Leah Remini is once again speaking out about her much-talked about decision to leave the Church of Scientology last summer. Why did she do it? In an interview with Buzzfeed, she cites “dozens” of factors that led to her July 2013 exit, but none as important as her 9-year-old daughter, Sofia. Leah Remini Reveals Why She Left Scientology “She was getting to the age where the acclimation into the Church would have to start,” Remini explains, referring to Scientology’s “auditing” process. That brought up memories of the actress’ own experience with the Church as a child, and how it affected her relationship with her mother, Vicki. Vicki moved the family to a Scientology compound in Clearwater, Fla., shortly before Remini’s 10th birthday, and spent a lot of time at the Church. “I started thinking of my own childhood and how I grew up resenting my mother because she was never home,” she says of that time in her life. Remini added that, “my mom thought she was doing something good; she thought she was helping the planet. That’s what the Church tells you. “In my house, it’s family first … but I was spending most of my time at the Church,” she says. “So, I was saying ‘family first,’ but I wasn’t showing that.” Leah Remini vs. Scientology “I didn’t like the message that sent my daughter.” Initially, she says, she tried to make changes “from within” the Church, but they didn’t take. “They didn’t want to,” she says of her friends in Scientology. “That showed me they didn’t actually care, which went against everything I thought we stood for. They only cared that their lives would be disrupted.” “They didn’t care about doing the right thing.” “In the Church, you’re taught that everybody is lost. They say they’re loving, caring, non-judgmental people, but secretly, they were judging the world.” “To me, that is not a spiritual person. That’s a judgmental person and that is what I was. I was a hypocrite, and the worst thing you can be in this world is a hypocrite.” “I don’t want to be known as this bitter, ex-Scientologist. I’m not trying to bash anybody [or] to be controversial. I just want people to know the truth.”
Tom Cruise and Laura Prepon are a fledgling new couple, according to reports, with the movie star allegedly on “cloud nine” and smitten with the actress. British magazine Grazia (via The Independent ) claims the 51-year-old Hollywood hunk became friends with Prepon through their Scientology social circle. Cruise, like everyone else, watched Orange is the New Black Season 1 and saw how awesome Laura is in it, which only fueled his attraction to her. Tom Cruise Dating Laura Prepon? He reportedly took her out to dinner at The Renaissance at The Manor Hotel, surprising her in a classic car and with a 1979 bottle of merlot. The insider alleged that it went so well, the duo returned to the restaurant for a second Sunday brunch date, and later hung out at John Travolta’s house. Tom’s rep says not to get your couch-jumping hopes up, though. Awesome as that date sounds, and even though we can see them together, Cruise’s camp shot down rumors of a romance, saying the report is “false.” It’s been more than 15 months since the actor’s divorce from his third wife, Katie Holmes, became final, putting an end to their five-year marriage. He is still involved in a lawsuit, however, regarding a celebrity gossip magazine’s claim that he abandoned Suri Cruise, his daughter, during the split. During his deposition, Cruise was reported to have compared acting to fighting in Afghanistan , although that story was taken somewhat out of context. Much like his connection to Laura, it sounds like.
Jada, you know you don’t play with God like that! Fans Slam Jada Pinkett Smith For Anti-Christian Statement This is the same lady who defended Jaden saying kids needed to drop out of school. Doesn’t Jada know people will cut you down to the white meat over their God? According to Rolling Out: Jada Pinkett Smith recently caused a stir on Facebook after she posted an “inspirational” status update that to some seemed to be anti-Christianity. “We are born with our souls, but it is through our experiences in life that we are given the opportunity to discover the paths needed to develop the self,” wrote Smith. “In order to do this we must not belong to the obedient…we must belong to our truth.” And while over 42,000 people liked the comment, several fans spoke out against her words and ordered her to reconnect with God and study the bible. “This is not the truth, so many lost souls. We must be obedient to God and follow his will for our lives!” wrote one fan. “We are to be obedient to God,” added another. Jada and her family have long been rumored to be a part of the Church of Scientology. In 2008, the Smiths funded a school that taught children under the principles of “Study Technology,” a concept created by the Church of Scientology’s founder Ron L. Hubbard. Both Willow and Jaden Smith attended the academy before it closed its door amid controversy in June. Hit the flip to see the fans come for Jada.
