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Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhen Kim Kardashian posted a photo on Instagram showing off her curves in a revealing white bathing suit, the image became viral—especially since her fiancé Kanye West commented on it ("amazing," he said). In fact, we even hear it's become an It costume to wear for Halloween tonight.
More From ELLEIn a candid interview on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno this week, the reality TV star, dressed in a chic white lace dress that looked like a Dolce & Gabbana number, said she lost 50 pounds post-pregnancy. She also explained how emotionally difficult it was for her to be called fat by the media while she was carrying her baby daughter, North West. "I had preeclampsia, so I would swell up," she explained of disease she had during her pregnancy. She then spoke out about that racy Instagram photo:
‪"I was trying on a bathing suit and I actually just sent that to my boyfriend and I was like, 'Babe, can I post this up? This is like my big middle finger to the world on everyone [who] called me fat.'"‬
Also, if you're hoping for another big Kardashian wedding special, you may not be getting it. We predict she may do a more clandestine ceremony as she told Leno she's thinking about planning it to be next summer in Paris or Italy. Good luck staying away from the paparazzi, Kimye!

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Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIf you mention your love for her coming-of-age thriller Fear, Reese Witherspoon will give you a bemused look, shrug her narrow shoulders, and tease, "You're really gonna go there?" Then she'll look directly at you, her saucer-wide blue eyes unflinching and say, "Let's go there!" And though she won't fess up to any cinematic predilections kinkier than, say, 1985's The Sure Thing (with John Cusack), the risqué film chatter is merely a warm-up for the full-on roast she'll later receive from her good pal and presenter Chelsea Handler.
More From ELLETo the delight of the audience, which included Witherspoon's husband, Jim Toth, Handler didn't go easy on her friend. In one of the tamer jokes that can be reprinted here, she described what it's like to be a guest at chez Witherspoon. "She makes you sing Christmas carols," she said with deadpan delivery. "And I'm Jewish."
As guests dug into their appetizers (and Glee's Chord Overstreet ordered an off-menu Grey Goose and soda), Andy Samberg warned: "Do not pick up the bamboo centerpieces. They're full of tiny ninjas. And that's super dangerous." Beat. "Or whatever." His brand of PG-13 humor with a self-deprecating tilt kept the audience in stitches all night—gamely touching on everything from "jacket-gate," the kerfuffle surrounding honoree Melissa McCarthy's November ELLE cover, to his penchant for using Lady Bic razors. "Only on my arms and legs," he joked, "as I am completely incapable of growing facial hair."
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When there was a pause in the program, Samberg—whose wife, singer Joanna Newsom, was among the revelers—would look around the star-studded room and offer up an approving, "You guyyyyyssss." The gag never failed to amuse McCarthy, whose booming laughter filled the room all night long. "You are beautiful," presenter Kathy Bates effused of The Heat star. "And with that guy beside you," she said, gesturing to McCarthy's husband and collaborator, Ben Falcone. "You will take over this town."
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Meanwhile, in the ladies' room, newfound friends Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke and honoree Marion Cotillard found new ways to interact with vases of L'Oréal lip stains. As Mad Men's Jessica Paré looked on in delight, they tagged the mirror with "Viva Marion" and "Kaleesi," respectively. "I didn't have the heart to tell her she was missing an 'h' [in Khaleesi]," joked ELLE.com editor, Leah Chernikoff.
As the night came to a conclusion, the evening's legend award recipient, 89-year-old Eva Marie Saint said, "You can never predict who's going to be a legend. It's more than their work—it's about the life around them." She brought the room to tears as she ruminated on her life in cinema, which included on-screen romances with Cary Grant, Paul Newman, and Marlon Brando. She then took the opportunity to introduce her date that evening, her grandson, Eli, who had on a festive tie for the occasion.
"Looking good, Eli!" Samberg joked before closing out the night. It was an easy, off-the-cuff joke—and it totally killed.
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ImaxtreeAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowMichael Kors' spring 2010 collection was a myriad of pastel purples and blues with pops of cream, white, and black—and makeup maestro Dick Page captured the palette perfectly, all on one eye. According to Page, the eyes reflect "amped-up" versions of the hues seen on the runway; lavender becomes a striking amethyst tone, pale blue transforms into a silvery aqua, and cream comes forth as gold. All swirl around the white of the eye, with bold black liner and fringe as a frame.
More From ELLETo create the striking look, Page began by using the Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Champagne and Rosy Flush, mixing the two together and dabbing onto the lid as a base. He then added Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in Fondant and contoured with Amethyst (he also applied Amethyst underneath the eye with a wet brush). Next came a touch of gold shadow in the inner corner, and black cream liner on the upper and lower lash line (Page used a wet brush to wedge the product in between lashes). For a bold finish, lashes received a healthy coating of black mascara.
TRY ON SMOKY PASTEL EYE MAKEUP WITH OUR NEW VIRTUAL MAKEOVER TOOL

