(“Would you like fries with that? No? How about a blow job?” Don’t get too excited, guys. Oral sex hasn’t made it to the Dollar Menu just yet. Instead, we have news of a woman who’s filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, alleging that the billion-dollar burger bordello played a part in turning her into a prostitute.)
(Want to get a taste of what it felt like being on the Titanic, sans the part where it sunk into the ocean? A restaurant in Houston is offering what it calls the Titanic Experience: a 10-course meal comprised of similar dishes served to the ill-fated ship's first class passengers the night they met their demise. Or at least that's what Cullen's, the restaurant, claims. Aside from the food itself, going for the Titanic Experience means you also get to dine at Macy's Table, the exclusive room suspended from the ceiling of the restaurant.)
(A man and a bunny were walking down the center median of Okeechobee Boulevard Wednesday morning when the bunny began flashing a sign at passing motorists: "Have a safe, hoppy holiday. Buckle up!" Amused drivers smiled and waved at the duo. (One motorist even tried to give the man a $20, thinking he was homeless.)But this was no joke. Both were West Palm Beach police officers out to enforce the state-sponsored "Click it or Ticket" campaign; signalling other officers stationed off Tamarind Avenue when motorists were not wearing their seat belts.)
(A TWO-mile stretch of the UK's longest canal has been branded a no-go zone after a spate of attacks on boat users - by a thug SWAN nicknamed 'Tyson'. The 4ft tall bird – which has a whopping 8ft wingspan - viciously attacks rowers, canoeists and even walkers strolling on the riverbank.)
(An "active" 87-year-old woman was gobsmacked to read a letter from the Swedish tax agency informing her of her own death, forcing her to call the authorities and explain that she was, in fact, alive. "I'm not taking it as seriously as others are, but there's certainly been a mix-up," the unnamed woman told the local Bohusläningen newpaper.)
(Just as the majority of Canadian sex tourists who are arrested or detained were in the United States over the past three years, Canada is the preferred destination for Americans looking to buy sex. A study based on interviews with 101 Boston men who buy sex found that 27 per cent of them had bought sex in other countries. Canada topped the list. Among the other preferred destinations were: Dominican Republic, German, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico. Other destinations included: England, France, Italy, Philippines, Barbados, Brazil, Korea, Switzerland, Netherlands.)
(It’s been 18 years since Kevin Smith’s first film, the ultra low-budget slacker comedy Clerks, became a sleeper hit on the Film Festival circuit and a fan favorite. A sequel, Clerks II followed in 2006, and at a recent Los Angeles Barnes & Noble Q&A session, Smith revealed the only way he’d do a third installment: as a play.)
(Kevin Smith has one more movie in him and then he’s done with filmmaking. But that doesn’t mean his stories are going to end. At a recent Q&A in Los Angeles, Smith revealed there is one way he’d make a third Clerks: if he could do it on Broadway. Watch the video of Smith’s reveal and more after the break.)
(Kevin Smith is sticking to his plan for retiring from cinema, but this apparently won’t be a kiss of death for the Clerks series. In this video you’ll see Smith talk about why he wants to do this, and who he has spoken with about the plans.)
(Only the horse was injured in an early morning crash near Seymour in which a horse-drawn buggy rear ended a school bus. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers say none of the 20 school children on the bus were injured in the accident that occurred about 7:50 a.m. Spokesman Sgt. Jason Pace said an initial investigation revealed the school bus passed the buggy on a straight stretch of Highway P.)
(It’s official: the Wildrose Party has gone to the dogs. Or more specifically, two dogs, which have joined the party’s campaign bus as it crisscrosses the province. “A lot of campaigns have attack dogs,” said Wildrose campaign adviser Jim Armour, “We have happy, friendly dogs.”)
(Batman went viral earlier this week when he was pulled over in Silver Spring for a problem with his license plates. Since then, he has been unmasked -- sort of -- as Lenny B. Robinson of Baltimore County, Md., a 48-year-old do-gooder who visits children in the hospital.)
(On Wednesday, Cartoon Network officially announced the arrival of Beware The Batman, a CG-animated show to air later this year. Alongside the sad passing away of Batman: The Brave and The Bold, rumblings began to arise of a CG-animated Batman show coming to fill the animated Batman void that was left as a result of Brave and The Bold‘s cancellation. Rumors arose during the Brave and The Bold panel from San Diego Comic Con a couple of years ago; the news was out that the all ages Batman cartoon would be coming to an end and while some of the crew would be moving on to other projects, it was subtly announced that others would be working on a brand new, darker Batman series. In fact, in Brave and The Bold‘s finale episode, this talk was teased and mocked during Bat-Mite’s desire to see a darker take on the character.)
