Kevin Smith (director of Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) and Ralph Garman (The Joe Schmo Show, Family Guy and KROQ’s entertainment reporter for the Kevin and Bean radio show) have teamed up for a new podcast dubbed the ‘Hollywood Babble-On’ and appearing on Smith’s SModcast Podcast Network. The podcast, recorded live at Smith’s new venue, ‘SmodCastle’ on Santa Monica Blvd in L.A., is positioned as a tongue-in-cheek review of the week’s entertainment news by two veteran Hollywood insiders.

The new show marks the fifth in Smith’s growing podcast network, which currently includes the original SmodCast, wherein Smith and his long-time friend and sometimes producer Scott Mosier, shoot the shit about whatever topics they find amusing that week. Also, Malcolm Ingram’s Blow Hard, whose show only serves to fuel Smith’s frequent gay jokes.

Board the way-back machine for Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, an excuse for old pals Jason Mewes and Smith to wax nostalgic about the good ol’ days. Rounding out the selection is the popular Tell ‘Em Steve-Dave, which features Walt Flanagan, Smith’s long-time friend and artist for the Batman ‘Widening Gyre’ series. The show also features long-time Jersey friend and fellow writer-director, Bryan Johnson.

In their first episode of the podcast, Smith and Garman discuss Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag and their possible tell-all book/sex tape depending on who you talk to, Keeping up with the Kardashians and how they both feel stupider for having watched one episode, Kevin’s 40th birthday and how he’s old and about to die at any moment and Smith’s voyeuristic hotel adventures. Also discussed was Lawrence Fishburn’s daughter and the porn industry, Stallone debuting 5 number one movies in 5 different decades with the recent The Expendables and him being the only actor to do so. The topics vary wildly and frequently veer into NSFW dialogue that Ralph and Kevin seem to draw upon at will.

According to Smith’s Twitter feed, Hollywood Babble-On will be a weekly event, with new episodes going live every Saturday. Tune in at www.SmodCast.com for more details and streaming shows.

In room 4 at San Diego Comic-Con, Batman writer and all-around hilarious dude, Kevin Smith, series artist Walt Flanagan and inker Art Thibert talked all things Batman. As a bonus to panel attendees, a copy of issue 6, the series dramatic conclusion to volume 1 was distributed and everyone had ample time to get caught up before the Q&A officially started.

The creative team behind Gyre alluded to volume 2 ramping up in early 2011, which may feature a return of the Joker, among other baddies. Asked about which voice Kevin heard  in his head when he wrote the Joker’s part, he cited Mark Hamill as inspiration. But in spite of how fun it is to write the Joker’s part, Smith admits that he’s most interested in Bruce Wayne and Batman and his issues reflect that.

With regards to Gyre, Smith talked about how he felt sufficient creative license to take the  normally very serious Batman down a definitively romantic path and how it was difficult to hear some of the backlash on the Internet over this particular twist. Apparently, many fans were dismayed by Batman’s romance with Silver St. Cloud, and were quite vocal about their distaste.

Without dropping any major spoilers in case you haven’t read issue 6, that particular sub-plot comes to a screeching halt in dramatic fashion. Looking towards volume 2, the creative team behind Gyre talked a bit about how the next batch of issues will have Batman returning to his more violent tendencies following his traumatic loss, and how the events in volume 1 will really drive the next story arc.

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Diane here and fresh off  the red carpet premiere of Universal Studios’ Hollywood latest attraction, King Kong 360 3D.  If you have a chance to swing on by this summer, it is worth the wait.

Yesterday while walking among a 360lb Bengal Tiger, a 13 foot Python, a feisty monkey, and tribal dancers who kept on telling me to touch their dinosaur bones I became entranced with the world of Skull Island and a gorilla who’s eaten one too many Big Macs.

I was not alone, The Office’s Craig Robinson, Oscar Nunez, and Kate Flannery, along with Kevin Smith, Yvette Nicole Brown of Community, Wayne Brady,Wanted and King Kong’s Thomas Kretschmann, and a very shy Christopher Lloyd were all there sampling the gourmet apps and reveling in a filmed introduction to the experience by none other than a slimmed down Peter Jackson in 3D.

