Harry @ AICN scored the first look at the awesome shot of Sly from “The Expendables”. You can see a huge version at his site by clicking here. A lot of sites were impressed with the pic:
Ron Salas’ “Expendable”
This is my fourth Stallone sketch by Ron Salas. Obviously I’m a huge fan of his work. Of course when he does pieces like his take on Sly from “The Expendables” who wouldn’t be? You can check out more of Ron’s art here and here.
Nice Sly Interview
SZoner, Osmar Daou sent in this link to a very good interview with Sly by Joana Prado. You can read more comments on the interview at Stallone For Ever ( http://www.stallone.com.br ) and EdmRocky ( http://www.edmrocky.blogspot.com )
Thanks to Osmar for sharing the link with us.
Sly Now and Then
On May 4, 2009, DailyMail.co.uk posted a piece about Dolph Lundgren that contained the two photos above which favorably compares the shape Sly is in now and over twenty years ago. You can read the full article here.
Antonio Tarver Sues
Antonio Tarver, who played Mason Dixon in “Rocky Balboa”, has filed a lawsuit against Rogue Marble Productions [Sly’s company], Columbia Pictures Industries, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Revolution Studios Distribution Co. with the claim that he has not been paid $1.5 million in bonuses owed him. It is Tarver’s contention that he is owed six bonuses based upon the movie’s gross of a reported $191 million dollars.
Sly’s attorney, Marty Singer, counters that Antonio Tarver is not owed any money. Singer explained to TMZ:
“On the first day of principal photography of ‘Rocky Balboa,’ Antonio Tarver, who had already reached an agreement for his appearance in the movie, refused to appear unless he received a back-end deal. He knew that if the production company did not cave in to his demands and give him a back-end deal, the motion picture would have to be shut down.
As such, Mr. Tarver received notice a few weeks ago that he had engaged in duress, among other claims, and that he had no right to receive any back-end on the motion picture due to his alleged duress.”
For more on this lawsuit check out:
Beatty’s Sly Sketch
John Beatty gifted me with this cool sketch of Sly yesterday when he was drawing and signing for fans at Free Comic Book Day at Collector’s Comics in Port St. Lucie.
Sly Squad Reports In
Here’s an e-mail I wanted to share with all SZoners:
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Hi, Craig.
My name is Edmundo de França, I am a Brazilian fan of Sly and a member of the StalloneZone Forum, under the username of “edmfalcao”.
I talked to you some time ago about my blog Stallone Brasil.
I am sending this message to share with you the experience I had in meeting Sly in Rio de Janeiro, during the shooting of The Expendables.
Before that, I have created, along with another fan, Rennan Rebello, the “Sly Squad Fan Club”, that gathered around 200 people on April 4th, when we present Sly with some gifts such as statues, our official fan club T-shirt and one Brazilian soccer club jersey.
On April 10th, I was gathered with other fans from Sly Squad, waiting for Sly near the hotel where he was staying, in Copacabana. After a long wait, around 10pm, many fans left. Just me and 11 more remained. We were all excited, but afraid that Sly wouldn’t give us much attention, after all, he was filming the entire day and, certanly, would arrive very tired.
The night was cold and, in time, some people even slept on the sidewalk. Even so, we remained hopeful. Some fans even came from other states just to try to have a picture taken with with him. Around 1am we spotted the van where Sly was in and, immediately, ran to the hotel’s entrance to welcome him.
At this time, it was possible to see the expression in Sly’s face, watching us late at night. He seemed very surprised. We immediately noticed his tired looks. Our greatest joy and happines was when he left the van and came to us. It was amazing how nice he was with us late at night. We sorrounded him, took pictures and got autographs. Sly signed them slowly, carefully. It was magnificent to see it because, even tired, he treated us with tenderness.
For me and the other group members, that was an unique and unforgettable day. I was already a fan since I was 6 years old and, after this day, I see that all that really worth it. I have travelled more than 600 miles for this. I have been hungry and cold. But the feeling I had by taking a picture with him, was unique. My greatest joy was to notice how simple and nice he is. His attention to his fans. Sly is worthy of all the success he have. He deserves it!!
More details are on Blog Stallone Brasil:
And at Stallone For Ever, by Osmar Daou:
Thanks a lot, Craig!!
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Stuff in the Basement
SZoner, Paan checked in to remind us that he’s still updating his blog, Stuff in the Basement, with rare Rocky items.
Frank Stallone News
Frank says he will be in Philly, at the end of May for his class reunion and we learn that a television show is being developed for him in this piece at Philly.com.
“Expendables” Coverage
The behind-the-scenes clip from “The Expendables” that first appeared on April 29th is being posted all over the net. Here are a few places that are covering it: