The word “drama” isn’t one normally associated with the comedic Smith, but it’s certainly something he can add to his repertoire considering his expert handling of the dramatic moments in “Jersey Girl.” It’s important to note, however, that it’s not 100 percent drama; the film is as hilarious and upbeat as fans have come to expect from Smith, only this time the jokes are propelled by words as opposed to, say, a monkey. Think of it as a more anchored “Chasing Amy,” without Jay and Silent Bob and, instead of being about the love you’ll never have (a man and a lesbian), it’s about the love everyone can have—a father and his child.

UNO DRIFTWOOD - "'Jersey Girl' opens to rave reviews"

Are you intimidated by the fact that the Green Hornet movie is in your hands?

Absolutely. This is by far bigger and more expensive than any movie I’ve ever done. That’s definitely a little scary. Harvey Weinstein was great in kind of pushing me into that role. I didn’t want the job at first, thought it was way too much responsibility; just too much on my shoulders. Weinstein talked me into writing an outline for what my Hornet movie would be like, took one look at it and said this is exactly what we’re looking for. You’re doing the Green Hornet movie.

So Jason Lee is all set to play the next Fletch, right?

If I have my say, absolutely. Miramax is looking in another direction than that of Lee for the Fletch role but I’m hoping that “Green Hornet” does really well so then I can just say it’s Lee or nobody.

[FULL STORY]

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KANSAS CITY STAR - "Puppies & Potty Mouths"

...“God willing, this will be Ben's comeback picture. He's certainly done a good job of deflating the whole ‘Gigli' thing — like going on Leno and reading the film's bad reviews out loud,” he said.

“I'll always want to work with him. After five movies together he really knows how to deliver the dialogue I write. He's one of the funniest people I've ever met and he's really smart. I cast him as my proxy … wishful thinking! If only I was that smart, funny and good looking.”

And if “Jersey Girl” tanks?

“I've gotten to this place where if they don't like this one, they'll like the next one. I'm pretty Zen about it.”

[FULL STORY]

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FILM FEVER - Interview

So, no referencing the last five films in Green Hornet?

"No, I think there will be no Jay and Silent Bob in the next movie," he said. "I'm going to put (Jason) Mewes (who plays Jay in Smith's previous four films) in for sure. I told him this before I went out on the press tour. I told him, 'Dude, I am putting you in the Green Hornet.' He was like, 'Í knew it, and you want me to play the Hornet.' I know the lure of the familiar is calling him. April 6th will mark his one-year of being off of drugs. He has not drank at all and has been really clean, which is surely one of the signs of the apocalypse."

...

"I just write Ben, and that's it," Smith said. "In Jersey Girl and the other four Smith films he has been in. Throw him in a movie running around trying to save the world and jumping off of buildings. That's Ben jamming into a script not written for him.

"But me, I write for Ben. I write for his voice and write what goes on in real life. He is a really charming, warm, funny guy. You would like to hang out with him; he plays it really well because that is who he really is."

[FULL STORY]

I saw Jersey Girl on Friday and during that entire day I wore this shirt that I have pictured below that I made, I stood at the end of the ticket line for about 15 minutes as people read my shirt. I didnlt move or say a thing.. I just stood still while people looked at the shirt and oddly questioned what the hell I was doing...I could hear a few mumbled comments such as..."37 times?" and "Is it really a big enough deal to make a shirt about?" I was gettin' the biggest kick out of it...

After the movie was over, I pretty much spent the rest of the day just goin' around to public places and solicitating the movie...I went to this diner called "Panera Bread", I went to my town's local library, I went to the mall, I even got some peoples attention by yelling "Go See Jersey Girl" out the window of the car. Not sure if this "rampage" of mine got anyone to go see the movie...but it was still fun.

Anyways, its 6:09 p.m. in my hometown of Davenport, IA and Im gonna catch the 8 p.m. showing of Jersey Girl at the theater tonight wearing the shirt again. Hopefully it'll get some people to go see it...

MARCH 26, 2004

HOUSTON CHRONICLE (B+) - "Director grows up with 'Jersey Girl'"

"...Though it brims with Smith touches, including inside jokes and cameos by members of his stock company of actors (but not Jay and Silent Bob), at times it's easy to forget this is from the same smart-mouth provocateur who made Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. But despite a bit of sloppiness and a couple of hokey scenes, Jersey Girl is funny enough, smart enough and touching enough to make you forget -- or at least forgive -- the unfortunate Gigli.

Scratch that: It's a winner in its own right. Affleck does some of his best work, and though Smith doesn't handle the material with complete confidence, it's a heartfelt tale that should speak to a mainstream audience, despite being the most personal movie he's ever made.

[FULL REVIEW]

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ARIZONA REPUBLIC (*** 1/2) - "No dope, just heart in 'Jersey Girl'"

"...Because Smith plays Silent Bob, that character probably was even tougher to eliminate. But the director has gained enough maturity to realize that an easygoing romantic comedy doesn't need - and probably would be derailed by - a marijuana-peddling Greek chorus.

Instead of his usual outrageous dialogue, painful-looking pratfalls and obsession with sexuality, Smith fills Jersey Girl with sweet, tender moments drawn from his experiences as a first-time dad. Jersey Girl isn't Smith's best movie, but it is his most heartfelt.

[FULL REVIEW]

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WHAT'S GOIN ON - "Kevin Smith's first PG-13 flick finally hits theaters, and well worth the wait"

"...It will be interesting to see Smith’s regular fans’ reaction to “Jersey Girl.” Smith has “grown up” with this Valentine to both his wife and to the state where he was born and raised. But if they keep an open mind they’ll find a truly enjoyable film with Smith’s style and wit coming through a slightly toned-down medium (sans Jay and Silent Bob)."

[FULL REVIEW]

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U-PRESS TELEGRAM - "'Jersey Girl' gets you with one look"

"...It's one look, though, that will get you. Now you've seen this look - little girl gazing adoringly at her father after the old man comes through in the clutch - many, many (many) times before in movies, but what makes it distinctive here is that it truly comes from the heart and it arrives after a good 90 minutes of deeply felt, nicely observed family dynamics. While Hollywood's family-values flicks usually feel about as genuine as a three-dollar bill, "Jersey Girl" is the real deal, unfiltered, coming from a man who truly believes. "

[FULL REVIEW]

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WINNIPEG SUN - "'One sweet Jersey Girl - Romantic comedy flick Affleck's best in years"

"...It may be manipulative and contrived but Jersey Girl spins enough charm and sweetness to make it a delightful though instantly forgettable family comedy. This is a major departure for filmmaker Kevin Smith who built his reputation and cult following by being irreverent and vulgar. "

[FULL REVIEW]

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PHILADELPHIA INTELLIGENCER

"...Those willing to forgive Smith's over-enthusiastic response to family life, however, will experience a few moments of pure joy. Star watchers wondering how Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez connect on screen after their disastrous "Gigli" have little to sink their teeth into."

[FULL REVIEW]

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ORLANDO SENTINEL

"...Smith has said that Jersey Girl isn't his ''funniest or most original film to date.'' It's probably fair to say that Jersey Girl isn't the slightest bit hip, either. Instead, the new film is sweet, with just enough wacky Kevin Smith moments to keep it going.

Ironically, the film's best performance is given by Lopez, who is funny, soulful and, unlike anyone else in this film, totally believable. When she's sharing the spotlight with Affleck, she makes him a better actor. But, then, we're not supposed to notice that sort of thing, are we?

[FULL REVIEW]

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THE WASHINGTON TIMES - "''Jersey Girl' sweet enough"

"...Largely, he succeeds, as does "Jersey Girl," a romantic comedy that's shot through with contrivances and cushy manipulations but nonetheless has its heart in the right place. "

[FULL REVIEW]

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WOAI.COM (***) - "Bennifer's Last Hurrah: “Jersey Girl”"

"...“Jersey Girl” is a good father/daughter movie if you don't mind the raunchy talk by adult characters in front of the 6-year-old "Jersey Girl." Thankfully, she doesn't repeat anything she hears."

[FULL REVIEW]

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THE MOVIEDUDE

"...Contrary to what some fans may say, I don't think Smith has sold out. Every one of his films has been a reflection of himself. Clerks reflected his job at the time, Mallrats, his love of Comics, Chasing Amy his relationship insecurities, Dogma, his spirituality, and Jay and Silent Bob, well, that was a thankyou to us, his fans. By reflecting his changes as he grows, this film is among the truest to himself.

Smith has grown as a director. In many ways the character that he created in Ollie Trinke is a parallel to himself. Both have morphed form an overachieving workaholic into family men who make time for Gertie and Harley, their respective daughters. Smith's growth may outpace some of his younger fan's but they will catch up with him eventually. And this film should broaden his base. After all, This is the 1st of his films that I will actively try to get my folks to see. You see, I would not want to see either of my parents laughing at some of the jokes in his prior films. I just don't wish to ackowledge that they would have any basis of reference for some of his punchlines. "

[FULL REVIEW]

ASBURY PARK PRESS - "Jersey guy Kevin Smith grows up -- sort of"

"...But not to worry, underlying this serious story is Smith's humor and comic in-jokes that true fans will get. There are even cameos by his wife and his daughter, Harley. And Jerseyans will appreciate the underlying subtleties of the story, like making the commute back and forth to New York, driving on the Parkway, going to the diner and more.

Smith says that despite the controversy, uncertainty and possible perception that he has sold out, he's still the same guy he always was.

"My job never really changed from movie to movie. My job's always been, write the script, rehearse the actors and make sure the actors give as good an on-camera performance as the one I heard in my head when I was writing it, or better. So it didn't matter what the budget was, my job stays the same."

[FULL STORY]

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E! ONLINE - "Jersey Girl" Beating "Gigli" Rap"

...Those bracing for yet another Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez bomb can rest assured: Jersey Girl does not rhyme with Gigli.

Critics who buried Bennifer's unpronounceable hit-man comedy are, by comparison, only kicking dirt on their new easy-to-say romantic comedy. And box-office pundits who wrote off Gigli as a financial disaster are expecting greater, if not quite fabulous, things of Jersey Girl.

"It should definitely be a nice, solid debut," BoxOfficeMojo.com's Brandon Gray says of Jersey Girl, opening on about 1,600 screens Friday.

[FULL STORY]

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THE BOSTON GLOBE - "Has Kevin Smith grown up?"

..."There was a girl I spoke to at a college round table in Miami," Smith continues. "She was hard-core into my movies, and I definitely picked up that she ain't quite there with this one. And finally I just said, `You didn't like it, did you?' And she said, `No, I really didn't.' She was 18, something like that. And I said, `Look, I'm not trying to put you down, but in 10 years you'll like it a lot more."

[FULL STORY]

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HENDERSONVILLE NEWS-TIMES (Jon Rich) - "'Silent Bob' speaks"

While teenage boys may not find what they are looking for in Jersey Girl, Affleck fans will not be disappointed. The co-writer and co-star of Good Will Hunting took a significant pay cut from his usual blockbuster fee for a fifth big-screen collaboration with Smith.

