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“You call that six inches?” - Sharon, my first real girlfriend
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I know this seems to be a recurring motif, but in my younger years, I wasn't too swift. Oh sure, I had my IQ points and I did well in…
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My wife and I decided to go see UNCG and Miami play basketball last night. We knew it would be a tough game but after all, we're both Alumni, and…
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I was born in 1971 and I was given my first album in the late seventies. And it was an actual album, not an 8-track or a tape cassette (CDs…
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I admit it, I'm abnormal when it comes to safety. I don't know if it's because of nature or nurture, but for some reason, whenever there's a hint of danger,…
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In the American South, we are raised with manners as a matter of breeding. We are taught to hold open doors for complete strangers, help those in need and say…
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I'm 36. I've been in love more than once and I've done my fair share of traveling. I've been to Disney World, I've seen the Grand Canyon, and I've partied…
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Kids nowadays, they got it made. When I say kids, I mean little humans under the age of seven. The ones who are excited about going to school because homework…
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I was born in America. I was raised in America. I possess a distinctly American belief system. Therefore I'm a Native American by all sense of the term, right? Then…
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Over Is Right, Under Is Wrong
Just the other day, I had to change toilet paper rolls in two of our three bathrooms. I didn't realize it at the…
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We are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving. That's how the song goes and even though tons of stars banded together…
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Written by Ross Cavins
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Wednesday, 29 August 2007 02:21 |
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I finally watched the final intallment in the Rocky movie series, Rocky Balboa . At first I hesitated because how good can the sixth of a tired-out movie series be? But then I read that Sylvester Stallone wrote this one and that he wanted the characters to go out on his own terms. That sold me.
Why? Because, I know something few people realize. Sylvester Stallone wrote the original Rocky motion picture screenplay himself. And not only was it his first major manuscript, he wouldn't sell it to any producer without a clause that he played the lead role. He wrote the movie for himself and in many ways, his life paralleled the movie's theme.
 Rocky Balboa, the sixth movie
Right or wrong about that assumption, we'll never know. But we do know he was right about Rocky being a winner. It took home three Oscars in 1977, another 15 awards and 19 more film nominations. Not only did Rocky make Stallone a millionaire, it made him a household name.
From the depths of poverty, Stallone and Balboa each rose to the top of their worlds. Sylvester would go on to write numerous more films while Rocky continued to survive all odds. While not masterpieces of film, he has written twenty other screenplays that have been made into motion pictures. Included in these are the classic Rambo series, Staying Alive with John Travolta, and Cliffhanger .
Rocky Balboa was Stallone's final farewell to the Rocky character. He wrote and directed the film and has, in his own words, called it the last installment. He took Rocky out with a split decision loss, but he took him out with class and dignity. It was a great film whose message is timeless, to never give up and never give out. I salute Sylvester Stallone for following his dream and achieving it against almost impossible odds.
As a side note, I noticed that he's written and directed another film coming out soon, John Rambo . Hmmm ...
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