"Two weeks!" Who's coming with us to Ohio for the 2013 Arnold Sports Festival? TheArnoldFans staff will be in full celebration mode for the 25-year anniversary of the Arnold Classic, the world's biggest and best bodybuilding/fitness event. We will be working hard to bring you all the exclusive Arnold scoops so get ready for the maximum pump of news!

Created in 1989 by partners Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Lorimer, this juggernaut fitness expo now attracts roughly 175,000 enthusiastic sports fans. To kick off our Classic coverage, we spoke with Jim Lorimer, The Arnold Classic co-founder.

Considering this is the 25-year anniversary, I asked HOW the Sports Festival and Classic will honor this special event.

Jim Lorimer: "Randy, thanks for your on-going interest and support. The 25th Arnold Classic and Arnold Sports Festival will be the biggest and best ever. We will be presenting 46 sports and events and hosting more than 18,000 athletes. The Fitness EXPO will have more than 700 booths and continuous entertainment. New events this year will include the Scottish Highland Games competition and a Survival Games contest. Our Saturday evening Party With the Pros will be held at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus -- a new 100 million dollar entertainment complex. All of the past Arnold Champions will be present and participating in a Meet & Great session at Veterans Memorial on Thursday evening. That event will kick off a full weekend of great sports festival activity that will involve attendees from more than 80 nations. Come and enjoy the fun!"

 Next, host of Syfy's "Destination Truth" and best-selling author Josh Gates answers our friend Amanda's great question. Amanda Rosenblatt of BlogTalkRadio asks: "Randy of TheArnoldFans.com says since Gates is such a badass, he wants to know what his favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film is?"

 

 

On every street, there are Arnold banners. In every nearby hotel lobby, there are event posters and balloons showing Schwarzenegger’s double-bicep pose. “ARNOLD PARKING,” reads the electronic signs for our vehicles. Arnold drink specials are offered in nearby bars, and huge crowds of fans (many wearing Numero Uno shirts) are in wonderment over exciting new products and merchandise. There are even some things you can consider to be rides like the Marine’s pull-up bar, the electronic jump-rope challenge, the free Arnold shuttle service or the Jim Lorimer crane lift to the top of the stage. Yes, Walt Disney himself would have been impressed with this “theme park” that Arnold and his partner Jim Lorimer have created for the world’s most pumped-up fitness fans.


Twenty years ago, I attended my first Arnold Classic. I was only 21 then, and over the decades I have witnessed The Austrian Oak’s annual bodybuilding and fitness event going from a small dealer room (held only at Vets Memorial) to taking over the entire downtown area of Columbus. When I first attended the 5th Annual Arnold Classic in 1993, we attendees would park at Vets and walk to a small dealer room, see the bodybuilding events above and then walk downstairs at the end of the night to the VIP banquet. How times have changed (along with my mullet hairstyle)!


This year, TheArnoldFans attended the 25-year anniversary, which has not only spread to many new buildings, hotels and casinos, but has gone from several thousand attendees to a monstrous 175,000 fitness enthusiasts and athletes. Now in 2013, we have to shuttle all over the city. Within this “theme park,” as I call it, we can venture to the many different lands. We have FitnessFrontierLand (the Expo and sporting challenges), Tomorrowland (the Sunday Morning Review where Arnold discusses upcoming projects), Adventureland (where bodybuilding giants duel with pose-offs throughout the Classic), Fantasyland (where dreamers compete to become great future athletes) and even PleasureIsland (21 and over entertainment at The Hollywood Casino’s Party with the Pros).

Come with TheArnoldFans now and explore Ohio’s OakWorld: The Arnold Fitness Festival. Grab some energy bars and put on your comfortable walking shoes; we have a lot of territory to cover. Here’s your hopper pass to explore our three-day adventure.

DAY ONE: Friday

Ryan, Brian and I all check into the media room for our passes. Thanks again for the tickets, Matt! The Fitness Expo opened its doors at 10:30, and we immediately beelined our way to our top two favorite booths: the Tony Nowak Jackets booth and the Schwarzenegger Collection booth.


At Arnold’s station, people would one-by-one attempt to pull a seemingly impossible Conan sword out of the hand of this guy to find out who would be the future king. Okay, not true. The hero with the Arnold-signed sword here is none other than our good friend Daniel Marshall, who created many exclusive Arnold cigars and humidors. Daniel’s and Arnold’s donated collectible treasures were here for sale, which would benefit Schwarzenegger’s charity, the After-School All-Stars. If you’re a stogie fan, you will be AMAZED by the cigar that Daniel has produced. Click HERE to buy the world’s greatest cigar!!!


Next to us, a couple of great fans (who traveled six hours to get here) waited for Arnold to arrive at his booth. For several hours we waited. Wanting to take photos for you fans, we struck out as The Oak toured the complete opposite end of the Expo while we waited here. Sorry, guys. But on this day we met with Christopher Schwarzenegger, who was working at his father’s booth, and we met Greg (an international stud).

We toured the Expo and stopped at the many booths with Arnold magazines, standees and merchandise. In Arnoldland, there’s no need for corndogs or cotton candy. We had all-we-could-carry power bars and energy drinks while wearing ballsy T-shirts.


We handed out our own T-shirts to fans wearing Schwarzenegger attire and who, we made sure, had paid to see The Last Stand. If they had not seen it, we moved on. ***The DVD comes out on April 30th!


We retired early, knowing we would have a very busy following day. Brian went to see his stepbrother, and Ryan and I went nearby to Corey’s (the Gillinator’s brother’s) house for the night. Each time we’d walk in the door, Corey and his wife Kristen would have an Arnold movie already playing on TV. Nothing beats Carnival in Rio!


DAY TWO: Saturday

On average I’d get four hours sleep each night, but “I’m always back in the morning” to the Classic. Once again, we’d make it back to the Schwarzenegger Collection booth when we first arrived at the Expo. This time we knew Arnold would be stopping by there soon since he had yet to come by. It didn’t take long. Security made everyone take a couple of steps back. Ralf Moeller and Dieter firstwalked by, followed by the man everyone had come to see. A very large crowd had gathered to witness their idol. Patrick was also nearby to meet up with his pumped-up brother working the booth. Christopher and Patrick were humble, genuine and were engaging well with the fitness fans. They're real chips off the ol' Austrian block.


Several lucky fans received handshakes or had their movie stills signed by The Oak. One young boy was even able to present Arnold with a special Governor pin. Arnold posed with the lucky kid, followed by a very loud and proud bellow from his father, “YES, THAT’S MY BOY!”


