The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"I actually got shot in the neck... Things sort of blow up when you shoot the fake stuff--a squib blew a piece of bondo (filler) off a car and into my neck. It kinda looks like a zit but it's a way better story."

--Jon Hamm, currently filming Ben Affleck's "The Town" in Boston, explains why he has a rather large bump on his neck during an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Friday, Oct. 9.

"As young children often do, his daughter Suri has, according to Cruise, some comical responses. For example, she will sometimes throw down her hands and say 'Why is this person following me?' and has responded to encroachments on her privacy by raising a hand and declaring, 'Personal space!'"

--Jessica Corsi, a Harvard Law Record blogger, gives a blow-by-blow account of Tom Cruise, in town filming "Wichita," visiting Prof. Bruce Hay's entertainment law class at Harvard on Monday, Oct. 5.

“I saw Ben filming in Copley Square last week and I started to wonder. That’s the thing about geneology, you wonder if you can do it, then you start to play around with it."

--Rhonda McClure, a researcher at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, reveals that Cambridge homeboys Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are related ... 10th cousins once removed.

"It’s unexpected work that comes through your door. They know I can get it done for them and that’s why they keep coming to me. I didn’t have the material they wanted for the garage, so I contacted Steve and he got it. I get the job done and they keep coming back.”

--Michael Cohen, owner of Signs by J in Dorchester, says he's been busy transforming storefronts for a slew of locally shot movies including Affleck's "The Town" as well as Cruise's untitled "Wichita" project.

--Copyrighted photos for Loaded Gun Boston by Ryan Miner, Beantown Photo

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

“I think they’ve had a pretty good summer here in Harvard Square."

--Denise Jillson, president of the Harvard Square Business Association, says Cambridge homeboy Ben Affleck has had a productive stint working in his hometown. Meanwhile, Affleck is currently filming "The Town" at Boston's Fenway Park until Sunday, Sept. 27.

"I try to excel in all areas and I've never been asked for a refund. [Sex with me] is like flying."

--Tom Cruise, currently in Boston filming the soon-to-be-renamed "Wichita" project with Cameron Diaz, responds to Jay Leno when asked if he was better at flying or sex. Meanwhile, Cruise's wife Katie Holmes wrapped filming in Melbourne, Australia and boarded their private jet with daughter Suri en route to Boston. Cruise filmed scenes for "Wichita" at Gaslight in the South End on Saturday until Tuesday, Sept. 23.

"I've never had that much fun making a movie, really. I just ate whatever I wanted and thought about nothing but the screenplay and the other actors. It was really nice to not think about anything else."

--Cambridge native Matt Damon weighs in on his out-of-shape look in the Steven Soderbergh flick "The Informant!"

"Two reasons: One, fantastic tax credit. Two, fantastic city. I mean, I love Boston."

--Jonathan Mostow, director of the made-in-Boston flick "Surrogates" slotted to hit theaters on Friday, Sept. 25, reveals why he filmed the sci-fi flick starring Bruce Willis in the Hub.

"Never shoot in New England during hurricane season unless you want your film to be a documentary on rain."

--Justin Lerner, director of the made-in-Wayland indie flick "Girlfriend" with Jackson Rathbone, Amanda Plummer and Shannon Woodward, jokes about filming in New England.

--Copyrighted photo by Ryan Miner, Beantown Photo

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"This is the way we go to the toilet, go to the toilet, go the toilet, early in the morning…”

--Cambridge native Matt Damon, gracing the October 2009 cover of Esquire Magazine, chats about entertaining Indian school children by squatting down and singing to them. For the record, Damon, who was reported dead by gossip site TMZ, is very much alive.

"Heading to the set. Amazing to come back to Franklin Park to 'work' after all these years! Just a whole different type of work."

--Dorchester homeboy Donnie Wahlberg tweets about his first day on the job (Thursday, Sept. 10) with the Kevin James flick "The Zookeeper," currently filming at the Franklin Park Zoo. Wahlberg is cast as a zookeeper who detests the furry critters under his watch.

"Director Justin Lerner is making Jerad Anderson shave his head for the movie, oh boy!"

--Crew dishes about actor Justin Lerner's new 'do for the upcoming indie thriller "Girlfriend," starring Jackson Rathbone from "Twilight," Amanda Plummer and Shannon Woodward and filming in Wayland, MA beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 22

"I want to do what the boys do."

--Actress-turned-director Drew Barrymore, rolling into Boston on Wednesday, Sept. 9 to promote her directorial debut following a crew of roller-derby divas in the indie flick "Whip It," muses that girl power motivated her to step up as a director.

"I goof stuff up. But I don’t feel it reflects how I cook anywhere else.’’

--Andy Husbands, the executive chef over at Tremont 647 and fallen contestant on "Hell's Kitchen," says he's no longer a fan of the Fox reality show helmed by hellraiser Gordon Ramsay and won't continue watching.

