Bart's Nancy Cartwright a Scientologist?

What is it with celebrities and Scientology? While I do not know much about Scientology, I do know that this religion (?) has received the loyalty of many celebrities. Most famous for his belief in Scientology is probably Tom Cruise, but John Travolta and Kirstie Alley is among other members of this group. While doing some research I came upon an article affiliating Nancy Cartwright, the woman who does Bart's voice for the famous TV show, The Simpsons, to Scientology.

Nancy Cartwrigt donated a mind boggling, 10 million dollars to the faith in 2007. 10Million!!?! This very generous donation has earned her the Scientology's Patron Laureate Award. Her donation is even larger than Scientology's second-in-command, Tom Cruise. She is now back in the spot-light for using Bart's voice to recruit and advocate her beliefs in Scientology.

She is not being criticized for spreading her beliefs. Cartwright is being criticized for using the popular character of Bart as a tool for her religious intentions. As a huge Simpsons fan, I find myself sad and dissapointed that she has mixed her personal intentions with a popular character that so many impressionable children can relate to. I am also a angry that a show that I love to watch because of it's silly jokes and light-hearted nature now have now some association to a topical that I find unrelating and so controviersial. Despite the gloomy light that Nancy Cartwright has shed, The Simpsons is still one of my favorite TV shows.

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Treasure Hunts Are Always Fun

When I saw the trailer ad for NBC Sunday Movie, "The Last Templar," I couldn't contain my excitement. I read this book a few years back and now they were making a movie out of it! Not only was a book that I read actually being turned into a movie, an actress that I admire, Mira Sorvino, was going to be Tess, the leading female character! I anticpated the date the movie was to air and when it finally arrived, I sat and watched the movie with child-like glee.

Unfortunately, 10 minutes into the movie, my anticipation for a great movie began to dissipate and doubt and dissapointment took over. The movie was filled with cheesy lines, and the straighforward, no-nonsense "Tess" I imagined while reading the book, was portrayed as an annoyingly feminisitic archaeologist (all too typical). I finished the 2-day movie hoping for something to change but unfortunately it didn't. Despite the dissapoint movie, my positive impression of the book remains the same.

The Last Templar reminds me of previous movies and books such as The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure. The one thing all these movies/books have in common are the intricate clues that lead to more clues and eventually some hidden treasure in the form of golds and riches or an ancient truth to be hidden forever, lest the destruction of human kind. I love these types of movies, maybe because the thrill of a treasure hunt is hard to ignore.

In National Treasure 1 and 2, Nicholas Cage and Diane Kruger did a fantastic job adding humor and passion into a treasure hunt. Maybe The Last Templar wasn't as good to me, becasue I compared it to National Treasure or maybe my expectations were just set to high becasue of the great book, but either way, while I don't regret the money I spent to watch National Treasure in the theatre, I do regret the few hours I spent watching The Last Templar.


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Lara Croft

Do you guys all remember this movie from a long time ago? Probably late 1990's or early 2000's. Need to say, Angeline was a very good Lara Croft! haha She even looks like the character! Angelina Jolie's loss may just be Megan Fox's gain.

Warner Bros. has confirmed plans to relaunch—and completely overhaul—the hot-pants-wearing, artifact-collecting Lara Croft: Tomb Raider franchise, with the first major casualty being Jolie.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the third film will completely reboot the video-game-based character, including changing her origin story (most likely shying away from her English aristocracy roots), and introduce new kinds of missions, love interests and villains.

And, most notably, a new leading lady.

While producers say an actress likely won't be cast until a writer and director have signed on, Fox has emerged as the frontrunner replacement, at least as far as the blogosphere is concerned.

While Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its inconsistently punctuated sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, were produced by Paramount, the rights to the series have since reverted back to video game purveyor Eidos. In December, Time Warner increased its stake in the multimedia company, ensuring in-house studio Warner Bros. first dibs to what has been a lucrative, albeit critically panned, franchise.

The first installment, released in 2001, grossed $275 million worldwide, while the 2003 sequel earned $157 million. All told, the video game series, which launched in 1996, has accounted for more than $1 billion.


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Paramedic Charged in Alleged Travolta Extortion Plot

If you don't remember me posting a blog about John Travolta's son, then you should scroll down the past blogs. It was sad because it was unknown to his cause of death you know? Well, they finally found a possibility of his death. Bahamas police are now two for three for filing charges in connection with the alleged extortion of the still-grieving John Travolta and Kelly Preston.

