Ray Liotta Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Todd Gilchrist editor On Feb. 24, Ray Liotta will receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring almost 50 years of amazing work in TV and on film. Following his turn in Jonathan Demme’s 1986 film “Something Wild,” playing Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” was the moment that many moviegoers first discovered his complex, sometimes contradictory charms. When asked about the moment he knew that Liotta was the perfect choice for Hill — a character that was slick, confident, effortlessly charming, but with an edge of danger that made him fearsome and attractive at the same time — Scorsese says it wasn’t during casting, or even on set, but when the two crossed paths ahead of the beginning of production.

Bear hits cinemas today (February 24) – and is expected to scare up a storm at the box office.Based on the 1985 story about an American Black Bear that ingested a duffle bag’s worth of coke, Cocaine Bear doesn’t stick to the facts. Instead of being found dead by police shortly after its drug binge, the furry beast goes on a murderous rampage, attacking anyone who gets in its way.

Stretching the phrase “inspired by true events” to its bare limits, Cocaine Bear (★★★☆☆) takes off from the stranger-than-fiction real-life tale of a Kentucky drug runner who, in 1985, dumped bundles of cocaine from a plane over Georgia, then perished trying to parachute after the drugs, a large, expensive portion of which were found and somehow consumed by a 500-lb. black bear deep in the Georgia woods.Anyone interested in the dead-serious facts of the case can grab a copy of Sally Denton’s comprehensive chronicle The Bluegrass Conspiracy, originally published in 1990.This movie, on the other hand, takes a bold leap off that plane with Thornton’s duffel bags full of brown paper-wrapped bricks of blow, and never looks back.Directed by Pitch Perfect mogul Elizabeth Banks, and scripted by Jimmy Warden, Cocaine Bear leaves no gruesome gag unturned, no outrageous one-liner untold, serving up the sort of anything-goes big-screen comedy that comes along rarely.Mid-rampage, the coke-fueled bear snorts a line off someone’s severed leg.

director Elizabeth Banks keeps the powder gags fresh throughout, as the mammal maims her way through a Southern forest preserve. The movie about blow never blows.Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout.) In theaters.The hysterical film is based on a true story in the loosest possible sense.

Todd Gilchrist editor On Feb. 24, Ray Liotta is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just shy of a year since his death at the age of 67. The honor comes the same week as the release of “Cocaine Bear,” the sensational based-on-a-true-story film directed by Elizabeth Banks in which he plays a character she describes as “a gangster … but he’s also an unfit grandpa as well.” That characterization also encapsulates the breadth of his accomplishments on both film and TV as an actor, which range from mobsters and tough guys to loving fathers — and plenty in between. Ahead of the ceremony, Banks tells Variety that she cast Liotta after remembering her experiences working with him on the 2011 film “The Details.”

Cocaine Bear is a dark action-comedy film set in a small town in Georgia.READ MOREThe synopsis reads: “After ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine, a 500 lb American black bear goes on a killing rampage in a small town of Georgia where a group of locals and tourists must join forces to survive the attack.”Directed and co-produced by Elizabeth Banks, Cocaine Bear features an ensemble cast that includes  Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta in one of his final performances before his death in 2022.Oh, absolutely. According to the official website, Cocaine Bear is “inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.”Dubbed Pablo Eskobear (after “the king of cocaine” Pablo Escobar), the real life bear was a 150lb American black bear who was discovered on a hillside in Fannin County, Georgia next to a duffel bag and 40 half-consumed packs of cocaine.Well, rather than heading out “on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow and blood,” Pablo Eskobear overdosed on cocaine and was found dead on the scene.According to the Washington Post, an autopsy found the bear had around three to four grams of the drug in its blood stream. The narcotics investigators who made the discovery believe the drugs were ditched months earlier by trafficker Andrew Carter Thornton II who had planned to return.However, Thornton died after falling out of a plane in September 1985.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor “Cocaine Bear” director Elizabeth Banks is worried about her mother seeing the horror comedy when it opens on Friday. “I’m going to be honest with you, no one knows what to make of it when I tell them about it,” Banks told Variety at the movie’s premiere Tuesday night at Regal LA Live. “My poor mother is the least informed. She’s going to go with my aunts and they’re going to lose their minds. I told her she’s going to be mad. She will laugh and she’s going to love Margo Martindale and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and the dog. Not enough people talk about the dog, Rosette. She’ll love those parts, but she’ll close her eyes for a lot of it.”

Elizabeth Banks and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are stepping out for the premiere of their new movie!

