Inside Scientology’s Secret Bunkers | The Daily Beast Two of the subjects of the HBO documentary Going Clear open up about Scientology’s secrets and the whereabouts of the wife of its chief, David Miscavige. Excerpt: “Probably the biggest story that was left out of the documentary,” says Ortega, “was Shelly.” I sat down with two of the subjects of Going Clear at a hotel bar in Midtown Manhattan — Ortega, who landed a number of Scientology scoops at the Village Voice before starting blog The Underground Bunker (he’s currently executive editor of The Raw Story as well), and Mike Rinder, a former member of Sea Org and senior executive within the Church of Scientology who acted as one of the church’s “fixers” responsible for putting out PR and legal fires. He left Scientology in 2007 as, he says, “the reign of Miscavige took on more dictatorial and draconian aspects to it,” including, he says, sending him to “the hole” — what he (and the film) alleges is a Scientology prison facility in Clearwater, Florida. Both Ortega and Rinder claim to know where Shelly Miscavige is—at the CST headquarters near Lake Arrowhead. “Mike and I are pretty positive that in 2005, once Dave had his blow-up with her, he sent her up there to be a non-person,” says Ortega. “She just doesn’t exist anymore. And she became a part of that project — ‘The Archiving Project.’ They let her out for a couple of days for her father’s funeral in the summer of 2007, and nobody has seen her since. I’m positive she’s still there, and I have my sources saying that she’s still there.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/10/inside-scientology-s-secret-bunkers.html Here are some of the threads about Shelly Miscavige: 2010: Where is Shelly Miscavige? 2012: David Miscavige's Disappeared Wife Shelly: What We Know 2013: Leah Remini Files Missing Person Report on Shelly Miscavige 2014: REPORT: Man was hired to keep Shelly Miscavige from escaping Scientology base near L.A.
sadly if they went and checked out any of these stories, the cult will be tipped off . And of course the church will gloat their asses off and make sure the media says it was all wrong. They have hella money to pay off someone who will give them a heads up. Right now they are prolly taking apart the double wides and making them into something gorgeous or a storage area and the people in the hole have already been moved. Of course all done by slave labor. And as far as Shelly goes being at the CST headquarters? Same thing. The cult can always clean her up and dress her up and drill her (if she still is of sound mind) if anyone does a welfare visit and she of course will always say everything is hunky dory or they will move her to avoid this completely. The last check on her because of Leah Remini's inquiries was beyond laughable. The cult is always one step ahead of anyone infiltrating them and or exposing these people who have been banished to the hole or the CST. Some day I hope they get caught with their pants down, but it is doubtful.
HBO’s New Scientology Documentary Causes a Stir at LACMA Screening | Variety ...as for what will become of the church following the documentary, Wright noted, “This is going to be a moment of truth for them and for us.” http://variety.com/2015/scene/news/...-causes-a-stir-at-lacma-screening-1201449562/ 'Going Clear' Filmmakers On Scientologists Tom Cruise and John Travolta: 'They Owe People an Explanation' "HBO has been vigorously defending the film in ways that I consider extraordinarily admirable," Gibney said. http://www.etonline.com/news/160926...john_travolta_they_owe_people_an_explanation/
Scientology and Going Clear at LACMA Published by ToryMagoo44 on March 10, 2015 I had the pleasure of going to LACMA last night to see the Documentary "Going Clear": http://www.lacma.org/overview This is my take about "Going Clear: The Prison of Belief" Documentary by Alex Gibney based on Lawrence Wright's book. It will show on HBO March 29th of this month, in LA, SF and NYC. Today I heard it will also show in Austin, TX. If it's not in your city, buy the book. Love to you ALL Tory/Magoo
Notice that Mark Rathbun is a member of the discussion panel at the Austin Film Society screening of Going Clear. This is the first I've heard of him participating. I know Mike appeared at other events. https://twitter.com/JamesBoyd6161/status/575508855544758272
Film Independent Recap of Q & A with Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright at LACMA. http://www.filmindependent.org/blog...-wright-on-their-scientology-doc-going-clear/ This is very good. A must read.
