#Middlebury
Q: I read that the actor who plays mobster Sonny Corinthos on the daytime soap “General Hospital” is going to play John Gotti in a new movie. Didn’t John Travolta already play Gotti just this year? – B.A.
A: Yes, you are correct in that Maurice Benard played mob kingpin John Gotti recently. He’s a great actor and his fans never tire of seeing him getting his hands dirty onscreen in organized crime.
LMaurice Benard (Sergei Bachlakov/Lifetime photo
In the TV movie “Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter,” which premieres Saturday, Feb. 9, on Lifetime, young Victoria, played by Chelsea Frei (“Sideswiped”), tries to come to grips with the fact that her beloved father was also public enemy No. 1 and sent to prison. The real Victoria Gotti co-wrote, executive produced and narrated the film. She gives viewers an inside look at the other tragedies (her brother’s death) that she experienced and shares stories never before told.
As for Travolta, while a great actor himself, the motion picture “Gotti” was mostly panned by critics. Lifetime’s version is entirely different, with Victoria overseeing the movie and Benard stepping up to the plate as Gotti, a role he was born to play.
Q: Is it true that Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron are dating? Will they attend the Oscars together? – S.P.
A: As much of a gorgeous couple as they would make, apparently the news of their pairing is only a rumor – at least for now.
The U.K.’s “Sun” reported that the two started seeing each other over Christmas after having met on set filming a commercial. An unnamed source told “People” magazine that they, in fact, were not a couple and that even more absurd was the rumor that Theron’s ex-boyfriend, Sean Penn, played cupid for them.
As for Pitt and Theron walking down the red carpet together on the biggest night in Hollywood, be sure to tune in to ABC on Sunday, Feb. 24, to find out.
Q: Whatever happened to Katharine Ross, the actress who starred in “The Graduate” with Dustin Hoffman? – J.E.
A: Ross, who was born in Hollywood in 1940, has had quite a long career since landing the role of Elaine Robinson, who escaped her wedding with the help of Hoffman’s Ben Braddock, in the Oscar-nominated classic. She also starred with Robert Redford and Paul Newman in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” I remember watching her on the “Dynasty” spinoff “The Colbys.” She also had a small role in the indie film “Donnie Darko,” and more recently voiced roles in the animated series “American Dad” and “Family Guy.”
What most people don’t know is that she’s married to actor Sam Elliott, who sports the most famous mustache in Hollywood next to Tom Selleck. Ross and Elliott met in 1978 while filming the horror movie “The Legacy.” They have been married 34 years and have a daughter, Cleo Rose. Probably best known for his role in “Mask” opposite Cher, you can see Elliott in “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com!
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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