The best part of waking up is Rudy in your cup: Mayor of 9/11 Town Rudy Giuliani joined Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa on his radio show earlier this morning. Giuliani was there to chit-chat and lend support to Sliwa, who is taking a hiatus from his many jobs in order to undergo prostate surgery. Giuliani, who has been on a bit of a storytelling kick of late, ripped into two of his favorite targets during the visit: Eliot Spitzer and the Gambinos. "This is like having Hitler as a hero," he said of the upcoming Gotti movie. more ›

John Travolta has officially signed on to star as John "Teflon Don" Gotti Sr. in the upcoming indie film Gotti: Three Generations (which was better than the working title: Gabagool Lasagna Bang Bang). The movie has been the passion project of John "Deadlock Don" Gotti Jr. ever since he escaped four hung jurys, retired from the mob, and realized he needed something to do besides being a professional defendant. Now the question remains: who will play him? more ›

Ever since he escaped four hung juries, "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. has been focused on trying to bring his life story to the big screen. He's already snagged director Nick Cassavetes, of The Notebook and My Sister's Keeper, for the project. And yesterday, Gotti Jr., Cassavetes and producer Marc Fiore met with actor John Travolta, who is in "serious negotiations" to play "Teflon Don" John Gotti Sr. in the film. more ›

Omerta's be damned: John Gotti Jr. is really going forward with plans to bring his life story to the big screen. And while Gotti may have envisioned Sylvester Stallone directing it initially, Variety reports that Nick Cassavetes is in talks to direct now. And who would be better than Cassavetes, the auteur behind movies such as "The Notebook," "My Sister's Keeper," and "Alpha Dog," to bring the story of the Gambino crime family to life? more ›

If watching "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. gracefully maneuver his way to four hung juries over the last five years was as entertaining for you as it was for us, then you'll be happy to learn that Gotti has sold his life rights to Hollywood. Finally, there'll be new work for Paulie Walnuts! more ›

This Sunday, 60 Minutes will air a double-length interview with John Gotti Jr., scion of the infamous Dapper Don/Teflon Don, John Gotti. Gotti Jr. said he'd watch his father and his friends, "I'd go to the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club all the time and I would just watch…they'd be playing cards…hanging out…breaking balls…and laughing and commiserating. And you're right there and you’re saying 'this is where I belong.'" And when he was inducted to the Gambino crime family, his father "looked at me as a street guy, as a knock-around guy, a bounce-around guy like himself. [It was] the proudest moment of my life…because I was slowly becoming like him." more ›

Following a fourth mistrial in early December, federal prosecutors announced that they will not be seeking a fifth trial for the Teflon Don on charges of racketeering. A statement released by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "In light of the circumstances, the government has decided not to proceed with the prosecution against John A. Gotti... The prosecution of the case has ended." Which leaves him more time to pose in velour tracksuits. more ›

Is this what potential jurors for John Gotti Jr.'s trial were worried about? Apparently the Deadlock Don—the Teflon Don's son is free on $2 million bail after a fourth mistrial—has invited the jurors for Christmas dinner! In case the offer wasn't already tempting, Gotti told the Daily News, "I'm cooking dinner here." Of course, there are some technicalities. Like how Gotti doesn't even know who the jurors are: "My door's open if they want to come. But we don't even know who they are. It was an anonymous jury." more ›

Basking in the glow of his fourth racketeering-and-murder mistrial, "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. gave a few interviews while enjoying freedom in his Long Island home. He admitted to 1010WINS' Juliet Papa, "I'm a little off. For 16 months I was in a bed by myself and for 13 or 16 months I was in solitary confinement so I had quiet." more ›

It wasn't bumbling prosecutors, arguing jurors, or untrustworthy mob informants that kept mob scion John Gotti Jr. from being found guilty in his racketeering and murder trial. The former Gambino boss told reporters after his fourth mistrial yesterday that his deceased father was watching out for him — and sending him messages on the radio through songs like "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and Sting's "Fields of Gold," according to the Times. more ›

Federal prosecutors aiming to convict mob scion John Gotti Jr. came up short for the fourth time in five years when a deadlocked jury failed to reach a verdict. After more than a year behind bars, Gotti Jr. was released on $2 million bail yesterday and visited his mother in Howard Beach, Queens, before returning to his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the Post reports. "This is unbelievable, I can't put it into words. It's been a long fight," he said. When his mother joked that they should celebrate by going to Disney World, Gotti said he couldn't because he legally isn't allowed to leave the New York area: "I can't, it's out of my district." more ›

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case against former Gambino boss John Gotti Jr — again. In its 11th day of deliberations, the deadlocked jury issued a note stating that they couldn't come to a consensus on any of the murder and racketeering charges against the mob scion, who claims he retired from organized crime in 1999. more ›

