What the National Enquirer Wrote About Gotti Biopic's Delay Is Flashy B.S.
John Travolta Has ‘Gotti’ Movie Rubbed Out By The Mob.
Film suspiciously shelved just 10 days ahead of premiere!
Reportedly Linda Gotti -- niece of late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti -- was on the list to testify at Vernace's federal trial, though in the end, she didn't.
Soon we see quotes from one source who explains that it is very, very "suspicous" that the film was pulled 10 days prior to the release. It is noted in the story that the film was pulled because it was poised for a limited release -- and John Travolta, who reportedly put his all into his performance as John Gotti, the Dapper Don, was a key advocate in finding the widest release possible.
Here's what's happening with the Gotti biopic, best I can tell.
For the record, Travolta says:
Lionsgate didn't drop the film.
"Unfortunately, the reports were speculation bordering on fake news," Travolta told Deadline.
Throughout the 2016 Presidential race, the Enquirer embraced Trump with sycophantic fervor. The magazine made its first political endorsement ever, of Trump, last spring. Cover headlines promised, “donald trump’s revenge on hillary & her puppets” and “top secret plan inside: how trump will win debate!” The publication trashed Trump’s rivals, running a dubious cover story on Ted Cruz that described him as a philanderer and another highly questionable piece that linked Cruz’s father to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. ...
Pecker and Trump have been friends for decades—their professional and personal lives have intersected in myriad ways—and Pecker acknowledges that his tabloids’ coverage of Trump has a personal dimension.....
But these days that is no longer appreciated. If only we had locked up Hillary -- then all our national problems would have been solved. (I am being facetious.)
Film suspiciously shelved just 10 days ahead of premiere!
That's the headline and blurb on a National Enquirer story that was so unintentionally hilarious, your loyal correspondent nearly tumbled out of his seat and spilled hot coffee all over himself.
Who are the "insiders" who "squealed" to the National ENQUIRER?
Let's probe further.
They pick up on the trial of Bartolomeo (Bobby Glasses) Vernace, the Gambino mobster convicted of participating in the 1981 murders of John D’Angese and Richard Godkin -- reputedly over a spilled drink and in full view of dozens of patrons of the Shamrock Bar in Woodhaven, Queens. Vernace died on March 2, 2017. A member of the Gotti family didn't testify -- yet in a previous story about Bobby Glasses, the funnypaper based the entirety of its coverage of the trial on that little fact.
Here's a JPG of the actual first page of the story -- which isn't really a story. It's a sort of "interactive experience."
You can see the outline of a kind of story. It says, between the lines, that there are some really bad (wise)guys out there who don't want you to watch this film (because it gives away sacred Mafia secrets).
It's a slideshow, with each slide including a single paragraph. The story is relayed to us from paragraph to paragraph.... Let's get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible. The story posits that the New York Mafia -- the entire New York Mafia "whacked" the Gotti biopic.
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The story proclaims that "the same old-school Cosa Nostra thugs who hated the Dapper Don's lust for the spotlight ordered a hit" -- and I just can't bring myself to finish this nonsense.
Who are these old-school thugs?
Let's probe further.
They pick up on the trial of Bartolomeo (Bobby Glasses) Vernace, the Gambino mobster convicted of participating in the 1981 murders of John D’Angese and Richard Godkin -- reputedly over a spilled drink and in full view of dozens of patrons of the Shamrock Bar in Woodhaven, Queens. Vernace died on March 2, 2017. A member of the Gotti family didn't testify -- yet in a previous story about Bobby Glasses, the funnypaper based the entirety of its coverage of the trial on that little fact.
Reportedly Linda Gotti -- niece of late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti -- was on the list to testify at Vernace's federal trial, though in the end, she didn't.
Turns out the ENQUIRER has found a niche churning out slick-looking stories about the Gotti biopic.
