Matt Stone
Matt Stone | |
---|---|
![]() Stone at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con | |
Born | Matthew Richard Stone May 26, 1971 |
Alma mater | University of Colorado Boulder (BA) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1992–present |
Works | Filmography and awards |
Spouse |
Angela Howard (m. 2008) |
Children | 2[1] |
Matthew Richard Stone[2] (born May 26, 1971)[3] is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating South Park (since 1997) and The Book of Mormon (2011) with his creative partner Trey Parker. Intrigued by a career in entertainment at a young age, he studied film and mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Parker. During their attendance, the two worked on various short films and starred in the feature-length musical Cannibal! The Musical (1993).
Stone and Parker moved to Los Angeles and wrote their second film, Orgazmo (1997). Before its premiere, South Park aired on Comedy Central in August 1997 and was met with widespread praise. Following its success, the two directed a film based on the series, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), which was met with positive critical reception. Outside of South Park, Stone has written, produced, and starred in the satirical action film Team America: World Police (2004), as well as the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon (2011), which, after long-tenured delays and years of development, was met with positive reviews.
Stone is the recipient of numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on South Park, as well as three Tony Awards and one Grammy Award for The Book of Mormon.
Early life
Stone was born in Houston, Texas, to economics professor Gerald Whitney Stone and Sheila Lois (Belasco). He is of Irish-American heritage from his father's side and Jewish heritage from his mother's side.[4][5] The South Park characters Gerald and Sheila Broflovski were named after them. Stone and his younger sister Rachel were raised in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, where they attended Heritage High School.[6] He attended the University of Colorado Boulder. His father was worried he would "become a musician and a bum", so he insisted that his son major in something "practical". They compromised on Matt's majoring in both mathematics and film. Stone graduated with a double-major Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993.[7]
Career
Career beginnings
Cannibal! The Musical (1992–1994)
In 1992, Stone, Parker and Ian Hardin founded a production company named the Avenging Conscience. The company was named after the D. W. Griffith film by the same title (which was actively disliked by the group.)[8] Parker employed the cutout paper technique on Avenging Conscience's first production, Jesus vs. Frosty (1992), an animated short pitting the religious figure against Frosty the Snowman.
The quartet created a three-minute trailer for a fictional film titled Alferd Packer: The Musical. The idea was based on an obsession Parker had with Alferd Packer, a real nineteenth-century prospector accused of cannibalism.[9] During this time, Parker had become engaged to long-time girlfriend Liane Adamo, but their relationship fell apart shortly before production on the trailer began.[9] "Horribly depressed", Parker funneled his frustrations with her into the project, naming Packer's "beloved but disloyal" horse after her.[9][10] The trailer became something of a sensation among students at the school, leading Virgil Grillo, the chairman and founder of the university's film department, to convince the quartet to expand it to a feature-length film.[10] Parker wrote the film's script, creating an Oklahoma!-style musical featuring ten original show tunes.[11] The group raised $125,000 from family and friends and began shooting the film. The movie was shot on Loveland Pass as winter was ending, and the crew endured the freezing weather.[8][11] Parker – under the pseudonym Juan Schwartz – was the film's star, director and co-producer.[10]
Alferd Packer: The Musical premiered in Boulder in October 1993; "they rented a limousine that circled to ferry every member of the cast and crew from the back side of the block to the red carpet at the theater's entrance."[11] The group submitted the movie to the Sundance Film Festival, who did not respond. Parker said he had a "vision" they needed to be at the festival, which resulted in the group renting out a conference room in a nearby hotel and putting on their own screenings.[9] MTV did a short news segment on The Big Picture regarding the film,[8] and they made industry connections through the festival.[9][12] They intended to sell video rights to the film for $1 million and spend the remaining $900,000 to create another film.[12] The film was instead sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996 where it was retitled Cannibal! The Musical,[13] and upon the duo's later success, it became their biggest-selling title.[10] It has since been labeled a "cult classic" and adapted into a stage play by community theater groups and even high schools nationwide.[14]
The Spirit of Christmas and Orgazmo (1995–1997)
Following the film's success, the group, without Hardin, moved to Los Angeles.[11] Upon arrival, they met a lawyer for the William Morris Agency who connected them with producer Scott Rudin. As a result, the duo acquired a lawyer, an agent, and a script deal.[12] Despite initially believing themselves to be on the verge of success, the duo struggled for several years. Stone slept on dirty laundry for upwards of a year because he could not afford to purchase a mattress.[12] They unsuccessfully pitched a children's program titled Time Warped to Fox Kids, which would have involved fictionalized stories of people in history.[13] The trio created two separate pilots, spaced a year apart, and despite the approval of Fox Broadcasting Company development executive Pam Brady, the network disbanded the Fox Kids division.[11]
