Episode 17: “We can bring peace and unite cultures”

The video I want to show you guys has been popping up all over the place today and just as quickly it’s being taken down. It’s sort of a promotional piece from the Church of Scientology featuring Tom Cruise and was shown in American morning shows yesterday morning. This afternoon I saw the whole thing on YouTube and all of the parts have been taken down. However, I’ve found two alternative sources where you can find it: here and here (there’s also a transcript if those videos also get taken down).

It creeps me out a bit. I’m all for accepting and tolerating other religions, but I’m not sure what to make of this. Some of the things he’s saying just doesn’t make any sense. For instance:

Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it’s not like anyone else. As you drive past, you know you have to do something about it, because you know you’re the only one that can really help.

Ehm, as if normal non-Scientologists can’t help? Or wouldn’t help? And then this bit: “We are the authorities in getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind.” No, you’re not! You’re a bunch of people that for some reason don’t believe in psychiatry and psychology, thinking that your way is the only way.

So what do you all think?

Episode 16: “…”

Raise your hand, if you’re just as sick and tired of the writer’s strike as I am. It’s been going on now for 10 weeks and 2 days and everyday the news gets grimmer. Writers have been fired, pilots for next fall won’t be developed and popular series have been indefinitely postponed (24 might even not be shown until January 2009). Then there’s a big possibility that some TV shows might not even get the chance to finish their stories, like Scrubs and BSG. And don’t get me started on all those replacement reality shows…

Since Thanksgiving Day the Writers Guild of America have been releasing videos featuring well known actors and actresses as part of the Speechless campaign. The videos express the idea of the actors being scriptless and speechless, demonstrating the necessity of writers. So far, there are 31 videos, with new episodes coming out weekly.

I’ve listed a couple of my favourite ones here, but if you have time you can see the rest of the episodes on the Speechless site or here on YouTube.

Interesting links for January 16th:

• Flickr: Photos from RedandJonny – The daily life of a Stormtrooper. Photos from a couple posing with a Stormtrooper helmet on in their travels.
• Stephen Chow’s CJ7 Alien Creature Revealed! – New images from the movie from the guy behind Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. This alien is too cute!
• iTunes Subscribers Could Feel Pinch From Writers’ Strike – People that have subscribed for a season pass of a tv show in iTunes, don’t really know what will happen now that some series are having less episodes this season due to the writer’s strike (they paid for 23, but are only getting 11).