Another mention of Marty Rathbun's participation. https://twitter.com/alexgibneyfilm/status/575515354648178688
It will show on HBO March 29th of this month, in LA, SF and NYC. Today I heard it will also show in Austin, TX. If it's not in your city, buy the book. Love to you ALL Tory/Magoo
Mike Rinder: Scientology Media Footbullets On Rapid Fire http://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-media-footbullets-on-rapid-fire/
The ‘Going Clear’ screening in Austin, featuring Marty Rathbun and other familiar faces | The Underground Bunker Our reader Vaquero admits that she felt a bit fanatical to purchase a membership to the Austin Film Society just so she could get her hands on two tickets to last night’s screening of Going Clear, but she says it was all worth it. Here’s her report, and photos that she took. http://tonyortega.org/2015/03/11/20889/
Village Voice: Spoiler: In HBO's Tough-Minded Going Clear, Scientology Looks Pretty Awful http://www.villagevoice.com/2015-03-11/film/going-clear/ * * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * * The familiar tale of the billion-dollar rise of L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi self-help religion-like philosophy/prank/cash-suck gets urgent, stylish treatment in Alex Gibney's HBO doc, a fleet and surefooted account of Scientology's origins, Hubbard's years at sea escaping U.S. taxes, and the misery and harassment faced by the church's apostates. In this case those include director Paul Haggis, ex-second-in-command Marty Rathbun, and onetime Travolta-wrangler Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, whose efforts to take her child from a church nursery and escape her life of barely paid hard labor is here a tale of heart-clutching suspense. Lawrence Wright, whose book offers the film its reportorial basis, observes that there's no way John Travolta and Tom Cruise can't know about the slave-like conditions that the church's "Sea Org" workers are subjected to, contracted as they are for, literally, a "billion years." * * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *
Mike Rinder: Scientology: “You Are Being Watched 24/7? http://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-you-are-being-watched-247/ Please read the entire post.
The theatrical run of Going Clear at the ArcLight Theater in Hollywood, CA has been extended. https://www.arclightcinemas.com/movie/going-clear-scientology-and-the-prison-of-belief?lid=1001
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief | Movie Reviews | Paste By Tim Grierson Last paragraph: After watching Going Clear, it may be even harder to understand why Gibney’s interview subjects could have been so foolish to spend so much of their lives with the Church. The filmmaker never condemns these people — he merely asks them to explain themselves. They fumble for words, they offer apologies, they take the tones of people who have escaped abusive relationships, never really knowing why they didn’t flee sooner. In truth, it’s their lack of reasonable explanations that actually underlines Scientology’s power. It’s not amazing that Gibney’s handful of subjects have finally come to their senses, so to speak — it’s that so many still haven’t, or can’t, or won’t. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/03/going-clear.html
I guess people who are just stumbling on to this whole Scientology rabbit hole are not understanding the mind fuck aspect of it enough? The people writing these articles have no clue what the TR's are or what they do to a person and what study tech actually does to a young mind. The word brainwashed is left out completely out of these articles. They need to know what extent Hubbard went to get his sheeple in line and "make it go right" It's just not only the intimidation, (not to mention the poor carefully planned diets and sleep deprivation of the Sea Orgers and cutting them off from the outside world and reality), it's also fear and dangling their eternities in front of them (which the above paragraph doesn't mention either) that keeps you in. It's brainwashing! I really would love it if Gibney would next focus on the Sea Orgers and THE CHILDREN getting in at age 12, if he is to do another. Footage from Xander of those kids getting on and off the bus would be great to include and haunt me all the time. I just want to go and scoop them up and save them. People have to know more about the living conditions of the cadet orgers and how much they don't see their parents. Yeah I know one film at a time. I am just so excited that I am finally feeling like I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after all these years of this fucking insidious cult. I just can't get enough of how main stream this is getting and I WANT MORE!!! NOM NOM NOM!
The venom towards Mar-tay is mucho indicativo of Miscavige's micro-managent of this vid. Gotta admit: Their goading Marty (and others) into an incensed reaction, recording it, then using that 1.5 second clip for these attack vids is moderately successful. True, no one here is fooled, but a person ignorant of the Scn scene might think Marty's a psycho from that short clip. Of course, no one is going to sit still for this vid, ubiquitous as it's been for a couple of weeks. Any average web surfer, confronted with this tripe while they're waiting for the cat vid they clicked on, is going to roll their eyes and click away long before the Psycho Marty shot is shown. Hey David Miscavige: It's over Big Guy. And I use the term "Big Guy" in a sarcastic and juvenile manner, to remind you of what a tiny little dick you are. "Going Clear" is being released, and will be a huge hit for HBO, and no one is going to care that you're unhappy about that, and a great deal more people will be getting informed about what a scam you're running, and what a malevolant, criminal organization Scientology is, and....well, what a tiny little dick you are. Tiny little dick. I keep repeating that phrase. That's a sarcastic and juvenile way of pointing out that you have a tiny little dick. And that you are a tiny little dick. See what I did there? I swear, I kill myself sometimes, I'm such a laff riot......