"He just knows how to deliver the dialogue I write in such a way that I'm enthralled by it," said the man who brought a script by Affleck and friend Matt Damon to Miramax management and received a producing credit on that Oscar-winning film. "As much as I like it when I write it, and believe me I'm of fan of my own stuff, I like it much better when it comes out of his mouth. He's a great dude, a good friend and just a great guy to know. I like being around him and I like the performances he turns in. It certainly doesn't hurt that the dude got famous and I was able to hitch my wagon to his star."

[FULL STORY]

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WHAT'S GOIN ON - "Silent Bob speaks: One-on-one with Kevin Smith"

"...Yes fans, he knows he’s late on Daredevil:Target and Spiderman/Black Cat. But his issues will be forthcoming, though he cannot cite a date. In the meantime, he is still a fan of the new titles, as well as the incarnations of his own former titles, wishing their current authors well.

“I penned them after somebody else; I didn't invent them. I was just another writer on the title for a long time. It's probably no more weird than how Frank Miller felt like when I took over Daredevil, or what Ann Nocenti felt like when I was writing on Daredevil after she had for so long. It’s always interesting to see what somebody does after you're gone, and you’re always more interested in what they did with the character. The reason, at least that I wrote on the book in the first place, was because I loved the characters and I loved the way people handled them. So I'm probably still curious and interested in how other people have handled them since me. The nice thing in Green Arrow is that once in a while, you see a character you created pop up. That's cool.”

[FULL STORY]

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THE BOSTON GLOBE - "Has Kevin Smith grown up?"

..."There was a girl I spoke to at a college round table in Miami," Smith continues. "She was hard-core into my movies, and I definitely picked up that she ain't quite there with this one. And finally I just said, `You didn't like it, did you?' And she said, `No, I really didn't.' She was 18, something like that. And I said, `Look, I'm not trying to put you down, but in 10 years you'll like it a lot more."

[FULL STORY]

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SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE - "Indie director goes more mainstream with new Ben Affleck film"

..."Smith admits that compared to his other pictures, "Jersey Girl," is "about as edgy as a . . . spoon." He anticipates getting "slapped around a bit" by critics and fans for making a sweet, sentimental film.

"It doesn't represent a shift where now I'm only going to make movies about hearts and flowers and puppies," he says.

[FULL STORY]

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IGN FILMFORCE - "Kevin Smith's Musical Side"

"...In addition to the use of popular tunes to set the mood and tone of the film and characters, Smith also re-enlisted the services of composer James Venable, whom he last worked with on both Jay and Silent Bob and The Clerks animated series. "I'd worked with him and when we were heading into Jersey Girl after Jay and Bob he was like 'What are you doing next?' And I said 'I'm doin' this kind of dramatic, comedic piece that's kind of a leap away, it's the opposite tract from Jay and Bob, really.' Jim does really great kind of techno. You know, the Jay and Bob score, I think, is fantastic. He did the Powerpuff Girls music, the music in Samurai Jack, and he did the Clerks cartoon for us," Smith says. "He hadn't really done stuff that didn't involve computers and synthesizers really. So he was just like 'I would love to have a shot at doing something that uses real instruments, something more organic.' So I was like 'Yeah, absolutely, do it up!' So we brought him onboard and I thought he did a really good job, especially for a dude that doesn't normally do that kind of thing, who's not known for it, at least. I mean he can do it, it's just not what he gets hired for usually."

[FULL STORY]

How important do you think it is to cultivate this fan base?

In our case, up to this point, it's been extremely important. I mean, "Jay and Silent Bob [Strike Back]" is completely influenced by that. It's an entire movie made based on that fan base that was created over the Internet. Not just the Internet - I think the fan base goes even beyond that. But at this point in our career, it's extremely important. Even with this movie where one could contend that it's not necessary, that we're going for a different audience, but there's still a fan base that's important. It's something that you want to carry over. We're not making this movie to disregard them. You want them to come along [even] if it's not their favorite. They all have their favorites. Some people swear by "Chasing Amy." You can go through all the fans and there are still people who swear by each individual movie. There are still people who think "Clerks" is the best thing we ever did. Some people say "Jay and Bob." There's always somebody to vote one of the movies number one. So I hope fans will come, even if it's not their favorite of the six, there will be elements. So far, the response on the website from the fans that have seen it has been pretty favorable.

MARCH 25, 2004

ROGER EBERT, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES (*** 1/2)

...And it's in a scene like this that Kevin Smith shows why he's such a good comedy writer. There is a bedrock of truth in the scene, which is based on embarrassment and shyness and Maya's disconcerting ability to say exactly what she's thinking, and when Ollie tries to explain why he has remained celibate (except for his relationship with countless porno titles), she patiently explains about sex: "It's the same thing only you're saving the $2 rental fee."

Inarguable logic, but he demurs, finally breaking down and agreeing to a lunch date. And thus does love reenter Ollie's life. For Maya may be bold about sex, but she is serious about love, and soon like Gertie is saying "Hey, you're the lady from the video store" at a moment when it would be much, much better had she not walked into the room.

Liv Tyler is a very particular talent who has sometimes been misused by directors more in love with her beauty than with her appropriateness for their story. Here she is perfectly cast, as the naive and sincere Maya, whose boldness is not a seduction technique but an act of generosity, almost of mercy. It takes a special tone for a woman to convince us she wants to sleep with a man out of the goodness of her heart, but Tyler finds it, and it brings a sweetness to the relationship.

[FULL REVIEW]

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ZAP2IT - (***)

...Affleck's character shows a surprising range of emotion -- joy, grief, horror and love -- but he's rarely had a chance to show extreme tenderness, and he does that with newcomer actress Raquel Castro, who looks like the child that Ben and Jen may have had if they stayed together. This is perhaps Affleck's best role as far as showing a range of emotion and some real acting.

He's a publicist who goes off the deep end while taking care of his child, and there's cameo appearances by his old sidekick Matt Damon as well as Jason Lee (who's another Smith discovery), and a voice cameo by Mirmax's chief Harvey Weinstein, who's the boss of an ad agency. Then, there's a surprising A-list celeb cameo that would spoil the shock if told, so we're staying mum.

How can a movie be feel-good and gooey when the lead is accidentally checking out "Bi Bi Guys" from a woman he's attracted to, and then she asks to interview him about his masturbation habits for a school paper? When she discovers he's not had sex in seven years, she feels sorry for him and offers a sexual encounter that ends up being interrupted by his daughter.

It's funny enough and subversive enough to satisfy the ever-aging Smith fan, and it's a fine diversion into new territory for a writer/director who wants to stretch his talents a bit.

[FULL REVIEW]

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SCREENIT.COM - (Parental Reviews) ...Beyond Smith's decently structured story and well-written dialogue (some of which is terrific, although that won't come as a surprise to the filmmaker's fans), it's the performances that really make the film so engaging. All of which caught me off guard since Affleck ("Paycheck," "Daredevil") is in the lead role.

While the actor is popular among the masses, he's never been known for possessing award-caliber acting abilities (although there have been hints of strong points in certain films). And when he starts off shaky here, I had that sinking "Oh no, here we go again" feeling. Shock of all shocks, however, and following a rough crying scene, he actually manages to subdue some of his normal mannerisms and actually deliver a good and, more importantly, sympathetic performance.

...

With a heartwarming ending (that includes one of the aforementioned symbolic music numbers that's a perfect fit in my opinion) and enough entertaining and decent modifications to the familiar plot, Smith has delivered an enjoyable offering that seems to signal a telling transformation in his filmmaking career.

While I didn't expect to like "Jersey Girl" -- and there will be those who don't -- it only gets better as it progresses and by the time the ending rolled around, it worked for me.

[FULL REVIEW]

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INDIANAPOLIS STAR (***) - "'Jersey' is a warm ode to single parenthood"

...Ultimately, "Jersey Girl" becomes a warm-hearted comedy about life's priorities.

Still, the point about parental responsibility is worth raising -- and Smith and company raise it with good humor and affection. Affleck is believable at both the callous and loving ends of his portrayal, and Tyler offers appealing comic relief as the insightful Maya. Newcomer Castro is a charming heart-tugger as Gertie.

Having Carlin play Affleck's father is inspired casting. Though he seldom acts, the stand-up comic successfully creates an ingratiating character, and gives the film some much-needed edge and spunk.

[FULL REVIEW]

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FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL (***) - "Jersey Girl: A little girl's gentle sweetness"

The first PG-13 film of Kevin Smith's gleefully profane career is a leap in a very new, much more mature direction. This from the man who brought us the low-budget dirtiness of Clerks and the sexual adventurousness of Chasing Amy. Jersey Girl reflects Smith's more grown-up sensibility -- he's married with a kid now -- and also his evolution as a filmmaker.

...

Smith, too, shows a new, and entirely welcome, side of himself with Jersey Girl. The filmmaker who once claimed he'd never be capable of making a serious movie that spanned actual seasons has made the first widely appealing film of his career. He has done so without abandoning his trademark sense of humor. The Jay and Silent Bob fans may weep, but for pretty much everyone else, there's cause to rejoice.

[FULL REVIEW]

MARCH 25, 2004



• We can't believe we're even typing this up, as it's been a LONG road, but yes, TOMORROW, the nation will see Kevin Smith's SIXTH film, and his first PG-13, as JERSEY GIRL hits screens NATIONWIDE in North America. As you've seen from this site, public awareness is very high on this one, so it's the PERFECT chance for you to tell your friends, co-workers, neighbors, and families to check this one out. Trust us, this is one you can recommend to anyone. The movie relates to all ages, young and old. So take a minute tomorrow and send an e-mail, an instant message, a voice mail, or just a good 'ol fashioned phone call -- Tell them: "See Jersey Girl this weekend!" You can make a difference. Spread the word, far and wide. Let's all go check out JERSEY GIRL on Friday or Saturday!

• Here's the latest, hot off the press reviews of Jersey Girl, opening in your nearby theater TOMORROW!
  SUN SENTINEL (***) - "Jersey Girl: A little girl's gentle sweetness"

  Those who worship at the altar of Jay and Silent Bob are likely to find the gentle sweetness of Jersey Girl more than a little nauseating. But anyone who has long admired Smith's undeniable knack for dialogue, and just wished he would cut it out with the fanboy comic-book nonsense already, should be pleasantly surprised by the many strengths of his latest offering.

  Perhaps most surprisingly, this could be the film that saves Ben Affleck's nosediving career. That is, if anyone is willing to see a movie tainted by the lingering horror of Bennifer. While Jennifer Lopez does appear in Jersey Girl, her role is both brief and painless. Smith wasn't lying when he stressed in multiple recent interviews that this movie is a far cry from "Gigli 2: Bennifer Strikes Back." The central love story of Jersey Girl is between Affleck's character and his daughter.

  ...

  Smith, too, shows a new, and entirely welcome, side of himself with Jersey Girl. The filmmaker who once claimed he'd never be capable of making a serious movie that spanned actual seasons has made the first widely appealing film of his career. He has done so without abandoning his trademark sense of humor. The Jay and Silent Bob fans may weep, but for pretty much everyone else, there's cause to rejoice.

  [FULL STORY]

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  MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE (***) - "Kevin Smith trades cynicism for sweetness in 'Jersey Girl'"

  Kevin Smith refuses to include the standard director's label -- "A Kevin Smith Film" -- in the opening credits of his movies. He believes that a movie is the work of an entire film crew and that it would be pompous to take all the credit.