David Zucker, who was a fan of Cannibal!, contacted the duo to produce a 15-minute short film for Seagram to show at a party for its acquisition of Universal Studios.[15] Due to a misunderstanding, Parker and Stone improvised much of the film an hour before it was shot, creating it as a spoof of 1950s instructional videos.[15] The result, Your Studio and You, features numerous celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, and Steven Spielberg. "You could probably make a feature film out of the experience of making that movie because it was just two dudes from college suddenly directing Steven Spielberg", Parker later remarked, noting that the experience was difficult for the two.[15]
During the time between shooting the pilots for Time Warped, Parker penned the script for a film titled Orgazmo, which later entered production. Half of the budget for the picture came from a Japanese porn company called Kuki, who wanted to feature its performers in mainstream Western media.[11] Independent distributor October Films purchased the rights to the film for one million dollars after its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.[11] The film received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, which resulted in the poor box office performance of the film. Parker and Stone attempted to negotiate with the organization on what to delete from the final print, but the MPAA would not give specific notes.[12] The duo later theorized that the organization cared less because it was an independent distributor which would bring it significantly less money.[12]
Fox executive Brian Graden cut Parker and Stone a personal check of a few thousand dollars to produce a video greeting card he could deliver to friends; the film would be a sequel to their earlier short Jesus vs. Frosty.[11] Graden sent the film on a VHS to several industry executives in Hollywood; meanwhile, someone digitized the clip and put it up on the Internet, where it became one of the first viral videos.[11][16][17] Due to the popularity of Jesus vs. Santa, Parker and Stone wanted to turn the short into a television series later entitled South Park, and offered the show to Fox. While Fox executives were enthusiastic about the premise, they didn't want to air a show that included the talking poo character Mr. Hankey and passed on it after the duo refused to remove the character several times. Parker and Stone then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central. Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids' show.[18] When Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog watched the short, he commissioned the development of the show into a series.[16][19]
South Park
Premiere and initial success (1997–1998)
The pilot episode of South Park was made on a budget of $300,000,[20] and took between three and three and a half months to complete, and animation took place in a small room at Celluloid Studios, in Denver, Colorado, during the summer of 1996.[21][22] Similar to Parker and Stone's Christmas shorts, the original pilot was animated entirely with traditional cut paper stop motion animation techniques.[21] The idea for the town of South Park came from the real Colorado basin of the same name where, according to the creators, a lot of folklore and news reports originated about "cattle mutilations and UFO and bigfoot sightings."[23]
South Park premiered in August 1997 and immediately became one of the most popular shows on cable television, averaging consistently between 3.5 and 5.5 million viewers.[24] The show transformed the then-fledgling Comedy Central into "a cable industry power almost overnight".[16] At the time, the cable network had a low distribution of just 21 million subscribers.[24] Comedy Central marketed the show aggressively before its launch, billing it as "why they created the V-chip."[25] The resulting buzz led to the network earning an estimated $30 million in T-shirts sales alone before the first episode was even aired.[24] Due to the success of the series' first six episodes, Comedy Central requested an additional seven; the series completed its first season in February 1998.[26][27][28] An affiliate of the MTV Network until then, Comedy Central decided, in part due to the success of South Park, to have its own independent sales department.[29] By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had sold more than $150 million worth of merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls.[30] Over the next few years, Comedy Central's viewership spiked largely due to South Park, adding 3 million new subscribers in the first half of 1998 alone and allowed the network to sign international deals with networks in several countries.[24]
Parker and Stone became celebrities as a result of the program's success; Parker noted that the success of South Park allowed him to pursue, for a time, a lifestyle that involved partying with women and "out-of-control binges" in Las Vegas.[12] Their philosophy of taking every deal (which had surfaced as a result of their lack of trust in the early success of South Park) led to their appearances in films, albums, and outside script deals. Among these included BASEketball, a 1998 comedy film that became a critical and commercial flop.
