Welcome to the Matt Damon Column

Matt Damon hired J.D. Harris, the chef for Miami Beach's hot restaurant Rumi, to prepare low-fat meals for himself and his girlfriend Odessa Whitmire during their eight week stay in Florida for his comedy Stuck on You. But you would never have known that Damon was watching his weight judging from the wrap party the actor threw at his rented Miami Beach digs on May 7. Harris cooked up a feast of steaks, shrimp and chocolate cake for the 70 guests, including Damon's costar Greg Kinnear, friends John Cusack and Lisa Bonet and the film's writer-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

Terry Gilliam to shoot film Brothers Grimm in Barrandov studios
May 22, 2003 10:23pm
PRAGUE, May 22 (CTK) - U.S. film director Terry Gilliam, the former member of the British Monty Python group, will shoot a film called Brothers Grimm in the Prague Barrandov film studios from the end of June to October.
Heath Ledger and Matt Damon will feature in the leading roles of the German fairy tale collectors and writers of the 19th century, while Robin Williams will play another character in the prepared film.
"The film is being created upon the script written by Ehren Kruger. The budget of this Miramax company project is estimated at $75 millions," Romana Rychetska from the GCI company told CTK on Wednesday. The preparation of the film is in full swing, she added.
A gruesome forest with rocks, a brook and real twelve-metre tall trees is "growing" in the Barrandov studios. Besides, a medieval village consisting of 25 houses, including a church, is being built on the studio grounds. The film village is to be surrounded with a forest as well. "Over the shooting, we have transported 700 full-grown trees to Barrandov," Jiri Matolin, the head and art director of the Barrandov Studio set division, said. Apart from Prague, the film will be also shot in other localities in the Czech Republic - for example in the surroundings of Hruba Skala, east Bohemia, and in the Krivoklat Castle, central Bohemia. Some of these places, for example the facades in the narrow streets of Ledec nad Sazavou, central Bohemia, will have to be adjusted for the shooting.
The Reforma and Etic Films production companies provide services for the U.S. crew of Brothers Grimm. Matolin said that the film would be one of the largest projects on which the Barrandov studio cooperated in the past few years.
According to the MGM studio, Brothers Grimm will be a popular advantageous film full of mysterious myths and spectres with the leading characters of the Grimm brothers wandering round the villages collecting fairy tales and legends.

Just wanted to report that I've heard the Fleet commercial a couple of times now. Basically, it's a family talking about how they refinanced and fixed up their house with Fleet Bank. And then Matt's voice comes on saying something like "At Fleet, we worked with the Sanchez family to help make their dreams come true." Unfortunately, it's not a great commercial and Matt's voiceover sounds like a rushed afterthought.

With her business partner, Odessa Whitmire, Phoenix started planning the store last summer while she was starring opposite Affleck and Matt Damon in This is Our Youth in the West End. Although she only had one day off each week, she squeezed in masses of vintage shopping. "Even though it is exhausting being on stage every day, you spend most of your free time feeling totally wired, so we spent a lot of time wandering around the shops."

As well as plundering their own vast fashion archives for the shop, the girls hired a truck and drove from Florida to New York, visiting charity shops in almost every state en route and sometimes shopping from 7am until 3pm each day. "Those shops always open at the weirdest times - God hours," jokes Phoenix.

They picked up furniture for the shop on their travels, too. There are antique glass display cases, painted screens and pretty, coral-pink light fittings, as well as dummies and mirrored panels that they found at flea markets. "We would search for months for exactly the right thing. And some things we literally picked up from the sidewalks," says Whitmire.

Pete Yorn Rains on Farrellys
Cover of Albert Hammond hit set for new comedy
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Pete Yorn will cover the Albert Hammond hit "It Never Rains in Southern California" for the upcoming Farrelly brothers comedy Stuck on You.
Yorn is currently touring behind his second album, Day I Forgot, and plans to record the song on the road. "The guys in my band brought all this recording equipment, like old four-tracks and stuff," Yorn says. "We might just do it in a hotel room."
"Rains" was a Top Ten hit for Hammond, father of Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr., in 1972, and the following year he made it the title track of his debut solo record. The film, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, is Yorn's second project with the Farrellys. Before his 2001 debut Musicforthemorningafter, Yorn got a break when the brothers used two of his songs in their 2000 movie, Me, Myself and Irene, starring Jim Carrey as a man with a split personality.
Damon and Kinnear have a different kind of problem in Stuck on You, expected in theaters by the end of the year. "It opens and you just see their heads," Yorn says. "They're walking down the street, 'Yo, what did you do last night, man?' 'Yo, I hooked up the hottest chick.' 'Cool, Did you get lucky?' And the camera starts panning down . . . and you realize they're Siamese twins."

