On Saturday, the Daily Mail speculated at length that Travolta was on the verge of bolting the cult, citing his despodency over the death of his son Jett, whose autism reportedly went untreated on account of how Scientology doesn't believe in autism. The first glimpse of daylight between Travolta, who has reportedly funded the church to the tune of millions, and Scientology came last month when details of a Bahamian police report emerged in which Travolta acknowledged that Jett "suffered from a seizure disorder and was autistic."

But yesterday Travolta's rep told E!Online that the Daily Mail report was "totally false":

"There's no change in the relationship between the Church of Scientology and John," Paul Bloch told E! News. "He is a member and it's as it was, now and forever."

And in Scientology, forever means, like, forever.

But, as another E!Online story notes, Scientology has a way of holding sway over some celebrity adherents even after they've decided they don't want to play anymore: The cult's "auditing" process involves extracting confessions of all manner of "deviant" behavior, from financial misdeeds to sexual histories, and storing the data in the church's archives. If a wavering member, say, didn't want anybody to know that he's had sex with men, the church would have a fairly good chance of convincing him not to, in Scientology parlance, "blow."

According to the Daily Mail - who rounded up some interesting quotes on the matter - it appears to be a very real possibility. To say Travolta's had a rough go of it recently would be putting it very, very lightly.

On the business side of things, Travolta's big role this year performed under studio expectations. A complete aside, when you consider his personal life:

His son Jett - reportedly autistic, a diagnosis the Church of Scientology refuses to dignify - passed away earlier this year. Travolta defied Scientology and acknowledged it. Some sleazy gossip website put together a theory that enlists the idea of Travolta not only having a gay lover, but the gay lover - his son's nanny - being a primary cause of his son's death. Which is besides the fact that someone tried to extort him over documents involved in his son's transportation, and his wife might've tried (successfully) to get Roger Friedman fired by going to the top brass at Fox over Friedman's comments on Scientology.

All of this gives the Daily Mail's report some ground to walk on, when they note:

His distress, say sources close to him, has been compounded by the first cracks in his 34-year relationship with the Church of Scientology, the cult-like religion of which Travolta is a prominent and generous benefactor. And there are dark mutterings that if he carries out private threats to leave, the organisation will go public with embarrassing details of his private life, including, it is claimed, allegations of past homosexual relationships. Sources in the U.S. disclosed to me this week that his son's sudden death has 'deeply shaken' Travolta's faith in the strange sect, which makes wild claims about its ability to cure a variety of physical and mental disorders.

There's more talk of Travolta taking late night drives by himself, and being in a "state of constant distress." There's the very evident weight Travolta's gained. There's the memory of Scientology's scary-ass leader David Miscavage slagging on Travolta's sexuality:

Earlier, the prestigious Time magazine also reported allegations made by Richard Aznaran, the former security head of Scientology, that the Church's leader, David Miscavige, had repeatedly joked about Travolta's 'promiscuous homosexual behaviour'.

And then there's the fact that Scientology has a well known history of intimidation of the physical and emotional stripe. This goes without saying, but: Travolta's donated millions of dollars, and what could only be thousands of hours to the church throughout his life. Shit, he made Battlefield Earth.

For a celebrity of Travolta's stature to renounce Scientology would be massive, for both parties. Even rumors of Travolta's potential departure from the religion are pretty damning. Granted, it'll be a difficult path if he chooses to take it - the resistance he'll encounter from the highest levels of the religion are potentially fiscally, emotionally, and physically dangerous to his livelihood - but one that could shake Scientology to its absolute core.

Is John Travolta cracking up? [Daily Mail]

Back in July, Paul Barressi, a private investigator who works for Tom Cruise, gave the Daily News court papers of Letterese's allegations, including this:

[ex-Scientologist Peter] Letterese claims a member of the church phoned his lawyer at home, and when the lawyer's wife answered, said he was her husband's homosexual lover.

So you can see why he holds a grudge. [FBLA, Previously]

“I'm not as disciplined about it was I once was, but I hope to find my way back as I get older and a little less selfish...I'm ashamed to say that I've just got very lazy about it. I satisfy my vices instead of fighting them.”

And this is certainly not the first time Hollywood Public Enemy Heigl has spoken out about her “support” of the Church. A colorful collection of quotes she’s given throughout the years on the Mormon religion, after the jump:

On Her Mostly Mormon Friends:
USA Today, 2007:

"I haven't [practiced] since I was about 19 or 20, when I moved to L.A. and was working a lot. I couldn't find a ward I was comfortable in. It kind of petered out mostly because of that. My good friends are Mormon, some of the best people I know."

On Raising Her Kids Mormon:
Glamour, 2007:

"I’m having a glass of white wine right now; that’s not exactly being a good Mormon! But I am really supportive of the Mormon church and so profoundly grateful for the childhood I had. It’s hard work to grow and change and be honest with yourself about your mistakes, and I think the Mormons handle that beautifully. The faith I grew up with has influenced every decision I’ve made in my life — well, except for the bad ones! I haven’t decided yet. I’ve always thought I would raise [my children] Mormon because I had such a wonderful childhood."