Lawrence Wright on Scientology’s “broken community,” and the complicity of Tom Cruise and John Travolta By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon Excerpt: Wright and Gibney insist they are not trying to cripple or destroy Scientology, but rather to compel it to face its misdeeds, acknowledge the diversity within its ranks and open itself to the world – to become the “real” religion, in other words, that it claims to be. Last week I sat down with Lawrence Wright in New York to discuss whether Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard actually believed his own gospel, how the rumors that have long surrounded Cruise and Travolta affect their relationship to the church and how Hubbard did or did not resemble Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism. A longtime New Yorker writer, Wright began covering Scientology with his 2011 article about Oscar-winning writer and director Paul Haggis, a longtime Scientologist who became the church’s most prominent and vocal apostate. http://www.salon.com/2015/03/11/law...e_complicity_of_tom_cruise_and_john_travolta/
'Going Clear' documentary unites voices against Scientology By Jake Coyle, The Associated Press Last two paragraphs: Gibney and Wright are pushing for change on two fronts: that the IRS might reconsider its classification of Scientology, and that the church's celebrity members act against the alleged abuses. But they also hope that "Going Clear" has served as, Wright says, "a bulwark against the kinds of intimidation that the church has launched in the past." "The goal was to get enough people that it emboldened others who would know they wouldn't be in this alone," says Wright. "There was a lot of fear and a lot of tears in reporting this story." http://hosted2.ap.org/OHCOL/APOdd/A...cumentary/id-a58560bc031c4dd2bc1d1331222ea414
Chris Shelton: Alex Gibney Helps Us All Get Clear of Scientology http://mncriticalthinking.com/2015/03/11/alex-gibney-helps-us-all-get-clear-of-scientology/
reel life with jane: True/False Film Fest: Alex Gibney Talks Doc ‘Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief’ http://www.reellifewithjane.com/2015/03/alex-gibney-talks-going-clear/
Australia. news.com.au - The new film that exposes practices of The Church of Scientology, as told by former members http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...y-former-members/story-e6frfmw0-1227259422795
In a word, yes, that's probably right. While it's not news to diehard Co$ watchers, it's almost certainly news to anyone who just knows the criminal organisation known as the "church" of $cientology as the weird-sounding religion of some cooky Hollywood stars. And these are the people who need to be reached for political steps to become self evidently necessary (which is where we go next). Tl;dr : It's all good. Very good.
'Going Clear' Documentary Is an Audit of Scientology | Motherboard Last paragraph: Gibney’s documentary, which is already getting mainstream media attention from interviews on CBS to articles in Vanity Fair, has the potential to add momentum to the church’s downward spiral. Tony Ortega, a journalist who’s been covering Scientology for decades, predicts, “Scientology is going through an internal crisis and it continues to. I think this film will exacerbate that.” http://motherboard.vice.com/read/going-clear-the-scientology-documentary
Los Angeles ArcLight Theater - Hollywood https://www.arclightcinemas.com/movie/going-clear-scientology-and-the-prison-of-belief ************************************************************************** New York Francesca Beale Theater http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/going-clear ************************************************************************** San Francisco Presidio Theater http://www.lntsf.com/presidio-theatre.html
New York Daily News: 'Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief' review: Religion that lores Tom Cruise, John Travolta, other celebs http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/clear-scientology-prison-belief-article-1.2147500
Entertainment Weekly: 'Going Clear': An Inquiry and an Inquisition http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/12/going-clear-inquiry-and-inquisition * * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * * Alex Gibney wants his documentary to do more than shine a light on Scientology. He wants the government to stop making us pay for it. * * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *
