"War" or ratings play?
When I first saw this article (which my wife had sent me a link to) about South Park continuing to butt heads with Scientology I thought it was looking ahead to this upcoming Wednesday and new episode.
As it turns out the episode under dispute from this past November, and the new episodes begin this Wednesday (22nd) with one featuring "the return of Chef", which is a fun approach to Chef's voice, Isaaac Hayes, recently announcing he would leave the show. (Something reported by Tony Collett at the start of last week.)
I would be very happy to find out in the end that the Isaac Hayes/South Park scientology riff was nothing but a ratings-grabbing publicity stunt -- which would make sense since this blow-up only happened within two weeks of a new season launching and was in reaction to an episode run last November. When this first hit the press I was mainly surprised to find Hayes reported as a Scientologist, though I can't say exactly why. Maybe he just seems more comfortably together than Cruise.
We'll see...
I'm reprinting AP article referenced up top below because there was a 30-day notice that it would be cleared:
'South Park'-Scientology Battle Rages On
By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer
Fri Mar 17, 9:56 PM
NEW YORK - "South Park" has declared war on Scientology. Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the animated satire, are digging in against the celebrity-endorsed religion after a controversial episode mocking outspoken Scientologist Tom Cruise was yanked abruptly from the schedule Wednesday _ with an Internet report saying it was covert warfare by Cruise that led to its departure.
"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 obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail!"
The Internet blogger hollywoodinterrupted.com said Thursday that Cruise threatened 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 the film.
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."
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.
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.
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Comments
I hadn't seen the ep and didn't want to miss it. Consequently, when I located this link on the net, H and I watched it this morning. It was no where NEAR as bad as the one they did on Passion of the Christ, where they show Mel Gibson as a babbling lunatic and have the jews and christians at each others' throats, or Jewbilee. Tom Cruise just needs to get over himself. Big time!!
The following is the correction. Forgive me my transgression. I'm not worthy.
Tom's Pissing Match
Cruise's people are denying there was any demand to pull the episode, too, which seems odd if Tom was making a statement about intolerance of his religion. To the extent that any of this is really happening I can't help but see these as separate. I'm finding it much more likely that any problem Cruise has with that episode isn't about Scientology but about the undercurrent of jokes about him being a closeted homosexual.
Even if Tom were to step up now , confirm the move to block the rebroadcast and claim it was all about Scientology I don't know that I'd believe him. If Scientology - which is renowned for being litigious if they feel they're being slandered, libeled or singled out in any way - then there doesn't seem to be that much there for any adherents to be upset about.