(The number of children with autism in the United States continues to rise, according to a new report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest data estimate that 1 in 88 American children has some form of autism spectrum disorder. That's a 78% increase compared to a decade ago, according to the report.It’s official: the Wildrose Party has gone to the dogs. Or more specifically, two dogs, which have joined the party’s campaign bus as it crisscrosses the province. “A lot of campaigns have attack dogs,” said Wildrose campaign adviser Jim Armour, “We have happy, friendly dogs.”)
(A study carried out by US scientists has shown that men who drink alcohol after having a heart attack could in fact reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 42 per cent. The study warns, however, that the benefits are seen only with ‘moderate’ drinking - any more than two small glasses of wine, two cans of beer or a shot of spirits wipes out all the health benefits.)
(What if you could take all those tweets you blast out during the day and ruminate on them in a place where your mind is free to wander and relax. Introducing Shitter, a new startup that, for just $35, will turn your tweet stream into four rolls of toilet paper. The homepage tagline reads, “Social media has never been so disposable.”)
(A Jewish High School for girls has been accused of ordering pupils to delete their Facebook profiles or risk expulsion. Female pupils at Beis Rivkah High School in Brooklyn, New York, have reportedly been told to remove their accounts from the social networking site as bosses tried to address a supposed decline in pupils' 'code of modesty'.)
(For posing in a bikini, and posting photos in her Facebook account, a 16-year-old girl won’t be allowed to attend her graduation ceremony on Friday. The punishment meted by St. Theresa’s College high school was called “too harsh” and “unjust” by her mother, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, who sued officials of the private Catholic school. Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Navarro Tuesday ordered the school to show him a copy of the photos, and the Student Handbook which bans several actions, including “engaging in immoral, indecent, obscene or lewd acts.”)
(The Westboro Baptist Church has long been synonymous with every form of evil, malice, and disdain that we can possibly come up with. It is so bad, in fact, that even the Klu Klux Klan thinks that they go too far. This probably has to do with the fact that they often stage protests in which they declare that God hates just about everybody (except them), especially the gay community.)
(A British man has had the tip of a pool cue removed from his brain after skewering himself through the eye when he slipped over during a game. Doctors in Leeds, northern England, initially thought Andy Parsons, 31, was only hurt superficially after the accident and stitched his eyelid.)
(In a bizarre case of political correctness run wild, New York educrats banned references to "dinosaurs," "birthdays," "Halloween" and dozens of other topics on city-issued tests. That is because they fear such topics "could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students.")
(Luzmila Ruiz holds a spool of dyed yarn, made from the cochineal insect, which is crushed in her hand as well as a ball made up of thousands of crushed insects, in this Nov. 2006 file photo. You can get your Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino venti, grande or tall. You just can't get it without insects, to which it owes its pink and rosy color.)
(Kevin Smith's latest book, "Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good," contains encouraging words for aspiring filmmakers, castigation for actor Bruce Willis, and, of course, many a one-two punch for Southwest Airlines. The director of hit movies such as "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" touches upon several other subjects and people. The result is a read that is entertaining, sentimental, and even inspiring.)
(Southwest Airlines may agree with the "fat" part of Kevin Smith's new book Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good from Gotham Books, but Silent Bob is far from lazy. He's an author, comic book store owner, professional stage farceur and podcaster who runs a network of podcasts for other big mouths called SModcast (check out our cover story on him last year, "Kevin Smith: "I Am So, Like, Sick of Movies and Shit"). And in case a couple of flops like Mallrats, Jersey Girl and Cop Out didn't ruin him for you, he's also a filmmaker whose first movie, Clerks, inspired many a budding early-'90s director to wrack up a mountain of film school debt.)
(Back in early 2000 Kevin Smith, then at the height of his popularity as a filmmaker, saw the launch of a primetime animated series based on his debut feature, the 1994 cult classic comedy Clerks. The show was set to air Wednesday nights at 9:30 on ABC, the ideal time slot for a show inspired by a movie whose script was so rich in poetic vulgarity and profanity that the Motion Picture Association of America’s ratings board originally slapped an NC-17 on Clerks, a decision that was later successfully appealed by the film’s distributor Miramax Films. Smith had entertained offers from rival networks for the animated Clerks series before settling on ABC as an act of corporate solidarity since the network was owned by the Walt Disney Company, the multimedia conglomerate that also owned Miramax.)
(Security forces have foiled what would have been the world’s worst terrorist atrocity since 9/11... with less than an hour to spare. Afghan intelligence officers stopped a series of co-ordinated bomb blasts aimed at maiming or killing more than 1,000 civilians.)
(A school bus driver accused of driving while impaired has been criminally charged. The Washington County district attorney's office charged 50-year-old Terrance J. Habram with a 3rd offense OWI and possession of a controlled substance. Those charges could result in a maximum of two years and one month in prison or a $4,500 fine, or both.)
(Is a check for $412 really worth $412? That’s a question that has comic book fans intrigued this week. The check in question is the one endorsed by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster when they signed over their rights for creating Superman, whose adventures are published by DC Comics. Now the auction site Comicconnect.com is putting the check up for sale. The auction began on Monday and ends on April 16. The 12 bids have already pushed the price to $25,500.)
