In the media this week, there’s something going on in reaction to the release of Lawrence Wright‘s book about Scientology that also occurred last year when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorced, and separately when a Vanity Fair cover story outlined that whole business with Nazanin Boniadi.

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Our good friend Tony Ortega sums it up this way:

For those of us who watch Scientology closely, and have for many years, most of the [Lawrence Wright book-related] articles that have popped up in recent days seem to be gasping over things that have been known or written about for many years…

We would argue that for much of the public, the word [about Scientology] was already out long before today’s publication of Wright’s book. (Look at the reaction, for example, when on Monday The Atlantic magazine ran a paid church advertorial at its website extolling the virtues of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Even though there was nothing really wrong with The Atlantic taking the church’s money for an ad, the public denunciation of the magazine was so swift and loud, The Atlantic caved and took it down.)

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Harry Smith took Ann Coulter to task. He calls her ‘sophomoric’ and her views ‘simplistic’. Then Coulter tosses her hair and says something to the effect of “I’m rubber, you’re glue.”

“This is the Ann Coulter publicity machine at work — publish a book filled with vitriol, lies and sloppy sourcing — say something batshit crazy — wait for the backlash — feign victimhood — media storm follows — ride the wave to the best sellers list,” said a media insider familiar with Coulter’s career to FBLA. “I’m not sure what is more pathetic, Ann thinking she still looks hot in a black cocktail dress, or that the media falls for this song and dance every time.”

Yeah, the whole ordeal seems so dated. It’s so Friendster. It’s so VHS. It’s so ‘meh’.

Thanks to Glynnis MacNicol at our sister blog FishbowlNY for the clip.