Wednesday, June 30, 2010

New "The Expendables" Trailer #3

Friday, June 25, 2010

News Haul - June 25, 2010

Just a few news updates:

Upcoming Magazine Update
Austin conformed last night on his Twitter that he will be in the July issue of WatchTime Magazine:


"I wil be in the July issue of WatchTime Magazine...talking about watches, acting, and of course-pro wrestling."


The Stranger DVD Releases

Australia
WWE superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin features in "The Stranger" which is available to rent on DVD and Blu-ray from Wednesday 23rd June.

UK
The Stranger comes out in the UK on September 8th.

Win Tickets to The Expendables Premire in the UK!

The Expendables opens across the UK on 19 August and the premiere will take place at the start of that month.

Jet! To celebrate the release of what’s sure to be one of the biggest action blockbusters of the year, sky movies are offering one lucky reader the chance to win two tickets to the event – and to mingle with the stars!

But that’s not all. In addition to the glittering premiere, you’ll get to spend a night in a four-star London hotel and receive £500 in spending money. Transport will also be included.

For more information, please visit Movies.Sky.com, or you can visit teh official UK movie website at: ExpendablesMovie.co.uk.


New Expendables "Boat Gunfight Clip"

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

BleacherReport.com: Steve Austin/Dusty Rhodes Connection + Poll


Source & Viewer's POLL: BleacherReport.com

“Stunning” Steve Austin was a talented tag team wrestler in WCW who was decent on the mic and pretty good in the ring.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the toughest man in the WWE who could talk a streak and destroy everyone who entered the ring with him.

The difference, of course, was the gimmick.

In this business, gimmicks make or break a wrestler.

It doesn’t matter how good of a worker a guy is, or even how respected he is by his peers, if his gimmick does not go over with the crowd, then he’s not going anywhere.

For me, a good example of this was Dean Malenko —a great worker, but no real gimmick to speak of to get him over.

If not for the Four Horsemen, Dean may not have gone anywhere in WCW .

Austin was in the same boat.

We all know the story.

He was running heel, with Paul E. Dangerously as his manager, and then later partnered with Brian Pillman .

The Hollywood Blonds were a good team, with a WCW and an NWA World Tag Team Title run to their credit.

Despite Austin’s talent and work ethic, at the end of the day it wasn’t enough for Eric Bischoff to decide Steve just wasn’t marketable.

Austin, of course, went on to ECW , where he was pretty entertaining.

Finally getting the opportunity to show his sense of humor, ECW was just a stepping stone to the big dance–the WWE .

Austin became The Ringmaster in his first gimmick in WWE, a talented wrestler who was decent on the mic and pretty good in the ring.

What was past had become present.

Austin was going nowhere fast, and it looked as though he was destined to have just a mediocre career.

That is, until King of The Ring in 1996.

Austin won the KOTR tournament, and after defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final match, he was interviewed by Michaels Hayes.

An interview that would change his career and the face of the WWE was then given, and with nine little words, Steve Austin turned the wrestling world upside down.

“Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!”

I remember thinking, "man, that’s big talk coming from a guy who’s never really done anything."

That’s right, while some fans jumped out of their seat, proclaiming Austin as the next big star, I just sat there.

To me, it was just another interview.

But then the Stone Cold identity was born and Austin took over world.

God, this guy was over.

The infamous Road Warrior pop had officially been challenged, as the roof began to blow off the building every time his music hit.

Austin 3:16 t-shirts and signs started appearing everywhere.

Crowds were getting flipped off by a grown man as he drank beer in the ring and they loved every minute of it.

Steve Austin had arrived.

I have to say, though, as an old school wrestling fan, this was all a little new to me.

Austin was a heel.

No matter how you look at it, the Stone Cold gimmick was not meant to be a face gimmick.

He threw the Stunner on anything that moved.

Any preconceived notions about right and wrong, good or bad, went flying out the window with Austin.

Stone Cold’s character was in business for himself, he backed down from no one, and God help you if you got in his way.

It blew my mind.

A face just didn’t act this way.

At least when The Road Warriors were baby, they played the part and worked only heels.

This guy hated everybody. It was amazing to me.

It was almost as if Austin’s character was daring the crowd to cheer for him.

And they did, me included.

Why exactly did the Stone Cold gimmick work, and work so well?

To me, the answer is easy.

Simply put, Austin had found the Dusty Rhodes connection.

Aside from the heel aspect of his character, Stone Cold was very similar to The American Dream Dusty Rhodes in the NWA years.

Think about it, here was a regular looking guy, who was tough as nails in the ring and could keep an audience riveted with every word he spoke.

He was relentless, with fierce determination and not an ounce of fear in his eyes.

Much like Dusty, Austin told you what he was going to do and then he went out and did it.

The fans responded.

That’s what people want.

Bright lights, big pyro , and loud music are great and add to the presentation, but no amount of high dollar production or flashy entrance videos can replace a good old fashioned brawl.

A brawl, instigated by a no-nonsense hell raiser. That was Dusty Rhodes.

And the torch had been passed; the vein that Rhodes had possessed for so long had been tapped by Austin and he owned it.

He owned it with everything he had.

The wrestling world had not seen this type of character since Dusty—of that I’m sure.

But make no mistake; Steve Austin was an original.

As much as I can see the similarities in the two, I can also say that Austin had carved his own niche and created a new edgier type of face that the business had never seen before, and has been copied a thousand times since.

Some might say that Steve Austin was in the right place, at the right time, with the right catchphrase; anyone could have pulled off the Stone Cold gimmick.

Hard to believe, but I suppose it’s possible.

However, though I agree that Austin struck a nerve with the fans and presented something new and fresh, I also feel that he is the reason it worked in the first place.

Steve worked hard to get to the level on which he had arrived.

He worked in a struggling promotion for a guy like Bischoff who was all about the money, and was held to mid-card status, never getting a real break at the big time.