The second of three suspects detained in the investigation, ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne, pleaded not guilty this morning to charges of attempted extortion and conspiracy.

The 47-year-old medic remains in custody after the prosecutor in the case, Bernard Turner, objected to bail.

According to Turner, police are still searching for a "certain document" at the center of the case that they say may not be recovered should Lightbourne be released.

The nature of the document, like all other details pertaining to the supposed $20 million extortion plot, has not been disclosed, although there has been speculation that it deals with a photo taken of the body of 16-year-old Jett Travolta while in transit to the hospital.

Former Bahamian lawmaker Pleasant Bridgewater resigned from her position as senator Saturday after being charged with both abetment and conspiracy to extort.

She has since been released on $40,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned on the charges Wednesday in Nassau Magistrate's Court.

"I assure the Bahamian people of my complete and total innocence," Bridgewater said upon her release. "I am satisfied that when the full story comes out that I shall be fully vindicated.

"How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued, so perversely twisted to mean something other than it was, is a mystery."

The third person taken into custody, Travolta family friend and member of parliament Obie Wilchcombe, has been released without charge and, per Acting Police Commissioner Reginald Ferguson, is "assisting the police" with their investigation.

Wilchcombe maintains that he was the one who first alerted the Travolta family to the extortion scheme after being tipped off by Bridgewater herself, and wasted no time in proclaiming his innocence after his release.

"I did a noble thing," he told Us Weekly.

The Travolta family has yet to comment on the arrests.

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Peter Pan: The Lost Movie

There's probably dozens of remakes of the 1924 classic Peter Pan. When I think of Peter Pan, I think of childhood imaginations. I think of growing up. I think of my own childhood. It's insane to think how significant movies become to popular culture and individual lives. The famous character Tinkerbell is probably tattooed on thousand of girls around the world as a symbolization of dreams and fairytales. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Tinkerbell costumes are sold every Halloween. There is a Peter Pan busline, a Peter Pan peanut butter, and who knows what else is out there. I admit, I have a purple star-shapped pillow with a picture of Tinkerbell on it. Peter Pan, the movie, has become an iconic movie in cinema history, and deservingly so.

Peter Pan made his big debut in a play in 1904. The play was adapted into a novel in 1911. In 1924 was made into a silent film. And in 1953 became an adaptaion of Walt Disney's Peter Pan. The story of Peter Pan is magical and creative. From Captin Hook, to Wendy, to the Lost Boys, its story captures our imagination. The boy who never grew up, is what Peter Pan is most known for. In a way, I think Peter Pan is so popular and so significant, is because maybe there's a Peter Pan in all of us. We all just want to fly to our special land where our imagination rules and we never ever have to grow up.

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Hayao Miyazaki: Anime Genius

I remember when I watched Spirited Away, it was many years ago, and I was visiting a family friend with my parents. My dad's friend, noticing my boredom, asked my sisters and me enthusiastically, "Want to see a really good movie?" I wanted to say not really, but I knew better, and agreed. The movie he put in was titled, "Spirited Away." And despite my young age and lack of knowledge on graphic arts, I was captivated by the story and the pictures.

After finishing the entire movie, I had no idea what a popular movie I had watched until years later, when I became intersting in graphic arts for myself. Spirited Away is a Japanese film and according to cnn.com had the biggest opening weeekend for a movie in history for Japan. That is quite an achievement and if you like animation and fantasy type movies, watch this movie, and you'll see why it was such a hit. Spirited Away took four years to make and was critcally acclaimed by critics and the public. Japanese Anime is well known for it's graphics but it's storylines tend to dissapoint. The animator, Hayao Miyazaki, strives to break this pattern.

The famous maker, Hayao Miyazaki, orginally targetted Spirited Away for young girls,but it's impressive animation and captivating story lines have now captured the interest of teens and adults. Miyazaki reputation and films have even spread to other parts of Asia and France. Miyazaki seem to have earned and proved himself a worthy animator. "Where does he rank among Japanese animators? He's probably the greatest in Japan," said Freddie Wong, president of the Hong Kong film critics' society.

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Oscar Winners? Possibly

I admit, I haven't been watching movies lately in the theaters just because I have no time whatsoever. I wish I did though because I know there are some good movies out there right now!
They may be Hollywood's biggest and brightest, but the new class of Oscar nominees isn't necessarily the most effusive.

