"Crash" director Paul Haggis has severed ties with the Church of Scientology, in part because of what he says is the organization's stance against gay marriage.

Apparently that sort of thing doesn't happen in outer space.

Haggis wrote a letter to Tommy Davis, the head of Scientology's Celebrity Center. Haggis wrote he was disappointed by the church's tacit backing of California's gay-marriage ban.

The 56-year-old Haggis, who won an Oscar in 2005 for cowriting "Crash," said he was quitting the church after 35 years. "I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated," Haggis wrote.

The letter, dated Aug. 19, was published in a blog about Scientology and has since been widely circulated online. Ziggy Kozlowski, a publicist for Haggis, confirmed the director wrote the letter and that it was to remain private.

The Church of Scientology in Los Angeles has not publicly responded to the letter.

Haggis also said he was "shocked" the church was publicly denying it adheres to a policy of disconnection — of severing ties with a friend or family member who's antagonistic toward Scientology. Haggis said his wife, Deborah Rennard, was given precisely those orders and didn't speak to her parents for more than a year.

"The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others,"

Haggis, who also wrote the Oscar-winning "Million Dollar Baby," is shooting "The Next Three Days" in Pittsburgh. It stars Russell Crow, Liam Neeson and Elizabeth Banks.

U2 IS ON THE WAY: Local U2 fans were bummed, to say the least, when the legendary Irish rock band's 2009 tour was announced and it included not a single stop in Northern California.

Bay Area Bono-heads, however, will find what they're looking next year. U2 announced Monday it will bring its record-setting "360 Tour" to the Oakland Coliseum on June 16.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 2. Contact www.livenation.com or 877-598-6659. Show time is 7 p.m. and tickets are $30 to $250.

The "U2 360 Tour" is one of the biggest concert touring spectacles ever mounted. According to the press release, the stage set rises some 150 feet from the ground, features a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED screens and a massive stage with rotating bridges. The intended effect is to provide a show with visual appeal to every fan in the stadium — thus the "360" tag.

The tour played to some 3 million fans this year, shattering attendance and sales records in many cities. Just this past weekend, for example, U2's Southern California gig drew the biggest crowd to ever assemble at Pasadena's mammoth Rose Bowl. Earlier in the year, U2 bested the Pope's old record by drawing the largest crowd in the history of New York's Giant Stadium.

TRUMP MARRIES: Ivanka Trump has wed the son of another major New York real estate family.

The daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump married Jared Kushner on Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

Trump, 27, is the co-host of "Celebrity Apprentice," a vice president at her father's real estate company, and has a jewelry company. The 28-year-old Kushner is publisher of the New York Observer and an executive of real estate company Kushner Companies. Wedding guests included ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Barbara Walters and actress Emmy Rossum.

GLOBES GET A HOST: British comedian Ricky Gervais has been picked as host of the Golden Globes, the first time in more than a decade that the Hollywood awards show has used an emcee.

A more freewheeling affair than the Academy Awards and other Hollywood honors, the Globes are known as a place where stars can cut loose over dinner and drinks. Gervais said it was a good environment to give him free rein as host.

"I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don't turn down," said Gervais, who starred in HBO's "Extras" and the original British version of "The Office."

The Globes have gone without a host since 1995, when John Larroquette and Janine Turner teamed up for the job. Globe organizers decided to do away with the host because they felt the show had enough star power with the celebrities presenting its film and TV awards. But after Gervais made a hilarious appearance as a presenter last year, organizers decided to sign him up to emcee on Jan. 17.

Nominations for the 67th annual Globes will be announced Dec. 15. The awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.