EverettI should have been happy for her.
My college friend had just landed a book deal, the kind of book deal that was major enough that the media newsletter I subscribed to was covering it. Prominently.
She'd always been talented. Based on the credentials they ticked off in just the article stub, she'd clearly worked hard to get to where she was today (and as a writer myself, I knew exactly how rocky the road from "talent" to "book deal" could be if you weren't born with platinum-level connections). Beyond that, I really liked her. She was an awesome, funny person who absolutely deserved success.
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowI knew all of this.
I was still jealous.
I'd just landed a book deal of my own, but hers sounded better. And media people already cared about her book; that had to mean it would be more successful than mine once it actually appeared. And of course she had been a year behind me at college, so she was basically doing a year better than me, success-wise.
After nearly a decade of slogging, I was finally achieving a few of the goals I'd set for my own life. There should never have been a better time for me to feel genuinely thrilled for my friend than in that moment.
More From ELLEBut I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling: Is my success enough? Is her success somehow more valid?
Why couldn't I just be happy for her without a footnote?
We've all been there before (at least I hope I'm not alone on this one): unable to summon the feeling we want, instead left dredging through the nasty, mucky swamp of wanting what someone else has. Of all the negative emotions, jealousy has always felt like the most corrosive to me; not only does it make you feel bad about yourself, it makes you feel bitter towards someone you care about, suspicious of someone you love, spiteful towards someone for whom—on paper, at least—you should want to find happiness.
Which for me adds another layer of negativity: my jealousy not only makes me feel awful, it makes me feel guilty. Why can't I feel consistently happy for other people's successes? What about me is so emotionally crippled that my response to someone else's good news is a fake smile and a real stomach ulcer? It's bad enough feeling like a sour, pessimistic witch; it's worse suspecting you're somehow responsible for the transformation.
I wanted to learn more about why I was acting—or at least feeling—like such a bad person, so I reached out to the only people capable of helping me untangle the problem of unwanted jealousy: the psychiatric community.
Dr. Jeannette Raymond, a Los Angeles psychologist and the author of Now You Want Me, Now You Don't!, noted that if I really wanted to understand my bitter behavior, "it might help to distinguish jealousy from envy."
"Jealousy is being concerned that someone is going to take away what is already yours," Raymond told me; it's the overly-protective boyfriend or suspicious girlfriend. "Envy is wanting what someone else has or has achieved."
Raymond said that deep-rooted emotional insecurity underpins both emotions, but excessive jealousy is usually the result of feeling like past relationships, especially those from your earliest youth, were unstable and inadequately loving.
Envy, on the other hand, "is one of the key markers for narcissism," according to Raymond.
Her assessment wasn't exactly making me feel better about myself. Which, come to think of it, was probably a pretty narcissistic response.
Trying to find myself an out, and knowingly embracing a reductive stereotype, I asked Dr. Raymond whether jealousy and envy might be more common amongst women (see: The Devil Wears Prada still that accompanies this article). If we're not already comparing ourselves to the other girls in our class by middle school, a mean girl will do it for us; surely being female makes this almost unavoidable, right?
Not so much.
"Neither jealousy nor envy are gender-based," Dr. Raymond told me. Dr. Tina B. Tessina, a psychotherapist and author of The Ten Smartest Decisions a Woman Can Make After Forty, agreed, and neither doctor saw higher incidences of jealousy or envy in women than in men, though both said women and men tend to deal with those emotions differently.