Take Brad Pitt, who, while quick to express his gratitude for both his Best Actor nomination and the leading 13 nods nabbed by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, kept his thanks short and sweet.

"This is a great honor for the movie, and I'm especially happy for David Fincher, for without him there would be no Ben Button," Pitt said.

Pitt's offscreen sidekick Angelina Jolie also gave props to her director and claimed that the experience itself was prize enough.

"Working with Clint Eastwood was a reward in itself that will last me a lifetime," said the Changeling Best Actress nominee, who also gave a shout-out to Animated Feature contender Kung Fu Panda, which her "entire family loves so much."

"To receive a nomination from the Academy on top of that is a privilege beyond any expectation. It has been an exceptional year for acting, and I am honored to be in the company of these talented actors whose performances all deserve this recognition."

Speaking of that competition...

Kate Winslet, who despite some expectations of a twofer scored just a single nomination for Best Actress in The Reader, took care to explain that despite her recent reign as awards season's golden girl, she did not take her kudos for granted.

"I'm extremely happy to have been nominated," she said. "And very fortunate...I'm genuinely thrilled not just for myself but for the wonderful Stephen Daldry and David Hare. These nominations are a testament to their unwavering commitment to this film."

She also paid tribute to the film's late producers, who will surely receive their moment in the spotlight once more come Oscar night.

"Surely Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack are smiling down on us today!"

Anne Hathaway, largely tipped to be Winslet's greatest competition for the golden statue, also offered up some gratitude for her honor, saying her nomination was something of a family affair.

"It is such a thrill to be recognized in this category with these remarkably talented women. I was with my parents and my dog when I got the news and we were all overjoyed—although I'm not sure my dog knew what was going on. This is a great day to be an actress!"

Somebody who diverted from the boilerplate thank-yous was Best Supporting Actor nominee Josh Brolin.

"It feels surreal," Brolin, up this year for his role in Milk, said. "I just got a call from [onetime costar] Javier Bardem in Spain, and he was flipping out and screaming.

"The reality is I got up at 5:55 here in Utah and looked at the clock and figured the nominations were announced and it didn't happen. I said to myself, 'That's OK, I can deal with it.' Then I realized there's a one-hour time difference."

Happy endings all around, then.

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Malia Obama

I know all the rage right now is the Inauguration! But hey this is history right here. I'm certainly glad that Obama did not get Assassinated today! I pray for him and his family at all costs.
Malia Obama has the potential of being on the New York Times best-seller list.

Not for words, but for photos.

For the last few days, the oldest daughter of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle has been photographed taking her own pics of family and friends. She even snapped away with a digital camera during her dad's inauguration ceremony.

While we highly doubt the first family is putting the pics on the market, it did get us wondering about just how much those very behind-the-scenes pics could go for.

A full-color book would definitely pique publisher's interests. "The questions publishers would ask would be: Would she write a forward? Because it would need some text, and Would she do publicity?" a senior editor at a major New York publishing house says. "If the answer was yes to both, then there would be a major bidding war…It has every reason to be a best-seller, especially among kids."

Besides, a relationship with the 10-year-old first daughter could lead to much-coveted ties to the White House. "Publishers would be looking at the future," the editor said. "There will be a lot of books coming from this administration."

David Hauslaib of media-centric blog Jossip thinks Malia's family shots showing them "holding hands, kissing, laughing, whispering" could probably fetch about $250,000 from outlets like People or any number of entertainment or morning television shows. "But regular shots of her dad, mom, sister or grandmother that are not intimate wouldn't be very useful, and would drag the price down to the low five-figures."

Of course, Malia could be taking some video, too. We all know how much her dad loves YouTube. Hauslaib estimates that footage that includes audio of the first family talking to each other would also go for $250,000.

"Of course," Hauslaib says, "the Obama parents would never sell this footage, which means the price is actually invaluable."

Perhaps they'd do it for charity. Says the editor in NYC, "A book would go for six figures, especially if there was a charity element."

Sounds like it could be the perfect book pick for—who else?—first friend Oprah Winfrey.

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Inauguration Fashion

One thing that is on everyone's mind is the Inauguration! Not only that but what is Michelle Obama going to wear. She is the next fashionable first lady after JFK's wife. And before the Inauguration, everyone was talking about what is she going to wear.

