A Las Vegas fundraiser earned $500,000 for soldiers and emergency responders who say chemicals sickened them and earned Utah’s attorney general coveted photographs posing with celebrities. Sandra Lucas, a Salt Lake City resident who recently became president of the nationwide Heroes Health Fund, said she and a board must decide how to split the proceeds, but Utah residents will see a share. Actor John Travolta was the headline speaker at the fundraiser Saturday at the Wynn Las Vegas. Utah Attorney General ...

Utah’s attorney general and a federal agent who busted drug labs in Utah County will be among the guests Saturday at a Las Vegas fundraiser with actor John Travolta. Travolta is helping generate money for what’s called the Heroes Health Fund, a nationwide program which provides treatment to soldiers and emergency responders who believe they were sickened by exposure to chemicals. The treatment — consisting largely of exercise, time in a sauna and a diet of antioxidants — has its roots ...

The Scientology-backed rehab promises addicts they can sweat out their demons in sweltering saunas. But critics charge that the organization is the devil itself. L. Ron Hubbard, the prolific science fiction author and founder of the Church of Scientology, may have been judged “a mental case” (according to the F.B.I.) and “a pathological liar” (according to a Los Angeles Supreme Court judge), but to tens of thousands of his eager followers worldwide, the man discovered an approach to recovery that outclasses ...

Over the weekend, notorious Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday. The former science-fiction writer (born March 13, 1911) founded the religion Scientology in 1952 as a successor to his self-help series, 'Dianetics.' Since then, Scientology has gone mainstream with the aid of big-name celebrity believers like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. But while Scientology's association with movie stars has gained it publicity, it's also revealed outlandish, dangerous and cult-ish aspects that leave many wondering ...

Scientology adverts under investigation by ads watchdog Row over posters that claim sessions can tackle job insecurity as former member of church describes campaign as ‘misleading and offensive’ Gabrielle Monaghan. Sunday Times Published: 6 March 2011 [In print. Online subscrption only] Complaints have been filed with the country’s advertising watchdog over a Church of Scientology campaign, which claims its courses can help with job insecurity. The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) is investigating claims that the ads, appearing in Dublin’s ...

On August 19, 2009, Tommy Davis, the chief spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International, received a letter from the film director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. “For ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church of Scientology of San Diego,” Haggis wrote. Before the 2008 elections, a staff member at Scientology’s San Diego church had signed its name to an online petition supporting Proposition 8, which asserted that ...

Two people accused of attempting to extort $25m (£16m) from John Travolta following the death of his son are to walk free after a judge in the Bahamas dismissed the case against them, apparently at the actor's request. A court in Nassau was about to begin the retrial of Tarino Lightbourne, a local ambulance driver, and Pleasant Bridgewater, his former lawyer and local politician, yesterday when prosecutors announced that Mr Travolta had contacted them saying he no longer wished to give ...

The man who allegedly tried to extort $25 million from John Travolta claims the Hollywood actor is “betraying” him, RadarOnline.com is reporting. Ex-ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne, who is accused along with attorney Pleasant Bridgewater of a plot to extort money from the Grease star, says he has been “duped” by the actor who had promised to drop charges against them. "I feel betrayed,” said Lightbourne, who is accused, along with Bridgewater, of threatening to sell a one-page “refusal to transport” document ...

Helen Hunter recently jumped into the local roller-derby circuit. This is an appropriate footnote about the always-on-the-go Ocala firefighter. Hunter is pushing 40, and she smiles at the mere thought of derby competition. She embraces athletics, working out, fighting fires, health and the relationship between all of them. She will tell you with complete conviction the healthier she is, the better she can fight fires for the taxpayers who pay her salary. She is passionate about performing at her best, physically ...

Sunrise in the humidity of deepest Florida, a hazy mist cloaking the ground as the coolness of the night turns to cloying heat, and a lone individual trudges along an airport runway in a pristine tracksuit. He won't be breaking any land speed records - in fact this version of running barely qualifies as a brisk trot - but at 56 John Travolta is no spring chicken. Consider, however, that his only exercise until recently was lifting double cheeseburgers to his ...

This month, "Battlefield Earth," the blockbuster bomb based on the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, won the Razzie for "Worst Movie of the Decade." J.D. Shapiro, the film's first screenwriter, accepted the award in person. Shapiro, who also wrote the screenplay for "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "We Married Margo," and is developing a King Arthur spoof called "524 AD" (524AD.com), explains what it's like to be attached to one of Hollywood's most notorious flops. Let me start by ...

The blogs are alive with speculation that Kirstie Alley’s new diet scheme, called Organic Liaison, is a front for Scientology. It sure seems that way. Let’s not forget that Alley is a devoted member of the sect. She fronted a PR pamphlet for them in 2007 called “Keep Scientology Working.” You can see it at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/Kirstie/ Organic Liaison’s advisory board includes a prominent Scientologist named Michelle Seward. Seward is also the CEO of Protege Financial, a Scientology-based company. The two other ...

Read the full program transcript from Quentin McDermott's report, Scientology - The Ex-Files, first broadcast 8th March 2010. Reporter: Quentin McDermott Date: 08/03/2010 (On screen: Cars passing big blue building with 'Scientology sign') QUENTIN MCDERMOTT, REPORTER: Many religions claim to hold the key to man’s salvation. Scientology is no exception. TOMMY DAVIS: The most fundamental explanation as regards Scientology’s basic beliefs is that man is basically good, and that the individual’s a spiritual being; that you’ve lived before and you’ll live ...

As one of the beneficiaries of Thursday's "From Paris With Love" movie gala, the Ocala Detoxification Project has puzzled many locals. The Paris-themed party will raise money for local deputies, police officers, firefighters and a college scholarship fund. But few in Marion County know anything about detoxification. Up front, here are some facts: The Ocala Detoxification Project is designed to help firefighters and other uniformed personnel who are exposed to toxins. It likely will launch with funds from the gala. "From ...

Tickets remain for Ocala's "From Paris With Love" movie-premiere gala, anchored by movie stars and Anthony residents John Travolta and Kelly Preston. About 300 tickets went on sale Tuesday for the Feb. 4 event, which will raise funds for local law enforcement, fire departments, a Central Florida Community College scholarship and a detoxification project for local firefighters and emergency workers who have been exposed to toxins. Tickets are $300 and can be purchased through www.cfccfoundation.org/FromParisWithLove.htm, said CFCC spokeswoman Lois Brauckmuller. The ...

Scientologists have mobilized to seize on the promotional and recruitment opportunities presented by the horror going on in Haiti, and John Travolta has personally arranged to fly "volunteer ministers" to Haiti to inflict his junk science on victims there. Anywhere people are suffering, Scientology's yellow-shirted "volunteer ministers" can be found lurking near news cameras and claiming to help people with their bullshit technology. They performed "purification rundowns" on recovery workers sifting through the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11, ...