Gordon in the morning: Playing chicken

John Travolta - in town for a Scientology gathering - tried to book a table at the East Grinstead KFC.

The KFC politely pointed out that it was a KFC and not the bleedin' Ritz-Carlton, and turned down the booking.

Somehow the story has wound up in Gordon's column:

A KFC spokesman said last night: "In hindsight, of course, we would have reserved a table for him."

Why?

It's unclear if the KFC spokesperson has got stars in their eyes, or merely had one of the grinding dressing downs that the Scientologists specialise in when they don't get their way.

Travolta thanks Diana for saving his career

It's true - apparently dancing with the then-being-cuckolded Princess of Wales turned around Travolta's career:

Speaking as the 10th anniversary of Diana's death approaches, he said the moment the princess took him in his arms he felt "like a frog who had been turned into a prince".

Travolta revealed how then-First Lady Nancy Reagan took him aside at the 1985 glittering gala and quietly told him that Diana had specially requested to dance with him.

He was told to wait until midnight before approaching her. At the stroke of 12, he crept over nervously and asked: "Excuse me, princess, would you care to dance?"

Travolta said: "I looked her in the eye and said, 'We're good. I can do this.'"

Grease and Saturday Night Fever star Travolta said: "That was an amazing moment because I was having a dip in my career and no one was interested in me.
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"Suddenly, I was the only thing that mattered in America to Princess Diana and I was reborn. I was like, 'Wow!

I matter to someone again.' I was on the cover of every newspaper and magazine in the world and someone as significant as Princess Diana reminded everyone of me.

And, indeed, just, erm, nine short years later, Travolta made Pulp Fiction. The career-reviving power of Di might be amazing, but apparently it works incredibly slowly indeed.

Travolta abandons the planet

John Travolta is worried about global warming. He does at least acknowledge that his five jets and private airport might make him an unlikely ecologist, but... he needs them:

"Everyone can do their bit. But I don't know if it's not too late already. We have to think about alternative methods of fuels.

I'm probably not the best candidate to ask about global warming because I fly jets.

I use them as a business tool though, as others do. I think it's part of this industry - otherwise I couldn't be here doing this and I wouldn't be here now."

We're not sure about movie stars - we're including Travolta on No Rock by virtue of his late 70s hits, not his acting - but if owning a fleet of planes and building an airport on your land was essential to being in the film industry, wouldn't there be a lot more planes in the air? Is the need for your own air force now so crucial the cry to difficult actors has become "you'll never eat a personalised in-flight meal 40,000 feet above this town again?"

Still, Travolta has got a proposal that will allow all the actors to have a flock of jets and the human race continue:

"I'm wondering if we need to think of other planets and dome cities."

Good thought, John - let's get the people of the South Pacific off to live on Jupiter before they drown, shall we? Let's take one of your special super space planess.