(Retired Brazilian police officer Andre Luiz Pinheiro, 50, dressed as super-hero Batman, runs at Santa Terezinha Square, in Taubate city, Sao Paulo state March 26, 2012. Pinheiro has been called to help police patrol the crime-ridden streets of Taubate, in Brazil. He was officially presented on March 17 in the districts with the highest crime rates in Sao Paulo state. Police captain Warley Takeo, one of the policemen who decided to bring in the character to help them fight drug traffickers, said the measure would bring long-term benefits. Takeo said making a connection between the police and Batman would help children have a clearer idea of good and bad. Picture taken on March 26, 2012.)
(Police officers have pulled over ‘Batman’ for driving his ‘Batmobile’ with no plates displayed in Maryland, US. According to the Montgomery Council Police Facebook page, “Yes, Batman was stopped by officers on Wednesday, March 21, on southbound Route 29 at Prelude Drive, Silver Springs, for no tags on Batmobile”. ‘Batman’ turned out to be Lenny Robinson, a businessman, who said he was in the caped crusader’s gear because he was on his way to visit children in a local hospital.)
(So obviously everyone wishes that Batman was real, that both our valuable streets, as well as those in Detroit, could be kept safe by some crazy-pants vigilante with a black-metal baritone and a wellspring of dark psychological horrors he took out on Antarctic-themed umbrella-packing supervillains. SURE, I mean who WOULDN'T want that? I can't think of a town in the world that couldn't use more justice distributors in capes, except for Cape Town, South Africa, which is frankly overdoing it a little bit.)
( Popcorn's reputation as a snack food that's actually good for health popped up a few notches as scientists recently reported that it contains more of the healthful antioxidant substances called "polyphenols" than fruits and vegetables. They spoke at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), in San Diego on March 25.)
(Terry Donovan, 65, was at the hut on Dinah Island, in north Queensland, when he was cut off by flood waters this week, the Cairns Post reported. Mr Donovan saw four-metre saltwater crocs lurking in the waters, with one lunging at a wallaby sheltering on the hut's back deck. "The first time I saw it and it saw me, it was just outside. It sank below the surface and I saw it swim under the house,'' he said.)
(After being flushed out to sea by last year’s massive tsunami and earthquake, a Japanese squid-fishing boat has drifted across the Pacific Ocean and was about 120 nautical miles off British Columbia’s north coast Friday evening. The 150-foot ship was found drifting right-side-up about 140 nautical miles (260 km) from Cape Saint James, on the southern tip of Haida Gwaii.)
(A Turkish shampoo commercial featuring Adolf Hitler has drawn outrage from Jewish groups worldwide and calls for it to be withdrawn immediately. "It's totally unacceptable to make use of Hitler, the most striking example of cruelty and savagery," the Turkish Jewish Community said in a statement, blasting the 12-second ad that has been airing since last week.)
(The Texas Rangers are pitching a new menu item designed especially for heavy hitters. When fans belly up to stadium concession areas on opening day on April 6, they will be able to purchase a one-pound hot dog priced at $26.)
(More than 900 students at a New Jersey middle school have been told no more hugging. The district says Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School Principal Tyler Blackmore made an announcement that students were in a "no hugging school" following some "incidents of unsuitable, physical interactions.")
(This should give a new meaning to the term "passion play." Marc Angenent, a Dutch priest turned sex therapist, has started an online store for Christians who want to shop for sex toys, but don't want to be inundated with pornographic images and crude language.)
(Joshua, a 9-year-old who lives with a disease called eosinophilic esophagitis, is allergic to nearly all foods. Pizza, hot dogs, you name it, and Joshua likely cannot eat it, or even be allowed to taste it or smell it. Joshua gets most of his nutrients through a formula prescribed by his doctor, and through a feeding tube in his stomach. Because of his disease, Joshua is homeschooled by his mother, and needs to live his life with extra caution.)
(A mountain looming over a French commune with a population of just 200 is being touted as a modern Noah's Ark when doomsday arrives – supposedly less than nine months from now. A rapidly increasing stream of New Age believers – or esoterics, as locals call them – have descended in their camper van-loads on the usually picturesque and tranquil Pyrenean village of Bugarach. They believe that when apocalypse strikes on 21 December this year, the aliens waiting in their spacecraft inside Pic de Bugarach will save all the humans near by and beam them off to the next age.)
(Kevin Smith thinks shooting action films is "f**king boring". The director - who has previously made 'Red State' and 'Cop Out' - claims he is now bored of creating the dramatic films and would rather spend his life chatting. He said: "I'd rather waste time sitting around talking to people than waste time on a movie set. "Well, it's not a waste because you're eventually getting a product, but you shoot two weeks for a 30-second action sequence. Life's too short. Shooting action is just painstakingly f**king boring.")
