Hothead Alec Baldwin has not ruled out a run for governor of New York, provided he doesn’t have to speak to any tweenaged girls in the process:

“There’s other things I want to do [besides acting],” he tells Morley Safer on “60 Minutes” this Sunday. “In a matter of weeks, I’m going to be 50.” Bombastic Baldwin was thinking of running for governor two years ago before he lost his temper and left a voice mail for his daughter Ireland, then 11, calling her “a rude, thoughtless little pig.” Given a chance to apologize for calling Kim Basinger’s lawyer, Judy Bogen, a “300-pound homunculus with a face like a clenched fist,” Baldwin replied, “I was being kind, Morley.”

You know, Alec often seems to be missing that little chip that most people have in their brain that says, “Hey, perhaps you shouldn’t say that,” but sometimes that quality can be quite refreshing.  Most other actors would be backpedaling so fast that they’d get muscle cramps, but not Alec.  I’ve got to remember that insult.  Well, as soon as I find out how to pronounce “homunculus”.

My personal favorite insult is “slack-jawed mouth-breathing knuckle-dragging monosyllabic troglodyte.”  Feel free to use it, Alec.  Just not at your daughter.  (Oh stop, it’s a joke…GlossLip was one of the very few sites to stick up for the man.  I like Alec, I just don’t always like his actions.)

But Governor? Frankly, I like Alec best when he shuts up and looks cool.  But if California can have the Governator…?  Wonder if he’d rename the Governor’s Mansion “The Inner Sanctum” and be chauffeured in a cool retro taxi?  (Just keep Penelope Ann Miller away, puhleeze.)

UPDATE: This story seems to be lame. Busted. Not true, but at least I didn’t delete it like those goofballs at Daily Kos. According to Huffington Post, Kantor did NOT call Hoosiers the N word, but did admit saying someone was “sh*t” but that someone was the Senior George Bush Whitehouse. Don’t disagree there. Our apologies Mr. Kantor, carry on.

Schweet, the political season has officially begun when sneaky crap like this starts making the rounds. Color me fooled.

Glosslip just got this tip from a posting on the Daily Kos revealing some less than savory words from Hillary’s current political advisor, Mickey Kantor about Indiana Hoosiers being “sh*t” and calling them white n*ggers. The video appears to be from the Clinton/Gore campaign circuit.

Sweet, maybe it’s ok to call white people names, but only if you are running for President. Looks like another advisor’s going to bite the dust. Watch what you say people in politics, it has a way of coming back to haunt you.

[hattip: Western Anons]

Versatile actor John Cusack has decided to pour his anger over the Iraq war into a new film aptly titled, “War, Inc.”

Cusack helped write the screenplay, and the cast is pretty diverse including Academy Award winners Ben Kingsley and Marisa Tomei, and singer/actress Hilary Duff.

Targeting the very political aspects of the war, Cusack is pointed in his criticism and uses the film to capture the anger many feel about being railroaded into a war very few support, but with a wink as it were. Here’s more from the article:

“I think the movie should be kind of offensive,” Cusack told Reuters about the film, which will be released in New York and Los Angeles theaters on May 23. “I’m shocked at how much good reaction we’re getting.”

“Sometimes with a serious, somber movie, even though they’re great and well intentioned, it just doesn’t allow you to be outraged because you just get depressed,” he said. “This allows you to actually feel like, ‘Let’s do something subversive.”‘

In the movie, Cusack plays a hit man hired by Tamerlane to assassinate a Middle Eastern oil minister who plans to lay an oil pipeline through Turaqistan, thwarting the company’s plan for sole proprietorship of the country.

“(The movie) was just a reaction to the war and all the insanity behind using the 9/11 attacks to make an imperial land grab in the Middle East,” he said. “We really wanted to channel our outrage a little bit into something creative.”

We are huge Cusack fans in our house. From his early days starring in teen flicks like “Better Off Dead,” “Say Anything” to his great work in “High Fidelity,” and “1408″ — I think Cusack has matured into one of the greatest actors of my generation, and he’s dead sexy too.

Cusack, like so many in Hollywood these days, is trying to take a stand, although he’s putting a humorous spin on a very unfunny subject. There is a method to his madness, and like Robert Altman’s immensely popular film, “M.A.S.H” set during the Korean war, Cusack wants his humor to have some bite:

We’re trying to raise awareness with it. It is funny and it is bizarre and a little disturbing,” she said. “But really at the end of the day it’s looking at what (our country is) doing, and it’s not right.”

And with U.S. presidential elections looming, Cusack hopes his movie will spur “some kind of resistance of the spirit.”

“There’s hopefully an exuberance to the movie because I think being subversive should feel good,” Cusack said. “It should be fun to throw a brick.”

The trailer looks great, and it reminds me how Cusack was able to capture a lovable quality even when playing a hired assassin in “Gross Pointe Blank.” I highly recommend that movie as well. John’s like a sexy Tom Hanks or something.

(hattip: Maura)

As we told you yesterday exclusively, world famous biographer Andrew Morton was scheduled to appear on the hugely popular syndicated Joey Reynolds Show out of New York’s WOR station.

