As predicted, Escape Plan's worldwide box office continues to creep upward and just hit $130 million, and now the home video release comes! As with The Last Stand, you can purchase a digital copy starting today and download or stream it from services such as iTunes and Amazon Instant. The Blu-ray and DVD discs will hit stores on Feb. 4th, but we have a few copies to give away! Just answer the following questions correctly and email them to us HERE with subject "Escape Plan contest". Inlcude your name and shipping address (sorry, U.S. winners only). The contest runs now through Feb. 10th.

1. Who is the intense actor that plays the evil warden Hobbs in Escape Plan (even though he's offended at being called the villain)?

2. What is Arnold's character's name in Escape Plan?

3. Prior to Escape Plan, name one of Arnold's movies that features a joking reference to Stallone.

Here are the Escape Plan Blu-ray Special Features (out Feb. 4th):

Audio commentary with director Mikael Håfström & writer Miles Chapman

Deleted scenes

Featurettes:

• Maximum security: the real-life Tomb
• Executing the plan
• Clash of the titans

As Arnold fans, we’ve all been inspired by the unbelievable transformation of Conan as he was strapped to the Wheel of Pain, eventually building his Mr. Olympia physique as he was forced to push the wheel around and around for years. Now this ballsy strength-building metaphor has been adapted to real-world training!

Brought to you by the self-proclaimed ‘Greatest band of all time’ ArnoCorps, the release of "Wheel of Pain Push-Ups" is timed perfectly for New Year’s resolutions of those wishing to rid themselves of their flabby, marshmallow asses! The one-of-a-kind app combines original music and motivational coaching wrapped up in an immersive fantasy-adventure theme, not to mention ArnoCorps' unique brand of intensity and humor.

The Wheel of Pain Push-ups app guides users through a scientifically-developed, 10-stage exercise program, one that will ultimately lead users to the achievement of 102 consecutive push-ups. While other push-up apps already exist, not one of them features the dynamic real-time verbal feedback based on user performance like Wheel of Pain Push-Ups. Through the ballsy accent of ArnoCorps’ lead vocalist, Holzfeuer, audio coaching is delivered on top of an ArnoCorps soundtrack. With a personality that could be described as a blend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Kinison and Henry Rollins, the feedback is often as comical as it is motivational. However, the training regimen and technology behind the app is entirely serious and enables committed individuals to reach their goals. To be assured of success, ArnoCorps always encourages participants to know what is generally considered to be enough, then do TWO MORE!


“For years, ArnoCorps’ music has fueled a ballsy, action-adventure lifestyle embraced world wide. Now, we’re providing a specialized regimen to assist everyone out there to become Heroes and Sheroes in 2014. Our ballsy app users will unleash their inner barbarian and learn what is best in life as they crush their triceps, see the wheel driven before them and hear the lamentations of their pectorals!” claims Holzfeuer.

Aside from being a solid training regime that can be personalized and adapted to one’s own rate of progress, the Wheel of Pain Push-ups app is packed full of features to keep the user engaged and motivated:
• a customizable training soundtrack that allows the app to double as a fully integrated music player
• an app-exclusive ArnoCorps training song 
• spoken training advice during rest periods 
• power up mode 
• in-app hints and tips messages delivered  from the ArnoCorps server
• in-app viewing of ArnoCorps videos and other media
• iPhone proximity sensing for touch-less push-up counting
• Social integration including score submission to the Wheel of Pain Leaderboard and sharing of progress via Facebook and Twitter.

I'll be honest, even as an Arnold Fan, I often slack off in exercising regularly, and when I do push-ups, I'll do 3 sets of 10-15 and call it a day. I was quite excited to hear about the Wheel of Pain Push-Ups app, mainly because I love Arnocorps and thought it would be fun to hear Holzfeuer yelling his motivations as he does to get the crowd pumped up at Arnocorps live shows. But this is an extremely polished and useful fitness app in its own right! I have stuck with it through stage 5 now, and I'm doing more push-ups per workout than I ever have before (96!). It plans out your whole schedule, automatically adjusting it if you miss a day or can't meet that day's goal (though you will get chided that "You lack discipline!" via alerts when you skip). The fantastic Arnocorps soundtrack is perfect for getting your maximum pump, but what I like best are the phrases Holzfeuer shouts at you to keep you going. "Come on!" "Get serious!" "Do it!!" he says whenever you pause longer between reps-- it's the next best thing to having Arnold there to get your ass in gear! The other cool feature is the Power Song, which you select in advance as the song that really pumps you up to max out on near the end (my choice is "I'm Ballsy"). The wheel graphics start shaking around and Holzfeuer goes into overdrive with the motivations too! I love it! I paid the $1.99 for the extra features like using the proximity sensor to count reps, meaning you don't have to touch your sweaty nose to the screen and it gives you more "advices" from Holzfeuer between sets which actually are quite good and based in real fitness sciences. This app is easily worth that amount even for just the "basic" features. If nothing else, you're getting most of Arnocorps' songs, playable even aside from workouts, for free! Fantastic!

Earlier this month, we got to catch up with Tom Arnold, comedian, True Lies co-star and one of Arnold’s best friends. Read on for some good topics of MusclePharm, True Lies, Sabotage and which Schwarzenegger staff member would win in a fight. 

Tom admitted that there was a great script for True Lies 2 in 2001 by Jeff Easton but it ended at the Twin Towers and they couldn't make terrorism funny at that time. Still, he’d love to work with Arnold again.

“I can't believe Arnold and I haven't done another movie since I'm his best co-star ever and he's done like 18 movies with Sly: his nemesis!”

