I dunno, they seem to have a lot of money still for TV ads and such.

TBH I've never seen an ad for Scientology in the past 20 years. Maybe it's the channels I watch. I do remember seeing ads for the Dianetics book late at night way back when.

Could be local to CA or just Los Angeles. But they're all over the place during football games, even the last Super Bowl.

I haven't seen a Scientology commercial in a decade or more.

That would be huge, if it actually/officially happens.

I don't believe any of the actors involved actually believe that nonsense. I think it's just used to try to further their careers. Not that that makes it any more acceptable.

If Cruise is actually bailing from Scientology, I guess we should expect some dirt on him to be released soon afterwards.

Does the Church of Scientology still have that cable channel? I remember DirecTV was airing it, and I watched a little of it. It was indistinguishable from all of those informercial channels that clutters the DirecTV line-up.

Gabriel Jarret from Real Genius is a predator. He was caught in a sting while trying to meet a 14 year old for sex. No arrest yet.

I had to look him up to remember who he was, then saw this was one of the articles that turned up when I googled his name.

I'm not that knowledgeable about the subject but I would think if someone gives their age as 14, it would be a trap. A real girl would give a fake higher age to not the scare off guys.

I mean it depends how he's trying to meet them, I would think. If he's going on Club Penguin (RIP) looking for friends or something then he probably finds out their age from other conversation.

And now you guys made me look up the story and it's even worse, he thought she was 13.

He had such an odd upbringing that it's no wonder he's fucked in the head. Can you imagine being a sheltered child and then developing a major weapons system with a collection of oddballs? I bet that Kent guy turned out OK, though.

It's a shame he didn't end up printing off Frito-Lay sweepstakes entries in the steampipe basement like Lazlo did when he snapped ...

Sad to hear this as Real Genius is one of my favorite 80s movies. Kudos to the CC Unit for catching him. Hopefully he's going to be held accountable and, also, gets the help that he needs.

Turns out he also played a Mission Control guy in Apollo 13. Checking his IMBD page, been been in a lot of stuff, most of which I’ve never seen.

I think he's going to be in an upcoming episode of To Catch a Predator.

Russell Brand now being accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by 4 women.

Because he's anti-vaccine and anti Ukraine, according to Tucker Carlson.

I can't tell what's real anymore.

Brand always gave me a kind of creepy vibe even before he went all wingnut.

Never cared for Brand's comedy/acting, but he's a smart guy. I always liked that he questioned things and seemed to have cut through the BS of most things.
But the last few months I've seen clips from him and he's turning bat-shit crazy. Feels like a different brand (pardon the pun) of Q conspiracies.

No idea about the sex assault stuff. He never gave me a creepy vibe... he just has a weird/outdated gimmick/look.

Be careful with that kind of thinking. Just say you support the accuser and respect their bravery for speaking their truth.

He's an admitted sex-addict. It wouldn't surprise me. Didn't know he was going into Q type stuff though. He in the past has sounded intelligent and well-reasoned.

He's been into the conspiracy stuff for the last few years, it didn't just sprout up a few months ago.

Yeah, but I've only come across his stuff the last few months. He disappeared from my view the last few years.

Questioning, skepticism and curiosity are good things. But they need to be directed and used with discretion and sense - question things that may have bias or vested interests, but to uncover TRUTH (or near as dammit), not just for its own sake.

When you just ask questions for the sake of asking questions and doubting everything to be contrary, you wind up..

..nuts.

There's a potentially problematic undercurrent - as well as inbuilt excuse/justification - in that Brand is pointing to his noted promiscuity and inferring (in part) that the allegations are a form of shaming.