 | |  |  | John Travolta News & Gossip
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| | John Travolta flies to Haiti w/ Scientology ministers, 'Operation Phenomenon' | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I heard about this yesterday when I checked Kirstie Alley’s twitter for the story about the National Enquirer featuring her on the cover. Kirstie was enthusing about all the Scientology people headed to Haiti to “help” with the disaster, just like they helped at Virginia Tech and at Ground Zero after the tragedies there. There will be those of you who initially think it’s wrong to criticize a “religion” for dispatching people to help where it’s so desperately needed. After all, they only want to help like the rest of us. The thing is, Scientologists consider psychologists and psychiatrists mortal enemies who must be stopped at all costs. (If you’d like to learn more, watch this video of Scientology head David Miscavige talking to his flock about taking down the psychiatrists. At 1:50 he talks about the “campaign to break the dark spell cast across the earth by psychiatry.”) In an e-mail intercepted from Scientology’s “Sea Org” after 9/11, a volunteer on the ground described one of their objectives on the scene - to divert grieving families from getting help from psychologists. “Additionally we are trying to move in and knock the psychs out of counseling to the grieving families and that could take another 100 plus people right now.” Make no mistake, the Scientologists think they’re “helping,” but their primary objection is to divert and convert, not to console.
So I have mixed feelings about hearing that John Travolta volunteered his time and jet to fly out a bunch of Scientologists to Haiti. At least they had a massive amount of supplies, 4 tons, on board to help victims who so badly need it. They also brought doctors supposedly, but I can’t imagine medicine and Scientology being entirely compatible. Below is AP’s report on the story. Scientology also put out a press release touting their efforts and - get this - they’re calling it “Operation Phenomenon”!
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? John Travolta has landed his own jet in Haiti carrying relief supplies and a team including doctors and Scientology ministers.
The 55-year-old actor flew the Boeing 707 from Florida on Monday carrying 4 tons of ready-to-eat military rations and medical supplies for earthquake victims.
Among those accompanying Travolta is his wife, actress Kelly Preston.
The Church of Scientology says the pair planned to return home after unloading their passengers and supplies.
[From Huffington Post]
Remember Tom Cruise’s manic Scientology promotional video? The Scientologists think they’re the only ones who can help after a disaster, and that it’s their duty to come bring people over to their way of thinking. Four tons of food is a lot of aid, but it comes with some massive expectations. This cult has made an empire out of exploiting vulnerable people. Travolta, like Cruise, seems like a decent person who got caught up in Scientology, but there’s something to be said for their willingness to continue to toe the party line and promote the cult, even with acts of charity. I’m not sure I’ll be supporting Travolta’s movies in the future - if he ever makes another one that isn’t a complete piece of crap, that is.
John Travolta is shown on 1/16/10. Credit: Fayes Vision/WENN.com
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| | John Travolta thanks neighbors at hometown opening of 'Old Dogs' | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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John Travolta, wife Kelly Preston, and their daughter Ella went to a special premiere of their new film ?Old Dogs? in their adopted hometown of Ocala, Florida on Friday. This is their first public appearance in Ocala since their son Jett passed away last January. By all accounts it was a very emotional premiere, and the Travoltas were nothing but gracious and appreciative. They thanked the community for all the support and love they?ve received over the last year, and Ella even got a street named after her.
In an emotional appearance in his adopted hometown, John Travolta and his family thanked their Florida neighbors for their support after the death of son Jett.
“It’s meant the world to us,” Travolta, 55, told the crowd Friday night at the Ocala, Fla., premiere of his film Old Dogs, according to the Ocala Star-Banner. “We know that we have a community. We know that we have friends. And we know that we are loved. We appreciate it. Jett appreciates it. We love you, Ocala.”
Joining the actor at the premiere were wife Kelly Preston and 9-year-old daughter Ella Bleu, who appears in the film along with her parents.
The Travoltas, who live just north of Ocala, also appeared at a private fundraising gala for local charities, including the Jett Travolta Foundation.
[From People]
The other charities that benefited from the Travolta?s private gala at the premiere are the Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council, Project Hope, the Marion County Public Safety Assistance Trust and the Humane Society of Marion County. All of them were personally chosen by John. He also has a history of premiering his films in Ocala as a benefit for non-profits. According to Ocala.com, Travolta did the same thing in 2007 for ?Wild Hogs? and 2008 for ?Bolt.? And though they haven?t released any official numbers on how much money was raised, it was at least $37,500 just from the gala ticket sales.
