This week's episode of Fair Game podcast features my old friend Alex Gibney. This is not an episode to miss. Alex is one of the greats in the world of documentary filmmakers. His credits include: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (won 3 Emmy’s) Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Oscar nom in 2005 for Best Doc) Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Taxi to the Dark Side (winner of the 2007 Oscar for best Documentary) about the war in … [Read more...]
Episode 3: Scientology’s War on the Media with Richard Behar
We were very fortunate to speak with Richard Behar on this week's episode of the Fair Game podcast. Rich, along with Pauletter Cooper (who will feature in an upcoming episode) is a poster child for scientology Fair Game against journalists. He is an award-winning investigative journalist who first wrote about scientology in 1986 for Forbes magazine in an article entitled The Prophet and Profits of Scientology. His most famous scientology piece was the 1991 Time magazine cover story, The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power. The subhead on his article pretty much sums up … [Read more...]
Let the Scientology Fair Game Begin
I mentioned in my post on Sunday that I would let Leah respond to the latest bs about her from Ed Parkin. He should know by now not to poke the bear. Here is what Leah has to say. As only Leah can say it. Scientology uses a practice called Fair Game, these are directives and activities that seek to discredit and destroy anyone and anything Scientology considers a threat to their vile, illegal, and criminal practices. The practice of Fair Game by Scientology, its employees and parishioners is nothing new. It has gone on for decades. Here are some of the “Operations” carried … [Read more...]
The Hole: A List of Prisoners
There has been plenty of commentary about "The Hole" since it was first disclosed by Joe Childs and Tom Tobin in the St Petersburg Times in 2009, and again famously featured in Lawrence Wright's Going Clear book and Alex Gibney's HBO film based on the book. Scientology has asserted the Hole "does not exist and never has." But the numerous people who have witnessed it first hand and spoken about it have, to any objective observer, put scientology's denials to the sword. Miscavige even had a sign made and hung on the outside of the building to identify it clearly as "The Hole." (Where he got … [Read more...]
Scientology and TV
Scientology is taking to the airwaves (sort of) tonight. It's interesting times. They put out a press release that resulted in this story in THR: This story highlights just a few of their problems. They have nobody willing to talk to the media, and apparently these days, nobody willing to respond in any way. Not the recipe for success in this field. Every story that mentions scientology tv is going to mention Going Clear and The Aftermath -- that favor will not be returned. Scientology TV is a novelty that will be forgotten fast. A quick scan of the comments on this … [Read more...]
Scientology: Human Rights Champions or Abusers?
Scientology takes great pains to present itself to the world as a champion of human rights. Their tag line is "Making Human Rights A Global Reality." Look at their website - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is prominently featured. And their efforts to "ensure the human rights of everyone" are mentioned extensively. Same in Freedom magazine (when it is published -- seems to have dried up of late). Videos showing their wondrous human rights programs are routinely shown at Miscavige's Nuremberg Rally events. Here is the Freedom magazine home … [Read more...]
Going Clear Oscar News
Despite the "best efforts" of the church of scientology, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today their "short list" of films up for selection in the Documentary category for this year. Dave's footbullets seem to have had the appropriate effect. Going Clear is one of the 15 included in the short list. Looking forward to January 14th to see if Going Clear is one of the final nominees. Regardless -- this is the first time in history that any scientology related film has been on anyone's list for anything -- let alone an Academy Award (after already having won … [Read more...]
Leah Remini, Shelly Miscavige and Tom Cruise
What can Miscavige do to respond to Hurricane Leah? She is blowing his house down and it is a storm that comes on top of severe damage already inflicted on the once apparently impregnable fortress of scientology. It has been building throughout the year -- Going Clear at Sundance got the ball rolling. Followed by the revelations from the PI's tailing his father which thrust scientology back into the headlines. Losing tax exemption in the Netherlands. Tony Ortega's Unbreakable Miss Lovely, a never ending stream of Narconon bad news. And much more. And now Troublemaker has stepped it up … [Read more...]
Going Clear Paranoia
An article in THR today: As usual, Scientology is shooting itself in the foot. They send goons to screenings and have Freedom "reporters" doing clumsy, noisy investigations. Contacting Academy Members to try and influence them not to vote for Going Clear is such typical ham-fisted Miscavige "PR". He never ceases to amaze. HBO should send him a large fruit basket when Going Clear is nominated. And they should take out a full page as in the NY Times thanking him for his contribution if it wins Best Documentary. And if it does win, and I get a chance to say anything about … [Read more...]
Going Clear Is Everywhere
The hits just keep on coming. From the LA Times: This is the FilmRise webpage: And it is also available on Vimeo: And if you want to do it the old-school way, as of today, you can buy the DVD on Amazon for $16.99. So anyone who has not been able to see the film on HBO or in a local theater can now order it from Amazon or watch it as a streaming video. Miscavige's annus horribilis is just not getting any better. Next up: Louis Theroux's My Scientology Movie at the London Film Festival on October 14. Followed by Leah Remini's … [Read more...]