Trapped in the Closet (South Park)

Last updated

"Trapped in the Closet"
South Park episode
South Park Xenu.jpg
Xenu as depicted in South Park, with a line onscreen mocking Scientology
Episode no.Season 9
Episode 12
Directed by Trey Parker (credited as John Smith)
Written byTrey Parker (credited as John Smith)
Production code912
Original air dateNovember 16, 2005 (2005-11-16)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Ginger Kids"
Next 
"Free Willzyx"
South Park season 9
List of episodes

"Trapped in the Closet" is the twelfth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park . The 137th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 16, 2005. In the episode, Stan joins Scientology in an attempt to find something "fun and free". After the discovery of his surprisingly high "thetan levels", he is recognized as the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the church. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, who was credited as John Smith. [1]

Contents

"Trapped in the Closet" generated significant controversy when a rebroadcast scheduled for March 15, 2006, was replaced by the episode "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls". Comedy Central stated the change was a tribute to Isaac Hayes after Hayes announced his departure from the show, but other reports claimed Tom Cruise, who is portrayed in the episode, threatened to back out of his promotional obligations for the Paramount Pictures film Mission: Impossible III if Viacom, the owner of both Comedy Central and Paramount, allowed a repeat airing of the episode. Cruise and his representative denied the claims. A statement from Hayes, also a Scientologist, said he left the show in response to the episode, though Hayes's son later said the statement was written without the knowledge of his father, who had not recovered from a stroke. [2] The episode has since been rebroadcast on Comedy Central regularly.

"Trapped in the Closet" was nominated for an Emmy Award in July 2006, in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) category. The episode was also featured among Comedy Central's list of "10 South Parks That Changed The World". TV Guide ranked the episode #17 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".

Plot

Stan takes a free "personality test" offered by Scientologists on the street. After answering the questionnaire, Stan is informed that he is extremely depressed and therefore a perfect candidate for Scientology. They offer to help him for $240. Stan returns later and pays the Scientologists using money he had been saving for a bicycle. He is taken into an auditing room where an attendant reads his thetan levels using an E-meter. Stan has such a high reading that the Scientology headquarters is notified. There, the president of Scientology determines that Stan is a reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology's founder and prophet. [3]

Later that night, a group of Scientologists gather outside the Marsh house to celebrate Hubbard's "second coming". The president of Scientology arrives in a helicopter and talks with Stan's parents, who oppose Stan's participation. Randy sends Stan to his room, where he finds Tom Cruise waiting. When Stan comments that Cruise's acting is okay but not as good as others', Cruise despairs and locks himself in Stan's closet. He refuses to come out despite numerous requests to "come out of the closet"; several other celebrities, including John Travolta and R. Kelly, eventually join Cruise.

Downstairs, the church president tries to convince Stan's parents to allow their son to participate. He privately tells Stan the story of Xenu, according to the Scientology Operating Thetan III document. [4] During this, an onscreen caption reads "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE". He then begs Stan to write new teachings as Hubbard. Stan is impressed by the story and shows his writings to the president who initially approves of the work. When Stan suggests that Scientology should stop charging people for their services, the president admits to Stan that the church is in reality a global money-making scam. He asks that Stan continue with that in mind; Stan appears to agree and keeps writing.

The president introduces Stan to his followers. However, instead of presenting a new doctrine to them, Stan explains that he is not the reincarnation of Hubbard and that Scientology is a scam. The outraged Scientologist celebrities leave the closet and vow to sue Stan. The episode ends with Stan looking directly at the camera and shouting "Okay, good, do it! I'm not scared of you! Sue me!" The closing credits name only "John Smith" and "Jane Smith", in reference to Cruise and the Church of Scientology's reputation for litigiousness. [5] [6] [7]

Production

South Park had previously parodied Scientology in a spoof at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. [8] [9] The MTV short was titled "The Gauntlet" and included "John Travolta and the Church of Scientology" arriving in a spaceship to defeat Russell Crowe (as a gladiator) and attempt to recruit the boys into Scientology. Travolta, along with his fellow Scientologists, was depicted as a Psychlo, as he appeared in the film Battlefield Earth . [9] They had also made fun of Scientology in an earlier episode, titled "Super Best Friends", in which David Blaine formed his own cult, called "Blaintology". [10] Parker and Stone have acknowledged that this is meant to be a reference to Scientology. [11]