On The Church's Influence On Her Childhood:
Vanity Fair, 2008:

"A couple of Mormon families were a great comfort [after the death of her brother when Heigl was seven years old]. Both my parents felt a great desire for answers, and they found an answer in the Mormon church. Everything was kind of a mess for a while. It wasn’t like Ordinary People, where it destroyed that family so badly that there was never finding any joy or loving or appreciating being alive again. But I give my parents unbelievable credit for pulling it together, and I give the Mormon church a lot of credit for helping them to do that.”

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

• KATHERINE HEIGL WANTS TO GO MORMON AGAIN [Star]

You probably feel like a fool. Ohhh, poor you! How do you think fucking Ron Burkle feels about that $55 million?? Ron Burkle, a man whose name is not exactly synonymous with "integrity"! Ron Burkle, a man who spent a few hundred grand trying to sabotage the career of a fucking gossip columnist who pissed him off.

That's why I entreat you to read the indictment, Anne. Sure, some painful memories will come flooding back: the custom-made suits from Milan. The "flowers, cosmetics, clothes, wine, expensive dinners, dog walking services and orthodontist expenses." The $30,000 housecall. The Caribbean vacation in 2006. The two-story apartment in Rockefeller Center that Raffaello rented for visiting members of the clergy. The notable absence in said apartment of any visiting members of the clergy!

A wise woman once said: "A woman especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." Wait, does that ring a bell?? Yeah, genius it was the tagline for Becoming Jane. The thing is, it doesn't apply to women who have no actual knowledge to conceal. And I'm not trying to get you to pull an Ophelia here but did the Feds even bother trying to question you? Did you ever get deposed? Let me tell you Anne, I would love love looooove to live in a world that allowed me to believe you waited until last week to dump him because you were recording his phone conversations, "backing up" his hard drives, strategically digging through his wastebaskets and mastering his rhetorical tics in preparation for your directorial debut, an epic black comedy on the striking guilelessness of powerful, influential, successful, and thoroughly rotten people when they believe themselves to be possibly in the presence of Christ Himself. At turns subtle and madcap, stark and decadent, it could serve as a scathing cinematic indictment of …well shit, you name it: organized religion, the human condition, Money, Power, the Vatican, vanity, "Love," your idiot self, even your ex-boyfriend.

But I somehow doubt it! Which is why right now, I hate to break it to you, he may be the one going to prison, but he is also kind of "winning."

Rafaello Follieri: The Indictment [WSJ]
Earlier: Vaticonned! How Anne Hathaway's Boyfriend Got Clinton To Underwrite Their Fabulous Romance

• Previously: Paris Hilton Barely Survives Brutal Larry King Interrogation [Defamer]

To build interest in "Evan Almighty" among religious audiences, the studio partnered with Grace Hill Media, a local publicity and marketing firm formed to assist Hollywood studios bridge the religious divide with the country's estimated 200,000 churches and millions of worshipers.

Grace Hill's Jonathan Bock came up with the idea of Ark Almighty.com, a website that houses craigslist-like message boards for 8,000 churches. It matches local needs with church resources, such as house painting and assisting the homeless. Grace Hill also set up screenings for religious organizations and distributed marketing and educational materials, including videos and movie-themed curriculum.

David Welch, whose Youth Specialties in San Diego provides training and educational material for youth ministries, attended a Universal screening in April to see if "Evan Almighty's" tone was appropriate for his group. "Some of us had raised eyebrows because 'Bruce Almighty' had parts people found objectionable, mostly vulgarity," Welch says. But he liked the sequel more than the original.

"Critical to us, because we work with youth, is the theme of: 'What do you do when you feel called on by God, like Noah, but your family thinks you're nuts?' " Welch says. "If a kid has a calling or a mission from God, we want them to know they're not nuts."

Once Evan Almighty pumps-and-dumps its Christian audience following its opening weekend and Universal shovels the money back into its Satanic moviemaking forge, we hope those faith-based marketers stick around to support all the kids who've taken the movie's "You're not nuts, you're one of God's special little helpers" message too literally. Someone will need to let them know that there are less crazy-seeming ways to answer the call they heard in the dark of the multiplex than flooding all the sinks in their homes and escaping with the family pets, just like Morgan Freeman told them to.

• Hollywood's leap of faith with 'Evan Almighty' [LAT]
• Previously: 'Evan Almighty': The Most Expensive Comedy Story Ever Told? [Defamer]

"This may be the most talked-about documentary ever," Mr. Jacobovici said. "The fact that nobody has been able to punch a hole in our reporting is a testament to how well we've done our homework. Even if it's only a 50-50 chance [of being Jesus' tomb], it's still the biggest story on the planet."

"Our little reenactments, I'd put them up against [the work of] Mel Gibson and [Martin] Scorsese," he said. "I think we had the most historically accurate reenactments. The dyes that we used were only the ones available in the time of Jesus ... I've seen any number of crucifixion stories that have potatoes and corn in the marketplace. [...]

