Rob Lowe, one of the stars of “The Invention of Lying,’’ which opens Friday, couldn’t say enough in favor of Gervais during the filming in Lowell. “Ricky has a distinct philosophy on how he wants to shoot. It’s quick, it’s short. He’s got some of the best people in the world who just knock the ball out of the park. No one’s out there finding their character or struggling.’’

64 percent of Bay Staters think tax breaks for movie producers are good for the economy. But state Rep. Matthew Patrick isn’t a huge fan. “If this was a sampling of the public,” Patrick sniped. “it is based on opinions of uninformed people.”

Anyone who was awake near dawn in Bridgewater yesterday may have noticed a boom, followed by a giant shooting fireball over one of the town’s cornfields. Not to worry. The dismantled 727 aircraft had not crashed or blown up, despite the 200-foot-tall mushroom cloud that rose above it.

Yesterday morning’s staged aircraft explosion in Bridgewater attracted its share of eager would-be spectators hoping for a show of Hollywood magic. By 5am, the few bystanders with star-powered stamina were jarred out of semiconsciousness with a glowing fireball and thunderclap followed by a mushroom cloud of smoke, all highly visible from a field off Summer Street. “Awesome,” said John Falvey, 39, of West Bridgewater, who had just gotten off work as a trucker. “I expected it to be more of a cheesy gasoline fireball. It was a legitimate explosion. Very intense.”

It isn’t just a Bridgewater cornfield that’s been transformed for the new movie starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. A garage in Chelsea, an elderly housing complex in Boston and a kiosk in Woburn have been made over as well, thanks to businessmen Michael Cohen of Stoughton and Steve Fishman of Brockton.

A team of California film executives who came to Plymouth two years ago with a plan to build the first full-fledged production studio on the East Coast announced yesterday that they have secured a $550 million loan to begin construction on Plymouth Rock Studios later this year.

Plymouth Rock Studios reached a milestone yesterday with a $550 million construction loan for its proposed $1 billion film, television and digital studio campus in Plymouth.

Cranberry farmer Stan Kravitz, chairman of the Bridgewater Board of Selectmen, said he expects the town to take in as much as $150,000 in exchange for its participation, including $40,000 to compensate the Fire Department, additional payments for police details, and a donation to the town’s senior center, which was used as a base camp away from the set.

The STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE reported yesterday that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approve of the film tax credit—which, since 2006, has resulted in a dramatic increase in film and television production in the state. The poll, conducted by Suffolk University, showed that 64% favored the film tax credit, 20% opposed it, and 16% were undecided.

Columbia Pictures and director David Fincher have set the core cast for “The Social Network,” a new film about the formation of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg will play Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Justin Timberlake will play Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder who became Facebook’s founding president; and Andrew Garfield will play Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg over money. Production will begin next month in Boston.

Hollywood hunk Tom Cruise gave Hub fans an unexpected treat yesterday by turning up in the South End to film scenes for his latest flick at Gaslight restaurant alongside A-list hottie Cameron Diaz.

When set designer Jay R. Hart walked into the Putnam Hallmark store in Webster Square Plaza last week, the store’s marketing director–Daniel B. LeBlanc–learned first-hand that a big budget film can deliver a blockbuster economic spinoff for local businesses.

Forget the Sundance Channel. Those who love watching independent and foreign films on a big screen in a real movie house are going to have a new venue right in Boston’s Theatre District.

As the film industry booms in Massachusetts, it’s creating a ripple effect across many businesses.

Hollywood honey Cameron Diaz surprised the Boston Celtics this morning when she turned up to get her hands dirty at the team’s beautifying project at the Young Achievers Pilot School in Mattapan.

Having famous people come to town is fun…and it’s good for business, too, according to the state Department of Revenue – which estimates that 13 movie projects filmed in 2008 resulted in $452 million in direct spending in Massachusetts.