"Let’s Get Ready to Rock!"

Craig / / Uncategorized

It’s come down to this… Rocky Balboa [SYLVESTER STALLONE] steps out of his corner, ready to mix it up with Heavyweight Champion Mason Dixon [ANTONIO TARVER].
– Craig Zablo

The final round of the Academy Award®-winning Rocky franchise hits theatres Friday, December 22, 2006. Written and directed by SYLVESTER STALLONE.

For a larger version of this image click HERE!

Photo by: John Bramley

As an added bonus for SYLVESTER STALLONE / ROCKY fans, here’s Sly’s response to another question sent in by STALLONEZONEr!

Craig: Do you still paint?

SYLVESTER STALLONE: I do. [LAUGHS] I, you know, the other day I, I usually paint characters or situations that are, you know, kind of emotional… bizarre. But lately I’ve been painting, dare I say it, flowers for the house. But they’re bizarre flowers.

Frank Stallone Checks In

Craig / / 2006, Frank Stallone, Rocky Balboa

Frank Stallone and I exchanged a few e-mails this week. Here are some things Frank said that SZoners will want to hear::

* Wait till you see this film [“Rocky Balboa”] it’s awesome.

* “Rocky Balboa” opens a panning camera shot of the city while “Take You Back” is playing [about 54 seconds which is a lot of time for film].

* We are gearing up for the single release as we speak

* I also have two more songs in the movie: “You Wake Up The Heart In Me” and “Raw.”

* Thanks for the support! It’s so great that you still keep the site going!

– Frank‘s not only a talented guy, but he’s always been supportive of the SZ!

I think it’s so cool how “Take You Back” was in the original “Rocky” and now brings the final chapter full circle.

If all SZoners support the release of the “Take You Back” it’ll send a strong message about the strength of Rocky Balboa‘s fan base.

There was a “teaser” trailer for “Rocky Balboa” on the net which featured Frank’s song “Take You Back” as the camera was panning Philly. Does anybody have a link to it?  – Craig

Entertainment Weekly: They’re Back, Baby!

Craig / / 2006, Rambo, Rocky Balboa

The October 20, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly features and article titled, “They’re Back, Baby” by Tim Stack. Stack looks at six movie franchises that are set to return to the big screen: “Jurassic Park IV,” “Indiana Jones 4,” “Terminator 4,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” and “Rocky Balboa” / “Rambo IV.”

Here’s what’s said about Sly’s movies:

ROCKY BALBOA / RAMBO IV
Franchise Gross to Date: $488 million [Rocky] / $250 million [Rambo]

After failed attempts at establishing street cred [Cop Land, Get Carter], Stallone has fallen back on his two most iconic characters. Rocky Balboa [Dec. 22], the sixth entry, finds the now-widowed boxer returning to the ring despite being old enough to be his competitor’s grandfather. “I started writing it about three years ago,” Stallone told EW this summer. “The people at MGM at that time were not interested on any level.” Stallone’s persistence also paid off with the next Rambo adventure. That one is set to begin shooting in January in Thailand, a country which has seen its share of drama in recent months. Hanging out in a spot that just had a military coup? Rambo wouldn’t have it any other way.

And In This Corner…

Craig / / Uncategorized

Rocky Balboa (SYLVESTER STALLONE), looking fit and cut, steps out of retirement and back into the ring to face a younger and more skilled rival in a dramatically different era. The final round of the Academy Award®-winning Rocky franchise hits theatres Friday, December 22, 2006. Written and directed by SYLVESTER STALLONE.

For a larger version of this image click HERE!

Photo by: John Bramley

As an added bonus for SYLVESTER STALLONE / ROCKY fans, for the next few weeks we’re going to run Sly’s responses to questions sent in by STALLONEZONErs from around the world!

Craig: You’ve returned to Rocky and soon will start work on your next Rambo film. Are there other characters that you’d like to revisit?

SYLVESTER STALLONE: [LAUGHS ] Well, you know, there’s some things that I, I, I felt as though maybe I didn’t pay [enough] attention [to]. I thought Judge Dredd would have been fantastic, great character just didn’t work. Cobra was also an interesting character, yet could have been fleshed out. I thought Tango and Cash could have hung around for another version. So yeah there, there are always those. There’s about three or four characters I thought still could have hung around for a sequel.

“Rocky” Makes Another All Time Best List

Craig / / 2006, Honors, Rocky

The staff of the Winnipeg Sun decided to come up with a list of the All Time Best Sports Movies. “Rocky” came in 3rd and here’s what they had to say:

3. ROCKY

Yo Adrian, Sly Stallone scored a knockout with his breakout role and his first writing gig. Rocky is not only an uplifting sports movie but it actually won three Academy Awards, including best picture. Now, if only Sly had stopped there and never met Mr. T or made a single Rocky sequel or Rambo movie. Then there’s his other foray into the sports world, the arm-wrestling flick Over the Top. We pity the fools who had to watch that.