"In Chile, there were street demonstrations trying to prevent the broadcasts," he said. "In France, they were remarkably open to the whole idea — even though it's a Catholic country. In Israel, people were obsessed with it, but much more from a historical point of view. In the United States, it was very split, with hundreds of thousands trying to stop it from being broadcast. On the other hand, there were people who thought Jesus was a myth and now that we've found [the tomb] they realize he was a living and breathing person and they've found that inspirational."

So there you have it: Not only did Lost Tomb of Jesus shame Mel Gibson's detail-obsessed Messiah snuff film in matters of verisimilitude [Ed.note—Potatoes and corn in the marketplace? Vegetable heresy!], it's even bringing a new kind of faith to those who believed Christ was just a fictional character in a story with a tacked on, unbelievably upbeat ending—a demonstration of craft that borders on the Spielbergian.

• Previously: 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' Stealthy, Blasphemous Hit For Discovery [Defamer]

When NBC's censors approved the following lyrics to air on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, sung by a new character called the "homophobic country-western singer," they couldn't possibly have anticipated any kind of outrage from Christian groups who think that television is nothing but a Godless, flickering hellbox that beams the will of Mephistopheles directly into America's living rooms: "Oh I love you Jesus/But only as a friend./ You touched my heart but I hope/ That's where the touchin' ends. You're always lookin' over me/ When I need a higher power./ But you better look at somethin' else/ When I'm in the shower." But before the singing cowboy's final note had stopped ringing, an organization called Life Decision International was already cc'ing NBC executives on a press release decrying the show's musical reference to an unacceptably pervy Jesus:

"We wonder if O'Brien's description of the character as a 'complete idiot' is based on the man's 'homophobic' beliefs or if it is because of the inference that Jesus could be sexually interested in seeing the man naked," Scott said. "I don't know if the man is a complete idiot, but I do suspect that the writer of the segment is a complete bigot." [...]

Scott has written a letter to Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, objecting to the airing of this material. "I notice the song was not about a Rabbi. I notice the song was not about Buddha. I notice the song was not about Muhammad. If it had been about any of these, the network would surely have disallowed the airing of such garbage," Scott said in the letter. "But since the song was about Jesus Christ, nothing was done." Scott's letter was copied to Mr. Robert C. Wright, chairman & CEO of NBC Universal, which owns NBC Entertainment, as well as Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman & CEO of General Electric, which owns NBC Universal.

While it's too late to do anything about the song that's already aired, the wording of the statement makes it seems like the offended LDI could be placated if the show would dedicate some time to blaspheming some other religions. In the interest of fostering an ecumenical spirit of equal-opportunity offense, Reilly should suggest that Conan's next "new characters" sketch introduce the Rabbi Who Loves Water Sports and Handsy Buddha, just so that the touchy Christians don't think they're being unfairly picked on.

• Like CBS, The NBC Television Network Blatantly Mocks Christianity [Life Decisions International via Good As You]

A study released Thursday by the Parents Television Council, a frequent critic of the TV industry over such issues as broadcast indecency, found that prime-time shows in the last year dealt with religion half as much as the year before. When they did, the Los Angeles-based group said, religion was cast in negative light more than one-third of the time.

The council said all faiths were included in their survey and that negligent and negative treatment of people of faith was out of touch with the strong religious beliefs of most Americans. [...]

The study was the council's seventh annual report on the subject. This year, the group pointed an angry finger at the Fox network, specifically such shows as "The Family Guy" and "House," that it said consistently mocked religion and people of faith. A Fox spokesman declined to comment.

One example cited in "House" involved lead character Dr. Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie, telling a religious patient that he was either psychotic or a scam artist for believing that he talked with God.

While the PTC generally praises reality television as a place where one can actually slip a genuine expression of religious views past faith-suppressing network censors, they're really not going to be pleased with Fox's attempt to ruin even the unscripted space for God-fearing viewers, Who Wants To Dress Up Like Jesus And Steal Some Christian Babies? Hosted, of course, by the talking devil-child from the hateful Family Guy.

• Report says TV losing its religion [LAT]

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and The Dove Foundation today announced a partnership to make movie selections easier for consumers searching for family-friendly entertainment options available on DVD.

Starting in October, all movie titles marketed nationally by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment that have been approved by The Dove Foundation will bear the foundation's signature white-and-blue logo of a dove.

The "Dove FAMILY APPROVED Seal" makes it easy for consumers to identify movie titles that the foundation deems appropriate for family viewing. Dove's criteria gauges the levels of sex, language, violence, drugs, nudity and occultism in a film.

Thank Goodness! Finally, a sensible way to make sure our more impressionable wards are watching some wholesome entertainment for a change. Why, the very first DVD featured on their website, pictured above, next to the entire Garfield collection, is The Passion of the Christ! Gather round, children! This is our favorite part! The Roman soldiers are flailing Jesus' flesh until it resembles blood-drenched raw ground beef! Who's hungry for hamburgers?! Raise your hands!

• [Fox Faith]
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Announces Partnership with The Dove Foundation
• [The Dove Foundation]