- As if we didn’t need ANOTHER reason to listen to Howard Stern in the morning…Kevin Smith AND Jason Mewes are scheduled to appear as guests on the popular morning show Thursday, September the 18th! That’s a week from today…I’m sure they’ll ask Jay do his “Nooich, nooich, nooich…” bit from Clerks that they love to play as a soundbite so much…Plus Kev’ll just have the chance to talk about pretty much whatever he wants (Supes and Dogma and probably the all the classics, most likely) for a while. It’s bound to be great radio. We’ve been listening to Stern since he came to 94 WYSP in Philly over 10 years ago, so needless to say, this is some cool news for us. We’ll have all the details of the appearance right here, of course. Everyone can thank the immortal Brian Quinn for setting this one up.
Kevin Goes Overseas…
- Kevin’s leaving for about a week to do some promotion overseas. Here’s his post from the WWWBoard with all the details:
‘Tis true: Scott and I head off to the Continent for a day shy of a week. We’re screening at the Deauville Film Festival in France, then doing our French Press. After that, it’s over to England, for some press there as well.
I won’t be posting again until the 17th. If anyone comes on here claiming to be me, shoot their shit down immediately. Do not be fooled by cats who claim “Really - I’m posting from the road.†I will not post from the road.
Let you all know how it was on the 17th.
Have a good trip, guys. Look forward to hearing some stories upon your return.
Big Helium Dog Meets The Press!
- Today’s Asbury Park Press has a nice little writeup on “Big Helium Dogâ€â€¦It’s obviously the article that Brian was looking for when we stopped at the Quick Stop during our visit on Saturday. Special thanks go to Dave Bednar for the info, AND for supplying the article to us Central PA guys (An Asbury Park Press is pretty tough to come by out here…)
Red Bank Area Is The Backdrop For Comedy Film
When the room began to clear, most of those standing in the Affinity Salon were smiling–and those who weren’t were gagging on the slightly stale smoke hanging in the air.
“That’s a lot of smoke,†said one crew member, as he coughed and waved a hand in the air.
In the sealed room, the smoke machine worked well, producing substantially opaque vapors that had nowhere to go to but in the faces of the 30 or so crew members on the set of the movie “Big Helium Dog†— a film written and directed by Middletown Township resident Brian Lynch and produced by Kevin Smith, who has brought semifame to Red Bank and its neighboring towns with the movies “Clerks†and “Chasing Amyâ€.
Filming the $40,000 budget movie has taken Lynch and a pro bono crew all over the area — from W.H. Potter’s cow parm in Middletown to the Memory Lanes Bowling Alley in Shrewsbury. On Wednesday, they spent several hours at the salon in the Broad Street Mall, owned by Brian Church and donated for the day to the crew.
The scene of the day was one of the few with special effects and involved several takes in the smoky room. Church stood by as the crew prepared for the shot, but was not worried about any damages that may be caused by the work.
“They’ve got good insurance,†Church smiled. “I’m so happy to help them out.â€
It’s a movie within a movie that has a narrator, two Generation X friends, a death, a romance, a director (played by Smith), the devil in a shroud of smoke, and some cows.
“It’s like ‘Saturday Night Live’…it’s not an art form. It’s a very mainstream, “Airplaneâ€-type movie,†Lynch, 24, said of the movie he began writing while a student at William Patterson College in Wayne Township. “When I wrote it, I didn’t have any idea what it was about. It was a real basic plot,†he said with a smirk, “but not much of a plot to speak of.â€
The Middletown High School South graduate met Smith on the set of another of Smith’s productions, “A Better Place.†Smith said when he read Lynch’s script, he immediately liked it.
“It’s funny. There hasn’t been anything like it,†Smith said. “I think you’ll start seeing a lot of people making sketch comedies. Doing a comedy flick is not expensive. I’m surprised more people haven’t done it.â€
Shooting for the movie, which some call a satire, others a parody, will be finished next week. Lynch will spend about three months editing, and after that, it’s time to “shop the festivals,†like Vancouver and Telluride (Colorado), he said.
“I think we have the right amount of celebrity cameos and Kevin’s name carries a lot of weight,†Lynch said. “I’ve heard that the buzz is that this is the movie to have cameos in.â€
Some of the celebrities showing their faces include Michael Ian Black of the comedy troupe “The State†and the new “Viva Variety†television show.
Another is Dicky Barrett, the lead singer with the group The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Radio personality Christine Nagy from Z-100 will also make an appearance.