The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as Ryan and I had to immediately go upstairs to cover the International Sports Hall of Fame event as soon as Arnold was finished here. We will be covering this great awards ceremony, hosted by Dr. Robert Goldman with Schwarzenegger, very soon! Stick around for that coverage. Also be on the lookout for Brian’s special report (not to be missed).


After the awards ceremony, we left the convention center so I could see the bronze statue of Schwarzenegger, which is located at Vets. Ryan and Brian had witnessed the statue unveiling ceremony last year, but this was my first time seeing the impressive work of art. Shhhhh, Arnold is reading the book Arnold’s Army. He’s very fascinated by his fans and wants to know all about us. Okay, “enough talk”; let’s move on.


When we arrived back at Corey’s house, Commando was playing during his marathon. Predator was also visually consumed. We killed a couple of hours while we waited for the Party with the Pros. I wasn’t too sure this after-party would be a success, considering it was miles away from everything else. Would everyone really make it out here to the “Hollywood Casino” after the Men’s Finals while snow was coming down? I guess these ballsy bodybuilders have enough layers of muscles to keep them warm. Everyone showed up. Drinks were flowing, characters in movie costumes were dancing, women were on stilts, and Arnold and his entourage had entered the room. Now THIS was a party.


Arnold first sat on a high VIP lounge to dine with his friends and family. It was great to see Franco Columbu back at the Classic again. The man of the hour took a break and walked through an excited crowd of his biggest admirers to the DJ’s stage. After The Oak was introduced, he gave a rousing five-minute speech and welcomed everyone to the event and then demanded us all to have fun! The muscular action hero then worked his way back to his table as he greeted fans along the way. Eventually the Governor and his friendly staff exited the party while TAFs continued on with the party. More sleep was lost.



DAY THREE: Sunday

While Sunday is not as busy as the other days, this has always been my most anticipated day. The Arnold Sports Festival’s greatest event has always been the Arnold Training Seminar. This year was no exception, but for the 25-year anniversary they moved this seminar to a better venue: the Hilton Hotel. Not as cold and more intimate, this training seminar opens with an introduction by co-founder Jim Lorimer and then instantly moves right into an hour-long treat for the fans. Now it’s time for Arnold to tell stories of his past, present and future. We have a lot of interesting project and movie news to report from this event. You’ll be back to read more on what TAFs has learned.

When Arnold was done and had thanked everyone for coming, TAFs were on our feet to get a photo with our hero. Lookin’ good, boss! You’re NO schmuck! Much obliged!


After the seminar and our photo, while still on our high, TAFs decided to treat ourselves to a special memento. With a jacket fitting and purchase from Maria Nowak, we’d forever remember our adventures of The Arnold Classic with the exclusive Tony Nowak limited edition 25-year anniversary silver-collared jacket. The T-1000 would approve!


We look forward The Arnold Classic growing in Ohio and also spreading to the new territories over the world, including a new destination of Rio. As I said earlier, nothing beats Carnival in Rio and with all the sports athletes completing, there will surely be some great bundas at the Classic in Rio.

Be sure to order ASF25, an ALL-NEW DVD of the 25th Anniversary of the Arnold Classic. Buy it HERE and tell them that TAFs sent you! Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see many more photos from our Classic coverage!

Ballsy Awards: Special thanks to JimL MattL, FrancoC, Dr.Bob, MariaN, ArnoldS, GregD, DanielM, DanielK, DieterR, RalfM, ChristopherS, PatrickS, FernieL (great cigar), Corey and Kristen for making our trip so memorable.

The Low Forehead Awards: Delta Airlines for breaking down, making me get my story up a day later.

Sunday, the last day of The Arnold Sports Festival, has always been our most anticipated and favorite day. This year was no exception. The Arnold training seminar titled "Champions & Legends Sunday Morning Showcase" is packed full of sleepy but dedicated Arnold fans. For the 25-year anniversary, they moved this event to a better venue: The Hilton Hotel. Not as cold and more intimate, this training seminar opens with an introduction by co-founder Jim Lorimer and then instantly moves right into an hour-long treat for the fans. Yep, “it is time” for Arnold to tell stories of his past, present and future in front of hundreds of his biggest fans!


We had many questions for Arnold that we wanted to ask and luckily, throughout the hour-long seminar, many of them were addressed! TheArnoldFans, sitting in the front row, waited to hear Schwarzenegger give us some movie news about The Last Stand, The Tomb and TEN in addition to the latest news on potential projects for the future!

When asked if a movie that he thought would be great but completely bombed, Arnold brought up his latest film (currently hitting many foreign territories).

"Well, the last movie I just did (The Last Stand) was a perfect example of that," admits Arnold. "Everyone looked at the movie and thought it was a great movie to make and the movie didn't do well in this country at all. But I remember when we did the Terminator movie, the first one. The studio looked at that as a cheap B movie and they didn't pay much attention to it at all. And then when it opened up in the fall it opened up as number one in the box office and then in the second weekend it was number one and the third weekend...and this is how it went. It was a highly successful movie and it was in TIME magazine as one of the top 10 of the year so we never really know. As a matter of fact, I have turned movies down that were huge successes and visa vesa. 90 percent of the movies fail and 10 percent of the movies make it. It's only like 4% of the movies that really make it, like SpiderMan, X-Men, Iron Man and those kinds of movies make it really big. The key thing to know is I pick scripts and I think 'does this movie sell internationally?' Because you don't want a movie just to do well in America, you want it to do well in Germany, France and Africa, Asian countries and everywhere around the world."


Schwarzenegger also said it's easy for him to step into any new action role, considering he's keeping fit.

"If you train every day and do your cardiovascular training and weight training and all this, you don't have to start from the beginning...you're already half way there. Maybe the director has certain things he wants you to train for and that's okay but you have such a big advantage when you train every day and you're in good shape. I mean I go in and I do all the stunts except the stunts where you could get seriously injured or killed," says Schwarzenegger.


Arnold also said he really liked The Tomb, which does not come out until September but he got an advanced screening. Also, VERY SOON Arnold will get to see an advanced cut of TEN!

"We finished The Tomb and I just saw that and It's looking terrific. The project that I haven't seen yet is TEN, the police drama that we shot in Atlanta. That's coming out after the Tomb (in January). I haven't seen that but I'll see that in March sometime. It's a very good script and a very good director: David Ayer who did End of Watch. He's a terrific director."