  That attitude is commendable, but it wouldn't have been a bad idea to put his name on top of "Jersey Girl." In fact, the movie is so out of keeping with his other work that he might even have considered sticking in a reminder every 15 minutes or so: "Hey, folks, this is a Kevin Smith film. Really."

  The guy who gave us the irreverent "Dogma," the druggie comedy "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and the cheeky "Clerks" turns over a completely new leaf with "Jersey Girl," a heart-on-its-sleeve, tear-in-the-eye comic drama that -- and who thought we ever would say this about a Kevin Smith film? -- is downright sweet.

  [FULL STORY]

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  MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE (***) - "Kevin Smith trades cynicism for sweetness in 'Jersey Girl'"

  Kevin Smith refuses to include the standard director's label -- "A Kevin Smith Film" -- in the opening credits of his movies. He believes that a movie is the work of an entire film crew and that it would be pompous to take all the credit.

  That attitude is commendable, but it wouldn't have been a bad idea to put his name on top of "Jersey Girl." In fact, the movie is so out of keeping with his other work that he might even have considered sticking in a reminder every 15 minutes or so: "Hey, folks, this is a Kevin Smith film. Really."

  The guy who gave us the irreverent "Dogma," the druggie comedy "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and the cheeky "Clerks" turns over a completely new leaf with "Jersey Girl," a heart-on-its-sleeve, tear-in-the-eye comic drama that -- and who thought we ever would say this about a Kevin Smith film? -- is downright sweet.

  [FULL STORY]

• Here we are at day FOUR, with the most articles yet! As always, watch for spoilers. We've clipped out some of the choice sections of each piece, and you'll find a link to the entire article at the end. Enjoy. These have to end soon...Or DO THEY!?!??!
  SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS - "'Jersey Girl' dodging bad press from 'Gigli'"

  ...During production in the fall of 2002, everyone assumed that "Jersey Girl" would be a Ben-Jen (or "Bennifer") movie. That was fine with Smith back then.

  "When we were in production, we were happy to have them assume that," he said. "They were both huge, and that doesn't hurt. But also, and chiefly, I didn't want anyone to know that she dies. It was going to be a great sucker punch, a real great gut punch for the audience."

  Even in a post-"Gigli" world, when Lopez's presence in the movie has been minimized in promotional materials, Smith would still prefer that no one know her fate in the movie. But the Internet has other ideas.

  "It would have been nice as a great surprise," he said. "It's very tough to keep anything secret and surprise an audience in the age of the Internet.

  "Unfortunately, in the Information Age, people are all too happy to know everything about a movie before they even get in there. Then it really leaves just the mystery of the execution to be revealed. Then it's just people watching something on a technical basis."

  [FULL STORY]

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  MOVIES.COM - "Riding to the Airport With Kevin Smith" (Interview)

  Q: What's the most enjoyable thing about making films?

  A: I love writing. And I love editing — that's my second favorite part of the job, because those are the two moments where like it's all on my shoulders, and I'm the only one who could f--k it up, really. That's before you let other people into the mix. The third thing is just talking — man, I love doing Q&A. Obviously, I love to get up on stage and answer questions. Kind of hurl the message into the void and see who responds.

  [FULL STORY]

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  ASSOCIATED PRESS - "Carlin lives out his dream of being an actor"

  ...“Jersey Girl,” however, was a more serious project for both Carlin and Smith, the story of a small New Jersey family, death, parenthood and responsibility all wrapped up in jokes — although less dirty this time.

  “It’s a major departure in a lot of ways for me. This has confrontation and sweetness and caring and just working guy stuff,” he said.

  Smith said he knew Carlin could be a serious actor.

  “He’s got this wonderful gravitas to him. He’s been around,” the director said at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. “He’s a very frank, very honest person but just has this wonderful face that belies a well-lived life.”

  [FULL STORY]

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  MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE - "Fatherhood -- and being a son -- brings out the softy in cynic Kevin Smith"

  ...With a price tag of $35 million, "Jersey Girl" is Smith's biggest-budget film to date. But he said that the number is deceptive: The working budget was a more modest $21 million after deducting the $14 million that went to Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who plays the soon-to-be-dead wife.

  "We struck this deal pre-'Gigli,' " he joked of the Affleck-Lopez bomb. "I think they should cut me a refund check."

  Although the movie marks a departure from Smith's earlier movies, it doesn't signal a major change in course. Rather, it's a one-time deal motivated by his observations about parenthood and children. Or, at least, a once-in-a-long-time deal.

  "This movie says everything I have to say on the subject," he said. "My daughter's only 4. Maybe when she becomes a teenager, I'll have a lot more to say."

  [FULL STORY]

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  VANCOUVER GLOBE AND MAIL - "Kevin Smith, uncensored"

  ...Smith shrugs off suggestions that Jersey Girl represents any kind of maturation. "They said I grew up with Chasing Amy. You can't grow up twice."

  His only conscious change in direction was an effort to produce a good-looking film. After years of reading reviews criticizing his visual shortcomings, he hired Vilmos Zsigmond, the star cinematographer of such films as McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Close Encounter of the Third Kind and The Deer Hunter.

  "Even Affleck said, "I can't believe I look good in one of your movies. What a switch. For a change I don't look like I've just been hit with a shovel."

  [FULL STORY]

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  SEATTLE PI - "A moment with Kevin Smith, Film Director"

  Q: It was recently announced that your next film is a big budget action movie based on comic book hero the Green Hornet.

  A: It should be fun. I've been a longtime comic book reader and I've written for DC and Marvel Comics. This a chance to put one up on the big screen. To some degree, it's also a little scary because it's well out of my realm of experience.

  Q: You've had complete control over your previous films. What kind of compromises do you face making such a high profile project?

  A: I'm going in knowing that I'm making a mainstream film. Clearly I wasn't hired because I'm a fantastic visual stylist. I was hired to flesh it out, make it interesting dialogue-wise and character-wise. So that's what I bring to the table. I just want to make a really good comic book movie.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  REDANDBLACK.COM - "Kevin Smith talks to the lil' people about his movie"

  ..."Jersey Girl" marks Affleck's fifth collaboration with Smith, after appearing in four of the five films in Smith's "Jersey Trilogy" series.

  "He's unaware of the sort of dual nature of (his life)," Affleck said in the film's production notes. "On the one hand his job is fun and glamorous and sexy, and on the other hand totally irrelevant to anything substantial in the real world. So, it takes this really significant relationship with his child to make him reevaluate his life."

  Left with a newborn daughter and without a job, Ollie is forced to move back in with his father Bart, played by comedian George Carlin.

  "This is the most he's ever been in a movie outside of a phone booth," Smith said, referring to Carlin's role as Rufus in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  And as always, if anyone has the PRINT versions of any of these, send them to Kevin to add to the collection, please. We thank you.

• It's been a few weeks trying to keep up with what has to go down in history as one of the biggest film press blitzes EVER, so sure, we forgive you if you were reading the site 'til the wee hours and missed some of the television appearances that have been going on these days. So, here's some chances for you to check these videos out without even leaving the comfort of your PC. You lazy bums!

  First off, a cut together segment of all of Kev's stuff as it aired this week on the CBS sitcom, "Yes, Dear".

  This one's not hosted by us, so who knows how long it will last, but a user captured Kev's appearance last nite on PBS's Tavis Smiley show.

  Finally, it's not online anywhere yet, but we've got a capture here for ya. It's Affleck as he appeared on The Screen Savers yesterday! The file is available in Windows Media format only, and hosted right here at News Askew, so if it comes down a little slow, it just means we've been getting hammered with hits lately.

• Last minute word: Kevin is apparently showing up tonight on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC. This airs at 8:00 EST. We just learned of this one, sorry for the late notice, hopefully some of you can still catch it (or a rerun later tonight).

• School up! The old Green Hornet series is currently airing weekdays on the "Action" channel, run by Starz networks. You can find it on satellite and digital cable packages.

• We ran this one before but wanted to remind you again: Kevin will be interviewed this Sunday on the Adventure Club with Josh, which airs on 102.1 The Edge in Dallas. The interview takes place at 8:30 PM CST, and you can listen online NATIONWIDE at www.kdge.com!

• Ben Affleck will be on Local Orlando TV tomorrow, as he recently did a sattelite interview with Orlando TV personality WB Guy, promoting Jersey Girl. Check it out on WB 18 in Orlando tomorrow morning on the Daily Buzz 6-8 am. Kevin will be intereviewed today, though we're not sure when that is set to air.

• Don't forget, that short Making-Of special for Jersey Girl airs on Bravo this weekend! While many cable companies don't carry IFC and Sundance, chances are ya got the big B, so tune it in. Check your local listings for the airtimes.

  MARCH 24, 2004
  
  

• Today's edition of the popular online comic "Penny Arcade" references the recent statements that Kevin made regarding Jersey Girl and the critics, and the creators had an editorial to add as well, with some very poignant remarks about some of the backlash we've heard here and there:
  ...Apparently Kevin Smith has sold out though, claims the chorus, for producing a film which does not refer to oral sex. The movie may be bad for any number of reasons, I honestly don't know - like many other people I have not seen it. I don't know that I ever need to. However, I'm not sure what selling out has to do with anything. I have a feeling that Kevin Smith pretty much does whatever the fuck Kevin Smith wants to do. Maybe you haven't seen Jay And Silent Fucking Bob Strike Back, where he and his friends just kind of fucked around while the cameras rolled. Oh yeah, he's a part of the fucking machine.

  I have a feeling he's getting older and that he would like to make a different kind of movie than he has typically done. Yet it falls upon people who don't know the man to determine his secret heart via their infallible methods of detection and find him wanting.

  Well said. You can view the entire editorial HERE and view the work above or HERE. We like it.

• You gotta love it when you sit down and read a review and nod your head, agreeing and understanding exactly the point reviews are trying to make. That's what it's like reading positive reviews of Jersey Girl. You think, "They GET it. They understand the vibe Kevin was going for with this film." And sure, while the purists can find little flubs here and there that don't make sense as far as plot decisions, as a piece this film succeeds, due to the swift writing and outstanding performances throughout. Here's two more folks that GET it:
  FILMJERK.COM

  ...For those that have written Affleck off after his “Gigli” debacle last summer (a film that isn’t that bad, but it made excellent copy), I beg you to see “Jersey Girl” and tell me that this misunderstood actor isn’t excellent. Ollie is a thorny role, balancing volatile selfish needs with sitcomy new dad material (there is the requisite dirty diaper scene), and Affleck completely inhabits his character from the get go. You believe him in this painful situation, and in this, his fifth collaboration with Smith, the actor is as loose and appealing as ever. As a vengeful angel in Smith’s brilliant “Dogma,” Affleck really opened up as an actor, and performed at a career best. “Jersey Girl” represents another stellar collaboration with Smith; the two perfectly in tune the entire run of the show.