Bigger, Longer, and Uncut and continued success (1999–present)
![Two adult males sitting in chairs; the male at the right is speaking into a handheld microphone](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Trey_Parker_Matt_Stone_2007.jpg/220px-Trey_Parker_Matt_Stone_2007.jpg)
Parker and Stone signed a deal with Comedy Central in April 1998 that contracted the duo to producing South Park episodes until 1999, gave them a slice of the lucrative spinoff merchandising the show generated within its first year, as well as an unspecified seven-figure cash bonus to bring the show to the big screen, in theaters.[31] During the time, the team was also busy writing the second and third seasons of the series, the former of which Parker and Stone later described as "disastrous". As such, they figured the phenomenon would be over soon, and they decided to write a personal, fully committed musical.[32] Parker and Stone fought with the MPAA to keep the film R-rated; for months the ratings board insisted on the more prohibitive NC-17.[33] The film was only certified an R rating two weeks prior to its release, following contentious conversations between Parker/Stone, Rudin, and Paramount Pictures.[34] Parker felt very overwhelmed and overworked during the production process of the film, especially between April and the movie's opening in late June. He admitted that press coverage, which proclaimed the end of South Park was near, bothered him.[12] The film opened in cinemas in June 1999 and received critical acclaim while grossing $83 million at the box office.
Parker and Stone continue to write, direct, and voice most characters on South Park. Over time, the show has adopted a unique production process, in which an entire episode is written, animated and broadcast in one week.[35] Parker and Stone state that subjecting themselves to a one-week deadline creates more spontaneity amongst themselves in the creative process, which they feel results in a funnier show.[16] Although initial reviews for the show were negative in reference to its crass humor, the series has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, one Peabody Award, and numerous inclusions in various publications' lists of greatest television shows. As of 2011 its viewership was lower than at the height of its popularity in its earliest seasons, but South Park remained one of the highest-rated series on Comedy Central.[36] In 2012, South Park cut back from producing 14 episodes per year (seven in the spring and seven in the fall) to a single run of 10 episodes in the fall, to allow the duo to explore other projects the rest of the year.[37] The show is currently renewed through 2022, when it will reach its twenty-sixth season.[38]
South Park has expanded to music and video games. Comedy Central released various albums, including Chef Aid: The South Park Album and Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, in the late 1990s.[39][40][41] The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" (as sung by the character Chef) was released as a single in the UK in 1998 to support the Chef Aid: The South Park Album and became a number one hit.[42] Parker and Stone had little to do with the development of video games based on the series that were released at this time,[43][44] but took full creative control of South Park: The Stick of Truth, a 2014 video game based on the series that received positive reviews and for which they won the 2014 Writing in a Comedy award and Stone (as Various) was nominated for Performance in a Comedy, Supporting by National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR).[45][46] Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were sold in 2003,[47][48] and all episodes are available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website.[49] In 2007, the duo, with the help of their lawyer, Kevin Morris, cut a 50–50 joint venture with Comedy Central on all revenue not related to television; this includes digital rights to South Park, as well as movies, soundtracks, T-shirts and other merchandise, in a deal worth $75 million.[50]
Television and film projects
That's My Bush! (2000–2001)
In 2000, Parker and Stone began plotting a television sitcom starring the winner of the 2000 Presidential election. The duo were "95 percent sure" that Democratic candidate Al Gore would win, and tentatively titled the show Everybody Loves Al (a play on the show Everybody Loves Raymond).[51] The main goal was to parody sitcom tropes, such as a lovable main character, the sassy maid, and the wacky neighbor, in the context of the White House household.[52] Parker said the producers did not want to make fun of politics, but instead lampoon sitcoms.[51] They threw a party the night of the election with the writers, with intentions to begin writing the following Monday and shooting the show in January 2001 with the inauguration. With the confusion of whom the President would be, the show's production was pushed back.[51] The show was filmed at Sony Pictures Studios, and was the first time Parker and Stone shot a show on a production lot.[53]
Although That's My Bush!, which ran between April–May 2001, received a fair amount of publicity and critical notice, according to Stone and Parker, the cost per episode was too high at "about $1 million an episode".[54] Comedy Central officially cancelled the series in August 2001 as a cost-cutting move; Stone was quoted as saying "A super-expensive show on a small cable network ... the economics of it were just not going to work."[55] Comedy Central continued the show in reruns, considering it a creative and critical success.[54] Parker believed the show would not have survived after the September 11 attacks anyway, and Stone agreed, saying the show would not "play well".[56][57] During this time, the duo also signed a deal with Shockwave.com to produce 39 animated online shorts, in which they would retain full artistic control; the result, Princess, was rejected after only two episodes.
