Category: Celebs

Sly is The Dean

Craig / / 2002, Celebs, Shade

Thriller ‘Shade’ hustles cast for dealer Nieman
Tue May 14, 2:16 AM ET by Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) — Sylvester Stallone, Thandie Newton, Gabriel Byrne and Stuart Townsend will star in RKO Pictures’ crime thriller “Shade” from first-time writer-director Damian Nieman. Production begins May 30 in Los Angeles.

“Shade” is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale unfolds as the hustlers — Newton, Townsend and Byrne — encounter “The Dean” (Stallone) and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster.

RKO chairman and CEO Ted Hartley is producing with Hammond Entertainment’s David Schnepp and Chris Hammond. Merv Griffin and Joe Nicolo will executive produce with actor Bo Hopkins, who also will appear in the film.

“It’s been a long time since there has been a cool L.A. movie; we hope this film does for modern Los Angeles what ‘L.A. Confidential’ did for 1950s Los Angeles,” Hammond said. He said that the producers plan to feature numerous local landmarks in the film, including the Argyle Hotel, the Magic Castle and the Roosevelt Hotel.

Hammond said the project takes its roots in an underworld that very much exists in Los Angeles today.

“There is a network of card hustlers and gamblers who use sleight of hand and card manipulation to get what they want,” he said. “Damian is a former top-card ‘mechanic’ and is drawing on his own personal knowledge for this film.”

Said Hartley: “I could not think of a better group of talented actors coming together on this RKO picture. I believe this will be the first of a number of truly exciting pictures that RKO will produce this year. We all fell in love with Damian Nieman‘s screenplay with its colorful cast of characters.”

Cobalt Media Group’s Peter Rogers and Ralpho Borgos will handle international sales for the film, which debuts on their sales slate at this month’s Festival de Cannes.

– Craig Zablo (May 14, 2002)

Sly at Race to Erase

Craig / / 2002, Celebs

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) – Appropriately for a fund-raiser called the Race to Erase MS, Friday’s dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel had its key acceleration going into the final sprint.

The ninth edition kicked off with a 1970s-themed, celebrity fashion show by Tommy Hilfiger. (The invite also called for ’70s dress, which revealed how much scary disco gear gathers dust in Beverly Hills closets.)

The high-energy runway presentation ended with co-chair Hilfiger taking the traditional designer’s bow (wearing a wig that gave him the appearance of an unusually healthy Iggy Pop) to strong applause.

The evening’s message on multiple sclerosis was delivered by co-chair Nancy Davis, who spoke about possible treatments, which surprisingly may include botox. Davis said the dinner raised a record $2.5 million.

While dinner was served, Tom Arnold, Tony Danza and Bill Maher emceed a live auction, valiantly trying to hold the crowd’s attention for the nine luxury items offered. One $16,000 bidder they nabbed was Montel Williams, who — proving you’re never too old to learn new, dangerous sports — will be taking luge lessons from Olympians at Lake Placid.

The evening shifted into high-gear with the live entertainment: Don Henley, Stevie Nicks and, especially, Smokey Robinson and Donna Summer. It’s not often a fund-raising crowd gets jiggy at a hotel dinner, but Summer had them out of their seats for her entire set.

Among guests were Tara Reid, Brooke Shields, Sylvester Stallone, Barbara and Marvin Davis, Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr, Jackie Collins, Angela Bassett and Ray Romano.

– Craig Zablo (May 14, 2002)

The Rock Learns From Sly & Arnold

Craig / / 2002, Celebs

From STUFF Magazine: May 2002

The Rock: Lord of the Ring

Excerpt from interview:

Will the Rock succeed?
Oh, yeah. I have had some great advisers helping me along the way. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have come down to the set to chat.

Could you understand what either of them said?
Yeah, Sly said, “Don’t look directly into the sun,” and Schwarzenegger said, “Always use a condom.” So I took that advice, and here we are. Both guys have been extremely supportive, and they certainly don’t have to be. It’s Great. They define the action genre.

Arnold has made some great movies, and Sylvester has done an amazing job. I mean, Rockyis just one of the all-time greatest pictures ever made.

Aren’t you overlooking Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot?
Yeah, and Red Heat.

*This cartoon was with the article, Illustrated by: Gary Brandham.*

Thanks to John “Big” Beatty for the tip and the scan.

– Craig Zablo (May 2, 2002)

Stallone in “The Green”?

Craig / / 2002, Celebs, Unmade Films

STALLONE IS IN IT FOR ‘THE GREEN: Numenorean principals Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman have agreed to adapt Troon McAllister‘s award-winning novel The Green for a spring 2002 shoot starring Sylvester Stallone. Stallone plays Eddie Caminetti, a golf hustler who reluctantly gets dragged into the upper-crust world of playing for the American team in the Ryder Cup matches – golf’s most prestigious event. Stallone is committed and Samuel Jackson has expressed interest in playing the team’s coach. The project will be produced jointly with Crusader Entertainment and Paramount Pictures.

I’m sure that this would not be the film that many SZoners would have picked for Sly to do next. But this book has gotten rave reviews. Click on the picture to the left, if you would like to read them or even purchase it.