More than a week into deliberation on the fourth racketeering trial against one-time Gambino boss John Gotti Jr., the jury still hasn't come up with a verdict — and one of its members wants a vacation. more ›

Could the fourth time be another charm? The jury deliberating the fate of John Gotti Jr.—whose past three federal trials have ended in mistrials—sent a note to Judge Kevin Castel yesterday reading, "We are unable to reach a verdict." Castel told the group to keep deliberating at first, but then sent them home for the weekend. more ›

The city could make some good money selling tickets and popcorn to this Gotti Jr. trial circus! Yesterday's episode starred Victoria Gotti, the unhinged wife of late mobster John (Dapper Don) Gotti and mother to Gotti Jr., who's currently on trial for racketeering. As Judge Kevin Castel moved to dismisses a juror who was criticized for her vulgar language and pro-defense attitude, the mob matriarch unleashed a profanity-laced tirade. more ›

One day after Judge Kevin Castel tried to broker peace between fighting jurors on the John Gotti, Jr. racketeering trial, the judge tried to sugarcoat the fragile peace... with Twizzlers. Yesterday Castel presented the jury with a big tub of the artificially-flavored twists, offering three reasons for the gift. One, "If you have a Twizzler in your mouth, you can't really have a serious conversation." (Yeah, that's the last thing you want on a jury.) Two, "If you're frustrated, you've got something to take your frustration out on." (Licorice whip!) And three, "They put you in a good mood." Looks like somebody's going to have to recuse himself from any Twizzler-related lawsuits from now on! more ›

Juror 11 in the John Gotti, Jr. racketeering trial cannot stand Juror 7, and the enmity between the two has gotten so intense that legal experts think it could result in a hung jury—which would be the fourth time federal prosecutors have been derailed by the jury. Yesterday Judge Kevin Castel intervened to try and make peace, but Juror 11, who works as a city procurement-contract analyst, seems to be at the end of her rope. more ›

On Wednesday, it was reported that the latest John Gotti Jr. racketeering trial was experiencing internal problems because of Juror No. 7, a woman who allegedly enjoys "being escorted for cigarette breaks" and is happy to not be at work. Today, the Post is saying that the federal prosecutors' case is now in jeopardy of its fourth hung jury because of Juror No. 7's antics. more ›

New troubles keep trumping old troubles in the already kinda-troubled John Gotti Jr racketeering trial. One juror was already excused because of some bad trades, but today the tabloids report that an anonymous letter has singled out Juror No. 7 for "diva-like behavior and a plan to push deliberations past Christmas." more ›

After complaining about their limited food options, the jurors in John Gotti Jr.'s racketeering trial are feeling better. The Post reports that jurors enjoyed the fare at Spaghetti Western so much, "One juror even gave Manhattan federal Judge Kevin Castel a thumbs-up." While the Yelpers are meh about the Reade Street venue, Midtown Lunch likes the burger, a "1/2-pound-puck-of-chuck perfectly covered with cheese for $11." more ›

Another juror in John Gotti Jr.'s racketeering trial was released—because his subordinate lost him money! The Post reports that the "hedge-fund manager...complained that he had lost a 'significant' bundle of dough when a subordinate 'misconstrued' his trading instructions last week." The judge allowed him to leave, adding, "I'm sorry you experienced the loss. I feel some responsibility for that myself." And there's more juror unrest: They are unhappy with the limited food options AND a cold breeze blowing on the juror box. more ›

During the feds' fourth trial against John Gotti Jr., they played tapes of Junior and his dad, the late Teflon Don John Gotti. They discussed how, once Gotti's son-in-law Carmine Agnello had immunity in a 1989 trial, Agnello admitted he bribed a juror. Junior said, "All the lawyers involved [thought it was a] very ingenious move" but Gotti thought differently, "I woulda never in a million years suggested him to say that. I woulda tell them to go f--- themselves. If there was a church robbed and I had the steeple stickin' out of my ass, I wouldn't tell them I did it." That apparently moved Junior's sister Angel to tears. more ›

">Post reports the Teflon Don's son shouted to John Alite during a break, "You’re a dog! You’re a dog! Did I kill little girls, you fag? You’re a punk. You’re a dog all your life — you always were. Do I strangle little girls in motels?" more ›

Should we sorry for these twelve people who are performing their civic duty? The Daily News reports on the twelve men and women who were selected to serve on the fourth racketeering trial for John Gotti Jr. —four women, eight men (five are black, the rest are white) who work for the USPS, a high school, and the clerk's office at NY Criminal Court. Not selected was a man who said he was warned "you'll get a bullet in the head" if he voted to convict Gotti. Federal Judge Kevin Castel was amused by one potential juror's response to the question, "How far did you go in school?"—he said, "To which the response was Buffalo." more ›

