Scientology is trying to dig in more and more in “mainstream” entertainment. I wrote about their latest effort, “The Stafford Project,” a few weeks ago. The web series on YouTube stars former “Young and the Restless” actress Michelle Stafford as a ‘kooky’ wannabe Lucille Ball meets Carrie Bradshaw in a scripted reality setting. But it’s really just a front for Scientology filmmakers. Stafford is a long time member of Scientology.
“The Stafford Project” is produced by New Slant Productions, named for an L. Ron Hubbard book called “A New Slant On Life.” Hubbard was the Kilgore Trout-ish science fiction writer who invented Scientology in the 1950s. Before he came up with the pay for play religion he was a writer of pulp fiction paperbacks. (More on that in a minute.)
New Slant is run by two veteran Scientologists who fancy themselves Hollywood players: Mike Falkow and . Last year Falkow edited a Mother’s Day video from top Scientology celeb John Travolta to his wife Kelly Preston, directed by Travolta. Preston was recently featured on “Stafford” as a guest star. http://vimeo.com/42014196#at=0
I wrote a few weeks ago that everyone who works on “The Stafford Project” is in Scientology. Similarly, almost everyone and everything to do with New Slant Productions is connected to Scientology including all the actors– none of whom are famous–and crew members involved in their productions. And it does look like Scientology is pumping money into New Slant. They suddenly have several “B”, or rather “C”, movies in production. Some of them also come under the banner of Radcliffe Productions, also populated by various Scientologists.
All of this makes sense in the context of Scientology’s real estate holdings in the actual city of Hollywood, and their new productions facilities. Indeed, they now sponsor something called The L. Ron Hubbard Golden Age Theater. At these live events in Hollywood, would be and has been actors read aloud from those Hubbard paperbacks including the wonderfully titled “The Blow Torch Murder” and “Reign of the Gila Monster.”
Among the players listed on their website are Elizabeth Moss (Peggy on “Mad Men”) and Judy Norton (one of “The Waltons”). The site also still features the now deceased Karen Black.
