I love me some Will Smith. I also love me some Will Smith movies. (Well, except for Hitch. Okay, Hitch and The Legend of Bagger Vance. Okay, Hitch, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Wild Wild West. My point is, I still watch Fresh Prince, okay?!) Anyhoo I’m sort of gagging over his new film Hancock. I mean have you seen the trailers? Now THOSE are some special effects! But what isn’t having a special effect on me is the suit he wore to the Los Angeles premiere of the film. I mean did he keep that from the costume department of Bagger Vance? Where’s his caddy then? I don’t care what they say plaid is not rad. Especially full body plaid. Which leads me to Thomas Jane.

Really, Thomas Jane? Really? Were your overalls dirty so you decided to come to a Hollywood premiere dressed like a trucker? I get that it’s not your movie and I get that you don’t even have a cameo in it, but seriously is it too hard to tuck in a shirt and perhaps shave? I hope this lackadaisical attitude doesn’t rear it’s ugly head in his upcoming film Mutant Chronicles. (Which by the way BETTER be minimally enjoyable… unlike The Mist.) Speaking of mist, thank you Charlize Theron for finally laying off the spray tanning. You look lovely. I don’t get what black nail polish has to do with anything, but I’m gonna look beyond that because your make up looks fresh and appropriate and that necklace is perfect. I’m borderline on that gown, but I love the color and I get what you’re going for…unlike Valerie Bertinelli. This worries me. Valerie Bertinelli looks like Barbra Streisand’s Mini-Me. Why is she wearing a drape? I mean seriously! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Clothing should be draped, not drapes.” This tells me she does not believe in her Jenny Craig’d fabulous body which really breaks my heart, because she looks amazing. I’m just sayin’ I would think if she just lost 40 pounds and is a spokesperson for a weight loss program AND she’s back on red carpets that she would be showin’ it all off to get some new fabulous jobs… aw, well. Maybe she’s just taking it one day at a time…And that’s just what Lisa Raye should be doing. I love the new hair (I actually have that same hair in a box in my closet), but what is up with that hot tranny mess of an ensemble? (Minus the sandals of course: LOVING THEM!) It’s part bridesmaid, part summer teen and part tablecloth all in one!

As I look at it now it looks like this entire red carpet is a mess. Does Justine Bateman think she’s still on the set of Satisfaction? Has Kevin James gone Gangsta Rapper on us? Is Minnie Driver about to break into a routine from Flashdance? Did Queen Latifah just happen to be doing her cardio down Hollywood Boulevard and made a wrong turn and ended up on the red carpet? Does Amanda Peet not realize her makeup is that of a cracked out rocker on a 10 day binge? Has Virginia Madsen FINALLY proved to us once and for all what really IS black and white and red all over?

(Sigh, I am exhausted)`

Special thanks go out to Jason Bateman for being the real hero of the red carpet of a superhero movie. He looks like a true star at an actual premiere for one of the summer’s hottest films. Thank you Jason…and I miss Arrested Development more than you will ever know. (Is it true there’s rumored to be an A.D. movie in ‘09? Please say yes, PLEASE!)

Over a month ago I wrote a pretty long article comparing Will Smith’s private school, The New Village Academy, to both the educational practices used by Scientology schools and the basic tenants of the Scientology religion/cult. While there are multiple educational principles listed on the website for the school, including Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s Study Tech, the more in-depth explanations of their mission, philosophy, testing methods and definition of ethics use both concepts and wording that are easily identified as straight from Scientology scripture. What’s more is that five out of seventeen teachers are easily identified as Scientologists.

Now the LA Times has contacted officials at Smith’s school, as well as the Study Tech expert and critic who was kind enough to provide quotes for our earlier article, Dr. Dave Touretzky from Carnegie Mellon University. Officials at Smith’s school, New Village Academy, swear that just because nearly a third of the teachers are Scientologists and they use Hubbard’s Study Tech doesn’t mean it’s a Scientology school:

New Village Academy began about three years ago as a home school for the Smiths’ youngest children — Jaden, 9 and Willow, 7 — and those of several other families. After an extensive search, Jacqueline Olivier, previously an administrator at private schools in Santa Monica and La Jolla, was hired to head the school.

Since joining the school a year ago, she has been responsible for hiring staff and preparing for the opening of the new campus.

Olivier responded to written questions about the school submitted through Will Smith’s publicist. She said some staff members are Scientologists and others are Muslim, Christian or Jewish. The school has no religious affiliation, she said.

“We are a secular school and just like all nonreligious independent schools, faculty and staff do not promote their own religions at school or pass on the beliefs of their particular faith to children,” Olivier said.

One teaching method the school uses is study technology, which was developed by Hubbard and focuses on students gaining hands-on experience, mastering subject matter before moving to the next level, and being taught not to read past words they don’t understand.