  Supporting turns by young Raquel Castro (who has got Lopez’s mannerisms down pat), a cantankerous and delightful George Carlin, and a lovable Liv Tyler add to the experience. Reteaming for the first time since 1998’s “Armageddon,” Tyler and Affleck make a serene on-screen couple, and their flirtatious interplay in “Jersey Girl” does wonders to erase memories of the unappetizing animal crackers sequence in the Michael Bay blockbuster asteroid film. All is forgiven, you two.

  Normally when a director veers off course this severely (I mean, come on, this film is PG-13 for heavens sake!), it’s a train wreck. But Smith is a fantastic filmmaker, and even without The Cocknocker, he’s a talent that could pretty much cover any genre without getting in over his head. If the solid “Jersey Girl” is any indication, his future looks very bright.

  [FULL REVIEW]

  ---

  THE ONION

  ...Though Smith loses many of his past efforts' familiar trappings—Jay and Silent Bob are now confined to the production-company logo—Jersey Girl plays to Smith's strengths like no film since Clerks. It's never better than when the plot gets discarded and the cast (which also includes Liv Tyler as a fetching video-store clerk) simply hangs out, trades dialogue, and prepares for an age-inappropriate school performance from Sweeney Todd. When the plot gets picked up, it moves to the beat of just about every other fatherhood comedy of the last 20 years. But even when Smith pulls out the clichés, they're clearly clichés he believes. Jersey Girl's sincerity and low-key charm steer it through the awkward patches, although it's hard not to wince when a conflicted Affleck tucks his daughter into bed to the accompaniment of Bruce Springsteen's "My City Of Ruins." Smith has been caught in a shitstorm he didn't create, and it's a shame he has to fight so vigorously for a film that, judged on its own merits, easily ranks among his best. —Keith Phipps

  [FULL REVIEW]

• This just in: Kevin is scheduled to appear on on Dennis Miller's CNBC show on Thursday, and its being taped TONIGHT at 8pm PST at NBC studios in Burbank!!!

  The company that books tickets is called Standing Room Only, and you MAY sitll be able to get tix via their website! You can also call at (888) 271-4078. At presstime, we dunno if any tix are left, but we wanted to let you fans know as soon as we did. Get there and send us some reports!

• We're back, with more of those Jersey Girl articles from around the country. Some are interviews, some just pieces on the film, but all may contain spoilers about JG, so we warn ya. Check out today's offerings with snippets and full links straight ahead:
  IGM FILMFORCE - "IGN Interviews Kevin Smith"

  ...IGN: So, another Jersey film, eh? You're gettin' to be almost as bad as Woody Allen (and Ed Burns) [laughs].

  SMITH: I know, I know [smiles]. At least I know that this is it for a little while. Green Hornet won't be set in Jersey...or will it? Yeah, it was nice though to make a Jersey film that's not like tied-into the other Jersey films. You know, all those were kind of interconnected. And this one's set in Jersey, but not the same world of New Jersey. So this was the one that I actually felt was kind of the nod to the hometown, 'cause I grew up in that town, Highlands. Oddly enough, when we made Clerks through Jay and Bob we rarely referenced the town I actually grew up in. We referenced Leonardo, which is where the Quick Stop is and Red Bank, which is where I lived after Clerks got sold. But I never really gave my props to my hometown. So Jersey Girl, for me, was kind of about doin' that – it's not the sole reason to do it, but it was one of the benefits to doin' that movie, was bein' able to give a shout-out to the town I grew up in, kind of show it off.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  TIME ONLINE - "Ben and Ben"

  "Ben Affleck flashes his forgive-me smile and says, “I’m not really a whoremonger.” This plangent one-liner is from his new movie “Jersey Girl,” but the gaga-for-gossip public would not have been surprised if it had come from Affleck’s recent chats with Jay Leno and Larry King, or from a “Saturday Night Live” skit the other week when he guest-hosted. And no, Jennifer Lopez didn’t pop in, the way Affleck’s ex-ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow did the last time he hosted “SNL.” ...

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  BOSTON HERALD - "After Bennifer: Ben Affleck picks up the pieces of his life, much like his `Jersey Girl' character"

  ..."Though Affleck can pen letters, he and Damon have yet to script films since winning the Oscar for ``Good Will Hunting.'' He does favor writer-directors such as Smith, however, and praises this departure from Smith's usual gross-out teen comedies. Affleck also thinks ``Jersey Girl'' contains his best performance yet.

  ``It's really a sweet movie,'' he said. ``I realize that if there's a Frank Capra working movies today, it's actually Kevin Smith. Who would've thought?''

  Is he worried that Smith's loyal following will be turned off by this departure into sweetness and light?

  ``It's interesting because I was reading some reactions where people were saying, `Well, I don't think that this is as angry as Kevin's other movies.' I don't know if Kevin's other movies are angry. If you look at `Dogma' or `Chasing Amy,' they're actually sort of really sweet movies, and `Jay and Silent Bob' is extremely hilarious because people say (expletive) a lot. This is sort of the same thing without saying the F word. It even includes the frank discussion of sexuality.''

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  DETROIT FREE PRESS - "'Jersey Girl' has director on edge"

  ..."When people see Ben and Liv together, they'll forget all that other stuff. She was my favorite character in the script, and she really did her justice. The thing I'm proudest of maybe is that fact that you take these two actors, who had like zero chemistry in 'Armageddon' and you really believe they're made for each other in this."

  Affleck says he can only hope people judge the movie on what it is -- meaning sincere. "No matter what he says, it has a lot of Kevin Smith stuff in it. You'll know it's the same guy who made 'Chasing Amy,' " he says.

  Smith, whose next movie is an $80-million action-adventure based on radio and TV crime-fighter "The Green Hornet," recalls that he first tried to go straight with "Chasing Amy," a film that starred Affleck as a guy who fell in love with a lesbian.

  "But then I got nervous and stuck the Jay and Silent Bob characters in there for insurance. And I've always regretted that, you know. Yet it brought the fans, and I'm always worried about that because they pay the rent.

  "Every time we have one of these test screenings, and Harvey packs the audience with all these Kevin Smith fans to see how they react, I'm like, 'Dude, don't do that.'

  "This is it, my entire audience. If you let them in free, you ruin the whole first weekend opening gross. It's like I know them, every one one of them."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  ASSOCIATE DPRESS - "First sweetheart: Indie director steps out of character with 'Jersey Girl'"

  ..."It comes at a really good time for him," Smith says. "People certainly teed off on him with 'Gigli,' and 'Paycheck' didn't help matters."

  Smith says Affleck relished the opportunity to play a dad.

  "I think he's a frustrated family man, and it fit him well. He's really great with kids," Smith says.

  Castro, now 9, said in a phone call from New York, "I think Ben would make a good dad, because he's like a big kid. He's funny."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  CHICAGO TRIBUNE - "`Silent Bob' takes a risk"

  .... You regularly keep in touch with your fan base via your Web site (www.viewaskew.com).

  A. When I first found out about the Internet I was like, "Wait a minute -- you can get instant reaction about your films?" Being able to get instant feedback from people who are actually buying tickets, that to me was like, "I want to be in on that." We opened up our Web site, put up a message board and started interacting with the fans. Let me tell you, these people keep you honest.

  Q. They must have some interesting things to say about "Jersey Girl."

  A. People who are big fans of "Jay and Silent Bob," I don't know if they can dig on this movie at all. Once I started writing it, I knew I was going to lose a certain percentage of fans. Those people, I'm sure, are going to turn around and say, "Oh, he's sold out," as if not selling out means you make the same movie every time. But I'm curious as a filmmaker to see if I can make something that stands by itself, that doesn't have a safety net.

  Q. You could make the argument that you're broadening your audience.

  A. I probably would have had a better chance of that happening had "Gigli" not happened [laughs]. Right now I'm in this world of, "Well, will people care about this movie on its own?" I'm pretty confident that word of mouth will get out there that the movie is what it is -- it's about a guy and his relationship with his daughter and his relationship with his father much more than it is about his relationship with the character that Jennifer plays.

  [FULL STORY]

• A small addendum to the Jay & Bob resurgence story yesterday -- The answer Kevin gave regarding the duo was in response to a question about "Jay & Silent Bob in Space", which Kevin mentioned as a wacky possiblity some time ago, and one journalist remembered. Chances are, plans will change, though it'd be great to see the duo back onscreen one day in any form.

  Also, in that same interview, Kevin expressed an interest in resurrecting "Moon Knight" as a future project. Kevin says, "Nobody is expecting anything from it, so that would be great." Thanks to Inside Atlanta.

• Check the front page of Moviefone.com for a blurb called "From Mallrat to Mr. Mom", where you can see their new Take 5 blurb in which Kevin picks 5 inspirational films that have had a major impact on his career (which seem more like a couple films that have influenced Jersey Girl, as the list has some surprising new entries: "Nothing In Common", "You can Count on Me", "Batman", and the indie influences "Slacker" and "Trust"). A great piece worth checking out. Plus, they've also got the obligatory clips as well as shows and showtimes at YOUR local theater. Book early!

• Sorry we didn't hear of this sooner, but apparently Affleck apepared on TechTV's The Screensavers today. If you miss it, they will have video of the appearance on their site soon, and we'll let ya know.

• The Arizona Republic gives the Jersey Girl official website a mention today:
  "'Jersey Girl' - jerseygirl-movie.com

  There's plenty of Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez stuff on the site for this comic look at fatherhood. The highlight, however, is the city of Highlands on the Jersey shore, hometown of director Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy, Dogma). See the manhole cover at Bay and Miller. Marvel at the blue "Gateway to Sandy Hook" sign. Enjoy the picturesque Sand Dollar Gift Shop, not far from the aforementioned manhole cover. If you've never had the desire to visit Highlands, your instincts will be borne out by this site. There's also a link to Smith's diary, but know that the language is a bit salty. Jersey Girl opens on Friday."

  MARCH 22, 2004
  
  

• Kevin's asking for a favor from ya'll: A simple one, really. If ya get a paper, and it happens to have a Jersey Girl article in it, could you send it his way? We're doing our best to highlight as many articles here at the site, but we're likely gonna miss some just due to sheer numbers. On top of that, Kevin would like to have the actual article as well as the sections they were located in (should make more a nice bit of press to look back upon). Here's Kevin's request:
  Today and all week long, there will be "Jersey Girl" press in newspapers 'round the country (and Lay-the-Podium-Down-Land). I always see the stories online and in fax form, but for the View Askew archives, we like to get our hands on hard copies (the actual articles and sections of the newspapers they appeared in). So if you come across any pieces about "JG" or me in your local papers, today or all week long, drop 'em in an envelope and send them to...

  View Askew West
  c/o Kevin
  PO Box 93339
  Los Angeles, CA
  90093

  In exchange, we'll send you back a l'il something-something (though not a personalized poster; I've learned my lesson on that one).

• Here's nice new story which not only covers Jersey Girl, but gives us a lot more insight into Kev's plans for Green Hornet as well, including his thoughts on the old TV program, and directing the action sequences for the film. Read on:
  Kevin Smith on Jersey Girl & The Green Hornet

  Source: Fred Topel

  Don't think Kevin Smith has gone soft just because he made a sensitive family drama without Jay and Silent Bob. Jersey Girl is about a man adjusting to fatherhood, but only Kevin Smith would deal with this man walking in on his daughter and a friend showing each other their private parts. But, to be clear, he staged the scene with utmost concern for the well being of the child actors.