Team America (2002–2004)
In 2002, the duo began working on Team America: World Police, a satire of big-budget action films and their associated clichés and stereotypes, with particular humorous emphasis on the global implications of the politics of the United States.[58] Team America was produced using a crew of about 200 people; sometimes four people at a time were needed to manipulate a marionette.[59] Although the filmmakers hired three dozen highly skilled marionette operators, execution of some very simple acts by the marionettes proved to be very difficult, with a simple shot such as a character drinking taking a half-day to complete successfully.[59] The deadline for the film's completion took a toll on both filmmakers, as did various difficulties in working with puppets, with Stone, who described the film as "the worst time of [his] life", resorting to coffee to work 20-hour days and sleeping pills to enable him to rest.[59][60][61] The film was barely completed in time for its October release date,[62] but reviews were positive and the film made a modest sum at the box office.[63]
Broadway and movie studio
The Book of Mormon (2011–present)
Parker and Stone, alongside writer-composer Robert Lopez, began working on a musical centering on Mormonism during the production of Team America. Lopez, a fan of South Park and creator of the puppet musical Avenue Q, met with the duo after a performance of the musical, where they conceived the idea.[13][64] The musical, titled The Book of Mormon: The Musical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was worked on over a period of various years; working around their South Park schedule, they flew between New York City and Los Angeles often, first writing songs for the musical in 2006.[13] Developmental workshops began in 2008,[65] and the crew embarked on the first of a half-dozen workshops that would take place during the next four years.[13] Originally, producer Scott Rudin planned to stage The Book of Mormon off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in summer 2010, but opted to premiere it directly on Broadway, "[s]ince the guys [Parker and Stone] work best when the stakes are highest."[66]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Trey_Parker_and_Matt_Stone_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/220px-Trey_Parker_and_Matt_Stone_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
After a frantic series of rewrites, rehearsals, and previews,[13] The Book of Mormon premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 24, 2011.[67][68] The Book of Mormon received broad critical praise for the plot, score, actors' performances, direction and choreography.[69] A cast recording of the original Broadway production became the highest-charting Broadway cast album in over four decades.[70] The musical received nine Tony Awards, one for Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The production has since expanded to two national tours, a Chicago production, and a UK production, and Parker and Stone have confirmed a film adaption is in pre-production.[37][50]
Future projects (2013–present)
On January 14, 2013, Stone and Parker announced that they would be starting a film production company called Important Studios. Inspired by the production work of Lucasfilm and DreamWorks, Stone and Parker considered founding the studio for approximately two years before committing. The initial financial assets of the studio are valued at $300 million, with the majority of the money originating from South Park, The Book of Mormon, while $60 million is from an investment from Joseph Ravitch of The Raine Group, giving him a 20 percent minority stock.[71]
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker, Stone, and Peter Serafinowicz created a web series, Sassy Justice. The series uses deepfake technology to insert unrelated celebrities and politicians into the fictional world of a television reporter.[72] The first episode was posted to YouTube on October 26, 2020.[73] The team was originally assembled for a film project that was interrupted due to the pandemic, who made the video based on a series of impressions that Serafinowicz developed of a "sassy" Donald Trump.[74] The creators have a handful of shorter videos alongside a 15-minute first episode that may be turned into an ongoing series, film, or other type of project.[74]