“People tend to think study technology is a subject, but it is really just the way the subject is taught,” Olivier said. “They then come to the conclusion that we are teaching Scientology when actually a methodology doesn’t have anything to do with content.”

The school, she said, will use many philosophies, including Montessori, Bruner and Gardner. Olivier said the Smiths would pay nearly $900,000 to lease the Indian Hills High School campus in the Las Virgenes Unified School District for three years. Fall enrollment is expected to be about 40 students and will eventually rise to about 100, she said. The school will include pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, with a top annual tuition of $12,500.

[From The LA Times]

I didn’t mention this in the earlier article because it wasn’t necessary, but I have a masters in education and have studied the other educational experts the school’s head mentioned: Montesorri, Bruner and Gardner. The philosophy and “ethics” listed on the website for Smith’s school are straight from Scientology and bear little influence from other educational philosophies. Let’s revisit the comparisons we found between Scientology scripture and Smith’s school’s methodology as listed on their website. Most of the text below is from our last article on this.

Smith’s school uses terminology, phrases and concepts that are from Scientology scriptures

Smith’s School’s Mission:

We believe that an individual’s survival and prosperity are inextricably bound to the rise and fall of his or her family, social groups and humankind.

[From Newvillageacademy.org, emphasis added]

L. Ron Hubbard on Ethics:

Dishonest conduct is nonsurvival. Anything is unreasonable or evil which brings about the destruction of individuals, groups, or inhibits the future of the race.

[From Scientology.org, emphasis added]

Use of “Qual” as a test to judge understanding:

Upon completion of a subject chapter such as in math, the teacher sends the student to “Qual”, where he/she is given an test in various forms. If the student scores anything less than 100%, the Qualifications teacher will sit down with the student and go over the part of the exam that was not fully understood and make sure the student understands all of the words and concepts in the chapter. The teacher will also make sure the student did not skip any concepts which would inhibit learning. This is done to help students so that they gain 100% certainty.

[From Newvillageacademy.org]

The abbreviation “Qual” is directly from Scientology, and describes a concept unique to the cult. Scientology expert Dr. Dave Touretzky corresponded with me via e-mail, and provides this explanation:

I have not seen the term “Qual” used this way in the context of Scientology-affiliated educational organizations. It use here comes straight out of the Church of Scientology itself! “Qual” is where you go when you’ve completed an auditing action in Scientology, or completed a course in the Scientology church. How revealing. Also of note is the final phrase: “100% certainty”. Notice that they did not say “mastery” or “understanding” — the terms professional educators use. They said “certainty”, which is the standard profession of faith used in Scientology. Even the Delphi schools aren’t this blatant in their use of Scientology phraseology.

[E-mail received from Dr. Dave Touretzky]

Smith’s school’s definition of ethics:

An understanding of basic ethics helps students prosper as individuals while being a part of a group. Ethics is simply the choices and actions a person takes on himself, and the ability to take responsibility for his or her actions.

[From Newvillageacademy.org, emphasis added]

Scientology’s definition of ethics:

Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice.

[From Wikipedia and Scientologyethics.org, emphasis added]

So school officials say they just happen to use Scientology school methodology and have a bunch of teachers who are Scientologists, but they’re not a Scientology school. How do you explain then that their philosophy, mission, definition of ethics and testing methods are straight from Scientology itself?

And even if they only use Study Tech, it’s not like it’s ever been proven effective. As Dr. Touretzky explains in the LA Times article:

“There is no reputable educator anywhere who endorses [study technology],” said Touretzky, a critic of Scientology. “What happens is that children are inculcated with Scientology jargon and are led to regard L.R. Hubbard as an authority figure. They are laying the groundwork for later bringing people into Scientology.”

[From LA Times]

How would you feel if you sent your kid to a 12k a year school and they were trying to indoctrinate them into a cult the whole time, but swore the school was based on other educational principles? But it’s not like Smith can admit he’s a Scientologist, can he? They’re only going to help those kids, they don’t need to tell their parents they’re teaching them to revere L. Ron.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are shown on 6/27/08 at Mandela’s birthday concert, thanks to WENN.

Secret Scientologist Will Smith has a movie to promote and a status as the top-grossing action hero to defend, so he’s doing the talk show circuit. His film Hancock with Charlize Theron is out in the US on July 2nd. He went on David Letterman last night to showcase his unique brand of everyman swagger and planted a big kiss on Letterman when the talk show host complimented his looks.

