Katie Holmes may have fallen for it, but Tom Cruise's sci-fi seduction technique scared the bejeezus out of Scarlett Johansson, a source close to the actress says. Weeks before he began wooing his brainwashed bride-to-be, Cruise made repeated phone calls to the 19-year-old starlet - who was then set to co-star with him in Mission Impossible III - imploring her to meet him at the Scientology Celebrity Center in L.A. But when the actress finally agreed, the supposedly professional get-together took an oddly spiritual turn. '[Cruise] took me into this room, which was stifling hot, and was showing me all kinds of info about joining the church,' Johansson told our source. 'The whole time he didnt even offer me a cookie!? Instead, he offered her dinner'and a glimpse into the Twilight Zone.
After two hours of proselytizing, our source says Cruise opened a door to reveal a second room full of upper-level Scientologists who had been waiting to dine with the pair, at which point the cool-headed ingenue politely excused herself. Soon after the meeting, Johansson dropped out of Mission Impossible III, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. Asked about the incident, Johansson's momager, Melanie Johansson, referred Radar to a publicist, who did not return calls or emails seeking comment. After striking out with Johansson, Cruise reportedly turned his attentions to 24-year-old Jessica Alba, 22-year-old Kate Bosworth, and 18-year-old Lindsay Lohan, before settling on the 26-year-old Holmes. As far we know, Cruise's War of the Worlds co-star, Dakota Fanning, was never under consideration.
We should really stop laughing long enough, however, to wonder what the famously litigious Church of Scientology will be able to try on in the courts once the British Government adds the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill to its arsenal. There is interesting coverage in Wikipedia.
Critics charge that the ultimate aim of Scientology lawsuits is to completely destroy their opponents by forcing them into bankruptcy. A frequently quoted statement by L. Ron Hubbard regarding the use of lawsuits was quoted by Judge Leonie Brinkema in the case of Religious Technology Center vs. The Washington Post, in 1995:
"The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly."�L. Ron Hubbard, The Scientologist, a Manual on the Dissemination of Material, 1955
The Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill is in effect a tool of intimidation that will be seized on by fanatics to silence critics and punish apostates. Passing it will be an act of madness.
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