July 26, 2012 | Review by Holly Jonas / TotalRocky.com

There really is a little bit of Rocky in all of us.

Author Felice Cantatore’s story “The Rocky Spirit” is just that: Rocky’s spirit. A real-life application of those admirable character traits that Stallone’s beloved character so embodies. His story takes us from his first childhood viewing of the original Rocky, through the years and the series’ five sequels, culminating in a flurry of excitement at the time of Rocky Balboa’s release in 2006.

Actor Burt Young – beloved for his role as Paulie – has described the book as “A Masterpiece,” and interestingly, the book details a connection the author’s family had with Young years before he was famous. Later we glimpse other Rocky-themed moments in this fan’s life – a starstruck young boy meeting Talia Shire shortly before Rocky II hit the big screen, dining at Victor’s Café in Philadelphia (better known as Adrian’s Restaurant), rubbing elbows with Sylvester and Frank Stallone, along with other members of the Rocky Balboa production, and even a taste of pugilism – Cantatore’s dedication to the heart of Rocky brought him into the gym and ultimately, the boxing ring (ya know, like local). You’ll have to read it yourself to find out if he managed to go the distance.

What I loved the best – and guess readers will enjoy most – are Cantatore’s vivid descriptions of the filming of Rocky Balboa at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Having been fortunate enough to have been at the filming also [click here to read my story], it’s fun to be able to compare notes and learn what it was like in a different area of the arena. This is sure to be intriguing to fans looking for more information about the ringside experience during Rocky’s final cinematic boxing match.

In an effort to accomplish the seemingly impossible – getting into the premiere of Rocky Balboa, Cantatore conceived an ambitious promotional event to turn the spotlight his way in hopes of getting noticed by studio officials. His event invited 40 die-hard Rocky fans – dressed in the grey sweats of their hero – to travel en masse to the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to run the steps as group, and afterwards tour some of the series’ most iconic filming locations including Rocky’s apartment and Mighty Mick’s Gym. (Plus, I loved seeing a mention of TotalRocky.com in the book regarding our ever-expanding list of filming locations!)

The rest of the story unfolds from here and fellow fans can relish in Cantatore’s exploits right alongside him. One kid’s lifelong dream of actually becoming part of Stallone’s inspirational saga finally comes true – brought about by a strong faith in God and that wonderful Balboa trait of determination. This guy never gives up on his dream – and in the end, he shows us that even though Rocky was his journey, that indomitable spirit and all it symbolizes can help each of us reach our own heights, no matter our path.

Buy the Book

Official “Rocky Spirit” Website

By Total Rocky.com | February 20, 2011

Charles Firus, 2010

In 1978, a young Rocky fan turned professional movie extra was treated to the chance of a lifetime. A surprise re-shoot for the ending of the first anticipated sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky. Then just 22 years old, Charles Firus was a recent radio/TV/film graduate of California State Long Beach, a talented four-time fencing champion in the Orange Coast Divisional and already a Rocky fan.

“My life is an amazing underdog ‘never say die’ story, too,” he says, “I have found Rocky to be very inspirational.”

In 2001, Firus suffered a Pontine Infarct brain-stem hemorrhage, an occurrence that is usually fatal. Among many other physical difficulties brought on by the stroke, Firus became right-side paralyzed. “I had about a 1 in 20 chance of surviving after this stroke. My entire body was affected. I have fought back over the years, slowly getting better. Today, though I still have a few problematic kinks, I am fencing pretty well again, and have placed 3rd three times since my ‘comeback’. I would say I’m 1 in 1,000 to be doing as well as I am.”

Rewind 32 years

Charles Firus, 1978

“It was probably December, 1978 or maybe January of 1979,” Charlie remembers, “I had just signed up with an extra casting agency that November. My first gig was as an extra in Steven Spielberg’s film, 1941. I know I am definitely visible on screen in that!”

Shortly thereafter, a call came for the next available shoot – the anticipated sequel to the Academy Award winning sensation, Rocky. Evidently a quick one-day setup, the production was scheduled to commence on location to pick up additional footage deemed necessary after the movie’s principal shoot.

