SZ Exclusive "Rocky III" Photos

SZoner, Mike "Adnuk" Kunda sent in these photos and this story that goes along with it:

Craig, as I go through my many Stallone photos, I thought the Zoners would like these. Funny story to it. In 1986, my friend Joe had a first cousin named sharon. She was on a school trip in 1981 to the steps in Philly. They just happened to be filming Rocky 3 on this particular day and she took these pictures. She showed them to me back then. And here is the fummy part...11 years later I married her sister, Sue. Anyways I love the picture with Sly and the 2 tony's!

Merry Christmas Zoners!!!

Mike "Adnuk" Kunda

Thanks to Mike for taking the time to send in the photos! Also, I'd like to publicly thank Mike for his continued support of the SZ. - Craig

Rambo Makes Best Films List

Jeff Allard at ShockTilYouDrop.com lists his choices for Best & Worst Horror Films of 2008. Surprisingly, he places "Rambo" on the Best Film list! Here's his rationale:

Sylvester Stallone's return to one of his signature roles wasn't horror, of course, but Rambo is a film no genre fan can afford to ignore...

High praise indeed! - Craig

JoBlo Looks to SZ

JoBlo.com recently posted a piece about Sly in Brazil scouting locations and talking with Juliana Paes for a potential role in "The Expendables." Did you happen to check out JoBlo's source for the item? - Craig

Sly in France

SZoner, Chris from France sent in these photos. Thanks to Chris for sharing! - Craig

Merry Christmas

The Main Film is in the Top 5

Neil Brown, over at ScreenRant.com, recently had this to say about "The Expendables":

The main film on any true film fan’s calendar for 2009 has to be The Expendables. The Sylvester Stallone film co-starring Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forrest Whitaker.

Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News spoke with Sly who revealed that UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture has joined the film’s line up. He also revealed that Lundgren and Li would indulge in some sort of fisticuffs.Come on Sly - get Arnold and Bruce involved - even if only in a brief cameo capacity.

Who could argue with that? And ScreenRant also pointed out that "The Expendables" was the Internet Movie Database's number five most searched movie of 2008! That's pretty impressive, especially considering that it wasn't announced until later in the year. - Craig

Sly on Location

SZoner, Gianno, sent in the photos with this post and said: Madonna is not the only international star to come to Rio de Janeiro in recent days. Sylvester Stallone is also in town. The actor is looking to scout locations for his new movie, "The Expendables", which will be recorded in the city and Sao Paulo.

Thanks to Gianno for sharing his photos! - Craig

Sly Shopping

SZoner, Gerardo Moreno sent in the photo above with the following which came out of Hello magazine. The photo was taken while Sly was shopping in Beverly Hills.

Thanks to Gerardo for sharing! - Craig

Rocky Scores Again

On December 19, 2008, AskMen.com reviewed "Rocky" and gave it an overall 98% rating. Even more impressive is that AskMen readers rated it with a 99% rating. Here are a few quotes:

(Rocky is)... the ultimate male icon who represents, in a completely unassuming manner, values that are dear to every man such as standing up for your girl and doing your best regardless of the circumstances.

Rocky won’t just move you; it’ll lift your spirit.

You can read the whole review here. - Craig

Guess Who Made the Paper

On December 19, 2008, TMZ.com posted a larger version of this photo of Sly reading about himself in a Brazilian newspaper. You can check it out here. - Craig

Superfan from France

SZoner, M. Christopher Paquereau sent in these photos taken when Sly was in France for the promotion of "Rocky Balboa."

Chris got an autographed photo!

And Sly even posed for a picture!

Here is Christopher's display case full of Sly Stallone memorabilia including a title belt and Rocky statue! [Rocky collector statues are still available from A. Thomas Schomberg -- the artist who created the original statue for "Rocky III" -- and if you order now, you can get one at the special holiday rate!] Thanks to Chris for sharing his photos! - Craig

Rourke Credits Sly

Mickey Rourke, who is flying high now with universally great reviews for his performance in "The Wrestler," went through a long period when he couldn't get movie work. In an interview with BlackBook.com, Rourke credits Sly with giving him a helping hand back into the business:

“Stallone saw me in a restaurant eating one night, where I could hardly pay for my ******* spaghetti, and put me in Get Carter.”

You can read the whole Mickey Rourke interview here. - Craig

Randy Couture is Expendable

Ain't It Cool News has reported that Randy Couture, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, has joined Sly, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forrest Whittaker in "The Expendables." Filming starts in February and you can read the whole piece here. - Craig

"Rocky" Tops Again

"Rocky" tops another "Best All Time Sports Movie" list. - Craig

Is "T-Bag" Expendable

If you're a fan of "Prison Break" you're going to love hearing that there's a chance that Robert "T-Bag" Knepper will appear along side Sly Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren in "The Expendables." You can read here what Robert Knepper told Newsbeat.

I, for one, would love to see Knepper added to the cast. He's a fantastic actor and would be a welcome addition. Let's hope this happens. - Craig

Rambo's Impact

On December 5, 2008, Marco Lanzagorta took a look at the impact the Rambo movies have had on U.S. culture for Popmatters.com. You can read his piece here. - Craig

Frank Stallone Concert

Want to know where Frank Stallone will be playing on January 3, 2009? Then click here. - Craig

Robert Earl is "Expendable

On December 2nd, Variety reported that Robert Earl, co-owner of the Planet Hollywood resort chain and friend of Sly Stallone, has signed on as a co-producer of "The Expendables." Sly will write, direct and star when filming starts in February. He will be joined by Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren. You can read full details by clicking here. - Craig

Rocky's Tough Territory

If you're planning to tour Rocky's Philly neighborhood, then you might want to first check out this article that Joe Bordsen wrote for The Age.com. - Craig