Parker stated that Isaac Hayes' membership had previously kept the show's creators from writing a full episode which parodies Scientology. However, the decision to ultimately produce a South Park episode satirizing Scientology was partially inspired by the friendship the show's creators have with Penn Jillette. Jillette was originally planning to do an episode of Bullshit! based on Scientology, but Showtime prohibited him from doing so to avoid the possibility of legal action from the Church of Scientology. Parker commented, "We're going, That's fucked up. And hearing other people say, 'You can't do that' – you can only say 'You can't do that' so many times to Matt and me before we're gonna do it. Finally, we just had to tell Isaac, 'Dude, we totally love working with you, and this is nothing personal, it's just we're South Park, and if we don't do this, we're belittling everything else we've ripped on.'" [12]

Although some questions were raised prior to the episode's screening about whether it was wise to take swipes at Cruise and Scientology, Comedy Central declared that it supported Stone and Parker. A Comedy Central spokesman told Radar magazine in November 2005 that "they are free, and have been, to satirize anybody and anything they want to. They've made fun of MTV, they've made fun of Viacom, they've made fun of Comedy Central, and we've never interfered with them." [13]

During production on the episode, investigative journalist Mark Ebner served as a consultant to Stone and Parker. [14] Ebner had previously authored The New York Times best seller Hollywood, Interrupted , which includes an analysis of the Church of Scientology and its effects on the culture in Hollywood, [15] and has a chapter on Cruise and Travolta's relationship to Scientology. [16] On the official Comedy Central website for the South Park episode, it is asserted that the section of "Trapped in the Closet" that explains Scientology's portrayal and beliefs was not exaggerated: "Nothing about what you see here is exaggerated in the slightest. Seriously." [3] The title is a reference to the R. Kelly song and music video series of the same name, and a depiction of R. Kelly appears in the episode to sing a parody of it. [17]

Controversy

Isaac Hayes' departure

Isaac Hayes was the voice of Chef on South Park. Isaac Hayes 2.jpg
Isaac Hayes was the voice of Chef on South Park.

On March 13, 2006, a statement credited to Hayes, a Scientologist himself, announced that he was quitting the show because of the series' treatment of religion, saying, "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins. Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices." [18] The Guardian observed that the show had mocked most other religions, but that he drew the line at Scientology. [19] Later in an interview on CNN's Showbiz Tonight , Hayes added he did not see the episode itself, but was told about it. [20] In a separate interview, he reportedly said regarding Trey Parker and Matt Stone, "Guys, you have it all wrong. We're not like that. I know that's your thing, but get your information correct, because somebody might believe that shit, you know? But I understand what they're doing. I told them to take a couple of Scientology courses, and understand what we do." [21]

Responding to Hayes' departure, Stone asserted that "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem—and he's cashed plenty of checks—with our show making fun of Christians." According to Stone, neither he nor Parker had "heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin." [22] Stone commented that "In 10 years and over 150 episodes of South Park, Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show. To bring the civil rights struggle into this is just a non sequitur. Of course we will release Isaac from his contract and we wish him well." [23] According to a later commentary by Stone, prior to the episode's screening Hayes had asked the South Park creators to have Comedy Central pull the episode before it aired and not include it in the series DVD, which they refused. [24]

There were several different stories about Hayes' departure. Ten months after Hayes' departure he said, "They didn't pay me enough", and "They weren't that nice". [25] In late 2007, a journalist reported that Hayes was in no condition to stay, because of a stroke he suffered in January. [26] According to a Fox News article, Hayes' agent Christina Kimball, herself a practicing Scientologist, was the source of the statements that Hayes quit South Park. [27] Stone lent support to this view in a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone, commenting that "There are reports that Isaac had a stroke and Scientology quit the show for him, and I believe it... It was a brutal, up-close, personal thing with Isaac. If you look at the timeline, something doesn't add up." [28] In a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter alongside Stone and Parker, Hayes's son Isaac Hayes III confirmed that his father was disabled at the time of his resignation and that the decision must have come from one of his assistants, all of whom were Scientologists. [2] Due to the absence of Hayes, Chef was voiced in "The Return of Chef" using pre-recorded snippets of dialog from previous episodes. The character was written out of the series by a scene near the end of that episode in which he is struck by lightning, burned, impaled, and mauled to death by a mountain lion and a grizzly bear, before being resurrected as a Darth Vader-type being by that episode's villains. [29]

Tom Cruise parody

The creators used the ambiguity of "coming out of the closet", having Tom Cruise literally refusing to come out of Stan's closet, in a parody of rumors that Cruise was homosexual. [5] Cruise has a documented history of litigation against others involving rumors as to his sexuality, and some speculated whether Cruise could sue South Park. [5] Entertainment Weekly asked in December 2005 whether South Park was "cruisin' for a bruisin'" and wondered "how that sort of Cruise-bashing is going to go over with Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's new bosses: Paramount Pictures just inked the dudes to a three-year deal. Other people with Paramount deals? Oh, just, you know, Tom Cruise. Should be one hell of a studio Christmas party". [30]