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"From the moment we had any influence in this town, we've been trying to get this project off the ground. It demonstrates how everyday citizens have changed the course of history."

--Cambridge homeboy Matt Damon drums up support for "The People Speak," a historical documentary weaving together selections from diaries, speeches and other primary sources adapted from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."

“I’m having so much fun. . . . I didn’t expect [the area] to be so beautiful. I don’t know why I didn’t, but it’s gorgeous.’’

--Amy Adams says she's enjoying the scenery while filming the "Irish" Micky Ward biopic, "The Fighter," with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in Lowell.

“I’m a storyteller. It’s what I do. And after hearing all the stories from people I talked to about the film, I had to tell their stories and show that there is hope.”

--Joe Pantoliano, known for his work on "The Sopranos," unveils his indie flick geared at de-stigmatizing mental illness called "No Kidding, Me Too" at the Woods Hole Film Festival.

“I was game to try the Boston accent, but Ben cleverly put in that my character had moved from New Hampshire. He knew the danger to the film if the accent wasn’t done well.’’

--Michelle Monaghan, in town promoting the flick "Trucker," chats about how she avoided doing a fake Boston accent in the made-in-Boston film "Gone Baby Gone."

"There is so much about humanity in this script and so much we are trying to understand about ourselves. Who are we as a [people]."

--Cameron Diaz, star of the made-in-Massachusetts film "The Box," spills to the press at Comic-Con about the existential dilemmas explored in director Richard Kelly's movie.

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"There are probably things that come through differently now that I'm older and hopefully wiser. I'm just trying to tell the story and be open to the moment."

--Anthony Rapp, returning to the role of Mark during the two-week run of "Rent" at the Colonial Theatre, says he's looking forward to reprise his part as the penniless filmmaker-turned-community builder in the touring show.

“It was one of the most intense experiences of my life. The interesting thing is that you’re working on a team, but nobody on your team wants you there and everybody is out to get everybody else.”

--Andy Husbands, chef/owner of Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel in the South End, says there was a lot of backstabbing while taping the reality show "Hell's Kitchen" slotted to air Fox at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. The chef plans to host viewing-party dinners at his restaurant for $49 a pop until his stint on the show is over.

"Matt wanted to do something that focused on his charity, One By One, which helps kids all over the world.”

--Doug Ellin, the executive producer of "Entourage," tells TV Guide Magazine that Matt Damon pokes fun of his do-good reputation during his cameo scheduled to air during the season finale of the HBO show.

"Congratulations, Brendan Fraser! Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

--A snarky blogger makes fun of actor Brendan Fraser's on-set beer gut during filming of the made-in-Topsfield family comedy "Furry Vengeance."

“You’ll definitely have a sense of the airport in the film."

--Scott Levine, the publicist for the made-in-Massachusetts flick "Furry Vengeance" starring Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields, says the scenes shot this week and continuing until Thursday, July 16 at the Beverly Municipal Airport will showcase the location including the Delta taxiway near Bradford Street.

QUIZ: Can you name this made-in-Boston movie?

The following quote is from an Oscar-winning movie shot in Boston:

"When I was your age, they would say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying is this: When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"

The film's climactic rooftop scene was shot on Farnsworth Street in South Boston's Seaport District. Also, there's a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio chases Matt Damon out of a Combat Zone-esque theater through the streets of Chinatown.

Can you name this made-in-Boston film? Simply register for Loaded Gun’s new bi-weekly newsletter. The sign-up widget is located on the right-side navigation. Once you type in your e-mail address, you’ll be prompted to enter the mystery made-in-Boston movie. One winner will receive a DVD copy of the mystery flick pulled from my collection and will be announced in the next issue of Loaded Gun Insider.

Loaded Gun, a Boston-based pop culture blog, unveiled its debut bi-weekly newsletter called Loaded Gun Insider here. Sign up and register for a slew of Hollywood East-inspired prizes including DVDs of made-in-Boston films like "Mystic River" and "21," to giveaways handpicked by Hollywood in the Hub celebs.

*Click here for the official rules.

--Photo of cranes in South Boston by Sam Baltrusis

Made-in-Boston mystery film winners revealed

Congratulations to Arestia R., winner of the Tolani Cheetah Cheetah Scarf, and Richard D., winner of the automatic CEM5J005W model from Orient Watches, for correctly naming the made-in-Boston flicks "Pink Panther 2" and "Good Will Hunting" respectively.

Quiz 1: The Boston Public Library is the scene of the crime of this made-in-Boston flick currently in theaters. While filming at the BPL, there were reports that a priceless marble bust was knocked on the floor of the Grand Staircase in September 2007.

