FOLLOW ME ON
Daily Notifications
Sign up for free emails to receive the feature story every morning in your inbox at tonyortega.substack.com

Categories

Scientology and the Internet: Before there was Clambake, another OG made his mark

[Ron Newman in 2008, photo by Valis Iscari0t / CC BY]

Your proprietor shares a couple of interests with a man named Ron Newman.

First and foremost, of course, is that we both have a fascination for Scientology and its controversies, even though neither of us were ever involved in []

ADVERTISEMENT

PODCAST: Mark Ebner dishes on Tom Cruise whisperer and ‘M:I7’ director Chris McQuarrie

We didn’t really need an excuse to bring Mark Ebner back to the podcast, but what the hell, we figured Tom Cruise coming out with another movie was reason enough to call our old pal for his []

Losing a friend they knew in Scientology: A tribute to a remarkable woman

In the realm of life, there are individuals who leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to cross their paths. Willie and I had the fortune to know one of those individuals. It was one of those rare positive things that came out of our stint in []

Mark Bunker: How I changed seats and freaked out Scientology last night in Clearwater

 Attorney Elise Winters has hated the idea of me on the Downtown Development Board since I was elected. She previously tried to get me kicked off the board with some very transparent maneuvers and failed. She has me exiled to the kids table out of sight with a mic that often isn’t working. []

Scientology’s lobbyist: He was sent to DC with a secret mission, and we have it

[Greg Mitchell and Renee Bessone]

For quite a few years now stories have popped up occasionally in the media about Scientology’s DC lobbyist, Greg Mitchell. Usually, they’re some version of, “no way, Scientology has a []

Former top Scientology executive who vanished in 2004 subject of new international search

[Jenna Elfman at the 2003 Hollywood Celebrity Centre gala. And who’s that behind her?]

One of the things we most appreciated about first getting to know Mike Rinder in 2011 is that he helped us understand exactly what it was like to be a prisoner in David Miscavige’s notorious gulag for his own executives, “The []

Scientology gaslighting courts about arbitration? Valerie Haney has proof of it

 Just this past Friday, we expressed to you our amusement when we noticed Scientology’s attorneys doing their usual gaslighting of a US court, in this case the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, where Valeska Paris and Gawain and Laura Baxter are attempting to get their labor trafficking lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige []

Secrets of Scientology’s most secretive branch, part 3: CST’s people

[CST’s archival work, as shown on Scientology’s own TV network]

We’re always encouraged when an Underground Bunker reader takes a deep dive into Scientology’s arcane depths, and this time a reader has come forward with some eye-opening research on Scientology’s most secretive branch, the Church of Spiritual Technology, which operates vaults for storing Hubbard’s writings and []

PODCAST: Film critic Luke Y. Thompson on Tom Cruise as action star and Scientologist dope

Luke Y. Thompson (AV Club) once again knocked us out with a great film review at the Underground Bunker, this time for the premiere of Tom Cruise’s new actioner, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part []

Scientology whines that its arbitration process is misunderstood, asks court for hug

Hey, we’re back from a short vacation and we’re trying to catch up with what’s been going on with Scientology litigation while we were []