Sly Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard and Mark Burnett and Sylvester Stallone attended a news conference Saturday, March 13, 2004, in Las Vegas to promote The Contender.
Category: Celebs
Sly at the Arnold Classic
SZoner, Randy Rousseau, checked in with his EXCLUSIVE StalloneZone report of Sly at this year’s Arnold Classic! Here’s Randy…
I have been a friend of Tony Nowak since 1991. I tracked him down after seeing Stallone on a talk show wearing his orange and tan leather Planet Hollywood jacket. I just had to have one, and found out after flying to the first Planet Hollywood in New York that Tony was in LA, near me. Tony and I got together and have been friends for years now.
Tony has gone to the Arnold Classic every year for the last sixteen years and has a booth selling the Arnold Classic jacket. Tony has been friends with Arnold for over thirty years. Tony makes all of Arnold‘s outfits for his films and that’s how he got involved with Planet Hollywood and became friends with Sylvester Stallone and the other owners. (By the way Tony has said that Sly was the best always to work with on his different coats for Planet, he always wanted fun colors and to have fun with them some times paying over three thousand a piece.)
For the past five years my father and I have helped Tony sell the Arnold Classic jackets at the show in Columbus, Ohio. I have met Arnold many times there, but this year had a special guest that I or Tony had no idea was coming.
The show started on Friday and before the doors opened I went around looking at all the other booths that were out there at the expo and picked up a print of the show and flipped threw the pages and could not believe my eyes. There was a story in there about Sylvester Stallone coming to the show this year! I took this over to Tony, and he said he had no idea Sly coming. What a surprise!
My father came over and said, “Come look at this.” Up on a fifty inch flat screen was a promo spot of Sly working out and talking about fitness (he looked great in the promo wearing black work out attire). There were all these large pictures from Rocky IV and Demolition Man. ( Great body shots being that we are at a body building show and every single person at the show has a killer body) Then there was a banner that said ( “In my life, I have learned that success is best achieved by taking control, rather than standing on the sidelines. Now I want to teach others what I ve learned from a lifetime of taking care of my body through performance nutrition and exercise. That is why I founded INSTONE. Sincerely, SYLVESTER STALLONE Chairman & Founder”)
So to my disbelief not only was Sly going to stop by, but he had his own booth. You could feel the excitement in the air. There were about six men and women working his booth. They told me that Sly would be by on Saturday for about an hour. I went back to our booth and told Tony what was going on. I than called my wife back in California and told her the great news. She asked me, “Do you want me to send the picture of Sly that my cousin drew for you of Sly to sign”? and I said, “Please overnight it and I’ll see if I can get close to Sly to sign it.”
Over the years I have become good buddies with the security guys who guard Arnold. They told us this year they were left out because now that Arnold was the governor he would be bringing his own security. They also told us that Sly would be in about 10:30 am and he would NOT making any stops as he would be here for only thirty minutes.
On stage they were having the arm wrestling, and in walks the team of security. They come over to our booth and tell us the will bring Stallone by after he goes on stage. I go to the dock to check for my picture that my wife had overnighted and there it was, great timing. I took it back to the booth and showed it to the guys. Tony loved it and said, “put it here for me to get Sly to sign.” Tony asked, “what jacket do you think I should give him?” I said, “the Joe Weider one.” Tony picked the all-leather $1700.00 ONE AND THREE OTHER JACKETS TO GIVE TO HIS FRIEND.
I asked Tony, “when was the last time you talked to Sly” and he said when Sly was filming “Get Carter.” A few years had passed and I was thinking to myself how good does Sly know Tony? I was about to find out.
Then from the back door in comes the security and Stallone in the middle. They go to the back of the stage, and the MC talks about a special guest movie star that is into arm wrestling and made a movie about the sport. And very loudly said Sylvester Stallone. Sly thanked every one for the great welcome. Sly talked about making the film and then shook hands going of the stage, and back down to the crowd.
Sly came by our booth and noticed Tony. Sly turned and yelled, “Big Tony” and gave Tony a huge bear hug. I was standing right next to Sly. He looked fantastic. Tony said, “I have some jackets for you.” Sly said, “no you don’t have to do that, but thank you very much!!”
Than Tony said, “This is my very good friend Randy Rousseau and he is the biggest admirer you have!” Sly said, “Thank you. HOW YOU DOING?” and shook my hand. Then Tony said, “would you do us a favor and sign this?” and turned the Rocky portrait over. Sly said, “Wow! This is beautiful. Can I have it?” Tony said, “We will send you a copy.” Sly signed it and then I asked him to sign the yellow leather jacket for my company Sly asked, “are you sure?” and then signed it!