Soon we see quotes from one source who explains that it is very, very "suspicous" that the film was pulled 10 days prior to the release. It is noted in the story that the film was pulled because it was poised for a limited release -- and John Travolta, who reportedly put his all into his performance as John Gotti, the Dapper Don, was a key advocate in finding the widest release possible.
Yet the ENQUIRER still tells its preordained story: "This is virtually unprecendented," an industry insider said. "They already released a trailer and spent millions on a publicity campaign and millions more on the production costs -- along with the salaries for the cast."
The "news" in this story is highly suspect.
He had no qualms. He wanted wider distribution. HE HAD NO QUALMS.
(Notice the "Grease star John Travolta" and "handling" are highlighted -- hyperlinks to take you to another page? Usually, the linked-to page would offer more details. For example, what the hell does "handling" mean? However, if you click those links you are simply fed stories about John Travolta propositioning male masseuses, etc.)
Finally, the newspaper introduced "the snitch." The snitch has the real down-low on what happened... not...
TMZ pumped out an exclusive in December about Lionsgate abruptly dropping John Travolta's upcoming John Gotti biopic.
The studio did not give any explanation for why it was selling "Gotti" back to the production company in the 11th hour. The Kevin Connolly directed flick was set to be released in theaters on Dec. 15.
It's a bizarre move for a major studio to pull a movie so close to release -- and the film's been plagued with problems throughout production. The folks behind and in front of the camera kept changing for a long time. However, us "regular people" who actually spend money on inflated ticket prices -- and even the ridiculously expensive popcorn don't really give two shts about that inside stuff.
And Travolta, who deserves kudos for taking the initiative here, has been reiterating what happened:
He also has been expressing his disappointment about some of the false reports surrounding the film.
The studio did not give any explanation for why it was selling "Gotti" back to the production company in the 11th hour. The Kevin Connolly directed flick was set to be released in theaters on Dec. 15.
It's a bizarre move for a major studio to pull a movie so close to release -- and the film's been plagued with problems throughout production. The folks behind and in front of the camera kept changing for a long time. However, us "regular people" who actually spend money on inflated ticket prices -- and even the ridiculously expensive popcorn don't really give two shts about that inside stuff.
And Travolta, who deserves kudos for taking the initiative here, has been reiterating what happened:
He also has been expressing his disappointment about some of the false reports surrounding the film.
For the record, Travolta says:
Lionsgate didn't drop the film.
"Unfortunately, the reports were speculation bordering on fake news," Travolta told Deadline.
"Lionsgate was planning on a minimal release, and I did an investigation into people who might have the interest and financial wherewithal to better release it."
Travolta believes Gotti is worthy of a bigger release than was originally planned, and thus, he ended up seeking Edward Walson to help buy out Lionsgate for the rights to the film.
Travolta believes Gotti is worthy of a bigger release than was originally planned, and thus, he ended up seeking Edward Walson to help buy out Lionsgate for the rights to the film.
The bottom line: My opinion, which I believe is cold fact, is that David Pecker, who owns the National ENQUIRER is using the film as an excuse to target Travolta regarding certain allegations.
If you know about Pecker, you know who he calls his friends.
If you know about Pecker, you know who he calls his friends.
The following excerpt is from the New Yorker.
"As (an editorial meeting at the NE) wound down, the discussion turned to the following week’s issue. Someone suggested a story about a video from Donald and Melania Trump’s first overseas trip. The video, which had just gone viral, showed the couple walking down a red carpet on the airport tarmac in Israel. When Donald reached for Melania’s hand, she slapped it away with a sharp flick of her wrist.
"As (an editorial meeting at the NE) wound down, the discussion turned to the following week’s issue. Someone suggested a story about a video from Donald and Melania Trump’s first overseas trip. The video, which had just gone viral, showed the couple walking down a red carpet on the airport tarmac in Israel. When Donald reached for Melania’s hand, she slapped it away with a sharp flick of her wrist.
“I didn’t see that,” Pecker said, on the speakerphone.
The half-dozen or so men in the room exchanged looks. One then noted that the footage of Melania’s slap had received a good deal of attention.
