Lunch w/Greg: Haggis rips Church of Scientology; Happy B-day to Hillary; Charlize’s big gay kiss!

Had to skip breakfast today but hope you won’t mind having lunch with me instead!

One of the big stories right now is about Oscar-winning director-writer-producer Paul Haggis whose movie Crash upset Brokeback Mountain to win best picture back in 2006.

Haggis has left the Church of Scientology and done so with a blistering letter that takes the church to task for remaining silent after its San Diego branch publicly sponsored the anti-gay Proposition 8.

Here’s an excerpt from Haggis’ letter directed at national spokesman Tommy Davis: “As you know, for ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church of Scientology of San Diego. […] I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated.

In that first conversation, back at the end of October of last year, you told me you were horrified, that you would get to the bottom of it and “heads would roll.” You promised action. Ten months passed. No action was forthcoming. The best you offered was a weak and carefully worded press release, which praised the church’s human rights record and took no responsibility. Even that, you decided not to publish.

The church’s refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.

Wow.

The church’s most famous member is, of course, Tom Cruise, and others include John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman and Anne Archer, the mother of Tommy Davis.

OLDER AND WISER: Hillary Rodham Clinton, the brilliant legal mind who was the nation’s First Lady then a US senator and now our Secretary of State, turns 62 years old today.

She has had quite a remarkable life and nearly made history when she ran for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2008 and won several major primaries before losing narrowly to Barack Obama who made some history of his own. Since she always seems like the smartest person in the room, how fortunate we are to have her as our country’s top diplomatic during these very troubled times.

“I love this job and working for President Obama and trying to do something about the critical problems we face in the world,” Clinton says in this week’s Parade magazine.

We are in good hands.

EXPENSIVE SMOOCH: Let’s see … what hot male actor would you pay $140,000 for a kiss. Brad Pitt? Jon Hamm? Channing Tatum?

If I had that kind of money to burn and the celeb was willing to pucker up, I’d go with Harry Connick Jr. who has the sexiest lips in all of North America.

Well, a female fan of the luscious Charlize Theron got to live out her star kissing fantasy – at a cost of $140,000! – a few days ago during a live auction at the San Francisco gala for the organization OneXone which works to improve the overall health and living conditions of children in living in poor countries.

Charlize, who won an Oscar for playing a lesbian serial killer in Monster, was auctioning off a trip to South Africa that included tickets to World Cup matches, a safari and a chance to meet Nelson Mandela.

The bidding stalled at $37,000 so Charlize sweetened the deal: she offered the winning bidder a kiss!

“My boyfriend isn’t here tonight,” teased Charlize, an LGBT equal rights activist who has been in a longtime relationship with actor Stuart Townsend.

The winner ended up outbidding a man by $5,000 for the chance to lock lips with Charlize. The kiss reportedly lasted about 20 seconds.

I’d say it’s money well spent!