(Kevin Smith has taken on everyone from film critics to movie distributors to airline companies--so it should come as no surprise that the outspoken filmmaker isn't the type to forgive and forget. Though the tweets have since been deleted, Smith, 41, shared an excerpt from his new book, Tough S--t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good, on the social media site Thursday. "Who am I talking about when I write THIS," Smith tweeted. "He turned out to be the unhappiest, most bitter and meanest emo-bitch I ever met at any job I've held. And mind you, I worked at Domino's.")
(A Coventry bus driver has lodged an appeal against his suspension from the coach company he has worked for for five years, after being sacked for eating a solitary grape in the cab of an empty bus that was sat in the depot. National Express proclaims "health and safety management is the most important thing we do." Whilst no one would dispute passenger safety should come first, it seems some jobs-worth has taken the health and safety remit too far in the sacking of 66-year-old Michael Shephard.)
(Chaleo Yoovidhya, who died March 17 at age 88, introduced the world to energy drinks by developing the high-caffeine beverage Red Bull, and rose from poverty to become one of the richest men in the world. Yoovidhya was born on Aug. 17, 1923, in the northern Thai province of Phichit into a poor Chinese immigrant family that scraped a living raising ducks and selling fruit. He never had a secondary education and soon moved to Bangkok, where he worked as a bus conductor before becoming a salesman for a pharmaceutical company.)
(Gary Oldman has described the moment he thought he had lost the script for Batman film The Dark Knight Rises. The film, which is out in June, concludes director Christopher Nolan's superhero trilogy - and the plot has been a closely-guarded secret. "I was in a panic for 20 minutes," Oldman told the BBC. "I thought, 'where the hell have I put it?'")
(Montgomery County Police made an unusual traffic stop this week in the US state of Maryland - none other than the Dark Knight, Batman himself. Rather than Bruce Wayne's usual mode of transport - the Batmobile - this superhero imposter was pulled over in an admittedly still quite impressive black Lamborghini Gallardo. His crime? Improper license plates.)
(Stan Lee is barging into the pages of his own comic book as a character based on himself who rubs elbows with superheroes - call it a cameo for the reality-TV age. His new series Stan Lee's Mighty 7, which hit stores this week, is inspired by reality television and throws into the mix real-life characters - like Lee himself, the creator of such Marvel Comics icons as Spider-Man and The X-Men.)
(Crack an egg, place it in a pot of boiling water for three and a half minutes, remove it with a slotted spoon and pat it dry with paper towel. There, you just poached an egg. I know people who fix MRI machines, direct movies, and play the viola in front of royalty. Yet all of them believe poaching an egg to be more complicated than going out for brunch. So if you cook an egg for someone on Sunday, between sunrise and 2 p.m., they will be your best friend.)
(One comic illustrates a medical student's losing battle with sleep while holding a surgical instrument in one position for hours in a quiet operating room, as a tiny Mr. Sandman circles her head. Another medical student's comic strip chronicles the harvesting of a patient's organs, and how her initial excitement over a cool surgical case morphs into the realization that the patient has died in the process.)
(Breakfasting on a slice of bread baked with ground-up seaweed could help burn more calories than half an hour on a treadmill, according to new research. Trials on nearly 80 healthy but overweight men showed those fed scrambled egg on seaweed enriched toast felt so full they consumed 179 calories less a day.)
(Every parent wants to keep his or her child safe. One British couple has taken that desire to another level, by building a nightclub in their million-dollar home so their children can enjoy themselves without having to leave the premises. According to a story in The London Evening Standard, Claire Farrow and Ian Hogarth outfitted their West Kensington home with a gym, movie room, sauna, and yes, a nightclub — complete with professional DJ booth, flashing lights and an illuminated dance floor imported from China.)
(An Oakdale high school senior is being prevented from bringing his chosen date -- a porn actress -- to prom. Mike Stone tweeted one member after another in that profession, seeking someone willing to go to the Tartan High School prom at Landmark Center in St. Paul. Megan Piper said on her Twitter account that she'd love to accompany the 18-year-old to his rite of passage May 12 as long as Stone paid for her transportation from California.)
(A Helena man has been charged with animal cruelty for getting his dog four times more drunk than the legal limit for humans driving motor vehicles. Todd Harold Schrier, 49, also faces a felony drug charge related to the March 1 incident. At about 11:30 that night, East Helena police responded to a report of an intoxicated dog being cared for at Smith’s Bar and found Arly II, a Pomeranian or Pomeranian cross, who could not walk a straight line and kept falling over when placed on the floor, according to an affidavit filed by police in District Court.)
(This evening on "Piers Morgan Tonight," author, producer, and actor Kevin Smith sits down for an in-person interview, touching upon everything from politics to pornography. The star of such films as "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," Smith speaks candidly and emotionally when the subject turns to social issues, as he draws context and perspective from his gay brother...)