John Gotti Jr., scion of the Gambino crime family and its alleged leaders, decided to greet potential jurors to his racketeering trial, "Good morning, I am John Gotti. Here I am again." It was a reference to how this is his fourth trial (the other three times ended in hung juries); the NY Post reports that while "Manhattan federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said that while Gotti's remark was 'undoubtedly innocent and made in the utmost of good faith,' it amounted to 'improper argument.'" Castel added it could have been misconduct. Of course, it might be a long jury selection process—many people are apparently afraid of the Teflon Don's son and associates—but Gotti is ready, with his "scholarly" glasses and note-taking. more ›

The 29-page questionnaire responses handed back from potential jurors for the John Gotti Jr. trial proved one of two things—that New Yorkers are still terrified at the idea of having a mob hit put on them or that people will go to great lengths and have no restraints to their salty humor in attempting to get out of jury duty. The News collected some of the more choice quotes from those who don't want to get stuck on the federal prosecution case of Gotti Jr. on for years of Gambino-related criminal activity, including three gangland murders. Jurors who were asked their familiarity with Gotti said things like "his fat family members are murders (sic)," "people involved with John Gotti have mysteriously 'disappeared'," and even "my brother-in-law chose to 'turn states evidence' against (the elder) Gotti and is currently in witness protection." The best line came from a juror who told the courts that a long trial would be difficult since they suffer from hepatitis C and couldn't deal with the fact that "Gotti has blood on his hands." more ›

John Gotti Jr. pleaded not guilty once again to two new murder charges. Though the feds could have opted for the death penalty, they won't be. Gotti Jr. has been tried on other murder and racketeering charges many times before without a conviction. Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who was allegedly targeted by Gotti Jr.'s henchman, told NY1 that he hopes the Gambino family scion finally stays behind bars, "I've got the target on my back, but you know something, I still walk those neighborhoods. I still deal with those cafones. Those guys, they threaten to bend my leg and stuff it in my pocket but I'm going to continue to talk what has been the truth for years." more ›

Despite his claim that he had kidney stones that were more painful than going into labor, John Gotti Jr. was denied bail yesterday as he awaits his racketeering trial to start this September. A judge in Manhattan federal court yesterday said that there was no amount he could set bail at that "can reasonably assure the presence of the defendant and the safety of persons in the community." The Daily News said that Gotti showed up in court "in greenish prison garb that resembled hospital scrubs" and the paper agreed with Junior's claim that stones were more painful than childbirth. Also taking Gotti's side was arch-nemesis Curtis Sliwa, who nonetheless seemed to take glee in knowing how much pain the mob boss was in. Sliwa said, "I'm hoping they come at a prolific rate ... He can't have enough pain." Gotti's lawyer said that they do not plan to appeal the bail denial and that he believes his client has now fully passed the stones while he's been behind bars. more ›

John Gotti Jr. is in "excruciating pain" from infected kidney stones, and his lawyers say the prison's refusal to provide him with proper medical treatment amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment." His attorneys have been trying to get him out on bail before the start of his September racketeering trial, and in court papers obtained by the Daily News, they assert, "It is common knowledge that the pain associated with kidney stones is worse than childbirth." To back up their claim, they link to a medical website with testimonials from women who've endured both; one says, "Childbirth has nothing on kidney stones. When you are in labor the pain is like a wave. With a kidney stone it is constant. I would have 10 births before ever wanting to go through the pain of a stone." So given the choice, which would you prefer, a kidney stone or a kid? The former isn't very cute, but at least it never grows up and makes you take it to Hannah Montana. more ›

Guardian Angels founder and NY1 personality Curtis Sliwa claims that Junior Gotti threatened to kill him while the two were in Manhattan federal court yesterday. Right as Gotti's pre-trial hearing for racketeering conspiracy was breaking, Sliwa claims Gotti turned to the radio host who was in attendance and said, "You're going down." Sliwa shot back, "F*ck you!" But Gotti's lawyer told reporters that his client was saying, "He's going down" to a nearby friend that he was meeting downstairs. Capice? Sliwa may have been a little on edge (even for him) as he mentioned that Friday is the anniversary of the 1992 incident where he was shot twice and kidnapped, only to escape out of a speeding cab. He thinks it was set up by Gotti due to Sliwa's AM onslaughts against the Gambino crime family. Gotti might really be smirking widely now since a judge told prosecutors they need to present some new evidence to dispute Gotti's claim that he gave up a life of crime in 1999. more ›