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Rocky (1976)

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UA's 90th Anniversary Tour
29 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Following a five-week run at New York City's Film Forum, a 90th-anniversary "tribute" to United Artists will go on the road beginning Friday, when the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA screens 20 restored UA films that Film Forum described as "some of the most entertaining, adventurous, and Oscar-laden American (and foreign) movies of the last nine decades." While UA was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, the films being screened were mostly produced during the last half of the 20th century. They include Dr. No (1962), the first James Bond movie, starring Sean Connery; the original Pink Panther film, starring Peter Sellers; Some Like It Hot (1959), starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe; the fight films Raging Bull (1980) and Rocky (1976); and the political dramas The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). The restored prints are scheduled to make a cross-country road-show tour over the next year.

Cowell Writing 'American Idol' Movie
21 August 2007 (WENN)
Music mogul Simon Cowell is bringing TV show American Idol to the big screen, promising the upcoming movie will be "very, very realistic" like 1976 Oscar winner Rocky. Like American Idol itself, Cowell plans to cast the lead roles in the film - called Star Struck - through open auditions across the U.S. He tells American news show Extra, "It is called Starstruck. We're writing the script as we talk. It is about 10 contestants who enter a gigantic singing contest. It's like Rocky. It's about good versus evil, and it will be very, very realistic. I'm going to cast the lead parts through an open audition process across America. So if you get through the auditions, and you get a part in this movie, it's a huge, huge deal."

Stallone Offers Medical Evidence in Drug Case
25 April 2007 (WENN)
Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone has provided an Australian court with medical documents after he was charged with illegally importing performance drugs into the country. The Rocky star was caught in possession of vials of a human growth hormone at Sydney Airport in February - which is an illegal substance in Australia. Stallone was not present at the court hearing yesterday and is yet to enter a plea. His lawyer, John Chicken, says, "We're certainly seeking to move to a resolution." The case was adjourned until May 15 to allow customs to examine medical material. If found guilty, he faces a large fine.

MGM To Begin Selling Movies on Apple's iTunes Store
12 April 2007 (StudioBriefing)
MGM has become the fourth film studio to make its movies available to the public for downloading from Apple's iTunes Store. Initially, just 25 "classic" films from the MGM library, such as Dances with Wolves and Rocky, will be provided, the company said. Only Disney, where Apple Chairman Steve Jobs is the largest stockholder, has agreed to provide relatively recent films to the Apple website, where they can be viewed on any computer or on Apple's video iPod. And although the iTunes Store has sold more movie downloads than any other website, its sales have slowed, presumably because consumers have already bought most of the available new movies they're interested in. Daily Variety observed that in the last quarter of 2006, 1.3 million movies were sold by iTunes but that in the first quarter of 2007, only 700,000 were sold.

'Museum' Comes Alive with $46.7 Million
2 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
In a weekend that saw no new films offered in wide release, holdovers performed solidly. Night at the Museum remained the No. 1 movie at the box office, taking in $46.7 million over the four-day New Year's holiday. Sony's The Pursuit of Happyness remained in second place with $42.7 million, which put it over the $100-million mark (to $103.4 million). But the real sensation was produced by the Paramount/DreamWorks' musical Dreamgirls, which landed in third place with a four-day take of $18.7 million. It played, however, on just 852 screens, while Museum was screened at 3,768. And while Museum produced an impressive per-screen average of $12,394, Dreamgirls came away with a sensational per-screen average of $21,948. Also significantly improving performance was We Are Marshall, which performed poorly in its opening but which saw its take rise 19 percent over the holiday weekend. The film, which describes the aftermath of the 1971 plane crash that took the lives of a West Virginia university football team, has now earned $27.3 million after two weeks.