The only major alternative aspect about Rocky II’s second ending revolves around Adrian. In this set-up, rather than staying at home with Paulie and her newborn baby, Adrian (and Paulie) actually attend the fight. As Rocky and Apollo trade their famous flurry of hurtin’ bombs in the 15th round, Paulie and Adrian suddenly enter the arena and as Paulie heads for Rocky’s corner of the ring, Adrian rushes through the crowd and up to the ringside, ultimately wedging herself between frantically shouting members of the seated press corp who are busily covering the climactic final blows.

Rocky wins the title, and in their overwhelming excitement, the screaming crowd begins rushing over the ropes and into the ring, along with Adrian, who is literally swept in along the human tidal wave, and into her husband’s arms. While embracing, Rocky, Adrian and the championship belt are lifted into the air on the shoulders of adoring fans, with Rocky cradling his wife in his arms and she – joyously hoisting the glimmering belt overhead. Fade out.

The Production Set Up

The relatively unannounced shooting was set to take place inside the famed Grand Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles, then the home of the LA Thunderbirds roller derby champs and setting of many a major sporting event. Rocky and Apollo’s original match was also shot on location here. On the streets outside the Olympic, it was business as usual, Charlie recalls, “Nobody had a clue outside the arena. No one was around at all. No bustle. I don’t think the filming was really publicized.”

Inside the auditorium, lights were set, and the production crew was still setting up, the filming had yet to begin. The actors milled about, including the corner men, who were beginning to settle into place along the ropes. Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers went through their paces together in the ring, warming up for the big finale.

Dressed in a pale yellow dress shirt under a tan suit, Charlie entered the arena where he was assigned to play one of the ringside press corps covering Superfight II. He was one of roughly 15 to 20 others assigned the same press corps position, among approximately 150 extras hired for the shoot, which lasted around ten hours.

After announcements and explanations from the first assistant director and other production members, filming finally got underway, beginning with the end of the match. The end of the fight sequence shot on this day is, in Charlie’s memory, identical to what ended up in the final print. Filming the script covering only the 15th round and Rocky’s title win, Stallone took at least a dozen different angles of the battle’s final seconds, and continued with multiple takes.

In between set-ups for this, and the ensuing shots, the awestruck Firus soaked up the atmosphere and managed to chat briefly with Talia Shire and Burt Young during the down time as they waited in the stands. “I was pretty shy so I didn’t meet as many of the principals as I could have. Stallone was in charge, so I received some direction from him a few different times, especially in the ring during different camera set-ups with the ring mob.”

Talia Shire, dressed in the same outfit we’re familiar with from the film’s ending – a red blouse and skirt – wore an additional cream colored, fur collared coat and white knit cap in the arena sequence, as though she’d just come in off the icy streets of Philadelphia. (Talia can also be glimpsed wearing the same hat and coat in a few photos we’re aware of taken during what may be another deleted scene, or photo shoot, when she, Rocky, and Butkus take the new baby out for a walk around the neighborhood.) Shire was positioned directly in front of Charlie’s seat, and from this spot, her master shots and closeups were taken. Director Sylvester Stallone handled these himself, including approximately twenty seconds featuring a string of standard Adrian-to-Rocky encouragements like the always inventive “Get up, Rocky!”

“This all took place directly across the ring from Rocky’s corner which was to my far right. Talia conferred with Stallone in between these shots, and he ran through several sections of closeups on her. I couldn’t see her face as she was a foot or two in front of me, but I was in the thick of it. The extras got direction from Stallone, too.”

And as for Paulie? He didn’t stay home this night, either! “Seems to me that Paulie was already in Rocky’s corner by the time Adrian arrived at ringside; I think they came running into the auditorium together. I remember that Burt Young had his closeups taken from Rocky’s corner.”

The Crowd Rushes In

“The rushing of the ring at the end of the fight was well orchestrated,” Charlie remembers. “About thirty people, hurriedly rushing in from different directions, entered the ring in the first wave after Rocky’s big win – I was included in this initial group – I climbed up through the ropes and into the ring. Afterwards, in another shot, roughly twenty additional extras were sent in, creating even more chaos.”

