In 2016, we had a wild story to tell you about Lisa Marie Presley. Through excellent sourcing, we learned that not only had Lisa Marie distanced herself from the Scientology she had grown up in, but she attempted to have a personal showdown with Scientology leader David Miscavige in Florida in October 2014.
He chickened out of that encounter, sending his two sisters instead, which resulted in an explosive confrontation between the two Miscavige women and Lisa Marie, who was shocked to be treated that way in Scientology’s spiritual mecca, the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida.
She went back to her hotel that day and told her family that she was no longer a Scientologist.
Lisa Marie had actually been pulling away from Scientology for years by then. In 2012, we noted that lyrics in an album she put out that year seemed pretty unambiguous about how she was pushing her Scientology handlers away.
And our sources were also very clear that after that attempted confrontation in 2014, Lisa Marie walked away from Scientology with her mother, Priscilla Presley, and her older daughter, Riley Keough.
But soon after that, Lisa Marie’s life went into turmoil. As she has revealed recently, she fell victim to a severe opioid addiction, and she also went through a hellish divorce with Michael Lockwood that had them fighting in court over her finances. She ended up doing very well in court and seems to be past her addiction problems, and also, she has said, she is now getting therapy.
And that’s one of the reasons we believe that she, and her mother, are still out of Scientology despite some rumors to the contrary.
But not long after our 2016 story, we did begin hearing that Riley Keough had slipped back into Scientology. And now, we’ve seen some photographs which strongly suggest that is the case.
Riley just turned 30 and she’s having a great career as an actress. (We thought she was terrific in the 2018 HBO film Paterno.) And, as a young actress, she naturally has a pretty healthy Instagram thing going on.
Here she is with one of her closest friends, Jadan Huter, from Jadan’s Instagram account…
And here’s another one of the two of them from Riley’s account…
And here, clearly, is another photo from the same location, on Jadan’s account, which not only includes the two of them but also, on the right, actress Alanna Masterson, whose character was recently killed off from The Walking Dead.
Now, it’s probably not unusual that a couple of young, successful actresses like Riley Keough and Alanna Masterson are spending a vacation together, except when you factor in that Alanna is a hardcore Scientologist who is so dedicated to the church she disconnected from her own father, former Scientologist and Australian rugby star, Joe Reaiche. (She’s also the younger half-sister of Danny Masterson.)
So our sources are telling us that Riley spending time with Alanna and posing for photos with her that she probably knew would be posted on Instagram is a pretty sure sign that she’s back in the church.
What a bummer.
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HowdyCon 2019 in Los Angeles
THURSDAY NIGHT OPPORTUNITY: This year’s HowdyCon is in Los Angeles. People tend to come in starting on Thursday, and that evening we will have a casual get-together at a watering hole. But we also want to point out that Cathy Schenkelberg’s “Squeeze My Cans” will be running at the Hollywood Fringe, and we encourage HowdyCon attendees to see her show on Thursday night, June 20. Tickets and more dates available here.
Friday night June 21 we will be having an event in a theater (like we did on Saturday night last year in Chicago). There will not be a charge to attend this event, but if you want to attend, you need to RSVP with your proprietor at tonyo94 AT gmail.
On Saturday, we are joining forces with Janis Gillham Grady, who is having a reunion in honor of the late Bill Franks. Originally, we thought this event might take place in Riverside, but instead it’s in the Los Angeles area. If you wish to attend the reunion, you will need to RSVP with Janis (janisgrady AT gmail), and there will be a small contribution she’s asking for in order to help cover her costs.
HOTEL: Janis tells us she’s worked out a deal with Hampton Inn and Suites, at 7501 North Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, (818) 768-1106. We have a $159 nightly rate for June 19 to 22. Note: You need to ask for the “family reunion” special rate.
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Testimony by the World’s First Real Clear, part two: ‘Scientology is designed to entrap people’
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini’s ‘Troublemaker’ will become a Lifetime movie: Who plays Tom Cruise?
[THREE years ago] NAFC names David Miscavige a witness in Scientology trial scheduled for October
[FOUR years ago] When Tom Cruise was one of Scientology’s biggest donors: A look back
[FIVE years ago] Ryan Hamilton makes it an even dozen federal lawsuits against Scientology’s rehab network
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,470 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,599 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,103 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,623 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 643 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 534 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,841 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,709 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,483 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,257 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,603 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,169 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,089 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,256 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,837 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,098 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,137 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,849 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,375 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,464 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,604 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,924 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,780 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,899 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,254 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,557 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,663 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,065 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,937 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,520 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,015 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,269 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,378 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 7, 2019 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