In August 2021, Stone and Parker signed a $900 million deal with Paramount Global to make six additional seasons of South Park and 14 movies in the South Park universe for streaming.[75] In September 2021, Stone and Parker reached an agreement to purchase Casa Bonita for $3.1 million. A group named "Save Casa Bonita" filed an objection to Parker and Stone's purchase, pointing out that they had in fact made an offer first.[76] Their objection was later withdrawn, and the sale was completed by November 19.[77][78][79] They spent $40 million renovating the restaurant and hired Chef Dana Rodriguez to update the menu.[80][81] The restaurant had a soft opening on May 26, 2023.[82] In early June, Casa Bonita began taking reservations although a formal opening date had not been set.[83] Stone and Parker amended the employee compensation system at Casa Bonita, removing the need for wait staff to earn tips, instead paying every employee $30 per hour, much higher than the Colorado minimum wage, $13.65.[84]
In January 2022, it was announced Parker will produce an untitled film with Stone through their now-renamed production company Park County and Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's multi-disciplinary media company PGLang.[85][86][87][88] In March 2023, it was reported that Parker will direct the film.[89][90][91] It will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.[86] The live-action comedy film, written by Vernon Chatman, addresses racial issues.[87] Production was expected to begin in the spring of 2023.[88]
Personal life
Stone met Comedy Central executive Angela Howard in 2001, and they began a relationship shortly after.[13] They got married in 2008 and have two children together.[1][92] Stone and his family live in Venice, Los Angeles.[93]
Stone has described himself as ethnically Jewish due to his mother being Jewish.[94][95] He is an atheist.[96][97]
Stone said in 2001, regarding his political views, "I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals."[98] When asked about that quote during a 2010 interview, Stone stated: "We don't want you to come to it thinking, 'These guys are going to bash liberals,' … It’s so much more fun for us to rip on liberals only because nobody else does it, and not because we think liberals are worse than Republicans."[99] In 2006, Stone described himself as libertarian.[100]
Discography
Albums
Soundtrack albums
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [101] |
Can [102] | ||||||||
Chef Aid: The South Park Album |
|
16 | 14 | ||||||
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut |
|
28 | 20 | ||||||
Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics |
|
— | — | ||||||
Team America: World Police |
|
— | — | ||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Cast recording
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [103] | |||||||||
The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording |
|
3 | |||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Filmography and accolades
- Cannibal! The Musical (1993)
- Orgazmo (1997)
- BASEketball (1998)
- South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
- Terror Firmer (1999)
- Bowling for Columbine (2002)
- Run Ronnie Run (2002)
- Team America: World Police (2004)
- The Aristocrats (2005)
- This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
- Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo (2007)
- Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)
References
- ^ a b Freeman, Hadley (January 4, 2013). "The Book Of Mormon: not for the easily offended". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
Stone has two children under three. ... .
- ^ "Matt Stone: Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, May 26, 2020". United Press International. May 26, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
… filmmaker/actor Matt Stone in 1971 (age 49)
- ^ Harris, Paul (April 1, 2007). "The Observer profile: Matt Stone and Trey Parker". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 10, 2010). "'South Park' at 200: Trey Parker and Matt Stone Apologize to No One". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
My mom is Jewish, we've certainly done our share of making fun of Jews. It just didn't feel totally honest not to do it because of that.
- ^ "Matt Stone biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Trust Your Instincts: It made Matt Stone Hundreds of Millions of Dollars! Archived June 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine medium.com. September 2015. Quoting professor Ralph Byrnes via Facebook.
