The Farrellys receive praise for...sensitivity

By Mark Shanahan and Paysha Rhone  |  August 13, 2008

If the producers of the film "Tropic Thunder" wanted to be funny - and respectful - they should have followed the Farrelly brothers' lead. So say the folks at Special Olympics, who are outraged at the use of the term "retard" in "Tropic Thunder" to describe a character with intellectual disabilities. "Our population is hurt and offended," Special Olympics spokeswoman Kirsten Seckler told us yesterday. "You wouldn't throw around the N-word like this." Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver was among 200 or so people who protested outside the LA premiere of "Tropic Thunder." (Ben Stiller directs and stars in the comedy, whose all-star cast also includes Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, and Tom Cruise.) By contrast, Seckler said Peter and Bobby Farrelly approached Special Olympics before filming "The Ringer," a comedy in which Johnny Knoxville pretends to be mentally challenged so he can win the Special Olympics. "The Farrellys did sensitivity training with the cast and also hired people with intellectual disabilities," Seckler said. "They were absolutely great."

A monster truck once owned by Tom Brady fetched a hefty sum on eBay yesterday. Ron Lane, a Tennessean who trades in collectible cars, paid $89,900 for a 2005 International Harvester CXT formerly owned by our football hero. "I thought I'd buy it and play with it for a while, and then I'll probably resell it," said Lane, who owns Ron's Classic Cars. (One of his best customers is beefy Redskins tackle Cornelius Griffin.) "This is a rich man's toy. That's exactly what it is. It's got heated seats, a navigation system, DVD, all the goodies. It's something a Texas oil man would want, and I've got that clientele." Asked if he bought the truck because it once belonged to Brady, Lane replied: "It definitely doesn't hurt." The seller, Shane Johnson, told us he bought the big rig at a dealership six months ago, and a check of the VIN revealed that the Pats QB was a previous owner. "It's the biggest, baddest truck you ever saw," said Johnson, who dabbles in real estate in Dalton, Ga. "You don't ride it around; it rides you around." Johnson said he didn't get what he paid for the vehicle, but that's OK. (It cost $121,000 brand new.) "It's nothing but a thing," he said.

What's going on in Gloucester? It wasn't so long ago that Mayor Carolyn Kirk and Christopher Farmer, superintendent of schools, stiff-armed the media who tried to report on the alleged pregnancy pact among 17 Gloucester girls. Not anymore. School officials this week let a BBC film crew wander the halls of Gloucester High shooting footage for a documentary on the pregnancy problem and the media melee that followed. In addition, three of the pregnant teens appeared on an episode of NBC's "The Baby Borrowers" to deny the existence of a pact. Last week, Kirk relented on a proposal to ban the media from city-sponsored meetings addressing the surge in teen pregnancies.

Max Drummey, the 23-year-old Jamaica Plain native who's half of the pop duo Chester French, has married Peaches Geldof, daughter of Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates. Yesterday the couple's publicist said Drummey and Peaches, 19, are "delighted to announce their very happy marriage," which had the "full support of their family and friends." The pair, who were married in Las Vegas, met two years ago. This summer Chester French played at the ITV iTunes festival, where Peaches was a presenter. Drummey is a Harvard grad.

Want to be the next Janice Pennington or Holly Hallstrom? You're in luck. CBS is searching for a new "Price Is Right" model and is holding a casting call Friday at Cardi's Furniture in Braintree. One woman will be flown to LA with four other finalists to appear on an episode of the game show in October. Details can be found at www.wbztv.com. . . . Also, MTV's looking for "outrageous, athletic, and adventurous contestants" for a reality game show being produced by Justin Timberlake. Show up at the Hard Rock Cafe Saturday.

Philanthropist and investment tycoon Steve Belkin gave 75 kids from Hyde Park and Revere a tour of the Belkin Family Lookout Farm in Natick yesterday. The outing was part of the annual Lenny Zakim Fund Young Leadership Day. Belkin's daughter, Amy, runs the program, and she helped her dad show off the petting zoo.

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