In a final bid for blamelessness, I asked whether social media was the culprit. The idea isn't that farfetched; a 2013 study found that the more time people spent on Facebook, the less happy they felt. Another study from that year found that the more time you spend passively on Facebook (browsing instead of actively creating or engaging with content), the higher your reported feelings of envy.
But for every study that links malaise to media consumption, another one claims to prove the exact opposite. So was it contributing to my envy? More importantly, could it get me off the hook?
Raymond acknowledged that social media could affect these feelings "a great deal," though she wouldn't go so far as to say it actually caused envy.
Tessina likewise refused to blame social media for the problem: "[all] media strives to create insecurity that will cause the hapless to buy goods and services that purport to soothe the fabricated insecurity. The byproduct is leftover insecurity." Still, she argued, "Those who are truly self-confident and comfortable with themselves won't be prone" to jealousy and envy. She even claimed that social media could help "calm" those emotions by painting a more realistic portrait of our friends and lovers. As much information as there is that might undermine one's self-confidence, she said, "there is [also] a lot of information out there to help people gain self-confidence."
So apparently my envious nature wasn't unavoidable, and I couldn't fix it by simply unplugging.
But it still wasn't doing me any favors. In the abstract, I wanted my friends to all be the most amazing, successful, fulfilled people possible. In reality, when they achieved astounding things—especially when those things happened in fields nearer to my own chosen path, the happiness I felt for them, however real, had a thread of bitterness woven through it. (For the record, I've never had to contend with resentment over a friend's acceptance into an awesome med school program or rise in the business world; those things I'm apparently capable of looking at and saying "that's great; nothing I'd ever want to do, but—or perhaps therefore—great.")
So how could I stop it?
Tessina says honesty is always your friend in these situations. "Don't be afraid to talk to friends" about the problem. "Honesty minimizes jealousy. And the older we get, the more we need friends. Friends will help you through times of no partners better than partners will help you through times of no friends."
Raymond suggested dealing with envy head-on. "Use the energy of the envious emotion to go get what it is that you want. Use it for self-empowerment instead of resting on a sense of entitlement," she said. Acknowledge that you want what this person has, but go a step further, she recommended: "I want it, and I'm going to get it for myself."
That advice resonated; over the last decade, I've learned that few things motivate me more strongly than failing. (Perhaps narcissism isn't my only mental problem.) Getting a rejection—and I've received hundreds upon hundreds of them to date—makes me feel like shit…then, almost immediately, gives me an idea. Feeling bad has always been like fuel for me (call it "dark matter"); on some level my subconscious, narcissistic and damaged though it may be, seems to understand that the only way it can deal with the negative without crumbling is to turn the anxiety and pain failure leaves in its wake into something new. Something better. It's my brain's "fuck you" to anyone that tells me no: "Oh yeah? Well wait until you see this."
Of course none of that will disappear my envy.
It might be too late for me to be the kind of person who can look at someone else's win and feel like it's my win, too. I may never really buy the idea that your rising tide raises my boat.
But I can smile. And congratulate you (even if I have to do it via email). And turn around and work on the next thing.
After all, once I really nail that next thing, I'm going to want all my friends to pretend to be happy for me, too.