Concerns over possible litigation were raised in other countries where South Park is syndicated. The episode's planned screening on the UK's Paramount Comedy 1 channel was canceled for fear that Cruise would sue. In Australia, SBS TV screened the episode in late February, a spokesman telling Australian The Daily Telegraph that "We haven't received any legal threats so we're going to publish and be damned." [31]

Closetgate

Trey Parker, one of the co-creators of South Park Trey Parker 2007.jpg
Trey Parker, one of the co-creators of South Park

This episode was scheduled to rebroadcast on March 15, 2006, on Comedy Central, but the broadcast was canceled without prior notice, and was replaced with "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls". Representatives of Comedy Central insist that the episode was changed as a tribute to Isaac Hayes following his departure from the show two days earlier. [32] [33] The following day, the Hollywoodinterrupted.com blog alleged that Comedy Central parent Viacom canceled the rebroadcast due to threats of Cruise to boycott the publicity tour of his upcoming film Mission: Impossible III . [34] [35] These assertions were soon also reported by E! News and American Morning . [35] [36] Fox News attributed threats from Tom Cruise, stating, "to back out of his Mission: Impossible III promotional duties if Viacom didn't pull a repeat of the episode", as evidence of "bad blood" between Cruise and Viacom (which also owns Paramount Pictures, the distributor of MI:III). [37] CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer also cited "industry sources" who believed the episode was pulled "because the network and Tom Cruise's current movie studio are both owned by the same corporation." [38]

The Washington Post reported that South Park fans "struck back", in March 2006, and threatened to boycott Mission: Impossible III until Comedy Central put "Trapped in the Closet" back on its schedule. [39] Melissa McNamara of CBS News later questioned whether this boycott hurt the Mission: Impossible III box office debut. [40] The South Park creators did not comment directly on Comedy Central's decision to pull the episode, reportedly because they had been told not to discuss the matter to avoid embarrassing Cruise. [33] Instead, they issued a statement through their lawyer on March 17, 2006, signing the statement, "Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu". [41]

The Los Angeles Times dubbed the controversy surrounding the episode's rebroadcast "Closetgate". [42] The Independent later cited the Los Angeles Times, noting that the controversy generated positive publicity for the show's creators: "For Stone and Parker, Closetgate will be the gift that keeps on giving." [43] "Closetgate" has since been used to refer to the "brouhaha" surrounding Isaac Hayes' departure and rebroadcasts of the episode, by other sources including Yahoo! Movies , [44] BBC, [45] Turner Classic Movies, [46] the Herald-Sun , [47] Thoralf Fagertun of the University of Tromsø, [48] and the Chicago Sun-Times . [49]

Cruise's representative responded to the controversy shortly after it broke, telling the Associated Press that the allegations of Cruise's involvement were "not true" and that "he never said that". [50] According to The Washington Post, Cruise's publicist asserted that "Tom had nothing to do with this matter. He's been promoting 'Mission: Impossible III' for the last six months. We have no clue where this came from." [13] Cruise himself addressed the allegations in an interview on ABC's Primetime in mid-April. When asked about whether he had been involved with stopping the rebroadcast on Comedy Central, Cruise stated, "First of all, could you ever imagine sitting down with anyone? I would never sit down with someone and question them on their beliefs. Here's the thing: I'm really not even going to dignify this. I honestly didn't really even know about it. I'm working, making my movie, I've got my family. I'm busy. I don't spend my days going, 'What are people saying about me?'" [51]

In April 2006, TelevisionWeek reported that fans had posted the episode in multiple locations on the internet. [52] At that time, the episode had been viewed over 700,000 times on YouTube, and an online petition to re-air the episode had garnered 5,000 signatures. [52] TelevisionWeek noted that Comedy Central "looked the other way at the online proliferation" of "Trapped in the Closet". [52] A spokesman for MTV Networks, owner of Comedy Central, confirmed they had not asked YouTube to pull the episode from their site. [52] The Situation Room also noted that clips from the episode were still available on Comedy Central's web site. [38] In May 2006, "Trapped in the Closet" was shown in London, at the National Film Theatre. The free screening was followed by a discussion with Parker and Stone, who said the screening was a "display of free speech". [53] Free copies of the episode were given out to attendees after the screening. [53]

"C'mon Jews, show them who really runs Hollywood" - Comedy Central advertisement, Variety, August 1, 2006 Cmonjews.jpg
"C'mon Jews, show them who really runs Hollywood" – Comedy Central advertisement, Variety, August 1, 2006