“Yes, we all shot a documentary for it and I would look awesome in blue.” Tom is hoping Jim Cameron is listening.

Not too long ago, Tom Arnold introduced his Austrian friend to the crowd at Muscle Beach to launch the Arnold Series supplements. Since then the True Lies co-star has taken one of the Schwarzenegger products in order to loose weight and is much slimmer and more fit. He used Arnold's MusclePharm supplements to get the last 40 off.

TheArnoldFans: In addition is getting slimmer, thanks to the "Arnold Series" supplements and your strong will, would you also like to take some MusclePharm Arnold products to get big muscles / more muscular?

Tom Arnold: “Where would Arnold be without you guys? Obviously you work for MusclePharm so where's my offer? :) I need to firm my shit up seriously and will use the products to help but I still have to eat right and exercise or it doesn't matter.”

I know, I can’t blame Tom for accusing me as paid MusclePharm spokesmen. We too are wondering where our deal is - what with all the free promotion we give them. Where’s a sample shipment for TheArnoldFans?

Listening to Tom on the Howard Stern Show (Hey Now) in the past, I’ve heard Schwarzenegger’s friend talk a lot of trash (in good fun), about the Terminator’s staff the last two times he was sitting on the King of All Media’s couch. Maybe if I brought up The Oak’s staff again, I could get Tom to go off again. And again he did not disappoint. 

TheArnoldFans: Who'd win in a fight: Daniel, Dieter or Greg?

Tom Arnold: (Laughs) “That's a tough one. Depend on who has Arnold's balls in their mouth at the time. Dieter has seniority and Greg is thicker but Daniel is about to marry this super ***** chick (at least she was at Arnold's Christmas party…smoking hot too which is always hard to handle - especially for a nerd). I don't know. I love all of those guys and they sure take good care of my friend. They don't seem like fighters really but I could see them bl**ing each other. That would warm my heart. Peace and Love.”

Not too long ago, on The Greg Fitzsimmons Show, I got to speak with Tom about the possibility of the True Lies TV series. Earlier I spoke with both Eliza Dushku and James Cameron and they offered up some exclusive comments regarding their involvement with the series. Dushku told us she'd be interested in speaking with Cameron's people and the "king of the world" director, Cameron himself, told us that he was involved with reading the script and his name would be attached to the series.

TheArnoldFans: Hi Tom, I'm a big TRUE LIES fan. I'm with TheArnoldFans.com and I spoke with James Cameron who is producing a True Lies TV series. He's not doing a film sequel but last I heard is working on this TV series. Have you heard anything about it and would you be interested in starring in it?

Tom Arnold told me he did speak with Cameron about it last year and met with several people but the network turned "True Lies: the Series" down. 

I don’t think Tom Arnold will have any big roles in the next Terminator or in The Legend of Conan but we do hope they team up soon after. I’m all for the two Arnolds in Avatar! Tom wishes his friend the best and feels The Oak’s next film could be a ballsy one.

“We should really figure out something to do together. His movie Sabotage (David Ayers directed) is going to be a huge hit this spring and I want to ride his coat tails."

Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Yes. I go skiing with the students every year. And it is true that one of the rewards for the best students is to ride on my tank. Here is a shot:" 

As we all know, Paul Verhoeven has created some top-notch action films so why would Hollywood remake masterpieces? Look what happened to the atrocious Total Recall remake. After the bastardization of Total Recall 2012, is Paul in favor of the RoboCop remake? After I spoke with him about his possible involvement to direct The Legend of Conan, we talked RoboCop.

TheArnoldFans: So Arnold was never considered to play RoboCop in the original film?

Paul Verhoeven: "No, he was. He was invited to play RoboCop. Because this was right after he played the Terminator. I studied Terminator before I did RoboCop. I looked at that movie many, many times to see what Cameron had done and how he had done it. We considered Arnold in the beginning, based on Terminator, but when we realized how bulky the Robo-suit already was, we felt that with Arnold it would really become too large. Instead we started looking for a slim, not too tall actor (with a powerful jawline). We chose Peter Weller."

TheArnoldFans: Did you consider other actors after Arnold, before it went to Weller? 

Paul Verhoeven: "Yes, we considered Michael Ironside, but that didn't work out. I, however, succeeded in working with Michael in Total Recall and Starship Troopers, which was a delight!"

TheArnoldFans: The Total Recall remake was awful. Do you think the new RoboCop will be just as bad?

Paul Verhoeven: "I saw a part of the script of the new RoboCop and it seems to me they don’t want any humor in these movies anymore. It’s very strange. I think you need to look at some of these with a wink-wink and you should not take it completely serious because then it can become a little bit boring, I think. So I hope the new RoboCop is good but I have the feeling it’s not the case either (like the new Total Recall). But perhaps they’ve changed it and it was an old script that I saw? Sometimes you need to not take things so serious. Look at the biggest and most important innovation science fiction movie, which is Star Wars. That opened the road to many other movies. And I think Star Wars was funny and it was light. It was suspenseful but also lite. When we did Total Recall, we were certainly aware of Star Wars. I hope the people behind RoboCop do not take themselves too seriously."

Let’s hope the new RoboCop is good but so far, by the looks of the trailer, I’m not impressed. The next time we watch Verhoeven’s version, try to imagine Schwarzenegger in the role. “Youah mhoove, creep,” would have sounded pretty good in an Austrian accent.

"I’m a big fan in fact of Conan. That’s a great movie," Verhoeven tells me in regards to discussing the possibility of directing The Legend of Conan with Schwarzenegger. “If they asked me, I’d certainly love to. The score of Conan is great. The style of editing that Milius used was very beautiful, and Arnold does a great job. He was really the perfect choice.”

