Author: Craig

Stallone #1 Big Deal

Craig / / 2000, Celebs, Honors

The Spring 2000 issue (#540) of Entertainment Weekly contains two caracatures and tidbits about SLY. The following is the second item.

(Artwork removed at the request of representatives of Roberto Parada)

DANIEL FIERMAN in an article titled “BIG DEALS” (with an illustration by ROBERTO PARADA), gives a “rundown of some significant deals that earned creative types a bigger slice of the pie.”

The #1 “big deal” is:
SYLVESTER STALLONE
* The Date: August 1995
* The Deal: One week after RON MEYER leaves the Creative Artists Agency to become president of MCA – then the parent company of Universal Pictures – he signs former client SYLVESTER STALLONE to a first-look, three picture deal worth $60 million. The pact would make the international star the second confirmed member of the $20 million club (after JIM CARREY), marking his highest potential per-picture paycheck to date, despite the recent box office disappointment of the $34.7 million grossing Judge Dredd.
* The Aftermath: Not pretty. After flirting with a long list of projects, the actor completed no pictures and received no payment from the deal, which expired in February 2000.

What the article doesn’t emphasize is that SLY was the first actor to be signed to a three picture deal for $20 million per picture. JIM CARREY‘S deal was for one movie!

– Craig Zablo
[May 20, 2000]

Stallone Quote Me

Craig / / 2000, Cliffhanger

The Spring 2000 issue (#540) of Entertainment Weekly contains two caracatures and tidbits about SLY. The following is the first item.

SYLVESTER STALLONE, on CLIFFHANGER (6/4/93)

“I had a couple of scenes where the wind was so cold, my face was swollen shut. I couldn’t articulate – and I don’t articulate that well anyway.”

My feeling is that “Get Carter” may surpass the success of “Cliffhanger.”

– Craig Zablo
[May 20, 2000]

Stallone: #1 Big Deal

Craig / / 2000, Celebs

The Spring 2000 issue (#540) of Entertainment Weekly contains two caracatures and tidbits about SLY. The following is the second item.

(Artwork removed at the request of representatives of Roberto Parada)

DANIEL FIERMAN in an article titled “BIG DEALS” (with an illustration by ROBERTO PARADA), gives a “rundown of some significant deals that earned creative types a bigger slice of the pie.”

The #1 “big deal” is:
SYLVESTER STALLONE
* The Date: August 1995
* The Deal: One week after RON MEYER leaves the Creative Artists Agency to become president of MCA – then the parent company of Universal Pictures – he signs former client SYLVESTER STALLONE to a first-look, three picture deal worth $60 million. The pact would make the international star the second confirmed member of the $20 million club (after JIM CARREY), marking his highest potential per-picture paycheck to date, despite the recent box office disappointment of the $34.7 million grossing Judge Dredd.
* The Aftermath: Not pretty. After flirting with a long list of projects, the actor completed no pictures and received no payment from the deal, which expired in February 2000.

What the article doesn’t emphasize is that SLY was the first actor to be signed to a three picture deal for $20 million per picture. JIM CARREY‘S deal was for one movie!

– Craig Zablo
May 20, 2000

Boxer Brief

Craig / / 2000, Rocky VI

The picture to the right and the article that follows appear in the May 19, 2000 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

In the right corner, fading action hero SYLVESTER STALLONE! In the left corner, intrigued but apparently wary studio MGM! The subject of their current scuffle? “Rocky VI.” You read right: Six!

Stallone tells EW he’s penned yet another script about everyone’s marble-mouthed meat pulverizer. An exec at MGM – which owns the 24-year-old franchise – says that the studio is “excited” to see the pages (despite Rocky V‘s relatively weak $41 million box office). But the star refuses to show MGM anything until it boosts its proposed $10 million budget. “We need at least $20 or $22 million,” says Stallone. “I mean, you gotta pay (Rocky’s wife) TALIA SHIRE something.

So what’s in those closely guarded pages? The movie –

– which STALLONE imagines as a grittier, “Raging Bull”-type epic – finds the boxer, aging and broke, reentering the ring to raise money for a Christian youth association.”I’ve tried to emulate a few things in reality, such as the GEORGE FOREMAN story,” says STALLONE, noting, that like the real-life boxer who retired at 48 after a conteroversial ’97 defeat, Rocky is “probably going to lose.”

The 53-year-old actor wants to shoot VI pronto. “It’s already been ten years since “Rocky V,” says STALLONE. “What are you going to do, wait 20 years? It’s now or never.” Oh, but think of the dialogue: “Yo, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

– William Keck

Let’s hope that SLY and MGM reach an agreement and the movie is made. Rocky needs a better send-off than “V” provided.

