March 13, 2007

Rocky To Forfeit Championship Belt?

Okay, guys. I know this is going to be some earth-shattering news. It might make you not believe much in the film industry anymore. It might be tearing down one of your heroes. It might make you think that nothing is sacred anymore.

A 60-year-old man who played a muscular boxer in a recent film has been officially charged in Australia with trying to bring vials of human growth hormone into the country.

Yes, Sylvester Stallone and his entourage were stopped entering the country on Feb. 16, where customs officials confiscated items after searching his bags. They searched a hotel room three days later and took more items, which, ah, well. Smart move there, Sylvester.

Prosecutors said they found 48 vials of HGH with Sly. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $86,000 if convicted. His lawyers will have to enter a plea on April 24.

The article notes, though: "Stallone isn't likely to receive such a sentence." Gee, you think?

Stallone Charged With Banned Substance [AP/NBC 10]

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December 19, 2006

Reason #23 To Love Philadelphia: All The Stars At The 'Rocky Balboa' Premiere

Last night was the premiere of Rocky Balboa, the sixth and hopefully last in the Rocky franchise. The movie's debut at the Prince Music Theater snarled traffic on Chestnut Street, had legions of fans (no, really) and saw all the stars come out.

Well, okay, it had Sylvester Stallone and his brother Frank, and Burt Young. And after that, who's next in the Inquirer's online photo gallery? Yes, at right, that's Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish and writer Mike Vitez (with Vitez's wife, food editor Maureen Fitzgerald). And Vitez appears to be holding a copy of the book he and Gralish did about the Art Museum steps, of course!

Wow, all the stars were out!

Blaze of glory for a local hero [Inquirer]

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December 15, 2006

Stallone's Underdog Tale: As Fake As The Rocky Statue?

Hey, remember that old story about how Sylvester Stallone walked into the United Artists' offices and demanded they buy his script and let him star in the film? And how he only got $18,000?

Bullshit, says a report by Alex Ben Block.

Hollywood Today is reporting that the "underdog" tale of the actor's office-storming, $18,000 payment and related Rocky-like tales to the press was just a PR stunt:

“We came up with a tremendous publicity campaign,” recalled Gabe Sumner, then head of marketing at UA. “It was about how this unknown guy named Sylvester Stallone walked into our office with a script and the company was prepared to buy the script, but Stallone said, ‘I’m not going to sell it to you unless I star in the film.’ And we (supposedly) said, ‘No way.’ And he said, ‘Well, you can’t have the script.’ And we said, ‘We will give you $18,000.’ And that was the figure we used. And a deal was made and Stallone could star in this film which he wrote. And he got all of $18,000. Now is this true? It was horseshit! But it worked. It promoted the whole underdog concept and kept on going.”

“I don’t have to tell you how the press feeds on the underdog story,” said Sumner. “It filled up space on entertainment pages, and in columns looking for something for the next day. They ate up the idea that this actor loved his work so much, and was willing to sell it for a nickel and a dime in order to make it, blah, blah, blah. It all became part of the underdog fabric that brought people in. Period. They just totally bought into it.”

Representatives for Stallone said on Wednesday, “We stand by Sylvester Stallone’s story as the accurate truth.”

Rocky, the report says, actually went into production without anyone at United Artists meeting Sly Stallone. This shocking truth that a PR flack might say something untrue will no doubt cause many Rocky series fans to go into convulsions.

The Untold Story: “Rocky” Underdog Origin a Studio Myth [Hollywood Today via Defamer]
Photo by hardillb, licensed via Creative Commons

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October 11, 2006

Leftovers: It Ain't Over 'Til Stallone Has 5 More Houses

• At right, the official poster for Rocky Balboa, which was apparently designed by looking at the original Rocky poster and then chopping off an arm. Then they spent five seconds on the "It ain't over 'til it's over" tagline. Did I mention how totally 100-percent awesome this movie is going to be? [The Movie Blog via Phillyist]

• A group of women who got "instant" facelifts are unhappy with the results after high-pressure sales pitches by non-doctors. Gee, who knew this could go wrong? [NBC 10]

• The Sands -- i.e. oh, you mean the casino I never go in? -- is closing after 26 years, meaning that Atlantic City's actual "Free Parking" is no more. Be sure to read the article, which features a heartbreaking interview with a woman who loves keno at the Sands so much her license plate is "ILUVKENO." [Inquirer]

• In honor of the baseball playoffs, the Associated Press -- well, their "Newz 4 Kidz" division, asap -- is running old newsreels of World Series past. The first one is the Athletics' Game 1 victory over the Cubs in 1929, and, whoo, just listen to that announcing. [NotYourMothersNews.com]

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July 11, 2006

Breaking: 'Rocky Balboa' Trailer Proves Movie Is Going To Be Totally Awesome

"What's that from, the 80s?" "Probably the 70s."

If you're having trouble loading this movie, just go to the Yahoo! link, which has Quicktime and Windows Media versions of the trailer.

'Rocky Balboa' on Yahoo! Movies [Yahoo!]

