• Next weekend is shaping up to be another fun one for fans of all things ViewAskew. Bewtween shows of “SModcast 3D”, “Having Sex, With Katie Morgan”, and “Highlands 3D” you can check out a screening of Brian Lynch’s “Big Helium Dog” or relive your wasted youth with 2 hours of your favorite classic Saturday morning cartoons! We’re betting on Sunday night’s “Gay Clown, With Malcolm & Kevin” to be the standout show of the weekend. Surf on over to SModcastle.com now and get your tickets before they all sell out!

• Guess phone batteries still die after excessive data usage — Our apologies for the abrupt cutoff during the live blog on Monday. We’ve got some newer tech that we can use next time that should allow a more long-term battery.

  
  So, here’s the wrapup: Kevin had a first that night, of taking just a single question, which was “What was it like directing Bruce Willis?”, and working it into a full 3.5 hours of extended new stories…Some told at previous live gigs, some brand new. At the end of that, Kevin rolled out a fantastic 3D birthday cake, made into the likeness of his famous self-photo taken on Southwest Airlines, then left the stage.

  Immedately after, Kevin was BACK on stage for an encore, which took form of a more rapid-fire Q&A with audience members…Almost like an entire second show, which ran another couple of hours. If any of you have photos or highlights to add from the Q&A segment, be sure to drop us a line.

  

  Above, you’ll find a photo of that awesome cake from Kevin himself, as well as some photos courtesy of EpixHD, who will be airing what we presume will be an edited version of the event, featuring mainly the 3.5 hour “stand up” portion and then perhaps some highlghts of the Q&A. Details to follow on that.

  As the photos show, a highlight of the show was the amazing custom built set. Now, the Basie is giving fans a chance to own a piece of it! To bid, surf here for all the details. Items include the main store signs, window decals, poster, and more. Details on how to bid are included on the page, but it basically is being done silent auction style via e-mail, except with high bids to be revealed a few times each day at this link. The auction will run through Friday, August 13th, at noon. This is a historic show and a beautiful set, and best of all, 100% of the proceeds will benefit the fantastic Count Basie’s restoration fund. Good luck!

• “The Wrap” spills the beans on the actors and actresses joining the great Michael Parks in front of the cameras when Kevin starts filming “Red State” this Fall.

  

  Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano and Steven Root are in talks to co-star in Kevin Smith’s political horror film “Red State,” and Oscar nominated actress Melissa Leo is also circling the project, an individual familiar with the casting process has told TheWrap.

  Dermot Mulroney was previously also listed among the cast, but The Wrap and Kevin have refuted that, at least for now. Root previously worked for Kevin in a small role in “Jersey Girl” – Some scoopers noted Kevin speaking with Root at Comic Con recently, as well.

• Please take note: The October 16th House of Blues appearance that was annouced was not legit — Kevin will be working on “Red State” at the time. If anything changes we’ll let you know, but according to his twitter, you should not buy tix for this gig.
• As always, /Film has done a fantastic job at collecting video from Kevin’s San Diego panel this year. Surf it up and view all the parts right here.
• How ’bout some more new video? Big Shiny Robot also caught up with Kev at the Con summarized the invitation-only live SModcast and posted the press interview which followed. All are now available for your streaming pleasure.
• IFC reports that Kevin will moderate a 25th anniversary screening of John Hughes’ classic “The Breakfast Club” on Monday, September 20th, followed by a cast Q&A with the flick’s 4 stars. Sounds like a must-attend event at New York City’s Paris Theater to us. For the main events, tickets range from $25 – $65. There’s also a single screening of the film alone the day before at the Walter Reade Theater. Hit up www.filmlinc.com for pricing and tickets. The official View Askew site also has done a nice job http://viewaskew.com/events/thebreakfastkev/ at consolidating this info for ya.

Gonna give this a try, but forgive any technical issues. Hope this is at least readable..

Nice crowd upstairs at the Dublin House pre-party tonight, and I’m getting ready to head down to the theater. Props to Ming who just dropped off my ticket, he’s a busy guy today.