– Craig Zablo (May 13, 2000)

Sly Ready for “Rocky VI” Part II

Craig / / 2000, Rocky VI

The picture above and the article that follows appears in the May 19, 2000 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

In the right corner, fading action hero SYLVESTER STALLONE! In the left corner, intrigued but apparently wary studio MGM! The subject of their current scuffle? “Rocky VI.” You read right: Six!

Stallone tells EW he’s penned yet another script about everyone’s marble-mouthed meat pulverizer. An exec at MGM – which owns the 24-year-old franchise – says that the studio is “excited” to see the pages (despite Rocky V‘s relatively weak $41 million box office). But the star refuses to show MGM anything until it boosts its proposed $10 million budget. “We need at least $20 or $22 million,” says Stallone. “I mean, you gotta pay (Rocky‘s wife) TALIA SHIRE something.”

So what’s in those closely guarded pages? The movie – which STALLONE imagines as a grittier, “Raging Bull”-type epic – finds the boxer, aging and broke, reentering the ring to raise money for a Christian youth association. “I’ve tried to emulate a few things in reality, such as the GEORGE FOREMAN story,” says STALLONE, noting, that like the real-life boxer who retired at 48 after a conteroversial ’97 defeat, Rocky is “probably going to lose.”

The 53-year-old actor wants to shoot VI pronto. “It’s already been ten years since “Rocky V,” says STALLONE. “What are you going to do, wait 20 years? It’s now or never.” Oh, but think of the dialogue: “Yo, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” – William Keck

Let’s hope that SLY and MGM reach an agreement and the movie is made. Rocky needs a better send-off than “V” provided.
– Craig Zablo
[May 11. 2000]

Sly and Mickey Rourke

Craig / / 2000, Celebs, Get Carter

The May 23, 2000 issue of STAR contains an item in the StarPeople section:

SYLVESTER STALLONE claims he destroyed his little black book when he married JENNIFER FLAVIN, but that doesn’t stop him from playing matchmaker for his new pal MICKEY ROURKE. The guys became fast friends as co-stars in the upcoming remake of “Get Carter.” Mickey still carries a torch for his ex-wife, CARRE OTIS, but she wants nothing to do with him. SLY feels so sorry for the guy, he’s been encouraging Mickey to get back in the dating game. He’s even asked Jennifer to fix Mickey up with some of her model friends.

“Get Carter” could be a comeback film for Mickey Rourke.
– Craig Zablo
[May 17, 2000]

Sly Ready for “Rocky VI”

Craig / / 2000, Champs, Rocky VI

On May 11th Entertainment Weekly OnLine ran a piece by WILLIAM KECK which quoted SYLVESTER STALLONE as saying that he’s finished a script for “Rocky VI” and would like to begin work on it as soon as he’s finished filming “Champs.” The only hold up at this point is whether or not MGM is willing to greenlight the film at the budget STALLONE needs ($22 million). SLY wants to do the film soon noting that “It’s already been ten years since Rocky V. It’s now or never.”

The news that SLY himself was talking about making a sixth “Rocky” also appeared at Cinescape, Ain’t It Cool News, and Dark Horizons.

As it stands now we know for certain that SLY wants to do a sixth “Rocky.” MGM was already interested. SLY and MGM should be able to reach an agreement on the budget. Twentytwo million doesn’t seem unreasonable, especially consider ing that “Rocky V” made $41 million (the lowest of amount in the series), and that was in 1991 dollars!

– Craig Zablo
[May 11. 2000]

Sly Ready for “Rocky VI”

Craig / / 2000, Rocky VI

On May 11th Entertainment Weekly OnLine ran a piece by WILLIAM KECK which quoted SYLVESTER STALLONE as saying that he’s finished a script for “Rocky VI” and would like to begin work on it as soon as he’s finished filming “Champs.” The only hold up at this point is whether or not MGM is willing to greenlight the film at the budget STALLONE needs ($22 million). SLY wants to do the film soon noting that “It’s already been ten years since Rocky V. It’s now or never.”

The news that SLY himself was talking about making a sixth “Rocky” also appeared at Cinescape, Ain’t It Cool News, and Dark Horizons.

As it stands now we know for certain that SLY wants to do a sixth “Rocky.” MGM was already interested. SLY and MGM should be able to reach an agreement on the budget. Twentytwo million doesn’t seem unreasonable, especially consider ing that “Rocky V” made $41 million (the lowest of amount in the series), and that was in 1991 dollars!

– Craig Zablo
[May 11. 2000]