It?s pretty amazing that John and Kelly were still able to hold a charity premiere in their hometown, given everything they?ve gone through this year. It certainly would have been understandable if they?d passed. Clearly they wanted to thank their community for the kindness and support they?ve been given, and it sounds like the whole event was a success.
Pictures thanks to Ocala.com
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| | John Travolta gets teary on Ellen, thanks fans | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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John Travolta was on ?Ellen? yesterday with his nine-year-old daughter Ella for an emotional interview. Ellen didn?t ask him about the death of his son Jett last January or even really get the chance to ask John how he was doing. He started off right away with a heartfelt thanks to everyone for all the love and support that?s been sent his way, which was very sweet. He said it with such enthusiasm that you can tell it really has meant something and been helpful for John and his family.
The entire interview on ?Ellen? was pretty emotional ? John teared up when talking about how proud he was of Ella on her first acting role.
John Travolta says he is grateful for all of the support he has received since his son Jett died at age 16 following a seizure this past January.
“I just want to take one moment to thank each and every one of you throughout this country, through out the world for all your support and all your love for our family,” he says on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Wednesday. “Thank you very much.”
His 9-year-old daughter Ella — who makes her film debut with her dad in their upcoming comedy Old Dogs (out Nov. 25) — also appears with him for her first talk show interview.
“You are so proud of her, aren’t you?” DeGeneres asks Travolta, 45, of his daughter.
“I’m holding back the tears…” he says as DeGeneres hands him a tissue.
Travolta also reveals his new hobby: tennis. “I play everyday,” he says. “I play at midnight, kind of vampire-style.” Who does he play with? His housing staff. “The house manager and the house maintenance person,” he says. “At midnight, we go to the local tennis court.”
[From Us Weekly]
It must be nice to have paid employees that you can MAKE join you for tennis at midnight. Actually John explained that his staff keeps the same hours he does (which must be ?vampire-style,? as he put it) so it?s probably a nice break.
John told a funny story about the first time he flew on an airplane at eight years old. While he?s always been a big aviation buff and had already been collecting everything plane-
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| | Travolta family makes first red carpet appearance after son's passing | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The Travolta family came out for the premiere of their new Disney movie, Old Dogs, in LA last night. The film is a rag tag buddy comedy starring Travolta, Robin Williams, and Seth Green. John Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu, 9, makes her movie debut in the film, and mom Kelly Preston also appears. This marks the Travoltas first red carpet appearance since the tragic loss of their 16 year-old son, Jett, to a head injury he suffered during a seizure in January.
John said during a press conference for the film that his family is coping with Jett’s death with daily religious counseling sessions through their church, Scientology. Scientology was just convicted of fraud in France and has been under fire for their aggressive tactics with detractors and deceptive recruitment practices. It is thought that Travolta may be under pressure to publicly declare his support for the cult, but his remarks could also be genuine:
John Travolta stepped on his first red carpet since the death of son Jett to promote his new film, Old Dogs, in which his 9-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu, makes her screen debut.
Travolta was joined at the Hollywood premiere Monday night by some of Tinseltown’s top names, including Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and Seth Green.
“John just makes you feel wonderful, there’s a thing about him that you see him and you start to go ‘Wow’, it’s a warmth,” Williams said of his Old Dogs co-star. “I’ve kind of joked that he’s a human panda, you see him and you go, ‘Ahhhh’ and he’s very sweet that way, there’s a kindness that I think radiates from him.”
Travolta broke his silence Monday, as the A-lister said family, friends, religion and therapy have been filling his days, in his first interview since the tragic death.
“We’ve been working very hard every day as a family to heal,” the Pulp Fiction star told USA Today. “We have our own way of doing it, and it has been helping; You need your friends a lot in times like that.”
Jett died at the age of 16 on Jan. 2 from a seizure at the family’s vacation home on Grand Bahama island. The month-long trial of an ambulance driver and a former Bahamian senator accused of attempting to extort $25 million from actor was declared a last month.
[From Radar]
Ella looks so sweet and it’s nice to see this family out together. You can tell that they’re close-knit. I’m kind of disappointed that Travolta is talking up Scientology, but he didn’t say much about it except that counseling was helping him. To each their own, I guess, and I can’t fault the guy for turning to his religion in a terrible time. When it comes to such a destructive and criminal organization you wish that celebrities would have the sense to break ties, though.