7:03 – Back rows getting free upgrades! Epic guy on stage talking about it being a new network we can download off the Internet. Coaching audience to get us all excited. First audience warmup I’ve ever seen at a Smith show.

I’m closer now…it’s Zak! And he’s killing! Crowd is highly entertained as he fills in a couple empty chairs and telling jokes and rules. The guy’s quite the entertainer! Good on ya Zak.

7:15 – Kevin is on stage! Wait until you see the Quick Stop and RST set. It’s awesome. Kevin stood at Silent Bob’s old spot at RST when he walked out.

7:30 – kevin is talking about his trip up to Brantford which was the inspiration for his tour bus.

7:45 – Q&A has started! Kevin’s opening story about the prom bus to Canada was full of Malcolm impressions and an instant classic.

The first question is all about working with Bruce Willis.

8:00 – He’s tangented off to a funny story about starting to smoke weed and ordering from a convenience store that delivers.

8:30 – Check newsaskew on twitter for a photo. Kevin’s run with the Willis question to talk about hockey, Zack and Miri, and his life leading up to Cop Out. Assume he’ll get back to the Bruce question soon!

8:45 – Jokes at Affleck’s expense so far – 3!

Kevin did get back to the Willis question with lots of good stuff. By the way no details tonight, since the show is being taped. Don’t wanna spoil jokes.

9:30 – He’s been telling some stories about George Carlin.

9:40 – The Southwest Air incident!

10:00 – Crowd is going nuts for the toilet bowl incident, Always a classic.

Fresh story now happening on a border stop on the way to Montreal.

10:30 – The Michael Parks casting in Red State has a story!

Kevin did 3:15 on one question, wrapped up, and is now back for an encore for rapid fire questions to close the night – another first!

• News Askew is proud to be covering tonight’s event, Kevin Smith LIVE in Red Bank, New Jersey. Kevin takes the stage at 7 PM which looks to have a very nifty, custom backdrop being designed. The show will be filmed for television, so if you’re in the crowd, it’s very likely you’ll see your face as part of the show as they take the crowd reaction shots. Everyone who attends will also get an exclusive “Too Fat for 40” towel to commemorate the show and Kevin’s big 4-0 birthday.

  
  If the iPhone 4’s antenna cooperates, News Askew will be live blogging the event with anything interesting as the night goes on. Come right back here on the front page to check it out.

  If you’re anywhere within driving range of Red Bank, and still don’t have a ticket, never fear – You’re in luck! Starting at noon today, the Count Basie Theater box office will open with a special offer for fans – Show up, and ask for special prices on seats on the sides and in the rear of the theater. We’re told that prices are fantastic and available exclusively today, pre-show, at the Count Basie Theater box office in Red Bank. There’s nothing like the energy in town when Kevin rolls in – Fans will be everywhere making today a very festive one at the local restaurants, watering holes and, of course, the world’s only Secret Stash comic book store.

  We’ll look forward to seeing you in Red Bank tonight – And if you’re not on board yet, it’s not too late! Tell the boss you’re hitting the road to Jersey, and be a part of a history tonight. Kevin Smith, live in the town where it all started: Red Bank, New Jersey. Even better, ask a question and be on TV! The show’s set to air uncut, in high definition, on the Epix HD network.

  See you this evening, at the event or via the live blog right here at News Askew.

• “Batman: Widening Gyre” issue #6 hit shelves this week and is the absolute talk of the industry. A major twist occurs in the last 4 pages of the book which has readers counting the days until the series returns with the back 6 issues early next year. We highly recommend NOT spoiling the reveal, and instead checking out the entire series from the start. We’ll say no more here, other than congratulate Kevin and Walt for keeping their plan secret during the book’s run — This one is rewarding even more to long time fans of Kevin’s work in the comic industry. We love it. This sets things up for an incredible finish.

