Like any do-gooding multi-hundred-millionaire movie star, Hancock’s Will Smith is involved in the philanthropy scene. He’s also, as prying eyes have woefully pointed out, been involving himself with the Tom Cruise scene, which means of course that he’s basically a raving Scientologist trying to hold in his inner homo, because that’s what the cult is about, right? Back in 2004, Smith donated $20k to something called “HOPE: The Hollywood Education and Literacy Program,” which is the church’s “literary program,” where children get homeschooled and, we’re guessing, brainwashed in their formative years. Now, he and Jada have been plugging a way at their New Village Academy, a private school they’re funding that will open in December, which got the LAT treatment over the weekend. Naturally, the first word out of the school’s mouth is that it is not a Scientology facility. (Even Will and Jada still insist they aren’t of the church.) But a certain anti-Scientology crusader is casting his eye of suspicion on this educational institution, mostly because of a … goat. CONTINUED »
Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Brooke Shields, Sumner Redstone, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, and Kirstie Alley were among the A-listers who attending TomKat’s big Beverley Hills housewarming party. Page Six, however, also spotted “all the gays, which was hilarious because Scientology ‘cures’ gays.”
But maybe, just maybe, they were just the help?
You will look back on today’s momentous occasion – the one-for-the-history-books return of Tom Cruise to Oprah – and think of but one thing: Tom Cruise is a victim! Everybody has been out to get this cultist zealot, and all those jokes about him brainwashing Katie Holmes and inseminating her with L. Ron Hubbard’s semen have been entirely unfair to him and his family. It takes the power of Oprah to set the record straight, even if that’s where he shed his veil of normalcy to begin with. So let’s get to the defensive mechanisms: CONTINUED »
If the Church of Scientology can have a YouTube channel, so can Playboy. What other cults can we get on there?
Anti-Scientology crusader and actor Jason Beghe, on trying to get the church’s records turned over to him: “One week ago, I contacted The President’s Office at The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International and asked for their help in getting my folders returned to me. The Press Office artfully refused to directly respond to my request. So, I wrote a letter to David Miscavige but, when I tried to route it to him through the proper Church communication system, it was refused.
“As the Church of Scientology carefully monitors all anti-scientology websites, I am posting the letter here, on xenu.net, to assure that it be received by the C of S. A transcript of the meat of the letter is as follows:” CONTINUED »
Since Tom Cruise won’t leave us alone, we won’t leave Tom Cruise alone. So there!
As he marches toward Oprah’s broadcast for May sweeps, you’re going to need a cheat sheet about his first return to her couch since his infamous June 2005 high-jump. So what can you expect as Oprah grovels for ratings and Cruise commemorates the 25th anniversary of Risky Business? CONTINUED »
Actor Jason Beghe’s video rampage against Scientology continues — on Vimeo, not the church-fearing YouTube, which pulled his videos. Learn about Scientology’s pricing structure, how to get sucked into the church, and the lucrative business of selling E-Meters.
We thought the Church of Scientology was getting smart about how public relations and the interwebs mix: If you fight a scandal, it will only grow bigger, and online, it grows about 5,000,000X faster than The Blob.
They saw that when Tom Cruise’s birthday videos popped up online. They saw that when Anonymous began attacking the church.
And now they’re seeing it again with their attempts to silence actor Jason Beghe, whose Scientology-critical video racked up hundreds of thousands of views before the church managed to get YouTube to pull it. If Beghe’s story wasn’t a media hit to begin with, the attempts to kill it (when it had already been seen by so many) are only fueling the controversy.
Case in point: Videographer Mark Bunker, of XenuTV, who filmed the Beghe video, now has a new talking point: CONTINUED »
Late yesterday, YouTube pulled the anti-Scientology video from actor Jason Beghe, which was posted by videographer Mark Bunker. Naturally, that’s sent the legions of ex-Scientologists, who cutely refer to the cult as “Co$,” for “Church of $cientology,” into a panic, believing the Google-owned YouTube caved to the church’s almighty power — and ability to craft a tersely worded letter.
Or maybe YouTube canceled Bunker’s account because of previous copyright violations, according to one theory making the rounds. It’s not like Beghe’s video is gone from the video site; just search for his name and you’ll pull up another copy.
But ousting the original certainly becomes easier if the church can point out its publisher’s account is also housing copyright-violating material.
The Church of Scientology may be a vindictive cult, but at least they issue refunds.
Actor Jason Beghe – of Cane, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds, CSI, and all the other shows that rip off each others’ plotlines – got back the $60-$70,000 he paid toward future study when he finally cut ties with David Miscavige’s legion. But now he never gets to talk to a Scientologist ever again. It’s policy.
Beghe is, according to gossip Roger Friedman, “the bravest actor in Hollywood” for coming out against Scientology, which he was a member for 14 years and spent about $1 million becoming a senior level “OT5 auditor.”