Now that we've got our new president sworn in, it's time we talk about the important things, like Michelle Obama's dress.

Sticking with a tried and true body-slimming silhouette, our new first lady wore a sheath dress and matching coat by lesser-known Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo. She kept the lemongrass lace overlay design fresh and accessible by pairing it with green J.Crew gloves and Jimmy Choo shoes.

The look was classic, sophisticated and demure. Rather than trying to figure out what was going on with her dress (like on election night), we were able to focus on the task at hand—rallying behind our new 44th prez.

At least until tonight! The Obamas have about 10 balls they're supposed to attend, and we can only hope Michelle will go all out.

Now, on to the real stars of the show. The Obama Girls!


AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Adorable as ever, Malia and Sasha stayed warm in periwinkle and pink coats, respectively, from Crewcuts by J.Crew.

But of course, everyone was upstaged by Aretha Franklin's embellished bow hat. We can't get over it, so here it is again.

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Paul Bart's Mall Cop

I'm so angry at myself that I didn't get to see this movie! The previews look so funny and entertaining: Kevin James can open a movie. The late Notorious B.I.G. can pack theaters. 3-D movies can sell (expensive) tickets. And, kids, Clint Eastwood can kick your butt. Still.

Those were the findings from a monster holiday weekend at the box office that was led, surprisingly, by James' Paul Blart: Mall Cop, a $26 million, mustache-sporting goof that grossed a serious $38 million Friday-Monday, per the latest studio estimates released today by Exhibitor Relations.

Eastwood's Gran Torino ($26 million), last weekend's No. 1 film, slipped to second, but stayed strong. Notorious ($24 million), the Sean Combs-produced biopic about his friend, the slain rap star, debuted in fourth, but made more money per theater than any film reporting grosses.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D ($24.2 million) cost moviegoers who enjoyed the ducking and covering for about $2 to $3 more per ticket.

Drilling down into the numbers:

Exhibitor Relations says this was Hollywood's biggest-grossing Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend ever, and one of its top 10 highest grossing weekends of all time.
Who on earth bought tickets to Paul Blart? Everybody. According to Sony, the movie appealed evenly to men and women, and nearly as evenly to the young and not-as-young. Fifty-six percent of ticket buyers were under age 25; 44 percent were over 25.
There is no better thing for a film, or a studio, than to beat the expectations game, which is what Paul Blart did. Going into the weekend, My Bloody Valentine and even Notorious were pegged as possible No. 1s. Paul Blart, James' first film as a solo star, was pegged to make $25 million Friday-Monday.
Through today, Gran Torino has grossed $77 million. And counting. "Who would've expected Clint Eastwood to have a $100 million [hit] with that?" asked Exhibitor Relations' Jeff Bock. "I would've expected it with another Dirty Harrry."
Notorious earned its multimillions the hard way, debuting on 1,500 fewer screens than Paul Blart, and nearly 900 fewer than My Bloody Valentine.
My Bloody Valentine 3-D's bottom line was boosted by higher-than-average admissions, which are the norm at 3-D-equipped theaters. So, does that mean Bloody Valentine's $24.2 million, four-day take, on the low side of expectations, was good or not? "I think it's decent," Bock said. "It probably sold less tickets than The Unborn sold a week ago, so that's kind of a surprise."
In its first three days of release, Beverly Hills Chihuahua made $12 million more off 56 fewer screens than the new tween comedy Hotel for Dogs ($17.7 million Friday-Sunday; $22.5 million Friday-Monday).
You wouldn't know it by looking at its plunge in the standings—from second place to sixth—but Bride Wars ($14 million) held up okay, with ticket sales down a better-than-average 44 percent from last weekend.
How does a movie crack the Top 10? See to it that your ticket sales go up about 13,000 percent from one weekend to the next. At least that's how Defiance ($10.7 million) did it.
A batch of high-profile holiday movies dropped out the Top 10: Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories, Jim Carrey's Yes Man, Tom Cruise's Valkyrie and Will Smith's Seven Pounds.
For Pitt's Benjamin Button ($6.6 million), the good news is the movie topped $100 million. The bad news is its Top 10 run lasted only three weekends. The hopeful news is Oscar nominations are out on Thursday.
Sandler had a good weekend. For one thing, Bedtime Stories ($6.1 million) broke $100 million overall. For a bigger thing, he produced Paul Blart.
Valkyrie ($4.5 million) pushed its overall gross above $78 million, making it the first Cruise film since 2005's War of the Worlds to make back its reported budget from its domestic box office alone.
Remember how Carrey watchers were told Yes Man ($3.2 million) would end up outdoing Fun with Dick and Jane? Well, it still can. Provided the tapped-out Yes Man, now at about $94 million, holds a garage sale, cashes in its aluminum cans and somehow comes up with another $16 million before it leaves theaters for good.
With a $70 million gross off a $55 million budget, Seven Pounds ($1.2 million Friday-Sunday, per Box Office Mojo) did not bomb. Until you compare it to Smith's The Pursuit of Happyness, which made $163.6 million off the same $55 million.
Here's a recap of the holiday weekend's top-grossing films based on Friday-Monday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations

