it's all about

[johncomic]

Tom Cruise's sister - turned - publicist. Ever since she got her new job, ever since a True Believer took over the reins, the newsworthiness of Tom's every move has increased a zillion-fold.

Someone squirted Tom with a water pistol, and that event has made the entertainment headlines for at least the past six days in a row. Apparently this moistening is equal in significance to the acquittal of Michael Jackson, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the birth of Nelson Mandela.

Remember when Tom jumped on Oprah's furniture? Sure you do. I remember it and I never even saw it... but I sure as eff heard about it. Hell, I even heard about the results of an Entertainment Weekly survey asking the public how they felt about Tom jumping on Oprah's furniture -- that was a news item on our local radio's morning update.

Money and power hang heavy in the air like the acrid aftersmoke of a fireworks display... except that fireworks smell better. I've heard more about Tom in the last month than I did in my forty-eight years that preceded it. The power to set the agenda of public discussion is the power to shape public values [the more you hear about it, the more important it is -- right, O.J.?], the power to shape reality [if you never heard about it, it never happened]. Orwell knew that long before the sociopolitical analysts did.

So every "news" item I see, I wonder who was willing to fork out to make sure I saw it. Every story like the British Memos, that the US media sat on until the mavericks on the Web forced their hand, makes me wonder what else is going on that someone doesn't want me to know about -- hence their attempts to distract me by waving a wet Scientologist in the air?

Comments

[traypup.livejournal.com]

Matt Lauer interviewed him and they showed parts of it today on Today.

Holy CRAP, TC is an arrogant bastard. he was so nasty to ML. Not that I think ML is the brightest bulb in the drawer, but he's head and shoulders above quite a few. TC spoke to him as if he knew nothing and accused him of not knowing anything. I was disgusted.

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

I read a CNN article about that. It sounds to me like Lauer made the classic mistake of mentioning Scientology in any way, which is sure to make a Scientologist defensive. Why?

From Wikipedia, I bring you this:

Those that reach the higher teachings (OT III) within the Church of Scientology will learn all about Xenu, the evil intergalactic ruler who implanted "thetans" or alien spirits, in earth's volcanoes 75 million years ago, after which they escaped and invaded human bodies. The ultimate belief of Scientology is that you are possessed by the spirits of aliens murdered 75 million years ago by "Xenu" and you have to exorcise these spirits. The cost of reaching OT III approaches $360,000.

Because Scientology is hilariously contrived dogshit, that's why.