As much as we enjoyed George Pendle’s book about Jack Parsons, Strange Angel, we don’t have CBS All Access and so we haven’t been keeping up on the television adaptation.

When the series started last year, we confirmed with the network that because the storyline was starting in 1938, some [...]]]>

As much as we enjoyed George Pendle’s book about Jack Parsons, Strange Angel, we don’t have CBS All Access and so we haven’t been keeping up on the television adaptation.

When the series started last year, we confirmed with the network that because the storyline was starting in 1938, some seven years before Hubbard made his entrance in the Parsons saga, the first season would not include the Scientology founder.

One of our readers has now let us know that LRH did finally show up, but only at the very end of season two…

After a freak-out pagan orgy scene, the next morning there’s a loud persistent knocking, and Jack Parsons opens the door:

Hubbard: “Good morning I’m here for the ad about tenants. I’ve heard a lot of things about you Mr. Parsons, all bad, very bad which is my kind of thing of thing.”

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Parsons: “And you are?”

Hubbard: “Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, but my friends call me Ron.”

And here I thought Rupert Friend’s crazed ‘Ernest’ character was going to be the “composite character” to serve as the fly in the ointment, but they blew him up in an explosion a couple episodes ago, and here we have LRH himself ready to come steal a boat and a girlfriend right at the end of season two! It’s a cliffhanger!

I wonder if the Scientology machine wants to sue for likeness infringement or anything else they can think of. But yeah this is great, totally can’t wait for season three, which would likely be its last as I’m sure they eventually have to blow up Jack Parsons! Which means they ain’t got nothing to lose!

 
Our reader has a point there. Parsons died in an explosion in 1952, so maybe the series could go out in a blaze of glory and show Sara Northrup ditching Parsons for Ron, and then the two of them going off to Florida with some of Jack’s cash. But only after some of that wacky ‘Babalon Working’ stuff with the moonchild and all.

When the series began, we saw some complaining about how much it was veering from the historical record when it came to Parsons and his involvement in the OTO, but we don’t have enough familiarity with the show to know if that’s still the case.

Maybe it is time for Hubbard’s close up. We’ll be interested to see if the series is renewed.

 
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Bonus items from our tipsters

Doing it all simultaneously in Denmark (with mascots!)…

 
Also in Denmark…

 
Meanwhile, in Tennessee…

Actual caption: “Love getting to work with School Resource Officers. They all care so much about the well being of our youth! Great job National Association of School Resource Officers! Thanks for putting on such a great convention every year. — in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.”

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology spilling the secrets of the universe on an LA street!
[TWO years ago] Phil and Willie Jones versus Scientology: The real story of how the billboard came to be
[THREE years ago] Harlem gets its Scientology ‘Ideal Org’ today, and David Miscavige doesn’t want you there
[FOUR years ago] Fresh DOX: Police calls to the Narconon in Fort Collins, Colorado — unedited and unread!
[SIX years ago] Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Sites — Again
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Spinout: Commenters of the Week!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 31, 2019 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post 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 new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, 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 can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | 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 | 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 | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 The effort to bring to television George Pendle’s excellent 2006 book about Jack Parsons, Strange Angel, is finally nearing fruition as a Ridley Scott-produced series premieres on the streaming service CBS All Access on June 14.

John Whitesides “Jack” Parsons has long been a figure of fascination because he was both a pioneer of America’s early [...]]]>

 
The effort to bring to television George Pendle’s excellent 2006 book about Jack Parsons, Strange Angel, is finally nearing fruition as a Ridley Scott-produced series premieres on the streaming service CBS All Access on June 14.

John Whitesides “Jack” Parsons has long been a figure of fascination because he was both a pioneer of America’s early rocketry and a sex magick occultist who led an American chapter of thelema, Aleister Crowley’s riff on the dark arts which would become such an inspiration for L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology.

Scientology watchers are well aware that Hubbard and Parsons got up to some pretty kinky things in 1945-46 at Parsons’ Pasadena home and in the Southern California desert involving a woman named Marjorie Cameron and an attempt to create “the Moonchild,” an incarnation of the anti-Christ.

Crowley himself considered Parsons and Hubbard a couple of idiots, and no child came from the weird sex rituals between Parsons and Cameron (Hubbard reportedly witnessed the acts as scribe, while stroking his, er, wand).

So you can see why our readers have been eagerly awaiting a television portrayal of Parsons and Hubbard and their occult shenanigans. But alas, we have confirmed with CBS All Access that the first season of Strange Angel takes place in 1938, some seven years before Hubbard and Parsons first met.

Bummer.

Judging by the first-look trailer which has been released, the thelemites of 1938 Pasadena were some very sexy individuals with some smoking hot design sense.

 
That should make for some very watchable television, and we’re really looking forward to the series start.

On the other hand, we couldn’t help thinking about Nieson Himmel, a Los Angeles Times reporter who lived in the Parsons Pasadena house at the time and witnessed some of Hubbard’s antics there. In this 1997 interview, Himmel describes the thelema meetings with Parsons and Hubbard and others in long robes and with “dunce caps” and “pyramid hats,” like they were a bunch of clowns…

 
Well, we can’t blame Ridley Scott for sexing that up a bit. And Parsons himself was truly fascinating, as Pendle explains in his book. It’s a shame the rocket scientist was blown to pieces in a 1952 accident at his home lab. By then, however, Hubbard was long gone, having ripped off his friend in a business deal gone bad involving a sailing ship. Sounds like we’ll have to wait until season two or three before we see that on the screen!

 
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What a crock

A few weeks ago, a tabloid reporter called us up for help on Justin Craig, the guy we wrote about who is pretending to be the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. We enjoy helping out other publications, but in this case, we explained to the reporter, what he was asking for (Craig’s criminal record) was stuff his newspaper should really be looking up on its own. Just from a legal perspective, you understand.

Sigh. It looks like that turned out to be the least of the problems with the finished product.

You really can’t save the tabloids from themselves, apparently. What a crock — that a few deluded former members of the Church of Scientology have fooled themselves into having some interest in this ex-con has nothing to do with the church itself.

What do you think — is there actually an “insider” saying stuff this stupid, or did the tabloid make all of these quotes up?

 
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Make your plans now!

HOWDYCON UPDATE

Hey, we’re only a month away from this year’s HowdyCon in Chicago, June 21-23. As in past years, we’re looking forward to meeting readers of the Bunker, culminating in Saturday night’s main event.

The biggest difference this year is that our Saturday night event is separate from that evening’s dinner. Chee Chalker is setting up an inexpensive pizza dinner that you don’t need to pay for ahead of time, after which we’ll walk over to the theater where our event, hosted by Chicago Fire star Christian Stolte, will take place. Because it’s a separate event, we’re asking that you pay $10 each to get into the Saturday night event, which will help us recoup what the Bunker paid for the venue. (We have never made a penny on our HowdyCon meetups, we only try to break even.)

Please email your proprietor (tonyo94 AT gmail) in order to reserve your spot for Saturday night’s main event. Seating is limited, and we’re going to have some really interesting people on stage and they may make a few announcements that you don’t want to miss.

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 22, 2018 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 can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2017), 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 | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news