Scientology and celebrities
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Recruitment and endorsements by Scientologist celebrities have always been very important to the Church of Scientology. Scientology actively recruits celebrities to promote Scientology to the public at large. Written Scientology policies describe recruiting celebrities in great detail. Scientology has had a written program governing celebrity recruitment since at least 1955, when L. Ron Hubbard created "Project Celebrity", offering rewards to Scientologists who recruited targeted celebrities.[1] A Scientology policy letter of 1976 states that "rehabilitation of celebrities who are just beyond or just approaching their prime" enables the "rapid dissemination" of Scientology.[2]
Scientology policy governs the Celebrity Centre (the main one in Los Angeles and others in Paris, Nashville, and elsewhere), stating that "one of the major purposes of the Celebrity Centre and its staff is to expand the number of celebrities in Scientology." (Scientology Flag Order 2310) Another order describes Celebrity Centre's Public Clearing Division and its goal, "broad public into Scientology from celebrity dissemination"; this division has departments for planning celebrity events and routing the general public onto Scientology services as a result of celebrity involvement. [1] [3]
As founder L. Ron Hubbard put it:
"Celebrities are very Special people and have a very distinct line of dissemination. They have comm[unication] lines that others do not have and many medias[sic] to get their dissemination through" (Flag Order 3323, 9 May 1973)[4]
According to statements by former Scientologist Jesse Prince, celebrities are secretly being given lucrative compensation for endorsing Scientology. Their Scientology auditing courses are provided free. These courses regularly cost up to $1,000 dollars per hour. According to Mr. Prince, John Travolta alone has had in excess of $100,000 of free services in compensation. [2] (Prince's credibility on the subject of Scientology has been called into question, for instance by the Florida judge presiding over the Lisa McPherson wrongful death suit who expressed a belief that Prince had extreme bias and, in her opinion, lacked credibility.[5])
Under the Church's Field Staff Member (FSM) program, celebrity Scientologists, like any public Scientologist, can earn commissions of up to 10 percent on services purchased by their "selectees", i.e. persons they introduce to Scientology.[6]
The Church of Scientology also operates special Celebrity Centres.
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[edit] Tom Cruise
Since 2005, actor Tom Cruise has been one of the best-recognized celebrity Scientologists; in many ways a public face for the religion. In 2004 International Scientology News printed that "Every minute of every hour someone reaches for LRH technology ... simply because they know Tom Cruise is a Scientologist." [7]
Cruise has widely advocated the Church's position against psychiatry and particularly against the use of anti-depressants. In May 2005, Cruise excoriated Brooke Shields for both using and speaking in favor of the drug Paxil. Cruise also said, "Here is a woman, and I care about Brooke Shields because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone?" Shields responded that Cruise's statements about anti-depressants were "irresponsible" and "dangerous." Cruise later visited Shield's home and offered her what she termed "a heartfelt apology", which she accepted[8]
On June 24, 2005, Cruise spoke to Today Show host Matt Lauer on the supposed dangers of psychiatry and antidepressants during a promotional interview for his film War of the Worlds [3]. His intent may have backfired as late night comedians and morning radio programs frequently commented about Cruise's passionate frustration at Lauer's perceived lack of knowledge and respect for the topic's severity and mocked him as a radical celebrity.
More recently, Tom Cruise has confirmed that Katie Holmes, his wife and the mother of his first biological child, has become a Scientologist. She actively embraces the religion, and has been cited with introducing Victoria Beckham to Scientology. However, Katie Holmes' mother (a Roman Catholic) is not at all happy about it, and this has caused difficulties.[citation needed]
[edit] Isaac Hayes and South Park
In November 2005, the television show South Park satirized the Church of Scientology and its celebrity followers, including Cruise and John Travolta, in an episode called "Trapped in the Closet". In the episode, Stan, one of the show's four mischievous fourth graders, is hailed as the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, while a cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out.
The episode also mocks the beliefs taught to upper level Scientologists. It portrays the story of Xenu and the creation of the Thetans by the hydrogen bombs from OT III, and other aspects of the religion, while the words "This Is What Scientologists Actually Believe" appear at the bottom of the screen.