Austin paid his dues, he was a good worker, and he deserved to finally get his shot.

Steve Austin took the crazy notion of "just get in there and do it" to a whole new level. He was the reason for his success. He earned it.

The Stone Cold character was one of the final original concepts that has come out of the WWE in the last fourteen years.

While everyone takes a few minutes to debate that one, I will end by saying not only do I believe that statement now as I always have.

And to tell you the truth, I miss Stone Cold.

It’s a shame these guys have to get older and move on with their lives. A real shame.

But, at least I have the memories, and until someone new comes along and finds the Steve Austin connection, I guess that will have to be enough.

And that’s the bottom line.

This Day in SCSA/Wrestling History - 06/23/2010

June 23, 1996:


Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the King of The Ring tournament. The win marks the beginning of Austin's push. Triple H was scheduled to win this tournament, but that angle was scrapped due to his participation in the "MSG Curtain Call" incident and subsequent punishment.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Just wishing all of the fathers (and Steve!) out there a very special "Happy Father's Day!" Thanks dad for all of the love, wisdom, & guidance over the years + more to come!

Profile Tools, free Myspace layouts, free Myspace comment codes, images, Myspace Layouts

JR Blog's - 6/19/2010 - Tyson/Austin Memories

Source: JR's blog


An e-mailer asked if I remembered the Austin-Tyson confrontation on Raw. Without question. It was at the old, small arena in Fresno on a hotter than hell day. Tyson came with a much larger entourage than humanly needed. Lots of hanger's on.' WWE had to get Mike a trailer to park outside the arena to use as his dressing room. We stayed at a hotel right across the street from the arena there in Fresno. The crowd was jacked when Austin and Tyson made contact with some of the most intense emotion that I can ever remember on Raw. The moment, the timing, the individuals involved, the entire package created a memory that all fans would enjoy seeing either again or for the first time. I also realized that day just how big a wrestling fan Mike Tyson is and, as I have mentioned, he is a great historian of the WWF era of wrestling in the northeast.

Friday, June 18, 2010

John Cena Compares Sheamus' Rise to Stardom to Austin's

Source: FunHouse.com
And Virginia @sheamusfanorg for the Tweet!

FanHouse had the opportunity to chat with John Cena before he participated as a celebrity judge along with Tony Parker and Erin Andrews in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide "Ultimate Summer Job" Contest on Tuesday. Interviewed by Tom Herrera, he was asked:

It's been a different time for WWE, with The Undertaker getting injured, Shawn Michaels retiring, even Batista leaving. So how has it been adjusting, since we've seen a lot of moving parts with the superstars, and who do you think -- and I read you were a fan of Evan Bourne -- who do you really think is gonna step it up to the next level?

Well I hate to label myself with veteran status, but I've been around here long enough, this is kind of the situation I was brought into the WWE under in 2002. They just had a lot of their roster move on, they just changed the name of the company, they just fizzled out the WCW takeover. There was a lot of changing of the guard going on in 2002, and here we are eight years later and it seems like we're at that junction again. I just want to make sure from my standpoint that our best folks are getting the chance. I love Evan Bourne. I think he loves the WWE, he's a very energizing and entertaining personality, and I think he has a bright future in WWE.

And here's the good part!


As much as I hate to say it, what Sheamus has accomplished in six months is something I haven't seen since ... man, since Steve Austin became "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Audio: Steve Austin on THE LAW

Interview Highlights Source: PWInsider.com
Audio Source: LiveAudioWrestling.com


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

You will need Quicktime to listen...


Steve Austin appeared on Live Audio Wrestling (The LAW) this past Sunday night to promote his new DVD ‘The Stranger’ that is available now through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Here are some highlights of the interview with Dan Lovranski of The LAW:


On Jim Ross:
Jim is a very close, personal friend and was very instrumental and a big part of my career and I love the guy but it’s just a case of the WWE wanting to go in a different direction and maybe get younger. The show has changed, it’s a PG rated show so Jim fits into that but the Stone Cold character not so much. That’s just the business and sooner or later your time is up and I guess they figured his time was up. I love Jim Ross and I think he’s the greatest announcer in the history of the business and there’s been a couple of outstanding ones and lots of good ones but I put him at the top of the list – and that’s just the wrestling business.

Comparisons of Randy Orton’s current character to the Stone Cold character:
I guess you can see a parallel and I like Randy – ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton was one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, I loved what he did in the ring. But when you make that comparison to Stone Cold, that’s a pretty tough comparison if I’m that guy and I think Randy is a great talent in the ring and I love the viper gimmick but that’s a tough comparison.

On the TNA product:
Yes I do watch TNA as much as I can, just as I do WWE. I have a lot of friends in that promotion and I wish them all well just because it’s another place for guys to work and I’m a pro wrestling fan so I don’t care what brand it is. My blood is in the WWE but I love wrestling in general. You’re running with your older talent there just because you’re trying to go off name value that people can identify with so you can rope them in and try to expose them to some younger talent, they just need to expose them to some more younger talent. Samoa Joe is one of my favorite guys over there he’s kind of got lost in the shuffle, they need to break him back out. They have some talent over there I think their writing is a little lost right now I don’t know whose booking or whose calling the shots they need to bring a little more focus and come around and see what the direction is they are going in and follow up on that and not compete with the WWE or try to be the WWE just be the best TNA you can be.

Any chances of wrestling another match?:
You may see me in a wrestling ring but I don’t think I’ll be wrestling. I think it’s best to leave well enough alone and let people remember Steve Austin for what he was. Could I go back? I could get another couple of years out of this carcass if I wanted to or if I had to and I could have another match but what’s the point? I have my sights focused on trying to be as good an actor as I can be and go down this road. I love my wrestling fans and wrestling is what put me on the map and I still follow the business to this day but I’m going to leave well enough alone.

