Scientology feud with its critics takes to Internet

Cyber attacks and threats against the church erupt after it asks YouTube to pull Tom Cruise clips.

By Jim Puzzanghera
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

February 5, 2008

A long-simmering dispute over digital copyrights between the Church of Scientology and its critics has boiled over in recent weeks after video clips turned up on the Internet from a 2004 interview by the church's most famous member, actor Tom Cruise.

When Scientology officials complained the clips were copyrighted and requested their removal from YouTube and other websites, a shadowy organization of online troublemakers sprang into action.

The group known as "Anonymous" posted an eerie video on the Internet featuring a computer-generated voice announcing a campaign to destroy the church and calling for worldwide protests Feb. 10.

It was all for laughs, said a member who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But things are now getting serious. A series of cyber attacks the group claimed responsibility for slowed access to church websites and apparently shut down the main one, www.scientology.org, one day last month.

As of Friday, suspicious white powder was mailed to 23 church locations in Southern California, forcing 60 people to be cleared from buildings in Tustin and causing police to close part of busy Brand Boulevard in Glendale for two hours. Preliminary tests by the LAPD determined the powder was cornstarch and wheat germ.

The FBI is investigating whether the mailings were connected to the hacking. Shortly after the mailings were disclosed by authorities, a caller who identified himself as a spokesman for the group Anonymous told a Times reporter that the group was not to blame.



The incidents have drawn new attention to Scientology.

Critics of the religion are flocking to Anonymous postings on YouTube, the popular video-sharing site. Their campaign has sparked a debate among long-time Scientology's opponents, who wonder whether the aggressive rhetoric and tactics, including illegal denial-of-service attacks on the church's websites, help the cause by raising awareness of the religion's controversial beliefs, or hurt it by using the same type of heavy-handed methods they accuse Scientology officials of employing against critics.

"I don't know if anybody in Anonymous did this but Anonymous set themselves up to be targeted in this way . . .," said Mark Bunker, who runs one of the leading websites criticizing the church, www.xenutv.com, and posted a video last week warning Anonymous to tone down its campaign.

"I hope it doesn't hurt the larger critic community who have been speaking out for years about Scientology's abuse."

Scientology was founded in 1954 by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. It teaches that "spiritual release and freedom" from life's problems can be achieved through one-on-one counseling called auditing, during which members' responses are monitored on an e-meter, similar to a polygraph. The process, along with a series of training courses, can cost Scientologists tens of thousands of dollars.



Cruise has become an outspoken proponent of the religion. In 2004, he won the International Assn. of Scientologists Freedom Medal of Valor award and part of the ceremony included a taped interview with him talking about why the religion is important to him.

The video was posted on YouTube and other sites this month, leading the Church of Scientology to request its removal for copyright violation.

A Scientology spokeswoman said the church wasn't trying to suppress the video, which it says can be watched at any of its facilities around the world.

But it was made for "the Scientology congregation" and "never intended for replay on television or the Internet," spokeswoman Karin Pouw said in a written response to questions.



The requests to have it removed are similar to take-down requests by movie studios and TV networks, she said. But members of Anonymous were angered by the requests and decided to take on the church, said the group's representative.

The group is a loose confederation of about 9,000 people who post anonymous messages in chat rooms on websites he would not identify. While they are experienced Internet users, few are computer hackers, he said. But there are enough people with knowledge of how to attack websites that they were able to launch the attacks, the spokesman said. One of the attacks, known as distributed denial of service, involves flooding a website with requests, overloading its capacity.

Pouw said Scientology's websites "have been and are online."

The Church of Scientology also shifted the company that hosts its site last week to Prolexic Technologies Inc., which specializes in stopping denial-of-service attacks.

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January 31, 2008

Starbucks to Close Stores and End Sandwich Sales

By ANDREW MARTIN

At the very least, Starbucks will smell like coffee again.

As part of a turnaround plan, the beleaguered coffee giant said Wednesday that it would discontinue warm breakfast sandwiches at its stores and focus instead on healthy breakfast options and high-quality baked goods.

“In short, the scent of the warm sandwiches interferes with the coffee aroma in our stores,” said Howard D. Schultz, the company’s chairman and chief executive.

Mr. Schultz also announced that his company would close 100 underperforming locations in the United States while scaling back the rate of store openings domestically. At the same time, Starbucks will move more aggressively to open stores overseas, where business remains robust. He did not identify the locations that will be closed.

