You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
-Short Attention Span Theater-
'South Park'-Scientology Battle Rages On '
2006-03-17
I know it's Yahoo News, but this is just so much fun. Cartooooons will destroy the world. Or just out the cults

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!" the "South Park" creators said in a statement Friday in Daily Variety. "Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies... You have obsructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail!"

Internet bloggers accused Cruise of threatening to not promote "Mission Impossible 3," a surefire summer blockbuster, if the offending episode ran. Comedy Central is owned by Viacom, as is Paramount, which is putting out "MI:3."
But Cruise's representative, Arnold Robinson, told The Associated Press Friday that the mega-star made no such demands.

"Not true," Robinson said. "I can tell you that he never said that."
Oh I bet he did, silly.

A call by The Associated Press to a Paramount representative was not returned Friday.

The episode in question, "Trapped in the Closet," which first aired last November, shows Scientology leaders hailing Stan, one of the show's four devilish fourth graders, as a savior. A cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out. An animated John Travolta, another famous Scientologist, enters the closet to try to get him out.

In another dig at the famously secretive religion, the credits at show's end are filled with names like "John Smith" and "Jane Smith."

The battle began in earnest earlier this week when Isaac Hayes, another celebrity Scientologist and longtime show member — voicing the ladies' man Chef — quit the show, saying he could no longer tolerate its religious "intolerance and bigotry."

Stone and Parker didn't buy that either.

On Monday, Stone told The Associated Press, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith in Scientology...He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

A Comedy Central spokesman said Friday that the network pulled the controversial episode to make room for two shows featuring Hayes.

"In light of the events of earlier this week, we wanted to give Chef an appropriate tribute by airing two episodes he is most known for," the spokesman said. And avoiding the one that made him hustle his offended butt out of there.
Posted by:Thinemp Whimble2412

#6  It could be worse.... they might make a Mission Earth movie....
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-03-17 23:21  

#5  Well I've always been grateful for "Battlefield Earth". It made "Waterworld" and "The Postman" look like friggin masterpieces.
Posted by: Kevin Costner   2006-03-17 22:54  

#4  Way cool additions, thanks!

I do wonder if general viewers are going to see the parallel with Mohammad (PHEW) cartoons. And the danger of any extreme religion that cannot stand self-examnination or withstand poking fun at self? Yeeesh, most other religions enjoy most those comedians who poke fun at their own characteristics and foibles.

Some make a fortune at this.

But Scientology and Islam; the commonality of inability to accept discussion in any form - humour, criticism, analysis, question or logic. Religions can examine and poke fun at themselves.

Cults can't.
Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412   2006-03-17 20:18  

#3  Frank, the book was great. The movie sucked.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2006-03-17 19:54  

#2  I actually took my boyz (teenagers at the time) to see Battlefield Earth. I thought it was a piece of crap, but held my review until my youngest said: "well.....that sucked"
Posted by: Frank G   2006-03-17 19:46  

#1  Pulled it? It was on last night, according to the cable schedule.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-03-17 19:15  

00:00