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Spotted at: Carolina Herrera
More From ELLE Hometown: St. Louis
Age: 17
Average Amount of Sleep Per Night: "Today's actually the first day where I've really been deprived of sleep. I've been pretty lucky. I've been getting about seven hours of sleep each night, which is pretty good, so I can't complain! But my call time this morning was 7 A.M. I was a little late, but shhhh—don't tell anyone. I snuck in the back door."
Early-Morning Must-Have: "I always have my packets of hot chocolate. I carry hot chocolate around with me in my purse. I don't like coffee, and I don't like tea, so hot chocolate is my go-to for getting a morning kick."
Fresh-Faced Secret: "I have rose water that I love to spritz. It wakes me up, and it's really refreshing."
Post-Fashion-Week Plans: "The minute I'm done I'm going home to St. Louis. And then I think I'll probably sleep for 24 hours straight."
—Emily Hebert, ELLE.com Associate Beauty Editor
Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage
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Courtesy Film ArcadeAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowPhoto: Courtesy Film Arcade
Juno Temple gives an extraordinary breakout performance in the new indie, Afternoon Delight, which won the Directing Award (U.S., Dramatic) at Sundance this year.In one of the year's deepest explorations of the female psyche, post-feminist director Jill Soloway probes the Madonna-whore complex with great humor. Kathryn Hahn (Anchorman; HBO's Girls) plays Rachel, a boho-suburban mom who is a spectator in her own life. To spice up her marriage, Rachel takes her husband (Josh Radnor) to a strip club, where she befriends and "adopts" a pole dancer, McKenna (Temple), who ultimately helps Rachel to integrate both aspects of herself.
The 24-year-old British actress is the daughter of the great punk-era rock filmmaker, Julien Temple. She began her career opposite Keira Knightley in Atonement and turned in impressive indie performances before landing a supporting role in The Dark Knight Rises last year. Temple has four films out in 2013 (including Lovelace, as Amanda Seyfreid's BFF) and another four in 2014, including Maleficent with Angelina Jolie, and the sequel to Sin City.
What drew you to playing McKenna?Her free spirited [attitude] was a huge inspiration to me. Also, that she's fending for herself. She doesn't need the help people think she does. I was completely blown away by her. She's a fascinating little creature.Rachel thinks she's domesticating McKenna until she tries to seduce Rachel's husband and his friends.It's when she feels judged by Rachel. It really hurts her, because she'd felt that Rachel was one of the few women she'd met in her life who was okay with what she did. She wants to hurt the person closest to her.What was it like playing those intense scenes with Josh Radnor?It was fun! Especially because he's trying to resist her seduction. It completely changes their relationship. There's a major power shift.How difficult was it shooting the sex scene with Rachel and the male client?Sex scenes are always weird because they're so un-sexy to shoot. It's so choreographed beforehand that you have to make them sexy in your head. The most important thing to me was that I be incredibly comfortable and at ease. The moment of panic on set is right before you take the robe off, because you're still you. Once cameras start rolling, you're not you anymore. It's very liberating.Sundance must have been a whirlwind for you, with three films there this year.It was crazy because you forget which one you're talking about! It was an honor and so exciting. I didn't have time to go to parties because I had to find time to sleep.Of course Jill Soloway won the Directing Award. What made her so fantastic to work with?She's open and brave. She's ballsy; the film shows that.What did you feel was the turning point when your career just blew up?Killer Joe [with Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch] was an important film for my career, and The Dark Knight Rises, because I'd never experienced anything like that before. Christopher Nolan is a genius.Which designers interest you?I'm a huge fan of vintage clothing, especially the '60s and '70s. And I'm into Miu Miu. I love how you always feel like a little doll in their clothing and shoes. Also YSL.If you're into '70s fashion, you must have loved your 'Lovelace' wardrobe.Oh my God, I was in heaven. Amanda and I had a lot of fun with that!You also are an aspiring designer.I'd like to have my own lingerie line someday. I have this great, secret idea that I feel any woman would be mad not to be into. It's my ultimate fantasy. More From ELLEAfternoon Delight opens today.
Courtesy Film ArcadePhoto: Courtesy Film Arcade