Then he took some pictures with all of us at the booth and spent a good amount of time with us. Sly then went on looking and greeting fans all over the expo. He finally went over to his booth spent around one there signing autographs and taking pictures with hundreds of fans! Sly was in the expo for over THREE HOURS AND FIFTY minutes. They were blasting Gonna Fly Now, and Eye of the Tiger. Sly spent more time at the Arnold expo in side the building with fans than Arnold has in the last sixteen years if you were to combine all the years together in just one day.
It’s All Relative
The March 8, 2004 issue of US Weekly features the above picture in a piece called “Stars’ Most Embarrasing Parents.” Along with Sly, the parents of Mel Gibson, Drew Barrymore, Brittney Spears and others are featured!
– Craig Zablo
Sly May Play Himself!
On March 4, 2004, Richard Johnson of the New York Post’s Page Six reported that “Sylvester Stallone may be stepping back into the ring. The mush-mouthed movie star — who is busy writing “Rocky 6” — may play himself in the upcoming biopic about former Great White Hope Tommy Morrison, who appeared in “Rocky V” and tested positive for HIV in 1996.”
Thanks to Tarek for the tip! – Craig Zablo
Sly An Under-Rated Actor
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Empire magazine has created their list of the ten most under-rated actors in Hollywood history. Sly came in at #9. While I wouldn’t agree with everyone on the list and could probably come up with a few others, I do agree that Sly is under-rated. The full list is posted below and you can read the entire article HERE. – Craig
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Stallone and Burnett Answer Questions
Mark Burnett, creator of the reality television show ‘Survivor’ joined Sylvester Stallone for a press conference at the LA Boxing Club in Los Angeles take questions about their new reality television show ‘The Contender’ on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004.
Spy Kids 3D DVD
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Sly and Jen Party with Travolta
Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes sent in the above item which appears in the February 23, 2004 issue of People.
Thanks, Jazz! – Craig Zablo
Sly and Foreman – Back to the Ring
George Foreman, the two-time heavyweight champion and 1968 Olympic gold medalist is serious about a return to the boxing ring. In an article posted in the Houston Chronicle on February 12th, the 55-year-old Foreman, who hasn’t fought in seven years is quoted as saying, “”I’m looking to do one good boxing match, and it’s going to be a big one, too.”
Foreman isn’t interested in a fighting someone his age. He wants to fight an up-and-comer because, “The contenders are always there because they recognize it as a big payday.”
On Tuesday, Foreman talked with Sylvester Stallone, who told Foreman he was going to do another Rocky movie. “He was crazy about the idea of (me fighting again),” Foreman said. “He’s going to come in and visit.”
For the full story click HERE.
Thanks to Francis Welch from Houston for the tip! – Craig Zablo
Stallone in Hollywood Animal
Joe Eszterhas was, at one time, the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood. He was also the first screenwriter to make the 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood list.
Eszterhas’ first movie was F.I.S.T. which starred Sly Stallone. Before the movie was released Eszterhas and Sly had a few very public squabbles, although they did ultimately patch things up.
Here’s how the New York Post described it:
But when he was starting out, he and Stallone clashed after Robert De Niro wavered on playing the role of the Jimmy Hoffa-like character in “F.I.S.T.” Stallone played the part.
Stallone claimed he was writing the script, not Eszterhas, and he fought him and the director, Norman Jewison, over Eszterhas’s plot, which called for the union leader to be fatally shot.
“The public will not accept me dying,” he told Jewison.
“We’re not making Rocky,” the director replied. “Without your dying, there is no ending to the movie.”
“I’m a star,” Stallone countered.
“You’re an actor,” Jewison replied.
They compromised on shooting the scene as written – but only once.
Stallone later told Eszterhas how much he liked his work on “Jagged Edge,” and said that since “I owe you one,” he wanted to hire him for $500,000 for a quick rewrite. Stallone explained that he was directing “Staying Alive,” a sequel to “Saturday Night Fever,” and was halfway through the shooting but was having disagreements with John Travolta about the script.
Eszterhas agreed to meet with the two men in Stallone’s trailer. Travolta wanted to stress the “vulnerability” of his character, Tony Manero, but Stallone preferred to the put the stress on his being “cool.”
Eszterhas said he couldn’t help them.
“Sure you can,” Stallone said and offered to put him up in a hotel suite.
“Sly, you f – – – – d me once on ‘F.I.S.T.’ ” Eszterhas recalled saying. “What do you want to f – – – me again for, now that we’re friends?”
Travolta began to laugh, and so did Stallone, and Eszterhas left them to solve the problem
of Tony Manero’s personality on their own.
For the full article click HERE.
To order Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas [and help support the SZ] click HERE.
– Craig Zablo