Answer: “Pink Panther 2”

Inspired by the mystery film’s colorful-cat icon, one winner will receive a Tolani Cheetah Cheetah Scarf (27" x 72") which retails for $99 and has been spotted on celebs like Scarlet Johansson and Jessica Alba. Check out Chickdowntown for the latest designer clothing with hot brands such as Siwy Jeans, Diane Von Furstenburg and fabulous Tibi Dresses.

Quiz 2: The Boston Public Garden is the locale of a pivotal scene in this made-in-Boston flick starring and penned by then up-and-comers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Also, the milestone moment shot here helped win Robin Williams an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor."

Answer: “Good Will Hunting”

Inspired by the mystery film’s protagonist played by Damon, Richard D. will receive an Orient Watch CEM5J005W automatic model which retails for $100 and is similar to the timepiece Damon wears in "The Bourne Identity." Check out Orient Watches if you're looking for an affordable, sophisticated watch but can't afford to spend thousands of dollars.

Sign up and register for a slew of Hollywood East-inspired prizes including DVDs of made-in-Boston films like "Mystic River" and "21" to other giveaways.

Click here to join our Loaded Gun Insider e-mail list. Also, click here for a sneak peek of Loaded Gun Insider.

--Photos courtesy Miramax and Sony Pictures

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"It's an original play about music and the Holocaust written by insanely talented drama students with musical accompaniment by me. My high school theater director, Steven Bogart, is one of my biggest artistic mentors and I've been trying to get back there since I left."

--Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer tells Pitchfork that she’s rehearsing with students at her former high school in Lexington for a play based on Neutral Milk Hotel's “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” culminating in a weekend's worth of shows Thursday, May 7 until Saturday, May 9 at Lexington High's 1000-capacity auditorium.

"I don’t agree with the result and I don’t agree that Massachusetts can’t compete in this $60 billion industry. We’re doing it.”

--Massachusetts Film Office head Nick Paleologos slams an allegedly biased study by Cornell University professor Susan Christopherson, who raises questions about the state's tax incentives to lure filmmakers to the Hub.

"That's a big controversy right now. If you don't give tax breaks in production, productions immediately go someplace else. Not even just Canada they go to Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island; they're all building in tax breaks trying to attract production. The idea of New York not competing on that level is pretty much insane."

--Denis Leary, a Worcester native and star of the NYC-based FX series "Rescue Me," comments on the exodus of productions from the Big Apple, like the Boston-set "Fringe," after New York's Film Production Tax Credit program ran out of money in February.

"I understand that he has a mom, and I respect that, but to me it’s not like because somebody else delivered him, that’s not my child."

--Tom Brady's wife and glamazon Gisele Bündchen sends shockwaves among Bridget Moynahan supporters with her comments in the latest issue of Vanity Fair emoting that she love's Brady's son like he was her own child.

"It's a different kind of satisfaction being around your friends, the friends you grew up with. They have kids, have barbecues and that kind of deal."

--Ben Affleck, slotted to return home this month to film "The Company Men," muses to People magazine that, after all of these years, he's still in a bromance with his Cambridge homeboy Matt Damon.

“I just love her crazy-(rhymes with grass) metaphors. I also like impersonating pretty much anyone I’ve ever had to work for, as in restaurant owners, managers, bartenders, etc.,”

--"SNL" newbie and Wellesley native Michaela Watkins spills to The Improper Bostonian that she loves impersonating politico Arianna Huffington, adding that she misses Boston. “I think it’s such a beautiful city,” she says.

QUIZ: Can you name this made-in-Boston movie?

The Boston Public Garden is the locale of a pivotal scene in this made-in-Boston flick starring and penned by then up-and-comers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Also, the milestone moment shot here helped win Robin Williams an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor."

Want more clues?

In the film, the protagonist is a janitor at MIT with a gift for mathematics. He teams up with a psychologist to overcome his fear of abandonment and ultimately learns how to open up. In addition to the Public Garden, other Boston locales make cameos in the film including MIT's McLaurin Building, Harvard's Dunster House, the now-closed Tasty Cafe in Cambridge and Woody’s L-Street Tavern, 658 East Eighth Street in South Boston.

How do you like them apples?

Inspired by the mystery film’s protagonist played by Damon, one winner will receive an Orient Watch CEM5J005W automatic model which retails for $100 and is similar to the timepiece Damon wears in "The Bourne Identity." Check out Orient Watches if you're looking for an affordable, sophisticated watch but can't afford to spend thousands of dollars.

Figured out the mystery flick? Simply register for Loaded Gun’s new bi-weekly newsletter. The sign-up widget is located on the right-side navigation. Once you type in your e-mail address, you’ll be prompted to enter the mystery made-in-Boston movie.

