Tag: John Travolta

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Cinéma

Lindsay Lohan cast in Gotti film

Yesterday (April 20), Fiore Films confirmed that Lindsay Lohan is finally working again, in the role of Kim Gotti, wife of Junior Gotti, in the biopic Gotti: Three Generations about one of New York’s crime families reports the Hollywood Reporter.

Originally, Lohan was being considered for the role of Victoria Gotti, daughter of the John Gotti Sr, the dapper patriarch who managed to avoid legal consequences for his criminal activity, earning him the nickname ‘Teflon Don.’ He died of cancer in 2002 while serving a life term for murder, racketeering, extortion and tax evasion. He will be played by John Travolta, and Joe Pesci will play one of his minions.

Instead Lohan will play Kim Gotti, wife of Junior Gotti, who sold the rights to his life story to the film company, which is developing the project with a focus on the relationship between father and son. The character of John Gotti Jr has yet to be cast.

Lohan almost didn’t get the part due to demands made by her management team, but she appealed personally to executive producer, Marc Fiore.

“I think it’s such an iconic story," Lohan told the Associated Press. "I think it’s a great story to be told. I’m honored to be working with John Travolta and Joe Pesci."

She believes the role as Kim Gotti has parallels to her own life.

"You don’t get to see the heart behind the story and the real side of people," she said of most mob movies, which tend towards guns and violence. "I can relate to that because I think that I’ve been portrayed in a certain light. I just want to do my best to show what their family really went through."

Lohan, 24, is no stranger to criminal troubles. She currently faces a felony grand theft case in Los Angeles after a jewelry store accused her of stealing a $2,500 necklace, and is due in court for a hearing on Friday.

The film is expected to start shooting in New York in October, with a 2012 release date.

 

 

 

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Cinéma

John Travolta to play Dapper Don John Gotti

It’s official, John Travolta will play John Gotti Sr., the godfather of the Gambino crime family known as ‘Dapper Don,’ in the film Gotti: Three Generations, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

Nick Cassavetes (My Sister’s Keeper, The Notebook) will the directing the Leo Rossi screenplay, which will be shot entirely in New York, not far from Travolta’s New Jersey birthplace.

The film focuses on the relationship between father John Gotti Sr, head of the Gambino crime family who died of cancer in prison in 2002, and son, John Gotti Jr,, who took over the family business, went to prison, and later successfully evaded conviction in four subsequent racketeering trials.

A press conference with Travolta, Cassavetes, and Gotti Jr will be held April 12 in New York. The film has a planned release date of 2013.

Longtime movie star, Travolta has played some famous Italian roles on film, most of them fictional, including high school ‘sweathog’ Vinnie Barbarino, disco dancer Tony Manero, Grease musical star Danny Zuko, and killer Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, not to mention his cross-dressing (non-Italian) turn as Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray.

Travolta won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elmore Leonard’s fictional mobster-turned-film producer, Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark who gets involved in filmmaking when he tries to collect a gambling debt from a B-movie producer. 

 

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Potins

John Travolta and Kelly Preston welcome baby boy

Yesterday (November 23), actress Kelly Preston, 48, gave birth to baby boy Benjamin, weighing 8 pounds and 3 ounces, in a Florida hospital, reports People.

"John, Kelly and their daughter Ella Bleu are ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family," they say in a statement. "Both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully."

Recently in the nesting phase, Preston confided that the whole family was in preparation mode as her due date approached. "I’ve been cleaning out everything in the house," Preston said in September. "Ella has been helping too. She’s looking forward to being a big sister."

In January 2009, the couple’s 16-year old son, Jett, suffered a fatal seizure. The following May 2010, the couple announced the pregnancy, and amidst public speculation, Travolta, 56, and Preston said they did not want to replace Jett. They had been trying to have more children for years and finally their wish was fulfilled.

 

 

 

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John Travolta’s baby boy!

John Travolta and Kelly Preston had announced last May that the actress, 47, is expecting a baby. 
 
Their spokesman confirmed to PEOPLE yesterday that it’s a boy. "This is such a healing baby," said a friend of the couple.
 

In January 2009, the couple’s eldest son, Jett, died following a seizure. 
 
Shortly after they announced the pregnancy, the couple insisted they were not trying to replace their son and that in fact, they had been trying to have another child for years. This new addition to the family was a complete surprise.
 