The top ten films over the four-day holiday weekend, according to estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Night at the Museum, $46.7 million; 2. The Pursuit of Happyness, $24.7 million; 3. Dreamgirls, $18.7 million; 4. Charlotte's Web, $15.5 million; 5. The Good Shepherd, $14.5 million; 6. Rocky, $13.7 million 7. Eragon, $10.5 million; 8. We Are Marshall, $10.2 million; 9. Happy Feet, $9.7 million; 10. The Holiday, $8.5 million.

Library of Congress Selects New Films for Preservation
28 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Twenty-five new films have been selected for preservation for posterity by the Library of Congress. Among the films to be included in the National Film registry are Blazing Saddles (1974), Fargo (1996), Groundhog Day (1993), Halloween (1978), Rocky (1976), and sex, lies and videotape (1989). The list includes several films dating back to the silent era and the early days of sound, including the 1913 movieTraffic in Souls.

Stallone Vs. Stiller
22 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa came out swinging on Wednesday, pummeling the competition with a take of $6.4 million in its debut, but the real contender for the box-office championship over the holiday weekend doesn't even enter the ring until tonight (Friday), when the Ben Stiller comedy Night at the Museum opens. Two other potent challengers also enter the fray: We Are Marshall, based on events surrounding the 1970 plane crash that killed the Marshall University football team, and The Good Shepherd, the Robert De Niro film about the early days of the CIA, while Dreamgirls, about a Supremes-like female pop group expands to 852 theaters. Most box-office analysts are betting on Museum to win with about $35-40 million, followed close behind by the latest Rocky sequel, which, they say, is due to take in about $30 million.

Movie Reviews: 'Rocky Balboa'
20 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
When it was originally announced, the decision to make yet another Rocky movie with Sylvester Stallone playing the character he created 30 years ago was almost universally hooted. "Critics are going to have a field day with it," was the general consensus. Well, as it turns out, the reviews for Rocky Balboa are pretty good. Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun-Times writes: "Rocky Balboa is not the embarrassment many expected it to be. It's actually the best Rocky movie since the original -- a fitting and triumphant final chapter for one of the most iconic characters in the history of motion pictures." Similarly, Stephen Holden in the New York Times writes: "Surprisingly Rocky Balboa, is no embarrassment. Like its forerunners it goes the distance almost in spite of itself." Claudia Puig in USA Today quotes Rocky himself: "Who wouldda thunk?" And Geoff Pevere in the Toronto Star has this take on the film's accomplishment: "Satisfying in the end because it's not nearly as bad as it could have been, Rocky Balboa succeeds mostly because it does what the character does: gets through without falling flat on its ass." The film may also resurrect the faded career of Sylvester Stallone, other critics observe. "Defying all odds," Michael Wilmington writes in the Chicago Tribune, Stallone's movie "comes close to a knockout."

Rocky Statue Returns to Museum of Art Steps
8 September 2006 (WENN)
A larger-than-life statue of Sylvester Stallone as movie boxer Rocky Balboa is to stand proudly near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania. The site featured in the first Rocky film and has become a tourist attraction ever since as film fans clamber up the steps with the Rocky theme ringing in their ears and salute the heavens at the top of the flight. Despite objections from snooty museum bosses, who insisted the statue wasn't artistic enough to stand before the building, the city's Art Commission approved a plan on Wednesday to place the bronzed Rocky there. The statue, donated to the city by Stallone in 1982, has been stored in a warehouse for years after it was removed from the museum steps - its first home. For a time it stood proudly in front of the Spectrum Sports Arena in South Philadelphia. And city officials aren't wasting time in returning the statue to its first home - a dedication ceremony is planned for today.