Schwarzenegger also said his next project is still not yet nailed down. We imagine Twins 2: Triplets and Conan are the lead contenders. He said he loved to work with James Earl Jones and Max Von Shadow in the first Conan. It will be exciting to see the talent involved in The Legend of Conan.

You know you’re feeling old when one of our most beloved films is going to turn 26 this year! Predator might be a blast from our past but it still holds up as one of the all-time greatest action movies. Feeling nostalgic and wanting to uncover some behind-the-scenes stories of the movie, I decided to call the coolest cinematic Indian tracker, Billy, played by Sonny Landham. Shhhhh, he’s tracking and recalling these stories now so listen up.


TheArnoldFans: When was the last time you saw PREDATOR and do you think it still holds up today?

Sonny: I saw it in the last year and it holds up to date. It’s like a comic book done serious. It’s been rated as one of the top 100 movies of all time.

TheArnoldFans: Do you come across many Predator fans?

Sonny: I see people at these autograph things and at gun and knife shows all the time. Yeah, they’re really into Predator.

TheArnoldFans: Was the death of your character ever shot on film or was it always an implied death?

Sonny: When we shot it, I had no way to die in the film. One night where we were all sitting at the dinner table and we were trying to figure out a way to die. Then I remembered a story of Tim Rossovich, this guy at USC who made about 12 guys angry at him one night at this bar. He was up against the wall and he was 6 foot 5” at 265 pounds. They all came at him and he reached for a beer bottle and smacked it over his head and turned around with this giant bottle with blood streaming from his head and he said ‘Now which one wants me first?’ Well, it scared them all to death and they went running out of the bar. So when we did Predator, I thought of that and I said, here we are running and I said what are we running from. I’m just going to stop, throw all this stuff down and take the machete and draw the knife across my chest and say, you want my blood? Come and get it! And I owe that to Tim Rossovich.


With my death, you did hear me scream and then later you see my skull and backbone jerked out up in the tree. Well, what was supposed to happen was Arnold was supposed to find the spaceship, and blow the spaceship where the Predator went back to regain life…where his life-system was. But they blew the money for the spaceship and you were going to see all of these trophies from all over the universe…

TheArnoldFans: So the Predator would have placed Billy’s skull here? This scene is like what they did in the sequel with the Alien skulls.

Sonny: Yeah, but this was supposed to happen in the original. But they went somewhere like Romania or somewhere like that to have the music done and blew about a quarter of a million dollars there on that and it wasn’t usable.

TheArnoldFans: Do you know who did the original score before it was redone by Alan Silvestri?

Sonny: No, I don’t. Alan came to the set, who was supposed to be the composer, but I don’t know why they tried to use someone else. It didn’t pan out. Joel said they could do this film for 18 million and I think after 8 weeks there was problems… with the gun shipments, make-up, sound…TheArnoldFans: Over time, there were licensed Predator machetes from the film? Do you own one?

Sonny: I did. I got mine but gave them to friends of mine out in California. But I have some pictures still that I kept. But most of my stuff has been given away.

TheArnoldFans: It’s said Arnold is a big practical joker on his film sets. Do you recall any practical jokes?

Sonny: There were a lot of practical jokes played but Arnold is a class gentleman all the way. He’s totally a class gentleman and I never will forget. In Mexico they always say the gentleman who first sits down gets the check. Well Jessie Ventura and I and came in and Arnold and someone else, I think Sven-Ole Thorsen. Were already sitting in the restaurant when we went in. In this hotel restaurant, Arnold told us to come on over and we sat down. They were already eating and we got our food. They gave Arnold the bill and we said, oh, let’s split it. That’s an even bill. But he just took it and paid it. That was a very classy thing to do. And everything I’ve ever seen Arnold do, has always been class.

TheArnoldFans: Didn’t Arnold’s wedding interrupt the filming for a few days?

Sonny: When Arnold had planned to get married and they had to take a break to shoot around Arnold’s absence. Well, when he came back, he threw a nice reception up in his suite to introduce Maria to all the cast and crew.


TheArnoldFans: Did you get to meet Van Damme, who was in the original ant-looking Predator costume?

Sonny: It wasn’t an ant costume…it looked more like the San Diego Chicken in fuchsia red. Look, they tried to do something to make the screen out of focus where that Predator was. The part that he moved to would be out of focus. This was a hard concept to sell in the first place. In the fuchsia red suit, it was made of stretch polyester and Van Damme came out to meet with Joel Silver. He was doing all these kicks and Joel said sign this man. So they signed him to the contract. But Van Damme stands only at about 5’ 10” and the rest of us are between 6’ 2” to 6’ 5”. Joel wanted this to be a beefcake picture so when they took Van Damme and measured him for the suit…I mean you can not have your bad guy, smaller than the good guys. It doesn’t look like a real adversary.

They then decided to put muscles in the suit so they padded it up but Van Damn is Claustrophobic. In it They’re shooting him moving around but he was waddling like a drunk with bad sea-legs. They were shooting him with a special computer camera. Which plots all his moves…then they take him out of the picture and then plot the scenery right where he was. Then they do an overlay with this fuchsia red San Diego chicken. fuchsia red is the only color that you could blot out and make it blurred and out of focus. When 20th Century Fox got the footage, they could not put it together in their minds. If this was done with anyone but Arnold, it would have went straight to video. I’m serious; the studio gave up on the film. The word was we’ll finish this on the back lot. The word was this thing was wrapped in late June. They edited the film and by January and then said ‘let’s do a newly–designed Predator and take Arnold down and finish this in Palanka. When he goes down into the waterslide, that’s Palancia and the last 3rd of the film.


TheArnoldFans: There’s only been two characters out of the team to get action figures made in their likeness. Arnold’s Dutch and Billy. Did the toy companies pay you a fair amount?

Sonny: I lost a lawsuit on that because I never signed or saw a contract. Every time I turned around, I was fired off the set of Predator. Joel Silver and I got into a couple of things like my travel. They were supposed to include travel for my girlfriend and they didn’t and I said take the contract and SHOVE IT! One night Joel and I got into it over the phone and I was saying ‘cram this movie, I don’t want to do it anyway.’ They’d say ‘okay, today we have to make the Sonny Landham contracts’ but then they’d forget them. I never got a contract to sign and in those contracts they ask you to give up your likeness and waive that. I don’t waive anything. I want my share. So I sued and I lost.


TheArnoldFans: Was that laugh of yours in Predator your real laugh or did you create that for the film?