Letterman: Every time I see you, you just look better and better, and I’m wondering, because when you get to be my age you start thinking about…
[Smith puckers lips, leans in and closes eyes]
Letterman: Oh stop it.
[Then Letterman leans in twice and lets Smith kiss him on each cheek]
Smith: Once you go black, you never go back Dave.
Letterman: This has taken an unforeseen direction.
Schaeffer: Black is one thing, but this is ridiculous
Letterman: How old a guy are you, is where this is going?
Smith: I’m 39…
Letterman: You look like you’re 29 for the love of God.
Smith: David! My 40th birthday is this year, September 25.

[Transcribed from Will Smith’s appearance on The Late Show, 5/24/08, video below]

Smith has said in the past that he runs five miles a day six days a week, and if you do that “your body will look like whatever you want it to look like.”

The show was really entertaining and it’s easy to forget that Smith is hiding the fact that he’s brainwashing kids.

Letterman asked him what he’s been up to and he said he’s been traveling promoting Hancock and was in Berlin and Moscow. Letterman asked him what it was like and he said of Moscow “It’s like where God made the first white ladies ever.. Six foot two, blonde hair, blue-eyed [makes pained face] just perfection. It’s like really. It’s not the picture of Russia that we have… It is gorgeous and beautiful and sexy.”

Then they joked about the crowd response to Will around the world. Smith said “Something new happened after ‘I am Legend’ in my career… things have sort of connected around the world in a way that it’s never been. Walking down the streets of Moscow just the energy is more than it’s ever been.” Then Smith accidentally knocked his microphone off and said to Letterman “Can you get that for me honey?”

After the break Smith said that his wife Jada said he’s been working too much and asked him to take the next five months off. He didn’t sound happy about it, and he said Jada “might need to be prepared to have lots of sex, Dave.”

Here are the videos, thanks to Redlasso and clipper ZOSO:

Will Smith on Letterman part 1 6/23/2008

Will Smith on Letterman part 2 6/23/2008

Yesterday we ran a story about Will Smith’s new private school, New Village Academy, based on a piece that appeared in the National Enquirer that tied Smith to the school. Smith is not mentioned on the school’s website, but he told Regis & Kelly last year that he was starting a school, and the school’s director is Smith’s former personal assistant and is “Director of Philanthropy and Vice President of the Smith Holdings Group.”

After a superficial reading of the school’s website I said it sounded like a decent school. My conclusion was similar to saying Scientology is ok after reading three chapters of Dianetics. I didn’t dig deep enough, or have enough knowledge of Scientology schools, to make an analysis. Several commenters pointed out that Smith’s school uses the same materials as Scientology schools, mentions L. Ron Hubbards “Study Tech,” by name, and even employs teachers who are known Scientologists. The language on Smith’s school’s website is also loaded with words and concepts specific to Scientology, and the mission is straight out of the Scientology handbook.

The class materials are the same ones created by Scientology and used in Scientology schools
The Delphi Schools are Scientology-schools run for children of Scientologists, and for outside children with the purpose of converting their families to the cult. According to Wikipedia, Delphi Schools use their own Heron Basics language program along with Hubbard’s “tech.”

Smith’s school uses Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard’s “tech,” and the Heron Basics language program. Hubbard’s tech is mentioned specifically in their Glossary section, and the Curriculum overview states that they use Heron Basics.

Five out of seventeen teachers are easily identified as Scientologists
Director of Learning: Tasia Jones
Education Enrichment Program Supervisor: Andrea Beckham
Director of Qualifications: Sigrid Burgett
Artistic director: Sisu Raiken
Teacher: Marcia Perkins
Teacher: James Oliver

Unique words, phrases and concepts of L. Ron Hubbard’s “Tech” are found on the school’s website
Although there more mainstream, proven and accepted educational methods mentioned on Smith’s school’s “Glossary” section, such as Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and the Montessori Method, the methods outlined on the site are straight from L. Ron Hubbard’s “Study Tech” and show only a superficial influence from other educational philosophies. They are the same concepts described on Studytech.org, a critical site created by Scientology expert Professor David S. Touretzky of Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Touretzky corresponded with us and helped find additional ties to Scientology in Smith’s school.

Smith’s Educational Philosophy: sequential learning with the example of building a robot, mentions being “out” of the sequential process:

Secondly, teachers are taught to teach sequentially, checking for prior understanding. When a student is required to perform a sequence of steps and he comes to a point where he doesn’t understand, the learning curve is too steep. If a teacher is showing a student how to make the robot and the student suddenly is confused, the teacher makes sure to go back to the place the student stopped understanding and re-teach that point. We teach older students to do this on their own – when studying they learn to recognize in themselves when they are “checking out”; they then learn to go back with no prompting to restudy their prior steps and the concepts they may not have grasped the first time around.

[From Newvillageacademy.org, emphasis added]

L Ron Hubbard’s Study Tech: gradient learning with the example of building a doghouse, mentions being “out” of the gradient.

