Will Smith May (Heart) Scientology, But He’s No Fan Of Adolph Hitler
A London court awarded actor Will Smith unspecified damages and an apology from entertainment newswire service, WENN (World Entertainment News Network) for a false quote the company released on its service, titled “Smith: Hitler was a good person.”
From AOL News:
The Oscar-nominated star, one of the world’s most popular and highly paid actors, was left deeply distressed and acutely embarrassed over the wrong story published by an entertainment newswire service, the High Court heard.
Smith’s comments, originally published in the Scottish Daily Record newspaper, were then “wholly misrepresented” by the London-based World Entertainment News Network (WENN), Judge David Eady was told.
The agency, which says on its website that it provides information to more than 1,000 media outlets in 25 countries, picked up the interview and then wrongly published worldwide a story headlined “Smith: Hitler was a good person.”
“The article alleged (Smith) had declared in an interview that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a good person,” Smith’s lawyer Rachel Atkins told the court.
“It wholly misrepresents (his) actual words.”
She said Smith, also a Grammy-winning rapper who was not in court, actually thought Hitler was “vile and heinous.”
WENN retracted the story after Smith’s camp pointed out the erroneous statement, but the apology was not picked up by media and therefore the statement, like Smith, was left blowing in the breeze.
This is the kind of thing which really pisses me off. Celeb news should strive to a higher standard of journalism than is currently being passed off as acceptable. While you can never be 100% sure of the validity of tabloid stories, our general rule of thumb is to check for various sources of the same information. Where you get your news is important too. Credibility should be important to all news outlets.
Now, if only we could get Will to detract all those pro-Scientology statements he’s made to the press he might stand a chance of being our Fresh Prince all over again.
[Editor’s note: I really like Will Smith, and I will take it as a personal affront if he becomes affiliated as a member of Scientology. This will not only destroy his career, but also his credibility. Will, seriously, I plead with you, don’t do it man. Look what they did to Tom.)
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We love you Will. Just say no to $cientology. you are a FREE thinker.
Comment by a — February 22, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
Get ready to be personally affronted. Will Smith has the freedom of choice. I doubt he’ll read your propaganda anyway.
Comment by right2u — February 22, 2008 @ 11:17 pm
right2u. he has the freedom of choice until he gets sucked into scientology and then his freedom of choice goes into the shitter. If he wont be reading OUR propaganda, he will be reading YOURS as in the propaganda of the Cult of Scientology. I feel sorry for you, your venom seeps out of your post like a soggy dirty diaper. advanced spiritualist? nope, common thug. your days are numbered, better get on the good foot and GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN!
Comment by jaboomboom — February 22, 2008 @ 11:42 pm
I’ve always enjoyed Will Smith, and would absolutely hate to see him get that weird, humorless over-intensity and oddness that Tom Cruise has. What the heck are those Scientologists DOING to these guys? It would be a tragedy for Will Smith to lose that easy, funny manner permanently. I’m all for him taking parts of his life very seriously, or having passions, but Scientology seems to be another ball of wax, so to speak — Scary stuff that makes celebrities get all strange and intense. Plus, since TC went nutso, I looked into it, and read that Scientology has all sorts of VERY questionable activities like brainwashing/mind control, plus fraud, negligent homicide, lawsuit abuse, copyright law abuse, child abuse, forced abortions… the list goes on and on! The public is finally getting wise to this, and I for one am grateful to have heard about it, because this just can’t be happening!
Will, we’re begging you! Don’t go there. And wake up, Americans! This is happening on our turf!
Comment by HugeWillFan — February 23, 2008 @ 12:27 am
I agree, Will is a really likable fellow. He combines smarts and humility with bravado and a streetwise sensibility.
It would be sad to lose him, truly.
When I approached the whole Scientology story, it was with a healthy degree of skepticism. I thought it was silly and mostly harmless.
But there’s so much information out there. Even if you throw out the 2nd or even 1st hand accounts, and only paid attention to the data that’s been collected and preserved legally due to lawsuits brought by and against the Church, that there is enough to raise eyebrows. And of course the whole IRS and govt. infiltration scandal involving high level members, including L.Ron’s own wife, well it really makes ever some the more “out there” claims seems entirely plausible. Not to mention the frightening and well-documented stories behind Lisa McPherson’s death and Paulette Coopers frame-job.
Chilling.
And that is frightening enough of a thought to really make you want to stand up and take notice.
Comment by D — February 23, 2008 @ 12:48 am
Millions of people like Will Smith, he’s smart, talented, funny and, well… likable
It would be sad to see that disappear, as I’m sure it would if he got involved with the Cult of $cientology.
I’d bet if that happened, millions of people wouldn’t like Will Smith.
If the techniques employed by Dianetics appleal to him there are the people at http://www.freezoneearth.org that are practitioners and won’t attemt to enslave him and suck him dry.
Lot’s of people love you Will, don’t lose that.
(BTW D, you could use a pc as a telepromter, think PowerPoint
Comment by BlueHairXenu — February 23, 2008 @ 1:08 am
I said on the BTRToday show earlier Friday that I think Scientology already has him.