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Take Control of Your Finances in a Tough Economy

If you don't know that the economy is in trouble, you must be a) a bear in hiberantion or b) insanely rich and insanely insensitive to the world. Yes, unemployment rates are high, stocks are down, homes are being foreclosed, and faith is little. In an article titled, Drastic Times, researchers state that unemployment rates are unexpected to increase to alarming rate of 11-12% in the next few years. The article states, "On average, the GDP per person falls by more than 9% from its peak and takes almost two years to reach bottom."

The most troublesome of all the economic troubles, Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University states, "is the effect on public finances." Real government debt has risen to an average of 86% affected by severe crisis. Don't just sit and wait while the government is busy coming up with ideas to save the economy, there are things you can do for yourself, that will help lower your debt and increase your capitol in such tough times. Some discipline that I've learned for myself:

1) Set a budget- One of my big and necessary expense is groceries. So I set a budget for groceries. How much can I afford a month? Through trial and error, I finally found the right budget for me, and I make myself and my fiance stick with it.

2) Don't eat out - we only eat out on special occassion now (and that's rare). Or if we absolutely have no choice, we'll eat out. You'll be suprise when you realize the amount of money you spend on eating out.

3) Pay cash or debit- Try to have only one credit card and use it only incase of an emergency. The interest on those things are hideous and I cringe at the amount of money they take from people.

I know saving and budgeting is hard, but believe me it's worth it. When you can go to sleep at night and not have a load of debt sitting on your shoulders, you'll feel in control of yourself and independent and it's all worth it.

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Hayden Gets the Boot

I always thought that Hayden was the most prettiest and the most natural celeb out there! I didn't really like her in the movie "bring it on: all or nothing" or something. She can't be ghetto. She just can't. haha but It's all the over the internet now that she got kicked out of a bar for being underage and they took her ID. After being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time—and most unfortunately, at the wrong age—Hayden Panettiere had to make do as her own hero last month.

The 19-year-old Heroes star had to call police to a Suffern, N.Y., nightclub on Dec. 23 after getting kicked out of a 21-and-over venue and having her driver's license confiscated.

Panettiere, accompanied by six girlfriends, entered the NV Lounge at roughly 9:15 p.m. via the employee entrance and lasted about 10 minutes before security spotted and carded her.

"At that time we asked her and her friends to leave," NV Lounge owner John Reznick tells E! News, adding that the actress cooperated by giving her license to an employee.

It was at that point, Reznick says, that Panettiere was informed of the venue's policy to hand over confiscated IDs to the Suffern Police Department.

Hence her need to call the cops to the scene to retrieve her license ASAP.

"When my officers arrived on the scene we questioned Panettiere," Det. Craig Long tells E! News. "I asked her if she tried to buy alcohol and she denied it. Panettiere told me that someone opened the side door of the nightclub so she could go inside and say hello to friends, not buy drinks."

The detective says his officers "examined the ID and verified that it was proper ID for Panettiere [and] then returned the ID to her. She said she needed it to travel to California the next day."

From California, her pressing travel plans ostensibly included hopping a flight with costar-boyfriend Milo Ventimiglia, as the duo spent several days in Bora Bora over the holidays.

There was no comment from Team Panettiere on the ID snafu.

While no doubt an unpleasant experience, the incident did no lasting damage to Panettiere's record. NV Lounge did not press charges against the actress, maintaining that the club was only following proper procedure to protect its liquor license.

Still, while Panettiere may now regret the nighttime pit stop, the feeling is not unanimous.