An example from the critical site, Studytech.org:

There is nothing objectionable in the notion that complex ideas should be mastered by breaking them down into simpler steps done in a logical order. But Study Tech turns this sensible advice into rigid dogma, with a warning that violations can have unpleasant consequences. “If you have skipped a gradient you may feel a sort of confusion or reeling” (Learning How to Learn, p. 84.) The illustrations of this idea on pp. 84-85 show a boy who was trying to build a doghouse “seeing stars” as if he just got whacked in the head with one of the boards he was hammering…

Being “out-gradient” is actually considered an ethical violation in Scientology, because it is “out-tech“, or contrary to Hubbard’s teachings about how one should study.

[From Studytech.org, emphasis added]

Smith’s school: word definitions as the key to knowledge

NVA teachers make sure children understand the meanings of all of the words related to each lesson whether in math or in music, or as in the robot example – all of the words related to making the robot. What do the words, electro-mechanic, gears, and system mean? Often students (and adults as well) lose interest and stop paying attention when they get lost in explanations filled with words they do not understand. So many students think they are terrible in math; has the teacher ever defined words such as factor, geometry or exponent? Teachers therefore are trained to make sure they monitor the children for lack of understanding. Similarly, if the student is learning how to program the robot and comes across a word that he is unfamiliar with, the student must look it up in the dictionary or have the word explained by a teacher. Once the student understands the words related to a concept, there is greater understanding of the entire subject.

[From Newvillageacademy.org]

L. Ron Hubbard’s Tech: word definitions as the key to knowledge

The third principle of Study Tech centers on the concept of misunderstood words. They’re called “misunderstoods” in the books, and abbreviated as M/U or Mis-U in Scientology. Misunderstoods can be “cleared” by looking up the word in a dictionary. This is fine as far as it goes; students should certainly learn to use a dictionary. But according to Hubbard, misunderstood words are not a minor problem; they are in fact “the most important barrier to study” (Learning How to Learn, p. 101; Basic Study Manual, p. 49), and “the only reason a person would stop studying or get confused or not be able to learn” (Learning How to Learn, p. 114; Basic Study Manual, preface). In fact, “THE ONLY REASON A PERSON GIVES UP A STUDY OR BECOMES CONFUSED OR UNABLE TO LEARN IS BECAUSE HE HAS GONE PAST A WORD THAT WAS NOT UNDERSTOOD” (How to Use a Dictionary, p. 282; capitalization as in the original.) This sentence also appears in the frontmatter of all Scientology religious volumes.

[From Studytech.org]

Smith’s school uses terminology, phrases and concepts that are unique to Scientology

Smith’s School’s Mission:

We believe that an individual’s survival and prosperity are inextricably bound to the rise and fall of his or her family, social groups and humankind.

[From Newvillageacademy.org, emphasis added]

L. Ron Hubbard on Ethics:

Dishonest conduct is nonsurvival. Anything is unreasonable or evil which brings about the destruction of individuals, groups, or inhibits the future of the race.

[From Scientology.org, emphasis added]

Use of “Qual” as a test to judge understanding:

Upon completion of a subject chapter such as in math, the teacher sends the student to “Qual”, where he/she is given an test in various forms. If the student scores anything less than 100%, the Qualifications teacher will sit down with the student and go over the part of the exam that was not fully understood and make sure the student understands all of the words and concepts in the chapter. The teacher will also make sure the student did not skip any concepts which would inhibit learning. This is done to help students so that they gain 100% certainty.

[From Newvillageacademy.org]

The abbreviation “Qual” is directly from Scientology, and describes a concept unique to the cult. Scientology expert Dr. Dave Touretzky corresponded with me via e-mail, and provides this explanation:

I have not seen the term “Qual” used this way in the context of Scientology-affiliated educational organizations. It use here comes straight out of the Church of Scientology itself! “Qual” is where you go when you’ve completed an auditing action in Scientology, or completed a course in the Scientology church. How revealing. Also of note is the final phrase: “100% certainty”. Notice that they did not say “mastery” or “understanding” — the terms professional educators use. They said “certainty”, which is the standard profession of faith used in Scientology. Even the Delphi schools aren’t this blatant in their use of Scientology phraseology.

[E-mail received from Dr. Dave Touretzky]

Smith’s school’s definition of ethics:

An understanding of basic ethics helps students prosper as individuals while being a part of a group. Ethics is simply the choices and actions a person takes on himself, and the ability to take responsibility for his or her actions.

[From Newvillageacademy.org, emphasis added]

Scientology’s definition of ethics:

Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice.

[From Wikipedia and Scientologyethics.org, emphasis added]

Dr. Touretzky explained this clearly as a concept unique to the cult:

The strange concept of ‘actions’ one takes on oneself, and the phrase ‘ability to take responsibility for’ are all pure Scientology, and contrary to the usual definitions of ‘ethics’ in non-cult society, which are based on concepts such as ‘morals’ or ‘good vs. evil’.