In all, Starbucks will open 1,175 restaurants in the United States this budget year, down from its previous goal of 1,600. The company will open 75 more stores abroad than originally predicted, for a total of 975.

Mr. Schultz’s comments came as Starbucks reported anemic sales growth of 1 percent at stores open at least a year, the worst three-month performance in the company’s history. United States sales have been battered by a weak economy and increased competition from the likes of McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Same-store sales for American stores declined 1 percent.

Adopting a risky tactic that may alienate Wall Street, Mr. Schultz said the company would no longer provide same-store sales numbers, at least temporarily, as he moves forward with his turnaround plan. He said the company’s decisions had been too driven by improving same-store sales rather than consumer needs and that same-store sales numbers would be “erratic” during the transformation.

A similar decision in 2006 by Robert L. Nardelli, chief executive of Home Depot, infuriated Wall Street analysts. The decision turned out to be the beginning of the end of Mr. Nardelli’s reign.

Starbucks reported earnings of $208 million in the first quarter of its budget year, which ended Dec. 30, a 2 percent gain over the same period a year ago. However, Mr. Schultz warned that the coming year would be difficult because of the reorganization and weakening economy.

“You would have to agree that the consumer is in a recession,” he said.

Mr. Schultz’s remarks came after the close of markets on Wednesday. Starbucks’ shares declined in after-hours trading by less than 2 percent, to $18.90. In 2007, Starbucks’ stock declined more than 40 percent.

What remains unclear is how Mr. Schultz will recapture the cachet that made Starbucks a customer favorite and Wall Street darling. On Wednesday, he said many details of his plan, “including bold innovations that will reassert our coffee leadership, redefine the in-store experience and introduce core brand-building initiatives,” will be announced at Starbucks’ annual meeting in March.

Mr. Schultz, who served as chief executive from 1987 to 2000 and is widely credited with Starbucks’ success, was brought back as chief executive this month to try to restore the company’s luster.

Harvey Hartman, founder and chief executive of the Hartman Group, a food consulting and market research firm, said it was smart to get rid of breakfast sandwiches and revive the smell of fresh coffee. He also applauded Mr. Schultz’s decision to focus on consumer needs rather than Wall Street demands.

“What we hear from consumers more than anything else is, ‘It’s not that I don’t like Starbucks,’ ” he said. “ ‘It’s that they are no longer as relevant to me as they used to be because I’ve changed, and they haven’t changed with me.’ ”

Spears' 12-officer police escort prompts call for paparazzi limits

L.A. Councilman Dennis Zine plans to push for a measure to create a 'personal safety zone' for those targeted by the media. Chief Bratton says existing laws should suffice.

By Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

February 2, 2008

After aggressive paparazzi prompted police to escort Britney Spears to the hospital this week, Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine announced Friday that he plans to push for an ordinance that would create a minimum "personal safety zone" around individuals targeted by the media.

Zine said the estimated $25,000 it cost for police to escort Spears to the hospital was necessary to protect the public from dangers posed by the horde of celebrity photographers pursuing the pop star. He said paparazzi were increasingly endangering celebrities and bystanders with their aggressive behavior and car pursuits.

"I don't want a repeat of what happened to Princess Diana with a celebrity in Los Angeles," he said. "We had to have 12 officers escort [Spears] to the hospital that if not for paparazzi would have been used to prevent crime somewhere else."

Zine said he plans to introduce a motion that calls for the city attorney and LAPD to draft new restrictions on paparazzi, including an ordinance that would create a zone of clear space in order to protect public safety on streets, sidewalks and at access points to emergency care facilities and private businesses and homes.

"It is a major issue we have to address. We are in a celebrity town," he said. "Celebrities have a right to live in peace and freedom."

But Police Chief William J. Bratton said existing laws can deal with the paparazzi.

"Councilman Zine is responding to frustration we all have with the paparazzi," Bratton said. "We already have appropriate laws within the constitutional guidelines and we intend to do that whether it is erratic driving, trespassing on private property or any action that goes beyond the constitutional rights to cover a story."

Bratton strongly defended the LAPD decision to deploy a dozen officers to escort Spears, saying she is a resident of the city and is "certainly in great need of assistance."

He said the public should blame the paparazzi for this week's events.

"They are the ones making a spectacle of themselves," Bratton said. Representatives for Spears told Los Angeles police officials Monday that they believed she needed a psychiatric evaluation because of continuing erratic behavior.