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Alexander Wang's genius knack for whipping up night-crawler clothes that make level-headed women go wild was on display at last weekend's White Party. Cassie pulled off Wang's dangerously sexy slashed white dress, pairing it with a bikini instead of the black bodysuit it was shown with on the fall 2009 runway. The fashion and beauty risk-taker (she recently shaved off half of her hair) put a young and sexy spin on the look by drastically shortening the hemline. What do you think: Does this look translate from catwalk to cocktails? Click here to shop Wang's latest looks.
—Violet Moon Gaynor
Runway photo: Imaxtree; Red carpet photo: Retna
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ImaxtreeAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhen working with hairstylist Duffy to develop the hair look for their fall 2009 show, English designers Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker were inspired by a fellow Brit. Based on a 1970s David Bailey photograph of Twiggy, tresses on PPQ's runway tended toward the side—twisted into a singular thick braid. To create the plaited style, Duffy blow-dried hair with L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.art Pli Heat Activated Setting Spray to give it clean, soft texture and parted it on the side. A premade braid of extensions was then sewn onto models' real hair and spritzed with Tecni.art Crystal Gloss Long-Lasting Shine Spray for a lustrous finish.
View more side-braids from PPQ's fall 2009 show here.

GettyThe myth that career women have trouble attracting men is just that: a myth. According to new data from Match.com, single men overwhelmingly said they'd love to pull a George Clooney and find a high-achieving, brainy woman to settle down with.
Match.com's annual Singles in America survey asked 5,675 single people questions about their lives, their values, and what they want in a partner. The results are surprisingly optimistic. Forty-four percent of men said they're looking for a woman who's independent and career-driven. A whopping 87 percent of men said they would date a woman who makes more money, is better educated, and is more intellectual than they are. Forty-three percent said they want a woman with a similar education level, and almost half said they wouldn't date someone who was less educated.
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowBut even though men are willing to date "up" when it comes to brains, women aren't so keen on dating "down." More than half of single women surveyed said they wouldn't date someone who's less intellectual than they are, and 86 percent said they want a partner who's equally intelligent. But money is less of an issue; about half of women said they don't care if a man makes as much as they do.
Match.com calls this "The Clooney Effect," since George married Amal Alamuddin, a lawyer who's insanely smart and accomplished. But perhaps the Clooneys just represent a new kind of celebrity power couple. After all, Joseph Gordon-Levitt married a literal rocket scientist last year. Here's hoping the trend continues.

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Do you have a favorite smell memory? That scent that takes you back in time? Mine is Calvin Klein's ck one, the iconic unisex scent that first made waves in the mid-1990s. I remember purchasing the eau de toilette in high school and being so excited to finally trade in my body splashes for a "real" fragrance—and when I smell it now, it brings me right back to the football games, the parties, and those nerve-wracking first dates.
More From ELLE Since the Kate Moss-emblazoned, "fragrance for a man or woman" ads, unisex perfumes have taken a backseat to more gender-specific scents. But lately, the idea of either/or fragrances is making a comeback. Take Karl Lagerfeld's success with his trio of unisex eau de toilette sprays—Kapsule Light, Kapsule Floriental and Kapsule Woody. And though it doesn't have the unisex label, Prada's Infusion d'Homme is equally as popular among men and women.
I love the idea of scents being gender-neutral (you already rock your boyfriend's jeans, so why not his cologne too?) which is why I'm planning on revisiting my high school years with a fall 2009 limited edition bottle of ck one. The model-fabulous design just debuted exclusively at Macy's. The question is will you pick up a bottle, or are you more of a female-fragrance-only gal?
—Kate Cavanna
ck one's fall 2009 limited edition bottle is available at fine department stores, while supplies last. Photo: Courtesy of ck one
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Courtesy of GapAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowThe Gap's new head of body design, Mireille Gindrey, has whipped up must-have laser-cut color-block swimsuits for summer, mixing hot hues such as Miami turquoise and powdered lavender. gap.com
Click here to view more 2009 Gap fashion

Imaxtree Photo: Imaxtree
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowDAY 7: SOAK UP MOISTURE
Always follow an exfoliation session with a moisturizer. Once skin is polished and free of sluggish cells, pores are more receptive to deep hydration and nourishment. Reapply face lotion every morning and evening (or as needed). When shopping for a moisturizer, look for brightness-boosting ingredients like hydroquinone, kojic acid, azelaic acid, mulberry extract, and grape-seed extract.

Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIn ELLE's November issue, features director Laurie Abraham wrote a trenchant, honest essay about her abortions. Here, we share stories from other women who had abortions, to show that different women have different reasons for having an abortion, and that the procedure inspires all sorts of feelings—all of them, valid.
S., 22
I found out that I was pregnant when I was in Colombia on vacation with my boyfriend at the time and my family. It was unexpected. I was 19. It was something that I wish I could have spoken about to my family, but they're religious and I wasn't sure how they were going to take it. Abortion is illegal in Colombia, so I didn't know where to turn. I had to contact a friend that I had known that had an abortion in the U.S. I had to ask her, "How do I do this? What do I do? I can't have a kid right now. I have college, and I work, that I have to do first." She basically guided me and let me know that there's Planned Parenthood, and there's this other clinic that also does it normally, and that's where she had it done. She said that at Planed Parenthood there were a lot of protestors so she ended up not going there.
More from The Abortion Issue9 articles How Ruby Rae Spiegel's Play 'Dry Land' Confronts... What Abortion Was Like in the 19th Century This Woman's Little-Known 1972 Case Could Have... Ending the Silence That Fuels Abortion Stigma I had to call from Colombia to schedule the procedure for after I came back. I always considered myself pro-choice, even though I was really religious around that point in my life. I was like, "I don't think I would personally get an abortion, but I don't think they should be illegal." That was always my mentality. I came back from vacation, and I went to have the medical abortion. You take pills you insert either by mouth or vaginally. I didn't really feel guilty about my decision, but I felt like I couldn't talk about it. That got to me because I tell my mom basically everything. To have this sense of judgment that I felt coming—like if I spoke about it, someone might look at me differently, someone might think I'm a horrible person just because of a personal decision that I made with my body— impacted me and I felt silent.
My mom ended up finding out about my abortion in the end. She found the paperwork because I never threw it away. Then, she confronted me about it. This was two years after the fact. I was like, "Yeah, I had an abortion." She, surprisingly, took it very well. I feel like she didn't really know what to say. She was kind of like, "Ok, why didn't you tell me?" and like, "It's ok." She didn't yell or anything, so that was good. Basically, she just told me, you know, like "Be safe." It's hard, because I come from a Hispanic family so they don't really talk to their kids about sex or anything like that, so it was nice to know that she was willing to, you know? Especially because she ended up taking it pretty well.
I come from a single parent home and there was no way that I would be able to continue my education and raise a child. My mom barely had enough to support both of us at the time. I needed to make the good decision that I made.
Dr. J., 66:
Both of my abortions happened in my late 30s or early 40s, when my kids were under the age of ten. They happened two years apart. I felt annoyed when I found out. It just felt like a hassle. I knew I was pregnant extraordinarily early in the pregnancy. I went to the obstetrician who delivered my two children to get the abortions. He was able to do it in his office. He just did a medical D&C. Quite frankly, I never thought I'd end up getting an abortion. I mean I was surprised that that would happen to me because I was careful, but birth control fails.
I knew immediately I did not want more kids. It was really tough for me to be a parent of young children. I think that's the hardest thing for me personally, that I ever did. Much harder than medical school and all that. For all the big things, I think I was suited to be a reasonable parent. But for the day-to-day of a child between the ages of 2 and 6, I was very ill-suited. Because I desperately needed internal space. And you don't have it with a kid that age. When I got pregnant for the third time, I was already stretched to my limit. And actually my husband said the same thing. I was surprised, because I thought caring for little ones was more bothersome to me. But we started talking about it, and he felt the same way. We felt we had nothing left to give to another child. Now, if we'd had to, we would have made the best of it. But we had no internal resources left for another child. That's how we felt.
I think medical school forces you to just put medical issues in a box, and medical problems in a box, and to be able to disengage emotionally. Like when my mother-in-law had Alzheimer's. And I think that's how we felt about it. These days, every once in a while I think–we're so involved with our adult children, and they give us so much pleasure, and we're so proud of them–that it would have been nice to see who these other people would have been. But that's it. It's truly not a saga in our lives. It's not even a chapter. It's a blip. Which probably would enrage somebody who's pro-life.
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16 Shocking Allegations In Scientology Documentary 'Going Clear'