'Stuck' coming to theater near you, eventually
Rockport Ramblings by JOSH ODELL
With its classy, swelling music and peaceful opening shot of a snowy T-Wharf -- complete with a lobster trap on the right side -- you'd swear it was a preview for a potential Oscar winner.
And for the first few seconds, anyway, the narration goes in the same direction:
"Academy Award winner Matt Damon ...
"Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear ...
"Academy Award winner Cher ...
"Four-time Academy Award watchers the Farrelly Brothers ... bring you a story of two brothers."
Queue the rock and roll, whisk in a scene of conjoined twins Walt and Bob (Damon and Kinnear, respectively) delivering simultaneous fastballs to a confused batter and watch as various Rockport locations fly by in the background of various quick shots.
The preview for "Stuck on You" -- the latest comedy from Peter and Bobby Farrelly that used Rockport as its scenic backdrop in early March -- has hit the big screen. Going by information on the International Movie Database's Web site at www.imdb.com, "Stuck on You" is still in its production stages -- though the site also states that it has not been updated since April 1.
Still, anyone who attended a showing of "X2: X-Men United" in recent days -- or viewed the trailer online at www.apple.com/trailers -- has seen for themselves what Rockport will look like in its first movie appearance since "The Love Letter" roughly four years ago.
As spelled out in goofy red letters at the trailer's ending -- an ending that shows Damon and Kinnear skipping down a snow-covered T-Wharf -- the movie is scheduled to have a "Christmas" release.
At that point, movie-goers will have their chance to prove wrong one of the trailer's only speakers: a wide-eyed talent agent with thick, black glasses frames and tooth issues.
"I've got to level with you," the agent tells Walt and Bob, "Siamese twins ain't the easiest sale I've ever had." Time will tell, but in the meantime, Walt (Damon) offers the following comeback:
"We're not Siamese," he says with a grin. "We're American."

Carson became world-renowned for leading a medical team that separated West German conjoined twins in 1987. The twins were connected by the backs of their heads, and such an operation was thought impossible. Carson also led a team of South African doctors in the first successful separation of vertically conjoined twins in 1997.

Recently, he enjoyed making his first appearance in a movie, scheduled to be released in December. "Stuck on You" stars Matt Damon and is centered on the lives of Siamese twins.
"It will be my first cameo on the big screen," he said, noting it was a great experience.

There's something about the Farrellys
By Carol Beggy, Globe Staff, 5/10/2003
STUCK ON THEM We've been hearing about what happened at the various sets - the North Shore, Martha's Vineyard, Los Angeles, and Miami - for the new Bobby and Peter Farrelly movie, ''Stuck on You,'' which just wrapped several months of shooting. Everyone has a story to tell about their interaction with the zany writing-directing brothers of this movie, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as Siamese twins who leave Martha's Vineyard to make it big in Hollywood. But the report we're always the most curious to hear is from their parents, Mariann and Docky Farrelly, who live on Cape Cod. Well, as they say, this just in (from their mom): ''Docky and I just got back last night after they wrapped the movie. I play an LA woman who has her purse stolen by two rambunctious twins, and I have to identify them the following day in a police lineup. The person standing next to Matt Damon is his real-life father [Kent Damon]. It took some acting to stop from giggling looking at them. Docky is in about six scenes as a Martha's Vineyard pub patron named Crusty. The boys [Bobby and Peter] wouldn't let him get a haircut since last December - it is hilarious. There is a musical scene at the end using Greg Kinnear's real singing voice that will blow you away.'' There you have it, straight from the parent's mouth, as it were. The film is slated to be released in December.

Clear Channel said the original date conflicted with Cher's shooting schedule for an upcoming movie. Other dates on her current "Farewell Tour" were postponed for the same reason, Civic Center marketing director Marc Burnett said. "Apparently, the film schedule's out of whack, and they needed some more time," Burnett said.
Cher is filming a comedy called "Stuck on You," written and directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, best known for the movies "There's Something About Mary" and "Shallow Hal." According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie will star Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins.