The podcast is now available and what a great show! Joey and Andrew discussed his controversial book on Tom Cruise, including the Cruise attack on Brooke Shields, his position in Scientology, celebrity as activists, celeb worship, Stanley Kubrick, Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro, Monica Lewinsky, Islamic fundamentalism, Barack and Hilary, His Highness Hollywood and perhaps the coolest thing they mentioned: GLOSSLIP.com. This is a great interview and these two forces of nature make for good radio - and now video!

Another fabulous best-selling writer and filmmaker, Ian Halperin, who was also a featured guest on Joey’s show last week, was in the studio filming the interview live and we have that footage. Above is part 1 of 4 - exclusive to Glosslip.

The two Scientology expose authors, who were reported by Gawker.com to be in hiding three months ago, have now resurfaced in New York and have been spotted together severals times during the last week.

Morton meets world famous illusionist The Amazing Kreskin backstage in the WOR greenroom.

Front right: Halperin’s assistant Allison, Andrew, Joey, Ian and Sean at Reynold’s New York studio

I knew my impassioned speech about Will Smith being drawn into Scientology by his celeb friend Tom Cruise would upset people. I understand this, and while my intention wasn’t to hurt anyone, I freely accept the consequences for my actions. This is what rational and honest people do.

What we are seeing now in this new wave of criticism confronting the Church of Scientology is exactly what separates their organization and mindset from other established religions around the world. In fact, if you look throughout history, ALL religions have had some sort of critical eye placed on them and at various points in history, these religions are forced to confront this criticism in one of three ways: either accept it and address it, ignore it and go the way of the dinosaurs, or do as Scientology has done and go on the defense and attack your critics by using any illegal, subversive or sinister method possible.

Religions, by their very nature, attract criticism. Anytime an organization creates a hierarchy and then dispenses rules on how humans should live and conduct themselves from on high, people are going to have a visceral reaction. They will either accept these rules and model the behavior because it provides effective tools for living a happy and prosperous life, or if the rules offered make them feel constrained, oppressed or violated, they will move on. Healthy religions, like faith, are dependent on free-will. Without free will then it isn’t faith, it’s brainwashing.

Let’s take a look at the world’s best known and followed religions and see how they’ve assimilated into an ever-evolving society throughout human history. This will be a cursory look - so don’t expect an in-depth analysis.

But wait, there’s more…

I had this in my possession thanks to the wonderful largess of a fabulous person, but was unable to parse it out into the increments needed to upload onto YouTube. By the grace of Yahweh, someone did the hard work for me. Behold ladies and gentlemen, all the glory of David Miscavige celebrating the greatest triumph of the Church of Scientology (besides recruiting Tom Cruise as its mascot) in their epic victory of litigious endeavors ever attempted: winning tax exempt status.

It’s long, but certainly telling. Also, here’s a complete transcript of the event, including color commentary.

Parts 2 - 5 after the jump:

But wait, there’s more…

Last week was the Ohio primaries and I almost didn’t vote, despite this being a very exciting time in our nations political history. The last two presidential elections I voted in, I lost. I didn’t just lose because the candidate I backed lost, I lost because my country was no longer my own. I felt completely disenfranchised by the person who became my president. Such is the way of our political system. Half the people get what the want, the other half get left swinging in the breeze.

Throw in the complete and utter contempt and overt disdain our current leadership has for its constituency by loading the Supreme Court with conservative judges thus creating a very unbalanced judicial system, the systematic snatching away of personal privacy under the guise of a “war on terror” and then ultimately the deteriorating state of our current economics, it’s no surprise people want change in their government.

Yesterday NY Governor Elliot Spitzer, a former Attorney General, called a press conference to apologize for a “personal matter” which compromised his integrity as an elected official and ultimately hurt his family. While he didn’t elaborate on what the personal matter was, it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was taking a preemptive strike against information which linked him to a “high-rolling prostitution ring.” The very types of criminal activities as Attorney General of New York he fought tooth and nail to prosecute and eliminate.

But wait, there’s more…

Are you an undecided voter? Are you having trouble deciding which candidate best represents the issues which are most important to you? We may have the answer. Ian Manheimer of the non-partisan website www.GlassBooth.org will be sitting in during Glosslip’s daily segment of Shaun Daily’s BTRToday show, which airs Monday-Friday from 3pmPT/6pmET.

Glassbooth.org has some excellent tools that allow the user to match up their concerns using a point system, and then a brief survey to narrow down your political views. They then take that information and calculate which candidate best matches your interests and values based on percentage points. It’s non-partisan and it has a detailed and comprehensive list of the current candidates and shows you straight-forward quotes from the candidates themselves on the issues. I was particularly impressed with the quotes they chose to determine where that candidate stands on any particular issue. Brilliantly conceived and I encourage you to give it a look, even if you are completely decided on who you are backing in the 2008 Presidential Election.

