Entertainment

Out at Love Field, the big boy Gulfstreams and Falcon 900s of billionaires Harold Simmons, Kenny Troutt and others make it easy to ignore the tiny Eclipse 500 VLJ (Very Light Jet) that has been buzzing in and out of Love this week.

But you can't ignore it when the door opens and pilot John Travolta steps out.

The megastar is a regular customer at CAE SimuFlite at D/FW Airport, where he uses the simulators to keep his pilot ratings current for his airplanes. The most famous of these is his 1964 Boeing 707, Jett Clipper Ella, named after his son, Jett, and his daughter, Ella Bleu .

Mr. Travolta also owns a 1970 model Gulfstream II.

But last fall, he picked up one of the first Eclipse 500s. At $2 million, the six-seater is one of the few jets certified for a single pilot.

Don't expect to see Mr. Travolta out and about at any Uptown hot spots. Most of his activities are near D/FW.

He is a regular at Kirby's Prime Steakhouse in Southlake, where he has been in numerous times this summer.

Both Sunday and Monday night, Mr. Travolta showed up at Kirby's with male companions in tow. And both nights he had steak and veggies. No alcohol, natch.

Here's some insight on why Sarah, Duchess of York (a.k.a. Fergie) was at Dallas' Joule hotel last week.

She and the hotel's owner, Dallas oil billionaire Tim Headington, are partners in an upcoming film called The Young Victoria, about the early life of Queen Victoria.

The flame-haired Fergie's interest in the queen is nothing new. In 1995, she co-wrote the book Travels With Queen Victoria.

Tim, the duchess and Martin Scorsese are co-producers of the film, which stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) as the title character. Miranda Richardson plays her mother, the Duchess of Kent, while Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) plays Prime Minister Lord Melbourne.

Actors Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Caroline in the City ) and Fred Ward (The Player) are expected here next week for the premiere of their film Exit Speed.

The two stars will participate in a red-carpet arrival Tuesday night at the Studio Movie Grill on Central Expressway.

Shot entirely in the Dallas area, Exit Speed was produced by local lawyer turned filmmaker Sally Helppie, president of Sabbatical Pictures.

Tickets for the Tuesday premiere are available through the Studio Movie Grill Web site.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek chef John Tesar is blogging about his current European sojourn in search of culinary ideas. Check it out at www.mansionon turtlecreek.com.