The couple had a prenatal party on August 8 for 40 of their closest friends and family. 
 
John Travolta and Kelly Preston also have a daughter, Ella Blue, who is 10 years old and is excited about her new brother.

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Cinéma

More presenters for the upcoming Oscars

Charlize Theron, Barbra Streisand, Kathy Bates, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah and John Travolta will be presenters at the upcoming Oscars. The announcement was made by two of the event’s producers, Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic.

Other presenters include Sacha Baron Cohen, Jason Bateman, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Ben Stiller, Tyler Perry, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, Penélope Cruz, Kate Winslet and Sean Penn. They will all hand out awards throughout the evening.

The films Avatar and The Hurt Locker are the favourites with nine nominations each, including Best Film and Best Director for James Cameron and his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will host the ceremony next Sunday evening (March 7) at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The show will be broadcast live on ABC.

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Potins

New trial in John Travolta case

A woman accused of trying to extort more than $25 million (US) from actor John Travolta after his son’s death quoted civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during her declaration of innocence, Orange News reported.
 
Pleasant Bridgewater is accused of conspiracy to extort the enormous sum of money from the actor and his wife, Kelly Preston. The couple were told to pay the money and she would stop leaking details surrounding Jett Travolta’s death last January to the media.
 
After several hearings, Bridgewater had another chance to proclaim her innocence and has used statements by Martin Luther King Jr. to support her plea.
 
Last November, John Travolta spoke for the first time about the death of his son. In a round table interview with USA Today, Travolta said that this was a painful time for the whole family. They had daily consultations within the Church of Scientology and this has really helped, along with all the support they had received for several months.
 
The actor confided, "You need your friends a lot in times like that. Being with people who are important to you, being with people that you love, I think that’s what has primarily helped us the most. Sometimes, being alone, too."
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Potins

John Travolta will fly to Haiti

Daily News reports that actor John Travolta decided to contribute to relief efforts in Haiti by sending a planeload of food and volunteers to the earthquake-ravaged country.
 
He said, "I have arranged for a plane to take down some volunteer ministers and some supplies and some medics. My church has also arranged for 80 medics and 33 volunteers to go down [this week]. I hope that inspires others as well. It’s needed."

The 55-year old actor also revealed that he plans to travel to Haiti next week. He is eager to join in the relief effort.

Travolta is not the only star stepping up for the cause. Celebrities united last Friday (January 22) on the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief  telethon organized by George Clooney. The telethon has raised a record amount of money for Haiti, more than $57 million US.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt also donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.

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Cinéma

Wild Hogs 2 Fall Through Thin Ice

The new president of Walt Disney Pictures, Rich Ross, keeps on weeding out non-viable film projects for the company.

After pulling the plug on Captain Nemo: 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea and Wedding Banned, which was to star Robin Williams, Anna Faris and Diane Keaton, now Wild Hogs 2 is getting scrapped, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Walt Becker, the director of the first film, was at the helm of the follow-up. John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy were also set to reprise their respective roles.

The screenplay was again written by Brad Copeland, in collaboration with new screenwriters hired to refine the script.

The first Wild Hogs flick was released in 2007 and earned 243 million US dollars at box offices worldwide. It also earned a People’s Choice Awards nomination for Favorite Comedy Movie.

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John Travolta To Testify

The accused, Tarino Lightbourne and Pleasant Bridgewater, are implicated in a 25 million dollar extortion case against Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston.  According to court documents, the extortion attempt came just hours after Jett Travolta died in January, reports Starpulse.

Lightbourne, a paramedic, and Bridgewater, a Bahamian politician, threatened to publicize a document that contained information about the teenager’s death.

The accused pleaded not guilty in April.

 

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Hard Times for Kelly Preston

The actress decided to back out of the Grief & Resilience event, where she was expected to give a speech about her grief since the death of her son Jett last January, reports People.

"It is with my sincere apologies that I must pull out from speaking at [the] conference. I am sorry, but I truly believed that I could do it. Otherwise I never would have said that I could. But I am still deeply in the process of healing, and it’s just too soon," stated the 46-year-old star.

Maria Shriver, who organized the event, has no hard feelings whatsoever against Preston. "I know how hard it was for Kelly to make this decision and she has my complete support and understanding," Arnold Schwarzenegger’s better half said.