Music he is currently listening to:
The music business has changed so much. I’ve got some buddies out here is San Angelo, Texas called Los Lonely Boys, they are good friends of mine so I listen to a lot of Los Lonely Boys. I’m a big George Strait fan, still listening to George Strait. Right now for just a straight rock and roll type band I think Nickelback is as good as it gets and I like Nickelback but I just think the face and the sound and the ear of music has changed dramatically.



Catch The LAW each Sunday night at 11pm EST on Sirius 98 Hardcore Sports Radio and online at their website.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Steve Austin UGO.com Interview

Don't Let Steve Austin Be a Stranger
The stone cold wrestler-turned-action-star talks his latest movie and the truth about beer.
Originally published on: June 7, 2010
Source: UGO.com


5. The Talented Mr. Austin

Chris Radtke: What are some of the films, when you were doing your research for the role, that you saw inspiration? In terms of great action movies of the past and classic revenge films.

Stone Cold: This probably would be a working man’s Bourne Identity type movie. That’s the best way I can try and break it down for you. I loved the script when I first read it. It was a very challenging type role and told with the use of a lot of flashbacks. So if you watch the movie, you have to stay on your toes to watch the flashbacks, and piece it all together which comes together at the end of the movie. Dealing with everything involved with this movie, I loved the script and I thought it was a challenging role. I speak a little Spanish, I speak a little Russian and my character loses his memory in the movie. He has amnesia. He doesn’t know who he is, what he’s done, anything about his family, and he’s putting all these pieces together through the course of the movie. It was a way to push myself and try to bring up my acting shots, rather than just relying on my physicality and fight sequences. This was a challenging role to try and transition into being considered an actor. It seems every time I do another movie, there is a light at the end of tunnel. The first few didn’t even come on. I didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I see one far away. It’s flickering and it got a little brighter. I’m in no shape or form, right now, a premiere actor, but at least I’m starting to unravel the pieces of what it takes to properly prepare for a role and execute it. I’m learning and that’s my goal, to be as good as I can be.




4. The Future of Steve Austin

Chris Radtke: You got to have an idea, like a director or type of movie that you are working towards to.

Stone Cold: I love the action stuff, but I love the comedy stuff too. Most of the time that’s all I do is laugh my ass off all day anyway. I’m more of a funny guy than I am a tough guy. I made a great living beating people up on TV, but that’s not who and what I am. If I could do a lot of action movies, some comedies or humor movies, that would be fantastic. It would be great to go into a movie and not lift a finger. To just do dialogue, but be able to create an interesting enough character. The bottom line is if I could make 20 more action movies, I would be a happy guy. I just want to improve. I want to be as good in front of a movie camera as I was in front of a wrestling camera. If I can be that good, I’m going to be okay.




3. Stone Cold is Just Warming Up

Chris Radtke: What about TV? You were on Nash Bridges at one point. Would you ever do a TV show? A sitcom or procedural cop show?

Stone Cold: Oh, absolutely. I would love to do something like that. Me and my guys have worked on a couple projects that were trying to tighten up. We pitched a few of them and hadn’t quite put the right pieces together, I guess. That was more of an action cop oriented.

Chris Radtke: Can you tell us a little about it?

Stone Cold: Well, no. (laughs) Someone else is going to tweak it. I love the action, buddy cop type stuff, bounty hunter type stuff or lethal weapon type stuff. 48 hours or the comedy side of things just from pure, straight up sitcom type stuff. I keep my mind open to anything. I just want to just be able to go and do it, I like to keep busy.

Chris Radtke: Would you ever consider doing a movie with The Rock?

Stone Cold: Of course, I would consider doing anything with anybody. I know that Dwayne has definitely distanced himself from the world of pro wrestling and I still might be, actually, too close to it at this point. That would have to be a whole conversation that you’ll have to have with that guy, but I think it would be great chemistry. Yes on my end. Definitely something could happen, but he’s doing his own thing and I’m proud of him for it.




2. Following in the Footsteps of the Govenator

Chris Radtke: Your one of the premiere, straight to DVD, action stars right now. There is only room to go up at this point. Have you have had any conversations with people in the past who kind of been in that realm and give you pointers on what to do, mistakes they may have made? Where people have graduated from the next level?

Stone Cold: No, I’ve never had any conversations with people who were where I am right now. I remember, you know, when I go back to my days in wrestling; when I was actually a pretty good hand in the ring. I asked this particular guy, Ricky Steamboat, who was one of my favorites to work with.

I said, ”Ricky, what am I doing wrong? What do I have to do to get to the next step?”

He said, ”Hell Steve, I don’t think you need anything.”

And I didn’t, I just needed a gimmick. That’s when I came up with the Stone Cold thing and things took off for me. I just continued to home my skills and become a better actor. Sometimes it’s a fluke, sometimes its luck and its putting yourself in the right position. But, you know, finding that role that fits just like a glove that you can really bring to life and its like some of the movies that made and defined Arnold Schwarzenegger. They were absolutely perfect for him. Look back at Conan the Barbarian, who else would’ve or I mean who could’ve played it like he did? And it wasn’t all about the dialogue; it was just a badass movie that fit him or his Terminator. Man I don’t know what to tell you, when you’re out there working on the set, I ask a lot of guys and a lot of ladies questions that are ahead of me, but it’s like you know the success of my own Stone Cold Steve Austin. I made it on my own, asking a ton of people for advice, but when I really hit it. It was just forging my own path and catching a lucky break, or catching a break. Maybe there’s not lucky about it. That’s all it is.




1. The Secrets of Beer Revealed

Chris Radtke: I have one more question, I’ve been wondering for a long time. What’s your favorite beer?

