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    Effects Worker Faces Prison For Explosives On Travolta Movie Shoot in Georgia

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments3620 Views
    John Travolta, pictured in a scene from “Gotti,” starred in the movie “The Poison Rose” for which an effects worker faces prison for illegally possessing explosives while on the set of that film in Georgia.(Brian Douglas/Vertical Entertainment via AP)

    By Russ Bynum

    SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) --

    A special effects worker faces up to 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to illegally possessing explosives while working on the Georgia set of a movie starring John Travolta and Morgan Freeman.

    Robert Christopher Bailey, 50, of Los Angeles entered his plea Tuesday before a U.S. District Court judge in Savannah, according to court records. Federal authorities charged him in coastal Georgia last year during filming of “The Poison Rose.”

    Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms questioned Bailey after receiving complaints from the movie set, according to court documents. Prosecutors said Bailey told the agents he was handling and making explosives without a required license. He told them he had been denied a license because of a prior felony conviction for forgery in California.

    A court filing by federal prosecutors said ATF agents interviewed Bailey on July 9, 2018, after receiving a complaint that “actor John Travolta was hit with sparks and treated for a minor injury during a mishap with special effects on the movie set.”

    No other details about the incident that injured Travolta were given. Bailey was never charged with injuring the actor or anyone else.

    An ATF spokesman in Atlanta did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. A publicist for Travolta did not immediately return phone and email messages.

    The judge scheduled Bailey for sentencing on April 9. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop two other criminal counts against him.

    A total of 399 film and TV productions were shot in Georgia during the 2019 fiscal year that ended June 30, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The state agency credited those productions with bringing $2.9 billion in direct spending.

    “The state of Georgia, particularly Savannah, has a tremendous history and relationship with the motion picture industry,” U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release. “Accordingly, we take very seriously our obligations to uphold the law and to preserve the safety of our citizens and those working in our state.” 

    Category:News
    Tags:John TravoltaRobert Christopher BaileyThe Poison Rose



    Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    "Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.

    The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.

    And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).

    This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.

    "'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."

    As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More

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