Salon.com > John Travolta

How Scientology ensnares celebrities

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +0000

In comparison to other Scientology churches, things for all the celebrities at the Los Angeles Celebrity Centre were over-the-top in terms of elegance and privacy, starting with their own separate double-gated entrance on the corner of Franklin and Bronson Avenues, and a special area in the underground parking garage that was monitored by security. Celebrities entered through the President’s Office, which had its own lobby, Purif delivery area, and private office space. Upstairs were two auditing rooms and a private course room to be used solely by celebrities and other people of importance, such as big donors to the Church.

Scientology defined celebrities as anyone influential, so it could be well-recognized names like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but it could also be someone like Craig Jensen, CEO of Condusiv Technologies, and Scientology’s biggest donor, or Izzy Chait, a prominent Beverly Hills art dealer. The security for the celebrities was very tight but deliberately inconspicuous, so that a big celebrity could literally be on services and most people at the Centre would never know he was there.

“Parenthood’s” Erika Christensen, a Scientologist, wants to make things clear

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:59:00 +0000

Hitting bookstores this week is Lawrence Wright's "Going Clear" — an examination of the Church of Scientology told in part through the journey of a Hollywood apostate — and at least one Hollywood actress is seeking to make Scientology detractors look foolish.

Erika Christensen, an actress on NBC's "Parenthood," appeared on her costar Joy Bryant's Web talk show "Across the Board" (where the guests stand-up paddleboard while talking), and is immediately hit with a question about the biggest misconceptions about Scientology.

"Probably number one, that we're some kind of closed group," said Christensen, "that it's the 'Hollywood religion' ... and, we worship rabbits. I don't actually know how many people think that!"

Watch John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s strange music video

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:20:00 +0000

The ~~highly anticipated~~ John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Christmas album, "Christmas Time," is here, and the line-dancing duo has just released the music video for "I Think You Might Like It." I think you might like it:

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are releasing a Christmas album

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:02:00 +0000

This Christmas, "Grease" stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are giving you the gift of the 1970s, whether you want the decade back or not. After nearly 35 years, the pair has reunited to record a Christmas album with guests Kenny G (yes) and Barbra Streisand ("Yentl"?), among others. All proceeds from "This Christmas" (not to be mistaken for the 98 degrees album) will go to charities selected by Travolta and Newton-John. "We want to make a lot of people smile and happy. It's a project that we're hoping turns into a perennial, one that can continue to raise money for these causes year after year, a gift that keeps on giving," said Newton-John in a statement.

You know what else is the gift that keeps on giving? Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, whom I'll now dub "Olivolta." The album will be released Nov. 13.

Is John Travolta’s sexuality our business?

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:20:00 +0000

Rashida Jones is really sorry she asked John Travolta to "come out." She regrets speculating on his private life. But with this latest incident of very public whispering, maybe it's time to get clear on our terminology. When someone brings up the subject of a person's sexuality, does the phrase "come out" automatically apply?

During an interview last week on Spinning Platters, Jones got to riffing with her "Celeste and Jesse Forever" co-star Will McCormack about the celebrity closet. And when McCormack said, "There needs to be, like, a professional athlete that comes out," Jones responded by saying, "And a movie star! It's time … Like John Travolta? Come out! Come on. How many masseurs have to come forward? Let’s do this."

Travolta’s florid lawsuit

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

On the spectrum of Hollywood bombshells, the news Monday that John Travolta has been slapped with a lawsuit involving an alleged gay sexual overture ranks about as shocking as Lindsay Lohan getting picked up for violating parole. Whether or not the allegations can be proven true, the suit is just the most public acknowledgment of rumors that have floated around Travolta for years. So persistent and pervasive are the stories about his proclivities that back in 2009, Carrie Fisher famously boasted that "We don’t really care that John Travolta is gay." But it turns out the most surprising thing about the whole dust-up is how fantastic a document the lawsuit itself is.