Stallone Settles 'Rocky' Battle
10 August 2006 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone has settled his legal battle with a former heavyweight boxer who claimed he was the inspiration behind the Rocky movies. Chuck Wepner was always acknowledged by Stallone as the inspiration behind zero to hero fighter Rocky Balboa - Stallone began to work on 1976 movie Rocky after he watched the boxer narrowly lose to world champion Muhammad Ali in 1975. The New Jersey club fighter was plucked from obscurity by promoter Don King. But Wepner sued in 2003, claiming Stallone failed to honour promises of payments and used his name to help promote his movie franchise. Stallone countered, claiming Wepner had already received financial reward from the movies by making public appearances as "the real Rocky." Last week, lawyers for Stallone and Wepner filed notice in Newark US District Court that the lawsuit has been settled out of court. Stallone is currently filming Rocky Balboa, the sixth movie in the series, which is set for release later this year.

Fight Goes On for Stallone's 'Rocky' Statue
7 August 2006 (WENN)
A bronze Rocky statue is on the ropes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania because city officials can't decide where to put it. The likeness of Sylvester Stallone's movie boxing champ was dedicated to the city by the movie star in 1982, but dignitaries still can't decide where the statue's permanent home should be. And a campaign to erect the larger-then-life statue at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps has fallen flat because snobby museum bosses insist the piece isn't artistic enough. A spokesman for the city Art Commission says, "It's a prop." The commission has suggested the search should continue to find a permanent home for Stallone's statue. Stallone, himself, who will return with a sixth Rocky film later this year, has been fighting to find the statue a suitable home after learning it had been placed in storage.

AFI Agrees: It's a 'Wonderful' Film
15 June 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart, has been voted the most inspirational film of all time in balloting by the American Film Institute. The top five also included: 2. To Kill a Mockingbird; 3. Schindler's List; 4. Rocky; 5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The vote was conducted among 1,500 filmmakers, actors, critics and other movie professionals.

Stallone Holds Open Audition for 'Rocky VI'
5 December 2005 (WENN)
Producers working on Rocky Balboa, the fifth Rocky sequel, held an open audition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday which attracted hundreds of hopefuls. Sylvester Stallone, who was Oscar-nominated in 1976 for his leading role and screenplay for the original Rocky movie, has already started filming in Las Vegas, Nevada. And when filming switches to Rocky's hometown Philadelphia next year, producers have set aside a role for a local aspiring actor because they want the film to be as authentic as possible. Casting director Diane Heery says, "They want the character and personality of Philadelphia. We're looking for the face to the story of Philadelphia. We're looking for real people."

Stallone To Make New Rambo Movie
31 October 2005 (WENN)
Movie hardman Sylvester Stallone is making a fourth Rambo movie, seventeen years after the last film was made. The news comes shortly after Stallone announced plans for a sixth Rocky film in 2006. Rambo IV will see former Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo retired into a quiet life until he gets involved in the case of a missing child. The movie will be shot between Mexico and the United States. Filming is scheduled to start in the spring.

Sony To Bring Back Rocky
18 October 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Rocky is planning to make a comeback after 15 years in retirement. Sony, MGM, and Revolution studios announced Monday that they are working with Sylvester Stallone on a sixth Rocky movie that the actor will write and star in. They said they are planning to release he film next year, thirty years after the premiere of the original Rocky.

Stallone's Notorious BIG Film Gets the Go-Ahead
5 July 2005 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone has chosen to take his Notorious BIG biopic to the small screen after signing a deal to debut the controversial movie on America's HBO network. The Rocky star's long-awaited film - based on the murder of the rapper - was initially intended for a cinematic release. According to website StalloneZone.com, the film, in which Stallone is to play Los Angeles Police homicide Detective Russell Poole, will now air on HBO. Stallone's character Poole probed the rapper's still-unsolved murder and became the first investigator to suggest that crooked cops with ties to rival rap label Death Row Records might be mixed up in the his 1997 murder. Poole later quit the force, claiming former Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks and other department heads had squashed his efforts to probe cop corruption and the truth about Biggie's slaying. The Notorious BIG's death has become a hot issue in Los Angeles in recent weeks as legal experts lock heads at the rapper's wrongful death trial.

