We mentioned earlier this week that we were thinking about Scientology’s Celebrity magazine, which appears to be a victim of the pandemic. We’ve gathered some of the last issues Scientology published, and today we thought we’d look at Issue 434, which came out in December, 2016.
The issue celebrated John Travolta for portraying attorney Robert Shapiro in the celebrated FX network miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Travolta was nominated for an Emmy for supporting actor, and took home a trophy as a producer of the series.
The best thing in this issue is that an interview of Travolta from a 1975 issue of Celebrity was included, and we posted it earlier this week: It caught Travolta right after he’d booked Welcome Back, Kotter and it featured him talking about his early dedication to Scientology.
And that 1975 piece was a lot more interesting than what they came up with in 2016. This paragraph is typical, and you can see that they’re simply using Travolta to push Scientology leader David Miscavige’s latest initiatives…
As he accepted well-wishes from Celebrity Centre guests and staff, he shared his excitement about the Scientology religion’s future. Earlier in the day, he, his wife Kelly Preston and his daughter, Ella Bleu, had toured the newly opened Scientology Media Productions (SMP). As someone who has worked tirelessly over the years, single-handedly reaching countless millions with the message that Scientology improves lives, walking through the five-acres of sound stages, mixing rooms and production facilities that currently deliver content around the globe and will soon be the launching pad of a television network, was exhilarating. “I have never been more impressed with something in my life,” says the actor. The systems, the technology and the sheer cleanliness and orderliness of the beautifully restored studio create a whole new standard for dissemination, he says, one that offers a future of hope. “Through the tools of the studio we can have fun disseminating information in an unfiltered way. It’s a safe arena and I love it — it’s perfect.”
Still, we thought this image was pretty clever.
The issue also featured a reminder that Anne Archer is a loyal Scientologist, and that she had just appeared in a play written by her husband, former television executive Terry Jastrow, who is also a reliable Scientology fixture.
Oh, ouch, this next image just reminds us of the one who got away. In 2019, Beck told an Australian newspaper, “I am not a Scientologist.”
This issue also really takes us back because it featured several images of up-and-coming superstar, Joy Villa. And look, Joy went Clear in 2016! Joy’s star really rose the following year, when she showed up at the 2017 Grammy Awards wearing a dress declaring her loyalty to newly-inaugurated President Trump. We had loads of fun with her over the next couple of years, but her star seems to have dimmed a bit recently, and we really haven’t heard much about her since she was spotted selling books in Brighton.
And as a special bonus, this same issue also featured a photo of Joy’s former husband, photographer Thorsten Overgaard! Hey, we can’t help wondering how sales of elephant-hide bags are going.
And finally, in the completions list at the back of the magazine, we found one surprise: Actress Lynsey Bartilson going Clear only in 2016? What took her so long?
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Technology Cocktail
“A lot is said about individuality. Indeed it is a highly important subject. Either individuality is a very bad thing and causes human troubles, is a very good thing, or it is a games condition. The truth is that individuality is an aberration and a games condition. It therefore, good or bad, processes, whereas namelessness (unidentifiedness) does not.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1957
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
— The Underground Bunker Podcast
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates on the Danny Masterson trial
[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4 [4] Oct 10 [5] Oct 11: Day One [6] Oct 12: Day Two [7] Oct 13: Day Three [8] Oct 17: Day Four [9] Oct 18: Day Five [10] Oct 19: Day Six [11] Special interview with Chris Shelton, Oct 19 [12] Oct 20: Day Seven [13] Oct 21: Day Eight [14] First week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [15] Oct 24: Day Nine [16] Oct 25: Day Ten [17] Oct 27: Day Eleven [18] Oct 28: Day Twelve [19] Second week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [20] Halloween special [21] Nov 2: Day Thirteen [22] Nov 3: Day Fourteen [23] Nov 4: Day Fifteen [24] Third week in review [25] Nov 5, Saturday special [26] Nov 6, Sunday special [27] Nov 7, Day Sixteen [28] Lisa Marie Presley breaking news [29] Nov 8, Day Seventeen [30] Nov 9, Day Eighteen [31] Nov 10, Day Nineteen
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“We’re not in the business of whether people are crazy or not crazy. It’s just a method of calling dirty names anyway. The psychiatrists have no idea who’s crazy and who’s sane, and so forth. It’s just a matter of saying, ‘This fellow’s no good, and the US government wants to get him out of the way so he’s crazy.’ It’s just a matter of expediency. It says en masse, ‘We don’t agree with this particular person. He sees spiders on the ceiling and we don’t. Therefore he’s crazy.’ Has nothing to do with anything we are doing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Just forget those classifications. We don’t care how potty this guy’s ideas of the physical universe are, you know, he just might have come down here from the Martian scout command or something like this, and they probably have very, very odd ideas, you see? The quality, the significance of the fellow’s ideas are no business of the auditor’s.” — L. Ron Hubbard, February 19, 1963
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“Recently Flag was divided into 3 separate orgs. The Flag Bureaux (FB), the International Management Org was the first to be formed fully. It is the FOUNDING Org of the other two. It is doing very well and has stats rising in most areas and is heavily in the Mission business. Its colour flash is GREEN. The Flag Admin Org (FAO) is the Service Org. It trains, processes and handles Finance. It has the pattern of the standard 7 Division Organization. It is the ESTABLISHING ORG. The FAO flash color is RED. The Flag Ship Org is the ship itself. It consists of the usual yacht organization functions of Command, Deck, Stewards and Galley and Engine Room. The Ship Org Flash color is BLUE….To summarize the FB is running excellently, the tech and training of the FAO is tops. Finance FAO is going in well. By constant personal work and lots of help, I have these points in hand. Now the three numbered points above must occur and every effort, including very heavy Ethics, will be made to bring them into existence. Your cooperation will be appreciated.” — The Commodore, February 19, 1971
