You produced 'Waiting...' and now 'Still Waiting...' is your feature as director. 'Waiting...' became a cult classic and won $16.1M being produced with $3M. What do you expect of 'Still Waiting...'? In my opinion, 'Wating...' had so much success because its humour was closer to Clerks (Kevin Smith, 2001) than from American Pie (Paul Weitz, 1999). I hope to explain myself. A 'more intelligent' humor, based on dialogues, having 'been waiter' as a narrative thread. Watching this trailer, I have a feeling this one is more closer to American Pie or Foreign Exchange (in which Tania and Vanessa Lengies concided too). You know, I see more chicks, more tits, more... "sexy" things that in 'Waiting...' weren't. Do you agree with me if I say that the kind of humour in both films has changed?

Rob McKittrick, the writer/director of the original film, wrote the sequel, and he did a great job keeping the same level of smart dialogue-based humor from the first film. It’s true that we added sexy & prurient elements to the film—as evidenced by the Ta-Ta’s storyline, for instance—but Rob and I fought hard to keep the quality high and to not make a “sell out” or lowest-common-denominator sequel. We wanted to have fun with the characters and take them in original directions, and at the same time stay true to the flavor of the original. You have to understand, though, that marketing departments focus on “gross-out” or sexy elements, whether or not they are the true essence of the film.

A lot of people is pissed off at IMDb forums, because almost the cast of 'Waiting...' aren't on this sequel. Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, Dane Cook aren't, and Justing Long is just a cameo... However, you count with Vanessa Lengies, Luis Guzmán, Alanna... and also the new cast as Tania! What can you say to this people worried about the casting and what the new actors have contributed to the sequel?

Granted I’m biased, but the cast of the new film is fantastic. Would we have taken Ryan, Anna or Dane if they were a possibility? Of course. But restaurant turnover is such that it’s typical for there to be an infusion of new faces, not to mention the fact that the new actors are beyond excellent, including, as you point out, the lovely Tania Raymonde. In addition, there’s John Michael Higgins, a brilliant actor whom you recognize from tons of comedies; Adam Carrolla has a hilarious part; Steve Howie is amazing, Rob Kerkovich will change the way you look at comedy forever, etc etc. We didn’t re-cast any non-returning actors; we just infused the film with additional storylines and roles.

We already know that it is straigth to DVD on February 17. Someone that hasn't watched the first one can watch 'Still waiting...' directly?

Absolutely. We constructed the film so you can follow it without watching the first, and a number of people in our test audiences hadn’t seen the first film and still very much enjoyed it. In fact, many of them said they were going to rent the first film after the fact because they liked the world so much. That said, people who have seen the original can appreciate the growth of the characters and get the inside jokes.

How was the cast for Tania? Do you know her from other roles as Lost?

I knew her a bit from LOST but frankly she got the part because she came in and blew away the audition. It wasn’t an easy role to cast and she was the only one that really nailed it. In fact, when we found out that we couldn’t cut her hair (which is key to the role) because of a conflict with LOST, I was devastated by the prospect of losing her. Fortunately, her manager (who is a good friend of mine) got into the mix and helped us work it out. I am so so glad.

What can you tell us about Tania's role? In the trailer you promote more the cast of 'Waiting...' and Tania's role looks as not very long. I'm right?

Tania plays Amber, a beautiful, pixie-ish girl with a fetish for guys with accents. She is a server at ShenaniganZ and her sweet personality (and short hair) makes her a target for the jibes of Agnew, an obnoxious server she works with. Tania has a decent sized role and some great scenes (including one of my favorites towards the end). If I might also say, she looks absolutely stunning in the film. Her short hair is very different from her look on LOST, and it totally suits her.

Now you have more projects as producer than as director. (I'm waiting for Infestation, too :P ). Any new project as director? (And tell me some about Infestation, please :P)

I have a company called Heavy Duty Entertainment with Rhoades Rader (who produced STILL WAITING) and we’re developing a number of projects, some of which I’m producing and some I’m directing. INFESTATION, which is a sci-fi/action/comedy about giant alien insects invading Earth, is a visual effects heavy film starring Chris Marquette (JUST FRIENDS) that we did with Icon Entertainment. Look for more info on the distribution in the near future. The writer/director is Kyle Rankin, who is directing a comedy for us this year in the vein of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. On the directing side, I’m doing a buddy comedy called GUY WALKS INTO A BAR by George Zaloom & Dave Hanson. They are fantastic writers and it’s an incredibly funny script. In addition, Rhoades and I are producing a bunch of other films, mainly comedies (though some thrillers).

Thanks Jeff, one more time!