Crystal Cathedral sale to diocese, Judge approves

 
SANTA ANA, Calif.—A federal judge on Thursday approved the sale of the glimmering Crystal Cathedral to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange to help the financially troubled megachurch emerge from bankruptcy.
The decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert N. Kwan came after a bidding war between the diocese and Orange County's Chapman University for the sprawling 40-acre property -- and was opposed by many Crystal Cathedral congregants who fear it will be the end of their church.

The diocese will pay $57.5 million to use the iconic building in Garden Grove made of 10,000 panes of glass as a long-sought countywide cathedral.

"It will become a true center for our Catholic community in Orange County," Bishop Tod D. Brown told reporters after Thursday's packed hearing in federal bankruptcy court.

The decision will force congregants of the financially ailing Crystal Cathedral to find a new home after three years -- possibly in a Catholic church up the street that the diocese will vacate.

But some fear the ministry won't survive the move as congregants -- and possibly "Hour of Power" television viewers -- feel dismayed after pouring their hearts, and pocketbooks, into the elaborate campus.

Rather, churchgoers threw their support behind a proposal by Chapman University for the site to expand its health sciences offerings and possibly start a medical school -- a plan that would have paid up to $59 million for the site allowed the church to continue to use the famous building designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson.

For the last two weeks, the board of directors of Crystal Cathedral Ministries had supported Chapman as the preferred buyer. But the board did an about-face Wednesday and voted to back the diocese instead to preserve the church as a religious institution, citing church bylaws and a wish to respect the spirit of donors who footed the bill for the building.

"I'm really pleased to know that this campus is likely for at least decades, if not centuries, to be kept as a sacred place of worship," Carol Milner, daughter of church founder Rev. Robert H. Schuller, said after the hearing.

The decision riled several dozen congregants who attended the six-hour hearing in bankruptcy court and pleaded with the judge to let them remain in their beloved church.

"It shouldn't be about the money. It should be about what's inside your heart," Jim Kirkland Jr. told the court, breaking into tears. "A lot of these beautiful people have put in their hearts, put in their time."

Schuller started the Crystal Cathedral as a drive-in church in the 1950s under the auspices of the Reformed Church in America. Decades later, the Southern California ministry evolved into an international televangelism empire and erected its now-famous building.

In 2008, the church's revenues plummeted amid a decline in donations and ticket sales for holiday pageants due to the recession, church officials said. But some experts say the church failed to attract younger members while alienating older churchgoers with an ill-fated attempt to turn the church over to Schuller's son, ending in a bitter and public family feud.

The church laid off employees and cut salaries, but its debts surpassed $43 million, prompting the Crystal Cathedral to declare bankruptcy last year.

Much of Thursday's hearing was devoted to analyzing the church's sudden change of heart about a buyer, with Kwan urging the church to justify its reason for choosing a lower bid and one that went against the wishes and recommendations of many of its congregants.

Chapman University said the ruling wouldn't alter its plan to expand its course offerings.

"I'm disappointed, obviously," university president James Doti told reporters after the ruling. "We did the best fight that we could."

Some congregants at the Crystal Cathedral said losing their church would be a sign of failure of the ministry's leadership and they wouldn't follow its leaders to a new site.

Churchgoers also questioned whether the ministry that shares the name of the building it inhabits would be financially viable elsewhere, noting that viewers of the "Hour of Power" are equally attached to the glass-spired church and are the source of 70 percent of the church's revenue.

"This is more than a money issue. This is about the continuation of our church," said Michael Nason, a member of the church for 39 years and former producer of the Hour of Power.

But those who supported the board's decision said the congregation will continue to thrive through the good-hearted people who worship together and band together to help those in need.

"The Crystal Cathedral will go on," said Susan Dawson, whose husband was recently appointed to the church's board. "They will love wherever we go because we are a community, we are a community of loving believers."

Craig Ferguson Discusses Anthrax Scare on ‘Late Late Show’

The comedian Craig Ferguson seemed to be in good spirits on Tuesday evening when he wrote on his Twitter account, “Ack! Someone mailed my show white powder & claimed it was anthrax. I’m not a big fan of that sort of thing.”

