No Peace for John Travolta, to Testify in Extortion Case

Courtesy of Travolta Family

John Travolta can hardly be over the hell of losing his son, Jett. Now, he's being asked to re-live it.

Bahamian prosecutors announced today that they still intend to call Travolta as a key witness in the trial of the two people charged with trying to extort millions from the grieving family.

Prosecutors revealed the new witness list after Bahamian Senior Supreme Court Judge Anita Allen announced the case against former Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne would begin on Sept. 21.

Lightbourne, 47, is accused of conspiring with his attorney, Bridgewater, 49, in a plot targeting Travolta and wife Kelly Preston. The defendants allegedly claimed to have embarrassing information regarding the circumstances of Jett's Jan. 2 death, and demanded $25 million in hush money.

Bridgewater and Lightbourne were arraigned together. Asked to enter a plea to the charges, both replied: "Absolutely not guilty."

Prosecutors had originally announced they intended to call Travolta to the stand back in January, shortly after the arrests, but the actor's camp has not yet signaled whether he intends to travel to the Bahamas for the proceedings.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, will is also expected to feature testimony from Travolta family friend and MP Obie Wilchcombe, who was a central figure in the investigation.

Both Bridgewater and Lightbourne informed the court that they intend to give notice within 21 days as to whether they intend to present their alibis or call witnesses on their behalf.

Bridgewater's attorney attempted to convince the court that the trial should be held in Grand Bahama, where she would presumably get a more sympathetic jury, but Anita denied the request.

Both defendants remain free on $50,000 until the trial, but Lightbourne has to check in daily with police.

Jeff Kathrein, John Travolta’s rumored gay lover found dead son

Did John Travolta hire his rumored gay lover to care for an ill child?

TMZ reported on its website that Jeff Kathrein, one of the Travolta family’s two nannies discovered the body of 16-year-old-son Jett around 10 a.m. Friday. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Kathrein was scandalously photographed by paparazzi touching lips with Travolta in 2006, fueling speculation that he was Travolta’s gay lover.

On his blog, he describes himself as a photographer. He mostly seems to do wedding and maternity shots.

Oh well…as if Italians don’t kiss each other… We really don’t know why the National Enquirer even bothered printing it.

We at the Daily Contributor don’t care about John’s sexual preference. We are more concerned about Jeff’s qualifications for childcare — particularly a child with serious medical problems.

Meanwhile, Travolta has released a statement on the death of his son on his official website. The statement reads:

“We would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent their love and condolences. Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered.”

“We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives. We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. It has meant so much to us. It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us a hope for a brighter future. With love, John, Kelly, and Ella.”

John Travolta’s teen son dies in Bahamas

Jett Travolta, the teenage son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston has died suddenly during a family holiday in the Bahamas.

The Telegraph reports that Jett suffered a seizure at a rented villa where the family had been spending their vacation.

Police spokeswoman Loretta Mackey says 16-year-old Jett hit his head in a bathtub Friday morning. She said he was declared dead at Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama Island.

Jett was long rumored to be autistic, a condition that went untreated while his parents instead claimed he suffered from Kawasaki syndrome.

A spokeswoman for the hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

Image: Examiner

Autopsy confirms ‘no foul play’ in Jett Travolta death

Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston was killed by a seizure, a funeral home official has told E online.

Medical examiners in the Bahamas did an autopsy on Monday and released Jett’s body to his family.

While the official results of an autopsy today have yet to been publicly announced, Glen Campbell of the Restview Memorial Mortuary in the Bahamas confirmed to E! News that cause of death was a seizure and “there was no sign of head trauma.”

The 16-year-old was found unconscious Friday in the bathroom of the family vacation home. Jett had a history of seizures since he was a toddler, and lawyers for the actor denied reports that Jett Travolta was not properly medicated because of his parents’ Scientology beliefs.

Jett’s body will be cremated.

Lisa Marie Presley blogs about the Travoltas and Scientology

Lisa Marie Presley has written a post on her MySpace blog to express her grief for the death of Jett Travolta.

In her blog entitled “Now Is Not The Time,” she responded to critics of Scientology, saying there’s a lot of misunderstanding about it.

Presley and Jett’s parents — Hollywood stars John Travolta and Kelly Preston — are Scientologists.

Now Is Not The Time

I wished I could be writing you under happier circumstances but I cannot because Two of my very good friends, (John and Kelly Travolta ) the sweetest people in the world have just encountered the worst possible tragedy a parent could be forced to endure, the death of their son Jett. My heart is crying and bleeding for them. I personally would not have it in me to bury my own child. I am writing this because I have noticed that for the most part, people and the media have been very sympathetic and respectful, but there are those certain ones that want to use this horrible tragedy as an opportunity to once again, blame and or attack Scientology?

Read the rest on Lisa Marie’s post on MySpace