Deadline Hollywood: Alex Gibney Scientology Documentary Highlights Specialty Box Office Weekend http://deadline.com/2015/03/going-c...ex-gibney-scientology-documentary-1201391786/ * * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * * Oscar-winner Alex Gibney has taken on organized religion before but his latest documentary, Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief, has turned into a head-on collision with church officials. The film bows this weekend in limited theatrical release by HBO, and is the most notable of the weekend’s new specialty releases. * * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * * * * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * * Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief Director-writer: Alex Gibney Writer: Lawrence Wright (book) Subjects: Paul Haggis, Lawrence Wright, Mike Rinder, Mary Rathbun, Jason Beghe Distributor: HBO Docs Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Gibney turns the spotlight on Scientology two years after he went after the Catholic Church in 2012’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House Of God (also an HBO film). Based on Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book of nearly the same name, Going Clear profiles eight Scientology members, including A-list Hollywood celebrities such as Haggis. The doc details how the church cultivates true believers, their experiences and what they are willing to do in the name of their religion. The film highlights the church’s origins with founder L. Ron Hubbard, a science-fiction writer, to its Hollywood prominence. Going Clear‘s core, though, is a series of shocking revelations by former insiders, including high-ranking, recognizable members who describe a systematic history of abuse and betrayal of church officials, including current leadership. Going Clear also moves beyond the book’s allegations to new ones, such as alleged harassment of Nicole Kidman, the former wife of church titan Tom Cruise. “I was interested in Wright’s book because it was a deep dive into the psychology of blind faith,” said Gibney. “It certainly helped to explain Scientology, but also put in perspective what is going on broadly today, whether it be ISIS, or people’s unyielding belief in politicians or religions.” Ahead of its Sundance premiere, Scientology began a media assault on Gibney and the film, taking out ads in major newspapers and posting heavily on he internet. Gibney said the church’s tactics were a step beyond from past forms of what he describes as harassment against perceived enemies. “I was a little bit surprised,” Gibney said. “What surprised me was how frontal [their response] has been. In the past, Scientology would smear its critics behind the scenes…but this was very much out front with full-page ads in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.” Gibney began working on Going Clear two years ago with HBO, BSkyB and Content Media (which owns half of Gibney’s company Jigsaw). The big-screen version of Going Clear features on-screen interviews with individuals who participated in Wright’s book, including filmmaker Haggis and others. “I’d say it took a certain amount of work to get some people to appear,” said Gibney. “It’s one thing to be in a book but when your face is out there, you become a much more public figure. And frankly, the film will reach many more people than the book did. So I think there was pause. I think there was also pause because they knew what kind of abuse they would be in for, and now I’ve seen it.” Going Clear will open theatrically in L.A., New York and San Francisco ahead of its HBO premiere March 29. * * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *
6 Insane Ways the Church of Scientology Has Tried to Silence Its Critics | Alternet Lawsuits, death threats and smear campaigns are just a few of its tactics. http://www.alternet.org/culture/6-insane-ways-church-scientology-has-tried-silence-its-critics
How "Going Clear" Outs John Travolta | BuzzFeed In the new documentary about Scientology, based on the book, Travolta is used as an example of how the church allegedly uses its members’ secrets against them. http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/how-going-clear-outs-john-travolta
L. Ron Hubbard and ‘Going Clear’ — a reading list to celebrate Scientology’s birthday boy! | The Underground Bunker Hey, it’s the Commodore’s 104th birthday! And what better way to celebrate the Great OT’s March 13, 1911 birth in Tilden, Nebraska than to welcome the theatrical release of Alex Gibney’s documentary about Scientology, Going Clear, which opens today in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Speaking of the film’s release, let’s get this out of the way first, because we’re getting a lot of questions that suggest some people are really confused about this movie and how they get to see it. First, this 2-hour documentary was produced by HBO, and it is getting a short theatrical release so it can qualify for next year’s Academy Awards. So that’s why it’s playing only a week (maybe two, if enough people go this weekend) in Los Angeles (at the Hollywood Arclight), San Francisco (at The Presidio), and New York (at the Francesca Beale Theater at Lincoln Center). No, it won’t be coming to a theater near you in Chicago, or Charlotte, or St. Louis or all the other places that people have been emailing us. But if you live in those places you can still see this movie! It will be aired on Home Box Office (HBO) on Sunday, March 29 at 8 pm, and then on Monday, March 30 at 9 pm, and then a bunch more times. Continued here: http://tonyortega.org/2015/03/13/l-...-list-to-celebrate-scientologys-birthday-boy/
Hollywood Reporter: 'Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief': What the Critics Are Saying http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/going-clear-scientology-prison-belief-781002