Sonny: No, that was basically my laugh. It was first done in “48 Hours” and then it became one of those things were people said, do it again. Then it started to become in every movie. I mean, what am I going to be know for: my laugh? In Predator they wanted the laugh and it was used a couple of times. In the ending of Predator, it was really exaggerated.


TheArnoldFans: Finally, What are your three favorite Arnold movies?

Sonny: Predator would have to be number one. I guess the Terminator movies too. Oh, and Twins! If you talk to Arnold, tell him I say hello and God bless.


Thanks you, Sonny! Predator fans can pick up a copy of my book, Arnold’s Army, at www.ArnoldsArmy.com to read more behind-the-scenes stories from Arnold’s co-stars. If you want more online interviews, STICK AROUND!

Hot off of our exclusive interview with Billy (Sonny Landham), we thought we’d continue on with more Predator news. We’ve just learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator will be coming out in 3D later this year! Yeah, we were excited too thinking it was going to be rereleased in the theater, but no, the film is just coming out on Blu-ray 3D for those of you who own a 3D television. That ‘s still pretty damn cool as there are some great fight scenes and alien special effects that would look out-of-this-word in 3D. Look for it in the 4th quarter of this year. 

Now for you toy collectors, there’s a big new batch of Predator figures that were just released and NECA is at last bringing us Dutch figures with an excellent Arnold likeness! We’ll have more details on these figures soon…stick around!

If you’re on Facebook, LIKE the Predator. We first met Mark Welch when he entered our annual Halloween costume contest. Mark now has teamed up with another ALIEN friend, Rex Kennedy, and together they like to stroll into random stores, restaurants and other places where you’d never expect to see roaming costumed creatures. Follow them on their quests to photo-bomb and scare unsuspecting human beings. Click HERE now to follow AlienLovesPredator! 

Last but not least, we have a story about Sean Watson, an Arnold/Predator fan from South Carolina, who drove 8 hours to The Arnold Sports Festival in order to try to get a glimpse of Arnold and have him sign a Predator movie still. Does Sean succeed after waiting at one spot for six hours without food or drinks? After all of his waiting and waiting, here’s what happened next!

Sean writes: At about 11am, security came around and as my friend had said, they kicked everybody off the carpet and I stood my ground. I couldn’t believe it, I was at the front of the line to see my idol! As Arnold came around the corner to visit each booth, my excitement kept building! I was like a kid again and was very excited, nervous and exhausted. Well, as Arnold came to his booth, his bodyguards formed a complete wall so that no one could get near him. While he was signing merchandise in his booth, it all came down to this! This was the best chance I was gonna get to get a signature for myself! The thought of him not signing my photo crept in and it didn’t look like it was gonna happen! Well, as he came out of his booth, I yelled to him that I was a veteran of the armed forces and one of his detail went to Arnold, whispered in his ear and pointed right at me! In that split instance and in all that confusion and chaos of people trying to get photos and autographs, Arnold looked at me, walked over to me and looked right at my photo that I was holding out! He took the pen from me and took his time signing my photo. 

 This was happening! All the long hours, hundreds of dollars spent and the long drive was worth it! Arnold then handed me back my pen, looked at me again and nodded at me! Then as fast as he came, he left.  I was shaking with excitement and couldn’t believe that he took a moment to sign just my photo! It turned out the person who talked to Arnold for me was my friend that I met on Facebook! I couldn't believe what he done for me! He made a small dream of mine come true and I couldn’t have been happier. It goes to show that if you have a dream or goal, go for it, it is always better to try and fail then to not try and fail! I met some new friends and new memories by taking that chance! Thank you, my friend from Facebook, for helping me complete my mission. I cannot thank you enough!

I also had a chance to meet Carl Weathers at a MonsterMania convention last year in New Jersey. Well, imagine my excitement seeing how I am a big Predator fan! Well, when I met Carl Weathers, I was really surprised on how humble and awesome he was talking to fans! He took time to not only pose for pictures with fans but signed all kinds of collectibles. He was briefly talking about working with Arnold and the rest of the guys on set and was saying how everybody was always trying to look bigger than the other actors while filming! Meeting Carl was an awesome experience and he was really funny and cracked jokes! Just a normal guy enjoying meeting his fans! Very awesome to have met this remarkable actor! 

Saturday is by far the busiest day of The Arnold Classic weekend-- the expo is packed, competitions are happening all day and night, and there's just a palpable buzz of excitement and energy (especially when Arnold is nearby). In the middle of this crazy day, however, is an invite-only event that Dr. Robert Goldman (or Dr. Bob as he is often called) was gracious enough to get us on the list for: The International Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony! 

It took place in a smaller room at the convention center, away from the chaos, and everything about this event can be summed up with one word: classy. The crowd consisted of a handful of press and then some VIPs, friends & family of the inductees. First, we just got to mingle and enjoy hors d'oerves while everyone gathered and set up. The biggest hit were the meatballs- I wish I had gotten more before they were gone! Then, TheArnoldFans were treated to front row spots while Dr. Bob, Arnold, Jim Lorimer, and the inductees gave speeches. Here's Arnold as he schmoozed while making his way to the stage- listen for a trademark "Fantahstic!" as he goes by.

This year's recipients were: Dr. Franco Columbu, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Bruno Sammartino, Archie Griffin, and Blaine Wilson. Let me tell you, watching these legends accept their giant gold medals and give the most humble and gracious speeches was one of the highlights of the whole weekend for me. What makes this special is that it's not done for spectacle, or for big sponsorships and cash prizes or anything like that- each one of these people have achieved great things in their careers and are deserving of the recognition. As Dr. Bob describes it, "This is a global organization that believes recognition of these remarkable sports people should endure and be recognized long after their careers have ended. Just as important is what Hall of Fame candidates do later in life, in giving back to others and society, with charity work, and mentoring young people."

Arnold himself was inducted last year, and you could tell it was very special for him to see his best friend Franco getting it this year. Here is the video of Franco's speech:

Arnold and Jim Lorimer also received new silver medallions to commemorate the silver anniversary of The Arnold Classic! Here is Arnold's speech:

Each one of these athletes had amazing stories and are worth learning more about even if you're not into their particular sport. Check out more about them (along with many classic photos and video clips) here: http://www.sportshof.org/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-2013.html

There were also some other celebrities and past inductees in attendance, including Triple H, Randy Couture, and 

I'd like to thank Dr. Bob for organizing this intimate event and pulling it off so well on the busiest day of The Classic. We were honored to be invited to it and see these legends get this great recognition. He told us he's already figuring out how they'll top this one next year. Well, we can't wait- we'll be back! Check out our collection of photos from the event.
 