So what's the very latest on the barbarian? Well, I was just told that Andrea Berloff, the writer of The Legend of Conan is very excited with her script and that she and other Conan producers attended Arnold Schwarzenegger's holiday party just a few weeks ago. So Conan is not strapped up on a Tree of Woe. He is hopefully heading our way soon. Camels beware! The only obstacle in our way now is the dreaded Twins 2 script in progress. Rumor has it that it's a neck-and-neck tie to the finish line for the Conan and Twins scripts. To HELL with you, Twins! You'll be the one thing that can make Conan CRY! Hell, men everywhere will be in tears if that one comes first. Crom, if you do not listen, then to hell with you! FIRST CONAN!!!! THEN Twins 2! Rise up Arnold fans, let Conan himself @Schwarzenegger and @UniversalPics know on twitter that we will NOT stand for Twins to come before the return of the one true king. All hail King Conan! 

Finally, as we were wrapping up our chat, Paul Verhoeven unexpectedly picked up my book and promoted the new Arnold Schwarzenegger fan book: Arnold's Army! Watch his testimonial below!  Hardcopies of Arnold's Army is now sold out but you can purchase the epub or pdf versions of the 186-page book by contacting me at randyTAFs@yahoo.com. Now where's Conan? 

He's tough, humongous, athletic, muscular and speaks with a thick accent. No, I'm not talking about Arnold; I'm talking about that guy who's dominated the Food Network channel lately. Chef Robert Irvine, star of Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, Restaurant: Impossible and Restaurant Express, served us up a fantastic interview. While I've been following him on Twitter for some time, I caught several Schwarzenegger-related tweets so I knew this guy was a fan. I knew this bodybuilder chef had some Arnold stories that needed to be told. So pull up a seat and prepare to dine. As an exclusive to TAFs, he exposes his best secret ingredient: heavy doses of Ahnuld!

TheArnoldFans: Wasn't there some earlier talk of you teaming up with Arnold on a crusade to bring healthier foods to the schools and to eliminate their junk food?  Is this something you're working on with Schwarzenegger?

Robert Irvine: "Yep, that is our 2014 goal. We tried to do it at the end of last year but Arnold's schedule and my schedule were kind of crazy. This year, we want to get with Arnold and change how our school system works and to get involved on the amazing program that Arnold does. I have to tell you, a lot of people don't know, because he's the humble giant, but there are great things he does for kids and underprivileged schools. We want to be a part of that because it fits with our brand of message of making people healthy and helping people less fortunate than us. That's why we partnered with Eric, who is an amazing trainer. It's funny because Eric trains Arnold's son (Patrick). So there's a lot of great things happening here. We're trying to create a line of all natural products. We're looking to get with Arnold in the next four or five weeks." 

TheArnoldFans: Arnold had a successful restaurant called "Schatzi" before he traded it in for his Governor duties. Would you ever consider going into the restaurant business with Schwarzenegger?

Robert Irvine: "Absolutely. I'd do that in a heartbeat because I know it would be successful. The one thing I do well is run restaurants and make them successful and the one thing Arnold does is bring people together on a big level. When you put two of those power houses together..."

TheArnoldFans: I've seen a couple “Restaurant: Impossible” episodes. Since you have experience on helping restaurants become successful, do you think if you could go back in time, you could have saved Planet Hollywood? Where did Planet Hollywood go wrong and what should they have done?

Robert Irvine: "Funny enough, I met Robert Earl. They went larger than life and it went very quickly. In large chains, you have to have someone run that and be careful with that and I know an awful amount of people who used to work at Planet Hollywood. When I used to work at Caesars Palace, there was a Planet Hollywood in Caesars and that's where I met Robert Earl. It was a great concept. I just don't think it was delivered on a very... well, it was very inconsistent. So I would have put systems in place which would have stopped the inconsistency. But if you think of Planet Hollywoods and then you think of very successful chains, you think of The Cheesecake Factory, which is amazingly successful with huge menus and a great product. That's what Planet Hollywood could have been if held on with a tight leash, I think."

TheArnoldFans: You've made it on TV. Would you like to break into acting on the big screen? 

Robert Irvine: "I would love to. I've done some acting and in a series. I just finished "Melissa and Joey" on ABC Family, I've done "Body of Proof" and I really enjoy it. I would love to do a BIG movie. They wouldn't even have to pay me. Just let me do it. I just like experiences and it's a grand thing to do. Absolutely, I'd love to do more acting or a movie."

TheArnoldFans: Do you think you'd make a good Terminator? 

Robert Irvine: "I don't know about Terminator. There's only one who can do that and that was the big guy, Arnold. As far as an action hero, I was in the military so I can do all the field stuff. I think I would be a good Superman-type-dude. I just like to have fun. Whatever it is, it has to be fun."

TheArnoldFans: Men’s Fitness magazine named you one of the 25 Fittest Guys in America. You're becoming a fitness icon so will you be attending Arnold's annual Arnold Classic in Ohio this year?

Robert Irvine: "I actually will. We launched my protein bars this September at Mr. Olympia. We will be with Fit Crunch and Europa. We'll bring @EricTheTrainer, bless him, he just finished training me. It's amazing when you find someone who has a very different vision that you and can craft their body the way it's supposed to look and Eric the Trainer is that man: an amazing human being."

TheArnoldFans: Who would win in a fight, you or @EricTheTrainer?