Thanks to Franck (from Paris, France)

– Craig Zablo (April 21, 2002)

ISN’T IT ICONIC?

Craig / / 2002, Celebs

Sly‘s in the current (issue 124) issue of IMPACT. It gives a career overview and comparison on Sly and Arnold Schwarzenegger in an article by John Bierly entitled … “ISN’T IT ICONIC”

For a whole generation of young film-goers Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the kings of the action genre. But, in a changing marketplace, whose career has best survived the years of crash and burn ? Impact traces their paths of destruction… Here are some excerpts guys…

‘”Stallone, meanwhile , had carved out a career with brains rather than brawn. ‘

“The Last Action Hero bombed in 1993, but 1994 Arnold found huge success again with True Lies. Stallone starred in one of his finest films, Cliffhanger, in 1993.’

‘ The difference , perhaps, is this : Sylvester Stallone is an actor, and Arnold Schwarzenerger is a star.’

‘I feel quite strongly that Stallone‘s performance in the 2000 remake of Get Carter is the best work off his career. He played Jack Carter as a real human being, whose single- minded quest for revenge instead brings him redemption. It’s a brave physical and emotional performance , and should have earned Stallone an Oscar nomination. ‘

‘ The bottom line is each man seems to be doing what suits him most. Stalllone is too good an actor to confine himself to bad action movies. ‘

Thanks to “Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes.
– Craig Zablo (April 21, 2002)

Three Sly Tidbits

Craig / / 2002, Celebs, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone

On March 26th Sly attended the sixth annual “An Unforgettable Evening” benefit for breast cancer in Beverly Hills, California. Elton John was the guest of honor. John Mellencamp provided the night’s musical entertainment, while comedian Dennis Miller hosted.

 

Also in attendance were Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Cole, and Fran Drescher, among others.

 

The April 1, 2002 (no fooling) issue of US Weekly contains two Sly tidbits:

 

In the “Loose Talk” section Sly is quoted as saying: “Anyone who says they’re not disappointed is putting you on.” in reference to losing at the Oscars.

In a sidebar section about famous breakups the following appears:

 

Jennifer Flavin The Dump: In May 1994, after five years of dating, Sylvester Stallone dropped Revlon model Flavin with a six-page letter delivered via Federal Express. Today: The couple reunited in the summer of 1995 and married two years later. They have two young daughters, and Flavin is pregnant again.

Sly Part of The Punch Bunch

Craig / / 2002, Celebs

Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes checked in with a scoop that the March 2002 issue of Total Film contains an article entitled “The Punch Bunch” by Ceri Thomas. The piece looks at “a long line of thespians who spent months wheezing around stinky gyms perfecting their slugging skills.” The actors include Wil Smith, Robert Deniro, Denzel Washington, Errol Flyn , Daniel Day-Lewis and of course Sly. The Rocky article is short but contains quotes from Sly and John Alvidsen.

Thanks again to Jazzman for keeping us informed!

Craig Zablo (March 23, 2002)

Death Race 3000

Craig / / 2002, Celebs, Death Race 2000, Unmade Films

On Friday, Dark Horizons posted an item based on an article in the The Chicago Sun Times in which director Paul Anderson [“Resident Evil’] discussed plans to re-make “Death Race 2000” as “Death Race 2000!” The kicker is that the film is being developed as a Tom Cruise project. Anderson revealed that, “Tom plays Frankenstein, the best driver in the world. But he has that nickname because he’s been in so many crashes. He’s a little bit beat up. He’s a little reckless.” A script was turned in last week and Anderson is excited about it.

What makes this film really cool for SZoners? Anderson was quoted as saying, “I’d love to cast Sly Stallone and bring him back as the same character he played in the first one. He was a great Machine Gun Joe.”

– Craig Zablo (March 9, 2002)

Bummer Stock

Craig / / 2002, Celebs

The March 4, 2002 issue of People contains the pic above with the following:

In a year marked by corporate scandal and financial ruin, Sylvester Stallone is waging his own battle. The Rocky star watched as his more than 3.9 million shares of Planet Hollywood stock, which he received as payment for promotional work, dwindle in value from $20 a share to 10 cents each. Stallone blames his former business manager Kenneth Starr [no relation to the Lewinski prosecutor] for alledgedly telling him that ‘it would send the wrong message to the market” if he sold, while counseling other investors to cash out. Stallone, 55, who teamed with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis to revive the franchise in 1995, claims he lost $10 million after the chain filed for banruptcy in 1999. He’s suing Starr for $17.3 in damages. [Schwarzenegger got out two years ago; Willis is still very much invested,” says his rep.] Ben Fields, a rep for Starr, whose clients reportedly include Warren Beatty and Al Pacino, told Daily Variety that Stallone‘s claims were “utter hogwash.” He adds, “I call him Stallone the Suer.” Says Starr spokesman Dan Klores: “[He] has sued or been sued by everyone from his stepfather to his landscapers, architects, production companies, producers… and wives.” Responds Sly‘s attorney: “My client will set the record straight.” Stay tuned.


Thanks to Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes for the pic and article!

Craig Zablo (March 9, 2002)