Edward Furlong, star of Terminator 2, looks like he might be getting another chance for success in the new film titled Matt's Chance.
It's a darkly comedic tale of love, revenge, and the fickle nature of human morality. It tells the story of Matt (Edward Furlong), a down-on-his-luck loser who on his birthday night discovers his fiancée, Jessica, in bed with another man. As Matt learns the true depth of Jessica’s betrayal, he begins a downward spiral revenge quest that pits him face-to-face with a wide array of characters including an eccentric pawn shop owner (Gary Busey), an aging stripper (Margot Kidder), and a barber with an agenda (Lee Majors).

Viktoriya Dov, Hollywood reporter for TheArnoldFans, attended an LA screening and met the director, Nicholas Gyeney, and the rest of the crew. Gyeney tells us what it is like to work with the former John Connor star.

"You know, when it comes to Eddie, today it seems to be popular to first think of him as that actor who's in and out of trouble with the
law," begins the firm's director. "But when it comes to his acting abilities, as well as his work ethics, Eddie is extremely respectful and professional. Every time I yelled action, Eddie would LEAP into a zone that is difficult to describe. He would nail deliveries with ease, and his performance has
elevated "Matt's Chance" into a complex character journey that I'm very proud of. I will step out on a limb and say that his performance
in our dark comedy was one of his very best, and his current circumstances in life only build on the tension and humanity of his
work in the film."

Gyeney also tells TAFs about his first encounter with Edward Furlong which happened many year ago at one of the Disney theme parks.

"When I was 17 years old, I met Eddie in line for Space Mountain at Euro Disney in Paris. I was on a trip with my mother and sister to celebrate my acceptance and scholarship to USC's film school. When I approached Eddie, we spoke for a few minutes regarding his career, as well as my deep love for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which is my favorite movie. Before we parted, I told him that one day we would make a movie together. He smiled when I said it, out of courtesy, of course. But when I called to offer him "Matt's Chance" nearly 8 years later, I reminded Eddie of the story, to which he responded, "That was you!?"

Edward Furlong even agreed to bust out a Public Enemy shirt for the director!

"We bonded instantly, and he even indulged me by agreeing to wear the famous Public Enemy shirt from T2 for a flashback scene. He was quick
to tell me that he would not do this for anyone else, which made the moment quite special for me. It was a fantastic creative experience, and I'm sure we will work together again one day soon."

Matt's Chance is currently enjoying a very successful film festival tour, where it has won several awards for best picture, musical
score, and various acting awards. If you're a follower of Edward Furlong, try to catch Matt's Chance at one of these upcoming festivals!

LA Indie Fest (Los Angeles)
Gasparilla International Film Festival (Tampa Bay)
Amelia Island Film Festival
Canada International Film Festival (Vancouver B.C.)
World Fest (Houston)
Vegas Indie Film Festival and many more to come!

You can also follow Mirror Images LTD on Facebook and Twitter for further upcoming festivals and for future release details

like iTunes, Netflix, Blu-Ray and more. Watch the film trailer NOW by clicking HERE! For Edward Furlong making a big comeback in the film Matt's Chance...it should be "NO PROBLEMO!"

Get ya ass to (Veronica) Mars! In the wake of the multi-million dollar "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter campaign, a movement set forward by the fans to revive the show, I wondered if Kickstarter might also be the perfect solution to revive the sci-fi fan-favorite TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Loved by nearly all, this was a very well-written, smart and perfectly cast show which unfortunately was cancelled all-to-soon by the network. FOX often kills a show before its full potential like Firefly, Family Guy (until resurrected) and T:SCC but they are all now cult classics and have an everlasting fan-base. When T:SCC had the slightest dip in viewership, even though the numbers were still respectable and it was well reviewed, it was shockingly terminated. But can it still come back? Well, I've learned that if Annapurna Pictures will listen to the fans, the cast and crew want to do a movie!

James Middleton, the executive producer for Rise of the Machines and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, just told me that he wants the gang back. If Annapurna Pictures will get on board, he and producer/writer Josh Friedman want to give the fans a full-blown movie!
James Middleton: "You know, Josh Friedman and I have talked a lot about this (and I mean A LOT) and he recently tweeted about it in the wake of the VM (Veronica Mars) excitement. The issue is that the current owners of the franchise seem to have no interest in reviving TSCC. And if they were interested, they would not need Kickstarter to finance the movie. There are well-funded entities that have previously expressed strong interest in reviving TSCC and the franchise owners (Annapurna Pictures) - through their reps - have passed on the idea. WBTV no longer has the sole right to restart the series or to do a spinoff, so the participation of the current franchise owners is critical. But they seem to be focussed on making Terminator movies at the moment which is not shocking or even a surprise. Josh and I would love to do a TSCC movie, if it were possible. A movie would be more feasible to schedule with the cast."

Although the producers are on board and the cast is also eagerly awaiting a reunion, they don't believe Annapurna Pictures will bite. So this is where the fans need to come in and let your voices be heard. Perhaps when Annapurna Pictures was pitched a resurrection of T:SCC, they had NO IDEA of the love we have for the show. Some fans even argue that the television series, as a whole, was better that the last two Terminator films.

Do you want these characters back in a movie, which could be made immediately following Terminator 5? Who knows, maybe Arnold could have a role in both films in two different timelines? Whatever direction they could go in with the story, count me in; we just need this cast and crew back! Friedman can finally write in those snow and underwater Terminator fight scenes that he said he desperately wanted to do on the show.

So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit on your asses and do nothing? WRONG! Stand up! If Veronica Mars fans are making a difference, imagine what Terminator fans are capable of! Do you lack discipline or will you fight and let your voices be heard? Tweet @AnnapurnaPics now and if they get thousands of tweets bombarding them, perhaps they will understand the true phenomenon of T:SCC!

Tweet the following NOW:
The cast & crew of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles wants to do a MOVIE! Please Support T:SCC @AnnapurnaPics @TheArnoldFans

Pass this story onto all your friends who watched the show or pass it on to other Terminator supporting websites! Also, be sure to give your regards to www.savethescc.com and tell them how much the show means to you. If all goes well, perhaps Summer Glau, Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Shirley Manson, Brian Austin Green, James Middleton and Josh Friedman will make a surprise announcement this year at Comic Con! We'll be there in the front row in Ballroom 20!