Robert Irvine:  "I think I would because he's too nice. He's real nice and positive. Me, I'll just go straight for the throat." 

TheArnoldFans: Are you planning to expand on your Fit Crunch line? Will there be other bars?

Robert Irvine: "Yes, we'll have brand new Caramel bars some point in the next two months. We've got a brand new paleo and gluten-free one that is about ready to go, which are absolutely amazing. You know, being a chef, the first thing I think about is the quality of the food that I give people, whether it be in a restaurant or in a bar and there is nobody on this planet that can touch the bars that we do. The reason is, a lot of people can put their name on a product, but I own half of that company. I'm fully vested in that being successful because I use that product on the road. We have a 16 gram bar and a 30 gram bar. I want people to enjoy it. It doesn't taste like a protein bar. It tastes like a Snickers bar." 

*I tried the Fit Crunch bars and they taste excellent indeed! A real product for fitness heroes!

TheArnoldFans: How often do you work out and have you yet tried the Arnold Series supplements?

Robert Irvine: "I've got to tell you, I work out six days a week and if you talk about the Arnold supplements, then YES, I've got one in front of me right now which I love. I love it all, the Creatine, The Nitrate formula, the Sleep Aid. I'm on the road over 345 days a year so I take as much protein supplements, pills and potions...but the ones with quality. There are a lot of imitations out there. You really have to think about your regiment that you do and what you put into your body. Because at the end of the day, you are what you eat." 

TheArnoldFans: I understand you'll be co-authoring a fitness and nutrition book. Who is your partner on this book and when can people pick this up?

Robert Irvine: "I have a very knowledgeable fitness expert, who works out in New York City, who's name is Max. I won't tell you his last name now but when you read it, you'll say, 'oh my goodness, that guy!' The working title is called "Fit Fuel" and this is for families, not only for guys and girls that hit the gym on a regular basis, but for people who want to change their lifestyle. We're getting the bonding aspect of food family and fitness. Eric and myself, In February, joined the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and we get a whole weekend of fitness at the zoo with kids and adults. Children are our future. Families want to get fit and healthy and they want to change their lifestyle - they just don't know how to do it. So they look for us and for you, Randy, who has such a great following (of TheArnoldFans.com), to give them that information to make those changes."

Robert aims for the 2nd or 3rd quarter of this year for the book release. Expect book signings near you.

TheArnoldFans: Finally, what are your top three Arnold movies?

Robert Irvine: "You got to go with Terminator, that's for sure! I think anything that he's done action-wise, I just get inspired by him because he's such a great actor. I loved True Lies too. That was a great movie.

TheArnoldFans: When did you become an Arnold fan?

Robert Irvine: "I've been a huge Arnold fan for many years, not only of his movies but when I was a kid growing up. I was 11 years old and I had Muscle & Fitness magazines in England and I would read that religiously. I read all that information that Arnold was giving out and all the exercises he would do and I bought my first set of weights when I was 11 years old. Then, through the military, I kept with it (training). For people who want to stay fit, Arnold is the role model for that."

TheArnoldFans:  So we can all agree Arnold is a great role model. He does have a fantastic following.

"Getting to Arnold is like getting to the Pope; everyone wants to surround him, touch and feel and speak to him. It sounds like I'm a geek for Arnold but I just think he's a good guy. Some people might disagree but people make mistakes. Even I made mistakes and that's why we're human. You have to just get up and move on but if you think about ALL the things that he does and all the charities that he touches and all the children and people that he touches, we should never waiver of supporting him. That's really a testament to his character. If I sound like an Arnold fan, I am."

Thank you, Chef Robert. That was a wonderful meal. We especially enjoyed the main course: the idea of you and Arnold working together to better our school's nutrition! Delicious. Now, we're stuffed.

Now we better get to the gym. Your protein bars are fantastic so we'll be back for more of those. Fans, try them yourself. Get ya ass to www.fitcrunchbars.com. You can also follow Robert Irvine on the Food Network, on twitter @RobertIrvine or at his website chefirvine.com. See you at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, Robert! 

We have some big Sabotage developments and all of it is good news! The Ahnuld film is now coming out two weeks earlier from its old April 11th date to now March 28th! Also, the official website has become self-aware! Check it out at www.sabotagethefilm.com. Open Road Films also just relaunched the film's trailer, now with the correct date. See that trailer for the R-rated film by clicking HERE!

From acclaimed writer/director David Ayer (End Of Watch), in SABOTAGE, Arnold Schwarzengger leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world's deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is done - until, one-by-one, the team members mysteriously start to be eliminated. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect.

David Ayer directed and wrote SABOTAGE based on the original screenplay by Skip Woods. Financed and produced by QED International, Bill Block and Paul Hanson serve as producers. The action-thriller stars an ensemble cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Mireille Enos, Sam Worthington, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, Kevin Vance. Worldwide sales are being handled by QED.

Okay, so we all know that "The Governator" animated projects (film, TV and comics) were dropped almost two years ago but what you didn't know was that Arnold himself wrote us a personal statement about the show! We never posted this Arnold response here at TheArnoldFans because the series was shelved right after we got this fantastic Arnold response. Read on to hear what Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote to us to pass onto the fans!

Better late than never but first...the backstory to "The Governator" Animated Series! Within months of coming off of his far-too-long second term as Governor, Schwarzenegger gave his fans perhaps the most unexpected announcement ever: he would return to the world of entertainment as a 2D action hero for an international animated television series. At the Arnold Classic, he gave TheArnoldFans.com the big exclusive. After he told us about some scripts that he was considering, he brought up a top secret comic book character!