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Jason Lee is one of very few actors to cross couple of different thresholds in Hollywood. He’s achieved cult status for his work in the Kevin Smith films, received mainstream notice and plenty of award nominations for his work on My Name is Earl, and he’s recognized by thousands of kids for his role as Dave in Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Now Jason is moving to something a little different and takes the lead in TNT’s upcoming Memphis Beat as a detective who moonlights as an Elvis Presley impersonator.

We recently got a chance to sit in on a discussion with Lee about his role in the upcoming show, the fate of My Name is Earl, his tendency to drift towards comedy rather than drama, and his new found appreciation for Elvis.

What is it about this show and the character that appealed to you and made you want to be part of it?

Well you know on the surface it was clear that it was very different than anything I’ve ever done.  And you know so that was a big part of it and then the fun of getting to play a detective and certainly the fun of getting to play a detective who also performs the music of Elvis on stage.

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There was no runaway hit this weekend at the box office, as the top three movies were only separated by a few million dollars. When it was all said and done, Shutter Island managed to hold on to the top spot with $22.2 Million. The movie has managed to gross $75 Million to date.

The Kevin Smith directed Cop Out did not seem to be hindered by horrific reviews. It still came in at the number two spot, and made $18.5 Million. This is the largest opening weekend for a Kevin Smith film. With a $30 Million budget, this movie should be profitable.

Overture films scared up $16.5 Million with the horror flick The Crazies, and it should easily recoup its $20 Million budget.  I was hoping to see a little higher total, but good word of mouth should help this in the next few weeks.

Avatar stuck around yet again, and made $14 Million.  It has now exceeded $700 Million domestically. Next weekend Alice in Wonderland will be taking over a lot of the screens, so there is certain to be a drop in its box office totals.

Holdovers Percy Jackson and Valentine’s Day both brought in about $9M.

“A woman cannot subsist on quality films alone”–Shannon Hood

Let me explain with a food analogy, if I may. For the most part, I am a food Nazi. I try to eat really well, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, watch my fat and sugar intake, and every once in a while I find myself in the McDonald’s drive through That quarter-pounder with cheese is damn delicious when I eat it.

Afterward, I usually feel guilty. I know that it is not good for me.  I know it lacks nutritional value, and really is not a quality offering, but I have to admit that I had a good time consuming it.

Such is the case with Cop Out, the first feature film that has been directed, but not written, by Kevin Smith. There is no way I can possibly sit here and tell you this is a good movie.  It is not, by any stretch of the imagination. It is really, really stupid. But I laughed.  A lot.  *hangs head in shame*

Let’s face facts. If you happened upon the trailer for this a few months ago, and after viewing it, you circled February 26 on your calendar and thought to yourself  ”I cannot WAIT to see that,”  then you will not be disappointed. What you see is what you get. You don’t need my advice here. This is pure cinematic junk food, which may or may not be what you are craving.

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With Kevin Smith causing all kinds of controversy both on land and (almost) in the air, many people feel this could all have something to do with the fact that his film Cop Out hits theaters all over the country this Friday. While that may be the case, we got our hands on some new clips that may speak for themselves.

The film, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, was originally titled A Couple of Dicks, and revolves around two New York City cops trying to take down an international drug lord. The premise and comedy solely depend on the “buddy cop” formula, with their dynamic running the entire film.

After the jump, check out three brand new clips from the film. In the first, Paul Hodges (Morgan) questions the fidelity of his wife (Rashida Jones). In the second, the partners observe while a victim explains her crime to a translator. Finally, Paul shows off his acting skills in the interrogation room.

Cop Out hits theaters everywhere this Friday.

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If you haven’t heard by now Clerks and Cop Out director Kevin Smith was asked to leave a Southwest Airlines flight last weekend.  The reason, he was deemed a “safety risk”, or in Smith’s words, “too fat to fly.” That’s right, Southwest Airlines tossed “Silent Bob” off a flight. What has the world come to?

Smith has come out and said he wasn’t drinking, acting out-of-the-ordinary, or too fat to fit in the seat:

“Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn’t give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a “safety risk”. Again: I’m way fat… But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed me as ‘Silent Bob.’”

Armrests securely down, he was all prepared to leave (with his bag stowed no less) when the Captain asked that he be removed. Granted, anything could have happened on that flight, but the fact Southwest Airlines tried to issue him a $100 voucher in response (which he refused) doesn’t help their case.