Stone Cold: When I go to my ranch on Thursday, I’ll have the daily one or two Coronas. So it’s Corona, but you cant drink a Corona unless you have a lime or salt because other than that it sucks. I really don’t drink to much beer anymore and I’m a bit of a wine snob. I live here in Los Angeles and I go to Napa Valley. I try to go their every other year, but anyway, I’m a cabernet guy and I have...

Chris Radtke: Excuse me, but what are some of your favorites?

Stone Cold: Some of my favorite cabernets are Cliff Lede, Honig and Chappellet. For a pretty damn cheap cab, Two-Buck Chuck stuff. A damn good daily drinker is called Penalolen. It’s from, I don’t know if it’s from Argentina or Chile. Anyway, that would be three on my list. I could go higher in range than that.

Chris Radtke: How did you make that transition?

Stone Cold: Well actually, back when I was out on the road, I was a big Crown Roll or Corona guy. I still am during deer season. And then I went through my vodka kick and I started drinking red wines. I was always, pretty much, into the cabs and merlots. I always do the occasional resent knelt. Basically, I’m just a cab guy.

Chris Radtke: My friend’s wife actually went to classes and studied to tell the differences between the wines. Do you have any formal introduction or do you just drink it for taste?

Stone Cold: No, I never took any classes. Can you get a good bottle of wine, cheap? Yes you can, but by the time it passes through all the mark up places, that’s where your price comes from.

Chris Radtke: What are some of the higher end cabs that you drink?

Stone Cold: I like Opice, Nickel & Nickel and Far Niente. I do like Darioush. I also like their lower selection which is Caravan, but that’s from Darioush also. Like here, right now, I picked up a case of some Obsidian Ridge and that’s from Road Hills Lake, and this is a bottle of Doumos Aura.

Chris Radtke: Do you have a custom storage area?

Stone Cold: Don’t believe in it. When I go to my wine store, my guy recommends something and he tells me, “It won’t be ready now Steve, you got to wait three or four years.” I say take it back and I won’t hold onto them that long. I want to drink them right now. I’ve had those things in the past and don’t use them. When you bring a wine out of a cooler, to me that’s too cool. I do like mine to be room temperature, if not slightly warmer. It is badass for bragging rights and they do look cool.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Austin on "The Point" Radio

Source: GetThePointRadio.com




The Point Radio: Stone Cold Speaks

Even if you aren't a WWE Fan, chances are you know STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. For almost half a decade, Steve has been battling his way into the acting world and know he has a new action film on the shelves plus a role with Stallone coming up.

Video: 3 Wide: 'Stone Cold' Wreck (5/28/2010)

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin shows up at the track. Find out what happens when he runs in to Jeff Hammond. 5/28/2010

<br/><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/3-wide-stone-cold-wreck/12wye69t?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="3 Wide: 'Stone Cold' wreck">Video: 3 Wide: 'Stone Cold' wreck</a>

Sunday, June 6, 2010

New "The Expendables" Movie Poster

Friday, June 4, 2010

New "The Expendables" Trailer #2

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Austin Interview with Bullz-Eye.com + Audio

Sources
Interview: Bullz-Eye.com
Audio: RoundTableRadio.net & this link.

By Will Harris (wharris@bullz-eye.com)
Interview Date: 05/24/2010
Run Date: 06/01/2010

It still seems a bit weird to write Steve Austin’s name without prefacing it with the words “Stone Cold,” but let’s just pretend that it’s a silent “Stone Cold” these

days. After all, the man has done his time and endured plenty of damage to his body while in the ring. Doesn’t he deserve to be able to leave wrestling behind

and pursue a new career? And if he doesn’t…well, look, if you want to be the one who tells him that, then you go right ahead. Here at Bullz-Eye, we’re a little

intimidated by the guy, frankly, which is why we’ve gone ahead and thrown our support behind his acting endeavors by letting him promote his new film, “The

Stranger,” which is now available on DVD. In addition, we got a look into how he decided to channel his inner thespian in the first place, how he’s progressing

on that front, who’s been giving him acting advice, and where we can see him next. (Hint: it stars Sylvester Stallone and it comes out this summer.)




Steve Austin: Hey, Will, it’s Steve!

Bullz-Eye: Hey, how’s it going?

SA: Sorry, man, I was running a couple of minutes late.

BE: Not a problem. Good to talk to you.

SA: You, too. What’s happening?

BE: Well, I finished watching “The Stranger” this morning. Good fun. Not necessarily the most upbeat film, but good fun.

SA: Exactly. (Laughs)

BE: So what brought you to “The Stranger” in the first place? Did they come to you specifically, or were you actively trolling for film work?

SA: The script came to me, I read it, and…it was a very interesting script to read, but it was also very challenging. It was a script where I’d rely more on trying to become a better actor. More on cerebral qualities than physicality, not so much on fight choreography and fight sequences…although I love doing that stuff! (Laughs) So it was a way to push the envelope as far as trying to better myself as an actor, to take myself out of my comfort zone, and it was a learning experience.

BE: Your character suffers through a fugue state throughout much of the film. Was that something that you did some research on before you played the part?

SA: You know what? I just went back to the number of times I’d been hit on the head with a steel chair, and… (Laughs) I’m kidding you. You know, that was actually…yes, I did look into the fugue states, but one of the things that also came out of this movie was learning more and more about how to research and prepare for a role. In researching the fugue states and the sodium pentobarbital…if I’m saying that correctly…I’ve always listened to and heard other actors and actresses talk about the research that they’d done, and now having done what I did for this movie and listening to other actors talk, it’s finally really settling in for me. It’s a lot more apparent to me now how to prepare for a role, because if you don’t have your facts straight, you don’t have your facts straight.

BE: How was it working with Erica Serra? Did you guys have a pretty decent chemistry from the get-go?

