenever my daughter sees it, she points at it and says, “Daddy!” So, y’know, basically, I’m thinking the effect of seeing a photo of Kevin Smith and me standing side by side ought to be downright surreal.

Kevin goes on to explain the many other re-castings over the years, including “Chasing Amy”, “Dogma”, and even “Clerks II”. And we all know just how well that all turned out, don’t we? In fact, we were lucky enough to see Ms. Dawson star in “Clerks II” after a long casting process, so who knows just what gem of an actress that the crew will come up with to replace her — Personally, we can’t wait. It’s another exciting bit of news we’ll have to follow here at News Askew.

Kevin also goes on to explain his love for the week, especially the Q&A and the View Askew prom, which was a MAJOR success:

Don’t miss Kevin’s blog post for a TON of pictures and more detail. What a fantastic week in Red Bank. We thank everyone who made it possible, and already eagerly anticipate the Smith clan’s return to the east coast.

Note: Though Michelle Monaghan is being widely reported as cast in “Eagle Eye” today, we’re assuming that there are multiple female roles — So don’t assume that she’s in and Rosario is out. It’s likely that both are in the film. We’ll of course keep you up to date with the latest right here.

Anyway, all that aside, this is one of those interviews that you don’t wanna miss a word of - Just compelling page for page. So enjoy the scans, click away, and read it all. We think you’re gonna dig this one.