Why else would he bother to talk using the vernacular? I mean, I know about many religions, but I don’t go around speaking Hebrew or Chinese, for example. There’s no real need to work that into my regular conversation…unless there was a hidden thing there, you know?
Comment by k — February 23, 2008 @ 1:21 am
ok enough of the antiscientology propaganda spammage please.
Will for Prez!
Religious freedom in USA forever.
Comment by G — February 24, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
ah yes, poster #3 typifies the ordinary antiscientologist.
Trolling just because their difference in opinion.
Comment by G — February 24, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
G - You just contradicted yourself. On one hand you preach religious freedom then on the next post you put down a comment you do not agree with. Is it freedom only under your terms? At least provide some form of constructibe criticism.
Will Smith can decide for himself if he wishes to join CO$. The public will undoubtly let him know what they think of that decision.
Comment by Rob — February 24, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
constructibe
Hows that?
Comment by G — February 25, 2008 @ 3:29 am
I have constructive criticsm and have gracious praises! Theres nothing to criticize here except to criticize just for the sake of criticizing. I’ll leave that to you, Rob.
I put down jaboomboom for calling right2u a “common thug” (etc) just because right2u said: ‘Get ready to be personally affronted. Will Smith has the freedom of choice. I doubt he’ll read your propaganda anyway.
Will 4 Prez!
Comment by G — February 25, 2008 @ 3:34 am
G, I am pretty sure that Will’s managers and PR people will keep him well aware of public opinion on the matter as his career tends to depend on such things. Involving himself with the CoS and it’s current reputation would be detrimental to his career.
It really is a shame that the CoS gives ALL of Scientology a bad name. If the CoS doesn’t take the necessary measure to repair it’s reputation, then none of the beneficial teachings of Scientology will ever be taken seriously.
It would be wise for the CoS to view all the criticisms aimed at it as constructive.
Comment by Nonya — February 25, 2008 @ 8:37 am
Hmmm, first we get Sylver who tried to out-intellectualise us - but failed.
Next - Terryeo who makes no reasonable or critical sense.
Jeanne - possibly the weakest yet…
Then we got G.
Really CO$ - your ‘tech’ and handling entheta is slipping faster than a pig on a greased pole…
Comment by beebee — February 25, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
Nonya, you certainly are entitled to your opinion. Everyone has one.
*G*
Comment by G — February 25, 2008 @ 9:58 pm
People tend to believe almost anything they hear and they use the internet to spread that misinformation.
And, Nonya, the “Anonymous Propaganda Information Ministry” is only creating more havok. Just for it’s “lulz”
What kind of society is that?!?
Will 4 Prez ! ! !
Comment by G — February 25, 2008 @ 10:17 pm
beebee, sounds like you are on some type of long-term mission. What is it?
Comment by G — February 25, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
G - to expose the lie that is CO$.
And so far - along with alot of other people - succeeding.
And Anonymous is not spreading disinformation. But then - you wouldn’t really be able to see that - as you don’t even know which way your ass is pointing…
Nice try - but you’re still behind the 8 ball…
Comment by beebee — February 25, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Apologies. He mentioned CO$ to those that were interested on Legend set (and gave them the “Way to Happiness’ pamphlet (a buddy filled me in on that one… ;)) - but handed out crap to the Hancock crew:
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/01/09/2008-01-09_will_smith_boosting_scientology.html
Comment by beebee — February 26, 2008 @ 12:06 am
G - the statement “People tend to believe almost anything they hear and they use the internet to spread that misinformation.” proves you are a $cientologist.
As you are operating under the false apprehension that somehow you are smarter than us WOGS.
Too bad… Wait til you get further along the broken bridge… to find out you’ve been lied to for all these years…
And that us WOGS have been speaking the truth.
Comment by beebee — February 26, 2008 @ 12:16 am
Hi G, your theory of a “Anonymous Propaganda Information Ministry†is amusing. I became suspicious of the CoS well over a year ago when I was in London and overheard some of the locals talking about how creeped out they were about a “church” that was buying up buildings then leaving them mostly unoccupied in their neighborhoods. They were really upset about it, so my curiosity was piqued and I did a bit of research and spoke to people who knew about it. The information I found during the “pre-anonymous” days is unchanged today. Anonymous are people who have conducted independent research from multiple sources and have finally come together to do something about it. Now we are joined by many young individuals who are catching on to this info because they started out simply annoyed by the CoS and the internet thing. As they’ve learned more about it, they’ve gone from merely annoyed to seriously alarmed. I went through the same transition.
It’s the CoS reactions (like yours) that is keeping the young people interested in this fight. If you guys would just say, “yeah, we’ve made some mistakes and we are doing what we can to ease your concerns about us” or simply have a sense of humor about it, you guys would likely be left alone. Instead you come back and try to “handle” us. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE BEING HANDLED!!! We’ve become familiar with your SP Handling techniques and we just see more confirmation of it with every retort made by a scientologist.
I thought scientology was supposed to help people have a better understanding of human nature and behavior. If you are incapable of understanding what is really upsetting people about the CoS, I’d call that a FAIL in comprehension.
Comment by Nonya — February 26, 2008 @ 12:01 pm