The crowd lifts Rocky and Adrian

“I can’t remember those rapid few seconds of the rushing that well – it was great fun though. It seems like Adrian entered a few seconds after the first wave of us did. Hers was a separate shot I think, and Talia was helped up and into to the ring by a few stuntmen. It all happened very quickly.”

“It was cool how Stallone directed us in the ring. For instance, just prior to filming the first few seconds after Adrian scrambles through the extras and stunt guys to reach Rocky, Stallone had assigned numbers to each of us extras to rush across the frame at different times and from different directions. There were number ones and twos, and so on, and we’d do our walking on the numbered cue. There was a lot happening fast, and lots of different angles.”

Upon finally thrashing her way through the crowd and reaching the jubilant but exhausted new heavyweight champ, Adrian embraces her husband and the two speak to each other briefly in an exchange that Charlie recalls being “pretty similar to the original Rocky. I know I was in the center of the shot when Stallone and Shire speak to each other face to face.”

Both professional and personal cameras were clicking away from the press row and other areas all around the ring during the entire shoot. “I sure wish I’d brought my camera,” Charlie laments, “One of my life’s regrets is that I had no camera at the Rocky II alternate ending.”

Although as yet, the footage shot this day remains unseen by the public, we thankfully do have a few stills snapped that day by the production, and these depict what would surely have been the most memorable moment of this ‘lost’ scene – the crowd holding Rocky, holding Adrian, holding the belt. “That moment happened so quickly!,” Charlie says, “There were stuntmen who hoisted Adrian and Rocky up right in front of me. I remember seeing the handheld camera aimed just ahead of them and pointing my way.”

And was that it? “I would say that appeared to be the ending. I imagine it would have faded out on a still frame right there after the two of them are lifted.”

Where’s Charlie?

Naturally, Charlie has examined the film closely through the years, but unfortunately, has never caught a glimpse of himself. “It seems like I was cut along with the alternate ending footage. I feared – joked, really – that my mug plastered all throughout this ending footage was the reason for the axe. I kidded that Stallone’s people were out to kick my ass for wrecking the ending.”

Charlie’s arm (with yellow sleeve) appears at the far right of this still

There’s a chance – Firus says – that his arm is visible in one of the surviving stills of this final scene. “I think that guy in the lower right corner of the photo with the black hair and beard was one of the extras. I think you can see my partial right arm and hand above that guy’s head – I remember being right there. They did several takes of us scrambling after they’d raised Rocky and Adrian. It sure looks like my wrist in that photo.”

“I just wanna say one thing to my wife who’s home . . .”

“At the filming that day, I assumed that they were just re-shooting additional footage for the end and adding it to what had already been shot. I didn’t think that it might be an alternate ending. I was crushed when the movie came out and for the first time, I saw that Adrian was staying at home! It was very depressing for me, not seeing my mug on the big screen.”

Asked how he feels the two endings compare, Charlie says, “I liked the ending I was in better, of course. The story seemed to play out better.”

Many fans have expressed confusion as to why this particular ending was eliminated, and why Paulie and Adrian were ultimately made to stay at home rather than going along to cheer Rocky on. Firus offers his own simple explanation, guessing that the filmmakers deemed this alternate ending much too similar to Rocky I’s ending to include in the final print. In seeing Adrian and Paulie glued to the tube, watching the fight on television, we’re provided with a slightly different experience, as well as one of the most iconic lines of dialogue in the entire series: “Yo, Adrian, I did it!” Whether or not Rocky would have said this same line to Adrian in the alternate ending doesn’t change the fact that it is surely more powerful just as it is – an emotional high and a declaration of all that is Rocky Balboa coming across the screen – not only to the tearful Adrian, but to we fans as well.

“It was totally fun and great time for me. The original Rocky film was inspirational for me, especially being a Radio/TV/Film major. The whole experience was just surreal. But the big question is – where is the alternate end hiding and who still wants to kick my ass?!”

Got Info?

If you have or are aware of any additional photos, footage or information pertaining to this lost scene from Rocky II, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us.

Adrian Pennino Balboa. Rest in peace.

She was ringside at every fight after the Philadelphia lovebirds met 30 years ago in 1976′s Rocky. But yo, Adrian, she is no more.