An then there’s Mr. X, perhaps the most well-known of them all. Rich Perello, the movie’s producer, said they would keep his identity a secret until the movie is released.
People who like off-color humor will be happy to see the quasi-radio personality playing a television producer.
That off-color humor is the thing that some on the set fear may keep the movie from winning awards at film festivals. While he does not believe the film will take top prizes, Lynch sees a possible viewer’s choice award in its future.
View Askew NewsBites™
- Here’s more of those little tidbits you’ve grown to love…Not enough for an entire story…Not so insignificant to go unmentioned…Bite-sized news for your convenience:
- Kevin’s gone (or leaving in the next day or so) on a trip to Europe to promote “Chasing Amy”, amongst other things I’m sure. No word on when he’s expected back at this time. Things may get a little slow around here for a while, but we’ll do our best to keep it at least mildly interesting for ya.
- Still no solid release date announced for Chasing Amy on VHS/LD here in the States. Sources still point to a December appearance. We’re watching the trades for the announcement.
- A WWWBoard has been set up by Erik Burnham for your discussions of some of the things we’re all sick of seeing on View Askew’s Board, namely, filmmaking questions for and advice from Kevin. Erik says quite a few of the Askew WWWBoard regulars drop by from time to time, so this is an ideal place for those of you who’d like to discuss filmmaking in an Askew sorta way. You can reach reach the board here.
Big Helium Dog Set Visit…Conclusion!
- Today, we conclude our three-part “Big Helium Dog” set visit diary. All your questions will be answered. No stone will be left unturned. Forget the Twin Peaks episode where you actually learned who killed Laura. Forget the first time you discovered that Darth Vader was really Luke’s father. THIS is the big one, folks.
- Click HERE To Read Part Three, The Conclusion!
Editor’s Note: Good thing we had this story, there hasn’t been any other news to report lately!
Big Helium Dog Set Visit…Continued!
- Well, hope you didn’t lose much sleep last night in anticipation of today’s continuing saga of our trip to the “Big Helium Dog” set…As promised, part two is online and ready for your viewing pleasure! Hope you enjoy it. By the way, if you have any questions about the movie, feel free to ask us and we’ll try to answer them or forward them on to the right people.
- Click HERE To Jump Right To Part Two!
Clearing The Air…
I’ve read and received e-mails from folks who are against the Kevin Smith Fan Club mentioned in yesterday’s news. I was aware of the problems that many of you had with the club when I posted the newsbite, but I was asked to spread the word and wanted to at least do that. This site was designed to inform fans about anything going on that’s Askew related, good or bad, positive or negative, without bias. I often feel that, though the web boards are very informative and an excellent forum to discuss the Askewniverse, there’s an awful lot of useless crap that no one really cares to waste their time reading.
Therefore, I suppose the discalimer applies: This site does not necessarily reflect our views personally. Yes, sometimes we’ll comment on something. But often, we’ll not. We’re just here to help, folks. So, while I personally have no plans on joining a fan club (I feel I get enough information from the website as well), there may be some folks out there who indeed ARE interested.
Alright, I’m switching out of editorial mode and back to my normal non-serious self. Sorry for the change in subject matter there, but it was just something I felt needed to be said. Please e-mail me if you’d like to respond or comment on any of this. I’ll be happy to discuss it further.
The Big Helium Dog Flies Again…
- Well, folks, we had quite a day yesterday. We made some last-minutes arrangements with Vincent Pereira, director of the upcoming “A Better Place”, star of the upcoming “Big Helium Dog”), ex Quick Stop employee, and all-around great guy to spend a day on location (at his home!) for the shooting of Big Helium Dog. As the day went on, we managed to meet quite a few of the Askew gang, including Vincent himself (of course), Brian Lynch (The director of BHD), Kevin Smith, Jay Mewes, and a ton of other crew members you’ve heard about or seen posting on the WWWBoard. It was a really enjoyable day. We’ve created a special section on the trip:
- Click HERE To Hear About Our BIG HELIUM DOG Experience!
Kevin Smith Fan Club…
- Adrian, the head of The Official Kevin Smith Fan Club (just HOW official I am unsure), asked if we would let you all know that you can e-mail him if you’re interested in joining. Well, of course we can! You can reach Adrian for more information or to join at (QuikStop37@aol.com).
Comics Askew…
- Kevin posted this information about when we can expect to see his ViewAskew comic books start to hit the shelves. Here’s what he had to say:
The Oni Double Feature (which has the ‘Walt Flanagan’s Dog’ story) pops up in the next Diamond Comics Previews guide. The title itself ships in January.
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