On July 19, 2006, Comedy Central did air a rebroadcast of the episode at 10:00 Pacific Time [54] [55] and did so again on July 23 at 11:00pm Eastern Time and on September 24 at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Stone stated "If they hadn't put this episode back on the air, we'd have had serious issues, and we wouldn't be doing anything else with them." [56] After the episode was scheduled to be rebroadcast, Parker and Stone were interviewed on CNN's Showbiz Tonight , where they stated that all of the controversy increased publicity for the episode. [57] Parker was quoted: "But it's really like a publicist couldn't have orchestrated this any better for us. You know what I mean? It's like it's been phenomenal. Tom Cruise has done more for South Park than anyone I think in the world." [57]

The episode was released in several DVDs, including South Park the Hits: Volume 1 and South Park: The Complete Ninth Season, [58] in contradiction with an alleged request by either the Church of Scientology or Cruise to never put the episode on DVD format. [54] The full episode is also available for viewing on the web site of South Park Digital Studios, [59] along with Parker and Stone's "mini-commentary" on it.

A few references have been made by the show and Comedy Central to Scientology as an aftermath of the controversy. On August 1, 2006, Comedy Central placed an advertisement in Variety showing the South Park stars against a background of L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology Celebrity Center, with the headline, "C'mon Jews, show them who really runs Hollywood." [60] Although often misunderstood by the public to parody the Mel Gibson DUI incident, the advertisement actually congratulates South Park on gaining an Emmy nomination for "Trapped in the Closet" and satirizes the cancellation of the episode's rebroadcast in March. [61] [62]

The Rolling Stone cover article "Still Sick, Still Wrong", celebrating the show's anniversary, also referred to the controversy. The article depicted Stone and Parker spray painting graffiti on the church's Los Angeles organization sign, adding "Is dum" to the Scientology logo and a "Hi Tom" message with an accompanying depiction of Cartman's head. [63]

Reception

In a review of South Park: The Complete Ninth Season, The Denver Post stated the jokes about Tom Cruise "work splendidly and reveal their depth on repeated viewings, much like the show in general." [64] IGN stated that "Perhaps the largest weakness of this season is that the most notorious episodes Best Friends Forever and Trapped in the Closet just don't carry the eye-popping impact that they did when they were ripped from the headlines", giving the DVD a rating of 7.0. [65] The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Stone and Parker "probably hit their zenith when they made fun of Tom Cruise and Scientology". [54] An article in The Times wrote that South Park "infamously satirized" texts by L. Ron Hubbard "available only to Operating Thetans". [66] TV Guide ranked the episode #17 on its 2009 list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". [67]

Analysis

An article in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion referred to the episode as a "scathing cartoon parody" of the Church of Scientology. [68] University of Delaware philosophy professor Richard Hanley analyzed the mythology of Scientology, as it relates to the episode "Trapped in the Closet", in his 2007 book South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating . [69] [70] Hanley called the Xenu story as presented in the episode, "utterly ridiculous". [69] [70] Hanley went on to delve into a philosophical analysis of the "evidential weight" of popularity and tradition in determining the "robustness" of beliefs. [70]

Southwest Minnesota State University philosophy professor Robert Arp also analyzed the philosophical and cultural aspects of the episode in his book South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today . [4] Arp analyzed Comedy Central's reaction to the episode itself, in a section of his book entitled "2005–2006: Comedy Central Caves". [4] Arp mentions South Park's usage of the onscreen caption—"This is what Scientologists actually believe"—in the episode, noting that the same device was used in the episode "All About the Mormons?" In referencing this similar use of the onscreen caption device, Arp seemed to point to an inconsistency in the behavior of Comedy Central relative to the episode. He explained, "By a long shot, this show was more kind to Scientology than was 'All About the Mormons' to Mormonism." [4] He noted Comedy Central had suggested it would not rebroadcast the episode for the second time, though it later announced on July 12, 2006, that it would. [4]

Awards

The organization FACTNet, founded by Lawrence Wollersheim, named the South Park staff their "FACTNet Person(s) of the Year for 2005" for this episode. [71] Robert Arp cited the series winning a Peabody Award due to its willingness to criticize intolerance in April 2006 as a "special concern for criticizing and countering intolerance", and the notion that "the Church of Scientology suffers from the widely held perceptions that it seeks to silence former members and others who criticize its beliefs and practices", as the motivation behind the episode. [4]

Stone and Parker submitted the episode for an Emmy Award, though Stone admitted that "We did it to be jerks. A 'fuck you' to Comedy Central." [72] To their surprise the episode was nominated on July 6, 2006, in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) category, [1] the show's sixth nomination (one of which they won, for 2005's "Best Friends Forever"). [73] The Simpsons episode "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story" was the eventual recipient of the award. [74] [75] It was also among Comedy Central's list of "10 South Parks That Changed The World", [76] which started airing at September 24, 2006, in anticipation of the premiere of the second half of South Park's tenth season. [77]