[E-mail received from Dr. Dave Touretzky]

Smith’s school’s motto: Spiraling Up!
L. Ron Hubbard wrote about the “dwindling spiral” of society, and talked about “spiraling” down. The Scientology Handbook uses the word “spiral” frequently, and it’s one of their cult-speak words that serves to “load the language” as cult experts explain, or redefine words and invent new words and phrases that have a specific meaning to the cult.

Smith’s school doesn’t disclose that it’s Scientology-based
At first glance, these concepts seem helpful and even innovative, and I was fooled by the very detailed website for Smith’s school into thinking that it might be as progressive as he claims.

Dr. Touretzky maintains that Hubbard’s “Study Tech,” is really just Scientology religion disguised as education. With a philosophy and methods based primarily on Scientology founder Hubbard’s “Study Tech,” Smith’s school may strive to indoctrinate students into Scientology with no disclosure to their families.

The curriculum and details for the New Village Academy are straight out of Study Tech, but other educational philosophies are thrown in the glossary to make it seem like a balanced education. There is no mention that most of the teaching methods are taken straight from Scientology, or that children are being taught religious concepts under the guise of a secular education.

Study Tech has no proven effectiveness, is entirely based on Scientology, and is deemed harmful by education experts
If you’re interested in reading more about this, there is very useful detail on Studytech.org. Here’s a pertinent excerpt:

The contents of the Study Tech books are taken directly from Scientology scriptures published over a period of about twenty years between approximately 1960 and 1980. Not all of the material is reproduced in exactly the same form in the Scientology and Applied Scholastics versions. A number of significant changes have been made. Hubbard’s rambling lectures have virtually been rewritten, although their underlying message remains the same. Some of the wording of original Scientology materials has been modified, presumably to make it more readable to a non-Scientologist audience. All mention of Scientology has systematically been removed, although some Scientology jargon still remains. But despite these modifications, much of the text remains close to the original Scientology versions in word or spirit. Each chapter of the Basic Study Manual is drawn from one or more original Scientology works, often retaining the same or an abbreviated version of the titles.

[From StudyTech.org]

There is not a single study or independent educational expert who can vouch for the effectiveness of Hubbard’s Study Tech, and there are only vague and unsubstantiated claims by the Scientology organizations.

Many education experts maintain that Study Tech is “old” and “inadequate” at best, and can be harmful to children, because it’s based on one man’s unproven ideas that often run counter to established, tested practices in education.

Conclusion: A Scientology school disguised as a progressive private school
Will Smith has started a school that teaches Scientology principles and is touting it as if it’s based on the latest educational research. A similar Scientology school was started in Milton, Massachusetts 10 years ago, with many parents claiming that the primary objective of the school was to recruit new members to the cult. For a celebrity who needs to distance himself from Scientology in order to ensure public acceptance, this is not the wisest move he could make.

Here’s an excellent conclusion by Dr. Touretzky:

To summarize: what this looks like to me is a bunch of Scientologists got Will Smith to bankroll a school run on Scientology principles leavened with a touch of Hollywood “we are the world” liberalism. L. Ron Hubbard, who had nothing but contempt for black Africans, would not be buying goats for impoverished villages — unless he saw a way to milk it for PR value. But to make Will Smith and his crowd think the school is “hip” and promotes Hollywood values, they throw in some
plastic recycling and token third world charity along with the usual cult indoctrination stuff.

You can bet Will’s buddy Tom Cruise had a big part in all this.

[E-mail received from Dr. Dave Touretzky]

Credit for helping to come up with the ideas for this post goes to commenters Anonymous, LS, Mairead, and FormerSCN on our original post about Smith’s school. Dr. Touretzky helped find additional ties to Scientology and analysis.

Update: This is indeed a Scientology school as many of you pointed out. Here are the full details.

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Will Smith has started his own private school in Calabasas, California for children from pre-kindergarten to grade 6 called the New Village Academy. It emphasizes learning by doing, technology and individualized instruction. According to the school’s website, which makes no mention of Smith, they will provide every child with a laptop computer, including pre-k students, and serve an all-organic low-fat sugar-free menu. It will cost $12,500 a year for grades 3-6 and $11,500 for K-2, with financial aid available for families who qualify.

Smith homeschools his two younger children, Jaden, 9 and Willow, 7, and told People Magazine last year that he wanted “to design the system that revolutionizes public education.”

Now Smith has paid about $890,000 to lease an existing school for three years, and classes will start this year, according to the school’s website and the May 26 edition of The National Enquirer.