And finally, in the celeb blotter, tennis tart Anna Kournikova proved she really is into the service industry, jumping behind the bar at Prive to serve Cosmo shots to a stunned crowd, including Matt Damon, that had the dubious privilege of watching her channel her best Coyote Ugly when she hopped on top of the bar and did a little dance. At Nikki Beach Club, Damon, with bodyguard in tow, celebrated the wrap of Stuck on You. In addition to the Farrely Brothers, Greg Kinnear was milling about Nikki -- sans bodyguard.

Funnyboys Peter and Bobby Farrelly wrapped their Siamese twins comedy ``Stuck on You'' in South Beach, Miami, yesterday. But the traditional hell-raisin' end-of shoot blowout, featuring Siamese stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, took place last Saturday at Nicky's Beach Club. But, sadly, there wasn't a reenactment of the boys' bar fight we hear is the highlight of the funny flick!

The occasion is the '60s-themed "One Cool Night" Alzheimer's benefit Wednesday night at Postrio -- and extending into The Venetian's Piazza San Marco. Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson is allowing folding tables to be set up in the public square.
Oh yes, Matt Damon, whose grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, might also attend. But if he is too busy filming, he's told organizers that he'll send a surrogate -- Ben Affleck.

Tennis star Anna Kournikova insisted at the NASDAQ-100 that she doesn't go out much. Riiiight. Kournikova made quite a scene at the Prive VIP Club at Opium Gardens on South Beach a week ago, first jumping on the bar, then jumping behind it and serving cocktails to guests. Former Heat guard Glen Rice and actor Matt Damon, together but not with Kournikova, looked on, amused.

I saw the same clip package on both Access Hollywood and E! News Live. It begins with a serious sounding narrator speaking with a gloomy, gray background shot of it snowing in Rockport. "Stuck on You starring Academy Award winner Matt Damon, Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, Academy Award Winner Cher, and four time Academy Award watchers the Farrelly Brothers bring you this comedy--Then they show Matt and Greg sitting in chairs talking to an older man who tells them it's hard to sell Chinese twin acts. Matt corrects him and says "We're not Siamese twins, we're American". Then it shows them pitching in a baseball game, playing tennis, running on the beach with a surf board, Greg on a public bus talking to a woman and Matt stuck in the door is riding outside the bus. Then they have the Stuck on You logo and the final scene is the two of them on a fishing pier cleaning fish. Greg asks Matt for some help on a crossword puzzle and Matt gives him the word. (I didn't really get the joke) Then they show the two of them skipping down the street. It was very clean and quick. No interviews with the cast members or any commentary. The music was fun--the song Back in the Middle With You was playing in the background.

They showed the tennis, a scene where they're riding a bus, and Matt is outside the doors of the bus (I would assume Greg is right inside)...Matt's screaming, banging on the door to open. Then they showed this scene where Greg was finishing a crossword puzzle, and he asked Matt 'What's a four letter word for snatch?' Matt pauses for a minute then says "Grab"...Greg also pauses then laughs and crosses out his word and says "Oh yeah." He put something obscene. They only showed like 2 minutes. I can't wait for Christmas. It looks hilarious!

LATE NIGHT PARTY BOYS:
Friday night actors Matt Damon and Greg Kinear, who are currently filming a movie where they play brothers, stopped by Prive for some late night partying. Arriving separately, each with their own entourage, the two actors arrived around 3 a.m. (which means they wouldn't have arrived at all it the new hours were enforced).

Extras wanted for new Farrelly Brothers flick
Want to be in a movie with Cher this Friday? The new Farrelly Brothers movie Stuck on You with Cher, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins is seeking extras.
The casting company for the film has offered a $2,000 donation for every 50 people who come to help Adopt-A-Classroom, a Miami-based nonprofit organization that benefits classroom teachers.
The scene being shot is one of the conjoined brother's production of Bonnie and Clyde -- The Musical, in which Streep stars. The extras will fill the theater, which is set to look like a Martha's Vineyard community playhouse. Filming starts at 10 a.m. at the Manuel Artime theater, 900 SW First St., Miami, and will last till 10 p.m. or later. Food and beverage will be served. Attire is New England preppy, and anyone over 15 is eligible; anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, visit www.adoptaclassroom.com/extras.

Want to be in a Movie with Cher Friday May 2nd?
No additional extras are needed at this time. Thank you for your interest.

Matt Damon & Greg Kinnear
It's double trouble! "Special access" to their upcoming film Stuck On You.

The Dolphins' Ricky Williams was given a small role as a coach in a movie, Stuck on You, in which Matt Damon and Greg Kinear play conjoined twins. Filmmakers Bobby and Peter Farrelly are fans of Williams and gave him a cameo in a recent taping at North Miami Stadium.