(Perhaps as a counterpoint to has-been actor Kirk Cameron, Piers Morgan welcomed director Kevin Smith (Red State) onto his CNN chat show last night. The outspoken filmmaker spoke candidly about how irritated he gets with judgmental fundamentalists (us too), especially when they go after gay people like his brother...)
(Getting kicked off a flight for being too fat was one of the lowest points in Kevin Smith's life, the director reveals in a new book. Smith's fourth book, Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good, focuses on the last five years of his career. He also talks about why he intends to retire from directing movies and other future plans. In the book, the director of Clerks reveals his spat with US carrier Southwest Airlines in February 2010, which saw him booted off a flight for being too large, was a low point in his life. While Smith admitted at the time he was "way fat" he said he could buckle his safety belt and put his arm rests down in the seat.)
(A veteran bus driver accused of choking a third-grade special-needs student as she was driving the girl home from school in an encounter captured on video was fired by the school district on Thursday, a district spokesman said. The Columbus City Schools district fired driver Laura Roberson on a district charge of malfeasance for inappropriate contact with a student, district spokesman Jeff Warner said.)
(Belgium’s King Albert and thousands of mourners remembered the 28 victims of last week’s bus crash in a Swiss tunnel during a memorial service Wednesday centring on the 22 schoolchildren whose promise of youth was shattered by sudden death. Under a sparkling sky in northern Lommel, soldiers took part in a solemn procession that carried 15 coffins into a 5,000-capacity hall. The brown casket contained the remains of a teacher; the 14 white ones held the bodies of children who were on the cusp of their teenage years.)
("Batman Live" started soaring in England to rave reviews last July. This September, the live arena show will hit American soil, first at Honda Center in Anaheim, then at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Sam Heughan, who plays the caped crusader and his alter-ego Bruce Wayne, says there's lots of thrills in store for spectators.)
(Christopher Nolan has reportedly screened his first cut of highly-anticipated Batman film Dark Knight Rises for movie bosses approval. The director screened the final movie in his Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale to Warner Bros top executives, including film chief Jeff Robinov and production president Greg Silverman, sources have told The Hollywood Reporter. The film is not due for release until July 20, 2012, so Nolan has allowed himself plenty of time to "fine tune" the movie as the Warner Bros executives see fit.)
(Apparently there has been some rumours circling across the web that Chris Nolan’s first screening of The Dark Knight Rises to Warner Bros executives was made up of a four hour long cut! I got so many emails about the rumour yesterday (the first few I dismissed as nonsense as we get a lot of those regarding the Batman franchise, some even still suggesting that Aaron Eckhart’s villain Two Face is still alive and will turn up in the new movie!!) that I did some hunting and it appears the rumour caught fire at MTV where a joke was taken too literally.)
(Mark Waid, the writer for Marvel Comics' Daredevil, is selling his entire comic book collection to start up a new line of digital comics. This is not your everyday comic book collection. A copy of Superman #3 from 1944 produced as a morale booster for the U.S. navy, for example, has already sold for $2,000 U.S.)
(IT'S a world on the brink. In New Zealand, they are in the midst of Marmageddon, a crisis caused by the closure of the only Marmite factory. Elsewhere, we have Turtlegate, triggered by Michael Bay's comments that the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be reinvented as aliens. Will the world survive these catastrophes?)
(Perhaps one of the most commonly known facts about comic books is that very old ones tend to be worth a lot of money. Although the label on the cover advertises a ten-cent cost, the first issue of Action Comics (the first appearance of Superman) has been known to sell for well over US $1 million. Similarly, in recent years the first appearance of Batman from 1939 (Detective Comics No. 27) has also sold at auction for more than a million dollars.)
(If you think the teenagers in your life are texting a lot, you’ve now got some scientific proof to support your claims. According to a new report by the Pew Research Center, the average teen texts a whopping 60 times per day. Nearly two-thirds of teenagers interviewed said they texted with friends every day—almost once every 15 minutes they were awake. So parents are likely yelling, “get off the phone” much less often—only 29 percent of the 799 kids interviewed said they talk to friends on the phone every day. Instant messaging is also on the decline.)
(Bus Driver Note: With Kev's new book hitting shelves this week today's post is all Kev. Snag the new book Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good here.)
("Tough Sh-t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good" (Gotham Books), by Kevin Smith: Film director and comic-book geek extraordinaire Kevin Smith dispenses wisdom in his new book, a touching reflection on his life and career. Smith, director of "Clerks," ''Mallrats" and "Jersey Girl," reflects on why he decided film was his future, and brings his humour and potty mouth along for the ride in "Tough Sh-t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good." Fans who listen to his various podcasts probably will have heard these stories, but they are still fresh and insightful.)
(Kevin Smith made his mark with slacker movies like "Clerks" and "Mallrats." He's also written a New York Times best-seller called "My Boring-A** Life." Now, Smith, a director, actor, podcaster and writer, has a new memoir: "Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good.")