Schwarzenegger explained, “Well, first of all, it’s more like fifteen scripts that have been sent to me after people found out that I have been interested again in doing films, so I don’t want to bore anyone to go through those things, but there are the obvious ones from the Terminator scripts to remakes of Predator and The Running Man and all of those things. Then also there’s a lot of original stuff. But I am also packaging a comic book character right now. I’m going to announce that sometime at the end of March or the beginning of April.”

When the full story broke, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, and TheArnoldFans, people would learn all about this animated Arnold project. The story of this proposed weekly series centered on Schwarzenegger, playing himself, as he leaves the Governor’s office and retires but soon finds himself bored, unfulfilled and wanting to do more. He becomes a real action hero just like the ones from his films. The unemployed Governor decides to become a crime fighter to oppose the world’s worst villains, including an evil organization called Gangsters Imposters Racketeers Liars & Irredeemable Ex-cons (or G.I.R.L.I.E. Men, for short). Arnold told Entertainment Weekly, “When I ran for Governor back in 2003 and started hearing people talking about ‘the Governator,’ I thought the word was so cool. The word Governator combined two worlds: the world of politics and the movie world. And this [cartoon] brings everything together. It combines the Governor, the Terminator, the bodybuilding world, the True Lies.” Along with an underground Arnold Cave beneath his home in the Pacific Palisades, the Governator would have a fleet of super vehicles at his disposal, a closet full of “Super Suits” that would allow him to fly and perform other super stunts, and a team of teenaged sidekicks.

TheArnoldFans: Arnold and Stan Lee! This is brilliant. Please tell us more.

Schwarzenegger: “I love to challenge myself and constantly move forward, so The Governator was a natural move for me. It takes elements from all of my careers – just as I’ve always incorporated my three distinct careers, as a bodybuilder, an actor and a public servant, into my life – and melds them into something new. I can’t tell you how pumped I am to have a project that will literally entertain everyone, from toddlers to their great-great grandparents. It’s also fantastic to have a chance to work with someone like Stan Lee, who is an absolute legend. I mean, if the genius who created Spider-Man and the X-Men wanted to create a superhero based on your life, how could you say no? I look forward to being very involved in the development as we move ahead, and I know you guys at TheArnoldFans.com will love the results.”

Equipped with one of the most recognizable voices in the world, the larger-than-life Austrian action hero was thought to be destined toward the path of animation and studio sound stages. His huge impact on the pop culture of society had often been parodied or praised in animated series throughout the years. Fans clamored for The Oak to star in full-length animated feature films and cartoon series.

TheArnoldFans: I gotta say, the fans love your voice so thank you for reading two chapters on this new audio CD of the book. I will definitely be picking that up. I do have a question from the fans from TheArnoldFans.com: Have you ever thought about utilizing the world's most recognized voice for other projects...?

Schwarzenegger: "Well, that's a very good idea. Well, I'm ready. (Laughs) As if i'm already not busy enough."

It is nearly impossible to come up with every single series that contained an Austrian cyborg or muscleman, but several off the top of my head are McBain and Governor Schwarzenegger from The Simpsons, the Humvee from Pixar’s Cars, Jorgen von Strangle (the leader of Fairy World in The Fairly OddParents), Armhold Musclehugger from the Beetlejuice animated series, Arnold the Pit Bull from Tiny Toon Adventures, the anti-gay Terminator from Drawn Together, the Terminator from the South Park episode “Must Destroy Trapper Keeper” and “the ever impressive” Commando genie from Aladdin. I think it is time for the REAL Arnold to lend his voice in animation. 

Although the series is Terminated, TheArnoldFans spoke with Archie Comics, once handling the comic book adaptation. Perhaps, with fan support, we can convince Arnold and Archie comics that we'd still like to see The Governator return in a glorious comic book form! Tell us what you think!

While fans are celebrating this week's news of a first draft of a completed Legend of Conan script, I thought I bring you a Crom-worthy interview! Gerry Lopez, who played Subotai in Conan the Barbarian, spoke to TheArnoldFans and gave me several great Ahnuld stories and Conan tales of high adventure! 

It’s not just the fans who appreciate the Austrian Oak’s signature sense of humor and charisma. Most of his co-stars will also tell you he’s a pleasure to work with and is always lifting spirits on the set when he’s not busy playing practical jokes on the cast and crew. 

Gerry informed me of the day Sandahl Bergman was having a small Christian Bale angry moment, and it took a barbarian to make her see the error of her ways.

Gerry Lopez: Sandahl probably didn’t remember, but one morning she was pretty upset because they put her on the call sheet when she thought she was going to get that day off,” said Gerry. “But early in the morning, someone told her that they’d made a mistake and that she’d have to come into work. Arnold and I are sitting there in makeup and she came storming in, and she’s really pissed and takes it up with one of the A.D.s. So Arnold is looking at me while she’s ripping this guy. So the guy goes, ‘Okay, okay,’ and he turns to leave. Arnold goes, ‘Ah, just a moment, I have something [to add] too. This morning I ordered café con leche, but it came without leche and I want to make sure that tomorrow on the call sheet that when I order con leche, it comes with leche. Now Gerry, do you have something to add?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, this morning I wanted to go surfing but there weren’t any waves, so can you make sure on the call sheet there are waves tomorrow?’ Sandahl, sitting there is now smiling, and afterwards everything was cool. But that was typical Arnold. He was really good at diffusing situations and making a joke. He was quite a jokester.

TheArnoldFans: Were you able to keep any costumes of props from Conan?

