Gawker: defamer, andrew morton

Battle of the Scientology Scribes: Is Tom Cruise The Prez or VP of Cult? Who Went 'Undercover' Enough?

mollyf — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:40:05 EST

With two bursting-at-the-seams tell-all books out this month delving deeper than anyone wants to go into the demented world of Scientology, authors Ian Halperin (Hollywood Undercover) and Andrew Morton (Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography) are turning against each other, kind of like Xanax and cocaine. According to Halperin, the one who posed as a gay actor in order to uncover the Church's reparative techniques, Morton's book is "full of factual errors," most twisted his claim that Tom is scientology's second most powerful member:

"A lot of people I met when I was undercover insisted Cruise was the number 1 man. Cruise is the star there, and, like in his films, no one at the Church got top billing over him. Church officials told me that everyone, including David Miscavige [scientology's Chairman of the Board] do whatever Cruise says. Basically, they act as his puppets."

Beyond Halperin's argument that Morton got the actor's ranking wrong, he claims Morton "didn't even bother to interview Scientology. Even after the church invited him to go on a tour and [offered] an interview, Morton, for some reason, refused to do it." Oddly, Halperin says the church and Tom Cruise are "pissed off at [Morton]." But ... they're not pissed off at Halperin for faking his identity in order to unveil specific, straight-to-gay tactics? We're waiting to hear from Morton, whose Placenta Hijacking story still holds a place in our heart, regardless of its authenticity.

Nicole Kidman, Placenta Hijacker?

mollyf — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:34:55 EST

Once upon a time, all the townsfolk claimed that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor made a baby on the set of high-kicktastic Moulin Rouge. Well, maybe not a baby, but they made some placenta, according to a new tome by journalist Andrew Morton called Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography (you may have heard of it). Morton claims that little Placenta lived on, literally, in one of Nicole Kidman's various homes, in the event of a paternity dispute from then-normal (and then-husband) Tom. But wait! No story about TC and baby glands would be complete without a statement from the Church of Scientology!

According to x17, Hubbard's minions have "already gone on the record describing Morton's entire book as 'a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies.'" Replete! Replete, they say! (Were they holding torches while making this statement?) At the time, Nic, Ewan and Tom all agreed on the same story: the baby, er, placenta, was Tom's, but the couple's divorce months later did little to dispel any rumors that the blob belonged to Ewan. Who knew Nicole was so freaky? Oh right. She was married to Tom Cruise. For TEN YEARS. Almost.

RELATED: Save Some Womb For Dessert [Jezebel

Nicole Kidman Kept Her Placenta? [X17]

The Tom Cruise Unauthorized Biographer Video His Publisher Really Wants You To See

Seth — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:50:00 EST

With Andrew Morton's book on one of Hollywood's most controversial and misunderstood leading men, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorised Biography (the U.S. version, with all appopriate Ss replaced by Zs, releases simultaneously), now on store shelves, the heir to Kitty Kelley's loosely sourced, utterly shocking biographical exposé legacy has taken to the interview circuit to promote his work.

In this clip from Inside Edition, Morton fervently defends his assertions that Cruise is probably almost definitely the Church's Number Two, that Suri could very well be perceived by some Church members of being the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, and that Cruise has knowingly and willingly sought to befriend the Beckhams for his own nefarious, probably-not- entirely-based-on- how-fabulous-he-thinks-Posh-is reasons. Equally shocking: How much Hubbard looks like Scott Thompson from The Kids in the Hall.

Tom Cruise Explained

Richard Lawson — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:08:57 EST

Andrew Morton's new "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography" is filled with interesting tidbits about the maniacal Scientologist and professional short person. What are some of the salient plot points? Well, for one, Tom Cruise Is Not Gay. Or so Morton's sources say. One class-act whom Miss Cruise dated in high school says "I was black and blue from the gearshift." (Ew.) But more enlightening are the eyewitness testimonies that, gasp!, Tommy was uncomfortable around gay men! He stormed out of a production of the musical La Cage aux Folles! And he apparently wasn't too keen on hanging out with ex-wife Nicole Kidman's geigh friends, "much preferring the company of jocks," Morton says. Ahem.

As for the Scientology, Morton reiterates the rumors that Tom was preparing Katie Holmes' womb for some sort of L. Ron Hubbard reincarnation and that he had tracking computer boop beep chips put into her cell phone so he could know her whereabouts at all times. Morton goes on to speculate that Katie must have felt like she was in Rosemary's Baby. Ah Mr. Morton! What leaps you make! What mysterious, unnamed (US Weekly) sources you find! Get a full recap of the tome at Slate's reader's guide.