We are super-excited to announce there will be a special segment of Glosslip Radio today at 3:00pm EST. Eric Olsen, publisher of Blogcritics.org will be co-hosting with me today to interview country singing sensation and American Idol Season 3 (in ‘04) runner-up Diana DeGarmo live today on BlogTalkRadio.com. Diana will be on the show to promote her involvement in a worthy cause, and if Glosslip is about anything, it’s worthy causes. Here’s more on what Diana’s up to:
We are very excited to be helping CMT One Country, the pro-social initiative for the cable network CMT, promote Global Youth Service Day. CMT One Country and Youth Service America have joined forces for the second year in a row to help motivate youth in America to participate in Global Youth Service Day on April 25- 27, the largest volunteering event in the world. Recording artist Diana DeGarmo of CMT’s GONE COUNTRY, will be the honorary spokesperson for Global Youth Service Day, speaking publicly on behalf of the event on radio, television and print opportunities. Events kick-off Friday, April 25 and run through Sunday, April 27.
Glosslip is super excited to announce this Sunday’s Glosslip Radio guest, popular author, web-writer and hipster, Neal Pollack. The bio below does not do him justice, so I recommend you check out his wiki-page for the real story on how cool Neal is.
We will talk about his site Offsprung.com, his new book, Alternadad, parenting, blogging, writing, why Gawker picks on him so much, and lots of juicy stuff. As a former contributor to McSweeney’s and a punk-rock poet, Neal is as a tremendous character. Don’t miss this show!
Neal Pollack is the author of Alternadad: One Family’s Struggle To Raise a Cool Kid In America, along with several acclaimed books of satirical fiction. He’s also the founder of Offsprung.com, a humor magazine and web community for “parents who don’t suck.” A contributor to many newspapers, magazines, and websites, Pollack lives in Los Angeles with his wife Regina Allen and their five-year-old son Elijah.
Neal and I go back to my days as a blogger when blogs were personality based and people used to say mean sh*t about each other for lulz. Now days, we are professionals.
Glosslip Radio will be interviewing guests from Enturbulation.org to discuss the site, its mission and on-going efforts to inform the public of the many alleged abuses perpetrated by the Church of Scientology, including a particularly cruel policy called “disconnect”.
Enturbulation.org is a source for information on activism against the Scientology Organization. Founded on January 27th 2008, Enturbulation’s original purpose was to gather information on the Scientology Organization and present it in a user and public friendly manner. However, coming to the realization that there is so much information on the internet in regards to the crimes of Scientology the Enturbulation.org staff decided to shift focus away from being a purely informative site repurposed itself for community organization. With nearly 8,000 active users (and over 13,000 registered users) Enturbulation has come to be considered the public for Internet activism against the Scientology Organization.
Disconnect is a process employed by the Church to keep members from communicating with those people who’ve left the church (including children, parents, spouses, grandparents, friends and co-workers). This divisive policy forces members within the CoS to declare in written form their intention to cut off all forms of communication from those outside and to no longer have contact with these individuals.
This policy, besides being morally wrong, has lead to many family members losing touch with their cherished loved ones. Anyone experiencing this and wanting to reconnect with family members should tune in to the show to find out more about Operation Reconnect scheduled to take place April 12 as part of the 3rd installment of global protests from Anonymous.
Click here to listen to the show live. The show will be available in archive form approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the live streaming audio.
If you wish to call in, the call in number is: 646-478-0139
Please join Glosslip Radio as we co-host with BlogTalkRadio.com CEO, Alan Levy in an interview with NYT’s best-selling author, Andrew Morton, to discuss his latest book, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography.
Andrew Morton is arguably the most well-known celeb biographer in the world. Having covered such high profile subjects as Princess Diana, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham, and political consort Monica Lewinsky, tackling the world’s most famous Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise, was simply a matter of time for Morton.
Glosslip had a chance to sit down with Andrew while we were visiting in New York for the premiere of Ian Halperin’s new documentary, “His Highness Hollywood.” We will be revealing part of that video interview today.