  "You tell them that it's a normal thing, that all kids do it," Smith said. "And thankfully, you've got their parents going, 'Do it, do it.' That really helps. But it was weird because you have to go through all sorts of caution measures. Like both of them are wearing underwear under underwear under underwear, so they're fully protected. There's no chance of a naughty bit getting hit by the air or anything like that, but it's tricky. It's tricky because remember, Bryan Singer got in trouble on 'Apt Pupil' when they did the shower scene. There were people complaining afterwards, who were in the cast, that they had to disrobe and jump in the shower and sh*t like that. So you don't want to do that. You don't want to have people crying foul after you wrap and sh*t like, 'You f***ing prostituted my child.' So you're very careful and there's a ton of people standing around, child safety monitors. You go through more effort than you would do if you were actually throwing a kid off a roof in a stunt."

  Smith based the film on his own feelings about becoming a father and realizing that work had to play second to his family. However, at least one character in the film is a total invention. "I've been to many videostores, [there's] nobody like Liv Tyler working at a video store. They all look like me and there's no romance to be had. No, unfortunately Liv Tyler is a very fictional character."

  Tyler plays a video store clerk who romances single father Ben Affleck. At first, Smith was hesitant to use another video store. "It was weird when I was writing the script, I felt like can I do this? Can I put her in a videostore? Because of Randall. Then I said, 'You know what? I haven't really done a video store in a while so I think I can go back to it.' That to me is indicative of the real world. People go to video stores all the time. It's an element that I felt okay jumping back into. But there was a point when I was writing it where I was like, 'Ooh, I could make it RST Video.' Then I was like, 'No, can't do it. Can't reference back to the other ones.' I wanted this one to stand by itself. Part of the challenge of making 'Jersey Girl' that I had set up for myself was to make a movie that stood on its own. 'Clerks' was the only movie we made up until now that had to stand by itself. There was nothing that came before it to lean on. But 'Mallrats,' 'Amy,' 'Dogma,' 'Jay and Bob' we could always lean back on the previous movies including 'Clerks'. So I wanted to do one where there's no safety net, no Jay and Bob and it doesn't tie back into that world. It just stands by itself.

  Smith has spent much of his press tour for Jersey Girl responding to the Ben and J-Lo backlash, but he assures fans that he only cut Lopez scenes in the interest of storytelling, just like he cut other actors' scenes. "Some of [her scenes] were longer than they were [in the current cut]. Some of them are exactly the same length they are in the montage. But with the exception of lifting out the wedding scene itself, or the wedding shot, it's only 12 seconds, nothing was cut because of that. It was just cut because the movie was chunky and it took a while to ramp up and get going. So, when you edit a movie, you just pull sh*t out. There's as much stuff from Liv and Raquel and George as there is from Ben and Jen."

  When it was announced that Smith would direct a movie version of The Green Hornet, some fans wondered why that character? He was never one of the characters commonly referenced in Smith's films or talks. But Smith does recall an affinity for the character.

  "I did collect it back when I was a hardcore collector in the late '80s, early '90s. And I was a big fan of the show when I was a kid because they would sometimes run it back to back with 'Batman' which I always watched when I was a kid. But they didn't have a lot of episodes. They only had one year worth of episodes, where 'Batman' I think had two and a half years. So you didn't see a lot of 'Green Hornet'. You didn't see as much 'Green Hornet' as you did 'Batman'. But yeah, I always kind of dug him. I remember liking it so much more as a kid. I re-watched all those shows recently and with the exception of those guys in the mask and Bruce Lee kicking ass, the rest of it is kind of boring. It's always them after mobsters and racketeers. They didn't have very colorful villains like the 'Batman' stable. But I was always kind of a fan."

  Smith will create a new villain to oppose the Green Hornet in his film. "Having him go after gyp artists doesn't really make for a big action movie. If you listen to the old radio shows, that's what he's always doing is going after mobsters, racketeers and gyp artists. There was one radio show I listened to where he's going after an insurance scam racket, and it's like why do you have to put on a mask to do that? There's nothing really from the run of the comics that I read that I was real fond of. It's just something I've got to create, come up with for the purpose of the movie."

  Though big action scenes will be expected of the film, that is the one aspect that Smith likes the least. "For me, even on the few action sequences we've had in, say, 'Dogma' or 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' are always the most painful for me to shoot because it's boring. It's really boring. You work your whole day and get two seconds of usable film, two seconds of actual movie time. I'm used to getting like seven pages of dialogue done in a day. So it's just a matter of rewiring the brain and just being like all right, we'll work many long hours to get a few seconds of film, but we'll make it a really interesting, really fun looking film."

  Coming Soon has the piece up at their site as well.

• Yes, they've arrived, and word is that they're beauties, too! New Jersey Girl T-Shirts from Graphitti Designs, expertly screenprinted in 100% heavyweight cotton t-shirts.

  The logo tee comes in standard sizes as well as a sexy little baby doll version for all you lovely ladies out there, and then, a personal favorite, Ollie's "music pimp" shirt, which we both MUST HAVE (Graphitti, are you listening?).

  Ollie's Music Pimp T-Shirt

  When he wasn't sporting suits and spinning press, Ollie Trinke was wearing this - the t-shirt that spelled out his profession in the frankest manner possible. Even 7 years after his departure from the music PR biz he still wears this shirt because it looks great.

  Ollie's 'Music Pimp' t-shirt is an exact replica of the one worn by Ben Affleck in the movie 'Jersey Girl' from it's bold blue color to it's worn logo (that's called vintage, folks). The vintaged logo is screenprinted on a 100% blue cotton heavyweight t-shirt and comes in sizes Medium to XXL.

  Jersey Girl Baby Doll T-Shirt The 'Jersey Girl' T-Shirt features our alternate 'Jersey Girl' logo which was used during the shooting of the film on our special ID badges, special cast and crew shirts, on the backs of the cast and crew chairs and it is the logo which currently resides on Kevin's travel bag. The logo was designed by the legendary Scott Purcell (the man behind the 'Mooby' and 'Nails Cigarettes' logos) and features an inside reference (the Exit 37)

  The green and white logo is screenprinted on a 100% white cotton heavyweight t-shirt and comes in a nicely fitted Baby Doll size which is specially cut to fit the fine female form.

  Jersey Girl Standard T-Shirt

  The 'Jersey Girl' T-Shirt features our alternate 'Jersey Girl' logo which was used during the shooting of the film on our special ID badges, special cast and crew shirts, on the backs of the cast and crew chairs and it is the logo which currently resides on Kevin's travel bag. The logo was designed by the legendary Scott Purcell (the man behind the 'Mooby' and 'Nails Cigarettes' logos) and features an inside reference (the Exit 37)

  The green and white logo is screenprinted on a 100% black cotton heavyweight t-shirts and comes in sizes Medium to XXL. Baby doll sizes also available (see above)

  So, whatcha waiting for? Get them all HERE!

• Antony continues his Jersey Girl interview series with Ben Affleck: Part Two over at Movie Poop Shoot today. There's some perfect questions here that cover some of the best scenes in the film, but as always, we warn you're they're spoilery. Here's a few of them:
  AT: In the first section of the movie, Ollie and Gertrude Steiney, (Affleck and Lopez, respectively) fall in love, get married, and have a baby. In watching a rough cut with Mr. Smith in November of 2002, that section of the film was much longer than it is now. Some editing of JERSEY GIRL took place very late in the movie’s post-production process that either shortened or cut completely a lot of those scenes. How do you feel about the final cut of JERSEY GIRL?

  BA: I think this is the best version of the movie. I think it was a mistake to fatten what was always, structurally, a prologue. The inciting incident in the movie is really the wife’s death. You have three full acts in the movie that happen after that. To have anything longer than a ten or twelve-minute prologue is awkward. There was pressure at one point to make [the death] the midpoint of the movie, because there was this idea like ‘Let’s jump on this bandwagon of The Ben And Jen Show!’ I also think [cutting those scenes] has allowed them to market the movie more honestly. Otherwise you’d have seen me and Jen on the poster, and I’m glad that didn’t happen because that’s bait-and-switch marketing anyway. And I don’t know if Kevin would admit this, but Kevin’s more willing to be ruthless with his own material now. It’s the first time that I’ve worked with him on a movie and haven’t sat there and said, ‘You still should have cut those four lines.’ It was not pulling teeth to get Kevin to take his own stuff out. He’s able to see it with a more mature eye. It’s really uncommon with writer-directors to be able to get them to part with [material]. Every time I’ve worked with a writer-director, I’ve always thought they’ve included things they shouldn’t have put in the movie.

  AT: You’ve got some really intense emotional scenes in this movie. To be honest, you spend a lot more time crying in JERSEY GIRL then I would have ever imagined. There’s one scene in a hospital that I was struck by a real sense of honesty in your performance, a reaction to tragedy. I myself have stood in that emergency room, and I myself have gotten that kind of news, and I know that your reaction is exactly what happens. I know it’s difficult to talk about where you go as an actor when you’re preparing to do a scene like that, but can you shed a little light on your technique in that moment?

  BA: It’s just being able to realistically imagine getting that news about somebody that you really care about. You have to make it real to yourself to make it work. It was a combination of a couple of things. I haven’t had to be in that particular situation, thank God and knock wood, but eventually most of us are. I’ve been around it and seen it. I had some memory of what it looked like from the outside. A moment like that, when you read the script, always stands out. You think about the fact that, ‘Okay, this is going to be a big deal. How am I going to do this?’ For me, I just put it in my subconscious and work on it over time. You get there on the day, and it’s scary because either it just happens, or it doesn’t. You can’t fake it. It was a brave and new thing for one of Kevin’s movies, too, so all of us were wary and respectful of it…When something is well-written, it’s easier to play than trying to imbue some asinine wooden scene with some resonance. With JERSEY GIRL, there are so many cues that the writer gives you as an actor to tell you where the character is. You can fall into it. It’s refreshing. Every day I felt like I was coming to work and contributing something, not being part of some giant story juggernaut that sort of rolls over everything with effects. The time was time taken, and the attention was spent, and there was patience that said, ‘We have to get this right.’ It was a great opportunity for me, and it’s the kind of thing I want to continue to do.

  AT: You speak a monologue during the movie, standing over the crib of your daughter. That speech is rather epic in length. How long did it take you to shoot that?

  BA: We took all day. That was another one of those highlighted scenes. Kevin sent me forty pages of the story, and like any first draft, half of that stuff’s not in the final draft. [The crib] monologue was there [in the end] word for word. I got to that in my reading, and that was the moment where I thought, ‘This movie’s going to work. You haven’t seen anything like this. It’s a really interesting idea, this guy talking to his own daughter who isn’t even able to understand, but he’s giving himself over to her.’ In a weird way, the conservatism of this movie is kind of radical to me. There’s the suggestion that we live in a society that is very professionally oriented, and that everyone takes for family for granted, that these goals that we have in our profession are not what we should be pursuing. Playing it kind of reminded me that, particularly being an actor with a bunch of stuff swirling around me, there’s a tendency to want to be able, at some time, to say, ‘Forget it. I give this up. I want to just have this simpler life that’s about something more intimate.’