In Rocky Balboa, the sixth and final chapter of the boxing saga (in theaters), the aging boxer reveals that “woman cancer” claimed her in 2002.

“In the original script (for Rocky Balboa), she was alive,” reveals Stallone, 60. “But it just didn’t have the same dramatic punch. I thought, ‘What if she’s gone?’ That would cut Rocky’s heart out and drop him down to ground zero.”

Says Burt Young, 66, who returns as Adrian’s brother, Paulie: “I was sort of part of that decision. There is a 16-year gap (from 1990′s Rocky V), and we have to fill this character’s history. Adrian’s probably more prevalent by not being in this movie than if she was.”

Stallone concedes that breaking the news to pal Talia Shire (Adrian) was not easy.

“She handled it with such dignity,” he says. “I told her, ‘Talia, you’re the heart and soul of this movie, but you’re just here in spirit, and that’s what’s going to drive the film. Your heart drove the first film.’ It’s what I call ‘The Adrian Factor.’ “

Stallone invited Shire, 60, to the film’s Hollywood premiere Dec. 13, but the widowed actress was reticent, fearing the experience might prove too emotional. But she made a surprise appearance at the screening, and at the after-party she shared her thoughts and emotions.

Q: How did Sly prepare you for Adrian’s death?

A: Sly showed me the script because he knew I’d lost my husband (producer Jack Schwartzman). When Jack was alive, he and I were producing movies, so I was doing much less acting and more development. I was aware of the possibility of Adrian (at one point) being in it and dying (on screen), but my being in the movie or not was not as interesting as how Sylvester was going to achieve this. Ultimately, I was wondering how in the world he was going to justify getting Rocky back into the ring.

Q: Does he?

A: Rocky is a folk hero. There was a great mythological aspect to the first one, and this film has that. I am so in his corner. Sly is so gifted, and the writing in this piece is courageous. It is Rocky’s rebirth.

Q: Do you agree with Burt Young’s feelings that Adrian is even more influential in death?

A: That’s how many religions get going. Yes, the film has great regard for the process of mourning. Sly utilizes mourning to empower Rocky, and Adrian is made very mythical.

Q: Did your own spouse’s death (in 1994) make this whole experience even more poignant for you?

A: In our culture, we like to say, “Get over it; move on.” But you don’t move on. Our past is who we are, and death is one of our experiences. I lost my husband a long time ago, but it’s always yesterday. Watching Rocky wake up from a very lonely bed, searching for her at the grave, felt very familiar.

Q: There are so many sweet flashbacks of young Rocky and Adrian — at the pet store, on the skating rink. Do you remember those shoots?

A: I remember all of it. We didn’t have a lot of money in the budget. We started shooting the skating in Philadelphia, but we couldn’t afford to stay there, so we shot the rest in L.A., on an empty rink. And it turned out brilliant.

Q: Rocky takes another woman, Little Marie (a character introduced in the first Rocky), under his wing. Was it tough for you to watch their bond grow in this film?

A: Yes, it was. But it wasn’t sexual and felt very appropriate. And I liked the actress (Geraldine Hughes) very much.

Q: Did you cry at any point during the film?

A: I lost a button on my blouse because I had an explosive moment in the boxing ring (scene), because I felt that fight was really about a man going up against time and love and courage. Adrian wasn’t there, but she was very much within him.

Q: Have you dated since losing your husband?

A: Many years after, yes. But I never introduced anyone into the home. I waited for the cues of my children, who I think would love to give me away.

For Sylvester Stallone, the “Rocky Balboa” premiere on Monday night at the Prince Music Theater ranked as a family affair.

In addition to his wife, Jennifer Flavin, three young daughters, Sistine, Sophia and Scarlet, and brother, Frank, the 60-year-old actor was surrounded by thousands of members of his extended family as the “Rocky” faithful cheered wildly. Rather than being whisked onto the red carpet, Stallone thrilled his ardent fans by forgoing a car and having his family walk with him down Chestnut Street, where deafening roars of “Rocky!” echoed through the air.