- ^ a b c Roberts, Michael. "The South Park Anniversary: The First Trey Parker–Matt Stone Interview". Westword. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Carl Swanson (March 7, 2011). "Latter-Day Saints". New York. New York Media, LLC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Joshua Kurp (March 29, 2011). "Cannibal!: Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Original Twisted Musical". Splitsider. The Awl. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Phillips, Glasgow (2007). The Royal Nonesuch: Or, What Will I Do When I Grow Up?. Grove Press. p. 14. ISBN 9781555847203. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pond, Steve (June 2000). "Interview: Trey Parker and Matt Stone". Playboy. 47 (6): 65–80. "[ shpadoinkle ] Trey Parker". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Galloway, Stephen (March 24, 2011). "Why South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone Now Say It's 'Wrong' to Offend". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
- ^ Carl Kozlowski (February 9, 2012). "Cannibal! The Musical in a High School? Get the Splash Zone Ready". LA Weekly. Beth Sestanovich. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c Galloway, Stephen (July 16, 2001). "'South Park' Creator Trey Parker Cops to Kooky Universal Spoof". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Leonard, Devin (October 27, 2006). "How Trey Parker and Matt Stone made South Park a success – October 30, 2006". CNN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^ Jeffrey Ressner and James Collins (March 23, 1998). "Gross And Grosser". Time. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Trey Parker; Matt Stone (March 1, 2002). "Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Larry Divney 'Speaking Freely' transcript" (Interview). Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ Halbfinger, David M. (August 27, 2007). "'South Park' Creators Win Ad Sharing in Deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Littlefield, Kinney (February 1, 1998). "South Park is a Far-out Place to Play". AAP Newsfeed. LexisNexis. (subscription required)
- ^ a b Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2002). South Park – The Complete First Season: Episode Commentary (CD). Audio commentary for "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe": Comedy Central.
- ^ Back cover. South Park – The Original Unaired Pilot (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003. (Included with purchase of the following at Best Buy, USA: South Park – The Complete Second Season (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment. 2003.)
- ^ Pennington, Gail (August 13, 1997). "A cartoon about kids that isn't for them". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 6E.
- ^ a b c d Gournelos, Ted (2009). Popular Culture and the Future of Politics: Cultural Studies and the Tao of South Park. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 11–19. ISBN 978-0-7391-3721-5. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ WhyTheHorseface (August 30, 2011). "First South Park Commercial before series premiere, 1997". Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ Mink, Eric (October 29, 1998). "South Park comes up with a hallo-winner". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 89.
- ^ "Tonight on TV". Newsday. New York, New York. October 29, 1997. p. B35.
- ^ Parker, Trey (2003). South Park: The Complete First Season: "Death" (CD). Audio commentary: Comedy Central.
- ^ Forkan, Jim (September 29, 1997). "Comedy Central will fly solo in '98". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ McCabe, Janet; Akass, Kim (2007). Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond. I. B. Tauris. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-84511-511-1.
- ^ The Charlotte Observer staff (May 2, 1998). "Sweet! Creators Sign to Do South Park Movie". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
- ^ Andre Dellamorte (October 22, 2009). "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut [Blu-ray] – Review". Collider.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- ^ Bernard Weinraub (June 29, 1999). "Loosening a Strict Film Rating for South Park". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ David Hochman (July 9, 1999). "Putting the 'R' in South Park". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ Jake Trapper and Dan Morris (September 22, 2006). "Secrets of 'South Park'". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
- ^ "Comedy Central press release". Comedy Central. December 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ a b David Carr (January 27, 2013). "Fortifying the Empire 'South Park' Built". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ ""South Park" Renewed Through Historic 26th Season". The Futon Critic. September 12, 2019.
- ^ Browne, David (January 8, 1999). "Shower Hooks". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ^ Nazareth, Errol. ""Chef" Hayes cooks crazy stew". jam! Showbiz: Music. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Moorhead, M.V. (December 23, 1999). "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ^ "One Hit Wonders". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "40 Questions". South Park Studios. October 4, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
- ^ PlayStation 2 Premiere. October 18, 2000. Archived from the original on February 26, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2011. Video on YouTube.
