Archive for May, 2005

Wednesday, 5/4/05
Wednesday May 4 2005 @ 11:03 pm

- It’s not the dogs but Jen who wakes me up, as we’re going into Harley’s class to read books this morning. I quickly jump in the shower then go looking for a book to read. I dig out the DC hardcover from a few years back called “Bizzaro Comics”, leaf through it, find a pair of stories, and join Jen and Harley in the car.

- At the school, we head to the front of the class to read to the group. I’m too leery to sit in one of the tiny chairs (‘lest I simply accept it up my ass, it’s so small), so I take to the floor, while Jen sits in one of the kiddie chairs with Harley on her lap. Harley starts off the Smith Family Reading Extravaganza with one of her training books. Jen follows, reading a kids book about a young Mia Hamm and another book about a British kid with a weird fashion sense. Then it’s my turn. When the kids hear the first story’s about Hawkman, I immediately win over the boys in the class. When I move onto the story about Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot, I win the girls. And when I bust with the story about the little boy who finds the Bat Cave, I’ve got ‘em all. It’s weird, the power Batman has over little kids, even to this day. I guess it plays into what Stan Lee has always felt was appealing to kids about Spider-Man: beneath that mask, he can be anyone – so any kid can imagine he’s Spider-Man. Batman has a little of that going for him, but he also has the credibility factor: he’s not from another planet, he’s not freakishly strong, and he’s not invulnerable. It’s his humanity that appeals to kids, I think; that and his suit and car.

- Afterwards, Jen and I grab some Griddle and head home. I check email and get into updating the online diary when Mos IM’s me about it being time to head to the store for the “Mallrats” documentary interviews.

- I swing over to the office, pick up Mos, and head to the Stash. As we get there, Mewes is just finishing his interview. I jump in his grave, shut the store, and do an hour with JM Kenny about the history of the flick and how it found another life on home video. As per usual, sound asks that the air conditioner be shut off, so while we’re getting good sound, I’m sweating my balls off. My face and hair look like I dipped them into a toilet.

- When I’m done, I clear the way for Scott to do his interview and head outside to talk to Chappy. I suggest we go for a ride around the block so I can sit in front of the air conditioner in the car and cool off. We take a spin to In & Out, and Chappy and I talk about the Richard Kelly book project as well as a new trade paperback for the “Clerks” comics that’ll include a story that happens between “Clerks” and “Clerks 2″.

- We head back to the store and meet up with Gina and Scott, who’s just finished his interview. Me, Chappy and Gina go over the proposed September street date for the “Rats” DVD and try to figure out if we can do a signing at the store in the midst of the “Clerks 2″ shoot. Since we’re only gonna be shooting five day weeks on “C2″, a weekend signing sounds like it’d be in order. However, holding it the weekend after the title streets seems kinda pointless. We quiz Meredith from Universal about the feasibility of doing a weekend signing at the Stash the weekend before the disc streets (always an iffy proposition, as other retailers might feel you’re getting an unfair advantage). Mosier delivers the coup de grace, pointing out that a weekend event would get on the Monday night news, E.T. and Access Hollywood, and presumably drive the sales of the next day release. Meredith agrees, and says she’ll push it with the higher-ups.

- Jason Lee is in the hizzy, so I say hi and give him a hug before he sits down to do his interview. While he’s engaged, I hang out in the back alley with Bob, Gina and Scott. Mewes – who’s not only there for his interview but is also working the store that day – joins us to reveal that the manager from the car place has gave him the nod for the financing deal. Mewes wants to race over to the dealership immediately, but I tell him he’s gotta wait, as we’ve got a new “Stash” commercial to shoot for the DVD.

- Lee finishes up, and him, Mewes and I wing the commercial (a companion piece to the “Stash” commercial on the special edition “Dogma” DVD). Once he’s done, Mewes is off Jesse Owens. We say g’bye to Lee, and then I head to the back of the store again to answer some EPK questions. Once that’s out of the way, I also shoot a quick “Clerks 2″ hype spot for Harvey to take to Cannes to amp up the overseas buyers. We wrap everything around seven, at which point Mos and I race back to the office so I can drop him off and he can get to Cookie’s party before it starts.

- I get home and Jen’s putting Harley to bed. She doesn’t want to tell her we’re going out, as it’s our last night at home before the Vancouver trek. So Jen, dressed up and in heels, fronts like she’s just going upstairs to watch TV. My job is to sit downstairs until the kid’s asleep. Once the coast is clear, I’m to collect Jen so we can head over to Cookie’s party. Quinnster stalls and stalls, refusing to go to sleep. I put the dogs up on the bed with her, but she still won’t close her eyes. Finally, I head upstairs and tell Jen we should just go, as we’re already an hour late. We ask Gail to lay down with Harley and to tell her we went to In & Out if she asks where we are.

- We get to Alex’s party at this restaurant near Silver Lake. We’re seated outside at a long table with like twenty five people in attendance, most of whom I know, some of whom I don’t. I sit next to some cats I know: Mos, Dave Klein, his wife Marty, and Sue McNamara, our production manager on “Dogma” and “Strike Back”. We chit-chat for awhile, catching up, and chow down while Jenny flits about, working the party, talking to Cookie, Catherine and Annaliese (who’s back from a year in New Zealand, working on “King Kong”). The birthday girl, as one might imagine, is radiant.

- At eleven, the outdoor portion of the restaurant stops serving booze, so the party starts breaking up to head inside. Jen and I excuse ourselves, as we’ve got to get up early to pick up donuts in the morning and then the drive ahead of us all day tomorrow.

- We get home and Jen heads upstairs. I hear a car pull up to the house and take a peek out the library balcony to see a somewhat new, black Caddy pulling up. I head downstairs where Mewes is gingerly parking and re-parking his car as close to the garage doors as possible. He gives me the grand tour of the vehicle, then we head say g’night and head inside.

- I climb into bed beside Jenny and we fall asleep to a TiVo’ed “Simpsons”.

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