Tom Cruise, Scientologist, denies he put any pressure on Viacom management (who own Comedy Central [which shows South Park] and Paramount Pictures [which owns Cruise's latest movie, Mission Impossible 3]) to get them to pull an episode of South Park, a repeat of "Trapped in the Closet", an episode which ridicules Cruise and The Church of Scientology.

Regardless of why it was pulled, the episode was pulled by Comedy Central.

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone gave the following statement to Daily Variety:

"So, Scientology, you may have won this battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!

"Temporarily anozinizing (corr) our episode will not stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies.

"Curses and drat! You have obstructed us now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu."

"Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants to the dark lord Xenu".

Despite the firm denials, the rumor that Cruise had threatened to stop promoting MI3 unless the South Park episode was pulled, persisted, and South Park fans are now threatening to boycott Mission Impossible 3.

Scientologist Isaac Hayes, who vocalises the Chef, was killed off in what the washingtonpost.com called a "slapped-together 10th-season opener."

The Chef is reportedly killed off in the episode "The Return of the Chef". The words spoken by Chef were made up by cutting and pasting lines recorded by Hayes before he apparently quit.

23rd March 2006