Loaded Gun, a Boston-based pop culture blog, will unveil its bi-weekly newsletter on Friday, April 3. Sign up and register for a slew of Hollywood East-inspired prizes including DVDs of made-in-Boston films like "Mystic River" and "The Departed" to giveaways like the stainless-steel, water-resistant CEM5J005W model from Orient Watches. The promotion officially ends Thursday, April 2 at 11:59 a.m.

Winners will be announced in Loaded Gun’s debut newsletter on Friday, April 3 followed by a post on LoadedGunBoston.com.

Check back for a treasure trove of promotional goodies you can win in the weeks leading up to the launch of Loaded Gun‘s bi-weekly newsletter.

Click here for more details. Also, click here for the contest rules and disclaimer.

--Photo of Boston Public Garden by Sam Baltrusis.

Actor Matt Damon meets with African refugees

Cambridge homeboy turned Miami Beach transplant Matt Damon, recently in town to speak about Haiti at the John F. Kennedy Library with Partners in Health founder Dr. Paul Farmer, took a break from filming the Clint Eastwood flick "The Human Factor," to meet with Zimbabwean refugees in the South African border town of Musina.

Part of humanitarian mission on behalf of Not on Our Watch, a non-profit advocacy group Damon started along with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle. Approximately 3 million people have fled Zimbabwe, a nation torn apart by corruption and disease. In fact, thousands have been impacted by a recent cholera outbreak killing almost 4,000 people.

Damon is currently working with Eastwood in South Africa on a bio-pic chronicling the life of apartheid-fighting crusader Nelson Mandela, with Morgan Freeman starring in the title role. Damon plays a South African rugby team captain in the flick.

Click here for the latest on Matt Damon.

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

“Anytime I hear a movie that might be filming in Boston, it shoots up on my priority list. I did grow up in Sudbury, but all my friends live in Boston, so we pretty much hit sleazy, dirty Boston bars."

--Chris Evans, the homegrown hottie from "Fantastic Four" and co-star in the upcoming flick "Push" with Dakota Fanning, says there's no place like home ... especially the sleazy, dirty bars.

“We're scrambling to keep up with the demand, and one of the things that this conference hopes to achieve is to let people who are looking for work in the industry know how to get it."

--Nicholas Paleologos, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office, tells NewsCenter 5 at the MFO's first career fair held at the InterContinental Boston on Saturday, Jan. 24 that job-seekers looking to break into the state's booming movie industry may be in luck.

“We have a handful of planes circling the runway waiting for SAG to ink a deal with the studios before coming in for a landing. I’m expecting somewhere between 8 and 12 major projects this year--depending on how fast SAG re-ups with the studios.”

--MFO's Paleologos spills to the Boston Herald that ousting Screen Actors Guild president Doug Allen is good news for the local film industry.

"They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the 'Bourne' films because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He's repulsive."

--Cambridge homeboy Matt Damon, in town participating in a discussion about Haiti at the John F. Kennedy Library on Tuesday, Jan. 27, raised a few eyebrows after rapping with the Miami Herald about his take on James Bond.

“He’s spilling the beans and telling us everything that happens before it happens. He’s ruining it for everyone in this area . . . This is serious information.”

--An alleged family friend left a supposed voicemail message here at MTV headquarters in NYC claiming that Medford native turned reality star Luke Verge does win over Brody Jenner's affections to snag the ultimate BFF bragging rights on MTV's "Bromance."

“Rumor has it that Kate Hudson’s character actually works at a different firm with a longer name. Even so, we’re tickled to see our firm’s name in Hollywood lights. It’s all in good fun, and it comes at a time when everyone can use a laugh, for sure.”

--Ropes & Gray spokesman John D. Tuerck says that while the firm did not plan for the brief flash of the Ropes & Gray nameplate in the made-in-Boston "Bride Wars" ... they're blushing over the big-screen cameo anyway.

Opinionated Matt Damon returns to Boston

Cambridge homeboy turned Miami Beach transplant Matt Damon, slotted to speak about Haiti at the John F. Kennedy Library tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 with Partners in Health founder Dr. Paul Farmer, is raising a few eyebrows after rapping with the Miami Herald.

In the interview here, Damon slams conservative New York Times columnist William Kristol saying: "He's an idiot -- he wrote that we should be grateful to George Bush because he won the Iraq war. We! Won! The! War!'"

And, when asked if there are any comparisons to his "Bourne" character and James Bond, Damon shoots back: "They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the 'Bourne' films because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He's repulsive."

Hmmm, tell us what you really think.

In a separate piece here, Damon says he plans to stick around in Miami Beach with his wife Luciana.

''The business definitely does not require you to live in Hollywood, at least not for me at this point in my career,'' Damon says. "Very, very few of my movies get shot in Los Angeles. And here, I don't have to deal with any of the nonsense."

Of course, his hometown crowd here in Boston would welcome the opinionated Damon with open arms.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon lose it over green campaign