On a lighter note, what is going on with Kelly Preston’s poofy hair? She looks gorgeous and around 10 years younger than her age, 47, but her hair is messy looking and not that cute. At least her outfit isn’t that bad. The dress is kind of plain and sack-like, but she’s worn worse. Remember what she wore to the 2007 Oscars?
Here’s the trailer for Old Dogs. It’s looks goofy but I laughed a few times.
More Photos Here
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| | John Travolta reaffirms his commitment to Scientology cult | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The sh*t has really hit the fan for Scientology lately. Whether it?s Tom Cruise threatening to beat the crap out of underling Scientologists who were insubordinate (for refusing to beat the crap out of their underlings), to revelations that Tom made former Scientologist Marc Headley talk to a doorknob for hours at a time, to the good news that director Paul Haggis left the cult, they?ve been getting bad press left and right over the last few months. Yet plenty of members are still wholeheartedly on board, and John Travolta and Kelly Preston are among them. They claim they get spiritual counseling from the church over their son Jett?s death nearly every day.
In his first interview since son Jett’s tragic death last January, Scientologist John Travolta says he and his family are relying on almost daily religious counseling sessions to help them cope.
Since the 16-year-old boy died following a seizure, “We’ve been working very hard every day as a family to heal,” Travolta said during a round-table interview (per USA Today) with the cast of his latest film, Old Dogs (out Nov. 25), which also stars wife Kelly Preston and daughter, Ella, 9. “We have our own way of doing it, and it has been helping.”
Travolta, 45, said he has been overwhelmed by all the support. “You need your friends a lot in times like that,” he said. Preston, 47, added that the “outpouring of love from, really, worldwide has been extraordinary. It’s been our friends, our family, our church. We partake in spiritual counseling pretty much daily.”
Still, she said, “It’s a tricky thing. Sometimes, something that’s right for the moment is not right the next day. Being with people who are important to you, being with people that you love, I think that’s what has primarily helped us the most. Sometimes, being alone, too.”
[From Us Weekly]
I feel so badly for what John and Kelly have gone through that I really don?t want to criticize them. I just find it impossible to imagine how Xenu could bring them comfort right now. But I can imagine how my own faith would, and I can imagine how most other religions could. I just can?t imagine it for the volcano alien cult king. On the one hand, I don?t want to judge whatever gets them through this. On the other hand, given all the terrible abuse that?s been revealed about the cult, it?s hard not to worry that the Travoltas are being taken advantage of, and that the cult isn?t just collecting information to hold against them, as they?re known to do in their auditing sessions.
Celebitchy pointed out that the AP estimates there are only 25,000 Scientology members worldwide, even though the church claims they have 10 million. Something tells me they?re putting pressure on the Travoltas to sing their praises. And I?d bet you anything, despite his career, Tom Cruise is going to be embarking on another disastrous Scientology PR campaign soon.
Here?s John in Los Angeles on November 4th. Images thanks to INF Photo.
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It has been a rough year for the Travolta family, and in a recent interview John Travolta broke his silence about his son’s tragic death.
The “Face/Off” star told press, “We’ve been working very hard every day as a family to heal. We have our own way of doing it, and it has been helping.”
His wife Kelly Preston added that the “outpouring of love from, really, worldwide has been extraordinary. It’s been our friends, our family, our church. We partake in spiritual counseling pretty much daily.”
Jett Travolta passed away at the age of 16 due to a seizure at the Travolta vacation home on Grand Bahama Island. Adding to the drama, two Bahamian men tried to extort the family of $25 million to withhold private information from the public.
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| | John Travolta Arrives for Extortion Trial | | Added 14 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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We all remember the tragedy of Jett Travolta’s untimely death back in January. And earlier today (September 23) parents John Travolta and Kelly Preston arrived at the Nassau, Bahamas court for their extortion trial.
The “Pulp Fiction” actor and his lovely wife looked stone-faced as they made their way inside past the paparazzi and reporters.
Two defendants- a paramedic and a former Bahamas senator- allegedly tried to blackmail the Travolta family for $25 million not to release private information following the death of Jett, though both of them have pled not guilty.
According to a report, ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and former Bahamas senator Pleasant Bridgewater await the decision of the nine-person Supreme Court jury as a total of 14 witnesses are called during the course of the trial.