Schwarzenegger "Suspects Stallone of Nazi Smear Campaign"
25 May 2005 (WENN)
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suspects his former rival Sylvester Stallone of leading a secret 1980s campaign to give the Terminator star a reputation as a Nazi sympathizer, according to a new book. The two Hollywood action stars were bitter enemies in 1988, after Schwarzenegger enjoyed an affair with Stallone's ex-wife Brigitte Nielsen and accused the Rocky actor of hiring publicity agents to save his image. And in new book Fantastic: The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger, biographer Laurence Leamer claims Stallone sought vengeance by telling British journalist Wendy Leigh that Schwarzenegger's Austrian father helped round up Jews during the Holocaust and that Schwarzenegger was a "secret admirer of Hitler". Leigh claims Stallone paid her legal fees and covered her settlement to the Austrian actor, after he sued Leigh for libel when she published Stallone's alleged comments in a book. And although Stallone insists he did not contribute to Leigh's controversial tome, Leamer claims Schwarzenegger "reluctantly" confirmed he still believes Stallone worked to smear him as a fascist sympathizer, reports America's New York Daily News newspaper. The pair have since settled their differences and are firm friends again.

Stallone Believes His Show Is Not Responsible for Suicide
22 February 2005 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone refuses to accept his upcoming reality TV show The Contender is to blame for the apparent suicide of promising boxer Najai Turpin. Turpin, a contestant on the Rocky star's boxing reality show, shot himself last week, to the astonishment of both producers and his fellow contenders. And while Stallone, who attended Turpin's funeral with Sugar Ray Leonard on Friday, is shocked by the incident, he doubts his show is linked to the tragedy. He says, "This unfortunate occurrence seems to have nothing to do with boxing but other personal issues that we really don't know much about." Stallone says Turpin's presence will remain throughout the series, which is set to premiere in America on March 7. The actor adds, "I loved this man. I loved what he stood for. He was incredibly brave. When he was with his child, you saw the child in him come out."

Stallone's 'Get Carter' Voted Worst Remake
2 November 2004 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone's 2000 reworking of the Sir Michael Caine crime thriller Get Carter has been voted the worst film remake of all time in a new poll. In a survey of 2,000 film fans by DVD rental company Screenselect.co.uk, a majority voted the Rocky star's version was abysmal compared to the 1971 classic. Unfortunately for Jude Law, the recently-released Alfie film - another Caine remake - was also slammed and came in at number six in the poll. The Anne Heche-starring 1998 version of the Psycho horror film followed Get Carter at two and this year's flop Thunderbirds entered at three. The top ten also included Point of No Return at four, Charlie's Angels at five, Planet Of The Apes at seven, Starsky And Hutch at eight and Cape Fear at nine. Surprisingly 2001 blockbuster Ocean's Eleven came in at ten, despite most film reviews lauding the George Clooney film as better than the 1960 original.

Suit Against Stallone Given Go-Ahead
30 September 2004 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone's bid to throw out a lawsuit against him by former heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner has been rejected by a New Jersey judge. Wepner, 65, bought the suit against Stallone, claiming he based his hit Rocky movies on his life. US District judge Katharine S Hayden will allow a trial to proceed on Wepner's claim that Stallone inappropriately used the boxer's name to promote the movies. But the judge dismissed Wepner's two other claims - that Stallone was unjustly enriched by trading on Wepner's life and that Wepner suffered because he relied on promises Stallone made to compensate him. Wepner, who lives in Bayonne, New Jersey, was dubbed 'the Bayonne Bleeder' after he was plucked from obscurity and lost a 15-round bout to pugilist Muhammad Ali in 1975.

