Filed under: Documentary, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Home Entertainment
The Scientologists are not happy. However, they've got a different Hollywood spokesman leading the revolt this time. I guess crazy ol' Tom Cruise is needing a break from his role as Hubbard poster boy, and John Travolta has taken the torch. He's trying to get the BBC to stop a documentary they are doing on the Church of Scientology, after the reporter got into a yelling tirade. Travolta has written to the channel's execs as part of a campaign that has sent 100,000 copies to MPs, civil servants and business leaders, as well as throwing the clip up on YouTube.In the footage, BBC journalist John Sweeney is screaming at Tony Davis, because the Scientologist accused him of giving easy interviews to critics of the organization. Raising his voice just a smidge, Sweeney ranted: "You listen to me. You were not there at the beginning of the interview. You were not there. You did not hear or record all the interview." The journalist has since apologized and describes the outburst as "a fine example of how not to do it. I look like an exploding tomato and shout like a jet engine." For 6 months, Sweeney has been researching Scientology, and he says that his efforts have resulted in spying and hotel invasions that he likens to be rougher than his time in Chechnya, where he lost his voice but not his mind.
I'm thinking that would make an even better documentary than just talking about the creative vision of L. Ron and all those personality profiles. Can you see it? John Sweeney -- a man torn loose from sanity due to the pressures of Scientologists. He is tortured at the hands of Hollywood thetan-fighters, in an environment more challenging than Chechnya. Eh, one can dream. In the meantime, the BBC doesn't seem fazed by the efforts and the documentary -- Scientology & Me -- will air tonight on the BBC.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