Stallone clearly feels affection toward his fans and this sixth and final installment. In the story, the Italian Stallion risks his life by participating in a boxing exhibition that turns into a bone-breaking, 10-round battle against a much younger fighter.

“Many people get older and think their lives are over,” Stallone said during a brief conversation on the red carpet. “The message of the film is that you shouldn’t be afraid to dream. Quitting is easy. Trying is hard.”

Stallone went through some ridicule when he initially floated the idea of “Rocky Balboa.” Studio chiefs ignored approving the feel-good picture, even with its modest $24 million budget, because “Rocky V” had been such a critical and commercial disappointment.

“I’m very proud of him getting this made, because no one wanted him to do it,” Flavin said of her husband’s work.

Stallone persevered and eventually interested MGM in the family-friendly project.

Due to strong advance reactions to “Rocky Balboa,” MGM moved the release date first from early in 2007 to Dec. 22 and then Dec. 20. The executives feel that opening the PG-rated picture on a Wednesday will generate positive word-of-mouth endorsements that could turn the title into a holiday hit.

“I feel that ‘Rocky Balboa’ is the best that I could do,” Stallone said just before entering the Prince Music Theater. “I knew I would have been sad for the rest of my life if I hadn’t done it (a sixth installment). This film is nostalgic, because there’s nothing more potent than revisiting an old friend.”

And how does Stallone think his daughters feel about attending such a flashy premiere?

“My kids would rather be with SpongeBob SquarePants,” he said with a laugh.

Shire followed up her Oscar nominated turn as Connie Corleone in “The Godfather” with her role as Adrian Pennino, Rocky’s inspirational better half.

Lost girl: “Adrian resonated for me because I knew that painfully shy person, who had the worst high school life. If something didn’t happen soon for her, she’d be an old lady forever … she’s right next door to an empty life.

Adrian reminded me of Laura in Tennessee Williams’ ‘Glass Menagerie.’ I always loved that role, and every young actress yearns to play her. I said, ‘Wow this is Laura, but she has a chance. The gentleman caller will love her.’”

Artistry at a cost: “I believe that when there isn’t a lot of money on a production, you have certain kinds of solutions and one is forced to be extremely creative. We were given a great deal of permission to experiment with ideas. The scene where Rocky removes Adrian’s hat and glasses — these were corny moments, but they worked and were strangely pure. … When Burt Young throws the turkey out the door, I asked if we had the ‘take 2′ turkey. He just threw it out! It was so brilliant.”

Sly as director: “Sylvester is a wonderful painter; hence he has a great eye, sense of whimsy and street language. When you’re the actor to his director, you can always trust him because he understands the visual landscape….You feel like you’re working with a sensitive man. And there’s that wonderful shift when he goes from yelling ‘action’ and jumps into the actor’s role.”

“Rocky is known for his slurred speech, a mix of Sylvester Stallone’s acting and real life facial paralysis. Playing his son in “Rocky Balboa,” Milo Ventimiglia joined the club in a cold Philadelphia winter.

“I remember that both of us, we have a little problem with our mouths, crooked mouths,” he said. “I remember him telling me, ‘Make sure your mouth is warmed up because it’s cold out.’ You could see the two of us when we were filming in Philly, standing in front of heat lamps just moving our mouths. Otherwise, it freezes up which was kind of nice. We got to bond on that. We both have the crooked mouth and if it’s below 32 we’re f***ed and our face freezes up. To see he and I before a take, we’re outside in Philly where it’s 20 degrees just, ‘Oowwwww, ahhh.’”

Robert Balboa was previously played by Stallone’s real life son, Sage, but Ventimiglia gave props to the toddlers who played earlier versions. “If you’re gonna talk about Sage, you’ve gotta talk about two other actors that played Robert Junior. I think, if you look at the other films where Robert Junior is around, the conflict, the struggle that he had to deal with, I think there were only positive things for me to learn and to grow from and to build on top of what those previous actors had created.”

