Pages tagged “kevin smith”

Following the buzz that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was "gunning" for it, Kevin Smith's Zach and Miri Make a Porno (the flick about making a porno flick) has been hit with the ultimate cockblock: an NC-17 rating.

In an apparent attempt to gather up new hockey fans, the NHL has recruited celebrities such as Jason Reitman, Lauren Conrad, Dierks Bentley and Kevin Smith to help out in this mission. During this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, they will be part of a strategy started last year: celebrities blogging about hockey.

“As NHL.com bloggers, they can be irreverent and candid about their love for the NHL,” said NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur. The participating celebrities will follow their favorite teams through the playoffs, contributing video and written commentary as the games progress.

For the Eastern Conference, bloggers include artists such as Les Say Fav bassist Syd Butler, C.S.I.’s A.J. Buckley and the aforementioned Smith, whose blogger bio says it best: “I’m married. I have a kid. I’ve made some movies. I’m very fat. I love the Devils.” The Western Conference group includes Lauren “L.C.” Conrad, who describes herself in a statement as a “casual hockey fan,” and Juno director Jason Reitman.

A brief perusal of the blog cache thus far proves Reitman’s blog to be unique in its direction. He writes, “If you are looking for my thoughts on teams in the 2008 NHL hockey playoffs, you have sadly come to the wrong place. You see my two teams, the Canucks and the Kings, are not in the hunt.”

Reitman has therefore turned his blog-sights onto happenings off the ice, documenting all the action outside the game surrounding the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks. Week one yields the following nugget: “Kings forward Dustin Brown is halfway through Guitar Hero 3 on expert. He’s optimistic, but hasn’t found a solution for the Weezer solo.”

A native Canadian, Reitman has been a hockey fan for seven years and holds the NHL cause close to heart. Since earning an Oscar nomination for directing Juno, he's directed commercials for the NHL and served on its entertainment advisory board. “I’d come to really love the game and I was just a little upset because I felt there was more of an opportunity for particularly Americans to know about the game and follow the game,” he told the Associated Press.

Maybe this strategy could work for curling?

Related links:.
NHL.com
Feature: Jason Reitman's Thank You For Smoking: The Magic of Comedy on Any Scale
SilentBobSpeaks.com

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Ever wanted to be an actor in a film? Of course you have. Well, fat chance. You've got no talent and no prospects. The truth hurts, but it's about time you faced the facts.

Wait...you just want to be in a movie, even if it amounts to sitting somewhere in the middle distance, out of focus, munching on waffles? Well then, why didn't you say so in the first place?

Kevin Smith is offering the the opportunity to be an extra in his next feature (which stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as the titular characters), Zack and Miri Make a Porno. He recently posted instructions on his blog:

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

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

3) Mail that motherfucker to…

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

4) Wait for response."

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

Related links:
Paste: Review of Superbad
Paste: Kevin Smith makes Porno...
Paste: Seth and Liz Make Kevin Smith's Porno

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There's been speculation on the stars for Kevin Smith's upcoming Zack and Miri Make a Porno ever since it was announced, although I think mostly because people wanted to know who they'd get to see in a porno. This has been especially true since Rosario Dawson, who the role was originally written for, opted out in order to work on a film where she'd get, you know, paid. Well, the wait is over, and Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks have been cast for the lead roles in the upcoming film.

Smith said on his blog, "I knew I wanted to work with the guy when I watched him play a video game with Paul Rudd’s character and utter "I’m ripping your head off right now. It’s off and now I’m throwing it at your body. FUCK you!'" Likewise, Rogen had written Smith, "This may sound like bullshit, but when I first moved to LA, I went out to meet with agencies, and one of them asked me what my goals were. I said 'to be in a kevin smith movie.' That goal has not changed. I would be honored to read anything you wrote, and am truly flattered and amazed that you sent me this e-mail. I wouldn’t be a writer if it wasn’t for you and your movies. Its as simple as that. Thank you so much." Aww, how sweet.

Zack and Miri is a film about two platonic friends who decide to make a porno for financial reasons and, along the way, fall in love. It's a classic heartwarming love story, just with far more nudity involved. As well as proving my earlier theory about the convergence between the Apatow and Smith comedic worlds, the film looks ready to play up the strengths of both Smith and his stars. Principal photography on the film is set to begin on January 16 in Pittsburgh (Smith fans take note: not New Jersey).

Related links:
Paste: Review of Superbad
Paste: Kevin Smith makes Porno...
Kevin Smith's blog

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