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LOS ANGELES - Fame has its price. Just ask "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. After their raunchy animated series catapulted them to the spotlight, they had to lose one of their most precious commodities: their unique haircuts. Parker's bleached shag and Stone's brunette afro made the duo instantly recognizable to their legions of fans, so they both plan to make a clean break and shave their heads after the end of their publicity tour for "BASEketball." "Tomorrow, we're doing this, but for the on-camera stuff," said Parker. "We're waiting for that, and the day after that, we're both shaving our heads. That's the only reason we still have hair."
The former college classmates shared their recipe for success that has led to their acting debut in the spoof "BASEketball." Even before "South Park," the duo produced several wacky low-budget features. "Cannibal: The Musical" told the story of infamous Alfred E. Packer, who ate several of his companions when stranded in a fierce Colorado blizzard. "Orgazmo," a hit on this year's Sundance circuit, followed the adventures of a Mormon porn star.
Their unique brand of irreverent humor captured the attention of director David Zucker, whose "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" series remain classics of goofball comedy. After parting ways with brother Jerry Zucker ("Mafia!"), David Zucker searched for new talent to continue his legacy of spoofing popular culture.
"We had seen them in some of their college movies like 'Cannibal: The Musical," Zucker said. "They did another one called 'Aaron,' it's a musical about Aaron and Moses. We thought they were really clever and good actors. So that's why we called them, way before 'South Park' ever hit. The only problem was convincing Universal to cast complete unknowns."
The overnight success of "South Park" still surprises Parker, and he and Stone scramble to accept all the offers coming their way. They both sheepishly admit that they could not even find time to accept Steven Spielberg's offer of lunch because of their hectic schedule.
"It's pretty weird," said Parker. "Really, what's happened more than anything is, we've always worked hard, but now we just work really hard. We basically don't have lives because we're working all the time. We have an episode due on Monday that we have to start writing." Critics of the "South Park" series lambast the show for its toilet humor which appeals to young children. The series airs at 10 p.m. on Wednesdays on the cable channel Comedy Central, and Stone said it was always intended for an adult audience. "It's all ridiculous," said Stone, "At Comedy Central, the truth is we do the show for older people. If kids watch it, one, it's not our problem, it's not our responsibility. I don't believe when people say, you're out there in the public, it's your responsibility. The airwaves are public, and your TV set has an on and off button."
Zucker turned on the premise for "BASEketball" with a slapdash game invented by him and his friends ten years ago. In the film, the driveway game goes Hollywood with cheerleaders who could double as exotic dancers. Parker and Stone fight the trappings of fame as they catapult to stardom for the hybrid of basketball and baseball.
"The trouble with BASEketball was that it wasn't really exciting to watch," Zucker said. "The game was incredibly fun to play, mainly because it was stupid, and people half took it seriously and half did it for fun."
At least Parker and Stone look like they're having plenty of fun in "BASEketball." Parker improvised on the set, adding a scene where he imitates his famous character Cartman's voice. The duo also convinced Zucker to add a smacking good finale where they lock lips for a passionate kiss.
"We had a big bottle of Listerine, I mean a big economy bottle, and we just sat there and chugged it before and after," said Stone. "We both just tasted like clinical, like mint. I just blanked it out, it was like being in a car wreck, I don't remember it. We had to do two takes."