The cult-like perception of Scientology hits new heights: A former member of the church is suing the religion and Tom Cruise for being a criminal organization on par with the Mafia.
Jul
31
Jul
21
An Albuquerque rehabilitation program doesn’t have nearly as good a success rate as organizers claim, a News 13 investigation finds.
The Second Chance program, developed by the founder of Scientology, uses saunas to sweat out toxins and other techniques to try to get people off drugs and alcohol.
Judges have sent more than 90 convicts to the facility near the Double Eagle II airport on Albuquerque’s West Mesa since it opened in September 2006.
The federal government and the state have allocated $1.57 million to Second Chance.
Don Byers, who said he used methamphetamines for more than 20 years, was used as one of the program’s success stories.
"I did some time in the federal system," he said. "I did a rehab or two through the federal system. They told me I was one of 2 percent in the criminal justice system that couldn’t be rehabilitated."
When he finished the program, organizers hired him as an instructor.
But Byers was once again locked up accused of violating his probation stemming from charges of credit card fraud.
And he’s not alone. News 13 has obtained documents showing that of 41 graduates of the program, 28 have gone back to their old habits, and 13 have not reverted.
While the program claims a 90 percent success rate, the figures show something closer to 32 percent.
Jul
11
W ill Smith is the world’s biggest movie star and king of the July Fourth weekend. Hancock defied the critics to open at just under $104 million, which is a tribute to Smith considering the awful reviews . Still, box-office trackers at rival studios say squeaking past $100 million wasn’t quite what Sony Pictures had in mind. "It’s a big disappointment. I don’t care how you spin it," says one.
The movie has held on pretty well since its opening, but it’s running into the Dark Knight this weekend and that should hit it hard. It will get past $200 million, but that’s not exactly Iron Man or Indiana Jones money (both cruised past $300 million domestically). Hancock will likely only be Smith’s fourth-highest grosser. Still, he remains not only the world’s biggest star, but also one of the last giant stars, period. He can do anything: comedy, action, romance, drama. He’s huge overseas. And he’s still got a reputation for being a good guy to work with.
But some in Hollywood are watching to see whether Smith’s foot is edging toward a banana peel. A series of media stories in the Daily News , the Los Angeles Times , and elsewhere has linked Smith to Scientology, and industry veterans are wondering how the relationship will play out.
Jul
8
Now that Nicole Kidman has finally achieved her life’s goal and given birth to a baby, we can all concentrate on why she gave it such a crappy name.
And actually it seems like there’s quite a simple answer - Nicole Kidman decided to name her new daughter Sunday Rose because she really, really hates Scientology. Apparently.
