Tom Cruise never said he is "fruitier than a nut cake," but Athens satirist and video producer Waco O'Guin did when he portrayed the actor and Church of Scientology adherent in an online spoof, "Tom Cruise's Scientology Video: Deleted Scenes."
O'Guin and co-producer Roger Black posted the parody - which is filmed in their usual over-the-top style - on The Damn! Show's Web site on Friday, and angry e-mails started to pour in a day later, O'Guin said.
On Monday, friends woke him with the news that the Web site was down. "Someone hacked into the site, and all of our files had been deleted," O'Guin said.
At www.damnshow.com, visitors saw a message left by the hacker: "Seek the fundamental truth."
"I have no idea who's behind it, but if it's not Scientologists, it's someone that doesn't want us talking bad about Tom Cruise and/or Scientology," O'Guin said.
Writers fired off angry - and even threatening - e-mails to the former University of Georgia art students.
"If you know what's good for you, you will remove that slanderous video," one person wrote.
"If you think you are out of our reach you would be mistaken," another wrote.
O'Guin and Black made the video for their Internet series "Too Soon?" on Turner Broadcasting's superdeluxe.com Web site.
The pair are used to stirring up controversy.
Angry locals complained last year after Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry allowed O'Guin and Black to use the county jail to tape a raunchy take on hotel heiress Paris Hilton's ballyhooed 23-day jail stay.
An Athens-Clarke police officer allowed the pair to use his marked patrol car for another skit that used little people to parody racism, but superiors weren't amused and suspended him without pay for three days.
In the most recent piece, O'Guin and Black spoof a Church of Scientology internal video posted earlier this month on www.gawker.com. The video, reportedly used as a recruitment tool for the denomination, shows Cruise talk passionately about Scientology.
"We're the authorities on getting people off drugs," Cruise says in the video. "We're the authorities on the mind. We're the authorities on improving conditions. We can rehabilitate criminals. Way to happiness. We can bring peace and unite cultures."
In The Damn! Show parody, O'Guin mimics Cruise and adds to that list.
"We are the authorities on dead bunnies, on bags of toenails, pirate hats ..." he says. "We are the authorities on authorities."
At Scientology's request, YouTube and other sites took down the copyrighted video of Cruise, an outspoken Scientology advocate, but Gawker refused.
O'Guin said he also won't be intimidated by the hacker attack.
"This just makes us want to do 10 more videos about Scientology," he said. "Our Web site will be back up sooner or later, and we will get that video out whether they like it or not."
The Damn! Show, has taken on every major religion, O'Guin said.
"We don't think anything in that video crossed the line; it's all for the sake of comedy. People need to lighten up," he said. "We think that people should be free to practice whatever religion they want - just don't try to stop us from practicing free speech."
Web surfers can still find the Cruise parody at superdeluxe.com, where the spoof is billed as "deleted scenes from that nine-minute Tom Cruise video Scientologists didn't want you to see."
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I´d like a therapist to explain how Tommy and people like him fall like this.... This reminds me of Hitler, Bush, Fidel and so many others with such effective manipulation and speech techniques...
If you watch the actual interview he tries to keep his insanity under wraps and appear normal. But if you watch the interview during the Scientology event he talks about executing anyone who dares oppose Scientology. It's hard to pick up on if you don't understand all of the terms and words that are specific to Scientology. Anyone who dares openly questions Scientology is an SP (suppressive person) and, they believe, must be destroyed.
That is the best and most accurate definition of Scientology I ever heard. "Scientology is like a new born baby but instead of a baby head he's got the head of a chicken."
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"Well, if by normal you mean FUCKED UP, then yes."
It was designed with the whole intention of extorting money from people who need real help.
Many people have died as a direct result of the cult of scientology's actions.
Don't be another victim!
For the truth, Google: Scientology's Casualty List
or go to xenuDOTnet for more info on the dangers.
Copy and paste to help inform people of a cult that promotes slavery and who actively attempt to sue or censor anyone who speaks against them
Anyone who dares openly questions Scientology is an SP (suppressive person) and, they believe, must be destroyed.
"Scientology is like a new born baby but instead of a baby head he's got the head of a chicken."
Do you regret saying that?
Shut up fatass.
lawl genius
go waco!! xD