I have a masters degree in education and many members of my family work in the school system. While the concepts on the website for Smith’s school are well described and sound like a good approach, it’s hard to know how they’ll be executed or if the school will be any good. What’s more is that Smith has made some arguably controversial statements about education. He doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree and never went to college, which is certainly not a requirement for starting a school and he’s been wildly successful in other endeavors in life. He is getting help from qualified experts, and even held a roundtable discussion with education leaders to help come up with ideas for the school. I know I started my son on computer education at a young age, and I do agree with Smith’s general concepts. It might be a decent school.

Smith told Reader’s Digest in an interview in 2006 that he could learn anything he set his mind to and that formal education was not necessary:

RD: Have you ever thought about going back to college?
Smith: The things that have been most valuable to me I did not learn in school. Traditional education is based on facts and figures and passing tests — not on a comprehension of the material and its application to your life. Jada and I homeschool our children, because the date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter.

RD: But there are some basics in education that need to be taught.
Smith: Of course there are. Reading, writing and arithmetic, because those are the languages of our country.

RD: When you say you homeschool, do you mean you actually teach them?
Smith: No, we have hired teachers who teach what we feel is important. For example, Plato’s Republic — kids need to know that. Why is that not taught in first grade?

RD: You think kids in elementary school should read Plato’s Republic?
Smith: Yeah. You cannot be an American without reading it and Aristotle’s Politics. That is what the forefathers of this country read, and they used them to create what I believe is the finest system of government that has ever existed.

RD: So, you don’t see any reason to go back to a formal education yourself?
Smith: I know how to learn anything I want to learn. I absolutely know that I could learn how to fly the space shuttle because someone else knows how to fly it, and they put it in a book. Give me the book, and I do not need somebody to stand up in front of the class.

RD: They put physics in a book, but I know I could never be a physicist.
Smith: The first step is you have to say that you can.

[From Reader’s Digest via ICYDK]

The website for the school doesn’t say much about religion, except that it is tolerant of all beliefs, backgrounds, and cultural differences. Will and Jada may be closet Scientologists, but you hope that none of that will be pushed on the children in their school. It will be headed by Jacqueline Oliver, Ed.D, that former head of Gillispe private day school in La Jolla, CA. She has no ties to Scientology that I could find.

---

Update: This is indeed a Scientology school as many of you pointed out. Here are the full details.

Will Smith is shown with his two children, Willow and Jaden, at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards on 3/29/08, thanks to WENN. Thanks to the National Enquirer for alerting us to this story.

If you have children, you were probably subjected to Nickelodeon’s 25th Annual Kid’s Choice Awards ceremony on Saturday night. You have my sincerest condolences. I, too, had to watch, and it was often eyeroll-inducing: lame banter between celebrity presenters; boring and unfunny “behind the scenes” skits; stupid slime stunts that dragged out the show even longer and wayyyy too much Disney product, in the form of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Miley Cyrus won favorite female television star and favorite female musical artist, much to my daughter’s delight.

There were a few bright spots in the broadcast, including host Jack Black’s over-the-top opening musical number, in which he wore a bright green superhero costume and rocked out with a giant octopus playing guitar to the Kiss song “I Was Made for Loving You,” with the lyrics changed to “I Was Made for Sliming You.” (In my opinion, Black was the only funny, high-energy part of the show and should have been allowed to riff and get crazy even more.) The theme of each Kids’ Choice Awards, you see, is that celebs and kids in the audience get buckets of green slime poured on their heads at random moments. Slimed celebs included Harrison Ford, who recreated a famous scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which concluded with him being covered in green slime. Other mildly amusing segments included a celebrity belching contest that featured Jodie Foster attempting to burp along to the song “YMCA.”

All in all, the show had the same problems as most other awards shows: it went on too long, there was too much unfunny dialog, and the host didn’t get enough chances to do what he does best. But if you are at all interested in the winners, here they are.

Favorite TV Show: Drake and Josh
Favorite Reality Show: American Idol
Favorite TV Actor: Drake Bell (from Drake and Josh)
Favorite TV Actress: Miley Cyrus
Favorite Cartoon: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Favorite Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks
Favorite Movie Actor: Johnny Depp
Favorite Movie Actress: Jessica Alba
Favorite Animated Movie: Ratatouille
Favorite Animated Voice: Eddie Murphy (Shrek The Third)
Favorite Music Group: The Jonas Brothers
Favorite Song: “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne
Favorite Female Singer: Miley Cyrus
Favorite Male Singer: Chris Brown
Favorite Male Athlete: Tony Hawk
Favorite Female Athlete: Danica Patrick
Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series
Favorite Video Game: Madden NFL 2008
Wannabe Award: Cameron Diaz

If anything, the Kids’ Choice Awards gives parents a glimpse into the music, movies, and other pop culture their kids like– which should scare the crap out of you. I know I had a hard time sleeping knowing that the youth of America wants to be just like Cameron Diaz.