Legacy

The scene where Cruise enters the closet is referenced in the South Park segment of the opening of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards on August 27, 2006, in which Conan O'Brien is trying to get to the show, but suddenly appears in Stan's room in an animated form. Stan begins yelling at him as he runs into the nearby closet. Immediately following the entrance, he exits the closet and says, "There's someone else in there", referring to Cruise, and leaves the door open. Cruise then pops out and closes the door. [78]

There is a scene in the film The Bridge by Brett Hanover, where two young women looking for a laugh tell a Scientology volunteer they learned about the organization from South Park. The volunteer answers that she has not seen the episode in question, and the two women later leave during the middle of an orientation video. [79]

On February 8, 2013, while appearing on the Opie & Anthony Show , Jenna Miscavige Hill, the niece of the Chairman of Scientology, David Miscavige, admitted that she first learned about the story of Xenu from watching this episode. [80]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>South Park</i> American animated sitcom

South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their exploits in and around the titular Colorado town. South Park also features many recurring characters. The series became infamous for its profanity and dark, surreal humor that satirizes a large range of subject matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenu</span> Figure in Scientology space opera

Xenu, also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology", a sacred and esoteric teaching. According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Hayes</span> American musician and actor (1942–2008)

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, serving as both an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Hayes and Porter were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Marsh</span> Main character of the animated television series South Park

Stanley "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along with Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Parker and long-time collaborator Matt Stone in 1992 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Mackey</span> South Park character

Mr. Mackey Jr. is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is voiced by series co-creator Trey Parker and debuted in the season one episode "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo". The school counselor at South Park Elementary, he is best known for saying "m'kay" at the end of most of his sentences.

Chef (<i>South Park</i>) Fictional character from South Park

Jerome McElroy, usually referred to as Chef or the Chef, is a character on the Comedy Central series South Park who was voiced by Isaac Hayes. A cafeteria worker at the local elementary school in the town of South Park, Colorado, Chef is generally portrayed as more intelligent than the other adult residents of the town, and understanding to the children. His advice is often sought by the show's core group of child protagonists—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—as he is the only adult they completely trust. Chef frequently gives completely honest advice without considering whether it is appropriate for children, usually in the non sequitur form of a lascivious soul song.

Scientology has been referenced in popular culture in many different forms of media including fiction, film, music, television and theatre. In the 1960s, author William S. Burroughs wrote about Scientology in both fictional short stories and non-fictional essays. The topic was dealt with more directly in his book, Ali's Smile/Naked Scientology. The 2000 film Battlefield Earth was an adaptation of a novel by L. Ron Hubbard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rathbun</span> American Scientology whistleblower

Mark C. "Marty" Rathbun is a former senior executive of the Church of Scientology who last held the post of Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), the organization that is responsible for the protection and enforcement of all Dianetics and Scientology copyrights and trademarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Return of Chef</span> 1st episode of the 10th season of South Park

"The Return of Chef" is the first episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 140th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 22, 2006. The episode was the first after the departure of actor Isaac Hayes, who voiced the character Chef. Hayes, a Scientologist, left after a falling-out with the creators over their treatment of Scientology in the previous season's episode "Trapped in the Closet". Scientology has been accused of using brainwashing techniques, and "The Return of Chef" portrays Chef as having been brainwashed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology and celebrities</span> Church of Scientology recruiting

The Church of Scientology has recruited celebrities for their endorsement of Scientology as a public relations strategy. The organization has had a written program governing celebrity recruitment since at least 1955, when L. Ron Hubbard created "Project Celebrity", offering rewards to Scientologists who recruited targeted celebrities. Early interested parties included former silent-screen star Gloria Swanson and jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. The Scientology organization has a particular interest in international focus on wealthy businesspeople and influencers to help promote its ideals. A Scientology policy letter of 1976 states that "rehabilitation of celebrities who are just beyond or just approaching their prime" enables the "rapid dissemination" of Scientology.

<i>The Bridge</i> (2006 drama film) 2006 American film

The Bridge is a 2006 drama film directed by filmmaker Brett Hanover.

<i>South Park</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the animated television series South Park aired on Comedy Central from August 13, 1997 to February 25, 1998. The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote most of the season's episodes; Dan Sterling, Philip Stark and David Goodman were credited with writing five episodes. The narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick—and their unusual experiences in the titular mountain town.

<i>South Park</i> season 10 Season of television series

The tenth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 22, 2006. The tenth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 15, 2006. This is the last season featuring Isaac Hayes as Hayes quit the show following the backlash behind season nine's "Trapped in the Closet" episode. This season also had a minor controversy when the Halloween episode "Hell on Earth 2006" depicted The Crocodile Hunter's Steve Irwin with a stingray lodged in his chest getting thrown out of Satan's Halloween party for not being in costume. All the episodes in this season were written and directed by Trey Parker.