Another very successful Kickstarter movement was set forward by our favorite band ArnoCorps. The heroic band hoped to raise $5k to produce a fantastic new CD. When the Kickstarter campaign was finished and the smoke had cleared, the band was blown away by the fan support. They made three to four times their goal. Well done, ArnoCorps! We know the money will help produce your greatest audio assault and ballsiest tour ever! We'll be there in the front row...as always!

Congratulations to Franco Columbu for his big award and induction into the 2013 International Sports Hall of Fame ceremony! on Friday, March 27^th, we were invited to cover the awards ceremony, which was also attended by the Sardinian Strongman’s best friend, Arnold (The Oak) Schwarzenegger. The interview below was conducted in two locations: inside of his Santa Monica chiropractic office (were I was accompanied by Brandon of TAFs in early January) and in Ohio at the International Sports Hall of Fame ceremony (accompanied by Ryan of TAFs).

For any of you newbies here who have never heard of Dr. Franco Columbu, let me shed some light on this marvelous man's career. But come on, wouldn't knowing Arnold but NOT ever hearing of Franco be the same as knowing of Zeus but never hearing about Hercules? Franco is legendary and if you look up in the stars at night, you can see his constellation in the shape of an expanded hot water bottle. Watch Pumping Iron again if you don't get the reference!

Franco has been Arnold's best friend for many decades and he was The Oak's leading training partner. He even had nice cameos in Conan and The Terminator. Not only is this Sardinian strongman just a good friend and action star, he is also an international stud as the winner of Mr. Italy, Mr. Europe, Mr. International, Mr. World, Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. Today, Franco is a champion Chiropractor in California. In his office in Santa Monica, he's surrounded by many awards, degrees, film posters, props and trophies. He took a break from his patients to talk with TheArnoldFans. We sat across from Franco at his desk and asked him several questions.

TheArnoldFans: Franco, is it true that you and Arnold would eat desserts like cherrie pies? Arnold tweeted that you'd have a lot of cherry pies.

Franco: Yeah, put some half-and-half in there and a banana and we'd run the thing (blender) until it would make so much noise. BBBRRRRRRRRRUM! We'd put it in the glass and go to the gym. We'd never fuss about it. Then we had guys like Frank Zane who says, 'I don't eat this and I don't eat that and you can not do that.' He (Zane) would take vitamins, and fish oils, and all that. I used to call him Mr. Pills, they would go on the table, he had pills for waking up, a pill for going to the gym, a pill for sleeping. And then there were all these vitamins. Then I learned that people went on a strict diet, like Frank Zane, with a meat and water diet. I never understood that. I mean, can you image me giving Arnold water and meat? Then I noticed in the gym they were training very slow. They were training like there was no energy. It took them a long time to understand that if you wanted energy, you had to load yourself with carbohydrates or you never get going. Protein gives zero energy. It just builds the muscle. If you want to go to the gym and do stuff, you better eat carbohydrates and carbohydrates burns fat. What some people do not know too is that the brain only feeds on carbohydrates and oxygen.


TheArnoldFans: What else was on the menu?

Franco: The food was very different. Like Arnold liked to cook hamburgers a lot, and I said, 'I don't like hamburgers, Arnold.' And then a couple times he used to burn them and then I said, 'oh good, now I don't have to eat them. It was very funny. And I used to just cook what came in my head, for example: steaks, pasta, big plates of pasta...eat lunch for pasta and just go to the gym and not even think about it, you know?

TheArnoldFans: Were a lot of your competitors bulking up by using steroids?

Franco: It was very simple with Arnold and I. When I said to Arnold, I heard they're taking some kind of steroid in the gym. He was like 'Come on, what do you want to do, train or take steroids?' I said, okay, let's go. Let's train. He pushed me to get to the gym. I put on more weights and then I pushed him to go heavier too. There was nothing better the way we did things (compared to how they did it). We were the best. We went forward so fast in the career. I mean so much improvement!


TheArnoldFans: Did the other bodybuilders try to psych you out or talk trash in attempts to lower your self-esteem on stage?

Franco: It was funny, Frank Zane comes to me one day and says 'I'm going to beat you and I've beat Arnold.' I said that was an accidental problem. I said you won Arnold by accident. You will never beat me and you will never beat Arnold again...and its true. I competed against him probably 100 times and I beat him every time. Then he became used to it. When he'd see me he was like 'I guess i'm going to be second.' I said yeah, get used to it. (laughs). That's what made me and Arnold so good. We had personality, dynamics, we were excited to train!


TheArnoldFans: You did some construction work with Arnold. How did that go?

Franco: Joe Weider was a little stingy. Arnold got more money than I did. He got 80.00 a week and I only got 60.00. So that's why we needed more work and did some construction because we needed more money to buy food. But what I discovered was when we ate and did construction, we got continuous definition. Meanwhile the other guys were lying down at the beach all day lying down and getting bloated. Forget their dieting. Train, Work, Eat!

TheArnoldFans: I loved the story of Arnold getting his competitor to scream as loud as he could on stage...

Franco: In the early days, if you look at the pictures, Arnold and I posed, flexed our double bicept, we'd crank it up and then we'd smile. Why not relax? Everyone else was doing too much and suffering. The muscle doen't get bigger when you flex the face!  

TheArnoldFans: Will you and Arnold work together again on film?

 Franco: “Oh, I’m sure.”

TheArnoldFans: Do you have anything in the works?

 Franco: “This year, I don’t have anything to do film-wise but next year I will start to do one other film.”

 Franco Columbu confessed to us that he has not been in the last several Arnold movies but he will absolutely drop everything to be in The Legend of Conan!

TheArnoldFans: What do you think about Arnold coming back as Conan? Will you try to get a film role in this?

Franco: “Now that’s a movie I want to be in. I can come back and keep doing the same thing like scouting and running. That will be a good thing to do. I actually think that Arnold will be better for Conan right now than then. Back then he was almost too young, almost like a kid. But now the way I see Arnold as Conan . . . well, you go back thousands of years; the guys in the tribes who were really wise and knew what to do to survive in the forest or against animals were the older guys. The most feared men in the tribe were the old guys.”

Thanks for signing my Conan sword, Franco!! And thanks to Brandon Krum for accompanying me and recording the Santa Monica interview. His video segments of this interview will be included in Krum's upcoming Documentary titled ARNOLD'S ARMY! For more information on Franco, go to his official website at FrancoColumbu.com. You can even order some signed pictures from him! If you want to read our earlier interviews with Franco, click HERE to learn more of his bodybuilding days or click HERE to read about his film career!

