Kate & Lee Make Beautiful Music (extract)

Patrice Fidgeon

[...]

Lee admits Kate's involvement with Scientology was a complete mystery to him initially.

"It's not like you have to convert to become a Scientologist," Lee explains.

"It's a very practical and I guess somewhat technical philosophy. I actually knew very little about it. But I'd known Nicole Kidman for a while and knew of some of the high-profile people involved in Scientology. I respected them and thought: 'They're smart. There must be something going for it.'

"I'd admired Kate from years back, when she was in the band I'm Talking, and I thought she was pretty hot and a great performer. She obviously glows with something and I'd wondered what it was."

Lee says that soon after he and Kate became involved, he decided to "check it out."

"It wasn't at all what I thought it would be," he says.

Kate nods: "We were reading an article on Tom Cruise and John Travolta and Nicole and all these other Scientologists and I said to Lee, how feisty and active these people are. They're not goody two-shoes. Nor am I. Nor is Lee, and that's perhaps why we dig it so much."

Kate credits her Scientology beliefs with making her "less frightened" of marriage.

"People get nervous of committing to a relationship, but because Scientology is such a practical philosophy we know that with any trouble or crisis we have as a couple, there are practical tools to help."

But noticeably absent from Kate's wedding were the high-profile show business identities who share her Scientology beliefs. Lisa Marie Presley, a good friend of Kate's, was invited but was too busy ending her marriage to Michael Jackson. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were coming, but later cancelled.

Lee says: "Nicole was here around Christmas and we had dinner with her. But with a lot of our friends who are actors, we understand it's really difficult to all be in one spot at the one time."

[...]

1. This is about six column inches out of thirty-six. Quite a chunk. The damned thing is virtually a free ad for Scientology. The Church here must have counted this one as a big win in publicity terms.

2. Remember that these magazines bear no perceptible relation to 'journalism' as we know it. ("That's not writing, that's typing" - Norman Mailer.) You can bet the BIG push for the Co$ was a planned part of the article before it was written.

   Kate is managed by her mother, Cherie Ceberano, who is also a Scientologist (and rather unpleasant; Lemon Magazine/Lemon Music had a run-in with her when I was there coupla years ago; nasty piece of work), and woulda done a GREAT job of setting this up with a writer who didn't know about Co$ and didn't care very much anyway.

   So, here's the question: Is the Church pushing its celebrities to promote the Church more than usual at present?

   I ask this because I've been noticing how EVERY John Travolta article I see lately has the obligatory push for the Church in it. At least Travolta correctly credits Quentin Tarantino with his return to favour, rather than Ron ... :-)

3. Kate has Lisa Marie Presley as a 'good friend'?? Listen: Kate Ceberano isn't that big-time. She's got a position in the Australian media and entertainment industry machine, but she ain't that huge. Hell, I'm not that out of touch with the Australian media industries that I wouldn't have noticed.

   Do all the celebrities really get introduced to each other (a sort of Scn-Intern controlling Hollywood?) or is this just Kate puffing up her status and the journalist not even bothering to put quotes around it?

4. Kate is reasonably smart (not a genius, but not stupid), but there is no reason to conclude that Lee has an IQ above three. He looks as thick as pigshit, like most celebritoids. Where do they find these people?