  
  Kevin and Walt hosted a panel in San Diego last week about this fantastic series, which Comic Book Resources has a nice summary of. Here’s a sample:

  …A fan asked when the start of the next miniseries was expected. “Volume two begins after the new year,” Smith said. Smith wanted to give himself enough time to write as he’d be shooting a film soon.

  Another fan asked if the Joker will be featured more in the second volume. “I felt like since ‘Cacophony’ was such a Joker heavy book for us, I wanted to use him very sparingly in the first six issues. But he features a little more prominently in the next arc.”

  “I still hear Mark Hamill when I write my Joker,” Smith added. “When I was reading comments online, people said that, ‘This Joker reads like the fucking ’90s Joker.’ I felt really complimented by it.” The writer added that while he likes Heath Ledger’s version from the film, his Joker remains the version from the cartoon series by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm.

  Smith also said that he finds writing the Joker easy. “What’s the most fucked up thing I can write? Okay. Write that,” he said. “For me, I’m way more interested in writing Bruce Wayne and Batman than the Joker.”

  The hardcover compilation of issues #1 – #6 isn’t due until Christmas…So we’d recommend seeking out issues 1-6 right now and catching up. An already cool series became legend with the issue 6 cliffhanger. Catch up now!

• indieWire presents a lengthy, fresh new interview with the man himself, courtesy Eugene Hernandez. It’s an excellent conversation about Kevin’s career and his thoughts on independent film, past and present. A highly recommended read for you, though here’s just a small segment:

  
  Eugene Hernandez: Its funny, you’ve been the poster boy for American indie film, through its high point and low points. I think that may explain some of the critics.

  Kevin Smith: “I mean, lets be honest, the only indie film I made was “Clerks.”

  Everything else somebody paid for. In fact, everything else a studio paid for, with the exception of “Zack and Miri” which was the Weinstein Company. Every interview I do I’d be like, ‘You keep saying indie filmmaker, its just not…’

  Say cult. Say something. But, you know, it’s not something where you try to run from it. I don’t mind, but it just sets you up for people to be disappointed. Like, ‘I thought you were an indie filmmaker? That’s supposed to mean something.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I mean, I made ‘Mallrats’ too, I told you by the second film it was going to be a bumpy ride.’

  I’m just glad it’s still a ride.

  Eugene, ‘94 it started. Now I’m 16 years in and it’s a cool job where you’re allowed to express yourself and that’s kinda of why I got into it in the first place. But, by virtue of the fact that the job has opened so many other doors it’s also opened so many other venues for me to express myself. So, like to me, the movies are great, but like SModcast is some of the most sincerely creative original, now I’m at this place in my career where I’m like, ‘Those movies suck dude, listen to SModcast, that shit’s the bomb’.

  So for me, I’m just extending ways to have the conversation in case one day somebody’s like, ‘We’re not going to let you make movies anymore, you’re not good at it and obviously you don’t care about it’ or something like that. And I’ll be like ‘All right, I’ll have the conversation over here’, but for as long as they’ll let me do I’ll do it, I enjoy doing it.”

  This is one of our favorite interviews of the year so far — Don’t miss it.

• Now that he’s got the world’s first live podcasting theater in operation, SModcastle (see a quick Kevin-shot bootleg clip from last Sunday’s opening), Kevin has said that the road shows titled “Live Nude SMod” will be no more. Ffor the immediate future, the ONLY spot you’ll see the live podcasts will be at the Los Angeles-based castle – A fall tour titled “SModcast 3D” is planned for the October/November timeframe.

  
  So, that means YOU Columbus, Ohio, will get the last live road SModcast for some time tomorrow, July 31st. Kevin then comes home to Red Bank on Monday, August 2nd, for his 40th birthday Q&A. Hope to see a lot of you there – We’ll be onsite for the big Red Bank event. Then, Kevin’s on to Australia for a historic 2 night stand at the Sydney Opera House.

