My amazing friend Paula Froelich dissects Rupert Murdoch's seemingly quixotic struggle against the windmill that is Scientology. Even today, as this blogger writes this, the Katie-Tom narrative is being framed, from the front page of the NYPost, in a good versus evil, Katie versus Scientology, manner. Paula writes for the Daily Beast:
"On Sunday Rupert Murdoch, arguably the most powerful man in media, stunned media watchers when he inserted himself into the Tom Cruise–Katie Holmes divorce fray by attacking Cruise’s beloved religion.
"Tweeting first, 'Scientology back in news. Very weird cult, but big, big money involved with Tom Cruise either No. 2 or 3 in hierarchy,' and then, 'Watch Katie Holmes and Scientology story develop. Something creepy, maybe even evil, about these people,' the News Corp. CEO waded into the morass and basically declared himself Scientology Enemy No. 1.
"Many were shocked—why the hell would Rupert Murdoch, of all people, get involved in this? But a close Murdoch ally noted, 'He has a long memory and no love for Scientology.'
"The controversial religion, after all, once went after his eldest son Lachlan—using Tom Cruise and Lachlan’s close pal James Packer to try and recruit the Murdoch scion to its cause.
"In 1999 Lachlan and Packer–then partners in the doomed telecommunications company, One.Tel–became close with Cruise through Cruise’s then wife, Nicole Kidman. Cruise and Kidman spent that year in Australia to be close to her family and often hung out with the 'Princes of Oz' (Lachlan and Packer) and their wives, Sarah O’Hare and Jodie Meares, as well as Baz Luhrmann and his wife, Catherine Martin, and actors John Polson and David Wenham.
"But Cruise’s eyes were firmly set on Lachlan and Packer. The actor nurtured the pair with particular care and the three became close, with Cruise flying on private jets with Lachlan and using that time to spout the glories of Scientology."
Ah. It all becomes clear ... More here.
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