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“A friend of mine had cancer that just vanished with auditing. The most I’ve had so far is about a year ago I was getting some auditing and I got sick. We located the suppressive terminal and it totally blew, which I thought was pretty cool. It would be cool to have a book of this stuff, sort of like the format of Have You Lived Before This Life. Maybe it doesn’t immediately cure every physical illness, but there are enough ‘miracles’ that it would be hard to deny there is something to it.”
2001: Mark Bunker reported the results of a trial in St. Petersburg to determine whether Scientology or a number of critics should be found in contempt of court for violating a restraining order issued for the protests in Clearwater in December. “Neither Bob Minton nor Tory Christman were convicted today. Judge Penick acquitted all but two of the more than forty charges against Bob, the LMT and the rest of the critics. He fined Tory $100 but did not find her guilty for walking down Fort Harrison Avenue without holding her picket sign upside down. He withheld adjudication and fined Bob $500 for engaging in First Amendment activity outside of an orange zone. Bob is on probation for six months but was not convicted. The judge came down hard on Scientology’s spy cameras, abusive process servers/P.I.s, and the ’embarrassing’ testimony of OSA’s rebuttal witness. Judge Penick brought in the Clearwater Police’s attorney to let him know that the judge believed there was a great deal of merit to the claim that Scientology is ‘using’ and ‘duping’ the police they hire. Penick warned that the CW Police were dangerously close to becoming Scientology’s security force.
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“Confiscating people’s passports is a classic Eastern European sex trade/slave tactic.It doesn’t get more obvious and sinister.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Mistrial declared November 30. Retrial scheduled, jury selection begins March 29. Next pretrial hearing: Feb 16.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing Feb 13.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next status conference Feb 13.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing November 17 to argue the arbitration motions, awaiting ruling.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: March 15, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through February 7.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. 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 a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Valerie Haney asks court for reconsideration after Scientology defeat in Masterson case
[TWO years ago] Transcript: In the Danny Masterson lawsuit, Scientology continues to get its way
[THREE years ago] California is going ‘Ideal,’ and Scientology is on fire about it
[FOUR years ago] Leah Remini accuses former Scientologists of sabotaging an episode of ‘Aftermath’
[FIVE years ago] Atack: What David Mayo told me about L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the upper levels
[SIX years ago] Disconnecting from the dead: Another employer accused of forcing Scientology is taken to court
[SEVEN years ago] DOX: A former L. Ron Hubbard business partner dishes on Scientology to the feds
[EIGHT years ago] HBO moves back ‘Going Clear’ to March 29 and TV’s most coveted spot: Sunday night
[NINE years ago] SCIENTOLOGY’S PRAYER: The Hail Mary petition to keep David Miscavige from being deposed
[TEN years ago] SUPER POWER UPDATE: Scientology Has Even More Excuses Not to Open Its Boondoggle
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: There’s a Chill Down Under!
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,945 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,450 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,000 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,990 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,881 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,185 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,056 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,161 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,638 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,950 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,516 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,435 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,603 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,184 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,445 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,482 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,197 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,761 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,076 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,251 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,802 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,933 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,271 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,126 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,245 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,601 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,904 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,010 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,408 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,284 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,867 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,362 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,616 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,725 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 19, 2023 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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), 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, 15 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