Elizabeth Banks is sharing her fond memories of working with the late Ray Liotta on what would be his final film.The actress and filmmaker walked the red carpet at the premiere of her new film,, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and she spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about getting the chance to work with Liotta shortly before his death last May.«He never saw the final movie, but he did see all of his scenes,» Banks shared. «And he saw the bear, which is the most important thing, because the poor guy like everyone had to act with, you know, a guy in a black suit and a stuntman and just sort of hope that it looks cool.»In the high-energy action horror comedy, the titular cocaine bear — for obvious reasons — was created entirely with CGI, and Banks explained that Liotta came in to re-record some audio, which is when he was able to see the finished product, or at least his part.«He came in for ADR eight days before he passed away, actually, and he loved it. He was so happy.

Margo Martindale is one of the stars of Cocaine Bear, the dark comedy action film directed by Elizabeth Banks. The story is based on true events from 1985 when an American black bear ingested a duffel bag full of cocaine.

Hollywood is honoring Ray Liotta after his death.

Nine months after his death at age 67, Ray Liotta will receive one of Hollywood’s biggest honours.

Elizabeth Banks is ready for another installment after Cocaine Bear.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer, director and producer Ariel Vromen has signed with APA for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions, Grindstone Entertainment, and Lionsgate have picked up North American distribution for Charlie Day’s feature directorial debut Fool’s Paradise.

It was another difficult year in 2022, and the sadness extended to many beloved and groundbreaking people in the show business and media worlds who died during the past 12 months.

Earlier this week, social media lit up as users excitedly uploaded the poster for the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear, imagining what a movie with that title might be like. They got some idea today when Universal dropped the bonkers first trailer for the film “inspired by the true story of a drug runner’s 1985 plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.” The movie, billed as a character-driven thriller, seems to have a good bit of fun with the premise.

Universal’s first trailer for “Cocaine Bear” gives the people what they want. The title is pretty self-explanatory, even if one doesn’t know about the true-life story involving a 175-pound American black bear who ingested a duffel bag full of blow after the narcotics were dumped out of an airplane by a drug smuggler trying to lighten a heavy load.It’s a somewhat refreshing example of an old-school high-concept movie, one driven by a strong elevator pitch rather than IP or marquee characters.

Mourning the memories. Ray Liotta‘s fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, reflected on spending her first Thanksgiving without the late actor in a heartfelt holiday tribute.

When Israeli film director Ariel Vromen called up Ray Liotta to join his film, “1992”, the late screen legend had one question.

In this week’s 20 Questions on Deadline, Taron Egerton reveals the effects of playing a real-life convict in AppleTV+ limited series Black Bird and the Die Hard-esque flavor of his new film Carry On opposite Jason Bateman.

Netflix has no lack of thriller movies to watch. Just like any other film genre, thrillers contain multitudes – some are compelling, some send chills down your spine, and others merely get you really invested in the story. You’ll find all of that and more in our list of the best thrillers on Netflix right now, as we’ve crafted a carefully curated list of films that fit into the thriller genre but won’t leave you disappointed.If you like twists in your thrillers, “Identity” is full of them.

As you surely know, iconic Hollywood actress and singer Olivia Newton-John tragically passed away last month at age 73 after a decades-long battle with cancer. Now, fans are rallying behind her after noticing she was strangely kept out of the “In Memoriam” segment of the Monday broadcast of the 2022 Emmys.

Olivia Newton-John fans were not pleased  after she was left out of the «In Memoriam» segment at the 2022 Emmys on Monday night. Following the tribute -- which honored other actors who died this year, including Betty White, Bob Saget, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Ray Liotta, Robert Morse, Louie Anderson, Sidney Poitier, and many more -- Twitter was flooded with disappointed viewers who called out the awards show for not honoring the late star who died in August at age 73.While Newton-John is listed on the «In Memoriam» page on the Emmys website, she was no where to be seen during the telecasted tribute which was played for the audience on a screenbehind John Legend, who performed his song, «Pieces.» The actress had a famed film and music career, but she also graced the small screen, with credits in dozens of TV shows, including S, ,  and and more.«She’s been on over fifty TV shows and specials.

John Legend took the stage at the 2022 Emmy Awards to honor all the stars that are now gone. The In Memoriam segment was one of the highlights of the night with the EGOT winner performing his new song “Pieces.”

Emmy Awards paid tribute to the many entertainers and TV creators who have died over the last year in a heartfelt «In Memoriam» segment. star Anthony Anderson introduced the emotional moment with a touching speech, sharing, «It never feels like the right time to say goodbye to a loved one, a friend or a cherished icon.

Anne Heche, who died last month, was one of several late beloved stars honored during the In Memoriam tribute at the 2022 Emmy Awards on Monday, September 12.

Ray Liotta’s fiancée Jacy Nittolo is keeping the late actor “forever” by her side.

“Forever” by her side. Several months after Ray Liotta’s death, fiancée Jacy Nittolo is marking the occasion — permanently.