Video Sparks Hacker War vs. Scientology

(NEWSER) - In the vast, fragmented online universe, videos tend to entice some and disgust others. But every year offers a list of viral vids enjoyed by all. The Washington Post runs down 2008's best:

• Tom Cruise on Scientology: A rambling, fervent Cruise extols his religion, saying he's the "only one who can really help" at the scene of an accident.
• "Yes We Can": Slick and star-studded, Will.I.Am's pro-Obama video was strong enough to galvanize a movement and garner 15 million views.

Church can no longer control its image

(NEWSER) - Scientology is increasingly under attack on the Internet, where critics and dropouts are undermining the church's traditionally tight control of its public image, reports the LA Times. Three ex-Scientologists, including the niece of the church's head, launched ExScientologyKids.com last week. Its motto: "We were born. We grew up. We escaped." More»

Calls Scientology 'rough and tumble, wild and woolly, and a blast'

(NEWSER) - The latest Tom Cruise thriller is a Scientology testimonial video circulating online in which the weirdly intense actor promotes the faith as the way to save the world, and urges fellow Scientologists to "educate to bring a new reality" to non-believers. "When you drive past an accident," Cruise says, with the Mission: Impossible theme throbbing in the background, "you have to do something because you know you're the only one that can really help." More»

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.”

YouTube channel briefly turns XXX

(NEWSER) - Sesame Street briefly turned into Sex-ame Street yesterday, when hackers apparently took hold of the children’s show’s YouTube channel and filled it with porn. The page was taken offline in the afternoon, CNN reports, but it appears to be back up today . The nonprofit Sesame Workshop apologized yesterday, noting that, "We always strive to provide age-appropriate content for our viewers and hope to resolve this problem quickly." The XXX material was available for at least 20 minutes, The Daily What notes. Gawker and Reddit have NSFW screenshots. More»