Good news for lonely, single Scientologists. Scientology, whose members include such happy couples as John Travolta and Kelly Preston, reportedly has ties to a dating service called Affinity International.
But beware. Apparently, the group’s services don’t always come cheap. In fact, an Australian farmer has filed a lawsuit, claiming that he paid Affinity International of Queensland more than $230,000 -- and he still hasn’t found love.
The farmer allegedly forked over an initial fee of about $3,700 for a “basic introduction service,” another $48,000 for “extra services” from a personal consultant, and then the consultant said she wanted to quit her job and move in with him, but couldn’t unless he paid Affinity another $185,000, according to an article in the Australian newspaper The Advertiser. Affinity, notes the paper, “has ties to Scientology.”
A spokeswoman for Scientology in the U.S. tells the Scoop that she has never heard of Affinity International, or of a group called Affinity Exchange that has operated in the U.S. and other countries, touting itself as a dating service catering to followers of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
“The best way to pay is by VISA or MasterCard, credit or debit card,” noted the Affinity Exchange’s Web site. “If you do not have a card, you might find someone who does, give them the money, and use their card number.”
Not laughing
George Bush fans don’t see the humor in Judy Gold’s “joke.”
In fact, the comedienne -- who was roundly criticized after she called the president a “piece of s---” during a fundraiser for Howard Dean -- now says, she’s getting death threats. Gold went on shock jock Howard Stern’s show yesterday and said that after her picture appeared on Fox News, the situation got out of hand.
“It was meant as a joke,” Gold’s agent told The Scoop. Given the reaction, would she do it again? “No,” replied the agent.
Not everyone regrets the incident, though. The agent tells The Scoop that he got a call from an intern at the John Kerry campaign wanting her to perform for one of Kerry’s functions. The agent, however, was unable to provide the name of said intern.
Notes from all over
Catherine Zeta-Jones is the latest celeb to end up on AwfulPlasticSurgery -- and although the site isn’t saying if the litigious actress has had any work done the now-glam star sure does look different than she did in the early 1990s. . . .
Don’t look for Ozzy Osbourne’s crash on MTV. The music network is denying reports that it has footage of the rocker’s motorcycle accident. . . .
Cher says she was looking forward to playing a demanding diva in “Stuck on You” until she learned she’d be playing herself. “I’ve never played a b---h,” Cher said on The View but I was thinking, ‘Joan Collins, Madonna this is going to be fun.’ ” She didn’t say whether she meant Joan and Madonna -- or they characters they’ve played.