Apparently being called a Scientologist is just about the worst name you can be called in Hollywood these days – aside from being called Lindsay Lohan or something. And while that makes a lot of sense, you’d think that if people didn’t want to be called Scientologists, they wouldn’t partake in so many Scientology-related activities. The internet is abuzz with the news that Radar magazine is about to publish a cover story on celebrities involved with the dreaded church. But instead of focusing on the usual targets (Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley), they’re focusing their article on some possible recent converts to the religion. The biggest suspects are Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith, though the magazine also mentions Kimora Lee Simmons – who has already denied any affiliation with the cult.

Will Smith, Jada Pinkett and Kimora Lee Simmons are loudly denying Radar magazine’s claims that they’ve been recruited into — dun dun dun! — the Church of Scientology. Smith, a good buddy of Scientology poster boy Tom Cruise, denies he is a church member. “You don’t have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don’t have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don’t have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise,” Smith tells us. “I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions. And I respect all people and all paths.”

[From Rush & Molloy]

I cannot tell you how much Will Smith’s response annoys me… because it’s totally fair. He’s phrased it in such a way that I really can’t justify poking holes in it. That doesn’t necessarily mean I believe him, but he’s certainly right – being friends with someone of a different religion in no way means you’ve converted. One of the better arguments that Smith has converted is that Scientologists are generally encouraged to associate only with other Scientologists. The rest of us are supposed to have demon souls or something. But hanging out with someone open and accepting of the religion, as Smith claims to be, might be considered okay. But you’ll have a hard time convincing me that Tommy’s not putting the full court press on Will.

Here’s Will and Jada with their kids and Tom Cruise at the “I Am Legend” premiere on December 11th, 2007. Images thanks to PR Photos.

I hate bad presents. Yeah it’s the thought that counts, but sometimes a present is the result of a pretty crappy thought. Everyone has that friend or family member who is known for continually giving crappy presents. I had a person who constantly gave me gifts of coffee. This was after I explained that I don’t drink caffeine (on purpose) and I don’t like coffee. I lived in Seattle at the time, a place where coffee is revered as next to Godliness. I explained that not only was my not drinking caffeine a deliberate health decision, but I wanted to be one of the two people in the Pacific Northwest that didn’t waste $5 on bitter or sugared crap. The giver was a coffee addict the likes of which I’d never seen, and apparently saw my decision as a personality flaw on my part. Thus I was forevermore given gifts of beans and grinders, even though I always politely refused coffee in the giver’s presence. As cranky as it made me, I now realize it really wasn’t all that bad. I could work with Will Smith, a multi-millionaire several times over, and be given gifts of free crap. Free Scientology crap. I’m pretty sure I’d then be begging for some coffee, so I could get the temporary energy rush from the caffeine that would then help me to kick Will Smith in the ear.

Big stars traditionally distribute “wrap presents” to crew members after completing a film. His recent gift after wrapping next summer’s comedy “Hancock” was a card good for a personality test at your local Scientology center. Fun! Never mind that such tests are given free by the church anyway. The quiz is designed to convert people to the religion by identifying personality flaws that - surprise! - Scientology can fix right up for you. For a fee, of course.

Smith, who is best buddies with Scientology booster Tom Cruise, has never confirmed that he joined the church. But he told “Access Hollywood” last month: “I was introduced to it by Tom, and I’m a student of world religion. I was raised in a Baptist household. I went to a Catholic school, but the ideas of the Bible are 98% the same ideas of Scientology, 98% the same ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism.”

Presumably the other 2% is the part about the evil space emperor who put the hydrogen bombs in the volcano.

[From Gatecrasher]

I don’t think even Tom Cruise gives presents which are that crappy. He probably gives a lot of Scientology-related garbage, but I’m guessing he also gives something that costs more than… nothing. I think it’s pretty clear that Will Smith is now a Scientologist. I have a hard time believing that someone would give Scientology presents just for the awesomeness of it. I wouldn’t hand out Star of David necklaces just because I think Judaism is cool, nor would give someone a copy of the Book of Mormon because I thought it was a fun read. But I might give you a tiny statue of a fat Buddha, just because he’s freaking adorable. Maybe that’s what’s going on. Maybe Will Smith thinks Scientology is cute as a button. I don’t understand all of his Tom Cruise ass kissing. Will Smith is a major movie star. He doesn’t need to get chummy with wackos to help his career. Which is why I’m pretty sure he must actually be bowing down at Xenu’s feet right now.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Will Smith is shown on 1/9/08 at a photocall for I am Legend in Rome. Thanks to PRPhotos.

