From time to time, our tipsters send us casting notices for Scientology films and commercials, which never fail to make us chuckle.
Marc Headley has explained to us that in the past, it was more common for Scientology to use its own people to star in its many audiovisual presentations. Headley could look at a goofy instructional film produced in the 1990s and tell you the names and backgrounds of everyone you see on screen.
But then a mass exodus of church members included a lot of Sea Org employees, and that caused a problem for many of the films Scientology had on the shelf. What can you do when Larry Anderson, the star of “Orientation,” walks out and then demands a refund? And what a pain it must have been to reshoot the “Book One” film after losing its narrator, Michael Fairman.
(We happened to see the reshoot on that movie — with Andreas Heldal-Lund, of all people — and they had replaced Fairman with a guy who only appeared to be in his 50s. When he talked about what it was like to hang out with L. Ron Hubbard in the 1940s, it just did not compute.)
The obvious solution to the problem of reshooting films because they were filled with escapees was to start hiring non-Scientologists for the roles. And that’s how Scientology began putting out constant casting calls. One of our tipsters sent us over all of the current ones, just for fun…
So hey, it’s Saturday. Let’s have some fun. Provide us some head shots for the poor beleaguered Scientology casting agent to get these roles filled. Who would you like to see crying on camera or being a “friendly investigator?”
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Scientology’s anti-drug front in schools, and Google’s complicity
Gary Baum has a good piece at The Hollywood Reporter about some Santa Monica parents who stood up to a Scientology front group getting access to their kids. They caused a stink about the Foundation for a Drug-Free World holding assemblies at Santa Monica High School, and the administration then took action to prevent the sneaky front from continuing its incursion.
Baum called us up for a quote, which we were happy to give, and we wanted to show him how this is a longstanding strategy for Scientology and its front groups. In New York City, for example, Drug-Free World has been getting access to city schools and the vaunted NYPD for years and years. And for doing so, Queens dentist Bernard Fialkoff and his daughter Meghan were recently given the Church of Scientology’s highest honor, the Freedom Medal…
We gathered up a few links about the Fialkoffs for Baum, and that’s when we noticed that no matter what combination of terms we entered into a Google search, we couldn’t find our story about how Meghan Fialkoff was profiled by Refinery29 in a flattering article that gave her an assumed name.
In other words, Scientology’s collaborator, Google, had once again de-indexed one of our stories about the church without any notice to us or without telling us why.
Hey, Google. How about at least letting us know what you found objectionable in that completely legitimate story about a website, Refinery29, helping to promote Scientology’s infiltration of New York City’s schools with the use of sneaky front groups?
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Bonus items from our tipsters
The Nation of Islam’s first female Clear, Nayyirah Muhammad, flanked by two of Scientology’s celebrities, Kelly Preston and Kirstie Alley, at last night’s Dianetics Day event at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida. (May 9 is actually Dianetics Day, celebrating the anniversary of the first publication of L. Ron Hubbard’s book Dianetics on May 9, 1950.) Well, if there was ever a photo signifying the cooperation of these two nutty groups, this might be it. And thank you to Rod Keller for finding it.
Another shot from last night’s celebration, with huckster Alfreddie Johnson on the right…
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Countdown to Denver!
HowdyCon 2017: Denver, June 23-25 at the Residence Inn Denver City Center. Go here to start making your plans, and book your room soon!
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 4,749 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 1,852 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,346 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,386 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy in 1,098 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 624 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 4,713 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 1,853 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,173 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,148 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 504 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin in 4,806 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 913 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis for 1,315 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,188 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 769 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike in 1,274 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 1,518 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 12,627 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 13, 2017 at 07:00
E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
