Movie star Tom Cruise is bracing for his most savage critical attack yet in a new magazine article about his loyalty to Scientology. A doctored photograph of the actor in his underwear appears on the front cover of US pop and politics magazine Radar with five arrows appearing to pierce his skin, suggesting the article inside, by investigative journalist Kim Masters, will leave him wounded. The controversial piece is headlined, 'Risky Business: the untold story of Scientology's movie-star martyr.' In the accompanying article, Masters speaks to a handful of former Scientologists and business acquaintances of Cruise, who all link the actor's recent passion for the controversial religion to the fact he has risen through the Church to a level just under leaders like his close friend and Scientology chief David Miscavige. One former Scientologist, who worked closely with the religion's celebrity members, claims Cruise is close to becoming a member of the Church's mythical Sea Org level or something similar. She says, "You feel so good, it's like you're high on coke. If you look at him, he has that dedicated glare that Sea Org members have." High-level Scientologists insist the Sea Org level never existed and such claims are ridiculous. The article also suggests Cruise's War Of The Worlds director, Steven Spielberg, was far from happy about the actor's Scientology-heavy interviews and romantic gestures for new girlfriend Katie Holmes at a time when he should have been promoting the summer blockbuster. Producer Marvin Levy coyly remarks, "It (the non-War of The Worlds talk) certainly took some of the emphasis away from where we would have liked it." Levy also tells Masters that Spielberg was upset when he saw Cruise's famous sofa leaping episode on Oprah in May, as he declared his love for Holmes. Masters writes, "When Spielberg later watched Cruise's manic declaration of love, Levy says, he sensed that the film's carefully orchestrated media plan might be slipping off the rails."

Actor Brock Peters, best known for his role as Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape in the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer; he was 78. According to reports, he had been diagnosed with the disease in January and had been receiving chemotherapy treatments, and the actor passed away at his home surrounded by family. An actor with a distinctive, authoritarian baritone who worked extensively in films, television and on the stage, Peters made his film debut in the lush melodrama Carmen Jones, an re-imagining of Bizet's Carmen starring Dorothy Dandridge, and appeared five years later in another musical adaptation, Porgy and Bess. In 1962, Peters took the role of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird, and during filming was befriended by star Gregory Peck; in fact, Peters read the eulogy at Peck's funeral in 2003. His magnetic and heartbreaking performance in Mockingbird led to roles in The L-Shaped Room and The Pawnbroker, and though he rarely achieved leading man status, Peters worked steadily throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s in both movies and TV, and received a Tony nomination in 1973 for Lost in the Stars. He appeared in thrillers Soylent Green and Two-Minute Warning, miniseries Roots: The Next Generation, and innumerable guest spots on television series ranging from Gunsmoke to The Bionic Woman. To a later generation of fans, Peters was known for two different Star Trek roles, playing Admiral Cartwright in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as well as a recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Joseph Sisko, the father of star Avery Brooks' character. In 1991, Peters received a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. Peters is survived by his longtime companion Marilyn Darby and a daughter from his first marriage. --Prepared by IMDb staff

A writer is suing the bosses of hit TV drama Lost, alleging the show's creators stole his idea. Anthony Spinner filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, accusing the TV network ABC and producers Touchstone Television of breach of contract and fraud and is seeking unspecified damages. Spinner alleges he was hired by Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft Productions in 1977 to write, produce and direct a program called Lost, a drama about a group of plane crash survivors living on a desert island, which is inhabited by mysterious creatures. The complaint claims "the plaintiff has a right to payment and a right to royalties from ABC and Touchstone as a result of their profit". The ABC show first hit TV screens last year and is up for twelve Emmy awards at next month's ceremony.