So what’s Beghe doing now? Fashioning himself into a video blogger, posting clips to YouTube exposing the church’s brainwashing ways and declaring his wish to “meet a motherfucking clear.” CONTINUED »
Rumors that hypodermic needle dumping ground Pete Doherty is brushing up on his Scientology, thanks to new open hole DJ Nadine Ruddy, is disturbing for so many reasons: They’re courting addicts now? Might this mean he’ll never get back together with Kate Moss?
And, most importantly: Is Scientology finally loosening its policy against accepting heteros into the fold?
For the record: Yes, that is the Church of Scientology advertising with Jossip.
When MSNBC.com’s Scoop gossip column ran an item on Monday claiming Will Smith was a Scientologist, Sony Pictures flipped its wig and demanded the story be taken offline immediately. You see, Sony is the film studio behind July’s Hancock, starring Smith, and it would be very bad for business if their blockbuster star suddenly was in the press because of his newfound cult instead of his new superhero flick.
But MSNBC’s got balls: They refused to take the story offline. That forced Sony’s hands, which meant Smith quickly issued a denial statement. He remains a Christian, he claims, and just because he’s friends with Tom Cruise doesn’t make him a Thetan freak.
“You don’t have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don’t have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don’t have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise. I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions. And I respect all people and all paths.” That’s Will Smith responding to claims and and wife Jada have drank the Scientology juice now that they’re friends with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
And for the record: When Will Smith donated, in 2004, $20,000 to HOPE: The Hollywood Education and Literacy Program – Scientology’s “literacy program” that encourages homeschooling – he was not advocating any of Scientology’s principles any more so than donating money to the Christian Children’s Fund to save starving African children affirms your belief that Jesus is your savior.
It’s just a coincidence, then, that since Smith made that donation, his children have been home schooled. CONTINUED »
• Page Six uncovers that Matthew McConaughey doesn’t use deodorant. Here’s hoping that his next People profile reveals his toilet paper consumption.
• Bart Simpson, or rather Bart Simpson’s voice, Nancy Cartwright, gave $10 million to Scientology. Residual checks well spent!
• Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson go all the way and hold hands in public.
• Avril Lavigne enjoys her last few weeks with a bikini body.
• Jessica Alba is having a boy. Whatever, unless you’re buying a onesie for her, you have no business caring about this.
• Good news: If you like picturing celebrities doing menial labor, some has done the Photoshopping work for your imagination.
[Photo]
This introduction video is one of at least a few versions Scientology hopefuls screen before they’re led to an E-Meter and asked to fill out their bank routing and account numbers. It was shot by an operative with a handicam, and show’s the Church’s logic at its best: “If you leave this room after seeing this film, and walk out, and never mention Scientology again, you are perfectly free to do so. It would be stupid, but you could do it. You can also dive off a bridge and blow your brains out, that is your choice. But if you don’t walk out that way, if you continue with Scientology, we will be very happy with you, and you will be very happy with you.”
At the very least, we’ll commend the host’s script for being nothing but concise: Joining Scientology is a decision you’re free to make, but so is, of course, diving off a bridge and blowing your brains out.
They’re all about options over there. CONTINUED »
ALL BAD PRESS IS GOOD BAD PRESS The Church of Scientology is taking a new viewpoint on unsolicited publicity: bring it on. After the leaking of an internal Scientology video that’s racked up millions of views, the Church now says the exposure was entirely worth it, since they popped up on search engines’ most-searched-for lists. Which is sort of like a teenage girl who gets trashed by her classmates on MySpace saying she’s grateful for the attention. [P6]
Hey everybody! Look at Tom Cruise! The whiny baby can’t handle his own fights. He needs fellow stars like Adam Sandler to take to the press to defend his good name.
“To see anyone’s private life invaded and mocked like this is sickening,” says Sandler in a statement, which nobody really asked him to issue. “It’s especially gross when it happens to a guy like Cruise, who’s a great dad, a great husband, and a great friend.” Adverse reaction of releasing this statement? Fueling rumors that you’re the next Will Smith, getting sucked into the confines of Scientology only to be heard again from Oprah’s couch.
As the June release date of Sandler’s You Don’t Mess with the Zohan draws near, expect the battle cries to grow louder.
If you’re sick of watching Tom Cruise, but not done making fun of him for being a scientologist, this clip of Jerry O’Connell mocking Tom Cruise’s indoctorination video should hit the spot.
If you know jack about Scientology, you know they love their acronyms. In the creepy clip from MSNBC about the creepy Tom Cruise Scientology video, Cruise points at a picture of L. Ron Hubbard and says, “To LRH.”
JHC, that struck us as weird. To LRH? As in what? Thanks LRH for KH and SC? For the MI franchise and my appearance on O?
But still, “To LRH” could work at a wedding, or more probably, the first round of PBRs at CC66 in GP. This could be the new “Making it count,” LdC’s toast from Titanic.
Everybody talks about Scientology, but nobody does anything about it. This is an answer: subtle mockery.
Initial definitions after the jump. CONTINUED »
Editorial Director
