Has anybody else read Queer in America by Michelangelo Signorile?
I think that a good rule of thumb is that it's only really necessary to discuss someone's sexual orientation if they are rabidly anti-gay. For instance, if you had credible evidence that Rick Santorum was gay, that would be fair game; if you were starting to suspect that Stephen Colbert from The Daily Show was gay, then it might be their own business whether they talk publicly about their sexual orientation.
Plus, I mean, he's totally not!
Aren't profoundly public Scientologists considered, de facto, to be rabidly anti-gay?
Huh. I have totally NOT heard rumors that Tom Cruise is gay. Nor have I ever heard rumors that Travolta's bi-, with a tendency to cycle through a series of young men while on set. Of course, I've NOT heard these same rumors (that is, the bi- ones) about Stallone, too, so factor that in.
Chopper, Wow, if so, then I withdraw my comment. It never occurred to me that a religion could simultaneously have strict sexual regulations and be popular with Hollywood types.
I haven't heard the rumours about Travolta and Stallone. But, I have NOT heard rumors that Tom Cruise is gay.
re comment 6--- uh I thought FL was gay. Or am I not up to speed?
Well, as I understand it, one of the key tenets of Scientology is that all homosexual sex is abberant and can be "fixed" through having one's engrams adjusted (I'm not totally clear on the terminology here). I think there's a fair amount of appeal for highly-closeted self-hating homosexuals who want to be "fixed."
Mark, that's awesome. You probably just made Labs' day. As far as I know, he's not gay, but he's trying.
I wouldn't kill the gay rumors yet, Katie Holmes claims she's still a virgin
Chopper,
I used to research Scientology pretty hard. I don't think they are anti-gay, but I think they are real eager to help their celebs appear straight if they want to, thus getting their money sucking fangs sucked in even deeper.
As a side note, Leah Reminy had some quote about the Pitt/Aniston breakup saying they should have tried 'counseling' and she always recommends 'counseling.'
She was careful to leave out the fact that she is a scientologist and by 'counseling' she meant scientology, which is rabidly against mainstream physchiatry and counseling.
Actually, they promised to 'clear the planet' of all psychiatrists by the year 2000. They didn't quite make it.
I went googling for an authoritative site on scientology, I haven't found one yet, but I did find this: The reporter then asked Cruise if he felt that it was his "job to recruit new followers for Scientology?"
"I'm a helper," said the middle-aged actor.
But then the one-time "samurai" made the startling claim that "Scientology [has]…the only successful drug rehabilitation program in the world…called Narconon."
The German reporter then did something akin to Hari Kari in Hollywood he disagreed with Tom Cruise.
"That's not correct," he told the star.
He then went on to say that Narconon "is never mentioned among the recognized detox programs [and] independent experts warn against it because it is rooted in pseudo science."
washerdreyer: you're looking for Operation Clambake. It's located at xenu.net, which is named after the intergalactic overlord whose slave ship carrying enslaved frozen ghosts crashed into a volcano on primordial earth. the resulting atomic explosion fused the frozen "thetans" with the primitive ape creatures wandering the planet. Really! And now the thetans, under the direction of Xenu, haunt humans and prevent us from using our inbuilt godlike powers. Naturally, they won't tell you this is the punchline to the religion until you've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's doubtful Cruise knows or believes this -- the celebs get a different treatment than us plebs, as part of a deliberate evangelical strategy. They even get their own celebs-only center!
Anyway, lots of great information at OC.
I really can't stand Scientologists. They make Mormonism look good.
"The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion." - L Ron Hubbard (link)
Oh, geez, don't get me started on Scientology. I know too many people who knew L. Ron Hubbard.
I thought FL was gay
No, just a philosopher. Common mistake, though.
I wonder if anyone was saying, "Oh, geez, don't get me started on Christianity. I know too many people who knew Jesus of Nazareth," in 19 A.D.
Clearly, I meant something more like 49 A.D, since the historical Jesus was alive in 19 A.D.
Or so the Germans would have you believe.
I thought FL was gay.
I think that it's an open question as to whether the extraordinary onanism that distinguishes FL is fairly classified as "homosexuality." I leave the answer to the philosophers.
washerdreyer,
I take your point, but I've done a fair amount of research and Scientology has no resemblance to early Christianity and has every resemblance to a money grubbing cult.
So more like modern Christianity, then?
Isn't Tom Cruise old enough to be Katie Holmes' father?
Sure, if he could get it up with a woman.
So more like modern Christianity, then?
*Low whistle*
[How glad am I to be the one who whistles, rather than inspiring the whistle?]
washerdreyer,
I take your point...
I vigorously deny the absurd allegation that any comment of mine would possibly have a point.
Half Sigma... It all falls outside the good taste rules known to the french: (Age of man X 1/2)+7 but I still think that is being tad over critical.
"I wonder if anyone was saying, "Oh, geez, don't get me started on Christianity. I know too many people who knew Jesus of Nazareth," in 19 A.D."
And they would have been right, wouldn't they?
Just because a billion people believe something doesn't make it true. (Or have you somehow miraculously managed to come up with a scheme that squares Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism?)
Oh, follow up to the last post.
Historical reseach does seem to indicate, to be fair, that in this case the L Ron Hubbard of the piece is probably better played by Paul rather than Jesus.
Pretty clear that he is less than genuine about Katie. Pretty easy to tell he's lying. But of course, we only see what we want to see. That's called fantasy.