Having grown up on the “Rocky” movies and actually getting to act in one, Ventimiglia couldn’t resist the temptation to climb those steps at the Philadelphia museum. “Well, I didn’t run, I walked. It was my last day of filming and it was right before it was about to get on a plane. As I’m walking up the steps of the museum, I see tens, twenties, a hundred people running up and down the steps jumping up and down with their arms [up] and I’m like ‘Oh, my god, you’re kidding. Seriously?’ I watched it and, as I got closer, I realized it was our film crew with all the locals of Philadelphia. Anybody that day could some out and run up the steps and they put all of these people at the end of the movie which is great. It was such a generous thing to give back to Philadelphia.”

All of us in the news room have been sitting here this Wednesday afternoon working feverishly to meet an early deadline so you can read our newspaper on Sunday as usual. Holidays mean well-deserved time off, but they unfortunately mean more. They mean folks in our business put in some crazy (more crazy than usual) hours to get the next edition out on time.

As we sit here with the office TV tuned to the Spike Channel instead of CNN, we’ve all been entertained by four of the five “Rocky” movies, played back-to-back-to-back-to back. That’s a lot of “Yo Adrians” to deal with in one day.

The thing I noticed about Sylvester Stallone is that he was once a decent actor. When the first of the series came out in 1976, Stallone held out until the movie execs agreed to let him play the lead role. It was obviously a smart move because “Rocky” won Best Motion Picture honors and Stallone went on to become a major action star.

Even though each “Rocky” movie had its moments of entertainment, they progressively got worse as the series dragged along. Now I hear we can look forward to Rocky VI with Balboa battling some guy named Mason Dixon. I think they are adversaries at the Senior Citizens Center who decide to put on the gloves and settle it once and for all as to which is more valuable — Metamucil or Geritol.

On the other hand, nothing could be dumber than “Rocky V” where two supposedly heavyweight boxers meet, bare-fisted, in the middle of the street. Making believe you don’t know that one clean punch from a professional pugilist would immediately render his opponent unconscious is asking too much.

Anyway, getting back to the only offering of the series with any substance, the first “Rocky” told us all we have a fighting change — no matter the odds. I’m sure sermons have been preached on the subject of never giving up. Cancer patients probably have relied on the movie to uplift their spirits at such a dark time. And parents have used the character to encourage their children to rise above mediocrity in the classroom.

Rocky Balboa has become a folk hero to many Americans. And if Stallone had let the character ride off into the sunset in 1976, he’d be an icon. Yet the man who ate raw eggs for breakfast somehow gave us hope that we can endure when life throws us its best punch.

By Mike Kunda | TR.COM Contributor | September 9, 2006

Ya know, it seems my 15 minutes of fame is coming up on about 14 minutes, 30 seconds.

Before I continue, I must say how unbelievably dedicated and supportive my wife is about this entire event. Let me say that after all was said and done she had been under the weather the entire time – and I never knew. She was so happy and excited and when I was going through all these TV and radio interviews at 5:30am Friday morning at the steps near the statue; well, she had to get up at 2:00am with me get ready and drive 2 hours back to Philly from which we just got back from. She also had a very steady hand videotaping all of the interviews with me and the Adrian lookalike, Val.

After winning the contest I got a small taste of what it was like to have flash bulbs and press in your face as well as being pulled in 1,000 places at once. Not to mention stumbling over my own words or being off on one Rocky line or a bad picture of me from a bad angle that makes me look like I have more chins than a Chinese phone book.

Then you have to pose with all the judges and local dignitaries and whomever else is there. Yet the entire time you kinda have to be cool about the entire process.

Know this was all in maybe 2 hours but the stars have to do this everyday when they go out. The press is all over them and they are tired and just want to go home but they are so gracious and make it look so easy.

So we go home and when I do my neighbors have these banners all over the house of congratulations. My phone did not stop ringing with request for interviews from local stations and even my home town of Scranton had stuff on the news. My dad went to pick up a pizza and was treated like a star. It was weird. A activity director of a retirement community called and asked if I’d come by to talk to the residents because they have been following my story and they all love Rocky and wondered if I’d come by and talk and maybe have a few laughs and give us all something to do for the day. That was special.

There was a guy Joe, who heard about the contest and jumped on a plane from Florida just to try out for the competition on a chance to meet Sly. He gets there and they tell him its by pre-qualification only. The guy’s heart sank. So he hangs around and before the judging was complete they let him dress up and try out on stage unofficially – he was so happy! The guy took a chance and did not even have a hotel room. That to me is a Rocky story.