Stallone & Cruise Give Olympics Star Power
17 June 2004 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone and Tom Cruise thrilled sports fans and star spotters in California yesterday when they took turns carrying the Olympic torch from the coast to Downtown Los Angeles. Stallone kicked off proceedings at Venice Beach at 9am and the torch was carried through Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Hollywood and Downtown before Cruise closed proceedings at Dodgers Stadium before the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game with Baltimore Orioles. Stallone admits his morning run on the beach brought back memories for him: "The last time I was on this beach, I was running with Apollo Creed (in Rocky)." Along the route, the torch also passed through the Los Angeles Coliseum, Hollywood Boulevard, Beverly Hills and Staples Center among other landmarks. Comedienne-turned-chat show host Ellen DeGeneres was also among the 15 runners who took part in the torch relay - she ran through West Hollywood. The torch will make other stops in America and Europe before reaching the Olympic Games for the opening ceremony in Athens, Greece, on August 13.

Stallone Trying for Fourth Child
4 March 2004 (WENN)
Rocky star Sylvester Stallone is enjoying life as a father so much, he and wife Jennifer Flavin are now trying for a fourth child. The 57-year-old actor admits he's "more in love than ever" with 35-year-old Flavin, and they're eager to add another offspring to their brood. He says, "When I first met Jennifer, she was just 19 years old. She was totally unlike any woman I ever met before, and it was love at first sight." Their relationship hit a turning point when their first daughter, Sophia, was born in 1996 with a serious heart defect, requiring immediate surgery to save her life. He tells American magazine the Star, "That really made us the parents we are today." Since then, they've had two more girls - Sistine, five, and Scarlet, 21 months - and they're looking forward to a new addition. Stallone adds, "Expect an announcement any day now!"

Movie Reviews: 'Against the Ropes'
20 February 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Critics seem to agree that Against the Ropes, starring Meg Ryan and Omar Epps, splashes a plethora of clichés onto the screen. Steve Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, calls it "a riotously awful biopic rife with stereotypes and boxing movie clichés." Writes Michael Wilmington, in the Chicago Tribune: "Flabbergastingly, Against the Ropes hauls out almost every boxing movie and feminist workplace comedy cliché you can imagine." Many of the critics describe it much the way Eleanor Ringel Gillespie does in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Pretty much Erin Brockovich meets a Rocky sequel." Nevertheless, a few critics indicate that the clichés work nonetheless. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times enumerates some of them in his review (he gives the movie three stars), then observes that the movie "relies on those ancient conventions, and they pull it through."

Rocky "Inspiration" Sues Stallone
14 November 2003 (WENN)
Former boxer Chuck Wepner has gone ahead with his threat to sue Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone for using his name without permission to promote the Rocky films. Stallone is thought to have been inspired to write and star in the series of boxing films after witnessing underdog Wepner lose to legendary World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali in 1975 - but Wepner is upset he has n ever received any money from the franchise. In his lawsuit - which was filed at Jersey City, America's state Superior Court Wednesday - Wepner lays claim to some of the estimated $1 billion the five Rocky films have generated. His lawyer Anthony Mango says, "Stallone has been using Chuck's name and continues to this day in promoting the Rocky franchise without any permission or compensation. "It's one thing to base a movie on someone, which you can do. It's another to continually harp on the name for selling and promoting without any permission or compensation, which you can't do." Stallone - who allegedly made several unkept promises to compensate Wepner - has refused to comment on the lawsuit.

'Dirty Harry' Tops "Guy Movie" Poll
12 November 2003 (WENN)
Clint Eastwood's 1971 Dirty Harry film has topped a new poll of The 50 Best Guy Movies. The cop drama, in which Eastwood plays ruthless Detective Harry Callahan, beat The Godfather, Scarface and Die Hard to the top spot. Meanwhile, Eastwood and Paul Newman are the kings of the guy movie genre, according to the Men's Journal poll, with three movies each making the list, and the 1980s was the best decade, with 14 films featured. And the guy movie isn't all about action, it seems, although nine of the top 10 films feature plenty of it - comedies like Caddyshack, Blazing Saddles and Animal House also make the top 50 list. The full top 10 is: 1. Dirty Harry; 2. The Godfather; 3. Scarface; 4. Die Hard; 5. The Terminator; 6. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior; 7. The Dirty Dozen; 8. The Matrix; 9. Caddyshack; 10. Rocky.

