Assertions on Secret Tape and Unauthorized Bio Put the Star's Controversial Beliefs Front and Center

New videos leaked on the Internet show Tom Cruise speaking about his committment to the Church of Scientology...

You have to watch this video. It shows Tom Cruise, with all the wide-eyed fervor that he brings to the promotion of a movie, making the argument for Scientology...Let me put it this way: if Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch was an 8 on the scale of scary, this is a 10...Gawker is now hosting a copy of the video; it's newsworthy; and we will not be removing it.

The German Finance Ministry, the landlord of all public buildings, said yesterday that the filmmakers behind the Tom Cruise movie about the failed 1944 plot to kill Hitler could not use a memorial site as a location but said its decision was unrelated to Mr. Cruise's adherence to Scientology, which the government regards as a dangerous cult, Reuters reported...

BATON ROUGE, La. - Inside the industrial looking brick walls of one of Louisiana's poorest performing middle schools, Scientologists finally have achieved a longtime goal.

A study skills curriculum written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard is being taught as mainstream public education...

...According to one of the program's harshest critics, Dave Touretzky, a research professor at Carnegie Mellon University...

...The vocabulary used in Hubbard's texts echoes the language of Scientology...

...Scientologists will use the program at Prescott to sell the program to other struggling communities, Touretsky said, and to promote the image of Scientology...

A HUMAN rights youth forum at Parliament House in Sydney promoted the views of the Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and was organised by a group linked to the Church of Scientology.

In a kit given to students...

The Court of Appeal for this district has rejected an attorney’s claim to a portion of the millions of dollars recovered by a former Scientologist in the decades-long suit over what he said were coercive tactics by the church.

Div. Two Wednesday affirmed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert L. Hess’ ruling invalidating Leta Schlosser’s attorney fee lien against Lawrence D. Wollersheim’s $8.7 million recovery from the Church of Scientology and its affiliated organizations...

The case is Schlosser v. Wollersheim, B186313.

David Miscavige, Scientology Leader and Best Man at Tom Cruise's Wedding, Spoke to ABC News' 'Nightline' in 1992

Nov. 18, 2006 - On Feb. 14, 1992, ABC News aired what Scientology leader David Miscavige said was his first-ever interview.

Today, in Italy, Miscavige was the best man at the wedding of actor Tom Cruise, a Scientologist.

Following is a transcript of his 1992 interview.

Ted Koppel, ABC News: Stars such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise say that Scientology has changed their lives, but critics charge fraud, that the Church of Scientology is nothing but a scam to take millions from unsuspecting believers...

..."South Park" creator-producer-director-writer-voices Matt Stone and Trey Parker remain positively fearless, which in their industry places them in an elite group of, oh, two. And in these guys, Scientology has obviously met its match....

Spokesperson denies Hayes suffered a stroke, says decision to quit was 'his and his alone.'...

..."South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker dismissed Hayes' claim as having little to do with insensitivity and everything to do with...Scientology, the religion that the show parodied last year in an episode called "Trapped in the Closet"...

...Amy Harnell, a spokesperson for Hayes, told MTV News the Fox News report was "definitely not true" and that Hayes' decision to quit was "his and his alone."...

LOS ANGELES - Soul singer Isaac Hayes may have quit his job as the voice of Chef on "South Park" after a disagreement over religion, but his character will live on when the satiric cable TV cartoon returns to Comedy Central this week, the network said Monday.

Hayes and his "South Park" alter ego are at the center of an ongoing flap over an episode last November that poked fun at the Church of Scientology and its celebrity adherents, including actor Tom Cruise...

...nearly doubled searches for Scientology...

Tom Cruise reportedly forced U.S. network Comedy Central to cancel the repeat of a "South Park" episode about Scientology by threatening to boycott publicity events for "Mission: Impossible III," according to media reports...

...South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet"... despite being scheduled to rerun on Wednesday night, it was mysteriously pulled at the last minute.

However, Cruise's spokesman denies the star threatened executives: "He never said any such thing about 'Mission Impossible III'."

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a statement to Daily Variety saying, "So, Scientology, you may have won this battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!...

Singer Isaac Hayes, who plays 'Chef' on 'South Park,' is leaving the show. Showbiz Tonight's Sibila Vargas reports

I'm Brooke Anderson. TV's only live entertainment news show starts right now...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

...SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, well, the quiet town of South Park is anything but quiet these days. Isaac Hayes, the Oscar winning singer, who's also the voice of Chef on "South Park", is leaving the show...

... ISAAC HAYES, SINGER: Hello there...

...VARGAS: The funny thing is Isaac Hayes didn't seem too upset by that Scientology episode when he talked about it with A.J. Hammer here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: So what's your reaction to that episode? Did you see it?

HAYES: The episode -- I didn't see it, but I was told about it. But they lampoon everybody. And if you believe them, you got a problem...

LOS ANGELES, California -- Soul singer Isaac Hayes said Monday he was quitting his job as the voice of the lusty character "Chef" on the satiric cable TV cartoon "South Park," citing the show's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion.

But series co-creator Matt Stone said the veteran recording artist was upset the show had recently lampooned the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower...

Voice of Chef upset with show's 'growing insensitivity.'...

...Chef is apparently hanging up his apron and leaving the tiny town of South Park, Colorado.

Or at least the man who cooks up Chef's voice is. On Monday (March 13)

Isaac Hayes - who's provided the booming baritone for "South Park" 's cafeteria employee and resident ladies' man since the show began in 1997 - released a statement announcing his desire to be released from his contract with "South Park," blaming the program's "growing insensitivity towards personal spiritual beliefs."...

...the breaking point for Hayes was apparently "Trapped in the Closet," a November 2005 episode that makes several scathing attacks on Scientology, the religion he practices...

...The "Trapped" episode is slated to air again at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central...

...Writer Janet Reitman spent nine months reporting and writing a 13,000 word piece on Scientology, the mysterious religion with which both movie stars are famously associated.

Reitman peels back Scientology layer by layer, meticulously interviewing everyone...

...how those who want to leave are then harassed and ostracized...