SA: A real good chemistry. I loved working with her, and she’s a very talented actress. We hit off like…well, just like Frick and Frack! (Laughs) She was very easy to get along with and a lot of fun, and she’s a great actress. Along with her and Adam Beach, I asked them questions all the time and had fun cutting up with them on the set, too. But when I get to work with people as talented as they are, I ask them questions about some of the things and the processes that they use to get as good as they are.

BE: Yeah, actually, I was going to ask you about that. When it comes to acting, of the people that you’ve worked with, who have you gotten the most / best information from?

SA: You know, I just did a movie with Sylvester Stallone, “The Expendables,” and in that movie, my boss was Eric Roberts…and I love Eric Roberts. I didn’t know what kind of relationship we were going to have, but I introduced myself to him one morning at breakfast, and we just hit it off. The guy really took me under his wing, and we would sit there and talk all day about acting and everything else under the sun. So, really, just hanging out with Eric Roberts, watching him do what he does, being in almost all of the scenes with him, and watching him up close, I would say that he’s been a big influence. Am I as good an actor as Eric Roberts? No. (Laughs) But as far as someone who has taken me under their wing and shared so much information with me, it would be him.

BE: Since you brought up “The Expendables,” I was going to ask you about it, anyway, so…what was it like working with Stallone and that huge ensemble cast? It must’ve been a bit of a thrill.

SA: Oh, it was!

BE: How did you come into the mix?

SA: You know, I was actually down at my ranch in South Texas, and my guys called me and said, “Hey, we’re trying to get you a meeting with Sylvester Stallone. He’s casting a movie called ‘The Expendables.’” Several months went by, and he’d already cast “The Expendables,” but he still wanted to meet me for potentially playing the part of Dan Paine. So I went in to meet Sly, it was the first time I’d ever met him, and I’m a huge fan. I remember watching “Rocky” back in ’76 or whenever it was, then getting up the next morning, drinking eggs, and running down the street…and now here I am meeting with this guy! (Laughs) And, again, it was just two guys from two different backgrounds, but Sly has a big athletic background, with all of his college activities, his boxing, and all of his action movies, and he’s a big MMA pro wrestling fan as well. So we were still coming from two different worlds, but we met in his office one day, we hit it off like we’d known each other for ten years, and he offered me the part on the spot. I accepted on the spot, I was in “The Expendables,” and it was an absolute thrill of a lifetime to be in that movie with all those people.

BE: Can you tell me a little bit about your character, Dan Paine?

SA: Basically, Dan Paine is not a dialogue-heavy guy in “The Expendables.” He is there to provide intimidation and muscle for Eric Roberts, and I’m an evil person who does evil things.

BE: Which could be fun to play, I’d think.

SA: (Bursts out laughing) It actually was! I would like to do some comedy and humor along the way, though! In some of the movies I’ve done, I’ve been the good guy, but I’ve actually always enjoyed being the bad guy. To ramp it up and actually get a bit more dialogue in an evil role, that’d be fun for me.

BE: To speak of comedy, though, you did appear in “The Longest Yard.”

SA: Yeah, that was fun back in the day, and I’d love to work with Adam Sandler again. He’s a class act, and that was fun, but…that was five or six years ago now, right? Your first movie or two…or three or four!...you don’t know what the hell’s going on. You really don’t. It’s all about going through the process and learning. I didn’t know what the hell was going on in “The Longest Yard.” (Laughs) I would say that I was a wrestler doing that part. Now I’m trying to transition out of being considered a wrestler and turn into being an actor. So, yeah, I’d like to have the opportunity to do a movie like that again, with more dialogue and a bigger part. But it’s part of the education process. You certainly don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, because, man, when it all comes down to it, acting’s a pretty complicated process ‘til you’ve done it a few times.

BE: If you were feeling out of it during “The Longest Yard,” I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt way back when you were doing “Nash Bridges.”
"I’ve turned down 20 or 25 reality shows, because it’s not my cup of tea. I’m not running anybody down for doing what they do, but I just haven’t seen myself in that light. I’m a very private person, and I always have been. If I did something, it would be of my own accord. But at this stage of the game, I haven’t heard one yet that I’ve been interested in…and I’ve heard a lot!"

SA: You know what? In “Nash Bridges,” I just…well, of course, I was white-hot in the business at the time. They flew me to San Francisco, and I’d go out there and they’d shoot me out in three and a half days. It’s real interesting when you go in and remember your lines, but remembering your lines is the easy part. It’s the acting that you’ve got to put in there. It’s what you need to bring to a scene. It’s what you’re there for. There are a lot of things that I’m only just now starting to put together at part of my education process, but back then, I didn’t think twice about it.

BE: I’m curious how you enjoyed the experience of working on “Chuck.” It seemed like a lot of fun.

SA: I did have a lot of fun on that show, and I’d love to do more stuff like that. I’d never seen the show, because I don’t watch TV, but everybody on that cast is very, very talented, especially Zach Levi, and I had a lot of fun. It was very light-hearted, and it’s a really cool show.

BE: What’s your process when it comes to learning lines?

SA: Repetition. But also, now I’m kind of looking at the scene and seeing what’s really happening. Now I’m making a visual picture of the scene and reading the script a few times before I even attempt to learn it, so that I understand the story. I try to visualize every scene so that I’ve got a picture in my mind, so that it’s not just words that I need to put together. I try to live those moments, and as I try to put the words to those moments, they resonate more with me and become more a part of the story. Rather than just flat out doing the memorization process, the two kind of blend together, and I learn how everything comes together.

BE: So whose idea was it for you to transition into acting? Was it your management, or was it something that you’d always had a hankering to do?