Brad Pitt marked the impending end of his marriage to Jennifer Aniston with a visit to a Canadian dinosaur museum with rumored lover Angelina Jolie. The couple's four-year marriage was terminated in Los Angeles on Friday, but their "marital partnership" will not officially end until October. Over the weekend, Pitt entertained Jolie and her son Maddox, who came to visit him in Calgary, Alberta, where he is due to begin filming The Assassination Of Jesse James next week. The Mr. And Mrs. Smith co-stars and four-year-old Maddox enjoyed a tour of the Royal Tyrrell Museum near Drumheller on Saturday, confirms the museum's spokeswoman Wendy Taylor. Taylor enthuses, "They did not ask us to close the museum or for an after-hours visit or any special treatment. They arrived around 7pm and stayed for an hour. The other people in the museum at the time were very respectful. The only unfortunate thing was that word leaked out and quite a crowd collected outside the main entrance, so we had to find an alternate exit for them. They are both very down-to-earth people and most appreciative."

Fans of hit TV series Alias have launched a campaign to save Michael Vartan's character, even though producers have failed to confirm they're killing him off. Vartan, who plays his former girlfriend Jennifer Garner's on-screen lover Michael Vaughn on the show, reportedly shot his final scenes last week, according to the New York Post. Insiders claim Vaughn will be killed off in the upcoming series, which will also see pregnant Garner coping with impending motherhood both in real life and on the crime drama. The news has prompted some fans to launch www.mvcampaign.com, which has been set up to stop any potential Vartan departure. In a posting on the fansite, one devotee states, "Many of us feel that if this were to occur, it would be showing the show, the viewers, and Mr. Vartan a huge lack of both respect and loyalty. We have decided to take action and do something to express our feelings."

The mother of Michael Jackson's child molestation accuser has been charged with welfare fraud in Los Angeles yesterday. The woman allegedly collected $18,782 in welfare payment while making false claims she was struggling to live and support her children. In the Thriller singer's child abuse trial earlier this year, the superstar's lawyers presented evidence the woman's family had received a $150,000 settlement during a legal battle with department store chain JC Penney in 2001. Michael's attorneys also displayed evidence the mother had been receiving funds from her now-husband to pay her rent. During the Santa Maria, California trial, she used the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and refused to testify about the welfare matter. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Bureau of Fraud and Corruption Prosecutions filed a five-count complaint today, alleging the woman concealed her settlement and rent assistance from welfare authorities.

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson is the latest star to slam Tom Cruise's attack on Brooke Shields for using medication to ease postpartum depression. Cruise - who claims to have helped people fight drug addictions through his controversial Scientology religion - sparked a war of words when he criticized Shields in May for using anti-depressant Paxil, following the birth of her daughter Rowan. The Island actress brands the War Of The Worlds star as "ignorant" and insists women should have the right to choose how they treat their body. She says, "I think people have their own right to choose whether or not they want to stop taking a drug. I can go into a very lengthy conversation with anyone about a woman's right to choose and things like that, but I don't believe in forcing my opinion on people. I do believe that, in particular, children are over medicated. But I've also known people who've taken anti-depressants for a couple of months, and it saves them from what could really be a drastic situation. Ruling out something that could legitimately help people seems ignorant."

V For Vendetta film bosses have denied the terrorism themed movie is being delayed because of London's recent bomb attacks - they insist technical difficulties are responsible for the date change. The film stars Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving against the terrifying backdrop of bombings on the London underground, but producers are refusing to re-edit the scenes which closely mimic recent murderous events in the city. The movie release date has been moved from November until next year. A Warner Brothers source explains, "The film is still in post-production and the visual effects wouldn't be completed in time. That's why it's being postponed. There might also be some extra shooting days but none of the scenes involving the Underground are being altered."

Sin City star Jessica Alba has beaten a host of Hollywood stars to land the coveted lead in the I Dream Of Jeannie movie. The Fantastic Four actress will join Fever Pitch funnyman Jimmy Fallon for the latest revamp of a classic TV series, after reportedly beating Kate Hudson, Lindsay Lohan and Alicia Silverstone to the role. According to internet site Movieline.net, Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha is interested in taking charge of the project.

Maverick film-maker Michael Moore has enrolled on a crash course at a $3,800-a-week celebrity fat farm in a bid to loose weight. The Fahrenheit 9/11 director has booked into the Pritikin Longevity Center And Spa in Aventura, Florida, where he is learning to cook healthy meals and will undergo "life re-education", according to PageSix.com. Moore is reportedly aiming to loose 12 pounds during the first three weeks.