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| | John Travolta in Bahamas as key witness in $25 million extortion trial | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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John Travolta is currently in the Bahamas to potentially testify in the high profile extortion case against former Bahamian senator Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne. Bridgewater and Lightbourne are accused of demanding $25 million from the actor in exchange for keeping quiet about a “refusal to transport” document for Travolta’s son, Jett, who died in the Bahamas in January after suffering a seizure and hitting his head. The background on the document is benign enough - Travolta initially wanted to fly Jett in his private jet to Florida for treatment instead of having him taken to hospital in the Bahamas. It could have taken the same amount of time, 45 minutes, to take Jett back to Florida as it would have to drive him to the hospital in the Bahamas. By signing the document, Travolta was releasing the hospital from legal liability in the event of complications. Travolta opted to take Jett to the Bahamian hospital instead, but apparently Lightbourne and his lawyer, Bridgewater, thought that the news that Travolta wanted to fly Jett to Florida was something that he would pay dearly to keep out of the press.
Yesterday a nine person jury with three men and six women was selected. Travolta is on the witness list with 13 other people, and is the first witness listed for the opening day of trial today:
John Travolta has traveled to the Bahamas and is prepared to be the first witness Tuesday in an extortion case linked to his 16-year-old son’s death, a source tells PEOPLE.
The actor is staying at an exclusive gated community west of Nassau, the source says. This is believed to be Travolta’s first visit to the Bahamas since Jett Travolta died last January after suffering a seizure at the actor’s vacation home on the island of Grand Bahama.
Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn and his attorney, former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, are accused of conspiring to extort $25 million from Travolta for a document relating to Jett’s treatment. The pair have pleaded not guilty and are out on bond.
Supreme Court Judge Anita Allen swore in the six-woman, three-man jury Monday, with opening statements slated to begin Tuesday morning.
Travolta, who heads the 14-member witness list, was not among the four witnesses present in court during jury selection. But he is expected to testify ? and likely will have to recount the painful memories of Jett’s death ? since he filed the extortion complaint.
“If the prosecution doesn’t call him, we will,” Mary Bain, a lawyer representing Lightbourn, tells PEOPLE. “Of course, he’s a key witness.”
[From People]
There was speculation last month that Travolta and his wife of 18 years, Kelly Preston,were having trouble in their marriage after Jett passed. Kelly has been hard at work while Travolta took a trip by himself to Tahiti earlier this year and has cut a lonely figure since. John doesn’t need to go through the pain of having to recount his son’s death after two greedy people tried to take advantage of him. If these people did try to extort money from Travolta over a tragedy they deserve to have the book thrown at them.
John Travolta is shown in November, 2008 at the premiere of Bolt. Credit: PRPhotos. Other photos are of the two suspects, Bridgewater and Lightbourne, outside of court yesterday. Credit: WENN.com
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| | John Travolta is in the Bahamas to potentially testify in extortion trial | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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John Travolta is currently in the Bahamas to potentially testify in the high profile extortion case against former Bahamian senator Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne. Bridgewater and Lightbourne are accused of demanding $25 million from the actor in exchange for keeping quiet about a “refusal to transport” document for Travolta’s son, Jett, who died in the Bahamas in January after suffering a seizure and hitting his head. The background on the document is benign enough - Travolta initially wanted to fly Jett in his private jet to Florida for treatment instead of having him taken to hospital in the Bahamas. It could have taken the same amount of time, 45 minutes, to take Jett back to Florida as it would have to drive him to the hospital in the Bahamas. By signing the document, Travolta was releasing the hospital from legal liability in the event of complications. Travolta opted to take Jett to the Bahamian hospital instead, but apparently Lightbourne and his lawyer, Bridgewater, thought that the news that Travolta wanted to fly Jett to Florida was something that he would pay dearly to keep out of the press.
Yesterday a nine person jury with three men and six women was selected. Travolta is on the witness list with 13 other people, and is the first witness listed for the opening day of trial today:
John Travolta has traveled to the Bahamas and is prepared to be the first witness Tuesday in an extortion case linked to his 16-year-old son’s death, a source tells PEOPLE.
The actor is staying at an exclusive gated community west of Nassau, the source says. This is believed to be Travolta’s first visit to the Bahamas since Jett Travolta died last January after suffering a seizure at the actor’s vacation home on the island of Grand Bahama.
Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn and his attorney, former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, are accused of conspiring to extort $25 million from Travolta for a document relating to Jett’s treatment. The pair have pleaded not guilty and are out on bond.
Supreme Court Judge Anita Allen swore in the six-woman, three-man jury Monday, with opening statements slated to begin Tuesday morning.
