HOLLYWOOD—John Travolta has come a long way from being a sweat hog in the popular ABC ”˜70s show “Welcome Back Kotter.” The cute, slow-witted Vinnie Barbarino, as he was called in the classroom, was an instant success with the teenage girls. Travolta became a household name three decades ago. Today, the star is one of Hollywood’s most recognized, beloved and hardworking actors, who has seen his share of triumph and tragedy. His roles in “Saturday Night Fever,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Urban Cowboy,” “Get Shorty” and “Grease,” along with many others, earned him recognition. Back in 1996 he won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) for his work in “Get Shorty.”

It is no surprise that the “Get Shorty” star would be perfect for the part of John Gotti in a biopic co-produced by John “Junior” Gotti. According to published reports, John Travolta and Junior Gotti, along with film producer Marc Fiore and director Nick Cassavetes, dined at the trendy Trattoria Amici last week to discuss the film. The restaurant, which is frequented by Hollywood A-listers in Brentwood, was closed to the public for the meeting. They dined on steak, seafood, pasta and red wine, according to an insider who revealed the information to the New York Post. Officially, I believe there is no word on when the film will begin shooting or if the native Englewood, N.J., star sealed the deal. Usually, Travolta announces on his website, Travolta.com, when something is official. He recently announced the arrival of their new addition to the family, a baby boy named Benjamin Travolta who was born on November 23, 2010, in Florida. The news came nearly two years after their son, Jett, passed away.

Speaking of family, Buddy Valastro is everywhere these days. The proprietor of Carlos Bakery and star of TLC’s “Cake Boss” and “The Next Great Baker” has recently launched his third show, yes, third show on the TLC network. The family-friendly cooking show titled “Kitchen Boss” is full of Italian recipes, and it is geared for today’s economy. We actually tried some of Buddy’s recipes, and they were so economical and delicious that I’m tuned in almost every day. The TLC network also provides the recipes for all the meals that Buddy cooks, which is great for bringing families together.

We’ve all been there. No one really enjoys standing in line in the supermarket watching the person in front of us fumble around with tons of coupons, just to fight with the cashier when one didn’t ring up a discount of 20 cents to save money. Oh, come on, she spent hours organizing, clipping and filing them into the coupon organizer. How many times do we wait and watch the blinking light flash until the manager strolls by? We are all tempted to reach in our pockets and offer a quarter just to move on. With our economy still in shambles, coupons aren’t just for old ladies anymore. These days coupons are for the young and old. Everyone wants to be a savvy shopper and if you can save a few dollars and cut your grocery bill, it’s more money in your pocket. There’s nothing wrong with being a coupon-hound. You don’t have to go crazy like the women in the new TLC show titled “Extreme Couponing.” The show aired back in December and is airing again on February 20. The show was such a hit that TLC is planning on turning it into a series sometime in the spring.

Rose’s Scoop: When watching the 2011 Super Bowl on February 6, you’ll see some of the commercials that cost $3 million dollars for a 30-second spot. It will be interesting to see which commercial will stand out. Last year we saw Betty White resurge to fame with one of those commercials.