Chef shafts South Park

[Suzie]

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Soul singer Isaac Hayes quits 'South Park'

Tuesday, March 14, 2006; Posted: 9:29 p.m. EST (02:29 GMT)


Singer Isaac Hayes has provided the voice for "Chef" since 1997.
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'Chef' fed up with South Park (1:58)

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Soul singer Isaac Hayes said Monday he was quitting his job as the voice of the lusty character "Chef" on the satiric cable TV cartoon "South Park," citing the show's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion.

But series co-creator Matt Stone said the veteran recording artist was upset the show had recently lampooned the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower.

"In ten years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews," Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network.

"He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show." (Watch how 'Chef" got fed up with the show -- 1:58)

He added: "Of course we will release Isaac from his contract, and we wish him well."

In a statement explaining his departure from the show, Hayes, 63, did not mention last fall's episode poking fun at Scientology and some of its celebrity adherents, including actor Tom Cruise.

Rather, Hayes said the show's parody of religion in general was part of what he saw as a "growing insensitivity toward personal spiritual beliefs" in the media, including the recent controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.

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

The crudely animated cartoon, heading into its 10th season next week as one of Comedy Central's biggest hits, centers on the antics of four foul-mouthed fourth graders in the town of South Park, Colorado.

Outlandish religious satire has been a mainstay of the show since its debut on the Viacom Inc.-owned network in 1997. The series grew out of two short films by Stone and collaborator Trey Parker -- "Jesus vs. Frosty" and "The Spirit of Christmas," the latter featuring a martial-arts duel between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas.

Hayes, the first black composer to win an Oscar for best song with his theme to the 1971 film "Shaft," gained renewed fame on "South Park" as the voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy, the school cafeteria cook whom the boys often seek out for advice.

In an episode last fall, one of the gang, Stan, scores so high on a Scientology test that church followers think he is the next L. Ron Hubbard, the late science-fiction writer who founded the religion. Hayes did not take part in that episode.

In an interview with Reuters late last year, Hayes talked about a foundation he formed to bring Scientology-based study techniques to disadvantaged inner-city schools, in partnership with fellow devotee Lisa Marie Presley.

"But it's not religious," he said then, describing himself as Baptist by birth and Scientology as "an applied religious philosophy."

Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox said producers have not decided whether Chef would be dropped from the show or continued with another actor supplying his voice.

[GonzoStyle]

NIGGER!

[Ronin]

did the doctor tell you that you also had tourettes?

[GonzoStyle]

NO

[Sloatsburgh]

Rip on Jews, Mormons, Catholics, Evalgelicals, but once you pick on my religion, based on the writings of a Sci-Fi writer fullfilling a bet, that's when I scream outrage.

OUTRAGE!

[Mad]

Tom Cruise must have unleashed his minions upon Issac for his transgression against his Evil Overlord.

Sucks when people fold like cheap suits.

[Keyser Soze]

someone should hijack john travolta's plane and fly it into the side of the church of scientology.

[GonzoStyle]

it's not even a matter of the fact that the show has attacked various... pretty much every other religion, especially christians and jews. They have also mocked niggers, fags, and all other sections of society. They have had shows about beastiality, pedophiles, and what the fuck have they not touched that isn't taboo. It's a job, get the fuck over it.

[HedCold]

Inside Move: 'South Park' feeling some celeb heat?

By MICHAEL FLEMING

A repeat of the Scientology episode of 'South Park' was pulled by Comedy Central.

The battle between "South Park""South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Scientology is escalating.

The dust-up gained steam last week when Isaac Hayes, a practicing Scientologist who has long been the voice of the character Chef, quit after objecting to a "South Park" episode called "Trapped in the Closet," which lampooned both the religion and Tom CruiseTom Cruise.

The skirmish continued this week, when Comedy CentralComedy Central abruptly pulled a repeat of that episode that was scheduled to air Wednesday evening. Showing instead was another memorable segseg which featured Hayes's character, called "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls."

Blog reports pegged the mysterious episode switch to objections raised by Cruise, who, the reports stated, threatened to not promote "Mission: Impossible 3," the summer tentpole for ViacomViacom-owned Paramount.

A spokesman for Cruise denied that Cruise had ever made such a threat. "He never said any such thing about 'Mission: Impossible 3," the spokesman said.

While the "South Park" creators didn't directly comment on Comedy Central's decision to pull the episode, they issued an unusual statement to Daily Variety indicating the battle is not over.

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!"

The duo signed the statement "Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu."

[HedCold]

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[Charles Manson]

hey everybody have you seen my balls
they're big and salty and brown!

[The Sleeper]

publicity stunt

[Mad]

I would have to disagree with you. Those nut jobs make me look sane.

[Keyser Soze]

you're not the same kind of nuts. they're creative nuts, you're just the government is evil, everyones out to get me nuts.

[Mad]

Wasn't talking about Matt & Trey, dumb ass.

[Keyser Soze]

i was talking about the scientologists, dunce.

[Mad]

Whatever, liar.