Actress Kirstie Alley is said to be angry over Leah Remini’s departure from the Church of Scientology, though the actress denies this is the case. The King of Queens star’s friend and fellow Scientologist Alley was said to be particularly upset about her exit, and demanding leaders address it. “When faced w malicious gossip I take a moment to experience the loss of the person I thought was my friend… then I say f— em…” Alley, 63, tweeted. “The sweetest poison is often served with a smile… beware syrup.” According to Scientology journalist and critic Tony Ortega, Alley’s ire was directed towards Leah Remini, 43, who confirmed her exit from the church. However, Alley denied that her tweets had anything to with Remini. “I do NOT care what religion ANYONE is or isn’t,” the star wrote. “I respect religions & would fight for your freedom as well as mine.” “Don’t believe everything you read,” she urged. The church has not commented publicly on the Remini situation, nor has the actress herself, beyond thanking fans for support in a brief, vague statement.
Once a huge box office draw (for reasons unknown), Brendan Fraser is now close to broke and fighting to reduce his huge alimony and child support payments. Currently starring in the animated movie Escape from Planet Earth , Fraser owes $900,000 A YEAR to Afton Smith … and says he can’t pay close to that. The actor settled his divorce with her in 2009, but insists he can’t cover the costs he initially agreed to because he’s no longer earning that kind of cash. Fraser says that recent setbacks have left him almost “broke.” According to the New York Post, Afton Smith isn’t buying it. She claims that Brendan is hiding money from her, despite “medical issues” that he cited as another reason for why his career has been in free fall. The duo was married for nearly 10 years and has three children together, sons, Griffin, 10, Holden, 8, and Leland, 6. Here’s hoping they work it out. The 44-year-old Fraser is also locked in a separate court battle with producer Todd Moyer, who is suing him for an alleged physical attack last year.
Tom Cruise’s $50 million lawsuit against a tabloid is getting uglier by the day, as the media group who owns Life & Style is fighting back hard against him. Cruise sued Bauer Media Group in October after L&S ran a story suggesting he “abandoned” daughter Suri Cruise after his split from Katie Holmes. Now, both sides are gearing up for a court battle, and the celebrity gossip publisher is demanding a LONG list of information from the movie star. Specifically, Bauer Media wants to legally establish “the extent to which Tom Cruise was in contact with Suri following his separation and divorce.” Moreover, it wants to know what role Tom’s membership in the Church of Scientology played in decisions re: communicating and visiting with Suri. Bauer’s attorney Alonzo Wickers also demands to know what Suri’s mental and emotional state was after her parents’ separation and divorce. He also wants to examine the actor’s history of filing lawsuits. Cruise’s lawyer insists that “Tom doesn’t go around suing people. He’s not a litigious guy,” but in this case, the L&S claim was libelous and damaging. He wants Life & Style to reveal its “anonymous” sources. Cruise’s camp also wants to know Bauer’s policies regarding obtaining information from sources, paying those contacts and verifying their credibility. The actor’s attorney also vowed to explore the publisher’s alleged history of “bigotry and hatred toward minority religious groups and their members.” The increasingly complex case could actually go to trial if motions to dismiss are denied and settlement isn’t reached before that. Stay tuned.
Even if you didn’t watch the big game last night, you know that a) Beyonce brought the house — or was it the lights? — down, and b) six big movie trailers aired during the game: Star Trek Into Darkness , Iron Man 3 , The Lone Ranger , Oz The Great and Powerful , World War Z and Fast & Furious 6 . All were designed to whet the record-setting viewing audience’s appetite for these films. Not all of them were successful. Below, I rank the trailers from worst to best in terms of how effective they were at making me want to see the movies they were promoting. 6. World War Z I’m no demographics expert, but I’ve got to imagine that there’s a fair amount of overlap between guys who like brutal football games and guys who like violent zombie stories. So, Paramount seems to have squandered a big marketing opportunity by running a commercial that was essentially a distillation of the trailer the studio released in November . The mayhem-on-a-plane scene doesn’t add much, although, taking into account similar scenes from the Iron Man 3 and Fast & Furious 6 ads, all the hot trailers have them these days. What this spot needed was at least one memorable close-up of the zombie terror that Brad Pitt & Co. face. Instead, I’m left with the impression that the notoriously troubled World War Z production may be seriously lacking in chills and thrills when it’s released in June. 5. The Lone Ranger Johnny Depp trumps Brad Pitt in my book, so this trailer has a slight edge over World War Z , but in 2013 it’s hard to get worked up over horses and railroads and a hero ( Armie Hammer ) whose costume consists of a party mask. And despite the powerful distraction that is the dead bird on Depp’s head , I can’t help but think of Wild Wild West when I see this movie advertised. 