South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Its frequent depiction of taboo subject matter, unusual humor and portrayal of religion for comic effect has generated controversy, ire from critics, and debate throughout the world over the course of its 26 seasons. Stone and Parker, who also write the show, use it frequently to lampoon a wide range of topics and both sides of contentious issues.

<i>South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today</i> 2006 book edited by Robert Arp

South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today is the first non-fiction book in Blackwell Publishing Company's Philosophy & Pop Culture series and is edited by philosopher and ontologist, Robert Arp, at the time assistant professor of philosophy at Southwest Minnesota State University. The series itself is edited by William Irwin, who is a professor of philosophy at King's College, Pennsylvania in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The book utilizes the five classic branches of Western philosophy, namely, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, and logic, in order to analyze episodes of South Park as well as place the show in a context of current popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Being Tom Cruise</span> 2nd episode of the 2nd series of Star Stories

"The Church of Scientology Presents: Being Tom Cruise, Why Scientology Isn't In Any Way Mental" is a satirical spoof documentary from the series Star Stories, parodying the life of Tom Cruise and his relationship with the Church of Scientology. It is episode 2 of the second series of Star Stories, and first aired on Channel 4 on 2 August 2007. The show recounts Cruise's time with a group of some of his early acting friends. After filming Top Gun, Cruise is introduced to Scientology by John Travolta, who convinces him to join the organization by smashing Cruise over the head with a shovel. He meets Nicole Kidman and they start a relationship. After dating Penélope Cruz, Cruise is introduced to Katie Holmes by Travolta. Holmes agrees to marry Cruise, and the program ends with a voiceover asking the viewer to visit a Scientology website and purchase expensive products.

"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series, hence the name. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. In the episode, Tom Cruise and all other celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park in the past plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town, but Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can get the Islamic prophet Muhammad to meet him.

201 (<i>South Park</i>) 6th episode of the 14th season of South Park

"201" is the sixth episode of the fourteenth season of South Park, and the 201st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 21, 2010. The episode continued multiple storylines from the previous episode, "200", in which a group of angry celebrities demand South Park produce Muhammad. In "201", a superhero-like group of religious figures team up to save South Park from the celebrities and their monster Mecha-Streisand, while Eric Cartman learns the true identity of his father.

