Did Tom Cruise Get South Park Censored?
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Tom Cruise, Politics
Hollywood, Interrupted reports that sources inside Paramount and
South Park studios say the scheduled repeat of one of my fave South Park episodes, "Trapped in the
Closet" - the one that satirizes Scientology and has R. Kelly singing to Tom Cruise to "come
out of the closet" - was pulled due to Cruise threatening
parent company Viacom. Cruise reportedly threatened to pull advertising for his upcoming film, Mission: Impossible: 3 if the South Park episode was
aired.
In their long history with Comedy Central, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have never been censored, not even for their infamous "Bloody Mary episode", but Cruise throws his weight around and suddenly the boys have their mouths duct-taped? Following the news that Scientologist Isaac Hayes, who voiced The Chef on the show, quit because he was offended by the Scientology spoof, this story, if it proves to be true, doesn't really serve to make Hollywood Scientologists look like good sports, eh?
If Viacom really did censor South Park over Cruise threatening to pull advertising, shame on them for kowtowing to
his demands. Scientologists have a right to practice their religion, sure. And people like Parker and Stone have a
right to lampoon Scientology. The South Park folks are equal opportunity offenders; they've targeted Jews,
Catholics, Fundamentalist Christians, Mormans Mormons (ed. 3/16/06 - thanks to reader
jferrin for pointing out my disgraceful misspelling, and humble apologies to my Mormon pals), Muslims and
starving Ethiopians, just to name a few.
Did Hayes and Cruise get their panties in a twist over any of those episodes? Nope. But when Parker and Stone turn their lens to an examination of the foundations of Scientology and put Tom Cruise and John Travolta in a closet together, Cruise suddenly brings on the threats? The irony is that you can view the funnier parts of the episode on Comedy Central's website anyhow. Parker and Stone are rumored to have been muzzled by the big dogs on the truth around the episode being pulled, but knowing those two, I wouldn't expect them to just take this sitting down. I smell a South Park episode with Cruise as a Scientology terrorist coming around the bend...
[via Hollywood Elsewhere ]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-16-2006 @ 6:48PM
EJE said...
I guess a sense of humor and the belief that a 30,000-year-old alien soul inhabits your body are mutually exclusive. Who knew?
Seriously though, I think people can believe whatever they want, even if it makes them look crazy-go-nuts. If your messiah is a certifiably paranoid failed Hollywood screenwriter with a sci-fi fixation and an obsession with polygraph tests, more power to you. It's not really that much crazier than thinking God told Noah to build an ark, that he gathered two of every beast, somehow engineered a boat big enough to house & feed them, etc., is it? Yes, you're right: it is crazier.
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 7:12PM
Sine Nomine said...
I was a little confused by your list of equal opportunity offendees, as I was unaware of a religious conviction that would be identified as "starving Ethiopians," although I can see why starving Ethiopians might find South Park offensive apart from the mistaken categorization.
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 7:34PM
eddie burnsed said...
Mr Cruise needs to get the _uck over it, who the hell does he and Mr Hayes think they are anyway. I hope MR Stone and Mr Parker will have the balls to maybe bring their hilarious show "South Park" to another network or at least lampoon Mr Cruise and Mr Hayes in a future epidsode that would hopefully get their Scientolgy Ass pissed off even more. Sincerely Eddie, Your Biggest Fan Mr Cruise(PUHLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 7:45PM
jferrin said...
Uh-oh. Somebody forgot to spell-check! It's actually spelled Mormon not Morman (which looks like either mutant Norman or someone who needs 'More man!')
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 7:53PM
mychal said...
last time i checked free speech and opinions are not the same thing, but a good sence of humor is awesome, but in this sick twisted world we live in, a sick humor that is funny and makes you think is priceless, keep the shows coming
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 8:02PM
Vincent Stomres said...
Sounds like Tommy boy needs to take a pill for whatever ails him... DON'T BE SO GLIB TOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
3-16-2006 @ 10:39PM
Douglas Kaiser said...
How does an assh*** like Tom Cruise continue to be popular? If he can threaten to withhold advertising for MI:III to prevent the episode's airing, why can't we the consumers threaten to boycott the movie if the episode ISN'T aired?
Reply
3-17-2006 @ 8:24AM
Elliott said...
But the real question is: was he mad that they were making fun of Scientology (the one religion less believable than burning bushes that speak and pregnant virgins) or because they were calling him gay (a religion which meets daily at the gym and worships a different Madonna)?
Reply
3-17-2006 @ 2:43PM
Alex said...
Let Viacom placate Cruise now but the second M:I3 cracks $150 million (and I'm sure it will), they should put it back into rotation since Cruise's couch-jumping won't do any more good for the box office.
But Comedy Central wasn't doing so hot until South Park hit the scene. Show some respect.
Reply
3-17-2006 @ 7:29PM
the patriot said...
tom cruise is a pu##y. he needs to get a grip and deal with his overly sensetive woman feelings. no wonder movies stars cant have relationships that last or stayed married, they are not even really men!!!!
Reply
3-18-2006 @ 6:53PM
aka Plato said...
Everyone is entitled to an opinion...a point of view.
Don't mistaken someone's opinion for the TRUTH.
"There are 3 sides to every story:
Your Side
My Side
and the TRUTH."
Reply