Celebrity Sunday: John Travolta, Anne Archer, and ‘rising star’ Joy Villa
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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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
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$cieno clebs are a 2 edged sword. When they spout the $cieno line in publications or on TV they are 'highly valued assets' to Miscavige. When they escape, they are Suppressive People and need to be whacked down. I can't think of too many ex clebs whacking the mole, but between Jason Beghe and many others, the mole is truly whacked. The general public is warned thanks to the exs.
I can never call Joy Villa a 'cleb'. I too was Grammy Considered. But the Grammy people said 'who the hell are you'. I bet they said the same thing about Joy.
"As someone who has worked tirelessly over the years, single-handedly reaching countless millions with the message that Scientology improves lives..."
It almost sounds as though Miscavige values John Travolta's contribution to Scientology, right? Except we know that DM personally cannot stand Travolta. He's nothing but a useful idiot to COB.