All that said, a number of people have come to Smith’s defense, including Marvel‘s own Stan Lee.  Speaking via Twitter, Lee made a few remarks in support of Smith’s case:

@smilinstanlee: The only way Kevin could look really fat would be if he packed his pockets with cards bearing the names of each of his 1,600,000 followers!

@smilinstanlee: Maybe us thin guys who don’t take up the whole seat on a plane should ask for a discount! It ought’a work both ways!

While humorous, Lee’s remarks note one very important thing; Smith has over a million followers on Twitter.  Sure, there could be a lot of spam accounts in there but let’s assume even half (I’m sure there are more than that) are real people.  500,000 or so individuals following, listening and generally waiting for Smith to say something.

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Even though Apple won’t be attending this year’s Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, that isn’t stopping organizers IDG from having one. This year, in what they are calling ‘The Start of a new Era” the organizers have assembled a host of great speakers, panels and events for Apple and Mac enthusiasts everywhere.

Some of the highlights of the event include an evening with David Pogue, Q&A with writer/director Kevin Smith, the 20th anniversary of Photoshop event, Macworld Magizine’s “Best of Show” awards and a hands-on demo of Apple’s latest product, the iPad.

The Show Floor opens Thursday: 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Thursday’s Highlights:

Late Night with David Pogue – Join New York Times’ Columnis David Pogue for song parodies, surprise guests, jokes at Apple’s expense, and a lot of geeking out.
9:00am – 10:00am

See the Best New Products First

11:00am – 12:00pm
Q&A with Kevin Smith – filmmaker and director of Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. The conversation, sure to be lively, wry and irreverent, will give Macworld attendees a special opportunity to engage with Smith as he answers audience questions – nothing is off limits!
2:00pm – 3:00pm

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So far, the Cop Out trailer we’ve seen and the TV spots that have popped up haven’t inspired much hope that this latest Kevin Smith film will be very funny. In truth, it just doesn’t seem like a Kevin Smith film at all and instead, plays more like a generic studio buddy-cop picture. Obviously, we were hoping for a bit more.

Perhaps Warner Bros. is concerned as well because they’ve dropped a new Red Band trailer at MySpace that seems to reflect more of the “flavor” we’ve come to expect from Mr. Smith’s movies. Seeing this trailer, the film does look more like a Smith movie (although his name isn’t mentioned at all) and is definitely funnier. I just hope that these aren’t all the funny parts and we get more — and a story — when the film hits theaters on February 26.

The new Cop Out trailer is available after the break. Keep in mind this is a Red Band so it’s NSFW.

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With Christmas over and the new year in full swing, Chris and Matt are back with a brand new episode of The Flickcast. This week, your favorite team is joined by Cortney Zamm to discuss all sorts of topics including new and returning TV shows such as Chuck, 24, Human Target, Caprica, Lost and True Blood. Also, the threesome talks Avatar, Sandra Bullock, “feel good” movies, Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Thor casting.

In addition, Chris, Matt and Cortney make some new picks for the new year including one of Cortney’s favorite books Silent Bob Speaks, Matt’s new favorite “blacksploitation” film Black Dynamite and one of Chris’ top ten films of 2009, District 9.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques or offers of sponsorship, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter and at Facebook, MySpace or via email.

After months of debate, Warner Bros. and Kevin Smith have finally come to terms on a title for their newest picture The movie, now known as Cop Out, stars Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, and Sean William Scott.

The film, originally titled “Couple of Dicks” then a “Couple of Cops”, is the story of two cops who are trying to find a rare and very expensive baseball card, and the fanatical gangster who wants it. Willis’ character, Jimmy, needs to get the card back in order to pay for his daughter’s wedding. His partner, Paul (Morgan), is too obsessed with his wife’s infidelity to really stay focused on the job.

Having gone through that synopsis, this trailer covers none of that. What we get is a lot of Willis and Morgan being funny, and a movie that looks (almost) nothing like anything that Kevin Smith has ever done before. The script comes from fresh screenwriters Robb and Mark Cullen (TV’s Las Vegas).

Check out the first trailer for the film after the jump, and catch Smith’s Cop Out in theaters on February 26th.

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