(Kevin Smith made his mark with slacker movies like "Clerks" and "Mallrats." He's also written a New York Times best-seller called "My Boring-A** Life." Now, Smith, a director, actor, podcaster and writer, has a new memoir: "Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good.")
(When 21-year-old Kevin Smith decided he wanted to be a filmmaker, his sister gave him some advice: "Don't say you want to be a filmmaker; just be one." So he did. He made his first film, Clerks, on a shoestring, shooting at the convenience store where he worked. Smith has gone on to have a long and quirky career; his films, including Chasing Amy and Dogma, bear his unmistakable imprimatur — the black humor, the verbose slacker genius characters. But Smith, who has already garnered a huge following with his podcasts, says he is taking his ideas — and career — into "other arenas.")
( Kevin Smith says he has learned a lot of tough lessons in the two decades since breaking into the film industry with his indie hit "Clerks," and now he wants to pass them on. "Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good," Smith's fourth book, hits the shelves on Tuesday in the United States. In it, Smith focuses mainly on the highs and lows of the last five years of his career. He also talks about why he intends to retire from directing movies and other future plans.)
(Tonight, Kevin Smith kicked off a book tour in support of Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good which hits book stores today. According to the book’s Amazon description, “Kev takes you through some big moments in his life to help you live your days in as Gretzky a fashion as you can: going where the puck is gonna be. Read all about how a zero like Smith managed to make ten movies with no discernible talent, and how when he had everything he thought he’d ever want, he decided to blow up his own career. Along the way, Kev shares stories about folks who inspired him (like George Carlin), folks who befuddled him (like Bruce Willis), and folks who let him jerk off onto their legs (like his beloved wife, Jen).”)
(Comic Book Men creator and indie film icon Kevin Smith is slated to critique, explore and dissect an independent film that takes its viewers on a harrowing ride from the innocent days of 1960s “Father Knows Best” television to today’s stunning and envelope pushing shows like “Jersey Shore,” “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and “Mob Wives.” Smith, who seems to have taken over James Brown’s role as “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” has remained mum on his thoughts on the project but the film’s director, Jim Riffel, has not. “The content of television today is unrecognizable from what it was 40 years ago," said Riffel. "I'm sure there are some people who are quite happy with this metamorphosis and, of course, there are other people who may have a different opinion. I'm sure that Kevin Smith will offer some insightful revelations.")
(Comic Book Men creator and indie film icon Kevin Smith is slated to critique, explore and dissect an independent comedy film that takes its viewers on a harrowing ride from the innocent days of 1960s "Father Knows Best" television to today's crazy and outrageous shows like "Jersey Shore," "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and "Mob Wives." Smith, who seems to have taken over James Brown's role as "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" has remained mum on his thoughts on the project but the film's director, Jim Riffel, has not. "I respect Kevin Smith for taking part in this project but at the same time I feel a bit sorry for him," said Riffel.)
(Those who have perused the current issue of Entertainment Weekly know it features a Q&A with director Kevin Smith in which he talks about his troubled working relationship with Bruce Willis on Cop Out, the 2010 incident where he was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight because of his weight, and his new memoir-cum-self-help book, Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good (out tomorrow).)
(If waiting in traffic jams leaves you ready to explode, the solution is finally here. Drivers can switch from the road to the air in minutes at the wheel of the world's first flying car - which is on the market at a sky-high price of £800,000. The two-seat automobile can reach speeds of 60mph on land and up to 110mph at 12,000 feet, despite being more than 60 years old.)
(THE friends and family of a man who died last summer have received mysterious emails from him they believe he sent from beyond the grave. Jack Froese, 32, died suddenly last June after suffering from an abnormal heart rhythm.)
(A teenager charged in the stabbing of his 14-year-old friend told police a Ouija board made him do it. The 15-year-old, from Texas, was charged with attempted murder after stabbing his friend with a 4-inch knife on February 29. He pulled the weapon on the friend in a wooded area behind a high school in Weslaco, a small town along the U.S-Mexico border at the southern tip of Texas.)
(Cumberland County police say a convenience store customer attacked a store clerk after learning there were no fully-heated sausages ready for purchase. Police say they eventually had to use pepper spray to subdue 25-year-old Brittany Glanville of Bridgeton after she repeatedly tried to kick out the windows of a police cruiser. She's charged with disorderly conduct.)
(A German technology firm's ill-conceived advertising campaign went horribly wrong, resulting in bomb scares and evacuations across the country. Convar Deutschland sent out about 40 packages -- containing alarm clocks glued to hard drives -- to businesses, embassies and a newsroom, the Tagesspiegel newspaper reported Friday. Attached to the parcels was a note that read, "Your time is running out.")