<i>South Park</i> (franchise) American comedy franchise

South Park is an American multimedia adult animated comedy franchise created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It is based on the television series of the same name, developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 58th Primetime Emmy® Awards and Creative Arts Emmys Nominations: Creative Arts Emmys: Animated Program". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Parker, Ryan (September 14, 2016). "Holy Shit, 'South Park' Is 20! Trey Parker, Matt Stone on Censors, Tom Cruise and Scientology's Role in Isaac Hayes Quitting". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Staff, Comedy Central Web site (November 16, 2006). "Things Scientologists Actually Believe". South Park . Comedy Central. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arp, Robert, ed. (December 11, 2006). South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today . William Irwin (Series Editor). Blackwell Publishing (The Blackwell Philosophy & Pop Culture Series). pp. 27, 59, 60, 118, 120, 132, 137, 138, 140, 224. ISBN   978-1-4051-6160-2.
  5. 1 2 3 Hilden, Julie (December 6, 2005). "Could Tom Cruise Sue "South Park" For Suggesting He is Gay? And Even If He Could, Should He?". FindLaw . Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
  6. TMZ Staff (July 6, 2006). ""South Park" Cruises to the Emmys". TMZ.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
  7. Chonin, Neva (March 26, 2006). "Cruise Control". San Francisco Chronicle . 2006 Hearst Communications Inc. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  8. Ortega, Tony (September 27, 2001). "Sympathy For The Devil: Tory Bezazian was a veteran Scientologist who loved going after church critics. Until she met the darkest detractor of all". New Times Los Angeles.
  9. 1 2 South Park (June 8, 2006). "Battlefield Earth Spoof – "The Gauntlet"". MTV Movie Awards . MTV, Comedy Central.
  10. de Moraes, Lisa (April 14, 2006). "Comedy Central Again Steals 'South Park' Thunder". The Washington Post . p. C01. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  11. Episode Commentary on South Park: Season 5 DVD boxset.
  12. "They Killed Kenny...And Revolutionized Comedy". men.style.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  13. 1 2 de Moraes, Lisa (March 18, 2006). "Everyone's in a Stew Over 'South Park' Chef". The Washington Post . The Washington Post Co. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  14. "Hollywood, Interrupted Basks in the Glow of a South Park Emmy Nod". Hollywood, Interrupted. June 6, 2006. Archived from the original on September 9, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  15. Walker, Jesse (May 2004). "Switch and Bait. (Book Review)". American Spectator. Vol. 37, no. 4. pp. 60–1.
  16. Staff (May 8, 2004). "Thrills, spills, perverts 'n' pills: catching Hollywood in the act". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  17. "IFC, R. Kelly Get 'Trapped in the Closet'". Zap2it. July 15, 2007. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  18. "Scientologist Isaac Hayes quits 'South Park'". MSNBC . Associated Press. March 21, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  19. Burkeman, Oliver (March 15, 2006). "Isaac Hayes quits South Park after it satirises Scientology". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
  20. Morales, Lisa (March 17, 2006). "Everyone's in a Stew Over 'South Park' Chef". The Washington Post . p. 2. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  21. "Isaac Hayes Interview". avclub.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  22. "Scientologist Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  23. "Isaac quits Park over joke". New York Post . N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. March 14, 2006.
  24. "'South Park' Creators Fear 'Tom Cruise Stink'". Fox News . Internet Archive. Associated Press. July 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 20, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  25. "Isaac puts Chef behind him". The New York Post . January 24, 2007.
  26. "Chef's Quitting Controversy". Fox News. March 20, 2006. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  27. Friedman, Roger (March 22, 2006). "Bruce Willis Gets Lucky, But Not With Model". Fox News . Archived from the original on January 6, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  28. Grigoriadis, Vanessa (March 22, 2007). "Still Sick, Still Wrong : For ten years, "South Park" has been the crudest, stupidest, most offensive show on television. And the funniest". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on June 22, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  29. Barger, Al (March 24, 2006). "TV Review: South Park 'The Return of Adam Livshits'". blogcritics.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  30. Pastorek, Whitney (December 2, 2005). "Closet Encounter: Is South Park cruisin' for a bruisin'?". Entertainment Weekly . Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company.
  31. Casey, Marcus (February 16, 2006). "Australia braced for Tom Cruise and the closet". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . News Corporation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2006. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  32. "Did 'South Park' Get Cruised?". zap2it.com. March 17, 2006. Archived from the original on March 22, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  33. 1 2 "Cruise Control Scares 'Park'". New York Post. March 17, 2006.
  34. Ebner, Mark (March 16, 2006). "Scientologist Tom Cruise Blackmails Viacom into Pulling the "Trapped in the Closet" Episode of South Park". Hollywood, Interrupted site. Rudius Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009.
  35. 1 2 Ryan, Joel (March 13, 2006). ""The Closet," the Controversy—and Cruise". E! Online. E! Entertainment Television, Inc. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  36. O'Brien, Soledad; John Roberts (March 21, 2006). "Storms Blanket Midwest; Insurgents Launch Full-Scale Attack on Iraqi Police". American Morning . CNN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  37. Friedman, Roger (August 23, 2006). "Cruise Ambushed by 'Broke' Studio?". Fox News . Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  38. 1 2 Blitzer, Wolf; Chris Lawrence; Abbi Tatton (May 20, 2006). "Fourth Year of War in Iraq Begins; Could Democrats Launch Impeachment Campaign Against Bush?". The Situation Room . CNN. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  39. de Moraes, Lisa (March 23, 2006). "'South Park' Responds: Chef's Goose Is Cooked". The Washington Post . p. C07. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  40. McNamara, Melissa (May 10, 2006). "Did Bloggers Doom 'M:i:III'?". CBS News . CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  41. "Parker, Stone Respond to Pulling of 'South Park' Episode". NPR . March 17, 2006. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  42. Collins, Scott (March 18, 2006). "CHANNEL ISLAND; Clamor outside 'South Park' closet; 'Mission: Impossible' studio joins Cruise's camp in denying it strong-armed scrapping of Scientology repeat". Los Angeles Times . p. Calendar Desk; Part E; 16.
