Chef Is A Hypocrite

[Gold9472]

Hayes has lost faith in 'Park'

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/399550p-338531c.html

3/14/2006

After 10 years on Comedy Central's foulmouthed, anti-establishment animated series "South Park," Isaac Hayes wants off because he finds the show's attacks on religion inappropriate.

Word is that Hayes was upset with an episode that aired in November, "Trapped in the Closet," that attacked Scientology, of which he's a follower. He asked the show to be released from his role as the sexually charged Chef.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins," Hayes said in a statement.

"As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices," he added. Hayes' reaction stumped some, because the show that spawned "South Park" included Santa and Jesus in a death match, and throughout the run the producers have skewered various religions and celebrities.

"This has nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist and that we recently featured Scientology in an episode of 'South Park,' " Matt Stone, co-creator of 'South Park,' said in a statement. "In 10 years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show. To bring the civil-rights struggle into this is just a non sequitur. Of course, we will release Isaac from his contract and we wish him well."

[jetsetlemming]

Good for Matt Stone. I heard that they asked Hayes about that episode before they aired it so he'd be okay with it. Anyone want to speculate how Chef is gonna leave the show? :P

[Gold9472]

Good for Matt Stone. I heard that they asked Hayes about that episode before they aired it so he'd be okay with it. Anyone want to speculate how Chef is gonna leave the show? :P

Oh my god, they killed Chef... you bastards.

[jetsetlemming]

As long as he doesn't just wave goodbye then drive away. I'd be pissed if they let him off like that.

[Partridge]

I bet they'll just replace the voice with someone else and say something like "Hey chirren, my old self ran off to join some loony cult, I'm a new person - Praise Farrakhan!".

[Partridge]

Isaac Hayes' Quitting Controversy
FOX (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,188463,00.html)

Isaac Hayes did not quit "South Park." My sources say that someone quit it for him.

I can tell you that Hayes is in no position to have quit anything. Contrary to news reports, the great writer, singer and musician suffered a stroke on Jan. 17. At the time it was said that he was hospitalized and suffering from exhaustion.

It’s also absolutely ridiculous to think that Hayes, who loved playing Chef on "South Park," would suddenly turn against the show because they were poking fun at Scientology.

Last November, when the “Trapped in a Closet” episode of the comedy aired, I saw Hayes and spent time with him in Memphis for the annual Blues Ball.

If he hated the show so much, I doubt he would have performed his trademark hit song from the show, “Chocolate Salty Balls.” He tossed the song into the middle of one of his less salacious hits and got the whole audience in the Memphis Pyramid to sing along.

I can tell you, Hayes was very pleased with himself, was in a great mood and, as always, loved his fans' coming up to him and asking him about Chef.

As recently as early January, before his stroke, Hayes defended the "South Park" creators in an interview with “The AV Club,” the serious side of the satirical newspaper, The Onion.

AV Club: They did just do an episode that made fun of your religion, Scientology. Did that bother you?

Hayes: Well, I talked to Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker] about that. They didn't let me know until it was done. I said, 'Guys, you have it all wrong. We're not like that. I know that's your thing, but get your information correct, because somebody might believe that [expletive], you know?' But I understand what they're doing. I told them to take a couple of Scientology courses and understand what we do. [Laughs.]

The truth is, Hayes has a sly sense of humor and loves everything about "South Park." It’s provided him a much-needed income stream since losing the royalties to the many hits he’s written, such as “Shaft” and “Soul Man,” in the mid-1970s.

Even though he’s one of America’s most prolific hit writers, Hayes has been denied access to profits from his own material for almost 30 years.

But it’s hard to know anything since Hayes, like Katie Holmes, is constantly monitored by a Scientologist representative most of the time. Luckily, at the Blues Ball he was on his own, partying just with family and friends. He was very excited about having gotten married and about the impending birth of a new child.

Friends in Memphis tell me that Hayes did not issue any statements on his own about South Park. They are mystified.

“Isaac’s been concentrating on his recuperation for the last two and a half, three months,” a close friend told me.

Hayes did not suffer paralysis, but the mild stroke may have affected his speech and his memory. He’s been having home therapy since it happened.

That certainly begs the question of who issued the statement that Hayes was quitting "South Park" now because it mocked Scientology four months ago. If it wasn’t Hayes, then who would have done such a thing?

Meantime, Tom Cruise may have gotten Comedy Central to pull its repeat of "South Park"'s Scientology spoof last week, but the result is that episode is all over the Web. You can see it for free at youtube.com (http://youtube.com/).

Not only that, the Comedy Central (http://www.comedycentral.com/) Web site has four clips from the 21-minute show. And it also says that “Trapped in the Closet” will air this Wednesday at 10 p.m.

So whether or not Cruise actually did use influence at Viacom/Paramount to get the show pulled from last week’s schedule, here it is, bigger and better than ever. Of course, no one would have cared one way or another if “Trapped” simply had aired on schedule.

Of course, no one could blame Cruise, John Travolta or even R&B singer R. Kelly for being upset about the episode. They are poked fun at mercilessly.

In the episode, Stan, one of the "South Park" characters, is solicited into Scientology. He gives them $240 and takes an EMeter test. This convinces the higher-ups that Stan is the reincarnation of the group’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

That would be bad enough, wouldn’t it? But Cruise visits Stan in his bedroom and winds up hiding in his closet when Stan tells him he’s not the greatest actor. Thus is born the line “Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet.”

It’s repeated dozens of times. Travolta soon joins Cruise in Stan’s closet. He won’t come out, either. And when they do, there is the ecstatic announcement that they’ve “come out of the closet.”

You get the picture. But nothing in “Trapped in the Closet” is any worse than anything "South Park" creators Stone and Parker have done before. Just rent “Team America” and see what I mean.

[somebigguy]

I've never watched South Park, but heard about this on Stern. What is wrong with these fools??? Its ok to laugh at religion as long as its not yours?

These Scientologists are all grade A nutballs like the rest of the religions out there. Should we all believe in the Tooth Fairy and 19 hijackers too?? Just because somebody says they exist???

[jetsetlemming]

I've never watched South Park, but heard about this on Stern. What is wrong with these fools??? Its ok to laugh at religion as long as its not yours?

These Scientologists are all grade A nutballs like the rest of the religions out there. Should we all believe in the Tooth Fairy and 19 hijackers too?? Just because somebody says they exist???
Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are gonna be pissed at you for not including them.

[EminemsRevenge]

You mean L Ron Hubbard isn't GOD???

[Gold9472]

You mean L Ron Hubbard isn't GOD???

We have to wait 300 years for the Council of Nicea to make that decision.

[Gold9472]

I was thinking of starting an anti-Scientology religion based on the writings of Gene Roddenberry.

[Gold9472]

Maybe I'll combine the writings of George Lucas with Gene Roddenberry... May the force be with you while you live long and prosper.

[Chris]

i heard Tom Cruise and the other celeb scientologists somehow got Comedy Central to stop airing the episode about Scientology.i didnt know that cult was so powerful already. and no, Chef isnt gonna die, they are just getting a new guy to do his voice.

[jetsetlemming]

I was thinking of starting an anti-Scientology religion based on the writings of Gene Roddenberry.
Superb idea! L. Ron Hubbard couldn't write for shit anyway.

[Good Doctor HST]

"They say that cat Chef is a bad scien-SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"