After extensive discussions about alternatives, the LAPD mapped a strategy for getting her to UCLA Medical Center amid an anticipated swarm of paparazzi. The next morning the plan was executed with about two dozen police officers, a helicopter and a special team that took Spears out through a gate in an ambulance with covered windows to shield her from photographers.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles County court commissioner Friday granted Spears' father, James, and a court-appointed attorney temporary conservatorship over her affairs and estate, said Allan Parachini, a court spokesman.

The decision gives James Spears the ability to make decisions involving his daughter's assets, property and medical care, restrict visitors to her home, change locks at her residence and hire security.

Feb. 27th Anthony Pellicano Trial Won't Be Delayed

There was a status conference in the Pellicano case this morning.

Several things were discussed:

disgraced entertainment attorney Terry Christensen's motion to stay the case or to continue the trial was denied as well as his request to dismiss his indictment.

So, as of right now, the trial of the Hollywood private investigator known as The Pelican will start on February 27th as planned.

The feds said they expected to take 5 to 6 weeks to present evidence.

The feeling is that the total length of the trial would be 9 to 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, Anthony continues to sit in jail until trial.

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February 3, 2008

Playing It Safe in Las Vegas

By STEVE FRIESS

LAS VEGAS

FOR some time now, Michael Jackson and his children have lived at the Palms resort here while he records a new album in its studio.

This might not be so surprising, considering Mr. Jackson’s nomadic ways as well as the affinity that celebrities have for this city.

What is stunning, however, is that the star managed to live at the Palms for at least two months before a local gossip columnist wrote about it on Jan. 16.

How is it that the whereabouts of a tabloid target like Mr. Jackson could stay concealed for so long? Well, one might have noticed what did not happen after Norm Clarke’s article appeared in The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

No swarm of paparazzi descended upon the Palms. No enterprising photographer sneaked inside to snap Mr. Jackson heading to an elevator. No hotel guest made a cellphone video to sell to TMZ.com or to post on YouTube.

“Does that surprise me? Not really,” said Larry Fink, public relations director for the Palms. Citing the privacy of guests, Mr. Fink would neither confirm nor deny Mr. Jackson’s presence. “The celebrity media here is — I don’t want to say they’re well behaved — but there’s a certain level of respect between us and them,” he said.

It’s true. Despite the constant star visits and red carpet events in Las Vegas, few if any images of pantyless pop stars, married actors getting lap dances or even paparazzi mobs chasing celebutantes into limousines have appeared online or in publications.

The most notorious illicit video out of Las Vegas in recent years was last summer’s footage of an intoxicated David Hasselhoff crawling on the floor of his hotel room while trying to eat a hamburger. It was shot by his daughter and leaked by a member of his family.

Las Vegas is a city where stars can avoid the aggressive breed of stalker photographers who shadow their public events in Los Angeles and New York. At the very least, stars exert more control over their exposure. Ensconced in the protective resorts, and guarded by private security teams, the stars find the celebrity news media in Las Vegas far less invasive.

“In Vegas, I don’t have to worry about photographers waiting outside my house every day because they can’t wait outside my hotel room,” Spencer Pratt, a star of the MTV reality series “The Hills,” said in early January as he and Heidi Montag, his co-star and girlfriend, posed for photos on a red carpet on the way to an event that they were paid to attend at the Jet nightclub at the Mirage.

“When we travel here we have bodyguards, there are people with earpieces making sure there aren’t any photos we don’t want, making sure there’s no problems,” Mr. Pratt said. “I’m sure a lot of celebrities come out to Vegas because it’s like a hide-out, it’s a getaway.”

Indeed, as the city rolled into the year’s biggest betting weekend, the Super Bowl, stars aplenty were expected to be in the nightclubs and sports books. But they were not expecting to be trailed by what Robin Leach, the former host of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and the unofficial dean of the Las Vegas celebrity news media, refers to as “wild roaming packs of paparazzi.”

“All of our photographers are known to the casinos almost as if they’re registered,” said Mr. Leach, who writes the Vegas Luxe Life blog for Las Vegas Magazine. “If a photographer breaks the spirit of the unidentified terms of his access, that’s the last time he gets red carpet or nightclub privileges.”

That powerful, lingering threat is the difference between Las Vegas and other cities. The casino mega-resorts are private property. Many have private elevators, tunnels and garages for those not wishing to be seen.