Another great discovery we made at this year's Arnold Classic was meeting with filmmaker Patrick Rivera who has just finished a documentary about the Arnold Sports Festival called ASF25! He had a booth selling DVDs so we picked up a few copies to check out. It's a great retrospective from the beginnings of Jim Lorimer and Arnold's partnership to the gradual steady growth of the Classic as it became the huge event it is today with more competitors than the Olympics. The filmmakers obtained new interviews with key people, including Jim, Arnold, and emcee Lonnie Teper (who somehow reminds me of the Rekall guy who tries to get Arnold to swallow the pill), as well as past champions like Ronnie Coleman and Branch Warren, and female champions Jennifer Worth and Nicole Wilkins. The interviews are interspersed with footage from some events, past and present, and the expo.

This documentary is an excellent watch if you've ever been to the Classic and helps appreciate the history of the event, or even if you've never been to the Classic and just want to hear some great insight and stories from fitness legends. Arnold and Jim touch on the future a bit as they talk about expansion into Madrid and Rio- and how the plan is to eventually be on every continent in the world! 

So what are you waiting for? Watch the trailer below, like them on Facebook, then go buy the DVD right over HERE. Tell them TheArnoldFans sent you! 

As many of you know, TheArnoldFans has been covering the unfortunate passing of Arnold's mentor and "father figure" Joe Weider over the past few days on Facebook and Twitter. Weider, a leading figure in bodybuilding, who died at the age of 93, brought Schwarzenegger to the US early in his career and helped him achieve the American dream as he became an international movie star. TAFs spoke with the legend in 2009 when we asked him if Arnold would still be the success that he is today without his help.

Joe Weider: "Of course, I might have helped him along but Arnold is Arnold and he was always on the path to greatness."

Joe Weider: "All of them. There are so many good ones. I like the first Terminator a lot! But he does great films, doesn't he?"

“It is an honor to induct ‘The Living Legend’ Bruno Sammartino into the WWE Hall of Fame,’” said Arnold Schwarzenegger, “It will be a historic night as he headlines Madison Square Garden again.”

“I am humbled that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be inducting me into the WWE Hall of Fame,” said Bruno Sammartino. “The kindness and support that Arnold has shown me over the years is truly overwhelming.”

Ever since Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger began his “Pumping Iron” days, he shocked the world with his accomplishments in muscles, exercise and athleticism. Without a doubt, The Austrian Oak has been the greatest role model for once low-esteemed couch potato zeroes turned confident athletic heroes. Followers would ride the rails of his fitness train. Come with Arnold if you wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and do some push-ups on the lawn of the White House when Schwarzenegger was on the President’s Council of Physical Fitness. Cut to decades later, long after Arnold was a competing bodybuilder, and we STILL see him as a top motivator of fitness. He’s continuing to educate and inspire the world’s population to stay hungry for a better body by means of seminars, sports festivals, tweets and interviews, and now this muscular action hero is teaming up with FITOCRACY, a fantastic new online gym with a free membership!

Fitocracy and Arnold Schwarzenegger are partnering up to give you free workouts to help you “find your Spark.” These workouts last 15 minutes and can be done anywhere by anybody. All you have to do is join the Spark Challenge right HERE. You can also win badges and other goodies from Arnold and Fitocracy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Give me 15 minutes a day. That is 1 percent of your day. All I’m asking is that you do something for your health and fitness 1 percent of your day. It’s true. I’ll talk more about this later. I’ll show you a workout that you can do in 15 minutes, wherever you are. Maybe you need your 15 minutes to plan a healthier menu for the week. But for now I want you to take 1 percent of each day and make it all about you living a healthier life. Trust me, if you make the 1 percent pledge, you’ll find yourself doing more.”

TheArnoldFans.com spoke with Richard Talens, co-founder of Fitocracy, as well as some other heroes behind the brilliant fitness website.

TheArnoldFans: How do you feel about Arnold Schwarzenegger teaming up with Fitocracy to promote the Spark challenge?

Richard Talens: My co-founder Brian, myself, and the rest of the Fitocracy team are incredibly excited about working with Arnold. He’s been a huge inspiration to each one of us. When Brian and I were out-of-shape video gamers growing up, we looked to Arnold as someone we aspired to be, so having him on the platform is just surreal, and we’re very fortunate.

TheArnoldFans: Are there any future plans for Arnold to stay with Fitocracy . . . or would you like him to?

Richard Talens: Arnold’s Spark campaign lines up directly with Fitocracy’s mission – to make fitness accessible for everyone and get them to the next level. At Fitocracy, we’re particularly good at getting beginners “hooked” on fitness. When you combine that with Arnold’s ability to reach people and inspire, we think that it’s a pretty good pairing. Arnold’s world-class team of fitness experts like John Romaniello, Neghar Fonooni and Adam Bornstein already have a track record of helping beginners in the Fitocracy community “find their Spark,” so we think that this will be an amazing campaign.

TheArnoldFans: Might there ever be a Fitocracy meet-up event, or will it attach itself to fitness conventions like The Arnold Sports Festival, or will Fitocracy stick with an online format only?

Richard Talens: Our users have already started to meet up all across the globe. There have been meet-ups in the UK, Canada and all across the US . . . our latest New York meet-up had over 100 attendees. Holding an official “convention” or festival would definitely be interesting to think about, but there’s nothing in the works right now.

Adam Bornstein, fat terminator and author of “Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha”, shares with TheArnoldFans his gratitude for Schwarzenegger's “Spark”!

Bornstein: I think the great thing about “The Spark” is that it speaks to everyone in a different way – if you're willing to listen. Arnold has given me the spark while showing me what is possible if you have a relentless attitude. Your life and what you achieve are literally limitless; the only limitations are barriers of perception that you set on yourself. Arnold has personified that, proven that a “spark” can result in a fulfilling and enjoyable life, and has offered a replicable model. And that model has nothing to do with bodybuilding, acting, and becoming governor. Instead, it’s about charting a course and pursuing it with an indomitable will and consistent passion. It’s a message that anyone can understand and apply to their life. "

Bornstein also tells me he’s fired up about Arnold joining Fitocracy.

