A. Thomas Schomberg Interview, Part 2

Craig / / Uncategorized

A. Thomas Schomberg is the creator of the world famous Rocky Balboa statue. Mr. Schomberg is one of the most intelligent, articulate and talented people that you could ever meet. The man is also one of the nicest. I thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy conversation with him about his career and specifically his role in creating one of the most recognized symbols in the world, the Rocky Balboa statue. Here’s part two of the interview [and part one, if you missed it]. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. – Craig

DailyMail’s Sly Profile

Craig / / Uncategorized

On June 8, 2007, the DailyMail.co.uk posted published a really nice piece about Sly. Here are some of the highlights:
  • His most memorable characters have been men of sparse vocabulary (Rambo) and talkative fists (Rocky), and yet the Sylvester Stallone who ambles into LA’s Peninsula Hotel couldn’t be further removed from his cinematic creations.
  • An elegant man of more than a few words, he is well-read (he quotes Shakespeare) and witty, confounding one’s expectations while at the same time sending up his persona.
  • “My image is never really going to change,” he says ruefully, “and despite my physical appearance, I’m not a bully at all; I’m just the opposite. I like a laugh, I like a good turn of phrase and I don’t go around looking for people to punch. I am,” he chuckles to himself, “Hugh Grant trapped inside the body of a thug.”
  • …when Rocky Balboa was released earlier this year, it came out to almost universal praise.
  • …sometimes I look back and think where I’d be now if I’d taken the wrong turning, and I know I’d be at the intersection of Oblivion Street and Extinction Avenue. But it made me fight and it made me what I am.”
  • He is, he admits, much calmer now, although turning 60 last July “did freak me out. I was feeling pretty good, and then I looked in the mirror and went: ‘Who stole my face and replaced it with a bag of mutton?’
  • “You think when you get to 60 that you’ll have life covered, that nothing will scare you any more, but it just doesn’t happen that way. It’s baffling to realise that you can get to 60 and still not have the answers. I still have my moments of doubt and at times, I’m still a loner, but those moments are more reflective now rather than angry.”
  • Sly’s next movie “John Rambo”… has already caused a huge buzz on the internet, and well over seven million viewers watched a threeminute clip within days of its release on the net.
  • Judging by the clip, it will not be a film for the faint-hearted, but then neither is the subject matter… “For 60 years, the worst genocide on the planet has been going on,” says Stallone. “It’s horrific stuff – crushed heads on spikes, children being burned alive, rape being taught by the army – and it’s been happening in Burma… This stuff was so brutal, I had to force myself to write it. It’s based on fact and I’m hoping to go before the UN with it because I feel it’s important for people to realise what’s been going on.”
To see the full article, click HERE. It’s definitely worth a look! – Craig

A. Thomas Schomberg Interview

Craig / / Uncategorized

A. Thomas Schomberg is the creator of the world famous Rocky Balboa statue. Mr. Schomberg is one of the most intelligent, articulate and talented people that you could ever meet. The man is also one of the nicest. I thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy conversation with him about his career and specifically his role in creating one of the most recognized symbols in the world, the Rocky Balboa statue. Here’s part one of the interview. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. – Craig

Rocky is Iconic

Craig / / Uncategorized
When you think of iconic characters from movies, Rocky Balboa is probably one of the first that comes to mind. It is for Sharon Ebersole of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who did an article on movie’s iconic characters. Here’s what she had to say about Rocky Balboa:

Rocky, Sylvester Stallone

– Why him?: We love to root for an underdog, and who was more of an underdog than the Italian Stallion, a minor Philly pugilist and reluctant thug who gets the chance of a lifetime — a shot at the heavyweight title. Like Chaplin’s Tramp, Rocky is Stallone’s own creation, as writer, director and star of the original.

– The films: “Rocky I-V” (1976-95) and “Rocky Balboa” (2006).

– The look: In the beginning, an oversized, worn leather jacket and sweats hide a muscular physique that’s later revealed to his lady love while he’s wearing a “beater” T. But nothing beats his boxing robes, with advertisement space sold by his future brother-in-law, Paulie.

– The walk and the talk: Rocky goes from slouched and slow to a guy on the run — through the streets of Philadelphia and up the steps of the art museum, as he gets in shape for the big fight and begins a real-life Philly tradition. The gruff and mumbly voice and sometimes slurred speech (partly because of paralysis to the left side of Stallone’s face) can be tender and mumbly, too.

– Signature line: “Yo, Adrian.”

To see the full article, click HERE. – Craig