Tom Cruise was once just as known for his faith in Scientology as he was for his celebrity. There have been reports over the years that the star tried converting a couple of his friends and colleagues to his religion. This allegedly included power couple David and Victoria Beckham.
Tom Cruise might’ve hoped to add David and Victoria Beckham to the church of Scientology
It’s a bit of an open secret that Cruise has tried indoctrinating a few familiar faces into Scientology. For instance, celebrities like Seth Rogen revealed how Cruise tried convincing him to join the religion. Cruise also introduced his friends Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to the community. Although Smith didn’t become a member, he was open to Scientology’s ideas. Which was why he defended Cruise when some criticized his beliefs.
“When I sit and I talk with Tom Cruise, he is one...
Tom Cruise might’ve hoped to add David and Victoria Beckham to the church of Scientology
It’s a bit of an open secret that Cruise has tried indoctrinating a few familiar faces into Scientology. For instance, celebrities like Seth Rogen revealed how Cruise tried convincing him to join the religion. Cruise also introduced his friends Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to the community. Although Smith didn’t become a member, he was open to Scientology’s ideas. Which was why he defended Cruise when some criticized his beliefs.
“When I sit and I talk with Tom Cruise, he is one...
- 10/17/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The retrial of Danny Masterson on three separate rape charges began Monday in downtown Los Angeles, in the same courtroom where many of the same witnesses testified late last year. That six-week affair ended in a mistrial, with jurors voting heavily toward acquitting the “That ’70s Show Star” – making prosecutors’ pursuit of a do-over something of a surprise.
But District Attorney Reinhold Mueller has reworked his approach, and will be focusing on an additional witness as well as new experts to bolster accusers’ testimony. Mueller has also said he gleaned a lot of information from speaking with jurors after the first trial, as well as while listening to a subsequent Scientology podcast interview with the jury foreperson.
Masterson was in court Monday, wearing a dark suit with red socks and brown shoes. He waved hello to prospective jurors as he was introduced but did not speak, and his attorney Philip Cohen...
But District Attorney Reinhold Mueller has reworked his approach, and will be focusing on an additional witness as well as new experts to bolster accusers’ testimony. Mueller has also said he gleaned a lot of information from speaking with jurors after the first trial, as well as while listening to a subsequent Scientology podcast interview with the jury foreperson.
Masterson was in court Monday, wearing a dark suit with red socks and brown shoes. He waved hello to prospective jurors as he was introduced but did not speak, and his attorney Philip Cohen...
- 4/17/2023
- by Kelly Hartog
- The Wrap
Scientology was front and center on Tuesday as the rape trial against “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson began.
Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003.
The first witness to take the stand — who prefers to be known as Jane Doe #1 — testified that the church warns members against “fraternizing with the enemy,” and refers to non-Scientologists as “wogs.”
That testimony drew an angry rebuke from Judge Charlaine Olmedo during a break, who blistered the prosecutor for straying from her pre-trial rulings on the issue.
“I understand these witnesses’ lives may have been completely inundated with Scientology,” Olmedo said, visibly angered. “This trial is not going to be inundated with Scientology.”
Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lead defense lawyer, asked for a mistrial, arguing that the testimony was likely to unfairly prejudice the case. Olmedo denied that request,...
Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003.
The first witness to take the stand — who prefers to be known as Jane Doe #1 — testified that the church warns members against “fraternizing with the enemy,” and refers to non-Scientologists as “wogs.”
That testimony drew an angry rebuke from Judge Charlaine Olmedo during a break, who blistered the prosecutor for straying from her pre-trial rulings on the issue.
“I understand these witnesses’ lives may have been completely inundated with Scientology,” Olmedo said, visibly angered. “This trial is not going to be inundated with Scientology.”
Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lead defense lawyer, asked for a mistrial, arguing that the testimony was likely to unfairly prejudice the case. Olmedo denied that request,...
- 10/18/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
At a pre-trial hearing in the Danny Masterson rape case last week, Judge Charlaine Olmedo laid down a basic ground rule.
“This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” she said.
But the role of the church will nevertheless be a key theme in the trial, which begins with jury selection on Tuesday. Masterson, the 46-year-old former star of “That ’70s Show,” is facing three charges of forcible rape and a possible sentence of 45 years to life.
Masterson is a Scientologist, and all three of his accusers were members of the church at the time of the alleged assaults. Olmedo has indicated that she will allow some testimony about Scientology and its practices, especially to the extent that it helps explain why the accusers delayed going to the police — for two of them, by more than a decade.
At a preliminary hearing in May 2021, all three said they...
“This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” she said.
But the role of the church will nevertheless be a key theme in the trial, which begins with jury selection on Tuesday. Masterson, the 46-year-old former star of “That ’70s Show,” is facing three charges of forcible rape and a possible sentence of 45 years to life.
Masterson is a Scientologist, and all three of his accusers were members of the church at the time of the alleged assaults. Olmedo has indicated that she will allow some testimony about Scientology and its practices, especially to the extent that it helps explain why the accusers delayed going to the police — for two of them, by more than a decade.