The next day, Friday, we go down at 5:30am do all that then off to a breakfast with our friend Steve and then back to The Victors to hang out for 5 or 6 hours.

Now we go to the steps early for a good spot near the dedication site and were all hanging around taking pictures and what not. Well, all of a sudden the barricades go up. Now we gotta move from 2 feet from the stage to about 50 feet. That sucks, but what can ya do?

Now all the press is starting to gather and all the “special people” are there in the barricaded area close to the stage.

My wife said “Mike, tell them you won the contest!” I felt like a idiot but I wanted to get close so before the words were out of my mouth the people in charge said, “Hey, Rocky!” Yeah, I look around thinking its Sly but it was me they were looking at and asked how I’d been since the contest and said “How many people are with you?” I said 4 or 5 they said, “Go right up front, you deserve it.” Wow, star treatment and I’m still just a nobody.

So my wife looks at me and smiles and says, “Listen to your wife, we always know best.” What could I say? She was right.

I posted before about what happened next, with Joley Fisher and all that, shaking hands with Sly and all that.

The guy from Florida, we got him in dressed as Rocky close to the stage and next thing ya know he is being interviewed by all the radio and television stations. Then he gets invited to the after party with Sly. I didn’t get a invite to that! But I was happy for him.

At this point Val, the girl who won as the Adrian lookalike made it there with her husband Steve and their two adorable boys. They called and said they were stuck in traffic and that they may be late, and we were sick for them because they are all such fans and so nice. Well, they made it just in time.

We now see some people in charge and tell them who we are, the contest and all that and next thing we know we are going to the after party! It was great. We got to listen to Sly hold a press conference and talk about Rocky Balboa. I will say nothing more on that.

Then wee walk around and oh, we had another friend there too, John Rogers from Chicago who was in town on a business conference who at the end of the night got a picture with Sly. He had no clue how his day was gonna end up. He was a good guy.

There were Rocky posters all over the place and a giant ice sculpture of the Rocky statue that kept melting. One of the greatest cakes I have ever had, free drinks and cases of Sly water of which I got 3 cases.

We mingled and I was introduced to Sly’s prom date from when he was 17. She had the yearbook with his prom pictures in it. Unreal. There was an entire story there. I had a great conversation with the mother of the kids Sly grew up with when he was an early teen. I got to talk to a guy who reps the Tiger Woods lookalike. That guy gets $1,500 per appearance to divert press so Tiger can get out of a situation. The guy asked if I was interested in work and he could hook me up. What a night.

Sly was so surrounded by people that you could not get close however I did and he waved and gave me a look like, “Sorry, I can’t talk but I got so much to do type of thing.” I totally understood.

By this time it was getting late and we still had a 2-hour drive so we start to walk back and as we pass the steps we stopped to watch Rocky on the big screen there with a few hundred fans. It was great. They went nuts when he was training. (Side note: Sly got so choked-up at the ceremony with the statue we all thought he was gonna loose it. He got so emotional but held it in check. He was truly touched.)

On Saturday, we go back down for the Thrill Show which was not so thrilling. I have seen church picnics that had more spark. Oh well, it was for a great cause.

Then my wife and I and our new friends (who by the way felt like old friends for 20 years) Val and her husband and two boys go to the Victors for a great dinner to which I wanted to pick up the check but they beat me to it. A very big thanks again if you guys read this.

We then spent some time with the staff and owners had a few drinks (I did, Sue had to drive so she had Pepsi) took some pics and then back to Camp Hill.

There was lots of other stuff and I’ll post when I remember them, anyways that’s the big stuff. Not to mention the Balboa and Rambo stuff I found out. But that’s all unofficial at this time and when all that’s cool to post I will, but not at this time.

Guess I just wanted to tease ya’s a bit. Sorry!

• Buy Mike’s Book, ‘Cue the Rocky Music’

For a muscle-bound palooka, Rocky Balboa has generated his share of artistic debate. Ever since Sylvester Stallone donated the “Rocky” statue to the city in 1982, we’ve acted as if it were a live grenade.

