Rambo is the Toughest!

Craig / / 2004, Rambo

Hey SZoners, here’s an e-mail I received…

Hello Mr. Zablo,
It’s been a while since I have E-mailed and I’m sure you don’t remember me but I wanted to let Stallone Zone fans know of this. I was at my local Wegmans and in the new issue of Men’s Journal with Mel Gibson on the cover it talks of the 25 toughest men. Although for some strange reason Mr. Stallone is not in there it does have a list of the toughest movie characters and #1 is Rambo. Just thought you and your readers would like to know. Thank you for your time and keep up the good work with the site.
Another Sly Fan,
Joe Petitto

Thanks Joe! – Craig Zablo

Stallone in Hollywood Animal

Craig / / 2004, Celebs, FIST, Staying Alive

Joe Eszterhas was, at one time, the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood. He was also the first screenwriter to make the 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood list.

Eszterhas’ first movie was F.I.S.T. which starred Sly Stallone. Before the movie was released Eszterhas and Sly had a few very public squabbles, although they did ultimately patch things up.

Here’s how the New York Post described it:

But when he was starting out, he and Stallone clashed after Robert De Niro wavered on playing the role of the Jimmy Hoffa-like character in “F.I.S.T.”  Stallone played the part.
Stallone claimed he was writing the script, not Eszterhas, and he fought him and the director, Norman Jewison, over Eszterhas’s plot, which called for the union leader to be fatally shot.

“The public will not accept me dying,” he told Jewison.

“We’re not making Rocky,” the director replied. “Without your dying, there is no ending to the movie.”

“I’m a star,” Stallone countered.

“You’re an actor,” Jewison replied.

They compromised on shooting the scene as written – but only once.

Stallone later told Eszterhas how much he liked his work on “Jagged Edge,” and said that since “I owe you one,” he wanted to hire him for $500,000 for a quick rewrite.  Stallone explained that he was directing “Staying Alive,” a sequel to “Saturday Night Fever,” and was halfway through the shooting but was having disagreements with John Travolta about the script.

Eszterhas agreed to meet with the two men in Stallone’s trailer. Travolta wanted to stress the “vulnerability” of his character, Tony Manero, but Stallone preferred to the put the stress on his being “cool.”

Eszterhas said he couldn’t help them.

“Sure you can,” Stallone said and offered to put him up in a hotel suite.

“Sly, you f – – – – d me once on ‘F.I.S.T.’ ” Eszterhas recalled saying. “What do you want to f – – – me again for, now that we’re friends?”

Travolta began to laugh, and so did Stallone, and Eszterhas left them to solve the problem
of Tony Manero’s personality on their own.

For the full article click HERE.

To order Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas [and help support the SZ] click HERE.

– Craig Zablo

Gerardo Moreno Checks In

Craig / / 2004, Fan Art

SZoner, Gerardo Moreno recently checked in, all the way from Spain, to let us know what he’s been up to.

In addition creating this nice Stallone digital image, Gerardo has been working on other traditional art.

Gerardo is currently the official artist for Christopher Lee [Lord of the Rings].

In additional, Gerardo who is a big movie fan, created a tribute piece to honor Chuck Norris.

Gerardo promises more Stallone art in the future.

Check out his site and let him know if you appreciate his work!

– Craig Zablo

Rocky vs The World

Craig / / 2004, Rocky

Jorge writes:I wanted to share a link on an interesting article maybe you can post on your next batch of news or whatever. The article is about a sequel to the Rocky game that came out about two years ago. Here’s the article and the link.

Rocky Vs. The World

Internal development sources from Europe have given IGN the details on the sequel to the sleeper hit Rocky. It’s tentatively called Rocky Vs. The World, it’s online for both PS2 and Xbox (sorry, no GameCube version), and the engine is nearly identical to the first game. The new online title features more characters, stages, and upgraded visuals. Look for this to appear on PS2 and Xbox by the end of the year.