At a preliminary hearing in May 2021, all three said they...
- 10/10/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Spacey and Anthony Rapp are set to square off in a federal courtroom on Thursday, in the first of four #MeToo trials to get underway this month in New York and Los Angeles.
The other three trials involve producer Harvey Weinstein, director Paul Haggis and actor Danny Masterson. The four cases — two civil, two criminal — each involve at least one sexual assault allegation against a once-powerful celebrity whose career was badly damaged, if not destroyed, in the court of public opinion.
Coming five years after the #MeToo movement began, the trials will involve similar themes — power imbalances in the entertainment industry, the dynamics of sexual assault, the reliability of memories, and the nature of due process.
In the first case, Rapp is suing Spacey for 40 million over an incident that took place in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. He has alleged that during a party at Spacey’s home in Manhattan,...
The other three trials involve producer Harvey Weinstein, director Paul Haggis and actor Danny Masterson. The four cases — two civil, two criminal — each involve at least one sexual assault allegation against a once-powerful celebrity whose career was badly damaged, if not destroyed, in the court of public opinion.
Coming five years after the #MeToo movement began, the trials will involve similar themes — power imbalances in the entertainment industry, the dynamics of sexual assault, the reliability of memories, and the nature of due process.
In the first case, Rapp is suing Spacey for 40 million over an incident that took place in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. He has alleged that during a party at Spacey’s home in Manhattan,...
- 10/4/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Danny Masterson’s lawyer warned on Monday that TV ads in the race for Los Angeles mayor could inflame hostility toward the Church of Scientology, making it harder for Masterson to receive a fair trial.
Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” star, is scheduled to go on trial next week on three charges of forcible rape. Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, and the church and its processes are likely to figure in the trial.
The church has also become an issue in the mayor’s race. Last week, Rick Caruso began running an ad attacking Karen Bass for praising Scientology during a speech in 2010. The ad includes a quote referring to the church as a “ruthless global scam.” Bass responded by saying that she “absolutely condemn(s) their practices.”
“The public is being inundated with this,” said Masterson’s lawyer, Philip Cohen, at a court hearing on Monday.
Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” star, is scheduled to go on trial next week on three charges of forcible rape. Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, and the church and its processes are likely to figure in the trial.
The church has also become an issue in the mayor’s race. Last week, Rick Caruso began running an ad attacking Karen Bass for praising Scientology during a speech in 2010. The ad includes a quote referring to the church as a “ruthless global scam.” Bass responded by saying that she “absolutely condemn(s) their practices.”
“The public is being inundated with this,” said Masterson’s lawyer, Philip Cohen, at a court hearing on Monday.
- 10/3/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Is Tom Cruise truly the last movie star? Just ask his longtime co-star Simon Pegg.
Ahead of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One,” Pegg revealed how Cruise “maintains his authority” on set. The duo first began working together on “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006. Cruise loomed large over the “M:i 7” production amid the Covid-19 pandemic and butted heads with Paramount Pictures to demand a theatrical release for the film.
“If something goes wrong and it’s his fault, he’ll flatly deny it,” Pegg told The Times. “And then if someone corrects him, instead of saying sorry, he’ll just say, ‘Yeah,’ and wink at me.”
Pegg added, “I admitted f—ing up once, and he said — with a wry smile, I hasten to add — ‘Simon, don’t do that.’ He maintains his authority by never being to blame for anything.”
The “Hot Fuzz” actor shared that Cruise “liked me because...
Ahead of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One,” Pegg revealed how Cruise “maintains his authority” on set. The duo first began working together on “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006. Cruise loomed large over the “M:i 7” production amid the Covid-19 pandemic and butted heads with Paramount Pictures to demand a theatrical release for the film.
“If something goes wrong and it’s his fault, he’ll flatly deny it,” Pegg told The Times. “And then if someone corrects him, instead of saying sorry, he’ll just say, ‘Yeah,’ and wink at me.”
Pegg added, “I admitted f—ing up once, and he said — with a wry smile, I hasten to add — ‘Simon, don’t do that.’ He maintains his authority by never being to blame for anything.”
The “Hot Fuzz” actor shared that Cruise “liked me because...
- 6/13/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
This week's episode of A&E's Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath saw the host and fellow former Scientologist Mike Rinder traveling to Colorado to meet with Marc and Claire Headley, the former Sea Org executives who left the Church in 2005. Here's five things we learned from last night's episode.
1. "Whoever controls the public relations, controls the world."
The show details how Marc Headley signed his billion-year contract when he was just 15, and was sent to work at Golden Era Productions, the Church's audio/video production company which puts out the organization's promotional materials.
1. "Whoever controls the public relations, controls the world."
The show details how Marc Headley signed his billion-year contract when he was just 15, and was sent to work at Golden Era Productions, the Church's audio/video production company which puts out the organization's promotional materials.
- 12/28/2016
- Rollingstone.com
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