4. Oz The Great And Powerful Although there’s not a lot of new stuff to see in this trailer, the clip does a good job of selling this Wizard of Oz prequel as an action-packed and visually trippy story. (The bubble travel scene should appeal to Flaming Lips fans.) With Sam Raimi orchestrating all those A-list witches and special effects, this movie has potential and the Super Bowl clip got that across. 3. Fast & Furious 6 I came very close to putting this trailer higher up in the ranking because it’s so much damn fun to watch. But then I thought about the Fast & Furious movies that have come before this latest installment. The scenes of a tank crushing cars on a freeway and the F&F crew bringing down a jet plane with a grappling gun and a sports car are riveting, but this has never been a weighty franchise. So, I worry this is one of those trailers that gives away all the movie’s best bits — like Michelle Rodriguez’s unlikely return, for instance. 2. Star Trek Into Darkness J.J. Abrams had a little fun at our expense with this pulse-quickening spot. He has none other than James T. Kirk ask the question Star Trek fans are dying to have answered about the character Benedict Cumberbatch plays : “Who the hell are you?” The answer, as presented in the trailer, is pretty cheeky, too. “I am better…at everything!” really does make me want to see this guy get a one-way proton torpedo ride to Mustafar. Oh wait! That’s a Star Wars planet. Then again, that scene of Spock looking like he’s about to be engulfed my molten lava sure does look like the place where Obi-wan and Anakin Skywalker had their fateful Episode III duel. But I digress. If the Benedict Cumberbatch tomfoolery makes you groan, the scenes of a seriously malfunctioning U.S.S. Enterprise crash-landing on Earth will rock you. 1. Iron Man 3 (Extended Version) Even more proof that Robert Downey Jr. is the heart and soul of the Marvel movie universe right now. Having the actor break the fourth wall with an “extensive,” as he puts it, melodramatic look was a beautiful thing, and then the trailer just got better from there. We got to see a little more of Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin character — his mouth moved! Words came out of it! — Don Cheadle in the War Machine suit, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan looking anything but gleeful. In fact, he’s on the floor and looking kind of wet, which is often PG-13-speak for bloody. That’s not a good sign. But what I’m really obsessing over is the trailer’s thrilling climax cliffhanger in which Iron Man has to figure out how to rescue 13 people who’ve been sucked out of a sabotaged Air Force One. As Jarvis, the Marvel equivalent of Siri, explains, Tony Stark’s superhero suit can only carry four. Do the math. That is effective marketing. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
New Yorker writer, Lawrence Wright appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe talk show to discuss his new book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief , and Tom Cruise quickly became the focus of the conversation. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author — who did some 200 interviews with current and former Scientologists, as well as other sources for his book — was in the process of discussing reports of “abuse and involuntary confinement” within its Sea Org unit — the equivalent of Scientology clergy, according to Wright — when host Joe Scarborough brought up the Top Gun star (around the 6:20 mark of this clip). “Do you think Tom Cruise knows of these alleged problems with Scientology . And secondly, what’s in it for a guy like Tom Cruise, who has the freedom to do whatever he wants and chooses to stay in the church”. Wright’s response: “I’m glad you’ve put your finger on Tom Cruise, because I think he has a moral responsibility — he’s been the front pitchman for this organization for years. More people have heard about Scientology through him than any other person. There may be some willful blindness on his part, but if so, it’s time for him to open his eyes because he’s been selling this.” In the video, Wright points out that Cruise is “being treated very well” by church members. He even says they “hand-crafted a limousine for him.” I’ve asked Cruise’s spokeswoman if the actor would like to respond to Wright’s comments and will post them if they are forthcoming. As you might guess, the Church of Scientology doesn’t have good things to say about Going Clear, and has called it an “Error-filled unsubstantiated bigoted anti-Scientology book.” Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
I know you’re probably wondering who this Nabilla Benattia is, and after an exhaustive 20 seconds of research, all I can tell you is that she’s apparently a French reality star and fills out a bikini nicely. Which is good enough for me. What I can’t understand though is why she’s bothering to cover up with a life vest. Don’t those things act as her own personal floatation devices? I bet she couldn’t go under if she tried. Photos: PacificCoastNews
I’ve never done a post on Erika Christensen before, but hey, I’m a sucker for girls in bikinis, especially when there’s the possibility of a wave-induced wardrobe malfunction. Unfortunately though, the only craziness that happens in this video (for some show called Across The Board ) is Erika talking about Scientology and other crap. I couldn’t make it through the whole thing, but trust me, these are definitely the highlights. » view all 20 photos