  Hit the 'Shoot to read the whole shebang!

• The press continues, and we've got it all here for ya. We'll kick it off with a fantastic piece from USA Today (including the revelation that Kev may have just given up smoking!), and just keep rollin' on from there. We'll run reviews separately, the stuff that follows will just involve interviews or press pieces on the movie and/or the cast. Let's get the party started:
  USA TODAY - "Kevin Smith shares the 'Jersey Girl' love"

  ...He says of Jersey Girl, "If somebody put a gun to my head and said, 'Make one kind of movie for the rest of your life,' it would be more of this. This is what comes natural to me. You scrape away the sex and fart jokes and the cynicism of the other movies, and you find a romantic underneath."

  The timing couldn't be better for Smith to play to a more mature crowd, given the outbreak of conservatism that has gripped the country after Janet Jackson's breast-baring Super Bowl stunt. "Thank God I wasn't promoting Dogma right about now," he says. "I'd be up a creek."

  He didn't have to struggle too hard to sanitize his script. "You take Jay and Silent Bob out of any flick, and 75% of it is going to go clean immediately." But Smith retains his knack for shock humor: Affleck's character refers to the long-running Broadway musical Cats as "the second-worst thing to happen to New York." Yes, it's a World Trade Center joke.

  "It's very subtle," he says, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "I don't know if anybody picks up on it." The line pre-9/11 was "the worst thing." Afterward, "I tailored it back. Then I thought, 'Is that kind of tacky? No, it's in keeping with what I said in the past.' "

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  MIAMI HERALD - "One from the Heart"

  Q: The most surprising thing about Jersey Girl is that it reveals what a softie you are. Who knew?

  A: I'm a sap for movies like this. I didn't really grow up watching hardcore indie stuff. That came later in life. I grew up watching movies like this, because my Mom was into them. I'm a huge fan of Terms of Endearment.

  Q: It's also a very straightforward and earnest movie. Even though it's often very funny, there's no cynicism or irony in it whatsoever.

  A: It doesn't reinvent the wheel. It's chock-full of clichés, and it had the potential to become one big cliché. It's how you handle those conventions that makes all the difference. School of Rock is a great example. I don't know that I would have necessarily dug that movie in someone else's hands. But [director] Richard Linklater did something with it that I thought was real interesting and cool. It's nice to see a dude whose work I've always admired do something in a very familiar genre but bring his particular flavor to it.

  Q: You've described Jersey Girl as your most personal film. But isn't comedy, by its very nature, extremely personal? The particular things we laugh at are very revealing of our personalities and who we are.

  A: I'd agree with that. Some of the comedy that I've done -- and I'm certainly not disowning it by any stretch of the imagination -- is stuff that I find funny and can observe, but I'm not really a part of it. I'm not a stoner and have never been a stoner. I love sex and I love talking about it with my friends, but I'm not like obsessed with sex. The characters in my movies are, because it's much funnier to play that out on the page.

  But if someone held a gun to my head and said I could only write one kind of script for the rest of my life, it would be more like this one, because this is closer to who I am and the stuff I really enjoy. I'm the dude who loves movies about grief and where people die. That stuff is actually easier for me to write than the comedy.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES - "Jersey boy Kevin Smith gets personal, but not too serious"

  ..."At any given moment, people could be like, 'Hey, the emperor has no f-----' clothes!' and suddenly you're out on your ass," Smith said. "So I try not to treat it very seriously, and it's not a cure for f-----' cancer by any stretch of the imagination. You just hope to connect with an audience. You hope to move them, you hope to make 'em laugh. You hope that the movie means something to them."

  If it doesn't, if they deem it crap and bluntly tell him so (as a number of bitter souls have), he's hurt. Fame and wealth have brought lots of things, but thicker skin isn't one of them.

  "If it's good criticism, like, well-thought out, I don't take it personally," he said. "But I do tend to take the s--- that's like, 'You're a hack and this s--- blows!' very personally. And I don't know why. 'Cause that's not really criticism. It's somebody trying to get under your skin. And that's the stuff you should be able to blow off easily, but unfortunately that's not the case. It's the stuff you wind up dwelling on. It finds the chinks in your armor.

  "I don't know about other people, but I know I sit there going, 'I suck, I blow, I'm a hack,' in the wee small hours of the morning, or in the dark. And so when somebody nails it on the head and nails your insecurities on the head, it really draws blood."

  With his most heartfelt work to date debuting shortly on hundreds of screens across America, Smith is doubtless due for another round of pummeling. Alas, all he'll have to blunt the blows are a loving family, fans galore, piles of cash, a Tinseltown casa and global fame.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS - "Jersey Guy"

  ...But Jay and Silent Bob fans shouldn't feel abandoned. The comedy tag team, which features Jason Mewes as the motor-mouthed Jay and Smith as his silent partner Bob, should strike back again soon.

  "I told Mewes if he would get and stay clean, I would think about going back into Jay and Silent Bob country," Smith says. "On April 6, he will have been clean and sober for a year, off booze and drugs. So hopefully, Mewes can stay on point and yeah, we'll think about heading in that direction again."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  TV GUIDE - "Meet J.Lo's 'Daughter'"

  ..."I'm hoping that, after this movie, people will realize who I am," she giddily says, "because I like signing autographs. I want to be able to go to the mall and McDonald's and everything, but I want to sign autographs because it looks pretty cool."

  The fourth-grader has been diligently practicing, just in case adoring fans start asking for her John Hancock. "I can write in cursive," she declares proudly. "I learned how when I was in third grade. [My signature] is not like people usually do it. I do it nice and you can understand it. But I want to learn how to [sign my name] fast, like Ben does."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS - "Jersey Guy"

  ...But Jay and Silent Bob fans shouldn't feel abandoned. The comedy tag team, which features Jason Mewes as the motor-mouthed Jay and Smith as his silent partner Bob, should strike back again soon.

  "I told Mewes if he would get and stay clean, I would think about going back into Jay and Silent Bob country," Smith says. "On April 6, he will have been clean and sober for a year, off booze and drugs. So hopefully, Mewes can stay on point and yeah, we'll think about heading in that direction again."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - "Publicist to the Stars Poised for Stardom"

  "I wanted to make Tony Angellotti the most famous publicist in the world -- short of having him hit someone with a car, a la Lizzie Grubman," Smith said Wednesday while riding next to his soon-to-be famous spokesman. "I wanted to do it a bit more peacefully. And he kind of balked at the idea of hitting someone with a car, but that's how publicists get famous. You have to hit people."

  The filmmaker spared a few lives by inserting the Angellotti company -- Tony's Studio City-based entertainment marketing and PR firm -- into his upcoming Miramax Films release. The scene finds Ben Affleck (news)'s character in the middle of the Angellotti company's glamorous (and very movielike) Manhattan offices for a job interview.

  "We put an Angellotti office onscreen as if it were sculpted from God's own bathroom," Smith joked. "But did we spell it right or wrong?" he asked as he turned to Tony in the car, "Oh yeah, we did. Good."

  [FULL STORY]

• BOX OFFICE PROPHETS had some great stuff to say about "Jersey Girl", and we couldn't be happier to have read it:
  ...The most impressive performance is Affleck. In a role that is not showy (there’s no blowing up of asteroids, Japanese World War II-era Zeroes, retarded kid or bad accent for him to hide behind), Affleck is the rock the movie is built on. Dealing with a pretty involved character arc, Affleck’s work in Jersey Girl is that of an actor, not a movie star. Summoning believable tears, rage, frustration and clear feelings of love, longing and doing it all within a realistic relationship with the young girl playing his daughter, Affleck never lets Castro overshadow him, nor does he pull her along with him. The character’s maturation is interesting to watch, particularly with an actor like Affleck, so convincing at being self-involved and mean in previous movies.

  Always at his best working with an actor who challenges him and makes him react (Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, Gwyneth Paltrow in Bounce, Joey Lauren Adams in Chasing Amy), Affleck is lucky to have Castro, Carlin and Tyler, who are all capable of that. Much of the credit for the performance must also lie with Smith, who certainly wrote the character with his own voice, but wrote with the actor in mind. This is Affleck’s fifth movie with Kevin Smith, and it’s clear that Smith knows how to direct his muse.

  Ultimately, this is Kevin Smith’s movie. Working with an Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), lends Jersey Girl a look never before seen in Smith’s work: classy. That’s not a knock on Smith so much as it’s a compliment to Zsigmond. But it’s Smith’s script and direction that make the movie work. There are clear moments of corniness that show Smith’s relative unfamiliarity with material like this, but for the most part his willingness to focus on the task at hand makes the film more cohesive than the majority of his previous efforts. Even the music used throughout the film works extremely well. This is not to say that much of Smith’s trademark humor and edge aren’t present; they certainly are, but he’s found a worthwhile balance. It’s as though Smith has gone through a very public film school over the past ten years, and if Jersey Girl is the first film out of the gate, post-graduation, we have a great deal to look forward to.

  Read the FULL REVIEW HERE!

  

• We ran the story yesterday, but thought you might also like to see the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer, which was all Kevin and Jersey Girl! Click for a better look. It's a nice spread, for sure.

• IGN's DVD site is running a poll about Jersey Girl, asking if the Gigli fallout will affect the movie. One of the four choices specifically mentions Kevin saying "No, because Kevin Smith is behind it", and that's ahead at presstime! Dang right! Surf over to IGN and place YOUR vote!

  MARCH 21, 2004
  
  

• With this being the last weekend before Jersey Girl hits theaters (yes, it's finally here!), lots of newspapers, magazines, and websites have stories running on the film. We're going to try and organize this as best we can, by presenting you with links to all of the pieces, and a snippet from each. So, feel free to just skim through here, read the highlights, or click the link to view the full story. As always, these articles DO contain spoilers for happenings and cameos in the film, so read at your own risk:
  PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER - "Mr. Tenderness"

  ...As he reflects on life since he hit the Clerks jackpot 10 years ago, Smith can't avoid being superstitious. "I've had a great decade, but I keep wondering, 'Where's the bill?' I keep expecting to wake up at the counter of Quick Stop," the convenience store featured in Clerks.

  Write it off as the garden-variety stage fright all filmmakers experience before their movie debuts, worrying that it will flop and they'll never work again.

  There are two reasons Smith needn't sweat. First, Jersey Girl is a freakin' fine movie, as Carlin's character might say, with a key modification in language.

  And second, Smith is already in preproduction on The Green Hornet, based on the character created by Fran Striker and George Trendle for a 1936 radio serial. Smith is both writing and directing the movie, his first foray into mega-budget territory.

  His only worry should be to cast someone as offbeat and spot-on as Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  THE NEW YORK TIMES

  ...CURTIS You say in the press notes, "This isn't my funniest or most original film to date." That's got to be a first for movie press notes.

  SMITH It's true — in many ways, people have seen a movie like this before. But there's nothing saying you can't work with clichés and make them your own. There's only three basic story structures in the world: man versus man, man versus nature, man versus himself. That's already a very small pool. I've always historically made relationship pictures. That's what I do. This is a relationship picture about fatherhood, the relationship one has with one's father and the relationship one has as a father. So I sat down and thought about it, and it's not that original. It's not a movie like, "Hey, man, everything you know about family movies we're going to reinvent." I'm not the guy that reinvents the wheel. I'm just the guy that adds another spoke, and hopefully it's a very strong spoke.