Travolta, who heads the 14-member witness list, was not among the four witnesses present in court during jury selection. But he is expected to testify ? and likely will have to recount the painful memories of Jett’s death ? since he filed the extortion complaint.
“If the prosecution doesn’t call him, we will,” Mary Bain, a lawyer representing Lightbourn, tells PEOPLE. “Of course, he’s a key witness.”
[From People]
There was speculation last month that Travolta and his wife of 18 years, Kelly Preston,were having trouble in their marriage after Jett passed. Kelly has been hard at work while Travolta took a trip by himself to Tahiti earlier this year and has cut a lonely figure since. John doesn’t need to go through the pain of having to recount his son’s death after two greedy people tried to take advantage of him. If these people did try to extort money from Travolta over a tragedy they deserve to have the book thrown at them.
John Travolta is shown in November, 2008 at the premiere of Bolt. Credit: PRPhotos. Other photos are of the two suspects, Bridgewater and Lightbourne, outside of court yesterday. Credit: WENN.com
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| | John Travolta's rep - he's a member of Scientology 'forever' | | Added 14 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Cue dramatic music - John Travolta’s rep says that he’s a member of the “church” of Scientology - forever. The Daily Mail ran a piece over the weekend claiming that Travolta, 55, has been questioning his involvement in Scientology following the death of his son Jett, 16, earlier this year. Jett suffered from what his parents said was Kawasaki syndrome, and there were reports that he had autism, a disorder that Scientology refuses to recognize. Jett died after suffering a seizure and hitting his head in a bathroom at his parents’ estate in the Bahamas. Many people wondered if Jett would have lived had he been properly treated with psychiatric medication. The Travoltas claimed that Jett was on anti-convulsant medication for years, but that it stopped working and that they consulted with neurologists, who recommended that he be taken off the drug. Jett’s family has surely been haunted by the question of whether they could have somehow prevented his death. You would expect that to include questioning the edicts of their cult, which stipulates that members never consult psychiatrists or take psychiatric medication. The Daily Mail could have been guessing, but there may have been an element of truth to their story, which stated that “his son’s sudden death has ‘deeply shaken’ Travolta’s faith in the strange sect, which makes wild claims about its ability to cure a variety of physical and mental disorders.”
That’s not true, according to Travolta, who has asserted through his rep that he will always be a Scientologist:
A July 25 report in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper claiming that Travolta, 55, had grown disenchanted with his longtime religion in the wake of his son Jett’s death in January is “totally false,” his rep Paul Bloch tells PEOPLE.
“There’s no change in the relationship between the Church of Scientology and John,” says Bloch. “He is a member and it’s as it was, now and forever.”
The still-grieving actor, his wife Kelly Preston, 46, and their daughter Ella Bleu, 9, recently returned to one of their favorite spots: their oceanfront island home in Isleboro, Maine, where the family spent their last Christmas with Jett in 2008. On July 18 Travolta and Preston exchanged greetings with locals at the island’s Dark Harbor gift shop. “He’s pretty low-key,” says one local. “He pretty much stays to himself when he comes.”
The getaway was a break for Preston, who has been filming The Last Song ? a coming-of-age film in which she plays the mother of Miley Cyrus’s character ? in Savannah, Ga., this summer. The actress’s maternal instincts have made an impression on Cyrus, 16, who on July 10 posted a photo of the two on the set with the caption, “Loving on Mama Kelly!”
[From People]
I don’t believe much in The Daily Mail, which regularly makes up stories about celebrities when they’re not pointing out knobby knees and small amounts of cellulite. If the story was true, though, it’s not like Travolta is going to admit that he has problems with his cult. Scientology surely has some deep dark dirt on him. One of the key ways that cults control their members is by eliciting confessions so that they have something to hold against them if they threaten to leave and/or expose the cult. Scientology does this through the “auditing” process, which occurs early on in a person’s involvement and serves to help indoctrinate and brainwash them.
You would expect Travolta and Preston to be distancing themselves from Scientology behind the scenes and wondering if conventional medication could have prevented their son’s death. Scientology teaches that mental illness is not real and that their hack treatments can solve any problem. When the Scientology treatments inevitably fail, it doesn’t matter because in their eyes the person was defective anyway. No one wants to believe that about a child they lost. It’s human to wonder if things could have turned out differently and if your loved one could have lived. Travolta will never know, and that’s got to be eating away at him - and his faith.
John Travolta is shown at the Bolt premiere on 11/17/09. Credit: WENN.com
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