- ^ "NAVGTR Awards (2014)". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "'South Park: The Stick of Truth Delayed". IGN. October 31, 2013. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ^ "Debmar Studios Acquires Broadcast Syndication Rights To Comedy Central's 'South Park'" (Press release). Debmar Studios and Comedy Central. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2009 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ ""South Park" Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone And Comedy Central Launch The All-New Southparkstudios.com". South Park Studios. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008. (Link not accessible from outside the U.S..)
- ^ a b Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Cozick, Amy (January 13, 2013). "'South Park' Creators to Start Company, Important Studios". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c Parker, Trey (October 2006). That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" (DVD). Audio commentary: Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Stone, Matt (October 2006). That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" (DVD). Audio commentary: Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Parker, Trey (October 2006). That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Eenie Meenie Miney Murder" (DVD). Audio commentary: Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Lynn Elber (August 3, 2001). "Comedy Central Cancels "That's my Bush"". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. AP Newswire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ "That's My Bush cancelled". Sun Journal. AP Newswire. August 3, 2001. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ Parker, Trey (October 2006). That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" (DVD). Audio commentary: Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Stone, Matt (October 2006). That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" (DVD). Audio commentary: Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Patrick Sauriol (June 25, 2003). "'South Park Creators Prepare Team America'". Mania.com (source: Variety. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Film Has South Park Guys at End Of Rope". Los Angeles Times. September 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "Stone says Team America was 'lowest point'". The Guardian. December 31, 2004. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "Puppetry of the Meanest". In Focus. October 4, 2004. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ Roger Friedman (October 5, 2004). "Team America: Sex, Puppets & Controversy". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "Team America: World Police (2004)". Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (April 4, 2011), "Playbill's brief encounter with Robert Lopez", Playbill, archived from the original on May 11, 2011
- ^ Adams, Guy (November 19, 2008), "Mormons to get 'South Park' treatment", The Independent, London, archived from the original on May 12, 2022
- ^ Healy, Patrick (May 13, 2011). "The Path of 'The Book of Mormon' to Broadway". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (February 25, 2011). "'Book of Mormon' musical called surprisingly sweet". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ "'The Book Of Mormon' to Open at Eugene O'Neill 3/24; Previews 2/24" Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, broadwayworld.com, September 13, 2010
- ^ "Broadway Review Roundup: THE BOOK OF MORMON". BroadwayWorld.com. March 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Keith Caulfield (June 15, 2011). "Adele Reclaims No. 1 on Billboard 200, Book of Mormon Makes History". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (January 14, 2013). "'South Park' Creators to Start Company, Important Studios". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (October 27, 2020). "South Park Creators Launch New Deepfake Satire Series Sassy Justice". NME. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ Colburn, Randall (October 28, 2020). "South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone Deepfake Trump for New Web Series, Sassy Justice". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Itzkoff, David (October 29, 2020). "The South Park Guys Break Down Their Viral Deepfake Video". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ "'South Park' Co-Creator Matt Stone on his $900 Million Deal". Bloomberg.com. August 8, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ Cassady, Carly; Rose, Alex (October 19, 2021). "'Save Casa Bonita' objects to sale of restaurant to South Park creators".
- ^ McCormick-Cavanagh, Conor (November 2, 2021). "Save Casa Bonita Withdraws Objection to Sale of Restaurant to South Park Creators". Westword. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Cook, Lanie Lee (August 15, 2022). "Casa Bonita owners sue to keep some building plans secret". KDVR Fox 31 News. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Casa Bonita Sale: Bankruptcy Judge Clears The Way For 'South Park' Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone To Buy Iconic Restaurant – CBS Denver". November 4, 2021.
- ^ "Casa Bonita Partners With Dana Rodriguez, Acclaimed Denver Chef & Restaurateur – CBS Denver". November 17, 2021.