“I didn’t see that,” Pecker repeated, and the subject was dropped.
It was a telling moment. Even if the leader of a celebrity-news empire had missed the viral video from the President’s trip, Pecker’s decision to ignore the awkward moment for the First Family was not surprising. The Enquirer is defined by its predatory spirit—its dedication to revealing that celebrities, far from leading ideal lives, endure the same plagues of disease, weight gain, and family dysfunction that afflict everyone else. For much of the tabloid’s history, it has specialized in investigations into the foibles of public personalities, including politicians. In 1987, the Enquirer published a photograph of Senator Gary Hart with his mistress Donna Rice, in front of a boat called the Monkey Business, which doomed Hart’s Presidential candidacy. Two decades later, the magazine broke the news that John Edwards had fathered a child out of wedlock during his Presidential race.
When Donald Trump decided to run for President, some people at the Enquirer assumed that the magazine would apply the same scrutiny to the candidate’s colorful personal history. “We used to go after newsmakers no matter what side they were on,” a former Enquirer staffer told me. “And Trump is a guy who is running for President with a closet full of baggage. He’s the ultimate target-rich environment. The Enquirer had a golden opportunity, and they completely looked the other way.”
The half-dozen or so men in the room exchanged looks. One then noted that the footage of Melania’s slap had received a good deal of attention.
“I didn’t see that,” Pecker repeated, and the subject was dropped.
It was a telling moment. Even if the leader of a celebrity-news empire had missed the viral video from the President’s trip, Pecker’s decision to ignore the awkward moment for the First Family was not surprising. The Enquirer is defined by its predatory spirit—its dedication to revealing that celebrities, far from leading ideal lives, endure the same plagues of disease, weight gain, and family dysfunction that afflict everyone else. For much of the tabloid’s history, it has specialized in investigations into the foibles of public personalities, including politicians. In 1987, the Enquirer published a photograph of Senator Gary Hart with his mistress Donna Rice, in front of a boat called the Monkey Business, which doomed Hart’s Presidential candidacy. Two decades later, the magazine broke the news that John Edwards had fathered a child out of wedlock during his Presidential race.
When Donald Trump decided to run for President, some people at the Enquirer assumed that the magazine would apply the same scrutiny to the candidate’s colorful personal history. “We used to go after newsmakers no matter what side they were on,” a former Enquirer staffer told me. “And Trump is a guy who is running for President with a closet full of baggage. He’s the ultimate target-rich environment. The Enquirer had a golden opportunity, and they completely looked the other way.”
Throughout the 2016 Presidential race, the Enquirer embraced Trump with sycophantic fervor. The magazine made its first political endorsement ever, of Trump, last spring. Cover headlines promised, “donald trump’s revenge on hillary & her puppets” and “top secret plan inside: how trump will win debate!” The publication trashed Trump’s rivals, running a dubious cover story on Ted Cruz that described him as a philanderer and another highly questionable piece that linked Cruz’s father to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. ...
Pecker and Trump have been friends for decades—their professional and personal lives have intersected in myriad ways—and Pecker acknowledges that his tabloids’ coverage of Trump has a personal dimension.....
Ignoring the truth, not writing what is newsworthy, is a fundamental flaw -- a serious problem that raises questions that no one would probably even ask when it comes to some supermarket tabloids.
It's a practice that breaks real journalists' hearts.
It's a practice that breaks real journalists' hearts.
Journalists, who our President continually puts in danger by mouthing false platitudes about "fake news" -- perhaps to prime the pump for when a certain probe into Russian allegations reports its findings? -- are low-paid idealists who possess a strong dedication to parsing bullshit and finding, then exposing, the truth. It's the very notion of reporting the truth to the public, tirelessly keeping them informed about anything and everything, that gives reporters their sense of accomplishment.
But these days that is no longer appreciated. If only we had locked up Hillary -- then all our national problems would have been solved. (I am being facetious.)
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