Scientology and Seinfeld: What's the Deal?

Also talks Scientology in 'Playboy' interview

(NEWSER) - Tom Cruise promotes his upcoming musical Rock of Ages in the latest issue of Playboy , but not surprisingly, the movie talk isn’t getting quite as much attention as the quotes about Cruise’s personal life. Some highlights:

• On plastic surgery: "I haven't [gotten any], and I never would."
• On his PR nightmare: Asked what he learned from his controversial interview with Matt Lauer (in which he disparaged psychiatry and prescription drugs for post-partum depression) and his Oprah couch fiasco, Cruise replied, “When I go back and look at it, I find myself thinking, I don’t feel that way. I get how it came across, but I don’t feel that way, and I never have. Telling people how to live their lives? I saw how that came across and how pieces were edited.”

Apparently there's a lot of clay, and perhaps some grade inflation to boot

(NEWSER) - They grow up so fast: Suri Cruise’s first day of school—Scientology-flavored school—was last week. So what’s it like at the New Village Leadership Academy in Calabasas, California, which uses L. Ron Hubbard’s “study technology” educational system? Well, for one thing, there’s a lot of clay. Sculpting is apparently big at schools like this, Slate explains, because Hubbard said students are frustrated when they have no access to “mass,” or the physical presence of whatever object they’re studying. According to the official study technology website, without mass students feel, among other things, “sort of spinny” and “squashed.” Therefore, Suri will probably be encouraged to use clay to sculpt concepts she’s learning about. More»

Actor's lawyer calls new book defamatory

(NEWSER) - A new book that offers a peek inside the wacky world of Scientology includes some interesting tidbits about—who else?—Tom Cruise. But what we call juicy, Cruise's lawyer calls "demonstrably false and defamatory." So what exactly is he worried about?

• Author Amy Scobee, an ex-Scientoloist in LA, claims that Cruise was worried his "drug history" would keep him from joining the church, Gawker reports.

Critical film is 'intolerant propaganda,' group claims

(NEWSER) - The Church of Scientology is trying to block a a German TV movie that depicts the organization as totalitarian, dangerous, and unethical. Scientology leaders say the film—based on a true story of a young family torn apart by the organization—is propaganda designed to "create a mood of intolerance and discrimination against a religious community," the Guardian reports. More»

'Play for blood,' urges motivational video

(NEWSER) - A heavy-duty call-to-battle video featuring clips from Braveheart, Independence Day and various movies of star cult member Tom Cruise has been created by Scientology leaders to spur Vegas staffers into fighting infidels. The video urges members to "play for blood" and features battle scenes bristling with weaponry, from bloody spears to missiles. The video was yanked off You Tube for copyright violations after Gawker informed Lucasfilm that Star Wars scenes were part of the film. More»