Gerry Lopez: Well, I'm looking at my sword right now. It's sitting there in the corner by the fireplace with it's belt and scabbard. It was something that John insisted on with the props department from the very beginning. He likes that. He likes to have "antlers". I also managed to have one of Thulsa Doom's daggers in the garage. It's got the intertwined snake handle. It's really quite beautiful. I went to the props guys at the very end and we had already talked about taking some things and someone had already took the bow, which was really cool, but actually it was just a bare bow wrapped up in leather and made to look really cool, but it was gone. So they gave me the sword. I was real friendly with most of the crew and all the different departments because there's a lot of free time. I mean, shit, we were over there for 6 months doing the filming so I became friends with everybody; we al liked each other. The prop guy goes, "Why don't you take this (Thulsa Doom dagger) one too." And wardrobe also gave me most of my costumes but I lived on Maui and they all got moldy (*sounding very depressed). One of my neighbors thought they were really cool, one was a wolf skin and there was some really cool stuff and I think he ended up with it. Yeah, that pointy hat too. I wish I still had that hat. I did take a few pictures on the sets and when we were in production.  Looking back, you wish you took a zillion pictures. I know they are around somewhere.

TheArnoldFans: What did you think of the new Conan remake? Did you see it?

Gerry Lopez: No I haven't seen that yet. I heard that guy was from Hawaii too. That's where he was born. But, You know...if John didn't do it...

TheArnoldFans: Some of the best movie posters are those 1980s Conan ones.

Gerry Lopez: I really remiss now not getting any of these. There's that one great one with me, Arnold and Sandahl all with our swords. A Frazetta style. A reprinting of that would be really great. You never think at the time...and then afterwards you really wish you had it. I remember John had it and liked it. We did a bunch of still shoots in costume that John set up and was there posing us going, "All right guys, get your swords. Yeah, that's great!"

TheArnoldFans: What do you recall as the worst part about your Conan experience?

Gerry Lopez: Geez, nothing. It was all good right from the very beginning. You know, when John wrote the part for me, the production start date keep getting delayed. I think we were supposed to start in early summer and we never got going until almost January and that whole time I got to stay with John most of the time. He was married to Cilia then and Arnold and I hung out quite a bit. He, Sandahl and I worked out quite a bit with sword skills. We did all kinds of stuff and time together before we even went to Spain. Then, when we got to Spain, it was like a dream. That was pretty fabulous. 

TheArnoldFans: I spoke with Sandahl and she reminded me of one thing she could not stand was the scene where you both had to fight off the red demons in the sand and that there were all these sand fleas bitting her.

Gerry Lopez: Oh yeah, It was cold and it was really late at night and it was really windy. I don't remember any sand fleas but the sand was getting blown all over in our eyes. 

Another great exclusive that Gerry Lopez shared with me was the time they caused some damage around a golf course while in Spain, during their time working on Conan the Barbarian.

Gerry Lopez: I think one of the funniest things is when we were down in El Maria and we were staying on a really nice golf course,” said Gerry. “No one every really played there; it was empty the whole time. Of course it was like April and still a little cool but it was nice, and Arnold goes, ‘Gerry, you want to play golf?’ and I said I don’t know how. And he goes, ‘What, and you think I do?’ So I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go!’ So we went and got a driving range and got a lot of balls, because we knew we were going to lose balls. We just went out there and played golf, and we were just terrible! Ah man, we were teeing off and he slices one and it goes right through this guy’s big window! He looks at me and I go, ‘Should we run?’ and he goes, ‘Yeaaah!’ So that was it; that was the last hole. We just took off. That was pretty major. It went through a large window of a house overlooking the freeway. The ball just took it out!”

Thank you, Gerry. Since I was 11 years old, CONAN the Barbarian has remained my favorite Arnold movie so it's such a pleasure to meet my on-screen heroes. We shall see if I'll ever have a NEW favorite Schwarzenegger film once 2015's The Legend of Conan comes out! If you missed our earlier review with Gerry, click HERE! Now surf on over to gerrylopezsurfboards.com! 

Escape Plan breaks out 2/4/14 with a two-disc "combo pack" that includes the Blu-ray, a DVD copy of the film and both iTunes and UltraViolet HD digital copies. While the film reached a successful worldwide accumulation of $136 million tally, not too many people saw it domestically. Therefor, we're betting the Blu-ray sales will be promising if general audiences wanted to wait to see it in the comfort of their own homes. We'll get you those Blu-ray sales numbers next week.

Now here's info on our contest, how YOU can win one of our Escape Plan Blu-rays and a quick review of this uber-cool Arnold/Sly film!

THE BLU-RAY:
There are no special features on the DVD that comes with the set. All special features are on the Blu-ray!
There's a nice interactive intro on the Blu-ray where the animation lowers us down as if we're in a glass prison cell to reveal the inmate co-stars. After another quick animated movement, the menu options appear.

THE FILM:
Directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström, the film follows Stallone's character Ray Breslin, a structural engineer who is wrongly  convicted of a crime and is incarcerated in a prison of his own design, aided in his escape by the tough and delightfully vulgar-tongued Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger).
Now there are a couple of problems with the film, as most films go. So this probably won't rank as high to you as the perfectly ranked Predator, Total Recall, Terminator and Conan the Barbarian. However, even semi-flawed films like Commando and The Running Man can still be tons of fun. That's what we're getting with Escape Plan: tons of fun! Escape Plan captivates you with heavy doses of action, suspense, humor and Schwarzenegger-isms.
8 out of 10 stogies!


PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:
The discs are packed in a Blu-ray eco-case that is wrapped in a matching slipcover. There's a  nice assortment of extras including: The Audio Commentary from Director Mikael Hafstrom and Co-Writer Miles Chapmen, Executing the Plan: The Making of Escape Plan (22:13/HD), Maximum Security: The Real-Life Tomb (21:57/HD), which provides a broad overview of the United States prison system and includes interviews with law enforcement officers, wardens and architects. You also get Clash of the Titans (15:34/HD), about Schwarzenegger and Stallone, and...

DELETED SCENES:
Except for a couple of scenes with Ray Breslin's team doing detective work, these deleted scenes would have been fine to have left in the film. There are a few scenes involving Arnold's character and one of them is fantastic! Prepare yourself for big laughs and cheers in the scene where Arnold threatens the warden and what he'll do to his family!

Another deleted scenes shows Arnold in a red suit being taken by hired thugs before he was brought to the Tomb.

PICTURE:
Summit gives Escape Plan a 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that displays pleasing depth and high-definition detail.

SOUND:
The soundtrack comes as a boisterous 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix, which uses the surround field well for both action effects and subtle ambient cues.  A 2.0 English Dolby Digital mix is also included, as are an English descriptive track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Subtitles options include English, English SDH and Spanish.

THE CONTEST:
The Blu-ray and DVD discs will hit stores on Feb. 4th, but we have a few copies to give away! Just answer the following questions correctly and email them to us HERE with subject "Escape Plan contest". Inlcude your name and shipping address (sorry, U.S. winners only). The contest runs now through Feb. 10th.

Enter HERE to win!

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic portrayal of the cyborg assassin in The Terminator has remained a classic in popular culture and among fans! Now Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys proudly present the T-800 (Battle Damaged Version) sixth scale figure from The Terminator. The T-800 collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in battle damaged look from the movie featuring two battle damaged head sculpts with red LED light up left eyeball, leather-like jacket, as well as detailed weapons and a specially crafted diorama figure base. 

Click HERE to order this Arnold figure now! Or if you buy later, PLEASE bookmark this page so when you are ready, you can contribute to TheArnoldFans.com as we're part of Sideshow's affiliate program. So if you buy from our link, it supports us and puts gas money in our cars to get our asses to LA for interviews and red carpet adventures. Support TAFs. Support Arnold. Support your collection! Now GOOOOO, get to the shopping cart! 

Even though I’ve been participating in an amazing adventure already on Friday and Saturday here at the Arnold Sports Festival, Sunday, the last day, has always been the best day. This year again is no exception as I’m in the front row of the Sunday Morning Showcase, an hour-long fan interaction with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Corey, my brother, is also here today with me representing TheArnoldFans.com with our press badges. Naturally, Terminator is a hot topic so here’s what the lead actor of Terminator: Genesis told us today. 

Schwarzenegger: "The Terminator. You're right. We start filming in the middle or in the end of April and it will be a four or four-and-a-half month long shoot. We will be filming it in New Orleans with some of it in San Francisco and maybe a little of it in LA but most of it will be done in New Orleans. I'm really looking forward to that because as you know, the last time when they did the Terminator, it was when I was Governor and so I couldn't be in that movie but now I'm back again and they are very excited about having me in the film. And David Ellison, who has produced all the big movies lately, has plenty of money to do it well. He's in partnership with Paramount Pictures who are going to release the movie through their distribution. I'm really looking forward to that and it's going to come out on July 4th weekend in 2015. The movie preparation is going well. The script is fantastic so I'm really looking forward to this film."
 

We've really lucked out with our Terminator exclusives. It was TheArnoldFans.com that broke the exclusive from Arnold that he would do another Terminator last year, then we got Arnold to confirm months later he was still set to star as the Terminator and now we lucked out AGAIN getting Arnold to make his first Terminator statement since he last spoke to us on the red carpet in July. In other words, if you're an Arnold or Terminator fan, you might want to think about sticking around here with this site and join us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates ;)

We also learned Joe Manganiello, star of Sabotage, was sitting in the room.

TheArnoldFans.com: I had a fantastic weekend as always; So many things going on. It's been great to see you, Jason Statham and Joe Manganiello yesterday.

Schwarzenegger: "Where's Joe? Oh, he's right over here. Say hi to Joe Manganiello, a great actor. We're good friends. He works out very hard every day and has a fantastic body. You probably saw him on Muscle & Fitness magazine as he's ripped with abs. A six pack. He has a fantastic career and we are coming out with a movie. As a matter of fact, we have a screening here today, this afternoon for the film called Sabotage. He did a fantastic job and that's how we became friends and it's really great to see him here at the Arnold's Classic. I just wanted everyone to know he's sitting over there!" 

Immediately following the Sunday Morning Showcase, Corey and I quickly headed over to that advanced screening of Sabotage! As a reward for all the biggest Arnold fans attending this year’s Classic, Arnold arranged a three-week-early showing of Sabotage and the fans were pumped! Arnold and Joe Manganiello, his co-star, introduced the film before it started. But this full story and my review shall soon be told. Want more? You’ll be back! 

By now we've all heard the news that the ultimate action hero has a new fitness line of supplements created by MusclePharm! They had a HUGE booth at the Arnold Sports Festival and it was packed with people wanting The Arnold Series. But the question remains: Which store gets the official seal of approval and is the #1 pick by TheArnoldFans.com? WHERE do I buy Schwarzeneger's "Arnold Series" supplements you ask? Buy them from Campus Protein, the best and ballsiest suppliers of these Arnold products!