  CURTIS A lot of people think of you as somebody running away from the conventions of genre films. But you don't see yourself as that.

  SMITH Not at all. When I look at "Clerks," I don't think of it as, "This runs away from the genre conventions." I look at it as, "Well, we didn't have any money."

  CURTIS You've said that you and Harvey Weinstein bonded over a shared passion for vulgarity. True?

  SMITH Very much so. I was very attracted to him the moment I met him, and he was cursing. He's free. He's free with his language, and I kind of dug that. That, and he was smoking. He's cursing, he's smoking, he's a big guy and he's eating potato skins. I'm like, "I like this man."

  CURTIS What did he say when you showed him "Jersey Girl"?

  SMITH He cried. And he said, "I could watch 10 more minutes of that movie" — which for Harvey is high praise, because he's known for wanting to cut movies up. Without Harvey, I probably wouldn't be in this business at all.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  MSNBC/Newsweek - "Chasing Kevin"

  ...In the March 29 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, March 22), Smith tells Ansen that in five of his films, Affleck has played his "way better-looking proxy." "He's a guy whose acting I really adore," says Smith. "But he was at this point where he was being cast in role after role as man with a gun, you know? Man in tights jumping off buildings. Man almost single- handedly beating the Japanese in World War II...I'm sure he doesn't want to hear this, but Ben is always best when he's playing himself, essentially. In real life, he's very charming-a funny guy, erudite, good to be around."

  In this installment of "Review & Rebuttal," an occasional feature in which Newsweek's critics tell artists what they think of their work and the artists get to talk back, Ansen tells Smith that "Jersey Girl" felt "cliched" and slipped into sentimentality. Smith admits the movie represents a departure for him. "Because I've made movies that pushed the edge of the envelope in the past, I get penalized when I make one that doesn't," he says. "Some people are, like, 'Well, it's not your riskiest movie.' What am I, a stuntman? I got in the movies to tell the stories that I wanted to tell. So, maybe this time around I lose some of the critics who have liked my edgier stuff."

  Ansen tells Smith that while the film has some funny moments, he had a hard time believing that, following his wife's death, Affleck's character would go for seven years without having sex. Smith, who has been married five years, disagrees. "Once I got married I realized that I never wanted to f--- anyone else for the rest of my life," he says. "Even if my wife died. It's not just physical, though that's fantastic. Psychologically, I am tied to her. When you're really committed to somebody, forget it, man. It's impossible to think about f---ing somebody else."

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  TRENTON TIMES - "Still a Jersey Guy at Heart"

  ...With a budget of $35 million, "Jersey Girl" may be modest by industry standards, but it's huge by Smith's. "The Green Hornet" will be even bigger, a film with a built-in fan base from the comic-book hero that inspired it.

  "He's a precursor to `Batman' in that he's a millionaire vigilante with a sidekick. It's my chance to make a comic book come to life under the best circumstances," adds Smith, who also took a shot at rewriting a new "Superman" screenplay for Warner Bros.

  "With `Green Hornet,' I won't have to answer to five or six different cooks, but I'll have to answer to the fan base."

  For all of his success, Smith doesn't seem to have changed. His conversation is still laced with pungent vocabulary and biting humor. He's loyal to actors who have worked for him when he was nobody. (This is his fifth collaboration with Affleck.) And he's willing to discuss just about anything - or anyone - if you ask.

  The sentimental side of Smith is what may surprise his diehard fans when they see "Jersey Girl." It's the side of him that included dozens of "thank yous" in the film's credits to people connected with the movie, which he's dedicated to his late father.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  MSNBC - "Raquel Castro is the Real Jersey Girl"

  Smith was inspired to write the story back in 2000 when he watched his wife put their baby to bed one night.

  “I was really kind of moved by it — kind of swept up by the feeling of like what if my wife had died and left me with a kid? How on earth would I have possibly done this alone because we worked as such a really good team?”

  He wrote 50 pages in two hours, did another quick burst the following year, and finished it in early 2002.

  “All told, it was probably a total of a three week write with all the combination of time,” he said.

  [FULL STORY]

  ---

  SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - "SMITH BREAKS HIS SILENCE WITH 'GIRL'"

  "I relish the opportunity to be the comeback vehicle because then that mother -- will be indebted to me much more than he is now," Smith said with a grin. "It's nice to keep that iron grasp on him. Both of our careers were kind of launched to the next level because of 'Chasing Amy.' ''

  "Jersey Girl" has the heartfelt quality of "Amy," Smith's 1997 film about a comic-book artist in love with a lesbian, but this one doesn't coin any new names for three-ways. The sweet-natured "Jersey" is missing the smutty humor that has characterized Smith's work since he endeared himself to mini-market loiterers with 1994's "Clerks." Stoner jesters Jay and Silent Bob aren't even in the new movie.

  "I was at that point in my life where I had had a kid, so the edges got a little, I hate to say duller, but that's probably all right in the context," Smith said.

  He wrote "Jersey Girl" after he and his wife, Jennifer, had their daughter, Harley, now 4. A sort of Valentine to fatherhood, "Jersey Girl" follows the Affleck character's relationships with his daughter (Raquel Castro) and his father (George Carlin), and is dedicated to Smith's own father, Donald, who died last year. "Once I became a dad, I realized what a great father my old man was," Smith said.

  The film also showcases Affleck's paternal side, his director says.

  "There's a real sweetness to the dude that a lot of people don't see. He's always scooping up other people's kids. ... I barely even wanted to pick up mine when she was little, much less other people's kids, because you don't want to be the guy who drops the kid.''

  [FULL STORY]

• This weekend's Ebert & Roeper at the Movies is playing in syndication. The pair review "Jersey Girl" and come up with a split decision. Ebert (normally the more accurate of the two, in our opinion) gives the film a thumbs-up! We'll let you know when his print review becomes available. Also, TV ads for the film are starting to include critical praise from various outlets.

  MARCH 17, 2004
  
  

  

  

• Kevin did a sit-down interview with Jay Leno on last night's "Tonight Show" to promote Jersey Girl, and we've got the full video for you right here. Sadly, Kevin had a relatively short segment that flew by, but they managed to cover quite a bit of material and give "Jersey Girl" an excellent plug, with a small clip from the film. Let's home that Kevin made good friends with prior guest Angelina Jolie, and will pass our numbers on to her as soon as humanly possible.

  Jersey Girl TV Spot #1 (Quicktime)

  Jersey Girl TV Spot #2 (Quicktime)

• If you've turned on a television lately, chances are you've seen an ad for Jersey Girl. They're showing a couple good gags from the film but, luckily, the same few scenes, so there's a LOT of the film left to discover in theaters. Prime programming has been airing ads, including The Tonight Show, and, one of the most watched programs in the country now, American Idol. Viewer awareness is definitely at an all-time high for a View Askew film.

• We were surprised but very pleased to see that Kevin dropped some early plans for the Jersey Girl DVD today. As you might know, a DVD takes quite a bit of time to produce, so in order to make an aggressive street date (in this case, October 2004), materials will need to get started on very soon. Here's what we know so far:
  • Will hit shelves sometime in October 2004.
  • Will include a commentary with Kevin, Affleck, maybe more.
  • All deleted and alternate scenes will be included.
  • Best of all, will include a 2+ hour director's cut of the film!

• Jersey Girl made its first festival appearace at the SXSW festival in Texas this week, and Yahoo has the story:

  Director Kevin Smith answers audience questions after a screening of his new film "Jersey Girl" at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, Sunday, March 14, 2004.(AP Photo/Jack Plunkett)

  'Jersey Girl' Screens at Film Festival

  By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Entertainment Writer

  AUSTIN, Texas - Bennifer's last hurrah took place at the South by Southwest film festival, where "Jersey Girl," starring Ben Affleck (news) and (very briefly) Jennifer Lopez (news), was shown before a wildly enthusiastic crowd.

  Director-writer Kevin Smith (news) told the sold-out audience afterward that he's still happy to have the former off-screen couple play an on-screen couple in his film, despite the disastrous "Gigli," their previous cinematic pairing.

  "I've always been a fan of `Out of Sight,'" Smith said Sunday night, referring to the Steven Soderbergh (news) film in which Lopez co-starred with George Clooney (news).

  But the real reason he chose her? "Affleck asked me," he deadpanned.

  Smith said his wife suggested casting Lopez as Affleck's wife: "I said, 'Really? He's making a movie with her right now. It's called "Gigli." Should be a huge hit.'"

  Notoriously, it wasn't — and neither was their extremely public relationship. Affleck and Lopez — "Bennifer," as they became known — were supposed to have married in a lavish ceremony last September, but abruptly called it off and blamed the media for its constant scrutiny.

  Smith similarly canceled their wedding plans in the movie. He cut the scene in which they walk down the aisle, limiting her already brief screen time. Lopez's character dies during childbirth within the first few minutes, forcing Affleck's character, a high-powered music publicist, to re-examine his life as he raises their daughter on his own.

  "I think we got better work out of him because it was her," Smith said of Affleck, who has several emotional scenes.

  The director acknowledged that "Jersey Girl" is vastly different from the movies on which he's built his loyal fan base, including "Clerks" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," with their stoned characters and obscure comic book references.

  "That's me on a soft day — kinda warm and gooey," Smith said after the closing credits stopped rolling. "It came from being married. It came from having a kid."

  "The next movie I'm thinking about making is about a puppy," he added.

  The South by Southwest film festival, now in its 11th year, runs through Saturday.

  "Jersey Girl," co-starring Liv Tyler (news) and George Carlin (news), opens nationwide March 26.

• Kevin will be doing his famous Q&A thang at the University of Maryland on FRIDAY NIGHT, April 2nd. We're considering coming in for this one, so just let us know where all the big keg parties are happening after the fact. No more details or ticket prices at this point, but we'll keep ya posted. We do believe this one's gonna be open to both students AND the public. If you work with the folks there, drop us a line with some details and some info for us so we can set something up with ya.

• Just like we warned ya, there's a TON more appearances coming up, as well as some changes (this is the first that we saw the Raquel Castro date change for the Tonight Show, take note). This list just came across the desk today, so consider it up to date...
  3/17 - George Carlin - The Tonight Show
  3/23 - George Carlin - Craig Kilborn
  3/23 - Jason Biggs - Jimmy Kimmel Live
  3/23 - Kevin Smith - Tavis Smiley Show
  3/24 - Kevin Smith - Craig Kilborn
  3/24 - Ben Affleck - Ellen DeGeneres
  3/28 - Kevin Smith - Sunday Morning Shootout
  3/29 - Raquel Castro - Tonight Show
  4/7 - George Carlin - Tavis Smiley Show
  We'll keep you posted as we learn of more appearances and any schedule changes. As always, check your local listings, the internet, or your Tivos to locate these shows, as some of them air on various networks and at different times.

• Despite his crazy schedule promoting Jersey Girl, rest assured, Kevin WILL be in attendance at Wizard World in LA this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. No exclusive inaction figures this time, but chances are you'll be able to pick up the classic rare ones at the View Askew booth. Bring some bucks!