  What about the old standard, online SModcast? Kevin promises standard, brand new episodes for a few weeks until “Red State” is shooting. Once he’s busy on the set, the backlogged episodes recorded at the live gigs will start to fill in the weekly slot, to allow Kevin time to film and edit. ‘Til then, www.smodcast.com is the place to be. Lots going on over there, including the announcement that the great Jason Mewes will become a regular member of new show “Highlinds: A Peephole History”.

  New announcements are coming at the new SModcast 3D website, which at minimum promises live SMod at the Castle. Could there be more road shows in the future? Never say never.

  Stay tuned for more news on upcoming episodes, and round 2 at SModcastle!

• While we were trying to keep up with all the big news dropping due to the Con, Kevin’s been busy tweeting up a storm lately. Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy tweets from recent days. He’s back to record pace lately, like it was when he first hit Twitter, so we highly recommend you run a follow to @ThatKevinSmith to read them all – We’re just scratching the surface on the most newsworthy, but there’s so much more. Here’s a peek:

  
  Via @thecolecash “How is “Red State” coming along?” Dave & I storyboarded for a few hours today. Found this amazing actress for Cheyenne…

  Via @filmthreat “Where’s RedState being filmed?” California, sir. Up Whittier way. 80% of it shoots behind maximum security walls. #srsly

  Via @sonic43 “Did you decide if RedState was shooting digital or film” Last I heard from @ThatDavidKlein, RED will be shot on a @RedCamera.

  Via @Billy3152 “spot for hockey guys Leary or Sandler in Hit Somebody?” Massive cast, but I’m looking to surround Seann w/ CANADIAN actors.

  Via @njosnavelin714 “You really believe HitSomebody’ll be the best film you ever make” 100 pages in, before we shoot a frame, it already is.

  Via @StephanieClark_ “when do you start shooting for Hit Somebody?” Hopefully mid-2011. So let’s stop talking about it. Getting blue balls.

  Via @SansomJam “Hit Somebody a comedy or something akin to The Wrestler?” It’s funny, but I don’t know if I’d call it a comedy. s’like GUMP.

  Via @cmatthes1 “MCM mode of #CopOut gives me hope for the new BluRay extras” It’s pretty entertaining. Watched opening w/crowd & it crushed.

  Via @bigstunz “Walt killed it in latest Smodcast” He CRUSHED PrimaNocta TELL’EM LIVE. Ask @BryAndWalt to put that 1 up on Friday. Pure gold.

  Me & @SMosier sang FAMILY TIES & this dude mixed it into TIE’s opening credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5LIs5W5JpM&feature=related

  Via @MasterBruceSHH “Just read Gyre #6. Best ish so far. kudos for the last twist” Walt & I have been waiting a year for that splash page…

  Via @denmark116 “How long do we wait for volume 2?” GYRE Vol. 2 starts up after the first of the year. And it’s a MUCH more familiar Bats…

  Via @pcraig20 “how long the Green Hornet run is going to be” 10 issues. Then, I start begging @jimlee00 to do HORNET/BATMAN crossover mini.

  Via @jace1013 “looks like #CopOut did well: http://bit.ly/9R3DyO #1 on every list” Congrats to the Movie Formerly Known As A Couple of Dicks

  Via @lunchboxfett “When can we hear SModcastle opening night?” Not for awhile. Lots of banked shows to get up first: Philly, Billings, SF…

  Via @dimmke “Can you stop making movies & just do #SModcast every day” Working on it, sir. Once we’re done with HIT SOMEBODY, s’possible…

  @omfgitzjay “Will WYSMC be on SModcast Network?” No: to be a part of SModcast.com you’ve gotta know me REALLY well. Wanna know why? SModcast.com isn’t just weekly podcasts by me & my friends; it’s actually a more ambitious, ongoing project: SMod’s my autobiography.

  This is my 10,000th Tweet. I’m using it to thank all y’all for following. You’ve given me enough juice to jump start the Act 2. Many thanks.

  Our particular favorite Twitter highlight from the last week is a run that Kevin did on historical photos and posts back on July 20 and 21. If you didn’t see it, go back and seek out this stream. Tons of great photos and links in there.