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May 11, 2006

People Quackers Over 'Rocky' Statue

The big news today is that the Rocky statue may be moving to the side of the Art Museum steps -- honestly, I can't believe this is big news, but it is -- returning the Rocky III prop to Eakins Oval from South Philly. (It had been out front of the Spectrum and Wachovia Center after spending some time at the top of the museum steps.)

The Inquirer has a map (at left, obvs) that shows just where the statue will be. It seems like an odd location, like they're just throwing it in the woods next to the PMA, but I understand the want to keep it off the top of the steps, it being simply an ad for Rocky Balboa and all. (The statue -- surprise! -- will be in place right around the time the new Rocky movie comes out. Stallone is paying for the move and upkeep himself.)

This being Philadelphia, there's naturally some detractors, including Park Commish E. Harris Baum:

"If a film about Donald Duck in Philadelphia comes out," he wondered, "do we put a Donald Duck statue in our park system? Rocky is fine. But other films have relevance, too. Where do we stop?"

Wait! City Councilman Frank Rizzo has weighed in, too:

“If we do a Donald Duck movie in the city of Philadelphia, are we going to have a Donald Duck statue?”

Woah, woah, woah. First off, wow, did they really use the same fictional example to protest the Rocky statue moving to the Art Museum? (It's a little tacky, but the statue, for better or worse, would be a nice tourist draw for the area. People love running up the steps.)

Second off, how exactly would one make a Donald Duck movie in Philadelphia? I guess there could be some Who Framed Roger Rabbit-type film here, but that seems pretty unlikely.

Thirdly, if they do make a Donald Duck movie here, there better damn well be a statue put up! That'd be awesome.

Comeback for Rocky statue [Inky]
Rocky Statue Could be Headed Back to Art Museum [KYW 1060]

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February 03, 2006

Quickies: To Ontario we go!

• Newest way to combat crime from our mayor: The rumor hotline! I don't really know how this is going to work, but I've already called up and said I heard that Rick Mariano has been indicted. Oooh, that's a juicy rumor! (The number's 215-685-9521.) [KYW 3]

• Moody's Investor Service is thinking of downgrading the Delaware River Port Authority. Moody's opinion of me remains flat. [Inky]

• "Brandy is one of about 250 licensed, regulated professional escorts in this border town [Windsor, Ontario], which sits less than a mile from the hub of Super Bowl XL, Detroit's GM Renaissance Center. She, like most of her competition, expects Super Bowl fans to cross the Detroit River in droves this weekend, looking for things they just can't readily get on the American side of the Ambassador Bridge: Cuban cigars, all-nude strip clubs, a 19-year-old drinking age and legalized prostitution." And, an escort service manager says: "In Windsor, you're allowed to walk topless outside on the street if you want. I could whip out my double D's and walk around topless if I wanted to." Who said Detroit was a bad place for the Super Bowl? [ESPN.com]

• Despite clogging up the streets with equipment and vehicles, nobody can get enough of the Rocky Balboa crew. This movie is going to be awesome. [Inky]

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January 30, 2006

This movie's a million-to-one shot

Yesterday's Inquirer had a big front page story from Michael Klein about the new Rocky Balboa movie and how the series could possibly end. (Sylvester Stallone claims he's not going to make a seventh film, but, hey, who knows.)

There are some good stories, but the best one is this: Sly was looking for a hard-edged girl for a bar scene, but couldn't find one until he met Angela Boyd, 20, who he used for the scene and then hired her as a production assistant.

There's also some discussion of the plot, which, in the interest of not spoiling it, I've discussed after the jump. As they say on these type of Internet stories, this contains SPOILERS. Click through for more.

Continue reading "This movie's a million-to-one shot"

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January 27, 2006

'Rocky Balboa' spreading to new areas

You can't throw a stone in this town right now without hitting somebody filming Rocky Balboa. Not only has Frank Stallone been spotted doing research at the library, but last night the crew was filming the movie on the 2100 block of Walnut Street.

I have no idea what, exactly, Rocky's going to be doing up there. Maybe Rocky has a hedge fund and an apartment off Rittenhouse in this one. Or maybe the 60-year-old Rocky needs to goto Wonderland to buy a bong for his medical marijuana. I don't know.

Either way, when I was walking down Walnut last night, I had only one thought: Oh, man, is this going to make the bar more crowded?

Sylvester Stallone's brother [snoscene]
Dear Sylvester Stallone [theycallmebitch]
Photo by CBS 3

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January 23, 2006

Sly vs. Sly

When we last visited the Rocky Balboa Blog last month, the site wasn't much more than a video and a bunch of unintentionally hilarious comments.

Now, the site has a new photo up, and a bunch more comments -- my favorite is the one that starts "Dun. Dun dun dun. Dun dun dun dun. Risin up back on the street... EYE OF THE TIGER BABY! AAADDDRRRRIIIIIAAANNNNN!!!!!!" -- and, I have to admit, Sly looks in pretty good shape for a 700-year-old or whatever he is (He's 59). Not quite in as good shape as in the last movie, but, hey, he appears to be in better shape than I am.