- ^ Richtel, Matt; Williams, David (June 6, 2023). "The Refries That Bind: A Cavernous Cantina Returns, Cliff Divers and All". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "https://twitter.com/CasaBonita/status/1662169731430744073". Twitter. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- ^ "Casa Bonita reopening: Trey Parker and Matt Stone tell New York Times they spent above $40 million on restoration". www.cbsnews.com. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Varanasi, Lakshmi. "The creators of 'South Park' have eliminated tipping at Denver's famed Casa Bonita. Servers now make $30 an hour — and some are mad". Business Insider. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive: Trey Parker to Direct Untitled Paramount Comedy From Producers Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free | Above the Line". March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (January 12, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar is making a movie with the creators of 'South Park'". Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Rindner, Grant (January 14, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar Is Making a Movie With the 'South Park' Creators and It Sounds Wild". GQ. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (January 13, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free & 'South Park' Duo Matt Stone And Trey Parker To Produce Comedy Penned By Vernon Chatman For Paramount". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ Starkey, Adam (March 24, 2023). "'South Park' co-creator Trey Parker to direct live-action comedy collaboration with Kendrick Lamar". NME. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive: Trey Parker to Direct Untitled Paramount Comedy From Producers Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free | Above the Line". March 22, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Nash, Anthony (March 28, 2023). "Trey Parker to Direct Slave Reenactment Comedy from Kendrick Lamar". ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Swanson, Carl (March 4, 2011). "Will "The Book of Mormon" Be the Highest Artistic Achievement Yet for "South Park" Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone?". New York Magazine. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ David, Mark (April 21, 2020). "Matt Stone Slashes Price of Venice Compound". Dirt. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Raphael, Rebecca. "Who is Kyle Broslofski?". Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
- ^ "Chat with Matt Stone (11/15/2005)". South Park Studios. November 15, 2005. Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ Swanson, Carl (March 11, 2011). "Trey Parker and Matt Stone Talk About Why The Book of Mormon Isn't Actually Offensive, and the Future of South Park". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Nightline, ABC News, March 25, 2011, Quote: "I am an atheist, I live my life like I'm an atheist."
- ^ Tierney, John (August 29, 2006). "South Park Refugees: Republicans can't count on the votes of "Team America"". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
- ^ Hibberd, James (November 30, 2010). "'South Park' duo: We're not conservative (or liberal)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Gillespie, Nick; Walker, Jesse (December 2006). "South Park Libertarians". Reason. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ "South Park – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ "South Park – Chart History: Canada". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Keith Caulfield (May 26, 2011). "The Book of Mormon Cast Album Scores Impressive Chart Debut". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Matt Stone and Trey Parker at the Official South Park Website
- Matt Stone at IMDb
- Matt Stone at the Internet Broadway Database
- Fresh Air Interview
- "Mormon Composer Matt Stone Excited to Eat 'Shitty Awards Chicken' on Tony Night". Broadway.com. May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- 1971 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male artists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American screenwriters
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male artists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American screenwriters
- American animated film producers
- American atheists
- American comedy musicians
- American comedy writers
- American libertarians
- American male film actors
- American male screenwriters
- American male singer-songwriters
- American male television actors
- American male television writers
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- American musical theatre composers
- American musical theatre librettists
- American musical theatre lyricists
- American parodists
- American people of Irish descent
- American satirists
- American showrunners
- American surrealist artists
- American television directors
- American television writers
- American writers of Irish descent
- Animators from Colorado
- Animators from Texas
- Annie Award winners
- Broadway composers and lyricists
- Business duos
- Comedians from Colorado
- Comedians from Houston
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Film producers from Colorado
- Film producers from Texas
- Filmmaking duos
- Grammy Award winners
- Jewish American atheists
- Jewish American comedy writers
- Jewish film people
- Jewish American male actors
- Jewish American musicians
- Jewish American screenwriters
- American television producers
- Jewish male actors
- Laurence Olivier Award winners
- Male actors from Colorado
- Male actors from Houston
- Musicians from Colorado
- Musicians from Houston
- New York Drama Critics' Circle Award winners
- Parody musicians
- Peabody Award winners
- People from Littleton, Colorado
- People from the Denver metropolitan area
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Screenwriting duos
- Screenwriters from Colorado
- Screenwriters from Texas
- Showrunners of animated series
- Singer-songwriters from Colorado
- Singer-songwriters from Texas
- Television producers from Texas
- Tony Award winners
- University of Colorado Boulder alumni