While you were enjoying your egg nog, Christmas cookies, and those excellent peanut butter chocolate ball things that only seem to appear around the holidays, Will Smith said something incredibly stupid that he quickly backtracked from. Smith’s comments were so taboo that they could lead to a career setback - he invoked the name of Hitler to make a philosophical point. Many news outlets are claiming that Smith is dismissing the atrocities that Hitler committed, and the Jewish Defense League called for theaters to stop showing Smith’s blockbuster film “I am Legend.” In a recent interview, Smith tried to make an asinine point that no one is essentially bad by using Hitler as an example and saying the mass murderer set out to do what he thought was “good,” using “twisted… logic.” When you read the next part of Smith’s statement, though, it’s quite clear where he’s getting these ideas and why he would be making such an outlandish claim. He went on to say that “Stuff like that just needs reprogramming.”

Remarkably, Will believes everyone is basically good.

“Even Hitler didn’t wake up going, ‘let me do the most evil thing I can do today’,” said Will. “I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was ‘good’. Stuff like that just needs reprogramming.”

[Daily Record via http://uk.news.yahoo.com/wenn/20071223/ten-smith-hitler-was-a-good-person-c60bd6d_1.html“>We Smirch]

Smith isn’t saying that Hitler was good, but that he somehow thought what he was doing was good through his own faulty reasoning. Sociopaths feel little or no guilt over the very manipulative and cruel acts they are capable of committing, and it’s not like they feel they have to justify their behavior even to themselves, so good and bad don’t enter into the equation for them. They just don’t care about other people or feel more than superficially expressed remorse.

Smith is making an argument that Hitler could have been cured through “reprogramming,” an essential component of the Scientology cult, which maintains that their own methods can cure all problems and that psychological disorders should not be treated with medication. Let’s hope that he got the stupid idea directly from his good buddy Tom Cruise and that he’s not personally going through Scientology training, but there may be no hope for him now.

This is the guy who was so excited over butt wipes and bidets that he had to personally spread the word, so he’s quite easily impressed and has the need to let everyone know about it. Just like his claim that Scientology is 97% similar to the bible, he has issued a follow-up statement in an attempt to do damage control. At first I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that it maybe wasn’t an original interview and that someone either put words in his mouth or re-worked an older statement, but no, he really said this, and just said it was “misinterpreted.” He’s probably referring to the writer’s benign editorial comment that Smith “believes everyone is basically good.”

“It is an awful and disgusting lie,” Smith said in a statement. “It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation.”

“Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet.”

[From DailySnack.com via Fark]

It took Tom Cruise a long time to recover after he told Matt Lauer that postpartum depression should not be treated with medication, and that it could be cured with vitamins. Smith should realize that he should keep all his newfound “knowledge” to himself or it will cost him millions in future revenue. There’s a reason why the rest of the population doesn’t agree with that belief system.

Here are Tom Cruise and Will Smith at the “I am Legend” premiere in NY on 12/11/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

If I worked for Star or the National Enquirer, right now I’d be telling you how Will Smith is encouraging teenagers to have as much sex as possible. That’s right, Will Smith wants you (or your kids, depending on your age) to have as much freaky lovin as possible – as long as you don’t get high first. Alright in reality, Will Smith was just talking about what kept him off drugs in high school, and that was his preoccupation with getting with the ladies. That’s right, Will had bigger things to think about than getting high. And frankly, if you could do a lot of (bad) drugs or have a lot of (good) sex, which would you choose?

Hollywood actor Will Smith has credited his sex obsession with keeping him away from drugs as a teenager. The 39-year-old star has maintained his aversion to alcohol and drugs throughout his life, and he steered clear of addictions in his younger days by spending every waking moment fantasizing about women.

He says, “Through my teenage years I was too focused on sex to even think about any other vices. I’m much the same now. No drugs and only the occasional drink.”

[From Starpulse]

Alright so he’s not exactly telling your kids to drop their bong and grab a boob instead. Boy I sure would like to see that “Anti-drug” commercial. “T&A: the anti-drug.” It’d probably work. I bet if we told teenagers, “Alright, if you agree not to ever so much as touch a drink or a drug, you can have as much sex as you want,” most of them would agree. I’m not saying we should, I’m just pointing out it’d probably be pretty effective. And in my little hypothetical, there would be no STDs or pregnancy as a result of this… because it’s my hypothetical universe and I can make whatever rules I want. Which means that in it, Paris Hilton would have monopolized all the STDs – as she’s the most hospitable environment for that sort of thing – and the rest of us would be immune. Will Smith didn’t mention that part, but I’m pretty sure that’s the natural conclusion.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Will Smith is shown at the premiere of I Am Legend with Tom Cruise and Jada Pinkett Smith last night. Jada looks thrilled to be standing between those two, or maybe she’s just practicing her “Posh face.” Thanks to PRPhotos.