  

• Here's something we thought was really great but missed mentioning. As part of that fake SF Chronicle site with the Jersey Girl review last week, the creator also included a long list of want ads alongside the review. They blended in so well, we didn't notice until after we ran the piece. But we've got them now, and thought you'd enjoy the very creative work of the mysterious author. Click away!

• TV Guide online has a small new story on Liv Tyler and working with Ben in Jersey Girl. Here's a snip:
  Tyler admits she got a case of the butterflies when it came time for her and Affleck to disrobe for their Jersey Girl shower sequence. "It is always nerve-wracking doing any kind of love scene or make-out scene," Tyler admits. "But I feel really comfortable with Ben. You just try and let go and have fun with it."
  
• As we reported yesterday, Larry King praised Jersey Girl quite a bit during his chat with Ben Affleck on his program last night. Here's a photo from the show, featuring Ben and the award he asked for earlier this week:
  Talk show host Larry King, left, displays the Razzie Award won by actor Ben Affleck, right, for his film's "Daredevil" and "Gigli," following Affleck's comment about winning the award but never receiving the actual award, during a taping of "Larry King Live," Tuesday, March 16, 2004, in Los Angeles. Affleck discussed a wide range of topics from baseball to his new comedy film "Jersey Girl." (AP Photo/CNN, Rose M. Prouser)
• USA Today talked to Affleck about Jersey Girl and the usual amount of other topics, including his recent hilarious SNL appearance (that Gigli/Frondi sketch was a true gem). Here's a taste:
  Though it is a bittersweet experience to have Jersey Girl's early scenes reflect his relationship with Lopez, Affleck welcomes its arrival. "I'm really proud and pleased of Kevin and his work. It is done on a high professional level. Gigli was such a disaster of a movie. What created it was an excess of publicity for me and Jen. There was a rising tide of animosity against us that crested on that movie. It was hard for people to distinguish between our relationship and the movie."

  With Jersey Girl, "we can end that chapter on a positive note with fond memories."

• The BBC World show "Talking Movies" is featuring Kevin and JG this week, with a good interview. If you can't see the BBC World channel, hop over HERE where you will find a transcript of the interview and a streaming video also (if they manage to sort out a problem that means it's not available at the moment.)

  Note that after a week the transcript should move into the archive section, but the media will disappear to be replaced by the next program. So watch now!

• You can find a few more photos of the celebrity arrivals at the Jersey Girl Hard Rock Cafe post-party over at Iwon.com.

• More Kevin interview questions, this time with MIT, can be found HERE. Some interesting comments, including:
  On possibly abandoning his fan base:

  “It’s not [about] how many people are going to watch it; it’s [about] the audience that you are accustomed to, and then suddenly turning around and being like, ‘Here’s something that’s really pussy soft.’ Thankfully the fan base is what it is and there are people who are fans of ‘Chasing Amy.’ They’re not all Jay and Bob guys. But you know the 13 and 14-year-old Jay and Bob guys you’re going to lose ... the hardcore younger ones are probably going to feel like I turned my back on them, and they are the most vocal ones on the Internet. They are the ones who are like, ‘You fucking sell-out’.”

  On the prospect of getting an Oscar:

  “Never. Never happen. Can’t do it. Don’t think I have it in me. I’ve seen the people who win Oscars, and Ben [Affleck] excluded, and Matt [Damon], it’s not company that I can see myself ever keeping. Or that anyone sees me in the same context of. So I don’t think that that will ever happen. I don’t think that I’ll ever even get to go to the Oscars. I would just be happy to present. Presenting would be [like] a win [for me]... but they’d need a 10-second delay.”

  MARCH 16, 2004
  
  

• Don't forget, Jersey Girl week continues on The Tonight Show this week, with a guest appearance (NOT a Roadside Attraction) from Kevin Smith himself. Watch him shamelessly pimp the new flick, and share some couch time with Jay. You'll find that on NBC.

  Before that, though, catch Ben Affleck tonight on Larry King Live at 9:00 PM. That's on CNN, which comes with all your basic cable packages, so yep, you have it.

  Tonight, on Starz, at 8:30 PM , their "On The Set" feature on "Jersey Girl" begins to air.

  Coming up later this week, Sunday March 21st, at 11:15 AM - Bravo will feature a 15-minute segment titled "The Making of Jersey Girl" followed by Ben Affleck's "Inside The Actors Studio" with Ben Affleck (11:30 AM).

  We'll try and remind you of as many of these events as we can, though we suggest you watch the countdown ticker in the sidebar there, as it should always indicate the TV appearances that are happening in the near future. Schedules change a lot and appearances get announced at the last minute at times, so we WILL do our best to make sure you don't miss all of this coverage over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for sticking with us.

• You knew it was building up to this -- Antony Teofilo's big interview with Jersey Girl star Ben Affleck is now available over at Movie Poop Shoot. Antony covers all kinds of topics, from Push, Nevada, to Daredevil, to working with Damon. It's a nice little piece, and recommended!

• It sounds like Aint It Cool's own Harry Knowles dug Jersey Girl from this small mention of the film at his site today :
  "Between this film ("Hellboy") -- watching Kevin Smith's JERSEY GIRL and LOVE ME IF YOU DARE... well... I've had a great 24 hours of film. I'll get into it when I get the time ..."

  Well, he said it was great. That's gotta count for something.

  We'll keep watch for his review.

• The Village Voice's Michael Musto chimes in on Jersey Girl today. Here's what his column had to say (spoilers ahead):
  Jersey Girl definitely has gossip value, seeing as BEN AFFLECK's character learns to live again after his relationship with JENNIFER LOPEZ ends sadly. And trendwise, it's of interest because it's the second recent flick (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen being the other) about a move from NYC to New Jersey, though in this one, the Garden State provides revivification, not spiritual death. Otherwise, it's pretty synthetic stuff, with lots of characters walking in at just the wrong moment and people rejecting life in the fast lane the way no one within a mile of this project would ever imagine doing. Still, anything that climaxes with a six-year-old doing a musical number from Sweeney Todd deserves some respect.

  At the premiere, director KEVIN SMITH said he's desperate to change the film's title to The Passion of the Jersey Christ. When he also cracked that they would hold the screening until J.Lo got there, Affleck squirmed, then laughed and said, "Thanks. Friends like these, folks!" Most fascinatingly of all, Affleck groveled before HARVEY WEINSTEIN, who in turn compared the Smith-Affleck team to SCORSESE and DE NIRO. But the mogul also helpfully described his boys' complex relationship. ("Say the lines the way I wrote them." "Of course, I won the Oscar for Good Will Hunting.") And then I grabbed the gift bag and headed back home to Rahway. Kidding. M.M.

• In E! Online's "Clip of the Day", Affleck dishes on Jersey Girl and Jennifer. You can access the clip from their front page.

• Entertainment Tonight has another column today with Affleck discussing his desire to go "back to basics" with Jersey Girl:
  "It's really a far cry from 'Armageddon,'" he says. "There's no giant rock hurtling toward the earth, no sticking animal crackers down [Liv's] pants. This was a more developed story in terms of my relationship with her character. We've known each other for a long, long time, so it was very easy and comforting. There was no awkwardness."
  
• And finally in the JG newsbites today, another great review from 2 local San Francisco papers. Click the scan above to give it a look.

  MARCH 15, 2004
  
  

• Dateline Alabama caught an early look at "Jersey Girl", and liked what they saw! Here's their full review. As always, watch out for spoilers, as this review does go through the plot in a fair amount of detail:
  'Jersey Girl' shows growth in characters, director

  A surprise to many viewers, 'Jersey Girl' delivers a coming-of-age story, sure to restore your faith in Ben Affleck and become a valid addition to any DVD collection.

  Growing up isn't easy to do. While it's been rough for Kevin Smith, he's finally made it to a point where serious meets light-heartedness and crudeness becomes the rough edges of everyday life.

  "Jersey Girl" could be considered the coming-of-age film of Smith's career, going back to his "Chasing Amy" roots where serious and dramatic topics can still entertain audiences, and offer chances for laughs. While life lessons can turn a crowd quickly, Smith is still able to impart to his audiences something they take home with them without feeling force fed.

  The eternal love story takes yet another twist in "Jersey Girl." Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) thought his job was the most important thing in life. Being the youngest "flack" to ever head a department in his public relations firm, Trinke is the pinnacle of spin doctoring and proud of it. Even a workaholic has to take a break, and when that happens he falls in love.

  Enter Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez), the love of Ollie's life and who he spends the night hours within New York City, one of Ollie's two categories of life.

  Happiness appears to abound for the New York power couple until it seems Ollie's career could interfere with the picturesque family life Gertrude wants, and, since she wants it, Ollie wants it, too. Differences are worked out until things take another step toward the worse when Gertrude dies giving birth to the couple's daughter, Gertie (Raquel Castro).

  Ollie soon learns that life is hard when he loses his dream job because of one explosive dealing with the press, Ollie trashes his client and learns that home, the New Jersey category of life, is where the heart is. After moving back home to his widowed father's house, Pops (George Carlin) helps Ollie realize there is more to life and helps him find it right there in New Jersey.

  Raising a child as a single parent is one thing, but falling back in love after seven years of mourning is another. When Ollie meets a quick-witted and invasive grad student working part time at the video store, perspective changes once again for him. Falling for Maya (Liv Tyler) while trying to get back into the PR business is when all Ollie has learned is put to the test.

  Although the whole Benifer thing was overblown and overplayed, the ambiguously together-as-one duo does play a picturesque and overly sweet, perfect couple. Jennifer Lopez gives a Meg Ryan-like performance in her short-lived role in this picture. Only around long enough to fall in love and have a baby, J-Lo dies within the first 15 minutes of the movie, which, had the scene not been so dramatic, would have drawn cheers from the audience.

  Ben Affleck gives a performance that makes up for such films as "Dare Devil" and "Pearl Harbor." While he may be considered to be too much of a hunk to play the role of a loving and caring father, he does give merit to a role that could have easily become a long-running stereotype. While many worried about another spin-off of "Gigli," this film certainly knows how to avoid the pitfalls of expectations and audience intelligence.

  Liv Tyler does well too in her role sans pointed elf ears. Her beauty on screen is captivating and the personality of her character makes it hard for all the guys in the audience not to fall in love with her. Playing the ideal woman cannot be easy, and so a lot of praise must go her way for this film.

  George Carlin plays a significantly sized role in this film, which, by far, overshadows any of his previous appearances on the silver screen. Supplying most of the comic relief, Carlin still manages to play his character with such authenticity and conviction that he makes audiences believe he really is a grandfather. This role was created for Carlin to play. Bypassing his typically short, often crude, cameos, he was able to prove his worth as an actor, rather than an iconic comedian appearing on screen for the sake of the film having his name in the credits.

  Raquel Castro played a perfect character, giving a performance rivaling any other one could expect from a child star. Her delivery and understanding of the material transfers well, and Castro comes off as a child we'd all want, but wouldn't want to raise by ourselves.

  Of course, not to discredit all of Smith's previous film classics, Jason Lee and Matt Damon make quick cameo appearances as PR executives at one of O