AFI Picks Top Heroes, Villains
4 June 2003 (StudioBriefing)
At ceremonies Tuesday night, the American film Institute named the top 100 movie heroes and villains. The top ten on each list:

Heroes: 1. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), To Kill a Mockingbird; 2. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), Raiders of the Lost Ark; 3. James Bond (Sean Connery), Dr. No; 4. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Casablanca; 5. Will Kane (Gary Cooper), High Noon; 6. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), The Silence of the Lambs; 7. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Rocky; 8. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Aliens; 9. George Bailey (James Stewart), It's a Wonderful Life; 10. T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), Lawrence of Arabia.

Villains: 1. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), The Silence of the Lambs; 2. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), Psycho; 3. Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), The Empire Strikes Back; 4. The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), The Wizard of Oz; 5. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; 6. Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), It's a Wonderful Life; 7. Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), Fatal Attraction; 8. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), Double Indemnity; 9. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), The Exorcist; 10. The Queen (voiced by Lucille LaVerne), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Samuel L. Has Fun at the ESPYs
12 July 2002 (WENN)
Samuel L. Jackson took over the home of the Oscars last night to host the 10th annual ESPY Awards in Hollywood. But in addition to paying homage to the past year's American sporting achievements, the Pulp Fiction star was out to have some fun. The movie star recreated his most famous roles from Star Wars, Pulp Fiction and Shaft in a series of hilarious short films where he pretended his characters had once been sporting coaches to future legends like Derek Jeter and Shaquille O'Neal. Jackson also popped up in clips from a handful of great sporting films, including Jerry Maguire, Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Raging Bull, in which he beat up Robert De Niro with a baseball bat. The actor rounded off his night by dueting with Snoop Dogg on a rousing version of P-Funk's "We Got The Funk." Elsewhere in the show, Dennis Quaid's The Rookie beat Ali to claim the first ever Best Sports Movie award; Tiger Woods claimed the Best Male Athlete award and Venus Williams claimed the Best Female Athlete prize. The Los Angeles Lakers claimed the Best Team honor.

Rambo Returns
25 July 2001 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone is oiling up and reaching for his Bowie knife again - as Rambo IV lumbers into production. Stallone, 55, became a major league Hollywood star after the first blood-soaked Rambo movie, First Blood, destroyed box-offices in 1982. Two others followed in 1985 and 1988 between Rocky movies, and caused a generation of kids to buy toy knives with compasses on the end of them. Rambo III raked in nearly $200 million at the box office - indicating that massive profits could be reaped from another instalment. When first asked about returning to the franchise, Sly said, "I don't know if I'd look good in a thong anymore." But now, Miramax chairman Bob Weinstein says Rambo IV is in the stages for a re-script this summer - with at least a $50 million budget. Weinstein says, "We'd love nothing more than for Stallone to be involved. We think it's a billion-dollar property." The new script involves Rambo tackling drug dealers in an American government building.

Burt Reynolds Taunts Sly Stallone With Movie Flops
27 April 2001 (WENN)
Burt Reynolds and Sylvester Stallone drove each other mad on the set of their new movie by calling out the titles of each other's worst films whenever they met. Reynolds, 65, who stars alongside Stallone in Driven - which Stallone himself wrote - says that he couldn't resist an opportunity to poke fun at the Rocky star, 54, because he was the only member of the cast old enough to remember his failures. Reynolds laughs, "I had so much fun with him because these kids were so reverent to Sly and I would kid him because I'm one of the few guys who knows he did make a few turkeys and I would mention the titles as I'd walk by then he'd turn round to me and call out something like 38 titles." Reynolds, who happily admits he made some "frighteningly bad" movies during his lengthy career, says his personal favourite is the 1975 movie At Long Last Love, in which he co-starred with Cybill Shepherd. He says, "I would say - gee, it's a toss up - At Long Last Love, because I sang and danced. But we did it live, we sang live. Everybody else could sing, Cybill sings pretty good. "I made a couple of movies that were just frightening they were so bad."