As for the BTRToday show, most days, k or myself (and if you’re really lucky, both) check in with Shaun for a 30-minute segment to talk about the latest in celebrity gossip. It’s a fun and entertaining look at the day’s top stories and please feel free to stop by the chatroom, call in with questions or moon us. Not sure how you’d do that, but I bet Britney Spears could tell you.

Last night’s Glosslip Radio show with author Ian Halperin was an incredibly powerful and explosive look at the deception and danger which lurks within Hollywood’s most influential organization, The Church of Scientology.

Not only did we get a first-hand account of what Ian witnessed as widespread anti-gay and racist views held by members of the church (not surprisingly really, COS founder L. Ron Hubbard was a notorious racist and bigot), but we were treated to a surprise and fascinating caller, famous anti-COS defector Arnie Lerma.

What unfolded was the interviewee becoming the interviewer, as Ian discovered a kindred, yet more grizzled spirit in Arnie. Both having been subjected to the mind-control tricks and neo-psychology con of the COS, they were able to compare notes, experiences and ultimately a shared relief that they, unlike so many, escaped with their lives and sanity in tact.

Think I am being over-the-top? I just spoke with Arnie Lerma for two hours and the things he shared with me about the Church of Scientology would curl your toes. Fortunately, Arnie was able to tape the interview and I will be doing a mini-series on this subject.

Because of the nature of this information and the secretiveness of the COS organization, I will have to take some time to dig around and track down sources and gather intelligence before going forward with my findings. Rest assured, I am impassioned with the desire to seek the truth about how the Church has deceived it’s members, deceived the public, made billions through sophisticated cons — and ultimately superimposed its will onto the American subconscious right under our very noses — while using the sacred First Amendment to cover up its misdeeds.

One last thing, let us be cautious in jumping to conclusions about the group who call themselves “Anonymous/Legion.” While it is too early to tell their ultimate intentions, we may all end up appreciating their courage to take on an organization which has more than one person’s blood on its hands.

One man’s fascism may merely be another man’s religion.

Just when you think the Church of Scientology couldn’t get any more bizarre, they go and do something like this.

The article from today’s NYDN’s Gategrasher quotes best-selling author (and next week’s Glosslip Radio guest) Ian Halperin from his upcoming “undercover” expose on the Church of Scientology. From Ben Widdiecombe’s article:

Have you been wondering who Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986, would vote for to be President?

Investigative journalist Ian Halperin has. The best-selling author is about to publish “Hollywood Undercover,” his exposé of the controversial church. But when he asked a Scientology recruiter in Los Angeles the question, he received the most offensive response imaginable.

“He said, ‘I can tell you who shouldn’t be President - Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice and the Rev. Al Sharpton. They should not be allowed to run for office, they should be sweeping the office.”

Clearly we can imagine the Church’s response to this story will go something like “The views expressed by one radical member of the church in no way reflect the views of the Church itself. The Church embraces people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are is proud of it’s multi-rational membership.” Or some such wishy-washy backtracking nonsense.

And then they will likely hire some Scientology goon to shadow whoever made that statement and that person will POOF! vanish into thin air. Think I am kidding? Don’t be too sure. I have written several stories about Scientology over the years and not so coincidentally, have been contacted by members of the Church more than once, who were quite savvy about where I lived and what I’ve been up to. Nothing overtly threatening, just an air of “weirdness.”

These past couple weeks have been a difficult time for the Church with some very inflammatory assertions being leveled at the Church, by yet another best-selling author, biographer to the stars, Andrew Morton. While some of Morton’s claims seem a bit outlandish, including one suggesting Tom and Katie Cruise’s daughter Suri is the product of some creepy insemination process using L.Ron Hubbard’s frozen sperm, to a secret COS mission to take over Germany, the media itself seems to be in agreement on one thing: The Church of Scientology isn’t exactly what you’d call “kosher.”

Hopefully, Ian’s new book, which has him posing as “as a gay man wishing to be “cured” by Scientology” will in fact, shed some light on what goes one behind close doors. Halperin also “aims to expose the prejudice of the church,” which clearly exists considering the above statement about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator (and popular presidential candidate) Barack Obama and Reverend Al Sharpton.

Oh, and I’d be quite remiss in not mentioning this past week’s leaked Scientology Indoctrination videos featuring an impassioned and completely unhinged Tom Cruise’s fervent proselytizing of the powers of Scientology from website Gawker. Whom, btw, were immediately hit with a cease and desist from COS lawyers. So far, the video remains available on their website, but who knows for how long.

Be sure to tune in to next Sunday’s Glosslip Radio show when we can talk to Ian himself about what he saw and heard during his investigative undercover reporting on the Church of Scientology.

Update: As I anticipated, the Scientologists and their feverish paranoid masses have tried to refute the claims of the COS being a bunch of racists xenophobes, so I was presented a quote direct from L. Ron Hubbard himself to his second wife. Thanks to Ian for the quote. There’s also some other interesting quotes noted by barb in the comments section below. iI recommend you check it.

L. Ron Hubbard to second wife: “You shouldn’t be scrubbing the floor on your hands and knees. Get yourself a nigger; that’s what they’re born for”.