  43. Usborne, David (March 19, 2006). "South Park declares war on Tom Cruise; Cartoon's parody of Scientology is taken off air, prompting accusations of censorship". The Independent . London. p. NEWS 44. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  44. "Tom Cruise biography". Yahoo! Movies . Yahoo! Inc. 2009. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  45. Anand, Anu (August 23, 2006). "Congo, Iran & Tom Cruise". BBC World Service . BBC. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  46. "Tom Cruise". Turner Classic Movies . Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network. 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  47. "Off-screen antics cost Cruise". Herald-Sun . www.heraldsun.com.au. 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  48. Fagertun, Thoralf (May 15, 2008). "Den nye gamle komedien: Aristofanes og South Park: En komparativ analyse av det obskøne, det satiriske og det fantastiske". Munin (in Norwegian). University of Tromsø. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  49. Emerson, Jim (March 20, 2006). "Closetgate: Latest shocking updates!". Chicago Sun-Times . rogerebert.suntimes.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  50. Carlson, Erin (March 17, 2006). "'South Park'-Scientology battle rages". The Associated Press. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  51. "Cruise: 'No Oprah Regrets'". hollywood.com. April 16, 2006. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  52. 1 2 3 4 Hibberd, James (April 3, 2006). "'South Park' Episode Lives; Scientology Story Line Thrives Online as Comedy Central Looks the Other Way". TelevisionWeek. pp. TV Currents.
  53. 1 2 Staff (May 19, 2006). "Cruise loses 'South Park' battle". National Nine News . 1997–2007 ninemsn Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved November 5, 2007.
  54. 1 2 3 Goodman, Tim (July 15, 2006). "Death March With Cocktails: 'South Park' at 10 trumps Tom Cruise". San Francisco Chronicle . Hearst Communications Inc. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  55. "South Park "Trapped in the Closet" Episode to Air Again". tv.ign.com. July 12, 2006. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  56. Staff (September 12, 2006). "'South Park' Scientology episode set to rerun: Show that pokes fun at Tom Cruise was abruptly pulled back in March". Today.com. NBC. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  57. 1 2 Hammer, A.J.; Mary Murphy; TV Guide (July 14, 2006). "Cruise and South Park; Princess Di Photos; Movie Reviews; Technology Addiction". Showbiz Tonight . CNN. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  58. Westbrook, Bruce (March 6, 2007). "Entertainment: More Naughty Fun". Houston Chronicle .
  59. South Park. "South Park TV Show Episode 912 Episode Trapped in the Closet". South Park Digital Studios. www.southparkstudios.com. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
  60. Leonard, Devin (October 27, 2006). "'South Park' creators haven't lost their edge". Fortune. Time Warner. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  61. Finn, Natalie (August 2, 2006). ""Passion of the Jew" Part 2? Not Quite". E! Online. E! Entertainment Television, Inc. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  62. "Network execs deny South Park ad targeted Gibson". hollywood.com. August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  63. Rothman, Robin A.; Tomcho, Sandy (March 9, 2007). "'South Park' sticks it to Scientology again". recordonline.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
  64. Wenzel, John (March 19, 2007). ""South Park" becomes a gem". The Denver Post . Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  65. Schorn, Peter. "South Park – The Complete Ninth Season". tv.ign.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  66. Staff (January 23, 2009). "Is Scientology dangerous? – As an historian compares a Tom Cruise PR video for Scientology to the work of Goebbels, Chris Ayres reports from LA: is the organization a dangerous cult, or a harmless celebrity club?". The Times . London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
  67. "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide ; June 15, 2009; pp. 34–49
  68. Urban, Hugh B. (April 26, 2006). "Fair Game: Secrecy, Security, and the Church of Scientology in Cold War America". Journal of the American Academy of Religion (abstract). 74 (2). American Academy of Religion: 356–89. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfj084. ISSN   1477-4585. S2CID   143313978.
  69. 1 2 Hanley, Richard (March 28, 2007). South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating . Open Court. pp. 23, 24, 32, 41, 246, 247, 262, 283. ISBN   978-0-8126-9613-4.
  70. 1 2 3 Greto, Victor (April 2, 2007). "I offend, therefore I am: University of Delaware professor aimed for 'rude and crude ' in his book on 'South Park'". The News Journal, Delaware Online. USA Today, Gannett.
  71. Staff (November 2005). "FACTNet.org Names South Park TV Show Staff FACTNet Person(s) of the Year for 2005 for their Recent Scientology Tom Cruise John Travolta Episode". FACTNet. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012.
  72. Schwatz, Missy (July 28, 2006). "'South' Rises Again". Entertainment Weekly . Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. p. 12. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  73. ""South Park" Finally Wins Emmy". animatedtv.about.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  74. "Create Arts Emmys winners" (PDF). emmys.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  75. Gorman, Steve (August 21, 2006). "'Simpsons' Wins Ninth Emmy Award; Bests a Controversial 'South Park' Episode". The Washington Post .
  76. "South Park: Crude and Rude as Ever". newpaltz.edu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2006.
  77. "Comedy Central to Air South Park Episodes That Changed the World". AWN Headline News. Animation World Network. September 19, 2006. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  78. "Conan the Destroyer". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2006.
  79. Hanover, Brett, Director. The Bridge (Released as a free download over the internet on September 10, 2006 by the filmmaker: Film Credits: The Bridge' is licensed as royalty-free digital media, and may be distributed online for personal viewing without permission. All offline distribution rights are reserved by Brett Hanover.).
  80. "What's the Most Secretive Aspect of Scientology?". YouTube . February 8, 2013. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2017.