First, we put it on top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Moved it to Wachovia Spectrum, then pulled it from there. Now, a new proposal would put it off Eakins Oval near the foot of the museum stairs.

Last week, the art and architecture committee of the Philadelphia Art Commission did not approve placing the statue at the new site.

Sniffed one commissioner: “It’s not art. It’s a prop.”

Putting location aside for a moment, we think this comment alone is a jaw-droppingly dismissive stance for an arts commission to take.

What is art, anyway? If we accept one simplistic answer that art is what you find in museums, consider some of the holdings of the Philadelphia Museum of Art: belt buckles, war helmets, teapots, spoons, pottery, jewelry, furniture. Costumes and clothing are frequently exhibited. So are sarcophagi, burial jars, and other objects taken from graves.

Are these in the museum because they’re art?

Or are they art because they’re in the museum?

While you’re thinking of the answer, take our art quiz:

Some of the objects on this page are part of the collection of the museum. Some are not. Can you figure out which is which?

Part of our point is that cultural artifacts can be considered art. The domestic and decorative, sacred and commemorative objects that the museum shows off with its paintings were not all originally crafted to be art, but later were deemed that by the powers that be.

“Rocky” may not be a real person, and the statue may not have been created as an artistic statement, but it is undoubtedly a cultural artifact, one that has the ability to generate strong emotions. Ironically, thanks to the “Rocky” movies, the museum steps themselves have become cultural touchstones. That’s why placing the statue near them makes sense.

Our main beef is with the attitude of the Arts Commission – it doesn’t exactly welcome public discussion or debate. If the commissioners don’t believe this statue is art, perhaps it’s the wrong body to be making the decision. At the very least, its members ought to get off their high horse and explain their rationale better.

Sylvester Stallone has been here reprising his role as Rocky in the movie Rocky Balboa.

And so, it turns out, are Rocky’s pet turtles, Cuff and Link – and they are the same turtles featured in the first Rocky, shot here 30 years ago.

Cuff and Link are alive and well and living in Kensington, and they’re still in showbiz. (They have the hard shell for it.)

A Rocky Balboa rep told me recently that the turtles used in this sixth Rocky movie were making their screen debut. But Joseph Marks and John “Red” Stuart, reading that claim in last Sunday’s column, called to set the story straight, and the Rocky rep now acknowledges bad intel. Marks owned J&M Tropical Fish, the store that doubled as the pet shop where Adrian (Talia Shire) worked in the early Rockys. Stuart, Marks’ nephew and a sideshow performer, lives in the now-closed store and cares for the turtles.

Marks has a signed note from Rocky Balboa’s set decorator, Robert Greenfield, identifying the female red-eared sliders as the originals and affirming that Marks lent them for Rocky Balboa. While the twins did their close-ups on a set at Rocky’s “house” on Emerald Street, Stuart entertained Stallone by swallowing a sword.

Marks says Cuff and Link were dropped off at J&M after the first Rocky wrapped in December 1975. The shop didn’t sell turtles at the time, but production workers wanted the girls – then about 5 years old – to have a good home.

They got one. They frolic in an aquarium decorated with a few rocks. Stuart feeds them dry Meow Mix and talks to them. Not sure whether he reads them Variety.

Over the 30 years, each has grown to the size of a small dinner plate – more than 8 inches from tip to tip. Cuff’s tail has a chunk taken out of it and Link’s shell is yellower. Stuart says they can live 80 years or more. (Visions of Rocky 20!)

Marks, who closed J&M last year and now works at the GNC at 1711 Chestnut St., says he saw Stallone in the fall when the movie’s star/director/writer was location-scouting near the fish store, in a hardscrabble area under the El. “I thought to myself, ‘Should I go over and say hello?’ I tapped him on the sleeve and asked if he remembered me. He said he did. I told him I had to close the store because of economics.”

Marks mentioned that the turtles were still around, and “two weeks later, I got a call,” he says.

In other Rocky Balboa news, Stallone did the “Rocky steps” scene at the Art Museum yesterday. That’s the final scene before Stallone flies out.