Thanks Jorge! – Craig Zablo

R. Kelly May Score New ‘Rocky’ Stage Musical

Craig / / 2004, Celebs, Rocky

R. Kelly May Score New ‘Rocky’ Stage Musical

Robert Simonson of Playbill On-Line writes that the producers of a stage version of the Sylvester Stallone film “Rocky” are in talks with singer/songwriter R. Kelly about writing the score for the show. Variety also reported the news about Kelly.

Thomas Meehan, the three-time Tony-winning for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray, is already on board to write the book. The spokesman added that Kelly was in talks to join the creative team.

R. Kelly (whose real name is Robert Kelly) has written songs for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross and others. His 1996 single “I Believe I Can Fly,” won three Grammy Awards.

Rocky spawned four sequels and would probably work well on stage. Two songs from the “Rocky” films-“Gonna Fly Now,” an instumental by Bill Conti, and “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor – became No. 1 hits.

For the full report click [HERE].

– Craig Zablo

The “Holdup” on “Rocky VI”

Craig / / 2003, Celebs, Rocky 6

The New York Post’s Cindy Adams’ December 8, 2003 column, says that “Rocky VI” is being held up because of producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff.

Everything else is in place. MGM likes Sly’s script and would finance the movie. Sly is willing to forgo his usual multimillion dollar salary and instead work for a percentage of the profits. The only sticking point is that Winkler and Chartoff are playing hardball for up front money.

I hope that this is just a rumor but you can read the entire piece and decide for yourself.

  • Craig Zablo

Sly Guests on AMC’s “Shootout”

Craig / / 2003, Cop Land, Rocky, Rocky 6, TV

Sylvester Stallone Guest Stars on AMC’s ‘Sunday Morning ShootOut’ on December 7 at 11 AM

for Sun. (Dec. 7) –(BUSINESS WIRE)–

AMC‘s weekly half-hour series, “Sunday Morning ShootOut,” hosted by Peter Guber and Peter Bart, brings the smarts and spin of Sunday morning political shows to the world of entertainment.

THIS WEEK’S GUEST: Actor, writer and director Sylvester Stallone. Since achieving worldwide fame with Rocky, which won an Oscar for Best Picture in 1976, Stallone has acted and co-written such successful films as First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Rambo III. His acting credits include Get Carter, Driven, Demolition Man and Copland, which garnered him international critical and audience acclaim. Most recently, Stallone has completed filming Avenging Angelo, co-starring Madeline Stowe.

DISCUSSION TOPICS: 1) The producers of Rocky offered you $150,000 to cast Ryan O’Neal in the title role. What made you turn it down? 2) Why did you agree to take a major pay cut for the film Copland? 3) Lost
Souls Seeking Redemption, Rocky VI — is this a parallel to your own life and life experiences? 4) Your upcoming Rampart Scandal delves into the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. What made you choose this piece and how did it come about?

WHEN: The episode will air on Sunday, December 7 at 11 am ET/PT on the AMC cable network. The episode can also be viewed at http://movies.yahoo.com, beginning at 12 Noon (PT).

BACKGROUND: “Sunday Morning ShootOut” is a new, half-hour weekly series on AMC hosted by entertainment industry veterans, Peter Guber and Peter Bart. Guber is the chairman of Mandalay Pictures, former CEO of Sony Pictures, the producer of dozens of Hollywood‘s most successful movies including Midnight Express, Batman, Rainman, Basic Instinct. Bart is editor-in-chief of Variety, and former Hollywood reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In his career as an executive at Paramount Pictures and as president of Lorimar, Bart played a major role creating classics like The Godfather, Rosemary’s Baby and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Like other Sunday morning debate shows, the sparks fly here as prominent producers, directors, writers and stars join the hosts to debate all sides of the week’s biggest stories in the world of movies and entertainment. The experts provide informed and spirited perspectives on the winners and losers at the box-office, the rising and falling fortunes of the stars and studios themselves and the emerging trends that are forever reshaping the business of entertainment.

The pic above comes from an ad in Entertainment Weekly and the text from Business Wire. – Craig Zablo