Bornstein: It’s an exciting time – both for Fitocracy and Arnold. Fitocracy is undeniably one of the better and more effective platforms for getting people to be active and enjoy fitness. And Arnold is undeniably one of the greatest influencers – if not the greatest influencer – of modern fitness. The fact that he adjusts with the times to help spread the Spark on a platform that can reach and help so many says a lot about his commitment to improving the health of everyone, and Fitocracy’s dedication to going to all lengths and finding the best influencers to make a difference. Not to mention – can you imagine how much fun it’ll be to take on workout challenges created by Arnold? I’m all in on that. "

Follow Adam Bornstein at www.bornfitness.com! You can purchase his book, “Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha: A Real World Guide to an Unreal Life” at Amazon! Don’t forget to read the book’s forward written by Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Fitocracy’s mission is to make fitness a more fun, more addictive experience. Play Fitocracy to beat challenges, push your boundaries, and show your friends who’s boss. Get addicted to your fitness and keep track of your daily pump.

Arnold’s Spark challenge started on April 1st but it’s not too late to sign up. In fact, once you look into this great online social gym, it won’t just take an Arnold challenge for you to stick around. Because Fitocracy’s gamification makes user experiences so fun, I think “you’ll be back” over and over again. This social fitness club is growing in huge numbers every day, and I think it has the potential to be the next big thing (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Google+). Prepare to make friends: Just minutes after I signed up, I received friendly welcome greetings by random members. But unlike Facebook, you’re entering a realm of strictly fellow fitness fans. You can connect with fitness experts, beginners or even join new fitness groups like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s group or our own group for TheArnoldFans. So now you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Fitocracy! Why are you still reading this story? Get off your marshmallow buttocks and get fit! Sign up with Fitocracy! Go, get to da Fit-Choppa!

Summit Entertainment has moved the release date for Escape Plan (formerly The Tomb) to September 13th, two weeks earlier than its original date of 9/27/13. Although we're very happy to have this long-awaited film bumped up, many fans are in an uproar like rioting prisoners over the termination of the original beloved title. We too might have liked The Tomb a tad bit more but we're accepting of the tile. It's fine. I can understand why the studio wanted it changed. The Tomb, although more intriguing, didn't really tell audiences what the film was about and might only attract just Arnold and Sly fans. Whereas EVERYONE loves a good prison escape movie and "Escape Plan" may appeal to a bigger audience. A wider demographic (not just action fans) can make for a bigger box office.

What's in a name, right? The bottom line is we're getting this film sooner than we thought. That's the only REAL news here. And this news is GOOD!

On May 21st, the adventurous Schwarzenegger romp "The Last Stand" will be coming to DVD and Blu-Ray. Action hero fans everywhere should run out and purchase a copy to drive up the numbers of the 36 million dollar box office take. The big question is... WHICH DVD or Blu-ray edition do you buy? In the USA you can get the standard edition but you might ALSO want to order one of the overseas steelbooks like Media Market's "Gold Edition" or our personal favorite: Germany's HERO PACK, which contains a collectible sheriff badge, stickers, a poster and cards! VERY NICE!

Matt Coomber of HiDefNinja.com got an advanced copy of the DVD and sent us this screenshot of the main menu. The Digital Release Date for The Last Stand is April 30.


Finally, TAFs would like to congradulate Schwarzenegger for passing the 3 million mark on facebook! In celebration of Arnold's 3 million Likes and The Last Stand coming to DVD, TheArnoldFans is proud to present THE LAST BRICK! That's right, the full gang is back as LEGO heros and villains. If you like these, wait until the LEGO version of Escape Plan and TEN!

Don't let the lack of big Arnold news get you down! Here are a few tidbits from around the web that will help! Just the fact that on a random week there can be 5 links of new Arnold-related content is a testament to Arnold's staying power in our pop-culture psyche. The web is a constant treasure trove of Schwarzenegger references!

Arnold on Reddit
As he promised, Arnold came back to social news site Reddit for another fitness Ask Me Anything! He had some downtime on a flight, so he answered a handful of impromptu questions by Redditors- check out the results HERE.

Gillen on Da Radio!
Our own Gillinator was recently invited on the radio show "Money For Lunch" with host Bert Martinez to talk Arnold and TheArnoldFans! It turns out Martinez is quite the Arnold Fan himself and has been inspired by him, being an immigrant himself. Check out the 15 minute segment streaming below (skip to 44 minutes):

Will Sasso Channels Arnold's Road Rage!
Comedian Will Sasso (who used to do an Arnold character on MAD-TV) has been posting a series of short videos on Vine in which he gives us a glimpse of what Arnold might say to himself as he's driving around in L.A. It's really funny, and a YouTube user took the liberty of collecting them together in one longer sequence, which makes it even funnier. Watch it NOW!

Arnie YouTube Remix!
A YouTube user/group called Eclectic Method specializes in video remixes of various celebrities and topics, and their latest one takes clips from Arnold's movies and tosses them in a virtual blender to a funky beat. Get down! (Credit to The Onion A.V. Club for finding this!)

Red Hot Arnold and Black Arnold!
We leave you with two pics, one that Arnold posted to Instagram of he and Patrick having a blast at the music event Coachella watching the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the other-- well it speaks for itself. Rasta la vista, baby!

Don't forget to keep up with Arnold's Fitocracy Spark Challenge, or start now! 15 minutes a day! Arnold's still pumping, so why not you?

As we reported on our Facebook page, Lionsgate premiered the first trailer for Arnold and Sly's recently renamed movie "Escape Plan" at the Cinemacon convention in Las Vegas! We were hoping it would've popped up online by now, but unforntunately, that hasn't happened. What we do have is a brief description from comingsoon.net:

 

"The Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer Escape Plan showed off its first trailer, largely focusing on the storyline that has Stallone's Ray Breslin, an expert at breaking out prisons, being kidnapped and sent to a new, experimental jail. The prison itself has all the cells as as The Silence of the Lambs-style glass cubes, all set up on different levels of metal scaffolding with guards wearing creepy all-black masks.

Schwarzenegger plays Emil Rottmayer, an inmate already in the prison who reluctantly teams with Breslin to win their freedom. They've definitely worked in a few one-liners, too. At one point, Stallone punches Schwarzenegger and he shoots back, "You hit like a vegetarian!"

Expendablespremiere.com also points out some positive reaction on twitter from those who saw it:

@Slashfilm: Cnemacon: "Escape Plan looks like a fun 90’ action flick, @TheSlyStallone & @Schwarzenegger breaking out of a super duper max security prison"

@EriReynolds: O_O RT @firstshowing: "First footage from Escape Plan with Sly & Arnold looks 10x better than both of The Expendables movies. Badass."

Sounds like Escape Plan is going to be a fun movie with a cool set design! Let's get the buzz cooking and hopefully Lionsgate will post the trailer online soon! If you were there and have video, let us know!