From our perspective, the interview is explosive and Morton is amazingly astute, tuned in to his subject, and every bit as erudite on Scientology, the faith driving Tom Cruise, as he is on the man himself.
Please tune in for today’s much-anticipated interview, where Alan Levy, founder and CEO of BlogTalkRadio and Glosslip team up to go inside the life of Tom Cruise, the Church of Scientology and talk to the man who sparked the current firestorm of anti-Scientology protests around the globe.
Andrew’s book is where it began two months ago, and despite having his book banned in the UK and Morton himself threatened with lawsuits based on numerous claims in the book, he has some very specific ideas on what should happen going forward as groups like Anonymous, and those brave souls who’ve been fighting the Church for years team up to expose the abuses of the Church of Scientology.
Tech problems plagued the exciting premiere for Ian Halperin’s new documentary, “His Highness Hollywood,” including the live radio show I did for Blog Talk Radio on Glosslip Radio.
Fortunately, I videoed the interview and so the parts that were cut off during the radio show were captured live. I will be posting a review of the premiere, which includes appearances by Andrew Morton, a tampered with projector (dun.dun.DUN), Blogcritics Theatre Editor Jon Sobel and many great moments.
Second part is on it’s way. Stay tuned for full review tomorrow.
Update - Second part up now.
Also, BIG PROPS to k for not only carrying the site and doing the Shaun Daily show all by her sick self while I out of town, but she did so all while suffering from the flu AND she also saved the day at the last minute and helped me out with a technical issue.
Glosslip would NOT exist without k, so my eternal gratitude is offered for her excellence.
Tonight’s radio show will focus on yesterday’s global Anonymous protests against the Church of Scientology.
The Enturbulation.org forums are down for right now, so I need every Anon to post this on all available forums. Since I am out of town, this also means I am out of my element and need YOUR help spreading the word. The radio show is a great opportunity to share and preserve your experiences from the March 15th protests.
Radio Show: 10:00pm EST, TONIGHT
Glosslip Radio will be doing a recap of yesterday’s Anonymous protests, including our eyewitness accounts from the Washington, D.C. protests where we were broadcasting live for Blog Talk Radio. We hope to have members from Anonymous call in from around the globe and share their experiences from the 3/15 raids.
I arrived at yesterday’s Anonymous protest against the Church of Scientology around 11:00 and it was already in full swing. Having covered the event from the safety of my computer on February 10, it was a very surreal experience to be amongst the throngs of masked Anonymous, with busy Saturday Dupont Circle foot traffic also making their way around the crowd gathered.
The masks varied in shape and size, some wearing bandanas, surgical mask, full ski masks, wigs, there was even a very statuesque Anon wearing a demure ladies suit, complete with high heels and hose. He was considerate enough to ask what was the proper way for a lady to sit when he sat down to smoke a cigarette. It was quite charming and sweet for him to assume I’d know how a lady sits
Also within this crowd were the iconic Guy Fawkes masks in every type and size. These familiar faces were what let me know I was within the right group, as the city was filled with St. Patty’s Day revelers, who also packed the streets and added to the confusion.
Anonymous Invites the Church to “Jump On It”
This favorite Irish holiday confusion was a clever disguise for those wanting to blend in to the sunny, and warm day of city-goers. There was a frenetic, but friendly atmosphere within the Anonymous group. Many of the protesters walked the perimeter making sure the paths and sidewalks were kept clear for passersby, including the elderly and plenty of moms with strollers. The women of Anonymous doing what women do, looking out for the old and young. This really was just a crowd of everyday folks taking part in something they seemed to feel passionate about: opposing the Church of Scientology.
Bel-Airing The Church
I lurked on the perimeters much of the time singling members out to talk to, for my “on-the-fly” radio broadcast for Blog Talk Radio. This was the first time I had ever attempted such an endeavor and I likely fumbled a bit, but the individuals who agreed to speak to me were engaged, articulate and seized the opportunity to share what brought them here to spend this uncharacteristically warm sunny March day protesting the Church of Scientology.