"We were all excited to have her there," says Jon Turco, whose band was headlining the NV Lounge that night. "It's a shame she didn't get to stay and enjoy the show."

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Hungry for a good family movie? Ratatouille will do.

I like watching movies, drama, comedy, action...etc. Most movies genres I can watch, however, what is hard for me to sit through, are cartoons or animation. I guess I just don't get as involved when I know the characters are just drawings. One day, I felt like watching a good, light-hearted type of movie and having nothing else to rent, I decided to rent Ratatouille. Despite my intial skeptism for animation, Rataouille won me over. I loved Ratatouille. I remember first watching Ratatouille, I wasn't sure watching mouse or rats making food very appetizing, but to my pleasure, it worked beautifully and stimulated my appetite very well.

The gist of the movie is about a mouse, named Remy, who goes against his family and dreams to become a cook. One day he gets lost and finds himself inside the kitchen of a famous restaurant. He befriends an amatuer and clumsy chef and through the chef, lives his dream to become a great cook. Ofcourse things don't stay smooth and frienships are tested.

When I first started watching this movie, I wasn't too much into cooking. I could probably scramble somes eggs and that's about all I cared to do. But funny enough, hearing the combinations and pairings of ingredients and watching Remy become so enthusiastic with his work was quite inspiring. It made me want to get in the kitchen and see what I can whip up.

For anyone looking for a good family movie, or anyone who likes food (which is most, I would assume), or maybe you have kids and would like to open them up to new possible careers, Ratatouille will do just that. It is funny, inspiring, and more importantly will stimulate your appetite!

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Sanjaya returns?

Okay it took me awhile to figure out who this person was. haha I remembered that he and his sister tried out for American Idol. I'm glad that he made it I guess. Really random blog I know. haha But I distinctly remember that he made it further than his sister in American Idol. American Idol can get you anywhere even if you don't win the actual title. haha Here's some news that may make your ponyhawk hair stand even more on end.

After nearly two years away from the inexplicable spotlight he and his flowing locks once inhabited, former American Idol punch line contestant Sanjaya Malakar is seeking out those last few minutes of fame left over from the 15 he managed to acquire by unleashing a new EP on the world titled Dancing to the Music in My Head.

The five tracks that comprise this little gem won't be available for download until Jan. 20 via Amazon, but feel free to go there now for a preview if your morbid curiosity absolutely needs satisfying.

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Scientology Funeral

Before I went to work, I was watching the news and this story came up. I thought this was so sad! John's son looked exactly like him and it's sad to see him dead for his age. But what wonders me is a scientology funeral. There are funerary customs specific to Scientology, the longtime religion of John Travolta and his family. (FYI: Other superfamous Scientology adherents include Tom Cruise, Beck and My Name Is Earl castmates Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee.) A hallmark of Scientology is the belief that humans are immortal spirits, or
thetans—beings who have lived many lifetimes and whose potential is unlimited.

A funeral, therefore, focuses on the departed like this...

...by addressing him or her directly during the service, urging the departed to move on to better times. Spokespeople for the church did not return my request for comment, but on the official Scientology website, a news release includes a passage from a typical church funeral service.

If used to memorialize young Jett, it will go like this:

"We do not contest your right to go away. Your debts are paid. This chapter of thy life is shut. Go now, dear Jett, and live once more in happier time and place. Thank you, Jett."

A sociology professor offered more insight to me today about what might happen at the funeral. According to Stephen Kent of the University of Alberta, "It's a pretty basic ceremony. Scientologists like to hold them in Scientology chapels, officiated by a Scientology minister."

Other details:

• Someone will likely offer readings from Scientology founder and science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

• The 16-year-old's body may lie in state, or his ashes may be present, or perhaps just a photo will be displayed. The church is flexible on this point, Kent says, because, "the body is relatively unimportant. It's the thetan that is attached to the body that is the focus. The purpose is to wish the thetan well on its future journeys and luck in future incarnations."

• Nonmembers of the church are not banned. If the funeral is private, the family may extend invitations to people who are not Scientologists.

• Afterward, the mourning Travoltas may be encouraged to undergo evaluation by church officials to purge lingering negative feelings about Jett's untimely death.

• There will be no talk of a heaven, as Scientologists do not believe they go there after death.

As of this morning, a local mortuary in the Bahamas has said that a viewing of the youth's body may take place in Freeport tomorrow, with a funeral service expected later in Ocala, Fla.

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