(Three Japanese tourists in Australia, misled by their GPS device. Three Japanese tourists in Australia found themselves in an embarrassing situation after their GPS navigation system lured them down the wrong path. The three, who are students from Tokyo, set out to drive to North Stradbroke Island on the Australian coast Thursday morning, and mapped out their path on their GPS system.)
(Nobody makes a statement about anything quite like Vermont confectioners Ben & Jerry do with ice cream. This time the socially conscious ice cream purveyors have taken the gay-marriage acceptance discussion across the pond, according to the Associated Press. The Ben & Jerry's brand has released "Apple-y Ever After" - a repacking of "Oh! My! Apple Pie!" decorated with same-sex wedding figurines atop a wedding cake decorated with rainbows - to voice their support for Britain's gay couples lobbying for the right to be legally wed.)
("Comic Book Men," the reality series documenting the transactions and overall geekery that take place at comedian/filmmaker Kevin Smith's comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, N.J., may be closing out Season 1 tonight, but Smith already has plenty of plans for a second season, should it come to pass.)
(Podcasting saved Kevin Smith's career. So said the filmmaker (and you can throw a few slashes after that title these days) at the South by Southwest festival here on Monday during a panel called, appropriately, "The Business of Kevin Smith.")
(The director Kevin Smith doesn’t have a movie at this year’s South by Southwest festival, but he does have a movie deal. He was on hand at a party this weekend to celebrate his partnership with the distribution company Phase 4 Films. The Canadian company will release a series of films under a “Kevin Smith and SModcast Pictures Presents” label. Mr. Smith will choose the films and take them on the road for special screenings, much like he did with his last film “Red State.”)
(Outspoken filmmaker Kevin Smith has reignited his feud with his one-time leading man Bruce Willis, branding him the toughest person he's ever worked with. Smith directed Willis on 2009 comedy Cop Out but claimed soon after the film's release that he had a hard time working with him on set and labelled the Die Hard star a "f**king d**k".)
(It took more than a year, but independent filmmaker Jim Riffle’s feature film will be reviewed by Kevin Smith. It’s been a long road for Riffle, who first appeared in the pages of the Independent Press in December 2010 in a story about his search to have the film “Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Flesh-Eating, Crawling, Alien & Zombified, Subhumanoid Living Dead, Part 5” reviewed by a celebrity.)
(They have spent their lives trundling in bus lanes but now 12 bus drivers are more likely to be behind the wheels of sports cars after scooping a £38 million lottery jackpot. The drivers, based in Corby, were woken in the early hours of Saturday morning to be told they had each won just a share of just over £3 million of the Euromilllions prize.)
(A suspicious package found on a Metro Transit bus late Friday afternoon contained just a towel, according to Metro Transit. The bus was cleared to resume service to its scheduled route just after 7 p.m. and Barrington Street was reopened to traffic and pedestrians. Lori Patterson, spokeswoman for Metro Transit, told reporters at the scene that someone anonymously called police to inform them about a package on a bus, then hung up.)
(Thanks to the sound instincts and quick thinking of their bus driver, dozens of passengers riding a double-decker bus in South East London Saturday morning were were saved before the bus burst into flames, the Daily Mail reports. Around 8 a.m. on March 17, the driver of the bus traveling through the densely-populated area of Brockley in South East London saw sparks fly. Immediately, he ordered everyone to evacuate the vehicle as quickly as possible, the paper reports.)
(His utility belt might not be as well-equipped as the TV version and he hasn't had to fight Penguin's henchmen yet, but Zoltan Kohari has nailed the superhero look and grit needed to fight evil in the southern Slovak town of Dunajska Streda. Dressed in his homemade, all-leather Batman costume with the bat symbol proudly displayed on his chest and pointy ears on his cowl, Kohari, 26, cleans the streets, helps old people out and calls the police when he sees something suspicious.)
(Moebius, the French comic-book artist whose spectacular science fantasy-based work wrought its magic on Hollywood classics such as Alien and Tron, has died after a long illness. He was 73. "He died this morning following a long illness," a friend and colleague said on Saturday.)
(osie DeCarlo, the inspiration for singer-guitarist Josie McCoy of the 1970 Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon series “Josie and the Pussycats” and its successors, has died in her sleep. Her age was not immediately available. The blog Big Cartoon News filed the first report on her death, quoting cartoon and comics historian Mark Evanier. He said that Josie was drawn to resemble her by her husband, comic book legend Dan DeCarlo, who died in 2001 at 82.)
(Children whose minds wander might have sharper brains, research suggests. A study has found that people who appear to be constantly distracted have more “working memory”, giving them the ability to hold a lot of information in their heads and manipulate it mentally.)
(The self-made Thai billionaire who created the renowned Red Bull energy drink three decades ago has died, state media in Thailand reported Saturday. He was 89. Thai state television broadcaster MCOT said that Chaleo Yoovidhya died of natural causes on Saturday. It cited an executive at the Thai Beverage Industry Association. The Bangkok Post reported that he died at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital.)
