Happy Birthday to Tony Barbazuko

Today is the 54th birthday of John Travolta, ac-TOR.

Best known (depending on one’s age) for his breakout TV role of Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back Kotter, the movie role that made him a mega-star, Tony Manero in “Saturday Night Fever“,  Danny Zuko in the movie version of “Grease“, Vincent Vega in the Quentin Tarantino mega-turd “Pulp Fiction“, or in drag in a fat suit as Edna Turnblad in the 2007 movie version of “Hairspray“, he has had many highs and lows in his acting career.

Obviously,”Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever” were huge, HUGE hits, but then he also made such toxic dumps as “Blow Out“, “Moment by Moment“, and “Perfect“, and the aforementioned “Pulp Fiction”.  Inexplicably, “Pulp Fiction” was a big box-office success and continues to have lucrative DVD sales as well, even though the movie sucked like… well, like a wannabe actress on her first day “in the business”.  For the most part, though, I would call Travolta a decent actor.

Oddly enough, 2-18-54 not only was the day Travolta was born, but also happens to be the day that the Church of Scientology (of which he is a member) founded their Los Angeles… chapter, I guess you’d call it.  The Scientology cult has gotten its fair share of bad press in the last 50 years, most notably (and most recently) the bizarre ramblings of one of its more loquacious whackjob members, profoundly bad actor Tom Cruise.  (I don’t recommend watching the video, but if you feel you must, knock yourself out.  After watching it, you’ll probably want to knock yourself out.)

John Travolta may well have the exact same mindset and completely insane views of himself, post-partum depression, and life in general that Tom Cruise does, but if he does, you have to at least credit Travolta with having enough common sense and/or decency to more or less keep them to himself.  That and the fact that he has a mega-hot wife.

So go rent some DVDs and have yourself a little Travolta-thon tonight in honor of his 54th birthday, and quietly thank him for not being Tom Cruise, whether as an actor or “religious” spokesman.