The celebrity photos that do emerge from Las Vegas are generally less compelling because stars rarely go about their everyday business here, said Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com, which specializes in candid videos of stars driving recklessly or teetering out of nightclubs. “I don’t think Julia Roberts walks down corridors at Caesars Palace without her makeup on,” he said. “When a star goes to Caesars Palace, they tend not to go out or shop in malls. They’ll make appearances at clubs or events, but it’s much more event-driven.”

Even when celebrities do embarrass themselves here, their actions rarely receive widespread coverage. Last February, the hotel magnate Steve Wynn fell to the floor after bumping his head on a boom mike while walking a red carpet for Elizabeth Taylor’s 75th birthday party. Mr. Clarke reported the incident in his column, but no images of the fall emerged, even though many photographers were present.

“There’s more to shooting than getting someone falling down a staircase,” Robin Roth, a photographer and writer for the Web site Entnews.com, said in late December as she waited for Beyoncé and Jay-Z to arrive at the opening of the rap star’s new sports bar, the 40/40 Club, at the Palazzo resort. “They’re here to promote this event and that’s what we’re here to shoot. So we’re trying to get the best of them. I’m going to try to get the nicest shot of them.”

The level of control by resorts — and the acquiescence by the celebrity news media — is extensive.

One Friday in early January, a dozen photographers were ushered into the Bank nightclub at the Bellagio shortly past 11 p.m. by special elevator, ordered to stand by in a small, dark corridor and then given about five minutes to take pictures of the singer and songwriter John Legend posing before a backdrop with the Bank’s name on it.

ONCE Mr. Legend had had enough, the photographers were whisked away. The star’s entourage was seated in a V.I.P. area of the club, while a single photographer — on the club’s payroll — was allowed to shoot his birthday party for the celebrity news service WireImage.

“A publicist at one of the properties once told me he’s surprised with all the members of an entourage traveling with these stars and all the people having sex in rooms, that somebody doesn’t take a picture of an A-lister laying next to a stripper,” Mr. Clarke said. “I’m amazed I don’t get more of that, too.”

The handful of folks who actually do shrug off the yoke of the staged photo opportunities wonder where everybody else is. Preston Warner, a photographer who has sold images of Paris Hilton dancing provocatively on nightclub tabletops for five-figure sums, called the red carpet scene “mind-numbingly boring.”

“They’re standing out there for six to eight hours waiting for a celebrity to show up so 20 of them can get the same shots for their photo services,” Mr. Warner said. “I guess they do it because they’re star-struck or it’s a hobby for them.”

Even if the paparazzi aren’t out in force, what about the thousands of visitors with camera phones? Gary Morgan, chief executive of the celebrity photo service Splash News, doubts Las Vegas visitors understand the value of what they may have. “In L.A., people snap a picture and go, ‘Oh, oh, oh, I’ll give it to someone,’ ” Mr. Morgan said. “A lot of people are in Vegas to have fun, gambling and drinking, and they’re not in the mind-set.”

All this may soon change. The syndicated entertainment-news show “Extra” has opened a bureau in Las Vegas (and was the first to broadcast the video of Mr. Hasselhoff with the hamburger). In 2006 People magazine placed a full-time employee here for the first time. And RawVegas.tv, a Web-based video site devoted to celebrity news with 14 reporters and producers, made its debut last year.

“Extra” opened its bureau here, said Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, senior executive producer of the show, because she “got tired of having to have crews and reporters get on planes” to cover the many celebrities visiting the city. “There was this giant curtain over Vegas and nobody knew what the secret code was to get inside, but now we feel we own Las Vegas because we’re here all the time,” Ms. Gregorisch-Dempsey said.

Jay-Z at the opening of his 40/40 Club at the Palazzo in Las Vegas.

“Extra” has a deal with the Planet Hollywood resort to run an Extra lounge in the casino, where stars can regularly stop for interviews. Although celebrities may not see this as an encroachment on their privacy, the notion of Las Vegas as a safe area may be fading slowly. In October, Ms. Hilton attended a costume party in army fatigues and flippantly said she wore the outfit to support American troops in Iraq. RawVegas.tv reported the remark, which caused a small stir.

“The celebrities are probably wandering the streets of Vegas going, ‘Man I can’t believe this is the last place on Earth where I’m not being photographed by telescopic lenses,’ ” said Peter Castro, deputy managing editor of People. “They’re probably thinking, ‘What’s the catch here?’ ”

But he predicted that this would soon be brought to a close by the public appetite for celebrity scandal. “There’s too much money in it for that to last,” he said.