HBO The Church of Scientology has long been a controversial institution among both the religious community and entertainment business. But the latest documentary from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," explores the secrets of the organization through interviews with former high-ranking officials and former members in a way never seen before.
Based on the 2013 book of the same name by Lawrence Wright, "Going Clear" not only exposes details about Scientology but also serves as an in-depth explainer for those unfamiliar with the group. The Church has spoken out against the film (read their full statement here) as have its celebrity members. But whether you've studied Scientology closely or merely know it as "the religion with Tom Cruise," watching "Going Clear" is a powerful, stunning and emotionally overwhelming experience that will likely leave you with your mouth agape. Here are the most shocking allegations put forth in "Going Clear," which made its HBO debut on Sunday night:
1. L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology creation story
When Scientologists reach level OT III, they are shown the "secret materials," as director and former member Paul Haggis described them: Hubbard's hand-written account of the creation myth. According to this, 75 million years ago a galactic dictator named Xenu froze people and dropped their bodies into volcanoes. From there, the disembodied spirits, or thetans, apparently jumped into newborns bodies. According to Hubbard, these multiple thetans crowded in our bodies are the source of our anxieties and fears.

2. Hubbard spent time in a black magic cult
Before founding Scientology, Hubbard befriended rocket and chemical engineer Jack Parsons who was a part of black magic cult Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), which followed the teachings of Aleister Crowley. According to "Going Clear," Hubbard became Parsons scribe and assistant on a magical operation to impregnate a goddess-like woman to create the anti-Christ.
3. Members were allegedly thrown overboard as punishment
Hubbard created Ethics, or punishments for his auditors who made mistakes during sessions. They were then pushed overboard on his ships into the water, which was "30 feet, 35 feet" below, according to Hana Whitfield, one of the original Sea Org members.
4. Hubbard told his second wife he murdered their daughter
When Sara Northup, Hubbard's second wife, threatened to leave him unless he got psychiatric help, he reportedly kidnapped their daughter Alexis. According to written accounts from Northup, Hubbard told her he "cut [Alexis] into little pieces" and dropped her in a river. Then he would call back and tell Sara that their daughter was alive.
5. There was a Scientology "prison camp"
Former Church member Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, who was once the liaison between the Church and John Travolta, was sent to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), or what she described as the "prison camp where you'd go for re-indoctrination." According to the film, when sent to the RPF, people would have to do hard labor for "30 hours on, 3 hours off," eat table scraps and sleep on dirty, wet mattresses.

6. The FBI raid on the Church was the biggest in history at the time
On July 8, 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's Los Angeles, Hollywood and Washington, D.C. locations, which at the time was the bureau's biggest raid ever.
7. The Church stole government documents
According to the film, in the '70s, many Scientologists were directed to get jobs in Department of Justice and IRS offices in order to steal documents against or relating to the Church.
8. The Church apparently has a blackmail folder on John Travolta
According to Wright in the film, when there were rumors of Travolta wanting to leave Scientology, the Church created a "black PR package" that has "all the damaging material" from his private auditing sessions. Travolta also reportedly refused to have his sessions video taped, but secret cameras were hidden anyway.

9. The Church investigated the IRS
One of the Church's goals was to be recognized by the IRS as a fully tax-exempt religion, according to former senior executive of the Church Mark "Marty" Rathbun. Thousands of Scientologists reportedly filed 2,400 total lawsuits against IRS employees, and private investigators were sent to IRS conventions to obtain information. According to journalist Tony Ortega, Scientology leader David Miscavige told the IRS commissioner that the lawsuits would go away if the Church was given tax-exempt status. The Church was granted exemption in October 1993.
10. Tom Cruise and the Church allegedly wire-tapped Nicole Kidman's phone
According to the film, the Church noticed Tom Cruise slipping away from Scientology during his marriage to Nicole Kidman. Cruise reportedly said he wanted to have Kidman's phone wiretapped, which the Church did at his request.
11. Cruise may have had employees pimp his cars for 40 cents an hour
Sea Org members make 40 cents an hour, according to Ortega, who says, "I don't think there's any way Tom Cruise is not aware of that." According to the film, they have "tricked out his cars and motorcycles" and hanger in Santa Monica, California, and installed the audiovisual equipment at his home.