But Mr. Ferguson, the host of CBS’s “Late Late Show,” was not entirely kidding, and explained what happened in a monologue recorded Tuesday and planned for broadcast early Wednesday, according to remarks released by CBS.

“Today someone sent an envelope packed with white powder to the show,” Mr. Ferguson told the studio audience at “Late Late Show,” which is produced in Los Angeles. “I offered to test it, but they said no. The police did test it and it’s not dangerous, so you have no excuse to leave.”

“Nowadays,” Mr. Ferguson continued, “white powder in the mail is a bad thing. I called CBS security and they said, ‘We’re busy.’ So I told them I am a personal friend of Drew Carey and they sent somebody over right away.” (Mr. Carey, who gave Mr. Ferguson an early break on his ABC sitcom “The Drew Carey Show,” is now host of “The Price Is Right” on CBS.)

Later in the program, Mr. Ferguson said, “I was going to come out and talk about the earthquake, but I can’t do that now. Because the earthquake only scared millions of people on the East Coast, but the white powder did something much worse — it scared me.”

CBS did not immediately provide any additional details about the package or who might have sent it. The Associated Press reported that two people were temporarily held at the “Late Late Show” studio after being exposed to the powder on Tuesday afternoon and were released after a hazardous materials team determined it was benign. Detective Gus Villanueva of the Los Angeles Police Department told The A.P. that the powder came in an envelope sent from overseas.
On his Twitter account, Mr. Ferguson offered his thanks to the F.B.I., the Los Angeles Police Department and Fire Department and the CBS security staff.
Last week, Mr. Ferguson’s CBS late-night colleague David Letterman, who hosts the network’s “Late Show” and whose company Worldwide Pants produces “Late Late Show,” was threatened on a message board used by Al Qaeda. While the F.B.I. is investigating that incident, Mr. Letterman joked about it on his program on Monday, telling his audience: “They’re questioning, they’re interrogating, there’s an electronic trail — but everybody knows it’s Leno.”

NBC Pins The Rock for '80s Pro-Wrestling Drama

If NBC is going to get back on the top turnbuckle, this will be the show to get it there. The network is developing a drama about the "golden age" of wrestling during the 1980s, when beasts like Hulk Hogan and The Iron Shiek made it cool to wear tights and put a man's head between your legs (although to be fair, a lot of New Wave music made that cool, too). Dwayne Johnson, aka former wrestling star The Rock, will executive produce, and he's awesome so I have no doubt this too will be awesome. It will be just like Mad Men, but with less talking and more Camel Clutching. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Syfy, the network that loves to hate its viewers, has released the premiere dates for a few of its fall shows. Sanctuary bows on October 7, Scare Tactics scares on October 10, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files fakes it on October 19. They've also got this original movie called Zombie Apocalypse that sounds pretty awful on October 29. Can't wait. But when do the networks' shows that are actually good (loose definition) end? Glad you asked! Finale dates: Eureka (September 19), Alphas (September 26), Haven (September 30), Warehouse 13 (October 3; 2 hour finale). In December, Syfy's 4-hour Neverland original movie will air. I get the feeling this is about Peter Pan and not Michael Jackson, so it will probably be boring. There. Don't say I never did anything for you. [Syfy via press release]

… After TNT heard that Syfy announced its premiere dates, it remembered that it has shows, too. And premiere dates! Leverage swindled a fourth season that will start on November 27. The Closer's season 7 drops November 28. You can watch season 2 of Rizzoli & Isles on November 28. And Southland walks its fourth beat on January 17. [TNT via press release]

Casting News
… Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) is in talks to recur on NBC's Law & Order: SVU as one of the Law parts. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Greg Grunberg (Heroes) already crashed a plane into Hawaii on Lost, but he's still returning to the island(s) state. He'll guest star on CBS' Hawaii Five-0 for a mini Heroes reunion with cast member Masi Oka. They'll reminisce about that one good episode they had. [TV Line]

… ABC's upcoming Charlie's Angels is recruiting Isaiah Mustafa, aka The Old Spice Guy. He'll play the former fiancée of one of the broads. [TV Line]

… NBC's upcoming Prime Suspect has bolstered its cast with the comedic stylings of Jay Mohr. He'll play an assistant DA, because DA's are hilllllarious. [EW]