South Park doesn’t need the publicity, but thanks to the thin skinned Scientology set, the Cable comedy show is reaping a harvest of buzz about its newest target for satire.
The irreverent (some would say blasphemous) show has pulled no punches when it comes to the religions of the world, nor their leaders. But when you mix Hollywood and satire, sometimes the big stars don’t like the spotlight.
Last Wednesday (March 15), South Park was supposed to run a repeat of a show that last aired in November, in it the high profile apostles of the Scientology system were tweaked a bit by the satirical bon mots of Kenny, Stan and the crew. He who was mocked most, would go by the name of Tom, as in the couch jumping, psychology giving, Oprah visiting actor Tom Cruise. Both Cruise and John Travolta were featured in the episode in question, as Cruise disappeared into a closet (to look for a jacket?) causing John Travolta to join him and R. Kelly to try and talk them into coming out! In a surprise move, the show was pulled prior to airing, leaving many a conspiracy theory to be explored.
If the Hollywood scuttlebutt is to be believed, Cruise apparently was not happy about the new direction that South Park is taking with its comedic touch and put the promotional pressure on South Park’s parent company Viacom. MSNBC tells the tale on their website, that Cruise suggested that airing South Park’s suddenly controversial episode would cause him to rethink his plans to promote Viacom’s upcoming picture Mission Impossible III.
Of course in Hollywood nothing ever is as it seems, Cruises’ PR people claim he never issued such an ultimatum and they have no idea where such an idea may come from.
For the folks at South Park it’s like winning the promotional lottery, the Cruise suspicions come hot on the heels of the resignation of Isaac Hayes (also a Scientologist) from the cast, due to his apparent dislike of the comedy show’s disrespect to the world’s religions. A dislike that seems to have only bubbled up to the surface as the Scientology episode returned to the air.
South Park’s cable network has decided to put together a tribute to Hayes’ contributions to the show as Chef, which is why (they say not quite so convincingly) the controversial program was pulled. Yet it still lives on right there on the Comedy Central motherload site!
Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, didn't have much to say about that line from their friends at Comedy Central, but enjoyed pointing out that Hayes collected many a paycheque while his character took his fair shots at the world’s religions.
One gets the feeling this won’t be the kind of farewell tribute show that leaves the actor with a tear in his eye as he exits stage left.
As for Cruise, one suspects he may find himself to be featured more often on the satirical show, giving him something else to jump up on Oprah’s furniture about!
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