Taking a week off here at the Bus Stop. I wish I could say I were heading on down to Daytona but no dice. Heavier workload with my "real" job this week. See you next week with a new S-Files, SmodSquad Pod and, of course, those crazy news stories.
(Michigan State University's Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Catastrophes & Human Behavior course will launch online this summer. Capitalizing on our present love for all things concerning the living dead, Michigan State University School of Social Work professor Glen Stutzky is introducing a new online class focused on surviving a zombie pandemic.)
(SLEEP should be a time for rest and relaxation. But for Chelsea Harold it is the time when she changes from a normal girl into a sleeping sex addict — with no memory of her behaviour. The 24-year-old's rare medical condition, sexsomnia, has ruined several relationships and she is now too scared to get into bed with a new man.)
(Rush, the band, has formally forbidden Republican shock jock Rush Limbaugh from using their music on his radio program. The Canadian supergroup was contacted by The Huffington Post’s Bob Cesca this week and asked if they gave Limbaugh permission to use their music. They responded by sending Limbaugh a cease and desist letter through their attorney.)
(Authorities responded to the Frederick County Courthouse on Wednesday morning after a courthouse deputy saw a coconut placed next to one of the columns. According to The Frederick County Sheriff's Office, shortly before 8 a.m. the deputy was on a routine perimeter check when he saw a coconut, which appeared to be cut down the center and pieced back together, resting on one of the columns of the building. Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Frederick Police Department, Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services and the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Bomb Squad responded to the courthouse, which was evacuated. )
(An Oxnard middle school teacher was put on administrative leave after she was accused of appearing in at least one pornographic video, district officials said. District officials have not released the teacher's name and she has not been terminated, KTLA reported. They placed the teacher on leave on Monday while the allegations are being investigated, Oxnard School District Supt. Jeff Chancer told KTLA Tuesday.)
(A U.S. district judge ordered New York City to pay $128 million in to firefighters who allege the city used an entrance exam that deliberately sought to keep African-Americans and Latino Americans off the force. The judge also ordered the FDNY to hire 293 black and Latino applicants. "It has been in the city's power to prevent or remedy the need for damages proceedings for a decade, and it has not done so," U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garufis said in his ruling on the class action lawsuit. He called it the "consequences of the city's decision to ignore clear violations of federal law.")
(The abandoned school bus had no engine and no front wheels. But there were crude curtains in the windows, an air conditioner and even bunk beds inside. So when a postal worker repeatedly ran across two unkempt children at the scene, she grew concerned and this week contacted authorities to report that the pair had apparently been living there for months.)
(A Greyhound bus employee made a chilling discovery Wednesday afternoon while preparing to clean a bus that had pulled into the Kamloops depot. A man in his early 30s was found dead in his seat. The Kamloops RCMP is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the man, who was on a bus travelling from Calgary to Vancouver, which had arrived in Kamloops around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.)
(Staff from Telopea Park School and the ACT Education Directorate have gone to ground over the decision yesterday by an ACTION driver to kick more than 60 kids off the 458 school service. According to a Territory and Municipal Services spokesman, the driver stopped the bus on a street in Red Hill yesterday afternoon when students from the school continued to ring the bus bell.)
(The studio has picked up "Action No. 1," a comedy from writers and "Reno 911!" creators Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon about the 2000 theft of Cage's prized Superman comic book. The story of how Nicolas Cage lost his rare comic book featuring the first appearance of Superman may finally be told. At least Hollywood’s version of it.)
(Unbeknownst to DC Comics, a new sequel to The Dark Knight Returns is unfolding in the Brazilian city of Taubaté. Police have recruited 50-year-old military retiree and local Batman impersonator André Luiz Pinheiro to patrol crime-ridden neighborhoods. And unlike other fictional superheroes who have made the jump to the corporeal realm — such as the Washington Deadpool — the gutsy Taubaté Batman will be on the beat in dangerous neighborhoods. According to the Brazilian news site O Vale, Pinheiro will hopefully become an approachable presence in these troubled communities and act as a recognizable beacon for lost children.)
(The Dark Knight Rises promotional train has slowed just a tad, allowing fellow summer superhero blockbusters like The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man to surge ahead with trailers an images meant to create buzz. Since it is our duty to bring to you anything and everything Dark Knight-related, however, we this morning have a striking image of Christian Bale in costume that was posted on DC Comics’ Web site (and shared via MTV.com).)
(An antimatter atom has been measured and manipulated for the first time ever, by a Canadian-led team of physicists. "This is the first time that anyone has ever interacted with an antimatter atom," said Mike Hayden, a physics professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., describing the results published in the journal Nature Wednesday.)
(Marriage is good for your heart – in more ways than one, according to a new study that shows married adults who undergo heart surgery are over three times more likely to survive the first three months after the operation. The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, also found that the likelihood of dying in the five years after surgery is nearly doubled for single people.)