SLY Believes In His Drivers
16 October 2000 (WENN)
Actor Sylvester Stallone is committed to producing racing film Driven (2001) - because CART drivers are a lot sterner than Formula 1 racers. Stallone has written and is producing the new film, which is said to be "a Rocky (1976) for racing" - and has the greatest respect for the people he's trying to portray. He says, "These are very special people who get involved in a life and death, flesh and blood situation every day of their lives. There's not much difference between them and young astronauts. The training and the dangers are perhaps even more."

Cars Are Like Life, Explains Sly
9 October 2000 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone has been getting deep and meaningful about his latest pet project. In up-coming movie Driven (2001), Sly plays a former Formula One racing champ called in to to help a young driver in trouble. Sly has wanted to make the film for a while, and has obviously been thinking hard about it. "We race in everything we do in life, " he says. "We race to go to work, we race to hold back the clock, we race to keep ahead. I thought if I could do a movie that kinda deals with the allegory of it all - like Rocky (1976) - that would be very interesting."

Stallone Considers Another Rocky
6 October 2000 (WENN)
Sylvester Stallone admits he originally turned down the idea of starring in a new installment in the Rocky (1976) series because the only thing he thought he could fight with was arthritis. Stallone, 54, who wrote and starred in the original Rocky (1976), and was Oscar-nominated for both, admits he was reluctant to make a new version of the film because he considered himself too old. Stallone says, "They asked me to make a new Rocky and I was like, 'Well, who would I be fighting - arthritis, a slipped disc?'" But after legendary boxer George Foreman made an astonishing comeback at 48, Stallone began to feel maybe there was a new storyline for the boxing story. Stallone adds, "When George Foreman came along I began thinking well here is a man who came back and was reborn. When he started fighting for the second time he was better than he was originally and so I could see that there might be a reason to shoot another Rocky."

Stallone Is Determined To Prove Critics Wrong
5 October 2000 (WENN)
Action hero Sylvester Stallone is determined his next movie Driven (2001) will be a box office smash - because he literally had to beg a studio to make it. Stallone found himself unable to get a job after Cliffhanger (1993) because movie makers wanted to use new talent in their action adventures, not a veteran like himself. But undeterred, Stallone, an Oscar nominee for writing Rocky (1976), wrote his own action movie, and after piles of rejection letters, finally persuaded Warner Brothers to make his film. He admits, "So many studios didn't want to do it, rejection became an art form for us. After a while, we'd hand them the movie and go, 'I know you're going to hate it, so let's get that over with first.' It was considered a big risk by people who didn't want to take it, so I want to prove them wrong."

Movie Reviews: Girlfight
29 September 2000 (StudioBriefing)
Girlfight, another film that will be playing mostly in art houses, is receiving knockout reviews -- to go along with its top awards at recent film festivals. Rita Kempley in the Washington Post comments that the film "packs the same emotional punch as Rocky." Susan Wloszczyna in USA Today expresses a few qualms about the film's ending, but concludes that the filmmakers "have pulled off a coming-of-age tale that truly floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee." And Jay Carr in the Boston Globe concludes that "Karyn Kusama's Girlfight is a terrific little uppercut of a boxing movie and close to a perfect one."

Character Actor Meredith Dies
11 September 1997 (StudioBriefing)
Burgess Meredith, who made his acting debut as part of Eva La Gallienne's Student Repertory Group in 1930 and who is best remembered in films for his roles in Of Mice and Men (1992) and Rocky (1976), died Wednesday in Malibu. Although news reports put his age at 89, his Who's Who listing gives his date of birth as Nov. 16, 1909.