SA: No, I just…I got out of wrestling just because my body had had enough of it, I retired for three or four years, and I didn’t do anything. I thought I was going to be retired, period. But after three or four years of not doing anything and living in San Antonio, Texas, I said, “You know what? I like to be productive, and I like to make money.” After having my career in pro wrestling, I didn’t want to go back to doing manual labor on a freight dock, which was what I was doing prior to wrestling: driving a fork lift. So I said, “You know, I enjoyed doing ‘Nash Bridges.’ I’ll move out to Los Angeles and try some acting.” So that’s what spurred me to take all my stuff out of Texas and move out here, and…that’s why I’m here. My goal in my life was to be a professional wrestler, and then when my body told me that I couldn’t do that anymore but I still wanted to work, I turned to acting. I’m just trying to be as good of an actor as I can be. I’ve got a ways to go, but that’s my mission: to be as good as I can be. I can’t look at Marlon Brando or all of these other cats. I’ve just got to be the best Steve Austin that I can be…and I’m still trying to put all that together.

BE: Do you think we’ll ever see you turn up on any reality shows like some of your fellow wrestlers?

SA: It’d have to be a real specific type of thing where I was on board or involved with creatively, because I’ve turned down 20 or 25 reality shows, because it’s not my cup of tea. I’m not running anybody down for doing what they do, but I just haven’t seen myself in that light. I’m a very private person, and I always have been. If I did something, it would be of my own accord, and it’d be something where I have strong creative input, probably something that’s my idea. But at this stage of the game, I haven’t heard one yet that I’ve been interested in…and I’ve heard a lot!

BE: To ask you a wrestling-themed question, a friend of mine wanted me to ask you this: do you think a union would be beneficial for pro wrestlers?

SA: Uh… (Starts to laugh) …I don’t think you’re ever going to see one! But do I think it would be beneficial for them? (Long pause) Man, on one hand, yes, on one hand, no.

BE: Do you, uh, want to elaborate on that?

SA: I don’t think you’ll ever see one. Do you? Do you follow wrestling?

BE: Not very much. My friend Joe, who does a podcast (Roundtable Wrestling Radio), said it’s a question that he asks of all grapplers.

SA: Yeah, it’s just that…I don’t think you’re ever going to have anybody ever making a stand together all as one. The top guys are taken care of so well already, and…I really think that, in today’s day and age, everybody’s taken care of pretty well. The money that those men and women are generating…? It’s the people who don’t save their money, who blow it all or whatever they did with their money, which usually are very bitter towards the end or at the end. Now, don’t get me wrong: there are some people with some health issues where maybe a union would be beneficial. But I really don’t think you’ll ever see one.

BE: Beyond the obvious “Stone Cold” nickname, do you have another favorite nickname that you were called over the years?

SA: (Long pause) Not that you could print. (Laughs) Nah, I’m kiddin’ ya. I’ve been called a lot of goofy things, though. My nickname down at my ranch is “Cap’n.” That’s the best one I can give you.

BE: Which – if any – of your signature moves did you have to phase out because your body was telling you that you couldn’t do them anymore?

SA: Oh, I didn’t have to phase out any of my signature moves. Basically, I didn’t have any. I just did the Stunner, and if it wasn’t for metal folding chairs and four letter words, I might not have even had a career! (Laughs) It was avoiding piledrivers and some of those types of things that I eliminated, because after that one, I didn’t need anything else like that to happen. I eliminated piledrivers and back drops…anything of a high-impact nature, any kind of crazy sidewalk slams and stuff like that.

BE: Lastly, I know you turned up as a guest host on “Raw” earlier this year, but can we hope to see an actual return to the ring for Stone Cold Steve Austin?

SA: No, I’m done with the ring. I mean, never say never, but I can probably say never. I have so many good memories of a business that I loved and still love, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is remembered now for who and what he was, and I don’t want to tarnish that. I don’t want to go back and make one more payoff. I saved my money, and thankfully so. I never lived outside my means. Could I go back and make a hell of a payoff? Yes. It’s not about that to me, though. I left that job, and I’m happy watching the young men and women do that job today; I wish them all the success in the world, and there’s no reason for me to go back and have another match.




Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Austin On TNA Opposing WWE on Monday Nights, Says: "Just Brutal"

Source: PWTorch.com

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin called TNA's attempt to oppose WWE on Monday nights "just brutal" in an interview with IGN.com. Austin is promoting the release of his new movie, "The Stranger," out on DVD today.

Asked by Matt Fowler of IGN.com what he thought of TNA's brief run on Mondays, Austin replied, "Oh, that was brutal. Just brutal. I've always wished TNA all the luck in the world. I mean, they'll never be able to compete on a level platform with the WWE but I still just want the company to do well because I have a lot of friends over there."

Austin added that he believes TNA needs to find their niche as a different type of wrestling product compared to what WWE is offering.

"I think they need to differentiate the product even more from what the WWE is because they'll never be able to compete with that," Austin said. "But, that being said, they've got some interesting storylines and some interesting talent over there. It's an alternative."

Austin also tried to define his current working relationship with WWE two months removed from guest-hosting Raw. He said he doesn't catch the product as much as he would like to.

"Technically I'm still with the company. I'm totally independent but technically I'm still with the company and have a great relationship with them," Austin said. "I'm trying to focus on the things that I've got going (so) I really don't get to watch that much TV at all. ... I don't watch the WWE as much as I'd like to, but I don't really watch TV in general."

At the end of the interview, Austin is passionate and candid talking about wrestling from the 1980s that he grew up on, calling it "some good s---." He said he watches that on tape more than current wrestling on TV.

"These days, in my garage I have two cardio machines and a flat screen TV. I still watch wrestling. I love it. I'll always love it. I'm still hooked on it, I'm just not in it anymore," Austin said.

You can read the interview with IGN.com in the post below!

IGN.com Interview With Steve Austin

Source: IGN.com

Stone Cold Is...The Stranger!
IGN talks to the WWE legend about his new thriller out on DVD, working with Stallone on The Expendables, TNA vs WWE and Twitter sharks!
by Matt Fowler




You know him.

WHAT?

You love him.

WHAT?

