ABC ran a two-part investigation into Scientology last week that explored the allegedly violent tendencies of leader David Miscavige (as well as delving into the whole “aliens and volcanoes” crap on which their religion is based) in an interview with Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis. But it seems Tommy got cold feet after the interview, because less than an hour before it was set to air, Tommy showed up unannounced at ABC’s studio in an attempt to get the segment squashed. Page Six says

In [the] interview, Martin Bashir asked Davis to comment on the church’s bizarre founding mythology, which involves an intergalactic god named Xenu who brought his people to Earth 75 million years ago and stuffed them in a volcano.

After telling Bashir he wouldn’t discuss “disgusting perversions” of the religion, Davis, with the camera still rolling, removed his microphone and stormed off the set. The dust-up was included in the piece.

But just 45 minutes before the segment was to air on Thursday, Davis showed up at ABC headquarters on West 67th Street and asked to speak to Bashir and the show’s executive producer.

“He demanded to a security guard that he be let in,” a network insider [said]. “He was told as politely as possible that the piece could not be changed. He was then asked to leave.” Adds the source, “He was not happy.”

All this comes hot on the heels of news that Oscar-winning “Crash” director Paul Haggis has publicly resigned from the church on the basis of their gay-bashing and escalating lies, and then there’s the matter of a $900,000 fraud conviction in France today. According to Yahoo News

The court convicted the Church of Scientology’s French office, its library and six of its leaders of organized fraud, [saying] the group pressured members into paying large sums of money for questionable financial gain and used “commercial harassment” against recruits.

Four of the leaders were given suspended sentences of between 10 months and two years. The other two were given fines.

Statistics indicate that he only way this religion could be more unappealing now is if it were somehow covered with bean curd and swastikas and served on the back of Margaret Cho’s thighs.

Part 2 of the interview after the jump.

(more…)

Anne Hathaway’s ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was sentenced to 4½ years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to 14 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy back in September. According to People Magazine

Follieri, who conceivably could have faced up to 265 years in prison, had agreed not to appeal a sentence less than 63 months in prison. The bureau of prisons will decide the level of security under which he’ll be placed.

Follieri delivered a statement in which he said, “What I did was wrong and there is no point in making excuses. … I will never be able to wash away the shame. … I just hope that someday those who have been hurt by my actions will forgive me.”

I suppose 4½ years is still better than 265 years. Even though 4½ civilian years actually translates to — let’s see, carry the one, divide by five, and… roughly 3,768 ass-rapings, give or take a few. Prison years works kinda like dog years, except instead of factoring in the person’s age, you use the penis factorial as your variable. See, math can be fun!

Anne looking gorgeous at the “Rachel Getting Married” premiere in London on Tuesday: