Entertainment

1 of 8

Next Photo

(Carlo Allegri / Associated Press)

Email

1.	Republican pundits open fire on Sarah Palin
2.	Activists push ballot initiative to end state benefits for illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children
3.	Clamor grows over CIA secrets
4.	The end of Obamania
5.	As the Hollywood machine abandons L.A., its supporting workers struggle

Singers for hire?

Red Carpet Rewind: Mariah Carey: How to dress like a diva

Hollywood's guide to green-card romances

Mandy Moore rates the top crossover stars

Magazine covers that shook the world

Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow: Who influenced whom?

Kevin Smith

By Patrick Kevin Day and Jevon Phillips

Forget the philosophical question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. For movie geeks, the great point of debate this fall may be when it comes to filmmakers Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow, who influenced whom?

Simple chronology shows us that as a major filmmaking force, Smith was on the scene first with his breakout movie, "Clerks," in 1994. And Apatow has stated that Smith's work did influence him. But Apatow has been credited with influencing a whole generation of screen comedy, and Smith's latest work, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," shares some themes and actors with Apatow's own filmography.

A side-by-side comparison gives us some surprising results.