Well now you can own him on DVD!

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the "Texas Rattlesnake" himself, has a new thriller hitting DVD and Blu-Ray shelves today. In it, Austin plays a violent amnesiac on the run from the law who's trying to piece together his tragic past. IGN had a chance to speak with the WWE Hall of Famer about The Stranger, working with Stallone on The Expendables, WWE vs. TNA, Twitter sharks and the good ol' USWA!





IGN: So there's a scene in The Stranger where your character wears a disguise. And part of that disguise was a long-haired wig. I haven't seen you with hair since your "Stunning" Steve days. What was that like for you?

Steve Austin: [laughs] You know, that was one of my favorite scenes actually. To get a chance to feel what it was like to have hair again. You know I've always wanted, on a movie, to go to the hair department. Not the make-up department because I go there all the time, but the hair department. Most people are used to me being a bald guy, which I am. I kind of lost my hair at the age of 24, but that being said I enjoyed that part of the film. It was an interesting movie and an interesting script. It was little bit different of a vehicle than I've been in lately and it was a challenging role. That's why I decided to take that movie on.

IGN: In your last film that came out on DVD, Damage, you were sort of part of a trio -- with Walton Goggins and Laura Vandervoort. In The Stranger you were alone for a lot of the movie, off on amnesiac adventures. What was it like having to play out so many different scenarios?

Austin: Obviously it presented a lot of challenges they I hadn't undertaken before. It was all a work in progress and you know you're kind of flying by the seat of your pants any time you're doing something that you've never done before. You try to prep as much as you can but I was in uncharted waters for a person such as myself. It was a lot of fun though. Then again when you're playing a guy with amnesia and you're getting into these different personalities, or fugue sates...I don't know. It was a fun process, but wit this movie done now and out of the way I'm just looking forward to applying what I learned from this movie, and the last few movies that I've done, and becoming better at what I do. I just want to be the best actor that I can be.

IGN: And what was it like playing a man who had no idea who he was? Most of the time you can create a backstory for a character but in this case it wouldn't work.

Austin: [laughs] That was the thing I was always talking to [director] Rob Lieberman about. You have to just go forward and rely on your instincts. What instincts did I have to draw from? I can't really say. But it was just one of those things where you proceed accordingly and try to do the best you can do, man.

IGN: You had to speak a couple different languages in The Stranger. Spanish and Russian. Was that an easy thing to pick up?

Austin: [laughs] There was interesting an interview that Matt Damon did about achieving his accent for Invictus and he got to work with a dialect coach for several months and, you know, the guy's an incredible actor and for this movie it was always kind of up in the air: are we going to have him speak Spanish and Russian or are we going to just have him do the English? Because everything got put on the front burner with this movie and so we decided, "Okay, he's going to speak Spanish and Russian." And there I was, cramming with a tape recorder and phonetics sheet three days before each scene to try to pull that off the best that we could with the time that we had. And when you're trying to learn a language and you don't know what the words mean you're just imitating noises. That was another "learn as you go" procedure and if anything this movie taught me more about homework, research and prep than anything else I've done.

IGN: We're going to get to see you this August in Sylvester Stallone's Expendables. What was it like working with Stallone?

Austin: Man, I had a blast working with that guy. And, you know, I'm a huge Sly fan going back to ... hell, when was it? ... 1976 when Rocky came out. And of course I saw Paradise Alley and Lords of Flatbush and all that stuff. But I've followed his career forever. I got a meeting in Beverly Hills with him in his office and we hit it off like we'd known each other for ten years. He offered me the part and I accepted. I play a guy in The Expendables named Dan Payne and it's not like I'm dialogue-heavy in the movie but that's okay. Eric Roberts plays my boss and I'm just there to supply some muscle and intimidation under his direction. And me and that guy hit it off right away. He took me under his wing and I asked him a million questions about acting and we'd just sit there when we weren't on camera, telling dirty jokes and I just picked his brain for three months. It was a blast.

IGN: You just did another film with Eric Roberts, didn't you?

Austin: Yeah, I just finished another movie with him in Vancouver about five months ago called Hunt To Kill. There was a part in there that we could have used Eric for so I called him up out of the blue and I didn't know if he'd do it or not and he said "Steve, I'll do anything for you." And he came up there and he did that movie with me and I'd love to work with him again. We turned out to be very good friends. It started on The Expendables and now we trade phone calls once every two weeks. That guy has been a total sweetheart to me.

IGN: What are some of your favorite action movies?

Austin: Probably a lot of the stuff that Stallone did. A lot of the stuff that Arnold did. I liked a lot of Seagal movies from back in the day. Old Van Damm movies. And I don't know if they'd necessarily be called action movies, but a ot of Steve McQueen stuff. Paul Newman too. I wouldn't called Cool Hand Luke an action movie but movies like that really influenced me. Another movie I like which again I wouldn't call an action movie was The Shawshank Redemption.

IGN: Do you still keep up with the WWE? Do you watch RAW or Smackdown?

Austin: I watch every now and then when I can. I don't follow it as much as I used to. Technically I'm still with the company. I'm totally independent but technically I'm still with the company and have a great relationship with them but I'm just because I'm trying to focus on the things that I've got going I really don't get to watch that much TV at all. Which is interesting when I go to some meetings to discuss TV projects and they ask me "what do you like to watch on TV?" And I have to tell them that I don't really watch a whole lot of TV. I don't watch the WWE as much as I'd like to, but I don't really watch TV in general.

IGN: Did you happen to catch any of TNA when they put themselves up against RAW?

Austin: Oh, that was brutal. Just brutal. I've always wished TNA all the luck in the world. I mean, they'll never be able to compete on a level platform with the WWE but I still just want the company to do well because I have a lot of friends over there. It's a good place for guys to work. It's a little bit different of a product. I think they need to differentiate the product even more from what the WWE is because they'll never be able to compete with that. But, that being said, they've got some interesting storylines and some interesting talent over there. It's an alternative.