The 700 Level has a very funny comparison of Rocky and Arnold, and, yikes, Sly's way head of The Terminator.

Arnold vs. Rocky [The 700 Level]
Third photo from 'Rocky Balboa' [Rocky Balboa Blog]
Dec. 15, 2005: Gonna blog now

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January 18, 2006

Here's a hint: She's not on vacation

Seen on the front page of NBC 10:

Thanks for the spoiler warning, NBC 10, though I think you already ruined it for us.

Yo, Rocky. Where's Adrian? [NBC 10]

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January 17, 2006

Oy, Adrian

KYW 3 puts up only the most flattering photos of Sly Stallone in its Rocky sightings feature.

Rocky sightings [KYW 3]

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January 13, 2006

Quickies: Yo Adrian!

• The National Coalition for the Homeless releases a list of the 20 meanest cities to the homeless and Philadelphia is not on the list. Take that, Sarasota! (Oh, and Chicago and New York and Las Vegas and Dallas and Houston and San Francisco and Los Angeles and Phoenix and Pittsburgh.) [KYW 1060]

• The Case of the Hit and Run Nun heats up: Police found a truck that kinda sorta matches the description of the truck that struck and killed Sister Paul Mercedes Perreca. They questioned the driver, a Northeast Philly man, but say he's just a "person of interest," not a suspect. If Law & Order has taught me anything, there's about 15 more minuntes left until Briscoe and Green catch the real killer! [Inky]

• New Jersey slogan: "New Jersey: Come See For Yourself." Eh. I don't see that making it onto an ironic Urban Outfitters tee anytime soon. [6 ABC]

• And, KYW 3 has a slideshow of Rocky Balboa sightings. [KYW 3]

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December 15, 2005

A newly-posted comment from the Rocky Balboa Blog, presented entirely without comment (from me)

TREEEEEEEEEMENDOUS!!!!!!

I have a king-size bed, and I was running around it today with my brother, and he was Clubber Lang and I was Rocky Balboa and he wouldn't lose, so I punched him right in the face. And he started crying, so I explained to him how ROCKEY 3 went, and we watched it together, and he saw how Clubber Lang gets it in the end, and later, we went upstairs and he let Rocky win.

It's moments like these that make me want to get in line and buy tickets for ROCKY BALBOA now, before it's even done being made, because ROCKY brings people together. If it brings other families together the way it brought me and my brother Toomey together today, than it's good movies.

PLEASE DON'T LET PAULY DIE THOUGH!!! HE is my favorite and please bring back the dancing robot. Good Times! YEAH! ROCKEY RULES USA & RUSSIA!!!

Production begins [Rocky Balboa Blog]

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Gonna blog now

It seems like every time there's a new product launched, it comes with -- of course! -- a blog. And the forthcoming 2007 film Rocky Balboa is, of course, no exception. Yes, RockyBalboaBlog.com is officially live for all the news on a movie that's not even coming out next year.

Unlike most movie blogs, there's actually some content on this one: a two-minute video of Stallone talking about shooting some of the scenes with Antonio Tarver, who plays Mason "The Line" Dixon. Sly says the boxing scenes are going to be ultra-realistic, "a true professional fight where you can't tell the difference." This movie sounds way strange and it's been 15 years since the last Rocky movie, but, hey, they're trying. And of course I'm going to see it. Everyone's going to see it, even if just out of sheer curiosity.

While the video interview is interesting, nothing can top the comments so far. As I write this, there's 88 comments on the first and only post, and I'm sure that number will grow into the hundreds soon. I don't know if the comments are moderated or not, but it seems like all anyone does is gush. There are a ton of comments, but I believe this one is the best:

I love the Rocky Saga. I love the Rocky Antology. And now Sly is bring Rocky back to "the Roots". Rocky One is a mythos, a classic Film. I also love the other Sequels (even Part V). Some People says they dont like the Tttel. I like it, i think its better than "Rocky VI" or a other version. The Title "Rocky Baloba" has somthing... i dont know... something final (concluding), something nostalgic. The Circel is now Complet. The End of a great Saga ends.

I havent seen the Movie yet, NOBODY HAS (it will sarts 2007) BUT I KONW it will be great. A Final End for one of the Greatest Saga of Time.

It has to be a joke. The misspellings -- "Rocky Baloba" -- the random capitalization, the explanation of the word "final" in a parenthetical note and an all caps explanation that nobody has seen the movie (that comes out in 2007) yet. Wow. I think I'm even more excited for this movie now.

Update: Here's my second-favorite one:

Hey, I posted a little while ago about ROCKY BALBOA, and I just wanted to add that this afternoon, I was pretending that I was Rocky Balboa, in one of his big fights, and I almost ripped my pants throwing punches at an invisible Ivan Drago.

The Rocky Balboa Blog [via Bella Vista Social Club]

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December 07, 2005

This movie just keeps getting better and better

Oh yea, Paulie? He's in Rocky Balboa.

ESPN Photo Wire - Sylvester Stallone [ESPN.com]

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