On March 13, 2006 (L. Ron Hubbard's birthday, a major holiday for Scientologists[9]), a press release announced that Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist, would be quitting his role on South Park due to "intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others." Dubbed 'Closetgate' by the Los Angeles Times, the controversy continued as Comedy Central, the channel that broadcasts South Park in the U.S., pulled the "Trapped in the Closet" episode at the last minute from a scheduled repeat on March 15, 2006. It was alleged that Tom Cruise threatened Paramount Pictures with withdrawal from promotion of his latest film Mission: Impossible III if the episode was broadcast. Viacom owns both Paramount and Comedy Central. Though Paramount and Cruise's representatives deny any threats, The Independent reports that "no one believes a word of it."[10]
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone claimed to be "servants of Xenu" and declared that the "million-year war for Earth" had only just begun. Stone also told the Associated Press that he and Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."[11] The Los Angeles Times reported that, "For Stone and Parker, 'Closetgate' will be the gift that keeps on giving." Using lines cut together from previous recordings, Hayes' character, Chef, was then portrayed in his final episode as having been brain-washed into becoming a child-molesting cultist by a group called the "Super Adventure Club". [12][10]
[edit] Lisa Marie Presley
According to the philanthropy page on her personal website, Lisa Marie Presley supports the Church-related organizations CCHR and LEAP, the Literacy, Education and Ability Program of Memphis, Tennessee, in addition to Presley Place, a home for the formerly homeless funded by the EPCF (Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation).
Some former Scientologists suggest that Scientology helped arrange the marriage of Lisa Marie Presley to Michael Jackson in order to recruit Jackson into Scientology. Presley had previously been married to Scientologist Danny Keough, but they divorced on May 6, 1994, just twelve days before Presley married Jackson. The Church of Scientology International issued a statement wishing the new couple "the very best for a joyful future."[13]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sappell, Joel, Welkos, Robert W.. "The Courting of Celebrities", Los Angeles Times, 1990-06-25, p. A18:5. Retrieved on 2006-06-06. Additional convenience link at [1].
- ^ Baker, Russ (April 1997). "Clash of Titans". George. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
- ^ Scientology and Celebrities - Premiere Magazine
- ^ Farrow, Boyd. "The A-listers' belief system", The New Statesman, 2006-08-01. Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
- ^ Ruling lets Scientology death lawsuit proceed St. Petersburg Times published January 14, 2003 accessed 2006-10-04
- ^ HCOPL 9 MAY 1965RA ISSUE I REVISED 8 NOV 1984 FSM SERIES I FIELD AUDITORS BECOME STAFF
- ^ Hoffman, Claire, Christensen, Kim. "Tom Cruise and Scientology", Los Angeles Times, 2005-12-18. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
- ^ Access Hollywood accessed 2006-10-03 http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah1496.shtml
- ^ http://www.scientology.org/wis/wiseng/39/39-idx.htm
- ^ a b Usborne, David. "South Park declares war on Tom Cruise", The Independent, 2006-03-19. Retrieved on 2006-10-03. (payment now required for online access)
- ^ Associated Press Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park' NEW YORK, Mar. 13, 2006 (retrieved 04/12/06)
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-channel18mar18,0,2690713.story
- ^ Leiby, Richard N.. "Harmonic Conversion?", Washington Post, 2004-08-04, p. C1. Retrieved on 2006-06-12.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Celebrity Centre International. Presentation of the Celebrity Centers and news about Scientologist celebrities. Church of Scientology.
- Successes. A presentation of successes in Scientology by some Celebrities. Church of Scientology.
- Scientology: Training and the Arts. Testimonials from celebrities Anne Archer, Chick Corea, Isaac Hayes and Juliette Lewis and other artists.. Church of Scientology.
- Notable Scientologists at dmoz the open directory
- Scientology and Celebrities (Personal site). Critical site. Scientology Lies.
- Project Celebrity (Personal site). Scan of Hubbard's instructions to use Celebrities for Scientology. Xenu.net.
- The Cult of Celebrities (Personal site). Hubbard names celebrities as "quarry" to be "hunted". Xenu.net.
- Scientology Recruits Hollywood. How Scientology recruits celebrities, and what benefits they receive. Factnet.
- Another look at Scientology: Scientology Celebrities (Personal site). By Bernie.