IGN: Is the WWE just too big to take on?

Austin: The WWE is like the NFL. It's a powerhouse. It's been around so long. Their history is so strong. Their intellectual property...everything about the WWE is strong. There'll never be anything that's able to top it. You never want to say "never" but there's never going to be a wrestling company that tops WWE. Never.

IGN: You're one of the celebrities who have taken to Twitter. What is it about Twitter that you enjoy the most?

Austin: Back in the day, I enjoyed writing. In English class. Me of all people. A lot of people wouldn't think that. Man, I just get on there though and come up with the most ridiculous stories I can think of and, you know, I'll talk about my movies when they come out too. I have a website in the works, which will be up shortly. But Twitter is just a grass-roots way to stay in touch with my fanbase and I just enjoy it. I'm able to interact with them. I answer questions. And I just make up the most ridiculous tales I can come up with an post them. I have a lot of fun with it. I try not to use it to talk about any political things that are going on although I have dropped a few here and there. It's just a way to stay in touch with my fans. And actually, I just jumped on the Twitter ship long after it was created, but it's something I've really enjoyed. I use it as a creative outlet. It might have been a month or two ago but I posted a work out where I wrote that I was swimming in the pacific ocean and after the 16th mile a shark bit my leg off I just continued from there. Every 140 characters I just would continue the story. From that one story about a bulls*** workout I turned it into this whole epic story with sharks. Me fighting sharks. Sharks stealing my TV. And then it turned into a genetic experiment where I was trying to create a bigger chicken. Because I eat a lot of chicken on my diet. It all wound up with me crossing DNA together and coming up with a Chickensaurus I just make this stuff up on the fly. Half the people think I'm drunk and half the people think I'm f***ed up. Of which I am neither.

IGN: Yo do realize now that you're going to have to do a move where you battle sharks. And probably a Chickensaurus.

Austin: Hey, man. I'd love to do that. It would be an action-movie with some comedy in it. Which would be great because I've been wanting to do some comedy stuff anyway. I was really successful being a touch guy in the WWE and beating people up for a living and I had a damn good time doing it. But most of the time, even though I do take the things that I do and the movies that I make seriously, I like to laugh with people and at myself. I'm more of a comedian than I am a tough guy.

IGN: Well, we certainly enjoyed you on Chuck earlier this year.

Austin: I'd like to do more stuff like that. I had a great time doing that show and going back to what I was saying earlier: I don't watch a lot of TV. I'd never seen Chuck before. And then all of a sudden I'm on the set. That thing happened overnight. The script fell into my hands and then there I was working with Zach Levi and that dude is super-talented. And I enjoyed the experience. I would love to do more stuff like that.

IGN: I have to tell you...I started watching you way back in the USWA. They'd show it on ESPN.

Austin: You're kidding. Where did you grow up?

IGN: I grew up in New York City. So I would go to Madison Square Garden to watch the WWF, but if I wanted to see something different I'd have to watch cable. And ESPN had the USWA with you and Bill Dundee and Bull Pain.

Austin: You know, some of my favorite stuff growing up - I grew up a hundred miles south of Houston, Texas in a little town called Edna - and I was changing channels on TV one day and I found wrestling and it was Paul Boesch's Houston Wrestling over at the Houston Coliseum. And you know, back then wrestling a as real, right? And it was a smoke-filled arena and there was one light bulb over the ring and you could barely see the front row in the crowd. It was a badass atmosphere and I fell in love with it. And then we started getting Mid-South and Power Pro wrestling from Bills Watts? Did you ever see any of that?

IGN: I saw Mid-South. Oh yeah

Austin: Man, that was some good s***, with Jim Ross calling the action and Michael "PS" Hayes was doing a lot of the color commentary and Missy Hyatt and Dark Journey were feuding. Missy Hyatt had the loaded gucci bag - one of the most devastating weapons, or foreign objects, in all of wrestling. That was some good s***. These days, in my garage I have two cardio machines and a flat screen TV. I still watch wrestling. I love it. I'll always love it. I'm still hooked on it, I'm just not in it anymore. If want to watch really badass wrestling - I don't have a lot of Mid-South or Power Pro stuff - but I do have a lot of mid 80s NWA. So when I really want to watch something good I'll crank up my metal, or I'll have it at a low volume when Jim Ross is calling the action, and I'll just have a ball. That's when you had the best talent. The best hands. Everyone on the card could work their ass off. And you could tell that the guys were calling it in the ring. It wasn't like today. They had time. No one was rushing. And not every match had "carte blanche" to use the stairs, the ringpost, you had to learn how to work.

And that was one of the things I enjoyed the most when I first started off in the USWA - if you remember back then, Fritz Von Erich had just sold the territory, World Class which was badass, to Jerry Jarrett and it was turned into USWA and Eric Embry was the head booker and head babyface. I broke in there and after two months of them beating the hell out of me I asked Jerry when he thought I could start working full time and he said "Hell, Steve I think you're ready now. I'll send you to Tennessee in two weeks." Man, I quit my job and two weeks later I was driving my 1988 Hyundai Excel to Memphis to the Mid-South Coliseum. And long story short, I start working there and the good thing about the USWA was that we worked the same exact towns every single week over and over. Man, you talk about having to learn to work your ass off because you've always got to be thinking. You've always got to change it up in the ring. It's not like it is nowadays when you're working with the same guy and you can work town after town and not have the same fans there. You can do the same match every night. Use the same pops. Rely on yesterday's match and you lose your chops.






The Stranger, starring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Adam Beach and Erica Cerra is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Audio: Austin on 106.7 The Fan DC Today

Source: 106.7 The Fan

Austin was on The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes today. Listen to the interview below:




If the file isn't working, click here to listen.