Comment on From 'Pulp Fiction' to Oscar meme, Travolta's highs and lows

NEW YORK (AP) — Since strutting onto the big screen in "Saturday Night Fever," John Travolta's career has been one of dramatic ups and downs, from comeback king to Internet meme. At the conclusion of the Oscars, host Neil Patrick Harris predicted Travolta (booked to redeem himself for his infamous mangling of Menzel's name the year before) will be back at next year's show to apologize again for "all the face touching." Images of Travolta kissing Scarlett Johansson in front of photographers on the red carpet also went viral, turning the star into a social media punchline. Johansson, however, defended Travolta in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday, saying "there is nothing at all strange, creepy or inappropriate about John Travolta" and called the photo "an unfortunate still-frame from a live-action encounter that was very sweet and totally welcome." [...] known to TV viewers of "Welcome Back Kotter," Travolta emphatically debuted as a leading man in the 1977 disco sensation "Saturday Night Fever." Travolta perhaps never recovered after "Battlefield Earth," but he continued to co-star in big-budget releases that received mediocre reviews and did modest box office: "Swordfish," ''The Punisher," ''The Taking of Pelham 123." [...] Travolta has lined up several films: "The Forger" (a crime drama due out in April), "Criminal Activities" (a mob thriller directed by Jackie Earle Haley) and "In a Valley of Violence" (a Western co-starring Ethan Hawke).