Travolta takes on GermanyUS actor John Travolta of the Church of Scientology and several members of Congress pushed for approval of a resolution urging Germany to respect religious freedom. ``We must have the courage to point to Germany even though it is an ally of our country,'' Travolta told a press conference. ``Because if we shy away from persuading a country of Germany's prominence to abide by international human rights standards, there is little chance that the governments of countries like Iraq, China or Sudan will listen when their human rights abuses are condemned.'' The audience at the press conference consisted mostly of plainclothes security personnel, photographers and Congressional staffers eager for a look at the movie star.Gere's TibetFilm actor Richard Gere opened in Lausanne an exhibition of photographs he took during a trip to Tibet in 1993. The Elysee Museum said it was the first time the photos had been displayed in Europe. The 50-odd black and white photos, most ofwhich were taken indoors, are supposed to convey the atmosphere of devotion that marks the lives of Tibetan monks. Gere converted to Buddhism and is close to the Dalai Lama.McDougal's freeA federal judge on Thursday set free jailed Whitewater witness Susan McDougal, reducing her three-year sentence for fraud to time served. Judge George Howard ordered McDougal, who reportedly suffers from health problems, to spend 90 days in home detention. She is expected to be released into her parents' custody within the next 10 days. However, McDougal still faces trial in California on July 13 on embezzlement charges unrelated to the failed Whitewater real estate deal. She will also go back before Judge Howard on criminal contempt and obstruction of justice charges stemming from her refusal to testify to a grand jury about President Bill Clinton's role in the Whitewater affair. McDougal and her late husband, James McDougal, were partners with Clinton and his wife Hillary in the real estate venture calledWhitewater.Pulp friction between star coupleHollywood's highest paid acting couple, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, one year ago successfully sued two publications which reported that they were separating. Now it's proved the story was true. The tabloid press in America has for months run sensational articles and photographs about the couple's troubles. Moore, who starred in Striptease last year, was pictured dancing without her bra on the table of a Los Angeles nightclub in the early hours, when Willis was in Chicago. The couple protested about photographs in the National Enquirer of Leonardo di Caprio, who starred in Titanic, leaving the couple's Malibu beach-house when Willis was again away. Last year they sued The Star tabloid and an Australian magazine. They settled out of court for an undisclosed sum over articles suggesting their marriage was over.The couple has been sued by their former nanny over alleged bad treatment. Willis, aged 43, is one of the highest paidactors in Hollywood at Pound 15.3 million and Moore, aged 35, gets about half that for each film. The couple has been married for 11 years; it was her second marriage and his first. Moore left school at 16, began modelling, and at 20 landed a part in General Hospital, the soap opera. In 1981 she appeared in her first film, Choices. She made seven films in the next four years, but had to wait until 1990 for acclaim in the surprise hit Ghost. Moore underwent breast enhancement surgery and became a minor sensation in 1993 in Indecent Proposal. She then shaved her head for GI Jane and did her own stunts as a female soldier, before going on to Striptease, a flop. Willis first attracted attention as an off-Broadway stage actor in Sam Shepard's Fool In Love. He began in television in the Moonlighting series and won an Emmy in 1987 before starring in the Die Hard action films. He won critical praise for his part in Pulp Fiction and appears in this summer'ssecond asteroid-hits-earth blockbuster, Armageddon.