12. The Church supposedly found Cruise a new girlfriend
According to Wright, Cruise was "overheard to complain that he needed a new girlfriend" when he was in Spain at the opening of a new Scientology center. The Church then found a young Scientologist, Nazanin Boniadi, and reportedly had her braces removed, bought her $20,000 of clothes and colored her hair "to Cruise's liking." She was then told she would be Cruise' girlfriend, but the relationship soon ended. Boniadi apparently signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Church and has since become a well-known actress in "Homeland," "Iron Man," among other films and shows.
13. Paul Haggis left because of the the Church's homophobic stance
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis ("Crash," "Casino Royale") left Scientology in 2009 after 30 years when his two gay daughters told him how they were being treated and harassed by the Church. According to Church doctrines, the religion views homosexuality as a disease. Haggis then wrote a now-famous letter of his resignation from the Church.

14. Scientology's book value is about $1.5 billion
Ortega obtained recent tax records that revealed the main three tiers of the Church (which is a non-profit organization) have a combined book value of $1.5 billion.
15. Sea Org members were allegedly tortured to the sounds of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
In 2004, Miscaviage apparently ordered the top members of the Sea Org to live in what was known as The Hole in the Chuch's secret Gold Base in California. In the film, former members say they were told to confess their crimes against the Church in order to leave The Hole. Beyond beatings and one man being ordered to "mop up the bathroom floor with his tongue," another method of abuse was when members were forced to play musical chairs to "Bohemian Rhapsody." Those participating were "fighting to stay" in the Church: whoever didn't have a seat when the music stopped was expelled from the Church.
16. If members leave the Church their friends & family are forced to "disconnect"
The biggest reason to not leave the Church for many Scientologists is fear of "disconnection." This is when all friends and family members still with the Church are told to cut ties with those who leave, or those deemed Potential Trouble Sources (PTS), or Suppressive Persons (SPs). Many former members included in the film haven't seen or spoken to their family or friends since they left.
"Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" airs again on Monday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO.

Charles Barkley Calls Indiana's New 'Religious Freedom' Law 'Unacceptable'

Basketball player Charles Barkley speaks as Fall Out Boy takes the stage at American Express All-Star Live at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for American Express) | Stephen Lovekin via Getty Images A new "religious freedom" law in Indiana has NCAA basketball analyst and NBA legend Charles Barkley calling foul -- and calling on officials to move next week's March Madness Final Four tournament out of the state.
"Discrimination in any form is unacceptable to me,” Barkley said in a statement Friday afternoon. “As long as anti-gay legislation exists in any state, I strongly believe big events such as the Final Four and Super Bowl should not be held in those states’ cities.”
The legislation, signed into law Thursday by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), does not explicitly mention discrimination against gays or anyone else. Rather, it "prohibits state or local governments from substantially burdening a person's ability to exercise their religion," according to The Indianapolis Star.
But critics say the bill could give businesses a legal foothold to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the name of religious freedom.
Barkley's remarks echo the NCAA's own position, which President Mark Emmert voiced Thursday in a prepared statement.
"The NCAA national office and our members are deeply committed to providing an inclusive environment for all our events," said Emmert. "We are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees. We will work diligently to assure student-athletes competing in, and visitors attending, next week’s Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis are not impacted negatively by this bill."
"Moving forward, we intend to closely examine the implications of this bill and how it might affect future events as well as our workforce," Emmert's statement continued.
Reggie Miller, a former NBA star who spent 18 years playing for the Indiana Pacers, also voiced concerns over the law, sending this message Friday to his 651,000 followers on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/21LwD5Ie72
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) March 27, 2015

Many other prominent figures have spoken out against the law, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, likely 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who promptly canceled the company's planned events in the state following the bill's passage.