Reason #23 To Love Philadelphia: All The Stars At The ‘Rocky Balboa’ Premiere

Last night was the premiere of Rocky Balboa, the sixth and hopefully last in the Rocky franchise. The movie’s debut at the Prince Music Theater snarled traffic on Chestnut Street, had legions of fans (no, really) and saw all the stars come out.

Well, okay, it had Sylvester Stallone and his brother Frank, and Burt Young. And after that, who’s next in the Inquirer’s online photo gallery? Yes, at right, that’s Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish and writer Mike Vitez (with Vitez’s wife, food editor Maureen Fitzgerald). And Vitez appears to be holding a copy of the book he and Gralish did about the Art Museum steps, of course!

Wow, all the stars were out!

Blaze of glory for a local hero [Inquirer]

Mike Vitez Continues All-Important ‘Rocky’ Statue Beat

Michael Vitez, Sunday, Sept. 3, Inquirer, “Its home is where the art is“:

Yes, move the Rocky statue to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art - to the bottom of the steps - but not because it is or isn’t art.

Move the statue because the closer it is to the “Rocky Steps,” the more it will resonate with the thousands who come to run them. The statue is symbolic for so many, but the steps themselves are the source of inspiration, the place where people bring to life the message of the movie.

Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish and I spent a year at the steps for our new book, Rocky Stories: Tales of Love, Hope and Happiness at America’s Most Famous Steps. We interviewed and photographed people who came from all over the world, every day, to run them. The original Rocky movie is 30 years old now, yet the people still come. The movie, the character of Rocky, and actor Sylvester Stallone may draw people to the steps, but when they run, the people are celebrating their own lives, dreams, accomplishments and friendships. As one Rocky runner, a welder from British Columbia, told me, running the steps “gives you the feeling that anything is possible.”

This may sound corny, but it’s true.

Michael Vitez, Wed., Sept. 6, press release, “Author Endorses Rocky Statue at Foot of Philadelphia Art Museum Steps“:

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ — The Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Rocky Stories”, the upcoming collection of inspirational stories about individuals running the famous Rocky steps, has officially endorsed the Philadelphia Art Commission’s decision today to place the 12-foot-high Rocky statue at the foot of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.

Michael Vitez, said, “I hope that the statue does what it is intended to do: complement the experience of people who come to run and celebrate their own achievements and dreams, inspired by the original movie. I think the location the city has chosen should allow it to serve that function perfectly. Time will tell.”

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We (And The ‘Inquirer’) Are Not Done With These Art Museum Steps Just Yet

Oh, ho, turns out that Sly Stallone isn’t the only one profiting from having the Rocky statue moved to the Art Museum. (For the record, he’s footing the bill for the whole thing, so he’s paying money for some nice publicity.)

But, in addition to the December release of Rocky Balboa, the sixth and (hopefully) final installment of Sly Stallone’s neverending story, there’s another two people benefitting from it: Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish. (Yes, the same Michael Vitez who penned the story about the statue this afternoon and the “preview” this morning.)

In November, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and photographer will release Rocky Stories, a tale of people who come to the Art Museum to run up the steps. The book also has a foreward by Sylvester Stallone. (Ohh, boy, and do we all ever want to read that one.) A little excerpt from Philly publisher Paul Dry books:

The movie premiered in 1976, thirty years ago, yet they still come–a high-school track team from Belfast, three busloads of professional wrestling fans from Australia, a college rower from Maine, a librarian and her fiancé from Lake Tahoe, a race car driver (he ran the steps for good luck)… The story of Rocky inspired them, stirred them.

So, you see, the front page news story today also ties into a book. The book will in turn tie into some sort of parchment scroll, which will tie into an oral tradition somehow.

Update: The testimonials on the book’s website are from Ed Rendell, Dawn Staley and the Inky/ex-Inky trifecta of Mark Bowden, Buzz Bissinger and John Grogan. What, no Jennifer Weiner?

Rocky Stories [Paul Dry Books]
Archives: Rocky