There were easily 250 people at the DC Anon protests, many crowding in front of the Tomate cafe, which juts out into a pointy V, on one side, the Church of Scientology’s neatly kept brownstone building, and on the other, busy R Street. Flanked on all corners of the pedestrian-laden intersection were enclaves of Anonymous carrying signs and handing out fliers. They were extra friendly and never pushy, understanding the need to balance out their somewhat off-putting garb and their desire to inform the public.
Silver-haired Scientologist filming the crowd
As with the February 10th protests, they were kind and OVERLY pleasant, even when in engaging the humorless and chilly Scientologists who entered the crowd taking pictures of anyone who was not completely masked. There was one Org member in particular, a dapper silver-haired gentleman who carried what I felt was a knowing and sinister smirk. His modus operandi was to come and go inside of the Org, stalking protesters with his camera, including walking up to an underage girl (all of 15) and taking her picture — in spite of her father’s (a former Scientologist from the DC org) complaints.
At one point, he came out with a purposeful stride, walked up to me and took my picture. I gladly obliged, even thoughtfully removing my sunglasses and introducing myself. He smirked and sulked back into the Org.
Menacing CoS Videographer
Also menacing the crowd was a man who I can only describe as a “shadowy figure” who showed no emotion, except to scowl, while videotaping the entire three+ hour event from a jutting balcony, safely ensconced within the arms of the Scientology building.
Glosslip Radio is pleased to announce this week’s guest is lawyer Jeffrey I. Zuckerman, a partner
with law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle and will be with us to discuss the pending lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit titled Sklar v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Mr. Zuckerman represents Michael and Marla Sklar, a Los Angeles couple who seek to establish legal precedent as it pertains to the secret agreement reached between the IRS and the Church of Scientology in 1993.
CALL IN NUMBER: (646)478-0139
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SHOW AND PARTICIPATE IN CHATROOM
Mr. Zuckerman is an accomplished lawyer who specializes “in the fields of U.S. and international antitrust law and trade regulation, employment law, and other governmental regulation of business” within his practice at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle. Prior to becoming a partner for the firm 1989, “Mr. Zuckerman was the Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission (1986-89); Chief of Staff at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1984-86); and Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (1981-84).”
Some of the questions we will be discussing with Mr. Zuckerman on the show will be:
Why did the Sklars decide to take legal action?
How did they become aware of the CoS agreement and how it pertained to their case with the IRS?
What do you think the ramifications will be for a loss in this case? What about a win?
How far into the legal process do you feel this case will go before there is a resolution? Supreme Court?
Have you been before the Supreme Court before?
Does the court of “public opinion” help or hurt this case and for whom?
Have the Sklar’s been contacted by anyone from the Church of Scientology? Have you?
Why do you think the IRS made this agreement with the CoS, and why haven’t they disclosed it even now, with a case pending?
Do you think the IRS will be able to prove their case, since the burden of proof lies with them (and CoS of course)?
Have the Sklars/you considered filing a class-action suit?
If anyone has additional questions as they relate to this case, please login to the chatroom during the show, we will be fielding questions to Mr. Zuckerman and encourage you to participate. There will be an additional 30 minutes starting, from 11:00 - 11:30 for discussion after the show for anyone who has information they want to share or topics they wish to discuss either relating to this interview or the upcoming March 15th global protests planned by Anonymous.
Not sure how much I can reveal at this point, but suffice it to say we are having some technical difficulties. Our Chief Geek got us back up, but we don’t know for how long.
While, I can, I want to invite EVERYONE to LISTEN IN, CALL IN AND BE A PART OF THE SHOW.
I hope to have Arnie Lerma on to help me cover today’s events (waiting to confirm from him) and a staffer of Enturbulation.org from Australia will be calling to talk about the Sydney protests, where the whole event kicked off.
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