"Universities around the country now look to Campus Protein as their one and only stop for supplements. A once two man show is now run by over one hundred of Campus Protein representatives around the nation. There are currently over 50 Campus Protein sites nationally, and more than 100 more in line to open with in the upcoming months. But don't worry, you don't have to be on a campus to order, their services and reliable times are now offered to people not in school and even Alumni! Now, it’s not every day you hear a meat head success story like this one, so go out and support CampusProtein.com!"

We said hi to these guys at the Arnold Sports Festival, and their booth was constantly swamped. They offer fantastic prices and FREE same-day delivery to campuses where they have reps. Upon checkout from your order, be sure to tell them TheArnoldFans.com sent you. The Arnold Series product line initially launched with nearly ten different supplements supporting the four fitness pillars: performance, power & strength, nutrient support and recovery. There's the Iron Pump, the Iron Dream, Iron Cuts, Iron Cre3, Iron Whey, the Iron Pack and more! Check out which product is perfect for you by clicking HERE!

“I’ve been on a crusade to promote fitness for more than four decades,” said Arnold. “That has led to the largest health and fitness convention in the world, six books, seminars all over the globe, and visits to all 50 states as chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. This vitamin and supplement line is the next step. After meeting with the MusclePharm team, learning about the company, and spending time with the founders, I knew they were the perfect partners to start a line of nutritional supplements and continue promoting fitness around the world. Their passion for sports nutrition and science fits perfectly with my mission to help everyone discover the benefits of health and nutrition. I’m excited to partner with MusclePharm on the exclusive Arnold Series and develop this line of nutritional supplements that not only carry my name but also represent my lifelong commitment to fitness.” So what are you waiting for? Let's support Arnold and his supplement line and at the same time, let's get pumped and begin to transform ourselves into champions. Check out all the Arnold Series products NOW at CampusProtein.com!

This past weekend, Arnold Schwarzenegger gave fans a BIG surprise at the annual ARNOLD SPORTS FESTIVAL, where he and Joe Manganiello met with fans at a special screening of SABOTAGE! Just after that, the dynamic duo headed over to Chicago for another surprise appearance. TheArnoldFans attended the advanced screening in Ohio and all who attended received a very cool promotional Sabotage T-shirt and mini poster! Check out all of our photos below but FIRST, see this new Sabotage Clip right here!

Things get heated between Arnold and his team in this tense new clip from SABOTAGE. This brand new clip shows how pressure begins to rise between this elite DEA squad, as everything starts unraveling after a big drug bust. From the writer of Training Day and the director of End of Watch, this thriller will have you guessing until the end. Get to the bottom of this mystery on MARCH 28th- but until then, be sure to watch the new clip and check out these pics from the SABOTAGE screenings.

TAFs' Gillinator recorded this audio of Arnold and Joe introducing the movie (stay tuned for his non-spoiler thoughts on SABOTAGE).

While we were at the Ohio screening, Arnold fan Greg was at the Chicago one and this is his report!

We've got a "Legend of Conan" update for you so sit by our fire. Do you not wish to warm yourself by my fire? Oh good, you're sitting now so feast on this update before you become food for wolves. As we last reported, Andrea Berloff is writing the film for this Arnold Schwarzenegger epic and TODAY we received an exclusive statement from her. Conan is near.

Andrea Berloff: "I am completely thrilled and honored to be writing Conan. My fingers are nearly worn down to tiny, bloody nubbins as I'm working to give this iconic character new life, while still holding true to the qualities that made fans fall in love with him in the first place. It is no small task to tackle one of the greatest legends of all times but I have a fantastic team of producers around me and we are all ridiculously excited about how our beloved barbarian is developing. Stay tuned!"

The new film is about Conan's efforts to stay on his throne and the final cycle of a life spent obliterating anyone who got in his way. The Legend Of Conan, planned to go into production later this year after Terminator: Genesis, is being produced by Fredrik Malmberg through Paradox Entertainment and Chris Morgan & Emile Gladstone through their Chris Morgan Productions. Paradox owns the rights to the Robert E. Howard series.

"The idea is that this takes place AFTER Conan has been king," Malmberg tells TheArnoldFans. "The whole idea that got Arnold so enthusiastic about the new creative take is, CAN HE live up to the legend he is?" Conan is in his mid 60s now, so he will have to fight through an aging warrior body, having cracking bones, aches and having to get back into the battle."

 "Conan is very much alive," Schwarzenegger tells TheArnoldFans. "Age doesn't mean anything to me, because I work out every day. I work out twice a day, as a matter of fact. At night I work out with weights, and in the morning I do cardiovascular training. So for me, to get on the set and to swing the sword around again and to ride the horses and all those things doesn't mean anything [does not scare me], because I feel like I did thirty years ago. So as long as I stay in shape, that's the key thing, and to keep your body young."

"When Arnold is sitting on the throne as an older king, it left such an impression on me," Sven-Ole Thorsen tells TheArnoldFans. "That character of that movie has to be made. They can make it when he's 80 years old or 70 years old. I'm sure that Conan is very close to his heart, and we very often talk about the days in Spain because we spent so long there shooting the first Conan, and we were really bonding with all the stuntmen and all the actors. So many great locations. So I do know that Conan is very close to Arnold's heart."

Several of Arnold's close friend's and previous co-stars tell TheArnoldFans that they want a role in The Legend of Conan, including Sven-Ole Thorsen, Ralf Moeller and Franco Columbu. But no one wants a role in the Legend of Conan more than I do. I'd do anything to have the mighty Conan lop off my head in a battle scene. I'll ask Crom to grant me this one request. Maybe Crom's listening skills have improved.