Mike Tyson: Sly Deserves the Hall of Fame

Craig / / 2011, Celebs, Honors

On January 12, 2011, ESPN Boxing posted a piece on former champ and recent Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Tyson.  Mr. Tyson had this to say about Sly Stallone also being inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame:

Although some criticized Stallone’s election, Tyson loves it.

“You know how awesome that is?” he said. “You know how many fighters he inspired from that movie? He had a helluva movie. He contributed to boxing. The body of work he created contributed to boxing. He contributed more than some champions did. You gotta contribute. You have referees, they contribute even though they didn’t fight. [Stallone made a] big-time contribution.”

You can read the full piece here.

Thomas Boatwright: Barney Ross

Craig / / 2011, Craig's Sly Art, Expendables

I commissioned my first sketch from Thomas Boatwright in December of 2010.  It was this First Blood piece. Thomas finished it in less than a week and I totally loved it.  So I ordered two more pieces.  This sketch of Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables is the second piece.  I have another that I will post in the near future of Sly as Jack Carter.  I totally dig them all and hope to get more art from Thomas for my collection later this year.

If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his DA site. Send him some love.  If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist! – Craig

Sly & “Diamond Eyes”

Craig / / 2011, Expendables

On January 6, 2011, Brent Smith of Shinedown spoke to The Pulse of Radio about their newly released video for their song “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom Lay Boom) which was used on The Expendables trailer.  When asked why the song has “Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom” as a subtitle, Smith explained:

“When we wrote the song, Sylvester Stallone said, ‘You have to repeat in some kind of a chant form or an anthemic form, I need it if you can to have it go ‘boom-lay boom-lay boom.” ‘Cause it’s based off of a poem called ‘The Congo’ that he based a lot of the premise of ‘The Expendables’ off of,” he said. “In that poem, between each paragraph, it goes ‘boom-lay boom-lay boom’ and then it goes to the next section of the poem.”

Here are links to The Congo, one to the Shinedown video and the original article.

New Rocky Action Figure Coming

Craig / / 2011, Rocky

Pattni has signed a deal to create a new Rocky action figure…

The new Rocky action figure features the fighter, played by Sylvester Stallone in the films, in full boxing kit and has movable head, shoulders, arms, waist, legs, knees and ankles.

Pattni Imaginations MD Mayur Pattni,added: “We are thrilled to have signed this new deal as Rocky is an absolute icon.

To read the full piece, click here.

Tips for Fighting Stallone

Craig / / 2011

AMC recently posted Six Tips to Help Anyone Fighting With Stallone.  Here are some excerpts:

  1. Don’t Kill His Friends… If there’s one thing you definitely do not want to do before an imminent showdown with Stallone, killing his buddies is it…
  2. Don’t Give Him a Weapon… If you find Stallone unarmed, leave him that way. Don’t put anything that could conceivably be a weapon near the guy…
  3. Don’t Mess with Stallone Near a Cliff or a Helicopter… Stallone’s enemies ought to stay away from helicopters altogether…
  4. Don’t Assume You Have Rights… if the law doesn’t serve his [Sly’s] needs he’s doesn’t get bogged down by rules and regulations…
  5. Don’t Disrespect the Guns… Look, Stallone has biceps as big around as a python. Just remember that…
  6. Don’t Be One of America’s Enemies… Stallone feels the same way about America that America feels about Stallone: very good. So hailing from a nation that counts itself among America’s enemies is a very bad idea…

You can read the full piece by clicking here.\

Rob Smith’s Santa Stallone

Craig / / 2011, Craig's Sly Art

I’ve known Rob Smith Jr. for over 30 years.  In addition to being a talented artist, Rob is one of the most passionate, committed and dedicated people I’ve ever met.  Rob absolutely loves the state of Florida, nature, art, politics, reading and more.  Rob’s enthusiasm is contagious and he is always on the go.  Another thing I admire about Rob is he doesn’t just talk about his passions, he gets actively involved.

Rob and I met up for breakfast with another old friend [Jim Ivey] earlier this week.  As we were eating, talking and doing a lot of laughing, Rob whipped up his take on Sly as Santa.  After our breakfast, Rob headed out to another meeting about preserving an old Florida school and then to an evening meeting with the Florida Trail Association.     Whew!

You can check out Rob’s site and learn about more of his passions!

Welcome to Rockyland

Craig / / 2010, Demolition Man, Expendables, Rambo, Rocky 5, Rocky Balboa

On December 29, 2010, IFC News posted Matt Singer’s article, “Welcome to Rockyland: Sylvester Stallone’s Viagra Cinema.” In the piece Singer explores Sly’s resurgence to the top at an age when “action stars” have long since retired.  Here are some excerpts:

  • On July 6, 2011 Sylvester Stallone will turn 65 years old. At an age when most Americans are considering their Social Security benefits, Stallone’s career is the healthiest it’s been in decades.
  • His latest film, “The Expendables,” was the first he’s headlined to gross over $100 million in the U.S. since “Rocky IV” back in 1985. Ten years ago, Stallone’s career was dead and he was a joke. Now he’s the world’s leading manufacturer of viagra cinema, movies designed to showcase the aging male frame as it performs unnatural but remarkable physical feats.
  • What Stallone’s done is basically without precedent. All of his former rivals for action film supremacy have faded away or moved on; all of his predecessors turned to moodier and more reflective work by the time they were his age.

  • …the world of Stallone’s viagra cinema: a place of physical and moral decay, the Philadelphia of “Rocky Balboa,” the Burma of “Rambo,” or the corrupt fictional island of Vilena in “The Expendables.” The heroes Stallone plays in these films refuse to concede to the decay around them or bend to the physical limitations of their age. The world may decay; Sylvester Stallone does not.
  • Given Stallone’s age, and the fact that he surrounded himself in “The Expendables” with fresh action stars like Statham and Terry Crews, it seemed reasonable to assume that he was making the film as a symbolic passing of the torch; that it would be about what it’s like to realize you’re not faster than light anymore. Nope. Ross is correct about his skills… “The Expendables” isn’t about making way for a new generation. It’s about putting that new generation in their place and showing them how it’s done. Casting Stallone’s old contemporaries like Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke was good for some chuckles; it was also good for showing how good Stallone looks in comparison to them.
  • In “Rocky V,” when Rocky was forced into retirement (a first time), his constant refrain was “I didn’t hear no bell!” signifying that his life is not over and that he continues to endure. Twenty years later, Stallone is still fighting, still refusing to hear the bell. The longer he refuses, the deeper he gets into Rockyland, the more strangely compelling his viagra cinema gets.

Singer has written an excellent piece and I highly recommend it to all SZoners. – Craig